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New Jersey Inshore Saltwater Fishing Report 11-6-17

<b>Keyport</b>

A 48-pound striped bass was heaved aboard Sunday with the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>, Capt. Mario said. Striper fishing was very good on trips, fishing Raritan Bay and the border of the bay and ocean. “There’re different batches,” he said, and the trips hooked the fish on rubber shads, jigs and eels. Open-boat trips are fishing for them daily. On Down Deep’s other boat, open trips will blackfish daily beginning Nov. 16, when the bag limit will be raised to six of the tautog from the current limit of one. That vessel had been fishing for sea bass, porgies and blackfish on open trips daily, but those trips are discontinued. The daily, open trips for stripers will keep fishing when the blackfish trips start. Charters are available for any of this fishing for up to 15 passengers. Sign up for the Short Notice List on <a href="http://downdeepsportfishing.com" target="_blank">Down Deep’s website</a> to be kept informed about special open trips.

Striped bass busting, birds diving, rods bending and nets scooping! Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. That sums up fishing aboard, and each trip limited out on stripers 28 to 43 inches. Those who brought bonus tags also bagged bonus stripers. The fishing’s good, like Frank said it would be when water cooled a little. It’s good, it’s fun and if you want to jump aboard, charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips will fish Nov. 14 and 17. Nov. 19 is available for a charter for stripers or blackfish.

<b>Leonardo</b>

On a trip with <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b> on Sunday morning on Raritan Bay, smaller striped bass were hooked than before, but the trip limited out, Capt. Joe wrote in an email. Trolling caught best, but the trip ran into bird play on the way in, and hooked and released stripers to 24 inches on top-water plugs. Lot of fun on light tackle.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

On the <b>Fishermen</b>, striped bass fishing began Saturday for the season, and caught! a report said on the party boat’s website. The fishing went well. It began as a tough pick in boat traffic in the morning. Then the trip took a ride and “got our butts kicked,” it said, but the bite turned on. The high hook landed 10 stripers, and many of the anglers reeled up several apiece. A 26-pounder won the pool, and a 24 and a 22 were nailed. Hard work and hanging in there paid off! Jigs caught best – ones with tails, ones without and hammered ones – and current was too strong to fish rubber shads. Sunday’s trip at first read loads of bait and read stripers, but they refused to bite. The trip went in search mode, and covered many miles. Late in the afternoon, the trip “went for the butt kicking and braved the ocean! To say it was nasty is an understatement … .” But stripers were stacked and wanted to eat. Every striper was hooked on jigs with or without tails. Current was much too strong for shads. A 16-pound striper won the pool. Don’t be scared by weather forecasts. It’s striper time! Trips are fishing for stripers 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

No trip fished Sunday because of weather on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Enough anglers showed up for a trip to run, but the forecast looked too rough. The rest of the past week’s trips fished, if he remembered. On Saturday’s trip, seas were a little bumpy, but great porgy fishing was scooped aboard. A few sea bass and blackfish were bagged. A couple of anglers fished for blackfish. No crabs are supplied aboard for blackfish bait, but crabs will be provided soon. Wind was supposed to diminish to 10 to 20 knots from southwest today, after strong easterly wind previously. Trips are fishing for sea bass, porgies and blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 or 3 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 11/8:***</b> Fishing was weathered out today aboard, and will probably be Friday, Tom said. But weather looks like Thursday’s, Saturday’s and Sunday’s trips will sail. The angling’s still pretty good.

<b>Neptune</b>

A trip striped bass fished Friday with <b>Last Lady Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. Stripers are here, he wrote! Photos of the catches were included in the email. Individual-reservation trips will fish for: striped bass and sea bass this coming Friday and Nov. 14; blackfish Nov. 16 and Dec. 2; and blackfish and stripers Nov. 21 and 29. The blackfish bag limit will be pulled up to six beginning Nov. 16, from the current limit of one.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fishing was weathered out Friday and Saturday with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. Strong wind built rough seas on the ocean. Previously, striped bass were picked locally on the ocean. The fishing was better off New York and in Raritan Bay, and local anglers waited for the fish to migrate south. The full moon just ended, so Pete hopes that will cause more of the fish to slide south. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s about individual spaces with charters who want more anglers. Sign up for the email list on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to be kept informed about the spaces.

Wind and rough seas made for a terrible weekend of weather for fishing, said Capt. Mike from <b>Celtic Stoirm Charters</b>. That canceled striped bass fishing aboard, and the next striper angling is slated for Wednesday on the boat. Stripers bit in Raritan Bay.

