<b>Hudson River</b>
<b>Hook’em Charters</b> ran a couple of trips that competed in the weekend’s Hudson River Fishermen’s Association striped bass tournament on the river, Capt. Don said. Hook’em reportedly came in tenth place with a 20- or 20-1/2-pound striper, but the fishing somewhat shut down, apparently because of the cold front. Friday night’s trip totaled eight stripers to the one that placed, and Saturday night’s trip clubbed four stripers to 16 pounds. A 26-1/2-pounder was supposedly the first-place bass, and reportedly most that the approximately 400 anglers boxed weighed 15 to 19 pounds. They fished mostly toward the Tappan Zee Bridge and Croton, but Don saw one bass that came from farther upstream toward Newburg. Stripers could currently be found toward Newburg, if anglers were experienced. But Hook’em fishes near the Tappan Zee at this time of year and follows the main population of bass upstream to Newburg to fish in early May. Nighttime gave up the catches during the event. Don’s anglers creamed all the fish on chunked herring, but they sometimes fished with live herring. Plenty of herring filled the waters, and 50 or 60 could be picked up per tide. A few bunker just began to be seen. The angling was better before the front, and Don took a practice trip earlier Friday that cranked in eight stripers in 1 ½ hours. The river’s spring run of stripers offers one of the best chances to wallop large linesiders in one place.
<b>Staten Island</b>
Winds blew 25 knots from the east Friday evening, and that built seas, but a trip totaled about nine striped bass, including five keepers, in a few hours, before returning early because of the nasty conditions and rains that began, said Capt. Joe from <b>Outcast Charters</b>. An awesome catch of stripers was plowed on a trip Sunday that limited out by 9 a.m., playing catch and release afterward, returning at 10:30 a.m. Probably 25 to 30 were landed, and the keepers weighed 15 to 20 pounds.
<b>Bayonne</b>
A charter was postponed Sunday because of winds, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. The anglers were going to striped bass fish and maybe try for blackfish. Many striped bass around 30 inches, excellent catches, were lambasted from off Sunday Hook Point to the ocean off the Highlands Bridge, three or four customers repeated. Most were jigged, but sometimes anglers trolled the fish on Mann’s Stretch 30 Lures. Some also said clamming for stripers at Romer Shoal was okay. Another customer said bluefish sometimes popped up in Raritan Bay. Bulkhead anglers banked stripers at places including Bayonne Park and other places along New York Bay on sandworms. Boaters on the Hackensack River anchored and hooked stripers to 38 inches on bunker chunks. So fishing was good, and lots of anglers headed out.
<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>
Fishing for striped bass clocked the linesiders every day, some days better than others, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Nasty weather, the roughest of the year, met Friday morning’s trip, but stripers were reeled up, not a bad catch, considering. But the afternoon’s trip stayed docked because of the weather. Saturday morning’s trip picked a few keepers and shorts at Romer Shoal and a few more at Flynn’s Knoll. On Saturday afternoon’s trip the catch was one of the best of the season so far, pretty good. The angling on Sunday morning’s trip wasn’t as good, but stripers were boxed. The boat was first steamed down the ocean beaches, but the bass were scarce, and the vessel was headed back to Romer Shoal, and stripers, mostly keepers, and a few shorts, were claimed. More keepers than shorts were again snatched up on Sunday afternoon’s trip, fishing at the bar off Sandy Hook and at Romer, grabbing a few fish at each, even if Tom would’ve liked to have seen angling as busy as Saturday afternoon’s. Some of the patrons tried winter flounder fishing when the vessel ran down the ocean beaches on the one trip, hooked none but put little time into it. All the striper fishing was done with clams, but trips will jig for the fish when that’s a better option. The Atlantic Star is fishing for striped bass on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. <b>***Update, Monday, 4/19***</b>: All the anglers limited out on stripers and released more on this afternoon’s trip on jigs at the channels, Tom said. Most were keepers, good-sized, not exceptional, but probably as heavy as the upper teens. The fish were abundant and close enough to port to be jigged, though over the weekend the jig-able stripers schooled farther south, at the Shrewsbury Rocks.
