<b>Staten Island</b>

A super catch of sea bass was shoveled up on a trip for the lumpheads Sunday with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. All the fish coolered were quality-sized, never needed to be measured, Capt. Rob, his brother, said. A few keeper blackfish came up as a by-catch, but Outcast is also blackfishing and plundered fair numbers this year at this time in the season, and drilled a good catch on opening day of the tog season Thursday, covered in the last report.

Blackfishing pounded out the catches on New York’s opening day of the tog season on Thursday with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, described in the last report. The slipperies bit better than sea bass did, Capt. Anthony said, though he expected sea bassing to be better than togging for the first couple of weeks of October. Only tog were caught on the trip. But the blackfishing was slower on a trip Friday, so the anglers turned to sea bass, and that ended up the right move, he said. Blackfish will bite more and more as waters cool soon. For now, if the tog are slower to feed on a given day, trips will switch to bottom fishing to fill out the catch. Charters are sailing, and open-boat trips are running every Tuesday and Thursday though the month, and Barbara Anne pays bridge tolls with a receipt. The open trips might continue in November.

<b>Bayonne</b>

Fishing on the East River on Saturday turned out three striped bass to 16 pounds or 36 inches that were eeled at the Williamsburg Bridge on a trip with six anglers, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. Bluefish kept biting, usually slicing the striper leaders in two, but three were landed. The trip also tried fishing for stripers at Diamond Reef, but Akira was surprised that nothing hit. The weather was a little windy with some rains. Forecasts called for 2- to 4-foot seas with 10- to 15-knot winds on Sunday, but the weather was calm, though fog settled in. A charter that day first fished for false albacore at Breezy Point with jigs. Not much bait was in the waters, and lots of boaters fished there, but none seemed to catch. So the trip started to sail toward the Mud Buoy to look for albies but stopped at the Fisherman’s Buoy to wait for the fog to clear. Sea bass were reeled in on anchor during the wait. When the fog lifted the boat was motored to the Mud, and albies were located, and one was landed on spearing on 12-pound fluorocarbon leader while spearing were tossed in the waters for chum. The quick-moving albies were difficult to hook, but the one that was boated was so much fun, Akira said. Blues also attacked the bait and usually bit off the light leaders, but one 6-pounder was reeled in. The trip also bottom fished at the Mud, and the bottom angling there and earlier at the Fisherman’s Buoy totaled 15 sea bass to 18 inches, four porgies more than 11 inches apiece and one small blackfish for the day. Customers at the shop who fished from the Bayonne bulkheads copped stripers and blues on sandworms and bunker.

<b>Keyport</b>

Capt. “Shamrock” Eddie Coleman from <b>April Ann Charters</b> bottom fished on someone else’s boat at Sandy Hook Reef on Sunday, and the four anglers mugged scores of porgies, a limit of four blackfish and a half-dozen sea bass, he said. Blues tore around everywhere. Now that sea bass fishing was closed, charters with April Ann will either do a combo of fishing for blues and stripers or a combo of angling for porgies, blackfish and other bottom huggers. Stripers began to feed in the back of the bay, and anglers aboard will clam for them. Eddie heard about no weakfish in the bay, and only one of the trout, a fish that came from Sandy Hook Reef, came in for boaters at the dock. The marina is requiring all boats to be removed from the waters on November 1 for dredging, so only a few weekends are left for charters.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Bottom angling was okay on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, and mostly porgies were plundered, and a few keeper sea bass were sacked, and anglers who worked for tog caught some on crabs they brought for bait, and a couple of triggerfish were landed on Sunday, Capt. Tom said. All patrons took home fish, and trips sailed every day, fishing between the channels, and strong currents from the full moon made fishing a little tough, but the anglers managed. The porgies were mixed sizes, but a few were beauties. Sandworms that anglers brought themselves occasionally seemed to have an edge over clams supplied on the boat, but other times they didn’t. Then again, the angler could be the difference. But worms seemed to work better on Saturday afternoon’s trip. Crowds were light on the trips, sailing with seven or eight anglers per outing, plenty of elbow room. The Atlantic Star is bottom-fishing on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eventually one three-quarter day trip will sail daily, but not before Columbus Day weekend and maybe not until the weekend of October 17 or afterward.

