<b>Staten Island</b>

Striped bass trips were limiting out with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, but the fishing was taking work, Capt. Anthony said. That was even the case on nighttime trips, when stripers can sometimes bite better. Trips were usually bagging bass to 18 to 22 pounds, and occasionally smaller. All were hooked on live or chunked bunker, including bunker heads. An “insurmountable” number of blues attacked. So the fishing wasn’t easy, but hard work put together catches. Both daytime and nighttime charters are targeting stripers, and so are Blue Collar Specials, open-boat trips that sail every Tuesday and Thursday from about 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., though the times can be flexible. Space is available on the open trips, but the schedule does get tight. Barbara’s Anne’s daily open trips for flounder were almost full during much of the season.

A very good catch of stripers to 32 pounds was nailed Saturday on the bay with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, and three of the keepers weighed a hair more than 30 pounds apiece, Capt. Joe said. Lots of the stripers that swam around weighed more than 20 pounds. On the previous trip last week the stripers seemed like a different class of fish that weighed less than the average ones landed before, so now the larger bass seemed to be back. On this trip the bass took baits more aggressively than the trip immediately prior. On the prior trip they grabbed baits lightly and were difficult to hook. But on this current trip the hook-up ratio was better because of the stronger bite. The fishing was solid about an hour, and lots of blues schooled. Bunker were the baits, and the crew had been considering switching to clams, because clammers seemed to score better for a moment, but then bunker seemed to do the trick again, so Outcast stuck with the menhaden. The season’s first striper/sea bass combo is slated for this week, and sea bass fishing seemed to be coming around. The storm Friday might’ve put off the lumpheads for a moment, and that’s common with the fish, but they were apparently migrating inshore in decent numbers.

<b>Bayonne</b>

Two anglers hopped aboard for a trip to Scotland for bottom fishing Sunday, and there was a swell, but they reeled in 10 keeper ling, 10 keeper sea bass, lots of throwback sea bass, five out-of-season, keeper-sized tog, and big, out-of-season porgies, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. They released the throwbacks and out-of-season fish. So the fishing was okay, and the anglers were happy, because they wanted to land a variety of bottom fish, he said. A customer fished the same area but arrived earlier and lifted up 50 ling. A striped bass charter was supposed to fish today, though windy weather looked probable. Customers were also catching stripers, sometimes lots, and sometimes loads of blues at Robbins Reef and the Kill Van Kull.

<b>Laurence Harbor</b>

Charlie Rahner headed out to the bay yesterday morning to liveline and chunk bunker, mostly liveline, with <b>Evening Tide Charters</b>, Capt. Kyle said. Charlie boated a striped bass, lost several others, including about a 20-pounder that got off near the boat, and tackled 17 blues, mostly 8- or 10 pounders, and a few smaller ones.  A couple of the bunker were reeled back with scales stripped off but without missing parts like tails, apparently mauled by the toothless stripers. Another charter was slated for today, though forecasts for strong winds looked questionable. Striped bass fishing lately was hit or miss on the bay, and the fish were scattered. Evening Tide specializes in livelining and chunking for large bass at this time of year.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Some days of striper fishing on the bay were good, some were poor, said Capt. Mick from the <b>CRT II</b>. On Wednesday Jim Burke’s group nabbed eight bass and 10 blues, and on Friday Brian Harvey’s gang took eight bass and a few blues. On Saturday morning Pete Mayer’s crew boxed a few bass, big ones at least, and a few blues, but the catch was poor, and winds against tide created crummy conditions. On Chip Brown’s trip on Saturday afternoon, fishing was a “disaster,” Mick said, and one good-sized bass was boated. On Sunday Jim Mascoli’s charter totaled eight stripers and some blues, fair fishing. Eight seemed the magic number on trips. So the bite was tough at times, but some of the fish were fairly large, and a 27-pounder was the biggest, and each day pretty much gave up one or more bass close to 20 pounds. The linesiders were there, and it was a matter of getting the right conditions, and the fishing was hit or miss, and everybody Mick talked to said about the same. Early mornings were best, and charters on the boat fished with clams in clam chum. Some prime dates remain for charters in June, especially on weekdays. Fluke season opens Saturday, and the CRT II runs lots of fluke trips, even though stripers will fill much of the schedule at first.

