<b>Brooklyn</b>

On the <b>Big M Express</b> an open-boat trip yesterday put the anglers into 35 keeper tog at wrecks in 60 to 100 feet, the report on the boat’s web site said. The high hook bagged seven, and most patrons took home a few apiece. On Saturday a charter nabbed 25 keepers to 11 pounds at wrecks down south. Open-boat blackfishing trips are sailing every day when no charter is booked. The Big M Express is docked at Tamaqua Marina in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn. 

<b>Staten Island</b>

Alex, Serge and Oleg limited out on tog to 13 pounds on Thursday with <b>Barbara Anne Charters</b> and afterward played catch and release, Capt. Anthony said. On Saturday a tog trip was slower with Tom, Pete and Ed, and they scored a pick of 25 keepers to 8 pounds. Barbara Anne will keep blackfishing as long as the fish continue to bite, and open-boat trips run every Tuesday when no charter is booked, guaranteed to leave the dock with a minimum of two anglers.

Blackfish trips sailed Thursday through Sunday with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Thursday’s charter was excellent, and the anglers limited out early on blacks to 7 or 8 pounds, and afterward they jigged striped bass, which Outcast sometimes mixes in if the tog fishing ends early. On Friday an angler named Ted took a free blackfish trip that he won from Outcast for catching a 36-pound striper, the biggest striper on the boat this past spring. Ted and two friends joined the outing, and a decent bite took place in the morning, and 27 keepers to 7 pounds were boxed. More could’ve been caught, but the two friends were new to tog fishing, and Joe thought Ted had blackfished a couple of times before, and experience makes a difference with this fishing. On Saturday Johnny “O” and crew also found a bite in the morning that had to be capitalized on before the fish started turning off in the afternoon, and the anglers scored 42 of the tog to 10 pounds. A few ling also bit the crab baits, and Outcast carries no clams for the ling, because clams can attract dogfish. On Sunday an angler named Darryl and his gang again got into a bite that was best in the morning, and Darryl and his father Jim, two of the better blackfishers among Outcast’s anglers, limited out early, and Joe thought the group ended up with 40 keepers to 6 pounds. Outcast will keep blackfishing as long as possible, and the tog are a specialty on the boat.

Blackfishing was good with <b>Kayla Rose Charters</b>, and so was jigging for striped bass, Capt. Darrin said. The boat will fish all winter and will stay in the water, and open-boat trips are available in addition to charters. If interested in the open trips, call Darrin, and he’ll contact others on his list and try to put a trip together.

<b>Bayonne</b>

Two anglers were aboard and ran to the Mud Buoy for blackfish yesterday, the last charter of the season, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. They pulled up six keepers and probably 12 blacks total, but the six were healthy sized, so the anglers were happy. Dogfish were plentiful in the 47-degree water and even grabbed the crab baits, and only three boats were fishing the area. Most blackfishers were targeting Sandy Hook Reef and 17 Fathoms. On the way home the anglers tried jigging for striped bass closer to shore, and few birds were working, but several short stripers were landed and released. Charters will start again in spring when winter flounder season opens. True World Tackle is still open full time and will remain open all winter, but eventually hours will be shortened during the dead of winter.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing was excellent Friday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s web site. Fish, life and working birds were everywhere you looked, and at first loads of shorts bit, and some anglers hooked one on almost every cast. The boat bounced around to look for big ones, and when they were found, they were big! Brill Trauis tackled the pool winner, a 46-inch 29-pounder. Mike Zusman boated the third largest, a 27-pounder. “Fall fishing doesn’t get any better than this!” Ron said. His dad reeled in two stripers in the 20s, and Ron himself took a cast and scored a fish more than 30 pounds. Four bluefish were reeled in, and the water was 42.5 degrees. On Saturday the same life was seen when the boat rounded Sandy Hook Point, but catches weren’t the same. Fish were hooked, including shorts and bigger ones to 25 pounds, and a couple close to 30 pounds were lost at the boat, but the fish were less willing to eat. Ron guessed that they were stuffed, because they all came up full of bunker, weakfish, eels and rainfish. But action was much better Sunday morning, though lots of small bass continued to bite, some even smaller than before. The boat ran off to deeper water to look for bigger ones, but they either weren’t there or wouldn’t bite. The trip fished the channels to finish the day, and a handful of keepers were decked. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. In other news, Ron is a board member of Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, and he’s been stressing the importance of anglers supporting the organization with funds, ideas for fund raising and other help. In his report yesterday he explained that the organization is affiliated with nobody else and is independent. “The idea was to start a group whose focus was singular in nature. Save the Summer Flounder Fishery, period!” he said. But he said the group is working with every other organization that shares similar goals and is willing. He also said to make sure that any club or organization that you belong to is not a member of the Marine Fish Conversation Network or PEW. He said that these organizations are trying to shut down summer flounder fishing, and anglers would be surprised how many recreational fishing groups belong to them. He said visit the Marine Fish Conservation Network web site and click on About Us and see.

