New Jersey Fishing Reports

Jigging for striped bass was back with a vengeance on a trip with Barbara Anne Fishing Charters on Tuesday, the Captain’s Blog on the boat’s Web site said. All rods were bent for 3 hours, and the anglers limited out on the fish to 25 pounds, coming home early because the action was so outstanding. Charters are sailing, and so are open-boat trips, including twilight open trips. Barbara Anne pays bridge tolls with a receipt.

Atlantic Highlands

Trips fished Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning for striped bass on the party boat Atlantic Star, but the rest of the week’s twice-daily trips for the linesiders were weathered out, Capt. Tom said. Winds also blew during the trip Monday afternoon, but the boat was sailed down the ocean beaches, because winds against the tide created poor fishing conditions everywhere else. Some keepers and a few shorts were angled up, and no blues showed up, if Tom remembered. The trip Tuesday morning fished at Romer Shoal, but the angling was no good, for some reason. Forecasts looked like winds might end today. The Atlantic Star is fishing for striped bass on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ***Update*** This morning’s trip moved to the back of the bay and began clamming for stripers, but no currents ran, and birds started working the waters, so the anglers started jigging the bass, and some flipped clams to the fish, and hooked up, Tom said. A few blues were landed, and afterward the boat was anchored, and currents flowed better. The fishing wasn’t as good as preferred, but a few stripers were bagged. On the afternoon trip the boat was anchored the whole time, and everyone boxed at least one keeper, Tom thought. A mix of shorts and keepers mouthed the clam baits, and no blues showed up. So the fishing showed a bit of improvement.

Boaters clammed lots of striped bass at places like Flynn’s Knoll and Romer Shoal, bunker-chunked plenty toward the back of Raritan Bay, and jigged them out east, said Jimmy from Julian’s Bait & Tackle. He hadn’t heard yet whether many were jigged today, but heard that some along with blues were taken. He jigged an excellent catch of 10- to 20-pound stripers, limiting out and releasing big ones afterward, the other day. He saw surf fishers hooked up on stripers all along Sandy Hook during the trip. They probably fished with clams and bunker, and big ones are sometimes axed on bunker heads. Blues swarmed the bay and rivers, and stripers were pulled from the rivers in the mornings, evenings and at night, but abundant blues hardly allowed a chance to catch a striper there during the day. Worms will draw them in from the rivers, and clams fished with chum will work in some places there. Bunker will coax bites in the back of the rivers like at Red Bank. Bottom fishing was a little slow. All the baits including fresh clams and fresh bunker are stocked.

A charter sailed for striped bass Tuesday on the party boat Fishermen instead of the usual daily, open-boat trip for the fish, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. The bite like the past weeks didn’t happen, unfortunately. Only a few of the fish were managed, after covering many miles. Both jigging and clamming were tried. “Tough to swallow,” Ron said. Rains forecast for Wednesday’s trip, and winds against the tide, didn’t look good. Only two customers showed up at the boat that day, and only seven showed up for the whole fleet at the harbor. So that was that, and no trip sailed. But a new body of stripers had moved into the bay, and Ron expected to turn attention to them in the next days. No report was posted on the boat’s site today. Check out the <a href=" http://www.captainronsfishermen.com" target="_blank">Fishermen’s new Web site</a> featuring daily reports and frequent videos and photos from trips. The Fishermen is striped bass fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. But the boat is chartered during the morning-to-afternoon trip Saturday. The weather was super through the day, for a change.

Highlands

Anglers picked away at striped bass to 22 and 25 pounds on Raritan Bay on live and chunked bunker with Fisher Price Charters, Capt. Derek said. Though ocean boaters reported that blues left waters off the coast because the rough weather dropped the water temps, blues never backed off in the bay. They chewed their heads off in the bay, Derek said. Striped bass fishing usually lasts until the first or second week of July with Fisher Price, and a few dates remain for charters this month, and some openings remain in June and July. The next open-boat trips will sail Friday and Saturday, and space is available Friday, but Saturday is sold out. Call to jump aboard or to be kept informed about the open schedule.

