<b>Keyport</b>

A bunch of striped bass were decked Sunday with <b>Manicsportfishing</b>, Manic’s Facebook page said. A few were from the ocean, but Raritan Bay gave them up best. “Nice to see quality fish close,” it said. The fishing wasn’t insane. But when stripers bit, they really bit. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and now that stripers are close, weather will have to be especially rough to keep trips docked. If you can fish on weekdays, do. Room is available Thursday and Friday.

Some big striped bass were boated aboard that are moving into the local ocean, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b> in a phone call. The fish to 44 pounds were waffled on yesterday’s trip.  Plenty of the trip’s fish were overs, Capt. Lenny wrote in email. Plenty were also slots. Plenty of stripers were released on the trip, in addition to stripers bagged. Stripers aboard lately were eeled, jigged and hooked on rubber shads. Open-boat trips are fishing for stripers 6 a.m. daily and 1 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. Charters are available for up to 15 passengers. Down Deep’s two boats each feature heated cabins and full galleys. A few spaces are left for an open trip for blackfish on Nov. 16, when the bag limit will be increased to five, from the current limit of one. More open trips will be scheduled for the tautog once that date is closer.

Striped bass fishing is game on, and the catches really took off on Sunday, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. Many bigger stripers moved in. Time to get yours, plain and simple, he wrote. Weather’s been tough. He never had to cancel so many trips because of weather in his 22 years of chartering. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips will fish for stripers Wednesday and Thursday. Telephone to reserve.

<b>Leonardo</b>

Fishing limited out on over striped bass, including one heavier than 50 pounds, Sunday on the ocean with <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Joe said. The fish were trolled on Mojos and bunker spoons in the 53- to 54-degree water. Joe also heard about a striper bite off Coney Island that morning. Joe’s trip also limited out on blackfish and released a bunch of additional. Was fantastic fishing on the trip.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Big striped bass were clobbered Sunday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, great fishing, a report said on the party boat’s website. When things got right and the catches turned on, it was awesome. A 31-pounder was the first socked. Next, a 38-pounder was. Then an angler smashed a 36-pounder and a 32.6-pounder. A 39.8-pounder won the pool, and 25-pounders were also taken. Not one of the trip’s stripers was smaller than 30 inches. Eels and jigs both caught, and the jigs needed to be heavier because current ran at 3 knots. This was the captain’s birthday, and when his wife asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said, a good group of customers and good striper fishing. His wish came true. Trips are fishing for stripers 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Blackfishing was terrific Thursday on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> on the ocean, Capt. Tom said. The trips were weathered out Friday and Saturday, and the angling was also good on Sunday’s trip. Weather was better that day than he thought it would be. Sea bass have occasionally been in the mix. None of the head boats sailed from the docks today in stormy weather. Weather will probably nix Tuesday’s trip, but Tom expects to sail Wednesday and Thursday. Weather looks best on those days in the near future. Forecasts are calling for rain Friday, but that’s a long ways off and might change. Trips are bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Crabs for blackfishing are now supplied aboard. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 11/7:***</b> Today’s trip fished in good weather and pounded good blackfishing, Tom said. The angling was apparently weathered out previously, and forecasts look fair for Thursday. He expects to sail that day, and if you want to fish for the tautog, you better go then. Friday looks rough in rain and wind.

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> sailed for striped bass Saturday on the ocean, Capt. Ralph said. But wind, from west, blew strongly, the water was dirty and the fishing was no good. None was hooked aboard, and Ralph heard about none caught. On Sunday, wind was calm, and a striper was caught here, another there. But Ralph decided to bottom-fish that day on the ocean, because of the results Saturday and because of boat traffic. The trip loaded up on big sea bass, big porgies and some bluefish at one drop. The angling was so good that Ralph shared the wreck with another captain whose trip also loaded up. An individual-reservation trip will sail for blackfish on Nov. 16, and green crabs and white crabs will be carried for bait aboard. The bag limit will be increased to five blackfish that day, from the current limit of one. Individual-reservation trips will also fish on Nov. 20, 23, 24, 27 and 30 for stripers and blackfish or whatever bites best. Charters are available including offshore for big sea bass, large porgies, cod and pollock through the end of the year.

