<b>Keyport</b>

An open-boat trip for striped bass will sail Saturday with the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>, Capt. Mario said. That will be the year’s first fishing aboard, and striper trips will clam for the fish on Raritan Bay at first this season. Striper trips will continue in the next months, and special cod trips will run in April. Charters and open-boat trips will be available for both types of fishing. Join the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about open trips. Also see the site’s open-trips page for available dates. The company runs two 40-foot boats.

Time to get your dose of <b>Vitamin Sea</b>! Capt. Frank wrote in an email. Raritan Bay is full of baitfish, “and while it’s not highly publicized, (striped) bass are being caught in the shallows,” he said. He knew about stripers to 32 inches taken, and open-boat trips on Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3, will be the year’s first fishing aboard.  One spot is available for each of the trips. When the fishing begins on that Saturday, the trip will target winter flounder first and stripers later in the day. Clams, mussels, worms and chum will be carried aboard. Frank in the last report here mentioned bunker in Raritan Bay, and killies in shallow water. For this current report, he said a huge number of bunker swam the bay that “should bring the bass in early, and offer some real good fishing, right out of the gate,” he said. Open-boat trips every Wednesday will begin on April 6. Good dates are still available for charters, and don’t delay to book. Both morning and afternoon charters are available. Frank was at the Penn booth Friday at the Saltwater Fishing Expo. Seeing so many anglers stop and say hello was great, he said. All were so excited for the fishing season to begin. Was great to see all light up when talking about fishing and tackle, “and (hoping to land) a monster bass (or) fluke,” he said. <b>*** Update, Thursday, 3/24:***</b>  The boat was splashed, and is ready to begin the fishing season, Frank wrote in an email. Stripers could show up “in force” any day, because of the amount of bait in the bay, and water in the mid-40 degrees to high 40s. Open-boat trips will target a combo of flounder and stripers until then. Charters are being accepted, and so are fluke charters for later this season. Book now, instead of settling for dates that remain.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/24:***</b> A few striped bass were banked from shore along Raritan Bay, like at Union Beach, and along Navesink River at Red Bank and Shrewsbury River at Monmouth Beach, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. A week or so remains until the fishing picks up more, probably. “The bait’s there,” he said. Abundant bunker schooled for two weeks now. Nobody really talked about winter flounder fishing, and more will probably try for the blackbacks by April’s first weekend, two weekends from now. All baits are stocked. 

The <b>Fishermen</b> is ready to fish for the year, looks great and will be returned to the slip during April’s first week, Capt. Ron wrote on the party boat’s Facebook page. Striped bass trips, both daytime and nighttime, will begin on the second or third weekend of April, after a Coast Guard inspection. Amazing how fast seasons come and go, he wrote in a report on the boat’s website. This will be his 39th year as a captain. “Yes, I’m getting (Older),” he wrote. He can’t wait to see anglers aboard and misses them.

<b>Neptune</b>

Sea bass season will be opened beginning May 23, and an individual-reservation trip has been added for that day with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email today. He’ll add more if possible, and only a few dates remain for sea bass charters, and sea bass season is short, only lasting to June 19. Charters for striped bass and other catches are also being booked, and weekends are filling quickly. The boat is out of the water, being prepped for the fishing season. <b>***Update, Monday, 3/21:***</b> Anglers today already filled the May 23 sea bass trip, responding to Ralph’s email reported above, he wrote in another email. So he added another for May 24, and anybody interested should probably book quickly. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 3/22:***</b> The sea bass trip on May 24 also filled, so another was added for Friday, May 27, Ralph wrote in an email.

<b>Belmar</b>

The year’s first trip fished Saturday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, pounding mackerel and some herring, a report said on the party boat’s website. Numerous reports had said mackerel schooled to the southeast, so the boat began sailing for them. Probably 90 percent of the catch was mackerel, and 10 percent was herring. The trips will begin to fish at 7:30 a.m. daily on Thursday. When striped bass show up, the trips will switch to fishing for stripers. The trip’s fishing was great on some drifts and just picked a few fish on others. “But overall the fishing was real decent,” it said. All anglers bagged some mackerel, and some bagged 75 to 80.

Shark River’s winter flounder fishing was poor, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Maybe the fish migrated to the ocean early, because of the warm winter. “We will know soon,” he said. The shop’s rental boats are available to fish for the flounder. Striped bass were yet to swim local waters, and that was normal. Lots of bunker were around, so stripers will arrive soon, Bob’s sure. Fishing will pick up soon, and spring is here. The crew hopes to open Fisherman’s Den North, the new shop in Atlantic Highlands, this weekend, “with a little help from the weather,” he said. Stop by and see the store.

