<b>Brooklawn</b>

Striped bass fishing was on fire on the Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b> in Brooklawn. Just get to the river, he said, because bass were walloped all weekend long on the river at the Commodore Barry Bridge, the flats at National Park, the mouth of the Schuylkill River and Camden’s concrete pier. Bloodworms bounced along the bottom were the main bait, and morning shifts put up 6 to 18  fish from 30 to 47 inches for some anglers. Largemouth bass started to get active on the Big D, especially where creeks flowed into the river, like at Woodbury Creek, Mantua Creek and Big Timber Creek. Crank baits and Sweet Beaver lures got strikes.

<b>Pennsville</b>

More striped bass than before appeared along the Pennsville stretch of the Delaware River, said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b> in town. Lots of 28- to 34-inchers inhaled bunker chunks or bloodworms during late afternoons and evenings. Sunny days seemed to out-produce overcast ones.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Anglers pummeled striped bass during the storm and rough weather last week, but the fishing somewhat slowed when the weather cleared by the end of the week, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. The netter saw lots of stripers rolling on the surface in the shallows once the weather calmed, but the fish mostly refused to bite a bait or a lure. Whether they were spawning and therefore not feeding or were eating some kind of bait or doing something else couldn’t be known.  When the fish bit, the favorite baits were clams, bunker or bloodworms. Surf anglers tended to fish bloodworms, but seemed no reason boaters couldn’t score on bloods. Surf catches were supposedly hopping at Fortescue during the rough weather. A few drumfish, small ones 20 or 30 pounds, began to get boated around Bug Light and the Punk Grounds. An occasional drum reportedly got yanked from the surf, like at Kimball’s Beach in Cape May County. The netter sometimes found tiderunner weakfish, big trout that enter the bay a few weeks to spawn in spring, in the catch. A 10-pounder showed up one day, and six that were smaller but tiderunners appeared the next. Old timers traditionally hunted the trophy weaks in early spring. But the fish refuse to clamp down on a hook until waters warm enough. Fresh clams are stocked when available, though relentless storms often made the supply tight for everyone, with the clam boats getting weathered out. Fresh bunker is almost always on hand, and bloodworms, minnows, frozen baits and practically all the usual baits are in supply. The Girls Place is located on Route 47 just after Route 55 ends, and it’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. There’s a large parking lot with plenty of room for trailered boats.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Schools of striped bass poured into the bay in the past weeks, but the fishing dropped off in the past days, and the schools seemed to disappear, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>. Anglers on the Delaware River pelted them, so maybe all the fish swam up the river to spawn.  Or maybe the bite will turn back on in the bay. Catches used to last through early May. Ralph ran two trips, one that fished at the 32 and 34 markers and around the Elbow Light, and another that sailed to the southern bay, but no stripers turned up. He also worked on another boat, and birds were seen feeding on bait on the waters, and the crew thought stripers were about to be creamed among the bait, but no bass bit. Boaters supposedly marked drumfish around Bug Light, and a few drum were caught so far this season. Ralph expects to begin drum charters on the first weekend of May. He’s been drumfishing on the bay for decades, is a pioneer of the angling, started fishing for them when nobody else did. Fishing for the boomers was great on trips last year, and anglers hoped for a repeat. A very economical rate on drum charters is offered on the Buccaneer, and see the boat’s ad or call Ralph for details.

Striped bass fishing slowed after the mid-week storm, but Fortescue surf casters beached their fair share from Thursday through Sunday, mostly on clams or bloodworms, but sometimes on bunker, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Tons of bunker had schooled the bay a month ago, but fewer were around now. A few small drumfish were banked along the Fortescue suds on clams, and white perch were sometimes reeled up on bloodworms from along the jetty where Fortescue Creek meets the bay. Boaters had been drilling stripers and occasional, bigger drum around Egg Island Point. All in all, customers kept nailing the linesiders, and things looked good. Dave heard that netters began to find tiderunner weakfish in their catch. Fresh clams are stocked, but call ahead, because they go quickly. Fresh bunker, bloodworms and all the frozen baits are also carried. The shop is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. The doors will be open seven days a week when more boaters start fishing, maybe in a week.

