Sea bass and fluke keep biting as post-storm water settles

What's biting

What's next

Capt Ron's says winds are starting to shift northwest with good weather all week, which should help the water settle after the storm. Capt Ron's sea bass and fluke reports and Blue Chip's sea bass reports are the most direct charter testimony we have, so start there for bottom fishing.

The bigger question is striped bass. OTW Northern New Jersey's late-September report expected fall-run striper fishing to improve once conditions settled, and that is the trigger to watch. Bluefish and false albacore are described as lingering, so plan on scattered action until the water and wind cooperate.

For timing, the predicted high near 3:00 PM local is the one tide event in the feed, and the next low is not listed. Fishermans HQ LBI reports catching false albacore on jigs and then switching to live peanut bunker once things heated up, the approach to try if jigs stall.

Context

Early October is typically the tail of the fall run along this stretch of the NJ coast. Cooling water and shorter days usually bring striped bass, bluefish and false albacore along the beaches and out to structure, while bottom species such as fluke and black sea bass often hold later into the fall.

Typical patterns only: check state regs before harvesting any fluke or sea bass, since size and possession limits change.