<b>Perth Amboy</b>

Sixty-five striped bass were landed by 10 a.m. on a trip Wednesday on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an e-mail that day. “It doesn’t get any better than this,” he said. The anglers kept no more than a limit. Boat traffic is light on weekdays like that, and jigging for stripers is incredible, he said. Space is available for a charter or an open-boat trip Friday, and telephone to climb aboard. Open trips are available when no charter is booked, and the boat will now sail from Highlands at Sandy Hook Marina, instead of Perth Amboy. That’s because the blackfish bag limit will be increased to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one, and Highlands is closer to the blackfish grounds. <b>***Update, Thursday, 11/14:***</b> “Evil out here,” Frank wrote in an e-mail aboard this morning. Seas were rough, but the trip limited out on stripers and released more. As long as sand eels stick around, the stripers will, he said. “A good spinning outfit with braid is the ticket,” he said. <b>***Update, Friday, 11/15:***</b> Today’s trip also limited out on stripers, Frank wrote in an e-mail. More than 40 of the fish were landed, and the anglers kept no more than a limit.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Right from the start, jigging was very good for striped bass on Wednesday’s trip on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Some of the anglers were newcomers aboard, and had never caught a keeper. They limited out on the bass to 22 pounds.  Watch a video of Wednesday’s trip. Tuesday’s trip shaped up to fish, and seven customers were aboard by 7:15 a.m. But winds blew, and the bay was nothing but white water, and snow began. A charter captain telephoned Ron, saying he had turned around, and the trip on the Fishermen was cancelled. Monday’s striper fishing aboard was super, “with more than enough limits to go around,” Ron said. Even the first-timers limited out and landed more, keeping no more than their quotas. A first-timer won the pool with a 23-pound striper. Stripers were jigged non-stop the first 2 hours. Those tough days a few weeks ago had vanished, Ron said. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays.

Boaters jigged, trolled and eeled striped bass, very good catches, and surf anglers pounded the bass at Sandy Hook the past four or five days, and stripers were also tackled on the bay, or they swam all over, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. In the surf, anglers didn’t plug them so much, but threw jigs and teasers that looked like sand eels. Fresh bunker must’ve caught, because peanut bunker sold at the shop. Stripers were also wormed from the beach. Sea bass were boated only at the Mudhole. The season was opened late for many of them to swim closer to shore. Nothing was heard about porgies, and blackfishing should be good, when the bag limit is pushed to six starting Saturday, from the current limit of one. All baits are stocked.

Trips will put effort into blackfishing starting Saturday on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. The bag limit will be increased to six that day, from the current limit of one. Customers will be welcome to fish for porgies and sea bass, too, and some places that are fished can hold all three. The boat last sailed on Monday, and the anglers picked at porgies and sea bass. Many of the sea bass were throwbacks, but some were keepers. The Atlantic Star is fishing   7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Highlands</b>

From <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Frank Rella on the 2 F’s trolled and jigged striped bass to 34 inches at the channel, Marion wrote in an e-mail. Roy, Brian and Frank trolled and jigged the bass at the channel, and also caught blackfish. Twin Lights, conveniently located on Shrewsbury River, with no bridges before Raritan Bay and the ocean, features boat slips, rack storage, a fuel dock, ship’s store supplies, and a complete bait and tackle shop. Bushels of clams and live bunker are available when in demand.

Striped bass fishing was unreal, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. “That’s the only way to put it,” he said. The fishing was close to port, only 15 to 20 minutes from the dock. Trips aboard caught the bass in every way: on diamond jigs, popper plugs, swimming lures and rubber shads. On some days, the fish could be eeled. On some, they were trolled. A trip aboard Wednesday limited out, including bonus tags, in 50 minutes, and was back at the slip by 9 a.m. Forty-three keepers and 20 throwbacks were landed, and the anglers kept no more than a limit. Starting Saturday, trips will fish for stripers, then go blackfishing. The blackfish bag limit will be hiked up to six that day, from the current limit of one. Charters are available, and dates are open in December. Fisher Price will fish until Christmas, “then see what happens,” Derek said. The next open-boat trip is set for Wednesday, and a few spaces are available for open trips later in the month. Telephone to jump aboard.

