<b>Keyport</b>

The <b>Down Deep</b> will fish today, Capt. Mario said. Trips were weathered out previously, but now the weather was calming, and today’s trip will bottom-fish. Lots of bottom-fish are hitting, and Mario expects good catches, like porgies, maybe a few blackfish. A bunch of trips are slated to fish during daytime and at night from today through Monday. The daytime trips will bottom-fish, and the nighttime trips will eel for striped bass. Open-boat trips are eeling for the bass 5 to 11 p.m. every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and charters are also available for the angling. Sea bass fishing will begin on October 18, opening day of sea bass season. That day is booked for the angling, but a few spots remain on open trips for sea bass on October 19 and 20. Sign up for the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on the Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about open trips.

Along Raritan Bay, anglers fishing the surf slid-in cocktail blues and small striped bass at Keyport and Cliffwood Beach, said Joey from <b>Joey’s Bait Shack</b>. The blues weighed 3 ½ or 4 pounds, and the stripers measured 26 or 27 inches, and fresh bunker hooked both. Not many of the bass were clammed. Eels could tie into stripers along piers and jetties. Stripers from the surf at Sandy Hook were a little larger, not especially big. Weather, either sunny with wind, or no wind but storms, kept news scarce from boats. Nothing was heard about boating for porgies. A couple of boaters sailed today for stripers, and Joey would hear results when they returned. Baits stocked include fresh bunker, fresh clams, eels and sandworms.

Open-boat trips for porgies are available Saturday and Sunday, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. Telephone to jump aboard, and a trip Monday cleaned up on porgies, covered in the last report. The trip tried for striped bass at first, but nothing was doing.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass bit in the surf, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. They were clammed and bucktailed, and surely could be taken on fresh peanut bunker that are stocked. All fresh baits including adult bunker and clams are carried. The bass could surely be wormed, too. The fish were the right size, throwbacks, and worms are also on hand. Jimmy told a commercial clammer he should toss a hook for stripers, and the clammer reeled one aboard immediately, and then had to get back to shucking. Boaters mostly caught stripers at night, and did catch them. These were all bass yet to migrate – younger, smaller fish – and migrating stripers schooled 15 or 20 miles to the east. They were coming. Jimmy was unsure how porgy fishing was, and wind cancelled many trips. He heard that porgies didn’t bite so well, but that out-of-season sea bass did. Sea Bass season will be opened in two Saturdays, October 18.

Not a lot of trips fished aboard, because of weather, in past days, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. The trips fished on Tuesday, but not on Wednesday, and Tom was on this morning’s trip, when he gave this report in a phone call. Porgies, some, not enough, were picked on the trips, and strong current, because of the full moon, and wind were difficult. Either wind butted against tide, or ran with tide, and both conditions could be tough to fish. “We’re picking,” he said, but the angling was slower than before, and he hopes the waning moon will help. Out-of-season sea bass were thrown back, and so was a 7-1/2-pound, out-of-season fluke on Tuesday. The Atlantic Star is bottom-fishing for porgies and blackfish on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m.

<b>Highlands</b>

Some striped bass began to show up, Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> wrote in an email. John Strick’s party on Monday and Ralph Rucco’s on Tuesday limited out on the fish.

<b>Neptune</b>

Blues to 15 pounds were plowed from the ocean today on an individual-reservation trip with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, all on bait on anchor, Capt. Ralph said. Party boats that jigged caught them better, but the angling was good with Last Lady. More blues than the anglers could want showed up. A 5-pound-plus sea bass, the biggest in some time aboard, inhaled a bunker chunk and was released. Sea bass season is closed. Another trip will sail Friday, and fishing aboard will be weathered out on Saturday. Forecasts are questionable for another individual-reservation trip for blues on Sunday. Forecasts look like fishing is a go for an individual-reservation trip for cod on Monday.  An individual-rez blackfishing trip is slated for Sunday, November 16, the day the bag limit is lifted to six of the tautog, from the current limit of one. More of the blackfish trips will be scheduled.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fishing resumed on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. The vessel had been dry docked a moment, and a couple of trips now fished, between weather, reeling up a bunch of blackfish, not too many porgies. Trips are fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, for whatever bites, and Saturday is sold out, but space remains for Sunday. The trips will begin fishing for sea bass in two Saturdays, October 18, opening day of sea bass season.

