We finally have a good week of calmer tides and toned-down seas which will make heading offshore a reality for most blue-water boats. Yellowfin, Bluefin, Swordfish, and Mahi are awaiting the offshore battlewagons with trolling by day and chunking by night the main means of catching these fish over the next month. The brief cooler temperatures ushered some increased night feeding by Weakfish, Striped Bass, and Bluefish for most of the South Jersey areas. I took advantage of the cooler temperatures and did some kayak fishing during the late-night shift. A few 26-inch Striped Bass and 10-pound Blues on soft plastics had me doing the “bay sleigh ride” in the wee-hours of the morning. There is something about “one more cast” as it usually turns into additional hours of angling and multiple cups of high-octane coffee the next morning. October is a prime month as bay and jetty fishing ignites on our resident Striped Bass as the water temperatures begin their slide.
Here is this week’s rundown:
The Golden Eagle out of Belmar had pretty good fishing this past week with jumbo Bluefish up to 22 pounds and some Albacore in the mix. The boat was chunking baits and jigging hammer jigs. The offshore tuna trip fared well with some Yellowfin Tuna and a few Swordfish that were lost boat side. The boat will be fishing for Bluefish, Mackerel, Albacore, and Bonita everyday providing good weather.
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported a similar bite as last week in terms of “bay” fishing where anglers are catching Bluefish and Striped Bass along the Point Pleasant Canal, Manasquan River, Route 35, and Route 70 Bridge. Most of the Striped Bass have been in the 15- to 24-inch range and the Bluefish have averaged about 4 pounds. The Point Pleasant Canal has seen some bigger Bluefish to 14 pounds hitting artificials or chunked Bunker. There are plenty of Blackfish being caught both inside and outside at bottom pieces close to shore. The nearshore action has heated up with Bonita and Albacore hitting metal jigs. The fish cruise fast so you have to have the rods ready as you only get few shots. Offshore had Yellowfin and Mahi hitting the decks for boats that made it out in the narrow weather window. Most of the offshore surface structure (pots, hi-fliers, buoys, etc.) have Mahi holding on them.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach had good action on Porgies and Blackfish on most of their trips this past week. Anglers have been going home with full bags of meat. The boat is sailing every day for 3/4-day bottom-fishing with the targets being Blackfish and Porgies. They have both clams and crabs aboard, and will start targeting Sea Bass in a few weeks.
The Gambler in Point Pleasant reported did some offshore fishing to the Hudson Canyon. The boat got into sharks for a good portion of the trip, but did have a flurry of Yellowfin activity around daybreak. Good-sized Yellowfin to 80 pounds were landed on Butterfish baits free-lined way back in the slick. The boat has a few spots open the following Saturday (October 14th) for their 24-hour tuna trip. If interested, call the boat ASAP before the spots fill up.
Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported small blitzes on snapper Bluefish and blues up to 4 pounds. The Barnegat Inlet has Tog and Triggerfish on Green Crabs, and some bigger Bluefish to 10 pounds on bucktails or chunked bunker. With the cooling temperatures this past week, small Striped Bass have been caught around the sod banks in the back of Island Beach State Park. Anglers working flies, poppers, and soft plastics have been scoring. The beachfront saw an uptick in schoolie Striped Bass action this past week.
Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light will be sailing for the start of Sea Bass season on October 22nd, and is ready to hit some of Capt. Will’s favorite snags.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported Blackfish and Porgies abound off the wrecks off Island Beach State Park. Blackfish, Bluefish, and some Striped Bass have been caught along the North and South jetties lining the Barnegat Inlet. Blackfish have been boxed on green crabs on conventional rigs and S&S Blackfish jigs. The backwaters have been giving up some Weakfish on drifted Peanut Bunker. Blowfishing has been slow with up to a dozen being caught per trip, but you have to put in at least 6 hours of fishing.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported Weakfish around the bridges at night. Anglers throwing Peanut Bunker on floats have been doing well. There are also 10-pound Bluefish and Striped Bass to keeper size around the same areas. Soft plastics and live bait have been the offerings of choice. There are still snapper Bluefish and Sea Bass in the back-bay areas. Blackfish have been caught in good numbers from the Barnegat Inlet, but make sure your 1-fish limit measures to keeper length as there has been plenty of Conservation Officers around.
Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported Bluefish still hanging around in the Brigantine surf. There are still plenty of Spot and Kingfish around. The mullet have been running out and can sometimes be cast-netted on the beach. But if you can’t throw or can’t find them, the shop has plenty of fresh mullet in stock. There have been Striped Bass caught at night around the marshes and sod banks, but also around the bridges on plugs and soft plastics.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported Bluefish from 1 to 4 pounds being caught in the back bay and the inlet. Striped Bass have been caught at night on both soft plastics and on small Peanut Bunker. The key has been to work areas of structure such as rock-piles and bridges. There still have been quite a few Tog caught along the sod banks and bridges. Green crabs on jigs has been the “go-to” bait. The offshore area has been solid with Yellowfin, Mahi, and occasional White Marlin being caught at the canyons.
The Wildwood and Cape May areas have been reporting some Redfish showing up in the surf. Fisherman using Green or Asian Crabs have been catching these as by-catch while targeting Tog. There are still plenty of small Bluefish in the surf and backwaters, but there has been some bigger Bluefish caught in the upper Delaware Bay. Blackfish are providing tons of action off the rock-piles and sea wall in North Wildwood. Striped Bass are around, but the areas have seen mostly schoolies as of this past week. The party boats have been targeting a mixed bag of fish mostly Bluefish, small Weakfish, and some Tog and Triggerfish. On the bait side of things, Mullet have been moving out of the backwaters, but mostly in small schools. Offshore has been very active on Wahoo, Mahi, and Yellowfin for boats fishing along the 30-Fathom line inside the Baltimore Canyon.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
Whether you have a boat or not, the place to be this weekend is inside and along most of our jetties and back bay bridges. Blackfish are easily caught during the day on Green Crabs and should be on the feed around the slower moving current times. The same areas, especially around the bridges, will have Striped Bass, Bluefish, and possibly Weakfish feeding at night. Live-lined Peanut Bunker and soft plastics are the way to go when working the night shift for these species. Offshore anglers will have good shots at Yellowfin, Mahi, and even Wahoo and should chunk by light and troll by day. With so many Peanut Bunker around, a couple throws of the cast net will have the live-well filled and ready for Mahi pitch baits. Surf fisherman have Bluefish in play, but with cooling waters should start to see Striped Bass taking baits or lures. As I said before October is a great month with tons of opportunities to target migrating fish.
Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!