Super fishing for large blues was crushed on trips Friday, Saturday, Saturday night and Sunday on the ocean on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boats’ website. Sometimes the fish were jigged, and sometimes they were taken on bait. Saturday’s trip tried for striped bass, but no stripers showed up, so the trip got after the blues. Saturday night’s trip was the final slated to sail at night, according to the schedule on the boat’s website at press time. Trips are fishing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Another epic catch of monster blues 18 to 22 pounds was slammed Sunday on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, an email from the party boat said. The fishing was similar during the previous days aboard, and the boat’s been fishing for them at the same area the last few weeks on the ocean. The angling’s been excellent, and trips are fishing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. The Royal Miss Belmar, the company’s other party boat, is sailing 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. That vessel was going to target stripers exclusively, for those not interested in blues. But stripers aren’t in yet, so that boat will stick with blues for now.

<b>Brielle</b>

Spectacular sea bass fishing most of the past week, Capt. Ryan from the <b>Jamaica II</b> wrote in an email. Saturday’s catch was a bit off because of wind. But the boat limited out on sea bass on 4 out of 5 of the week’s trips. Many of the sea bass weighed 3 to 5 pounds. Lots of big porgies were also hammered, and many anglers limited on them or came close. Some big winter flounder were tackled on a couple of the trips. “Special” catches included Roger Bonsante from Patterson’s 25-pound cod and Grover Medkin from Philly’s 5.2-pound flounder. Trips are sailing for sea bass for 9 hours at 6 a.m. every Monday and Tuesday, 12 hours at 5 a.m. every Wednesday through Friday and 14 hours at 3 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday.

Striped bass fishing was slow on the ocean locally on boats, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Some were hooked at Shrewsbury Rocks. The fishing was on fire on Raritan Bay, farther north, from Reach Channel to the Triangle, mostly on trolled Mojos. But there were opportunities to popper-plug or jig the fish. In the surf, a few throwback stripers were picked almost every morning from Sandy Hook to Island Beach State Park. There was no concentration, but anglers should be able to find the fish, and land them with poppers, swim shads or swimming lures with teasers. Teasers were effective. Big bluefish to 20 pounds, lots, were fought at the Mudhole. Party boats sailed for them. Sea bass fishing was fairly good on the ocean, and 80- to 100-foot depths seemed best. Tons of throwbacks bit closer to shore. Also for bottom-fishers, porgies still bit inshore, especially to the north in the Shrewsbury Rocks and Sandy Hook Reef area. Also for bottom-dunkers, blackfishing was good from Shrewsbury Rocks to Sea Girt Reef. Not many of the tautog were giant, but quality-sized were around, and plenty of blackfish held in a good spread. The blackfish bag limit will be increased to six beginning Nov. 16, from the current limit of one. Lots of blackfish, occasional keepers, lined Point Pleasant Canal. No tide fished best for them, but the tide needed not to be cranking. Some throwback stripers swam the canal, pouncing on jigs. Tons of hickory shad schooled Manasquan Inlet, if anglers wanted to fight them. Tuna fishing was slow at offshore canyons. Longfin tuna were picked on the chunk, but the angling wasn’t good.  A couple of party boats still fished the canyons. Swordfish were hooked at the canyons. Closer to shore, bluefin tuna still bit along the east side of the Chicken Canyon and at the Triple Wrecks, “as far as I’m aware,” Eric said. Few trips boated for them recently in windy weather. But previously, 25- to 40-pounders were jigged at scallop boats there.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Strong easterly wind forced fishing to be canceled Friday through today with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. But fishing’s been good for sea bass and porgies in deep water aboard. The crew is waiting for the striped bass migration to swim south to get after them.

Plenty of sea bass and porgies were pounded Friday through Sunday on the ocean on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. Good fishing, mostly for sea bass Friday and Saturday, and a mix of sea bass and porgies Sunday. On nighttime trips during the weekend, bluefishing was excellent for big ones 10 to 20 pounds, all on bait. The boat is fishing for sea bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and bluefish 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday and Saturday.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

The striped bass run is on, a report said Saturday on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. Surf and boat anglers scored some nice. In the surf, cut bunker hooked most of the keepers, and swimming lures and popper lures clocked schoolies. Thirty-inch keepers were claimed early Thursday morning from shore on cut bunker, mostly at Island Beach State Park. 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, boat rentals and, in season, jet-ski rentals.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Trips that jig for striped bass and blues kicked off this weekend that sail every Friday through Sunday on the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. No stripers are swimming the local ocean yet, so Friday’s trip headed for blues. Huge blues 17 to 22 pounds were shellacked on Run Off jigs. The blues did not disappoint. Wind and seas prevented Saturday’s trip from reaching the same location. The trip attempted to sail there. So the trip fished three wrecks instead, angling small blues, good-sized sea bass, and porgies. Sunday’s trip steamed north. At first, bluefish hardly cooperated. A pick was caught. On the final few drifts, three to five blues hooked at once were held the whole time. If stripers show up, trips will concentrate on them. Otherwise, trips will hunt big blues. Trips are jigging for stripers and blues 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday through Sunday, and one of the trips will run 6 a.m. to 12 noon on Thanksgiving.

