<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass were slid-in from the surf, and could probably be jigged from boats on the ocean at times, Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b> said. But boaters all blackfished, corralling good catches, except when the ocean rolled in weather a couple of days. “They’ll catch them today, though,” he said. But more weather is coming. Nothing was heard about ling or cod, but Jimmy was supposed to fish for them soon at the Mudhole on a friend’s charter boat’s first trip for them this season. All baits are stocked.

The party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> steamed for blackfish today for the first time since Sunday, Capt. Tom said. Weather calmed and was beautiful today, and the trip’s angling got off to a slow start, producing throwbacks. But the trip was moved to a different area, and now better-sized keepers were in the mix, among throwbacks, Tom said in a phone call aboard at 11 a.m. If the fishing continued like this, it would turn out okay. No trip will fish Friday, because of gusts to 40 knots, “a (heck) of a forecast,” Tom said. Saturday doesn’t look good so far, with gusts to 35 predicted. Anglers can call Tom on Friday evening to ask whether Saturday’s trip can sail. Sunday’s weather might look better, Tom hoped. The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Saturday, 12/22:***</b> Tom today was waiting to see whether forecasts looked like Sunday’s trip could sail, he said. The boat is scheduled to sail on Monday, Christmas Eve, but not on Christmas. Forecasts for Monday looked best among the next days, and Christmas looked windy. But no trip was going to run on the holiday. <b>***Update, Monday, 12/24:***</b> Fishing sailed Sunday and today aboard, Tom said. Only a few anglers joined today’s trip, and they were picking blackfish, he said in a phone call at 11 a.m. on board. Everyone bagged at least one keeper, and a couple bagged two, already, and throwbacks were let go. If the fishing continued like this, “we should scrape up a catch,” he said. He sounded pleased, and weather was calm, but was rougher on Sunday’s trip, with seven anglers. Blackfishing was slower that day, not as good as on Thursday, not as good as Tom would like. The high hook bagged three blackfish, and only one angler landed no keepers, Tom thought. Throwbacks were released. No trip will sail on Tuesday, Christmas, and weather doesn’t look good at all for Wednesday and Thursday, and maybe Friday. Anglers can call Tom to ask whether a trip will be able to sail. He wishes anglers Merry Christmas!

<b>Neptune</b>

Fishing aboard was docked in weather, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>.  A trip for blackfish is cancelled for Saturday because of winds, but another on Sunday should get the weather, and two spots are available. A decision will be made on Saturday, and Ralph would like to blackfish “offshore a little,” he said, because a recent trip aboard, at a new place there, scooped up great catches. One angler signed up so far for an individual-reservation blackfish trip Monday, Christmas Eve. At least a couple of more are needed to sail. Individual-reservation trips for blackfish with openings are also slated for: December 30 (1 spot available) and 31 (4 spots. Final day for the six-fish bag limit that will become four the next day); January 1 (6 spots); and every Saturday and Sunday in January. If anglers are interested in other dates, Ralph will put together more of the trips when possible. Charters are also available.  <b>***Update, Monday, 12/24:***</b> On a trip today on the ocean, blackfishing was very good, Ralph said. The boat was motored to “a little spot,” Ralph said, and winds were calm. The tog weighed up to 3 or 4 pounds, but gave up lots of action through the outing. The anglers left with lots of fish for Christmas Eve dinner, he said.

<b>Belmar</b>

Mackerel trips will launch daily on Wednesday, the day after Christmas, on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, Capt. Alan said. The trips had been scheduled to begin this weekend, but it’s supposed to blow. Starting Wednesday, the Miss Belmar Princess will fish for mackerel 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

