<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

After some of the season’s best blackfishing aboard Friday and Saturday, weather and seas became rough on Sunday, once the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> was anchored, Capt. Tom said. Conditions were somewhat snotty on the way out, but not bad. But the nine anglers, a small group, blackfished, picking away at throwbacks and keepers. Bites were difficult to feel in the seas, but the fish were there. One angler limited out, and two bagged three and four blackfish, and some bagged none, but at least landed throwbacks. Anglers who missed Saturday’s trip “missed a beauty,” Tom said. Both the weather and the blackfishing were some of the best in some time aboard. Mostly shorts bit, but hefty ones chewed in between. A 9-pound blackfish was the pool-winner, and other sizeable ones were cranked in. The trip’s fishing was a bit better, staying at one drop, then on Friday’s trip that bounced around to different drops a little. Both trips were covered in the previous report, but one of Friday’s drops produced “some real nice fish,” Tom said. “All in all, a pretty fair day.” Weather forecasts sound rough for a moment, and anglers can call the boat the night before a trip to find out whether Tom thinks the day will be fishable. The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Highlands</b>

For trips on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, blackfish “continue to cooperate,” Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. The tautog to 11 pounds were pasted this past week on board. Anthony Monaco’s party on Friday punched a pick of the tog to 9 pounds. Nick Depalo’s crew beat better fishing for them Saturday, “topping the box,” Pete said, with the fish to 8 pounds. In strong easterly winds Sunday, the Jeff Sheats charter had a slow pick of blackfish. The start of spring striped bass trips in April is right around the corner. Select dates should be locked in now. 

Blackfish, pretty good catches, were cranked aboard Thursday through Saturday, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. The fish, grabbed on green crabs and white leggers, weighed up to 9 or 9 ½ pounds. Striped bass were also jigged on the trips Thursday and Friday, and throwbacks definitely outnumbered keepers. Charters are sailing, and the next open-boat trips might run toward the end of the week. Forecasts are calling for weather in the next days.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fishing for blackfish was the best in years on Friday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. A bite was found in the afternoon. “Every drop a blackfish,” he said, and four to six anglers reeled them up at once. A trip Saturday sailed for striped bass, tackling 19. Ralph was surprised. “Not bad for December 15,” he said. On a trip Sunday, blackfish bit, until weather became nasty, and the trip returned to port early. Individual-reservation trips for blackfish with openings are slated for: Wednesday (4 spots available), Sunday (2 spots) and next Monday (5 spots); December 29 (1 spot), 30 (1 spot) and 31 (4 spots); January 1; and every Saturday and Sunday in January. Charters are also available.

<b>Belmar</b>

Striped bass were “still holding their own,” said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> in an e-mail.  “We’re seeing small fish,” he said, but sometimes stripers weighed in the teens, and waters hovered around 50 degrees, so catches should continue. From the surf, rubber shads, plugs and teasers caught them well. If anglers liked to fish with clam, that also worked. Boaters landed the same-sized stripers on the ocean, on shads, Ava 47 jigs and trolled shad rigs. The stripers fed on plenty of herring that showed up. Squid were also found in many striper stomachs. Blackfish and ling hit on party boats sailing for them. Give yourself a Christmas gift, and jump on a boat for hire, Bob said. “Or hit the beach and have some late-season fun.” Bob thanks Asbury Park Press for the article on “the plight of the bait and tackle shops after Sandy,” he said. “Good luck, have fun (and) keep fishing.”

Blackfishing was hit or miss, better sometimes than others, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. Because of “conditions”? he was asked. He didn’t know, he said, but sometimes the fish seemed to feed, and other times didn’t. He had trips that fished one place where none of the tautog bit at one time during the day. Then the trip returned later in the day, and catches began. Many throwbacks had to be worked through this season, but large blackfish were in the mix. Not of ton of striped bass were around, and many were throwbacks. But some, including keepers, did swim the ocean. Sea bass season is reportedly going to be opened in January. That could be good news, except that could reportedly mean sea bass season could be closed later in winter through next fall. Sea bass regulations have frequently been changed, and maybe will continue to be. Or maybe not.  Parker Pete’s sails for any species available, and charters and open-boat trips are fishing. 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>

