<b>Staten Island</b>

Fishing for blackfish and sea bass piled up plenty of the catches offshore with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Anthony said. New York’s blackfish season opened October 1, and sea bass season will close in the state and in New Jersey on Tuesday for a few weeks. But Barbara Anne obtained a Research Set Aside Permit that will allow the vessel to fish for sea bass during the closed season. So the fishing for both species will continue on charters and open-boat trips, and the next open outing is set for Friday, and is sold out. The open trips are also scheduled for Wednesdays and Sundays this month by reservation. When blackfish make a strong showing this season, trips will concentrate on them. 

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing resumed Wednesday on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> after three days of terrible weather, Capt. Ron said in the report on the vessel’s Web site. The trip had to wait for a window of a bite, but when it came, “(we were) doing battle!” he said. Shorts and keepers were hauled in for a solid 45 minutes on anchor, and the fish stopped biting as fast as they started. Freshwater runoff – cold, dirty waters – killed the action when outgoing tide began, “but it was fun while it lasted,” he said. A couple of more drops were tried with no results. “Still, a great day on the water with even better days to come!” Ron said. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.  Check out a <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N0TKl7LI00&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">video of the trip</a>. <b>***Update, Friday, 10/8:***</b> Vinny “Vintastic” Cassilli took the lead in the season-long pool with a 39-pound 50-inch striped bass on Thursday’s trip! Capt. Ron said in an e-mail. What’s more, he won the season pool for stripers in spring on the boat. Winds 30 m.p.h. and strong currents made for a nasty day on the trip, keeping many anglers from feeling bites. A handful of keepers and a mess of shorts were landed. Seas were terrible on the ocean, except down the beaches. But Ron hoped for better conditions today.

Boating for striped bass creamed the fish, lots of them, on clams on the ocean, when anglers braved the weather, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Some were also bunker chunked, and others were wormed and eeled. Stripers began to be landed in Raritan Bay and the rivers, and surf anglers banked the linesiders on clams. The right tide was a factor for all of the fishing. Blues were jigged on the ocean, and today would probably be the first day substantial numbers of anglers bottom fished. Bottom fishing was good during the weekend until the storm for mainly porgies. But anglers bagged their limit of one blackfish, adding a few sea bass to the catch, too.

Winds blew 30 on this morning’s bottom-fishing trip on the ocean on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said in a phone call at 9:30 on the outing, but the anglers were picking a few porgies. Conditions were tough, and there were white caps. “You know you’re here,” he said. But winds were westerly, so the land protected the seas. The previous trip, Wednesday afternoon’s, was the first to sail since Saturday, because of the nor’easter, and a handful of anglers jumped aboard. But the boat fished anyway, and they caught some fish: mostly porgies, good-sized ones, and a few keeper sea bass among shorts, the usual mix of sea bass this time of year. The angling wasn’t great but was good enough, considering the three days of northeast winds. Currents were now also strong because of the new moon, making feeling the bites more challenging. But all the anglers on Wednesday took home a healthy mess of fish, probably up to 15 a piece, and some bagged 10 or 12, and some a half-dozen. The fish were there, and on Saturday the angling on the boat was as good as anglers could want. Forecasts are calling for calm weather on Friday through the weekend. If today’s winds had blown easterly, the trip would’ve stayed docked. But the grounds are fishable in winds up to 20 and 25 knots from the west, northwest or southwest. The winds will be felt, and feeling the bites can become challenging, but the land will prevent the winds from kicking up seas too much. If winds blow 40, that will keep trips in port no matter the direction. 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. for sea bass, porgies and blackfish. That will be the schedule through Monday, Columbus Day. On Tuesday the trips will begin sailing once daily from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Fisher Price Charters</b> fished for striped bass on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning after the storm, and the fall run of the fish had begun, Capt. Derek said. Those were the second and third trips of the season for striped bass on the boat, the first one angling on Saturday afternoon during a break in the weather, covered in the last report. All three trips landed the linesiders. The trip on Tuesday evening drifted a pick of shorts and keepers to 33 inches on worms, good fishing. The outing on Wednesday morning tried something different. Clams were unavailable for bait, because the weather kept the clam boats docked. But Derek was able to get live bunker, and chunks of the menhaden were fished. Strong currents because of the new moon made the fishing challenging, but seven keeper stripers to 23 pounds, good-sized fish, were nailed, and probably more than twice as many were lost. Striper fishing is under way for Fisher Price. Derek kept the location of the catches hush, and not all boaters caught the fish who tried. Striper charters are being booked, and the next open-boat trips will sail for stripers twice daily on Friday and Saturday in the mornings and evenings. Call to jump aboard, and anglers can call to be kept informed about the future open schedule. Fisher Price is also bottom fishing, but once sea bass season closes for a few weeks on Tuesday, all efforts will concentrate on stripers. Blackfishing will be added when the blackfish bag limit is increased in mid November.

