New Jersey Fishing Reports

Striped bass to 37 pounds were taken on the Barbara Ann on trips that began to fish in the ocean in addition to the bay, and anglers onboard will now sometimes start to sail on combo striper/bottom-fishing trips, Capt. Anthony said. New York’s porgy season opened Thursday, and big, jumbo porgies to 2 ½ pounds were reeled up on one trip already. Charters will still focus on stripers, but combo striper/bottom charters will also be offered. Barbara Ann’s Blue Collar Special open-boat trips will continue sailing every Tuesday and Thursday evenings, some strictly for stripers, but others both for stripers and bottom fish.

Outcast Charters concentrated on sea bassing Friday through Sunday, Capt. Joe said. Lots of sizeable lumpheads to 2 ½ pounds were pulled over the rails both Friday and Saturday. On Sunday the anglers only wanted to fish until 12 noon but decked plenty of the knotheads to 3 ½ pounds, some ling and three cod, and released out-of-season tog. Two of the cod weighed 5 and 7 pounds, and the other just made the keeper size.

Keyport

Mike Barbato’s charter on Saturday caught and released eight undersized fluke on the bay with Papa’s Angels Charters, Capt. Joe said. Most of the fish were ¼-inch to 1-inch smaller than the new, 18-inch size limit and would’ve been keepers last year. Barbato’s wife Karen, son James and friend Don Bambrick with sons Steele and Stone were also aboard. On Sunday David Downie’s charter hooked and released five throwback fluke and bagged one keeper on the bay. David’s sons Jake, 6, and Ronan, 4, were also on deck, and so were friends Mike Mancuso and Moe Taylor, and Jake nabbed the keeper. At least half the fish on the trip were also about the same size short. So keepers would’ve been more abundant on both trips if not for the new limit, but everyone had a good time, Joe said. Squid, killies and bucktails were fished, and no bluefish showed up. Open-boat trips are running 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily with a minimum of three people when no charter is booked, and Workingman’s Special Open Trips will now also start running 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a minimum of four people when no charter is slated. Call to reserve.

Atlantic Highlands

On the CRT II Ed George’s charter sailed for fluke on the bay on Saturday morning and put together “a little bit of a catch” of keepers to 4 ½ pounds and lots of throwbacks, Capt. Mick said. In the afternoon Kaylin Ruffiero’s gang hooked mostly throwback fluke and hardly any keepers. Howard Pratt’s group on Sunday on the bay landed quite a few fluke, mostly throwbacks, but seven keepers, probably to 3 ½ pounds. The trips fished different places, including the 1 can, Flynn’s Knoll, off Sandy Hook’s nude beach and up and down the beach. Only one or two blues were hooked on the trips, but were lost, and blues sometimes broke the water surface, but no others were fought. Boaters caught striped bass in the ocean but had to run to the Shrewsbury Rocks or Asbury Park. If a boat was one of the first there, a good catch was usually reeled up, but weekends were tough, because of boat traffic. The CRT II is fishing for fluke and blues.

All big striped bass again on Friday, like on Thursday, said Capt. Ron from the Fishermen in an e-mail. On Friday only one that was landed weighed less than 20 pounds, and the rest were 22 to 29.8 pounds. Mopar Charlie boated two beauties, including the 29.8-pounder, on Friday after landing three the previous day, and the big fish took the lead in the season-long striper pool. Major John scored a close second in the pool, reeling in his second big bass of the season, a 27-1/2-pounder. The Monday gang was out in force today, adrenaline and testosterone running rampant from Thursday’s and Friday’s reports. Ron got a call about a bite that was going on early in the morning, “which made it even worse!” he said. The boat took the hour-and-forty-minute run to the hot spot, and stripers were flipping bunker on the water. The vessel got set up on the drift, and Ron’s dad, Ron Sr., hooked the first bass, a 20-plus-pounder. Then no other fish bit, and winds came from the south. Another drift was made, and Ron Sr. hooked up again, and again, no other bass were hooked. Bunker then disappeared from sight, though loads of fish were marked, and nothing grabbed the hooks. The boat left the area and ran to the Shrewsbury Rocks. Two drops were made, and no good, Ron said. A last-ditch effort put the trip north, and a keeper was taken. The early bite was missed by a half-hour, disappointing, Ron said. Not one bluefish smacked a line today. Ron will give striped bass fishing two more days then switch to fluking. Charters are booked Thursday and Saturday mornings, so no open trips will sail then, but Saturday evening’s open trip will still run. The Fishermen sails on open trips 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily unless chartered, and open-boat, Magic Hour Trips are running for stripers and blues 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Eventually the afternoon trips will concentrate on blues.

