Fall striper push builds in the back bays as tog chew

What's biting

What's next

Expect the striper bite to build from the north and from the back bays rather than arrive everywhere at once. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ is rigging for it with a bunker snag, a second rod ready with bait in case the boat finds bunker pods, large shads, and plain or tailed jigs. In the bays, Southern NJ reports from The Fisherman — Southern NJ point to bone or blue Mag Darters by day, and dark paddletails or small topwater baits at night when bait is getting crushed at the surface.

Tides give clear windows today. At the Atlantic City station the next high is about 11:04 AM and the next low about 5:40 PM. At Cape May the high lands near 12:15 PM and the low near 6:35 PM. Moving water around those turns, plus the dusk hours under a waxing crescent moon, favors inlets, bridges and jetty edges. Night anglers on rock edges have been finding stripers on soft baits and plugs, per the same surf column.

For tog, keep green crabs and sand fleas on the rod near structure. Offshore, Fishermans HQ LBI says sea bass fishing stays strong when the weather allows, with jigs, clams and squid all producing. Small bluefish and a few weakfish are also picking at the beaches in northern waters. Check beach access before you drive on: Fishermans HQ LBI reported storm damage and erosion affecting the 4x4 ramps on Long Beach Island, so confirm conditions locally first.

Context

Mid-October is typically when the Jersey Shore flips from summer holdovers to the fall migration. Stripers stack up behind baitfish moving south, tautog slide onto structure as the water cools, and the last bluefish and weakfish linger along the beaches. Fishermans HQ LBI noted bay anchovies in the water, which is the kind of forage that holds fish close to the shore this time of year.

Water in the mid-60s is still on the warm side for the main striper run. That helps explain why the back bays and northern waters are ahead of the open surf right now. A cooling trend and northerly breezes typically push the first real beach bite, and the blitz reported at Hereford Inlet suggests the front edge of that wave is already close. Some out-of-season fluke are still hanging around the bay and inlet, but check state regs before keeping anything. Black sea bass and tautog limits change through the fall, so confirm current rules before harvesting.