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New Jersey Inshore Saltwater Fishing Report 9-29-16


Note, 10/3: Few fished in rough weather in past days, so this report was not completely updated today. But a few updates from 10/3 were posted in the below report.

<b>Sewaren</b>

Weather turned windy and rough, said Rich from <b>Dockside Bait & Tackle</b>. Previously, blues, averaged-sized, “nothing crazy,” but not small, were boated on Raritan Bay. A couple of 28- and 30-inchers were docked. The blues were also fought from Woodbridge and Carteret piers, and small striped bass also bit from the Carteret Pier. The stripers seemed a good sign for anglers waiting for the fall run of the bass. Anglers hoped the run ramps up within two or three weeks, and the store is stocking up on eels for striper fishing. Weakfish were no longer reported from the bay that were tugged from the water in late summer. Loads of porgies were boated from the ocean. In addition to eels, baits stocked include sandworms and bloodworms. Fresh clams are out of stock because weather kept clammers from sailing. Dockside, located on Smith Creek, a tributary of the Arthur Kill, north of Outerbridge Crossing, is accessible from land and from the water at the fuel dock, and the fuel dock is open.

<b>Keyport</b>

Wouldn’t be surprising if some striped bass were found after this wind calms, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. He’ll probably try eeling for them afterward. “Bluefish and false albies will probably be around also,” he said. “Plenty of bait (is) still in the bay, which is good.” No trips fished aboard in several days in the rough weather, and forecasts looked like no trips would sail soon. He’ll take care of maintenance on the boat in the meantime, preparing for fishing for stripers and blackfish, and trips for them are booking. Charters are fishing, and Frank might announce no open-boat trips until the easterly settles. He’ll post any of the dates on <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/vitaminseafishing/" target="_blank">Vitamin Sea’s Facebook page</a>, and will email them to those on his email list. Email him or text him, and he’ll add you to the list. <b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> “We have been in a rough patch of weather,” Frank wrote in an email, and weather in the next days doesn’t look better. Strong east wind and seas averaging 4 to 6 feet are forecast. Charters aboard will be canceled, and he’ll announce no open-boat trips for the week. “Wish I had more good things to say, but it is, what it is,” he said. The season’s first open-boat trip for stripers will sail next week on Wednesday, October 12. Forecasts are calling for the weather to calm. Space is available on open trips for stripers Saturday, October 15, and Wednesday, October 19. Telephone to reserve.

Open-boat striped bass trips will fish daily beginning Sunday with the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>, Capt. Mario said. That will be in addition to porgy trips that are already fishing open-boat daily, and excellent catches were pounded on those outings. But weather was currently no good, and anglers will see how weather shapes up for the weekend. Charters are available, and join the <a href=" http://downdeepsportfishing.com/short-notice-list/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about special open trips.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> Great porgy fishing was pounded on the <b>Fishermen</b> on the ocean on Sunday’s trip until the tide, incoming, slowed at 11 a.m., a report said on the party boat’s website. Then the angling lulled through slack tide, but turned back on once outgoing ran hard. Also on the trip, a few blowfish were pumped in, and a few out-of-season sea bass were released. “Looks like some more wind for the middle of the week!” the report said. Back at it today, it said before the trip. The Fishermen is fishing for porgies 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, for striped bass 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and for porgies 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

Trips for porgies sailed every day on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said, though some of the twice-daily trips were weathered out. The fishing was great, and he hopes that holds up. None of the trips would fish today and Friday, because of forecasts for 25- to 30-knot winds. He hopes the weather calms and the trips resume Saturday. Yesterday morning’s trip first fished between the channels, and porgy catches were terrific, until weather became rough. Then the trip moved to the bay. The afternoon’s trip stayed in port, because of weather. On the day before, Tuesday, the morning trip was kept docked in weather, and the afternoon trip fished in beautiful weather. Both of Monday’s trips fished, and that was the first day of porgy fishing on the vessel. Trips fished for fluke previously aboard, until fluke season was closed beginning Monday.  The Atlantic Star is fishing for porgies and blackfish 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Sunday, 10/2:***</b> Monday looks like good weather, Tom said, and he’ll see how the rest of the week’s weather shapes up. But anglers might want to fish Monday aboard, because that might be the best weather in the next days. Both daily trips fished today, Sunday, the first trips since the rough weather, and the porgy fishing was good. Details will be posted Monday. <b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> Trips fished Sunday aboard, “finally,” Tom said, and the fishing was good. The morning trip fished Raritan Bay, picking at porgies and catching quite a few blowfish, the most Tom saw in a while. Once Tom saw that the blowfish, mixed sizes, some sizable, were going to continue to bite, he showed the deck hands how to clean them, and anglers bagged the fish. The afternoon trip began fishing in the bay, but catches weren’t as good as in the morning. So the trip moved to the ocean, and a good pick of the scup came in, where trips aboard pasted them before the weather. Catches included double-headers and good-sized porgies on the trip. A little ground swell remained on the ocean, but less than Tom thought there would be.  The ocean looked like seas were settling, and he expected good porgy fishing there on today’s trips.