Raritan Bay’s fluke fishing remained about the same on the Atlantic Star, Capt. Tom said. At some places a whole lot of flatties bit, and many of the fish were undersized, and at other places fewer, but bigger ones, were hooked, though many were throwbacks. Lots of action. Bruce Worth from Keansburg on Saturday morning scored a 6-3/4-pounder that was the biggest in the past week. Some were happy with all the bites, honing their fishing skills, hoping for a couple of keepers. If the size limit were 17 inches like last year, a pretty darn-good catch of keepers would’ve been bagged, like last year. The size limit, 18 inches, finally seemed to hit the number that made the difference, after being increased over the years. The boat fished places including the deep along Reach Channel and the shallows on the flats toward the Navy Pier, and the fluke were everywhere, a big population. The boat supplies squid and spearing, and sometimes killies made a difference, and patrons might want to bring a small amount of killies. Sometimes Spro bucktails produced well, but that fishing takes work. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Highlands

Probably 20 striped bass, mostly 25-pounders, give or take 5 pounds, were muscled in Saturday with Jersey Devil Charters, Capt. Brian said. A charter Wednesday decked about 16 stripers from 20 to 30 pounds. The fish on both trips were pulled from deeper waters in the ocean on livelined bunker. Jersey Devil specializes in trophy striped bass and will keep fishing for them through mid July.

Good catches of striped bass were beat on trips with Fisher Price Charters along the ocean beaches, and the best day was Friday, when a 43-pounder was slammed on the boat, and 18 stripers that each weighed more than 30 pounds were dusted, Capt. Derek said. Hard to get better! Livelined and chunked bunker caught the bass lately, and a few were diamond jigged. Bluefish showed up off and on, and seemed like when stripers turned on, blues turned off, and vice versa. The ocean along the shore was 69 degrees on Friday but 54 degrees on Saturday, big difference, caused by southerly winds. When temps dropped like that, Fisher Price moved farther offshore to warmer waters that were 64 degrees lately, and finding the warmer areas was the trick. That’s where the bait and fish held. Fisher Price will probably sail for stripers through mid July, later than many. But charters hook the fish through that time and did last year. Fluke fishing is also available, and Derek was busy with striper fishing and did no fluking, but he heard that fluking was kind of up and down. Trips will also target weakfish as summer wears on, and the rivers were in the mid 70s, so Derek hoped weaks would appear there by the second or third week of July. The trout used to show up earlier but came later in recent years, but you never know.

Neptune

Last Lady Fishing Charters fished for fluke and striped bass and was gearing up for sharking and tuna fishing, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. A fluke trip Saturday started off slowly until the fish were found, and then a 22-inch keeper was grabbed. On a flattie trip Sunday fishing was great, and eight keepers to 23 inches were bagged, and more than 100 of the bottom huggers were landed, and numerous humpbacked sea bass were added to the catch. This year’s fluke size limit was tough, and lots of fish a half-inch to two inches short were hooked, but quality keepers were to be had, and there was lots of action. Individual-reservation fluke trips will fish 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday starting next week, limited to 15 passengers. Six spots are open on the first trip. An offshore wreck-fishing trip is full July 15. On the striper front, not a lot showed up, but the ones that did were big, and a 43-pounder was decked on a trip Sunday. Smaller bass that could be chunked or clammed weren’t seen, and the fishing’s been best from 2 or 3 p.m. until dark. Lots of bunker schooled, but the bass only seemed to come up in the afternoons. If you’ve got a trip scheduled earlier in the day, change it to the afternoon. On the sharking scene, waters down south suddenly turned too warm, but local waters became the right temps. In the South Jersey Shark Tournament in Cape May during the weekend, no qualifying makos 200 pounds or larger were entered, and big threshers won, and a 580-pounder took top prize. But a 400-pound mako was the winning fish in the Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo in Brielle this weekend, good news for local sharkers. Last Lady’s shark season is under way, and it’s time to take a charter during the short season. Canyon waters warmed up, and the first open-boat, canyon tuna trip will run July 29 to 30, and spots are available.

Belmar

Bluefishing produced good catches both day and night on the 77-foot Bandit on the south end of the Mudhole on jigs or on bait in a chum slick, Capt. Scotty said. Great catches of ling were pulled aboard in 120 to 170 feet, and sea bass and a few cod were mixed in.

