<b>Staten Island</b>

Fishing turned on for striped bass the past three days, and Great Kills Harbor anglers were loading up on them and big blues, said Joe from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b>. “It was off the hook,” he said. Weakfish still bit, and seemed like a 14-pounder was weighed in every day. Customers boated big fluke from the bay.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Waters were cold, and even the weather felt unusually chilly and nasty on trips, and striped bass seemed to shut down as a result, conditions unlike Capt. Ron from the <b>Fishermen</b> had seen in 30 years, he said. Patrons jigged the heck out of bluefish yesterday, and one keeper striper and a short were hooked, but that was it for stripers. Plenty of bait was there, and Ron read herring, and striper fishing was on fire farther south earlier this week, but none seemed to push to local waters. Maybe the run will start late, or maybe it won’t arrive this season. But Ron will stick with striper fishing, and last year the bass were caught through June, and the boat even left them biting in July, when trips switched to fluke fishing. Stripers could be caught on live bait like bunker, but that’s not practical for 40 patrons on a party boat.  Eventually the vessel will switch to fluke fishing as usual, when waters warm and fluking is hopping. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 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.

Surf casters picked at striped bass, and bay fishing for stripers was better, sometimes offering up bigger bass and lots of blues, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Dylan Rooney hit the north beach at Sandy Hook for an 11.94-pound striper, and Pat Leonard tested the suds at Long Branch to plug a 21-pounder. James Coo came up with a 12.66-pound weakfish at the rocks at Atlantic Highlands. Okay fluke catches were reeled up on the bay and rivers, and ocean fluking was a little tough in cold waters. Bottom fishing doled out excellent catches of ling and sea bass.

Fluke, no great catches, but some of the fish were hooked on the bay on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said.  The flatties came up at every spot, but the new, 18-inch size limit made finding keepers difficult. Sometimes 17- or 17-/12-inchers, fish that would’ve made the 17-inch limit last year, were landed, and sometimes smaller ones bit. Jerry Lapides hauled in a 5-3/4-pound keeper yesterday morning. The fish were spread out, and none was bunched up anywhere, and the boat found them at all different places, including Flynn’s Knoll, Reach Channel and both sides of the Navy Pier. Waters had been cold but just started to warm this week. Tom saw temps as high as 61 degrees, but otherwise the bay was 56 or 57. The fish had been ice cold to the touch but were warmer in the past days. Trips will keep plugging away at fluke. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. <b>UPDATE, today:</b> Capt. Tom saw improvement in fluking on today’s trip, more action, and more keepers, not great fishing, not even good, but encouraging. Better drifting conditions seemed to help, and warmer waters in the past several days probably contributed, and the fish were definitely warmer to the touch than before. The boat also fished a few different areas than before, and the fish were more spread out than they had been, and that also seemed a good sign. Remember that fluke season was only open six days now, and this was only the beginning of the fishing.

<b>Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing picked up again for <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> on trips that fished from the back of the bay to the Shrewsbury Rocks, so the fish were spread everywhere, Capt. Derek said. For a moment he was fishing only in the ocean, after moving there from the bay. Livelined and chunked bunker caught stripers to 26 pounds for customers in the last days, and most of the linesiders averaged 18 to 25 pounds. Lots of blues, different sizes from 3 to 10 pounds, swam around, and anglers just had to weed through them. The back of the bay was 56 degrees, and the ocean ranged 52 to the mid 50s. Lots of bunker schooled the rivers and harbors, and more and more pods appeared along the ocean front. Derek heard a couple of reports about solid fluke catches and a couple about slow fluking, and lots of the flatties were shorts. Fluke fishers had to find a patch and work it. But fluke charters are available, and Fisher Price sails for striped bass through mid July. A few dates remain for charters.

Striped bass fishing turned on and off at the Shrewsbury Rocks, and mostly bit in the mornings, often on trolled spoons, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Katie H</b>. Fluke fishers found the new, 18-inch size limit difficult, but waters were cold, and small fluke will bite before bigger ones in the cold, and flatties will generally respond less in the cold than when waters warm. So bigger ones could still turn on. Bottom fishing for sea bass and such produced plenty of catches. The Katie H is sailing for all these fish and is also gearing up for shark fishing soon. Afterward the boat will run a busy schedule of tuna trips.

