<b>Hudson River</b>

Larger striped bass were starting to migrate up the river, and the breeder females inhaled chunked herring baits for anglers with <b>Hook-Em Charters</b>, Capt. Don said. The Kendall party on Friday night boated three of the bass to 24 pounds, and a four-person charter on Saturday night limited out on the linesiders to 26 pounds. The fishing will probably last in the area another week, and afterward Don will follow the fish upriver to Newburgh.

<b>Staten Island</b>

<b>Outcast Charters</b> left port on a striped bass trip with two anglers early in the morning Saturday, Capt. Rob said in an e-mail. Bunker were first castnetted for bait, and the hooked, fresh bunker baits were dropped in the water by 6:30 a.m. Bluefish started attacking right away, but a 20-pound striper was hauled up an hour later. Bluefish became more intense, so Outcast moved a little to another place, and blues bit again, but an 18-pound striper was drilled a half-hour later. A trip Thursday night was just the opposite, and mostly stripers and a few blues were reeled in. Bunker were again castnetted for bait first, and then the boat was set up for stripers. A few bluefish were hooked, and then all heck broke loose with stripers, and the linesiders invaded the slick a solid hour. Everybody on deck limited out, and all the bass were keepers, ranging from the minimum size to 20 pounds, and one angler bailed two 18-pounders.

<b>Bayonne</b>

One angler took a trip on the bay yesterday in east winds and not so great seas with Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>, Akira said.  The angler first fished waters along the 16 to 18 buoys at Reach Channel, and clammed a 15-pound, 35-inch striper. Then big, 30-inch blues were hammered, sometimes breaking off the line, because no wire leader was used, because stripers, leader-shy fish, were the goal. In the afternoon the trip fished in Raritan Bay with other boats, including party boats, but the fishing was slow. The bay was 60 degrees, and then the trip looked for stripers at Romer Shoal in 55-degree water, but nothing bit. Somewhat slow day, but the keeper striper and the big blues were a welcome catch. Besides fresh clams, the angler fished with live bunker snagged in Great Kills Harbor. True World will keep striper fishing and might bottom fish for ling in a couple of weeks. A customer reported loading up with keeper blackfish at the Mud Buoy.

<b>Laurence Harbor</b>

Striped bass were moving in, but bluefish were overpowering them, said Capt. Kyle from <b>Evening Tide Charters</b>. But that should change. The boat recently splashed, and charters are now available. Striper trips will liveline bunker for a hook-up, but if blues attack, anglers will switch to clam baits that blues prefer less than the oily menhaden. Evening Tide often castnets bunker for bait on charters, and anglers enjoy the experience.

<b>Keyport</b>

A charter on the bay yesterday bagged a 15-pound striped bass and three jumbo blues and released three short stripers, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. Several other jumbo blues got off at boat side, and all the fish were grabbed on clams. Winds were a lot less severe than on the previous day, and skies were overcast. Joe Tomak, 9-year-old son Brandon Tomak, Brandon’s friend Marshall and Nick and Mike Clementi were the anglers. An enjoyable day with a very good group of people, Joe said. Other boats were fishing, but not too many. Papa’s Angels is available for either charters or open-boat trips 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day this week, and call to reserve.

Anglers took a beating from seas on the bay in strong winds Saturday, said Capt. Carmine from <b>Lucky Carm Charters</b>.  He told Jason Price’s charter about the forecasts, but they decided to sail for stripers and blues anyway, and the fishing wasn’t so good, and they landed blues but came back early after 3 ½ hours because of the weather. They fished near the 3 buoy off Keyport, staying close to port because of seas, and both clams and bunker were the baits. An open-boat trip Sunday fared pretty well, boating scores of blues and a 33-inch, keeper striper, and releasing a short striper. Probably 25 other fish also popped off, action all day, and they fished in one spot without moving. Mostly chunked bunker was the bait, and a few live bunker were used, and clams were tried, but bunker worked best, and lots of bunker were swimming around. They fished near the 19 buoy. The group was made up of Rob Kieffer, who nabbed the keeper striper, Mike Denley, who released the 21-inch short, Sinclair Lee, who battled the biggest blue, a 10-pounder, and Rob Eckerson, who was high hook with a mess of blues. The water temp dropped 2 degrees to 58. Special, open-boat trips are running 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily when no charter is booked, and nighttime striper charters are now being offered in addition to daytime charters.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

