As good as Raritan Bay striped bass fishing has been, it may have even improved despite all the weekend boat traffic. Charter boats loaded up early, and Capt. Ron Santee of the Fishermen at Atlantic Highlands sent the following report”Took a bit to get everyone acclimated today but when things got right, it was awesome fishing once again.

4 of us including June netting lord knows how many Bass while the bite was hot. Some mix in size from Bonus fish up to the 38 inch pool fish caught by Eric. Young Josh even got to land 4 fish all by himself, I got him on video also which was very cool.

Several guys with 12 to 20 fish by days end. Tony topped yesterdays nine with twice that many today!

Amazing the amount of life with the bait and Strong Healthy Striped Bass. Everyone went home with the meat.“

The forecast is for southwest winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 and morning showers before going west in the afternoon.

Even Saturday traffic couldn’t stop the incredible striped bass fishing — and more of the “keeper” smaller bass are showing up Check out the report from Capt. Ron Santee of the Fishermen out of Atlantic Highlands:

“The Bass Gods have been shinning on us this season and today was no different!

I expected the worst today being Saturday with the Traffic and craziness but the Bass were hungry once again!

First couple of drifts we already had 25 keepers in the boat…..Shads worked the best once again. Several larger fish that had to go back when we found the Big bunkers to fish in. Most of the fish average between 29-36 inches with a few Bonus fish starting to show.

The last 45 minutes had the fish Boiling on top once again…Great fun and an awesome sight to see for all aboard.

Back at it in the AM 7:30 Sailing. Open Boat, No Reservations just come on down. Fare is $90.

If your waiting for it to get Really good…you missed the bite.“

Capt. Ron

Capt. Vinny Vetere reports the afternoon trips he’s started are producing plenty of bass for those seeking individual reservations on Katfish from Great Kills.

The forecast is for south winds at 10-15 knots with gusts to 20.

With striper fishing the way it is now, a birthday wish is almost sure to be successful as it was today for Capt. Ron Santee on his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands. His report follows:

“

“Another Great Birthday shared with Friends!!

I always look forward to this day as it has always been good Karma for me and the customers who share it with me….the gifts aren’t too shabby either!

Had to work it extra hard in the fog all day but everyone managed to get it done. Run & Gun all morning catching those beautiful Striped bass….When the tide slowed before the change we still slugged away on every drift, current started to run and the bite turned back on!

Keepers, Toss backs & Bonus fish…..The bait is unreal with some larger Bunker showing back up. No doubt we could have snagged and dropped but didn’t have too.

Thank you from the bottom of my Heart, you guys & gals make me who I am!!

See you in the AM..7:30 Sailing (get here early). Open Boat, No Reservations just come on down.“

The Big Mohawk from Belmar reported that most of their anglers wanted personal record bass that were caught on bunkers. though they also managed 12 smaller keepers with a few on shads.

The forecast is for more calm weather with south winds at 10-15 knots. Surprisingly, with a light south wind, there was no fog forecasted.

When there are readings like these on Fisher Price IV from Highlands, the outcome is sure to be a bent rod!

That’s what Dave Lily had to say about today’s action with 15-20-pound bass which hit Tony Maja mo-jos as fast as they hit bottom. They often thought they had bigger bass on only to find the rods were being doubled over by doubleheaders, Bass were also on top, and poppers were hit on almost every cast before the crew was worn out and returned early.

Capt. Ron Santee said the fishing on his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands switched from yesterday with the best coming later when he was alone. Some bonus bass are starting to show among the bigger bass. The high hook caught 20 stripers today, and a 36-incher took the pool.

The ocean was also hot. At Belmar, the Golden Eagle reported a slow start before the bunkers came up and there was a good pick after that. They said a 45-pound striper was released.

The forecast remains good with south winds at 5 knots. Areas of fog are possible.

Vinny D’Anton was seeking bass in the Monmouth County surf this morning when he was shocked to see a large seal appear in the 61 degree waters. That was the area where John Tiedemann caught his first striper of the fall yesterday — a fat 32-incher on a Mag Darter.

Chuck Many ready to release a striper from Tyman

Joe Greco (88) of Ft. Myers lost a short battle with lung cancer this week, but the good nature of that fine angler will long be remembered.

The former resident of Edison made a quick move to Florida from N.J. taxes and cold weather along with his wife Sue shortly after retiring from his profession as a computer analyst. He bought a small boat that could get into the shallowest waters and spent years learning the entirely different fisheries there for everything up to tarpon.

Joe quickly became friendly with local skippers who helped in the transition to skinny waters tactics, and he especially enjoyed fishing for sheepshead with 10-pound test freshwater spinning rigs.