Good-sized stripers were on the feed right away in the morning on Friday’s trip on the <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in an e-mail. Afterward the weather deteriorated, with 25-knot winds and stronger gusts from the east. But while the catches lasted, Tom Krako dusted three linesiders, and Lou Ciafatti drilled a 24-pounder, currently leading the boat’s pool for the biggest bass. A charter fished on the boat Saturday, and boat traffic was too heavy to target the shallows. A keeper striper and a few shorts were boated, and the trip bounced around to different spots, and the anglers picked one or two bass at a shot. Not great fishing, but compared with what others were reporting that day, good enough. Mark Santagata was high hook with three keepers and the pool winner, a 44-inch 26-pounder. A nighttime trip Saturday was slow. By Sunday, the stripers that had been coming through, mostly larger females, definitely seemed to keep going, and smaller males, but no great numbers, were seen. “After 30 years, I still haven’t figured it out!” Ron said. After some stops that produced blues and a healthy sized striper, the boat ran to the channels, and patrons jigged all the blues they could want, with one bass in the mix. Ron hoped stripers would turn on with the current, but no such luck. A trip also fished Sunday night, and blues, no bass, were caught, according to a report while the vessel was still out. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Magic Hour Trips are running for stripers 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

Lots of ling and a few sea bass were reeled aboard at Scotland yesterday on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. The fishing bounced back after rough seas made it drop off a moment last week, and out-of-season blackfish also grabbed baits and were released. The bite was as good as nice fishing at Scotland before the weather, and everybody on the trip went home with dinner. Catches should hold up. On Saturday after the ocean got riled up from Friday’s blow, the boat fished the bay for stripers, but the fishing was poor and seemed to drop off for all boats, unfortunately a bad day to happen to have striper fished, and Tom wished he had ran to Scotland. The vessel will keep bottom fishing through Friday on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The trips will switch to fluke fishing when fluke season opens Saturday. <b>UPDATE, Tuesday, 5/20:</b> After winds blew too strongly to fish the ocean yesterday, the morning trip today fished Scotland on the Atlantic Star, and bunch of ling and a few sea bass kept getting boated, a catch unaffected by yesterday’s blow. This is the last chance to take home the bottom fish for dinner before trips switch to fluking by the end of the week. No trip sailed this afternoon.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Sandy Hook Fishing Adventures</b> hosted a Take a Soldier Fishing Trip with George Erdle, Jesse Ordunez, Greg Sligh and James Watts, all of whom served in the Middle East and are from Fort Dix, Capt. Bob said in an e-mail. Striped bass refused to cooperate, but the soldiers had a blast tackling blues to 12 pounds. Three generations of the Houck family were aboard, and although the striper bite was again off, Rod Houck Jr. scored his first-ever keeper. Still, striper fishing was generally good lately at Romer Shoal, Flynn’s Knoll and the clam beds off Sandy Hook. Stripers were sucking down either clams or bunker, depending on the location. Anglers from the Tinton Falls Soccer Club took a trip yesterday and blasted 6- to 14-pound blues between the channels. Striped bass and bluefish charters are still being accepted, and prime dates are filling. Fluke season opens Saturday, and fluke charters are also being booked. Striper anglers have caught big fluke to 22 inches by mistake and released them. 

Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> ran a trip that competed in the Manhattan Cup on Friday in very difficult conditions but scored three striped bass to 16 ½ pounds with bluefish mixed in, he said. On Saturday he headed another trip that competed in the American Striper Association Tournament, and fishing was difficult, and stripers to 20 pounds were trolled on spoons in the western bay, but too late in the day to weigh in. Charters are running for stripers this week on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and Jersey Devil specializes in catching trophy bass and is a veteran striper tournament winner.