On the <b>Atlantic Star</b> Friday afternoon’s trip started bottom fishing in the ocean at the Scotland Grounds, after winter flounder fishing seemed to slow down too much by the morning’s trip, and the bottom fishing was good, Capt. Tom said. A bunch of ling and a few keeper blackfish were boated. Saturday morning’s trip started to sail to Scotland, but seas were too rough. The boat fished the channel a moment, but nothing much bit, so it headed to the bay, and a few blackfish and flounder were landed, but the fishing wasn’t good. On Saturday afternoon seas and winds were stiff, but a group came down to fish, and Tom told them that conditions were too nasty to fish the ocean. So they fished the bay for a similar catch, not good fishing, and the Atlantic Star was the only party boat in the fleet that sailed. On Sunday morning seas were bumpy but not as much as on the previous day, and the trip made it to Scotland, and the catch was good, mostly ling again and a few keeper blacks and some shorts.  Three party boats sailed then. In the afternoon just enough people showed up to sail, and the Atlantic Star was again the only one in the fleet to make a trip, and the boat fished Scotland, and all aboard caught a bunch of ling, and a few blackfish were bagged. Trips were probably going to target mixed bags like that for now, and catches were productive when seas allowed the vessel to reach Scotland. The area is a bit of a boat ride to reach, but catches were plentiful so far, and the ride seemed worth it. The rods that patrons should use are somewhat heavier for heavier weights than flounder fishing, and the hooks are a little larger, a No. 1 that can catch ling, blacks and flounder. The Atlantic Star is sailing on two half-day trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

<b>Highlands</b>

Peter Germinario jumped aboard <b>Benchmark Sportfishing</b>’s latest addition to the fleet, a 20-foot Jones Brothers center console, and fished the Shrewsbury River on Saturday, the report on the boat’s web site said. He played lots of blues to 8 pounds and caught and released a handful of short stripers, and winter flounder refused to cooperate in windy, overcast weather. The Jones Brothers will be used on charters with smaller groups and on trips that fish with lighter tackle and in skinnier water than on Benchmark’s 44-foot Henriques. On Friday the Shamrock Technologies charter found only a few fish in beautiful weather, but stripers that were caught were all keepers to 20 pounds, and a 2-pound flounder was taken.

Flounder fishing dropped off by the end of the week, but striped bass fishing began to pick up, even if striper fishing wasn’t as great as expected at this time of year, said Capt. Bob from <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Charters</b>. The final flounder trip of the season fished Thursday, but only one keeper was bagged, and a few jumped off toward the surface, and crabs, skates and horseshoe crabs dominated the hook-ups at several spots around the Coast Guard Station. Bob spoke with a couple of captains who flounder fished at Romer Shoal at the mouth of the bay and at the Cedars in the ocean who had no luck. Anglers had to work at striped bass fishing, including battling blues to 14 pounds, but good catches of bass to 35 inches were made. Nighttime striper fishing was best, and Capt. Bob’s first nighttime charter of the season produced five keeper stripers to 33 inches and a bunch of throwbacks from 22 to 27 inches. He’s looking forward to the striper run reaching full steam. Daytime, evening and nighttime striped bass and bluefish charters are being booked. Reservations for fluke trips are also being accepted, and out-of-season fluke were already chomping on baits on flounder trips.

Seven striped bass to 28 pounds and a ton of bluefish were nailed in the bay Friday on an open-boat trip with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> on chunks of fresh bunker, Capt. Derek said. He usually castnets the baitfish in the mornings before trips. That was a good catch, but then strong winds kicked up seas and weathered out trips Saturday and Sunday on the bay, and friends who fished said they could barely stand. The water on Friday’s trip was 62 degrees, but the weather might’ve put a chill on the bay afterward. Striped bass fishing will be the name of the game for Fisher Price in the near future, until the opening of fluke season in late May allows fluking to be mixed in. Winter flounder trips are finished for the season on the boat. A few openings remain for charters on weekends and weekdays, but now’s the time to book, because dates will fill with the better fishing lately.