Weather was “killing us,” said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> in an e-mail. Strong winds and big seas, “not a good combo in late December,” he said. Striped bass swam the ocean, but few anglers fished in the conditions. A few regular customers fished the surf the last couple of days, banking stripers to 28 inches on plugs, metal and clams. Daiwa SP Minnow lures in new colors, stocked at the shop, got attention. Party boats sailing for blackfish dealt with the same difficulty: the tautog swam the ocean, but customers were scarce. Good luck, and Happy Holidays, Bob said.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Monday, 12/24:***</b> The Point Pleasant Beach party boat Gambler was the only boat known about that consistently fished for striped bass on the ocean, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The fishing seemed good, maybe producing all small stripers on one day, and decent-sized ones on another. Four-ounce Assault jigs seemed a top catcher, and the crew used them. Little else was heard about boating for stripers. But surf casters beached stripers, especially at Deal, before windy weather in past days. They landed the fish, plenty, along jetty tips on lures like Bombers or Daiwa SP Minnows. Striper catches were also reported from the surf from Spring Lake to Manasquan. No fishing was talked about from Manasquan River and Point Pleasant Canal, and the angling seemed dead. Blackfishing was up and down on the ocean. Some days gave them up, including large ones. On other days, they wouldn’t bite. Ling fishing began to improve on the ocean before weather kept boaters in port. The weather kept boaters from fishing for large bluefin tuna at Hudson Canyon. The fishing had been very good, but the tuna were on the move, and whether they remained at the canyon was unknown. Shimano inshore jigs are discounted a whopping 50 percent. A few Tsunami Timber Lures remain that are discounted 40 percent. A few Stingo jigs are left that are marked down 30 percent. The Reel Seat will be open Thursdays through Sundays starting this week, 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>***Update, Friday, 12/21:***</b> Sea bass season will open in January and February, and the <b>Big Jamaica</b> will begin motoring for giant sea bass to offshore wrecks four days a week on January 1, an e-mail from the vessel said. Sea bass season had been closed the past couple of winters, so the overnight trips, a New Jersey tradition, had ended. Now, they’re back! Currently, a wreck trip for jumbo porgies, cod and pollock is weathered out that was supposed to sail at 11 p.m. today. The next is slated for next Friday.  On the last one of the trips, last Saturday, fishing was good. The boat limited out on jumbo porgies. Hefty cod and pollock were sometimes pummeled, and a few ling were mugged. Mike Enclardone, Bound Brook, won the pool with a 32-pound pollock, and limited out on jumbo porgies. John O’Connor, Sea Girt, axed a 30-pound pollock and limited on jumbo porgies. Arthur Spatafra, Browns Mills, smashed two 15- and 12-pound cod and a limit of jumbo porgies. Katie Murphy, Brick, whacked a 25-pound cod and a limit of jumbo porgies. Grab a gift certificate on sale: Buy a $50 certificate for only $40. That’s 20-percent off.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

On the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, blackfish and ling were rustled up, Capt. Butch said. A few bluefish and cod, just-keeper-sized cod, were sacked, and porgies, a good number, were pasted on one day. That was chance – they happened to show up on the grounds fished. But mostly blackfish and ling were caught. They were targeted, and trips fished in 100 to 140 feet, relatively shallow. Dog sharks swam all the waters, but were too much of a nuisance in deeper areas. Blackfish were even caught out to about 150 feet. Waters hovered around 50 degrees, the same as lately. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.  Christmas is the only day a trip is not scheduled every year, including this year. The boat is one of the only in the state, if not the only, that fishes daily year-round.

Weather looked good for today’s blackfish trip, a report said Wednesday on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>’s Web site. Days blew a gale previously, keeping the vessel tied up, and forecasts didn’t look good for this Friday or longer. 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. However, this Monday’s trip, on Christmas Eve, is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Magic Hour Ling Trips are running 3 to 9 p.m. Saturdays. <b>***Update, Monday, 12/24:***</b> The boat fished Sunday for the first time since the weather, a report on the Norma-K III’s Web site said. A few blackfish were picked at every stop, “but it was pretty slow, for the most part,” the report said. “A couple of times, it looked like we were gonna get them chewing, but it never happened.” But a 13-pound blackfish won the pool. The high hook bagged five of the tog. The ocean was turned up after the winds. “Fishing should improve as the weather settles down,” the report said. A half-day blackfish trip was still scheduled for today for the holiday.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>***Update, Saturday, 12/22:***</b> From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Not so fast! I'm not ending the season with a string of gale-force blow-outs! (Dave was going to wrap up his season.) We’re going to continue to run open-boat stripers through New Year’s Day, at least. Sunday looks fishable. With a stiff westerly, we'll be fine along the beach. Monday looks perfect, with more NW winds. I'm going to run open-boat Sunday, Monday (Christmas Eve), Thursday and Friday.  We're going to cruise the shoreline until we find birds and readings to jig some stripers. I’ll have the trolling gear if we need it. The readings of bait and fish are still heavy off Island Beach. I took a guy out there Thursday, and it was awful. The sea condition was fine, but I couldn't buy a hit. We were dragging umbrella rigs and Mojos, the same lures that produced so well just a few days earlier. The readings were heavier than on our good days of fishing. I even had decent bird play. My last effort was at the north inlet jetty, with the live spot I had been taxi-ing around all morning. A perfect 1-knot drift from north to south, right across the mouth of the inlet, produced nothing, drift after drift after drift. … That's how it goes. But it's not over. My (friend, a charter captain) was out the very next day, and put his guy on fish. They had quantity and quality. The long-range forecast looks like it’ll bring some mild weather and sea conditions. This would allow us to move offshore a few miles and hunt for those airborne bluefin tuna as well. I have a pair of spinning outfits that were made for the task, as well as an arsenal of lures I’ve been assembling for a few seasons. Now I just need to catch one. A few were caught by guys targeting stripers already. Open-boat trips Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday. 7 AM to 1 PM. Three-person max. All fish are shared. Any dates offered as open-boat could also be chartered. Hope to see you on board.”