<b>Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing picked away at catches, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. He wouldn’t say the fishing was great, but the bass were there to be caught. Nighttimes and early mornings produced on eels and worms, but incoming tides  were really the time, even during the day. A friend eeled five keepers to 20 pounds. Fisher Price is running trips for stripers, and dates remain for the fall migration of the linesiders. Trips also bottom fished for good catches of porgies, sea bass and blackfish. Tons of big blues were around that could be jigged.

<b>Neptune</b>

Two pleasant surprises were run into on Sunday’s trip with the Wayne Knapp party: great weather and striped bass! Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> said. The trip left at 6 a.m., meeting calm seas—not the 4- to 7-footers predicted in a small craft advisory—and no rains. The trip came a across striped bass, jigging 10 of the fish to 20 pounds, all keepers except one short. Afterward the anglers fished for sea bass, nailing the lumpheads to 3 pounds. Ralph noted that the government closed sea bass fishing today in federal waters but that the fishing was also closed in state waters, or waters within 3 miles from shore, for boats with federal permits, and that’s 95 percent of charter and head boats, he said. The media often missed that point lately. Recreational anglers, and charter or head boats without the federal permit, can still fish for sea bass within state waters.  Bluefish charters smoked the speedsters. Canyon tuna fishing was some of the best of the season this past week, and boaters at Toms Canyon whacked good catches of 30- to 80-pounders on the chunk at night, and many were finished by midnight. If anyone wants a chunking charter on a one-day trip, call Ralph for a special price. An individual-reservation cod trip will fish offshore either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the weather, and call if interested. Last Lady’s individual-reservation schedule also includes: a trip for stripers, blues and tog on October 14; a striper trip on November 4; blackfish trips on November 16, 24 and 27; and more blackfish trips that will be added to the schedule as the season gets closer. The “season” is when the bag limit is increased to six of the fish on November 16 from the current limit of one. Ralph might schedule more individual-reservation striper trips soon, because the fishing looked like it was starting to happen. Still, the season was early, and striper catches should be good from the end of the month through November and December.

<b>Belmar</b>

Porgies, sea bass and triggerfish, great catches, were toggled in on two trips on the <b>Nan Sea J</b>, Capt. Tom said. Another trip tried for bluefin tuna at the Mudhole 25 to 35 miles from shore, and no signs of bluefins showed up. Blues, ling, baby amberjacks, false albacore or a variety of species chomped. But Tom will keep an eye on the bluefin fishing, and if catches rebound, he’ll continue open-boat trips on Wednesdays and charters for them. Call if interested.

Big blues, plenty of the fish, were belted on daytime trips on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, and false albacore sometimes showed up among them “to keep the action fast,” Capt. Greg said in an e-mail. Some really good fishing, he said. Jigs produced early in the day, and bait seemed the ticket later in the day. Excellent catches of blues were pelted on nighttime trips “to the east,” he said. The fall migration of striped bass might’ve been getting under way, because anglers sometimes caught them lately. Trips will focus on stripers whenever a big body of the fish comes through this season. The weather and lack of tuna kept the vessel’s tuna trips from sailing last week, but the crew looks forward to upcoming trips, anticipating tuna making a steady appearance soon at the canyons. Spots are open on the balance of the boat’s tuna schedule, and more of the trips might be added in November, because the fishing was “on” late in the season last year. The Golden Eagle is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. See the boat’s Web site for the tuna schedule.

