<b>Keyport</b>

Wind weathered out striped bass fishing Saturday with the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>, Capt. Mario said. That would’ve been the first fishing of the year aboard, and daily open-boat trips for stripers will probably begin this coming Saturday. Charters are also available, and Down Deep runs two 40-foot boats. At first in spring, trips clam for stripers on Raritan Bay. The water was warming, and lots of bunker schooled the bay.  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 open trips. Also see the site’s open-trips page for available dates. 

The year’s first fishing will be launched Wednesday with an open-boat trip for striped bass on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. Telephone him to jump aboard. “By now, it’s no surprise to hear that bass are being caught,” he said. Though forecasts look good, weather can be volatile or unpredictable this time of year, “so make sure you’re prepared with proper clothing,” he said. “Foul-weather gear keeps you warm and dry.” A trip just canceled for Sunday, April 10. If anybody’s looking for a charter on a weekend, “this should be a good one,” he said. Open-boat trips will begin to fish daily in April when no charter is booked. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Wednesday’s trip sailed, the year’s first fishing aboard, and the angling was only okay, Frank wrote in an email. A bunch of striped bass were boated, but only one was a keeper. A few winter flounder were pitched aboard, but flounder fishing was slow, and there was no current to disperse the flounder chum throughout the entire incoming tide that was fished. The chum sank directly below the boat. Gannets dove all over the bay, and harbor porpoises fed on schooling bunker. The water was as warm as 51.5 degrees. “All in all, it was a positive day, and (a) good sign of things to come,” he said. The weekend is booked, though wind is forecast to blow strongly. The next open-boat trip will fish Monday. An open trip is also slated for the following Saturday, April 10. “It should be game on by then,” he said. Telephone to reserve and jump aboard.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Some striped bass were rustled from Raritan Bay, said Joe Jr. from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Shore anglers banked them in mornings and evenings, usually on incoming tides. Wind pushed the fish into the back corner of the bay yesterday, and that helped. Boaters have been landing the fish, too. Winter flounder were boated on Navesink River near the Route 35 Bridge and Red Bank. White perch swam near the bridge, nibbling bloodworms. Worms will be stocked Friday. All other baits, including green crabs for Friday’s opening of blackfish season, are on hand.

<b>Neptune</b>

Space is available for an individual-reservation trip for sea bass May 27 with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Two of the trips filled quickly for May 23 and 24, so he added another. Only a few dates remain for sea bass charters, and sea bass season will be short, lasting May 23 to June 19. Last Lady will probably begin fishing in mid to late April for the year.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Daily blackfish trips will begin the season’s fishing starting Friday on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. The trips will begin that day depending on weather, of course, and weather might be rough that day. That’s opening day of blackfish season, the first day of April, and blackfish season will be opened throughout April and closed in May. The boat sails from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The annual <a href="http://www.sharkriversurfanglers.com/contest.htm" target="_blank">Shark River Surf Anglers Kids Trout Fishing Tournament</a> will be held at Spring Lake on Saturday, April 9, opening day of trout season, Chris noted. The free contest is known for good-sized trout, prizes and a good time. Food like hot dogs and ice cream will be served. Kids are also invited to help stock 500 trout for the tournament at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday. They’re also invited to a free seminar on trout fishing for the contest at 11 a.m. at The Reel Seat in Brielle.  

“… we’ve been seeing both bait and bunker,” an email from the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> said, “ … so it’s only a matter of time before the fish show up.” The crew expects to sail for striped bass and bluefish beginning in seven to 10 days. “… we are excited to get this season started!” it said.

