<b>Staten Island</b>

The weather finally calmed this week, and bottom-fishing trips sailed every day with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Anthony said. The anglers socked healthy catches of blackfish and sea bass. New York’s blackfish season opened on October 1 with a four-fish bag limit, compared with New Jersey’s current one-fish limit for the tog. Barbara Anne obtained a Research Set Aside Permit that allows the vessel to fish for sea bass during the currently closed season for them in both states. Charters are fishing, and so are open-boat trips by reservation, including open trips that are bottom fishing inshore every Tuesday and Thursday. Open trips are also bottom fishing on other days when enough anglers are available. Open trips are sometimes bottom fishing offshore, and two spaces are available on one of the trips on Tuesday, and one is available on another on October 31. Species including sea bass and cod could come up from the offshore grounds.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing was good, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Boaters trolled and eeled them along the channels, and jigged them along with blues down the ocean front. Stripers were sometimes bagged in Raritan Bay, but Jimmy was unsure how many. Surf anglers banked stripers and occasionally blues. They sometimes plugged the stripers early in the mornings, and afterward mostly fished with clams. Stripers were landed on the rivers on rubber shads, eels or worms. Bottom fishing served up lots of porgies, plenty of blackfish, though the bag limit is one of the blacks, and healthy numbers of out-of-season sea bass that had to be released. The blackfish bag limit will be increased to six on November 16, and sea bass season will open on November 1. Bluefin tuna swam along the Mudhole. Crabbers, despite the late season, plucked the blueclaws from the back waters.

“Much better (striped bass) fishing today, with keepers up to 28 pounds!” Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> said in an e-mail this afternoon. The morning began with nasty seas on the ocean in southerly winds. “Had life, but it was tough catching,” he said. After the tide changed and winds came around from the west, the bite was on! The high hook landed three good-sized stripers, and a few anglers hauled in two, including “Vinny Vintastic” and Emilio Grecco. “Northwest and colder tomorrow … perfect!” Ron said. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Check out a <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3oeNgcymqU " target="_blank">video of the trip</a>.

Aboard the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> all the anglers cleaned up on as many porgies as they wanted, good fishing, Capt. Tom said. A couple of the anglers on Wednesday’s trip bagged 15 and 18 porgies apiece, then switched to blackfishing, for example. They had brought their own crabs for bait for blackfish, and clams are supplied on the vessel. A few keeper blackfish were bagged on the trip by anglers who brought crabs, and most of the tog were shorts. Sizeable, out-of-season sea bass were released. The porgies were a mix of sizes, including small, but some real beauties were plowed, and double-headers came up. The angling was fun, a blast, and many anglers love the taste of porgies, some of the best eating. Crowds were light. Trips fished on Tuesday and Wednesday, and today’s trip stayed docked, because apparently forecasts caused anglers to stay home, and winds blew. The weather and seas were beautiful on Tuesday and Wednesday on the trips. The Atlantic Star is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily for porgies and blackfish.

<b>Highlands</b>

The striped bass run was coming into its own, getting stronger each day, said Capt. Bob from <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Adventures</b> in an e-mail. The fish bit during both day and night, and a recent night trip with four anglers on board drifted eels to belt stripers to 33 inches. Both charters and open-boat trips are fishing during day and night, and some good dates remain.

A new body of striped bass seemed to arrive at the mouth of the bay and the edge of the ocean there, and fairly good catches of the bass to 15 pounds were reeled aboard, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. Eeling, jigging and trolling hooked the bass lately, and a few blues were mixed in. Derek thinks striper catches will really heat up after the current full moon. He also surf fished for stripers, and the angling was great when bait was found. He and friends found mullet in the suds the other day, nailing stripers to 18 pounds on big, metal-lipped swimmers. Fisher Price did no bottom fishing this week, but a couple of Derek’s friends whaled phenomenal catch-and-release angling for blackfish to 12 pounds. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips for stripers will run on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Call to climb aboard, and anglers can call to be kept informed about the upcoming open schedule.   

