<b>Brooklyn</b>

A blackfish charter on the <b>Big M Express</b> was picky Sunday, but 35 keepers to 8 pounds were boated, the fishing report on the boat’s web site said. Six anglers on a charter Saturday put close to their limits of blacks in the box, and some of the fish were big and weighed up to 9 pounds. An open-boat blackfish trip on Friday also produced some big ones, including a 12-pound bruiser and five that weighed more than 7 pounds apiece. Open-boat blackfish trips are running 7 a.m. every day when no charter is booked, and open striper trips are sailing 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The Big M Express is docked at Tamaqua Marina in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn.

<b>Staten Island</b>

Tog fishing was mediocre on trips Saturday and Sunday, and the bite was “touchy,” and anglers had to stick with it and be patient, said Capt. Joe from <b>Outcast Charters</b>. The weather was good both days, so Joe wasn’t sure whether the full moon or another reason was the cause. Sometimes strong east winds and a roll on the ocean will turn off the tog, but neither of those conditions took place. The fishing was definitely tougher compared with the good action in previous weeks. It wasn’t horrible but wasn’t good, and 34 keepers to 8 pounds were taken Saturday, and 37 keepers to 7 pounds were boated Sunday.  On Saturday working birds surrounded the boat, and the anglers threw jigs underneath from time to time and hooked bluefish. No stripers bit, but maybe some would’ve bitten if anglers were really concentrating on trying to find them under the birds. Sometimes during fall Outcast will stop and jig for stripers along the beaches on the way home from blackfishing charters.

<b>Kayla Rose Charters</b> kept limiting out on blackfish, and a nice body of larger striped bass moved in, and anglers onboard jigged the linesiders to 30 pounds at the Sandy Hook Rips, and a trip was going back to try for them today, Capt. Darrin said. Charters and open-boat trips are available for blackfish, and if interested in the open trips, call Darrin and tell him your date or dates, and he’ll try to coordinate with others on his list. Charters are also available for stripers, and open-boat striper trips are running every Wednesday and Friday evenings when anglers are interested. Kayla Rose will fish all winter.

<b>Laurence Harbor</b>

Bottom fishing was slow at Sandy Hook Reef on a trip yesterday, and one keeper tog, lots of shorts and a few short sea bass bit, and bergalls attacked the baits, and then dogfish moved in, said Capt. Kyle from <b>Evening Tide Charters</b>. So the anglers chased 8- to 10-pound blues, jigging the fish along the ocean front. The water was 49.6 degrees, and the weather was beautiful. Kyle will try to keep fishing till the second week of December. In other news, he heard that big bluefin tuna, including 300- to 400-pounders, were moving down from Long Island, so anglers could hope that the giants would show up off Jersey.

<b>Keyport</b>

Winds dropped off, and lots of striped bass hit the scales said Chris from <b>Crabby’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Birds worked the water all over the bay and ocean, and lots of stripers underneath were small, but there was good action. Still, Willie Warren limited out on stripers to 25 pounds while trolling rubber shads from the 1 can to the 20 can off Keyport, and Doug Deperry nailed two 14- and 16-pounders around the Navy Pier on a yellow shad. Anglers casting from the bay shore did just as well, and the bigger bass from the shore were taken at night. Joe Tammer tackled a 22-ppounder and a 23-pounder fro Union Beach on clams on a 6/0 baitholder hook on a fish-finder rig. Lots of blackfish were holding along Sandy Hook Reef and the Shrewsbury Rocks, and Tony Russo and gang fished the rocks for 11 blacks to 8 pounds on green crabs. One customer said he wanted to check out the out-of-season winter flounder population, and he set up with clam chum off Keyport and caught and released 18 fat flatties in an hour on small bits of clam, and he also reeled in seven stripers to 15 pounds. Crabby’s is open every day except Mondays, and call the shop for an up-to-date report.