Back-to-back charters were fishing for striped bass in the ocean on the <b>Tuna-Tic</b> today, and anglers on the boat last sailed for the linesiders on Monday, when the fishing was up and down, like it had been a while, Capt. Mike said. One trip would give up a bunch of big bass, and another would come up with blues and slower striper bites. The crew was starting to seriously think about shark season, and the boat will relocate to Waretown on June 9 to start shark charters that will sail from Barnegat Inlet from June 12 through 23. Sharking is only offered on the vessel during the peak of shark season, but sailing for the monsters becomes the main focus. Still, bluefishing will be offered between sharking trips. Then the boat will undergo maintenance a moment before starting open-boat, three-day tuna trips.

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> broke the inlet on a striped bass trip yesterday, and probably scored better than the rest of the fleet, landing three good-sized fish to 23 pounds and a pick of blues in the ocean, Capt. Ralph said. The only stripers in the local ocean that day might’ve been hooked on his boat and on one of the party boats. None was landed with Last Lady until 11 a.m., but Ralph’s anglers started doing something different than others. They fished with live bait, and Ralph had four different live baits onboard. His anglers only fished with the bait 2 hours, and more stripers probably would’ve been caught if they’d stayed longer. All the bluefish anyone could want swam around. Ralph is optimistic about striper fishing, liked what he saw and thinks the run will be late. Waters were cold. He’ll keep running striper trips, including individual-reservation ones. Striper charters are slated for the next days, and so is a bottom-fishing trip.  Individual-reservation fluke trips will run every Wednesday starting June 11. Waters were also cold for the flatties, and if they’re still cold at that time, the boat will still run the Wednesday trips for whatever is biting.

<b>Belmar</b>

A charter on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> took a run for sea bass Monday and loaded up on a good catch, good numbers, healthy sized, including 2- to 3-pounders, Capt. Tom said. No ling bit, and ling seemed to hold farther north, and the trip fished a little south and in 60 feet. The anglers also tried a drift for fluke but confirmed that the ocean, at 53.7 degrees, was too cold for fluke. A few skates, sea robins and blues were hooked. Boaters from the dock said striper fishing was slow in the ocean. But that could change, and a charter on the Nan Sea J recently decked a slough of stripers and blues, and charters for both are available. So are sea bass trips, and fluking should pick up soon and be offered. In exciting news, shark month, June, is here, and sharking is Tom’s favorite fishing. The boat’s annual, open-boat trips that go sharking every Wednesday in June and July will probably begin June 11. Mako catches should be possible by then, even if blue sharks haunt waters earlier. It’s a great opportunity to tangle with the beasts without having to book a whole charter, and Nan Sea J is one of the few charters that offers open-boat sharking. Shark charters are also available.

Fluke fishing was starting to heat up on the <b>Big Mohawk</b> on the ocean, and lots of the flatbacks bit, and some keepers were bagged, Capt. Chris said. Six- and-a-half- or 7-pound fish were the biggest so far, and the boat fished from tight to the beaches to 50 feet. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and spearing and squid are supplied for bait.

Patrons lambasted 30 striped bass from 20 to 40 pounds and got into bluefish action that was off the charts on Monday in the ocean on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, Capt. Greg said. The boat next sailed Wednesday, when lots of blues pounced on the hooks in the ocean, and no stripers showed up. The Golden Eagle is sailing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and on nighttime bluefish trips 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily.