<b>Absecon</b>

Absecon Inlet’s striped bass fishing was as good as all season, if not better, though few fished for them because of the holidays, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Many of the stripers were small, and some were very small, but some were keepers. He ran a charter Monday that limited out on four stripers to 14 pounds for the two anglers, and released six throwbacks. The 14-pounder swiped Dave’s last spot, and he probably wouldn’t get more of the baitfish this season. But he had a few big, corncob mullet, and even 8- and 10-inch stripers grabbed them. On Tuesday he headed back to the inlet himself, and fewer of the fish were marked, and smaller ones seemed more common. The small ones wouldn’t bite the corncobs this time, but other boaters reeled in stripers on spots. According to reports, striper fishing seemed hottest at the new causeway at Ocean City, almost out of range for Dave. The fish, lots of throwbacks, an occasional keeper, were boated at night at lights and piers. Quite a few fresh clams were sold to anglers who banked stripers, including a healthy number of keepers, from the bay. The fishing should last to the end of the year, unless drastic weather happens. Nobody fished for blackfish on the ocean at the deeper reefs and wrecks in the weather. But that’s where blackfish, plenty, were, and a few anglers, not many because of the holidays, tried for blackfish at jetties, inlets and bridges. No catches were heard about. However, blackfish were apparently caught from places like that toward Barnegat Light. Waters seemed to clear quicker there than locally, and that affects blackfishing. White perch fishing seemed good on the brackish rivers. Catches were reported from Great Egg Harbor River. Curt from the shop, a perch angler, was plucking a bunch, and said lots of throwback stripers were mixed in. Dave hopes that action sticks around in winter, and hopes the fish are a good sign that keepers should be winged from the rivers in March. Rivers are some of the first places to give them up then, because of warmer waters. Striper season will be closed in rivers and bays at the first of the year, and reopened there on March 1, like annually. The season remains open in the ocean year-round. Fresh clams will be stocked through the end of the year. Green crabs and eels are on hand. Catch the shop’s holiday sale through New Year’s Eve, featuring 25 percent off on most tackle.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Throwback striped bass swam the surf, and keepers were difficult to come by, but with few anglers fishing, so was news, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers with stripers 25, 21 and 19-1/2 pounds were in the lead for the season-long Riptide Striper Derby for the surf. Live spots are stocked, and boaters are cracking stripers on them at Absecon Inlet. “Lot of action,” Andy said. Here’s a catch: The shop began carrying <a href="http://riptidebaitandtackle.com/the_fat_lady_is_starting_to_hum_or_is_she_" target="_blank">pound cake</a> from Stock’s Bakery in Philly. People began running in to buy them, and the cakes will be carried the whole year. But they make a great holiday gift. Karl Stock is a regular customer at Riptide.  Watch a <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/video?id=8440403&pid=8422000" target="_blank">video on Stock’s pound cake</a>. The store will be open through Monday then closed until reopened March 1. Gift Certificates are available.  The shop’s bounty was up to $600 for the season’s first striper 43 inches or larger checked in from the Brigantine surf. Entry is $5, and anglers must enter 12 hours before catching. If nobody claims the prize by Monday, it’ll be added to a bounty in spring. Prizes will be awarded Monday for Riptide’s annual, season-long Striped Bass Derby, for the biggest stripers beached from Brigantine’s surf. Weekly and monthly prizes are also awarded, and entry s 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>Ocean City</b>

