<b>Staten Island</b>

Excellent striped bass catches were boated along the ocean front on the <b>Barbara Ann</b>, Capt. Anthony said. Fish to 30 pounds were stuck on live bunker among plenty of bunker schools. Great fishing. Charters will keep running for the linesiders, but combo striper/bottom fishing trips will begin to sail soon. The bottom action, fishing for porgies and a few sea bass at the moment, will become more of a focus as striper fishing fades after the month. The bottom trips will also become combo sea bass/fluke charters as the season progresses. New York’s fluke size limit is 20 ½ inches, so quality fluke will be the target. Open-boat Blue Collar Special trips will keep launching for stripers every Tuesday and Thursday evenings through the month.

Bay boaters and Staten Island surf slingers grabbed fluke to 5 and 7 pounds, said Tom from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b>. A few stripers got pulled from the suds, and ocean boaters loaded up on them. Bunker were now difficult to find at Great Kills Harbor. Blues were all over, and no weakfish turned up yet. Nobody checked in sharks or tuna so far. Fresh bunker, killies and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Bayonne</b>

Several customers took healthy catches of fluke at the Verrazano Bridge on Saturday, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charter</b>. So he started fishing there on a charter Sunday, but only small ones and sea robins bit, for some reason. A friend called and said he boated two keepers at the 19 buoy at Ambrose Channel, so Akira moved there, but by that time, currents were strong, and no fish bit. Then a thunderstorm threatened, and the boat moved closer to port at a deep area near Robbins Reef in New York Harbor, and a 5-pound, 23-inch fluke was nailed. Next, Bay Ridge was fished in the harbor, and a 5-pound 22-incher was tackled. So, a tougher day of fishing, but the big doormats were a good sign. More charters will fluke fish Sunday and Monday. Some customers said striper fishing was productive at buoy 31 at night on bunker chunks over the weekend, and others said loads of stripers and bunker schooled the ocean off Long Branch.

<b>Keyport</b>

Big striped bass were the talk of the shop, said Chris from <b>Crabby’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Jim Nunnelly hammered the biggest, a 52-1/2-pounder, at Old Orchard on sandworms. Austin Flikkema fished the Long Branch surf and limited out on bass to 27 pounds. Others who stopped by with stripers included Mike Benvenuto with a limit to 45 pounds 8 ounces and Lou Graszino with a limit to 35 pounds, and he also slammed a 16-pound blue. Fluke fishers included Gary Reed Jr., who limited out on flatties to a 12-pound doormat on jumbo spearing. Andy Torbik dusted a 9.2-pound flattie and a 5.5-pounder. After yesterday’s full moon, some great crabbing was expected to start, and a number of large ones were already skittering about.

A friend fished the bay near Staten Island and reeled in three keeper fluke to 22 ½ inches, some shorts and no bluefish on Tuesday, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. The boat is available for a charter or open-boat trip on Sunday, and open trips are running 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Workingman’s Special open-boat trips are sailing 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke fishers on the <b>Atlantic Star</b> landed quite a few,  including some that met the size limit, on Raritan Bay, the same as the fishing’s been, Capt. Tom said. Plenty of the fish seemed to cover the bottom no matter where the boat drifted on the bay, whether in the deep waters along the channels or on the shallows like surrounding the Navy Pier. Action was pretty darn good. This year’s size limit was the difficult thing, and some patrons would get lucky and bag two or three keepers, but if the limit were 17 inches like last year, instead of this year’s 18, lots more of the fish would’ve been keepers. A larger number of fluke 17 ½ to 17 ¾ inches seemed to move in during past days, and so did 14- and 15-inchers, and those smaller ones were great news, because they’re the future keepers. Previously smaller ones seemed to abound a moment. Patrons likely had equal chances among each other to boat a keeper, because luck was probably a large factor. Squid and spearing are supplied for bait, but customers might want to bring a small amount of killies, because sometimes killies made a difference, other times not. Some patrons fished with Spro bucktails and scored, but that fishing takes work. Others sometimes fished rigs with either a Spro or a silver ball with an extra leader tied above, so that one bait was bounced along the bottom on the Spro or ball, and another trailed behind on a hook on the leader. But anglers also fished rental rods with the standard bottom rig with squid and spearing and landed keepers, and, again, luck was a factor. Pool-winning fish lately probably weighed 4 or 4 ½ pounds. The boat will continue to fish the bay, and Tom heard no news about any better fishing in the ocean, and the ocean was still cold. 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.