Bill Goodell’s charter on the <b>Lucky Carm</b> sailed for striped bass and blues Saturday and boated four keeper stripers that were just over 28 inches each, lots of shorts and one 6-pound blue, Capt. Carmine said. The fishing was hard picking, but fish were hooked, and the boat had to travel to the ocean and far south, almost to the Shrewsbury Rocks, and even the party boats were there. The fish were trolled on metal, shads and everything that could be thought of. Birds were seen working the water at one point, but boats ran through them and put down the fish. Fishing was tough closer to port in the bay, and the fish were south, and the weather was beautiful but cold, and the Lucky Carm features central heat in the cabin to duck out of the weather and warm up. Charters will sail through Thursday before Capt. Carmine calls it a season, and space is available for trips until then. Like on many boats, the Lucky Carm’s charter insurance expires after November.

<b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> is finished fishing for the season, and the boat will come out of the water Tuesday or Wednesday, because the vessel’s charter insurance expires after this month, Capt. Joe said. He thanked all the anglers who fished with him for a great season this year, and he hopes to start chartering again at the beginning of April for striped bass.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Bluefish and striped bass, including a good catch of keeper stripers and plenty of shorts, provided very good fishing Saturday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s web site. Blues and big ones appeared everywhere the boat sailed, and the vessel fished between the channels until that action died, and then it ran off to deeper water, and stripers were there, and a 14-pounder was the pool winner. Life was found every possible place, including Reach Channel, Ambrose Channel, Sandy Hook Channel, along the ocean beaches and farther offshore. But Sunday was a total meltdown, and nowhere near the life, birds or fish showed up anyplace, and some blues, a few short bass and a four keepers were landed. On Friday lots of blues and only short stripers were hooked after covering lots of ground, and on Thursday the fishing turned out well for a few keeper stripers, a bunch of shorts and some blues. The Fishermen is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips for the fish had also been running 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, but Ron was unsure how long those outings would continue the last time he gave a report, so call the boat to confirm.

Capt. Mick from the <b>CRT II</b> wrapped up his season with charters Friday and Saturday, he said. On Friday Steve Rabicki’s party got into a good hit of stripers to 32 inches, and on Friday striper fishing was slow for Pete Heimrich’s trip, but a few keepers to 36 inches were boxed. Mick thanked everyone who fished with him, and look for him to start sailing again in spring.

Blackfishing was fair on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, and some would call it good, but it was at least fair, and it was nice fishing, Capt. Tom said. Some customers limited out, and some took home four or five, and others two or three, and sometimes a customer would never get the touch and would only boat one, two or no keepers. The fishing wasn’t very fast, and a few might be hooked at one place, and then a couple might get boated at another, and so on, and at the end of the day, the anglers put a catch together. But the bite was fairly consistent. A few ling also started getting bagged on green crabs, and the crew was usually avoiding clams for bait, because dogfish were appearing.  Previously clams were sometimes used for porgy fishing when porgies showed up along with the blacks. The boat fished at the Scotland Grounds and a little south of there and did no fishing at Sandy Hook Reef in a while, but trips might end up back at the reef at some point, including during rough seas. The Atlantic Star is bottom fishing for blackfish from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Highlands</b>

Eeling for stripers turned on for <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> at Ambrose Channel yesterday morning and afternoon, Capt. Derek said. Jigging for the fish was good anywhere from the bay near the Navy Pier to between the channels to the Shrewsbury Rocks in the ocean when the weather turned nice toward the end of the week. Blues also hit the jigs along the ocean beaches from Sea Bright south. Fisher Price is now basically eeling and jigging for stripers but is also bottom fishing, and recent trips sometimes mixed in bottom fishing for catches of blackfish to 7 pounds. Space is available on open-boat trips Friday and Sunday that will be combo striper and blackfish outings, and call to reserve. The water lately was 52 degrees in the ocean and 45 degrees in the bay, and the water at the marina yesterday morning was even 38 degrees, so the bay and back waters were really getting cold. Fisher Price will fish at least another week this season, and afterward Capt. Derek will determine whether charters will continue.

