<b>Hudson River</b>

The river’s temperature that rose quickly seemed to slow striper fishing somewhat, but now weather was cooling, and that would probably rebound the fishing, said Capt. Chuck from <b>Angler Sportfishing Charters</b>. He’s fishing the river’s migration of large stripers, sometimes on two trips per night. No huge stripers arrived yet, but the size wasn’t bad, up to 29 pounds aboard so far. He fishes the run each spring for the biggest kind of bass. This is a trophy fishery, one of the best chances to land large stripers. The river was 52 degrees, so a major spawn of stripers would probably happen in a week or so, Chuck thought. Most stripers aboard were hooked on chunks of herring, and a few were taken on livelined herring. That’s typical, or chunks usually grab most of the catches, though herring jumped out of the waters all over. But keeping live herring aboard for bait is important, because sometimes stripers prefer them.

<b>Staten Island</b>

The season’s first trips sailed with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, fishing for striped bass on Raritan Bay, Capt. Joe said. Catches were good, on both chunked bunker and livelined. The first trip, on Thursday, limited out early. Most of the stripers weighed 15 to 18 pounds, and a 20-pounder was biggest. The second trip, on Sunday, was also super, Joe said. It limited out early, and the bass were a little bigger this time, mostly weighing 20 to 25 pounds. A few bluefish – not bad at all, Joe said – were hooked on the trips. Outcast is also sailing from New Jersey, including so trips can follow Jersey’s fishing regulations, like for sea bass. Jersey’s sea bass season will be opened Sunday, with a 20-fish per angler bag limit. Telephone if interested.

<b>Perth Amboy</b>

Fishing limited out on striped bass by 8:15 a.m. on a trip Friday, afterward releasing more for a couple of hours, on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an e-mail. Striper fishing was also good aboard Saturday, but was tougher on a trip Sunday, because of wind against tide. “Conditions always dictate the catch,” he said, and conditions were just not good, every place the trip fished. “Still had fun,” he said. The boat apparently fished on Raritan Bay on all the trips. Schooling bunker were now spread throughout the bay, and stripers and bluefish attacked them, Frank said. Using the baitfish to catch the bay’s stripers was “heating up,” he said. Good fishing for stripers will certainly continue into June, he said. Charters and open-boat trips are also fishing from Staten Island, and telephone about the open trips from either location. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Keyport</b>

Eight keeper striped bass to 18 pounds and a bluefish were clammed on Izzy and Kathy Esteves’s charter Sunday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. A trip Saturday was cancelled because of potential lightning storms. A trip Friday boated four keeper stripers, several throwbacks and several blues on clams with David Molina, Dario, Daniel, Gary, Caleb and Louis. Both trips fished “toward the ocean,” Joe said. Space is available for open-boat trips or charters Tuesday to Friday, and call to jump aboard.

Bunker were castnetted for bait at Great Kills at first on a striped bass trip with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, a report said on Andrea’s Toy’s Web site Saturday. Two stripers were boxed on the charter’s first drift, where some fish were marked. The trip kept looking there, but no more stripers bit. Once the tide started moving, the anchor was thrown, “and (we) threw the meat,” the report said. Chunks of bunker were fished. “Had a slow pick,” the report said, but three more stripers and a half-dozen blues were caught. More bluefish were light-tackled to end the day. On a charter previously, the report said Friday, the anglers jumped aboard in the morning for the second time that week. Bunker were netted in one throw, and the trip sailed to the striper grounds. At the first spot, bluefish attacked, and the boat was moved to where stripers were caught the previous night aboard. A drift there gave up 10 stripers to 25 pounds on this trip. Constant bites kept the anglers busy through the morning, and the group packed it in early, very happy, the report said.   

