<b>Staten Island</b>

Fantastic striped bass fishing was pummeled the past three weeks, and the number of bigger bass, fish from 18 to 25 pounds, sometimes in the 30s, increased lately, Capt. Rob from <b>Outcast Charters</b> said in an e-mail. He took a fun trip with two friends on Sunday, and they reeled in more than a dozen stripers 15 to 20 pounds in a little more than an hour, keeping only their limit, releasing the rest. A charter on Thursday bombed an awesome catch of stripers to 25 pounds, Rob’s brother Capt. Joe said in a phone call. The fishing took 20 minutes to get going, but turned into lock-and-load action. Trips lately fished with bunker chunks from Raritan Bay to the ocean, wherever necessary. If the fishing holds up like it’s been, often limiting out after 2 or 3 hours, trips could mix in sea bass fishing afterward, once sea bass season opens May 22. Or trips could search out trophy stripers at the wrecks once anglers had enough action with other stripers.  Open-boat trips are striper fishing every Thursday evening. An open trip will also sail for the linesiders Saturday, because of a cancellation.

A crew from ESPN joined a trip with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b> on Thursday along the ocean beaches, the Captain’s Blog on the boat’s Web site said. Hardly any bait swam around at first. But when the tide changed, bunker schooled as far as could be seen, miles of the baitfish, and fish corralled them. The anglers beat four stripers to 23 pounds and countless blues. Bait never appeared on a trip along the ocean front Friday, so stripers were scarce, but two 12-pounders were jigged. Blues were also jigged and were plentiful. A twilight trip on Saturday was cancelled because of winds, and no report was posted for Sunday, and any trip then was probably also weathered out from winds. Charters are fishing for stripers, and so are open-boat trips, including open trips that sail from the afternoons to night or around twilight. Barbara Anne pays bridge tolls with a receipt.

<b>Bayonne</b>

Fierce winds began to blow Saturday afternoon through the weekend, but a trip Saturday morning explored the Hudson River near the Tappan Zee Bridge, searching for striped bass, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. Three stripers and a bluefish were hooked on bunker chunks and bloodworm, and the angling seemed mostly slow, and a friend in the area also landed stripers, but not many. But good striper fishing was plowed from New York Harbor to Raritan Bay. Even customers angling from the bulkheads on the Hudson River like at the park in Bayonne waffled the linesiders. On one of the past days a big school of bunker swam along the bulkhead, and the anglers snagged the menhaden, using them for bait. This season was great for striper fishing so far. A charter with True World was postponed Sunday because of winds, and Akira and a friend last week on Monday checked out striper fishing at Robbins Reef in the harbor, reeling up a couple of the fish and a blue. Akira was yet to striper fish on the East River this season, but lots of the linesiders should also swim there by now. His trips eel for stripers on the East River.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Rough weather turns on striped bass fishing, Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> often says, “and today was no exception,” he said Sunday in the report on the boat’s Web site. He knew the trip would have a short window to catch the bass while outgoing tide flowed with the strong northwest winds. The fish gave up steady catches for 3 hours, and some patrons limited out. A 17-pounder was the pool-winner, and many of the fish were 24 to 29 inches, and the bigger ones were 31 to 32. Conditions were nasty but fishable, and when the tide changed against the winds, the trip headed home before conditions got really bad. The trip would’ve never left port if winds had blown against the tide. The report never said whether the anglers fished with clams or jigs that day, but previous trips mostly fished with clams. Ron thought today’s fishing would be “on” in better conditions, after all the catches Sunday. But the fishing was a slow pick on clams, and a dozen stripers were bagged, and a couple of blues came up. On Saturday’s trip clamming produced good fishing through outgoing tide, and some customers limited out, and one bagged a bonus-tag bass, and an 18-pounder was the pool fish. Jigging for stripers had been unproductive in the previous few days, so Ron decided the anglers would clam that day, Saturday. “Glad we did,” he said. When winds built too much, the trip headed home. Still, forecasts called for winds from the beginning of the day that never happened, and many boats cancelled trips because of forecasts. Smaller bass started to be seen that day, and many 24- to 26-inch shorts were tossed back. On Friday’s trip striper fishing was not good, but anglers could’ve sunk the boat with blues. “As good as the (striper) fishing’s been (this spring), it’s still hard to swallow the tough ones!” he said. Check out the <a href=" http://www.captainronsfishermen.com" target="_blank">Fishermen’s new Web site</a> featuring daily reports and frequent videos and photos from trips. 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. But the boat is chartered during the morning-to-afternoon trips this Tuesday and Saturday.

