<b>Staten Island</b>

Big bluefish schooled from locally, in the Arthur Kill, to down the Staten Island coast, said Pat from <b>E-Z Catch Saltwater Traps & Tackle Co.</b>. The shop started moving butterfish, Pat said, so he knew that blues, around for some time now, remained. Striped bass began to perk up in the Arthur Kill at night, but blues mostly made up catches there. Striper fishing was improving at the Shrewsbury Rocks in the ocean. Anglers on foot on Staten Island cranked in blackfish, good catches, from places like the St. George Fishing Pier and the Stapleton home port bulkhead. Porgies and snapper blues were swiped from the Arthur Kill. Blueclaw crabs will be trapped through the month, before they burrow in the mud for winter. In freshwater largemouth bass should be able to be caught during the daytime, because of cooler weather, at places including Sylvan Lake. They bit during low-light hours through summer. Roostertails and spinner baits were best during daytime, Pat thought.  The store is also a <b><i>premier manufacturer and supplier of saltwater traps</i></b> for wholesale and commercial, including custom building and servicing. See the online <a href="http://www.e-zcatch.com/catalog" target="_blank">catalog of traps</a>. E-Z Catch is also a train store.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

“Amazing what a shot of colder weather will do to the bite!” Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> wrote Monday in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Striped bass put up action right from the start on the day’s trip. Smaller bass and a few keepers chewed at first. But “the bigger babies took over,” Ron said, after the tide changed. Tom Krako was high hook, landing 16 stripers, and won the pool with a 17-pounder. Anchor Joe landed a dozen, and several others scored double digits. Watch a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfaP39Fge9w&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">video</a> of the day’s trip. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Bottom fishing aboard was trip by trip, depending on conditions, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. The fishing was up and down, and Monday’s trips shoveled up good catches of porgies, mostly small, but some keepers. A shot of blackfish was creamed on Monday afternoon’s trip at one spot. “Pretty decent,” Tom said. Tuesday morning’s trip picked mostly porgies, mixed sizes. Fishing was a little better on Wednesday morning’s trip, picking mixed-sized porgies. Conditions, strong winds, including against the tide, were terrible on Wednesday afternoon’s trip. The angling was tough, but a few fish were caught. On this morning’s trip so far, Tom said when he gave this report aboard over the phone at 10:30, mixed sizes of porgies were picked, but some sizeable ones were in the mix, and out-of-season sea bass were thrown back, and no blackfish showed up. Lots of sea bass, an incredible number, were tossed back every day, unfortunately. “You should see how many,” Tom said. “And they say none are around.” The Atlantic Star is bottom fishing for porgies and blackfish on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and clams are provided for bait. Tom had been planning to switch to one ¾-day bottom trip daily starting Tuesday, but might continue the twice daily schedule another week. Anglers can call to find out the schedule.

<b>Highlands</b>

Trips on the <b>Hyper Striper</b> tugged in striped bass, blues, porgies and blackfish, Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. Here’s a rundown. Saturday morning’s trip: Rob Borny’s party, limit of stripers, lots of big porgies. Saturday afternoon’s trip: Christian Astle’s gang, trolled a good catch of stripers and blues. A trip Sunday morning with Rick Papera: Slow fishing “with big blues chopping up our eels,” Capt. Pete said. Sunday afternoon’s trip: Frank Mills’ crews, trolled stripers and blues. A trip Tuesday: Ryan McMahon’s party, good striper action, then loaded up on big porgies, and limited out on one blackfish per angler. Trips also included Mike Tartaglia’s charter, boxing 11 stripers to 18 pounds, then sliding a few blackfish in the box, and, this morning, Jeff Schwietzer’s charter, beating up stripers to 25 pounds, limiting out early, “and now playing catch and release with the togs,” Pete said in the e-mail at 10:30 a.m. aboard today. 

Boating for striped bass seemed hit or miss, usually better on incoming tide, because of clearer waters, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. Waters were dirty otherwise. The stripers were clammed or eeled, and Gene Graham, the marina’s striper sharpie, had been catching the fish on clams, but now seemed to begin eeling them. Lots of boaters bottom fished, coolering porgies and blackfish. One bottom angler from the docks picked at cod and ling. Offshore anglers supposedly smoked yellowfin tuna and longfin tuna, lots of both, at Hudson Canyon. Winds blew a lot lately, cranking 30 knots this morning, remaining at 15 to 20 this afternoon. But the weekend’s weather looks better. Fresh clams and all the frozen baits for inshore are stocked. The full supply of offshore baits is carried.

