<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

A couple of customers said a friend boated a 40-inch striped bass at the 2 and 3 buoys or the turn buoys in Maurice River Cove, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. They showed a photo of the fish, and said the bass had sea lice. Anglers believe that means a striper migrated from the ocean. Anglers waited for big, migrating stripers to arrive in the bay. Another customer showed a photo of a 50-pound striper from the Internet that was supposedly boated on the bay. But Sharon neither saw nor heard other reports about that. Catching sharks and skates on the bay was no problem! Large, mature stripers show up in the bay in fall, arriving from the ocean, stopping in the bay on a migration from north to south for winter. They’ll migrate farther south after reaching the bay. Boaters fish for the bass on the bay, mostly with bunker chunks, in fall. The shop’s bait supplier farther north in Manahawkin said stripers began to be eeled on Barnegat Bay and bunker-chunked in the surf toward Barnegat. A few sizable stripers were supposedly bagged toward Ocean City. A few migrators seemed to be heading south, and anglers hope fishing for them improves locally. The migration can move quickly, and the fish can be found at one place one day, and much farther south the next.  The season might be somewhat early for the migration of stripers to the bay, though stripers used to arrive much earlier. The run might even be late this year, and it’s seemed to arrive later and later. The water was 61 degrees, and some were concerned that was too warm. But Sharon wasn’t concerned, and 58-degree water is usually the beginning of good striper fishing. Weather last year became severely cold suddenly, and stripers mostly shot farther south in the ocean, passing the bay without entering, as a result. That can happen, but at least that doesn’t appear likely in the near future. This week’s supposed to be warm, reaching the 70 degrees. Plenty of fresh bunker is stocked when in demand. Plenty of bunker are schooling the bay that stripers love to forage on. White perch fishing was excellent in Maurice River. The perch were big and abundant. Commercial crabbers still crabbed this season. 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>

Boaters from Cape May reportedly ran into big striped bass on the ocean sometimes, said Bruce from <b>Money Island Marina</b>. The migration seemed yet to turn the corner and swim up the bay. The shop’s Facebook page shared an Atlantic City Press article that said a 55.7-pound striper was boated on a trip from Cape May. The trip trolled Stretch lures from Cape May to farther north along the ocean beach. When the trip turned around to head back, the bass was hooked. The article also mentioned a few stripers to 30 and 40 pounds landed from Long Beach Island’s surf, and four 40-pounders boated on trips from the island. A 32.5-pounder was beached from Brigantine’s surf, the article said. Two or three boats sailed for stripers Monday from Money Island Marina. No results were heard, when Bruce gave this report that afternoon in a phone call. Weather was beautiful Monday, and is supposed to be calm and warm this week. Weather was rough previously, including in wind on Sunday and in the storm Wednesday and Thursday. That kept boaters from sailing. Fresh bunker, the bait to dunk for the bay’s bass, was stocked Monday. One angler had been fishing from the marina’s dock an hour on Monday, when Bruce gave this report. The weather also kept anglers from fishing there in previous days, and the storm probably chased white perch away that bit for anglers at the dock previously. Perch scoot to deeper water in weather. But the fish, and anglers, should return. The marina features a boat ramp, boat slips, dry-dock boat storage, a fishing dock, gas, bait and a few items of tackle. Some slips are available for striper season, the shop’s Facebook page said. Bait stocked includes fresh bunker, when in demand. 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.  

<b>Avalon</b>

The season’s first trip for striped bass on the bay is slated for the week before Thanksgiving with <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, Capt. Jim said. The anglers want to fish the Cape May Rips, and the season’s first duck hunting on the bay is also slated for that week aboard. The company offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including fishing on the bay, ocean and back bay at Avalon, and duck and goose hunting on Delaware Bay and in nearby states, following the migrations of the waterfowl. Jim just finished scouting waterfowl at upstate New York’s Finger Lakes, and the birds were definitely migrating south from Canada. He’s also been hunting deer and turkeys to stock the freezer for the year. To fish and hunt on the bay, the boat is trailered to be launched wherever’s nearest the fishing or hunting. Otherwise, Fins is headquartered at Avalon, and the boat is kept in the slip there. Jim even offers customers a combo of striper fishing and duck hunting on the bay over a series of days.

<b>Cape May</b>

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> spoke with anglers who fished for stripers on the bay with bunker chunks, but only sharks bit, he said. Striper fishing is impending on the Heavy Hitter, will kick off when more of the fish arrive. The boat’s striper trips in recent years began with chunking for them on the bay, and the trips trolled for them on the ocean later in the season. The fishing was better on the bay than on the ocean, when the migration first arrived substantially. The angling became better on the ocean next. A few stripers currently were trolled on the ocean off Stone Harbor, here and there. On the ocean, sea bass fishing was dynamite Saturday on the Heavy Hitter. No boats seemed to fish Sunday from Cape May, because of forecasts for strong wind. The sea bass charter limited out on the fish 30 miles from shore. Blackfish trips will begin aboard when the bag limit is increased to six starting November 16, from the current limit of one. Telephone if interested in any of this fishing.

A few striped bass seemed to begin to be picked from the bay, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. A couple of boaters said somewhat bigger stripers than before seemed to start dumping into the bay from Delaware River. The fish were hooked on bunker chunks and trolled on Mojos and rubber shads in that upper part of the bay. A few stripers were picked in Cape May’s surf. Many were throwbacks, but occasionally a keeper was bagged. Bluefish were mixed in, and surf casters fished bunker and clams. Striper fishing was great on the back bay. Boaters chummed for them with bunker and fished sardines or chunks of sardines. But any cut bait could work. Or back-bay anglers cast soft-plastic lures at night. A couple of customers caught stripers well at Cape May Bridge during daytime during weekdays last week. Sometimes clam caught best for them, and sometimes squid did. Blackfish were landed at jetties and while boaters sea bass fished at Cape May Reef. Sea bass fishing sounded good on the ocean. The fish were boated in the deep, 25 miles from shore, but also shallower at Cape May Reef.

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