<b>Staten Island</b>

Striped bass fishing was somewhat tougher on Saturday than on Sunday on Raritan Bay with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. That was because of dirty water on Saturday because of last week’s rain, 4 ½ or 5 inches, and that finally cleaned up on Sunday. The fishing on Saturday’s trip was a “medium pick,” he said. The fishing came a few stripers short of limiting out, but bagged the bass to 23 pounds that day. Sunday’s striper fishing was good aboard, limiting out a little early, releasing additional keepers afterward. The bass were also larger that day, and quite a few weighed in the 20 pounds. All the fish were bunker-chunked on the trips, and a few livelined bunker were fished, but on anchor, instead of drifting, with no takers. Joe heard about a couple of bluefish around this season, but couldn’t say for sure, and saw none yet. Trips will keep striper fishing, and trips for sea bass and ling will begin on May 19 from Sewaren, N.J. That’s opening day of New Jersey’s sea bass season, and Outcast offers trips from both the New Jersey port and Staten Island, N.Y., throughout the fishing season.

<b>Keyport</b>

All trips aboard caught striped bass well on Raritan Bay in past days, except on Saturday afternoon, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. Last week’s rains caused dirty outgoing tides, occurring in afternoons in past days. That affected the fishing in afternoons. All methods of fishing – “clamming, bunkering and trolling,” he said – worked excellent now. No bluefish were boated aboard yet this season, but sizeable, out-of-season blackfish – way too many, he said – were hooked when trips clammed, and had to be released. Trips are fishing for stripers every day this week on board. Charters are sailing, and the next open-boat trips with space available will be next week on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

Raritan Bay’s striped bass fishing’s been super on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Mario said. The bass to 30 pounds were smashed, and book space now. A trip on Sunday even crushed them, in winds that howled, keeping boats scarce on the waters. Charters are available for up to 15 passengers, and two open-boat trips are fishing each weekend for stripers. Don’t miss out on an open, marathon sea bass trip 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 19, opening day of sea bass season. 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-trip dates.

The five anglers racked up seven keeper striped bass on Friday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Kevin Koch’s group of six on Saturday limited out on 12 stripers and bagged six more, a total of 18, with bonus tags. Winds screamed to 30 knots on Sunday’s trip with Sue Leonard’s family, but they managed six keepers to 34 inches. All the trips fished on Raritan Bay with clams. No bluefish were seen aboard yet this season, but seems they should arrive soon, when water temperatures rise a little. The bay was 57 degrees on Saturday’s trip, Joe thought. Striper fishing’s been good, and he hopes the fish stick around a while. Open-boat trips are fishing daily when no charter is booked, and telephone to jump aboard.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Both daily striped bass trips fished each day the past few days, except Sunday afternoon’s trip, on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Winds to 25 or 30 knots apparently kept too few anglers from showing up for Sunday afternoon. The fishing was okay on the trips, better sometimes than at others, but catching on every trip. Except Sunday morning’s trip’s striper fishing was terrible, because of strong wind against the tide. A few stripers were landed. Was probably just as well that the afternoon’s trip didn’t sail, because of the weather.  Tom hoped winds would diminish for today’s trips. 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, 5/6:***</b> Striper fishing was no good on both of Monday’s trips, Tom said. The morning was “pretty crummy,” he said, and seas rocked and rolled. Conditions became nice in the afternoon, but the angling was still slow. It was also no good on this morning’s trip, though weather was beautiful. But on this afternoon’s trip, “things turned around,” he said. Anglers picked at shorts and keepers, and some of the keepers were good-sized. A couple of anglers limited out, and the fishing wasn’t great, but a catch was put together. Tom hopes this was the “turn around,” and that the catches continue. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 5/7:***</b> The trip this morning caught some stripers, mostly throwbacks, but a few keepers, Tom said in phone call toward the end of the outing. The angling was no great shakes, and not as good as yesterday afternoon’s, but was better than on the rest of trips the past couple of days. Tom hopes the fishing continues to improve, and all the trip’s bass were clammed. Clams are supplied aboard, and some anglers fished with bunker they brought. 

