<b>Hudson River</b>

Although the river’s striped bass fishing seemed to come to an end for the season a couple of weeks ago, more and more of the fish began appearing, said Capt. Chuck Graham from <b>Angler Sportfishing Charters</b>. Lots, none larger than 20-some pounds, started getting mugged again, so he kept running trips, about 13 in the past 1 ½ weeks, including at night. The anglers dusted the fish on herring. But now the bait left the river, and the boat’s fishing on the waters was finished for the year. Over all, Chuck thought the season was a little slow, not because of problems with the fish population, but because of a few 90-degree days earlier this spring that knocked out the bite for a moment, heating up the Hudson when the run of the fish should’ve been peaking. Angler Sportfishing will now do maintenance on the boat a few weeks before starting trips back up from Chuck’s home port on Staten Island, fishing for stripers, blues, fluke, weakfish and bottom fish. Angler Sportfishing has targeted the Hudson River’s spring run of striped bass for 30 years, a chance to land a trophy in the area’s largest concentration of big ones.  

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b></b>

Fluke, lots of shorts and a few keepers, pretty good action, got reeled up on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, fishing that remained about the same as before, Capt. Tom said. Somewhat more keepers came up on Wednesday morning’s trip, a little improvement, for some reason, maybe the right conditions. All trips in the past days fished the bay at usual places, after Sunday’s trip took a look down the ocean beaches, and similar catches turned up. A fair share of fish that were slightly undersized, 16- to 17-1/2-inchers, were hooked lately, disappointing to have to toss them back, and some very small flatties like 8-inchers swam around.  Anglers had action, but not enough keepers in Tom’s eyes. But currently he hopes larger fish will move in as the season goes on. No baits or rigs seemed particularly better than another. For the most part, rigs scored better than jigs lately. Some anglers on Monday afternoon’s trip worked hard at jigging, but customers fishing rental poles with rigs probably caught more keepers. The angling then seemed more a matter of luck than whether one bait or rig worked better than others. 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.

Striped bass got clocked off the beachfront at different places including the Shrewsbury Rocks and waters off the Rockaways on certain days, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Actually, anglers could sit and pick the fish to limit out on just about every day. Art Serikstad from Bayonne checked in a 40.38-pounder he trolled on a bunker spoon, and Phil Connor weighed in a 41.04-pounder. Surf casters could beach both stripers and blues, but rough weather and east winds kept most from coming out. The weather failed to stop the fish from swarming the suds, though: They liked the weather. All kinds of blues could be beaten from the ocean to the bay to the rivers. Fluke paved the rivers, and weakfish could be found there. Ocean bottom fishers loaded up on lots of sea bass and ling.

Trips for striped bass on the <b>Fishermen</b> dealt with rough weather the past few days, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. Today’s weather was dismal, and a keeper and some shorts were landed at first, but afterward winds against the tide made catching impossible. “Not one to throw in the towel, but I was glad when it was over!” he said. Wednesday’s  weather also began dismal, but regular customers showed up to fish, and a catch was put together, though it took all day and bouncing around. From small shorts to several 20-some pounders were reeled in, and Jimmy Finn from Oakland won the pool with a 29-1/2-pounder and limited out. Only a handful of anglers showed up Tuesday because of lousy forecasts. A black sky, thunder, lightening and rains looked like the world was coming to an end, but later the weather cleared. Stripers, keepers that just made the size limit and shorts that were way short, were picked a couple of hours in the morning. A new area was tried in the afternoon, and dog sharks and 17- to 19-inch stripers were found. 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. However, the boat is chartered this Friday afternoon and Saturday and Sunday mornings, so no open trips will run then.

<b>Highlands</b>

With <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> anglers picked away at striped bass in the ocean on live and chunked bunker, Capt. Derek said. The fish bagged on the boat in the last days probably weighed up to 25 pounds, but 30- and 40-pounders were around. The bass blitzed on bunker pods a little better in the afternoons, but catches were also made in the mornings. Blues to 14 or 15 pounds stormed the waters. Derek is squeezing in open-boat trips whenever possible between charters, and the next is slated for Friday. Call to jump aboard, or call or e-mail to be kept in the loop about the open schedule. Trips are fishing the migration of big stripers up the coast, usually until mid July.

