<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Blackfishing on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> on Sunday was maybe a touch better than on Saturday, Capt. Tom said. Saturday’s trip was covered in the last report, and no big blackfish were creamed on Sunday. “But still a good day,” Tom said.  Catches began slowly, but picked up. The fishing’s been okay, and Tom hopes that holds up, seeing no reason it won’t. Seas were cranky on Sunday, though winds weren’t strong. “You knew you were there,” Tom said. A storm offshore might've riled up the ocean. Saturday was also rough, and Tom was pleased with blackfishing on the two days, considering the conditions. Few anglers showed up to fish on the party boats at the marina, and the Atlantic Star was only just allowed to sail again on Saturday by the marina, after the marina was repaired from the hurricane. A sign at the road had said the marina was closed because of the storm, but the boat crews got the sign taken down. Anglers might have to navigate through holes in fences and things, but just head for the boat, because trips are sailing. Not all parking might be available, but plenty of parking is. The Atlantic Star is fishing for blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, including Thanksgiving Day. Weather’s been rough, and anglers can call the boat the evening before trips to ask whether the trip is likely to sail. They can check the link to the weather buoy on the <a href="http://www.atlanticstarfishing.com" target="_blank">Atlantic Star’s Web site</a> to get an idea, too. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 11/20:***</b> Heads up: Security is allowing anglers into the harbor starting at 6 a.m., Tom said. Anglers should go to the Keep Out sign and will see a security person there, and security will allow the anglers into the harbor, starting at 6 a.m., for security and everybody’s safety.

<b>Highlands</b>

Len Revulo’s charter this morning so far was catching striped bass pretty well, Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> said in an e-mail at 11 a.m. The fish weighed up to 17 pounds, and lots of throwbacks gave up action “to bend rods,” Pete said. Scott Gallion’s striper charter on Thursday socked eight keepers and lots of throwbacks. The blackfish bag limit was increased to six on Friday from one, and Jim Sulecki’s crew aboard that day limited out on the tautog. On Saturday John Gleason’s gang tugged in tog to 7 pounds, and on Sunday Mike Gallo’s crew picked away at sizeable blackfish to the 10-pound pool-winner.

Anglers aboard Saturday swept the Jersey Coast Shark Anglers blackfish tournament, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. They came in first, second and third place with blackfish 11 ½ pounds, 8 ½ pounds and 8 pounds, coming one fish short of limiting out. A six-angler charter Friday came two of the tog short of a limit to an 8-pounder. A trip will fish for striped bass on Thanksgiving morning. Trips will sail for blackfish Friday through the weekend, but if stripers pop up, the anglers will go after them. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and anglers can telephone Derek to be kept informed about the open schedule.

<b>Neptune</b>

With <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> Dennis Martin’s trip limited out on striped bass Sunday, Capt. Ralph said. A few blackfish were added at the end of the trip. The trip, an annual one for stripers for the anglers, was a huge success, Ralph said. Blackfishing aboard Friday was slow, producing 10 keepers. But blackfishing Saturday, on Kevin Fahey’s annual trip, was “completely different,” Ralph said. The six anglers limited on the tog to larger than 10 pounds. Individual-reservation trips for blackfish and stripers are set for: Wednesday (3 spots available); November 27 (5 spots) and 30 (3 spots); December 9 (3 spots), 16 (4 spots), 22 (6 spots), 23 (5 spots), 29 (4 spots) and 30 (5 spots); and all weekends in January. An individual-reservation trip for cod offshore will sail at 2 a.m. November 26.

<b>Belmar</b>

Party boats scored well on blackfish, including sizeable ones, and lots of anglers joined the trips, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> in an e-mail. On beaches where anglers were allowed to fish after the hurricane, striped bass fishing was good in the surf. Check with authorities about access. Most of the bass were throwbacks, but keepers were “common,” Bob said, and clams were the preferred bait. The shop is up and running. “We put things back as best we could,” Bob said. A generator was used for power. “But it could be worse,” he said. “Some shops have no roads to get patrons in … We will have a trailer with power to work out of in a couple of weeks.”

