<b>Brooklawn</b>

Striped bass fishing turned on during the middle of the week, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. Catches began to be made on the southern bay such as at 60-Foot Slough on bunker chunks and at the Cape May Rips on eels or spots, if anglers could get spots that were scarce this year. Stripers also bit along the coast farther north including in the surf at Brigantine and Long Beach Island. Tons of tog, including big ones, chomped along structure including rock piles and wrecks everywhere. Only one could be kept until the bag limit increases to six of the blackfish on November 16, but lots were around. Offshore fishing seemed to dry up, and nobody seemed to try for the big game anymore. Rumors said warm, fish-holding waters were coming to offshore grounds before the last nor’easter, but afterward news about the angling ended. Closer to the shop, lots of smallmouth and largemouth bass were hooked along the Delaware River at places including the Graveyard, located north of the Commodore Barry Bridge, and in the tributaries including the mouths of the Schuylkill River and Big and Little Timber creeks. Pigs-and-jigs, creature baits and crank baits got whacked. Big Timber 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>

At <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> anglers talked about wrangling up quite a few striped bass at Blake’s Channel, and that’s usually where customers start to catch them in fall, Wade said. But the linesiders began to appear from Ship John to the south, and fresh bunker got most bites. The shop might start carrying the bait, and lots of people telephoned to ask for it. Anglers on the Delaware River picked away at short stripers, and bloodworms were the top bait, but cut spots drew in some of the bigger fish. Larger stripers might push up to the river from the bay in a couple of weeks, and they came last year but don’t always. White perch flooded the river, eating up bloodworms, and catfish milled about the bottom, sniffing out cut baits and bloods.  

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Customers, most who tried, boated striped bass, and many of the fish were good-sized, and that was great news, especially compared with last year, when the fish came in late, and the weather was terrible when they did, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Stripers to 40 pounds and larger were creamed, and she heard about a confirmed 52-pounder checked in at a marina and an unconfirmed 50-pounder brought in at Money Island. Most of the bass, and the largest concentration of bigger ones, seemed to hold in the southern bay, such as at the lower end of 60-Foot Slough and off Pierce’s Point. But they did seem spread out. Reports were heard about the fish caught at Miah Maul and a couple of 40-inchers taken at the number 1 buoy. One angler said he reeled in some at the drop-off at False Egg Island Point, with no other boats around. Good catches were heard about clear through Monday. Fresh bunker and fresh clams were the baits most customers preferred. Some might like to swim live spots, but that was less popular. Plenty of fresh bunker is stocked, and somewhat of a shortage last week had ended. Last week local bunker become scarce in the seas after the nor’easter, and the shop had to order the baitfish from the south to keep up with the supply. But the menhaden apparently returned off the coast, because local bunker was now in healthy supply. Fresh bunker chum is also stocked and is commonly used with the fishing. A new batch of fresh clams usually arrives at the shop on Thursdays. Lots of tog chomped all around the coast, and green crabs are on hand for bait. Too bad the bag limit is only one of the blackfish until increasing to six on November 16. But anglers could have fun catching them, keeping a limit and releasing the rest.  The Girls Place is located on Route 47 just after Route 55 ends, and it’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. There’s a large parking lot with plenty of room for trailered boats.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Trips are lined up to hunt down striped bass Friday through Sunday on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, and the fishing is under way on the vessel, Capt. Ralph said. He heard about a few local catches Sunday.

Open-boat trips for striped bass should launch this weekend on the <b>Salt Talk</b>, fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Capt. Howard said. Charters are booked to go after the fish Friday and Monday. Trips usually dunk bunker chunks for the bass at first during the season. The fish usually become willing to grab live eels later, and then the anglers aboard can swim eels. Howard hopes the eel fishing kicks in, because that’s his favorite. Anglers caught the fish, not a lot, but some, near Fortescue, and the bass were decent-sized. Howard knew about one trip that copped five. Not a lot of people fished, because of windy, rainy weather.

