<b>Staten Island</b>

Catches of striped bass to 17 pounds, “a decent pick,” said Capt. Joe from <b>Outcast Charters</b>, lasted four hours until 10 a.m. on a trip Saturday, and big, gorilla bluefish like 13 pounders, plenty, were mixed in. Then the fishing, on Raritan Bay on bunker chunks, shut down. Outcast is striper fishing, and sea bass trips will be available from New Jersey starting Saturday, when sea bass season opens there. Sea bass are one of Outcast’s specialties, and call the boat for info on the trips. 

<b>Keyport</b>

Eleven keeper stripers to 17 pounds were beaten with Kevin Koch’s trip, also with Robin, Troy, Dan and Bob aboard, off Sandy Hook on Saturday on clams with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Bluefish bit off lines a half-dozen times, and one sizeable blue was landed. One space is available on an open-boat trip for stripers 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday. 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>

A charter, instead of the usual open-boat trip, fished for striped bass Friday on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in the report on the vessel’s Web site. After the anglers had gone the past five years either catching only blues or getting skunked, “today we changed all that,” Ron said about the trip. The charter, fishing with clams, limited out on stripers to 25 pounds on one drop. The fish were smaller than on the previous day, and sea lice covered more of them than before, “the ones we have been waiting for, which means a new body of fish, including the long males!” Ron said. No report was posted for Saturday, so maybe fishing was weathered out on the vessel that day. On Sunday’s trip southeast winds blew, and the ocean held a swell, a nasty day, and striper fishing was tough at first. But the fishing took off for 40 minutes, and the high hook toggled in four stripers. Vinny “Vintastic” won the pool with a 16-pound striper, and limited out. “Way too many customers had none,” Ron said. “All clamming,” he added. The Fishermen is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Monday, 5/23:***</b> From an edited e-mail from Ron about Monday’s trip: “After a very tough weekend (to say the least), today the bite was back on! Had to wait for the change on the incoming, and a little less roll, but the action was Video Perfect! Big Ray landed today’s big one at 24 pounds, along with "how many fish!" Followed by Anchor Joe's 23-pounder. Check out (the video) as Anchor Joe lands his beauty. Video and pics (to be posted on this site’s photo pages) tell the rest of the report, including Capt. Ron Sr. teaching the youngster how to do it! Good day to be a party boat captain. Sailing open every day this week 7:30 a.m.” Check out a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6p3vD5b7SU&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">video of today’s trip</a>.

All in all, fluke fishing was pretty nice, looked promising, and signs were seen that the fish were migrating in, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Fluke were plucked from usual places like Flynn’s Knoll and off the Coast Guard Station, but started to be found at deeper waters, like along the channels. Some of the fish were dark colored, like they had swam local waters a while, and some were light colored, like they were newly arrived from the ocean with the sand bottom. Waters reached 60 degrees, maybe a reason fluke began to hit better. Pretty good action was scored on fluke Saturday and Sunday on the boat, and Ben Santos on Sunday morning’s trip walloped a 7-pound 8-ouncer, the biggest on the boat so far this season. Shorts gave up plenty of bites, and sometimes keepers came up. Lots of the fish were just under the size limit, like usual. All the vessel’s trips sailed in the past few days, after many trips were weathered out last week. Anglers will sometimes question whether winds will cancel a trip, but the vessel can often duck out of the winds in the bay. Rains didn’t seem to affect the bite, and conditions, or whether the wind direction and tides created a good drift, were more important. Anglers could slip on a rain coat and catch as many as on a sunny day, if conditions were favorable. 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. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 5/24:***</b> Fluke fishing was slow on Tuesday morning’s trip, not as good as Tom would like, he said, and a few of the fish were managed. But fluking was really good on the afternoon’s trip, fishing on Raritan Bay, and mostly shorts bit like usual, but a fair amount of keepers were hung, with a small crowd aboard. Some bagged two, and others one, and some none, but all at least reeled up shorts. Conditions were right, and the weather was beautiful, and no fluke of exceptional size showed up, but some keepers did.

<b>Highlands</b>

Fishing for striped bass was good in the past days for <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. A trip Saturday afternoon was the only slow one, and the outing fished for stripers with livelined bunker along the ocean beaches, instead of on Raritan Bay, the usual place Fisher Price sailed for stripers so far this season. But otherwise the fishing was solid. A trip Saturday morning bunker-chunked stripers to 30 pounds on the bay. A trip Sunday limited out on stripers to 25 pounds by 9 a.m. on chunks. A trip that afternoon on the bay limited out while chunking. Bluefish were hooked on the trips and swam all over. Charters are fishing, and anglers can call Derek to find out the dates for his next open-boat trips for stripers.

