<b>Staten Island</b>

With <b>Outcast Charters</b> anglers slammed sea bass, a spectacular catch, on Sunday, limiting out by 10:30 a.m., Capt. Joe said. The fish, up to 3-pounders, were pumped in from 45- to 65-foot depths in the 58-degree ocean. Clams were the bait, and a small striper was also reeled up. Joe couldn’t know how long sea bassing would hold up, but it was great now. Open-boat trips continue to sail every Wednesday evening, no matter whether one angler or six show up. The trips, fishing the bay, were going after stripers, though stripers were getting tougher to find in the area. But the trips will still head out, and lots of blues tore around the bay and were usually at least fought. Call to reserve.

<b>Port Monmouth</b>

Five fluke to 6 pounds were bagged among shorts tossed back on the Ecken charter Saturday on  the shallows of Sandy Hook Bay, said Capt. Justin from <b>Parksea Fishing Charters</b> in an e-mail. They fished with rigs and bucktails, and a rig with a teaser hook on top and a bucktail on bottom worked best. The rig was baited with a spearing and squid combo on the teaser and a chartreuse Gulp minnow on the bucktail. On the Varrone charter on Sunday, the  plan was to split the trip between striped bass and fluke fishing. The anglers first looked for stripers on the east end of Romer Shoal. Cracked clams were dropped in the waters for chum, but nothing was doing. The trip moved close to Romer Shoal Lighthouse, and Gino Varrone, 11, reeled in his first-ever striper, just under keeper size, releasing it. They switched to fluke fishing in the shallows of Sandy Hook Bay, tight to shore in only 8 feet. Seven keepers to 5 pounds were lambasted, and about 50 shorts, were released in only 2 hours. Five of the keepers were over 20 inches, and the high hook nabbed three of the legal fish. The flatties bit their heads off, and Justin couldn’t wait to get back after them.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing on the <b>Fishermen</b> began on Wednesday the same way it did every day since Saturday, Capt. Ron said in an e-mail. One keeper and one short were angled in, and nothing else bit for 2 ½ hours. Then the fish turned on, out of nowhere! Many of the bass landed weighed 20-some pounds, and an angler with a 28-pounder won the pool. Another lost a striper under the boat that weighed close to 40. Many customers limited out and released more keepers. The bite began when incoming tide just started moving. “After four days of torture … I feel like a new man!” Ron said. 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 Saturday and Sunday mornings, so no open trips will sail then.

A few keeper fluke and mostly shorts bit on trips, the same as the fishing’s been, except Wednesday was probably the slowest day of the season so far, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Even shorts gave up slower action that day, but on the morning trip two keepers over 5 pounds and two over 4 pounds were socked. Trips fished usual spots including both sides of the Navy Pier, off Sandy Hook Point and off Bug Light, and a little at Reach Channel. Conditions or winds and tides were the factors for location, because if the boat could catch a drift, the fishing was a little better. No bait seemed better than another, and an angler who creamed one of the 5-pounders fished a killie on a jig, but he made effort, casting the jig and working it back. A girl who boated one of the flatties over 4 pounds, a 4-1/2-pounder, fished a rental rod with the squid and spearing supplied for bait on the boat. 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.

The ocean held plenty of striped bass, though waters were crystal clear, and anglers needed to swim live bait, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish were big, and ones weighed in by boaters this morning included Phil Connor from Asbury Park’s 41.04-pounder, Tom Howlet from Atlantic Highlands’ two 30- and 27.2-pounders and Tim Cooper from the Highlands’ 21.22-pounder. Stripers and blues also swam from the surf to the bay to the rivers. Stripers could also be nailed at the Sandy Hook Rips. Wade Pizcadlo from Manvilled checked in a 7.92-pound fluke he boated at Flynn’s Knoll. Fluke, mostly shorts, filled waters, and Jimmy knew about anglers who whacked doormats like 8-pounders while worming in the rivers, but getting a big one “is another thing,” he said. Bottom-fishing shoveled up good catches of sea bass and ling, and plenty or porgies were around, but porgy season opens July 1.

<b>Highlands</b>

Ocean striped bass fishing was up and down, but getting better, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. His trips swam live bunker for hook ups, so the crew managed to catch the baitfish in the area, and never had to troll for stripers instead. The anglers aboard knocked down bass to 30 pounds in the past days, and Derek knew about several 50-pounders that others clobbered. Big blues 15 and 16 pounds also tore up waters. The ocean had chilled into the high 40s by the beginning of the week but warmed back up by mid week, probably to 58 degrees. Catches of the big, migrating stripers should only improve, as they chase bunker up the coast. A few openings remain for charters for the angling. Fisher Price is squeezing in open-boat trips when possible, and anglers can call or e-mail Derek to be kept informed of the slate.

