LBI's Premier Fishing Report By Fisherman's Headquarters
From all of us at Fish Heads… We wishing you and your family an awesome holiday season, a very Merry Christmas… and a fish filled Happy New Year!
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Today December 16th, 2024 the four and a half hours long ASMFC Striped Bass Mgmt Board meeting concluded with action but maybe not the action everyone wanted. Long story short, final action will take place at the annual 2025 meeting, to be in place for the 2026 fisheries. So the current regulations roll on for 2025…
One fish bag, a 28-31″ slot size and a back bay season open March 1 to December 31st (ocean state waters open year round).
Public comments submitted before the meeting were overwhelmingly in favor of board action in the way of reductions for 2025 regulations. That didn’t happen but management measures most likely will change in 2026. Since you can’t really have a smaller slot than 3” expect closures of no harvest and possibly no target.
Striped bass are not in great shape; however, there is debatably not a crisis. Current regulations are very restrictive. But are they restrictive enough to meet the 2029 rebuilding deadline?
All three of the scenarios that were on the table are shown in this graph below detailing that SSB in 2029 would be close to the target in all of the options. It was presented by the Technical Committee and mentioned that a 10% change is nearly indistinguishable in the data. Also TC said an additional year of the same regulations helps them with upcoming assessments because of more consistent data.
I believe, the current one fish slot 28 to 31” management measures (implemented via emergency action in 05/2023 which NJ adopted in 07/2023) are working to control fishing mortality. The 2024 assessment indicates SSB (spawning stock biomass) is currently below the threshold so the stock is considered overfished but not experiencing overfishing.
It all boils down to two things…
Recreational fishing effort is calculated by MRIP which has fluctuations and a great deal of uncertainty. The statistical model is notorious for big swings and NOAA Fisheries acknowledges issues with the methods, but it’s all we got.
An important answer will be, was our 2024 fishing effort within the estimated range? We will most likely have that answer in the final 2024 MRIP data which should be released in April, 2025.
What will be the board’s risk appetite come summer 2025? What’s the public’s opinion on their risk profile in order to balance the fishery and socioeconomics?
The young of the year spawning data has been poor. The Chesapeake Bay has had 6 bad years in a row. It is considered and believed to be the primary producer responsible for 70-80% of the coast wide stock. Is it still? If a northern shift is occurring one would think the Delaware and Hudson would be booming. Maybe there is a shift in stock distribution but not spawning. Atleast science has yet to pick up, as the Hudson River Young Of The Year data had two bad years in a row. If the northern shift was happening we would expect to see an increased in the Hudson’s YOY numbers
The fish pipeline isn’t promising; however, history tells us that we can have successful strong spawns with critically low SSB. Thankfully we have a much larger SSB now than we had in the past which was able to pull us out of the moratorium.
Fortunately, the updated fishing mortality reference points took into account the period of low recruitment the stock has experienced in recent years. But for how long will these poor recruitment trends play out?
Without getting new news and fresh updated data. My take at this point is we must keep the current 28-31” slot, which we will have for 2025. As the TC presented, an “additional year of data under the same management regulations would inform a better estimate of selectivity for upcoming assessments.” My comments to ASMFC were published on the previous blog post but I’ll share a little more on where my head is at. Maybe you agree. Maybe you don’t.
Come 2026, based on updated data, necessary changes / reductions should be made to protect the movement of pre-spawn striped bass in the spring (Wave 1 & Wave 2) with seasonal no harvest closures at the many important spawning areas. During this time commercial harvest should be prohibited. SSB must get their best shot at spawning! Furthermore there should be a resurgence to make Striped Bass a coastwide no sale gamefish like it is here in New Jersey. I understand there are generational watermen who depend on striped bass. Those in NJ shafted gears. I feel the recreational tackle industry should subsidize these select watermen for five years so they can shift gears and not target striped bass. The Massachusetts open access commercial fishery must be reformed; limited access, lottery or close it all together. Ballers fun fishing and selling striped bass has gone on for far too long. Especially the out of state anglers cashing in on it.
