<b>Staten Island</b>

<b>Outcast Charters</b> will begin winter flounder fishing on Sunday, Capt. Joe said. That’s New York’s opening day of flounder season, and striped bass fishing aboard will begin on April 15, New York’s opening day of striper season. Stripers were already boated on the back of Raritan Bay. Outcast this season will also pick up and drop off charters from New Jersey, so trips can follow New Jersey’s fishing regulations for catches including sea bass, blackfish and fluke. Call for info. Outcast will pay bridge tolls with a receipt.

<b>South Amboy</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Fishing for striped bass “is already on!” an e-mail from <b>Reel World Charters</b> said. That was because of the mild winter, and trips with Reel World will kick off next week for the season. Book early before the best dates are gone. The first trips will chunk clams for stripers starting Monday. Winter flounder fishing went well since flounder season opened Friday. Fishing for blackfish, cod and ling produced plenty of catches all winter, and blackfish season will open Sunday. Four of the tog 15 inches or larger will be able to be kept per angler. Looking ahead, the new fluke regs, five fish 17 ½ inches or larger per angler, are expected to produce more keepers for trips than last year. Reel World will sail for them.

<b>Keyport</b>

The boat was splashed Saturday for the season, and fishing is available aboard, Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> said. Space is available on an open-boat trip for striped bass 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday that will clam for the fish on Raritan Bay. Some anglers already signed up. A friend, a good angler, reported to Joe that lots of striped bass swam around, as though they never left this winter. Stripers in the early season are usually caught in the bay close to port, and fishing for them was productive there in recent springtimes. Bunker were currently around, and Joe saw them in the creek at the marina, even. Charters are sailing aboard this season, and open-boat trips are available when no charter is booked.

<b>***Update, Friday, 3/30:***</b> A long-time customer joined a trip Wednesday that limited out on striped bass for the first time this season with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, a report on Andrea’s Toy’s Web site said. The trip fished on Raritan Bay, taking advantage of diminishing winds and relatively calm seas compared with previously. A boat limit of stripers was hammered in 15 minutes on swimming plugs. The report didn’t say whether the plugs were cast or trolled. Another half-dozen stripers were caught and released on the plugs. Then the boat was anchored, and chum was set out, and the trip tried fishing for stripers with ultra-light tackle. More than half a dozen stripers were landed quickly. “Great start to the new year!” the report said. Andrea’s Toy is fishing for stripers from Keyport on Raritan Bay for a couple of weeks, then will move to Point Pleasant Beach to fish for stripers on the ocean.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> A 44-pound striped bass was weighed in, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Ed Akkaway clammed the fish at the Belford Flats. “Now, you know that’s a bunker fish,” Jimmy said. Anglers might’ve been secretive about where they caught stripers or on what, but stripers were boated and surf-caught on Raritan and Sandy Hook bays. Stripers were also boated and winged from the surf on the ocean. Winter flounder fishing was very good on Saturday, after the season opened for them on Friday. But it wasn’t good on Sunday anywhere, from locally all the way to Point Pleasant. Flounder locally were caught on the river, but were also taken on the bay at the Ammo Pier. Jimmy sometimes heard about bluefish, but saw none this season so far. Bunker were around, and reports were heard about them a couple of evenings ago. But Jimmy tried to locate bunker to catch Wednesday evening without success. Bottom fishing for ling was good on the ocean. Blackfish will be caught when the season for them opens Sunday. Blackfish are hungry, Jimmy said. A few cod were around in the ocean. “They catch an odd cod every day,” he said. But waters were warm for cod. The river was 60 degrees already.

