<b>Staten Island</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b>Shore anglers caught and released striped bass, said Pat from <b>E-Z Catch Saltwater Traps & Tackle Co.</b> New York’s striper season will open April 15, and lots of the fish were beached along the Arthur Kill and at Fort Wadsworth and Great Kills, mostly on clams or chunks of bunker or herring. Bunker reportedly began to school. Fresh clams and frozen, vacuum-packed clams, bunker and herring are stocked. E-Z Catch is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays. The store is also a <b><i>premier manufacturer and supplier of saltwater traps</i></b> for wholesale and commercial, including custom building and servicing. See the online <a href="http://www.e-zcatch.com/catalog" target="_blank">catalog of traps</a>. E-Z Catch is also a train store.

<b>Keyport</b>

Maintenance on the boat is nearly finished to begin trips with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. He hopes to begin the fishing before the end of the month, and will start with clamming for striped bass on Raritan Bay. The fish usually bite close to port in the early season, in the warm shallows, and the angling was good the past few springs. The vessel will be splashed when the marina installs the docks for the season, maybe this weekend. Joe should know this weekend when the boat will be ready to fish. Looking ahead, fluke trips are being booked that will kick off when fluke season opens May 5. That’s earlier than last year, and this year’s size limit, 17 ½ inches, is a half-inch shorter than last year. Lock in preferred dates now. In addition to charters, open-boat trips will sail this fishing season.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Wednesday, 3/21:***</b> Trips will be launched for the season Thursday on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Three-quarter-day trips will bottom fish daily for ling starting that day. That’s the temporary schedule, until other fish, whether ling, striped bass or other catches, can be caught closer to shore, enabling two half-day trips to run daily instead. For now, starting Thursday, the Atlantic Star will bottom fish for ling 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> Anglers on today’s trip picked at ling, some bagging a couple, others 12 or 15, Tom said. Fishing wasn’t fast and furious, but some were caught. Berkeley Gulps worked well, so bring Gulps. The weather was good except for thick fog. Trips, ¾-day, will keep sailing for ling, until the population of other fish, like maybe striped bass, builds closer to shore.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> On the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> trips will begin for the season on Saturday, March 31, sailing daily for striped bass, Capt. Ron said. The anglers will clam or jig for the fish, and the springtime, biggest-striper pool will be held like annually. The Fishermen will begin sailing for striped bass daily on Saturday, March 31.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> Boaters clammed good catches of striped bass on the back of Raritan Bay on Wednesday, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf anglers caught the fish all along the bay shore. Ocean surf anglers also reeled in stripers. Stripers were also caught in the rivers. Even a few bluefish were heard about that tumbled up the ocean beach. Whether they reached the bay was unknown, but wouldn’t take long for them to pile into the bay. Ling fishing was very good on the ocean, and a few cod were around from the waters. All the baits including fresh clams and worms are fully stocked.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Fisher Price Charters</b> began fishing for the season with an open-boat trip for striped bass Friday, Capt. Derek said. Two keepers were bagged, and a dozen shorts were tossed back. A couple of stripers were broken off, and lots were missed. So the angling was pretty good for the early season, Derek said, and with 70-degree days forecasted for this week, the fishing should amp up. Weather during the trip was foggy and damp, and that didn’t help during this time of year. The bass were clammed in the shallows in the back of the bay, a usual place in the early season, because of warmer waters. Trips will keep clamming for the bass, and will liveline bunker for them when the baitfish migrate in. Charters are fishing for stripers, and the next open-boat trips for stripers are set for Wednesday and Friday to Sunday. Call to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open trips. Blackfishing will become an option when blackfish season opens in April. Trips this time of year won’t be able to combine striper fishing and blackfishing, because of where trips will have to run for blackfish. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> An open-boat trip aboard Wednesday limited out on striped bass to 14 pounds, releasing eight or nine shorts, on the back of Raritan Bay, Derek said. So the fishing picked up, and lots more stripers were read than on Friday’s trip, and waters were 55 degrees, 5 degrees warmer than on Friday. All the fish were clammed, but lots of bunker were seen swimming the waters. Trips will liveline the baitfish for stripers as soon as stripers are keyed in on the menhaden. Space is available on the open-boat trips for stripers Friday and Saturday, and the open trip Sunday is sold out.  Call to jump aboard.

Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> will return to Highlands at the end of March, and striped bass trips will begin fishing aboard Raritan Bay the first week of April, he said. Call now to secure spring dates. He’s currently chartering from Los Suenos, Costa Rica, like every winter. At Costa Rica, fishing had slowed a bit, but picked back up during the last few days. Most trips released four to six sailfish. Big dorado, for lots of good eating, were on the bite. Joe Sloan’s party from Kearny aboard last week scored a great trip, Pete said. They landed five sailfish, a 280-pound blue marlin and five dorado. The marlin swiped a livelined bonito.

<b>Neptune</b>

With <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> the season’s fishing will probably begin with an individual-reservation trip for blackfish, ling and cod at the ocean wrecks during the first week of April, Capt. Ralph said. He’ll announce details soon. Last Lady sails on charters and individual-reservation trips. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> The year’s first individual-reservation trip will fish 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 7, targeting blackfish, ling and cod, Ralph said. See <a href="http://www.lastlady.com" target="_blank">Last Lady’s Web site</a> for trip prices that were updated for the season. If fuel prices keep rising, a surcharge will have to be added on certain trips.

<b>Belmar</b>

The party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b> sailed Sunday for ling and cod, after being in the yard for seasonal maintenance, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The anglers, a light crowd, “picked and plucked,” the report said, at good-sized ling. Some pout, out-of-season blackfish and huge mackerel bit. No cod showed up, and an angler with a big ling won the pool. The captain “has a bead o some stripers that he located (that day), and plans to stop at some point (today) to see if they will bite,” the report said. If striper fishing is on, trips will switch to targeting them. The Golden Eagle is sailing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> The daily trips will begin striped bass fishing Friday.

<b>Brielle</b>

Ling, good catches, were scooped from the ocean, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. An occasional cod was in the mix on those inshore grounds. A local party trip that sailed offshore waxed cod to 32 pounds, pollock to 22 pounds and a bunch of large ling to 8 pounds. A few boats sailed for striped bass on the ocean last week, jigging the fish off Shark River Inlet. Surf anglers beached stripers around Asbury Park and Long Branch on plugs. No stripers were heard about from Manasquan River, but the season was probably early. Stripers were landed farther south in the Barnegat Bay area and Oyster Creek, the warm-water outflow from the Forked River power plant. Winter flounder season will open Friday, and flounder, at first during the season, are usually hooked locally on northern Barnegat Bay from the Mantoloking Bridge to the Point Pleasant Canal. But maybe some will have already migrated to Manasquan River during the opener this year, because of warm waters. Flounder were heard about that were caught and released on Shark River. Dave is set to sail for tilefish offshore on a party boat later this week.  The Reel Seat started opening Wednesdays to Sundays, previously opening on weekends. New tackle is arriving at the shop for the season, including tuna-popping tackle that was just re-stocked. Anglers kept buying up the tuna gear, some of them heading to North Carolina for bluefin tuna that bit. Stingo Jigs are on sale for 30 percent off. Space remains on four buses that the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund is providing for anglers to travel for free to the rally in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Recreational and commercial anglers will march on the city to support reform of the Magnuson Stevens Act. To sign up for the buses, visit the <a href="http://www.ssfff.org" target="_blank">SSFFF’s Web site</a>.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> Daily striped bass fishing on the ocean will start the season on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, probably during the first week of April, Capt. Bob said. The trips will probably run 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Trips offshore for golden tilefish are on the books for Saturday, April 21, and Wednesday, April 25. One of the trips is full on Saturday, April 28. Visit <a href="http://www.gamblerfishing.net/" target="_blank">Gambler’s Web site</a> for more info. The boat was currently in dry dock, getting readied for the season.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> Bottom fishing aboard the party boat <b>Dauntless</b> was okay, “not <i>real</i> good,” Capt. Butch said, but steady. Mostly ling were looted, and cod were clocked on some days and not on others. Anglers averaged 12 to 24 fish apiece, on some days a little better. Trips fished shallow in 130 feet. The boat tried fishing deeper, but too many dogfish and silver eels bit. Some anglers like to bag silver eels, but customers begin to complain when the eels keep getting caught. Quite a few mackerel, sometimes double-headers, were hooked on the bottom-fishing rigs the other day. Then anglers tried jigging for them, and not many bit. Waters on the grounds warmed, were 48 or 49 degrees. Lots of bird life, apparently working bait above striped bass, was seen off Shark River Inlet on Sunday. But not as much striper life was seen lately as some weeks ago. The Dauntless is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Toms River</b>