Porgies, lots, were boated, said Jay from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Kingfish were nabbed from Keansburg Pier. Porgies seemed to depart from there. Many striped bass swam the river, and were only 18 to 21 inches, but bit. In the surf, a tremendous population of mullet schooled. Surf anglers landed bluefish at Sandy Hook Point, a long walk, and sometimes the anglers arrived and the fish held a mile off. Boaters fought the blues at the rips there. Sometimes false albacore were hooked from the surf. A striped bass was occasionally dragged from the surf. That was often in early morning or late in the day, and striper fishing will pick up when water cools. A few stripers were trolled near the Statue of Liberty, where the fish gathered since spring.

Boats all porgy fished, until the weather shut that down, and the catches were good, said Chris from <b>Fisherman’s Den North</b>. A few customers blackfished, buying crabs for bait, because the tautog bit well, though one blackfish is the bag limit. Thresher sharks and sometimes mako sharks had been fought from the Mudhole. In the surf, small blues swam abundant. He beached them on every cast at Long Branch on metal, and the water was full of baitfish and life. False albacore stormed the surf now and then at different places. Sometimes party boats that bluefished put anglers on albies on the ocean. The shop, new this year, the sister store to Fisherman’s Den in Belmar, is located at Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina, down the dock from the Atlantic Highlands party, charter and private boats.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> Enough is enough, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote about the weather in an email. Sunday was the first time Belmar’s boats fished in four days, because of the weather. They were fishing while he sent the email that morning. “We only hope they find fish,” he said. Grab a surf rod after the blow, he said, because striped bass should feed in the water afterward. Some surf anglers plugged stripers before the weather, early in mornings. Striper fishing’s been fair, mostly in rivers. Bob landed a 24-pounder from Shark River, the largest striper known about at the shop lately. A customer reeled in two stripers, including a keeper, from Shark River Inlet on Sunday morning, the angler said when stopping in to change hooks on a Daiwa SP Minnow. The angler saw another take a keeper from the inlet that morning, too. Blackfish swam inlets and Point Pleasant Canal. They were mostly throwbacks, but a keeper could be bagged in a trip. Winter flounder were yet to show up in Shark River, but should arrive any day. They were hooked the second week of October last year. Bob hopes the next storm, Hurricane Matthew, passes far offshore.

<a href=" https://www.facebook.com/parkerpetes/videos/1179308098757050/
" target="_blank">Watch a video of Shark River Inlet</a> in the storm today from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. Parker Pete’s is gearing up for striped bass fishing, an email from Parker Pete’s said. The crew hopes the fish arrive by mid-October in the local ocean, and choice dates remain for the trips through November. The dates fill, so don’t wait to book. Blackfish trips will sail afterward. In the meantime, the boat is porgy fishing and bottom fishing. The porgy fishing’s been the best in years. Trips will also fish for blues and false albacore currently, if those catches are in. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s anyway about individual spaces available on charters. Sign up for the email blast on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to be kept informed about the spaces. <b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> Capt. Pete would rather weather be nasty now than during striper and blackfish seasons, he said. Belmar’s bluefish party boats resumed fishing Sunday, and some tuna trips were supposed to sail that night. Trips with Parker Pete’s will resume as soon as possible. Striper and blackfish trips are being booked for later this season.

