<b>Staten Island</b>

With <b>Outcast Charters</b> a trip Friday evening limited out on striped bass in 2 hours, “a super, bang-up trip,” Capt. Joe said, on Raritan Bay on bunker chunks. Then the anglers played catch and release with more. A few of the stripers weighed in the low 20s, and the rest were 12 to 15 pounds, and a bunch of sizeable blues to 12 pounds were also caught. Some slower striper fishing was heard about in the past days, and maybe this trip fared better because the time was evening. A trip with Outcast during the daytime Saturday found difficult striper fishing, a slow pick, getting a shot of the bass in the morning and a short shot later on the change of tides, on the bay on bunker chunks. The stripers were smaller, around 12 and 13 pounds, and decent bluefishing turned on early in the day, but even that fell apart. Striper charters will continue, and Outcast will become available for sea bass fishing, a specialty on the boat, from New Jersey, when the state’s sea bass season opens May 28. That way anglers will be able to abide by the more liberal bag limit and earlier season than in New York. Call Outcast for details on the sea bassing. 

<b>Keyport</b>

The four anglers aboard Saturday pancaked 10 striped bass to 13 pounds – a limit for the group plus two bonus-tag bass – near Sandy Hook on clams, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. That was Kevin Koch’s trip with friends Dale, Eddie and David. Open-boat trips are sailing daily 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., the After Work Special, with a minimum of four anglers, when no charter is booked. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

All the fluke trips sailed in the past days on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, with light crowds, Capt. Tom said. The fishing wasn’t as good as he’d like, maybe because of cold waters, but the fish were caught each trip. The angling was sometimes tough in south winds in the afternoons. But the flatties were plucked throughout the Raritan Bay area, at usual spots like Flynn’s Knoll, Bug Light, the Coast Guard Station and the Navy Pier. Waters were 57 degrees “on a good day,” Tom said, and, again, he’d like to see better fluking, but the fish were reeled aboard. 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.

The weather was nasty on today’s striped bass trip on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in the report on the vessel’s Web site. Forecasts called for south winds 5 to 10 with a chance of showers, but as the boat reached the fishing grounds, winds came around to the east, blowing 25 or more. As outgoing tide ran harder, seas built, becoming nasty. Ron doesn’t mind fishing in rough weather, “but this just got ridiculous,” he said. That was too bad, because the anglers got a pick of keeper stripers going. The trip left the ocean, tried one drop in the bay, but with winds against the hard tide, “it was a huge waste of time,” he said. Forecasts don’t look good for Tuesday. If the tide were incoming all day, “it would be a different story,” he said. “Wait a couple of days.” Friday’s trip gave up good striped bass action in the morning “while it lasted, with only a handful of happy customers,” Ron said. “Grandpa Mike” won the pool with a 15-pounder and limited out.  The Fishermen is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Highlands</b>

Fishing for striped bass somewhat slowed on Raritan Bay, but trips pulled in the bass to the mid 20 pounds with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. Trips aboard fished with live and chunked bunker, and lots of blues to 12 pounds also showed up. Dates are pretty full for charters in May, and more are available in June. Open-boat trips are sailing, and anglers can call Derek to find out the schedule.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fishing was very good on some days, and poor on others, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> in an e-mail. On two trips on his two boats Friday, few striped bass could be found.  “We caught a mess of bluefish and also cod and ling on an inshore wreck,” he said. On a morning trip Saturday, only one striper and a good number of blues were cranked in. But in the afternoon, the Dave Peters party limited out on striped bass on clams and returned early. Very good fishing! Ralph said. Striper fishing was slow again on a trip Sunday, managing one bass on clams. But on a cod tip on the other vessel that day, a great catch was creamed. The anglers swung aboard more than 40 cod, and stopped fishing early, after catching all they wanted. Individual-reservation trips for stripers are set for this Wednesday and the following Wednesday, May 25. An individual-rez trip for cod is on the books for Sunday, May 29, and was originally supposed to fish wrecks more than 50 miles offshore, but Ralph changed the outing to a mid-range trip, because the codding was so good on Sunday’s trip. Two spots are left for an individual-reservation sea bass trip Saturday, June 4, fishing the inshore wrecks, and another is full the next day.  Individual-reservation trips for fluke and sea bass will begin to fish every Wednesday on June 15, and kids under 12 will sail free, limited to two kids per host adult.

