<b>Brooklyn</b>

Only one drop was fished all day yesterday on an open-boat tog trip on the <b>Big M Express</b>, and the fishing was a slow pick, but all the slipperies were big, weighing 5 to 11 pounds, the report on the boat’s web site said. Five topped 10 pounds, and open trips are targeting the blackfish every day when no charter is booked. The Big M Express sails from Tamaqua Marina in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn.

<b>Staten Island</b>

Boaters could jig a ton of striped bass at Ambrose Channel, said Joe from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b>. They could also reel up a mess of blackfish at Sandy Hook Reef. But surf fishers found slow fishing on Staten Island. The shop is now open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., limited hours because of the season. Joe noted that now is a good time to bring reels to the shop to be serviced.

Two anglers with <b>Frenzy Fishing Charters</b> bailed striped bass Tuesday along Ambrose Channel, all the way from the Verrazano Bridge to the ocean, Capt. Tommy Verderosa said. They reeled in scores and scores, so many that at one point one of the anglers said he had to take a break and drink a beer! Most of the fish were schoolies, but the action was non-stop, and a 12-pound keeper was taken on a fake eel. The linesiders bit practically anything, including rubber shads, diamond jigs and the eels. The fish swam along the entire stretch of the channel, including from the 6 buoy to the 1 buoy to Ambrose Light, and just look for working birds to find them. The schools seemed to be feeding on rainfish or some kind of small, tan bait that Tommy could never see well enough to identify. But they looked like rain baits that false albacore feed on earlier in fall. Plenty of bait was marked, and the water was 45 degrees, and if the bait and temps stay, the stripers should stick around. Tommy will keep the boat in the water at least another week, maybe longer, depending on the weather. 

Fishing for blackfish was slower on a trip yesterday with <b>Kayla Rose Charters</b>, so the anglers fell a little short of limiting out, and the weather became nasty in the afternoon and forced the group to return to port, Capt. Darrin said. Conditions started fine in the morning. The blackfish weighed up to 5 or 6 pounds, and birds were seen working the water when the boat was heading out, but the anglers wanted to fish for the tog instead of stopping and trying for stripers that probably could’ve been caught under the birds. Both charters and open-boat trips will keep sailing for blacks and stripers, and if interested in the open trips, call Darrin and give him your dates, and he’ll try to put a trip together with others on his list.

A blackfishing trip was awesome with <b>Outcast Charters</b> on Tuesday, and the anglers limited out on blacks to 9 pounds with no problem, and a good number of 6- and 7-pounders bit, and 3- to 5-pounders made up the rest of the catch, Capt. Joe said. The boat fished in 60 to 70 feet, and white leggers seemed to work better than green crabs. Sometimes Outcast’s charters mix in striper fishing with blackfish trips on the way home along the beaches. This charter did no striper fishing, but Joe this day saw few working birds that would indicate stripers, the first time he saw so few this season. The water warmed to 44 degrees compared with a previous temp of 41 some days ago.

