<b>Keyport</b>

Weather was nasty on Wednesday on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, “but we caught some nice fish,” Capt. Frank wrote in an email. A photo in the email showed the anglers holding striped bass. He also sent a photo of winter flounder boated aboard Tuesday, saying the anglers limited out on them and released more. Charters are fishing, and the next spaces available on open-boat trips are on Tuesday and Wednesday. Like the Vitamin Sea’s Facebook page for real-time reports and open-trip dates. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!” <b>***Update, Thursday, 4/24:***</b> “Evil again,” Frank in an email wrote about strong winds today aboard. But sizeable striped bass were culled from smaller ones caught, a total of a few dozen stripers landed, and the angling will pick up once the waters settle. The bass were found spread throughout Raritan Bay, and trips are clamming them on the boat. Trips will fish with bunker once the baitfish migrate solidly into the area. Two spots remain for Tuesday’s open trip, and four for Wednesday’s. 

<b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> will next fish on Friday through the weekend, for striped bass on Raritan Bay, Capt. Joe said. Friday and Sunday are booked, but space is available on a 7-hour open-boat trip early Saturday for the bass, probably leaving at 6 a.m.  Open trips are available any morning when no charter is booked, and telephone to reserve. The fish are out there, and this is the time to take advantage. The last trip, on Monday, scored a great catch of stripers, covered in the last report.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Winds kept the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> from fishing Wednesday, and were expected to stop the vessel from sailing today, Capt. Tom said. Monday’s and Tuesday’s trips were the last to sail, and on Monday morning’s trip, lots of stripers, probably the most this season, were landed, and a few were keepers. The afternoon’s trip headed to the same place, and only a few of the fish came in, the fishing was no good. Tuesday morning’s trip stopped at the same place, and a few stripers were reeled up right away. The angling ended up no good, turning out a few stripers. Striper fishing was poor on Tuesday afternoon’s trip. Lots of small stripers, apparently a new body of stripers, showed up on the two days. Winds blew like a son of a gun, Tom said, when he gave this report Wednesday night in a phone call. 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>***Update, Friday, 4/25:***</b> Fishing resumed aboard today, and the striper catches improved so far, Tom said in a phone call at 10 a.m. on the boat. Weather was good, and a handful of throwbacks and a few keepers were already tied into. He hoped the angling either stayed as good as already or improved. He was surprised at the fishing, because waters were muddy yesterday from the winds. But tides since then cleaned it up more than expected. <b>***Update, Sunday, 4/27:***</b> Fishing aboard Friday ended up better on the morning’s trip than on the afternoon’s, Tom said. See news about the morning above. On Saturday, anglers on the morning trip, a small crowd, patiently picked at stripers, totaling a dozen keepers to one larger than 25 pounds. The afternoon’s fishing wasn’t as good. Trips aboard fished closer to port than before, and that worked out. Today’s trips might need to return to the back of the bay. “You never know,” Tom said.

Boaters knocked around good catches of striped bass on Raritan Bay, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Quite a few were keepers, and shorts were also tugged in. Not much was heard about shore angling for them on the bay. Winds were harsh for fishing for stripers from the ocean surf. But a few stripers were banked from the ocean on some days. Stripers were snatched from Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. Before the winds, boating for winter flounder was good on the bay at some places. Jimmy used to start fishing the ocean for flounder on April 10, no matter the weather. His trips used to grab both flounder and ling, the biggest kind of ling, at the Cedars in 30 feet in the ocean then. Blackfish, including sizeable, currently chewed under the Oceanic Bridge. Nothing was known about bottom fishing on the ocean, and Jimmy thought that was probably because the angling was slow. A friend who captains a charter boat tried bottom fishing and said he wouldn’t try again soon, because of slow fishing, and switched to striper fishing. All baits are stocked. 

