Fishing Forecast – October New Moon Period 2024

The past couple weeks have brought some very fall-like weather, conditions, and fishing. Every year fall seems to sneak up. With short days, chilly nights, and constant wind, it’s here to stay. The bass bite continues to be excellent here locally. There are big numbers of fish on the oceanfront pushing bait on the surface, willing to hit a light-tackle presentation. While albies are a long shot at this point, they’re still a possibility, and there are still decent numbers of bonito around to keep the hardtail enthusiasts going. This is a great time of year to run into your biggest bonito of the season, as we usually get a push of 6+ pounders toward the end of the month. With inclement weather and conditions making it tricky to get out at times, this time of year is all about picking your days and making the most of it while you’re out. 

Striped Bass

The great thing about this time of year is – much like spring fishing – things can be very predictable. The bait is generally loaded up in the same areas year in, year out. Whether those be spots out front or in backwaters, they can be equally productive now and for the next couple of weeks. Backwaters are particularly predictable. Shallow water and dark bottom equals warm water for bait and bass to soak up the sun for the short time that it’s up. Coves, outflows, and consistently wind-blown spots can be productive. Depending on where your fishing, the bass could be on a number of different baits. Peanut bunker are probably the most prevalent in the backwaters this time of year. The mullet run seems to have gone mostly quiet recently, but there should still be plenty kicking around. Silversides, needlefish, eels, shrimp, and shad are other baits to be prepared for. During the day, small topwaters like the Rebel Jumpin Minnow and Game On! X-Walk will generally get the job done. Even if they don’t eat it, they’ll often show themselves with a boil or follow. If you throw back in with something slightly more subtle, you'll often get bit. Weightless soft plastics like the Slug-go, Hogy Original, or Albie Snax are all great options. Fly fishing can also be very effective in the backwaters. It may also be worth a shot to throw a big plastic like a Hogy Slappy Swim Eel or a Super Snax to see if there are any cows hanging around looking for a large meal. At night, slowly crawling anything that will throw a wake can be very effective. The Cotton Cordell Redfin is probably king of this category. We also recently got NLBN K-Tails in stock, which are another great bait to throw if you’re trying to draw that bite on the surface.

Tommy with a nice bass caught in skinny water last week.

You may run into shad during your fall backwater missions. They can be a blast on light tackle or on the fly - zipping drag and jumping clear out of the water. Small jigs like little Epoxy minnows or JygPro Mycro Jigs can be effective. They often like a jiggy retrieve, hitting on the fall. Small soft plastics like paddletails, RonZ Tails, and Zoom Flukes also work well. Undoubtedly, the best way to target these fish is on the fly. Anything small and flashy will get it done, so check out our Striper Fly selection for good options there. 

A big hickory shad caught recently on a small paddletail.

The oceanfront can be a bit less predictable. It still is in the sense that you can be confident you’ll find a pile of bait, often with fish on it. This is the best time of year to find huge numbers of bass feeding on the surface. It’s not so predictable in the sense that the bait and fish may move around a lot more on a day-to-day basis. It might take a bit of searching and covering water, but generally once you’re on them, it can be fast and fun fishing. If you’re on boat, the usual baits for blitzing fish have been getting the job done – Striper Flies, Albie Snax, Metal/epoxy minnows, and small Topwaters are all going to catch. Any sort of Minnow Plug will work too, especially with a teaser like a small Striper Fly or Red Gill. Local surfcasters have been doing well on needlefish plugs. The classic Super Strike Super N Fish is always a fish catcher, and the 247 Lures Needlefish has been particularly effective this season. The teaser method has been pulling plenty of bass for the surf crowd, too. 

Rock Donkeys

The tautog fishing this fall looks to be off to a great start once again. They’re shallow, they’re deep, they’re in between, and they’re chewing. It will only improve as we near the end of the month. Whatever you can get your hands on for crabs should catch. If you’re on/near shore, shore crabs or green crabs are your best bet. On the reefs or wrecks, you’ll want green crabs or big white claws. Rigs and jigs are both effective, and really the conditions should determine which direction you go there. In deep water and heavy current, or even shallow water if the current is heavy enough, you’ll want to use a rig to stay vertical. We have premade Jigging World Blackfish Rigs so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of tying your own. That said, if you do want to make your own rigs, go with a heavy leader (60 or 80 pound should be plenty) and a short-shanked, strong hook. Gamakatsu Octopus Hooks are very solid. As far as Blackfish Jigs, you really can’t go wrong as far as which brand you choose (at least the options we have here). As long as the hook is strong and short, the style and color totally comes down to preference. You want to have just enough weight to keep contact with bottom and stay vertical. Too much weight, and you’ll miss a lot of hits to finicky fish that are too clever to pick it up and run with it. 

Decent tog from last week caught on a Blackfish Jig with a shore crab and small piece of Fish Bites.

One of the great things about tog fishing is the simplicity. You flip a rock to find a crab, you put it on a hook, you catch a fish. Without disturbing the beauty of that too much – I’d really encourage any tog fishermen to try adding Fish Bites to their arsenal. Several of us here at the shop have been trying them out this fall and been thoroughly impressed. It’s certainly not a one-for-one replacement for live crabs, but it’s an excellent supplement. The best method we have found is to use your crab as normal, and then put a sliver of fish bites on the shank on top of it. It’s a little extra color to get their attention, and once they inevitably chew the crab to bits, it will buy you one or two extra bites before you need to pull up and rebait. The crab + bites combo has been more effective than just a crab, while just crab has been more effective than just the bites. In other words, you’ll still catch without it, but you will get more bites with it.