<b>Staten Island</b>

On the <b>Barbara Anne</b> anglers were plucking blackfish from the wrecks in the past days, after winter flounder mostly migrated out, and until blackfishing season ended today, Capt. Anthony said. But now trips will switch to striped bass fishing full time. A few stripers were biting in the bay, as the run began to gain steam, and tons of blues were storming the waters. Striper fishing will only pick up. Striper charters are leaving port, and open-boat Blue Collar Specials will now fish for the bass every Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Space is available, but open trips do fill, and the boat’s daily, open flounder trips were largely booked this season before coming to an end. Reserve preferred dates to ensure a spot.

Lots of blues were dusted from the beaches and the boats, and striped bass, plenty weighing from the teens to the twenties, were caught more often each day, said Vinny from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b>. A couple of monster weakfish, a 16-pounder boated last night and a 12- or 14-pounder dragged from the surf last week, were checked in, and the tiderunners, big, adult, spawning weaks that enter the bay in spring, were in. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and all the usual baits are stocked.

<b>Keyport</b>

Blues, lots of blues, jammed the bay, and striped bass could be hooked but were turning on less than anglers would want, probably because of competition from blues and the water temperatures, said Capt. Fred from <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>. The bay was 56 degrees, usually a comfort zone for stripers, but apparently not right this season. A charter fished the bay today and battled scores of big, bruiser blues to 12 pounds and bagged a 34-inch striper, all on live bunker that the crew netted in the harbor. Seas were a little bouncy from 15- to 20-knot winds. But striper fishing should turn on when conditions for the bite improve. Andrea’s Toy was running another charter tomorrow, and Fred will give an update if he can.

An open-boat trip sailed for striped bass in the bay yesterday on the <b>Lucky Carm</b>, and blues attacked, and 15- to 25-knot winds kicked up seas, Capt. Carmine said. Winds were calm in the morning, but that all changed, and the trip was eventually called short from the blow. Carmine first tried striper spots that produce at this time of year, but nothing bit, and moved west of the 19 buoy, found readings, and bluefishing was on. The anglers had been dropping down clams but switched to small chunks of bunker when clams gained no attention. Around 15 of the slammers to 13 pounds were fought, and Bill Horne, Bob Donnelly, Bert Shaum and Sal Renna were the anglers. The Lucky Carm is running ¾-day open-boat trips from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily when no charter is booked. Four-hour, nighttime, open trips are also offered daily when no charter is on deck. Striped bass fishing can be better at night. Call to reserve the open trips.

Bluefish were in, and striped bass, many of them shorts, could be hooked, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. Either open-boat trips or charters are available 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Open trips also fish daily when no charter is booked. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The <b>Atlantic Star</b> bottom fished at Scotland yesterday for the first time since Sunday because of rough weather, and good catches were tugged aboard, Capt. Tom said. Plenty of ling were bagged, and a few blackfish were taken, though blackfish season closed today. Everybody went home with dinner-plus. High hooks lately were scoring 15 to 18 fish, and those with less touch were boxing six or eight. No winter flounder bit on the trip, though a few flounder were boated previously. Currents were strong on the morning trip but were slower on the afternoon trip, and a few dog sharks became pests once in a while, but catches of the other fish held up. Scotland is a bit of a ride, an hour trip one way, but the fishing’s been worth it, and the boat will continue making the trip when the weather’s decent enough to reach the ocean. Fluke fishing will begin on the vessel when fluke season opens May 24. The Atlantic Star is sailing for ling and bottom fish on two half-day trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Bluefish were covering up anglers on the bay, but a few stripers could be sorted from the slammers, said Capt. Mick from the <b>CRT II</b>. Charters are chasing bass and blues until fluke fishing is added when the flattie season opens May 24. Anglers on the boat are fishing with clams, because bunker can attract blues. They’re fishing with mono and no wire leaders for the stripers, and blues will just bite through.

Blues and sometimes bass made up catches for bay anglers, said Dottie from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. A few flounder swam around. The surf was at least “fishable” now, sometimes offering up blues or and/or stripers. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, sandworms, bloodworms and frozen baits are fully supplied.

