<b>Keyport</b>

Plenty of striped bass to 35 pounds bit in Raritan Bay this week on morning and afternoon trips on the <b>Down Deep</b>, and the fishing was super, Capt. Mario said. Bluefish also showed up, and the trips fished with bunker chunks. 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-trip page.

Trips are limiting out on striped bass and releasing additional, every day, on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email at mid-day today aboard. “Heading in now,” he  wrote. “We turn and burn again this afternoon.” Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!

Two spaces are available for an open-boat trip for striped bass Friday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. Openings are also available on Sunday, and open trips are available daily when no charter is booked. Telephone to jump aboard. Charters were booked today and Saturday, and the boat is clamming for the bass on Raritan Bay. The angling remained good, and big bluefish also schooled the water. They gave up some fight, if anglers are interested in a trip for them. A buddy fought them not far from the marina Wednesday.  <b>***Update, Thursday, 5/7:***</b> The trip today, with six anglers from Veterans of Foreign Wars, nailed five keeper stripers to 36 inches, many throwbacks and four blues to 8 pounds, Joe said. They fished Raritan Bay with clams, and good striper fishing held up. Weather became warm on the trip, and Joe hoped recent warmth wouldn’t cause stripers to depart soon. But now was the perfect time for the angling. Bluefish also schooled all over the water.

Shore anglers plowed big bluefish, lots, on Raritan Bay, said Joey from <b>Joey’s Bait Shack</b>. The 10- and 12-pounders jumped on bunker chunks, lures and “anything shiny,” he said. A few 30-pound striped bass were heaved from the shore. Boaters sometimes caught stripers, often on trolled Stretch 25 lures and umbrella rigs. But many blues schooled, Joey said. Fishing was good, and all baits are stocked, including fresh bunker and clams.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Raritan Bay’s boaters caught some striped bass, if they fished the right bait, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Getting past bluefish was the difficulty, but a good thing. Many people liked fighting the big blues. Use bunker to catch them. To try for the bass, clams could be dunked, or the boaters could fish other ways. Surf anglers wormed and clammed stripers on the ocean. The bay’s surf casters sometimes hooked a striper, but mostly fought blues. That angling was good. Little was heard about bottom-fishing on the ocean. All baits are stocked.

Excellent fishing, finally! Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> wrote about Tuesday’s striped bass trip aboard. The fishing was slow on the last of incoming tide in the morning. The trip took a ride to search, and on outgoing tide, “bunker that were way up in the back bays decided to come out,” he said. Customers pulled in stripers and blues like the old days, for 3 ½ hours. The fish hit everything cast: clams, bunker, top-water lures and jigs. The stripers weighed up to 20 pounds, and one was lost at the boat that would’ve topped 30, surely. Ron couldn’t wait for Wednesday’s trip. But the trip’s fishing was slow. Hero to zero, he said. “Found bluefish and a short bass for the pool,” after the trip covered many miles. He’d give it hell as usual today, he said. 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.

The striped bass trips aboard sailed every day on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. They worked Raritan Bay, and the angling wasn’t as good as he’d like. A few stripers and bluefish were swung in, and the angling was hit and miss, not consistent. There was no pattern, like sometimes anglers asked which tide fished better. But no tide did, and the angling seemed luck of the draw. Sometimes the fishing got lucky, and keeper stripers, throwbacks and blues were hit. Some trips would catch, and some wouldn’t. The fish were read, “but you don’t catch what’s read,” he said. But all the trips got out, and come down for a shot at the fish. We’re sticking with it, he said. 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>Highlands</b>

A trip sailed for striped bass Wednesday, and the fish swam everywhere, Capt. Pete from <b>Fin-Taz-Tic Sportfishing</b> said. Sailing on another boat, while Fin-Taz-Tic’s boat was undergoing maintenance, the trip limited out by 10:30 a.m. The stripers weighed up to 37 pounds, and the fish not only bit in Raritan Bay, like before, but now hit off Sandy Hook on the “outside,” too. The stripers were clammed, caught on livelined bunker and trolled on Mojos. Blues, as many as anglers wanted, were also around. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and a couple of openings are available this weekend. But weekends are beginning to fill. 