Blackfishing trips left the dock Saturday and Sunday on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, and Saturday was a slow pick at a couple of areas that held mixed sizes of blacks and a few ling, and the fishing was definitely slower than before, Capt. Tom said. On Sunday only a few patrons were aboard, and the fishing was a pick, and the ratio of keepers was lower than previously, and Tom thought one angler boated four or five keepers, and one caught none, but the rest reeled in keepers. None was big, and the pool winner was probably 4 or 5 pounds. Friday’s fishing was better than the weekend’s, and the previous week’s catches were better yet. Tom thought the fish were around, but the bite was funny, and anglers would feel the baits getting pushed, and a fair number of tog were foul hooked. Nobody can know the reason, and a few ling were also boated, and the boat fished south of the Scotland Grounds. Sometimes the weather seemed to keep anglers from showing up at the docks, and Tom encouraged people not to be reluctant when winds blow strongly from the west to 15 or 20 knots with 25-knot gusts, because seas are protected from land at those times. South, southeast, northeast and east winds rough up the waters, and patrons can monitor the link on the boat’s web site to the current conditions at Ambrose Tower. The Atlantic Star is fishing for blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. On another note, like was mentioned above, Tom also supports the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund and made a donation to the organization. He said the fund was attempting to raise enough to hire scientists to survey the summer flounder population in an attempt to prove the government’s data incorrect, and that was done successfully with scallop fishing. Recreational anglers are generally criticizing the government’s surveys as flawed, and the government is threatening severe cutbacks in summer flounder fishing. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council are meeting Tuesday in Secaucus and will apparently decide on their recommendation for a fluke quota, and next year’s fluke bag limit will be based on that quota. The public is invited to the meeting, and Tom plans to attend if the boat is weathered out tomorrow. The SSFFF is now the most important endeavor that anglers can support to try to head off major reductions in the fluke bag limit.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> sailed around the Shrewsbury Rocks on Saturday and jigged and trolled striped bass, small ones but plenty of them, Capt. Brian said. Birds worked the water, and no bigger bass were found, and bluefish were now gone for the season. The water was 46 degrees at some places and as low as 43 to 44 degrees at other spots. Jersey Devil will keep striper fishing and will also keep targeting tog.

After being weathered out on three charters during the week, <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Adventures</b> wrapped up its season with a bang, Capt. Bob said in an e-mail. He put the boat away Sunday, but on Saturday three anglers were aboard after the weather postponed their previous trip, left a little early and immediately found striped bass breaking in the ocean. They jigged Ava 47’s and Crippled Herrings to hook a good mix of sizes, and each bagged their two keepers plus a bonus fish apiece. Even Capt. Bob got into the action, landing two nice keepers after the anglers were tired from all the jigging. All the keepers measured 31 to 40 inches, and scores of other bass were released. One of the anglers lost a striper at the boat that must’ve weighed well over 30 pounds. “This was the way to end the season,” Capt. Bob said. “It was a good year, and we had a lot of great people onboard, and a lot of people had their personal bests.” He thanked the anglers and wished everyone Happy Holidays and a safe New Year. Bob will spend the winter tying rigs, getting equipment ship-shape, setting up at fishing shows and jumping aboard some of the other local boats. “Real relaxing when you’re not the boss,” he said.

Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> called it a season, but he took a final blackfishing trip, he said. The blackfishing was tough, and the anglers picked away at the tog to 5 pounds, but the bite wasn’t good. Charters are already being booked for winter flounder and striped bass fishing in spring, so call now to reserve your dates. The fishing will probably begin in mid April, depending on water temps. Derek thanked this year’s charters for a very good season and wished everyone a great winter.

<b>Sea Bright</b>

Anglers with <b>Two Rivers Charters</b> scored very well on striped bass at the Shrewsbury Rocks yesterday, and a load of shorts bit, but four keepers were taken, all on jigs, Capt. Fletcher Chayes said. The fish hit while the jigs were retrieved instead of while the metal was falling. Thousands of birds worked the water, and the birds and fish seemed to be eating rainfish and peanut bunker. Two Rivers will keep fishing as long as the water doesn’t freeze, and tog charters are available in addition to striper trips. Fletcher heard that tog fishing was slow during the weekend.

