This is the final Delaware Bay Report of 2011!

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Fishing for striped bass was probably better now than all season along the South Jersey Coast, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers reported very good catches, including from the bay. One customer ran a trip this weekend that pounded nine stripers off the E.P. Tower in 10 feet. But the fish seemed spread throughout the bay. Fresh bunker, the favorite bait for the bay, will be stocked at the shop through Sunday. Afterward the store will be closed for a winter break. Call ahead to ensure a supply of bunker, especially for Sunday, because the store will order no more than needed for that day. A few eels, not a lot, are stocked, and so are green crabs for tog fishing, and tog fishing was going well. Bloodworms are no longer carried, and demand was low. Sea bass season will be open until closing January 1, so anglers currently have their last chance at sea bass for the season. The ocean was 51 degrees, ideal for striper fishing. Conditions for striper fishing were better now than in November. 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 including a 37-incher and a 36-incher and bluefish were beaten on a trip Sunday on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said. So that was a nice day, he said, and seas were rough on another charter on the boat Saturday, but the trip also caught stripers. Quite a few stripers were angled on both trips, and plenty remained in the bay, but those were the final trips of the season on the Buccaneer. The fish were still entirely possible to catch. Stripers near Fortescue were resident fish or younger bass that were yet to migrate. Still, sizeable ones swam among them. During some years migrating stripers swim the bay near Fortescue. But the migrators seemed to remain toward the ocean this year. Ralph thanks everyone who fished aboard this season, and looks forward to next season. Trips next year will launch in spring with drum fishing. Ralph is a pioneer of drum fishing, running trips for them since the 1960s, before the rest of the fleet sailed for the boomers. His drum schedule gets packed, so think about locking in the charter dates while they’re available.

<b>Cape May</b>

Striped bass, lots of throwbacks, but some big keepers, were socked at the Cape May Rips on trips Friday and Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. The shorts gave up lots of action, and the keepers were all beauties. Larry Walker’s charter aboard Friday whacked stripers to a 46-incher. Joe Derito’s charter on deck Sunday whaled stripers to a 43-incher. The 43-incher was actually heavier than the 46-incher, a long, skinny fish. So sizeable stripers could be slugged at the rips, on eels or bucktails. Those were the final trips of the year on the Heavy Hitter, and the vessel was being pulled from the waters for the year. But George has access to another boat to run charters on through this winter. Trips with him will remain available for stripers, as long as the linesiders stick around, sea bass, cod and blackfish. Sea bass fishing was good, but far offshore, and the season for them will close January 1. Decent cod catches were boxed. Call if interested in any of this fishing.

Fishing for striped bass at the Cape May Rips last week aboard was the best yet this season, Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b> said. He wrapped up his season with the trips, and the catches went very well last Monday to Wednesday. One trip landed 13 keepers. The Horn charter bagged five keepers and reeled in 40 stripers total, including throwbacks. Trips scored lots of action. Catch this: Holiday gift certificates are available for trips aboard. Bob thanks everyone who sailed aboard this year, and will kick off fishing again on the boat probably in March, starting with striper fishing. Drum trips will launch in May.

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