Shark River fluke anglers picked shorts, not a lot of keepers, but they were landing fish, said Johnny O. from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. The shop’s rental boats are available to fish the river. Ocean striped bass fishing was best on the troll, but surf fishing for stripers was okay on clams. Boating for blues on the ocean was steady on jigs, and bait caught the speedsters at night.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Bottom-fishing trips left the dock every day on the <b>Dauntless</b>, and pretty decent catches, a mix of sea bass and ling, were bagged, Capt. Butch said. On some days more sea bass bit, and on other days more ling did, depending on water temps. When south winds dropped water temps, sea bass dominated, and vice versa. The boat mostly targeted 60 to 80 feet, and dog sharks were rampant in deeper areas, so fishing there wasn’t an option. The shallows held a few dogs but not too badly. A few cod continued to come up, and a few fluke hit when waters were warmer. Waters were cold and were 53 degrees yesterday and 51 the day before. However, that’s like the ocean used to be until the warming trend in recent years. It’s like old fashioned springs, and that’s what made sea bassing better this year than in some time. When waters warm too quickly, like they did last year, spring sea bassing is brief. Decent-sized lumpheads probably swam inshore and offered fishing a few days last spring, but this year they were already numerous for a number of weeks. Cod catches also used to be common at this time of year, although they might’ve pushed off to deeper waters by now in the past, and the dogfish currently made fishing deeper out of the question. Trips in the past even caught mackerel through May, but that certainly hasn’t happened recently. Nighttime bluefishing trips started running on weekends, and patrons during last weekend didn’t bail the slammers, but some big ones were fought. Most customers bagged a couple. But loads of dogfish stole baits. The bluefishing trips will sail 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. every Friday and Saturday and will begin to run daily in mid June. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Sea bass fishing was probably the best bet, and one boater stopped at the dock today with a healthy catch of the humpbacks, said David from <b>Fisherman’s Supply</b>. Otherwise things were quiet today.  The <b>Voyager</b>, docked at the shop, is sailing on two half-day fluke trips daily, and nighttime bluefishing trips are scheduled on various Fridays and Saturdays, and some offshore tilefish trips are on the books. Check the boat’s web site for the complete schedule.

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> returned to Point Pleasant, its home port, a week earlier than planned this week, after fishing for striped bass on Raritan Bay from the Highlands this spring, the report on the boat’s web site said. Stripers were now appearing along the ocean front near Point Pleasant, so it was time to make the move. The first trip from Point Pleasant left the dock Tuesday and landed five sizeable, keeper stripers in the ocean and also dropped down lines for sea bass, grabbing a baker’s dozen. Stripers will be a focus on charters, but combo striper/sea bass trips are also offered. Shark trips will begin soon, and eventually tuna fishing will be launched this summer.

Fishing was popping till Tuesday or Wednesday and kind of slowed afterward, probably because of cold waters, said Rob from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. On Monday striped bass bit like crazy for coastal boaters and surf casters from Downer Avenue in Mantoloking to Seaside, but mostly blues were the catch around Point Pleasant. But big blues blitzed around the mouth of Manasquan Inlet the last few nights. Surf casters at Manasquan, Sea Girt and Spring Lake were regularly picking up stripers on clams or small plugs, although action tailed off in past days. Boaters had been scoring big bass on snagged and dropped bunker, and one customer drilled two 30- and 28-pounders. Anglers at the Point Pleasant Canal landed plenty of stripers on live herring at night, though they’re always tight-lipped about it. A few weakfish could be found at Manasquan Inlet, and Rob knew about one that weighed 15 pounds, but others just made the legal size. Small, plain, 007 Ava jigs or 17’s could trick them. Not a word was heard about fluke in Manasquan River. The ocean also seemed too cold for the best fluking. Bottom-fishing party boats scored lots of sea bass, a good season for sea bass this spring. Fresh clams are stocked at the shop, and so is fresh-frozen bunker, right off the boat. Frozen squid, sand eels, spearing and mackerel are carried for fluke, but no killies were available at the moment, and the minnows were scarce, apparently because of cold waters. The Gates Motel, located on the grounds, is open full time and is popular with anglers. They stay the night to avoid early or late driving before or after trips on the local boats. Or they simply visit for a fishing vacation. Both the motel and the tackle shop are located within walking distance of the charter and party boat fleet, Manasquan Inlet and the surf.