George Verbelaauw’s charter found slow fluke fishing Monday, but landed a few to 4 pounds, said Capt. Mick from the <b>CRT II</b>. On Tuesday Frank Ur’s group hit lots of fluke, not too many keepers, but constant action, and one keeper more than 7 pounds, and some 3- and 4-pounders. A charter Wednesday also produced constant fluke action and a few for the box. The trips fished at the tip of Sandy Hook, Flynn’s Knoll and down the ocean beaches a little, and fluke held at all the traditional spots. Squid, spearing and killies were the baits. No bluefish were landed, but lots of blues could be found at Flynn’s. Choice dates are available for charters for fluke, blues and eventually sea bass, if sea bass turn on this summer.

Boaters and surf fishers loaded up on large striped bass that chased bunker from Sea Bright to a little ways south, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish included George Moss’s 46.1-pounder taken at the Shrewsbury Rocks on bunker; Don Slave’s 39.62-pounder plus three bass from 25 to 30 pounds and two 25-pounders that he and crew landed off Deal on bunker; Todd Kohler’s 39.9-pound 44-incher; Jay Carhart’s 26.18-pounder; and Chris Slocum from Shore Slam Charters’ four bass over 40 pounds apiece, including a 47-pounder that was biggest. Stripers were also wormed at night at the Sandy Hook Rip and Flynn’s Knoll. Fluke including some keepers bit, and Pat Kamiensky grabbed a 7.2-pounder in the ocean at the rocks on squid. Small blues could be found in the bay. Big bass and blues swam the river, and so did supposedly weakfish, but Jimmy was going to take a look and find out himself. Bottom fishers reeled up sea bass. Fresh bunker and all the baits are fully stocked.

Capt. Ron from the <b>Fishermen</b> is calling it a season for striped bass fishing, and the boat’s trips will switch to fluking on Friday, he said. He tried everything to coax up striper catches, but the bite was in the early mornings and late in the day in the ocean, mostly on live bunker, and it wasn’t working out for a party boat. The jigging for bass that patrons usually do in spring was disappointing this year, for whatever reasons. All striper fishing, including the early season bay fishing, that could be done on a party boat was difficult this year, though charter boats that could approach the fishing differently might’ve fared better. Not always the case. The boat always eventually switches to fluke fishing anyway, and that’ll be done now.  The Fishermen was chartered today, so no open-boat trip ran. The vessel is also chartered Saturday morning, and no open trip will sail then either, but the afternoon’s open trip will run that day. The Fishermen will fluke fish on open trips 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily starting Friday, except during the charter Saturday morning. Magic Hour Trips are running for stripers and blues 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Eventually the afternoon trips will concentrate on blues.

<b>Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing along the ocean beaches was pretty steady, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. Tuesday morning was a little slow, and no bunker schools appeared, but the afternoon’s fishing was full-out, and linesiders to 30 pounds were nailed on live bunker, chunked bunker and popper lures on the boat. Bunker schooled, and the fish busted the waters white. This is the best time of year to tear up big stripers, 25- to 40-pounders or larger, and many catches have been great, though some days were tough. The schools have kept moving this year. On Tuesday morning they swam off Deal, and in the afternoon they went ballistic off Long Branch, and the next morning they gathered farther south.  The fishing can be tough for private boaters, unless they fish all the time or are dialed in with friends who do. But Fisher Price is out there every day and keeps on the action. Charters usually keep sailing for stripers through mid July, before the bass finally escape north to cooler waters.

<b>Neptune</b>

A shark trip lambasted a 285-pound mako and a 200-pounder Tuesday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. That’s a great catch, the best mako fishing heard about so far this season, and Ralph wasn’t giving any details—no water temperatures, nothing—until after the shark tournaments this weekend.  Charters with Last Lady will compete in two: Mako Mania and the Jersey Coast Shark Anglers Tournament. Shark charters are under way! A striped bass trip was sailing today, and the season’s first individual-reservation fluke trip will break the inlet Wednesday. Openings are available that day, and the trips will fish every Wednesday. A fluke charter Sunday bagged eight keepers, and the fishing was phenomenal, with constant action, though many of the flatties were 15- to 17 ¾ inches, just short of the year’s limit. “Fat sons of guns,” Ralph said. Sea bass were also boated. The first open-boat, canyon tuna trip will run July 29 to 30, and spots are available.

<b>Belmar</b>

Two dusky sharks 80 to 100 pounds were fought to the vessel on the season’s first open-boat shark trip on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> yesterday, Capt. Tom said. Other fish bit but never connected, and a big thresher shark cruised the chum slick but failed to pick up a bait. Waters were 68 degrees and green, and the trip fished to the south. Lots of life including turtles and dolphin filled the area. The open trips sail every Wednesday through July, a tremendous opportunity to fight the killers without chartering the whole boat. Nan Sea J is one of the few charters that offers open-boat sharking. Shark charters are also available, and sharking is Tom’s favorite fishing. A fluke charter also fished tight to the ocean beaches this week and bailed 12 keepers, nothing huge, up to 22 inches, but a good catch. Lots of shorts offered heavy action, and sea bass were hooked.