<b>Brielle</b>

Ocean boaters jigged a mix of small weakfish, small blues and small striped bass near the coast, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Although many of the weaks were small, keepers were mixed in, and 3- and 4-pounders were sometimes decked. Plenty of sea bass were bagged, but the government closed down sea bass season in federal waters starting today. Bottom-fishers could still pummel big porgies, though. False albacore, blues and a few bonito were beaten at the ocean ridges, and Dave heard about no albies fought in the local surf. A few striped bass were taken from the surf, and hickory shad were battled in the suds. The stripers in the wash toward Brielle were mostly hooked on plugs or metal, and few fished for them with bait, but bait was popular farther south around Lavallette and Ortley Beach. Not many blues turned up in the surf near Brielle, not like the larger number toward Lavallette and Ortley. Off the coast, bluefin tuna fishing seemed to dry up at waters like at the Atlantic Princess wreck. Loads of bluefish, some albies and a few skipjacks roamed there, but anglers sometimes talked about finding bluefins closer to shore like 25 miles from the coast. Dave would think that from the Monster Ledge to the Lillian wreck would be a place to look. Offshore anglers sailed to the canyons in the past week, and Toms Canyon seemed to give up the best fishing for tuna, mostly yellowfins that slammed jigs from Butterflies to Sting-O’s, mostly at night. On some nights, trips would get on the tuna, and on others they wouldn’t. Dusk also seemed to give up a shot at the fish, and dawn definitely did. Hudson Canyon was the only place where reports rolled in about longfin tuna caught, but not in the numbers they’d normally be. Quite a few swordfish were wrestled in from the canyons. Catch the Reel Seat’s big <b><i>Columbus Day Weekend Sale</i></b> from Friday through Sunday, featuring a selection of rods, reels, inshore and offshore tackle, T-shirts and more.

On the <b>Big Kid</b> cod to 5 pounds and big ling were socked Sunday at the Mudhole, Capt. Ken said. Another bottom-fishing trip was supposed to fish today, and charters are also sailing for tuna at the canyons. Canyon fishing for yellowfins at the Toms in the past days was “dead-on hot,” he said. Trips had been sailing for bluefin tuna closer to shore, and Ken heard an angler on the radio say he boated one bluefin and marked the fish, but the angling sounded slow in lack of winds. Coming up, the Big Kid will begin to run for striped bass in probably two weeks and will start tog fishing on November 16, when the bag limit increases to six of the blackfish from the current limit of one. Dates are filling up. Anglers tried for stripers recently under bunker schools in the ocean but came across none of the linesiders. But striper fishing should pick up in a couple of weeks.

The six anglers on a trip Saturday with <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> limited out on sea bass and walloped 24 porgies, two keeper blackfish and a bunch of blues to boot, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. “Another great day of bottom fishing!” he said. Fishing started a little slow at the first couple of spots but became lock-and-load at the next. Good-sized, keeper sea bass and double-headers flew over the rail. A few more shifts and moves were made, and all gave up good action. Bottom fishing was great again on another trip with six anglers on Sunday, he said, and they limited out on sea bass. Plus they bombed 20 porgies, a limit of six sizeable tog, three keeper weakfish and a couple of small blues. A few weighty, out-of-season fluke were also released. The anglers tried chumming for blues at the Shrewsbury Rocks, but the blues were uncooperative, but some of the other fish chewed. The tog were taken when the anglers decided to try for them, breaking out crabs for bait. Conditions were lousy for togging, but the blackfish were hungry, and each angler nabbed their limit of one in no time. The past six or seven trips limited out on sea bass, all within 3 miles of the coast. But the knotheads will soon move to deeper waters. Fish Monger will keep bottom fishing, including on special, catch-and-release tog trips, “now that they are starting to growl a bit!” Jerry said. Other fish will be a by-catch for dinner from the tog outings. Fish Monger will hunt the blackfish in a big way when the bag limit is increased to six on November 16 from the current limit of one.

Overnight, canyon tuna trips were weathered out and rescheduled on the <b>Katie H</b> in the past week, Capt. Mike said. More overnighters are slated for the weekend, and reports sounded like boaters at the Toms Canyon knuckled in 25- to 35-pound yellowfin tuna at night on the chunk. Nothing seemed to be happening during the day on the troll. A friend trolled a few striped bass on the ocean in the past days and tried clamming for the fish but only hooked up on the troll. So stripers seemed to begin getting active, and surely they’ll get more responsive any time because of the cool nights. The Katie H will certainly fish for stripers, and Mike’s found the fishing best in November.

