What a great feeling to be writing the weekly South Jersey report again, as it means one thing—the fishing season is here. I hope it’s been a good winter for all our readers, and we are all looking forward to a productive 2020 season. White perch, striped bass, and winter flounder are the main sources of South Jersey fishing action right now. Bloodworms, grass shrimp, or small artificials are the baits of choice as most anglers are still in the pre-fishing phase. We are nearing the end of the fishing and boat show season and preparation should have started on the gear for the coming months.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown is back running on weekends until they open full time on March 21. Liza said it’s been a mild winter and the fish have been responding already with small Striped Bass being caught on soft plastics and small plugs in some of the area’s lagoons.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown / Barnegat Light had a busy week bottom painting the vessel with the warmer weather days. April 1 is the official splash date and they will start targeting striped bass, winter flounder, and tautog around the middle of the month. The skipper is adding a “flats” shallow water vessel to the fleet which will be used to target a variety of species in skinny water including the addition of fly-fishing charters.
Lacey Marine in Forked River reported schoolie striped bass action along the lagoons in Lacey up to Toms River. There are white perch picking up bloodworms baits along with a few winter flounder being caught in the northern part of Barnegat Bay.
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light continues to perform maintenance and prep the vessel for the start of the season. The vessel has a tentative April/May start date, but it’s best to call for dates.
Fisherman’s Headquarters on Long Beach Island had some reports of Striped Bass to 26 inches caught in the west sides of Barnegat Bay and further south towards the Mullica River. White Perch have been picking up some Grass Shrimp baits around Beach Haven West, but the best action remains south.
Absecon Bay Sportsman in Absecon reported solid White Perch fishing from the waters of Great Bay as the Mullica and Tuckahoe Rivers have been very good. Most of the perch this season have been decent-sized fish to 14 inches. There are a lot of schoolie striped bass cooperating on both rivers, and anglers have been catching them on bloodworms and slow-retrieved soft plastics. Angler Nick Spiris stopped in the shop with the season’s first keeper Striped Bass (29 inches) as Nick was in his kayak working soft plastics to release a bunch in the 25-inch range.
Offshore Bait & Tackle in Atlantic City said they have been receiving lots of new gear for the 2020 season and will be in the store from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on most days. The shop will resume spring hours once the season gets going. The white perch bite has been phenomenal this winter and should continue throughout the month of March.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported a great weekend as the crew was busy working the floor of the Atlantic City Boat Show showcasing the new Hobie yak lineup. On the fishing front, it’s been white perch and striped bass. The brackish rivers are the place to be for both species, but if you’re looking for just stripers, some of the western backwaters have had good action on 3- to 4-inch Zoom baits and floated bloodworms.
Sea Isle Bait & Tackle in Sea Isle has been busy stocking up the store for the big opening this Friday as they will back to their regular store hours. There are some baitfish moving in the backwaters along with striped bass in the 14- to 25-inch size range.
Avalon Hodge Podge in Avalon will be re-opening towards the end of March. They did say there has been Striped Bass around and anglers have been making the drive to the Mullica and Tuckahoe Rivers for White Perch.
Jersey Bait & Tackle in North Wildwood reported some striped bass being caught in the creeks towards the West side of Grassy Sound and further south. The shop has been stocking lots of new gear for the season and have fresh baits daily.
Peace Token Fishing Tackle in Cape May Court House was busy this winter attending lots of fishing and boat shows as the team wrapped up the Atlantic City Boat show this past weekend. They have been promoting their “Fluke Salt Bug” for this upcoming season and the shop will be open daily this upcoming week.
Jim’s Bait & Tackle in Cape May has been busy prepping the store as the season is getting closer. There are some anglers catching short striped bass in the back channels and sedges of Wildwood and Cape May.
Greenhorn Outdoors in Bridgeton has already been busy with anglers targeting striped bass and white perch. I spoke to the shop and they just received an order of live bloodworms for targeting bass or perch on the Cohansey River.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this weekend will be to try for striped bass at some of the local creeks, lagoons, or even backwater thoroughfares. This time of year, bloodworms, sandworms, and 4-inch artificials rule the scene. If the boat is ready to go, drifting live bloodworms or sandworms will definitely work on cruising bass, especially during the afternoon ebb tides. White Perch fishing is still on fire on many of our rivers from the Toms River south. Grass shrimp are the ticket. There are a few fishing shows and flea-markets remaining if you haven’t geared up yet. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines in 2020.
Thanks for putting Sea Isle Bait and Tackle and Peace Token on your fishing report. Both are great shops with fantastic owners. Hope I see their input throughout the upcoming season.
Would like to hear from point Pleasant to the Toms river in some of your reports thanks
It would be great to read what the action is in the Great Bay and Tuckerton Creek areas. Thank you,