<b>Neptune</b>

Five youngsters and their dads fished for striped bass aboard today, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> wrote in an e-mail. They stopped fishing at 11 a.m., with 14 striped bass and a bluefish in the box. “Now is the time for stripers,” Ralph said. “Book a trip.” An individual-reservation trip for blackfish is full Saturday, the day the bag limit will be raised to six, from the current limit of one. But a few spaces are left for another on Sunday, and weather looks good. More of the blackfish trips are slated for November 24, 27 and 29, December 1, 7 and 8 and every Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday that’s not chartered. White leggers, green crabs and clams are supplied on the blackfish trips, and so is tackle. An individual-reservation trip for stripers will steam November 25, clamming, jigging or, as a last resort, trolling. Charters are available daily.

<b>Belmar</b>

The Striperthon on Monday smashed the fish on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Arriving on the fishing grounds early made a difference, and two thirds of the trip’s stripers were landed before any other boat arrived. After boat traffic developed, the trip picked stripers through the outing. Limits, sometimes three stripers per angler with a bonus tag, were the norm. The bass bagged weighed up to 25 pounds, and about a third of stripers hooked were throwbacks. Plenty of blues were socked, too. At sunrise, the striper fishing was a sight to see. The fish crashed popper lures the first hour. The stripers broke the water surface all over, with bird life everywhere. Afterward, the stripers were jigged on Ava 47’s and 67’s and Krocodiles. After that day, Monday, trips were weathered out, until today. Striper fishing was good on today’s trip, and blues were also whacked. Stripers were plentiful, and not all were keepers. But the high hook landed eight stripers, a mix of keepers and shorts, and a few blues. Most of the throwback stripers seemed to be hooked near bottom on jigs. The bigger stripers seemed to be cracked near the water surface on popper lures, rubber shads and jigs. “But every day is different,” the report said. The Golden Eagle is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Saturdays and Sundays. Striperthons are fishing 6 a.m. to 3:30 or 4 p.m. Mondays and Fridays.

The party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b> will begin fishing for blackfish daily on Saturday, Capt. Chris said. The bag limit will be lifted to six that day, from the current limit of one, and the boat’s trips put lots of effort into blackfishing. Take a trip to see. Green crabs will be provided, and white leggers will be available for sale aboard. The price of the whites, based on market price, couldn’t be known yet. The trips Saturday and Sunday will leave at 6 a.m. Afterward, the trips will run 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

“The (striped) bass are here, but when will they hit the beach in big numbers?” Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> asked in an e-mail. Boaters nailed some great fishing for stripers and bluefish up and down the local coast. But surf anglers had to be in the right place at the right time. On one day, stripers would pop up in the surf at Monmouth Beach. On another, they’d appear at Sandy Hook or Sea Bright. Then they’d show up farther south, from Bay Head to Seaside. For surf anglers to catch them, “you have to burn tanks of gas and long days,” Bob said. Plenty of sand eels schooled the waters, and bunker swam some areas. But fish weren’t on the bait at every place. Some surf casters filled in time by fishing for sundials that swam abundant this year. Sundials are great to eat. Belmar’s boats that bottom fished racked up very good catches of sea bass, porgies and blackfish. The blackfish bag limit will be increased to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one. That’s essentially the opening of blackfish season. “See you on the beach,” Bob said.

Some boaters fished Monday for striped bass on the ocean, slamming them, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Katie H</b>. Weather was rough afterward, but a charter sailed for stripers today on the Katie H on the ocean. The trip had to work for the fish, but trolled a good catch of the bass, and some large bluefish mixed in, to the south. More striper trips are booked for Saturday and Sunday aboard, and will also anchor for blackfish and maybe sea bass, if conditions are right. But plenty of dates are available for charters, and striper fishing has come on, or this is it. The blackfish bag limit will be shot up to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one, and Mike looks forward to the fishing. The 46-foot Katie H features speed and all the amenities. Comfort on an autumn day.

