<b>Pennsville</b>

Striped bass gave up spotty fishing on the Delaware River, catches one day, none on another, said Wade from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers who fished for them from shore connected on bloodworms or bunker, and the fish will take bunker once waters warm. Boaters scored similar fishing for the linesiders, and reports about catches rolled in from the Salem power plant to the 32 buoy, a wide spread from the river to the bay, the confluence. Bunker was best bait from boats. White perch, tons of them, and catfish chewed in the river, and they pretty much will, throughout the season, once waters warm enough. Bluefish, 2- to 5-pounders, began to be seen far up the bay to the lower river, and Wade saw them as far up as Mad Horse Creek. Commercial crabbing was okay for the shop’s owner on the bay, though the season was early for recreational crabbers to nab the blueclaws, such as on a hand line. 

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

The bigger striped bass, among any that happened to be caught on the bay, seemed to come from around the 32 and 34 buoys and Ship John, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Most boaters in those areas fish with fresh bunker, and a few dunk herring. An okay population of bunker seemed to school the bay, but that was difficult to tell when customer demand for the baitfish is relatively low. One of the shop’s netters who sails the bay from the Cohansey River and the Greenwich area said the menhaden population turned somewhat lighter there. A few catches of drum were heard about from the southern bay, but many anglers tried for them, compared with how many caught. Boaters marked drum on the fish finder, and anglers hoped they started biting soon. White perch could be angled from the Maurice River on bloodworms or grass shrimp. Bloods are stocked, and grass shrimp are carried when available, fresh at first then frozen. A few stripers swam the river and could be landed. Herring continued to school the river, so a few stripers chased them. Herring is a good bait for the bass, and so are bloodworms. A friend nabbed some of the river’s stripers on bunker, so bunker could be used. Fresh bunker is stocked so long as the weather allows boats to sail for them. Fresh clams are carried, and a few fresh herring usually arrive every day, but the supply is tight, and most are sold before the baitfish come into the shop. 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>Newport</b>

<b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b> will open for crabbing in two Saturdays on May 22, Linda said. But the shop is already open for canoe and kayak rentals by appointment, turkey check-ins and fish and wildlife licenses. Check <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com/Home_Page.html" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s Web site</a> for hours and info. Canoers and kayakers paddle the scenic Oranokin Creek that runs past the property. Crabbers are towed up the creek to several saltwater ponds full of blueclaws. The area may be the richest in the state for crabbing because of the right environment, commercial crabbing prohibited and the staff preventing most motor-boat traffic on the creek. Everything needed for a day of crabbing, from baits to traps to suntan lotion, snacks and cold drinks, is supplied at the shop.

<b>Fortescue</b>

On the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b> the first trip of the season sailed Saturday, aiming for striped bass near Ship John, Capt. Howard said. The fishing was slow, and no stripers turned up on the vessel, and a handful were seen taken on nearby boats. Waters were dirty and grassy, debris that washed out of the back waters from windy weather. Anglers on the boat fished with bunker and clams, and one used bloodworms. Howard looked forward to drum fishing starting, and trips will go after them. No trip sailed Sunday, and the weather was rough. Open-boat trips are slated daily, but call ahead to confirm at this time of year. Charters are also available.

Charters for drum are scheduled to kick off Saturday on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said. He hopes the fish begin to bite by then. Ralph started fishing for drum before any of the fleet began targeting them. He said in the past that drum angling is like deer hunting: Boaters should anchor at a location where the fish are known to come through, and they should wait, because drum will arrive unpredictably. When an angler knows the location has been giving up drum, moving the boat is a mistake, unless a call comes in about drum currently biting elsewhere. Ralph’s anglers fish for drum with a tandem-hooked rig with whole surf clams or baits like shedder crabs. See the vessel’s ad for a great price on the trips.

