New Jersey Fishing Reports

With Barbara Ann Fishing Charters scores of sea bass, including some big ones, were hauled in on a trip the other day, Capt. Anthony said. Ling, porgies and winter flounder also bit. On striped bass trips lately the linesiders to 32 pounds were socked on live and chunked bunker. Charters are sailing, and open-boat, twilight trips are running for stripers every Tuesday and Thursday. Call to reserve.

The boat limited out on two sea bass trips Saturday and Sunday with Outcast Charters, Capt. Joe said. Fishing for the lumpheads was off to a very good start. The fish weighed up to 3 pounds, and ling were in the mix. The boat fished in 45 to 65 feet. Striper charters are also on tap, but anglers probably want to sail for sea bass. Still, open-boat trips are fishing for stripers every Wednesday whether one angler or six show up. Call to reserve.

Port Monmouth

Six keeper fluke were boxed by 10:30 a.m. on Sandy Hook Bay on Saturday with Parksea Fishing Charters, Capt. Justin said. The angling slowed on the last few hours, when outgoing tide began, pushing against light winds. Still, one more keeper was bagged for a total of seven keepers, a good catch. Probably 10 times as many shorts were tossed back. So incoming was best, and the anglers, the Wizenick charter, fished in 5- to 7-foot shallows with a rig made up of a bucktail on the bottom on an 8- or 10-inch dropper loop with a teaser above. A minnow with a strip of sea robin was fished on the bucktail, and a spearing and squid combo was fished on the teaser, a plain hook. Big sea robins also tore up baits. Parksea tried fishing deeper areas around the channels like Reach Channel, but nothing much happened there, even though the deep gave up the flatties by this time last year. Give it time.

Atlantic Highlands

Way too much boat traffic filled waters on Saturday’s striped bass trip on the Fishermen, Capt. Ron said. A charter, instead of the vessel’s usual open-boat trip, fished, scoring a good shot of keepers at first, despite the traffic. But that was it, no more action. The open trip in the afternoon fished the same area, ending up with 18 keepers to 22 pounds, much better fishing than in the morning. Another charter fished aboard Sunday morning, and Ron could barely find a spot to fish in all the traffic. Striper fishing was no good, so the trip switched to fluking. Not a ton of keepers came up, but shorts put out non-stop action, and the smiles on faces made it worth it, Ron said. An open trip was slated to sail for stripers Sunday afternoon, but no results were yet posted on the boat’s site. Two days earlier, on Friday, with forecasts for rough weather, customers came out for the open striper trip, apparently because the boat had been reporting great striper fishing in stiff weather. But on this day the weather and seas got too nasty. Stripers slammed the hooks right away, and a bunch of keepers, and far too many bass an inch short, were landed. But conditions were deteriorating, and the combo of rains, winds and the boat swinging around almost made fishing impossible. “(Then) it was puke and move,” Ron said. The boat anchored at several places with great readings, but the fish kept ending up in front of the vessel when the boat got set up. “Worst conditions I have seen in a long time,” he said. Still, fishing was good while it lasted. Bunker schooled everywhere lately, from the bay to down the beaches to offshore. Maybe the stripers were stuffed! Ron said. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and on Magic Hour Trips 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

A fair number of short fluke and just some keepers were dusted up on the Atlantic Star, Capt. Tom said. Sometimes an angler would total 15 fish including no keepers, and other times a patron would dial in a half-dozen fish including one keeper. Customers seemed to take well the number of undersized fish they had to sort through for keepers, but it was difficult for Tom not to feel frustrated, considering he was on the waters every day, especially when fluke only an inch or less short had to be tossed back. But he hoped the number of keepers would grow as the season went on. A tremendous population of small fluke 10 or 11 inches and even 8 inches, more than in recent years, were around, but that should bode well for the future population. Besides fishing on the bay on trips, the boat headed down the ocean beaches Sunday morning, and quite a few fluke were landed, and only a few keepers were. In the bay the boat fished places including Flynn’s Knoll, Reach Channel and near the Navy Pier. Rains and rough weather sometimes made the fishing drop off, even for shorts. No bait appeared to out-produce another, and the squid and spearing supplied on the vessel seemed to catch as much as the killies did that patrons brought themselves. Bucktails seemed to score no better than rigs recently, and in fact rigs appeared to do a little better in the last days. The Atlantic Star is fluke fishing on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Highlands

The ocean’s striped bass fishing was slow during the weekend, probably because of the full moon and tons of boat traffic, but catches should bounce back, said Capt. Derek from Fisher Price Charters. A couple of hundred boats filled the waters, and there was also somewhat of a heave, but that probably failed to affect the fishing. Anglers with Fisher Price picked away at stripers to 30 pounds on live bunker. Tons of bunker schooled everywhere from Sandy Hook Bay to the ocean off Asbury Park and farther south. Trips will keep fishing for the migration of big striped bass coming up the coast, livelining bunker when possible, but trolling or doing whatever it takes when necessary. A few dates remain for charters, and open-boat trips are sailing whenever Derek can fit them in, next on the schedule for Thursday and Friday. Call to climb aboard or call or e-mail to be kept informed of the open schedule.