Three striped bass--a 40-pounder, a 34-pounder and one in the high 20s--were trolled on TGT Bunker Spoons in rough seas today with <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>, Capt. Brian said. Boating was stiff in the conditions, but the anglers prevailed for a good catch. Another trip last evening tangled with lots of blues and a couple of stripers near the Verrazano Bridge. A charter that morning trolled three stripers to the high 20s on TGT bunker spoons.

<b>Belmar</b>

A 9-1/2-pound fluke was batted down on the <b>Big Mohawk</b> this week, and that was the third 9-pounder of the year already on the vessel, Capt. Chris said. Trips, fishing at the rocks, socked a bunch of fluke, including other doormats like 7- and 8-pounders. Wednesday’s biggest weighed only 5 ½ pounds, but some anglers limited out, and fishing was good that day and has been. Jigging for the flatfish was productive on the vessel. The Big Mohawk is fluke fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Probably 25 blue sharks to 150 pounds were battled today on the season’s first weekly, open-boat trip for sharks on the <b>Nan Sea J</b>, Capt. Tom said. The beasts were fought all day long, and no makos showed up, though Tom had been hopeful that they might. Waters were 61 to 62 degrees, within the range where makos could come in, and the waters were beautiful and clean. So a couple of degrees higher and the waters should hold makos, and Tom was eager to get back out on next week’s trip, thinking makos should be there. The open trips, running every Wednesday through July, are a rare chance to fight the monsters without reserving an entire charter, and call to book. Charters are also available for sharking, Tom’s favorite fishing. No life including bluefish was seen in the waters, and fog was thick. The Nan Sea J also steamed on striped bass trips, and the fishing was hit or miss, and on bottom-fishing charters for good catches of sea bass and ling. More small sea bass were around than before, but they were picked through to cull keepers. No bluefish showed up on striper trips. 

The bluefish boats stayed tied to the dock a lot because of rough weather and thinner crowds at this time of year, but lots of blues got pelted on a trip that sailed Wednesday on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, Capt. Alan said. The trip traveled south toward Barnegat Inlet for the catch, but the fish should make their way closer to Belmar in the next days. The vessel was the only head boat on the scene that day. A slew of the slammers also got shellacked that night on the boat at the Mudhole. A trip Friday will definitely sail, because a big group called ahead to say they were coming, and the weather looked like a go for the weekend’s trips that always get enough people. The fish are swimming around, and there’s elbow room on the boat, a great time to jump on deck. Alan also heard about striped bass clobbered in the ocean off Shark River Inlet. A friend slam-dunked 27 of the fish in 2 hours among acres and acres of fish and bait. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Night trips for blues are running 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily.

Lots of action, a ton of big striped bass, kept surf anglers hopping in the last three days, said Dave from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Pencil poppers rapped most catches, but sometimes anglers snagged bunker to toss for bait. Boaters ransacked large linesiders in the ocean, and one weighed in a 54-pounder. Blitz fishing was on! Dave said. Shark River’s fluke angling picked up well, and the shop’s rental boats are locked and loaded for the fishing, and party boats also got on the flatties. The bluefishing party boats found the fish again, got back on catches. Bottom fishers piled up a mess of sea bass.

<b>Brielle</b>

On the <b>Fish Monger</b> the crew was chomping at the bit to get out on a 3 p.m. trip Tuesday, because at 1 p.m. word rolled in about striped bass fishing going off  in the ocean, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. The four anglers finally jumped aboard, and the boat broke the inlet, heading for the bite, but never made it that far. Striped bass were seen crashing bait enroute on the surface a quarter-mile long, and the vessel was stopped, and the lines were thrown in. Every rod went off! Striped bass 20 to 35 pounds clobbered the baits, and were landed. The trip chased the quick-moving school, and the anglers got three or four great shots at them, reeling in some, losing a bunch, including a few that were probably a little bigger. The anglers chose to keep one and release the rest. One of the gang waffled his first-ever stripers, a limit of the fish, after taking the trip with that goal, and one of his linesiders topped 30 pounds. Jerry never said what baits were tossed, but he said that watching four to six bass at once chasing one of the angler’s plugs was a highlight of the day.  Open-boat trips that are livelining bunker for trophy striped bass are sailing 5:30 a.m to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Trips will start seriously fluking next week, bouncing bucktails and big baits along the rough stuff, mixed with bottom fishing. Check out Fish Monger’s open-boat forum on the vessel’s Web site. Or visit the site to join the e-mail list for the latest schedule and charter info.

