Fishing Report

Looks like well have rockfish for Christmas, and New Years Day too! Stripers are still spread from central Jersey to Ocean City, MD. Stiff wind kept boaters at the dock Friday and Saturday, but several ventured out Sunday, and found bass in good numbers at The Eights. It was rough in the morning, with not many bites at the end of ebb tide. But, when the current turned to flood, fish became active, and started to feed. Several crews told of whales in the area, working on schools of bunker. Stripers were usually below the bait, whose location was given away by whales working on the surface. Deep water near 8 Buoy was productive, but bass were taken throughout the Eight Buoys Triangle. Some fish fell for eels, but most were hooked by trolling single Mojos, tandem parachutes or Stretch and Bomber plugs. Many fish were keepers in the 28 to 37 inch range, but a lot in the 37 to 44 inch slot were released as well. Big bass over 44 inches continue to be boated too. Ryan Pesmelia had his personal best 40.4 pounder while pulling a Cabo Sunset Stretch 30 at the Eights Sunday. Carter DiRado decked a 39.6 pounder there that pounced on a chartreuse shad umbrella. Sean Nowell nailed a 33.1 pound rock up the beach aways on Sunday, while towing a white tandem off the Wildwood Ferris Wheel. Other citation fish hit the dock on fishable days during the week. Ethan Liskey landed a 30.2 pounder. John Cribbin captured a 31.8 pound rock while drifting eels in The Valley. Captain Ted hosted Mike Tyler and crew Wednesday aboard the Pirate King for eeling action reminiscent of "the old days". The guys kept 10 beautiful bass from The Valley, and released several others. Jacob Wooster wound in a 35.9 pound trophy while trolling on Ella Belle. Dave Moon muscled in his biggest bass so far, a 33.2 pounder that ate an eel. Rosanna Knudtson wrestled in a 39 pound beauty aboard Lil' Angler II. Matt Smith managed a 30 pounder, trolling at The Eights. Richard Ashley drifted an eel at 8B Buoy to connect with a 39 pound linesider on Lil' Angler II. Too bad it took so long for stripers to show up, but were still glad to have them. It will be interesting to see what happens next season. If this pattern continues, perhaps waters off our coast will become new wintering grounds for rockfish, instead of the main body moving farther south.

Holy Cow! We checked in a bunch of bass between 30 and 50 pounds over the past few days. Stripers finally spread out over traditional spots across the mouth of Delaware Bay, and were taken both by trolling and drifting eels. Fish were found on Prissy Wicks, Overfalls, at The Eight Buoys Triangle, in The Valley and near #6 Buoy. Boaters also cruised just inside the Three Mile Line across the edge of the Bay, looking for birds, bunkers and whales, signaling the presence of rockfish. Favored and effective trolled offerings included Stretch and Bomber plugs, Mojos and tandem parachutes, bucktails, spoons and 9ER'S Umbrella Rigs. A chunk bite developed on the Jersey side too. Seems the concentration of big stripers in the area could be the edge of the migratory body that usually passes through the region in early November. With warm temps and an abundance of bait, fish were in no hurry to move, and just crept at a slow pace southward along the New Jersey Coast. The fish in this area now are at least a month behind schedule. The most impressive striper brought in was a 51.9 pound lunker landed by Storm Ockels, while trolling a white tandem off Cape May. The 48 1/4 incher had a massive 30 inch girth, and was just shy of Ben Smith's 52 pound DE State Record fish caught in 2012. Other noteworthy rockfish included a 48.4 pounder for Dew Mayhall, a 44.3 by Patrick Staggs, Mike McCauley's 42.7 pounder, a 42.5 pound bass for Matt Amber, Dylan Baker's 41.9 pound trophy, a 41.3 rock for Dave Houck, Matt King's 41.2 pound citation earner, a 40.3 pound bass for Collin Birl, and Lee Abel's 40.2 pounder. Jay Leibforth landed a 39.5 pound linesider, Taylor Deemer decked a 39.1 pounder, and Sean Kane captured one weighing 39 pounds. Andrew Schneider bucktailed a 38 pound bass, Michael Jablonski muscled in a 37.6 pound rock, Burton Moore managed a 37.8, Captain Brian Wazlavek boated a 35.1 pounder, Richard Laing reeled in a 34.5 pound rockfish, Matt Jester trolled up a 34.4, Jesse Billings bested a 34.2 pound bass, Drew Schelling scored stripers weighing 32.3 and 30.6 pounds, and Otto Evans got a 32.1 pound fish. Wayne Demarco wound in a 31.3 pound striper, David Hoke had a 30.6, Bill Zolper boated a 30.3 pounder, and Roger Miersch reeled in rock weighing an even 30 pounds. Stripers were located on the lumps off Bethany Beach Sunday morning, and boaters had some good fish while trolling the usual assortment of plugs and parachutes there. Bottom bouncers did pretty good with tautog on Sites 6 and 7 in Delaware Bay, and at Site 10 in the Ocean. Sea bass action is still happening in Del Jersey Land. Captain Brian on Lil Angler II set up there Saturday, and limited out his party in just three hours. In addition, they boated several big bluefish to over 14 pounds. Captain Brent's guys on Katydid fished deep water structure for their limit of seabass, plus a limit of Blueline Tiles, several blues and some triggerfish. Chip Graves checked in an impressive 4.07 pound sea bass he pulled from some deep rocks aboard the Sea Tiger.