Striped bass dished up pretty consistent catches from the surf at Sea Girt and Spring Lake, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. “Even to some extent,” Dave said, Point Pleasant Beach, but less access was available around Point, because of restrictions since the hurricane. Some of the anglers fished clams, and many worked artificials. The new colors for Daiwa XP Minnows worked well, and were stocked. But other XP’s also caught. Party boats were the only vessels heard about that striper fished, and anglers on the boats caught, on the ocean. Many of the bass were throwbacks, but some were keepers. Reports were heard about anglers catching the fish well on Assault jigs on the party boat Gambler from Point Pleasant Beach. One of the boat’s mates bought the jigs from the store. Then a half-dozen other anglers, who heard about the jigs on the boat, bought more. Dave reeled up stripers on the Gambler on Savage sand eels, the soft-bodied bait on a leadhead, a week ago. Blackfishing on the ocean was “kind of up and down,” Dave said. Fishing for the tautog was especially susceptible to conditions. Strong current ran, from the north, Dave thought, on one day, and blackfishing was slow. But it was fairly good on other days, and sizeable blackfish were around. A 12-pounder was weighed in. Nothing was heard about fishing for ling and cod on the ocean. But customers steamed for large bluefin tuna at Hudson Canyon several times, pounding very good catches. A customer ran a trip to the canyon on his Insufficient Funds, weighing in a 380-pound bluefin on Saturday. A trip on the boat previously jigged a longfin tuna at the Hudson. Another customer ran three trips to the Hudson that landed one bluefin on the first and three apiece on the next two. The bluefins were large, and little was heard about smaller bluefins that usually school tight to the coast in autumn, maybe because few boats remained in waters after the hurricane. But a customer did recently see pods of 100-pound bluefins just offshore of Sea Girt Reef.  Get to The Reel Seat for holiday gifts, including tackle packages at discount prices, at least 20 percent. A few Tsunami Timber Lures remain that were discounted 40 percent all season. A few Stingo jigs are left that were marked down 30 percent through the season. Here’s a new one: Shimano inshore jigs are discounted a whopping 50 percent. Stocking stuffers, difficult to beat at the price, Dave noted. Also, 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. The Reel Seat will be open late until 5 p.m. this Sunday for Christmas shopping. The store is usually open until 2 p.m. Then it’ll be open Thursdays through Sundays starting December 27, except it’ll be closed the third weekend of January. The store will be open again Thursdays through Sundays from January 24 through February. Afterward the hours will begin to be extended for the new season.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Rocks, rubble, tug boats, barges and trawlers were fished for blackfish Saturday on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt said in a report on the vessel’s Web site. But the angling was poor. Anchoring and all conditions were great. But the tautog “did not want to eat,” he said. A few big ones were heaved in, “but it was not enough to go around,” he said. Still, the fish included a 14-pounder, the pool-winner. They also included a 13-pounder and a 10-pounder. A handful of 4- to 8-pounders were eased in, “but that was it,” Matt said. He hoped they’d bite better on the next trip for them.  On Saturday night’s trip, anglers picked away at ling. At first, at several places, mostly small ling were slung in from 200 feet.  Then small to mediums and a few jumbos were picked away from 240 feet. The high hook totaled more than 20 ling. 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 Light</b>