Patrons on the <b>Jamaica</b> pounded blues, an excellent catch, on Wednesday night’s trip, and e-mail from the boat said. Many of the anglers limited out on the 6- to 12-pounders. Bluefishing was slow during the daytime trip, but the boat ran across big striped bass crashing a school of bunker later in the day, and customers caught some. Brian Hughes won the pool with a 35-pound striper and Thangh Nguyen came in second with a 32-pounder. The Jamaica is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. daily. Check the boat’s Web site for the complete schedule, including special trips, and to be added to the e-mail list for special trips. Reservations are being booked for canyon tuna fishing that will begin in late August.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Weather kept anglers away since Monday, but improved catches of blues were around, and pesky dog sharks were less abundant among them, and the boat is scheduled to sail every day, said Cindy from the <b>Sea Devil</b> in an e-mail. Bluefishing was fair on the boat Sunday at the Mudhole. Patrons slowly picked away at the fish, both on bait and jigs, and dog sharks were sometimes more numerous than the blues. But all anglers aboard caught, and the pool winner took the prize with an 8-pound blue. The Sea Devil is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

The season’s first Marathon Wednesday Trip, leaving earlier at 6 a.m. at no extra charge, headed out to the ocean this week, even though participation was light, an e-mail from the <b>Cock Robin</b> said. Catches were on the slow side, but fish were nabbed on bait and jigs. The e-mail didn’t say the type of fish, but apparently they were blues. On a positive note, solid intel rolled in about striped bass mixed with blues found chasing bunker pods locally, the e-mail said. A good weather window forecast for the weekend should help trips get after them. The Cock Robin is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The next Wednesday Marathon Trip is slated for June 24, and afterward they’ll run every week through August.  On Thursday trips each week customers can help donate fish to Joan Valentine House, providing meals to people. Captain Jim’s Camp Cock Robin for kids will begin as soon as schools let out. No more than 12 fisher-kids get served by a dedicated mate.

A family of four, including two young daughters, climbed aboard Tuesday for a striped bass trip with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, the report on the boat’s Web site said. Soon after the trip got going, the captain spotted bunkers getting sprayed near the beaches. The whole family hooked stripers to 35 pounds on the first drift. They kept one keeper that each family member caught, then decided to catch and release more of the bass. They ended up landing 10 big stripers. The crew cautioned the family that not every trip is that great, and the bar was set high. At one point, after the family was in catch-and-release mode, one of the daughters brought out bananas to munch for a snack. “Almost had a heart attack,” the report said, “but it didn’t make a difference.” On Wednesday the crew took friends on a trip who were experienced offshore anglers and outdoorsmen but had never caught striped bass on live bunker. They only fished a couple of hours, and the first bites were missed. Then they got the hang of it, and two 30-pound stripers were landed. Those were the first stripers the two anglers ever caught.

Ling and sea bass got ploughed on the <b>Dauntless</b>, one of the best springs for the fishing in probably seven or eight years, Capt. Butch said. An ocean that stayed consistently cool, currently 53 to 55 degrees in the 65- to 80-foot depths where the boat angled, kept the fish snapping. Those depths are the same the boat fished for some time now. On a couple of days more sea bass were beaten, and on another couple, more ling got laid down, and on a couple of more a 50/50 mix was made off with. On some days, including yesterday, sea bass were really abundant, and some patrons limited out. Maybe three times as many shorts bit than keepers did, lots of action. On one day ling were really looted, scores of the fish apiece for some anglers. A few small blues popped up, like a handful of 1-pounders yesterday. Not many striped bass appeared, and none showed up in the last three days, but a couple were hooked earlier. On Saturday’s nighttime bluefishing trip an excellent catch of mostly 6- to 10-pounders was bailed.  The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays until the trips run daily beginning June 21.

Fishing on the whole was alive, went well, until this week’s weather dropped it off a little, said Chuck from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. But boaters banged up big striped bass among bunker schools, and surf casters landed stripers. Bunker snagged and fished for bait hooked up for both boaters and surf anglers, but pencil poppers also got whacked for both. Clams were a second choice in the surf, and swimming lures also got strikes in the suds. Manasquan Inlet was hopping with fish, especially fluke. A few weakfish also got wrestled in there, and 4- or 5-pound blues moved in and out of the inlet. Weakies were also taken at the Route 70 Bridge on the river and at the Mantoloking Bridge on northern Barnegat Bay, though anglers keep the news quiet. Kayakers played stripers on the river, like at the Railroad Bridge and Route 35 Bridge, and grabbed fluke. The flats off Clarks Landing drew in fluke.  At the Point Pleasant Canal stripers were drilled on white rubber shads or eels at night.

