New Jersey Fishing Reports

After a little lull, striped bass fishing lit back up on the Delaware River, said Rick from Big Timber Bait & Tackle. The fish got willing to grab baits on outgoing tides, and try fishing around the DOD or near the Tacony/Palmyra Bridge with bloodworms.

Pennsville

Striped bass could be pulled from the banks on the Delaware River at Penns Grove and Elsinboro Point, said Dave from Shag’s Bait & Tackle. The fish ran 25 to 35 inches on average, but larger ones could be found that were moving back out of the river post-spawn. Bloodworms hooked most of the linesiders.

Port Elizabeth

A drum pick started on the bay, said Sharon from The Girls Place Bait & Tackle. She heard about puppies, small drum, boated at Tussy’s Slough, so the nearby Pin Top, a traditional drum hang out, probably also attracted the fish. The full moon in May sometimes triggers full-out drumming and takes place toward the end of the week. Surf casters at different locations along the Jersey Coast beached drum at times, and Sharon heard about a small one banked from the Fortescue surf. Kingfish began to trickle in to the coastal surf, a little early for them, and the shop’s netter even caught one on the bay. The Landisville Gun Club, in Estelle Manor near Mays Landing, will hold an annual white perch tournament, a statewide contest, on Saturday, May 16, and registration will take place at the club on Friday, May 15. Fresh grass shrimp, a go-to bait for perch, are stocked at the shop. Fresh clams, the favorite drum bait, are on hand, and more will arrive Thursday. Fresh bunker for striped bass fishing is usually carried every day, and more of the menhaden will also arrive Thursday. A few fresh herring, a scarce but deadly bait for stripers, are available at the shop but run out quickly when they arrive. Striped bass could be landed on the Delaware River. Bloodworms will also take stripers and are stocked. Shad gizzards are also carried at times and will also get stripers to hit.

Fortescue

Small drumfish, puppies about 30 pounds, started biting, and a trip during the weekend angled up four, said Capt. Ralph from the Buccaneer. More were sometimes belted on other boats during the weekend, and double-digits were hauled in on other vessels during the weekdays last week. Ralph ran no trips until the weekend, after he knew the fish would respond. The season was somewhat early for the boomers to turn on. Maybe the full moon later this week will trigger more catches or bigger drum to come on. Still, the fish could already be boated, and drum fishing was under way on the vessel. Ralph’s been drumfishing since the 1960s, before any of the fleet commonly sailed for them. He offers a great rate for the trips. Striped bass remained up the Delaware River on the spawning run, and Ralph heard about no catches of the linesiders on boats on the bay. But anglers on the river, including around Pennsville near his home, reeled up plenty. Maybe bay boaters will get a shot at the fish when they drop down from the river on the way to the ocean after the spawn. The Buccaneer runs combo drum/striper trips when possible.

Striped bass fishing was on fire for beach anglers at Fortescue, said Dave from Al’s Bait & Tackle. Few boaters hooked the fish on the bay, and boaters often tried to angle close to the Fortescue shore to get in on the surf action, but shore casters hooked up. Quite a number of the bass were keepers, and bloodworms were the usual bait. White perch had been bloodwormed a while ago along the jetty where Fortescue Creek meets the bay, but the slabs became scarcer, although some could’ve been picked up. No bluefish showed up in the bay. Boaters on the southern bay began to wrestle in drumfish about 40 pounds, and one customer nailed six, and another grabbed a couple. Some boaters said they hooked and released hefty, out-of-season flounder on the bay, maybe a good sign for the opening of the flattie season on May 23. Netters found a few weakfish in their catches on the lower bay, but hook-and-line anglers apparently were yet to land the trout. Bloodworms, fresh clams, fresh bunker and all the frozen baits are stocked.

A 30-pound drum was muscled aboard the Bonanza on Saturday, Capt. Mike said. Some charter-boat trips racked up three or five of the fish, but angler experience was a factor on the Bonanza. The patron who beat the 30-pounder was one of the boat’s more veteran customers. Five or six drum were pumped in on one of the other party boats nearby, but by the time the Bonanza pulled close to the other vessel, the bite was finished. The drum got active in short flurries then disappeared. But drumfishing was beginning. Striped bass supposedly remained up the rivers, yet to drop back down to the bay after spawning. Mike heard about sizeable, out-of-season flounder to 22 or 23 inches caught and released on the bay, and daily, open-boat flounder trips will begin on the vessel when the flattie season opens May 23. For now, open trips are sailing for drum 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily when there’s enough demand and when no charter is booked, and always call ahead to confirm. The drum charter schedule is heavily booked, especially around the weekends. Act now to lock in preferred dates. Evening, open drum trips will sail 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. every Wednesday starting May 13. Call to reserve. Call Mike for any reservations or info at 609-381-2978.

Fishing for drum on daily, open-boat trips will kick off this weekend on the Salt Talk, Capt. Howard said, but always call ahead to confirm, because the open schedule depends on demand and whether a charter will run instead. Charters are available. Drum began to be boated, and May’s full moon later this week is traditionally the time for catches to amp up through June. In other news, Howard saw probably a dozen striped bass including maybe two or three keepers get beached along the Fortescue shore on flood tide Sunday. Looked like good action. He knew about one boater who caught and released five out-of-season flounder to 26 inches on the bay. Daily, open trips will sail for the flatfish when the flounder season opens May 23. Open trips will fish for drum 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily starting Saturday when there’s demand and when no charter is booked. Again, call ahead to confirm.

