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New Jersey Inshore Saltwater Fishing Report 10-19-17

<b>Sewaren</b>

Boaters eeled striped bass at Newark Bay, New York Harbor and Princes Bay, said Tim from <b>Dockside Bait & Tackle</b>. Good sized? he was asked. Keepers, he said, and he kept track of no exact sizes. The fish seemed to be migrating down from rivers. Someone took a keeper from Sewaren Pier, and another bagged one at Carteret Pier. Big bluefish schooled New York Harbor and throughout Raritan Bay. Anglers had to get eels down past blues to reach stripers beneath. Porgy fishing was good, and blackfish bit. Eels, fresh bunker, sandworms, bloodworms, nightcrawlers and trout worms were stocked. No fresh clams were stocked, and they were scarce. Few stores seemed to have them. Dockside, located on Smith Creek, a tributary of the Arthur Kill, is accessible from land and water at the fuel dock. The fuel dock is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

<b>Keyport</b>

Striped bass to a 38-pound 44-incher on Wednesday were nailed on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. The fishing was excellent, though each day was an “adventure … because the fish aren’t following any real pattern,” he said. On some days they bit early, and on others, late. Monster-sized bluefish to 18 pounds were mixed in, tearing up gear. The fall run seemed to be shaping up to be great, and the Vitamin Sea will be on them, he said. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips will fish next week on Wednesday and Friday. Anglers are telephoning daily who want to fish the next day, finding out the boat is full. Book as early as you can. When open-boat trips are announced, that’s the time to reserve. Send your email address to be added to the email list. Or follow <a href=" https://m.facebook.com/vitaminseafishing" target="_blank">Vitamin Sea’s Facebook page</a> to see dates when they’re announced.

Eeling for striped bass socked a good catch yesterday with the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>, Capt. Mario said. Bluefish were mixed in, and open-boat trips are striper fishing daily and at 2 p.m. every Saturday.  On Down Deep’s other boat, excellent porgy fishing was pounded, including for big. Open trips are sailing for that daily and will switch to sea bass beginning Sunday, opening day of sea bass season. Porgy trips are already throwing back sea bass that are abundant. How long sea bass will stick around before they migrate offshore will be seen, but they’re in now. Charters are available for any of this fishing for up to 15 passengers. Book blackfish charters for later this fall. Sign up for the Short Notice List on <a href="http://downdeepsportfishing.com" target="_blank">Down Deep’s website</a> to be kept informed about special open trips.

<b>Leonardo</b>

Capt. Joe from <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b> was gearing up to fish for tuna Friday, he said. He heard no tuna reports and just read reports from well-known boats like Canyon Runner and party boats like Gambler. Striped bass are biting in New York Harbor, mostly on eels. The fishing reportedly was slow Sunday in boat traffic. Fishing for porgies and blackfish was good, and Joe looks forward to Sunday’s opening of sea bass season. Plenty of sea bass were released on his trips for porgies and blackfish.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Porgies, great catches, kept getting plowed on the <b>Fishermen</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. Current ran fairly strong a couple of hours when the tide began, so anglers brought 10-ounce weights to hold bottom. The fishing began to sound like a broken record, the report said. But the angling’s excellent. Trips are fishing for porgies 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Fishing will target sea bass beginning Sunday on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. That’s opening day of sea bass season. But currently trips bucketed porgies every day aboard. All anglers left with dinner and more, and a few blackfish began to bite on the trips. Customers picked away at porgies this morning, when he gave this report in a phone call aboard. The fish were good-sized, or most looked 10 inches or larger. More were keepers than shorts. Trips are fishing for porgies 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily through Saturday. Trips on Sunday will fish for sea bass during those times. Beginning Monday, trips will sail for sea bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 or 3 p.m. daily. But sea bass, porgies and blackfish can swim the same areas, so the trips could angle a mix. One three-quarter-day trip like that, instead of two half-day trips, always begins to sail daily sometime during this season aboard. That’s because the fish migrate farther from shore, and the three-quarter day trip provides more time to reach them.

