Striped bass continue to return in great numbers to Sandy Hook waters every spring. They migrate out of the adjoining Hudson River and Raritan Bay, eating everything possible to fuel their reawakening.
The prime early season striper hot spots in the area include Pebble Beach, Union Beach, and Cliffwood Beach – and these Raritan Bay surf hotspots yield many anglers’ first stripers of the season. However, the Sandy Hook surf comes alive with stripers sooner than most anglers think.
The Sandy Hook surf begins to yield bass in mid-April, and consistently continues yielding them until the end of May. Early season striped bass can be sluggish as the water is still cool and baitfish are not as prevalent. Stripers generally root through the sandy bottom, foraging for edible morsels. This explains why the most popular baits for early season bass are clams and sandworms.
Sandy Hook Striper Hotspots
There are several good spots for early season stripers at the Hook. Many anglers like to park right by the entrance to the park, right next to the booths where summer parking fees are paid. Other anglers like to go to Lots B, C, D, and F (Fishing Beach). All of these spots have ample parking, and are just a short walk to the ocean.
As you head toward the tip of the hook, you’ll find Gunnison beach (the nude beach) and North Beach. Gunnison beach is interesting because it has an outer sandbar and emulates the same runs and shoots that South Jersey’s surf contains. This is actually great fishing when there are plenty of baitfish present, as stripers will wait for the bait to be washed through the runs and shoots. I’ll hit Gunnison if all else is failing in the Spring, but it’s actually better to fish when water’s warmer. Just watch out for where you’re casting your lines with the nude bathers, and watch what you hook…
My favorite place to fish at Sandy Hook, though, is from North Beach to the tip of the Hook. One may argue that the Hook’s tip is actually on the bay side, and my father and I actually were supposed to fish together one evening and did not run into one another until the next morning because of this disagreement. I’ve always felt that the area at the furthest point north of North Beach (that you can see when you first hit North Beach) is the tip of the hook; he felt that it’s around the bend and on the bayside. Hence we disagree. It’s my article, and we’re going to call the previously mentioned spot the tip.
This area is fertile fishing with sharp dropoffs, constantly changing sand conditions, and the tundra that I call the tip of the hook. Rips abound, and it’s prime striper territory. Be sure to read the water, looking for drops and seams. Once you find one, fish the seam.
Remember, it’s a desert out there. You need to find things that disrupt the desert and attract fish.
There are no parking fees before Memorial Day, although a fishing pass is required if you intend to stay after dark. To get the fishing pass, go to the Ranger’s station on the road into the park.
When to Fish For Sandy Hook Stripers
Sandy Hook’s early season stripers are quite civilized. They are most frequently caught during daylight hours, so there is no need to be on the beach in the middle of the night, or even at sunrise, to catch them. High tide is always an optimum time for any kind of fishing, but there doesn’t seem to be a bad stage of the tide for these fish.
Early spring fishing for stripers is baitfishing. I use two rods, a 10-foot heavy graphite rod, and an 8-1/2-foot medium weight graphite rod. My heavier rod is matched with a 4500 series spinning reel. My St. Croix rod is teamed with a Penn Prion 2400 spinning reel (spooled with Excalibur 12-pound test line). These two outfits enable me to present my baits to two different areas of the surf – one close to shore, and the other farther out. There will be days when both rods catch fish, but there will also be days when one rod is more productive.
The Best Baits For Sandy Hook Stripers
One of the best baits, if not the best, for these early surf stripers is sandworms. Be sure to look through the boxes at your favorite bait shop so that you can pick out fresh worms. You’ll need either one or two dozen worms, depending on how many rods you will be using and how many hooks you plan to deploy on each rig.
To bait your rig, insert your hook point into a worm’s mouth and push its body gingerly up the hook. If you’re using a baitholder hook, make sure the worm piece is securely on the barbs found on the hook’s shaft.
Sometimes I use an entire worm on each hook; sometimes I use only a half on each hook. Bass can be very finicky about how baits are presented, so explore both options.
Early season bass are very much affected by scent when they are foraging for food. In addition to stretching your bait supply, using only half a worm on each hook puts more scent into the water from the open wound – a scent that bass can follow to its source.
Sometimes, I include a small strip of mackerel on my hooks in addition to a sandworm. Mackerel has an oily flesh that puts out a nice scent trail while resting on the bottom.
Keep your sandworms and mackerel strips in the shade and covered. I like to keep my bait in the shade of my bucket so it stays fresher. Also, keep your cut mackerel in a plastic bag so gulls don’t steal strips while you are fishing.
This early season fishery is slow moving for anglers. Once you’ve cast your rig, place your rod into a sand spike and take up the slack in the line. This will ensure that any contact with the bait is felt. Be sure to loosen the drag of your reel once you’ve cast your rig and taken up the slack in the line. If you don’t, a large fish will pull a sand spike over and, if you’re not watching, pull your rod into the water.
Striped bass love Sandy Hook. Anglers, like myself, also love the water. It’s desolate and quiet, yet you see huge tankers go around the hook and make you feel like you could reach out and touch them. Be sure to give Sandy Hook’s early season hotspots a try — you’ll be glad that you did!
