<b>Hudson River</b>

Bigger striped bass to 14 pounds started migrating up the river, said Capt. Don from <b>Hook-Em Charters</b>, and his charters connected on fresh, chunked herring fished near the Tappan Zee Bridge. The fishing will only get better, and the stripers bigger, and 48-degree water was beginning to make them move. Big females will eventually show up. Lots of herring were also swimming upstream, and Don was catching a few dozen, a good number, per tide in his nets. The run should produce for charters at the Tappan Zee another two or three weeks, and Hook-Em will follow the fish upriver to Newburg to land them afterward.  Don targets the river’s migration each year before he switches to fishing Long Island Sound. The river’s run is one of the best chances to score a big, trophy striper during the year.

<b>Staten Island</b>

Winter flounder trips were sailing every day with <b>Barbara Anne Charters</b>, and all were limiting out, very good fishing, Capt. Anthony said. The trips, open-boat outings daily when no charter is booked, were getting quite full, so reservations are necessary. The flatbacks preferred sandworms over mussels, but Anthony expects them to like mussels once they head to the ocean.

Five flounder short of a limit were bagged with three anglers on the <b>Outcast</b> on the Jersey side of the bay yesterday, so the fishing was okay, a slow pick, Capt. Joe said. Some of the flatties were 17 or 18 inches, good-sized. Outgoing tide was best, the opposite of the last trip, and the fish favored worms, though mussels were tried. Lots of chum was used. No striped bass were hooked, but Outcast will focus more on stripers when the linesiders begin to chew.  Outcast this year will offer a bunch of new types of trips, marathons and combos, including striper/sea bass combos starting in mid or late May, when sea bass usually come in.  Blackfish/sea bass combos will take place in October and November, good months for sea bassing, and afterward blackfish/striped bass combos will be the deal, as the fall striper run takes off.

Customers loaded up on winter flounder on the Jersey side of the bay, and they started to pick striped bass there and near the Staten Island ferry, said Dino from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Clams, mussels, fresh bunker, worms and other baits are stocked.

<b>Keyport</b>

A large build up of winter flounder was covering the bottom of the back of the bay and around the Ammo Pier, and better get out there, before it’s too late, said Chris from <b>Crabby’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers in small boats could also pick up the fish around the 3 can off Keyport. The flatties will eventually migrate offshore. Striped bass fishers were reeling in lots of shorts, healthy sized, fat ones. Joe Aloi from Old Bridge limited out on two 16- and 17-pound stripers from the shore at Cliffwood Beach on fresh bunker on a 6/0 hook on a sinker-slide rig. Tommy Wittle fished from the beach at South Amboy, claimed two 15-pound keepers, hooking a total of 19 of the linesiders, all on fresh clams. The first report of the season rolled in about a summer flounder. The fluke was caught and released near the 1 can. “Let’s hope this is a sign of a great year for fluke,” Chris said. The Aberdeen Family Fishing Contest and Fair will take place 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 17. Call Crabby’s for info about the free tournament.

Nineteen flounder were taken from the bay off Keyport on an open-boat trip on the <b>Lucky Carm</b> yesterday, Capt. Carmine said. The fishing was a slow pick that day, but the trip hung in there and put together a catch. Ralph Petricone won the pool with a roughly 2.9-pounder and was high hook. Lots of the flatties were carpeting the bay, but anglers had to find the right spot and set up. The Lucky Carm will keep sailing for flounder until striper fishing is added, when stripers turn on. The log book shows that stripers were already boated at this time last year. Open-boat trips are sailing daily when no charter is booked. Open trips were already full today, tomorrow and Sunday, and Carmine’s go other business on Saturday, so the next open trips will run next week, and call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Excellent catches of winter flounder came up for Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b> in the past three days in the bay around the Navy Pier, he said. The party boats had a tough time with flounder yesterday, but catches go up and down and generally were great. The fish could still be found in the back of the bay and up the rivers, too. A few striped bass were hooked in the bay, but Jimmy thinks the bite might start improving this weekend. Bottom fishers were boating ling and a few blackfish. Fresh clams, mussels, sandworms, bloodworms and all the baits are fully loaded at the shop.

