<b>Brooklawn</b>

Plenty of striped bass were boated on the bay, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. Nothing was heard about stripers from Cape May Rips. But usual places on the bay produced, like 60-Foot Slough, Tussy’s Slough and off Reed’s Beach. Boaters didn’t need to fish far from shore. Most stripers were hooked on chunks of bunker. Fresh bunker wasn’t the easiest to find after the hurricane. But good-quality, vacuum-packed bunker is stocked. Catfish and white perch bit in Delaware River. If anglers wanted perch, fishing or them was still on tap. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

“Wind, wind, wind,” said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Little was heard about fishing since better weather on Friday. But the shop was busy with customers that day, and striped bass were boated from the bay then and whenever trips could sail previously between weather. Stripers currently probably remained in the bay. Catches were heard about farther north, at least up to Barnegat Inlet. The bait supplier on Monday said lots of the bass were caught there that day. If the fish remained at Barnegat, they’d probably keep migrating south to Delaware Bay. The bay was in the high 40s to low 50s, holding plenty of bait. The conditions were right for striper fishing. No bluefish were heard about from the bay late in the week. Big blues were yanked from the waters early last week. Fresh bunker, eels, bloodworms and green crabs have been stocked lately. The baits are expected to continue to be carried when the weather is supposed to improve later this week. Call ahead to order fresh bunker to ensure a supply. 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>

Striped bass trips fished a few times in the past week on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. Sometimes the fishing was no good. Three keepers, including 10-year-old Shane Coles’ 38-incher, were socked on Thanksgiving, with a few anglers aboard. The other two keepers were 32 or 33 inches. The fish were bunker-chunked, and trips tried livelining eels a couple of times, but that didn’t work. Bunker did. Hundreds of gannets, more than Howard ever saw on the bay, worked the waters on one trip. Some stripers were hooked there. No bluefish were landed aboard in the past week, but big blues started to be during the previous week. The bay was 49 to 50 degrees, and the Salt Talk will fish, sailing for striped bass, through the end of the month. Then Howard will call it a season, until the boat begins fishing again in spring.

<b>Cape May</b>

Striped bass fishing was okay, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep</b>. The fish, some of them 25 pounds, were both bunker-chunked on Delaware Bay and live-baited at Cape May Rips. Charters will keep fishing for them, and the Down Deep will begin blackfishing once the striper run ends or on December 21, through winter. Book the trips now, and see the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/special-trips/" target="_blank">Down Deep’s winter blackfishing schedule</a> online. Also join the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Down Deep’s Short Notice List</a> to be notified when winter trips will wreck fish on short notice in weather windows.

Back to Top