This report was posted on a Wednesday instead of the usual Monday and Thursday because of Thanksgiving.

<b>Keyport</b>

Capt. Joe Romaniello from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> wrapped up his season, he said. The marina began removing the docks for the season, and he’ll dry dock the boat probably by Tuesday. Charters on the boat will kick off again in May, beginning with striped bass fishing, then fluke fishing. Joe thanks everyone who sailed with him this season, and wishes everyone Happy Holidays.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

“Black Friday striped bass fishing at its best,” Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> said about the day’s fishing aboard in a report on the vessel’s Web site. The anglers slugged away at the fish throughout long, productive drifts. Many more shorts than keepers bit, but keepers were bagged, and bluefish were mixed in. The fish were jigged, and a medium retrieve worked best. Bluefish attacked faster retrieves. No report was posted for Saturday, but on the boat Sunday, jigging for stripers was good once again. “Wild bird life and very good readings to stop on,” Ron said. “Finally seeing the keepers we’ve been looking for, with nice, healthy fish.” Catches slowed at slack tide, becoming a pick on a strong outgoing tide, “but never did die for a change,” Ron said. “Stayed local all day.” The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

A few anglers showed up for Thanksgiving’s trip, and not a bad catch, a mix of blackfish and ling, was tugged aboard, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. On Friday’s trip seas were a little sloppy, and fishing was only a pick. Weather was gorgeous on Saturday’s trip, but almost too nice. Holding bottom was difficult, but when conditions improved later in the trip, blackfish and ling were booted aboard. Sunday’s trip fished in one spot the whole time, turning out probably the best fishing of the days. A couple of anglers limited out on blackfish, and some landed no keeper blacks, and some rounded up two or three ling. Tom wouldn’t call the fishing great in the past days, but it was okay, and all anglers probably went home with fish. Good crowds showed up for the trips Friday to Sunday in better weather. The trips Thursday through Saturday jumped around a lot to different places, and each spot gave up catches, some better than others. The blackfish included an 8-pounder, and some of the ling were good-sized.  The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 11/29:***</b> The weather was good on Monday’s trip, and some of the anglers among the small crowd  bagged no keeper blackfish, only shorts, and the ones with keepers seemed to bag two to four, Tom said. On today’s trip rough weather wasn’t expected to arrive until later, but showed up when the boat reached the fishing grounds. Still, fishing was better, churning out a decent catch of blackfish and a fair number of ling, in sloppy conditions. A couple of anglers among the small group limited out on blackfish. None of the tog was very big. Some of the drops on the trips seemed to hold more ling than others, and all harbored blackfish. Many of the blackfish were shorts, but quite a few were keepers. Weather forecasts sound rough for Wednesday, and sound better for Thursday.  

<b>Highlands</b>

With <b>Raritan Bay Charters</b> a trip Sunday eeled striped bass to 16 pounds along the channels, Capt. Dave said. Then the charter blackfished, and the angling was a little slow. A bite would get going, then die out, at each of the six drops. A crew trip on Friday eeled stripers to 14 pounds along the channels then caught blackfish. The blackfish on both trips weighed up to 7 or 8 pounds, and shorts were mixed in, and green crabs nabbed all. Open-boat trips are fishing when no charter is booked.

Fishing was very good through Thanksgiving for <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. Blackfishing became a little tough during the weekend, but anglers aboard managed to scratch out a catch. Angling for striped bass aboard shoveled up good catches, lots of keepers, lots of shorts. Trips on deck during the weekend jigged the stripers on diamond jigs and shad bodies. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips will run for a combo of stripers and blackfish Thursday and Friday. An open Blackfish Marathon will steam Sunday. Call to jump aboard or to be kept informed about future open dates. Fisher Price will keep fishing this season at least through the second weekend of December. Afterward Derek will “play it by ear,” he said.

