<b>Hudson River</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 4/30:***</b> Was difficult for Capt. Chuck from <b>Angler Sportfishing Charters</b> to tell the latest on Hudson River’s striped bass fishing, because the angling took off, he said. So he was busy fishing. But lots of stripers were creamed aboard. Quite a few were 30-pounders, and stripers to 40 pounds started to turn up on another boat. “We’re going to start to see some real good fishing,” Chuck said. These were the fish he waits for each spring: the spawning migration of large, mature stripers in the river. The fishing is one of the best chances to catch a trophy striper anywhere.  Chuck’s been fishing the run many years, and a trip aboard in 2001 set the year’s record for New York’s largest inland striper caught, a 54-pound 6-ouncer. New York’s current inland, all-time record is just over 55 pounds. Trips with Angler fish for them with live and chunked herring, usually both at once. People often prefer to fish with live herring, but chunks usually catch the largest. Trips aboard fish from Saugerties, because the biggest stripers are landed from there each year.

<b>Perth Amboy</b>

More and more striped bass piled into Raritan Bay, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an e-mail at 12 noon Saturday, on a trip for the fish. “It’s hard for it to get much better than this,” he said. Later, he e-mailed a photo of the anglers aboard at the dock with limits from the day. A trip Sunday limited out on stripers by 8:45 a.m., Frank wrote in another e-mail soon afterward. “Been releasing since,” he said. “Just great fishing.” The Vitamin Sea fishes from Perth Amboy and Staten Island on charters and open-boat trips. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Keyport</b>

With <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, 14 keeper striped bass to 20 pounds were pummeled Friday, Capt. Joe said. Another 14 keepers to 16 pounds were iced Saturday, and seven keepers were waxed Sunday. Probably another seven were dropped on that trip, and winds suddenly blew up that day, but Friday and Saturday were calm. The trips fished Raritan Bay with clams, and no bluefish showed up aboard this season yet. Waters were probably too cold, Joe thought, and the bay was 53 degrees on Sunday’s trip, but 58 on Saturday’s. Open-boat trips for stripers are available 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily through the weekend, when no charter is booked, and telephone to reserve. The anglers on Friday’s trip were Ted Wilson’s party with Ted himself, Rob, George, Rich, Dan and Joel. The crew on Saturday were Kevin Koch’s trip with Kevin himself, Robin, Cory, Mike, Dale and Ken. The gang on Sunday were Anthony’s trip with Anthony himself, Lester, Abe, Charlie and Mikio.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing was good again on this morning’s trip on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said at 10:30 in a phone call on the outing. Three anglers hooked up while he spoke. The trip’s fish were clammed on the ocean, and trips in past days fished for stripers on the ocean and Raritan Bay, depending on conditions, “more or less,” Tom said. Only a handful of anglers joined this morning’s trip, apparently because of weather forecasts. But a couple had already limited out, and Tom expected the trip to make only one drop. Rains fell, and skies were cloudy – crummy weather, but not rough, he said. A good turnout of anglers showed up on Sunday for the first time this season. On the morning’s trip, striper fishing was pretty darn good, Tom said. On the afternoon’s trip, striper fishing wasn’t as good, but striper catches were good overall on all trips aboard in past days. All trips caught, and some outings caught better than others. Whether mornings or afternoons were better couldn’t be said, because that changed. Sometimes stripers would be hooked all around the boat, no matter whether anglers fished one side or another, or the bow or stern. Other times, they’d catch better at one place than another, like on one side, for some reason, probably because of the way the lines “went out,” he said. But fishing was good enough that sometimes anglers, who caught enough for themselves, handed off hooked stripers to kids to let reel in, “sharing the experience,” Tom said. Striper fishing was holding up aboard.  The Atlantic Star is fishing for striped bass on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m.