From <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Paul and Maddy Hess on the Boudicca limited out on striped bass to 27 pounds at Reach Channel on clams, Marion wrote in an email. On a trip aboard afterward with his brother Joe Hess from Virginia, the three clammed three stripers 26 to 32 inches at the Reach. Ian Schnell and Patrick Toner on a trip trolled stripers to 25 pounds. Also while trolling, John Cuozzo and Steve Valonoti on the Elsea Nora limited out on stripers at Old Orchard and the West Bank on Stretch lures. Stephen and Rich Scherer while trolling limited out on stripers to 25 pounds at Flynn’s Knoll. Twin Lights, conveniently located on Shrewsbury River near Raritan Bay and the ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boat slips and dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined bait and tackle shop and ship’s store. Bait stocked includes live bunker when in demand. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. 

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> will look for striped bass on the ocean Saturday, Capt. Ralph said. But if none appear, or the season’s too early, the trip will sail for whatever can be caught, like stripers in Raritan Bay or cod on the ocean. A trip aboard last weekend picked away at stripers in the bay, covered in the last report here. Space is available for an individual-reservation trip for sea bass on May 28, and another is full on May 27, opening day of sea bass season. Last Lady will sail for sea bass as much as possible in June, because 15 will be the bag limit from opening day through June 30. Two will be the limit in July. Then the season will be closed until reopening October 22, with a 15-fish limit, through the end of the year.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Saturday, 5/9:***</b> Bluefish dominated for both shore anglers and boaters, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. The surf casters caught striped bass, throwbacks with some keepers. Party boats caught some stripers, no big numbers, and blues “kept their anglers happy,” he said. One of the Belmar boats still caught cod, good numbers, “to the joy of their people,” he said. A healthy population of out-of-season fluke, throwback-sized to 23-inchers, filled Shark River. Fluke season will be opened starting May 22. “The reports are good from the rivers and bay to our north, with bunker chunks the best bait,” he said. Bunker could be bought at local tackle shops or snagged for bait.  “With the tight regulations on many fish … you have to release (more than) in the past,” he said. Handle the fish gently. “They are our future,” he said. <b>***Update, Sunday, 5/10:***</b> From an edited email from Bob at 12 noon today: “Big blues just hit Shark River Inlet. Also some small bass. One angler just came in -- he had six short bass and big blues.”

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> will begin fishing this weekend, Capt. Pete said. The boat will be splashed Friday, and the crew spent extra time preparing the vessel this season. Fishing aboard will be completely under way, beginning Saturday.  Two charters are booked that day, and Pete thinks ocean striped bass fishing will really bust open in the next two weeks. Anglers who boated the ocean read the fish, but the stripers refused to bite. With warmer weather now, and the recent full moon, the angling should be near. Winds like Wednesday’s northeast have been helping. That wind direction warms the ocean near the coast. Wind blew southeast a couple of days, and that cools the water. Bluefishing had erupted on the ocean Saturday and Sunday and slowed Monday, apparently because of southeast wind. But the water’s generally been warming. Pete’s excited to begin striper fishing. Trips on the ocean often liveline bunker for the bass, if bunker are schooling. If not, trips jig or troll, doing whatever’s necessary. But livelining is a favorite. Stripers bit in Raritan Bay, and the angling was hit and miss, according to anglers spoken with. The fishing seemed excellent one day, not on another. 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.  <b>***Update, Saturday, 5/9:***</b> Two spaces became available on a charter this afternoon for stripers and blues. Call to join. Spots are available for morning trips like this on May 21 and 25.

Some of the season’s first trips will fish for striped bass on the ocean on the <b>Katie H</b>, Capt. Mike said. Nothing was heard about the fish caught yet, but the migration could pour in soon. The crew prefers to liveline bunker for the bass. But trips will troll or fish however’s necessary. Stripers were boated in Raritan Bay, and sounded like bluefish now invaded that water. Friends said getting past the blues to catch stripers was difficult. Sea bass trips will be some of the next aboard, once sea bass season is opened beginning May 27. June is shark-fishing month aboard, and that’s coming up quickly. Sometimes bluefin tuna, the season’s first tuna, show up during the sharking. The Katie H is big on tuna fishing, and the angling can begin at different times each year. But June and July are usually the months. Fishing for yellowfin tuna farther from shore, at the canyons, usually begins in July or August. The 46-foot Katie H features speed, comfort and all the amenities.

