Posted on November 9, 2020 Stripers swirling, but few hitting Reports from both the ocean and Raritan Bay are of large stripers rolling on the surface while usually not hitting anything with consistency. Dave Lilly has been struggling to catch one or two bass on bunker spoons despite all the bass he sees and records, but this morning he went further back in the bay and released seven that were in the upper teens to the lower twenties in weight. All but one hit a new color Tony Maja spoon that he described as being bronze-colored with a white keel weight and a white feather hook. The water was very clear and only 50 to 51 degrees. Surfcasters would like to see some of those fussy bass. Allen Riley fished the Sandy Hook surf from 5-8 Friday morning under perfect conditions with no sign of fish or bait. After many such trips, Riley thinks North Jersey surfcasting has “collapsed”. Vinny D’Anton is almost as discouraged after finding no signs of bait or the much overdue school stripers from the east. He’s in touch with many of the top surf anglers along the Shore, and they are all just as shocked by the worst surfcasting ever at this time of year.