In the surf, striped bass, somewhat of a run, got hooked Saturday to Monday, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. They were small, but a good number were beached, mostly on clam or bunker. Winds started to blow Monday afternoon, and little was heard afterward. But waters stayed relatively warm, and some fish were around. Boaters reeled in a few stripers, small, at Great Egg Harbor Inlet, usually on small soft-plastic or hard lures. White and pink plastics were fished. Anglers walking the sod banks drilled a few small stripers, usually on plastics. Blackfish, very good catches, were boated in 60 to 70 feet, not far from shore. No blackfish catches were known about from along jetties and bridges. Eels, green crabs and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A few striped bass were picked from the surf, but with few anglers fishing, news was scarce, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Clams or bunker were usually fished for them. A few stripers were lifted from the back bay, usually at night with soft-plastic lures. But sometimes eels or spots were fished on the bay for stripers. Blackfishing was excellent, and catches were heard about from all areas, like from Avalon’s 8th Street jetty to Atlantic City Reef. Fresh clams are stocked for weekends and usually last until about Thursday. White leggers, green crabs, eels and all frozen baits are carried.

If weather allows, fishing aboard will sail this weekend on the ocean, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. No trips fished in weather this week. The last trip, last weekend, covered in the previous report, nearly limited out on blackfish on the ocean. Blackfishing’s been excellent. Joe took a short trip solo during the weekend, boating a striper on the ocean, also covered the last time. A few stripers kept migrating the local ocean. At Christmas, annual traveling charters to the Florida Keys will begin. The trips, usually on weekends, fish through winter. They 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.  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. 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>***Update, Monday, 12/24:***</b> Weather was too windy, and no trips fished aboard, Joe said. He heard nothing about fish or stripers and blackfish in the ocean. He’ll next fish on the Florida trips, and expects to have lots of news on that by the weekend.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>***Update, Monday, 12/24:***</b> Trips were booked aboard through the past week on the <b>Down Deep</b>, but were weathered out, Capt. Mario said. When trips could sail, blackfishing was good. Striped bass, many of them throwbacks, were found at Cape May Rips. Charters are available, and open-boat trips will sail for blackfish the rest of winter. See the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/special-trips/" target="_blank">Down Deep’s open-boat blackfishing schedule</a> online, and book. 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.

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> did no fishing in the week’s weather, and heard about no boaters who did, he said. But striped bass were decked from Delaware Bay through the weekend on bunker chunks, covered in the last report. One of the Heavy Hitter’s mates worked on another vessel then, and 10 stripers, and lots of throwbacks, were chunked from the bay on the trip. Stripers probably swam Cape May Rips but were probably smaller, like the rest of the season. Keepers seemed more abundant in the bay. Blackfishing was good, the last George heard. The Heavy Hitter was hauled from the waters for the season, but George can run charters on a friend’s boat. Call if interested in any of this fishing. <b>***Update, Monday, 12/24:***</b> Lot of weather, George said about the past days, and nothing was heard about fishing. Was also the holiday weekend. Stripers and blackfish bit, the last he heard, and he’ll sail for them as long as they do, until the boat is hauled from the waters for the season. Mentioned above, the Heavy Hitter is already in dry dock for winter, but George can run charters on a friend’s boat. That vessel will probably be kept in the waters another couple of weeks.

Blackfishing tugged in good catches Monday on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. Lots were also landed Sunday aboard, and trips were catching whenever they got the weather to go. Today’s trip was expected to run, after no trips sailed the past couple of days. Friday and Saturday look windy, and Sunday is “up in the air,” Paul said. But trips are supposed to blackfish through the weekend. The boat will be kept docked Monday and Tuesday for Christmas Eve and Christmas. Several limits of the tautog were made recently, including by Dan Stinsman, John Riccardi, Ralph Mairano and George Wilson. T. Mak limited out to an 8-1/4-pounder. No huge tog were heaved in on the past couple of trips, but 8- to 9-pounders were. A 14-pounder was the biggest this season, clubbed last week, covered in the last report. Rudy Barbolini on one of the recent trips tucked aboard five keepers to 8 ½ pounds. Waters remained relatively warm, so blackfish catches will probably continue. The Porgy IV is blackfishing at 8 a.m. daily.

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