<b>Belmar</b>

Catches started slowly on Saturday’s trip “with a lack of cooperative<br> stripers and seemingly shy bluefish,” said the report on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>’s Web site. A dismal pick of bluefish was managed, but the captain searched where life was found on previous days, and good bluefishing kicked in. Blues 3 to 12 pounds were jigged late in the morning to the afternoon, solid action for all the anglers. The boat was out Sunday morning, and fishing started slowly in “not so comfortable weather,” but a few fish were belted. That was reported while the trip was apparently still at sea, and no further updates were posted at press time. But fishing was good for stripers and blues on the boat last week, the report said.  The Golden Eagles is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, “until we start our night blues schedule,” a previous report said.

Striped bass fishing was better earlier last week, but bluefish moved in along the ocean since then, and fishing for them was good, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Nan Sea J</b>. The blues, mixed sizes, were 2 to 7 pounds, not huge. Stripers were still caught, but became more difficult to find, at least for Tom, he said. They were sizeable, though, weighing 15 or 18 pounds, not monsters, but bigger than schoolies. Trips jigged, trolled and clammed for them – fished for them in every way except with bunker, because bunker became scarce.

Trips had to be cancelled Saturday and Sunday, but a charter Friday searched for striped bass on the ocean, said Capt. Kris from <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b>. The linesiders became scarce, and the trip covered many miles. First, the outing looked for bunker for bait in the Shark River Inlet area, and none of the menhaden appeared. So the trip sailed north to Asbury Park, then back south of the inlet. The anglers started jigging there, and only bluefish bit. The charter ran north to the Shrewsbury Rocks, trolling and jigging, and only blues attacked. The boat was returned south, then north, and blues again appeared at both places. The vessel was returned all the way south of Manasquan Inlet, when life appeared in the waters, but only cocktail blues hit. The anglers kept four blues for the smoker on the outing. Charters are sailing, and the next open-boat trips will probably fish Sunday and Monday, after forecasts for rough weather this week. See info about the open trips on the Fish Stix home page.

<b>Brielle</b>

The Gahmbi charter limited out on striped bass to 30 pounds on livelined bunker on the ocean Thursday on the <b>Big Kid</b>, Capt. Ken said. On that night, the PSE&G trip plowed nine stripers to 40 pounds on live bunker on the ocean. On Friday the Crilly charter beat 16 stripers, and on Saturday in rough seas the Glen Roberts group angled up three stripers. Fishing was weathered out Sunday and today on the boat. Striper charters are fishing, including from 5 to 9 p.m. Bottom-fishing charters can sail for cod and ling, and fluke and sea bass trips will begin soon. Some weekday dates are available for charter. But heads up: The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, a rare opening, is available. So is the Sunday of Mako Mania, June 26, and tournaments, including big-game ones like that, are available for charter, and now is the time to book them.

