Note: This report was updated on a Friday instead of the usual Thursday because of Thanksgiving.
<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>
A couple of anglers limited out on striped bass Tuesday on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in a report on the boat’s Web site. The high hook landed three keepers, and Ron Sidorski won the pool with an 18-pound beauty. The trip “slugged and picked” at the fish when lots of life showed up in the morning, Capt. Ron said. Several areas produced the fish later in the day, and big blues were around on the trip, “but nothing like the past week,” the captain said. Lots of small stripers recently “came out of nowhere,” he said. No report was posted on the site for Wednesday, maybe because winds were forecast to gust to 40 knots that morning. No trip was slated to sail on Thanksgiving. Lots of great striper fishing was still to come, Capt. Ron said. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
Lots of striped bass were jigged on boats along the ocean beaches, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Boaters also clammed lots of stripers along the beaches. Surf fishing was good for stripers, and the fish were angled at Sea Bright and at Sandy Hook’s north beach. Blues also came from the surf. Healthy catches of blackfish were boated.
Blackfishing was good on trips Monday and Tuesday like usual lately on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Some anglers limited out, and some landed three or four keepers, and occasionally anglers reeled in no keepers. But there was plenty of action with shorts, and a few more ling than before showed up. Clams are carried on the boat for ling fishing, in addition to crabs supplied for blackfish. Sometimes anglers gave ling fishing a try, but others never tried for ling, because blackfishing was so good. It was just good fishing, Tom said. Wednesday’s trip was weathered out from winds, and no trips was slated for Thanksgiving. The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
<b>Highlands</b>
Striped bass fishing broke wide open Wednesday along the ocean beaches and farther out, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>. Striper fishing’s been super, and his trips trolled and jigged for the fish. Blackfishing was also hot, and charters can do a combo of fishing for both in one outing.
Boaters only occasionally sailed from the docks, typical for the time of season, but striped bass were eeled at usual places like Flynn’s Knoll, Romer Shoal and off Sandy Hook Point, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. One of the charter boats from the marina was clamming stripers. Boaters who did sail also scarfed up plenty of blackfish on green crabs. The marina remains open through the whole year, and eels and frozen baits are stocked. During the season fresh baits and more live baits, the full selection, are carried.
<b>Neptune</b>
If any anglers aboard didn’t limit out on blackfish on Monday’s trip, that was because of fishing experience, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>. Fishing for the tog was a pick, was slower, on Tuesday’s trip, but the angling turned on again on Wednesday’s trip, not great fishing, but good. An 11-1/2-pounder was the biggest blackfish caught aboard in the past few days. Many of Last Lady’s individual-reservation trips for blackfish are filling up. Dates with openings for the trips include: December 5, 18, 24 (Christmas Eve), 26 and 31 (New Year’s Eve); January 1 (New Year’s Day); and all weekends in January. Ralph will also add more of the trips if anglers have a few people who want to go. Charters are also sailing for blackfish and striped bass, and striper fishing was good.
<b>Belmar</b>
Fishing for striped bass improved a lot on the ocean, and a new body of the fish seemed to move in, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Nan Sea J</b>. The bass to 18 pounds were jigged on the boat, and plenty of blues remained in the area. Waters stayed relatively warm, keeping blues around, and the temps will probably keep stripers around a while. A blackfish charter was supposed to sail on Thanksgiving, and the Nan Sea J is also running open-boat blackfish trips, and call for the schedule.
Blackfishing was mostly consistent on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, except for slow angling for the tog Wednesday and last week on Tuesday, Capt. Chris said. The vessel began sailing for them that Tuesday, because the bag limit increased then. The fishing was a bit tough this week on Wednesday for some reason, and Chris couldn’t know if winds were the cause. Except for those two days, lots of anglers aboard limited out. Pool-winning blackfish weighed 7 to 10 pounds, and many of the catches came on white leggers and tiger crabs. Green crabs are supplied on the boat, and anglers can purchase other crabs like white leggers or tiger crabs when carried aboard. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
Good fishing for striped bass and blues was belted on the ocean on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, Capt. Alan said. Trips sailed every day lately except today, and rains, winds and forecasts seemed to keep enough anglers from showing up. Striper fishing was better on some days than others, and about 25 were landed on a trip on Thanksgiving, a shorter trip than usual, because of the holiday, with only 25 or 28 anglers aboard. On some days blues swam thick, and on other days sporadic blues turned up. Trips will keep sailing for the fish probably another two weeks, until the angling drops off. Then the vessel will go to the boat yard for maintenance and resume fishing during the last week of December for mackerel. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
Surf fishing was surprisingly dead, and should’ve been jumping this time of year, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. But that could change in an instant, and probably will change. He surf fishes every day, and found no fish since last Friday. The party boats caught stripers on the ocean, and the fish seemed farther from shore in 60 to 80 feet. Blackfishing was good on the party boats that targeted them.
