<b>Brooklawn</b>

In the Delaware River larger striped bass mostly held farther upstream, but stripers to 35 inches were still tugged from the local river, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers fished for them with bloodworms or fresh clams, and lots of white perch filled the river, nipping bloodworms, nightcrawlers or nearly any baits. Big catfish to 16 or 17 pounds, averaging 5 to 7 pounds, milled around the river. Cut baits or cut eels were usually fished for them. On the bay stripers were boated on the shallows on the New Jersey side on bunker chunks. Some good-sized drum were hauled from the bay off Delaware’s Slaughter Beach, and a few 80-pounders were seen docked at Cape May. Most of the fish were hooked at night, but some were wrenched in during the day. Fresh clams were the bait, of course. Along the coast, a run of stripers hit the surf at Cape May’s Poverty Beach once in a while. A few stripers, not a ton, showed up at Corson’s Inlet. Brigantine’s surf fishing for stripers was on and off: hot one day, cold another. Most surf casters dunked fresh clams for stripers. All the baits are stocked from fresh clams and bloodworms to shark baits like mackerel and chum to trout worms. No reports about shark catches were heard, but the catches will begin this Memorial Day weekend, when boaters traditionally begin to sail for sharks. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from freshwater to bays to offshore.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Drum were heard about that were boated at places like Tussy’s Slough in the past days, though lots of winds sometimes blew, but the weekend’s fishing for drum sounded not too great, and Tussy’s sounded crowded, said Sharon from the <b>Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Striped bass were apparently still caught on the bay. A friend boated some, and a customer landed stripers from the shore of the bay someplace, returning to buy more bait for the catches. Boaters seemed to find the stripers in shallower waters in close, but also on the northern bay. Some big stripers were reported entered in a tournament at Cedarville. Most anglers fished with fresh clams for drum and fresh bunker for stripers on the bay. Summer flounder fishing sounded not so good on Delaware Bay, but might’ve begun to pick up on the back bays along the coast. One angler landed seven keepers in the back bay at Avalon. No weakfish were heard about from anywhere since Sharon saw a couple, a 4- or 5-pounder and a smaller one, earlier in the season.  Plenty of white perch swam the brackish rivers like the Maurice. A friend said the perch that bit got a little smaller, but that’s not unusual this time of year. Stripers still hit in the river. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, minnows and all the frozen baits, a large supply including mackerel, mullet and herring, are stocked. Shedder crabs might be carried this weekend for the first time this season. 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>

Crabbing will become available Saturday for the season at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>, Linda said. Catches of crabs were heard about, and the blueclaws were seen at the shop’s boat ramp. So she suspects they can be nabbed, is fairly confident, and expects a great crabbing season. Customers crab from the shop’s rental boats towed up Oranokin Creek that runs along the store. The staff checks on the crabbers every hour, and if any crabbers want a break beforehand, they simply cell phone the shop, and the staff picks them up. Crabbing becomes available at Beaver Day each year toward Memorial Day weekend, when waters warm enough to make the crabs active. The store is already open daily for supplies like frozen bunker and minnows. “Big monsters,” Linda said about the minnows. No live spots were currently carried, but Beaver Dam does stock the spots. Canoe and kayak rentals are already available to paddle up the scenic creek. Check out <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s Web site</a> to learn more about the business.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Drum didn’t bite like they should this time of year, and maybe they were yet to come in, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>. But he couldn’t know what was happening with the fishing. Only boats that fished late into the night got on better catches, like around 11 p.m. or 12 midnight. But charters, including on the Buccaneer, usually always return to port by 10 or 11 p.m. Five drum caught, and probably four or five lost, was the most action on a trip for the fish so far this season on the boat. But a trip on the vessel the other night got shut out, and another landed one, and the fishing seemed slow on all boats those nights. The Buccaneer’s trip with the most fish happened on the Delaware side of the southern bay, but trips also caught on the New Jersey side of the southern bay. Drum trips are slated every day on the Buccaneer, and that’s the focus for now. Trips will target summer flounder afterward, and a few flounder were bagged, including on one of the Fortescue party boats Ralph heard about, “but they weren’t jumping in the boat,” he said. Both fish might’ve been running late this year, but anglers will see.  

