<b>Brooklawn</b>

The boaters who got out, despite winds, seemed to score more striped bass on clams than bunker, though bunker drew more chomps on some days, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish were pumped in at Bug Light, inshore of Bug Light, the Pintop and the Horseshoe. But they were also boated all the way north, beyond Fortescue. No catches of drum were heard about, but striper anglers fishing with clam might begin to hook drum once the waters clear from the winds. Delaware River anglers also banked stripers from shore, usually on bloodworms. National Park put up the most, but catches were clobbered as far south as the Salem River and as far north as the Tacony/Palmyra Bridge. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms and a full supply of saltwater bait is stocked. Big Timber carries extensive bait and tackle for <i>all</i> fishing from freshwater to offshore. That includes a complete supply of bait and lures for rivers and lakes; bait, rigs and tackle for bays; and offshore bait, lures and rigs.

<b>Pennsville</b>

Striped bass anglers on the Delaware River reeled in more of the fish to the north, such as at Carney’s Point and Penns Grove, than to the south, said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. But a few, mostly small ones, but occasional 30- or 32-inch keepers, were reported landed at Pennsville Park, and a 21-pounder was weighed in from Elsinboro Point on Monday. Car access at Elsinboro is limited to seven parking spaces from dawn to dusk, and parking is unavailable otherwise. Is there any other way to access the area? Matt was asked. “You can ride your bike,” he said. Access was tightened in the recent past. Most of the anglers fished with bloodworms, but boaters began to fish more often, and they often used fresh bunker, and some tossed out surf clams. White perch, plenty of them, swarmed the river, and striper anglers complained about them gobbling up their bloodworm baits. The shop’s owner planned to begin commercially crabbing today, probably to the south near Fortescue. Fresh bunker is stocked when the weather allows bunker boats to sail, and bloodworms are carried.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Seas on the bay finally calmed today, after winds in the past days, and more customers headed out this day, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. When anglers could squeeze in trips between the weather, they seemed to score well on striped bass, but that was difficult to tell, because of few trips. The angling seemed a bit better on the upper bay, such as at the 34 buoy, than on the southern bay. Boaters fished with clams and started to buy bunker more often than before for the catches. Fresh bunker is stocked almost every day, and fresh clams are usually carried. A few fresh herring usually arrive each day, but anglers reserve most before the baitfish come in. Bloodworms are almost always on hand, and all the usual frozen baits and such are available. The Girls Place is located on Route 47 just after Route 55 ends, and it’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. There’s a large parking lot with plenty of room for trailered boats.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Fishing ground to a halt in the winds since the weekend, so news about the angling failed to come in at Fortescue, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>. The season’s first trips on the boat might launch Friday, starting with striped bass fishing. Drum fishing will kick off on the vessel as soon as the boomers arrive. Ralph started running for drum decades ago, before any of the fleet fished for them. See the boat’s ad for great rates on combo drum/striper trips and 8-hour striper charters.

Daily, open-boat trips will begin Saturday, May 1, on the <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. The anglers might fish for striped bass, or they might go after drum. Stripers might be gone by then, all of them spawning up the Delaware River. Howard heard about two drum boated so far. Call in advance to make sure the boat is fishing, especially in the early season, when whether trips sail can depend on demand.

Fortescue beach anglers hammered striped bass, great catches, especially at the change of tides, before winds mostly shut down fishing starting at the end of last week, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Most chucked out bloodworms, but some used clams. Boaters also drilled the fish right off Fortescue before the weather. For them, clams seemed to beat more of the fish but smaller, and bunker seemed to grab bigger ones but fewer. Little was heard about drum, and the season was somewhat early. A friend said someone marked drum at Tussy’s Slough, but the fish refused to bite. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and all the frozen baits, including herring, bunker, bunker chum and squid, is stocked. The store is open at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays and at 6 a.m. on weekends, but is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The doors will be open seven days a week starting in May, and hours will be expanded as the fishing season progresses.  

<b>Bivalve</b>

Winds kept most boaters from fishing, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>, and only two vessels sailed from the docks Sunday, for example. But striped bass remained in the bay, were hooked in close toward the Maurice River Cove, but were also scattered every which way through the bay. Pat heard her season’s first verified report about a drum caught from the bay. Fresh bunker, the bait to dunk for stripers, is stocked, and so are all the frozen baits, including clams. A few slips are available at the marina, and the boats are now being allowed in the waters at the slips.

<b>Villas</b>

News from boats was scarce because of winds, but shore anglers sometimes clammed striped bass and tackled 9- to 12-pound blues at Poverty Beach and Lighthouse Park, said Mike from <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Use meat like mullet or mackerel for the blues. Boaters also connected nearby, trolling the fish on Stretch 25 or 30 lures. Mike knew about two confirmed drum that were caught from the bay, and someone saw a photo of another taken at Wildwood. The fish had at least begun to appear. Tog could be pulled up from along the bridges on the back bay, and stripers should be able to be clammed or bloodwormed in the back. Fresh and salted clams are stocked, and fresh bunker is carried when the menhaden boats can sail in the weather, and frozen bunker and all the frozen baits are in the freezer. Minnows are stocked, and the staff catches them, making the baitfish available sometimes when the supply runs low for others, like often happens at some point in spring, usually just as they become in demand when summer flounder season opens. The store is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. on weekends.

<b>Cape May</b>

On the <b>Down Deep</b> winds, including winds against the tide, hampered striped bass fishing on the bay Saturday and Sunday, but charters previously decked healthy catches of the fish, Capt. Bob said. Bud Wray’s charter last week on Monday socked stripers to 22 pounds, some sizeable bass. Another charter on Wednesday also pummeled the fish to 22 pounds, a good catch. A group on board Saturday only reeled in one striper, and the angling seemed tough for everyone in the rough seas. The Will Higgins party on Sunday beat up blues maybe 10 pounds apiece on the ocean. All the striper trips fished at Miah Maull with clams. Bob heard about a few drum hauled from the bay starting Wednesday, so the boomers seemed to be coming in.

One striped bass 33 ½ inches was boated, and probably a couple more were missed, on the bay Saturday with John DeGeorgio’s charter on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Winds howled, and seas became rough, on Saturday and Sunday, and that might’ve affected striper fishing. One angler from the dock came in with a 47-inch striper from the bay he said had no roe inside, so maybe some of the fish already ran up the Delaware River and spawned. On Sunday with the bay churned up, Tom Ebicky’s charter on the Heavy Hitter landed tog and a bunch of blues instead of targeting stripers. The blues, 7 pounds or larger, were trolled along the ocean off Cape May. The wait was on for the bay’s drum fishing to turn on. Word about a few drum taken, such as on the radio, flew around, but no news was verified. George wouldn’t be surprised if drum began to be around, though.

Trips on the Ho-D-Doe, the boat from <b>Budd’s Tackle Charter Services</b>, will begin around May 1, said Capt. Ben Budd, who also owns Budd’s Bait & Tackle in the Villas. The vessel, running from Cape May, is expected to sail by then, and the first charter is currently on the books for May 4, and should fish for drum on the bay. A few drum showed up so far, and many of the stripers in the waters moved up to the northern bay, after schooling closer to Cape May. Big blues, a good fish to pick a fight with, swarmed the ocean near Cape May. Ben had been fishing in Florida but was now returning to New Jersey.

Back to Top