<b>Staten Island</b>

The island’s surf casters sometimes dusted striped bass to 22 pounds, mostly on bunker, said Patrick from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Blues also showed up, and plenty of bunker schooled Great Kills Harbor. Weakfish, big tiderunners, continued to turn up, and a big one was weighed in the other day, though Patrick didn’t know its size. The bay’s fluke fishing was spotty, and the season was early. Shark fishing should begin in another week or so, and Michael’s will hold it shark tournament in two Saturdays. The captain’s meeting is the prior Thursday, and an awards banquet will be held Saturday night. Details can be found on the Staten Island Tuna Club’s web site.

<b>Keyport</b>

Lots of small fluke carpeted the bay, and shorts dominated, but the fishing lasts all summer, and more keepers should start to bite, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. Striped bass were still possible to catch on the bay, and that fishing usually lasts through June, until waters warm too much. By July striper anglers usually have to fish the cooler ocean. Blues might’ve been a bit scarcer than before but were still everywhere. Sunday is available for a charter or open-boat trip, and so is Father’s Day weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, and call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass rolled around the boat all morning today, and a couple of keepers and some shorts were hooked, and patrons tossed everything they could to the fish, and the bass often swam away, said Capt. Ron from the <b>Fishermen</b> in an e-mail. Then the boat fished another spot the rest of the day, and when bluefish would back off, a keeper striper would be landed. The only problem was that the blues didn’t back off too often. “Still, nice action all day for a change, and the weather was fantastic,” he said. No trip fished in yesterday’s spotty weather, and a trip Tuesday was slow. On Monday, patrons got a few shots at bass and blues in the morning, before the bite tailed off. Ron on that day saw the best bait life—rainfish, bunker and herring—this season in the ocean. Water temperatures had started to rise that day after plummeting temps over the weekend from strong, south winds, and Ron saw 56- to 60-degree waters. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Magic Hour Trips are running for stripers 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

Fluke fishing on the bay was the best of the season so far on the <b>Atlantic Star</b> on Tuesday morning’s trip, Capt. Tom said. More keepers were bagged than on the previous trips this spring, though lots of undersized fish continued to be hooked. If the size limit hadn’t been increased this year, the number of keepers probably would’ve tripled throughout the season so far. But the catch was relatively better that morning, and conditions or winds and tides that combined to form the right drift played a part. Fishing on the afternoon trip was tough, and patrons got into a fair amount of fluke action, but not many keepers showed up, and there was hardly a drift. Wednesday was just the opposite, and there was no drift on the morning trip, and slow fishing, but there was a current on the afternoon trip, and more keepers were caught. The boat fished different areas on the bay, including Flynn’s Knoll, along the tip of Sandy Hook and along the channel. Spearing and squid are supplied for bait, and Tom sometimes recommends stopping at a shop and picking up a small amount of killies to bring, because sometimes killies make a difference, though he noticed no difference on these trips. Sometimes bucktails or Spros can work better than rigs, and they did work better when there was no drift. 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.

Striped bass fishing became slow on Raritan Bay, though blues swam all over the waters, and bunker schooled, said Capt. Mick from the <b>CRT II</b>. On a trip Saturday one striper and some blues were belted. On Sunday morning striper fishing was a disaster on a trip, but blues bit.  In the afternoon Mick decided to forget stripers on a trip and switched to fluking. A few of the flatties to 5 pounds were decked. Mick hoped striper fishing bounced back, but if not, fluking and bluefishing are on tap. He actually runs lots of fluke trips, though the season was just getting going. Dates are available for trips, especially on weekdays.

Plenty of fish swam around, and anglers just had to work a little at catching them, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers were loaded with weakfish, blues and stripers. Catch the weaks on worms or Fin-S Fish, and look for the bass mostly at night. Fluke fishing wasn’t too bad up there, and some keepers could be bagged. Fluking seemed good yesterday at Flynn’s Knoll, and lots of fluke everywhere were shorts with the new, larger, 18-inch size limit. Bluefishing was excellent for boaters who jigged in the ocean, and sometimes boaters landed stripers on the troll or on live or chunked bunker. Bass were also wormed in the ocean at night. Surf casters got into blues on metal, and sometimes beached stripers at Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach or even farther south on plugs at night or during low-light hours, like the cloudy conditions this morning. Excellent catches of ling could be made at the wrecks, and some sea bass could be found on the same grounds. Waters were cold.

