This report was posted on a Tuesday, instead of the usual Monday, because of Memorial Day.

The reports are usually posted every Monday and Thursday from spring through fall, and every Monday in winter.

<b>Staten Island</b>

Raritan Bay’s striped bass fishing was awesome Thursday evening with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. The trip limited out on stripers to 25 pounds with no problem, and only a few bluefish bit. A trip Friday evening landed a pick of blues, no stripers, on the bay. A trip on the bay Saturday during daytime caught a small pick of blues, only. More trips are booked aboard for this weekend, and Joe will decide what’s best to target, depending on what bites this week. Sea bass season will be opened starting Wednesday in New Jersey, and Outcast offers fishing from either Staten Island, N.Y., or Sewaren, N.J. Sea bass are an option on this weekend’s trips, and Outcast loves bottom-fishing like that.

<b>Keyport</b>

Fishing for striped bass was no good during the weekend, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. Some trips aboard boated three, and some one. Friday’s trip landed none, and the angling was frustrating for Frank and many captains. But he doesn’t think the fishing’s finished yet. Open-boat trips will fish Thursday and Friday, and space is available. The boat is chartered this weekend. Frank got good reports about fluke catches, on this opening weekend of fluke season. The year’s first open trips for fluke will fish Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6, on the Vitamin Sea. One spot remained for Saturday’s trip, but all six remained for Friday’s. June fished excellent for fluke last year. Fluke charters should be booked now, and some weekends are available, but weekdays are more available. Fluke fishing’s under way, and two of the flatfish weighed 10 pounds, and eight weighed 9, last year on the boat. Come on down “with your best bucktail skills,” he said, “and let’s see if you can put a double-digit fluke on the deck … .” More open trips might fish for stripers or a combo of stripers and fluke in the near future.

Fishing for fluke and sea bass will begin this week with <b>Down Deep Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Mario said. Raritan Bay was loaded with blues, so catching striped bass was difficult. Lot of blues, lot of action, he said. Charters are fishing, and join the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about special open-boat trips. Also see the site’s open-trips page for available dates.

Blues, a good catch of the fish to 7 pounds, were bombed Saturday on Raritan Bay with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Blues probably to 9 or 10 pounds and a striped bass heavier than 30 pounds were tackled Saturday in the Sandy Hook area aboard. The striper was a nice surprise, he said. Both trips fished with bunker chunks, and open-boat trips are available daily this week, when no charter is booked. The trips earlier in the day can fish for stripers or fluke. The trips 3 to 8 p.m. are strictly for blues. Telephone to climb aboard.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A 14-pound fluke was clobbered on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. That was the largest fluke, by far, reported on this site for this opening weekend of fluke season. Tony Piao from Palisades Park heaved the fish aboard on Memorial Day, and fluking was slow aboard, but some sizable were mixed in. A 7-1/2-pounder was bagged on the boat Saturday, and a 5-1/2-pounder was on Monday, the day of the 14-pounder. A 9-pound 9-ounce fluke was released aboard when the boat bluefished in the days before fluke season was opened. The season was opened starting Friday, and the boat began fishing for fluke that day on all trips. All the trips fished Raritan Bay, and the catches depended on conditions. When the boat drifted well, the fish gave up better action. On this morning’s trip, a handful of keepers were bagged, and a few shorts were picked, and the drift was lost a while, he said just as the trip ended, in a phone call, when he gave this report. The season was early for the fishing. But the bay’s temperature reached 60 and 61 degrees along the surface, maybe 62, not cold. The surface was 59 degrees, somewhat cold, on opening day, and the angling was similar, but not bad, that day, considering the temperature. Some trips fished better than others, and that was all about conditions. 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.

