<b>Brooklyn</b>

Fishing for blackfish was excellent for a charter on the <b>Big M Express</b> on Tuesday, and the boat stayed at one drop all day, and the anglers had never been blackfishing before, Capt. Steve said. A keeper striped bass was also bagged, and an open-boat trip with 10 anglers on Wednesday limited out on blacks to 9 pounds on green and white crabs, and the gang was finished by 12 noon. Blackfishing’s been nothing short of excellent, Steve said. The vessel is also offering striped bass fishing, including on open-boat, evening trips, but everyone has wanted to fish for the tog lately. Open-boat blackfishing trips sail every day when no charter is booked. The Big M Express is docked at Tamaqua Marina in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn.

<b>Staten Island</b>

Anglers with <b>Kayla Rose Charters</b> bailed a load of blackfish Wednesday, though the morning bite was a lot better than the afternoon, Capt. Darrin said. His blackfish trips are fishing in deeper water than before and no longer in the bay but in the ocean. Kayla Rose has been fishing every day, not only on blackfish trips but also for stripers. Patrons were trolling shads or casting light tackle and jigging shads for stripers, but some bigger linesiders were starting to appear at night and were grabbing eels. The vessel is offering both charters and open-boat trips and will fish all winter, and the boat won’t leave the water. If interested in the open trips, give Darrin a call with your dates, and he’ll try to set up a trip with others on his list. Space is available for an open blackfish trip Monday, and open striper trips are leaving the dock Wednesday and Friday evenings.

Blackfishing was super with <b>Outcast Charters</b> on Wednesday, and the boat made four drops, and all held life, and the anglers limited out by 11:30 a.m., afterward played catch and release and then came home early, Capt. Joe said. The slipperies weighed up to 9 pounds and bit both green and white crabs. Outcast sometimes stops on the way home from blackfishing trips and jigs for striped bass under working birds near shore, and the anglers were up for doing that, but no birds were seen on this trip. Blackfish charters will fish all weekend on the boat, and it’s been a great November for blackfishing for Outcast.

An open-boat trip with three anglers limited out on blackfish to 6 pounds Tuesday in snotty weather with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, and they played catch and release with a dozen more, Capt.  Anthony said. Blackfishing’s been pretty consistent for the most part for Barbara Anne, and some days are better than others. Blackfishing is the focus on the boat the rest of the season, and striped bass trips are available, but Anthony’s been telling customers that they might land 100 stripers and only a few keepers, and he says he’s up front with them. Open-boat trips sail every Tuesday, guaranteed to leave the dock with a minimum of two anglers.

<b>Frenzy Fishing Charters</b> eeled the Sandy Hook Rips on Wednesday night and landed more than 12 stripers to 17 pounds, Capt. Tommy Verderosa said. Lots of the fish in the area were small, but some nice ones were also there. One of the keepers was kept, and eight eels were inside its stomach, so the stripers were apparently feeding heavily on eels. The trip took place through the whole outgoing tide, and a few other boats were fishing. Frenzy will keep the boat in the water a little while yet.

Strong winds were keeping catches to a minimum, and striper fishing was spotty and gave up small fish, and some blues were around, and blackfishing was good, said Dino from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers were surf fishing on Staten Island but with few results except occasional short stripers.

<b>Laurence Harbor</b>

A combo striper/blackfish trip is slated to fish with <b>Evening Tide Charters</b> on Sunday, Capt. Kyle said. Some larger striped bass weighing from the teens to 20s supposedly moved into the bay, and cast rubber shads would hook them. Evening Tide will probably fish till the second week of December, and openings are still available for charters.

<b>Keyport</b>

A good catch of stripers was boated on a short trip Thanksgiving Day on the <b>Lucky Carm</b>, Capt. Carmine said. Maybe a dozen of the fish to 33 inches, including four that were kept, and two big blues to 12 pounds were trolled in the ocean off Sandy Hook, while the boat worked back and forth along the beaches. The anglers—Doug Larsen Sr. and Jr. and John from John’s Tire Company—fished 2 hours, so the catch was especially good considering the length of time. A charter was supposed to fish today, but seas were nasty, and more trips are supposed to fish Saturday and Sunday. Charters will keep fishing probably until mid December, depending on the weather. November was a rough month for winds and storms, and Carmine hoped the weather would flatten out now.

