I’ve seen several tributes to Bobby Matthews during the last few days and am sharing this one posted by Andrew Meli on Facebook today:

“Robert Matthews hired me at the Fisherman’s Den when I was 16 years old. At the time I would have never known the impact it would have on my life. Working there, I met all the amazing friends I have today. If I never had that job, I would have never heard of Maritime college, and I would not have the career I have now. I owe everything good in my life to Bobby, all because he gave a kid who liked to fish a job.

We would talk about striper fishing for hours. Even on my days off I would go to the Den just to talk fishing with Bobby. I always considered him to be the best of the best and I know many others did as well. I learned so much from him and all the other guys at the shop. Going to the Fisherman’s Den will never be the same without seeing him behind the counter. But I know somewhere up above he’s on a jetty fishing a live herring, catching huge bass. And I know you’ll be right there along with me on every fishing trip”

All reactions:

Paul Castelli of Atlantic City got frozen out of a long-awaited duck hunting trip to the north, but made up for it by getting into the great striper fishing this fall along with his son Michael and friends..

At Belmar, the Big Mohawk didn’t sail due to the wind forecast, but the crew went out and a ball with the stripers.

The Golden Eagle reported another awesome day of striper fishing as everyone went home with fish.

Capt. Ron Santee said conditions were tougher today for his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands — especially after the tide change. He ended up in the ocean with a 3-knot drift that kept the best drift total down to five. but the crew slugged away to a decent catch.

Tomorrow looks much better with northwest winds at 5 knots before changing to southwest 10-15 plus gusts to 20 in the afternoon.

Just before publishing,I got a call from Vinny D’Anton about a Monmouth County surf blitz that he got into around 11 a.m. The bass were spread over a very long stretch of beach, and he caught them up to 38 inches on the Lill DOC

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Date and Hearing Format	State/Agency	Contact
Wednesday, November 15Webinar Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection & Pennsylvania Fish and Boat CommissionThe webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.	Joe Cimino (NJ) 609.748.2063 Kris Kuhn (PA)814.359.5115
Thursday, November 16In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection Hearing Location:CT DEEP Marine HeadquartersBoating Education Center (“Back Building”) 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme CT 06371	Justin Davis860.447.4322
Tuesday, November 28Hybrid Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.  Hearing Location:DNREC Auditorium89 Kings Highway SW, Dover, DE 19901	John Clark 302.739.9108
Thursday, November 30In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management Hearing Location:University of Rhode Island Bay CampusCorless Auditorium215 South Ferry Road, Narraganset, RI 02882	Jason McNamee 401.222.4700 x2772414
Monday, December 4In-person Hearing6:30 – 8:30 p.m.	New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation Hearing Location:NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources123 Kings Park Blvd (inside Nissequogue River State Park), Kings Park, NY 11754 Note: NYSDEC will provide a listen-only livestream link to be posted on the NYSDEC calendar.	John Maniscalco 631.444.0437
Tuesday, December 5In-person Hearing6:30 – 8:30 p.m.	Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Hearing Location:Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Admiral’s Hall101 Academy Dr., Buzzards Bay, MA 02532	Michael Armstrong 978.619.0012
Wednesday, December 6In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources Hearing Location:Calvary United Methodist Church, Basement Room301 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis, MD 21401	Michael Luisi 443.758.6547
Thursday, December 7In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Virginia Marine Resources Commission Hearing Location:Virginia Marine Resources Commission380 Fenwick Rd, Building 96Fort Monroe, VA, 23651	Pat Geer757.247.2236
Monday, December 11Hybrid Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept. Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.  Hearing Location:Urban Forestry Center45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801	Cheri Patterson 603.868.1095
Tuesday, December 12Webinar Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Potomac River Fisheries Commission &District of Columbia Dept. of Energy and Environment The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar details are below.	Ingrid Braun-Ricks (PRFC) 804.750.3824 Daniel Ryan (DC) 202.597.1244
Thursday, December 14Hybrid Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Maine Dept. of Marine Resources Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The virtual Microsoft Teams link is here, and additional instructions are below.  Hearing Location:Maine DMR Office – AugustaRoom 118, Marquardt Building32 Blossom Lane, Augusta, ME 04330	Megan Ware207.446.0932
Monday, December 18In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation Hearing Location:NYSDEC Region 3 Headquarters21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561 Note: NYSDEC will provide a listen-only livestream link to be posted on the NYSDEC calendar.	Jessica Best 845.256.3009
Tuesday, December 19In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Hearing Location:Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station30 Emerson AveGloucester, MA 01930	Michael Armstrong 978.619.0012

The Board initiated Draft Addendum II in May 2023 in response to the low probability of meeting the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline if the unexpectedly high 2022 fishing mortality rate continues.

Capt. Ron Santee reports from his Fishermen out of Atlantic Highlands as follows:

After the past couple of days dealing with a finicky bite and running all over the Ocean…..Today, the bite was back on!

Several area’s of life right off the bat, we were the first ones on the meat..Smaller fish to start out the first couple of hours.

Took a ride when that bite looked like it was going to die, found the Jumbo’s and had them all to ourselves for several drifts!

