<b>Brooklawn</b>

Striped bass got a little lockjaw in the Delaware River after Friday’s new moon, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. But the fish spawned out and should be on the prowl again. Chunked bunker seemed to become a better bait, but bloodworms hung catches.

<b>Pennsville</b>

Both incoming and outgoing tides triggered striped bass to feed in the Delaware River, and time of day didn’t seem to matter,  said Matt from <b>Shag’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish gave anglers quite a thrill on the river at places including Elsinboro Point, Penns Grove, the DOD and the nursing home. Most of the linesiders were 26 to 30 inches, but a few topped 40 inches.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Netters kept seeing striped bass in the bay’s shallows, saying that boaters were running too far for them, but the bass almost all refused to feed anyway, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. Striper fishing was slow on the bay. Netters also saw drumfish swimming around, and fishing for the drum should soon be the next big thing on the bay. Ocean surf anglers began to beach occasional drum. Weakfish, kingfish and blues sometimes appeared in the nets in the bay, so they began to come in. The shop’s herring supplier said river anglers slammed stripers around places like the Delaware Memorial Bridge. That’s catch-and-release fishing only, but fun. Be sure to check the regulations for required hook types. Bloodworms are about the best bait, unless anglers could get herring. But the herring run tapered off in the past weeks, though a few were around. Shad gizzards are another bait that works for stripers on the river or anywhere. Commercial fishermen catch the shad for roe, keeping the gizzards to sell for bait, and a few are stocked at the shop. Surf casters at Corson’s and Townsend’s inlets reportedly whacked stripers, especially at night. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms and all the baits are stocked. Bloods go fast, so act quickly to get them.  The Girls Place is located on Route 47 just after Route 55 ends, and it’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right. There’s a large parking lot with plenty of room for trailered boats.

<b>Fortescue</b>

The bay’s boaters mostly missed the run of striped bass, said Capt. Ralph from the <b>Buccaneer</b>. The fish moved up the Delaware River to spawn, and currently are still there, and a few boaters who fished on the bay in early April cleaned up on catches. In past years the linesiders got clobbered on the bay into early May, but not in the past season or two. Maybe fishing for them on the bay will develop a moment when the run returns from the river, heading to the ocean. Ralph should be drumfishing by then, but he offers combo drum and striper trips. Ata reasonable rate, too. Anglers could shellack stripers on the river, catch-and-release fishing by law. Ralph’s nephew drilled six bass over 30 inches apiece on the river, letting them go. Bank anglers could land all they wanted at places like Penn Beach in Pennsville. Drumfishing on the bay should begin around the full moon or toward May 8, and the Buccaneer runs a heavy schedule of drum trips. The Buccaneer’s first drum charters are slated for May 5 and 9. Ralph is a pioneer of the fishing, sailing for the boomers since the 1960s, when nobody else did. Everybody now chases them. He offers a very reasonable rate for drumming.

The <b>Salt Talk</b> was supposed to splash yesterday, and if everything’s in ship shape, daily, open-boat trips will begin this weekend, Capt. Howard said. The season was probably early to target drum, but if the boomers suddenly turn on, the boat will fish for them. Otherwise patrons will dunk clams or bunker baits for striped bass until drum fishing kicks in. Then both open trips and charters will be available for drum. Although the official open-boat schedule is 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, anglers should always call ahead to confirm, because no open trips will run when a charter is booked, and open trips will only leave port daily when there’s demand. Demand can especially be less during the early season, for example. 

Daily, open-boat trips will kick off this weekend on the <b>Bonanza</b>, Capt. Mike said. The boat was ready to sail last weekend, so a trip targeted tog on Saturday, returning with 55 of the blackfish. The boat’s Web site said the slipperies weighed 4 to 9 pounds, and some anglers limited out. Tog season closes Friday, but look for tog trips to resume in fall. The Bonanza will sail on open-boat trips 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily starting Saturday. Open trips for drum will sail 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. every Wednesday starting May 13. Call Mike for info at 609-381-2978.  

<b>Bivalve</b>

Some anglers switched to catching tog at the lighthouses along the shipping channel, since striped bass fishing dropped off in the bay, said Pat from <b>Longreach Marina</b>. A few hit an occasional puppy drum, and everybody hoped for a good drum season soon, like last year’s drumfishing. Netters found weakfish in their catches, but nobody talked about nabbing one of the tiderunners on hook and line so far in the bay. Fresh bunker and frozen baits are stocked. The boat slips were dropped in the waters this week, and the marina is now open seven days a week, fully open for the season.

