<b>Brooklawn</b>

Good catches of striped bass, sizeable linesiders, were hauled from places such as 60-Foot Slough, the Banana Peel and the Horseshoe, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. He heard about anglers who clobbered the fish to 45 or 48 inches, including a 49-pounder checked in at a marina on the Maurice River. Bunker chunks were the bait, and stripers that were larger than usual also came from the Cape May Rips. He heard about rips fish to 40 or 42 inches caught. Anglers there usually liveline eels or spots or work bucktails. Fishing for stripers was also productive at some of the inlets and turned out catches in the surf along the jetties. Stripers also poured into their winter holes in the Delaware River from the creeks. They shack up there through the cold months. Fishing was actually good all around, and largemouth bass angling was on a tear on the Delaware River. Many anglers are unaware that the river’s fishing rebounded in a big way over the years and is an impressive fishery, including for largemouths. Some of the cuts and coves hold plenty of the fish, and crank baits and spinners were the best choice at the moment. But other lures such as rubber worms get the nod at other times of the year. Boaters in a largemouth tournament at Rick’s marina on the river during the weekend reported landing at least 10 legal bucketmouths per vessel. Smallmouth bass fishing turns on in the local river earlier in the season, another fact that many don’t know, and by now the smallies depart, swimming upstream, Rick guessed. He even heard about a walleye caught on the local river. Actually fishing on many of South Jersey’s fresh waters improved and rebounded in recent years. The Cooper River’s crappie fishing was impressive, and one crew of anglers consistently stopped by the shop, bought a couple of dozen minnows, and lambasted the crappies on the river. Other waters like the ponds around Medford also offered impressive freshwater angling these days. South Jersey’s freshwater fishing kicked into high gear in recent years, while saltwater fishing seemed to be on a downturn. 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>Fortescue</b>

Two keeper striped bass 36 and 29 inches were bagged on bunker Saturday on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Sunday’s fishing was slower, and some anglers from Fortescue caught, but many caught few. But the fish were there in the waters off the port, and surely they’d turn on again. Stripers were still dropping down the coast on the migration, so the bay’s fishing for them should keep going.    

In seven or eight trips probably half caught keeper striped bass, said Capt. Howard from the <b>Salt Talk</b>. On some of the days only shorts bit, and on other days no stripers bit, and that’s how the fishing was, he said. The angling was like drum fishing, and anglers had to be patient and wait for bites. If boats pulled anchor, they’d move to another spot and hear that the fish began biting back at the previous spot. On Wednesday, a decent trip, Terrence Hexamer reeled in a 44-inch striper that weighed 27 pounds, light for the length. Two other keepers were boated that day, and maybe 18 shorts were tossed back, and a big blue was landed. Big blues sometimes chomped baits but usually cut off the line. Anglers used mono leaders, not wire, because stripers supposedly shy away from wire. All the stripers were hooked on bunker, and eels were tried on one day, but no stripers hit them. Charters are booked through the weekends this week and next, but Thanksgiving weekend is open. Open-boat trips are running for stripers, usually on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and call to confirm the schedule. Anglers always call to go, and Howard is coordinating them to come on certain days so enough join the trips for the boat to sail.

Some bigger striped bass were being seen, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Bonanza</b>, and anglers in small boats seemed to get better shots at the large fish. But trips on the Bonanza were hunting the fish down, finding a few tog here and there, too. Being at the right place at the right time seemed key for the striper fishing, and anglers couldn’t catch at one spot and expect to hook up at the same place the next day. Patience mattered. Mike took a trip with his son on Mike’s small boat, and his son drilled a 40-inch striper and a couple of shorts. Mike mostly relaxed on the waters while his son fished. Bunker, eels and green crabs are carried aboard for bait on the Bonanza. On Monday, when the tog bag limit increases to six of the blackfish from the current limit of one, Mike’s going to try to run an open-boat tog trip. He might run one more or so before the boat’s season ends. Open-boat trips for stripers are usually running on Mondays and Fridays, and charters are usually booked on weekends. But open trips for stripers are sailing, and call to confirm the schedule. The charter schedule can be checked on the vessel’s Web site.