On the <b>Barbara Anne</b> anglers lifted up some bigger tog than before, up to 9-pounders, on a trip Tuesday, Capt. Anthony said. Blackfish were biting well on some days and were finicky on others, and anglers just needed to get out and target them, be prepared to work for the fish all day, and end up with a nice catch by the end of the outing. The Barbara Anne was sailing for them at various depths between 50 and 100 feet, depending on the day and the conditions. Charters are focusing on the tautog, and open-boat trips are fishing for them every Tuesday whenever no charter is booked, guaranteed to leave the dock with a minimum of two anglers.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The <b>Atlantic Star</b> fished for blackfish Tuesday, and no trips got out Monday and Wednesday, and the fishing was a nice pick at Scotland on the day out, Capt. Tom said. One customer bagged seven keepers, and some nabbed three or four, and a couple grabbed one or two, and a few ling, and good-sized ones, were boated. The vessel fished at three or four drops, and many of the blackfish were small, but there was action all day, and patrons all went home with dinner. Some of them dunked clams to catch the ling, and dogfish, sometimes attracted by clams, were a no-show, a good thing. Other ling were taken on the green crab baits meant for the blackfish, and most anglers of course targeted blacks. The Atlantic Star is fishing for blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Jigging for striped bass was good on the <b>Fisermen</b>, and plenty of shorts hit the metal, and some days produced a handful of keepers, and other days gave up scarcer legal ones, but patrons found loads of action from the channels to along the ocean beaches to farther offshore, Capt. Ron said. Mostly Ava 47’s and 67’s were used, but Krocodiles worked when the fish were deep, and Storm shads were effective when the tide was slow, and the best lures depended on the conditions and the type of bait the fish were chasing. Bait continued to school, and not many herring were seen so far this year, and big stripers follow herring. Ron hoped more bodies of big stripers would still arrive this season, like they did last year. Few blues showed up anymore. The Fishermen will keep sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily as long as the fish remain and the weather is reasonable. On another note, Ron is a board member of the <a href="http://www.ssfff.net/" target="_blank"> Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund </a> and encourages anglers to visit the fund’s web site and support the organization financially. The fund hopes to raise enough money to fund research that will prove that the government’s data on the fluke population is flawed. The government is threatening drastic cuts in fluke bag limits that many recreational anglers believe are severe and unnecessary. The cuts would harm many fishing businesses, including party boats, charter boats and tackle shops that rely on the fluke fishery more than any other fishing, and the cuts would drastically limit saltwater fishing that is made up of fluke angling the majority of the season. The Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund might be the final opportunity to head off the cuts or a moratorium. Visit the site, learn about the organization, attend the meetings listed, and consider making contributions.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>’ last trip of the season sailed Saturday, producing a bunch of stripers, all shorts and none big, in the ocean, and Capt. Brian will now pull the boat from the water, he said. He wishes his charters and everyone a healthy and prosperous new year, and looks forward to seeing anglers on the boat in spring.

<b>Belmar</b>

Bigger blackfish were beginning to bite for patrons on the <b>Big Mohawk</b>, and 9-, 10- and 11-pounders were starting to show up, and lots of the anglers limited out, Capt. Chris said. The boat was fishing from 30 to 70 feet, and trips are targeting the tog 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day.

Blackfishing was super on the Belmar party boats yesterday, and bigger ones were reportedly beginning to appear, and anglers from one of the boats said lots of 7- to 10-pounders were pulled up, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Murray Weiner hopped on one of the vessels and limited out on the slipperies to 10 pounds. But the boats stayed in port today because of the storm. Striped bass fishing was so-so, and a few diehards were still chasing the linesiders in the surf, and most of the fish were small. The sharpies kept tossing metal and needlefish to imitate sand eels like they’ve been doing this season, and some plugged with Bombers and such, and others threw wide-bodied lures like Krocodiles to imitate peanut bunker that schooled.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Striped bass fishing gave up good action on the <b>Gambler</b> the past couple of days, and mostly shorts but a few keepers bit jigs in the ocean, Capt. Bob said. Yesterday’s trip found the fish off Sea Bright under working birds in every direction, such a large number that Bob figured acres of the fish were schooling underneath. He read hardly any bait until he sailed north from port to Sea Bright and found marks, but assumed the bait and fish would eventually push south. He hoped that more shots of larger stripers would arrive from up north, such as from Long Island, like they did last year at this time. But there was good action and occasional keepers, and blues finally seemed to depart, and no blues were hooked. The water was 45 to 46 degrees--two or three degrees higher than a few days ago. Retrieving the jigs at a medium-fast pace, a speed that gave them plenty of “kick,” worked best, and some patrons tried to work the metal with a jigging action, but retrieving was definitely better. Even though stripers were marked on the bottom to halfway up, they typically follow the jigs on a retrieve until 20 or 25 feet from the boat. Jeff Kay used this method and hooked more than 50 of the fish, including the pool winner, probably a 12- to 15-pounder. Capt. Bob thinks the fishing should last at least until Christmas if not longer, and the Gambler is fishing for stripers 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. In January offshore wreck trips for giant sea bass will run 1 a.m. to 7 p.m. twice weekly. Weather was forecast to roll in during the next several days, but Friday looked good, and Saturday seemed fine until later in the day, so the boat should sail.