<b>Belmar</b>

Blackfishing was all right on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> on Saturday in 40 to 60 feet in the ocean, and some nicer blacks to 8 pounds were boated, Capt. Tom said. Green and white crabs were the baits, and the water was 45.5 degrees. The boat will keep sailing for blackfish and also stripers through the rest of the year.

<b>Brielle</b>

Boaters trolled and jigged plenty of striped bass in the ocean though the week, including from the Seaside Pier to Barnegat Inlet, and the fish were also jigged at the Rattlesnake and just inshore of there, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Lots of small stripers had to be waded through to find keepers, and blues mostly departed for the year. Surf fishers were mostly scarce at the shop, and Dave himself found the weather too cold to fish the suds, but surf anglers did plug stripers to 10 or 12 pounds in the dead of night. Dave also did no fishing on the Manasquan River and heard from nobody who did. Blackfishing was good at places like Sea Girt Reef, wrecks at 60 to 80 feet and even spots in 40 feet, and not a ton of big blacks were around, but keepers were. Dave spoke with the captain from the Voyager while the boat was on the way back from an offshore wreck trip Friday, and the captain reportedly said patrons who knew what they were doing bagged limits of sea bass, and big porgies were reeled up, and a few pollock were taken, and bluefish were also out there. The Reel Seat stays open through Christmas Eve, and afterward the shop will be open weekends in February until resuming full time hours when the weather warms. Some items including lures are on sale for half-price for the end of the season and the holidays, including Williamson vertical jigs for tuna and cod. Dave is involved with the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, and the fund needs anglers’ support, so check it out. The fund will hold a meeting for the public 7 p.m. January 21 at the Manasquan Elks. The public is also invited to a fund-raising dinner February 21 at Crystal Point Yacht Club. A meeting for the fishing industry will take place 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Absecon United Methodist Church in Absecon.

Anglers on the <b>Reel-Ality</b> grabbed a mess of striped bass on jigs and on the troll in the ocean a little north of the Shrewsbury Rocks on Saturday, Capt. Larry said. He had to travel north to find the fish, but plenty finally appeared under working birds, and no bluefish bit. The water was probably 46-degrees, and that fishing trip was the final one of the year on the Reel-Ality. Larry thanked all the charters who fished on the boat this year, and as always he’ll start chartering again in spring with the Delaware River’s striped bass run that usually begins toward the end of April. His anglers target the big, migrating stripers that push up the river, a catch and release fishery at that time of year. The stripers follow herring up the Delaware, and charters fish for the linesiders with the live or chunked baitfish. Afterward the boat returns to Brielle to begin sailing for winter flounder and stripers.

Offshore wreck fishing was very good on the <b>Jamaica</b> during the weekend, and patrons took home some nice sea bass, pollock, ling, a few cod and loads of jumbo porgies, an e-mail from the boat said. Big porgies are often called “dinner plates,” but these fish were more like serving platters, the e-mail said. Many patrons boated 10 to 20 sea bass to 5 pounds and limits or nearly limits of jumbo porgies. Pool winners included Robert Williams with a 10-pound cod, Alex Pisani with a 7-pound cod, Henry Robinson with a 25-pound pollock, 15 sea bass and 27 porgies and Scott McCoy with a 23-pound pollock, 12 sea bass and 25 porgies. The crew expects the fishing to continue to improve as water temps drop, and 18-hour trips will sail 12:30 a.m. from Fridays through Sundays the next two weeks, and several trips are scheduled between Christmas and New Year’s. In January the trips will run every Wednesday and every Friday through Sunday.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Fishing for blackfish was a slow pick yesterday with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, and 25 keepers to 6 pounds were bagged, but some of the anglers limited out, and others were first-time blackfishers getting accustomed to the bite, Capt. Fred said. Lack of current made fishing tough. No striped bass fishing was done with Andrea’s Toy lately, and anglers wanted to concentrate on the tog, but stripers could be found from the Shrewsbury Rocks to farther north between the channels.  Andrea’s Toy is featuring 10-hour, open-boat tog marathons every Sunday through January, and call to reserve space. The rate is very reasonable, and see the boat’s home page for details. The marathons can also mix in fishing for stripers and sometimes sea bass, when tog are targeted in deeper water where sea bass are biting. 

