<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A few striped bass were supposedly landed in the bay Sunday on clams and worms, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The water was 42 ½ degrees. “So it won’t be long--a couple of more days,” he said. Both clams and bloods are stocked. Jimmy did no bottom fishing in the ocean in recent days and heard about nobody who did, and the weather was too windy. Today seemed calm enough, but there was probably a roll leftover from the weather, and the bite was probably slow. In last week’s report Jimmy said he boated a mess of ling at 17 Fathoms. Julian’s is open every day, at least from the morning till noon or the early afternoon, when the weather’s decent.

<b>Belmar</b>

UPDATE, 3/10: The one party boat still sailing from Belmar was blown out from the rough weather this weekend, said Johnny “O” from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>, and he thought the boat stayed in port most of last week, too. But the vessel is sailing for ling, blackfish and cod when possible. Nobody reported scoring luck in the surf so far this season, but somebody did mention seeing bait with a few stripers busting on them in the wash, though the person hooked none of the linsiders. The shop’s rental boats are being rigged and readied for the opening of winter flounder season on Easter Sunday, March 23. Fifteen of the boats will be available to target the flatties in Shark River on opening day, and more will be splashed if necessary. Worms are supposed to be carried at the shop starting today, and fresh clams should be on hand as soon as they’re available.

<b>Brielle</b>

UPDATE, 3/10: The offshore wreck-fishing boats were weathered out Friday and Saturday evenings, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. He heard that the Dauntless bottom fished inshore on Friday but heard no results of the trip. No customers were even trying to fish for striped bass yet, and herring seemed scarce at Manasquan Inlet, because no customers were buying up Sabiki rigs to catch them, and if the fish were there, Sabiki rigs would normally be flying off the shelves. Some anglers were coming in and asking about winter flounder fishing in local waters but were surprised to find out that flounder season is closed until later this month. Although fishing seemed mostly at a standstill in the past days, lots of people came to the shop this weekend, apparently because of cabin fever. They bought everything from tilefish rigs to striper tackle to get ready for the coming season. One customer, for example, during the past weeks has been buying a few fluke rigs each visit to avoid buying them all at once. The Reel Seat is now open Wednesdays through Sundays, although the shop will be closed this Friday through Sunday, when it exhibits at the Saltwater Fishing Expo in Somerset. Be sure to catch the store’s booth, featuring items including Shimano’s new Lucanus jigging system for bottom fishing, Shimano’s butterfly jigs, wireline trolling reels and rods already set up with the wire, especially popular last year, all kinds of bunker spoon rigs, shad rigs and such for striper trolling, the shop’s custom rigs for tilefishing, swordfishing, tuna chunking and such, the famous Reel Seat spreader bars, Guy Harvey T-shirts and more. The  <a href="http://www.ssfff.net" target="_blank"> Save the Summer Flounder Fisher Fund</a> will also exhibit at the show, and stop by and support this important organization. The SSFFF held a successful public meeting in Brooklawn in South Jersey on Thursday, and its next event will be a fund-raising dinner open to the public on April 11 at Crystal Point Yacht Club. Reservations are required, and you can reserve a spot at the SSFFF’s booth at the Saltwater Expo or by mailing reservations to the address listed on the SSFFF’s web site or by calling Dave at the store. You can also sign up at the expo for the SSFFF’s raffle to win a 17-foot Mako with a motor, trailer and electronics. The American Sportfishing Association donated the boat, motor and trailer, and Henry’s Tackle, a tackle distributor, donated the electronics. Dave noted that he attended last week’s meeting where the state voted on this year’s fluke regs: a minimum size of 18 inches with a bag limit of eight fluke and a season from May 24 through September 7. Dave guessed that nine of ten people who spoke at the meeting were in favor of the option. But Dave believes that no matter which option was chosen, the state’s anglers are likely to exceed the federal government’s fluke quota this year. Exceeding the quota is certainly likely to affect next year’s regs, and the government has already seriously threatened a moratorium on fluke fishing in 2009. Although a moratorium seems likely unless anglers fight, another possibility is a fluke bag limit and season that is so restrictive that it’s essentially a moratorium anyway, similar to New York’s recent fluke regs. And all of this is exactly what the SSFFF is fighting with measures like its recent hiring of a scientist to survey the fluke population to find out whether the government’s surveys are inaccurate. Many believe that the government’s data are highly flawed. Be sure to consider supporting the SSFFF, and at least check out the organization, like at the show.