Most of the environmental factors which plague striped bass spawning are out of the Striped Bass Mgmt Board’s control; water quality, flow, temperature, dissolved oxygen, zooplankton, timing (anglers anecdotal info report large females are moving into spawning areas a month or more earlier than a few years ago) and invasive species among a myriad of other factors. But what about bunker and river herring? I hypothesize the lack of river herring and the abundance of menhaden in the lower bays are keeping striped bass in these lower areas. Fix one and maybe the other improves too. I think these two anadromous species have an indispensable link. The starting point must be fish passage restoration removing old dams to restore habitat, research and possibly explore river herring hatcheries to help.
We can not lower the slot and target immature fish. These fish are not abundant and are very important as they are the few who persevered amidst poor environmental conditions.
We can not increase the slot limit and target larger female striped bass. Any fish that outgrew the slot must be protected as they are the lifeblood of the coast-wide fishery. The larger fish 34” are all breeding size (SSB) and the larger they are the better their fecundity.
If the spring no harvest closures suggested above do not meet the reductions necessary at that time… The next step would be more broad no harvest closures. I feel during this time, federally inspected for hire vessels (think party boats, not the average 6 pack charter) should be granted limited access. Explore creative ways to allow this dying sub-sector which gets a bad rap (however is accountable for a small portion of removals) to fish in a limited way. Spit balling ideas, maybe just give them two days a week, Saturday and Sunday. This will protect their business/boat as well as help reduce a large shift in effort to other target species which also happen to have their own challenges.
At absolute last resort we must accept and explore lower reference points and/or no target closures (hopefully in a very limited, not broad regional way). Done on a micro level, state by state would be best to focus on when and where the fish are and how to best protect.
The balance of new mortality vs new recruit uncertainty is critical.
ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Mgmt Board Meeting 12/16/24
Striped Bass Technical Committee Report Update Webinar December 5, 2024
Striped Bass Advisory Panel Memo December 12, 2024
Many striped bass anglers ask me… “The fishing is awesome, why the cuts?” Well yes, we have had some really good fishing in some areas and at some points during the season. So it can be hard for anglers to understand what’s boiling up. The recruitment data from Chesapeake Bay is bad and it’s been bad. Six consecutive poor year classes bad. Why? For a myriad of reasons and if you could fix each issue we wouldn’t be in this predicament. Also it doesn’t help that the SSB (female spawning stock biomass) Target is set at about 250 million pounds which is at a historical high. It will be challenging but it is everyone’s hope that the Chesapeake Bay (which is responsible for 70-80% of the Atlantic coast wide stock) is still capable of making the comeback.
Whether you agree with me or not, that’s fine. That’s fisheries management. To help encourage all saltwater anglers to participate in the process, I’m sharing my comments which I submitted via email, [email protected]. I encourage you to submit your own comments right away! The deadline is tomorrow Tuesday Dec 10th by 11:59 p.m. The Board will meet in-person and via webinar on Monday, December 16 at 10 a.m. to consider changing 2025 management measures to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock by the 2029 deadline.
For more information here is a link to the revised meeting materials as well as a recent webinar…
Please keep the striped bass seasons and limit status quo for 2025.
The current narrow slot is VERY RESTRICTIVE yet still allows access to the fishery while all sectors take a fair and equitable sacrifice. Management measures are working to control fishing mortality. SSB projections which incorporate the impact of low recruitment suggest we are on the right path.
I acknowledge allowing catch and release ignores a large portion of mortality; however the recreational sector, more specifically the fishing tackle industry and for-hire sector can not take more cuts or closures. NJ is not willing to close Wave 6 (Nov-Dec) in the same way that MA is not willing to close Wave 4 (July-Aug). These waves are the cornerstone of the run which so many depend on.
The environmental conditions which result in poor recruitment are out of the board’s control. Implementing closed seasons will not fix recruitment.
These fish are the lifeblood of the coast-wide fishery. All year classes above the 31” slot must be protected.
These fish are not abundant and are very important because they’re the few who persevered amidst poor environmental conditions. It’s dismal, but they are all we have in the future fish pipeline until the next successful spawning year(s).
TC Concludes (Page 99): Methods used to analyze slot limits below the current 28” minimum size in the Ocean recreational fishery result in an increase in total removals. Had a reduction been estimated in any of these options, the next step in the analysis would have been to perform a spawning potential analysis to determine the loss of spawning potential from the proposed new slot option.
