<b>Keyport</b>

Acres of birds worked the water, and striped bass busted the surface, and fishing for the bass broke wide open on Raritan Bay on a trip Tuesday on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. The same happened Wednesday aboard, and this is the striper fishing anglers waited for. Game on. Many of the stripers were 27 or 28 inches, and some were 30 inches and larger. Bonus tags for bagging a striper 24 inches to less than 28 were easy to fill, if anglers had a tag. Monday is the deadline to apply. Adult bunker migrated the ocean just outside the bay, and when they push into the bay, even bigger stripers will follow. Most stripers on the trips were angled on slowly retrieved rubber shads, and some were jigged off bottom. “This is fun fishing at its best,” he said. “Truly exciting.” Charters are fishing, and space is available on open-boat trips Tuesday and November 14 and 15. Open trips fill quickly, so reserve without delay.

Excellent striped bass fishing was crushed on Raritan Bay aboard, Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b> said. The fish to 20 pounds were winged on rubber shads or jigs, and the angling should keep improving, and the size of the stripers should increase. Open-boat trips are fishing for them daily on the Down Deep Bull, one of the company’s two boats, both 40 feet. On the Down Deep, the other boat, open trips are fishing for sea bass daily, and a few spots are available Sunday for one of the trips. The trips will switch to blackfishing beginning November 16, when the blackfish bag limit will be increased. Charters are available, and both boats can accommodate up to 15 passengers and are comfortable, he said, with heated cabins and full galleys. Join the <a href=" http://downdeepsportfishing.com/short-notice-list/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about special open trips.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Boaters knocked the heck out of striped bass on Raritan Bay yesterday on jigs, said Joe from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. A few stripers were slid from the surf lately. No bluefish were heard about from the surf, but sometimes false albacore were reported from the beach at Sandy Hook Point. Boaters also fished for sea bass and blackfish, and still porgies. All baits are stocked including fresh clams, eels and green crabs. “You name it,” he said.

Trips fished the past three days, and catches were best yesterday on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said that night in a phone call. The trip fished a different area, and a tremendous number of throwback sea bass bit, but by the end of the outing, all anglers bagged a few keepers, and some porgies and triggerfish came in. A couple of anglers targeted blackfish on the trip, landing keepers and shorts, bagging no more than a limit of one, having fun. Was a good, enjoyable day, with no need to fight the elements for a change. Trips fished different areas throughout the days, picking fish, scraping together enough for all anglers to leave with catches by the end of the outings. The Atlantic Star is fishing for sea bass, porgies and blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

It’s striper time! a report said on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>’s website. Daytime trips were supposed to begin fishing daily for striped bass today aboard, after sailing for porgies previously. Nighttime trips were already fishing for stripers on the boat. For daytime trips, a couple of areas began to produce the fish near port. The water Tuesday was 62 to 64 degrees, somewhat warmer than the captain preferred. But cooler weather this week was expected to cool the water, and the bite was on. Rubber shads, Tsunamis and jigs were the tackle to throw. Nighttime trips are eeling for the bass. The Fishermen is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Many striped bass schooled from the back of Raritan Bay to Sandy Hook, said Chris from <b>Fisherman’s Den North</b>. Many birds worked the water above them, so troll or cast rubber shads there. Boats from farther south were also seen fishing for the bass locally. Fishing was mostly about the full-on striper run. But boats also fished for sea bass, porgies and blackfish, catching fairly well. Sea bass season opened beginning Saturday, and fishing for them also went fairly well, including for some good-sized, nothing crazy. Surf anglers locked into good striper fishing at Sandy Hook, including catching big sometimes. Small blues swam the water, and so did shad. Stripers were also beached at Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach. But the surf-angling was good at the Hook.  The shop, new this year, is the sister store to Fisherman’s Den in Belmar, and is located at Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina.