Fluke fishing remained about the same, and some were landed on Manasquan River, and more were found in Shark River, said Dave from <br><b>The Reel Seat</b>. The fishing seemed yet to take off in the Manasquan, and the season was early. The season was also early for ocean fluking. Bluefish, sometimes 2-pounders or so, other times 6-pounders or so, turned up relatively consistent fishing on the Manasquan. Striped bass were picked at Manasquan Inlet and the Point Pleasant Canal. At the inlet, the stripers were smaller, ranging from throwbacks to 30-inch keepers, and were mostly caught on leadheads with Fin-S Fish or rubber shads. From the canal, Dave heard about fish as big as a 43-pounder, and stripers there were taken on live herring or lures like Rapala X-Raps or Storm Thundersticks.  Striper fishing on the ocean seemed to taper off compared with earlier last week. But some were boated to the south and also farther north at the Shrewsbury Rocks. The fish were trolled Saturday. Bunker schooled the ocean. Bluefish invaded the ocean toward the middle of last week. Surf fishing was hot and cold, and was off the chart last week on Monday and Tuesday. Fairly big stripers – a 36-pounder was the biggest Dave heard about – were beached, and bluefish were sometimes thrown in. For the bass, surf casters worked pencil-popper lures, metal, or metal-lipped swimming plugs. Cod fishing remained good for bottom-fishers on the ocean. Ling fishing seemed like catches should be better for the bottom dunkers, but ling at least started to be boated. Some word about early season tuna catches circulated last week. But a customer overnighted Hudson Canyon Friday, catching no tuna. Tuna were decked farther offshore at the Dip. Tuna might’ve been found from Toms River to farther south. The Reel Seat is now open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. Lots of fluke tackle, including rigs, jigs and bucktails, and surf tackle, including plugs, is stocked. Two bucktails – Blue Frog and Wahoo – are newly carried at the store. Old Man’s Tackle Box bucktails and butterfly jigs are on sale at 30 percent, while supplies last. New tackle, including surf tackle, including plugs, and tuna plugs, is arriving.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Striped bass, bait and birds working the waters were never found at first on a trip for the stripers Saturday with <b>Reel Class Charters</b> on the ocean, a report on the boat’s Web site said. So the trip decided to get back on cod fishing that was super with Reel Class the previous weekend. The boat was set up on the same numbers the previous week’s trip finished up on, and a keeper cod rocked the first rig down. The anglers proceeded to pick away at cod, sometimes two and three on at a time, sometimes four. The fishing was slower than on the previous trip, but was great for New Jersey by any standard. The trip pretty much fished the same drift all morning. The cod were bigger at first, mostly larger than 25 inches, and were smaller as the morning went on. The fishing slowed by noontime, and the trip ran back inshore to look for stripers. The captain had made a few phone calls, hearing about a bit of a troll bite off Island Beach State Park. Two large stripers 33 and 28 pounds were cracked among five knock downs while the trip trolled bunker spoons and Stretch plugs.  The anglers finished the trip with 37 keeper cod to 12 pounds, maybe a dozen shorts thrown back, and the two big stripers and a ling bagged. A terrific day, the report said. A trip Sunday was weathered out.