Luigi Battone’s group of four anglers trolled and released 36 throwback striped bass and battled several jumbo blues today with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> in the ocean off Sandy Hook in strong winds and tough seas, Capt. Joe said. He told the anglers about the forecast ahead of time, but they decided to sail, and they fought  loads of fish with constant action. Birds worked the water all over creation, and the fish finder was lit up with marks, and the fish were plump, clean and looked newly arrived. A couple of spots are available for an open-boat striper trip 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. Open trips also take place every day when no charter is booked, and call to reserve the open trips.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The <b>Atlantic Star</b> fished for blackfish Wednesday for the first time since Sunday, Capt. Tom said. Patrons bagged a few of the tog, not as many as on Sunday, when the fishing was good, and conditions mostly made anchoring difficult, and maybe week’s rough weather affected the bite. There was a ground swell, and that along with currents and light, southerly winds failed to create solid anchoring, except a brief time in the morning when the vessel held. More shorts bit than on Sunday, but some keepers were bagged, and Tom hoped things would straighten out after the weather. No porgies were landed on this trip, but the boat wasn’t fishing the area for porgies. It fished the Scotland Grounds instead of Sandy Hook Reef, because of the weather, and also because blackfishing was good at Scotland on Sunday. Some anglers tried dunking clams for porgies anyway, but dogfish bit, so the crew put away the clams and stuck with green crabs for tog. They were careful with soft baits like clams that will attract dogs, and the number of dogs on the bottom was increasing. But the boat is still carrying both crabs and clams. Togging with the crabs is the focus, but sometimes clamming for porgies can be an option, though Tom was yet to see if porgies remained after the weather. No trip sailed Thanksgiving Day, but trips were slated to resume today.  The Atlantic Star is bottom fishing for blackfish, porgies and sea bass from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Boating for striped bass was very good along the beaches, and stripers were taken from north of Rockaway down to Sea Bright, and adult  bunker were schooling, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>.  Stripers to 30 pounds were eeled at Ambrose Channel yesterday, and the bay was also giving up linesiders. Trolling with shad, umbrella or tube rigs was working, and so was clamming, and pretty much every type of fishing for stripers was working. Surf fishing was also excellent for the fish on clams, metal or popper lures. Kevin Mueller weighed in a 24.8-pound striper that smacked a popper plug in the wash at the Sandy Hook Rips. Blackfishing was a little slow in rolly seas from the winds.

Jigging for striped bass was very good on the <b>Fishermen</b>, and the bass were spread throughout a large area, and the boat was targeting them at several spots, Capt. Ron said. A trip Tuesday was probably the best of the season so far, despite nasty weather, and all patrons limited out by 10:30 a.m. and afterward played catch and release. Wednesday’s fishing wasn’t as hot but was good. The stripers have weighed up to 25 pounds, and lots have been small, but keepers were also biting, and so were plenty of blues. Ava 17’s, Ava 27’s, Crippled Herrings and Storm shads all connected, and on some days the stripers attacked just about anything. The boat is carrying clams in case dunking the bait is necessary, but lately jigs were working fine. The Fishermen is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ron was unsure how long the 3:30 p.m. trips would keep sailing, and this weekend could be the final ones.

<b>Highlands</b>

Striped bass and a bunch of blues were trolled and jigged with <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> on Wednesday in the ocean from the Highlands Bridge to the Shrewsbury Rocks, and striper fishing was nothing great, but the fish were there, and they seemed spread out during that moment after the rough weather earlier in the week, Capt. Brian said. Spoons were trolled, and rubber shads were jigged, and the water was 47 or 48 degrees, a good temp for the fishing. Big stripers were sometimes hooked lately, and a buddy drilled a 25-pounder and a 20-pounder. Jersey Devil is also tog fishing, and Brian heard that tog were boated Wednesday.