On the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> ling fishing was fair Thursday and Friday, Capt. Tom said. Friday’s catches was somewhat better than Thursday’s, and the ling were mixed sizes on the trips. A cod was clocked Friday aboard, and out-of-season blackfish were sometimes hooked and released on the trips. Fishing was better on the drift both days, and the ling seemed spread out. Trips fished in 110 to 115 feet, and anglers sometimes probably didn’t feel bites in the depths. Gulps like a 2-1/2-inch in green were a bit of an advantage for bait. Anglers might want to bring Gulps, and some customers fished the Gulps alone, and others fished them with clam on the same hook. No trips sailed Saturday and Sunday in rougher weather. The boat will keep sailing for ling on one ¾-day trip daily until two ½-day trips can sail daily when enough fish can be caught closer to shore. Like maybe ling will move closer or more striped bass will begin biting closer. The Atlantic Star is fishing for ling 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> No trips sailed since the ones reported above. But the weather looks good for Friday, and anglers were calling about fishing that day, and Tom expects the boat to sail then, he said. Rains are forecasted for Saturday, and Sunday looks okay. He’ll try to give an update when the boat next fishes, and that’ll be posted here, if he does. <b>***Update, Friday, 3/30:***</b> Not much bit on the first drop on today’s trip, Tom said in a phone call aboard the outing at 10 a.m. At the next, 12 or 15 ling were caught quickly, then dogfish moved in. Some of the anglers, a small group, bagged three or four, and some hung one or two, at the second stop. So the boat was about to be moved. Forecasts are calling for rains and 25-knot, northeast winds on Saturday, so a trip probably won’t sail that day. But the weather sounds okay for Sunday. <b>***Update, Friday, 3/30:***</b> Not much bit on the first drop on today’s trip, Tom said in a phone call aboard the outing at 10 a.m. At the next, 12 or 15 ling were caught quickly, then dogfish moved in. Some of the anglers, a small group, bagged three or four, and some hung one or two, at the second stop. So the boat was about to be moved. Forecasts are calling for rains and 25-knot, northeast winds on Saturday, so a trip probably won’t sail that day. But the weather sounds okay for Sunday.

Daily trips for striped bass will kick off the season Saturday on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said. The trips will sail 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and the anglers will clam or jig for the fish this season. The pool for the biggest striper of spring aboard will be under way once again this year.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Fisher Price Charters</b> ran for striped bass Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and was weathered out from the fishing Sunday, Capt. Derek said. The trips clammed for the bass on the back of Raritan Bay, and a big body of stripers swam the area, and catching them was somewhat a matter of waiting until they wanted to feed. Wednesday’s trip walloped the boat’s limit of stripers to 14 or 15 pounds, releasing more keepers and a dozen throwbacks. Friday’s trip decked five keepers to 18 pounds, releasing 20 shorts. Saturday’s fishing was slower, producing four keepers and four shorts. Bunker and herring were seen on the trips, and some of the bass had bunker in stomachs. Not much was heard about stripers livelined on bunker so far this season, but waters were warm or 56 to 58 degrees. Fisher Price will liveline bunker as soon as the stripers respond to the menhaden. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips for stripers are set for Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Call to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open dates.  <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Trips were docked since Saturday, and weather was windy, Derek said. But a few who ventured out reported very good striped bass catches, and a new body of the fish seemed to enter Raritan Bay. Stripers also schooled the ocean coast, and Derek saw the fish down the ocean beach from shore in the winds this week. Boaters who braved the conditions reported gannets diving and stripers swarming all over. Two spaces remain on the open-boat trip for stripers on Friday. Call to jump aboard. The rest of the weekend is filled.

Striped bass already bit, and Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> was wrapping up his last week of fishing in Costa Rica, and will start striper trips from Highlands on April 6, he said in an e-mail. Anyone wanting a striper trip in the early season should call or e-mail him ASAP. At Costa Rica, where Pete runs trips on the Dream Girl each winter to early spring, sailfishing was slower this past week than before. Two to four sails were landed on most trips, and seven sails 80 to 115 pounds were released on the best day. Two blue marlin were tackled during the week. Jeff Walling’s party drilled a 200-pound blue, a sailfish and some dorado on one trip. Pete Longo’s party whaled a 350-pound blue and a few sails and dorado on another. Bottom fishing was strong from Costa Rica aboard for small to medium groupers to 20 pounds, red snappers and lots of small tilefish, “providing lots of good eating,” Pete said.

<b>Neptune</b>

For <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> the season’s first individual-reservation trip, announced in the last report, is now full, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. That trip is slated for Saturday, April 7, but he added more of the trips, targeting blackfish ling and cod, on the Saturdays of April 14, 21 and 28, and space is available. Clams and green crabs will be provided for bait. Blackfish season is open in April and closed before and afterward.

