<b>Keyport</b>

Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> hopes to splash the boat by the third week of March, he wrote in an email. He hopes the mild winter “brings on an early (striped) bass run and some good winter flounder fishing,” he said. Though two flounder is the bag limit, he hopes the limit helps make Raritan Bay the good flounder grounds it was. He’d like to hear from anybody interested in flounder fishing, because maybe he’ll set up open-boat trips for the fish, if enough anglers are interested. Flounder are great fun on light tackle and terrific-eating.  Afternoon charters will be available this year, in addition to morning charters. Good dates are still available. Afternoon open-boat trips, Workingman Specials, will also be available, in addition to open trips in mornings. Frank’s been prepping the boat for the coming fishing season, and getting the vessel in tip-top shape takes many hours of work for the long season. Say hello to Frank at the Saltwater Fishing Expo in Somerset at the Penn booth on Friday, March 18. Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vitaminseafishing/" target="_blank">Vitamin Sea’s Facebook page</a> for the latest reports and schedules and for photos. “Call me anytime if computers and smart phone stuff isn’t your thing,” he said.

<b>Belmar</b>

A 22-pound 13-ounce blackfish was smashed Sunday on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, the party boat’s Facebook page said. Howard Dicicco hauled in the huge tautog, had fished aboard several times previously, “and is no stranger to catching the big ones,” it said. Blackfish season will be closed throughout March, and that was a great way to end the season, it said. Blackfishing will sail aboard throughout April, when blackfish season will be reopened.

A blackfish heavier than 22 pounds was crushed on the party boat Big Mohawk from Belmar this weekend, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. That was the largest docked at Belmar in many years, if not the largest ever. Blackfish season will be closed in March, so that was a great way to end the season. The season will be reopened in April, so Bob hopes the angling is as good then. Blackfish to a 15-pound 12-ouncer were also landed on the party boat Ocean Explorer from the port. Winter flounder season will be opened beginning Tuesday, and some of the shop’s rental boats are in the water to fish for them on Shark River. Worms and clams are stocked for bait. Striped bass season will be opened beginning that day in bays and rivers. “Things are looking up …,” Bob said.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 3/1:***</b> Just a pick of cod, pollock and blackfish were eased aboard the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> this weekend, Capt. Joe wrote in an email. The fishing was sluggish, and recent pool-winners included Wes Shourt from Manahawkin for a 14-pound cod and Xin Chue from Hazlet for a 16-pound cod and a 12-pound blackfish. Blackfishing season was closed today for March and will be reopened throughout April. Not many ling showed up in catches yet, but more are expected to show up “as we get into March,” Joe said. The Jamaica II is fishing on 12-hour trips at 5 a.m. every Sunday and Wednesday and on 14-hour trips at 3 a.m. every Saturday.

Not a lot of blackfish seemed to bite in the ocean, but a big one was reported caught on a Belmar party boat this weekend, said John from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Blackfish season will be closed throughout March and reopened throughout April. A few cod and ling were reeled from the ocean. Striped bass supposedly bit in Oyster Creek, the warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant. They also reportedly hit at Graveling Point, at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River. Both of those spots are farther south from the store, and usually give up the fish in the early season. Striper season will be opened in back waters like that, or in creeks, rivers and bays, beginning Tuesday. Striper fishing is open year-round in the ocean, within 3 miles from shore, but the water’s too cold for many to hold in the ocean this season. Back waters are warmer in winter. Striper fishing’s closed beyond 3 miles year-round. Winter flounder season will be opened the same day, and John wasn’t asked about flounder, but the flatfish locally bite usually in northern Barnegat Bay, toward Mantoloking Bridge, at first during the season. Later they migrate from there through Point Pleasant Canal to Manasquan River, when water warms, heading to the ocean, where they’ll live in summer. Stripers locally usually don’t bite until late March or early April. Then a few will be picked in the ocean surf. They might chomp early this year, because of the warm winter. Striper fishing will improve and become good locally as spring goes on. The Reel Seat is open Thursdays through Sundays. Catch free seminars at the shop with Capt. Bob Cope on trolling Mojos for striped bass at 10 a.m. this Saturday and Capt. Len Belcaro on understanding temperature charts at 10 a.m. March 12.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/3:***</b> Bottom-fishing was a little poor aboard, copping a few cod and occasional ling, said Capt. Butch from the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>. Blackfish season was closed beginning Tuesday, so they could be kept no longer if hooked. More blackfish were caught on the day the season closed than previously the rest of the week. Trips fished in depths 120 feet to 220. Most life bit in the shallower water, and dogfish were a nuisance in the deeper. Bergals and other junk fish bit in the shallower. Some anglers began to keep fish like bergals. Some mackerel and herring were swung in during the weekend, but rough weather early this week seemed to chase them away. The ocean was 40 to 42 degrees, depending on location. That was chilly but not as much as during some years. No signs of the spring migration of fish arriving were seen yet. The water was much too cold, and the season was too early. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.  

