It's hard to believe that I'm still talking about bluefin tuna anywhere north of N.C. on Christmas Eve, but N.Y. skipper John McMurray had two hooked up on Friday -- though both were lost. Conditions were good today  for blackfishing, but the Ocean Explorer from Belmar reported that results were poor. There were relatively few bites, and most of those were in the bow. They hope for a return to the previously good blackfishing on Monday. Vinnie D'Anton and Frank Conover checked out rumors that small stripers are still active in the surf by casting Friday evening at Sea Girt and catching several each that were uniformly in the 16-to-18-inch range on Tsunami Sand Eels and Storm Shads. Merry Christmas and a Fishy New Year to all of my readers!