<b>Staten Island</b>

Anglers with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b> put striped bass in the boat, Capt. Anthony said. Clamming, jigging, bunker chunking and nearly every way to catch them worked, and some days were better than others. On some days trips fished the bay, and on others the ocean. Better-sized bass were sometimes knocked down in the bay, and the ocean sometimes held larger populations of stripers. Charters are fishing, and so are open-boat trips, including during afternoons to evenings. A trip was supposed to bottom-fish today. Barbara Anne had been winter flounder fishing early this season like every year. But this spring’s run of flounder on Raritan Bay will go down as one of the worst ever, the blog on the boat’s Web site said. Too much freshwater from intense rains and snows flooded the bay. Coming up, Barbara Anne will fish for fluke and sea bass, including during the closed seasons, because the boat has Research Set Aside permits to do so. Anglers will be able to climb aboard to target those fish whether the seasons are closed or not. The RSA bag limit per angler for the closed fluke season is four fish 17 to 20 inches. The permit allows fishing both before and after the open season, and the first RSA trip for fluke might sail in the next week or two. The sea bass limit for the closed season was yet to be available. Visit <a href=" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Staten-Island-NY/Barbara-Anne-Fishing-Charters-Inc/117780148239002?v=app_2373072738" target="_blank">Barbara’s Anne’s Facebook page</a> and become a fan.

With <b>Outcast Charters</b> anglers were beating up on striped bass when Capt. Joe telephoned from the waters on the trip this evening, he said. They probably limited out in 2 hours on 15- to 20-pounders, and were catching and releasing more of the same-sized fish as he spoke. So the fishing was good, and blues were in the mix: “Not too bad, but enough,” he said.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass anglers had to know the bite would be on during Wednesday’s trip, because of the forecasts for winds, Capt. Ron from the <b>Fishermen</b> said in an e-mail. Patrons crushed action the whole trip on bass to 19 pounds. Jigs worked best, as opposed to clams, and one of the drifts gave up catches for 2 solid miles. A few bluefish were mixed in but were no problem. Check out <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSfklnmZs0M
" target="_blank">a video of some of the day’s catches</a>. The Fishermen is striped bass fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

Striped bass trips Tuesday afternoon and this morning were the only that sailed on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> since the trip Sunday afternoon, because of the weather, Capt. Tom said during this morning’s trip. He telephoned from the waters a half-hour into the trip, and the anglers were on a steady pick on clams, landing one keeper and a half-dozen throwbacks already, along the ocean beach. Winds 20 knots blew from the northwest, so he tucked the boat along the sheltered beach front. Strong winds from that direction against incoming tide were too much to fish Flynn’s Knoll at the mouth of the bay, where previous trips connected. On Tuesday afternoon’s trip, winds 30 knots came on against the tide, “and was some miserable, I’ll tell you,” he said. Fishing at Flynn’s became out of the question, so the boat was headed to the beach. Winds still somewhat had to be dealt with, but conditions were perfectly fishable, and catches, all on clams, weren’t bad, considering the weather. Only nine people were aboard, the same as this morning, and on this trip they bagged six or so keepers, but the angling was a steady pick. Unfortunately many of the fish were 26 to 27 inches or 1 to 2 inches undersized. But striper fishing’s been all right when trips had the weather to go. Trips will jig for stripers when that’s the better option, but the body of fish that were possible to jig held to the east and off Rockaway, a long run for a half-day trip if jigging catches wasn’t a guarantee. 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, 12 noon, Thursday, 4/29***</b>:  Besides a small lull in the striper fishing on this morning’s trip, a good catch was decked, Tom said in a call at the end of the trip. Shorts gave up plenty of action, but everybody aboard sacked all the keepers they needed. No bluefish appeared, and winds kept blowing, but seas were calm, protected by the land from the winds, where the vessel fished on the ocean the whole trip. Real good fishing, he said.