Before winds forced trips to be cancelled during the weekend, a trip Friday with Jersey Devil Charters socked striped bass, a good catch, and lots of blues on Raritan Bay while fishing with live and chunked bunker, Capt. Brian said. He heard reports about solid striper fishing this week down the ocean beaches from off the Highlands Bridge to Asbury Park, depending on where the bait swam. Jersey Devil fishes all those waters and also offers trips on the rivers that are currently teeming with bass and blues, for those who prefer the calm waters or who are fishing with children, for example. Or maybe those who just prefer fast action on light tackle like cast rubber shads or Guide’s Choice M-80 popper plugs. Jersey Devil’s tournament-fishing season will kick off this weekend, when trips will compete in Friday’s <a href=" http://www.manhattancup.com/
" target="_blank">Manhattan Cup</a> striper contest, one of Brian’s favorites, and Saturday’s <a href="http://www.manhattancup.com/
" target="_blank">American Striper Association Tournament</a> at Bahrs Landing at Highlands. Jersey Devil specializes in trophy stripers and has frequently competed, won and placed in the region’s major striper contests. Charters are fishing, and so are open-boat trips, and call if interested in the open trips. The more who are interested, the easier to schedule.

Neptune

Last Lady Fishing Charters’ next fishing will include individual-reservation trips for striped bass Saturday and Sunday, and a few spots, not many, are available, Capt. Ralph said. The last striper trip snuck out Saturday morning during a break in howling winds, covered in the last report. The anglers clobbered the best striper catch of the season, limiting out on the fish to 25 pounds on jigs on the ocean. Two spots are left for an individual-reservation trip that will sail offshore Wednesday, May 19, for cod, pollock and ling, and Ralph expects good fishing. Another one of the trips for sea bass and stripers is available Sunday, May 23, the day after sea bass season opens.

Belmar

Trolling the ocean racked up striped bass to 28 pounds Wednesday on the Nan Sea J, Capt. Tom said. No bluefish were around in the waters that had chilled to 47 degrees, and the weather was stiff. Coming up, sea bass fishing will be added to trips May 22, the opening day of the season for the knotheads. Annual, open-boat trips for sharks will sail every Wednesday starting in June, a rare opportunity to wrestle the monsters on an open trip. Charters will also hunt sharks, and sharking is Tom’s favorite fishing.

Patrons plucked away at striped bass on the ocean, and on today’s trip the 30 of them aboard probably iced 45 to 50 keepers so far, said Capt. Alan from the party boat Miss Belmar Princess during a phone call on the trip at 11 a.m. today. The fish were jigged on trips, and not every trip sailed this week, because of the weather, and Wednesday’s outing was cancelled. Big bass were sometimes toggled in, and probably three or four of today’s fish weighed 25 pounds so far. A 47-pounder and a couple of 30s were shellacked on Monday’s trip. Bluefish disappeared since Monday, because south winds chilled the waters. The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for striped bass and bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The trips will run every day and night starting Memorial Day weekend. Alan’s new boat, the Tropical Adventure, replacing the Royal Miss Belmar, will fish for fluke on two trips daily when the flattie season opens the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Lots of striped bass were piled up on the party boat Big Mohawk on the ocean when trips could steam between the weather, Capt. Chris said. Some good-sized ones were hammered, and the trips, limited to 15 passengers, are trying to focus on live-bait fishing, snagging bunker to free-line to the bass. A bait tank is aboard, and when no bunker show up, the anglers jig for the fish. Bluefish vanished when waters cooled down. The Big Mohawk is sailing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The trips will switch to sea bassing when sea bass season opens May 22.

Surf fishing was better than usual for striped bass catches, even if the bite was up and down, depending on water temperatures, said Bob from Fisherman’s Den. But good fishing for them was mostly scored, on clams and poppers. The party boats were mostly docked because of the weather, but they ran today. They pounded great striper catches on the ocean, and quite a few big ones to 36 pounds were weighed in from the vessels. Patrons jigged the fish or, when bunker schooled, snagged the bunker and dropped them back down for bait. No blues were mixed in lately, because waters cooled, because of southeast winds. Plenty of out-of-season fluke carpeted the bottom in Shark River, and anglers caught and released a bunch. The stage seemed set for the opening of fluke season on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and the shop’s rental boats will be ready for the angling. The shop was also being set up for the opening of sea bass season on May 22. Some of the party boats will switch to sea bassing then.

