Though some surfcasters have been catching small stripers in the surf when conditions are right on both lures and bait, keepers have been few and far between -- while large bass were unheard of until Saturday when Betty & Nicks in Seaside Park weighed in a 40-incher for John Passamonti. The angler said he caught it at Island Beach State Park, but it was the only bass he saw. The fish looked to be spawned out, and weighed 23 pounds. The only Raritan Bay striper report came from Capt. Rob Semkewyc of the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands. He said striper fishing was a "struggle", with only a couple of keepers and a few shorts, and a few more lost. Heavy boat traffic didn't help. There were still no ocean striper reports, but the Queen Mary from Point Pleasant reported finally getting into blues up to 12 pounds on Friday by casting swimming plugs -- and then doing it again on Saturday. The tautog season ended today, but the Ocean Explorer from Balmar won't be sailing for bottom fishing  Monday in any case due to a forecast of winds up to 30 mph. Bob Correll of Bay Head ran his Boston Whaler over to Manasquan Inlet at 3 p.m., but there was nothing doing with the big blues during a raw afternoon. Correll said he heard shore anglers did well with the choppers inside the inlet at dusk yesterday. Ray Lewis reported blues have Brigantine surrounded, but the first black drum in 2 1/2 weeks was caught this weekend -- though it was just the one 16-pounder. Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park reported blues in Barnegat Bay on both bunker and poppers. Successful anglers move around a lot.  There have also been a few decent bass have been caught in the bay by casting Kettle Creek paddle tails.  The surf has been slow except for a few bass on bait. The first report from Matt Slobodjian at Jim's Tackle in Cape May notes that "This week we saw quite a few nice bass come in from the beaches in North Cape May. Some are being taken on plugs wading out at low tide as well as at high tide on bait (bunker, clams). They are also starting to move around the Cape. There were a few good fish caught around the Point jetties and a few from the beachfront in Cape May. We have been catching puppy black drum for weeks now on the bay beaches on clams. Now the boats are starting to catch them right off the Villas and Del Haven. The first drop off from the beach is the place to start. Jim Whitman Jr. of Mays Landing boated a 60-lb drum from this area They also had three pups, two of which they released. The larger bass have started to move down out of the river, and the boats are catching them up in the cove from above Reeds Beach and around to the Maurice River. Bunker is the best bait up there, but I have heard of a few bass caught on hickory shad. We have also had the best big bluefish run I've seen in years, and they are on the beach and in the backwaters as well. We've seen fish from 8 to 21 pounds, and when they are there, they're in good numbers. A lot of the fish are being taken on lures, but we have some die-hard bait chuckers catching them on bunker. We have had a couple of reports from the Ocean City, Md. boats who ran to the canyon. So far just a few small bluefins and skipjacks reported, but it won't be long until the yellowfins show up. We will be holding our Shark Tournament on June 2nd and 3rd this year. Any questions, please call the shop at 609-884-3900."