<b>Keyport</b>

At <b>Joey’s Bait Shack</b>, weigh-ins included a 22-pound striped bass and a 19-1/2-pounder eased from the surf at Union Beach on Raritan Bay, Joey said. One bit bunker, and the other chewed clam. Many stripers were throwbacks that were beached from the bay’s shore, but bigger ones seemed to become more common. A 27-pound striper was checked in that was boated 200 yards off Cliffwood Beach on the bay. The fish engulfed a bunker head, and boaters trolled stripers at Reach Channel on the bay on umbrella rigs with tubes and on Stretch 25 lures. Local striper fishing didn’t sound bad, Joey agreed when asked. “It’s getting there,” he said. Baits stocked include fresh bunker, fresh clams and eels.

Four striped bass, including one keeper, a 32-incher, were top-water plugged down the ocean beach a couple of miles on Tuesday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Birds worked the water, and that was the day with beautiful weather this week. A striper charter is set for Saturday, and Papa’s is fishing with fresh bunker and eels for the bass. Rods rigged with jigs are also stowed aboard, and the anglers on Tuesday’s trip brought their own top-water lures. Open-boat trips for stripers are available daily when no charter is booked, and telephone to climb aboard.

Fishing was the same as before, Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep</b> said. Previously, he said striped bass fishing became super, and bottom-fishing remained good for sea bass and porgies. The stripers aboard were eeled or hooked on chunked or live bunker. Charters are sailing, and sign up for the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about open-boat trips for stripers and bottom-fish. Open trips for stripers are sailing at 5 p.m. every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

When trips got the weather to sail, striped bass fishing was excellent on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. An open-boat trip on Wednesday with six anglers limited out on stripers to 30 pounds and released more. Trips have been livelining bunker and trolling shad rigs and bunker spoons to catch the bass on the boat. The schedule is heavily booked with charters. But Frank will try to run open-boat trips for stripers on days not booked, and telephone for the schedule.  Like the <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/vitaminseafishing" target="_blank">Vitamin Sea’s Facebook page</a>. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Bottom-fishing wasn’t good since the weekend’s rough weather on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. The angling was no good on Monday’s trip. On Tuesday and Wednesday’s trips, lots of fish bit, but were mostly throwbacks. Porgies and sea bass came in, and, when the boat fished different areas, a few blackfish showed up. Still, most anglers “left with dinner.” Today’s trip was weathered out, and Friday’s will be, in forecasts for wind to 30 knots. Southerly wind is expected to build seas today, and Friday’s wind is supposed to blow to 30 knots, but the westerly direction is expected to knock seas down again. Forecasts look good for the weekend’s trips to sail. The Atlantic Star is fishing for sea bass, porgies and blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Saturday, 11/8:***</b> Fishing resumed today aboard, and weather was pretty nice, considering weather the last couple of days, Tom said at 10 a.m. in a phone call on the trip. The anglers picked some fish, not great, but catches around the boat, and if that continued, each would go home with dinner, he hoped, he said. A handful of big porgies, no throwbacks, were clubbed. Sea bass, mixed sizes, half of them keepers, some of them large, were bucketed. A few blackfish, including one keeper, and a couple of shorts, were hooked, and only a couple of anglers tried for them.   

On the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, anglers picked at striped bass and blues, where birds worked bunker on Wednesday, Capt. Ron wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. Rubber shads caught better than bunker snagged and then livelined did, and the trip had taken a ride to search for better fishing than previously. More throwbacks than keepers bit, and Dave Blendowski won the pool with a 21-pound striper. On Tuesday’s trip, some good shots at stripers were tied into. Plenty of smaller stripers hit, and the keepers just made the 28-inch legal size. Reports from elsewhere didn’t sound good, so the trip stayed with the stripers it had. White shads worked best, and one angler landed 18 stripers on them. On the nighttime trip that day, striper fishing was good on eels, and some bigger bass were walloped. On Monday’s daytime trip, the water needed to clean up, after the weekend’s rough weather. Life was found toward the end of the trip, and the action with stripers and blues didn’t last long. The fish were tough to coax to bite, though they rolled right next to the boat. Water temperature had finally dropped into the 50 degrees on that trip. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