A pretty good catch of winter flounder was boated on the <b>Atlantic Star</b> on Tuesday, but the fishing turned difficult Wednesday, Capt. Tom said. On the morning trip the boat targeted several areas around the Navy Pier, and flatties were pulled over the rails here and there. On the afternoon trip the vessel started fishing at the pier, and catches were the same, so Tom moved to the mouth of the Shrewsbury River, where a few more were taken. All in all, a slow day. Any reasons were unknown, and maybe cold water affected the bite. The mudbacks were cold to the touch, and seemed a little colder than the previous day, but the causes of the slowdown couldn’t be known. Flounder don’t mind cold water, but a sudden temperature drop sometimes puts off fish. A wide spread of flounder still covered the bottom, and catching them was a matter of when they wanted to cooperate. Tom might give updates about the next trips. The Atlantic Star is fishing for winter flounder twice daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

On the <b>Fishermen</b>’s daily striped bass trip today, the boat covered the bay, and not much life was found, then moved toward the mouth at Flynn’s Knoll and Romer Shoal, and the same story unfolded, Capt. Ron said. A ton of bait was read on the way back to port, from the channel almost to the jetty at the harbor, so Ron expects migrating stripers to be not too far behind. His logs from last year said stripers, mostly small ones, were already biting at this time, and the water was 44 degrees. It’s now hovering toward the high 40s. Goes to prove that “every year is different, every day is a new beginning,” Ron said.  On yesterday’s trip the boat also covered lots of the bay and ocean, and a handful of shorts were reeled in. Not much bait and few fish were read, and the fish that were marked didn’t bite. “Patience,” Ron said he had to remind himself. On the previous day, Monday, a few keepers were nailed, including a 33-inch 14-pounder, the boat’s biggest of the season so far. Paul Smitko scored a 29-inch keeper and a couple of shorts. Not much bait or life was found, and fishing was slow most of the day. Ron heard that loads of bunker swam the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers. He thanked Smitko for a generous donation to the <a href=" http://ssfff.org/index.html" target="_blank"> Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund</a>.  The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Highlands</b>

Fishing for flounder was up and down and was tough the past couple of days, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. He targeted the fish in the bay off the Ammo Pier, and the water was 52 or 53 degrees. He’s supposed to take his first shot of the season at striped bass on Sunday, and striper fishing also seemed up and down in the bay. Word had it that a few short stripers and an occasional keeper was picked in the bay shallows today. Derek bottom fished at the Scotland Grounds yesterday, and 45 ling to 3 pounds and a half-dozen blackfish to 4 pounds were hooked. Currents were moderate there, but he also tried fishing a wreck off Long Branch, where currents were strong. Flounder trips are being accepted, and striper trips are getting booked. A couple of weekends are left for striper trips, but the schedule is becoming full. Time to call and grab preferred dates.

<b>Long Branch</b>

Short striped bass were caught at the Gooseneck Bridge on the Shrewsbury River, where the first ones usually begin to bite, said Pete from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b>. He didn’t hear whether swimmers, poppers or bait drew the strikes. Customers, including a dozen this morning, were buying bait and heading out to surf fish for stripers, but nobody came back and reported a catch. Fresh clams, sandworms, chum logs and frozen baits are stocked. The store is open every day, and hours are shortened for now, but will be extended later in the season.

<b>Neptune</b>

Blackfish started to bite, and <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> is gearing up to begin its season, so two individual-reservation blackfishing trips will kick off the fishing on April 27 and 30, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. Ling, sea bass and cod should be mixed in. Afterward the tog season closes from May through July 15. Then a one-fish bag limit runs July 16 through November 15. Last Lady’s blackfishing will resume when a six-fish limit starts November 16 and lasts through the rest of the year. Four fish is the current limit. Ralph’s been working on the boats every day to get ready for spring fishing. 

