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LBI Fishing Report Update April 10th, 2020

Things are progressing along with spring fishing however state and local authorities are clamping down with tighter restrictions. Stay up to date by monitoring official statements by state and local agencies. A little more on this towards the end.

Happy Passover & Happy Easter

Downside Of The April’s Moon

Tuesday’s “Pink Moon” was the biggest and brightest of 2020, perigree aka supermoon. Why Pink? Because of early spring flowers that give its name. Even with all the hours everyone is spending home inside it’s easy to see things are blooming everywhere. Also due to the moon, the Perigean spring tides have made their presence known with some extreme high tides.

Striped Bass, Tog, Black Drum, Perch… Bluefish?

The first full moon of spring is a point in time when things really get rolling for fishing in the Long Beach Island area.

Striped Bass Are Here

The striped bass fishing in the Barnegat Bay as well as other early season spots in the state is and has been strong for weeks so there’s no need to reiterate. But what is breaking news… the first Long Beach Island surf side striped bass was caught and reported in by local angler Chris Masino. While this very well might not be the first, it was the first that was directly reported to us with photo proof. It’s only up from here!

Softbaits like Kettle Creek Paddle Tails are a great lure choice. They are very effective in the spring and fall on the surf and in the bay.

Tog Are Here

Reports are strong. Once this weather allows anglers will be able to get back on this great fishing and what is a very short April season. Paul Haertel shared a short report, “Outstanding tog fishing today (Tuesday) with fish to 9.5 pounds and a bonus cod.”

Black Drum Are Here

Like clock work on the moon, more black drum reports pop up. Again it was Kirsten Holloway with a nice catch! Now’s prime time for these but baits are tough. Surf clams seem to be impossible for us this year. Most anglers who do not want to fish frozen or salted are fishing big hard clams aka bay clams or chowders.

White Perch Are Here

Captain Alex from Lighthouse Sportfishing has been staying safe and making the most out of the quarantine. The well versed outdoorsman, environmentalist and science teacher is watching nature through all of this. He’s birding and fishing. Alex reported that he thinks this will be a great year for white perch. He reported, “Perch fishing is strong! Was catching them on almost every cast. Looking forward to some good fun fishing.”

Bluefish Maybe Soon?

Just got word about some blues showing on the Delaware surf. The report came in from a social media follower @DEFishingGuide. It’s great news to see and we have our fingers crossed the show here soon!

Another species we expect to arrive any day if not already is weakfish! Keep an eye out for the tiderunners.

Fishing Access – Where Can I Fish?

We are getting lots of calls, messages on social media and emails…. All want to know… Can I Fish?

That is a loaded question! Right now the best we can say is that we are not the authority. We have to defer because the situation continues to develop. Sorry we can not provide a firm Yes/No or go fish here. All we can say is that those looking to fish are finding safe ways to enjoy the water while adhering to social distancing as well as the rules and regulations that are in effect. Read on for some helpful details.

Long Beach Island Beach Closures

We can share that most (could possibly be all soon) Long Beach Island beaches are now closed. Ship Bottom beaches are closed. Long Beach Township and Beach Haven is restricted to access by permit holders only (full time resident and property owners). The Beach Haven Beach Patrol posted on their social media page, “Beaches are closed unless you have a storm re-entry pass. If you don’t know what that means it indicates you do not have one and should not be on the beach.

Photo take by local photographer Melanie Cassie on Tuesday evening when Ship Bottom closed the beaches until further notice.

The Barnegat Lighthouse State Park posted on their social media page, “Park is closed. Full closure includes parking lots, grounds, facilities, trails and playgrounds. Trail use is prohibited.” With that said it is grey area if angles can fish the outskirts of the park. From what Fish & Wildlife say some areas are fair game.

Info from NJ Fish & Wildlife shares, “Wildlife Management Areas are currently open for hunting and fishing. We want to keep it that way, so we need YOU to observe proper social distancing guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to practice safe social distancing at all times! Be safe. Be smart. Keep your distance and keep our Wildlife Management Areas open!”

Fish With Respect

No more than ever all anglers must fish with respect for others. It should need to be said but it must be just as a warning. One bone head could ruin it for everyone. It happened already on Long Beach Island with some punk ass surfers telling off the mayor, who they clearly didn’t know was the mayor. This could easily happen on the fishing front and lead to a shut down. Use your head!

I just read an article in a fishing trade publication and learned that due to the crisis fishing is prohibited right now in Indonesia. Anglers can face up to four months in jail if they are caught fishing. All fishing participation is banned there. Please don’t let this happen here!

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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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