<b>Keyport</b>

Good striped bass fishing was pounded on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. The fish, from bonus-sized to 46 inches, were hooked on cast rubber shads during light boat traffic. When traffic built, large, 9-inch shads were trolled to hook up. Striper fishing is exciting in fall. Birds dove into bait schools, and the stripers busted the water surface. Not only that, but small whales gorged on bunker, and bald eagles were seen flying. “This is just an amazing time of year,” he said. Three spaces are available for an open-boat trip Tuesday, and a charter is available Thursday. Telephone to reserve.

An excellent week of striped bass fishing was clobbered on Raritan Bay aboard, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>. The fish from slots to 35 inches were hooked on jigs and rubber shads, and open-boat trips are fishing for them daily. Charters are available, and open trips will also begin to sail for blackfish beginning Wednesday, when the bag limit is increased to six from the current limit of one. Down Deep runs two 40-foot boats, accommodating up to 15 passengers apiece. Both feature heated cabins, full galleys and large cockpits for comfort. 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>

Trips fished every day on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, including in windy weather Friday, and caught every day, mostly porgies, Capt. Tom said. Trips targeted them, and also reeled in a few blackfish and sea bass. The daily trips will target blackfish beginning Wednesday, when the bag limit is increased to six, from the current limit of one. Then crabs will be supplied for bait. Anglers brought their own crabs who blackfished until now. Tom wasn’t saying porgies and sea bass will be caught no longer. But beginning Wednesday, if trips fish a spot where blackfishing isn’t good enough, the boat will be moved to try to tie into blackfish better. Most sea bass were throwbacks that were hooked on the trips. Trips are fishing for porgies, sea bass and blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily through Tuesday. Beginning Wednesday, the trips will focus on blackfish.

Capt. Ron from the <b>Fishermen</b>, on Sunday’s daily striped bass trip, never saw so many boats fishing before, he wrote in a report on the party boat’s website. Life was incredible, but the traffic put down the fish quickly. The boat had a couple of shots at them, then was put in search mode, leaving the area. The trip, going off by itself, found stripers biting, under gannets working the water. Loads of bait schooled, and striper readings were unreal. The trip’s hot hand landed eight, and several customers landed two to six stripers and a couple of blues apiece. None kept more than a limit, and a 15-pound striper won the pool. Rubber shads and plain jigs caught best. The water was 54 degrees, perfect for fall striper fishing. A charter fished Saturday aboard, and also caught stripers well. Today was expected to be great for striper fishing aboard, in less boat traffic. A chance of showers was forecast for tomorrow, but the boat will fish. Don’t wait long – the catches won’t last forever, Ron said. 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.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Lady M Charters</b> has been blackfishing from Brooklyn until New Jersey’s bag limit for the tautog is increased to six beginning Wednesday, from the current limit of one. Then trips will blackfish from New Jersey, and the boat blackfished Saturday and Sunday from Brooklyn, Capt. Steve said. The angling was picky, but a few of the anglers limited out Saturday. None limited Sunday. Other trips from Brooklyn scored great on the tautog recently, covered in previous reports here. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fishing limited out on striped bass by 7 a.m. on the ocean Sunday with Capt. Nick at the helm, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>. Ralph fished with a friend that day, “(catching) more than my fair share of stripers,” he said, and some good-sized blackfish. The blackfishing was great, and six will become the bag limit for the tautog beginning Wednesday, from the current limit of one. Striper fishing is “stupid,” if angler know what they’re doing. Ralph this week expects to announce individual-reservation blackfish trips, in addition to ones already scheduled for Nov. 22, 28 and 30 and Dec. 1, 11, 12 and 17. A half-day individual-reservation trip will blackfish on Thanksgiving, Nov. 24. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 11/15:***</b> Spaces available for individual-reservation trips for blackfish are: three spots, half-day trip, Thanksgiving, Nov. 24; one spot, Nov. 28; three spots, Dec. 3; and three spots, Dec. 12. More of the trips will be added for December. Only December dates remain for striper charters.