<b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> After being docked several days because of weather, the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> fished Sunday, an email from the party boat said. The anglers slammed big blues, an excellent catch, at the edge of the Mudhole. The fishing couldn’t have been better, and the 10- to 18-pounders were stacked thick under the boat, mostly swiping Ava 47 jigs with tails. Some bit bait, but jigs held the advantage.  The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Fishing will be weathered out today and Friday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b> because of 25- to 40-knot wind from northeast, a report said on the party boat’s website. A trip yesterday aboard picked a few bluefish and false albacore. But the ocean was becoming nasty by the end. Trips are fishing for blues and albies 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on most days. <a href=" https://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/tunafish" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> are fishing on certain days through October 24. <b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> Fishing resumed Sunday aboard, after the weather, the boat’s website said. The trip banged away at big blues 10 to 18 pounds at the reef. The fish seemed settled there after the storm, and the crew looks forward to good fishing for them. The catches were made on Runoff hammered jigs and bait. An overnight tuna trip was expected to sail Sunday night to today, and bluefishing was slated to resume Tuesday on the vessel.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> Small blues schooled the surf before the blow, said Alex from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Striped bass 24 to 30 inches were sometimes banked at Island Beach State Park, mostly on mullet. Sometimes the surf casters connected on small popper lures. False albacore were fought at moments from the surf, hit and miss, from Sandy Hook to Island Beach. This was all before the rough weather, and nothing was heard about fishing in past days, because of the weather, including about tuna fishing. A few boats probably resumed tuna fishing Sunday, and results were yet to be reported.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 10/4:***</b> Wide-open tuna catches erupted on an overnight trip Sunday to Monday that fished to the south with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. On arrival at the fishing grounds, the trip, postponed from Saturday because of weather, looked for a water-temperature break that held tuna last week, before wind prevented trips. The break, 74 to 76 degrees, was found, and the trip trolled there in late afternoon. A couple of mahi mahi were caught, and the trip kept looking for tuna. “Good signs of life” were found, but no tuna were. Nighttime came, and the boat was put on the drift. An estimated 150-pound swordfish soon bit and was reeled in, but pulled the hook. A 130-pound sword was boated 2 hours later. A white marlin was chunked next, and the boat drifted into 79-degree water that was full of squid, porpoises and flying fish. Then tuna catches erupted! Tuna 70 to 75 pounds gave up wide-open fishing. The anglers wanted to jig, and only three jig rods could be fished at once. The anglers were hooked up constantly for 2 hours on jigs. “By the time the dust settled, the guys had both Henriques fish boxes packed out, and the guys were wiped out,” Alan said.

Porgy fishing was good aboard, very good, said Capt. Butch from the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>. Depths 40 to 60 feet were fished on the ocean, and probably three-quarters of the anglers limited out on 50 of the fish. Others usually bagged 25 to almost 50, and a few blackfish and small bluefish were also reeled in. A few fluke had also been bagged, until fluke season was closed beginning Monday. The water was probably 68 to 70 degrees, and trips fished every day, but today’s and tomorrow’s trips might be weathered out. The angling was also good on yesterday’s trip, until weather became rough later in the day.  The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Bottom-fishing trips were weathered out the past couple of days on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, and forecasts for a gale looked rough for today and Friday, a report said on the party boat’s website. “We will keep an eye on Saturday,” the report said.  Trips are bottom-fishing for porgies, ling and cod 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips are bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

<b>Toms River</b>

Bluefish 2 to 3 pounds were yanked from the surf, mostly on mullet on mullet rigs, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. That was before the storm today, and the water had been loaded with mullet. Sometimes false albacore had popped into the surf, chasing baitfish. Anglers had just needed to be ready to pitch a line to them. Customers were gearing up for the striper migration, including in the surf. They were tuning reels, and so on, and now’s the time for that. Lots of new tackle is stocked for stripers, like three new colors of Daiwa SP Minnows, a big, 3-ounce Yozuri pencil popper, artificial eels and rigs to fish live eels. In Point Pleasant Canal, 3-pound blues but occasionally larger swam. A couple weighed 10 pounds. The blues were fought on slack tides on swimming lures like Bombers or dead mullet. Small striped bass were angled from the canal at night, but the water was warm or about 70 degrees. It needed to cool for better striper fishing. On Barnegat Bay, blowfishing was good toward Barnegat Inlet. In the Toms River, weakfish, some of them big, up to 28 inches, were hooked at Island Heights in the past week, while anglers fished for snapper blues with spearing or killies. On the ocean, porgy fishing was excellent. The party boat that Virginia’s son works on fished for them off Sea Bright. Numerous limits were bagged. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Water temperatures began to drop, easterly wind blew more often than before, and schools of baitfish began to be more abundant in the surf, a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’s website. Any surf angler knows this spells fish! it said. Bluefish chased the bait, and false albacore also took advantage of the forage, and occasional striped bass were found in the fray. Migrating mullet were becoming more numerous in the surf. Rain fell this week, but don’t let that stop you. “That’s why they make rain gear!” it said. In Barnegat Bay, a few keeper crabs were trapped, and blues from snappers to small seemed to swim everywhere. Fresh mullet, fresh bunker, salted clams and sandworms were stocked. Take advantage of a fall special: 15 percent off a selection of rods including St. Croix, Tsunami and D Blue. Tackle newly stocked includes Daiwa SP Minnow lures in new colors, several sizes of Shimano’s Wax Wing lures and custom-tied surf-fishing teaser rigs from the store. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, a café, a dock for fishing and crabbing and, in season, boat rentals and jet-ski rentals.