Fishing for striped bass and blues was good for <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Bob said in an e-mail. The Martin family was aboard and tackled stripers to 34 inches and blues to 12 pounds, and the Lapenta charter played catch and release with finicky short stripers to 26 inches and blues to 10 pounds. Bob Zisk’s charter reeled in stripers to 29 inches and slammer blues to 14 pounds. Charters are available on weekdays, but weekends are booked until the boat gets hauled out of the water December 17.

A trip was good with <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> yesterday, and six keeper stripers from 10 to 25 pounds, a couple of shorts and lots of blues were trolled on Tournament Grade Tackle bunker spoons in the ocean from the Shrewsbury Rocks to farther south in deeper water, Capt. Brian said. The water was 49 to 50 degrees, and a trip Saturday was about the same. On Friday the boat trolled umbrella rigs, also for good fishing, and a handful of keeper stripers, lots of short and lots of blues were hooked, and Jersey Devil’s been able to whack a 20- or 25-pound striper on every trip recently. Tog charters are also on tap, and togging seemed productive yesterday afternoon but slow in the morning. Jersey Devil will keep fishing as long as possible this season, and the boat’s charter insurance is effective 12 months a year, and the vessel is docked behind the house, so no marina requires the vessel to be out of the water. Brian thinks the fish will stick around a while, and bait was still moving down the coast, and he bets more fish are behind them.

<b>Sea Bright</b>

Blues and just a couple of striped bass were jigged in the ocean off the Sandy Hook Beaches with <b>Two Rivers Charters</b>, and the stripers disappeared from the area for the moment, for some reason, but more should definitely arrive, Capt. Fletcher Chayes said. Blackfishing was good in the ocean after last week’s winds died down, and friends boated plenty, and Two Rivers is available for blackfishing as well as striper fishing.

<b>Neptune</b>

The past four striped bass trips were the best of the fall for <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, and stripers to 24 pounds were bagged, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. Open-boat blackfishing trips were also very good, and some patrons limited out on the slipperies to 7 pounds, and most of these trips jigged stripers for an hour or so at the beginning of the day, and three of the recent ones limited out on stripers. These individual-reservation blackfishing trips will sail every Wednesday and Sunday in December and also on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. A mid-range wreck-fishing trip last week on Sunday produced sea bass to 6 pounds and cod to 15 pounds, though fishing was slow in rough weather. Another mid-range trip is on the books for December 23, and two spots are open. Fishing in general was very good the past two weeks, and charters are still available for stripers and blackfish on both of Last Lady’s boats.

<b>Belmar</b>

Jigging for stripers and blues was decent on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> in the ocean near Shark River Inlet and also toward Long Branch, Capt. Tom said. Many of the stripers were small, but keepers could certainly be found, and the blues were fairly large. Lots of bait schooled the ocean, and bait even still schooled the Shark River. Tog fishing on the boat yesterday was so-so, and shorts had to be weeded through, but keepers to 6 pounds were bagged. The Nan Sea J will keep fishing through the end of the year.

<b>Brielle</b>

Surf fishing for striped bass was fairly consistent in the mornings at Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Manasquan, Point Pleasant Beach and Brick Beach, and the fishing in the afternoons and early evenings was sometimes good and sometimes slow, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Most of the stripers were small, and metal with teasers were popular, but some anglers threw clams, though clams seemed to attract small stripers and skates, from what Dave could see while he was surf fishing. Few blues were showing up in the surf, but boaters in the ocean fought blues and also bass, more small bass than keepers, and the keepers seemed to just make the size limit. But the Tiki Tembo came back with a 25-pounder Saturday, and both jigging and trolling were catching the bass and blues for boaters. Rob Jenkins looked for blackfish and put together a decent catch of the tog to 9 pounds in the ocean Saturday, and he found slow fishing at the first two pieces he targeted, but the fish bit like crazy at the third piece. Other customers said shallower depths from 30 to 40 feet produced small blackfish to 3 ½ or 4 pounds, and deeper water held bigger ones. Dave will sail offshore for sea bass on the party boat Voyager next week, and he saw a report on the web that said the boat’s first sea bass trip of the season last week got into sea bass, porgies, cod and pollock, and the Jamaica also took a sea bass trip or two this weekend, so that fishing was starting. In other news but no less important, Dave encouraged anglers to visit <a href="http://www.ssfff.net/" target="_blank"> Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund’s web site </a>and support the organization, and all anglers should help.