<b>Belmar</b>

Blackfishing will launch the season Sunday on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. Daily trips will strictly target the tog, no other fish. Chris hopes the warm winter will produce positive results off the bat. Green crabs will be carried aboard for bait, and the crew will try to carry white leggers, sometimes difficult to find this time of year. The Big Mohawk will sail for blackfish 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily starting Sunday. In other news, the annual Shark River Surf Anglers Trout Tournament will be held 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at Spring Lake. Open to kids 15 and younger, the tournament is free and known for big trout. More than 500 trout – rainbows, goldens, tigers, brooks and browns – from 14 to 31 inches or 12 pounds will be stocked for the event. Everyone is welcome to help with the stocking at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday, March 31, at the lake. Info about the tournament will be posted on  <a href="http://www.njpartyboat.com/" target="_blank">Big Mohawk’s Web site</a> within the next days and is on <a href="http://www.sharkriversurfanglers.com/contest.htm" target="_blank">Shark River Surf Anglers’ Web site</a>. Check out the great prizes. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 3/28:***</b> Weather looks good for the trip Sunday, Chris said.

Trips for striped bass, the first of the year for the fish aboard, sailed Friday and Saturday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. On Saturday “the fishing was hot!” the report said. Most anglers aboard that day limited out, “(and) the keeper count was high,” the report said. The stripers averaged 30 inches. On Friday striper fishing aboard began slowly, but a few anglers on the trip limited out, and some bagged one, and shorts were released. “Much better bite (aboard Saturday),” the report said. “The bass are here!” Nothing was reported about Sunday and today, so maybe winds weathered out the boat’s trips those days. The Golden Eagle is fishing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> After being docked several days because of winds, the boat ran out for striped bass on Wednesday, and the angling was slow, a report on the Golden Eagle’s Web site said. Maybe that was because waters cooled several degrees. Plenty of stripers were read, but bait was less abundant than during the weekend. With a change in weather and shift in winds, the fishing should bounce back, “though this is a very early start,” the report said.

The crew will move the <b>Katie H</b> to Belmar on Sunday for the season, from the Shrewsbury River, where the boat was wintered, and they’ll fish on the way, Capt. Mike said. Charters will be available starting Sunday, and the first trips will sail for striped bass or blackfish. The crew beforehand will “test the waters,” Mike said, seeing what’s biting. Both full-day and half-day charters will be available to fish inshore. Offshore trips will begin with shark fishing, probably in June, and tuna fishing. Bluefin tuna can show up around May, but yellowfin tuna fishing usually begins around July. One never knows when fish will show up, though. 

Shark River’s winter flounder fishing was good since flounder season opened Friday, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Winds kept most from trying for them Sunday and today. Some of the Belmar party boats began sailing for striped bass, scoring healthy catches Saturday on jigs. Other trips on the boats were sailing for ling and cod. Some of the party boats will begin steaming for blackfish and ling on Sunday, when blackfish season opens. Not much was heard about surf fishing for striped bass, mostly because anglers pursued other fish like stripers on Raritan Bay, shad on Delaware River or flounder. But stripers could surely be beached a few miles to the north like they were through winter. The shop’s rental boats are available for flounder fishing on Shark River.

<b>Brielle</b>

Most trips aboard scooped up good catches of ling, Capt. Ryan from the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> said in an e-mail. “Get a slow one once in a while, when conditions (are lousy),” he said. The catch was okay on Friday’s trip, and most anglers bucketed 25 to 30 big, fat ling. “Some had more, a few had less,” Ryan said. Customers and their catches from Wednesday’s and Thursday’s trips included: Kenneth Sutphin, Pennsauken, 41 ling; Eric Kendall, Trenton, 38 ling and a cod; Jimmy Broyles, Brick, 33 ling and a 12-pound pollock; and Frank Coraggio, Carteret, a 20-1/12-pound cod, the pool-winner. The Jamaica II is sailing for ling and cod 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Fridays and Sundays and 3 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. No reservations are needed.