Four anglers on a striped bass trip in the bay near Great Kills on Monday put four in the box, pulled the hooks on four more and wrestled in a bunch of blues, all on chunked bunker, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>. The stripers weighed 20-some pounds apiece, and the trip fished there instead of in the ocean because of 25-knot, south winds. Brian’s friends who fished the ocean Wednesday slam-dunked big stripers 25 to 35 pounds. Trips with Jersey Devil were slated to hunt stripers today through Sunday, but forecasts for strong east winds will be watched. Bottom fishing plundered phenomenal sea bassing, so striper trips could mix in the lumphead fishing, especially because stripers bit early in the day. Brian heard about anglers who won the fight with a 305-pound thresher shark that showed up in a bunker school near the shore when they were striper fishing. Apparently the monsters started to move in. He heard about no tuna catches so far. But a slug of warm waters moved to Hydrographers Canyon, although it probably receded offshore by now. But offshore conditions started to approach the possibility of holding fish soon. A few openings remain for shark charters at the end of June and in July, and daytime trolling trips for tuna might get rolling sometime around then. 

<b>Neptune</b>

Although striped bass fishing panned out not so well on a trip Wednesday, very good fluking went down that day with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. The flatties weighed up to 6 pounds, and plenty of stripers were looted on a trip Tuesday. Just didn’t hit it right on the next day, he said. Individual-reservation striped bass trips are leaving the dock every Wednesday, and the trips will switch to fluke on June 24.   

<b>Belmar</b>

On the <b>Big Mohawk</b> fluke were shellacked, great fishing for them, the past three or four days among the rocks in the ocean, Capt. Chris said. Big ones were pelted, including the boat’s second 9-pounder of the season and a couple of 8-pounders. The fishing turned out the best early season fluking he’d seen in years, and that was saying something for this captain. Wednesday’s trip smoked the 9-pounder and some limits, and it was great. The fishing lately wasn’t too difficult either, though sometimes the boat had to move around to locate the bite. Many of the fish were hooked on jigs, and jigs caught the largest. But some of the fluke also hit rigs. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and spearing and squid are supplied for bait.

Blues were batted down day and night on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, though striped bass were scarce on trips, Capt. Alan said. The blues on the boat’s daytime trips weighed 3 to 8 pounds and got jigged, and on the nighttime trips weighed 5 to 10 pounds and were caught on 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.

Anglers on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> cranked in quality stripers, including three big ones that weighed in the 30s, the largest one 34 pounds, on Wednesday, Capt. Toms said. They also dusted bluefish on the live bunker that were fished for all the strikes. Lots of bunker schooled along the ocean beaches that day. But they were scarce Monday, so a trip that day ended up trolling, dragging in lots of blues but no stripers. Then the charter bottom fished for a good catch of ling and sea bass. Tom heard about no sharks landed so far this season, but sharking, his favorite fishing, will kick off on the vessel with an open-boat trip Wednesday, and some anglers already booked spaces, but some are available. That trip is one of the boat’s annual open outings for the sharks that run every Wednesday through July, a rare opportunity to stalk the beasts on an open basis. Charters will also shark fish.

Big striped bass slammed the surf this morning from Belmar to Long Branch, attacking bunker, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Sharpies checked in bass that weighed 36, 34, 31, 30, 28-1/2 and 23 pounds, and most of the anglers clubbed the large fish on pencil poppers, but some snagged bunker to drop back in for bait to hook the sizeable ones. Clams also caught the stripers but smaller linesiders to 30 or 33 inches. Shark River’s fluke fishers scored well, and the shop’s rental boats probably averaged four to seven or eight keepers and 50 or 60 throwbacks per trip. But they were catching, including keepers. Belmar’s party boats cleaned up on fluke and sea bass, scored very well. Other party boats from the port did a job on lots of blues and a handful of stripers. Fishing was worth going! Bob said. The full supply of baits is stocked, and the rental boats are ready to roll to fish the river.