Anglers on the <b>Reel-Ality</b> reeled in tons and tons of short striped bass in the ocean near the beaches Saturday and Sunday, and fewer blues were in the mix than before, and each day lately seemed to bring fewer blues, Capt. Larry said. The fish were hooked on spoons, Ava 007 jigs and 4-inch rubber shads along the entire water column from top to bottom, and they were also trolled. On a trip yesterday a large body of the fish, probably a half-mile in diameter, was followed from the Shrewsbury Rocks to 10 miles south, and boats kept hop-scotching each other to follow the school and birds working bait on the surface. Fish were hooked almost the whole trip, and nearly anything could be cast to catch them, and the stripers were shorts but were unusually fat, loaded with bait. The blues spit up 4- or 5-inch peanut bunker, and only seven or eight blues bit that day. Larry knew of nobody who bagged a keeper striper in the local area, but there was lots of action. Reel-Ality will keep striper fishing, and Larry expects bigger ones to show up any day. Tog charters are also available, though most trips were focusing on stripers.

On the <b>Katie H</b> a charter boated four keeper striped bass, released probably 20 shorts and fought a mess of blues in the ocean 2 or 3 miles off the Spring Lake Hotel on Saturday, a busy day, and fishing now is great, Capt. Mike said. The fish bit like crazy till 9 a.m., and some dogfish were also hooked in the 52-degree water. The boat will fish through this week before the crew calls it a season, and openings are available this week except on Saturday, when a charter is scheduled and will probably sail for stripers and maybe also tog.

Here’s a first of the fall: The <b>Jamaica</b>’s first 18-hour, offshore bottom-fishing trip of the season sailed to the 60- to 80-mile wrecks and produced a mix of sea bass, porgies, pollock, cod and ling, an e-mail from the boat said. The main body of giant sea bass was yet to migrate offshore, but with 53.5-ddegree water, the crew expected the first good movement of the humpbacks and also jumbo porgies to appear offshore by this coming weekend. Pool winners were Olden Franklin with a 35-pound pollock and Ron Wingo with a 25-pounder. Lots more of these trips are scheduled, and a special Mudhole wreck trip is slated for December 2, and call the boat for info. <b>Bogan’s Boating School</b> is offering the boating safety course required in New Jersey, and the next classes take place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, December 2, and Saturday, December 8. The test-out option is available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays for those born before 1979. Private classes are also available at your own location or at Bogan’s Basin for a minimum of eight students.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Bottom fishing was pretty good on the <b>Dauntless</b> on Saturday and Sunday, and patrons lifted aboard sea bass, blackfish and a number of big porgies, Capt. Willie said. Two customers limited out on blackfish Sunday, and some bagged 15 to 18 sea bass that day, and the boat’s been fishing 5 to 8 miles offshore. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 or 4 p.m. every day, all year long. Christmas is the only day the boat is scheduled to stay docked.  

Anglers were catching a bunch of fish, and the action was a little slow yesterday, but previously it was good, said Rob Sr. from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf anglers beached plenty of stripers and blues, and water conditions were good as long as winds blew from the north. Any sand eel imitations such as Deadly Dicks, Ava jigs and needlefish lures worked well, and sand eels, rainfish, peanut bunker and other bait swam the water. Clams also worked, but lures were better. Shad, small stripers and blackfish bit from Manasquan Inlet to the Point Pleasant Canal. Sabiki rigs took the shad and also attracted small blues. The blackfish chomped down on green crabs, and the crabs and also clams are stocked. Gates is conveniently located within walking distance of the surf, the inlet and the charter boat and party boat fleet. The premises also feature a motel very popular with anglers, who stay the night to avoid driving in the mornings or evenings before or after boat trips, or who simply stay at the motel and make a fishing vacation out of the visit.