The last time I fished with him, we weren’t doing well on the inside, so he made a move on a calm day to just outside the harbor to fish over a sunken clothes dryer that quickly provided action on our live shrimp with short, but feisty groupers before I hooked something much bigger. I assumed it was a shark which would soon cut me off, but Joe thought it might be a cobia. The battle continued on the 10-pound outfit for a long time before Joe was proven right as a cobia finally surfaced. Unfortunatey, we had no gaff, and the only net was a small, short-handled sheepshead net. Cobia usually go wild when netted, but Joe was able to get its head in that tiny net before we both grabbed the metal hoop and slid the exhausted cobia aboard.

Joe was proud as a peacock when we returned to the marina with the biggest fish of the day on the smallest boat — and steaks from that 42-incher were passed out to all his friends and the employees.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported no change in striper fishing as they got into them right away and had action throughout the trip. Big fish outnumbered the keepers.

The Jamaica from Brielle is starting the offshore wrecks sea bass fishing with 10 p.m. departures by reservation, four nights a week.

The forecast is good for days ahead. Thursday starts with east at 5-10 knots.

It was over half a century ago, but one of my fondest fishing memories occurred on a Halloween night.

I was making good will calls on New England tackle shops for Garcia, and left Cape Cod during a surprise snowy northeaster– heading west for some R.I. calls on my way home to Long Island. A cold northwest front roared in on the way and cleared everything up, leading to a decision to fish at Charlestown Breachway that evening.

I had only fished there once before when the regulars told the young stranger that I’d have to wait my turn to cast into the outgoing water at the breachway mouth in order to avoid tangles. Thus, when my turn came, I cast across the narrow opening and retrieved my plug so it would pass through the school striper “feeding station” where bait was heading out to sea. There was little action that night, but I was anxious to try it again.

Checking the tide table revealed the outgoing tide would conveniently start after dinner, so I went to my motel room and donned layers of clothing to guard against that cold wind. Upon arriving at the parking lot. I was pleased to see very few vehicles before walking out the path to the opening. There wasn’t an angler in sight, and I understood why as water was pouring into the breachway. I had forgotten that the outgoing tide doesn’t turn out for about three hours after it starts falling!

I started heading back to my car along the path when I looked to the east and saw big waves left over from the northeaster racing toward the surf before being “stood up” by the northwest wind that created white water in depths well offshore of the beach. I was a very inexperienced surfcaster at that time, but that situation looked good to me and I decided to make a couple of casts before returning to the motel.

There was no problem in making a long cast with 20-pound mono, and the full moon was so brilliant that it was more like daylight than dark. I watched the swimming motion of my Junior Atom plug — and then saw a sight that’s forever locked into my memory as a seemingly huge striped bass rose up behind it and sucked the lure in without any hesitation!

I had the shore fishing fish of my dreams hooked. but then surveyed my situation. Though I was at one of the most popular spots in Rhode Island, I was all alone as the regulars wouldn’t be showing up for the outflowing water for three hours. I hadn’t brought a gaff since there would be lots of them at the Breachway among the pros fishing there. Below me there was a steep drop covered with large rocks which I wasn’t about to attempt, especially with a rod in hand. There didn’t seem to be any way I could land my prize.

Then, as if God had answered my prayers, I heard –“I’LL GAFF THAT FISH FOR YOU”.

It wasn’t God, but unbeknownst to me there was an angler, fishing a live eel, tucked out of the wind at the base of the water line below my location.

That’s exactly what he did, and I was able to get close enough to grab the end of his gaff handle with which to drag my trophy up to the path.

Going back to casting, I hooked another large bass that was landed in the same manner. I was almost relived when the only other hit was from a schoolie that shook off.

Though well satisfied with what I had caught, I woke up at the motel in time to check what the regulars had done at the Breachway. Though the water was pouring out and conditions were perfect, nothing was being caught. I had enjoyed the Halloween of my life only because I had miscalculated and then was able to improvise!

At Sea Isle Tackle in Freeport later that morning, Ron Fuerhing put those bass on his scale where they weighed 34 and 38 pounds. A big thrill for an angler who hadn’t caught anything larger than a schoolie from shore before.

NY/NJ Bight boat fishing for stripers could hardly be any better. Capt. Ron Santee said bass came up as soon as the tide turned this morning, and many fares on the Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands had over 10 released bass. Top waters and shads worked fine.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported a fine striper bite with keepers outnumbering the overs. Bunkers and many types of lures all produced,

The NY/NJ Bight striper bite has been hot, and more boats are getting into it

At Belmar, both the Miss Belmar Princess at 6:30 a.m. and Royal Miss Belmar at 7:30 will be seeking stripers. The Golden Eagle reported “awesome” striper action during Capt. Greg’s first trip as bunkers, Flutter spoons, Crocs and shads all worked during an all-day bite of mostly bass too big to keep plus some smaller keepers.

