<b>Keyport</b>

The next striped bass fishing will fish Saturday on a trip that’s booked with <b>Manic Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Greg said. Today and Friday were probably going to be weathered out. The striper trips have been eeling the fish in New York Harbor. Those are stripers dropping out of Hudson River. The migration of sizable stripers could drop into Raritan Bay any moment. The bass were reported from Long Island’s waters. They could move down in a day. Greg hopes the current remnants of the hurricane and the cooler weather that’s coming will cool the bay below 70 degrees. A trip Tuesday aboard limited out on sea bass, then targeted blackfish, limiting on one per angler. The trip also bagged lots of porgies and released lots of small weakfish and small bluefish. Sunday is available for a striper trip, and Monday is booked with one. One or two weekend dates are left for charters this month. More dates are open in November.

When conditions were right, striped bass fishing improved on every trip on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. The stripers are averaging 15 pounds and are biting eels. A trip Monday limited out on the fish to 29 pounds. A trip Wednesday landed twice a limit, releasing the additional. Those bass weighed up to more than 20 pounds, and the stripers released included a good number of sizable females. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips with spaces available will sail for stripers Monday, Wednesday and the Saturdays and Sundays of Oct. 20 and 21. Open after-work trips will begin when stripers show up closer to port. Open trips fill quickly once the angling improves. Dates for charters are filling, so book, or you’ll miss out. Like <a href=" http://www.facebook.com/vitaminseafishing  " target="_blank">Vitamin Sea’s Facebook page</a> to keep up with the open schedule, the latest reports, and photos.

<b>Leonardo</b>

Capt. Joe from <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b> was just watching this storm and hoping to bottom-fish this weekend, he said. That would be for sea bass, porgies and blackfish. He heard about good sea bassing that dealt with seas but often limited out since sea bass season opened Monday. Porgies will probably be a mainstay another month. His blackfishing’s been finding plenty of the fish, mostly throwbacks, but more of the tautog than previously. He’s keeping an eye on that angling including for when five of the tog becomes the bag limit beginning Nov. 16, from the current limit of one. Joe hopes the fall migration of striped bass arrives around the next full moon. Some anglers already eeled stripers toward the Statue of Liberty, the season’s first wave swimming out from Hudson River. But that fishing’s not his thing and is heavy boat traffic. Joe also fishes offshore and heard unconfirmed rumors about tuna holding 30 miles beyond the canyons, in around 1,000 fathoms. But none of that was first-hand.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Porgy catches were pretty good on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. A few sea bass were taken, and he’d like to catch more of them. But the half-day trips, sailing daily, were limited about how far they could sail. Trips fished around the channels, and current ran strongly. But beginning Monday, the boat will fish on one longer trip daily. That will help get the boat out of the current, too. But the porgy fishing was pretty good, and all customers caught. When current could be fished, fishing caught. Friday might blow a gale. That was disappointing, but could mean no strong wind for the weekend. Trips are fishing for sea bass, porgies and blackfish 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily through Sunday. Beginning Monday, the trips will run 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. The change is made each year, so the boat can reach fish that are migrating farther out.   

Great mixed-bag fishing was plowed Tuesday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. Porgy fishing couldn’t be better. Some jumbos were iced “on the tide.” Sea bass, triggerfish, bluefish, blowfish, winter flounder and occasional weakfish were tugged in. Fishing couldn’t be better for the time of year. Trips are bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

None of the party boats from the marina left the dock today in the weather, said Johnny O. from <b>Fisherman’s Den North</b>. The store is located at Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina. Striped bass fishing died in the warm weather that kept water warm at 75 degrees. Fishing was good for porgies and sea bass. Anybody who boated for blackfish usually bagged a limit of one. No customers even attempted to fish for tuna this past week, he said.

Many false albacore were lit into from the surf and boats on the ocean, said Jay from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Spanish mackerel showed up in the area. The usual surf anglers banked striped bass, none of size, in mornings on plugs or clams. Boating for porgies was holding in. Boaters fished for sea bass, now that sea bass season opened Monday. Blackfish could be boated, but many were small. A couple of customers eeled for stripers on boats, catching okay, not a lot. None of the stripers was huge. The water was too warm at 71 or 72 degrees. The river was full of out-of-season fluke, sizable ones. Crabbing was still good. Plenty of fresh clams are stocked that are scarce. All baits are stocked, including green crabs, eels and worms.