<b>Forked River</b>

Good weakfishing was boated from Barnegat Bay near the BB marker and off Berkeley Island Park, said Brian from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. The bay’s blowfishing slowed, but some were caught near the research buoy and the BI marker. He guessed they were moving toward the ocean. Snapper blues swam the bay. Surf anglers beached a few small striped bass. Someone banked a better-sized from the surf near one of Barnegat Inlet’s jetties. A customer said stripers bit in Point Pleasant Canal. Crabbing slowed, but a few customers trapped some in overnight pots in lagoons.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

The year’s first tuna trip has been weathered out that was supposed to sail Friday to Saturday on the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. One of the trips was added for 3 p.m. Sunday, October 9, to 1 p.m. the next day. The boat will fish exclusively on <a href="http://www.missbarnegatlight.com/TunaFishing.html" target="_blank">tuna trips</a> throughout October. Trips will jig for striped bass in November.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The striped bass migration peaked at Thanksgiving in recent years, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. In the year 2000, it peaked from September 20 to 30, giving up the fish on eels in Mullica River. But the run was later and later since. The ocean currently was 70 degrees, and the peak for stripers is 55 degrees. “It’s like hurry up and wait,” he said. This past final weekend of summer flounder season was mostly a blow out because of wind. No customers were stopping by in the storm today. In previous days, maybe someone would buy frozen bunker for bait. Or maybe they’d buy bloodworms thinking they’d hook a fish like a spot. But not much was doing. Participation in crabbing mostly dried up, but a few crabs were probably able to be trapped, considering the 70-degree water. Bloodworms, minnows and green crabs are stocked. No live grass shrimp were carried since a water pump broke, killing them, and Scott netted no more afterward. Forecasts look like Tuesday might be the next reasonable weather for him to try for more.

<b>Absecon</b>

Not a lot happened, except northeast wind blowing, and tides covering meadows, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. As much as he never likes to see rough weather, this weather is needed to fire up fishing, he thinks. When the weather breaks, he expects to switch from catching baitfish to working on striped bass charters 100 percent. He’ll probably begin next week seeing if enough stripers are around to “work on,” and he expects there will be. He’s been netting baitfish to stock live for stripers, and yesterday at 8 a.m. netted mullet in the surf the best all season, until wind turned northeast, becoming too strong for him to net. Weakfish showed up more and more in the Intracoastal Waterway. Panfish were around. Just a few stripers were hooked before the storm. The bait tanks are full of baitfish. Those include spots, and more will be stocked. They include lots of mullet and a big tank of peanut bunker. Shedder crabs are still on hand, and the supply is probably getting toward the end for the year. No crabbers will trap today or tomorrow in the storm, but a few shedders should be on hand. A few soft-shell crabs for eating should be stocked, and the store raises them. Not many might be available after the storm.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

