<b>Keyport</b>

Raritan Bay’s striped bass fishing was becoming better every day, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. Both bait and trolling caught, and many throwbacks bit, and so did plenty of sizeable keepers. The throwbacks were great for the future, he said. Anglers on one trip wanted to fish for winter flounder, after boating stripers. They limited out on two flounder apiece and released more. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, including an open trip Thursday. Telephone to climb aboard. Like Vitamin Sea’s Facebook page for real-time reports and open-trip dates. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

Angling for striped bass improved on Raritan Bay, Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep</b> said. Lots of throwbacks chomped, and there was lots of action, and good-sized keepers were mixed in. Winter flounder also started biting. Charters are fishing, and sign up for the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on the Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about open-boat dates for wreck-fishing.

Striped bass fishing picked up on Raritan Bay the last few days, turning out a mix of throwbacks and keepers, Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> wrote in an email. Open-boat trips will be available all this week, and charters are sailing. Telephone to jump aboard. <b>***Update, Monday, 4/21:***</b> The season’s first trip aboard sailed for striped bass today on the bay, and the fishing was spectacular, Joe said. The three anglers, Mike, Jimmy, and Chris, limited out on two stripers apiece, kept another two with bonus tags, then released another 10 keepers. The bass were clammed, and Joe won’t forget the fishing for a while, he said. Space is available on open trips Thursday through Sunday.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A few striped bass were tied into on every trip aboard now, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. The fish were clammed from Raritan Bay, and four keepers and probably six or eight throwbacks were landed on Sunday morning’s trip. No trip sailed that afternoon, because of Easter. Five throwbacks were released so far on this morning’s trip, when Tom gave this report at 9:30 a.m. aboard in a phone call. Some action had been seen, and he hoped a few keepers would be bagged by trip’s end. Not a lot of people, small crowds, fished on trips so far this season. But trips are sailing, keeping the ball rolling, Tom said. The Atlantic Star is fishing for striped bass on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m.

<b>Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing became good since Friday on Raritan Bay aboard, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. A mix of throwbacks and keepers were clammed and trolled on plugs, and lots of bunker and herring schooled. Dates are still available for charters into May and June, and the fishing should keep improving. The next open-boat trips will sail Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon. Telephone to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open trips. Fisher Price each year finds the bass on the bay at first, and later fishes for them on the ocean.

Finally, some much improved striped bass fishing in the last few days, Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> wrote in an e-mail. Frank Eckhart’s charter on Saturday morning caught them best, limiting out on the stripers to 18 pounds, releasing many throwbacks. In the afternoon, the Frank Mills party bagged four stripers and released some throwbacks. On Sunday, Jeff Sheets and crew picked away at eight keepers and a bunch of shorts. Catches in recent days also included a good pick of stripers to 33 inches for Tom Guase’s gang on a morning trip, and seven keepers to 18 pounds plus shorts for Steve Bommer’s group.

<b>Neptune</b>

With <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, fishing will sail next on Wednesday, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. He had already begun bottom-fishing for the season, and the ocean was cold, so he took a break a moment. But now the ocean started to warm, and the fishing improved. The next individual-reservation trip will bottom-fish Sunday for blackfish, cod and ling. Ralph expects a good trip, and space is available. Clams and white leggers will be supplied. If the anglers have 8- to 12-ounce jigs, they should bring them. “We are going to see if we can jig a few cod,” Ralph said.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fishing gained momentum “on several fronts,” Bob from <b>Fishrman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Winter flounder fishing continued to be better than expected, he said. The store’s rental boats are available to fish Shark River for the flounder. Blackfishing was good at Point Pleasant Canal, and a few of the fish were keepers, reportedly. Striped bass fishing lit up on Raritan Bay, and clams, bunker and plugs plowed them. Bob hopes stripers move into the ocean locally.