For boaters, fishing for striped bass was good, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish, throwbacks and some keepers, came from the ocean, but also Raritan Bay. Livelined bunker, chunked bunker, eeling, trolling and, on some days, jigging caught them. Bluefish were boated “down the beach.” Surf anglers banked stripers. Nothing was heard about bottom-fishing on the ocean, because customers switched to stripers. But porgies probably bit, and Jimmy didn’t know about sea bass. Ling could be pumped in farther south during bottom-angling. Blackfishing was excellent for bottom-anglers, and six blackfish will become the bag limit starting November 16, from the current limit of one.

<b>Highlands</b>

Sailing from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Ian Proctor and Billy Stanton on the Dana Who? boated striped bass to 25 pounds the whole trip on bunker chunks “around the Hook,” Marion wrote in an email. That’s Sandy Hook, and also on Wednesday, Rich Sherer limited out on stripers at buoy 20 along Reach Channel on Raritan Bay on the troll. On the same day, Ed and Tony on the Hammerhead eeled two 28-inch stripers and big blues at Sandy Hook Channel. On Friday, Paul and Maddy Hess on the Boudicca trolled three keeper stripers around the Hook on rigs. Last Thursday, before the weekend’s storm, Greg Hanna on the Annie H limited out on stripers to 20 pounds off Sandy Hook Point on the troll and on livelined bunker. Twin Lights, located conveniently on Shrewsbury River near Raritan Bay and the ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boat slips and dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined bait and tackle shop and ship’s store. The full supply of bait is stocked for inshore and offshore, and the fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. 

<b>Neptune</b>

Maintenance is finished on the boat, and <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> will resume fishing now, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. Saturday is available for a charter, because of a last-minute cancellation. An individual-reservation trip for striped bass is full on Sunday, but space is available on more of the trips next week on Tuesday and Thursday. An individual-reservation trip for blackfish is full on November 16, when the bag limit will be raised to six of the tautog, from the current limit of one. But openings are available on more of the trips on November 20 and 23. The blackfish trips will also sail in December and January on weekdays and weekends, as long as the fish keep biting. Charters are available daily, and book early to secure a date. <b>***Update, Saturday, 11/8:***</b> The engine is purring, after the maintenance, and Last Lady is fishing now, Ralph wrote in an email. Striper fishing was a little slow, “but after the moon, I believe we will get another good shot at them,” he said. Anglers fishing aboard in the next days should expect “a long day, unless I find them early,” he said. “We <i>will</i> catch them.” Trips will mostly jig, liveline or clam for the bass. For the individual-reservation trips for stripers this coming week, two spots are available on Tuesday, and eight remain on Thursday. All bait and tackle is included except jigs, Krocodiles and rubber shads. “If you don’t lose them, you get your money back at the end of the trip,” he said. Individual-reservation trips for blackfish will sail every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday in December. Green crabs, white crabs and clams are provided.

<b>Belmar</b>

Trips for striped bass sailed every day on the ocean with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. On Monday and Tuesday, big, gator blues inundated the anglers, but the fishing was decent for stripers to 30 pounds, hooked on livelined bunker. The weekend’s storm and wind that stirred up water made the fishing a little tough. Wednesday was the first day when the fishing was unable to find schooling bunker. So the trip targeted blues, and lots of small stripers showed up. The trip jigged and trolled, and 10 stripers, including one keeper, were landed. But large stripers farther south were heard about that day. The big bass closer to port seemed to move there. The trip found plenty of life, though, and rods were bent the whole time. The ocean was 55 or 56 degrees in past days. 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.

Fishing for striped bass wasn’t great after the weekend’s storm, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. But surf anglers banked the bass well at night on teasers and plugs. Boaters still sacked the bass on bunker snagged and then livelined for bait or on trolled, white spoons. On party boats, the fish were sometimes jigged on Krocodiles. Winter flounder fishing was good on Shark River, and clams and worms caught them.

