Fall run builds on the Jersey Shore as sea bass, tog turn on

What's biting

What's next

Expect striper numbers to build through the rest of the week as the fall migration continues; OTW Northern New Jersey's run of incremental improvement from report to report points toward a strengthening bite into the weekend. New-moon tides are producing bigger swings, with the next low falling near 2 PM at station 8534720 and near 3 PM at station 8536110 — solid afternoon windows for surf and inlet anglers working the moving current. Capt Ron's crew expects the sea bass bite to hold if the weather stays cooperative, with bottom fishing continuing to fill the box on half-day trips. Tautog action, flagged by Fishermans HQ LBI as one of the better current targets, typically builds through October as the water keeps cooling, so that bite should extend rather than fade in the coming weeks.

Context

Early-to-mid October is prime time for the Jersey Shore fall run, as striped bass and other migratory species move south ahead of the cooling season. A new moon this week typically sharpens feeding windows around tide changes. After weather disruptions pushed reports off schedule in recent weeks, current intel suggests the run is tracking normally for the calendar, with the push still building rather than peaking. Anglers should see the strongest action develop over the next several weeks as water temperatures continue their seasonal decline.