<b>Brielle</b>
Fishing celebrities including Nick Honachefsky, Al Ristori and Tony Maja jumped aboard the <b>Big Kid</b> on Monday, limiting out on blackfish, also reeling up cod, ling and sea bass, Capt. Ken said. On Tuesday the Mike Peters family sailed for a mixed bag of sea bass and blackfish. A trip Wednesday was weathered out. Charters are also fishing for striped bass, and the linesiders were beaten on the ocean to the south off Island Beach State Park. Whales and bluefin tuna also swam waters there. Openings are available for blackfishing in December, and the Big Kid sails all year.
What a great beginning to blackfishing, said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> in an e-mail. Trips began targeting the tog when the blackfish bag limit increased last week, and every outing limited out so far on the boat. Plenty of 4- to 7-pounders – “nice-sized roasters,” he said – were racked up. Trips also stopped for striped bass and blues, adding them to catches. “With the holidays coming up, don’t forget to tell your loved ones what you really want for Christmas!” he said. Fish Monger gift certificates are available for charters and open-boat trips for 2011. It’s also never too early to book trips for 2011. Weekend dates from June through August were already booking up, and dates for fall blackfishing in 2011 will be accepted starting January 1. Book multiple trips and save. Also take advantage: Weekday marathon fluke bucktailing charters, trips that sail for more hours, are on tap for the same price as a regular charter for 2001. “No extra cost; just extra fishing time!” Jerry said. “Give a buzz! Happy Holidays.”
<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>
With <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> trips are mostly striped bass fishing and blackfishing, often fishing for a mixed bag of both on the same outing, Capt. Fred said. But if trips for stripers and bluefish want to mix in fishing for bluefin tuna that swim close to shore this time of year, that’s an option. During many years, the bluefins are almost impossible to catch. The fish are migrating, and for unknown reasons are difficult to hook then. But the bluefins actually hit lures lately. One customer wanted to target the bluefins recently, and two were hooked on stick baits. One was lost after an hour fight, and the other was lost after 10 minutes. A charter last week on Friday on the first drift limited out on stripers to the south in the fleet on jigs, a report on Andrea’s Toy’s Web site said. The anglers then caught and released additional stripers and more than 30 blues. Then they fished for blackfish, and the angling was a slow pick, giving up lots of shorts and only six keepers. The trip returned to jigging, fighting another 20 blues. A trip the previous day first jigged one keeper striper and two dozen blues. The anglers then fished for blackfish, and three were new to the tog fishing. But they caught on quickly, landing 25 keepers and a bunch of shorts in a couple of hours. They returned to jigging, waxing five keeper stripers to 15 pounds and 15 blues. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner.
Bottom fishing on the <b>Dauntless</b> turned out sea bass, ling, blackfish and bluefish, not many of any one species, but a mix of all, and anglers averaged 10 to 20 fish apiece, and the crew was happy with the angling, Capt. Butch said. Probably 20 porgies were also bagged around the boat per day. But large ones were drilled, and a couple weighed 3 to 4 pounds the other day. Some sea bass, not a lot, were around. Ling fishing began to improve a bit. Trips usually fished in 120 to 140 feet, and waters were 52 to 56 degrees. The higher temps were in the deeper waters, and the ocean near the beaches was around 50 degrees. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.
After the trip Tuesday stayed out late and traveled far north to put together a catch of a few keeper striped bass, short bass, blues and dog sharks, the striper fishing sounded better on Wednesday’s trip on the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b>, according to e-mails from the vessel. Wednesday’s trip caught keeper stripers, including some limits of three with bonus tags, and short stripers. The Cock Robin is sailing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily except 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
<b>Bricktown</b>
Boaters said they ran into unbelievable fishing for striped bass on the ocean Wednesday, said Capt. Rich from <b>Jersey Hooker Outfitters Bait & Tackle</b>. Those were the only details heard, but two customers at the shop said they nailed the fish. Most news was scarce, but blackfish were angled from the Point Pleasant Canal. Surf fishing was beat. <b><i>***Black Friday Sale:***</i></b> Up to 25% savings on select items 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the store. <b><i>***Tautog Charter Special:***</i></b> Catch the special discount on 5 hours of blackfishing with <b>Jersey Hooker Charters</b>, sailing from Point Pleasant Beach’s Canyon River Club Marina.