<b>Highlands</b>

Livelined bunker attracted lots of attacks from striped bass along the oceanfront at Monmouth Beach for Kenn Seton’s gang Tuesday with <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>, Capt. Brian said. On the first drift the anglers pinned down four bruisers 25 to 34 pounds, and on the next drift boated eight among twice as many bites. Bunker pods swam up and down the shoreline, and no bluefish, not even one, showed up. A good trip. Waters were cold for this time of year, and 55 to 56 degrees was the warmest seen, and Brian even saw 52 degrees, but the ocean was clear, clean and full of life. Jersey Devil, who specializes in catching trophy stripers, will probably chase the fish through the first or second week of July. The crew is also gearing up for shark fishing that will begin soon, and fluking will also be in the mix anytime now. Fluking seemed hit or miss in Raritan Bay. Brian noted that fluke anglers this year should fish big baits, because of the larger, 18-inch size limit, not the small, traditional baits like killies. The size limit seems a problem, and Brian discussed some of the issues fluke anglers are facing with the government’s increasingly stringent fluke regulations that could be caused by the government’s surveys of the fluke population that could be inaccurate. Angler organizations like the Recreational Fishing Alliance are looking into this, and they need everyone’s help, and Brian urges anglers to be sure to support them. Any fixes to the problems cannot be accomplished without strong help from anglers. One of the issues that Brian discussed was that part of the problem with fluke is that the government is being forced to strive to meet a certain quota for the fluke population in a certain period of time that now seems too short, unrealistic and maybe unnecessary. But the Magnuson-Stevens Act allows no flexibility to change such measures without a monumental act of congress, even if the efforts start to seem the incorrect path, like they do now. Groups like the RFA are supporting bill HR5425 to change the law to allow flexibility in Magnuson-Stevens to help solve the problem, and Brian urges anglers to contact their local government representatives and express support for the bill. That’s a big part of what you can do now, and it’s up to you, the angler, to fix this.

<b>Fisher Price Charters</b> started fishing for striped bass in the ocean again, after targeting the fish anywhere from the bay to the ocean before, Capt. Derek said. Previously charters chased the linesiders only in the ocean a moment, after bay fishing had dropped off for a period. But the bite was back on in the ocean this week, and anglers onboard pretty much reeled in four to eight stripers per trip, mostly on livelined bunker, sometimes on chunked bunker. Bunker schools were starting to be seen passing along the coast in the area. The ocean was as warm as about 56 degrees, still chilly, but better than temps around 50 or lower during the weekend, from strong southerly winds and rough weather. Some boaters were struggling to find stripers, and some even left the area to pursue fish elsewhere by now. But Fisher Price connected, and Derek said it’s just a matter of sticking with it, and going a lot, and being there to hook-up when the fish turned on. He charters for the bass straight through mid July. More importantly, he catches during that time, and did so last year. He’s also available for fluke fishing, and heard that catches were pretty good the past couple of days, when conditions or winds and tides created decent drifts. So fluking was improving a bit. A few dates remain for charters this month.

<b>Sea Bright</b>

On the <b>Day at Sea</b> three short striped bass were caught and released on a trip that fished Sandy Hook Bay, Flynn’s Knoll and Romer Shoal today, Capt. Frank said. Only a few blues were seen, and skates, sandsharks and sea robins bit the bunker and clam baits in the 56.5-degree waters. A slower day on the bay, but the season was probably too early to switch to fluke fishing. The crew will now move the boat to Point Pleasant to fish through summer.

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> was the only boat in the fleet to sail from Shark River Inlet in yesterday’s mixed up weather forecasts, and even the party boats stayed tied to the docks, but the ocean turned out flat calm, Capt. Ralph said. A charter of students was aboard, and they mostly did water samples and such on Shark River, so they only moved to the ocean 1 ½ hours to try a little fishing. The time was too short to fish the reef, where plenty of sea bass and bottom huggers had been biting, so they attempted fluke fishing close to the beaches. But waters were too cold and 50 degrees, and no fluke touched the baits. So the group moved back to the river, and fluke were reeled in, but no keepers. A charter today was going to look for stripers and blues in the ocean, because that’s what they wanted, but Ralph expected them to switch to the good sea bassing after finding waters too cold. Stripers could’ve possibly by-passed the area because of the chilly waters this season, and that’s happened during some years. But Ralph still expects the linesiders to show up, and is optimistic. Individual-reservation fluke trips are slated to fish every Wednesday starting next week. If fluke fail to cooperate yet, the trips will fish for whatever’s biting. Ralph not guaranteeing what species will hit these days, “but we’ll catch something,” he said.

<b>Belmar</b>

A catch of sea bass was decent, okay on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> on Monday in 60 to 70 feet, Capt. Tom said. The lumpheads weighed up to 3 pounds, and a couple of out-of-season tog, including a 10-1/2-pounder full of roe, were hooked and released. An out-of-season flounder was also let go. The ocean was 56 degrees, a little warmer than the cold waters during the weekend. Charters today and Saturday were supposed to look for striped bass. In awesome news, shark season is finally here! Nan Sea J’s annual, open-boat shark trips every Wednesday will begin next week and run only through July. The trips are a tremendous opportunity to tangle with the beasts without having to charter the whole boat. Dates do fill, so call to reserve. Shark charters are also available, and sharking is Tom’s favorite fishing. If water temps push up to the 60s, perfectly feasible, especially with 90-degree air forecast in the coming days, that’s plenty warm for mako sharks. Blue sharks were already swimming around. Tom usually sails a little south at first on the shark trips for the warmest waters.