Fishing for striped bass turned out healthy catches but anglers had to find the fish, and the location wasn’t reliable from day to day, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. He was on the waters when he gave this report over the phone today, and hooked no stripers so far. Yet he took a trip the day before that boated the bass at the same place on the same tide. A buddy today landed large stripers on the Delaware side of the bay during Dave’s trip, so he was thinking about moving there. The fishing was a matter of the right place at the right time. Many Fortescue anglers looked for the linesiders off the E.P. Tower, and they began to locate a bite near Miah Maul. The fishing remained good at the 32 and 34 buoys, and Dave knew about a trip that landed five keepers at the wreck buoy Monday. Boaters on the southern bay hooked big bass. Fresh bunker was the way to go and is stocked, and anglers can call ahead, and the shop will hold the bait for them. Not a lot was heard about bluefish in the bay, except occasional big ones like 15-pounders that grabbed baits. Fortescue surf anglers began to belt good catches of stripers including keepers. They dunked bunker, and stopped using bloodworms for the most part.  Al’s 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>

Four 50-pound striped bass were docked, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. The huge fish were a 51-pound 52-incher from a trip that David Franceschini and Bob Ferrari took, Don Reigner’s 50-1/4-pound 49-1/4-incher, a 50-pound 52-incher from a trip Joe Wilson and Mike Oslin took, and John Kendra’s 50-pound 49-1/2-incher. Pat knew about eight 50-inchers creamed in the past two weeks, and customers checked in plenty of other big ones. They found the fish all over the bay from the E.P. Tower to Reed’s Beach, including inshore of the number 1 buoy, at Bug Light and at 20-Foot Slough and 60-Foot Slough. Fresh bunker was in good supply for bait. Pat listed some of the catches but even left out two pages, because she knew that only so much space was available for the report. The anglers and their catches included: John Howard and Joe Stone, Port Norris, 38- and 22-pound stripers; Henry Garter, 35-1/2-pound 45-inch striper; Bucky and Mike Lynch, Port Elizabeth, 44- and 40-inch stripers; Tim Regan, Berlin, 44-1/4-, 40- and 37-inch stripers; Mark, Mike and Chris Volsath, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, limit of stripers to 35 pounds 46 inches; Bill Showack and Alex Repin, 43-inch, two 40-inch, and 38-inch stripers; Thomas Downe, Vineland, 38-inch striper; Rob Davis and Joey Brennan, Waterfod, 39-1/2-, 38-, and 37-inch stripers; Anthony Albano and Connie Wood, 38-, 34- and 33-inch stripers; and Seth and Robin Luskin, Pittsgrove, five stripers to 41 ¼ inches. The winners of the weekend’s Atco Hookers Striper Tournament at the marina were: Joe Blushtein, 1st place, 39-1/4-pound striper; John Schlossig, 2nd place, 36-3/4-pound striper; and Malcom Ryan, 3rd place, 34-1/4-pound striper. The leader in Longreach Marina’s month-long striper tournament, running through this coming Saturday, was currently Frank Przelomiec with a 38-1/2-pound striper.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fishing at the Cape May Rips served up striped bass 18 to 30 pounds, including a 26-pounder and a 21-pounder, with <b>Fish Tale Charters</b> on Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Craig said. On the first day all the fish pounced on spots and refused eels. On the next day they only bit eels, refusing spots. A couple of out-of-season flounder, including a 22-incher, grabbed the spots, believe it or not. The stripers at the rips are bigger than past years, and Fish Tale will go after them through the first weekend of December before pulling the boat. Saturday morning was chilly and 30 degrees, and the boat was iced up. But before the anglers showed up, Craig put the defroster and heat on, and the cabin was toasty. Winds started to come up later in the day, but the trip was finished and had fish in the box by then. Sunday brought great weather until winds blew against the tide later in the day, but again, fish were in the box, and the trip was wrapped up by then. 

