Striper Season....

[DEEP POCKETS]

When do stripers typically return to Raritan bay/Sandy Hook area early to mid-October?

Looking forward to an early start this year

[SaltLife1980]

Water temp plays a major role in when they return

[Gerry Zagorski]

They move south from their summering grounds in MA,ME,RI each fall and Raritna Bay is either home for them or a stop off.

Time of year depends on water temps. Mid October would be the earliest.

[Irish Jigger]

They are here now just have to get out there and find them!!!!!!

[nmc02]

Best guess would be November 1 is the beginning....

[CaptMarc]

From my log books, the end of October had been a good time to start. All dependson water temp like everyone said.

[tombanjo]

Hop on the Fishermen Monday night, you'll find them.

Which begs the question, if the Bklyn boats & the Fishermen have been hitting 'em pretty good all summer, just what do water temps have to do with it? At least in this case. Granted, I don't know what they are in the channels on the NY side but hard to believe much cooler than eslewhere. These "resident" fish sure look like they hang out all summer. Or never left once they arrived in the spring.

We need answers here.

[Blackfish Doug]

When I lived in NY we would drift eels night all over the place from Montauk to Lower NY Bay & over on the Jersey side. I usually do at least 1 night trip a year on the Fisherman & never had a bad trip. A lot of the times it wasn't always Stripers either in the mix either. I had caught everything from Porgy's,Croakers, & Vampire Fluke Lol. It's mostly a night bite unless your up for the first light then it's game on with the jigs until the sun is up then it usually shuts down.

[HighHook94]

Been catching stripers in the back of Raritan bay at night on jigs. Just caught a dozen last night. Nothing huge but fun on a light rod. Most of the fish come late October or early November depending on water temp though.

[SplitShot]

1st week of November last year was great for us snag/drop off Ocean County