Boaters piled up excellent catches of striped bass from the bay to the ocean on clams, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Jim Murray, Gillette, jigged two 26- and 25-pound stripers on a party boat. If private boaters bunker-chunked on the bay, blues would storm in first, and then stripers would tumble in. Bluefish were just everywhere eating everything. That included in the rivers, and lots of stripers also hung in the rivers, biting later in the day and in the evenings. Bass and blues also traveled the surf. For the bass, surf casters heaved out clams or bunker, or they plugged before daylight, and then switched to bait. Blues in the surf gobbled up bunker or metal. Anglers who checked in stripers from the surf included: Bill Dowd, South River, 15-pounder; Jack Hansen, Milford, 10-1/2-pounder; and Brenda Miller, Newton, 8-3/4-pounder. All the baits are stocked.

<b>Highlands</b>

Trips were forced to stay docked Tuesday and Wednesday because of the weather, but previously they bunker-chunked, jigged, clammed and trolled good catches of striped bass, mostly on Raritan Bay, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. The bass weighed up to 20 pounds, and bluefish were scattered around. But Derek did some plugging on the rivers with another angler, and probably 75 blues slammed the lures. He was able to catch bunker fairly consistently for bait, and hoped more continued to filter  in. Charters are fishing, and an open-boat trip will run Saturday. Call to climb aboard or to be kept informed about the open schedule.

The boat will be steamed on striped bass trips Friday through Sunday, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>. The weather was rough in the past days. Lots of stripers and blues schooled throughout the bay and down the ocean front. On the bay, trips bunker-chunked, livelined bunker, clammed and trolled the bass. On the ocean they trolled spoons or livelined bunker. Brian specializes in searching out big striped bass and has frequently won or placed in striper tournaments. Upcoming tournaments he’ll compete in include the Manhattan Cup, the Bahrs Landing Striper Tournament and the Hi-Mar Club American Striper Association Tournament. Charters and open-boat trips are sailing. Call about the open trips, because the more who express interest, the easier to schedule.

<b>Neptune</b>

Space is available on an individual-reservation blackfish trip on Friday, the final day of the tog season, with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Boaters who fished for them Saturday boxed up a mess, and caught few on Sunday. With weather forecasted to be good Friday, Ralph expects limits to be clubbed. Limited space is available for an individual-reservation trip offshore on Wednesday, May 19, for cod, pollock and ling. Room is available for one of the trips for sea bass on Sunday, May 23. Individual-rez trips for fluke will sail every Wednesday starting June 23. Charters are available.

<b>Belmar</b>

A ton of striped bass were pounded from the surf all week, mostly on clams, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. But some of the fish were plugged Wednesday on poppers such as Creek Chubs or Gibbs, but none on pencil poppers. Many of the bass weighed 14 or 16 pounds, and a 20-pounder was weighed in, and Bob heard about a few in the 20 range. Boaters jigged the stripers and a few blues on the ocean. Big blues to 14 pounds raced up Shark River and Manasquan inlets every day for a week. Dynamite catches of blackfish were clobbered on the party boats, but the blackfish season will close Saturday. Saltwater fishing was good all around. In freshwater, trout anglers snatched up the fish from Spring Lake.

<b>Brielle</b>

Winds blew, but the anglers aboard today  limited out on striped bass to 40 pounds on the ocean, catching and releasing plenty more, said Capt. Ken from the <b>Big Kid</b>. The trip trolled the fish on Tony Maja’s spoons and umbrella rigs to the north, and blues were mixed in. At 11 a.m. the anglers pushed out to the reef, reeling in cod, no blackfish. Seas were somewhat rough offshore. More trips will sail Friday through Monday. Blackfish season closes Saturday, but anglers already started booking charters for the tog for when the season reopens to a six-fish bag limit on November 16. The first two days are already booked. One blackfish can be kept starting July 16, but the November date is really the reopening. Some dates remain for offshore charters for sharks and tuna that will begin soon.