<b>Highlands</b>

No trip sailed Wednesday aboard, but a trip Tuesday on deck limited out on striped bass to 19 pounds on Raritan Bay with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. The fishing’s been very good, catching on clams and trolled plugs. Derek might try fishing bunker for them this weekend, and the baitfish were in, and big stripers in the 30 pounds were on them sometimes. Stripers to 23 pounds were taken with Fisher Price this week. Reservations are being booked for charters, and the next open-boat trips will sail Monday, Tuesday and next Thursday. Telephone to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open trips.

Not many boats sailed from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b> in winds, Wayne said. One charter boat did, managing a slow pick of striped bass on Raritan Bay. One couple boated blackfish on the upper bay when they clammed for stripers. A few boats from the docks were readied to fish for the season, but the colder weather made that weeks behind. Bushels of clams are available, and frozen pints and quarts of clams are carried. So are the frozen baits, and live bunker become available at the shop when demand picks up. Twin Lights, located conveniently on Shrewsbury River near the bay and ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boats slips and dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined, complete bait and tackle shop and ship’s store. 

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>***Update, Saturday, 4/26:***</b> Few boats fished in the weather during the week, but they fished Friday, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> wrote in an email. Winds will scrub boating today, but Sunday will be the day that Last Lady fishes. An individual-reservation trip will sail for blackfish, cod and ling. Bring 10- to 14-ounce jigs and 6-inch grubs – pink or white Gulps work best – if you have them. But tackle will also be carried board. “Will try for blackfish sometime in the day,” he said. White leggers and clams will be provided.

<b>Belmar</b>

Getting the weather to sail was an difficult, but blackfish and cod, good catches, were swung aboard the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b> when trips ran, Capt. Chris said. Blackfish season will be closed next Thursday, so get after them, if you want the tautog. Green crabs and clams, provided on trips, caught best. White leggers didn’t work so well. Winds kept the boat in port the last few days. The Big Mohawk is fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Trips for striped bass are expected to start again Friday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s website said. Forecasts for winds 25 to 40 knots scrubbed trips in past days. A 34-inch, pool-winning striper, several other keepers and several shorts were landed on a trip Sunday, the most recent trip reported on the site. That was covered in the last report here. The Golden Eagle is fishing for striped bass at 7:30 a.m. daily.

“Time marches on, but Mother Nature fights for every inch this year,” Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. When rain didn’t fall, the weather was windy or cold. But anglers who “held out” latched into good winter flounder fishing, and interest continued to be high this year. Jinny Badtaclia from Manchester limited out on flounder to 3 pounds on Shark River. Striped bass fishing was good at Raritan Bay on clams, bunker or trolled Stretch lures. Striper fishing was a little slow locally, “but has signs of life,” Bob said. Marty Westerfield from Wall weighed-in a 14-pound striper “from local waters,” Bob said. Marty hooked the fish on a rubber shad, and stripers were reported beached from the surf from Seaside to Belmar on clams. The catches were slow, but possible. In freshwater, trout fishing was good, and Norm Irons from Tinton Falls limited out on trout to a 6-pound 8-ounce rainbow on yellow PowerBait. Bob didn’t mention locations where trout were taken, but talked about good trouting on Spring Lake in previous reports. Jim O’Donnel weighed-in a 15-pound turkey he bagged on a hunt.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Weather was calm on a trip Monday on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, and the ocean held somewhat of a swell, but fishing was comfortable, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. But the blackfishing was tough, and anglers picked a few keepers and throwbacks, “slow overall,” he said. A 4-pounder was the pool-winner. Still, Matt hopes the tautog bite better before blackfish season is closed next Thursday, and trips will keep after them. Weather was also calm on a trip Tuesday aboard, and blackfishing was slow, but a few keepers were picked, and a couple of cod were bagged, and the boat was sailed to the south for the angling. Matt expected to shape up for Wednesday’s trip, though strong winds were forecast. The winds were supposed to blow from northwest, so he planned to fish inshore, where land could protect the fishing from winds. But apparently no trip sailed Wednesday, because no report was posted for the day, and strong winds did blow. The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily through this coming Wednesday, the final day of blackfish season. The trips will switch to striped bass next Thursday.

