<b>Staten Island</b>

A trip with <b>Outcast Charters</b> limited out on striped bass and released more on Raritan Bay on Sunday, Capt. Joe said. The fishing wasn’t super-fast, he said, but was steady, and finished early, at 11:30 a.m. The fish weighed up to 20 pounds, mostly weighing 13 to 15. Chunked bunker was the bait, and friends on other boats clammed stripers on the bay that morning, and trollers were seen catching the fish. Outcast will keep striper fishing, and will begin sea bass fishing on May 19 from Sewaren, N.J. That’s opening day of sea bass season in New Jersey, and trips are available from either Staten Island, N.Y., or Jersey. When Jersey’s sea bass limit is dropped to three fish on July 1, sea bass trips aboard will probably fish from Staten Island, because New York’s bag limit will probably be more of the fish then. New York’s regulations were yet to be announced.

<b>Keyport</b>

All good-sized striped bass were bagged Friday on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. The angling limited out and released more, and clammed the fish, instead of giving in to trolling, and the anglers “really got it done,” he said. The fishing, using clams, was good on a trip Saturday aboard, “with some quality bass taken, and many more released,” he said. Sunday’s trip was another good day of clamming stripers aboard, “with limits caught,” he said. Frank expected to switch to bunker for bait soon. Charters are fishing, and open-boat trips this week are full. The next open trip with space available is on May 6. Spaces are going fast, so don’t wait to reserve. Striper fishing is good now. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

Open-boat trips sailed for striped bass Friday through Sunday on Raritan Bay with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said.  Another trip was supposed to fish for them today, and the angling’s been good, and he hopes the fish stay a while. If anglers want stripers, this is the time. On Friday’s trip, the six anglers limited out on 12 stripers, and bagged two more with bonus tags. On Saturday’s, the five anglers bagged nine stripers to 24 ½ pounds. On Sunday’s, the six anglers bagged eight of the fish to 21 pounds. All the trips fished with clams, and open-boat trips are available daily when no charter is booked. Telephone to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The morning trip’s striped bass fishing was alright on Saturday, putting together a catch of the bass to a 25-pounder, on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Striper fishing wasn’t as good on the afternoon’s trip, picking up a few of the fish, at least. Striper fishing was a little tougher on Sunday morning’s trip, but managed a few keepers and some shorts. The afternoon trip’s striper fishing was poor, the worst in a week, catching only one keeper. Considering the number of stripers marked, more should have been boated both days. The fishing lately had some good days, and some bad. One angler on Saturday morning’s trip limited out on two stripers and bagged another with a bonus tag. But some anglers had no stripers, of course. 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, Tuesday, 4/29:***</b> A few stripers were socked on both trips Monday, but the fishing wasn’t good, Tom said. Forecasts sounded like today’s and Wednesday’s trips will be weathered out, and the outlook for Thursday was uncertain. Anglers can telephone the boat 7 to 9 o’clock on any night for an update on whether a trip can sail.

<b>Highlands</b>

Good striped bass fishing was the norm aboard the <b>Hyper Striper</b> in the past week, Capt. Pete wrote in an email. Last Monday, Mike Gallo’s group tackled six keepers to 19 pounds and good action with shorts on the morning trip, and Charlie Sahanas’ party limited out on stripers and released many more, “beat up the big fish,” Pete said, on the afternoon trip. On Tuesday afternoon, Bob Centamore’s crew pasted seven sizeable stripers and action with shorts. Winds made fishing a struggle on a trip Wednesday with Jack Schmidt’s gang, who boated a few keepers and fought shorts. Fishing aboard got back out on Friday, after the winds, with Eric Halbeck’s party. They pounded very good striper fishing, limiting out, and released many more. Tony Rocco’s group, apparently on Friday afternoon, though Pete didn’t mention the date, put seven good-sized keepers in the box, and released many throwbacks. On Saturday, Woody Monroe’s crew iced 11 keepers and lots of action with shorts. Mike Gallo and group returned on Sunday, limiting out and releasing many others. Their bass weighed up to 24 pounds. In the afternoon, Tito Arroyo’s gang jumped on super striper fishing for 15- to 25-pounders. “Very good fishing,” Pete said.

