It’s not often that recreational fishermen get any good news from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), but that agency did have some as regulations for bluefin tuna were set this week. As of yesterday, boaters registered in the Angling category can now take advantage of the "over and under" bag limits previously only granted to the Charter/Headboat category. In addition to one school bluefin from 27 inches curved fork length to less than 47 inches, another from 47 inches to less than 73 inches may also be retained. The opportunity to land a trophy of 73 inches or more once a year in the Angling category was closed this spring in the Southern area (south of Little Egg Inlet), but remains open north of there for one of 73 inches or more per year that may not be sold. After NMFS raised the daily limit of giant bluefin in the commercial General category to seven last fall, it seems only fair that they made a small concession to private boaters who have been spending a fortune in fuel to run offshore while only being able to return with a single schoolie to share among the crew. Tournament season is springing into high gear. The Manattan Cup will be run on Friday, and for the first time it’s based in New Jersey at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City. For details visit www.manhattancupcom. The Governor’s Surf Fishing Tournament is also making a big change, switching from fall to spring, and will be contested as before at Island Beach State Park — but on Sunday, May 18. October surfcasting was so poor that small bluefish were winning the Governor’s Cup for the longest fish. Anglers will have a much better shot at a striped bass now. For information call (609) 748-4347 or visit www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/gsft.htm. The Spring Hi-Mar Striper Club Striped Bass Tournament will be contested from 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday out of Bahrs in Highlands. The entry fee is $125 a boat, which can be paid at Friday’s 7 p.m. captains meeting at Bahrs Landing. Call (732) 872-1245 for information. The Jersey Shore Beach-N-Boat Tournament has been underway since April 1, but Wednesday night’s kick-off party in Forked River really got the ball rolling in the season-long contest. There are over 50 official weigh stations. For information visit www.BeachNBoat.com, or call (609) 423-4002. The Berkeley Striper Club Catch & Release Striped Bass Fishing Tournament will run from May 30 to June 7, and includes a new boat/kayak division. For information visit http://tinyurl.com/BSC-CatchAndRelease. TOP CATCHES The fluke season is right around the corner, from May 23 to Sept. 27, and several have already been caught by boaters fishing for other species. It was a real heartbreaker Tuesday for a fare on the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands to have to release a fluke that Capt. Rob Semkewyc said was just under 9 pounds. Striper fishing was good that day, with bass up to 23 pounds, after several poor ones. Yet, Wednesday was slow despite good conditions. The Angler from that port reported two fluke and the first sea robin last Sunday. The Elaine B. from Highlands released a 19-inch fluke Sunday. Dennis Nalepa of Red Bank won Saturday’s pool with a 19-pound striper. Striper fishing has been up-and-down in Raritan Bay, but generally productive. Even Sunday’s strong west winds didn’t discourage Chuck Many of Annandale. I joined Nellie Greer of Bethlehem, Pa., Greg Prestosh from Hellertown, Pa., and Matt Calabria of Plainfield on Ty Man from Gateway Marina in Highlands as the day started with an hour-long drift on marks in the middle of the bay where large bass hit live and dead bunkers plus heads until the incoming tide against the west wind killed the drift. A run up the Hudson River to seek a bigger bass was unsuccessful in waters as rough as in the bay before Many pounded back there when wind and tide were together in the afternoon. His True World handled the big waves created by gale-force gusts while more bass were chunked. By late afternoon the count was up to 31 legal stripers, every one of which was released to spawn in the Hudson this month. Calabria hooked the largest at 28 pounds. It was a lot tougher in the bay on Wednesday, though the weather was ideal, when I joined Tank Matraxia and Marty Gras from Lyndhurst plus Don Alonzo of Point Pleasant on Capt. Kevin Cole’s Parker out of Brown’s Marina in Keyport. Cole went out at 4:30 a.m. to load up the boat with bunkers, but they didn’t do us any good during an attempt to chunk on Round Shoal as in ebb tide died out. Matraxia put an ALS tag into the only bass there, a marginal keeper that was 26½ inches to the fork of the tail (as the ALS measures) that I caught blind casting a white Tsunami Deep Shad. With the shift to incoming, Cole switched to trolling Stretch 25 plugs that produced three large bass. Capt. Sal Cursi has been catching bass limits regularly with Jim Curcio of Edison on the latter’s Shananigans out of Morgan Maruna. They boated bass up to 36 pounds Tuesday, and Cursi said he released a 40-pounder.