<b>Keyport</b>

The boat limited out on blackfish Monday through Wednesday, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. The effects of last week’s storm on the fishing subsided “enough,” and the tautog weighed up to 12 pounds. Large ones were mixing in, and action was constant. “The time is now,” he said. The bag limit, six blackfish, will be dropped to four, starting on January 1. Trips are full Saturday and Sunday, but space is available Friday for an open-boat trip for blackfish. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Small striped bass bit in the surf, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Some customers fished for them three times already this week, and the fish were mostly hooked on worms, sometimes clams. For boaters, blackfishing was good for some, fair for others. That was about all that anybody fished for. Not much was heard about winter flounder, but this is the time when flounder chew in the back of Raritan Bay. The flatfish should also hit in the rivers, though rivers were cold or 44 degrees, and will become colder. Nobody really boats for flounder in the two-fish bag limit. To boat for them, supplies like a bushel of mussels and half a flat of worms are needed. All baits are stocked, including bloodworms, sandworms, fresh clams and crabs.

The party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> blackfished every day, Capt. Tom said. Sunday and Tuesday were the best days of the angling, not great, but catching some of the tautog, this week. Some good sized were hung lately. On Tuesday, none of the anglers limited out, but the fishing was good enough to stick with. On Wednesday’s trip, the angling picked away toward the bow, and caught some toward the stern, at the first drop. Afterward, the angling slowed, so the boat was moved to a couple of other places, and some of the fish were decked, but the fishing was never good again on the trip. At the first drop, while the angling produced, one angler landed six keepers, a limit, and never hooked another keeper the rest of the outing. Tom couldn’t know whether conditions changed or the reason the fish stopped feeding. The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Saturday, 12/20:***</b> A 10-1/2-pound blackfish was creamed aboard today, Tom said. The angling was much better than on Friday’s trip, not great, but a couple of anglers limited out, some bagged two or three and some bagged no keepers. A keeper cod was also bagged. He hopes Sunday’s trip sails, and the marine forecast doesn’t sound too bad. <b>***Update, Sunday, 12/21:***</b> Blackfishing on today’s trip wasn’t as good as on Saturday’s, but scored okay on some drops, not on others, Tom said. Nobody limited out, and two or three anglers bagged three, and a couple bagged one or two, and some landed no keepers. Weather looks alright for Monday’s trip, and rain might fall in the afternoon, but wind is only forecast for 5 to 10 m.p.h. Wednesday looks windy, if that forecast doesn’t change.

<b>Neptune</b>

Angling is next slated for Saturday, and space is available, on an individual-reservation trip for blackfish, with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Forecasts are calling for 5- to 10-knot winds, and the weather should be good. The last trip for blackfish aboard, on Sunday, was the best of the year, covered in the last report. This Sunday is chartered, and beginning on Monday, individual-reservation trips will blackfish every day, through and including New Year’s Day, when no charter is booked, except no trip will fish on Christmas.

<b>Belmar</b>

On the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, blackfishing was fair on Wednesday, and good on the previous two days, Monday and Tuesday, Capt. Chris said. The pool-winning blackfish weighed 9-1/2 pounds or something on Wednesday, and up to 12 or 12 ½ on those previous trips. White leggers definitely caught best, and the bigger blackfish. But green crabs sometimes hooked blackfish. Green crabs are supplied, and the whites are available for $6 per dozen aboard. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Blackfishing came a couple shy of a limit aboard Sunday in 50 to 55 feet, said Capt. Scott from <b>XTC Sportfishing</b>. The fish weighed up to 7 pounds, and the angling wasn’t so good on a trip three days later, on Wednesday, with him and his brother. The trip fished in the same place, but the tautog just weren’t biting, for some reason, and the trip returned early, because seas started to become snotty. The ocean was 43 degrees, pretty cold. Frank’s seen no bluefin tuna that can show up close to shore this time of year. He was surprised, and was looking for them. There wasn’t much life to see, like no birds working the water.

