Stripers working the Sandy Hook jetties as fall run builds

What's biting

What's next

With the new moon just passed, expect tide swings to stay strong through the next few days, which should keep pushing bait and stripers through the inlet on the moving water per the pattern Fisherman's Den is already seeing. If that holds, the jetty bite on eels should stay consistent into the weekend, with surf anglers continuing to pick off schoolies to mid-size fish on plugs during the tide changes.

The tautog bite on green crabs looks like the more reliable target right now and should keep building as water temps ease down from the current mid-60s. Bluefish activity is patchier: Golden Eagle Fishing's "slammers" reports suggest bursts of big fish rather than a steady bite, so timing a trip around reported activity will matter more than just showing up.

Black sea bass should stay a numbers game over quality for now. Capt Ron's crew has been loading up on shorts, and that usually means the keeper-size fish are still filtering in rather than fully staged up. Watch for that bite to sharpen as more boats get back out after recent weather disruptions.

Context

Mid-October with water in the low-to-mid 60s is right on schedule for the Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook region's fall transition, when striped bass migrating south from New England and the Hudson start stacking up around the inlet structure and jetties. Bluefish typically thin out through this window as the larger fall run of stripers takes over the inshore bite, which lines up with the mixed, bursty bluefish reports coming in now. Tautog season is in its classic early stretch, with green-crab bites on structure typically improving through late fall as water continues to cool. Bottom fishing for black sea bass is normal for this time of year but often runs heavy on undersized fish before the better class of keepers moves onto the structure later in the season.