<b>Staten Island</b>

The bay’s striped bass fishing remained about the same, no different than before,  and some of the fish, including decent-sized ones, could be found, said Capt. Anthony from <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>. Four of the linesiders, three of them weighing in the 20s and one of them probably in the low 30s, were bunker chunked on the boat Sunday. Bluefish became scarcer than before in the bay. Charters are sailing for stripers, and open-boat trips are running for the fish every Tuesday and Thursday afternoons to evenings. Space is available on the open trips this week. Barbara Anne is also running bottom-fishing trips that are catching sea bass. Bridge tolls are refunded with a receipt for the boat’s anglers.

A couple of striped bass trips sailed with <b>Outcast Charters</b> on weekday nights, probably Thursday and Friday, and the fishing was slow, Capt. Joe said. He thought one striper was bagged on Thursday, and none was on Friday. Blues were hooked, but even that fishing was a pick. Bunker chunks were used for bait, and daytime striper fishing seemed to become better than nighttime. The daytime wasn’t fantastic, but anglers could at least grind out a catch. But an extraordinary catch of sea bass was plundered on a bottom-fishing trip in the past days. The whole boat limited out on the knucklheads to 4 ½ pounds. Most of the fish weighed 1 ½ to 2 pounds, and some were 3 pounds. Clams were soaked for bait on both a drift and while anchored. Open-boat trips are sailing every Wednesday evening for striped bass, whether one angler or six show up. Call to reserve. 

<b>Bayonne</b>

On the East River three anglers aboard Saturday eeled for striped bass, but the fishing was slow, except during an hour on incoming tide off 25th Street, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. Then they tried fishing with the bait at Diamond Reef, but the angling was no good. Striped bass fishing seemed slow for everyone in the local area lately. Another trip was supposed to sail for stripers on the East River today. On Sunday anglers on a charter wanted to fish for fluke and sea bass, and the boat headed to the Shrewsbury Rocks in the ocean in fog. Skies cleared at 10 a.m., and sea bassing there was slow. Anglers on other boats, including party boats, apparently fluke fished in the area, because they drifted, but they seemed to catch little. Akira’s friend tried for sea bass at the Mud Buoy but found slow fishing, too. Then True World’s charter fished for fluke off Sandy Hook Point, but lots of small fluke and many sea robins were hooked. So the day was slow for some reason, even though the ocean was warm enough at 58 degrees. Akira was out of the shop in the past days and heard no news about fishing from the bulkhead at Hudson River Park. But small stripers and maybe blues could probably be caught there.

<b>Laurence Harbor</b>

One angler climbed aboard Friday, first clamming for striped bass at Romer Shoal, said Capt. Kyle from <b>Evening Tide Charters</b> in an e-mail. Nothing bit, and birds were seen working the waters between the channels, so the trip ran there to look for bass. Bluefish bit on a few drifts. The vessel was motored to Flynn’s Knoll, and a 27-inch striper was released, and more blues were fought. On Tuesday two anglers were on deck, first sailing toward Great Kills to catch bunker for striper bait. Birds were seen when the trip left Great Kills, and the anglers jigged 2- and 3-pound blues underneath them, keeping some of the fish. Then they set up at Old Orchard Light to bunker chunk for bass, and bigger blues hammered the baits. Afterward they ran to the West Bank, and big blues attacked their hooks again. Evening Tide is fishing daily on charters and open-boat trips, and contact Kyle to get on the open list.

<b>Keyport</b>

Six striped bass were clammed Saturday on the back of the bay with <b>April Ann Charters</b> with Jason Pregel, his dad and Fred Jaeger aboard, Capt. “Shamrock” Eddie Coleman said. The fish refused bunker, and the fishing produced for about an hour, until 20-knot winds blew against the tide, terrible conditions that prevented anchoring. Weather forecasts were wrong. Then the anglers fluke fished, rounding up one keeper and some shorts. Boaters from the marina returned with lots of big stripers this past week, and many big ones to 40 pounds were pummeled in the ocean at the Shrewsbury Rocks. Eddie is still fishing the bay for bass but will run out to the ocean soon. Boaters at the marina seemed to average four to eight keeper fluke per trip. Ed knew about none who hooked bluefish. April Ann is bottom fishing for sea bass today. <b>***Update, today:***</b> Ed and the boat’s mate Dave Owens bottom fished at Scotland today, bagging two dozen good-sized sea bass and 15 big ling on clams and cut bait. Four big winter flounder, out of season only since Friday, were released, and so were three short cod. A good bite held up on the last of incoming tide, slowing down on outgoing. Waters were probably 54 degrees, warmer than before. Charters are available for bottom fishing. Acres of bunker were seen off Sandy Hook Point, but no stripers were seen underneath them, and the trip was bottom fishing anyway.