Several customers made the run across Delaware Bay and up the New Jersey coast to connect with stripers during the week, since action at Delaware Bay's entrance remained spotty. Boaters trolling Mojos, tandem parachutes, shad umbrellas, bucktails, spoons and Stretch plugs did well with bass feeding on bunkers of various sizes, often given away by the presence of working whales and birds. Productive areas included Wildwood Lump, offshore of the big Ferris Wheel, the beachfront off Stone Harbor's water tower, and the Stone Harbor and Peacock Lumps, just inside the Three Mile Line. By Sunday, numerous bass were reported just off Cape May. As the day progressed, anglers found bass working bait in the triangle between Overfalls, North Shoal and Prissy Wicks. There was a good bite in the afternoon for trollers, and guys casting bucktails also hooked plenty of fish. Bass turned on again this morning, and a customer called at 9am saying his crew had already caught several stripers off the Cape May Lighthouse, and was on the way home with a limit. Anglers fishing the Jersey Ocean should be aware that they need a Saltwater Registry number, and that they must abide by that State's Regulations when in those waters. Their regs allow anglers 1 fish at 28 inches to less than 43 inches and 1 fish 43 inches or greater. However, keep in mind, if you're bringing fish back to Delaware, they must measure between 28 and 37 inches, or 44 inches and greater, so, even though those 37 to 44 inchers are legal in NJ, you cant return through Delaware waters with them in possession. The Lewes Harbour Striper Tournament finished up yesterday. With just 45 minutes left on the clock, Bill Vernon brought in a 39.3 pounder to secure a First Place finish. Brina Seglem scored Second with his 34.4 pound striper. Also during the last day, Chad Tingle took Third Place with a 21.9 pound bass. We appreciate all Tourney participants who stuck with it, even though the fish were way behind schedule, and many thanks to all anglers who helped make the annual event a success. The blackfish bite has been decent most days. Bay water temps have been hovering near 50 degrees, and togging along the Outer Wall slowed down. However, reef sites 6 and 7 produced good numbers of keepers. Capt. Pete hosted D.J. Park and the Tautog Assassins for a trip to Bay structure Saturday aboard Top Fin, and those anglers returned with a limit of 25 chunky tog. Dave and Joe Walker fished the Brown Shoal reefs for their 10 tog limit Wednesday, then tried a little trolling at Overfalls. That's where Joe landed a 37 pound striper that ate a Cotton Candy Bomber CD25, to top off their take of tautog. The Walker brothers were back at it Sunday. Joe boated a bruiser blackfish weighing 12.3 pounds on that trip. Ocean snags also yielded tog. The Wednesday regulars on Katydid put together a boxful of 35 blackfish to 7.5 pounds. Sea bassing continued productive for crews that ran to Del Jersey Land. The Radford Wreck held plenty of keeper bass. Bill Hughes joined Captain Brent and Mate Chris on Katydid Saturday for a boat limit of bass. The deep reef also attracted some pretty porgies, like the 2.62 pound citation earner decked by George Durant, aboard Port-A-Bella. Slammer bluefish also roamed the reef, targeting struggling sea bass being reeled to the surface. Andrew Schneider scored an 18.6 pound alligator that grabbed a bass he was bringing in. Rocks inshore of Wilmington Canyon have also started to yield quality sea bass. The crew of Sea Tiger went deep there Saturday for a boxful of impressive blueheads, plus blueline and golden tilefish. Matt Baker boated a 4.5 pound bass, Brooke Baker had a 3.6 pounder, Nate Evans nailed a 3.5 pounder, and Chip Graves got one 3.4 pounds.

More stripers kept getting closer over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. A few have turned into Delaware Bay, like the 34.4 pounder Brian Seglem hooked trolling a Stretch 25 at Overfalls on Tuesday. That fish landed Brian in the current lead of this season's Lewes Harbour Striper Tournament, which runs through December 6th. Joe Walker trolled up a 37 pound bass at Overfalls on a Cotton Candy Bomber today, but unfortunately, was not entered in the Tourney. The bulk of the migrating body of bass has been moving slowly along the south Jersey coast. There was a good bite the past several days for trollers towing Stretch and Bomber plugs, along with Mojos, parachute tandems and spoons off the Wildwood Ferris Wheel. Ray Nabb nailed a 33 pounder with a Stretch 25. Chess Hedrich and Mike Eckert pulled Stretch plugs for their brace of 30 pound bass. Dave Moon checked in an 18.8 pound rock that ate a Stretch. Bob Persch and Dylan Newnam had twin 16.1 pounders while pulling Mojos. Captain J.W. Hocker's crew aboard Miss Caroline had their limit of ten linesiders trolling off the Ferris Wheel today. Hopefully rockfish will hang around awhile when they reach the Delaware Bay entrance. Better late than never. Surfcasters caught a handful of striped bass. Dave Furio found a 29 incher while soaking cut bunker in the suds near Cape Henlopen. Sea bassing remains good on twenty fathom structure. Captain Brent's crew returned Wednesday with a boat limit of 165 sea bass, from their trip to Del Jersey Land aboard Katydid. Captain Evan on the Regulator and the Fishin' Falgowski family also had their 120 bass limit Wednesday at DJL. Courtney Falgowski battled a 10.3 pound slammer blue to take big fish of the day. The group also had some impressive porgies, including Evan's 2 pounder, and Corky Falgowski's 2.35 pound scup. Tautog catches have been okay on Bay reefs 6 and 7, and at ocean Site 10. Wednesday regulars on the Katydid togged ocean structure for their limit of 35 blackfish to 7.5 pounds.