LBI NJ Fishing Report – LBI Surf Fishing, Barnegat Bay & Inlet
LBI's Premier Fishing Report By Fishermans Headquarters
The bass fishing has been epic with fish to 36 inches, full limits, and plenty of releases.
We have an opening this Wednesday (11/23) afternoon for striped bass. $500 for charter or $175 a person (need 3) – all fish shared. 25 Live spot included in price. Call or text 609-290-7709
Capt. Brett Taylor
www.reelreactioncharters.com
This is it. This is the weather and the fishing we have all been waiting for. Sure, it’s cold….and windy. But it’s a west wind and the fish are tight to the beach, so the ocean will be flat calm. The harder it blows from the west, the flatter it gets, as long as you are within a mile and a half of the beach, beyond that, you will have some waves. The good news is that the fish have been tight to the beach. It doesn’t always go that way this time of year. A few seasons back, the fish and bait were in the 3 to 7 mile range offshore where you are not even allowed to fish for them. The other positive right now is that most of the fish are less than 38 inches so you actually get to go home with some fillet. Our last trip out we even had some 24 to 28 inch slot fish which I have bonus tags for. So far it’s been all casting and jigging. No better way to catch them!
Sailing Open Boat or Charter:
Saturday Nov 19, Sunday Nov 20, and Mon Nov 21
6AM to 2PM $275 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared
Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
At one point or another this past weekend (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) had just about every type of weather. From warm to cold, from gale to dead calm, rain, fog, it was all dished out this weekend. For the most part the weekend will be remembered for its very powerful Sou’Westerly that pounded the beaches with 6-8′ surf (buoy 44091 peaked out at 10′ on Saturday 11/12) which then left the waters churned up and dirty, turbidity wise and weedy.
On this Monday afternoon fishing report update, I don’t have a lot of great local catch reports to share. But I do have one good one… Carl Hartmann caught and released a 52″ striped bass off the LBI surf on bunker this weekend.
What I can also share… I fished every day in the past 5+ days. Some were GREAT days and others were slow. I know with confidence the body of fish I was catching has most likely moved on. We are in a waiting period, hopefully seeing a new wave of striped bass soon. I expect that wave to show this week with a short NE blow followed by a stretch of westerlies.
Yes I fished through the blow fishing this weekend’s LBI Cup Striped Bass Tournament. It was gnarly and fishing was TOUGH and rough. Out of 19 boats only 7 striped bass were entered. The crew aboard the Endless Summer entered three of the seven. We had a couple other small slot fish and a handful of beautiful overs. The best action we had was fishing the northern ocean county waters on Saturday afternoon livelining.
We have a variety of baits in the local waters right now; adult bunker, juvenile bunker, squid, herring, bay anchovies and still a couple mullet. See the striper stomach contents photo at the end of this post. We also have a LARGE biomass of spiny dogfish adding a frustrating challenge.
Here’s my latest video report…
Like many others, I am guilty of using the term “epic” in describing the day of fishing we had. With that said, yesterday’s open boat trip was “epic”. By no genius of mine, mind you. It was all because Capt Gene Linder on the Side Chick, currently sailing from Shark River, NJ gave me the call.
We broke Barnegat Inlet early in the morning and made the left. It was not feeling good, the water was still a little murky from the storm, the wind was up hard, and we didn’t have any life until Seaside Heights. We had blackout readings, lots of bird play, but not a touch trolling and casting. We kept moving north and found a small group of boats working a big bunker pod off of Belmar, but no bent rods or nets going over. Just then we got the second phone call from Gene that we should get up there as the bite is now topwater with breaking fish. Up there, as in the Atlantic Highlands.
Off we went, and I warned my crew that I have taken these rides before only to hear how good it was and we should have been there earlier. Also, we were arriving right at slack tide, so I told everyone on board that it was going to be a slow hour or two before we saw action again. Fortunately, that all proved to be wrong. We got into fish immediately and it got better every hour both with casting topwater lures or snagged bunker. Mostly all were 26″ to 36″ fish which meant people were also going home with Ziplocks.
The videos say it all:
https://youtu.be/3clog9oDdZc
This was the first real workout on the new set of Fishermans Headquarters INS701MHS Spinning Rods I paired with Battle lll 5000’s and they were perfect. Flexible enough to enjoy the fight and still had enough backbone to throw heavier lures and set a hook. Could not be happier with these outfits.
I just looked at the marine forecast and it is going to blow W or NW for the longest stretch I have ever seen. Most of it at low velocity. We will be sailing every day starting Wed Nov 16 thru the first weekend of Dec.
It’s probably best if you don’t use this trip as the expectation for your trip as this doesn’t happen every day. It’s fun to to know that it is possible anytime you go out, but this is not a typical day. But if given the information, we will go wherever the bite is. Number one rule: Fish where the fish are. Also know that our scheduled end time is not always our exact end time, we often go later.
