NJ Fishing Forecast for March 1 - 7

[Destroyer]

March 1, 2012 Jimmy Fee

Forecast: New Jersey

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On most years, March 1st is a big deal for New Jersey striper fishermen. It marks the reopening of the back bay striper season, and the first legitimate chance to catch a striper since winter first took hold. Not this year, however. This year, the stripers stayed in the surf (where it was legal to target them) through all of January and February, and fishermen kept right on catching. However, with the back bays opening up as well, I imagine the action there will be hot and heavy.

Ling fishing has held up nicely, and the tog continue to provide decent action aboard the party boats. Some big blackfish were taken again this week including a 17-pounder aboard the Ocean Explorer. Unfortunately, that season is now closed until April 1.

In light of the closed tog season, some party boats aren’t sailing through March given the slow cod fishing and closed seasons on blackfish and black sea bass. A few boats still will be sailing for ling and the chance of a keeper cod, so it makes sense to call ahead of time to see who’s heading out.

The panfish, bass and pickerel bite is pretty good throughout the state. Slow, coldwater presentations are working on the bass. For more information on fooling early spring largemouths, be sure to check out the March issue of On The Water magazine and Russ Bassdozer’s Cold Water Bass article. If all fails with artificials, shiners almost always do the trick, and the pickerel love them as well.
For perch and crappies, smaller fathead minnows or small jigs will do the trick. Crappies seem especially fond of small jigs suspended below a float at this time of year. The scrappiest panfish of all, the bluegill, will be moving shallower with the mild temperatures and falling to night crawlers and small jigs, also fished under a float.

As for other saltwater options, beyond the ling and stripers, white perch are feeding in brackish waters, particularly in the Mullica and Great Egg Harbor rivers. Grass shrimp are the bait of choice for the perch.
Striper fishing in the backwaters is often best done with clams or bloodworms, but getting out after dark with some small swimming plugs or leadhead/soft plastic combos also works. Lighted docks and bridges often serve as a congregating area for stripers as they feed on the grass shrimp and spearing attracted to the lights. Though off limits for bait this year, herring will draw some larger bass into the backwaters. These slim baitfish are attracted to lights as well, as they feed on the plankton and grass shrimp hanging in the illuminated water. Try large soft-plastic stickbaits like a Hogy to imitate these baitfish.

Dunking clams or bloodworms along a stretch of sod bank is a good bet to tie into an early March striper, and with this mild winter, expect the bass to be spread out around the backwaters. The usual hotspots like Graveling Point and the Raritan bayshore are certain to have good numbers of stripers, but don’t rule out the surf either. The fish that have been feeding there all winter will likely continue to do so until shifting baitfish abundance or water temperatures draw them elsewhere.

Best bets for the Weekend

First on your list should be striper fishing, in the back bay or surf. With the surf being so hot all winter, I can only imagine how many fish were holding in the backwaters, where it was illegal to target them. , I’d expect to see some great fishing coming dark mud bottom areas, as well as places where a river or creek dumps into the bay. Fish the outgoing tide.

With blackfish going off limits this month, the bottom fishing options have been whittled down to ling and codfish, and the cod haven’t made much of a showing this winter – and at this point, I don’t think they will. Still, ling will provide steady action and some nice fillets for anglers looking to get out.

Freshwater is also a good option if you can pull yourself away from the stripers. Trout fishing goes off limits soon for the pre-season stocking, but the largemouth and pickerel fishing is very good as is the crappies fishing.

[RWilson2526]

Every year I say I'm going to get an early start....Hope to really do it this year.

[bgreene]

I'm almost ready...... got to run a new transducer and a few other minor things.

Hopefully, see you guys out there somewhere from VZ bridge down to ....... Seaside !