End of MARCH to Early APRIL:The early spring weeks bring stripers into the Great Bay. The magic number for water temperature is 45 degrees; that's when we see an increase in our fishing activity. The striped bass, or stripers, begin traveling out past Graveling Point from the Mullica River, to feed. These are mostly shorts--18" and up, but still fun fishing for those of us cooped up inside all winter. IMPORTANT See: Striped Bass Regulations.

For Graveling Point surf fishing the best bait during this early striper season is blood worms, rigged in baitholder hooks and/or surf rigs. See also: Additional Graveling Point Striper Info
The Delaware river shows activity this time of year, and Mullica River stripers can be caught as well. The best spot to try fishing the Mullica has been Clarks Landing, which is at the end of Hay Road, off W. Clarks Landing Road (Rt 624), in Egg Harbor City (a little North West of Port Republic). This is the first area that produces fish on lures. A rebel J2002s which is jointed black/gold is the best producer. The colors of the lure match a lot of the bait fish stained by the cedar water. There are also some short stripers caught on Long Beach Island on clams/bloodworms, up in the general area by the Barnegat Light House. The smaller stripers (28" or smaller light weights) are the best table fare due to their sweeter meat. Flip back those larger breeders.
During '96+'97's spring seasons the reports were the same: There has been a good bite during the evening hours; 4pm to 7pm. Largest fish is only 31" that has been reported to our store. I am not sure that the tide matters, but because it may make a difference: the best fishing was dead low tide and the first few hours of the incoming water. There is some talk of the bait stealing crabs, so it is recommended to have a few pompano style rigs with floats on hand during the next few weeks. A few people have tried clams for bait, but it seems that the Stripers only want the bloodworms.
Late April: The brightest sunny days slow down the activity. It may be that the sun spooks the fish out of the shallow water. There is usually some good fishing after dark. Many stripers are caught on strips of mackerel by anglers fishing for bluefish; so keep that mackerel bait handy! Many more boats are in the water now. They tend to crowd the bank at Graveling Point. The guys at the point are trying to cast to the deeper water. With the boat, it is easy to anchor out into the deeper water where the better spots to fish the Bass and Blues are. The key to catching fish from the boat is to simulate surf conditions; no moving lines. Some days this may require two anchors. Don't forget there is a big bay out there, with many more reports of stripers coming out of Grassy Channel and the Inland Waterway each day.

Mid-May: The bass fishing slows at Graveling Point due to the increase in the bluefish activity. The bass slide up the Mullica River and have been sucessfully fished by using eels and bloodworms. The eels weed out the smaller stripers, but are easy targets for the big blues.
 
Additional info on how to, article: Tackle Box: Fishing Striped Bass

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End of MARCH to Early APRIL: For Winter Flounder squid and clam
are used, on assorted styles of winter flounder rigs, or using long shanked hooks. The low tide is late in the afternoon and that seems to add a degree of warmer water to get the fish really biting. The fishing area that has been the most reliable is near East and Middle Sedge islands which is approximately one mile northwest of 108 marker buoy in the inland waterway of Little Egg Harbor Bay(Tuckerton Bay). The flounder like muddy bottoms. Clam chum and canned corn can be used for chumming together, after stirring up the bottom with a stick or a plunger on a telescoping pole(or by dragging something heavy along the mud bottom--like a small log or concrete block). This gets all the little critters in the mud stirred up, mixed with the chum, to make a very attractive feeding site for the flounder. During the '96 season at this time, there were a couple of flounder caught by land based fishermen at the 6th street bulkhead in Ship Bottom and there were a few flounders being caught off the Route 9 bridge in Forked River. The water temperature at the Route 9 bridge is a little warmer due to the out-flow of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant. Winter flounders are caught off the bridge even in the early cold days of March. In the past few years, the flounder fishing was well underway by the last week in March with catches of 10+ fish per trip. All we need is some cooperation from mother nature with the weather. BACK

During April: the laughing gulls return, and with them, schools of mackeral. The first reports usually come to us from twenty miles south on the coast, near the Cape May area. When they beginning showing up in our area, it is usually 5-20 miles offshore. Use diamond jigs and mackeral tubes as lures. BACK