Fishing for striped bass pretty much limited out or limited and released more on every trip aboard, Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> said. The fish to 35 pounds were cracked on the boat in the past week, and the trips started fishing with chunked and live bunker, after fishing with clams previously. Sometimes trips still trolled the fish aboard. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips with space available will fish Sunday afternoon and next week on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and Thursday afternoon. Telephone to climb aboard.

<b>Neptune</b>

With <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, bottom-fishing was slow on an individual-reservation trip Sunday, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. A few blackfish, cod, pollock and ling were eased in, and one angler pulled out the pool with a pollock toward the end, besting another angler’s blackfish. Twelve great guys were aboard and had a nice day on the water, Ralph said. Weather was a little windy sometimes, but wasn’t bad. An individual-reservation striped bass trip will be scheduled when the fish “move closer,” Ralph said. Charters and individual-reservation trips are fishing, and weekends are filling quickly. Book now, and don’t miss a date you want.

<b>Belmar</b>

Shark River’s winter flounder were caught farther downstream than before, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. They might be migrating to the ocean, and fishing for them was good this weekend on the river. Small striped bass were clammed from the surf, and Bob hit the surf this week, landing none. Healthy-sized blackfish were tugged from Shark River Inlet and Point Pleasant Canal, and blackfish season will be closed starting Thursday.

The boat was splashed, and Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> hopes to begin fishing this weekend for the season, he said. But forecasts are calling for a blow the rest of the week, after today. Pete’s waiting for the migration of striped bass to pile into the ocean, and that should happen soon. Striper fishing was good in Raritan Bay, and a striper caught in the ocean, among bunker schooling, was sporadically heard about. Pete also looks forward to fishing for sea bass and fluke, after the seasons for them are opened.  Dates remain for charters. 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 last-minute, individual spaces available to fill in charters. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page.

News from the whole trip wasn’t yet available, a report on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>’s website said. But by noon on Friday’s trip, some keeper striped bass and a couple of throwbacks were decked.  On Saturday’s trip, striper fishing was “slower than it has been,” it said. A keeper and some throwbacks were pitched aboard. Striper fishing was better on Sunday’s trip, but not good enough, it said. A couple of keepers and a dozen shorts were winged. The fish were hooked on swim shads and clams lately, and the Golden Eagle is fishing for striped bass at 7:30 a.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