<b>Brielle</b>

Fishing for striped bass was hit or miss in the ocean, sometimes good, including limits and personal-best fish, other times slow, with <b>Fish Monger Charters</b>, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. The anglers fished both to the north and to the south, and early mornings and evenings were best, especially evenings in the last days. A trip Monday morning went 3 for 8, including a personal best 27-pounder for one angler, and the action died after the morning, although bunker swam everywhere. A trip in the afternoon fished in rough seas that the forecast failed to predict. But three of four anglers limited out, and one decked a personal best, and loads of bluefish were caught, all on bunker chunks. A bunch of fish were also lost, and the anglers could’ve stayed and caught into dark, but left for home to escape the seas. Tuesday morning’s trip ran south, found piles of bunker but also boats, and no takers, and headed 24 miles north. Deep waters, shallows and structure were fished, “but wasn’t our day,” Jerry said. One bass was bagged, two were missed and some blues were walloped. The afternoon’s trip grabbed a ton of bites, and stripers started chasing the bunker baits on every drift, began crashing them on top. The fish were so active that the boat was anchored, and the anglers began fishing bunker chunks, and all five limited out. They probably missed 15 bites on the trip or probably went 10 for 25, a great afternoon. No blues were hooked. Besides charters, open-boat trips for stripers, livelining bunker for them, and bottom fish are coming up. Visit the boat’s Web site to join the newsletter to be kept up-to-date on the open schedule.  

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Anglers switched mostly to sea bassing on the <b>Dauntless</b>, and good catches were pummeled, Capt. Butch said. Previously patrons mostly fished for ling, but east winds pushed in sea bass, and the lumpheads became the target. Still, sometimes ling, including big ones, were landed, when they turned up on the sea bass grounds. Customers on Wednesday whaled away at a dozen to a limit of sea bass apiece, and some added eight to ten ling apiece to the catch. Plenty of sea bass lately were big, 2 to 4 pounds. A few fluke, including large ones, also came up, like a couple of 5- to 6-pound flatties wrestled in Wednesday. A few small blues, very small or 1 to 1 ½ pounds, bit. That was unusual, because when waters are cool like recently, big blues, though skinny ones, usually show up. The boat fished in 65 to 80 feet, no different than before, and dog sharks were too thick in deeper waters. The ocean on the grounds warmed by Saturday and chilled by Sunday and Monday, but began to warm again by Wednesday. Water temps had dropped as low as 48 or 49 degrees, but by Wednesday got up to 53 or 54. The boat’s nighttime bluefish trips ran during the weekend for okay catches, not great, but alright. Anglers averaged four to six blues, 4- to 8-pounders, apiece.  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. every weekend until the trips run daily later this season, probably beginning June 20.

Decent catches of fluke were rustled up from the ocean on the whole on the <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. The fishing was slower on Wednesday morning’s trip, because there was hardly a drift, but the vessel was able to hold over rough bottom for a catch of sea bass to sort of make up for that. Some fluke were landed, though. The drift was somewhat better on the afternoon trip, and so was the fishing. Big fluke sometimes got waxed though the week, including an 8-pounder and a 6-1/2-pounder. Bluefishing on night trips during the weekend was slow. The boat also began running night striped bass trips Tuesdays through Thursdays on last Thursday, and a few were hooked that night while anglers fished with clam, bunker or both, and the fish were all big. The trip Tuesday night only got into a couple. Plenty of the fish were seen but refused to feed. Bob gave this report when Wednesday night’s trip would’ve just begun, so no results were available. 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.; for striped bass 7:30 pm. to 12:30 a.m. every Tuesday through Thursday; and for bluefish 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. every Friday and Saturday.

Bluefish “in all shapes and sizes” swarmed wherever the <b>Cock Robin</b> sailed: north, south and east, an e-mail from the boat said. Apparently that meant trips racked up messes of the fish during the week. The crew was optimistic that striped bass would begin to slam the jigs patrons fished any moment, after stripers had been beaten on the boat earlier this season. 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. Weekly Marathon Trips that leave earlier at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays at no extra charge will begin next week.  Starting today on Thursday trips customers will help to donate fish to Joan Valentine House, Point Pleasant, providing three meals a day to people, the e-mail said.

The season’s first shark charter with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> hunted down the monsters today, the report on the boat’s Web site said. A 7-foot blue shark was released on the first drift that eventually stopped moving, when winds dropped off. The boat was power-drifted with a chum click and live bunker trolled behind the boat, but only bluefish attacked. The vessel got set up on another drift, and it was game on. Two blue sharks punched the baits, one of them a live bluefish and the other a bluefish fillet, while the rods were being set out, and the 6- to 7-footers were landed. Three more sharks were caught and released, and no mako sharks showed up, but the sharks that were caught were the first-ever for the anglers. On Tuesday a bottom-fishing charter put scores of keepers on ice and released plenty of shorts, many that would’ve been keepers before the new, ½-inch-larger size limit. Another charter fished for striped bass both Sunday and Monday. On the first day tons of blues to 12 pounds were plugged and jigged on light tackle, but no stripers bit. Different story the next day. Five stripers to 30 pounds and tons of blues to 12 pounds were hammered on live bunker, bunker heads fished on the bottom and lures.  