Excellent catches of 4- to 10-pound bluefish, with 12-pound pool winners, were made at the Mudhole during daytime charters on the 77-foot <b>Bandit</b>, Capt. Scotty said. No nighttime bluefish charters sailed since the last report. A ling charter will run Saturday, and ling fishing’s also been great on the boat.

Daytime bluefishing was excellent the past couple of days on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, even to the point that anglers started to catch and release them, Capt. Greg said. Bait caught them, and so did jigs, and jigs were used today. No striped bass were landed on the trips, but nighttime trips for blues were also excellent. So the fishing was on, very good, Greg said. The Golden Eagle is sailing daily for blues and stripers 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

All kinds of striped bass blew up on bunker in the ocean right off Shark River Inlet, and a 50-pounder was weighed in yesterday, said Mike from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. When winds blew west and flattened seas, the fish came in, and when winds blew southeast, the fishing shut down. Boaters caught more than surf anglers did, because the schools swam a mile off. Fluke fishing was good in Shark River, though 40 or 50 had to be hooked to grab a couple of keepers. But that’s the way it is with the year’s larger size limit. Ocean fluking was picking up on the Belmar party boats. Some of the boats were also catching blues with a few stripers mixed in. Be sure to catch Fisherman’s Den’s Shark River Fluke Tournament from July 11 through 13. Twenty percent of entrance fees will be donated to the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, and the rest goes to the anglers with the top three fluke. Entry is only $40 per boat, limited to four anglers per vessel.

<b>Brielle</b>

A limit of four striped bass 25 pounds were bagged yesterday in the ocean on live bunker on a trip for John Tucker’s birthday on the <b>Fish Monger</b>, Capt. Jerry said. A bunch of other bass were missed, and a big one was lost when another boat ran over the line. The boat headed out at 6:30 a.m., and the anglers searched for bass under bunker pods from Bay Head to Belmar a couple of hours with no takers. The vessel moved to deeper waters, and scattered readings of bait, bass and dog sharks were fished, and the four linesiders were drilled. The dogfish were fierce at times, but the day was beautiful on the ocean. Jerry thinks the bass should stick around a moment, with all the bunker schooling, and morning and evening trips are available.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Fluke trips on the <b>Gambler</b> fished tighter to the beaches at rough bottom and mussel beds in the ocean in the last few days, around 40-foot-depths, and a few keepers came up, and lots of shorts gave up action, and some sea bass got pulled over the rails, Capt. Bob said. Drifts yesterday morning were tried deeper, three miles from shore, but spiny dogfish showed up, so the boat moved back toward the beaches.  The Gambler is fishing for fluke twice daily from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Sea bass and ling were wrangled aboard the <b>Dauntless</b>, and the bottom fishing was okay, and a few stray cod showed up, because trips fished a little deeper, Capt. Butch said. Still, they didn’t push too deep, where dog sharks were a problem. Patrons averaged 10 to 30 fish, and the water surface was 66 degrees, but the bottom was chilled, and a diver said he read 44- to 46-degree temps on the bottom, a few miles off the beaches. The low temps were the reason ling were still boated, and also the reason the dogfish stuck around. So the catches were decent, and Butch hoped they’d stay that way. Nighttime bluefishing over the weekend went fairly well, and customers fought onboard about six to ten of the fish apiece. A mess of dogs stole baits on one of the nights and not on the other. Bluefish trips will begin to sail every night this weekend.  The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day and will begin bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily this weekend.

Friends hopped aboard for a short trip for striped bass on the ocean Monday with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, the report on the boat’s web site said. They left the dock at noon, got on a pod of bunker just outside the inlet, started snagging the baitfish, and the fish finder lit up with schools of striped bass. The anglers livelined the bunker, and the action was non-stop. Six striped bass to 30 pounds were pinned down, and another half-dozen, including a bruiser that almost spooled a reel, were dropped. Some of the anglers, who never fished the ocean before, were “chumming” the waters, so the trip was cut short. 

A charter on the <b>Benchmark</b> competed in the weekend’s Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo and didn’t win but smacked a 175-pound mako, a 125-pounder and a blue shark, the report on the boat’s web site said. A great first shark trip of the season, it said. Charters also striped bass fished and put together a good catch of the linesiders to 30 pounds, including two that were kept and others that were released, on Monday, and nine bass to a 40-pound 4-ouncer last Thursday.

