NJ Shore Blogs

New Jersey shore and beaches news, parties, events and more

Though Sunday's six-tautog-limit season opener was ruined for most blackfishermen by Saturday's storm, the white chins turned on this week -- and the continuation of westerly winds settling the ocean should maintain that fishery.

Though the air feels a lot colder this week and water temperatures are falling, bluefish continue to hang on in local waters to take advantage of the huge quantities of bait all along the Shore. Striped bass numbers and sizes should increase with the falling temperatures.

Capt. John Brackett of the Queen Mary from Point Pleasant said the water was down to 51.6 degrees Thursday morning off the Seaside Piers where he was jigging stripers, but 2- to 4-pound blues were mixed in closer to the beach before he found large choppers about 1½ miles offshore. The boat ended up with 61 stripers jigged, of which five were keepers. Tom Jankunas of Cranford won the pool with a 14-pound bass. Brackett will be running a half-day Thanksgiving striper trip from 6 a.m. to noon at a reduced fare.

Best bets for the weekend:
Stripers and blues under birds along the Shore: With ideal west winds, there should be bird action over stripers and blues at many points along the Shore. The waters off Island Beach State Park, the Seaside piers, and between the channels have been most consistent. Boyh jigging and trolling will produce.

Clamming for stripers: Romer Shoal, Flynn's Knoll, and the clam beds off Sandy Hook and the Rockaways are all likely spots for clamming, though spiny dogfish can be a problem in the ocean.

Blackfishing on reefs, inshore wrecks and rocky bottoms: Tautog have been abundant since the ocean settled after last weekend's storm. Sea bass and porgies are still a possibility.

Surfcasting for stripers: With near-perfect conditions created by west winds, surfcasters have a good shot at stripers plus the last few blues. Island Beach State Park is the best bet, but good reports have also come in from Sandy Hook, Sea Bright, Manasquan, Point Pleasant, Bay Head, and Brick Beach.

Recap of yesterday: The Queen Mary, Gambler and Cock Robin from Point Pleasant all headed south on Thursday for a pick of stripers and blues on jigs, primarily off the Seaside piers. They marked fish very well, but the bite was inconsistent. Allen Riley reported catching seven short bass plugging the Sandy Hook surf at dawn. He saw lots of bait there. There were good reports of mostly schoolies on metal in the Island Beach State Park surf. The showing of sand eels died out at Bay Head where I caught only one schoolie at dawn and saw just a few more released. Capt. Stan Zagleski of Elaine B at Highlands said blackfishing has been excellent in 50-to-55-foot depths.

Best bets for the weekend:
Stripers and blues under birds along the Shore: With ideal west winds, there should be bird action over stripers and blues at many points along the Shore. The waters off Island Beach State Park, the Seaside piers, and between the channels have been most consistent. Both jigging and trolling will produce.

Clamming for stripers: Romer Shoal, Flynn's Knoll, and the clam beds off Sandy Hook and the Rockaways are all likely spots for clamming, though spiny dogfish can be a problem in the ocean.

Blackfishing on reefs, inshore wrecks and rocky bottoms: Tautog have been abundant since the ocean settled after last weekend's storm. Sea bass and porgies are still a possibility.

Surfcasting for stripers: With near-perfect conditions created by west winds, surfcasters have a good shot at stripers plus the last few blues. Island Beach State Park is the best bet, but good reports have also come in from Sandy Hook, Sea Bright, Manasquan, Point Pleasant, Bay Head, and Brick Beach.

Recap of yesterday: The Queen Mary, Gambler and Cock Robin from Point Pleasant all headed south on Thursday for a pick of stripers and blues on jigs, primarily off the Seaside piers. They marked fish very well, but the bite was inconsistent. Allen Riley reported catching seven short bass plugging the Sandy Hook surf at dawn. He saw lots of bait there. There were good reports of mostly schoolies on metal in the Island Beach State Park surf. The showing of sand eels died out at Bay Head where I caught only one schoolie at dawn and saw just a few more released. Capt. Stan Zagleski of Elaine B at Highlands said blackfishing has been excellent in 50-to-55-foot depths.

We'd love to see your photos!
Everyone has a good fish tale -- but how about a good fish photo? Check out the reader photo gallery (it's on the rail on the left of the page under ''Jersey Shore Fishing"). Now this only works if you send in your photos (send them to "fishpic@starledger.com") so if you've got a catch worth bragging about, send it in and we'll put it up for all to see.

And, as always, we'd love to hear from you. Just click on the "post a comment'' link at the end of the blog and let us know how the fishing is.

Where you should go: Heavy bird action was reported over striped bass at Sea Bright Wednesday both offshore and on the beach.

