This is the year's final Delaware Bay Report!

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

A few striped bass were trolled from the ocean, Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b> guessed, she said. Nothing was reported about fishing on Delaware Bay, and the shop will be open through Sunday and closed afterward for a break through winter. Anglers had hoped the fall migration of stripers would swim into the bay, and the migration did arrive in the ocean off South Jersey in past weeks. But nothing or little was ever reported about fishing the migration in the bay. A snowstorm Saturday and strong wind forecast for Sunday didn’t help produce news. People at a tackle show that Sharon visited last week said stripers were still hooked off Long Island, N.Y. Those might’ve been smaller stripers, the ones that make up the tail end of the migration. But not a small number of stripers seemed to remain farther north, including better-sized off Long Beach Island, N.J. That suggests that the southerly migration could continue off South Jersey for a time. Business was now winding down at the store for the season. Whatever bait that’s in demand will be stocked through Sunday, and the store is also accepting orders for bait. The store usually reopens in March sometime. 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>Cape May</b>

Striped bass seemed to keep schooling the ocean from Atlantic City to Cape May, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. They were mostly trolled on Mojos and bunker spoons. Nobody mentioned stripers from the Cape May Rips, but the striper migration surely reached south of Cape May, so stripers were probably at the rips. Boaters at the rips fish eels or trolled Mojos for stripers, and the rips are at the confluence of the ocean and Delaware Bay. Nothing was heard about stripers from Delaware Bay. From the surf, 4-pound bluefish caught began to be reported. Lures or fresh bunker were fished for them. A few anglers blackfished along surf jetties, still catching. Eventually, water will become too cold for blackfish there. Blackfishing sounded good at ocean wrecks.

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