Brielle

Excellent striped bass catches were knocked down on some days on the ocean on the party boat Jamaica, and okay catches were racked up on others, an e-mail from the vessel said. The fishing was super during the weekend and slowed afterward, but even the slow trips scored okay. The last trip ran Tuesday, and 32 keepers were landed among the 21 anglers. Many of the bass were read on the scope on the trip, and some drifts gave up several stripers, and others put out one or two. After rough weather in the past days, forecasts called for calm conditions today and right through the weekend. Trips are sailing at 7:30 a.m. daily, and the season’s first nighttime bluefish trip will launch 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The ocean had dropped to 42 degrees when a trip Monday broke the inlet with Fish Monger Charters, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. But the cold didn’t bother striped bass, and the anglers jigged 20-keeper-sized ones, limiting out and releasing the rest, despite winds and fast drifting. The fish, caught to the north, weighed up to 24 pounds, and a couple weighed around 20. The anglers tried bottom fishing toward the end of the trip, where a previous trip caught cod. But the cold waters gave up no bites, and they called it a day. A charter Tuesday plowed 27 striped bass to 37 pounds on the ocean, limiting out and releasing the rest. The catch also included a 30-pounder and a 25-pounder. First the anglers limited out on jigs, and the catch included the 30-pounder, and they began playing catch and release. After jigging slowed down, shad rigs started to be trolled through readings, and the bites didn’t take long to begin. A couple of single bass were hooked, and a couple of double-headers and even a triple-header on the rigs. When the trip was ready to go home, one rod doubled over, and lots of line started dumping out. Two big stripers, the 37-pounder and the 25-pounder, more than 60 pounds of the fish, were muscled in after a long fight on the one rod! Great way to end the trip. A photo was snapped, and the fish were released. Space is available for an open-boat trip Friday. “Don’t miss out!” Jerry said. “Give a buzz, let’s go fishing!”

Charters kept limiting out on striped bass on the ocean on trolled Tony Maja’s bunker spoons, a banner year for the fishing, said Capt. Ken from the Big Kid. A trip Tuesday limited out in 2 hours to the north, and more of the trips were sailing today through the weekend. Trips kept playing catch and release with more after limiting. Looking ahead, dates remain for sea bass charters that will kick off May 22, the opening day of the lumphead season, and the fishing is one of Ken’s favorites. Shark trips will begin in June, and all the tournaments – including the Brett Bailey tournament, Mako Mania and the Jersey Coast Shark Anglers tournament – are booked, but charters are available for the monsters. Fish for sharks now, because regulations will close down sharking indefinitely after this season. Bluefin tuna charters will begin on the boat the first week of June, running to the deep to intercept the first tuna of the year. Ken wants the boat to be the first to catch the fish. Canyon trips for yellowfin tuna were booking up that will start in late July and August, and grab the dates while available.

Point Pleasant

The ocean cooled because of the winds and chilly weather, making bluefish back away, and none was caught, but striped bass fishing, the target on the Norma-K, turned out pretty good catches, Capt. Matt said. Stripers 20 to 30 pounds were the pool winners, and all the bass were jigged. Krocodiles and Ava 47’s with green tails seemed best. Blues had been in the mix previously, and they’ll return. The ocean on Sunday was a frigid 42 degrees and by Tuesday was 48, still cold, and colder than previously. Striped bass trips are fishing 8 .m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Two magic-hour trips will sail for stripers 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday. Two bluefish trips will run 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, May 21 and 22. Daily nighttime bluefish trips, fishing those same hours, will kick off on May 28, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. On May 22, the opening day of sea bass season, the daytime trips will begin targeting sea bass instead of stripers, sailing twice daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Those trips will switch to fluke fishing on May 29, the opening day of the flattie season.

Andrea’s Toy Charters started fishing for the season, and the first trips, a couple of them, limited out on striped bass on the ocean on livelined bunker and jigs in the past week, Capt. Fred said. A trip Tuesday steamed offshore for tilefish at the canyons in a break in the weather, rounding up tiles and groupers. Andrea’s Toy is always one of the first to fish the blue waters each season, often heading out for tiles early in the year. The boat’s inshore trips will striped bass fish hardcore for the next couple of months, but bottom fishing will be mixed in. Bottom fishing for ling was so-so, but a trip Sunday will drop down baits for them. Sea bassing will be added to the bottom fishing when sea bass season opens May 22. For now, stripers and blues were mostly on tap inshore.