<b>Neptune</b>

The following, from an edited e-mail from Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, was posted here as an update Tuesday, but is being re-posted in case anyone missed it: “Fall fishing continues to be VERY GOOD. Lots of bluefish, stripers, big porgies, blackfish, cod and tuna being caught NOW. Individual-Reservation Schedule: STRIPERS, Oct 9, one spot left, Oct 12, 19 and 29 (moved from Oct 30), spots available, $100/person. CANYON, Oct 7-8 and 14-15, all full. Will be putting another trip together week of Oct 17, $400/person. If interested, e-mail or call. OFFSHORE-COD/POLLACK, $225/PERSON, Oct 23, full. Next trip for cod, Nov 8th. BLACKFISH, Nov 16, $100/person, Nov 18, spots available. Available for charters AM or PM both boats.”

<b>Belmar</b>

About 40 bluefish, mixed sizes, averaging 8 pounds, were bombed on a trip Sunday with <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Jared said. The trip didn’t sail far from shore, because the outing was looking for striped bass. A few bass, not many, currently seemed to be caught. A charter aboard is set to fish for tuna at the canyons Saturday. Catches were supposedly great, “so we’ll see,” Jared said.

The boat was repowered, and <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b> is back fishing, seven days a week, Capt. Kris said in an e-mail. An open-boat trip is set to fish for striped bass and false albacore on Wednesday. Check out <a href="http://www.fishstixnj.com" target="_blank">Fish Stix’s new Web site</a>. New features include a Feedback Section, a Video Gallery and an Open Boat Section. Visitors can post comments on the site’s reports, and can recommend anything on the site on Facebook to your friends.

Porgy fishing was good aboard, and an 11-pound blackfish was hauled over the rail Wednesday, on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. The Big Mohawk is bottom fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Bluefish, big ones, very good catches, and false albacore were tackled on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, Capt. Alan said. When the striped bass migration arrives, trips will switch to fishing for them.  For now, the Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The party boat <b>Tropical Adventure</b>, Alan’s other boat, will begin bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily on November 1, opening day of sea bass season.

For anglers on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b> bluefish bit well, and some were huge, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Jigs and bait nailed them, and striped bass were mixed in sometimes. On Monday’s striper trip, only a handful of shorts were managed, so the fishing “was not all that productive,” the report said. The Golden Eagle is bluefishing daily 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Striperthons are sailing Mondays and Fridays through November, but will not run next week, because of an open-boat tuna trip and a tuna charter. Check the <a href="http://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/tuna_schedule_res_form_2011.pdf" target="_blank">Golden Eagle’s canyon tuna schedule and reservations form</a> for info about tuna trips.

Surf casters picked away at striped bass, “but nothing to write home about,” said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. “Far from blitz fishing,” he said. False albacore, not a lot, but some, were fought in the surf the other day. Anglers on Shark River picked at snapper blues, small porgies, and kingfish. Dynamite bluefishing was crushed on the party boats. False albacore were sometimes in the mix, but fewer than previously. Bottom-fishing party boats intercepted good catches of porgies and blackfish.

<b>Brielle</b>

This report was posted here as an update Tuesday and is being re-posted in case readers missed it. From an edited e-mail from Capt. Ryan from the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>: “Very good cod trip Monday on a beautiful flat calm ocean. Mostly large schoolie fish 6-10 pounds, with only a 16-pound pool winner. Over 200 keeper fish boated for a relatively small crowd – anybody's guess how many throwbacks. Yup, a lot of the same guys: Dale Isaacs, Manchester, 21 cod; Ray Bryant, So .Orange, 16 cod; Alex Pisani, 19 cod; Tim Keebler/Jim Davis teamed up for 33 cod; Omar Richardson, 9 cod; Frank Elsishans, 16 cod; and OK Kim, 16 cod. A few ling were also caught, not as many as last trip. ADDING NEW DATES: October 12, 19 and 22, 2 a.m., for cod. Call to reserve.”

