<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Large bluefish pushed into the bay, and the striper population seemed to increase, and bunker reappeared in the bay, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Bunker had been scarcer than usual, and the blues and bass seemed either to push the baitfish into the bay or follow them. Fresh bunker, the favorite striper bait this time of year, had been scarce. The reappearance of the menhaden helped the shop’s bunker supply somewhat, but calling ahead to reserve the bait is a good idea. Good catches of stripers and blues were walloped from Thursday through Sunday, and were encouraging. Catches were heard about from all over the bay, including off Pierces Point on the lower bay, near Miah Maul farther north, and on the upper bay. Many seemed to be caught around the shipping channel from south to north. Windy weather often hampered fishing on the bay this season, and winds calmed Sunday, and the shop was extra busy. The store was busy throughout the past days. Stripers will probably stick around a moment, and plenty remained north, even as far as Massachusetts, and will migrate south. The weather, though windy, held steady, hovering in the 50s and 60s, and that should help stripers stick around. Friends who fished the surf to the north at Sea Isle City beached three stripers 34 to 36 inches and big blues on a trip. Many marinas will close for the season after this weekend, but The Girls Place will remain open. On Thanksgiving the shop will be open 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. 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>

Lots of throwback striped bass swam the bay, and sometimes a keeper came up, and big bluefish showed up that invade the bay annually, said Capt. Howard from the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>. Many boaters seemed to catch blues Saturday, but the slammers seemed to disappear Sunday. Trips fished for stripers at usual spots near Fortescue including the 34 buoy and the rips toward Miah Maul. The fish seemed to be boated at the stakes near Fortescue and throughout the bay. Anglers aboard fished with chunks of bunker, and eels were carried on the vessel Sunday but were never used. Howard likes to fish with eels, livelining them at areas with up-and-down bottom like the rips. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing for stripers, and call for the open schedule. Open trips often run when anglers interested can be grouped together on a day. The Salt Talk will fish through this weekend, and Howard will wrap up the vessel’s season afterward. Last call!

Bluefish were belted on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said, and striper fishing was tough in the past days. He was headed out on a trip for stripers Monday when he gave this report over the phone.

Striped bass fishing went well, turning out some good-sized linesiders, and alligator blues rolled into the bay like every year, said Capt. Mike from the party boat <b>Bonanza</b>. The Ed Rainas charter from Franklinville on Saturday racked up a great day of fishing, Mike said. They bagged seven healthy-sized stripers to 42 inches and six of the big blues, losing a few big stripers and plenty of blues at the boat. The trip fished near the E.P. Tower, close to port, after trips the previous week sailed far south on the bay for the better catches. The weather began rough, and winds blew at 20 to 25 knots, and the trip almost returned to port. But the anglers chose to stick it out, and the weather calmed. The Crowley Barge charter on Saturday also scored well, Mike said. They came in with three or four sizeable stripers, and Sam, an angler on the trip, lost five stripers himself. Blues bit off the monofilament lines first thing in the morning, but only stripers bit the rest of the day. Open-boat trips are fishing Fridays and Mondays. However, a charter is booked this Friday. Charters usually fill Saturdays and Sundays, but open trips will sail then if no charter is booked or a charter cancels. Anglers can call the boat to find out if open trips will also run on weekends. They can also call because sometimes charters on weekends will welcome extra anglers. The Bonanza will fish through the first week of December before Mike and crew call it a season.

<b>Port Norris</b>

At <b>Port Norris Marina</b> boaters returned with lots of striped bass, and started to motor in with big blues, Harrison said. The docks were probably the busiest all season Sunday. Most customers sailed south on the bay for striper catches. Jerry Spade, Monroeville, last week checked in the marina’s biggest striper of the season so far: a 55.65-pound 54-incher. Bill Gooden from Glassboro, a first-time striper angler, bagged a 46.25-pound 52-incher and a 22-pound 42-incher. “Tater,” as he’s known, clocked a 39-pounder. The charter boat Itchy Foot pulled into the slip with a 38-pound 45-incher. Bobby Carroll, Port Norris, came back with two 39-inchers. The 60-foot charter boat <b>Bodacious</b>, sailing from the marina, scored double-digits of stripers on trips. Charters are fishing on the Bodacious, and open-boat trips are sailing on the vessel every Tuesday, but today’s open trip might be the final one of the season, so call ahead to confirm. If the open trips continue, anglers should call ahead to reserve and ensure a spot. Fresh bunker is usually stocked for bait at the marina, and anglers should call ahead to ensure a supply.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Anglers socked striped bass, and big blues showed up, and bunker reappeared in the bay, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Bunker were unusually scarce previously, and the return of the baitfish meant the supply improved at the shop for striper bait. Albert King, Dividing Creek, won the shop’s striper tournament that wrapped up Saturday and began October 22. He and wife Dee checked in two stripers. Anglers and their catches also included: Val, Mike and Noah Vashenko, Estell Manor,  three keeper stripers, four throwbacks and eight big blues; Bob Lauletta and Carmen Fanelli, Audubon, 28-1/2- and 28-inch stripers; Joe Lipka, Glassboro, 31-inch striper and 15-pound blue; Chuck Umba and Bob Marshall, Westville, two 28-inch stripers and a dozen big blues; Ron Given and Rob Jones, Billingsport, 40- and 20-pound stripers and 10 big blues; and Rich, last name unavailable, 49-  and 45-1/4-inch stripers. Faith Slimmer, 8, on a trip with Stephanie Slimmer, boated a good-sized striper. They also reeled in a 14-pound blue and two 12-pounders.