Shark River’s winter flounder fishing was very slow at best, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. “Looking more like they cleared out early this year,” he wrote. Trips on one of Belmar’s party boats picked away at cod “and other cold-water fish,” he said, and will switch to blackfishing beginning Friday. That’s April 1, and blackfish season, currently closed, will be opened throughout April and closed in May. Four blackfish will be the bag limit in April, and crabs will be stocked for blackfish bait beginning Friday. The party boat Golden Eagle from Belmar sailed for mackerel, running into good catches of the fish, small to medium-sized. Some anglers bagged coolers full. Some customers banked striped bass, mostly throwbacks, on Raritan Bay from shore, farther north, on clams and small plugs. Fisherman’s Den North, the new store, has been opened at Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina. Tom from the shop is working there daily, while Bob is working at the Belmar store daily. Stop by and say hello to Tom, or Bob, for that matter. The Atlantic Highlands store is well stocked, and more bait and tackle is being stocked every day. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Winter flounder were bagged from Shark River, not many “by any stretch,” but more than last week, Bob wrote in an email. The year’s first striped bass was reported caught from Shark River Inlet. Brittani Rush from Belmar landed the throwback. “It’s a start,” Bob said. The best striper fishing came from Raritan Bay’s shore on clams or from farther south, from Long Beach Island to Cape May. Crabs and tackle are ready at the shop for tomorrow’s opening of blackfish season, and Belmar’s party boats are ready to sail for them.

Fishing took some time to locate mackerel Saturday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the party boat’s website said. But once mackerel were found, fishing was good for mostly mackerel, and some herring were mixed in. “Everyone ended up with a nice mess of fish,” it said. On a trip Thursday, wind blew strongly, though forecasts called for light wind. Sixteen ounces of weight needed to be fished, and the boat drifted too fast. “We did have some shots at the mackerel,” it said, but because of the fast drift, “the fish just didn’t stay with us.” Mackerel were marked well, though, and that seemed to bode well for the fishing in the future. No report was posted for Friday, so maybe a trip was weathered out then. No trip was slated to fish Sunday, because of Easter. The Golden Eagle is fishing for mackerel daily. Check <a href=" http://goldeneaglefishing.com/" target="_blank">Golden Eagle’s website</a> or telephone the boat the day before a trip this time of year to confirm that weather is fair enough to sail. When striped bass show up, the trips will switch to striper fishing. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Fishing picked away at mackerel on Wednesday aboard, and some herring were mixed in, a report on the boat’s website said. The angling began well, and then wind calmed, failing to drift the boat. Then dogfish became a nuisance. Still, anglers averaged a 5-gallon bucket of fish apiece. “We also had a lot of other life,” it said. That included plenty of whales, and a bluefish even chased a hooked mackerel. Today’s trip was canceled, because of forecasts for strong wind.

Capt. Mike from the <b>Katie H</b> is mostly waiting for the migration of striped bass to fill the ocean to begin charters for them, he said. But he’ll probably run the boat to Raritan Bay to fish for stripers in the next week or two. Lots of bait was reported to swim the bay. Sea bass season will be opened May 23 through June 19. Booking sea bass trips now is probably a good idea, because the season will be less than a month. In other news, winter flounder fishing seemed slow in Shark River. The 46-foot Katie H features speed and comfort, including all the amenities.

The boat would be brought to the boat yard today, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. That was for maintenance to ready the vessel for the fishing season, and the boat had already been in the water. Pete hoped the maintenance would take no longer than a week. Lots of trips were booked when Parker Pete’s exhibited at outdoor sports shows this winter. If anglers want to fish aboard this fishing season, he’d recommend they book sooner rather than later. He hopes to fish for blackfish, once blackfish season is opened throughout April. Trips will hunt striped bass when the striper migration swims the ocean locally this spring. Pete heard about a few striped bass caught farther north, on Raritan Bay, and farther south in rivers. The fish seemed on the move, and he thinks striper fishing will be good. Another charter boat from Belmar docked mackerel Sunday. Pete was yet to talk with the captain, and didn’t know where the mackerel were caught. But knowing the boat, he thought the fish weren’t found far offshore.  Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Book an individual space on a charter that needs anglers. Visit <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. Also see a Trip Calendar that was recently added to the site, where available dates are posted for fishing aboard. Through July was currently posted, and the dates included some of Parker Pete’s annual On the Water Fluke Bucktail Seminars, trips that teach bucktailing for big fluke in a non-threatening environment.

