<b>Staten Island</b>

Anglers picked away at striped bass on Raritan Bay on Saturday with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, but the angling was slow, not great, Capt. Joe said. Big bluefish were also fought, and on Sunday, a good shot of striped bass was nailed early in the morning aboard the bay. The bass were good-sized, in the 20-pound class, and the anglers picked away at them the rest of the outing. The fishing was good, and lots of big blues were also tackled. Both trips fished with bunker chunks, and the season’s first trip for sea bass and ling is slated aboard this week, sailing from Sewaren, N.J., taking advantage of New Jersey’s opening of sea bass season last week. Outcast always offers trips from either Sewaren or Staten Island, N.Y.

<b>Keyport</b>

Bluefish were pounded on an open-boat trip Thursday on Raritan Bay with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. On Saturday on the bay, Hector Carraballo’s charter caught striped bass to 35 inches, “a small pick,” Joe said. Then the anglers fluke fished a short time on the bay, landing the summer flounder to 18 ½ inches. A charter Sunday on the bay rounded up blues and fluke to a 22-1/2-inch fluke. Any stripers targeted aboard were fished for with clams, and the blues, up to 10 pounds, also bit the clams on the trips. On the first trip that fished for fluke, bait was fished. On the second, bait, provided aboard, and bucktails the anglers brought were dunked. Open-boat trips are available daily when no charter is booked, and telephone to jump aboard.

Fishing for striped bass was okay, but lots of big bluefish had to be picked through, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep</b>. That was between Raritan Bay and the ocean, after the boat fished for stripers farther back in the bay previously this season. On the ocean, sea bass and ling fishing was good aboard. Charters are sailing, and open-boat trips include marathon ones for sea bass. Open trips are also running for stripers and fluke. 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 for open-trip dates.

Up and down striped bass fishing, pretty much, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. Bluefish swarmed everywhere, “and the two don’t mix well,” he said. But many of the stripers were in the 20-pound class. Ninety-percent were females loaded with eggs, and open-boat fluke trips will begin next week, so telephone to climb aboard. Fluking was decent since fluke season was opened Friday. A number of larger fluke were clubbed, and many throwbacks bit. Charters are fishing, and one space is available for an open-boat striper trip Thursday. Like the Vitamin Sea’s Facebook page for real-time reports and open-trip dates. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke fishing, since fluke season was opened Friday, was like expected on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Mostly throwbacks and a few keepers were reeled in, and trips fished all over Raritan Bay, and catches were about the same at every place. The boat also tried the ocean, and the fluking was about the same. An 8-1/2-pound fluke and a 5-pounder were bagged on the first trip for fluke aboard on Friday, covered in the last report. When Tom gave this report at 9:30 a.m. on Memorial Day in a phone call on the boat, one keeper was bagged on the first drift, and two were on the second drift, and throwbacks were let go. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 5/27:***</b> Fluking somewhat improved today aboard, Tom said. The morning trip’s catch was probably one of the better ones this season, and the afternoon’s wasn’t as good, but was better than the weekend’s. The fishing’s been hit or miss, but today brought some of the better angling. The fluke were colder to the touch this afternoon, maybe a reason the fishing was better in the morning. The size of fluke was no great shakes, but some were sizeable. Action with throwbacks was better this morning than this afternoon and the past couple of days. Forecasts are calling for rougher weather Wednesday in northeast winds. But that’s supposed to pass quickly, and Tom hopes the weather will settle by Thursday.

<b>Highlands</b>

Steady fishing for good-sized striped bass through the past week, Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> wrote in an email. Last week on Monday, J.R. Bristow’s crew scored good angling for the bass to 25 pounds in the morning, and John Fessock’s party drilled the same type of fishing, and fought lots of blues, in the afternoon. On Tuesday, Craig Vanderhorden’s gang in the morning plowed very good fishing for stripers to 23 pounds and all the blues they could want. Carl Beck’s party in the afternoon fought mostly blues. On Wednesday, fishing got back on the bass, good fishing for them to 26 pounds, with John Hyland’s party in the morning. In the afternoon, Lawrence Neville’s crew bagged three stripers to 22 pounds, and tackled a mess of blues. On Thursday, striper fishing was great for both Fred Clayton’s gang in the morning and Manaf Saker’s party in the afternoon. Striper fishing on Friday was super for the bass to 25 pounds for anglers from Rowe Electric in the morning. In the afternoon, Eric Schades’ gang picked away at stripers, bagging a couple of sizeable keepers, and beat lots of blues. On Saturday, Ron Koch’s group tied into good fishing for stripers and blues in the morning, and Frank Mills’ crew pummeled stripers to 30 pounds in the afternoon. On Sunday, Rich Beckmann’s party socked good fishing for stripers to 24 pounds and plenty of blues in the afternoon.