<b>Brielle</b>

Winter flounder chomped toward Mantoloking Bridge on Barnegat Bay, pretty consistently, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Outgoing tides were the time to fish for them, and the flounder bit sandworms, bloodworms and bits of clams. Boaters who chummed heavily caught better than those who didn’t. Flounder sometimes bit toward the mouth of Point Pleasant Canal, farther north in the bay. The bulkhead and boat ramp there at Bay Avenue in Bay Head was reportedly condemned, prohibiting bank anglers from fishing. That was unconfirmed, but if true, only boaters will be able to fish there. A few flounder were picked from Manasquan River at the other mouth of the canal, also on outgoing. Those fish seemed to bite only on the warmest days. A few small striped bass bit around Mantoloking Bridge and Route 37 Bridge, farther south on the bay. They swiped small plugs like Bomber 15A’s, some of the Savage plugs, Fin-S Fish, other small soft-plastic lures like 3- to 5-inch shads and worms. A handful of stripers like 18 to 24 inches were reported fought along Route 70 Bridge on Manasquan River on the same things. Scattered reports about keeper stripers caught came from Raritan Bay, mostly on bait: clams and worms. On the ocean, bottom-fishing hooked all the dogfish anglers wanted, Eric said tongue in cheek, and some conger eels. But a few cod were landed. If anglers wanted to roll the dice and jump on a head boat, they might bag some cod. Some of the private boats and charter boats scored a little better on cod, at wrecks 50 miles from shore. The Reel Seat is open Wednesdays through Sundays.  Catch free seminars at the shop with Karen Wall, editor of the Big Game Journal, at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 2, on an intro to fishing for women, and from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, April 3, with the Shark River Surf Anglers on trout fishing. The trout seminar is because the club will hold the annual, free kids’ trout-fishing tournament at Spring Lake on Saturday, April 9, opening day of trout season.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Bottom-fishing trips will kick off the year’s angling on the <b>Gambler</b>, the party boat’s website said. The trips will begin on April 1, sailing every Monday through Saturday. Special tilefish trips, reservations required, will sail 11 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the Saturdays to Sundays of April 2-3, 9-10, 16-17 and 23-24. Open-boat trips for striped bass will fish in May, but the crew will keep an eye on striper reports in case the striper trips can begin in April. If stripers arrive in April, the bottom-fishing will switch to striper fishing right away. The schedule of <a href=" http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.php" target="_blank">fall tuna trips</a> is already posted on the boat’s website, and tickets can already be purchased. New this summer will be Shark in the Dark Trips at 8 p.m. on Sundays. More info about the sharking is expected to be posted on the boat’s website later this week. Anglers can telephone the boat with any questions, and a link to buy tickets right away can be found on the site.

<b>Toms River</b>

The Toms River at Island Heights gave up a pick of winter flounder, nothing fantastic, a fish here and there, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Before the weekend’s snow, the river was 55 degrees, warming quickly, and stripers, pretty good catches, were hooked from the water just after dark, mostly on bloodworms, a few on clams. The river previously was 51 and 52 degrees. One of the stripers was a keeper now and then, and 12- to 24-inchers were pretty common. White perch fishing was very slow on the river. Some flounder and stripers were tugged from Oyster Creek, the warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant. A few flounder were reeled from Barnegat Bay near Mantoloking Bridge, nothing great yet. Bloodworms and fresh clams are stocked. Sandworms will be carried once more anglers fish near Mantoloking Bridge, where sands are popular. Fresh bunker had been stocked Friday. Bunker were sometimes around, and the ones stocked came from the ocean outside of Barnegat Inlet, he thought. Bluefish usually arrive locally between April 12 and 18. 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, 3/24:***</b> Fishing was about the same as before, and striped bass were bloodwormed or clammed from Oyster Creek, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. That’s the warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant, and the fish were also clutched on tackle like a bucktail with a Gulp or a jighead with a pink Fin-S Fish. A few winter flounder were reported nabbed from the creek, but most anglers there targeted stripers. Some flounder were heard about, though. Baits stocked included bloodworms and salted clams. Freshwater baits include killies and nightcrawlers.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