<b>Highlands</b>

Good striped bass fishing overall this past week, Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> wrote in an email. Last Monday, J.R. Bristow’s party limited out on the bass to 25 pounds on a morning trip, and John Fessock’s crew limited on the fish to 30 pounds in the afternoon. Trips were weathered out Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, John Panizarro’s crew scored seven keeper stripers to 25 pounds, and action with lots of shorts. On Friday morning, Scott Gallion’s party limited out on stripers and released many more, super fishing. In the afternoon, Rick Fant’s gang picked up seven keepers and action with shorts. Saturday’s fishing was tougher because of lots of boats. But Craig White’s party that day iced five sizeable keepers and action with shorts. On Sunday, Bill Seavy’s crew limited out on good-sized stripers to 24 pounds on a morning trip. In the afternoon with the Jeff Sheats group, fishing was very good for stripers to 23 pounds.

Morning striped bass fishing shoveled up limits pretty much every time from Raritan Bay aboard, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. The angling was pretty good, and a trip Sunday morning limited out on the fish to 34 pounds on the boat. Afternoons were somewhat tougher, because of runoff from last week’s rains during the tide then. But afternoon’s still picked away at stripers. Anglers on deck caught on bunker chunks and livelined bunker and on the troll, when trips had to troll. No bluefish showed up on trips yet. Charters are fishing, and open-boat trips are full this week. Anglers can telephone to be kept informed about future open trips.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fishing for striped bass will be kicked off this week with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. “It is time,” he said! Waters reached 50 degrees, and a trip aboard Friday boxed nine cod and two healthy-sized pollock. The anglers had been scheduled to fish for stripers, but the only good striper fishing then was at Raritan Bay, too far north. Trips are booking fast, and individual-reservation trips for stripers are slated for May 18 and 25. Six-hour trips will fish for stripers in afternoons in June.  Individual-reservation trips for fluke and sea bass will fish on June 10, 17 and 24 and on every Tuesday the rest of the season. Kids under 12 sail free on those fluke and sea bass trips, limited to two kids per adult host. 

<b>Belmar</b>

Surf fishing for striped bass was looking up, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Good reports about the angling rolled in about the fish clammed from the beach, sometimes hit on artificials. Most of the bass were throwbacks, but some were keepers. Lots of anglers showed up for the fishing on Saturday, after the blow. Customers figured clams would catch, after the weather, and they were right. Rough seas from weather will toss clams onto the beach, breaking them up, so fish home in on them. Party boats that fished for stripers didn’t fare so well on the ocean. The crew from one reported reading bunker and stripers, but the bass wouldn’t bite. But the trip caught a mix of cod, ling, eels and bergals. Fishing for winter flounder was off, because of dirty, high water from the storm. But the angling should bounce back after a few tides clean that up, and the store’s rental boats are available for flounder fishing on Shark River. Bob would say fishing’s looking up, he said, because stripers and bait have arrived, and waters reached 50 degrees. Get out and give it hell, he said. “Good luck… .” 

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> will probably begin to fish for striped bass on the ocean this week, and see how the angling’s going, Capt. Pete said. That would be the year’s first fishing aboard, and striper fishing was already happening on Raritan Bay. The ocean angling should be on track soon, and charters are being booked.  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.

Trips for striped bass resumed Friday, after the outings were weathered out in previous days, on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s website said. A few stripers, not many, were decked that day, and the ocean warmed from the nor’easter like expected, but somewhat of a swell remained, and waters were dirty. Better weather couldn’t be asked for on Saturday’s trip, but striper fishing was tough, though readings were good. A few stripers were swung aboard Sunday’s trip, but the angling was tough, and so were conditions. Wind blew against current most of the trip, and lines were drawn toward the anchor line, difficult for angling. Good readings were marked. “Hopefully, these bass will get hungry soon,” the report said. “We will see what happens (today).” The Golden Eagle is fishing for striped bass at 7:30 a.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

