<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

One customer’s trip landed eight striped bass at the tip of 60-Foot Slough, and another’s pumped in four, and the bass could be bagged, when boaters got the weather to sail, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>.  The weather was often windy, including through the weekend. Those fish were decked Monday in better weather, and forecasts called for winds today, but winds were calm. Forecasts at the moment look like Saturday’s winds will be fine. Winds this season sometimes kept commercial boats from sailing for fresh bunker, the popular bait for the bay’s stripers, but the supply of the menhaden was improved compared with before. Order bunker ahead to ensure a supply. Green crabs, a favorite blackfish bait, are stocked, and more will arrive, and the blackfish bag limit will be increased to six Wednesday from the current limit of one. That’ll give anglers another option to target. 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>

Bigger striped bass, including 50-inchers, were sometimes docked at Fortescue, said Capt. Howard from the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>. That was potentially promising, and a few trips sailed for stripers on the Salt Talk through the last week. Shorts usually bit, but Carl Hughes decked a 40-incher. The anglers aboard fished with fresh bunker chunks, and eels were livelined on one trip, but nothing pounced on them. Fresh bunker was available last week, but strong winds blew Friday to Sunday, and that can keep bunker boats from sailing. Open-boat trips are sailing for striped bass when no charter is booked, and anglers can call to confirm.

<b>Cape May</b>

Decent striped bass fishing was socked at the Cape May Rips in the last week with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. Lots of sizeable stripers to 35 pounds were slugged, mostly on eels, a few on spots. Seas were rough several days through the weekend, reaching 6 feet at the Rips.

Fishing for striped bass was weathered out Friday and Saturday with <b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. Dave said. But a striper trip sailed aboard Sunday, racking up three keepers to 40 inches on the bay just off Fortescue on bunker chunks. More bunker than before were seen schooling the bay, so that might be good for striper fishing. More of the trips are slated for Friday to Sunday. Space is available for trips on Thanksgiving weekend.

Lots of sizeable striped bass were nailed aboard at the Cape May Rips the past week on eels and spots, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Was a good week, he said, and all the trips angled plenty of big bass, and only a few throwbacks bit. Al Kinsell’s trip bagged stripers to 30 pounds, and the Cartaski charter clocked stripers to 33 pounds. The Gardner outing iced a similar catch, and the O’Rourke charter limited out on stripers Thursday. Bill Moore’s trip was very good, and Bill hauled in his personal-best 34-1/2-pound striper.

On the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> striped bass fishing scored okay on the bay on bunker chunks, Capt. George said. Winds were tough Friday through Sunday, and sometimes winds against the tide also made fishing rough. A trip Friday was weathered out. But a trip Thursday put together a good catch of stripers with anglers from Philadelphia Fire Department Battalion 1. A trip Saturday bagged four stripers 41 inches, 40 inches, 38 inches and 29 or 30 inches with Herb Hollinger’s group. They competed in a striper tournament from Sea Isle City, and George was unsure how they fared in the event. Trips will keep striper fishing, and are also sea bass fishing on the ocean. Charters will also sail for blackfish once the bag limit is raised to six of the tog Wednesday from the current limit of one.

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