Small striped bass to 15 inches schooled the surf everywhere from Keyport on Raritan Bay to the ocean at Sandy Hook and Monmouth Beach, said Ron from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. False albacore ripped through the ocean surf about every other morning, including this morning at Sandy Hook Point. He and friends have been fishing at Monmouth Beach, and he arrived too late for albies this morning. They’ve been fishing small plugs like Bombers and Daiwa SP Minnows and rubber shad for the bass. Two big whales worked around pods of bunker 200 yards off the surf this morning. The keeper stripers were boated at New York Harbor and Hudson River, even as far upstream as the George Washington Bridge. That was on eels, and a few were trolled, but trolling was yet to take hold. Porgy fishing wasn’t bad, but many boaters switched to stripers. Ron hooked a porgy on Shrewsbury or Navesink river – he wasn’t asked which, and just said “the river,” like locals do – while fishing for a bunch of small stripers that swam the water. One blackfish is the bag limit, but blackfishing was improving. Sea bass season will open Sunday, and fresh clams, a sea bass bait, have been stocked about every day, though the clams have been scarce at many tackle shops. Baits stocked, a full supply, also include fresh bunker, eels and green crabs. 

Someone said striped bass were picked from the surf yesterday from Leonardo on Sandy Hook Bay to Monmouth Beach on the ocean, said Johnny O. from <b>Fisherman’s Den North</b>. False albacore have been all over the ocean surf at Sandy Hook and Sea Bright. A couple of whales were seen from the surf. Bluefish seemed spotty, except blues were hooked while boaters decked striped bass at New York Harbor or near the Statue of Liberty. Party boats just began to fish for stripers at night. The head boats bailed porgies during daytime. Blackfish were angled. “It’s not stopping,” he said about the tautog, and anglers seemed to buy more green crabs, blackfish bait, than other bait. Sea bass season will open beginning Sunday. A minimal amount of fresh clams, a bait including for sea bass, have been stocked. “I mean minimal,” he said. Clammers were unable to drag many.   

<b>Neptune</b>

A bluefish trip Sunday caught about the same as one of the trips Saturday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Saturday’s trip slammed big ones, and that was covered in the last report here. Want big blues? he asked in that report. Now’s the time! A trip will bluefish this coming Saturday, and another will sea bass Sunday, opening day of sea bass season. Space is available on individual-reservation trips for sea bass Tuesday and Nov. 4 and blackfish Nov. 16. The bag limit will be raised to six of the tautog beginning that day, from the current limit of one. A couple of anglers dropped out of a cod charter on Saturday, Oct. 28, so those spaces are available. Contact Last Lady to go.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> is poised to begin striped bass fishing on the ocean, and Capt. Pete heard about no real catches yet, he said. But the catches might be about to bust open. He knew about stripers beached from the surf locally yesterday morning and from the Seaside area lately. Some good-sized – keepers – were slid from the Seaside area. A trip aboard yesterday tugged in good-sized blackfish from the ocean and saw lots of false albacore. Lots of baitfish were also seen including rainfish and a few bunker. Birds are beginning to work the bait. A sea bass charter on Oct. 30 aboard wants three additional anglers. Contact Parker Pete’s to jump aboard. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s about individual spaces with charters who want more anglers. Sign up for the email list on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to be kept informed about the spaces.

Capt. Mike from <b>Celtic Stoirm Charters</b> is looking forward to sea bass season opening Sunday, he said. He heard about no striped bass locally but heard stripers were being picked in New York Harbor. The fishing had been on, and then slowed. Anglers will see how it goes.

Daily trips for sea bass will get underway Sunday, opening day of sea bass season, on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. The boat is full that day and Monday, and spaces remain Tuesday and Wednesday. Telephone to reserve: 732-974-9606. Until then, fishing for porgies and blackfish that’s been great aboard will continue daily. Trips sail 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sometimes trips depart early that sail in the beginning of a fishing season, like for sea bass, so check with the boat.