<b>Highlands</b>

Trips were weathered out last weekend and will resume fishing this weekend with <b>Lady M Charters</b>, Capt. Steve said. Trips recently sailed for blackfish from Brooklyn since New York’s blackfish season opened, while New Jersey’s bag limit remains one of the tautog. The togging was good, covered in recent reports here. Want blackfish? Lady is M is going! Charters and open-boat trips are sailing.

Running-out from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Roy Wurst, Frank Dapuzzo, Brian Shumeyer and Steve Valoniti limited-out on striped bass yesterday on the back of the bay, Marion wrote in an email. Twin Lights, located on Shrewsbury River near Raritan Bay and the ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boat slips, dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined bait and tackle shop and ship’s store. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card.

<b>Neptune</b>

Capt. Nick made a trip that almost clocked limits of sea bass for the anglers yesterday, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> said. Some other species were also pumped in, and wind and seas kept the trip from fishing where Nick preferred. An overabundance of throwback sea bass are biting, but anglers can weed through and limit.

<b>Belmar</b>

Striped bass are here! an email said from the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>. Wednesday’s trip “took a different route and fished north,” it said, and stripers were found. The anglers caught them well, and almost all landed a keeper. The fish were marked well and plenty of birds worked the water at times. “It looks like (stripers) are just getting started!” it said. Now’s the time to get after them, it said. Trips are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Fishing on the <b>Golden Eagle</b> went on the hunt for striped bass yesterday and found them, a report said on the party boat’s website. The trip picked at the bass, mostly keepers, the whole outing, on Runoff hammered jigs and swim shads. Lots of birds worked the water, and come on down and fish for stripers, it said. The Golden Eagle is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Stripers held north and south in the ocean, popping up at different places every day, mostly biting just before dark, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. Sometimes they hit in mornings, and the fishing was tough in the middle of the day. Where to begin fishing for them in a day was a crap shoot, and the weekend’s full moon will probably trigger more to migrate in. New and full moons seem to make stripers “move” this time of year. Many thresher sharks swam the same water, and one was trolled and bagged on a bunker spoon yesterday aboard. The shark was one of three trolled among the striper fleet that day. Striper fishing was no good aboard that day, so the trip bottom-fished, rounding up sea bass, porgies and blackfish. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s anyway about individual spaces available on charters. Sign up for the email blast on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to be kept informed about the spaces.

<b>Brielle</b>

Very good sea bass fishing was pounded again yesterday on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Ryan wrote in an email. Some real jumbos were in the mix, and big porgies also showed up. Several anglers limited out on both sea bass and big porgies. Trips are fishing wrecks in 90 to 140 feet of water, and the sea bass hovered as high as 12 feet from bottom, surprisingly. The porgies hugged bottom or swam 3 or 4 feet up. Plain rigs with clam or Gulps have worked well on the sea bass. Looks like great sea bass fishing coming up this fall, he said. Seven-, 10-, 12-, 14- and 18-hour trips are sailing. Reservations are required for the 18-hour trips but not the others. Anglers and their catches on yesterday’s trip included: Ryan Borgunn, Brick, limits of sea bass and porgies; Wes Shourt, Manahawkin, limit of sea bass to 3 1/2 pounds and 37 porgies; Luis Ferriera, Perth Amboy, limit of sea bass to 3 1/2 pounds and 31 porgies; Ray Bryant, South Orange, limit of sea bass to 4 pounds and 28 porgies; and Bruce Casagrande, Trenton, limit of sea bass to 4 1/4 pounds and 25 Porgies.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Bottom-fishing was pretty good on the <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Sea bass fishing wasn’t as good as he’d like on the trips, because of weather. But Wednesday’s trip fished best for them, and many anglers limited out on sea bass then. Trips also scooped up lots of big porgies, a few blackfish and a couple of blues. Some mackerel were in the mix on Monday and Tuesday. Anglers on trips averaged 25 to 50 fish apiece, and good-sized fish were had. Lots of throwbacks hit. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Sea bass charters were canceled during the weekend with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> because of forecasts for winds, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. That was opening weekend of sea bass season. But wind dropped off enough Sunday morning for some of Mushin’s captains and mates to sail a couple of hours. They scored constant action with sea bass, lots of throwbacks, and a few dozen keepers.

