Author: FishHead.Greg

November’s new moon has kicked off the transition into late fall fishing and it’s shaping up to be a great stretch. There are still quality sized striped bass around and as we move deeper into the month, expect more of the small class of fish to mix in. This change has been evident this week.

Epic Week on the Water

This week delivered some of the best fishing of the season. I was out Monday fishing the gale and absolutely crushed them with only three boats out that I saw. It was nonstop action with striped bass of all size classes. We caught fish every way possible: jigging, casting and live bait.

I’m not sure how but, Tuesday was even better! In my book it goes down as a Top 10 Day. It was right up there or better than the two best days last fall which were all out nuclear, November 27th and 30th. Many large Massive schools of bait and waves of hungry striped bass pushed hard and fed for hours, foaming feeds! It was perfectly scheduled for our previously planned Magictail product shoot with owner Dante and cameraman Nate came up from South Carolina. Nate got a real good taste of Jersey striped bass mayhem. I’m hoping many who read this blog were in on the fun. I know I saw lots of friends and familiar faces/boats having a blast.

I’m looking forward to more great fall fishing ahead!

LBI Surf: Spotty But Improving

The LBI surf has produced scattered catches, but things are lining up. The surf temps are in the low 50º’s and there’s plenty of bait along the beach. With the new moon, abundant bait and the fall run’s migration sliding south, the next couple weeks look promising for the surf.

Each morning this week, anglers have picked off fish on artificials. Now is definitely the time to put in the hours.

Store staffer Emmit caught three bass from the LBI surf this morning. “Birds were working way out of reach,” he reported. “I fished a few cuts and got bites on a diamond jig with a teaser.”

For updates on the LBI Surf Fishing Classic check out the live results page. There has been some recent activity.

Here’s two recent fishing report videos. Be sure to subscribe to the channel for notifications when a fresh post is live.

Written by Greg Cudnik, charter captain and associate at Fisherman’s Headquarters Bait & Tackle Ship in Ship Bottom, NJ. Fishing reports and local information is provided as a free resource and based on Captain Greg’s on-the-water observations and decades of local fishing experience on the Jersey Shore.

Fishing is spotty but great at times. Most of the goodness is via boat; however there are some great land based catches. Now’s the time to get out and fish!

More fishable conditions the past couple of days have allowed anglers to get out and score. The fall striped bass bite along the Central Jersey coast is firing up with a variety of forage and a solid body of fish moving through. After a long hiatus I got out fishing Monday afternoon/evening and Tuesday midday. Both trips I had great fishing both on lures and livelining bunker. We tagged some nice striped bass up to 46.5” – 37 lbs.

It was scarce but the bait situation has improved recently. Right now peanut, juvie and adult bunker are schooled up in addition to tinker mackerel, sand eels, rain bait and some squid. There’s a few whales in the area and birds are working with them.

Some good size striped bass have slid down and into Ocean County waters this week. On Monday, we had a good report from Mike and Josh who trolled up two nice bass off of LBI. Josh shared, “Fishing in 40′ of water off the south end if LBI we trolled up two big striped bass.”

It seems to me that these fish are well fed, more selective and a bit wary as they aren’t crushing lures. Maybe that changes soon. Store alumni Dan D. is working hard on his week off and has got some good ones on lures. One of his bigger recent catches is below.

It’s still slow on the surf side but reports are becoming and more consistent from the LBI surf. Tom Smith landed a nice striped bass plugging the LBI surf Tuesday, photo below. He when out again this morning with his buddy who scored a surprise fluke. They reported, “We has one big swirl but it never came tight. There was also a whale and lots of bait out of casting range. It looked good.” Today we received another report of bunker off the mid-island surf and while I was filming the fishing report video update I had a whale break a couple times on bunker.

John Sullivan caught a upper 30″ range bass on a lure fishing the south end of LBI on Sunday and submitted it to the LBI Surf Master Division of the LBI Surf Fishing Tournament. The Surf Master has had an uptick in actively the past couple of days proving we have some nice fish here right now. Once these submissions are scored they will be published on the tournament’s website. Check it out for other live results too… www.LBISFC.com

Ocean “surf” water temps are in the mid-50’s (55-56º) and the Beaver Moon has ushered in the second wave of bass our way. Yes SECOND! If you haven’t been out (like me too until this week) you missed the first wave. Now’s the time to get out and fish — the fall run is happening!

