Striped bass push builds along the Jersey Shore after the nor'easter
Sandy Hook's NOAA CO-OPS station is reading 67.1°F this afternoon, with Cape May a touch warmer at 68.4°F, as Jersey Shore docks reopen after the nor'easter that kept boats tied up most of last week. The Fisherman — New Jersey edition's regional forecast already has the first fall reports of striped bass over 50 inches along the north coast now that the storm has cleared. Before the blow hit, The Fisherman — Southern NJ had striper action on the sod banks "very good" at night on the flood tide, per Pier 47 Marina, with fish mostly 16 to 29 inches and a few past 31, and sea bass "stacked" on the wrecks and reefs per Hands Too Bait and Tackle. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf adds that blackfish, weakfish, stripers, blues, croakers and kingfish were all keeping Cape May anglers busy on most tides right up until the storm. Grumpys Tackle says blues are in and has bucktails on sale for the fall run, and sea bass charters are producing well — Blue Chip Sportfishing reports most trips getting limits for everyone aboard, while Capt. Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands called one of the last days of 2026 fluke season "awesome," with all-day action in deeper water.
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What's biting
What's next
Seas should keep laying down through midweek as the system clears out, and the Northern NJ boats that were docked all week — the Golden Eagle, Skylarker, Miss Belmar Princess, Ol' Salty II and Big Mohawk III — expect to resume by Tuesday or Wednesday per The Fisherman — Northern NJ. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports Fin-Atics expects stripers to feed heavily right after the storm passes, and that push should build on top of the north-coast run The Fisherman — New Jersey edition is already tracking.
Sandy Hook's next low tide falls around 7:10 PM local tonight, a good window to work the sod-bank pattern on the evening flood that follows. Tog fishing on sandfleas and green crabs, per The Fisherman — Southern NJ's report on Big Dave's Tackle, should keep improving around bridge and reef structure in the back bays as water keeps cooling.
At LBI, Fishermans HQ's bonita-and-albie bite on live peanut bunker should hold as long as that bait stays stacked around the inlets. Check current state size and possession limits before keeping sea bass, fluke or tautog, since seasons and limits shift through the fall.
Context
Early October puts the Jersey Shore in its fall transition: water in the upper 60s is typical for this point in the run, and the handoff from summer's fluke fishery, now closing out, to the striper, bluefish and tautog bite that carries into November is right on schedule. A disruptive nor'easter in the first week of October is also a familiar pattern here, and it often acts as the trigger that kicks the fall migration into gear rather than delaying it. The next several weeks are typically the most productive stretch of the season for the Shore's surf and back-bay fisheries.
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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