<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass, great catches, were yanked from the surf, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. They were banked on clams and sandworms, and boaters clammed stripers at the clam beds “and up on the bar,” Jimmy said. Lots of stripers were small. Blackfishing bombed terrific catches, including sizeable ones. Ling could surely be slung in farther from shore. But boaters focused on blackfish. All baits are stocked.

Fishing was docked from Monday to today on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. He expected his blackfish trips not to sail the last couple of days in weather. The crew shaped up to fish today, but too few people showed up at the harbor. Weather should be good in the next days. The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Highlands</b>

Blackfishing on the past few trips was strong, Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> said in an e-mail. Jeff Sheats’ party on Sunday clocked a good catch of the tog to 10 ½ pounds. Mark Fidulli’s gang on Monday limited out on blackfish to 8 pounds. Scott Okal’s crew on Wednesday limited out on the slipperies to 8 ½ pounds. Some dates remain for blackfish charters until the new year.

Trips limited out on blackfish on most days aboard, since the ocean swell calmed, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. The fishing was tough on a couple of days, but otherwise was very good, and the tautog to 9 pounds were beaten. Two trips clammed for striped bass, socking phenomenal action, but the fish were very small. Only two keepers were landed in the two days. Derek wasn’t seeing the bait and stripers anglers saw farther south. Locally, larger stripers swam farther from shore, he knew. They were beyond 3 miles from the coast, where fishing for them is closed. He hopes the bigger ones move closer. “But I’m not seeing the bait,” he repeated. However, not many boaters fished since the hurricane. Only a few boats were running, and usually lots of anglers would eel for stripers at the channels this time of year. Maybe larger stripers were around, but all the boats were running past them to fish for blackfish. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and the next open trips for blackfish are set for Monday and next Thursday and Friday, December 6 and 7. Call to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open dates.

<b>Neptune</b>

No trip fished aboard Wednesday, but trips on other boats that day whaled blackfish, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> said. Blackfishing appeared to be improving, and a trip with Last Lady picked at the tautog on Tuesday. Three or four spaces are available on an individual-reservation trip for blackfish on Saturday that was added because of a charter cancellation. Individual-rez trips for blackfish are also slated for December 9, 16, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31 and every Saturday and Sunday in January.

<b>Belmar</b>

None of the striped bass and bluefish trips sailed the ocean on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> in past days, but the crew will try to run the trips Friday and next week, Capt. Alan said. Weather is supposed to improve. Blackfish party boats sometimes ran from Belmar, and one of the port’s striper head boats fished. A few keeper stripers, a few throwbacks and a few bluefish were picked on the trip. That was the best fishing for stripers and blues in a while. “But we’ll see what happens,” Alan said. Some of the boat’s regular customers will come down, at least, and trips aboard will scope out the fishing. If fishing for stripers and blues becomes better, trips aboard will keep sailing for them. Otherwise fishing on board will end for a moment, until mackerel trips begin toward Christmas. Striper fishing was good this time last year.  The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

<b>***Update, Friday, 11/30:***</b> Waters were somewhat off-color after the northeast blow earlier this week, but west winds now calmed seas as expected, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> in an e-mail. Schoolie striped bass swam the surf, but in fewer numbers than earlier in the week. The surf held less bait and birds working the bait than before the blow. More bait will need to return close to shore to draw stripers into the waters in numbers like before. Bob and several anglers fished the Sea Girt surf the last two afternoons, and only a half-dozen stripers were landed. On the Belmar party boats, blackfishing was good, and all patrons bagged some. Whiteleg crabs for blackfish bait are currently stocked, but are very difficult to get this season. “I suppose (Hurricane) Sandy is to blame,” Bob said.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Good fishing today for striped bass and some blues on the ocean aboard, Capt. Bob from the party boat <b>Gambler</b> said. A mix of throwback stripers and keepers to 15 pounds were jigged, mostly on long, ½-hour drifts. “Picking and plucking away,” he said. Lots of birds worked the waters, and the fish spit up sand eels, rainfish and peanut bunker. Lots of baitfish appeared all of the sudden. “So it’s looking good,” Bob said about the trip. “Very good news.” Weather forecasts sound good for the weekend. The Gambler is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Beautiful day on the water, Capt. Matt from the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b> said about Monday’s trip, in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Some anglers on the trip caught blackfish better than others, but the angling was a slow pick, difficult to get the fish biting. A group of five from Brooklyn totaled 30 keepers, a good catch, including an 8- to 9-pound blackfish, the pool-winner. The rest of customers bagged one to five of the tautog, and nobody was skunked, Matt thought.  Trips stayed in port Tuesday and Wednesday that were scheduled to fish for striped bass. A striper trip was scheduled for today. Trips in the next days will sail for blackfish7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, and for ling and cod 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

<b>Toms River</b>

A couple of anglers bought killies to fish for white perch on Toms River, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. No results were heard, and a couple of others picked up green crabs to fish for blackfish on a party boat from Point Pleasant Beach today and Friday. They scored good blackfishing on the boat on a previous trip, and heard from others who copped good catches on the vessel on other trips. Nothing was heard about striped bass, and nothing else was heard about angling along the coast. Only residents or employees were allowed across Route 37 Bridge to the barrier island and towns including Seaside Heights. That shut down local surf fishing. Eels, killies, salted clams and all the frozen baits are stocked. Green crabs can be ordered. The shop has been gearing up for holiday gifts. Gift certificates are available. New inventory is already arriving for the new year.