Striped bass were hooked at Oyster Creek, the warm-water outflow from the Forked River power plant, and the fish will probably push out from the creek this week, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Waters were warming, and then they’ll arrive in the Toms River in better numbers than currently. Currently stripers were nabbed at Oyster Creek at places like the mouth on artificials like Mister Twisters and Fin-S Fish, sometimes on plugs. Anglers who pre-fished for out-of-season winter flounder, releasing the fish, found that the best run of flounder in a long time was around. A boater on the Toms at Island Heights landed 10 flounder Saturday, seeing an angler pull in five from the docks. Fishing for flounder from the docks was good. Bloodworms grabbed most bites from flounder on the Toms, and sandworms didn’t work so well. A few white perch nibbled at Island Heights, and fishing for them was on the slow side. Another angler and a couple of friends released 40 flounder at Oyster Creek on a trip. Small black drum 10 or 12 inches were around that came from the warm-water outflow. Kids on a trip drilled 10 or 12 short striped bass to 22 inches at the Route 37 Bridge on Barnegat Bay during daytime, casting lures like small, white Rapalas, drifting in a 12-foot Jon boat. Lots of the fish seemed around, and they seemed able to be caught in the daylight, though most anglers usually fished for them in mornings or evenings. A few anglers surf fished, and rumors said stripers were beached here and there. None was seen at the shop, but surely stripers were sometimes banked. Fresh clams, bloodworms, sandworms, frozen baits, shiners, killies, nightcrawlers and trout worms are stocked. The shop will be open at 8 a.m. through Wednesday, at 7 a.m. on Thursday, and, starting on Friday, at 6 a.m. daily. The doors are open until about 7 p.m.

<b>Forked River</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> Reports were heard about striped bass scattered at all different places, including along the Route 37 Bridge on Barnegat Bay and at Oyster Creek, said Grizz from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. One angler hooked stripers from his dock at Sunrise Beach. Plenty of winter flounder filled Oyster Creek and Barnegat Bay, and flounder season will open Friday. Bloodworms, chum logs, salted, frozen clams, killies, nightcrawlers and trout worms are stocked.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Forty anglers lined the banks on Sunday at Graveling Point, a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. They copped an occasional bite from striped bass, but the fish were mostly missing. But word said the fishing turned on Saturday night on falling tide, and photos of keepers were seen at the shop from the angling. The point’s striper fishing was slow during daytime Saturday, like on Sunday. From the sounds of reports from previous days on the site, stripers were sometimes banked at the point, and most were throwbacks. About 1 in 12 might’ve been a keeper, around 28- to 30-inchers. Bloodworms were the preferred bait. Graveling, a shore-angling spot at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River, is an early season hot spot for striper fishing. The angling might’ve only been beginning, and should light up any time. White perch were mixed in with the bass. Boating for stripers should probably produce similar catches in the area, the shop suspected, if anglers have boats in the waters yet. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> The year’s first bluefish was checked in! Scott from the shop said. Dan Williamson on Wednesday weighed in the 9.3-pound 32-incher – unusually big for the first – from Pebble Beach, winning the shop’s annual $100 gift certificate for the first from the Pebble and Graveling Point area. That was very early, and the year’s first blues usually show up during the third week of April in the Pebble Beach and Graveling area, shore angling spots at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River. Plus the year’s first black drum, a 15.1-pound 29-incher, was checked in that day. In fact, the fish was hooked on one of Dan’s poles he left at Pebble while checking in the blue. His friend reeled in the drum. Drum, an occasional catch, are hauled from the area during most springs. Both the blue and the drum were landed in the evening toward the top of the tide. Striped bass kept hitting in the Pebble and Graveling area. “It’s on,” Scott said. The stripers Wednesday evening were 12 to 16 inches. But a reliable report said that a regular, an angler who frequents the Pebble and Graveling area, lost a 40-inch striper. Occasional big ones seemed to start being around. Bloodworms, fresh clams and herring nabbed the stripers. Herring were seen schooling through the waters. But those herring were prohibited to possess this year. But the shop is stocking an ocean herring, a different species, that is legal to use. Anglers who caught herring among mackerel in the ocean this year can use those herring. Bloodworms are stocked, and fresh clams ran out but will be restocked Friday. More bloods, lots, will arrive then, too. Grass shrimp and minnows are carried. White perch bit at Graveling once in a while, and white perch anglers lined the banks to catch the slabs at the Lower Bank Bridge on the Mullica.