<b>Toms River</b>

Beachfront boaters did a job on big striped bass in the ocean in the past days, often to the north, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Surf fishers hooked stripers throughout the stretch from Lavallette to Island Beach State Park, including Ortley Beach, the Casino Pier and Top of the Mast, in the last couple of days. Hardly any blues were reported yanked from the surf. Fluke were found in Barnegat Bay at the BI and BB markers and farther south, and blues were scattered in the bay. Sometimes the bay’s anglers talked about weakfish hitting at Berkeley Island Park in the early mornings on pink Fin-S Fish, pink Gulps, Rat-L-Traps and sandworms. Striped bass were claimed at times from the bay near the power plant outflow and a little north of the BI and BB. Anglers tried to snag bunker to use for bait, but otherwise threw rubber shads or swimmers like Bomber plugs. Crabbing began dishing out pretty good catches. In the Toms River white perch and small stripers were snatched up. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, killies, eels, sandworms and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Seaside</b>

Few anglers fished the surf today and yesterday, apparently because of weather forecasts, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>. Four striped bass 11 pounds to 27 pounds were weighed in from the surf today. Two of the bass sucked in clams, one inhaled bunker and one pounced a plug. Two stripers in the 20- and 30-pound class were checked in from boats today. “Not too bad for a lightly attended day!” the report said. A slew of stripers got weighed in two days ago or on Tuesday from the surf. So were several 20-pound drumfish, a 12.6-pound weakfish and a small blue. Shell E. Caris hauled in the biggest striper Tuesday, a 42.4-pounder. He also plopped a 26-1/2-pounder on the scale, and nailed both on a popper plug. The bass from that day were mostly looted on a mix of clams or bunker, and a few got swiped on poppers or swimmers. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.   

<b>Forked River</b>

Barnegat Bay’s fluke anglers clubbed the fish, lots of shorts and a few keepers, at Double Creek Channel, the mouth of Oyster Creek and the BI and BB markers, an e-mail from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b> said. Jig for them with squid, spearing or both on the jig hook. Fluke were also angled in from the Tires in the ocean. Pink was the hot color in either the bay or the ocean for any dressing like skirts or jigs themselves. Blues were boxed on the bay from Toms River to Barnegat on Pony Tails, plugs, metal spoons or bunker chunks. Stripers were clammed along Sedge Island on the bay in the mornings. Few stripers were taken in the local ocean through Wednesday, but by Thursday morning word rolled in about stripers boated off the Governor’s Mansion in 30 to 45 feet on snagged bunker. When the fish were scarce, the shop recommended trolling with Tony Maja Bunker Spoons. No reports about weakfish were heard, but the last catches came from the pier at Berkeley Island Park in Bayville. Try for blowfish on the bay at Tices Shoal or near the Route 37 Bridge with small pieces of clams or squid on a blowfish rig. A large variety of different types of squid, spearing caught locally, Canadian spearing, 2-1/2-pound blocks of spearing, sand eels, smelts, different quantities of frozen clams, clam chum, mackerel, mullet, bunker, sandworms, nightcrawlers, trout worms and meal worms are stocked.  Attention shark anglers: 25- and 50-pound flats of bunker and 5-gallon buckets of bunker chum can be ordered 2 ½ days ahead of time.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Fog covered waters, but boaters who made their way to the ocean off Seaside slammed big striped bass to 40 pounds today, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Four 40-pounders were being carried from the shop when he came to work at 1 p.m. Anglers who fished the blitz said pods of bunker schooled as thick as anytime. Surf casters, including one who reported his catch from the Barnegat Inlet jetty today, landed small bass and blues. Josh recommended fishing bunker in the suds. Lots of fluke scurried around in Barnegat Bay. Brian Greik fluke fished the bay for only 15 minutes to tackle a 4-1/2-pounder and release two shorts. Another angler who fluke fished the waters with live spots the other day said the flatfish practically jumped from the drink all over the bait. Small blues roamed the bay, and small stripers could be plucked from there, and weakfish were sometimes found at the tip of the Dike. Spots, killies, eels, fresh clams, fresh bunker and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Barnegat</b>