Some great reports rumbled in from the fluke front, said Chris from <b>Crabby’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Lots of the flatfish carpeted the bay around the sail boats and the Keyport Flats, and most clamped down on chunks of bunker that anglers fished for striped bass and blues. Bob Brazicki and sons Andrew, 10, and R.J., 14, boxed fluke 6 pounds, 4 ½ pounds and 4 pounds. Steve Jason pulled a 7.4-pounder and a 6.9-pounder from the Keyport Flats that swallowed jumbo spearing. All the fluke baits and tackle, including a full line of C&C Fluke Rigs that are new at the shop this year, are fully stocked. Striped bass fishing was improving, as bigger ones sometimes moved onto the scene. Mike Pandori mongered two 26- and 16-pounders at Old Orchard Light on fresh bunker. Tommy Leivy with a party of four all limited out on stripers to 32 ½ pounds, including two 30-pounders, at the West Bank on bunker. Capt. Junior Santos stopped by with a six-person limit from a trip he ran. The fish included a monster 48-pounder and five bass that each topped 30 pounds. The fish sucked up cut fresh bunker in New York waters. Bluefishing was red hot all over the bay, non-stop action.

<b>Port Monmouth</b>

Nine keeper fluke and lots of shorts were smoked on Sandy Hook Bay on Sunday with the Pinky group with <b>Parksea Fishing Charters</b>, a great start to the flattie season, Capt. Justin said. A 22-incher that Tommy Wiz hung was the biggest, and six of the nine keepers topped 20 inches. The trip fished all over the bay from 7 feet to 37 feet, and lots of shorts swam the deeper waters, and a load of sea robins hit in the shallower. Spearing, killies and squid were fished on rigs, and strips of sea robin belly were fished on bucktails. Spearing seemed to work best on the rigs, and bucktails seemed to work a little better than rigs. Five of nine of the keepers pounced on bucktails. A striped bass trip and another fluke trip are the next outings on the boat.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke were boated  on the <b>Atlantic Star</b> on the bay on the opening day of the summer flounder season Saturday, Capt. Tom said. Quite a few were shorts, but some were keepers, and the start was better than last year’s. A 6-pound 2-ouncer and a 4-pound 8-ouncer were socked. Fewer keepers were boxed on Sunday’s trips, but shorts gave up action, and the fishing was generally like that: plenty of shorts with occasional keepers. Everybody at least caught. Waters were 62 to 63 degrees, and Tom hoped the fishing would improve when temps rose. The boat fished mostly at Sandy Hook Point and Bug Light, usual early-season spots, and the spearing and squid supplied on the vessel hooked the fish, and some anglers brought their own killies and connected. No advantage could be seen from the killies. But Tom always recommends bringing a small amount of the minnows. Sometimes killies can make a difference, like when there’s no drift, and the swimming action can help. The Atlantic Star is fluke fishing on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

After a tough weekend of striped bass fishing, both during the daytime and evening trips, the catch greatly improved today, said Capt. Ron from the <b>Fishermen</b> in an e-mail. Fish were on 3 minutes after the chum hit the waters. The fishing was hot at the end of incoming. Afterward moves were made, and fish were picked, until the action turned on again. “Pick was nice until (another captain) ran right across my stern hooked up,” Ron said. Nothing chewed afterward. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and on Magic Hour Trips 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays

<b>Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing busted wide open in the ocean Saturday and Sunday, after catches had been spotty in the previous days, said Capt.Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>. Big stripers 30 pounds and larger and tons of bait slammed the waters up and down the coast. If anglers wanted stripers, it was time, and he couldn’t stress that enough, he said. He was going after them today and on a couple of charters later in the week.  Jersey Devil specializes in targeting trophy stripers with live or chunked bunker and on the troll.