One youngster checked-in a 29-inch 7.8-pound striped bass from Mullica River on Saturday, <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Facebook page said. A photo of the catch was posted, and he and his dad also bloodwormed smaller stripers from the river on the trip. “Fish are here!” the page said. The number of stripers caught increased this past week, a report said on the store’s website Thursday, the most recent report there at press time. Anglers reported great fishing for small stripers at Graveling Point on Wednesday. That’s the shore-angling spot at the confluence of the river and Great Bay, and one group of anglers reported landing four stripers and losing four at Graveling that day. They said many other anglers caught the fish during the trip. Bloodworms caught best, and lots were stocked. Fresh clams were also stocked, both shucked and in the shell. The river’s white perch fishing was on and off. It would be great on one day, and slow on another. The perch were around, but a number of spots might need to be fished to find them. Live grass shrimp were best bait and were stocked, but bloods could also be fished for them. Don’t miss <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/events/121494394896225/" target="_blank"><b><i>***Scott’s Tent Event***</b></i></a> from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 2, kicking off the fishing season, under a tent at the store. The day will include discounts, tackle reps, raffles, food and drinks. Exclusive deals will be available from the reps and the store. Each attendee will receive two raffle tickets for shopping sprees at Scott’s. The sprees will be $500 for first place, $300 for second and $200 for third. Each attendee who purchases $50 to $100 of goods from the store will receive an additional 10 raffle tickets, and each who purchases more than $100 will receive an additional 25 tickets. The drawing will be held at 1 p.m. that day, and ticket holders must be present to win. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/24:***</b> Graveling Point anglers began to lock into stripers pretty steadily, Brian said. Two of the fish, both about 30 inches and 9 pounds, were weighed-in yesterday. Throwbacks hooked were 18 to 26 inches. Smaller ones like 10 inches were also landed. Bloodworms caught, and clams also connected, but bloods out-fished other baits. Stripers that hit in Mullica River were found from Hay Road to downstream. Upstream didn’t really produce. The shop’s river striper anglers mostly headed to Great Egg Harbor River toward the power plant and Ocean City, for now. Not a lot of white perch were mentioned from Mullica River. But when the catches were reported, they talked about good-sized, like 12 inches. Baits stocked include bloodworms and live grass shrimp, a favorite for the perch. Fresh clams will arrive for the weekend. For the shop’s Tent Event, reported above, reps from Accurate just signed on to attend. A food truck also signed on, and the event just upgraded the tent size to 20 feet by 40 feet, from 20 by 30 previously.

<b>Absecon</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/24:***</b> Rivers were mostly the place to fish, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Three keeper stripers were sacked from Mullica River on opening day of striper season in rivers and bays on March 1, he thought. He landed a 26-incher from the river, and his trips socked a couple of 24- and 26-inchers. White perch were swung from the river and were a little scattered. Curt is a white perch angler. Fishing was about the same on Great Egg Harbor River, but perch fishing might’ve been a little better there, and striper fishing was definitely better on the Mullica. Bloodworms were mostly fished for stripers currently. Anglers could fish a rig light enough for perch but strong enough for stripers. A few bunker had been fyke-netted on the Mullica, and a few were stocked a moment and sold out at the shop. Nothing was heard about the herring migration in the rivers or elsewhere, and news about herring became scarce, once the baitfish became illegal to bag in recent years. Herring used to be a favorite to catch and liveline for the spring migration of stripers, of course.  The store’s prizes that remain for the year’s first stripers checked-in are a $100 gift certificate to the shop for the first striper heavier than 30 pounds and rod-and-reel combos for the first woman, girl and boy with a keeper.