<b>Neptune</b>

Boat traffic slowed striped bass fishing Sunday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. If you want stripers, book during the week. But one angler saved the day with two stripers to 22 pounds he nailed on the trip, one on a bunker chunk, the other on a livelined bunker. The trip also bent the rods with a mess of big bluefish to 17 pounds on chunks. On Saturday, cod fishing was very good on Ken Plunto’s charter. Pollock were also swung in, and the cod weighed up to 25 pounds. On Friday, the Perfection Contracting charter from Newton cranked in sea bass, ling and winter flounder, a good catch. Out-of-season blackfish were also released. Charters are fishing, and individual-reservation rips for fluke and sea bass will sail every Tuesday starting June 10. Kids 12 and under will sail free on those trips, limited to two per adult host.

<b>Belmar</b>

Sailing from Belmar, Fred Heydorn boated a 55-pound 8-ounce striped bass, and Ron “Big Bass” Fay decked a 41-pounder, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. “Short report … big fish on the move,” he said.

Striped bass fishing was good on the ocean in past days, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. The fishing was better on some days than others, but the fish 25 to 35 pounds, sometimes bigger, were bagged. They were trolled at mid-day, and livelined on bunker in mornings and afternoons. A trip aboard Sunday evening was just starting to hook sizeable stripers, when Pete gave this report in a phone call aboard the outing. The angling was a little tough that morning. A trip aboard fluke fished on Friday, opening day of fluke season, on the ocean. But the angling was no good, giving up a keeper and a couple of shorts, and the waters seemed chilly for the flatfish. Ocean fluking didn’t seem spectacular. 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.

For anglers on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, fishing was excellent throughout this Memorial Day weekend, an email from the vessel said. Trips fished the ocean to the north, bailing 5 to 12-pound blues on Ava 27 and 47 jigs and Krocodiles. A few striped bass to 25 pounds were bagged, and plenty of bunker schooled to attract the bass. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for striped bass and bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Anglers aboard picked 4- to 10-pound bluefish Friday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s website said. But sometimes flurries of the fish popped up, and more than a pick were caught. Striped bass were seen, but livelining bunker was the way to hook them, and the holiday weekend boat traffic made livelining difficult aboard. Run Off hammered jigs and Krocodiles were fished, but the crew planned to liveline today, the day after Memorial Day, and fish for both stripers and blues. On Saturday aboard, bluefishing was good, and the fish were larger, from 8 to 14 pounds, than on the previous few days. A 16-pounder won the pool, and the Run Offs and Krocs caught, but so did popper lures. Bluefishing was decent on Sunday aboard, on Run Offs and Krocs. The blues swam the water surface early in the day, and fishing was chaos. Twenty to 40 blues were fought at a time. Afterward, the fish were picked on each drift, sometimes six to eight at once, other times a couple at once. The Golden Eagle is fishing at 7:30 a.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

Manasquan River’s fluke fishing was good, since fluke season was opened Friday, Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> said. A 10-pounder and a 7-pounder were bagged, and so were 4- and 5-pounders. Lots of throwbacks bit, and a bunch of bluefish swarmed the river. On the ocean, fishing for striped bass to 40 pounds was very good. Boaters trolled the fish, sometimes livelined them on bunker, and sometimes plugged them on large lures. The bass popped up at any given place. On one day, they were drilled off Barnegat, Manasquan and Shark River inlets, all at once.  Bluefish, pretty large, were also fought on the ocean. Surf anglers ran into large stripers on pencil poppers, mostly in northern Monmouth County, say from Asbury Park to Monmouth Beach. Blues also hit, especially at Monmouth Beach. Sea bass fishing was kind of hit or miss for boaters, since sea bass season was opened last week. Some wrecks held a bunch, and some didn’t, and ling fishing was so-so. Farther from shore, sometimes boaters sailed south and decked yellowfin tuna at Wilmington and Baltimore canyons.  Dave, a tilefisher, will give the next free seminar at the store, at 7 p.m. Thursday, on tilefishing. He sometimes hosts party-boat tilefish trips, and his first two this season are sold out, and the next one with openings is in August. Check out the Reel Seat’s custom tilefish rod.  Greg Thumel, owner of GT Lures, maker of marlin and tuna lures, gave the last seminar last Thursday, on the lost art of trolling artificials at the canyons. The store’s second annual striped bass surf-fishing tournament will be held June 6 to 8, and will be catch-and-release, 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>