Fluke fishing was the main game on the Nan Sea J on trips over the weekend, and tons of fluke were found, but meeting the size limit was the only problem, Capt. Tom said. Sea bass and ling were sometimes mixed in along the hard bottom, and the trips targeted waters tight to the beaches, because not a lot of fluke tugged lines deeper. The waters close to the beaches were 66 to 68 degrees. One trip hooked 261 fluke including four keepers. Probably at least another dozen would’ve been keepers if the limit were an inch shorter like last year. Nan Sea J this week will keep fishing on its annual, open-boat shark trips that sail every Wednesday in June and July. The trips are a tremendous opportunity to put the brakes on the beasts without chartering the whole boat. The vessel is one of the few charters that offers open-boat sharking. Shark charters are also available, and sharking is Tom’s favorite fishing. Quite a few sharks were caught from local ports now, he said. It’s shark-o-clock.

Big blues to 12 pounds were boated on both the daytime and nighttime trips on the Golden Eagle, excellent fishing, Capt. Greg said in an e-mail. On the day trips both bait and jigs got the hits, and at night mostly bait got pounced. Most patrons took home from multiple fish to limits, plenty of aggressive action from the slammers. Just plain old great fishing, Greg said. Only a few striped bass showed up, and bluefishing farther offshore was the focus. The Golden Eagle is sailing daily 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Brielle

Striped bass fishing was out of control in the ocean, said Dave from The Reel Seat. A 55-pounder was the biggest weighed in, and boaters, who found the fish both north and south of Manasquan Inlet—it didn’t matter—caught a lot better than surf anglers. But surf anglers also connected, mostly north of the inlet. A 47-pounder was the biggest Dave heard was lifted from the suds. “Big Al” Wutkowski boated a 48-incher on a pencil popper, got tired of catching all the bass on poppers, switched to fishing with bunker, and drilled a 50-incher. Al released both fish and usually does, and Dave noted that the 50-incher must’ve weighed at least 50 pounds. Bob Lake from the Kimberly Ann weighed in a 43.3-pounder. Blues were also hooked in the ocean, and sometimes a pod of bunker only held blues, and plenty of bunker schooled. John who works at the shop and friends competed in the Jersey Coast Anglers Association Fluke Tournament on Saturday. They totaled 15 keepers, including two that weighed more than 5 pounds and one that weighed more than 6, at the rough bottom off Long Branch, so ocean fluking sounded decent. John and crew fished with Mai Tai and Smiling Bill bucktails. Nobody mentioned fluke fishing in Manasquan River, but the river was loaded with 1-1/2- or 2-pound blues. Sea bassing depended on where anglers fished. Elio Cettina on the Four C’s fished a wreck a little offshore and belted a bunch of big sea bass, a mess of big ling, a dozen cod and a couple of large white hake. Local anglers began shark fishing over the weekend and fought a few makos. Joe Vesozzi on the Undisputed won the weekend’s Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo in Brielle with a 400-pounder. Dave sailed on a tilefish trip on the party boat Voyager last week on Sunday and said it was great. He bagged seven tiles and said Mike Paras was high hook with nine to 28 pounds and a pollock. The Reel Seat will probably start opening till 8 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. on Fridays this week. If so, the shop will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. Time is running out to sign up for the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund’s <a href=" http://ssfff.org/raffle.html" target="_blank"> raffle for a boat, motor and trailer </a> for only $20. The drawing takes place June 28. Get a chance at a 17-foot Mako with a motor and trailer donated by the American Sportfishing Association and electronics donated by Henry’s Tackle, and support the SSFFF.

Fish Monger Charters, a new charter, launched its season Saturday with a trip that competed in the Jersey Coast Anglers Association Fluke Tournament, Capt. Jerry Postorino said in an e-mail. Although no winning fluke was taken, the anglers bailed eight keepers at the ocean rough stuff in 45 to 65 from Sea Girt to Long Branch. They also pegged down sea bass and a few big ling, and plenty of bunker schooled around. All the fluke action you could want could be found tight to the beach, and 50 shorts but no keepers were easily hooked in those waters after the tournament. A schedule, reports and photos will be posted soon on Fish Monger’s web site. Jerry, a veteran mate on local boats including the Bandit from Belmar, is co-owner of the Fish Monger. Looks like he catches, too!