Blackfish bit in the Point Pleasant Canal, and stripers were scored there at night, said Rob Sr. from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Green crabs are stocked for blackfish bait, and Ava jigs and soft plastic lures will attract the stripers. Local surf fishing seemed slow over the weekend, but less participation than earlier in the season made getting a read on the action difficult. However, the cell phone crowd seemed to report striper catches farther north in the suds. Slim lures like needlefish, Deadly Dicks and Ava jigs continued to get the bites because of sand eels in the water, and this week’s high tides coincide with mornings, great conditions for surf fishing. Shad were fought at Manasquan Inlet yesterday on Sabiki rigs. Gates will stay open every day at least another week. The hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., except on Mondays and Thursdays, when the shop closes in the afternoons. The store is conveniently located within walking distance of the surf, the inlet and the charter and party boat fleet. The grounds also include a motel, popular with anglers who either stay the night and avoid an early or late drive to the boats or simply make a fishing vacation out of a visit.

Bottom fishing was fairly decent on the <b>Dauntless</b> through the week when the weather allowed the boat to sail, Capt. Butch said. Last Monday’s and Tuesday’s conditions were too nasty to get out, but the rest of the week was alright, and patrons boated mostly ling, some sea bass and some nice cod. More blackfish than before were also pulled up, and Butch figured the water must’ve been getting colder, because the boat was fishing in deeper water from 100 to 160 feet, where blacks were scarcer before. A striped bass or two were also usually reeled in each day, and stripers were plentiful in the ocean. The Dauntless bottom fishes 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day through the whole year, and Christmas is the only day the boat is slated to stay docked.

<b>Seaside</b>

Boaters were slamming striped bass yesterday morning 300 to 500 yards off Gillikins Beach on Island Beach State Park, and the fish appeared to be 20-pounders, and none were swimming into the surf in the northwest winds, said the fishing report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. A couple of surf reports heard previously were negative, and one of the anglers fished a little south of Gillikins and said no bait or fish were around, and another tested the stretch at the Governor’s Mansion and said the same thing. The shop is featuring sales on selected items for the holidays, and a discount on Shimano baitrunner reels already sold out, so Shimano Sustain reels, perfect for 7- or 8-foot plugging rods, were now being offered for a $50 discount, and only three were left. Okuma AV50 reels, great for 8- or 9-foot rods, were available for a discount, and gift cards and certificates were also on hand for the holidays. A new supply of Diamond Tackle eel tins with custom-tied bucktails arrived, and so did a supply of One Star peanut bunker swimming lures. The surf yesterday was 1 to 2 feet, 46 degrees and clean. <a href=" http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for the latest.

The surf was full of bait, but few anglers fished the beach, so a report on the fishing was difficult to give, said the fishing report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. The party gambler Gambler reportedly came upon a school of keeper stripers at Manasquan Inlet last night.  On Friday boaters jigged a number of stripers, and several were weighed in that attacked Krocodile jigs: a 24.2-pounder, an 11-pounder, a 9.6-pounder and a 9-pounder. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.  

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

After braving cold weather and fishing for stripers in the ocean Thursday—a trip that was covered in the last report—a trip Friday with <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> was more comfortable, with temperatures rising a whole 4 degrees to 26 degrees at the dock, Capt. Steve said in an e-mail. Although the temperature drop the previous days forced the boat to almost be like an ice breaker to reach open water in Barnegat Bay, all kinds of bird activity was seen when the anglers sailed out of the inlet and into the ocean. Striped bass were reluctant to bite at best, but 8 to 10, including three keepers to 32 inches, were caught. The weather was a welcome change from the previous day’s cold and brisk winds, and the day was almost pleasant.

Only a few fished during the past week’s cold weather, so things were slow, and only one short striped bass was reported beached in the surf Sunday, and one keeper was reported bagged from a boat that day, said Chris from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Nothing was heard about anyone fishing Barnegat Inlet or the surrounding area, and most boaters pulled their vessels from the water. But the shop is still open daily, though the doors might be closed a little early each day.

<b>Margate</b>

Striped bass fishing was very good, and some blues were still around, and patrons on the <b>Jessie O’</b> were also bagging tog when they wanted to target the blackfish, Capt. Jay said. The boat will keep sailing the ocean into February, so break out the weather gear, and hop aboard, because the fish are still biting. Be sure to reserve your space on a special, 10-hour trip that will sail Christmas Eve day for stripers. A special is also being offered at the moment: Purchase a trip now and receive a free trip in spring. What a deal!