Jersey Devil Charters competed in the Hi-Mar Striper Tournament on Saturday, rounding up four striped bass, Capt. Brian said. A 29.2-pounder was the biggest, and one weighed 27 pounds, and the rest were in the mid 20s. The boat came in sixth place. One of the bass attacked a live bunker in the morning, and the rest smacked trolled TGT Bunker Spoons around noon, all in the ocean. A charter Sunday in the ocean landed one striper and saw a bunch swimming around the boat, playing with bait, fun to see. A couple of trips toward the end of the week also racked up a few stripers in the ocean, including once during nasty conditions with 25-knot, northeast winds. Charters are mostly fishing for stripers with live bunker in the ocean, and the fish are 20 to 30 pounds, but some are bigger. Brian heard no news about offshore fishing for tuna or sharks, but the clock is ticking down for the blue-water trips to begin on the vessel.

Bill Hoffman from Skylands Angler ran no fly-rodding trips in the surf around Sandy Hook during the weekend, because he fished at Martha’s Vineyard, he said. Storms pelted the island when he arrived Friday, like the weather did in Jersey that day. But on Saturday night he fly rodded striped bass from the surf at Lobsterville. The fish, mixed sizes, plenty of smaller ones but also some sizeable stripers, though no huge ones, fed on sand eels, and sand eel flies were cast to catch them. They only bit at night, and Bill heard about a few bluefish that other anglers caught, but the blues were scattered, not a reliable population. Trips with him will probably fly rod the surf at Sandy Hook in the next days. If beginners want to learn saltwater fly fishing in the surf in Jersey, this is the time. Or if experienced anglers just want the best chances to catch, this is it. But it won’t last long. Skylands Angler guides surf fly-fishing trips during the spring and fall migrations in the Sandy Hook area and farther south at Island Beach State Park. Skylands also guides freshwater fly trips for trout and nearly all the major species in New Jersey.

Belmar

Fishing for striped bass and blues on daytime trips was up and down through the past week “between finicky fish and terrible weather,” said Capt. Greg from the Golden Eagle in an e-mail. Action ranged from good to horrible, mostly for blues but occasional stripers, when the weather allowed the trips to sail. But nighttime bluefish trips banged up plenty of the speedsters. Grounds to the south were especially productive, but waters in some of the offshore areas began to warm enough to get the angling going, and with a little help from the weather, those grounds should pound out great fishing soon. The Golden Eagle is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. Catch the boat’s fireworks cruises July 3 and 4.

Brielle

Boaters smoked striped bass in the ocean Saturday afternoon, but the morning was tough, said Dave from The Reel Seat. The fish gathered off Elberon and Long Branch, and mostly seemed to get hooked on big popper plugs cast from the vessels. Lots of big ones were pummeled, including a 51-pounder that was weighed in. Roger Johnson got that fish, the biggest on a trip that trolled bunker spoons on the Moon Dancer with owners Lud and Jen Bohler, Capt. Mike Petrole and mate Auggie Lasso. Bunker schooled the ocean, and a 305-pound thresher shark was nailed among the menhaden on the Chimera with owner J.P. Dalik, his kids Cort and Chloe, his bother Paul and dad Joe. They were striper fishing, lost another thresher among the baitfish when the 305-pounder attacked, and Joe landed the bruiser on a Calcutta 400 with 40-pound Power Pro and a 30-pound leader with a circle hook. Wow! In other news, bluefish schooled at the Shrewsbury Rocks. Dave heard no reports from surf casters. Fluke fishing became sort of difficult on Saturday in the ocean, probably because of the heave, but some of the fish were picked. Catches were okay earlier in the week, like at the reefs. Shorts were plucked close to shore, but Dave heard about a 10-pounder that was mugged from a kayak and checked in at a nearby shop. Manasquan River’s fluke anglers scored well, working light jigheads with Berkley Gulps. The Reel Seat carries a large selection of fluke jigs and tackle. Bottom fishers pulled in lots of sea bass, many of them small, but many of them quality keepers. No locals said they tried tuna fishing, and none mentioned shark fishing offshore. But shark anglers will begin to scope out the fishery this week in preparation for the coming shark tournaments, including the Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo this weekend in Brielle. The <a href=" http://www.ssfff.net/fundraiser.html" target="_blank">Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund</a>, spearheading the movement to prevent the summer flounder or fluke season from closing and from harsh bag limits that are essentially a closure, very much needs the continued support of anglers. See the fund’s Web site for details and how the fund is attempting to solve the crisis.