On the party boat Dauntless ling fishing improved a bit, and quite a few cod, smaller than before but fair numbers, were cranked up, Capt. Butch said. The ling fishing wasn’t really good yet, but some of the anglers bagged 6 to 12 or 15 apiece. Trips fished for the ling and cod in 90 to 120 feet, and waters became colder, dipping below 50 degrees, from the scrappy weather. Bluefish disappeared in the last few days because of the cold. Even the gillnetters saw none. The Dauntless wasn’t fishing for blues before, but blues were previously seen on trips along the water surface, slow-moving, unlikely to hit jigs fished from a party boat. The blues had been more active closer to shore, where waters were warmer. Annual, nighttime bluefish trips will be added to the boat’s schedule soon. A couple of trips lately mixed in striped bass fishing close to shore, bagging some of the fish. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Bluefishing trips will be added on Memorial Day weekend, running 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. At first the bluefish trips will sail on weekends, and later, when the beach season kicks in, they’ll sail daily.

Though the party boat Cock Robin had been slated to begin fishing this weekend, the start will be postponed until the following Saturday, May 22, an e-mail from the vessel said. The weather kept cosmetic work from being done to the boat, so the crew will finish up before sailing. The e-mail never mentioned the fish the trips will target, but the vessel usually runs for blues but chases stripers when the linesiders are around. The opening date for the vessel’s annual night trips for blues will be announced later. Specials on the boat will include: $1 from every fare donated to the Recreational Fishing Alliance; Captain Jim’s Customer Appreciation Program, where every 12th trip is free; pay up front for eight adult trips and get two free; Captain Jim’s Camp Cock Robin, featuring a dedicated mate for kids 8 to 15 from Mondays through Fridays; dads sail free on a trip June 18 to 20 when accompanied by a paid adult in celebration of Father’s Day, limited registration; children sail free on their birthdays when accompanied by a paying adult; the new program Captain Jim’s Jersey Mike’s Lunch Plan – pre order lunch to arrive from Jersey Mike’s at the dock at 7 a.m.; PinkDay every Wednesday, when women sail for a child’s fare, in partnership with the Komen Foundation, and this program can be supported by purchasing a pink Cock Robin/Komen Foundation T-shirt; and a fireworks and ice cream cruise every Thursday, when passengers will enjoy fireworks seen from the ocean, and the fixings for an ice cream sundae will be available to everyone. Captain Jim’s Grog is included on those trips.

Bricktown

Customers during the weekend ran into a blitz of striped bass, including big ones to 30 pounds, in the surf at Island Beach State Park, walloping the fish on metal and snagged bunker, said Capt. Rich from the tackle shop Jersey Hooker Outfitters. Rich’s Jersey Hooker Charters, sailing from Point Pleasant, limited out on striped bass Tuesday on the ocean off Long Branch. First the fish were jigged in the morning, and when jigging slowed down, the trip trolled, picking up the rest of the keepers. No blues were around on the trip, because waters cooled. A charter Wednesday decided to cancel because of rough weather. Bunker schooled the ocean, but anglers waited for more to show up and for the especially big stripers that should chase them soon. Ocean boaters also waited for sea bass season to open May 22. Eels were just stocked at the shop, and one customer swam the bait at the Point Pleasant Canal on high tide in the middle of the night, bagging a keeper, scoring lots of action with more of the fish. High tides, when currents slow, at night are the time to nail the abundant bass in the canal on eels. Cockail blues ran strong in the canal, and a customer Sunday showed off a cooler full that smacked Ava jigs cast and retrieved. Freshwater customers talked about good fishing for largemouth bass and trout at lots of different locations. All the freshwater baits are stocked including trout worms, meal worms, nightcrawlers and killies. The full supply of saltwater baits is carried including fresh clams, fresh bunker when available, eels and all the frozen baits. Anglers can call about the bunker availability.