Striped bass fishing was kind of up and down on the bay toward Romer Shoal in the past few days between rough weather that sometimes created difficult conditions, like winds against tides, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. A trip Friday scored a pick of six stripers, and another on Saturday afternoon limited out on 10 of the fish. On Sunday morning anglers onboard bagged five keepers, and in the afternoon another trip boxed four. All the trips clammed for the fish, and bunker seemed difficult to find for bait with the weather, so Derek switched to clams. Bluefish were no problem while fishing with clams, though bunker can sometimes draw them in. The linesiders were difficult to figure out, because they’d turn on at one place in the morning and refuse to bite at the same place in the afternoon, for example. Fisher Price fishes for stripers until mid July, but fluke charters will also be on tap when fluke season opens Saturday.

Fishing for striped bass in the past days started very well on the <b>Benchmark</b> in the bay with a charter Thursday that limited out in beautiful weather, the report on the boat’s web site said. The bite was best in the morning and trailed off as the day went on. On Friday a charter fished the first of three straight days and pinned down seven keepers and released seven shorts in 6 hours before rains, winds and nasty weather move in. The charter the next morning, on Saturday, claimed an excellent catch of bass, limiting out, in good weather. In the afternoon another group headed out and took four keeper stripers, released a couple of shorts and walloped lots of blues. The three-day charter wrapped up its trips Sunday on a tough day of fishing, boating only one 22-pound striper. Things should pick up after the full moon, the report said.

Charters last week just about all limited out on striped bass on the bay, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Tuna-Tic</b>. But the fishing was slow on a trip Sunday and seemed slow for everyone, and no trip sailed Saturday. Anglers on the boat are clamming for the fish. Striper charters will fish from the Highlands through June 8, and afterward the boat will relocate to Waretown to shark fish from Barnegat Inlet through June 23. Trips will target bluefish from Barnegat Inlet between sharking. Eventually the vessel will run a heavy schedule of tuna charters and open-boat trips.

The <b>Katie H</b>, previously fishing from Brielle, is moving to the Highlands, Capt. Mike said. Annual maintenance was being wrapped up before trips are launched, but the boat might start striper fishing in the next days. Catches sounded hit or miss, the last Mike heard, and the boat will be available to sail for fluke and sea bass soon, and sharking will take off in June, and lots of tuna fishing will go down afterward. Mike just came back from a cod and haddock trip on the Kayman II from Gloucester, Mass. Big, 25- to 30-pound, spawned-out, female cod were bailed, and so were a load of 9- to 10-pound cod and a mess of haddock. The fishing was in full swing and took place only 15 minutes from shore. Mike fished on the Kayman II the past five or six hears and highly recommends the vessel.

<b>Neptune</b>

Striped bass fishing was fantastic on three of four trips that fished the ocean Saturday on the two boats from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Bass to 25 pounds were clammed and trolled, and a few blues were mixed in. Limited space remains on an individual-reservation striped bass trip Wednesday, May 28. A charter today was bottom fishing, and plenty of sea bass could be pulled from the depths lately. <b>UPDATE, Tuesday, 5/20:</b> Sea bass to 5 pounds were boated on yesterday’s trip, and out-of-season fluke and blackfish were caught and released. Fluke season, opening Saturday, looked promising, and individual-reservation fluke trips will sail every Wednesday starting June 11.

<b>Belmar</b>

Sea bass and ling, equal numbers of both, made up the catch on bottom-fishing charters on the 77-foot <b>Bandit</b> the past two days, Capt. Scotty said. The fish were pulled aboard in 45 to 70 feet, and out-of-season blackfish bit, and probably 40 keeper-sized ones were released on one trip. Bottom-fishing charters will continue, and daytime bluefishing trips are on tap, and nighttime bluefishing will be added next week. Fluke trips will begin to be offered Saturday, when fluke season opens. 

On the <b>Nan Sea J</b> charters reeled up mostly blues and sometimes stripers in the ocean while clamming, fishing with bunker and jigging, Capt. Tom said. The blues ranged 3 to 12 pounds, and the bigger ones preferred bait, and the stripers were up to 35 inches. Charters are also available to bottom fish for sea bass and such. Annual, open-boat sharking trips will sail every Wednesday in June and July, an awesome opportunity to tangle with the beasts without having to charter the whole boat. The schedule becomes full, so reserve dates if you want an opportunity to head out during the short season for the monsters. Shark charters are also offered, and sharking is Tom’s favorite fishing.