On the ocean, striped bass fishing was good, when winds allowed trips to sail, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. The bass swam tighter to the beach, so that helped. High pressure got the fish biting their heads off in past days. Sometimes the stripers could be jigged, and other times they were trolled. On Wednesday, they could be jigged sometimes, then would be trolled. Then bluefish would show up, and so on. Both keepers and shorts were hooked, and the fish gave up lots of action. The angling was good overall in past days. The ocean near Belmar was 55 or 56 degrees, and was 52 degrees farther north, toward Sandy Hook Point. Pete also looks forward to the blackfish bag limit being jumped up to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one. Blackfish charters are coming up. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Pete anyway, or <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">subscribe to Parker Pete’s e-mailed newsletter</a>, to be kept informed about individual-spaces available on charters. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page on the boat’s Web site.

<b>Brielle</b>

Fishing was good Monday for big sea bass and jumbo porgies, like it was during the weekend, on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Ryan wrote in an e-mail. A few cod came in on some trips. The weekend’s fishing was covered in the last report here, and winds apparently weathered out trips after Monday. Trips are slated to sail for sea bass 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today, Friday and Sunday and 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Sea bass, porgies and blackfish, decent catches, mostly sea bass, were swung aboard the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. On a couple of days, good-sized porgies were beaten, but porgies weren’t bailed on trips. A few blackfish were bagged, and a few more should be, starting Saturday, when the blackfish bag limit is pulled up to six, from the current limit of one. Trips fished in 80 to 100 feet, and waters there were 56 or 57 degrees. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.  

On the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, striped bass fishing today was the best of the season, Capt. Bob said at 12:30 p.m. in a phone call aboard the trip. The angling was very good, and the boat had already limited out, he thought, and the anglers were releasing more. The fishing sounded good to the north and to the south, too. Striper fishing was good up and down the coast today. The bass on the Gambler were good-sized, and few were throwbacks. Some weighed more than 20 pounds. The fish fed on sand eels, Bob guessed, and he saw none spit up bait. Ava 47 jigs seemed to catch best, with or without tails. But one angler fished an Ava 67 without a tail, had limited out 2 hours ago, and kept releasing more since then. A few big bluefish were in the mix, but the bluefish population seemed to thin out. The Gambler is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Special sea bass trips will sail offshore 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Fridays of December 20 and 27, and telephone the boat to reserve space on those outings.

<b>Toms River</b>

Fifty to 70 feet on the ocean held striped bass, mostly near Long Branch and Asbury Park, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Bluefish swam there, too. But stripers also schooled off Lavallette 1 or 1 ½ miles. In the surf, a few throwback stripers, occasionally a keeper, and sundials chewed. For the stripers, Ava’s with teasers were slung, but so was other metal, like Deadly Dicks, and lures, like Mambo Minnows and needlefish, with teasers. Clams were also dunked. In Barnegat Bay, eeling for stripers wasn’t so good. Anglers telephoned about green crabs for blackfishing. A buddy limited out on one blackfish every trip at Point Pleasant Canal, on clams. The limit will be jacked up to six on Saturday.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Surf anglers beached a few striped bass, not many, said Mario from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Boaters whaled them on the ocean. Even kayakers caught stripers well along the coast, including a customer. In the surf, fresh clams, fresh bunker and metal with teasers connected. The clams and bunker, eels and all the frozen baits an angler could need are stocked. The Dock Outfitters features an extensive supply of bait and tackle, a dock to fish and crab from and boat rentals for fishing and crabbing. Crabbing and boat rentals are available during the warmer months.