Fishing for striped bass was great for <b>Benchmark Sportfishing</b>, and a charter the day before Thanksgiving got into action with the linesiders all day long, mostly while trolling wire line and sometimes while jigging, the report on the boat’s web site said. A photo of the trip on the site showed at least 17 keepers for the group. On the previous day a charter picked at the fish until winds subsided, and then the boat could sail where the crew wanted to go, and two drifts produced enough stripers for the anglers to limit out.  Over the weekend one charter managed a handful of nice keepers in winds, rain and cold, and another nearly limited out while trolling shad rigs and jigging.

A charter with three anglers on Thanksgiving Day jigged stripers to 30 inches, including dozens of throwbacks, with <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Adventures</b>, Capt. Bob said in an e-mail. A trip with the Hoffman family produced four keeper stripers to 35 inches and a bunch of shorts, and a charter with members of the Middletown North High School soccer team jigged and trolled stripers to 34 inches and blues to 8 pounds. So charters were having great success on stripers in both the bay and ocean, and all weekend dates are booked until the boat gets pulled from the water for the season, but several weekday spots are open, and special discounts are available for jigging trips, but only jigging trips, on weekdays.

<b>Sea Bright</b>

<b>Two  Rivers Charters</b> jigged the Shrewsbury Rocks today, and not a whole lot of fish bit, but probably 40 were hooked: mostly small stripers but some up to 32 inches, and big blues to 12 pounds, Capt. Fletcher Chayes said. It  wasn’t exciting—just consistent—and a fair number of birds worked the water.

<b>Long Branch</b>

Weigh-ins rolled in from the surf and included John Ross’s 10-pound and 8.8-pound stripers that he clammed, said John from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Al Pollard checked in two 12-pound and 8-pound stripers that bit clams for him in the suds. Surf fishing was a little slow today, but surf anglers before and during this week’s blow were beaching small stripers. Little was heard about bluefish in the surf. Dave Clark showed off a 15-pound striper that he boated in the ocean on an eel. Anglers in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers were supposedly picking up both small and large striped bass on rubber shads or live eels.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fishing for striped bass was the best of the season so far on Tuesday and Wednesday in the ocean on jigs and eels with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. On Tuesday the anglers limited out on the bass to 24 pounds by 11 a.m. On Wednesday the outing was an individual-reservation blackfishing trip, but the boat stopped for stripers an hour, and patrons nearly limited out, catching 14 keepers. Then they loaded up on blacks to 6 pounds. More individual-reservation blackfish trips are slated, including on Monday, and space is available. In December individual-reservation blackfish trips will run every weekend. A couple of openings are also available for a mid-range wreck-fishing trip the third week of December.

<b>Belmar</b>

Striped bass fishing was great, the best jigging of the year so far, Tuesday in the ocean on the <b>Nan Sea J</b>, and 105 of the fish were landed, and 24 of them were keepers, and 40 blues were also hooked, Capt. Tom said. So the trip was awesome, and seas were rough, and the weather was stormy and rainy. Tom also knew boaters who found similar action at the Shrewsbury Rocks that day. The Nan Sea J will keep sailing for these fish, and tog fishing is also on the menu. One half-day tog trip already sailed, and the catch was fair, but seas were rough, and the boat returned early. Charters will keep fishing through the end of the year.

Blackfishing trips were out every day except one lately on the <b>Big Mohawk</b>, and the fishing was good, was fine, and sometimes anglers limited out, and most of the fish measured 15 to 17 inches, Capt. Chris said. A number of 7-, 8- and 9-pounders were bagged Wednesday, and patrons were picking away at the tog in 30 to 55 feet. The number of larger fish will pick up as the season progresses, until the blacks that are caught are very big. It’s only just beginning, but catches were good.  The Big Mohawk is sailing for blackfish 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day.

