<b>Sewaren</b>

Fluke, good catches, actually, were boated on Raritan River, said Rich from <b>Dockside Bait & Tackle</b>. Fluke began to be swung from the Triangle on Raritan Bay, and fluking was improving. An 8.1-pounder was checked-in this week. Bluefish tore around – “ran amok,” he said – mostly in the bay, a little in the Arthur Kill. Striped bass fishing slowed, definitely, and the catches were last reported from Robbins Reef. Catch the shop’s Grand Opening on Saturday, and grab free food and drinks. Baits stocked include killies and all other fluke baits like spearing and smelts, and fresh bunker. Dockside, on Smith Creek, a tributary of the Arthur Kill just north of Outerbridge Crossing, is accessible from the water at the fuel dock and from land. The fuel dock is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. or so.

<b>Keyport</b>

Fishing for sea bass pounded super catches from the ocean on open-boat trips with the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>, Capt. Mario said. Up to 5-pounders were waxed, and big ling and some winter flounder and cod were mixed in. Open trips for striped bass are sailing in afternoons, and Down Deep runs two 40-foot boats. The year’s first fluke trip, open-boat, will fish Saturday. Charters are available for any of this fishing, and join the <a href=" http://downdeepsportfishing.com/short-notice-list/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about open trips. See available dates on the site’s calendar.

Good striped bass fishing still happened, and the angling was good Sunday on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. A trip Monday was canceled because of forecasts for rough weather that never developed. On Tuesday a trip fluked in the morning and another bluefished in the afternoon. Decent fluking was had on that outing, and the bluefishing was non-stop catches. That trip was with Florian Bellanger from the TV show Cup Cake Wars and his sons and friends. They had a blast with the blues, Frank said. Three spaces are available for an open-boat fluke trip Wednesday, and one is available for another next Thursday, and telephone to reserve. Room for charters is on tap Monday and Tuesday. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Striped bass, pretty good catches, were boated near the Statue of Liberty, said Joe Sr. from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Pretty good bluefishing was decked at Flynn’s Knoll and near the lighthouses. A few striped bass were hooked on the edges of the blues. The blues were so abundant and took over the areas. Sea bass were cranked up at Shrewsbury Rocks, and blues and stripers swam there, too.  Stripers, blues and fluke held at Oceanic Bridge on Navesink River and Sea Bright Bridge on Shrewsbury River. The stripers were angled near shore, away from the blues. Surf fishing was only fair, not good. Crabs will begin to be trapped soon. All baits are stocked.

Many small fluke were angled from Sandy Hook and Raritan bays, but more keepers seemed in the mix in past days, said Tom from <b>Fisherman’s Den North</b>. Trips on two of the shop’s rental boats the past couple of days worked through lots of throwbacks but some keepers. One angler on one of the boats yesterday docked two keepers and released eight or nine shorts. A kid in a kayak grabbed a keeper and some shorts near the store. Anglers hope fluking keeps picking up as waters warm. Rental kayaks will be available from the shop beginning in maybe a week, in addition to the rental boats already available.  Cocktail bluefish bounced around Sandy Hook Bay just behind the shop. Boating for large blues on Raritan Bay was fairly good. Plenty of bunker schooled the bay. Peanut bunker schooled behind the shop and were stocked fresh yesterday. Baits carried currently also include killies and all other fluke baits like spearing, and fresh adult bunker. Anglers on private boats came up with a few striped bass. One nailed a 32-pounder yesterday off Sandy Hook Point. Tom knew a few anglers who banked stripers, mostly throwbacks, from shore on both the bay at Leonardo and the ocean. The store was newly opened this spring and is the sister shop to Fisherman’s Den in Belmar.