Fishing started slowly on Saturday but ended up very well on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, with bluefish to 12 pounds boated far north of the inlet, Capt. Greg said. The season’s first nighttime bluefishing trip left the dock that night, but catches were off, and the water was cold and 51 degrees, and lots of fish were marked but refused to bite. One striper, the only striper of the weekend, was bagged in the dark. No trip fished Sunday, because crowds apparently steered clear of rains. The Golden Eagle is sailing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Nighttime bluefishing trips will probably fish again Friday and Saturday and might begin running daily next week.

<b>Brielle</b>

Blues about 3 to 4 pounds were fought at Manasquan Inlet on Saturday, and the first shad of the season swam up the inlet, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Striped bass could be reeled in from Manasquan River on bucktails, Fin-S Fish and such, although fishing did slow on the river because of freshwater runoff from rains. A customer said that fishing for blues and stripers had been dead at the Point Pleasant Canal the past couple of days. But boaters at the canal could still grab stripers while drifting livelined herring. A customer weighed in a 17-pound weakfish on Saturday, and the big tiderunners were around at various places. He brought the weak to the shop to be mounted, because Chuck from the store does skin mounts. Plenty of sea bass were hauled up from the inshore wrecks, and George Lewis from the Cast Bronze weighed in a 3-3/4-pounder and caught a bunch more. Four anglers on the Four C’s limited out on sea bass, caught and released out-of-season tog to 9 pounds and released an out-of-season, 4-pound fluke in 100 feet south of the inlet. A few cod also kept holding at the wrecks. Speaking of fluke, lots covered the bottom of the Manasquan, and fluke season opens Saturday. The Reel Seat carries a large variety of fluke rigs, bucktails and tackle. Nothing was heard about surf fishing. Shimano held a workshop at the store over the weekend on the company’s butterfly and Lucanus jigs that Dave said went well.  The Reel Seat is now open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Mondays through Fridays, 6:30 .m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. Next month the doors will also be open till 8 p.m. Fridays.  Sign up for the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund’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. The fund hired a scientist to survey the summer flounder population as part of the organization’s efforts to save the fishery from harsh restrictions that it suspects the government is basing on highly flawed government surveys, and a press release is expected to give an update this week on the scientist’s work so far. Keep an eye on the fund’s web site for the news.

More and more sea bass to 4 ½ pounds were migrating inshore, including at the local wrecks and rock piles near Manasquan Inlet, and catches of the fish were improving on the <b>Paramount</b>, an e-mail from the boat said. The numbers of ling were also increasing around the same grounds, and patrons were also pulling them up. High hooks and pool winners from the past couple of days included Harry Grissinger with 18 sea bass, Bobo Zepto with 16 sea bass, and Ossman Oughrli with 13 sea bass to 4 pounds. The crew expected good catches of sea bass on trips in the coming week. The boat is fishing for sea bass and ling from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Monday Marathon Trips are running 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Plenty of blues were boated Saturday on the <b>Jamaica</b>, mostly on jigs, and a few striped bass were also bagged, and e-mail from the boat said. Erik Bogan, 13, jigged an 18-1/2-pound striper on a yellow-tailed A-47, and he and Jimmy Campo combined for 15 blues to 11 pounds. Pool winners were Ricardo Alves with a 16-pound striper and Jamal Taylor with an 11-pound blue. The trips, running for stripers and blues at 7:30 a.m. daily, start fishing with jigs in the mornings, but clams and bunker are carried for bait. Nighttime trips will run daily starting Friday. Fares had to be increased because of ever-rising fuel prices. Special passes are available at a substantial discount for six or twelve trips for striped bass and bluefish season. <b>Bogan’s Boating School</b> is offering the boating safety course and certificate required in New Jersey. The next one-day classes take place June 7 and 22, and the next two-day classes take place during the evenings on Wednesday and Thursday, all at Bogan’s Basin. Private classes are available for eight or more students, with a discount for 10 or more, at your own location. Simply choose two 3-hour blocks of time and arrange an instructor. The test-out option ends June 1 but is available until then from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at Bogan’s Basin for those born before 1979.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Three anglers jumped aboard Saturday with <b>Angela Rose Charters</b>, broke the inlet and met flat-calm seas from west winds, despite forecasts for 3 to 5’s, an e-mail from the boat said. They cruised north, and pockets of bait were found, but neither jigging nor trolling turned up fish. After a few hours, they switched to Plan B, and the crew headed to a “secret” area that held cocktail blues the past few weeks. The anglers landed one blue after another. Angela Rose is sailing for striped bass and blues and will add fluke trips when fluke season opens Saturday. Both charters and shared-charters or open-boat trips are available for all the species, and combos are also possible, like striper fishing in the morning followed by fluke fishing later.