The <b>Bandit</b> is now in Indian River, Delaware, to fish for tog through winter, Capt. Scotty said. This is especially good news when Jersey’s bag limit drops to four on January 1, because then anglers can head to Indian River for Delaware’s 10-fish, 14-inch bag limit. The boat fished there last year and did well, and reports on the fishing will be posted here until January, when the reports will be moved to this site’s Offseason Report that covers out-of-state fishing during Jersey’s saltwater-fishing off-season. The boat will start fishing tomorrow, and then open-boat tog trips will sail 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, and reservations are required. The trips will be limited to 25 passengers on the 77-foot vessel, and green crabs are supplied. Tog charters will be available Mondays through Fridays. The Bandit is connected with a hotel that offers a discount and very reasonable rates to the boat’s anglers. The vessel will fish from Delaware until April and then return to Belmar.

Party-boat blackfishing was good, and some patrons limited out, and all were at least going home with a number of keepers, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>.  Boating for stripers was very good in the ocean, and sometimes the fish swam into the surf, and surf fishing was also good, and both boaters and surf sharpies fought blues along with the stripers. Boaters were nailing the fish on Ava 47 jigs, and surf casters were scoring with 17’s and 27’s or needlefish lures, when winds were calm enough to throw needles. Shark River offered nothing to fish for, because winter flounder season was closed. Plenty of flounder were hugging the bottom, though.

<b>Brielle</b>

A half-day charter on the <b>Katie H</b> on Thanksgiving Day reeled up seven striped bass, including four keepers, and a bazillion bluefish  while jigging Ava 47’s in the ocean off the Spring Lake Hotel, a fun time, Capt. Mike said. Lots of the fish seemed around, and he heard about catches farther south off the Thunderbird. It seemed anglers could hardly go wrong lately and only needed to break the inlet and look for working birds, and the stripers have been right on the bottom. The blues just won’t leave this season. The water was 52 or 54 degrees, and seas were a little sloppy and 4 feet in the morning but later became calm. A charter will target a combo of stripers and blackfish tomorrow.

The <b>Jamaica</b> is leaving port on 14- and 18-hour wreck trips for sea bass, blackfish, ling, hake, cod and pollock, and canyon tuna trips are still sailing, an e-mail from the boat said. Fishing on a 14-hour Wreck-a-Thon on Sunday was good, and the catch was mostly sea bass with a few blackfish mixed in. Patrons took home up to 20 sea bass apiece, and Chris Butler won the pool with a 4-pounder. Space is available on another Wreck-a-Thon that leaves 4 a.m. Sunday. A tuna trip steamed to the canyons two Sundays ago and produced a few longfins plus a combo of 50 other fish, including tilefish to 22 pounds, barrelfish to 13 pounds and wreckfish to 15 pounds. The crew did see good readings of longfins at times, but the tuna never turned on. Still, the albacore are at the canyons, and a few bluefin tuna could possibly be hooked. Dennis Muhlenforth was high hook with three wreckfish, two tiles to 22 pounds and a longfin. Pedro DeCosta was the next high hook with three tiles and two wreckfish. The previous canyon trip took place two days before, and the catch included a 200-pound bluefin and a 150-pounder. The next canyon trip will sail 24 hours to allow time to fish both for tuna and the other species. One of the trips is on the books for 8 p.m. Sunday, and space is available. Visit the boat’s web site or call the vessel for the canyon schedule or other info.  <b>Bogan’s Boating School</b> is offering the boating safety course required in New Jersey, and the next classes take place 9 a.m. to 4 pm. Sunday, December 2, and Saturday, December 8. The test-out option is available to boaters born before 1979 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Private classes are available at your own location or at the school for a minimum of eight students.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Jigging and trolling for striped bass along the ocean beaches was very good, and a charter Saturday jigged seven keeper stripers and probably 20 blues, and then set up on the anchor for blackfishing and bagged 25, said Capt. Fred from <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>. The boat’s charters are now adding blackfishing to the mix, because the bag limit increased to eight last week from the previous limit of one. Previously three charters jigged stripers and blues along the beach front. The water was 53 degrees, and mixed-bag trips for stripers, blues and blacks are now the focus for Andrea’s Toy. Fred’s charters usually specialize in mixed bags for fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner.