Great catches got walloped on the Jamaica starting Saturday night, but Saturday’s daytime trip was tough, an e-mail from the boat said. The daytime trip at first looked for striped bass, running south, then running north, with no luck. The boat steamed to the Mudhole, and bluefish were found but refused to bite. Only a few blues and some dogfish were taken. Except for good weather and a big school of dolphin that was seen, the crew wanted to forget that trip. But on Saturday night the boat headed in another direction, and that paid off. Fishing was excellent for 6- to 12-pound blues that swiped bait, and many anglers limited out. On Sunday’s daytime trip, with no reports early in the day about striper catches, the vessel motored to the same area. Patrons waxed good catches of 6- to 12-pound blues, some limiting out, and others grabbing a few, both on bait or jigs. Pool winners included Jim Conner from Trenton with a 13-pound blue and Niko Jorge from Bethlehem, Pa., with a 12-pound blue. The Jamaica is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. daily. Check the boat’s Web site for the complete schedule, including special trips, and to be added to the e-mail list for special trips. Reservations are being booked for canyon tuna fishing that will begin in late August.

Capt. Wayne was at the helm on a couple of trips, one for bottom fishing and the other for a mixed bag of striped bass, bottom fish and fluke, with Fish Monger Charters, because Capt. Jerry was out of town, Jerry said in an e-mail. The first trip on Saturday bottom-fished, coming across lots of action with sea bass, but more shorts than before. Many of the lumpheads were just under the new 12-1/2-inch size limit. The boat bounced around to a bunch of drops, and fishing stayed about the same. Scores of sea bass, 14 ling and an eel were bagged. An out-of-season winter flounder, a short cod and a few out-of-season blackfish were released. The second trip on Sunday ran for a mixed bag of striped bass, fluke and bottom fish. The anglers went 1 for 4 on stripers, heading north for the fish. One striper was missed when the linesiders were targeted in a bunker school. Then one was bagged and two were lost when the boat set up on structure. A few drifts for fluke were taken, and three keepers and some shorts were angled up. Then the vessel was anchored on structure for bottom fishing, and tons of short sea bass jumped on baits, but some keepers and ling were coolered. The trip totaled one keeper striper, three keeper fluke, 24 keeper sea bass, 11 ling and an eel. Open-boat trips that are livelining bunker for trophy striped bass are sailing 5:30 a.m to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Trips will start seriously fluking next week, bouncing bucktails and big baits along the rough stuff, mixed with bottom fishing. Check out Fish Monger’s open-boat forum on the vessel’s Web site. Or visit the site to join the e-mail list for the latest schedule and charter info.

Capt. Mike from the Katie H traveled to Florida in the past days, but he heard that striped bass fishing was slow in the ocean during the weekend, for some reason, he said. Boaters from the dock talked about landing a few blues. But the fishing should rebound, and the boat is going after the linesiders. Mike looked forward to shark fishing and fluke angling soon, when waters warm. Temps needed to come up to trigger the best fishing for both. Trips will compete in some of the upcoming shark tournaments. Mike hard about no tuna caught at the local canyons. But tuna fishing, a main event on the boat, usually begins in July with trolling trips. Don’t have enough anglers for a tuna charter? No problem. Call Mike, and he can probably schedule one or more individuals on make-up trips.

