<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

No real reports rolled in about striped bass boated on the bay, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Bait & Tackle</b>. Not a lot of days had the weather for boaters to sail for them. One angler who was looking for fresh bunker to buy was going to boat for the bass Sunday with the bait. But results were yet to be heard. Sharon texted him. The bunker were difficult to obtain lately, because weather kept bunker boats from sailing, and because demand for the bait was low.  When demand is low, the bunker boats sail for the baitfish less frequently. But if Sharon needed a bunch of bunker, she could probably get it. Bloodworms were the bait that customers most frequently bought from the shop. The worms were probably fished mostly for white perch on brackish streams. Bloods are also fished for stripers, but usually for smaller ones. The shop had business last week from a few anglers who were going to sail for sea bass on the ocean. Not many days had the weather to do that, either. The blackfish bag limit will be increased to five beginning Friday from the current limit of one. Green crabs are stocked for bait for the tautog.   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>

A trip on the <b>Salt Talk</b> was supposed to compete in an annual striped bass tournament Saturday on the bay from Money Island but was weathered out, Capt. Howard said. Strong wind screamed that day, but the tournament was held anyway. Howard visited the event and saw no stripers entered yet, when he left at 3 p.m. That was the deadline to enter fish, and white perch were the only fish he saw entered. The contest had a category for them. Seas were rough, and some of the boaters who competed returned early because of that. The two party boats from Fortescue sailed for the event. Howard fished the bay Sunday for stripers but hooked none. A bunker netter saw stripers, a good number, schooling under birds working the water at the 1 buoy on Wednesday and Thursday, so Howard fished there. But the fish seemed to depart because of stormy weather in the next days. Weather was a little rough Sunday in the morning but ended up calm. The morning was supposed to be 26 degrees, forecasts said. Did Howard hear about any catches from Fortescue’s surf? White perch were nabbed there, he thought. 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>

Customers did try boating for striped bass with bunker-chunks on the bay and with eels at the Cape May Rips, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Some keepers 29 or 30 inches did seem around in the bay to chunk. Local anglers last week waited for the striper migration. Some of the fish might’ve begun to arrive yesterday, but Nick gave this report late last week. Stores yesterday along South Jersey’s coast were reporting some of the season’s first large, migrating stripers boated on the ocean locally. Last week, fishing for stripers slowed somewhat in Cape May’s surf, Nick said. Customers fish the surf from the ocean to Delaware Bay in town, because Cape May is located at the confluence. Blackfishing was pretty good along local inlets, and 50 percent of the tog seemed keepers. In the back bay, plenty of smaller stripers bit popper plugs and soft-plastic lures. Anglers fished the poppers and plastics along the surf jetties for stripers, too.  When trips caught the weather to sail for sea bass on the ocean, good catches seemed made in 100-foot depths or so. Fresh bunker began being stocked when available. Eels, green crabs and jumbo bloodworms are on hand.

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