Jersey Shore Stripers and Blackfish

Saltwater Nation: New Jersey

So, the colder months seem to be taking over along the New Jersey Shore. With the possible exception of next Wednesday, it looks like temperatures won’t be back up into the 60s for a while, and freezing temperatures are becoming more the norm. But, that doesn’t mean the fishing has slowed. In fact, we’re hearing from a few Saltwater Nation anglers that the dropping temperatures are starting to push the bluefish farther south while the stripers seem to be taking advantage of the departure of their toothy cousins. Combined with the remaining presence of a lot of bait in the water, the bluefish exodus has added quite a bit to the possibilities of striper fishing. There are still a few blues around, but the numbers are drastically thinning day by day.

And, yes, there is a lot of bait in the water, particularly sand eels, which is a good thing when it comes to striper fishing. there’s also a lot of squid, andchovies, and bunker around, too. Try using Hogy’s, Berkeley Gulp! Sand Eel, Norton Sand Eel, or savage Gear sand Eel lures.

Anglers have been finding stripers from the beach out to about 60-80 feet of water. The fish are often on the surface in early mornings, making sight casting a bit easier. Granted, most of the fish being taken right now are shorts, but there are some nice sized fish still around.

Remember, too, that Blackfish season opened on November 16, 2013 and will close on December 31, 2013. The new regulations allow anglers to keep 6 fish during this season, but all must be at least 15 inches minimum in length. We haven’t heard from any saltwater Nation anglers about Tautog catches, but with the season just underway, we expect to.

Be sure to check the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife web pages for a full list of regulations.