Great sea bass fishing was plowed yesterday on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. Small had to be picked through to hook bigger, “but there were a lot more going in the pails and coolers for most today!” the report said about the trip. Porgies were mixed in, and trips are sailing for sea bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

A good catch of tuna was whooped on a 36-hour trip yesterday to today on the <b>Gambler</b>, an email said from the party boat. First, the trip fished lobster-pot buoys for mahi mahi, latching into a good shot of the fish. “Rob C. was floating out a chunk on a spin-rod for mahi when his bait got crushed by a screaming 50-pound yellowfin (tuna),” it said. Then the trip made a couple of drifts near squid boats, landing a couple of good-sized yellowfins. At night, the boat was anchored at Hudson Canyon’s west wall in seas that kept calming. A few small yellowfins were reeled in. One swordfish was bagged, and five small were let go. Plenty of squid schooled during the night, and anglers jigged them for bait. Before daybreak, mixed sizes of yellowfins to 75 pounds and a few large longfin tuna gave up “a flurry of action,” it said. “Throughout the rest of the day, we managed a steady 1 to 3 tuna fight at a time.” Blue sharks were a nuisance occasionally on the trip but not badly. Some anglers deep-dropped for tilefish on the trip, “and had a pretty good mix of those, too,” it said. The tiles included a 25-pound beauty. All the trip’s anglers probably bagged at least a couple of tuna and a few mahi. The next tuna trip with openings is Tuesday to Wednesday. Tuna trips are booked this weekend and Monday.  <a href="http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.php " target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> are slated through mid-November and are mostly booked. Striped bass trips will fish in November.

<b>Toms River</b>

In the surf, striped bass began to be less finicky, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. They were picked in mornings, but 4 to 9 p.m. fished best. Time of day, not tide, seemed to matter, and anglers caught them well in past days. Clams hooked the fish, and so did slim-profiled lures like Jetty Ghosts and larger needlefish like from Gibbs and Choopy. Many keepers swiped the needlefish in past days. Slim-profiled lures seemed to work because of rainfish in the water. Whales pushed rainfish right to the beach. Quite a few big bluefish 10 pounds were fought from the surf Monday evening on Ava’s and SP Minnows, both with teasers. Striper anglers on Manasquan River nailed 20 per night apiece to keeper-sized on popper lures and swimming plugs. Stripers were also angled on Barnegat Bay at the Mathis Bridge and toward Barnegat Inlet, but Manasquan River was more accessible. Boaters on the ocean trolled stripers well on bunker spoons and different paddle-tail rigs like from Rockfish Candy. Not many were decked on Stretch lures that catch sometimes. A bunch were boated off Seaside Park’s Island Beach Motor Lodge. But most were found farther north off Spring Lake and Bradley Beach. Off Asbury Park was on fire for the fishing last week. But many more stripers showed up locally this week than before. The first and second weeks of November will probably fish great for them. That’s a traditional time. Sea bass fishing was good at Axel Carlson Reef. That was the location because of the wind currently. Blackfish also bit at the reef. Blackfishing should be good when the bag limit is increased to six beginning November 16 from the current limit of one. Small blackfish bit along Point Pleasant Canal. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

No big numbers of striped bass were yanked from the surf yet, but the fish were caught, and the number of keepers increased, a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. They were hooked especially at night. Bait and lures connected, and mullet, bunker and clams were the baits. Swimming lures with a teaser and popper lures were the artificials that caught most. During daylight, small blues were in the mix. Tons of rainfish schooled the surf. Large bunker schools swam farther from shore. The fish “enjoyed” the baitfish now in the water. Shad seemed to swim the surf, too, Ray from the store said in a phone call. He eeled striped bass at Point Pleasant Canal the other night. Stripers in the canal include keepers 30 to 35 inches. Blackfish, not any size, chomped in the canal, but fishing for them was consistent. Good crabbing was actually still trapped from the dock. Baits stocked include fresh bunker, fresh clams and eels. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, a café, a dock for fishing and crabbing and, in season, boat rentals and jet-ski rentals.

