<b>Staten Island<b>

With <b>Outcast Charters</b> anglers limited out on sea bass with no problem on Saturday, really good fishing, Capt. Joe said. A good number of 2-1/2- and 3-pounders were honked, and a healthy smattering of ling were mixed in. A few out-of-season, keeper-sized blackfish and a couple of out-of-season winter flounder were tossed back. The trip fished in 40 to 80 feet, covering ground, “checking things out,” Joe said. Outcast is also striped bass fishing, though lots of anglers called for sea bass trips now. Bunker were seen on the way home from the trip.

<b>Keyport</b>

Fishing for fluke jabbed mostly shorts but a couple of good-sized keepers on Sandy Hook Bay east of the Ammo Pier on a trip Friday with Joe Sciosi, son Chris and Bill, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. They fished with killies and squid, and Papa’s Angels is also striped bass fishing. Stripers were clammed at Flynn’s Knoll and Romer Shoal, and mixed-in blues swam those waters. Several open-boat trips are sailing daily when no charter is booked, leaving at 7 a.m. on 4- or 6-hour trips or fishing from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on twilight trips. 

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Lots of double-headers of sea bass and a good ratio of keepers, probably 1 in 3 – dynamite fishing – were clobbered Saturday on the ocean on the <b>Katie H</b>, Capt. Mike said. After the anglers had enough, they tried fluke fishing on the ocean, managing three keepers and 10 times as many shorts, and waters were cold for fluking. The trip also tried striped bass fishing in the morning with livelined bunker and on the troll, but nothing was doing. The anglers went home with plenty of fish and had a good time, Mike said, and the weather was beautiful.

Plenty of fluke filled the bay, giving up good fishing throughout trips, though the keeper ratio was tough as usual, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Atlantic Star</b>. But as far as the fishing goes, he couldn’t complain, and all customers caught the fish. Some bagged two or three keepers, and some none, and some landed 15 fluke with no keepers. Even the kids hooked the flatfish, having a good time. Every drift turned up a few keepers, and Tire John nailed a 5-pounder that was the biggest on the boat so far this season. Some of the summer flounder were an inch or half-inch undersized. A new body of smaller fluke from 13 to 14 inches and 15 to 16 inches showed up. Some of the fluke looked clean, and some looked muddy. Anglers might’ve expected the increased size limit in recent years to increase the number of larger fluke in the waters. But Tom from the beginning said certain sizes of the fish seem to hold in certain waters, no matter the size limit. Spearing and squid are supplied for bait on the trips, and they caught the fish well. Sometimes killies that anglers brought on the trips seemed to work better. If anglers like to fish with killies, Tom recommends they pick up some, a small amount, on the way to the boat. A half-pint is plenty on the half-day trips. Anglers working bucktails or Spro jigs seemed to score better when the drift was slow. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“Certainly getting tougher to limit out half a boat load of customers (on striped bass)…,” said Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> in an e-mail. The bite was down to a pick here and there, and trips got shots when all heck looked like it would break loose. But then the angling would drop off, and the boat would be moved. “Can’t sit in one place for too long,” he said. On today’s trip stripers were found at most drops, and a couple spots gave up none. Bob Miller smoked a 34-pounder, the biggest fish of the trip. A couple of regs who had a hot hand the past few weeks didn’t even score a bite. “Go figure,” Ron said. The day was beautiful on the waters, and the humidity disappeared, and a breeze kept everyone cool. 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. However, the Saturday morning trips are unavailable this month. Check out a <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO95L-LTd48
" target="_blank">video of today’s trip</a>.

<b>Highlands</b>

A couple of striped bass were trolled on a trip Friday on the ocean on Tony Maja’s spoons, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>. Fishing for them with live bunker was tough, and angling for stripers might’ve hit somewhat of a lull in the past days, but that happens, and Jersey Devil will keep striper fishing as usual. In the weekend’s Hi-Mar Striper Tournament, Junior Santos won with a combined two-fish weight of 87 pounds, made up of a 50-pounder on Saturday and a 37-pounder on Sunday, Brian heard.  He also heard a 52-pounder was entered in the event. Bluefin tuna started to be seen on the inshore ocean, and Brian heard about none caught locally so far, but knew about a few hooked toward Cape May. His trips won’t start fishing for bluefins until the bite becomes consistent locally. His shark trips will probably begin this weekend. Jersey Devil is fishing for stripers on both charters and open-boat trips, and call if interested in the open trips, because the more who are interested, the easier to schedule.