Customers picked away at bluefish to 12 pounds Wednesday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the vessel’s website. Many were seen, “but they didn’t bite (as well) as we saw them,” it said. But on Tuesday’s trip, fishing was super for blues 4 to 12 pounds. Striped bass crashed bunker schools next to the boat an hour, but were difficult to catch. Striper fishing should turn on any day, and the boat will target them. Bluefishing slowed on Monday’s trip, catching a few, after it was excellent throughout the weekend aboard. The Golden Eagle is fishing at 7:30 a.m. daily.

Bluefishing was super Tuesday on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> “north of our inlet,” an email from the vessel said. The 6- to 17-pounders were jigged on Ava 27s and 47s and Krocodiles, and chased bunker. “ … a few nice stripers (were) mixed in,” it said, and a 35-pound striper was the pool-winner. On today’s trip, fewer bunker were seen, and some drifts gave up a dozen blues each. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for striped bass and bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 5/8:***</b> The party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> will sail for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday through Monday.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Anglers have been decking bluefish from the ocean on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. The fish were a range of sizes 4 to 12 pounds, caught on jigs. The fishing was like, today’s trip tied into blues in the morning, and at 1 p.m., when he gave this report aboard in a phone call, south wind had begun, chilling the water quickly. That can slow the angling. Not many striped bass were taken aboard in a while, but he hopes striper fishing kicks in soon. The Gambler is fishing for striped bass 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. When fluke season is opened beginning on May 22, the trips will switch to sailing for the flatfish twice daily.

A few keeper cod were copped among shorts Tuesday on the ocean on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. A few pollock were rounded up, and anglers did pick through bergals, but fewer conger eels than previously. The Norma-K III is sailing for cod and ling 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Matt will announce the future schedule in the next days. That will include fluke trips, and fluke season will be opened starting May 22. Nighttime bluefishing aboard will also begin soon.

<b>Toms River</b>

Bluefishing pretty much petered out in the Toms River and nearby Barnegat Bay to the barrier island, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. A few blues were hooked from the river, but most schooled farther south in the bay toward Cedar Creek and Oyster Creek. The fish were migrating out. Striped bass, some shorts and a token keeper, were plugged on the river at 9, 10 or 11 p.m. on poppers and swimmers. Stripers finning but not biting were sometimes seen. A few white perch nibbled in the river. A few winter flounder were boated from the bay near the BB and BI markers. Crabbing was slow, and Dennis trapped three of the blueclaws in his pot, and the bait was almost untouched. Water was chilly for the crabs, and the surface was 62 degrees, but the bottom was probably in the 40s. Still, if another week of warmer weather happens, crabbing will turn right on. From the surf, mostly blues were fought. The population was building up, because the fish were leaving the bay. Surf fishing definitely picked up, and a few throwback stripers were banked. One customer landed two, and another weighed-in a 25-pound keeper. Stripers from the beach were mostly hooked on clam or bunker, not usually on lures, because of cool water. But the water reached the mid to high 40 degrees, and some anglers reportedly found spots in the 50s sometimes. So surf angling was improving. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Big, racer blues ran the surf, said Phil from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Probably 20-some of the fish to 12 pounds were weighed-in today. Blues also schooled Barnegat Bay, and at both places, they were beaten on popper plugs, swimming lures, metal and bunker. Plenty of bunker schooled the surf. No striped bass were weighed-in during past days. A friend kayaked for stripers off the surf this morning, scoring a couple of runoffs, landing none, on livelined bunker snagged for bait on the trip. Some good-sized stripers were boated along the Tunney Bridge on the bay. A friend’s trip there last night landed quite a few stripers including a couple of better-sized. Small Rapala X-Raps caught stripers along the bridge. Small drum, 14 or 15 inches, were hooked from the shop’s dock on the bay. They were under the 16-inch legal size, but aggressive. Phil went through a pint of clams catching them this morning. 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. Bait stocked currently includes fresh bunker and clams.