Bivalve

Storms and winds mostly kept boaters from sailing from Longreach Marina in the last week, even though drum started to be caught, Pat said. The crew on the Natalie Jean was able to get out Sunday evening, putting the brakes on three drum 25 to 30 pounds. About four other drum were docked at the marina in the past days, and Pat heard about 25 or so checked in at other places. No news rolled in about striped bass, because of the weather. But fresh bunker is stocked for striper bait, and frozen baits are on hand. The marina is open at 6 a.m. daily, and the closing time depends on demand or how busy the day goes.

Dennisville

The bay’s boaters put a beating on drum around Wednesday and Thursday, and catches somewhat slowed by Friday and Saturday, said Rusty from Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle. No huge concentration of the fish seemed around, but if anglers got on a school that was feeding, they caught, until the school moved. Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top turned out catches of the mostly 30-pound fish with occasional 50-pounders. Anglers talked about banking a few small striped bass at places like Pierces Point, Reeds Beach and Fortescue, but a slew of the linesiders were reeled up from shore at Poverty Beach in Cape May at least earlier last week. The fishing seemed to drop off later in the week. No bluefish appeared locally. A healthy population of 2- to 3-pound sea bass could be rustled in from deep wrecks like the City of Athens in the ocean. Cape May Reef also attracted the lumpheads, none big. Fresh clams are stocked, and so is fresh bunker when available. The bunker supply was hit or miss so far this season. Frozen baits are carried.

Cape May

Drumfishing took off during mid week for the first time this season, and boaters started bailing double-digits, and the angling somewhat slowed by the weekend, said Capt. Joe from Schmedley Charters. But weekend boaters still caught, and a trip with Schmedley on Saturday evening went four for six. Joe gave this report at 7:30 p.m. Sunday over the phone while on the waters on another trip, and the charter had already boxed four drum. Most of the fish were pups about 30 pounds apiece at this point, and Joe heard about 70-pounders caught but saw none. But drum were definitely in the bay and starting to feed, and anglers always say the catches begin around Mother’s Day, he said, and they were beginning on schedule. Waters were 56 degrees, and Joe expects the fishing to last four or five weeks.

Anglers got into a decent day on drum, about 30-pounders, with O-Beth Sportfishing on Sunday despite the rainstorms, Capt. Eric said. The fishing was starting to turn on and should keep improving. Waters were 54 to 55 degrees on the trip. Eric heard about no striped bass landed anywhere locally except in the surf like around Cape May Point.

Three drum were hauled aboard and one was broken off during a trip Saturday on the Heavy Hitter, Capt. George said. The drum were puppies 25 or 30 pounds and seemed about to spawn, full of eggs. George was supposed to mate on another drum trip that got cancelled during the weekend on another vessel. Anglers nailed decent catches of the boomers Wednesday to Friday, but the fishing became somewhat slower by Saturday. The bites were a start. A few sharks grabbed baits on the trip, and George heard about no stripers boated on the bay, but one of the tackle shops said lots of stripers were beached along the Cape May surf. He also heard about no bluefish found around Cape May.

Drumfish to 30 pounds, a decent bite, said Capt. T.J. from Legal Limit Charters, were clocked at the Pin Top on the boat Friday, all on incoming tide. On Sunday a couple around the same size were decked on the vessel, also at the Pin Top, but this time all on outgoing. “So don’t know which (tide) is better,” he said. Bay boaters were beginning to pick a fair number of the fish, and waters started to warm to the mid 50s, apparently helpful.

Puppy drum about 25 pounds apiece began to turn on, not great fishing, but not dead, probably the start of the season’s drumming, and the chew might get better with the full moon toward the end of the week, said Capt. Rob from the First Cast. Space is open for a trip Saturday because of a cancellation.

Surf fishing for striped bass broke loose along the ocean front at Cape May, said Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle in a fax. Most sharpies fished at Poverty Beach, but the fish were banked all along the ocean and at the cove near 2nd Street. Clams, bunker, and worms all worked, and swimming plugs and soft-plastic lures like Storms and Calcuttas connected along the jetties. Many of the bass were shorts, but keepers were around. Drumfish were sometimes landed from the surf. One angler, regular customer Alan (no last name was given), bailed 19 bass, including two keepers, on Thursday. John Mallory put the skids on six of the linesiders, keeping three with a bonus tag, at the cove on Friday on clams and worms. Drum started snapping for Delaware Bay boaters last week. Anglers on the vessels Unreel and Full Ahead hammered double-digit catches on most trips that the boats fished. Most of the drum were small or 20 to 30 pounds and were located near Bug Light and Tussy’s Slough. But bigger drum—fewer of them, though—were supposedly muscled in from the Pin Top. Sea bass showed up in better numbers at the wrecks and reefs in 80 to 120 feet. A few cod swam among them. “Would sure like to see a comeback off our coast,” Matt said.