Boaters jigged striped bass on the ocean off Shark River Inlet on Saturday, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Surf casters banked stripers from Asbury Park to the north, like they did through winter. But reports lately were heard about stripers landed at Bradley Beach from the surf, a bit south. Stripers were probably grabbed around Barnegat Bay to the south, likely because of warm water from Oyster Creek, the outflow from the Forked River power plant. But nobody talked about locating stripers in the back waters close to the shop, like at northern Barnegat Bay or Manasquan River. Good reports rolled in about winter flounder catches on northern Barnegat Bay, since flounder season opened Friday. If anyone looked for flounder on Manasquan River, nobody mentioned. Nothing was heard about bluefish seen locally so far this season. Ling fishing on the ocean “was holding up,” Dave said. One of the local party boats sailed for cod farther from shore, and not a lot of cod came up, but sizeable ones to 30 pounds did, and so did large pollock to 25 pounds, and a load of large ling. Dave sailed offshore on a tilefish trip on a local party boat on Friday. The fishing was okay, and Dave pumped in three tiles, and thought the high hook reeled in eight, and a 40-pounder was the pool-winning tile. The Reel Seat is open Wednesdays through Sundays. Catch the 30-percent sale on Stingo jigs.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

After seasonal maintenance on the vessel, the party boat <b>Norma K</b> was about to be splashed, and trips will probably resume this weekend, Norma Keller said. Trips at first will probably fish for ling and cod on the ocean. But as soon as striped bass bite well, trips will probably switch to fishing for them on the ocean. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Trips aboard will resume Friday, Capt. Matt said. The boat will sail for ling and cod 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. No trips will sail next week from Tuesday through Thursday. On that Friday, Good Friday, the boat will fish for stripers on a ¾-day trip, probably 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Afterward the vessel will target stripers on every trip, probably daily.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Ling, mainly, made up the catch on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Anglers could scrape up 12 to 24, okay fishing, somewhat slower compared with a couple of weeks ago. Ling remained healthy-sized, and smaller ones were yet to become common on the fishing grounds, like they do at some point in spring. A few cod and pollock were in the mix. The cod were mostly keepers, and some of the pollock were sizeable or 12 to 20 pounds, and some were small or 5 to 10 inches. Out-of-season blackfish were sometimes released, and some were large or 8 to 10 pounds. Blackfish season will open Sunday. A handful of mackerel and herring were hooked. Waters were 52 degrees on the grounds, warming earlier than usual. Trips fished in 100 to 150 feet, staying shallow. Silver eels and dogfish were abundant deeper. They also swam shallower, “but they run you out of deeper,” Butch said. Plenty of bait filled waters, and plenty of striped bass were seen close to shore on Saturday. A couple of party boats began fishing for them, targeting them that day where Butch saw the fish. He also saw some of the biggest bunker he ever did, and the season was early for bunker to arrive.  The Dauntless is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Toms River</b>

Winter flounder fishing slowed on the Toms River from the docks at Island Heights, because of colder weather, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Anglers caught and released good numbers of the fish previously in warm weather before flounder season opened Friday. Currently they hooked one or two apiece, “nothing great,” Dennis said. The fish will probably remain in the river another 1 or 1 ½ weeks, before migrating to Barnegat Bay. Striped bass fishing somewhat picked up in the Toms, and a few white perch were plucked from the river. The perch gathered in certain pockets, but the angling was slow, not consistent. Puppy drum sometimes bit in the river. Back to flounder, the bay farther north near the Mantoloking Bridge was the hot spot for the flatties. That area gave up good catches, probably mostly on sandworms, and bloodworms were the better bait for flounder in the Toms River area. A few flounder were picked on Manasquan River. Fairly good catches of flounder came from Oyster Creek, the creek that feeds and discharges from the Forked River power plant. Striped bass swam the cold, inflow section of the creek, and stripers swam the bay off the warm, outflow section of the creek. Flounder gathered more in the cold section. On the bay stripers were boated, kayaked and caught from shore at the Route 37 Bridge, and that fishing will last a while. The boaters and kayakers tossed white Rapala lures, Mister Twisters and bucktails. Bloodworms, sandworms, fresh clams, all the chum, killies, shiners and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Winter flounder seemed to be migrating quickly, said Scott from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. They were caught in Barnegat Bay toward Barnegat Inlet, along Point Pleasant Canal and in Manasquan River. Striped bass were smacked on the bay, “at all the usual spots,” Scott said, on bait during daytime and plugs at night. “Actually,” Scott said, schools of stripers swam the ocean a mile or two from shore. No bluefish were heard about locally. Baits are fully stocked, and the shop is open full time.