Catches of striped bass had been up and down but broke open in the ocean for big ones on Sunday, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. Trips for the fish on Friday and on Saturday morning were tough off the Rockaways, but a trip Saturday afternoon hooked the linesiders off the Rockaways. The fish were there even during the slow trips, but getting them to eat was the key. But on a trip down the ocean beaches on Sunday afternoon 21 stripers to 31 pounds, mostly 20- to 30-pounders, were sledge-hammered on live bunker, and a couple of bigger ones were lost. Big stripers and bunker swam the waters. Fisher Price will chase the bass along the ocean beaches so long as conditions are right or bunker can be located that attract the linesiders. Live and chunked bunker will be fished. Derek goes after stripers until mid July, and the beach-front fishing is the best of the year, the chance to tackle big, migrating, mature, breeder bass. Charters are sailing, and a couple of dates are available in June. Fisher Price will squeeze in open-boat trips for stripers whenever possible.

A surf-fishing trip with <b>Skylands Angler</b> fly-rodded two striped bass and two bluefish on Saturday at Sandy Hook, Bill Hoffman said. The stripers were 29 ½ inches and 18 inches, and the blues were about 16 inches, and stripers seemed to dominate the ocean side of the Hook, and blues seemed to swarm the bay side. Toad flies with rabbit-fur tails, Surf Candies and bunker flies were fished, and spearing appeared to be the most common baitfish, and bunker were only seen very sporadically. Strong winds made the fishing tough. If beginners want to learn saltwater fly fishing in the surf, this is the time. Or if experienced anglers just want the best chances to catch, this is it. But it won’t last long. Skylands Angler guides surf fly-fishing trips during the spring and fall migrations in the Sandy Hook area and farther south at Island Beach State Park. Skylands also guides freshwater fly trips for trout and nearly all the major species in New Jersey.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fishing for striped bass was “down” in the ocean in the past week, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Nan Sea J</b>. Trips fished for them toward Sandy Hook, and some were cranked in, but not the numbers like before. Jigging for blues stuck plenty of mostly 2- to 4-pounders, and a few 8- and 9-pounders, on a trip Friday but was slow on a trip Saturday.  A bottom-fishing trip this past week loaded up on sea bass to 3 pounds, lots of quality ones, and hefty ling to 3 ½ pounds, very good fishing.  Winter flounder, closed to fishing last Friday, and out-of-season blackfish also bit. Tom heard about no sharks battled on the ocean yet, but sharking, his favorite fishing, is about to begin. His annual open-boat shark trips that sail every Wednesday through July will kick off the boat’s shark season June 10. Some anglers already reserved spots, but some remain. The trips are a rare opportunity to fight the beasts on an open basis. Charters will also shark fish.

<b>Brielle</b>

Only a couple of fluke reports rolled in during the opening weekend of the flattie season, but they talked about good caches in the ocean from Deal to Long Branch, though lots of the fish were shorts, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. One boater nabbed 10 fluke, including two keepers, mostly off the Red Church. Few fished the Manasquan River for fluke in the holiday boat traffic and fog. A large selection of fluke jigs and rigs is carried at the shop. Striped bass swam around Manasquan Inlet, but a dredge prevented fishing for them at Dog Beach. Ocean striped bass fishing seemed hot and cold. On the Moon Dancer with owners Lud and Jen Bohler, Capt. Mike Petrole and mate Augie Lasso, a limit of bass including two 43- and 38-pounders was trolled on the ocean Saturday from late afternoon to early evening on Montauk bunker spoons. Earlier in the day a trip on the Wild Cat with owner Al Hilla and Capt. Matt Muzslay limited out on striped bass at the Shrewsbury Rocks on bunker spoons. They also loaded up on sea bass and two keeper cod at first during the day. Plenty of ling could be pumped up, even though the fishing was starting to taper off. Most bluefish disappeared from the Brielle area, and the first shot of blues seemed to come in and leave, but Dave heard about the speedsters wrestled at the Shrewsbury Rocks. Scattered reports were heard about stripers beached from the surf on bait, but not a lot of people appeared to fish the suds. No word came in about sharks boated so far, but Dave saw a shark that was probably a porbeagle that followed up a pollock on long-range wreck-fishing trip on the Gambler on Tuesday. Fishing was slow all week at the Point Pleasant Canal. The Reel Seat is now open seven days a week, kicking off the hours with Memorial Day weekend. The hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. 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.

“What a day!” said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> in an e-mail. A trip on Sunday that was supposed to sail for bottom fish and fluke ran into a school of large striped bass instead. The Al Durso family broke the inlet, headed up the beach to the bottom-fishing grounds, and stripers blew up in front of them. Two kids on the trip quickly hooked 25-pound-plus stripers. Three were landed, and twice as many were lost. The baitwell was full of bunker, so the crew asked Al if he wanted to keep striper fishing, and he did. The angling was crazy. Nadya, one of the anglers, slam-dunked a 44-pounder and a 30-pounder, her first-ever stripers, and a limit. The whole boat limited out, and the total weight of the fish was very heavy. Charters and open-boat trips are running that are livelining for stripers. Give the boat a buzz to jump on. Don’t miss out, Jerry said. The boat is also fluke fishing and bottom fishing.