A handful of drifts jigged big bluefish today on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, an email from the party boat said. An excellent population of the fish was marked, 30 to 40 feet thick at times. “We did not catch what we saw,” it said. A handful of false albacore were beaten aboard first thing in the morning close to shore at bird life. Bluefishing was good during the weekend aboard and slower in past days. Trips are sailing for blues and striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

The year’s final tuna fishing sailed Sunday to Monday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. One large yellowfin tuna was bagged, and a few yellowfins and a swordfish were lost. “Everybody tried hard,” it said, but weather was rough, “and the fish didn’t cooperate like they should have.” On Tuesday and Wednesday aboard, fishing was slower than previously for big bluefish to 22 pounds aboard, but some were caught, and lots were read. Today’s trip whacked a good catch of blues 4 to 20 pounds, a variety of small, medium and large. Catches began slowly but improved, and the trip ended up with a decent catch and lots of happy anglers, the report said. Weather looks beautiful for the weekend, and trips are fishing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. this coming Saturday.

<b>***Update, Friday, 10/19:***</b> If you were waiting for some fall action, wait no longer, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. False albacore stormed into Monmouth and Ocean counties’ surf and inlets yesterday. Bunker are stacked all along the surf, so striped bass “are not far behind,” he said. Grab your surf rod, because surf fishing’s going to take off. Belmar’s party boats mugged bluefish and albies on the ocean. Porgies and blackfish cooperated for the ones that sailed for them on the ocean. Sea bass season will open Sunday, and anglers seemed highly interested.  “One captain in our Atlantic Highlands store,” Bob said, boated several blackfish to 12 pounds, releasing them. Bob was talking about Fisherman’s Den North, located north of Belmar at Atlantic Highlands.  See you on the beach, Bob said. He’s a surf angler.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

A few tuna, some swordfish and plenty of mahi mahi were bonked “in deep canyon waters” on a trip Saturday to Sunday on the <b>Gambler</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. At night, the swords, four of them, were cranked in. Between 5 and 8 a.m., a few longfin tuna 50 to 65 pounds and a couple of 70-pound yellowfin tuna came in. After 9 a.m., the trip began fishing “surface gear” for mahi mahi, landing a good catch of them. Another one of the trips was headed out Monday. <a href=" http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.php" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> are scheduled until mid-November. The fishing seems set to give up tuna until late in the season, and the fish should be caught into the final trips, the report said. The boat begins striped bass fishing on Nov. 1. The schedule of <a href="http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshore-sea-bass.php" target="_blank"> offshore sea bass trips</a> has been posted for December on the vessel’s website.

Porgy fishing was a little sluggish yesterday on the <b>Norma-K III</b> on the ocean, a report said on the party boat’s website. “Maybe it was just the day,” it said. The angling was good previously aboard. Trips are fishing for porgies and blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily through Saturday. The trips will fish for sea bass beginning Sunday, opening day of sea bass season. Trips are bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday and Saturday.

<b>Toms River</b>

A 29-1/2-pound striped bass was weighed-in yesterday that was boated a mile off Barnegat Inlet on a bunker snagged and then livelined for bait, said Mario from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. That’s the season’s first striper boated on the ocean this far south that was reported on this website. A photo of a 40-pounder boated in the same area that day was posted on another tackle shop’s Facebook page. Plus, surf anglers locally beached a few keeper stripers “last night” and “this morning,” Murphy’s Facebook page said on Wednesday. “… so hopefully things are starting to happen,” the page said. The surf catches were on Daiwa SP Minnows, and a few were on bait. Lots of baitfish were around. What kind? this writer asked Mario. Bunker, he said, but he was interrupted while this writer asked, and never had the chance to say whether other bait was around. Whether the bait was only around the boaters or was also in the surf was unclear. In back waters, good-sized bluefish remained, and were hooked including on the Toms River from docks or the bulkhead. One angler bunker-chunked the blues in Oyster Creek, and another caught them in Manasquan Inlet. Throwback stripers hit small swimming lures in back waters like the bay in a few spots and the Toms, especially at night. Plenty of blackfish snapped in Point Pleasant Canal and along Barnegat Inlet. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