All the twice-daily fluke trips fished on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> in past days, Capt. Tom said. The fishing was best in the bay aboard, and one trip fished the ocean for the summer flounder recently. A 9-3/4-pound fluke was smashed aboard yesterday morning. Otherwise, a couple of keepers were 3 or 4 pounds, not 5 or 7. Quite a few fluke landed were an inch to a quarter-inch undersized. Fluke caught were either well within keeper-sized or obviously throwbacks.  Some days fished better than others, both for action with throwbacks and for keepers. Some places fished better than others in the bay, and different areas were fished there, depending on conditions. Spearing are provided for bait, and no advantage was apparent for any bait. Some anglers brought killies, and that couldn’t hurt. When wind or tide failed to drift the boat, killies seemed somewhat of an advantage. Bait actually seemed to fish better than Spros. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

Not much of a bluefish bite on Wednesday’s trip, after three weeks of good catches of them, on the <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron wrote in a report on the party boat’s website. The angling wasn’t so hot today either aboard, and a couple would be caught, then the blues would move off. A shot bit during the change of tide, and he thought the fishing would turn on. But the blues moved off.  Ron was stumped, after the good bluefishing in previous weeks. The angling was excellent Monday and Tuesday aboard. Back at it tomorrow, he said. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, 6:30 to 11 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Lady M Charters</b> steamed for sea bass on the ocean a few more times since the last report, and the catches remained very good, Capt. Steve said. Pretty much easy limits, and ling were mixed in. Sea bass season is less than a month, closing beginning June 20, and book to ensure a trip. Room is available Monday for an open-boat sea bass trip. Once sea bass season is closed, open trips will bottom-fish the Mudhole. Anglers like those trips because they never know what they’ll reel up, like ling, cod or winter flounder. A few haddock were in the mix last year. Fluke trips will also sail.

Sailing from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Ed and Tony on the Hammerhead rounded up three keeper fluke and eight throwbacks on Raritan Bay yesterday, Marion wrote in an email. During the weekend, Karen Kelly bagged a 22-inch fluke off Sandy Hook Point, and Jake and Matt Laurence on the Crazy 8 fought blues to 36 inches near Reach Channel. On Friday on the Par Tee, Gina took a 19-inch fluke while fishing with Jay, Tracy and Johnny.  Twin Lights, located on Shrewsbury River near Raritan Bay and the ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boat slips, dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined bait and tackle shop and ship’s store. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. Baits like live bunker are carried when in demand. All offshore baits are carried.

<b>Neptune</b>

With <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, sea bass fishing, on the ocean, was good on every trip, Capt. Ralph said in a phone call. He kept emailing results and photos, describing each day’s trip as going well. Two spots remain on an individual-reservation trip for sea bass Wednesday, the only one of the trips available. A few dates are available for charters. Shark charters will begin soon, and only a few dates are available for those trips. Annual individual-reservation trips for fluke, sailing every Tuesday, will begin June 21, and a few spaces are left for that day. Kids under 12 sail free on those outings, limited to one per adult host. Individual-reservation trips will fish for cod July 13 and 27 and August 3, 17 and 31. <b>***Update, Friday, 6/3:***</b> The anglers today aboard limited out on striped bass, big fish to 35 pounds, on the ocean and returned early, Ralph wrote in an email. Stripers are here, he said, and an individual-reservation trip for stripers was added for Thursday, and will fish with live bunker or “whatever it takes.” Charters are available for stripers and all species on tap.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 6/3:***</b> Shark River shoveled up good fluke fishing the last few days, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Anglers on the store’s rental boats caught more keepers than before. The party boat Big Mohawk turned up good fluking on the ocean, and an 8-pounder won a pool. Another Belmar party boat sailed for sea bass, scoring great. Ocean striped bass fishing was off the charts in past days. All large stripers were boated, and one captain’s trip drilled two stripers that totaled 91 pounds. Another’s trips limited out on the bass all week to a 46-pounder. Snagging bunker and then livelining the baitfish was a preferred way to hook the stripers for anglers, and the stripers and also blues foraged on the menhaden. Surf fishing for stripers failed to be up to par, and the fish seemed to remain a mile off the beach or so. Surf casters hoped that changed soon.