On the ocean, fishing for striped bass, big ones, bluefish and sea bass was kicking into full gear, Capt. Alan from <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> wrote in an email. Great catches were made, and Manasquan River’s fishing for fluke and blues, on Mushin’s smaller boat, was off to a good start. Fluke season was opened Friday. Tuna started to be reported caught at southern canyons, as warm, Gulf Stream waters began to flow into the area. That’s got Mushin’s crew charged for the offshore season. Good dates remain for inshore and offshore charters, and grab them while they do. See <a href=" http://reports.mushinsportfishing.com/
" target="_blank">Mushin’s canyon individual-reservation trips schedule</a> online for June to August. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness. The crew pride themselves on sharing the concept on outdoor adventures.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Weather was great, and fish cooperated during the Memorial Day weekend, John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website. Bluefish small to large and striped bass roamed the surf. Boaters ran into most of the big stripers on the ocean, including a 47-1/2-pounder that was weighed-in Sunday. But stripers were bagged from the beach, and a few fluke began to show up in the surf. From the dock on Barnegat Bay, a few bluefish were axed, and crabbing was yet to start, really, but is expected to pick up any day. A few keeper crabs were taken from lagoons in overnight traps. Fresh bunker and clams and all the frozen baits were stocked. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, boat and jet ski rentals, a café and a dock for fishing and crabbing.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

No bluefish turned up farther from shore Saturday for the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, the vessel’s Facebook page said. Lots of bait schooled there, but some blues were jigged aboard when the boat was returned closer to the beach. That was the season’s first trip on the boat, and no further news was posted on the Facebook page at press time. But the boat was supposed to sail for blues throughout the Memorial Day weekend.  The boat bluefishes the entire fishing season, and trips will next bluefish this Saturday and Sunday and the following Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8. Daily bluefish trips will start on Saturday, June 14.

The year’s first bluefishing sailed Saturday to Barnegat Ridge on the <b>Super Chic</b>, Capt. Ted said. The boat always begins bluefishing on Memorial Day weekend, but not a lot of blues were around on the trip. The ocean at the ridge was cold, only 57 to 58 degrees. Bait schooled the waters, though. A trip that afternoon wreck-fished, since sea bass season was opened last week. The anglers put a catch together, but sea bassing wasn’t as good as Ted expected, probably because the ocean was a little cold for the fish. Results were similar on a wreck trip Sunday aboard. Another sea bass trip was supposed to sail on Monday on the boat, after Ted gave this report. Striped bass fishing was good on the ocean for local boaters. The fish were trolled or livelined on bunker snagged for bait. More was heard about the fish trolled, because more people trolled. Ted knew no local charters that fished for fluke yet, since fluke season was opened Friday. But private boaters talked about bagging a few of the summer flounder on Barnegat Bay.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Such a great turnout probably never showed up before on opening day of summer flounder season at <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>, a report on the store’s website said. Friday was the opener, and so many of the fluke were weighed-in. The fish weighed 3 to 8.8 pounds, “and lots in the middle,” it said. Flounder were boated at the clam stakes, along the Intracoastal Waterway and off Graveling Point on both tides. Bluefish ran around Great Bay, and some flounder anglers caught them, and some didn’t. Two striped bass 32 and 38 pounds were checked-in Thursday, “caught right around here by (Little Egg Inlet),” it said. Sea bass fishing was good on the ocean, if boaters fished deep, in 80 to 100 feet.

<b>Brigantine</b>

What a great weekend! a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s website said. Striped bass, blues, and drum were eased from the surf. So was a 7-pound 27-inch weakfish. Catches included a great bite on drum, blues and stripers Friday night from the shore on the island’s north end. Bill Kephart weighed-in a 36-pound 45-1/2-inch striper from the north end, the report said on Saturday. One angler’s gang dragged-in two drum to 25 pounds. Business hopped at the shop the last two weeks.