For anglers on Raritan Bay, striped bass fishing picked up a lot, and stripers decked were also heard about from Barnegat Bay, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. The arrival of stripers in the ocean off Belmar is only a matter of time. Fishing for them will be the season’s first angling aboard, and the boat will be splashed this coming week for the season. The ocean was cold, in the low 40s, Pete thought, and bottom-fishing on the ocean was good on some days for fish including cod and blackfish. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Jump on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to subscribe to the emailed newsletter 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 party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, trips began striped bass fishing on Saturday, a report on the vessel’s website said. The angling was slow that day, so the trip dropped on a couple of wrecks, and ling and a couple of winter flounder came in, so anglers could bag fish. But Sunday’s trip picked several keeper stripers and some throwbacks, and a 34-inch striper was the pool-winner. The Golden Eagle is fishing for striped bass at 7:30 a.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

Winter flounder began to be tugged from Manasquan River, and still from Barnegat Bay, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The fish seemed to start migrating to the river, on the way to the ocean, and on the river were hung off the hospital and Treasure Island. Anglers targeted outgoing tides on the river, because of warmer water, and chummed heavily, like usual, fishing with clams and worms. The flounder were good-sized this year, many of them 17 and 18 inches. Throwback stripers swam the river, and were hooked while anglers flounder fished. Throwback stripers began to be picked from Point Pleasant Canal on small soft-plastic lures or plugs on outgoing tides. That’s between the bay and the river. Not much news came from the surf, and the water seemed a little cool for stripers there. Farther north, striped bass catches turned on at Raritan Bay for boaters and shore anglers. They concentrated on the flats. On the ocean, cod fishing was about the same as before. If boaters fished the right piece, they caught. Jigs, like 8- to 12-ounce Vikings or hammered jigs, not just bait, hooked some. A teaser should definitely be fished with the jigs. In freshwater, trout fishing was good at Spring Lake, and small Gulp minnows were a top bait. The store began stocking freshwater bait and tackle for trout and panfish this season, in addition to saltwater supplies. The Reel Seat’s second annual surf-fishing tournament will be held June 6 to 8, and will be catch-and-release this year, unlike last year.  Prizes will be a Van Staal Reel for first place, a FiberStar surf rod for second and a Gear-Up plug bag for third. Entry is $10, required by June 5.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> steamed for cod to mid-range wrecks Saturday, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. That was after winds kept most boats docked last week, and the trip’s four anglers totaled 45 keeper cod to 35 pounds, five pollock to 20 pounds and some ling. The cod were copped on both bait and jigs, and gold diamond jigs with pink teasers were the best set up for jigs. Water temperatures were “good for holding cod,” Alan said. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness. The crew pride themselves on sharing the concept on outdoor adventures.

The party boat <b>Norma-K III</b> resumed fishing Saturday, “after a blow-out week,” Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. A small crowd showed up for the trip, and the crew decided to “put in an effort and do some local blackfishing,” he said. A few keeper blackfish and some shorts were swung in. “We did find some life on a couple of drops,” he said.  A few keeper cod were also pasted. The ocean was as warm as 46 ½ degrees, so Matt expects the fishing to keep improving. Sunday’s trip was cancelled because of forecasts, but a trip was expected to shape up today. The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily through April, and clams and green crabs are provided for bait.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The year’s first striped bass was weighed from Graveling Point from a shore angler at <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>, a report on the shop’s website said. Dave Curry banked the fish Saturday, about an hour after dark, winning the shop’s annual $100 gift certificate for the first keeper from land at Graveling or nearby Pebble Beach. He checked in the fish early Sunday morning, and the catch was late in the year. The certificate was always won in March in past years. But throwbacks this year bit at Graveling and Pebble for some time already, and another keeper was supposedly caught Saturday, but wasn’t brought to the shop. A keeper was previously brought to the shop from a boater off Graveling, too, covered in a previous report here. Throwbacks apparently still chomped currently, and boaters reported bluefish that schooled off Graveling. Those are the year’s first blues that the store reported, and one boater stopped in with a 3-pound blue from the area on Friday. An annual $100 gift certificate to the shop is up for grabs for the shore angler who weighs-in the year’s first blue from Graveling or Pebble. An angler posted a report on the store’s site about a striper trip at Graveling on Friday. He landed a 22-inch throwback on a trip for a few hours in early afternoon on high, outgoing tide. “Was pretty slow on the clam bait,” he said. But an angler who fished worms bailed throwbacks nearby, “was hitting them hard,” he said. Bloodworms are usually the favorite bait for the bass at first during the season, when cold waters make the worms easiest for the fish to digest, because of slow metabolism. Clams become a favorite when waters warm. The water was 45 degrees on the angler’s trip, “a bit cool,” he said. This was late in the year for that temperature.