<b>Tuna-Tic Sportfishing</b> squeezed in a striped bass charter yesterday before the blow that rolled in, and the four anglers limited out on linesiders from 30 to 35 inches and released four throwbacks in the bay, Capt. Mike said. Striped bass fishing’s been good on the boat overall, and Mike was onto a spot that was producing in the past days, and others had worse luck. The fishing was only good on outgoing water or was tide-specific. Yesterday’s trip started fishing on incoming, and all the fish were scored at once on outgoing. Tuna-Tic’s season got off to a start last Wednesday and Thursday with trips that whacked keeper stripers. All trips were clamming for the bass. Space is available on an open-boat striper trip Friday evening, and call to reserve.

Trips with <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> last fished on Thursday, but Capt. Brian heard that striper fishing became somewhat difficult over the weekend, probably because of windy weather and rough seas, he said. Stripers are finicky when waters hover in the 50s, even the high 50s, and the bite can be affected by east winds that can also drop the temps. Anglers Brian talked with yesterday caught blues, except one boated a few bass. Jersey Devil is bunker chunking and livelining bunker for stripers, and openings remain for charters.

<b>Neptune</b>

A blackfishing trip was supposed to fish yesterday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> but broke the inlet a moment and turned back because of rough seas, Capt. Ralph said. That was an individual-reservation trip, and another individual-reservation trip for the tog is on the books for Wednesday, the last day of blackfishing season, and space is available. After the season closes, Ralph will play fishing by ear. He hopes to run for sea bass, if the humpbacks will bite. Striped bass trips, including individual-reservation ones, will begin in mid May.

<b>Belmar</b>

On the <b>Golden Eagle</b> patrons were jigging blues in the ocean from Sea Girt to Sea Bright, Capt. Greg said. The outings were actually striped bass and bluefish trips, and a few small stripers were mixed in, but mostly blues were schooling so far. Still, the striper migration could start any day, and the bluefish run was on. Mostly 3- to 7-pound blues hit, and sometimes bigger ones were hammered. Because the blues were migrating in schools, sometimes a drift would produce a bunch, and other times a drift might give up a few or none. Nighttime bluefishing trips will start soon. The Golden Eagle is fishing for striped bass and bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

Winter flounder catches, fairly plentiful ones, were picking up on the Manasquan River on the ocean side of the Railroad Bridge through Friday, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>, and that was the last he heard about the fishing. Bluefish swam in and out of Manasquan Inlet since last Monday, and on that day he heard about big, 6- to 8-pounders bending rods, and he fished Thursday and put a stop to 2- and 3-pounders. A bunch of striped bass slammed herring and plugs in the Point Pleasant Canal. Customers sometimes replenished their livewells with herring they found at Forge Pond and such local spots, but more anglers were gathering the baitfish on the Delaware River. Surf anglers clammed small striped bass, and nobody mentioned landing blues from the wash. Boaters in the ocean sometimes trolled blues but few stripers. On the bottom fishing front, somebody said a healthy catch of cod was taken on a trip on the party boat Voyager. Blackfish seemed on a tear at the inshore pieces. Be sure to stop by The Reel Seat’s big sale from Friday through Sunday, featuring discounts on rods, lures, clothing and just about something for everyone. The shop will offer a free workshop from Shimano on May 17 on the company’s Butterfly and Lucanus jigging systems, the last chance to attend one of the workshops in the region in the near future. Three sessions will be held, and call to reserve. Sign up for the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery’s <a href=" http://ssfff.org/raffle.html" target="_blank"> raffle for a boat, motor and trailer </a> for only $20.  Get a chance at a 17-foot Mako with a motor and trailer donated by the American Sportfishing Association and electronics donated by Henry’s Tackle, and support the SSFFF.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

<b>Angela Rose Charters</b> was back in action after Capt. Anthony spent a moment serving time in the Coast Guard Reserves. On Friday Roy Richard’s party sailed for winter flounder, Anthony said in an e-mail. He didn’t mention the location, but it’s assumed the fishing was on the Manasquan River. A bunch of flounder, half of them keepers, and a beautiful blowfish came up off the bat. Slack tide was slow, and the beginning of outgoing produced best. On Sunday three anglers were aboard for a flounder trip. The bite was at a standstill with no action until the last 2 hours. Then two flatbacks were boated within minutes of each other, and a flurry of action produced eight keepers, six shorts that were released and three fish that jumped off at the boat.  That’s 16 flatbacks landed in 2 hours, including a couple of double-headers, not a bad way to end the day. The biggest sea robin to date also got hooked, and so did a 17-inch, out-of-season fluke that Anthony reeled in. Phil Izzy was leading Angela Rose’s monthly pool for April with a 2-pound 2-ounce flounder. Various prizes are awarded for different spots, including a grand prize for the season. Everything from free, monthly open-boat spaces to Mai Tai tackle to T-shirts is up for grabs. With the flattie fishing coming to an end for the year, trips for blues and striped bass will be next on the slate on full- and half-day charters. Blues are already around, and trips will start chasing them around the river with top-water poppers and jigs on light tackle. When stripers turn up, charters will run along the ocean beaches searching for bird plays to cast to or will anchor and clam close to shore or troll in deeper water. 

