NOAA Fisheries is reopening the General category commercial fishery for large medium and giant bluefin on Monday for four days with a limit of one per boat day in order to allow harvest of the remaining quarterly quota. This also applies to the Charter/Headboat category boats with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially.

Vinny D’Anton fished Spring Lake yesterday and found no signs of the large stripers that had been in the surf, but did catch two of the very small stripers normally found in the December surf on the same MirrOlure he’s been casting.

The Ocean Explorer from Belmar reported anglers had to work through short blackfish in order to catch some keepers.

The forecast is for east winds at 10 knots plus rain.

Capt. Ron Santee completed his season with the Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands on Wednesday as striper fishing was slower than it had been. A few bass were caught early as a couple of anglers and his son Ron in from California hooked two — but the bite dropped off the rest of the day.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar has room on Friday’s trip for big sea bass on far offshore wrecks — as well as those on Dec. 26, 28 and 30.

Mike Monte made up for three fishless mornings in the Monmouth County surf when yesterday’s effort produced three stripers.

The forecast is for southwest winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25.

My first saltwater fish was a blowfish caught from a rowboat at Freeport, Long Island, and i caught many more growing up on the south shore as the northern puffer cycle was at a peak during the 1950s. At that time, I also read about N.J. bay fishermen being surprised by a much larger puffer that they called rabbitfish. It was decades later before I ever caught that puffer which is properly called smooth puffer – and that was a small one from a wreck off Key West. Last Friday I caught a bigger one while fishing with Bob Correll on his Sea Vee 32 out of Hutchinson Island, Florida in the mouth of St. Lucie Inlet. (see photo at end of page0

That 19 1/2-incher wasn’t as big a surprise as it might have been because Bruce Hrobak at Billy Bones Tackle in Stuart had told me that one was caught on his boat the week before. We were chumming with glass minnows from Billy Bones for Spanish mackerel when I dropped a jig and shrimp to bottom and hooked what I hoped was a legal snapper before seeing the puffer with a solid body and smooth skin. It didn’t blow up at all. Al McClane, in McClane’s Guide to Saltwater Fishes of North America noted that ” The smooth puffer is not able to expand its body as greatly as the northern or southern puffers, possibly because of its larger size. “

The range of this fish is impressive, as McClane said it is distributed on both sides of the Atlantic — and in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Argentina plus the Gulf of Mexico. Yet, it doesn’t appear to be schooling fish. A few summers ago, there were quite a few caught off the northern N.J. Shore. However, I haven’t heard of any since then. Ironically, the IGFA world record of 11 pounds, seven ounces was caught in N.J. at Cape May Inlet in 2001. .

Vinny D’Anton has been picking at keeper-size stripers in the Monmouth County surf, but it’s all been blind casting. Sand eels are in the surf, but there haven’t been any swirls or rolls from the large bass to indicate their presence.

A small craft advisory goes up at 7 p.m. and is in effect through Friday afternoon. Thursday’s wind will be southwest at 15-20 knots with gusts to 25.

The Jamaica from Brielle has openings on 10 p.m. trips to offshore wrecks on Dec. 19, 21, and 22. Call 732 528-5014for reservations.

Capt. Ron Santee is calling it a season tomorrow with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands, and it should be a great one based on the last two this week as stripers remain abundant in the back of Raritan Bay.

Ron says the bass are almost all keepers fresh in from the ocean and covered with sea lice. Shads and spoons do the job, but it’s hard to find a bonus bass among them.

Mike Monte called last night to let me know that he’d fished three mornings from Monmouth Beach to Sea Girt and watched birds picking up sand eels — but couldn’t find a bass among them.

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

The Jamaica from Brielle has room on upcoming far offshore wreck trips for giant sea bass at 10 p.m. on Dec. 16, 19, 21 and 22 plus others to be set up before the month is out. Friday’s trip was another good one with limits of sea bass plus porgies , bluefish and even weakfish

If the boats can get out to the far offshore wrecks, big catches of giant sea bass and porgies appear to be a sure thing.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar made one of their trips by reservation this week and had a boat limit of sea bass while switching to catch and release by 8 a.m. Anglers also had all the porgies they wanted plus a few blues, a pollock and weakfish — and a couple of barrelfish — a species usually only caught while tilefishing. The Jamaica from Brielle has also been loading up on those trips which should continue to produce all month.

The Monday forecast is for west winds at 15-20 knots with gusts to 25.

Atter enjoying great action yesterday with a high hook of 15 stripers, Capt. Ron Santee found a much tougher condition today when the current started running into the wind. Two anglers managed to catch four bass. Weather permitting, Santee will run his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands through Wednesday.

The Sunday forecast is for northwest winds at 20-25 knots before going to west in the afternoon and diminishing to 15-20 knots.

Striped bass don’t want to leave NY/NJ Bight waters this winter.

Dave Lilly reports that the few remaining charter boats are catching all the keepers they can handle in the back of the bay, and Miss Belmar Princess reported a good ocean catch yesterday with all sizes represented as plain Ava 47 jigs worked best.

Bob Matthews, at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar Marina summed up the fishing as follows:

“Well It’s hard to believe it’s almost Christmas, the weather has been very mild this fall and the fishermen have  been taking advantage of it.The Striped bass are still around, the sandeels finally made an appearance and small micro bass are feeding on them,grab some light tackle and get in on some action.There are still some better fish hitting after dark on Black Bombers and Purple and Black SP Minnows. Add a teaser for some extra insurance.The daytime bite try some Tsunami six inch eels or A !7 with a green tail with a teaser.The Blackfish  has been very good with many limit catches, some really nice fish are being brought in,5 pounds is normal .The flounder bite is holding up and many anglers are fishing for Sundials, they are plentiful and no limit, plus good eating.We are open full service,well stocked for your Christmas needs,gift certificates are available if you’re  not sure what to purchase.”

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported a slow start to their last striper trip of the season, but fishing improved during the day, and they ended up catching keepers and bonus bass as well as some shorts plus legal blackfish and bluefish. That boat will remain active running giant sea bass trips to offshore wrecks by reservation.

The wind shifts to southwest at 15-20 knots with gusts to 25.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar concludes its striper fishing for the year with tomorrow’s 6:30 a.m. sailing from Belmar. That boat still has some offshore sea bass trips by reservation on its schedule.

The Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands will try to sail through Sunday, though Tuesday’s striper fishing after the south gale was poor. Capt. Ron Santee said he ran north, then south and to the channels but only found some areas with life and fewer with fish marks. A couple of anglers caught two keepers, but it was a tough pick. Of course, all that can change overnight, and there’s a good chance that stripers may be with us for some time yet.

Small craft warnings are up tonight into the morning, when it will be northwest at 15 -20 knots plus gusts to 25 before diminishing in the afternoon to 10-15 knots.