Lots of blues were hammered on night trips during the weekend, and the <b>Jamaica</b> is sailing for the slammers at 7:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday, an e-mail from the vessel said. A Special Tuna/Tilefish/Mahi Mahi Trip ran offshore Thursday. At first the anglers fished at a few lobster pots, reeling up mahi. Then the boat was drifted for tilefish, and the drift was fast, so fewer tiles were pumped in than on the previous trip, but some of the fish to 10 pounds were picked. Next the boat was headed for a place to fish for tuna, but the trip ran across a wood pallet on the way, and more mahi, including a 26-pounder, were caught. Tuna fishing ended up slow, though the fish were read underneath the boat several times. But a canyon tuna trip was better on Saturday to Sunday. Two 55-pound yellowfin tuna were creamed when the boat was drifted back on anchor.  Things were quiet a while, until tuna schooled under the boat again, and six more were belted in a short time. Plenty of tuna were read at different times through the night, and sometimes they bit. Jigs caught most, but bait grabbed 40 percent. A good body of waters that held yellowfins and a few longfin tuna was located from Toms Canyon to the south. The Jamaica is slated to fish for tuna through October on both Special Tuna/Tilefish/Mahi Mahi Trips and canyon tuna trips. An inshore trip for bluefin tuna is slated for Thursday, October 15, and bonito, false albacore and skipjacks were mixed in lately. The bluefins and plenty of life stuck around through October last year, and more of the trips might be added. See the Jamaica’s Web site for the full schedule and to be added to the e-mail list for special trips.   

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Capt. Fred from <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> had just returned from a sea bass trip that beat a bunch when he gave this report Sunday, he said. Trips are bottom fishing and also fishing the canyons for tuna and a mixed bag of other fish including mahi mahi and tilefish whenever the weather allows. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for more fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner. Charters stopped bluefin tuna fishing for the moment but will look for them again probably toward the end of the week at the Mudhole. The bluefin fishing seemed to drop off in waters farther from shore, but the bluefins usually then appear closer to shore at the Mudhole by the end of October to mid November if not sooner. Striped bass charters should launch in a week or so on the ocean.

The plan for a 6-hour trip Sunday with four anglers was to jig along the ocean front and then switch to sea bass fishing, Capt. Allen from <b>Reel Class Charters</b> said in an e-mail. Fog socked in the trip at first in the morning, but the boat was able to be motored out at 6:45 a.m. The gang started jigging close to shore and south of Manasquan Inlet on plenty of readings, and a few spike weakfish were hooked. The trip moved farther south, and the anglers struck a mother lode of weaks in wild readings from top to bottom for a drift, scoring double- and triple-headers on mackerel jigs. But only two were keepers among 40 landed. Allen asked the anglers if they wanted to head off for sea bass, and off they went. They boxed scores of keepers, about one for every three shorts released, great action. Lots of the sea bass were hefty 14- to 16-inchers to 2 ½ pounds, and sizeable porgies 12 to 14 inches and one cocktail blue were added to the catch. False albacore also appeared, porpoising out of the waters, and the trip chased them a bit, but the speedsters never gave the hooks a look. In the last 45 minutes of the trip the anglers returned to jigging for weakfish near the beaches, putting a couple of more keepers on ice. “Great short trip, (and) lots of meat,” Allen said.

<b>Seaside</b>

Small blues dominated the surf, and most were picked up on mullet, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site. But a few striped bass were around in the suds, and several, including a 19-pounder, a 14-pounder and a 9-pounder were weighed in at the shop in the past days, bagged on a swimming plug, an Ava jig and bunker. Weakfish, mostly spikes, were sometimes nabbed in the suds in the early mornings on plugs and metal, and a few croakers sometimes appeared along the beaches. The hardheads were overdue, but waters were warm, so maybe they’d stick around. Bait was everywhere and included rainfish and small schools of mullet in the surf, sand eels that were increasing in numbers in the wash and adult bunker beyond the break. Everything was in place for great fall fishing to kick in.  <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Surf City</b>

A bunch of kingfish were plucked from the surf on bloodworms, said Barbara from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. Bloods ran out at shops because the supplier had none, but Barbara expects to re-stock them on Tuesday. Big blues to 10 pounds slammed the wash at Barnegat Light on Sunday, and anglers figured they came from Island Beach State Park farther north, because the gators had been beached there. Barbara heard about no striped bass landed from the suds today and was out of the shop Sunday. Plenty of blowfish filled the bay, and one angler said he picked up 30 the other day. He’d lately been fishing for them on outgoing tides, looking for deep waters, chumming with clams, scoring well. In addition to bloodworms expected to be stocked Tuesday, the shop is currently carrying fresh adult bunker, peanut bunker and clams.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