A group of anglers were slated to fish for flounder Friday on the Manasquan River with <b>Reel Class Charters</b>, but after Capt. Allen told them about slow fishing on trips last week, they chose to reschedule a fluke/sea bass combo trip later in the season. But then another group got together and wanted to flounder fish that day, so Allen decided to give it one last shot. To his surprise, they scored 16 keepers around the beginning of Manasquan Inlet from the start of Fisherman’s Cove to just on the ocean side of the cove, mostly on the ocean side during a pick at the end of flood tide. Must’ve been a late push of fish exiting the river, he said. Two 3-pounders were among the catch, and bluefish swam around during most of the trip, and occasional jumbo sea robins bit. The anglers also fished from the train bridge to the Doggy Beach to the inlet at first, and nothing but a 17-inch, out-of-season fluke pounced the baits. Jigging for striped bass and bluefish in the ocean will be the next focus for Reel Class, until fluke trips will be added when fluke season opens May 24. Eventually fluke will be the mainstay through summer, including on open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Marathons.

The <b>Voyager</b> began fishing again Friday on a cod and pollock trip after annual spring maintenance a few weeks. Dog sharks were a problem, but patrons ended up with more than 70 cod, 15 pollock, more than 100 ling and more than 30 sea bass, a good catch, despite easterly winds, an e-mail from the boat said. The cod weighed up to 12 pounds, and the pollock were as large as 30 pounds, and the sea bass weighed up to 5 pounds. Most fish were taken in the first 30 minutes of each drop until the dogfish took over. Because cod fishing was so productive, another cod and pollock trip is slated for 10 p.m. Thursday, May 15, giving the wrecks time to rebuild, and call or e-mail the boat to reserve. Open-boat trips that fish the 20- to 40-mile wrecks are sailing, and so are a few offshore tilefish trips that require reservations. A few nighttime bluefish trips are on the books, and fluke fishing begins when fluke season opens May 24. See the full schedule on the boat’s web site.

Cod and ling, pretty good numbers, and a couple of pollock were reeled aboard from four wrecks 30 to 40 miles offshore on the <b>Gambler</b> on Friday, Capt. Bob said. Most of the cod weighed 6 to 12 pounds, and ling at that distance are big, mostly 2 to 3 pounds, and some on the trip were 4 pounds. Branko Kovach from Cliffside Park won the pool with two 16- and 12-pound cod and 24 healthy sized ling. Ross Kane walloped four cod from 6 to 13 pounds and 25 ling, and Anthony Mignoli came back with four cod from 6 to 10 pounds and 16 ling. One more trip will fish the 30- to 40-mile wrecks on Friday, and then the Gambler will start striped bass fishing from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. The boat will be locked and loaded for bear on the trips, with clams, jigs and everything needed to catch the linesiders, and the galley will serve hot food.

<b>Seaside</b>

Bluefish arrived in the surf early this season, and they were big, said the fishing report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. The great bluefishing in the suds last year seemed like it was going to repeat this year. Two regular customers wrestled to shore a 14-pounder and two 8-pounders in two days. Another customer checked in a 9-1/2-pound striped bass today that he clammed in the wash at Island Beach State Park. The surf was 52 degrees, 2 to 3 feet and clean. <a href=" http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for the latest.