Winter flounder fishing was winding down for the season, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Last week’s rains hampered the fishing, but a few were currently picked. Eric wasn’t asked where, but in last week’s report, he said most were hooked in Manasquan River, after the angling had been best on Barnegat Bay. The fish migrate to the river from the bay through Point Pleasant Canal, heading toward the ocean for summer. One angler reeled in a couple of sea robins, a summer species, while flounder fishing on the river. Fluke or summer flounder should fill the river soon, in time for the opening of fluke season on May 23. Occasionally a weakfish was reported caught from the river toward the hospital and canal. A few bluefish popped up in the river, and striped bass were picked from the river from near the canal and hospital to under Route 70 Bridge. Surf anglers in past days started to beach stripers, throwbacks and sometimes a keeper. Clams caught them best, but the fish were taken on lures like Bombers or Daiwa SP Minnows and soft-plastics, like a D.O.A. or a 5-inch Fin-S Fish, fished slowly. On the ocean, boaters didn’t bottom-fish so much, since blackfish season was closed on Thursday. Any boaters heard from on the ocean tried for the season’s first striped bass. They occasionally ran into a striper, like one or two picked up in a couple of hours of fishing. The bass were trolled on umbrella rigs with shad. Farther north, Raritan Bay’s striper fishing was good. Dirty waters from last week’s rains sometimes slowed the catches, but the fish remained. Chunks of bunker especially clubbed them, and sometimes livlelined bunker did. Clams also caught them, and so did trolling lures like Stretch 25s or Bomber CD30s. In freshwater, crappie fishing was okay at ponds on small soft-plastics or black and chartreuse tubes or Trout Magnets, and Eric fished for them. A few trout still came from Spring Lake, though dirtied waters from the rains affected the fishing. Gulp minnows nailed the trout especially well, and the fishing will probably last another three or four weeks. The store began stocking bait and tackle for trout and panfish this season. The Reel Seat’s second annual striped bass 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.

A <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamaica-II/63043619202" target="_blank">sneak peak</a> at the new vessel was shown on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>’s Facebook page. A boat was newly purchased to replace the old Jamaica II that was sold recently, and the new boat will probably begin fishing toward the end of May, the page said. That’s in time for the opening of sea bass and fluke seasons. When trips begin, they’ll fish on the same schedule as the Jamaica II did in the past. The new boat will have the same name, a previous post on the Facebook page said.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> was out fishing right now for striped bass, Capt. Alan wrote in an email at 2 p.m. today. The charter, John Fette’s trip, limited out on the fish and released additional stripers, trolling the bass to 28 pounds on bunker spoons, and bunker-chunking them to 25 pounds. Photos were included in the email, and the location of the fishing was difficult to tell from the shots. Mushin previously made the run north for striper fishing on Raritan Bay, covered in a previous report. But the crew then expected to begin striper fishing on the ocean soon. Trips were also fishing for cod. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

The surf tossed up throwback striped bass on clams to anglers willing to put in time, John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website. Throwbacks also chewed in Barnegat Bay along Route 37 Bridge at first light on swimming plugs or jigs. Bluefish should show up in the bay any day. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms and eels were stocked this weekend. All the frozen baits are on hand. The shop is carrying the full selection of Tony Maja trolling products, including reportedly the island’s largest selection of Maja bunker spoons, in every size and color. A full line of Tsunami rods and tackle is now stocked. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, boat and jet ski rentals in season, a café and a dock for fishing and crabbing.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Tilefish trips, open-boat, are supposed to steam offshore overnight this Friday to Saturday and the following Friday to Saturday, May 16 to 17, on the <b>Super Chic</b>, Capt. Ted said. Space is available, and this week’s trip already has enough anglers to sail, but a few spaces remain. Telephone to reserve, and two trips in past weeks were supposed to tilefish, but were weathered out. These will be the year’s first fishing aboard, and all the trips for tiles last year caught well aboard. The next fishing on the boat will be for sea bass, when sea bass season is opened on May 19, and bluefish. The first scheduled bluefish trip is on May 24, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Ted also hopes striped bass show up in the ocean before long, so trips can sail for them. Long Beach Island’s surf anglers began to drag in stripers, including keepers to 15 and 20 pounds, at mid-island. Stripers started to be “on the move.” Just about all were clammed that Ted knew about. A couple of stripers were boated on Barnegat Bay so far this season. Weather is supposed to be sunny this week, so the bay’s temperature should rise a little, probably picking up the bay’s striper catches.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Fish blitzed at Graveling Point around midnight Saturday, a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s website said. One angler weighed-in two keeper stripers from the fishing. A 30-pound drum also came from the bite. On Friday, plenty of short stripers, “too many to count,” the report said, were banked at Graveling. But keepers were also bagged, and two customers weighed-in two stripers 13 pounds and 7 pounds and a 7-pound weakfish from the angling Friday. Bloodworms and clams caught stripers about equally at the point. Bunker reportedly schooled Great Bay, and one customer who mentioned them said his striper that he checked-in spit up a whole bunker once the bass was landed. The annual $100 gift certificate to the store remained available for the shore angler who weighs-in the year’s first bluefish from Graveling or nearby Pebble Beach, both shore-angling spots toward the confluence of the bay and Mullica River. Crabbers started to say they trapped the first blueclaws of the season. 