On the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> anglers clammed striped bass on every trip in the past few days at the clam beds in the ocean, Romer Shoal and Flynn’s Knoll, Capt. Tom said. A 25-pound 12-ouncer, the biggest on the boat so far this season, was pumped aboard on Saturday morning’s trip. Both the morning and afternoon trips sailed Friday, and obviously Saturday morning’s got out. But Saturday afternoon’s trip stayed dock, because of winds. Sunday morning’s trip fished, because winds blew with the tide, relatively better conditions, though the weather “was some windy,” Tom said. Sunday afternoon’s trip stayed in port, because of winds. Trips will jig for stripers when that’s the better plan, but the jiggable fish were out of reach for half-day trips lately, and that angling sounded hit or miss. 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>Highlands</b>

<b>Fisher Price Charters</b> ran a couple of the boat’s striped bass trips before the weekend’s winds, racking up the fish to 25 pounds on livelined and chunked bunker and on the troll from the bay to the ocean, Capt. Derek said. Lots of blues 3 to 12 pounds also snapped. A few dates remain for striper charters in May and June, and the fishing should only become better. The next open-boat trips for the linesiders are slated for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Call to join the trips or to be kept informed about the open schedule.

<b>Neptune</b>

Forecasts for winds gusting to 50 m.p.h. and heavy rains caused Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> to cancel most trips during the weekend, he said in an e-mail. But one group scheduled to sail was already halfway down to the shore from Pennsylvania, and decided to show up at the boat at 6 a.m. Saturday, seeing what the weather would bring. They clobbered one of the best striped bass trips of the season! Winds held off until 2 p.m., and rains failed to fall, and the anglers limited out on stripers to 25 pounds by 10 a.m. on the ocean on jigs. Striper fishing’s been so good that Ralph added two individual-reservation trips for the fish Saturday and Sunday, and space remains. Two spots are left for one of the trips that will sail offshore Wednesday, May 19, for cod, pollock and ling, and Ralph expects good fishing. Another individual-rez trip for sea bass and stripers is available Sunday, May 23, the day after sea bass season opens.

<b>Belmar</b>

The <b>Nan Sea J</b> was up and running, fishing on its first trips of the season Thursday through Saturday, Capt. Tom said. Anglers aboard dusted striped bass to 23 pounds, pretty good catches, nearly every way the fish are usually caught, including on live bunker, cut bait, clams, jigs and on the troll. The boat fished from the ocean near Shark River Inlet to Raritan Bay, and lots of blues swam around. Forecasts for rough weather turned out wrong for Saturday morning, and a trip that day nabbed the fish and returned to port by 2 p.m., before winds started to crank. Charters will keep sailing for stripers and blues, and sea bass and fluke trips will be added when the seasons open for them May 22 and 29, respectively. Annual, open-boat trips will hunt sharks every Wednesday starting in June, a rare opportunity to fight the monsters on open trips. Shark charters will also fish starting then.

<b>Brielle</b>

Bunker arrived in a large population on a trip Thursday on the ocean, and big striped bass fed on them, and the four anglers limited out on the fish to 27 pounds on the livelined baitfish, said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> in an e-mail. A few large ones were broken off, and Jerry knew about bigger bass that others landed. He hoped this was the start of livelining for trophy stripers, and the fishing was a little earlier than last year. Catches the last few years – stripers to 47 pounds and many personal bests on the boat – were great. The anglers on the trip, all first-time liveliners, did a great job getting the hang of the fishing, Jerry said, and they released more stripers after limiting and also slugged a load of blues. At first the trip ran north, caught bunker for bait off Belmar, and kept going north, picking up a couple of keeper stripers. Then Jerry got a call about big stripers on bunker down south, and the boat was motored there. Three or four miles of stripers chasing bunker were located, an amazing sight like in June the last few years. Three or four of the fish would try to eat a bunker at a time along the water surface, and each hooked bass was followed by other stripers. No other reports rolled in from Fish Monger since then, and none was posted on the boat’s Web site, and trips through the weekend seemed weathered out because of winds. But open-boat trips for stripers were supposed to begin this week. Charters are also fishing, and the schedule was getting full, because the trophy livelining season was about to coincide with the opening of sea bass season on May 22. Almost  every sea bass trip limited out last spring and fall, and charters will fish for them, and open trips will go after them when no charter is booked. “Give a buzz, let’s go fishing,” Jerry said.