The two boats from <b>Angela Rose Charters</b> underwent seasonal maintenance for a moment, but a couple of trips put a bead on striped bass in the ocean before, and three or four are slated to resume the fishing this coming week, Capt. Wayne said. The last couple of trips fished off Asbury Park and the Red Church, and two sizeable stripers were smacked on  live bunker on one, with four or five run-offs, and a 30-pounder was jigged on the other. On that trip bunker were scarce, so mostly trolling with diamond jigs and bunker spoons was done, although the 30-pounder was actually jigged. Big blues 10 and 12 pounds also bit lately, at least on the second trip, if not on the first. Stripers also sometimes broke off lines, and goodness knows how big those were. Angela Rose also scoped out fluke fishing a little on the ocean, and a few, no keepers, were stuck. Charters will get after fluke when the ocean warms. For now, fishing on the boats is back in action, full steam ahead for big stripers along the beach front.

Two half-day charters on Saturday took a shot at their first-ever trips that livelined bunker for striped bass, said the report on <b>Reel Class Charters</b>’ Web site. The first fished in the morning, ran south along the ocean, and caught bunker for bait fairly quickly. The hooked baits were dropped in the waters at bunker pods, and two run-offs were scored right away, but the fish never came tight. By 9:45 a.m. the action shut down, so the anglers went sea bassing. Action immediately kicked in, drop-and-reel fishing for mixed sizes of the lumpheads. Thirty were bagged in only an hour, and plenty that were ½ inch to 1 ½ inches short were released. “A good trip; wish we had the bass,” the captain said in the report.  The second charter fished from the afternoon to evening, ran south, and bunker were left over from the morning trip, so the anglers got straight to the fishing. One got a run-off on the second drift, boating a 25-pound striper, her biggest-ever bass and largest-ever fish. “Fish was as fat as a Thanksgiving turkey,” the captain said. One more was landed shortly after. The captain thought the trip had the bass going, but not the case. The trip ran farther south and then back north, and only miles of bunker with no stripers on them were found. A good afternoon and incredible weather, the report said. 

Boat traffic or something slowed down ocean fishing for striped bass compared with before, but sometimes the fish were hooked, said Chuck from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf casters tackled the bass, and a wide spread of the fish filled the surf from Manasquan to Belmar. They soaked clams or bunker for bait, including snagged menhaden when the baitfish approached the surf. But they didn’t always move to the surf, and surf casters would watch boaters farther out get among them. A few whales swam around the ocean front in the commotion, and a dead one washed up at Bay Head. Fishing mostly became slow at Manasquan Inlet, but a few fluke were pulled from the waters, and fluking seemed to keep improving. Weakfish definitely hung around northern Barnegat Bay toward the Mantoloking Bridge, though not many anglers chased them.

<b>Toms River</b>

Most boaters went after striped bass in the ocean, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Few of them said they fluke fished or did other types of angling. The bass were around, and anglers just had to look for them, snagging bunker for bait or trolling. Blues were also picked up in the bunker that schooled. The ocean off Lavallette and Ortley Beach had been a place to find the linesiders a few days ago. Surf caster beached stripers, not as many as boaters did, but they caught. They sometimes talked about seeing stripers and bunker beyond casting range. In the back waters a few fluke were lifted from Manasquan Inlet, and one customer reeled in 65, including two keepers. The legal fish were 18 ½ inches and 18 ¼, a shade over the limit. Little was heard about fluking, or really any type of fishing, on Barnegat Bay, except about a few blues trolled, like on Ponytails. Fluctuating water temps seemed to put off the bay’s angling. The Toms River gave up some white perch, and one angler talked about snapper blues seen on the river, but Jeff saw none, and the season seemed early. Lots of people began crabbing, and they picked up some, nothing spectacular, but a few, and the season was early for them, too. The sizes seemed decent, up to 5 inches. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, sandworms and just about every fluke bait is stocked, including all the different types of squid plus killies, sand eels, spearing and smelt.

<b>Seaside</b>

Weather forecasts seemed to scare off surf anglers the past couple of days, but if you’re letting forecasts keep you home, you’re wasting valuable fishing time, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site. Despite light participation, six stripers 10 to 25 pounds were weighed in Wednesday from the suds, and four sucked in Grumpy clams, one inhaled bunker and the other pounced a popper plug. A couple of boaters checked in 30-pound-class stripers from the ocean, and a surf kayaker brought in a 37-pounder to plop on the scale. Bunker schooled the waters, some with stripers chasing them, some without. Anglers just had to throw a line among the baitfish. “If you don’t throw, you just don’t know,” the report said. A load of Gibbs pencil poppers arrived at the shop that are doing a job on bass, so get them before they sell out again. Gamakatsu’s Big River Hooks also arrived, for fans of big hooks for big baits. Shimano also delivered Saragosa 8000 reels, so if anglers were waiting for one, come and get it. The shop’s also got a stash of 4500 Baitrunner reels that are becoming scarce, because Shimano will release an upgrade to the model later this year. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.   