<b>Highlands</b>

Making the trip from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, anglers on the Sara Ann boated porgies and puffers on the bay, Marion wrote in an email. Twin Lights, located on Shrewsbury River near Raritan Bay and the ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boat slips, dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined bait-and-tackle shop and ship’s store. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card.

<b>Long Branch</b>

Mike from <b>TAK Waterman Surf n Fish</b> was dragging striped bass from the surf this afternoon when Nick from the shop gave this report, Nick said. Nick was seeing photos of Mike’s catches, and they looked like he was fishing Bass Assassins. Nick’s buddy last evening top-water plugged stripers from the surf before dark. Nick saw no bluefish and heard about none from the surf the past couple of days. Many surf anglers were buying Hogie jigs to fight false albacore from the surf farther north at Sandy Hook. The Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers put out stripers, often on Kettle Creek rubber shads. The anglers kept buying those. TAK Waterman is a store for fishing, mostly surf-fishing, surfing and paddle-boarding. The store also makes the TAK Waterman line of clothing for watersports including these and beach-going.

<b>Neptune</b>

Sea bass are here, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> wrote in an email. They freeze well, too, and porgies and triggerfish are also biting. An individual-reservation trip for sea bass was just added for Oct. 19. Another was already slated for Oct. 21. Individual-reservation trips will fish for big sea bass, big porgies, ling and cod offshore Oct. 28, and blackfish Nov. 16. The bag limit will be increased to five blackfish that day from the current limit of one. Book charters for striped bass or blackfish that will sail into late December. Dec. 8 is the next available date for a weekend charter. More individual-reservation trips for blackfish and ones for stripers will be slated when the fishing is closer.

<b>Belmar</b>

Lots of porgies and sea bass, good catches, were socked on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. The trips are fishing daily, though today was expected to be weathered out.

Catches of 2- to 6-pound bluefish went slowly Monday because of rough weather on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. The fish bit on a number of drifts. On Tuesday’s trip, bluefishing was good for 1- to 6-pounders. A good number of sea bass and some porgies, false albacore and bonito were also decked. Anglers caught best on Ava 27 jigs without tails. Wednesday’s trip picked away slowly at 2- to 4-pound blues, occasional flurries, and some sea bass, porgies, albies, bonito and Spanish mackerel. Trips are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Tuna fishing was slow on a trip Monday to Tuesday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. But plenty of mahi mahi, a pretty good catch, and a swordfish were pumped in. Weather and seas were a little rough on Monday afternoon until early in the night. Then wind dropped out, and conditions became calm. See the <a href=" https://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/tunafish" target="_blank">tuna schedule</a> online. Inshore fishing was docked Wednesday and Thursday aboard for boat maintenance. Those trips lately tied into bluefish and other catches mixed in, and are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays, except when tuna trips are running. However, a charter is booked this Saturday, so no open-boat trip will fish that day.

Sea bass season opened with a bang, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Many limits and some big sea bass were reported. Boats from Belmar returned yesterday with sea bass, blackfish and porgies, a mixed bag. The porgies were large. Other boats from the port have been locking into good fishing for bluefish and some false albacore. Striped bass were yet to migrate to local waters. Surf fishing was slow, but cooler weather is coming. When the weather cools the water, fishing there should pick up. Shark, Manasquan and Shrewsbury rivers gave up stripers and blues at night. 