The first trip of the year to sail from Point Pleasant Beach motored out Friday on the ocean with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, a report on the boat’s Web site said. Andrea’s Toy had just wrapped up striped bass trips on Raritan Bay from Keyport, annual trips that take advantage of the early season fishing for stripers. But now Andrea’s Toy made the annual move to Point to sail for the bigger stripers swimming up the coast on the migration. On this trip the crew heard dismal reports about striper fishing on the ocean. But the trip, leaving just before noon, ran south. Lots of stripers were marked, but none would bite, tough fishing. Some blues grabbed the lines here and there. Still, the crew decided to stick it out, thinking the bass would turn on at some point. That ended up a good decision, because stripers began to hit from 7:30 to 9 p.m., and the trip went 3 for 7 on the bass to 32 pounds, on trolled Tournament Grade Tackle bunker spoons. On Saturday a trip competed in the Thomas Elefante Memorial Striped Bass Tournament, and won! The anglers took first place with a 33.5-pound striper, and checked in the four heaviest stripers, winning the Calcutta. Still, the fishing didn’t begin easy. Departing at 6 a.m., the trip steamed right to where the stripers bit the previous day, but the fishing was tough. Boaters picked stripers now and then, very slow fishing. A few catches were heard about to the north, but the crew decided to stay put, pounding away at the stripers. The decision turned out good, and the anglers began to catch stripers at noon. They put six of the fish, up to the 33.5-pound tournament winner, in the box by 1:30 p.m., on the TGT bunker spoons. By 1:45 p.m. the trip ran back to the dock to enter the catch in the tournament.  Striper charters are fishing until mid June.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Fish blew up in the surf starting at 6 p.m. Saturday from Seaside Heights to Lavallette, and the stretch along the Seaside Heights Casino Pier was best, said the report on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ Web site. Easily 50 stripers from 20 to 41 pounds were checked in from the blitz, and the 41.5-pounder was the first weighed in. Billy Talerico hefted a 38.5-pounder from the action, and landed one striper after another. Another angler also whacked a 38-pounder, her biggest fish to date. Another whaled a striper nearly 40 pounds. Most of the fish were smacked on Dom Talerico’s Big Bass King swimming lures.  Sunday’s surf fishing was slow, but one angler was heard about who boated stripers off Mantoloking that day. But surf fishing went off again today at the Casino Pier.  The blitz didn’t last long, “but you know the fish are in the area,” the report said. “This afternoon could be just as good as Saturday, if not better.” One angler tugged in stripers to 35 pounds from the fray on livelined bunker and the BBK swimmers.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Blues 6 to 12 pounds were dusted up from the ocean Saturday on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. “Good day today!” it said. The anglers picked the fish mostly on bait, but a few of the blues were jigged. Fishing was slower on Saturday’s trip, and plenty of blues were around, “but were not biting (well),” the report said. That was the second weekend of fishing this season on the vessel. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Sometimes striped bass can be in the mix this time of year. Daily trips and nighttime trips for blues will begin on Memorial Day weekend.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Bluefish 3 to 5 pounds were fought aboard from Great Bay with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. The blues were trolled, hooked on Rebel lures that were cast or landed on bait in a chum slick. Trips are also sailing for summer flounder on the bay, and the season is too early for flounder fishing on the ocean. Charters are also bottom angling for fish like cod on the ocean. Bottom trips will be able to sail for sea bass on the ocean when the season for the fish opens May 28. T.J.’s other boat, running from Cape May, is drum fishing on Delaware Bay, and see the report below.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Summer flounder fishing picked up for sure, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site today. Rumblings about better fishing for the fluke seemed to begin Sunday, when a wave of the fish had seemed to move into Great Bay. The fish seemed to be caught in other places in the bay besides the clam stakes, the spot that mostly put them out previously. Still, shorts were the rule, and catching keepers was an issue. A shot of blues, sizes all across the board from 1 ½ pounds to 10 pounds, stormed Great Bay today. A few big blowfish were caught from the bay. “Pretend it’s August and anchor off Graveling Point, and get the clam chum flowing,” the report said. Striped bass action mostly came from the ocean now, and trolling caught more than bait-fishing did. Trollers scored success on stripers off Long Beach Island, the report said Sunday. But one angler plugged a 17-ound striper off Great Bay Boulevard. Nothing was heard about eeling for stripers on the Mullica River. “It’s time,” the report said. Work the rip at the confluence of the Mullica and Bass River an hour after the top of the tides. A 2.9-pound 19-inch weakfish, the first heard about at the shop this season, was checked in Saturday. Two anglers checked in the weakie, a 2.3-pound blue and three flounder to 2.9 pounds from a trip. Some drum were boated. A customer reported five caught at an undisclosed location Saturday. A 50-pounder was also reported lifted from Grassy Channel on the bay that day. Quite a few live grass shrimp were sold. “Someone is finding white perch somewhere,” the report said.

