<b>Staten Island</b>

Winter flounder fishing was a pick through the past week, but most anglers aboard went home happy about the catch, said Capt. Anthony from <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>. But Sunday was terrible for no apparent reason. Trips fished the back of the bay, but Anthony thinks the fish might’ve started to move out on the migration toward the ocean. Waters warmed a little or 2 to 3 degrees through the week. Striped bass were sometimes mixed in with the flounder catches. Open-boat trips run daily for flounder when no charter is booked, and the schedule did fill last year, so book now. For availability, see the Captain’s Log on the boat’s Web site. Striped bass fishing for the big migrators will kick off in May on charters and open trips. Barbara Anne then features open trips for stripers that sail around the evenings, based on the tide.

<b>Bayonne</b>

Many anglers clobbered striped bass, including lots of keepers, from Bayonne Park on the Hudson River, and that was the best fishing around, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. They kept buying worms for bait. A friend on Saturday angled up 10 stripers, mostly 23- to 24-inchers, but some 27-inchers, near the Tappan Zee Bridge. Another friend found slow flounder fishing on the Navesink River on Friday. A customer said two friends looted 13 or 14 keeper flounder at the Keyport Flats. Charters with True World will begin this weekend, fishing for stripers and flounder.

<b>Laurence Harbor</b>

Fishing for winter flounder was slow on the bay on a trip Saturday, and everybody seemed to struggle, said Capt. Kyle from <b>Evening Tide Charters</b>. Three keepers were decked, and a couple of shorts were released. The charter jumped around to different spots in the back of the bay, and most of the fish were hooked between Keyport and Keansburg. The fishing was best off the bat and then dropped off. Winds against the tide created tough conditions later in the day. A couple of rods were rigged for stripers with clam baits, and one of the clams scored a run-off, but otherwise only skates sucked them in. Small stripers seemed to hit on the troll or on rubber shads for other boaters. Waters were about 51 to 52 degrees. Evening Tide is sailing on charters and open-boat trips seven days a week.

<b>Keyport</b>

The bay’s striped bass fishing just kept getting better from the beach or boats, and besides clamming for the fish, trolling with Stretch plugs started to connect, said Chris from <b>Crabby’s Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. Tom Aloein trolled six keepers to 18 pounds at Reach Channel on Stretches. Chumming heavily with clam bellies and cracked clams was the trick for boating bass with bait, and that action was heating up. Customers reported good fishing that way for lots of 24- to 34-inchers, including a couple of 20-pounders. Joe Tommos from the shore at Cliffwood Beach landed two keepers to 17 pounds. Winter flounder fishing held up, and most boaters set up around the 11A can and the Ammo Pier. The free, annual Aberdeen Family Fishing Contest will be held 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 2, featuring great prizes. The shop can be called if anglers want more info. Besides saltwater fishing, the local lakes were stocked with trout, and the shop carries a full line of trout bait and tackle.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A bit of an improvement in winter flounder fishing, not much, was seen in the bay off Keansburg on Friday on the boat, after fishing for the flatties on the river was no good earlier in the day on the vessel, Capt. Tom from the <b>Atlantic Star</b> said. Somewhat of an improvement was also located there on Saturday morning’s trip, and a few of the bottom huggers were coolered there on the afternoon trip. On Sunday morning’s and afternoon’s trips, Tom decided not to bother traveling to Keansburg, and the vessel instead bounced around to different spots off the Navy Pier. The catch was about the same as at Keansburg, and two or three fish would be bagged at one place, two or three at another, and so on. A few quality-sized flounder were bucketed on the trips in the past days. Some of the flatfish on the trips inhaled worms, and others waffled clams, and both are supplied for bait. The Atlantic Star is fishing for winter flounder on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The first keeper striped bass of the season, a 31-inch 15-pounder, was boated Sunday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, after the vessel’s first trip of the season started sailing for the fish Saturday, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. The striper now leads the season-long pool for the vessel’s biggest bass. “Trust me,” he said after writing about the keeper, “it was all downhill from there!” The boat made a few drops in the ocean, and fishing was no good. Ron ran to the back of the bay, and bait was found, but nothing chased it. Saturday’s trip wasn’t a good start. Three shorts were released on the ocean, and then the boat ran to the back of the bay. Loads of baitfish were read, and some marks were good enough to anchor on, but only a few small bass were leadered. The tide created terrible conditions that swung the lines to the bow. One angler managed to land four shorts “and at least show us there were some fish around,” Ron said. Today and tomorrow looked like terrible weather.  The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, and trips for stripers will also run 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays starting this week.

