<b>Brooklawn</b>

Now’s the time to be on the bay, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of big striped bass were bunker chunked at places like 60-Foot Slough and the Horseshoe to up the bay at the E.P. Tower and even Ship John near the Delaware River. Fresh bunker was a must-have. Stripers were also sliding down the New Jersey shoreline on the migration south, getting trolled on the ocean from Sea Isle City to farther down the coast on Mann’s Stretch plugs. Sometimes the bass schooled there under birds working the waters. Lots of big bluefish also swam out front. Little was heard about sea bass and blackfish from the ocean. But the blacks could sometimes be found along the surf jetties. Not much was heard from the Delaware River, because anglers honed in on the big bass in the bay. A few stripers were reported lifted from the river, and big catfish swam abundant in the river. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from freshwater to bays to offshore.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Good catches of striped bass were boated, and the fish seemed spread throughout the bay, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Friends decked them south of the 1 buoy during the weekend. But anglers might find the stripers one day and not the next. Most customers sounded happy about the fishing, but a few failed to score much success. The weather, and scarce fresh bunker for bait, were the biggest challenges for striper fishing, like all season. The shop’s been fortunate usually to carry fresh bunker, but stocking the menhaden was a challenge daily. Not much bunker came from the bay, and the weather often kept the bunker boats docked anyway. The shop’s staff usually had to grab the bait from ocean suppliers, driving lots to find it. Call ahead to ensure a supply. Fresh clams are arriving at the store once or twice a week, and aren’t so common this time of year, can’t be found every day. But a supply will arrive Wednesday, and so will green crabs, a favorite blackfish bait. The Girls Place will be open 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving. 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>

Striped bass finally turned on during a couple of trips on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. The catch aboard last Tuesday included four large stripers 41, 40, 36 and 32 inches and five big blues. The catch on deck Wednesday included a 38-pound striper and a big blue. Striper fishing was a matter of right place, right time. Striper angling was slow during the weekend among the fleet, but five stripers were taken on one Fortescue vessel then. The blues on the Salt Talk weighed 9 to 12 pounds. The bay was 53 degrees on the trips aboard during the weekdays, and was 50 degrees in the morning and 52 later in the day while the boat fished during the weekend. Open-boat trips are fishing for stripers when no charter is booked, and anglers can call to confirm.

A couple of keeper striped bass or so were decked each trip aboard in the past days, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>. One was bagged on a trip Monday, and the keepers on trips were up to 42 inches. So they were good-sized. Trips would get on a bite, then move, get on another bite, and so on. The fish would bite on one day, and not the next. A few big bluefish were heard about that were caught, but none was hooked on the Buccaneer. Charters on the boat are only $400, compared with $500 or $600 on other vessels.

<b>Cape May</b>

Three keeper striped bass and quite a few throwbacks were reeled aboard from the bay Saturday with <b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. Dave said. His trips are fishing from Fortescue, and another trip Sunday claimed one keeper striper, letting go quite a few shorts. The fishing’s been not too bad, and all trips lately fished with bunker chunks. The weather was snotty in the mornings recently, causing not great fishing, but the catches picked up later in the mornings. The bay was 50 degrees on the weekend’s trips, and become cold quickly, then stayed that temp. No bluefish were hooked on trips, and Dave heard about none landed.

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