<b>Brooklawn</b>

Most striped bass were boated toward the mouth of the bay at places like the Cape May Rips at Somer Shoal or near the 8 buoy, and many anglers trolled, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. A few bass were trolled along the edges of 60-Foot Slough and 20-Foot Slough, and trolling avoided dogfish that would clamp down on bunker chunks that were the popular bait there earlier in the season. Catches were also made at the ocean lumps off the inlets within 3 miles from shore. Windy, rough weather kept anglers from fishing the Delaware River near the shop and local lakes. 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>Bivalve</b>

John Mayville and his grandson John on Friday boated four striped bass to 45 inches and on Saturday beat three stripers to 42 inches, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. They fished the southern bay, probably the Cape May Rips, and no keepers came from farther north on the waters. Bob Lynch and Ed Frasier wrangled in two 30-inch keepers and a bunch of shorts. Fresh bunker for bait was no longer available, but frozen is stocked. The boat ramps will remain open, but vessels will be pulled from the slips next week. The shop is open full time, and hours will eventually be reduced for the season.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Small striped bass filled the bay toward Fortescue, said Capt. Dave from <b>Andrea Charters</b>. Whether larger ones would move up from the ocean remained to be seen, but he’ll keep sailing through the weekend and see what happens. If no larger linesiders turn up by then, he’ll call it a season. Anglers could currently have fun with catch and release fishing for the shorts. Small baits like bits of bunker or clam got strikes, and tap-dancer rigs were especially effective for these fish, letting the rig bounce up and down with the boat. Dave’s anglers fished places like one of the sloughs in the bay toward the port. The local bay was 41 degrees, probably the lower end of the temperature range for the linesiders to hit baits. But Dave would see how the weather panned out or whether the conditions affected waters and the fishing.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> spent the past days fishing the Cape May Rips for striped bass, lots of the fish, some shorts but also keepers to 30 to 40 inches, Capt. Ray said. Spots, eels and bucktails hooked up, and no one rip was better than another, and the boat moved to different areas depending on where clean waters were located during different tides. 

The <b>Down Deep</b> ran for stripers at the rips on four trips that each caught, Capt. Bob said. Eels, spots and artificials were tossed, and eels nailed the biggest bass, but all three baits worked. The Watson charter on Friday was one of the trips, bailing 11 keepers. The Worsinger crew on Saturday was another, shellacking 11 stripers to 20 pounds. Lots of throwbacks sometimes bit. No trip sailed in Sunday’s storm.

Striped bass, a substantial catch including bigger ones to 35 inches and a ton of smaller ones, were trolled at the rips with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> on Saturday on Stretch 25 lures, Capt. T.J. said. Smaller ones were also hooked on live bait, but trolling also caught throwbacks. Waters were 48 degrees.

At the Cape May Rips Jack Herman’s charter on Friday eeled a healthy number of keeper stripers to 30 pounds and throwbacks on the <b>First Cast</b>, Capt. Rob said. The Philly Painters Local 345, part of a split charter that also sailed on the Heavy Hitter, eeled a couple of keepers and a couple of throwbacks on Saturday at the rips and also trolled stripers at the rips and along the ocean front on Stretch 25 lures. On Sunday the A&A Glass charter from Camden fished for stripers a short time in rough weather, but fishing was tough, and no keepers were around, and the gang came home early. The weather had looked like it would be calmer in the morning. Bunker chunking for stripers kind of dropped off quickly when water temps suddenly plummeted during the last cold snap. Space is open for a charter Friday, December 12, because of a cancellation. Striped bass fishing was peaking around the rips and ocean, and claim the spot if you want try for them, because the boat will wrap up its season a few days later.

With <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b> anglers trolled striped bass, a few of the fish to 34 or 35 inches, along the ocean front Saturday on Stretch 30 plugs and umbrella rigs, Capt. Eric said. No bluefish hit, and seas were flat as a lake, a gorgeous day, and waters were in the mid 40s. That was the last trip of the season for O-Beth, and Eric thanks everybody who fished on the boat. Charters on the vessel will kick off in spring with fishing for striped bass, drumfish, tog and sea bass.

Billy the mate and friends took a birthday trip for Billy on Thanksgiving for striped bass on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, limiting out by 9 a.m. at the rips, with no boat traffic around, Capt. George said. The rips were crowded with boats Friday on a charter, but eight keeper stripers to 38 inches were hung, and probably a dozen throwbacks were released. A charter on Saturday limited out on stripers by 11 a.m. at the rips, also in crowded waters. The bass on the trips were mostly eeled, but some were trolled. Stripers also swam the ocean front, and anglers just had to find them. Incoming tides seemed best at the rips, and outgoing dirtied the waters. Another trip attempted to fish Sunday and made a few drifts, but seas were sloppy, and the anglers came home early. The boat will fish through the weekend before Capt. George calls it a season.

Three anglers beat 35 striped bass including nine keepers on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> at the rips on Thursday, Capt. Tom said. Six keepers and a dozen shorts were dusted on a trip at the rips Friday, and Saturday’s fishing at the rips was tougher. In the morning 20 stripers and one keeper were hooked, and in the afternoon six linesiders including one keeper were stuck. Dirty, cold waters on a falling tide seemed a culprit on that trip. Most of the fish on the trips attacked spots, but some were trolled on Stretch 25 lures during calm waters at slack tides. The boat will keep fishing until Christmas but maybe longer.

Plenty of striped bass, one in three a keeper, filled the Cape May Rips, attacking all the usual baits: eels, spots, bucktails, rubber shads and trolled, deep-diving plugs, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Good fishing when the weather was favorable. Stripers also swam the ocean along the lumps off Wildwood during most times, but they were on the move, and sometimes they disappeared until a new school showed up. That could take a day or two or sometimes only hours. A few stripers were boated on Delaware Bay, but dog sharks were fairly thick, and bait was becoming scarce. Zachary Robbins, 8, from Cape May Court House caught his first-ever striper, a 7-1/4-pounder, on the party boat Sea Star. Jimmy Hecton, 9, also reeled up his first, a 9-pounder, on dad’s boat Lucky Lucy.  

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