Day three of the blow — open surf is still out, but fish are feeding in sheltered water, and the cleanup is coming.
North coast: the bay is the headline. Large bass continue in Raritan Bay, with fish pushing over 40 inches reported red hot in the back, a solid daytime surf catch up that way yesterday, and fresh night catches of large bass on white hard baits and metals. Out front, adult bunker pods still stretch from the Hook through the northern Monmouth beaches with rainfish mixed in, bass to 20 pounds in the bait, and eels and shads still producing around the rocks. Night and low light remain the shift.
South coast: a pick, with real upside. Sporadic huge bass — fish of 52 and 53 inches released — have come from the Ocean County sand, with below-slot to slot fish on metals and SP Minnows in the mornings, and larger stripers at low light chasing adult bunker on darters and plugs. The canal keeps giving up bass on eels, peanut bunker is thick in the lagoons, and small bass are on soft baits around the bridges. Farther south the surf is still slow, with smaller bass on soft plastics at the inlets.
Best window today is sheltered water at dusk into the outgoing: high 4:29 AM, low 10:49 AM, high 4:44 PM, low 11:17 PM, sunrise 7:13 AM, sunset 6:06 PM. Water is about 62°F and falling, in the prime zone. Waxing gibbous moon at about 78%, tides building toward the full moon. NNE wind 15 to 20 knots gusting 30, seas around 8 feet today — still unfishable out front, but easing Thursday and Friday, with 3 to 4 feet by Saturday.
What`s working: live eels on structure at night, 6-inch white shads in the pods, metal-lips, SP Minnows, and darters after dark, small paddle tails by day in the back.
TIP OF THE DAY: Fish a live eel on sheltered bay, river, or canal structure on tonight`s dusk outgoing — it`s the one presentation the 8-foot surf can`t wash out, and eel fish on structure have been the most consistent bass on the coast for a week.
PROBABILITIES: Sheltered bay/river eel bass tonight: ~45% · Open surf bass today: ~10% · Blitz chance: ~5%
Bay eels tonight, or are you saving it for Saturday`s clean surf?
#stripedbass #striperfishing #surfcasting #fallrun