Point Pleasant

Some of the anglers on the Sea Devil on Saturday scored great bluefishing on jigs, and others picked up fair catches on bait, Cindy said in an e-mail. The trip fished at the Mudhole, and dogfish were too abundant, and the anglers fishing with bait grabbed more of them and fewer blues than patrons who jigged. Harry Lysons “decided he was an official member of the kennel club,” Cindy said. Besides dogs, he landed one blue on bait and another on a jig. Ann Dale hooked a couple of blues on bait. But Fred Rutz consistently caught blues through the day on both jigs and bait, and Eddie Mackin also reeled in blues the whole trip, kept a bunch and released 14. The Sea Devil is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

The weather forced the Cock Robin to stay tied to the dock Wednesday through Friday, but Saturday’s trip got out, an e-mail from the boat said. Greg Aument from Linford, Pa., won the pool with a 13-pound blue, the second Saturday in a row he won. He and a few others landed up to 12 blues apiece, and all anglers aboard caught the speeders. On Saturday night’s trip the boat ran offshore for blues, and fishing was game on, before the anchor even came tight. All patrons hooked limits and more, keeping no more than their quota. Although night bluefishing is usually done on bait, several anglers tied on jigs, scoring hits as the metal both got dropped down and reeled up. On Sunday blues were uncooperative on the daytime trip to the north and a little offshore. But some pollock and a 10-pound, pool-winning cod were plundered. “Ya never know,” the e-mail said. The Cock Robin is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Weekly Marathon Trips that leave earlier at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays at no extra charge will begin this week. On all Thursday trips customers can help donate fish to Joan Valentine House, providing meals to people. Captain Jim’s Camp Cock Robin for kids will begin as soon as schools let out. No more than 12 fisher-kids get served by a dedicated mate.

Seas were too rough Saturday morning for a trip with four anglers to go after striped bass on the ocean, so the anglers fluke fished on Manasquan River instead with light jigs tipped with killies or Gulps, said Capt. Allen from Reel Class Charters. A decent pick of the flatties including four keepers got angled up on the top of the tide. Then the gang bounced around the river a little, and bagged a few more keepers at Manasquan Inlet. They took a look in the ocean for stripers, trolling bunker spoons, but nothing bit. So they returned to the river, reeling in a few more fluke off Clarks Landing Marina. They totaled nine keeper fluke for the day, a pretty good catch. On Sunday four other anglers jumped aboard, and everybody said striper fishing had been terrible on the ocean during the weekend, so the anglers bottom fished instead. They pulled up sea bass, lots of throwbacks but 30 keepers, a good pick, and a dozen ling, including large ones. Then they finished the trip with a little fluking on the river in front of Clarks, nailing a 4.05-pounder. Reel Class will keep striper fishing and bottom fishing, and fluking on the river is an option, and ocean fluking will probably heat up soon. Ocean fluking on the boat, including on the boat’s annual, open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Marathons, will probably start any time. Some of the dates for the marathons are already posted on the boat’s Web site, and see the site for availability. Fluke trips on the ocean often mix up the angling with sea bassing for a bonus.

Ocean waves crashed over the Manasquan Inlet rocks on Friday evening, and water poured over the walls, and 6-foot seas and larger could be seen outside the inlet, said Capt. Wayne from Angela Rose Charters in an e-mail. But before cancelling a trip Saturday, he took a look at conditions at 5:30 a.m., seeing only 2-foot seas and a mild ground swell, so the anglers fished, leaving the dock at 7:30 a.m. Unfortunately fishing also calmed down after the blow. No striped bass were found north and south while the trip trolled, jigged and drifted bait. But a few fluke and sea bass, mostly shorts but a few keepers, were grabbed at the reefs for the anglers to take home. They were satisfied with the outcome and enjoyed the day on the waters and off from work, Wayne said.

A striped bass charter limited out on the fish to 35 pounds on Thursday with Andrea’s Toy Charters, and trips got weathered out Friday and Saturday, Capt. Fred said. The previous report from the boat said a shark trip ran Thursday, a date taken from the vessel’s Web site. But apparently the shark trip, covered in the last report, sailed Wednesday. Six blue blue sharks to 7 feet were fought and released on that first trip of the season for sharks on the vessel. But on the striper trip Thursday, with the same anglers aboard as on the shark charter, the boat first trolled off Deal, with no takers, the site said. The anglers sailed south, and big bass were found attacking bunker, and the gang limited out. Striper charters will sail another couple of weeks, and sometimes they’ll mix in bottom fishing that’s currently great for sea bass. Shark fishing is under way on the vessel, and tuna trolling will begin when warm eddies begin to draw the fish in to the canyons. No eddies pushed in so far.

