<b>Staten Island</b>

Striped bass could be caught and released from shore along Staten Island, including  from the Arthur Kill to Great Kills Harbor, said Pat from <b>E-Z Catch Saltwater Traps & Tackle Co.</b> Anglers released the fish because New York’s striper season is closed, and the fish were small, but the angling was something to do. Clams became nearly the exclusive bait. Boaters, including on party boats, tugged in blackfish and cod. E-Z Catch is open through winter from Tuesdays to Thursdays, and fresh clams and vacuum-packed bunker are stocked through the season. 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>

Surf anglers wormed and clammed striped bass, and both baits are stocked, said Jimmy from  <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. “Everybody else (boaters) quit (fishing),” he said. Most of the stripers were small, but a few were keepers. Angling for both blackfish and ling was very good, and a few cod were clubbed. Waters were warm for cod, Jimmy thought, so they probably “didn’t wreck up yet,” he said. But certain wrecks held some. The weather looks good and relatively warm for the weekend.

The final trip of the season fished Sunday on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. The daily blackfishing trips were supposed to last through Monday, a holiday, the day after New Year’s, but in windy weather on Monday, only one boat sailed in the fleet. On the Atlantic Star on Sunday two anglers among the small crowd limited out on four of the tog, the limit that began that day, down from six previously. Most of the rest of the anglers bagged one, Tom thought. So the fishing ended on a slow note. The trip began fishing at Scotland then moved to Sandy Hook Reef, catching at both places. The boat was hauled from the waters on Wednesday, because winds kept it from being hauled Tuesday. The crew will now spend long days doing maintenance like painting on the vessel for about 15 days. Then the vessel will be inspected, and will be ready to sail. But before it sails again, Tom will take a winter break, after working seven days a week on the vessel since late March. Trips will probably launch again in late March, probably starting with winter flounder fishing on two half-day trips daily. Tom will see what the flounder regulations will be when they’re announced this winter. He thanks everyone who sailed aboard this year, wishes everyone a good, safe winter, and looks forward to seeing anglers again on deck this coming season.

Fishing was wrapped up for the season on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in a report on the vessel’s Web site. “Hard to believe another season has come and gone!” he said. “As life flashes before my eyes, I have many fond memories of 2011 … I had the pleasure of seeing the return of Mr. Paul Smitko, who, after facing death, 12 major surgeries (give or take), countless hours of therapy and god knows what else, finally (came) back to (fish) and (caught) Striped Bass. (Caught) him on video just last week, and the smile was priceless! It said it all … Mike with his great Season Pool winning Fluke, Vintastic with that awesome winning Bass in the Spring, and Jack with his 25-pounder taking the Fall pool. That young man catching his 42-pound-plus Striper all by himself, caught on video. Youngster Kevin Dalton with a Fluke so big he had to stand on a cooler to take the picture of it, and all you can see of Kevin is his head! Kelly Bavaqua who after one lesson on how to cast a spinning rod, was launching the jig back to the dock, and catching stripers! The Monday regs paying their dues all season long, and always being rewarded sooner or later ... perseverance, boys, always pays off. Chief Kelly, Never Quit Eddie, Polish Eddie, Dr. Sal, June, Richie, Tommy, Skinder, Steve and Steve, Shrimpman, Eric, Rocco, John Frolic, Kelly Bachovchin, who after one casting lesson was launching her jig like a pro, and catching fish! (Sorry Dave ... dad) but the girl got talent! The countless others (you know who you are) who all share that same passion. I can't thank you enough, and I'm glad we can enjoy this great ride together. Every one of you make me who I am! A Very Happy and Healthy New Year to All ... till our paths meet again. All the best from Myself, Capt. Ron Sr., Robbie, Chris and Capt. Bob. Enjoy the last video and report of 2011, it's short, sweet and to the point:   <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIVfbylUU-M&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">It’s Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings</a>.