Screwy weather with off-and-on stormy conditions prevented fluke fishing yesterday, but a few better-sized flatbacks, sometimes 6- and 7-pounders, started to come up from the ocean on the <b>Big Mohawk</b> in past days, Capt. Chris said. Waters were chilly, and the fishing should be “quicker,” and a stretch of warmer weather was needed, but that could happen soon enough, with forecasts calling for high temps in the next days. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Bluefishing was solid both day and night on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, Capt. Greg said. The daytime trips no longer jigged along the ocean beaches but moved deeper, 11 miles east of the inlet, and switched to bait fishing. Slammers averaging 8 to 10 pounds gave patrons a workout. So that meant the trips no longer searched for striped bass, and waters were a little cold, but stripers could still appear, and if they do, patrons will go after them with jigs. The ocean was 56 or 57 degrees, and that’s 8 to 10 degrees lower than last year. The night trips for blues are now running daily. The Golden Eagle is sailing for blues on two trips daily 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Shark River held fluke, but many were shorts, and the new size limit was outrageous, said Ed Klumpp from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. He and a friend or friends landed 30 and no keepers on one trip and 35 and one keeper on another. His brother, John Klumpp, fished the Manasquan River and lucked into an 8-pound 8-ouncer off Clark’s Landing. Ocean striped bass fishing picked up a lot, and boaters scored big ones to 30 and 35 pounds on bunker spoons, and beach anglers also hooked up. Ed saw two 32- and 35-inchers landed in the suds at the arches on the border of Spring Lake and Belmar. Bunker schooled the ocean and sometimes the surf. Clams and bloodworms got the bites from bass in the wash, and surf casters who used bunker didn’t catch much, because it takes a big striper like a 20- or 25-pounder to swallow a bunker, and not many of those were around. Cold waters, winds, weather and weeds made party boat fluking challenging. Weeds often filled Shark River, too.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Action ramped up, and so did participation, and both ocean boaters and surf casters connected, mostly with blues, but also with striped bass, said Rob Sr. from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Boaters actually did a job on stripers, slicing through bunkers schools that the fish chased. Surf fishers walloped catches toward Lavallette and Seaside and also from Sea Girt to Belmar, mostly landing 4- to 7-pound blues, but sometimes blues in the teens, and sometimes stripers. They fought blues on popper lures yesterday morning, and otherwise they dunked bunker or clams. Fluke fishing was mostly a dead issue because of cold waters, so flatfish anglers would have to wait until temps rise. That was the case in the ocean but also in the Manasquan River. Occasionally a tide would give up the summer flounder on the river for a moment, but otherwise not. Rob knew of one fluke angler who fluke fished the river all day yesterday without a catch. So things were finally coming along. Keep in mind that the Gates Motel, located on the grounds, is popular with anglers, who stay the night before or after trips on the local boats, avoiding early or late drives, or simply visit for a fishing vacation. Both the motel and tackle shop are located within walking distance of the charter and party boat fleet, Manasquan Inlet and the surf.

Boaters picked up a few striped bass in the ocean on trolled bunker spoons, but most found none, said Ronnie from <b>Fisherman’s Supply</b>. Not many pods of bunker pushed along the coast. “But that’s about to change,” he said. Nighttime surf anglers sometimes came up with hefty stripers, like a couple of 36- and 39-inchers weighed in that were dragged from the wash around Seaside. <i>Very</i> cold waters slowed ocean fluking. Blues were about the only fish reeled in from the Manasquan River, and the river at the mouth of the Point Pleasant Canal and along Manasquan Inlet held the fish, but it wasn’t like the shop could tell someone to go there, and the angler would be sure to hook up. Poppers and metal would draw the strikes.

A charter Monday started looking for striped bass in the ocean off Seaside with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, the report on the boat’s web site said. Then the captain got news about bait schooling farther north off Deal, so the charter ran there and found acres of bait. The first couple of pods held no stripers, but then the right pod was found, and striper fishing was drop and reel. The anglers limited out on 20-plus-pound bass on the first drift then played catch and release. A bass more than 30 pounds was released, and the stripers smashed bait right on the surface. The charter’s son landed a striper that was more than half as long as the 10-year-old and was his personal best, larger than his previous biggest, a 15-pounder boated on a trip with Andrea’s Toy last year. On Tuesday a charter ran south in the ocean for stripers again, and kept moving south and searching, until reaching past Barnegat Inlet. After no hits, they decided to move 3 miles offshore to a wreck for bottom fishing. But little bit, because the bottom was 43 degrees! On the way back, 15-pound blues were found blitzing a huge school of bunker, and the anglers battled the slammers. The mate saw three striped bass among the fish, but the blues were too thick and beat the bass to the baits. Something big, maybe a thresher shark, spooled a reel. A ton of blues ended up caught for the smoker. On Wednesday a charter looked around for stripers in the ocean but then decided to sail for sea bass. They picked away at sea bass and ling at some snags. Then they headed south, and marks were found, and they tried drifting live bunker and trolling for linesiders, but no takers. They finished the day battling small blues on Manasquan River. The stripers in the ocean “are there one second and gone the next. Crazy season,” the report said. Andrea’s Toy is fishing for striped bass and sea bass, either separately or on combo trips. Shark fishing will launch soon.