Blues dominated the surf yesterday, mostly taking swipes at mullet or bunker, and short striped bass were clammed in the wash, and lots of blackfish hung along the jetties, said the fishing report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. At least three anglers limited out on blacks at Barnegat Inlet’s north jetty on crabs recently. Weigh-ins Sunday included four blues from 7 to 10 pounds and three blacks from 2 ½ to 4 ½ pounds. A couple of anglers called and reported keeper stripers that were bagged, but nobody weighed one in. The cooler weather that was passing through might’ve dropped the surf temps a degree or two, but that could trigger the striper migration that everyone was awaiting, and the temperatures should bounce back quickly. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Forked River</b>

A mess of mostly 6- to 7-pound blues were fought to the boat with <b>Seafood Fishing Charters</b> on Barnegat Bay on the troll on Saturday, Capt. John said. The anglers tested the waters for striped bass while clamming off Sedge Islands that day, but nothing was doing with stripers yet. Seafood also started looking around for stripers to clam at the same place the previous evening with no takers except a blue. But you’ve got to be there to get the first bites of the season. So bluefish are certainly an option in the bay, and striped bass fishing should come around in the bay and ocean, and Seafood usually fishes for big, tiderunner weakfish in the bay at this time of year. Jigheads with Mr. Twisters or Fin-S Fish cast in the early mornings can trick the trout.  A couple of spots are open for a two-day, open-boat trip that will compete in the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club Tournament.  Boats in the tournament are allowed to fish two days from July 30 to August 2. Last year the purse was $365,000, and 20 percent of any winnings go to the crew on the trip, but the rest goes to the anglers. Seafood’s boat makes it to the offshore grounds probably quicker than any other charter in the state. The 33-foot HydraSports features three 250 h.p. engines, cruises at 45 m.p.h., tops out at 60 m.p.h. and arrives at the canyons in 2 hours in fair seas. Anglers can spend more time fishing than traveling.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Blues 5 to 8 pounds smacked top-water popper lures on most of the shallow flats on Barnegat Bay for anglers with <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b>, Capt. Steve said in an e-mail. The action only promised to get better, because the blues were just arriving. The fishing was a steady pick, and multiple hook-ups might take place, and then the blues might disappear. “Should I stay or should I go,” became the decision, he said. But the visual attacks in crystal clear water were astounding, lots of fun, all in all, and great to get the reels screaming with consistency.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

The <b>June Bug</b>, docked at Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, after undergoing annual maintenance in the Tar Heel State, will fish offshore from there Friday or Saturday if the weather holds, Capt. Lindsay said. Small yellowfin tuna were boated in the waters lately, but the great thing about the area is that new pods of fish are always coming through along the Gulf Stream, only 38 miles from shore, unlike the 100-plus miles offshore of Jersey. Things could change in an instant. Blue marlin, mahi mahi and other blue-water big game were also hitting. Small blackfin tuna sometimes showed up, and so did a few small bluefin tuna, but bluefins were mostly gone for the season. If all goes as planned, the boat should return to Jersey afterward and start fishing for striped bass and blues. Big-game trips will begin from Jersey in mid June, when lots of tuna are usually swimming the grounds.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Blues poured through the surf and back bay, said the fishing report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. They dominated the waters, but stripers were found, too. One angler beached a 38-1/2-inch striper, and another landed a 36-incher, and both were reeled in from the island’s south jetty. A 13-pound weakfish was boated in the back bay, and out-of-season flounder reportedly lined the bay bottom.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

A 30-inch striped bass was checked in from the surf a few minutes before Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b> gave this report this morning, and a 37-inch 18-1/4-pound striper was weighed in recently, and so were a 22-pound drum and a 12-pound tog, all from the wash. So the fish were in, Noel said. Bluefish a foot or two long also swam the suds in decent numbers over the weekend and also pushed into the back waters. The stripers sucked down clams and bloodworms, and the drum inhaled clams. The tog chomped on green crabs, and the blues tore up frozen mullet. All the baits are stocked, and so are fresh bunker, eels, minnows and lots of other frozen baits in addition to the mullet.