Ocean striped bass fishing was hot, though the bite slowed this morning, and cold waters kept fluke fishing from kicking in, but catches were improving, said Brian from <b>Fisherman’s Supply</b>. Twice-daily fluke trips on the party boat <b>Voyager</b>, docked at the shop, were slow to get started but were on the upswing. The boat’s weekly tilefishing trip on Sunday was hampered by zero drift, and 25 of the fish to 22 pounds 9 ounces were landed, but the fishing was slow. But the previous week’s trip loaded up on the fish, and the crew was optimistic that catches would bounce back with better conditions.

Tons of striped bass were boated in the ocean on snagged and dropped bunker, said Robbie from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf fishers also connected, and Robbie mostly heard about catches from the beach farther north toward Asbury Park. The ocean was the perfect temp for striper fishing. Anglers reeled up fluke from the wall at Manasquan Inlet. That’s always a great spot, though the fishing can take know-how. There’s a certain way to fish and work the rigs, and anglers can talk with other anglers there, who are always glad to help, and that’s one of the best ways to figure it out. Killies, spearing and squid strips are the usual bait. Manasquan River was jammed with blues, and stripers were hooked at the Point Pleasant Canal at night. If you catch a big fish locally, stopped by the shop and weigh it on the scale. That’s what it’s there for, and the staff will even give you a free photo as a memento. Laminated, free cards with all the fishing regs are also available, and pick one up. The Gates Motel, located on the grounds, is in full operation, and is popular with anglers. They stay the night to avoid early or late drives before or after trips on the local boats, or they simply stay for a fishing vacation. Both the motel and the tackle shop are within walking distance of the charter and party boat fleet, Manasquan Inlet and the surf.

<b>Toms River</b>

Hot striped bass fishing from the beach and boats, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Tommy Muller fished the suds and slammed three stripers 31 pounds 6 ounces, 21 pounds 10 ounces and 18 pounds 2 ounces on fresh bunker and a metal-lipped swimmer. In the wash at Island Beach State Park, Frank Ciccone took a pair of 25-pound 12-ounce and 24-pound 2-ounce stripers on bunker, and Tony Citro pinned down a 24-pound 12-ounce linesider on a popper lure. On boats Roger Stanwood hammered a 36-pounder on bunker, and “Tattoo” Paul nailed two 29- and 25-pounders off Manasquan on bunker. Snagged, livelined bunker, fresh bunker, metal-lipped swimmers and big wooden plugs drew the bass. Ocean fluke fishing picked up a little, close to the beaches in 30 to 40 feet, no big numbers, but catching. Fluke in Barnegat Bay came from Oyster and Double Creek channels to the BB marker, and small blues were trolled from the BB to the 40. One-inch, snapper blues were now appearing in the bay, and so were tiny peanut bunker. The spring spawn was turning into summertime’s schools of the juvenile fish. Very few weakfish were around. Lots of crabs were starting to get plucked from the back waters, and some were shedding with the full moon. One crabber caught 70, keeping 30, so crabbing was taking off. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, sandworms, eels, squid and pretty much all baits are stocked.

<b>Seaside</b>

Bunker kept schooling the ocean, and striped bass stuck with them, and the fish infrequently pushed into the surf, but sometimes they did, and boaters and kayakers whaled catches, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. Dave Digaetino checked in a 56-pound striper that he hauled from the surf this morning. A monster, the biggest of the year at the shop so far. Boaters and kayakers weighed in long lists of stripers, many of them 20 and 30 pounds and sometimes 40 pounds. Blues seemed nonexistent. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Waretown</b>

Capt. John from <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> fished with a friend and reeled in sea bass in 70 to 80 feet in the ocean Saturday, he said. About half the fish were keepers. Large striped bass chased bunker in the ocean in the Barnegat Inlet area, and fluke could be taken in Barnegat Bay. Perfect Drift does lots of fluke fishing through summer, but also sails for sea bass and stripers, and sometimes makes a run to Barnegat Ridge for blues or other speedsters like bonito. Little early to talk about bonito, but lots of the fish swam the ridge last summer.

