The new word of the week is striper, as in striped bass, as in those that have been swimming off our section of the New Jersey coastline.
During the past few years, these fish have been swimming past our ports, well outside the 3-mile line. Right now, there is striped bass well within that magic boundary. Most I’ve heard of are being caught from boats, not from the beaches. That doesn’t mean some haven’t been caught, just that word of the catches hasn’t gotten out.
If you have the time, it may be worth your time to throw out a chunk of bunker, or your favorite striper bait, and see what happens.
Elsewhere, blackfish are being caught when boats could leave the dock. It seems we’re on an every–couple–of–days pattern as the weather and angler apathy are dictating when trips occur.
I’ve heard that on some days, not enough anglers show up to make the trip feasible for the captains to run. Mid-week in the colder weather can cause that, but weekend trips always have enough people. Let’s see what those who fished caught.
Bayhound Charters Light Tackle Sportfishing has had a nice stretch of trips that have brought in some nice blackfish. They have also been bringing in some nice striped bass, which have been a nice bonus to the anglers, as they have been able to put together some nice catches of both during their charters.
A trip with Capt. Al’s friend, Capt. Pat Byrne, plus his daughter Allyson, and Jimmy and David Faulk was proof that some nice stripers are cruising just off the coast. The first part of the trip was for blackfish, which provided plenty of short fish, showing that the fishery is in a healthy place. They took four keepers, with the largest weighing 6 pounds.
After the tide started to move, Al and his patrons took up a position inside the 3-mile line. Allyson caught, then released, two stripers that were 41 and 44 inches. By the trip’s conclusion, some more fish over the limit were caught, then set free. The final tally saw each angler stepping off the boat with their one legal keeper.
A final highlight of the trip was the visit by a 35-foot fin whale that “circled” the boat as if to say hello.
The Starfish was out whenever the weather allowed. They had some nice, steady catches of blackfish. You can call to reserve a spot, or you can book a trip online.
The Miss Avalon has also been getting out every few days. They’ve had solid catches of blackfish with a good amount of short fish included. Their patrons are still catching some small sea bass, as well as a few bergals.
Their Saturday trip was steady, as blackfish to 5 pounds were caught and the pool winner was a five a little over that mark. The following day was similar, as the fishing was steady. The morning was better, while the afternoon portion was a little more challenging.
For the day, the fish were smaller, but still fun to fight. Sunday’s pool winner was Mike Connor, who won with a 3.3-pound fish. The high hook for the day was Alex Magasic, who finished with four keepers.
Full Ahead Sports Fishing, with Capt. Bob, has not only been limiting out on blackfish, but he has now added some stripers to his patrons’ options.
Stripers ranging from 32 to 36 inches were being caught, meaning that if the anglers wanted to keep their one fish, then they were successful. After that, it’s a good time of playing catch and release before heading off to try for blackfish.
Capt. Zig had the First Fish Adventures out and tried striped bass. He led Wellington Alvez and Bill Hamilton on a successful trip on Saturday as both anglers landed their keepers.
The following day, Bill and Zig were out again. Upon returning to the dock, both had their one keeper. Stripers were all over, the guys had a great day and after catching their keepers, they enjoyed the rest of the trip practicing their catch and release skills.
A mid-week outing for the Starlight Fleet concluded with Kevin Olbrich winning the pool with a 5-pound blackfish that was among the limit of fish he caught. Other limits were caught by Mike Jung, Ben Illacqua, Mike Yocius, Dave Chen, and Tyler Stites.
The Cape May Lady had a Wednesday trip that had some really good fishing. There were some nice fish caught, with the pool-winner fish going to Gary Waters.
With Christmas now only 10 days away, I wanted to put out a reminder to our readers to remember the local tackle shops and boats when thinking of their gift needs. Obviously, there are fishing poles or tackle that would make nice gifts. There are other items that every fisherman needs. Terminal tackle, spools of braid, monofilament or leader material, and jigs and lures are always good ideas.
If you’re not sure what your angler wants, then you can always purchase a gift card that they can use to pick their items. With gift cards in mind, many boats offer them also. They can be used for trips at a later date when desired species are in season. Don’t worry if the shop or boats are closed because most can be reached through their phones or their websites. They would appreciate your business.
It was a good week for the anglers here in the county. There was a steady pick on the blackfish, but the bigger news was the arrival of some nice striped bass. It’s nice to have these fish migrating through the area while being within the 3-mile line, or as it’s also called, The Fence.
Shop owners and captains have to love it, as it will hopefully bring in more anglers, which translates to a late season boost to the bottom line. With any luck, their transit by our beaches and inlets will last a few weeks and provide a nice boost to everyone. Good luck if you get out and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