Lots of fish were hooked with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> lately, and a charter yesterday pulled up 30 short stripers, one keeper and a load of big blues in the ocean, Capt. Fred said. The charter never fished saltwater before, and they had a ball, he said. Anglers on a trip Saturday boated 30 keeper blackfish to 5 pounds, threw back a bunch of shorts, took one 30-inch striper, played with short stripers non-stop and unlimited blues. Andrea’s Toy’s tog fishing was taking place anyplace from the Shrewsbury Rocks to south of Long Branch, and its striper fishing was happening from Sandy Hook to Mantoloking, and the water was 52 degrees. Mixed-bag trips for tog, stripers and blues is now a specialty on the boat. Plenty of bluefin tuna were being seen chasing peanut bunker near shore, but the fish were impossible to catch, because they were pushing through quickly, and the peanuts were difficult to imitate. Fred knew three anglers who attempted to catch them but never connected.

<b>Seaside</b>

The town became deserted after 10 a.m. Sunday, and steady rain started to fall that night with no sign of let up till late today, and that might be what was needed to kick surf fishing back into gear, the report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site said. Short stripers were reeled from the surf here and there Sunday morning, but there wasn’t much activity. The surf today was 1 to 2 feet, 51 degrees and clean. <a href=" http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for the latest.

Short striped bass stuffed with sand eels that made them look like footballs came from the surf Sunday, and throwing metal was a good bet, but clams also got the job done, said the fishing report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. A 28-inch, 6.8-pound striper was weighed in and hit a Grumpy clam. The storm today could help the fishing. Lots of stripers pushed into the surf early Saturday morning at Lavallette, Seaside Park, Island Beach State Park and “oh heck, a lot of places,” the report said. Shorts that were round like a football were again the rule that day, but a keeper was found sometimes. Blues were also landed, and the report said it seemed that a run of good-sized stripers would arrive soon, maybe in a week or two, as water temps dropped a bit. An 8.4-pound striper and a 9.1-pounder were checked in Saturday that both sucked down Grumpy clams. A shipment of Stetzko needlefish lures, darters and Mr. Wiggly plugs arrived, and all the colors were back in stock. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.  

<b>Waretown</b>

<b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> ran charters up and down the ocean beaches Saturday and Sunday, and fishing was about the same as on past trips, and anglers had to fish through small, 24- to 26-inch  striped bass to catch bigger ones, but lots of the stripers schooled, Capt. John said. Three keepers were decked Saturday, and one was grabbed Sunday, and 40 or 50 throwbacks were hooked per trip. About a half-dozen blues bit each day. So the action was good, and the fish were spread out, and it didn’t really matter where anglers fished. Perfect Drift jigged to catch them, and whenever the fish broke up, the boat went on the troll. A charter was cancelled Friday because of strong winds, and some boaters fished that day but took a beating. Perfect Drift also fished the area Wednesday during the warm spell in T-shirt weather, and that trip was previously reported. On Saturday John also spotted a small school of bluefin tuna busting the water 1 or 1 ½ miles off the beaches, and they were probably 80 to 100 pounds. Those fish usually appear at this time of year. Whales often also show up and chase bait, and they turned up last year, but John saw none so far this year. Lots of bait filled the water, and the stripers and blues were jammed with sand eels.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Fall fishing was in full throttle, and this fall has been like a slow, steady race, building momentum day by day, said Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> in an e-mail. Tony Maffie, brother Steve and friend Rob were aboard in the ocean and slammed striped bass with some huge blues mixed in. They fought scores of the fish, and the fish, bait and birds worked at a fevered pitch all around them. At times their jigs couldn’t even be dropped down to the bottom if tried. Chris Spring was onboard on another trip in the ocean and bailed a similar load of stripers, keeping his limit to 17 pounds and fighting big blues. Fishing was as good as anyone could want now, and only a few dates are open for charters in December, and call or e-mail quickly if interested, because the dates will surely fill with this action. 