Tues thru Fri 10AM to 5PM. $250 person.
Sat, Sun, and Mon’s 6:30 AM to 2:30 AM. $275 person.
Four people max on all trips, all fish are shared.
Any of these days are also available for charter.
Pics:
Roger Rabain of Delaware (black hoodie)
Stuart Lombardi of Demarest NJ (orange hat) Stu also gets credit for the videos
Bill Buckham of Lansdale, PA (red hoodie, black hat)
Phil Falato of Seaside Park NJ (green rain jacket)
Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
hiflier.com
The messy weather is already gone and the wind has switched to hard west. Then it’s going NW, which is our best wind for Fall stripers. All that W/NW wind should help flatten out the ocean to make for a comfortable few days of chasing stripers. The velocity is up, 15 to 25 mph, but the harder it blows, the flatter it gets, for the first 1 to 2 miles offshore, anyway. Which is all we need as the fish have been closer than that to the beach, so far.
We will be running Open Boat Stripers: Sunday Nov 13 and Mon Nov 14. 6AM to 2PM. $275 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. These dates are also available for your private charter.
We will be ready to snag bunker, cast lures, or troll. Whatever it takes to put fish in the boat.
Pics are from last weekend’s fish that we caught very close to home.
Pics: Dave Flood of Mantua, NJ in brown camo shirt
Capt Dave DeGennaro orange slickers
Dave Glassberg of Woodbury NJ blue slickers
Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
Fishing continues to be good as the great fall rolls on. The weather has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride and that looks to remain. All we can do is fish the prime windows and make the most of it. Right now an abundance of adult bunker and squid in the local waters has the body of striped bass sitting like happy fat cats. The waters have stayed unseasonably warm so most fish don’t seem to be flying through the area. So far this fall striped bass and some really good size ones have moved in and called the Barnegat Bay home. It’s been a number of weeks now. These fish are here now and continue to feed offering a lot of fishing fun.
Tautog fishing continues strong for land based anglers. Fishing both green crabs and sandfleas are working well and keeper size fish (15″ minimum size) are common in the right areas. Prime time tog fishing is now! The season opens up to a five fish bag limit on November 16th. We currently have live green crabs, live white crabs and sand fleas in stock.
Frustrated catching dogfish? Each year they invade right around Halloween and usually stick around all fall. This year is no different. For sure doggies are never wanted but since they are around in good numbers and not going anywhere it’s important to know how to fish around them. Don’t quit fishing in frustration! I’ve caught some of my biggest striped bass while catching doggies. Sometimes weeding through them is necessary. If chunking the surf try fishing heads to cut down on dogs. Striped bass will take a bunker head and usually dogfish will not. If fishing in a boat it is very important to understand and know our sounder. Being aware of the differences in marking striped bass vs dogfish is paramount! Also try not putting baits on the bottom. Usually that help. Also fish lures as doggies will rarely touch a lure.
Lure recommendations from the boat? Match the hatch! Right now it is adult bunker and squid… casting mojo, bucktail, metal lip, large top water spook, pencil popper, flutter spoon, glider/slider, large rubber swimbaits. Later this month I expect peanut bunker and hopefully sand eels so some smaller profile lures will be more valid.
Lure recommendations from the surf? Bucktail, Super Strike Lures Bottle / Darter / Popper / Needlefish, Hopkins (with dressed hook), Gibbs Danny Surface Swimmer (or one of many metal lip swimmers) Yo-zuri Lures Mag Darter / Hydro Monster Shot / Hydro Twitch and of course the Daiwa SP Minnow.
Due to the weekend’s weather the LBI Cup Striped Bass fishing tournament schedule was changed. Sunday was added to offer extended fishing through the entire weekend. Registration is 5pm Friday with the Captain’s meeting following at 7pm. Lines in right after the meeting. First weigh in on Saturday 3-5pm. Lines out at Sunday 3pm and the final weigh starts then and ends at 5pm. Awards dinner at 7pm on Sunday night. This is a great local event and part of the three way Striped Bass Grand Champion Series; Sea Shell Derby, LBI Cup, Stafford PBA Tournament (Nov 18/19th).
November is one of, if not the best month for striped bass fishing the Central Jersey coast. So far this month has been off to a stellar start with lots of quality striped bass. There’s a lot of bait in the local waters making it a buffet for hungry migrating striped bass. The recent weather has been unseasonably warm, near record breaking. The water temperatures have actually warmed some the past few days and all signs point to strong fishing in the days and weeks ahead.
