Striper run builds along the Jersey coast as tog bite turns on

What's biting

What's next

The trend favors stripers. Adult bunker on the ocean side, striper reports in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May, and cooling nights all point to the fall run strengthening. Expect the beachfront and inlets to improve as more fish push south. Hands Too Bait and Tackle already described an honest bass blitz at Hereford Inlet, with sod bank and bridge fish in the 40 to 46 inch range taking soft plastics on 3/8-ounce leadheads. Pier 47 Marina anglers found stripers to 29 inches in the Wildwood back bays on bone or blue Mag Darters by day, and dark paddletails or small topwater baits at night as bait got crushed on the surface.

Surf anglers farther north should be patient. Fishermans HQ LBI noted a mid-60s surf temperature and a mixed bag of kingfish, bluefish, blowfish and a couple of stripers on the beaches. Surf City Bait and Tackle has fresh bunker in stock for the fish moving around LBI. Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters is holding off until stripers arrive in greater numbers, a reasonable read for the bay side.

Boat anglers should watch the weather. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ has switched to striped bass trips, suggesting a bunker snag, a second rod for bait rigs, large shads, jigs and diamond jigs. Capt. Ron also noted the water was still near 59 degrees at one point and needed to cool a bit more. Sea bass remain strong in places. Mary M IV reported near-limit days, while other boats found plenty of shorts, so the keeper ratio varies by spot. The first quarter moon puts the larger tidal swings a few days out, worth planning around once conditions settle. Check state regs before harvesting.

Context

Mid-October is normally the start of the fall striper push along the Jersey Shore, driven by falling water temperatures and bait moving out of the bays and down the coast. This year looks roughly on schedule, with the run taking shape rather than fully arrived. Tautog typically peak at the jetties and structure through late fall, and bag limits typically change in mid-November, so the next few weeks are prime for blackfish. Sea bass stay productive on offshore wrecks and reefs, while kingfish, weakfish and bluefish linger in the surf and bays before the colder water pushes them out. Storms have interrupted fishing for several weeks, which compresses effort into good-weather windows.