Fishing for striped bass was up and down through the past week, and some captains might’ve gotten frustrated with the angling, but a look at the log book shows that the fishing slowed for a moment at this time last year, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. But then catches resumed, and Derek thinks the angling is just beginning. Many of the males still had milt in them, and half the females had eggs. The fish should’ve spawned a month ago, and Derek couldn’t figure what was going on, but maybe they’ll spawn on the next moon. His trips fished for stripers everywhere or from the bay to the New York side to down the ocean beaches at Shark River. Stripers to 35 pounds were decked on the outings on livelined and chunked bunker. On some days mornings were better, and on others afternoons were. Though the fishing was up and down for the moment, lots of stripers remained around. He took a walk on the beach at Sea Bright on Sunday evening, seeing stripers absolutely ripping apart bunker. Plenty of stripers were yet to migrate north to the local area, and he heard about stripers found off Island Beach State Park, heading south. Trips came across bluefish in the bay but not in the ocean. Fisher Price will concentrate on stripers through the month. Once the fishing slows down, trips will begin to concentrate on bucktailing for big fluke at the rough bottom, channels and wrecks. Bottom-fishing trips will also run, and Derek heard that bottom fishing was good for sea bass, ling and cod. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips for stripers were yet to be scheduled, but anglers can call Derek to be kept informed of the open schedule.

<b>Neptune</b>

Sea bass fishing was “good to very good,” said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> in an e-mail. But striped bass fishing was slow the past few days. On the sea bass trips, sizeable, out-of-season tog were sometimes released, and crabs will be carried for tog bait when one of the blackfish per angler can be kept starting July 16. Dean Trittenbach’s gang dealt with rough weather on a trip Sunday but caught sea bass. Other trips that reeled in the lumpheads included those with Al Lang’s group, who also picked up ling, Chris Woll’s crew, and Scott Stevens’ bunch, who landed sea bass and fluke in good numbers. Paul Carpinella’s group failed to catch stripers but put together a quality catch of sea bass. Jeff Walsh’s anglers boated stripers to 29 pounds, and Dennis Martin’s bunch bagged stripers to 20 pounds, and both found the stripers late in the day. An individual-reservation trip for striped bass will fish next week on Wednesday from 12 noon to 8 p.m. Combo fluke/sea bass individual-reservation trips will begin to sail every Wednesday on June 23. A couple of spots are left on an individual-reservation trip offshore on Thursday, June 24, for cod, pollock and ling. An individual-reservation mako shark trip will run Tuesday, June 29. Mako charters will begin June 15, and combo shark/wreck fishing or shark/tuna trips will be offered. Sharks and bluefin tuna showed up, and now is the time to put a trip together. Ralph expects tuna fishing farther offshore at the canyons to begin early this year. Two-day, individual-reservation tuna trips will fish the canyons once again this year.

<b>Belmar</b>

Bottom-fishing was probably the best angling that trips found lately, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Nan Sea J</b>. Lots of sea bass, some big ling and still some cod were coolered on the trips. Lots of small, out-of-season tog were tossed back. Anglers aboard tried fluke fishing on the ocean, and a couple of keepers were claimed, but too few of the flatties bit, and the anglers switched to bottom-fishing.  Two 22- and 29-pound striped bass were boated on a trip on live bunker on the ocean, but the trip was probably lucky, because striper fishing didn’t seem so good. The linesiders seemed to be caught best in the afternoons. Tom knew about a few anglers who saw bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean, but heard about nobody who hooked one. He also heard about no sharks landed, but the time was probably here to catch sharks, so the vessel’s annual, open-boat shark trips, sailing each Wednesday through July, will likely kick off this week. Take advantage of the uncommon opportunity to hunt the beasts on an open trip. Charters are also available for sharking, Tom’s favorite fishing.