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Surf casters were beaching tog, striped bass and big black drum, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of bait schooled, and gannets were diving all over, but not a lot of stripers were underneath, though anglers connected with some between the lulls, and no blues were showing up. Crabs got the tog to bite, and clams and eels fooled the stripers, and clams also drew the drum, and all these bait are stocked.

<b>Margate</b>

On the <b>Jessie O’</b> giant blues with stripers mixed in were battled in the ocean, an e-mail from the boat said. On the fleet’s back-bay boat the <b>Fish N’ Fun</b>, tog action was steady, and striper action was decent. Both vessels are sailing on open-boat trips at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, and the fleet will keep fishing into February, and the crew anticipates some of the best fishing of the year yet to come. Ocean striper fishing was fantastic last year into January, sometimes in T-shirt weather. The Jessie O’ is also set up for ocean tog fishing this year.

<b>Longport</b>

Tog fishing was good on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, and lots of small ones were covering the wrecks, and anglers were going through lots of bait, but they were also limiting out on the fish, and a 16-pounder hauled aboard Friday was the heaviest in the past several days, Capt. Mike said. A few big porgies and a few sea bass were also reeled up, and a number of big, out-of-season fluke also bit. Open-boat trips are sailing for the slipperies every day, and space is available this week, and call to reserve. Space is also available on an open striper trip Sunday, and the linesiders were sometimes pushing through along the beaches, though the bite fell apart this weekend because of the full-moon current. Even the tog trips had to avoid the current, fish behind wrecks and maneuver around to get in the right spot.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The <b>Captain Robbins</b> left the dock for blackfish on five days throughout the week with Capt. Mike Weigel at the helm, Capt. John Sullivan, the boat’s owner, said. The fishing went “decently well” every day except one slow trip toward the end of the week because of full-moon tides.  John when he gave this report had no specific results from the trips except info from Tuesday, when Jeff Stetler limited out on blackfish to 9 pounds, and his father Jim Stetler limited out on the tog to 4 pounds. The boat is fishing for blackfish 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day and will keep sailing till the weather closes in, probably into January.

“It’s on, man!” said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. On Thanksgiving morning John Arnold and son Robert were aboard, braved rough seas and reeled in more than 20 striped bass to 37 inches or 21 pounds and about 10 blues from 12 to 14 pounds in the ocean. They jigged white Fin-S Fish on ¾-pound leadheads under lots and lots of bird plays. On Friday Rich Duffy braved the cold and landed at least 25 blues to 12 pounds and about 10 stripers to 32 or 33 inches in the ocean on the same jigs and under the same conditions. On Saturday afternoon the fishing was tough with Rich Linus and nephew Ryan, maybe because of weekend boat traffic, and a couple of blues were reeled in, but there was a bite that morning. A trip Sunday morning with Don and Darren Laricks drilled probably 30 blues to 14 pounds and 15 stripers to 32 inches, and another trip in the afternoon with Bill Hamilton bailed at least 20 blues to 12 pounds and probably 20 stripers to 33 inches under one of the biggest bird plays Joe ever saw, and only three boats were working the area. There was bird action from 1 p.m. till dark. Anglers with Joe on these trips were usually casting the white Fin-S, but during lulls they would troll Stretch 25 plugs until the action perked up again, and then they’d jig. Other anglers were also hooking fish on diamond jigs, but the Fin-S worked better, and the soft plastics could also be fished from the surface on a retrieve to the bottom on the jig, unlike diamond jigs that mostly sink to the bottom. Other colors of Fin-S would also work, but white produced well and imitated many of the bait fish. The water was jammed with practically every conceivable bait, including herring, sand eels and bay anchovies, and the fish were spread throughout areas such as Avalon Shoals and 5-Fathom Bank, and many of the spots were beyond 3 miles from shore, where striper fishing is closed, so stripers there had to be released. The fish popped up at different areas, so they did have to be located, but the fishing was gangbusters. Trollers were also catching them. The water was 52.7 degrees, and Joe was betting that the action would turn on this weekend, because the past six Thanksgiving Weekends were like this. Joe heard about no blitzes of the fish in the local surf, but he did hear reports about blitzes at Cape May this weekend.

