<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Boaters started trying for striped bass on the bay more often than before, and a catch was reported now and then, but none of the fish was big, and there was no “breakthrough,” said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. The same seemed true everywhere in the state. A large striper caught was rarely reported. A surf angler beached a 32-incher at East Point on the bay this past week. But the season was early for large, migrating stripers to arrive in the bay. They could show up any day, and some years do, by this time. Sharon guessed boaters that currently sailed hoped to hit the start. But the fishing kicked off in November, especially the second week of the month, the past couple of years. More and more fresh bunker were sold for bait for the angling. Waters were warm, and other fish that hold in warm waters remained in the bay, including weakfish, croakers and spots. Blues 1 to 3 pounds were around. One blackfish per angler could be bagged, and the tog were around. Sea bass season was closed October 15 and will be reopened November 1, for anglers who want to sail the ocean for them. Customers still crabbed in the ditches and creeks once in a while. Waters were warm enough for the blueclaws, but the population was thinning out. Crabs move to the bay to burrow in the bottom when waters cool. No shedder crabs were really around anymore. They stop shedding and growing when waters cool. Only frozen shedders are stocked.  The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, stocks a large supply of baits and tackle. It’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right, with plenty of parking, including for trailered boats.

<b>Fortescue</b>

The party boat <b>Salt Talk</b> will steam for striped bass through the weekend, Capt. Howard said. A few anglers want to try, and space is available, if others want to hop aboard. This will be the first time this season the vessel sails for stripers. At first during the season, anglers aboard usually fish chunks of bunker for stripers. Sometimes eeling for them becomes affective later. Then trips will liveline eels. A nephew who fishes the southern bay from Cape May heard about no migrating stripers caught last weekend. But striper catches often begin any time now on the bay. Boaters on the bay this past week probably landed a few blackfish at the rubble on the Delaware side of the southern bay. A few weakfish seemed to remain there, and a black drum was supposedly heaved in there. Fortescue Creek was 61 degrees during the weekend. The Salt Talk will sail open-boat for stripers this weekend. The trips will become available daily, when no charter is booked, if the angling takes off this season. Call to confirm.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>Legal Limit Charters</b> fished for striped bass Saturday, but nothing was doing, Capt. T.J. said. One striper here or there was bunker-chunked on Delaware Bay on other boats. But striper fishing was yet to take off.  Charters and open-boat trips will fish, and open trips are announced on <a href="http://www.legallimitcharters.com/open-boat.php" target="_blank">Legal Limit’s open-boat page</a> online.

Bluefish were trolled at Cape May Rips on Saturday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. The fishing, with John Boight’s group of three, was tough at first. A small blue was hooked on occasion. But the angling turned on later in the morning, and a load of 1-1/2-pounders, larger than earlier, were bailed, sometimes four at a time. The trip tried blackfishing afterward a little, and the togging was slow, giving up one throwback. Striped bass charters will begin soon. The bass usually begin to be bunker chunked on Delaware Bay this coming weekend or the final weekend in October. Someone said some stripers were chunked recently. But private boaters from the docks chunked with no luck. Striper fishing sometimes produces at the rips after it begins on the bay. At the rips the fish are chunked, livelined on eels or spots, or bucktailed.

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