Fish up to 35 pounds with all the keepers we needed for the day. Had White water several times throughout the day…it was awsome! Many of the customers in double digits by the end of the day. Lots of nice pics tonight. Back at it in the AM, don’t let a little wind keep you home, we will be catching.“

The Golden Eagle from Belmar had an excellent day of striper fishing with limits of keepers and slots all caught on swim shads.

A small craft advisory is up from Tuesday morning to evening, but with the favorable northwest direction that will be 20-25 knots plus gusts 30 in the morning.

The Monmouth County surf had been quiet until Vinny D’Anton returned this afternoon and started picking decent stripers despite a lack of activity except for some birds picking

The Jamaica from Brielle has started fishing the far offshore wrecks for giant sea bass.They’ll be sailing at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week by reservation. Call 732 528 5014.The first trip produced some limits of sea bass up to 6 pounds plus jumbo porgies and some cod, weakfish and blues. A 12-lb cod took the pool,

Remember when the Jamaica fished in November for the first cod of the season rather than for sea bass far offshore? Mel Deak photo

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Mel Deak photo

One of the finest surfcasters on the N.J. coast has passed away. Bobby Matthews, of Fisherman’s Den in Belmar spent his last days in hospice care with his sister. Bobby was not only a great surfcaster, but also a mentor to many novice anglers whose introduction to the sport became a smooth one. His career as a postal worker left him with plenty of time to pursue his sport. especially during darkness when his skills were most effective. Indeed, he was one of the few left who fish for big stripers even on the darkest nights in from shore in the canal and rivers while somehow managing other activities without sleep. While mere mortals slept, Bobby caught!

Anyone with a story to share about Bobby can e-mail it to cristori@aool.com.

Capt. Ron Santee of the Fishermen at Atlantic Highlands reports as follows:

“Morning started out with life, had to keep chasing the fish and slugged away.

Traffic made it difficult with the run & gun fishing. Smiley Joe landed 9 followed by Frank with 8 fish. Eric had a couple fish along with a nice 34 incher. Was certainly tough for most though. Went searching for some better life but it never turned back on“.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported lots of stripers and bunkers on top. but the bite wasn’t up to the recent par.

The forecast is for north winds at 5 knots before going southwest at 10-15 in the afternoon.

After a generally slow Friday for boaters, striper fishing improved today.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported”

It was OVER THETOP EXCELLENT STRIPED BASS FISHING TODAY. The fish were on top working on bait and stacked up under the boat. There were nice long drifts where we banged right away with PLENTY OF KEEPER BASS along with SLOT FISH and throwbacks. Shads and poppers both worked great.“

Capt. Ron Santee saw amazing surface action yesterday morning, but anglers on his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands could only catch a few bass before they would turn off. There was a lot of running and gunning before he found one cooperative patch. He had a charter today, and there was no such problem even with all the boat traffic.

Vinny D’Anton reported the Monmouth County surf has remained dead since the afternoon blitz earlier in the week.

The forecast is for northeast winds at just 10-15 knots before dropping to 5-10 in the afternoon.

The Bobby Tosto Blackfish Tournament will be held out of Captain’s Marina on Staten Island tomorrow, with a rain date on Sunday. There’s a $300entry fee in the expected $10,000 contest. Call Angelo at the marina for details, or visit captains marina@att.net.

The Big Mohawk from Belmar reports “

11/10/23. Back out on the striper grounds today. Started the morning with haystacks off striped bass readings but only picked a few fish. With heavy boat traffic we decided to take a ride in another direction. We found a few areas of bird life with fish breaking on top we picked a few more but they were moving fast and hard to catch. Tommorow is another day and we will be headed out. Book online to secure your spot or come on down walk ons welcome provided we have room.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar had some action in the bunker schools, but it was nothing like what they have been enjoying every day. They are only charging veterans the kid’s fare of $70 tomorrow,

The forecast is for northwest winds at 10-15 knots.

My cell phone went dead this morning. Anyone trying to reach me should e-mail me at cristori@aol.com

Vinny D’Anton said he was picking Wednesday afternoon in the Monmouth County surf when a school of big bunkers moved inside the bars, While it wasn’t a classic blast, large stripers were under those bunkers. Vinny was fishing with Frank Manzi and Shell Caris and did best by casting down the beach rather than into the bunkers. The hot lure was the Lil DOC which is worked like a Zara Spook..Multiple bass often followed that surface lure (see photo below) The bass ranged up to 40 inches, with most being around 32 inches. Everyone was exhausted from the long-lasting blitz,, but they had plenty of time to rest this morning as there was no action on the same beaches.

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The Big Mohawk from Belmar reported yesterday’s great striper fishing as follows: “Beatdown on the striper grounds today. Starting to sound like a broken record. The fishing we have going on in our backyard is incredible. The best that our crew has ever seen in our lifetime. It’s not everyday or year that Miles of fish up and down the coast are blasting bunkers out of the water. Todays crew landed over 250 striped bass with a full boat limit of keeper size as well. Fish ate Shad’s, bunkers, metals, metal lip swimmers, doc plugs and topwater poppers. We are going to let the pictures and videos show you the rest. We will be sailing tomorow book online to reserve your spot or come on down walk ons welcome provided we have room.​

​The Golden Eagle from Belmar noted today:

SHING EVERY DAY:30AM – 1:30PM(weather permitting)

Veteran’s SPECIALNOVEMBER 10TH & 11THALL VETERANSPRICE OF KID’S FARE $70V

• IT WAS SUPER STRIPER FISHING! The early departure did not disappoint and great action continued around the boat all day. There were lots of fish on top in the bunkers and shads worked the best today. We had plenty of KEEPER BASS along with slot fish and numerous throwbacks.”