“Yesterday morning was the start of things to come!” a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. Rainfish, mullet, peanut bunker and adult bunker appeared in the ocean close to shore from Ortley Beach through Island Beach State Park. Keeper striped bass and whales were hot on their tails. Sometimes the bass pushed within casting range of the surf, and a few anglers locked into them who were at the right place at the right time. Most of the bass were smashed on bunker snagged for bait and then livelined or on Polaris-style popper lures. “No more excuses!” the report said. Grab a rod, because the fishing should only improve. Look for birds working the bait or look for the bait. Previously, a few stripers in the teens began to be beached from the surf, mostly in evenings on plugs like Daiwa SP Minnows and cut bunker. More and more small stripers were also plugged on swimmers on night tides in the surf previously. Small weakfish had been heard about from the surf. Small bluefish had been popping into the surf at times nearly everywhere during daytime. Blackfish were angled along Barnegat Inlet’s jetty at Island Beach. In Barnegat Bay, crabs were still trapped, but be ready to spend some time. 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, boat rentals and, in season, jet-ski rentals.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Plenty of blackfish hovered along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks, said Vince Sr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Lots of decent-sized were seen this weekend at the shop. Green crabs are stocked for bait for them, and live spots began to be carried for the season. Striped bass were hooked on the livelined baitfish during the weekend along the inlet and in Barnegat Bay. Bluefish remained in Barnegat Bay, but not a lot of anglers fished, so not much was heard about that. Bobbie’s features a complete bait and tackle shop, a fuel dock and boat and kayak rentals. The boats are used for fishing, crabbing, clamming and pleasure.

<b>Barnegat</b>

“The fish and weather are here!” Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> wrote in an email today. “Heading to the dock right now to jump on the boat and head out. Birds, bunker, whales, stripers, blues and albies are up and down the beach. Perfection-westerly-forecast and temps in the 70s. These next few days are not to be missed.” Open-boat trips or charters will sail 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday through Monday. Four people max on the open trips. All fish are shared. Never too late to try for an opening. You can call right until “go time,” he said.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

No striped bass were heard about from the local ocean, but a boater departed locally from Little Egg Inlet, sailed north toward Seaside and drilled a 32-pounder, said Brandon from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The angler only caught one, but the fish was beautiful, and the season was early. Surf anglers toward Barnegat Inlet and Seaside sometimes beached stripers, not huge, bluefish and false albacore. Locally, sizable stripers 28 to 42 inches, not a lot but some, were getting eeled on Mullica River. Anglers could play a dozen 12- to 20-inch, throwback stripers from sod banks on bucktails or lures. That’s in early mornings or toward dusk, and Brandon’s been doing that, but the fish could probably be found during the middle of the day, too. The stripers could be located from the back bay to the Mullica to tributaries like Roundabout Creek. White perch fishing was fair in the Mullica. It’s perch fishing, and anglers will find a school and catch an hour, find another school and repeat. The catches could be good. Blackfishing was good along the bay’s sod banks, along Barnegat Inlet’s jetties and at wrecks. Blowfish, no crazy numbers, were angled from the bay. Baits stocked include eels, green crabs, bloodworms and live grass shrimp. Brandon thought nobody in the state had fresh clams. Boats were out trying to harvest them today, and clammers said the clams were buried deep, difficult to reach. That usually happens in the heat of summer, like in August, but reportedly was happening now.

