<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

For a few days, boaters got a shot at striped bass they jigged off Sea Bright on Ava’s and rubber shads, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. In the surf, lots of small striped bass were tackled on small shads, clams or worms. The fishing was very good, though not very many were keepers. Blackfishing mostly boated lots, and trips began fishing deeper for them. Nobody was heard about who boated the ocean for ling and cod. But boats farther south probably fished for ling. All baits are stocked.

A handful of anglers joined today’s blackfish trip on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said in a phone call aboard at 11 a.m. “We’re trying to get this going,” he said, and trips will run with even six or seven anglers, so long as weather is fishable. The fishing today was off to a slow pick so far. But a couple of anglers bagged three keepers, and everybody at least landed one keeper. One angler iced three keepers to an 8-pounder, the biggest on the trip by then. The fishing was “a real funny bite,” Tom said, “a very light pick.” But the trip was staying there a moment, because some of the fish were hooked. The weather was beautiful for December. On Wednesday’s trip, one angler, among the group of seven aboard, bagged four blackfish, and another took three, and the rest bagged one or two apiece. Throwbacks gave up fairly good action. The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Friday, 12/14:***</b> Blackfishing on today’s trip angled “some real nice fish,” Tom said. “One drop (produced) some real nice ones,” he added.  Fishing on other drops was similar to previous trips, including giving up lots of throwbacks. “All in all, a pretty fair day,” Tom said. <b>***Update, Saturday, 12/15:***</b> Anyone who missed today’s trip “missed a beauty,” Tom said. Both weather and blackfishing were some of the best in some time. The trip fished at one drop, and catches began slowly. But as the trip sat, catches became pretty consistent the rest of the outing. Mostly shorts bit, but sizeable ones chomped in between. A 9-pounder was the pool winner, and other sizeable ones were cranked in. Better-sized blackfish came in for the second trip in a row. Today’s fishing was a bit better, staying at one drop, than on Friday’s trip that bounced around a little.

<b>Highlands</b>

No trips sailed Monday through Wednesday with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, but trips will resume today, Capt. Derek said. Good catches of blackfish were heard about on Wednesday, and striped bass were sometimes caught that day, but seemed smaller. Fisher Price will keep blackfishing, and Derek had been dialed-in on a bunch of stripers a couple of days, including limiting out on the bass to 20 pounds, including bonus-tag fish, on Sunday, on diamond jigs and rubber shads. That was covered in the last report, and the fish foraged on rainfish and herring. Because of the herring, shads could be fished. Next, the six anglers nearly limited out on blackfish, including a 14-pounder. That was some of the year’s best fishing on the boat. Trips now, including an open-boat trip Sunday with space available, will fish for a combo of blackfish and stripers, if stripers pop up and can be jigged. If no stripers crop up, the trips will head straight for blackfish. Charters are available, and call to jump aboard the open-boat trip, or to be kept informed about future open trips.

<b>Neptune</b>

Trips last fished this weekend with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Fishing for blackfish, the trips piled up fair to good catches Friday, slow catches Saturday in no current, and outstanding catches Sunday, covered in the last report. Individual-reservation blackfish trips with openings are slated for Wednesday (4 spots available) and December 23 (2spots), 24 (5 spots), 29 (3 spots), 30 (2 spots) and 31 (4 spots). Another one of the trips was just added for January 1, and 6 spots are available. The trips will also run every Saturday and Sunday in January. Charters are also available.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fishing for striped bass was “day to day,” Capt. Alan said, on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> on the ocean, and trips will sail for them through the weekend. Trips will resume the following weekend, the weekend of December 22, sailing for mackerel daily. Small stripers, not a lot of keepers, schooled. On some days more keepers were bagged than on others. Alan was on today’s trip when he gave this report over the phone at 11 a.m., and four or five keepers and a couple of dozen throwbacks were landed. Maybe the change of tide would bring in more fish. Today’s trip steamed south, and Wednesday’s ran north. A few bluefish, not many, were in the mix on trips. Blues mostly departed for the season. The Miss Belmar Princess will sail for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily through the weekend. Afterward, the boat will resume fishing daily, for mackerel, the following weekend, the weekend of December 22.

On the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, blackfishing on the ocean was “coming around again,” Capt. Chris said, the last couple of days. Good catches, including lots of sizeable blackfish to 10 ½ or 11 pounds, were slugged on Wednesday’s trip. The angling “rebounded nicely,” Chris said, and limits were caught. Green crabs are supplied on trips, and white leggers are available for sale, after the white crabs had been scarce this season. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Striped bass, a good number, are here, even if they aren’t large, but time is running out this season, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> in an e-mail. A surf angler could bank a few on most days, at most towns. Most small lures could catch them on light tackle, and the fish were a “perfect fit” for fly fishing, “as these school fish are hot after a fly,” Bob said. He fished with Bill Massey from Wall, a fly purist, and he usually out-fished Bob, fishing with conventional tackle. For a better chance at larger stripers, jump on a party boat on the ocean. Stripers weighing in the teens were in the mix every day. Or jump on a favorite blackfish party boat, for great fishing for the tautog that was happening. Fish “before the snow flies,” Bob said, and don’t count on weather staying better like last year. “There’s plenty of time to sit by the TV,” he said. “It’s a long winter – get out (and) have some fun.”  Good luck, and God bless, he said.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Anglers cashed in on blackfish and ling on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Occasional cod were pasted, and quite a few bluefish were bailed. Anglers totaled 10 to 20 fish apiece “on a good day,” Butch said. Blackfishing turned up okay catches on some days, or was fair. On days when blackfishing was slow, trips switched to ling, and ling catches were okay. Trips fished depths from 90 to 150 feet, fishing the shallower water for blackfish, moving to 150 for ling. The blues weighed 5 to 10 pounds. One day they weighed 5, and on another, 10. They schooled in the same size, not mixed sizes. Waters hovered around 50 degrees. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. 