<b>Bricktown</b>

Striped bass started to get boated in the ocean and beached from the surf, said Jason from <b>Pell’s Fish & Sport</b>, and he put the brakes on a 28-pounder from the wash Monday on a snagged bunker. A bunch of other surf anglers also scored on bunker. Ocean fluke fishing was quiet, but Jason fluke fished on the Manasquan River with two other anglers, and they reeled up 125 flatties including one keeper on Berkley Gulps on bucktails. Lots of blues to 3 pounds plied the river. Blues and short bass were fought in the Point Pleasant Canal, and live herring worked well for the stripers, but Bomber plugs and popper lures also hooked them. Blues 3 or 4 pounds gave up fun, light-tackle fights in northern Barnegat Bay at the Mantoloking Bridge. Crabbing was beginning to improve. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, sandworms and all the fluke baits including squid, spearing, sand eels and Peruvian smelts are stocked.

<b>Toms River</b>

Ocean boaters said they hooked only blues in the ocean today on Stretch plugs and umbrella rigs in 50 feet, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. But striped bass went bonkers in the ocean earlier in the week, when bunker schooled all over, and boaters snagged and dropped the baitfish to nail big stripers, including many 30-pounders that were checked in. Surf casters also walloped the fish, and the run was best Monday, actually unbelievable, but also lasted from Sunday to Tuesday. Keeper fluke could sometimes get hooked on Barnegat Bay, and one customer took a charter and reeled aboard 25 flatties including three keepers on squid and spearing combos. Fluking was most popular from Oyster Creek Channel to the 40 marker, and the stretch from the BB to the BI markers gained most attention, and outgoing, warmer tides were best. Blues swarmed all over between the 40 and the BB, and try trolling ponytails, Krocodiles, Gators or any kinds of spoons at 2 to 3 knots. A few weaks converged around the bay near the power plant’s warm-water discharge and at Berkeley Island Park, though the bites slowed down a bit. Give it a try from 5 to 7 a.m. or the first hour after dark, tossing Fin-S Fish, plugs or Rat-L Traps or drifting bloodworms. Crabbing was becoming better and better, and the bay warmed 4 degrees to 58 to 62 since last week, and that helped and will also help fluking. The shop is loaded with killies for fluke fishing and is also stocking spearing, sand eels and the works for flattie fishing. Fresh clams, fresh bunker and sandworms are also carried.

<b>Seaside</b>

Bluefish dominated surf catches, but enough striped bass were sprinkled in to keep things interesting, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. The fish were scattered all over, and no one place produced consistently better than another. “Definitely a ya gotta be there to get ‘em fishery,” the report said. No surf fishers crowded the beaches during the week, but those who made it out reported good catches. Several bass from 13 pounds to 37 pounds were weighed in today, when several blues from 10 to 13 pounds also hit the scale. The bass sucked down clams and bunker, and the blues chomped on bunker, and one blue hit a popper plug. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Waretown</b>

Ocean boaters sometimes connected with striped bass to 30 pounds on the troll or on snagged bunker, said Capt. John from <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b>. Smaller linesiders sometimes sucked down clams in Barnegat Bay toward the inlet. The bay’s fluking put out lots of fish shorter than the new, 18-inch size limit.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Enormous schools of bunker filled the ocean during the daytime Sunday on a charter with the Gary DeFranco party, and the anglers looked for trophy striped bass among the baitfish, but few stripers swam amidst the fray, said Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> in an e-mail. On Sunday evening Tom Wilson’s charter enjoyed a slam fest with scores of 1- to 4-pound blues fought on light tackle on Barnegat Bay. The anglers joked that they thought such fishing only took place on ESPN. On Monday morning the John Repko crew scored more of the same solid bluefishing, moved to the ocean and found epic striped bass fishing for 20- to 40-plus-pounders that chased huge schools of bunker. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the action continues!” Steve said.