Trout:

FRESHWATER FISHING: Consult the Fish Regulations(we have them at the store) for all opening/closing dates and restrictions.There are very few places to fish in this area for trout. The two most local places are Hammonton Lake in Hammonton and Birch Grove Park Pond in Northfield. Birch Grove is a great place to take the kids. Each year they sponsor a mini- tournament. The gates at the park open at 6:00am. For more info call the park at (609) 641- 3778. Yes, fishing licenses and trout stamps are required for persons age 14 to 69. We have plenty of licenses and stamps in stock. What to fish with changes with each anglers opinion. Commonly used are meal worms, wax worms, small garden worms, night crawlers, grass shrimp and minnows. Good luck trout anglers! We carry night crawlers, grass shrimp, and minnows, as well as jars of salmon eggs in various styles. BACK

FRESHWATER FISHING: Consult the Fish Regulations(we have them at the store) for all opening/closing dates and restrictions. Pickerel are also fun freshwater fishing. The easiest way to catch one is to cast out a minnow and retrieve it slowly. Simple spinner blade rigs or spinnerbaits seem to be the best lures. BACK

They run APRIL to DECEMBER, sometimes fishable in January if the water temperature stays warm enough.

Mid April: Tog really start to turn on. A mixture of green crabs and/or clams produce a good number of fish in the box. It is our advice to search out a wreck in the 80 foot depth range and get some of the oceans best table fare for yourself.

Mid-May: There have been a few tog caught along the banks at the Fish Factory and the Coast Guard Station.

June: Tautog are being caught on the banks across from the Fish Factory. They must be fished at an hour before high tide for best fishing conditions. Small green crabs cut in half with the legs, claws, and back shell removed are putting tautog fillets on the dinner table.

In the winter: as the water temperature drops, the fish are more sluggish, less aggressive. You have to feel out the line more to sense that they are there.

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Mid-April thru June: Grassy Channel and Little Sheepshead Creek are prime weakfish catching areas, but are not the big producer areas early in the season. Last year, the best reports on the few weakfish that were being caught were from the mouth of the Mullica River where it meets Great Bay. This area is also referred to as the area between Deep Point and Graveling Point. Earlier morning fishing was more productive due to less boat traffic. Weakies were caught in front of the mouth of Big Creek, the entrance of Osborne Island, Motts Creek, Oyster Creek on the falling/slack tides. The fish are drawn to these areas knowing that bait can be carried out with the current. The key to fishing this area is to anchor and wait for the fish. It is necessary to fish at slack tide; the period of time the water moves the least. An hour and a half before the change of tide is usually good enough to catch slower moving water. Pick a spot not to far off the east bank of the river to anchor the boat. Look for water depth from 12 to 20 feet. Cast the lures down current, and slowly work them back to the boat. Use heavier lead heads or bucktails during periods of faster current. Have a top and bottom rig baited with shedder crab hanging off the side of the boat in an out of the way rod holder. This technique of fishing is called dead sticking; just letting the boat hold the rod! Some days the dead stick can become the high hook on the boat, so always keep the boat working too.

Late June to August: The crabs will be slacking off in the shedding dept, making it more difficult to have live ones in stock. We will have a few frozen crabs; they will work but not as well and they are a lot harder to clean, because the freezing process makes them a little mushy. The next best choice would be to soak some squid strips in an artificial oil called shedder oil. The Perfex Corp. did a real good job on manufacturing a artificial shedder crab scent. It's a real good product and is good to have when shedders are scarce! The mouth of the Mullica River may be producing fish as well as Little Sheepshead Creek. Some fish may also be caught in Marshelder Channel in Tuckerton Bay. If fishing in Marshelder, drift shedder bait on small bucktails or shad darts over the brick pile along Story Island or work the opposite side of the channel, drifting real tight along the bank. Also, but cautiously, work the area where the flats meet the deeper water on the ocean side of Story Island. For other areas, work small bucktails or jig heads with plastic worms tipped with bits of shedder crab bait.

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The last few weeks of April, or by the first week in May: The first reports usually are heard. With the bluefish come the gnats, augh! Use strips of mackerel--that it was the right bait to lure the blues.