<b>***Update, Friday, 10/8:***</b> A few from the docks fished on Thursday, catching striped bass at Flynn’s Knoll on livelined spots they said worked well, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. The fish measured up to 28 or 29 inches, just big enough to keep. Gene Graham, the striper sharpie from the marina, eeled bigger stripers when he got the weather to sail. Stripers, younger, non-migrating ones that live in local waters, were becoming more active in somewhat cooler waters. Larger, migrating stripers will arrive in the coming weeks. That was about the only news, and the weather kept boats from sailing from the marina otherwise. Seas were way to rough for offshore trips to sail. But the weather was supposed to be better today through the weekend, and more anglers should fish then. Fresh clams are arriving at the shop today, and eels and all the frozen baits are stocked. That includes a full selection of frozen offshore baits, including flats of herring, sardines and butterfish.

<b>Neptune</b>

An individual-reservation trip clobbered excellent fishing for sea bass on the ocean on Wednesday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. The day was beautiful after the storm, and Ralph had planned to fish farther offshore, but the catches flew over the rails closer to the coast, so the trip stayed there. A full slate of charters for bottom fishing, striped bass and blues is on the books from Friday through Monday, and forecasts finally looked like the trips will get the weather to sail. Two spaces remain on an individual-reservation, offshore, wreck-fishing trip on Monday, Columbus Day, for cod, pollock and ling, and the long-range forecast looks good for the day. That trip was weathered out a couple of times previously, and had been full. Anglers can jump on the vacated spaces. The trip Wednesday was the final individual-rez trip that was bottom fishing inshore, because sea bass season closes on Tuesday for a few weeks. When striped bass fishing takes off, some individual-reservation trips will be scheduled for them. Last Lady already trolled stripers this season, and was yet to clam them. The charters in the next days might mix in striper fishing in the early mornings on Friday and Saturday, before boat traffic begins. When more stripers migrate to local waters, the bass will bite throughout the day. Daily, individual-reservation trips for blackfish will launch on November 16, when the bag limit increases to six of the tog from the current limit of one. A couple of charters are waiting to get the weather to try for bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean, and Ralph will see how bluefin reports sound this weekend, finding out if the fish remain on the grounds after the storm. Trips for tuna are still available to the offshore canyons, too.

<b>Belmar</b>

Sea bass would probably be targeted on a couple of trips, and false albacore would probably be fished for on another, when <b>On a Mission Fishing Adventures</b> was expected to return to fishing after the weather this week, Capt. Eric said on Tuesday. Trips were slated for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week. If striped bass were around, the trips would possibly fish for them. Eric also guides surf fishing trips, but the angling was nixed in the blow. He also guides on the Delaware River, and trips before the storm popper-plugged good catches of smallmouth bass on the river at Bull’s Island and Frenchtown, fishing that will probably last another couple of weeks.

On the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> trips switched to fishing for striped bass and bluefish down the ocean beaches, after previously bluefishing at the reefs farther from shore, Capt. Alan said. He had just talked to the boat when Alan gave this report over the phone from land at 11 a.m. today, and the crew told him the anglers were jigging a good catch of blues. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The night trip will also sail this Sunday because of Columbus Day.

Plenty of blues and false albacore are attacking on daytime trips on the ocean when the weather is calm enough to sail, the report on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>’s Web site said. Lots of blues are jumping on hooks during nighttime trips that can sail. So fishing is good. No big run of striped bass is developing yet, because waters are warm. But a run is coming! The Golden Eagle is fishing for blues and stripers 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Tuna trips and bonito trips are steaming, and see the <a href="http://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/html/tuna_reservations.html" target="_blank">Golden Eagle’s tuna and bonito schedules</a> online.

