<b>Brooklawn</b>

Winds prevented many from fishing in the past days, but striped bass could definitely be bunker chunked in the bay at places like 60-Foot Slough, the slough along the Pin Top toward Brandywine, the Horseshoe and 20-Foot Slough, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. The breeze was also too severe for fishing the Delaware River near the shop, and a duck hunter was killed when his boat capsized, so take caution. In the meantime, largemouth bass could be drilled on large shiners on inland waters such as Blackwood Lake, Newton Lake and the Cooper River. But be safe: Fish from the banks when winds would kick a boat around. 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>Fortescue</b>

Good-sized striped bass, not many but some, and big blues were belted on the <b>Buccaneer</b> near Miah Maul on Saturday, Capt. Ralph said. Stripers there so far were local, resident fish, active because of the season, and none was a migrator from the ocean. Nonetheless, some were quality-sized, up to 33 inches or so. An angler on a Fortescue party boat next to Ralph clocked a 47-incher. Ralph’s anglers fished with bunker chunks and clams, and anglers in the area usually fish with eels, but eels failed to grab attention. The weather and seas weren’t bad during the trip, but strong winds forced another trip to be cancelled on the boat Sunday, and Ralph knew of nobody who sailed that day. In recent years migrating stripers took a while to reach the northern bay toward Fortescue, even into the beginning of December, when most charters pulled their boats from the waters. But private boaters who stayed in the waters last year were just starting to nail catches then. So Ralph is looking at keeping the vessel in the waters into mid December for a chance to catch the best fishing of the year. If you thought that less time remained to hop on a charter, think again. Still, don’t drag your feet. The weather during the weekend and more winds forecast this week could change the current pattern of the fish. Forecasts called for calmer conditions this coming Friday through the weekend.

Anglers on the <b>Salt Talk</b> left port for striped bass a couple of days between the weather last week, and a couple of keepers, some shorts and a big blue or two were angled up, but not much was doing with keeper bass locally so far, Capt. Howard said. Big blues made their annual fall appearance in the bay. The weather might be closing in for the season, and winds on many days made sailing impossible, but the hope was that stripers that were already swimming the southern bay would move up toward Fortescue like they normally do as the season progresses. Open trips are slated for striped bass fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays when no charter is booked, and be sure to call to confirm. One day was already booked with a charter this coming weekend, and the date it sails could depend on the weather. Another was booked today, and if that got weathered, it could be pushed to a day later this week.    

<b>Bivalve</b>

Rough weather messed up the weekend, but customers scored good fishing for striped bass through Friday from the 1, 2 and 3 buoys to Thompson’s Beach south to Bug Light, 20-Foot Slough, 60-Foot Slough and the Horseshoe, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. A few headed out Saturday, but Sunday was a washout because of winds. Fresh bunker is stocked for bait. The marina’s fall striper tournament wrapped up, and Capt. Dave Parkhill’s crew on his Natalie Jean won with a 58-1/4-pound striper that was also the top fish in the Atco Hookers Tournament at the marina. John Howard was the angler. Anglers and their catches this past week included: Craig Smith, Cedarville, and Chuck Marriner, Cape May Court House, a 36-inch striper, lots of run-offs and more than a dozen blues 8 to 12 pounds; John and Brian Kane, four stripers to 41 inches; Gary Wilson, Franklinville, and Marian Kennedy, Vineland, AKA Smokey and the Bandit, five stripers including four kept that were 27, 38, 40 and 43 inches; Andrew Garrison, Shiloh, 46-inch striper; Mike Cantori, Hopewell, 38-inch striper; Rufus Cuff, Stowe Creek, 36-inch striper; Chuck Umba and Wayne Baker, West Deptford, two 34-inch stripers and lots of spiny dog sharks; and Ken Hueftler and Dennis (sorry—we missed the last name), a 36-inch striper, two 38-inchers and a 39-incher.   

<b>Dennisville</b>

Friday was probably the last time any substantial number of boaters fished the bay, and strong winds even kept them docked Monday, said Rusty from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b>. A few headed out to surf fish the bay but reported no results. When boaters could sail they beat striped bass off Pierce’s Point, at Joe’s Tip, off the Villas and at the southern ends of both 20-Foot Slough and 60-Foot Slough. Shallow, 9- to 12-foot waters, although stirred up, like off Pierce’s, gave up a surprising number of catches. The Cape May Rips also produced last week, but big blues often made fishing there difficult. Fresh bunker for bait was difficult to get, because winds also kept bunker boats from sailing, but forecasts looked better for the end of the week, so maybe the menhaden will be available at the shop by Thursday. Fresh surf clams and eels are stocked. The shop’s striper tournament concluded, and the winners were: 1st place, Joe Napoleon, 44-1/2-pounder; 2nd place, George Duffield, 39-pounder; and Ed Dempsey, 36-pounder. The store will probably stay open through winter, especially because of its new café.  Be sure to check it out: Anglers can even call ahead and order bait, breakfast, lunch and dinner to have it all waiting for them when they arrive. Convenient!