“Another nice weekend to be on the water,” Capt. Matt from the <b>Norma-K III</b> wrote in a report on the party boat’s website. The vessel blackfished Saturday and Sunday, and seas became somewhat bumpy Sunday, but were fishable. The blackfishing was slow, but a bit better on Sunday than on Saturday. Still, Pat Farley won Saturday’s pool with an 11-pounder. Ling and a pollock were also hooked on the trip. On Sunday’s trip, the high hook bagged three blackfish, and a couple of anglers bagged one or two apiece, “and some had a tough day or just caught shorts,” Matt said. An 8-pound blackfish won the pool. The boat will now be in the boat yard a week or two for maintenance for spring fishing. “We will keep you posted of any upcoming trips in March,” he wrote in the report. The boat will resume blackfishing in April, because blackfishing season will be reopened for that month, after being closed throughout March. Matt thanked anglers who fished aboard this winter. “It had its up and downs, but overall, I thought it was pretty good!” he wrote.

<b>Toms River</b>

Striped bass were hooked and released at Oyster Creek, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. That’s the warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant, and anglers weren’t supposed to target the fish, because striper season was closed in rivers and bays or back waters like that. But the season will be opened beginning Tuesday. The fish grabbed bloodworms, and none was reported to smack a lure. But the stripers might be landed on lures like rubber baits. Bloodworms, sandworms and salted, frozen clams are stocked. So are shiners for freshwater. Winter flounder season will also be opened beginning Tuesday, and flounder probably swam the Toms River. Jeff tried for white perch on the river, and none bit, but small stripers did. He fished small pieces of bloodworms on a rig. Murphy’s is now open daily, after being closed for a winter break. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>Forked River</b>

<b>Update, Thursday, 3/3:</b> The store will be open for the fishing season beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>’s Facebook page said. Bloodworms will be stocked “as long as the weather holds out,” it said.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The store will be open beginning Tuesday for the fishing season, Fred from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> said. The shop was open this weekend, and would probably be open today, because of mild weather, like 60 degrees on Sunday. The doors had been closed for a winter break, and bloodworms are stocked. So are frozen, salted clams, and the worms are the bait that customers want in the early season. They’ll fish the bloods for striped bass at places like Mullica River. But they’ll also fish the bait on bays for stripers. Some will surely head north to Oyster Creek, the warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant, for stripers. Striper season opens beginning Tuesday in bays and rivers.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