Striped bass, good catches, were jigged from the ocean the last couple of days on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. Today’s trip was on the way home, when he gave this report over the phone at 2:30 p.m., and he saw birds working waters again. “My mates are going to kill me,” he said, but he was going to stop on the fish. The stripers caught on trips were a good percentage of keepers. Throwbacks and bluefish were landed. Decent action most of the day, with occasional lulls. The stripers weighed up to 12 or 15 pounds, and the blues weighed up to 10. Nearly any jigs or spoons caught, but they had to be retrieved quickly, or nothing bit. Herring and rainfish were found in the stomachs. The Gambler is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Rocks in the ocean, where blackfish had been caught previously aboard, were fished  at first on a trip Tuesday on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt said in a report on the vessel’s Web site.  “But it was a little on the slow side,” he said. So the boat was moved to wrecks, “and it worked out okay,” he said. A couple of anglers bagged three to five keepers, and others “struggled to find the right bite,” Matt said. “Oh well, that’s blackfishing for ya!” 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>Toms River</b>

Customers, a few, bought nightcrawlers to fish for white perch on the Toms River, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. No results were heard, and a few green crabs were sold for blackfishing on party boats. Catches were decent. No surf fishing was possible, because Route 37 Bridge to the barrier island was open only to homeowners and business owners, after the hurricane. But the store is loaded with gear, including new gear for the new year. Grab a gift certificate for the holidays. Murphy’s is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays and is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

<b>Forked River</b>

Party boat trips produced blackfish, said Grizz from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of small striped bass gathered at the pocket at Barnegat Inlet’s north jetty a couple of days. Little was heard about fishing, and business never really returned after the hurricane. Construction workers, hired for the recovery, were the only ones busy, and they were working, not fishing. But maybe the boom will get them fishing this spring.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Awesome fishing (Wednesday). Twenty-plus stripers for my crew that included Robert Warner, Nat Bottingheimer and Al Ristori. Casting, jigging and trolling. Birds diving. Heavy readings. All in 25 to 35 feet of water, within 5 miles of the inlet. Light spinning tackle and soft plastics, or conventional rods with diamond jigs. A lot of fish just under the 28-inch mark, but enough 10- to 15-pound stripers to make it worthwhile. This was the best post-storm bite I have seen yet. There was even an 8-pound bluefish in the mix. I have open-boat trips sailing (today through Sunday), 7 AM to 1 PM. Call me; don't email me. I’ll be on the water. Good stuff right now! Hope to see you on board.”

<b>Mystic Island</b>

<b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday “for anyone wanting to do some Christmas shopping,” Maureen said in a report on the shop’s Web site. The store’s mostly been closed to be rebuilt after the hurricane. Scott from the shop, in a phone call, said no news was available about fishing. “I don’t know if it’s welcome to December,” he said, or cold kept anglers from fishing, or no fish were around. But eels and green crabs are stocked. Though the store is mostly closed, Scott, in a previous report, said that if he’s at the store and customers stop by, he’s going to help them. <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 no longer available, is up and running. The site also features other gear. The <a href="http://store.scottsbt.com/Fishing/Crabbing/Crabmaster.aspx" target="_blank">Crab Master Crab Cleaning Machine</a> was flying off the shelves this week. Why? Scott was asked. He didn’t know, he said.