Additionally the commercial gill net fishery must be prohibited during Wave 1 and Wave 2.
While this is outside the scope of this comment period at this time… Fishing in NJ has been good but regulations continue to clamp all out of a great fishery. No one; commercial, recreational, for-hire, etc is willing to hang it up. We can not continue to dig our own grave, regulating all out of the fishery. At some point we must accept and explore lower reference points while maintaining a fair, equitable and healthy fishery. Furthermore, there needs to be more studies funded to get a better handle on young of the year failures rather than anecdotal topics in hopes management can find options in their control.
With appreciation for your time and attention,
Captain Greg Cudnik
Fisherman’s Headquarters Inc – Fishing Tackle Retailer Since 1962
Early December Got Cold But The Striped Bass Fishing Is Hot!
Here’s our most recent Long Beach Island Fishing Report video update from yesterday morning December 4th…
The fishing on the beach of LBI has been slow with only a few fish reported. But the boat fishing out of Barnegat Light and Little Egg Inlet has been REALLY GOOD despite the cold weather.
I’ve been fishing everyday for the last week (had to take off yesterday attend fishing tackle show in Atlantic City). I had great fishing in various locations, including the Brant Beach Lump, Loveladies Lump, and the Harvey Cedars Lump as well as along IBSP and Seaside. I’m still seeing a wide range of striped bass size class with slots and overs.
The water temperatures have fallen with the ocean temps ranging in the mid to upper 40’s. There’s plenty of bait in the area, but it really has not pushed into the LBI beach. With the large mass off striped bass hanging around the inshore waters of LBI our fingers are crossed they crash the beach one of these days.
Yesterday store staffer Emmet caught a 10# bass off the LBI surf. Emmet shared he fished the surf for a few hours and didn’t see one other truck. “The beach was empty. I was fishing a Bill Hurley sand eel in some cuts. No bites. At one point, I saw some swirls on top. Clipped on a pencil popper and got the bite!”
Remember Amazon Doesn’t Fish!
Support local fishing tackle shops. Each and everyone is much more than just a store with expert advice and hands on help. They are generational fishing hubs and the lifeblood of the industry as well as communities supporting local fishing clubs, tournaments, charities and nonprofits.
Many big brands which independent tackle shops helped grow have lost sight of their roots and their dealers in pursuit of profit over the fishing community, the lifestyle and the activity we all love. Fishing deserves better! You fish! We fish! We fish together! Don’t let the posers invade! Support your local tackle shop today!
From all of us at Fisherman’s Headquarters… Happy Thanksgiving! We give thanks for friends, family and FISHING! We hope you have a great day!
The phenomenal fishing continues out of Barnegat Light. There’s lots of hungry striped turkeys! Yesterday was another great day and we heard that fishing was very good this morning in the rain. It simply doesn’t get any better. Here’s a short report update from yesterday. I included some striped bass fishing video showing the all new Quantum saltwater spinning reels, both the Strive and Benchmark is action. These all new reels from Quantum are in stock now at the shop. Stop in and check ’em out. Also don’t miss out on our weekend sales, Black Friday- Cyber Monday… Fishing Tackle Sale – There’s some great deals ranging from 15-50% off on tackle!
The windy westerlies this weekend offered up some great fishing but bluster conditions. Today (Monday 11/25) those winds backed off and gave way to a phenomenal day with Lake Atlantic conditions and even better fishing. The Central Jersey striped bass fishing is hot! Here’s a quick fishing report video update…
The waters out of Barnegat Light are teeming with striped bass in a full range of size class; unders, slots and overs. Striped bass fishing via boat has been particularly good in recent days with lots of bait stretched along the beaches out to the 3 mile line. Bass are gorging on sand eels, peanut bunker and adult bunker.
Anglers are catching on both topwater (spooks, pencils, poppers) and jigging (shads, spoons, jigs). Those looking for a less active methods are hooking bass on the troll pulling 9er umbrella rigs, mojos and bunker spoons. At times there is good action live lining bunker on the schools too; however, this very well may turn into a spiny dogfish raid.