All bluefish, 12- to 19-pounders, all day, every day, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf casters battled them on bunker, and lures like metal weren’t working. Boaters, not surf casters, tangled with tons of big striped bass in the ocean over the weekend on snagged bunker and on the troll. But the waves of stripers were coming through, and more will arrive behind the current blues. Nothing was heard about striped bass caught in Barnegat Bay, like stripers clammed along the channels near the inlet, and lots and lots of throwback fluke were the catch in the bay for flattie anglers. Many of the fish were bigger than 17 inches, last year’s size limit, but smaller than 18, this year’s limit. Plenty of sea bass were lifted up from the ocean wrecks over the weekend. Sharking should start in two weeks. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, minnows, squid and all the frozen baits are stocked. The shop will try to carry live spots in two weekends.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Excellent catches of sea bass were made on the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b> from Saturday through Monday on the holiday weekend, especially on Monday, Capt. Frank said. Monday’s fishing was fantastic, probably some of the best sea bassing he ever saw. All the fish that day were big, like 1 to 3 pounds, and the boat headed for 60 to 70 feet for each day’s fishing. A few ling were landed, and sometimes keeper-sized, out-of-season blackfish were hooked and released. This spring was a good one for sea bassing so far, and trips will continue to target the lumpheads, running 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. After sea bassing slows down, trips will sail for fluke, probably toward the end of June. The boat will leave the dock daily starting about June 25.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Lots of flounder flooded Great Bay, but this year’s 18-inch size limit was kicking everyone’s butt, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Eighteen inches is way big for a bay fish. If anglers came home with three keepers, they were doing well. High hooks, very high hooks, caught four to six. But anglers landed 20 of the flatties on a trip, so the action was at least fun, but they were going to get frustrated throwing back 17-some-inchers, good-sized ones. The clam stakes on the Mystic Island side of the Fish Factory produced catches on incoming tides. On outgoing tides the spoil bar, a shell pile formed from dredging some years ago, between the 139 marker and Brigantine Meadows gave up hits. The bar attracts piles of bait and spearing that draw the fish. That area usually also attracts blues, currently ¾- to 1-1/2-pounders, though freshwater from past storms pushed out many of the blues, and they were now just outside the inlet and a little south. No weakfish swam around, and the storm three Monday’s ago chased them out. In another couple of weeks, usually the second week of June, Great Bay’s sharking usually turns on. Sandsharks and brown sharks to 5 or 5 ½ feet, the largest ones, or 65 to 70 pounds, and once in a while 100 pounds, move into the bay and offer a great fishery on light tackle a while. It’s one of the few places where shark fishers don’t have to head offshore. The fishing turns on mostly around 9 to 11 p.m. Perch fishing at spots like the Wading River Bridge was “still happening,” Scott said. That’s how he put it. Fewer could be found than earlier in the season, and they were probably moving down to the main rivers like the Maurice. But they were at the bridge and such places. Hefty, impressive-sized stripers, like ones from 20 to 40 pounds checked in today, were sometimes boated on snagged bunker in the ocean. But Scott compared the fishing to deer hunting. One of three schools of bunker held them. Still, a 40-pounder is a fish of a lifetime. Catches seemed to come from a little north in 25 to 45 feet from close to the beach to Little Egg Reef. Plenty of sea bass, good numbers, hovered around the ocean structure, and they were getting a little pressured, though the opening of flounder season helped pull the attention away. Minnows, the preferred flounder bait, are in good supply, though they’ve been scarce, and sometimes had to be rationed. No shedder crabs are available yet, though a commercial crabber said there were signs that they were about to pop. But none might be available on the first shed, because demand, including from those who’ll want to eat them as softshelled crabs, will be high. The conversation with Scott got sidetracked, and he wasn’t asked about the shop’s supply of other baits, but the store usually stocks fresh clams and a large variety of other baits.

<b>Port Republic</b>

Flounder, including a few keepers, were pulled from the bay, anywhere from the mouth of the Mullica River to the 139 marker to up and down the Intracoastal Waterway, said Jerry from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>. Very few weakfish were around anymore, but blueclaw crabs were about to shed, and the shedders are the favorite weakfish forage and usually start to attract the weaks at some point.  Not many bluefish roamed the back waters. Plenty of perch could be grabbed from the Mullica River and the other local rivers, and bloodworms will fool them, and so will grass shrimp, if anglers can net their own shrimp, and even minnows will score. Striped bass were caught along the river at times at different spots, usually on eels, and some were landed today. If anglers found bunker and snagged them for bait, that also worked. Minnows, squid, spearing, mackerel, bloodworms and other baits are stocked.