<b>Absecon</b>

Striped bass are here, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>, even if the migration seemed scattered this year. The hurricane seemed to cause that, he thought, but his opinion doesn’t mean anything, he said. Still, fishing for stripers was the best all season, was decent, at Absecon Inlet the past 1 ½ weeks. He ran a charter Wednesday that filled the cooler with striped bass, catching them first at the inlet as outgoing tide began. Then the trip moved to the ocean, and a few more stripers were nailed. All the fish were socked on livelined spots, and seas were somewhat bumpy, and the fishing wasn’t for the faint of heart this time of year. But the striper run probably wasn’t finished. Waters were 50 degrees. They were becoming somewhat clearer than they’d been all season, and that could be good for the fishing. Blackfish held at the wrecks farther from shore, and fishing for them there could be good. Hardly any of the tautog seemed to remain closer, including at places like the jetties and bridges. The hurricane seemed to make the fish move deep, and they were unlikely to return this season. One angler talked about someone nabbing a few blackfish at the Absecon Inlet jetty in Atlantic City. But customers weren’t buying green crabs for bait for the fishing, so no substantial fishing for them seemed available inshore. White perch fishing was good on the brackish rivers. Curt from the shop, a perch angler, scored a solid catch, including sizeable perch, on Saturday. Lots of small stripers 15 to 20 inches schooled the rivers, and Dave hopes fishing for them lasts all winter. Live spots are stocked, and Dave hopes they last through the weekend. After they’re gone, that will be the end of the supply this season. Fresh clams are on hand, and Dave’s been able to stock no fresh bunker. They’ve been scarce this season. Plenty of eels are carried, though stripers prefer baitfish like spots this time of year. Catch the shop’s annual holiday sale that’s under way through New Year’s Eve, featuring 25 percent off most gear. Looking ahead, fishing at Dave’s charter business in Guatemala was already picking up. Plenty of sailfish were landed, and lots of mahi mahi were gaffed, and the angling should only get better this winter.   See <a href=" http://fishguatemala.com/" target="_blank">FishGuatemala.com</a>.

<b>Brigantine</b>

With a 21-pound 38-inch striped bass he caught from the surf Wednesday after sundown, Tim Daley took over second place in the season-long Striper Derby at <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>, Capt. Andy said. A school must’ve moved in, because Tim saw other anglers beach sizeable stripers then. Another angler stopped by with a 14-pounder from the beach Tuesday. Another checked in a 29-inch striper, his first, from the surf today. “So we’ve got fish,” Andy said. Not many anglers fished by this time of year, so not a lot of news was around. The catches came on mostly frozen bait, and not much fresh bait was available now. The fish mentioned above were hooked on bait including frozen bunker and three-day-old bunker. Frozen baits are stocked, and Andy was debating whether to get fresh bait for Friday. Probably just frozen bait will be carried. But live spots are on hand. 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. If nobody claims the prize, it’ll be added to a bounty in spring. 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>

Customers from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b> tied into striped bass, ling and blackfish from Absecon Inlet’s jetties to Harrah’s Casino and the bay behind Brigantine, Noel said. Striper fishing was fairly good in the bay off Brigantine. Many were small but gave up action, “and that’s what’s important,” Noel said. Stripers all around were taken on bunker, eels and bloodworms. The blackfish were snatched from along the jetties on green crabs or clams. The ling were landed from the T-jetty, at the end of the inlet, on cut bait like bunker or mullet, or clams. 

<b>Ocean City</b>

A few striped bass, not many, were tugged in, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Lots of small stripers swam the back bay. One striper, a 16-pounder boated at Great Egg Harbor Inlet, was weighed in this week. Nothing was heard about surf fishing, and the hurricane created a gradual slope in the surf that offered little structure to attract stripers. The jetties could hardly be fished, because not much water surrounded them. Sometimes anglers fished the ends of jetties at night. But a Delaware surf angler reportedly beached a 52-pound striper that will be the record in that state. Stripers seemed to gather in Delaware’s surf. Back off Ocean City, blackfish were boated in 40 to 50 feet on the ocean.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Fishing for striped bass will sail the ocean this weekend aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. His last trip, covered in the last report, jigged eight striped bass from the ocean on Sunday on Fin-S Fish. Annual weekend trips to the Florida Keys are about to begin at Christmas, fishing to Easter. The trips can be a mini, fish-filled vacation. 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>

Boaters seemed to pull in striped bass from Cape May Rips, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Eels are stocked for bait for them. Striper fishing on Delaware Bay might be coming to an end for the season, because fresh bunker, the favorite bait, was becoming scarce. But the fresh menhaden might be stocked this weekend, and Nick was waiting to find out from the supplier. Not much was heard about surf fishing for stripers, but Nick had only just returned to the store after being away this week. One angler reported missing a few bites from quality-sized stripers in the surf. Blackfish were toggled in from ocean wrecks farther from shore. Green crabs are stocked for them. So, eels and green crabs are stocked, and fresh bunker will be carried if available this weekend. Salted clams are on hand.

Blackfish, good catches, were swung-in Wednesday from the ocean on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. The angling was also productive Sunday but was slow Saturday on the boat. Healthy-sized blackfish were decked on Saturday, but the numbers of the tautog were down. Maybe Paul sailed the trip “the wrong way,” he said, but the reason for slower bites couldn’t be known. Those were the trips that sailed since the weekend, and the boat was kept docked Monday and Tuesday. Rain on Monday and forecasts for winds on Tuesday kept too few anglers from showing up for trips, though Tuesday’s winds seemed to end up calm. Wednesday’s catch included a 14-pound whopper, the season’s biggest blackfish on the boat, for Alex Levantovsky. He limited out on the tautog on the trip, and so did Bob Key, Bud Lyon and Ken Minnett. Catches were spread around the boat for the small crowd of 15.  Blackfish could be caught the past couple of weeks, good news, after a slow start to the angling this season, maybe because of stirred up waters, because of weather, including the hurricane. Not every spot currently gave up the fish, and waters remained murky at some places. But waters seemed to be clearing up at some areas. The Porgy IV is blackfishing at 8 a.m. daily.

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