<b>Toms River</b>

A few small striped bass and white perch were toggled from the Toms River, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Bloodworms mostly nabbed both, and the river’s winter flounder fishing seemed to slow down. But flounder came from Oyster Creek, and so did small stripers. Both were also bloodwormed, but some of the bass swiped lures. Flounder fishing sounded fairly good on northern Barnegat Bay toward Point Pleasant Canal and on nearby Manasquan River. Flounder probably began migrating toward the ocean, probably started to reach Manasquan and Barnegat inlets, because blueclaw crabs began to stir around. Not a lot of people fished in the winds, so not a lot of news circulated. Winds kept blowing the lid off the big trash dumpster outside. A few small stripers were played along Rouge 37 Bridge on the bay, including by the store’s owner. From the surf, one keeper striper was known about that was weighed at another tackle store on the barrier island. Surely a few throwback stripers were pulled from the surf, but none was reported. Nothing was heard about blackfish.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

A keeper striped bass, 9 ½ pounds, was clammed from the surf Wednesday, probably in the Seaside Heights area, said John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. One or two other keepers were known about from the surf recently. Almost all catches came from Barnegat Bay, giving up throwback stripers along any dock or pier at night, not during day. Not a lot of people fished in the weather, though. The crew from the shop tried for crabs from the dock, but trapped none yet this season. Road construction is 90 percent finished that had made access to the store difficult. Vehicles still needed to follow detours, but that was simple, and the tackle shop is open Thursdays through Sundays, and will be open daily later in the season. The Dock Outfitters features a tackle shop, boat and jet ski rentals in season, a dock to fish and crab from, and a café.

<b>Forked River</b>

Oyster Creek shoveled up striped bass, and the ones caught might’ve included somewhat bigger bass than before, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. But keepers were yet to be reported from there. Winter flounder weren’t really landed from the creek. One report said flounder were boated in Barnegat Bay off Good Luck Point on a trip last week. Bloodworms, sandworms and killies are stocked.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Small weakfish were bloodwormed along the Dike, said Josh from <b>Viking Outfitters</b>. Winter flounder gathered along the bridge near Long Beach Island, and small blackfish hovered against Barnegat Inlet’s rocks. Not much was doing along the surf. Bloodworms, green crabs and the full selection of frozen baits are stocked. Anglers can telephone the shop, located in historic Viking Village, 24 hours a day, and if that’s afterhours, one of the crew can be at the store soon. Bait can be delivered to a boat, a home or the beach anywhere on the island. Besides all the bait and tackle, the shop features fishing clothing, beach clothing, embroidery, beach gifts and plenty more. Long Beach Island’s Simply Bassin’ Tournament will begin on May 3.

<b>Surf City</b>

Surf fishing released a couple of 20-inch, throwback striped bass, said Joe from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. A couple of short stripers were clammed from the bay in Ship Bottom at 3rd and 4th streets last week. Farther south, shorts and drum were nipped at Graveling Point on Great Bay. But the local tackle shop there reported the season’s first keeper from the point. Nobody mentioned blackfish from anywhere. Fresh clams, bloodworms and green crabs are stocked, and fresh bunker will arrive Friday.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The year’s first keeper striped bass was weighed-in from Graveling Point on Saturday, said Brian from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. That was covered in the last report, and a few more keepers to 36 inches were reportedly reeled from there on Sunday. A few drum and white perch were in the mix at the point, but winds blew so strongly later in the week, that not much fishing happened afterward. No bluefish were mentioned from anywhere since a boater checked-in one 3-pounder, the year’s first blue at the store, off the point last week. At the time, people said boaters saw a few blues in the area, and then the news dried up. The annual $100 gift certificate to the store is available for the shore angler who stops by with the year’s first blue from Graveling or nearby Pebble Beach, shore-angling spots toward the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River. The 3-pounder is the only confirmed catch of a bluefish reported on this website so far this season. Waters were 50 degrees at Graveling. A few weakfish showed up at Graveling earlier this season, but not since. White perch fishing was good on the Mullica around Hay Road and Clark’s Landing Road.   Nobody reported blackfishing. Fresh, shucked clams, fresh clams in the shell, bloodworms, green crabs, minnows and grass shrimp are stocked. The store had stopped carrying clams in the shell in recent years, but now a few were on hand.