Fishing for fluke, on the ocean, had been good and was slower, not so good, the past couple of days on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. “We’ll see what happens,” he said, and the boat began fishing for them in past days, after sea bass fishing previously. Most of the flatfish bit Gulps, so bring Gulps. One of the evening striped bass trips will fish Friday aboard. Those trips liveline bunker for bait, and contact the boat for the schedule. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

“We had some striped bass activity this morning,” a report said about today on the <b>Golden Eagle</b> on the party boat’s website.  “… we managed to boat a 30-pounder,” it said. Live bunker were fished for bait for the stripers. Bluefish 6 to 12 pounds were picked later in the trip. Previous trips banged away at blues about the same size. Today’s blues smacked Run Off  hammered jigs and crocodiles. On the previous two trips, the fish hit the crocs better than the jigs.  The Golden Eagle is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Afternoon fishing and sunset cruise trips are sailing 4:30 to 8:30 Fridays through Saturdays, and this Saturday’s is sold out.

A 35-pound striped bass was bagged today on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, an email from the party boat said. The trip at first fished a large area of bunker with striped bass on them. Then the outing looked for blues, catching a handful on a drift. If  large schools of bunker are seen tomorrow, the trip might spend more time trying for stripers there. Yesterday’s trip beat blues to 15 pounds, good catches, at the end. At the beginning, blues were picked on a couple of drifts. The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Family fishing and sunset cruises are sailing 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Friday through Sunday.

Striped bass to 40 pounds were trolled from the ocean on bunker spoons and Mojos with <b>XTC Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Scott said. The fishing was alright, and trips also sailed for sea bass on the ocean. Many sea bass bit, and catching lots of keepers was a struggle. The crew is headed to compete in the shark tournament in Cape May this weekend. The only mako sharks caught that were heard about came from the canyons, all the way offshore, so far this season. But maybe this would be the weekend when makos began to be found inshore.

Ocean striped bass fishing was great, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. The bass to 43 pounds were claimed aboard, mostly on livelined bunker, unless no bunker showed up. Then the stripers were trolled. Bluefishing was excellent on the ocean, and sea bass fishing was up and down on the ocean. Pete is also running party boat trips on another vessel that are livelining stripers on bunker on the ocean in evenings, and that angling was also great. The most recent of those trips, on Tuesday, crushed lots of big. Some anglers limited out on overs and unders, and see info about the trips on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a>.  Reserve the trips to ensure a spot. For Parker Pete’s, don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Book an individual space on a charter that needs anglers. Visit the website to subscribe to the email blast to be kept informed about the spaces. Also see a trip calendar, where available dates are posted, on the site.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 6/3:***</b> Striped bass, a good catch of the fish to 43 pounds, were cracked from the ocean last evening on the <b>Gambler</b>, the party boat’s Facebook page said. A 30-pounder was smallest, and bunker were caught for bait on the outing. The bunker were drifted on hooks at the same water to catch. A couple of the bass were also caught on lures. Not every striper hooked was landed, but a good ratio were. Though livelining the bunker is often thought to be the goal during this type of fishing, the bunker don’t need to be alive to be effective. But fresh bunker catch better than frozen. Everything needed to catch is available on the stripers trips, sailing 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. every Thursday through Saturday. Fluke trips are fishing 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily.

Bottom-fishing on the ocean was pretty good a few days and a little slow on a few, but was pretty good the past two days on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. A good variety of fish were pumped in: sea bass, ling and a few cod and winter flounder. Lots of sizable, out-of-season blackfish were released. Even three or four throwback fluke were angled on yesterday’s trip. “Things are going to start happening, I guess,” he said. Trips fished in 60 feet of water to 110 feet. Some places in the deep held so many conger eels. Water temperature varied and was 52 degrees a couple of days and as warm as 56. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Bluefish trips are sailing 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. every Friday and Saturday and will run more frequently once schools let out for summer. The bluefish trips were slated to begin last weekend, but too few anglers showed up at the port, and the trips were docked aboard. Just a couple of the bluefish boats fished from the port.