<b>Cape May</b>

On the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> anglers chased striped bass on the bay Saturday and Sunday, but the fishing was slow, and few were caught by anyone, Capt. George said. Sharks were about the only fish that bit, and stripers were marked at one area, but none grabbed a bait. Gannets flew around at another spot, never hit the waters, but were looking. But only sharks ran off with baits there, too. A bunch of drumfish were marked at a couple of places, and maybe that was a good sign. Last year piles of drum were marked at first during the season but refused baits, except a few that were hauled in. Then all mayhem broke loose, and drum fishing became great. Either cold waters or the spawn seemed to keep them from feeding in the beginning. An occasional small drum was landed during the weekend.  The bay during the trips was 54 degrees on outgoing tide and 59 on incoming, and waters were dirty close to shore but clear farther out.

Striped bass boiled around the boat most of the day Saturday on the bay with <b>Schmedley Charters</b>, but catching them was tough, Capt. Joe said in an e-mail. They mostly refused to bite, were full or something. Two shorts were landed, and two or three got off next to the boat. The trip fished the upper bay in 6 to 10 feet, and that area was full of the fish, but they weren’t feeding. On a better note, the full moon in May is about two weeks away, so drumfishing should turn on soon.

Fishing for striped bass became tougher on the bay on trips Friday to Sunday, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>. Four keepers to 35 inches and one short were pelted on plugs and storm shads on a trip Friday. The lures were fished because the bass were seen rolling on the surface, eating some kind of bait. The bait couldn’t be seen, so it seemed to be something small like shrimp or krill. On a trip Saturday morning four keepers to 32 inches and one short were clammed, and on two trips Saturday afternoon and Sunday, one short and some bites were scored on clams. Winds 30 to 35 knots didn’t help Sunday, and dirty waters in the 6- to 15-foot depths that the boat fished during the trips also didn’t help. Although the fishing slowed, Tom believes that more stripers will migrate to the bay after this week’s storm and around the new moon at the end of the week. Stripers recently landed on the boat were fresh from the ocean with sea lice on them. He also believes the new moon could turn on drum fishing big-time. Some small drum were caught in the past days, and he marked fish that could’ve been drum in deep waters.

A trip Saturday chased down striped bass on the bay, but fishing was difficult, said Capt. Rob from <b>First Cast Sport Fishing</b>. One keeper managed to be boxed, but the charter had to look all over the bay, as far north as Fortescue. Lots of sharks were around. Mostly clams were the bait, but stripers were seen along the surface in the morning, and lures were pitched to them, but the fish refused them. Maybe they were spawning, Rob guessed. He heard about a couple of drum belted on the bay, and he marked lots. Last year a load of drum were also marked on the bay that refused to feed in the early season. Anglers then hoped the large amount of marks meant that fishing would go nuts when the boomers decided to eat, and it did! Drum fishing turned out awesome.

Trips fished for striped bass on the bay Saturday and Sunday, but none of the fish would bite, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. The bass were up on the flats, probably spawning. The weather was beautiful Saturday but became rough in northeast winds Sunday, and a trip returned early that day. The few drum, small ones, that began to be caught on the bay seemed a good sign.

The bay’s boaters sometimes clammed decent striped bass catches toward the end of the week in the shallows off Bidwell Creek, but by Saturday the bite seemed to drop off, maybe because of boat traffic, said Jim from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Bob Cope fought 11 of the fish. Tim Tangherre bunker-chunked three stripers, the first linesiders this season that Jim heard were taken on bunker. He heard about no drumfish hauled from the bay in the last days. A few stripers were banked from the surf at Cape May Point. Fred Clark beached a keeper and a short that sucked in clams. Tog were willing to bite, including some for surf casters at Cape May Inlet. Frank Peretti knocked down a few, probably his limit. Tog that were weighed in so far included an 11-pounder and three that topped 9 pounds. Those fish were boated in the ocean. Fresh clams are stocked, and so are fresh bunker when available, but bunker were difficult to find, and the season was early. Bloodworms and green crabs are also carried.

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