<b>Note</b>: The time of year is here when many charter boats wrapped up their seasons, and the weather, such as the gale through the end of last week, also shortens coastal reports, and this report will soon be posted once a week until the new season begins.

The report will probably continue twice a week through this week, dropping to once a week beginning next week through the coldest part of winter, going back to twice a week when the weather breaks.

<b>Staten Island</b>

Fishing for tog was weathered out Friday with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. “Forty is a bit much, over the top,” he joked about the wind speed. But a trip for the blackfish got out Saturday, and the angling was a “dribble,” he said. A limit was bagged for the boat, and more keepers were caught and released, but Joe didn’t consider the action good. Some sizeable ones to 8 and 9 pounds were clobbered, though.  Westerly winds somewhat blew in the morning, calming by 10 or 11 a.m. The day was a little chilly but nothing unbearable. This trip sailed from the boat’s port on Staten Island, but charters are also picked up on the vessel from New Jersey, and call for info. Joe ran no trip on Sunday because of a family commitment, but another trip was supposed to sail for blackfish today.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

On the <b>Atlantic Star</b> blackfishing trips sailed Saturday and Sunday, after winds 30 m.p.h. and stronger kept the boat in port since Wednesday, Capt. Tom said. Saturday’s trip ran to the Shrewsbury Rocks with a handful of anglers, and the tog were cranked in first thing. A couple of moves were made, and the trip ended up with a decent pick of the fish, a fair day. Sunday’s trip ran a little offshore toward Scotland, and a few tog were claimed on the first drop. The trip pushed farther offshore, and a good pick got going. Winds and seas became nasty, but the boat fished at a piece where the anglers could feel the bites, and the catch turned out better than on the previous day, despite worse weather. A couple of anglers limited out, and some bagged three, four and five keepers, and a couple boxed none. But the rest took home fish. Saturday’s pool-winning black probably weighed 5 or 6 pounds, and some fair-sized tog were creamed. But Sunday’s trip produced some better-sized ones, and the pool winner probably weighed 8 or 9 pounds. The fish were snapping on the outings, and getting the weather to sail for them was the main thing lately, and trips will keep trying every day. The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

After a three-day hiatus because of the weather, winds called for diminishing winds, and the daily striped bass trip fished Saturday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. He couldn’t wait to get out, and got a report about birds diving on the ocean. When the vessel rounded Sandy Hook, the action was seen, and the anglers scored a pick on shorts, “didn’t catch what we saw, for sure,” he said. The trip bounced around from inshore to offshore, covering a whole bunch of miles, but the fishing wasn’t doing that day. The high hook angled in 14 shorts. Sunday’s trip apparently stayed docked because of the weather, because no report was posted for that day. If a report rolls in for today, it’ll be added here.  The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Neptune</b>

Super catches of blackfish were socked Saturday and Sunday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Saturday’s fishing was best, and the weather was calmer, and about 10 anglers were aboard, probably 80 percent of them limiting out and catching more, keeping no more than their quota. The weather became windy on Sunday, and the trip that day headed for home early at 1:30 p.m., leaving the fish biting. But one of the anglers that day landed seven or eight of the tog to 8 pounds, and another pulled in seven, probably to 6 pounds, and another totaled four. When anglers hooked more than their limit, they spread the fish around the boat.  The trip fished mostly in 50 feet north of Shark River Inlet, and Ralph saw a mess of striped bass around the boat, and he saw gannets diving on the waters on the way home. The anglers would’ve jigged for the bass if the weather was calmer. The fish were definitely stripers, not the bluefin tuna that held in the area. So productive angling for stripers seemed possible. Individual-reservation trips are fishing for blackfish every Saturday and Sunday and a few other days when no charter is booked, until the fish stop biting. A charter is booked this Saturday, but an open trip will run this Sunday, and space is available. Space also remains on Wednesday, December 23; Friday and Saturday, December 26 and 27; New Year’s Eve Day; and New Year’s Day.

<b>Belmar</b>

The whole boat limited out on tog to 7 pounds on Saturday, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Nan Sea J</b>. So the fishing, taking place in 35-foot depths, was quite good in the 48- or 48.5-degree waters. The weather was breezy in the afternoon but calm later, and the day was a little chilly. Tom heard nothing about striped bass fishing but saw lots of bait and gannets working the waters. The Nan Sea J will keep sailing into January, and angling, especially tog fishing, was definitely worthwhile at the time last year, and lots of big ones were around.

