With water temperatures dropping, striped bass action is picking up along the Shore, and little tunny are finally becoming an inshore target for both boaters and surfcasters. More good news for boaters is the re-opening of the sea bass season on Sunday for the rest of the year with a 12 1/2-inch minimum and a 15-fish bag limit. The Hudson and East rivers continue to produce stripers, though the bite wasn't as good this week. I joined Capt. Joe Massa on his My Three Sons from Morgan Marina for a Saturday morning trip to the Hudson that produced a 33 1/2-pound striper for me right away before we added about 10 releases of bass over 28 inches plus a few big bluefish after going though two dozen eels The Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands had a good catch of bass and blues in the Hudson that day, but fishing there on Sunday produced only a few, and George Cullen boated the only striper on Wednesday. That boat is chartered Friday. Chuck Many of Annandale ran his Ty Man from Gateway Marina in Highlands up there Wednesday with Nellie Greer of Bethlehem, Pa., Alex Katyan from Clinton Twp., and me as we ended up totaling 15 striper releases, including 11 "keepers" up to about 20 pounds on eels and sandworms, plus 15 weakfish up to 27 1/2 inches on sandworms, six blues, four porgies, a few little sea bass, and a hickory shad caught casting under birds in Raritan Bay. Little tunny came up off our bow while eeling in the Hudson, but we weren't ready for them. The water temperature which had been 74 degrees the previous Tuesday took a dramatic turn down to 68.7 degrees. Tank Matraxia of Lyndhurst fished the Hudson Thursday with Capt. John Contello on Just Say'in from Keyport. They managed seven keepers on eels, and Matraxia put ALS tags in the only short plus a 28 1/2-incher. Unlike last week, when they had many floaters among the bass released, every one swam away Thursday. Matraxia is up to 197 tag returns this week when an 11 1/2-inch sea bass he tagged June 8 with Capt. Hans Kaspersetz and me on Sheri Berri from Twin Lights Marina in Highlands near Ambrose Channel was caught off Coney Island -- and a 11 3/4-inch blackfish tagged Sept. 12 from Just Say'n at Shrewsbury Rocks was re-released with the tag intact on on Oct. 15 at Sandy Hook Reef. Allen Riley of South Plainfield finally saw some little tunny Wednesday morning at Sandy Hook, where the surf was full of rainfish. He never had a hit, but Duke Maturo of Piscataway caught two 4-to-5-pounders on an old Gibbs Minnow within five minutes of each other. John Mazzeo of South Plainfield missed a tunny hit, and Ed Riley of Edison caught a 12-inch fluke on a Mann-O-Lure. Another angler caught a short striper on bait. Jim Louro of Sping Lake plugged a 27-inch striper Tuesday morning at his local beach, and beached his first surf little tinny the next morning. Vinnie D'Anton of Wall released three small bass Wednesday morning at Bradley Beach on a Chug Bug, but couldn't raise anything there the next day before settling for a small bass on a Zoom plastic.   Joe Melillo, at Castaways Tackle in Point Pleasant, reports plenty of blackfish action on green crabs in Point Pleasant Canal, while some stripers and big blues hit jigs at night. While I was blackfishing Sunday, an angler nearby was shouting as a big blue followed his green crab and a long piece of sea weed to the surface. Another fisherman shortly afterwards hooked that blue at the wall on a plug, but lost ii while trying to lift it over the fence. There have been schools of bunkers well off the beaches since the east winds dropped out. Jerry Lasko of Point Pleasant drove south Wednesday, hoping they'd come in, but only got one shot at them with very long casts that snagged oth peanuts and adult bunkers that weren't hit. Maren Toleno of Mantoloking hooked a little runny on metal, but it got off. The bunkers left in the afternoon south wind. I joined Lasko in a Thursday morning buggy ride all the way to Island Beach State Park as we saw only bunker schools well out of casting range, and none of the birds and whales that had been on them Wednesday.     Bob Mathews, at Fisherman's Den in Belmar Marina, reports he's been doing well with medium stripers at night in Point Pleasant Canal, A couple of the bass taken there had stomach's full of 7-to-10-inch fluke. Matthews noted that the Spring Lake Live Liners won last weekend's club striper tournament with Asbury Park Fishing Club second. Dave DeGeaw of the Asbury Park club had the lagest bass at 15 pounds. The Golden Eagle from Belmar has been chasing jumbo blues that aren't always cooperative. Thursday started out with a few to 20 pounds drifting, and a few more at anchor. A return to drifting produced a jigging mixture of jumbos to 18 pounds, mediums from of 10 to 12 pounds, and smaller blues from 4 to 6 pounds. There were four to five on at times.  The Ocean Explorer caught plenty of porgies again while releasing sea bass that will be legal on Sunday. At Seaside Park, Betty & Nick's Tackle reported a personal best 47-inch, 32-pound striper caught on a Bomber at first light Thursday by Mike Petro of Pittsburgh. Grumpy's Tackle weighed a 34-inch, 15.65-pound striper caught on an SP Minnow in the evening this week by Alex Aravanis. The Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands had fine porgy fishing Thursday that was topped by a scup just over 4 pounds that Capt. Ron Santee Sr. caught. It was the largest they've ever seen on the boat.There were also some winter flounder and blowfish. Creekside Outfitters in Waretown weighed a 36.8-pound striper trolled this week off Island Beach. Capt. Dave DeGennaro is anxious to get out to those bunker schools and the bunker spoon trolling for big bass with the nice days predicted. He's running his Hi Flier from Barnegat open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from Saturday to Monday at 6 a.m. Call 732 330-564.