Many anglers limited out on giant sea bass to 7 ½ pounds on an offshore wreck-fishing trip on the <b>Jamaica</b> on Monday, an e-mail from the boat said. Some ling and pollock were mixed in, and a trip Friday was also good. The crew expects plenty of the fish to keep biting, and the 18-hour trips are scheduled to keep sailing through April, running to the 60- to 80-mile wrecks at 11:30 p.m. every Wednesday and every Friday through Sunday. Openings are available this Friday through Sunday. <b>Bogan’s Boating School</b> is offering the boating safety course and certificate required in New Jersey, and the next classes take place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 8 and 16 and April 5, 13, 19 and 27 at Bogan’s Basin. The test-out option is available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the basin, and private classes are available for groups at your own location.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Here’s good news. Some of the charter captains, including Capt. Freddy Gamboa from <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, are poised to begin fishing. He’ll start offering open-boat trips to the canyons offshore for tilefish, sea bass, cod and pollock next week on Saturday, March 15. Good deal! Call Fred to reserve a spot or to be kept in the loop about when the next trips will sail. In mid April Andrea’s Toy will switch to striped bass fishing in Raritan Bay until the first week of June. Then trips will start shark fishing and also return to sea bassing. Fred sent a link to a cool video of him and his crew running a striper and bluefish trip on Raritan Bay. The anglers are speaking French, but the video is neat.  It takes some minutes to download, but once you do, you can watch it at your leisure. Click here to watch the video in Real Player. If you don’t have Real Player, you can download it by clicking on the link.

Bottom fishing trips on the <b>Dauntless</b> stayed in port the past two days but got out a couple of times before then, Capt. Butch said. Patrons boated mostly ling, not great fishing for this time of year, but catches were made. A few blackfish and cod also came up. A good crowd joined one of the trips, probably because the Dauntless is one of the few boats fishing. The boat fished at the Mudhole in 180 to 220 feet, where the water was 41 degrees. Water closer to shore was 38.5 to 39 degrees lately. The Dauntless sails 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily when the weather allows all winter long, maybe the only boat in the state doing so. The vessel’s been running daily all year for decades, and Christmas is the only day that it’s not scheduled to fish. 

Although no report rolled in from the <b>Voyager</b> since last week, the boat’s web site said trips on the vessel will fish through Friday, March 21, before the boat takes an annual month-long break for maintenance. Its fishing will resume the third week of April. But the boat is still sailing on inshore cod trips and offshore sea bass trips. The 12-hour cod trips run 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Friday, and no reservations are required. Patrons can call 732-295-3019 after 6 p.m. on Thursdays to confirm whether the weather will allow the trips to get out. A local tackle shop owner, not affiliated with the Voyager, did tell Fishing Reports Now that last week’s cod trip sailed. The 16-1/2-hour sea bass trips are running 11:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday, and reservations are required. <b>Fisherman’s Supply</b>, where the boat is docked, has been reporting in the past weeks that not much is happening with local fishing except the trips on the Voyager. But the store is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, for those looking for tackle, gear and frozen bait.

<UPDATE, 3/10: Nothing really changed this weekend compared with before, and anglers were hoping for better weather on Saturday and Sunday, but that didn’t happen, said Rob Sr. from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Last week he said a few herring sometimes trickled up Manasquan River. So everybody was still waiting for the weather to break, but things might start to pick up this week, and the shop might start opening more often now. Previously the doors were open on weekends. The Gates Motel, located on the grounds, is open all year and is popular with anglers, who stay overnight to avoid driving early or late before or after trips on the party boats at this time of year. As fishing picks up this season, they’ll start staying simply for a fishing vacation, because the inlet, the surf and the party and charter boat fleet are within walking distance.

<b>Toms River</b>

UPDATE, 3/10: Small striped bass kept biting in the Oyster Creek power plant discharge, and so did a few out-of-season flounder that were released, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Bloodworms were the best bait for the stripers and are stocked. Some customers surf fished in the winds and rains and actually hooked a couple of short stripers on clams. Salted and frozen clams are stocked, and fresh clams will be carried later, when the store opens during longer hours. Bloodworms also sometimes tricked small stripers and some white perch in the Toms River. A netter said he was finding a few winter flounder in the Toms and that they were already spawned out. That wasn’t good news, because the fish might leave the river if they’ve spawned, and winter flounder season isn’t open until March 23. The season could be hurting anglers’ chances to catch the fish. Nightcrawlers and killies are also stocked at the shop. Murphy’s is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

<b>Seaside</b>

A couple of keeper striped bass were checked in at <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b> that were reeled to shore from Oyster Creek in Forked River since the weekend, the report on the shop’s web site said. One weighed 16.3 pounds and was taken Sunday evening, and the other weighed 23 pounds and was hauled up Saturday afternoon. The fishing at the creek seemed mostly a night bite, and lots of shorts were hitting, though reports were heard about a couple of more keepers landed that just made the size limit but weren’t weighed in. Gulp worms, Gulp Jerk Shads, Fin-S Fish and small plugs were getting the job done. The price of worms was going nuts, and the quality was down. News from the surf was scarce, because surf casters were scarce. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.  

