<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

A few keeper striped bass were boated at the Cape May Rips, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Boaters often fish eels or some kind of lure for stripers there. The southern migration of stripers mostly seemed north. The bait supplier near Long Beach Island said most of the migration seemed north of there, even. But the fish might’ve showed signs of pulling south lately. A few keepers were beached from the surf at Brigantine. The shop will be open Thanksgiving morning, usually from 5 to 11 a.m. Sharon will try to stock fresh bunker, and will carry baits like eels, bloodworms and probably fresh clams. The clams have been scarce, but some were stocked last weekend. They’ve been twice the price they were previously. Fresh bunker haven’t been easy to obtain. Demand wasn’t high, so suppliers didn’t obtain many, and wind also kept bunker boats from sailing. Also, not a lot of bunker schooled Delaware Bay. The baitfish schooled the ocean. The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, carries a large supply of bait and tackle, and is the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. It’s on the way to the bay.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Capt. Howard from the <b>Salt Talk</b> bought some Stretch plugs and is probably going to troll them for striped bass on Delaware Bay in the next days, he said. That’s partly because he wants to run fuel out of the boat’s tank to stow the vessel for winter. He heard about no sizable stripers taken from the bay, and is sure he would’ve if any substantial numbers were. Party boat trips might’ve striper fished from Fortescue, but he heard nothing about that. The fishing season was winding down for Howard. The Salt Talk used to be a Fortescue party boat. Howard sold that vessel, and the new Salt Talk is a charter boat for up to four passengers.

<b>Cape May</b>

Reports about boating for striped bass finally rolled in, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. A couple of trips headed to eel for stripers at the Cape May Rips, and one returned with a 38-pound striper and landed a couple of others. Surf fishing was slow, banking a couple of throwback stripers. Not much to speak of, he said. The blackfish bag limit was increased to six beginning Thursday, from the previous limit of one, and plenty of green crabs were stocked for them. Eels were carried, and no fresh bunker were on hand. They were difficult to obtain but are carried when available. Sea bass fishing was good on the ocean when boaters had the weather. A trip limited out in 3 hours, drop-and-reel fishing for big sea bass 30 miles from shore in 120 feet of water. That distance and depth seemed the ticket.

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