<b>Absecon</b>

A bunch of blues and lots of undersized flounder, but 17-inch fish that would’ve been keepers during last year’s size limit, filled the bay, said Ray from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Fifteen of the flatties seemed to have to be caught to bag a keeper, and he and friend Tony hit the bay and probably reeled in 30 flounder including three keepers. Minnows with squid were the baits, but so were Gulps, and Gulps out-produced. Bucktails with the minnows and squid or 5-inch Gulp jerk shads or 7-inch Gulp swim mullets will do the trick, and so will the new Gulp baitfish. Tony tossed a 7-inch Gulp to land two of the keepers, and the larger baits are a good idea for trying to hook a keeper this year, but anglers have to let the flatfish hit the big Gulps more than once to connect.  No weakfish catches were heard about in the past days, though a 7-1/4-pounder was checked in for the shop’s annual <a href=" http://www.abseconbay.com/abseconbay/Tournament/grandslam/grandslam.htm" target="_blank">Grand Slam Customer Appreciation Tournament</a>, and click the link to check out the results. Striped bass supposedly chased bunker along the shore at Brigantine, and boaters and surf casters caught them. The bunker were snagged and used for bait, or surf casters also dunked clams for catches. A few kingfish supposedly grabbed baits in the wash. The shop is now carrying shedder crabs, and even people who want to eat the blueclaws as softshelled crabs might consider buying them from the shop to eliminate the middleman. Live spots and fresh clams but no fresh bunker are also stocked, and the store carries a large variety of baits.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Boaters were beating all kinds of big striped bass that chased bunker off the beachfront and in the inlet at Brigantine today, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Three anglers reported drilling 12 of the fish to 32 pounds, and two others said they landed 20 of the linesiders to 44 pounds and that all the fish were 30 pounds or larger. The boaters were snagging the bunker and dropping them back down for bait. Surf casters beached good catches of striped bass on Monday, but windy whether predominated afterward. But maybe the bite was about to come back with all the bass that boaters found. Joe Ammendola bested a 32-1/2-pound striper on Monday afternoon from the suds. Drum kept getting punched as a by-catch as usual for surf rodders who tossed clams for stripers. Joe Curinga took down a 66-pound drum on Monday afternoon. Drum fishing turned back on in Delaware Bay, and a 114-pounder was taken from the bay this week. Those drum will leave the bay soon, and some will trickle down the beaches and get caught from the Brigantine sands. Flounder held in the back bay, but no whoppers were caught, and the fishing didn’t start with a bang during this opening week of the season like it did last year. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, eels and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Flounder catches were pretty good in the back bay, and keepers might’ve been more difficult to come by with the new, 18-inch size limit, but anglers just had to put in the time, like usual, said Dominic from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. He was catching the fish, using 3- and 4-inch Berkley Gulp shrimp in white. A few blues schooled the back but in fewer numbers than before. The shop’s rental boat, a 17-foot Angler with a 50-horsepower motor, can be used for fishing the bay, and call ahead if you want the shop to splash the vessel for you. Decent striper fishing was had in the surf on clams and bunker, and sometimes drum were taken on the clams. Kingfish could be nabbed in the wash on bloodworms or FishBites bloods. Dominic headed offshore on a tilefishing trip Sunday and muscled up the fish from the deep. Strangely, bluefish also hit baits on the bottom in 650 feet. Then Dom and crew moved inshore to a wreck and loaded up on sea bass. Blue-water boaters will start to shark fish when the ocean reaches 64 degrees, the magic number, but the ocean along the beaches was now 59.4 degrees. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, will probably be launched next week, run a few bluefish and striper trips, start sharking and eventually run for tuna. The staff at the shop was already getting ready for offshore season, twisting up shark rigs and receiving orders of baits including Grade A flats of mackerel for sharking and Ocean Master ballyhoos and Spanish mackerel and such.

