Sea bass and fluke leading Jersey Shore charter reports after the storm

What's biting

What's next

The nor'easter has passed. Hands Too Bait and Tackle expects anglers to head for the Wildwood and Cape May reef sites once the wind lays down, and expects quick sea bass limits there. Northern NJ boats that sat out the week hope to resume Tuesday or Wednesday, seas permitting, and Mary M IV in Central NJ plans bottom trips for sea bass. Expect the fleet to come back in stages rather than all at once.

Inshore, Pier 47's pre-storm striper pattern is the best guide: fish the sod banks on the flood. The next low at Atlantic City is 8:08 AM EDT, so the flood begins after that. The surf has also changed. One Stop Bait and Tackle says more submerged rocky structure was unearthed in Atlantic City, so fish the new edges with a fresh approach. Tautog should return as the water settles, and Fin-Atics in Ocean City hopes the tog bite at the Pier rebounds this week.

Offshore, a South Jersey Marina report calls the canyon bite slow after the blow. Expect that side to lag the inshore bite for a few days.

Context

Early October is the fall transition on the Jersey Shore. Water is cooling from the mid-60s, bait is moving toward the inlets and offshore, and the striper and bluefish migration typically builds through October. OTW Northern New Jersey's late-September reports expected improving fall striper action once conditions settled, which fits the pattern here. Tautog typically firm up over rock and jetty structure as the water drops, so that bite often improves before the offshore side does. Storm-cut beaches and shifted bottom can make old marks behave differently for a few weeks, so treat the first trips back as scouting. Check state regs before harvesting, since size and season limits change.