Everyone was boating striped bass, and the fish were livelier in the cooler waters, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. One of the charter boats from the docks limited out on the fish in 1 or 1 ½ hours on Wednesday evening while trolling down the ocean beaches. Gene Graham, the striper sharpie from the marina, headed out today, despite rough seas from winds, limiting out while livelining peanut bunker. Anglers caught stripers on peanuts at places like Romer Shoal and Flynn’s Knoll. The 40-hour Hi-Mar Club Striper Tournament will take place Friday to Sunday from the Highlands. Bluefish were around, but fewer seemed to be hooked than before. Still, a couple of the boats returned to the marina with bluefish, after the anglers couldn’t fight through the choppers to reach stripers. Fishing was all about stripers and blues now, and hardly anyone fished for other targets. Most anglers no longer sailed offshore for tuna and big game. Wayne talked with one well-known charter captain from Point Pleasant who fished offshore on Tuesday, if Wayne remembered, and the captain said he could find no warm waters. The captain fished far offshore, and heard longliners complain about landing a few swordfish and a couple of bluefin tuna on 20 miles of line. The trip with the charter bagged a bluefin tuna and a 150-pound mako shark, and lost a yellowfin at the boat, or something like that. Twin Lights is stocking live peanut bunker, fresh and frozen clams and eels, and fresh bunker will arrive for the weekend. A full supply of baits is carried at the shop.

<b>Neptune</b>

All the blues and striped bass anglers could want were waffled on a trip Wednesday on the ocean on jigs with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. If anglers want big fish – blues to 15 pounds and stripers 10 to 20 pounds – the fish, as many as anyone could want, swarmed close to Shark River Inlet.  An individual-reservation trip is supposed to fish for a mix of stripers, blues, porgies and blackfish on Friday, but forecasts looked like the trip could be cancelled. One of the trips will run for stripers on Wednesday, and another individual-rez trip will steam offshore for cod, pollock and hake on Thursday, November 11. The season’s first individual-reservation trip for blackfish will sail on Tuesday, November 16, when the bag limit is jumped up to six from the current limit of one.

<b>Belmar</b>

Super porgy fishing was creamed on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b> on the ocean, Capt. Chris said. The fishing was the best in a long time, and anglers should take advantage. The fish bit every day, even in rains on Tuesday, consistent angling. Some blackfish, including big ones, were in the mix. Clams and crabs are provided for bait, and the Big Mohawk is fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Daytime trips beat all kinds of blues, lots of the fish, and sometimes lots of striped bass, other times only 15 or 20 stripers, on the ocean off the beaches, said Capt. Alan from the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>. All the fish were jigged, and nighttime trips pounded tons of blues on bait around the reef. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Not a lot was happening, and striped bass fishing improved all the time, but was in a short lull the past few days, though that will change overnight this time of year, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. On the boats lots of blues, not as many bass as before, were hoisted aboard from the ocean. Surf anglers picked stripers, and some days were better than others, but the angling was nothing hot yet. Most of the bass jumped on lures, popper plugs or any metal such as Deadly Dicks. Clams didn’t work so well on stripers from the surf, and the ocean could probably stand to become churned up for clams to work. Herring were fought on Shark River. Porgy fishing was great on the boats on the ocean, and blackfishing was also good on the vessels, through the bag limit was one blackfish, until increasing later this season.

<b>Brielle</b>

“Awesome fishing!” said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> in an e-mail. Three mixed-bag trips sailed on Sunday to Tuesday on the ocean. On Sunday’s trip, after fierce winds on the previous days, the six anglers loaded up on porgies and limited out on one blackfish apiece to an 8-½-pounder, probably landing 35 blacks, including shorts and a bunch of keepers that were released. The trip looked for striped bass to jig at first in the morning where Monger found stripers before the blow. Tons of birds worked plenty of bait on the waters, but stripers were never really read well, and only a couple of blues were hooked. Then the anglers bottom fished. On Monday’s trip even more porgies, big ones, were clobbered, and the six anglers limited out on blackfish, including hogs that were a 12-pounder – “another personal best for (the angler) on the Monger,” the report said – a 10-pounder and a 7-pounder. The trip looked for stripers to jig in the morning, and only scattered blues were around, so time wasn’t wasted looking for more, and the anglers then bottom fished. On Tuesday’s trip the five anglers bailed plenty of  porgies, big ones, including the largest Jerry ever saw inshore, three keeper blackfish on a slow bite for keepers, a bunch of short blackfish that were let go, a mess of big blues and three striped bass. A nice mixed bag, Jerry said. The trip began jigging for stripers in the morning, and one angler iced two good-sized keepers in the blink of an eye. Small blues, some porgies and big, out-of-season sea bass that were released also hit the jigs. Then the anglers bottom fished. On the way home, 3 miles of birds and big bluefish appeared, and the trip went into overtime to let the anglers pull on the jumbo blues and one sizeable striper that was bagged. Another striper followed a jig.

