After several weeks of waiting for the arrival of a decent striped bass bite, it appears the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Association are getting their wish. Decent sized stripers have been making their way through Little Egg Inlet and into the sheltered waters of Great Bay and Little Egg Harbor Bay.

Captain Fran Verdi of the "Drop Off" spends a lot of time in the fall pursuing striped bass, and he feels the recent cooler weather has been doing the trick to get the bass in the bay. In the past few days he has put several nice sized linesiders in the fish box including a pair of 20-pounders on Wednesday.

Captain Fran says that he is fishing with a combination of techniques from chumming with clam to drifting live baits. His choice depends to a large extent on tide and wind.

The black sea bass season reopened on Tuesday, but big swells in the ocean have kept the BHCFA captains from getting out on the inshore wrecks and artificial reefs. They are also looking forward to the increased limit on blackfish on November 16 when the limit rises back up to 6 fish daily from the current 1 fish per day.

Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com or by calling 1-877-LBI-BHCFA (1-877-524-2423).

Fish Species: Striped bass
Bait Used: Clam and live eels
Tackle Used: Conventional medium weight
Method Used: Drifting live baits and chumming with clams
Water Depth: 6-20
Water Temperature: 51
Wind Direction: SW
Wind Speed: 5-10

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About The Author: Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Company: Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

Area Reporting: Beach Haven-bay and ocean

Bio: I am a writer who will assemble the weekly reports for the association and submit them.

609-290-5942
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Fishing Guide Jim Hutchinson Sr.