Lots of anglers were calling and coming to the shop this weekend, and things felt like the season was already kicking off, said the report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. Dominic Talerico showed off a 23-pound striper, the same fish mentioned in the above report. Winter flounder and striped bass were biting in Barnegat Bay for several weeks now, although flounder season is closed until March 23, and striper season opened in the bays and rivers on Saturday. The shop will stock fresh clams, worms, chum and everything needed for flounder by the opening. This winter seemed like the best possible for the bay. Temps became cold enough to put a little ice on the water at times, killing off bacteria to prevent red tides or algae blooms, and rains, snow or precipitation were mild, preventing major runoffs that would cloud the water. The bay was gin clear at the moment. In the surf a few locals who continued to try for short striped bass in the cold sometimes saw tons of bait and some working birds. The surf on Monday was 41 degrees, clean and 2 to 3 feet. This is the final week of the store’s annual winter sale, so only a couple of days are left. Lots of discounted items are available. <a href=" http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for the latest report.

<b>Waretown</b>

Plenty of striped bass, mostly small ones, seemed to be reeled in from the warm water of the Oyster Creek power plant discharge since striper season opened in the back waters Saturday, Dale from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b> said. He heard about two keepers bagged Sunday. Dan Radel from The Fisherman reportedly stopped in and said he hooked four stripers in an hour at the creek Sunday morning on worms. Mornings and evenings seemed best for the fishing, and worms are pretty much a guaranteed producer, but some anglers throw small soft plastic lures like Fin-S Fish. Clams might also connect, but clams are usually used later in the season. Sandworms and bloodworms were stocked for opening day but since ran out at the moment. Fresh clams will arrive Friday. Winter flounder season opens March 23, and fike netters in Barnegat Bay were saying they were pulling up lots of big flounder and practically no small ones. If flattie anglers get out early in the season, they’ll probably wallop the big mudbacks. L&H is open full-time daily all year long.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

More proof that Jersey’s fishing world is waking up: <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b> will be open this weekend, Josh said. The Oyster Creek power plant discharge was doling out lots of small striped bass, and a few were almost the 28-inch minimum size limit, and Josh heard about a 20-pound keeper that he thought was pinned down at the Route 9 Bridge at the creek. Sandworms and bloodworms seemed the hot ticket, but other anglers threw small soft plastic baits like Fin-S Fish and small rubber shads. Graveling Point on Great Bay supposedly also gave up a small striper or two. A 20-some-pound keeper was reportedly beached from the surf at Island Beach State Park on Sunday or Monday.  The local suds on Long Beach Island put out a few small stripers on frozen clams. A handful of blackfish bit for boaters in the ocean, and that fishing will probably begin to pick up in a week or so, as waters warm. The store will now be open at least on weekends, and Josh was unsure whether the doors would be unlocked on weekdays, but stay tuned for confirmation. Fresh clams might be stocked this weekend, but the weather was looking dubious, so the clam boat might not sail. Frozen clams, both salted and unsalted, are on hand.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

