<b>Staten Island</b>

<b>Outcast Charters</b> steamed for striped bass Saturday and for blackfish Monday, Capt. Joe said. Stripers swam plentiful but were small on the trip Saturday, and one keeper and 35 or 40 throwbacks were jigged. So the trip blackfished to try to put a catch together, and did. The anglers picked away at the tautog, a decent catch, to 6 or 7 pounds. On the blackfish trip Monday, the anglers limited out on the slipperies to 7 or 8 pounds. The angling was good, and Outcast is mostly blackfishing now. More trips are supposed to fish today through Tuesday and Thursday through Monday.  Many trips aboard were weathered out recently, but the schedule ahead is busy. Outcast also fishes from Sewaren, New Jersey.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The daily trip for blackfish sailed today on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said in a phone call aboard at 10 a.m. That was the first of the trips to sail in some days, because of weather, and the anglers were picking some of the fish, a mix of keepers and shorts. The fishing seemed like it would be good at first, then started to dwindle. The boat’s position had just been shifted, when Tom gave the report, so he’d see how the fishing went now. The boat’s trips started concentrating solely on blackfish, after previously fishing for blackfish, porgies and sea bass. No porgies turned up in some time. Green crabs are supplied for the blackfishing, and white leggers are available for sale aboard for the angling. Sometimes the white leggers are an advantage, and sometimes not. No advantage could be seen on this morning’s fishing so far. The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Quite a few striped bass were boated Wednesday, and nothing was heard about the angling Thursday, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. But boaters have been catching them, and so have surf anglers. Lots of small stripers have been around. Blackfishing was good on boats. All baits are stocked.

<b>Highlands</b>

For <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, striped bass fishing was good, Capt. Derek said. Lots of throwbacks schooled, but keepers to 20 pounds were mixed in. On some days, more keepers were nailed than on others. Trips also blackfished, and that was good, too. Trips this time of year often striper fish at first and blackfish afterward. Charters are sailing, and the next open-boat trips are slated for Tuesday through Sunday. Telephone to climb aboard or to be kept informed about the future open schedule, and Fisher Price will fish until Christmas.

Blackfishing remained strong on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, Capt. Pete wrote in an e-mail. Lots of limits were bagged, and many of the fish were good-sized, in the past week. Tito Arroyo’s party limited out on blackfish to 8 pounds, and released many more, on Monday. On Tuesday, Kevin Hebert’s crew first jigged lots of throwback striped bass, then swung in 30 healthy-sized blackfish. Fishing was weathered out on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. On a trip this morning, blackfishing was good for John Gleason’s gang. A couple of dates remain in December for anglers wanting to get into good blackfishing.

The six anglers aboard Tuesday limited out on blackfish to 8 pounds by 9:30 a.m., and culled the tautog from the livewell, keeping males, releasing females, on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an e-mail. That was written about in the last report here, in an update. A trip was supposed to fish today, and another is full Saturday, and space was available for Sunday, when Frank was last heard from on Tuesday. Space is also available for trips next week. Stripers around had been mostly throwbacks, but that will change, when the next migration of the fish swims through, Frank thought.

Little was heard about fishing in past days, said Marion from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. But trips on the charter boat Hyper Striper, sailing from the marina, docked blackfish. Striped bass were also hooked on the vessel. 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.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fishing aboard is supposed to sail Saturday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. The most recent trip fished Monday for striped bass. Birds worked the waters all over, and stripers swam everywhere, but most were small, covered in the last report here. Only one keeper was boated, and the water temperature had dropped to 46 degrees. So Ralph planned no more striper trips this season, and expected to concentrate on blackfish. If stripers are seen while the blackfish trips are traveling, the outings might stop and fish for them. Charters are available daily, and individual-reservation trips for blackfish will sail Sunday; December 7 and 8; and every Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday when no charter is booked.

<b>Belmar</b>

Striped bass, good catches, were jigged Tuesday, and weather washed out fishing Wednesday, Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> said in a phone call that day. Blackfishing went well, including for some sizeable ones. Plenty of fish were around, and Pete would see how things went after the storm this week. 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.

The <b>Katie H</b> will next fish on Sunday, Capt. Mike said. Forecasts appear fair for the weekend, after a tough week of weather. The charter will probably hunt striped bass first, and blackfish afterward, if that’s what the anglers want. Bluefin tuna are around, if anglers want to try for them, too. The Katie H features speed and all the amenities, including for comfort in the elements in autumn.