Wind during the weekend made fishing terrible on Monday, and not one of the fleet caught a fish, and the angling remained bad on Tuesday, an email from the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> said. On Tuesday’s trip, a few striped bass were thrown aboard, and bluefish were picked. On Wednesday’s trip, fishing began slowly. “There were scattered blues with an occasional striper mixed in,” the email said. But stripers were found chasing bunker toward the end, when the boat took a ride. So the trip stayed out late, and results were great. Two to five stripers were hooked at once at times, and more than forty of the fish to 30 pounds were bagged, and bluefish to 10 pounds were mixed in. The fish bit late in the day in the last week or so, “so we have been putting in the time to produce, and most of the time, it’s paid off,” the email said. The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for striped bass and bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Veterans will receive a fare of $40, including a rod and reel, on Veterans’ Day on Tuesday, a $27 discount. “We would like to thank all of our veterans for all you have done, and continue to do, for our country and for our freedom,” it said.

Sixty miles was covered on Wednesday’s trip, but only a few striped bass and some blues were decked on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s website said. Was a long day, and stripers were seen exploding on bunker schools in the afternoon – a good sign, it said –  and a few of the bass were caught aboard, but not enough. On Tuesday’s trip, big blues, picked in the afternoon, and a few stripers came in. Plenty of bird life, bait and fish readings were seen, but the stripers “were a little hard to catch,” the report said. On Monday’s trip, the ocean remained a little cranky, only starting to settle in the afternoon, after the weekend’s wind. The conditions were tough on fishing that day. The Golden Eagle is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 or 3 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and on Striperthons 6 a.m. to 3:30 or 4 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

<b>Toms River</b>

Boaters racked up striped bass in the 20-pound-plus range, good catches, from the ocean on Tuesday, said Mario from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Snagging bunker and then livelining the baitfish was most productive for boaters for striper fishing lately, and most boaters did that, because so many bunker were around. Whether they sometimes jigged the bass was unknown, because everybody snagged and dropped, as it’s called. Mario limited out on the bass, snagging and dropping, from a boat in the fleet that day, and tried trolling, but trolling failed to connect. Boaters also ran into bluefish lately on the ocean. A handful of stripers were beached from the surf that day, Tuesday. But striper fishing turned on in the surf on Wednesday, along the north end of Island Beach State Park. Mario drove up to the beach to fish that day, and anglers were walking off with stripers. Numerous stripers to 15 pounds were weighed from the surf that day at the store. All the usual ways to bank stripers caught, including fishing swimming lures and popper plugs and metal, snagging and dropping, chunking bunker and clamming. Boating for stripers seemed slower that day, Wednesday, on the ocean. Mario could see a buddy boating for them when Mario surf fished that day, and the buddy’s trip caught no stripers. Boating for them that day seemed to depend on whether the anglers got on a school of bunker that the bass chased. Lots of bunker flipped around, just feeding, with no bass on them. Smaller stripers remained in Barnegat Bay, off Cedar and Oyster creeks, and in the Toms River, like before. The angling remained productive, if anglers wanted fun on light tackle. Off the two creeks and Island Beach, and on the river, small swimming plugs and popper lures cracked the fish in early mornings and before dark. On the bay along Route 37 Bridge, small stripers smacked small swimmers and swim shads before dark. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, bought <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River this year, and is running both shops now.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Sea bass fishing was good on Wednesday on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. “Lots of nice, quality-sized fish,” he said, and a few anglers limited out, and all left with fish. The Norma-K III is fishing for sea bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Magic Hour Ling and Cod Trips will begin to sail this weekend from 3 to 9 p.m. every Saturday.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