<b>Belmar</b>

A trip Sunday boated a 44-pound 48-inch striped bass on the ocean off Asbury Park with <b>Celtic Stoirm Charters</b>, Capt. Mike said. But striper fishing was slow that day on the ocean in dirty, chalky water after severe wind Saturday and a storm Friday. Mike heard that stripers were boated off Lavallette on Sunday. Striper trips are booking up. Reserve now.

Boats from Belmar lit into some super fishing for striped bass on the ocean, Bob from <b>Fishrman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Many of the fish weighed 35 to 50 pounds, and the boaters connected on trolled bunker spoons or Mojos or hooked the fish on bunker snagged for bait and then livelined. Weather was often windy or rainy, though. The Belmar party boats Golden Eagle and Miss Belmar Princess returned with jumbo bluefish to 18 pounds yesterday. Shore anglers mostly landed small stripers, winter flounder and blackfish. Bob didn’t say where, but likely locations seemed to include the surf for the stripers, Shark River Inlet for the blackfish and Shark River for the flounder. Fishing is good, and this is the best time of year.

Phenomenal bluefishing for jumbos was crushed Sunday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. On Saturday’s trip, wind 30 to 40 knots made fishing pretty much impossible. Big striped bass were mugged last week aboard, covered in the previous report here. Trips are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. A trip is also slated for 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, according to the schedule on the boat’s website.

The <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>’s trip Friday was canceled because of the storm that day, emails said from the party boat. On Saturday’s trip, fishing was tough in strong wind. Only one bluefish was reeled in. Sunday’s trip lambasted jumbo blues. Not many striped bass gave up catches that day. Big stripers were nailed aboard last week, covered in the previous report here. Trips are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

Boating for striped bass to 45 pounds – most weighed 25 to 35 – on the ocean was good Friday and not Sunday, said Alex from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Wind canceled much fishing Saturday, and when the angling was good Friday, boat traffic was light. When it was slow Sunday, traffic was heavy. The wind the previous day might’ve also dirtied the water Sunday. Many of the fish were trolled on size-4 Tony Maja bunker spoons. Surf-fishing picked small stripers from schoolies to keepers, mostly schoolies, to the north in Monmouth County. That was on Daiwa SP Minnows, Bomber swimming lures, bucktails and rubber shads. Manasquan River’s striper fishing was a little slow, becoming slower than before, but landed 18- to 24-inchers at night on lures like Fin-S Fish, other soft baits and swim shads. Point Pleasant Canal’s striper fishing was also slowing but tossed up schoolies to keepers on swim shads. Blackfish were hooked at Manasquan Inlet and the canal on jigs and crabs. The keeper ratio was a little better at the inlet. Back on the ocean, a good mix of sea bass and porgies were plucked from Shark River Reef and a little inshore of there. Eight to 15 miles from shore seemed to harbor the fish. Schoolie bluefin tuna swam the Shark River Reef area, Alex knew, he said. But few anglers tried for them.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Finally, maintenance is completed on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, and fishing will probably resume Wednesday aboard! a report said on the party boat’s website. The vessel was going to be sea-trialed today or tomorrow. Trips will fish for sea bass and porgies 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. The trips will sail for blackfish beginning Nov. 16, when the bag limit is amped up to five from the current limit of one.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

On the <b>Super Chic</b>, a trip tried fishing for striped bass on the ocean Sunday, Capt. Ted said. But the ocean was terribly dirty close to shore, not good for the angling, because of wind in previous days. So the trip then pushed farther from shore to fish for bluefish, jigging 5- to 15-pounders. Wind wasn’t bad during the outing, and became calmer as the day continued. The next striper trip is planned for Tuesday.