A charter on the <b>Reel Class</b> ran north Saturday in the ocean in lots of dirty water after Friday’s storm to try to jig or troll striped bass or blues, Capt. Allen said. The anglers made it all the way to the Shrewsbury Rocks, and fish were marked, but nothing bit. They took their time heading back south, trolled, jigged and landed a few blues, a tough day. Allen heard that fishing was slower Sunday, apparently because of the full moon. But fishing’s been okay at the Rocks on the troll in the early mornings. Jigging trips for stripers and blues will keep sailing, and fluke fishing will begin when fluke season opens Saturday. Reel Class does lots of fluking through the summer, including on open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Marathons. Many dates are already full, but some are available, and Reel Class’s web site can be checked for availability.

<b>Seaside</b>

“Some nice bass around!” said the fishing report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site this morning. Ray Kerico, who, the last that was heard, works at the shop and also used to work at the late, great FishBuzz Bait & Tackle in Toms River, weighed in a 27.3-pound, 40-1/2-inch lunker that he caught on bunker from the surf at Island Beach State Park. Other weigh-ins included a 26.6-pound striper, a 23.9-pounder and a 16.3-pounder, all taken on Grumpy’s bunker. An 8.5-pounder and an 8.3-pounder were also checked in that both inhaled Grumpy’s clams. Short stripers were still caught from the wash, but they were “now in the range of almost a keeper,” the site said. Reports were heard regularly about schools of bunker cruising just out of casting range from the suds. Blues seemed “disorganized” in the surf, but 2- to 3-pounders to gators in the teens were landed, “just blasting in and out on a whim,” the report said. If you were on the beach, you had a shot at them. If you were waiting for a phone call to tell you when they were in, you missed them. The water was 56 to 57 degrees, and the shop expected it to warm and fishing with artificials to kick in soon. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Forked River</b>

Kit Cheng and friends from Delaware took a trip for striped bass Sunday with <b>Seafood Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. John said. A linesider just shy of 23 pounds was nailed in the ocean on the troll off the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park. John also heard about a few other stripers caught, and a neighbor reeled in four, so the area’s striper fishing seemed just starting. The charter first snagged bunker for bait then anchored and clammed for bass in Barnegat Bay at the Sedge Islands. Nothing was doing, and they trolled the west side of the bay, reeling in a bluefish off the bat. Next they fished the bunker in the ocean off Island Beach, and at first nothing bit. The boat moved north to Seaside off the Ferris Wheel then came back to Island Beach and trolled bunker spoons, and that’s when the fish was bagged, and another got off. Then seas became nasty when south winds picked up, and the charter decided to come home. Seafood will keep sailing for stripers, and fluke fishing will begin when fluke season opens Saturday. Besides charters, a bunch of open-boat dates are available, and will be posted on the boat’s web site soon. In the meantime, anglers can call for the schedule. Tuna charters are now starting to be booked, and reserving preferred dates is a good idea. Seafood’s boat makes it to the tuna 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. Space is tentatively full on a two-day, open-boat trip that will compete in the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club Tournament, but some deposits haven’t been made yet.  Boats in the tournament are allowed to fish two days from July 30 to August 2. Last year’s purse was $365,000, and 20 percent of any winnings go to the crew on the trip, but the rest goes to the anglers.