A short, 15-inch striper was hooked and released at Graveling Point on Great Bay on Sunday, and that was the last striper reported caught from the point since then, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. But a run of white perch showed up at the point last night. So the shop’s annual award of a $100 gift certificate was still up for grabs for the first keeper striper of the season weighed in from the point. The water there was ranging 39 to 43 degrees, and 43 is the magic number when stripers start to hit, and that was the temp when the short was landed. Graveling Point, a quarter-mile stretch of beach a short hike north of the end of Radio Road, is the local place to be for the season’s first stripers. It juts out into the confluence of the bay and the Mullica River, and a combination of warm water from the river and currents from the confluence attract the fish. Low tides are best at this time of year, because the water’s warmest, and bloodworms are the bait of choice. Clams also become popular once the fishing is “on.” Later in the season high tides become better, for some reason, probably related to water temperature, and baits like herring and eels will become favorites, as the herring migration begins, and the water warms enough to make the stripers active, able to digest more than worms. Stripers will continue to bite at the point until bluefish show up and scare them off, usually by May 10. Other places on the bay and the Mullica River will also hold stripers at this time of year, but few are accessible by foot. Still, nearby Pebble Beach at the end of Ohio Drive is accessible and productive on the bay, and so are the banks of the Mullica around both the Parkway Bridge and Clarks Landing. A 13-1/2-pound, keeper striper was tackled this morning at the Oyster Creek power plant outflow in Forked River, and lots of stripers seemed to be swimming around there. One captain from Longport near Ocean City stopped by to pick up a bunch of reels that the shop serviced, and he said plenty of sea bass could be boated offshore, but the only problem was finding anglers who would go. On the bait front at the shop, fresh baits were hard to come by lately, because demand was too low for suppliers to provide much bait at this time of year. Bloodworms ran out at Scott’s, but lots more were on their way, and the shop should be in good shape for worms. Fresh clams were a lot more iffy, and Scott was keeping his fingers crossed. Green crabs were out of stock, though Scott tried to find some. Plenty of grass shrimp, the best bait for white perch, were on hand, and so were plenty of minnows, for those who wanted to hit freshwater for pickerel or other fish. UPDATE, 3/10: Lots of lines were in the water at Graveling Point on Friday, and the season’s second short striper, about a 15-incher, from the point was reportedly reeled in, but otherwise the anglers only scored a few bites, the report on Scott’s Bait & Tackle’s web site said. Most of the bites were probably from perch, but a few fish that were hooked but lost pulled more like stripers. Saturday’s winds and rains kept most from fishing, and the water probably dropped to 42 degrees. No word about any catches was reported Sunday either, and the shop’s prize for the first keeper striper from the point was yet to be won by anyone. The worm supply was excellent for bait over the weekend, but no clams were available. 

<b>Absecon</b>

A keeper striped bass was yet to come through the door, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. So the shop’s prize of a $200 gift certificate for the first keeper weighed in was still unclaimed. Today was the first decent weather in a while, so he said he wouldn’t be surprised if today was the day for the first fish. A few more anglers than before were stopping by today to head out and fish. A few white perch were hooked at usual places like the Tuckahoe and Mullica rivers, but again, the weather had been keeping people from fishing. Dave was rigging his boat to get ready to start fishing, including on charters. He’ll probably begin in mid April, and he likes to start with livelining herring for stripers. He hopes to stock fresh herring within a week or so, but no herring were migrating to local waters yet. His suppliers said they found none of the baitfish in their nets so far. For now, bloodworms and clams are the main baits for stripers, and both are stocked. Nightcrawlers are also carried, and some anglers dunk them for perch for a more economical bait than bloodworms. Dave didn’t mention using grass shrimp for perch, but in previous reports he said they were the go-to bait for perch if anglers could net some. Frozen baits are also stocked. Besides the prize for the first keeper striper, the shop also awards a $100 gift certificate for the second keeper, a $50 gift certificate for the third keeper, a $100 gift certificate for the first keeper over 20 pounds and a $100 gift certificate for the first keeper over 30 pounds. The store is now open at least 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Fishing Reports Now will keep in contact with the store and report its first keeper as soon as the word is heard. UPDATE, 3/10: The store’s web site was still yet to report a keeper striper weighed in.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Delaware Bay was giving up a few striped bass, said Jack from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. Waters closer to Atlantic City would have to warm before anything began to grab baits there. Winter flounder season opens March 23, probably when the first local action will launch. Anglers do bag winter flounder in the area’s waters, even though fishing for the flatties is more popular farther north. Bloodworms are now stocked, and Jack expects clams to be available any day. The shop’s rental boat, a 17-foot Angler with a 50-horsepower outboard, will probably get splashed at the beginning of April for fishing the bay. The store is generally open every day except Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the moment until the hours are extended when flounder season opens. But call ahead to confirm at this time of year.

<b>Longport</b>

Open-boat trips on the <b>Stray Cat</b> are back in action after a brief winter break, Capt. Mike said. No trips got out yet, but only a matter of days, depending on weather coinciding with times when anglers are signed up to go. A couple of options are on the menu: sea bass fishing 65 miles offshore, and tog fishing 12 to 15 miles offshore. The trips will head for sea bass when the weather’ s fair enough, and otherwise tog trips will break the inlet. The ocean was 41 to 44 degrees, so tog should be snapping again. If you want to beat the winter blues and get the season started, call Mike, and he’ll keep in contact about when the next open trips will break the inlet. Charters are also available. UPDATE, 3/10: That was quite a storm this weekend, and winds blew out the tides so much on one day that the water was too low to break the inlet. So no trips were able to sail with Stray Cat, but an inshore, open-boat trip for tog, with space available, is slated for Wednesday, if the weather holds. All spots are full for an offshore, open trip for sea bass on Thursday. Space is also available on inshore, open trips for tog this coming Friday through Sunday.