<b>Highlands</b>

A charter that had been fishing an hour had already boated a couple of keeper striped bass on the <b>Tuna-Tic</b> on the bay yesterday evening when Capt. Mike gave this report. The fishing’s been “a little different than every other year, and people are kind of scratching their heads,” he said. But if the fish finder marks stripers, the fish are there, he said. Despite a “different” sort of year, his charters were catching the linesiders. The keepers were running 30 to 35 inches, but a couple of bigger ones, including a 26-pounder and, if Mike remembered correctly, an 18-pounder, were nailed. Outgoing tides were best, and anglers on the boat were clamming the fish, although they tried a little jigging and also connected, though jigging attracted more blues. Plenty of blues bit, though the goal was usually to avoid them. Tuna-Tic fishes for stripers from the Highlands until June, when it moves to Waretown and starts running for sharks from Barnegat Inlet. Inshore trips for blues, fluke and other fish keep sailing through summer, but the boat will also begin a heavy schedule of tuna trips in summer, including multi-day, open-boat trips for the ultimate experience.

<b>Fisher Price Charters</b> bottom fished at Scotland and Sandy Hook Reef yesterday for a change of pace from striped bass fishing, because the day was the final one for blackfishing season, Capt. Derek said. He heard that blackfishing produced previously, and a few keepers to 4 pounds were bagged on the trip, and lots of ling to 3 pounds were reeled up. Derek also heard that striper fishing improved and gave up good catches in the back of the bay. Anglers these days had to weed through plenty of blues in the bay to reach stripers. Fisher Price is targeting stripers with live and chunked bunker, and lots of bunker were schooling. A few dates remain for striper charters but are starting to fill, and now’s the time to book.

<b>Long Branch</b>

A friend said bluefish went crazy in the surf at Long Branch and Monmouth Beach this morning, said John from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b>. John himself on Monday beached seven stripers, all throwbacks but two that were only an inch or two short, and two blues that bit clams. Stripers could be grabbed in the wash now, though keepers were scarce. A 32- or 33-incher was the only keeper that he heard was taken from the beach. Flounder fishing seemed kaput. Blues and small stripers could be played in the Shrewsbury River. Fresh clams, worms and frozen bunker, peanut bunker, mullet and a full array of baits are stocked. So are plugs, silver and other lures.

<b>Neptune</b>

Blackfish catches were plentiful but the season closed today, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>. His blackfishing trips will resume in November, when the bag limit increases to six from one, after closing a couple of months. A charter Saturday will attempt to find striped bass. If that fails to pan out, there are bluefish to chase. Bottom fish are hitting farther north at Scotland and farther south off Manasquan Inlet but not off Shark River Inlet. Blackfish were the bottom fish that were biting off Shark River. A few striped bass trips will probably sail until fluke fishing can begin with the opening of fluke season May 24.

<b>Belmar</b>

None of the <b>Golden Eagle</b>’s bluefishing trips broke the inlet since the weekend, and demand is always greater for blackfishing boats during weekdays at this time of year, but now that blackfishing season ended today, anglers will turn more interest toward blues, Capt. Greg said. The boat’s daily trips are officially striped bass and bluefish ones, but more blues, with a few bass mixed in, were schooling so far. Patrons boated plenty of blues last weekend, and Greg talked with commercial netters this week who ran across the schools from Sea Girt to Sea Bright. The Golden Eagle is fishing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every day. Nighttime bluefishing trips will begin in about a week.

