Striped bass fishing in New Jersey saltwater fishing

In New Jersey saltwater fishing, striped bass peak April–May and November–December and are around year-round, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. April: Raritan Bay comes alive on the bunker schools; snag-and-drop and chunk.

Now · October

Arriving

Fall run: stripers on sand eels and peanut bunker along the whole coast; birds working off Sandy Hook and Island Beach.

Striped bass in New Jersey saltwater fishing, month by month

JanuaryAroundHoldover fish in the back-bay rivers — Mullica, Toms, Navesink — on slow soft plastics on warm afternoons.
FebruaryAroundThe dead of winter — wrecks and river holdovers. Calm-day wreck trips; warm afternoons in the back-bay rivers.
MarchArrivingThe back-bay bloodworm bite starts in Barnegat and Great Bay as the water passes 45°F.
AprilPeakRaritan Bay comes alive on the bunker schools; snag-and-drop and chunk.
MayPeakBunker pods off the Monmouth beaches — big fish on live bunker; surf bite on plugs at night.
JuneLeaving
JulyAround
AugustAround
SeptemberAround
OctoberArrivingFall run: stripers on sand eels and peanut bunker along the whole coast; birds working off Sandy Hook and Island Beach.
NovemberPeakThe heart of the fall run — big fish on bunker off Monmouth and Ocean counties, surfcasters on every jetty.
DecemberPeakThe run slides south to Cape May; last big fish on the jetties.

Where to fish striped bass near Cape May, Atlantic City, Barnegat Light

A 130-mile barrier-island coast of surf beaches and rock jetties, cut by inlets (Cape May, Townsends, Absecon, Barnegat, Manasquan, Shark River) into shallow back bays — Barnegat Bay, Great Bay, the Cape May wetlands — with Raritan Bay at the north end; offshore, a field of artificial reefs, ridges and wrecks out to the Hudson, Toms, Wilmington and Spencer canyons.

Structure it holds on

Beach / surfPass / inletBridgeChannel edgeFishing pierGrass flatArtificial reef

Towns and waters

Cape MayAtlantic CityBarnegat LightPoint PleasantBelmarSandy Hook

Fish Scouter charts 868 artificial reef, 14 reservoir, 3 lake spots in the The Jersey Shore map area — the kinds striped bass hold on.

What to use for striped bass

Live eelsHooked through the lips on a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook and sight-cast to a cobia or dropped to a cobia on a ray — the eel is the cobia bait.
Menhaden (pogies)Nose-hooked on a circle hook and free-lined or slow-trolled; cut in chunks for the bottom.
HerringCut-plug for salmon: head off at an angle, guts out, two hooks in tandem so it spins slow behind a flasher or a banana weight. Whole and live on a circle hook for stripers where the herring run.
BloodwormsA piece threaded on a #2 to 2/0 hook on a hi-lo or fish-finder rig — the striper, spot, croaker and white perch bait of the Chesapeake and the surf.
Sand eelsFree-lined or on a light jig head for stripers, fluke and bluefish; strips teased on a fluke rig.
Minnows (fatheads, shiners)Hooked lightly through the lips or behind the dorsal on a #6 to #2 hook under a slip bobber for crappie, perch and walleye; a big golden shiner on a 2/0 to 4/0 for largemouth, pike and stripers.

Leader10–20 lb fluorocarbon
Hook#2–3/0
Jig head1/8–1/2 oz
Braid10–30 lb

Feeds in 42–80°F water, best at 50–68°F.

Questions anglers ask

When is the best time to catch striped bass in New Jersey saltwater fishing?

Peak season is April–May and November–December. Striped bass are here year-round. April: Raritan Bay comes alive on the bunker schools; snag-and-drop and chunk.

Where do striped bass hold in New Jersey saltwater fishing?

Look on beach / surf, pass / inlet, bridge, channel edge, fishing pier, grass flat, artificial reef — around Cape May, Atlantic City, Barnegat Light, Point Pleasant, Belmar, Sandy Hook.

What is the best bait for striped bass in New Jersey saltwater fishing?

Live bait: live eels, menhaden (pogies), herring, bloodworms. Live eels: Hooked through the lips on a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook and sight-cast to a cobia or dropped to a cobia on a ray — the eel is the cobia bait. Tackle: leader 10–20 lb fluorocarbon, hook #2–3/0, jig head 1/8–1/2 oz, braid 10–30 lb.

What are the rules for striped bass in New Jersey saltwater fishing?

Size and bag limits and closed seasons are set by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJ Fish and Wildlife) and change — read the current rule at https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/marine/ before you keep a fish. A licence is sold at https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/licenses-and-permits/.

The current NJ Fish and Wildlife rule →Open the app for today's striped bass read

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