Capt. Rob from <b>Last One Charters</b> hauled out the boat for the season, he said. Charters will kick back off in May, and he thanked everyone who fished aboard and wished everybody Happy Holidays and a good New Year’s and winter.

<b>Brielle</b>

A charter from PSE&G in Piscataway beat blackfish to 7 pounds at Sea Girt Reef on Saturday on the <b>Big Kid</b>, Capt. Ken said. A charter today was supposed to shoot for stripers in the morning and then go blackfishing. Stripers were still out there, and waters were just beginning to become cold. A few weekend dates including Sunday, December 27, are open for charters, if anglers want to chase blackfish on the weekend. The Big Kid fishes all year long, taking no breaks for winter.

With <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> the Greg Vongas group of six anglers steamed for blackfish Saturday on a birthday trip for Greg, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. All the anglers got to take home a limit, and a few more keepers were released, and most of the keepers on the trip were 3 to 7 pounds, sizeable. Three different rock piles were fished, and all turned out the same angling: a pick and pluck bite, a few fish here, a few there, but quality ones, so the trip stuck with it. They would bite and then back off, and bite again, sometimes crunching green crabs, other times white leggers. A little flurry kicked in after lunchtime, and another took off late in the day. The anglers picked away until pumping in the boat’s limit and additional fish released. Charters and open-boat trips are sailing.

Ocean striped bass fishing seemed hit or miss for boaters, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The anglers on the vessels trolled 20-pound-class bass off Spring Lake on Saturday, but found none at the same spot Sunday, for example. Many boaters trolled for the fish lately, and trolled shad rigs were the hot item Saturday. Lots of different baitfish schooled lately, and sand eels remained around, and bunker sometimes schooled, and sea herring began to appear. Sometimes schools of adult bunker came through, and sometimes big bass were on them. Surf fishing was similar, because on one day the beach anglers banked stripers, and on another day they didn’t. They often tossed metal, and teasers were important. On Saturday teasers got all the bites, and Dave on a trip last Monday landed his first six bass on teasers from the suds. He heard about no bluefish caught from boats or the surf. Blackfishing was pretty good on the ocean. Bluefin tuna should still school close to shore like they’d been. Nobody talked about fishing on the Manasquan River. Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Anglers can fill out a gift-wish list at the shop, so friends and family can visit or call the store, ask what your list says you’d like, and conveniently buy you a gift from there. The Reel Seat will be open full time through Christmas Eve, before taking a brief winter break.

<b>Seaside</b>

A few fished the surf early Sunday before rains began, sometimes tackling short striped bass, but they left once the downpours started, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site. Lots of birds worked the waters just offshore, but that “didn’t do the surf guys any good,” it said. Reports were heard about shorts nabbed on Saturday, and a 9-pound keeper was weighed in that day. Anglers were scarce during the weekdays. Grumpy clams and metal got the bites on the weekend. <a href=" http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishing_reports.cfm" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

A handful of boaters trolled and jigged the ocean for lots of miles Saturday, found plenty of striped bass marks balled up on the fish finder, but got none of the fish to bite, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. They trolled Stretch lures and jigged all types of metal, including Ava’s with green tails and 6-ounce Hopkins with white tails. The drop in the water temperature  might’ve put the fish off, and a few days to even out temps should really turn the fishing back on. The stripers gave up plenty of catches previously, and that action shouldn’t be finished, and the right weather is probably all that’s needed. A 26-inch short that was landed from the shore at the end of Radio Road was the big report from Sunday. Apparently bass remained in the bay. On Friday wintry weather arrived for the first time this year, and hard southwest winds blew out the tide, leaving skim ice on the shop’s back lagoon. But those temps typically push stripers to the ocean for great trolling and jigging in the late season.