Two anglers on a charter on the <b>Hi Flier</b> broke the inlet yesterday morning, found bunker right away and started snagging them for bait, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. They started fishing for striped bass, and a double-header was soon hooked. The first fish turned out to be a 60-pound dusky shark that amazingly failed to bite through the 40-pound fluorocarbon, but the second was a 40-1/2-pound striper! Another fish was then hooked but broke off on an unlucky wrap around the reel handle. After a while another big bass, a 36-pounder, was decked. Lots of large stripers chowed down on plenty of bunker that schooled. Space is available for trips this weekend and next week, and one angler is looking to share a trip Monday.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Boaters beat a few 30- and 40-pound striped bass on snagged and dropped bunker, and surf casters dragged in smaller stripers like 30-inchers at night and in the early mornings on fresh bunker, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Slammer blues stormed waters around Barnegat Inlet, and fluke were lifted aboard from Meyer’s Hole and Oyster Creek and Double Creek Channels in Barnegat Bay. Weakfish could be stuck at Meyer’s Hole on the Dike side on Fin-S Fish or live spots in the middle of the afternoon. Thresher sharks were around, and no customers tuna fished yet, but probably soon. Live spots, killies, eels, fresh bunker and fresh clams are stocked.

<b>Manahawkin</b>

Plenty of striped bass got boated in the local ocean on the troll and on live bunker, said Dave from <b>American Sportsman Bait & Tackle</b>. The trollers dragged Sure Strike bunker spoons, umbrella rigs and Stretch 25 lures, and the liveliners snagged the bunker baits with snagging hooks from among the schools. Nobody mentioned bluefish caught around the bass or bunker, and either blues were missing in action, or everyone was focused on bass. A 2-1/2-pound fluke was weighed in from Barnegat Bay, but little else was heard about the bay’s fluking. The word about fluke was that the big ones swam Barnegat Ridge North. No weakfish bit in the bay yet. Ocean sea bass reports dropped off, probably because everyone chased stripers. Interest in shark fishing was picking up, and Cape May boaters found legal-sized makos, but none over 200 pounds. Crabbing was fair, not great so far. Dave’s son won the crab division in the Bay Community Days crabbing and fishing tournament, catching the most. He nabbed six keepers in his best pull of a trap and won four times in the past five years. The shop carries a large selection of traps and related items, a big part of the business. Traps available include four-door, two-door, small and large commercial traps and holding pens, and the crew builds custom work. Minnows and frozen bunker, squid, mullet, small and large spearing, mackerel, chum and a full supply of baits is stocked. Special pricing is offered on full- and half-bushels of live clams available by order. The store will hold a sale on ice during the Fourth of July weekend from Friday through Sunday, offering 5 percent off on two bags, 10 percent on three, 15 percent on four and 20 percent on five. Sounds like the place to load up.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

A sea bass charter yesterday pulled up lots of the fish, including lots of shorts, on the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b>, Capt. Frank said. The 20-some passengers bagged 80 or 90 keepers in the 63- to 64-degree waters. A charter tomorrow will run for blues, and charters are available at this time of year in addition to the usual open-boat trips. Open trips will switch to fluke fishing this weekend after sea bassing all spring. An open trip Sunday already put out a few fluke when the boat drifted instead of anchored, and the high hook grabbed three keepers to 8 pounds. Frank also knew about boats that found fluke yesterday. The Miss Beach Haven will sail for fluke 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and the rest of the weekends through summer. Next Wednesday fluke trips will also start fishing 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Mondays and Tuesdays and 8 am. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The bay’s keeper flounder population kind of resurged, for some reason, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Where the fish came from was impossible to know, but the number of keepers was the best of the season, even though the beginning of the season usually produces the biggest, before anglers bag them. The fishing was still nothing gangbusters, and like everywhere, the larger size limit this year was tough, but catches improved. Great Bay from the 134 to 139 markers seemed better than other spots, and outgoing tides produced a bit better. Flatties could also be pulled from the stakes on the Mystic Island side of the Fish Factory, but not as well as the other area. Shallow waters still held most, and some tried flounder fishing at the inlet but found sharks and skates. Few bluefish swam the back waters, except stray ¾-pounders that sometimes popped up. The nearest large blues reportedly covered up Barnegat Ridge in a big way. No customers tried a hand at Great Bay’s shark fishing that kicks in at this time of year until August. Some 4-foot sandsharks were probably around, but until someone sets up for the sharking, whether the prized brown sharks moved in couldn’t be known. An occasional brown might’ve been a by-catch on a flounder trip or something, but no customers said they actually targeted the fish yet. The fishery offers a great opportunity to fight the beasts to 90 pounds without running offshore. Boaters anchor at Grassy Channel and fish from dusk through 10 p.m. with mackerel-fillet baits on wire leaders, letting the baits sink to the bottom. Scott’s sells a Bay Shark Rig the staff ties up for the fishing. Chumming isn’t crucial but can be a bonus, and Scott’s sells a 1-gallon chum ball that’s perfect. The fishing isn’t like ocean sharking where a ton of chum and baits and heavy tackle is needed. Nothing was heard about weakfish catches in bay or anywhere, and perch could probably be hooked on the rivers, but nobody was trying anymore. The shop’s supply of live grass shrimp, the favorite perch bait, is back in good shape, after the heat killed the supply last week. In the ocean, not many flounder were boated yet, and one angler at Little Egg Reef landed five including two keepers, not worth a targeted effort, and the season was a little early. But if boaters are sea bassing in the area, maybe they want poke around for the flatties. Sea bass fishing was becoming more difficult, as the pieces got picked over, typical for the time of year. But if bottom bouncers found a spot that wasn’t hit, they could do well. One customer was boating to Garden State Reef South and reporting good success, and others were finding loads of shorts. The fishing definitely took looking around.  Striped bass fishing dropped off in the ocean, though boaters farther north apparently bailed the fish. Father’s Day was the last good shot at the fish locally, when anglers banged away at stripers in schooling bunker in shallow, 12-foot waters in the ocean off the red tower on Long Beach Island. Plenty of minnows are stocked, and so are fresh clams, although demand for clams plummeted. Two pounds of clams were sold this week out of a 30-pound, two-bushel supply. The store is also loaded for shark fishers, piled up with mackerel flats and mackerel chum for the weekend.

