Sea bass and fluke keep biting as the coast settles after the nor'easter
NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121 reads 68°F, and the charter and shop reports describe a fall bite settling in after last weekend's nor'easter. Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says fluke and sea bass are being caught on its half-day and full-day trips, and that most sea bass trips are getting enough fish for everyone on board. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports fluke up to 4 pounds from a Saturday charter, plus a good all-day sea bass bite on open-boat sailings. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) says live bait has been working on both inshore and offshore fish, with false albacore and fluke among the catches. OTW Northern New Jersey adds lingering bluefish and false albacore in its late-September report. Most of these reports come from ocean-side ports rather than the Bay itself, so read them as the coastal bite.
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What's biting
What's next
Expect the water to clear over the next few days. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) says the water may need a few more days to clean up after the storm in most spots, and the bite should follow once it does. Capt Ron's bite faded at the tide change on one trip, so time your drops around the tide rather than the clock.
Bluefish are the other fish worth planning around, since OTW Northern New Jersey described them lingering into late September. The bluefish and fluke mix should carry the next stretch if the baitfish hold.
Grumpys Tackle (NJ) has its Barrier Island Beach Brawl surf tournament in northern Ocean County on October 9 and 10, which puts a lot of surf rods on the beach that weekend. Tautog are also chewing, per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI), though that report is from Rhode Island. The one to watch is striped bass: OTW Northern New Jersey expected the fall-run bite to improve once conditions settled, and that is the call to test as the water clears.
Context
Early October is the seasonal turn on the New Jersey coast. Water is still warm from summer but cooling, and the fall run is starting to bring bluefish and false albacore through as baitfish move toward the ocean. Fluke and sea bass usually shift to deeper structure as the season ages, and sea bass typically build into a stronger fall bite. Striped bass migrations tend to peak as the water drops further, so the bigger striper push is more often a late-October and November story. Day length shortens quickly through October and the water temperature falls through the 60s, which is the change that moves fish out of the shallows and sets up the fall pattern. Check state regs before harvesting, since size and season limits change.
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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