With <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, blackfishing was decent, Capt. Pete said. Experienced blackfishers caught well, and anglers new to the fishing learned to catch. The tautog inshore bit a little finicky. Farther off, when they bit, they were pretty aggressive, and water temperature probably made the difference, Pete thought. Up to 8- and 9-pounders were the biggest aboard recently, but some really large were still around. The angling the last few days was like, the blackfish bit, then the angling slowed, then it picked back up again, and so on.  The blackfish bag limit will be lowered to four starting January 1, from the current limit of six. Parker Pete’s will keep sailing for blackfish, as long as they bite, and weather remains fishable. When the bag limit is lowered, trips will sail for blackfish and whatever hits, like ling. 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. Several charters need a few anglers like that in the near future, one of the emails said. The dates include this Saturday and Sunday, Christmas Eve and December 28.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Saturday, 12/20:***</b> After a sluggish week, wreck-fishing was much better today on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Ryan wrote in an email. The slower fishing was probably because of the nor’easter. Some honker porgies and sea bass and a good showing of sizable cod were clocked on today’s trip. Not a lot of ling bit yet, and a smattering did around the boat, and more should turn up soon. Some large pout were tugged in, and big conger eels weren’t as plentiful as before, fortunately. Seas were beautiful, like a lake, and are supposed to be the same on Sunday. Jaesung Lee from Dumont won today’s pool with a 21-pound cod. The trip’s anglers and their catches also included: Dom Nguyen, Philadelphia, four cod 8 to 10 pounds, a pollock and 12 porgies; Greg Cooke, Westfield, two cod to 15 pounds, some porgies and seven sea bass to 5 ½ pounds; and Ed Borkowski, Bayonne, two healthy-sized cod, 13 porgies and sea bass, a few ling and a purple hake. Trips are wreck-fishing and blackfishing, and see the <a href=" http://www.jamaicaii.com/component/option,com_eventcal/Itemid,33/" target="_blank">Jamaica II’s schedule</a> online.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Bottom-fishing sailed the past five or six days on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, and not much in last week’s weather, Capt. Butch said. The angling was a little tough, but fair, and dog sharks were the issue. Ling, blackfish, still a few sea bass, probably a dozen sizable per day, and a few cod were bagged. Some anglers totaled 12 to 15 fish, a variety of the species, on good days, and 6 to 10 on most days, if anglers could reel aboard the fish in one piece, before the dogs bit the catch in half. Trips fished in 100 to 200 feet, a spread of depths, feeling out where dogs could be avoided, as much as possible. The sharks swam all depths now. The ocean was 52 or 53 degrees on the fishing grounds. Forty-nine degrees was the coldest seen there. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Striped bass fishing was absolutely no good during the weekend on the ocean on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. No bait or anything was seen, so the boat will fish for sea bass offshore the rest of the month. He’s unsure about the schedule for January, but would like to keep fishing, if weather holds. Jumbo Sea Bass Trips, reservations required, will sail offshore 3 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and on December 26 through 28 and 30 and 31.

Blackfishing on Wednesday’s trip  was slower than on the previous day’s, but picked away on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. Some spots turned up better catching than others, on Wednesday’s trip, and Rob Rusnack from Point Pleasant won the pool with a 10-plus-pound blackfish, and was high hook, limiting out. Some anglers bagged one to three on the outing, and some couldn’t buy a bite. On the previous day’s, Tuesday’s, trip, blackfish were hungry. Many were nailed, and high hooks limited out, and all anglers left with fish, and were pleased, he said. A 10-pound blackfish won the pool, and a 12-pounder was released. The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, and green crabs and white crabs are carried aboard. Magic Hour Ling and Cod Trips are fishing 3 to 9 p.m. every Saturday.