<b>Toms River</b>

Scattered blues, some, swam Barnegat Bay near Route 37 Bridge, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. More blues held near the 40 and BB markers in the bay. Blowfish were sometimes plucked from that area. Back along the bridge, striped bass were played at night on small plugs like Rapalas or 4- or 5-inch Fin-S Fish. Crabs began to be trapped again in the Toms River area. Crabbing had slowed considerably since the full moon two weekends ago. Farther south, fluke were sometimes bucktailed in the bay’s shallows off the sedges behind Island Beach State Park. Bucktails seemed the way to connect, mostly on outgoing tides, because incoming tides were super cold. When water became warmer last year, kayaking for the fluke and some stripers was good in that area. On the ocean, boating for striped bass currently was okay, and sea bass catches were good. In the surf, striper fishing was slowing during daytime and was better at night. Bunker hooked them, and mostly bluefish were fought from the surf during daytime. A token fluke was beached during day. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Ocean boaters banged out sizable striped bass in 50 or 60 feet of water, said Phil Dirt from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>.  The surf was full of seaweed, making fishing impossible there, the past two days. West wind would blow it away, and wind was easterly currently. Crabbing began to pick up from the dock. Phil checked a couple of commercial traps that made catches. Bluefish disappeared locally from Barnegat Bay. But a few snapper blues were seen in the bay at the store. Blowfish had bitten at the dock but stopped. Nothing was heard about fluke from the bay. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, a café, a dock for fishing and crabbing, boat rentals and jet-ski rentals.

<b>Forked River</b>

Okay fluke fishing was boated on Barnegat Bay at High Bar Harbor, the 40 marker and between the BB and BI markers, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Blowfish were bucketed from the bay off Oyster Creek in 5 feet of water. Bluefish swam at different places in the bay. From the ocean, striped bass were reported boated off the Seaside Pipe in 50 feet of water, mostly on trolled bunker spoons and Mojos. Customers began to shark fish on the ocean, but catches were yet to be reported. Baits stocked include killies and all other fluke baits like frozen spearing. Fresh, local spearing are carried in summer, when the baitfish grow large. Eels are on hand, and fresh clams will arrive Friday. Flats of mackerel, mackerel chum and bunker chum are stocked for sharking.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Boaters kept clutching striped bass from the ocean, mostly on trolled spoons, said Alex from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Not much was heard about stripers from Barnegat Bay. “Not consistent,” he said. A couple of rental-boat trips on the bay picked up keeper fluke, just legal-sized or 18 or 19 inches, at High Bar Harbor and off the Dike. Bluefish 8 to 10 pounds schooled Barnegat Inlet, and a 17-pounder was weighed from there during the weekend. Sea bass were pumped in from ocean wrecks. Bobbie’s features a complete bait and tackle shop, a fuel dock and boat and kayak rentals. The boats are used for fishing, crabbing, clamming and pleasure. The store is known for bait supply, including live bait in season. Bait on hand currently includes minnows, fresh clams and all the frozen. Fresh bunker is carried on weekends currently.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

It’s June, and the <b>June Bug</b> will be brought to Beach Haven today to begin fishing from there, Capt. Lindsay said. The vessel was at Oregon Inlet, N.C., its winter home, and fishes from Beach Haven every June until fall. The year’s first charters from Beach Haven are set for next week, and Lindsay and crew will probably fish this weekend to confirm what’s biting off New Jersey. A few striped bass reportedly swam the ocean. Sea bass and fluke were possibilities to target. Maybe bluefish would be run into. Trips will run offshore for tuna and marlin when that angling takes off. Not much was heard about catches offshore at places like Hudson Canyon yet. The fleet down south was into yellowfin tuna and a few blue marlin at Washington Canyon. Fish-holding water also held at Norfolk Canyon and even at Poorman’s Canyon somewhat. A 100-pound bigeye tuna was docked at Oregon Inlet. Lots of mahi mahi swam the southern waters, and a 74-pounder, huge, was docked at Oregon Inlet this week. 