<b>Brielle</b>

Ocean fishing for sea bass and porgies was good, said John from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. False albacore and bonito swam from tight to shore to Shark River Reef. A customer reported landing bonito from the surf at Manasquan. Read more about surf fishing below. First, bluefin tuna from footballs to 100-pounders were caught and seen from Sea Girt Reef to Shark River Reef. Tuna fishing at offshore canyons was very sporadic. But one boat reportedly smashed a good catch of tuna, including bigeyes, far away, like 160 miles. John didn’t know whether that was that distance southeast or farther from shore than usual. He believed that was farther from shore than usual. Offshore anglers can be hush about location, he said. Now, surf fishing. Small bluefish and small stripers were winged from the beach. The bluefish jumped on nearly anything. Small swimming plugs, Smack-Its, Chug Bugs and small, 4- or 5-inch rubber shads hooked the bass. Out-of-season fluke bit in the surf. Nothing was really heard about fishing on Manasquan River. Alex from the shop eeled four or five stripers from Point Pleasant Canal at night on a trip, saying the fishing wasn’t really good. John didn’t know whether blackfish hit in the canal, but thought they probably did by now, including because they were caught along Manasquan Inlet. Blowfish were boated from Barnegat Bay near Mantoloking Bridge and farther south toward the BI and BB markers.

The following report was posted as an update Wednesday and is being re-posted in case anybody missed it: Killer fishing Monday and Tuesday on the <b>Jamaica II</b>, an email said from the party boat. Big sea bass filled coolers, and hefty porgies were iced. Limits of both were common. Triggerfish to 5 pounds and almaco jacks were pitched aboard. Bottom-fishing couldn’t get much better. A 100-pound bluefin tuna jumped around the boat throughout one of the trips. Marathon trips are fishing 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Beginning Oct. 20, 14-hour trips will sail every Saturday and Sunday. A few anglers and their catches included: Mac Dubois, Philly, limits of sea bass to 4 pounds and porgies to 3 pounds and five triggerfish; Mario Contero, Jackson, limits of sea bass to 5 pounds and porgies; and Bob Plasket, Medford, limits of sea bass and porgies and four large triggerfish. Erin Johnson from Bristol and Wes Shourt from Manahawkin each limited on both sea bass and porgies. See daily reports and see photos on <a href="http://www.jamaicaii.com" target="_blank">Jamaica II’s Facebook page</a>.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 10/12:***</b> Fishing was great on the <b>Dauntless</b>, the party boat’s Facebook page said. Catches included limits of sea bass and porgies since sea bass season opened Monday. A few blackfish, bluefish and triggerfish were mixed in. The angling, on the ocean, should last, but jump aboard while catches are hot. The trips are sailing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Toms River</b>

Surf anglers slid small bluefish in on metal, said Mario from <b>Hook House Bait & Tackle</b>. If anglers fished bait for them, mullet was best. The blues were banked yesterday. A few throwback striped bass were yanked from the surf lately on metal, small swimming plugs or mullet. Daiwa SP Minnow-style swimmers worked. Small stripers, mostly throwbacks, were heard about from Barnegat Inlet yesterday on artificials. Stripers were pulled from Point Pleasant Canal at night. Most anglers eeled them. Bluefish were fought from the canal. Not much was doing with fishing on the Toms River. Crabs could still be trapped, actually. Hook House, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River. 

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 10/12:***</b> Plenty of small to medium-sized bluefish tumbled around the surf, <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ Facebook page said. Fish cut bunker, cut mullet or metal for them. Not a lot of anglers fished the water, but the few who did, kept busy. But there wasn’t much interest in yesterday’s storm. Today, after the storm, northwest wind blew strongly, skies cleared and weather was cooler. Fishing the surf later in the day might not be a bad idea. A few small striped bass bit “out back” and along local bridges. When they were there, the stripers readily jumped on small swimming plugs. Small to medium-sized bucktails with a rubber tail “is always a good bet for … the bigger fish …,” the page said. Catch the 20-percent sale on Tsunami Airwave Elite Rod and Talking Poppers and all the company’s rubber baits in stock this Saturday and Sunday. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, a café, a dock for fishing and crabbing, and, in season, boat and jet-ski rentals.

<b>Forked River</b>

Capt. Mike from the <b>Tuna-Tic</b> postponed tuna trips because the fishing was slow, he said. But he hopes the catches pick back up. The angling was weathered out currently, too, including a trip slated for today. Some bluefin tuna swam the Mudhole, but tuna fishing was no good at the canyons farther from shore. Weather or seas look too rough for the angling through the weekend. Monday or so looks iffy, too.