After five days of the best striped bass fishing Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> saw in years, the fish on Thursday, the next day, schooled beyond 3 miles from the coast for part of the day, he said in the report on the boat’s Web site. Striper fishing is closed there, and couple of patrons did limit out on the trip, and the trip copped a couple of good shots at the bass in the morning on jigs. If the fish had stayed within range an hour longer, the boat would’ve limited out. When they were a mile beyond range, readings were unreal, and a mile of gannets hit the waters. The fishing closer to shore happened very early, and clamming for the bass during the day never produced. No report was posted on Friday, and maybe the day’s trip was cancelled in the rough weather. But many limits of stripers, beautiful fish to 22 pounds, were pummeled on Saturday’s trip, and five anglers from Toronto even maxed out who never striper fished before. Clamming failed to give up catches in the morning, but the angling was game-on after 10:30 a.m., once the tide changed, on jigs. On Sunday’s trip some drifts turned up three to five keepers, and a few caught none, but a good catch was made by the end. The anglers jigged all day, and Lenny McGill, Union County, took the lead in the season-long pool with a 29-pounder. Today’s trip fished closer to port, “basically limiting out,” Ron said, by 10:15, and the anglers played catch and release until 1 p.m., heading home early. Keepers far outnumbered shorts like usual this season. In past Aprils most of the bass were 20- to 24-inch shorts. Stripers to 24 pounds bit non-stop 1 ½ hours on one of the drifts. “Never in my 32 years have I experienced anything like the past week and a half,” Ron said. The Fishermen is striped bass fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Afternoon trips will begin this week that will run for stripers 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.
The first charter of the season will fish in a week, steaming for striped bass, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Katie H</b>. Anglers crushed stripers, and he was sure the fish would still be around. The fishing began early this year, and catches last year lasted into June, but every year’s different. Tog fishing will also be on the slate, and so will sea bassing, when sea bass season opens May 22, and fluking, when fluke season opens May 29. Shark trips will begin in June, and space remains for charters for the shark tournaments. Tuna fishing, the main event of the year on the Katie H, usually begins with trolling in July. Yellowfin tuna could be trolled in the deep, but bluefins should also begin to show closer to shore in July. Chunking for yellowfins at the canyons on overnight trips usually kicks off in August.
<b>Highlands</b>
Seas were rough, but a trip Sunday limited out on striped bass to 18 or 19 pounds down the ocean beaches on jigs and trolled Stretch plugs, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. Plus more keepers and shorts were caught and released, and most of the keepers were 32 to 34 inches, smaller than the ones around last week. Herring were seen, and herring, bunker and stripers were read on the fish finder. “So I know everything’s down there now,” Derek said. He heard about one bluefish belted so far this season, and if migrating blues move in thick, that might not be a bad thing for striper fishing. If blues school up the ocean front, they might chase bunker into Raritan Bay, and stripers would follow them. Blues might only heat up striper fishing in the bay. Small stripers currently swam the bay. Charters are sailing, and the next open-boat trips will probably run Friday to Sunday. Call to jump aboard or to be kept informed about the open schedule.
Now is the time to be fishing! Capt. Bob from <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Adventures</b> said in an e-mail. Three striped bass trips that ran Friday to Sunday all limited out and caught and released plenty more. The angling was on fire, the best in years. The three anglers on Friday’s trip, an open-boat outing, trolled the fish to 35 inches. The group of four on Saturday’s trip, also open-boat, trolled and clammed the fish to 34 inches. The gang of four on Sunday’s trip jigged and clammed the bass. Trolling, jigging, clamming, bunker-chunking and livelining bunker all worked lately. All weekends are booked until the third weekend of May, but charters are still being taken on weekdays. Night trips from 5:30 to 11:30 are also on tap. Contact Bob for the open-boat schedule.
