<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

One angler landed seven keeper blackfish on Friday’s trip on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. The angler kept no more than a limit of six, and one angler on the trip landed no keepers, but the rest bagged blackfish. The tautog fishing wasn’t quite as good on Saturday’s trip. Sunday’s wasn’t as good as either Friday’s or Saturday’s, but a few keepers and a few throwbacks chomped at every place fished on the outing. Among throwbacks that bit on trips, the number that were a half-inch or an inch short was amazing. Today’s trip was expected to stay docked, because of forecasts for 30-knot winds. But blackfishing aboard will resume Tuesday, and the day’s weather sounds good. The blackfishing’s been okay or good, not great. Not a lot of people joined trips since the hurricane, but the boat is blackfishing daily, even if only six or seven anglers show up, so long as weather isn’t too rough. Only seven anglers jumped on Friday’s trip, and the boat sailed. Anglers can telephone if concerned about weather, to ask if Tom knows whether he expects the vessel to sail. Ritchie, a deck hand that many will remember, is back on the boat. He’s helping anglers with rigs and other aspects of blackfishing, besides usual duties, and had been working in Delaware, after previously working on the Atlantic Star.  The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 12/12:**</b> Today’s trip sailed, and one angler, among the small group of seven, bagged four blackfish, and another bagged three, and the rest bagged one or two apiece, Tom said. A pretty good number of throwbacks gave up action, and one angler reeled in one keeper and 15 throwbacks. Many of the trip’s throwbacks were an inch or a half-inch short.

<b>Highlands</b>

Very good blackfishing continued on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. Jeff Schwietzer’s party limited out on Thursday, and Mike Gallo’s gang limited on Friday. Saturday’s blackfishing was tougher, but Jack Schmidt’s crew boxed 22 of the fish, sizeable. Sunday’s blackfishing rebounded, and Todd Wayne’s group limited out on the tautog to 11 pounds. Openings are available for blackfish this week.

Fishing was probably some of the best this year on Sunday with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. First, the six anglers limited out on striped bass to 20 pounds, including bonus tags, on diamond jigs and rubber shads. Then they blackfished, clocking 31 keepers, including a 14-pound whopper. Derek began to see the stripers a couple of days ago. “I’ve got these things dialed in now,” he said. Open-boat trips will probably sail for a combo of stripers and blackfish Wednesday to Sunday. Call to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open dates, or to book a charter. The stripers fed on rainfish and herring, and because of the herring, bigger-bodied baits like the shads could be fished. Blackfishing’s been very good, usually limiting out or nearly limiting, on the boat, like the trip Sunday. Blackfish to 8 and 9 pounds were consistently caught on trips, and 10- and 12-pounders were among the catches, and the 14-pounder was drilled on Sunday.

<b>Neptune</b>

With <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> blackfishing on Friday was fair to good, Capt. Ralph said. On a trip Saturday, in no current, blackfishing was slow, but a few were caught. Fishing for the tautog was outstanding on a trip Sunday. The boat nearly limited out, and one angler landed 12, keeping no more than a limit of six. Openings are available for an individual-reservation blackfish trip Friday. Ralph expects to e-mail the full schedule of openings, and if he does, that’ll be posted here in an update.  <b>***Update, Monday, 12/10:***</b> Individual-reservation blackfish trips with openings, Ralph said in an e-mail, are slated for Friday (4 spots available) and December 23 (2 spots), 24 (5 spots), 29 (3 spots), 30 (2 spots) and 31 (4 spots) and every Saturday and Sunday in January.

<b>Belmar</b>

Blackfish were shoveled aboard with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. Anchoring conditions were a little “eh,” he said. That could affect the fishing, but the anglers were able to put a catch together sometime during each trip. The angling was “pretty decent,” Pete said, and the trips fished on the ocean to the north in 40 to 70 feet.  Striped bass fishing sounded hit or miss for the fleet in past days on the ocean. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, 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>

Boaters pumped in striped bass from the ocean, mostly to the north, beyond Shrewsbury Rocks, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. They mostly jigged the fish on everything from small, skinny lures, like Ava 27 jigs, to large, wide ones, like 7-ounce Krocodile spoons, because the fish foraged on sand eels and herring. Not much was heard about bluefish, but an occasional blue might’ve popped up. In the surf, stripers, good catches, were banked at northern Monmouth Beach, just south of Sandy Hook, during daytime, mostly on tins or swim shads. But stripers were landed from the surf at Spring Lake and Point Pleasant Beach. Good fishing for stripers turned on in Manasquan Inlet on Saturday on plastics on jigheads or bucktails. Blackfishing on the ocean was “up and down,” Eric said. Some trips scored well, and others found picky fishing. But better-sized blackfish 10 and 12 pounds were honked. Good catches of ling were tugged from the Mudhole. Nobody talked about targeting cod in past days. Nothing was mentioned about fishing at Point Pleasant Canal. Head to The Reel Seat for holiday gifts, including tackle packages at discount prices, at least 20 percent. Additional tackle is also available at special holiday prices. Tsunami Timber Lures have been discounted 40 percent all season. The shop’s owner, Dave, a tilefish angler, designed three rods for tilefishing – 7 feet, 7 ½ feet and 8 feet – that might be the first-ever available off-the-rack. Check them out at the store or on the shop’s Web site.