A couple of dozen blues got trolled on Pony Tails on Barnegat Bay on Wednesday morning on a trip, said Capt. John from <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b>. The weather or fog was too dicey to move out to the ocean to hunt striped bass. Clouds were thick, and the weather’s been difficult a lot of the time. A trip Monday was cancelled because of threatening thunderstorms, and not many boaters were out during the week. Nothing was heard about fluke fishing on the bay because of scarce trips. But Perfect Drift is fluking in addition to fishing for stripers and blues. Trips for stripers and fluke are slated for this weekend if fair weather holds out.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

It’s June, and fishing on the <b>June Bug</b> is under way! Anglers aboard during the weekend wanted to search for striped bass, Capt. Lindsay said. But the fishing was tough, and bunker were scattered. A dozen of the menhaden managed to be snagged for bait, and small pods of the baitfish swam here or there, but no stripers were found chasing them. The trip even tried looking 5 miles offshore, though bagging bass is prohibited beyond 3 miles, just to see if the linesiders swam there. But bunker were also scattered there, and no stripers appeared. Was too bad the anglers hadn’t wanted to fish for sea bass or fluke, because those fish were around, but they wanted to take a stab at stripers. Offshore fishing, the main event on the June Bug, is poised to launch. Anglers should consider offshore trips for tuna and billfish early, though most anglers fish the blue-water toward August and September. But the June Bug usually always hunts the big game by the third and fourth weeks of June, and Lindsay’s gotten on some of the best catches of the season then, while few boats were on the grounds. Many days turned up healthy fishing for good-sized yellowfin tuna 60 or 70 pounds. On one trip early in the season some years ago, a blue marlin slammed a bait before dawn, while the mate was feeding out the line. While the blue was getting fought, another man-in-the-blue-suit appeared behind the stern. A ballyhoo was tossed out, and the fish grabbed it and took off. That blue was jumped a few times before it threw the hook, but the first marlin, a 450-pounder, was caught and released. That trip also limited out on yellowfin tuna and racked up some mahi mahi and a wahoo. An angler who chartered the boat this weekend wants to bottom fish, but the crew is going to get dialed in and see whether a bluefin tuna might be found on the inshore grounds.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Boaters at Wreck Inlet pummeled 20- and 30-pound striped bass on chunks of fresh bunker, but the fishing was in the white, frothy waters, only safe for the most experienced mariners familiar with the area, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Take note of the name <i>Wreck</i> Inlet.  They brought their own bunker baits, not snagging the baitfish on the waters, because none of the menhaden swam the inlet. Stripers were a no-show off Little Egg Inlet, and some boaters made the long run north for striper fishing toward northern Long Beach Island, sometimes hooking up, other times not. Bunker schooled up there, and stripers sometimes chased them, other times didn’t. Tons of flounder crammed the local bays, but catching a keeper was tough. If anglers wanted to catch and release or wanted to get kids reeling up fish to let go, that was happening. But a few anglers bagged keepers, and the trick seemed to be that when a keeper was caught, the boater should drift over that spot again. Small patches of keepers seemed to hang together. But the locations kept changing, the fish kept moving, and no one spot was reliable. On Wednesday boaters who drifted the drop-off along the channel at buoy 38 sometimes found keepers and a load of shorts. But that would change. Sharpies or experienced anglers pulled a few weakfish from the Mullica River, and shedder crabs for bait were important. Grass shrimp or bloodworms worked, but shedders were better. Nothing was heard about white perch fishing up the rivers, lack of reports. In the ocean sea bass fishing put boaters on okay catches but lots of shorts. Crabbing came to life in the back waters, was good. The blueclaws probably wouldn’t be too meaty after the shed around the recent full moon, takes time for the bodies to grow to the size of the new, larger shell. Fresh, shucked clams and live grass shrimp are stocked, and so are minnows, although the minnow supply was tough. The supplier had a difficult time catching them, the population affected by rough weather.

<b>Port Republic</b>

A 42.2-pound striped bass was weighed in that Bob Mulholland creamed at Wreck Inlet, said Mary Ann from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>. She heard about other stripers boated there. Customers started to pick up weakfish in the Mullica River, and she heard three reports about catches. Bruce Bertino and Cody Meyer landed a couple of weakfish and a keeper flounder on the river. Mary Ann’s neighbor nabbed big white perch upstream on the river. Shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, are stocked. Minnows, eels, fresh clams and frozen baits are carried, including salmon belly, with one pink side and one silver side, that anglers cut up for strip baits for nearly any fish.