Capt. Fred from <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> took a trip Tuesday with a buddy to show him how to troll for striped bass, and they hooked 20 of the fish including one keeper in an hour at the Shrewsbury Rocks, he said. So there was tons of action, even if most of the bass were shorts, and birds worked everywhere. He took a crew trip the day before that also had fun with shorts, no keepers, and found plenty of life to the north. Andrea’s Toy will keep striper fishing, but blackfish are a main target now, especially on 10-hour, open-boat blackfish marathons that are leaving port every Sunday. The open trips sometimes mix in striper fishing or sea bassing, if the tog are being targeted in deeper water where sea bass are holding, and the rate is very reasonable, and visit Andrea’s Toy’s home page for details. When the weather turns colder, the boat will start sailing from Barnegat Inlet, so the vessel’s season will last till February.

<b>Bricktown</b>

 A 21-1/2-pound striped bass was checked in that Scott Engelhart walloped in the surf Saturday on a black Bomber plug, and Jim Anderson on the same day showed off a 28-1/2-pound striper that he jigged from a boat at the Shrewsbury Rocks, said Ray from <b>Pell’s Fish & Sport</b>. Anglers at Manasquan Inlet whacked herring and shad a couple of days ago. That was about the only news lately, and nothing much was heard about blackfishing, but Tom Gorman weighed in a 4-pounder. Not a huge tog, and Tom is an avid tog angler, even chasing the fish when the limit is one and predominantly a catch and release fishery during the warmer months. But green crabs are stocked for blackfishing, and fresh clams are also on hand, if anyone wants to clam for striped bass. A few items are on sale at the shop for the end of the year, including Stretch Plugs and Bomber lures. Stop by for holiday gifts, or treat yourself!

<b>Toms River</b>

Blackfishing was good in the ocean, and that was the main action now, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. But a couple of friends jigged six striped bass including two keepers in the ocean north of Manasquan. A couple of the shop’s employees were surf fishing and scoring short stripers here or there, mostly plugging the fish at night with lures such as darked-colored Bombers or still-waters. Other anglers were having fun jigging sea herring at Manasquan Inlet on Sabiki rigs. Looking for a holiday gift or simply a bargain for yourself? Check out Murphy’s sale through Christmas that offers 20- to 50-percent discounts.

<b>Seaside</b>

The Island Beach State Park surf was the place to be this morning, because stripers were hitting there at Area 7, said the fishing report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. Area 7 also put out a load of short stripers in the late afternoon Monday for a few surf anglers fishing metal-lipped swimmers. Three anglers on a boat yesterday fished Krocodiles and checked in five keeper stripers that weighed 27.4 pounds, 14.6 pounds, 11.3 pounds, 12.5 pounds and 9.9 pounds. A couple of boaters Monday afternoon hooked 58 stripers including four keepers from a big school they followed along Island Beach while casting metal-lipped swimmers and metal.  Some good-looking Fenwick plugging rods arrived at the shop, and so did signed copies of Zeno Hromin’s book The Art of Surfcasting with Lures. Holiday gift ideas? Also, fresh clams were supposed to be stocked today.  <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.  

If anglers thought surf fishing wasn’t yet finished for the season, the action was now 99.9 percent done, said the report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle’s</b> web site. The bad weather this season, and presumably the report was also talking about today’s storm, turned off anglers and will probably turn off fishing soon, the site said. The surf was 1 to 2 feet, 43 degrees and clean in a rainstorm with 35-degree air temps. The shop staff returned from an annual tackle show in Atlantic City and found great deals on Sufix and Power Pro braided line that will be passed on to customers. Keep checking the shop’s web site for holiday specials, and gift certificates and cards are available. Also keep an eye on the site for info about the start of the store’s annual winter sale. Now is a good time to bring in reels and rods for repair, so the tackle is ready to go way before spring. <a href=" http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for the latest.