Striped bass fishing was excellent Monday and Tuesday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Wednesday’s trip was weathered out, and the boat wasn’t scheduled to fish Thursday, Thanksgiving. On Monday’s trip, weather was cold, but the boat limited out on stripers. Some anglers bagged three with a bonus tag, and anglers were releasing keeper-sized stripers by 10:30 a.m., who already limited. The largest striper was 21 pounds, and plenty of throwbacks also bit. The high hook landed a couple of dozen stripers, a mix of keepers and shorts. Many anglers landed 10 to 15, and gold Run Off 47 and 67 jigs caught best, fished on a slow retrieve. On Tuesday’s trip, the captain telephoned the crew on land by noontime, saying the trip was well on the way to all anglers limiting out. Many throwbacks also bit, and some anglers had landed 30 to 40 of them. The Golden Eagle is fishing for stripers 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 week had its ups and downs, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an e-mail. A run of smaller striped bass, mostly to 25 inches, swam the surf early in the week, from Sandy Hook to Asbury Park. The numbers made up for the size, and some anglers beached double digits. Metal and Daiwa SP Minnows caught them. Then weather changed, “(and) as usual, everything changed,” he said. “What happens next, and where, is the big question.” This season has been a roller-coaster ride for surf anglers, he said. “For me, it’s like a dog chasing his tail, never quite able to get it,” he said. Boaters this season “had the better end of the stick,” he said. When they could sail between weather, boaters found plenty of stripers, and blackfish also bit well for them, and white leggers were top bait for the tautog. A 10-pound 9-ouncer was the largest weighed-in this week. <b>***Update, Saturday, 11/30:***</b> Lots of small striped bass, “a big influx,” Bob wrote in an e-mail, arrived in the surf Thursday and Friday. That’s not unusual for the time of year, and many anglers expected that. “I won’t bore you with … conjecture about what will happen next,” he said. “… At this point, I would suggest you enjoy what is left of the season.” Sometimes small stripers are the final to show up in the migration of the fish south. Bob wasn’t trying to say that larger stripers couldn’t still arrive. He, for one, was happy to see the smaller bass. Lighten up tackle to catch them, and have fun. An A-17 jig with a teaser is best to bank them. The single hooks on the jig and teaser are best for the fish when releasing them, and help avoid hooking a finger. Avoid plugs with treble hooks, unless you suspect that larger stripers are around. 

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Saturday, 11/30:***</b> Fishing was good Friday on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, and the day was beautiful on the water, Capt. Ryan wrote in an e-mail. Mostly ling were landed, but some good-sized sea bass were slung in. “Everybody went home with some meat,” he said. Anglers and their catches included Marge Gant from Melbourne, Fla., with 45 ling and five sea bass, Volerie Crantokowicz from Reading, Pa., with 31 ling and seven sea bass and Wes Shourt from Manalapan with 38 ling and five sea bass. The Jamaica II is fishing on 12-Hour Deep Water Wreck Trips at 5 a.m. every Sunday and Wednesday. Blackfish trips are sailing at 7:30 a.m. every Monday and Friday. Fourteen-Hour Deep Water Wreck Trips for sea bass, ling and cod are slated for 3 a.m. December 7, 14 and 21. A cod trip will run at 2 a.m. December 28.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

No trips fished since the weekend because of weather with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, Capt. Fred said. Trips cleaned up on striped bass, plenty, on the ocean then, written about in the last report here. The trips also tugged in blackfish, and charters are fishing for a combo of both. If bluefin tuna are seen busting the water surface that swim close to shore this time of year, the trips will also go after them. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner.

A variety of fish including sea bass and blackfish were scooped aboard the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Some ling began to be taken, and some porgies were still plucked. A couple of cod were caught at times. No load of any one species was sacked, and the number of sea bass began to taper, but catches on trips, the variety of fish, weren’t bad, were okay. Pesky dog sharks were battled, and trips fished in 90 to 150 feet, trying to fish as deep as possible, but minimizing the number of dogs that bit. Waters were 50 to 52 degrees on the fishing grounds. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.  

The party boat <b>Norma-K III</b> sailed for blackfish on Monday in typical weather for them, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Winds blew from west/northwest, “and sea smoke was present,” he said. The anglers just picked away at the fish, keepers and shorts. They had to cast around to find the right spot to hook up. A few anglers cranked in two to five keepers who were “locked in,” and others struggled. “Trust me, I was one of them,” Matt said. The pool-winning blackfish weighed between 6 and 7 pounds. The bait fished – green crabs or white leggers – didn’t matter.  The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

On the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, striped bass fishing was very good Tuesday on the ocean, Capt. Bob said. The fish schooled not far from port, giving up action the whole trip. Many were throwbacks, but a good number were keepers. A striper larger than 20 pounds was the pool-winner, and Ava 47 jigs with green tails caught well. Then the storm began Wednesday, and that seemed to affect the fishing Thursday. Not many stripers were hung aboard that day. On today’s trip, three or four keepers and some throwbacks came up on the first drift, so maybe the fishing “was trying to bounce back,” Bob said when he gave this report in a phone call aboard then. He saw only one bluefish caught on the trips in about a week. The Gambler is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. The trips will continue as long as stripers are around. An offshore trip for sea bass is full on December 27. But space remains on another one of the trips 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, December 20. Space is limited to 40 passengers, and telephone to reserve.