Anglers only just started to fish again after the storm, so not a lot was heard, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Most customers headed out for striped bass in the surf, usually fishing with clams, though fresh clams were scarce, because the clam boats stayed tied up during the weather. Three bushels of clams were able to be stocked at the shop today, and a half-bushel was left by this afternoon. More should arrive in the coming days.

<b>Brielle</b>

“Well, after what felt like an eternity of storms and blows, we were finally able to make it back out to the bottom grounds,” said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> in an e-mail. Sea bass fishing began slowly for the six-angler trip on Wednesday at the first couple of spots. Then other places were loaded with the fish, and the keepers were sizeable. Some of the drops turned up more shorts than keepers, and some gave up mostly keepers. The trip next bounced around to different places, and some shoveled up a super blast of the fish. Then the angling didn’t take long to limit out on good-sized sea bass. There was a swell, dirty waters and strong currents, but the fish chewed anyway. “Great day of fishing!” Jerry said. Only a few days are left before sea bass season closes on Tuesday for a few weeks. Fish Monger will bottom fish for porgies, blackfish and ling afterward, and space is still available on open-boat trips this month. Trips this month will also begin to mix in jigging for striped bass and blues.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Only a handful of trips were able to sail since mid September on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, because of weather, and all trips recently were blown out, Capt. Bob said. But four spaces just became open on a previously full trip for tuna at the canyons overnight Friday to Saturday, and forecasts look good. Three tuna trips were able to run between the weather so far this season, and see the <a href=" http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.html
" target="_blank">Gambler’s tuna schedule</a> online for future dates. An open-boat cod trip, no reservations required, the first of the season, will sail 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Columbus Day, fishing at the wrecks 25 to 30 miles from shore. Three more of the trips will fish this month. The boat’s inshore trips before this last storm fished for false albacore, clocking plenty of catches, but whether the albies remained after the weather was unknown. A few striped bass began to be caught, and the boat will begin sailing for stripers daily on November 1.

Trips on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b> ran out for bottom fishing Wednesday and Saturday on the ocean in the breaks in the weather, Capt. Butch said, and decent catches were made. Catches on Wednesday, after the storm in the previous days, were even “pretty handy,” he said. Mostly sea bass came up, and a few porgies, blackfish and 2- to 3-pound blues were bucketed. Porgies get somewhat stirred up after weather, but fishing for them should continue, and catches of them were heard about from Raritan Bay and Long Island Sound, and the fish will have to migrate south to local waters. Butch expects trips to focus on sea bass through Monday, until sea bass season closes on Tuesday for a few weeks. Porgies and blackfish should be targeted afterward. If stripers show up close to shore like last year, trips might jig for them in the afternoons. Trips lately fished in 60 to 80 feet, and seas and the weather were gorgeous on Wednesday, surprising after the storm. Currents were strong because of the new moon and probably knocked down seas Tuesday night. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>***Update, Friday, 10/8:***</b> West winds, birds working the waters, bait skipping along the surface, bluefish jumping completely out of the waters, and the trip Thursday, the first to sail after the storm, was fall fishing at its finest, an e-mail from the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b> said. “All day jig fest!” it said. Striped bass were the only thing that was missing. But all the anglers battled blues, sizes “large to 3XL,” the e-mail said. The fish, gorging on jumbo sand eels and bunker, seemed maybe to prefer yellow tails on the jigs. The crew will keep open the possibility of special trips sometimes continuing to sail for false albacore, skipjacks, and occasional mahi mahi, but needed to wait for waters to clear to confirm whether the fish remained. Forecasts for the weekend looked great. The Cock Robin is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Toms River</b>