More than 20 tuna, half yellowfins to 60 pounds, half longfins to 35 pounds, were iced on an overnight trip Saturday to Sunday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s website said. Twenty mahi mahi to 15 pounds were smashed, and more than 40 tuna were also lost, because of somewhat tough fishing conditions: The lines ran to the bow. Still, there was constant action from the time the boat was anchored, and five tuna were hooked at once a couple of times. See the <a href=" http://goldeneaglefishing.com/tuna-reservation.html" target="_blank">Golden Eagle’s tuna schedule</a> online. The boat was apparently weathered out since, until today, because no further reports were posted on the site. But fishing was super today for bluefish to 18 pounds, the report said. “It was all the fish you wanted,” it said, almost all on jigs, a few on bait. The Golden Eagle is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 

Some of the best fishing this year aboard was steamrolled today on the bluefishing trip on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, an email from the vessel said. The 8- to 16-pounders were jigged while the boat drifted along the western edge of the Mudhole. The fish ate anything jigged, from bananas and Krocs to Ava 47’s, plain or tailed. “It didn’t matter,” it said. Sometimes 20 blues were hooked at once. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. every Friday and Saturday.

Wind cranked, and no trips fished, in past days with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. But a striped bass trip is supposed to fish Saturday, hoping to troll the fish. Some were trolled lately, and striper charters will fill the schedule as the fish migrate in. Fishing for blues, sizeable, was good, when boats could fish for them between weather. Sea bass trips will fish once sea bass season is opened on October 18, and blackfish trips will sail starting November 16, when the bag limit is jacked up to six of the tautog, from the current limit of one. The ocean started to cool, and was 67 degrees a few days ago. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Jump on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to subscribe to the emailed newsletter to be kept informed about last-minute, individual spaces available to fill in charters. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

The party boat <b>Gambler</b> is fishing on back-to-back tuna trips through the month, Capt. Bob said. That includes open-boat trips, but the crew and customers from Grumpy’s Tackle chartered one of the trips that fished overnight Monday to Tuesday, on the west wall of Hudson Canyon. Seas were somewhat rough, but the fishing was good. Yellowfin tuna 50 to 80 pounds and longfin tuna 40 to 50 pounds were fought aboard, during night and in the morning, on both bait and jigs. A 150-pound blue marlin was also landed and released at night on bait. The trip did no trolling, and during the night, the fishing for tuna was like a pick, one hooked now, another later. At sunrise, a flurry erupted, and sometimes four were hooked at once. All anglers bagged at least one tuna, Bob thought, and one angler bagged four: a yellowfin and three longfins. The trip fished at one place the whole time, because plenty of tuna swam, and seas were kind of rough. Three of the tuna trips were weathered out this season. One of the trips was fishing today, when this report was posted. This weekend’s trips look like they’ll have the weather to fish. Most weekends are booked, but more of the spaces are available on weekdays. See the <a href="http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.html" target="_blank">Gambler’s tuna schedule</a> online.

Ling, small to medium, a few large, were picked right away, and the angling was great, today on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in an email. Most anglers smoked 15 to 25, and a few whacked 30. A few cod and winter flounder were also bagged, and the ocean was beautiful, and not much current flowed. “Great day to be out!” he said. Trips were apparently weathered out Monday through Wednesday. The Norma-K III is fishing for ling and cod 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for bluefish 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday and Saturday. The boat will fish for sea bass daily when sea bass season is opened on October 18.