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Many striped bass were rustled from the ocean, and this was prime time for that locally, said Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Just sail out Little Egg Inlet, head north or south and look for bunker to fish at on the troll or by snagging the bunker and then livelining the baitfish. Or troll until bunker are found. The bay’s summer flounder fishing was lukewarm at best, since flounder season opened. Lots of snot grass filled the water, fouling lines, making the angling difficult. But a couple of flounder were bagged here and there, and a 6.2-pounder was weighed-in this morning that was boated off the Fish Factory between sand bars. Minnows and Gulps worked well on flounder, and pink seemed a good color for Gulps. The 6.2-pounder bit a pink. Snot grass seemed to begin dying and breaking off in the lagoon behind the store. The weeds were hoped to disappear soon.  A handful of 2- to 5-pound blues swam the mouth of Mullica River near Graveling Point, Chris thought. A few striped bass seemed angled from the river. Anglers kept quiet about the fishing, and where they fished, like downriver or up, was unknown. They seemed to eel the fish, and not a ton of eels were sold, but some were. One captain also catches them on the Gulp Nemesis. Lots of good-sized sea bass were boxed, if deeper water like 75-foot depths was fished on the ocean, like a little beyond Little Egg Reef. But a couple of spots at Garden State Reef South seemed to give them up. Sometimes ling and cod were mixed in, though the season was late for that locally. Baits stocked include plenty of minnows and some live grass shrimp. Weather was beginning to be warm for the shrimp to live long, so call ahead to confirm they’re stocked. Fresh, shucked clams are hoped to be stocked Friday. Weather might look cloudy for the weekend, but no strong wind was forecast.

<b>Absecon</b>

Summer flounder fishing was tough, a tough start to flounder season, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Back bays were chilly, and cold-water slime grass didn’t help the flounder fishing there. But the angling seemed to improve a little. An angler who fished on a back-bay party boat from Atlantic City said the trip landed some keepers, and the angler bagged two. Even the shop’s soft-shell crab supply was a “victim” to the cold water, Dave said. The shop sells soft-shells for eating and shedder crabs for bait, but few of the crabs molted in the chill. Though flounder fishing was slow, most boaters currently tried for the flatfish, once flounder season opened. That kept news about striped bass scarcer, but stripers swam the ocean just off the shore. Plenty of bunker schooled the water for the stripers to forage on. Anglers on foot banked stripers from the surf to Absecon Inlet. They also hauled in drum from both places on clams meant for stripers. Good sea bass catches were heard about from the ocean, from the few who sailed for them. All baits, the full supply, are stocked, including plenty of minnows for flounder.

<b>Brigantine</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 6/3:***</b> Folks at <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> were too busy to take a phone call for a fishing report yesterday. But striped bass and drum were weighed from the surf that day, Capt. Andy from the store wrote in a report on the shop’s website. “I have been weighing in fish today,” he wrote there yesterday. The stripers weighed up to a 38-pounder that was 48 ½ inches. “The bite turned on good when the weed started to move out,” he said.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Anglers on foot whaled lots of kingfish during daytime and lots of striped bass at night, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. “I’m talking numbers,” he said, and because of that, he fished for the stripers at 3:45 a.m. today at jetty-lined Absecon Inlet. That’s where stripers bit, on plugs, fresh bunker and fresh clams, and eight stripers 32 to 43 inches, none small, were banked from the jetty he fished then. A big summer flounder was reeled from the next jetty during the trip. The kings have been bloodwormed from the inlet and the surf near the inlet.  Flounder were sometimes hooked from the T-jetty and off the Flagship and toward Harrah’s at the inlet. The T is at the ocean end of the inlet, and the Flagship is partway down the inlet. Harrah’s is on the bay end of the inlet. Anglers on foot also eased flounder from the back bay. All baits, a large supply, are stocked. Two dozen bloodworms are $20 now through this weekend only. Fresh bunker are three for $5, and fresh clams are $6 a dozen.

<b>Egg Harbor Township</b>

The bay still harbored bluefish, not as big as previously, but mid-sized, said one of the crew from <b>24-7 Bait & Tackle</b>.  This writer forgot the name. The bay’s summer flounder fishing was kind of slow, and seemed to begin picking up, until rain Monday. That seemed to squash the improvement, but anglers hoped the angling would amp up as weather warms and improves. Small stripers were angled in the bay. But a big one, 42 pounds, was weighed from the bay the other night, caught off Longport. Bunker was the bait, the person who gave the report thought. Fishing was kind of quiet on Great Egg Harbor River. Crabbing just began to become better for the season. All baits, a large supply, are stocked, and minnows are a whopping half-price: $3 for a half-pint, $6 for a pint and $12 for a quart. The store’s rental boats are available for fishing and crabbing from Patcong Creek, running passed the store, where they’re docked, to the Great Egg and the bay. Patcong is one of the best crabbing places, and is a tributary of the Great Egg, meeting the river near the river’s mouth on the bay. <b>The company also own 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Marmora</b>.