Another very good day of striped bass fishing, Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> wrote about Sunday’s trip in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Several anglers limited out on stripers, and the fish weighed up to 18 pounds. Four fish were hooked as the boat was set up on anchor, and the crew didn’t even chum the first hour, because Ron and the mates never put the nets down. Winds that came up, and the change of tide, created terrible fishing conditions late in the morning. So the boat was moved, “(and) a few more beauties (were found) to finish out the day,” Ron said. Stripers swam a large area lately, and some began to be jigged for the first time this season. Striper fishing was decent on Saturday night’s trip, landing 25 keepers and 35 throwbacks.  On Saturday’s daytime trip, striper fishing was good through the morning. Then the angling lulled a little, giving up a pick at slack tide, “but we moved back on our chum at the change,” Ron said. Anglers caught again, once the tide began to run. Several of the trip’s anglers limited out, and a 24-pound striper was the pool-winner. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

<b>Highlands</b>

Excellent striped bass fishing continued on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, and limits were the rule, Capt. Pete wrote in an e-mail. Plus, many stripers were released, after trips limited, and better-sized bass than before began to show up. The larger keepers now weighed in the mid 20 pounds.

Fishing for striped bass was very good, pretty much limiting out on every trip, through the past week on Raritan Bay with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. Two bluefish, the season’s first on the boat, were cranked in. Anglers aboard had been clamming stripers to 20 pounds, limiting in a short time. Bunker were able to be gotten for bait for a trip Saturday afternoon, and stripers to 27 pounds were bunker-chunked on the outing. On Sunday stripers to 20 and 30 pounds were axed on chunked and livelined bunker on the boat. Charters are fishing for stripers, and one space apiece was available on open-boat trips for stripers today and Tuesday. Call to climb aboard or to be kept informed about the future open schedule. 

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> will begin fishing in a week for the season, Capt. Ralph said Sunday. Trips will begin with striped bass fishing, and will fish for sea bass when sea bass season is opened on May 19. Charters and individual-reservation trips will sail. <b>***Update, Monday, 4/29:***</b> The boat, the 41-foot Last Lady II, will be splashed Friday, Ralph said in an e-mail. He’ll only run that boat this year, and is selling the 36-foot Last Lady. Though Last Lady II can accommodate up to 17 passengers, Ralph will still offer trips for six passengers for customers who sailed with smaller groups many years with him. He’ll also offer as many individual-reservation trips as possible. Lots of changes were made to Last Lady II, and Ralph will continue to upgrade the vessel this season. Fishing for striped bass broke wide open on the ocean this weekend, with the full moon and “better water temps,” Ralph said. His season’s first individual-rez trip for stripers will sail Tuesday, May 7, clamming or jigging, whatever is best. The trips are also on the books for May 15, 21 and 28 and June 4, 11 and 18. Individual-reservation trips for fluke and sea bass will sail every Tuesday, once the seasons are opened for those fish, and kids under 12 will sail free, limited to two per adult host. Check out <a href="http://www.lastladyfishing.com" target="_blank">Last Lady’s new Web site</a>, at a new address, including new prices. Ralph looks forward to a great season, and hopes “everyone is getting back to normal after (Hurricane) Sandy,” he said.

<b>Belmar</b>

Great weekend for business, and fishing, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an e-mail. The two go hand-in-hand, he said, and striped bass hit for both surf anglers and ocean boaters. Stripers to 34 inches were hung from the surf, all at Monmouth County. Stripers to 25 pounds were boated, mostly to the north. They were clammed early in the week, but lots were trolled and jigged later in the week. They were jigged on Ava 47’s and 7-ounce Krocodiles. Shark River’s winter flounder fishing was good, and a 3-pound 18-incher was largest at the shop, caught on clam. The store’s rental boats are available to fish the river.

The season’s first fishing trip steamed Sunday on the <b>Katie H</b> for striped bass on the ocean, and the angling was great, limiting out in a couple of hours, Capt. Mike said. They were clammed “not too far of a ride (from port),” Mike said, and were 15-pound-class. No bluefish showed up, and the Katie H will keep sailing for stripers. The boat features all the amenities, so charters get comfort and speed on the vessel. Looking ahead, shark trips will begin in June, and trips for bluefin tuna could also start then. Yellowfin tuna fishing could last from late July to November on the boat.

Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> hopes to deliver his new boat, a 35-foot Donelle, to Belmar by the end of the week, he said. That replaces his previous 25-foot Parker. Striped bass fishing was breaking open more and more on the ocean from Belmar. The fish were clammed, but were jigged at times, when stripers chased baitfish along the surface. The fishing was right on schedule. Blackfishing went well on the ocean the past couple of days, and blackfish season will be closed on Wednesday. Trips with Parker Pete’s will launch the season with striper fishing any moment.

Though fishing was docked a few days through Thursday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, because of weather, striped bass catches were good aboard Friday, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The angling looked like it was picking up, and all customers that day boated a keeper, and several limited out, and all landed one to four throwbacks. The fish bit again on Saturday’s trip, and the high hook landed nine, keeping no more than a limit. The fish swam bottom in the morning, and popped to the top in the afternoon, and lots of birds worked baitfish on the waters then. The striper run seemed to be starting, and now was the time to come striper fishing, the crew believed. Sunday’s trip began fishing clams on bottom. Stripers were pumped in, but current ran strong, creating bad tangles. So the trip picked up anchor, and went looking for stripers to jig. A pick of stripers was jigged the rest of the day. Many times, stripers were seen along the water surface, and multiple stripers were seen following a jig. The catch ended up okay, and several anglers limited out. More and more stripers seemed to be showing up, and the crew only expects the fishing to improve. The Golden Eagle is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

Striped bass fishing on the ocean locally was kind of up and down,  said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. In the past few days, it was pretty much down, he said. Most boaters fishing for stripers ran north toward Raritan Bay to catch. Striper fishing was very good there, and bluefish began to arrive in Raritan Bay. Five-pound weakfish, quite a few, were reported hooked from the bay. Surf fishing for stripers locally was kind of “slowish,” Eric said. But if anglers put in the time, they caught, on lures and bait. Enough keepers were around to make the effort worthwhile. Plenty of small stripers swam Manasquan River and Barnegat Bay around Mantoloking Bridge. Small soft-plastic lures and hard lures were fished for them.  Winter flounder remained locally, migrating to Manasquan River from Barnegat Bay. On the ocean, blackfishing was good, but the tautog season will be closed starting Wednesday. Ling fishing was fair, nothing great, on the ocean. One or two spaces remained for a tilefish trip for beginners that the shop’s owner, Dave Arbeitman, booked on the party boat Voyager from Point Pleasant Beach. Set for Tuesday to Wednesday, June 4 to 5, the trip is limited to 21 passengers, and includes a free seminar at the store on the fishing on Sunday, June 2. Anglers can call or stop in the shop for details or to sign up. Dave is an avid tilefisher, and introduced probably the first-ever off-the-rack tilefish rod this past year. Stop at the store to sign up for the Garden State Surf Classic tournament from June 7 to 9. Prizes for the largest stripers will be a Van Staal reel for first place, a Century Sling Shot rod for second and a Reel Seat gift certificate and a subscription to On the Water magazine for third. For the largest bluefish, a Reel Seat Gift Certificate and an On the Water subscription will be awarded. Entry is $10 and includes a T-shirt and refreshments like sandwiches at the weigh-in on the final day.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> made a run for tilefish to the offshore canyons Saturday, Alan, the boat’s owner, wrote in an e-mail. Plenty of golden tiles to 15 pounds were smashed in nearly perfect drifting conditions. Mushin is booking charters for striped bass, bluefish and canyon fishing. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness, and the crew pride themselves on sharing the concept in outdoor adventures.