<b>Brielle</b>

Winter flounder were boated on Barnegat Bay near Mantoloking Bridge and the mouth of Point Pleasant Canal, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>.  Anglers picked away at some bigger, like a couple of 19-inchers a customer showed at the shop yesterday. Small striped bass were played at the bridge at night on small plugs and 4- and 5-inch rubber shads. Raritan Bay shore anglers reeled in throwback stripers fairly consistently from dusk to throughout night on clams. Boaters there chummed stripers with clams, and not many of the fish were big yet, but plenty bit. Bigger stripers should migrate in. On the ocean, cod fishing sounded fair at best, but a few could be landed at wrecks 40 miles from shore. Mackerel schooled at wrecks at that distance, though nobody really targeted them, because of the distance. Ling fishing was slow on the ocean. The Reel Seat is open daily now for the fishing season. Catch free seminars at 10 a.m. Saturday with Karen Wall, editor of the Big Game Journal, on an intro to fishing for women, and from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday with the Shark River Surf Anglers on trout fishing. The trout seminar is because the club will hold the annual, free kids’ trout-fishing tournament at Spring Lake on Saturday, April 9, opening day of trout season.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Trips for cod, blackfish and ling will launch the year’s fishing beginning Friday on the <b>Gambler</b>, the party boat’s Facebook page said. The boat was sailed yesterday “to check everything out,” it said. Three drifts were tried for striped bass down the beach, but nothing bit. The boat was pushed farther from shore, and rough bottom began to be fished in 110 feet. Plenty of dogfish hit, but then jigs began to be fished, and a keeper cod was jigged pretty quickly. More cod, 6- to 8-pounders, and only one throwback were decked. The six crew who fished totaled a dozen keeper cod, mostly on jigs, in 2 hours. The boat was moved to a nearby spot, “and had a good sign of blackfish, too,” it said. The blackfish were clammed and released, and blackfish season will be opened throughout April beginning Friday, the first day of the month. The Gambler will fish for cod, ling and blackfish 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Monday through Saturday beginning Friday. But weather looks rough for Friday. “Saturday’s weather looks like a good shot,” it said. The crew is trying to obtain crabs for blackfish bait. But if no crabs are available, clams will be fished for the blackfish, and the tautog will bite clams, especially in the early season in cool water. Twenty-hour trips for golden tilefish, reservations required, are slated to fish every Saturday night to Sunday in April. Forecasts for wind will cancel this weekend’s tilefish trip. Daily trips will fish for striped bass beginning May 1. If stripers show up earlier, the trips will begin earlier. <b>***Another Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> A trip benefitting the Recreational Fishing Alliance will sail aboard Saturday, April 30, for cod, pollock and ling, and <a href="http://www.rfanj.org/prod/events_spring.php" target="_blank">click here</a> for reservations.

<b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> will begin the year’s trips – charters and individual-reservation trips – with cod fishing in April, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. The trips fish offshore at wrecks 50 to 65 miles from the coast, and individual-reservation trips for this angling are available on the Sundays of April 10 and 17. Striped bass charters are being booked for early May to June. The crew expects to fish for sharks, tuna and other big game from June through summer. In July, the boat will sail from Cape May to take advantage of fishing for yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna that erupts then at the far southern canyons. Trolling canyons will be super comfortable now, because of upgrades to the seating in the cockpit mezzanine on the 44-foot Henriques. Other salon and mechanical upgrades were also completed.

The crew hopes the <b>Norma-K III</b> will begin fishing in early April for the year, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the party boat’s website. The boat was splashed last week, but at the boat yard, because the dock at Point Pleasant Beach was under construction. That will sport a new look, and the vessel will be moved to Point when that’s finished. All’s well, and we’re dying to fish, Matt said.

<b>Toms River</b>

On the Toms River at Island Heights, striped bass were bloodwormed at night, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. White perch fishing was a very slow pick on the river. The river’s winter flounder fishing was similar or just a pick. At Oyster Creek, the warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant, stripers were also hit at night. Most anglers there fished for them with rubber shads, Fin-S Fish or other soft-plastic lures like that on jigheads or bucktails. Flounder there began to migrate to the mouth of the creek. The surf gave up a token small striper, nothing to speak of. Another two or three weeks will pass before the surf fishing will begin to pick up. More anglers began to fish the surf than earlier this year, though. Bluefish will arrive locally between April 12 and 18, Dennis thinks. Baits stocked include bloodworms, sandworms and chum. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>Forked River</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Severe wind cut down on news this week, but striped bass were socked from Oyster Creek, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. That’s the warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant. Winter flounder also bit in the creek, but most anglers targeted the stripers, so news was mostly about the stripers. No bluefish were heard about, but the bluefish migration should arrive in the next weeks. Bloodworms, salted clams, killies and nightcrawlers are stocked. Green crabs will be carried beginning Friday for the opening of blackfish season beginning that day.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