<b>Cape May</b>

The approaching front at the end of last week seemed to trigger a new body of big striped bass to swim to the Cape May Rips, said Capt. Rob from <b>First Cast Sport Fishing</b>. He knew lots of boaters who scored the fish that day, before the storm and winds nixed trips during the weekend. Paul Strenger’s group from Lincoln Financial eeled stripers to 35 pounds on the boat that day, good fishing until 11 a.m., when fog lifted, and more boats started crowding waters. Rob heard that the southern bay’s anglers also found a resurgence of stripers, and the southern bay’s catches had been good two weeks ago, but then the angling started to dwindle, and small bass showed up, and then catching any bass became difficult. But now apparently the fishing kicked back in with a new body of the linesiders. Dave Border’s charter on the boat last week fished the ocean front instead of the rips, because fishing at the rips dropped. They clubbed lots of big blues, all larger than 10 pounds, and some smaller stripers around working birds toward Hereford Inlet. Bucktails were cast, and trolling was done, and a few clams were dunked. Go striper fishing while it’s hot.

Trips with <b>O-Beth Sportfishing Charters</b> fished for striped bass on the bay three times last week, the last time on Friday, catching the fish on every outing, Capt. Eric said. Stripers to 42 inches or 25 pounds were bunker chunked at 60-Foot Slough and 20-Foot Slough, and bass seemed to hold at every place tried. The fishing improved and was best toward the end of the week, and seemed to pick up at the Cape May Rips, too.

Striped bass fishing gained considerable steam at the Cape May Rips around the end of the week, and bigger fish moved in, said Capt. Ray from <b>Jaftica Sporfishing</b>. Stripers had apparently been moving down the coast, and they hooked a right into the rips. Trips on the boat were cancelled over the weekend because of weather forecasts, but he heard about limits of bass bagged.

Anglers had a good day aboard Friday, bailing nine keeper striped bass to 20 pounds at the Cape May Rips on spots and eels, said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>. Then winds blew through the weekend.

Fifteen striped bass including five keepers to 36 inches were dusted at the Cape May Rips on Friday morning’s trip on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>, Capt. Tom said. On the afternoon trip the five anglers limited out, including a bonus-tag bass, at the rips. One of the stripers weighed 37 pounds, and three weighed more than 20 pounds apiece, and Tom thought six throwbacks were released, if he remembered correctly. Spots were the main bait, and a few of the fish were grabbed on eels and bucktails, but spots worked best. A big, out-of-season, 26-inch flounder inhaled an entire eel and was released. Waters were 54 degrees, not too cold. Lots of bluefish stormed the ocean front, and stripers were mixed in, and the boat can also fish there.

Anglers on a charter Friday all landed three striped bass apiece by 9:30 a.m. at the Cape May Rips on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Bob said. Sizeable bass finally showed up at the rips by the end of the week, but charters also belted a bunch of the linesiders all week in the waters. Rick Watson’s crew racked up stripers to 30 pounds, and Larry Walker’s gang pinned down some hefty ones. The catch on Randy Rosch’s charter included a couple of 25-pounders. The Edgewater Sportsman’s Club’s trip reeled in quite a few, none big, but a good catch. All the fishing took place at the rips on eels and spots. The Robinson Pallet group two Saturdays ago whaled a 39-pound striper at the rips on an eel. Bob thought that a charter Monday stood a chance of fishing the beach front, because winds might’ve dirtied the rips and bay. Stripers were sometimes bagged along the beaches like off Hereford Inlet.

Cape May Rips striped bass fishing turned on starting Thursday, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, and he did no fishing that day, but he heard about three boats that limited out and came back early. A combined charter with John Stonick’s group of five anglers and Jackie Brad was aboard at the rips Friday, limiting out and releasing 15 throwbacks on eels. Spots were aboard, but eels caught more and will work fine at the rips. Afterward weather rolled in for the weekend, although George knew a few boats that sailed Saturday. Sunday was very windy, but George knew about a party boat that sailed.

Although the weekend was a blowout, striped bass catches turned on at the Cape May Rips toward the end of the week, when schools of the fish migrated from the north along the coast, said Matt from <b>Jim’s  Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Some of the bass were shorts, but there were no lack of keepers, and eels and spots got the bites. Delaware Bay also produced some big stripers. Good numbers of the linesiders, but small ones, also bit far up the bay at the Egg Island Point flats. Grace Moore, 5, from Cape May boated two stripers 20 and 28 ½ pounds on the bay with the help of her mom and the rod holder. Jack Hughes from the Laura Marie III weighed in a 46-1/2-pound striper, and Phil Cwietniewicz from the Lucky Man checked in a 44-pounder. Stripers and big blues blitzed the cove between 2nd Street and the Gun Mount a few times through the week, always at mid morning, pushing bunker into the surf. Swimming plugs, metal and rubber shads drew attacks.

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