<b>Forked River</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Oyster Creek dished up short striped bass and bluefish, said Jana from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Winter flounder gathered at the mouth of the creek. White perch were tabbed from the creek when anglers walked the shore up from the bridge, not at the bridge. The perch were also poled-in from Cedar Creek and Huddy Park on Toms River. Bloodworms, killies and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The most recent fishing report was posted Friday on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site, as of press time. Maybe that was because of cloudy, colder, windier weather Saturday and Sunday. On Friday, the weather was gorgeous. Quite a few boaters fished around the mouth of Mullica River, “(but) reports are scarce,” the site said. “Only striper news that we heard was from anglers reporting good catching the last couple of evenings.” So that was Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The scoop on white perch fishing was “hard to pin point,” the site said. On some days, perch were caught from the river at the Lower Bank Bridge, “while other days it’s quiet,” the report said. Boaters on the river at Collins Cove copped catfish one day and none the next. “Then the anglers (will talk) up a storm of good catching and (buy) the bait to support their stories,” the site said. “Word is the Beach Haven West lagoons have turned on, too.” <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> “Oh yeah, they’re catching,” Scott from the shop said. Plus a good ratio of stripers were keepers now from the Graveling Point area. They weren’t big, were up to 32 inches, but were keepers. “It’s going good,” Scott said. Clams became the bait in demand for the bass. Previously bloodworms were, like usual in colder waters. Clam sales quadrupled, and bloodworm sales slowed, though some still bought bloods for the bass. Catches came toward the changes of tides. Stripers bit before the bottom of the tide in the middle of the day Wednesday, before the top of the tide the day before, and toward the top of the tide today around noon. Not much was heard about bluefish from the area since the first was caught last week. Reports about blues were heard for the first few days afterward. Maybe anglers currently just didn’t mention them. Three black drum caught from the area were heard about so far this season. The first, banked from Pebble Beach last week, weighed 15 pounds. Another weighed 29. Another weighed 40 pounds that Mark McDonald heaved in on Mike Madison’s boat. White perch were plucked at Lower Bank and Bass River bridges. Not much was heard about perch at Collins Cove, and the fish seemed farther upstream. Anglers bought grass shrimp and bloodworms for the perch. Blackfish season will open Sunday, and green crabs are stocked for bait. So, fresh, shucked clams, bloodworms, grass shrimp, minnows and green crabs are stocked.

<b>Absecon</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Another windy week, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Actually, last week was foggy, and this week was windy. Not a lot fished in the weather, but fish were around. Striped bass definitely began to migrate in from the ocean and out to it. Dave will run his season’s first charter Sunday, expecting to find stripers in the shallows, mostly chunking clams for them. Quite a few customers fished Graveling Point and Great Bay on Friday and Saturday evenings, scoring well on stripers, including 30-inchers. Then winds kept anglers from heading out. On Saturday sizeable stripers moved into the Brigantine surf and were caught. A $100 gift certificate to the shop remains up for grabs for the angler who weighs in the season’s first striper 30 pounds or larger. A few bluefish were heard about from Great Bay, Graveling Point and the surf. Waters were warmer than usual, and some movements of fish were happening early. Dave found 62-degree waters on the back of Great Bay from his boat on Friday, though the temp might’ve changed now. The shop’s eeler found eels like he would in May. So eels are stocked, and so are most baits. A good supply of fresh bunker wasn’t available so far, only because the commercials were busy crabbing instead. Crabbing was very good for them already, a banner spring, and recreationals could also find the blueclaws, but in the bays, not the creeks. White perch swam far up the rivers, and freshwater was likely far upstream, because of scarce rains. Perch on the Mullica River were bucketed at Green Bank, farther up than usual. Blackfish season will begin Sunday, and prospects looked good. The fish seemed to snap in the warmth. Anglers who scouted the fishing hooked the tog at the bridges and jetties.   