Seaside

The shop’s biggest striped bass of the year so far was checked in, said the report on Grumpy’s Tackle’s Web site. The 53.2-pounder was boated in the ocean on bunker. Customers got into good surf fishing for stripers today, weighing in seven linesiders 7 pounds to 26 pounds, not bad for a Monday. A 2-pound blue and a 9-pound drum were also checked in from the surf, and all the fish sucked in Grumpy clams. Surf fishing for stripers was also hopping Sunday, and weigh-ins came in all day, regardless of high or low tide. Bait was the way to go, and no success was heard about from anglers throwing artificials. Twelve stripers 6 ½ pounds to 20 pounds hit the scale that were beached in the suds that day, and all ate Grumpy clams, except three that clamped down on bunker. One striper, a 23-pounder, came in from a boat and also bit bunker. Surf angling was difficult Saturday in high, dirty waters from Friday’s storm and winds. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

Barnegat Light

Barnegat Bay’s fishing was a slow pick early last week on a short, 3-hour trip with Charles Lee with Reel Fantasea Charters, Capt. Steve said in an e-mail. But he mixed it up with fluke, blues and out-of-season blackfish that he released. Another trip with Jay Simmons and crew was supposed to fish the ocean for big striped bass on Friday, and rough weather caused the anglers to stay on the bay, but they creamed 23 stripers, including limiting out on the fish to 17 pounds, in rains and winds. Rick Rogers was high hook with 10 bass, a career day for him, and the guys were constantly doubled-up on the linesiders.

Beach Haven

On the Miss Beach Haven a trip Saturday fished for sea bass inshore and offshore, and location didn’t really matter, because plenty of life was found everywhere, and catches were pretty good, an e-mail from the boat said. Several patrons coolered seven or eight sea bass apiece that were all quality fish. Lots of shorts chewed, and one cod got clocked. Waters were 59 degrees, and a few dog sharks were around, but weren’t too bad. The pool winner copped a 2-1/2-pound sea bass. On Sunday with a light crowd the crew tried drifting for fluke around the reef. But sea bass were abundant, and the sand eels meant for fluke couldn’t be kept on a hook long enough. So the anglers mainly fished for sea bass, managing to scratch a catch together, but pretty much everybody took home fish. Dave Agar from Beach Haven won the pool with a 2-pound sea bass. The Miss Beach Haven is bottom fishing on open trips 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Open fluke trips will begin when enough of the fish can be caught, when the ocean warms, and open trips will begin fishing daily on the last weekend of June. Charters are currently on tap for any species available during weekdays.

Tuckerton

Sea bassing was gangbusters at the ocean wrecks with Legal Limit Charters, shoveling out 40 to 50 keepers per trip and lots of throwbacks, probably 1 in 20 a keeper, Capt. T.J. said. Lots of action. Four spaces are available on a shared charter for sea bass Thursday, and call or e-mail T.J. to claim. Shared charters are running every Tuesday and Thursday when no full charter is booked on both T.J.’s boat in Tuckerton for sea bass and his other boat in Cape May for drumfish.

Mystic Island

Quite a number of flounder were boated on Great Bay during the weekend, and a few anglers talked about different success on keepers, said the report on Scott’s Bait & Tackle’s Web site. Three anglers from one boat said they bailed 50 throwbacks and no keepers. But anglers from a couple of other boats said they scored all right on legal flatties. Two anglers from one vessel weighed in a 6.9-pounder and showed off an impressive cooler with a bunch of keepers plus a 1-1/2-pound weakfish. Other anglers also nabbed a few weakfish, but the fishery was tough. Shedder crabs, grass shrimp or bloodworms were the necessary baits for the 1-½- to 3-pound trout, and try the west bank of the Mullica River for a hook-up. Or give the mouths of Big Creek, Oyster Creek and Motts Creek a shot, old-time hot spots for weakies, on falling tides with no boat traffic. A pair of customers checked in two 22.7- and 23-pound striped bass they bunker chunked from the white waters of Wreck Inlet. No news rolled in about striper catches closer to the shop. On Friday nobody reported fishing in the nor’easter.

Atlantic City

Striped bass weighed in from the surf since last week included a 24-pound 42-incher, 24-pound 41-incher, 23-pound 41-incher, 21-pound 41-incher, 20.5-pound 38-incher and 20-pound 38-incher, said Noel from One Stop Bait & Tackle. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and bloodworms got bites from the linesiders in the wash. Lots of flounder, including quality-sized flatties, gathered in the surf and in the inlet along the channel off the Flagship and Captain Stearns, gobbling minnows and squid on high-low rigs or single-hooked bottom rigs. Kingfish turned on in spurts here and there in the suds, not the fishing like it could be, but sometimes catches, on bloodworms. Big, out-of-season porgies were hooked and released in the surf, and plenty of out-of-season tog chomped green crabs along the rocks and were let go. Minnows for bait were scarce, but were carried, just not as many as normally. Fresh bunker is stocked, on sale for $2 apiece or $3 for five. Fresh clams, green crabs and just about every kind of bait is in supply.