“I think you may have needed a ticket to get your spot on Graveling Point today,” a report said on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s website on Thursday. That was the most recent report posted at press time, and the anglers fished for schoolie striped bass. Steady catches of them began last week. Most of the fish were 10 to 26 inches, and two keepers 29 and 30 inches were checked-in from the fishing during the week leading up to Thursday. Graveling is a shore-angling spot at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River. Outgoing tides fished best, flushing the bass down the river. Those tides also flush the river’s warmer water toward the bay, and that seems to help make the stripers bite. Rivers are warmer than bays and the ocean this time of year. Bloodworms were best bait, but clam sales increased for the fishing. The stripers would probably begin to favor the clams soon. The worms are easiest for the bass to digest in the early season, when the fish are cold and have slow metabolism. Clams begin to catch best as the water warms, speeding up the metabolism. Black drum should begin to bite at Graveling soon. Fishing at night increases chances of hooking the drum, because drum can be most active at night. Bluefish should arrive at Graveling soon, too. The annual $100 gift certificate to the shop is up for grabs for the angler who weighs-in the year’s first blue from Graveling. Herring and bunker were reported swimming the river in the past week. A boater posted a report on the store’s site about bagging a 29-inch 9-pound striper 300 yards off Graveling on Wednesday on fresh clam from Scott’s. “Very healthy ocean striper,” the boater wrote. The fish was decked after sunrise on outgoing tide. The store’s report recommended that if boaters want to try for stripers, they could troll the Mullica near the Garden State Parkway Bridge at first light with Stretch 25 lures and small, No. 1 Tony Maja bunker spoons. Don’t miss <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/events/121494394896225/" target="_blank"><b><i>***Scott’s Tent Event***</b></i></a> from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, kicking off the fishing season, under a tent at the store. The event seemed to keep growing, because a bigger tent than before will now be used, and new participants, including reps from Accurate and a food truck, were announced. The day will include tackle reps, discounts, raffles, food and drinks. Each attendee will receive two raffle tickets for shopping sprees at Scott’s. The sprees will be $500 for first place, $300 for second and $200 for third. Each attendee who purchases $50 to $100 of goods from the store will receive an additional 10 raffle tickets, and each who purchases more than $100 will receive an additional 25 tickets. The drawing will be held at 1 p.m. that day, and ticket holders must be present to win. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Throwback striped bass were fought at the “end of the road,” Brian said. Bloodworms and clams were the baits to fish. No keepers were heard about this week. White perch seemed to nibble at the baits, but the stripers were aggressive. No bluefish showed up yet, and the $100 gift certificate was available for the angler who stops by with the year’s first blue from Graveling. Small stripers definitely turned out action on Mullica River. Lots of reports talked about Hay Road for that. Not much was heard about white perch from the river. Anglers needed to hit lots of spots to locate the perch. Crabs began to stir around. Bloodworms, fresh, shucked clams and live grass shrimp are stocked. Scott from the shop netted 10 gallons of the shrimp. Many people are expected to visit Saturday’s Tent Event at the store. Reps from about 10 tackle manufacturers will be on hand. Tony “Maja” from Maja bunker spoons and trolling tackle confirmed he’ll be there. The folks from Green Beret Spray will be there. 

<b>Absecon</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Rivers gave up some action with striped bass and white perch, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. On Mullica River, the stripers seemed to swim from mid-river to the lower river, where the Mullica meets the bay. Not much was heard about stripers from the upper Mullica. Many of the bass were 20 to 25 inches, “which are pretty fun,” he said. But some were keepers. A spurt of bigger stripers must’ve pushed up the river, because a few larger caught were reported. A couple of 30-inchers were heard about. Mostly bloodworms hooked stripers in the river. But clams also did the job on the lower river, near the bay. Or anglers fished a variety of the worms, grass shrimp and small minnows on the river to catch a variety of the bass and perch. Sometimes Curt’s trips lit into just as many stripers as perch. He’s a perch angler. This is the time of year when stripers begin pushing up the rivers, ready to spawn. Baits stocked include bloodworms, fresh clams and minnows. A limited supply of green crabs will be carried for Friday’s opening of blackfish season. The supplier said the crabs were somewhat scarce. The crabs were probably in demand, too. Customers also fished freshwater, and largemouth bass seemed to become active. Trout season will open in two Saturdays on April 9.