<b>Brigantine</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/24:***</b> Two throwback striped bass 24 inches and 20 inches were claimed, one along the Absecon Inlet jetty and the other from the inlet’s sea wall, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Those were the nearest striper catches to the surf that were reported this year on this website so far. Andy knew bunker were around, and all of this was the only fishing news, but some action began. Fresh clams and bloodworms are stocked. Fresh bunker were yet to be carried this season. Heads up for Easter: <a href="http://6abc.com/food/last-minute-shopping-for-easter-menu-favorites/619084/" target="_blank">Stock’s Famous Pound Cakes</a> are carried from Philadelphia’s Stock’s Bakery. Karl Stock is a Riptide customer and a Brigantine surf angler. The Expert Fireplace Spring Riptide Striper Bounty, an annual contest, will be awarded to the angler who weighs-in the year’s first striper 43 inches or larger from Brigantine’s front-beach surf. The bounty is up to $300, and will grow, because entry is $5, and all the money is awarded. Gift certificates to the store for $50 will be awarded for the year’s first angler to check-in a keeper striper from the island’s surf and the first to stop by with a keeper striper boated or kayaked from the back bay. The Riptide Spring Striper Derby is underway until May 22 for the three heaviest stripers and three heaviest bluefish weighed-in from the town’s surf. Entry is $25, and the prizes for stripers will be $500, $300 and $150, and for blues will be $300, $200 and $100. Entry includes a permit that allows anglers to beach-buggy the entire Brigantine front beach, when accompanied by a Brigantine beach-buggy permit. Without the tournament permit, not all the beach can be driven. New this year, Brigantine beach-buggy permits are free for veterans and active military. A DD214 Form must be shown to receive the free permit. The Brigantine permits are available at the Brigantine Community Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays at 265 42nd Street in the town. The derby permits are available at Riptide.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/24:***</b> Anglers on foot eased in striped bass, “not killing them,” but some, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. They plucked-in ling, and both catches came from Absecon Inlet from the T-jetty on the ocean end to the back. The nearby inlet is lined with fish-attracting jetties, and the anglers fished with bloodworms, clams and fresh bunker. For the stripers, they also chucked plugs. Winter flounder were latched into from the back bay, “a little, not many,” he said.  Lots of adult bunker schooled. Peanut bunker were apparently around, because peanuts were sometimes found in striper stomachs. Bluefish, the biggest kind, began to tear into the waters at the T and nearby surf jetties, the Vermont Avenue jetty and the Massachusetts Avenue jetty, at the beginning of April last year. Big, migrating striped bass followed, and the angling for blues and stripers was excellent, and usually is each spring. The size of the blues in the spring migration can be different each year along New Jersey’s coast. Baits stocked, a large supply, include bloodworms, fresh clams and fresh bunker. Bloodworms are on special on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for $20 for two dozen.

<b>Longport</b>

The <b>Stray Cat</b>’s been fishing from the Florida Keys this winter through early spring, and catches were about the same as before, Capt. Mike said. Previously he reported that the trips pumped in snappers including yellowtails and muttons, pretty good fishing, at the reef a few miles from port. Sometimes the trips did other fishing, including swimming live bait from kites for sailfish. The boat will be sailed back to homeport in Longport beginning April 15, probably arriving on April 20. Then the vessel will fish from New Jersey the rest of spring through fall.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Fishing was about the same as before, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. He said previously that a few striped bass caught, including a few keepers, began to be heard about from Great Egg Harbor River and Tuckahoe River. A few stripers were angled from the bay along 9th Street Bridge. Mostly bloodworms hooked the fish on the rivers and on the bay, but soft-plastic lures like Zooms and Bass Assassins began to connect along the bridge. Whether herring migrated the rivers wasn’t heard about, but the baitfish surely arrived. More about herring used to be heard when herring were allowed to be caught. The surf was too cold for any catches, and the year’s first stripers from the surf begin to be beached in April. The bay was probably in the high 40 degrees. Did snow fall locally this weekend? Bill was asked. “Sort of,” he said, and any snow had melted by now, he thought. Bloodworms and all the frozen baits are stocked, and the shop is open daily.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/24:***</b> Not a ton happened with fishing, but striped bass were angled from the back bay, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Beesley’s Point was one of the better places. Stripers were hooked during daytime but also at night under lights. The fish could be found under lights throughout the bay, but the back of the bay seemed best. Lots of bait schooled different waters. Mike potted a few minnows, so that began. But most baitfish seemed to be large: herring and bunker. Charter Capt. Joe Hughes reported lots of herring seen in the bay. Delaware Bay was reportedly loaded with herring and bunker. The season is early for surf-fishing for stripers, and a few anglers tried the surf, but no success was reported. The year’s first striper catches in the surf locally usually happen in April’s second week. The catches usually begin two weeks after the year’s first stripers are reported caught from Delaware Bay and Delaware River. Mike knew that Shag’s Bait & Tackle near the bay and river weighed-in a 40-inch striper. That was caught from the river, he thought, but that was unconfirmed. Anglers hope this year’s run of bluefish are huge in the back bay, like last year. The size can be different each year, but the blues usually arrive in April’s first week. Fishing for them was good last April and May. Blackfish season will be opened throughout April, and April 1 is two Fridays from now. Blackfishing on the ocean will kick off the local party boat’s trips for the year then. Many anglers freshwater fished, and largemouth bass began to bite in freshwater. White perch in brackish water and yellow perch and crappies in freshwater were active. Bloodworms and grass shrimp were fished for the perch. But fishing for them with artificials, like Mister Twisters and small, soft-plastic grubs, is becoming popular. One angler liked using Creme Worms, fighting crappies like crazy on them. Live baits stocked include bloodworms, spots, eels and clams. All frozen baits are carried.

