Updated: Thursday, October 15, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, October 22, 2026
This New Jersey fishing report covers mid-October, prime time on the Jersey Shore, with the fall striper migration building and blackfish moving onto the structure. Striped bass are the lead target along the beaches and inlets, while bluefish crash bait in the surf and blackfish settle onto the jetties, wrecks and bridges. Plan around moving water at the inlets, early morning and dusk, and the weather: northeast winds can blow out the surf, while the day after a front often fishes best.
What’s Hitting
Striped bass move along the beaches and inlets, bluefish crash bait in the surf, and blackfish are on the jetties, wrecks and bridges. False albacore and bonito are still around in some areas, and fluke are heading offshore as the season turns.
Over the next several weeks, expect the fall striper run to keep building, with larger fish moving through the inlets and along the beaches as water temperatures drop.
Where to Find Them
Fish the inlets at Manasquan and Barnegat on the outgoing tide for stripers, as falling water carries bait out of the bays and stripers wait along the rips. Work the surf at Island Beach State Park for stripers and blues.
Wrecks, jetties and bridges hold blackfish, which live tight to hard structure and feed on the crabs and mussels growing on it.
Tides & Conditions
With the moon heading toward first quarter, tides are easing. Moving water at the inlets is best, and early morning and dusk are prime, when low light gives stripers an edge on bait. Keep an eye on the weather: northeast winds can blow out the surf, but the day after a front often produces the best fishing. Check a current tide chart and marine forecast.
Tackle & Tactics
- Stripers: bunker, bucktails and swimming plugs.
- Blackfish: green crabs or clams on a blackfish jig, which presents a crab on the bottom in a compact package that tends to snag less than a sinker rig in the rocks.
- Gear: a medium-heavy spinning or conventional rod with 30 pound braid.
Bring a variety of lures to match the bait. Bucktails, swimming plugs and soft plastics all have a place in your bag, and switching profiles until one draws strikes is part of the fall game.
Local Intel This Week
Island Beach State Park offers miles of beach for surf casting at stripers and blues. Manasquan Inlet gives shore anglers a jetty on moving water for the outgoing tide. Sandy Hook covers the northern end of the shore, and Cape May Harbor and Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor are also public access points for boat trips. Fish concentrate at the inlets and along the beach, and striper and tautog rules are specific. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
Follow the bait. Peanut bunker and mullet schools often lead you to the stripers. Birds working the surface, nervous water and bait spraying out of the waves are all signs that predators are pushing a school toward the beach, so keep moving until you find them.
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