Blackfishing shoveled up a limit for the boat and more caught and released afterward, a total of about 45 keeper-sized fish to 8 pounds, on a charter with six anglers Wednesday with <b>Fish Monger Charters</b>, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. The fishing wasn’t crazy like on a trip Saturday, but the bite was steady for a while. Catches somewhat slowed after the morning, but the gang still picked at the tog. The boat’s first few keeper-sized sea bass, out of season until May 22, were seen on the grounds. The anglers tried looking for fish to jig on the way home, and not much life popped up, but some blues and a short striper were jigged on readings. Another trip left port for blackfishing today, but tons of birds were seen working the waters on the way to the grounds. The anglers couldn’t pass that up, breaking out the jigging rods. Multiple hook-ups were instantly stabbed – quality keepers and some shorts, and also bluefish, that spit up lots of rainfish and a few bunker – and the anglers quickly limited out on stripers, playing catch and release with more. But blackfishing afterward was tough, and maybe the bottom had cooled down. A bunch of drops were made to search for the fish, but nothing was doing. Only eight keeper blacks and some shorts were landed. But all the anglers took home a limit of stripers and a load of blues. “So we made the best of what the ocean offered us,” Jerry said. The final blackfish trip will sail Friday, before the tog season closes the next day. Afterward trips will sail for stripers and will begin to fish for sea bass when the lumphead season opens.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Blackfish chomped hard in 65 feet on the ocean on Tuesday morning for anglers with <b>Jersey Hooker Charters</b>, Capt. Rich said. That was before winds kicked in during the rest of the day, and the week was windy for sailing. But previously Jersey Hooker was also striped bass fishing, and catches were hit or miss, good on some days. But when a day was slower, charters still scrounged up a catch. The trips usually jigged or clammed for the fish, running north to clam for them at the clam beds when the jig fish disappeared. Blackfish season will close Saturday, but striper charters will keep sailing.

Ling, blackfish and cod were booted-up on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, no great fishing, not good, but some catches, Capt. Butch said. Fair catches of blackfish were mongered on a couple of days, and trips targeted the tog in 50 to 90 feet. The slipperies weighed up to 4 and 5 pounds, and bigger ones could sometimes be angled from shallower waters, but that fishing puts out fewer bites than farther from shore, and anglers on party boats want more action. The ling were hunted in 130 to 150 feet, not too deep for ling. Dog sharks began to become their annual nuisance in deeper waters, so the boat fished shallower. Bluefish were sometimes seen swimming the surface, but the boat didn’t go after them. More blues schooled close to shore, from the surf to a mile out. Anglers at Manasquan Inlet whaled away at blues and stripers on Wednesday. No striped bass were fished for on the boat, because trips fished beyond 3 miles from shore, where striper fishing is closed. Trips a week or two ago ran across stripers at moments when fishing shallower than now. Waters on the bottom-fishing grounds were 45 degrees on cool days and 54 degrees on warmer ones. That’s chilly compared with recent years, but is normal compared with the old days. The temps depended on the weather. On days with south winds, water temps might’ve been 48 or 49. On sunny days, they were higher. A couple of trips were weathered out because of strong winds. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Bricktown</b>

Customers said they ran into bluefish all over the surf, said Capt. Rich from the tackle shop <b>Jersey Hooker Outfitters</b>. They began to clam or bunker-chunk a few more striped bass than before in the wash. For boaters on the ocean, striper fishing was hit or miss, sometimes good, other times taking more work. But anglers with Rich’s Jersey Hooker Charters, sailing from Point Pleasant, always scrounged up a catch even on the slower days, mostly jigging or clamming the fish. If no jig fish were around, the trips headed north to clam for bass. The linesiders could also be trolled, but many charters prefer jigging or clamming. Blackfish chomped hard in 65 feet on the ocean on Tuesday morning for a charter. Point Pleasant Canal anglers put a beating on blackfish on clams or sandworms from 1 or 2 hours before slack tides to 1 or 2 afterward. Stripers were definitely caught from the canal at night on high, slack tides on rubber swim baits, sandworms, plugs or pencil poppers. Many of the shop’s freshwater anglers chased trout wherever the latest stocking took place, going from place to place. They also banged out lots of white perch with yellow perch mixed in at Forge Pond, and they traveled to all different areas for largemouth bass fishing, catch-and-release while the bigmouth season is closed. Jersey Hooker Outfitters carries saltwater baits including fresh clams, fresh bunker when available, sandworms, the whole selection of frozen baits and more. Freshwater baits include meal worms, trout worms, Power Bait and more.