<b>Waretown</b>

Fishing for striped bass was turning on in Barnegat Bay, said Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> in an e-mail. Respectable-sized linesiders were also trolled in the ocean, mostly on bunker spoons. But pods of bunker schooled just before the blow, so livelining bunker for a hook-up should take off again this week. Alan Raab was aboard Thursday and beat a 21-pound striper on clam while clam chumming at Oyster Creek Channel. Blues were then trolled and plugged on spinning rods on the mainland side of the bay in a pocket of 65-degree water that was found. Fishing will only get better, Dave said.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Light-tackle bluefishing on Barnegat Bay was the most dependable action and the highlight through the week, said Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b>. Out-of-season fluke and blackfish also hit and were released. But with bunker schools starting to stack up off Long Beach Island, and with more and more larger striped bass livelined on bunker or trolled, trophy striped bass action should explode soon, maybe this week, Steve hoped. Dave Cole’s party got into sporty action with bluefish in the back of the bay on Bass Kandy Delights on light tackle. They also hooked and released a few good-sized blackfish. Regular customer Wayne Salvi and friend Mike took a trip in punishing weather Friday, when fish refused to cooperate. Steve Vavricka and friend Paul hooked up with slamming bluefish action Sunday, doubled up on 2- to 5-pounders that attacked BKDs in the back of the bay. A 5- or 6-pound fluke also nabbed one of the lures and jumped off at boatside. Later the same day, Dean and Linda Poetzl were aboard in a huge bluefish blitz on the bay with nobody else around. However, the bite was a little irregular, subtle, and lots of the fish short struck and missed the hooks. But a few blues were managed, and so was a 26-inch, short striper that was released.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Anthony “Black Cloud” Daversa slammed a 48-pound striped bass from the Brigantine surf on Friday, said the report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. What’s more, he nailed a 34-pound striper from the island’s wash that morning. Holy cow! At least five or six 20-pounders hit the shop’s scale on Sunday, and fishing’s been “hot,” the report said. The bite was taking place from a little before high tides through most of outgoing. A new batch of fresh clams were arriving for bait today.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Striped bass weighed in from the suds during the weekend included a 38-inch 17-pounder, a 37-inch 16-pounder and a 33-inch 11-1/2-pounder, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. A 27-inch, 6-1/2-pound weakfish was also checked in from the surf. Stripers in the wash were sucking down clams, bloodworms and mullet, and weakies along the beach were inhaling bloodworms, white, salt-shaker Lunker City soft plastic lures, and all-white Bombers, and those two lures were the ones really getting attention. Blues in the surf were also smacking mullet and mackerel, and kingfish there were sometimes picking up bloodworms. Good-sized, out-of-season flounder also swam the surf and the back bay, welcome news for the opening of flounder season Saturday. All the flounder baits, including minnows, squid and dark-meated baitfish like herring for strip baits were already stocked, and so is a full supply of flounder rigs. Out-of-season tog were also abundant in the back waters. All the baits mentioned are carried, and so are eels, fresh bunker, green crabs and more.