<b>Longport</b>

Double, triple headers, lots of sea bass, made up the catch on the <b>Stray Cat</b> yesterday, and the throwback ratio increased, but two anglers limited out, and the rest totaled 17, 18 or 20 fish apiece, Capt. Mike said. An increasing number of throwbacks is typical as spring wears on, and the ratio on this trip was 1 keeper in 5. But plenty of fish, and a few blues, too. Open-boat trips run daily until charters take over most of the schedule starting June 7, but open trips will continue on Thursdays and Sundays at that time.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Kingfish started to get beached from the surf, and dunk bloodworms or FishBites worms for a nibble, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. A few striped bass were still landed in the suds, mostly on clams, and sometimes one was hooked in the back bay on clams or artificials, mostly soft plastic lures. Bluefish, smaller ones than before, and fewer than in past weeks, could be found from the bay to the surf, but lots of big blues, like 8- to 13-pounders, stormed waters 10 or 12 miles from the coast. If blues are there, then sharks should start appearing, and Ed heard about a handful of boaters testing the waters for sharks but heard no results. Speaking of big game, no news rolled in about anyone tuna fishing or seeing tuna, but now’s about the time when the first words fly around about bluefin tuna starting to swim the inshore ocean, though waters are cold. Back on the inshore grounds, fluke fishing was okay in the bay through this first week of the season. Shallower, warmer depths up to 10 feet were the most likely place to find them, and any of the usual baits will work, including minnows, squid, mackerel or Berkley Gulps. A scattering of the flatties could maybe be found at the ocean reefs including the OC and GE reefs, and sea bass were coming up there. A few weakfish were picked up on the bay at night at the “super-duper, secret spots,” usually on soft plastics like Fin-S, Zooms or Tsunamis. Minnows, the favorite flounder bait, had been scarce but are now in stock. Fresh bunker is on hand when available, and the shop will try to carry some for the weekend. Fresh clams are on hand, and so are eels and all the frozen baits.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

South winds that weren’t forecast made drifting for flounder nearly impossible on the bay today with Rich Duffy and Frank and Phil DeMola, so the trip adapted, and a big pile of blues were found, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. The bluefishing turned up great catches, smaller fish than before, up to 2-pounders, and fast and furious action on Fin-S Fish, Gulps and Bass Assassins on ½-ounce leadheads. Then the group tried for striped bass and scored, catching and releasing a 25- or 26-incher on one of the soft plastics. Next, somewhat bigger blues, averaging 2 pounds, were played, a great evening, with lots of fish around. Plenty of flounder hugged the bay bottom, and lots measured just under the new size limit of 18 inches, but would’ve met last year’s limit of 17. At some point, when the size limit is continually increased, shorts dominate by far. Striped bass fishing will eventually take center stage for Jersey Cape on the bay again. Stripers are always the first fish to give up action in spring, and then blues invade the bay a number of weeks, and stripers lie low. But blues then leave for the ocean, and striper fishing turns on again, and Jersey Cape then battles them on surface-popper lures and flies, when water temps reach high enough for the linsiders to smack surface offerings. Water temps weren’t quite there yet, but soon. That action is great visual fishing while poling the flats, fishing like the kind that people travel 1,000 miles to experience. But it’s available right here in Sea Isle.

Pretty good catches of flounder, lots of throwbacks, were hooked on the bay, and 40 of the fish might be caught for every five keepers, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>.  One customer had just weighed in a 5-pounder today. Minnows, squid strips, strip baits, and Berkley Gulps worked, and the Gulps included shrimp and mullet, and the 2- and 3-inch ones, the smaller stuff, were popular, and the 3/8-inch, whole squids also got attention. New-penny color was a favorite, and bright colors like white, pink and green are a good idea, even though water clarity was good and not an issue. Fish the baits on bucktails or top-and-bottom rigs, and maybe dress the rigs with a rubber squid or bucktail skirts in bright pink or chartreuse.  Drift the channels for the flatties, and some might even be found in the deeper holes, and seeking warmer, shallower water was no longer an issue at this time in the season. Blues, fewer than before, but still plenty, ran around the bay and inlets. Sometimes a striped bass, weakfish or flounder turned up at the inlets. For weaks, try fishing a whole bloodworm or pieces of shedder crab if available. Crabbing was starting to put out tasty blueclaws on the bay, as waters creeped up to 66 degrees, and the warmer, shallower flats in the back of the bay, where the black mud sucks up the sun, was a place to look for them. Surf fishing for striped bass was okay on any changes of tides, and skates and dog sharks attacked when the tides moved too quickly. Surf casters had the opportunity to pick up kingfish on bloodworms. The ocean reefs gave up sea bass, and nothing was heard about flounder skittering along the reefs yet. Shark fishing will begin soon, and afterward tuna and billfishing will take off in July and August. Gibson’s is open every day at sunrise, generally around 5:30 a.m. till 7 p.m. on weekdays and later on weekends, at least until 8 p.m., but later when people are around.

