Surf Report - Wednesday, Sept 26th - Monmouth County

[Needlefish]

Fished the Long Branch area for a couple of hours this morning starting at high tide. Waves were pretty big and winds were out of the SSE but not too bad.
Nothing much to report. I was using a diamond jig and a Gulp teaser. Caught a 5 lb. Stargazer on the first cast but no other fish or hits for the remaining 2 hours. Didn't see any bait or birds diving. Winds tonight will be swinging around to the west then north. Plan to try again tomorrow.

[WhaleFart]

Nice report! Stargazers are always a fun "weird" fish to catch in the surf. If you don't get a jump on them a big one can burrow down in the sand to the point you are breaking off your line.

if you are targeting bass, id strongly suggest throwing some storm shads in white and some SP minnows. Things should get fun soon! I plan on fishing all night Friday, normally toss live eels near jetties is a sure thing this time of year. Done very well with fish 28-36" in late September till Halloween.

Best,
WF

[Needlefish]

Excellent advice - - storm shads.

I've used them a lot for bass in the surf. Very effective. I chose diamond jigs because I was casting into the wind and there is nothing like metal for cutting through the wind. Wanted to probe the bar. The teaser is actually the more effective lure and the diamond jig is just part of the delivery system. But fish will hit the diamond jig too. That's why I like them. That's what the stargazer ate.

There was one other fisherman on the beach. He was using a white storm shad but he wasn't catching anything either. But we keep trying. Eventually, they show up.

West winds soon! West is best! North ain't bad either.

[torchee]

Fished LBI Sunday morning for some short blues and kingfish.
The highlight was on the way home. Stopped behind the inlet to net some mullet.
They were being chased by school bass.

My buddy actually net some 24" bass while gathering some fast running mullet.

That means everything should start slamming artificials - storm shads etc.

[Needlefish]

Fished the Long Branch surf again this morning 8-10 am. Nothing. Didn't see any bait or diving birds. Was using storm shads, diamond jigs, and teasers. Beautiful morning, rough surf, and north winds. At one point, there was a group of dolphins close to the beach.