While the surf fishing scene on Long Beach Island has not contended with the action of northern beaches there are striped bass sliding down and a couple waves have already moved through the LBI area. There are striped bass in the suds. The next coupe weeks should offer good fishing for LBI surf anglers.
All In All – This is about as good as it gets. The weather is getting colder and the striped bass fishing should remain strong but it will not last forever. Now’s the time! Get out and score great fall fishing!
It’s mid-November and prime time for fall fishing. We had the full moon a few days back to that marks the next stage in the progression. The ocean water temperatures are current sitting around the mid 50’s, there’s bunker and sand eels around and there’s lots of fun fall fishing. Here’s the Fishing LBI Fishing Report for Monday November 18, 2024.
As we enter the 2nd half of November the local fishing has picked up. This past weekend was a windy one but some fish were caught, both slots and overs. There was some weigh in activity in the LBI Fall Classic. Take a look at the LBI Surf Fishing Classic Live Results Page for some details.
Surf angler Kevin shared this photo of a 50” beauty he caught on a SP minnow while fishing the mid-Island surf Friday.
Most of the striped bass caught on the surf are on sand eel imitation lures; diamond jigs, needlefish, SP minnow, sand eel soft baits. Dragging a diamond jig along the sand is not an exciting way to fish; however it is a simple and effective method to catching striped bass on slow days. It’s extremely effective to fish with a teaser. For more details on how to match the hatch when sand eels are present CHECK OUT this detailed sand eel blog.
Fishing in the boat along IBSP and northern LBI has been phenomenal. Some days are better than others, but for the most part it has been really good fishing when weather allows. We expect this fishing to remain right through Thanksgiving and hopefully right through the end of the year. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.
Shop alumni Dan D has been fishing hard this fall. He was in the boat yesterday and reported awesome fishing just a few mile from the inlet, off the north end of LBI. He was fishing soft plastics and top waters like The Doc Spook, Magictail Ahab and the Yo-Zuri Magdive. These large profile topwater lure raise big fish!
The days when the bite isn’t busting loose, troll mojos and umbrella rigs. Nothing beats a 9er umbrella rig to score bites on a slow day!
It’s that time, the current bag limit is 5 fish are 15″ minimum size. The fishing on the wrecks and reef sites will only get better into late fall.
Land based fishing on the rocks in Barnegat Light is still a solid choice with anglers picking keepers. Some days there are anglers getting their limit which is an impressive land based feat.
Here’s a photo of Paul who wasn’t afraid to battle the westerly winds this weekend while tog fishing. He scored this 17′ keeper.
We’ve had an awesome year of Bluefin fishing so far and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Reports continue to flow in daily. Dante of Magictail Outfitters even went 3/4 and even hooked one while bass fishing on a 4000 spinning reel. The run and gun guys are getting their shots casting at them but trolling with planers has been the effective methods this fall. A ballyhoo with a Joe Shute or HooMagic Head combo has accounted for the majority of catches. Utilizing a planer to get the bait down 20-30’+ helps significantly.
Select and Horse sized ballyhoo are the bait of choice and we are stocked up with them right now.
Here’s a photo of Richard Fieramosca, Zach Michot and Gary Adair with a recent bluefin catch.
Striper fishing is breaking open up and down the coast, and now the weather is here to get us out. Lots of W and NW wind in the forecast translates to calm seas in tight to the beach. There is a mix of all size stripers along the beach from Island Beach to the Atlantic Highlands. Migration style fishing: jigging, casting, trolling.
Sailing Open Boat Stripers:
Monday Nov 18 and Tues Nov 19, 6AM to 2PM, $300 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.
Also possible to charter the boat these dates for Stripers, Bluefin, or a Striper/Bluefin combo.
I am on the water more than I am on the computer so it is best to call or text me rather than email.
Here’s a video and pic of Luke Warwick and his 9 year old son Dylan with one of their big stripers last weekend on a live bunker. Released right after pic.
Thank you,
Dave
Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
Here’s a prime time Long Beach Island Fall Fishing Report from your friend’s at Fishermans Headquarters – There’s a few different primary fisheries right now for saltwater anglers to take advantage of fishing the central Jersey coastal waters; Striped Bass, Inshore Bluefin Tuna, Tog – Sea Bass -Porgy Wreck / Bottom Fishing. Here’s the report for the evening of Monday November 4, 2024.