<b>Forked River</b>

Schools of striped bass were found near Barnegat Inlet on the ocean today, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Boaters trolled them on tubes and rubber shads, and jigged them on Ava’s or shads. Black tubes sold a lot. Trolled black-and-white shads and chartreuse caught.  Bluefish were heard about from the ocean last week, but not in past days. Weather was rough, so not a lot was heard about fishing. Some boaters on Barnegat Bay eeled for stripers along the sod banks. Clamming for stripers didn’t seem to catch for the bay’s boaters. Anglers headed out for blackfish. Green crabs, eels and all frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Some striped bass were boated today within a mile from Barnegat Inlet, said Vince Jr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. The fishing, on livelined spots and jigs, was pretty good, he said, and some big blues were tied into among them. Nothing was happening with stripers in Barnegat Bay. Blackfish probably still bit along Barnegat Inlet’s jetties a bit, Vince thought. But he heard nothing about them.  Bobbie’s includes a bait and tackle store, a fuel dock, boat and kayak rentals, and is known for a large bait selection. Baits currently include live spots, green crabs, fresh clams and fresh bunker.

Jigging for striped bass broke wide open this week, the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>’s Facebook page said today. Trips are jigging for striped bass and bluefish at 7 a.m. Fridays through Sundays. But one of the trips fished Monday for Veterans’ Day, and the anglers axed 18 keeper stripers and a few blues, and more should’ve been caught, compared with fish seen along the surface and marked on the fish finder. The crew at the time hoped that the fish would decide to bite soon. Apparently the fish did. 

Boaters ran into very good striped bass catches on the ocean near Barnegat Inlet on Wednesday, said Capt. Ted from the <b>Super Chic</b> on Tuesday. They jigged the fish, and previously sailed far north to catch.  Ted hoped the fishing would hold up near Barnegat, and trips aboard are slated to fish Friday through Tuesday. They’ll sail for stripers, but the trips on Saturday and Sunday will also blackfish. That’s because the blackfish bag limit will be raised to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one. Actually, the anglers for those two days mostly want to blackfish, but they’ll also fish for stripers. During the weekend aboard, stripers were hooked on Saturday, but only bluefish were on Sunday. No stripers could be found that day. The 56-foot boat can accommodate up to 25 anglers on inshore trips and 10 on overnight, offshore trips. The vessel sleeps 10 passengers.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Fished four days in a row – Friday through Monday. Had six nice bass, 12 to 22 pounds, on Friday, on jigs and trolled umbrella rigs and Maja #4 white bunker spoons. Only one fish on Saturday. On Sunday,  four nice fish on the troll, including my son Nick's new personal best, a 30-pounder. Okay, 29.4. But we're calling him 30, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC6cSHeL73I" target="_blank">here’s the video clip</a>. Back on Monday for two more fish, one just short, and one 14-pounder, both on the troll. All caught off Lavallette in 65 to 70 feet of water, mostly trolling sand eel umbrella rigs. Water temp is still 54 degrees, so we should still have plenty of time left. Monday was a pretty good day for the fleet, just not us. My custom umbrella rigs have been kicking butt this fall, but not on Monday. We got schooled by the guys dragging red or black Niners. Heard some good reports from the party boats north of our inlet jigging fish, so looking forward to some casting and jigging this weekend. Maybe some live spot fishing in the inlet and bay, too. Running open-boat this Saturday and Sunday, 6:30 a.m. departure. Targeting stripers along the coast, in the inlet or in the bay. Casting, jigging, trolling, livelining, whatever it takes. We’ll have it all. We can do a 6-hour trip or an 8-hour trip. I'll leave it up to you guys. Three person max. All fish are shared. Call to reserve a spot.”