<b>Port Republic</b>

Striped bass were sometimes hooked by mistake in the Mullica River while anglers perch fished, and stripers came from the ocean, and maybe the fish still bit because waters were cold, said Violet from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>.  Dave Friedhoff checked in a 42.9-pounder. Weakfish were around, and some were taken from the river, but not in the numbers that should’ve been, maybe also because of water temps. But shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, are stocked. Flounder fishing was good, though many were throwbacks, and Great Bay gave them up, but catches were productive in the bay toward Atlantic City. Small blues sometimes popped up in the bays. Bloodworms, minnows and squid are also carried.

<b>Absecon</b>

Boaters banged bass off the ocean beaches, said Ray from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Sean Fox and two anglers limited out on large ones. Brigantine surf anglers also picked up a few and lots of big dog sharks. A bunch of kingfish reportedly nabbed baits at Absecon Inlet and Atlantic City’s T-jetty. Plenty of flounder carpeted the local back bay, and maybe 30 had to be caught before two keepers were landed. Ray flounder fished Tuesday and scored a 6-1/2-pounder and two other keepers on Gulps. Gulps are all he practically uses anymore, and he prefers the 5-inch jerk shads. Pretty good catches of crabs came from the creeks, and none was shedding, but crabbers anticipated the next shed. The shop raises its own shedder crabs and carries plenty. Live spots, eels, minnows and lots of fresh bunker is stocked. Chum and nearly any kind of bait used in the area is on hand.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Back-bay flounder fishing wasn’t bad on the <b>Fish Finder II</b>, and the keeper ratio somewhat improved since last week, Capt. Joe said. Probably 60 to 70 flatbacks were hooked per day, and probably 10 percent were keepers. So about seven or eight keepers per day were taken. Garrington Jenkins walloped an 11-pounder on Tuesday morning’s trip. Cocktail blues 1 to 3 pounds showed up, too. Flounder trips are running twice daily from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Ocean boaters along the local beachfront nailed big striped bass, 30, 40 and even 50-pounders, among schools and schools of bunker through the week.

The surf was loaded with kingfish that bit both bloodworms and FishBites, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Striped bass were sometimes hauled from the suds, when bunker schooled tight to the beaches, and boaters nailed 40- and even 50-pounders, and bunker schooled heavily. Andy encouraged boaters to let surf anglers fish a pod of bunker. Chris Ciullo checked in a 51-pound 3-ounce striper that he nailed from a boat off the Brigantine Hotel. Flounder carpeted the bottom of the bay, though probably 1 in 20 was a keeper, and Fred from the shop kept bailing striped bass in the bay on drifted spots. Spots worked well, but anchoring and clamming didn’t seem to produce. The Hooked on Fishing Tournament for kids takes place Saturday, June 28, featuring all kinds of prizes, including a free rod and reel for the first 100 entrants, and call the shop for info. The Wendi Llewellyn Memorial Women’s Open Surf Fishing Tournament, an Association of Surf Angling Clubs competition, will be held Saturday on Brigantine. Sign up 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. at the Brigantine Community Church at 1501 West Brigantine Avenue.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Striped bass fishing turned off like a switch, and a few of the fish were picked, but catches weren’t like a couple of weeks ago, said Dominic from <b>Offshore Bait & Tackle</b>. Kingfish sometimes got pulled from the surf, and back-bay flounder fishing produced a keeper ratio like 300 to 1, an exaggeration, but. Nothing was really heard about bluefish, but the <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, was expected to splash in the next day and take a shakedown trip while competing in the Ladies Invitational Bluefish Tournament this weekend. The boat usually takes a few inshore trips for blues or stripers before heading to the deep for sharks and then tuna. But shark fishing slowed because of suddenly warm waters, and that’s why sharking turned on farther north. Inshore bluefin tuna fishing was hit or miss, and 40- or 50-pound yellowfin tuna moved into the Wilmington, Spencer and Lindenkohl canyons, and warm, fish-holding waters were even attracting the fish to Hudson Canyon farther north. The shop carries loads of offshore baits such as flats of just about everything. The store’s back-bay rental boat, a 17-foot Angler with a 50-horsepower engine, is available.