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Afternoons fished better than mornings for striped bass in the past few days on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. The angling was tough on Sunday morning’s trip. The boat first fished down the ocean beach, and a few stripers were tugged in, until skates and dog sharks took over. The vessel was moved to Raritan Bay, and a few more stripers were managed. But the afternoon trip’s striper fishing, on the bay, was “real good,” Tom said. Many anglers limited out, and some bagged bonus-tag stripers, and some were able to hook stripers and pass them to others to land, who had less luck. Strong west winds were crummy, and wind blew against tide later in the trip, crummy conditions, but stripers kept biting. Both trips fished with clams. Stripers lately were mixed sizes down the beach and were larger in the bay. 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.

Big striped bass were pounded Saturday on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site.  Several anglers limited out, “with all quality fish,” Ron said. The bass weighed up to 28 pounds, and the high hook landed 10 large ones, keeping no more than a limit. The fishing slowed a while during slack tide. But once the tide began to run hard, the bite was back on. The tide was no good for fishing aboard the previous couple of days. For Friday’s trip, there wasn’t “a whole lot to talk about,” Ron said. Some better-sized stripers were beaten, but not enough. Night trips caught stripers aboard. Saturday night’s trip had to wait for current to turn on fishing, but ended up with a good catch. Catches turned on late on Friday night’s trip, and the eight anglers whacked 14 stripers. 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>

With <b>Raritan Bay Charters</b>, the Joel Harris charter limited out on striped bass and released more Friday on Raritan Bay on clams, Capt. Dave said. An open-boat trip Sunday limited out on stripers, including on a couple of bonus-tag fish, and released more in the same area on clams. The fishing was a bit better on Sunday, totaling about 35 stripers landed, compared with about 20 on Saturday. That included bagged and released bass. Blues were also brought in, about a half-dozen Friday and a dozen Sunday. A 21-inch fluke was released, and fluke season will be opened Saturday. Even sea robins bit here and there. The bay seemed to be filling with all the usual fish for the season. Waters were 55 to 58 degrees, coolest in the mornings and warmest later in the days. Open-boat trips are available when no charter is booked.

Fishing for striped bass was very good with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> on Raritan Bay, limiting out every day, Capt. Derek said. The fish, weighing up to 32 pounds, were tackled mostly on chunked bunker. But a few more than before were clocked on livelined bunker aboard. Bluefish were also caught, and charters are fishing, and open-boat trips are sailing when possible. Anglers can telephone Derek to be kept informed about the open schedule.

<b>Neptune</b>

An annual trip with the Morley charter clammed a steady pick of striped bass Friday, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> wrote in an e-mail. Clamming was the way to go for now, and trips are fishing the clams on light tackle. Bunker schooled, but stripers were difficult to catch on the livelined baitfish. But this will change, and Last Lady will switch to livelining when it does. On Saturday morning, the Orevillo charter scored a slow pick of stripers. But in the afternoon, the Vallario charter whaled very good striper fishing, leaving them biting. A few spaces are left on individual-reservation trips for stripers on Wednesday and May 21 and 29 and June 3, 11 and 18. Starting June 25, individual-reservation trips for fluke and sea bass will fish every Tuesday, and kids under 12 will sail free with an adult, limited to two per adult.

<b>Belmar</b>

The season’s first 40-pound striped bass was checked in Sunday at <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>, Bob wrote in an e-mail. John Davis, Burlington, boated the fish on the ocean north of Shark River Inlet on a livelined bunker. “The Big Girls are here,” Bob said. The shop’s rental boats will be available to fish for fluke on Shark River once fluke season is opened Saturday. Bob said in previous reports that the summer flounder already swam the waters. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 5/15:***</b> Was some good striped bass fishing in Monmouth County’s surf  “and adjoining estuaries,” Bob wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. Mary Westerfield, Wall, weighed in stripers 14 pounds, 12 pounds 8 ounces, and 12 pounds. Tom Brown, Spring Lake, brought in stripers 12 pounds 8 ounces and 11 pounds 8 ounces. Linda Cafone, Wall, stopped in with a 12-pound 4-ounce striper. Stripers were hooked on clams or chunks of bunker, and many other striper catches were reported.

