New Jersey fishing reports
622 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Sea bass running hot on NJ drops as fall fish fill in
Water reads 67°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, and this week's reports point at the bottom bite. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ says sea bass fishing has been 'very good all day', with keepers for everyone aboard and fluke up to 4 pounds on a recent charter. Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) reports sea bass charters doing very good, with most trips filling the boat. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) credits live baitfish for false albacore, with fluke also in the mix. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) reported on October 1 that the surf is settling after a storm that brought big waves, flooding and erosion, and that the post-storm fall fishing is good. OTW Northern New Jersey flags lingering bluefish and false albacore, with a fall striper push still ahead.
Night stripers and early tog on the Delaware Bay shore after the nor'easter
Delaware Bay water is 68°F at NOAA station 8537121, and the shore is rebuilding after the late-September nor'easter. Striped bass are the bite to plan around. Pier 47 Marina reports stripers feeding on most nights in the back bays, even in creeks with three feet of water, mostly 18 to 22 inches, and the fish aren't picky: 3-inch Berkley J-Wakers, paddle tails and Mag Darters all worked. Fin-Atics reports the same night pattern from the sod banks and bridges. Tautog are steady too. Big Dave's Tackle put plenty on deck in the bay on green crabs and sand fleas, and Hands Too Bait and Tackle says blackfishing is good, though keepers are hard to find. Bluefish are running in the 1 to 3 pound range, and quality weakfish were hitting at Wildwood on pink Zooms and bucktails.
Tog and night stripers lead the Jersey Shore bite this week
NOAA station 8534720 reads 65.1°F and station 8536110 reads 66.4°F, right where early October should sit. Tautog are the most dependable bite this week. Per The Fisherman — Southern NJ, One Stop Bait and Tackle reports tog to keepers of 4 pounds on the Atlantic City jetties, caught on green crabs and sand fleas, and stripers running to 33 inches on plastics, mostly after dark. Per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, Fin-Atics has 2 to 3 pound bluefish hitting metals at Corson's Inlet, and the same surf reports have quality weakfish in Wildwood on pink Zooms, bucktails and bloodworms. On the bottom, Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports fluke up to 4 pounds and a sea bass bite where everyone is going home with dinner.
Sea bass and tautog hold the bite as the striper fall run builds
Sandy Hook water is reading 65°F at NOAA station 8531680, and the bottom bite is carrying early October after the late-September nor'easter. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports fluke up to 4 pounds and all-day black sea bass keepers, while Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says sea bass charters are doing very well. Striped bass are the one to watch. Fishermans HQ LBI saw bass showing promise just before the storm, and The Fisherman's Northern NJ reporters say live eels have been the top striper producer as fish move in and out of the inlet on the tides.
Spillway crappie and Delaware River smallmouth lead early October
Smith Bait and Tackle in Leipsic says good water conditions have brought anglers back to fall fishing. Crappies are producing decent numbers in Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills, Silver Lake and Lums Pond, with much of the action in the dam spillways on small jigs tipped with plastics, Gulp or minnows. Dave's Sporting Goods in Doylestown reports a decent evening crappie bite just before dark, and says the Delaware River from Lambertville north is giving up good smallmouth. Up in Pennsylvania, Capt. Pete Wagner of Hyper Striper Charters reports smallmouth as the top catch on Lake Wallenpaupack, where cooler water has turned the fish on. All of these come from The Fisherman's NJ/DE Freshwater coverage.
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.
Striper night bite and fall tautog run lead the Jersey Shore this week
The water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8534720 reads 66°F, and the fall run is building after the late-September nor'easter. Per The Fisherman — Southern NJ, Pier 47 Marina has stripers on the feed most nights in back bay creeks, on minnows and peanut bunker, and One Stop Bait and Tackle has tautog to 4 pounds on the AC jetties, taken on green crabs and sand fleas. Per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, stripers have been hitting mainly after dark, and 2 to 3 pound bluefish are running Corson's Inlet on metal lures. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports sea bass keepers for everyone aboard and several fluke up to 4 pounds, and Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says most sea bass trips are getting enough for the whole boat. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) has albies and bonito taking live peanut bunker.
Post-nor'easter bite rebounds: fluke, sea bass and fall stripers
Sandy Hook water read 65.1°F at 7:30 AM per NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680, and the bite is coming back after last weekend's nor'easter. Fishermans HQ LBI reports the surf has settled and post-storm fall fishing is good again. Blue Chip Sportfishing is catching fluke and sea bass on its half-day and full-day trips, and says most trips are getting enough for everyone on board. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands reports a nice bottom bite at 55 feet, with keeper and small sea bass plus fluke up to 4 pounds. For stripers, OTW Northern New Jersey tracked improving fall-run action once conditions settle, and Anglers Journal calls the late-season blitz packed with action.
Fall bite returns as the NJ coast settles after the storm
Coastal New Jersey is settling after the weekend nor'easter, and the fall bite is picking back up. Fishermans HQ LBI reports the surf calming down with good post-storm fall fishing underway. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands is back to open-boat trips on a 7:00am to 2:30pm schedule, and its recent bottom trips have put keepers in the boat, with fluke up to 4 pounds on one sail. OTW Northern New Jersey's late-September report expected fall-run striped bass to improve once conditions settle, with bluefish and false albacore still running. Those are shore and ocean reports, so read them as the direction of the season rather than a Delaware River bite report. Freshwater anglers on the Delaware can use the same seasonal shift as a guide to timing.
Post-nor'easter fluke and sea bass bite returns on the Jersey Shore
NOAA CO-OPS station 8534720 reads 65.8°F and station 8536110 reads 67.1°F as the surf settles after the nor'easter that hit the shore over the weekend. Fishermans HQ LBI reports good inshore and offshore fishing on live peanut bunker for false albacore and fluke. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands boat is posting sea bass keepers and fluke up to 4 pounds, and Blue Chip Sportfishing says fluke and sea bass are biting on half-day and full-day trips.
Fall fluke and sea bass rebound after the nor'easter
Fall fishing is coming back after the nor'easter that hit the Jersey Shore over the weekend. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) calls post-storm fall fishing good on Long Beach Island, and Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) says bluefish are still around in decent force, tautog are chewing and bass fishing is picking up. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports keeper sea bass and fluke up to 4 pounds in its recent posts. NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121 reads 68°F today.
Sea bass and fluke keep biting as post-storm water settles
NOAA station 8531680 reads 66.2°F this afternoon, with the next predicted high tide due near 3:00 PM local. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ runs a 7:00am to 2:30pm open-boat schedule and reports bottom fishing with black sea bass and fluke, including fluke up to 4 pounds on a recent trip. Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says sea bass charters are getting enough for everyone on board. OTW Northern New Jersey reports the nor'easter put all fishing on hold after early fall action had already slowed.