There's been good bottom fishing offshore when conditions permit. Capt. Howard Bogan reported some limits of sea bass and porgies on Sunday's trip to far offshore wrecks with his Jamaica from Brielle. There was less current, and good fish readings out there where water temperatures remain fairly high at 55 to 56 degrees. The bite should improve as it cools, though fishing will only be possible this month due to the federal closure of sea bass fishing on Jan. 1. An exceptional 8-pound sea bass beat out a 6-pounder for the pool. A few 4-to-7-pound bluefish were also caught.  An added trip will sail at 11 p.m. Thursday to fish the next day -- to be followed by trips at the same time Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Call 732 528-5014 for reservations., The Jamaica II has been doing well on Mud Hole wreck trips with mostly big ling plus a few sea bass and cod. Jeffrey Huffman of Basking Ridge boated 43 ling, and Ray Gilbert of Baltimore hooked a 35-pound cod. Ed Winston from Penns Grove added a 22-pound angler (monkfish).  Those trips sail at 5 a.m. Wednesday and Sunday -- and 3 a.m. Saturday. Blackfishing at 7:30 a.m. on Monday and Friday is producing some limits up to 8 pounds. Jim's Tackle in Cape May reports some larger stripers are finally hitting in the rips. Marcie Brewster of Clementon boated a 29 3/4-pounder on an eel. An unusual 30-inch red drum was released in the cold Cape May surf by Hook La Coney Jr. of that town. Bob Matthews, at Fisherman's Den in Belmar Marina, said some larger bass were showing in the local surf before the storm, probably attracted by sea herring.He's been impressed with catches of blackfish up to 12 pounds being made on the party boats there. Capt. Russ Binns and David Buist ran Mar-Lin up from Toms River, and picked me up in Brielle, to look for birds working over stripers to the north. We were hoping the snow would hold off for awhile, or be only flurries, but by the time we got up between the channels it was coming down hard and wet -- creating a virtual white-out. Needless to say, there was no hope of spotting birds, and we hadn't seen anything but ducks on the way north. Fortunately, visibility improved somewhat on the way back  though there were still no signs of fish. We never saw another boat, or heard anyone on the radio.