Well, the weather got us again. The wind and rain that have been hampering us reigned over us again and cost us some valuable days on the water. Yes, it should be expected, but so is a break once in a while. The bottom line is we have to deal with it, so we will. Thankfully, some trips were actually accomplished and fish were caught. Let’s focus on the positive and see what occurred.

The Sea Star III had another limited week, but that didn’t stop them from enjoying some nice blackfish action. There were keepers on all trips and plenty of shorts that provided some valuable fishing practice. Aside from the angler who catches the tog of a lifetime on their first drop, most of us, even the now-seasoned sharpies, need some practice to get better, or just stay at the top of their game.

Pool winners for the trips this week were Frank Servocky, who landed a 4.5-pounder, and Eric Stremmel, who won with the 6.4-pounder he brought over the rail.

The Miss Avalon got out for two-thirds of the recent weekend and had two good days. Sunday was canceled for a different reason, that being the heavy fog that enveloped our area.

Friday proved to be a day of action. That means they had to pick through a “bunch” of blackfish, but the flipside of that means there were some nice keepers mixed in. The high hook of the day had four keepers, and the largest fish of the day pulled the scale to 4.5 pounds.

The Saturday outing produced a “weird” trip as the fog enveloped the tog grounds. Without much wind moving around they were still able to pick some fish at one spot, then the next. Eventually, the bite kicked in and that was the start of game time. That activity allowed keepers to 4.1 pounds to be caught, and those helped to make the trip a success.

The Starfish had a good weekend also as they were out catching blackfish at the local reefs and wrecks.

The Friday trip saw a few limits achieved around the boat, while the Saturday trip saw some larger fish caught.

For information on the updated schedule, call John at 609-263-3800, or you can go online to book your trip.

The Starlight Fleet recently ran another 12-hour offshore sea bass trip that resulted in “excellent” fishing that produced good numbers of sea bass, porgies and blue fish.

Harry Gould was the pool winner, with a 4-pounder and a limit of sea bass. Others with limits were Pat Rosley, who also added some nice porgies, Kevin Orcutt, who also added some porgies and bluefish to his cooler, and John Hauser whose limit contained bass weighing up to 3 pounds.

Stalker Fishing Charters, which recently switched over to ocean fishing, has been experiencing good fishing for striped bass. They caught fish over 40 pounds while also catching keeper-sized fish. This mix of fish made for good trips that kept the anglers involved, as well as excited to see what size fish were going to bite next.

Give Capt. Skip a call at 609-972-5218 to see what dates he has available for the Stalker II.

Thanks again go out to Len Fenimore as he informed me of his recent outing with Full Ahead Sport Fishing and Capt. Bob. They enjoyed a recent Saturday of great fishing that included 16 keepers and the release of 10 females. One of those released was an 8-pounder that was caught, tagged and released by Anthony Foglio. Anthony tags all the larger fish that he releases, which can then provide important information if these fish are caught again. Please remember that all angler submitted reports are welcome.

Thanks to Diana and Joe from Cape May Bait and Tackle for allowing me to share their reports with my readers. They help to keep us informed throughout the various fishing seasons of what is happening on both the ocean and bay sides of the Cape, as well as at the reefs and wrecks and farther offshore. They have closed for the season, but have targeted March 2024, and the opening of striped bass season, as their time frame for opening next year. Thanks again, and enjoy your break.

Since I don’t want to leave anybody out, I’ll mention that the boats covered here, both head boats and charter boats, as well as the tackle shops, are offering gift cards that can be used as holiday gifts for the angler, or water lover, in your family. Depending on the boat, fishing trips, dolphin watching trips and pirate cruises may be offered. Also available for gifts are shirts, hoodies and hats from your favorite boat or shop. These items not only make great gifts, but they also help all the businesses that we mention in the column throughout the year.

You can make your purchase by either going directly to the business, calling them, or by going online to their websites. Information is also available through their Facebook pages. It’s now past Shop Local Saturday but these businesses are always ready to hear from you.

With many days being lost to foul weather it’s imperative to take advantage of any fishing opportunities that may come your way. Good luck if you get out, take care, and I’ll see you around.

Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.