A handful of small striped bass, a keeper once in a while and good-sized bluefish were caught from the surf and Shark River Inlet, said John from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Little was heard about the river’s flounder fishing, and nobody fished the river from the shop’s rental boats in the past days, but a keeper flatback was taken here or there. Blackfishing season closed today, and the local party boats that had been blackfishing were probably going to switch to fishing for blues and striped bass or maybe sea bass, and none of the fleet sailed today.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Bottom-fishing trips fished the 50- to 120-foot depths the past two days on the <b>Dauntless</b>, after rough weather since Sunday, Capt. Butch said. Catches were a little slow, but a few blackish--out of season starting today--a few sea bass and still some ling were boated. A few blues also showed up. Trips fished inshore both because patrons were more interested in fish like sea bass and also because dog sharks ran rampant in deeper water. Plenty of conger eels were also latching onto baits in 90 feet. More and more sea bass were swimming inshore, but not enough to specifically target yet. Water temps dropped to 51 degrees in the past days and had been 54. Warmer water will trigger more fish to migrate inshore. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Winter flounder anglers kept picking away on the Manasquan River, mostly from the Point Pleasant Canal downstream to the bridge, although on the tides the fish gathered around the channel at the head of Manasquan Inlet, said Rob Sr. from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. The flatties will probably become scarcer any day, as they depart for the ocean, especially because of all the bluefish around. A bunch of bluefish and striped bass swam the river and inlet and whacked metal, such as Ava jigs, Krocodiles and Deadly Dicks, and Storm shads. Point Pleasant Canal anglers hooked stripers on shads or pink Fin-S Fish. The closing of blackfish season today was unfortunate, because the tog were snapping along the canal and inlet. Rob actually heard about a few peanut bunker seen in the river and nearby Barnegat Bay. Surf casters beached mostly blues on metal, plugs or cut mullet or mackerel. They picked up a few stripers, and nobody checked in a keeper, but Rob heard about a handful of keepers weighed in at other shops. Clams were the popular bait for bass, but sandworms on high-low rigs could do the trick.  Most surf action seemed to come from either north of the inlet to Spring Lake or a ways south of the inlet from Ortley Beach to Island Beach State Park. All in all, fishing was starting to pop. Besides the tackle shop, the Gates Motel, popular with anglers, is located on the grounds, and both are within walking distance of the inlet, the charter and party boat fleet and the surf. Anglers stay at the motel to avoid driving early or late before or after trips on the boats, or they simply visit for a fishing vacation.

Slack tides dished up striped bass at the Point Pleasant Canal for anglers swimming live herring, said Dave from <b>Fisherman’s Supply</b>. Boaters kept fishing for winter flounder on the Manasquan River, but none stopped at the fuel dock and said whether the flatbacks were biting. Boaters ran across lots of blues in the ocean, and some said a load of the fish today schooled farther south, though Dave was unsure how far south. Dave believed that the most recent trip on the <b>Voyager</b>, docked at the shop, was probably an inshore wreck-fishing trip that returned with ling and cod last weekend, and he thought the boat was slated to fish again tomorrow. The schedule on the vessel’s web site said an inshore wreck-fishing trip was on the books for Friday morning, followed by an offshore tilefishing trip Friday evening. Another inshore wreck trip was scheduled for Sunday morning, and the same trips were fishing the following weekend. A special cod and pollock trip was coming up, and so were a couple of nighttime bluefish trips. Daily fluke-fishing trips begin on the vessel when fluke season opens May 24, and see the boat’s schedule on its web site for the complete list of outings.

<b>Bricktown</b>

Surf casters found off and on action, like usual at this time of year, and one customer checked in a 13-pound striped bass from the surf, and another said he released a few shorts and landed blues from the beach, said Ray from <b>Pell’s Fish & Sport</b>. In northern Barnegat Bay around the Mantoloking Bridge, bluefish were sometimes stuck, and small striped bass were sometimes plucked, and white bucktails got the striper bites. Anglers at the Point Pleasant Canal took stripers on herring or rubber shads. Bluefish were more common in the Manasquan River, though Tommy from the shop stopped at Manasquan Inlet yesterday, and nobody was fishing, and no birds worked the water, and nothing was happening, strange. Winter flounder fishing seemed on the decline, typical once blues arrive. Lots of blues had been played in southern Barnegat Bay, but Ray and a friend took a trip there yesterday and reeled in only one blue apiece. Fish were suddenly scarce, for some reason. Fresh clams, fresh bunker when available, sandworms and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Toms River</b>