<b>Brigantine</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> A ton of throwback striped bass plowed into the surf during the weekend, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Bloodworms hooked them, and clams also did, but clams attracted skates. A 10-year-old and his stepdad landed a couple on Sunday. Another youngster and his granddad picked up a 14-incher from the fishing during the weekend. Strong wind blew in past days, keeping many from fishing, but another angler beached a 26- or 27-incher yesterday, and headed back out today.  Bloodworms and fresh clams are stocked, and fresh bunker might be carried for the weekend. The supplier departed to try to net them. Green crabs will arrive for Friday’s opening of blackfish season. The Expert Fireplace Spring Riptide Striper Bounty was up to $350. The annual contest awards the cash to the angler who weighs-in the year’s first striper 43 inches or larger from Brigantine’s front-beach surf. The bounty will grow, because entry is $5, and all the money is awarded. Gift certificates to the store for $50 will be awarded for the year’s first angler to check-in a keeper striper from the island’s surf and the first to stop by with a keeper striper boated or kayaked from the back bay. The Riptide Spring Striper Derby is underway until May 22 for the three heaviest stripers and three heaviest bluefish weighed-in from the town’s surf. Entry is $25, and the prizes for stripers will be $500, $300 and $150, and for blues will be $300, $200 and $100. Entry includes a permit that allows anglers to beach-buggy the entire Brigantine front beach, when accompanied by a Brigantine beach-buggy permit. Without the tournament permit, not all the beach can be driven. New this year, Brigantine beach-buggy permits are free for veterans and active military. A DD214 Form must be shown to receive the free permit. The Brigantine permits are available at the Brigantine Community Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays at 265 42nd Street in the town. The derby permits are available at Riptide.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Fishing for throwback striped bass was on fire from the T-jetty, <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>’s Facebook page said Sunday. An angler there landed 29 of the fish, including double-headers, in a trip, running out of bait. Photos were posted of some of the fish. The nearby T is located at the ocean end of Absecon Inlet. <b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Small striped bass were mugged from the surf from Massachusetts Avenue to the T-jetty, Noel said. None was large enough to keep, but there was action, on bloodworms. The fish refused clams and bunker. One angler landed more than a hundred in three days. Blackfish were caught and released along the jetties in the area, and blackfish season will be opened beginning Friday. Green crabs are stocked for bait for them. Bloodworms, fresh clams, fresh bunker and all baits, a large supply, are carried. Bluefish were yet to arrive, but could show up any minute. Bluefishing was tremendous in the same area last spring, and the blues were big. No ling caught were known about, after the area served up ling in past weeks.

<b>Egg Harbor Township</b>

A couple of striped bass were weighed this weekend at <b>24-7 Bait & Tackle</b>, and stripers and lots of white perch were angled, Chris said. All the fish bit in Great Egg Harbor and Mullica rivers. The shop’s rental boats will be splashed tomorrow on Patcong Creek, running past the store, for the fishing season. The vessels are used for fishing and crabbing from Patcong to the Great Egg to the bay. Patcong is a tributary of the Great Egg, meeting the river near the bay. Catches on the boats can include stripers, perch and, later this year, summer flounder. Patcong is one of the best places for crabbing, when the blueclaws begin to be caught later this season. The fully supply of baits is stocked, including bloodworms and fresh clams.  <b>The company also own 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Marmora</b>.

<b>Longport</b>

The <b>Stray Cat</b>’s been fishing from the Florida Keys this winter to early spring, and a trip Saturday there pumped in yellowtail snappers and grunts aboard, Capt. Mike said. That was along the edge of the reef in 80 to 100 feet of water. A 6-foot barracuda bit off a hooked, sizable bonito, called false albacore in New Jersey. Live bait was difficult to net that day, but a live bait was fished for sailfish on a kite. One sail came up on the bait but left. The population of mutton snappers and mangrove snappers was thin in past days. Mike guessed they were departing for the season. He’ll sail the boat back to New Jersey beginning April 15, probably arriving April 22, to begin fishing from Longport the rest of spring through fall. He might get in some blackfish trips from Longport while blackfish season is open in April.