<b>Highlands</b>

Was an up-and-down week for winter flounder fishing, and catches were only fair during the best times, said Capt. Bob from <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Adventures</b> in an e-mail. The Schuff family charter enjoyed pulling up the mudbacks, and 8-year-old Christoper Schuff caught his first-ever on the trip. The Clark charter, with Chris Clark celebrating his 35th birthday on the trip, also landed the flatties. But the Thomas charter got none of the fish to bite, despite covering all the grounds and chumming up a storm. But two afternoon striped bass charters with the Jenkins crew and the Nino family plundered a mess of shorts 16 to 20 inches but also quality keepers to 31 inches while fishing clams. Trips for the spring migration of stripers are being booked, and prime dates remain for either full-day or afternoon/evening outings. 

Twenty-nine striped bass including four keepers to 30 inches and two winter flounder were shellacked on a trip Friday with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> at Reach Channel on clams, Capt. Derek said. So the catch was solid, but the fishing fell apart for nearly everyone on Sunday for no apparent reason. A trip with Fisher Price that day reeled up 15 shorts and no keepers while fishing clams all over the bay in an effort to find the fish. Trollers were the only anglers who connected better with stripers that day, so maybe trolling is the way to go. Charters will keep chasing stripers and flounder, and Derek is offering as many open-boat trips as possible for the fish. He’ll try to run open trips this Friday and Saturday. The boat is also available for bottom fishing.

The big boat will be launched on the weekend, ready to charter for striped bass and winter flounder, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>. But he fished a little on the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers for good catches of striped bass on plugs and swim baits. A friend who fished on the bay with clams stuck 20 stripers including two keepers on Saturday and hooked 30 stripers and no keepers on Friday.

<b>Neptune</b>

A fair pick of blackfish was beaten on an individual-reservation trip Saturday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. In a phone call he said one angler on the trip, Last Lady’s first trip of the season, limited out, and the fishing was slow for all boats. But his anglers put about 15 keepers and a couple of sea bass on deck. A few spaces remain on individual-reservation blackfish trips Saturday, Sunday and next week on Thursday, the final day of the tog season. Afterward individual-res trips will sail for striped bass.

<b>Belmar</b>

Bottom-fishing trips, the first charters of the year on the <b>Nan Sea J</b>, broke the inlet on Friday and Saturday, and fishing was mostly slow, but picks of ling, blackfish and cod came up from 100 feet, Capt. Tom said. Lots of ocean pout were around. Waters were 45 to 50 degrees on Saturday afternoon. The boat will now undergo scheduled maintenance, and charters will resume during the first weekend of May. Tom hopes striped bass will start to be found in the ocean by then, and the season’s first striper trips will clam for the linesiders at the clam beds in the ocean off Sandy Hook. Bottom-fishing will also continue in May, and some charters are interested in bottom-bouncing for sea bass.

Shark River’s winter flounder fishing sometimes produced and other times didn’t, but anglers rarely got a break from the weather, hardly gave the angling a shot, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. The angling sounded tough, but weather seemed the problem, and sometimes customers caught. Friday and Saturday were calm, but Sunday was windy, and now two or three days of storms were rolling in. Still, Ed Klump bagged six flounder on the river on one of the shop’s rental boats. Striped bass were starting to show up in the surf in places where none were beached before, and striper anglers no longer had to focus on Raritan Bay to hook up. Bob expects a big influx of striper anglers to begin going. Things were moving along, and the season was early. But signs of the spring migration, like herring that were appearing at Forge Pond, were under way. White perch were also creeled at Forge Pond. Boaters were also starting to splash vessels for the season. When the migration of stripers and blues really kicks in, more anglers will fish, even in bad weather. Belmar’s party boat anglers cleaned up on blackfish when the vessels could sail. Plenty of the tog, fish to 10 pounds, cooperated. Many customers focused on freshwater fishing, especially for trout at places like Spring Lake, because of the weather. All the baits are stocked, and the rental boats are available to fish the river.