Kelly Mizerek’s charter on the <b>Big Kid</b> today had already trolled a 25-pound striper and plenty of others when Capt. Ken gave this report in the morning over the phone on the waters on the trip. The group trolled the fish on the ocean to the north on Tony Maja’s bunker spoons. Striper charters were weathered out Saturday and Sunday, but one of the trips Friday with Dave Ingrovia’s group of four bagged seven stripers, mostly on livelined bunker on the ocean to the south, when a school of bunker was found. Striper trips will keep sailing, and give Ken a call about sea bass and fluke charters, because the seasons for those fish begin May 22 and 29, respectively. Ken especially loves sea bassing.

Lots of striped bass were boated on the ocean Saturday morning before winds began to howl through the weekend, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Waters to the north seemed best that morning, but boaters caught the fish both north and south lately. Trolled shad rigs seemed the best producer that morning, but maybe that was because charter boats prefer shad rigs, and trolled bunker spoons also caught. The population of bunker in the ocean was abundant but seemed “picky.” Plenty of other bait including rainfish also schooled. Bluefish were also fought along with the stripers. Surf fishing for stripers and blues was cold to lukewarm, and sharpies picked at stripers on clams, and if they lucked into a school of bunker, they also caught. A couple of sizeable bass were weighed in from the surf Saturday: a 24-pounder that pounced at Deal on a popper lure, and a 22-pounder taken from the same area. Bluefish 2 to 3 pounds until Saturday ran up Manasquan Inlet every morning and evening, and also schooled in Manasquan River near the Point Pleasant Canal. Bottom fishers claimed cod from the ocean, and anglers on one of the local party boats cleaned up on the fish Friday at the 20- to 40-mile wrecks, some totaling 15 of the cod. The Reel Seat is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays and will be open seven days a week starting next week.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Daily trips will kick off Saturday on the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b>, sailing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., an e-mail from the vessel said. The e-mail never mentioned the targeted fish, but the boat usually runs for blues but chases stripers when the linesiders are around. The opening date for the vessel’s annual night trips for blues will be announced later. Specials on the boat will include: $1 from every fare donated to the Recreational Fishing Alliance; Captain Jim’s Customer Appreciation Program, where every 12th trip is free; pay up front for eight adult trips and get two free; Captain Jim’s Camp Cock Robin, featuring a dedicated mate for kids 8 to 15 from Mondays through Fridays; dads sail free on a trip June 18 to 20 when accompanied by a paid adult in celebration of Father’s Day, limited registration; children sail free on their birthdays when accompanied by a paying adult; the new program Captain Jim’s Jersey Mike’s Lunch Plan – pre order lunch to arrive from Jersey Mike’s at  the dock at 7 a.m.; PinkDay every Wednesday, when women sail for a child’s fare, in partnership with the Komen Foundation, and this program can be supported by purchasing a pink Cock Robin/Komen Foundation T-shirt; and a fireworks and ice cream cruise every Thursday, when passengers will enjoy fireworks seen from the ocean, and the fixings for an ice cream sundae will be available to everyone. Captain Jim’s Grog is included on those trips.

<b>Seaside Park</b>

The online surf-fishing report from <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b> was down when this report was posted, but  <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishing_reports.cfm" target="_blank">click here</a> to see when the shop’s report is fixed. The report here is usually written based on the shop’s.

