During the first or second week of October (depending on who you ask and what they’re willing to divulge), the opening salvo to the fall striper run at the Jersey Shore was officially underway. Blitz conditions popped up here and there through the end of the month, but the all-out, white-water assault is expected to be underway during the month of November – just about as you’re reading this!
It’s hoped that the epic nature of the surf blitzes will move into Atlantic and Cape May counties this year; truth be told, the amazing action was relegated mostly to surfcasters in Monmouth and Ocean in ‘22, and the bite thus for ’23 has been mostly the same.
If you haven’t partaken in the madness just yet, day or night, here’s what you (and I) are often missing.
Just how good is the fall striper fishery in New Jersey? Well, ask Chris Bishop, VP of marketing and sales for Yo-Zuri North America who was “in town” for some product testing.Ray Roco from Fords, NJ shows off his personal best (PB) caught and released at Sandy Hook in October, a 40-incher that fell for a Daiwa SP Minnow.Bobby LaVilla with a 48-incher in mid-October somewhere in Monmouth County where picky bass could be fooled with a white Tsunami swim shad. Photo courtesy of Robert Fort.Dylan Svelling Pescatore was creeping while we were sleeping, scoring this jumbo striper in early October on an S&S Jigs bucktail in Jersey Killer color.Dylan Reyes with another PB striper in Monmouth County taken towards the end of October, just as more of those monster stripers will filtering down into Ocean County waters.The buffalo stampede began around October 8 (same as in ‘22) as subscriber Dominic Talerico hit three nice bass to 42 inches, one on a Bomber and two on a swimmer at IBSP.