<b>Longport</b>

Blackfishing on the <b>Stray Cat</b> wrangled up plenty of the fish, “a nice catch,” on Saturday, Capt. Mike said. Two pieces 8 to 12 miles from shore were fished, and one put up okay catches, and the other, where Mike hadn’t tried togging in 4 years, was loaded with the lumpheads. None of the trip’s tog was big, but an 8-pounder probably won the pool, and lots of 5- to 6-pounders, quality-sized, were swung aboard. A blackfish trip Sunday got chased back to port after attempting to sail. Winds ands and seas ended up terrible, unlike forecasts that called for rough conditions later in the day. Forecasts for the weekend were off, and Saturday had looked like the worse day but turned out the best. Anglers couldn’t go by the forecasts these days, and if they waited for a clear forecast, they were unlikely to get off the dock. They just had to go and see how the weather ended up, and then they’d run into fair weather. The weather this season’s been atrocious and unpredictable. Blackfish remained closer to shore in 30 to 60 feet, but the inshore waters were so beaten up from the weather that finding decent water clarity was a crap shoot. Mike wasn’t going to take the chance of making a drop inshore, spending the time to find out the bottom was too murky, so he may as well head out farther for a surer thing. Open-boat trips are blackfishing 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. In January and February open trips will search for pollock and ling at the 30-mile wrecks on weekends. At the very least blackfish should be caught. The trips will run about 10 hours, and the Stray Cat is a little faster than a lot of boats. Charters, no open trips, will fish on weekdays then. 

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The four anglers aboard whaled striped bass 25 to 34 inches, up to 16 or 17 pounds, probably 35 of the fish, and somewhat fewer blues 8 to 12 pounds Saturday on the ocean, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. The catch was maybe 60 or 70 percent stripers and the rest blues, and all where jigged on white Fin-S Fish. Double-, triple- and a couple of quadruple-headers were scored. The stripers were released, and a few of the blues were kept. The fish were sometimes seen on the surface, and birds worked the waters all morning, and the fish probably fed on sand eels, but the kept blues had no bait in their stomachs. Seas were a little bumpy but fishable in northwest winds that were a little stronger than forecast, and the weather was clear and cold but all right. Anglers are never cold when catching anyway! The ocean was 50 degrees and the bay 48. The fishing was great and will continue, and Joe hoped the weather cooperated to get back after them soon. Looking for an awesome holiday gift? Jersey Cape offers gift certificates for charters. Call or e-mail Joe if interested. Looking ahead, he’ll relocate his flats boat to Florida after Christmas, offering annual traveling charters to the Keys during certain times through Easter when he travels there. The trips target species from sailfish, king mackerel and mahi mahi in the ocean to redfish, speckled sea trout, jack crevalles and snook in the back country. 

<b>Cape May</b>

A charter limited out on striped bass on the ocean Sunday, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. The anglers, Tom Ebeke’s gang from Crest Nursery in Newfield, trolled the fish and three blues  in rough seas and winds. Action wasn’t fast and furious, but they limited, and bait or fish would be marked, and a striper would be picked up, and more would be marked, and another fish would be hooked, and so on. Birds were seen looking for bait through the day, and they swooped down but never really hit the waters, and weren’t bunched up. The ocean was 50 degrees, and George heard about nobody trying for stripers at the Cape May Rips since Tuesday before the weather, when they did catch. But he saw no reason stripers shouldn’t still swim the rips, considering water temps. He’ll keep chartering as long as stripers remain, and call if interested.

Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b> wrapped up his season, pulling the boat from the waters, he said. But a couple of trips eeled healthy catches of striped bass at the Cape May Rips between the rough weather last week. Trips Saturday and Sunday were cancelled because of forecasts. Bob thanked everyone who fished on the boat, and is booking for next year. Trips will begin with striped bass fishing and then drum fishing. Here’s the perfect holiday gift: Gift certificates are available for charters. Bob wishes everybody Happy Holidays and New Year’s and a good winter.

This will be the last report of the year from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b>, Matt said in a fax, and the shop will be open a short time longer, until closing until March or April. Not a lot was heard from Delaware Bay, but good numbers of striped bass were trolled or were taken on Storm shads at Brown Shoal, on the bay on the Delaware side near the southern end of the shipping channel. At the Cape May Rips anglers on the Melanie Ann hooked stripers to 42 inches at Middle Shoal last Monday afternoon, mostly on Storms, Tsunami’s and Calcutta’s. Matt tried striper fishing at the Wildwood lump that day with no luck, but trolled a big blue. He also tog fished 4 miles from shore on the trip, reeling up the blackfish to 4 pounds. One of the party boats tog fished Saturday, and the crew said the fish moved a little past Cape May Reef, but the trip put together a decent catch. Cape May’s surf fishing was off throughout the fall, and a few fish were beached, but no solid run developed. Anglers hope the cold will push fish to the wash from up north.

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