<b>Surf City</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 11/15:***</b> In the surf, nothing was happening, said Joe from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. On Long Beach Island, neither striped bass nor bluefish were beached. One report talked about surf catches at Brick Beach, farther north. But all catches locally came from boats. An angler said that a Barnegat Light party boat on Wednesday limited out on striped bass, and returned to the dock at 10:30 a.m. Nothing was heard about blackfish either, like about blackfish tugged from along Barnegat Inlet’s jetty that were reported previously. But anglers will hunt blackfish starting Saturday, when the bag limit will be changed to six, from the current limit of one. Visit <a href="http://www.surfcitybaitandtackle.com/" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Web site</a>. Keep in touch on <a href=" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surf-City-Bait-and-Tackle/207533229268619
" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Facebook page</a>.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The only striped bass heard about were reeled in on a Barnegat Light party boat a little north of Barnegat Inlet on the ocean, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Nothing was doing with the fishing locally, and in weather like snow on Tuesday and wind and cold on other days, nobody burned fuel for a “maybe,” Scott said. Nobody talked about fishing for other fish, including blackfish, sea bass and white perch. Green crabs are stocked, and anglers might pick them up for blackfish bait, especially starting Saturday, when the bag limit will be jacked up to six of the tautog, from the current limit of one. Anglers might take advantage of them while waiting for stripers to migrate south. Fresh, shucked clams, eels and bloodworms are on hand. No live grass shrimp, a favorite bait for the perch, are stocked, because nobody was interested in the bait. Scott nets the shrimp to carry when in demand.   

<b>Absecon</b>

A reason couldn’t be known, but stripers that had filled the local back waters thinned out, and more didn’t migrate in to replace them, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. But stripers certainly held north that will come south. He ran a trip for stripers today that snuck out to the ocean. But strong south winds made seas too snotty, so the trip returned inside. The trip searched all over Absecon Inlet and the back bay. Scattered stripers now swam the bay. Not many reports rolled in, because of weather including winds, and snow on Tuesday. Blackfishing had been good at the bridges and jetties, and if weather is fair during the weekend, blackfishing will probably be good to do. The blackfish bag limit will become six on Saturday, and one is the current limit. Plenty of green crabs are stocked for blackfish bait. All baits are ready for stripers at the shop, including live spots, lots.  

<b>Brigantine</b>

Not much changed with fishing, said Bill from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> in a phone call. Large schools of striped bass swam the ocean to the north, a report on the shop’s Web site said. They’ll migrate south soon. When, and whether they’ll hold tight to shore, where anglers can reach them, couldn’t be known. Brigantine’s surf anglers anticipated them. Boaters will jump on them, if the fish swim within 3 miles from shore. Striper fishing’s closed beyond that. The shop will have what’s needed to catch stripers. Four-hundred pounds of fresh bunker was arriving tonight. More will arrive Friday night, and telephone to reserve the bait for Friday and Saturday.  Orders were coming in. Plenty of live spots and eels are stocked. Riptide’s annual bounty will be awarded to the angler who checks-in the season’s first striper 43 inches or larger from Brigantine’s surf. A couple of stripers larger than that were already brought to the shop this season, but the anglers weren’t entered in the contest, mentioned in previous reports here. The bounty was up to $1,035. Whoa. Entry is $5, required 12 hours before catching the fish. The winner takes all the cash. The Riptide Striper Derby, the annual Brigantine surf-fishing contest, is under way until December 23.  When entrants purchase a Brigantine beach-buggy permit, the tournament provides another permit to drive onto the beach along the entire island, instead of only at the cove, south jetty and north end. Prizes are $500, $300 and $150 for first, second and third prizes, respectively. Plus, a monthly $100 prize and a weekly $25 prize are awarded.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Near <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>, anglers on foot banked striped bass, not a lot, but still caught them, at Absecon Inlet, Noel said. They picked up blackfish, good-sized, and fishing for them should be good when the bag limit is ratcheted up to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one. For the stripers, fresh clams, fresh bunker and eels were fished. For the blackfish, green crabs and clams were soaked. All those baits, and all frozen baits, are stocked.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Fishing was great for striped bass on Friday, from the back bay, including along the 9th Street Fishing Piers, to the inlets and surf, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. But the catches stopped that night, and weather was rough since then. No stripers boated on the ocean were heard about. Boaters bought supplies to fish the ocean for them Saturday, expecting to sail because of forecasts. But winds caused them to turn around, when they reached the waters. Stripers schooled 5-Fathom Bank, but fishing for them is closed beyond 3 miles from the coast, including there. The Coast Guard patrolled the area, enforcing the law. When the fishing was on from the bay to the surf, the stripers landed were good-sized on average, including, say, 30-, 34- or 36-inchers. Most were hooked on bait or clam and bunker at all those spots. Currently, a few small stripers were all that was heard about, hooked along the sod banks, through the past day. They were winged on plugs or soft-plastic lures. The blackfish bag limit will be raised to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one. Little was heard about blackfish recently, but two 8-pounders were plowed from the 9th Street Piers two weekends ago.  