Catches of striped bass were on fire, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Waters gave them up at the 34 buoy and at the number 2 buoy on the north end of Blake’s Channel, the best fishing Dave’s seen for them in the area, and not a lot of people seemed to know yet. The fishing took off on Tuesday, after conditions settled following the big nor’easter that weekend, and never stopped. Fresh bunker was the bait and is stocked. That was about all that local anglers were targeting, and it was great. Al’ is open 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b> tallied off a list of big striped bass that customers docked. They boated the fish at places including 20- and 60-Foot Sloughs, and a few were pelted at the number 1 buoy, but the rest came from waters close to shore. Fresh bunker was the bait, and the supply was sometimes tight, like when the menhaden sold out on Sunday. But lots more was being stocked Monday, and anglers can call ahead to check on availability. Anglers and their catches included: Anthony Bellone, Franklinville, 33-inch striper; Ken Huestle, 35- and 40-inch stripers; Phil Barbera, Hopewell, two 45-pound 47-1/2-inch and 32-pound 43-1/2-inch stripers; Mike Pugsley, Commercial Township, 41-1/2-inch striper; Carl Tarabbio and Kevin Walsh, South Vineland, 40-inch striper; Mike Guy and Ed Martin, Upper Deerfield, 32-3/4-pound and 31-pound stripers; Eric Button and crew, five stripers to 31 ¾ pounds; Sal DiFrancesisco Sr. and Jr., 44-inch, 42-inch and two 40-inch stripers; Jimmy Miller, Point Norris, two stripers over 40 inches apiece; Rich Janeszewski and Mark Roger, Voorhees, 36-pound 35-3/4-inch striper; and Gary Wilson and George Wengert, Franklinville, four stripers 40 to 45 inches. Longreach Marina’s month-long striped bass tournament is running through Saturday, November 14, awarding a prize for the heaviest linesider. The Atco Hookers Striped Bass Tournament will take place Saturday, November 7, at the marina.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fairly good fishing for striped bass began, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Trips mostly swam live eels at the Cape May Rips, and Bob tried fishing on Delaware Bay with bunker chunks, but he experienced slow fishing there, and moved to the rips, although anglers previously reported better catches on the bay. Anglers on the Down Deep will continue chunking on the bay as well as livelining at the rips. Just depends on what the better option is at the time or angler preference. The Harrison party nailed stripers to 37 inches, and Frank Clark’s party drilled the bass to 34 inches. The Costales charter landed big blues to 15 pounds and some stripers at the rips.

Big, slammer blues 8 to 15 pounds and striped bass 30 to 38 inches were smoked on the ocean Sunday morning with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> on bucktails and jigs, Capt. Ray said. Action was non-stop, phenomenal fishing under bird plays. In the afternoon the trip moved to the Cape May Rips, landing more stripers on bucktails, a pick, but the bass were sizeable, larger than 30 inches. There were no all-out blitzes at the rips, but good catches were clubbed when anglers came across the fish, and Ray heard about several boats that scored well. He originally planned to bunker-chunk for stripers on the bay but changed the plans, because northwest winds would’ve roughed up seas. Reports he heard from the bay sounded slow, but that can change day to day.  

The Tom Weiss party went 1 for 2 on striped bass, landing a 35-pounder, while bunker chunking on the bay Saturday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. The fishing was slower than anglers talked about scoring during the middle of the week, but the 35-pounder was a big bass. The ocean was rough that day in south winds, but the bay was fine, only held a 2-foot swell with occasional white caps. Forecasts called for worse, including rains and cold, but the day wasn’t bad, was warm, and was sunny until 1 p.m., when clouds moved in. But the forecasts apparently kept boaters from fishing, because no other vessel was in sight. On Sunday strong northwest winds blew up seas too big to fish on the bay. So Joe Gillian’s party on the boat trolled the ocean that day, nailing loads of big, alligator blues and some stripers that were probably 30 to 35 inches.  George knew anglers who also caught stripers at the Cape May Rips on Sunday.

The bite was on! said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Striped bass, linesiders to 40 pounds, were knuckled in from the bay and the Cape May Rips and were trolled on the ocean. All the usual haunts gave up the fish on the bay, including 20- and 60-Foot Sloughs, the Cock and Balls, the Oyster Grounds and Brandywine Slough. Stripers weighed in from the bay included Rich Manera’s 46-1/2-pounder, Craig Ferri’s 46-pounder and Karen April’s 42-3/4-pounder. Reports about catches also came from all the rips, and the top of the tides put out those fish on eels, spots and bucktails. Art Hanley from Pittsburgh checked in a 39-3/4-pounder that he hung at Middle Shoal at the rips. Big blues were hammered at 5-Fathom Bank in the ocean, and stripers swam underneath, but those bass must be caught and released, because the area is farther than 3 miles from the coast, where striper fishing is closed. The surf came alive with big blues and bass in Saturday’s southeast winds that pushed in bait. Fish weighed in from the suds included Marty Kellerman’s 26-3/4-pound striper and Kerry Doyle’s 7.61-pound blue. 

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