<b>Neptune</b>

Angling for striped bass and blackfish was very good aboard this weekend, a source from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> said. Capt. Ralph from Last Lady will try to e-mail more info about the fishing, the source said, and if Ralph does, that’ll be posted here as an update. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 11/30:***</b> From an e-mail from Ralph: “Looks like the STRIPERS are going to be around for some time.  Last year this time the water temperature was 4 degrees cooler, and we weren't catching any stripers.  Fri and Sat's charters on the Last Lady  & Last Lady II with Rich (Canvas Shop) and Charlie Creighton bachelor party limited out with stripers and caught blues also. The Bob Graham group caught stripers and blues also, but didn't limit out -- we left a little too late.  IF YOU WANT STRIPERS IT HAS TOO BE EARLY -- 5AM-6AM THE LATEST -- especially true on the weekends. A lot of boat traffic north and south of the inlet. I expect to be catching stripers till Christmas.  BLACKFISHING picked up a little Sunday (approx 20 keepers). Better than last weekend, but still not what it should be yet. IT IS ONLY GOING TO GET BETTER as we go along in the season.  ALL BLACKFISH TRIPS ARE LEAVING AT 6AM NOT 7AM.  Those of you who have spots reserved please confirm this with me via phone or e-mail. We are available for full-boat charters daily on both boats. If you don't have a full charter, contact me, and I'll set up a date for an OPEN TRIP. OPEN-BOAT TRIPS, BLACKFISH, on Last Lady: 12/1, full; 12/3, 3 spots; 12/4, full; 12/10, 1 spot; 12/11, 5 spots; 12/17, 5 spots; 12/18, 5 spots; 12/23, 1 spot; 12/24, 5 spots; 12/31, 4 spots. OPEN-BOAT TRIPS, STRIPERS/BLACKFISH, on the Last Lady II: Dec 4 and Dec 11, spots available. ALL TRIPS BOTH BOATS, 6AM LEAVE.”

<b>Belmar</b>

The four anglers aboard Sunday limited out on striped bass in 90 minutes with <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b>, playing catch and release with more -- good-sized fish -- afterward, Capt. Kris said in a report on the Fish Stix Web site. On Saturday a trip with four anglers aboard limited out on blackfish to 8 pounds. Lots of 5- o 6-pounders were in the mix. A trip on Black Friday with two anglers swung aboard 11 keeper blackfish to 6 pounds, a tough day of the fishing. A steady pick of the tog was copped for 30 minutes. “Very scratchy bites, and the last few fish were ice cold,” Kris said. Charters and <a href="http://www.fishstixnj.com/index.php/open-boat-trips" target="_blank">open-boat trips</a> are fishing.

Good blackfishing was crunched Saturday and Sunday with <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Jared said. On Saturday’s trip, with a group of six who usually striped bass fishes with Fin-Ominal, 35 to 40 keeper blackfish were bagged. On Sunday’s trip, with a group of five who never before blackfished, 16 or 18 of the keeper tog were bagged.  So the anglers on that trip landed four or five keepers apiece, or about eight blackfish apiece including throwbacks. Throwbacks were also let go on Saturday’s trip. On Thursday a crew trip brought Fin-Ominal’s new boat back to Belmar, but striper fished a short time on the outing, boxing two, south of Shark River Inlet. The new boat is bigger than Fin-Ominal’s previous vessel and can charter larger groups to 15 people than on the previous boat, and trips on the larger boat are being booked for next year. <b>***<i>Boat for Sale</i>***</b> Fin-Ominal’s beautiful <a href=" http://www.finominalcharters.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=8" target="_blank">42-foot Sportfisherman</a> is for sale, because of the upgrade to the larger boat.

Tougher striped bass fishing was run across Saturday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Boat traffic was ridiculous, “(and) there was little drift at times,” it said. Stripers and blues didn’t bite nearly as well as previously. “Plenty of fish around; they were just bashful today,” the report said. But fishing was fantastic on the boat’s Striperthon on Friday. The boat limited out on stripers, and a few striper bonus tags were filled, and a decent number of big blues were subdued. “Capt. Rich was able to get to the grounds and beat some of the boat traffic,” the report said. The fish bit well until 11 a.m. Then catches became picky, but a few good shots of action popped up in the early afternoon. The Golden Eagle is sailing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Striperthons are running 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Fridays. Mackerel trips will begin on December 17.