<b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> is ready to fish, and dates are open, Capt. Brian said. Friends who are experienced captains and anglers said striped bass fishing was some of the best they’d ever seen. The fish were hooked throughout the bay and in the ocean, and on the bay they were bunker-chunked, clammed or trolled on Stretch lures or spoons. On the ocean big schools foraged on herring and bunker on top, and they could be jigged or plugged on top-water poppers or lures. They could also be trolled on the ocean, but anglers are more likely to want to jig or plug them while possible. Jersey Devil throws Capt. Frank Crescitelli’s <a href=" http://www.guideschoicetackle.com" target="_blank">Guide’s Choice</a> swimming and popping lures. Brian heard about no bluefish migrating through yet. Charters are fishing, and so are open-boat trips. Call if interested in the open trips, because the more anglers who want to go, the easier to schedule the trips.
<b>Neptune</b>
Bottom-fishing was targeted on the first trip of the year Saturday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Only five keeper blackfish, two big ling and a keeper cod were coolered, and probably 20 to 30 small blackfish chomped hooks, and so did a few small cod. Waters were cold, and another individual-reservation blackfish trip had been slated for this Wednesday, but with the northwest winds and cold waters, Ralph will hold off until this weekend, bottom fishing again on individual-rez trips 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Space is available, and if stripers are around, the anglers might mix in striper fishing. Everybody else was striped bass fishing, but Ralph wants to get on the blackfish. The trip scored well compared to others, but a friend nabbed a few more blackfish closer to shore. The year’s first offshore trip, an individual-reservation outing sailing for cod and pollock, is on the books for Wednesday, May 19, leaving at 2 a.m., and two or three spaces remain.
<b>Brielle</b>
Striped bass were smoked in the ocean, all to the north, off northern Monmouth County, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Some anglers trolled the fish, but most took advantage of either jigging them -- on jigs such as Krocodiles, P-Lines, Crippled Herrings or Butterfly Jigs – or catching them on top-water popper lures. The stripers seemed to chase herring, but nobody talked about finding herring inland, like at Manasquan Inlet. No bluefish were heard to swim with the stripers at the time, but blues were around in Raritan Bay. Surf anglers sometimes beached the bass, including at Sea Girt on Saturday, mostly on lures. But surf casters dunking clams also picked away. Blackfishing at the wrecks south of Manasquan Inlet was the only bottom fishing that was productive. Dave planned to fish for the tog on the party boat Gambler this week. Blackfishing off Monmouth County sounded slow. No anglers mentioned winter flounder fishing on the Manasquan River, and most flounder anglers probably switched focus to stripers once they barreled in. The Reel Seat is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.
The crew decided striped bass fishing would be a better choice than bottom fishing on a trip Saturday, because of a hard westerly blow forecasted and a swell that was seen, and the six anglers were game, Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> said in an e-mail. By 10 a.m. they limited out on stripers to a 28-pounder, the angler’s personal best, and during the trip released lots more keepers, landing more than 50 for the day, multiple hook-ups galore, netting two at a time. Great sight for April! Jerry said, and the fish smacked nearly everything, including Krocodiles, diamond jigs, soft-plastic lures and bunker. The trip began early in the morning, running up the beaches. Scattered marks and birds picking the waters were seen, “but nothing good,” he said, and a stop was made on bunker, but with no takers. The trip continued, and birds started to be seen coming together. The first striper was bagged on a reading, and the anglers looked up, and stripers busted the surface, and birds dove. Every rod hooked up: Mayhem! Nine more keepers were bagged, and a bunch more got off. The life broke up a little but soon popped up again. The anglers all hooked up at once multiple times, and went into release mode, tossing back countless keepers. They called it quits on stripers after a couple of hours. On the way home they tried anchoring for blackfish. Currents were brutal, and 10- and 12-ounce weights barely held bottom. One keeper cod, short cod and short blackfish came up, and the anglers called it a day. Fish Monger was going to target blackfish the next few days, including on open-boat trips Tuesday and Thursday, and space is available. Open-boat striper trips will be added to the schedule, and charters are sailing. A combo of striper and bottom fishing will be under way in May on the boat. “Give a buzz, let’s go fishing!” Jerry said.