<b>Longport</b>

Was a great week of wreck-fishing on the ocean on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike wrote in an email. Mostly ling and sea bass were bucketed, and trips included one with Rob Barret, retired from Dolfin Dock in Somers Point. “(Rob) gave a good show of his fishing ability,” Mike said. “Nice to see him on the boat.”  On another trip, Rob Wiggens and crew from Comcast had a fantastic day, Mike said. They clubbed plenty of 2-pound sea bass and 2-pound ling. Trips still latched into out-of-season blackfish, releasing them, at wrecks 20 miles from the coast. The tautog weighed up to 5 pounds, and a few crabs were potted at the trap at the dock, if anglers wanted to catch and release the slipperies. A few more open-boat trips are on the books, until only charters will sail soon, in the thick of the fishing season. “If you’re looking to catch some nice fish, give us a call,” Mike said.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Sea bass fishing was great, piling up lots, on the ocean on the party boat <b>Captain Robbins</b>, Capt. Victor said. Anglers averaged 10 keepers apiece, and sometimes limited out. Lots of different catches bit on trips, including conger eels. A good catch of ling was iced on Sunday aboard. Tom Pitts from Williamstown won the pool with a 20-inch sea bass that day. Tyrone Banks from Delaware boxed a good catch of sea bass to 19 inches on Saturday’s trip. The Captain Robbins is fishing for sea bass 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily starting Friday. The <b>Miss Ocean City</b>, the company’s other party boat, will fish for summer flounder on the back bay, probably starting in June sometime. Keep up with the latest: Like the <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/captrobbinsfishing" target="_blank">Captain Robbins on Facebook</a>.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Eleven keeper summer founder, including two 5-pounders, and more than 20 throwbacks were totaled on the back bay Sunday with Mike Spaeder and son aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. John Mattucci and son aboard Saturday reeled in six keeper flounder and a ton of throwbacks on the bay. Joe on Friday, opening day of flounder season, and his dad landed the flatfish to 23 inches, losing count of how many, on the bay. A bunch were throwbacks, and the flounder fishing’s been good. The bay was 62 degrees and the same temperature everywhere. The angling was unusual, because the fish were scattered in pockets, including around inlets. They normally aren’t bunched up like that, and found toward inlets, this time of year. The fishing took some work to catch, but Joe had the knowhow, and was pleased with catches. The trips fished a rig with a chartreuse and white bucktail on bottom with a Gulp on the hook, and a minnow on a plain, red hook on a 36-inch leader tied above. Flounder bit both, but the bucktail usually hooked the bigger ones. A few bluefish were hooked by chance, and Joe wasn’t targeting them, but blues seemed less abundant in the bay in boat traffic during the Memorial Day weekend. He imagines the population will flare back up after the traffic leaves, and his trips previously had fun fighting lots of the blues, on soft-plastic lures on lead jigheads. Inshore shark fishing will begin aboard in mid to late June on the ocean. Sharks including blacktips, browns and duskies are fought and released on spinning and fly rods. The trips are chance to fight big fish without the long trek offshore. Joe had been watching offshore waters on satellite charts that probably held tuna. Second-hand reports now said tuna fishing was good for yellowfins and bigeyes at Poorman’s Canyon. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

Though conditions weren’t great, summer flounder were boated from the Intracoastal Waterway on Sunday with <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, Capt. Jim said. The fish to 23 inches were tugged in, despite somewhat windy weather, rough seas, and wind against tide, hampering the boat’s drift. “Flounder season has started, for sure,” he said. The flatfish bit mostly Gulps, mostly yellow, and Gulps and minnows were fished. Fins and Feathers is also fishing for drum on Delaware Bay, and offers a variety of outdoor adventures. That includes hunting for ducks and geese during the waterfowl seasons. Anglers can even enjoy a combo of duck hunting and striper fishing on Delaware Bay in fall. Saltwater fishing this summer can include everything from flounder fishing on the ocean to trips for tuna inshore. Fins and Feathers also freshwater fishes for trout on Pennsylvania’s streams like the Yellow Breeches, and for salmon and steelheads on upstate New York’s Salmon River from Jim’s lodge. The salmon fishing will happen in late summer and fall, when the fish migrate to the river from Lake Ontario to spawn.

<b>Cape May</b>

Delaware Bay’s drum fishing was good, said Capt. Frank from <b>Melanie Anne Sport Fishing Charters</b>. The fish in past days bit in the middle of the bay, in shallower waters during daytime, and deeper at night. One trip aboard tried summer flounder fishing, since flounder season was opened Friday. But no flounder seemed around in the ocean and Delaware Bay. Nobody seemed to catch the flatfish in the ocean, and the trip sailed all the way to reefs on the Delaware side of the bay, near the mouth. None of the fluke bit there either, but clams were aboard, in case that happened, and the trip switched to drum fishing on the bay. Two drum were eased in. Another trip that afternoon fished for the bay’s drum, heaving in two.  The bay was becoming warmer, reaching 65 degrees at some spots on the Delaware side. Some of the other boaters who flounder fished on the ocean switched to sharking, after flounder failed to bite. The sharking was okay, and one of the trips landed a mako.

Seven drum were hauled from Delaware Bay on Friday night on Kevin Aro’s charter on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Howard Bly’s charter on Saturday night boxed six drum from the bay. Drum were yet to bite on another charter Sunday night, when George gave this report aboard the outing in a telephone call. So the angling was slow on the trip so far, and George hoped the fish would turn on still. No drum were hooked on Bly’s charter until late in the trip. Drum were scattered in the bay in past days. One boat might catch them, and another might not. The fish were good-sized, about 50 pounds, and bigger ones could show up. In other news, a couple of charters that sea bass fished were heard about on other boats. The crews said the angling was mediocre. Nobody was heard from who fished for summer flounder yet, when George gave this report. But flounder season was opened Friday.

Back to Top