<b>Brooklawn</b>

Lots of striped bass filled the Delaware River, and many were shorts, but plenty of big ones remained, and the fish, spawning in the waters, were also far upstream, and they’ll have to come back down, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. Big catfish, lots, to 15 and 18 pounds, bit in the river, often grabbing the clams that boaters fished for stripers, or the bloodworms shore anglers dunked for them. Largemouth bass fishing began to pick up in the river, like at the flats, or the creek mouths, or behind the island at National Park. In Delaware Bay, stripers were still boated in the shallows. Nothing was heard about drum from the bay. Summer flounder season will open Saturday, and anglers should catch them on the bay. Minnows, mackerel, mullet, squid and all the flounder baits are stocked. So are fresh clams, bloodworms and lots more, even shark baits, for the impending shark catches that should begin on the ocean within the next month. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from freshwater to bays to offshore.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Striped bass were sometimes boated at usual places like toward the number 1 buoy and the traditional places off Fortescue, said Michelle from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf casters beached stripers at Fortescue and different spots along the bay. A lot was heard about the catches at Money Island. A couple of customers said several stripers topping 30 inches were banked at Reeds Beach farther south on the bay. Another dragged a drum from the bay surf. Many customers headed out for white perch fishing during the weekend. Fresh clams and fresh bunker are stocked when available. Fresh herring are on hand at least for the moment. Bloodworms are carried, and all the baits for summer flounder, including minnows and the full supply of frozen baits, will be stocked for the opening of flounder season Saturday. 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>

Waters were somewhat cold, and the season was early, for crabs to be able to be nabbed, said Linda from <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>. But crabbing will become available at the shop starting May 28, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. Currently, small crabs were sometimes seen. One customer was going to try crabbing “around the corner,” Linda said, but no results were heard. Crabbers in Beaver Dam’s rental boats, when the boats are made available for the season, are towed up Oranokin Creek. The staff checks on the boaters every hour, and if a crabber wants to return beforehand, the customer simply telephones the shop to be picked up. The creek is unusually teeming with the blueclaws for reasons including the right conditions and commercial crabbing being prohibited in the estuary. The staff also limits powerboat access to the creek, and that helps. Though crabbing will begin later this month, Beaver Dam is already open for supplies like frozen bunker and live shiners. The facility also serves as a turkey check-in station, and turkey hunting was going “hot and heavy,” Linda said. The rental kayaks and canoes are already available, and the creek is a wildlife wonderland. Or paddlers can launch their own kayaks, canoes or boats.  Check out <a href="http://www.crabulousnj.com" target="_blank">Beaver Dam’s Web site</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

The <b>Buccaneer</b> was launched for the season, and drum trips will cram the schedule soon, but this weekend is open for drumming, if anyone wants to go, Capt. Ralph said. The schedule’s fairly open until about May 15, so take advantage. He runs a full schedule of drum trips and is a pioneer of the sport, starting fishing for them in the 60s, before the charter fleet did. His anglers impale surf clams or other baits like shedder crabs on a tandem-hooked rig for drum. The boat is set up in a place where drum are likely to come through, and the fishing is like deer hunting, Ralph said in previous reports. The anglers wait for drum like waiting for deer to walk past the deer stand. The boat is mostly not moved unless to a spot where drum are known to be biting at the moment. Summer flounder trips will fish as soon as the season for them opens Saturday, so that fishing will be available too. 

The first trip of the season steamed Sunday on the party boat <b>Salt Talk</b> with 11 anglers aboard, and two striped bass were bagged, Capt. Howard said. The fish, a 38-incher that Howard landed, and a 44-incher, a sizeable one, that one of the anglers socked, were clammed near the channel toward the 32 buoy. Bunker were also fished, but clam copped the catches. The trip was more or less a shakedown to begin the year, and Howard took advantage of the better weather that day, and it was good to get out, he said.  So the season is under way on the vessel on both charters and open-boat trips. Whatever type of trips anglers would like, just call for the schedule. Daily, open trips for summer flounder, when no charter is booked, will begin Saturday, the opening day of flounder season. Howard heard about flounder catches from the bay. Plus, an 18-1/2-incher was released on the trip, and two more were reported let go among the fleet during the outing. Drum trips will start soon. In other news, surf anglers bailed the pants off stripers at Fortescue the last few weeks, including this weekend. The folks from Higbee’s told Howard all the anglers on the beach bagged one or two stripers apiece Saturday night. 

<b>Port Norris</b>

Reports were heard about good catches of striped bass boated Sunday at Ship John and Thompson’s Beach on fresh bunker, said Harrison from <b>Port Norris Marina</b>. Customers at the shop picked up both baits, usually a half-dozen fresh bunker and a half-dozen fresh clams, to be prepared. But bunker grabbed the bites in those two places then. Both baits are being carried at the store. Minnows, mackerel, squid and all the supplies for summer flounder will be on hand for the opening of flounder season Saturday. Harrison heard about a few flounder caught by mistake and released. Nothing was heard about drum catches, but boaters marked drum, and fishing for them should break open soon. The Maurice River, running past the marina, gave up good fishing for white perch. The river is also a solid spot for catfishing, and a woman fishing from the marina’s docks bailed cats probably to 5 pounds. The marina, weather permitting, is open 6 a.m. to 12 noon Mondays through Fridays and 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

<b>Cape May</b>

On the bay with <b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b>, six striped bass, including a 39-inch keeper and the rest throwbacks, were angled aboard Saturday, Capt. Dave Bart said. The fish were bloodwormed tight to shore on the upper bay, and that seemed key to catching. Drum charters will begin on the bay in 1 or 1 ½ weeks. Relentless will fish for summer flounder once the season opens for them Saturday.

An 18-pound striped bass was boxed on the bay Saturday with <b>O-Beth Sportfishing Charters</b> on clam, Capt. Eric said. The trip tried for stripers and drum, and no drum turned up, but they should begin to turn on any time. Drum trips will begin this weekend on the boat. Summer flounder fishing will be available on the vessel starting Saturday, opening day of the flattie season. Thought about big game yet? Anglers should, because shark fishing will begin next month. O-Beth, who specializes in sharks, usually begins sharking on Memorial Day weekend on the ocean, and now is the time to reserve dates.

Anglers aboard attempted to land striped bass Saturday on the bay with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, but none bit, and not much was heard about striper catches, except one here and there, Capt. T.J. said. Striper catches far up the bay at Ship John were the only heard about, and that’s too far. The first drum charter is set to fish May 13 on the bay.

A trip would fish for drum today on the bay on the <b>Down Deep</b>, launching more of the trips for the boomers on the boat this season, Capt. Bob said. But one trip already tried for them last week, catching 30- to 35-pounders. The drum swam all over the surface. A few openings for drum charters are left in May and June. A few striped bass were around in the bay in the last days. Summer flounder will be able to be targeted on trips once the season opens for them Saturday.

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