Toms River

Bluefish schooled Barnegat Bay from Good Luck Point to the Route 37 Bridge the past two days, and boaters and shore anglers plundered unbelievable catches Wednesday on popper plugs, swimming lures and nearly anything, said Dennis from Murphy’s Hook House. Boaters also trolled blues, sizeable fish to 8 pounds, from the bridge to Cedar Creek on the bay lately. The bay’s boaters looking for striped bass began to eel a few along the sod banks and at Oyster Creek Channel at night. They also started to clam and bunker-chunk the fish in the bay toward Barnegat Inlet during the day. Out-of-season fluke were hooked and released in the bay. No weakfish were heard about from the bay, and the blues were too thick. No boaters really fished the ocean in the last days because of the weather, but previously blues, a good run, were boated from the ocean right off the inlet on jigs and poppers. Surf anglers beached blues and striped bass here and there, and afternoons were somewhat better the past couple of days, though few surf anglers fished during the weather. Crabbing had been going well in the Toms River for this time of year, but now dropped off because of today’s new moon and a small shed, so crabbing will take a moment to take back off. Fresh bunker and a few fresh clams are stocked, and more of both baits will arrive for the weekend, and all the frozen baits are carried.

Seaside Heights

One customer was whaling striped bass 12 to 25 pounds very early in the mornings, before most people would be out, on Barnegat Bay along the Route 37 Bridge on small Rapala X-Raps, said Tom from The Dock Outfitters. He used size 8 or 10, if Tom remembered, and the lures worked because the fish fed on spearing. He bagged a couple of keepers including a 25-pounder in the last couple of days, but the big fish was full of roe, so he wanted to release any more. That action was the steadiest fishing going. Bluefish 8 or 9 pounds, lots of them, busted on a mess of bunker on the west side of the bay the other day, so those fish should be around. One of the staff from the shop called the store and said blues to 10 pounds were piling in and out of the surf at Barnegat Inlet’s north jetty continuously starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Nobody mentioned striped bass caught from the surf, but the beaches were mostly barren in the poor weather the last days. Fresh clams and fresh bunker are stocked, and clams are only $2 per dozen every Wednesday, called Wacky Wednesdays. All the frozen baits are carried. A new delivery of Malibu Kayaks just arrived. Stop by and check out these models that came in: the Stealth 12, the Pro Tandem, the X-Factor, the Mini X and the brand new Sierra 10. The shop’s rental boats will be splashed for the season through the week leading up to Memorial Day weekend for fishing and crabbing on the bay.

Seaside Park

Few anglers fished the surf since the beginning of the week, but some who fished the suds today weighed in an impressive list of catches, said the report on Grumpy’s Tackle’s Web site. Nine striped bass 10 pounds to 26 ¼ pounds were checked in, and so were a few blues around 6 pounds apiece. The after-work crowd connected, and lots of fish were out there to hook, if angler put the effort in. All the stripers weighed in bit Grumpy clams, except one was pencil-poppered. The blues pounced on Ava jigs, except one hammered a popper. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishing_reports.cfm" target="_blank">Click here</a> for updates.

Forked River

Barnegat Bay was full of blues, and a customer said they were out there today, said Grizz from Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle. Many used popper lures to fight them, a fun way to fish. But the fish attacked anything from trolled Ponytails to cast metal. Anglers who managed to boat the ocean during the weather dredged up striped bass, almost always on the troll. One customer said he snagged bunker and livelined the bait to catch the bass. But the shop sold lots more bunker spoons for trolling than weighted snagging hooks. A 37-pound striper was weighed in Friday that was trolled in the ocean off the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park. Grizz in last week’s report said he heard about weakfish landed from the bay at the Berkeley Island pier on pink Fin-S Fish, and those were the last weakfish he knew about. Decent catches of crabs were plucked. Fresh clams are stocked, and fresh bunker will arrive Friday.

Barnegat Light

A 7-degree drop in water temperatures from the weather had shut down fishing, but now the fish began to be caught again, said Basil from Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle. A couple of customers clammed striped bass along the sedges and the Dike in Barnegat Bay. A few stripers, small fish, were dragged from the surf, and clams and bunker were the baits. Boaters today beat bluefish in the ocean off the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park. The ocean had dropped to 46 or 47 degrees, and the bay had dipped to 51. Fresh bunker is stocked, and fresh clams will arrive Friday.