<b>Belmar</b>

One of the year’s best striped bass bites, if not the best, erupted Sunday for ocean boaters, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Charter and private boats limited out by 9 a.m., and many stripers up to 40 pounds were seen at the shop. The fish bit bunker spoons, Mojos, rubber shads, crocs and livelined bunker. Annie Stoebe from Jobstown checked-in a 27-pounder trolled on a bunker spoon. A good catch of blues was also boated on the trip. Be careful about whales during the fishing. One angler who stopped in reported the boat seriously damaged during a whale encounter. “We hope the whale was not hurt,” Bob said.

A handful of striped bass catches began action today on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, an email from the party boat said. Bluefish eventually took over, and fishing for them was exceptional at times, a pick at others. “It was a great day overall with good fishing and excellent weather!” it said. The boat is sailing for stripers and blues 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

A mix of blues to 15 pounds and some striped bass to 20 pounds, good-sized fish, gave up decent angling Sunday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. They bit in the ocean near Shark River Inlet at first. Then they kept moving, but the trip would find them.  On Saturday’s trip, bluefishing was good, and stripers were skittish, but a few stripers were landed. On Friday’s trip, boat traffic was thick, and weather was windy, and fishing was slow. The Golden Eagle is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Lots of striped bass swam the ocean, tons of birds worked the water and whales breached Saturday, but the bass refused to bite, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Katie H</b>. The fishing was slow on the Katie H and for the fleet. So the trip anchored for sea bass, blackfish and whatever would bite, cranking in a few fish. But Sunday’s striper fishing was a whole different story. A trip that day limited out on under stripers in 2 hours and returned early aboard, incredible fishing. Sounded like other boats had similar results. A whale breached beside the boat twice. The Katie H was kept away from the fleet a little way to fish on its own. The 46-foot boat features speed and all the amenities.

<b>XTC Sportfishing</b> was out a couple of times, boating striped bass and blues on the ocean, Capt. Scott said. The fishing was really good Sunday, and returned early. The trips hooked the fish on livelined bunker and on the troll, and more of the outings will sail today and tomorrow. Whales swam all over the water.

Excellent striped bass fishing on the ocean was clubbed every day except Saturday with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. Boat traffic was heavy Saturday, but the fishing bounced back and was phenomenal Sunday. Two trips fished for them that day aboard, both limiting out on unders. The morning trip decked 41- to 45-inchers on livelined bunker. The afternoon trip opted to troll, bagging 35- to 40-inch unders and one over. So all the fish were good-sized, and Pete sees the fishing staying great for some time, and could easily see the angling lasting into December. Plenty of dates are available for trips in early December. Blackfishing will also sail in December, and the blackfish bag limit will be lifted to six beginning Wednesday, from the current limit of one.  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>

A marathon sea bass trip fished excellent Saturday on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Ryan wrote in an email. Jumbos were pulled in, and so were dinner-plate-sized porgies. Many customers limited out on sea bass, and some limited on porgies. Bluefish were a nuisance, chomping up many of the other fish. “But coolers were full,” he said. The fishing is expected to be great through the month.  Kyle Taub from Bristol won the pool with a 12-pound cod and limited on sea bass. Just a few customers who limited on sea bass and also filled coolers with porgies were Ray Bryant from South Orange, Wes Shourt from Manahawkin, Edward Weems from Philly and Dave Nelson from Princeton. Ten- and 12-hour trips are fishing for sea bass. So are 14-hour marathons. Eighteen-hour trips for jumbo sea bass are also slated in December. A blackfish trip will sail Wednesday, when the bag limit is hiked to six, from the current limit of one. Check out <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/J2fishing/" target="_blank">Jamaica II’s Facebook page</a> for photos and the latest reports.