Store staffer Paul reported the bass fishing in the bay is very good on NLBN swim baits. The same came from Dante at Magictail who says he is catching every trip in the bay fishing eels with some nice size class. Jimmy Nacion who knows how to catch some big fish in the bay (did you see his big fluke after big fluke after big fluke catches this past summer?) got a big bass fishing last night with eels. Another great recent catch was reported from Sonny Markoski who caught and released this striped bass (photo below) fishing the bay the other night!

The inlet remains productive with both tog and striped bass.

November Is Prime Time On The Central Jersey Coast – GO TIME!!!

Windy & Cooling Water

It’s late October on Long Beach Island and the wind is blowing. It’s blowing all week. What else is new? Strings of unsettled weather has tied up boats for most of this month. The shorter days (longer nights) and chilly temps have dropped surf temperatures to around 60°F. The back bay is in the low to mid-50’s.

With the temp drop we have had a drastic change in the averrable species. As expected the warm water species skedaddled! Blowfish, Pompano and Kingfish rolled out! The steady small bluefish bite has faded as the mullet run wrapped up. A few stragglers may remain, but for the most part, the mullet migration has passed.

A coastal storm and gale are now in effect, bringing more rough surf and persistent northeast flow today, going easterly tomorrow (Thursday) and then westerly on Friday. The westerly, north -westerly flow sticks around for the weekend. Expect powerful swell on Friday (3-5’+). It lingers and fades Saturday (2-3’+) with much smaller surf come Sunday (1′ range).

Best Bite Right Now: Tog and Sea Bass

For anglers looking to stay active, the best bet continues to be blackfish (tog). Solid tog fishing at the Barnegat Inlet, along the rocks, bulkheads, and local docks with green crabs and sand fleas has anglers tugging on a mix of sizes. There’s keepers too.

Offshore bottom fishing is a great play when the weather allows. Sea bass and porgies as well as triggerfish are hanging around the deeper water structure. Recently the best action has been in the 90–100’+ areas. Most of the inshore reefs and wrecks have been hit or miss. There it will be a better pick of tog which will only improve as November rolls in.

Looking Ahead: The November Shift

While the surf bite is slow right now, the striped bass are not far off. November’s fall migration should fire up soon in the local waters. November is historically a month full of great fishing.

Some quality fish are staged up to out north off of Monmouth County. Anglers have been getting into some classy bass up that way fishing live bunker and bunker imitations. Think big plugs, flutter spoons and rubber swim baits.

As far as LBI beaches go, recently we have only heard of one local surf side striped bass. The 34″ over-slot was caught by Pat Gallon. Only other surf side reports are themed around no more kingfish, no blues and some pests… dogfish.

Until the surf comes to life, striped bass local to LBI can be found in the bay and inlet. JP stopped in the shop this week and reported great fishing in the bay this past weekend using Tsunami swim shads (rubber swim baits) catching under, slot and over size striped bass.

Gear up for the fall now here at Fisherman’s Headquarters open daily and fully stocked up with fishing rods, fishing reels, fishing tackle and we also offer full service fishing rod and reel repair. If not close by shop online at FishermansHeadquarters.com.

The multi-day nor’easter hammered the coastline and pushed in some serious flooding and powerful swell. LBI is still drying out and the ocean is slowly settling. Today was a beautiful day and felt really great after the relentless stretch of foul weather. We are also turning the mid-October corner and getting into a more chilly fall feel.

Long Beach Island’s surf temps have slipped below 70º where they were hanging for weeks. Today the LBI surf was 64-65º. The water also cleaned up a lot from yesterday’s chocolate milk stain, but surprisingly clean except for lots of debris at the highest tide line and wash overs. Residual swell energy remains in the water the next few days and expect possibly rebuilds a bit from a Canadian Maritime low spinning up some easterly ground swell over the weekend.

Fishing Report Details

The fishable days have been few and far between, but those anglers fishing the breaks in weather are capitalizing. It’s a great time to work the surf and jetties.

Today store staffer Max and Swagmattic (yes he still fishes) hit the north end for some tog. They reported back that the bite was on, “We had a pretty savage bite going between 4-6pm. We each caught about 20 tog and a handful of keepers on green crabs. Bruce from Illinois was fishing near us a got a big one… 22″ 5#+!” That’s a monster for land based tog fishing standards!!! Now that the bay water temps have dropped to the golden 60º mark it seems the tog turned on. They should be crushing crabs for the next several weeks.