Blowfish nibbled in Barnegat Bay like previously, like near the BI marker, said Mike from <b>Grizz’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Tons of small bluefish schooled near Barnegat Inlet in the bay. Tons of juvenile stripers hung in that area, swiping soft-plastic baits, popper lures and most other lures common for them. Weakfish were sometimes reported from off Berkeley Island Park on pink Fin-S Fish. Blackfish bit along the inlet’s rocks, and green crabs are stocked for blackfish bait now. Baits stocked also include live eels. The store carries a full supply of inshore and offshore baits. A few customers sailed for sea bass on the ocean.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

An overnight trip Sunday to Monday caught no tuna but limited out on mahi mahi, including good-sized, on the <b>Super Chic</b>, Capt. Ted said. At night, some blue sharks chomped. In the morning, fishing was great for blueline and golden tilefish. A trip Tuesday wreck-fished for bluefish, drilling 2- to 4-pounders. But the angling tossed up a mixed bag, including a few dozen sea bass, a couple of bonito and some false albacore.

Blowfish gave up crazy catches on Barnegat Bay near the BB, BI and 42 and at Meyer’s Hole, said George from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Chum with a clam log and fish with bits of clam or squid. He saw people who were going weakfishing on the bay, but saw no weakfish that were caught. Blackfish, triggerfish and sheepshead were hooked along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks. Snapper bluefish were around. Crabbing was no good. Nobody clammed, but clamming’s usually good on the bay. Baits stocked include green crabs. Anglers can order live grass shrimp from the shop, including for weakfishing. Bobbie’s features a complete bait and tackle shop, a fuel dock and boat and kayak rentals. The boats are used for fishing, crabbing, clamming and pleasure.

<b>Absecon</b>

Charters with Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b> picked up striped bass every day, though the angling seemed slower than a month ago, he said. Warm water, like 74 degrees yesterday, might’ve been a reason. This storm and cooler weather that’s forecast in the next days might change that next week. The trips fished Mullica River and the back bay, and neither seemed best. The outings mostly fished Gulp Nemesis, and a couple of the bass were popper-plugged the other day aboard. The trips angled some decent-sized, and most of the trips hooked slot-sized stripers that could be bagged with bonus tags Dave’s carrying. Small blues seemed to depart the bay. That kept them from being a bother on the striper trips. White perch fishing was good on the river. If anglers wanted dinner, that was a best option. Blackfishing angled lots of throwbacks but a couple of keepers, like along inlet jetties. Not much was heard about sea bass fishing on the ocean since sea bass season opened Monday. A couple of customers played small blues and caught triggerfish at ocean wrecks. Baits stocked include live eels, mullet and green crabs. Whether fresh clams will be stocked is questionable. The clams are scarce. Frozen are carried.  