<b>Forked River</b>

A bunch of striped bass were caught at Barnegat Inlet on Wednesday, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Most anglers at the inlet liveline spots or eels for the fish. Barnegat Bay’s striper fishing was dead that day, reportedly. That was all that was heard about fishing lately. Eels and all the frozen baits, including clams, are stocked.

<b>Surf City</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 11/30:***</b> <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b> was being cleaned up and restored after the hurricane, the shop’s Facebook page said two Fridays ago on November 16, about three weeks after the storm. Phone calls to the shop haven’t been answered for fishing reports since then. But the Facebook post said the store would be reopened “when it was safe to do so.”  Fish were caught from the surf that week. Bruce from the store beached a striped bass and a bluefish then. “… there are different schools of thoughts on fishing (after the hurricane),” the post said. Some anglers thought fishing then was “in poor taste,” the post said. Some thought time was better spent helping those in need. But others thought people needed a respite from the devastation. Some fished to put food on the table. Others wanted “to return to normalcy, so things can continue to move forward,” the post said. “Whatever school of thought you have, please be respectful of others, even if it’s one you don’t share. We are all in this together, but do realize we have different coping skills,” the post said. The annual, season-long Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic, a tournament that began October 6 and was supposed to run to December 2, was suspended since the hurricane. In mid November, the date of the shop’s Facebook posting, Long Beach Township had suspended driving on beaches, but anglers could fish the shore on foot, the Facebook page said. Holgate was closed. Anglers should check with individual townships to find out about current beach regulations. Visit <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>

“Welcome to winter?” Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> asked in a report on the shop’s Web site. Weather turned cold but is supposed to reach the 60s early next week. Skim ice formed on lagoons. The weather or winds kept anglers scarce, so no fishing news was available. This past weekend, Thanksgiving weekend, is traditionally the peak for jigging and trolling striped bass on the local ocean. Scott hopes the fishing is in gear. Several customers already ordered clams for striper bait from the shop for Saturday. If anyone wants a bushel, they should order by 7 a.m. Friday by calling 609-296-1300 or e-mailing mail@scottsbt.com. The shop’s been open for limited hours like Saturdays since the hurricane, because it sustained damage and is being rebuilt. Check with the store for the hours. Tackle has been on sale in a 50-percent off trailer. The tackle got wet in the storm’s flooding but can be like new otherwise. <a href="http://www.pennparts.com" target="_blank">PennParts.com</a>, the store’s online business featuring every Penn part available on the market, and many that are no longer available, is up and running.

<b>Absecon</b>

Striped bass fishing was hit or miss at the inlets, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. But Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, on charters found stripers at the ocean lumps off Brigantine, catching them mostly on livelined spots, but some on jigged Gulps. A one-angler charter with him Monday limited out on stripers, including an extra bass, because the angler had a bonus tag, at Brigantine Shoal. Dave was back on a striper charter today. Absecon Inlet’s striper fishing was off, compared to usual, but striper catches were sometimes heard about from the back bay. News about striper locations wasn’t always as solid as usual, because fewer boaters fished since the hurricane. For a moment, boaters were limiting out on stripers on the bay on live spots, where waters became deep, about 15- to 25-foot depths, after the stick channel markers, coming out of Absecon Creek, get replaced by buoy cans, maybe an eighth of a mile past the first can, on the bay. Suddenly, the fish disappeared, and the fishing seemed like that. No huge schools reliably held anywhere for long, but smaller bodies of fish turned up and had to be found. Nothing was heard about bluefish in a while, except about one or two caught rarely. Blackfish were in, at structure like bridges and poles, to the inlet rocks, to the jetties and inshore wrecks. But waters were somewhat dirty, and something about that makes them reluctant to bite. Catches pick up when waters clear, and waters were clearing, according to Capt. Dave. Curt, a white perch angler, did little fishing for them in past days. But perch were probably building up in Mullica River, if they weren’t already built up there, moving up the river because of the cold. A friend caught 16 perch upstream from the Parkway Bridge. Perch can move to the deeper holes of the river this time of year, and the river forms deep holes. The fish find the holes for warmth, escaping current. But at this time of year, they could appear from shallows like 3 feet to deep holes in a given trip, and anglers need to find them. The fish are yet to school solidly in places like Collins Cove, where they gather in winter for the same reason: warmth, escaping the river’s main current. Live spots and green crabs are stocked. Fresh clams and fresh bunker are on hand when available. 