Another fine week of striped bass fishing, despite the weather, said Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> in an e-mail. Charters that limited out on stripers to 25 pounds included trips led by Tom Coulouris, Ralph Rucco, Rich Lanza, Fred Hanson, Carl Beck, Skip Krone, Scott Gallion, Leno Scarcia, Jeff Schwietzer and Len Ruvolo. Fishing with clams was the top producer, and the angling should last through June, and some dates remain for charters for June.

<b>Neptune</b>

Great striped bass fishing was tackled Thursday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. The anglers aboard limited out on the fish to 24 pounds by 8:30 a.m. Striper fishing was a pick on a trip Friday, and six were boated. The fishing was even tougher on a trip Saturday, producing two stripers and a half-dozen blues. Lots of boat traffic and porpoises “were putting the bunker down,” Ralph said. “Expect striper fishing to be good till July,” he added. Charters are fishing, and so will the following individual-reservation trips: stripers, Wednesday, one spot left; stripers, this coming Monday, five spots left; inshore sea bass, 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5 (another sea bass trip is full June 27); and offshore cod, 3 a.m. Monday, June 20.  Individual-rez 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>

On the <b>Nan Sea J</b> striped bass to 38 pounds, very good fishing for them, was crunched Saturday, Capt. Tom said. Most were plowed on livelined bunker, but some were trolled, and a couple of blues were mixed in. Striper fishing was tougher on a trip Sunday in somewhat rough seas, and some of the fish to 32 pounds were taken on livelined bunker, but definitely not as many. The vessel will keep sailing for stripers. Will sea bass trips become available when sea bass season opens Saturday? Tom was asked. “Absolutely,” he said.  Fluke fishing will eventually be offered on charters, and fluke currently bit in Shark River, but ocean fishing for them was yet to seem ready. The year’s first shark trip will probably steam June 8, and sharking is Tom’s favorite fishing. Annual, weekly, open-boat shark trips, a rare opportunity to fight the beasts without chartering a whole boat, will run on Wednesdays once again this year.

Charters fished for striped bass Friday through Sunday with <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b>, and the angling was tough, Capt. Kris said. A total of about 10 stripers were bagged, and the livelined bunker baits, netted for the fishing, drew lots of run-offs, missed fish and pulled hooks. The bass were finicky, “pushing baits around,” he said, and lots of bluefish were hooked. Seas were rough Sunday. Fish Stix has been catching stripers on the ocean from Bay Head to the Shrewsbury Rocks. Space for open-boat trips is available for striper fishing Thursday through Tuesday, and info is available about open trips on the Fish Stix Web site.

The season’s first nighttime bluefish trip apparently sailed Sunday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, according to the report on the vessel’s Web site. “Not stellar fishing,” the report said, “but a good start to spring fishing at night. It only gets better from here.” On the vessel’s daytime trips, stripers pounced on livelined bunker, “but are finicky when it comes to taking the jigs,” the report said. On the daytime trip Sunday, blues “were picky and challenging to say the least … just one of those days when it was just tough to put fish in the boat,” the report said. On the daytime trip Saturday, lots of good-sized stripers were around, and anglers who could snag bunker to liveline had the edge, because the bass seemed to like the baitfish better than jigs. Not a lot of blues showed up. “Kind of picky fishing,” the report said. Trips were weathered out most of last week. The Golden Eagle is fishing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

A bachelor party trip with the Robb group sailed a half-day for fluke and a half-day for striped bass Saturday on the <b>Big Kid</b>, Capt. Ken said. Eight keeper fluke to 26 inches were iced on Manasquan River, and one striper 34 pounds was trolled on the ocean on a No. 4 Tony Maja spoon. Ten stripers were trolled on the same spoons Sunday on the ocean on a trip. Striper charters, including 5 to 9 p.m.’ers, are sailing. So are fluke trips and bottom-fishing charters for ling and cod. Bottom fishing for sea bass will be available when sea bass season opens Saturday. Mid-week dates are available for charters, and Sunday is available for a trip this Memorial Day weekend.  The Sunday of Mako Mania, June 26, is available for charter, and tournaments, including big-game ones like that, are available for charter, and now is the time to book them.

