We made it out three times this past week, and it sure looks like our fall striper season is going to be a late one this year. We're usually solidly into back bay bass by now, but the water temperatures in both the bay and ocean are still hovering around the 70 degree mark and that's just too warm. On the positive side, there are immense schools of baitfish everywhere along the beachfront, and the bay and lagoons are still loaded with bait yet to start moving out. No doubt this will be a great year once it finally gets started, so bring on that cool water!

We are seeing a pretty good showing of bonito inshore this year, so maybe the warm water has a good side to it. On Friday's trip with the Ernie Dellheim party from Philly, we started out jigging but switched over to the troll and mixed it up with false albacore and small bonito in front of IBSP. Saturday George Selph and Bob Keller were back to box a load of bluefish off the jetty with topwater plugs before we turned to the troll for some better sized bonito. The bait and bonito were so thick at one point that it was reminiscent of an all out bluefish blitz, with bonies crashing rainfish on the surface and gulls wheeling all around overhead. Even the captain got in on the action when we broke out the light spinning rods to do some run-and-gun fishing for this great tasting game fish.