Ocean striped bass fishing was pretty darn good Sunday, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Lots were boated off Asbury Park in 50 to 60 feet of water on bunker snagged and then livelined, jigs and on trolled bunker spoons and Mojos. The fish schooled north of there lately, too, but were concentrated off Asbury. Quite a few bluefish swarmed off Sandy Hook. Surf anglers scored stripers pretty well at Sandy Hook Point on bucktails, metal-lipped swimmers and popping plugs. Farther south in the surf, striper fishing was kind of spotty, and the fish would turn up at Asbury one day, Long Branch another, Bradley Beach another, and so on. Even farther south, surf-fishing was very picky, like toward Lavallette and Island Beach State Park. Stripers were picked away at Point Pleasant Canal, not fantastic fishing. Stripers swam Manasquan Inlet on Sunday morning. Blackfish were picked away at the canal and inlet. Sea bass fishing was good when boaters got the weather to fish deeper water from 60 feet to 100-some. Blackfishing looked like it would be good when the bag limit is raised to six beginning Wednesday, from the current limit of one. Those who fished for a limit of one and released others scored well, and the fish seemed to gather in 50 and 60 feet of water, still close to shore, but the fishing was better there than closer. Nobody reported offshore fishing for tuna and other big game, and those trips seemed about finished for the year.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Quality striped bass were socked Saturday and Sunday with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> on bunker snagged and then livelined, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. Sunday was definitely the better day, and the anglers limited out and began releasing more by 7:30 a.m. That trip also got to fish a wreck, adding big porgies and some sea bass to the catch. Spaces are available for wreck trips December 4, 10 and 11 for jumbo sea bass and large porgies. 

Some big striped bass to 30 pounds and heavier were plowed Sunday on the <b>Gambler</b>, the party boat’s Facebook page said. “But anglers really needed to be working their lures and it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” it said. On Saturday’s trip, more bluefish bit than stripers did. On Sunday’s, the opposite happened.  Trips are fishing for stripers 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. However, an overnight tuna trip is slated for Tuesday to Wednesday, so no striper trip is scheduled for Wednesday. Space is available on the tuna trip. <a href=" http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshore-sea-bass.php" target="_blank">Offshore sea bass trips</a> are scheduled for Dec. 17-30.

Keeper sea bass, throwbacks, porgies and blackfish were picked during the weekend on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. Most drops gave up life, but the angling was tough, “nothing like we had,” it said. Plenty of readings were marked at some spots, “but they did not bite good for us,” it said. Saturday night’s trip clobbered an excellent catch of 8- to 12-pound blues, and all anglers left with plenty. That was the season’s final bluefishing aboard. Trips will finish sailing for sea bass and porgies 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today and tomorrow. Beginning Wednesday, the trips will blackfish daily during the same hours. The bag limit will be raised to six of the tautog starting that day, from the current limit of one.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Surf fishing was slow, but a good-sized striped bass was slid onto the beach every once in a while, a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. John Petrovsky weighed-in a 45-inch 33-1/2-pounder that chomped a clam at Island Beach State Park at mid-day. More than 300 anglers participated in the Hudson River Fisherman’s Association’s tournament in the surf Saturday.  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>

Capt. Mike from <b>Tuna-Tic Sportfishing</b> canceled fishing aboard Saturday and Sunday, because striped bass were scarce in the local ocean, he said. The migration seemed farther north in the state, where boaters seemed to score them well. He hopes the run will arrive locally for this coming weekend. The water was still warm or 59 degrees. A trip searched for the bass Friday a while, finding none, just watching whales. Not one striper was known to be caught among the fleet. Tuna fishing is finished for the year aboard. The boat was going to sail for them last week if a weather window opened, but none did. So Mike’s wrapping up that angling.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

On the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, striped bass fishing was tougher Friday and Saturday but better Sunday, a report said on the party boat’s website. “Lots of looking over bunker schools with little results,” it said about Friday and Saturday. “Some really nice bass coming over the rail,” it said about Sunday. Stripers still schooled far north, off Long Island, and the crew hopes that southern migration arrives locally soon. “It looks like this could be a year where we fish well into December,” it said. Striper trips will sail at 7 a.m. Friday through Sunday.

