<b>Brooklawn</b>

A few striped bass started to get reeled from the bay that were young fish dropping down from the Delaware River because of the season, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. Mature, larger, migrating linesiders will later enter the bay to feed a moment on a trek farther south for the winter.  But the non-migrators or resident stripers at this time of year are often picked up from along the rocks that surround the lighthouses on the upper bay, and Ship John is one of the better spots. Anglers toss lures like Mann’s plugs, Stretch 25s and top-waters. Not much was heard about weakfish, croakers or other fish in the bay. In the river lots of 20- to 30-inch stripers were active at spots including National Park and along the piers in Gloucester City and Camden. Smallmouth bass were also on a tear at creeks including Big Timber, Mantua and Woodbury. Fish the edges, points, pilings, old piers and currents over structure, and largemouth bass, usually none big, also bit at the same places. Along the coast striped bass occasionally started getting pulled from among bunker schools, both from boats and the surf. Rick caught some last week, after a planned offshore trip got weathered out. He also caught tog on the outing and was going back to chase both again today. Fairly good-sized tog hovered around the inshore wrecks, and sea bass swam a little farther from shore and were smaller. Little was heard about tuna and big-game fishing, probably because offshore anglers become scarcer at this time of year. Big Timber Bait & Tackle carries bait and tackle for all fishing from freshwater to offshore. That includes a complete supply of lures and baits for rivers and lakes; rigs, tackle and frozen bait for bays; and offshore lures, rigs and baits.

<b>Pennsville</b>

Many customers started trying for striped bass on the bay, but none talked about scoring, said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of blues and croakers were hung on the bay. Croakers even appeared in the Delaware River, and schoolie stripers were plentiful in the river as always. Crabbing held up, and the shop’s owner kept crabbing, and most of the blueclaws were she crabs, typical at this time of year, but males were more abundant than before. The shop will stay open another three or four weeks before taking a break for the season. Bloodworms, nightcrawlers and frozen baits including bunker, herring, clam and squid are stocked.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Friends belted weakfish, croakers and blues at the Punk Grounds on Saturday, lots of action, fun, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. A bunch of different fish like that could be decked on the bay, and fair-sized, keeper weakfish, and plenty of small ones, were yet to leave the waters. Croaker fishing was probably best in deeper waters. Striped bass occasionally began to be caught at the Pin Top on bunker chunks, and one angler said he reeled up a slough of the fish to 34 inches there. Such places on the lower end of the bay offered the best chances of nailing larger, migrating stripers. But smaller, resident stripers moved down from the Delaware River to the upper bay like around Ship John because of cooler waters. Fresh bunker is stocked, and so is a limited supply of fresh clams, and call to reserve more. Bloodworms, including an extra-large size, are carried, but demand was high, and call to reserve, because they sold out last week.  The Girls Place is located on Route 47 just after Route 55 ends, and is the long, one-story, yellow building on the right.

<b>Newport</b>

The crabbing season was wrapped up yesterday at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>, and catches were phenomenal, Linda said. Big, large crabs, and the shop will concentrate on crabbing again starting the weekend before Memorial Day. Beaver Dam now turns attention to duck hunting, renting blinds and making the boat launch available to hunters. Boat launchers should be familiar with the area, because navigating the waterways can otherwise be confusing. Still, if groups wanted to crab, they could call the shop to see about making arrangements, but enough crabbers would have to visit to make it worthwhile. A cold front with daytime highs in the 60s forecast for the weekend will probably start to trigger the crabs to bed down for the season, so the staff’s timing was probably right. Rental kayaks and canoes will remain available, and fall is a terrific time to paddle up Oranokin Creek, where Beaver Dam is located, because of the season’s migrations of birds and foliage.  Sundays are recommended, because no hunting is allowed in the state on Sundays, and call for required reservations. The first duck season is October 18 to November 1, and the second is November 15 to January 8. Beaver Dam is also a deer and turkey check-in station and is an agent for the state’s hunting, fishing and shellfishing licenses. Linda and the staff thanks crabbers for a great season, and look forward to seeing them in spring!

<b>Fortescue</b>

Weakfish, decent catches, were boated inshore of the first drop-off, and if anglers reached the drop-off, they went too far, said Donna from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. A few blues were also socked on the vessels, and Donna heard about several striped bass beached from the Fortescue surf. Anglers banked blues yesterday from the suds, and sometimes weakfish were lifted from along the shoreline in the past days. Surf fishing was good, and the weather was beautiful. Fortescue Creek was home to plenty of white perch, and short striped bass stacked up in the creek, including along the bridge. Crabbing was excellent, and customers reported nabbing two- to five-dozen blueclaws per trip. Now was a great time for crabbing, because the hardshells can be bulky as they feed to get ready to be dormant in winter. Starting this week Al’s will be open 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays and 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Fresh bunker is stocked for striper fishing. Bloodworms are usually on hand, and frozen peanut bunker and clams are carried. Chicken soaked in shedder crab oil, a go-to bait for weakfish, especially when shedders become unavailable by this time of year, is stocked.