Ocean striped bass fishing wasn’t fantastic, but was pretty good, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Lots of bunker schooled the waters a little north and south of Manasquan Inlet the last couple of days of the week, but no stripers really chased them. But boaters on Saturday snagged the bunker for bait, headed to the Shrewsbury Rocks farther north, and clocked good catches of stripers on the menhaden. Boaters caught stripers well, fish to the high 20 pounds and mid 30s, off the Thunderbird on Saturday on trolled bunker spoons. Stripers were also hooked on the ocean around Seaside that day. Bluefish also swam the ocean and were caught. Surf fishing seemed better farther south or from Seaside to Lavallette. More bluefish than stripers were banked from the shore, but stripers were landed on everything from clams to bunker chunks to plugs. Surf anglers closer to Brielle picked fish here and there. Fluke were lifted from Manasquan River, but also on the ocean. One of the Brielle party boats began running for fluke Friday, connecting on the ocean, like at the reefs. Bluefish schooled the Manasquan toward the mouth of the Point Pleasant Canal and around Manasquan Inlet. Small stripers swam the inlet, and bigger ones were slugged from the canal. Some anglers at the canal fished livelined herring, but most worked lures like Rapala X-Raps and Storm Thundersticks. Fishing on the right tides was probably more important than the time of day, but canal anglers were typically tight lipped. Bottom fishers on the ocean began to boat ling, and still decked quality fishing for cod. Nothing was heard about offshore fishing for tuna, after a few of the season’s first catches were reported previously. But last week’s weather was rough for offshore trips. Catch the shop’s outdoor sale this Memorial Day weekend, weather permitting, featuring a bunch of tackle including plugs, jigs and rods.  Old Man’s Tackle Box bucktails and butterfly jigs are on sale at 30 percent, while supplies last, and will also be on hand at the sale. 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.

From an edited e-mail today from Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b>: “Had Party Arty aboard for his annual birthday bass trip. His son Andrew, Uncle Sal, Barry, Paul and lil Arty rounded out today’s fun crew! Broke the inlet, and was happy to see bunker popping all over the place. Started snagging and filling up the livewell. Made bait, and bounced around bunker pods. Not much happening, so we took a run with the bait. Got on scene, and boxed up a limit up to 28 lbs in a couple drifts. Had lots of bites ... fish playing with the baits at times, and also a bunch of big blues made their presence known. Action died when the tide changed. Stopped on the way back, but just missed a few bites heading toward home, and we came across some great readings. Stopped, had five quick bites, hooked up two more fish just over 30 lbs, both released for another day! Great way to end it! By days end we had over 35 bites, keeping a six-man limit plus one bonus fish and some blues. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARTY! Crew was a blast as always! Thanks again! SAT 5/2: Had Capt Joe Boycko charter today along with a fun crew! Plan was to make bait, do some ling, then swim our bunker on the return. Got out early in the pea soup fog, but lots of bunker were around local. Snagged 40 pieces for the well, and off to the ling grounds we went. Set up and picked at the ling, and threw back a bunch of blackfish. At around 11:30 we had 65 in the box, and we decided to go look for some bass. Looked over the rocks, but we only caught a few blues. But it was a first for a few of the guys! Not wanting to risk all the lives, we worked our way towards home, stopping on marks along the way. Pretty frustrating -- had tons of bass pushing and playing with the bunker. Lots of short runs, we managed to hook a couple, including Joe’s personal best, just over 40 lbs. Looked farther south toward home, and found what we were looking for: Had another 15 bites, and boxed up another six big bass, including a 35 lber, and a couple more personal bests! By day’s end we boxed up over 60 ling and livelined nine bass to 40 lbs! Lots of action, as we had over 30 bites on the liveones Joe n crew were awesome as always! NICE DAY! Thanks again guys! SUN 5/22: Had Steve Socks’ charter aboard. Eric mm bruce brandon jay and al rounded out the all-star crew. Made bait for later and off to the ling grounds. Ling bite was good -- nice steady pick. Put (lots) in the box by lunchtime! Headed off to look for some bass, and it was tough. Worked our way down to the inlet, stopping on the way. Searched all over, looking for some hungry ones. Not much happening, but we managed to box four out of a dozen or so bites. Stopped in the river, and played with short fluke, and Al got a nice 23 in keeper to end the day! Our first keeper fluke of the season. Put in a long day for the guys, and everyone fished hard for a nice mixed bag nonetheless. By days end we boxed up (lots of) ling, four bass to 30 lbs and a nice fluke! Crew was awesome. Thanks again. (No date included in the e-mail for the following report, but appeared to be a report from today): Well, what a difference a day makes. Bass blowing up insane today! Livelined a limit+ by 7:15 a.m. up to 35 lb! Then in release mode! Had the Mike Curtin family aboard for their annual bass trip. Thought we were doomed when it was pouring in the a.m., but looked good on the radar -- once the patch passed it was clear. Left early. Inlet was bumpy on the outgoing, but the ocean was nice. Made bait local, and had two fish on before we could get them to livewell. Started fishing right away here, and were hooked up as quick as u could get your bunker out. We had two and three fish on at times, and loads of run offs and missed fish. It was mayhem! The guys made quick work of a limit, and were in release mode, the big fish going 34 lbs at the dock. Pops showed up the family, reeling in those big bass like nutin! After a little while, the guys had enough, and wanted to head in and get breakfast. Great fishing! Thanks again guys.”