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Things were quiet, said Chuck from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Nothing really bit at the inlet, and like one angler fished there. No catches were heard about from the surf. A few striped bass were hooked at the Point Pleasant Canal, and blackfish chomped everywhere. The boats stayed docked the past couple of days, except the party boat Jamaica was seen steaming to the ocean. Chuck guessed the party boats currently were sailing for bluefish and tuna. Tuna fishing seemed good. Anglers waited for the fall migration of striped bass and blues. <b>***THIS TACKLE SHOP IS FOR SALE! CALL: 732-899-5760.***</b>

The weather looks great, so open-boat trips will sail Saturday and Sunday with <b>Reel Class Charters</b>, Capt. Allen said. Room is available, and the trips are first come, first served. The trip Saturday, a full-day outing, will bottom fish for porgies and tog and jig for striped bass and blues. The trip Sunday, a half-day outing in the morning, will hunt tog locally, looking for big fish. See <a href=" http://www.reelclassfishing.com/rates/open-boat-info" target="_blank">Reel Class’s open-boat page</a> online.

On the party boat <b>Dauntless</b> porgies, sometimes blackfish, and a few blues, but mostly porgies, were scooped up, Capt. Butch said. The fishing was fair, and anglers averaged 5 to 20 fish apiece, a mix of the species, but mostly porgies. Most anglers bagged one blackfish. Plenty of out-of-season sea bass bit, and this was the time of year when sea bass really start to be seen on the grounds, because waters are cooling. Trips fished in 30 to 60 feet, and waters were 63 to 64 degrees. The ocean was cooling, but was that temperature on the grounds a week or 1 ½ weeks. No striped bass were seen aboard this week, but about one was landed daily on trips last week, and a few were missed each trip then, because anglers weren’t expecting a striper. “It’s porgy time,” Butch said. “Get out while the weather’s nice!” The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Canyon trips offshore were bailing lots of longfin tuna, yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. A swordfish or two were pumped in on every trip, and anglers who wanted tilefish could drop lines to bottom to pull them in at almost every location fished. The fishing’s been good, Bob said, and the tuna mostly weighed 30 to 60 pounds, and the swords were mostly 75 to 100 pounds. A 48-hour trip aboard last week from Wednesday to Friday was very exciting, Bob wrote in a report on the boat’s Web site. Fish bit nearly the whole time on the tuna grounds, with only a few breaks in the action. On the first night to day, the Gambler was drifted for miles, and the anglers caught 25- to 50-pound longfins, 30- to 60-pound yellowfins, a swordfish, mahi mahi and tilefish. The tuna were hooked on both bait and jigs. The action slowed halfway through the second day. Then, as the boat was sailed to another location, the trip stopped at flotsam, and 4- to 20-pound mahi mahi gave up very good fishing for a solid two hours, before the trip moved on. Winds and seas became rough by the time the boat was anchored at the new spot, and those conditions and winds against the tide made fishing difficult. But a big yellowfin tuna was landed within 1 ½ hours, “and it was game on again,” Bob said. Yellowfins and longfins, and a swordfish, were fought throughout the night. “Truly a trip to be remembered,” Bob said. The Gambler will probably fish the canyons at least through the month, and if the fishing keeps up, a couple of trips might be added in November. Room is available on the trips, especially on weekdays. Anglers might even be able to jump on a trip last minute, if a space or two or so are available. Don’t hesitate to call to ask. Visit the <a href="http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.html" target="_blank">Gambler’s tuna schedule</a> online. An Exotics Trip, targeting false albacore and bonito, is slated for 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, October 15. Striped bass trips will begin November 1.

<b>Toms River</b>

Tons of blowfish remained around the BI and BB markers on Barnegat Bay, and some swam toward the Route 37 Bridge and the Seaside Heights docks, said Lou from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Nothing was heard yet about stripers caught along the bay or sod banks. Snapper blues swam abundant in the back waters and bay. Few crabbed this time of year, but those who did, caught. In the surf stripers were sometimes yanked in, and small blues roamed. The stripers were clammed or were plugged on small swimmers or other lures.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

The surf churned up striped bass and blues, 4-pounders, at Island Beach State Park during the weekend, said a report on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ Web site. One customer bagged one of the keeper stripers on a Deadly Dick. Mullet migrated down the beaches fairly steadily. “(The) backwater bay and river spots,” the report said, began to give up stripers at night on plugs and bait. The shop was clearing out tackle to make room for new goods. So a $10 bin was holding a limited supply of Gibbs Danny Plugs, Salty Plugs and Big Eds, “to name a few,” the report said. Grab them fast, because they won’t last long. The shop was tying a massive number of teaser rigs to get ready for the fall’s sand eel invasion. Pick them up, be ready when it happens. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, eels and the complete line of baits is stocked. Catch Wacky Wednesdays, featuring clams for $2.75 per dozen.