One customer beached four striped bass – a 32-inch keeper and the rest shorts – in the surf at Gillikins Beach at Island Beach State Park on Wednesday, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. He fished with clams, and 1- or 1-1/2-pound blues were tackled from the surf that day at the pocket at Barnegat Inlet, along the inlet jetty and in the inlet. All the catches came in the afternoon, and the morning was dead. Reports were scarce otherwise because of weather. Some of the biggest news was lack of bait at all the shops, because the bait boats stayed docked in the weather. But fresh clams were arriving at the shop today, and fresh bunker and a few fresh mullet were on hand. Waters were high and dirty in Barnegat Bay. Fewer and fewer blowfish were found in the bay each week, and weakfish to 13 to 15 inches were probably more abundant there. Panfish like small sea bass and croakers swam the bay, and some boaters caught all these species, and some didn’t, and location was the difference. The boaters had to chum heavily. Dennis wasn’t asked about the location where the fish gathered in the bay. But he’s been talking about areas like the BI and BB markers through the season. Nothing was heard about stripers caught along the bay’s sod banks, maybe because of the weather. But some anglers bought eels for bait for the fishing, planning to head out. Small stripers 12 to 18 inches were played in the Toms River, and blues to 3 pounds, bigger than before, chased bigger peanut bunker in the river at Island Heights on Wednesday.  Crabbing was good the last couple of days, and waters were warm, in the high 60s.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Bait packed the waters hugging the coast, and fall fishing could explode any moment, said James from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. The ocean, in the high 60s, and Barnegat Bay, probably a higher temp than the ocean, were warm, though. But he kayaked the ocean this morning, seeing tons of bait including adult bunker, spearing and what looked like peanut bunker. Lots of bait also filled the surf, so fishing there seemed like it could go nuts any morning now. Clamming for striped bass in the surf was mostly slow, but definitely gave up a little action, including this morning. The beach from the Seaside Heights Casino Pier to farther north seemed the zone. A few stripers were plugged in the surf this morning. James saw no blues and heard about none from the surf, though that was unusual, and blues could return to the waters any time. Snapper blues mostly departed the bay around the docks at the shop, became scarce. Crabbing was good for customers, and waters were warm enough for the blueclaws. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, killies and the full supply of baits is stocked. Catch Wacky Wednesdays every week, when clams are $2 per dozen. The rental boats are in the waters, ready to rent, but the jet skis were put away for the season.

<b>Forked River</b>

Striped bass were clammed around Barnegat Inlet and the surf, and plugs like Bombers also grabbed the bass in the wash, said Dave from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Some anglers looked for eels to swim for stripers, and eels will be stocked this evening at the shop. Fresh clams ran out but should be stocked soon, and frozen and salted clams are carried. Bluefish sometimes schooled the inlet, and blowfish were boated on Barnegat Bay at the BI, BB and 40 markers and Double Creek Channel. Nothing was heard about weakfish on the bay, but little news rolled in because of the weather. Crabbing slowed down.

<b>Barnegat</b>

Non-stop action was pounded on 26- to 32-inch striped bass on Barnegat Bay today on the <b>Hi Flier</b>, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. “Live bait is the magic,” he said, and every livelined spot he carried aboard hooked one of the fish, and he’ll bring more on Friday. Weather forecasts looked awesome through Monday at least, and open-boat trips for stripers will run every day, and one of the outings on Saturday might head offshore in forecasts for a flat ocean in 5- to 10-knot winds. “It could be near coastal,” he said, or the trip could sail farther to the Mudhole for bluefin tuna, false albacore and bonito, “or we could do it all,” he added. Friday’s trip will definitely fish for stripers, and Dave expects to catch the fish like an appointment on the same tide in the same place! “This is what we have been waiting for, and now the weather is cooperating as well,” he said. Call to jump aboard any day.

<b>Surf City</b>

Surf casters tugged in snapper blues and occasional striped bass, and none talked about landing kingfish in the last few days, though kings were around last week, said Steve from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. The anglers fished with mullet or bunker for both the blues and bass, and Steve knew about a couple of keeper stripers mugged on the bunker, and a customer mentioned releasing a 27-inch short that ate mullet. The bay seemed to give up small stripers, occasional blues and spots, as far as Steve knew. Crabs should still be able to be trapped. Fresh bunker, mullet and clams are stocked. Bloodworms are carried, and eels will arrive next week.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The weather was mostly horrendous, but fishing seemed in a transition once the storm ended and actually seemed to pick up, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Spots might’ve left the bay, because anglers who tried for them after the storm found none. Activity with schoolie striped bass definitely improved a bit, and the mostly 10- to 16-inchers, but occasional keepers, were reeled in from the mouth of the Mullica River around Deep Point. Blues 1 ½ pounds worked the waters near the shore on the west side of Great Bay. That area at the mouths of Mott Creek and Oyster Creek might be a place to look. Nothing specific was heard about the catches there, but those are traditionally productive places. High, outgoing tides that dump peanut bunker into the bay are times to fish. Word was heard about at least two drum to 25 pounds lifted from the bay, and Scott would believe the reports, because a shot of drum usually shows up in fall. Tog no doubt bit along the steep banks of the bay and Little Sheepshead Creek when tides were fishable or didn’t flow too strongly because of the weather. A few weakfish were found at the mouth of the Mullica and the lagoons, and rumor said a handful bit at the fifth bridge along Great Bay Boulevard. But no “sustainable weakfishery,” Scott said, existed anywhere. White perch fishing was phenomenal, couldn’t be better, in the brackish rivers and creeks. Fish at any of the usual haunts, and Scott also heard about catches on Tuckerton Creek. So fishing activity picked up, though Scott wondered whether that was partly because the diehard, more experienced anglers were the only who fished in the rough weather. Crabs were still caught in this late season for the blueclaws. Big numbers were no longer plucked, but crabbers talked about trapping good-sized ones, and the hardshells still skittered around up the creeks a ways, weren’t just in the bay yet.