Fishing for ling in the morning on Sunday’s trip was pretty good, Capt. Ryan from the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> said in an e-mail. The angling, at the Mudhole, was tougher in the afternoon, when strong current began to run. But most anglers totaled 20 to 30 ling apiece, and high hooks squashed 40. Dennis Fuchs bucketed 43. Big porgies were pounded on Saturday’s trip. “Lots of full coolers,” Ryan said. Cod were caught, “but nothing special,” he said. Anglers had to deal with out-of-season sea bass biting. Wasn’t easy, Ryan said. The trip’s anglers and their catches included: Kevin and Ashley Carr, Swedesboro, almost their limit of porgies and a cod; Wesley Shourt, Manahawkin, limit of porgies and two cod; Mark Adamarek, Garfield, 39 porgies and a cod; Bob Plaskey, Medford, 31 porgies and the pool-winning cod. Additional anglers also limited out on porgies, including Ray Bryant, Kirk, J. Gogliardo, Mu Chong and Gary Westfield. The Jamaica II is sailing on 12- and 14-hour Mudhole wreck-fishing trips, ¾-day blackfishing trips, and Cod Fishing Specials.  

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

On the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b> blackfishing was a little slow on Saturday, but was better on Sunday, in better conditions, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Anchoring was difficult on Saturday, and a swell “kept pushing the boat ahead,” the report said. Keeping the boat in one spot was difficult. On Saturday’s trip, the first place fished gave up the best catches, “some decent size keepers coming over the rail up to 6 pounds,” the report said. “After that, it was hard to get the bite going again.” A couple of anglers totaled three and four keeper blackfish, and the rest caught fewer. On Sunday’s trip, a couple of customers limited out on blackfish, and others bagged three to five keepers. The fish weighed up to 8 pounds, and the first spot fished was best, again. Fishing was slow afterward, “just a couple here and a couple there,” the report said. “(But) overall, it was a good day.” On a trip Saturday night for ling, anchoring was difficult, like on the trip earlier that day, but anglers picked away at ling. The engines were kept running the whole trip, the captain kicking the boat into gear to keep the boat on one spot. Today’s trip was weathered out, but Tuesday’s trip is expected to sail, in forecasts for better weather. The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays. Magic Hour Ling Trips are running 3 to 9 p.m. Saturdays.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “We endured the rain and choppy northeast for a while (on Sunday), trying to troll off Island Beach State Park. Shortly into arriving at the grounds off the Bathing Beach, I did an ‘about face,’ turning to start trolling back to the inlet, because the wind had already increased, and the seas were picking up, more than I care to be out in. I did bring the live spots with us, just in case. So we stopped in the rolling inlet, with a small group of boats, and decked eight fish (striped bass) to 32 inches in 1 ½ hours. Most were in the 25- to 27-inch class. That saved the trip. There’s a nice stretch of weather coming after Tuesday. Northwest winds, no rain, and mild air temps will make for a nice change of conditions. I’ll be running charter or open-boat trips Wednesday through Friday, 7 AM to 1 PM, three-person max. All fish are shared. With the calm seas forecast, we’ll be running outside the inlet, and looking for birds and readings, to either cast or jig with the light tackle. I always have the trolling gear on board if you guys want.  Hope to see you on board.”

<b>Brigantine</b>

At <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> Ken Biondi checked in two striped bass from the surf Saturday and Sunday, a report on the shop’s Web site. The fish on Saturday weighed 15 pounds, and was caught on fresh bunker. He also landed a couple of throwbacks on Saturday and four throwbacks on Sunday. He saw other anglers land a couple of throwbacks on Saturday.  Another angler weighed in two stripers from the surf Friday. A boater, Joe Jr., stopped in during the weekend with two stripers he bagged, for a total of 54 stripers caught on his vessel this autumn. Another also checked in two stripers boated this weekend. Fresh bunker and fresh clams were stocked this weekend. The bunker’s been difficult to obtain this season. The shop’s bounty is up to $600 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>

Eight striped bass were landed from the ocean on a trip Sunday with Kevin Maugher and two friends aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. They fished with Fin-S Fish on jigheads, and pulled the hooks on two or three additional stripers. The trip arrived on the ocean in fog with no visibility, and calm seas. Winds began to blow, and seas started to become rough, toward the end. Joe heard about bluefish in the mix in the past week, but saw none. No significant numbers of blues were heard about.  Grab a holiday gift certificate for a charter. Annual weekend trips to Florida will fish this winter, starting 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>

Bunker-chunking for striped bass on Delaware Bay beat nine keepers and probably 20 or 25 throwbacks on Saturday with Eric Czerwinksi’s charter on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Pete Plasmier’s trip aboard Sunday chunked four keepers and eight throwbacks on the bay. The fish measured up to 38 or 39 inches on Saturday and 30 or 32 inches on Sunday. Both days were foggy and overcast, and winds started to build when Sunday’s trip headed home. A few trips were heard about that striper fished at Cape May Rips. The rips seemed to hold stripers but smaller ones, and the bay seemed to harbor more keepers. George heard nothing about blackfishing the last few days. The Heavy Hitter was being hauled from the waters for the season, but George can run charters on a friend’s boat the next couple of weeks.  

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