With the cooler bay temps expect striped bass fishing to spark up on the Island’s many bayside areas as well as the main channels, sod banks and bridges.

On the sandy surf side, there’s small blues, kingfish (both northern and southern) and even still a few surprise pompano (expect them to exit soon if not already). No direct LBI surf side striped bass reports yet but they will be soon. The mullet run is in the final innings (possibly over) but on the bright side there is some bunker schools near. These bait balls have been missing the past couple season. We received two fresh bunker deliveries in the past week. That’s more than we had all of August and September. Fresh bunker has been tough for us the past year or so. Maybe that changes this fall.

October 11th was Merchantville Fishing Club’s 8th Annual LBI Surf Fishing Tournament. The weather was tough but fish were caught, mostly kingfish (northern and southern) and blues. The final standing are below. Congrats to Ocean City Fishing Club on the win!

When there was a couple windows to fish the ocean both inshore and offshore caught. The sea bass should be stacking on structure in 70-90′ range. The yellowfin chunking bite was rocking. Let’s hope it rolls into late fall.

Young Of The Year Striped Bass Data

Today, Maryland DNR released the 2025 Young-of-Year striped bass survey results and while there’s a slight improvement, the news remains concerning. The juvenile index came in at 4.0, up from the last few years but still well below the long-term average of 11. This makes seven consecutive years of poor recruitment in the Chesapeake Bay, which is the main nursery for the Atlantic striped bass stock. More details

VIMS also released information today. They published, “Preliminary results from this year’s Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey suggest an average year class was produced in Virginia tributaries in 2025, with a recorded mean value of 5.12 fish per seine haul. The 2025 value represents an improvement over the previous two years of below-average recruitment. The historic average of 7.77 fish per seine haul.” More details

Notice To Mariners: Active Dredging In Local Bay!

The $6.2 million project will restore channels to a safe navigable depth. Over the next couple of months dredge operations will be working around the clock, 24-7. Work will be at the following eight channels; Holiday Harbor, Skippers Cove, Waretown Creek, South Harbor, Double Creek Mainland, Double Creek, High Bar Harbor, Barnegat Light Stake.

Be aware and alert for the pipeline, buoys, dredge and other marine construction equipment during the project. Boaters should proceed through dredging zones with caution and at no wake speed. Use VHF Channel 4 to contact the contractor for meeting/passing arrangements.

For more details

What Last Sunday’s Inlet Rescue Can Teach Every NJ Boater

During the late summer and fall, boaters in New Jersey must keep an eye on the marine weather as well as the tropical weather forecasts and live buoy data. This is the time of year when distant storms can quietly send long period ground swells toward our coast. Even when skies are clear and winds are light, that hidden energy can create deceptively hazardous conditions in the inlets and shoals. What looks like a great day to fish or transit offshore very well may be, BUT it can quickly turn treacherous when groundswells collide head on with a strong ebb tide in a shoaled inlet.

Sunday, October 5, 2025, was one of those days.

The weather was great: light winds, warm, sunny and clear skies. Just a stunning Indian Summer day! There was long-period swell energy lingered from offshore (sub)tropical systems Imelda and Humberto. The Barnegat ocean buoy was reading 3.5–4 feet at 12–14 seconds. It was also the full moon and maximum ebb tide (the strongest part of the outgoing current) peaked at 12:30 pm. This was the worst part of the day’s tide cycle that was also even more extreme due to the moon. This combination produced a dangerous setup at Barnegat Inlet’s East Bar which even on the average day isn’t a nice place to be.

The timing could not have been worse!

