REPORTS OF RIVER, BAY, AND OCEAN FISHING

Last weekend's weather blew out the offshore fishing, but the few that got out on Monday/Tues did very well. The p.m. chunking seemed to be more productive. The Hyper Stiper had 6 yellowfins. Jeff Shaner, had 12 yellowfins on Monday, p.m. .

The weakfish are back feeding in force this week. I took my brother inlaw Neil Strarrett and his wife Cathy both from Idaho, weakfishing on Tuesday. The conditions were perfect as  was the fishing. We had 8 keepers up to 7 lbs. , 6 caught by Cathy. We fished the Reach channel near buoy 24. We also had a few out of season keeper fluke. There were about 50-60 boats along w/ us enjoying  great late  season weakfishing!

At Atlantic Highlands, Capt. Ron Santee said the Fishermen has been enjoying fine sea bass fishing with pool winners in the 3-to-4-pound class daily.

With little wind and current, Raritan Reach weakfishing was just a pick Monday for Pete Bonner and his Bayonne friends in the Bonner's Pub party on the Mi-Jo. Joe Giovanni won the pool with a 5-pounder to edge Tim Doolan, while porgy honors went to Pat Bonner over Greg "Cheeseburger" Semanchick .

Capt. Scotty Hilliard found eight albacore plus a 100-pound swordfish and an 80-pound yellowfin which was fought all the way by Sally Simpson of Clifton during Monday night's trip to Hudson Canyon. Prowler V has some openings on Monday's 3 p.m. departure for the canyon. Magic hours trips to the Mud Buoy have been good for blues, little tunny and porgies.

George Bachertt of Oakland boated a 6 1/2-pound ling during Tuesday's Mud Hole trip of the Sea Fox. Capt. Chad Hacker said those Tuesday and Friday trips have been producing high hooks of 30 to 40 ling.

Capt. Ed Bunting Jr. has been catching lots of sea bass and porgies at the Mud Buoy with his Sea Horse, and notes that everyone would limit with bass if the limit was just a half-inch shorter. Some blues are added on the bottom rigs. Frank Finocchairo of Oradell boated a 4-pound sea bass.

Capt. Art Hilliard said weakfishing from his Eagle improved Friday when the Columbia Bank group fished in rain and wind to catch 65 up to a 7.3-pounder by Pat Thaller of Wyckoff along with a few porgies and blues. Chunking the previous night on Flynn's Knoll produced a pick of blues for the Exxon Mobil party, but Dennis McCaffrey of Staten Island also hooked a weakfish on a bunker chunk and that 6-pounder turned out to be the pool fish. Night chunking for blues on the Knoll was better Sunday night when Chris Rinto of Staten Island led the way with a 7.3-pounder that beat out a 6-pound weakfish which was one of the few caught in the Reach before dark along with lots of porgies. Students from Gov. Livingston H.S. were aboard on a slow day in Raritan Reach last week, but they did catch some weaks, porgies and croakers. Mike Fullowan of Berkeley Heights topped the catch with a 4-pound weak.