Trips for striped bass are set for Friday through Sunday and Wednesday on the <b>Big Kid</b>, Capt. Ken said. Stripers swam the ocean, and he caught them on a friend’s boat at the Shrewsbury Rocks on a trip in the past days. All weekends in November are booked with charters, but some weekdays are available. Anglers aboard will also sail for sea bass when the season for them opens on November 1. Lots of charters will run for blackfish starting on November 16, when the bag limit is pushed up to six of the fish from the current limit of one. The Big Kid is big on blackfish. Charters could still head offshore for tuna, but the schedule is so full with inshore charters that Ken was unsure whether more offshore trips will fish this season.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

The crew from the <b>Canyon Runner</b> will extend their tuna-fishing season one more week, because the fishing was so good, a report on the boat’s Web site said. An open-boat trip on Wednesday chunked 17 yellowfin tuna and one longfin tuna at Hudson Canyon during the daytime. The trip arrived an hour after dark, and began fishing in the fleet, and the other boaters talked about a bite that had just occurred. Fishing at night was slow on the Canyon Runner, and two small swords bit, and one got off, and the other was landed and released. A few of the boaters among many of the vessels in the fleet got into busy catches either at night or in the morning, but most did not. In the morning the trip on the Canyon Runner made a move, setting up for daytime chunking. Catches began slowly, and a yellowfin was boated here and there, and the longfin was bagged. But some of the best chunking the captain ever saw got going from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mad dog bites slammed the baits frequently, and some of the tuna were lost, because the anglers fished with light leaders. But the 17 tuna were totaled by the end of the trip, and numerous blue sharks were battled. Penn’s new Torque, a light, star-drag reel, was tested on the trip, and the reel was “impressive, super-light, very smooth,” the report said. “(The) great drag (is) going to make this little reel a 200-pound bluefin’s worst nightmare this spring,” it said. “It’s seen many 50- to 80-pound yellowfin over the last few weeks, and has not skipped a beat.” The next trips will test Penn’s new International 12’s, another lightweight reel. Two open-boat trips were set up for next week from Tuesday to Wednesday and Friday to Saturday, and space is available. 

Limits of porgies were crushed all around the vessel on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b> on Wednesday on the ocean, Capt. Willie said. Some good-sized blackfish and some triggerfish were also bagged. The angling was similar through the week, and the weather was beautiful on the waters each day, except rains fell on Tuesday morning. But seas were calm. Now is the time to load up on porgies. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

After dialing in to striped bass on Monday and Tuesday to the south on the ocean, trips on the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b> mostly fought big blues, lots of the fish, on Wednesday and today, several e-mails from the vessel said. Jigging for bass and blues clobbered the fish on the ocean on Monday’s trip, and jigging was also excellent for both on Tuesday’s trip, and humongous blues arrived that day. On Wednesday’s trip all the stripers seemed to be caught farther north, and only two were decked that the mates hooked and handed off to customers. Huge bass after huge bass were seen, rolling on rainfish, instead of feeding on butterfish and weakfish like before. But they were finicky. But mongo bluefish swam thick and plentiful, and the anglers aboard could easily limit out on them if they seriously tried. Today’s trip fished to the south, and big blues were lambasted. No stripers showed up, but intel that the crew heard and great weather that was coming made them feel positive that stripers will be located on Friday’s trip. The Cock Robin is sailing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Carl LaManna, owner of <b>Canyon River Club Marina</b>, spent the week in South Beach, Florida, he said. He took a trip with friend Joe Nobo on the ocean off Governor’s Cut in South Beach that wiped up six blackfin tuna and a bunch of skipjacks along the 83-degree Gulf Stream. Small, 10- to 15-pound blackfins, delicious fish that make great sushi, swam the waters. Carl was going to call his marina and see whether the fleet fished, planning to give a report about their trips that will be posted in an update here if they did. The marina, located along Manasquan River, is open all year, including winter. It features all the amenities, including a locker with electric to fit a freezer, rods and tackle. The docks are only a half-mile from Manasquan Inlet with no bridges.