<b>Forked River</b>

Boating for big striped bass might’ve tapered off a bit in the ocean, but the fish still traveled the waters, maybe a lull, said Dave from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. A 46-pounder was weighed in Wednesday. Fluke were copped at the Tires in the ocean the other day. Little was heard about Barnegat Bay, so fishing there seemed slow, maybe because water temps that kept changing too drastically kept fish from feeding. Customers were crabbing, but Dave heard about no results. Fresh clams are stocked, and fresh bunker ran out but should be re-stocked, and killies, all the fluke baits, sandworms, eels and more are supplied.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

From time to time big blues 12 to 14 pounds stormed the surf at Barnegat Light near Barnegat Inlet, and quite a few tumbled through in the past days, said Nick from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Bunker often schooled close enough to shore to snag for bait, and surf casters who fished with them busted big striped bass. Weigh-ins from the wash today included Bill DeBernardo’s 30-pound 14-ouncer and John Campbell’s 26-pounder. Boaters also cornered stripers in the ocean, fishing that was like a coin toss for whether to go north or south, but schools were large. A 42.5-pounder was weighed in from a boat. Stripers were boated from Barnegat Bay toward the inlet, sometimes on clams, but more of the fish seemed to grab live spots along places like Sedge Island. The bay’s fluke fishing was yet to become strong, but anglers during the weekend sometimes bagged three or four keepers among eight or nine shorts. Nothing was heard about weakfish in the bay, but small blues roamed the bay. Live spots, fresh clams, fresh bunker, killies and really all the baits are stocked.

<b>Barnegat</b>

A striped bass was hooked and lost on a trip Wednesday that looked for the linesiders in the ocean from Barnegat Inlet to the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park, and the fish remained out there, but they really didn’t feed that day, said Capt. John from <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b>. That’ll happen. Boaters farther north off Lavallette, where stripers had gathered earlier in the week, told other vessels not to bother making their way up there, because no stripers turned on in those waters either. Nobody anywhere in the local area talked about catching. Things looked right for the fishing, and waters held bunker, off the bathing beach, so John tried around that area. The trip had no problem locating bunker to catch for bait, and no big schools swam, but smaller pods did. The anglers aboard both snagged the bunker for bait and trolled for the stripers. Another striper trip with Perfect Drift on Friday was already cancelled today because of weather forecasts, and forecasts looked rough until better conditions predicted for Sunday. Striper trips, Barnegat Bay fluke trips and even a bluefish trip are on the books for the near future. If anglers want action, plenty of blues schooled about. Bay fluking sounded a little productive, and the ocean was apparently too cold for the flattie fishing. Perfect Drift does lots of fluking, targeting them first in the bay, until most of the summer flounder move to the ocean, then fishing for them there. The bay’s fluctuating water temps needed to settle down, and even seemed to affect bluefishing on the waters.   

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Trips on the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b> got anglers on sea bass, lots of shorts but some keepers, during the weekend, Capt. Frank said. High hooks creeled eight or nine keepers, not great fishing, but a few for the box. They also coolered ling and released out-of-season tog and small cod. Fluke trips will begin when the ocean warms, another couple of weeks, and the boat will begin fishing daily on the last weekend of June. 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>

Some healthy sized sea bass came up from the ocean, though tons of small ones had to be weeded through, probably 15 shorts for every bigger fish if not more, on trips Tuesday and Wednesday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. There was lots of action, just too many small knotheads. The season’s first flounder trip is on the books for the end of June, but the vessel is available now for the fluking. T.J.’s other boat was drum fishing from Cape May, and see the report under that port for the news. Shared charters are running for drum or sea bass every Tuesday and Thursday when no full charter is booked. 