More than 30 striped bass to 30 pounds were blistered in 3 hours on a trip with anglers from the Seaside Heights Fishing Club on the ocean to the north Sunday on the <b>Big Kid</b>, Capt. Ken said. They limited out by 10:30 a.m. and released the rest, and most of the fish were keepers. The bass, trolled on shad rigs and Tony Maja’s bunker spoons, bit from the early morning through the whole trip. Bunker schooled, and seas weren’t bad, because the land protected the ocean from the strong, westerly winds. Ken looked forward to fishing for stripers again today and through the week.
On the party boat <b>Jamaica</b> striped bass were pounded, excellent catches, on Saturday and Sunday, angling that was so good that striper trips will now sail Wednesdays through Sundays for the next two weeks, an e-mail from the vessel said. All anglers on Saturday’s trip limited out and released more. The fishing that day started slowly but improved, and on the last drift almost everyone was hooked up at once with bass that were mostly keepers to 22 pounds. An excellent catch was also waxed on Sunday’s trip, and most of the anglers, among a good crowd, limited out and released more. Almost every drift gave up the fish, mostly keepers to 28 pounds, and fishing was crazy on a couple of drifts, and many stripers were hooked at once. Jigging was the way to go, and many different jigs worked well, but on the Ava 47 jigs, green or white tails seemed to catch most. When the fish fed the most, a slightly faster retrieve worked better than bouncing the jigs along the bottom, if no fish hit the jig on the way down. Bruce Willis, Cranbury, won the pool Saturday with a 22-pound striper, and Stan Struble, Doylestown, won Sunday with a 28-pounder. The Jamaica is sailing for stripers at 7:30 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
<b>Seaside</b>
Big bluefish blitzed bunker in the surf all over Island Beach State Park today, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site. One angler stopped by with some of the blues from Gillikins Beach at the park. The shop first started reporting large numbers of blues in the area on Saturday. Striped bass fishing was a steady pick in the suds, and clams were top bait, but various artificials began to work, and the fish began to show interest in bunker. Most anglers connected best at low tide. Blackfish fed along the Barnegat Inlet jetty. On Saturday surf anglers weighed in 15 striped bass 7.15 to 15.55 pounds, five blackfish 2.2 to 2.7 pounds and an 8.2-pound blue. On Sunday they weighed in four stripers 6.8 to 9.55 pounds. Today they weighed in five blackfish 2.25 to 2.45 pounds, three blues 7.45 to 9.45 pounds and two stripers 9.4 and 15.5 pounds. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishing_reports.cfm" target="_blank">Click here</a> for updates.
<b>Barnegat Light</b>
Barnegat Bay’s top-water fishing for striped bass was some of the best Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> ever saw, showing no signs of stopping, and that was the main event, he said in an e-mail. But big blues showed up on a trip Sunday morning, and the combo of stripers, including trophy-sized fish, and blues now created almost non-stop action. Plus anglers aboard bottom-fished at the ocean wrecks, pulling in blackfish and even a few cod. Jay Simmons and Ernie Rosenberg started the week’s fishing with a trip that first beat striped bass, a solid bite, at 2- to 3-foot flats on the bay on top-waters. That gave up exciting, visual action on light tackle, and Ernie iced a 33-incher. Next they sailed offshore for blackfish, and none bit at the first stop. So they moved farther off to 70 to 80 feet, and the tog, and a few cod, bit steadily. Not every wreck in those depths turned up fish lately, so a little searching was in order. On Friday night’s open-boat trip – Friday Night at the Fights – Wayne Salvi, Karl Steffan, Peg Glenze and Herman Diaz teamed up, getting off to a slower start on stripers. But as the weather deteriorated with cool, northeast winds and steady rains, more stripers began to chew. Once they got going, the fish smashed the poppers clear out of the waters. But stiff winds made them difficult to hook, though sometimes multiple fish struck on a single retrieve, and sometimes the anglers came tight on fish. Striper after striper was lost, but Karl’s lure finally held fast to a 34-incher. On Sunday morning, after the cold snap Saturday night, Steve fished with brother Ryan and friend Brian “Schmitty” Schmidt, and the stripers were waiting, despite the cold night. They were into bass within minutes, would-class visual excitement on poppers, the lure of choice, on light tackle. After they had their fill, big bluefish tore up the waters on the next stop to close out the trip. Trips available include 3-Hour Bay Specials through April, running 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
<b>Tuckerton</b>
The two anglers on a trip today limited out on blackfish to 5 pounds, said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>. Plus they boated a good surprise: cod to 29 inches. They fished in 80 feet on the ocean, and more trips are supposed to fish Thursday and this weekend.