<b>Bricktown</b>

Surf fishing turned on this morning at  Mantoloking and Brick Beach for stripers—lots of shorts but some keepers—and blues, said Jim from <b>Pell’s Fish & Sport</b>. Ava jigs with yellow or white tails and sand eel teasers were nailing them, sometimes producing double headers. A few boaters fished the ocean and trolled plenty of bass and blues.

<b>Toms River</b>

Surf casters this morning were dragging in striped bass and blues from Seaside to Ortley Beach, and the bass at Seaside were mostly shorts, but a few keepers came from Ortley, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Ava jigs, needlefish lures, sand eel teasers and clams took the fish, and lots of sand eels and peanut bunker continued to school the suds. Island Beach State Park surf anglers were also scoring well these days. The surf was fairly clean by this morning from the west winds, but previously the water was dirty and rough in the south winds. A boater snuck in a trip Wednesday morning during calm conditions and trolled 20-some stripers including three keepers on Stretch plugs, and the windy weather started kicking back in during the afternoon. Barnegat Bay anglers were sometimes clamming striped bass off Cedar Creek and the power plant, and striper fishing dropped off near the Route 37 Bridge in the bay. Eels were fooling stripers around Barnegat Inlet and behind the inlet, and plugs were getting bites from the fish along the inlet’s jetties.

<b>Seaside</b>

Short striped bass were the rule for surf fishers today, and the beaches north of Seaside were “the most busy,” said the fishing report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. Sand eel imitations were most popular, and a load of metal jigs from Custom Lures arrived at the shop, but a few fish were plugged early in the day, and clams also drew bites. Three keepers 17.4 pounds, 10.3 pounds and 8.3 pounds were weighed in. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.  

In the surf anglers bailed small stripers and a few keepers from Ortley Beach to Mantoloking this  morning on metal and teasers, said the fishing report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. A few shorts and a 37-inch keeper were reported beached at Lavallette yesterday. The surf today was 1 to 3 feet, 54 degrees and clean. <a href=" http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for the latest.

<b>Waretown</b>

On the <b>Perfect Drift</b> a charter on Wednesday sailed straight to the ocean off the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park and got into striped bass once again, Capt. John said. They started jigging a bunch of shorts in the morning, and then the fish broke up, and the boat began trolling shad rigs, and four keepers to 34 inches were taken. The fish were trolled from the bathing beach to Seaside in 40 to 50 feet, and the depth didn’t matter so much, and stripers swam up and down the beaches in the area. Only a half-dozen blues bit during the day, and it was good that the blues thinned out. Probably 50 stripers, including the four keepers, were hooked. Charters were supposed to sail for the fish again today and tomorrow.

Lots of schoolie striped bass and big bluefish were jigged and trolled in the ocean from Seaside to Barnegat Light, and the farther north boaters traveled, like up toward Manasquan, the bigger the stripers, said Nick from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b>. Ava 27 and 47 jigs were working well, and clouds of birds worked the water. Not much was heard about Barnegat Bay, such as clamming for stripers there, because everyone seemed to be fishing the ocean’s good bite. Surf fishing was decent for stripers and blues, because the fish were hugging the beaches and sometimes swimming into the wash.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Striped bass were reeled in from the surf and Barnegat Inlet, and the fishing wasn’t crazy but was solid, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Clams and bunker were the baits to soak in the suds, and live spots were probably the way to go at the inlet. Josh heard about no blues caught from the beach in several days, but a boater ran into some in the ocean. Blackfish chomped on green crabs along the rocks at the inlet and Barnegat Lighthouse.