<b>Longport</b>

The <b>Stray Cat</b> left the dock on open-boat blackfishing trips Friday through Sunday, and the fishing was good, and the bite ran hot and cold, turning off and on, Capt. Mike said. The trips fished in 75 feet, and all pieces held the tog, and a few patrons limited out, and a few of the slipperies were big, weighing up to 15 pounds. Space is available weekdays and Sundays on the open trips, and Saturdays are full for the near future. This coming Sunday is full, but a bunch of space is available on the following two Sundays of December 23 and 30. Stray Cat did no striper fishing, but stripers were around in the ocean off Hereford Inlet and sometimes off Atlantic City in the past several days. The fishing was hit or miss, and the schools broke up, and many of the bass were small. Stripers were holding at 2-Fathom Bank and 5-Fathom Bank and such places beyond 3 miles from shore, where striper fishing is closed, and the fish were closer to shore farther north, but the local area typically holds fewer stripers within legal range from shore. Plenty of blues were around at Avalon Shoal and Sea Isle Lump, smacking trolled Stretch 25 and 30 lures in dark colors, purple and black, and lighter colors failed to grab attention.  Special, open-boat blackfishing trips will sail 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. both Christmas Eve day and New Year’s Eve day, short outings so anglers can get back on land for the holidays.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Bill Hamilton was aboard yesterday with Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, and more than 50 striped bass to 28 inches were reeled in from the ocean, some on Fin-S Fish on ¾-ounce jigs, and others on trolled Stretch 25 lures, Joe said. Some of the fish were hooked at Sea Isle Lump, and the rest were found near Hereford Inlet under a melee of working birds. Most of the fish were 23 to 27 inches, and there was lots of action, including double headers. It took a while to locate the bite, but once the stripers were discovered, the fishing was great, with bent rods and sore arms. Jigging would be done when plenty of fish were around, and Joe would switch to trolling when things quieted down. On Saturday Pete Lee was onboard, and eight stripers to 27 inches and a 12-pound blue were fought, and a 3-pound, out-of-season flounder was released. Some of the fish hit at 5-Fathom Bank, and others appeared just off Strathmere, and fishing was tougher, maybe because of boat traffic. Plenty of birds worked the water, but the birds would disperse quickly, and anglers frequently had to move to the next group. None of the action gathered consistently at any one spot, and if boaters failed to luck into catches early in the morning, they found tough fishing. Bird-play etiquette was sometimes challenging during the weekend, with boats including big ones running over the schools and putting down the fish. Sometimes the fishing lately was an early morning thing, but it depended on the day. But the fish had to be found, and if you’re not catching, you better move, because once you find them, catches are good. Joe could identify no specific bait in the water, but he was sure herring and sand eels were there. He was seeing tons of algae and plankton in the water, an increasing amount, that baitfish must’ve been feeding on. Blues were scarcer than before, and the ocean was 48 degrees, and the bay was 40. Joe heard no specifics about surf fishing, but he was sure stripers were beached in the suds, especially at Strathmere and North Wildwood Sunday morning, because he sometimes ran into fish only a quarter of a mile from shore. In the surf try throwing swimming lures or popping plugs, or when long casts are needed, sling out metal like a Gator, Hopkins or Kastmaster. Fishing should continue to be good, and Joe will keep sailing.

The <b>Captain Robbins</b> sailed on its daily tog trips on most days during the week, between being weathered out a few times, and the boat often stopped along the beaches so patrons could mix in striped bass jigging, Capt. John said. Last week on Sunday John Tolar won the pool with a 4-1/2-pound tog, and Matt DiGiacomo limited out on the blackfish to 4 pounds. On Wednesday Matt Traina took the pool with an 8-1/4-pound slippery, and on Friday Brian Nixon limited out on the tog and won the pool with a 5-1/4-pounder. Also on Friday Tony Monica--who holds the world record for tog, a 25-pounder—and two nephews each limited out on the fish on the boat. On Saturday Sam Beuchamp, the Maryland record holder for tog, won the pool with a 7-1/2-pounder, and on Sunday Jeff Brown Jr. limited out on the blacks to 5 pounds, and an angler with a 12-3/4-pound striper won the pool. The Captain Robbins is tog fishing 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