At Atlantic Highlands, Capt. Ron Santee had to fish in the snot during the outgoing tide, but his regulars worked hard to put a catch together with frequent moves. The high hook caught eight bass.

The forecast is better tomorrow with west winds at 10-15 knots before increasing to 15-20 in the afternoon.

Capt. Vinnie Vetere set a boat record last week with a catch of 75 stripers up to 25 pounds during a half-day charter on his Katfish from Great Kills.

Vinny D’Anton got the word about stripers in the Monmouth County surf during mid-morning and was able to get in on the action with mixed-size bass feeding on both peanut and large bunkers. A friend released a 40-incher.

Jerry Lasko reported very picky surfcasting in Ocean County, but was thrilled to see a large tuna basting bunkers well out of range.

At Belmar, the Golden Eagle reported “

IT WAS SUPER STRIPER FISHING WITH GREAT ACTION AROUND THE BOAT ALL DAY!  Thee were lots of fish on top in the bunkers and shads worked the best today.  We had plenty of KEEPER BASS along with slot fish and numerous throwbacks.  “

At Atlantic Highlands, Capt. Ron Santee said striper fishing wasn’t as easy as yesterday as he had to find a new area, and his fares on the Fishermen had to work harder in order to get it done with many keepers included,

The forecast is for south winds at 15-20 knots before going southwest at 10-15 in the afternoon.

Capt. Ron Santee got into hot fishing almost right away with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands, and his second drift lasted for three hours of whitewater fishing. There were bass of all sizes involved.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar had a similar report.

The Queen Mary from Point Pleasant made up for a tough Sunday by heading in a different direction to put the annual Spring Lake Country Club charter into over a dozen keepers on shads while also releasing overs.

A small craft advisory is up through late tonight, but the morning forecast is for southwest winds at just 10-15 knots.

Capt. John Contello figured he might be able to catch a few stripers from this reading on the fishfinder aboard his Just Sayin.

The Big Mohawk from Belmar reported as follows:

“​​Back out on the striper grounds today. Truly incredible today. World class fishing. As good as it gets. Had em chewing right out the gate this morning with 10 on at a time. Bite got better as the day went on with 15-20 fish on at a time. Over 200 bites landing over 150 for the day. Back at it tommorow sailing 6am book online to reserve your spot or come on down walk ons welcome provided we have room.“

The Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands got off to a slow start this morning before conditions got right and everyone went home with bass up to 31 inches’ including Bonus Bass.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported: “IT WAS ANOTHER DAY OF FANTASTIC STRIPER FISHING! The early departure time really paid off. There were no other boats when we got out there and the birds and fish were everywhere! Fish just kept coming over the rail. We had KEEPERS AND SOME BONUS FISH and we released an incredible amount of OVERS. They were caught on shads today. It was CRAZY GOOD STRIPER FISHING.” They sail at 6:30 a.m., and noted that 70 degree temperatures are forecasted for tomorrow,

Even in abundance there may be a poor day in some areas, which is what happened Sunday to the Queen Mary from Point Pleasant. They went into the bunker schools down the beach that had been producing jumbo bass, but only had some bites and a few catches.

There’s a small craft advisory up from late tonight to Tuesday afternoon. The forecast is for southwest winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25 before dropping to 10-15 in the afternoon.

While anglers running down the beach have been complaining about all the stripers being too big to keep, Dave Lilly went the other way to the Tin Can Grounds off Brooklyn and found almost all keepers averaging about 32 inches with just a few shorts and overs that weren’t very large. Though the bass were feeding on peanut bunkers, they also hit bunker spoons and mojos. As the fish were being reeled in. anything cast in that direction was hit for a more sporting fight.

Lilly said it didn’t take long before both the N.Y. and N.J party boats were on all the surfacing bass. Lilly did get one surprise in all those bass as a bluefish in the 14-pound class was also caught. That got Lilly worried about losing his mojos. There used to be jumbo blues mixed in at this time of year, but that’s the first blue I’ve heard of lately. Dream Boat contest anglers who have a minimum of 15 pounds would love to find some jumbos.

Capt. Ron Santee reported another great trip with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands, and said everyone went home with fish. Miguel released a 35-pounder at the end of the day.

The forecast remains fine with northeast winds at 5-10 knots before going southeast in the afternoon.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar made a long run to get into bass on top without a crowd for hot action all day as shads had the edge today.

Vinny D’Anton reported Monmouth County surfcasters didn’t share in the striper catch this morning as nothing was doing inshore.

There are so many stripers around that they’re also getting caught in Capt. John Contello’s bunker cast net.