Finally, ocean striped bass! Capt. Ron wrote from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. Bunker and big stripers arrived in the ocean, and on Monday’s trip, stripers were located there, rolling on top in bunker, among big bluefish. The blues were difficult to fish through, and Ron’s sure that will change. But the blues and bass gave up catches the whole trip, once the tide changed, on jigs. Trips aboard found stripers in Raritan Bay previously, and the ocean fishing is what anglers waited for, and was somewhat late. On Tuesday’s trip, a 40-inch striper was the first fish caught. The fish was a long male, and bluefish were picked the rest of the trip, a tough bite. Saturday’s trip worked hard to land stripers, and the angling didn’t cooperate much in the previous few days. Blues were caught, when conditions were right. Ron then waited for stripers to reach the area, after spawning in estuaries and back bays. He encouraged anglers to be patient then, like him, because he hoped the fishing would be rewarded. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips are also striper fishing 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Fin-Taz-Tic Sportfishing</b> fluke fished on Sunday, after fluke season was opened Friday, making a good catch, about eight keepers, including an 8-pounder, Capt. Pete said. Probably 40 throwbacks, lots of small fluke, were released, and the trip fished close to shore. That was after one of the anglers became seasick during striped bass fishing on the trip, requesting to move shallow. So the trip fluked in the skinny water. Striper fishing didn’t seem to produce much on other boats during the trip. Many boats were anchored for stripers at Romer Shoal. But most boats fished for fluke. Capt. Tom from Fin-Taz-Tic ran a trip aboard Saturday afternoon that hammered bluefish, no stripers. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and open trips are available Thursday and Friday. A few openings are available during the weekend.

<b>Neptune</b>

Trips bottom-fished Saturday and Sunday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. Striped bass fishing was slow during the weekend, “with the only real action on spoon trolling,” he said. “Weekday trips (are) much better for bunker fishing.” Party boats found bluefish 15 to 20 miles from shore on Saturday, like they did before, and Ralph hopes that fishing lasts. On Saturday morning’s trip with Last Lady, a good catch of cod and ling was cranked in. Only a few fish bit on that afternoon’s bottom trip, slow fishing, for whatever reason. On Sunday’s trip, cod and ling fishing was excellent. Ralph looks forward to the opening of sea bass season starting Wednesday. An individual-reservation trip for sea bass is full that day, but space is available on another on Thursday. The trips will fish every Tuesday in June, starting on June 9, targeting sea bass, until switching to fluke, when fluke begin biting in the ocean. Fifteen will be the sea bass bag limit through June, and two will be the limit in July. An individual-reservation trip will fish for cod on July 7, and book early. Should be a good summer for big cod, he said, and Last Lady is one of the few who fishes for them in summer. Sail for cod in shorts. Charters are available daily.

<b>Belmar</b>

Four striped bass and one bluefish were trolled Wednesday on spoons with <b>XTC Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Scott said. A trip Thursday boxed 10 keeper cod to 30 pounds and a dozen keeper pollock at the reef. On Friday, seven stripers to 35 pounds, and no blues, were nailed on trolled spoons and livelined bunker on a trip. On Sunday, a few cod, not a great catch, were eased aboard, and a trip was supposed to bottom-fish again Monday with XTC, he said before the trip.

Fishing sailed through Friday for striped bass on the ocean with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. The catches were up and down, but began to be good on livelined bunker. Some big were plowed that way on the boat, and a 40-pounder was largest. When the trips could make bait, some big stripers were clocked. The water was full of life, between the stripers, bluefish and bunker. The striper fishing was reportedly difficult during the weekend in strong wind, but began to shape up, until then. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s anyway, about individual spaces available on charters. Jump on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to subscribe to the email blast to be kept informed about the spaces. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page, where it says Join Our Newsletter.

On the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, striped bass, including a 45-pounder and one that weighed more than 40, were plowed on Friday afternoon, a report on the vessel’s website said. Most of the fish weighed 25 to 35 pounds, and fishing for blues to 10 pounds was great that morning aboard. “A very good day,” the report said. A few stripers to 40 pounds were sacked on Saturday’s trip, but boat traffic was heavy. Plenty of stripers were read, but the traffic seemed to keep them from biting. Bluefishing was good from Saturday night’s trip through Sunday’s daytime and nighttime trips. The blues weighed 5 to 15 pounds. Today’s trip took a long time to find fish, but blues to 12 pounds were smashed, once fish were located. The Golden Eagle is fishing at 7:30 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.