A good week of fishing on the <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Patrons boxed ling and sea bass, more ling when cold waters from south winds dominated, and vice versa. The vessel fished in 60 to 90 feet, where the ocean was 58 to 62 degrees, and dogfish were wild in deeper waters. No cod showed up, but blues were sometimes hooked, and so were bigger, out-of-season winter flounder. The boat’s weekend, nighttime bluefish trips sailed, and catches were fair, because the ocean was cold. Plenty of dogfish also stole baits there. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Bluefishing trips are running 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday and Saturday and will begin to run daily in the evenings in mid month.

Tilefishing got back under way on the <b>Voyager</b> on Sunday after every other tile trip on the boat got blown out since May, an e-mail from the boat said. Catches started off slowly at first, but then that changed. At first, the boat drifted several areas that produced fish last year, but with little success this time. By mid morning, a few tiles began to get picked. Then the crew gambled on a spot 40 minutes away. The lines hit the bottom, and the rods started bending. Three to six tiles were hooked at all times more than an hour, and even a few double headers were scored.  Most of the fish were good-sized or 10 to 20 pounds, and a 40-pounder was the pool fish, and Gregory Humbert drilled that catch and three other tiles. Ernest Collins was high hook with eight tiles. Whey Sung earned an honorable mention for six, and George Hanakis and Cheol Min Park took six apiece. Many other patrons landed three or four. Another tilefish trip sails 10 p.m. Sunday night and other Sunday nights, and check the calendar on the boat’s web site for availability. The boat is also fishing for fluke on two trips daily and for bluefish at night on Fridays and Saturdays. The tuna schedule is also now posted on the calendar, and spots are already booked. On another note, the e-mail from the vessel said a few people asked how its last cod and pollock trip fared. A handful of pollock and some cod were bagged, slow fishing, and eels and sharks sometimes overran baits. The crew had thought the bite would’ve been better, and the fishing was good at that time last year.

<b>Bricktown</b>

Incredible catches of sea bass were getting boated at spots like the Sea Girt Reef and the Axel Carlson Reef, said Jason from <b>Pell’s Fish & Sport</b>. The lumpheads weighed up to 4 pounds, and ling were mixed in. Trollers picked at a few striped bass in the ocean, and Jason heard about a few landed at the Shrewsbury Rocks and off the Seaside Casino Pier. One boater had just called today and reported trolling two 36- and 24-pound stripers in the ocean off Manasquan Inlet on bunker spoons. But generally the fishing wasn’t as hot as it had been since the waters cooled from all the south winds, and warmer weather could help, and some was on the way. Bunker moved in and out of the surf, and when they moved in, surf anglers snagged them and dropped them back for bait to beach blues and stripers. Jason saw some anglers hooked up in the surf yesterday, when he took a look at the beach without a rod in hand. During the week sharpies pulled blues from the surf on chunked bunker and in the mornings hooked stripers on bunker heads from the wash. Tons of blues packed the Manasquan River, pinning rainfish against structure like the Railroad Bridge, and anglers tossed popper lures to connect. Good striper catches were pulled from the Point Pleasant Canal, sometimes on live eels fished along the sides, but more often on Fin-S Fish. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, sandworms and eels are stocked, and so are all kinds of fluke bait, including killies, Peruvian smelts, spearing and four types of squid.

<b>Toms River</b>

Blues 2 to 3 pounds, decent numbers, could be trolled on Barnegat Bay from the 40 to BB markers on small Krocs or ponytails, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Bluefish anglers were also playing 2-pound tailors on the Toms River at Island Heights on whole spearing, mostly in the mornings, and not a lot of the fish, but some, and one customer landed two or three each outing. Very few weakfish were reported caught from the bay anymore, but some, a scarce pick, were found off the Berkeley Island Park bulkhead. Fluke were drifted-up along the 40 on killies or spearing with squid combos, and lots of the flatfish hugged Oyster Creek Channel, but few were keepers. Boaters might’ve reeled in 20 or 25 and only two or three keepers. A bunch of customers were buying eels and fooling striped bass along the sod banks of the bay at night, and a few of the fish could be clammed in the area during the day. Ocean boaters sometimes trolled big stripers on Stretch 25 plugs or bunker spoons around schools of the menhaden, and big blues bit among them. Surf catches were on the slow side, but sharpies scored bass or blues, mostly blues, one day and none another. Crabbing was starting to pick up well, especially on the Toms at Island Heights, the warmest waters in the area, 66 or 68 degrees. The shop’s supply of killies for fluking is in good shape, after the minnows were difficult to find at first this season. The entire bait supply is pretty much loaded up and includes smelts, spearing, several types of squid, fresh bunker and fresh clams.