Point Pleasant

Ocean striped bass fishing wasn’t bad, and anglers onboard got on the fish every trip, scoring at least a dozen bites each time, but hook ups depended on the angler’s skill, said Capt. Fred from Andrea’s Toy Charters. They livelined bunker for bait, and the crew offered to hook the fish and pass off the rod, but anglers usually chose to try to hook the fish themselves. The linesiders were around throughout the day during the past couple of days but were in the deep then. But in the evenings they chased bunker pods closer to shore. Trips sometimes bottom fished when waiting for conditions to change for striper fishing, like waiting for the tide, and good catches of sea bass and ling came from the wrecks. Charters will keep targeting stripers until July, when they’ll start sharking and tuna trolling. Andrea’s Toy will also offer annual, open-boat, mixed-bag canyon trips that sail for tuna, mahi mahi, billfish, sharks and tilefish, all in the same outing. That increases chances of catching, is more fun and adds variety to the dinner menu. Trips fish the canyons on a fast, 31-foot Contender that makes it to the offshore grounds in half the time of a party boat, allowing more fishing time and the opportunity to fish for the mixed bag, with the personal attention of a charter but the savings of not having to book the whole boat. Sharks were already on the prowl. Warm waters also pushed into the canyons, and the tuna bite turned on. A friend went 13 for 14 on yellowfin and bluefin tuna at the 500 line at Hudson Canyon.

The ocean hills gave up some good fluking earlier in the week on the Gambler, Capt. Bob said, but actually, he wouldn’t call the overall fishing good, but he’d call it “good and steady,” and mostly better-sized flatbacks came up, and probably 50 percent were keepers, including quite a few 3- to 5-pounders. Later in the week, winds and currents made drifting difficult in the area, so the boat moved closer to shore, from 40 feet to tight to the beaches, fishing mostly the rough bottom and mussel beds. Lots more shorts bit, but some keepers were bagged, and keeper sea bass were also taken. A trip yesterday even came across a flurry of striped bass, and big linesiders from 15 to 40 pounds grabbed the fluke baits, mayhem for a moment, and when the smoke cleared, a number of the fish were on deck. Recent pool winners included Chris Sheridan from Toms River with a 7-pound 1-ounce fluke and Rich Robbins from Berkeley Heights with a 6-3/4-pounder. Some patrons fished with a Spro with a dropper loop 8 inches above with a non-weighted bucktail with a strip bait, and that worked well on most days. The ocean yesterday was as warm as 69 degrees, and Capt. Bob lately saw temps from 66 to 69. The temps rose quickly from the heat, but were surface ones, and bottom-fishing captains told Bob that waters below still seemed cold, as if the warm weather quickly pushed up temperatures on top, but the bottom temps lagged. Bluefishing trips are also running at night on weekends on the Gambler, and one fished Saturday, but the fishing was slow, not like it had been, apparently because of constant rains and squalls that blew through. The Gambler is fishing for fluke twice daily from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Bricktown

Striped bass fishing in the ocean was as good as the crew at Pell’s Fish & Sport ever saw, Tommy Kilgannon said in a fax. Anglers nailed the fish off Deal and Long Branch in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. Gary Ward and gang drilled six of the fish to 35 pounds on snagged bunker. Jack Mans Jr. pinned down six to 30 pounds, and Jack Mans Sr. took down two to 21 pounds. Boaters and even a kayaker also checked in a bunch more bass. Surf casters also connected, and Mike Bryant beached a 30-pounder on a Gibbs Polaris Popper at Bay Head, and Mario Santos clammed a 24-pounder in the Mantoloking suds. Fluke fishing improved with rising water temps, and Wendy Evetsberg lifted aboard a 6-1/2-pounder off Long Branch, and Dave Mora and Bobby Casale were picking up tons of shorts and a few keepers at Manasquan Inlet.

Toms River

Check out the results from Saturday's Jersey Coast Anglers Association’s Fluke Tournament.

Seaside

Bunker and striped bass mostly stayed out of reach of the surf on Sunday, though a few were landed from shore and from kayaks late in the day and at dusk, and boaters got into plenty during the day and checked in a slough of big ones, said the report on Grumpy’s Tackle’s web site. Surf casters and kayakers checked in a mess of the fish Friday and Saturday. Bunker caught most, but a few of the fish chased down swimming plugs, metal or poppers or sucked down clams. Not much was heard about bluefish. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

