Another week gone, with another weather disturbance over the weekend, but thankfully one that only took Sunday out of the mix. At least some good fishing (actually, isn’t all fishing good?) took place between the latest column and this one. In this case, some is obviously better than none, so we’ll take what we can get. Some good fish were caught and for that we’re happy, but sadly the season seems to be winding down. Thankfully, boats are still sailing and there are still opportunities to catch some fish.
The Starfish, particularly the anglers aboard, enjoyed a nice Friday and Saturday as did anyone who was able to get out on the water.
The Friday trip saw a few limits caught by those aboard, plus plenty of action provided by short fish. Jerry Rau, a contributor to the column, had a good day as he took home his five keepers.
The Saturday trip was basically a carbon copy of Saturday as plenty of short fish were caught. Again, there were a few limits of five fish spread amongst those aboard.
The Starlight Fleet has been running both 12- and 18-hour offshore sea bass trips. Their most recent trip had plenty of nice fish caught, including a nice triple header by Michael Song. Other highlights of the trip included a few limits around the boat, bigger fish being caught with a lot in the 4- to 5-pound range, and a nice extra combo of porgies and bluefish going into the coolers aboard. Jay Cho won the daily pool with a 5.25-pound sea bass.
Capt. Paul is running blackfish trips for the Starlight Fleet. The Saturday trip saw the anglers working through a mix of throwbacks and keepers. Joe Landis caught his limit and the pool was claimed by Ryan Wagner, who caught two fish that went to 6 pounds.
Both sea bass and blackfish outings are being scheduled so check online or call 609-729-7776, ext. 2 to set up your reservations for the trip of your choice.
The Sea Star III finished up their season on a really nice day on the water, especially when you consider it is December. The bite was steady with plenty of shorts being caught and the day ended with about 30 keepers. The attendance was really good for a late season trip as many anglers showed up for the season finale.
The final pool winner for the season was Vinnie Salustio, who claimed the prize with a 5.05-pound blackfish.
I want to thank Capts. Chuck and Mike, and first mate Chris, for their steady contribution of weekly reports and pictures. Take care, guys, enjoy your break, and we’ll see you in the spring when the 2024 blackfish season opens in April.
The Miss Avalon had a deepwater reef trip on Saturday. They caught plenty of sea bass and porgies as you would expect. A surprise catch was a blueline tilefish that was in water a lot shallower than where you would normally find them.
Stalker Fishing Charters, Cape May has trips available if you’d like to go striped bass fishing. As of this writing, Capt. Skip had some open days through Christmas Eve. To get in as much fishing as possible, Skip plans on running two five-hour trips, on most of his available days. Give him a call at 609-972-5218 to see what’s available.
The Fishin’ Fever, with Capt. Tom at the wheel, and with Len Fenimore being in the charter, caught a six-man limit during a recent Saturday trip. Len reported that the top fish of the day were in the 5- to 6-pound range. Those numbers add up to a nice amount of tasty filets. Thanks, Len, for the update, and keep those reports coming.
Since this is the last issue before Christmas, let me wish everyone, regardless of what you celebrate, an enjoyable holiday. And don’t forget that there are still a few shopping days left. Stop by the bait and tackle shops that are still open, or call your favorite boat, so you can get the gifts you want. Fishing poles, reels, coolers and filet knives make great gifts, and gift certificates to either the shop or a boat for future fishing trips will make any angler smile. Get going, and good shopping.
Well, as you can see, fish are still being caught, but not as many trips occurred recently. Boats are still running, and regardless of the weather, hardy anglers are anxious to get out. Hopefully, the conditions will improve for a whole weekend (enough Sunday washouts) and everyone can enjoy some good fishing. Good luck if you get out, take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