<b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b> racked up good catches of striped bass on the bay on bunker chunks, Capt. Eric said. Eight of the stripers to 30 pounds were plowed on a trip Wednesday, and a  few, including a 44-pound 48-1/2-incher—big fish!—were hauled in on the boat Saturday. Six of the linesiders to a 37-pounder and a 25-pounder were mugged on the vessel on Sunday. So the trips did a job on stripers in the past days. The fishing was a little different each day. For example, on Wednesday outgoing tide produced the catches, and on Saturday most, but not all, bit on incoming. On Sunday they were all grabbed on incoming. O-Beth is running most trips on the bay, but striper fishing at the Cape May Rips is available if anglers want. Stripers were everywhere or at the bay, rips and ocean.

The size of striped bass on trips was excellent, like the old days, and probably only a half-dozen were shorts in the last four outings, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>. The trips fished at the Cape May Rips, scoring great, almost all on spots, except a few on bucktails the other day. A 46-pounder was creamed on the boat! That’s a heck of a fish for the rips, he said. Many of the fish are 20 to 30 pounds, and lots are 12 to 18 pounds. Striper fishing was also phenomenal on Delaware Bay on bunker chunks, and Tom knew two boats that chunked 50 apiece on Saturday. The Fishin’ Fever will also sail for them if anglers want. Plenty of stripers continued to migrate down the coast, and fishing for them along the beach front on bird plays should begin soon. Tog trips will be in the mix starting Monday, when the bag limit increases to six from the current quota of one.

Anglers with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> livelined striped bass to 42 inches on spots and eels at the Cape May Rips on Saturday and Sunday, Capt. T.J. said. A trip also bunker chunked good-sized stripers to 35 or 38 inches on the bay Saturday afternoon in nasty weather. T.J.’s other boat, docked at Tuckerton, is also striper fishing but will mostly tog fish starting this coming Monday, except when striper charters are requested.

Lots of striped bass bit at the Cape May Rips, and lots fed on bay, and all groups on the boat caught, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. The fishing was decent at the rips, and the bay turned out fairly good fishing in the last few days. Paul from the Edgewater Park Sportsman’s Club hammered the big fish on the boat lately, a 32-pound striper, at the rips. Waters were 54 to 55 degrees, and the linesiders kept coming down the coast, so the fishing should hold up another couple of weeks. A buddy said a big school was located off Atlantic City in the past days. Big blues schooled at 5-Fathom Bank, if charters wanted to pick a fight with them. They’ll depart when waters reach 50 degrees, so the time to catch them might be limited.

Decent striped bass fishing continued through the end of the week and the weekend, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Anglers who knew what they were doing would score fine, and those who didn’t would be in for a long day. A charter with fire Chief Bob Lewendowski’s crew cashed in on a good catch of bass to 38 or 39 inches and big blues mixed in at the Cape May Rips. Brian and gang from the Pipe Insulators also knuckled in a good catch of bass with large blues mixed in from the rips to the beachfront. The Heavy Hitter is usually eeling or trolling from the rips to the beach front, but bunker chunking is available on the bay, if anglers want.

Striped bass kept feeding at the Cape May Rips and the bay, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. At the rips eels, spots and trolled plugs all worked, and the fish were sizeable. Catches at the inshore rips or Eph Shoal, Prissy Wicks Shoal and Middle Shoal seemed best on incoming tides. The bite at the outer rips or Overfalls Shoal and Somer Shoal seemed best after high tide started moving out. In the bay the fishing, done with bunker chunks, was better a little north, like in the middle of 20-Foot Slough and 60-Foot Slough, and dog sharks were fairly thick at the mouth of the bay. Big blues, some close to 20 pounds, giving up great fights on light tackle, swarmed the ocean at 5-Fathom Bank, and could be trolled or jigged. Anglers who checked in stripers from the bay included: Rick Wheeler, 51-1/2-pounder; Phil Degliomini, 49-1/2-pounder; Kaitlyn Riggins, 13, 46-1/2-pounder; Robert A. McClernan, 43-1/4-pounder; and Karen Cordray-Vande, 21-pounder, her first-ever striper.

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