<b>Brigantine</b>

In the surf fishing for drum with striped bass mixed in turned on this morning off the Brigantine Hotel, the report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. Waters were cleaning up after rougher seas from winds. Drum were hoisted in from off the hotel at the bottom of the tide Sunday, the report said at 2:30 p.m. that day. A 45-pound drum and an 18-pound striper were checked in at the shop by that time in the day. One angler weighed in a 24-pound striper and missed six fish, including “the new world record,” he said, from the Brigantine surf Thursday night. His cousin landed six fish from the same area, and another angler reeled in two from the spot. And the three anglers “were not the hot group,” the report said, “because the gang just north of them were nailing them all night.” Other stripers, including sizeable ones, and drum were also reported checked in at the shop.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Karen and Vince Donahue and sons Vince, John and Chris jumped aboard Saturday on the back bay, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. They began catching flounder, and flounder fishing was a little slow, and the group decided to try to catch something big, especially because the day was 13-year-old John’s birthday. So they soaked clams, wrestling huge sand sharks to 20 pounds. John also landed his first-ever striped bass, a 26-incher, on clam. On Sunday Mike Mancini and friend Dennis joined a trip, planning to work popper lures for striped bass and blues that recently began jumping on the top-waters this season on the bay. But after south winds made popper fishing difficult, the trip anchored and fought a bunch of the big sharks, at least to angle up fights. Popper fishing, both with lures and flies, for stripers and blues is on in the bay during the right conditions on the top of tides. The exciting, visual action is a specialty for Jersey Cape. Bigger stripers are inhaling clams in the bay, and anglers aboard can choose whether to fish for the action on poppers on smaller bass or with clams for bigger stripers. Flounder fishing was okay on the bay in waters that were colder than usual or 61 to 62 degrees. The fishing should pick up soon as waters warm, and the weather was unsettled this spring. Warm jolts like 80-degree weather were yet to happen, and that was unusual. Drum began to bite on Delaware Bay, and Joe offers those trips. If anglers want to go, he’s ready. In other news, surf fishing beached good catches of striped bass around Sea Isle on clams. Charters available on the boat include after-work specials from the afternoons to evenings.

<b>Villas</b>

Surf casters at the Cape May Lighthouse banked good numbers of striped bass during the weekend, said Mike from <b>Budd’s Bait & Tackle</b>, located in the Villas, and the Ho-D-Doe, the charter boat from <b>Budd’s Tackle<br> Charters Services</b>, sailing from Cape May, in the report on the shop’s Web site. Catches checked in from the stretch included Brian McArdle’s 34- and 36-inch stripers and Corona Joe’s 10.8-pounder, his first keeper. Edward Fujimoto weighed in his first keeper, a 16.1-pounder he dragged from the surf at Sunset Beach. John Grone wrenched in a striper and a drum from the Poverty Beach surf. Gene Rudolf and wife smoked seven keeper summer flounder from the back bay north of the Wildwood Bridge. Live crabs for eating began to be carried at the shop for the season, and were on hand this weekend. The blueclaws will be sold whenever enough are available, until they’re carried daily later this season. Steamer clams for eating are also sold when available, until stocked daily this season. The <b>Ho-D-Doe</b> is fishing for drum on Delaware Bay.

<b>Cape May</b>

On the <b>Down Deep</b> anglers drum fished all week on Delaware Bay, and catches were a little slow, and some charters boxed five, and others one, and the fish averaged 40 pounds, Capt. Bob said. All caught about a couple, and lots of the fish were marked, and were heard booming, so they were there. But they probably needed to spawn, before they started eating more. They could spawn on Tuesday’s full moon and begin to snap lots afterward. The fish on trips were all hauled in on the Delaware side of the bay, where most boats fished for them. But one was landed on the Jersey side on the Down Deep, and a few drum bit on the Jersey side. Charters that boated drum on the Down Deep included Randy Rosch’s and John Basile’s. Steve Kabitz’s charter did a little striped bass fishing on the bay Friday, bagging a 35-pounder. A few dates are open for charters.

Drum, fish to 60 pounds, were boated on Delaware Bay off Slaughter Beach on trips toward the end of the week with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. On his other boat, sailing from Tuckerton, blues 3 to 5 pounds were fought on Great Bay, and see the report above. Trips from there could also sail for summer flounder and bottom fish.

Drum were caught on Delaware Bay, not hot and heavy, but some, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. A trip Saturday night heaved aboard three, and another Sunday night pumped in four, both trips fishing on the Delaware side of the bay. The three fish on the first trip, John Stonick’s charter, were a small, a medium and a large, or a 55-pounder that Ryan Moore wrestled in. The anglers on that trip also included Riley and Keith. The four drum on the second trip, Joe McGee’s charter, were smaller, weighing in the 20s, except one that was 40 or 45 pounds. Angela, James, Kent, Henry and Mark were also on the trip. Mike Rossiter’s charter, a short, 4-hour trip, on Saturday morning wanted to fish for striped bass. Striper fishing was slow for the fleet that morning, but the trip got lucky, nailing a 28-pounder on the bay, off Reeds Beach on bunker. Dates remain for drum charters, and call if interested.

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