What you should use: Metal jigs and teasers.

Why Thursday is a good day for this: The wind is finally supposed to back into the northwest and moderate. That should make it more comfortable on the beach while the surf should finally calm down somewhat.

Other spots for other fish: That northwest calming effect should set up better blackfishing at inshore areas off Long Branch and Monmouth Beach plus the reefs. Stripers and blues may be located under birds all along the Shore. There's been hot striper action in South Jersey at Townsends and Corsons inlets. Clamming for stripers remains a best bet at Romer Shoal and the clam beds off Sandy Hook and the Rockaways.

I finally got in the water Sunday afternoon after probably three weeks of dryland dwelling.

And it was excellent. Not huge, but nice waist-high barrels that I tried to maneuver on my 7-8.

Where you should go: Island Beach State Park has been producing lots of action with school stripers from one end to the other.

What you should use: Metal jigs and teaser flies, Vision rainfish or Flemlee eels.

Why today is a good day for this: Though the wind isn't supposed to shift to the desired northwest until the afternoon, surfcasters did well with mostly short bass on Tuesday even in the north wind blowing down the beach.

Other spots for other fish: Blackfishing has been very good when boaters have been able to get out on the ocean to rough bottoms off Long Branch, the reefs, and other tautog areas. Some sea bass and porgies are mixed in. Clamming for striped bass to the north remains very good, and both stripers and blues should be located in many areas under birds. Surfcasting for stripers should be good along the entire Shore.

Recap of yesterday: Betty & Nick's in Seaside Park reports hot action for bass all through the park. I stopped at Bay Head in the morning and hooked two striper doubleheaders right away, but it quickly turned to a pick. The surf was rough despite days of west wind, but there wasn't the gale wind from the north that that had been predicted. Capt. Pete Wagner reported continued hot striper clamming on his Hyper Striper out of Twin Lights Marina in Highlands as the north winds weren't anywhere near gale force. Capt. Chris Devereaux of K-Kat at Highlands had limits of blackfish on Monday. He sails open for stripers and blacks on Thursday. Call 732 567-3289.

Al's Tip of the Day: With the wind sweeping down the beach, use heavier jigs and quarter your cast into the wind so it won't be blown into the beach right away.

We'd love to see your photos!
Everyone has a good fish tale -- but how about a good fish photo? Check out the reader photo gallery (it's on the rail on the left of the page under ''Jersey Shore Fishing"). Now this only works if you send in your photos (send them to "fishpic@starledger.com") so if you've got a catch worth bragging about, send it in and we'll put it up for all to see.

And, as always, we'd love to hear from you. Just click on the "post a comment'' link at the end of the blog and let us know how the fishing is.

Weather Warning: Gale warnings are posted for a north blow Tuesday before the desired switch to northwest. A north wind blows down the beach and creates a rough sea, while the northwest following it blows off the shoe. It should knock down the sea and clear the waters while bringing a new blast of stripers. Though poor for boaters and most surfcasting, it may be possible to fish in the north wind at the pocket by the north jetty in Island Beach State Park. Surfcasters will also be fishing on Long Beach Island despite the conditions after some very large bass were reported there Monday in the surf tournament.

Recap of yesterday: After a hot Sunday jigging bite of stripers and blues off Island Beach State Park, it was very quiet there yesterday. Bait readings were heavy, and there were lots of birds flying -- but not feeding. Surfcasters in the park were catching short stripers on metal while casting to the white water on the bar in the afternoon. There were birds feeding on sand eels in the Bay Head surf when I arrived shortly after sun-up. Yet, what looked like a classic blitz turned out to be a pick. I snagged more sand eels than the two short bass I released -- and only saw a couple of others caught during a short try. Blackfish anglers finally got their shot as the swell dropped and waters cleared. Capt. Kenny Gallop had a three-man limit up to 6.4 pounds on Big Kid from Brielle Yacht Club after fishing off Long Branch and on Sea Girt Reef. Nick Honachefsky said the big one was entered in the Manasquan River Marlin and Tuna Club extended weekend contest -- and released at the dock.

Al's Tip of the Day: Wait for that switch to northwest before getting out on the surf -- and then fish hard under prime surfcasting conditions no matter how hard it blows.

We'd love to see your photos!
Everyone has a good fish tale -- but how about a good fish photo? Check out the reader photo gallery (it's on the rail on the left of the page under ''Jersey Shore Fishing"). Now this only works if you send in your photos (send them to "fishpic@starledger.com") so if you've got a catch worth bragging about, send it in and we'll put it up for all to see.

And, as always, we'd love to hear from you. Just click on the "post a comment'' link at the end of the blog and let us know how the fishing is.