<b>Keyport</b>

Winds were terrible in the last days, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. No trips aboard sailed then, but charters or open-boat trips are available for striped bass fishing Tuesday through Sunday. Or the trips, if anglers want, could sail for a combo of stripers, porgies and blackfish.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

On the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> the striped bass trip Sunday headed out once again in nasty weather, with a hard west wind, “just the way the bass like it,” Capt. Ron said in a report on the vessel’s Web site. The high hooks landed three and four keepers, and the stripers were bigger than those hooked previously. Nothing bit on the first couple of stops. “Went to some nastier conditions,” Ron said, and stripers  were beaten right away. Sometimes three to five stripers were hooked at a time, “then nothing,” he said. “Pretty much like that all day.” Check out a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufSzHeVVGXo&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">video of the trip</a>. On the previous day, Saturday’s trip was the first to sail aboard in a couple of days. “It was good to get out and catch something,” Ron said, despite winds blowing 30 knots and stronger. The high hook landed six stripers, and a couple of the anglers reeled in two, and some one, and, as always, others none. A good pick of shorts bit at first. Then a few keepers came in. Winds came on strong at the change of tide, hurting fishing, because most of the anglers probably couldn’t feel the hits. The boat was moved a couple of times to better readings, and stripers were boated immediately, “then it would crap out again,” Ron said. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

One ¾-day trip daily would begin to bottom fish today for porgies and blackfish on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, after two half-day trips ran daily for the fish until now, Capt. Tom said. Two of the half-day trips sailed in the past days – the morning trip Saturday, and the afternoon trip Sunday – between rough weather. Saturday morning’s trip targeted striped bass instead of the bottom fish, so the boat could fish near the beaches instead of in rougher seas farther off. The striper fishing went well. Sunday afternoon’s trip did bottom fish, and a few blackfish and porgies were boxed, and out-of-season sea bass were tossed back. The weather, with strong winds blowing from different directions, beat up the trips, and apparently affected the bottom fishing. How bottom fishing was going was difficult to say, because of the weather. But the hope was that the fishing will settle along with the weather. Green crabs in bulk for blackfish bait are scarce, and Tom is trying to keep them onboard, but that’s no guarantee. The crabs may be more readily available to individual anglers, because shops may be more willing to sell small quantities like that, while supplies are scarce. So if anglers want to target blackfish, they might want to pick up some at a tackle shop on the way to a trip, Tom suggests. Clams are supplied on the trips.  The Atlantic Star is fishing for porgies and blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing was very good on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. All trips aboard limited out in the past week, and each released many keeper-sized bass afterward. Here’s a rundown of the trips. John Hyland’s party limited out on Tuesday, and Arthur Jachowski’s charter limited on Wednesday. On Thursday morning’s trip members of the Hudson River Fisherman’s Association hammered a limit, and on the afternoon’s trip the Manaf Saker gang limited out on stripers to 24 pounds. On Friday morning’s trip Bill Springer’s group whaled super striper fishing, limiting out right away. On the afternoon’s trip Ken Diglio’s crew made another limit. On Saturday afternoon’s trip Bob Huether’s charter crushed super striper fishing, limiting out, and on this morning’s trip Josh Coppola’s party limited out on the fish to 17 pounds.

<b>Neptune</b>

An individual-reservation trip for tuna was expected to sail at 1 p.m. today to the canyons with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. The fishing was very good lately, and he hoped to fill the box with yellowfins. Upcoming individual-rez trips will include those for: striped bass, Saturday, October 29; stripers and sea bass, Sunday, November 6; and cod and pollock, Tuesday, November 8.

<b>Belmar</b>

Seas were snotty, but a trip aboard headed out Sunday on the ocean, said Capt. Kris from <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b>. First the trip looked for striped bass, but only a couple of blues showed up. Bait filled the waters everywhere. So then the trip blackfished, limiting out, playing catch and release with more the rest of the outing. Fish Stix will keep bottom fishing for blackfish and potentially other species like porgies, and will keep targeting stripers. Dates remain for charters this fall, and keep an eye on the <a href="http://www.fishstixnj.com/index.php/open-boat-trips" target="_blank">Fish Stix open-boat page</a> for dates for those trips.