<b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> will be open for the fishing season beginning Wednesday, Maureen said. The store’s been closed for a winter break, and striped bass season will be open beginning Tuesday in bays and rivers. But the store is always closed Tuesdays. The annual $100 gift certificate to the store will be awarded to the angler who weighs-in the year’s first keeper striped bass from Graveling Point. That’s a nearby shore-angling spot at the confluence of Mullica River and Great Bay that gives up some of the year’s first stripers each year in New Jersey. The river’s warm water seems to attract them, and some of the year’s first also come from Graveling because that’s simply a place that anglers can access that can harbor the fish this time of year. Bloodworms usually catch them best in the early season, and the worms are already stocked. The worms are easy for the fish to digest when the stripers have slow metabolism in cold water. When waters warm, other baits like clams will catch well. See info about fishing Graveling Point on <a href=" http://www.scottsbt.com/fishing/stripers/springrun.htm" target="_blank">the store’s Graveling Point striper fishing Web page</a>, including when the first were caught in past years. Sometimes the fish were banked early in the season, and sometimes late. That depends on water temperature, and this winter’s been warm. Minnows and nightcrawlers should also be stocked when the shop opens. Scott from the store planned to try to net grass shrimp Tuesday to stock live, too. The shrimp are popular for white perch fishing on brackish rivers like the Mullica, and Maureen heard that the perch were reeled from the river. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/3:***</b> Anglers fished Graveling Point, but no feedback was heard, and the $100 gift certificate was still up for grabs for the angler who weighs-in the year’s first keeper striper from the point, Brian said. A large striper was boated on Mullica River at Collins Cove on Tuesday and checked-in at Absecon Bay Sportsman Center. That was the first catch like that known about at Scott’s this year. Stripers reportedly bit in Raritan Bay, farther north in the state. Closer to Scott’s, water at Atlantic City was 40 to 41 degrees, and water at Graveling is usually a little warmer. The year’s first striper from Graveling in past years was checked-in any time from March 1 to April 18. Stripers gave up action in Mullica River at Lower Bank. White perch were sometimes hooked in the area, “as you go into back creeks,” he said. Anglers needed to look in a bunch of places to locate the perch. Anglers fished bloodworms and grass shrimp on the river, usual baits in the early season, including because the worms are easy for stripers to digest in cold water, mentioned above. Baits stocked include the bloods, live grass shrimp and small minnows. The store opened Tuesday for the fishing season, the shop’s Facebook page said. It’s now open daily except is closed every Tuesday, Brian said.

<b>Absecon</b>

A few customers filtered through <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>, thinking about fishing for white perch on brackish rivers, Capt. Dave said. The store had been open this winter, but for no set hours. But now the shop will be open daily, because striped bass season will be open in bays and rivers beginning Tuesday. Bloodworms and fresh clams are stocked for the angling. Stripers will probably be seen at the store, because the shop holds an annual contest for the year’s first stripers weighed-in, and winter’s been warm. “I’m hoping for something to happen,” he said. “I think it will. We’ll see.” The year’s first were weighed-in on opening day last year, and the first during the previous year were weighed-in a week later. Prizes this year will be: a $200 gift certificate to the store for the first keeper striper; a $100 gift certificate for the second; a $50 certificate for the third; a $100 certificate for the first heavier than 20 pounds; and a $100 certificate for the first heavier than 30. However, if the first fish come from waters like Oyster Creek, the warm-water discharge from the Forked River power plant, the angler will win only half the prize amount. The first to check-in stripers from natural waters will win the remainder of the prize amounts. The first stripers came from the Oyster Creek discharge in past years, and because that angling’s almost a sure bet, the half-prizes are meant to encourage anglers to locate the fish in natural waters. To win the full prizes, instead of the half, anglers must show a photo that proves where the striper was caught. Dave recommends the photos be sent to the store as soon as the fish are caught, either by posting the shot on the store’s Facebook page or emailing the shot to go-fish@abseconbay.com. Nearly everybody carries a smart phone with a camera these days, so that seems fair. Additional prizes will also be offered, like in past years. Those will include a $100 gift certificate to the store for the first angler who checks-in a keeper who is registered for the store’s <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/events/434508753415190/" target="_blank">Facebook event 2016 First Legal Striped Bass of the Season</a>. Also see complete rules for the contest on that page or on <a href=" http://www.abseconbay.com/fishingtournaments.html" target="_blank">the store’s website</a>. Additional prizes will also be a rod-and-reel combo apiece for the first boy and girl age 12 or younger who check-in a keeper, and a “lady” combo for the first female to check-in a keeper. <b>Update, Tuesday, 3/1:</b> A 28-1/2-inch striped bass was weighed-in from Raritan Bay today and was the year’s first striper at the shop, the store’s Facebook page said. Matthew Calabria caught the fish and won the $100 gift certificate for the first non-local striper and also won the $100 certificate for being the first angler to bring in a striper who was registered for the tournament on Facebook. Matt was sort of in a race with Trevor Daniels to get the fish to the store. That was because Trevor had contacted the shop, saying he bagged a striper locally and was coming to claim a prize. Trevor arrived at the store after Matt, and Trevor won the $100 certificate for the first local striper and the $100 certificate for the first heavier than 20 pounds. His striper was a 23.7-pound whopper he boated on Mullica River. He had sent the shop a photo of the fish on the water to prove where the catch was made. Dave from the shop said that was the “best” ever striper he knew to be caught on March 1, he wrote on the Facebook page. If stripers that size swam the river, stripers should bite at Graveling Point soon, he thought. That’s a shore-angling spot at the confluence of the river and Great Bay that’s popular in the early season.