The weather was rough most of last week, so trips stayed docked until Saturday on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b>, Capt. Howard said. A charter that day tried summer flounder fishing, but the fishing was slow, and only one keeper and probably10 shorts were landed. Because the fishing was poor, a trip Sunday first tried striped bass fishing where the linesiders were reeled in before, but no stripers were hooked. The trip then drifted for flounder, and none bit. Lots of freshwater probably dumped into the bay from last week’s rains, not helping fishing, and lots of debris like logs and grass floated. The weather was beautiful, the best so far this season, on Saturday’s trip, but was rough on Sunday’s, and winds against the tide ruined the drift that day. Flounder catches could amp up any time, and water temps weren’t bad. The bay’s surface was 67 degrees. The crew will try to run open-boat trips for flounder daily when no charter is booked, but call to confirm this time of year, until demand picks up. Space is available on drum trips Thursday and Friday, and call to jump aboard.

<b>Port Norris</b>

Reports about better drum catches rolled in through Wednesday or Thursday, and the reports tapered off somewhat starting around Friday, said Harrison’s sister from <b>Port Norris Marina</b>. (Her name was neglected to be gotten.) The sizes might’ve become bigger, because she works at a store that sells seafood, and two drum were donated to the store that weighed 80 pounds and 67 pounds. Two that were donated earlier, a week or two ago, were 20 or 30 pounds. Only throwback summer flounder, no keepers, were reported caught so far. The bay’s striped bass fishing was dropping off, usual for the time of year. Previously stripers were found at places  including Ship John and off Thompson’s Beach. Fresh bunker is stocked daily. Two bushels of fresh clams were currently on hand that were becoming old, and were sold at a discount, but a new batch will arrive Thursday. Plenty of minnows are carried.

<b>Cape May</b>

Anglers aboard sailed for drum on the bay, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Howard Bly chartered the vessel on trips Friday and Saturday, and two medium-sized drum were reeled in during Friday’s trip. On Saturday’s trip, three of the boomers – a 65-pounder and two smaller, medium-sized ones – were heaved in. The weather was rough, and fishing was slow, and many boats got skunked, and the trip lucked out and caught three. On Sunday Joe Schwartz’s charter landed one 30-pound drum, and fishing was slow. A drum charter was cancelled Monday because of forecasts for winds. One of the Cape May mates, who sometimes mates on the Heavy Hitter, told George all the drum that the mate cleaned were full of roe. Maybe drum were yet to spawn, so fishing for them was yet to ramp up. Drum charters are sailing, and sea bass trips will be available when sea bass season opens Saturday. George heard little about summer flounder fishing so far this season. 

On the <b>Ho-D-Doe</b> from <b>Budd’s Tackle Charter Services</b>, Jimmy McGill’s charter from West Virginia fished two days for drum, Capt. Ben said. On the first day four drum were eased aboard from the Delaware side of the bay. On the second five drum were tugged onboard from Tussy’s Slough. On the next day the Eric charter from Port Norris drum fished at the Punk Grounds at first. Nothing bit, and Tussy’s became too crowded, and word had gotten out. So the boat was moved to the bay off Delaware, and four drum, including a 65-pounder, were cranked in. Charters will fish for drum until the catches drop off. Sea bass and summer flounder fishing will be some of the next trips that sail.

The <b>Down Deep</b> sailed for drum, and the fishing wasn’t as hot and heavy as this time last year, but most boats were catching some, Capt. Bob said. He had thought the fish would really snap after last week’s full moon, and the angling did pick up, but not like expected. Some bigger ones began to appear than before. A 65-pounder decked on Holly Cappelli’s trip was the largest on the vessel so far this season. Each angler on Al Kuintzle’s charter landed drum. Larry Walker’s gang boxed a few. A few openings remain for drum charters. “With the way the fishing started,” Bob said, drum catches should last into June, he’d think. Sea bass season will open Saturday, and Bob heard about a few summer flounder bagged, and space is available for sea bass and flounder trips.

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