The <b>Super Chic</b> began fishing for striped bass Thursday for the season, the boat’s Facebook page said. “But the fish didn’t start with us,” it said. A charter Saturday managed one striper and returned early because of weather. A charter Sunday “stuck it out in a little better conditions,” it said, and pulled in 10 keeper stripers. Two shorts and a big bluefish were also cranked in. A charter bottom-fished on Friday, scoring well on sea bass, porgies and five or six other species.

<b>Longport</b>

The full-moon current made fishing tougher on a trip Friday on the <b>Stray Cat</b> on the ocean, Capt. Mike said. But a few good-sized fish were plopped aboard, the angling’s been terrific and the moon is waning now. Friday’s trip hooked catches including lots of sea bass, a few really sizable porgies and some triggerfish and chub mackerel. No bluefish bit, but blues were hooked on the trips previously. Fishing’s been drop-and-reel on the trips. “You don’t even need to think,” he said.  Trips were weathered out Saturday and Sunday. A charter was slated for today, and open-boat trips will fish 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Stray Cat’s new, additional boat, a 50-foot Ocean Yachts named the Adventure, will begin to sail for striped bass on the ocean this week. Those trips will sail Tuesday and Thursday. Lots of baitfish are schooling the beach front, and he thinks stripers should be there. Looking ahead, a few spots are available for an open trip for blackfish on Thursday, Nov. 16, when the bag limit will be jacked up to six, from the current limit of one. Some are available for that Friday, and the angling is sold out that Saturday and Sunday.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Fishing was actually pretty good, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. False albacore raced around the ocean, and lots of striped bass chomped in the back bay. Sea bass nibbled in the ocean, and someone who sea bassed said bluefish could also be angled in the area. Joe and his son fished for albies for only 45 minutes Thursday, and they landed seven and pulled the hook on two. The fishing, on cast Albie Snax, was very good. Joe fished for albies with his friend and fellow charter Capt. Chris Goldmark on Friday only a short time, and they landed one before dark. Albies stop biting in the dark, and Joe and Chris ran out of daylight. Charters with Joe on Saturday and Sunday would’ve fished for albies, but wind roughed up the ocean too much. They fished for stripers on the bay instead,  and smoked the bass. Weather was breezy on the bay but beautiful. The trip Saturday, with Doug Gillespie, jigged 25 schoolie stripers, hooking the fish the whole time. The trip Sunday, with an angler, his two sons and his father in law, jigged 16 schoolies to 29 inches, many of them 20 to 24 inches, a few larger. Joe brought spots to liveline for the stripers on the trips, but the bass jumped on the jigs, and the spots were unnecessary. So there are lots of options to fish for, and blackfish will be another, once the blackfish bag limit is increased to six beginning Nov. 16, from the current limit of one. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

<b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b> will probably begin fishing for striped bass during Thanksgiving week, Capt. Jim said. That will probably be on the ocean or from the Cuma Lumps to the Cape May Rips. Fins used to also fish for them on Delaware Bay this season, but the fishing’s been slow on the bay in fall in recent years. Trips aboard still fish for them on the bay in spring at several places like off Reed’s Beach. Duck hunting on the ocean will also begin aboard on Nov. 23. Fins guides hunts for duck and geese in fall and winter. Jim turkey hunted on his own during the weekend, calling in 42 and shooting one. Fins offers a variety of outdoor adventures. A discount is offered for Jim’s <a href="http://www.sjlodge.com/" target="_blank">lodge</a> in upstate New York near Salmon River until Thanksgiving, but only on Airbnb. Steelhead fishing is available on the river in fall through early spring. Snowmobiling is popular at the lodge in winter.

<b>Cape May</b>

Sea bass fishing was slated for the weekend on the ocean but was weathered out on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. He’ll try to run sea bass trips again this weekend aboard. George spoke with a party boat captain who sailed for the fish during the weekend and said seas were pretty rough.

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