<b>Brigantine</b>

Few fished, for some reason, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. But better weather is forecast for the weekend. Three anglers fished the surf Monday, and all caught: a 29-inch striper and two throwbacks. Tim Daly on Monday grabbed the lead in Riptide’s Striper Derby with a 19-pounder. Justin Shimanek won the derby’s weekly prize last week with a 13-pound, 10-ounce, 24-inch striper. See more info about the contest below. Fresh bunker and clams in the shell should be stocked Friday. Fresh, shucked clams are already stocked. The shop’s bounty is up to $550 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>Atlantic City</b>

From Absecon Inlet, anglers on foot dragged in striped bass, puppy black drum, blackfish and a few ling, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. They fished fresh bunker, fresh clams or eels for the bass, clams for the drum, clams or crabs for the blackfish, and clams or cut bait for the ling. All baits are stocked, including fresh bunker and clams and live eels, green crabs and bloodworms.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Boaters had the weather to sail only in the last day or so, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Waters were somewhat cloudy but clearer than before. When trips motored out, they picked stripers at Great Egg Harbor Inlet, mostly on bunker, a few on clams, occasionally on live spots. Stripers were heard about farther north and at Cape May and Delaware Bay. They should still be migrating south to the local area. A few stripers were beached from the surf, mostly on bunker. One was clammed here or there. Not many blackfish caught were heard about from the back waters to close to shore. The catches were only heard about from far off. Fresh bunker and clams, live eels and green crabs, and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A few trips boated the ocean Monday, trolling a few striped bass on Stretch lures and umbrella rigs, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. A bit of a blitz turned on at the end of the day at Sea Isle Lump. One trip bucktailed six of the bass, just short of keeper size, before dark. Nothing was heard about boat trips Tuesday and Wednesday in weather. One angler ran into a blitz of stripers in the surf this morning, landing three -- one on a popper lure, and two on swimming lures – before the fish moved on. Blitzes could be around, and few anglers fished to see. “But definitely some life around,” Mike said. Nothing was heard about blackfish or anyone boating for them during the week. Party boats were either weathered out or had too few anglers to go, and no private boats that sailed were known about. Trips fished for the tog during the weekend, and not many of the fish were reported caught. Fresh clams and bunker, live eels and spots, and frozen baits are stocked.

Angling was weathered out aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. A trip Saturday, in severe winds, trolled a couple of striped bass on the ocean on Stretch lures, covered in the last report. Rough weather, but the anglers wanted to go. A short trip with a friend Sunday trolled a couple of stripers on the ocean on Stretches. A charter Friday smoked 11 stripers on the ocean, also covered in the last report. One was jigged, and the rest were trolled on Stretches. Charters will keep fishing for stripers.  Annual winter weekend trips to Florida will begin at Christmas. The trips can be a mini, fish-filled vacation. A large variety of catches are possible, including redfish, speckled sea trout and tarpon in the back country, to king mackerel, blackfin tuna and sailfish out front. Anglers can arrive on a Friday evening, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, return home that evening, and be back to work on Monday.  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 fairly good on Delaware Bay in past days, supposedly, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. The fishing, on chunks of fresh bunker, has been pretty consistent this season, though some days have been better than others. A trip aboard Friday on the bay, with Ryan Moore’s group, bagged seven stripers on bunker chunks, and missed other bites. The fish these days bit softly, and anglers had to pay attention and hook them. Nothing was doing with striper fishing at Cape May Rips.

Striped bass fishing “opened up,” said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep</b>, and limits to 25 pounds were bagged. The fish bit bunker chunks and live bait from Delaware Bay to the ocean. 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. Also join the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Down Deep’s Short Notice List</a> to be notified when winter trips will wreck fish on short notice in weather windows.

Catches of striped bass were good, and some of the fish started to be pulled from the Cape May surf, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Clams and bunker caught, and lots of stripers were reported socked from Delaware Bay on boats in past days. Nothing was heard about blackfish. Fresh clams, live eels and frozen baits are stocked. Fresh bunker was difficult to find recently.

The party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> broke the inlet, sailing for blackfish, a few times, between weather, Capt. Paul said. At first, the fishing was slow. A trip Friday caught “next to nothing,” Paul said. A trip Sunday “got nothing,” he said. Strong winds blew that day, but some experienced anglers wanted to go. On a trip Monday, with a few anglers, a bunch of blackfish were bailed! Paul was shocked. The boat settled back on anchor, and an angler hooked up, then another, and so on. At least three anglers limited out, and some of the tautog were sizeable. Dan Stinsman from Atco, Ken Minett from Voorhees and Kevin Moran from Pennsauken limited out. So maybe some blackfish are going to bite, Paul said, and he was anxious to get back out for the fish. Trips were weathered out since the trip Monday, but a trip today would possibly sail. A trip on another boat was heard about that pulled in blackfish at the reef on Delaware Bay, maybe another good sign. The Porgy IV is sailing for blackfish at 8 a.m. daily.

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