<b>Absecon</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> The year’s first striped bass 20 pounds or larger was weighed in, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Leo Stoehr checked in the 21.95-pounder, winning the store’s annual prize of a $100 gift certificate for the first. A $100 certificate for the first 30-pounder or larger is up for grabs, and Dave wouldn’t be surprised if that’s claimed any time, because big stripers began to migrate up the rivers. Mark Knapik bagged a keeper and lost another at Great Egg Inlet, so the fish definitely seemed around that area. Lots of bait started to be around, including herring that swam the rivers, and bunker that schooled all around. Dave hopes to stock fresh bunker by the weekend, and fog kept the bunker netters from sailing this week. The shop’s eeler said eels were already around, because of warm waters, so eels will probably be stocked any time. Dave heard about a 9-pound blue that was the year’s first to be weighed in at Scott’s Bait & Tackle in Mystic Island. The fish had to come from Great Bay, and rumors were heard about more of the year’s first blues swimming along the ocean beaches. White perch fishing was picking up in the rivers, but far up the rivers, because the fish were getting into spawning, and because freshwater was far up the rivers. Fresh clams and plenty of bloodworms are stocked. Fresh bunker and eels should be carried any time.

<b>Brigantine</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> Five or six throwback striped bass were caught and released from the surf, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. A $50 gift certificate to the shop is available for the angler who weighs in the year’s first keeper striper from the local surf. Bluefish moved into the surf the other day for the first time this season. Fresh clams, bloodworms and frozen baits are stocked. Sales on a bunch of items are under way, and new tackle for the season is arriving.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> The back bay turned out striped bass on fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms or frozen mullet, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Bluefish showed up in Lakes Bay starting a week ago. Bunker swam mostly the bay, sometimes the surf. All baits are stocked including fresh clams, fresh bunker, eels, minnows, green crabs and frozen herring, peanut bunker, spearing, shrimp and squid. 