The only bummer is there’s lots of dogfish that are also in the area too. There’s some techniques to resist these pesky scavengers. The first and foremost is fish lures. Rarely will dogfish hit a lure. If chunking fish heads as doggies love the meaty parts of baits but usually leave the heads alone. Striped bass will take head like gum drops.
Soft plastics are one of the best games in town for fall striped bass and shops like Fisherman HQ have a variety to put anglers on the bite. The mainstay of selecting the right lure depends on the type of bait the fish are feeding on. Striped bass are very opportunistic and aggressive feeders, especially during the migration as the need to fuel the migratory muscles and pack on calories for the winter drives the feeding. The use of plastics work in both the skinny backwaters, inlets as well as the beaches out to 3 nautical miles.
Spearing, anchovies, and smaller baitfish are mimicked perfectly by 3 to 4 inch Fin-S, paddle-tails, swim-shads, Zoom baits, and several Gulp baits. Depending on situation and depth 1/2oz, 3/4oz, and 1oz jig-heads will suffice for using these baits. When the fish are on larger baits such as mullet and bunker, the larger 5 to 6 inch swim shads will do. 1 to 2 oz weights or lure sizes may be needed to get down to the depths of feeding bass. Anglers can slow retrieve this lures or work them close to the bottom and when the bass are schooled – it’s usually game on for these types of baits.
If we get a run like last year, sand-eel impressions are also fantastic lures for migrating bass. These can be either added as a teaser or used as the main lure. Jigging metals with soft plastic sand-eel teasers work great when are bass feeding on these types of baits. There are quite a few manufacturers that have soft plastic sand-eel body types and these are an absolute necessity for anglers targeting November bass.
Next time your in the store, check out the soft plastic options to add to your arsenal!
Capt. Brett Taylor – Reel Reaction Sportfishing
The weather looks good for the upcoming weekend. Wind is moderate, not thrilled about the southerly direction, but the velocity is reasonable, and the traditional weather forecast has temps into the high 60’s. Not bad for November.
Running Open Boat Sat and Sun, Nov 5 and 6, 7AM to 3PM. $300 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.
We will be ready to snag bunker, cast plugs and soft plastics, jig, or troll if we have to. There is a good mix of size right now so we should be able to get some under 38″ fish in the cooler.
Call to reserve a spot.
Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
The past 7-10 days has to be some of the best bass fishing Barnegat Bay has seen in a VERY long time. I first shared info about bigger fish showing up on my Oct 21 report. It then got going with a lot of anglers catching 30-40-50″ bass on lures and live bait (spot, eel) in the bay. This is not normally a daily occurrence but it has been! The team at Fish Heads has been in on the bite every day and night since they arrived. It has been phenomenal. What’s great about fishing the bay is it isn’t blitz fishing mayhem like most times in the ocean. Working the right tides at the right locations with the right lure/bait presentation have provided great fishing!
It seems that we’ve had a fall off after Monday morning’s tide but we have high hopes that November will be full of great fall striped bass fishing. Here’s a recent video report from Sunday evening.
UPDATE 11/2/22 @ 10AM
Monday Rick Bragg reported good striped bass fishing up the beach on live bait. Also store staffer Robbie caught and released a couple bass. One large over on live bait and one slot keeper on a white shad. Both in the bay thoroughfares. Tuesday evening Greg Kopenhaver reported, “What a beautiful night on the bay. We released two 40″ bass!” Sunset catch photo is at the end of the post.
I experienced a fall off Monday, a break in trend for two tides but it bounced back. And strong. I planned a boat engine maintenance (oil change and fuel filters) for the afternoon. Got up to the boat and before I could get on I got a call from Dante at Magictails that the bite was on, “bass going crazy on bait, get out here!” While on the phone Jake at Vans popped out of his duck blind that he was working on and said, “It’s on? Can I jump on?” I ran a straight fly trip Monday so I mainly had fly gear. Jake grabbed his rod and off we went. We had a solid hour of awesome fishing and then the tide faded and so did the feeding. After running the boat all weekend it was great to have Jake take the wheel and put me in position to cast the fly. Conditions were perfect with light wind and the bass were hungry. So stoked it all worked out!
Tog fishing at Barnegat Inlet remains strong! Fred Finger weighed in a new tournament leader, 4.8# tog that he caught in Barnegat Light on green crab.
Also more reports coming from the surf side of shorts, slots and overs. This past weekend Matt Shapiro caught and releases a 46.75″ x 25.5″ bass, ~40#. On Halloween, Tom Beaty weighed in a 33.5″ 13.26# striped bass that he caught on a plug fishing the south end. Yesterday evening, Chris Masino weighed in a 28.5″ 8.94# bass that he caught on a lure fishing Barnegat Light. (photo below) This morning Emmit from Top Notch Tackle weighed in a 28.5″ 8.64# bass he caught on bunker fishing Harvey Cedars.