<b>Margate</b>

The back bay’s summer flounder fishing remained a little slow, but some were bagged aboard, said Capt. John from the party boat <b>Keeper</b>. The water was 57 degrees at the dock yesterday morning. That’s cold, and the bay was cold and had been a little dirty from rain. That began to clear yesterday, and a 6-pound flounder was taken this week aboard. “It’s getting there,” he said, and the year’s first sea robin was hooked on the boat during the week. Even sea robins were yet to show up previously. Minnows and mackerel are provided for bait, and flounder began to bite the minnows. Gulps always catch, and anglers should bring Gulps. The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. daily. The trips are only $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $20 for kids, because fishing is near port, and the pontoon boat is economical on fuel. Rental rods are free to boot.

<b>Ocean City</b>

A good number of striped bass, 25 to 35 inches, healthy-sized, were slid from the surf, said Will from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Fresh bunker, other chunk-bait and fresh clams caught, and sometimes kingfish were nabbed from the surf, even if the season was a little early. Bloodworms will hook them, and some weakfish were yanked from Corson’s Inlet, mostly during low light like evenings and early mornings. The weaks included solid-sized like 4 and 5 pounds, and lures like pink soft-plastics clocked them. The back bay’s summer flounder fishing was slow, maybe because of the cold beginning of springtime. Weeds in the water were sometimes an issue, and anglers just needed to play the tides to avoid them. On the ocean, sea bass fishing was pretty good. A few mako sharks were heard about from the ocean, but from overnight trips far offshore, not closer to shore yet. Crabs were yet to be trapped this year, really, or the season was early for them.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Surf-fishing for striped best was the best angling, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Good-sized stripers, maybe 20 to 40 pounds or 15 to 30, were dragged from the surf, pretty much every day, mostly on clams, a few on bunker. An occasional bluefish or drum was mixed in. A few kingfish nibbled in the surf. For the past 10 days, say, mostly stripers were creamed from the water. Summer flounder fishing, on the back bay, was tough. Those putting in time found a couple of keepers. Though snot grass was complained about from some bays, that wasn’t as much a problem locally. The grass fouled lines on a couple of days locally. Sea bass fishing was excellent on the ocean, for those who knew how to catch them. Many boaters sailed for them, because of the slow flounder fishing. The ocean about 3 to 5 miles from shore gave up lots of sea bass bites, not lots of keepers. Maybe 10 to 20 miles out served up a good ratio of keepers and throwbacks, and plenty of bites. The local party boat didn’t have to run far for good sea bassing. A bunch of anglers planned to shark fish today, but canceled because of forecasts for wind. A couple of thresher sharks were known to be caught lately, and blue sharks were known to be around. No mako sharks caught were heard about yet this season, but surely some were around. Conditions were good, with 60- to 65-degree, good-looking water, and bunker schooling from near shore to 30 miles out. For crabbers, news was tough, because crabs suddenly seemed all to be pregnant females. People prefer not to harvest them in hopes that makes the crab population more abundant.

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, last ran charters during the weekend, he said. That was covered in the last report here, and currently, the back bay’s summer flounder fishing was slow. The flounder landed were sizable or larger than 20 or 22 inches, but were few and far between, and anglers needed to work for them. He didn’t want to speculate the reason, like maybe temporary conditions that would improve. Sea bass fishing was good at ocean wrecks, and he might run trips there this weekend, if he gets the weather. If he’s going to sail for sea bass, he’d like to push offshore a bit. He’d like to head offshore for tuna before long. Second-hand reports about tuna to the south, like at Poorman’s and Norfolk canyons, was the only news heard. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