Barnegat

The boat was re-powered with twin Suzuki’s, and the Hi Flier will be back in action June 1 for the season, Capt. Dave DeGenarro said in an e-mail. The slate will include: bunker snagging and livelining and trolling bunker spoons for big striped bass on the ocean in June and July; clamming for Barnegat Bay’s stripers in June; top-water popper fishing for the bay’s blues from June to September; sailing for bonito, false albacore “and other tuna-ish species,” Dave said, at Barnegat Ridge from July to October; grass-shrimping and shedder-crab fishing on the bay for a mixed bag of weakfish, kingfish, blowfish and a dozen other species (more on them in a moment) on light tackle on the bay from July to October; and striper fishing again in fall, clamming on the bay, and chasing birds on the ocean to jig the fish, both from September to November. This is only the formal menu, and trips always roll with the season, and if another fishery pops up, the Hi Flier will be on it. “That’s the advantage of being on the water every day, and being in tune with the constantly changing seasons,” Dave said. Anglers might’ve heard that the weakfish bag limit was reduced to one fish this year. That’s okay, because the bay’s summer fishing had become more about variety anyway. Plus kingfish had become a favored target. The trips these days fish with grass shrimp, like they did for weakies, and shedder crabs with 6- and 8-pound, ultra-light tackle, gathering up an enormous variety of fish, including kings, weaks, blues, fluke, juvenile sea bass, juvenile blackfish, blowfish, burrfish (a type of puffer), puppy drum, porgies, sea robins, sand sharks, lizardfish, spots, croakers and more. A Ziplock of fillets of kingfish, probably the bay’s toughest fighter, pound for pound, is a bonus you won’t soon forget, Dave said. Charter rates are the same as the last three seasons. Open-boat trips will sail daily when no charter is booked, as usual. The cost varies depending on the trip. Anglers can contact Dave to be on the short list for calls whenever openings are available for any trips you desire.

Mystic Island

Customers snuck out to fish during a couple of times between the rough weather through mid week, maybe on Monday and Wednesday, finding some unusual catches, apparently because of dropped water temps, said Scott from Scott’s Bait & Tackle. But they also found expected catches, like bluefish. More on that in a moment, but one highlight lately was that a few big striped bass to 30 pounds, not many, but some, were creamed at Little Egg Inlet. That’s a little unusual, and herring reappeared at the creeks at Batsto, after the herring run had seemed finished for the year, and that was unusual. Cold waters from the weather seemed to cause the herring to return, and maybe the herring drew in the stripers to the inlet. Stripers aren’t necessarily an odd catch at the inlet in spring, but in recent years the run of big stripers happened in June in the local area. That’s when 30-plus-pounders showed up in the local ocean, chasing bunker. At the inlet now, anglers fished for the bass with fresh bunker, fresh clams or fresh herring. A new supply of fresh, shucked clams would arrive at the shop today, and a few fresh herring were on hand. Fresh bunker was out of stock because the weather kept the bunker boats from sailing, but will be carried when available. Nobody boated the ocean in the rough weather to find out whether big bass swam there. Now, the bluefish: Plenty of blues, mostly 1- to 3-pounders, occasionally up to 12, swarmed mostly around Little Beach or the ocean end of Grassy Channel. Previously many of the blues were reported caught farther back in the bay in Grassy and along the Intracoastal Waterway, but currently they were closer to the ocean. Nobody mentioned catching blues from shore at Graveling Point or Pebble Beach anymore, or even mentioned fishing from there, and that angling seemed to dry up. Drumfish previously began to be caught on occasion in Tuckerton Bay like they usually are around this time. But no drum were hooked since the water temps dropped. They probably still held in the waters but were reluctant to feed because of the change in temps. White perch were on the bite at places including the Wading River and the Mullica River at the Lower Bank Bridge. Live grass shrimp, the favorite perch bait, are stocked. A few minnows are stocked, and demand is low this time of year until flounder season. Scott set up to catch the minnows Friday, had some difficulty catching a bunch, but didn’t put in much effort, and the relatively scarce minnows might’ve been a matter of location. If he would’ve kept looking, he might’ve caught plenty. Nobody mentioned landing weakfish, not one, though the trout could appear any time at places like Sheepshead Creek.