Forked River

Two trips fished Friday with Seafood Fishing Charters, Capt. John said, and the morning one put the smack on a 40-pound striped bass along the ocean front. Nice fish. Then the anglers were tired of striper fishing (!), so they switched to fluke fishing and released three 16-inch shorts and a few sea bass at the reef. On the afternoon trip anglers looked for stripers at the same place the big one was caught in the morning, got a run-off and saw lots of bunker, but no luck. On Saturday morning a bluefishing trip hammered slammers probably to 10 and 12 pounds in 65 feet north of Barnegat Ridge, mostly on jigs, in 69-degree waters. During the afternoon Rob Graham’s gang lambasted a 38-pound striped bass, the biggest fish Rob ever reeled in, and dropped two more. Charters will compete in the Mako Mania and Mako Fever tournaments this weekend, and a trip will head out to catch bluefish for bait on Thursday, but the anglers might mix in striper fishing along the beachfront. Capt. John is also itching to go tuna fishing. A slate of open-boat trips is running in addition to charters, and check the schedule on Seafood’s web site. One space remains on a two-day, open-boat trip that will compete in the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club Tournament. Boats in the tournament are allowed to fish two days from July 30 to August 2. Last year’s purse was $365,000, and 20 percent of any winnings go to the crew on the trip, but the rest goes to the anglers. Seafood’s boat makes it to the offshore grounds probably quicker than any other charter in the state. The 33-foot HydraSports features three 250 h.p. engines, cruises at 45 m.p.h., tops out at 60 m.p.h. and arrives at the canyons in 2 hours in fair seas. Anglers can spend more time fishing than traveling.

Waretown

The Tuna-Tic is shark fishing through next Monday, only during the peak of the season, and Capt. Mike tested the waters Saturday at the Fingers, he said. Actually he never intended to shark fish that day, but he was striped bass fishing along the beaches with a friend on the friend’s boat that morning, and when no stripers turned on, they caught a bunch of bunker for bait and made a quick run to the shark grounds. Two keeper-sized makos and a blue shark were released, and they got back to the dock by 11 a.m., a quick trip Waters were beautiful and 64 degrees, a good temp for sharking, and there was an attractive thermocline, and everything was right. They tried a little trolling for bluefin tuna but found none. Tuna rolled into Spencer Canyon with a warm eddie, and nobody wanted to make the trip so far, but Mike would love to shark fish overnight and then hit the canyon for tuna. When Tuna-Tic’s sharking ends next week, a couple of bluefish trips will sail, and a couple of “do-anything trips,” where the anglers want to leave the fishing up to the captain’s choice, are on the books. The vessel’s three-day, open-boat tuna trips will begin in July.

Barnegat Light

Joe Franke and Wayne Salvi, regular customers with Reel Fantasea Charters, teamed up for an “Open-Boat Bunker Buster Trip” on Friday, Capt. Steve said in an e-mail. They broke Barnegat Inlet and immediately saw a large school of bunker, but no fish fed on them. They headed north, fished larger and larger schools of bunker, and pulled the hook on one striped bass, the only striper of the day. They sailed back to the inlet and found a large school of “ever-cooperative” slammer blues, Steve said, and got their arms worked out until they could handle no more. On Friday regular Jay Simmons and business associates Rick and Mark took a trip for more of the same, and found bass more responsive. Jay tackled a 38-pound striper, then Mark whacked a 48-pounder. Wow! Not only a bruiser, but his first-ever striper. He’s ruined for life now! Steve joked. Rich then hooked up, but the fish made a quick run to the boat and cut the line on the edge of a trim tab. Afterward Jay got on another striper, walloping a 36-pounder. They moved back to the inlet from the ocean front for another good pull of slammer blues to 12 pounds. After wearing out their arms, they jigged fluke in Barnegat Bay to top off the day.

Beach Haven

On the Miss Beach Haven patrons fished five ocean wrecks on Saturday, and some keeper sea bass and lots of shorts came up, an e-mail from the boat said. Water temps steadily rose through the week, making sea bass thin out, but the warmer waters can be good for fluke fishing, and the boat will switch to fluking on the weekend. The boat always switches to fluke fishing as sea bassing slows and fluking picks up. On Sunday lack of winds and currents made anchoring on wrecks impossible, and the conditions also weren’t favorable for drifting, like for fluke, but that was the only option. So the boat drifted, probably no more than a quarter-mile all day. But some sea bass were boated, and several keeper fluke were taken, and a good number of short fluke were released. John Cheseman was high hook and won the pool with three fluke, including an 8-pounder. The Miss Beach Haven will sail for fluke 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and the rest of the weekends through summer. Next week on Wednesday fluke trips will also fish 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Mondays and Tuesdays and 8 am. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays.