<b>Absecon</b>

Catches of striped bass seemed to begin turning on in the back bay, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Winds finally blew west and not too strongly on Wednesday after the storm, and Bill Lake that day checked in the season’s first keeper striper at the shop: a 30-incher taken on spot at the Intracoastal Waterway. He also released a 27-incher, and Capt. John Fish hooked several stripers, including a keeper, in the same area. A customer showed off a photo of a 28-pound 41-inch striper he beached in the Brigantine surf, and Robert Switzer weighed in a 13-1/2-pound striper from the surf for the Atlantic County Surf Derby. The season is somewhat early for striper fishing, but Dave will run his first charter of the fall this weekend that will try for the linesiders. This should be the season’s first “striper weekend,” he said, considering winds are forecast to diminish, and the chilly morning’s feel like striper weather. Dates for trips are filling up fast and should be booked soon. All bases are covered on the striper bait front at the shop. The season’s first big load of eels is due to arrive at the store, and now is the time to stock up. Prices are the same as last year: $1.50 each, $15 per dozen or $80 per hundred. The tanks are full of live, local spots, and the prices are also the same as last year: $3 each, $30 per dozen or $200 per hundred. Live and fresh-frozen mullet are stocked. The clam boats were weathered out on Wednesday, but Dave got the word they sailed today and that a full load of fresh clams will arrive at the shop. The clams are the bait of choice in the surf. Not a lot else was heard about fishing since the storm, but spots swam the Mullica River. Curt from the shop, a white perch angler, said winds blew too strongly today when he tried fishing for the slabs on the Mullica, according to Dave. Dave’s new <a href=" http://www.fishguatemala.com/FishGuatemala/fishguatemala.htm" target="_blank">Guatemala charter service</a> seems to be coming along well. The boat seems in ship shape, and a trip the other day fished locally or 8 miles from shore, loading the cooler with Spanish mackerel. If anglers call now, trips are ready to roll.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The season’s first striped bass were weighed in from the surf! said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Arlene Perkowski on Wednesday hung a 14-pounder on the scale after releasing a 20-incher previously that day, fishing with chunks of spots for the catches. Rob Switzer this morning checked in a 14-1/2-pounder that engulfed a chunk of spot. Bluefish also roamed the surf. Fresh, shucked clams are scheduled to arrive at the shop Friday, and no clams in the shell are available yet because of the storm. Bloodworms are carried, and fresh bunker might arrive by the weekend. No stripers were yet entered in the 5th annual Riptide Striped Bass Derby that’s under way, lasting until the end of the year. The fish need to be 36 inches to enter, and the bass that were weighed in were under that size. Lots of people entered the competition already. Entrants will win cash awards for the biggest stripers caught from the surf along Brigantine’s front beach. First place will win $750, and 2nd will cop $400, and 3rd will earn $150. The entrant with the biggest bass each month will win $25. The rest of the proceeds will be donated to charity, and the event donated more than $13,000 to charity since the tournament began, Andy said. Also, Phil Fors from Rolling Tackle Box donated a 13-foot Breakaway HDX surf rod that will be awarded to the entrant with the biggest striper during the week after Halloween or November 1 to 7. The entry fee for the tournament is $20, and entry must be accompanied by a Brigantine beach buggy permit. That way all entrants get to drive the beach to fish.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Resident striped bass, juvenile fish yet to migrate, started to feed and act up more than before, said Curt from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. He knew anglers who were catching them every trip now on the back bay on soft-plastic lures or clams. Some of the fish were also clammed in the surf, though not a lot of anglers seemed to fish the surf after the storm so far. Blues were sometimes fought in the bay and definitely at Absecon Inlet, and nothing was heard about them in the surf. Kingfishing seemed to be tapering off in the surf. The weather kept customers from boating on the ocean, so no news was available from there. Curt knew no boaters who fished offshore for tuna in two weeks because of the weather. But party boats that could handle the seas fished the waters, and a few tuna were around. A friend who’s a mate on a party boat was on a trip that shellacked tuna, one after another. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, will resume tuna fishing this weekend in forecasts for good weather.