<b>Brigantine</b>

A 42-pound 14-ounce striped bass was weighed from Brigantine’s surf Thursday at <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>, the shop’s website said. That was covered in the previous report here, and the angler took the lead in the striper division in Riptide’s Fall Striper and Bluefish Derby with the fish. On Friday, Brad String moved into second place, weighing-in a 39-pound, 3-ounce striper from the town’s surf. He also won $285 for Riptide’s Sal’s Pizza Works 43-inch Striper Bounty. His fish was 47 inches, and the 42-pounder was longer, but the angler wasn’t entered. The bounty was for the entrant who checked-in the season’s first striper 43 inches or larger from the town’s surf. A new bounty was now begun for the next 43-incher or larger. Entry is $5, and all the money is awarded. Entry is required 24 hours before the catch. On the same day, Mark Young stopped by with a 29-pound 42-1/2-inch striper from Brigantine’s surf, moving into third place in the derby. Stripers swam the surf, “but you really have to find them,” the report said. Not a lot were in, but those that swam “in tight” were big, just like last year, it said. String also won the surf division in the weekend’s Elks striper tournament in Brigantine with the 39-pounder. Second and third places had to be pulled out of a hat. The fishing slowed beginning Saturday. An angler with a 30-inch striper won the boat division in the tournament. For Riptide’s derby, underway until Dec. 23, entry is $25 and includes a permit to beach-buggy Brigantine’s entire front beach, when accompanied by a Brigantine permit. Without the tournament permit, not the entire beach can be driven.

<b>Longport</b>

Sea bass fishing was weathered out because of wind this weekend on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Open-boat trips will sail for blackfish and striped bass 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Six will become the blackfish bag limit beginning Wednesday, from the current limit of one. The ocean’s been 58 degrees and gin clear. “The hotels are full,” he said about his crab pots. Plenty of green crabs and some white are on hand for blackfishing. Space is also available on one of the open trips 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Thanksgiving, Nov. 24. Some spots are left on another one of the trips 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. the next day, Black Friday. The boat will fish up to Jan. 15. Sea duck hunts will sail afterward.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> fished from Puerto Rico this weekend with friend Capt. Chris Goldmark from Culebra Fly Fishing and Light Tackle, Joe said. They boated tarpon, bonefish and a bunch of fish like jacks and snappers, and had many shots at permit that never hooked up. Weather was warm and beautiful. At Sea Isle, Joe will look for striped bass on the ocean, and a charter aboard already released one, a 45-incher, two weekends ago, covered in a previous report here. Trips aboard will fish for stripers in the back bay if necessary, and recent trips locked into them well with Joe on the bay. There’s a good chance false albacore remain in the ocean, farther from shore, and Joe will keep a lookout for them. Trips on the boat could also fish for sea bass farther from shore, and that angling’s been good, and fish for blackfish, once the blackfish bag limit is increased to six beginning Wednesday, from the current limit of one. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Two striped bass were reportedly bagged from the ocean off Wildwood on Sunday on a party boat, said Capt. Jim from <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b>. Most of the migration remained farther north in the state, but Fins searched for the bass from the ocean to the back bay from Cold Spring Inlet to the North Wildwood Bridge on Saturday. None was found, but Fins will be on them, when they show. Six will become the blackfish bag limit beginning Wednesday, from the current limit of one. The tautog still bit like crazy at rock piles, so surely they held at inshore wrecks. Jim knew two anglers who fished for them along Cold Spring Inlet, hooking the fish the whole time, bagging two 6-pounders. Fins will be available for blackfishing beginning Wednesday. Trips are available for sea bass fishing offshore, when weather enables trips to reach there. Seas were a little rough on the trip Saturday, but wind was from west, so land protected the ocean from the wind close to shore. Fins will keep after stripers, and the fishing was great last year, when the migration arrived. Fins fishes every day, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability. Space is available this weekend. 

<b>Cape May</b>

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> canceled a charter Saturday, because too few striped bass seemed to arrive yet, he said. He suggested the anglers booked for Sunday should also cancel, but they wanted to try for the bass. None of the fish was found, and the trip fished all the way to off Brigantine. The southern migration was in for anglers in the northern state. A friend’s charters loaded up on the fish on a morning trip and an afternoon trip Sunday to the north. Sea bass trips are available, when weather enables the trips to run farther from shore. Trips on the Heavy Hitter cleaned up on sea bass, lots of throwbacks, but good numbers of keepers, 30 miles from shore lately, covered in previous reports here. Six will become the blackfish bag limit beginning Wednesday, from the current limit of one. But trips on the Heavy Hitter will sail for them later in the year. Plenty of blackfish still bit along bridges and jetties, were yet to push off to wrecks farther from shore, where the boat’s trips get after them.  

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