<b>Seaside</b>

Surf casters sometimes angled up big striped bass, including a 42.7-pounder that was weighed in, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site.  Other weigh-ins included a 32.2-pounder, a 22-pounder and an 11.9-pounder. All chomped down bunker, but the 11-pounder smacked a pencil popper. Blues showed up at times, such as some that ran around Tuesday morning, and then bass—beauties, too!—appeared in the afternoon. Surf temps hovered in the low 60s. Time to start plugging. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Waretown</b>

The <b>Tuna-Tic</b> was moved back to its home port in Waretown to start shark fishing after spending the spring sailing for striped bass on Raritan Bay and the nearby ocean, Capt. Mike said. Shark charters will fish June 10 through 23, hunting the fish only during the peak of the season. Thresher sharks were already harassing bunker schools along the ocean beaches, and friends who are commercial fishermen said plenty of blue sharks swam offshore. On the way to Waretown, Mike marked fish in the ocean off Deal, threw out one line, and hooked five striped bass, releasing all but one that died. When the boat’s not sharking, inshore charters for stripers, blues and bottom fish will still sail. Three-day, open-boat tuna trips, the ultimate in fishing, will dominate the schedule starting in July.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Big, monster blues stormed the surf, and a few striped bass were mixed in, and anglers tossed bunker and clams to catch them, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. The blues, 4- to 10-pounders, also swam Barnegat Inlet. Boaters in the ocean south of the inlet could find bunker pods with 20- to 40-pound stripers chasing them. Fluke were sometimes bagged at Meyer’s Hole and Oyster and Double Creek channels on minnows, Gulps, squid strips and such. Weakfish were hooked at times behind High Bar Harbor at sunset, and try livelining spots, and the shop just started carrying spots, or throw Fin-S Fish or maybe Rat-L-Traps. Customers were gearing up to go shark fishing this weekend for the first time this season. “It’s June,” Josh said. But the anglers seemed to know something about sharks being around, because of the way they were carrying on. The store is fully loaded for sharking with chum, frozen, vacuum-packed mackerel, rigs and everything. The store is also carrying fresh bunker, fresh clams, minnows, eels, frozen baits and more.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

After storms on Saturday, the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b> left port on a sea bass trip Sunday with 20 fares in a good-sized groundswell leftover from the weather, Capt. Frank said in an e-mail. Southwest winds blew 15 knots, and the boat first stopped on inshore grounds, and a few sea bass came up in waters that looked dirty. The vessel pushed out to 75 to 85 feet, and quality-sized sea bass were found. Anglers averaged four to eight of the lumpheads apiece, a slow pick through the day, and Gregory Ivancheck from Holgate won the pool with a 3-pounder. Open-boat sea bass trips are running 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. After sea bassing slows down, trips will sail for fluke, probably toward the end of June. The boat will leave the dock daily starting about June 25.

It’s June, and the <b>June Bug</b> is back in action! After spending a little time fishing from North Carolina like always this spring, the boat is back in Jersey. Fishing on the vessel was weathered out during the weekend, Capt. Lindsay said, but he hoped to fish for sea bass and other bottom biters this coming weekend at the ocean wrecks. Sea bassing’s been good this spring. Offshore fishing, the June Bug’s main affair, might begin next week. The crew’s had good luck with marlin and tuna in June. In 1989 a limit of yellowfin tuna, two blue marlin, some mahi mahi and a wahoo were landed on the first trip of the year in mid month. In the meantime, sea bass charters will continue, and so will trips for blues and stripers. Stripers at the moment seemed to hold in 60 to 80 feet and not tight to the beach. Bunker, the favorite striper forage, sometimes schooled close to the beach, though maybe not as many of the baitfish as there could be. But like any fishing, striper anglers just had to look around for the bass and bunker. In North Carolina, a windy spring made fishing spotty. That made big-game fishing difficult offshore, but Tarheel State boaters were compensating by catching blues closer to shore, and they were also onto plenty of tilefish and groupers farther out, but not as far as the big-game waters. In other news, the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association is offering its annual <a href=" http://www.beachhavencharterfishing.com/juniormates.htm
" target="_blank">Junior Mates Program</a>. Ages 13 to 17 can register to serve as a mate in training on pro fishing vessels. Registration night takes place Thursday, June 19, at the New Jersey Museum of Maritime History on Dock Road at West Avenue in Beach Haven.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