<b>Longport</b>

Three hardy souls fished the ocean for tog in seas on the <b>Stray Cat</b> on Saturday, Capt. Mike said. Actually the seas were fine until building up around 2:30 or 3 p.m. They all limited out, even if there wasn’t much of a bite, and the biggest fish weighed 5 ½ or 6 pounds. Open-boat trips will target tog through the final day of the season on Wednesday if the weather allows. Forecasts were looking questionable, but forecasts were often unreliable lately. When the season closes Thursday, open trips will run to the 15- to 20-mile wrecks for sea bass. A decent showing of the lumpheads appeared in the past few days, and big blues also harassed waters, and they’ll also be an option for fishing. Small blues and a few stripers were apparently blitzing the inlet at times. Mike was already looking ahead to offshore fishing for bluefin tuna starting possibly during the third or fourth week of May. The boat will probably run a number of open trips for bluefins on Sundays and maybe during the week at the grounds 20 to 40 miles off. By June 7 open trips will end for the season to make room for a busy schedule of charters. Stray Cat charters for any fish in season.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Patrons on the <b>Captain Robbins</b> were pulling on tog on trips Thursday through Saturday, Capt. John said. On Thursday Keith Shooster won the pool with a 6-1/2-pound tog and limited out, and Mike Williams limited out on the blackfish to 6 pounds, and Steve Marino caught his quota to 5 pounds. On Friday outdoor writer Lou Rodia nailed an 8-1/2-pounder and limited out, and Eddie Meriabi boxed a limit to 7 pounds, and Teddy Terroks took a limit to 6 pounds. Also on Friday Dan Quinn scored a 26-inch cod, a 21-inch cod and a 4-1/2-pound sea bass. He reeled in no tog, but nobody’s likely to complain with that catch. He did boat 10 dog sharks but sorted through the pests to connect. On Saturday “Hollywood” Smith won the pool with a 7-1/2-pound slippery. Some bluefish were also boated on trips.  When blackfishing season closes on Thursday the boat will run for mixed bags of ling, sea bass, cod and pollock. The Captain Robbins is sailing 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> this weekend was moving the boat on the second leg of a trip from Florida that he runs offshore from Jersey in summer, he said. The boat winters in Florida, and he ran the trip this weekend 460 nautical miles to Jersey from North Carolina, making it to the Garden State in 20 hours. When he hit the waters off Cape May around 3 or 4 p.m., seas changed almost instantly to 6 to 8 feet from flat waters previously, a sudden difference that others also reported. Joe therefore ran no back-bay fishing trips this weekend, but his charters were having a blast catching bluefish that invaded the waters last week, and that action will continue. Soft plastic lures or flies retrieved slowly on the bottom were getting walloped in the cool water. Striper catches were also possible in the back, and weakfish occasionally hit in the waters, and so did lots of out-of-season flounder, boding well for the opening of the flattie season May 24. Joe recommends booking back-bay flounder trips early, because the area’s flatback fishing is best before the season wears on. In the meantime, the blues could offer up no better action, a fast, furious pace, loads of fun. The speedsters will stick around a few weeks until moving to the ocean.  

<b>Wildwood</b>

Cape May Reef and the inshore wrecks served up excellent catches of tog, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. Jim McClintock limited out on the blackfish at the reef and weighed in a 12-pounder. Poverty Beach surf casters beached big striped bass on clams, and John Duncan checked in a 23-pounder. Back-bay striper fishing was slow, but 2- to 3-pound blues stormed the bays. Plenty of out-of-season flounder hugged bottom in the bays. The annual penny-per-yard fishing line sale is running through Saturday. Stop by and see Cathy at the shop’s Hobie Fishing Kayak booth at the Stone Harbor Boat Show on Saturday and Sunday.

<b>Cape May</b>

Four trips striped bass fished on Delaware Bay on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> from Friday through Saturday, Capt. Tom said. Anglers on the trip Friday morning took down four keepers and released 14 shorts, but then fishing took a turn for the worse, maybe because of stiff weather that was rolling in. Only two shorts were hooked and released on the next three trips, and winds built horrendous seas by Saturday afternoon, with 5- to 6-footers stacked tightly on the ride home, probably some of the worst conditions Tom ever sailed on the bay. So fishing fell apart, despite 58- to 60-degree, clean, clear water. After Friday morning’s catch Tom thought the bite was finally breaking open, and called a buddy in, and he bailed a catch, too. But by the afternoon, he and friends on two other boats were fishing the bay, and a total of seven stripers were probably landed among them. The Fishin’ Fever on its trips targeted 15- to 25-foot depths all over the bay, from Tussy’s Slough in the south to mid bay to clear up to the northern bay at Cross Ledge toward Fortescue. Tom thinks that another wave of migrating stripers might push into the bay before spawning linesiders return to the bay from the Delaware River, when big breeders should be able to be hooked.  Striper fishing on the river didn’t sound great, but Tom knew about a few big ones, like 50-pounders, that were beaten. He heard about no black drum bagged on the bay, but he was marking fish that looked like drum that were stacked up but refused to bite, something others would also report this weekend.