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Plenty of fluke, occasional keepers, were boated on the bay, and some days were better than others, maybe because of the way vessels drifted, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. But catching a keeper wasn’t easy, and on some days anglers might release 30 and keep two, and on others they might hook four. Minnows, the favorite flounder bait, became scarce, because back-water temperatures fluctuated 20 degrees, a big difference. But minnows are stocked at least for now. Live grass shrimp, a few fresh clams, and eels are carried, although nobody really bought eels. Bloodworms ran out but should be re-supplied in a moment. A few small bluefish popped up in the bay, randomly coming through, no consistency. A handful of weakfish were found at usual places like Little Sheepshead Creek, but nothing to get excited about. Like a customers picked up two 19-inchers. Shedder crabs started to become available, so they would be the bait for the weaks, though the shop is carrying none, because demand was low or nil. But the angler with the 19-inchers jigged the trout. Crabbing was only okay, not what it should be now, for no apparent reason. Catches of the blueclaws had started out all right, then there was the week with tons of rains, and crabbing never came back. No striped bass schooled the local ocean around Little Egg Inlet, and they all seemed to gather north, like off Lavallette at one point during the week. During some times in a season all the stripers can be gathered off Little Egg, and local anglers hoped that would eventually happen this year. Sea bassing at the ocean wrecks produced lots of shorts, a few keepers and plenty of dog sharks, because wind directions kept the ocean cold.

<b>Port Republic</b>

Weakfish were pulled from the Mullica River, said Violet from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>. Shedder crabs were best bait, and live shedders are stocked. Flounder anglers bagged catches in the bay near Harrah’s Casino on minnows or salmon belly. The shop this season is stocking salmon belly for strip baits, featuring one side shiny and the other pink, supposedly productive for nearly any fish. A few small blues were around, and white perch could be plucked from the Mullica. In addition to shedders and salmon belly, the shop is stocking minnows, bloodworms, and frozen baits including clams and squid.

<b>Absecon</b>

Brigantine’s surf put out the best striped bass fishing, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Paul DiDonato kept fishing the wash on the island’s north end, checking in a 42-pounder a couple of days ago and a 34-pounder today, after fishing with clams. He saw several other big bass beached on the north end today. Nothing was heard from boaters looking for the linesiders in the ocean, and the weather probably kept them from trying. Dave had to cancel charters because of the weather. Back-bay anglers also reeled in stripers, good catches around the Brigantine Bridge and other bridges, mostly on livelined spots. Dave was unloading farm-raised spots, at least 6-inchers, when he gave this report. They ought to make beautiful striper baits, he said. He fished the bay Saturday and only hooked short stripers. Anglers found a few weakfish in the Mullica River and Great Egg Harbor Bay, coming to the shop to buy shedder crabs for bait. Shedder crabs are stocked, and so are softshells for eating. Blues were practically missing in action this season. Flounder fishing was decent on the bay, and waters that somewhat warmed by the weekend picked up the catches a bit, more shorts and a few more keepers. Floundering was looking good, Dave said. 

<b>Brigantine</b>

Huge striped bass moved in to the surf again, and 25- and 30-pounders got weighed in all day long like it was nothing, and old timers said this was the best-ever spring for the fishing, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. It was certainly the best May he ever saw, and the angling just kept going. About 25 bass topping 48 inches were checked in so far, and a 53-1/2-incher was the biggest. Jeff Bell recently weighed in a 49-pound 51-incher. Even Andy banked a 37-inch bass, “so you know it must be good,” he said. “Estimated to be 15 to 50 pounds,”  he said. A load of fresh bunker arrived at the shop, but most anglers fished clams, and a ton of fresh clams are also on hand. The north end of the island threw out most catches. Boaters backed in to the beaches to catch, and a couple snagged bunker for bait and caught stripers last night. Drum were mixed in with surf catches, sucking in clams meant for stripers, and one angler hauled in two 30-pounders yesterday. Kingfish scurried around the surf, though few fished for them. But bloodworms, stocked at the shop, will nab them. Small blues filled waters around the inlet jetty, smacking plugs or anything shiny like jigs. Little was heard about flounder fishing in the back bay, because everybody chased stripers. But Andy and his wife flounder fished on the bay over the weekend, picking up an 18-inch keeper and a couple of shorts. Besides fresh clams, fresh bunker and bloodworms, frozen baits are stocked.

Big striped bass from 20 pounds to more than 40 pounds filled the ocean off Brigantine, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>. The boat’s been fishing for drum from Cape May like always in spring. But striper fishing off Brigantine, the vessel’s home port, was so good that Tom lined up another boat that he’s running for the bass off this port, if anglers want to get after them. 