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

The boat was moved north to Keyport for the weekend to fish the Manhattan Cup Tournament, a report on <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>’ Web site said. But before the move, a trip headed out for striped bass on Thursday, after trips were weathered out the previous days. The trip met 4- to 6-foot seas on the ocean, but seas diminished, and stripers chewed. Bunker were caught for bait, and the live menhaden were dropped in the waters at marks the captain liked. The trip, with six anglers, limited out in two drifts, then released more. A 44-pound striper was the biggest bagged, and all the stripers kept weighed more than 30 pounds. The captain and anglers took some of the fish to the Dockside Grill to be cooked for dinner after the outing. The chef served blackened striper in pineapple chunks and grilled striper in a lemon sauce. At press time, no more reports were posted on the boat’s site, including about the Manhattan Cup. Look for an update that will probably come in the next report here. 

Striped bass to 40 pounds were socked Saturday on the ocean with <b>Reel Class Charters</b>, Capt. Allen said in the report on the boat’s Web site. Most of the eight bass landed were 20 to 30 pounds, sizeable fish, and if the 40-pounder, measuring 48 inches long, had been fat, the fish would’ve pushed 50 pounds. The 40-pounder only had a couple of bunker in its stomach. A few bluefish, sometimes monster ones, were caught. The trip left early in the morning, meeting pea-soup fog on the ocean, but the fog disappeared soon. Making bunker bait wasn’t easy, but two dozen of the menhaden were caught. The bass during the trip bit the livelined bunker weirdly, picking up the baitfish, playing with them, and dropping them. The catches were slowish at first, until the trip took a ride, and the ocean erupted. Striped bass blowing up, “cannon balls falling from the sky,” the report said, bunker flying out of the waters. Most of the live bunker were gone by then, but the stripers bit chunks, heads and dead bunker. That action lasted maybe 5 minutes, and the anglers took advantage. Every striper hooked was landed, and the 40-pounder was the last reeled in. Afterward the trip went on the troll, without even a knock down, and later chunked bunker, and a few small bluefish hit. “Overall a terrific day,” the report said. Each angler “got fish to the boat,” it said, “which made it even better!” Striper fishing was slow on a trip Sunday on the ocean. “Wasn’t our day today,” the report said. A few stripers from 32 inches to 20 pounds and a bunch of blues were reeled in.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

“Great day chumming blues!” said a report for Saturday on the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>’s Web site. Mostly 6- to 10-pounders were fought on bait in a chum slick. Plenty of limits were crushed. The boat was expected to sail for blues again Sunday, but no report was posted for the day by press time. The Miss Barnegat Light has been bluefishing 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. But daily trips and nighttime trips for blues will begin Friday.

