Previous Headlines

Shep on Fishing: Shelton, Marcantonio win Bent Rods fall contest

Published: 12/12/09

Dan Shelton is a 25-year-old outdoorsman from Millville and Ed Marcantonio of Ocean City is retired and had his first decent year of fishing.

Friday afternoon fishing report: Results from LBI Classic

Published: 12/11/09

The results of the 55th Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic are official. Michael Kane of Doylestown, Pa., with a 42.69-pound striped bass and Randall Matlack of Beach Haven Park with a 16.31-pound bluefish each pocketed $1,000 grand prizes for the heaviest fish. The Classic ran from Sept 10 to Dec, 6.

Wednesday afternoon fishing report: Fishing Contest winners to be announced Saturday

Published: 12/09/09

The Press 2009 Bent Rods Fishing Contest ran from April 5 to Nov. 30.

Tuesday afternoon fishing report: Striped bass still showing up in Absecon Inlet

Published: 12/08/09

Absecon Inlet and Brigantine Shoal continue to hold striped bass. Dave Showell reported from Absecon Bay Sportsman Center that he had an angler radio from Brigantine Shoal that he had caught one short striper and had some bites Tuesday morning.

Shep on Fishing: Chilly weather not affecting striped bass catches

Published: 12/08/09

Anglers are catching striped bass from boats off Brigantine and in Absecon Inlet on Monday.

Monday afternoon fishing report: Striped bass hanging in the inshore waters

Published: 12/07/09

Striped bass are hanging in the inshore waters off southern New Jersey, even though it is December and we had a touch of snow. At least two Monday morning fishing trips resulted in limits of bass.

Shep on Fishing: Bass showing up in Brigantine waters

Published: 12/05/09

Dave Showell radioed from his boat off Brigantine back to Ray Slemmer at Absecon Bay Sportsman Center on Friday morning. The message: Tell anyone who called the shop to get out here.

Friday afternoon fishing report: Get out to Brigantine

Published: 12/04/09

Tell everybody to get out here. That was the advice Dave Showell radioed back to Ray Slemmer to give anyone who called Absecon Bay Sportsman Center in Absecon. Showell had a two-man crew fishing for striped bass off Brigantine on Friday morning. They were slamming bass, Slemmer said. Showell sometimes fishes a mile off Brigantine on a 13-foot lump that drops to 18-20 feet. He uses live spot for bait and the bass hit when they drift over the edge.

Thursday afternoon fishing report: Some catches to be made in Absecon Inlet

Published: 12/03/09

Absecon Inlet had around a sizable fleet of 30 boats drifting for striped bass on Wednesday, and by at least one report they all had fish.

Wednesday afternoon fishing report: Entries coming in for Long Beach Island Classic's final week

Published: 12/02/09

The run of striped bass and bluefish that started Saturday continues to Wednesday with more entries for the final week of the Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic.

Tuesday afternoon fishing report: Striped bass moving down to Brigantine

Published: 12/01/09

It looks as though some of the fish that made surfcasters happy over the weekend and into Monday on the south of Long Beach Island spread to Brigantine and Absecon Inlet by Monday and Tuesday.

Shep on Fishing: Bluefish and striped bass hit the south end of Long Beach Island

Published: 12/01/09

Bluefish with striped bass mixed in showed up in great numbers at the south end of Long Beach Island on Saturday, and they were still there Monday morning.

Monday afternoon fishing report: Big blues, stripers gather at Holgate

Published: 11/30/09

Big bluefish combine with striped bass in the surf on the south end of Long Beach Island. It started Saturday and continued to Monday.

Shep on Fishing: Thanksgiving dinner on hold for one fishing couple

Published: 11/28/09

Many local anglers went out fishing over the Thanksgiving holiday, and some of them had some very decent action.

Friday afternoon fishing report: Striped bass and bluefish not on holiday

Published: 11/27/09

Surfcasters seemed to be as much interested in striped bass and bluefish as in turkeys over the past few days.

Wednesday afternoon fishing report: Plenty of fish for Thanksgiving

Published: 11/25/09

There are plenty of fish around the area for those anglers with some time off for Thanksgiving. There are some rough conditions but at least Little Egg and Great Egg inlets and the back bays have produced some nice striped bass.

Tuesday afternoon fishing report: Find some love near the rocks

Published: 11/24/09

Strong winds sometimes can put a hurting on fishing. It seems as though we have endured a consistent stretch of that with just a few breaks. Find the right spot, however, and you can still catch some fish.