<b>Margate</b>

Flounder fishing kept picking up on the back bay on the <b>Keeper</b>, and lots of small ones kept anglers catching, but keepers, fish to 21 or 23 inches, were also bagged, Capt. John said. He was pretty happy with the fishing, he said, and mornings were better than afternoons lately. Six keepers and 20 times as many shorts were reeled up Wednesday morning. One angler, an experienced fisherman, hooked 20 of the fish on one of the trips that day. One or two small bluefish popped up here or there, but sometimes a big school came through. Scores of blues were angled aboard on one trip during the week. The bay on Wednesday was as warm as 74 degrees at one spot, so the temps were rising nicely, John said. Strips of mackerel, supplied on the boat, were the main bait, and Gulps that anglers brought themselves also worked. Minnows were scarce, usually are at this time of year when either cool waters or drastic water-temp changes put them down, even though the boat usually carries minnows when nobody else is getting them. But the supplier had difficulty gathering the baitfish. That could change soon, but the flattie fishing went fine on the strip baits. 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>

Sea bass and flounder, a healthy load of the fish, including 2- and 3-pound sea bass, got flung aboard at 80-foot depths, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. Dog sharks considerably thinned out on the grounds. Big blues jumped all over trolled Pony Tails and Stretch 25 lures at the A.C. Ridge, and a few bluefin tuna sped through the tip of the Elephant Trunk. Special charters are running for bluefins and sharks or makos at 28-Mile Wreck from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call for rates. “I won’t be undersold,” he said. Stray Cat’s open-boat season was wrapped up until September, and charters now fill the schedule.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Surf casters angled in striped bass up and down the beaches, somewhat more from the north end of Ocean City, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Most tossed clams for a chew, but plugs connected in the early mornings and evenings. Kingfish, willing to nibble bloodworms, could be plucked from the suds. Lots of flounder, many small ones, carpeted the back bay, but more keepers than before were landed during the week, and several large doormats got hooked at Rainbow Channel and at a couple of holes off Kennedy Park in Somers Point. Stripers attacked plugs in the bay worked along the sod banks, and small bluefish swiped plugs, metal or even flounder rigs in the bay. In the ocean big blues to 12 and 14 pounds schooled at places like the A.C. Ridge. Somebody at the shop heard about a few blue sharks and a mako fought at 28-Mile Wreck, and a customer said thresher sharks supposedly swam there. Small bluefin tuna had been found at the Elephant Trunk when scallop boats worked the area, but John thought scallop season was now closed. Fresh clams, minnows, frozen whole mackerel, filleted mackerel, herring and just about all baits are stocked. Fresh herring had been stocked, but John was unsure whether more will be available.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Back-bay flounder anglers caught while drifting along the Intracoastal Waterway, trying to stay on the deeper part of the channel, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Minnows for bait were difficult to find, because waters kept changing temperatures too much, but the baitfish are stocked. The supply could just get tight like on a Saturday afternoon. But other baits will also work, like mackerel strips. Wes fished a mackerel strip on a bucktail, picking up small blues, small flounder and even a striped bass. His girlfriend was along, fishing a minnow on a gold hook with a red bead, reeling up plenty of the flatties along with Wes, though finding a keeper was the thing. Although stripers could be a by-catch while targeting blues or flounder on the bay, if anglers wanted to target stripers specifically on the waters, fish popper lures on warmer days or sub-surface lures like soft plastics on chillier ones, and flood tides were the time. Surf fishing put anglers on stripers, even if the fishing began to moderate, as the migration started to come off peak. The fish might’ve been somewhat smaller than before, and the shop’s last couple of big bass were weighed in on Monday. Still, shore anglers kept catching, and a couple of large ones were dragged in from Townsend’s Inlet Wednesday night. Clams were best bait for the surf bass. Not many kingfish showed up in the suds. Sea bass covered the ocean wrecks, and a friend landed ling at one of the deeper pieces. Flounder began to bite along the wrecks. A few thresher sharks started to haunt the ocean, and shark rigs, supplies, chum, flats of mackerel and such started to get put out in the shop. The season’s first tuna pushed in around the southern canyons like the Baltimore. Minnows, fresh clams, fresh bunker when available and even a supply of fresh squid that just arrived are stocked. So are the different varieties of frozen squid, frozen mackerel, spearing, herring and plenty more baits.    