At approximately 12:45pm a good samaritan reported on VHF16 a vessel overturned outside Barnegat Inlet. Numerous assets responded to assist. Jet skiers in the area rescued the two victims from the water. Tow Boat US Barnegat Light & Beach Haven was able to transfer the passengers onto there boat from good samaritans on jet skis. From there they transferred them to a USCG 47 MLB who took them back to U.S. Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light to awaiting EMS crews. Sea Tow Central New Jersey assisted Tow Boat with the recovery of the 24-25′ vessel from the line of breakers just outside the inlet. This was another excellent example of multiple agencies working together; Tow Boat US, Sea Tow, US Coast Guard Barnegat Light, Barnegat Light First Aid, NJ State Police Marine Unit. Source: Sea Tow Central NJ

Barnegat’s East Bar: A Hidden Trap

The east end of Barnegat Inlet has long been an area to avoid. There the Aids to Navigation (ATON) are misleading and guide unaware boaters straight toward one of the most hazardous zones in the area. Transient captains running the coast looking to duck into Barnegat Light to ride out weather or make a quick pit stop are set up for failure if they follow the channel markers leading to the inlet. The #3 & #4 direct inbound traffic right towards the shallow East Bar area. It’s treacherous when there’s swell and especially during outgoing tide.

No commercial vessels working out of Barnegat Light use that passage. They all know better and it has been this way for years. It has only got worse. Yet the ATONs remain in place. The solution isn’t complicated. Either removed or reclassify as white danger buoys to clearly identify the shoaling hazard.

Until that happens, local knowledge is the only defense. When transiting in or out of Barneget Inlet alway take the North Cut just off of the North Jetty’s monument’s #6 Red Day Marker. Always follow the classic maritime rule… Red, Right Return. Do not pass on the west side of #6. There’s rocks running from the beach in a straight line all the way to #6. The outer/ eastern half is submerged. Two white danger buoys to the north of the inlet properly identify the rock jetty. The Barnegat Inlet North Jetty is also detailed on every GPS plotter.

This aerial photo taken on 10/2/25 details the Barnegat Inlet during a recent swell event. The whitewater helps identify the shoaling outside of the inlet as well as off the beaches of Barnegat Light.

A: Barnegat Lighthouse
B: Barnegat Inlet
C: North Cut – Deep water safe passage around the North Jetty
D: East Bar
E: Hazardous Channel Markers leading through the East Bar
F: Barnegat Light Shoals

The Role of the Moon

The moon’s gravitational pull drives the rise and fall of sea level called tides. Around the new and full moon cycles, that pull strengthens. These times have more extreme highs and lows as well as stronger currents during both ebb and flood.

Even on calm ocean days, a hard outgoing tide in Barnegat Inlet can make choppy and rough conditions.

When a strong ebb tide (outgoing current) meets long period swell at Barnegat Inlet, the physics of the ocean turns against boaters. The powerful swell collides head on with the tide and compresses the energy. This steepens the waves forcing them to stand up, stack up, double up and break. The result is a turbulent washing machine like sea state. Instead of predictable rollers and chop boaters face commonly in open seas, these chaotic waves appear and commonly hold up in a stationary fashion forming whats referred to as a standing wave. These wave heights can double or even triple up.

At times the combination of swell and tide produces conditions capable of swamping or capsizing small vessels.

That’s exactly what was happening around 12:30 p.m. on October 5. Maximum ebb current during a full moon, with long-period swell present.

Seamanship Starts With Weather Awareness

Boating safely isn’t just about navigation and knowledge of a vessel’s systems… Understanding not only wind and tides, but also swell direction, period and current interaction as well as geographical features and relationships is fundamental seamanship.

For an angler fishing inshore out of Barnegat Light transiting to a fishing area to the north, a south west wind 10-15 kts isn’t the best but very well may be fishable. And on the ride home you might choose to run into the beach and hug the shoreline for a better ride back. But if transiting to a fishing area to the south in a south west wind, 10-15 kts could be very rough. Long Beach Island has a much more southern facing beach than IBSP and offers no protection in a south west. Now this exact scenario is mirrored in a hard northwest or north north west wind. Fishing north off IBSP could be very rough while fishing off LBI could be much nicer and offer a better ride back in tight to the beach.

Mariners must check wind, tide and swell reports carefully to best prepare and be aware. Understanding, uncertainty, judgment, vessel, experience, crew and risk tolerance all play a role.

Modern weather apps make it easy to glance at colorful graphics, but remember those forecasts come from raw computer models that are updated roughly every six hours. There’s no human interpretation. That’s why many times different apps disagree especially the further in the future forecast period you look. The truth lies in the details and in your ability to interpret them.