<b>Belmar</b>

A few winter flounder were boated in the back of Shark River, said John from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>.  Toward the front and the inlet gave up fewer but some. A handful of striped bass, no blitzes, were showing up at the inlet. Surf fishers took down a short striper here or there, but not many, and clams were probably best bait. Patrons from the Belmar party boats talked about ling and blackfish catches earlier in the week, but nobody mentioned the fishing in the past couple of days. Fresh clams, sandworms, bloodworms, trout worms and other baits are stocked.

<b>Brielle</b>

The most recent offshore wreck-fishing trip on the <b>Jamaica</b> put patrons into a mix of sea bass to 6 pounds and ling to 4 pounds, with a slow bite in the morning but improvement as the day went on, an e-mail from the boat said yesterday.  Space is available on the trips this weekend, and the boat is fishing the wrecks every Wednesday and every Saturday and Sunday in April, until striped bass trips begin. Special, 12-trip season passes are available for striped bass and bluefish fishing. Trips for tilefish and wreckfish, the species wreckfish, not a generic name, will run on the Fridays of April 25 and May 2 and 9. <b>Bogan’s Boating School</b> is offering the boating safety course and certificate required in New Jersey. The next one-day classes take place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the next two Saturdays and May 4 and 10 at Bogan’s Basin.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> ran offshore to Hudson Canyon the first time this season this week, filming an episode of the TV show Northeast Angling, Capt. Fred said. Forty tilefish to 15 pounds were reeled up, sometimes on triple headers during the show. Then the trip moved to an inshore wreck, where ling to 4 pounds and cod to 5 pounds were boated. So the fishing was great, made a great episode of the show, and Andrea’s Toy is sailing for mixed bags like this on open-boat trips, one of few charters that target tiles on open trips each spring. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing, helping to ensure catches, adding fun and offering variety for dinner. The trips sail on a 33-foot Contender with more speed than many vessels, making it to the canyons in half the time of a party boat. More fishing time, less travel. Give Fred a call if you want to be kept in the loop about when the next open trips will sail. It’s all about the weather for such offshore fishing.

Surf fishers nabbed a few mostly short striped bass around Seaside, but not a lot were fishing yet, said Ron from <b>Fisherman’s Supply</b>. Flounder anglers picked catches more in Manasquan River than in northern Barnegat Bay nearby. The <b>Voyager</b>, docked at the shop, was undergoing annual maintenance to prepare for the season. Fishing on the vessel will start back up April 25, beginning with a cod and pollock trip that’s sold out. Open-boat trips, no reservations required, will fish the 20- to 40-mile wrecks afterward. A few deep-water tilefish trips are slated to begin May 2, and the first one on that date is sold out, but a few openings, mostly very few, remain on May 9 and 16 and June 2. Half-day fluke trips will begin May 24. See the <a href=" http://www.voyagerfishing.com/html/trip_calendar.html" target="_blank"> Voyager’s calendar</a> for the schedule.

Winter flounder fishing picked up, mostly in Manasquan River now, but some were still taken in northern Barnegat Bay, said Rob Sr. from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. In the river the flattie fishing stretched from the Point Pleasant Canal to the ocean side of Manasquan Inlet.  Striped bass could be claimed from the canal at night on clams on slack tides. Boaters could probably troll them on plugs or shads, and eel fishing for them might not be popular this early in the season, but eels would probably work. A few small stripers were found in the surf on clams or by anglers walking the beach and tossing any kind of metal jigs or shads. Tremendous numbers of stripers could be located from the surf in Raritan Bay farther north. Bottom-fishing head boats targeting ling and such were plagued by strong currents in the past days.  One of the boats was heading out for tog on certain days of the week and coming back with not a lot but some good-sized ones.

