New Jersey Fishing Forecast for March 17 - 24

[Destroyer]

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March 17, 2011

By Jimmy Fee:

The most interesting report I heard this week came from OTW Delaware Bay Insider, Captain Bob Cope, who had it on good authority that a limit of codfish had been caught in the Delaware Bay. If this is true, it is a sign of how much the codfishing has rebounded in New Jersey waters. These groundfish actually stole the spotlight from stripers this week, though bass fishing is improving as well.

Captain Bobby Quinn of the Ocean Explorer seems to have stumbled upon the motherlode of codfish last week. With schools of codfish filling up the sounder, fares aboard the Ocean Explorer experienced some drop and reel codfishing. Some larger fish have arrived as well, with some pools going to 16 to 18 pound codfish. Recent reports are still of steady action with keeper cod, and most fares are going home with some fillets.

Decent striper fishing continues in the backwaters, and the first keeper has been landed at Gravelling Point, on, unsurprisingly, bloodworms. If you plan on dunking some worms at this traditional early-season hotspot, it***8217;d be wise to pick up your bait before getting into Mystic. I heard reports from a few anglers who made the drive to Gravelling Point only to find that the local shop was out of worms.

Casting lures in the warm-water discharge at Oyster Creek continues to give up some bass, and some fish are also feeding in the discharge at Beesley***8217;s Point Power Plant farther south. In South Jersey, white perch are still outnumbering stripers, but a few more warm days, and that fishing should break wide open. Grass shrimp are the bait of choice for the perch, but don***8217;t be surprised if a schoolie striper inhales this offering as well.

While I wouldn***8217;t eat a Delaware River or freshwater pond white perch if someone paid me to, the ones that live in brackish water are reportedly delectable, according to OTW contributor Tommy Pagliaroli. Tommy raved about how delicious these perch are that I***8217;ve made it my quest to catch a couple brackish-water whites to fry up in the next couple weeks. According to the guys at Fin-atic***8217;s, the place to catch them right now is the Great Egg Harbor River.

Though cod are the most talked about bottom fish at the moment, off the southern parts of the coast, blackfish are providing action as well. Anglers should still expect to run 5 to 10 miles or more to structure in order to find good numbers of tautog, but before long, these fish should be as close as oceanfront jetties. Just remember the blackfish season closes on April 30, so get after these bulldogs while you can.

Best Bets for the Weekend

If ocean conditions allow, catching some New Jersey codfish would be my pick of the weekend. The striped bass fishing is only going to improve, so why not get after some groundfish before they retreat to deep water and the boats that target them shift their sights to other species.

Catching enough white perch for a fish fry would be my second pick this weekend. Get a healthy supply of grass shrimp, some light tackle and have fun.

If you want to focus your efforts on bass, take some small soft-plastic lures or bloodworms and target shallow mud-bottom areas, warm-water outflows or lighted docks or bridges after dark.