A few weakfish were showing up at spots including the Toms River at the Island Heights Yacht Club, where one angler caught them to 4 pounds on sandworms, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. The trout, including bigger tiderunners, were also nabbed at times in Barnegat Bay like off Waretown and the Oyster Creek power plant discharge on Fin-S Fish or plugs. The bay off Berkeley Island Park also gave up a handful of weaks in the mornings. Boaters off Island Heights were also drifting and casting small swimming plugs to catch and release small striped bass. Plugs and shads also hooked stripers along the Route 37 Bridge in the bay for boaters. Clamming for bass in the bay was a ways from perking up, but a few of the fish were clammed along the sod banks, where anglers were now also eeling an occasional catch. All kinds of 4-pound bluefish, and sometimes bigger ones, were battled in the bay like at the BB marker, Cedar Creek and other places on metal and popper lures. Surf-fishing participation was slow, but blues, including bigger ones around 8 pounds, were banked from the suds, and try soaking bunker or mullet. A striper or two were clammed in the wash, definitely inconsistent, off and on, but sometimes successful. Crabbers were buying 100 pounds of bunker a week for bait, nabbing the blueclaws mostly in big, overnight pots than in smaller traps on day trips at this point. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, sandworms, bloodworms, eels and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Seaside</b>

The <a href=" http://www.surfrocketfishing.com/" target="_blank"> surf rocket</a>, a cannon used for surf fishing that can shoot bait at distances that casting can’t reach, was demonstrated on the beach at Seaside on Saturday, Ken, the company’s owner, said in an e-mail. Despite winds, the rocket, which uses compressed air, launched bait more than 500 feet. Blues from 5 to 8 pounds were caught, and Ken saw a skinny, 30-inch, keeper striped bass that was beached. The Surf Rocket is available at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside, Murphy’s Hook House in Toms River and Pell’s Fish & Sport in Bricktown.  

Surf casters who fished yesterday landed lots of blues that mostly hit mullet, and several said they clammed good catches of short striped bass, said the fishing report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. A 13.3-pound, keeper striper was checked in that swallowed bunker, and a 10.3-pounder was weighed in that ate a Grumpy clam. Barnegat Bay anglers who fished overnight said they reeled in good numbers of decent-sized weakfish that shut off at daybreak. Nothing else was posted about the weaks, such as exact location or what the fish bit, unless the info was included in a past day’s report but was missed. The surf temp was in the mid 50s and was expected to steadily rise at this point. Fresh bunker was supposed to be stocked today.<a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

Few fished the surf today, but bluefish and a handful of keeper striped bass were beached, said the fishing report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. A couple of customers headed out yesterday but got skunked. Another clammed an 11-pound 6-ounce weakfish at Barnegat Inlet jetty, and he won the weakfish category in the shop’s surf tournament last year. He now lives out of state but was staying with his folks two months just to fish the area this spring. The surf was 53 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>

The first trips of the season might leave port this weekend, trolling or casting on Barnegat Bay for blues and weakfish, Capt. John from <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> said. It’s time to get rolling, with plenty of fish out and about. Anglers were saying the bay was full of 5- and 6-pound blues, bigger than the typical 1- and 2-pounders that the bay usually holds in spring. One said 7- and 8-pound weakfish, the large tiderunners that enter the bay to spawn a few weeks in spring, could sometimes be hooked. Bigger ones, 10- and 11-pounders and even 14-pounders, usually also turn up on occasion. Nobody ever catches a ton of the weaks, more like one or two or several at most from time to time, but one angler said the population was relatively good.  When trolling, ponytails could hook either species. When casting, popper plugs could fool the blues, and Fin-S Fish could claim the weaks, though blues could attack Fin-S or nearly anything. Nothing much seemed to be doing with striped bass that get clammed in the bay, and the area’s striper fishing never really kicks in until late May or in June. Winter flounder fishing seemed slow in the bay through spring and is probably hardly an option anymore this year. Maybe summer flounder or fluke season will produce well in the bay this season. The best catches come early in the season, as soon as fluke season opens May 24. The flatties swim the bay’s bottom all summer long, but mostly as a by-catch, and the first weeks of the fishing are the only time that’s practical to hunt them specifically in the bay. Perfect Drift does lots of fluking, including in the bay in the early season. Afterward charters on the vessel often fluke fish in the ocean.

