<b>Fortescue</b>

Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b> called it a season, he said. Short striped bass, but not many, bit in the bay near Fortescue, and waters were 38 to 39 degrees. Ralph thanks all who fished with him, and wishes everyone Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. Look for the boat to start fishing for striped bass in April and drumfish in May.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Jack Callahan, Chuck Umba, John Dean and Steve Ryan boated four striped bass just over 28 inches apiece far south in the bay, probably at the Cape May Rips or even beyond, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Nobody really caught stripers in the bay closer to the marina. Practically all boats were pulled from the slips, but the boat ramp stays open all winter, and the shop will be open Mondays through Fridays during the cold months. Although the bay was frigid, boaters can launch all winter to fish the Maurice River for white perch, catfish and stray striped bass. The shop will carry frozen baits. Slips officially open back up May 1, but sometimes vessels are allowed in earlier, and call the marina in spring to confirm the schedule. Pat thanks everyone who sailed from Longreach, wishes all Happy Holidays and New Year and hopes to see everybody again next season.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>Copacetic Sportfishing</b> headed out for striped bass at the Cape May Rips and along the ocean front on trips through the week, and up to 25 or 30 bass, including a few keepers, were hooked each time, Capt. Mike said. Most were 25 to 28 inches, and live bait became scarce at the tackle shops, so anglers on board tossed bucktails and rubber shads instead, and the lures worked well. Incoming tides were best, sometimes producing double- and triple-headers, and outgoing still turned up catches, just not as many, more of a pick. The fishing should last a little longer, and waters were 48 degrees. Copacetic is also offering tog trips, and the blackfish were abundant.

A big, 30-pound, 42-inch striped bass was walloped with the Chris Lutz charter on the <b>First Cast</b> on Saturday, Capt. Rob said. Mostly shorts but some keepers were dusted up, and the trip first trolled the ocean near the Cape May Rips, then eeled and bucktailed the rips, then trolled the ocean again. Many of the shorts were 25 or 26 inches, and some were only undersized by  a half-inch or three quarters of an inch, and the bigger bass were in the ocean.  On Friday the KNH Construction Company group also tangled with mostly shorts but lots of the fish, also at the rips and nearby ocean. The ocean was usually trolled when the tides slowed down on the trips. The fish seemed on the move, appearing at one place a moment before disappearing. Just putting in the time to locate them mattered. Waters were 47 degrees, and First Cast will fish through the weekend before wrapping up its season. 

Trips on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> pulled in anywhere from 20 striped bass to three times as many, and some limited out, and others didn’t, Capt. Tom said. Anglers on the boat fished the Cape May Rips when conditions allowed, and otherwise they fished the beach front, and more keepers held there. Bucktails and Storm lures started to be used a lot. Windy weather was frequent, but when winds blew up to 35 knots from the northwest, places could still be found that were sheltered by land, and the boat could often get out. A couple of tog trips also ran, and one limited out, catching and releasing more. Newbies to tog fishing fished on the other, bucketing 17 keepers to 6 pounds. The vessel gets double-anchored on tog trips, not just single-anchored. Charters and open-boat trips are sailing for stripers, tog or a combo of both, fishing at least until Christmas if not longer.

Close to 30 striped bass to 31 inches were looted at the Cape May Rips on Friday with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> on spots and bucktails, Capt. Ray said. A trip Saturday was even better, shellacking more than twice as many of the fish to 35 inches, also on spots and bucktails. Ray will wrap up his season after this week, and he thanks all anglers who fished with him for a great year, and wishes everyone Happy Holidays. Heads up: Charters booked before the first of the year will lock in this season’s rates. Trips on the boat will start again in early April, fishing for striped bass and then drum.

Great catches of striped bass, not many big fish but lots and a few keepers, were clubbed throughout the week on the <b>Down Deep</b> at the Cape May Rips on eels and bucktails, Capt. Bob said. Friday’s charter bailed 31 of the fish, and all trips went like that. More schools of stripers migrated along Brigantine, Atlantic City and Margate, so Bob expected them to arrive locally. Charters will continue on the boat until Sunday, and then the marina wants vessels out of the waters. The fish will still be there, and Bob would keep sailing if he could, and he knows anglers who’ll keep fishing until the first of the year. Charters are already being booked for 2009.

The final trip of the season fished Saturday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, catching three keeper striped bass and a bunch of throwbacks with Darryl Sr. and Jr. and Dan, Tom and John, Capt. George said. Some of the fish were eeled at the Cape May Rips, and the others were trolled in the ocean. One of the keepers was 32 inches, and the other two were 28 to 29 inches, and the shorts were 25 to 26 inches. Charters will start again around the third week of April, fishing first for striped bass and then drum. George thanks everyone who fished with him, wishes everyone Happy Holidays and looks forward to seeing anglers again next year.

Mostly schoolie striped bass, lots of them with keepers mixed in, were boated at the Cape May Rips, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. One in five was legal-sized, and the shorts were aggressive, hitting readily on bucktails, jigs or deep-diving, trolled plugs. John Renson from Cape May Court House and buddy Harry Olczuk reeled up 32 stripers including seven keepers at the rips Saturday, releasing all. Stripers also hung along the Wildwood Lump and could be jigged, trolled or clammed. In the local surf mostly ling and short stripers were banked, but a 50-inch, whopper of a striper was hammered at Poverty Beach on Friday on a ling head.  A striper that length is probably about 50 pounds. Blackfish hovered along Cape May and Wildwood reefs, and big ones were sometimes seen at the shop. Martin Daly from Havertown, Pa., checked in a 16.22-pounder pulled from the Onandaga wreck on Saturday. This report will be the last from Jim’s for the season. The shop will be open during limited hours until around Christmas, and customers should call ahead to confirm hours.

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