Tuckerton

Bluefish were targeted at Barnegat Ridge on Saturday with Legal Limit Charters, but the action slowed compared with before, and waters were warm, about 74 degrees, Capt. T.J. said. Quickly rising water temps were ironic, after the ocean was so cold previously. T.J’s brother ran a shark trip yesterday for Legal Limit, called T.J. from the boat and said a 260-pound mako was nailed. Not a lot of other action took place, and the shark grounds were also warm and 74 degrees, and that seemed to force blue sharks to leave. More shark trips will sail tomorrow and Friday, and the first tuna charter of the year will fish Saturday. Warm waters moved into some of the canyons for tuna fishing. Legal Limit is also fishing for sea bass and fluke, and divers said they saw fluke at wrecks in 75 feet, so the fish should soon move onto the reefs, located in 60 feet.

Brigantine

Striped bass pushed along the ocean beaches, chasing bunker pods, and not a ton of the fish were around, but when they were, they were big, said Capt. Tom from the Fishin’ Fever. The back bay was the place to find flounder, until more show up at the ocean haunts. Bluefish roamed 15 to 30 miles offshore, and mako sharks hunted the area. Bluefin tuna from footballs to 30-pounders, but sometimes bigger ones to 125 pounds, roamed the 20-fathom line. Tuna fishing went off at the canyons, and one boat got into a bunch of small bluefins, one 55-incher, 13 yellowfin tuna, a bigeye tuna and a blue marlin at the Spencer.

A 31-pound striped was weighed in yesterday from the north end surf, and anglers who fished there said bunker schooled close enough to snag, the report on Riptide Bait & Tackle’s web site said. Four stripers to 23 pounds were checked in from the surf Saturday, and boaters kept banging stripers along the ocean front, but the fish were becoming harder and harder to find. But the crew from the shop wondered if more bass would arrive from farther south.

Atlantic City

Loads of kingfish made the catch for surf casters at Atlantic City, and dunk bloodworms for the bites, said Noel from One Stop Bait & Tackle. Striped bass sometimes appeared in the wash, sucking down clams or bunker, and tons of bunker, amazing numbers, schooled along the coast. A few bluefish showed up in the suds, and not many were checked in. Flounder could be taken in the back waters off the High Roller and at the hole off the former Hackney’s, and the old faithful squid and spearing worked well. Bloodworms, fresh clams, fresh bunker, minnows, frozen spearing, frozen squid and the full array of frozen baits are stocked.

Margate

Flounder trips fished the past three days straight with Fine Line Fishing Charters on Lakes Bay, except a short time on the ocean, Capt. Dave said. On Friday a bachelor party charter caught and released 17 throwbacks on the bay. At first, they also fished Dave’s honey hole in the ocean, because the anglers wanted to try the ocean, but nothing bit, and they moved to the bay. On Saturday anglers on the boat competed in the Jersey Coast Anglers Association Fluke Tournament, nabbed two keepers and released 16 shorts on the bay, pretty consistent action. Winds blew against the tide, not good conditions, but the anglers stuck it out. On Sunday two anglers on a short, 4-hour charter found four keepers to 19 ½ inches and probably released 15 undersized flatties on the bay. A fair number of the fish throughout the trips, probably another seven or eight, would’ve been keepers if the limit were last year’s instead of the larger one this year. Smaller flounder like 10-inchers also bit, like they always do. Dave expects to start fishing the ocean for flounder this weekend, and the fish should arrive there. The bay was as warm as 72 or 73 degrees. No bluefish grabbed baits. Neither did skates, and Dave was surprised about that, but a few sea robins and sharks showed up. Squid and minnows on plain, single-hooked, fish-finder rigs, with one red bead above the hook, were the arsenal. Fine Line will keep flounder fishing, one of its specialties, and trips in summer also usually troll the inshore ocean at spots like 28-mile wreck for bluefish, bonito or even small tuna, if they show up.

Somers Point

Wayne Evelo landed a 26-inch, 7-1/2-pound flounder, a whopper, in the bay east of the Parkway on a minnow with squid, an e-mail from My Bait & Tackle said. Others also reeled in flounder east of the Parkway, including Capt. Ed and Barbara Neff on the What the Hec, who landed two keepers, released shorts and stuck a blue while fishing mackerel strips and minnows. Ed said the keeper ratio was 1 in 8. Guy Martin also kept catching flounder east of the Parkway on minnows. Bob Sautner plied Rainbow Channel to grab two keeper flounder on minnows and scented squid. Fishing was picking up, and the weather was starting to cooperate, except early morning fog.

