<b>Brooklawn</b>

Any striped bass that were tugged in from the bay came from around Ship John or the upper bay, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish had been clammed but were probably now bunker-chunked. But a new body of stripers supposedly pushed up Delaware River. The fish were reported caught at places like Elsinboro. Plenty of stripers were wrenched from the river from Camden to upstream. White perch and big catfish were swung in from the river. Nothing was heard about drum from the bay. Summer flounder season will open Saturday, and good catches of them were landed and released from back bays along the coast. Blackfish season closed today, but the tog might’ve been plucked from the bays and surf, and fishing for them had slowed for ocean boaters. All the flounder supplies are stocked for the opener, and all the surf gear is on hand. Fresh clams, bloodworms and frozen baits including bunker are also carried. Big Timber stocks bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

A few drum were reported boated from the Delaware side of the bay, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. No customers sailed for them, but anglers will start to run for drum, now that May is here. Striped bass fishing usually takes off on the bay a moment in May, when the fish drop back from spawning in Delaware River, headed to the ocean. Anyone who boated for stripers on the bay now seemed to launch along the upper bay like from Cohansey River. A bunch of the bass reportedly chomped there. One customer tried for stripers on the lower bay Saturday with no luck. So the angler fished for blackfish instead that day, before blackfish season closed today. The customer was scoring well on the tog on the bay on trips. Stripers and plenty of white perch were hooked from Maurice River. Several said stripers held in the river all the way to Millville. Bloodworms, bunker or clams will catch them. The bass usually follow herring up the river in spring. Herring probably migrated up the Maurice, but little was heard, because herring became prohibited to possess this year. Customers were anxious to fish for summer flounder on the bay starting Saturday, opening day of flounder season. All the flounder baits will be stocked, including minnows, fresh spearing, smelts, the different types of squid, mackerel, mullet and Gulps. A few shedder crabs might even be stocked, and crabs did shed for the first time this season. Shedders are traditionally a weakfish bait, but flounder love shedders. The shop’s netter found a few small weakfish in catches. More of the trout were probably around but probably slipped though the larger mesh size. Blueclaw crabs, good catches, were already trapped, including in Dividing Creek and the ponds. In addition to the flounder baits mentioned above, the shop is stocking fresh clams, the favorite drum bait, and fresh bunker when available, almost every day.  The Girls Place carries a large supply of baits and is located on Route 47, just after Route 55 ends. It’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right, with a large parking lot, including plenty of room for trailered boats.

<b>Newport</b>

Crabbing will become available May 19 at <b>Beaver Dam Boat Rentals</b>, and the outlook seemed good for catches, Paul said. Crabbers trapping from land already whaled catches, and some of the blueclaws were good-sized, up to 6 inches. The large ones were “holdovers,” Paul said, from last year, because the warm winter never killed the crabs, so they just kept growing. Lots of small crabs skittered everywhere, also a good sign for the season. The blueclaws grow each time they shed, about once a month during the warmer months, and the year’s first shed already happened. The rental boats will be available for crabbing on weekends starting May 19 and daily starting in late June. The shop is already open daily for supplies for crabbing and fishing. The crew plans to increase the supply of fishing baits this year, and big minnows are already on hand for the opening of summer flounder season Saturday. The shop’s been busy with turkey check-ins, and the turkey season’s been a banner one. A couple of turkeys checked in weighed 23 ½ pounds, and lots were 20 to 21 pounds. Big.

<b>Fortescue</b>

Striped bass bit near the Salem nuclear plant, and the season’s first charter aboard will sail for stripers on Saturday on the <b>Buccaneer</b>, Capt. Ralph said. The year’s first drum charters on the boat will fish next week on Wednesday and Friday. A few drum, smaller fish, began to be hauled from the Delaware side of the bay. The season’s first drum are always smaller. Summer flounder trips aboard will be available once flounder season opens Saturday. Ralph heard nothing about flounder in the bay yet this season. Charters on the Buccaneer are only $400, compared with $500 or $600 on other vessels.

The party boat <b>Salt Talk</b> will likely start sailing for summer flounder on Saturday, the opening day of flounder season, Capt. Howard said. A few flounder were heard about that were caught by mistake and released on the bay when boaters fished for striped bass. Minnows, mackerel and squid are usually carried aboard for flounder bait in the early season. A few drum were heard about that were landed from the bay, and few anglers seemed to fish for them yet. Drum charters are available immediately. Open-boat trips sail 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily when no charter is booked. Call to confirm, and sometimes during the early season, open trips only run on weekends, because of demand.

<b>Cape May</b>

A couple of drum, the season’s first aboard, were decked Sunday from the bay with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. Drum, not a lot, a few, began to bite in the bay. All were hooked during daytime, and none was landed at night so far.

Blackfish season closed today, but two trips fished for them on the bay during the weekend on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. The trip on Saturday limited out with no problem, including on some big blackfish to 10 ½ pounds. The fishing was slow on the trip Sunday, but 20 of the tog to 8 pounds, including some sizeable ones, were bagged, and the charter stayed late. A few drum were hauled from the Delaware side of the bay, and the year’s first drum trip aboard is set for Saturday. The Delaware side is always slightly warmer than the Jersey side.

A drum trip is slated to fish the bay Wednesday on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Bob said. A trip on the boat two Fridays ago eased in five drum, 25- to 30-pounders, covered in a previous report. A friend that Saturday ran a trip that tugged in four drum from the bay. Bob heard nothing about drum last week, probably because of windy weather. A couple of charters on the vessel steamed for blackfish on the ocean in the past week, piling up good catches Large, jumbo sea bass snapped on the trips and were released, and sea bass season  will open May 19.

Surf fishers beached striped bass on the bay at the Cape May Canal jetties on swimming plugs, and two hours before high tides and the hour into outgoing was the time last week, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Jointed, black Bombers were popular, but anglers threw lots of other shallow-swimming lures, including Yozuri Mag Darters. Stripers were also beached along the rest of the surf from the bay to the ocean. Clamming worked well along the bay. One angler clammed three stripers to 40 inches in the surf at 2nd Avenue. The weather kept most boaters from fishing last week, but one trip trolled 15 stripers to 25 inches at 60-Foot Slough. Maybe the fish were out there. Nothing was heard about drum last week, except about a few heaved from the surf. A friend fished on a party boat trip that axed good blackfishing on the bay. Blackfish season closed today.

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