<b>Brigantine</b>

One angler reported non-stop action with throwback striped bass to 24 inches in the surf, a report said Sunday on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s website. Several reports rolled in about throwbacks dragged onto the beach Saturday, including from one angler who released a 19-incher and a 10-incher. Action seemed to pick up in the surf, and no keepers were known about from Brigantine. This was the latest a keeper was yet to be weighed at the store in spring. But keepers sometimes caught were known about from other places in the state. Two-hundred pounds of fresh bunker were stocked at the store Friday. Fresh clams were difficult to obtain then, because of weather that kept clam boats docked. But that could’ve changed in weather that seemed calmer today.  A $50 gift certificate to the store was available for the angler who stops by with the year’s first keeper striper from Brigantine’s surf. Another was available for the boater with the first keeper from off Brigantine. The Riptide Striper Bounty was up to $1,535 and growing, when the amount was last reported here on Thursday. The money will be awarded to the angler who checks-in the season’s first striper 43 inches or larger from Brigantine’s surf. The bounty 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. The bounty last year was rolled over like that and reached $2,005, and was won on May 27, with a 46-incher that weighed 32 pounds. The Fish for Life Tournament is under way until May 26. Entry allows beach buggy access along Brigantine’s entire front beach with a Brigantine beach-buggy permit, instead of limited access with a permit without entering.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> trailered one of his boats to New Jersey from the Florida Keys this weekend, he said. That was the vessel he used for annual traveling charters that fish the Keys from Christmas to Easter, and now he’ll turn all attention to Jersey’s fishing. His trips in Jersey already pulled in weakfish, a striped bass and some summer flounder from the back bay recently, covered in previous reports. That angling should start to bust loose, becoming some of the best of the season this month and next. Plus, Joe’s season’s first bluefish was boated from the bay on today’s date last year, and the scrappy fighters will become no small part of the mix on the trips. Joe previously thought the cold winter might delay the migration of fish. But the weakfish, for instance, showed up on time. The flounder season will be opened on May 23, and catch-and-release fishing for them is good in the meantime. Joe fishes for all these fish with soft-plastic lures on lead jigheads, slowly along bottom, in the early season. Outgoing tides in afternoons usually fish best, because of warmth. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

<b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b> is probably going to look around for striped bass this weekend, Capt. Jim said. Trips usually fish for them on Delaware Bay in the early season. If stripers swim the ocean in spring, trips also sail for them there. Drum charters will fish the bay in May. Fins and Feathers offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including waterfowl hunting. Guided snow goose hunts were recently wrapped up for the season. Trout fishing is also offered on Pennsylvania’s streams like the Yellow Breeches. Jim on Saturday banked a dozen trout on one of the streams on stoneflies and Wooly Buggers. His buddy reeled in 39 on spinners. Fins is also currently hosting steelhead fishing on upstate New York’s Salmon River from Jim’s lodge. In summer, Fins will fish the ocean for everything from summer flounder to inshore tuna.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fishing began for the season this weekend on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Kevin Driscoll’s charter on Saturday morning bagged a few blackfish and released lots of throwbacks. In the afternoon, Henry Lewandowski and son wanted to fish a short time on a charter, bagging several blackfish and releasing throwbacks in only a couple of hours. The trips fished a couple of miles from shore, and the angling sounded about the same for boaters who fished farther out. The morning trip fished three wrecks, and all held the tautog. George wasn’t asked whether the afternoon trip fished more than one spot. The ocean was 46 to 49 degrees, where the Heavy Hitter fished on the outings. A friend who fished Cape May Reef that day said the ocean was 44 degrees there. Trips will also be available for striped bass, if enough stripers start to swim nearby. Drum charters will fish in May on Delaware Bay, and George heard about a 20-pound drum caught from Maurice River. Drum are sometimes first boated on the warmer, Delaware side of the bay. Stripers were currently heard about from Delaware River. But someone on Driscoll’s trip bucktailed seven or eight small stripers at a bridge along South Jersey’s back bays.  

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