Bluefish were running pretty thick in Barnegat Bay, and a load were on a tear around the BB marker this morning, and one angler fought a dozen that weighed 3 to 4 pounds, said Dale from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b>. Most anglers were trolling the blues on ponytails, but a couple said they drilled the fish on surface plugs in the early morning. Tom Kowitski showed off a 6-pound blue from the bay yesterday. Not much was happening with striped bass fishing, except a few shorts that were clammed along the sod banks and in the surf. One sharpie who fishes the Brant Beach suds picked up a couple of shorts on clams the other day and said he saw no blues this week, although he watched quite a few hit the wash last week. However, stripers that for weeks were pouncing on sandworms in the bay off Oyster Creek in the evenings kept appearing. A friend boated and released six throwbacks last night on sandworms off the creek. An 11-pound weakfish was weighed in this morning, and the angler kept hush about the location of the catch. A couple of other tiderunners were supposedly found around the 42 and 43 in the bay on Tuesday. The only other news from the bay was that Mike Mole reportedly saw a seal pop up. A number of customers gathered a bunch of herring for bait around Batsto one day and returned another day and failed to find any. Nothing was heard about anglers catching herring at local spots like Forge Pond, but Dale usually hits Forge Pond, Lake Shenandoah and such spots to pick up herring in another week. Augie Montalbano weighed in a 10.8-pound tog and a 10.29-pound tog from a trip with Harry Hodapp, who also checked in a 10.8-pounder. But tog season closed today.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Fishing for striped bass and black drum faded in Great Bay, and bluefishing replaced the action and was great, but then the bottom dropped out, and no blues bit the past three days, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. But a big influx of blues was found today in the bay from Big Creek to the mouth of the Mullica River, and a couple of anglers who fished together said they trolled 1-1/2- to 4-pounders around working birds. Previously bigger blues including 7-pounders showed up. Gator spoons worked great on blues for casting anglers, and Clark spoons worked great for trollers, because the hook is attached to the spoons, easy to remove from the fish, and cut mackerel worked for bait dunkers. Stripers tend to be caught in other locales besides the bay once blues move in, but drum typically stick around in the bay until the May full moon, according to locals. Drum hadn’t been found in these waters until recently, and Scott never saw a drum for many years at the shop. But now drum are annual visitors in spring. Very few weakfish seemed around, although a few supposedly swam Little Sheepshead Creek. High tides coincide with dusk the next few days, perfect conditions for weakfishing along the creek, so if the trout are going to show, they should now. Tog fishing was producing limits, and anglers couldn’t miss, until tog season closed today. White perch anglers were scoring at the Wading River Bridge, and live grass shrimp are stocked for perch bait. Fresh clams, mackerel, minnows, eels and other baits are on hand.

<b>Port Republic</b>

Bluefish swarmed Great Bay, slamming mackerel strips or plugs, and striped bass thinned out, though stripers will remain locally all year, said Violet from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>. Rumors circulated about weakfish being around, but she saw none, but blueclaw crabs, the favorite weakfish food, were caught by commercial crabbers, a good sign. Violet guessed that black drum arrived in Great Bay, but again, none was checked in. Commercial herring fishing closed today, though stores could sell the baitfish if in supply already, and herring were probably still plentiful up the Mullica River and the creeks. Chestnut Neck will hold a Kids Bluefishing Tournament on Saturday, May 17, for ages 15 and younger.