<b>Forked River</b>

Ocean boaters now ran into striped bass on the ocean, said Brian from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers talked on the radio about trolling the fish in 45 to 60 feet from Seaside Park to Lavallette, including one reporting going 3 for 5. Whales and bunker filled the water maybe two days ago. Someone reportedly subdued a thresher shark in the striper water. Stripers were also eeled on Barnegat Bay at night toward the sod banks. A customer last night talked about catching them well. Surf anglers dragged in a few stripers and a few blues. Steady pickings of the blues, he said. Nobody was known about who fished for blowfish on the bay anymore this season.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Boaters had angled striped bass from the ocean and Barnegat Bay, but news was days old, because rough weather prevented most boating, said Vince Sr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Quite a few of the fish came from the ocean a couple of days between wind and rough weather. Rain fell today while he gave this report. Still, small stripers did hold on the flats of the bay and along the sod banks. Customers mostly catch on either the ocean or bay on livelined spots. Sea bass were rustled from the ocean when boaters got out, since sea bass season opened Saturday. Plenty of blackfish bit along ocean wrecks. Blackfish also chewed along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks. Live spots, fresh clams and green crabs are stocked. 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.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>***Update, Saturday, 10/29:***</b> From an email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “I just splashed the new Hi Flier this week. She’s a 25 ft World Cat center console powered by twin Honda 130 4-Strokes. This is a much more substantial boat than the 
21' Sea Cat, so we’ll be a lot more comfortable and drier. Although I will miss that boat, we went around the world and back, and she always got me home safe. Good Luck to her new owner Gene Linder of Premium Flooring in Phila, PA. He’ll be keeping her in the same slip at Leaming's Marina in Waretown, NJ.  As far as fishing goes, I got caught sleeping at the wheel as I’ve been telling anyone who asked about stripers the last few months not to worry, it doesn't start until November 1. While that may have been accurate for our normal 8- to 15-pound fish in migration, the big 20- to 40-pound fish have been here for two weeks now. I thought October would have been a safe month to transition boats, but apparently not. So, we’re in the water, ready to roll. I’m chartered today, but will be running Open Boat for stripers Sun and Mon, Oct. 30 and 31, 7AM to 1PM. It’s been almost exclusively a troll bite on these big fish, so that’s what we’ll be doing. I’ll have the bunker snagging and casting rods on board in case those opportunities present themselves. But I would guess that we’ll be spending most, if not all of our time on the troll. I say this up front so nobody winds up on board doing something they rather wouldn't. Some guys just want to cast lures or snag bunker and some guys want to catch big stripers by any means possible. Personally, I like doing it all, but conditions dictate the technique that gives us the best odds at hooking fish. Lots of west wind in the forecast so we should have a nice ocean. I look forward to seeing you all on board the new Hi Flier!”

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The ocean farther north, like toward Seaside Park,  seemed to begin harboring striped bass, said Brandon from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. He saw Facebook photos of the fish boated on trolled bunker spoons and Mojos and banked from the surf, like on pencil poppers. Anglers waited for the migration to arrive locally. Locally, smaller stripers were eeled on Mullica River. Small stripers were also plugged near the bay’s sod banks in mornings and before dark. The bass seemed to shove peanut bunker and mullet into the banks. Anglers blackfished at the sod banks. Brandon’s brother saw a dozen cars parked at the end of Seven Bridges Road. Those would be from anglers blackfishing, so the fish must’ve bit.