<b>Brighton Beach</b>

Short striped bass were pulled from the surf, and lots of anglers were dunking clams to catch them, and nothing was heard about bluefish along the beaches in the past several days, said Kevin from <b>Oceanside Bait & Tackle</b>. Sand eels sometimes schooled the wash, and seas in the surf were flat today because of the west winds but were rough in the south winds previously. Live spots and other baits tricked up stripers for boaters off Holgate and at Barnegat Inlet.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Fishing was all about striped bass at the moment, and catches were fair, and waves of fish moved through, and anglers either found great fishing or slow fishing, said Scott from <b>Scott's Bait & Tackle</b>. Little Egg Inlet was the spot to catch them, and anchoring along the sand bars and dropping down clams for bait was the way to go, and chumming with clams helped but wasn't a must. Fishing for stripers in the bay pretty much dried up, and jigging and trolling for the linesiders in the ocean traditionally turns on by Thanksgiving weekend, so anglers will see what happens. Jigging with Ava 47's and 67's or Hopkins lures is the norm, and trolling with Stretch 25 lures is popular. Few blues were reported caught, but Scotty bet that anglers could find blues if they wanted. Waters a little north seemed to hold more. The ocean was too rough for much tog fishing, and even when an occasional day was calm, a swell was leftover and put off the bottom dwellers.

<b>Absecon</b>

The back bay held lots of stripers, but on one day anglers whacked them, and on some days not, said Ray from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Clams seemed the best bait now, and Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, took a charter out today who hooked throwback stripers but no keepers in the bay, and Dave also pushed out to the ocean and looked around, and birds were seen, but no fish were found. Bill Lake bagged a 32- or 33-inch keeper from the bay today. Ray heard little about bluefish this week, but one customer said he got into blues in the ocean. Tog fishing was good in the ocean in 30 or 40 feet, so boaters didn’t need to sail far offshore for them. Anglers fishing along the sod banks were also picking away at tog. Perch fishing was good up the Mullica River. Baits at the shop include live spots, live eels, fresh clams and a full array of frozen baits. Eels are no longer being sold by the hundred, because not enough could be supplied.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Striped bass were running, and the fishing was good everywhere from the ocean to the surf, inlets and back bay, and lots of the fish in the ocean were smaller in the past week, but some decent ones were mixed in, said Jack from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. Jigging was working well in the ocean, and baits including bunker scored in the surf.  Inlet and bay anglers were fishing bunker, clams, live eels or live spots, and the store’s 17-foot rental boat, an Angler with a 50 h.p. engine, is available to fish the bay and inlet. Good-sized blues to 12 and 14 pounds were also showing up in the ocean. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s charter boat, ran a trip that produced 40 or 50 stripers, and four or five were kept, and slammer blues were also fought. The boat is available for striper charters. Tog fishing was fairly good at the ocean pieces and also along the jetty rocks and bridge pilings and such, and the ocean bite was slower the past few days during the rough weather but should pick up again. Baits at the shop include fresh clams, fresh bunker, live spots, live eels, frozen mackerel, bunker chum, mackerel chum and pretty much everything.

<b>Margate</b>

Striped bass, blues and tog have been the catch on the <b>Jessie O’</b> and the <b>Fish N’ Fun</b>, Capt. Jay said. The vessels are sailing on open-boat trips daily, the Jessie O’ in the ocean and the Fish N’ Fun in the bay. The inlet lit up with striped bass the other day, and boaters were crushing the fish, big ones to 42 and 44 inches. A special Thanksgiving trip was fishing for stripers yesterday, and Jay was planning to anchor and clam, bunker chunk or fish with both baits, but drifting with eels would probably also be an option. The fleet will fish year-round, and bring a friend and receive half off the second fare on Mondays and Wednesdays.