<b>Barnegat</b>

Big bluefish to 10 pounds and striped bass downright wore out anglers and tackle on every trip through the past week, said Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> in an e-mail. The fishing at Barnegat Bay, Barnegat Inlet and the nearby ocean “was a light-tackle enthusiasts dream,” he said. Waters that had cooled because of southerly winds early in the week seemed to rejuvenate the bay’s striper fishing by week’s end. Steve saw water temps as low as 49 degrees at the inlet. Top-water popper-lure fishing was one of the popular ways to fight the catches, because the angling was effective, and seeing the fish bust on the lures was exciting. Brothers Jay and Chris Simmons and Ernie Rosenberg beat up big blues, fantastic action, on poppers and bait on a trip. Double- and triple-headers were the rule. Peg Glenz on another trip was fast into blues on every cast on top-waters. “Zzzzzz!” Steve said. Karl Steffan and Glenn Daehnke wrestled with blues and stripers on their trip, and sometimes stripers could be seen attacking schools of bait a few feet from the boat. Karl was hot hand, totaling four stripers, including a keeper, and 17 blues. Visit <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barnegat-Bay-NJ/Reel-Fantasea-Fishing-Charters/106096239410753
" target="_blank">Reel Fantasea’s Facebook page</a> and become a fan.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Not much happened during the weekend because of the winds, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. But on Friday 2- to 3-pound bluefish schooled under birds in Great Bay near Oyster Creek and Motts Creek and along the bars west of the Fish Factory. Striped bass, big ones foraging on bunker, should arrive in the local ocean in June like in recent years. Anglers found bunker in the waters already, but no stripers swam among them. Anglers to the north walloped big bass feeding on bunker, fishing that couldn’t be better. Those are the fish that should slide down to the local area later. Getting back to the weather, “Ridiculous is the word of the day,” the report said on Saturday. Forecasts called for winds to blow 30 knots, gusting to 50, “and it sure did,” the report said. The west winds caused outgoing waters to create extra low tides, a good time to work on docks, also fun to walk the shore, seeing the bottom structure usually hidden underwater or scavenging an occasional sinker.  

<b>Brigantine</b>

“The school arrived today,” said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> in the report on the shop’s Web site. Anglers started calling the shop about striped bass caught in the surf at 2:30 p.m. Four bass to 31 pounds were weighed in. Another angler was fishing from a boat, decided to dock the vessel and head to the beach, nailing a 16-pounder from the suds. “(So) it looks like this may be the beginning of the school?” Andy asked. “Do I know for sure? Of course not! But if your pole is not in the water, you will never know either.” A good blitz of the fish hit the surf Saturday, and the fishing was slow Sunday through this morning.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

A few striped bass and some blues were yanked from the surf, but the weekend’s wind storm kept most from fishing, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers sometimes snagged bunker for bait from the waters. More people fished today, a Monday, than during the weekend. For the stripers, fish fresh clams, fresh bunker or bloodworms. For the blues, soak fresh bunker or frozen mullet or mackerel or cast metal spoons. Noel heard about a handful of kingfish plucked from the wash before the winds. All the baits mentioned and more are stocked.

<b>Longport</b>

Forecasts for rough weather Saturday kept the day’s trip in port, and winds on Sunday did the same, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. But daily open-boat trips are running for striped bass and blues on the ocean, and call to confirm when the trips will go. This weekend is chartered, except 7 a.m. to 12 noon Saturday is available. The open trips will begin to focus on sea bass when the lumphead season opens in two Saturdays. A few spaces remain for the first several trips that Saturday through Monday, May 22 to 24. The crew will try to run the open trips that whole week. The season’s first tuna charters are on the books for July 6 and 17. The 12-hour trips fish for bluefins on the inshore ocean, usually along the 20-fathom line, until after July sometime.