Some of the traveling charters to the Florida Keys fished this weekend aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The trips will fish through this Easter weekend, like they do each year, fishing from winter until then. Afterward Joe will turn all attention to fishing in New Jersey. Dick and Mike Lackman fished on the trips this weekend, and on Saturday whaled three permits to 11 pounds, snappers including muttons, jacks, gag groupers, Spanish and cero mackerel, blue runners and, on the flats of the bay, lemon sharks to 60 pounds while sight fishing. On Sunday they pasted fish including big jacks, mangrove snappers, mutton snappers, Spanish mackerel and an 80-pound lemon shark on the flats. Weather was windier that day, and probably a dozen sharks would’ve been fought on the trip if wind hadn’t roughed up the water, making seeing the sharks difficult. The trips fished on the bay and, near port, on the ocean side. So the fishing was good and hooked a hodgepodge. Mike caught his first-ever permit during the angling. The fishing changes over the years, and fishing for snook and redfish wasn’t as active this winter as in some winters. Joe’s often been dialed into permits and tarpon on the trips in recent years, including this winter. See <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s traveling charters Web page</a>.  Joe did no fishing from Sea Isle City yet this year, but is sure he would’ve caught striped bass on the back bay if he had. By mid-April, the bay’s fishing will explode for him. Then the fishing will catch stripers, bluefish, summer flounder and weakfish, sometimes all on the same trip. Some anglers don’t think about fishing that early in the year, but should. The angling is some of the year’s best. Flounder season will be opened beginning May 21, and the flatfish are released until then. The early season is best for flounder fishing in South Jersey’s shallow, warm back bays. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/24:***</b> An angler reeled up the year’s first striped bass aboard, Joe said in a phone call. The fish was hooked Tuesday evening from the 47-degree back bay on a soft-plastic lure worked slowly along bottom. “Things are just getting started … but someone has gotta be first!” he wrote on his blog. “We broke the ice, and it’s go time.” Joe typically catches his year’s first stripers on soft-plastics at places like the bay at a creek mouth emptying on outgoing tide. Water is warmest there, because creeks and rivers are warmer than the bay this time of year. Afternoons on clear days can fish best, because the water is warmest then. This day was partly cloudy. Places with dark bottom, absorbing heat from the sun, can fish best, too. The soft-plastic lures are reeled slowly along bottom, because the bass are chilly, moving slowly, scavenging along bottom, in the cold water. Eventually this season, the water will be warm enough for the stripers to smash popper lures along the surface. The popper fishing is another specialty for Joe. The bay’s stripers are younger fish, living there year-round, yet to migrate. They begin biting now, because the water’s warmed enough. In April, bluefish will invade the bay, migrating from south. Then trips can catch both blues and stripers on the bay. The blues can be different sizes each year, and last year were huge. The blues swim the bay a moment in spring, for unknown reasons, and then many move to the ocean for summer. Some remain in the bay throughout summer. While Joe’s fishing for the bay’s stripers and blues is underway in spring, summer flounder also begin to be hooked from the water on his outings. The flounder migrate to the bay from the ocean offshore, seeking warm water. Often, a flounder is the year’s first catch he hooks from the bay. Flounder season will be opened beginning on May 21, and the flatfish will be released until then. The early season often fishes best for flounder in South Jersey’s shallow, warm back bays. The angling lights up there first in New Jersey. While all of this is happening, huge, so-called tiderunner weakfish also enter the bay in spring, arriving to spawn. Joe’s trips in spring often hook a number of these species and sometimes all of them in one trip. That’s called a back-bay grand slam, and this is some of the best angling of the year for Joe. The fishing’s begun.

<b>Cape May</b>

The boat will probably be splashed in a couple of weeks, when the marina allows, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. He’s got a new boat, a 35-foot Bertam, replacing the previous vessel, and the new boat is currently in dry dock along Maurice River, getting prepped for the fishing season. He worked on the vessel Saturday, and weather was raw, cloudy and included snow and rain sometimes. Weather was similar but worse on Sunday. The year’s first fishing aboard will be for blackfish, and the first of those trips is slated for April 7. Blackfish season will be opened in April and is closed currently. Striped bass trips will sail afterward, if stripers bite within range of Cape May this spring. Drum trips will fish in May on Delaware Bay. One of the mates from the boat banked stripers, decent-sized, 35 inches, at Elsinboro on Delaware River. A few private boaters were heard about who sailed for cod on the ocean, catching just a few. Some anglers traveled north and fished for cod on open-boat trips. They said that mostly small bit, but they sometimes bagged keepers.

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