Striped bass put out good action on the <b>Jamaica</b> on Sunday, an e-mail from the boat said. Several schools of the fish were found working the surface up and down the beachfront from Sea Girt to the Shrewsbury Rocks. All types of lures got strikes. One angler used an 8-ounce gold jig to snatch two large bass. Krocodile spoons pounded a few, and so did silver Ava 47 jigs. Garth Reeves from Mechanicsburg, Pa., won the pool with a 27-pounder, but Take Shi Ohara from Pennsylvania boated the biggest, a 32-1/2-pounder. Small blues were also jigged near the shore, and the high hook stuck eight. Nighttime bluefishing was good on the boat Friday, and some patrons limited out. The fishing was slower Saturday night, and the high hook drummed up 10. The Jamaica on Tuesday will begin sailing for striped bass and blues during the daytime daily and for blues every night. Visit the boat’s Web site for the full schedule and to join the e-mail list to be notified about special trips. Reservations are being booked for canyon tuna trips that begin in late August.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Fluke trips launched on the <b>Gambler</b> on Saturday, the opening day of the season, and the fishing wasn’t great, and the ocean was cold, only 48 degrees at the beginning of the day, Capt. Bob said. Some shorts and a couple of keepers were landed. On Sunday waters warmed 10 degrees, because north winds pushed down waters from the Hudson River. At first the boat ran north, fishing rough bottom in the shallows tight to shore. Not too many fluke bit there, but a couple of larger stripers were looted. Then the trip fished a lump 5 miles offshore, and patrons clubbed a better pick of fluke, not fast fishing, but some shorts and a few keepers. Bill Werking won the pool with a 2-1/2-pounder. The boat started fishing for blues at nighttime, running one of the trips Saturday, and bluefishing was slow, again a pick, but some were taken. Blues were out there, but waters probably needed to warm a degree or two. The Gambler is fishing for fluke on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and for bluefish 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. every Friday and Saturday.

<b>Toms River</b>

Trolling clocked big striped bass along the ocean front for boaters, and some snagged and dropped bunker for bait, and the fish chased bunker schools, said Frank from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Trollers dragged big Stretch plugs, deep-diving lures or bunker spoons, and lots more bass than blues swam the waters. Surf casters also beached striped bass that pounced popper plugs or swimming lures or swallowed clams or bunker chunks. Stripers were played on northern Barnegat Bay near the Mantoloking Bridge, but the southern bay near the shop turned out few catches of anything, apparently because of holiday boat traffic. Little was heard about fluke catches through the opening weekend of the fluke season, probably because of the traffic on the bay and because the ocean became frigid or in the 40s, down from the high 50s. Not much bit in the Toms River as the waters became warm for stripers, and snapper blues were yet to appear. Fresh clams are stocked, and fresh bunker is carried when available, although the supply dried up in the past days. All the fluke baits and more are on hand.

<b>Seaside</b>

Surf-caught striped bass, big ones, kept being weighed in, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site, and the list of the fish that hit the scale Sunday included 15 bass from 11.2  pounds to 45.5 pounds. Thirteen of the fish or all but two ranged in the 20s to 40s. Specifically, three were in the 40s, five were in the 30s, five were in the 20s and two weighed about 11 pounds.  A little over half of the fish or eight smacked popper plugs, and three swiped swimmer lures. Three sucked in Grumpy clams, and one inhaled bunker. The 45.5-pounder attacked a popper. Many anglers said they released lots of big stripers and only kept smaller ones. A burst of customers checked in fish in the early morning, and then there was a lull, and then a bunch brought in stripers from late afternoon to night, and the shop stayed open 45 minutes late to weigh in the pile of fish on the porch. Anglers can enter the shop’s monthly pool when weighing in a bass, and ask the shop for details. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.   