<b>Toms River</b>

Bluefish galore to 10-pounders stormed the surf the past three days, and bunker schooled up and down the coast, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Fresh bunker scored well on the blues, and striped bass to 32 and 34 inches were also beached, usually on bunker, sometimes on clams, a few times on plugs. Boaters jigged both fish ½-mile to ¾-mile from shore from Lavallette south to Barnegat Inlet. Sometimes they trolled bunker spoons or Mann’s Stretch Plugs to connect. Blues to 8 pounds, more than Dennis saw in a long time, littered Barnegat Bay from the inlet to the Route 37 Bridge. Anglers cast to the fish or trolled them, and off Good Luck Point served up tons. Striped bass could be found in the bay, but blues made catching them difficult. White perch swam the Toms River, but again blues overshadowed them. Blackfish, out-of-season starting this Saturday, were plucked from along the rocks at Barnegat and Manasquan inlets on green crabs. Dennis heard about no weakfish angled up so far, but now’s the time when the big tiderunners enter the bay to spawn. Gill netters picked up some last week. One angler hooked a couple of out-of-season fluke at Double Creek Channel. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, bloodworms and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Bluefish choked the surf at Island Beach State Park, great fishing for them, and a few striped bass were mixed in, said Scott from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. The blues swiped chunks of fresh bunker, metal and popper lures, and many of the stripers inhaled clam, but some jumped on artificials. Stripers were drummed up on Barnegat Bay at the local holes on plugs such as Yozuri’s. Blackfish crunched baits along Barnegat Inlet’s north jetty, but Friday is the last day of the tog season. A few big weakfish, the tiderunners that move to the back waters to spawn in spring, were taken mostly toward Barnegat Inlet. Hardly anyone crabbed in the winds, but previously the blueclaws began to be trapped. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and practically all the baits are stocked. Rental boats for fishing and crabbing will be available starting in mid May.

<b>Seaside Park</b>

Anglers failed to crowd the surf, but fish did, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site. The sharpies who hit the suds got worn out, and bluefish dominated, but some anglers were able to work through the blues to land stripers. Awesome catches, mostly blues but some sizeable stripers, lasted all day Wednesday on Island Beach State Park from Gilliken’s Beach to Barnegat Inlet, and hardly anyone fished. “You guys don’t know what you’re missing!” the report said. Blues continued daily beach attacks Tuesday, and stripers were mostly clammed that day like usual, but sometimes smacked artificials. The surf was also crowded Monday. “It wasn’t crowds of fishermen but fish!” the report said. The fish are here! it said. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishing_reports.cfm" target="_blank">Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Forked River</b>

