<b>Staten Island</b>

Fishing will be launched on about April 20 with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Rob said. Capt. Joe, his brother, has been prepping the boat for the coming season. The vessel’s in the water, and will be hauled out soon, just to paint the bottom. Trips will begin with striped bass fishing, then blackfish and sea bass fishing. New York’s fluke size limit will be lowered to 18 inches this year, making fluke trips more viable. Outcast had a busy year of fishing last year, and trips also sail from Sewaren, New Jersey.

<b>Keyport</b>

The <b>Vitamin Sea</b> was recently docked at Keyport, at Brown’s Point Marina, for the start of the fishing season, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. Space is available for open-boat trips Saturday and Sunday for striped bass and winter flounder, and charters are being booked. Stripers, sometimes keepers, were already caught, and waters were cold, “but nature is nature, and the fish will appear regardless,” he said. Nothing was heard about flounder, but Frank expects to sail Wednesday, looking around for them, weather permitting. Raritan Bay was 42 degrees, “so they probably have not spawned yet,” he said. Once flounder spawn, they’ll “be on the move, looking for food, and hopefully following my chum line,” he said. Like the Vitamin Sea’s Facebook page for real-time reports and available space on open trips. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Highlands</b>

Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> postponed fishing aboard last weekend, because of rough weather, including heavy rains, he said. His fishing season was going to be kicked off that weekend, but will now be launched this coming weekend, with open-boat trips for striped bass on the back of Raritan Bay. Bait will also be carried for winter flounder, if anglers want to fish for them, and three spaces are available Saturday, and two are open on Sunday. Telephone to jump aboard, and charters are also being booked.

On the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, fishing will begin this weekend for the season, Capt. Pete wrote in an email. Striped bass catches should “be in swing” by the middle of April, and charters should be locked in now, “if they have not done so,” he said. Pete this winter ran charters on the Dream Girl from Costa Rica, like every year. The fishing will continue this season, with Capt. Pedro at the helm. Sailfishing was good aboard this past week, and more billfish were released this past season than in years. That angling was still good, and included two blue marlin let go this past week. Some good grouper catches were also cranked-up during the week.

<b>Belmar</b>

Trips for cod and ling were going to mount the season on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b> last Saturday and Sunday, a report on the vessel’s website said. But the trips were cancelled because of wind and rain.

In Shark River, winter flounder bit much better than before on Sunday, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an e-mail. Reports came in about good numbers of the fish that chomped that day, and many of the flounder were throwbacks, “but still a good sign the fish were active,” he said. Skies are supposed to be sunny tomorrow, and that should raise the water temp a few degrees. Blackfish season will open that day, and some anglers plan to fish for them in deep, warmer waters in the ocean. But Bob wondered whether that will be warm enough for them to feed. Water temperatures are slowly creeping up, and higher temps should help all fishing, “we hope,” he said. 

The boat will probably be splashed in mid-April, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. Weekends are starting to book up for springtime charters for striped bass and, later in the season, other fish. A few stripers caught were heard about from the shore of Raritan Bay, like at Cliffwood Beach, and other places, like Oyster Creek off Barnegat Bay. That’s the warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant. Waters along the coast were about 40 degrees, and Pete hopes the temperature keeps rising in warmer weather that’s forecast. Fishing for cod on the ocean currently seemed like better catches would be made on some days, including because of weather, but cod were boated.  Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Subscribe to Parker Pete’s e-mailed newsletter</a> to be kept informed about individual-spaces available on charters. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page on the boat’s website.

<b>Brielle</b>

Shore anglers banked a few striped bass, including a few keepers, from Raritan Bay, in the back on clams, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Nothing was heard about fishing from boats for them, but boaters will probably hook them any day, if they haven’t already. A handful of small stripers were plugged along Mantoloking Bridge on Barnegat Bay. A handful were reeled from the Toms River, too. A few winter flounder, “a small handful,” Eric said, were plucked from the bay near the southern end of Point Pleasant Canal, toward Bay Avenue. A small handful came from Shark River. Flounder fishing was relatively slow, and Eric wasn’t asked the reason, but cold waters seemed the cause. On the ocean, cod fishing turned on during one day toward the end of the week, giving up some sizeable ones on jigs. Otherwise, cod and pollock were picked from the ocean. Blackfish season will be opened Tuesday, and nobody can know how the angling will go. But it might be slow in cold waters. Catch the Reel Seat’s grand opening on Saturday for its new location. The event will feature door prizes, tackle reps and more. The Reel Seat was moved to a new, bigger store at 707 Union Avenue in Brielle. That’s Route 71, and store is also now carrying freshwater tackle, in addition to saltwater. Saturday will also be opening day of trout season, and the store will be opened early at 6 a.m. that day for the opener. All the trout supplies will be on hand.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