 

<b>Waretown</b>

Some of the staff from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b> fished the ocean Sunday and boated six keeper blackfish and jigged a 13-pound striper, Andrew said. The striper bit north of Manasquan Inlet, and lots of stripers were there, but few were keepers. Nothing was heard about surf fishing, and participation dropped off. But birds and life were being seen a little ways beyond the surf. No reports about bluefish caught were heard in two weeks. Freshwater anglers were scoring lots of trout in the Manasquan River.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Here’s great news! Boaters were nailing lots of striped bass, mostly keepers, in 40 feet in the ocean on live spots and on diamond jigs, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf fishers were clamming 20- to 27-inch stripers, and nobody reported catching blues in 1 ½ weeks. But tog fishers had good success both along the Barnegat Inlet rocks and at Garden State Reef North. Live spots, live eels and live green crabs are stocked, and so are frozen clams and all the other frozen baits. The shop will probably try to stock fresh clams the weekend before Christmas, if clams are available. The store is now holding limited hours and will be open this weekend till 4 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The doors will be open next week from Thursday through Sunday.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Blackfishing was okay on the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b> over the weekend, and many of the fish were small, but the pool winner Sunday was probably 8 ½ pounds, Capt. Frank said. Some anglers bagged three or four keepers, and others took home two, one or none, and the boat fished in 60 feet. No other fish were caught or targeted, like ling on the wrecks or stripers along the ocean beaches, and blacks were the focus and the catch. The Miss Beach Haven is fishing for blackfish 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

A few boaters were trying to find striped bass locally, but waters were like the Dead Sea, although reports were being heard about stripers biting farther north off Long Beach Island and farther south like off Ocean City, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The problem locally seemed to be that the fish moved off to deeper water beyond 3 miles from land, where striper fishing is closed. Striper anglers were also scarcer these days, scared off by conditions like ice on the lagoons that starts to cut back on participation. But blackfishing was very good, apparently best in deeper water from 60 to 80 feet. One customer found good catches at one of the bigger wrecks in 80 feet at the AC Reef. Many small blackfish were generally around, and anglers had to put in the time for larger ones, but big ones came up. The largest checked in at the shop over the weekend weighed 10 and 8 pounds. Nobody reported fishing for perch, a fishery that becomes more and more popular in winter, but live grass shrimp are now stocked for perch fishing, if you want to give it a go in the brackish rivers. Customers were beginning to buy minnows more than before, apparently fishing for pickerel at the local lakes and ponds. The cold season is one of the best times of year for fights with them. Other fish can become slow to bite in the chill, but pickerel seem to perk up.

<b>Margate</b>

On the <b>Jessie O’</b> anglers including a group from The Fisherman magazine yesterday hooked 50 tog, mostly shorts but  a few nice keepers, Capt. Jay said. They also tried trolling for stripers a short time, and none of the bass were around, but stripers sometimes blitzed in the local ocean during the past days. Jay did hear confirmed reports about stripers turning on at Sea Isle Lump earlier that day, but the gang on the boat wanted to fish for tog. Anglers on past trips on the boat loaded up on the linesiders, and both striper fishing and tog fishing are good. The Jessie O’ is sailing on open-boat trips 8 a.m. daily for stripers and tog, and charters are also available.  The open trips run 6 hours Fridays through Mondays and 8 hours Tuesdays through Thursdays. It’s not too late to reserve space on a special, 10-hour trip that will sail Christmas Eve day for stripers, but the clock is ticking. Another special is also being offered: Purchase a space on an open-boat trip now and receive a free space in spring. Hard to beat!