Fishing for striped bass became somewhat slow, but the fish were reeled in from boats and the Fortescue beach, worth trying for them, said Dave from <b>Al’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Boaters located the bass to the north at Ship John, beyond Ship John and north of the number 2 buoy on the Delaware side, fishing with bunker. Beach anglers scored toward the top of the tides and in the early mornings on bloodworms. White perch also grabbed the bloods. A few drum, not many, were heard about that were boated. Boaters marked drum on the fish finder for a while now, so the boomers were probably about finished their first spawn, and could begin to feed any time. Dave wouldn’t be surprised if this week was the first time the fishing took off. In past years drum often turned on around May 15. Waters probably had to become slightly warmer. A few 4- to 5-pound bluefish were around, and no news came in about weakfish, except that a 24-incher was landed from the Fortescue surf last week, on a bloodworm. Boaters fishing for other species sometimes cranked up big, out-of-season flounder 24 to 26 inches. Dave looks forward to flounder season opening on May 29, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Last year’s flounder fishing was awesome in the bay, and the size limit, 18 inches, was big, but everyone seemed to bag a few keepers per trip and hook many throwbacks. Maybe the size limit will mean bigger ones will be even more abundant this year. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms and all the frozen baits including herring and mullet are stocked. The shop will be open seven days a week starting Wednesday. The doors will be unlocked at 6 a.m. on weekdays and 5:30 a.m. on weekends. The store will be open until 4 p.m. every day except at 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

<b>Bivalve</b>

The weather was beautiful Saturday, but no boaters from <b>Longreach Marina</b> fished the bay that day, and Sunday’s weather blew up and became cold, and none fished then, Pat said. But now’s the time for drum to start biting, and the gnats were out, and drum arrive when gnats do. Fresh bunker and frozen baits are stocked, and a few boat slips are left.

<b>Villas</b>

Boaters said they marked drum like crazy on the fish finder, said Capt. Ben from <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish usually begin to bite a week or two after they’re first marked. Ben’s first drum charter on his boat the <b>Ho-D-Doe</b> from <b>Budd’s Tackle Charter Service</b>, sailing from Cape May, is on the books for Friday. But he won’t fish for them unless the drum turn on. During last year at this time, one trip on the boat had already heaved in five, and another on May 5 had tackled eight. Surf anglers checked in quality striped bass dragged from Cape May Point and Poverty Beach, though they often had to wade through sharks. Preston Hallet, 3, weighed in his first-ever striper, a 16-pound 35-incher, from the surf at Poverty, the shop’s Web site said. Jason Feliciano checked in a 19.8-pound 39-incher, and the site gave no location for the catch. Ed Connelly and his dad brought in a limit of stripers to a 17-pound 37-1/2-incher, and again, no location was given. Plugging early in the mornings nabbed the fish in the surf on different colored Bombers, from yellow to red-headed to pearl, and other lures. But clams could also be fished. One angler said he beached a dozen croakers from the wash, but waters were awfully cold for that, Ben said. Nobody mentioned hooking out-of-season summer flounder by mistake this season, but usually the flatties already grab baits meant for other fish by now. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms and practically all the baits are stocked.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fishing trips were kept docked on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> in the past days, and the crew was waiting for drum charters to kick in, Capt. George said. The fish should begin to bite any time. A few catches were heard about here and there, including four puppies 20 or 25 pounds that were docked on one local boat during the weekend. The season’s first drum charter is booked for Friday on the Heavy Hitter. During some years the fishing got under way before now for George, and during others, including in recent years, the fishing became good by May 15 for him.

Drum fishing will launch around May 22 with <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b>, and the angling should begin any moment, Capt. Eric said. Sea bass trips will be able to fish the ocean reefs starting the same day, the opening day of the sea bass season. Summer flounder trips will become available May 29, the opening day for them. Shark fishing, a specialty for O-Beth, should start toward the end of May to the beginning of June, depending on when water temps become favorable to the monsters. Tuna trips will start to steam soon afterward.

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