<b>Legal Limit Charters</b> put a bead on bottom-fishing for the last few days of sea bass season, rounding up sizeable sea bass and healthy-sized triggerfish in 60 feet, Capt. T.J. said. But trips will still bottom fish for porgies, triggers and blackfish, and blackfish will become a focus on trips starting November 16, when the bag limit gets hiked up to six of the tog from the current limit of one. One of T.J.’s boats will be moved like during every year to Cape May for striped bass fishing in two Fridays to bunker-chunk for the fish on Delaware Bay and to fish with live eels and spots for the bass at the Cape May Rips. But one boat will remain in Tuckerton for bottom and tog fishing.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Yellowfin tuna 30 to 40 pounds, lots of them, were boated at night at the canyons straight offshore from Brigantine, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>. A few longfin and bigeye tuna also swam the area. An excellent population of swordfish, including big ones such as 275-pounders Tom heard about, were on the prowl in the waters. On the inshore ocean tons of blues and plenty of false albacore were trolled. Closer to the coast, croakers were on the take. Coming up, striped bass and tog will take over the boat’s charters soon. Tom, like during every year, will move the boat to Cape May to start striper charters, this year on October 24. Water temps were dropping enough that the catches should begin this month. Striper anglers on the boat keep open all the options around Cape May: bunker chunking on Delaware Bay, live bait fishing at the Cape May Rips, and running and gunning to jig and troll for the linesiders along the ocean front while chasing bird plays. The running and gunning can be an economical option, compared with buying live bait for the rips. But some anglers love swimming the livies, and all the options have their advantages. 

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Occasional striped bass were yanked from the surf, and anglers tied into good fishing for them this morning, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Most of the bass were plugged, and a friend dragged in three of the bass including one keeper this morning while working a black, jointed Bomber plug. One woman this morning checked in a 28-1/2-inch linesider, not a big keeper, but good to see the stripers around. Lots of tog were reeled in from along the jetties, crunching green crabs or sometimes sucking in clam. Plenty of blues, many snappers, schooled the suds and also the bay and could be landed on mullet or bunker. A few kingfish nibbled bloodworms in the wash, and a few weakfish, none big, were banked from the surf Sunday evening. The friend with the three stripers this morning also fished Sunday evening, angling in something like six big kings and two weaks. Noel also fished that evening, targeting stripers with plugs, but scored none. But fishing was definitely on in the wash, he said. Pods of mullet, no big run of the baitfish, sometimes traveled the surf. Fresh bunker, fresh mullet, fresh clams, live eels, bloodworms, frozen and other baits are stocked. Catch a special on green crabs: $10 for three dozen or $4 for a dozen.

<b>Margate</b>

Wreck-fishing put the breaks on sea bass, quality-sized tog to 8 pounds, triggerfish and porgies on Sunday with <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Eric said. Seas were like a lake for a change, and O-Beth is waiting for clear weather to run tuna trips offshore. An overnight tuna trip is on the slate for the end of the week. Eric will move the boat to Cape May for striped bass fishing in two Saturday like he does every year. Then charters will probably bunker-chunk for bigger bass on Delaware Bay and fish for the linesiders at the Cape May Rips with live eels and spots when the fish move into those waters. See <a href=" http://www.obethfishingcharters.com/
" target="_blank">O-Beth’s home page</a> for info about specials on striper charters and open-boat trips that will sail for the bass every Friday and Saturday starting October 30.

<b>Longport</b>

The ocean dished up a variety of fish including weakies, croakers, blues, porgies and blues on daily, open-boat trips, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. Trips are carrying squid, clams and crabs for bait, ready for whatever shows up on a given day. The open trips will switch to tog fishing when the bag limit gets hiked up to six of the blackfish on November 16 from the current limit of one. Charters are also available for all these species. Annual Cast and Blast Trips, a combo of fishing and duck hunting, will launch on the ocean around Columbus Day. Angle up tog, stripers and blues in the front of the boat, and gun for sea ducks on the back.