<b>Absecon</b>

Jay from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b> boated for striped bass on the ocean farther north, toward Barnegat Inlet, today, he said. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jay.levance/videos/1664258013599593/" target="_blank">The trip trolled two stripers 35 and 25 pounds</a>, an over and under 45 and 40 inches, and lost another, on spoons before heading back because of deteriorating weather. Locally, boaters picked away at stripers between Absecon Inlet to Mullica River. Capt. Dave’s, the shop’s owner’s, charters often hooked them on cast Gulp Nemesis on jigheads. Jay eeled two 31- and 30-inchers along the Intracoastal Waterway off Black Point in the dark two weeks ago. Small blues and small weakfish schooled the ocean off Atlantic City’s casinos. Jay hooked them last evening in 20 feet of water. Excellent blackfishing was clubbed along bridges and jetties. Baits stocked include live spots, mullet, peanut bunker, eels and green crabs.  

<b>Brigantine</b>

Paul Lavigna weighed a 10-pound striped bass from the surf Sunday that was the season’s first striper at <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>, Capt. Andy said. He won the store’s $25 gift card for the first from the town’s beach, and a few other stripers were reported from the beach around then, but not since. It’s a matter of time before they show this season, Andy said, and the fish began to arrive farther north. Snapper blues were around in the local surf. Fresh bunker and plenty of eels are stocked, and fresh clams will arrive Friday. The Sal’s Pizza Works Riptide Striper Bounty is up to $245 and will be awarded for the season’s first angler who checks-in a striper 43 inches or larger from Brigantine’s surf. Entry is $5, and the bounty will grow because all the money is awarded. Entry is required 24 hours before making the catch. The Brigantine Elks Fall Classic Tournament will take place November 11 to 13, and all profits will reportedly benefit veterans. Applications are available at Riptide and at the Elks. The annual Riptide Fall Striper Derby is underway until December 23. Prizes are $500, $300 and $150 for the first, second and third heaviest stripers, respectively, and $300, $200 and $100 for the first through third heaviest bluefish, from Brigantine’s surf. In the bluefish division, a 1-pounder, a 15.4-ouncer and a 15-ouncer were currently in first through third places. So if you catch a blue, enter. Those are beatable weights, of course.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Good-sized blackfish snapped in Absecon Inlet, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. He’d just weighed in two large when he gave this report today in a phone call. A customer brought in big, 17-inch kingfish from the surf at Vermont Avenue. Bluefish swam the inlet, and stripers were around at the inlet and in the surf. Photos of one from the inlet and another from the surf were posted on the store’s Facebook page one day this week. Look for photos of the kings there, too, not to mention the blackfish. Lots of spearing schooled the inlet. Fishing was good. “The party’s on,” he said! Anglers fish the jetty-lined inlet on foot. Both the inlet and the surf are near the store. For the blackfish, they dunked green crabs. For the kings, they soaked bloodworms. For the stripers, they tossed fresh bunker, fresh clams and eels. All those baits and more, the fully supply, are stocked.  ***Big Heads Up:*** Noel began a <a href="http://acprimetime.com/atlantic-city-fishing-petition-jetty-access/" target="_blank"><b>petition</b></a> for anglers <b>to protest the government’s planned closing of fishing the jetties along the inlet</b>. Click the link to read and sign it. The government recently said access will be granted, after Noel began to spearhead the protest. But until the government makes that official, the protest needs to continue.

<b>Egg Harbor Township</b>

Anglers tapped into striped bass along Ocean City’s 9th Street Bridge on the back bay and sometimes along surf jetties, said Austin from <b>24-7 Bait & Tackle</b>. How big were the stripers? he was asked. He knew about a keeper from along the bridge this week, he answered. Nobody mentioned bluefish that were reported caught along the bridge previously. Customers still crabbed, but none talked about results. Baits stocked include live spots and eels. The store’s rental boats are stowed away for winter. <b>The company also owns 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Marmora</b>.