Winter flounder mostly held in Manasquan River, but some still swam Barnegat Bay toward Bay Head and Mantoloking Bridge, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. If anglers really wanted to put together a catch, they fished the river from Route 70 Bridge to Treasure Island. The fishing was good, giving up sizeable flounder, and enough flounder to keep anglers interested. Chumming heavily was key, as always. A few small striped bass bit in the river and Point Pleasant Canal. Anglers cast soft-plastic lures to them, or sometimes small plugs, at the canal. Surf fishing for stripers was picky, but caught a few on clams, sometimes on soft-plastics or small lures, and also on teasers. Raritan Bay was the place to be for stripers. Lots of stripers, including 30- to 50-pounders, were whaled there in early mornings and through nighttime on chunked and live bunker. One angler livelined a 53-pounder on bunker. Stripers were also clammed and trolled on the bay. Lures like Stretch 25’s and Bombers were trolled, and so were umbrella rigs. Closer to the shop, a shot of bluefish showed up in Barnegat Bay a week ago, then seemed to disappear. The arrival of blues was about two weeks late now. On the ocean, bottom-fishing was a little picky, but seemed like if boaters fished the right spot at the right time, they scored blackfish or cod well. One boat trip landed a good catch of blackfish to 11 pounds. Ling fishing seemed slower for bottom-fishers, because of cold waters. The Reel Seat began stocking freshwater bait and tackle for trout and panfish, and trout fishing was good at Spring Lake. Sometimes 5- to 7-pound trout came from there, and small Gulp minnows seemed to fish well there. Manasquan River’s trouting started to improve, and fishing for crappies and largemouth bass picked up at different ponds and lakes.  Catch the store’s free seminars with Joe Shute this Saturday. He’ll give the seminars three times at 9: 30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. 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 surf-fishing bag for third. Entry is $10, required by June 5.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Capt. Ray from <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> was pretty happy with the season’s first trips aboard, shaking down the boat, and catching fish, he said. The ocean was ridiculously cold, in the high 40 degrees. Options for a trip Saturday, with Bob Kondracki’s group from Gallin Contracting, were to fish for cod on the ocean or run north for striped bass on Raritan Bay. They decided to try for the first stripers aboard this season, scoring a steady pick of throwbacks and keepers to 36 inches, on the back of the bay. First they clammed the fish during the middle of outgoing tide. When the tide slowed, so did the fishing, so the trip began to troll bottom contours. That gave up another steady pick, topping off a limit for the trip. The fish bit the clams softly, and sometimes could barely be felt. They bit slower on Saturday, and very well on Thursday and Friday, for the fleet. Only one of Mushin’s stripers had anything in its stomach: a couple of bunker. A few of the bass trolled were hardly bigger than the plugs fished. Smaller stripers seemed more aggressive than larger ones that seemed “lazy.” But lots of stripers swam the bay, and the fishing should last a while. After stripers spawn in rivers, they’ll pour into the ocean, foraging on bunker. Book trips now to fish for them there in May and early June. Mushin also cleaned up on cod, good catches, on recent trips, covered in previous reports. Trips for cod and ling will continue, and trips will fish for sea bass, when more sea bass migrate inshore, and sea bass season is opened on May 19. Shark and tuna trips are starting to book up for June and July, and call for choice dates for charters and make-up trips. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness.  

Angling for blackfish resumed Friday on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, after winds kept trips docked the previous days, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. “Better life today!” he said. The anglers picked sizeable blackfish and throwbacks at most spots fished, and Matt wouldn’t call the fishing good, but it was improved, compared with previous trips. The tautog weighed up to 7 pounds. On Saturday’s trip, blackfishing started with a bang! Matt said. That included for one angler, who limited out in the first 20 minutes. But the fishing dropped off through the rest of the trip, giving up “a keeper or two here and there,” Matt said, at the rest of the places fished. Most of the tautog bit green crabs, not clams. Blackfishing was slow on Sunday’s trip, and was best at the first spot fished. Afterward, keepers and some shorts were picked here and there. Two cod were also bagged on the outing. The Norma-K III is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily through Wednesday, the final day of blackfish season. The trips will fish for striped bass starting Thursday.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Lots of throwback, 26-inch striped bass and 10- to 40-pound drum were banked at Graveling Point and Pebble Beach on Saturday, a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s website said. That was the most recent report posted, and small keeper stripers were beached from the area in evenings. Anglers also showed cell-phone photos of weakfish from the area. An angler posted a report about a boat trip that fished off Graveling on Friday. The angler and grandchildren reeled in 12 throwbacks stripers 17 to 21 inches while fishing and chumming with clams. Another angler posted a report about a boat trip on Friday that fished from Graveling to Little Egg Inlet. The trip’s two anglers released two out-of-season summer flounder 14 and 16 inches, and saw seals at the inlet.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The year’s first keeper striped bass was weighed from Brigantine’s surf Saturday at <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>, Capt. Andy wrote in a report on the shop’s website. Jim Rosen bunker-chunked the 31-inch 11-pounder along the island’s south end, tight to the beach. He won the $50 gift certificate to the store for the first, and another one of the certificates is available for the year’s first boated off Brigantine. Another angler sent Andy a photo of a 34-inch striper from Brigantine’s surf on Friday after hours. The angler couldn’t be at the shop the next morning to weigh the fish and win the prize. On Sunday, several anglers complained about snot grass in the surf, and no striper catches were reported. But one angler released a drum he reeled from the surf that day, “another good sign of life out there,” Andy said.  The Riptide Striper Bounty was up to $1,640 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 now. 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>Longport</b>

