Capt. Jimmy Elliott reports Saturday's mackerel trip with the Golden Eagle from Belmar got off to a slow start in a gusty northeast wind and rough seas. Yet, he eventually got into some decent jigging as everyone ended up with a catch. They didn't sail today due to Easter, but will be running daily trips whenever it's fishable.
Johnny Bucktails gave the Raritan Bay stripers a brief try this morning as he and a friend released a short and lost another bass on clams while chumming in just four feet. There were also a few other bites before it was time to run his Sea Hunter back to Keyport in time for Easter dinner.