<b>Toms River</b>

From the surf, bluefish and throwback striped bass, occasionally a keeper, were beached, said Mario from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. The blues chased mullet and were caught on mullet or bunker. The stripers were banked on clams, popper plugs, metal or swimming lures, like Daiwa SP Minnows. On Barnegat Bay, blowfishing was great between the BI and BB markers and behind Barnegat Lighthouse. Blues and throwback stripers were landed from the bay. Murphy’s, located on Rouge 37, bought <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b>, on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River, this year, and is running both shops now.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Lots of cocktail blues swarmed Barnegat Bay around the dock, swiping mullet chunks, said Kevin from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Blowfish turned up now and then along the dock, and were starting to move out. Small, out-of-season fluke sometimes bit along the dock. Crabbing actually wasn’t bad from the dock. Along the ocean, surf anglers eased in throwback striped bass, a big one at times. The bass often jumped on clam, bunker or lures like Daiwa SP Minnows. Cocktail blues and skates tumbled the surf. The blues swiped mullet, bunker, metal or nearly anything. Kevin was unsure whether mullet migrated the surf,  hadn’t been there in past days, but mullet schooled the surf last week. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, boat and jet ski rentals in season, a café and a dock for fishing and crabbing.

<b>Forked River</b>

Blowfish were plucked from between the BI and BB markers and from Meyer’s Hole on Barnegat Bay, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. The catches were pretty decent, he said, and he heard about small blues from the bay. One kid banked the blues at Berkeley Island Park. No striped bass were reported caught yet this season. Eels will be stocked Friday for striper fishing.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Blues, blowfish and, off and on, striped bass were rustled from Barnegat Bay, said Vince Sr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Plenty of blackfish chewed along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks, and spots were sold to liveline for the stripers, and green crabs were sold for the blackfish. On the ocean, bonito, false albacore and mahi mahi were still boated from Barnegat Ridge. Bobbie’s features a complete bait and tackle shop, a fuel dock and, in season, boat and kayak rentals. The boats are used for fishing, crabbing, clamming and pleasure. The store is known for bait supply, including live baits.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

“They shrugged,” Maureen from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> said. She was talking about the shop’s crew, when she asked them whether they had a report to give. Weather shut down fishing. But previously the shop reported that striped bass fishing was fairly good on Mullica River. Most were throwbacks, but a few were keepers 28 to 32 inches. The fish were trolled, popper-plugged or eeled. White perch nipped in the river on bloodworms. Blackfishing was good along the sod banks and at Barnegat Light. Crabbing slowed considerably, but wasn’t finished for the season.

<b>Absecon Bay</b>

Throwback striped bass, sometimes a keeper, were pasted from the back bay, like along the sod banks, or secret locations, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. The fishing picked up somewhat, for sure, and a 12-pound keeper was checked-in today that was clammed along the Intracoastal Waterway near Atlantic City. See a photo on the shop’s Facebook page. Lots of 1-pound blues schooled the bay, and weakfish could be found in the water. Blackfish and triggerfish snapped along structure like bridges, sod banks or rocks. Plenty of peanut bunker schooled the bay, and not a lot of mullet swam the area, but a few did. Curt found big shrimp, 4 inches, in minnow traps. All kinds of forage filled the bay, and maybe a great run of migrating stripers will move in to feed on that this fall. A few people crabbed, and crabs became larger than before, but not as many were around as previously. Baits stocked include live spots, peanut bunker, eels and green crabs and fresh mullet and clams.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Good-sized blackfish were snatched from Absecon Inlet, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. The fishing, really good, he said, was on for the last 1 ½ to 3 weeks, and customers fish the nearby inlet, lined with jetties, on foot. Lots of blowfish hovered the inlet. Many blues, peanut bunker and spearing swam the water. Kingfish were occasionally swung from the inlet. Striped bass were sometimes axed from the inlet, surf and back bay. The stripers were plugged, eeled or hooked on fresh clam or fresh bunker. Green crabs are $4 per dozen or three dozen for $10. Minnows are $8.50 a pint, and bloodworms on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are two dozen for $20. Otherwise, the worms are $10.75 per dozen. Baits stocked also include fresh bunker, fresh clams, fresh mullet and all the frozen baits, like mackerel, mullet, head-on shrimp and all the different types of squid, a large supply. A vending machine dispenses bait afterhours. Friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/One-stop-bait-tackle/362952943747080?rf=151870514855225" target="_blank">One Stop on Facebook</a>.