<b>Mystic Island</b>
The first bluefish of the year, a 3.4-pound 23-incher, was checked in Friday from the shore at Pebble Beach, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Mike Morrin won the shop’s annual $100 gift certificate for weighing in the first from the Pebble Beach/Graveling Point area. An influx of blues to 8 pounds charged through Great Bay and up the Mullica River on Sunday, and anglers caught them that evening. But today, in the bright sun, the fish disappeared. “Anglers fishing Graveling and Pebble fed the crabs,” the report said. A puppy drum was checked in this morning, and anglers hoped good numbers of drum showed up in the Great Bay area this spring. An occasional striped bass was landed, and the few that were heard about were keepers to 36 inches. The herring migration arrived Thursday at the creeks at Batsto, now running hot and cold, and first light seemed the trick to catching them, more than the last of high tide did. The first blueclaw crabs of the season began to be plucked from the waters, and a dozen just larger than keeper size was the high catch.
<b>Brigantine</b>
Fifteen to 20 striped bass were dragged from the surf that were known about on Sunday, said the report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Four of the fish to 17 pounds were weighed in at the shop. At least 15 were beached on Saturday, and one customer checked in a keeper in the morning before work and another the previous day before work. On Friday two stripers, a 14-1/2-pounder and a 9-pounder, were checked in by 2 p.m., and many shorts were reported caught. Sign up for the Fish for Life Tournament – running until May 15, featuring prizes for the 1st through 3rd heaviest stripers – at the shop for $20. Many anglers enter for the pass that’s included with the entry fee that allows them to drive the entire length of Brigantine’s beach when accompanied by a beach permit from the town.
<b>Atlantic City</b>
Two striped bass 13 pounds and 11 ½ pounds were weighed in this morning that anglers whacked from the T-jetty, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. A 26-pound 39-inch striper, a whopper, was checked in from the surf a couple of days ago. Others weighed in lately included an 11-pound 29-incher and an 11-pound 28-incher. Surf casting for the bass was good on clams and bloodworms, and the fish began to arrive in the ocean, leaving the rivers. Good blackfishing was also clobbered along the jetties on green crabs and clams. A 9-1/2-pound 26-1/2-inch blackfish hit the scale, and so did a 5-1/2-pound 21-incher. A few small blues 18 or 19 inches swam the back bay, were the only blues heard about. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms, green crabs and all the baits are stocked.
<b>Longport</b>
<b>***Update, Tuesday, 4/20***</b>: Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b> just returned from delivering a boat from Florida, and trips on the Cat will now get back underway, he said. Daily, open-boat fishing should resume Friday and will sail through the weekend. The angling will hunt blackfish before blackfish season closes May 1, but might also chase blues and stripers that began schooling along the ocean. The fish busted the surface, and birds dove, from Hereford Inlet to Great Egg Harbor Inlet when Mike sailed home Monday. He also saw schools from Ocean City, Maryland, to home, everywhere except off the mouth of Delaware Bay. Looking ahead, trips will target sea bass when the lumphead season opens May 22. Space should be booked now for summer flounder season that opens May 29. Bluefin tuna fishing should kick off on the boat at the end of May or beginning of June.
