<b>Keyport</b>

Wind wreaked havoc on the fishing schedule, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. Trips are eeling for striped bass at New York Harbor aboard, and three out of four charters were weathered out last week. A charter did the fishing Friday, smoking an excellent catch of the bass 18 to 25 pounds. They limited out and released additional. Fall striper fishing is finally showing promise, he said. A good number of stripers have also been jigged, but 90 percent have been throwbacks. Bring a bonus tag to bag a smaller striper. The next open-boat trips with spaces available will fish Tuesday, Friday and Sunday for stripers. Telephone to reserve.

Striped bass to 40 pounds were eeled Saturday in New York Harbor with the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>, Capt. Mario said. The fishing’s been great. Lots of stripers around – lots. Come on down, he said, and open-boat trips are fishing for them daily. Charters are available for up to 15 passengers. Both of Down Deep’s boats feature heated cabins and full galleys. Book charters and open trips for blackfish that will sail beginning Nov. 16, when the bag limit is increased to five of the tautog from the current limit of one. Trips had been sea bass fishing, but sea bass are migrating offshore. <b>***Update, Monday, 10/22:***</b> Each angler aboard receives a bonus tag to bag an additional striper 24 inches to less than 28, Capt. Lenny wrote in an email.

Simple! <b>Manicsportfishing</b>’s Facebook page said. Striped bass are here. So are sea bass and porgies. False albacore, bonito and small bluefish are here, too. Fish during the week, and see the difference from weekends full of boat traffic. Space is available during the week this week. Only a couple of weekend dates are available in the near future. Manic will fish this week, and produce, the page said. It’s that time of year.

<b>Leonardo</b>

Anything to report? Capt. Joe from <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b> was asked. Lot of wind, he laughed. A boat from the docks fished for striped bass Saturday night, eeling three at New York Harbor. Other boats bottom-fished during the week, reeling up porgies, sea bass and blackfish. Sour Kraut is doing the bottom-fishing and will fish for stripers when the migration of big ones pours into Raritan Bay and the ocean soon.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Beautiful weather, calm ocean and the fish were hungry on today’s bottom-fishing trip on the <b>Fishermen</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. This was another trip with big porgies, some good-sized sea bass and a bunch of blackfish landed aboard. One drop was fished the whole time, and weather looks good for tomorrow. Trips are bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. 

During bottom-fishing today on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, weather was improved, and catches were good, simple as that, Capt. Tom said at 10:30 a.m. on the trip in a phone call. Weather was a little breezy but calm compared with lately. Customers were landing good-sized porgies, some sea bass and a few blackfish on the outing. The temperature was a little chilly. The fishing also sailed Friday and Saturday and was weathered out Sunday aboard. Weather was good Friday, and so were the catches. Weather wasn’t great Saturday, and the day’s trip picked some of the fish: quite a few sea bass, some of them hefty; still some porgies; and some blackfish. Trips are fishing for sea bass, porgies and blackfish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Neptune</b>

Weather is supposed to be warmer tomorrow, and an individual-reservation trip will sail for sea bass that day with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. Contact him for a spot.

<b>Belmar</b>

Great days of bluefishing Friday and Saturday on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> on the ocean, emails said from the party boat. False albacore, porgies and sea bass were also decked. On Sunday’s trip, fishing was slow in tough, windy weather. Trips are sailing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Bluefish, a good catch, and plenty of big sea bass and big porgies were cracked Friday on the ocean on the <b>Golden  Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. On Saturday’s trip, weather prevented the boat from fishing where wanted, but a catch of blues was put together. The trip had decent shots at them, and a bunch of false albacore and some porgies. Albies swarmed all over the water surface. On Sunday’s trip, considering a gale blew in the morning, some fish managed to be caught: a decent catch of blues and some albies and throwback sea bass. Anglers had to work for catches. On today’s trip, blues stayed deep, didn’t want to come up. So anglers had to work to catch the 2- to 5-pounders. They also plopped aboard a bunch of porgies, some sea bass and a jack. Trips are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays.

No fishing sailed during the weekend’s rough weather with <b>Celtic Stoirm Charters</b>, Capt. Mike said. Only three of Belmar’s party boats seemed to fish, and Mike just checked on his boat at the dock in strong wind. Sea bass trips are sailing aboard, and the season’s first striped bass began to be reported from the ocean nearby. Book striper trips while they’re available.

The <b>Katie H</b> was docked in the weather, Capt. Mike said. He took advantage and did maintenance. When trips currently sail aboard, they’re bottom-fishing, and he’s waiting for striped bass. Not a lot of boats got out to see what’s happening with stripers, he thought. But the rough weather in past days probably helped bring the migration in.

Winter flounder began to be hooked from Shark River, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. One angler limited out on two, each a 14-incher, this morning. The fishing should pick up quickly in this cold weather, and the shop’s rental boats are available to fish the river. In the surf, false albacore were fought. That was run-and-gun fishing for the fast-moving albies. Also in the surf, striped bass, some of them keepers, were scored at night. Ocean boaters trolled a few big striped bass. The fish to 35 pounds were known about at the store. Inlets tossed up good blackfishing, and crabs sold briskly for the tautog bait. Belmar’s party boats cleaned up on good bluefishing or good fishing for sea bass, porgies and blackfish on the ocean. Put on your long Johns and get in on action, Bob said. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 10/23:***</b> Flounder fishing broke wide open today on the river, Bob wrote in an email. Some anglers landed 20, keeping no more than a limit of two. Most anglers limited who were heard about. “This is a shot in the arm to our river guys,” he wrote, and worms and clams “worked.” A 3-pounder was weighed at the shop.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 10/23***</b> All anglers limited out on sea bass and some limited on porgies, big porgies, yesterday on the <b>Jamaica II</b> on the ocean, the party boat’s Facebook page said. Excellent fishing, and those who didn’t limit on porgies came close. Four days of good weather are here, and a nor’easter might hit the weekend. “Let’s go!” the page said. Get off the couch, and the heck with work, it said. Twelve-hour trips are sailing at 5 a.m. every Monday through Friday. Fourteen-hour trips are running at 3 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday.