<b>Villas</b>

Big striped bass and big blues were hung from the bay, the  ocean and the surf, said Mike from <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b>, located in the Villas, and <b>Budd’s Tackle Charter Charter Services</b>, sailing from Cape May. Blues showed up Thursday, and none was around Wednesday. On the bay stripers were pumped in from usual spots like the Cock and Balls, 60-Foot Slough, 20-Foot Slough and the Punk Grounds, and blues were fought on bunker chunks that anglers fished for stripers. In the surf Mike on Monday beached nine blues and two stripers at Cape May Point, and all anglers there caught. This morning at the point he banked two blues, and the angler next to him landed a striper. Surf anglers fished bunker and clam. A customer hauled in an 80-pound drum, an unusual, chance catch, from along a Cape May jetty. Not much was heard about blackfish, though the bag limit was increased last Tuesday to six from one. But the rocks along Townsend’s Inlet supposedly held the tog, and so did rocks near the Greek Church in the back waters near Hereford Inlet in North Wildwood. Boaters saw bluefin tuna 3 miles from shore in the ocean.

<b>Cape May</b>

With <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b> nine striped bass to 26 pounds were racked up Saturday from the bay, and seventeen stripers to a 34-pound 44-incher were cleaned up Sunday from the bay, Capt. Eric said. All the fish were bunker chunked, and big blues 10 and 12 pounds began to appear in the bay. Waters were in the low 50s, around 52 degrees, and seas and winds were sporty Saturday morning but calmed, and the weather and seas were pleasant Sunday. Stripers also came from the Cape May Rips.

Charters piled up good catches of striped bass at the Cape May Rips through the past week on the <b>Down Deep</b>, sailing every day except Wednesday, because of winds, Capt. Bob said. Lots of shorts swam the rips and also the bay, but so did sizeable ones at both places. Lots of large linesiders were docked at the marinas. Many boats jammed 60-Foot Slough on the bay Sunday. Many also filled the rips that day. At the rips the Down Deep’s anglers fished with eels and spots. The baits seemed to catch equal numbers, and eels seemed to clock bigger stripers. On the bay boaters fished with bunker chunks.

Fishing for striped bass at the Cape May Rips wasn’t too bad, said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>. Lots of the fish bit, and probably two were throwbacks for every keeper. But good-sized ones 38 and 40 inches were belted on the boat. The angling was fairly steady, with short lulls now and then. An open-boat trip/shared charter will sail Saturday for stripers. See the <a href="http://www.legallimitcharters.com/open-boat.php" target="_blank">open-boat trip/shared charter schedule</a> online. On T.J.’s other boat, sailing from Tuckerton, blackfishing went great, and a trip Sunday limited out on the tog.

Angling for striped bass with <b>Fish Tale Charters</b> reeled in 19 of the bass to a 36-incher and a 15-pound bluefish from the Cape May Rips on Sunday, Capt. Craig said. Three of the stripers were keepers, and most of the linesiders, including the keepers, were beaten on livelined spots. But five were hooked on livelined eels. Fish Tale fishes the rips with spots, eels and bucktails. The eels and bucktails are provided, and the anglers provide the spots, and Craig can pick them up. Craig and the boat’s mate tried fishing with bucktails during the trip, but when the fish bit for the charter, two and three were hooked at a time, and the anglers were ducking the lines up and down, and the bucktailing couldn’t be given a solid effort. The fish bit from the time the trip arrived at the fishing grounds at 7 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., during the last of incoming tide. Fifteen of the bass, including the keepers, were landed in one area, until the bite shut off. Then the trip moved to a couple of other areas in the rips, and four more shorts were landed, including some of the bass that pounced eels, to finish out the day. The day was fun, and the charter was happy, Craig said. They had never before caught that many fish in a trip, and some had never caught stripers before. The action, ducking the lines up and down, hooking two and three at once, was a good time.

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