“No Mas”! We could borrow those words from boxer Roberto Duran as we think about our recent run of rainy and windy Fridays and Saturdays. Three weekends is sufficient. No more! The only saving grace we’ve had is that the weather has had a quick turnaround and each Sunday was able to salvage those weekends. Now more than ever, as the fishing time slowly dwindles, we need the weather to cooperate. Spoiler alert: rain and wind are in the forecast for this Thursday and Friday. Now let’s get to the good stuff. News of the first big striper caught here has drifted in and then more quickly followed. Sea bass are still around even though the water temperature is dropping, and blackfish now have a five-fish bag limit. With those things in mind, let’s see what went on recently.
Jim’s Bait and Tackle leads off as they reported the “first striper of the fall.” It was not only the first reported, it was a big one, a 50-pounder. It was caught from the Miss Yipp while they trolled out front of Hereford Inlet on Sunday. On Monday they followed up with another nice bass that was caught “a little further up the beach, but not as far as A.C.” Just a little while later Jim’s was able to report a 56.3-pound heavy-weight bass. Anglers Kevin and Max were both named in the report, but credit for the catch wasn’t listed.
The Sea Star III was out during the week and was catching sea bass, triggerfish and bluefish. Captain Chuck reports that the water temperature is registering “in the low ‘50s” so if you’re planning on doing some sea bass fishing, you better get to it. He will continue to target sea bass till Thanksgiving morning when he will run a “6 a.m. to noon special” striper fishing special. He is also offering Sea Star III gift cards as a holiday gift idea. Give him a call at (609) 884-3421 to order yours, or to grab a seat for an upcoming trip.
The Full Ahead and Captain Bob had a nice charter that ended up with a limit of sea bass and a “few” triggerfish. The day was “a little spotty,” but they got through the weather and put fish in the boat. As Bob said, it was “good to have the right boat to be out there today.”
Stalker Fishing Charters has been in on the striper catch for a while. They have been working the backwater successfully and continue to do so through this report. They will soon change their focus to the Delaware Bay or the ocean – whichever gets hot. Captain Skip’s son Colin recently got in on the action. After a day at school, he had some fun catching bass before the sun set.
The Miss Chris has switched over to full-day trips for the remainder of the season. Striped bass are around and they will be targeting them. Give them a call at (609) 849-9453 if you’re going to be heading down so you can get a seat on a trip.
The Cape May Lady got out after the weather eased and had a six-hour charter for sea bass. They returned with “some gorgeous bass.” That allowed “everyone” to go home with “a nice bag of filets.”
They plan on running a “super pool” blackfish trip on Black Friday. It is only open to 20 anglers, so it will probably be filled by the time this column goes to print. Regardless, give them a call if you’re interested because there could still be an opening. If it’s full, don’t worry. They will be running various trips through the fall, so give them a call at (609) 425-4303 to see what they are chasing.
If you’re looking to set up a sea bass, striper or blackfish outing, give Cape Queen Sportfishing Charters a call at (609) 884-0001. They plan on running 14-hour “Deep Drop” sea bass trips from mid-November through the end of the year. Call or email them at queencharters@aol.com for this or any kind of trip, and to get on their on-call list for “open boat” trips.
Libation Charters has been on the striped bass recently. They have moved north to Barnegat Light and had a couple charters over the weekend – one on Saturday despite the wind – and also took a “scouting trip.” That “trip” produced the biggest fish, one of 49.75 inches. The charters totaled four and eight fish for the John Cannon and Brett Rowan parties, respectively, and everyone was happy.
Sailor’s Delight Back Bay Fishing has wrapped it up for the season. Special thanks to Captain’s Andrew and Stan for their help with reports and pictures throughout their season. Thanks gentlemen, and enjoy your break till we do it all again next year.
The Miss Avalon got out on Veterans Day and got into some sea bass. Even with the favorable weather, it was a challenging day due to the water conditions resulting from Saturday’s wind. Regardless, they put about 25 fish in the box and that was why they were there. It just shows the accuracy of the old saying about putting in your time if you want to catch them. Good job, guys.
Sea Isle Bait and Tackle reported that “Mr. Bud” caught a nice blackfish that broke the five-pound mark. He caught it before the bag limit expanded, so his one fish for the day was a quality keeper. Now, as previously reported, you can possess five keepers legally.
Bayhound Charts Light Tackle Sportfishing is now doing nighttime striper trips. This is addition to their daytime trips for stripers, sea bass and blackfish. Give Captain Al a call at (609) 602-2662 to set up the trip of your choice.
Fin-Atics of Ocean City weighed in a 47.2-pound striped bass that was caught Monday morning at the Sea Isle Lump by Jim Foulke. He was fishing with Carrie Lynn Charters which happens to be his son’s boat.
Tight Lines NJ in Somers Point got in on the action and weighed in some nice stripers. Unnamed anglers weighed in 34-, 38.9-, 42- and 34.1-pound fish, while a photo of Chris showed a nice striper, but with no weight listed. Ryan weighed in his fish and it topped the scales at 27.6 pounds. Also being weighed in were some quality tog. It seems that things are getting busy, and that’s good.
Congratulations to Captain John from the Royal Flush on his retirement. Jokingly, you could say that he’ll now have time to go fishing. In reality that is probably very true. Either way, captain, enjoy your retirement. It was good to work with you and Susie Q. I could always count on a report and pictures being contributed for the weekly report. Thank you, and take care.
Notice: The public comment period is now open for the 2019 fluke and sea bass regulations. The New Jersey meeting will be in Manahawkin on Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. It will be at the Stafford Township Administrative Office located at 260 East Bay Ave. Concerning our area there are two items that get mentioned when conversing with other anglers that you may consider commenting on. One is an earlier start to the season, and the second is the benefits of having a slot-size catch program. This would allow more breeding females, which are usually the larger fish, to survive. Your bag-limit would consist mostly of the smaller males.
Take care and good luck if you get out.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