Margate

The first shark trip of the season busted 20 blue sharks to 125 pounds in 20 fathoms with O-Beth Sportfishing on Sunday, Capt. Eric said. Yeah! No makos showed up, but their arrival was only a matter of time. Bluefish swarmed around, and waters were probably 60 degrees. O-Beth returned to Margate, the boat’s home port, in the last week to hunt sharks and to flounder fish, after fishing for drum from Cape May this spring. A couple of flounder trips were weathered out this past week. O-Beth is now fishing from Margate for sharks, flounder, sea bass and bluefish.

Longport

At the wrecks anglers hammered away at sea bass on the Stray Cat, Capt. Mike said. The new size limit, a half-inch larger, was tough, but good catches were bagged, and flounder, but no keepers, were mixed in, and so were lots of out-of-season porgies. An open-boat trip for sea bass will fish 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, and no set schedule for open trips will run through summer, but whenever enough anglers are interested, Mike will put together open trips. Call him to be on the list. A big heave was on the ocean toward the end of the week, and the storm Friday made fishing out of the question. Big blues stacked up 18 miles offshore and at places like the A.C. Ridge and 28-Mile Wreck, and charters are going after them. Special, all-day trolling charters will sail for blues and tuna 20 miles offshore at Sea Isle Ridge.

Somers Point

Flounder fishing took center stage during the weekend, said T.C. from Brennan Marine in a fax. Rick Scott boated an impressive catch of the flatfish to two that weighed 3.08 and 2.83 pounds in the back bay near Kennedy Park on Gulps on a bucktail. Bob Heins stuck a 3.63-pounder and a 2.6-pounder and fifteen throwbacks at Ships Channel on Gulps. In the ocean off Ocean City, Fred Kisby and George Bucci on Fred’s boat Special K knuckled in several stripers, some big ones to 39 ¼ pounds and some shorts, that Hoovered fresh bunker early in the week. Tara Genay fished bunker on the bay to land an 11 ¼-pound striper, and she and companions also released several throwbacks. Small bluefin tuna were found at 19-Fathom Lump and the Hot Dog, eating up sardines and butterfish, seeming to bode well for an early beginning to tuna fishing.

Fast and furious flounder fishing, loads of catches, went down during the weekend, said a fax from Rob and Joan from Dolfin Dock. Colin Naumchik, 11, Somers Point, led the pack with five keepers to 4 pounds he boated off Anchorage Point. George Bowman, Hatfield, Pa., netted a 4-1/2-pound doormat that sucked in a Dolfin Dock Killer Minnow. The Sutton family from Philly bagged three keepers 2 ½ to 4 pounds on one of the shop’s rental boats on Gulp Shrimp and Lucky Squid. Small blues swam all over the back bay. Striped bass fishing kept strong at the Ocean City Fishing Pier and the Longport jetty on fresh clams. Bunker schooled Great Egg Harbor Inlet.

Sea Isle City

Jim Ferrell, his nephew and his nieces flounder fished on the bay Sunday morning, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle. Three keepers to 5 pounds were hung, and more than 30 throwbacks were released, on the 4-hour trip, a great amount of action, the most so far this season on the flatties on the boat. Two 2-pound bluefish also got reeled in. The anglers fished a rig with a three-way swivel with a 4-inch Gulp mullet on a 1-ounce, chartreuse-and-white bucktail on the bottom and a minnow on a plain, 1/0 hook above. Two of the keepers got hooked on the bucktail, typical for the bucktail to attract the bigger fish, and the minnows on the plain hook drew the most bites by far, also typical. The fishing was done on outgoing tide. In the afternoon winds came up from the south, making fishing difficult on a fly-fishing trip for striped bass at Cape May. Some bigger bass swam around Cape May, so larger flies than usual, white-and-chartreuse Deceivers, were cast, instead of the usual Clousers that Jersey Cape fishes for stripers around the area. Although striper fishing was tough in the conditions, angling for the linesiders this season was productive, including on popper flies and lures on the bay, one of Jersey Cape’s specialties through summer. Surf fishing for stripers around Sea Isle kept serving up catches through the weekend, as far as Joe knew. The angling was fairly consistent this year, and Gibson’s sold lots of fresh clams for bait. Joe heard a second- or third-hand report that a 50-pounder was beached at Strathmere. Joe will make an annual trip to the Merrimack River in Massachusetts June 23 to 26, offering fly charters on the outing. The linesiders should flood the waters, the prime time. The fish, 25- to 40-inchers, bite through the day, so trips are banker’s hours, with hardly any run to the flats fished at the mouth of the river, located near the dock. Jersey Cape from Sea Isle is offering after-work special trips on the back bay from 4 p.m. to dark, a great time to fish, when nobody else is on the waters, and action can be best. Convenient, too. Delaware Bay’s drum fishing is on tap with Joe on a 26-foot Regulator. His back-bay charters fish on his flats boat. Offshore trips will now begin to fish for tuna. Anglers should think about going in the early season, because Joe’s lambasted some of the best catches at the canyons in June and July. Joe will also offer mixed-bag offshore fishing this summer, trolling for tuna in the mornings, then casting lures, bait or flies to mahi mahi in the afternoons. Offshore trips fish on either the Regulator or a 42-foot Liberty, depending on the number of anglers and type of fishing, like angling with conventional tackle or fly gear.