The fishing season was wrapped up with a blackfishing trip Saturday on the <b>Super Chic</b>, Capt. Ted said. A good catch was made, and lots of the fish were throwbacks, but enough were keepers “to put a catch together,” Ted said. Weather was great, and charters aboard the previous weekend fished for both striped bass and blackfish, and catches of both were good. Fishing will resume in April on the boat, and Ted thanks everyone who fished aboard this season, hopes to see them next season, and wishes anglers Merry Christmas.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Last chance for our open boat striper trips! We caught the stripers pretty good over the weekend. Trolling was the most productive, because we didn't find too many chances to jig or cast. On Saturday we trolled them on my homemade sand-eel umbrella rigs. Phil Falato reeled in our very first hook-up, with four short stripers, hanging like grapes from the rig. The other rod went off at the same time, with the same lure, and Phil's nephew Jonathan Boyle reeled in a keeper fish for the cooler. We also had two triples, a few doubles and, in the end, 16 or 17 fish, with two nice keepers. All trolling in 45 to 50 feet of water off the Bathing Beach. On Sunday I had Alan Goracy and his longtime fishing buddy Ed out to the same grounds. When we arrived, we were the only boat on the ocean. Two hours of trolling later … bupkus! A big zero in the same exact spot, at the same time as on Saturday. Unexplainable. Luckily, on the ride home, I found some birds hitting the water, just 3 miles north of the inlet, in 25 to 30 feet of water. A quick try of jigging didn't produce, and the birds and readings were scattered, so I opted to troll the braid rods with Mojo rigs, a double bucktail/shad rig popular in the Chesapeake area. Thanks to the Professor, a boat we communicated with on the radio a day earlier. He had been doing well with good-sized fish on the lure. I had two in my trolling box (crate is more like it), so I gave them a try. Thanks Professor! We started banging singles and doubles right away, including two nice fish for the cooler. After that slowed up, we tried a drift with the live spots in the inlet, and Ed nailed a 32-inch 12-pounder, to top off our catch, bringing our legal fish total to three. This is our last week of fishing … and fishing is good! No it's not the epic blitz conditions of 2011, but we're catching fish every day, inside and outside. We’ll be sailing open-boat or charter Tuesday through Sunday. After Sunday's trip, I’ll be hauling her out for the season. Leaving at 7 AM each day, returning at 1 PM. All fish are shared on the open trips. Hope to see you on board.”

<b>Brigantine</b>

From the surf, one angler boxed a 30-inch striped bass on Sunday and a 15-pounder on Saturday, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. “He did head back to (Brigantine’s) north end to get a bigger one!” the report said. Apparently he caught there. Another angler banked an 11-pound striper from the surf at the Brigantine Hotel during the weekend. Four anglers during the weekend bought spots from the shop to liveline for stripers from the bulkhead at Harrah’s, and they caught. “They just came back to buy seven more … and said they are having a blast,” the report said.  The shop’s bunker netter released at least two dozen “nice stripers,” the report said, from the ocean in 40 feet on a trip for bait. One customer kept boating stripers on live bait this season, including on Friday. He ran a trip that day that went 2 for 4 on stripers, including a 16-pounder bagged. “He did have one of the very best (bait) netters on board,” the report said. “Fat lady is keeping quiet around here,” the report said. The shop’s bounty was up to $600, the last time an update was gotten from the shop, on Thursday, 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>Sea Isle City</b>

A customer weighed in a 13-pound 10-ounce blackfish from a Sea Isle City party boat trip Saturday on the ocean, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The angler said the fishing was good aboard, and the boat’s crew lately said the tautog fishing was productive. Few customers mentioned striped bass fishing. But one beached six stripers, including a 30-incher and a 28-incher, from the surf overnight at Corson’s Inlet, on bunker and clams. Another landed two stripers at midday at Hereford Inlet on a yellow and white Bomber lure. Those might’ve been the only anglers who fished the surf, for all Mike knew. Maybe if 100 had fished, more catches would’ve been heard about. But a few stripers, at least, seemed around. Blackfishing seemed decent for boaters on the ocean. That was the action known about, and there was action. The shop is open depending on weather. When weather is fair, the doors are open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

A trip limited out on blackfish on the ocean Sunday with Dusty Laricks aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Fishing for the tautog’s been excellent, pretty good, Joe said. He took a trip solo and jigged a striped bass from the ocean Saturday. A few stripers were around in the ocean. “A few here, a few there,” Joe said. The trips, on two different boats, read 49-degree waters on Sunday and 46 on Saturday. Maybe that wasn’t quite accurate, but the ocean seemed in the upper 40s. Grab a gift certificate for a charter. 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>

Good catches of striped bass were heard about during the weekend, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. He spoke with a few who bunker-chunked the bass on Delaware Bay. One of the mates from the Heavy Hitter worked on another boat on a trip that chunked 10 keepers and lots of throwbacks. Small stripers, fewer keepers than in the bay, probably bit at Cape May Rips, like they had been this season. Good fishing for blackfish was also heard about. George did no fishing this weekend, but call if interested in any of this angling. The Heavy Hitter was hauled for the waters for the season. But George has access to a friend’s boat to continue charters.

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