More 30-pound striped bass were weighed in during the past 10 days than through the whole year, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The weather was rough, making bay fishing difficult, but it was good for striper angling. Big bass schooled after bunker in the ocean from the surf to 40 or 45 feet off the towers on southern Long Beach Island, and 90 percent were hooked on bunker that anglers snagged and sent back out as bait. Anglers sometimes left them biting, and a 36-pounder was the largest checked in. Blues might’ve been around, but everybody concentrated on stripers. Bay anglers reeled in flounder when waters were clear, but those who caught two keepers had one of the better days, because of the new size limit. Transient 1- or ¾-pound blues sometimes appeared in the bay, but freshwater from rains mostly pushed them toward the inlet and surrounding waters. No weakfish showed up, and crabs were shedding, but the shop wasn’t bothering to stock shedders, the favorite weakfish bait, considering none of the trout was available. Great Bay’s shark fishing usually turns on by the second week of June, next week. Sandsharks and brown sharks to 5 or 5 ½ feet, the largest ones, or 65 to 70 pounds, and once in a while 100 pounds, move into the bay and offer a great fishery on light tackle a while. It’s one of the few places where shark fishers don’t have to head offshore. The fish are mostly battled 9 to 11 p.m., and flounder fishers already hooked 4-foot sandsharks on the bay. On the rivers like Wading River white perch fishing seemed to taper off somewhat, because sales of grass shrimp for bait slowed down. Scott guessed that the fish now dropped to the main rivers like the Mullica, more accessible to boaters than bank anglers, like anglers who had been wailing on the slabs at the Wading River bridge. Minnows and squid for flounder and snagging hooks for bunker fishing for stripers were the most popular items sold this week. The minnow supply was a little tough but hanging in there.

<b>Port Republic</b>

A bunch of flounder were boated on Great Bay around the 139 marker and up on the flats around the area, said Violet from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>. She and son Cody put together a catch around Absecon Bay. Weakfish just started to bite, a little behind schedule. Stripers were eeled in the Mullica River, the mouth of the river and such areas, also a little late for them to still bite so much, but the season in general seemed somewhat late, and waters were cool. Bluefish kept swimming everywhere. Minnows, live shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, and frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Absecon</b>

Lots of small flounder and little blues filled the bay, said Ray from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Most of the flounder were an inch or two short of the new size limit, and would’ve been keepers in recent years. Anglers probably had to land a dozen to bag a keeper. Blueclaw crabs were shedding, so anglers would figure that weakfish that love the shedders would’ve appeared, but Ray heard about none, except a few that a commercial crabber found in his pots. The shed meant crabbing was tough, but catches of the blueclaws should start to pick up for the season in a week or two. Customers seemed to catch striped bass along the inlet and bridges at night, because they were buying eels and spots. They were typically tight-lipped, but Ray figured they wouldn’t keep buying $25 worth of the bait if they weren’t successful. Ocean boaters had a chance at a 50-pound striper if they headed north to the middle of Long Beach Island or farther. Ray heard about no bass chasing bunker at Brigantine closer to the shop like were schooling there last week. Surf casters at Atlantic City and along the inlet hooked kingfish, and one day the kings would appear, and another day wouldn’t. Bloodworms got bites, and so did FishBites worms, and FishBites seem to work better than Gulp worms, because they seem better in colder water. The ocean was 63 or 64 degrees. Customers reported very good catches of striped bass on the Mullica River on eels. One yesterday nailed three big ones and a bunch of shorts. Ray was unsure how far up the river the fish were found, but they were someplace there. Everyone who perch fished on the rivers said they reeled up plenty. Shedder crabs are stocked, and the shop carries a lot, because it raises its own. Live spots, eels, clams, bloodworms and the full gamut of baits, a large variety, is carried. The doors are now open extended hours or 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and probably till 8 p.m. on weekends.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Boaters chased big striped bass to 45 pounds that hunted bunker schools in the ocean, said Tom from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf fishers also sometimes got into the fish, like Gary Born, who caught and released a 36-pound 46-incher in the suds yesterday. Bunker baits scored well in the wash, and clams also worked. A fair number of kingfish moved into the surf, and blues were around. In the back back flounder could be landed, but the keeper ratio was tough. Anglers might reel up 30 and only find two keepers.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Boaters snagged bunker from schools in the ocean and dropped them back down for bait for big striped bass, said Dominic from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. Sometimes big blues were the catch among the bunker. Kingfish bit in the suds on bloodworms or FishBites. Not much was heard about back-bay flounder fishing, and Dominic did no fishing for the flatties like he had in past weeks, but the flatbacks could be caught. Anglers will start shark fishing now, and Dominic was supposed to try to fight a thresher shark this weekend. Threshers sometimes slashed through the bunker schools along the beaches or swam along the reefs and wrecks, and somebody gave an unconfirmed report about a big mako seen at the Triple Wrecks. All the shark baits, chum and rigs are at the ready at the shop. News about tuna was hush-hush, but Dominic knew that bluefins roamed along the 40-fathom line. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, should splash next week. A few trips will probably fish for blues, including in the Ladies Invitational Bluefish Tournament, and stripers at first before heading out for sharks and eventually tuna. The store’s rental boat, a 17-foot Angler with a 50-horsepower engine, is available to fish the bay, and call ahead if you want the staff to drop the vessel in the waters for you. All baits from minnows to pallets of all kinds of offshore baitfish are fully stocked.