<b>Toms River</b>

A few blues, sometimes a striped bass early in the morning, were pulled from the surf, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Fall fishing was just beginning, typical for the time of year. The fish in the surf, cruising along, following bait, showed up at different places like Seaside Heights and Lavallette. One woman picked up four blues from the surf around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday on mullet. The bass in the wash were mostly plugged on top-waters or pencil poppers or Polaris poppers. Some were taken on metal, and a few were clammed. Nothing was heard about stripers trolled on the local ocean, but some were probably trolled, and probably just no customers mentioned. Boaters nabbed stripers along the sod banks at Barnegat Bay at night on drifted eels. In the Toms River good-sized, cocktail blues schooled, and small stripers were around. One customer said he bagged a 33-inch striper and a 29-incher from the river, but that was unconfirmed.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Big bluefish slammed the surf, pushing bunker, mullet and all kinds of bait against the shore, nearly every day, said Scott from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Catches were fairly steady, probably from Island Beach State Park to Brick Beach, on popper lures, mullet or nearly any bait. Big striped bass were tugged from the surf earlier in the week. A big blitz of mostly blues but a few bass stormed into the surf at Island Beach during the weekend. Bunker, if anglers could snag them from shore, was the best bait for the stripers. Clams didn’t work so much, but some of the linesiders were plugged. James Blandino kayaked two 24-pound stripers on the ocean on livelined bunker. Mark Braneccio honked a 26-1/2-pound striper from the Seaside Heights Casino Pier on a livelined bunker. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, live eels and the entire supply of baits is stocked. Catch Wacky Wednesdays every week, when clams are $2 per dozen. The rental boats and jet skis are no longer available this season.