<b>Absecon</b>

Fishing was picking up slowly, and weather brought too much winds and cold, but catches were definitely improving, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Water temperatures stayed below 50 degrees. Things were cold, any way you look at it, he said. But a few keeper striped bass were angled from shore along mud flats, like on Absecon Bay off Route 30 and Lakes Bay off Route 40. At Lakes Bay, quite a few throwbacks also bit, and a few drum did. Many anglers fished from shore at Graveling Point on Great Bay, tackling a couple of keeper stripers, lots of action with shorts, a few drum and occasional bluefish. “It’s coming along,” Dave said. Striper fishing started slowly, “but it’s coming,” he said. The year’s first striper larger than 20 pounds, a 24.5-pounder, was weighed at the shop Friday, the store’s Facebook page said. The angler won the annual $100 gift certificate for the first, and a $100 certificate remained up for grabs for the first 30-pounder or larger. A rod and reel combo was also available for the year’s first girl age 12 or younger to catch and check in a keeper striper. The same prize for the first boy was already won. Reports about blackfish kept saying only a small number, not many at all, bit at jetties and bridges. No concentrations of the fish were mentioned. The tautog were mentioned from around Great Egg Harbor Inlet. A few more might’ve snapped along Ocean City’s bridges than locally. But waters were cold, and were dirty in the week’s winds, and blackfishing’s best in clear waters. This weekend will be the final in the blackfish season that will be closed next Thursday. Weakfish began to appear in bays pretty much everywhere. A few anglers chased them, catching them well. Waters toward Great Egg Harbor might’ve held them most. But the fish were heard about from Great Bay, and more than before were mentioned from Little Egg Harbor.  Looked like the weakfish population could end up abundant this year. On brackish rivers, white perch fishing was “on the slow side,” Dave said. He hoped that was because of cold waters. Water temperatures and the weather just weren’t good for the fishing. Baits stocked include fresh clams, green crabs and bloodworms. None of the suppliers was able to provide grass shrimp recently, and Dave didn’t get out to net them.  The store’s annual, free Grand Slam Customer Appreciation Tournament is set for Friday through Sunday, May 23 through 25, opening weekend of summer flounder season. Prizes will be awarded for the largest summer flounder, weakfish, bluefish, striped bass and black drum. The shop’s tournament for the heaviest stringer of five white perch is under way.

<b>Brigantine</b>

One angler reported pounding a keeper striped bass from the surf Wednesday, but the fish wasn’t seen at the shop, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. A $50 gift certificate is still available for the year’s first angler to weigh-in a keeper from Brigantine’s surf, and another is on tap for the year’s first from a boat off Brigantine. Plenty of throwbacks swam the surf. Fresh clams and bloodworms are stocked, and fresh bunker should arrive Friday. The Riptide Striper Bounty reached a little more than $1,600 and will be awarded to the angler who weighs-in the season’s first striper 43 inches or larger from Brigantine’s surf. The bounty was never won last fall, so the money is available 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, reached $2,005 and was won on May 27, with a 46-incher that weighed 32 pounds. The Fish for Life Tournament, sponsored by Team LePera, 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. Sign up for the tournament at the shop.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Lots of striped bass, small, not large, showed up at night for shore anglers at Absecon Inlet, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. They plugged or baited them, and the anglers had to work hard for blackfish, but the slipperies were around along the inlet’s jetties. One customer never limited out on them, but clocked one or two every day, on green crabs or clams. The inlet is near the shop and lined with jetties. Bluefish were reported from Lakes Bay a couple of days ago, but not since. Baits stocked include fresh clams, bloodworms, green crabs, minnows and frozen baits.  No fresh bunker are stocked yet.