<b>Longport</b>

Pretty good sea bass catches came up on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, about the same fishing as before, and patrons averaged 12 to 18 keepers apiece, Capt. Mike said. Previously he said lots of small ones covered the wrecks, typical for them to move in at this time of year, but anglers culled through them to grab plenty of keepers. Many of the keepers were good-sized, 1 ½ to 2 pounds, and the big ones weighed 3 or 3 ½ pounds. A few ling also bit, and so did a few out-of-season, big, 11- or 12-inch porgies. No out-of-season tog appeared in the last days, though customers couldn’t keep tog from jumping on baits before. On open-boat sea bass trips, space is available Friday and Saturday, and Sunday is sold out. Afterward daily sea bass trips will be discontinued for summer, because charters will dominate the schedule, but open trips will still sail Thursdays and Sundays. Call to reserve, because space is getting tight. Stray Cat is running a few trips targeting squid, and a couple of spots are open Saturday for squid. Space is also available for a squid trip Saturday, June 21. The boat’s charters fish for almost any species available, including sea bass, flounder, sharks and tuna. Mike expects mako sharks to bite in another two weeks, and inshore tuna fishing, or fishing for bluefins, is probably a week away.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Kingfish sometimes nibbled on bloodworms in the surf, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. The ocean was a little too cold to use FishBites artificial worms. He heard about a few striped bass taken from the suds, and a bunch of 3- to 5-pound blues blitzed Corson’s Inlet today. Back-bay flounder anglers scored okay catches, and the action was hot and cold, best on outgoing tides, when warm waters came through from the creeks and such, instead of the ocean. A 5-pounder was weighed in Wednesday, and a 6.95-pound was checked in Monday, and both came from the bay around Ocean City. A few blues also swam the bay, and big ones schooled offshore at the AC Ridge and 28-Mile Wreck. Nobody said they found weakfish anywhere locally, but weaks supposedly turned on along the Cape May Point jetties. No customers said they fished for sea bass, and none seemed to shark fish yet, and Bill hoped they started sharking this weekend. Reports about tuna, like early season, inshore bluefins, were yet to materialize. Tuna were caught before Memorial Day the last couple of years, but that was unusual, not the norm.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> was hearing about lots of 18- or 19-inch flounder grabbed from the back bay, and boaters landed one or two per vessel and lots of shorts, but the fishing was good, and he couldn’t say anything bad about it, he said. Anglers need to find clear waters to hook up, and dirty, brown waters won’t cut it. Wes was fishing green and white bucktails with strips of bait like mackerel, squid or Gulps to connect, but a minnow will also work, and try throwing on a dropper 18-inches above with a 1/8-ounce leadhead with a Gulp, or a fly or maybe a red stinger hook or such. Blues also roamed the bay. Anglers at the inlet could stick blues and flounder during daylight and weakfish at night. Striped bass fishing was consistent in the surf on clams, and kingfish held in the surf, and one angler landed 20 in the past two days, and dunk bloodworms for them. But hold the rod, because they were biting lightly. A blitz of 5-pound weaks and big stripers to 36 inches turned on at Avalon’s 8th Street jetty one day this week for a couple of hours. Crabbing was slow, and water temps dropped, but the weekend’s forecast for 90-degree days looked promising.

