Well...these aren't really "flat" fish, but the juvenile non-breeding stripers who call the Jersey marsh flats their home!

by Tom Vassallo

By the excitement it generates, you would think that the "Fall Run" was the only time to catch Striped Bass at the Jersey Shore. There is no denying that the fall migration of bass brings large stripers past our coast, but the timing is very critical and last year it kind of felt that if you blinked...the fish were gone! There has been a lot of talk that Superstorm Sandy is responsible for a change in the migration route that the bass and other fish (like bluefish) are now using as they cruise past the New Jersey beaches headed to their winter grounds off the Virginia and Carolina shores.

In order to understand why the window of opportunity closes so quickly in the fall, it is important to understand bass and baitfish migration. (See our other article this month!) Weather and water temperature effect the movement as well and the unpredictable nature of our Jersey weather can also effect the time the bass will spend off our shore as they migrate south in the fall. Last year, it seemed the big run lasted a bit longer in northern Jersey waters than it did in the south central beaches. A furious run took place off the Ocean County coast just about Thanksgiving and it seemed the large schools of big bass were here and gone in a few days.

However, while many sit and wait for that furious action to begin (that's when you see those arm to arm anglers on the beach!) others are consistently seeing striper action throughout the early fall and well into those early days of December. Well if the bass haven't arrived, then how are they catching stripers? These sharp anglers are setting their sights on the back estuaries of the bays, where the baitfish are congregating and schooling up to make their move out off the coast as the weather gets cold.

This photo (by Ken's Dock) shows a good size striper laying in wait for a baitfish or well placed lure in the shallow waters of flooded grass flats. Juvenile stripers reside in the area they were spawned for approximately four years until they become old enough to join the migration and spawn.

The stripers migrating off the coast are for the most part, four year old and older fish. Most stripers will not begin to migrate and spawn until they reach their fourth year. So where do these fish go when the big boys and girls head south for the winter? They don't go anywhere! That's right...stripers that are 1-4 years old spend the early years of their life in our marshes, rivers and bays. That is why when you are fishing for those early season white perch in the late winter before spring, you occasionally are taking small "schoolie" stripers as well. You will sometimes find these juvenile fish cruising the shallow marsh grasses on high tide at just about any time of the day during the summer months.

When anyone mentions fishing the "flats", images of Florida, bonefishing, drum and tarpon might come to mind. That type of action is always pretty exciting and (believe it or not) you can find that same type of excitement on the "flats" in New Jersey! The New Jersey "flats" are the areas off our bays and larger rivers that feed into the bays. Usually many of these areas are also found in those areas off the channels that you will normally try not to stray with a large vessel. However there are many who will use smaller, flat bottom boats to get up in these areas to locate fish. The New Jersey marshes have thousands of small coves and flooded grass areas on high tide. The schools of juvenile bass will push the bait back into these areas, and as some of the bait attempt to escape, the bass will pick them off as they try to run out of the cove or grass.

Capt. Dan Schafer uses techniques similar to Florida tarpon and bonefishing to locate hungry resident bass. He offers bass charters out of Stone Harbor, NJ.

To find the bass, the secret is to be very quiet, using a pole, oar or paddle and to sight the surface for any "nervous" water with schools of anchovies or peanut bunker. Sometimes these bass will also feed on spearing and killies as well. Sometimes you will not see the bait school moving, so scan the surface and also listen for surface feeding bass and bluefish hitting the top of the water.

This kind of fishing will require rods and reels in the medium range and really is not much different than what you might use for largemouth bass on a pond. These juvenile bass will usually take any type of small popper or floating swimmer lures. I personally like a Rapala or Bomber. A black Bomber will work well just after sundown. Others are swearing by a "Skitter Walk" or "Skitter Pop" Rapala for the best action on these fish.

You can also find success if you have a cast net and you net some small peanuts or anchovies. Just hook the bunker to a 1/0 hook and a float or the anchovies to a #2 hook and hold on. Some anglers prefer to  live line them with no float or weight at all. These backwater bass can run pretty large...in the mid to upper 20's, with some smaller keeper sized bass occasionally mixed in!

So if you are not quite ready for the "elbow to elbow" surf scene or you are just waiting for the big bass to arrive, get out on the marshes after those "flat" fish. It will help you hone your casting, presentation and hooking skills, as well as provide some spectacular fighting action on those smaller, lighter poles. Now get out there and fish!