<b>Brooklawn</b>

Lots of striped bass, including good-sized, swam the bay, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. They were boated, usually on chunks of bunker, on the southern bay, at usual places like 60-Foot Slough. But they were also decked farther north, like toward Miah Maull and the stakes near there, and in shallows, like at the stakes close to shore. The shallows are a usual place to find stripers in spring. But the fish were there now. Little was heard about stripers landed from the ocean. But a few were trolled off Sea Isle City on Stretch lures on the ocean. In Delaware River, largemouth bass began to school up on winter grounds and get caught better than before. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

<b>Fortescue</b>

The <b>Buccaneer</b> is finished chartering for the season, Capt. Ralph said. Practically no striped bass swam the bay near Fortescue anymore. “Nothing,” he said. He’d never seen the area so barren of stripers this time of year. Usually, at least smaller stripers, younger fish yet to migrate, school the middle of the bay near Fortescue, moving there from the rivers, this time of season. Dropping small, hooked pieces of bunker can catch the fish on every cast in December, usually. But stripers remained in the southern bay toward Cape May, and might’ve held elsewhere. Ralph thanks anglers who fished with him this year, and wishes everybody good holidays. The Buccaneer will begin chartering again in spring, probably starting with trips for striped bass and drum then summer flounder.

The fishing season was wrapped up with a trip Thursday on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. The trip, with a few anglers, traveled 12 miles south on the bay to fish for striped bass with bunker chunks. Trips fished for stripers closer to port previously. Two runoffs were scored, but the fish got off. Another boat there got into stripers before the Salt Talk arrived that day. Two trips on the other boat had also bailed the bass there Monday and Tuesday, the reason Howard fished the spot. But on the Salt Talk’s trip, the main bite was missed by a little time, apparently. Waters were clear, good fishing conditions. Waters were 43 degrees, had cooled a lot. No bluefish were landed on the Salt Talk, since big slammers were fought aboard two weeks ago. Large blues often enter the bay late in the season, but that was the only shot so far this autumn. Stripers still seemed to swim the bay, but the Salt Talk’s season is wrapped up starting in December each year. Trips will resume in May, first fishing for whatever’s biting and in season, probably stripers, drum or summer flounder. Howard thanks everyone who fished aboard this year, and wishes everybody happy holidays! 

<b>Cape May</b>

Twelve striped bass, a limit, a dynamite catch, were plowed on a charter Friday on Delaware Bay on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Three stripers apiece were bagged on charters aboard the bay Saturday and Sunday. The fishing seemed slower on those days, but striper catches were happening on the bay. All the trips fished with chunks of bunker, and each trip also missed a few bites that might’ve been stripers. A few skates and other junk fish were hooked. Striper catches will probably continue, so long as waters don’t become too cold, and bait remains. Weather reached the 60s this week. Bait schooled plentiful, and George found the stripers by looking for bait on the fish finder, then started fishing there. He tried to get away from boats in crowds at popular places like Tussy’s Slough. A couple of trips on other boats were heard about that decked stripers at the Cape May Rips, but 90 percent of the fish seemed small. Small stripers were in the mix in the bay, too.

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