Hands Too Bait and Tackle

The nearshore and offshore wrecks continue to give up quality tog according to Will at Hands Too Bait and Tackle. Customers, dressed appropriately, say “it’s really not that bad out there in the winter,” and “when a 10-pound tog tugs, you warm up real quick.” Since the opening of tog season, the wrecks and reefs have been producing some of the best action with limits of tog to 5 pounds on many trips, plus a shot at some double-digit fish when fishing offshore. Striper action was again very late coming to Cape May this year. But once it got here, anyone with a boat in the water took advantage with fish just a mile or two off the beach. Anglers are still seeing some very large fish being caught on the troll, fish to 43 inches recently. There is likely to be another wave of smaller fish behind them, for anyone fishing into the winter months.

Will at Hand’s Too Bait and Tackle checked in with this week’s report. Between the wind, cold and snow, not too many anglers ventured out, but those that hit up the wrecks were handsomely rewarded with jumbo tog. Those targeting stripers out of Cape May found fish within the 3-mile limit, mostly on mojos, umbrella rigs and by trolling larger plugs. Most of these fish were well over the slot size limit with fish maxing out at around 44 inches. Occasionally, some migratory fish find their way to the surfline and anglers have seen a slow pick of fish, with them mostly being shorts from Poverty Beach on bunker chunks.