<b>Longport</b>

A trip steamed yesterday on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, in wind that blew 25 knots in the morning but somewhat calmed in the afternoon, Capt. Mike said. Good-sized sea bass were pitched aboard near 28-Mile Wreck, and a bunch of snapper blues and porgies were swung in at the scallop bottom. Was a good outing, and a trip Friday will be weathered out from wind. Open-boat trips will fish next week on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

<b>Ocean City</b>

At <b>Fin-Atics</b>, Ed did hear about a few striped bass, decent-sized, trolled on the ocean off Ocean City yesterday, he said. Those were the first he heard about this season, and the fish seemed early, “but we’ll take it,” he said. Maybe that was encouraging, and the bass were trolled in legal waters on Mojos and Stretch lures. Striper fishing is closed beyond 3 miles from shore. Only a couple of boats got after the stripers, and only a few of the fish were hooked. Not many boaters sailed lately in windy weather. Lots of small stripers swam the back bay and the surf. Some anglers fished for them with clams and bunker, but locals usually fish for them with artificials like small soft-plastic lures and small plugs. “Small stuff,” he said, because of the small fish. A keeper was reported caught on occasion. Small blues maybe up to 2 pounds swarmed all over the bay and surf. Small but activity, he said, and most were hooked on bait or mullet, bunker or mackerel. But some anglers tossed small metal to connect with them. Blackfishing was unbelievable at structure like bridges, docks, piers and surf jetties. Not all were keepers, but there were good numbers. The few boaters who fished ocean reefs reported decent sea bass fishing. Some of the fish were healthy sized.  So some fish are around to be caught, so long as wind doesn’t blow 100 m.p.h.! he said.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Doug Gillespie whipped more than a dozen striped bass on the back bay last evening on Bass Assassins in Electric Chicken aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. He released them and a sizable, out-of-season summer flounder, and the fishing was great, catching almost from the first cast, scoring consistent action the whole time. The stripers were the smaller, resident fish, up to 24 inches, that live in the bay year-round. They bit at lots of different places in the 58- to 59-degree bay, were spread out. Lot of fun, Joe said.  Coming up, he expects to fish for sea bass on the ocean and look for false albacore on the ocean that swam the water this time last year. Joe gets after the migration of large striped bass and big bluefish on the ocean as soon as they arrive locally this season. . Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

Not a lot of people seemed to take advantage in windy, rough weather recently, but throwing lures for striped bass on the bay caught pretty regularly, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish were usually throwbacks, but there was action, and he saw a 35-inch keeper from the angling this week. Not much was heard about small blues that last week he reported swimming abundant from the bay to the surf. Maybe that was because the weather kept a limited number of anglers fishing. Blackfish snapped at places like the rocks at Townsend’s Inlet on the Avalon side. News about surf anglers seemed scarce in the weather. Nobody seemed to boat for sea bass in the weather since sea bass season opened Saturday.

<b>Wildwood</b>

<b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b> will next fish Friday, Capt. Jim said. Lots of blues swam the back bay. Okay sea bass fishing was heard about on the ocean. Striped bass were also heard about: two from the surf, and one boated on the ocean. The trip will fish for whatever’s available among these catches, including a combo, if that’s best. The fishing will include trying for stripers on the ocean, if conditions are right. Stripers might’ve been just arriving there, but Jim will take a crack at them if possible. Open-boat trips will fish during the week. Fins fishes every day, when there’s demand, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability.