Shep on fishing: Striped bass, bluefish and tautog are all biting

Published: 11/24/09

Fishing bounced back nicely after the northeaster of last week, and now we have kind of the same kind of thing going on.

Monday afternoon fishing report: Bluefish and striped bass still around

Published: 11/23/09

The northeast wind threw a changeup at the local fishing scene this weekend, but a few bluefish and striped bass hung in there for surfcasters and back-bay skippers.

Shep on Fishing: Striper, big bluefish running off Brigantine beaches

Published: 11/21/09

Surfcasters at Brigantine have a steady run of striped bass and big bluefish going on for the past few days.

Friday afternoon fishing report: Striped bass and bluefish in Brigantine

Published: 11/20/09

Striped bass and bluefish are in the surf at Brigantine, plus some of the other beaches of southern New Jersey such as Long Beach Island, Brigantine, Ocean City and Cape May.

Thursday afternoon fishing report: Big blues hitting Brigantine

Published: 11/19/09

Big bluefish hit the Brigantine beach Thursday morning. John Barnes of Wenonah slammed into a blue that weighed 13 pounds at Riptide Bait and Tackle in Brigantine. Barnes reported to Fred Hynes at Riptide that another surfcaster - George Donohue - was out on the Brigantine beach this morning (Thursday) and caught 12-13 pound blues.

Wednesday afternoon fishing report: LBI Classic has new bluefish leader

Published: 11/18/09

The Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic has a new leader as Randall Matlack of Beach Haven Park caught a 16.31-pound bluefish Wednesday morning at Beach Haven Crest with bunker. Margaret O'Brien measured the fish at 35 inches in length witth a 19/4-inch girth at Jingle's Bait and Tackle in North Beach Haven.

Tuesday afternoon fishing report: Greay Bay striper fishing continues

Published: 11/17/09

The good striper fishing in Great Bay off the Mullica River continued into Tuesday. Scott Albertson reported from Scott's Bait and Tackle in Mystic Islands that several anglers fishing from boats off Gravelling Point limited out on striped bass this morning.

Shep On Fishing: Striper action even better since storm blew through

Published: 11/17/09

Striped bass fishing was excellent before the storm, and indications are strong they were not chased away.

Monday afternoon fishing report: Fishing not totally back after weekend storm

Published: 11/16/09

Fishing has not bounced back to the very hot pre-storm levels throughout the area, but there are still plenty of striped bass that weathered it.

Shep on Fishing: Brigantine surfcaster doesn’t let the storm hold him back

Published: 11/14/09

Gary Born is a veteran surfcaster who wins tournaments all over the East Coast with his Surf N Land fishing team.

Friday afternoon fishing report: Weather hampers past two days

Published: 11/13/09

The weather put a major hurting on fishing over the past two days. But when the stretch of rough weather started Wednesday, fishing on the Brigantine north beach was exceptional.

Thursday afternoon fishing report: Surf fishing derby wraps up

Published: 11/12/09

The sixth and final week of the Atlantic County/Atlantic City Surf Fishing Derby wrapped Sunday, and the highlight catch was a 45-pound striped bass caught in Brigantine by Bob Denham of Philadelphia. A number of other nice bass were registered: Dave Taylor, Linwood, 23.5 pounds; Paul Lavigna, Brigantine, 21; Richard Doyle, Linwood, 20.93; Mark Manganaro, Absecon, 18.25; Bruce Leblyne, Clifton Heights, Pa., 17; Thomas Bell, Pleasantville, 13.5.

Wednesday afternoon fishing report: High Tides Striper Tournament raises $36,000 for Brendan Borek Memorial Fund

Published: 11/11/09

The High Tides Striper Tournament on Saturday out of Cape May had great weather and great numbers. The contest headquartered at Hinch Marina had 74 boats entered, 72 fish weighed in and the winner topped 50 pounds.

Tuesday afternoon fishing report: Weather could alter current run of striped bass

Published: 11/10/09

Weather and conditions are forecast to deteriorate later this week, and hopefully it won't turn off the current run of striped bass in Delaware Bay.

Shep On Fishing: Delaware Bay popular weekend spot for anglers ... and fish

Published: 11/10/09

A great weather weekend and a lot of striped bass combined to make Delaware Bay a very popular stretch of water.