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Party until the cows come home, and then keep partying! said Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> in an e-mail. Anglers on the boat ransacked striped bass to the 40-pound class in the ocean by the end of the week. The week started with the biggest, most burley bluefish tearing up the back of Barnegat Bay on trips. But first the stripers. Jay Simmons and Ernie Rosenberg on a trip later in the week first tuned up by catching 2- to 4-pound blues on the bay on light spinning rods.  Then they hit the ocean. “Holy cow!” Steve said.  Jay quickly iced a 38-pounder. Then Ernie whaled a 40-pounder, taking the lead in Reel Fantasea’s season-long tournament. They landed two more 20-pounders, limiting out in less than 1 ½ hours. They decided to see what else they could catch instead of harming any caught and released stripers. They were rewarded for their good sportsmanship, Steve said, with a slam fest of 6- to 12-pound bluefish at Barnegat Inlet until their arms got worn out. “This should be a new aerobic activity,” Ernie reportedly said. “Reel Fantasea aerobics,” Steve said. “Catch fish till you drop! Come on Ernie, give me five more!” Earlier in the week John Donohue and sons Pat and Brandon on a trip first searched for bunker schools that could hold stripers in the ocean, looking to snag the menhaden and drop them back down for bait. But the baitfish were difficult to snag, mostly schooling in the middle to lower water column. They traveled back to the bay for a solid, non-stop bite of 6- to 12-pound blues until the tide ran out, when it was time to head back to the barn anyway.   

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> headed out for fluke on Barnegat Bay on the opening day of the season Saturday, but holiday boat traffic seemed to put the brakes on the fishing, because catches weren’t so good, Capt. John said. The fish seemed to get pushed up on the shallows where larger boats like the Perfect Drift couldn’t reach them. Lots of boats got Sea Towed that got stuck on the ground. The anglers on the trip also tried fishing for blues on the bay, trolling and casting popper lures. But the blues also seemed to get pushed up onto the bars, out of reach. Some boaters trolled a few striped bass in the ocean, but the weather was foggy, so John avoided the crowd of boats out there. But large stripers definitely swam the ocean lately, and boaters usually trolled them on bunker spoons and Stretch plugs. Bunker schooled the waters, and thresher sharks should even begin to slash through them soon. Perfect Drift will fish again Wednesday, after all the boat traffic disappears. Fluke fishing is a specialty, and the flattie fishing is best on the bay in the early season. But afterward many of the summer flounder will migrate to the ocean, and the boat will go after them there. For now, they’ll be targeted on the bay on charters, but trips will often mix up the action on the bay with bluefishing on the troll or while casting popper or soft-plastic lures. Big, tiderunner weakfish could sometimes smack the trolled or cast lures. Clamming for striped bass could also be done on the bay, but the run of big bass in the ocean sounded like it was on, and trips will certainly go after them.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Fishing was fair to good for quality-sized sea bass and some ling Saturday on the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b>, an e-mail from the boat said. Four places had to be fished to put a catch together, and the high hook totaled 13 big sea bass to more than 3 pounds. A couple of anglers bagged more than 10 keepers apiece. On Sunday’s trip a fair number of sea bass were sacked, and anglers had to pick through shorts, probably one keeper in seven fish. All different depths were fished, and all produced about the same. Some ling, a cod and a couple of out-of-season cod were also hooked. Jeff Salabritas from Marlton was high hook with 10 sea bass, and his son Jeff won the pool with a beautiful knucklehead a hair more than 3 ½ pounds, coolering eight other sea bass, too.  The Miss Beach Haven is bottom fishing on open trips 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Charters are on tap for any species available during weekdays. 

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Sea bass, great catches, were shoveled up Friday and Saturday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. On Friday the knotheads weighed up to 4 pounds, and some ling were lifted in to boot. Saturday’s sea bass weighed up to 3 pounds, and both trips fished in 80 feet and did have to work through dog sharks. Legal Limit is bottom fishing and is also flounder fishing, now that flounder season opened, though no flounder trips ran yet, and T.J. heard nothing about the flatties so far. His brother is actually running the Tuckerton trips at the moment, while T.J. is captaining Legal Limit’s other boat on drum trips from Cape May until drumming ends, and that boat returns to Tuckerton. The Cape May boat dusted up some great catches of drum lately, and see that report under that port below. Shared charters are running for sea bass, flounder or drum every Tuesday and Thursday when no full charters are booked.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The opening of flounder season on Saturday wasn’t great on the bay like expected, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Thirty of the fluke including a couple of keepers was a good catch. Maybe one person limited out. But a few anglers were happy. One weighed in a 6.8-pounder, and another came up with four keepers, including a 6-pounder and a 5.2-pounder. Boaters searching the ocean for striped bass battled water temps that plummeted to 47 degrees, difficult to believe it got that cold, and marked fish huddled on the bottom. But the bass refused to feed. Reports heard on the radio Sunday also talked about lots of short flounder and few keepers. Little was heard about stripers that day, not much time had passed to let waters warm. Minnows, a favorite flounder bait, ran out by Sunday but were re-stocked today.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Striped bass, good-sized ones, kept getting weighed in from the surf, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Clams, fresh bunker and bloodworms were the baits, and lots of bunker and some herring, large ones 1 ½ feet long, schooled from the T-jetty to Harrah’s. Healthy-sized flounder hugged the bottom of the surf and the bay, willing to suck up minnows, squid and spearing, and a few bluefish popped up here or there. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms and other baits are stocked.