Mid-May: Expect some good bluefish activity from the fifth bridge on Great Bay Blvd., also known as 7 bridges road. The fish are caught there using mackerel bait and metal hopkins-type lures. There should be many blues are in the Great Bay. They can be caught trolling, casting, and bait fishing. OK, trolling the blues has been best in the area of 139 marker in the Inland Waterway over toward Oyster Creek. A number 2 or 3 tried and true Clarke Spoon will do well. It is recommended to have about a two foot 50 pound test monofilament leader in front of the spoon to help prevent the larger blues from biting off the lure. The monofilament leader should be checked for abrasions after boating each fish and will most likely need to be changed frequently. A steel leader prevents bluefish from biting off your lures. However, it may reduce your catch by a half, because the steel leader is more bulky, more visible, and reduces the action of the lure. Don't like trolling? Many bluefish are being caught by casting metal jigs with tube tails, Bomber lures, bucktails and basicly any old thing in the tackle box. The places to fish have been the Little Egg Inlet area earlier in the morning, and back near the Big Creek side of the bay as day goes on. The key to casting tackle to these fish has been to find a few birds circling and picking at the water. Ease the boat upwind of the bird activity and drift into the birds. Wanna ruin a good days fishin'? Run the boat full speed dead center of the birds, you can spook the fish every time. Be patient and finesse your way into a school of fish and the rewards will be bountiful. The best area to bait fish is around Graveling Point. Long strips of mackerel on a heavy monofilament leader float rig will keep you busy. The only drawback to fishing this area is boating traffic. You will have periods of no fish, but there are lots around. Bunker chum adds a little more luck if used. Practicing a little catch and release is good fishing sense.

Mid-May: The bluefish are here can be just thick and can still be caught by casting, trolling, and bait fishing. Bluefish were caught in the mouth of the Mullica River between Deep Point and Graveling Point on bait. Smaller fish, in the 2 to 6 pound range, have been caught trolling lures in the shallow areas near the inland waterway. Specifically, around the shell pile near 139 marker buoy and over the sandbars between 134 marker and the fish factory. Use caution when trying to troll in these shallow areas or pack a lunch for when you're waiting for the tide to come in!

Early June: Look for activity of birds, then cast and troll small yellow tube ava jigs or your favorite color 16 series bomber lures. Evening fishing, four to eight, seems to have been the best time.

Late June: One to two pound fish were caught back in the area of Mystic Island Beach and four pound blues showed up in good quantities, in the area of 120 marker buoy. Casting lures or bait proved to catch fish better than trolling.

Sept. to Nov.: Inlet and oceanfront activity with larger bluefish, ranging from 4 to 10 lbs. Bunker chum optional to lure in fish. Chunking mackeral at anchor, or casting/trolling metal lures.

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April:The some fish may be caught in the Inland Waterway near 139 marker and in the clam stakes on the Mystic Island side of the fish factory. A small white bucktail with a long thin strip of silver mackerel belly is used by many early spring fluke fishermen. This bait and jig combo seems to move the larger fluke into the fishbox. The standard squid strip and minnow combo still works. Grab your favorite fluke rigs and give it a shot. Drifting squid and minnows on a standard fluke rig and mackerel strips on 1/4 ounce white bucktails does the trick.

May: Many different reports of fluke come from the area all around the Fish Factory. Some people catch fluke in the clam stakes on the north east side of the fish factory: from the drop offs along the channel in front of the boat rental marinas over to the little short-cut slew where the pink ball marks the deeper channel. The fluke there seem to be more plentiful-but have a larger ratio of throwbacks. A better ratio of keeper fluke to throwbacks is usually caught on the 126 marker buoy side of the Fish Factory. There are several islands in this area. Work long drifts between these islands. The current runs faster here so be prepared to use a little heavier weight to stay on the bottom. Top & bottom rigs are a great rig choice in deeper water. For other anglers who want to fish the ocean, the best reports occur during mid-September. One of the best areas is in forty feet of water a few miles off the beach, in front of the water towers on Long Beach Island, which are few miles North of Little Egg Inlet. Squid and minnows are a best all around bait for fluke.