The boat will be splashed today, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. He’s ready to fish, after the hurricane, three weeks ago today. Pete, a fire chief, worked a lot on the community’s recovery after the storm. A charter was cancelled today, because of weather forecasts. Weather was difficult recently, but when boats sailed the ocean, blackfishing was hit or miss. Not many striped bass seemed around locally. Charters and open-boat trips will resume, and Parker Pete’s sails for any species available. For availability on open trips, see <a href="http://parkerpetefishing.com/belmar-fishing-trips/open-boat-trips" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s open-boat page</a> online, and sign up for the e-mailed newsletter on the site. Dates are announced in both places.

<b>Brielle</b>

Ocean wreck-fishing shoveled up an okay catch Saturday on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Ryan said in an e-mail. The trip “stayed out of the deep water,” he said, “looking for other species, besides ling.” A few cod and pollock and some big porgies were pumped in, and all customers bagged fish.  Willie Thomas caught three pollock, winning the pool with a 22-pounder, and iced 14 porgies and some other fish. Willie May axed a 12-pound cod and 15 porgies, including a 4-pound 1-ouncer. Gene Zubrycki clubbed a cod, a couple of pollock and a good bunch of porgies. Anglers and their catches on other trips last week included: Omar Richardson, 28 ling and two cod; Dale Isaacs, a 21-pound cod; and Wesley Shourt, an 8-1/2-pound blackfish.  The Jamaica II is sailing on 10-hour striped bass and blackfish combo trips, 12-hour Mudhole trips and 14-hour wreck-fishing trips for cod, pollock and ling.

Northeast winds were relentless, so nothing was heard about striped bass fishing on the ocean, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Any anglers with small boats in the waters, after the hurricane, were unable to sail in the blow. Access to the surf was scarce because of the hurricane. One customer tried to surf fish, but authorities made him leave. Blackfishing should be good on the ocean when winds let up. Boaters caught the tog when they managed to sail. Tilefishing was good on a party boat trip Dave joined last Monday offshore. The same boat sailed for cod Saturday, returning with 30 of the fish 7 to 15 pounds. The anglers decked a load of big porgies, and most boxed 10 to 20 ling. Dave, a tilefish angler, is designing three rods for tilefishing that are 7 feet, 7 ½ feet and 8 feet. The 8-footer is already available at the shop, and the other two should be on hand this week. The rods might be the first-ever designed for tilefishing. They’re the only that Dave is aware about. Head to The Reel Seat for holiday needs, including tackle packages at discount prices, at least 20 percent. Additional tackle is also available at special holiday prices. The Reel Seat, after the hurricane, is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Motored north, the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b> sailed for striped bass Sunday on the ocean, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Only two keepers and some throwbacks – “an okay amount,” the report said – were cranked in. Great readings of stripers were marked all day, but few bit. The crew hopes that within the next week or two, stripers “school up good and bite their heads off!” the report said. Too few anglers showed up at the port Saturday for a trip to sail. The Norma-K III is fishing for blackfish 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fridays, striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Saturdays, and ling and cod 3 to 9 p.m. Saturdays. However, no striper trip will sail on Thanksgiving, and a trip will run for blackfish 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. that day instead.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Nineteen striped bass were bagged, and 40 throwbacks were released, on Friday on the <b>Super Chic</b>, Capt. Ted said. Fourteen keepers and 35 or 40 throwbacks were landed aboard Saturday, and a half-dozen keepers and two-dozen throwbacks were reeled aboard Sunday. The striper fishing was slower Thursday and Sunday on the boat, but was fairly steady on its trips. Livelined spots were used for bait on all the trips. Waters were dirty, and winds kept blowing. Super Chic is also blackfishing, including on a trip for the tog scheduled for this weekend. The 50-foot boat can accommodate up to 25 passengers.