<b>Somers Point</b>

Reef anglers cranked in croakers, sea bass and blues, and G.E. Reef especially doled out the croakers and sea bass, said T.C. from <b>Brennan Marine</b> in a fax. Those two fish bit a variety of baits including minnows, squid and clams. The blues seemed a little larger than the ones that littered the area before. Striped bass were mostly racked up at night on clams or eels, and T.C. didn’t say where, but sounded like the bay. Tog held in numbers along the bridges, caught almost exclusively on green crabs. Small weakfish and kingfish were pilfered from both the surf and bay. Clams or mackerel drew in the weaks, and bloodworms attracted the kings. Offshore news was scarce, but a report rolled in about local anglers boating yellowfin tuna at Carteret Canyons. Overnight fishing at the canyons was yet to be in full force because of rough weather.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Anglers aboard dusted up weakfish to 18 inches, some big croakers and maybe a half-dozen good-sized blues 4 or 5 pounds in the ocean in 35 feet right off the inlet on Sunday, said Capt. Craig from <b>Fish Tale Charters</b>. Rods were bent the whole time, except when action was somewhat slow when the tide changed toward the end of the outing. So the day was good, and the anglers went home with big bags of fillets. They first fished with squid, and then smaller croakers and blues that were caught were cut up for fresh strips of bait, and the bigger fish bit that. Fog socked in the trip, and there was a little swell but no chop, and winds were light. Saturday was windy, and no trip sailed, and probably no boats did. The ocean was 66.4 degrees, cooler than before, and Craig was glad to see the water chilling down, because striped bass will migrate from the north as water temps dip. Lots of bait filled the bays, but the bait will pour out to the ocean when waters cool, and that’s when migrating stripers will come and devour them. Charters for now will keep fishing for the weaks, croakers and blues, but Craig will move the boat to Cape May from mid to late next week for striped bass fishing like every year through mid December. The striper trips will fish in and around the Cape May Rips, famous for the fishing. On some days if the linesiders move to the ocean off the beaches, trips will easily move there to hunt them down. Now’s the time to book dates for striper charters, and some are already reserved, but some remain.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Father and son Ted and Mike Webster plowed eight striped bass to 29 inches and four or five blues on popper lures on the back bay on Thursday evening, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. The popper fishing, a specialty on the boat, was alive and well, and how! They fished during high tide at dusk with Skitter Pop lures, and Jersey Cape also fly rods for the fish with poppers. Explosive, visual action with either lures or flies! On Saturday Rich Duffy, son Shane and brother Joe mongered up a mixed bag of weakfish, croakers, kingfish and blues on the ocean. The weaks, croakers and kings were clammed in 40 to 50 feet on top-and-bottom rigs, and the blues, some of them sizeable or 4 pounds, were jigged at shallower lumps. On Sunday morning Rich Duffy took a solo trip with Joe on the bay, popping up one striper and missing several others on high tide. Dustin Laricks jumped aboard in the afternoon for a catch of 30 blues to 3 pounds on jigs on the ocean. Joe expected to return to surf fishing in the next days, and he’s been knocking down stripers in the suds, not hot and heavy fishing, but catching on every trip on popper plugs and swimming lures. He uses heavier poppers like a Gibbs or an Atom in the suds for casting. Swimming plugs that he throws in the wash include Bomber Long A’s  in yellow in clear skies during the day or in black or blue over silver during overcast skies or in all-black at night. He knows anglers who kept catching the stripers, mostly shorts, even during mid day recently. A few blues ran the suds, but mostly stripers did. Joe will take an annual trip to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, this Columbus Day weekend, offering traveling charters. Mostly stripers are caught, but false albacore and blues sometimes come through. The area is beautiful and full of fish. Joe is also hosting traveling charters to Montauk this month for false albacore, stripers and blues, and shellacked the fish on the last trip a couple of weekends ago. He can arrange accommodations on his traveling charters, or anglers can get their own accommodations. Visit <a href=" http://www.gibsonstackle.com/page6.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Web site</a> to see more about the traveling trips.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Boaters tackled blues among schools that swam under bird plays just off the ocean beaches, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b>. Few boaters actually got out during the winds through the past week, but when they did, they hooked the fish. They also wrangled up good catches of keeper sea bass and sizeable triggerfish at the reefs, though  <a href=" http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2009/blkseabass_closure.htm
" target="_blank">NOAA closed down sea bass fishing in federal waters today </a>. Dan Zolna and Ryan Kometa on Dan’s Accipiter from Wildwood limited out on sea bass and hefted aboard a healthy catch of triggers at Cape May Reef.  Trollers on the inshore ocean made catches of bonito and false albacore among schools and found occasional mahi mahi in the area. Farther from shore, yellowfin tuna were chunked and trolled at Lindenkohl Canyon and farther north. Baltimore and Wilmington canyons served up swordfish and mako sharks. Waters south of Poorman’s Canyon were white marlin territory as of the last report heard at the shop. In the surf mullet began to appear, and surf casters beached small blues and occasional schoolie striped bass. In the back bay schoolie stripers were played along the sod banks, docks and bridges on surface plugs and clams. The Sterling Harbor Kayak Fishing Team competed in Norfolk, Virginia’s, TKAA Kayak Fishing Tournament two weekends ago. Windy weather made fishing difficult, and the team landed no fish worthy of entering in the contest, but they had a good time fishing Chesapeake Bay’s beautiful eastern shore. A record 215 kayak anglers entered, and the Sterling Harbor Team will try again next year. Sterling Harbor is a kayak fishing headquarters, featuring kayak sales, accessories, rentals and expert advice. The year 2010 Hobie Kayaks are now in stock, and stop by for a test ride.