<b>Toms River</b>

Surf anglers picked at striped bass, or nobody beat them up, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. But they caught them, including good catches at Seaside Heights and Island Beach State Park. Mostly Ava jigs with colored tails, like green, hooked the fish, and teasers were a must. The waters were 52 degrees, a perfect temperature, but anglers had to fish slowly because of the chill. Other jigs like Deadly Dicks connected, and a few of the bass were plugged on usual lures liked Daiwa SP Minnows or school-bus-colored Bombers. Boaters trolled good catches of stripers on the ocean on umbrella rigs with rubber eels or tubes. A bunch of rigs with the eels were just stocked. For boaters, the fish swam close to shore, from near the beach to a half-mile off. None of the fish was huge, and most that were bagged weighed in the teens. Token 30-pounders were run across. In Barnegat Bay, boaters managed a few stripers along the sod banks on eels, sometimes clams. Eels ran out at the shop and will no longer be stocked this season. Blackfish were reeled from Point Pleasant Canal and were picked from the jetties at Barnegat and Manasquan inlets. Some of the boats sailed for blackfish on the ocean. Blackfish and sometimes porgies and sea bass were pumped aboard.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

“A couple” of striped bass were banked from the surf every day, said Mario from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Rough weather didn’t help this week, but the fishing was kind of slow, and stripers weren’t weighed in during past days. Anglers hope more will still move into the waters this season. Plenty of bait schooled the waters. Stripers that were beached were sort of spread from Lavallette to Island Beach State Park. Most were hooked from the park, but that was because most surf anglers fished there. 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>

Ocean boaters trolled striped bass, and surf anglers beached stripers on Ava jigs, sometimes on clams, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. But not much was heard in the weather this week, and few customers showed up. Blackfishing was good along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks. The tautog were boated from the ocean when the weather allowed trips to sail.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Fishing was a little slow because of winds and the storm this week, said Josh Falcone from <b>Viking Outfitters</b>. But striped bass, from small to keepers, swam the surf through the storm, and many anglers fished the beach today, in better weather. Lots of blackfish hovered along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks. One party boat captain said more blackfish seemed to start showing up for trips on the ocean than before. Live spots and green crabs, fresh bunker and clams and all baits are stocked. Viking, located at historic Viking Village, opened last summer, and Josh used to work at Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle that closed. He gave especially detailed reports from that shop for this Web site. He and his partner from Viking fish every day, and feel they definitely give first-hand knowledge about fishing. The store can be telephoned 24 hours a day, and someone can be at the shop quickly during off hours. Bait can be delivered to a boat, a home or the beach any place on Long Beach Island.  For autumn’s Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic, the shop is the official weigh station for the northern island, after none was located there in recent years. Apparel is sold, including from Grunden, Carhartt and Jetty. Embroidery is available, including for charter boats.  

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Excellent striper fishing along Island Beach State Park. Catching them in 25 to 35 feet of water sometimes, and then out in 60 feet of water. Sometimes just a few hours separates which zone is offering the better fishing, so you have to monitor both. Casting soft plastics like Fin-S or BKD's is working well, especially when the bird play heats up, and you see the bass surfacing. Traditional diamond jigs and Avas are catching some fish, when the deep readings are good. Trolling is always working. Sand eel umbrella rigs are doing the best for us. There are a few ‘just short’ fish in the mix, but for the most part, it's an excellent average size this fall. A lot of 12- to 18-pound fish. We will be running open-boat trips Saturday and Monday, departing at 6:30 a.m., returning at 12:30 p.m. Three people max. All fish are shared.”

<b>Surf City</b>

A 15-pound striped bass was weighed in from the surf today, said Jason from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. Throwbacks and a couple of more keepers were known about from the shore at Barnegat Light this morning. No blackfishing was heard about, like along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks. 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>

Boaters broke Little Egg Inlet, sailed about 3 miles north on the ocean, and got into striped bass, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fishing was good, and all anglers seemed to catch. Some landed a couple, and some loaded up. Most of the fish were trolled, but the waters dropped to 46 degrees, a few degrees lower than a couple of days ago, so maybe jigs will start to catch better. Stripers 12 to 18 pounds seemed the common size bagged. The fishing was phenomenal 3 miles north on Monday. Boaters on Tuesday mostly picked away at the fish, and a few loaded up, farther north. The angling was a blow out Wednesday and Thursday, because of winds gusting to 30 knots. Today was gorgeous, though. One customer bought green crabs this morning to try for blackfish. Nothing was heard about catches from the bays or rivers. Nobody banked fish from the bay at the end of Radio Road, and no white perch were reported from the rivers. All catches seemed on the ocean.  Fresh, shucked clams, eels and green crabs are stocked. Scott was unsure about the shape that bloodworms stocked are in. No live grass shrimp are on hand.

