Ocean striper and bluefish jigging has been poor despite the abundance of blues in the rivers and bays. The Queen Mary from Point Pleasant was actually fishing in Point Pleasant Canal early today, but blues did provide some ocean action for the Golden Eagle from Belmar. They reported boating blues on most drifts -- one of which lasted over an hour. They won't be sailing on Mother's Day, nor will the Queen Mary. At Atlantic Highlands, Capt. Glenn Hilliard of Prowler 5 reported their biggest striper of the season -- a 30-pounder on fresh bunker. Bluefish were also caught. Though the day trip will be run tomorrow, there won't be any 3:30 to 9 p.m. trip on Mother's Day. The Fishermen got into mostly blues, and the Sea Hunter had lots of blues plus one large striper. Capt. Joe Massa put his crew on My III Sons from Morgan Marina into five stripers among non-stop blues while chunking in the West Bank area before finishing off with live bunkers that produced another bass. Shore fishing for big blues started out well in Point Pleasant Canal this morning. I caught six, and everyone did well on jigs tipped with plastic tails. My first blue was the smallest I've seen so far at about 5 pounds. Most were in the 8-to-10-pound class, and there weren't as many jumbos -- though one angler said he caught a 38-incher that weighed 18 1/2 pounds. While everything worked out as expected in the morning, I was shocked to find the canal was dead late in the afternoon with the same conditions that produced a steady bite the previous evening. There was one difference -- the sun, which hadn't been seen in a long time. The run of big blues well up into the rivers is on overtime. Hopefully that wasn't the end of it. I got good bluefish reports from the inlet, and was told that blues hit the surf at Bay Head early in the morning. I took a look at that area in the evening and saw only a rough and dirty surf with not a surfcaster in sight. Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park weighed a 39-inch, 17.2-pound bluefish for Phil La Grossa, who hooked it on bunker. The wind has shifted to light southeast, and is predicted to finally howl from the west later on Sunday. After starting at 10-to-15 knots southwest early, there are gusts to 35 predicted for the afternoon. That's what we've been looking for to knock down and clear up the surf. A few showers are possible. Bonus Program Applications Available The Striped Bass Bonus Program will reopen on September 1, 2016. Applications for individuals and party/charter boats are currently being accepted. For information, including application forms and instructions, visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/bonusbas.htm on the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife website.