<b>Toms River</b>

A few throwback striped bass were beached from the surf on Jetty Ghosts and teasers, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. A couple of customers tried the fishing with bait, catching nothing.  Stripers, no keepers were heard about, were landed from Oyster Creek on Gag’s Whip-Its and 3- and 4-inch Tsunami shads. That’s the warm-water outflow from the Forked River power plant, and one angler reported playing 10 of the fish 18 to 22 inches. That was in 3 hours, and he saw another angler catch even more, during the trip. Anglers at the creek found the fish at specific spots they knew. If anglers put in the time, they hooked up, but plenty of the fish swam the water. A few winter flounder were picked from the creek, but mostly stripers were landed there. Two flounder were heard about from the Toms River in past days, and fishing usually bangs away at the flatfish there this time of year. Fewer seemed to hold in the river currently, and Dennis thinks that a relatively warm ocean kept more from migrating to the river, earlier this season. The river was currently 38 degrees, and good flounder catches were heard about from Manasquan and Shark rivers. Flounder migrate farther, through Barnegat Bay, to reach the Toms, and the Manasquan and the Shark are right on the ocean. Still, a few token flounder scurried the Toms.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Surf anglers dragged in a few throwback striped bass here and there, said Kevin from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Ava’s, Tsunami sand eels and any sand eel imitations, like those, caught the fish, mostly 2 hours after high tides. But not many of the fish were found. Boaters tugged in blackfish, good catches, from the ocean. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, a café and, in season, boat and jet ski rentals and a dock for fishing and crabbing.

<b>Forked River</b>

Throwback striped bass were winged at Oyster Creek at the Route 9 Bridge on any soft-plastic lures like Fin-S Fish or rubber shads, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. That’s the warm-water discharge from the Forked River power plant, and the color and type of lure seemed to change every day. One angler on the catches stopped in for pearl Fin-S Fish with a blue stripe yesterday.

<b>Surf City</b>

One angler bought the remainder of the green crabs, grabbing throwback blackfish along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks on them, said Sue from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. That was unusual for blackfish to be landed there this late in the year. Live bait like that and fresh bait will no longer be stocked throughout winter, and only frozen bait will. No customers stopped in to fish the surf. The crew will be around at the shop, but no set hours will be held, as the season winds down, and during the off season. But supplies are available 24 hours a day, and before stopping by, it’s best to telephone to ensure somebody will be there to help. Call 609-713-8331.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

White perch fishing was surely good in brackish waters like Mullica River, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Nobody mentioned the angling in past days, but one angler sent a photo of a cooler full of the slabs on December 4. The exact location of the catch, like Nacote Creek, a tributary of the Mullica, or somewhere was unknown. Nothing else was heard about fishing. Wind blew so hard today, that Scott kept a bucket in front of the door, to keep it from blowing open. Weather was relentless this season. The store will be closed for a winter break after Christmas Eve Day. The doors will be opened back up on March 1, Scott said, but he’s opened earlier in past years, after planning that.  Striped bass season is opened in bays and rivers on March 1, and nearby Graveling Point is always one of the state’s first places to give up the fish. That’s a shore-angling location at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River, and the fish seem to be caught there because of the relatively warm water at the shallow flats, and simply because the place is accessible. Scott’s annually awards a $100 gift certificate for the year’s first keeper striper checked-in from Graveling. Bloodworms ran out of stock, and a customer is supposed to buy the last of the green crabs tomorrow. Baits like that won’t be re-stocked this year, and only frozen will continue to be carried.

<b>Absecon</b>

No catches were really heard about, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. A few people bought eels and frozen clams. Fresh clams, bloodworms and green crabs are no longer stocked. The crabs found a way to escape, ending up dead. The only blackfish really heard about were on party boats that fished far from shore. That angling was good, and none of the local boats fished on those trips. One customer sailed inshore for blackfish, cranking up two keepers and a few shorts. White perch were reeled from brackish rivers, Dave guessed, because anglers telephoned about supplies for them. The shop will be closed for a winter break after Tuesday, until sometime in late January. Dave will travel to his <a href=" http://www.abseconbay.com/fishguatemalaparlamasportfishing.html" target="_blank">Guatemala charters</a> business during the break, to work with the crew, and make things like accommodations even better. If anglers are interested in traveling to the fishing while he’s there, they can. He’ll post updates on the store’s Facebook page and website, including a local phone number where he can be reached.