<b>Forked River</b>

Boaters bailed bluefish 10- and 12-pounds on Barnegat Bay, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. That was off Oyster Creek, mostly on top-water lures, but also everywhere locally. The blues were also trolled there and between the BB and BI markers, and tons of pony tails were sold for the trolling. Striped bass began to be boated from the bay toward Barnegat Inlet, along the sod banks, on clams on anchor. One weakfish was reported caught, in Oyster Creek, and wasn’t huge, but was decent-sized, and a photo was seen. Bait stocked includes fresh clams, bloodworms, killies and shiners.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Lots of blues, said Vince Sr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. The fish swam all over Barnegat Bay and Barnegat Inlet, and many 10-pounders were weighed at the shop. Some small striped bass, no big yet, were boated from Oyster Creek Channel in the bay. Bobbie’s features a complete bait and tackle shop, a fuel dock and boat and kayak rentals. The boats will be available for the season starting this weekend, and are used for fishing, crabbing, clamming and pleasure. The store is known for bait supply, including live baits.

Seasonal maintenance should be completed, and the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b> should be out of the yard soon, and ready to begin fishing on Memorial Day weekend, the vessel’s Facebook page said. That’s the traditional weekend when the vessel begins, starting with bluefishing. Fluke and sea bass trips will sail afterward.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 5/8:***</b> From an edited email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “The big gator bluefish are still terrorizing Barnegat Bay from Barnegat to Toms River. The fish range from 5 to 15 pounds. We are casting top-water lures like poppers and jerk baits to get the most exciting hits. Most of the action is in 5 to 8 feet of water on the west side. Some of the most explosive surface action you have ever seen. Every day I wonder, ‘how much longer can they stay?’ and so far the answer has been at least one more day. Sailing open-boat 5:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 12 noon to 5 p.m. Saturday through Monday. However, only the morning trip will sail Sunday, because of Mothers’ Day. I haven't heard of any big stripers on bunker spoons yet, and I personally haven't tried, frankly, because this epic bluefish bite has been too good to pass up. I’m going to pack the bunker spoon arsenal on board for this stretch, in case we want to try a few hours of that. I’ll leave it up to you guys each day. If it's a nice ocean, we can try it. The water temp’s right, and the calendar says it's time.”

<b>Surf City</b>

Lot of fish, lot of blues, from the surf, said Sue from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. They’re just in numbers, she said, and the blues pounced on bunker chunks for bait. At Barnegat Inlet, they smacked diamond jigs and popper and Bomber lures. Blues were also wrestled from the bay. A 31-inch striped bass, landed on salted bunker, was checked in from Surf City’s surf. An 18-pound 11-ounce striper was weighed-in that was clammed from the town’s surf. Throwback stripers were reeled from the island’s surf today, biting bunker, refusing clams. Many anglers had fished with clam to avoid hooking blues, but switched to bunker for the throwbacks today. But that was just today, she said. Baits stocked include fresh bunker and clams.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The bay’s bluefishing slowed somewhat, said Brian from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. They were still caught, but reports didn’t roll in like before. The angling was phenomenal during the weekend at Graveling Point. That’s a shore angling spot at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River, but boats on the water there looked like a parking lot during the weekend. The blues caught weighed no less than 10 pounds, and as much as 17. Striped bass were hooked, holding in deep holes, 18 feet and deeper. They hugged sod banks, and tried to escape the blues, apparently. One angler reported big stripers appearing at Sweetwater on the river. He was into them while fishing from his dock. White perch fishing was great, and Brian wasn’t asked where, but the fish swim brackish rivers like the Mullica. The number of live grass shrimp sold for bait for them was unreal. No drum were heard about, but earlier this season, they were landed at places like Graveling. A 7- or 8-foot, dead sturgeon was found at Sheepshead Creek, near Tuckerton Bay, washed up on shore. Crabbing began to produce a few keepers. Baits stocked include fresh clams, either in the shell or shucked, the grass shrimp and bloodworms. 