<b>Absecon</b>

Weather was so rough most of the week that not much could be reported, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. But any striped bass around swam the ocean, really. Not much was heard about stripers from inlets or the back bay. Stripers might’ve now migrated to the ocean off local inlets, like maybe Little Egg Inlet. Maybe they’d pop up at the top of tides. Stripers on the ocean were trolled, jigged or livelined on bait. But livelining was difficult, because dog sharks jumped on the bait. Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, was fishing for stripers when Curt gave this report today in a phone call. Blackfish were around everywhere from the sod banks, jetties and rocks to inshore wrecks in the ocean. Live spots, eels and green crabs and fresh bunker and clams are stocked.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Striped bass were boated on the ocean off Brigantine, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Good catches, including seven of the fish to 28 pounds on one day, were jigged on a charter boat a couple of days. But surf fishing for stripers was slow.  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 from the waters, but the anglers weren’t entered in the contest. The bounty was up to $1,170, and 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>

From <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>, anglers on foot eased in blackfish, not a lot, but some, Noel said. The fishing was okay, on green crabs and clams. Customers fish at nearby Absecon Inlet, lined with fish-attracting jetties. Straggler striped bass were dragged from the waters on clam, bunker and eels. All those baits and more, the fully supply, are stocked.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

When boaters had the weather to sail, they scored striped bass well on the ocean, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Nobody crushed them, or there were no “crazy” days of the fishing. But the angling was very good, and most boaters caught. Trolling produced best, maybe because of abundant dog sharks. Stretch plugs and umbrella rigs were trolled. But so were spoons, whether bunker spoons or others, like Clark spoons. Reports about bluefin tuna seen were heard, and a couple were landed, from farther from shore, like at 5-Fathom Bank and Sea Isle Ridge. Blackfishing was good, including on the local party boat. Not a lot of private boaters mentioned blackfishing, but lots of green crabs were sold to them this morning for blackfishing, in forecasts for better weather. A couple of boaters planned to sail for sea bass 20 to 40 miles from shore this weekend.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Boaters on the ocean caught most fish, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. They decked striped bass, mostly toward Sea Isle Lump or that area, mostly while trolling. But a few of the fish were jigged, like on Ava’s or Deadly Dicks. The fish were on sand eels. Bluefish were sometimes mixed in. A few stripers were trolled locally near the bell buoy off Great Egg Harbor Inlet. Bluefin tuna were heard about from the ocean last week from Cape May, not closer to Ocean City. Not much was heard about sea bass. Few seemed to be caught, and few people seemed to fish for them. Local surf anglers beached a striper here or there, not many, mostly on bunker, sometimes on clam. They hoped stripers would still migrate to the waters this season. Numbers of the fish still swam farther north. A few blackfish were picked from the 9th Street Bridge fishing piers.

<b>Cape May</b>

The <b>Heavy Hitter</b> was supposed to resume sailing for striped bass on Thursday, Thanksgiving, Capt. George said in a phone call Wednesday. Fishing was weathered out aboard since Sunday, but a trip trolled stripers on the ocean Saturday on Stretch plugs, described in the last report here. The bass were large or 25 to 40 pounds. Fishing for blackfish or sea bass is also available aboard.

Few of the blackfish trips could sail, because of weather, on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. But the angling was good last week on Thursday. Trips also ran that Friday and Saturday, but the fishing wasn’t good those days, for some reason. Not even many throwbacks chomped those days. The fish either weren’t biting or weren’t around, but the fishing should be better this time of year. Weather kept the vessel docked afterward, but trips were expected to resume today, in forecasts for better weather. The weekend’s weather looks good, even if cold. The Porgy IV is fishing for blackfish at 8 a.m. daily.

From the ocean, striped bass were trolled at places like Peacock Shoal, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Sounded like a couple of boaters started to pick up stripers on Delaware Bay in the Punk Grounds area on chunks of bunker. The fishing sound like lots of the bass were throwbacks, but they gave up steady action. A couple boaters livelined stripers at Cape May Rips on spots and eels. Surf fishing for stripers didn’t produce much. But blackfishing was good along jetties. Fresh bunker should be stocked Saturday. Live spots, eels and green crabs and salted clams are carried.

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