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A few striped bass began to migrate the ocean, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Some were boated early Monday morning, before Joe ran out to the waters. He trolled a little, but the bite had turned off by then. The trip ended up jigging and releasing a bunch of out-of-season summer flounder to 5 pounds on the ocean. The catches were fun. The migration of more stripers, and bluefish, is impending on the local ocean. These are large, mature fish swimming south for winter. Joe’s charters usually fish for them this month and through December, if the fish remain near Sea Isle, and weather allows. Fishing for stripers was currently good on the back bay. The fish there weren’t as big, and were younger, “resident” stripers that live in the bay year-round, before they begin to migrate. But the fish were pretty abundant. Joe fishes for them with Bass Assassins on jigheads and on flies. Blackfish bit in the ocean, and the blackfish bag limit will be hiked up to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one. Trips aboard will blackfish. Starting at Christmas, until Easter, annual traveling charters to the Florida Keys will begin, mostly on weekends. The trips can be a mini, fish-filled vacation. See <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s traveling charters Web page</a>. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

Nobody really boated the ocean for striped bass recently, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. “Blowing too hard,” he said. The waters were 56 degrees at the Cape May buoy, and the temperature might rise again, depending on wind direction. But the temp steadily declined on the whole. Striper fishing was good on the back bay for smaller ones in mornings and evenings. Mike and a buddy on a trip Monday evening landed eight in 1 ½ hours on Bass Assassins on jigheads. Lures like that were the tackle to fish, though Mike seemed to have difficulty convincing some customers that bait or clams and bunker weren’t the choice. Mostly Bass Assassins were popular, and a few anglers cast Fin-S Fish. A customer this morning pumped in six stripers from the bay. Blackfishing was good at Townsend’s Inlet’s sea wall in Avalon and at jetties, inlets and rocks like that. Boaters geared up for blackfishing on the ocean starting Saturday, when the bag limit will be shoved up to six, from the current limit of one. They also prepped for sea bass fishing on the ocean as soon weather becomes fair enough to reach the fish.

<b>Cape May</b>

Trips are supposed to fish for striped bass Friday through Monday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Few boats seemed to sail for them in past days, but he thought a couple ran Monday. Winds blew strongly on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some boaters were supposed to fish today. Fishing for sea bass is also available aboard, and blackfishing on the boat will be able to start Saturday, the day the blackfish bag limit will be hiked up to six, from the current limit of one.

Daily blackfishing will begin Saturday on the ocean on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. The bag limit will be increased to six that day, from the current limit of one. The boat had started wreck-fishing on the ocean, but sea bass didn’t really swim the inshore waters fished, it turned out. Sea bass could apparently be caught farther from shore. So Paul wasn’t even continuing the wreck-fishing this week, and will wait to go blackfishing this weekend. Starting Saturday, the Porgy IV will sail for blackfish at 8 a.m. daily.

Sounded like striped bass were bagged today on Delaware Bay, at places like 60-Foot Slough, Tussy’s Slough and the Horseshoe, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Chunks of bunker are the bait for that, and livelined spots and eels are bait for stripers caught at Cape May Rips. Stripers were also trolled on the ocean. In the surf, a few anglers picked stripers off jetties on lures. Bait didn’t catch many, and lots of dog sharks bit bait. Surf fishing for stripers should amp up soon, with boaters catching them. Blackfish snapped along jetties, and the bag limit will be tossed up to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one. Live spots, eels and green crabs, fresh bunker and the frozen baits are stocked.

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