Total Tackle

Geno from Total Tackle said he talked to customers who reported good fishing for blackfish, stripers and sea bass with a few albies in the mix. The main draw for most folks he’d talked to was tog and that will likely continue to be the case for the next few weeks. Blackfish action is reportedly steady, though working through short fish seems to be a common refrain for lots of anglers. As the water cools and fish move deeper the smaller fish and interference fish should be less of an issue. He reminded me about the blackfish tournament the shop is running and it goes on through November 8th. The main tournament is decided by the combined weight of each angler’s two heaviest blackfish. There is no minimum weight requirement, but they must be of legal length. All weigh-ins must take place at Total Tackle. For details and to register, visit their website He said striper fishing is good and there are some big fish spread out throughout the river and beyond on a few of the local reefs. Sea bass fishing has improved with falling water temperatures. The shop is open seven days a week through the end of November, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Geno from Total Tackle said it had been a busy weekend at the shop with the opening of the blackfish season. He said he’d heard from customers who caught their three fish limit, fishing shallow water east of the shop. He said it sounded like fairly typical early season action with anglers picking through shorts to get a few keeper sized tog. They hadn’t heard of anything especially large yet but he’s expecting some good competition for the shop tournament. It will run from October 17th through November 8th. The main tournament is decided by the combined weight of each angler’s two heaviest eligible blackfish. There is no minimum weight requirement. Each blackfish must measure at least 16 inches and meet all applicable state and federal fishing regulations for the region. Fish may be caught anywhere in compliance with applicable state and federal fishing laws. All weigh-ins must take place at Total Tackle. To see more details and register, visit their Instagram page or website for full details. Striper fishing has been solid, especially at Plum Gut where good numbers of quality stripers in the over slot to 20-pound plus class are mixed with blues of various sizes. Anglers there three-waying are scoring fish pretty consistently though, due to the popularity of that bite, mostly in a crowd. Other customers reported good bottom fishing for scup and an improving bite for sea bass. The shop is open seven days a week, Monday through Friday they are there from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.