<b>Bricktown</b>

The calm weather seemed to start perking up winter flounder fishing, and anglers kept picking at them in northern Barnegat Bay, but the fishing seemed better on Manasquan River around the mouth of the Point Pleasant Canal, as the fish migrated toward the ocean, said Jim from <b>Pell’s Fish & Sport</b>. Incoming tides were best, and striped bass held in the canal. A customer last Thursday weighed in a 10-pound keeper that was trolled at the canal on a Storm shad. Stripers were also plugged in the bay around the Mantoloking Bridge. “Rumors and innuendos” came in about short stripers clammed in the surf. Stripers were also around in the ocean, even if few boaters were fishing there yet. One customer trolled two keepers in the ocean off Manasquan Inlet. Spring fishing was rolling along with the better weather.

<b>Toms River</b>

Anglers who flounder fished kept picking away on the Manasquan River from Clark’s Landing to the stretch on the ocean side of the Railroad Bridge and on nearby, northern Barnegat Bay around the Mantoloking Bridge, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. The river’s fishing was better but not much. A few flounder were boated in the southern bay, like off the Oyster Creek power plant discharge, Oyster Creek Channel and Meyer’s Hole, but the bite was slow. One customer landed six in the southern bay yesterday, and that was about high hook. A few striped bass, not many, were clammed at Oyster Creek Channel. A fair number of stripers swam the Toms River, including at Island Heights, sucking down bloodworm baits at night, and a handful of white perch bit in the river. Surf fishers beached short stripers on occasion on clams. But nothing substantial to speak about yet from the suds.

<b>Seaside</b>

The few surf casters who fished seemed to have a ball with short striped bass, said the fishing report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. Gillikins Beach at Island Beach State Park was a productive and popular spot. Clams did the job, but plug fishers should take heart, because the wash was 51 degrees or warming. The clear, calm weather had an effect.  Berkley Hollowbellies, a new concept in swim shads that customers were looking forward to, arrived at the shop. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

Lots of short stripers could be dragged from the surf at the usual areas, and today was the busiest weekday of the year at the store, said the fishing report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. Today was “pristine,” the report said, with clear skies, 67-degree air and 1- to 5- knot winds. The wash was 50 degrees, 1 to 2 feet and clean. <a href=" http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for the latest.

<b>Waretown</b>

Winter flounder fishing remained a slow pick in southern Barnegat Bay, like from Harvey Cedars to the 42 marker to the waters off Double Creek, said Dale from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b>. He fished four or five spots, including off Harvey Cedars and at Meyer’s Hole, and only scored a small blackfish. But tiderunner weakfish finally showed up in the bay, and Carl Sterling reeled in a 13-pound 8-ouncer and an 8-pound 5-ouncer. Dale didn’t know if he caught them on sandworms or soft plastic lures or something else. A friend hit the bay off Oyster Creek last night to try for weaks, but he ended up tackling an out-of-season, 20-inch fluke that smacked a Rat-L Trap, releasing the fish, and he also drilled about 20 short stripers to 24 inches on sandworms, also releasing them. Anglers also fish plugs to catch the stripers at night. Nobody reported surf fishing, a quiet front so far this season.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Surf fishing for small striped bass was almost consistent, said Nick from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Clams were working, and worms were steady, and two particular customers were buying the shop’s vacuum-packed bluebacked herring and scoring every day. Lots of bait—herring and bunker—was schooling the ocean. Rumors talked about the season’s first weakfish catches in Barnegat Bay. Out-of-season summer flounder began to appear in the bay, and winter flounder fishing was tough there, though lots of boaters were trying for them. Commercial draggers in the ocean said they were finding none of the blackbacks, so the fish weren’t in the ocean yet. The location of the fish seemed the mystery.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

