Fall Run 2023

[Fredrick]

This thread is for stories about this years fall run . I went out on the yak Friday night and did fairly well out back with 16 stripers all low 20”s on clousers .

 

[Striperbobby]

This thread is for stories about this years fall run . I went out on the yak Friday night and did fairly well out back with 16 stripers all low 20”s on clousers .

I was in ocmd Friday night in the yak and had very similar results with stripers in the 20 to 24 inch range with 3 trout and a bunch of small blues. It’s only gonna get better. So much bait around, peanut bunker and rain bait everywhere!

 

[Mike]

Technically, I believe the “fall run” would not be considered an out back fishery unless one was speaking about intercepting an out-migration from various major river systems, estuaries, and bays where anglers were pretty certain that they were catching out-migrating fish. It’s just tough to know what they’re catching with any degree of certainty out-back, but chances are probably pretty good that they are summer residents. Around these parts if anglers are in “in front” (fishing the ocean) or geographically very close to the front anglers can have much more confidence that the fish are migrants.

Regardless, it’s great that you guys got into them.

 

[afishinado]

Technically, I believe the “fall run” would not be considered an out back fishery unless one was speaking about intercepting an out-migration from various major river systems, estuaries, and bays where anglers were pretty certain that they were catching out-migrating fish. It’s just tough to know what they’re catching with any degree of certainty out-back, but chances are probably pretty good that they are summer residents. Around these parts if anglers are in “in front” (fishing the ocean) or geographically very close to the front anglers can have much more confidence that the fish are migrants.

Regardless, it’s great that you guys got into them.

Agree with Mike ^. Plus Fred wrote he was fishing "out back". The ocean temp is listed at 64* on the Betty & Nick's site. Usually "the run" doesn't start until the temp dips into the 50's "out front". Hoping for good run this season.

Well the NNJ report says the "run is on".......so I guess it is (at least further off shore) >

Northern New Jersey Fishing Report- October 12, 2023 - On The Water

It’s safe to say the fall run is on.

www.onthewater.com

Good luck to all.

 

[Fredrick]

It’s fishing don’t be so literal, it’s close enough. Now I want the both of you to go out catch some stripers and post the pics on here .

 

[Mike]

It’s fishing don’t be so literal, it’s close enough. Now I want the both of you to go out catch some stripers and post the pics on here .

Not likely. I don't take pics when I fish; I don’t own a cell phone; and I usually fish alone unless I’m with another past or present fisheries professional. The lay-people with whom I fish, those who don’t turn it into an interrogation opportunity, don’t usually take pics either. They’re too busy fishing or catching fish.

 

[Fredrick]

Not likely. I don't take pics when I fish and I usually fish alone unless I’m with another past or present fisheries professional. The lay-people with whom I fish, those who don’t turn it into an interrogation opportunity, don’t usually take pics either. They’re too busy fishing or catching fish.

So you say Mike

 

[Mike]

Not sport fishing: Those are fish that were processed after electrofishing…netted, measured, scale sample taken, tagged, and released. Occasional photo taken of a larger fish or a tub of fish for professional reasons to promote the Pa fishery, illustrate presentations and biological reports, and educate the public regarding the Delaware Estuary’s striped bass population recovery success. I think those pics were taken years apart.

 

[marcq]

I don’t do much fly fishing for stripers anymore. the fall run starts earlier and earlier. I’d say you can find migrating fish on the first new or full moon in September thsee fish are usually on mullet. probably the best time to fly fish from the beaches too. These October fish are large Chesapeake bay fish on schools of bunker that sit from the end of Long Island to Ibsp. usually tough to get with In casting range with a spinning rod let alone a fly rod. west wind Are your best friend in jersey. That’s why last year was so good. Let’s hope for another good fall.

here two crummy pics of fish from last week

 

[rancid waders]

Thanks for sharing Intel on the stripers. My next target, as I have never caught one on a fly.

 

[Fredrick]

Headed out with a buddy today caught some stripers with some white perch mixed in . Water is still in the mid sixties.

 

[Dave_W]

I hit Block Island RI with my brother two weeks ago with poor results.

 

[Mike]

A former DWCO hit Raritan Bay, NJ one day this week via private boat. Caught 18, but had trouble catching a legal one. All but one was OVER the legal length limit.

 

[afishinado]

A former DWCO hit Raritan Bay, NJ one day this week via private boat. Caught 18, but had trouble catching a legal one. All but one was OVER the legal length limit.

^ Very good!!

 

[teedee]

Barnegat Bay today, nothing but Hickory Shad.

 

[bringthepain]

A former DWCO hit Raritan Bay, NJ one day this week via private boat. Caught 18, but had trouble catching a legal one. All but one was OVER the legal length limit.

I was out friday, we went ouf of Manasquan inlet on a charter, we put 20 fish on the boat, no keepers, they we all too big. Most of the fish were in the 40-45lb range. Once was near 50 and the smallest we caught all day was a 30 lber. These big fish will be on the move once the weather changes in the next day or so. Theres an incredible amount of bunker out there right now. We even had whales busting thru the bunker schools feasting on them as the sun came up Friday. I wasn't fly fishing obviously we were live lining those bunkers. All the big girls were released quickly and caught with circle hooks to go as easy as possible on them.

Its amazing getting to see fish that size up close and personal. I've caught stripers before but nothing like that. I wont forget that day

 

[poopdeck]

Nice report. Fall has always been about the front and not the back. Getting skunked, catching babies and maybe the occasional just okay fish is what happens if you fish the bays in the fall.

 

[Mike]

All the big girls were released quickly and caught with circle hooks to go as easy as possible on them

From an angler education standpoint here, thank you for calling them “big girls” because that’s what the vast majority of these legal and larger fish are…the very spawning stock that anglers worry about. Based on decades of tagging results on the spawning grounds, only about 10% of the males go to sea after spawning. Even the “schoolie” females (18”or so and larger) go to sea. The rest of the males spend the summers in the bays, inlets, and tidal streams as schoolies.. Those that go to sea for the summer grow very well; those that stay in the bays, inlets, and tidal streams grow very slowly and seldom reach legal size (28”). What exactly those schoolie males do in the fall and winter may be a slight mystery (to me anyway) because the ocean tag returns of Delaware R/ Estuary fish from the fall run don’t reflect a big push to the ocean in fall. I suspect that they hold position in the lower Delaware and Chesapeake Bays where they have spent the summer and catches in the winter in the lower Chesapeake seem to support that. Note that I speak of the lower Chesapeake and the Delaware Bay similarly because there is a lot of exchange between the two, particularly Delaware R fish running to the Chesapeake and back via the C&D Canal and perhaps via the coastline.

 

[Striperbobby]

Nice report. Fall has always been about the front and not the back. Getting skunked, catching babies and maybe the occasional just okay fish is what happens if you fish the bays in the fall.

Don’t know which bays you are fishing but if you know where the fish are you can catch 25 to 75 stripers in the 20 to 28 inch size class every trip! Been doing it for decades! Lots of fun from late September until mid March. Lots of fun on a six weight!

 

[teedee]

I’m with you, been doing it for over 20 years.