<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Catches like kingfish were still made on the bay last week, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. That’s a warmer-water fish, and windy weather seemed to keep anglers from fishing this weekend. Business was slow in the blow, but Monday’s weather was beautiful, even if chilly. The kings and small blues had been angled off East Point and toward the turn buoys.  Anglers are waiting for striped bass fishing to pick up on the bay for the season. The bait supplier at Mantoloking said stripers began to be boated off the northern state sometimes. Sharon heard about a few supposedly boated toward Barnegat. She saw Internet reports about a couple of stripers banked from Brigantine’s surf and a few, not many, beached along Avalon’s jetties. Those could be resident, non-migrating stripers. When the striper migration begins in earnest off the northern state, the fish can migrate quickly south toward Delaware Bay. The shop will be ready with bait and gear. Fresh bunker, the popular bait for the bay’s striper fishing in fall, is currently stocked when in demand. Eels and bloodworms are on hand, and minnows are still in supply. Demand for minnows can drop off, after summer flounder season was closed in late September. But anglers still fish minnows for freshwater, at least. Shedder crabs were pretty much no longer available for the year. But the store stocks frozen shedders that catch well. Crabbing slowed, and many commercial crabbers pulled their pots for the year. White perch fishing was good in brackish rivers like the Maurice. Some of the deeper holes in Dividing Creek gave up resident stripers. Places like that could turn out the catches. The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, carries a large supply of bait and tackle, and is the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. It’s on the way to the bay.

<b>Money Island</b>

A couple of trips boated for striped bass on the bay last week, with no results, said Bruce from <b>Money Island Marina</b>. The weekend was windy and chilly. Anglers waited for the bay’s striper fishing to take off this season. As water temperatures slowly dropped, the southern migration of stripers was closer to arriving along the coast, the shop’s Facebook page said. White perch were plucked from Nantuxent Creek from the marina’s dock, left and right, Bruce said. Plenty were docked Monday, too, the Facebook page said. Small stripers were also played from the dock these days.  The marina features a boat ramp, boat slips, dry-dock boat storage, a fishing dock, gas, bait and a few items of tackle. Bait stocked includes fresh bunker, when in demand, like on weekends with good weather. That’s a favorite for striper fishing in fall on the bay. A 12-foot aluminum boat with a 6 h.p. outboard is available to rent to fish Nantuxent Creek, running past the shop. The rate is $40 for 3 hours and $80 for a full day.  

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