The surf tossed up striped bass everywhere from Lavallette to Island Beach State Park, said Kevin from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. The fishing was spotty at times, but when bunker moved in, stripers filled the surf heavily. They were hooked on bunker snagged and then livelined, swim shads, Daiwa SP Minnows, sand eel imitations and nearly anything that usually works on stripers. Big bluefish like 15 pounds were sometimes heard about from the surf, but Kevin ran into none. They seemed especially to show up farther north, like toward Long Branch. Boaters locally caught stripers well on the ocean on snagged bunker. The fishing wasn’t good for them on Wednesday, but, like in the surf, when the bunker were in, boaters caught. 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>

On Barnegat Bay, striped bass were eeled at Oyster Creek and Double Creek channels during daytime, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. On the ocean, good striper fishing was rounded up toward Seaside and the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park. The fish were livelined on bunker snagged for bait and were trolled on umbrella rigs. Customers at first this season mostly bought rubber-shad umbrella rigs, but by now, mostly bought the rigs with tubes. Whether the anglers knew that one fished better than another, or just bought whichever, was unknown. Eels are stocked, and fresh clams will arrive on Friday. 

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Trips previously sailed for bluefish every Saturday and Sunday on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, but a trip fished Wednesday, a report on the vessel’s website said, and keeper striped bass, throwbacks and some blues were drilled. Stripers were seen rolling along the ocean surface and chasing huge schools of bunker. Fish were read under the boat the whole trip. The vessel will now sail for stripers and blues 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday through Sunday, and one of the trips will also sail on Tuesday for Veteran’s Day. Maybe Friday’s cold front will turn up the striper bite even more.

Fishing was great on the season’s first striped bass trip Tuesday on the ocean on the <b>Super Chic</b>, Capt. Ted said. The 12 anglers limited out on the bass to 29 pounds, mostly on livelined spots that were brought, a few on livelined bunker that were snagged for bait during the trip. A trip for stripers Wednesday didn’t catch as well, but the anglers were less skilled. They went through lots of the live bait, considering the number of stripers landed: seven keepers to 19 or 20 pounds, and a bunch of throwbacks. But stripers are around, and more trips will sail for them on Saturday and Sunday. The stripers are all different sizes, including big. The Super Chic is fishing for stripers with livelined spots and bunker. The trips did no jigging, but a few large bluefish, not a lot, were jigged that were heard about. An overnight trip fished offshore last Thursday to Friday at Hudson Canyon. The three anglers nailed 12 longfin tuna, one yellowfin tuna, an 80-pound swordfish and a 10-pound mahi mahi. So the fishing was good, and lots more tuna would’ve been caught if more anglers had sailed aboard. Six of the charter’s anglers cancelled on the trip, but the three anglers opted to sail. The weather and forecast were good. The tuna bit early in the night and early in the morning. Blue sharks and porpoises were a bother from midnight until 4 a.m. Porpoises circled the boat for hours. “Was weird,” Ted said.  That was the boat’s final offshore trip scheduled for the year.

Stripers, stripers, stripers, said Ray from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Big stripers were docked, and on the ocean, the fish were boated on bunker snagged and then livelined for bait. The fishing might’ve slowed around today’s storm, but was on previously. Bluefish probably swam the ocean, Ray imagined, but customers who returned with stripers weren’t interested in blues, he said. Was a busy past two days at the shop, because of stripers. From Barnegat Inlet’s jetty, stripers were bucktailed. Blackfish were hooked along the inlet’s rocks. In Barnegat Bay, striper fishing was good on livelined spots.  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. Baits stocked currently include live spots and green crabs.