<b>Cape May</b>

An overnight tuna trip to the canyons was cancelled Saturday because of forecasts, but the weather turned out beautiful, according to anglers who went, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. He heard a couple of reports about yellowfin tuna clubbed at the northern canyons at night. A friend went 15 for 30 on one trip, returned on another and bagged 10. A charter on the Heavy Hitter on Sunday first looked for croakers, but nobody really found many, so the trip sailed to 5-Fathom Bank, drilling blues and false albacore. Seas were sloppy, and George offered to make the charter a half-day, 4-hour trip, so the anglers agreed, and came home early. The boat’s first striped bass charter is slated for October 24, and the anglers want to bunker-chunk for the fish on Delaware Bay. George heard about a few resident stripers landed mostly at the inlets and in the surf. Striper charters usually chunk the bay at first before fishing with eels at the Cape May Rips, when the fish gather there. Sometimes the bass collect in the ocean late in the season, when anglers will troll, jig or clam for them. Dates are being booked for stripers, and give George a call for those trips or for croakers, blues, false albacore or last-minute tuna trips.

A canyon tuna trip was nixed Saturday because of forecasts, but the weather might’ve turned out fine, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. A few croakers and some blues swam the ocean, and striped bass charters will begin during the second or third week of October, bunker chunking on Delaware Bay at first, livelining eels or spots later. Occasional stripers were hooked here or there. Openings are available, and call if interested.

“The good news is there are still croakers around on the Wildwood Lump and the Cape May Reef,” said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. “Thank God Marine Fisheries hasn’t discovered them yet.” Pretty much any bait will grab the croakers on 1/0 or 2/0 hooks on top-and-bottom rigs. One angler trolled the East Lump on Saturday, finding that false albacore were still there. Trolled spoons and feathers will hook them on the troll, and cast spoons or spearing on a treble hook will work well in a chum slick. Tuna fishing turned on at Toms and Lindenkohl canyons Thursday and Friday nights, and most were jigged, but some were fought on butterfish or sardines. Matt hoped the tuna, mostly 25- to 55-pounders but some up to 60 pounds, “move a little closer to home,” he said. Surf fishers mostly tangled with small blues and stripers, and tog began to pile up along the jetties. Anglers looked forward to dropping water temps to draw in more of the bigger bass and blues. Harry Cantore nailed a 35-inch striper at the Central Avenue jetty at Cape May Point. Pete Slawinsky banked a 32-incher at the Queen Street jetty in Cape May.

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