<b>Ocean City</b>

A few striped bass were landed, including a 37-incher close to 18 pounds from the surf, said Dan from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. But most boaters sailed for sea bass and flounder at the ocean reefs. Waters were cool for flounder, but some were appearing there. Lots of flounder filled the back bay, but keepers were difficult to find. Weakfish were almost nonexistent, though two large ones were weighed in, and the breeders probably should’ve been thrown back. Nothing was heard about bluefish, and sharking seemed to drop off quickly from warm waters on the shark grounds, farther from shore than the reefs. The Ocean City Marlin Tuna Club will hold a shark tournament next week, and Dan was concerned the event could be a bust. A handful of small bluefin tuna supposedly roamed the 20-fathom line. Yellowfin tuna from footballs to 60-pounders moved into Wilmington and Spencer canyons. Minnows, bloodworms and frozen bunker, squid, mackerel and other baits are stocked.  Fresh clams will be supplied Saturday, and fresh bunker will probably no longer be carried this season.

<b>Somers Point</b>

Catches of flounder from or near Rainbow Channel during the week included 10-year-old Will Smith’s 19-inch 3-pounder that bit a minnow and Herb Hayes’ four keepers that swallowed Gulp Peeler Crabs, said Wayne from <b>My Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. Dennis Fish, the local sharpie, bagged two keeper flounder, nabbed a bluefish and then caught crabs from the dock. Then he went clamming around Drag Island and brought back a basketful.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Back-bay flounder fishers picked up a bunch of catches, though shorts were abundant, said Kathryn from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Schools of small blues, though no large numbers, could be found in the back, mostly toward the inlets. Striped bass and weakfish could also be located at the inlets, mostly from 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and dusk till 9 p.m. Toss clams for the stripers and bloodworms, small Fin-S Fish or lures for the weaks. Surf fishers could belt good catches of stripers on clams. Crabbing was warming up in the bay, not full force, but productive. Offshore fishing was picking up steam, and lots of blue-water boaters were sharking, and few tuna anglers fished yet, but with warm waters moving to the offshore grounds, tuna trips should start to take off. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms, minnows and frozen squid, mullet, mackerel and pretty much all baits are fully stocked.

Shane Duffy, 5, on a trip Tuesday with dad Rich, jigged a flounder and popper-plugged a striped bass that were caught and released on the back bay, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. The bass on the popper was good news, because landing the linesiders on popper plugs and flies is a specialty for Jersey Cape in summer. Popper fishing was a little late to get started this year, but waters were cool, and a late start probably only meant better fishing in future days this summer. The slow warming of the waters is better than quick warming that happens during some years, because fishing can be hampered when temps rise too quickly. Water temps actually varied greatly, even unusually. Temps 60 to 62 degrees were seen at the inlet, but waters as warm as 80 degrees were found farther back in the bay. The bay was very clear and clean, especially toward the inlet, and most fish were biting closer to the inlet and on ebb tides. Nick Calio on a trip earlier in the week fly rodded a half-dozen blues on the bay. His Clouser fly on a sinking line also hooked a big striper that got off.  Joe ran a charter Monday that went 3 for 6 on 50-pound yellowfin tuna, the first catch of tuna that a captain reported this year, though second-hand reports rolled in. The fish were trolled at Wilmington Canyon, and Joe’s friend, Joe Roberts, hit the Wilmington yesterday and boated his first-ever tuna, a 60-pound yellowfin, that smacked a Green Machine splash bar. A warm, fish-holding eddie that broke off from the Gulf Stream was traveling south along the Wilmington and nearby canyons this week, offering some of the first tuna catches of the season.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Customers reeled in good numbers of flounder, lots of throwbacks, but healthy keepers, too, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. A bunch of the shorts were 16 and 17 inches, keepers in recent years, and gave up plenty of action. Small blues sometimes bit, and a 15-inch weakfish was checked in this morning. Another customer released an 18-inch fish that was either a respectable-sized weakie or a short striper. Mike showed him an ID chart, and the angler narrowed it down to those two. Crabbing was picking up for customers, not producing a whole lot, but getting better. Minnows, different types of squid, including white, green and pink Pro Cut and white Anglers Choice, shedder crabs, mackerel fillets, mullet, clams and other baits are stocked. Rods, reels, rigs, line and a full supply of tackle is carried. All the crabbing supplies, including six types of traps, are on hand. Canal Side rents canopy boats for fishing and crabbing and also kayaks.