<b>Ocean City</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Lots of small striped bass were fought along 9th Street Bridge on the bay, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Soft-plastic lures caught at night, and bait caught during daytime. For the bait fishing, mostly bloodworms worked. The bloods hooked small stripers, but when a keeper was managed, that was usually on clam. Fishing for stripers and white perch was spotty on Great Egg Harbor River. The fish seemed to show up at a place one day and miles away the next on the river. Bloodworms and grass shrimp were fished for them, but a few anglers cast soft-plastic lures for the bass, connecting, along the river’s sod banks. Nothing was heard about stripers from the surf, and the season was early for that, though small stripers were reported from the surf at places including Sea Isle City and Atlantic City and Brigantine. The inlets and rivers, including the Great Egg and the Tuckahoe, seem to make fishing unique at Ocean City. No fish caught near the inlets was heard about, and the water is drastically colder there than farther back in the bay. Skates showed up in the bay in past days, the beginning of life. A bluefish was landed at a pier in town. That’s the year’s first bluefish caught reported on this website. Justin heard about another blue landed previously from Mullica River. Blackfish season will be opened throughout April beginning Friday, the first day of the month.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> The year’s first trip is slated for April 20 aboard, said Capt. Victor from the party boats <b>Captain Robbins</b> and <b>Miss Ocean City</b>. That’s a burial at sea, and fishing aboard will begin immediately afterward. Charters are available for the fishing season. Open-boat trips will run for blackfish beginning then, while blackfish season is open in April. Summer flounder fishing will begin on May 21, opening day of flounder season, and sea bass fishing will begin on May 23, opening day of sea bass season.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> Small striped bass, loads, tumbled the surf toward the end of last week or beginning of this week, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Strong wind blew since, keeping anglers from fishing, so no word was heard about them since. Six anglers might’ve been the only fishing for the bass, when anglers last fished. But they were into the catches. One said he landed 18 on Sassy Shads, and probably none was larger than 20 inches. Another reported beaching 10. The season’s first weakfish was reported caught from the back bay. Rumors said some of the year’s first bluefish popped up, but Mike knew about none first-hand, so that was unconfirmed. Commercial crabbers began crabbing full-steam, catching well, even if the season was early. They recommended that if people are looking for something to do, grab a boat and crab. The crabs were meaty, too, and the theory was that the warm winter must’ve enabled crabs to eat and crawl out of the mud and hibernation early. Blackfish season will be opened tomorrow and throughout April, and white crabs and green crabs are stocked for the fishing. The crabs are scarce at many stores and on many boats. The crew from the local party boat was hoping to begin blackfishing trips tomorrow, and will begin Monday, at the latest. The boat was being overhauled for the season, and that needed to be finished, running later than expected. Blackfish season will be closed in May. Baits stocked also include bloodworms, live spots, eels and all the frozen baits. Fresh bunker will be carried when demand picks up.

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> trailered the boat back from Florida to Sea Isle this weekend, he said. That was because he wrapped up his annual traveling charters to the Florida Keys that fish from Christmas to Easter. He fished from the Keys with family in past days. They fought lemon sharks to 80 pounds, snappers, jacks, hogfish, blue runners and more, and broke off a tarpon and a permit. They had a good time. See <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s traveling charters Web page</a>. The boat was only one of Joe’s vessels, and his other boat was already splashed for the year at Sea Isle. Anglers aboard last week reeled in the year’s first striper from the back bay on a trip from Sea Isle, covered in the last report here. Joe will keep fishing for the stripers, and bluefish usually arrive in the bay by mid-April, when the water reaches 55 or 56 degrees. By then, the bay’s fishing will break wide open. Trips aboard then will cream stripers, blues, weakfish and summer flounder from the bay, sometimes all in one trip. The angling is some of the best of the year. Flounder season will be opened beginning May 21, and the flatfish will be released until then. The early season fishes best for the fluke in South Jersey’s shallow, warm bays. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