<b>Neptune</b>

Two spaces are available for an individual-reservation trip for blackfish Saturday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Excellent catches of them were reeled aboard Friday to Sunday, and Ralph’s been finding the fish in deeper waters. Sea bass, before sea bass season closed Sunday, cod and ling were also swung in. Individual-rez trips for blackfish are also running every Saturday and sometimes other days, and Ralph expects the good bite to continue. An individual-reservation trip for cod is set to fish offshore on Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 16. Charters are available daily for blackfish, cod at the Mudhole and cod offshore.

<b>Belmar</b>

Blackfish were beaten aboard during the weekend on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, and the weather kept trips docked afterward, Capt. Chris said. But trips were expected to resume today through Sunday. Someone said east winds might blow Sunday, but this was early to tell whether that would happen. Good-sized blackfish were mixed in with catches, and with the season cooling, more of the large ones should bite. Green crabs are supplied for bait, and white leggers are available for sale on the boat at a savings over tackle shops. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Trips aboard last sailed Sunday on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, crunching a good catch of striped bass that day, Capt. Alan said. Striper trips are finished on the boat for the season, and daily trips for mackerel will launch Saturday. Mackerel schooled off Montauk, and were on their way to local waters, and the crew hopes that with the blow that just happened this week, the migration will be at least 20 to 30 miles from port, within range. “We’ll see,” Alan said. The Miss Belmar Princess will begin sailing for mackerel 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily on Saturday.

The final striped bass of the season steamed Monday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The trip first ran south “to find some life but nothing great,” the report said. So it rode back north, locating lots of life, and short stripers and a few keepers began to be picked in winds, making for tough fishing. Nearly 30 shorts and six keepers were landed on the outing. “The macks are here,” the report said, and Mackerel Express Trips will begin Saturday. The captain has the “most updated info on the fish …” the report said “…and will do what it takes to fill the coolers.”

None of the party boats sailed in the past days until today, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> in a phone call when the vessels were on the waters. So nothing was heard about fishing lately, but he expected the trips today to catch blackfish. If enough anglers showed up to striped bass fish on some of the boats, they’d probably sail for them, but too few anglers appeared for striper trips to run recently. Stripers were beached from the surf, and none was checked in at the store, but Bob knew about catches. Plugs hooked them, because herring swam the waters, but Ava jigs also connected. Anglers fished with artificials. Herring could be Sabiki-jigged at the inlets, including Shark River Inlet.

<b>Brielle</b>

The boat limited out on blackfish today, in windy, cold weather, Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> said in a Facebook posting. Trips would usually be finished aboard this season by now, but with relatively warm waters and weather, Monger is sailing on a few more trips. Today’s trip set up on life right away. A slow but steady pick of keepers and shorts continued. The bite was scratchy, and the anglers had to work for the fish, but they grinded it out. The trip looked for striped bass on the way out and back, and none showed up. But Jerry posted shots of stripers caught aboard Wednesday. One shot showed birds working the waters above them close to shore. “All you could want!” he wrote in the caption. “January stripers! Nice big fish, too!” 

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Blackfish, “pretty much limits every day,” Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> said, were cracked aboard. Eight- to 13-pounders were the biggest, and when winds were calm enough to sail to the Mudhole, good catches of ling were winged, and cod to 17 pounds were mixed in. Waters were 48 to 50 degrees, warm for the time of year. Derek’s boat the Fisher Price III, fishing from Highlands, was pulled from the waters for the year. But he’s currently sailing on another boat, captaining and mating, from Point Pleasant Beach. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing on the vessel. One space is available for an open trip on Sunday, mainly scheduled to target blackfish, but if winds allow, the trip could push farther off for ling and cod. That was typical of trips aboard lately. Call to jump on a charter or the open trip or to be kept informed about future open trips: 732-291-7675 or 732-861-3394.

