<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Fishing was good for striped bass and blackfish during the weekend, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Stripers were tackled throughout the bay, and reportedly shallow waters turned them out on Friday and Saturday, and deeper waters did on Sunday. Fresh bait will probably be on hand for Friday and Saturday.  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>

A few better-sized striped bass were boated on trips on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Lots of throwbacks chomped, but several of the fish were larger, like a 42-incher and a 38-incher bagged on the boat Sunday. On a trip aboard Friday, 26- and 27-inch throwbacks were abundant, but a couple of keepers around 33 inches were pumped in. Like lots of fishing, the angling was a matter of being at the right place at the right time. The fishing took moving around to different places. On the trip Friday, after the throwbacks kept biting, the boat was moved to the 19 buoy, and keepers were finally claimed. No bluefish showed up on the Buccaneer’s trips, but a few blues caught were heard about. Fresh bunker for bait was scarce and expensive. Charters on the boat are only $400, compared with $500 or $600 on other vessels. More striper charters are set to sail on the vessel this weekend.

The party boat <b>Salt Talk</b> sailed a couple of days for striped bass, producing some keepers and shorts, nothing to set the world on fire, Capt. Howard said. A few big bluefish were hooked. Jeff Stewart aboard bagged a 20-pound 38-inch striper. The fish on the boat were caught on bunker chunks, and Howard carried eels on deck, but the eels were never tried. A trip was expected to sail this week on Monday, and that would be the final one of the season aboard. Howard thanks everyone who sailed this season on the boat. The vessel’s fishing will kick off again in May, running first for stripers and drum.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b> bunker-chunked striped bass to 30 and 32 pounds during the weekend on the bay, Capt. Eric said. Trips lately each reeled in four or five keeper stripers and lots of throwbacks from the bay, keeping the anglers busy all day. O-Beth will keep sailing for stripers from Cape May another week, then will move the boat to Margate to sail for blackfish probably until the week before Christmas. The outings from Margate will include open-boat trips.

Fishing for striped bass was up and down, hot one day, not the next, at the Cape May Rips aboard, said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>. Every day was different, but the keepers bagged were 20 pounds and larger. Lots of throwbacks were mixed in, so the anglers worked for keepers. The fishing was decent on the boat Sunday. The trips fished with livelined spots and eels. On Saturday’s trip half the bass caught pounced on spots, and half jumped on eels, and the smaller stripers chomped the spots. On Sunday’s trip all the bass caught grabbed spots. The supply of spots was running low, and T.J. expected to have them until about Wednesday. On T.J.’s other boat, sailing from Tuckerton, blackfishing was awesome. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing for the tog.

Anglers fished for striped bass at the Cape May Rips on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Bob said. Catches were fairly good, and some of the fish were healthy sized, none giant, and lots of throwbacks hit. A trip aboard Sunday heaved in stripers to 30 pounds.

Twelve striped bass to 42 inches were bunker-chunked on the bay Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> with John Resticcio’s charter from Johnson Farms in Hammonton, Capt. George said. Shorts and big bluefish were also hooked. Striper fishing was a little slow on Saturday with Marian Nardone’s group, producing a couple of the fish. So the anglers switched to tog fishing, reeling in the blackfish to 3 or 4 pounds, mostly 14- and 15-inchers. J.J. Luca’s charter on Friday belted a mediocre catch of stripers aboard. Delaware Bay where the boat fished in the past days was 53 degrees, and the ocean was 57. Trips are running for stripers and blackfish, and call if interested.

A trip aboard Saturday bailed striped bass, limiting out by 8 a.m., with <b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. Dave said. Countless throwbacks were released, and, after the anglers limited out, additional keepers were let go. The fish weighed up to 25 pounds, and a trip on the boat Sunday wasn’t so good, and three keeper stripers were bagged, and probably 30 throwbacks were released. The trips fished on Delaware Bay, sailing from Fortescue, though Relentless was usually docked at Cape May this season. The stripers were hooked on bunker chunks and jigs. Fishing with jigs is unusual on the bay, but lots of stripers were marked, so the trips tried jigging, and it worked. The bay was 50 degrees where the boat fished, and no bluefish were caught, and good numbers of bunker schooled.

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