Ocean boaters belted striped bass, mostly on the troll, a few on live bunker, and they usually headed north from Barnegat Inlet to catch, said Grizz from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. A few anglers might’ve jigged them, but the fish “want something swimming,” he said, and the bass foraged on herring and bunker. Blues were mixed in, and lots of blues tore up Barnegat Bay. Many boaters bought light, ½- and ¾-ounce Ponytails that smoked the bay’s blues on the troll. Some also trolled metal or cast metal for the speedsters. Anglers at Oyster Creek tied into striped bass that seemed to prefer bloodworms more than clams. Stripers were also grabbed from the Toms River. Nobody mentioned catching a weakfish so far this season. Good crabbing was whacked. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms, all the frozen baits and more are stocked.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Boaters plowed striped bass on the ocean off the Island Beach State Park bathing beach in 30 to 50 feet, said Basil from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Bill Haluska from Mole Charters and his father, from the former Moles Bait & Tackle, reportedly lambasted stripers on Barnegat Bay on clams on a trip. Basil heard about stripers clammed on the bay but about none taken in other ways. Lots of stripers and blues swam the bay, and bunker were entering the bay to spawn. Surf casters dragged in stripers from Barnegat Light to Harvey Cedars. Basil thought the fish might’ve been yanked in from mid island at Surf City and Ship Bottom. He was sure blues plied the surf, but everybody talked about stripers. Blackfish fed along the Barnegat Inlet rocks, but the season for them closes Saturday. Weakfish were supposedly hooked on occasion along the bridge. Fresh clams are stocked, and the shop will try to carry fresh bunker by the weekend. Basil was very sad to convey that Steve Hoger, former employee at the shop, passed away. He was a good person and wonderful fisherman willing to share, teaching many customers how to fish. Heartfelt condolences to his loved ones.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The weather was raw and cold, but no matter: Anglers were out fighting bluefish that swarmed throughout the back waters, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers were bundled up, but lots came through the store for supplies, and both boaters and shore casters axed the 2- to 8-pounders. From the shore, Graveling Point and Pebble Beach were some of the spots that produced. Blues invade the waters for a moment every year in spring, and a few striped bass were mixed in. Stripers were occasionally taken from the shore, but more will be boated at places like Grassy Channel on Great Bay and at Little Egg Inlet at this time of year. Once the blues move in, the large populations of bass mostly depart areas like Graveling and Pebble, but they’ll still be caught there for a moment. At this time of year, more stripers are found either in the Mullica River or toward the inlet. Stripers will sometimes pop up along the ocean front now, but bigger ones, like up to 35 pounds, in recent years appeared in June in the ocean, chasing bunker. Clams or bunker were the baits to toss for the stripers in the back waters now, but bunker is more commonly used in the ocean. A few bunker swam around all the waters. Mackerel was the bait to dunk for the blues, but bluefish anglers also worked everything from cast metal or poppers to trolled lures. The population of blues was fantastic, especially because they’ll give anglers something to fight when tog season closes Saturday and before sea bass and summer flounder seasons open. Sea bass opens on May 22 and flounder on May 29, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Surprisingly, no customers mentioned fishing for tog, but tog traditionally bite along the bay’s sod banks when blues move in.  White perch fishing was on in the tidal rivers and creeks! Reports started rolling in about perch plucked from the Mullica River at the Lower Bank Bridge. That’s more fun fishing than meat fishing, because the perch are mostly small. But anglers enjoy the action and might pick up a few other fish like a catfish.  No drum were pulled from the bay in the past days, after a few showed up previously like usual in spring, and nobody mentioned finding weakfish, though the trout can always arrive as soon as blues appear. A few herring trickled up the creeks at Batsto, and the migration was intermittent, but worth a look. No slammer numbers came through, and anglers might try for the baitfish on a morning and have luck, or might not, for example. All the baits – including fresh-shucked clams, bloodworms, minnows and green crabs – are stocked except grass shrimp. Cold nights apparently shocked the shrimp, and Scott, quite experienced at catching them, attempted to net them 3 hours on a trip, and only gathered a pint. The cold alone isn’t what prevents the shrimping, and the sudden cold does. Scott catches the shrimp even through the winter.

