Capt. Russ Binns fished Barnegat Bay earlier in the week with his Mar-Lin from Toms River, and had fine popping for small blues near the Seaside Bridge. Capt. Joe Massa anchored in the back of the bay to pick though bluefish to get a bass on bunker from his My Three Sons out of Morgan Marina.

Joe Melillo, at Castaways Tackle in Point Pleasant, said he tried casting for blues in Manasquan River early in the morning, but was driven off by the cool east wind. Capt. Jim McFarland, of Big Mac from Green Harbor, Ma.

Sure enough, Pepe hooked up on a live bunker during the first drift in the mouth of Raritan Bay and soon was jumping for joy as Many weighed his bass at 32 pounds. After first catching a big blue, I then added releases of a bass in the 20-25-pound class, and another of 28 pounds that provided a spectacular strike -- while the others were catching bass and blues on bunkers.

Capt. Rob Semkewyc had a good pick of big blues in Raritan Bay today, but no bass -- and will switch his Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands to fluke next weekend. Bob Correll of Bay Head and I joined Mike Heaney of Allenwood for a late afternoon bass trip out of Crystal Point Yacht club, but we never saw a bunker flip on the way north.

After loading up with bunkers at 5 Sunday morning, Gene Graman of Middletown had to make a decision whether to go for the possibility of hooking a volume of smaller bass plus blues in the bay or heading own the beach to seek quality with his That's It from Twin Lights Marina in Highlands. Capt. Dave De Gennaro said he got called into a trolling bite on Sunday by Capt. Steve Purul of Reel Fantasea, and ended up with stripers of 34, 38, and 40 pounds on Tony Maja 4 white bunker spoons off Island Beach State Park on his Hi-Flier from Barnegat for Jeff Boyer, Fred Baker and Bryan Jacobson.