<b>Surf City</b>

Surf fishing lit up at Loveladies today, said Joe from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. He hoped that was the start of the fishing this season, and he worked the surf this morning, and nothing was doing. Then the angling took off. Two stripers were weighed in from the action: a 17-pounder entered in the Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic, and a somewhat smaller striper. A bluefish, 10 pounds, was also weighed from the fishing, and was the season’s first entered in the tournament.  The stripers were plugged, and the blue was taken on bunker. Lots of throwback blackfish, occasionally a keeper, bit along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks. Fresh clams and bunker and live eels and green crabs are stocked. Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Surf-City-Bait-and-Tackle/207533229268619" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Facebook page</a>.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Striped bass started to show up, said Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Nothing crazy, but a decent number, he said. The fish were boated on the ocean from the red tower on Long Beach Island to the north. Sometimes stripers were boated at Little Egg Inlet. Clams were best to fish there, and bunker drew too many dog sharks to bite at the inlet. Stripers were boated around Wreck Inlet, better at some times than others. Schoolie, throwback stripers could be played along Seven Bridges Road. Anglers also blackfished there. Fishing for sea bass and blackfish was good on the ocean, and water 70 feet or deeper was ideal. Octopi jigs from S&S Bucktails did a job on sea bass, and are stocked in every color and size. Nothing specific was heard about white perch grabbed from Mullica River or other rivers or creeks along the Mullica. But fishing for them should be fairly good. Two striper tournaments will be held this weekend locally, and 44 bushels of fresh, shucked clams just arrived. More will arrive on Friday, and fresh bunker and live eels will be stocked today.

<b>Absecon</b>

The storm today pretty much shut down fishing, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. But the back bay seemed to clean up yesterday, after the weekend’s storm. Dave found clean water on a trip that day, and his anglers landed no keeper striped bass from the bay, but pulled in five nice stripers, around 26 inches. Stripers remained scattered, but fishing for them seemed to improve a little, since the weekend’s storm. Livelined spots were the preferred bait on the trip, and stripers on his trips seemed to prefer the spots on one day, and Gulp soft-plastic lures on another, on the bay. Other anglers also seemed to tackle quite a few stripers from the bay lately. A few larger were reported, and the fishing seemed promising. A few stripers were bagged from the surf. A few boaters looked for the migration of larger stripers in the ocean, and rumors said some were around. A couple of stripers were trolled from the ocean last week. The migration should be headed south to the local ocean, Dave thinks. “Or they better,” he said. Back waters were dirty for blackfishing, always best in clear water. No reports rolled in about the tautog. But blackfishing should be good when the bag limit is increased to six of the slipperies on November 16, from the current limit of one. Baits stocked include live spots, eels, green crabs and fresh clams. <b>***Update, Thursday, 11/6:***</b> Dave got a report about good striper fishing within range off Long Beach Island in the ocean, and Sunday looks like a good weather day, and he has an opening that day, he wrote on the shop’s Facebook page.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Mark Jones bought fresh bunker today at <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>, walked to the surf at 12th Street, and walked back an hour later with a 15-1/2-pound striped bass smashed on a chunk of the bait, Capt. Andy said. A couple of stripers were bagged from the surf each day. Like probably five were known about from the water on Wednesday. The fish weren’t clobbered like up north, but they were dragged in here and there. Weather blew out fishing all weekend. A couple of stripers were weighed in that were boated from the back bay. One boater brought in one that was 17 pounds and 37 inches that was eeled from the bay Wednesday. Another showed up with a 33-pound 43-incher eeled from the bay. The annual Riptide Striper Bounty was up to $1,090. Sponsored by Hess Plumbing, the bounty awards the total entry fees to the angler who enters the season’s first striped bass 43 inches or larger from Brigantine’s surf. Entry is $5 and required before catching the fish. The annual Riptide Striper Derby is under way until December 23, awarding prizes, and allowing beach-buggy access to Brigantine’s entire length, when accompanied by a Brigantine beach-buggy permit. Otherwise, not all the beach can be driven. The Brigantine Elks Fall Striper Classic will be held November 14 to 16. Proceeds from the tournament, for boaters and surf anglers, will benefit the Elks’ veterans programs.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Fish started to be reeled from Absecon Inlet and the surf again, after the weekend’s storm, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers fish both locations, near the shop, on foot, and today, sometimes pasted good-sized blackfish from the waters. Green crabs mostly latched into the tautog lately, but sometimes clams did. Straggler striped bass were plumbed from the waters in past days. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and eels were the bait to soak for them. A 45-inch American eel was hooked from the T-jetty, at the ocean end of the inlet. Green crabs are $4 per dozen or three dozen for $10, and eels are $1.25 apiece. Baits stocked, a large supply, also include fresh bunker and clams. Enter the <b><i>***48 Hour Striper Happy Hour***</i></b> for free at the shop. The striper tournament, to be held November 21 to 23, is for Atlantic City’s beaches only, and will offer a $400 purse. That’s a $300 cash winner and a $50 gift certificate apiece to One Stop and Ducktown Tavern in Atlantic City. Get a 10-percent discount just for registering at the store. 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>