The party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b> was slated to begin fishing for striped bass and bluefish every Friday through Saturday this past weekend. Apparently no trip fished Friday in the storm, because nothing was posted about that day on the boat’s website and Facebook page. On Saturday, the ocean was stirred up from the previous day’s wind. Bait but no fish were found on that day’s trip. Sunday’s trip looked for bluefish, waiting for the striper migration to swim this far south. A handful of blues were picked. Lots of stripers and blues are gathered off Long Island and heading this way. When stripers arrive, the trips focus on them. The trips are running 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday through Sunday. The trips often fish with jigs 4 to 8 ounces or large rubber shads. Both are available for sale aboard. The crew asks anglers not to use treble hooks because of safety.

<b>Absecon</b>

The <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/AbseconBay/photos/pb.178519868835524.-2207520000.1541465495./2029001480454011/?type=3&theater
" target="_blank">season’s first big striped bass</a> that was caught locally was weighed Sunday at <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>, the shop’s Facebook page said. The 35-3/4-pounder was eeled at Mankiller Bay. “Be in the right place at the right time with the right bait and good things are going to happen,” the page said. Whatever bait you need, it’s stocked, it said.

<b>Longport</b>

An open-boat trip sailed for sea bass and whacked them again Friday on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Good-sized porgies were also pitched aboard, and false albacore and big bluefish schooled the water surface, biting some of the hooked sea bass and porgies. The trips are fishing in 110 feet of water to 125. Because that’s a distance from shore, open-boat trips are running whenever weather’s fair for the angling. That might next be on Friday, but Mike will see. Afterward, he plans more of the trips for Sunday and the following Wednesday, Nov. 14. But the schedule can change depending on forecasts. Weather was bluebird on Friday’s trip. The water was 60 degrees on the outing, and no striped bass and no bunker that stripers forage on were seen locally yet. The water was too warm, and those migrations are far north. The boat sails for stripers when they arrive. Blackfishing aboard will begin on Nov. 16, when the bag limit is jacked up to five, from the current limit of one. The first three days of that limit are sold out, so the next available open trip for blackfish is on Nov. 19. An open trip is sold out on Thanksgiving morning that will blackfish. Nobody reserved fishing aboard on Black Friday yet. Open trips could sail for combos of blackfish and stripers when possible. Mike expects that to be possible until Dec. 1, and will see how the striper fishing is afterward.  <b>***Update, Monday, 11/5:***</b> An open trip will fish for sea bass Wednesday, Mike said. Light winds from west look great. This could be the final open trip for sea bass before open trips concentrate on blackfish. Telephone to reserve.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> searched for false albacore Saturday and Sunday on the ocean, he said. But none was found, and the water was dirty. Wind honked badly Saturday and worse than forecast Sunday. But this is the time of year he fishes for them off South Jersey, and the albie fishing can be as good or better than anywhere. Surely the trips would’ve caught striped bass on the back bay if they’d fished for them, and Joe’s doing that angling, too. Charters will fish for the migrations of large stripers and blues in the ocean when those arrive. He was unsure how many of those dates were left, but book them, because they fill. 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.

<b>Avalon</b>

Capt. Jim from <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>’ striped bass trips, fishing the migration of big ones on the ocean, usually begin around Thanksgiving, he said. That’s when they usually arrive. Jim’s guided duck and goose hunting began on the first of the month. Those trips follow the migrations from Maryland to New York State. Jim also guides deer hunting, and the rut was peaking in Pennsylvania and New York. He just returned from guiding elk hunting in Colorado that he does each year for other outfitters. First, snow fell, then weather warmed to the 50s, making the elk retreat to timber. But the hunts were successful. Fins offers a variety of outdoor adventures.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fishing easily limited out on sea bass yesterday with <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Tom wrote in a text. “No measuring needed,” he wrote. The keepers were good-sized. The angling’s been very good aboard. The striped bass migration is on the way to South Jersey, and Tom will move the boat to Atlantic City this week to fish for them when the bass arrive. A handful of dates are left for that fishing.

Capt. George moved the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> to Atlantic City on Sunday to fish the migration of striped bass, he said. That’s been closer to the best fishing for them in recent years, and the first of the trips is slated for Nov. 17. A sea bass charter was cancelled Saturday because of screaming wind. On the trip to Atlantic City from Cape May aboard, seas were a little bumpy in northeast wind. But the wind wasn’t nearly as strong as the westerly on the previous day.

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