Capt. Ron Santee got into mostly smaller stripers on his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands as everyone went home with fish. Top water plugs and shads proved most effective.

Capt. Vinny Vetere has been concentrating on trolling big bass with his TGT bunker spoons. and is adding afternoon rips with his Katfish out of Great Kills. Sunday morning’s trolling produced 22 bass up to 35 pounds.

The forecast is for southwest winds at 5-10 knots with morning showers likely.

Jim Hutchinson Sr. & Jr. were fishing with Chuck Many on his Tyman from Highlands last week when they placed a Sat Tag on a healthy striper that was given the name Berkeley in honor of the Berkeley Striper Club.

the one sure thing on even a marginal weekend during the fall striper run is that they’ll be plenty of boat traffic.

Capt. Ron Santee had to make many moves with only a pick of legal stripers before getting into some surfacing bass with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands after the change of tide and going into overtime to put a catch together. There was a high hook of seven, and the pool bass was 36 inches.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar found stripers on top when they started in the morning, but boat traffic kept putting them down. Some keeper stripers were caught — and “overs” released.

Winds move to the northwest tomorrow at just 5 knots, but patchy fog is predicted –which is very unusual when the wind is northwest .

Golden Eagle striper

It wasn’t the nicest of days, but that probably worked out best for Capt. Ron Santee on the Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands. His report follows:”

Fished a New area this morning, took my customers out to the Snot and they were glad I did!

Found the Bass and they were Hungry, up to 35 pound fish that we had to toss back with everyone getting their keepers. All on Shads, large or small it didn’t matter.

Moved off to another area when that bite died and had fish busting on top along with the first Giant Blue fish of the season…Actually left the Blues and found the bass again.

Very good fishing up till the end of the tide, bite didn’t turn back on but it didn’t matter, everyone went home Happy!  Total opposite of yesterdays bite when the morning was picking here and there and the afternoon was on fire…go figure!

Can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow! Open boat, No Reservations Just come on down. Fare is $90.“

This is just the start of the migratory run, as Mike Monte got word from his Nantucket home that an unusual abundance of bunkers there is holding quantities of big bluefish plus 35-inch stripers. Mike says those blues will probably head out into the Atlantic, but the bass should be closer to shore as they head south.

Monte continues to struggle in the Monmouth County surf, and I got the same report from Vinny D’Anton. However, it’s early for that surf run as the water temperature is 62 degrees.

Northeast winds continue Sunday, but at only 5-10 knots with 2-4-foot seas.

The offshore tuna bite continues to be great when boaters are able to get out. Capt. Mark De Blasio reported his last trip with Blue Runner produced a 300-pound, 78-inch bigeye tuna, while another broke a rod after an hour-long battle. A limit of yellowfins was added.

Hans Kaspersetz with a bigeye on End Game.

Capt. Jim Freda took friends out on Shore Catch for a couple of hours one afternoon and didn’t find the bunkers he was looking for off Manasquan Inlet. He switched to the dependable Tony Maja bunker spoon and soon broke the ice!

Joe Lambarski caught this 7 1/2-pound red drum on an SP Minnow this week at Island Beach State Park. It was nothing like the 40-pound “channel bass” that frequented the central NJ surf during the fall a century ago, but the first northern red drum I’ve heard of so far this year.

NOAA Fisheries has warned NJ anglers that they should learn how to fish for red drum as climate change was going to push them north in warmer waters. Yet, 100 years ago anglers from all over the country were flocking to the Jersey Shore to catch the biggest channel bass which were the primary large inshore game fish of that time. Instead, we’ve seen cold water seals and whales moving south to New Jersey while red drum remain a rarity above southern Jersey.

Today’s northeast blow resulted in some party boats cancelling trips, but Capt. Ron Santee figured it was going to be fishable with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands and filed the following report: “

Found some life in the AM and managed a pick on the Bass….Fish were in shallow water so the bite was tough. Knew we had a couple hours before the change of tide so I did some searching.

Couple patches started to show at the change but not a good bite…Took a ride and found some life, started to Run & Gun slugging away. Once the boats came around the bite went to hell so we went in search mode one last time.

Found the Mother load of fish busting on top. Some big girls in the mix with a couple 35 pound babies going back. Tyler lead the way with more than a dozen fish. Pool fish went 36 inches. Patience paid off once again as I told all the guys, never quit!!!“

The Golden Eagle from Belmar will be sailing early for stripers at 6:30 a.m.

Small craft warnings are through late tonight, but the morning forecast is for the northeast winds to be down to 10-15 knots with gusts to 20 and 3-5-foot seas.