A report came in about bluefish caught offshore of Shark River Inlet, so the party boat <b>Miss Belmar<b> was steamed there on Sunday, and fishing was good for 8- to 15-pounders, an email from the vessel said. The fish were moving, but the trip was able to stay with them the whole time. On Monday’s trip, blues 4 to 12 pounds were jigged aboard that busted on top north of the inlet, among super readings. On today’s trip, bluefishing was good at two different areas aboard, and one good-sized striper was landed on the outing. On a night trip Saturday, bluefishing got off to a slow start, but became better and better, east of the inlet. The high hook totaled five blues, and some anglers ended up with one. Bluefishing was tough on the daytime trip Saturday. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for stripers and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Family Fun Days were launched that are fishing 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Friday and Sunday for fluke, sea bass, blues or whatever’s biting, and enjoying a sunset cruise on the way home. One of the trips fished Sunday, catching a handful of fluke, including one keeper, and everybody had a good time, the email said.

<b>Brielle</b>

Anglers picked away at fluke the past three days on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Joe wrote in an email. Lots of shorts and some keepers. Pete Talevi, Trenton, won one of the pools with a 5-pounder. Trips will sail for sea bass on Wednesday, opening day of sea bass season, through Sunday. All are open-boat trips, except a charter is booked on Saturday. Trips will switch to fluke and sea bass starting next Monday.  See the <a href=" http://www.jamaicaii.com/component/option,com_eventcal/Itemid,33/" target="_blank">Jamaica II’s schedule</a> online for hours.

Ocean striped bass fishing was slow on Saturday but fantastic on Friday, Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> said on Sunday morning in a phone call. Boaters fished for the stripers to the north and south, but not far. To the north, they caught off Sea Girt and Spring Lake, and to the south, they connected off Mantoloking. Plenty of bunker schooled, and not much was heard about bluefish hooked on the trips. The stripers were good-sized, and a 49-pounder was the largest that customers decked. Decent fluke fishing was heard about on this opening weekend of fluke season, mostly from Manasquan River. The fish measured up to 20 or 22 inches, and fluke also bit in Manasquan Inlet, even before the season opened. Dave’s customers from Gates at the Inlet Bait & Tackle, a shop he now also runs, caught them. Fewer bluefish hit in the inlet than before. Bluefishing also dropped off in the river, became spotty, but small stripers swam the river. A few weakfish to 5 and 7 pounds, not a lot, were reeled from the river. Ocean fluking didn’t sound so great locally, but sounded better from Asbury Park to the north. Surf fishing was so-so, locally, kind of a dead zone. Occasional blues and stripers were beached, and lots of skates grabbed bait in the surf. Fishing for cod and ling was “sort of picky” on the ocean. Yellowfin tuna and a few bluefin tuna were boated from Toms Canyon to waters south of there. Tilefishing was good at offshore waters like that, and Dave was headed on his first tilefish trip of the season Sunday night. Dave’s a tilefishing expert, and sometimes hosts shared party-boat charters for tilefish trips that anglers can join. The next with openings is on July 7 to 8, and anglers can telephone the shop for details and reservations.  Check out <a href="http://www.fishingreportsnow.com/Product.Reviews.2012/The.Reel.Seat.Custom.Tilefish.Rod.cfm" target="_blank">The Reel Seat’s customer tilefish rod</a>. The Reel Seat starting next weekend will be open 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, extended hours, for the fishing season.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Anglers with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> boated striped bass to 42 pounds on a trip Sunday on livelined bunker and bunker heads, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. The fish schooled north and south of Manasquan Inlet. On many other boats, trolling caught the bass on white bunker spoons the last few evenings, he said that day in the email.