<b>Brigantine</b>

Before this weather, blues and more blues swam the surf, said Capt. Andy from  <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. They were small but getting bigger, and Linda Davoli took the lead in the bluefish division with a 1-pound 6.2-ouncer in Riptide’s Fall Surf Fishing Derby. Pompano schooled the surf. Striped bass were boated on the back bay on live bait and Gulp Nemesis. One group limited out on sea bass and caught blues on the ocean on a trip. They said action was non-stop, and that was 10 miles from shore, Andy thought. Another trip trolled a 68-pound yellowfin tuna, a blackfin tuna and a bunch of mahi mahi 68 miles from port on an overnight trip Saturday. The blackfin was unusual. The derby, underway until Dec. 23, awards $500, $300 and $150 for the three heaviest stripers and $300, $200 and $100 for the three heaviest blues. Entry is $25 and includes a permit that allows Brigantine’s entire front beach to be driven, if you also have a Brigantine permit. Without the tournament permit, not all the beach can be driven. The annual Brigantine Elks striper tournament for surf anglers and boaters, benefitting a veterans’ fund, will be held Nov. 16-18.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Cocktail bluefish raced around the surf and from the back of Absecon Inlet to the back bay off Harrah’s, said Noel from <b>Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers fish all those places on foot. They fish the surf on foot beside the inlet. For the blues, dunk mullet, bunker or spearing. Mullet were fewer than before but still migrated the area. Lots of blackfish snapped along the inlets rocks. Fish green crabs for them. Triggerfish were pasted from the inlet. Occasional striped bass, not many, one here and there, were beached from the surf. All baits are stocked, including fresh, shucked clams that are scarce. A vending machine dispenses bait, a little of everything, round the clock. That’s a place to get bait afterhours.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Before these remnants of the hurricane, a load of bluefish 1 to 1 ½ pounds swarmed nearly everywhere, from the mouth of Great Egg Harbor River to the back bay to the inlets and the beach front, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Lots of kings had hovered in the surf, and not many seemed sizable, but they were numerous. Spots and pompano were abundant in the surf. Brown sharks showed back up in the surf yesterday. That seemed because the water was warm at 75 degrees. Schoolie striped bass were occasionally hooked in the surf, and keepers were rare but sometimes caught. The warm water didn’t seem conducive to more. Fishing for stripers and blues exploded at night at nearly every bridge. A decent number of the stripers were as large as 27 to 28 ½ inches. Many sea bass schooled inlets, and some just made keeper size, 12 ½ inches. Justin fished on a trip that grabbed some that size yesterday. Plenty of blackfish hugged piers and bridges, and a number were keepers at some spots. Plenty of throwbacks had to be weeded through. Lots of sea bass gathered at ocean wrecks, and many were sizable. A customer yesterday bailed mahi mahi, a mess, at 28-Mile Wreck on soft-plastic lures. The angler saw bait balls, and the mahi were on them. No tuna catches were heard about, and six days seemed to have weather calm enough for boaters to reach the tuna grounds in past weeks.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A good number of bluefish schooled around, mostly in Townsend’s and Corson’s inlets, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. But customers also caught them from the surf and back bay. The fishing was just more consistent in the inlets. The blues were less abundant than the tons and tons before. But they were there. They were mostly 1 ½ to 2 pounds, and previously ranged from snappers to 5 pounds. Another migration of mullet will shoot into the ocean and surf, he thinks, because he saw a load while clamming in the back bay. The clamming, by the way, was excellent. He, another clammer and their sons didn’t limit out, Mike thought. But they picked up plenty. Clams they saw ranged from tiny to chowder-sized. Some striped bass were seen chasing mullet, and Mike did see keepers that were bagged. A customer had just beached a 34-inch keeper from the surf on mullet. These first days of sea bass season seemed to fish excellent 10 to 20 miles from shore. Closer in, other fish including triggerfish were mixed in, and that was nice. In the deep, more porgies bit than in a while. Mahi mahi swam 30 miles out. Farther off at the canyons, mahi fishing was awesome. Not much was heard about tuna from there, but quite a few white marlin seemed reported from those waters. Back inshore, plenty of blackfish held along bridges and other structure near inlets. Most were throwbacks, but a couple of keepers were seen every day. Crabbing was excellent.

The year’s final traveling trips to Montauk will fish this weekend aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. He fished from the port on Monday, Columbus Day, with his sons, and they tackled false albacore on Albie Snax in stiff seas on the ocean. That was after he guided charters for the fishing during the weekend, covered in the last report here. The trips fish the migrations of striped bass, blues and false albacore annually from mid-September to mid-October. Afterward, Joe will concentrate on fall fishing from Sea Isle, first for sea bass and albies on the ocean, and stripers on the back bay. Those will be smaller, resident stripers that bite well through mid-November or so. Soon afterward, his charters home in on the migration of big stripers and blues on the ocean from Sea Isle. Now is the time to reserve those dates. When the fishing begins, the dates fill. Afterward, annual traveling charters fish from the Florida Keys from Christmas to Easter aboard. See the <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">traveling charters webpage</a> on Jersey Cape’s website. Keep up with his fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