<b>Longport</b>

Pretty good fishing for sea bass went down at the wrecks, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. Open-boat trips chased them daily, and anglers on the boat took a shot at flounder fishing on the back bay with little luck. Mike wasn’t impressed. The open trips will continue through Saturday, then charters will take over the schedule for summer. Get sea bass while possible, and a few open trips will probably run through summer, but under no set schedule at this point. Charters in the near future will hunt sharks and tuna on the inshore grounds. Claim preferred dates now before they’re gone.

<b>Somers Point</b>

Flounder season opened Saturday, and Bill Palmer and Bill and Peg Schwanda drilled a 7.78-pounder and three other keepers at Ships Channel, said T.C. from <b>Brennan Marine</b> in a fax. Bruce Gosser and gang fished for striped bass on the bay near Anchorage Point, pinning down several of the fish, including two keepers, on clams. Fred Kisby on the Special K mugged a 24-pound striper at Great Egg Harbor Inlet on clam. A couple of customers sailed for bluefish on the ocean. Bill Gentile and crew on the Loan Shark fought all the 10- to 12-pound blues they wanted at 28-Mile Wreck while fishing with mackerel and chumming. Chris Giuliani and group on the Angee 5 trolled a substantial number of 10- to 12-pound blues at the AC Ridge on Hoochies and Ponytails. Francis Mackley weighed in a 72-1/4-pound drum that inhaled clam in Delaware Bay during a trip on the Off Duty. The trip also produced six other drum more than 50 pounds apiece.

Flounder season opened with a bang, said a fax from Rob and Joan from <b>Dolfin Dock</b>. Dave Taylor yanked in a 5.85-pounder from Ships Channel that chomped a Gulp shrimp, and Mark Tretjen creeled a 4.86-pounder from Ships Channel that mouthed a minnow. Kevin Weber and sons Austin and Brandon also fished Ships Channel, and each son wrangled in a 2-1/4-pound flatback that gobbled a minnow. Paul Williamson picked up a 3-1/4-pound flattie from the bay off Kennedy Park while fishing a minnow with a Gulp. Monster bluefish swarmed around 28-Mile Wreck, and reports rolled in about small brown sharks holding there. But no mako or thresher sharks were reported seen so far.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Jim and David Judd on the opening day of flounder season on Saturday racked up 15 of the fish including two keepers to 3 pounds and some bluefish on a trip on the back bay, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Mackerel strips on bucktails and minnows on rigs with plain hooks were fished for the flounder, and bucktails will traditionally grab the bigger ones, and minnows will usually account for larger numbers. Some of the blues hit the baits meant for flounder, but some were also landed when the anglers threw soft-plastic lures on jigheads. Action was fairly steady, but meeting the 18-inch flounder limit was tough. On Sunday Pat and Patrick Farley, father and son, climbed aboard on the bay, and Patrick nailed a bay slam of a flounder, a blue and a striped bass, only a weakfish shy of a grand slam. The tides were right for getting away from holiday boat traffic, so they fished the flats in the back of the bay for stripers and blues. A 26-inch striper was caught and released, and a couple of more that Joe saw swiped at popper lures but failed to connect. Some blues also attacked poppers and jigs, and a flounder smacked a jig. That fish, and also the striper, were part of Patrick’s slam, and the whole slam was scored on artificials. The two anglers also briefly flounder fished but the tide wasn’t right, and winds built. Joe’s trips previously caught most flounder at the beginning of ebb tides. He’s interested to see how flounder fishing goes in better conditions after the holiday weekend. Catch-and-release flounder fishing was good before the season opened. Joe also liked what he saw lately with striper fishing on the bay, and he’ll probably start to focus more on that angling. Stripers hit popper lures and flies earlier in the season than usual, and fishing with the surface artificials is a specialty on the boat. Joe poles the shallows on his flats boat, like Florida fishing or fishing at tropical locales that anglers travel 1,000 miles to do. But it’s available right here in South Jersey. It’s also cool to fish in T-shirts for stripers, usually considered a cool-weather fish. Joe heard that local surf fishers beached striped bass and even occasional drum. His uncle and cousin sailed for drum on Delaware Bay, pounding out 15 of the fish to 70 or 75 pounds near the 16 buoy. Jersey Cape is 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 best. Convenient, too. Delaware Bay’s drum fishing is on tap with Joe on a 26-foot Regulator. His back-bay charters fish on his flats boat. When summer approaches, offshore trips will begin fishing for big game including tuna. Anglers should think about going tuna fishing in the early season, because Joe’s lambasted some of the best catches of yellowfins at the canyons in June and July. Joe will also offer mixed-bag offshore fishing, trolling for tuna in the mornings, then casting lures, bait or flies to mahi mahi in the afternoons. Offshore trips fish on either the Regulator or a 42-foot Liberty, depending on the number of anglers and type of fishing, like angling with conventional tackle or fly gear.  