Mostly ling were whaled on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. But a few cod and blackfish were pumped in, and even a few bluefish and striped bass bit. Anglers on Wednesday’s trip bucketed 15 to 25 ling apiece. Trips fished in the deep in 150 to 200 feet. Dogfish were a nuisance. “Too (darn) many,” Butch said. Waters were about 50 degrees. They were 48 on Wednesday, but that was probably because of the brief cold snap chilling the surface. No mackerel showed up, but trips mix in mackerel fishing during winters when the migration swims close enough to the coast. Giant commercial boats tried for mackerel, looking everywhere. So if they didn’t catch, the fish weren’t in.  The Dauntless is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

One angler telephoned to ask about white perch fishing at Collins Cove, and another bought grass shrimp at the shop, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The shrimp are the favorite bait for perch, and nothing was heard about catches, and customers stopping by because of boredom made up the bulk of anglers at the store. But perch fishing can be good in the brackish rivers in winter, and Collins Cove, on the Mullica River, is a popular spot for the angling. The cove can be seen from the Garden State Parkway. The slabs are boated there because the fish seek the warmer waters away from the river’s main currents during the cold season. Perching is better in some of the warm months, giving up more and bigger. But the angling is a fishery that should produce in winter. Something to do. Another customer asked about green crabs to buy for blackfishing on Saturday. Nothing was heard about the tog, striped bass or any other fish. Scott was unaware about water temperatures at places like Little Egg Inlet or the ocean, because of no feedback, so whether the temps could harbor stripers was unknown. More anglers might get out this weekend. Bloodworms, another bait that perch will nip, are stocked. A few grass shrimp are on hand, and Scott will try to catch more on Friday afternoon. He attempted netting them on Wednesday, but only came up with a dozen.  Minnows are stocked, and Scott should be able to keep netting a supply of small ones. Business was hopping at <a href="http://www.pennparts.com" target="_blank">PennParts.com</a>, the shop’s online business featuring every Penn Reel part on the market, and many that are discontinued.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A few striped bass were clammed from the surf during the weekend, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Three that weighed in the 20-pound range were checked in. That was the last time much was heard about fishing, but a boater reported sailing on a trip Wednesday that eeled and clammed three stripers off Longport on the ocean close to shore. So a few stripers remained, and blackfishing crushed super catches. One group of five anglers limited out on the tog, including four that topped 10 pounds apiece. The shop is open daily unless the weather is rough.

Some of the annual, traveling trips to the Florida Keys fished Thursday to Saturday with Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, he said. The trips fished the back country toward Flamingo and Cape Sable, a large area at the southern tip of the state. The angling included great sight-fishing for redfish on the flats on small, bucktail Deceiver flies, weedless Bass Assassins on jigheads and livelined shrimp. A bunch of speckled sea trout, including several that measured well larger than 20 inches each day, were socked on Gulp shrimp on jigheads. A good number of sizeable jacks to 5 and 6 pounds were axed daily. Flies, Gulp shrimp on jigheads and Rat-L-Traps hooked them. Plus a large variety of fish including gafftopsail catfish, ladyfish, lizardfish and blowfish were bailed. These trips fished in the back, walloping great catches, but the charters also fish out front for fish like sailfish, king mackerel, blackfin tuna, snappers and more. A few boaters reported decent days on sailfish last week. Joe offers the trips each year from Christmas to April, and see Jersey Cape’s <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page4.html" target="_blank">traveling charters page</a> for info. More of the trips will fish this weekend, and space is available for the fishing on the weekend of January 28 and 29, and space still remains at other times to April. 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>. Check out a <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

With rough weather last week, then the holiday weekend, then rough weather afterward through Wednesday, no trips sailed with Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, and he heard about no other charters that fished. But he might get out this weekend. The Heavy Hitter was dry docked for the season, but George is running trips on another boat, and is one of the few captains who’s still available for charters this season. Fishing for blackfish or cod is available.

On the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> the blackfish trip Saturday sailed “way down the beach,” Capt. Paul said. Lots of sea bass were hung, were still around that close to the coast in warm waters. But not many blackfish chomped, “maybe because the captain went the wrong way,” Paul said, but that’s hindsight, second-guessing, he said. On Sunday’s trip for the tog, the catches of them were better. A few of the anglers limited out. None of the blackfish was big, only weighed up to 5 ½ or 6 pounds, during the weekend. Monday’s trip was weathered out, and the weather was rough the next days. The Porgy IV will now fish only on Saturdays and Sundays, instead of daily, this season. The blackfish trips are leaving at 8 a.m. 

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