Another tasty and somewhat “nearshore” option this fall.
Along the Garden State’s Atlantic coastline, October brings with it ruminations of the recently completed fluke season, gung-ho drop ‘n reel sea bass action, and thoughts of the November 1 blackfish re-opening. Of course, the striper migration and impending arrival of jumbo bass is high up there on angling minds at the Jersey Shore.
Sweetwater? The October trout stocking in the likes of the Metedeconk sisters, and the Manasquan and Toms rivers. Bass and pickerel to be sure, and maybe even perch and crappies. But how about catfish? Nary an inkling. And from this corner, it’s been that way for decades and has allowed for uncrowded fishing for cooperative quarries, namely channel and white cats, that, in the case of the former, have been stocked by the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries (Bureau), or, with the latter, natural inhabitants of the various slightly brackish reaches of tidal rivers and creeks.
On some of these swims, such as the Tuckahoe and Bass rivers, there are channels in the mix. While whites have more of tolerance for the brine, the channels may also find themselves right at home in some waters with a trace of salt.
Kitties Gone Wild
We refer to the into-early-November whiskered whiplash as “Kitties Gone Wild” with the cooling environs spurring the catfish duo to don the feedbags and get to the chowing. Quips Justin Theno at Allen’s Dock on the tidal Bass River in New Gretna, “The catfishing really picks up starting in late September and goes through October. It’s (the fishing) as good as during May and June. We see them to 5 pounds. Clams and bloodworms, and right now, the bite is on any tide.”
It’s the same scenario on those lakes and pond stocked with channels along the coast. While normally considered a more inland game, the fact is that there is good to excellent opportunity for a whisker encounter or two in areas where the salty winds and breezes blow. Eric Boehm, biologist with the Bureau whose region includes the coastal reach of the Garden State, says that while the white is the native catfish species for the tidal waters, channels have made some inroads insofar as establishing scattered populations. When it comes to the stillwaters, though, it’s the channel that reigns, although in a kind of a role reversal, there are also some white catfish caught in a channel dominated venue.
The Delaware River shoreline notwithstanding (that’s another story), the October coastal kitty extension runs from Monmouth County to Cape May County. There are 13 venues therein that are stocked with channels via the Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery. In fact, there are nearly 11,000 kitties at 12 inches, the legal harvest size, released in 67 statewide waters annually. These include Echo Lake, Spring Lake, Lake Como, Deal Lake, Lake Topenemus, Turkey Swamp Park Lake and Kesslers Pond (Monmouth County); Lake Manetta, Shenandoah Lake, and Lake Carasaljo (Ocean County); Heritage Park Pond and the Birch Grove Park Ponds (Atlantic County); and Ponderlodge Pond (Cape May County).
Boehm was of the opinion that 16-acre Takanasee, also in Monmouth County, might be added to the roster starting in 2025 predicated on further evaluation.
The first two weeks last month the Hackettstown chariots were rolling up, down and across the Garden State stocking catchable channel. What’s more, in August, there was a bonus stocking of jumbo whiskers.
“We call them ‘super cats’, and they certainly are,” enthuses Hackettstown Hatchery superintendent Craig Lemon, adding that the 3-year-old (and some older) spent breeders ranged from 6 to a whopping 16 pounds. We refer to them as Catzillas, and 300 of these were let loose in 23 select lakes and ponds statewide, some as small as one surface acre with the largest coming in at 12 acres. Only half dozen of these are included on the annual stocking roster. The idea was to jump start interest in fishing in those urban and suburban areas (there were a few included in more bucolic settings), and judging from early rod ‘n reel reactions, it continues a resounding success.
Of these, Holmdel Park Pond (3 acres/Monmouth County), and Patriot Lake (2 acres/Atlantic County) fit the Coastal Kitties profile as to their close proximity to the salty scene.
Double-Digit Targets
Pursuing Indian summer whiskers can be as simple or as esoteric as one wants to make it. Yeah, over the decades we’ve periodically delved into the proverbial stink bait pot, mixing concoctions that corralled cats but, in hindsight were, well, not noticeably more successful than the tried ‘n true slimy livers fresh from the biddy, nightcrawlers, whole dead small sunfish or shiners, or chunks of hot dogs (our favorite is the Oscar Mayer Cheese wiener). In addition to these, the coastal menu includes clam (fresh or salted), shrimp, bloodworms, small wads of bluefish, finger mullet or peanut bunker, and mussels.
No muss no fuss alternatives include the likes of preserved shiners, the various Berkley PowerBait and Gulp Catfish doughs, the Stinky Balls Cattie Smashers (we string three to five of them on a bare hook) and the Fishbites Catfish Bait Cubes, particularly the shad, shrimp and crawfish varieties.
Being apex predators, the whites and channels will also inhale live baits when the opportunity presents itself. A live jumbo killie, or if the water is only mildly brackish even a live small sunnie or white perch, will quickly get whisker’s attention. No matter the offering, a circle hook is advised as to making release far less stressful for those fish not destined for the deep fryer. Yeah, cats can be pretty tough customers outside and in, but a deep take, even with no pulling and a clipped line can ultimately prove fatal.
This is not an ultra-light tackle game, as channels can attain double-digit weights, particularly in those lakes that host migratory forage such as herring or gizzard shad via fish ladder entryways. The heftier tidal river whites can make a show for themselves, especially with the pull of the current adding to the resisting energy. Figure medium to medium heavy spinning outfits and lines at least 10-pound test.
Save for new or full moon dropouts, flow does not seem to make that much of a difference when it comes to catching October brackish channels or whites. They are eating machines following the biological clock that tells them to gorge before retreating to the deeper holes and channels to wait out the winter chill.
| RULES & REGS |
| There is a five fish daily limit at a 12-inch minimum for channel catfish, while for white cats it’s 25 fish with no minimum size limit. If fishing tidal creeks and rivers, be sure to check if a freshwater fishing license is required. Statewide boundaries can be checked on page 30 in the 2024 Freshwater Fishing Digest available at your local tackle shop or online at njfishandwildlife.com. |
The cooler water and, in the case of tidal kitties, the stronger flushing tides of the season make these cats pretty good eating. Still, we’ll soak the fillets in kosher salt for a couple hours, in the fridge, of course, for a couple of hours prior to the hot peanut oil bath.
Indeed, the autumn fishing horizon can be expanded by what the coastal kitty experience has to offer, namely no crowds and quality fishing in the splendor of the autumnal surroundings. And pretty good eats afterwards.