<b>Ocean City</b>

The boat was splashed for the season Wednesday and is ready to fish, said Capt. Craig from <b>Fish Tale Charters</b>. Bluefish and striped bass could be toggled in from the ocean to the inlets to the back bay, but the fishing was hit or miss, because the fish migrated north, popping into the waters one moment, gone the next, chasing bait. A big body of blues and stripers blitzed off the beaches at mid week at the south end of Ocean City under bird plays a short time, and left. One angler found all the 3-pound blues he could catch on the bay near the Parkway Bridge under birds, and the next day he located none. Sea bass season, opening in two Saturdays, will be the first big fishery of the spring that’s more consistent. Craig’s trips have scored well on sea bass from late May into late July at the ocean reefs. In August sea bassing usually becomes less predictable, starts to dwindle, in warm waters, but catches pick back up in October when waters cool. Flounder season, opening one week later on Saturday, May 29, will be the next big event with more reliable catches. Craig’s charters fish for the flatties on the bay at first, because the fish come into the waters after winter, feeding on bait like shrimp and shiners. Craig heard about anglers catching and releasing the flatties already this season, scouting them out. In late July and August, when the bay warms, many flounder will move to the cooler ocean, gathering at the lumps, bumps and wrecks, and the boat’s charters will follow them there. In the early flounder season, the trips fish with strip baits like mackerel or sand shark belly or minnows in the bay. Strip baits often work best early in the season, but minnows usually do the trick, if anything will, if strip baits fail to attract many bites. When the fishing moves to the ocean, mackerel are no longer used, and the soft bait is difficult to keep on the hook in the ocean. But sand shark belly strips will continue to work, and so will minnows. When a bluefish is caught on trips, it’ll often be filleted and stripped out for bait, because flounder love the fresh blues. Minnows can attract more attention when warmer waters make the fish more active. Sea bass and flounder seasons are actually quickly approaching, and anglers should call if interested in the fishing. Fishing for tuna and other blue-water fish within 40 miles of the coast will begin in July on the boat. Bonito, false albacore and mahi mahi are some of the other fish that swim those grounds.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Windy weather somewhat slowed opportunities to fish, but Mike Spaeder and son Mike, 8, jumped aboard Saturday morning, before winds grew too strong the rest of the weekend, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. They reeled in blues and released an out-of-season flounder, fishing on the back bay with soft-plastic jigs. The blues, usually weighing 2 to 4 pounds, were a bit slower to respond than previously, and the bay’s run of the fish might’ve peaked but was still good. The weather also made angling difficult. Eventually the bluefishing will give way to more of a focus on striped bass on the bay for Jersey Cape. Stripers already responded well on the bay to clams and, on the right tides, to jigs and Clouser flies. The bass should begin to smack top-water popper lures and flies by the end of the month, as waters warm. Joe specializes in the top-water fishing. Flounder filled the bay, and fishing for them is best early in the year, as soon as the flattie season opens May 29, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The fishing will hit the ground running, and dates should be booked now to lock them in. Memorial Day weekend’s boat traffic fails to affect the bottom-huggers. Drum fishing on Delaware Bay will be available with Joe any moment, when the boomers turn on. He heard little about the fish lately, but someone weighed in a small drum at the store that was caught at Townsend’s Inlet. Night trips for drum on Delaware Bay are also on tap during Memorial Day weekend and other times. In a couple of weeks or so, tuna fishing will become a possibility on charters with Joe. Many anglers wait until later in the season to try for tuna, but Joe during the last several years waxed the year’s first bluefin and yellowfin tuna at the canyons in late May and early June, and he will go this year as soon as he sees the right waters on the satellite charts. Take advantage of these early season fish when angling pressure is light and catches can be surprisingly good. Also take advantage of current after-work charters that are fishing the back bay. The bay’s fish are plentiful, and the sun is staying up late, and the trips are working out well.   Keep up with Jersey Cape’s fishing and photos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Surf anglers banked striped bass to 40 inches, black drum and blues at North Wildwood and Cape May’s Poverty Beach, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. John Kotyk, Wildwood, landed a 33-inch striper from shore at North Wildwood on a clam, and clams were the bait of choice for the bass. Surf casters gave the season’s first reports about weakfish, big tiderunners, hooked from along the jetties at Cape May Point on bucktails with twister tails. In the back bay schoolie stripers and snapper blues were hung everywhere in the waters. Anglers on the bay saw plenty of flounder, building their anticipation for the opening of the flattie season on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Drum began to be boated on Delaware Bay near Brandywine Lighthouse and around Tussy’s Slough, and catches should improve as waters warm. Mike Galioto, 10, weighed in an 18-pound drum, his first-ever, that he caught near Brandywine on fresh clam on dad’s boat Reel Hooker. Be sure to reserve fresh clams at the shop for drum fishing this season.

<b>Cape May</b>

Three drum, the first of the season on the boat, were finally hauled from Delaware Bay on a trip Friday, after four trips found none in the waters, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. But on this trip, with Gary Cochran’s party, drum, sounding like hundreds, were heard booming everywhere. Seemed a good sign. The fish that were caught mostly weighed 30 or 35 pounds, and bigger ones should be coming. Drum trips will fish practically every evening now, and a few openings remain for charters, especially in early June. The schedule is almost full this month.

A drum trip turned up none of the fish Friday, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, but a few were caught on other boats, and George heard the fish booming for 45 minutes. The fish finder marked lots of drum at the first stop on the trip. All of that was a good sign. None of the fleet fished Saturday and Sunday because of winds, and Friday was windy, too. Give a call if interested in a drum charter. 

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