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The season’s first striped bass fishing will head out, sailing from Atlantic City, on Saturday with Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing, Capt. Tom said. The boat is docked there for the fall run and is docked in Cape May the rest of the year. Trips for sea bass were a focus until now aboard and drilled the fish, including limits. Porgies and bluefish were mixed in. A tilefish trip sailed Monday on the boat that cranked in 33 goldens including a couple of 25-pounders and a handful of 12- to 20-pounders. The rest were smaller. That was the year’s final tilefish trip, and that fishing will resume on May 1. Striped bass trips will continue until at least Dec. 20. Afterward, blackfishing will kick off with Fishin’ Fever.
Autumn’s first striped bass fishing is supposed to set out this weekend on the Heavy Hitter, and weather looks fine, Capt. George said. The boat is docked at Atlantic City for striper charters this season, because that’s been closer to the best fishing for them in recent years.
Blackfishing is supposed to sail at 8 a.m. daily beginning Friday on the party boat Porgy IV, Capt. Paul said. That day looks weathered out, so the trips will probably launch on Saturday. The bag limit will be raised starting on Friday. Until now, the trips have been scheduled to fish for sea bass, though weather forced most of those outings not to sail. When the trips fished recently, only a few anglers climbed aboard, because of weather. The trips fished closer to shore, because of the number of fares. Not a lot of keeper sea bass bit there. Some blackfish were hung at those spots. Not many migrating striped bass seemed to arrive locally in the ocean. In recent years, few showed up within 3 miles from shore. Fishing for stripers is prohibited beyond 3.
Blackfish snapped along jetties, said Nick from Hands Too Bait & Tackle. The bag limit increases on Friday, and green crabs are stocked for them. Blackfish also chewed along inshore wrecks, and sea bass hit at wrecks 30 miles off. The striped bass migration was a little north. A few seemed to begin being boated toward Atlantic City on the ocean. Not much was heard about fishing for stripers on Delaware Bay or the Cape May Rips. Surf fishing for stripers was a little tough. But stripers, mostly throwbacks, a few keepers, were angled along inlet rocks on lures. Some anglers eeled for them. The back bay’s striper fishing became somewhat slower, because baitfish were departing, but still produced. Eels are also stocked, and fresh bunker and fresh clams will be carried as soon as this weather calms and suppliers can sail.
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