<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Winter flounder fishing on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> reeled up a few of the fish, a bit of an improvement in the angling, on Friday, Capt. Tom said. On Saturday morning’s trip winds against the tide created miserable fishing conditions, “lousy laying conditions,” he said. But the conditions straightened out on the afternoon trip, and the anglers saw a bit of improvement in the fishing again. Conditions were good on Sunday morning’s trip, but the fishing was a delicate pick, for no apparent reason. A few of the flatties were picked up at each spot fished. The afternoon’s trip stayed docked for Easter. Some bigger flounder were nabbed lately, even if the fishing wasn’t as good as Tom would like, and shorts were also in the mix. All the trips fished on the Shrewsbury River, and the season was somewhat early to poke out into the bay, according to Tom’s log book. The boat will probably start testing the bay for the fishing at times next week. The fish hit both the clams and worms provided for bait on the vessel. But some of the bigger flounder seemed to grab the clams. The Atlantic Star is fishing for winter flounder twice daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.

<b>Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing was tough the last couple of days, according to news that Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> heard, he said, and waters were cold, and the season was early. But stripers were around to be caught. Not much was heard about winter flounder fishing, but those who targeted them seemed to pick the fish. He hopes to splash the boat for the season this week, and will probably begin charters and open-boat trips in two weekends. At first trips will run for stripers, winter flounder and bottom fish or blackfish and ling. In May trips will mainly hunt stripers, probably fishing with clams at first, before switching to bunker for bait. The first bunker of the season poured into Raritan Bay and the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers a couple of days ago. Because the bunker arrived, bluefish should show up in a week or two. Call Derek or e-mail him about special rates on trips this season.

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> should begin fishing by mid month, Capt. Ralph said. Trips will likely try for tog, and if the blackfish are reluctant to feed, they’ll angle for schoolie cod and ling at the edge of the Mudhole. Striper trips will begin when the linesiders move in. Anglers attempted to find the bass already but with no luck. Lots more individual-reservation trips will sail this year with Last Lady, and Ralph will announce some of the first dates soon.

<b>Belmar</b>

Trips kicked off for the season this weekend on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, Capt. Greg said. Ling and cod, not a great catch, were boxed, and waters were cold. But the vessel will continue bottom-fishing, available to sail daily if enough anglers show up, but Fridays through Sundays will be the more reliable days for enough of a crowd to appear for the boat to run at first this season. If the mackerel migration swims close enough to shore, trips will fish for them. Striped bass trips will begin as soon as the striper run comes through. The Golden Eagle is slated to fish 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily for cod, ling and blackfish.

<b>Brielle</b>

Fishing for striped bass, the first charter of the year for the linesiders, was called off this weekend on the <b>Big Kid</b>, because none of the fish was around, Capt. Ken said. But the bass should begin to arrive within the next week, and they currently schooled Delaware Bay and at Ocean City, Maryland. Openings are available on weekdays this week for trips for cod, ling and blackfish, and charters on deck were already catching those fish this year, and the trips ran straight through winter on the vessel. A long-range, overnight charter is slated for the weekend that will fish for cod, ling and pollock at the Texas Tower. The trip might also head to the canyon for tilefish.

Bottom-fishing trips sailed Thursday through Saturday with <b>Fish Monger Charters</b>, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. Apparently those were the first bottom trips of the year on the boat, after winter-flounder trips had already launched the vessel’s season the previous weekend, covered in a previous report. The bottom fishing was slow, and waters were cold down at the depths, and were dirty. A few blackfish, ling and cod were bagged, and lots of small cod hovered around all the pieces, good to see, Jerry said. He hopes blackfish will get to feeding as the month comes off the moon, waters become clearer, and warmer, clearer weather continues. Some of the slipperies were already boated to the south, “so it shouldn’t be long,” he said. The charter Thursday first tried to see if blackfish would cooperate. The boat was set up in 90 feet, and a few of the tog bit, and a keeper and a couple of shorts were landed, and that was all, in screaming currents. The trip tried fishing a little deeper, and short cod grabbed the baits. A couple of more spots were fished, and more short cod, probably a couple of dozen, came up. A few more short blackfish and a handful of ling were also reeled up during the trip, a slow day of fishing. The angling was also slow on an open-boat trip Friday, and the anglers knew it was likely to be, but they wanted to get out on the waters in a good forecast, and the weather turned out to be a perfect 10. Waters remained dirty in 60 to 90 feet and were cleaner in 90 to 120 feet, but the fishing wasn’t any better. A couple of keeper cod were bagged on a double-header, and a few short cod and short blackfish were hooked. The fishing on Saturday’s trip, a charter, was also tough, and the anglers even tried fishing inshore, but that was no good, too. Waters remained dirty, and strong currents against the winds didn’t help. Several keeper cod, some short cod and a couple of keeper blackfish were pumped up. Though the fishing was slow, the anglers “had no shortage of chop busting and laughs to go along with the great food,” Jerry said. Open-boat flounder trips were planned for today and Wednesday, and another bottom trip was scheduled for Tuesday. Sounded like the bottom trip was open-boat. Give a buzz if interested in the trips, Jerry said.