<b>Margate</b>

None of the trips could leave the dock in the weather, but the party boat <b>Keeper</b> should sail this weekend in forecasts for better days, Capt. John said. Lots of tog swam around the back bay, and a few striped bass started to bite in the waters. John also heard a few bluefish were around. The Keeper is sailing 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 12 noon Sundays.

With <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b> Capt. Eric hopes to run trips this weekend in better weather that’s forecast, after trips were weathered out, he said. More charters were weathered out than fished since Labor Day. But if the weather holds this weekend, trips are expected to fish for either sea bass or tuna, depending on seas. O-Beth will make the annual move to Cape May for fall striped bass fishing in two weekends. The striper trips are being booked.

<b>Longport</b>

After the storm ended, trips on the <b>Stray Cat</b> took a day off on Wednesday to let the ocean settle, Capt. Mike said. Winds that day blew from the west, a better direction that can knock down the seas from the nor’easter. The land can also protect seas close to shore from west winds. But the winds still honked, and fishing conditions were still rough. But forecasts looked better for the next days. A few spaces opened up on an open-boat trip on Sunday that will sail for sea bass if the weather is good for running farther from the coast. If sea bassing isn’t an option, the anglers will dunk for croakers closer to shore. Both types of fishing piled up lots of catches on the last trips out. Charters are fishing, and sometimes open trips are running on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Annual Cast and Blast Trips, charters that fish for striped bass, blues and blackfish and gun for ducks in the same trip, will begin in the middle of the month. Sea ducks were already flying down the coast.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Waters dropped to 65 to 66 degrees, Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> said. He liked that, and liked the northerly winds and the cooler weather the winds brought. The conditions will pull in bait along the ocean front, and none was there yet, but this was a good trend for fishing. Business was a little slow since the weather, so reports about catches were scarce, but customers said they’ll fish this weekend. Then the shop will know what’s happening for sure. Chatter about striped bass increased, as the migration of the fish was impending. If anglers try for stripers in the surf, Wes recommends fishing with fresh clams, and the bait is ordered for this weekend at the shop. He also recommends fresh bunker or fresh mullet, if anglers can find the baits, and he could find none to stock. Suppliers couldn’t sail to catch the bait in the weather, apparently. Striper fishing at the bridges at night was probably the most consistent angling for the linesiders that was known about now. Anglers fish for them only with lures, either poppers or soft plastics, figuring out which works that night. High tides at night are usually best. Blackfish could certainly be hooked at the bridges, and green crabs are arriving for bait this weekend at the shop. Spots and small sea bass probably still swam the bay, and kingfish could probably still be chummed in the waters. Crabbing was still possible in the back waters, and this will probably be the last weekend for a chance at the blueclaws this season. On the ocean bluefish surely still schooled.

After anglers aboard fished from Montauk on one of the annual weekend getaways on the boat on Saturday and Sunday, trips will probably fish from Sea Isle City this weekend with Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, he said. The Montauk trip, catching striped bass and blues, was successful, covered in the last report. More on Montauk in a moment. At Sea Isle, Jersey Cape will probably fish for stripers on the flats of the back bay with popper lures or flies, a specialty on the boat, or for blues schooling the ocean. Joe might look around the ocean for signs of the fall migration of bass and blues, but the run usually begins during the second half of October, lasting through November. The Montauk trips are fishing the migration that already arrived at the legendary port, and those outings will be available at least through two weekends from now. Check out a <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbhTrUCz0HQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
" target="_blank">video of the Montauk fishing</a>. See <a href="http://www.gibsonstackle.com/page6.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Traveling Fisherman Web Page</a> for info about the trips to Montauk and other destinations. Keep up with Joe’s fishing, photos and videos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

