More unsettled weather with Nor’easterlies in the forecast for this week with E-ENE swell on the beaches of LBI. Right now it look like later in the work week things finally settle down wind wise and the sun comes out for the weekend, BUT the surf stays up right through the forecast period.

On the fishing front, anglers getting out and roughing the conditions are primarily targeting and catching striped bass, bluefish and tog. That three way play will be prime for the entire month of October aheads so I suggest putting focus on those. There’s also weakfish and blowfish. The mullet run has slowed down to a trickle the last couple of days. With the new moon on October 2nd, I’ll go out on a limb and say this is the final innings. Maybe another wave or two, then some scattered pieces but I wouldn’t hold your breath. Please let time prove me wrong! 

Tune into my latest report video which I recorded and published on Saturday later in the day…

Greg Davis report… “I caught my first surf side striped bass of the 2024 fall. Thanks Paul at Fish Heads for the recommendation on the mullet colored Yozuri Long Cast Hydro Minnow.”

Many other striped bass reports came in this weekend from angler fishing the bay, inlet and surf. We were stoked to heard another great report from Randy Edwards, “Pretty decent bite fishing metal lips and top water. Had 8 fish total but only landed three. Both striped bass and blues doing acrobatics on my popper. It was a fun day!”

Tog fishing has been a consistent opportunity that lots of anglers have taken advantage of. We are fortunate to have such a robust, fun fishery with lots of public access, especially areas to fish that are protected from the wind. Haha, funny, not funny! I don’t want to sound like a broken record but the wind just keeps going.

The NJ Summer Flounder fishing season came to a close this past Thursday (Wednesday 25th was the last day). And with one season closing another opens. NJ Black Sea Bass fishing opens on October 1 (same 12.5″ minimum length all year) with a 10 fish bag. Then come November 1st the bag increases to 15 fish. For more details on the NJ Saltwater Fishing Regulations, here is a convenient pdf download.

Next weekend is the start of the 70th Annual LBI Surf Fishing Classic, Saturday October 5th. The surf fishing tournament runs for 9 weeks with lots of prizes. For more details www.LBISFC.com.

Don’t miss out on the opening day Surf Fishing Seminar! It is a FREE EVENT at the Ship Bottom Fire House hosted by me, Greg from Fisherman’s Headquarters and Bayside Dave where lots of surf fishing info will be shared. Also there are free doughnuts (Crust & Crumb Bakery), free coffee (How You Brewin’) and free goods aka door prizes from American Fishing Wire. We will also give away a couple reels from Penn, another key sponsor of the event. If you have attended in the past, you know this is a great low key fun event. It’s a perfect opportunity for new anglers to get involved and also intermediate and expert anglers to network and meet new faces.

See you there, this Saturday October 5th from 9-11am.