Blue Fish and Striper run

[JVenezia]

Is there a run for these beasts on the Delaware or Schuylkill ? In the late summer or early fall.... Any help is appreciated.

 

[sandfly]

bluefish are a saltwater species and stripers are in fresh to spawn in spring. If you want to hit the runs you have to go to the beach.

 

[marcq]

There are stripers in the D all year. Most of them are smaller fish. Clousers and any bait fish pattern will work.

 

[JVenezia]

Do Blues run in the eddy's and shoreline all year around?

 

[Fishidiot]

JVenezia wrote:
Do Blues run in the eddy's and shoreline all year around?

No. Bluefish are a seasonal game fish in this part of the country. They usually show up in the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and New Jersey coastline in good numbers sometime in early May. The bigger fish usually continue north by late June but small bluefish will be around these areas all summer. By late Sept, bigger blues are back in the mix and will usually be around until late November. In most years, they are gone from these areas by early December. Again, there is some variation to these dates based on ocean temps or storms but this is a good guideline. Striped bass generally follow a similar calender although they usually show up earlier and depart later than bluefish. Small numbers of stripers will stick around all year in some places, often a warm water discharge plant, but this is a specialized game.

 

[vcregular]

You can't beat a bluefish blitz.

 

[JVenezia]

OMG..... that looks like fun. I am going to be watching the reports.

What size gear do you use?

 

[ebroesicke]

9 or 10 wt.

 

[marcq]

the best bluefish fishing is in September IMO. mullet run means lots of big blues in north jersey. night is best day is good as well. cast into jetty pockets and if the mullet are there the blues are to. loud topwater flies are best to call in a hungry blue.

 

[JVenezia]

Thank you for the info. I will be checking the reports all the time once September begins....

 

[marcq]

the mullet are pretty dependable. in my experience it usually the second or third week of September. usually second. id say besides for a few bait and tackle shops in jersey there are not that many good places to get reports. betty and nick is probably the best IMO. I bet you go down any day after September 13th there will be mullet around. its ben that way for the past 5 years in north jersey. once mid October hits it peanuts. peanuts can be iffy. last year was going to be a great run but sandy screwed us. two years before nothing. by November it sandeels till the end of the season. sandeels are probably the most reliable run for catching stripers. winter you can also get herring. herring is more of a boat game not many come close to shore sore bass to feed on.

flies
mullet run- snake fly, and bobs banger. you can truly get away with these two.
peanuts- deceivers, bobs banger, rounder shaped flies.
sandeels- sandeel imitations, surf candies, anything skinny and by that I mean no wider then a pencil. 3 to 7 inches long
herring - deceivers. big one like 7 to 10 inches.

other flies - always have clousers, crease fly, rays fly. rays are good for small bait like anchovies.

marc

 

[PASKIINGSUCKS]

Oh hell yea. Got a campsite reserved at Cape Henlopen in DE mid sept and mid oct. Now I just gotta borrow a largeish flyrod from my pops.