<b>Forked River</b>

Fishing for striped bass and blues was about the only angling customers were interested in now, said Dave from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Stripers were boated at Barnegat Inlet on livelined spots or on fresh clams, and were tabbed on eels that boaters swam along the sod banks on Barnegat Bay at night. The bass were hung from the surf on clams or on lures like Bombers, and blues schooled up and down the surf. Nobody really fished for blowfish on the bay anymore. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, eels and the full supply of baits is stocked.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Bluefish 10 to 15 pounds blitzed the surf heavily today, said Nick from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. They seemed to invade along the entire length of Long Beach Island from Barnegat Light to Beach Haven. Surf angling was mostly about blues, but Nick heard about a 56-pound striped bass, the biggest he heard about in some time, that was entered in the LBI Surf Fishing Classic today, and was caught from the surf at Haven Beach. Ocean boaters managed a few stripers, but the angling, again, was about blues, big ones, all-out blitzes. Nick and a friend took a trip on the ocean that could pick the pod of slammers to fight, crazy fishing on rubber shads, metal or anything like that. Barnegat Bay was where striper fishing was on fire. Fishing for them with livelined spots was a sure bet to hook up on the bay toward the inlet. A 38-pound striper was weighed in on Wednesday that was plugged on a popper lure at Double Creek Channel. Nick heard about a few 20-pounders that came from there that day. A night bite for stripers was under way that few anglers knew about. The fish were eeled at night along the main channel and at the inlet, and they were plugged at night on the flats. Only a few boaters knew to target them. At the flats they anchored and tossed swimming plugs like Bombers or Bomber A-Salts in black or purple. Live spots, fresh bunker and fresh clams are stocked.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Trolling turned up good-sized striped bass to 30 pounds in the ocean in 35 to 40 feet on Tuesday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. No birds worked the waters, but the fish finder marked stripers, and the trip trolled through them. T.J. knew about other anglers who livelined stripers on spots and eels in the white waters at Little Egg Inlet. Blackfish charters and open-boat trips will kick off on November 16, when the bag limit is jacked up to six of the tog from the current limit of one.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Catches of striped bass were building, but there was no consistency to the angling from one day to the next, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish were boated at Little Egg Inlet on Tuesday, and none was on Wednesday. But stripers to 30 pounds were wrestled aboard from the inlet at times. Clams seemed the most popular bait, but some anglers had other favorites like bunker. Sometimes stripers popped up in the ocean. On Wednesday a husband and wife bagged four stripers to 28.9 pounds, released more and hooked blues while trolling Stretch 25 lures on the ocean. They kept seeing small flocks of birds working the waters, and trolled through them to catch. They were into solid fish, while the inlet gave up no bass that day. Scott heard chatter on the radio on Wednesday about a flurry of stripers caught at the brick pile at Marshelder Channel late in the day a couple of hours into incoming tide. Anglers had striper fever, and the catches began a little early. Scott usually says the fishing begins locally around October 25. Nothing much was heard about other fishing, because everyone striper fished. No news came in about tog or white perch. A few customers bought live grass shrimp, probably for perch fishing. The shrimp are stocked, and so are fresh, shucked clams, fresh bunker, fresh herring, eels and green crabs.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Action with striped bass kept anglers catching  even if the fishing wasn’t yet “full bore,” said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. The fish were scattered around, and numerous 10- to 25-pounders were weighed in, and Chris Gaines stopped by with a 28-1/2-pounder and a 27-1/2-pounder he eeled at night along the Intracoastal Waterway along with other bass. Another angler plopped a 25-1/2-pounder on the scale and bagged another keeper on the trip. Sean Fox brought in a 20-pounder. Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, ran a charter that totaled six keepers to a 13-1/2-pounder, releasing eight shorts. The 13-1/2-pounder was wrestled in at the Brigantine Bridge, and the rest were claimed while the trip bounced around to different places on the back bay. Live spots, live eels, fresh clams and fresh bunker all caught the fish on the bay, and also on the ocean. Surf anglers pumped in stripers mostly on clams or bunker. Not much was heard about bluefish, except about blues fought farther north. Tog fishing was hopping at the bridges, sod banks, jetties and other structure. The blackfish were abundant all around Margate, and hugged the jetties at Absecon Inlet, and some big ones were reported from there. The slipperies also snapped at the ocean wrecks. Curt, a white perch angler, “lost” the perch on the Mullica River, he said, and hadn’t had time to look for them more. The slabs were supposed to school at the mouth of the river, but he only located a handful there. He also hooked no stripers there in recent trips, though anglers sometimes reeled in stripers toward the mouth at places like around Graveling Point. Anglers had to put in time to catch stripers there, and couldn’t’ expect to hook up on a first trip. Slack tides were times to fish, and mornings and evenings seemed to up the chances a bit, and mid day wasn’t a hot time. Live spots, mullet and eels are stocked, and so are fresh clams, fresh bunker and a large supply of baits.

<b>Brigantine</b>

At Brigantine surf anglers patiently waited for striped bass fishing to take hold, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. But a couple of stripers were checked in. John Wexler took the lead in the shop’s striper derby with a 25-1/2-pound 41-1/2-inch stripers he belted from the Brigantine front beach on a Riptide Rotter clam, one of the older clams the shop sells at a discount, a bait some anglers swear works better than fresh. A 28-inch striper was also checked in. Boaters ran across lots of stripers from shorts to small keepers, averaging 15 hooked, on one day lately on spots and eels. Plenty of fresh bunker and fresh clams are stocked, and live spots and eels are on hand.  The 5th annual Riptide Striped Bass Derby is under way, lasting until the end of the year. Entrants win cash awards for the biggest stripers caught from the surf along Brigantine’s front beach. First place wins $750, and 2nd cops $400, and 3rd earns $150. The entrant with the biggest bass each month wins $25. The rest of the proceeds are donated to charity, and the event donated more than $13,000 to charity since the tournament began, Andy said. Phil Fors from Rolling Tackle Box donated a 13-foot Breakaway HDX surf rod that will be awarded to the entrant with the biggest striper during the week after Halloween or November 1 to 7. The entry fee for the tournament is $20, and entry must be accompanied by a Brigantine beach buggy permit. That way all entrants get to drive the beach to fish.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Loads of herring filled the surf, and small weakfish and small blues ran along the beaches, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Sometimes big kingfish were yanked from the surf off the boardwalk. Striped bass were occasionally searched out along the surf, and a 27-pounder was the biggest weighed in. Tons of tog, a ridiculous amount, crunched baits along the jetties. Fish were plentiful in the wash, and many of these fish were also picked up around the back waters. In the surf, anglers fished with cut bait including fresh bunker and fresh herring and also bloodworms. All these baits and more, a full supply, including minnows and green crabs, are stocked.

