Fishing LBI Report Update March 20, 2019

Well over a month ago Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow. As the legend goes, winter will give way to an early spring. We would have to say the rodent was on to something this year. The recent weather was very spring like; however we aren’t out of the weeds yet.

There’s a coastal storm brewing up and a small craft advisory is in effect for Thursday. With southeast 20kts winds gusting to 30kts things will be churred up. Being only a couple days off the full moon (with a +1.62′ tide) there’s a coastal flood advisory for Thursday night. The bay’s high tide at the Causeway Bridge is at midnight so fortunately the worst will be in the overnight. Friday & Saturday are windy with cold night lows. Chance of snow Tuesday; however things warm up again to finish off the month with spring like weather.

We are looking forward to more good days like recently because fishing opportunities await. The more sunshine, the better it will get. Striped bass, winter flounder and perch. It’s firing up.

The early season spots (rivers, creeks, shallow mud flats) are the first places to look every year for striped bass. Few are participating but a couple reports of winter flounder from the deep bay. We suggest fishing the areas around the bridges live bloodworms. The upper reaches of creeks with brackish waters will produce perch March and April.

Store staffer Dan was out fishing with some friends on Monday. He reported good fun fishing with small bass chewing small plugs. “I caught a bunch. The small Yo-zuri Mag Darer was working.” He was back out Wednesday for a sunset session with store staffer Frezza. They reported much slower fishing but they caught a couple.

I dunked the boat on Tuesday and took a look at a few spots. The general areas were cold with water temperatures in the mid to low 40’s. A couple areas I wanted to look at were just about dry. The full moon’s super low tide shut off access to the flats however it roamed around and looks at some new water. The trip was a valuable scouting mission because a lot has changed. I’m looking forward to getting back out again soon for some recon and hopefully some fish!

Author: FishHead.Greg

A Long Beach Island native with life long experience fishing and navigating the local waters, Greg is a distinguished Master Captain (the highest qualified operator license), holding a US Coast Guard Masters 50T Near Coastal License with Towing Endorsement. Raised in and now managing his family's bait and tackle business, Fishermans Headquarters (Since 1962, The Saltwater Fishing Bait & Tackle Experts) Greg is daily immersed in fishing. He is the Chief Contributor of FishingLBI.com (Long Beach Island's best fishing report blog) as well as the Admin for the shop's social media pages (on Instagram and Facebook). Be sure to follow!

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