The new boat, a 35-foot Donelle, was brought to Belmar on Thursday from Cape May, and the first trip that fished on the vessel sailed Friday with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. On the trip Thursday, acres and acres of bunker were seen on the ocean from Tuckerton to Barnegat Inlet, and Pete stopped on them, but no striped bass were found among them. The menhaden and stripers chasing them should migrate toward Belmar soon, and maybe the fishing will break open this week, Pete hopes. On Friday’s trip, striper fishing was tough on the ocean, but some of the fish, averaging 20 to 25 pounds, but some weighing in the 30s, were decked. Livelined bunker was key to catching them, and the bass weren’t interested in jigging or trolling. A few 7- to 10-pound blues, not many, were also caught. Parker Pete’s will focus on stripers as much as possible in the near future. But fluke season will be opened Saturday, and sea bass season will be opened Sunday, and trips are available for any species in season. Shark fishing aboard could begin in late May, but June is most likely. Charters are fishing, but anglers can e-mail Pete to be kept informed about individual spaces available on charters.

A striped bass trip Saturday was rescheduled because of weather on the <b>Katie H</b>, Capt. Mike said. Forecasts were rough, and rains fell, and winds blew. Clamming for stripers had been good on the ocean at the clam beds off Sandy Hook and in Raritan Bay. Sometimes trolling and jigging caught, but both were on-and-off, yet to be more consistent this season. Sea bass fishing will become an option on the ocean when sea bass season is opened Sunday. Fluke season will be opened Saturday, and the ocean probably needs to warm for fluking there. The waters were 52 or 53 degrees, the last time Mike looked. Shark fishing usually begins in June aboard. Bluefin tuna fishing can begin the same time aboard, and sometimes trips can do a mix of shark and bluefin fishing that time of year. Trolling for yellowfin tuna farther from shore usually starts in late July. Chunking for yellowfins, or catching them on chunks of bait or live bait while chunks are tossed in the waters for chum, usually starts in August, on overnight trips at the offshore canyons. Plenty of space is available for charters, and the Katie H features all the amenities and speed. 

Striped bass fishing was good Saturday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Several anglers limited out, and some bagged bonus-tag bass, and almost all other customers reeled in a keeper and one to five throwbacks. Anglers picked at stripers on Sunday’s trip. The fishing wasn’t as good as on Saturday’s, but 15 keepers, a dozen throwbacks and a few blues were pumped in. Livelining bunker for stripers was probably going to be given a serious effort on today’s trip. “(We) think it’s time,” the report said. The Golden Eagle is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Wednesday, 5/15:***</b> After two days of poor fishing, “we had some good action (Tuesday),” an e-mail from the party boat <b>Big Jamaica</b> said. Plenty of striped bass were marked, and several managed to be caught. But 5- to 10-pound bluefish provided “most of the action,” the e-mail said. Jigging with Ava 47s or Krocodile lures caught best. Plenty of stripers swam the area, and water temperatures were ideal, so plenty of good striper fishing should be ahead, the e-mail said. The Big Jamaica is sailing for striped bass at 7:30 a.m. daily.

On the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> during the weekend, Garrett McCree, Lincroft, won a pool with a 23-pound striped bass, and Greg Curndell, Paterson, won another with a 12-pound cod, Capt. Joe wrote in an e-mail. The calendar on the vessel’s Web site said a charter was booked that Saturday, and an open-boat Mudhole wreck-fishing trip was slated for that Sunday. Coming up, the season’s final ling trip aboard is set for Wednesday, Joe wrote. A combo striper and fluke trip is scheduled for Saturday, opening day of fluke season, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sea bass trips will sail 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily from Sunday, opening day of sea bass season, through Memorial Day, May 27. Starting that Tuesday, the boat will sail for a combo of fluke and sea bass on two half-day trips daily at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. All Day Fluke Trips will begin to fish every Monday at 7:30 a.m. starting June 3.