<b>Cape May</b>

After drum fishing had dropped off on Delaware Bay during the heavy boat traffic of the holiday weekend, charters on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> were back on the fish starting Sunday night, Capt. George said. At first on Sunday the fishing was a struggle, and seemed to be for everyone. Then George got a call on the water at 9:30 p.m. from a friend who was catching, and George moved there, and the bite was on for the boat’s charter. A charter Monday also loaded up on the fish, and the beasts were drumming and everything, the first time George heard the fish booming around the boat this season. He fished on no trips Tuesday and Wednesday but heard that others clobbered drum Tuesday night.  Charters on the Heavy Hitter were headed back out for drum today and the next days. Seemed like anglers had to get on a school that was biting to connect, unlike the wild fishing last week. Although the slow down over the weekend coincided with heavy boat traffic, George wasn’t saying that was the cause, because the cause was impossible to know. Still, the fishing might be better on weekdays with lighter crowds now. George heard from nobody who flounder fished on the bay since the opening of flounder season during the weekend, and charter boats were usually drum fishing. But he imagined flounder were probably biting best in the backwaters like the back bays and the creeks at this point, because waters are cold. The Heavy Hitter will keep drum fishing, and a few openings remain, and go now if you want drum, because the fish might not stick around too much longer. <b>UPDATE, today:</b> A charter today limited out on 12 drum, non-stop fishing,  filled the tub and came home early.

Drum fishing was slow Sunday, but a charter that day managed to nail an 86-pounder, said Capt. Rob from <b>First Cast Sport Fishing</b>. Winds blew against the tide, making it difficult to keep baits where Rob wanted them. But then after he got off the water, he heard that the bite turned on that night. The charter was made up of the Ed Ditzel party with Greg Matyjaszek, Leo Zachwiega, Tom Brady, George Circin and Gary Mulligan, and Gary subdued the fish. A drum charter was cancelled Monday because of strong winds, especially because of the effects of winds on fishing the previous day. A spot for a charter is available Monday, and Rob recommends drum fishing on the trip, though the boat is available for flounder and bottom fish or sea bass. A flounder trip is on the books for Tuesday, and Rob heard from nobody who flounder fished in the past days. A few dates, including a number of Fridays, also remain for charters afterward. A party had been planning to jump aboard for the South Jersey Shark Tournament, but those plans seemed to change, so the tournament is probably available. The vessel is booked for Jim’s Bait & Tackle’s shark tournament.

Delaware Bay’s drum fishing was going strong again, and a 114-pounder was pinned down yesterday, said Dan from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Drum were hitting at Tussy’s Slough, and the boomers were the main topic of discussion. Reasons the fish turned off during the weekend were impossible to know, and some might’ve said heavy boat traffic was the cause, but Dan found it hard to think that the bottom feeders could be affected by boat traffic. Nobody mentioned flounder fishing in Delaware Bay, but back-bay flounder fishing wasn’t bad, and keepers could sometimes be landed. One angler in the back reeled in 20 of the flatfish including a few keepers. Striped bass continued to be dragged from the surf at Poverty Beach on clams. Bluefishing was spotty everywhere locally, and at times weakfish could be stuck from the wash at Cape May Point. Bloodworms fished on a float will catch them, and some anglers fished a top-and-bottom rig with clam on top for stripers and bloods on top for weaks. Bloodworms, fresh clams, fresh bunker and frozen mackerel fillets, squid and all the frozen baits are stocked.

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