<b>Brielle</b>

Winter flounder anglers in the past days hung the fish on the Manasquan River, instead of on northern Barnegat Bay, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Some could probably still be caught on the bay, but apparently the fish began to migrate. Striped bass were played on the river near the hospital on lures like rubber shads, Storms or Tsunami’s. If anglers dunked bait for them, nobody mentioned that. Stripers were banked from the surf at Bradley Beach the other day, according to one angler. Scott Pullen, owner of Lex Lures, weighed in a 16-pound striper he tackled from the shore of Raritan Bay. Wreck-fishing seemed to become slow. A couple of customers tried the wrecks for blackfish and said the catch was no good. But the fishing before wasn’t bad. One customer then limited out on the tog and bagged three cod and some big ling. The <a href=" http://www.ssfff.net/fundraiser.html" target="_blank">Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund</a>, spearheading the movement to prevent the summer flounder or fluke season from closing and from harsh bag limits that are essentially a closure, very much needs the continued support of anglers. See the fund’s Web site for details and how the fund is attempting to solve the crisis.

Anglers aboard with <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> won second and third places in Saturday’s Jersey Coast Shark Anglers winter flounder tournament with a couple of fish more than 2 pounds apiece, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. One of the fish got bumped out of first by a tenth of a pound in the final minutes. “Ouch!” he said. The group fished on the Manasquan River, where the fishing was better lately than on nearby Barnegat Bay, where Fish Monger previously concentrated. They got a good pick going, until it ended on slack tide after outgoing. They wrestled in 21 sizeable keepers and four shorts.  “Lots of fun,” Jerry said. On Sunday a group on deck sailed for blackfish. The catch was picky or slow, but more life started being seen inshore. Eight keeper blacks, some shorts, a couple of keeper cod and some sea bass were nabbed at the first drop in 60 feet to the north. Two more stops in the same area produced only a couple of bites. A move was made to 85 feet for a good flurry of action with a few keepers and a bunch of shorts. When that dropped off, the boat motored to 100 feet, but only a couple of ling were lifted in. In the end the anglers bagged 15 of the tog, two cod, a couple of sea bass and some ling, and the high hook dusted up seven keeper tog, keeping no more than his limit.  They worked hard, and all the fish were clubbed on clams and shrimp, no crabs. The previous trip also scored on soft baits, not crabs. Last week Jerry said that just a few dates remained for charters or open-boat trips in April for flounder and blackfish. Fewer might be left now. Also a good idea to reserve dates in May for trips that will chase flounder, bottom fish and striped bass. Annual fluke trips that are BYOB—bring your own bucktail—will get going when the summer flounder season opens May 23. Again, reserve now, and even dates in July and August were going fast. Check Fish Monger’s Web site for the latest schedule, and see the site to join Fish Monger’s newsletter to be kept informed of the slate.

The <b>Katie H</b> was moved to Hoffman’s Marina in Brielle on Saturday, after being kept in the Highlands during winter, and charters are ready to sail, Capt. Mike said. The crew bottom-fished on the way, and catches seemed slow for everybody, but a couple of ling and a couple of blackfish were pumped in from 80 feet. The ocean was beautiful and perfect for fishing, and the reasons for the slow angling were unknown. Waters were 49 degrees. Bottom-fishing is available on charters, and the crew is anxious for striped bass charters to begin, when the fish show up in the ocean. The season’s first striper charters usually kick off in mid May in the ocean, depending on water temps. Mike hopes the first trips are able to snag bunker from schools and liveline them for stripers, a great way to fish, usually how the action starts. In June the boat will shark fish, especially in the tournaments, and lower fuel prices this season will be helpful on the blue-water trips. Tuna fishing, a specialty on the boat, usually launches in early July, trolling for the fish, until chunking becomes effective later in summer. Both charters and make-up trips will be available for tuna. Don’t have enough anglers for a full charter? Call Mike, and he should be able to put you together with other anglers on a make-up trip. Hoffman’s did lots of improvements at the marina, including new docks, and charters should enjoy the facilities. All the amenities are also available, including fuel, bait and tackle, convenient for the crew.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

The <b>Gambler</b> stayed docked last week for maintenance, but trips will probably resume Friday, running through the weekend, Capt. Bob said. The boat is sailing to the wrecks 25 to 50 miles offshore for cod, pollock and ling from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Patrons pulled in a decent catch the last time the boat got out.

