How's The Fall Striper Run This Year?

[Gerry Zagorski]

It's far from over but how would you rate it so far compared to recent past falls?

[Gerry Zagorski]

There certainly a ton of Stripers around.. The one thing I noticed this fall is they're on Bunker and Sandeels. Usually it's Bunker earlier and then Sand Eels later on and maybe that is still to come? With the weather and water temps they could stick around well into the New Year...

As a matter of fact, we were fishing on the Osprey out of Atlantic City a few January's ago headed back in from the Tog Grounds and witnessed the largest Striper feed I ever saw. A perfect clear day and I look out at the horizon towards shore and see these huge grey clouds in the distance so I went back in the cabin thinking we're going to get rained on. Well 20 minutes later it turned out to be miles of Gannets working the feed that turned the sky grey. Too bad we were well outside the 3 mile line or that would have been like fishing in a barrel..

Hope you all are enjoying this great fishery we have right in our backyards.

[Brewlugger]

From the surfishing side I would rate it as good so far Gerry. We had a great mullet run followed by a good sandeel bite. Now it seems to be a daytime Bunker bite. Some quality size fish in the mix this year.

[bunker dunker]

i think once that water cools a little more the bunker will vanish and it will be all sand eels and that will start the jig bite.looks like its shaping up that way,the big fish will move out and than it will be keepers and slots like a good fall run should be.

[John D.]

Had the greatest day fishing I ever had 2 weeks ago on a charter fishing the bunker pods with my son on a weekday. The smallest fish was mid 30s with the majority in the 40s pushing 50#. We didn’t weigh as capt and us wanted them all quickly and safely released (which they were) We came in 3 hrs early from exhaustion. It was wild nat-geo level fishing.

There seems to be a 10-14 day October window the past few years where the big girls gorge on the bunker pods before heading south.