<b>Brielle</b>

On the <b>Big Kid</b> Mike Gallo’s trip last Monday punched striped bass to 18 pounds to the north on the ocean, then wrangled in blackfish to 4 pounds, Capt. Ken said. On Tuesday Dennis Crilly’s charter limited out on stripers to 20 pounds. The Yardville Inn charter on Friday limited out on stripers to 20 pounds and blackfish to 4 pounds. On Saturday a trip with staff from The Fisherman magazine grabbed a slow day of fishing, but landed blackfish and sea bass. The Princeton Van Service charter on Sunday limited out on stripers. All the stripers on the trips were jigged, and space is available for charters in December, and give the boat a call.

A boat limit of blackfish to 8 pounds was cracked Sunday with <b>Fish Monger Charters</b>, Capt. Jerry said in a Facebook post. Steve Socks headed the charter, “(and) Andrew, Jmurr Joey, Eric the Mugging Mortgage Man, Tony Loveshislabs and Don rounded out the all star cast of characters,” Jerry said. The fishing began slowly, and Jerry spoke with lots of people who had a tough bite. So the anglers with Monger waited it out, and that took patience, but a good chew eventually built up. Good-sized keepers started to come in, and a healthy showing of 4- to 8-pounders was creamed. The anglers grinded it out, and limited. A trip aboard Saturday sailed for a mixed bag, first fishing for stripers, limiting out early on them. Boat traffic made striper fishing tough, “but moved around, and fished on reads,” Jerry said. The anglers then made a couple of drops for blackfish, and the angling was picky, but the trip managed to get a chew going, and 24 keepers were picked.

Wreck fishing was spectacular during the weekend on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Joe said in an e-mail. Mostly ling were looted, and cod and sea bass were socked. Anglers and their catches included: Dale Isaacs, Manchester, 58 ling; Bernard Joes, East Orange, 56 ling, 5 sea bass; and Eng Lian, Manalapan, 24 ling, 7 cod and 6 sea bass. Bob Eagle and Kendall from Englewood combined for 97 ling, 6 cod and 12 sea bass. Fourteen-hour wreck trips will fish for sea bass, ling and cod 3 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and December 17. Mudhole wreck trips will sail 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and December 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21 , 23 and 28. A cod trip will head out 2 a.m. to 5 p.m. December 10.

For boaters on the ocean, striped bass fishing wasn’t as good the last couple of days as previously, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. He couldn’t know whether the body of fish moved or something else happened, but the anglers sometimes scored well on Saturday. One trip reportedly scored very well jigging the bass at the Shrewsbury Rocks, so that seemed a good sign that stripers would continue to migrate down the coast from the north. Boaters lately, like through the season, mostly jigged the stripers, and Run Off sand eel jigs caught them well recently. A few bluefish were mixed in, but not many blues showed up among the stripers this season. Surf fishing for stripers went nuts, was very good, on Friday. Nothing bit that morning in the dark, but once daylight started to appear, the fishing took off. Most of the striper weigh-ins came from that action for the shop’s annual, free striper surf fishing tournament for Thanksgiving weekend. Tim Brennan was in the lead with a 21.85-pounder when Dave gave this report over the phone a half-hour before the shop closed Sunday, the final day of the event. Tim should telephone the shop, because Dave was having difficulty reading Tim’s phone number.  On Saturday the surf bite was finished by 7:30 a.m. On Sunday morning the angling wasn’t so good. Ava jigs, T-Hex’s and Point Jude Lures worked well in the surf. Not much was heard about striper fishing on Manasquan River. Fishing in the Point Pleasant Canal seemed finished for the season. Back on the ocean, plenty of blackfish swam, but they bit funny, not aggressively. No customers reported sea-bass fishing. A cod trip on one of the Point Pleasant Beach party boats picked away at cod and landed lots of ling, a bunch of porgies and a few sea bass. One customer’s trip on Friday landed 11 bluefin tuna 100 to 150 pounds on big popper lures and surface plugs. A trip on the boat Saturday couldn’t get the bluefins to bite the lures, but was able to troll some of the fish on Reel Seat green machine spreader bars. The Reel Seat will remain open until Christmas, before the doors are closed for a brief winter break like every year. Anglers can sign up for a holiday wish list at the store, writing down what they would like for holiday gifts, so friends and family can pick up a gift for the angler from the list.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Boat traffic made striped bass fishing tougher on a trip Saturday with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, but eight of the fish were boxed, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. “As soon as it started, it was over,” it said. Charters for a mixed-bag of stripers and bottom fish are sailing, and so are charters and open-boat trips for bottom fishing offshore. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner.