Six striped bass, not big, up to 16 or 18 pounds, were reeled in from the ocean Sunday with <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Jared said. Two of the fish were trolled, and the rest were livelined on bunker. Fin-Ominal prefers to liveline, but livelining wasn’t happening, so the trip trolled. Then the outing whaled a load of porgies while bottom fishing. Seas were somewhat stiff farther from shore, but were okay closer to the coast. An offshore trip for tuna was weathered out aboard during the weekend. The last tuna trip, sailing two weekends ago to a southern canyon 110 miles from the inlet, limited out on the fish. All the tuna were chunked at night starting at 9 p.m. By 4 a.m., the anglers had pummeled the fish, had enough, and they went home. Bait, squid “and everything,” Jared said, filled the waters. A striped bass charter is slated for Tuesday.

<b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b> was blackfishing, catching a limit of one per angler, playing catch and release with more, and the trips were “pretty good,” Capt. Anthony said. Porgy fishing aboard “is good when it’s good, and when it’s tough, is a struggle, of course,” he said. Trips weren’t really striped bass fishing yet. But when a shot of stripers shows up, trips are going after them, sometimes doing a combo of bottom fishing and jigging for stripers.
 
<b>Brielle</b>

Wasn’t much to report, said Chuck from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Just windy, windy, windy, he said. Striped bass had been boated at the Shrewsbury Rocks. Then the fishing petered out. Stripers were decked along the ocean beaches Tuesday and Wednesday, though. But in the winds in the last days, nothing was even heard about surf fishing. When offshore boaters last could sail, they nailed fairly good catches of tuna at Spencer Canyon, and not much at Hudson Canyon. But that angling was covered in reports a week ago today. That was the latest news from there, because of winds.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

No reports were posted for this weekend on <b>Reel Class Charters</b>’ Web site, but reports were posted for the previous Saturday and Sunday. On that Saturday, a mixed-bag trip at first jigged short weakfish and 1- to 2-pound blues on the ocean, according to the site. The trip continued north, and loads of 4- to 7-pound blues, no striped bass, were found. A bunch of the blues were jigged, and the anglers kept one. Then the outing bottom fished, easily limiting out on blackfish, bagging porgies and releasing out-of-season, keeper-sized sea bass. After a couple of hours of the bottom fishing, the anglers searched for stripers again, trolling and jigging, and more bluefish hit. Overall a good day with lots of action, Capt. Allen wrote in the report. On that Sunday, a half-day trip fished aboard. The original plan was to fish for blackfish close to home, but blackfishing was slow there. Seas were calm, so the trip ran north. After another unproductive stop, the trip moved to the area where the bottom fish were located the previous day, Saturday, and began catching. A steady pick of mixed-sized porgies and a few blackfish were pulled in. Porgy fishing was so good that all the anglers switched to them, “and we put some meat in the box,” Allen said. Many of the porgies were small, but some were real jumbos. Good day, Allen said. Charters are fishing, and so are open-boat trips. See <a href=" http://www.reelclassfishing.com/rates/open-boat-info" target="_blank">Reel Class’s open-boat page</a> online for info, including about upcoming, open trips for stripers and blues.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Bluefishing was great Sunday on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The angling began slowly, and dogfish bit. But bluefishing came on, and the angling produced lots of 6- to 12-pounders. The daytime and nighttime trips were weathered out Saturday because of winds. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing 8 a.m. Fridays through Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays. The <a href="http://www.missbarnegatlight.com/TunaFishing.html" target="_blank">Miss Barnegat Light’s tuna trips</a> are fishing overnight Sundays.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “There is a one-day weather window on Tuesday. We are headed to the Mudhole in search of bonito, false albacore and bluefin tuna. Leaving at 6 a.m., returning in the afternoon sometime. We can stay as long as we want. Maybe troll a little while to find some readings, and then set up on the chunk to catch 'em on bait. Calm ocean, blue-ish waters, and October tuna at the Monster Ledge. It's about a 40-mile run, so put your big boy pants on! I already have one signed on, and we have room for two more. Call me on the cell if you want to go: 732-330-5674.  Don't email me -- I will be running around getting stuff ready for tomorrow.”