A trip for drum and striped bass will fish Delaware Bay on Saturday with <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. Jim said. Drum were still heaved from the bay. Anglers needed to feel the bite and hook the fish. That wasn’t always easy, and Jim or the mate hooked the fish when possible, when a bite was seen. But the anglers really needed to stay aware and set the hook well. Stripers swam shallows close to shore in the bay.  A sea bass trip would fish today, and some boaters limited out on sea bass, but pushed 20 or 25 miles from shore for that. Sea bass were reportedly bagged at the reef, and Jim would probably fish there today. A trip with just a few anglers tried for sea bass closer to shore yesterday aboard, but only small bit. Tom cod, squirrel hake or ling cod bit, and water was cold, if that fish was there. The trip tried for summer flounder on the ocean a little, but nothing was doing. The back bay seemed cold for flounder, because angling for them was slow there, so the thought was that maybe some fed in the ocean. A little time probably needed to pass, so waters warmed. Fins fishes every day, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability.

A couple of summer flounder, but good-sized, were brought in during the weekend from the back bay, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. The angling was a little slow in rough weather, but some were seen. Some bluefish and a couple of skates bit in the bay. Crabbing dropped out or failed to produce much, and had been good three or four weeks ago. But it’ll pick back up.  Canal Side rents boats for fishing, crabbing and pleasure and kayaks. <b>***<i>Get a $5 discount</i>***</b> on a rental boat if you mention Fishing Reports Now. A large supply of bait and plenty of tackle is carried. Live and cooked crabs are sold for eating when the blueclaws become available at a better price, when more are trapped, within some weeks from now. When the crabs are in, customers enjoy eating them at tents and tables outside the shop. Or they buy them to eat at home.

<b>Cape May</b>

Not so many keeper sea bass bit on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. Some  days fished better than others, and some of the anglers landed a bunch of keepers, including on yesterday’s trip, but some didn’t on trips. Throwbacks gave up action, and the boat will continue fishing for sea bass on the ocean through the weekend. Beginning Monday or whatever day wind isn’t strong after Monday, the boat will begin to be drifted for summer flounder on the ocean, on every day when wind isn’t too strong for that. Otherwise the boat will be anchored for sea bass. Herb Smith from Trenton won yesterday’s pool with a 4-pound sea bass. He boated six or eight keepers, Paul thought.  Not many fluke were heard about from the ocean yet, but a few were, and more keeper fluke can probably be found than keeper sea bass, Paul thinks. The Porgy IV is fishing at 8 a.m. daily. 

Ten drum were hauled from Delaware Bay on Anthony Mattia’s charter Monday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. The fish mostly weighed 40 or 50 pounds, were all about the same size, and maybe one pushed 60. The trip only fished a few hours, departing the dock at 12:30, wrapping up the fishing at 4:30, then heading in. Trips for sea bass on the ocean and drum on the bay are slated for this weekend aboard. Telephone if interested in fishing for sea bass or drum. The boat will compete in the South Jersey Shark Tournament in two weekends in Cape May. Jim’s Bait & Tackle in Cape May’s shark tournament is this weekend. George is waiting for tuna to show, and that should happen in a week or two. Second- and third-hand reports talked about tuna at offshore canyons farther south, but that was unconfirmed.

Was a good week of fishing, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. A few striped bass still came from the surf on bunker or clams. Weakfish were nipped from the surf along jetties or structure on bloodworms under a bobber during daytime or jigs during low-light hours. A couple of anglers reported good catches of summer flounder 21 or 23 inches from the back bay. Nothing was heard about flounder from Delaware Bay. A few drum continued to be boated from Delaware Bay. Striper fishing was good in Delaware Bay’s shallows on bunker chunks. On the ocean, pretty good sea bassing was zapped from deeper water. Good-sized swam there, and Cape May Reef seemed picked over for sea bass a little. But some trips reeled up 15 or 20 keepers there. Shark fishing got off to a slow start on the ocean, and a couple of trips tried for them this week. The bunker netter mentioned smaller sharks that began to be seen in Delaware Bay, so sharking might begin in the surf soon. Those are usually sharks like browns that are prohibited but are released in the surf when warm water attracts them. 

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