The <b>Stray Cat</b> was being painted, and should resume fishing on Tuesday, Capt. Mike said. That will be for striped bass and blues, and boats from the dock caught stripers, big fish, 25 pounds, pretty well, on the ocean. They sailed on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the weather, and limited out. Bird plays, everything, he said. Open-boat trips sail when no charter is booked.

<b>Ocean City</b>

No trips got out in the last few days on the party boat <b>Miss Ocean City</b>, and Capt. Victor hoped the fishing will resume Friday, but weather might cancel that, he said. Saturday and Sunday look better, and on the last trip, before last weekend’s storm, plenty of sea bass and blues were shoveled in, covered in the last report. Open-boat trips are fishing the ocean every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount.

Throwback striped bass to 20 inches were angled along the 9th Street Bridge on Tuesday, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Throwback stripers and some weakfish were heard about from Corson’s Inlet on Monday night. At both places, mostly soft-plastic lures caught, like pink Zooms and Fin-S Fish. Sometimes the stripers whacked Daiwa SP Minnow lures. These fish were about all the catches heard about. But a pod of large stripers to 30 pounds were reported to migrate past on Tuesday in the ocean. At first, they were mentioned from off Brigantine, and afterward, from off Sea Isle City’s south end. Fishing for the migration of stripers sounded great farther north in the ocean. The local back bay was dirty, like chocolate milk, and grassy since the weekend’s storm and wind. The bay’s temperature dropped 10 degrees from Friday to Monday, and that didn’t help fishing. The temperature dipped as low as 50 degrees, and was now 53 or 54, he thought. Nothing was really heard about blackfish or other catches.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Probably a half-dozen 30-pound stripers were seen at the shop in past days that were boated on the ocean, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The arrival of the migrating stripers didn’t give up crazy fishing yet, no full-blown chaos, he said, but some sizeable stripers were coming. All were trolled just inshore of Sea Isle Lump, mostly on umbrella rigs with rubber shads, some on Stretch 25 lures. Chartreuse seemed the best color for the shads, but other colors caught. Mike and his brother trolled a 41-1/2-inch 26-pounder on Tuesday morning.  Five adult bunker were found in the fish’s stomach, though no bunker were seen during the trip. Rumors said birds sometimes worked bait along the ocean surface, where stripers could be jigged, but that was unconfirmed. The back bay turned out good striper fishing for throwbacks but also keepers to 30 inches. Fishing with popper lures for them seemed to slow down since weather became cooler. But fishing for them with livelined spots and eels picked up somewhat. Lots of blackfish chomped everywhere from along jetties and rock piles, where shore anglers beat them, to the ocean, where boaters did. On the ocean, inshore of 5 miles seemed best. The local party boat caught sea bass well on the ocean, and still landed triggerfish. Triggerfish migrate south when water cools, and return in summer. The store’s <b><i>***South Jersey Striper Slam***</i></b> will be held Saturday and Sunday, and entry is available up to the captain’s meeting on Friday. The tournament will be open to boaters and anglers on foot who fish from Great Egg Harbor Inlet to Cape May Inlet, from the back bay to the ocean. Winners will win all the cash from the entry fee, and Calcuttas will be included. An awards ceremony will be hosted at Shoobies Restaurant, with sandwiches, sides and soda.