With <b>Reel Class Charters</b> the George Push crew on Saturday fished for winter flounder, sailing the Manasquan River all day, Capt. Allen said. A decent bite, a pick but with catches, went down in the morning during outgoing tide with west winds, favorable conditions, off Clark’s Landing. The trip bounced around the river during slack tide, but no fish turned up. The charter returned to the original spot off Clark’s after slack, and some more of the fish were nabbed. The anglers ended up with about 16 keepers to Dave Eichen’s 3.1-pounder. On Sunday Matt Spano’s charter also chased flounder on the river. At first winds blew against the tide, and the boat swung all over, but the anglers picked away a little, landed a few flatbacks. Then they moved upstream to Crystal Point Yacht Club on the river, but no fish cooperated. Next the gang fished between Route 35 and Clark’s Landing, picking away at some more. They totaled about a dozen keepers to 2 pounds for the day. Shorts were also caught and released on both trips, and slack tides produced no hits, and only moving tides did. Waters ranged 46 to 51 degrees. Both charters and open-boat trips are going after the flatfish, and few spaces remain on open trips, but some are left on April 28 or next week on Tuesday. Act fast. After flounder migrate away, trips will begin sailing for striped bass and blues on the ocean. Allen hopes the fish will migrate to the area by the first week of May, but anglers will see. Waters are cold and need to warm.

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> did exploratory fishing at the mid-range wrecks, plugging away at cod and other fish, Capt. Fred said. The crew had been trying to run open-boat, extreme bottom-fishing trips offshore like they annually do in the early season. The trips deep-drop for tilefish at the canyons and fish wrecks closer to shore on the way home for cod, sea bass and other fish, a rare opportunity for this type of fishing. But the weather kept closing in, including the storm that started today and was forecast to last a while, and Andrea’s Toy is slated to begin striped bass fishing from the Highlands in May, so that’ll probably nix the extreme bottom fishing this year. That’s how it goes, but Capt. Carlos from Andrea’s Toy said in an e-mail that he’s running two open-boat trips for blackfish, cod and sea bass to the southern wrecks 20 to 40 miles from shore Saturday and Sunday, and space is available. The fare on the trips, sailing for 10 to 12 hours at 6:30 a.m., is only $150, including everything: bait, tackle and tip for the mate. A bargain! Fresh clams and live green crabs will be supplied. If interested, call Capt. Carlos at (908) 719-9677 or e-mail him at carlosbastos7@aol.com.

<b>Toms River</b>

On the Toms River at Island Heights anglers rounded up striped bass and winter flounder, mostly stripers, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Most of the stripers were shorts, and Dennis thought he remembered that one keeper, a 29-incher, was reported caught during the weekend. Anglers who fished bigger hooks and larger worms landed more stripers. Boaters farther up the river at Beechwood also knocked down stripers, and netters on the river found stripers in their catch, releasing them. Bigger stripers were plucked from Barnegat Bay at the Rouge 37 Bridge on Rapala X-Raps, a popular choice, Mambo minnows, other small lures or soft-plastic baits. Winter flounder fishing was picky on the bay during the weekend, like around the 40 and BB markers. Trips might’ve bagged four or five, and nobody bailed them. The flattie fishing also seemed picky on the northern bay around the Mantoloking Bridge, and no customers talked about making the move from the Manto to the Manasquan River, but it was probably time. Surf casters dragged in occasional short stripers and keepers, but no bass were weighed in yet. Waters were 46 degrees, a good temp for stripers to begin chewing. South Jersey surf sharpies tackled healthy numbers already. No bluefish turned up, and last year’s first blues migrated to the bay during the last week of April. But the fish might be late this year, because waters were cold. Mid May was historically the beginning of the bluefish run, but Dennis guessed that this year they’d show up at the beginning of May, because of how fishing seemed to be unfolding. Sandworms, bloodworms and all the worms are stocked, and so are fresh clams. Fresh bunker will start to be stocked by the weekend.

<b>Seaside</b>

Grumpy from <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b> in the shop’s Web site report kept saying that once anglers started fishing the surf, reports about catches would start rolling in, and they did, the report said this weekend. Sharpies started hitting the suds on Friday in the break in the weather, and short bass were sometimes clammed. Waters were cold this spring, so small baits, like half a clam, on small hooks, like a 4/0, worked well. Just change the clam more often than a whole one. Shorts were also reported beached during Saturday’s continued stretch of calm, and several keepers were even weighed in: a 7.6-pounder, a 7.4-pounder and a 7-pounder, all mugged on Grumpy clams. Fewer anglers fished on Sunday, but shorts were still socked, and keepers were still weighed in: a 10-pounder, an 8.4-pounder and a 7.8-pounder, all collected on Grumpy clams. Fresh clams and fresh bunker were stocked Sunday. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.   

<b>Forked River</b>

“Bluefish are here!” said Jana from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. Eric Kabski nailed three blues Saturday at Oyster Creek. Most winter flounder anglers returned with one or two fish if that, but Dr. Swain and son Allen pummeled 11 of the flatties.