Sea Isle City

A charter went 3 for 6 on tuna on the first offshore trip of the year today at the bight of Wilmington Canyon, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle. That’s the year’s first first-hand report about tuna catches, and Joe racked up a number of firsts this year, including the first striper catch, and maybe the first bluefish catch, and one of the first flounder catches. The trip’s 50-pound yellowfins attacked in 69- to 71-degree waters, mostly in 400 to 600 feet, but the biggest ones came from 1,000 fathoms between the Wilmington and Spencer. A rainbow-colored splash bar was the hot lure, but other offerings including skirted ballyhoos attracted strikes. Not a lot of life filled the waters, and no angler would’ve guessed the tuna were there, except for the big, beautiful eddie of warm, Gulf Stream waters that satellite charts showed moving down the 1,000-fathom line along the Lindenkohl, Spencer and Wilmington canyons. Joe saw the eddie moving south, anticipated meeting it at the Wilmington, and he did. The fish fed on squid and were packed with them. John Martin and Mike Cunningham were on the charter. Joe heard third-hand reports about a couple of blue marlin battled at the canyons, and he also heard about white marlin landed. Someone on the radio mentioned catching a 60- or 70-pound longfin tuna, a big one, and early in the season for the albacore. On the back bay, Nick Calio fished on a charter with Joe and fly rodded five or six bluefish to 3 pounds on Clouser flies on a sinking line, a good day, lively fish. A good-sized striped bass was also hooked on the sinking line but got off. Nick tried fishing with surface popper lures, but nothing smacked the poppers, though other trips this spring began to catch both blues and stripers on poppers. Popper fishing, one of Joe’s specialties in summer, was just beginning, as the bay warmed enough for fish to leap to the surface. The popper trips in summer mostly cast to stripers while Joe poles the shallows on his flats boat. Many anglers travel a thousand miles to tropical destinations for flats fishing, but it’s available right here at Sea Isle. The bay’s flounder fishing gave up lots of fish, many of them throwbacks in this year’s large size limit. Flounder anglers who fished off the beaten path landed more keepers, and the fishing was a matter of putting in the time. Striped bass sometimes dipped into the surf, and Joe’s uncle clammed a 34-incher from shore.

Wildwood

Drum kept biting in Delaware Bay but would probably stop by Wednesday’s full moon, said Cathy from Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle in an e-mail. Frank Ryan weighed in a 41-pounder, his first-ever drum, that he clammed at Tussy’s Slough. Back-bay anglers landed excellent catches of flounder, and Berkley 4-inch, white Gulp swimming mullets on a bucktail or leadhead worked best. Flounder also started to appear at the Old Grounds in the ocean. Chris Parson took fourth place in Saturday’s Jersey Coast Anglers Association’s Fluke Tournament’s Cape May port on Saturday with a 5.23-pounder that he weighed in. What’s more, he wrestled aboard the fish on a Hobie Mirage Outback kayak, competing against 45 boats at the port. Sterling Harbor is a go-to location for kayak fishing, featuring sales of kayaks and accessories, kayak rentals and lots of advice. Great surf fishing took place at North Wildwood, and sharpies reported sticking numerous stripers. Most were shorts, but keepers were in the mix. Andrew Applebaum beached a 33-incher at North Wildwood on Saturday. Plenty of sharks gave up battles in the ocean but were on the small side. Still, 180-pound mako was subdued on the Reel Class. A 195-pound thresher got put to a stop when Terry Leddy angled in the shark on Chris Day’s Maw Up from Wildwood. Last but not least, Crabby Jack gave crabbing four claws.

Cape May

A 90- or 100-pound mako and a 70- or 80-pound dusky were fought and released on a shark trip with Copacetic Sportfishing at lumps 30 miles off Cape May Inlet over the weekend, Capt. Mike said. Waters were 70 to 71 degrees, so they warmed quickly from the heat, and mackerel and bluefish were the baits. Shark charters will probably only run another two weeks because of the warming waters. But that also means that bluefin tuna trips should soon start to fish the inshore lumps on the chunk and on the troll. Drum fishing held up on Delaware Bay, and a charter last week docked with a good catch to 60 pounds, but the fish will probably depart shortly. Get them while you can. A flounder charter will fish the ocean reefs this week.