<b>Toms River</b>
Angling in the surf was slow, and nobody set the world on fire, but stripers and blues were sometimes beached, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Seas had been too calm for the fishing during the first part of the week, and east winds to rough them up could be used. Frank Riess weighed in a 32-pound 2-ounce striper he clammed in the Lavallette surf. Ed Smith checked in a 17-pound 12-ounce striper he banked from the surf at Seaside Park on clam. Surf anglers fished with clams or mullet, and the baits worked about equal. But boaters trolled and jigged quality catches of stripers and blues on the ocean. They trolled Mann’s Stretch plugs or umbrella rigs. A few boaters eeled stripers at night along Barnegat Bay’s sod banks. Blackfishing was productive at the ocean wrecks and reefs.
<b>Seaside Heights</b>
Big striped bass and big blues slammed the surf at Seaside Heights on Wednesday evening between the Casino Pier and the Fun Town Pier, said Scott from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Anglers talked about stripers to 35 pounds and blues larger than 15 pounds whaled in the blitz. Reports rolled in about fish blitzing the surf at Sea Girt early that day. When fish really storm the surf all sorts of lures work well, including metal and swimming plugs. Skinny-profiled ones were choices because of sand eels in the waters. When fewer fish are around, clams and bunker are baits to fish. Eeling for stripers to 32 inches was consistent along Barnegat Bay’s sod banks at night for the past month. That was a happening way to clock the linesiders. Plenty of stripers were socked under the bridges at night on swimming plugs, soft-plastic lures like Fin-S Fish and any lures that imitated spearing. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, eels and all the baits are stocked. Catch Wacky Wednesdays every week, when clams are $2 per dozen.
<b>Forked River</b>
Ocean boaters trolled and jigged solid catches of striped bass off Island Beach State Park when they had the weather to go, said Dave from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. They trolled Stretch plugs and umbrella rigs. Blues also ran around the waters. Stripers were eeled here and there along Barnegat Bay’s sod banks at night. Nobody mentioned blackfish catches, but customers picked up green crabs for the fishing. The crabs are stocked, and so are fresh clams and live eels. Fresh bunker is carried when available.
<b>Barnegat Light</b>
Two striped bass 36 and 35 inches had just been weighed in from the surf when Bill from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b> gave this report over the phone this afternoon. One was banked at Brant Beach, and the other was taken at Loveladies. Blues sporadically swam the surf, but more stripers did. Bunker claimed most of the bass. Not much was heard from boaters fishing the ocean, but when they did sail, they trolled and jigged stripers. Boating for stripers was productive at Barnegat Inlet on livelined spots. Blackfish were definitely grabbed from the Barnegat Inlet jetty, and some were plucked from around rocks at the condo docks. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, fresh and live corncob mullet, live spots and green crabs are stocked.
<b>Barnegat</b>
The <b>Hi Flier</b> was out every day, and anglers onboard decked striped bass on the ocean while jigging and trolling and on Barnegat Bay while livelining spots, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. The stripers were mostly 26 to 36 inches, and a good ratio were keepers. Big, gator blues were still around, and water temps held strong at 51 degrees. The Hi Flier will sail for stripers well into December, maybe until Christmas. Both the stripers and the blues were gorged with sand eels. West winds are forecast to blow through the weekend, and that will make for a flat ocean and excellent fishing. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing daily, and open trips are slated for 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, Sunday and Monday. The outings are expected to run up the ocean beaches, looking for working birds or readings to jig the fish. The trolling rods are always kept onboard in case a trip needs to troll to find fish. On some days trolling is the way to put a few fish in the boat. But Dave leaves the choice of jigging or trolling up to the anglers. Open trips are limited to three anglers and will sail with one. Call to reserve.
<b>Surf City</b>
A big blitz of fish crashed the Long Beach Island surf during the weekend, and now the fishing was back to slow and steady, said Steve from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. Striped bass and blues were picked up on clams and bunker. Stripers were swiped on livelined spots at Barnegat Inlet, and blackfish were green-crabbed along the Barnegat Inlet jetty. Fresh clams and bunker are stocked.