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Winds just kept blowing, said Capt. Lindsay from the <b>June Bug</b>. No trips got out, and an offshore trip for tuna is slated to fish this weekend. But, when he gave this report this past weekend, forecasts called for winds through this coming Friday. “So we’ll see what happens,” he said. Trips are also fishing inshore for whatever species are available, from bottom fish to bonito and false albacore.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

News rolled in through Thursday about striped bass starting to be caught at the bars at Little Egg Inlet, but howling winds kept most reports from coming in since then, said a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. But the bass were “settling in here little by little,” the report said. On Saturday “there was a little bit of striper action in the Little Egg Inlet,” it said. Bluefish also worked the inlet.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Bluefish swam the Brigantine surf, and one angler checked in a 12-pound striper that inhaled a Riptide Rotter clam in the surf off the Brigantine Hotel on Saturday, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. Anglers from a trip on a charter boat checked in a 33-pound striper bagged on the vessel off the north end of Brigantine on Sunday. That was the only striper on the trip, but if there’s one, there are more, Andy said, and he had the feeling more stripers would show up any time. By Sunday, fresh mullet and bloodworms were stocked, and Andy was trying to stock fresh clams and fresh bunker. Winds kept the clam and bunker boats from sailing. The annual Riptide Striper Derby is under way, lasting to December 23. Anglers who enter the first, second and third biggest stripers from the Brigantine front beach will win $500, $300 and $150, respectively. Plus a $25 weekly prize, a $50 monthly prize and a $100 woman’s prize will be awarded. Entry in the tournament provides beach-buggy access to the island’s front beach for those who have a Brigantine beach-buggy permit.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Winds blew, but the anglers wanted to fish anyway, so some of the annual traveling charters to Montauk fished aboard Saturday and Sunday, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The trips to the legendary port fish the fall migration of striped bass, blues and false albacore. The outings during the weekend, with two anglers, couldn’t fish off Montauk Point, because of winds. But Joe, because of his experience in past years, knows places to fish in all weather, and the trips fished out of the winds. The trip Saturday landed 20 stripers, and the trip Sunday reeled in five. Not many fish were caught by anybody from Montauk that weekend, and only a handful of boats sailed. Fewer than five seemed to sail Saturday, for example. Back in Sea Isle, Jersey Cape is catching stripers on the back bay on popper lures and flies, a specialty on the boat. The fishing should last through the month. Afterward from Sea Isle, Joe will fish the migration of larger stripers and blues on the ocean in November and December. Thanksgiving is usually the peak, and many dates are full. Plan ahead to fish the run, the best angling of the year. See Jersey Cape’s <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page4.html" target="_blank">traveling charters page</a> for more info about the Montauk trips. Also see the page for Jersey Cape’s annual trips to the Florida Keys this winter from Christmas to Easter. Reserve now, taking advantage of the best rates, like on airfare. Anglers can arrive at the Keys on a Friday evening, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, return Sunday evening, and be back to work Monday. The trips can be a mini, fish-filled vacation, for a large variety of catches from redfish to sailfish. Keep up on Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fishing was kept docked on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, and Capt. George thought none of the fleet fished in the weather in the past  week, he said. But the boat is sailing for tuna, and the last tuna charter aboard limited out, covered in a report here previously. Inshore trips can sail for blues. The season’s first striped bass charter aboard is booked for the first week of November. But anglers can charter for stripers before then, if the fish are in. Call if interested.

A tuna trip was weathered out Saturday to Sunday on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Bob said. The boat was docked through the past week because of the weather, and another tuna trip is set for this coming week, but forecasts aren’t looking good. When boats last sailed for tuna, the trips caught. Striped bass fishing will kick off next week on Tuesday for the season on the Down Deep.

One of the boats from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> was being moved to Cape May from Tuckerton today for striped bass fishing for the season, Capt. T.J. said. The vessel fishes from Cape May for stripers every fall, and the crew might fish on the way down. If so, T.J. will try to give results in the next report. Previously T.J. said stripers had sometimes been bunker chunked in Delaware Bay, but no news was heard during the winds in the past days. Charters are fishing for stripers, and so are open-boat trips. Watch Legal Limit’s <a href="http://www.legallimitcharters.com/open-boat.php" target="_blank">open-boat page</a> online for dates.

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