No reports rolled in today in the storm, but fishing was good at Absecon Inlet the past couple of days, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of blues and blackfish were cranked in. Sometimes striped bass were. Occasional kingfish were pulled up. Abundant spots swam the water. Baitfish schooled thick, including mullet and peanut bunker. Lots of life filled the water, and anglers fish the nearby, jetty-line inlet on foot. Baits fished included mullet, clams and green crabs. All of those and more, the full supply of baits, are stocked. In the weather today, only the sea wall, on the bay end of the inlet, could be fished. ***Big Heads Up:*** Noel began a <a href="http://acprimetime.com/atlantic-city-fishing-petition-jetty-access/" target="_blank"><b>petition</b></a> for anglers <b>to protest the government’s planned closing of fishing the jetties along the inlet</b>. Click the link to read and sign the important petition. The inlet is historically an important location for recreational fishing in New Jersey. The previous world-record striped bass, 78.8 pounds, was even caught a short walk from the inlet, at the Vermont Avenue jetty in 1982. The inlet is one of the best striper fisheries for recreational anglers. But the government apparently doesn’t know about fishing like that, and it’s up to anglers to stop the closure. The government recently said access will be granted, after Noel began to spearhead the protest. But until the government makes that official, the protest needs to continue.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Weather was tough, but a couple of customers headed to the surf to fish today, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Blues in the surf lately were bigger than blues there before. They were 15 to 20 inches currently, so mullet on mullet rigs were fished for them. Fireball rigs were fished previously, because the blues were smaller. Mullet seemed to migrate Brigantine Cove more than the surf. But not much was heard about anglers trying for the baitfish in the surf, because windy weather rippling the water made spotting mullet difficult. Fresh mullet is being stocked daily. The Brigantine Elks Fall Classic Tournament will take place November 11 to 13, and all profits will reportedly benefit veterans. Applications are available at Riptide and at the Elks. The annual Riptide Fall Striper Derby is underway until December 23. Prizes are $500, $300 and $150 for the first, second and third heaviest stripers, respectively, and $300, $200 and $100 for the first through third heaviest bluefish, from Brigantine’s surf. The $25 entry includes a permit that when accompanied by a Brigantine beach-buggy permit allows the angler to drive the entire front beach in the town. Not all the beach can be driven otherwise. <b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> Wind finally calmed Sunday, and blues still swam the surf, a report said on Riptide’s website. A couple of trips were reported to score great on the fish on mullet on mullet rigs.

<b>Longport</b>

Sea bass charters are beginning to fill that will start October 22, opening day of sea bass season, on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. The charters and also open-boat trips will immediately fish the deep. The fish were already migrating to the deep, and no keepers held in shallower than 80 feet of water in the ocean. They already swam 100 feet, heading off fast. Opening day is booked with a charter, and the first open-boat trips for sea bass that are available are on Wednesday and Friday, October 26 and 28. Reservations are required for open trips. Book a charter for 12 people. That’s more cost-effective. Trips will switch to blackfishing beginning November 16, when the bag limit is increased to six, from the current limit of one. Trips will also jump all over striped bass, when the striper migration arrives. The boat will fish until January 15, going on break afterward for winter. Currently, yellowfin tuna fishing was lit up along the 500-fathom line. If anglers want tuna, trips will zip out during weather windows. The boat’s somewhat faster since getting new engines this spring. <b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> Space is still available on the open-boat sea bass trip Friday, October 28, Mike said. Trips will also run offshore for sea bass Sunday, December 18, and Thursday, December 22, before sea bass season is closed beginning on the first day of the new year. The 12-hour trips will fish the Wilmington rocks. Trips around then will also sail for stripers or blackfish or a combo of both those fish.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Small bluefish 1 to 3 pounds swarmed the surf and back bay, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Baby sea bass still schooled the bay, like they do in summer, and lots of small fish were around, because the water was warm. A tuna and a mahi mahi were weighed-in Monday from Wilmington Canyon. A few tuna, at least, seemed to swim there. Crabs were still trapped. That was all the news in rough weather this week.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Before today’s rougher weather, snapper bluefish 2 to 3 pounds, good numbers, were banked from Townsend’s Inlet from shore from Monday to Wednesday, said employee Mike, not Mike the owner, from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Chunked or whole mullet or bloodworms caught them. Snappers also roamed the back bay. Those were the only fish heard about, and no news rolled in about boating on the ocean in the weather, including none about tuna or offshore fishing. A few anglers fished from shore. Crabs were still trapped, and news about crabbing was scarcer than when summer tourists were around. But the blueclaws could still be picked up.