<b>Ocean City</b>

Anglers from shore tugged in striped bass from Corson’s Inlet and the Beesley’s Point area, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. None of the fish was big, but the bass could be picked steadily. Most fished with bloodworms, and some cast soft-plastic lures in pink during daytime and black at night. A few fished with hard baits like MirrOlures. Fishing wasn’t bad, was pretty good, for March. Waters were in the high 40s along the surf. Nothing was heard about boats, and hardly any anglers launched boats in the waters yet this season. Nothing was heard about striper fishing on the Great Egg Harbor River, probably because herring became prohibited to catch this year. Without herring for striper bait, interest in the river was scarce. Nothing was heard about herring, because anglers couldn’t fish for them. Bill wouldn’t doubt migrating herring were around. Large, migrating stripers will eventually swim up the river to spawn this spring. They’ll follow herring that also migrate up the rivers to spawn. Both of the fish will arrive from the ocean farther south, where they spent winter. Bloodworms are stocked, and fresh clams are carried off and on. Fin-Atics is open full time.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> When trips aboard begin to hone in on striped bass, they’ll fish the back bay with soft-plastic lures like Bass Assassins, slowly bounced along bottom, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. That’s about to happen, and Joe was sure stripers could currently be hooked in the bay. His trips will also fly-rod for the fish with small Clouser Minnows, imitating grass shrimp and spearing the fish feed on. Joe looks for warm waters, usually on outgoing tides, in spring. By mid April, bluefish usually invade the bay, and trips then can usually nail both fish. One of the weekend getaways to the Florida Keys, trips that Joe offers until early April, fished this weekend. Fishing Saturday and Sunday, the trips socked speckled sea trout, redfish, jacks, barracudas and more, good catches. The Florida trips can be a mini, fish-filled vacation, and for more info, visit <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page4.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Web site</a>. To keep up with Joe’s fishing, visit <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

Surf anglers dragged in a few striped bass, fishing with clams, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The fishing wasn’t consistent, but with water temps bumping up a bit, a few more than before, resident, non-migrating stripers, bit. On the back bay a few stripers were clammed when anglers were “messing around the docks,” Mike said. Mostly outgoing, warmer tides produced. A few stripers were hung from the bay at night around the lights on lures like Fin-S Fish and Bass Assassins. Again, outgoing was a little better. Nothing was heard from boats from the ocean. Most party boats were probably in dry dock, getting prepped for the season. They’ll probably resume sailing once blackfish season opens in April. Sea Isle Bait & Tackle is now open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Fresh clams and bloodworms are stocked, and a few eels and minnows will probably be carried starting in the next days. The bait selection is being increased as the fishing season comes on.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/22:***</b> A few boats sailed for striped bass on Delaware Bay, finding that a few of the fish were around, said Capt. Dave from <b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b>. He lives in Fortescue, and trips that ran from the port found not a lot of stripers, but came up with catches like seven or eight stripers, including a couple of keepers, per outing. The fish were bunker-chunked, and the bay was loaded with bunker. A few drum were hauled from the far southern bay on the Delaware side. Even some bluefish were heard about from the Delaware side down there. Dave thought the blues were sizeable, 10 pounds and larger. Those are some of the season’s first drum and bluefish heard about. Dave heard about maybe one or two keeper stripers landed from the Fortescue surf, and most of the stripers there were small. He was unsure whether quantities of stripers were taken from the beach. Relentless Sport Fishing will begin charters in probably 10 days or by the first week of April. Seasonal maintenance is almost finished on the boat, and the first trips will chase stripers on the bay, bunker-chunking, clamming or jigging, whatever works. Trips will probably sail from Fortescue the first week or so, then will run from Cape May.

Fishing will launch for the season Friday on the <b>Down Deep</b>, clamming for striped bass on Delaware Bay, Capt. Bob said. A few boats began to sail for the bass on the bay, rounding up a few catches. Openings remain for striper charters aboard, and call if interested. Next the boat will steam for drum on the bay. The year’s first drum usually arrive in the waters by the third week of April. Fishing for them will get better from there. Maybe drum will move to the bay earlier, because of warm waters this year.

A few trips were heard about that began to fish for striped bass on Delaware Bay, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. A few of the fish were decked, all on clams. One friend ran trips that landed three of the stripers Saturday and one of the bass Sunday. Another friend, his son and a neighbor took a trip that reeled in three of the stripers Saturday. “Nobody set the world on fire,” George said. But the fishing started at least. Temperatures in the 70s forecasted for this week might help the angling. The Heavy Hitter will probably be splashed for the season this weekend. The first charters will clam for stripers on the bay. Drum trips on the bay usually begin in May aboard. Call if interested in any of this fishing. 

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