Early JUNE: Better fishing was over in the area from 134 buoy back towards the Fish Factory. If you drew a straight line you would be mostly up on sand bars. Fish in deeper water, back towards the center of the bay. Larger fluke always seem to be caught in deeper water. There were a few clammers working in this area of the bay during this time in '96, stirring up the bottom and this may have been the reason the fluke were being caught here.

Late June: By sorting through all the information we have from '96, it's a mixed choice: shallow water or deep water. Here's a few options. On the morning outgoing tide try drifting the areas near creeks that drain into the bay. Specifically, the Mystic Island side of the bay from Graveling Point to the areas out in front of the Cape Horn, Rands and Capt. Mikes Boat rentals. The fluke must be feeding on shrimp, spearing, and/or minnows that wash out of the creeks. Shad dart lures and small bucktails and single hook rigs work better in this shallower water. Minnows and squid strips are still the answer as far as bait goes. A shad dart is best fished with a minnow only. Hook the minnow through the lips to keep it as lively as possible. Other keeper fluke have been caught in the deeper water closer to and in Little Egg Inlet. Fishing in front of the Old Coast Guard Station could produce a few keepers too. Drift the very shallow waters back into the deeper water. Squid and minnow combo on a top & bottom rig is a good choice for a rig here. The minnow is usually put on the top hook with the hair and if your fishing a plain t&b rig put squid and minnows on both hooks. Don't be afraid to experiment with different rigs and different bait combo's. That's half the fun of fishing, finding some rig or bait that works better than your buddies or that guy over there who is watching you catch all the fish. Some anglers are very anxious to try fishing for fluke on the ocean in the areas where they caught fluke late last fall. There have been a few reports of fluke outside but, no reports that were good enough to send you past the Inlet. If your really itchy to try it, fish the Atomic Lump, 26943 & 43100 on the loran which is about half a mile North East of the Little Egg Bell Buoy and the Little Egg Reef site at 26920 & 43100. If you're looking for shallow water there is no better place to find some than in Grassy Channel. This area of the bay is the body of water to the south side of the inland waterway over to the Brigantine Wildlife Refuge. The fluke will lay up in this shallow water looking for bait fish such as minnows and shrimp. Drifting these shallow waters is difficult with larger boats and probably shouldn't be tried unless the tide is coming in. Now, any of your favorite rig choices will work...but the guys that are catching have been using real light tackle, meaning fresh water type rod and reel combos with 6 to 10 pound line. Again, tie a tiny shad dart directly to the line and bait it with a minnow only. Try a second shad dart with an extremely thin squid strip with a minnow and see which works better and switch over.

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JULY: There are a few good size kingfish caught off Mystic Island Beach around the third/fourth week of July. We also hear scattered reports of a few large blowfish caught while catching weakfish in the river area. It may be worth a try chumming with clam chum on the last few hours of the out going tide in the area of the clam stakes about 100 yards east of the pink ball. BACK

Mid-June: 1996 good news for evening bay shark fishermen; the toothy critters are here. Brown sharks make an appearance in the Great Bay. The first few that I have heard caught, were by fluke fishermen working the Grassey Channel area. The real way to fish for brown sharks is to anchor and chum in the area of 138 buoy. The best time is in the evening as the sun sets. The action really starts up after the sun has gone down, but there is still a glimmer of daylight and lasts until around 10pm. A good size brown shark is about five feet long and weighs about fifty pounds. The shark can be filleted much like a bluefish. A huge fillet will then need to be cut into palm size fillets similar in the way that a London broil steak would be cut. The rig used in the bay is a 9/0 mustad hook on 45 pound steel leader. No weights or floats are necessary. Just cast a chunk of mackerel fillet into the sunset and sit back and have a good time.

Late June: Last year we even heard of some being caught by surf fishermen at the end of Great Bay Boulevard also known as Seven Bridges Road. Put some mackerel bait on steel leader 9/0 hook and cast as far as you can from land. A weight is needed, so use between 4 and 6 ounces to hold the bottom. If you are fishing from a boat, a lighter weight may be used, because the line will drift straight back from the boat and you won't have to worry about a snag. A couple quarts of bunker chum are also beneficial to help draw the sharks to the boat. With the warmer water in the bay, a quart takes about a half hour to melt away.

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