New Jersey & Delaware Bay - Southern New Jersey Fishing Reports

Dockside Cafe and Marina tells us that the river and creeks are producing good numbers of both stripers and white perch. The perch are mostly in the feeder creeks while the stripers are spread out along the river and have been especially prevalent at the mouth of the river. Live baits have been working best on bonus tag and keeper size fish (plus a couple “overs”) with live eels and live spot outfishing most others.

Mike at Tuckerton Bait and Tackle pulled the plug on the season this past Saturday. The shop is closed for the winter but anglers are still picking away at stripers, tog and even crabbing continues to hang on.

There has been a little striper bite materializing this week on schoolies and bonus tag fish in the Mullica River and out into the bay according to Justin at Allen’s Dock. The action has been good no matter how you target them - trolling, live eels, live spot and paddletails all took plenty of fish. Bigger fish are still up north, and Justin tells us that, historically, we are still about three weeks away from the local “prime time fall striper run”. Further up the Mullica, and into the Bass River, the perch bite has been very good on some jumbo size fish. Bloodworms and small jigs have been taking good numbers of fish with the largest ones pushing 1-pound and a couple ounces. Fishing with green crabs in the back bays have been producing tog to 20 inches and the sedges have been producing especially good numbers of fish. The shop is open everyday expect Monday and they expect to ride out the season right through Christmas if the weather cooperates.

Wally at Jersey Devil Marina checked in this week with a quick report from the Mullica River. He tells us that anglers are splitting their time between fishing for perch and stripers. Up river there have been plenty of perch and small stripers being caught as a bycatch. Stripers are spread out all along the river and good reports were coming from the mouth of the river with anglers scoring keeper size fish and bonus tag fish on live spot and live eel.

Mary Anne at Chestnut Neck Boat Yard reports that the striper bite in the river is picking up. Fish to 33 inches were being caught on live eels and live spot this weekend, and early in the week there was a decent topwater bite during the evening hours. The only other action has been perch which have pushed further up the river being caught on bloodworms and grass shrimp.

This week’s King Tides caused a slight interruption to the striper bite early in the week according to Capt. Dave at Absecon Bay Sportsman Center. The last couple of days have seen the fish move back onto the shallows to feed. There are both bonus tag and keeper size fish in the mix, being caught mostly on live spot. The mouth of the Mullica has been on of the better spots to try this week and Capt. Dave will be taking his charters there this upcoming week as well. Tog fishing has been picking up from the local jetties on green crabs while anglers are going offshore for sea bass on the nearshore wrecks and reefs on nicer weather days.

Keeper stripers and keeper tog were caught this week in the back bays of Brigantine according to Capt. Andy at Riptide Bait and Tackle . Live eels and soft plastics did the trick for stripers to 30 inches. Tog were being found under the bridges, along the sod banks and from the jetty taking green crabs. The surf also gave up a few nice stripers in the slot size range for anglers using fresh chunked bunker. Just off the beach, there are large pods of baitfish starting to move south into the Brigantine area. With the nice weather forecast for the upcoming week, this scenario could see the migratory bass run materialize.

Capt. Cody of Jersey Nutz Sportfishing tells us it’s time for “Jumbos with Jimbo”. Capt. Jim is sailing out of Point Pleasant for jumbo Raritan Bay Stripers, and the bite is heating up. Chunking, trolling and throwing lures are all on the table for fish to 50 inches. Sailing through mid-December, call or text for availability.

Noel at One Stop Bait and Tackle tells us the tog bite has been hot all week from the Atlantic City Jetties. Sand fleas and green crabs are working equally well and there have been more keepers being caught over the last few days as the water both cleaned up and cooled down a bit. The back bays are also producing some tog from the bridges and riprap. Stripers are spread out from the back bays to the front beaches and jetties. Anglers are finding keeper size fish on live eels, chunked bunker and by plugging, especially at night. The night shift has also been hot for some customers who are dialed into big fish from their kayaks. Stripers in excess of 50 inches were caught this week at night, again on live eels or on soft plastics. Perch are being caught in the rivers, and crabbing continues to produce big #1s and #2s along the creeks that cross the Black and White Horse Pikes and along Lakes Bay.

Fin-Atics reports that things have been a little quiet in Ocean City this week, but a few anglers are finding stripers feeding either in the back bay creeks or even along the surfline. The back bays are seeing schoolie size and smaller fish taking soft plastics from the bridges at night. From the surf, it has been a fresh bunker chunk or clam bite for slightly larger fish to 30 inches.

Local sharpies fishing the skinny back bay creeks (in as little as 4 feet of water) are reporting good catches of stripers according to the crew at Pier 47 Marina. The bite has been mostly at night and right at dawn and dusk, especially on the higher tides. The higher tides after this week’s full moon have been pushing bait up onto the flooded sod banks, and as the tide recedes, the stripers are lying in wait. Fishing tight to the sod banks with soft plastics like jerk baits or 4-inch shads have been taking fish from 18 to 33 inches. The daytime bite in the same areas has been “hit or miss”, but that nighttime action has been consistent all week. The back bays are also seeing plenty of tog being caught from the bridges on green crabs and sandfleas.

Will at Hands Too Bait and Tackle provided this week’s report and tells us that the inshore tog action has been really good this week. The North Wildwood rocks and the Cold Spring Jetty both produced plenty of action and keeper size fish on green crabs. Anglers who managed to get out to the wrecks and reef sites found some nice tog there too, as well as sea bass and porgies. Some tuna action has been reported from the Sea Isle Ridge and lumps, but the bite has been inconsistent. Will says that the best bite this week came from the back bays and inlet with some migratory stripers joining the resident fish. Anglers scored fish to 49 inches this past week on whole squids, live eels and paddle tails fished during the outgoing tides.

Cliff at Higbee’s Bait and Tackle was closing up shop for the winter, but he tells us that there have been some nice size perch being caught this week. Bloodworms have been the best bait for what appear to be the biggest perch of the season coming out of Fortescue Creek, the Maurice River and Dividing Creek. Bonus tag and smaller stripers are being caught along with the perch, also on bloodworms. In Delaware Bay, deeper water structures, plus the lighthouses were giving up a decent number of keeper tog to 18 inches on green crabs.

Dave at Big Dave’s Tackle tells us that the cooler nights have really gotten the baitfish moving in South Jersy and has kicked off the fall run. Resident bass are gorging themselves on the abundant baitfish in the back bays and inlets. Some much larger fish, to 48 inches, have been caught signifying the first few migratory fish pushing into our area. The outgoing tides have really got these fish in the feeding mood and anglers are scoring on bloodworms in the creeks and in the river, but hard and soft plastics in the bays and inlets. Tog are being found on green crabs in the back bays and from the oceanfront jetties in really good numbers. Anglers also report a decent bite on the nearshore wreck sites for fish to 18 inches. Those same wrecks and reef sites are also loaded with seabass, but many more shorts than keepers. Keepers seem to be way offshore with the wrecks in 150 feet of water producing good catches and near limits.