Capt. Howard from the <b>Salt Talk</b> took five friends on a trip Saturday a couple of miles off Fortescue, and six or seven keeper weakfish, probably a dozen throwbacks, small croakers, some blues and a couple of kingfish made the catch, he said. The number of fish was a pleasant surprise, a decent population, after Howard and most of the fleet took a break from fishing before striped bass angling begins. Small fish like the croakers and porgies and junk fish also filled the area. The boat’s first striper trips might start in a couple of weeks or at the end of the month. Nobody from the party and charter boat fleet landed stripers yet. The bay on the trip was 66 degrees, warmer than before, surprising after waters had started to cool this season. Maybe the end of the warm spell forecast for this weekend will reverse the trend.

<b>Bivalve</b>

Customers returned with croakers, weakfish, blues and a few other fish that came from anywhere from the 1 buoy to closer to shore, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. Fresh bunker is stocked for striped bass bait, though nobody checked in a linesider so far. Anglers and their catches from the past two weeks included: Anthony Albano and Connie Wood, a coolerful of weaks, croakers and blues, a mixed bag; Tom Sacca and Jessie Dinert, 8 croakers, 4 weaks and 5 blues; Tom and Tommy Sacca and Darlene Harris on another trip, 40 croakers and 12 blues; Bob Hill, a limit of weaks, 5 blues and a kingfish; Jerry Groover, Bill Weeks and Joe Smith, a mess of croakers and 20 blues; Tangy Simmons and Ed Thornton, 50 croakers, 15 blues and an 18-inch weak; Joe Palese and Bill Pierce, lots of croakers, 10 blues 4 to 5 pounds, 2 weaks and a bunch of sharks and skates; and Bill, Nancy, Jerry and Joyce Stetler, 40 croakers, 2 sea bass and a king. Longreach Marina’s month-long striped bass tournament runs this Saturday, October 18, through November 15, awarding money for the largest striper. The entry fee is $30 per boat, and 80 percent of the fees is awarded, and the rest helps fund the marina’s annual kids fishing tournament in summer. The Atco Hookers Striper Tournament will be hosted at the marina November 1 with a weather date of November 8, and the entry fee is $60 per boat.

<b>Dennisville</b>

Lots of anglers tried bunker chunking for striped bass, but not much was heard about success, said Rusty from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Resident, non-migratory stripers, mostly small fish but a few keepers, were landed around the lighthouses far up the bay toward Ship John. A handful of stripers were also boated along the ocean front among bunker schools while anglers snagged the baitfish and dropped it back down for bait, and more bluefish chased the menhaden. Sometimes a striper, usually a short but occasionally a keeper, was banked from the surf on bunker on clams. After cool, striper-like weather last week, the days turned warm, but another cold front was forecast for the weekend. Weakfish were still boated on the bay, and the Punk Grounds seemed hottest. None was big, and most were 13 or 14 inches, but some were 16 or 17 inches. Now that shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, were scarce, anglers fished for the trout with clams, squid, spots, mullet and even strips of bunker. Almost anything worked while the weaks were no longer focused on shedders. Back-bay anglers still plucked weaks, usually on peanut bunker or mullet. Plenty of croakers, including sizeable ones, seemed to be found in Delaware Bay around Bug Light and the Punk Grounds. Porgy fishing at Wildwood Reef in the ocean for big dinner plates was probably the best thing going. Several keeper sea bass but more shorts were mixed in, and the farther offshore, probably the more keepers. Schools of spike weakfish, mostly 12-inchers but occasional keepers, gathered inshore of the Wildwood Lump. Small blues 1 to 3 pounds popped up anywhere from along the ocean beaches to 3 to 5 miles off, and slightly larger ones swam areas such as 5-Fathom Bank and Sea Isle Ridge, but big gators apparently remained farther north, like at Long Beach Island and above. Offshore news was quiet, but longfin tuna started to appear at the canyons, and billfish became scattered, and loads of mahi mahi swam nearly everywhere. Reports about catches of football bluefin tuna were sometimes heard from 19-Fathom Lump.  Be sure to check out Captain Tate’s new meals. Anglers can call ahead and order bait, breakfast, lunch and dinner to have it all waiting for them when they arrive. Now that’s convenient!

<b>Cape May</b>

The wait continued for waters to cool down, so striped bass fishing would take off on the bay and at the Cape May Rips, but stripers, mostly small ones, were looted along the jetties, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Several bass to 20-some pounds were also weighed in that came from the surf near the jetties, and the rocks at Cold Spring Inlet seemed to give up the bigger fish. Eels, spots and plastic shads attracted the larger ones, and Carter Henley nailed a 23-pounder there. Elisha Carter also fished Cold Spring to drill a 12-pound linesider that hit a Storm shad. A few small stripers were banked at Poverty Beach during the weekend, but the bite was nothing serious. Small blues a half-pound to 3 pounds filled the surf, eating nearly anything, but mullet and mackerel were best baits. Croaker fishing stayed active on the bay, and the Horseshoe area was productive toward the end of the week, with loads of bigger hardheads boated. The ocean front around the Hereford Inlet buoys was another place to target croakers, and weakfish were mixed in. Stories flew around about striped bass caught under schooling bunker in the ocean, but no first-hand reports rolled in.

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