<b>Barnegat</b>

Although the boat usually gets launched for the season by Good Friday, Capt. John from <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> is shooting to splash next week, he said. Not much was happening with fishing yet, because of the weather, and the weather kept delaying prep work on the vessel anyway. One day would be calm and clear, and then another storm would tumble through. A few winter flounder were snatched from Barnegat Bay, and even though winds were calm and skies were clear Friday and Saturday, the flattie fishing seemed difficult. Now the weather was supposed to be brutal. Trips on the boat will take off when bluefish storm the bay. Then other fishing also heats up, including for striped bass and weakfish. Stripers at first will be smaller bass waking up to feed in the bay after the cold waters, and the weakfish will be the big tiderunners that enter the bay to spawn a few weeks. The blues will be trolled on lures like ponytails or will be fought on soft-plastic lures or popping plugs. The stripers will be clammed, and the weakfish will be drilled on the trolled pony tails or the cast soft plastics. Eventually big stripers will slam the ocean along the coast, but that doesn’t happen until later in spring. The local linesider fishing was great in recent years, though. But no bluefish migration seemed to begin so far, and they could appear any time, but with the weather, the run could be delayed a couple of weeks. But it’ll happen, and suddenly spring fishing will bust wide open. The big push of blues is said to follow the migration of mackerel, and John heard that mackerel were found off Maryland. When macks are reported schooling off Delaware and Cape May, blues usually arrive two weeks later near Barnegat. When blues hit the Great Bay area, they usually pour into waters around Barnegat within two or three days.  Perfect Drift also does lots of fluke fishing when the season opens May 23.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

A little showing of striped bass, no blitzes, popped up around Pebble Beach and Graveling Point through the weekend, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Keepers were rare, but a 32-1/2-inch keeper was supposedly banked Saturday night. Multiple reports were heard Saturday about 9- to 14-inch stripers cranked in. Water temps rebounded to 50 degrees by Friday, after the temps plummeted to 47 degrees from the previous 57 degrees because of last week’s weather. That put a damper on catches through at least mid week, maybe longer. But the fishing was expected to start perking back up when the temperatures rose, and the fishing did. Some kingfish also appeared at Pebble, and if kings arrived, bluefish couldn’t be far behind. If anglers feel taps on striper rigs but fail to hook fish, they should switch to smaller hooks and smaller pieces of bloodworms to try for kings. Word said a 30-pound drumfish and a 10-pounder were tackled at Pebble on Sunday morning. A few drum were landed so far this season, after a slow season for drum last spring in the area. Mackerel traditionally migrated north along the coast this past weekend in past years, and anglers would catch a season’s worth of the bait to freeze. “Those were the days,” the report said. Fresh clams became unavailable after last week’s weather, and with the current storm, none are expected before Wednesday. But back-up arrangements were already made for this coming weekend. Frozen clams also ran out, and salted clams were all that remained. Live grass shrimp and minnows are on hand, after being re-stocked after keeping them was difficult in the rains and the cold. The bloodworm supply was running low but was expected to be refilled by now.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Here’s the first confirmed weakfish catch of the season: A 6-1/2-pound, 28-incher was weighed in, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. That was the first he saw or heard about this season. “If there’s one, there’s got to be more,” he said. Tina Eickmeyer nailed the trout on a bloodworm off the T-jetty. Striped bass were sometimes reeled up along the surf or inlet, and lots of small ones were hooked at the T-jetty on Sunday. Toss clams or bloodoworms for a hook-up. Tog could be clobbered along the rocks like in front of the T-jetty, the Flagship or Captain Stearns. Try green crabs or clams to get a chomp. Noel heard about no bluefish arriving yet. All the baits mentioned and more are stocked.