First and foremost, striped bass on tap in the bay (Barnegat Bay, Manahawkin Bay) as well as the Barnegat Inlet and out front along the beaches. These are obtainable for both beach and boat anglers. Without a doubt, a classy wave of migrating striped bass has moved into our waters. Don’t miss out on much more as some have already passed by. We should have 3-4 weeks (maybe more) of good fall fishing from now into Thanksgiving and into December. My fingers are crossed things stay warm and we have them into the new year!
The beaches have been a slow pick but that should pick up as we progress into November. Most bait (bunker and/or clam) fishing surf anglers are catching dog fish. Even lure anglers are picking a few so you know they are thick. However, there are some nice striped bass here, both keepers and overs. Ralph Vital from the Brant Beach Rod & Reel Club weighed in an 11# striped bass today. Photo below. He caught it on the south end fishing a lure. A few other bass were entered today into the LBI Surf Fishing Classic.
Check out the LBI Surf Fishing Classic Live Results Page to see all of the weigh ins as well as the recent catch and release submissions. There are a few really nice fish on the board!
The bluefish action seems to have waned with the mullet run’s fade but there are a few left. It’s nothing like it was a few weeks back however we still have a couple choppers and cocktails sleuthing around. Thomas Shelly reported losing some paddle tails this weekend to small blues fishing the mid island surf. Best bet to score a yellow eye right now will be fishing mullet or bunker off the surf or catching lures in the surf or inlet. Let’s hope some more invade to make for some fun fall fishing.
Anglers continue to catch tog at Barnegat Inlet. That action is on sand fleas and green crabs using a jig or a rig. Check back on a previous report from more details on this fishing. I think the the climax of this fall inlet fisher is behind us however there is still plenty of great fishing left in the tank this month.
It’s time to catch sea bass, porgy and tog! Remember…
For a cheat sheet reference download with more info: NJ Saltwater Fishing Regulations
This year the fall tuna bite started early and has rolled on strong for months. It’s still rocking and there an abundance of bluefin in close to the shore. In some areas the tuna are mixed with the striped bass inside the 3 miles line. Both are hungry for bunker and sand eels. There’s also mid-shore grounds areas that are lit up with good fishing; however most are saving the time and gas targeting the tuna closer in.
Inshore the tuna are being caught on lures (stick baits) as well as on the troll. Trolling ballyhoo on Shutes has been the most consistent producer. Some boats have found that fishing a bait deep on a planer as been the most effective.
Mid-shore anglers are catching chunking and jigging too.
I’ll mention it again, there’s lots of bait around right now. We have bunker schools and sand eels along the Central Jersey coast. There’s also butterfish, squid, bay anchovies and hopefully in the next couple of weeks schools of peanut bunker.
The marine forecast looks pretty good for Sat, Sun, and Mon, Nov 2, 3, and 4. We will be running Open Boat for Stripers or Bluefin Tuna/Striper combos.
I will do whatever the majority wants to do. The lion’s share of the stripers are still up north by Asbury Park, but some fish have finally started to slide closer to us, and every day will bring more and more. I intend on running to where the biggest concentration of fish are. The other good news on this front is that there are now some keeper size fish in the mix along with the big bruisers. It’s fun to catch both, but it’s nice to go home with a Ziplock. Most of the action has been jigging and livelining bunker.
The bluefin tuna are anywhere from 7 to 20 miles offshore. 100 to 200 lb fish airing out of the water and aggressively feeding at the surface. It is something to see, but they are not easy to catch. Casting poppers and trolling ballyhoo are two techniques that produce hookups, we will be prepared to do both.
It is possible to fish for the tuna first and then switch to stripers. It has to be in that order, as we can not possess striped bass beyond the three mile line from shore.
Open Boat Stripers or Stripers/Bluefin Tuna:
Sat Nov 2, Sun Nov 3, and Mon Nov 4
5:30 AM to 2:30 PM each day. $300 per person for Striper Trip or $350 per person Striper/Bluefin Tuna combo. 4 people max. All fish are shared.
Of course these dates are also available for your private charter. Call right up until “go time’ to reserve a spot. Phone is the best way to contact me.
Thank you,
Dave
Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