On the <b>Stray Cat</b>, blackfish started to bite on a trip Friday, and chomped pretty well on a trip Sunday, Capt. Mike said. The fish weighed up to an 11-pounder on Sunday, and the angler with that fish was on his first-ever trip on the ocean that day. The trips fished at Ocean City Reef in 60-foot depths, and were the first to sail after strong winds kept the boat docked last week. The ocean was 48.7 degrees at the reef, and another trip for blackfish was supposed to sail today. Blackfish season will be closed starting Thursday, and open-boat trips are sailing daily when no charter is booked. Open trips fish with even one angler. Once blackfish season closes, the boat will fish for cod, pollock and ling at wrecks 30 miles from shore. These will be extended trips, sailing 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., to reach the wrecks, until sea bass season is opened on May 19. Then trips will sea bass. The ocean really came alive in the last week. A tremendous amount of bait was marked schooling along the coast. Also, book shark trips now, and sharking aboard will probably begin in May, but sharks might already swim the ocean. Bluefin tuna can be around during the shark trips.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Cold waters made fish a little less active than usual in the back bay, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. But that’s temporary, and Chase Kneeland and buddy aboard Saturday yanked in weakfish to 22 inches and summer flounder from the bay. The flounder, out of season, were released, but catch-and-release fishing for them can be good this time of year on the bay. Flounder season will be opened on May 23, and anglers should contact Joe if interested in a trip for the flatfish. Joe fished the bay with his wife Sunday, and they also grabbed weaks to 22 or 23 inches and flounder. He lost a big fish but couldn’t tell whether that was a weak or a flounder.  The trips fished with soft-plastic lures on jigheads, slowly along bottom. Bluefish were yet to show up in the bay, and were late. Joe last year caught his first blue on April 21 from the bay. Bluefish usually show up when the bay reaches the high 50s, and the waters on this weekend’s trips were as warm as 58, but were 51 when the trips began early in the days.  The bay’s fishing is poised to become some of the best fishing of the year any moment. On trips on the bay, all these species and striped bass can be in the mix in late April and in May. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

Capt. Jim from <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b> stopped in Avalon this weekend, and didn’t launch the boat, he said. Fishing seemed a couple of weeks behind, and the ocean was around 45 degrees or cold. But he’ll probably fish in two weekends, and drum might arrive in Delaware Bay by then. He’ll go after them if they do. Jim talked with a couple of anglers this weekend who played small striped bass from the surf along the jetties at Sea Isle City, Avalon and Wildwood, on the morning and evening tides. Some of the fish were only 10 inches, but one of the anglers banked 20 in a trip. They fished bucktail jigs with twister tails. Jim’s guides in Pennsylvania bailed good trout fishing on streams. Fins and Feathers offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including fishing on the ocean and Delaware Bay from Avalon, duck and goose hunting on the bay and in nearby states, the trout fishing on Pennsylvania’s streams like the Yellow Breeches, and salmon and steelhead fishing on upstate New York’s Salmon River, from Jim’s lodge. 

<b>Cape May</b>

Blackfishing aboard the ocean Sunday didn’t limit out, but put together a nice catch, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. The anglers, Tom Ebbecke’s crew from Newfield’s Accrece Nursery, had action the whole time. The fish weighed up to 7 or 8 pounds, and lots of small ones bit. Tom reeled up the 7- or 8-pounder and probably a 5-pounder and a 4-1/2-pounder, was hot hand. A 22-inch cod was also bagged, and out-of-season sea bass, including a couple that were sizeable or 14 or 15 inches, were released. The trip fished 5 miles from shore, and George has been fishing small pieces for blackfish. Weather was windy, but the wind blew with the tide. Seas were a little bumpy and rolled a little, but conditions were plenty fishable. Trips for drum will begin to fish in May on Delaware Bay. A buddy said a few drum were weighed from the bay that were boated. But that was second-hand. Charters for striped bass will be available if enough stripers begin to swim locally. Currently stripers caught were heard about from Delaware River around Salem.

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