<b>Absecon</b>

Many bluefish, thousands, millions, schooled the back waters, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. That was a little north of the shop, and the fish averaged 10 pounds. They tore all over Great Bay and Mullica River. Bunker also schooled everywhere in those waters. Signs like birds working the water didn’t always reveal where blues were located. The slammers bit nearly anything cast to them. Striped bass, mostly throwbacks, a keeper here and there, were also around. The farther up the river, the better the shot at a keeper, it seemed. But blues and bunker did push far up the river. Occasional drum caught were heard about from Graveling Point and Grassy Channel, if anglers could get a hook past the blues. Blues even hit clam for bait that drum prefer but blues usually avoid. Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, was running a charter today, and ran another on Tuesday that wrestled blues “until their arms fell off”! Watch a video of the trip plugging for blues. Dave’s been netting plenty of the bunker to keep the freshest stocked at the shop. Catch the store’s annual, big sale to kick off the fishing season, in the days leading up to the opening of summer flounder season on May 22. The sale dates will be May 14 to 22, Curt thought, but that’s not confirmed. Almost all tackle will be 25 percent off, except a few items, like certain high-end reels with an MSRP that leaves little wiggle room.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Surf fishing for striped bass erupted today, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. The catches were heard about all day, and photos of the sizable fish checked-in were posted on <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/pages/RipTide-Bait-and-Tackle/63681841626" target="_blank">Riptide’s Facebook page</a>. David Pachucki weighed-in a 29-pound, 12-ounce, 44-incher from the bite, but wasn’t entered in the annual Riptide Striper Bounty. The bounty, sponsored by Hess Plumbing, was currently more than $1,700, and will be awarded to the angler who stops in with the year’s first striper 43 inches or larger from Brigantine’s surf. Entry is $5 and required before the catch, and all entry fees are awarded, so the bounty keeps growing. The stripers were mostly beached at mid-island, but anglers could find them everywhere along the island’s surf. The fish seemed to be a big school of 39-inchers, weighing 18 to 33 pounds. Most seemed caught on clams, but anglers still bought bunker to try. Plenty of fresh clams and bunker were stocked. Throughout the weekend, bluefish were smashed from the surf. The bluefishing slowed the rest of the week, until today. Anglers began telephoning and texting about bluefishing turning on this afternoon in the surf. Surf fishing was getting exciting. Somebody reported catching a blowfish from the surf, too. That might’ve been the year’s first reported on this site.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Bigger striped bass began to be socked than before, and striper fishing improved, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. A 20-some-pounder was weighed-in, and plenty of small stripers had already bitten. Many bluefish continued to snap, like before, and were pretty good-sized. Jeremy from the shop subdued a large one, 17 ½ pounds. Customers nailed all these fish nearby at the T-jetty and off the Flagship and Vermont Avenue. The T and Flagship are along Absecon Inlet, lined with jetties. Vermont Avenue is along the ocean. The stripers were zapped on fresh bunker, fresh clam and plugs, including Daiwa SP Minnows, Bombers and poppers. The plugging was actually good. Pink Zooms also crushed the stripers, like always in the area. Weakfish, 1 or 2 pounds, not huge, were caught last night at the inlet that were heard about. Those were some of the year’s first weaks reported on this site this season. Huge, so-called tiderunner weakfish usually bite along the inlet in spring. The large trout enter back waters like this to spawn a moment. Noel wasn’t asked the reason none was seen this year yet at the shop, but South Jersey anglers have speculated that this spring’s abundant, large bluefish might’ve kept the weaks in hiding or prevented them from reaching hooks before the blues. Noel saw 3 ½ croakers nabbed from the inlet. What happened with the half a croaker? he asked the angler. “Bluefish,” the angler said. Those are the year’s first croakers reported on this site. All baits are stocked, including fresh clams and bunker. Clams in the shell are $6 a dozen, $2 apiece or three for $5.  Bloodworms are $20 for two dozen.

