Fall run stripers show up on LBI as tautog wake up on the rocks
Water temps at the two Jersey Shore CO-OPS stations read 63.9°F and 61.9°F this morning, still holding onto late-summer warmth even as fluke season closed out Friday, September 25. Central New Jersey's Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven flagged the LBI Surf Fishing Classic's first striper weigh-in of the fall — an 8.15-pound fish at 29.5 inches on a plug — a clear signal the fall run is arriving. Southern New Jersey's Pier 47 Marina in the Wildwoods reports stripers feeding heavily at night around lighted docks and sod banks on paddletails, rubber shads, bucktails and Mag Darters, fish to 31 inches, with the bite noticeably better on higher tides. Bluefish are holding steady: Surf City Bait and Tackle in Central New Jersey has anglers connecting with multiple blues on metal, and OTW Northern New Jersey's latest report calls out lingering bluefish and false albacore even as this week's nor'easter slowed the pace. Tautog are waking up on structure — Boulevard Bait and Tackle in Southern New Jersey says anglers are shifting to tog on wrecks, reefs, jetties and bridges now that flounder season has closed, and Grumpys Tackle and Surf City both flag blackfish starting to chew around the rocks. Black sea bass remain a bright spot, with Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reporting solid all-day action.
New to these readings? What water temp, tide, and moon phase mean for fishing →
What's biting
What's next
Next low tide at the shore stations falls in the early-to-mid afternoon today, and with the full moon pushing bigger tidal swings, expect a stronger current push over the next few days — the kind of shift that typically kicks the night striper bite Pier 47 Marina describes into higher gear. The nor'easter that slowed action for OTW Northern New Jersey and The Fisherman — New Jersey edition should clear through the weekend, and a cooling push paired with a full-moon tide and clearing skies is the classic setup for the fall run to build quickly from here.
Look for striped bass activity to keep spreading north from the Central and Southern New Jersey back bays as bait gets pushed out of the estuaries. Tautog should keep improving on structure into October, and black sea bass, per Capt Ron's, should keep fishing well into the fall.
Context
This is on schedule for late September at the Jersey Shore: fluke season closing out, black sea bass picking up the slack on structure, and the first real striper weigh-ins marking the start of the fall migration. A full moon in late September typically pushes peanut bunker and mullet out of the back bays in earnest, the trigger that shifts a summer-pattern bite into the fall run that builds through October. Lingering bluefish and false albacore into late September is typical before water temperatures drop further.
Synthesized from real-time NOAA buoy data, USGS stream gauges, and current reports across regional fishing blogs, captain updates, and angler forums. Check local regulations before keeping fish. Never trust a single source for a trip decision.
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