<b>Longport</b>

Togging was fair to middling on daily, open-boat trips for the blackfish Friday through Sunday on the <b>Stray Cat</b> at the reefs, Capt. Mike said. He gave it a 6 ½ on a scale of 1 to 10, but sometimes the bite was better, like on one of the trips when anglers limited out, and a 9-pound slippery was the pool fish. The bigger fish ate crabs, and the smaller ones mouthed soft baits, and cooked shrimp worked fabulous. A few sea bass were mixed in. Open trips are running for blackfish 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and get them before the season closes on May 1. Call to reserve. The season’s final tog trip, on the last day of the month or next week on Thursday, will leave an hour early for extra time at the fishing. The season closes too early, and waters are too cold for the action to peak, but the blacks are there. After tog season, daily, open trips will get after sea bass or anything else available, like blues. But more and more sea bass should pile onto the reefs as they migrate inshore.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The first summer flounder of the season was jigged on the back bay Thursday with Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, he said. The out-of-season fish was released and was the first confirmed catch of one this season on this site, although several were reported caught second-hand. Joe and his brother Steve Hughes returned to the bay Saturday, jigging and releasing a dozen of the fluke. The 3/8-ounce jigs were tipped with Gulp Shrimp and Bass Assassins and were swum across the current slowly, bounced along the bottom. The hit was subtle, and the anglers had to hesitate before striking, or the flatties would only hold on to the end of the soft plastics. The fish were sizeable, and most seemed to be keepers, and none was measured, because Joe and his brother wanted to release them quickly. Bigger fish tend to hit jigs, too. The shallow, relatively warm bay is always one of the first places to put out summer flounder in Jersey. The late opening of the season on May 23 in recent years is imperfect timing, because the early season is best for the fishing.  Bluefish could invade the bay any day, and last year they stormed the waters this week. The bay this year is a few degrees colder, about 53 to 54 degrees. When the blues turn on, Joe’s charters have a blast pummeling them with soft plastics like Bass Assassins on 3/8-ounce jigheads or flies. Joe did no striped bass fishing since the fluke fishing, although he was thinking about striper fishing on Delaware Bay on Sunday, until the weather got windy. But Joe whacked two stripers on a short, 15-minute trip Thursday evening on the back bay behind Sea Isle on Clouser flies, covered in the last report. They were his first bass of the season that smacked flies, and one was a 27-incher that attacked on the third cast, and the other was a 23-incher that hit on the seventh cast, and the fishing was on! His charters previously caught his first bass of the season on a clam and on a soft-plastic lure on the back bay. But the catches on flies seemed to mean waters finally warmed enough for the linesiders to get active, later in the year than usual in this year’s cold spring with rough weather. Joe will chase after the bass again soon, though the storm forecast for the next days will probably delay trips. Jersey Cape is now offering after-work special trips on the back bay from 4 p.m. to dark, a great time to fish, when nobody else is on the waters, and action can be the best. Convenient, too. Joe this season is also offering striper and drumfish charters on Delaware Bay on a 26-foot Regulator. His back-bay charters fish on his flats boat. Looking ahead, offshore charters will be on the menu in the coming months that will troll for tuna in the mornings and pitch live or dead baits or flies to mahi mahi later in the day.

<b>Cape May</b>

The first charters of the season sailed on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, chasing striped bass on Delaware Bay on Saturday and Sunday, but the fishing turned slow those days, and few were caught by anyone, Capt. George said. Sharks were about the only fish that bit, and a slew of 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 Heavy Hitter runs a heavy schedule of drum charters. The bay during the trips this weekend was as warm as 59 degrees on incoming tide and as cool as 54 degrees on outgoing, and waters were dirty tight to shore but were clear farther out.

Striped bass boiled around the boat most of the day Saturday on Delaware 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 on the bay. Charters and open-boat trips are sailing. Besides the comfort of Schmedley’s 37-foot Topaz, trips on a 19-foot center console are available for the first time this year. That vessel offers personalized trips for one or two anglers. Later in the season the center console will mostly feature trips on the back bay for stripers, blues, flounder, weakfish and tog. But currently Delaware Bay’s fishing is probably the best option on either vessel.

Fishing for striped bass became tougher on Delaware 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, but the anglers were diehards who wanted to fish. Dirty waters in the 6- to 15-foot depths that the boat fished on the trips also didn’t help. Although the fishing slowed, Tom believes that more stripers will migrate to the bay after the current 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 on the bay. Some small drum were caught in the past days, and he marked fish that could’ve been drum in deep waters. Both charters and shared charters are available. Fishin’ Fever is also up for bottom fishing for tog and sea bass. Tog season ends on May 1, but a friend limited out on the fish in an hour. Another friend belted 10 to 12 keeper sea bass in only 50 feet. Tom guessed that some of his deeper drops could be loaded with the fish migrating from offshore.

The first trip of the season chased down striped bass on Delaware Bay on Saturday, after the boat was launched last week, but fishing was slow, said Capt. Rob from <b>First Cast Sport Fishing</b>. One keeper managed to be boxed, but the charter, the Chris Lutz crew from Blackwood, had to look all over the bay, as far away 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.

The boat was splashed, and trips fished for striped bass on Delaware Bay on 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. Some choice dates remain for drum charters in May, and reserve them while available.

Boaters on Delaware Bay 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.

Back to Top