<b>Longport</b>

Fishing sailed Wednesday on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Weather was actually nice, he said, and wind calmed by 10 a.m. So the trip pushed a little way from shore, trolling false albacore and blues. Lots of bunker schooled 15 to 20 miles off on the trip. The ocean was 68.9 degrees and extremely clean, especially considering how rough the weather’s been. Seas became snotty on the way home, and a trip today is supposed to bottom fish for croakers, blues “and what have you,” he said. The trip will probably fish 6 to 10 miles off, because the ocean was dirty within 5 miles from the coast. A fair number of anglers are already signed up to fish aboard Monday and Tuesday, so those trips will definitely sail, if they get the weather. Space is available for open-boat trips for sea bass from October 20 through 24, after sea bass season is opened starting October 18. Trips are booked for the first couple of days of the season. A charter is available on Sunday, October 26. Charters are being booked for striped bass and blackfish later this fall. A couple of Sundays remain for blackfish charters, and a few open trips will probably blackfish on weekdays.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Angling was stuck in port throughout the week on the party boat <b>Miss Ocean City</b>, Capt. Victor said. Weather was often rough, but forecasts look like trips will resume Friday. Trips are fishing 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily for croakers and blues on the ocean. The <b>Captain Robbins</b>, the company’s other party boat, was splashed, after maintenance, and Victor hopes the vessel will begin fishing when sea bass season is opened on October 18, running for the lumpheads.

<b>***Update, Friday, 10/10:***</b> Blackfishing really turned on at any structure like jetties and bridges, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Small blues to 2 ½ or 3 pounds, mostly smaller, but bigger than before, swam from the back bay to the inlets and ocean. A few striped bass, mostly throwbacks, were searched out from the bay and surf, usually hooked on soft-plastic or top-water lures. But a few were heard about on clams, bunker or mullet. Kingfish were landed from the surf at moments, and kingfishing never became good this year. But anglers still picked them currently. Not much was reported from the ocean reefs, because seasons were closed for fish like summer flounder and sea bass, but also because of terrible weather. No news rolled in about tuna or big-game fishing from offshore, because of weather, and that was too bad, because the angling had been good.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Blackfish seemed to make a move, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Plenty, but no keepers, were previously around. But fishing for keepers turned on at Townsend’s Inlet, mostly on the Avalon side, starting during the weekend. Most were grabbed on green crabs, but some were heard about on salted clams. On the back bay, a good numbers of striped bass were clocked on popper plugs, twitch baits and sometimes soft-plastic lures, but mostly on hard-plastics. An occasional striper was beached from the surf along jetties in early mornings. The same anglers hooked the same number as in August. But just anglers fished for them more often than before. Lots of blues schooled from the bay to the inlets and surf. In the bay, they were hooked while anglers striper fished. At the inlets, mullet beat the blues. Today was the first day that boats, including the local party boat, fished the ocean in some time, because of weather. The trips sailed for catches including croakers, weakfish and blues. Two or three boats steamed to the offshore canyons for tuna today. Results from all the boats would be heard when they returned. Crabbing was excellent, and a customer busheled out on Sunday. Clamming was also excellent, and Mike limited out on 150 yesterday.