No news about tuna fishing rolled in from <b>Over Under Adventures</b> since a trip sailed Saturday that was covered here in the last report.  Apparently the weather kept trips docked. But an e-mail from Over Under gave an update on what to expect from the angling this fall. This is the time of year when anglers who want to run offshore for tuna need to keep in touch with Over Under, because the weather changes rapidly, and the windows of calm weather to sail are short. But October can provide incredible tuna fishing, and the fish typically remain in the canyons off the coast until sometime in November. Overnight trips usually offer the best shot at the fish, but sometimes shorter trips can produce great catches, when water temps and bait populations cooperate. Yellowfin and longfin tuna are the primary targets in fall, and trolling, chunking or jigging can be affective. Bluefin tuna also show up inshore of the canyons and at the canyons themselves this time of year, and when they do, Over Under is ready to fish for them. A bluefin was already plowed inshore on Over Under’s last trip that was reported here. Charters and   <a href=" http://overundercharters.com/index.php?page=opendates" target="_blank">open-boat trips</a> are fishing offshore.

<b>Wildwood</b>

The party boat <b>Adventurer</b> fished on Saturday, during a break in the weather, Capt. Gary said. Croakers and small blues were reeled in, and the trip made no attempt at sea bass fishing farther from shore, because waters were stirred up. The weather often cancelled trips in the past weeks, and winds also made trips fish close to shore, instead of running farther, like 10 miles, for sea bass. But fortunately fish like croakers, blues and weakfish hugged close to shore, where land protected seas from building up because of winds. The boat will keep chasing the fish close to shore, and will run farther off for sea bass when possible. As the season progresses, more blues, bigger ones, should school close to the coast to be targeted, and striped bass might swim the same waters to be hunted. Open-boat trips are fishing 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and charters are available.

Anglers shoveled up action with striped bass at the canal before the storm, but the fish, and the bait, including mullet, disappeared afterward, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. Some looked for stripers since then, and the fish were around in the back bay, but catches were yet to become strong. Waters probably needed to cool slightly from the current temps in the low 60s. Mike heard stories about kingfish caught but saw none. Out-of-season summer flounder had been scattered in the bay before the storm, but now were gone, seemed to push into the ocean. Three of the shop’s boats were rented for crabbing on Saturday, one of the only days with fair weather, and probably a bushel of the blueclaws was nabbed between all the vessels. So crabs were around. Canal Side will remain open through Saturday, before closing for the season. Mike thanks all the customers who visited the shop this year! The doors will reopen the week before flounder season begins, and the dates for the flounder season are announced before springtime.  Canal Side rents canopy boats and kayaks for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing. Baits currently stocked include frozen mullet, mackerel fillets, clam strips, packaged clams, spearing, squid strips and whole squid. During the season, more baits including minnows are carried, and live crabs are sold for eating.

<b>Cape May</b>

Small striped bass were caught and released on the back bay, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Soft-plastic lures fished at the bridges drew hits in the early mornings. Spots were still caught in the bay after the storm, anglers gathering them to keep in pens for live bait for the coming migration of larger stripers. But no word came in about mullet after the weather. Blues sometimes plowed into the surf, jumping on mackerel or metal. Nothing was heard about weakfish, except a few “ghost” reports, so maybe some were around. Tog should be able to be picked up along the bridges and jetties. A few porgies and sea bass were picked at the ocean wrecks the last time boats got out in fair seas. Fresh and live bait was unavailable from suppliers because of the weather, but Nick hopes to stock fresh clams, bloodworms, green crabs and maybe fresh mullet by Saturday.

Weather kept trips from fishing on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, and a friend who on Wednesday sailed for sea bass said the weather and seas were calm at first, Capt. George said. But the weather blew up in the afternoon. The Heavy Hitter is fishing for sea bass at the ocean wrecks, blues on the troll at 5-Fathom Bank and croakers close to shore. Offshore charters for tuna will probably be available until mid month, if anyone wants to go. Afterward charters will mostly fish for striped bass, and striper dates are booking up. Call if interested in any of this fishing.

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