<b>Absecon</b>

Waters around the Brigantine Bridge were stacked with large striped bass that pounced on live spots or live bunker, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. The top of the tides was the time. Capt. Dave, the store’s owner, ran a charter that coolered eight flounder, a weakfish and a striper on the back bay. A trip the next day whacked an 18-1/2-pound striper among other fish, and Dave’s anglers fished with spots from the shop and bunker that were castnetted. Many flounder filled the bay, and sometimes a good-sized one was caught. Nobody likely creeled limits. A few weakfish swam the Intracoastal Waterway, and Curt heard an unconfirmed report about weaks taken at the mouth of the Mullica River. He white-perch fished on the river on both sides of the Parkway Bridge, scoring plenty, including sizeable ones, in both the saltwater and the freshwater. Brigantine surf anglers weighed in big stripers and a bunch of drum. Shedder crabs are stocked, especially for weakfish bait, and soft shell crabs are on hand for eating. The shop raises the crabs, so they’re always carried in season. Check out the shop’s cool Web page about raising soft shell crabs <a href=" http://www.abseconbay.com/abseconbay/crabs/crabs.htm
" target="_blank"> cool Web page about raising soft shell crabs</a>. Takes a lot of care to raise them, keeping a non-stop, 24-hour watch on the blueclaws. Farm-raised spots are carried, on sale for $3 apiece or $30 a dozen, and minnows are supplied. Minnows are scarce, running out once in a while, but get re-stocked within a couple of hours or so. Still, if anglers need minnows, grab them quickly. Other baits, a large selection including just about any used in the state, are at the ready.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Drumfish started pushing through the surf left and right, coming in before and after the full moon, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf angling for striped bass held up, not in the numbers like before, but the fish that were banked were big, and the past six weeks of catches were the best in 20 or 25 years, sharpies said. Jim Sunday weighed in a 24-pounder this afternoon. Peter Myszka checked in a 41-pound 48-incher. Jeremy Mangold showed off a 24-pound striper and a 15-pound drum. Capt. Andy fished this morning, seeing an angler land three stripers. Joe Demalia--an Atlantic City fireman who surf-boards out, snags bunker for bait and returns to the beach to fish--waffled a 41-pound bass Wednesday. So the linesiders were definitely still around. Clams or bunker were the baits, and both are stocked. Kingfishing was a little spotty in the surf, but a few anglers caught them. Bloodworms are stocked for kings, and other baits are carried. Boaters in the ocean said they snagged bunker, dropped it back down for bait and hooked stripers, too. 

<b>Margate</b>

Loads of flounder carpeted the bay, and trips cleaned up on a mess, including some keepers, said Capt. John from the <b>Keeper</b>. All patrons caught, and the sharpest anglers reeled up 15 to 20, and others cranked in two, three or four. On Wednesday morning’s trip seven keepers were bagged, and well over 10 times more were released. No bluefish showed up this week, but previously small blues occasionally appeared. Minnows were too scarce at this time of year to keep aboard for bait, even though John’s normally got them when most others do not, he said. But the mackerel supplied for strip baits worked well, and Gulps that patrons provided themselves caught especially well. In other news, John heard about a couple of boats that ran across striped bass that chased bunker in the ocean. The Keeper is fishing for flounder on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

