Listen. The quiet, slow period that is occurring is getting old. About the only noise is the wind. A series of storms passing off our coast to the east has given us some difficult conditions. But as anglers, we soldier on and continue to catch fish. A very large wahoo and a nice sheepshead highlight the recent week, so all is not lost. Many stripers, including some of better size, are hunting in the back and hitting top-water baits when they’re offered. Let’s check things out.
Matt down at Jim’s Bait and Tackle reported that due to the wind and rough conditions, not many boats “ventured offshore.” One that did, and produced, was Captain Clint and the crew of the charter boat “Common Sense.” They caught a 106-pound wahoo. Matt described it as the biggest “I’ve ever weighted.” They also caught 20 dolphin and a yellowfin tuna. They were fishing along the 30 Fathom Line inside the Baltimore Canyon.
The surf scene is starting to see more redfish being caught. They were hitting lures. Some were also caught by tog fisherman as the fish hit the green crab being offered. The surf also saw snapper bluefish being caught, while bigger bluefish were reported in the upper Delaware Bay.
The local rock piles and the North Wildwood Seawall have seen blackfish action that was strengthened by spike weakfish and schoolie stripers.
Matt recommends to call ahead if you want to hop on a party boat. They have been catching a mixed bag consisting of bluefish, weakfish, tog and triggerfish. The boats aren’t running every day, so again, call ahead.
Captain Chuck and the Sea Star III sailed over the weekend as they continued “plugging away.” Bluefish were around the whole time and were present in good numbers. They took the pools on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and made winners of Frank Servocky, Don Rickards and Mike Blaskovich.
The Stalker Fishing Charters skiff has been cruising the backwaters. They are leaving the dock early, targeting striped bass and have been very successful at hooking up. They have caught fish up to 31 inches, plus a 29 incher that joined that fish on a recent Sunday. They have been using top-water lures which only adds to the fun. Later in the week, they had a patron who ran into a 17 pounder during another early morning outing. That’s a real nice fish for the back waters. Watching a striper explode on a top-water lure is truly an exciting experience for any fisherman. Give it a try if you can.
Captain Bob on Full Ahead Sport Fishing has been out cruising around, hitting his spots and catching tog. On Wednesday, his patrons got their respective keepers. No personal bests amongst them, but respectable catches just the same. Along the way they’ve been running into sea bass that are out of season right now, so they usually go back. As he said, they’ve “had to keep running away” from them. On Oct. 22, when the date of the next sea bass season arrives, it will be the fish that will be running away.
Tammie checking in from Avalon Hodge Podge starts by mentioning that it was “a very tough week of fishing here in Avalon.” The water was “very dirty” due to the rough seas and the consistent wind. Regardless of that, word of snapper bluefish and some slightly larger blues in the two-pound range trickled in.
Two catches to note occurred. The first was a 6.67-pound, 21-inch sheepshead caught by Leaming Ewing. He was using green crabs and fishing near the Townsends Inlet Bridge. The other was made by an unnamed angler who had a “nice” four-pound weakfish, taken off a local dock on bloodworms.
Short tog are being caught from the 8th Street Jetty and from the T.I. Bridge. They are hitting green crab, but as most of us know, just put any crab in front of them and they will hit it.
The Miss Avalon continues to catch triggerfish, snapper bluefish and croakers. Her anglers will stay busy with them until sea bass season arrives. On Oct. 22 they will have an eight-hour trip that will leave the dock at 7:30 a.m., so plan ahead. The second member of the fleet, the Avalon Lady, is still catching crabs in the back, but will be stopping soon. The boat will stay at the ready for any fish that invade the back waters, and will be available for those that want to set up a private charter.
Cameron at Boulevard Bait and Tackle was out doing some late afternoon/early evening fishing recently and got into some “hungry” stripers. He caught fish to 27 inches that hit on top-water poppers. It seems to be picking up in the back and as Cameron said “it should only get better.”
Are you looking for something to do over the Thanksgiving weekend? Well, are you? Then consider the Thanksgiving Weekend Striper Tournament being sponsored by Boulevard Bait and Tackle and Hank’s Sauce. Saturday, Nov. 25 is the day. The boundaries run from Cape May to Little Egg inlet, including the Delaware Bay, and within three miles of the coast. The fee is $150 for a boat, with a limit of four anglers per boat. Call Cameron at (609) 624-7637 for additional information.
Just a reminder about the “now at our doorstep” meeting of the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club. It will be held on Oct. 14 at 4 p.m. at the Strathmere Fire Hall. They have a commitment from Senator Jeff Van Drew to attend, plus one from the aide who assists Congressman Frank LoBiondo. That aide worked on the summer flounder issue which will be the main topic of this meeting. Other elected officials have also been invited to participate.
Dick Herb will represent the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council, Recreational Fishing Alliance representative Adam Nolwalsky is scheduled to appear, and there is a short presentation to be provided by a NJDEP representative.
Other issues of interest to our local fishing industry, such as dredging sand from important fishing areas for beach replenishment, and safe travel through our inlets have been mentioned as additional topics to be discussed.
Ryan Morse keeps catching those catfish at the Ponder Lodge. He scored two more which went 17.5 and 20.5 inches long. He reported those as weighing 5.2 pounds. He used night crawlers as bait.
When you get out, let me know how you did. I’m always looking to see how others are doing.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