<b>Longport</b>

<b>Stray Cat Charters</b>’ blackfishing trips seemed to be pushing into high gear. Open-boat trips sailed for the slipperies every day until a day off on Thanksgiving, despite wicked seas, Capt. Mike said. He was even sore and tired from the pounding every day, but the fishing was worth it. Patrons were picking away at smaller fish, but they were getting through to bigger ones mixed in, and a 16-pounder was the heaviest so far. The sizes of fish will only improve, peaking in January, when the big ones come in. Places like the OC Reef produced smaller fish but keepers, and a couple of pieces 5 miles north, on a 150-degree heading, gave up bigger ones, 6- to 12-pounders, quality fish but fewer than at the reefs. Anglers onboard Wednesday fished a mixed up ocean, with seas coming at the boat in three different directions, but they boated blackfish left and right. A trip Monday left a little later than scheduled to wait for calmer seas at the inlet, and fishing turned out phenomenal while the anglers could take the seas from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. before heading back early. Seas were 8 to 10 feet, but blacks were reeled up one after another. On the way back to port the boat ran into bird play 3 miles long, and the anglers mugged 28- to 44-inch stripers along with blues under the birds. Stray Cat is keeping the jigging rods ready to go for the bass and blues along the beach front on the way back from blackfishing trips, when blitzes appear. The open blackfishing trips are sold out until Tuesday, but then openings are available through Friday. Other upcoming dates are also available, and anglers should call to reserve ahead of time, because the trips do fill up. Blackfishing at South Jersey’s wrecks and pieces that get less pressure than up north is one of Stray Cat’s specialties, and these trips will continue until winter closes in. Last year the trips continued till the end of January.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Not a lot was heard about catches in the past days because of high winds and big seas, but a 43-pound striper was checked in that inhaled a bunker bait in the surf on Ocean City’s south end, said Dan from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. A customer on Wednesday said he couldn’t hold bottom in the suds with 10 ounces of weight, and some boaters tried to sail to the ocean during the week but turned back around. But the weather should calm this weekend, and fishing should pick up then. One of the employees from the shop said he saw fish working at Rainbow Channel that boaters could reach. Striped bass anglers in the bay were usually fishing eels or clams.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Fishing for striped bass and bluefish was really starting to pick up in the ocean, although seas were rough during the week, said Capt. Joe Hughes from  <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. The fish covered the inshore lumps such as Sea Isle Lump, Peacock Shoal and 5-Fathom Bank, but many of the spots were beyond 3-miles from shore, where striped bass fishing is prohibited, so any stripers hooked there must be released. Blues outnumbered stripers, but the fishing in general was productive and should only get better. Lots of bait including herring and sand eels filled the water, and gannets were diving. Quite a few stripers were clammed in the bay, and top-water fishing with poppers for the stripers in the bay certainly declined, and the bay was 45 degrees the last time Joe looked.  The ocean was 54 degrees. Surf fishers were also beaching stripers, and try throwing poppers along the jetties in the mornings and evenings or swimming plugs during the rest of the day or at night.

<b>Cape May</b>

A charter on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> reeled in about 10 short striped bass and one bluefish at the Cape May Rips on Wednesday, and one keeper striper was boated early in the morning Tuesday in Delaware Bay, and that was about the extent of catches during the week, Capt. George said. Striper fishing had been decent Saturday but slowed the following days. After the one keeper was taken Wednesday, the anglers decided to fish the rips, but with no luck. Seas were rough these days, and all the anglers became seasick Wednesday, and the rips were muddy. George heard about a few boats that came back with three or four stripers and had a good day. But others on the radio on Wednesday were saying they caught none for several days. He also heard about a few stripers hooked in the ocean along the beach front, but “nothing to get excited about,” he said.  

Striped bass fishing was going pretty well on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> at the Cape May Rips, Delaware Bay and along the ocean front, Capt. Tom said. Charters were livelining spots and eels or bucktailing at the rips, bunker chunking in the bay and jigging in the ocean. The rips gave up the best fishing, and bluefish were sometimes showing up there, and big, gator blues to 15 pounds were appearing in the bay. The stripers were half keepers and half shorts, and 20- and 25-pounders were sometimes in the mix in the boat’s catches. Trips are booked to fish for the linesiders through December 16.

<b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> had a good day of jigging and bucktailing for striped bass in the ocean along the beach front on Wednesday under bird play, Capt. Ray said. The stripers included smaller ones, but 29- to 35-inchers were also caught, and large to medium blues also attacked, and the water was 53 degrees. Ray spoke with some who fished at the Cape May Rips, and striper fishing there sounded slow, and he heard from nobody who striper fished on Delaware Bay. Bluefish were sometimes showing up at the rips and also in the bay.

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