<b>Cape May</b>

A charter that was supposed to run for striped bass on the bay sailed for tog instead, said Capt. Rob from the <b>First Cast</b>. They bucketed the blackfish on the bay on clams and green crabs. Both baits seemed to work equally. Drumfish charters on the bay will be next on the vessel. A few of the boomers were reeled up, and boaters kept marking fish that appeared to be drum. The same thing happened last year: Marks were read, and the fish seemed to refuse to bite until they were ready, and then all mayhem broke loose, the best-ever drum season that anglers remembered. Rob also heard that people on a spotter plane saw drum entering the bay. Crews on the planes spot bunker for commercial boats.

Striped bass moved up the Delaware River to spawn, and Delaware Bay anglers waited for them to return, said Capt. Eric from <b>O-Beth Sportfishing Charters</b>. He hoped combo striper/drumfish charters would be possible in a week or two. His first drum trip of the season will fish this weekend, and angling for the boomers should only get better around the full moon on May 8. Bottom-fishing trips to the inshore wrecks should kick in around mid May, when sea bass should carpet the pieces. Waters needed to warm a little. Coming up, the best shark fishing usually goes down during the first three weeks of June. O-Beth loves sharking, and now is the time to reserve preferred dates.

A limit of tog to 19 inches got knuckled in on a charter Saturday on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Bob said. He wasn’t asked whether the trip fished on the bay or on the ocean. Anglers aboard will begin to hunt drumfish on the bay in about a week. Waters were cold, needed to warm a few degrees. The fish were marked but refused to bite.

A charter limited out on tog to 6 ½ or 7 pounds on Saturday on the Delaware side of the bay on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. They released about 15 throwbacks and fished with green crabs and clams. Both baits worked equally. Delaware game wardens were out checking boats, and anglers should be aware that Delaware’s tog limit is three fish with a 15-inch minimum size, compared with four fish at 14 inches in Jersey. Fishing for drum on the bay will be next on the boat, and anglers wrestled in a few, not many. Somebody said a crew on a spotter plane saw drum entering the bay. 

A two-person charter limited on blackfish to 19 inches on the ocean on Friday on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>, Capt. Tom said. They also released a bunch of shorts, and afterward tried for drum on the bay, sticking one that pulled the hook. Tom’s eager for striped bass to return to the bay after spawning in the Delaware River. When they do come down, the majority will be large, around 20 and 30 pounds, big breeders. The run is relatively short but a chance for a trophy. Nobody can say when the bruisers will return, but anglers can call Tom to be kept in the loop about the time to hop on a trip. Several other charters also waxed tog on the boat. Trips for sea bass are also available, and bluefish charters should be possible by the weekend. Shark trips will launch in late May or early June. Anglers interested in tuna fishing shouldn’t count out the early season. Sometimes a bunch of the fish can be creamed in the first warm-water eddies that push in. If anglers want to be kept informed about the tuna, telephone Tom to be on the call list.

The bay was still home to striped bass, but the fish refused to feed, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. A few lucky anglers convinced an occasional one to strike a clam or a swimming plug in the shallows. But surf fishing for stripers started to pick up. The suds at Poverty Beach produced shorts and a few keepers on Saturday, and high tide during the afternoon was best. More keepers and a couple of drumfish were dragged in then. Harry Renfield from Green Creek bagged an 8-pound bass and released four shorts that sucked in clam at Poverty. Vito Stabone from Philly hoisted in a 45-pound drum that Hoovered a clam there. A huge school of drum was seen swimming into the bay from one of the spotter planes. That fishery should kick in any time, and the full moon in May, around the eighth of the month, depending on the calendar looked at, is traditionally a good time to try. Blackfish were cooperative at the Cape May Inlet jetties, Cape May Reef and the inshore wrecks. Quite a number that topped 10 pounds were checked in during the week. Pete Corbo from Morristown showed off a 10.69-pounder that came from the inlet. Barney Bershaw from Villas stopped by with an 11.83-pounder and two cod he plundered at Cape May Reef.  Art Hamler from North Cape May fished a wreck 25 miles offshore for an 8-1/4-pound blackfish, a load of ling and some sea bass. No great numbers of sea bass turned up, but they started to appear from farther offshore.

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