An example of a blitz. The surf is teeming with peanut bunker as stripers and bluefish attack them.
Photo Credit: stripersonline.com

by WNJ Correspondent Matt McCann

Every fall, thousands of surf fishermen flock to the beaches of New Jersey to get in on the action of the annual fall run. This is the time of year when stripers and bluefish migrate down the coast to their wintering grounds, gorging themselves on a variety of baitfish that are on the move as well. These migrating fish often move into the surf within casting distance of surf fishermen, making for a great time that we look forward to every year.

If you’re lucky, you might even run into a “blitz”; a situation where stripers and blues pin schools of baitfish up against the beach and feed ravenously. You’ll see seagulls and other birds also going crazy as they feed on the scraps of baitfish. During this time, you can easily catch these stripers and blues on lures and catch fish on every cast.

So why are many fishermen underwhelmed with this year’s fall run? I can’t say for sure, but I think it has to do with the crazy weather patterns we’ve had this year. 2011 started off with a ton of snow, moved into oppressive heat, and then massive amounts of rain, the weird earthquake, Hurricane Irene, the freak snow shower in October, and now the mildly warm temperatures as we progress into December. Traditionally, the fall run could be marked on your calendar. It would begin in mid to late September as mullet would come into the surf and bass and blues would follow. It then steadily progressed into October when peanut bunker, sand eels, and other baitfish began their movement. Halloween marked the unofficial mid-point of the run.

Peanut bunker sometimes leap out of the water and beach themselves to avoid being eaten.
Photo Credit: stripersonline.com

As we moved into November the bluefish would disappear as the month went on, and finally the run would end around Thanksgiving or shortly after. This year, fishermen tried fishing that general calendar timeframe as they usually do and were very disappointed. People were just not catching fish, and those that were catching them weren’t doing so in the numbers that would indicate any sort of run. The general consensus on the internet message boards was that this year stinks. Many people thought the run was finished, and that it was just so small that it passed everyone by. A lot of people gave up and put their rods away for the season.
 
I don’t think the run ended that early. I actually think it just got a late start and really began in full force right before Thanksgiving. Fishing reports seem to have picked up recently and I think the reason for that is the water temperature. I think that the freak weather patterns really made the water temperature fluctuate and it was too warm in October and early November for the fish to start migrating in mass numbers. Stripers really prefer that 50 degree mark, and the temperature of the water was well above that in October.

While the fall run varies in size from year to year, it still happens in some capacity. Even though this year may not be a monster run compared to years past, it still exists and may have just started later. It’s tempting to follow the calendar and get anxious to get out there as soon as summer ends, but monitoring the water temperature is a better indicator than the month to fish in.

A typical fall striped bass.
Photo Credit: stripersonline.com

Matt McCann is a New Jersey native and specializes in freshwater and saltwater fishing in the Garden State.

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