<b>Seaside</b>

Surf temps reached the low to mid 50s, and bunker began to be seen swimming the area during the weekend, and two anglers weighed in an 11.8-pound striped bass and an 11-pounder from the suds Sunday, the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site said. “In short, the early bass season is looking pretty sweet,” the report said. The bunker will school to the bays to spawn, “and it’s only a matter of time now,” it said. Four anglers weighed in four stripers 6.8 pounds to 9.8 pounds from the wash Saturday. All the fish were nailed on Grumpy clams. Weakfish began to filter into Barnegat Bay. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishing_reports.cfm" target="_blank">Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Fog and overcast skies made for ideal weather for striped bass fishing from the shore at Graveling Point on Saturday, and a fair number of 28- to 32-inch keepers were belted, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Sunny skies on Sunday didn’t provide the best catches there and at nearby Pebble Beach. The angling sounded relatively slow on Thursday and Friday, probably because of a ton of freshwater runoff from the storm earlier in the week. Catfish showed up at the Point after the storm. But terrific catches of striped bass were clobbered during the storm. Nobody mentioned finding herring at the creeks at Batsto so far this season. Bluefish should invade the Graveling Point area in three weeks, and the shop awards an annual prize of a $100 gift certificate to the first angler who weighs in the first blue of the year from Graveling. An annual prize of a $100 gift certificate was awarded to Ken Smith for the year’s first striper on March 16 that was checked in from the Point.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Surf anglers dragged in striped bass and good-sized tog, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of both species were hooked, and the stripers bit clams, bloodworms or minnows. Some of the old timers liked to float a minnow for the stripers, or fish the minnow on a rig with a float at the hook, on a leader such as a 36-incher. The tog chomped green crabs or clams. The weather finally broke, so anglers finally started to fish the surf more often. All the baits mentioned and more are stocked.

<b>Somers Point</b>

The winter was long and cold, but <b>Brennan Marine</b> is finally going to start reporting catches, T.C. said in a fax. Unusually good catches of striped bass, white perch and a few tog were scored. Striped bass fishing should kick in to high gear within the next few weeks, and waters were warming up. Anglers said they already hooked stripers at the Beesley’s Point bridge and toward the nearby power plant on clams and bloodworms. A 35-inch striper was claimed at the Longport jetty on clam on a trip that Aldo Reyes and Don Carty took. A number of customers said they piled up plenty of perch on the Great Egg Harbor River, all on bloodworms, and the Chews Landing area on the river gave up 1- to 1-1/2-pounders. Customers also said they already began to take tog at the bridges on green crabs. The shop is fully stocked with bait and tackle and is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Back-bay striped bass fishing started slowly this season, but April and May are typically excellent months for the catches, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Charters on board fish for them with flies, lures and bait, depending on preference and what works best at the time. Striper fishing reportedly was great on Delaware Bay farther south, and Joe’s charters do fish there, and he’ll probably head there on trips this weekend. Call if interested in taking advantage while the run is on. Flounder season opens on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and openings are available for charters during that weekend that will fish for the flatbacks in the back bay from Sea Isle, and book early if interested. Fishing for  flounder is best in the early season in the back bay’s shallow waters that warm before many other waters in the state. The bottom-hugging fish fail to be affected by the holiday boat traffic. Joe had just returned from his season’s last trips that fished from the Florida Keys, and he towed his flats boat home to Sea Isle from there. He fished with Jay Vonczoernig and Dave Stewart, and they concentrated on tarpon. One tarpon was hooked and jumped a couple of times before throwing the hook, but fishing for them seemed off to a late start because of low water temps. The weather was pleasant but windy, and the winds added an element of difficulty. Few tarpon seemed around, but the anglers toggled in ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, jacks and other fish for fun. Small tarpon swarmed the lagoons, fun to fight on live shrimp. Joe runs charters annually from the Keys in winter through early spring, docking his flats boat there for the season. But he also fishes from a larger, center-console Regulator in New Jersey starting in March. Once the flats boat is trailered back home, trips fish from either boat, depending on the type of trip, and also a larger vessel on offshore trips.

<b>Cape May</b>

The boat will be ready to fish for the season starting Saturday, said Capt. Eric from <b>O-Beth Sportfishing Charters</b>. Trips for striped bass or blackfish will sail first. The stripers, starting to be boated already, will be rounded up from Delaware Bay, mostly on clams. As waters warm, bunker could be used for bait. A few blackfish began to be clocked here and there, and warming waters triggered fishing for them and the bass to begin. The fishing season was starting. Drum fishing will launch on the boat in mid May on the bay. Afterward O-Beth makes the annual move to Margate on June 1 to fish for the summer, starting with shark fishing and also trips for flounder and sea bass. Eventually tuna trips will steam offshore. 

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> ran striped bass trips Thursday through Saturday on Delaware Bay, knocking the heck out of the catches on clams, he said. Those were his first charters of the season, and the anglers sometimes caught enough to use bonus tags to keep additional stripers. Most of the bass were 29 to 35 inches, but one was really big, about 30 pounds. Striper fishing was now finally serving up a run of the fish, after the angling was slow in recent springs. But he also began the trips earlier this year, actually running the charters on a friend’s boat, before George’s marina allowed boats in the slips. But the Heavy Hitter will probably go in the slip at the marina today. The bay was cold or 48 degrees, so he hopes the fishing lasts a moment. The ocean was 46 degrees, and the weather Saturday was surprisingly cold but on Sunday on land in Cape May was warm and 75 degrees. Bait was marked on the bottom of the bay, but George couldn’t be sure what type of bait, like maybe herring. Some of the bass had bunker in their stomachs. The charter schedule isn’t too full yet, and some weekend dates remain, and so do weekdays. Book before the schedule does fill, like if suddenly anglers start booking when word gets out about the fishing. The fishing seemed to start about a week ago, and the owner of the boat that was used on these trips fished two Saturdays ago, finding birds working the bay over a body of the fish like he’d never seen there before, and the stripers bit anything thrown to them. Drum catches on the bay on the Heavy Hitter in past years often began as soon as the boat started fishing for stripers, usually around April 17. Usually then drum began to be caught on the clam baits meant for stripers. Afterward drum fishing usually lulled while the boomers spawned, before kicking back in afterward. Again, the charter schedule is fairly open but will begin to fill up. Now is a time to lock in preferred dates.

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