<b>On a Mission Fishing Adventures</b> usually ran combo sea bass and striped bass charters, fishing for sea bass for half the trips in the mornings, angling for stripers on the second half in the afternoons, Capt. Eric said. Stripers mostly bit in the afternoons, and live bunker were used for bait, and up to 30- and 35-pounders were hooked. Some boats trolled the stripers, but On a Mission rarely trolls if possible. The sea bass fishing began as fluke fishing on the ocean on the boat, but cold waters kept fluke from being active there. The surface temp was around 60, but the bottom was cold. Bluefish began appearing close to shore, after none was around previously, though that was unusual. Eric <i><b>also guides surf fishing trips</b></i>, and Paul Caruso took one of the trips Thursday morning, beaching a couple of blues and a 38-inch striper, a good-sized fish in the wash, on pencil poppers. Surf fishing trips will hit the shore through the fishing season, including summer, if anglers want to fluke fish in the suds during the warmer months. Looking ahead, the boat trips will fish for bluefin tuna this summer, and bluefins were spotted 20 miles offshore or in 20 fathoms, but they were tough to catch, though anglers tried. Trips will probably be able to catch them in two weeks, and the fishing was phenomenal last year.

<b>Brielle</b>

Bluefishing picked up on trips on the ocean this weekend, an e-mail from the party boat <b>Jamaica</b> said. Excellent catches of 6- to 13-pounders were booted on a trip Saturday night to the south, on bait as usual at night, and some patrons limited out. On Sunday’s daytime trip the fish refused to bite in the same area for customers. So the boat was steamed to the edge of the Mudhole offshore of the inlet, and 6- to 13-pound blues were copped on both jigs and bait in a chum slick. Plenty of the fish were read 20 to 90 feet down, and they spit up sand eels. Pool winners on the trips were Julio Rivera, Trenton, with a 13-pound blue and Mike Scott, Lansdale, Pa., with a 12-pounder. The Jamaica is fishing daily at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.  

The six anglers aboard Thursday bagged slightly less than a limit of sea bass to 3 pounds and a cod, “but a nice cooler nonetheless,” said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> in an e-mail. They also released a few out-of-season tog. Seas began “a bit snappy,” he said, in south-southwest winds, and pea-soup fog offered zero visibility. The fishing began slower, and the trip bounced around to a few drops, picking the catches here and there. The keepers were all bigger fish like lately. Seas calmed down, and the sea bass started to bite better, and the last drop of the day was best. Seas began to be bouncy again, and the anglers stuck it out, picking at the fish until time to go home. 

Ocean boaters tied into striped bass a little south toward the end of the week, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Even if the fishing was slower than before, trips sometimes trolled 10 stripers. Bob Lake weighed in a 41.46-pounder he trolled on a bunker spoon. A 33-pound striper was checked in Saturday that engulfed a live bunker. Bunker were scarcer than before commercial bunker boats started scooping them up, but the baitfish were around. Not a lot of surf anglers were heard from, but Dave heard about a striper beached from the wash once in a while. Diehards kept surf fishing, picking stripers mostly farther north in Monmouth County like at Deal and Long Branch. Fluke success on the ocean depended on where anglers fished. A trip on Jerry Meila’s Hard Eight with probably five anglers limited out the boat on fluke on the ocean, and two of the fish weighed almost 6 pounds apiece. The anglers fished with 1-1/2- to 2-ounce Old Man’s Tackle Box bucktails. The Reel Seat stocks lots of fluke tackle, including more fluke jigs than any other shop Dave knows. Pretty good catches of fluke came from Manasquan River. Small blues invaded Manasquan Inlet the other day, but no fluke bit in the inlet. Sea bass fishing, like fluke fishing, depended on where anglers fished on the ocean. Lots of spots were hard hit, but a customer on Friday fished a little farther offshore and south, limiting out on the lumpheads, adding a few cod and big ling to the catch. Lots of bluefish schooled far from shore, but some were taken at the Mudhole in recent nights. Some customers tried for bluefin tuna at Barnegat Ridge, because the fish were reported landed there, but the customers boated none in good conditions with life and whales in the waters. One customer shark fished in good conditions but hooked none. More anglers will begin to fish for sharks and tuna. 

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

The crew from <b>High Hook Sport Fishing</b> on Sunday took a trip to mostly net bunker for shark bait but put out a couple of rods with livelined bunker off Spring Lake, belting two 15-pound striped bass, Capt. Scott said. Charters on the boat are still striper fishing, and action’s not non-stop like before, but the fish are around. “It’s fishing,” he said. Anglers who are trying for the fish are catching. A charter is slated to shark fish on Saturday, and the crew will take a shark trip Friday to help prepare, and loves sharking. Fluke and sea bass trips are being booked.