<b>Longport</b>

Eighty- to 90-foot depths 12 miles offshore put out ling, flounder, sea bass and kingfish on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Huge, out-of-season porgies also clamped down on hooks, got released. Fairly decent catches were pulled on every trip, and the inshore grounds were slow to give up bites on Wednesday’s outing, an open-boat trip that managed to be put together, but a wreck farther offshore was found to be covered with fish. Open trips are running whenever there’s demand, no set schedule. Call to get on the list and be kept informed. Squid, clam, crab and shrimp drew attention for bait, and cooked, frozen shrimp from the grocery store really produced. The weather might’ve looked iffy much of the time, with clouds, fog and rains. But seas were flat, and June is traditionally a very calm month for seas. “It’s June!” Mike said. So don’t hesitate to fish because of rains or something. Looked like the summer was going to be a rainy one. Waters were gin clear 15 miles offshore on Wednesday, and baits could be seen dropping 30 to 40 feet down. But the big news was that the 30-fathom line was full of 25- to 50-pound bluefin tuna, thresher sharks and mako sharks. That’s where the action’s at, he said, and charters are on the menu. The A.C. Ridge was loaded with bluefish that could be trolled or chummed on trips.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Surf casters pumped in striped bass up and down the beaches, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. A 22-pounder was checked in Saturday, and a 40-pounder was weighed in Sunday. One customer said he released a pair of 29-inchers. A few kingfish were plucked from the surf, and one angler would report picking up four or five, and another would say none were scored in an attempt. Bloodworms or FishBites artificial worms hooked the kings. Almost no boaters attempted to locate stripers in the ocean, but a few anchored and clammed for the fish at the inlet bar, maybe making a catch, and some tried trolling locally with no luck, and others made the run to Brigantine and sometimes connected. Lots of anglers started eeling for stripers at the bridges at night with decent success. A few bluefish, not many, crashed the surf or, in the evenings, Corson’s Inlet. Blues schooled all over the A.C. Ridge farther offshore. In the back bay tons of flounder covered the bottom, and maybe 1 in 8 or 10 was a keeper. No blues seemed to school the bay, and he fished the bay yesterday, saw no blues and bagged one keeper flounder, a 23-incher. Sharks moved in to areas like 28-Mile Wreck and the 750 Square. Most were blue sharks, but John heard about one mako. News about tuna was yet to come in. Minnows are stocked, and fresh mackerel is on hand at least for the moment. Fresh bunker, fresh clams in the shell or shucked, eels and all the frozen baits, including the different types of squid, herring mackerel, mackerel chum, bunker chum, flats of mackerel and more are carried.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A couple of large striped bass were weighed in from the surf, and lots of other stripers were beached, and customers bought lots of fresh clams, the bait to toss, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Zach Stefka checked in a 27-pound 43-inch striper that he clammed in the wash at 26th Street on Tuesday. On Wednesday his buddy checked in a 38-1/2-pound 35-incher that he walloped at the same location that day while fishing with Zach. “Guess that’s the difference between a male and a female,” Wes said. The demand for fresh clams usually drops off in June but was still going strong. In the back bay a bunch of flounder scurried along the bottom, gobbling minnows, Gulps, strip baits like mackerel and squid tipped on baits. Gulps worked well. Small blues ran around the bay in flurries of action. Blues might’ve sometimes popped in to the inlets, or on a rare occasion in to the surf, but never consistently. A few weakfish haunted the bay, and a buddy claimed a 19-incher the other day, but too few of the trout were around to make them worth targeting, were a by-catch. Crabbing began to heat up, because waters started to feel warmer. In the ocean a handful of flounder began to be caught, nothing hot and heavy. Okay sea bassing was on tap at the wrecks. Sharks were fought, and a  110-pound mako was weighed in at a local boat rental. Bluefin tuna sped through the southern canyons, and nobody mentioned yellowfin tuna yet. Minnows, fresh clams, bloodworms and more baits are stocked. The quality of frozen baits like spearing, mullet and mackerel was tops at this time of year.

The best tides, high tides during evenings or mornings, were off for striped bass fishing on the back bay, but when they come back around, catches should be good again, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. His charters land them on popper lures, popper flies, soft plastic lures and Clouser flies, and the popper fishing, a specialty on the boat, started early this year, was going well. Surf casters beached stripers. Lots of flounder bit in the bay, and three keepers were bagged among 30 throwbacks released on the last trip, tons of action. Small blues could also be fought on the bay. Joe was eager to get back out for tuna fishing when the weather allowed, and he loves the early season, often finds the best tuna catches early in the year, encourages anglers to go now, instead of waiting till later in the summer like many anglers do. He already ran one trip on the last weekend of May that trolled two bluefin tuna 25 and 40 pounds, the year’s first tuna report on this site. The angler was willing to take the chance on one of the first offshore trips of the year from the state, based on Joe’s educated guess that the fish should be there, and he scored. More of the fish should be moving in, and more anglers that will go after them should help reports pin-point catches. Cloud cover prevented a satellite shot of ocean temperatures on the trip. Joe wouldn’t be surprised if his next trips came across his first yellowfin tuna of the year. Yellowfins moved in early last year, and he saw some of the same signs this year that could bring them though. Offshore trips were supposed to sail last Saturday and Sunday but got nixed because of weather forecasts. Joe heard about an angler who missed a white marlin. Joe will make an annual trip to the Merrimack River in Massachusetts June 23 to 26, offering fly charters on the outing. Remaining space is limited but available. The linesiders should flood the waters, the prime time. The fish, 25- to 40-inchers, bite through the day, so trips are banker’s hours, with hardly any run to the flats fished at the mouth of the river, located near the dock. Jersey Cape from Sea Isle 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. Offshore trips are fishing for tuna. Again, anglers should think about going in the early season, because Joe’s lambasted some of the best catches at the canyons in June and July. Joe will also offer mixed-bag offshore fishing this summer, 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>