<b>Absecon</b>

Winds in the past days and the cold Wednesday night seemed to push striped bass and blues out from the bay to calmer waters by today, but otherwise the fish were in there, and good catches will probably be slugged in the calm weather this weekend, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>.  He ran his first two charters of the year with his Absecon Bay Hunting & Fishing Safaris on the waters. The first, on Wednesday with Tom Newman, limited out on four stripers and released a short, nabbed on livelined herring along the sod banks at Mankiller Bay. The second, running today with Matt Grozniak and buddy, was tougher, and winds honked, not as badly as on Wednesday’s trip, but the blow and the cold night seemed to force the fish to move out to calmer waters. Two fat shorts 25 to 27 inches were hooked on livelined herring in the same area, and a few fish were missed. But the bass, and also blues, should move back in with calmer weather. A few blues nipped the tails off the herring on the trips. Blues ran thick in the bay before the weather, and they’ll likely return. Boaters put the brakes on plenty of stripers and blues on the ocean off North Brigantine when the weather was better. Hardly anyone probably tog fished the last two days because of the weather, but previously anglers really wiped them up on the bay, though the tog season closes Saturday. Healthy catches of white perch were claimed from the brackish rivers a ways upstream, probably because the fish were getting ready to spawn. Fresh clams and nearly all the baits are stocked. Live herring are swimming the livewells, and Dave’s only got through Friday to net more, before the commercial season ends Saturday. He hopes for a good pull on two more shots at the nets, but couldn’t say how long the supply of the baitfish will last at the shop. The herring run was slower than usual this year, and whatever’s in the tanks by the end of  Friday will be the final supply for the season. The boat was splashed at the marina for Dave’s new <a href="http://www.fishguatemala.com/abseconbay/main.html" target="_blank">Guatemala charter service</a>, and the first trips will probably fish in the next days.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Though forecasts called for better weather, winds gusted today, and not much was angled from the surf then, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. But a 31-inch striped bass was reported beached off the sea wall. About 20 stripers were weighed in during the weekend, but zillions of anglers fished from the shore, so the ratio of catches was low. Winds kept most from fishing the past few days, but Vinnie Morris on Monday checked in a 14-pound 10-ounce striper. Snot grass made angling almost impossible that day, but the grass since cleared out. Blues had swam all over the wash before the weather. Drum were sometimes hoisted in from the surf, and Dominic Lamana banked a 30-pounder. The Fishlanders Tourney for surf fishing will take place at Brigantine on Saturday, and Riptide will be loaded with bait for the event. Lots of fresh bunker will be stocked Friday, and fresh clams were already on hand, and so were bloodworms. All 200 beach-buggy passes are sold out for the Fish for Life Tournament, meaning the tournament will generate at least $4,000 for the South Jersey Cancer Fund. Current leaders are: Lou Carleo, 33-pound 3-ounce striper; Ted Fowles, 16-pounder; and Vinnie Morris, the 14-pound 10-ouncer mentioned above.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Bluefish swam in good supply at Great Egg Harbor and Corson’s inlets, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Striped bass milled around the inlets, but blues, 3- to 7-pounders and occasional bigger ones, were more abundant. Many anglers who striper fished picked up the blues on clams or bunker meant for the linesiders. Those who targeted the blues mostly used bunker or mackerel, occasionally metal. The few boaters who fished the inlets for stripers did catch. But decent striper fishing was busted from shore at the inlets and surf, and incoming tides seemed more productive from the surf. Back-bay fishing was a little slow because of stirred up waters from winds and rains. But previously lots of smaller blues hammered jigs or small metal in the bay. Stripers were lifted from the bay on clams or soft plastics such as Zooms, Fin-S Fish and Bass Assassins. Lots of tog were crushed in the bay, because waters finally warmed to the mid 50s, and plenty were boated on the ocean, but tog season closes Saturday. Cod fishing seemed to slow a bit at the ocean wrecks because of warmer waters. Previously an encouraging amount of cod, small fish but enough keepers, came from the waters. Fresh clams and bloodworms are stocked, and fresh bunker will arrive for the weekend. Eels will come in Friday, and stripers began to pop eels in Delaware Bay.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Migrating striped bass kept trekking through the surf at Corson’s and Townsend’s inlets, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Fresh clams and fresh bunker were best baits, and bluefish, mostly 3- to 4-pounders, maybe up to 7 pounds, sometimes swam through. Baits like bunker or mackerel jabbed the blues, but if anglers wanted to throw an artificial, they could wing out metal or a subsurface lure like a bucktail or even a needlefish, a subsurface swimmer. The water’s cold, so the blues were unlikely to attack a surface lure like a popper. Best times to fish the surf were either slack high or slack low tides or sunrise or sunset. The fish fed at slack when they could exert the least energy against the currents, could avoid chasing bait that the currents sped along. Sunrise and sunset are typical times when any fish feed. When anglers are new to the surf fishing, he tells them simply to pick the end of a street, like 61st Street, walk out to the beach, and set up there. If anglers are staying at the shore, he tells them to pick the street they’re staying on. In the back bay, blues 1 to 3 pounds jammed the waters, lots of fun to fight them. Lead jigheads or bucktails tipped with a Gulp, Bass Assassin, Fin-S Fish or such caught them when worked slowly and hard on the bottom, because of cold waters. Stripers also swam the bay, and anglers could troll them on small, eel-like artificials or could fish with clam while chumming with clam, ever popular. Tog gave up hot fishing from structure like the bridges to the ocean wrecks, though tog season closes Saturday. Crabbing was under way in the back waters, plenty of the blueclaws nabbed. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms, green crabs and the best-quality frozen baits are stocked. Speaking of clams, Gibson’s is set up to provide all the supplies including bushels of clams for drum fishing on Delaware Bay that should begin any time.