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 4/30:***</b> Striped bass fishing became better on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. Most customers limited out on the bass on Sunday’s trip, and the angling began to open up on Saturday’s trip. Previously trips had been looking for the fish, but apparently cold waters kept them from biting. No bluefish showed up. The stripers were caught on clams and jigs. Anglers fished the clams on a short leader on a slide rig, tossing that just a little out from the boat, and that worked well. When they fished jigs, Ava 47’s with green tails caught just as well as any. The Gambler is sailing for striped bass 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, except this Saturday. That’s because an offshore tilefish trip is slated for this Saturday. That trip is full.

On the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, striped bass were slugged Sunday, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. The fishing was very good on clams for 1 ½ hours. Then birds were seen working the waters farther from shore. The anchor was pulled, and the boat was motored to the birds. Then anglers jigged stripers, a pick. With the readings seen, lots of stripers should’ve been jigged, Matt said. “Overall, it was decent,” he said about the trip’s fishing. A 20-pound striper was the pool-winner. Stripers were also clammed Friday on the boat, and no stripers were seen busting the water surface that could be jigged. The fishing took a half-hour to begin catching. Then anglers picked away at keepers and throwbacks, “(with) a good amount of swing and missing,” he said. That trip fished to the north, Matt specified. Nothing was posted about Saturday. The Norma-K III is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Hey everybody. Put the boat in the water this past weekend, and will start fishing this Saturday through Monday. That Monday is already booked as a charter, so Saturday and Sunday are available for charter, or I’ll announce them as open-boat trips as we draw closer to the weekend. My availability will be somewhat reduced this season, as I’ve started a new job on land that I’ll be at Tuesdays through Fridays. I’ll be running trips every Saturday through Monday. Our old marina was wiped out in the storm, so we’re now docked at Bob's Bay Marina, just one driveway earlier on the same side of Bay Avenue. Hope to see you all soon.”

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Bluefish swiped “anything you put in the water” at Graveling Point and Grassy Channel, Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s Web site. Graveling is a shore-angling spot at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River, and Grassy is a channel on the bay that boaters fish. Blues sounded very abundant. A boater who posted a report on the store’s site talked about fighting 5- to 10-pounders, all the blues anyone could want, off Graveling, leaving them biting, on a trip Thursday. But striper fishing was “still in gear” at Graveling, Chris said in his report. Clams, herring and bloodworms caught them. Drum were heaved from Graveling and Grassy. Blackfishing produced good catches at ocean wrecks.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The surf’s striped bass were getting bigger, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. A 25-pound 41-1/2-incher was checked in today. That was only 1 ½ inches short from “the big cash!” the report said. The shop’s bounty was up to $1,415 for the season’s first angler to stop in with a striper 43 inches or larger from Brigantine’s surf. See details about the bounty below. Kingfish and blowfish were even reported caught from the surf. A photo of a king checked in was posted on the site, and the angler said he saw a bunch plucked from the waters. Stripers, bluefish, drum, blackfish, kingfish and blowfish were reported banked Sunday from the surf from Brigantine’s north end to south end. A big bite had started again at about 1 p.m. that day, the report said. Photos of large blues, and drum including a 30-pounder, were posted on the site in past days, along with photos of stripers, from the surf.  For the bounty, mentioned above, entry is $5, and anglers must enter 24 hours before the catch to win. Also, the Fish for Life Tournament, benefitting South Jersey Cancer Fund, is under way through May 25, and entry, available at the shop, is $20. That includes a permit to beach-buggy Brigantine’s entire beach, when accompanied by a Brigantine permit. The Brigantine permit allows driving on limited areas, but the tournament permit opens up the whole beach. An angler weighed in a 14-pound 3-ounce striper Sunday, taking over second place in the Fish for Life Tourn.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The back bay warmed a little, because weather did, so fishing there picked back up somewhat, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. He expected that to happen, after a cold snap last week, and the angling had already been good. A trip Saturday aboard the bay with three anglers beat six or eight bluefish to 4 pounds, three weakfish 2 to 4 pounds and probably a dozen out-of-season flounder. That combo of fish, and also striped bass, have been filling the bay. Joe fished the bay with his dad Sunday, and they reeled in a bunch of flounder to 4 pounds, all on artificials. Both trips fished soft-plastic lures on jigheads. The flounder, averaging 18 to 20 inches, were all released, and if anglers want to bag flounder on a charter when flounder season opens May 18, they should think about booking now, Joe said. The bay reached 57 degrees during the trips. This is a good time for afternoon, after-work charters on the bay. The water is warmest, so the fish are active, and hardly any boats are fishing the bay then. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>. In other news, Joe looks forward to the arrival of a new boat he’s adding to his fleet: a 24-foot custom center console that Eastern Boat Works is building. The vessel should be finished by the beginning of June, and will be in addition to Joe’s smaller flats boat that he fishes on the bay. The Eastern is being built to Joe’s specifications for fishing the local ocean. Joe also runs larger boats that he sails for big game at the offshore canyons.