The <b>June Bug</b> was just launched at Oregon Inlet, it’s winter home, where it undergoes maintenance, and should start to fish there a moment before returning to Jersey for the season in two or three weeks, earlier than usual, Capt. Lindsay said. The boat normally starts fishing Jersey in—when else?—June. This year the Jersey trips will begin with striped bass and bluefish charters. But if the weather breaks, the vessel will head offshore, because warm eddies were already forming there. An eddy a few weeks ago included a 25-degree temperature break, the type of line that tuna and big game flock to. An eddy at the moment formed a 51- to 68-degree break along the 100-fathom line from about Wilmington Canyon to Lindenkohl Canyon. The eddies usually flow in a counterclockwise pattern that sucks in warm, Gulf Stream, fish-holding water. At Oregon Inlet the boat was scheduled to start fishing offshore this weekend, though forecasts looked ominous. But yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna, lots of mahi mahi, blue marlin and an occasional wahoo are usually among catches at this time of year. The marlin are usually big in the early season, too.

<b>Port Republic</b>

Striped bass were picked up from the Mullica River, including around Hog Island, on bloodworms or herring, and plenty of herring were migrating in the waters, said Violet from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>. Bloods and live herring were stocked, and lots of white perch were also inhaling the worms in the river. Graveling Point anglers were landing stripers from the beach on Great Bay. Somebody said black drum were beginning to appear at Grassy Channel in the bay, but Violet saw none at the shop.

<b>Absecon</b>

Decent numbers of striped bass were beaten on the Great Egg Harbor River and the Mullica River, said Ray from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. One customer pinned down a 25-pounder on the Great Egg the other night. Healthy catches of white perch came from the rivers, too. Plenty of herring were migrating up the same waters. In the local bay only shorts were reportedly whacked so far, and try fishing clams or herring. Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, ran a charter on the bay Monday, and no stripers showed up, but two out-of-season summer flounder did. Ray bet that loads of flounder were now carpeting the bottom, because the population’s been high. The late opening of the season and the drastic size and bag limits that the state kept imposing seemed based on faulty government survey methods. A crabber found a few weakfish in his traps, so the trout seemed to be moving in, though no anglers reported catching any. Nobody mentioned seeing bluefish yet. The tog population was excellent in the bays. A couple of anglers were hanging out at the shop today, and Ray told them they ought to go tog fishing. So they did, and they called and said they limited out along the sod banks. Customers banked a few short striped bass in the Brigantine surf, and none mentioned keepers, but a few drumfish were supposedly found in the suds. Ray expects spring fishing to bust wide open soon, probably even this weekend. It’s that time of year, and the week’s calm weather can help. Plenty of live herring, fresh clams and other baits are stocked.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Brigantine’s surf anglers kept reeling in short striped bass at times, and Pat Cooke bagged a 32-inch keeper yesterday and seemed to land stripers from the suds daily, and somebody else saw a 36-inch, filleted striper carcass left on the beach yesterday, said Fred from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. So a number of bass seemed to be taken from the suds every day, and Fred hoped that with the pleasant weather lately, the spring run would turn on. Probably 90-percent of the stripers will be taken on clams. The area seems rich with surf clams, and the clam boats work the waters off the local coast. But surf casters sometimes fish other baits including bloodworms, bunker and herring. No drum were pulled from the wash since a 24-pounder that was weighed in early this week and was mentioned in the last report. But eventually drum will be a common by-catch for striper anglers on Brigantine. Back-bay boaters were having little luck with stripers so far this season, and Fred gave the bay a try yesterday, fished with clams 5 hours on a good tide, and only hooked skates and starfish. Tog were hitting green crabs fished along the sod banks and bridges. Fred was  asked whether anglers saw herring locally, and he said anglers were running farther south to the dam at Mays Landing on the Great Egg Harbor River and netting herring or jigging them on Sabiki rigs to use for striper bait. Baits at the shop include fresh clams in the shell, fresh shucked clams, bloodworms, green crabs and vacuum packed bunker, mullet and herring.  