Bluefish were discovered close to port on Friday’s trip, and the anglers aboard enjoyed a day of jigging the snappers to cocktails, no size to the fish, “but a welcomed break from the stress of (striped bass fishing),” an e-mail from the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b> said. The trip was originally going to look for stripers in bunker. Lack of anglers kept the nighttime trip docked. On Saturday’s trip the anglers began with jigging for blues right in Manasquan Inlet “as a warm up…,” the e-mail said. Then the vessel was headed east to the bluefish grounds, and blues to 10 pounds were caught on bait. “Not a mad dog bite, but all-day steady enough ...,” the e-mail said. Lack of anglers again kept Saturday night’s trip in port, though other anglers found the bluefishing good that night. On Sunday in a choppy swell that made some anglers seasick, the vessel was steamed back to the bluefish grounds. A stab at the fishing on anchor and another on the drift produced only two blues. The boat was moved and anchored, and mayhem broke loose! Blues were jigged, not a blitz, “but enough to remind us why we love the blues!” the e-mail said. Considerably more anglers became seasick, and the captain tooted the horn, sailing back to port. The Cock Robin is sailing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

<b>Seaside Park</b>

A trip dusted good fishing for sea bass on Thursday, and another on Friday ran into slow fishing for the knotheads, the slowest in three years, Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier from <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b> said in the report on the boat’s Web site. Both trips mixed in top-water plug fishing for blues on the shallow flats of Barnegat Bay. With the quantity and quality of sea bass boated on the vessel so far this season, “it was rough to take it on the chin with a slow trip,” he said. The trip on Thursday fished with Anthony from the Tackle Box, met pea soup fog, and navigated to the grounds with radar. A few adjustments were made on one drop, and that’s all it took for the angler to limit out on sea bass to 3 ¾ pounds or 19 inches. Sizeable, out-of-season blackfish were also released. On the way home the trip stopped on the bay’s flats for first-class top-water action with blues, tons of fun with the 3-pounders on light tackle. The trip on Friday fished with two good anglers from New Jersey Saltwater Fishing. The first drop gave up a pick of sea bass, and then the angling fell apart. Waters had chilled to 57 degrees because of south winds, “but I have never seen the bite this slow,” Birch said. The catch was even more disappointing because of the good sea bassing on the boat lately. Birch asked the anglers if they wanted to give the bay’s bluefishing a shot, and off they went. The blues – 2- to 3-pounders, some of them 4-pounders and the biggest a 6-1/4-pounder – crashed the surface lures. After grabbing a few for the grill and releasing a bunch, the anglers called it a day. Ten sea bass and 12 blues were in the box. “Not the trip we had hoped for …,” Birch said, “but still a very memorable day spent with two very good fishemen …,” he said. The weekend had been forecast to be windy, and apparently no trips sailed, because no more reports were posted on the site. But this week was expected to bring calmer northwest winds, good for fishing. Much of the waters deeper than 80 feet held no sea bass, and anglers waited for the fish to move in. When they show, the fishing should explode, Birch said. Catching good numbers of quality sea bass close to shore through summer is a specialty for Fishguts. The wreck-fishing trips, running seven days a week, fish the inshore ocean straight through the warm months on both charters and 10-hour open-boat trips. Combo ocean-wreck and bay fluke trips are available. Special trips that target trophy blackfish will begin when the tog season opens July 16.

<b>Barnegat</b>

Reports were already heard about bonito and bluefin tuna swimming around, and the season’s first trip, an open-boat one, to the blue waters will look for them at Barnegat Ridge and the surrounding area on Tuesday, and space is available, said Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> in an e-mail. The waters were loaded with sand eels. He’s got one angler signed up and two spaces available. Hi-speed trolling will mostly be done, but the trip will jig for the fish if marks are read, offering a chance. Forecasts couldn’t be better, calling for calm seas in light northwest winds, the first northerly in about 10 days, “a proven fishing accelerator,” Dave said. “On a personal note,” he added, “it’s also my birthday, so if you want to bring me a salami and provolone sandwich, we can stick a candle in it.”