Striped bass fishing was good aboard through the past week, and was slower on Saturday and Sunday, but lots of the fish remained around, and seemed just trickier to catch those days, said Capt. Bob from the party boat <b>Gambler</b>. Lots were read on the fish finder, and lots of bait and birds working the waters were seen. A few blues, 8- to 12-pounders, were still around. The stripers, mostly hooked on Ava 47’s with or without tails, were 85 percent keepers, and pool-winners usually topped 20 pounds. The catch was very good Friday aboard again, and some better-sized bass 15 to 20 pounds were beaten. Most of the anglers probably bagged a keeper, and some limited out on two, and some reeled in three, keeping the third with a bonus tag. The fishing sort of died off after noon, but a good catch was already boated. Lots of sand eels filled the waters. On Saturday’s trip 10-year-old Nick Augustine, Phoenixville, won the pool with a 22-pound striper bagged on an Ava with a black tail in 35-foot depths. The Gambler is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

A few striped bass were weighed in from the surf today that came from “the middle of the island and south,” a report on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ Web site said. “Same techniques as usual: metals and teasers.” Stripers were checked in from the surf Saturday at Island Beach State Park, and a 25-pounder was weighed in from the Ortley Beach wash that day. Lots of action with stripers 8 to 16 pounds, including double-headers, was hammered Friday from shore at Seaside Park to Island Beach. Lots of shad and sand eels schooled the waters at Seaside Park that day. Tuesday’s surf fishing for stripers was off the wall at Island Beach.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Super striped bass fishing was pounded on Thanksgiving on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Most anglers limited out by 9 a.m. The fishing was also great aboard Friday, and plenty of keepers and throwbacks were hooked. “Very few blues today,” the report said. Striper fishing was a little slower on the boat’s trip Saturday, and the fish finder read lots of fish, but lots of boat traffic filled waters. “All the boat traffic causes the stripers to get lockjaw sometimes,” the report said. Fishing for stripers aboard was similar on Sunday: plenty of fish were marked but were “just not feeding heavily,” the report said. Still, the high hook landed eight, and more than a few anglers pulled in more than one striper. Some caught none. “Technique is ultra important when the fish are not jumping on the jigs,” the report said. “Reel about one-third up, and drop back down.” Take advantage of one of the best striper seasons in a long time. “Lots of people asking this weekend, ‘When will you stop fishing for stripers?’” the report said. “Our answer is when the fish leave. If we are catching, and your are coming, we are going.” The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays through Mondays.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 11/29:***</b> From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “The stripers hit hard again today on jigs and soft plastics off IBSP. Sat and Sun, we made the right and fished south of the inlet from 2 to 5 miles in 30 to 50 feet of water, just to steer clear of the few hundred boats that have been congregating off the Coast Guard Station off Island Beach.  We will be running open-boat trips Thurs and Fri, leaving at 6AM, returning at 2PM. Limited to three people, all fish are shared. There is a separate body of fish up north on the Shrewsbury Rocks now, so the good news is, besides the current bite we have near the inlet, those new fish have to filter down our way, as well. With the temps the way they are, and the gobs of sand eels along the coast, we should be in for an interesting couple of weeks. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwgfdJnVkGk" target="_blank">Here is some video</a> of a triple header, including 11-year-old Max DeGennaro on an 18-pounder he decked this past Friday on a 10-pound spinning rod. Saturday, the boat is chartered, and Sunday, I will be putting on my Freehold Fishing Flea Market at Park Ave Elementary School, 280 Park Ave., Freehold, from 9AM to 3 PM. My cell is the best way to reach me: 732.330.5674.”