A few keeper fluke and some action with shorts was pasted Friday on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. That was opening day of fluke season, and trips aboard began sailing for them twice daily that day. Action was better than expected, and a few of the summer flounder bit at every place fished. South wind “got the best of us” on Saturday and Sunday aboard, he said. Morning trips on those two days picked at shorts and a few keepers. Not to worry, though, he said, because fluke seemed spread up and down the ocean beach. Water just needed to warm a little. Sea bass season will be opened starting Wednesday, and the boat will keep targeting fluke. But at least sea bass won’t need to be thrown back, when the fluking fishes the rough bottom that sea bass gather along. Bluefishing was good on Friday night’s trip. Took a moment to find the fish, but 8- to 15-pounders were socked. Strong south wind hampered Saturday night’s bluefishing, because the boat had to be anchored. If the vessel could’ve been drifted, the bluefishing probably would’ve been better. Bluefishing was tough on Sunday night’s trip. “Still plenty of bait there to hold them, but they did not want to bite,” he said. The Norma-K III is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily. Trips will begin bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily on Friday.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Fluke fishing was off to a slow start, but some sizable to 4 ½ pounds and larger were boated near the BB and BI markers on Barnegat Bay, John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website. Bluefish were played from the rental boats. Two regular customers returned on one of the boats with 11 blues to 11 ½ pounds from a 4-hour trip on the bay. Blues roamed the mouths of Toms River and Cedar Creek or nearby on the bay. Surf anglers banked blues and stripers on well-presented bait and lures. Kayakers and ocean boaters latched into big stripers on the ocean on bunker snagged and livelined. The boaters also trolled the fish on bunker spoons. Crabbing was slow to begin from the dock, but warmer weather this week could help. 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>

Awesome bluefishing on Memorial Day aboard, a report on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>’s website said. On Sunday’s trip, some blues were swung aboard early in the trip, but not in the afternoon. Saturday’s trip “came up empty,” the boat’s Facebook page said. On Friday’s trip, bluefishing was very good for 2- to 4-pounders, and all anglers caught, and some nearly limited, who worked hard, the page said. These were the year’s first fishing trips aboard. “All in all, it was a pretty successful weekend!” the report on the boat’s website said. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday through Sunday through June 21. Starting June 22, the boat will fish for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

Bluefishing was fair, jigging 2- to 9-pounders, Saturday on the ocean close to shore on the <b>Super Chic</b>, Capt. Ted said. Boaters who fished Friday scored well on the blues, and the angling wasn’t as good Saturday, but the trip jigged some. A few throwback stripers were released, and some stripers were missed. Blues were reportedly boated at the reef, farther from shore, that day. A trip Sunday aboard mainly fished for stripers, bagging one big one, 40 pounds, on livelined bunker, close to shore. Plenty of bunker have been schooling the area. Trips this weekend will fish ocean wrecks aboard, and Ted hopes sea bass bite. Sea bass season will be opened starting Wednesday.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Opening day of summer flounder season on Friday fished best for the fluke, a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s website said. Wind cut into the fishing Saturday and Sunday. But anglers enjoyed the fishing during the opening weekend, and half-a-dozen flounder to 5 pounds were weighed-in. Several were checked-in Friday that were boated from the clam stakes to the Fish Factory. Ten-pound bluefish showed up at the 139 marker on Great Bay on Saturday at noon. Anglers ran into them the last four weekends, and a 19.9-pound blue, from the ocean off Beach Haven, was the biggest blue at the shop this season. Reports still rolled in about big flues from the ocean. Smaller blues 1 to 5 pounds should become more common in the bay any time. Minnows, a favorite flounder bait, became scarce. Two of the shop’s suppliers gave up on trying to catch them the next couple of weeks. Anglers speculated that the baitfish were spawning.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Customers tied into striped bass and bluefish, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. They mostly fish on foot along Absecon Inlet and the surf, and the stripers were good-sized, and the blues were 20 or 22 inches. Both were hooked at places including the T-jetty and the jetty off the Flagship. Summer flounder, nice-sized, were rounded up toward the sea wall at Gardner Basin and Captain Starns on minnows. One Stop runs a second shop at the basin that is opened later in the season. Kingfish and croakers were sometimes bloodwormed along the inlet. All fresh baits are stocked. Catch the special on bucktails at $1.79 for 1/8 ounce, $1.85 for ¼ ounce, $1.89 for 3/8 ounce, $2 for either ½ or 5/8 ounce, $2.20 for 1 ounce, $2.29 for 1 ½ ounce, $2.99 for 2 ounce and $3.49 for 3 ounce. The bucktails come in white, pink-and-white, yellow-and-white, chartreuse-and-white and red-and-white.