Not much fishing could be done in the cold and winds, but bluefish rampaged the back bay, and historically a big population remains the next couple of weeks, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. His charters have a blast fighting them on jigs with Bass Assassins or Gulp Shrimp or weighted flies like Clouser Minnows or Jiggies. Blues usually cop a reputation for being easy to hook, but not so in the cool waters in spring. The jigs and flies are fished slowly on the bottom, and the bite is subtle. But the fish take off like wild when hooked. But as waters warm, the blues will become more aggressive, eventually hammering top-water popper lures and flies. Joe’s anglers then work Rapala Skitter Pop lures or Crease or Gurgler flies. Striped bass currently swam plentiful in the bay, willing to pounce on clams, jigs or flies. Bigger ones tend to prefer clams, and lots of schoolies typically chase jigs, the same jigs the blues chase, and flies, like chartreuse and white Clousers. To target stripers, Joe gets away from areas that blues invade. Striper anglers will catch fewer fish than bluefish anglers will, but some anglers want stripers. Stripers will also swipe top-water lures and flies, the same ones blues do, from about Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Top-water popper fishing for stripers on the bay is one of Joe’s specialties. He fishes for them on his flats boat, poling the shallows like in a tropical location, but right here in South Jersey. The Crease fly he ties for the angling is a modified version that throws more water and makes more noise. Anglers can take advantage of special, after-work charters, a great option while so many fish fill the bay. Tides, outgoing in the afternoons, are favorable in the next week, though the fish can be caught on incoming. Joe is on the wait for drum to slide into Delaware Bay, and drum charters will be on tap any day. Keep up with Joe’s fishing and photos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

The party boat <b>Adventurer</b> will fish Saturday, probably for striped bass or drum, depending on conditions, Capt. Gary said. In other words, if winds and seas make ocean fishing for striped bass the best option, the vessel will fish there. If the conditions make fishing for either stripers or drum on Delaware Bay the best choice, the trip will motor there. Anglers will fish with clams for either. A few blues roamed the ocean, but mostly in the surf. No trips sailed during the weekend. Daily trips are slated, but call ahead at this time of year.

<b>Cape May</b>

A few good catches of striped bass were heard about from the surf at Cape May Point, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of people talked about stripers boated on northern Delaware Bay, but that was the main concentration of fish, and scattered bass were hung locally, too. Winds kept boaters from sailing in the past days, but on the beach the linesiders could be toggled up on bloodworms or clams. Back-bay anglers could tangle with stripers on clams or soft-plastic lures, such as along the bridges with the plastics. A couple of reports rolled in about drum boated on Delaware Bay, and that fishing should be poised to amp up. Nick heard about no bluefish in the immediate area, and no weakfish seemed around. Tog were smoked from the jetties to the ocean wrecks, but the tog season will close Saturday. But cod, decent catches, were pumped in from the wrecks. Despite the winds this week, forecasts are calling for a banner weekend of calm, warmer weather. Fresh clams are stocked, and fresh bunker might be available for the weekend. The weather kept bunker boats from netting, and the netter got out today but had difficulty catching the menhaden. But the boat will head back out Friday.

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