<b>Brigantine</b>

Weather was great, almost too great, for surf fishing, a report said at 8 a.m. Sunday on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s website. The sun shined, and winds blew lightly from the west. That was the most recent report at press time, and the angling was slow on Saturday, it said. Plenty of anglers fished in a surf-angling tournament that day, and only beached three blowfish. Another angler heaved a puppy drum from the south end’s surf that day, and a couple of other reports were heard about small stripers, very small, claimed from the shore that day. But anglers complained about weeds in the water. 

<b>Longport</b>

Sea bass open-boat trips and charters will be launched on May 19 on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, and sea bass already carpeted ocean wrecks, Capt. Mike said. Fishing aboard Friday and Saturday couldn’t escape them, at three pieces 10 miles from shore. The sea bass were large and numerous, and some were even foul-hooked with another on the line. Waters were 52 degrees and gin clear. Winds blew lightly, seas were calm and a strong current flowed, from the north. May 19 is opening day of sea bass season, and open trips will sail for the lumpheads that day and on the next day, May 20, and on May 22.  The trips will sail 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., longer than usual, to reach the biggest sea bass in deep waters. Telephone to reserve. After summer flounder season is opened on May 23, open, combo trips for the fluke and sea bass will fish on May 25 and 26. Currently, open trips are available daily for cod, pollock and ling, when no charter is booked, and the Stray Cat’s open trips sail even with one angler. Shark charters are available any time now, and sharks could be out there. Someone on the radio talked about a 200-pound bluefin tuna boated at Baltimore Canyon this weekend. That was a good sign that big game could be moving in.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Surf anglers started to crank-in better catches of striped bass, including larger fish, <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>’s <a href=" http://seaislebaitandtackle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> said.  One angler, who’s been fishing hard, stopped by with a 17-1/2-pound 35-1/2-inch striper from the surf at Townsend’s Inlet.  Another showed up with a 30-incher from the beach, saying he saw others catch, too. That angler caught on clam. Stripers are making the run north, and it’s time to fish, the blog said.

Calm weather was all that was needed for typical fabulous fishing on the back bay in spring, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. That weather came on Saturday, and two anglers aboard, Bonnie and Mark, whaled summer flounder to 7 pounds and weakfish to maybe 8 pounds on the bay aboard. A trip back out that afternoon with two other anglers aboard plowed the sizeable flounder and weaks again on the bay. Joe fished the bay a short time Sunday with his wife, pounding both fish again. All the trips fished with soft-plastic lures, and the flounder were released. Flounder season will be opened on May 23, and some dates still remain for weekend charters in May. Mid-week, after-work trips are also available, and that can be a great time to fish. Joe caught no bluefish yet from the bay this season, and heard about one or two. Surf anglers started landing striped bass locally. 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 for drum and sea bass is impending on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Drum might start to be boated on Delaware Bay in a week, and shore anglers eased in a few small ones. George’s charters fish for them in May. Sea bass season will be opened on May 19, and sea bass already started to be released on the ocean, when trips blackfished, before blackfish season was closed on Thursday. George’s blackfish trips let go a few sea bass at wrecks close to shore, in 40-foot depths. The trips hooked the blackfish best on clams, not crabs, there. But other boaters who fished a little farther from shore, at reefs, had to fish crabs for blackfish to avoid sea bass on clams. Shark fishing on the ocean is also coming up on the Heavy Hitter this month and next. The only striped bass heard about were banked from shore on Delaware River at Salem. Not a lot were heard about, but some were caught. Maybe the fish migrated farther upstream for spawning by now.

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