Wildwood

Lots of flounder got wrestled in from the bay, said Mike from Canal Side Boat Rentals. One customer hooked nine, including three or four keepers. “So having action,” he said. Another bagged a doormat a little over 7 pounds on Saturday. Customers nabbed the flatties on spearing or mackerel, and minnows were scarce, out of stock, at this time of year. None of the rental boaters talked about landing other fish like blues, striped bass or weakfish on the bay, and they all concentrated on flounder. The season seemed too early for crabbing on the boats. One person who crabbed on foot along the canal said he picked up some. But waters were probably too cold for the most serious crabbing. All baits for fishing the bay are stocked, except minnows, again, scarce at this time of year, and bloodworms. But the baits include frozen, whole and filleted mackerel, several types of frozen squid including big trolling squid and various colors of Pro Cut squid that’s pre-cut, fresh-frozen clams, salted clams, Pro Cut clam and frozen shedder crabs, mullet and bunker, including for crabbing. Canal Side rents canopy boats and kayaks for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing. Call ahead during weekdays to make sure Mike will be on hand, until the shop definitely opens at the usual 7 a.m. daily once the season gets going. For now, he’ll probably be there at 8 a.m. on weekdays, but customers can call and get him to come in at 7 a.m. On weekends the shop will open at the usual 7 a.m.

The back bay served up excellent catches of flounder, said Cathy from Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle in an e-mail. Sue and Ken Smith from Philly clobbered 12 keepers from 19 to 22 inches and released 18 shorts on the bay from their Hobie Mirage Outback Kayaks. Sterling Harbor is a kayak fishing headquarters, featuring sales, accessories, expert advice and rentals. Stop by for Hobie and Ocean Kayak demos 12 noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, weather permitting. Fishing for the flatties also turned on in Delaware Bay, with good catches reported from the Banana Peel slough and the Miah Maul area, even though lots of throwbacks were in the mix for now. Numerous drumfish 60 to 70 pounds were reported muscled in from Delaware Bay through the week. In the ocean Cape May Reef doled out great sea bassing during the weekend. Spencer Brooks, 10, from Deptford checked in a 3-pound 1-ounce sea bass from a trip on the Tara Ann from Wildwood. Also in the ocean, shark fishing looked like it would pick up right on time. Michael Bulifant weighed in a 243-pound thresher shark from a trip on the Big Bully from Wildwood. Mike Gillen battled aboard his first-ever mako, a 98-pounder, on his uncle Joe’s Y-Knot from Wildwood. Shark bait, shark chum and all the equipment is stocked for shark season and the shark tournaments that will go down in the next weeks.