<b>Absecon</b>

Blues swam just about everywhere, but they were something to catch, and striped bass seemed scattered, and the latest cold front “knocked the heck out of” striper fishing, but the linesiders could be found, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. He ran a charter today on the back bay, and the angler managed to squeeze a few stripers from between the blues, landing one keeper and releasing five shorts along the inland waterway. Many of the blues have been 2 to 4 pounds, but some have been larger, like a 10-pounder nailed on the charter. Bluefish were even running far up the Mullica River to Lower Bank, something Dave had never seen before. Striped bass fishing was good up the rivers, including the Great Egg Harbor and the Mullica. Spots that put out on the Great Egg included Mays Landing, and a 25-pounder was weighed in Sunday that came from there.  The bass in the rivers were chasing bunker upstream, and anglers were snagging the bunker and fishing chunks to hook the stripers. Lots of herring also continued to migrate up the rivers at times, and Dave was expecting a good run around the next full moon. The season was closed today for commercial netting of the baitfish, but plenty of live herring are stocked at the store. The store is also stocking farm raised live spots, so farmers are now raising the baitfish. The spots at the store are smaller than average but look healthy, lively and like good baits. Surf clams, live eels and just about any bait used locally is stocked at the shop.  A few weakfish might’ve swum the bay, though Dave heard about none nor saw any. The weaks at this time of year, larger, spawning fish that show up in the bay and then leave, are more of a chance catch and difficult to target. Anglers now are usually better off chasing blues or maybe stripers.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Big blues had been the heavyweights in the surf, until striped bass started running through the past two days, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. So fishing was starting to take off. Dave Gagin checked in the biggest bass so far this spring, a 38-incher, and he always slings mackerel. But most stripers were on clams. A 20-pound drum was weighed in this morning, and drum were definitely grabbing striper anglers’ clams at times. Kingfish no longer appeared, and they depart when blues move in. The north end of the island was productive for surf catches. One customer showed off a couple of a tog he reeled to shore from along the shipwreck at Brigantine Inlet before tog season closed today. Mike Skelly walloped a 13-pound weakfish in the bay behind Brigantine on Sunday on a Berkley Gulp bait. The Association of Surf Fishing Clubs will hold a surf-fishing tournament Saturday on the island, featuring prizes, trophies, cash Calcuttas, fun, camaraderie and a dinner and ceremony at 1 p.m. Register from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. at the Civic Center across from the V.F.W. on Brigantine. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and all baits are stocked.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Bluefish flooded waters everywhere from the ocean to the surf to the back bay, said Dominic from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. He reeled in 20 from the bay yesterday on bucktails. The bay was also paved with out-of-season flounder that grabbed the bucktails along the bottom. A 13-pound weakfish was pinned down in the bay behind Brigantine. Few striped bass were biting anywhere. The shop’s rental boat, a 17-foot Angler with a 50-horsepower engine, is available to fish the bay. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, will start fishing in June, beginning with striped bass and bluefish trips followed by sharking and eventually tuna fishing. Fresh clams, fresh bunker when available, bloodworms, frozen herring and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Longport</b>

Blackfish, including a 13-pounder, were bailed at Ocean City Reef yesterday on the final open-boat trip of the season for the tog on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. “A nice way to end,” he said, because blackfishing season closed today. Two anglers were on the trip and caught non-stop. If you missed it, “shame on you,” Mike said. The water was 54 degrees, a couple of degrees cooler than before, and gin clear, and “color,” or fish that were being reeled up, could be seen 25 feet down.  Daily open trips will now search for sea bass until fluke season opens May 24, and some sea bass bit yesterday, and one of the anglers lost a 2-pounder, a fair-sized one, at the boat. Forecasts had called for somewhat of a blow, but winds were light, with a ripple strong enough for good anchoring. Tons of bluefish were schooling, and they could also be targets on trips. Bunker were also schooling, and striped bass swam around. Lots of porpoises popped up. Open-boat blackfishing will resume in six months—six months!—when the tog bag limit jumps to six fish on November 16.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Bluefishing was an all-out blitz in the back bay yesterday on a trip with Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, he said. Birds worked the waters, and blues charged through schools of bay anchovies, and pretty soon, the 4-pound fish, a little larger than usual in the bay, attacked anything tossed. At first, soft plastic lures on jigheads were reeled slowly along the bottom, the method that had been catching them. But then so many of the choppers swarmed that they hit the lures on practically any retrieve throughout the water column. So Joe tied on Clouser flies, and a bunch were fly rodded. The melee increased even more, so Joe kicked it up a notch and tied on Rapala Skitter Pop lures, and the fish slammed the surface poppers, probably the earliest in the year he ever remembered the bay’s fish being active enough to attack surface lures. He even fooled around and simply plopped down the poppers and left them still, seeing how many seconds would pass before the plugs got pounced. Literally every cast ended up connecting for an hour or so on the trip. The shallow, 2- to 5-foot flats gave up the action in the 57-degree waters, a few degrees cooler than before, because of the week’s winds and cold front. Rains also didn’t help. Although the day was clear, Joe was almost surprised the blues turned on, because rains usually turn off blues a moment because of lower salinity in the bay. He took a short trip the previous day, Tuesday, and the blues in fact were affected by rains, refusing to cooperate. The bay’s bluefish bite was fun fishing at it’s finest, Joe said, and his charters will take advantage as long as possible. The blues usually swim the bay a few weeks before leaving for the ocean for summer. Afterward Jersey Cape’s striped bass fishing in the bay will return to the menu, after the stripers typically lie low a moment while blues run the show. Summer flounder fishing in the bay will also take place with Joe when flounder season opens May 24. His charters were already hooking and releasing lots of the flatfish on lures meant for blues in the bay, and the area’s flounder fishing is always best early in the season. Go flounder fishing during the first days for the best shot. In other news, Joe heard no first-hand reports about Sea Isle surf fishing, but he was sure striped bass could sometimes be drawn from the suds on clams, the way to grab the bites at this time of year.