Nothing beats looking at the flag at the dock as well as checking the NOAA Barnegat Buoy 44091, located about 15 nautical miles east of Barnegat Light for live swell height and period data before leaving the dock. You can find it here: NOAA Station 44091 – Barnegat Buoy

When you open that page, look for the blue conditions box showing the most recent data (time-stamped in UTC). For deeper insight, click the small graph icons on the left side to view the past 3–4 days of recorded swell, wind, and temperature trends. That historical context can help you anticipate how the inlet will behave before you even untie from the dock.

Also, don’t overlook NOAA’s text forecasts. They may not be flashy, but they often spell out crucial details that can make or break the day on the water.

Since the term long period was used, I’ll include…

Understanding Swell vs. Chop

Sea state depend on swell and wind. The wind is important to the surface conditions however a mariners should never overlook the waves height and the wave period. Wave height is how big the waves are. Wave period is the interval or time between peaks which reveals the swell’s power.

Swell Height – Wave Height = vertical distance between the wave crest (top) and trough (bottom), size of the waves

Swell Period – Wave Period = spacing between wave crests, time between waves, longer interval swell has more energy and moves faster

• Long-Period Swell (10+ sec) – Long period swell sometimes referred to as ground swell is deep wave energy that travels hundreds of miles from distant storms. These are often observed as smooth rollers with spaced out sets in the open ocean but the swell jumps up and walls up in shallow water. *4-6′ long period swell at 14 seconds on a sunny light wind day could be beautiful.

• Short-Period Waves (<10 sec) – Short period swell sometimes referred to as wind swell or wind chop is tight together and many times a more confused sea state with waves not having a defined direction and pattern. This type of swell is created from short term more localized wind/storm events. These are rough on small boats. *2-3′ wind swell at 5 seconds on a sunny light wind day, although relatively small, could be bumpy, uncomfortable and rough.

October is here and we are kicking off the month with beautiful weather and great fishing conditions! The first weekend of October looks perfect with sunny skies, light winds and plenty of fishing options. Get out and make the most of this early October window. Gear up at Fisherman’s Headquarters on your way out.

Ocean Conditions & Weather

October started windy with big swell from offshore hurricanes Imelda and Humberto. Thankfully, both systems stayed out to sea and only delivered rough surf and minor beach erosion. They’ve also given us a prolonged groundswell which is finally starting to settle.

Right now, the surf is running 2–3′ by powerful. Yesterday there was a bit of eelgrass and cabbage weed mixed into the wash. The weekend forecast looks excellent, with the swell dropping, lots of sun and light winds.

LBI Fishing Report

September’s solid fishing rolled right into October with a variety of options both inshore, offshore and from shore.

Sea Bass Season just opened with a 10-fish bag limit at 12.5 inches, and there’s plenty of life on local reefs and wrecks in 50–60+ feet of water. Expect great action as the ocean calms down. Many of these areas are also still holding triggerfish left over from the late summer bite. Today we received two good sea bass reports from anglers who fished yesterday. John Rhodes said yesterday was drop and reel fishing in 80′ with sea bass big triggerfish were chewing too. He said the wind was light but there was a lot of swell. A similar report was shared by Captain Greg Carr aboard LBI Charters, “I wasn’t sure what to expect given the crap weather. Lots of nibbles. The guys had a boat limit of sea bass and a trigger.”

Along the surf, anglers are finding small bluefish (mostly snappers and cocktail size fish) and some out-of-season fluke still tucked tight to the wash. The blues can be targeting and caught on mullet or small lures. The kingfish bite continues, not red hot but it has been steady and dependable. With surf temps still hovering around 70°F, there’s still a shot at seeing a pompano or two mixed in. The bigger kings are coming on small mullet strips, while bloodworms and Fishbites are also producing.

Tautog (blackfish) are a great option right now and should remain prime through October. Reports have been mixed, with some better bites at the inlet rocks more so than the bayside area but that can change day to day. Fishing green crabs and sand fleas. in or near riprap will get the job done. This morning Wayne Smith was out fishing and reported catching a bunch of tog at the rocks and he also saw some keepers caught. He said inside it was ok but not as good.

As for summer species, blowfish are tapering off, and spot are likely exiting soon. We’re shifting quickly into full-on fall fishing mode as October progresses.

Bait & Fall Migration

The fall transition is in motion. Thanks to shorter days and cool nights, the bay is cooling faster than the ocean, now sitting in the low to mid-60s. The surf remains near 70°F.