Sea bass fishing was holding up, and yesterday’s trip was good, and patrons on some trips probably averaged three or four keepers, and some trips not, said Capt. Gary from the <b>Adventurer</b>.  Overall there was usually lots of action, lots of shorts and some keepers, and a few out-of-season tog were hooked and released. Customers got a thrill when a 300-pound thresher shark grabbed a hooked sea bass and whipped passed the boat. The angler hooked the monster before it broke off. People were freaking! Flounder fishing on the boat normally begins anytime now, but waters were a little cold. Temps at least in the high 60s are needed, and current temps were 66 to 67 degrees. Eventually the boat mainly targets flounder through summer, but wreck fishing continues to be mixed in, depending on conditions, like whether winds and currents create good drifts for flounder fishing. Trips fish the ocean, but sometimes the boat moves to Delaware Bay for flounder fishing, if that’s the best bite. In two Saturdays nighttime bluefishing trips will probably begin. The blues are smaller ones, 2- to 3-pounders, not slammers, but are a blast on light tackle. The Adventurer is sailing on open-boat trips 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

<b>Cape May</b>

Delaware Bay anglers boated a few drum, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, and he knew someone who batted down five during the week, so the fish could still be caught, even if most charters now switched to other types of fishing. He was pretty much finished drum fishing, though that’s what he exclusively did in the past weeks. Some anglers still called to ask about drum trips, and he was willing to go, but encouraged them to go quickly. Drum do normally stick around a while yet, even if the attention on them traditionally tapers off after June’s full moon that took place yesterday. Fresh clams, the drum bait, were becoming tough to find, as many stores stopped carrying them for the warm months. Drum fishing was good this season after a slow start, a later start than past years, but last year’s peak also began late. The boomers turned on about May 15 this year, several days before May 19’s full moon, historically the time to expect full-throttle fishing. Coming up, the Heavy Hitter is slated to compete in the Ladies Invitational Bluefish Tournament on Saturday and to shark fish Sunday. Someone said blues currently covered the AC Ridge. Shark fishers seemed to find small makos but few big ones, maybe because waters warmed quickly, around 70- to 73-degrees along the 20- and 30-fathom lines, but big thresher sharks and other monsters were battled. On Sunday’s trip George might head to an edge along 4-Fathom Bank and hunt a thresher.  The Heavy Hitter will also bottom fish for flounder and sea bass at this point in the season, and George heard about a few of both fish found at the reefs. He heard little about catches of them at the Old Grounds, a hot spot in the ocean off Delaware that produces in summer, but a handful of catches seemed to be made there. Heavy Hitter will eventually also hit the tuna grounds hard.

A flounder charter will hit the Old Grounds on the <b>Daisy May</b> on Saturday, Capt. Dave said, and he heard about a few good catches when conditions were right during the weekend. Strong winds blew against tides and messed up drifts, but when conditions came together to produce decent drifts, the flatties were hooked. Delaware Bay’s drum fishing might’ve been coming to a close, and catches were heard about over the weekend, but the full moon was yesterday, and that’s usually the turning point, and spotter planes reportedly saw schools of the fish bunched up off the coast. Drum fishing is finished on the vessel for the season, and trips will now hunt flounder, blues and sharks.

Drum were pulled from Delaware Bay, though the fishing was probably on the way out, with June’s full moon last night, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Cape May Reef, Wildwood Reef, Reef 11 and the Old Grounds produced decent catches of flounder and sea bass, and the back bay put out flounder, including a 4-1/2-pounder checked in that was hooked off the Coast Guard Station. Sharks seemed to invade the surf, but weakfish kept biting along the jetties, including the Coast Guard jetty, on floated bloodworms. Weaks also swam the bay at the dollar bridge at Wildwood. Shark anglers boated few makos but did tackle threshers, and tuna fishing started to pick up at Spencer Canyon and nearby canyons. Fresh clams are stocked, though demand was on the decline, and fresh bunker is supplied daily, and bloodworms and live shedder crabs are on hand. A good supply of ballyhoos and vacuum packed mackerel was available for offshore boaters.

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