<b>Egg Harbor Township</b>

The run of big bluefish continued, like before, said John from <b>24-7 Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish, mostly schooling the back bay, but also rivers, like the Great Egg Harbor River, were larger than in years. Places in the bay like Rainbow Channel and along 9th Street Bridge held them. Mostly fresh bunker caught the fish. The blues also schooled places like Brigantine’s surf. Striped bass were caught here and there, among all those blues. If anglers got lucky, they scored a striper. A 25-pound striper was weighed-in from Atlantic City’s surf. Out-of-season summer flounder, good-sized, were hooked and released in the bay. Anglers hoped that was promising for when flounder season is opened beginning May 22. Crabs began to be trapped a little. John threw a trap off the shop’s dock, nabbing a dozen of the blueclaws. The crabs just began to stir around, and the store just received an order of frozen bunker and supplies for crabbing. Customers crab from rental boats from the shop, located on Patcong Creek, one of the best crabbing waters. The boats are also used to fish for the blues in the Great Egg Harbor River and the bay. Patcong is a tributary of the Great Egg. The boats will be used for flounder on the bay, when the flatfish season is opened. Baits stocked include fresh bunker and fresh clams. Pretty much all baits are on hand that are needed to fish for what’s biting now. <b>The company also own 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Marmora</b>.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 5/7:***</b> Posted on 24-7’s Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. today: “Reports of monster bass being caught off Atlantic City and Brigantine’s surf right now on bunker.  We will have a fresh shipment of bunker within the hour.”

<b>Margate</b>

The party boat <b>Keeper</b> will begin fishing this weekend for the season, Capt. John said. The vessel fishes for summer flounder most of the year, throughout flounder season that will begin on May 22. But trips will sail for bluefish 8 a.m. to 12 noon Saturday and Sunday on the back bay. If the angling needs to catch and release flounder on the bay, it’ll do that. Flounder swam the water already. The boat is known for flounder trips on the bay. Trips aboard are only $28, because the fishing is close to port, and the pontoon boat is economical on fuel. That’s a $3 increase over last year, the first increase in some time, but rental rods are free.

<b>Longport</b>

On the <b>Stray Cat</b>, a trip is sold out Saturday, and no trip will fish Sunday, because of Mothers’ Day, Capt. Mike said. Otherwise, trips are running 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily for cod, pollock and ling. Anglers are picking away at cod, not far from shore, 28 miles from the coast. Trips aboard are also bluefishing, and the angling’s been the best in years. The blues, big, swam everywhere, from the bay to the surf to the ocean. All the ocean lumps held them. This should be a good year for fishing, Mike thinks, because of early signs, including the blues, and bait that’s plentiful. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and open trips will include the Friday, Saturday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend. That’s May 22, 23 and 25, and those trips will fish the deep for catches like the cod. But the Stray Cat always jumps on other catches, too, like the blues, if that’s best. That will remain the plan, until sea bass can be targeted, once sea bass season is opened starting May 27.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Bluefish, bluefish, bluefish, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. They swarmed everywhere, and when he told customers, they asked, really: where? But the blues did hold at all saltwater. Many of the fish weighed 8, 10 and 12 pounds, and some weighed 17, even in the back bay, where that’s unusual. Blues in the surf were somewhat smaller, but sizable, still. Blues even schooled up Great Egg Harbor River. Anglers caught them while trying for white perch and striped bass. Stripers still migrated the river, and were hooked from the bay to the surf. But getting past the blues could be tough. Two stripers were weighed-in from the bay and surf today and yesterday: a 21.4-pound 38-incher and a 16-pound 38-incher. In the bay and surf, stripers were mostly landed on bunker.  Anglers were heard about who began to fish clams for stripers, attempting to avoid blues that usually don’t prefer clams, but instead, bunker. But blues even destroyed clams. No weakfish caught were known about, since some were reported reeled from the bay at Sea Isle City two weeks ago. Justin tried for weakfish at usual places that hold them in back waters this time of year, on a trip that whaled blues. But no weakfish bit. He wondered whether the lack of weaks was because the trout avoided the abundant blues. Many big, out-of-season summer flounder, including many 5- and 8-pounders, were caught by mistake in the bay and released. That’s good, if the flounder are around for the opening of the flatfish season starting May 22. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and eels are stocked. Minnows will be carried starting next week to be ready for flounder season.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A trip with Doug Gillespie aboard just Mohawked bluefish to 11 pounds on the back bay Monday, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Good, old-fashioned, 1985 bluefishing, he said. He had flashbacks of selling burlap bags for a dollar as a mate on nighttime, party-boat bluefish trips. This trip fished during daytime, of course. The charter also released out-of-season summer flounder to 5 pounds. Joe was back out with Jay VonCzoernig and son Luke on Wednesday evening, when Joe gave this report in a phone call. The bluefishing wasn’t as fast as furious, but landed several big, so far. Both trips caught on jigs. Lot of fun, Joe said. The second trip also had bites on a fly rod, didn’t catch on the rod, so far. But Joe also fly-fishes. Get the bluefish while they’re hot, he said. They will depart. Joe’s been fishing for the toothy blues with 60-pound fluorocarbon leader. The trips caught some of the fish on wire leaders, but definitely more on the fluoro. Thin, stealthy wire was even tried. It wasn’t an “easy bite.” The fish bit subtly, like a 1-1/2-pound blue. Then the anglers held on, once the hook was set. Flounder trips should be booked now for when flounder season is opened starting May 22, including for that weekend, Memorial Day weekend. The fishing will be good, and anglers don’t want to wait. Flounder fishing is best in the early season in South Jersey’s shallow, warm back bays. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