<b>Longport</b>

“Man, you should have seen the sea bass,” Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b> said. The fish, double-headers, were caught and released Sunday at the coral bottom in the ocean. “Solid fish,” he said. “Crazy.” Thursday is the only day with openings available for sea bass fishing in the near future aboard. Sea bass season will be opened starting Wednesday, and an open-boat trip will fish for them on Thursday. Charters are booked afterward, and open trips for sea bass will resume next Tuesday. Trips fished for summer flounder Saturday and Sunday on the back bay. But only a few throwbacks were landed, and the water was dirty. Three or four boats were known about that kept catching yellowfin tuna at Wilmington Canyon. If anglers want tuna, Mike’s more than willing to go.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Small summer flounder were pitched aboard and released from the back bay Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Victor from the party boats <b>Miss Ocean City</b> and <b>Captain Robbins</b> said on Sunday in a phone call. He hoped bigger would bite on Monday and today. Trips were fishing for flounder three times a day through today on the Miss Ocean City. Starting Wednesday, opening day of sea bass season, the boat will fish for sea bass 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily on the ocean.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

With <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, Joe Kitty and buddy fought blues to 6 pounds and landed a 5-pound 25-inch summer flounder from the back bay Sunday afternoon, Capt. Joe Hughes said. In the morning, Mike Spaeder and son nailed the blues to 6 pounds, mostly 2- to 4-pounders. The bay looked like chocolate that day, because of wind. On Saturday afternoon, David Wells and buddy beat lots of the blues 2 to 4 pounds and a throwback striped bass. The blues and other fish on these trips were jigged. That morning aboard, on Saturday, the Mike O’Hara family flounder fished on the bay, bagging a 4-pounder and releasing some throwbacks. The biggest flounder, keepers, tended to swim 10-foot depths or deeper in the bay on this opening weekend of flounder season. Looking ahead, inshore shark trips will begin at the end of June. Those are a chance to fight big fish, sharks like duskies and browns, releasing them, without the long trek offshore. The sharks are spin- or fly-rodded, usually within 10 miles from the coast. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Drum trips caught zip on Delaware Bay on Friday and Saturday aboard, but so did drum trips on most other boats on the bay, said Capt. Tom from <b>Erica Leigh Charters</b>. The fishing was great previously, and he assumed the drum now began to spawn. This happens every year. The catches light up a week or two, and suddenly stop, about five days, apparently because of spawning. Then the fishing kicks right back in. Erica Leigh fished off the Villas. The angling was the same, slow, on boats that fished elsewhere. One of the party boats, and a party-boat sized charter vessel, fished another spot. Many boats fished at Cape May Channel. A friend fished at Little Egypt. Drum fishing lasts about five weeks on the bay. By mid-June, the angling’s not worthwhile. Puppy drum can be caught toward the lighthouse rock piles through summer, but that’s not fishing worth targeting, except as an extra on a trip. A few clams might be fished for them on other trips, like for flounder. If anglers telephone for drum fishing, Tom will wait to sail until catches turn back on. But that could be soon. After drum fishing ends, trips aboard will home in on summer flounder and other catches, like weakfish, on the bay. Flounder season was opened starting Friday, but nothing was heard about the angling on the bay. The fleet drum fished. But flounder trips are available currently, if anglers want. Flounder trips are more economical than drum charters, because flounder trips don’t need to sail as far.

<b>Cape May</b>

A couple of drum were boated Friday on Delaware Bay on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. But that was a much slower catch than previously aboard, when trips cleaned up on good catches of drum. A trip aboard Sunday returned to port early, because drum fishing was dead. Maybe the fish were spawning, and the angling should pick back up. Drum could definitely be found, were marked. A few trips landed drum Sunday on other boats. Three were decked on a boat from the docks, biting immediately, when the trip began fishing. Two or three were taken that day on a larger, party-boat-sized charter vessel, after none was bagged on the boat on the previous several trips. On Friday’s trip, with Doug Ahn, on the Heavy Hitter, one of the drum weighed 50 pounds, and the other was small. Summer flounder season was opened starting Friday, and the Heavy Hitter begins flounder fishing later this year, when waters warm. The boat usually fishes for flounder on the ocean, at places like Reef 11 and the Old Grounds.

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