Striped bass were boated from the ocean up and down the coast, but mostly to the north, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The fish also bit right off Manasquan Inlet, though. The stripers were hooked on jigs, bunker and the troll, or all different ways, along the coast. Not so many blues were mixed in. But 2- to 3-pound blues, occasionally 5 or 6 pounds or larger, went crazy in Manasquan Inlet. Stripers also swam the inlet, and some were weighed in. Small stripers also roamed Manasquan River, swiping small soft-plastic lures like Fin-S Fish or D.O.A.’s. Weakfish to 7 pounds were also hung from the river. Fluke season will be opened Saturday, and fluke definitely held in the river. Dave saw a 3-1/2-pounder caught and released at the inlet when he caught blues there. Surf anglers picked away at stripers, mostly to the north, but not a lot of beaches were opened to the south yet since the hurricane. The fish inhaled bait, including clams, bunker or mackerel, and hit plugs, like Daiwa SP Minnows or Savages. Bluefish were dragged from the surf to the south, but maybe not so much from the north. Back on the ocean, bottom-fishing “started to catch ling again,” Dave said. Sea bass season will be opened Sunday. Dave was supposed to sail for tilefish offshore last Sunday. Space is available for a tilefish trip for beginners that he 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. New tackle is arriving for the season all the time at the store. The shop introduced new jigheads for fluke fishing that Dave and crew designed for Gulps. The head is formed to match Gulps, and a coil holds the Gulp on the head, and the jigs’ colors match Gulp colors.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Fishing for striped bass was tough through the weekend on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Saturday’s trip began fishing on the ocean off Manasquan Inlet, but only one bluefish, and a few bunker snagged for bait, were caught. The trip “took a ride up,” he said, and a good number of stripers were seen, but catching them was difficult, and only five were landed. Three were hooked on bunker, and two were jigged, and a good number of stripers were lost. On Sunday’s trip, fish broke the water surface, and birds worked bait, “but it never panned out,” he said. A handful of stripers were bagged, and some throwbacks were let go, “but it was no ball of fire,” he said. Put it this way, he said: He’s glad trips will fish for fluke aboard this weekend. The Norma-K III is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily through Friday. Fluke trips will start Saturday, opening day of fluke season, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily. Bluefish trips will begin Friday, running 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Whether those trips will sail daily wasn’t said.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 5/14:***</b> From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Got 'em! Threw the ropes at 6:45 a.m. Monday. Out the inlet, made a left, ran as far as the Bathing Beach, before we put the lines out in 60 to 65 feet of water. Went 3 for 4 over the next few hours, with 34-, 30- and 22-pound stripers going in the cooler. All on Tony Maja bunker spoons. Two on white, and the third on the chartreuse. The big number 4 spoons. We were using 300 feet of wire line. Not great readings, but a steady showing of big, single marks. The fish had porgies, a ling and some big croakers in their bellies, when I cut them at the dock. The water temperature is still only 51/52, so hopefully this is just the beginning. Here’s a video of our first fish of the day, a 34-pounder for Fred Edwards of Tuckerton. Here’s a video of our second fish, a 30-pound bass for Brian Ewan of Barnegat. I’ll be running three open-boat, afternoon trips this Wednesday through Friday from 12 noon to 6 p.m., trolling for these trophy stripers, and always on the hunt for the bunker pods. There are some bunker around, but nobody seems to be catching any bass on them, so we’re concentrating on the troll, until these big fish collide with the bait pods. When that happens, things get even more interesting. But for now, if you want to catch 20- to 40-pound bass, and you're okay with trolling, now would be a good time to jump aboard. Three passenger max. All fish are shared. Everything is provided. Call to reserve a spot. I only have two charter dates left for May: Sunday and Monday. If these dates are not booked in a few days, I’ll announce them as open-boat trips, as well. I already have one guy who wants to sign up for the Monday trip.”