<b>Wildwood</b>

The back bay offered up lots of short striped bass, and fishing with clam bellies and chumming with the clams was the way to go, said Fred from <b>No Bones Bait & Tackle</b>. The shop carries 30-pound bags of clam bellies for the fishing and is now one of only two tackle shops of five on the island that are still open this season. No Bones will stay open all year, and its rental  boats, 17-foot Carolina skiffs, will remain available for fishing the bay till striper season closes in the back waters after December 31. Larger stripers were around, and anglers seemed to have to fish harder for them this year, but the fish could still be migrating down from up north. One customer boated a 17-pound keeper in the bay yesterday, and when the striper was cleaned, about 20 clam bellies filled its stomach, and so did six eels, including one eel with a hook and bitten off line attached. That eel was fresh-looking, and the fish apparently broke it off recently and kept swimming around and eating. Nothing was really heard about surf fishing, and when surf fishing is hopping customers usually buy quarts and pints of clams for bait, but nobody was picking up the bait lately. If boaters sailed the ocean 2 miles from shore they could get into big, 12-pound blues that were everywhere. Fred heard an unconfirmed report from a friend about two of his friends who hooked two 80-pound bluefin tuna while jigging among working birds 8 miles off Townsend’s Inlet. Striper fishing at the Cape May Rips and Delaware Bay seemed mostly dead in the past days, though the action revived at the rips yesterday morning before dropping off again. Lots of tog bit along the bridges and jetties, and little was heard about tog catches in the ocean. One charter boat fished the reef over the weekend and picked up a small sea bass and a small tog and that was all. A private boater bottom fished in the ocean yesterday and found no fish. The surf Saturday was 52 or 53 degrees, and the back bay lately was 46 or 47 degrees, but Fred stressed that these are surface temps, and the water could sometimes be warmer on the bottom, depending on how conditions were turning over the water at the time.

<b>Cape May</b>

Ten striped bass to 37 inches were boated with <b>O-Beth Sportfishing Charters</b> in Delaware Bay on bunker chunks yesterday, Capt. Eric said. On Saturday a trip produced a few of the fish, no big ones, in the bay. One 8- or 9-pound blue was hooked during the trips, and striper fishing at the Cape May Rips seemed very spotty, the reason Eric decided to fish the bay. The water was 50 degrees, and stripers were still migrating down the coast, so Eric thinks the fishing should last a while. However, the boat will fish one more week before he wraps up his season.

Striped bass trips managed to get out between the rough weather with <b>Copacetic Sportfishing</b>, and fishing was slower than during the previous week, but linesiders to 16 pounds were caught at the Cape May Rips, Capt. Mike said. But the water at the rips was dirty from the weather, so a trip yesterday chased working birds in the ocean and bailed bluefish from 5-pounders to slammers on jigged bucktails and metal. The anglers could’ve fought blues until their arms wore out. Copacetic also tried blackfishing during the week, and the four anglers on the trip limited out on the tog to 5 pounds in probably 1 ½ hours and afterward played catch and release. The boat will stay in the water at least until Christmas, depending on the weather, and a number of dates remain for charters, if anyone wants to chase these fish.

<b>Legal Limit Charters</b> bunker chunked for striped bass around Brandywine Light in Delaware Bay on Saturday and Sunday and boated some nice fish to 39 inches, Capt. T.J. said. No bluefish showed up, and no dogfish were hooked, but others ran into the pesky dogs. The water was 50 degrees, and T.J. didn’t hear about many stripers found at the Cape May Rips. Legal Limit will stay in the water until December 11.