<b>Wildwood</b>

Lots of flounder were reeled from the back bay once the flattie season opened Saturday, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Mike Hansen from Aqua Clear won the shop’s opening-day flounder tournament with a 6.6-pounder that attacked a white-feathered Aqua Clear rig tipped with a chartreuse Gulp mullet. Bradley Ferraro, 10, won the Junior Angler Prize with a 4.2-pounder. Excellent catches of striped bass were beached from the surf at North Wildwood and Cape May, and small stripers could be clammed or plugged on Chug Bugs on the back bay around the bridges and the docks. Plenty of sea bass were pulled from Cape May Reef and the inshore wrecks. Drum were beaten on Delaware Bay from the Pin Top to 14-Foot Light. Maryann Severance weighed in the biggest: a 79-pounder. Several anglers weighed in their first-ever drum: Ralph Durrant, 60 pounds; Frankie Brown, 49 pounds; and Edward Kotyk, 48 pounds. Ten other flounder 2.6 pound to 6.4 pounds were checked in: Tony Dempsey’s 6.4-pounder, Paul Vandergrift’s 6.4-pounder, Bill Bascome’s 4-pounder, Bob Kenig’s 4-pounder, Shawn Bulifant’s 3.6-pounder, Jeanne Jacobs’ 3.2-pounder, Rich Walters’ 3-pounder, Dan Guss’s 2.6-pounder, Chuck Lind’s 2.6-pounder and Mike Weiss’s 2.2-pounder. Suzanne Smith reeled aboard a 22-inch flounder while fishing from her Hobie Mirage Outback Kayak, and Sterling Harbor is a kayak fishing headquarters, featuring kayak sales, accessories and expert advice. Five-year-old D.J. Zolna and 7-year-old Marina Zolna also caught their first-ever flounder while fishing on dad’s boat the Accipiter from Wildwood.

<b>Cape May</b>

Two trips for drum sailed Delaware Bay with <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Eric said. One pummeled 13 of the fish to 85 pounds, and the other waxed six of the boomers to 65 pounds. Drum swam here or there on the Jersey side of the bay, and anglers just had to find them. They bit lightly, and incoming tides gave up most of the catches on the trips. The boat will keep drum fishing through May before making the annual move to Margate for shark and flounder fishing on June 1. The season’s first shark trip is tentatively scheduled for Saturday from Cape May.

Drum fishing started to take off around Wednesday, and a trip Thursday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> shellacked 26 of the fish to 75 pounds, keeping 12 and releasing the rest, Capt. T.J. said. That was the first catch of that magnitude at the marina this season, he said, and the trip limited out in 2 hours, keeping only large ones. About a half-dozen apiece were boated on trips Friday and Saturday, when mobs of boats filled the waters. Two drum were muscled aboard Sunday, and waters were less crowded, but probably 100 vessels fished the area on Saturday night when T.J. left for home from that trip. Shared charters are fishing every Tuesday and Thursday when no full charter is booked.