<b>Brigantine</b>

A 41-1/2-inch striped bass was weighed in from the surf Saturday, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. The angler waited Friday night to check in the fish, and the striper was just under the 43-inch size to win the shop’s bounty. See more about the bounty below. Several stripers were weighed in Saturday, and anglers reported a couple of 40-inchers hauled from Brigantine’s south end jetty. Kingfish began to appear in the surf again, “if you read the reports in the (Atlantic City) Press,” the report said. The shop’s bounty was up to $1,600 for the season’s first striper larger than 43 inches checked in from Brigantine’s surf. Entry is $5, and anglers must enter 24 hours before the catch to win.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Lots and lots of bluefish schooled the bay last week, and plenty of people “(were) talking about the amounts of fish (they caught),” Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the store’s Web site. Almost any bait or lure hooked them. But a few striped bass were around, and early mornings were the best time to land them. Fish right before sunrise, and angling for them turned off once days became bright. “Some good holes around Graveling Point,” Chris said, were places to look. A bunch of blowfish hovered around Graveling, nipping clam on small hooks, and kingfish were mixed in. Summer flounder were “in,” Chris said, and the fluke season will be opened Saturday.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Bluefish bit like nuts in the back bay this weekend, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Blues this season were usually 2 to 4 pounds, but sometimes bigger, in the bay. Weakfish 3 to 8 pounds remained in the bay, and good numbers of sizeable summer flounder carpeted the bay. The out-of-season flounder were hooked and released, and fishing for them should be good when the season is opened Saturday. The early season is usually best for the fishing. Striped bass should begin to smack popper lures and flies when Joe tries for them next on the bay. The angling is a specialty aboard, offering exciting, visual attacks. Trips aboard fished for the blues, weaks and flounder with soft-plastic lures on lead jigheads bounced slowly along bottom in cool waters. But tactics will change soon, because of the opening of flounder season, warming waters and increased boat traffic. Once flounder charters begin, bait will be fished for them most often. Warming waters is the reason stripers should attack poppers. Joe recently checked on his new boat he’s adding to his fleet: a 24-foot custom center console that Eastern Boat Works is building. The vessel should arrive around the first week of June, and will be ideal for Joe’s fishing, featuring everything he wants, and nothing he doesn’t, he said. He’ll fish that vessel mostly on ocean trips close to shore, and will keep running his flats boat in the bay. He also runs a couple of larger vessels for offshore, big-game fishing. Take an afternoon, after-work trip on the bay, an ideal time for the fishing, when the day is warmer, and few boats are on the waters. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Delaware Bay’s drum fishing picked up and was good, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Space is available on a Marathon Sea Bass Trip on Sunday, opening day of sea bass season. That trip, a couple of open-boat drum trips and several open tuna trips were recently posted on the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/special-trips/
" target="_blank">Special Trips Page</a> on Down Deep’s Web site. Sign up for the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on the site to be kept informed about special open trips.

One drum, a 35-pounder, was heaved aboard from Delaware Bay on Saturday with Steve Harris’s group on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. That was the boat’s season’s first trip for drum, and a few bites were probably also missed. The fish bit softly, and the trip fished on the Delaware side of the bay. The angling seemed slow for the fleet that night to George. One party boat landed a few drum, and a couple of boats caught none, he thought. George heard no drum booming, but heard others say they heard the fish well. Weather wasn’t bad, though forecasts called for rougher. Somewhat of a breeze blew, but seas were 1 to 2 feet. Charters will keep drum fishing, and will be able to sail for sea bass on the ocean, once sea bass season is opened Sunday. Summer flounder season will be opened Saturday, and George usually begins flounder fishing later in the season, but will sail for the flatfish once the season is opened, if anglers want.

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