Today's northeast wind was light enough to give surfcasters a shot at some of the short stripers that are still around. Vinnie D'Anton of Shark River Hills fished at Bay Head in the morning and caught three that were very close to shore on a bucktail jig tipped with a Gotcha tail. He said these were at least respectable bass in the 22-to 24-inch class. Joe Melillo, at Castaways Tackle in Point Pleasant told him that a few others had been caught on metal. Jay Russell fished Spring Lake in the afternoon, and released five bass from 20 to 22 inches on an SP Minnow before they shut down completely as it got dark. Betty & Nick's in Seaside Park had a water temperature there of 46 degrees,which is fine for stripers at this time of year. There were no boat reports today, probably due to the weather forecast, but some boats will try to get out over the weekend. Capt. Stan Zagleski, of Elaine B II at Highlands, reported good blackfishing Thursday on two drops as there was just enough wind to keep the anchor tight. Some limits were boated, and Todd Kitaguchi of Ft. Lee took the pool with a 6 1/2-pound tog.