Guided hunting for snow geese was wrapped up for the season this past week with <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, Capt. Jim said. The final trip hunted in Central Jersey and had a great day, he said. Two bald eagles stole a couple of the shot geese, then spent the rest of the hunt waiting to steal more. The goose season is still open, but the birds are migrating north. Fins hunts the geese from Delaware Bay to states farther north, following the migration. Friends currently hunted them at New York’s Finger Lakes, and many of the geese migrated to Canada already. Jim will try to fish for steelheads on upstate New York’s Salmon River this weekend from his nearby lodge. The lodge hosts anglers for steelhead and salmon fishing and also hosts guests for winter snowmobiling. Trout season will be opened beginning Saturday in southeastern Pennsylvania, and Fins also guides fly-fishing for trout there. Fins offers a variety of adventures including saltwater fishing, the steelhead and salmon fishing, the fly-fishing for trout, and duck and goose hunting. Saltwater fishing could begin in April aboard, beginning with striped bass trips. Drum trips will fish Delaware Bay in May on the boat. The saltwater trips fish from the back bay near Avalon to the ocean and Delaware Bay. When Delaware Bay is fished, the boat is trailered and launched wherever’s nearest the angling. Otherwise, the boat fishes from the slip at Avalon.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Fishing will be available aboard when blackfish season is opened in April beginning Friday, said Capt. Jim from <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b>.  That’s the first day of the month, and blackfish season will be opened throughout April and is currently closed and will be closed in May. Blackfishing should be good in April, and water’s been warm this winter and spring. Striped bass trips will be available when enough of the fish appear locally this season. Smaller stripers were boated along Delaware Bay’s flats, and bigger should move in, because of the warm season. Trips aboard do fish Delaware Bay. Small stripers were reported beached from the ocean surf sometimes. Fins fishes every day, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability. Plenty of prime dates are available for small to large groups.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> The party boat <b>Porgy IV</b> is slated to begin fishing on Friday for the year, Capt. Paul said. Daily trips for blackfish on the ocean will begin then, if weather allows. Some rough weather is forecast in the next days, including rain and wind on Friday. But the trips will sail whenever possible. Blackfish season will be opened throughout April, beginning that day, the first of the month. The season will be closed throughout May. Paul heard about striped bass angled in creeks and back waters like that, he said when asked. He heard about nobody trying for stripers in Delaware Bay, and would’ve expected to hear about boaters trying for them now. The Porgy IV sails at 8 a.m.

<b>***Update, Thursday, 3/31:***</b> <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> will be opened daily for the season beginning Friday, Nick said. The shop is always opened April 1, and Nick had something to report, too: small striped bass, lots of throwbacks, none big, began to bite in the surf, mostly on Delaware Bay. Cape May is a point at the confluence of the bay and the ocean. The ferry jetty was a popular spot, probably because of easy access. Small Storm Shads and small Kastmasters caught. The back bay also turned out stripers, some better-sized to the mid-20 inches, on small soft-plastics and small lures. Nobody was heard about who boated Delaware Bay for stripers yet. Gannets and porpoises were known to work Delaware Bay. Blackfish season will be opened Friday to throughout April, closing in May. Bloodworms will be stocked and Nick hopes to carry fresh clams and green crabs beginning Friday.

Blackfishing is booked to begin in mid-April on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. That’s the year’s first angling slated to sail aboard currently, and blackfish season will be open throughout April. The season is currently closed and will be closed in May. If anglers are interested in drum fishing on Delaware Bay in May, those charters are being booked. George heard almost nothing new about fishing since his last report here last week. But he talked with anglers who fished for white perch on Maurice and Tuckahoe rivers. They caught a few, not many. Someone who mates for the boat fished for them on the Tuckahoe, hooking a few. Weather was windy and surprisingly cold on the water on the trip. For last week’s report, George said another one of the boat’s mates landed 35-inch striped bass from shore on Delaware River at Elsinboro. Few if any boats fished from Cape May yet this year. Some will probably begin to blackfish once blackfish season is opened beginning Friday, the first day of April. Most crews, including George, worked on boats to prepare the vessels for the year’s fishing. George worked on his new boat, a 35-foot Bertam that’s replacing the previous Heavy Hitter. He worked on the vessel in dry dock, including this weekend, near Maurice River.

Back to Top