<b>Brigantine</b>

<b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> will be opened through Christmas Eve Day, and closed afterward for two months, Capt. Andy said. But if anglers need anything then, they can telephone the shop, or send a message on Facebook. Plenty of stocking stuffers are carried, and 10 percent will be added to gift certificates. If you don’t know what your favorite angler wants, give a certificate. Brigantine “polar plunge” sweatshirts are on sale. If you can’t visit the store, you can telephone, and your order for anything will be mailed. Telephone to reserve the famous pound cakes from Philadelphia’s Stock’s Bakery for the holidays. Four more cases are arriving, and more will arrive Monday and Tuesday, but only cakes that will be sold are being ordered, because the store will be closed afterward. <a href=" http://abclocal.go.com/6at4/story?section=6at4&id=8422000" target="_blank">Watch a video about the pound cake</a>, and read an article about the cake at the link. Karl Stock is a Riptide customer and a Brigantine angler.

<b>Longport</b>

For trips on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, blackfish bit pretty well on the ocean, Capt. Mike said. They weren’t large yet – big ones can show up this time of year – but quite a few were keepers. Anglers probably averaged four to a limit apiece. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips are available on Friday and Sunday. The boat will be kept docked on Saturday, and wind isn’t forecast to blow strongly, but is forecast for northeast, and the tautog tend not to bite well then.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Small striped bass to 20 inches, no keepers, were played along the 9th Street Bridge, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Most were hooked on soft-plastic lures, and very few were on bait. They seemed to bite in no real pattern, or one or two would be landed, during 10 minutes of action, and hours would pass, until the bite happened again. Last week’s nor’easter dropped the bay’s temperature 7 degrees, into the 30s, but the water was back up to 43 or 44 now. Striped bass were reported seen in the ocean, but far beyond 3 miles from shore. Fishing for them is only open within 3 miles from the coast, and the slowing down of the angling in legal waters seemed usual for the time of year. No first-hand reports were heard about blackfish, but other reports sounded like the angling was good on the ocean. A few eels are stocked, but otherwise, only frozen bait is carried this time of year.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Some bait is still stocked for striped bass fishing, but nothing was reported about the angling, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Most anglers switched to blackfishing, and boating for the tautog was good. He joined a trip with a friend and blackfished this week at Ocean City Reef a few hours. Probably 50 were landed, including five keepers, nice, fat fish. A couple of trips sailed offshore for sea bass, mugging the fish. But most boaters couldn’t sail that far, and scored well on blackfish, closer in. The local party boat fished for blackfish pretty much every day.

No trips fished during the week aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. But blackfishing was fantastic close to shore, and sea bass fishing was great farther out. Striped bass were surely around in the ocean, and he’d like to fish this weekend. Annual traveling charters to the Florida Keys are about to begin, fishing from Christmas to New Year’s, mostly on weekends. Joe can arrange flights and accommodations, and a large variety of fish can be targeted. That can include catches from speckled sea trout and redfish to tarpon and sailfish, from the Everglades to the bay to the ocean side. See <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s traveling charters Web page</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Good sea bass fishing was heard about from the 40-fathom line, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. A few friends scored dynamite on big jumbos. The Heavy Hitter is also blackfishing.

Fishing for striped bass seemed finished for the season, said Capt. Frank from <b>Melanie Anne Sport Fishing Charters</b>. The angling had been good on the ocean for some time this fall. A trip aboard bailed sea bass, a great catch, and some blackfish this week at the ocean wrecks. The anglers want to return next week and do it all over again.

Blackfishing was often weathered out last week on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, and none of the trips sailed for days until Saturday, Capt. Paul said. The ocean was filthy that day, after the nor’easter, and the angling was slow aboard. But the fishing was decent on Sunday’s trip. On Monday’s, fewer of the tautog bit. On the trip Tuesday, a small crowd aboard picked a few blackfish, and one angler, Jim Murray from Warrington, Pa., limited out. The fishing wasn’t that great since the storm, and the ocean became colder. Wednesday was the week’s first day that sun shined, Paul thought. But a few blackfish were around to be caught, and he hopes the fishing picks up. The Porgy IV is blackfishing at 8 a.m. daily.

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