Boaters had a field day on false albacore north of Shark River Inlet on the ocean, said Alex from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Hogie epoxy jigs were hot sellers for albie fishing. S&S’s new tin jigs were also in demand for the angling. Small bonito were sometimes mixed in, chasing the bunker schools. Surf-fishing for bonito slowed considerably. But if birds are seen working bait in the surf, bonito could be on them. Striped bass from 20 inches to keeper-sized were pulled from the surf at first light and at dusk on Daiwa SP Minnows and Bombers. Bluefish 1 to 2 pounds schooled the surf. Bluefin tuna 40 to 80 pounds were trolled at Shark River Reef on ballyhoos and daisy chains. Many albies bit in those waters, too. Nothing was heard about tuna fishing at offshore canyons. Trips had no weather to reach there. Ocean boaters practically had no issues limiting out on sea bass at reefs and rock piles. Those who fished for them farther from shore had an easier time limiting, because of fishing pressure. In Manasquan Inlet, a bunch of albies were also hooked. Lots of blackfish were tugged from the inlet, often on jigs with pieces of crab. Blackfish also chomped in Point Pleasant Canal. Stripers from 20 inches to keepers were landed from the canal at night on bucktails. Bigger could be grabbed on eels. No bluefish were really heard about from the canal that were previously. Manasquan River was full of small stripers played at night at bridges on plugs and bucktails.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

The wind kept <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> in port, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. The crew looks forward to striped bass fishing that should be great this season like usual. Those trips will catch the bass, big fish, on bunker snagged for bait and then livelined or on jigs, popper plugs or on the troll, whatever’s necessary. Trips coming up will also begin to fish for sea bass and porgies in deeper water farther from shore. Those outings will include open-boats in December for giant sea bass, giant porgies, cod and pollock. Watch <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mushinsportfishing/" target="_blank">Mushin’s Facebook page</a> or telephone the boat for those dates.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Larger bluefish 5 to 6 pounds stormed into the surf Friday at Seaside Park, a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. Larger striped bass and larger blues are expected in the surf any day. Currently, most catches from the beach were small blues, occasional throwback stripers and sometimes false albacore. Bait and more bait schooled the water, from rainfish to adult bunker and other bait between. Those were the only fish foraging on them. Keep vigilant for the larger bass and blues expected. 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>Barnegat Light</b>

A couple of offshore trips for tuna or other catches from those waters were weathered out on the <b>Super Chic</b>, Capt. Ted said. That was the most recent fishing scheduled aboard, and the next angling slated is for sea bass and bluefish. Ted heard about no striped bass from the local ocean yet. When the weather clears, surely boaters will search for them. He’d imagine that stripers will be migrating out of bays and other back waters into the ocean now.

<b>Longport</b>

Fishing for sea bass is crazy, gangbusters aboard, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. The most recent trip fished Friday, and catches were drop-and-reel. Trips were weathered out Saturday and Sunday. The next open-boat trips will sail today and Friday for the angling. The trips need fair weather, because they’re fishing 19 to 25 miles from shore. Blackfishing aboard will begin on Nov. 16, when the bag limit is increased. That day is sold out. Afterward, striped bass fishing will begin aboard when the striper migration arrives. Black Friday is available for a charter. If no charter books, an open trip will fish that day. A half-day, open trip will blackfish on  Thanksgiving. Spaces are available.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A dozen striped bass to 25 pounds were played and released on the back bay Thursday on Bass Assassins with Doug Gillespie aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The fishing was great, and lines were bitten off sometimes. Apparently bluefish did that. A few stripers have been angled from the surf, too. Joe’s been getting unconfirmed reports about false albacore in the ocean, and he’ll sail for them soon, like he does every year. He expects to catch. Trips aboard will fish the migrations of stripers and blues in the ocean when those arrive. Book those trips now, and they fill when the run begins. Annual traveling charters to the Florida Keys will fish from Christmas to Easter. See the <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">traveling charters webpage</a> on Jersey Cape’s website. Follow Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Weather canceled sea bass trips Saturday and Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Striped bass fishing will sail from Atlantic City on the boat when the migration arrives. That’s been closer to the best fishing for them in recent years. Usually around now, in mid-October or a little afterward, the migration begins to arrive off North Jersey.

Sea bass fishing on the ocean sailed between weather with <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b> this past week, limiting out every time, Capt. Tom said. Terrific fishing, and an offshore trip sailed Friday aboard. A couple of drops for swordfish were made. But none bit. The trip limited out on mahi mahi quickly, and also fished for tilefish. Thirty-five golden tiles to 27 pounds were cranked up. Twelve were heavier than 20 pounds, and a few rosefish were also reeled in during that angling. The trip’s swordfishing was during daytime, and Tom is pioneering that sport locally. Swordfishing during the day is already popular in other locations like Florida. The trips fish deep water along bottom for the light-sensitive swords. The boat will begin fishing for striped bass on the ocean from Atlantic City in mid-November. Charters and open-boat trips sail aboard. Plenty of dates are available for sea bass still. A few dates are left for stripers.

Back to Top