The crew expected to shape up to fish Saturday for ling and cod on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote Friday in a report on the vessel’s website. But nothing was posted at press time about whether the trip sailed. Another trip for the fish on Sunday had already been cancelled because of weather forecasts, when the report was posted Friday. The boat was recently splashed, after seasonal painting and a Coast Guard inspection. Some of the painting still had to be finished, and Matt expected that to be done this week, if weather was fair. He hopes the boat will begin fishing daily this weekend for blackfish, and blackfish season will be opened Tuesday.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Brigantine’s surf’s first striped bass of the year was reported caught, Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website. Ken Biondi sent Andy a photo of the fish, a throwback that Ken released Saturday, after hooking the bass on clam from the store, 15 minutes after starting to fish. Ken’s a diehard angler, puts in the time, Andy said. Ken expected to keep fishing to try to win the store’s $50 gift certificate for the year’s first keeper striper weighed-in from Brigantine’s surf. A $50 certificate will also be awarded for the first keeper from a boat off Brigantine. No registration is necessary for either prize. The Riptide Striper Bounty was up to $1,300, the last time the amount was reported, in a report here Thursday, and it was growing daily. The bounty, awarded to the angler who weighs-in the season’s first striper 43 inches or larger from the town’s surf, was never won last fall. So the money will be awarded this spring. Entry is $5, and anglers must register at least 24 hours before entering a fish. Last spring, the bounty reached $2,005, and was won on May 27, with a 46-inch 32-pound striper. The prize was also rolled over from fall that year.

<b>Longport</b>

No trips fished in the weekend’s rainstorms on the <b>Stay Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. But an open-boat trip will steam for blackfish and whatever else bites on Tuesday, and telephone to reserve. The Stray Cat sails with even one angler, so long as weather allows. Blackfish season will be opened that day, April 1, and April is the beginning of Stray Cat’s season, really. Open trips will be available daily, when no charter is booked, starting that day. Telephone to reserve, and charters are also being booked. Tuesday’s trip will probably begin fishing in 100 feet, and will probably push inshore and scope out 70-foot depths in the afternoon. Last weekend’s trips were going to be open-boat for cod and pollock.  Check out <a href=" http://www.captmikesstraycat.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=30" target="_blank">some of Stray Cat’s trips online</a>.  Some will be new this year, including nighttime sharking throughout the fishing season. New trips will also include special, open-boat trips for summer flounder that will fish deep-water ridges every Friday in June and July.  After blackfish season,  a new, longer open trip will be offered to fish deeper waters, farther offshore, for better angling.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Though no news rolled in about fishing from Sea Isle, when weather, like all the rain in past days, improves, fish might bite, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. He usually catches his year’s first striped bass in March from the back bay. He didn’t fish the bay yet this year, and wanted to, but weather was slow to warm this season. To hook the bass in the early season, Joe fishes soft-plastic lures worked slowly along bottom in the bay, at places like creek mouths on outgoing tides, because of warmer water. Warm afternoons fish best in the early season. Bluefish and weakfish usually arrive in April, and fishing for them was great for Joe by mid-April last year in the bay. He couldn’t know whether the fishing will be delayed this year, after the cold winter. Catch-and-release fishing for summer flounder is usually terrific in the early season in the bay. Dates were yet to be announced for the flounder season this year, but the season is usually opened in May sometime. Joe ran some of his traveling charters to the Florida Keys this weekend with John Martin and Steve Lusky. They tugged-in jacks to 10 pounds, speckled sea trout and snappers, and pulled the hook on a tarpon. Weather was off, was windy especially in mornings, and the trips fished close to port at Islamorada, instead of traveling to the Everglades or elsewhere. Weather was pleasant in afternoons, though, and Joe offers the trips each year from winter until Easter. See <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s traveling charters Web page</a>. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

The downpours kept Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from working on the boat this weekend to prepare for the fishing season, he said. The boat was in dry dock, but the marina recently said the vessel could be splashed, so the boat might be launched this weekend for the season. The year’s first charters can fish for blackfish, and blackfish season will be opened Tuesday for the month of April, and will be closed afterward for some time. The season’s first charters can also sail for striped bass, if stripers are in. Drum charters will sail in May on Delaware Bay. George heard about nobody fishing, and waters were cold, but warmer than before. Online buoy reports today said water temperatures included 39.7 degrees in the ocean at the Delaware Bay buoy, 41.7 at Lewes, Delaware, at the mouth of Delaware Bay, 44.4 in Cape May Canal at the Cape May ferry, and 41.5 at Ship John Shoal in Delaware Bay.

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