The back bay stripers were putting Ty McDermott to the test on this beautiful October day. The migratory stripers usually show up in good numbers in the sounds of Cape May co., NJ, for about 2 weeks in the fall. But it was tough to find them this year. The speckled sea trout follow as the water temperature hits the 50s. The ocean-run migratory striper fishing has started in late December in the last 10 years. The majority of stripers, even at that point, have been holding outside of the 3-mile closed area. Top-notch Striper fisherman fishing the beaches every day for a month straight in the fall were getting skunked in 2025. The same shunk result was occurring with fall NJ speckled trout fishermen and Red Drum. This was a direct result of a stretch of poor conditions during the fall of 2025. I am hoping for a better fall season for 2026.