<b>Mystic Island</b>
Striped bass fishing stayed great, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Bunker tumbled down the coast, so he hopes that’ll keep stripers around. The fishing around Thanksgiving historically begins to taper off and “change,” he said. But the fishing at Little Egg Inlet was “just as good as you could expect,” he said. Boaters there fish with fresh clams or fresh bunker. Ocean boaters on Wednesday lambasted stripers! “A dream come true,” Scott said. The boaters hugged tight to the beach in waters that the land protected from strong winds, motoring north from the inlet, within one-third-of-a-mile off Long Beach Island, locating stripers by sighting either bunker pods or gannets working the waters. Trolled Stretch 25 plugs were “the magic lure,” he said. Big blues 10 to 12 pounds were also slammed. Along Great Bay, striper fishing never happened this fall from shore from Graveling Point, surprising because the fishing was great there the past two years. Also surprising because plenty of stripers bit at the inlet and in the Mullica River, and Graveling Point is located between the two. A flurry of catches took off at Graveling a moment some weeks ago, but stopped. Scott heard a report about good fishing for blackfish on the ocean close to shore because of winds Wednesday. Practically anyone who fished for the tog limited out lately. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms, green crabs and eels are stocked.
<b>Absecon</b>
Excellent striped bass fishing was pounded at Absecon Inlet on livelined eels and spots, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Striper fishing in general picked up a bit lately. Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, ran a charter on Tuesday that limited out on stripers, including bonus-tag fish, all sizeable bass, by 10:30 a.m. at the inlet. Curt took a trip with friends including Tony Genovese that creamed stripers on fresh bunker heads at the Brigantine Bridge. The catch included Tony’s 33-pounder, Curt’s pair of 20-pounders and one of the friend’s 29- and 28-1/2-inchers. Stripers at the bridge bit best on slack tides recently, and low slack seemed better. If anglers can get fresh bunker, Curt recommends fishing with them. For this trip he heard about bunker swimming near the Absecon Inlet jetty, so the trip headed there at first, snagging the menhaden for bait. Fishing for stripers on the ocean depended on the weather. Motor to the ocean on west or northwest winds, because the land shelters waters close to shore during those winds. Boaters scored stripers at the Brigantine Lump in the ocean the other day. Blues also swam the ocean. Blackfishing in the back waters like along the Brigantine Bridge was hampered by dirty waters because of winds in the past days. But Curt with two anglers on a trip last week bagged 14 blackfish, almost a limit of the fish, including a couple of 6-pounders, and they could’ve limited out if they fished longer. Curt, a white perch angler, found lots of small perch on the Mullica River. Fishing for bigger ones should improve once the next cold front moves through.
<b>Brigantine</b>
Boaters crushed striped bass at Absecon Inlet on eels, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Corey Kessler eeled a couple that weighed in the teens at the inlet. Lou Figler boated a 13-pounder and a 12-pounder right away on a trip, and headed back in. From the surf Bob Ferri checked in a 34-pound 11-ounce striper, the biggest of the week at the shop. He took over second place in the store’s striper derby with the fish. Stripers weighed in from the surf also included Al “Fireman” Stella’s 28-pounder, Jeff Zuber’s 26-pounder, Gabriel Kunze’s 21-pounder and father and son Joe and Joey Smith’s 17-pounder. Surf fishing was mostly slow, but sometimes the fish bit there. Four-hundred pounds of fresh bunker for bait for the angling was stocked at the shop on Thanksgiving. The 5th annual Riptide Striped Bass Derby is under way, lasting until the end of the year, and Steve DiGiacomo was in the lead with a 46-1/2-pound 51-incher. 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. 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>
Absecon Inlet and the back bay lit up with striped bass catches, apparently starting last week on Tuesday, said Curt from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. The action held up this week, and the fish seemed the first stripers from the ocean that arrived in numbers this season. Not much was heard about stripers from the surf. No blues were around in the surf and inlet. Blues swam farther out in the ocean, and so did stripers. Lots of the fish schooled beyond 3 miles from shore, where striper fishing is closed. Blackfish hovered along the bridges and jetties but no longer farther back in the bay this season. Live spots and eels and fresh clams and bunker are stocked.
<b>Longport</b>
Trolling and jigging axed great fishing for striped bass and blues on the ocean on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Stretch 25 and 30 lures were trolled, and Ava 47 metal lures were jigged, and trips trolled until the fish were located. Then the anglers jigged for them, lots of fun. No blackfishing was done during the last trips, because striper fishing was so good. But blackfishing mugged the tog on the boat previously. Mostly open-boat trips sail this time of year, and openings are available through next week. Call to reserve. Charters are also sailing, especially on trips to the deep-water wrecks for sea bass and cod. Take advantage of sea bassing before the season for the fish closes January 1. Cast and Blast Trips, charters and open-boat trips that gun for ducks and fish in the same day, were weathered out this week, but are sailing until January 20. Call if interested in a Cast and Blast, either on a charter or an open trip.
