<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

The nor’easter washed out the weekend, and strong wind blew on almost every day recently, so there wasn’t much news, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Few anglers fished locally in the weather. Wind blew strongly yesterday, too, though from southwest. Hopefully a break in the weather was going to happen soon. Someone said the bay dropped into the 50 degrees. If that’s true – and it does seem feasible – that was a quick change. That temperature is conducive to striped bass. The migration of stripers seemed unlikely to reach South Jersey yet. Hardly any migrating stripers, maybe a few, were heard about from North Jersey so far. Few boaters likely looked for them because of weather in past days. But the first week of November is when South Jersey’s boaters have begun to try for the fish in any substantial way in recent years. Sharon had just been at the docks to talk with suppliers about providing fresh clams for the impending demand for the bait for stripers. Baits stocked include bloodworms and even sandworms. Sandworms, similar to bloodworms, are popular farther north in Jersey. But a few are carried. Frozen, vacuum-packed shedder crabs are on hand that the shop put up before crabs stopped shedding for the year recently. 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 ran no fishing trips on the <b>Salt Talk</b> in the weather, and was unsure if any local boats sailed for fishing in past days because of weather, he said. Maybe one of Fortescue’s party boats fished on a trip, he thought. If so, the trip likely targeted bluefish on the bay and maybe small striped bass along the bay’s lighthouses. Howard is supposed to compete in an annual tournament for stripers Saturday, Nov. 10, from Money Island on the bay. 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>

Striped bass fishing began to be fairly good in the surf and inlets, and was still good in the back bay, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers fish the surf from the ocean to Delaware Bay, because Cape May is located at the confluence. Bigger stripers began to be landed than before at all of those places. Most stripers caught were 20 inches to a few that made the 28-inch keeper size. Bluefish remained in the surf like before, but were smaller than previously, closer to a snapper-size. From Delaware Bay’s surf, not much was heard about kingfish that bit previously. Weakfish seemed to remain in the bay’s surf, and one angler brought in a 5-pounder. A couple of reports talked about blackfish angled along Delaware Bay’s jetties.

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