<b>Brooklawn</b>

The windy weather was tough, keeping boaters docked, but the first push of migrating striped bass around the bay was probably a week away, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. The linesiders supposedly swam farther north along the coast and should be on the way. Waters probably needed to cool a little, and a few weakfish were hooked, and small blues were abundant, and croakers schooled. Plenty of white perch could be gathered from the streams including the Maurice River. Schoolie striped bass could be caught and released in the Delaware River from National Park to Raccoon Creek, mostly on bloodworms, but also on clams or metal like small diamond jigs. Smallmouth and largemouth bass roamed the creeks including Big Timber Creek, the Cooper River and the other local streams. News from the ocean, including offshore, was scarce because of the weather.  Big Timber Bait & Tackle carries bait and tackle for all fishing from freshwater to offshore. That includes a complete supply of lures and baits for rivers and lakes; rigs, tackle and frozen bait for bays; and offshore lures, rigs and baits.

<b>Pennsville</b>

Customers often fished the tributaries of the Delaware River, reeling up white perch and catfish, instead of the bay during the blow, said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Bloodworms will fool the perch, and chunks of bait like herring will attract the cats. Matt saw anglers fishing along the bridges at night, so they must’ve been catching striped bass that were waking up because of the season. The owner of the shop continued to catch crabs, plenty of them, and big ones by this time of year, after they’ve grown since spring, and she crabs were abundant. Bloodworms, nightcrawlers, trout worms, frozen herring, frozen bunker and other baits are stocked.

<b>Fortescue</b>

On the <b>Buccaneer</b> anglers on Saturday belted big croakers, quite a few, about 13 keeper weakfish and a short striped bass, Capt. Ralph said. A good trip, and another charter Sunday was cancelled because of forecasts for stiff winds. Chicken, clams and strips of croakers were used for bait, now that shedder crabs were unavailable at this time of year, and the croaker strips worked best for the weaks. A striped bass charter is slated for this coming weekend, and trips on the boat are probably some of the most reasonably priced anywhere, and Ralph is one of the most experienced captains, chartering on the bay since 1961. Charters will soon exclusively focus on stripers, when migrating linesiders -- large ones, unlike the smaller, resident fish that currently bit -- move in. That could start any time.

Anglers with <b>Andrea Charters</b> sailed Saturday, landing blues, croakers, including 14- to 18-inchers -- hefty ones -- short weakfish but some keepers, and a throwback striped bass, Capt. Dave said. They mostly fished close to shore, and strong winds kept them from fishing along the lighthouses and the reefs on the Delaware side, where Dave normally fishes at this time of year. But they did try fishing around the Elbow and the shipping channel, reeling up blues and undersized weaks. The anglers did more catching than keeping, but ended up with a fair catch by the end of the day. Winds made for a couple of tough days of sailing during the weekend, and Dave tried to get out Sunday but turned back because of winds. The number of weaks in the bay was surprising, even if mostly small ones bit on the trip Saturday. A bushel of bunker and a bushel of clams were aboard for bait, and croakers were caught and cut into strips for weakfish bait. The blues loved the bunker, and the croakers pounced on the clams. The bay was in the mid 60s, lots warmer than air temps felt. A bunch of stripers popped in Fortescue Creek in the mornings, so they seemed to be moving out of the back creeks. A short bass was also reeled from the bay on the vessel Tuesday. Anglers aboard will make the switch to targeting only stripers as soon as the bass migrate from the ocean. At first they usually mix up trips, angling for weaks, croakers and blues, but also looking for stripers at some point during the day. Striper catches will increase until all attention is paid to them.

<b>Bivalve</b>

The weekend was a washout because of winds, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. But Pete Ty and Alexis Plummer, 5, boated a coolerful of sea bass, white perch and croakers, and Alexis landed her first-ever striped bass. Pat heard about plenty of short stripers but few large ones landed so far. She hoped the cool weather triggered the migration of big ones down the coast and up the bay, and fresh bunker, the favorite striper bait, is stocked. Customers prior to the weekend winds reeled up weakfish, croakers and perch. Longreach Marina’s month-long striped bass tournament is under way, running October 18 through November 15, awarding money for the largest striper. The entry fee is $30 per boat, and 80 percent of the fees is awarded, and the rest helps fund the marina’s annual kids fishing tournament in summer. The Atco Hookers Striper Tournament will be hosted at the marina November 1 with a weather date of November 8, and the entry fee is $60 per boat.

<b>Dennisville</b>

A few striped bass got clocked at the Cape May Rips, but mostly blues swarmed there, said Tim from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Mostly rumors about striper catches rolled in from the bay, and a customer yesterday said he lost one on the anchor line, seeing the fish before it got off. Few anglers boated the waters because of the weather, though. Back-bay striper fishing was hot, mostly for shorts, and Capt. Frank Breakell from the Brynnie B played 22 of the fish, mostly under 22 inches, on soft plastic lures like pink Zooms, at the bridges at Stone Harbor, Avalon and Sea Isle City. Surf casters began to club a few stripers, including at Cape May Inlet’s north jetty, and some of the fish turned on at Townsend’s Inlet during the blow. Nobody reported bottom fishing in the ocean during the winds, but previously good catches of sea bass to 3 ½ pounds and porgies were pulled from Wildwood and Cape May reefs. Likewise nobody fished offshore, but Dan Fabri before the weather whacked a swordfish, a wahoo or more, some mahi mahi and a white marlin at Wilmington Canyon. Captain Tate’s is stocking fresh bunker and fresh clams for striper fishing.

<b>Cape May</b>
Surf fishing improved as soon as the weekend’s cold front started moving through, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. A few keeper striped bass were dragged from the Cape May beachfront and the cove between the 2nd Street jetty and the Gun Mount. Blues in the suds got a little bigger, not slammers but fish to 4 pounds. Harry Monnahan landed a 15-1/4-pound striper and four blues while plugging at the Grant Street jetty Saturday morning. James Hoover fished the beach at Baltimore Avenue, scoring a 12-pound striper and six blues.

The Cape May fleet including party boats were forced to stay tied to the dock Sunday when Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> stopped at the marina, he said. Winds blew 30 m.p.h., and flood warnings had to be issued because winds were expected to push incoming tides so high. No boaters probably fished during the weekend. The first striped bass charter of the season is booked to fish on the boat this coming weekend, and trips for the linesiders will hunt the bay and the Cape May Rips. George decided that no more charters will sail for tuna this year, and that meant all the boats from Cape May who contribute reports had wrapped up their offshore fishing for the year.

The boat got moved to Cape May from Margate this weekend for striped bass fishing, said Capt. Dave from <b>Fine Line Fishing Charters</b>. He always moves the boat at this time of year to start preparing for the striper run, after fishing from Margate since summer. The boat had to be sailed along the Intracoastal Waterway to reach Cape May because of honking winds. No news was heard about catches in the conditions. Fine Line will fish for stripers the rest of the season on the bay with bunker chunks and at the Cape May Rips with eels.

The <b>Down Deep</b> got weathered out during the weekend, but a charter looted 3-pound blues and 15- to 17-inch croakers off Cape May Point on Wednesday, Capt. Bob said. Waters were 65 degrees the other day, compared with 75 degrees at this time last year, and a few striped bass were caught. That was encouraging. Bob also heard about a bunker boat that ran across a mess of stripers on a trip along the beachfront and released the fish. The Down Deep will charter for stripers soon, fishing the bay and the Cape May Rips. The bay will probably be fished first, because in recent years waters had to cool before the fish ran the rips.

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