Monday afternoon fishing report: Delaware Bay the hot spot for striped bass

Published: 11/09/09

Delaware Bay is without a doubt the hot spot for striped bass. The rare weekend of decent weather and plenty of fish brought out the anglers.

Shep on Fishing: Striped bass beginning to blitz the beaches

Published: 11/07/09

Thursday was one of the better fishing days of the fall in Cape May County waters.

Friday afternoon fishing report: The Rips off Cape May busy with bass

Published: 11/06/09

The Rips off Cape May is on fire. That's where limits of bass, mostly in the teens to 20-weights, were reported Thursday with early indications that the excellent action is continuing into Friday.

Thursday afternoon fishing report: Lots of fish moving into Townsend Inlet

Published: 11/05/09

Birds, bunker, bluefish and, probably, bass moved into Townsend Inlet on Thursday morning.

Wednesday afternoon fishing report: Four days left in Surf Fishing Derby

Published: 11/04/09

There are just four more days after today to catch a a fish for the Atlantic County/Atlantic City Surf Fishing Derby. The six-week fall classic wraps Sunday.

Tuesday afternoon fishing report: Striped bass taking over the surf

Published: 11/03/09

Striped bass are taking over in the surf and bays throughout the area. Numerous fish that weigh more than 30 pounds and even a few more than 40 have been reported from Long Beach Island to Delaware Bay.

Shep on Fishing: LBI Surf Fishing Classic nets big bass

Published: 11/03/09

November is off to a good start as big striped bass and bluefish combine to create excellent fall fishing.

Monday afternoon fishing report: Big striped bass suddenly showing up

Published: 11/02/09

November is here and so are bigger striped bass. There are suddenly a lot of 30- to 40-pound stripers throughout the area. They are popping up in the surf of Long Beach Island and Brigantine and off Cape May at The Rips and in Delaware Bay.

Shep on Fishing: A successful week for Brigantine anglers

Published: 10/31/09
Inside: See Shep's Hot Spot for today

Washing-machine conditions Thursday in the suds did not stop surfcasters from picking striped bass and bluefish in Brigantine.

Friday afternoon fishing report: 18 boats head out for start of Utsch's Marina Striper Classic

Published: 10/30/09

It was a little windy, but that did not stop 18 boats from heading out on to Delaware Bay or to The Rips off Cape May on Thursday for the opener of the Utsch's Marina Striper Classic.

Thursday afternoon fishing report: 20-pound striped bass caught in Atlantic City

Published: 10/29/09

Some 20-pound-plus striped bass were caught over the past few days from the rocks on the Atlantic City side of Absecon Inlet. Noel Feliciano weighed bass going 29, 24, 20 and 16 pounds at One-Stop Bait and Tackle in A.C. Feliciano said the anglers fishing from the T-Jetty and other jetties also are killing ling and getting their one allowable tautog. Eels, clam and bunker are the bait for stripers, ling take bunker and tog like green crabs.

Wednesday afternoon fishing report: Bigger bluefish moving in

Published: 10/28/09

More and bigger bluefish moved into the area's surf and inshore waters recently.

Tuesday afternoon fishing report: Big bass keep coming in Delaware Bay

Published: 10/27/09

Bob Cope on the Full Ahead weighed a striped bass Tuesday morning at Utsch's Marina in Cape May that went 45 pounds, according to Pete Poillon.

Shep on Fishing: Striped bass up to 45 pounds in Delaware Bay, at The Rips

Published: 10/27/09

The "fall fishing" that anglers look forward to all summer is happening.

Monday afternoon fishing report: Large striped bass caught at The Rips off Cape May and in Delware Bay

Published: 10/26/09

The bite is on.

Shep on Fishing: Striped bass more active in the area

Published: 10/24/09

Striped bass fishing gets a little better each day.

Friday afternoon fishing report: Striped bass coming in on Long Beach Island

Published: 10/23/09

Ed McGlynn, a 79-year-old surfcaster from Beach Haven, pulled a 31-pound, 8-ounce striped bass from the suds at Beach Haven on Friday morning. It was weighed in for the Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic at Jingle's Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven.

Thursday morning fishing report: Striped bass starting to move in

Published: 10/22/09

It certainly was a classic fall day on Wednesday, and anglers took advantage by getting out and going fishing. The mild temperatures and ocean conditions were an awesome contrast to the weekend's storms.