<b>Wildwood</b>

It ain’t over till it’s over, and many boaters pulled their vessels from the water already, but customers at <b>No Bones Bait & Tackle</b> were scoring striped bass from along the ocean beaches to the Cape May Rips. The main bite took place in the ocean off the Wildwood Ferris wheel on jigs, but fish were jigged yesterday afternoon off Cape May Inlet, and the rips gave up fish off and on, depending on whether the particular tide made the water dirty, and live spots and eels took the fish at the rips, Fred from the shop said. John Hern, who docks at No Bones, and two friends jigged 25 stripers--including one keeper--a bluefish and a 5-pound flounder in the ocean off the Wildwood Ferris wheel Sunday on striper candies. They said the best bite was definitely in the morning, and they were off the water by 2 p.m. Another boater from the dock   headed out afterward and nailed a 19-pound striper and a 17-pounder along the beach front under tons of working birds. That boater also fished Saturday, found bait and working birds and no fish underneath, and was thinking about putting his boat away for the season until nailing the two keepers Sunday. Those were his two biggest stripers of the season, and he was going back to find more today. A charter on the Fins and Grins fished for tog at the wrecks the same day and bagged eight nice keepers, and on the way home they found birds working at the same place as the angler with the 19- and 17-pounders, and they stopped and hooked something like five keepers and 10 throwbacks. So things were happening with striper fishing, and reports about water temps might sound like the water is cold, but anglers should remember that those temps are surface readings, and sometimes the water underneath can be 6 or 7 degrees warmer, depending on currents. The weather this week was supposed to be relatively warm, so the fishing should continue. The action in the ocean should actually continue for some time, because striper fishing in past years often kept up into January and February. Fred even caught is biggest, a 41-pounder, on January 9 at the Cape May Rips. Signs were also pointing toward continued fishing. For example, a commercial boater was looking for adult bunker and instead was finding peanut bunker, and the peanuts should be gone by now, and Fred was seeing plenty of bait including grass shrimp and minnows at the dock, and baby blueclaw crabs were swimming around and were yet to burrow into the mud. The back bay was 38 degrees last week because of the cold front, but the water seemed to warm lately, and Fred heard about a few stripers landed there. One angler drifted eels along the sod banks and hooked and released two 27- and 26-inch stripers. Dunking clam belly bait and chumming with clam bellies is always a good bet in the bay for stripers whenever the fish are still biting, and the shop carries 30-pound bags of the bellies. The store’s rental boats, 17-foot Carolina Skiffs, will remain available for striper fishing in the bay through December 31. No Bones Bait & Tackle is one of the few tackle shops that remains open in South Jersey and will stay open all winter.

<b>Cape May</b>

Anglers on the <b>Fishin’ Fever’</b> had a killer day of striped bass fishing yesterday, landing 13 keepers and releasing loads and loads of throwbacks at the Cape May Rips and along the ocean beaches, Capt. Tom said. First they fished the rips and bailed a bunch of stripers including six keepers to 37 inches on live spots and on bucktails. The rips were very productive in the morning but turned off later because of dirty water. Then they ran up the beaches and nailed a whole mess of stripers, a large number, including seven keepers on jigs under bird plays. Peanut bunker and sand eels filled the 47-degree water, and Tom was optimistic about the fishing in the upcoming week, because of the large number of keepers and all the other fish caught in a short time. The water shouldn’t get any colder, because forecasts were calling for air temps in the 50s and 60s this week. The cold front last week seemed to really turn on the bite. No bluefish were hooked on the Fishin’ Fever, but other boaters reeled in a few blues. The Fishin’ Fever will sail through this weekend, and space is available on an 8-hour, open-boat trip that will target striped bass Saturday, probably from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but confirm the hours. A charter is booked Sunday morning, and then the crew will pull the boat from the water for the season.

Fishing was starting to wind down a bit, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Water temps dropped into the mid 30s in Delaware Bay and mostly turned striped bass fishing right off, but the fish were still hooked in the lower bay at Brown Shoal in deeper water from 30 to 40 feet at the top of the tides through the weekend. Marty Busford drilled a 32-pound striper at Brown Shoal, and Joe Stabone took home a 28-pound striper that hit a bucktail at Overfalls Shoal. Striper fishing was also good at the outer Cape May Rips or at Somer Shoal and Overfalls Shoal on eels, bucktails and spots. Surf fishing cooled down compared with the previous weekend, and striped bass fishing slowed to a crawl in the wash, and water temps also sent all bluefish packing from the suds, but warmer days forecast for this week might pick things back up somewhat.  Blackfish moved off the jetties and out of the bay and swam to the reefs and wrecks in deeper water. This week will probably be the shop’s last week of business for the season, and the doors will be open in the mornings through the weekend. Matt and crew thanked all the shop’s customers, wished everyone Happy Holidays and looked forward to seeing everybody in spring.

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