<b>Absecon</b>

A few stripers, not many, were reported caught at Absecon Inlet, but most of the linesiders seemed to swim beyond 3 miles from shore, where striper fishing is closed, said Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Not much was happening in the back waters, but one customer clammed a 20-pound striper at Great Egg Inlet yesterday. The weather hadn’t helped and often prevented fishing in the ocean, and this season probably won’t produce fish all winter like some years. One boater managed to fish an ocean wreck and limited out on tog, and tog fishing is probably good. Live eels will be stocked through the end of the year, and fresh clams are on hand, but no new supply of clams will probably be ordered this year. A year-end, close-out sale started today, and keep an eye on the store’s web site for a web page that will eventually feature the items on sale. The store will be open every day through the end of the year.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Striped bass kept getting jigged from boats in the ocean, and they were also grabbed at Absecon Inlet on live eels or live spots, if anglers could find spots, said Jack from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. But not many seemed to be hooked in the surf, and few bluefish were around anymore. The shop’s rental boat, a 17-foot Angler with a 50 h.p. outboard, is still available for fishing the inlet and back bay. Smaller tog were biting at the near-shore wrecks, and smaller sea bass were boated at wrecks offshore. The bigger versions of both will probably start being found by mid January. The <b>Carly A</b>, the store’s charter boat, was pulled from the water for the season this week. Offshore is stocking live eels, but no live spots are carried any longer. Both fresh bunker and fresh clams are carried when available, but the supply is sporadic at this time of year. But all the frozen baits are in full supply, including bunker, salted clams, herring and mackerel. The shops hours are sometimes limited at this time of year, but the doors are often open, and call to confirm the schedule.

<b>Longport</b>

Six spots are available on an open-boat blackfishing trip Saturday on the <b>Stray Cat</b> because a charter cancelled a trip, Capt. Mike said. The bite’s been good, and the vessel sailed on open trips for the tog every day lately. Sometimes 10- and 12-pounders came up, and sometimes patrons limited out, and “everything’s just fine,” he said. Some nice ones were pulled aboard yesterday at the concrete piles at Ocean City Reef, and Mike guessed that six weighed more than 9 pounds, and the pool winner was probably 10 pounds, and the water was beautiful, gin clear and 46 degrees. Green crabs supplied for bait worked well, and plenty are available. Mike saw no striper schools popping up anywhere, like near the ocean beaches on the way back from trips, but he wasn’t looking for them. Stray Cat is fishing open-boat for blackfish every day, and 10 openings are available December 23, and eight openings are left December 30. A number of spaces also remain on two special, short trips that will run 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. both Christmas Eve day and New Year’s Eve day for the tog.

<b>Ocean City</b>

The boss from <b>Fin-Atics</b> boated the ocean Tuesday and Wednesday and slammed 14 striped bass the first day and a whopping 77 the second, both times on Storm shads, and both times producing fish from about 26 to 32 inches, so the catch included keepers, said Dan from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. The fish Tuesday were drilled in 25 feet, close enough that they obviously were sometimes swimming the surf. No bluefish were picked up. If anglers try the surf, Dan recommends tossing mullet, bunker if you can find it, or clams, which always work. Lots of peanut bunker were schooling, and fat-profiled lures like Krocodiles can imitate them and draw strikes, too. Nothing was heard about bluefin tuna that had been seen close to shore while boaters chased fish like stripers earlier this season. Nothing was also heard about blackfishing, but offshore boaters knocked the heck out of big sea bass to 7 pounds just inside of Wilmington Canyon.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> ran no charters in the past several days, but trips will be back out over the weekend, and he was sure striped bass were still schooling under working birds in the ocean, he said. A couple of charters last weekend jigged and trolled the fish, and one caught quite a few, and the other was tougher but did connect with the linesiders, and weekend boat traffic might’ve been the cause. The better bite took place Sunday after boats thinned out, and the slower action was on Saturday, when boats had been pounding the blitzes. The fish were jigged on Fin-S Fish, and they were also trolled. Joe trolls when the fish break up until he relocates a bunch, and then his anglers switch to jigging. The fishing season might be in the latter stages for the year, but it’s been going out with a bang. Jersey Cape’s been into lots of fish lately, some of the best action of the year, so don’t hesitate to come out if you want to catch. Now’s the time.

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