Blackfish swam thick everywhere from the back bay, along structure including the bridges, to the ocean wrecks, said Jeremy from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait &  Tackle</b>. Striped bass fishing was really picking up, becoming great, on the bay, like along the Brigantine Bridge and other bridges, on live baits including spots. Striper fishing was slow in the surf, but some were angled from farther north toward Long Beach Island and beyond. They were on their way. Small blues and small weakfish roamed the surf all over. Offshore fishing for tuna wasn’t so terrific. Some were caught, but action was sporadic. Live spots, eels and green crabs are stocked, and fresh clams and fresh bunker are carried.

<b>Longport</b>

Locally striped bass will probably push down into the ocean in a week or so, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. He’ll try to target them next week on charters and open-boat trips, and an open trip might fish on Saturday for whatever’s biting. A 30-mile wreck-fishing, open-boat trip is on the books for November 1, when sea bass season opens. The lumpheads should be stacked up, after nobody pressured them. One of the annual Cast and Blast Trips, outings that both fish and gun for ducks in the same day, sailed Wednesday. The passengers scored a good shoot, bagging seven ducks or so on a flat calm ocean with a little rain. They did no fishing this time, but if interested in Cast and Blast Trips, the outings will be available for sea ducks and stripers. 

<b>Ocean City</b>

More and more catches of striped bass were heard about, and the fishing was nothing terrific yet, but the surf gave up a few, and the back bay turned out good numbers, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Stripers in the bay were small but were the most abundant, and they were hooked on “top-waters and stuff,” he said. In the surf the bass were landed mostly on bait like clams or bunker. Anglers who Ed fishes with picked at lots of small stripers along the jetties. A few stripers were plucked from Great Egg Harbor Inlet and Corson’s Inlet on eels and spots. A few boaters trolled for stripers on the ocean but grabbed none yet. Local striper fishing traditionally takes off around Election Day, give or take a week. The fish already arrived farther north, so they were coming. A few blues, nothing spectacular, showed up everywhere from the bay to the inlets to the surf. They blitzed the waters on Friday, and some appeared on Saturday. Tog anglers found strong catches all around – from the ocean to the jetties to the back-bay structure like docks. The bag limit was one, but the action was great, mostly on any kind of crab. The bag limit will be amped up to six of the fish on November 16.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A few striped bass began to be beached from the surf, and customers bought lots of fresh bunker and fresh clams for the angling, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. A 15-pounder was weighed in, and sometimes birds began to work the waters. Occasional small bluefish hit the surf, and sand sharks were around in the waters. Birds sometimes worked the ocean farther from shore, but there was no sustained bird plays. No big stripers or big blues – migrating fish – arrived yet. But signs of the impending migration, like the birds and water temps 61 or 62 degrees, according to the paper, were under way. Wes would recommend fishing for stripers on the bay with clams or bunker in a chum slick. Two kids lost a 40-inch striper in the bay on a popper lure. Small weakfish reportedly schooled the ocean near the shore. Anglers could fish for them with small strips of squid, pieces of clam or jigs. Tog certainly hovered along structure like the bridges, and green crabs are stocked for bait. So is fresh bunker, fresh clams, fresh mullet when available, frozen mullet, other frozen baits and live eels.