<b>Forked River</b>

A few striped bass began to be picked up, like at Barnegat Inlet, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Blues sometimes snuck into the inlet, and blowfish kept biting in Barnegat Bay at the BI and BB markers. Not many people crabbed, but the blueclaws were likely around. Nothing was heard about the ocean in the weather. Fresh clams, eels and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Barnegat</b>

Fishing aboard was expected to stay on Barnegat Bay today on the <b>Hi Flier</b>, because of weather forecasts, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. But forecasts are gorgeous for Friday and Saturday, so open-boat trips will run off to Barnegat Ridge and/or the Mudhole. Waters cleaned up to crystal clear, so the trips will pack spearing and live bait, targeting bonito, false albacore and bluefin tuna. “Looking to anchor and bait fish more than troll on these trips,” Dave said. The trips on Friday and Saturday will leave at 6 a.m., returning around 2 p.m., limited to three people, and all fish are shared. On the bay, trips on deck are fishing for blowfish and kingfish. “The fish have been quality in size,” Dave said. The boat is anchored around the BI and BB markers, and a chum slick is started. Anglers use ultralight, 6-pound outfits, “and when the kings hit, they burn some drag,” Dave said. “At the end of the trip, you have a nice Ziplock of tasty Barnegat Bay fish.” Trips on the bay can combo striper fishing, if anglers want to purchase live spots, and Dave has them, and some of the bass have been caught at Barnegat Inlet. Six-hour charters are available for the bay fishing for four anglers.

<b>Surf City</b>

Kingfish and blues ran the surf, and anglers looked forward to the fall migration of striped bass in the waters, said Sue from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. Bloodworms or FishBites nipped the kings, and mullet on mullet rigs grabbed the blues. Small stripers were sometimes beached, and occasionally a keeper was. A drum was heaved in from the beach at 25th Street today. Keep up with the latest news in <a href="http://www.surfcitybaitandtackle.com/" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s fishing reports</a> on the shop’s Web site. Or keep in touch on <a href=" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surf-City-Bait-and-Tackle/207533229268619
" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Facebook page</a>.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Here we go! A few catches of larger striped bass, fish that weren’t there before, were heard about that were clammed at Grassy Channel on Wednesday evening, Maureen from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> said. The shop’s Web site also reported a 29-incher landed at Graveling Point on the bay Tuesday evening, and a 39-incher taken Wednesday morning closer to the inlet than Graveling. Fishing for kingfish, blowfish and porgies on the bay was a struggle Wednesday, and though messy winds were difficult, the stripers might’ve been the reason for the slower angling. The bay at Graveling had already begun to turn out smaller stripers, the shop’s Web report said Monday. “That’s new for this time of the year,” it said.

<b>Absecon</b>

Northwest winds and chilly nights appeared to make striped bass begin sliding down to the local coast, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. He expects that by the middle of next week, with the full moon, striper fishing will begin to be in full swing. The surf was a good spot to meet a bass, and mullet definitely migrated the waters. Dave was castnetting decent catches, stockpiling them for live, fresh and frozen bait. Kingfish held in the surf and just inside the inlets. Bluefish in the surf were a little bigger than before. Blackfishing was on fire, and was too bad one of tog was the bag limit. Small blues popped up in the back bay, but not thickly. Panfish like porgies were a main catch in the bay. Lots of good-eating fish like that were around. A few of the porgies were keepers around the Brigantine Bridge. Porgies could reportedly be located at the ocean wrecks, though nobody really fished the wrecks, because sea bass season was closed, and because of the blackfish bag limit. Sea bass supposedly carpeted the wrecks incredibly. White perch fishing became better and better in the rivers and along some back areas of the bays. Some of the fishing was very good. The shop is full-on ready for the fall striper run. Live mullet, spots and eels are stocked. Fresh clams and green crabs are on hand. All the frozen baits are ready.