Jaftica Sportfishing shark fished Thursday through Saturday, Capt. Ray said. A small mako and a dusky were leadered Thursday, and a couple of small makos and a dusky were wrestled to boatside Friday and Saturday. A 250-pound mako entered the slick on one of the trips, and baits were pitched, but the bruiser wouldn’t take. Not a lot of life filled the waters on the first trip, but a bunch of blues swam around on the next two. The waters were 71 degrees, probably warm on the surface but not below, because the sudden heat probably affected the top but not too deep. No mako sharks made the 200-pound minimum to be entered in the weekend’s South Jersey Shark Tournament, but a couple of big threshers hit the scale. Jaftica will sail on shark charters through the month, and tuna trips will eventually kick off. Inshore trolling for blues, bonito or whatever pops up will begin anytime. Flounder trips will also fish the reefs or Old Grounds. All these options were opening up as drum fishing wound down on Delaware Bay. Jaftica did no drum fishing during the weekend, though it exclusively drum fished before the shark trips, and drum still filled the bay at least through Sunday, and Ray knew about boaters who scored well.

Charters on the Heavy Hitter kept fishing for drum, and kept catching, through Saturday, and that will probably wrap up the boat’s drum season, though if a charter wants to sail for the boomers, the fish were still biting, but better jump aboard quickly, Capt. George said. He’ll now turn attention to other fishing, including sharking and bottom fishing, including for sea bass and flounder, and most charter boats were finished drum fishing. Pat Ricci’s group with his grandson and friends caught drum to 70 pounds on Wednesday. On Friday Jim Schiavo’s gang put drum to 60 pounds in the tub. Saturday’s trip with Jim Dougherty’s group loaded up on 14 drum to about 60 pounds and returned a couple of hours early at 8 p.m. A bluefish trip is on the schedule for Saturday, and a shark trip is slated for Sunday. A bunch of threshers were reportedly entered in the weekend’s South Jersey Shark Tournament, and no qualifying makos, fish 200 pounds or larger, were supposedly entered. George heard reports about tuna fishing turning on at Spencer and Wilmington canyons, and he knows a private boater who bailed 17 yellowfin tuna and four gaffer mahi at the Wilmington on Saturday. He also heard about white marlin hooked at the Spencer. No bluefin tuna appeared at the inshore lumps that George knew about.

Winners of the South Jersey Shark Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, according to an e-mail from Charlie Langan from South Jersey Marina, where the event was held, were as follows: 1st place, Post Game, Capt. Steve Fanelli, 582-pound thresher; One More Cast, Capt. Len Adnalis, 347-pound thresher; and Tashtego, Capt. Rick Popovitch, 308-pound hammerhead. One-hundred-eighty boats with more than 700 anglers competed, and 200 pounds was the minimum size for mako sharks to “minimize waste and preserve the species,” Charlie said. No makos were entered, but 287 were reported released.

Jim’s Bait & Tackle served as one of the weigh-in ports for the Jersey Coast Anglers Association’s fluke tournament on Saturday, Matt said in a fax. Tim Kulis won first place at the port for a 6.58-pounder, and Tony Sabo took second with a 6.25-pounder and Dennis Molette scored third with a 6.1-pounder. Most of the bigger flatties were pulled from the Old Grounds in the ocean, and conditions for the fishing were less than favorable, but some anglers managed catches. Flounder fishers who boated the Intracoastal Waterway in the back bays also put together a good showing, and good numbers of the flatfish held there. Surf fishers sometimes found impressive action. Striped bass gave up an awesome bite at the Higbee’s Beach jetty during 3 hours on Friday, and Pete Jonas bagged a 22-pounder and caught and released six other bass to 20 pounds. Weakfish sometimes bit in the suds Saturday. At the Lehigh Avenue jetty John Pepe Jr., 6, landed a 10.21-pound weak, and his dad hauled in a 10.54-pounder. Larry Rossy beached five of the trout, including three that weighed more than 8 pounds apiece, at one of the jetties at Cape May Point. All the weaks swallowed bloodworms. Offshore fishing started to take off, and Jim’s Bait & Tackle will hold its 26th annual shark tournament Saturday, and anglers can still enter. Shark fishing was productive, and lots of makos were battled, and the crew of the Got-Em-On checked in the shop’s biggest, a 204-pounder that came from the 19-Fathom Lump. The season’s first tuna reports rolled in. Both tuna and marlin started to get reeled up from warm waters at Spencer Canyon, and the eddie was pushing south to Wilmington Canyon. Anglers on the Clean Sweep released a 350-pound blue marlin, and Bill Haskell on the High Noon hooked 40- to 50-pound yellowfin and bluefin tuna, caught and released a white marlin and raised another white.