Blues raced around from the surf to the bay, and sometimes a weakfish was hooked in the bay, and a friend was putting the brakes on blackfish at the wrecks until blackfish season closed today, Ted from <b>Minmar Marina</b> said.  Striped bass fishing was spotty everywhere. Clams, bunker and other baits are stocked.

<b>Cape May</b>

Poverty Beach surf anglers seemed to pull in quite a number of striped bass, reporting some catches every morning, including a keeper that one said he caught this morning, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Incoming tides appeared best, and clams were the popular bait, but bloodworms also worked. Bluefish were also moving in and out of the suds, and frozen herring was grabbing their attention at the Higbee’s Beach jetty, and frozen mackerel fillets, salted to stay on the hook better, was also attracting them throughout the suds, and both baits are stocked. Poverty Beach angling was actually ironic on Saturday, because sharpies were slamming stripers, including big hogs, while Delaware Bay boaters struggled to catch the bass. The bay’s boating for stripers seemed spotty and produced lots of dog sharks. Many boaters were running north to Miah Maul for a few catches, and some tried spots like the Pin Top, Banana Peel and Horseshoe but found things slow. Nick hoped that maybe warmer water would pull in stripers to traditional spring spots like Bug Light in the bay. A few big, spawning, tiderunner weakfish were roaming the back bays, including behind Avalon, slurping down bloodworms or Berkeley artificial bloods. A local newspaper published a photo of a 10-pounder taken behind Ocean City. The number of tiderunners is never large, but good to see them after scarce weakfish in recent years. Tog season closed today, and that’s a shame, because they were walloping baits along the jetties and inshore wrecks. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and bloodworms are stocked in addition to the frozen herring and mackerel fillets and other frozen baits.

No trips fished Delaware Bay on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> since Saturday, but Capt. George knew a couple of boaters who returned to the bay Wednesday after rough winds since Sunday, and one boated three striped bass, and the other scored none, George said. The bay’s striper fishing’s been tough since better catches a couple of weekends ago. When the fish were caught recently, they were pulled from the shallower waters near the shipping channel, but not in the channel, around Miah Maul. Normally stripers bite around the sloughs in the southern bay in spring, but the southern bay was full of dog sharks. This time of year usually puts out a healthy mix of stripers and black drum on the bay. George marked piles of drum, more than he ever saw, in the bay Friday evening, but the fish were known to be refusing to bite and maybe needed slightly warmer water or might’ve had to spawn before they began to scarf down baits. He knew others who read the drumfish Saturday and stopped to try to catch them with no success. George heard that Cape May surf anglers recently bailed stripers, including big ones. He also heard unconfirmed reports that stripers were still biting in Virginia, late in the year, if that’s true. Maybe that meant the fish were migrating late, but that’s unknown. The boat will keep running for the bay’s stripers, and drum fishing on the bay should open up soon on its charters.

Customers boated striped bass off and on in Delaware Bay at usual places like 60-Foot Slough and 20-Foot Slough, and a few black drum were mixed in, said Mark from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The suds at Poverty Beach delivered catches of stripers and blues over the weekend but then seemed to turn off. Blues and small striped bass were sometimes beaten along Cold Spring Inlet. Weakfish, no huge ones like tiderunners, but smaller ones that were at least the first of the season, began appearing at times around Cape May Point. Tog fishing had been excellent from the jetties to the wrecks until the season closed today. Fresh clams, fresh mullet, bloodworms, live spots and frozen baits including herring, mackerel and mullet are stocked.

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