Resident striped bass are still around, feeding on mullet and peanut bunker in the bay and inlet. Few to no striped bass are on the surf but we expect that to change very soon. Some mullet have made the move out front, are scattered along the surf zone. This past week when surfing I had mullet in the waves and on the bar but I did not see them in the trough or tight to the beach lip. That tells me that at that time they were moving and comfortable. Usually when predators show they stress and move in tight to the beach for added protection.

You’ll also find rain bait, bay anchovies and spearing which can spark feeding frenzies when bluefish find ’em. Also it could draw false albacore on their trip south. Albies were active a few weeks ago and we have a good chance at seeing another shot of them before Halloween… so keep epoxy jigs and small metals ready just in case they pop up frothing.

LBI Surf Fishing Classic Update

The 71st Annual LBI Surf Fishing Classic is rolling strong! This year’s earlier September start was a great call. There’s already a full month of catches on the board with anglers weighing in striped bass, bluefish, kingfish, tautog and before the 9/25 end of season closure fluke.

Entry is $40, and there are LOTS OF PRIZES TO WIN throughout the event.

Visit www.LBIFT.com to see the live weigh-in results, leaderboards and much more info.

LBI 4×4 Beach Access

All LBI beach towns are now open for 4×4 vehicle access as of October. Each township issues its own permit, so be sure to check requirements before driving on. You can find details and links for each town’s permits here:

We have a breezy northerly flow is here today with long period surf in the 2-3’+ range. And LOTS MORE swell on the way! Strong surf from Humberto will be pumping tomorrow. The mullet run continues on and the goldenrod is popping. It’s looking seasonably like autumn however the hot humid days like yesterday have déjà vu setting in, feeling more like summer. With October just a few days away we expect this week’s weather to be a prominent switch into the true autumn fishing season.

Fluke season now closed however tautog – tog – blackfish fishing is in full swing.  The tog bite from the Barnegat Inlet Jetty has significantly picked up this past week.  Also another wave of triggerfish have showed and there’s still some sheepshead and occasional black drum being caught.

On the surf, kingfish and pompano continue in the suds as well as bluefish.

With the peanut bunker, spearing and mullet all schooled up and moving around the bay, waters in close proximity to the inlet and adjacent beaches, the bluefish are active and eating well. Some resident striped bass are also fired up and feeding at the right times, tides and locations. On the last blow they really came alive so there’s no reason to not expect a repeat with this upcoming Nor’easter. Lures to match the hatch as well as live baits like eels and spot are best for striped bass.

This time of year can offer some of the best crabbing and clamming in the area.

Come October 1st, New Jersey’s black sea bass season opens up with a 10 fish bag limit at a 12.5″ minimum size. Come November the bag limit increases to 15 fish. This fishery should be good right to the end of the year. Reports from those wreck fishing the limited weather window on the final stretch of fluke season, reported they are waiting for us!

2025 NJ Saltwater Fishing Regulations

Offshore the yellowfin bite has been very good with mahi in the mix too. The bite was on both jigging and chunking but offshore fishing will be off limits due to weather this week.

LBI Surf Fishing Classic

A full month in and it’s safe to say the one month early start this year was a great change. All positive feedback with really good catches too. As of today, 300 total anglers have entered 26 kingfish, 26 fluke, 13 bass, 21 blues and 15 tog. With flounder fishing season now over and closed that’s one less species however there’s… many others to fish for. We should have a couple more weeks of kingfish and the whole fall for striped bass, blues and tog. There’s lots of great fishing ahead. Sign Up Today! For more info… www.LBIFT.com

Striped Bass Public Comment

This is the final week to submit your public comment on striped bass for Addendum III to Amendment 7. Please take the time to share your comment on Section 3.0 Proposed Management Options with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Fisheries managers need to hear from as many anglers as possible. For all that missed the local and virtual meetings, it’s not too late.

Please don’t pull the “no time” excuse… the online survey is quick and easy! Whether you agree with me or not, that’s fine. I encourage all striped bass anglers to submit comments. The deadline is Friday October 3 at 11:59pm EST.

For complete details – Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum III

Section 3.0 Proposed Management Options has four sections and each has options.

