New Jersey Fishing Reports

Striped bass catches revved up strong on the bay through mid week, and then dog sharks invaded, said Rick from Big Timber Bait & Tackle. But striper catches turned on during the weekend anyway. The Banana Peel really put out on Sunday, and other places that produced lately included the southern end of 60-Foot Slough, the top of 20-Foot Slough and around Bug Light. Not a lot was heard about striper fishing on the ocean because of rough weather. Reports would be heard about a bite turning on at places like off Brigantine, but then the weather would close in, and news would dry up. Rick never saw an autumn with such non-stop rough conditions. On the Delaware River stripers to 35 inches were bloodwormed all along the banks. Largemouth bass were on the hunt on the river at usual places like the Graveyard, north of the Commodore Barry Bridge. Crank baits seemed the hot lure. 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.

Port Elizabeth

Lots of good reports rolled in, and striped bass fishing was excellent, and the fish were lambasted all over the bay, said Sharon from The Girls Place Bait & Tackle. They were boated on the southern bay but also all the way north at Blake’s Channel and even farther north at Ship John. Big linesiders were up there. They were also tackled a couple of miles off the Maurice River and near the number 1 buoy. So they were everywhere, and customers said they caught them clear through Monday. Fresh bunker was top bait, and the menhaden is stocked daily, but demand is high, and anglers should call to reserve to ensure a supply. They should especially call for this coming weekend, because some tournaments will run, and demand will be strong. Clams will also work, and fresh clams usually arrive on Thursdays. 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.

Fortescue

One trip plowed a couple of 39- and 37-inch striped bass and a 29-incher, said Capt. Ralph from the Buccaneer. A trip the next day fished at the same spot, and nothing bit, so the boat was moved closer to shore, and smaller stripers were creamed. The fishing was a matter of the right place at the right time, and one area would give up stripers on one day and not the next, but then anglers just had to find the fish. But the good news was that stripers were there, including close to Fortescue. They appeared to be resident fish instead of migrators, but sizeable ones were around, and they were hungry. Some old timers could hit the waters, limit out, and come back. These trips fished at Blake’s Channel, and the catches came on bunker. Clams were used, and a bushel was on the boat, but the fish refused them, for some reason. Striped bass charters were under way.

The Bonanza steamed for striped bass, Capt. Mike said, and patrons started to see a few large striped bass in the cooler. Two keepers were boxed Friday, and two were bagged Saturday, and a bunch of shorts were caught and released on the trips. No trip ran Sunday. Customers also picked away at tog to mix things up. For the stripers, the boat fished throughout the bay, everywhere from 60-Foot Slough on the southern bay, to the shipping channel, to the number 1 buoy off the Maurice River, all the way up to the 34 and 2 buoys off Fortescue. Mike expected to fish at Blake’s Channel at some point on Monday. Time and tide seemed to matter, because Mike knew anglers who scored well at a spot like 60-Foot Slough at a given moment, while others caught nothing at all at the same place at a different time. Bunker, eels and green crabs were carried aboard for bait on the Bonanza. Besides striper fishing, Mike looks forward to the tog bag limit increasing to six of the blackfish on November 16 from the current limit of one. Trips will be able to focus more on the tasty fish then, especially once the striper run tapers off. Open-boat trips are sailing daily but mostly on Fridays and Mondays, because of demand, but also because many striper charters are booked on weekends. But anglers should telephone if interested in an open trip on the weekend, because some charters will allow two or three anglers to join them, especially if some of their party fails to show up, and that does happen. Call Mike at: 609-381-2978.

Excellent striped bass fishing was on, said Dave from Al’s Bait & Tackle. He saw big ones to 49 inches that were hammered, and most averaged 30 inches. Catching the bigger ones seemed a matter of the right place at the right time, and they seemed to pop up at different locations from day to day. But anglers could bag keepers all over, and practically everybody came back with fish. Dave knew about hook ups right off Fortescue, at the Elbow, at the 34 buoy and near the E.P. Tower. He didn’t hear much about Blake’s Channel. Fresh bunker was the bait, and plenty of bunker is stocked. The bay was 57 or 58 degrees, about the same as the ocean, and the bay was clean or clear, even if the waters were a little dirty toward the end of the weekend. Big blues might’ve been around, because something bit the lines off on a trip when Dave fished off the E.P. Tower. Al’s Bait & Tackle 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.