<b>Longport</b>

The <b>Stray Cat</b> is fishing from the Florida Keys this winter until early spring, and weather was tough the past five days, Capt. Mike said. Wind blew strongly, but even on a slow day of fishing, many fish can bite. Sunday was slow, and mostly junk fish like sand porgies and juvenile fish bit, but probably 200 fish did. That was at the reef in 25 feet of water, 3 ½ miles from port. Trips are also deep-drop fishing in depths like 300 feet, 7 or 8 miles from port, for catches like sizable snappers. Trips are also big-game fishing, like for sailfish on live baits fished from kites. Lots of sharks are stalking that can be fought. Two sharks ate a sailfish hooked aboard last week. Other fish are possible to target, like amberjacks at wrecks and swordfish. The swords can be fished for during daytime, unlike how swords are fished for at night off New Jersey. That’s because deep water is available to fish relatively close to shore, 21 miles, off the Keys, for the light-sensitive swords. That angling is only for the right anglers, because not all in a group might hook a sword in a trip. After trips aboard this past weekend, another angler was showing up today to fish on the boat. More charters are booked for Tuesday and Friday, and another crew is coming Wednesday to fish aboard. Mike will probably sail Stray Cat back to New Jersey on April 20 to fish from Longport for the rest of spring through fall. If anybody’s interested in joining him for the sail, telephone him. 

<b>Ocean City</b>

<b>Fin-Atics</b> will be open daily beginning Thursday, Justin said. The store’s been open Fridays and Saturdays for winter, and bloodworms should be stocked beginning Thursday. Frozen grass shrimp and all other frozen baits are carried. Striped bass season will be open beginning Tuesday in bays and rivers, and customers usually catch the year’s first in rivers, including Great Egg Harbor River, Tuckahoe River and Patcong Creek. Stripers were already reported to bite in those waters. The stripers were small, but big stripers to 30 and 40 pounds were also reported to bite there. So were big white perch. Though customers usually find stripers in rivers first in the year, stripers were also reported to stir around in the bay a little, like in the back toward Beesley’s Point and Patcong Creek. That’s because the water was warm in this warm winter, and was reportedly 40 and 41 degrees.    

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Jim Campbell and buddy this weekend jumped aboard some of the traveling charters to the Florida Keys that fish each winter with Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, Joe said. On Saturday, they went 1 for 4 on tarpon, landing one and jumping three. Tarpon are difficult to land, and anglers count jumping the fish, or hooking tarpon that fight and jump but throw the hook, during the fishing.  The anglers also reeled in pompano, snappers, jacks, ladyfish and a bunch of other fish on the outing. On Sunday, they jumped a tarpon that was hooked a while, and landed lemon sharks to 100 pounds, snappers and jacks. The fishing, on Florida Bay along the flats, was good throughout the weekend. Weather varied, including terrible weather Saturday morning, perfect weather that afternoon, terrible weather Sunday morning, and average weather later that day. The temperature reached 70 degrees Sunday. The trips fish each year from Christmas to Easter, mostly on weekends. See <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s traveling charters Web page</a>. When Joe’s not fishing from the Keys this season, he’s back at Sea Isle. He keeps a boat in the Keys and another at Sea Isle this season. He’ll probably splash the boat in Sea Isle this weekend for the fishing season. The season is a little early for his fishing from New Jersey, but Joe’s usually one of this site’s first captains to catch striped bass each year. He’s caught them as early as the first of March, when striper season is opened in bays and rivers. He fishes soft-plastic lures for the stripers at places like creek mouths on outgoing tides in afternoons on sunny days, when water’s warmest. Creeks are warmer than the bay in winter, and he works the plastics slowly along bottom. The stripers are slow-moving in the cold. His bay fishing usually explodes by mid-April, if not earlier. Then stripers, bluefish, big weakfish and summer flounder can bite, all in one trip. The flounder are usually out-of-season then and are released. The bay fishing is some of the best angling of the year, and anglers should book the trips. Joe fishes with light conventional tackle and fly rods.  Keep up with is fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

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