<b>Ocean City</b>
Anglers fishing from the beach dragged in striped bass, not so many blues, but a blue here or there, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. More blues were taken from boats on the ocean, and the boaters trolled and jigged striped bass. They trolled at first to locate the fish, pulling Stretch 25 or 30 lures or umbrella rigs. Once the fish were found, the boaters stopped and jigged for them. Fish swam the inlets, and stripers were especially bunker chunked at Great Egg Harbor Inlet. Lots of blackfish littered the ocean wrecks and reefs. Not many of the tog swam the back bay anymore, and the fish apparently moved to the ocean for the season. Stripers were hung from the bay at night, mostly on dark-colored lures like black Bombers or dark Yozuris.
<b>Sea Isle City</b>
Many striped bass were now weighed in from the surf, and boaters scored well on stripers and blues on the ocean, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. So long as anglers got the weather to fish in either place – and fair weather was the challenge – they caught. In Wes’s years of being in the business, he’s noticed that the peak of the fishing, the time when the full mass of fish is migrating past the coast, lasts about three weeks, and he believes that time is currently in the second week. In the surf, if anglers want to fish with bait for stripers, clams and bunker are producing. When more experienced anglers wanted to fish for stripers in the surf with lures, they stalked the fish with lures, seeming not to catch fish that were as big, but landed greater numbers. The surf was 52 degrees. Striper fishing in the back bay was just beginning to slow down for the season, and the waters were becoming cold. But stripers, smaller fish, certainly remained in the bay, and should remain another two weeks. Christmas is usually the limit for when that fishing holds up. Blackfishing was also slowing in the back bay, and the waters seemed to hold smaller ones. But bigger ones seemed to be showing up in the ocean, and the ocean fishing was good. Sea bass swam the ocean, and the fishing was best in deeper waters.
More than a dozen striped bass to 18 pounds, two blues to 15 pounds and all the dog sharks anyone could want were jigged on the ocean on a trip on Thanksgiving, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Harry Franks Sr. and Jr. and Dustin Larricks were aboard, and seas were calm, and just a little drizzle fell. Though only two blues bit on the trip, plenty of blues seemed to be around for boaters lately. Jersey Cape will keep fishing for stripers and blues on the ocean, and this was the fall migration, producing the best fishing of the year. Striper fishing on the back bay started to slow down for the season, and stripers in the bay were small, but the fish still bit there. Annual traveling charters to the Florida Keys, weekend getaways, will fish again this winter starting in January with Jersey Cape. Anglers can arrive on Friday evening, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, and return that day. See the <a href="http://www.gibsonstackle.com/page6.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Traveling Charters Web page</a>. Keep up with Joe’s fishing, photos and videos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.
<b>Cape May</b>
Catches of striped bass seemed somewhat to improve, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. His trips eeled and bucktailed the fish at the Cape May Rips. A mix of keepers and throwbacks swam the waters, and bluefish were around. A bunch of big blues were fought on a trip Sunday. Delaware Bay boaters bunker chunked stripers. Dates are available for charters on weekdays and during the second weekend of December. That will be the final weekend of the season for trips on the boat. Call if interested in striper fishing, and the angling was going strong.
Trips limited out on striped bass at the Cape May Rips every day through Wednesday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. Some good-sized ones 35 to 45 inches were hauled in, and 25 to 30 throwbacks were let go each outing. Anglers aboard fished with live spots and eels, and the baits worked equally. Charters are fishing, and so are shared charters/open-boat trips. The open-boat schedule was full through this weekend. T.J.’s other boat is fishing from Tuckerton for blackfish and stripers with his brother at the helm, but T.J. heard no news about those trips in the past days. The most recent trips blackfished on that vessel, cleaning up on lots of the tog.
Surf fishing began to shovel up striped bass and a few slammer blues mixed in, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish blitzed the beaches a couple of times, and anglers dunked bunker or clams for bait. Boaters jigged and trolled the fish on the ocean. Boaters bunker chunked plenty of stripers on Delaware Bay, and 20-Foot Slough seemed especially productive. Occasional big blues were boated on the bay. Striper fishing went well at the Cape May Rips on eels or bucktails. Lots of blackfish were pumped in from the ocean wrecks and reefs. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, eels and green crabs are stocked.