Well, sea bass season continues in spite of the wind that has played havoc with the local anglers. Sadly, way too many trips have been lost during a great time of the year to be on the water. The crowds are less, and the anglers that do go out this time of year are well-trained in their craft, but unfortunately if you don’t leave the dock it’s hard to fish at the reefs. Let’s check out what happened when the captains were able to get their boats away from their docks.
The anglers on the Starfish have had a good time catching nice sea bass, good-sized triggerfish, blackfish and even a nice weakfish. The fishing has been good when chances allow, and we can only hope those opportunities continue.
Jeff Jones won a daily pool with a big sea bass, while another pool was won by Dave (no last name listed), who caught a very nice weakfish. Other highlights were sea bass limits caught by Johnny Pratt and an angler named Anthony, and by Michele, who caught a nice blackfish along with the sea bass she landed.
Call ahead at 609-263-3800 to reserve a trip or go to Starfishboats.com so you can book online. Also, groups and walk-ups are always welcome.
The Miss Avalon is working trips in, like other boats are, around the wind. When they have been able to get out, they have been running deepwater trips. Those outings have produced nice sea bass, porgies and an occasional tog.
Call 609-967-7455 to see when they are planning to sail and to see when those deepwater trips are. They have also sailed some inshore trips that, in addition to sea bass, have produced some croakers.
Sea Isle Bait and Tackle was a busy place over the weekend as news of striped bass in the back waters filled the air. The fall feel in the air, and the offerings of spot as bait, caused an increase in striper activity.
An angler named Mark got things started by landing seven stripers, missing a couple others, but had no keepers mentioned. BJ did get a nice keeper that hit a topwater bait at the inlet during an early morning outing, while Glenn and his family hit the back bay. Their efforts resulted in three keepers plus a bonus tag fish. Four anglers and four fish makes for a good day.
Next up is Timmy and Bobby, who had an “amazing” night of striper fishing that saw them catch over 30 stripers. Each angler was able to catch his keeper. Finally, the weekend ended with Hannah and Dom getting in a quick afternoon trip where they caught 19 stripers, with fish up to 34 inches. Each was able to walk away with a 29-inch keeper, so they had plenty of fresh fish for dinner.
A nice catch early in the week went to Mr. Bud, who landed a keeper striped bass from the bay during one of our unusually warm days. Live spot was again the bait of choice. Others who also did well during the week were Joe G., who was sea bass fishing at the reef when he met up with, and conquered, a 20-pound, 32-inch black drum, and Eric, who caught a 30-inch keeper striper from the back waters during a morning trip. That fish, like many recent keepers, couldn’t resist a live spot.
The Sailor’s Delight has been busy, as Captain Stan has been taking his patrons to the local inlet rock piles. They have been catching blackfish that were eager to chew, plus some triggerfish that were mixed in.
The other captain from the Sailor’s Delight fleet, Captain Andrew, was also busy. Instead of taking out charters for blackfish, he was getting married. Congratulations and best wishes go out to the happy bride and groom.
The Starlight Fleet is sailing for sea bass. They have been scheduling some 10-hour trips that are sure to be heading to deep water for bigger sea bass and hopefully some porgies and maybe even some blackfish. It’s still a one-fish bag limit, but nobody will complain about adding one blackfish to their cooler.
The Miss Chris is still picking up some nice sea bass when they can get some fishable weather. Their time on the water has been very productive. Check out their schedule at CapeMayFisherman.com to see when their four- and eight-hour trips are scheduled.
Captain Chuck, on the Sea Star III, reported that as the winds died down, he was able to get some trips in. A “big” swell existed, but keepers were still caught, and in addition to the sea bass some croakers and bluefish were also caught.
Pool-winners for the week, with sea bass winning each day, were Emil Panico (2.55-pounds), Ryan Wagner (1.7) and Bruce Warner, who beat all others that particular day with a 1.9-pounder.
The recent fishing, and particularly the opportunity to fish, was again challenged by the wind. The wind won some days, the anglers won the others. The anglers would just like a few more wins, but we’ll have to take our wins and be happy. The warm, sunny days of late would be even better if the wind would just drop a little. Well, good luck if you get out, take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