Fishing’s been good, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of bluefish, maybe averaging 8 to 10 pounds, ranging 3 to 15, schooled. Fishing for them was best on the back bay, and most anglers threw lures to them there. The lures were all different types, from bucktails to swimmers and soft-plastics. Not many bluefish from the surf were caught on lures that were heard about. Mostly bait, bunker and mullet, took them. Blues also came from the inlet, on lures, bunker and mullet. Anglers have caught striped bass, mostly at night. That was because the bass couldn’t compete with blues that bit during daytime, anglers thought. A bazillion out-of-season summer flounder flooded the bay and were caught and released. Flounder season will be opened beginning on May 22. Weakfish, not many, but some, were landed. Blues probably kept more of those from being winged, anglers thought.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Drum trips will fish Delaware Bay this weekend with <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. Jim said. The boat fishes every day, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability. A trip drummed on the bay Monday, but none bit. The fishing must’ve sailed 60 miles, fishing on the New Jersey side. Drumming took off a half-mile from shore on the Jersey side, early in the season last year. The drum bite is impending, and many missed out on that bite last year, fishing after they heard the news. In other news, big striped bass began to be beached from Cape May’s surf. A big bluefish blitz crashed the coast this past week. The catches were heard about from Sea Isle City and Atlantic City.

<b>Cape May</b>

The party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> will begin drum fishing Saturday on Delaware Bay, Capt. Paul said. He’ll try to run the trips daily, from 2 to 10 p.m., but telephone for reservations and availability. No trip will sail Sunday, because of Mothers’ Day. He might limit the trips to 20 anglers or so, and the trips will run so long as they get the weather, enough anglers and bait. Clams for bait were scarce. A few drum were reportedly caught. Paul saw a large striped bass weighed across the street Wednesday, and didn’t know the location of the catch, but guessed some stripers were around.

A few drum were heard about that were boated from Delaware Bay, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Charters aboard fish for drum this month, and the fish bit on the Delaware side of the bay. Striped bass were boated near Salem, on Delaware River, near the bay, on bunker chunks. A buddy landed two on Saturday and three on Sunday, and the bass were spawned out, held no roe. So the stripers will begin to migrate out of the river soon.

Some bigger striped bass were bombed from the surf in the past week at Cape May Point and along Delaware Bay in town, said Joe from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Some weighed 40 pounds, and Nick, the store’s owner, clammed a 39-incher the other night. Mostly clams caught the stripers, but some were beached on bunker. Bluefish 2 to 4 pounds were dragged from the same surf the past couple of weeks. A few weakfish began to be flung from the same waters. They weren’t huge, like 30 inches, but most were 24 inches. One angler sailed on a drum trip on Delaware Bay, and none of the anglers picked up the fish. A few drum might’ve been boated from the bay, but nothing was heard about that. Out-of-season summer flounder bit in the back bay, and flounder season will be opened beginning on May 22. Fresh clams, both in the shell and shucked, fresh bunker and bloodworms are stocked.

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