<b>Brigantine</b>

A 32-inch striped bass had just been weighed in from the beach when Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> gave this report over the phone today. Doug Grover landed the fish at the Brigantine Cove on a fresh mullet chunk on a circle hook. That was the only striper seen in the past days, but striper fishing will explode one day. That could happen any time, maybe even this weekend, Andy said. Kingfish littered the surf, and blowfish showed up there. The blues in the surf were becoming bigger, up to 20 inches. Fresh clams, fresh mullet, bloodworms and all the frozen baits are stocked. All baits are in. 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. Again, the Atlantic County Surf Fishing Derby is also happening.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Lots of kingfish crammed the surf, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. So did tog along the jetties, and the surf also served up big spots, sea perch and occasional striped bass. Everything was in, Noel said, phenomenal. “Whoever comes down here, is definitely going to catch something,” he said. The year, except for rains, was great for angling. No migrating stripers and blues yet arrived, but tons of mullet, baitfish they’ll feed on, schooled. The big spots in the wash had only just arrived. The stripers currently caught included at least keeper-sized fish. Bluefish swam abundant in the back bay. What you catch depends on where you go, and it’s been good, Noel said. Fresh mullet, fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms, green crabs, minnows, eels and the full supply of baits is stocked. Green crabs are $4 per dozen or $10 per three dozen, and bloodworms are $10 per dozen. Fresh bunker are $2 apiece or three for $5.

<b>Margate</b>

Blackfish were bucketed on the party boat <b>Keeper</b>, Capt. John said. Open-boat trips chased them, but a charter did Wednesday, landing a hundred or a hundred-fifty, including some keepers. Plenty of the tog were around, and one was the bag limit, but anglers played catch and release with the rest. Trips aboard will probably fish two more weekends, maybe three, before taking a break through winter. The Keeper is fishing on two trips Saturdays 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and one trip Sundays 8 a.m. to 12 noon. The fare is only $24 per adult.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Lots of kingfish flooded the surf up and down, and a good run of mullet was happening along the beach front, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Wading surf anglers felt mullet hitting legs. Blues 3 to 5 pounds were around in the surf, and so were schoolie striped bass, not really keepers, but occasionally a 30-inch legal one. One customer walloped 30 stripers in the surf in the early morning, throwing plugs into mullet. All the bass were shorts to 27 inches, but the angler had a great morning. Seas were rough for ocean fishing, but the weather this weekend should finally be great for ocean boating. Croakers schooled the ocean in around 45-foot depths, and John would look for them in 45 to 60 feet from Lucy the Elephant to the Ferris wheel. No reports came in from the ocean wrecks, because of weather. But blackfish should be on the wrecks, and John knows lots of out-of-season sea bass covered the wrecks. In the back bay, snapper blues swam all over, and good catches of blackfish came from along the bridge at the island’s north end. Blackfish littered all the bridges, and green crabs were the main bait. Nobody fished offshore because of weather. Second-hand reports said tuna and marlin galore swam to the south, but no customers could confirm that.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Surf anglers banked kingfish, excellent catches, on bloodworms and artificial worms, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Bluefish swam almost everywhere, including in the back bays and inlets, and sometimes in the surf. Mullet was the best bait for the blues in the surf. But surf anglers could clock them on lures like Kastmasters and spoons, if they put in the time. Striped bass, not a ton of keepers, but some, were socked on the bay in the mornings and evenings on popper lures. They were slugged at night under the lights at bridges and docks on soft-plastic lures. Croakers and a few triggerfish hovered at the ocean wrecks and reefs. Every report from the canyons talked about good fishing. Yellowfin tuna, a few longfin tuna, bigeye tuna, swordfish and mahi mahi were gaffed.