<b>Atlantic City</b>

A few bluefish showed up, said Jack from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>, and his son beached several small ones from the surf, he said. A good sign that the spring migration was moving along, but Jack wondered whether that meant mackerel, the first fish that move north, already schooled past the coast, too far offshore for boaters to target. Fresh mackerel, if you could find it, was responsible for occasional short striped bass lifted from the surf. Things were starting to happen, he said. But the shop was finding no fresh mackerel available from suppliers yet. A handful of winter flounder were taken from the back bay. Quite a few tog, including decent-sized ones, were biting along jetties. One angler nailed two 8-pounders along a jetty in Atlantic City. The store is carrying no green crabs for tog bait, because the blackfish season is closing early on May 1 this year, something that was also heard from other stores.  Everybody was calling and asking about green crabs, because the bait was becoming difficult to find.  Fresh clams are stocked, and the shop will try to stock fresh bunker and herring for the weekend. Frozen bunker, herring, mackerel and salted clams are on hand.

<b>Longport</b>

Tog were snapping on a trip yesterday on the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport, “the tog capital of the world,” Capt. Mike said. Anglers from up north like Belmar were heading down to the boat to get in on the good fishing. The fish yesterday included lots of small males but also a bunch of larger females, and they favored green crabs, and ignored clams. An out-of-season summer flounder, a 17-incher that was the boat’s first of the season, grabbed one of the crabs and was released. The boat’s been fishing Ocean City Reef and a few inshore wrecks on the blackfish trips. Laughing gulls were heard raising a ruckus 10 miles offshore, and Mike wondered if they were working bait over bluefish. He heard about no bluefish spotted so far this season. The water was 51 degrees. Open-boat trips are sailing daily for tog, and call to reserve. Two spots are left Friday, and Saturday is sold out, and space is available Sunday. Get your tog before the season closes May 1. Afterward open trips will hunt sea bass, and one hefty sea bass was already caught on a trip in the past week, and they seemed to start migrating inshore.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Striped bass anglers reeled a few striped bass, small ones, from the back bay while fishing lures, clams, chunks of herring or bloodworms, said Dan from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Some anglers caught either herring or white perch up the rivers, chunked them or fished them live and fooled the stripers. The herring migration turned on and off at places like the Great Egg Harbor River at Mays Landing. Surf casters found little or no luck while striper fishing, and the water was too cold, probably 48 degrees. But the calm weather this week might bump up the surf to 50 degrees by the end of the weekend, and stripers might start to move in. Though striper fishing could be better, tog were nailed from the bridges to the inshore wrecks and Ocean City Reef. One angler fished a bridge yesterday and stuck three 16-inch tog in less than an hour.  Offshore anglers were talking about warm water eddies that flowed around the Continental Shelf, and Dan heard reports about two different boats that supposedly headed out there. One reportedly went 1 for 4 on bluefin tuna, and no news came in about the other vessel. Whole clams, shucked clams, frozen clams, bloodworms, green crabs, frozen mackerel and other baits are stocked.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The <b>Captain Robbins</b> will start fishing this weekend with tog trips 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and crabs and clams will be provided for bait, Capt. John said.