<b>Surf City</b>

A few striped bass were beached from the surf Saturday, someone from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b> who asked to remain anonymous said. Fresh bunker was the bait to soak, and keeper fluke were occasionally boxed from the surf. Drag a high-low rig baited with a pre-cut squid strip on each hook along the bottom, slowly reeling in the line, because fluke are a predatory fish that wait in ambush in the sands, ready to attack. Snapper bluefish were occasionally fought in the bay, and the bay’s crabbing seemed to start, though many of the blueclaws were small. The weather was holding, and waters were cool, and fishing will stay active as long as water temps stay low. Once waters reach 65 degrees or so, usually around July 4, fishing will slow down for a moment until temps start to drop again. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, pre-cut squid and frozen bunker for crabbing, including the shop’s “famous” frozen, single bunkers cut in three, are stocked.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Weather like Sunday’s winds made summer flounder fishing difficult in Great Bay, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. But when conditions were right, tons of the fish bit, and occasionally one was a keeper. Just enough keepers were around to make the effort worthwhile, and persistence in getting through the throwbacks was key. A little deeper waters seemed to hold a better ratio of keepers at least toward the end of the week. A 37-pound striped bass was checked in that was boated at Grassy Channel on Friday morning. “(That showed) that if you’re willing to be patient and hunt, there are some big bass obtainable,” the report said. Rumors talked about blowfish starting to be hooked, though no first-hand reports were heard. If anglers want to try for blowfish, anchor and chum with clams in a chum pot. Just to the south of Graveling Point was a best place on Great Bay in recent years, and just off the east, middle and west Sedge Islands was the hot spot in Tuckerton Bay last year.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Surf fishing was slow, but three stripers to 17 pounds were weighed in from the suds on Saturday, and anglers in a surf tournament during the weekend plucked a few kingfish, said the report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Boating at Wreck Inlet pounded large stripers. A 41-pound 3-ounce striper was checked in Sunday that was boated on the ocean off Brigantine on a livelined bunker snagged from a school of the baitfish that the striper came from. Another couple of anglers kept waxing stripers from a boat every time they fished, and no location was mentioned for their catches. But on one trip they landed eight stripers to 40 pounds, releasing all but four, in a huge school of the fish.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Striped bass weighed in from the surf included a 41-pound 47-1/2-incher, a 39-1/2-pound 48-incher, a 28-1/2-pound 44-incher and a 26-pound 42-incher, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf anglers banked stripers here and there on fresh bunker, fresh clams and bloodworms. The sharpies suddenly began to beach 5, 10 or 15 kingfish apiece the past two days on bloods, good fishing. Good-sized flounder were yanked from the surf off the Flagship, Melrose Avenue and the T-jetty on minnows and squid. Out-of-season tog were lifted from the suds and let go. A few blues and some flounder swam the back bay. All the baits mentioned and more are stocked.

<b>Margate</b>

Ready for tuna? A 60-pound bluefin tuna was nailed 15 miles from shore on the troll on a trip Sunday with <b>O-Beth Sportfishing Charters</b>, Capt. Eric said. That is the first tuna reported caught off New Jersey on this site this season. Bluefins busted the water surface, and life including whales was seen. O-Beth will start chartering for bluefins now. The tuna hit a rod meant for bluefish, took an hour to fight on the light tackle, and several 10-pound blues were also hooked. The boat trolled Stretch 25 and 30 lures in the 64- to 65-degree waters. A trip on the boat Friday bottom fished, reeling up sea bass and 10 cod at the local reefs and wrecks. The year’s first shark trip – one of the crew’s specialties – is slated for this week with O-Beth.  Waters were warm enough, and bluefish, a favorite shark forage, were around, and bluefins, another warm-water fish, arrived. In addition to charters, O-Beth is offering open-boat shark trips this season, and call for the schedule. Jump aboard this rare opportunity to fight the monsters without needing to charter the whole boat. Fluke charters are also fishing.