Bunker chunking produced three stripers—one keeper and two throwbacks—at the Cock and Balls in Delaware Bay with <b>Fine Line Fishing Charters</b> on Saturday, Capt. Dave said. Lots of dogfish moved into the area, and they seemed most prevalent toward the bottom of the bay, so a charter Saturday moved to midway up the west wall of 60-Foot Slough to avoid the sharks, and it worked. Three keeper stripers to 25 pounds were nailed, a nice catch, and two throwbacks were released, and bunker chunks were again the bait. The water was 48 degrees and cold, and Dave heard nothing about striper fishing at the Cape May Rips. Fine Line will keep fishing until December 8, and afterward the boat’s dry dock requires the vessel to be settled in for the winter.  

Trips with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> fished for striped bass at the Cape May Rips and along the ocean beach front both Saturday and Sunday and limited out on the fish each time, Capt. Ray said. The fish along the beaches were bucktailed and jigged, and blues were mixed in, and the rips were dirty from windy weather but were clearer Sunday than on Saturday, and maybe the fishing there would pick up once the water cleared. Striper fishing around Cape May this year seemed like anglers either got on the fish and caught well or didn’t, and the stripers weren’t spread out everywhere like in past years. Maybe the run was yet to peak, and the fish still seemed to be migrating from up north, so maybe the best of the run will take place in December or even January. The water was 51 or 52 degrees, and Ray knew someone who grabbed good catches of stripers in Delaware Bay over the weekend, going something like 9 for 11 on Saturday. On Sunday Ray spoke with the angler while the angler was on the water and had already hooked two stripers in an hour. Jaftica will keep fishing probably another two weeks, and then the marina closes for the season.

The Cape May Rips were like mud through the past week, and sometimes anglers would hear about a boat finding good catches of stripers there, but the fishing was generally lousy, so charters on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> clammed for stripers along the ocean beaches instead, Capt. George said. That fishing was nothing to get excited about but seemed better than at the rips, and Mike Sampinato’s charter from Samps Restaurant in Conshohocken fished there on Saturday on the boat and reeled in two keeper stripers to 32 inches, seven throwbacks and a few blues. A few big, out-of-season flounder to 8 pounds also bit. On Sunday a charter with Ron from Robinson’s Pallet Company also clammed along the beaches and picked up four keeper stripers to 35 inches, no throwbacks and probably eight or nine blues. A charter Friday was cancelled because of forecasts for strong winds. Striper fishing’s been dismal compared to usual this fall in George’s opinion, and 31 stripers were landed during the whole season so far, and more of the fish were hooked on the boat’s first striper charter last spring. Charters on the boat will fish through next weekend, and afterward the marina requires boats to be hauled out.

Surf fishing was starting to become good at Cape May and along Cape May Inlet, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Striped bass were pushing bunker against the beaches, moving in and out through the day, and big blues were mixed in. Dave Cox pulled a 20-pound striper from the suds at Grant Street, and Gary Michaels fished Poverty Beach and clammed two stripers 21 pounds and 18 pounds. Carl and Mike Foltz fished around the inlet jetty and nailed two bass 37 pounds and 17 pounds and two big blues Saturday. Delaware Bay was dirty during the weekend, but some anglers fishing deeper water near the shipping channel scored decent catches of stripers. Tom McCormick fished the Cock and Balls in the bay for two stripers 32 pounds and 26 ½ pounds and six big blues, and he hit Overfalls Shoal at the Cape May Rips for a 35-pound striper that attacked a bucktail. The rips were also dirty, and the offshore rips at Somer Shoal and Overfalls Shoal produced better fishing than the inshore ones, because the water was clearer. Big blues also bit alongside the bass at all locations. Stripers and blues held at the lumps off Wildwood, and boaters fished clams, bunker chunks or jigs to land them. Five-Fathom Bank was loaded with big blues and also stripers, but those waters are way beyond 3 miles from shore, where striper fishing is prohibited. Customers also hooked bluefin tuna while jigging for blues. Tog began to move farther offshore a little, and Cape May Reef was a good bet for a steady pick.

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