Absecon

In the bay fairly consistent striped bass catches were sacked on fresh clams and fresh bunker, and a few drum started to turn up in the waters, said Curt from Absecon Bay Sportsman Center. Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, on his last few charters put customers on the stripers and a 50-pound drum. At this time of year anglers have to move around a bit when striper fishing on the bay, and sometimes they need to be especially stealthy not to spook the fish, like when the linesiders move onto the shallow flats. At this time of year striper anglers might also have to fight through sand sharks to reach stripers. Curt in last week’s report talked about bigger bass, 20-pounders, that were angled from the bay behind Ocean City that must’ve dropped down from the Great Egg Harbor River after spawning. He heard about one more of the fish caught this past week. Stripers and blues were sometimes located in the ocean to the north, and the fish should be headed to local waters. A few blues popped up in the local bay and even up the Mullica River. Curt had a blue pull in a rod on the river, and he began to find better fishing for white perch in the waters, and the slabs started to come off the spawn. He took a trip targeting post-spawn perch and found some, also reeling up small, out-of-season fluke and tog, surprisingly, tossing them back. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and eels are stocked, and spots should be carried any time.

Brigantine

Striped bass swam all over the surf, said Capt. Andy from Riptide Bait & Tackle. Nelson Bristo showed up in his Dish Network uniform today, bought frozen, salted clams, headed to the sea wall, and came back with a 39-inch 20-pound striper, in his uniform. Angie Coia, a scout from the Oakland Raiders, and Carl Stock totaled three stripers to 16 pounds. Chris Francis tugged in an 18-pound striper that inhaled bunker.

Longport

The terrible weather kept trips in port on the Stray Cat, but daily, open-boat trips are fishing for striped bass and blues on the ocean, Capt. Mike said. Charters are also fishing for them, and space is available for a charter 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Forecasts look good for the next days, and the weather looks like a complete turnaround next week, summery conditions. The open trips will begin sea bass fishing May 22, when the season for them opens, and a few spaces are left for the trips the first several days of the season. Claim them quickly. The season’s first tuna charters are on the books for July 6 and 17. The 12-hour trips fish for bluefins on the inshore ocean, usually along the 20-fathom line, until after July sometime.

Ocean City

A really good number of striped bass were reeled up from the surf, and the fish were also cornered at Corson’s Inlet this afternoon from the bank and boats on bait and lures, said Ed from Fin-Atics. Fresh clams and fresh bunker nabbed the fish from the surf and inlet, and some began to liveline eels at the inlet. Eels especially began to work better because the bluefish population dropped off, probably because of dropped water temperatures from the weather. Water temps started to fluctuate a lot in this season’s weather. Fewer anglers fished along the northern end of the island, but when anglers did, fish were caught. A few kingfish, not a lot, but some, were picked from the surf. Surf striper anglers also contended with big sand sharks. Stripers were claimed from the back bay along the bridges and sod banks, and Ed heard about more of the catches made on lures. So things were happening, Ed said. Fresh clams are stocked, and fresh bunker will come in Friday. Bloodworms and frozen baits including mackerel, herring, bunker and chum are carried.

Sea Isle City

Tony Caggiula weighed in a 16-pound striped bass he banked from the surf along the north end of Sea Isle on clams Tuesday, said Wes from Gibson’s Tackle. Anglers were mostly scarce in the rough weather through mid week, but stripers and a few scattered blues surely roamed the surf. Both fish, small ones, blitzed Corson’s Inlet on Wednesday, swiping bait and lures. Dunk fresh clams or fresh bunker for the bass. Lots of bunker, working birds and life filled the ocean. Kicked up seas mostly kept boaters from exploring the area for stripers and blues, but the fish must’ve been out there. Fishing takes patience among all the bunker, because of, for example, the chances of a striper singling out one bunker bait among zillions of the menhaden. In the back bay blues and stripers were also on tap, mostly on outgoing tides. Soft-plastic lures on jigheads can take the blues, and similar lures or clams fished in a chum slick can belt the bass. Fresh clams are stocked, and Wes is trying to stock fresh bunker for the weekend, after the bait was unavailable because the weather kept the bunker boats docked. He especially wants to have the bait on hand for the <a href="http://www.asaconline.org/Clubs/Teams/DVSA/dvsa.htm" target="_blank">Delaware Valley Surf Anglers Tournament</a> in Sea Isle this weekend. Other baits, including a full supply of frozen baits, fresh for 2010, are on hand.