<b>Longport</b>

An open-boat trip for blackfish is set for Friday on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike wrote in an email. A blow looked to be shaping up on Saturday, but he hopes to sail for blackfish daily through Wednesday, the final day of the season for the tautog. Open trips sail daily when no charter is booked, even with just one angler.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Surf anglers beached a few striped bass during the weekend, before the windy weather, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. They mostly clammed the fish, but some bloodwormed them. A few stripers were hooked from the back bay along the 9th Street Bridge, usually on soft-plastic lures, sometimes on clams or bloodworms. But the farther back in the bay anglers fished, the bigger the stripers they caught, much bigger, up to 34 and 36 inches, especially on Saturday. Most were clubbed on top-water lures, rubber lures on bucktails or “that sort of thing,” he said. Only a handful of blackfish, up to 17 inches, were heard about, mostly from along the Longport pier, mostly on clams, not crabs. The only weakfish locally swam the bay toward Sea Isle City. No bluefish were reported yet this season. Fresh, shucked clams are currently stocked, and are hoped to be carried during the weekend, if clam boats get the weather to sail. Bloodworms and all frozen baits are on hand.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

From <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, Mike agreed that weather was stiff in past days, but fishing started to pick up a bit, he said. A few striped bass were heard about from the surf for the first time this season. Most were clammed, and a couple were bloodwormed, and none was a keeper that was known about. An occasional throwback striper started to be mixed with weakfish in the back bay. Weakfish continued to be angled from the bay, like before, and summer flounder were also mixed in. Blackfish, not big, but some of them not a bad size, began to be caught at Corson’s and Townsend’s inlets during the weekend, on clams and crabs. The local party boat didn’t fish the ocean, and was in dry dock for maintenance and preparation for the season, probably starting with sea bass fishing when sea bass season is opened. Fresh clams, bloodworms, green crabs and all the frozen baits are stocked. The minnow tank is up and running, and minnows will probably be carried in a week or two. Finding them currently was a challenge.

Trips were docked aboard in strong winds, but fish were caught from the back bay, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Weakfish were rustled up, and catch-and-release fishing for out-of-season summer flounder was great. Joe is fishing for both and striped bass on the bay, and bluefish there when blues arrive. They were overdue, and his first blue last year was fought on April 21 on the bay. Angling for all of these, sometimes on the same trip, becomes some of the best fishing of the year any moment on the bay aboard. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fishing is supposed to sail next for blackfish this weekend on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. A couple of trips for the tautog fished aboard last weekend, covered in the last report. A few of the fish were bagged, and blackfish season will be closed one week from today on May 1. Trips will also fish for striped bass this season, if enough stripers swim locally. Drum trips will fish Delaware Bay in May.

On the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, blackfishing was slow, but action became a little better on the last few trips than before, Capt. Paul said. Rough weather often kept trips from sailing, and blackfishing season will be closed one week from today on May 1. Though expectations about fishing can’t be guaranteed, Paul expects better blackfishing in the final days of the season than before, because of the better action recently, and because waters became a little warmer. Today’s trip wasn’t expected to sail, because of forecasts for gusting winds like blew yesterday, Wednesday, also keeping that trip docked. Winds gusted to 40 knots yesterday. Forecasts looked like trips would be able to resume Friday. The Porgy IV is blackfishing at 8 a.m. daily.

Boaters couldn’t fish in the winds, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Previously, a few striped bass were boated at the sloughs on Delaware Bay. Joe’s Tip and tight to shore at Reed’s Beach are other places known for stripers this time of season on the bay. No drum were heard about from the bay yet, and the season for them was a little early. Neither were bluefish talked about from anywhere, and blues could pop up anytime. Surf anglers who braved the blow made some catches. Surf fishing for stripers was pretty handy recently along Delaware Bay’s jetties locally, on bloodworms on float rigs or Bomber lures. Sometimes blackfish were lifted from along jetties on the ocean side. Many reports said weakfish swam the back bay at Sea Isle City. If the trout were there, they had to be someplace around Cape May.  Fresh clams, green crabs and bloodworms are stocked. The weather kept commercial boats from catching bunker to stock fresh.

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