Tim Adkins and girlfriend Tiffany had never caught striped bass on popper plugs, so that was sort of the goal on a back-bay trip Tuesday evening, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Mission accomplished: Both landed bass on poppers on the flats. After sunset they switched to casting 3/8-ounce jigs with pink Bass Assassins in the current, reeling in some more. They totaled four or five stripers to 26 inches that they caught and released. High tides in the evenings, perfect for the bay’s striper fishing, happened this week, including on the trip. At first a storm chased them off the waters, but they waited it out, got back on the grounds afterward, and found the weather perfect. The fishing was a slow start but kicked in starting around dusk. A trip on the bay Wednesday evening was tougher, and weather conditions were more difficult. One bluefish, swings and misses were scored. Blues to 3 pounds held in the bay. High tide would coincide perfectly with evening today, too.  Popper fishing for stripers, both with lures and flies, is a specialty for Jersey Cape through summer, and the action started early this year. Joe poles the flats of the bay while anglers cast, like fishing in Florida or the tropics, but right here in South Jersey, unique and fun. Flounder fishing on the bay served up a decent population of small flatties, but the 18-inch size limit was challenging. Surf anglers beached striped bass around Sea Isle. Joe will make an annual trip to the Merrimack River in Massachusetts in the third or fourth week of the month, and offers fly charters on the outing. 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 required to reach the flats fished at the mouth of the river, located near the dock. Jersey Cape in Jersey 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 will now begin to fish for tuna. 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>

At the ocean wrecks sea bass, including sizeable ones, got angled aboard the <b>Adventurer</b>, though anglers had to work through a mess of shorts, Capt. Gary said. Pool-winning fish averaged 4 ½ pounds, some lunkers. Occasional blues bit, and out-of-season tog and porgies were released, and sometimes sharks chomped. Mostly clams were the bait, and trips will probably keep going after sea bass, and flounder trips will begin when the ocean warms. Besides open-boat trips, charters are available for wreck fishing in the ocean or drum fishing on Delaware Bay. 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>

Delaware Bay’s drum somewhat turned back on, and two anglers who took a charter Wednesday on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> muscled aboard an 85-pounder and a 30-pounder, Capt. Tom said. The trip fished in 35 feet on the Jersey side in the afternoon. Both charters and shared charters are running after the boomers. Lots of large bluefish could be fought on trips in 100 to 130 feet in the ocean. All kinds of sea bass could be reeled up from the ocean wrecks on the vessel. Plenty of flounder could be decked on charters on Delaware Bay, and the boat will begin sailing to the ocean for the flatties in a few weeks. Several mako sharks began to get battled this past week, and thresher sharks roamed the coastline, and sharking will soon get under way on the Fishin’ Fever. Big striped bass 20 to more than 40 pounds filled the ocean off Brigantine, where the boat fishes after drum season. But the striper fishing was so good that Tom lined up another boat that he’s running for the bass off Brigantine, if anglers want to get after them.  

Drum fishing seemed slow Monday evening on Delaware Bay, “at least for me,” said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, and he heard about boaters who caught them earlier in the day, but the bite seemed to turn off during outgoing tide on the trip. He spent Tuesday and Wednesday running his other boat from Tuckerton for bottom fishing on the ocean. Some healthy sized sea bass came up, though a ton of small ones had to be weeded through, probably 15 shorts for every bigger fish if not more. There was lots of action, just too many small knotheads. The season’s first flounder trip from Tuckerton is on the books for the end of June, but the vessel is available now for the fluking. Shared charters are running for drum or sea bass every Tuesday and Thursday when no full charter is booked. 

Eight drum, including a couple of big ones, were pounded on Delaware Bay on Wednesday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. One of the fish weighed 80 pounds, and another weighed 70, and the rest were 40 to 60. The first was taken at 4:45 p.m., and another was scored at 5:45, and one more was boated at 6. Then three were wrangled in between 6 and 6:30, and the remaining two were beaten afterward. Then another boat anchored right above the Heavy Hitter, and the fish stopped hitting. In drum fishing, staggered anchoring, not anchoring up-current of another boat, is the best etiquette, because drum seem to swim down-current, unlike, say, stripers that swim up-current. So if a vessel anchors immediately above your boat, it cuts off your drum. So the anglers on the Heavy Hitter picked away through the trip, and the fishing was slow for many other boats, and the Heavy Hitter might’ve out-fished the fleet. “Guess we got lucky and caught,” George said.  The boat moved once, after sharks were the only fish that bit at the first stop. This year’s drum fishing wasn’t like last year’s, when many trips limited out quickly and went home early, and wasn’t as fast as the previous year’s. Anglers this year had to settle back, wait out the bites more. But last year and the previous year were probably exceptional, and drumming in years past was more a matter of catching a few to make a successful trip. Still, the Heavy Hitter was coming back with the boomers, trips covered in the past reports. A 20- or 21-inch flounder grabbed one of the clam baits meant for drum, and that was the fourth or fifth flounder caught like that in the past weeks. Alex Limbanovonos hosted the trip with father-in-law “Pop” John, who nailed the two big fish, his first-ever drum, Steve, Ed and Branden.  More drum trips will fish on the boat Friday to Sunday. George heard word about a few sharks landed so far this season and a few bluefin tuna hooked at the canyons.

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