Back-bay fishing for blues and striped bass will keep serving up catches, though the weather was tough for taking trips through the week until now, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service, affiliated with Gibson’s Tackle. But the good news was that forecasts called for calm weather through the weekend, and he looked forward to that. The cold, windy weather previously probably improved the bay’s fishing if anything. A charter is available Saturday because of a cancellation. Joe’s trips previously fought the blues, mostly 2- to 4-pounders, on soft-plastic lures like Bass Assassins and Clouser Minnow flies. The bay’s stripers responded well to clams, and the fish were also willing to pounce on the same plastics and flies. Both fish bit best at the top of the tides lately. Fishing for both with top-water popper lures and flies will begin soon, as waters warm. The weather kept trips docked Tuesday and Wednesday, and Monday was also rough, but Joe motored out to scout the ocean that day, because lots of bait or bunker schooled the waters with working birds over top. He found no stripers or blues chasing the bait in the short trip, but is eager to get out on the waters longer to investigate. The ocean cooled to 51 degrees because of the weather. Lots of flounder flooded the bay, and fishing for them should hit the ground running with Jersey Cape when the flattie season opens on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The early season, before warm waters push the fluke to the ocean, is best for the fishing on the bay. Book now to lock in dates. Drum fishing should gain steam on Delaware Bay any time, and charters sail for them. Keep up with Jersey Cape’s fishing and photos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

Wildwood

Ready to fish the back bay? Canal Side Boat Rentals is. It’s time. Bluefish are swimming the bay, and a few stripers could be found, and out-of-season flounder are in there, and the rental boats are ready to go, Mike from the shop said. A neighbor said he trapped a dozen blueclaw crabs to boot. The season was early for crabbing, but some could be caught. Lots of commercial crabbers set out their pots. Canal Side will be open this weekend, and some already reserved the boats. Call ahead at this time of year. Mike will also be at the shop through the week, working hard to be ready for the season, and customers can go ahead and call if they want him to ready the boats for weekdays. The shop will be open seven days a week starting Memorial Day weekend. Frozen baits are stocked for now. More baits will be carried as the season gets going.

Cape May

The next trips – drum charters on Delaware Bay – will sail during the weekend on the Heavy Hitter, Capt. George said. The windy weather kept practically the whole fleet docked this week. But a friend who’s a captain ran a trip Tuesday evening that hooked three drum, landing one, a 40-pounder, despite the weather. All three should’ve been landed, the captain told George, and the two that were lost were seen along the surface when still hooked. So those catches seemed a good sign, and the friend was headed back out to fish for drum Wednesday evening, despite rough weather. Fierce winds also kept the fleet in port through the weekend, but George knew about a few catches of drum Friday evening, and he heard drum booming for 45 minutes on a trip at the time, covered in the last report. Weather forecasts for the next days looked better, and when trips get out, maybe they’ll find that this is the beginning of the drum bite. George thinks the fishing on his trips this weekend should be good, and the fish often turn on by this time of the season. A few striped bass were landed on the bay here and there lately. Drum charters are sailing, and call if interested.

Four good-sized striped bass were already weighed in this morning from the surf at the rock pile near the Cape May ferry, said Nick from Hands Too Bait & Tackle. The surf at Poverty Beach was somewhat infested with sharks, but anglers picked through them to grab stripers on clams, and incoming tides seemed best. Surf fishing was good. The weather was rough for fishing Delaware Bay, but a few boaters who got back out to fish the bay Wednesday evening said they saw a drum carcass at the marina that supposedly came from the Delaware side of the bay. The netter who supplies bunker to the shop said bluefish filled the bay, scattering the menhaden. He said blues were everywhere, and stripers were mixed in. Nick guessed the stripers came from the Delaware River after spawning. One angler fishing the back bay said he landed 26 blues near the bridge near Hereford Inlet, returning the next evening, lighting up two 36-inch blues farther back in the bay. Stripers could always be clammed from the back bay in a clam chum slick or plugged on soft-plastic lures. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and bloodworms are stocked.