<b>Brigantine</b>

One angler beached 10 striped bass from the Brigantine surf on Saturday, and the fishing was great that day, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said on Sunday. The action was all day long, it said, and most of the fish were taken on fresh or frozen clam, and Gulp spray on the clam caught multiple stripers for some anglers. Photos of several anglers with limits of two stripers apiece were posted on the site on Saturday. One angler caught stripers and a 33-inch bluefish in the mix that day. The news began on Thursday, when Ryan Smith checked in the shop’s first keeper striper from the island’s surf this season, winning the store’s $50 gift certificate for the first. The bass weighed 12 pounds and was 32 inches long. Keepers checked in from Thursday to Saturday ranged from 31 to 34 inches or 12 to 16 pounds. The one keeper was checked in Thursday, and a photo of an angler with a limit of two was posted Friday. Then the photos of several anglers with limits were posted Saturday. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Surf fishing for striped bass blew up Saturday, Capt. Andy from the shop said. Clams with Gulp spray seemed best suddenly, through the spray was on the market for some years. Afterward keeper stripers were beached here and there, and mostly shorts 12 to 14 inches were. Chopper blues were definitely around on occasion in the surf. Andy’s buddy punched an 8-pounder. A boater caught and released blackfish including an 8-pounder along the Brigantine Bridge, boding well for the opening of blackfish season Sunday. Fresh clams will be stocked Friday, and winds kept clam boats from sailing previously. Bloodworms and frozen baits are on hand.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Surf anglers slung in striped bass and blues, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. For the bass, they fished fresh bunker, fresh clams and eels. The blues were 20 to 28 inches, good-sized. Stripers, blues and winter flounder bit in the bay. Lots of bunker, big ones, schooled the bay. The full supply of baits is stocked, including fresh bunker, difficult to find, fresh clams, bloodworms and eels. Green crabs are stocked for blackfish, and the season for the tog will open Sunday. Tog were already caught and released.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Fishing for striped bass wasn’t bad, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, and he would consider the angling sporadic, he said, but more and more reports about catches rolled in. The year’s first bluefish, a 6-pound 6-ouncer, was weighed in, coming from Corson’s Inlet. If one was around, there must be more. Back to stripers. One customer talked about landing seven stripers from his dock on Friday, saying he kept clamming the fish there lately. Also on the back bay, a few stripers were reeled in at night under lights on soft-plastic lures like Fin-S Fish and Bass Assassins. A few stripers were banked from the surf on clams, and not many were keepers, but the angling seemed to be steadily improving. Previously no reports about the catches came in, but now a few of the fish were lifted from the waters, like two throwbacks that one customer let go. Another angler clammed for stripers at Townsend’s Inlet, landing a 20-inch, out-of-season blackfish that was released. That could be a good sign for the opening of blackfish season this coming Sunday. Nothing was heard about ocean wreck fishing, but that should change when blackfish season opens. Bloodworms, fresh clams and frozen baits are stocked, and the bait supply is being increased each week. Sea Isle Bait & Tackle is open full time.

Back-bay striped bass fishing was starting to produce, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The year’s first catch of a bluefish was heard about, coming from Corson’s Inlet in the past days. Joe will begin to target stripers on the bay this week for the first time this season. Bluefish usually invade the bay the third week of April, but will probably arrive early, because of the warm winter. His trips will go after both stripers and blues on the bay in spring like every year, and the angling was about to take off. Until now, Joe was focusing on traveling charters to the Florida Keys that he runs each winter and early spring. He’ll offer the Florida trips until Easter like usual. But he’ll now begin making the transition, starting to fish the bay from Sea Isle City this week. Lots of herring, spearing and grass shrimp swam the bay, so Joe expects fishing to be good. His trips in the early season fish the bay with either soft-plastic lures like Bass Assassins or Clouser Minnow flies, small ones to imitate small bait like spearing and shrimp, slowly bounced along the bottom. He looks for warm waters in spring, and outgoing tides are usually best for the fishing, because of warmth.  