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, fished around Cape May on Monday with friend Capt. Chris Goldmark, who fishes the area in the warm months and also charters in Puerto Rico in winter, Joe said. They fly-rodded herring, blues, a couple of weakfish and even an out-of-season, 4-pound tog that was foul-hooked and released. Joe didn’t want to specify where they fished, because he didn’t want to step on Chris’s toes, in case that was an issue. Joe hooked one small weak and hooked a whopper, probably one of the top-five biggest weaks he’d ever fought, before the trout got off, and he watched bait fishers landing good-sized weaks on floated bloodworms. Joe cast small Clouser flies and Seaducers on a sinking line, and the trip took place in the evening on incoming tide. Joe last winter reported fishing with Goldmark in Puerto Rico on the island of Culebra and said he had a great time on the out-of-the-way, sort of undiscovered waters. Back at Sea Isle, bluefish continued to swim the shallow flats of the bay, and striped bass started to hit top-water popper lures and flies, and all was good. The top-water striper fishing will be one of Joe’s specialties through the summer, when the waters warm, great action that not everyone knows about. He poles the flats while his charters cast to the fish, much like flats fishing that anglers travel a thousand miles to do in other locations. But it’s available right here in Sea Isle. Waters were cold for this time of year, and Joe didn’t expect major changes in the fishing yet. Spring fishing’s been wonderful so far, he said. Flounder hugged the bottom of the bay, and like usual, the fishing depended on conditions that created the right drift. A trip was going to flounder fish the other day, but strong winds blew the drift far too fast, so the anglers switched to blues and loaded up on light tackle with soft plastic lures. Like much of the state, short flounder were overabundant in the bay with the new, larger, 18-inch size limit, and many of the fish were 17 ½ or 17 ¾ inches long and would’ve been keepers last year. The action was excellent in the right conditions, though.

<b>Cape May</b>

Delaware Bay’s drum fishing, probably the best drum season that Capt. Rob from <b>First Cast Sport Fishing</b> ever experienced, kept producing just as many catches this week as before, he said. He fished the bay since age 6 and never saw so many of the drum bite. The fishing kept getting better in the past few springs, and this spring was the best yet. A charter with the A&A Glass group from Camden scored plenty on Sunday, and so did Bob Turner’s group from Nelson Trees on Monday. Both charters returned early after catching their fill, and the fish on both trips weighed 50 to 75 pounds. Rob didn’t say where he fished, but all the fleet was drum fishing toward Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top. First Cast’s first flounder trip of the year sailed Tuesday on the bay, and lots of shorts bit, but a couple of 20- to 23-inch keepers were landed. The charter, with Ron Sparndorf’s group, also ran into a school of 17-inch blues, not cocktails, not slammers, actually some of the best eating-sized, and fought a few of the speedsters.  They started fishing toward 60-Foot Slough and worked toward Miah Maul. A space is available Sunday for a charter, and Rob recommends drum fishing while it’s hot, and the bite doesn’t last long. Drum and flounder charters will continue, and sharking will start soon. Waters weren’t warm enough for sharking yet, but anglers hoped that would change soon. The boat is available for the South Jersey Shark Tournament.

Fishing for drum was still phenomenal on Delaware Bay, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>. His charters were catching them for weeks now. Flounder fishing was probably best in the back bays, and a trip on the boat already hit that action once this season, producing probably 30 fish, plenty of throwbacks, but keepers to 6 pounds.  Productive sea bass fishing was also an option on bottom-fishing trips. Striped bass could be chased among the bunker schools in the ocean, and a few stripers could be picked up in Delaware Bay, but the ocean was probably the better bet, especially on a charter. Fishin’ Fever is ready to start shark fishing, and it’s time. Tom heard about a few threshers roaming 10 to 20 fathoms and some makos beginning to appear in 20 to 30 fathoms. He even heard first-hand from a friend who saw 40- to 70-pound bluefin tuna at the scallop boats, and Tom is ready to get in on any of the blue-water fishing, so there’s no reason to delay, if you’re also ready. He’s even willing to run overnight for sharks and swordfish then switch to tuna fishing in the daytime on a charter. Sounds like he’s got the blue-water bug, and there’s no reason to wait!

Drum kept biting for charters on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> on Delaware Bay, and John Gonzales’ group on Monday bagged 16 and caught and released more, and Frank McCrae’s charter on Tuesday landed seven, Capt. George said. The fish on Monday were larger and included an 85-pounder, and on Tuesday were medium-sized, mostly 45 pounders, but included a 72-pounder. The Heavy Hitter will keep drum fishing through next week, and anglers kept calling and booking trips through next week, so the boat will still chase the fish. After next week other types of fishing become popular for charters, including sharking, sea bassing, flounder fishing and bluefishing.

Delaware Bay anglers were still nailing drum at Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf fishers reeled to shore decent catches of striped bass, mostly on clams, but also on fresh bunker when available. Good numbers of weakfish were also lifted from the wash at Higbee’s Beach, and some were also taken along the sod banks of the back bay, and hang bloodworms under a float to score. Little was heard about bluefish found anywhere. A bunch of flounder seemed to be picked up from Delaware Bay at Miah Maul, and the back bay always gives up flatties at this time of year. Customers planned to look for flounder in the ocean this weekend, especially because of the hot weather forecast, and they were  waiting for ocean temps to bump up a little for ocean flounder, and maybe the heat wave would do it. Sea bassing was productive last weekend. Many shark fishers will hit the ocean this weekend for the first time this season, especially with the shark tournament at the Canyon Club taking place. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, bloodworms, live shedder crabs and all the frozen baits are stocked.

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