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, and wife headed out Tuesday, just to take a ride, and fought small bluefish on the back bay, he said. Wind blew like 100 m.p.h., and when conditions were right, the bay’s striped bass fishing, on popper lures and flies, was good. High tides at dusk, coming around every two weeks, were ideal, and blues, many of them tiny, but some better-sized, were mixed in. Jersey Cape specializes in the popper fishing. Charters will fish the migration of big stripers and blues in November and December on the ocean, and should be booked now to ensure dates. Joe will run more of his traveling charters to Montauk, New York, this weekend, fishing the migration of false albacore, stripers and blues, from the legendary port. The angling’s been good, covered in recent reports. See <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s traveling charters Web page</a>. Traveling charters also fish the Florida Keys each winter, mostly on weekends. A large variety of fish, from redfish and speckled sea trout to tarpon and sailfish, can be targeted. The trips can be a mini, fish-filled vacation. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

One trip docked more than five dozen keeper crabs from the back bay last weekend at <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>, Lynn said. She wasn’t asked whether that was unusual, but crabbing was slower this year than usual, according to the shop’s previous reports, and the season was becoming late for crabbing. Still, that catch was made. A few striped bass bit in the bay, and out-of-season summer flounder still did, “believe it or not,” she said. Flounder usually migrate to the ocean by this time of season. Business is winding down for the year at the shop, though a rental boat was already booked for today, she said when she gave this report this morning in a phone call. Telephone to confirm whether the shop will be open this time of year. Canal Side rents boats for fishing and crabbing and kayaks. <b>***<i>Get a $5 discount</i>***</b> on a rental boat if you mention Fishing Reports Now. Minnows are no longer stocked this year. But baits stocked usually include them and frozen herring, spearing, mackerel fillets, whole mackerel, mullet fillets, whole bunker, bunker fillets, salted clams in quarts and pints, bags of fresh-frozen clams, all the different types of squid, and more. Crabs, both live and cooked, are sold for eating, earlier in the season, but probably are no longer this year. Lynn wasn’t asked.

<b>Cape May</b>

No fishing sailed on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, and wind and weather shut down most fishing from boats for weeks, Capt. George said. The weekend’s also supposed to be windy. But the season’s first striped bass charter is slated for November 1. The trips will sail earlier, if stripers show up earlier. Sea bass trips will begin on October 18, opening day of sea bass season, and blackfish trips will be launched on November 16. The bag limit on that day will be raised to six of the tautog, from the current limit of one. Telephone if interested in any of this fishing.

None of the charter boats seemed to leave the harbor in the weather, said Capt. Frank from <b>Melanie Anne Sport Fishing Charters</b>. He’s mostly waiting for sea bass season to open starting October 18, to sail for them. But a shark trip is set for that weekend, two weekends from now. Frank saw signs of sharks on the mid-shore grounds while returning from tuna fishing recently. The shark trip’s anglers didn’t want to fish this weekend, because of weather forecasts. Melanie Anne will try to fish for tuna on one more trip this season, probably far south, at Washington Canyon. The anglers for that trip wanted to fish this week, but were weathered out. Frank hopes that striped bass fishing begins to pick up in a week or two. A few stripers started to hit along the beach. Blackfishing aboard will kick off on November 16, when the bag limit is hiked to six of the tautog, from the current limit of one.

The party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> was docked Saturday in a rainstorm, but fished Sunday, Capt. Paul said. A bunch of bluefish to 2 pounds, a few large porgies and a few triggerfish were cranked in. Out-of-season sea bass, and a 5-pound, out-of-season summer flounder, were released. That was the only flounder landed, and Paul thought more would bite. The boat targeted flounder until flounder season was closed recently. So, a bunch of fish, a mixed bag, were decked, and customers scored a bunch of bites. Not many anglers showed up for the trip, but the boat sailed. Trips are slated to sail at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday for the same type of fishing. Daily trips will resume when sea bass season is opened starting October 18, fishing for sea bass.

Ocean surf anglers yanked in blues 12 to 18 inches on mullet bait, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. A few mullet swam the water, and not so many striped bass came from the surf. But striper fishing was good on the back bay and at bridges at night. Popper lures and soft-plastic lures were fished for them, and peanut bunker schooled the bay. Sometimes small mullet swam the bay. Blackfish chomped along surf jetties. The ocean was too rough to boat in the weather. Eels and bloodworms are stocked, and Nick hopes to stock fresh clams.

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