Business will wind down for the season before long at <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>, but Mike from the shop was there every day, he said. Weather in the high 60 degrees and 70s is coming, and that should be nice. He crabbed the other day, trapping some, and expects to crab once or twice more for the year. Crabs still skittered around, and he had just checked the overnight pot in the canal when he gave this report this morning in a phone call, and six or eight of the blueclaws were inside. Lots of small striped bass, fun to play and release, and sometimes a keeper swam the back bay. He boated for them last night at a friend’s dock with a light – some light helps – and they probably landed 10 or 12 including a keeper. They fished a rig meant for herring, catching a bunch to fillet, salt and freeze for bait. Herring still schooled the water. They fish no bait on the rig that has a bucktail on bottom and two small spoon-hooks on leaders above, meant to jig the herring. The stripers grab the bucktail, and the herring swipe the spoons. Big stripers were seen but refused the rig. They fished with light tackle with 12-pound line, and the bucktail was only 1/8-ounce. On a previous trip from the dock itself, small blues also hit the spoons, but none did on the current trip, from the boat. That didn’t mean no blues swam the bay. On the trip on the dock, they caught the bass, herring and blues, covered in a previous report here. On the current trip, on the boat, they chummed with clam bellies in a bag of them dropped into the water, tied to the boat. They do that at likely places to find the fish like near creek mouths or a rip. The location of the bass changes. They look for surface commotion: baitfish stripers could be foraging on. Places where the fish bite on one trip could give up none on another, because things change, like sandbars. He could fish with a friend and the friend might hook the bass while Mike doesn’t, or vice versa, because the bass can hold in a specific trough. Anglers can also chum with clams and fish with the clams during daytime on the bay, called chunking. The fishing, both from a dock or boat, is good and fun. The keeper striper on this trip had a type of sardine in the stomach. Mike had thought the baitfish were shiners, when seeing them in the water. A load of the sardines schooled, and the belly was full of them. In other news, surf anglers who are hardcore are beaching occasional stripers. They run up and down the beach, searching, chasing the fish that are on the move. Canal Side in-season rents boats for fishing, crabbing and pleasure and kayaks. A $5 discount is available on a rental boat if you mention Fishing Reports Now, when the boats are available in-season. A large supply of bait and tackle is carried in-season. Crabs for eating are sold in-season, but the shop is no longer selling food for the year. Customers enjoy the crabs and other food, including shrimp, clams and oysters, in-season, at picnic tables with tents on the water at the store. Or they take out the food and enjoy.

<b>Cape May</b>

Wind blew strongly, and trips Monday and Tuesday fished closer to shore at the reef for sea bass on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. A few “small spots” gave up good-sized, and the angling wasn’t good, but caught some. A decent-sized crowd joined Wednesday’s trip, and the boat took a ride farther from shore. The anglers had to pick through throwback sea bass to land keepers, and none limited out, but many bagged eight, 10 or 12 of the fish. Quite a few sea bass bit, and all anglers left with dinner. Wind might’ve affected sea bassing, including close to shore, “(but) I don’t know if (the fishing) will get much better or worse,” he said. The Porgy IV will fish for sea bass at 8 a.m. daily until blackfishing once the blackfish bag limit is increased beginning November 16.

The <b>Heavy Hitter</b> is supposed to fish for sea bass on the ocean this weekend, Capt. George said. He knew about no charter boats that fished in past days in weather. Charters aboard will sail for striped bass when they arrive and blackfish when the bag limit is raised to six of the tautog beginning November 16 from the current limit of one. Stripers began to be boated farther north, George knew.

Sounded like a few striped bass began to migrate down the coast, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Catches were made at Raritan Bay and toward Sandy Hook on the northern state’s coast. But he was at Long Beach Island on the central coast yesterday, and anglers reported a few catches there. To the south at Cape May, some throwback stripers bit in the surf in mornings and evenings. Popper lures and swimming plugs hooked them well. A few of the bass were socked on bait during the rest of the day. A few blues, occasionally bigger, remained in the surf. Good blackfishing was nabbed at surf jetties. The back bay was a good place to tangle with stripers, including a couple of keepers mixed in, during early mornings on top-water lures and soft-plastic lures. Not much was heard from Delaware Bay, and strong west wind often blew during the week. That direction roughs up seas and can prevent boating on the bay’s New Jersey side. Sea bass fishing was good on the ocean.

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