A 3-pound, 21-inch weakfish, the first weakfish of the year, grabbed a Bass Assassin that Dustin Laricks tossed onboard Tuesday in the bay behind Sea Isle with Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, Joe said. That’s the first first-hand report of a weakfish caught this year, though second-hand reports about a few weakfish appearing were heard farther north at Barnegat Bay. Joe said he and Dustin had just been saying that maybe this would be the year when weakfish came back. The population was thin in recent years. What’s more, an out-of-season summer flounder, also the first of the year for Joe, was caught and released on the trip. Interesting to see one of the fluke in the bay at the same time that a few winter flounder were swimming the waters. Joe and Dustin only snuck out for an hour and probably could’ve landed more fish and did have a few other strikes. But Joe was happy to see the fish, signs of the spring migration, and he expects bluefish to arrive in the bay in the next week or two. He also expects spring fishing to break wide open soon. Plenty of striped bass kept biting in the bay, and Joe’s charters were hooking them on soft plastic lures like Bass Assassins and flies like Clousers. That fishing is prime time now and will chill out a moment when bluefish take over. But blues will leave for the ocean after a few weeks or so, and the bay’s striper fishing will kick back in during latter May or early June. But by that time they’ll start to attack surface lures and popper plugs and flies, because the water will be warm enough to make them active. The bay was 55 degrees on Joe and Dustin’s trip, during the top of the tide. So if you’re interested in landing stripers on sub-surface lures and flies, go now, a great time.  Not everyone knows how to do it, and there is a learning curve, but Joe’s been on the fish for weeks. He looks for creek mouths where the fish pounce on bait flowing from warm, shallow flats in the bay, often on outgoing, warm tides at this time of year, as opposed to cold, incoming tides from the ocean. The fishing can be very tide specific, maybe only lasting 20 minutes sometimes, and finding the bite is where the experience like Joe’s might especially matter.

<b>Cape May</b>

Striped bass fishing took an upswing on a trip today on Delaware Bay on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>, Capt. Tom said. Thirty-five stripers to 36 inches were landed on a charter on the boat in the shallow flats on clams. The anglers scored probably 80 or 90 bites total. Lots of swings and misses, he said. So the fishing was back on, and the time is now. “It’s happening,” he said. Get on it while it’s here. He’s got some space available this weekend. The fish hit on both tides, and the water was 51.5 to 54.5 degrees. No drumfish showed up, and Tom heard about none. He saw marks on the way out that looked a lot like drum but didn’t stop to investigate. The trip was very good, Tom said.

Two boats from the dock came back with a few striped bass landed in Delaware Bay yesterday, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Anglers from one of the boats said four or five of the fish were bagged, and those on the other vessel caught six, and lots of dog sharks were pests. The stripers among the catches that George saw were 33 or 34 inches. The bay’s striper fishing was a little slower than expected and wasn’t hot and heavy like some were saying. Catches normally get going by the third week of April or now, and the water yesterday was 51 degrees, a good temp. A few black drum were occasionally hooked, George heard. One angler saw drum finning on the surface, but George said they won’t bite when on the move like that. Another angler saw gannets diving, marked a load of fish there on the bottom, but couldn’t get a hit. The Heavy Hitter was launched this week and is ready to fish for stripers and drum. George caught drum on the season’s first striper trips the past three years, though drum fishing peaks later in the season. The boat’s first charters are slated for the weekend, though George would charter tomorrow, if anyone wanted. George also talked about the warm water that’s been parked near the offshore canyons some weeks. He heard about a boat that made the trip and got into four bluefin tuna, not that many fish for the long run. A 65-degree eddy was currently holding from Wilmington to Spencer canyons, and a shot in the low 60s was even pushing closer to shore, into the Elephant Trunk.

A bunch of small striped bass were biting in the surf in Delaware Bay near Cape May Point, said Mark from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Donnie Brown fished at Higbee’s Beach last night and reeled in 11 that ate bloodworms, and he was back out today and had already landed two. Delaware Bay boaters picked up small striped bass and occasional keepers at ledges and drop-offs at 20-Foot Slough, 60-Foot Slough and such spots. A trip that Bobby Cope ran clammed five keepers in the bay yesterday. The head boat Miss Chris also returned with five keepers from the bay that day. Excellent catches of tog were lifted from the inshore wrecks, and the party boat Porgy limited out on Sunday. A couple of customers were chomping at the bit to sail for tuna at warm eddies that rolled in at the offshore grounds some time ago. The weather had been too windy to sail, but yesterday and today were calm, and maybe reports about the offshore fishing would come in now.  Clams, bloodworms, green crabs, frozen herring and other frozen baits are stocked. 

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