<b>Ocean City</b>

A few small striped bass were pulled from the bay around the Parkway Bridge and the Beesley’s Point power plant, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. So that’s great news, the first striper reports of the season from the shop. Anglers there reel in Fin-S Fish and similar lures to hook up. Bill also heard about one striper beached in the Wildwood suds, and try soaking clams to connect in the suds. A couple of small stripers supposedly bit at Graveling Point on Great Bay, too. Nobody mentioned bottom fishing in the ocean, and the weather was too windy. Frozen baits, including clams, are stocked, and bloodworms will arrive in two weekends. No herring were migrating yet. The store is now open Sundays in addition to every other day. The hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> put the boat in the water Sunday and took a look around the bay, he said. The water was 40 degrees near the inlets and warm as 48 degrees at some spots in the bay, far from the inlets. Striped bass in the bay should start biting when the temps bump up another couple of degrees, and Joe won’t be surprised if he reels in his first linesider of the year within a week. The fishing will really start to happen when the water near the inlets consistently reaches 45 degrees. When the action starts, Joe will usually target the early season stripers on the shallow flats of the bay, like near the creek mouths, in the afternoons on low, outgoing tides, when the water’s warmest. He usually tosses flies such as Clousers, working them slowly along the bottom. Soft plastic lures on jigheads will also score when fished the same way, and bait, especially clams, should draw bites in the deeper holes. The fishing became quite good last year by late March and early April. The bay’s linesiders are usually small but lots of fun on fly and light tackle. Stripers will be the focus of Joe’s charters in the early season, but he noted that more and more anglers were starting to fish for winter flounder in the bay. Flounder fishing used to be good locally in years past, but then the mudbacks started disappearing, and anglers lost interest. But there seemed to be a resurgence of the fish in recent springs, and flounder fishers were pulling up the flatties at the old haunts while anchoring, chumming and fishing with clams and bloodworms. Something to consider. Winter flounder season opens March 23, Easter Sunday.  UPDATE, 3/10: Joe ran a charter from Palm Beach, Florida, with John Martin and his son Will this weekend, Joe said. Winds on Saturday were westerly and 25 or 30 knots with stronger gusts, challenging conditions, but fishable, and the anglers even fished with kites. A 16-pound false albacore, the biggest albie Joe ever saw, was the first fish landed, and it grabbed a 9-inch, live goggleye on a kite, a surprisingly big bait for the fish to eat. Then a 40- or 50-pound king mackerel attacked and was reeled in on the 60-pound fluorocarbon leader that was used with the goggleyes on circle hooks. Next, Will caught and released a sailfish, his first-ever billfish. That was the only sail that Joe heard was caught that day, and sailfishing as usual was off and on in the area lately, and anglers would go maybe a couple of days without catching any and then hook up, often finding success when northerly winds helped cause the sails to migrate through from up north. Afterward the anglers fished Lake Worth Inlet with Joe and tossed live shrimp on bucktails to fight sheepshead and mangrove snappers. They also fished with Joe the next day, but the action was less productive. Winds were more northerly and calmer that day, perfect conditions, and others hooked a few sails, but not many. The west winds on Saturday created a heavy chop, and the north winds on Sunday produced bigger swells. The water at the inlet was 68 to 69 degrees, cool for the area, from the west winds, and the ocean was 72 to 74 degrees. Joe sometimes fishes from Florida during winter on the boat that he runs offshore from Jersey in the summer. 

<b>Cape May</b>

Delaware Bay’s striped bass will probably start turning on by mid March, Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> said. He heard that a charter boat or two will start targeting the fish this weekend, and they might just catch. Clamming for the fish in the bay will be the thing to do for the most part this season, but during the very beginning of the bite the fish will be hooked on plugs and bucktails along the surface in the bay’s shallows like 10- and 12-foot depths near Bug Light, Reeds Beach and Bidwell Creek.  George didn’t mention the Maurice River Cove, but boaters last year were also reporting such catches there. The stripers roll right on top of the water at such places for a while until they move to somewhat deeper water and are mostly clammed on the bottom. The Heavy Hitter’s first trip of the year is slated for April 19, when its charters will begin to clam the bay for stripers but also for early season black drum. Drum fishing will mostly take off later in spring, but George’s first charters of the season all caught drum the past three years. Last year’s drum fishing peaked later than usual, but George got into the best catches then beginning May 19, when a charter hooked a whopping 32 of the fish. Striper fishing on the Heavy Hitter could probably begin earlier than April 19, but the marina only starts allowing boats in the water during the middle of that month. The beginning of the boat’s season is quite booked, and almost all dates are full, so better act quickly if you want to reserve a date.

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