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Blackfish, awesome catches, were plowed with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. Lots of good-sized ones to 7 pounds were pumped in, and both Saturday’s and Friday’s trips limited out. T.J.’s other boat, sailing from Cape May, fished for striped bass, and see the report below. From Tuckerton, charters and <a href="http://www.legallimitcharters.com/open-boat.php" target="_blank">open-boat trips</a> are fishing.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Ocean striped bass fishing was epic on Friday, Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> said in a report on the shop’s Web site. “Epic!” he repeated. Lots of stripers bit early in the day for anglers fishing the ocean as far south as Long Beach Island’s red tower, and the most consistent catches came from the Brant Beach Lumps. Depths from 18 to 40 feet gave up the fish, and trolling and jigging caught them equally. Stripers, fewer than in the ocean, but sometimes big ones, were clammed at Little Egg Inlet that day. Word said stripers were also boated off Brigantine at the ocean lumps that day. Lots of stripers were winged from the ocean Thursday and Saturday from the Brant Beach Lumps to the red tower. On Sunday, “stripers took the day off,” Scott said. Even surf anglers found no action. But “a little flurry of striper activity,” Scott said, happened today at the inlet, on outgoing tide like usual lately. Occasional large bluefish also jumped on the clam baits. “If you chose to fish chunk mackerel bait and were content to crank on slammer blues and dogfish all day, you would be real busy,” Scott said. Not much was reported from the ocean today, because forecasts for rough weather kept most boaters from sailing the waters.

<b>Brigantine</b>

After slow surf fishing Sunday morning at Brigantine, “it started to heat up in the afternoon,” a report on <b>Riptide Tide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. One angler weighed in a 36-pound 2-ounce striper from the beach that afternoon, and two others checked in a 19-pounder and a 16-pounder then. An angler and his son that afternoon stopped by with a 13-1/2-pound striper and a 13-pounder they boated, and another boater then brought in a 17-pounder he caught. Surf fishing was slow on Saturday, and five stripers including a 20-pounder and a 15-pounder were checked in from the surf today, the report said at 12 noon. One of the anglers with a striper also carried in a 34-inch bluefish from the surf today. 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>

Kevin McCarthy, his son and his brother-in-law on Saturday aboard found slower fishing on the ocean than before, but tackled lots of big bluefish to 15 pounds while jigging and trolling, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. They released a couple of out-of-season summer flounder. Aboard Friday Jon Scranton and friends on the ocean jigged stripers and blues, action that was less fast and furious than before, but that produced fish. Fishing on the boat was weathered out on Thanksgiving. Jersey Cape will keep fishing locally this season as long as the weather allows, traditionally at least until Christmas. Afterward annual charters to the Florida Keys will fish to April. See Jersey Cape’s <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page4.html" target="_blank">traveling charters page</a> for info about the Florida trips. 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>

On Delaware Bay <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b> bunker-chunked striped bass to 30 and 32 pounds during the weekend, Capt. Eric said. Trips lately each reeled in four or five keeper stripers and lots of throwbacks on 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, and see the report above.

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 Delaware Bay on Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> with John Resticcio’s charter from Johnson Farms in Hammonton, Capt. George said. Some 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 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, and the stripers were hooked on bunker chunks and jigs. Fishing with jigs is unusual on Delaware Bay, but lots of stripers were marked, so the trips tried jigging, and it worked. The bay was 50 degrees, and no bluefish were caught, and good numbers of bunker schooled.

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