The season’s first trip for striped bass on the ocean is supposed to sail Friday, but looks like it’ll be weathered out, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Big, migrating striped bass started to be boated from the ocean sporadically in past days. The fishing wasn’t yet wide open, but can be at any moment at this time of year. The fish were trolled, and the water was 59 or 60 degrees. Jersey Cape played smaller stripers to 26 inches on the back bay on jigs and popper lures in the last day or two, and is running those trips, too. Annual traveling charters to the Florida Keys will fish from Christmas to Easter, mostly on weekends. Anglers can arrive on a Friday, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, return on Sunday, and be back to work on Monday, or can enjoy the trips on a different schedule. The trips can target a large variety of catches, from speckled sea trout and redfish to tarpon and sailfish. 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>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Striped bass fishing got off to a good start on the season’s first trip for them Tuesday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, and Capt. George hopes the angling stays that way a while, he said. Four stripers 38 to 41 inches were bagged, and two or three were missed. The trip, the Frank Draves charter, fished on Delaware Bay with bunker chunks. Nothing was heard about stripers from anywhere else or the Cape May Rips and the ocean. Everybody who fished for stripers fished the bay, who George knew about. Lots of dog sharks already filled the water.

<b>Melanie Anne Sport Fishing Charters</b> shark fished on Tuesday, landing two small makos, a thresher and a brown, 30 miles from shore, Capt. Frank said. The water was 60 degrees on the fishing grounds, but 52 at the inlet. After sharking, the trip wreck-fished, loading up on sea bass and some blackfish. The water was thick with sea bass. Striped bass showed up in Delaware Bay in past days, and Melanie Anne reeled them in to 40 inches. The boat is supposed to compete in Utsch’s Marina’s striper tournament on Friday and Saturday. Striper charters are booked to fish afterward.

Sea bass fishing was slow on Wednesday but good on Tuesday on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. On Wednesday, the trip fished close to shore, because only a small crowed jumped aboard, and not many fish bit. Paul thought the fish would hit, but sea bass seem to have pushed farther from shore. Tuesday’s trip, in the week’s best weather, with a good-sized crowd aboard, fished farther off. Lots of sea bass were hung, and several anglers limited out, and a bunch of blues were mixed in. A nice trip, Paul said. Al Bednarik, John Batzit and Fred Nelson, all from Philly, limited out on sea bass on the outing. If anglers want to catch a lot of fish, they better fish on a better-weather day, when more of a crowd shows up, and the trip can fish farther from shore. Most anglers choose the best-weather days anyway. Lots of sea bass – “I mean, a lot,” Paul said – are swimming 20 fathoms. The 25- or 30-mile ride takes time, but anglers seem not to mind, once they catch. When trips fish closer to shore, they’ll target whatever fish are available. That might mean occasional keeper sea bass among throwbacks, or blackfish or whatever bites. One is the blackfish bag limit, until the limit is increased to six, starting November 16. In other news, a few striped bass started to be boated from Delaware Bay on bunker chunks, Paul thought. Sometimes the Porgy IV will switch to striper fishing when plenty of stripers are in. For now, the boat will stick with bottom-fishing. The Porgy IV is wreck-fishing for sea bass at 8 a.m. daily.

Fishing was good, and sounded like striped bass started to be boated from Delaware Bay, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish, mostly up to 45 inches, were chunked on bunker, including a little south, like at the Cock and Balls, off Cape May Canal and tight to shore off Joe’s Point. A couple of boats were heard about that trolled stripers on the ocean toward Avalon. Not much was heard about striper fishing in the surf, and the migration seemed be making its way south to local waters. Blackfish bit along surf jetties. In the back bay, striper fishing seemed to start dwindling, Nick heard that sea bass fishing was good on the ocean. A buddy scored a good day, bagging 15 sea bass, on the party boat Porgy IV from Cape May on the ocean Tuesday. Took somewhat of a ride from shore to reach them, but the trip caught well, and also socked large bluefish. Fresh bunker and clams and live spots and eels are stocked. 

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