<b>Avalon</b>

<b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b> spent two solid days on the water Tuesday and Wednesday, despite 25 m.p.h. winds on both trips, Capt. Jim said. On Tuesday, he helped search for a missing boater on the ocean. But after that was finished, he trolled the ocean with umbrella rigs, like at shoals, to see if anything bit. Nothing did, but fish were marked. Maybe they were small striped bass or bluefish. The umbrellas were dragged from top to bottom, covering the water column. A friend landed 22 stripers, all 15 inches, from the surf at Avalon’s 8th Street jetty, the jetty at Townsend’s Inlet, on Sunday. Anglers there clammed two keepers, and the rest who bucktailed hooked throwbacks, that day. Puppy drum were hooked along Townsend’s Inlet Bridge, and two were checked in at the local tackle shop. The bridge was reopened last week, after Hurricane Sandy last fall, by the way. The missing boater was reportedly never found through the weekend. His life raft was found with an EPIRB when the search began, but not even the boater’s 50-foot vessel was reportedly found through the weekend. Wednesday’s trip with Jim tried for stripers on Delaware Bay, again in strong, 25 m.p.h. winds. Areas fished included 20-Foot Slough, right off the beach in Villas, Bug Light and the stakes nearby, with clams. Nothing bit, and was unusual that drum already bit this season along the coast, but striper fishing never really kicked in on Delaware Bay. Drum charters on the bay usually fish soon with Fins and Feathers, and are being booked. To fish the bay, Fins and Feathers trailers the boat to wherever’s closest to the fishing, like Cape May or Reed’s Beach. Jim also noted that the back bay’s bottom was changed by the hurricane. He found only 18 inches of water in the channel. It needed to be dredged. Fins and Feathers fishes Delaware Bay in spring and fall and the ocean from Avalon through summer. The company offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including duck and goose hunting on Delaware Bay, when the seasons are open. Customers can even combine striper fishing and duck hunting over a series of days. Fins and Feathers also fishes for salmon and steelhead on upstate New York’s Salmon River from Jim’s lodge, and guides fly-fishing for trout on Pennsylvania’s streams like the Yellow Breeches.  

<b>Cape May</b>

Blackfishing was super on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Mario said, but a final blackfish trip was slated for today aboard, because the season for the tautog will be closed Wednesday. All trips limited out on blackfish on the boat lately, and the slipperies weighed up to 13 pounds. A handful of drum were known to be decked from Delaware Bay so far this spring, and drum charters are being booked.  Tilefish trips offshore will fish on the Down Deep. Also sign up for the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> for special open-boat, wreck-fishing trips.

Good catches of blackfish were piled aboard the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> on two trips Saturday and Sunday, Capt. George said. Both trips – with Mike Stasulli’s crew on Saturday and Philadelphia firemen Capt. Bob Lewandowski, Tim, Joe and Rich, and Tom and Dan on Sunday – limited out on the fish to about 7 pounds. All trips limited on blackfish lately aboard. The season for the tautog will be closed on Wednesday, and the year’s first drum charter is scheduled to fish Saturday on Delaware Bay on the boat. Telephone if interested in drum or sea bass fishing. Sea bass season will be opened May 19.

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