Bivalve

Ron Swaine from Dividing Creek walloped a 51-pound 50-inch striped bass, the biggest of the season so far at Longreach Marina, Pat said. Was a great weekend, she said, and tons of anglers checked in big striped bass. They caught the fish scattered all over, including from the E.P. Tower to Pierce’s Point, inside the number 1 buoy, around Bug Light and at 20-Foot Slough and 60-Foot Slough. Plenty of fresh bunker, the bait to dunk, is stocked. Anglers and their catches included: George Wengert and Gary Wilson, Franklinville, four stripers 40 to 45 inches; George Wengert and Gary Wilson on another trip with Rob Fiorani, Franklinville, two 44-1/2-inch 35-pound and 44-3/4-inch 34-1/8-pound stripers; Garry Wilson on another trip with Mike Granata, Franklinville, 47-inch 36-pound striper and three 43-, 41- and 37-inchers; Bob Spayde, 42- and 33-inch stripers; Bob Spayed on another trip, 40-inch striper; Ben McDonald and Joe Pierce, Millville, five stripers to 40 inches; John Pfeiffer, Swedesboro, and Mike Carty, Bellmawr, 48-, 44- and 36-inch stripers; John Pfeiffer on another trip, 43-1/2-inch striper; John King, Millville, two 32-pound stripers 44 1/4 and 43 ¼ inches apiece; John King on another trip, 43- and 42-inch stripers; Mario Slimmer, Stephanie Slimmer and Ed Marcantonio, Vineland, 44-, 41-, 37-, 32- and 29-inch stripers; Anthony Albano and Tom Finchel, Millville, 41-inch and two 38-inch stripers; Anthony Albano on another trip with Albert Albano, Millville, two stripers to 33 inches 33 pounds; Mike Cargon and Mike Vance, Bellmawr, 42-, 38 and three 28-1/2-inch stripers; Mike Cargon on another trip with Tony Sentario, 42-, 39-, 36- and 28-inch stripers; Bob Hills, Gibbstown, 39- and 38-1/2-inch stripers; Drew Garrison, Shiloh, and Bill Wolf, Dividing Creek, five stripers to 44 inches 38 pounds; John Laurella and Dean Rosler, Rosenhayn, 40-pound striper; Dennis Wooley, Millville, 43-inch striper; Dennis Wooley, Milliville, 43-inch striper; Carl Semerich, John Wolonski and Wayne Riback, 32-, 24- and 22-pound stripers; and Robbie Buttelini and Albert Giovinazzi, two 40-inch stripers, two 39- and 29-inch stripers and a 25-inch blue. Longreach Marina’s month-long striped bass tournament is running through November 14, awarding a prize for the heaviest linesider. Gary Wilson was in the lead with a 36-incher. The Atco Hookers Striped Bass Tournament will take place Saturday at the marina.

Cape May

Striped bass, fairly good catches, were hung at the Cape May Rips on the Down Deep on live spots, Capt. Bob said. But eels worked just as well on other boats at the rips. The McCullough party on Friday knocked down the bass to 30 pounds, and the Walters crew on Saturday decked the fish to 20. The Ballard bunch on Sunday grabbed the fish to 21. All charters went home with stripers. Stripers were also bunker chunked on the bay, and charters are available for that fishing on the Down Deep, but anglers have to be patient while fishing with chunks. The stripers are certainly larger that are chunked, but anglers have to sit and wait for fewer bites. The rips typically give up more bites from smaller stripers, with large ones mixed in. Plus the live bait fishing keeps the anglers busy, holding the rods in hand, reeling in line, letting it out.

Capt. George from the Heavy Hitter mated on two striper trips Saturday and Sunday on another boat, he said. They bunker chunked on the bay, because seas were rough for fishing at the Cape May Rips. The trip Saturday tackled three stripers that each weighed more than 30 pounds, and the trip Sunday lambasted one striper more than 30 pounds. Winds honked both days, and conditions weren’t nice. All charters seemed to total 1 to 3 big bass over 25 pounds apiece on the bay, and not much seemed to be caught at the rips. Dogfish and skates swam all around the bay. The Heavy Hitter’s striped bass schedule really kicks off today, when a bunch of consecutive trips are booked. The trips usually fish at the rips with eels, unless seas are too rough. Charters sometimes clam for bass on the ocean. But if anglers want to fish the bay with bunker, that’s on tap, and if anyone’s hunting strictly big bass, that’s the way to go.

Six striped bass 32 to 38 inches were socked at the Cape May Rips on Friday on live spots on the Fishin’ Fever, Capt. Tom said. Most of the fish were 36 to 38 inches, and probably 15 to 17 other bites were scored and missed. Some tugged the baits, ran off with the lines for a moment and pulled the hooks. Striper fishing was fairly decent at the rips, Delaware Bay and along the ocean front. If anglers prefer to striper fish a certain way, like bunker chunking on the bay, the fishing is available on the boat. Tog trips will be added to the slate when the bag limit is jumped up to six.

Winds forced trips to stay docked during the weekend, said Capt. Craig from Fish Tale Charters. But the boat is fishing for striped bass in and around the Cape May Rips, and when anglers did sail during a couple of opportunities to work around the weather, they did catch. Trips are on the books to run this coming weekend, and openings are available Thursday and Friday. Veterans’ Day, Black Friday and some Sundays through early December are also available.

Bill Palmer from Cape May whaled a 57-1/4-pound striped bass, the biggest weighed at the shop this season, on the bay, said Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle in a fax. Good catches of stripers were pulled from the bay and the Cape May Rips, and dog sharks made an appearance in the bay, a nuisance, but the bass were still there. The Top of the Hill in the bay produced the fish fairly well at the beginning of ebb tides, and Middle Shoal at the rips sometimes produced sizeable bass. A few anglers trolled a few bass on the inshore ocean from the rips to the Wildwood Lump to North Wildwood. Big blues ran thick at 5-Fathom Bank, and could be easily jigged or trolled. Stretch plugs, spoons or umbrella rigs would get them to pounce. Tony Narcisi from Woodbury boated a 32-pound striper from the bay. Mike Schreiber from Linwood hauled a 36-pound striper from the rips on a charter. Pete Langelo from Bordentown trolled a 32-pound bass at Overfalls Shoal on a Stretch.