A few bird plays worked the ocean, and fish swam underneath some, and none swam under others, but fall fishing was on the cusp of greatness, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Every time Joe heads to the waters now, he anticipates that the fishing for large, migrating striped bass and blues could bust wide open. The signs were just unfolding that the run was impending: the bird plays, cooler water temperatures and tons of bait in the ocean. He landed a few blues on the ocean lately, and heard about stripers sometimes caught there. Hooking them was a matter of right place, right time. A few stripers were beached in the surf here and there. When the migration begins, his charters will shellack the bass and blues on soft-plastic lures like Fin-S Fish on jigheads or bucktails or from time to time on metal. They’ll also fly-rod the catches. Blues are usually predominant at first during the run, but usually some ratio of blues and stripers comes through in the beginning. The population of stripers then grows. November is prime time for the angling, and anglers should book trips without delay, because dates are filling up. Joe’s annual weekend getaways that fish the migration at Montauk are slated to sail for the final time this season during the weekend.   

<b>Wildwood</b>

Fishing was weathered out during the weekend on the party boat <b>Adventurer</b>, Capt. Gary said. Open-boat trips are sailing on Saturdays, and forecasts looked questionable for this Saturday, but anglers could call the vessel to confirm whether the boat will run. The crew is looking forward to the start of striper fishing on the ocean, and Gary heard about none of the fish locally so far. Previously trips fished for blues, croakers and blackfish on the ocean. Charters are fishing, and open-boat trips are sailing 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

<b>Cape May</b>

Delaware Bay boaters began to reel in a few of the season’s first striped bass at places including 60-Foot Slough, 20-Foot Slough, Tussy’s Slough and the Cock and Balls, said Dan from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. A 30-pounder was tackled on Wednesday at the C and B on a bunker head. Chunks of fresh bunker or fresh clams were the usual baits. Surf anglers began to cull a few stripers mixed in with blues, and they hoped that once the blues cleared out, more stripers would be dragged in. Most of the sharpies fished with clams for the bass, but bunker was also used. Tog were sometimes racked up from along the jetties, and fishing for them was good at the 50-Cent Bridge. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and all the baits are stocked.

One of the boats from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> was moved to Cape May from Tuckerton this week, like the vessel is each year for striped bass fishing, and charters for the bass will be ready to roll this weekend, Capt. T.J. said. Plus he got first-hand news that a few stripers began to be bunker-chunked in Delaware Bay in the past few days. Another angler from the dock chunked five on Monday. Charters are sailing, and so are open-boat trips/shared charters. See the <a href=" http://www.legallimitcharters.com/c-11-open-boat.aspx" target="_blank">open-boat/shared charter schedule</a> online. T.J.’s other vessel is striper fishing from Tuckerton, and trolled good-sized stripers to 30 pounds on the ocean near Tuckerton in 35 to 40 feet on Tuesday. No birds worked the waters, but striper marks were read on the fish finder, and trip trolled through them. T.J. knew about other anglers who livelined stripers on spots and eels in the white waters at Little Egg Inlet near Tuckerton lately. The vessel in Tuckerton will begin to focus on blackfishing when the bag limit is increased to six of the tog on November 16 from the current limit of one. Both charters and open trips will sail for the slipperies.

The season’s first striped bass trip will launch this weekend with <b>O-Beth Sportfishing Charters</b>, Capt. Eric said. Charters will bunker chunk for the fish on Delaware Bay for now. Stripers might show up in the Cape May Rips at some point, and then trips will fish on either the bay or at the rips, wherever the angling is best. In the rips bucktails, live spots or live eels are fished. Waters cooled, and the time of year was here when the first striper catches should begin. O-Beth will also fish for tog when the bag limit is hiked up to six of the blackfish on November 16 from the current limit of one.

On the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> the season’s first striped bass charter is set for Saturday, Capt. George said.  The anglers will fish with chunks of bunker on Delaware Bay, and they’ll mix in tog fishing afterward. Tog definitely hovered around the wrecks. George heard about a few stripers, not many, landed locally. He knew about no boats that fished this week, and most were supposed to begin striper fishing this weekend. Striper tournaments are slated for the weekend. Call if interested in a striper charter. 

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