<b>Absecon</b>

Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b> began running his striped bass charters on the back bay near Absecon and Brigantine yesterday and today, he said in a phone call. The trips pasted the fish! Steady catches from sunrise to noon. He previously ran the charters at the mouth of Mullica River. But he said on the shop’s Facebook page that conditions seemed to be coming together to fish the bay, so he did, and the bass were bigger, and abundant. The trip yesterday with two anglers bagged three stripers 28 to 31 inches, released three 28-inchers, bagged two slots and totaled more than 20 stripers, including 15- to 23-inch shorts. Today’s trip landed fewer, but the angling was about the same, and the catch included a 15-pounder that the anglers chose to release. “They’re here!” Dave said about stripers. A few of the trips’ stripers were hooked on livelined spots, but the anglers enjoyed catching the fish on jigs with Gulps, “just following the banks,” Dave said. Dave wasn’t asked the type of Gulps but usually fishes Gulp Nemesis. Ones and twos would bite, and sometimes a pod would be found and several would be landed. Good-sized were mixed in. “It’s really nice fishing,” he said. Lots of throwback stripers bit up the Mullica. Keepers were reportedly eeled on the river off Chestnut Neck Marina. White perch swam the river. Plenty of blackfish seemed to keep hitting along jetties for anglers on foot. Not a lot of boaters seemed to blackfish. “Everything’s looking better,” Dave said. Baits stocked included live spots, eels and green crabs. All baits are stocked except fresh clams. Seems the clams are going to be scarce this fall.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The surf tossed up bluefish and no striped bass yet, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. An angler dragged six redfish from the surf while fishing mullet. The southern species were small, only 10 to 12 inches, but somewhat surprising. A few of the red drum show up in South Jersey each year. Stripers were boated from the back bay. Andy fished for them Friday evening with no luck. But the fishing lit up Saturday morning for up to 30-inchers. Fresh clams were impossible to stock because they were scarce. Great-quality salted, frozen clams are carried. Bloodworms and fresh mullet are in supply. Fresh bunker are supposed to arrive Friday. The Fall Riptide Striper and Bluefish Derby is underway until Christmas Eve for surf fishing in the town. The $25 entry fee includes a permit to drive Brigantine’s entire front beach, when accompanied by a Brigantine beach-buggy permit. Without the tournament permit, not all the beach can be driven. Anglers must have the Brigantine permit to be able to drive on the beach with the tournament permit. Cash prizes will be awarded. The annual Elks Tournament will be held Nov. 10 to 12 in Brigantine for surf and boating anglers for the heaviest stripers. Cash will be awarded for first through third places in each of the two categories. Half the entry fees will reportedly benefit the Elks veterans’ committee, and the other half will reportedly be awarded.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Some good-sized blackfish were banged out from Absecon Inlet, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Mostly green crabs whipped them, but shrimp also caught. Probably 1 in 10 of the blackfish hooked was a keeper. Customers fish the nearby, jetty-lined inlet on foot. Two kingfish 1 pound and 1.1 pounds were weighed from the surf adjacent to the inlet today at the shop. Not a zillion kings came from the surf, but some did. Dunk bloodworms for them, and that’s what drew those two to strike. Snapper blues schooled the inlet, swiping mullet for bait. Lots of schoolie striped bass nibbled in the bay behind the inlet. They were plugged or clammed, and clams are scarce at most stores. But One Stop is stocking plenty of pints. Green crabs, bloodworms, fresh bunker, eels and all baits are stocked. You name it, Noel said.

