There are different ways to fish for your trophy fish.
Boats
A popular one with the boaters is to anchor in the inlet or bay with clams and or bunker.
Some prefer to troll. Some of the popular lures to troll with are bunker spoons, stretch plugs and umbrella rigs. Many anglers like to use drift eels. You can only hope the bluefish are not in that area that day. Eels are also used by the boats that like to troll the white water. They will put an eel on a bucktail to troll or they will use a bucktail with pork rind.
Jigging is another popular way of catching bass. Ava jigs and weighted shads work well for this type of fishing. The last few years we have had a lot of bunker in our waters so the snag and drop method has become popular for big bass. You snag your bunker and leave it on the snag and wait for a fish to come along and eat that fish that looks like an easy prey.
If you are fishing in a tournament you have to take that bunker off the snag and re-hook it on a different hook to be IGFA legal. Gang hooks are not permitted by IGFA.
Surf
When fishing in the surf you do not have all these options. You either bait fish with bunker and clams, being the most popular, or you throw lures. There are so many types of lures that you can use.
There are top water lures such as poppers, there are also surface lures, such as bombers, redfins, darters. metals that can be worked slowly to drag the bottom. You also have jigging lures such as avas and bucktails. You can use shads, gulp, fin-s, and slugos and retrieve them in different ways to get the action you want.
We carry a lot of these supplies in the store along with large nets.
A lot of people have not caught a large striper in their lifetime so if you don’t want your catch please release it to swim for another day, then someone else can enjoy the excitement of catching their “Trophy Fish”.
Last year I came to LBI for the first time to do some work for my niece that just bought a house in Beach Haven bayside. I spotted Jingles bait shop on my way in and bought a new surf rod and reel and bait . I caught a few stripers the first week I was there but came in early June at the tail end of the run. I have to come down again to do some more work for my niece either this coming week or the following. Trying to schedule my work around the striper run. Looking forward to getting a line in the surf, I’ll be in for bait thank you.
I am coming down to LBI 1st week in September. I will be surf fishing. What’s running and any advice? Can I fly fish in bay with Clouser minnows and Decievers? Thanks , Fred
In September you will still be able to get kingfish and fluke in the surf. Maybe some snap blues as well. Stop into the shop and we can get you all set up with what you will need.