<b>Barnegat</b>

“If you are looking to catch big stripers, you should go soon,” said Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> in an e-mail. The fishing usually “keeps a good head of steam through June,” he said, but is very consistent now. Trips onboard boated 25- to 40-pound stripers every day, and livelined bunker and trolled Tony Maja bunker spoons produced. Bunker schools were fished that were spread along the ocean from Harvey Cedars to Mantoloking. On some days trips had to run a little farther than others. The fishing wasn’t just an early morning bite, but was an all day one, the best part. Trips left early “to capitalize on the daybreak shot,” Dave said, but some of the best action “has been late morning, afternoon, whenever. That’s the part that makes getting out now urgent. That and the size class of the fish -- they are mostly 30-pound class.” Weather and seas look great for Wednesday, and Dave will run either open-boat or charter for trophy stripers from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Running up and down the beach, hunting for bunker schools, snagging and livelining,” he said. Trolling gear will be stowed aboard as Plan B. Afterward, the vessel is booked until Wednesday, June 1. Check out a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6vJE_eCtjg&feature=related" target="_blank">video of Saturday’s trip</a>, with Tom Teel landing a 38-pound striper in 12 feet of waters.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Threatening weather and winds kept most anglers docked today, and the few who sailed on the bay found cold weather and a quick thunderstorm that dumped buckets of rains, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. On Sunday winds and seas kept most anglers from searching the ocean for striped bass. Still, those who sailed did catch, “but sharing of the info is scarce,” the report said. But Great Bay produced numbers of summer flounder Sunday. “It’s good news just to have some activity,” the report said. The fish turned on toward the 139 marker, and more keepers seemed to come from along the clam stakes on the Mystic Island side of the Fish Factory. On Saturday striper anglers did lots of looking on the ocean all the way north to Barnegat Light, “and did a whole lot of nothing,” the report said. But flounder anglers scored better that day. Three in the cooler was high hook. Places they were caught included from Marshelder Channel to Parkers Island to Foxboro Point. No action was hot and heavy anywhere, but showed improvement over the past couple of weeks. Blues were found Saturday from the Intracoastal Waterway on Tuckerton Bay to Roses Cove, an old weakfish haunt. That was something different. Only occasional blowfish, one here or there, while anglers tried for other fish, bit recently, after the puffers began to be reported around previously.

<b>Brigantine</b>

A school of 40-inch striped bass stormed the surf Saturday morning, and striper fishing was great from shore then, said the report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. A bunch that size were weighed in, and one angler beached three stripers more than 40 inches apiece. Stripers with drum mixed in were sometimes yanked from the wash that afternoon, but not like during the morning. Friday morning’s and Sunday morning’s fishing was also great from the surf. Phil Moses checked in a 42-pounder from the beach Friday. Joe Curinga on Friday just missed winning the shop’s bounty for the first 44-inch striper or larger checked in from the Brigantine front beach this season. He nailed a 43-1/2-incher that weighed 32 pounds. The entry fee is $25, and the winner takes all the cash, up to $300 as of Friday. Anglers must enter 24 hours before weighing in a fish. For those who entered the Fish for Life Tournament that allows driving on the entire length of Brigantine’s beach, the city extended the driving until this Friday.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Back-bay fishing turned up striped bass to 26 inches, blues to 4 pounds and summer flounder, good catches, Saturday morning on a trip, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. His dad joined the outing, and jigs, flies and poppers were fished. In the afternoon, winds came up, but John O’Connor was aboard on the bay, trying for stripers, and big sand sharks to 20 pounds were fought, fast and furious action, a nice diversion while the conditions made striper fishing tough. On a trip Sunday with Joe’s dad and brother aboard, stripers to 27 inches and blues to 4 pounds were axed, including while the fish blitzed, on poppers and jigs. No flounder were picked up, and winds made fishing for them difficult. Poppers, namely Skitter Pop lures and Crease flies, began to draw stripers and blues to attack on the bay, a specialty for Jersey Cape. Ideal tides for the popper fishing, or high tides in the evenings, will happen this week, perfect for the After Work Special Trips, charters in the afternoons to evenings, that Jersey Cape offers. When the trips fished for stripers and blues below the surface, the anglers cast Bass Assassins and Clouser Minnow flies. Jersey Cape fishes for flounder on the bay with a Gulp on a bucktail with a minnow on a plain hook tied above on a trailer. Some good openings for flounder charters are available this coming holiday weekend, and flounder fishing is usually best in the early season in the shallow, warm back bay. Jersey Cape also offers drum fishing on Delaware Bay that’s happening now, and also early season tuna fishing that’s under way. Trolling for yellowfin tuna has been substantially better in the early season in recent years than later, the traditional time to go. Joe is one of the few captains taking advantage, and having the fish to yourself, without all the boat traffic, is another advantage. Call if interested. Keep up on Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Anglers aboard sailed for drum on Delaware Bay in the past days, 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 today 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 amp 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 on Delaware Bay, 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 on Delaware Bay, 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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