<b>Longport</b>

Half the boat, the sharpies, limited out on sea bass, and others bailed 12 to 15, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. The vessel fished on open-boat trips for the knotheads from Thursday through Sunday, and cod and pollock were mixed in. The water cleaned up but was cold and 54 degrees by Sunday, and currents and winds made anchoring tough, sometimes requiring two or three shots at anchoring, but when the boat sat right, so did the fishing. Open-boat trips for sea bass will run daily, and combo, open-boat trips for sea bass and flounder will launch Saturday, when flounder season opens. If the drift is right for flounder fishing, patrons will hunt the flatties first and then go sea bassing. A squid trip is actually slated for Friday and is full, so Mike added another squid trip Saturday, June 7, and six spots are available. If all goes well, and there’s demand, more squid trips will be added. If you want to go, give him a holler. Charters will start to dominate the schedule as usual in early June, but Mike decided to keep running open-boat trips every Thursday and Sunday through summer.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Sea bass gave up good catches for patrons on the <b>Captain Robbins</b>, Capt. John, the boat’s owner, said. On Wednesday Tom Assucci won the pool with a 4-1/4-pound sea bass, and on Thursday Lou Hernandez took the pool with a 4-1/2-pounder and Bob Baldwin loaded up with 16 of the knuckleheads to 4 pounds. On Saturday Paul Butek won the pool with a 3-1/2-pounder, and on Sunday Paul Ramirez hauled up a 5-pounder, and he and his girlfriend combined for 22 of the fish. On the same day Jessica Orcutt, 10, reeled in 19 sea bass, and Rich Panella’s group with Charlie Bell and Tom Santirdo took home scores of the fish. The Captain Robbins, with Capt. Mike Weigel at the helm, is sailing for sea bass 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and clams are provided for bait.

Julio and Sergio Rojas battled blues to the boat on the back bay on soft plastic lures Saturday, despite fierce winds, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Nick Calio was on deck Sunday morning and fly rodded a throwback striper and some blues, and although he caught, the action was off, and maybe the effects of recent strong winds and weather finally took its toll. The trip started in beautiful weather, when the fish were landed, and afterward winds and overcast skies rolled in. Clouser flies on sinking lines worked along the bottom got the attention on the flats. The retrieve rather needed to be fast in the shallows to keep the fly along the bottom but not right on it. The bay was 58 to 62 degrees, depending on the location. Bluefishing should pick up again and was gangbusters on prior trips, and plenty of out-of-season flounder schooled the bay, and Joe expects good numbers to be caught when the season opens Saturday. The early season gives up the best flattie fishing in the back waters. In other news, surf anglers pulled in a few striped bass that ate clams and sometimes kingfish that swallowed bloodworms. Blues could be found from the banks of the inlets at times, and look for working birds to find them, throwing soft plastic lures.  

<b>Wildwood</b>

Great catches of drum, sometimes double digits per boat, came up from Tussy’s Slough and the Pin Top on Delaware Bay, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b>. Plenty of blues and out-of-season flounder filled the back bay, and everyone was looking forward to the opening of flounder season Saturday. Frank Ryan from Erma hit the back bay and hooked and released flounder, blues and an 8-pound weakfish on a Zoom lure. Surf fishing for stripers improved, and Charlie Labar clammed three 29-inch, 36-inch and 27-inch stripers from the North Wildwood suds. Crabby Jack says crabbing will turn on just in time for Memorial Day Weekend.

<b>Cape May</b>

Drum charters slammed catches, including big fish to 70 and 80 pounds, Saturday and Sunday on Delaware Bay with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Ray said. Double digits of the fish were landed each day on the vessel. Fish were hooked non-stop for about two hours at one point on Sunday’s trip. “Phenomenal,” he said. Anyone who wants to catch drum should go now. The boat should sail for drum another three weeks, and striped bass charters are also available. The bass were caught in the northern bay recently. 

Fishing for drum finally turned on in Delaware Bay on Saturday and Sunday, said Capt. Rob from <b>First Cast Sport Fishing</b>. He knew that it would, and even said so in a report, and it did. Catches were excellent on the boat over the weekend. No stripers were mixed in, but striper charters are available, and a charter Saturday especially wants to fish for a combo of stripers and drum. All trips usually fish for both, but this charter will head to a specific area to give stripers a shot, because the anglers especially requested linesiders along with drum.

Twenty drum, including a couple of big ones that probably pushed 90 pounds apiece, were landed Saturday night with <b>Daisy May Sport Fishing</b> in only 4 hours on Delaware Bay, and the anglers had enough and went home early, Capt. Dave said. Ten of the fish were kept, and 10 were released. All the boomers were spawned out, a good sign, because they go on the feed after the spawn. Two and three were hooked at a time, wild action. Another drum trip Sunday night was cancelled because of forecasts for rough weather. The bite really kicked in Saturday, and Dave fished Friday night in the Middle Township Drum Tournament, pulling up a 68-pounder before returning to the dock after 2 hours, because of wicked seas. He thought the winner weighed 77 pounds, so he missed by only 9 pounds. Drum charters will continue, and the fishing should last through mid June after the late start. Flounder charters will be available when flounder season opens Saturday, although the schedule is full of drum trips that weekend. Daisy May also bottom fishes, and a charter Tuesday and Wednesday wants to sail for both drum and bottom fish and will probably run for drumfish one day in the bay and head to Cape May Reef in the ocean the other day for sea bass. Out-of-season tog are also reportedly on the reef.