Double-digits of drum were lambasted at the Pin Top on Delaware Bay with the Butler group Friday with <b>Schmedley Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said in an e-mail. The catch was great, and the charter had so much fun that they booked another one of the trips for June 7. Joe expects drum to be caught well into June. Prime dates are available for charters or make-up trips. The O’Donnel gang on Saturday, opening day of flounder season, racked up lots of action with a mess of shorts and a few sizeable keepers to 22 inches on the back bay, and a few small blues were mixed in. Besides the comfort of Schmedley’s 37-foot Topaz, personalized trips are also available on a 19-foot Center Console for one or two anglers, a new option this year. Flounder could now be hunted on the back bay, and eventually stripers, blues, weakfish and tog should be able to be targeted on the waters through the fishing season.

Drumfish snapped pretty well, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Trips for the fish on Delaware Bay included the Gohnringer charter and the Stargil crew, who both tackled drum to 60 pounds. The Venditto gang hauled in drum to Charlie O’Brien’s 70-pounder, and the Bill Berezbill trip dialed in on drum to 65 pounds. On the Scott charter, Melissa Scott, 15, put the skids on a 50-pounder, and the anglers fought all the drum they wanted. On Sunday brothers Evan Petragovits, 13, put a stop to a 64-pounder, and his brother Paul clubbed a 51-pounder, and they weighed in the fish at Jim’s Bait & Tackle. Some dates remain for drum fishing, and bookings are being accepted for bluefish, flounder and sharks. 

A charter limited out on 18 drum to 75 pounds on Delaware Bay on Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. He gave this report from the waters while the trip was almost back home at 9 p.m., a little earlier than the trips usually end, so apparently the anglers, the George Parker family, limited out somewhat early. Drum seemed to be biting pretty well lately. Three of the fish were hooked as soon as the boat arrived at the drum grounds, and double-headers were also scored during the outing. A trip Saturday with Kevin Driscoll’s party was tough. The clam baits from the supplier were rotten, and other captains who gave reports to this site also talked about boats receiving bad baits from a shop that day. Plus the anchor refused to hold, and the trip was out of the game. One drum, a 70-pounder, was landed. On Friday a group from the Piney Hollow Gun Club drilled 11 drum from 30 to 75 pounds, including a couple of big ones. Anthony Metea, George Harper, two other Georges, Tom DeGinney, Tony and Frank were the anglers. On Thursday John Anderson’s charter also pelted a good catch of drum to 70 pounds.

Drum trips that fished Delaware Bay since Thursday pretty much all limited out with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b>, and the fishing really took off, Capt. Ray said. On Thursday night a charter waffled a 92-pounder, and 40 to 70 pounds was probably the average size on the trips. On Saturday night a charter limited out in 2 hours, with double and triple headers, great fishing. The drum swam in all different areas, and if boats found them, catches were good. The fishing was somewhat more difficult than last year, an exceptional year, when charters often limited out quickly. Private boaters this year might’ve had more difficulty at times, but charters this season usually scored well, even if it took more work than last year. Dates are available for charters for drum and also for flounder, now that flounder season opened. Ray heard about decent flounder fishing for up to 22- or 23-inchers on the bay on some vessels. Drum fishing on the boat will last until about the second week of June, and flounder fishing will be done through summer. The boat’s first shark trip is slated for June 13.      

Boaters on Delaware Bay angled in drum from the Pin Top and north of there in 33 feet just on the Jersey side of the shipping channel, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Good numbers of the fish also swam the Delaware side of the bay off Slaughter Beach at Broadkill Slough and up at the Piles. Mark McPherson after fishing on the Cape May Lady weighed in an 89-pounder that was “our biggest fish weighed in yet,” Matt said. It’s assumed he meant the biggest drum this season. Carmen Spiewak, 13, caught a 66-pounder. Striped bass started moving back down the bay, after spawning in the Delaware River. Anglers landed them at the cove north of Reeds Beach, the Fish Traps and the Erickson’s Stakes. They also hooked them at Blakes Channel and Reef Site 2. The crew from the Dreamer checked in two 33- and 31-pounders on Saturday. Capt. Lyle Rutty and crew weighed in a 32-pounder. Kevin Finnegan weighed in the first flounder of the year at the shop, a 6.13-pounder, on Saturday, the opening day of the fluke season. Reports came in about flounder, lots of shorts but some keepers, wrenched in from Delaware Bay at the 19 buoy. A few were taken from the back waters, but the fishing there was slow, probably because of boat traffic. Surf casters did a job on plenty of striped bass, and 2 to 3 hours before high tides was best on the ocean side of Cape May, and clam was the best bait. Frank Stepniak dragged in a 32-pound striper from the Cape May wash. Greg Beatty, 9, boated a 4.81-pound sea bass at a wreck on the Fiesta.

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