Cape May

A drumfish trip on Delaware Bay headed out Friday in the blow with 25-knot winds, but there was no boat traffic, and that was great, said Capt. George from the Heavy Hitter. The charter, a group from the Elks Club, hauled in five drum to 70 pounds, mostly 40- to 50-pounders, and lost three. Two were lost near the boat, could be seen but got broken off. Rough seas probably didn’t help. On another drum trip Saturday with Ray DeCrane’s group, a zillion boats crammed the drum grounds on the Jersey side, looking like a land mass on the radar, so George moved to the Delaware side. One 20- or 30-pound drum was boated on the Heavy Hitter. The fishing sounded tough all around, especially in the crowds. George knew about one boat near him that came up with three drum, another nearby that got two, and another around the same grounds that got one. On Sunday fishing also seemed slower, and no drum were landed with a different group with Ray DeCrane, this time on the Jersey side. Seemed like the weekend crowds might’ve been a factor, considering the catch on the boat Friday, and maybe the full moon also had an effect through the weekend. Anglers hoped drumming was just in a lull for a moment like happens with the fishing, and that catches would pick right back up, like it usually does. George will keep fishing for them at least another week. Coming up, the boat will start mixing in shark fishing, beginning with a trip slated for the weekend. Bottom fishing for sea bass is already on tap and producing, and so is bluefishing. Tuna fishing for bluefins at the inshore grounds like 19-Fathom Lump and Massey’s Canyon will begin soon. The boat also ran a trip for a researcher who took samples of the bottom at Wildwood Reef, and George saw 61-degree water temps there and sea bass on the fish finder.

Drum fishing tapered off during the last couple of nights on Delaware Bay with Legal Limit Charters, and none of the boomers was decked on the boat, and the fish-finder marked few, Capt. T.J. said. The trips fished on the Jersey side at the Pin Top and Tussy’s Slough, and other boats supposedly rounded up a handful of drum, not many, on the Delaware side off Slaughter Beach. On T.J.’s other boat, fishing from Tuckerton, sea bassing was gangbusters, putting charters on 40 or 50 keepers per trip, although tons of shorts, probably 20 for every keeper, were hooked. Lots of action. Shared charters are running every Tuesday and Thursday for drum or sea bass when no full charter is booked. A shared trip for sea bass from Tuckerton is on the books for this Thursday, and four spots remain. Call T.J. or e-mail him to claim.

Fishing for drum was still happening on Delaware Bay, said Capt. Joe from Schmedley Charters in an e-mail. The Zebley family on board Saturday wrestled in a 75-pounder, a 50-pounder “and numerous other fish,” he said, including a 19-inch flounder. Flounder fishing improved throughout the bay, including around Miah Maul, during the past couple of weeks. A few spaces are available for a shared trip that will compete in the tuna tournament in July. Apparently Joe meant the Mid-Atlantic Tuna Tournament at South Jersey Marina in Cape May. Two anglers already booked, and call the captain if interested. Seats will go fast.

Catches of drum, including sizeable fish, were pretty good on Delaware Bay, said Capt. Bob from the Down Deep. He gave this report in a telephone call Sunday evening while on a drum trip on the Delaware side of the bay. On a trip Saturday with Harvey Miller’s group, a 73-pounder was knocked down that was later weighed in at Jim’s Bait & Tackle, and 10-year-old Josh clocked his first-ever, a 43-pounder. On Thursday Dave Aboudi’s gang landed a few, including Dave’s first, and on last Monday a charter with anglers from the Edgewater Park Sportmans Club fished for drum. On that Sunday the Marino party got after the boomers, and youngster Vince cranked in a 53-pounder that was his first drum. Charters will drum fish as long as possible, including as long as fresh clams are available for bait. The clam boats will stop running at some point, because demand drops off. Some dates remain for drum charters. A number of healthy sized flounder inhaled the clam baits on this Sunday’s trip.

Delaware Bay’s flounder fishing picked up during the week on the Delaware side of the shipping channel around the E and F buoys, said Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle in a fax. The fish were also pumped in from the bay near Miah Maul and the 19 buoy. Catches somewhat slowed during the weekend, probably because of freshwater runoff from rains. Good catches of flounder were also creeled on the back bay from along the edges of both the Intracoastal Waterway and the channels to the 2-Mile Bridge through Wildwood. Drum were hooked, not great fishing but four to five boomers per trip on the charter boats, on Delaware Bay at Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top in 30 feet or so. Striped bass were hammered in the surf, great fishing, and the last 2 hours of incoming tides were best. Clams seemed the preference, but bunker and bloodworms also worked. Gary Hill clammed a 28-pound striper at Poverty Beach on Friday, and Bill Jo whacked a 37-1/2-pounder right next to him, also on clam. Stephen Jezqlik waffled a 47-1/2-pounder at the Alexander Avenue jetty on a chunk of herring that he caught. Jeff Glenn shellacked a 53-1/2-pound striper from a boat on the flats of Delaware Bay on bunker. Sharks started to move in to the southern grounds in the ocean. The crew on the Bubuca fought a mako and eight blue sharks, before a big blue ate the chum bucket before they could get it away from the beast. Chris Patterson and gang on the Argent put the skids on two makos and four blue sharks at the Hooper wreck.