Mostly sea bass and flounder were angled up from the reef on the <b>Adventurer</b>, Capt. Gary said. Flounder catches just started to pick up, and the doormats were the pool winners the past three days. Lots of short sea bass had to be picked through to grab keepers, but hefty ones, like the pool winners previously, sometimes came up. Trips will keep going after sea bass and flounder, and eventually flounder will be the focus when the ocean warms. Besides open-boat trips, charters are available for wreck fishing. The Adventurer is bottom fishing 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but call to confirm, making sure no charter is running instead.

<b>Cape May</b>

Capt. Tom from the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> called it a drum season, wrapping up Delaware Bay trips for the boomers for the year, he said. But he ran a bluefish trip Monday that hammered the slammers in 100 feet. That trip sailed from Brigantine, the boat’s port in summer, although Tom was back in Cape May afterward. He also ran a striped bass trip from Brigantine along the ocean beaches in the past days, but that bite seemed to taper off for the year. Stragglers will come through, but the trip found bunker difficult to locate, was only able to snag one for bait, got one run-off from the live menhaden, and that was it. A trip Saturday from Cape May on the boat looked for striped bass at the Cape May Rips, livelining spots. Three bites got copped, and one fish was hooked a moment before it got off. Striped bass fishing is probably finished on the vessel until fall. But lots of other options will now kick in. Flounder fishing was good from Cape May, and a buddy captained a trip that blasted 19 keepers in the ocean off the port. Fishin’ Fever will do trips for the flatties there and also on Delaware Bay, where plenty of the bottom huggers swam around. Sea bass littered the ocean wrecks and will be targeted. Shark fishing started to turn on from Cape May, including for makos, and the boat will go after them. Tuna fishing began to wake up, and Tom heard reports about 150- or 160-pound bluefins whaled at the canyons. Eventually those fish will move to the inshore lumps. He also heard about some of the season’s first yellowfin tuna, smaller fish 30 or 40 pounds, taken at the canyons farther south. Shots of warm eddies hung off Lindenkohl and Poorman’s canyons and should move in, and anglers will see whether tuna follow.

Drum fishing seemed to drop-off on Delaware Bay, and trips will start shark fishing this weekend on the boat, and flounder trips will now kick off, said Capt. Ray from <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b>. Sharks foraged on lots of bluefish that swam around the ocean lumps. Blue sharks prowled , but makos were reported caught, and so were threshers. Flounder were boated on Delaware Bay, like along the shipping channel, and started to get picked up in the ocean. Charters are also available for sea bass that hovered over the ocean wrecks. Tuna trips will begin soon. Jaftica should take a shot at bluefin tuna in a week or so. Those fish were already around, and yellowfin tuna began to be found at southern canyons like the Poorman’s and Washington.

The back bay dished out flounder, fairly good catches, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. He mugged a bunch on Gulps, out-fishing a friend who dunked minnows next to him. The Gulps were a 3-inch New Penny Shrimp on the top hook of a high-low rig and a 3-inch chartreuse Gulp Mullet on the bottom. Outgoing, warmer tides were best, because incoming was much colder, maybe 10 degrees, a large difference. Flounder were also picked up from Delaware Bay, fishing that seemed to improve. Mid-bay toward Miah Maul was especially productive, and a few were found along 20-Foot Slough and 60-Foot Slough, just not as many as at the Maul. Reports also began to trickle in about flounder found in the ocean, including around the wrecks, where sea bass gathered. Delaware Bay’s drum fishing appeared to dwindle down. Surf casters banked a few striped bass. A 30-pound 44-1/2-incher was weighed in Tuesday, and two other anglers landed sizeable bass that day off the Convent. Clams worked for the bass in the suds, but bunker also scored. A few medium-sized bluefish showed up in the wash, and surf sharpies could look for kingfish, soaking bloodworms around Wildwood and Strathmere, typical early season spots for kings. Word was heard every day about weakfish caught here or there along the jetties, but in no spot consistently, so that made targeting them tough. Like on one day they’d appear at Higbee’s Beach and on other days at the Coast Guard jetty or Cape May Point. Sharks began to get fought at usual places like the Misty Blue wreck to Sea Isle Ridge. Fresh clams, bloodworms, shedder crabs, all the usual flounder baits like squid, spearing and mackerel and more baits are stocked.

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