<b>Longport</b>

Open-boat trips will sea bass Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the ocean on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Space is available, and a trip Sunday is sold out for sea bass. That’s opening day of sea bass season. A trip Saturday is sold out that will fish for a mix of catches like blues, kingfish, blowfish and porgies that anglers have been scooping from the ocean aboard.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Small bluefish schooled the bay and the ocean near shore, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. They occasionally lit into the surf, and occasionally kingfish were still plucked from the surf. Occasionally weakfish were reported schooling the ocean near shore, and sometimes a weak was banked from the surf. Blackfish, a few of them keepers, loitered along bridges. Striped bass, a little bigger than previously, sometimes a keeper, mostly throwbacks bit along bridges at night, mostly on soft-plastic lures. A few were popper-plugged. Baby sea bass remained in the bay. So did out-of-season summer flounder. Waters were warm enough, about 66 degrees. That was cooler than a week ago. News about bigger sea bass should roll in from the ocean once sea bass season opens Sunday. Bill assumed local party boats will sail for them.  

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

At Townsend’s Inlet, small blues schooled, mostly biting mullet, and occasional striped bass and weakfish were mixed in, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Small blues were the only catches from the ocean surf. Better-sized stripers than before were socked from the back bay on plugs, mostly at dawn and dusk. Anglers often cast swimming lures for them like Daiwa SP Minnows and Rapala X-Raps, fished slowly. Stripers seemed a little more active in the bay because of cooler weather. Many small blackfish swam the inlet. Not a lot of keepers were heard about. Sea bass season will open Sunday, and the local party boat will begin sailing for them then on the ocean. The boat reported plenty of sea bass biting, even inshore, while it’s been fishing for catches like triggerfish. A couple of trips headed offshore last night to today, and one was heard back from. The trip docked a mako shark heavier than 200 pounds, a swordfish heavier than 100 and a good number of mahi mahi. The trip caught no tuna, but there was lots of life.

<b>Wildwood</b>

A couple of striped bass were winged from the back bay, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. Anglers who grabbed one of the bass and a good-sized blackfish from the bay while fishing on foot from the sod banks yesterday were going to rent a boat from the shop tomorrow. They wanted to try the angling from a boat. Mike begins boating for stripers on the bay during the month’s final week, and that’s next week. A buddy plans to crab the bay tomorrow or the next day, so Mike will see how crabbing is. Canal Side rents boats for fishing, crabbing and pleasure and kayaks. <b>***<i>Get a $5 discount</i>***</b> on a rental boat if you mention Fishing Reports Now. The shop is open for no set hours currently, but is open whenever Mike is there, usually daily. He’ll be there throughout this weekend. He’s preparing the shop for an annual winter break and so is there for that work. The shop was open daily, like usual, throughout summer and part of spring and fall. A large supply of bait is stocked in-season. So is fishing and crabbing tackle and gear. Much of that is stocked currently. Spearing ran out. The shop in-season, not currently, sells live and cooked crabs and other seafood that customers enjoy at tented tables along the water at the store, or enjoy them at home. They also enjoy wine from Natali Vineyards in Cape May Court House that the state recently approved the shop to sell. Or they bring their own adult beverages if they want.

<b>Cape May</b>

Daily sea bass trips will be launched Sunday, opening day of sea bass season, on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. The trips will sail at 8 a.m., and the boat was potentially going to fish last weekend. But too few anglers showed up. Saturday was a little rainy, and four or five people showed up. On Sunday, about the same number did. Trips then were going to sail for a mix of bluefish, triggerfish, blackfish or whatever fish had an open season and could be bagged. The boat now will fish for sea bass and later this fall for blackfish, unless a good number of striped bass show up and can be targeted.

Small bluefish tumbled the surf from the ocean to Delaware Bay, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Striped bass were beaned from the back bay on top-water and soft-plastic lures in mornings and evenings and on bunker in bunker chum during daytime. Fresh clams are usually also fished and chummed for the bay’s bass, but the clams became difficult to obtain. Blackfish bit along jetties and structure like that. So did sheepshead, the southern species, because water was warm enough. Water temperature seemed yet to drop much, and Nick walked the beach, and the surf felt not much cooler than the 70 degrees it was previously. Triggerfish, another southern fish, remained along wrecks. Nothing was heard about fishing for tuna. Baits stocked include green crabs, eels and jumbo bloodworms.

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