Trips for striped bass began Friday on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The fishing was slow through Sunday aboard. “Lots of boats, but not many fish,” the report said about Saturday and Sunday. But the crew hopes the fishing will become better, and another one of the trips was slated for today. The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays through Mondays. A special trip will sail for stripers 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Little Egg Inlet tossed up striped bass to 36 inches on Friday, Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> said in a report on the shop’s Web site. Ten of the fish was the most an angler reported landing, and the fishing turned on at mid-day. Not much was caught in the morning. Customers reported cracking a few keepers on Saturday around the inlet. “Several anglers were through the store (during) mid-afternoon, and didn’t openly report any stripers,” Scott said. “But you could <i>smell</i> they caught stripers! … Once I knew to ask, they did report some keepers.” The shop, severely damaged by flooding in the hurricane, is currently open during limited hours, and is being rebuilt. The doors won’t be open on Thanksgiving, but might be open for some hours on Friday, “(because) I have to be here for the clam prep and delivery anyway,” Scott said. Fresh clams were on hand during limited hours the shop was open this Saturday. So were spots, eels, green crabs, minnows, grass shrimp, bloodworms and nightcrawlers. Anglers were asked to bring their own containers for bait. Anglers took advantage on great deals on tackle the shop was selling, mentioned in the previous report. “I’m glad so many folks were able to scoop up some deals,” Scott said. “It’s better to recoup a few dollars than a rusty total loss.” Sometimes tackle got wet in the storm, needed maintenance to prevent future corrosion, but was like new, otherwise. More of the tackle will be on sale.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Surf anglers checked in striped bass throughout the weekend, according to reports on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site.  A father and son team stopped by at 4 p.m. Saturday with three stripers to 18 pounds they beached near the Brigantine Hotel on fresh bunker. They threw back a couple of shorts and missed a couple of bites. They said the fishing was funny, because they fished three rods, but only one of them caught.  A couple of other throwbacks banked on the island’s north end were heard about then.  Next, toward dusk, an 11-pound striper was checked in, caught on bunker from shore, and two other anglers reported releasing a couple of shorts from the beach. On Sunday, weigh-ins began at 5:30 a.m. with a 30-inch striper from the surf on clam. More of the catches, including keepers, were reported banked by 7 a.m. Two were checked in, and the angler reported seeing at least three others bagged around him. Next a 14-pounder, then a 25-pounder, then a 27-pound 3-ouncer were weighed in, from morning until 2 p.m., from the surf. The shop’s bounty was up to about $400 before the weekend, the last time the amount was heard about, for the season’s first striper 43 inches or larger checked in from the Brigantine surf. Entry is $5, and the angler who checks in the fish wins all the cash. Anglers must enter 12 hours before catching. Riptide’s annual Striped Bass Derby is under way, awarding cash prizes for the biggest stripers beached from Brigantine’s surf, until December 23. Weekly and monthly prizes are also awarded, and entry is only $20. What’s more, with a Brigantine beach buggy permit, entry allows anglers to drive the entire Brigantine beach, unlike the permit alone.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Fishing was weathered out through the weekend aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. He’ll continue fishing the migration of striped bass and blues on the ocean. His trips began tackling the stripers last week, covered in previous reports. A charter that Sunday with him beat five stripers 34 inches to 38 inches. Another the next day found none, and a brief, 1-hour trip the next day put up one 15-pounder. All the bass were trolled on Stretch lures, and Joe during those days heard about two bluefish caught among the fleet. Reserve dates for annual weekend trips to Florida in winter. The trips can fish for a large variety of catches, including redfish, speckled sea trout and tarpon in the back country, to king mackerel, blackfin tuna and sailfish out front. See info on Jersey Cape’s <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page4.html" target="_blank">Traveling Fisherman Charters</a> Web page. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fishing for striped bass was good Saturday on Delaware Bay on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. John Grimmie’s charter bunker-chunked nine of the bass 12 to 20 pounds and missed quite a few. Seas were somewhat bumpy in the morning but calmed afterward. Winds blew from the northeast for days. Two or three sharks and a skate were hooked and released.

Striped bass, very good catches, were slugged on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Mario said. The fish were bunker chunked on Delaware Bay and livelined on spots and eels at Cape May Rips. Charters will keep fishing for them, and the Down Deep will begin blackfishing once the striper run ends or on December 21, through winter. Book the trips now, and see the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/special-trips/" target="_blank">Down Deep’s winter blackfishing schedule</a> online.

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