<b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b> is open for no set hours now, but when Mike from the shop is currently working on closing the store for the season, the doors are open, he said. Someone called and asked to rent a boat today, but weather forecasts were too rough. Mike will stow away the boats before long through winter. A couple of customers stopped in for bait, and one reported catching bluefish from the bay, no great quantity. Mike will begin striped bass fishing at the end of the month on the bay. He likes to cast bucktails to them, sometimes floating plugs, if he sees a school. But if that’s not happening, he anchors, chunks clam bellies and fishes the clams for them. He also catches stripers under dock lights at night. He’s actually fishing for herring when he does that, and tosses the herring in the freezer for bait. So he uses tiny spoons and ultra-light tackle. But often he runs into small stripers and releases them then. He sees a larger every once in a while. A couple of stripers were known to be reeled from the bay currently. He saw one a couple of days ago that was bagged. A buddy last week nabbed two to three dozen keeper crabs from the bay. But most crabs are small that Mike is trapping in his pot. He keeps a pot in the water to see what shows up. Once the shop is completely closed for a seasonal break through winter, Mike would like to reopen during the first weekend of May. That depends on factors including weather. Last spring, a deep freeze in winter had damaged docks, and that delayed the opening, because the docks had to be repaired.  

<b>Cape May</b>

The anglers limited out on sea bass Monday, opening day of sea bass season, on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Plenty of throwbacks bit, and many of the keepers were good-sized. The ocean was 73 degrees on the fishing grounds and also close to shore. Maybe the remnants of the hurricane that are arriving will cool the water. An angler from the dock ran a trip that pasted 4-pound bluefish, a good catch, and a couple of bonito at 5-Fathom Bank that day. This storm will keep fishing in port a moment. The next sea bass trip is supposed to fish Sunday with George. Looking ahead, the boat will fish for striped bass from a slip at Atlantic City later this fall. That’s been closer to good fishing for them in recent years.

Fishing limited out on sea bass, good-sized, Monday and Tuesday with <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Tom said. Tuesday’s fishing was especially lock and load. The anglers maxed out in 2 hours, and keepers were large enough not to be measured. A few triggerfish and tailor blues also came in. On Wednesday, a trip fished offshore, limiting out on mahi mahi to 15 pounds, nailing a 160-pound bigeye tuna and going 0 for 2 on daytime swordfishing. One of the swords looked about 150 pounds. It jumped and cut off the line with its bill. Tom is pioneering daytime swordfishing locally. The sport, targeting the light-sensitive swords in deep water along bottom, is popular at other locations, like Florida. Swords previously were only fished for at night. Some dates are still available for sea bass fishing. Charters and open-boat trips fish aboard.

Trips fished for sea bass Monday through Wednesday, the first days of sea bass season, on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. The angling was probably going to be weathered out a moment now. The fishing did catch. Some spots produced the fish, and some gave up nothing. Good action was able to be found, and some anglers limited out. Some only bagged a few, and Paul was sure some anglers were disappointed, but all left with sea bass for dinner. Triggerfish, blowfish, bluefish and small porgies were also landed. The trips took no long rides or were able to find sea bass closer to shore. Weather was beautiful on the trips. Trips are fishing for sea bass at 8 a.m. daily. Enough anglers for trips to sail are most likely on days with fair weather, of course.

Sea bass fishing went well, and seemed best in 100 feet of water or deeper, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. When trips fished closer to shore, like at Cape May and Wildwood reefs, they boated a few sea bass but also big triggerfish. A report rolled in about good fishing on Delaware Bay for kingfish, croakers and weakfish near one of the buoys on a trip. Surf anglers at Cape May found the water full of bluefish 12 to 20 inches, a few bigger. Fresh mullet clocked them, and mullet still migrated along the beach front. Were any striped bass beached from the surf? Yes, Nick said. A couple were clammed, and an occasional was hooked on fresh mullet. Blackfishing was slow along jetties. Stripers bit in the back bay. One woman boated two keepers 29 and 30 inches on a creek. Mahi mahi fishing was good at offshore canyons, the last Nick heard. A customer walloped a good-sized bluefin tuna, an over, “(but) not like 73 inches,” Nick said, within 30 miles from shore. Lots of mahi also swam in that range, too. Crabbing remained good, though the season was getting late. Frozen bunker actually ran out for a moment for crabbing bait but is now re-stocked. Nick hadn’t expected so many crabbers.

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