More than 35 false albacore were fought and released with two anglers aboard Saturday on one of the annual traveling trips to Montauk, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. That was a great catch, made on Deadly Dicks and Slug-Gos. Seas were rough that day, and were worse on another one of the trips Sunday. About a dozen albies were tackled on that outing, fishing only 8 a.m. to 12 noon. A bunch of bluefish 3 or 4 pounds were also wrestled on the trips. So the fishing was good the whole weekend. It was awesome, Joe said, and the trips fished by themselves, away from other boats, most of the time. More of the trips, fishing the migrations of striped bass, blues and albies each fall, will sail this weekend. The trips last through late October, and see the <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">traveling charters’ page</a> on Jersey Cape’s website. Traveling charters also fish the Florida Keys each winter. After the Montauk fishing, Joe turns all attention to the migration of stripers and blues off Sea Isle. At Sea Isle currently, the bay’s striper fishing began to pick up, on jigs and popper-lures and -flies. The water was cooling, and that usually happens then. Those are younger stripers yet to migrate, but fun to catch. Mature stripers will migrate to the local ocean later this year, heading south for winter. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 10/4:***</b> More of the traveling charters to Montauk fished aboard Sunday to Monday, beginning toward the end of the strong northeast wind, Joe said. False albacore fishing was tough for most anglers in the settling conditions, but the trips with Jersey Cape, with Tim and Tiffany Adkins from Chicago and friend, managed to find some of the fish. Sunday’s trip fly-fished and spin-fished, landing a dozen albies and eight schoolie stripers. Conditions were much better than forecast. Monday’s trip mostly fly-fished, landing five albies and four large bluefish 13 to 16 pounds, two on fly rods and two on spinning, wrapping up the angling at 12:30 p.m. Back at Sea Isle City, stripers bit well in the back bay in cooling water on cast and retrieved jigs. They could also bite well on flies, but nothing was heard about fly-fishing for them.

<b>Cape May</b>

On the final few summer flounder trips aboard, only a few of the fish were bagged, said Capt. Paul from the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>. Flounder season was closed beginning Monday, so the trips ended, and strong, northeast wind blew during the final trips through the weekend, rough conditions. So the fishing fizzled. The boat fished the ocean for the flatfish daily until the closure. No trips will probably fish aboard again until sea bass season is opened beginning October 22. Then daily trips will jump on them.

Good catches of yellowfin tuna were reported from Wilmington Canyon, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Most of the reports were second-hand, including some that talked about the catches during the weekend. Wind and seas were rough, but the trips reportedly made it to the grounds then, and caught. A reliable source afterward texted George, reporting boating seven of the tuna Tuesday. All the tuna reported were trolled, and tuna fishing had been slow previously. Nobody will reach the canyons in the next days, because of weather. But George hopes the fish are there when the weather clears. Trips on the Heavy Hitter will sail for tuna, if the fish are in. Not much other news was heard in the week’s weather. Weakfish schooled Delaware Bay, and bluefish gathered off Cape May Point. A trip aboard hooked both during the weekend, covered in the previous report here. Striped bass charters will fish when the fall run of stripers arrives. Those trips are booking. <b>***Update, Monday, 10/3:***</b> A tuna trip was supposed to fish today aboard, George said before the outing. Catches of the fish were reported from Wilmington Canyon before the weather, mentioned in George’s report above. After that report, he also heard about the catches at the Wilmington last week on a party boat from Brielle. Since the weather, the fishing might’ve dried up at the Wilmington, according to news he heard. George planned to fish another spot on today’s trip. Catches of wahoos and mahi mahi were also heard about from canyons in the past week.

No telephone calls to <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> were answered today for a report, and maybe the shop was closed then for the storm. But photos were posted on <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/Handstoo/" target="_blank">the store’s Facebook page</a> this week showing a weakfish from the surf, a striped bass caught somewhere from shore, and 13 bluefish from a trip to the surf. The weak hit a Doodlebug that apparently was baited with shedder crab. That seemed the bait in the photo. The striper was one of a few that the store’s owner apparently banked at night. Sea lice clung to the stripers. “Looks like we’re going to be in for a good fall,” the photo caption said. Sea lice on stripers suggest that the fish migrated the ocean. The bluefish were hooked on every cast on the trip for them, and a throwback striper was also caught on the outing. Fresh mullet for bait was key for the blues, but a few were hooked on metal. Blues were slammed at Brigantine the same day, someone commented on the photo.

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