Fishing for striped bass was tough during the weekend, and a couple of shorts managed to be caught on a long trip Saturday, and Sunday’s trip was weathered out, said Capt. Mike from <b>Copacetic Sportfishing</b>. He fished different areas from the flats to the sloughs, and dog sharks were abundant, and seas started kicking up in the afternoon, and the trip stayed on the water 10 hours to try to hook more stripers. But Mike thinks the best striper fishing is probably yet to come, and he knows someone who’s been fishing farther south, along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, who’s been bailing bass, so maybe plenty of the fish will still migrate north to Delaware Bay. Anglers were waiting for the bay’s drum fishing to begin. Charters will keep sailing for stripers and will start drum fishing when those fish turn on.

Delaware Bay’s striped bass fishing dropped off toward the end of the week, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>.  Charters earlier in the week fared better, and trips on Friday and Saturday were tougher, but each landed at least a couple of stripers. George knew four other boats that caught nothing. Boaters had to keep running to Miah Maul for catches, although stripers usually swim the sloughs and surrounding areas in the southern bay, closer to Cape May, at this time of year. But the southern bay was full of dog sharks. Bill Lyons’ charter on Friday morning landed stripers to 34 inches, and Mike Callahan’s group on Saturday morning reeled in stripers to 32 inches. During the afternoon seas turned wicked like night and day between 2 and 2:30, and a trip had to return to port. Sunday’s fishing was cancelled because of forecasts for rough seas. George marked big piles of drumfish in the bay, but none of the boomers would bite, maybe because they were spawning or because waters were too cold, but the reason was impossible to know. George hoped the fishing would turn around. Dates are available for charters on weekdays, but next Sunday is the only open weekend spot until June.

Decent catches of striped bass were drawn from Delaware Bay at the beginning of the week, but the fishing became a struggle by the end of the week, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Mike Guerriero’s party early in the week boated four keepers to 35 inches and released 20 shorts. Brett Fisher’s gang on Friday nabbed two keepers and released four shorts. On Saturday a bachelor party charter only copped a couple of bites, and a charter Sunday was cancelled because of the weather. The weather also looked like it would be socked in during the next day or two. But the good news was that drum were marked all over the place, though they weren’t biting yet. Bob expects them to start to feed when the water warms a couple of degrees and after the fish spawn. The other good thing was that plenty of out-of-season summer flounder covered the bottom of the bay. Openings remain for striper and drum charters.

Striped bass fishing was tough on a Delaware Bay trip Saturday, Capt. Dave from <b>Fine Line Fishing Charters</b> said, but he persevered until a 32-inch keeper was boated. One bite, one fish, and the bite was only a slight tap. The fish was bagged in 23 feet near Miah Maul, where 75 or 100 boats, including charter and party boats, must’ve been fishing. Fine Line first set up in 15 feet, away from the fleet, but later joined the fleet, and catches were dead for everyone. Dave saw one other striper boated on one of the vessels. He kept fishing even when most of the fleet departed, and that’s when the linesider hit. Clams were the bait, and Dave changes bait every half-hour or so, and Fine Line chums with three or four crushed clams occasionally thrown in the water. The water was 58 degrees, and the anchor was pulled at 2:15 p.m., before seas got too rough. Someone he knows fished at the Horseshoe in the bay Friday but only reeled in dog sharks. Dave heard about no drum landed. His next striper trip sails Saturday. Besides charters, Fine Line is offering
a schedule of open-boat trips.

A striped bass charter on the bay was cancelled Sunday because of forecasts for windy weather, said Capt. Ray from <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b>. The fishing sounded slow over the weekend, and although Ray knew nobody who sailed in Sunday’s weather, he decided not to take a crew trip either, because of reports about the fishing. A push of fish seemed to come into the bay earlier in the week, and catches were apparently taken Friday morning, but the bottom fell out by Saturday, and catches were slow. Ray heard about no drum boated during the week, and drum fishing might begin after the new moon at the beginning of next week and should last until the first or second week of June. Ray did hear about big stripers beached in the Cape May surf, including a 43-pounder. Another angler dragged two 30-pound stripers from the wash.

Back to Top