3.1 Method to Measure Total Length

Status quo lacks coast wide total length definition which leaves too much grey area. It is especially important with the three inch slot limit that there is a coastwide standard. For this reason I support Option B. Here in New Jersey it is already defined as a straight line measurement with the fish laid flat, mouth closed and a squeeze of the tail to achieve the longest length possible.This should be adopted coast wide for consistency.

3.2 Commercial Tagging: Point of Tagging

Right now there is too much room for dishonest behavior. To prevent Option B would mandate tagging at point of harvest, immediately upon possession. It is a timely hassle on the water for harvesters; however it’s the only option to remove dishonesty. 

*Striped bass should be a game fish like it is here in New Jersey, no commercial fishing. But that isn’t on the table.

3.3 Maryland Chesapeake Bay Rec. Season Baseline

I’m not well versed in the Maryland CBay seasons and details so I’ll leave this to others with more knowledge on the area. Status Quo or Option C – with 10%+ buffer. Maryland is responsible for 80% of the stock and is a critical area coast wide.

3.4 Reduction in fishery removals to support stock rebuilding 

With regards to this public comment period and the proposed management options, this is where the tough decisions and debates reside.

I do NOT support no target closures. I do not support mode split.

I believe that Option A – Status Quo is the right decision at this time. It technically only provides a 30% chance of rebuilding by the 2029 deadline based on the assumptions and projections. The very restrictive emergency coastwide (ocean recreational fishery) slot limit has been in place since the deadline of July 2, 2023. It is working to protect and rebuild SSB as shown in Figure 1 (SSB has increased since the recent low in 2018). However, since 2018 recruitment has been poor. The 2024 stock assessment update states the striped bass stock is not experiencing overfishing (F = 0.18, below the threshold of 0.21) but remains overfished (SSB = 191 million pounds, below the threshold of 197 million pounds). This is the same as it was in the 2022 assessment. SSB increased in 2023 but it’s still 6 million pounds short.

The 2027 Benchmark Stock Assessment is coming soon (expected early 2027) and will include 2025 data. This will provide a comprehensive update on striped bass. Taking action now with closures will not move the needle in time for the 2027 assessment and therefore not provide meaningful data for management decisions. Enacting closures now will then only become even more strict if the 2027 assessment isn’t positive. With six years of low recruitment and the striped bass technical committee (TC) assumption that 2025 fishing mortality is predicted to increase with 2018 year class entering the slot, there’s a good chance cuts will be coming eventually. As the TC previously presented, “(an) additional year of data under the same management regulations would inform a better estimate for upcoming assessments.”

We are NOT in a over fishing crisis… we are in a recruitment crisis.

We were on track however due to preliminary 2024 MRIP (marine recreational information program) estimates the 50% chance of rebuilding fell to 30%. These current events, this entire push for further reductions, stems from the short-term swings in the recreational FES (fisheries effort survey) data. Peer reviewed and NOAA internal evaluations have documented possible effort (MRIP-FES) inflations by  30%+. The board must temper reliance on preliminary estimates for urgent action.

What we have is a stretched out rebuilding process to a lofty rebuilding target that was set at an all time high in the striped bass fishery. Due to seven consecutive poor recruitment years it is becoming harder to achieve in the ten year timeline of the fisheries management plan. As the deadline nears, action requires more strict action to meet the timeline.

As per Figure 2, striped bass fishing mortality is at 20+ year low and below target levels so further reductions risk unnecessary socioeconomic harm without improving recruitment. With no strong year classes behind the 2018’s… how long do we wait trying to survive on low recruitment. I want to believe that the Chesapeake Bay is capable of making a comeback, but I’m losing hope. There’s too many issues and no one has control over many of them. Moreover, many of these issues date back decades. What has been done about many of these important issues that were identified in the 80’s… nothing.

Myriad Of Issues That Striped Bass Face

Inside The Scope Of The Board

• Forage: Herring and bunker are two major forage species that are not in great shape. ASMFC manages the harvest levels for both of these.
• Invasive Species: Blue catfish and cormorant populations are booming and their predation on young striped bass is detrimental to the rebuilding plan. Blue cat’s were deliberately introduced to the CBay by the state of Virginia in the 70’s and 80’s. They grow VERY large and are thriving, expanded and competing with native fish and forage in the many rivers and tributaries of the CBay.
• Enforcement: Rules are in place but worthless if not enforced. Poaching is out of control, but judges don’t prosecute and don’t drop the hammer.