<b>Ocean City</b>

The back bay turned up striped bass the same as before, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Previously he said the fish were angled from shore around Beesley’s Point and at Corson’s Inlet, mostly on bloodworms. But some anglers connected on soft-plastic lures in pink during daytime and black at night. Surf anglers along the ocean front began to tug in stripers, including a few keepers, mostly on bloodworms. The year’s first keeper was weighed in. No bluefish were reported caught so far this season. Nothing was heard from boaters, and few anglers launched boats for the season yet. Vessels including party boats will probably resume wreck fishing on the ocean when blackfish season opens Sunday. Lots of bunker and herring schooled the back waters. Nothing was heard about fishing on Great Egg Harbor River for stripers, probably because herring, the favorite bait on the river, became prohibited to posses this year. Fin-Atics is open full time, and bloodworms, fresh clams and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> The party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> will begin fishing for blackfish on Sunday, opening day of the season for the tautog, Capt. Paul said. Trips will sail for them daily starting then through April, except no trip will run this Tuesday.  After April the boat will motor out for summer flounder or sea bass. In other news, boaters clammed striped bass on a couple of days on Delaware Bay, and found fishing for them slow on other days. The Porgy IV will begin blackfishing at 8 a.m. daily on Sunday, except no trip will sail this Tuesday.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> Delaware Bay’s striped bass fishing seemed to remain the same as before, said Capt. Dave from <b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b>. Boaters sometimes wrenched in a keeper and some shorts. Anglers waited for the migration of big stripers to flood the bay, and Relentless will start fishing next week for the season, beginning with the bay’s striper fishing. Trips will probably sail from Fortescue, where Dave lives, the first week or so, before running from Cape May afterward. Dave heard nothing this week about striper fishing from the surf at Fortescue. Windy, cool weather seemed to keep anglers, both boaters and shore anglers, from getting out much in the past days. Shore anglers could’ve been banking stripers at Fortescue, but nothing was heard about the fishing.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/29:***</b> <b>Hand Too Bait & Tackle</b> is open for the season, probably full time, Nick said. Striped bass, fairly good catches, were beached from the surf. Use bloodworms along the jetties, and clams along the open beach. Bloodworms worked well toward the Cape May ferry jetty, and clams did the job farther up the bay and along the ocean, for example. The 2nd Avenue jetty and Poverty Beach were a couple of places that produced. Most stripers were small, but a few large ones to 25 or 30 pounds were nailed. An old timer got one the other day. Heard about bluefish? Nick was asked. His buddy beached a large blue at Cape May Point earlier this season. If birds are working waters, and bait is schooling, chopper blues could be possible. On boats, striper fishing seemed spotty on Delaware Bay, yet to take off. But a few trips boated good catches of stripers, like on the bay at channels off creek mouths. Coxall Creek was one. Bloodworms and fresh clams are stocked. Nick is trying to stock fresh bunker. He heard about bunker that were around, but heard reports about the bunker mixed with herring. The herring were prohibited to catch this year, so Nick didn’t know whether netters might avoid trying for bunker till the menhaden become more abundant. Nick will try to stock green crabs for the opening of blackfish season on Sunday.  

A few striped bass were boated on Delaware Bay, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Even a few small, 25- or 30-pound drum were hauled from the bay. The Heavy Hitter will probably be splashed this week for the season, and the first trips will clam for stripers on the bay. Drum fishing aboard usually begins in May. Call if interested in either fishing.

The <b>Down Deep</b> began fishing on Friday for the season, sailing for striped bass at the Horseshoe on Delaware Bay, Capt. Bob said. Catches began well aboard Friday with the Steve Kubitz charter. Two of the anglers bagged two stripers apiece, and the rest bagged one. Then the fishing dropped off. John Barr’s charter aboard Saturday caught fewer stripers, and a charter on deck Sunday bagged none. Friday was a gorgeous, sunny day, and Saturday’s and Sunday’s weather was cloudier and cooler. Maybe sunnier days were needed to spark up the catches. Nobody on Saturday and Sunday “had a banner day,” Bob said. Two of the stripers on Friday’s trip were hooked on bunker, and the rest of the bass were clammed on Friday’s and Saturday’s trips. Space remains for striper charters, and grab them while available. Drum trips are being booked that will fish the bay next, and a few drum were reported caught on Wednesday and Thursday. Seemed a good sign, Bob said.

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