<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Lots of throwback striped bass swarmed the bay, but fishing for large ones was a slow pick, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Apparently, the migration of large ones was late to arrive, and they seemed to be caught far north, toward Sandy Hook. But a few large stripers were boated from the bay, like a 52-incher that one customer heaved in, and a 37-incher that another decked. One angler, fishing Fortescue’s surf, beached four keepers, not big, just larger than legal size, like 32 inches. Some anglers said lots of stripers swam the ditches, including a few keepers, like 30-inchers. Again, small stripers were around, but not many large were. Some boaters said they landed 20 and 30 shorts in a trip. Sometimes boaters didn’t get a bite. Weather wasn’t easy to fish around. One day would be possible to boat, and then two or three wouldn’t, including because of winds.  Today was snowing, but forecasts looked better for fishing toward the end of this week. Winds only 5 knots were forecast for this coming Saturday. Weather also made obtaining fresh bunker for bait challenging, but the shop’s been able to carry the baitfish. That’s the bay’s popular bait for stripers this time of year. Weather also keeps the bunker boats from sailing for the menhaden. The shop’s crew has had to drive far north to keep a supply, but has been glad to do that. Not many bunker schooled the bay. Telephone to order the bait ahead of time, and be sure to pick up the bunker, or at least cancel the order with some notice, to help the shop know how much to pick up. Green crabs are stocked for blackfish bait, and the blackfish bag limit will be increased to six on Saturday, from the current limit of one. More anglers will start to fish for them then, and Sharon’s friends have been catching and releasing good blackfishing. Eels, bloodworms and pretty much all baits are also stocked.  Nothing was heard about white perch, but the perch surely swam the brackish rivers.  The Girls Place, located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends, stocks a large supply of bait and tackle. It’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right, with plenty of parking, including for trailered boats.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Trips fished Saturday and Sunday on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. Both happened to be charters, but open-boat trips are slated when no charter is booked. Saturday’s charter partied a lot, and hooked a few throwback striped bass and some junk fish. For Sunday’s charter, winds blew strongly, and seas reached 4 and 5 feet, but the anglers wanted to fish. They reeled in and released a bunch of stripers to 25 inches. None was a keeper, but the fish were abundant. At one time, all anglers were hooked up at once. The trip began fishing at the 32 and 34 buoys. No stripers bit there, and the trip moved closer to shore, “at the second slough,” Howard said. That’s where the stripers chomped. Considering the seas, that many fish biting was surprising. The angling was fun, at least. The trips fished mostly with bunker, sometimes with clam. On Sunday, the bay was 56 degrees, and Fortescue Creek was 53. Howard’s nephew, fishing from Cape May, hauled in a 53-pound striper at the Cock and Balls on Saturday. Open-boat trips are slated to fish for stripers daily when no charter is booked. But the open trips might be more likely to sail on weekends, maybe also the days surrounding weekends, because of demand this time of year. Anglers can telephone the boat to confirm.

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