Outside The Scope Of The Board

• Weather Variability: temperature, rain, river flow, salinity, changes disrupt cues for striped bass reproduction.
• Zoo Plankton: a make or break factor that is a critical link in the food chain. We can have perfect spawning conditions but if zooplankton aren’t present in the right amount and at the right time it all fails.
• Runoff: It doesn’t help that the nation’s largest chicken producers are concentrated in the tidal tributary watershed where striped bass spawn. Nitrogen and phosphorus fuel algae blooms and then lead to hypoxic (low oxygen) zones that stress habitats. Reduced SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation)
  • Endocrine Disrupters: A silent stressor in the CBay. These chemicals interfere with hormones of fish as well as other animals and people. Sources include treated sewage effluent, agriculture runoff,  industrial discharge
• Mycobacteriosus – VIMS study detailed 50-70% of adult striped bass in CBay show signs of mycobacteriosis.

Commercial fishing is not the crux of the problem, however, I have a major issue with the direct targeting and harvesting of striped bass 35”+ by Massachusetts’ open access commercial rod and reel fishery. It must be reformed. Ballers fun fishing and selling striped bass has gone on for far too long, especially the out of state anglers cashing in. Limited access, lottery or better yet close it all together and support striped bass as a gamefish!

I must ask… How many more poor spawns until there is a serious look at hatcheries? It’s expensive and risks the strong genetics of striped bass, but what other potential fixes can be done? 

It’s not on the table but I suggest an alternative course of action.

1. Protecting forage (menhaden/herring) – Ask the Menhaden Board to adopt more precautionary measures, tighten the CBay’s cap as well as adjust coast wide quotas. For herring, in collaboration with states and NOAA prioritize fish passage and dam removal in rivers to improve spawning runs
2. Curbing predator impacts (blue catfish, cormorants) – Create demand both recreational and commercial to better target and sell blue cats as they are a great source of protein. Urge the USFWS to open up a waterfowl hunting season for cormorants or depredation permits.
3. Ensuring compliance & enforcement – As mentioned previously, fines must be increased and the pressure must be put on better enforcement and prosecution to reduce poaching.
4. Prepare a hatchery feasibility study – At minimum the Commission should revisit hatchery supplementation as a contingency option if poor spawns continue.

The recent blow gave us two days of foul weather but good fishing. With the mullet mayhem, it’s safe to say the mullet run is on! There’s still a variety of species on tap; tog, kingfish, bluefish, fluke, striped bass, sheepshead and a few pompano among others.

South Philly Fred stopped by the shop to pick up his Van Staal after an annual service and then heading up to the north end. He reported back, “The mullet are everywhere and the bass are snapping. It’s winds and raining but it’s on! On my second cast the Bomber Windcheater got smoked. Then a few minutes later got another, much bigger one. It was a good mullet run bass about 20#.

LBI Surf Fishing Classic

The 2025 derby is off to a strong start. Check out the live results and weigh-in log for details. Now’s a great time to sign up and participate in this fall fishing event.

Striped Bass Comment Period

The striped bass public comment period is NOW for Addendum III to Amendment 7. The deadline is Friday October 3, 2025 11:59PM.

For all that attend the local meeting this past week in Manahawkin… Thank You. It was a great meeting with lots of questions and answers, but unfortunately there was not a strong attendance. I was expecting a packed house and a long line for public comment but that wasn’t the case.

For those that missed it, there’s still time. All you need to know is published here… It’s super easy to comment online via survey form. Please do it now.

After numerous public service announcement, I continue to share again and again. Sure most know by now but a lot do not. If I can help just one more, I did my part.

Here’s some more details on the hazard…

Notice To Mariners

There is shoaling in the main channel near the inlet, just west of the Barnegat Lighthouse. The sandbar has grown south over the past couple months and encroached on the channel. The most hazardous shoaling is in the area of the 16 nun (red buoy). For those transiting the area, simply do not run close to the red side and all is good. There’s plenty of safe water, just don’t get close to 16.

The following photos provide helpful details. The photo below shows the sandbar in the channel west of 16 nun.

The photo below is the exact same as above with the yellow overlay to identify the shoaling along the north side of the channel near buoy 16.

The photo below shows the shoaling at 16 as well as the rip that forms on the outgoing tide.