<b>Longport</b>

Wreck fishing piled up great catches of sea bass on daily, open-boat trips on the <b>Stray Cat</b> this weekend, Capt. Mike said. A hefty monkfish was whacked, and cod were in the mix, and Saturday’s trip was a banner one, especially. The open trips will continue until mid month, and afterward charters will take over the schedule. Bluefin tuna swam up and down the ocean from Barnegat Ridge to Atlantic City Ridge, and charters will go after them. A trip trolled 30 miles from shore last Thursday, dragging in big blues and a bonito, and a mako shark attacked the spread, covered in the last report. Space is available on the open trips and charters.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Anglers with <b>Fish Tale Charters</b> on Saturday and Sunday rustled  up good catches of flounder, lots of shorts, but some quality keepers, Capt. Craig said. The larger flatties lay right with the shorts, and anglers had to be patient and weed through the smaller fish. But if they persevered, they’d grab healthy-sized keepers. The bay’s temps were creeping up, so the flounder fishing was warming up. The bay was 65 degrees during the middle of incoming tides, and almost 68 degree waters were the warmest Craig saw in the bay. A buddy was fishing the skinny waters in the back of the bay, finding 70-degree waters. The trips fished with minnows either on plain hooks or bucktails. No blues showed up, and Craig heard about none. He heard about an angler bagging a 25-pound striper at the inlet, and that was the first striper he knew about in a while in the local area. Some of the boat’s charters are interested in sea bass fishing on the ocean within the next weeks, and Craig scoped out the sea bassing when the season opened a few weekends ago, and the humpies, plenty of them, were swung aboard.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Top-water popper lures or Rapala Skitter Pops banged away at bluefish to 4 pounds in mini blitzes on the back bay for Jay VonCzoernig and son Luc on a trip Sunday, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Popper fishing was good lately, and the blues often mini-blitzed on spearing. Rick Hogan on a trip on the bay Saturday reeled up a dozen throwback flounder on a rig with a bucktail with a 4-inch, white Gulp mullet and a minnow on a plain hook on a dropper. On high tide he switched to popper fishing for blues and stripers that were mini blitzing. Several sizeable blues were hooked, and three stripers were missed. The stripers were there, but the blues were aggressive. Joe also fished the bay by himself and with his wife in the past days, dialing up a few keeper flounder and lots of throwbacks, and the flounder fishing was fairly good these days. All trips spin-fished recently, but fly fishing for the blues and stripers would’ve been ideal, because of the spearing and the way the fish fed. In other news, Joe saw attractive-looking waters moving into the tuna grounds offshore and is anxious to fish them. June can be a great month for tuna fishing, and if anglers want to go, they should stay in tune with Joe.  Keep up with Jersey Cape’s fishing and photos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Good fishing for summer flounder came from the back bay, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. The flattie anglers fished with minnows, mackerel, squid and Gulp, and Frank Scirrotto, Cherry Hill, kayaked two keepers on Gulps on jigs. Schoolie striped bass patrolled the bay and could be landed on clam. The North Wildwood surf turned out sizeable striped bass, mostly on clam. Healthy catches of sea bass were pumped in from Cape May Reef, and flounder began to be hooked at the reef. Phil Tarasiewicz, Levittown, Pa., weighed in a 7.56-pound flounder he caught at the reef on a mackerel and minnow combo on his Miss Lane. Frank Gregorio, Medford, flounder fished at the Old Grounds, reeling up a good catch on the drift on his Frankie Fish. On Delaware Bay plenty of drum were boated around Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top. Patty Lamplugh heaved in her first-ever drum at Tussy’s on her Pattycakes II. Capt. George Clark weighed in an 82-pound drum that was muscled aboard at Tussy’s on his Reel Work. Shark catches began, and Rocco Pace checked in a 120-pound mako shark that was battled near 19-Fathom Lump on his Set the Pace when the fish swiped a mackerel bait. The shop is fully stocked with bait and tackle for shark season and will be open early and late during the coming shark tournaments. Reserve tournament shark baits now. Crabby Jack gave crabbing five claws, the highest rating, saying the back bay was crammed with large blueclaws!

<b>Cape May</b>

Lots of drum were marked in Delaware Bay, but many refused to bite since Wednesday, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Sometimes the fishing will go on a lull before the drum will start to feed again. Last year a lull happened in early May, and afterward the fish fed like crazy. After a good catch of the fish was clocked on the boat Monday, a few were bagged on trips Thursday to Saturday. Forecasts for strong storms kept boats off the waters Sunday. George knew about a few bluefin tuna that were caught on the inshore ocean. That fishing usually begins to take off by the third week of June. Many anglers will start shark fishing in the coming days, and that’s when more people will begin to see bluefins. Sometimes then the tuna are seen schooling past or traveling, and they’ll hardly hit a hook then, until they settle down. A few sharks were landed so far, like a blue shark that a buddy battled. The Heavy Hitter will probably fish for drum through the weekend, and if anyone wants a last shot at the fish, jump aboard now. Bluefin tuna trips and shark trips are coming up. Sea bass trips and summer flounder trips are already available. One sea bass trip already ran on the boat this season, cleaning up on the fish. Many of the popular sea bass pieces were probably pressured at this point, so fishing a smaller, less popular one made a difference. George heard little about flounder, and most of the fleet was fishing for drum.

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