About six drum to 60 pounds, a decent catch of the fish, were decked Friday night at Tussy’s Slough on Delaware Bay with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. The fishing was just starting, “so we’re in good shape,” he said. Dates are available for charters and also for shared charters or open-boat trips for drum. Drum trips are slated all week, and a sea bass charter is on the books for mid week, and pretty fair numbers of the lumpheads were around. Striped bass charters are pretty much finished for the season on the boat. Stripers were certainly getting boated in the far northern bay, but anglers might only catch one or maybe a few, and they have to know what they’re doing, how to hook them, not so practical for charters.

Sixteen drum were bailed on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> on Saturday, Capt. Tom said, and he took his girlfriend on a trip for the fish Sunday, and she drilled 10 by herself! Absolutely ridiculous fishing, he said, and book now, because it’s crazy. He was on his way back to the dock from the trip when he gave this report. All the fish were boated on the southern end of the Jersey side of the bay. Drum charters will continue, and striper trips are also coming up and will either fish the bay or the Cape May Rips, and the linesiders could be caught.

On the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> a mess of drum, 12 that were kept and probably another 12 thrown back, were pinned down on a charter Saturday on Delaware Bay, Capt. George said. Steven Conley’s group landed the 25- to 70-pounders. A trip Sunday wrestled up eight at a different spot in deeper water toward the channel, because others said they nailed the fish there. But those fish, caught by Steve Harris’s gang, were bigger, weighing 50 to 65 pounds, taking a half-hour each to fight to the boat. Another trip Friday with Dave Rook’s charter also put the brakes on eight that were kept and a couple thrown back. The anchor was pulled at 6:15 p.m., and seas became nasty that night. Fishing in the afternoons seemed best. No stripers were hooked, and only a few dog sharks stole baits. George knew about boaters who kept 19 of the fish, and the drum are fine to keep if they’ll be eaten, but 19 seems too many. Drum are probably the best fishery on the bay, and nobody wants to see the boomers wiped out. The fishing seemed to turn on Thursday for the first time, and George fished for them Wednesday, but catches were slow. He didn’t fish again till Friday, and the action was on. He could’ve limited out each day if he had wanted.

Drum fishing was incredible on Delaware Bay on Saturday, and that was the big news, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. They were big, too, with small ones mixed in. Winds let up enough for boats to sail by mid morning, and double digits of the fish were caught on quite a few vessels. The Tussy’s Slough area was best, and reports came in about catches made within 1 ½ miles on either side of the hole. The boomers were also hauled aboard from the sloughs from the Pin Top to Brandywine. The tides didn’t matter much. The crew on the Dreamer landed 30 drum, releasing all but three, at Tussy’s on Saturday. Anglers on the Full Ahead scored 25, and a gang on the Chasin’ Tail ran a trip only 2 ½ hours and tackled eight of the fish.  Arson Tillis was trying to catch stripers at the Cape May Rips when he clammed a 70-pound drum. Surf fishing was producing pretty well, putting out stripers on clams, and weakfish along the jetties, including at Cape May Point, on bloodworms and artificials, including bucktails, Fin-S Fish, Gulps and small Storm shads.  Andrew McCasen nailed a 13.82-pound weak from the jetty at Diamond Beach. The numbers of speckled seatrout were also increasing along the jetties, and Jim Saskel grabbed a 5.25-pounder, and Pete Sikora nabbed a 6.13-pounder. Reports were heard about stripers boated on bunker in the bay off the Maurice River Cove and at the Fish Trap area north of Bug Light. 

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