<b>Sea Isle City</b>
A 14-pound striped bass was dusted up on Delaware Bay on clams on Saturday on a trip with Kevin Bunn and friends, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Spiny dog sharks also grabbed the clams, and forecasted winds blew strongly by mid morning, roughing up seas, so the trip moved to the ocean off Cape May to escape the westerlies. No luck was scored, so the anglers motored to the back bay behind Sea Isle City. A bruiser striper, larger than 20 pounds, inhaled a clam but pulled the hook when the fish thrashed on the surface several feet from the net. Then a 25-pound drum, an unusual catch behind Sea Isle, a species that Joe probably never before saw in the back at Sea Isle, bit a clam and was released. Next a 29-inch striper was landed on clam. So the fishing went well, especially in the conditions, and was actually better behind Sea Isle than on Delaware Bay. On Sunday John Martin decided to take a short trip on deck, despite winds that continued. Two out-of-season summer flounder and a small striper were released that were caught on Gulp Shrimp on a jighead. Striper fishing was improving on the back bay on bait, soft-plastic lures or Clouser flies, a choice mostly up to the angler. Bluefish should invade the bay any moment, and Jersey Cape’s anglers fight lots of them each spring. Plenty of flounder should skitter along the back bay when the flattie season opens May 29, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Fishing for them is best early in the season, before the shallow bay warms up, and trips should be booked now, particularly for the holiday weekend. May is an excellent month for fishing on the bay for stripers, blues and eventually flounder, when the season opens. Trips may also keep fishing on Delaware Bay for stripers and will definitely be available for drum fishing that should take off there soon. On the back bay, take advantage of After Work Special Trips that fish toward the evenings, a prime time for catches. High tides, productive for fishing the bay, this week are coinciding with evenings, a combo that Joe looks forward to. Visit <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a> for the latest reports and photos.
<b>Cape May</b>
Strong winds, including winds against the tide, hampered striped bass fishing on Delaware Bay on Saturday and Sunday, but charters previously decked healthy catches of the fish, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Bud Wray’s charter last Monday socked stripers to 22 pounds, some sizeable bass. Another charter on Wednesday also pummeled the fish to 22 pounds, a good catch. A group on board Saturday only reeled in one striper, and the angling seemed tough for everyone in the rough seas. The Will Higgins party on Sunday beat up blues maybe 10 pounds apiece on the ocean. All the striper trips fished at Miah Maull with clams. Bob heard about a few drum hauled from the bay starting Wednesday, so the boomers seemed to be coming in. Openings are available for charters, including for drum.
One striped bass 33 ½ inches was boated, and probably a couple more were missed, on Delaware Bay on Saturday with John DeGeorgio’s charter on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Winds howled and seas became rough both Saturday and Sunday, and that might’ve affected striper fishing on the bay. One angler from the dock came in with a 47-inch striper from the bay he said had no roe inside, so maybe some of the fish already ran up the Delaware River and spawned. On Sunday with the bay churned up, Tom Ebicky’s charter on the Heavy Hitter landed tog and a bunch of blues instead of targeting stripers. The blues, 7 pounds or larger, were trolled along the ocean front, and that seemed to be the spring migration of the slammers arriving. The wait was on for the bay’s drum fishing to turn on, and charters will go after them. Word about a few drum taken, such as on the radio, flew around, but no news was verified. George wouldn’t be surprised if drum began to be around, though. Dates are available for charters, and call if interested.
Trips on the Ho-D-Doe, the boat from <b>Budd’s Tackle Charter Services</b>, will begin around May 1, said Capt. Ben Budd, who also owns Budd’s Bait & Tackle in the Villas. The vessel, running from Cape May, is expected to sail by then, and the first charter is currently on the books for May 4, and should fish for drum on Delaware Bay. A few drum showed up so far, and many of the stripers in the waters moved up to the northern bay, after schooling closer to Cape May. Big blues, a good fish to pick a fight with, swarmed the ocean near Cape May. Ben had been fishing in Florida but was now returning to New Jersey.