Chuck Cusshall aboard the back bay Wednesday evening fly-rodded one striped bass and missed several, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish chased both a popper fly before sunset and a black Seaducer after dark, and there was lots of activity. Stripers swarmed, and bait filled the waters, and striper fishing remained good on the bay. The fish bit during the daytime, in the evenings and at night. After Work Special Trips are ideal. Looking ahead, Jersey Cape will fish the fall migration of large stripers and blues on the ocean anytime from late October to December. November is a peak month, and the charter schedule was already tight then. Plan ahead if you want to fish the fall run, the best fishing of the year. Offshore fishing was currently good. “No question,” Joe said. Lots of tuna were chunked at night, and white marlin were on the hunt at the southern canyons like the Poorman’s and Baltimore, and farther south. Jersey Cape is fishing offshore. Joe this weekend will return to Montauk for annual trips that fish the fall migration of stripers, blues and false albacore that he offers. The trips began last week, covered in the last report, and will continue at least through the next two weekends, and limited space remains for the charters. 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>Wildwood</b>

Fishing was weathered out through the weekend on the party boat <b>Adventurer</b>, Capt. Gary said. But this weekend’s trips, fishing the ocean for blues, croakers and weakfish, and sometimes blackfish, are expected to sail in good weather. The trips fish for blackfish if there’s opportunity. If striped bass show up along the coast this fall, charters will be available for them. Open-boat trips are sailing on weekends when no charter is booked, and call to confirm the schedule.

Striped bass began to be landed on the back bay, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. Some scored well on them, and Mike this week heard about a location, “which I’m not telling you,” he said! One angler fished with tuna chunks, of all things, talking about catches of 20 stripers per trip. The population of small bluefish in the bay was “hardy,” Mike said. Plenty of snapper blues were around, and an angler with kids fished for them from the docks, floating minnows 2 feet under a bobber, wiping up on lots of 8- to 10-inchers. Small sea bass, undersized, swam plentiful in the bay, and out-of-season summer flounder were hooked there, and let go. Crabbing never really took off this year, for some reason. But a rental boater on Wednesday crabbed, returning with maybe two dozen. Canal Side will be open through Saturday, before closing for winter. The shop will be reopened when summer flounder season opens in spring. Minnows and nearly all the baits stocked this year are on hand. Live crabs for eating are no longer being sold, and the commercial crabber pulled the pots. The supply of crabs lasted a couple of weeks longer than usual.

<b>Cape May</b>

Summer flounder fishing was slow, but the weather was rough, and this weekend’s weather will be much better, so trips will see if more of the fish show up then, said Capt. Paul from the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>. Trips aboard are fishing on a Research Set Aside Permit that allows the vessel to sail for flounder after the flounder season closed. Bluefish were sometimes reeled aboard, too. The weather was rough for a long time now, and flounder usually bunch up someplace this time of year, but trips were hardly able to get out in the conditions. During the weekend Craig Constantino, Voorhees, aboard bagged two flounder to 4 ½ pounds, and Rudy B., Morganville, on deck boxed two flounder to 4 pounds, releasing a bunch of shorts. Paul will see how trips go through Columbus Day on Monday, or whether enough anglers show up, then decide whether trips will keep sailing daily or only on weekends afterward. Some anglers want to try for flounder, so trips will continue targeting the fish. Trips might begin sailing for sea bass November 1, opening day of sea bass season, so long as no striped bass are around. If stripers are around, trips might go for them. But the season was too early to tell what will happen. Stripers showed up sometime in November last year. Small blues were currently too abundant to eel for stripers at the Cape May Rips anyway. The blues would tear up the bait. Stripers, apparently resident, non-migrating fish, at the moment were hooked at places like the bridges in the back bay. The Porgy IV sails at 8 a.m.

Mullet migrated the surf, and striped bass and blues began to be on them, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. One angler landed eight stripers at the cove this morning on a sand eel imitation. Good sign. The blues were small but some were larger or 12 to 18 inches. A piece of mullet on a mullet rig would catch them. Stripers were played on the back bay and at Cape May Inlet. To hook them at the inlet, anglers livelined snapper blues or baitfish. A bucktail with a soft plastic lure could score well toward the end of the inlet, too. Not a lot was heard about Delaware Bay, but news about striper catches from the bay should be heard soon. Croakers with kingfish mixed in probably swam the bay. Nothing was heard about offshore in the weather. Fresh mullet and fresh clams, in the shell and shucked, are stocked. Fresh bunker might be carried this weekend, and green crabs are scarce, so Nick isn’t optimistic they’ll be available. All the frozen baits are on hand.

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