<b>Staten Island</b>

Fishing for fluke kept beating lots of catches with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, and big flatties were becoming more plentiful as the month continued, Capt. Anthony said in an e-mail. One space is available on a fluke trip that will sail 6:30 a.m. Friday. Previously Anthony said bottom-fishing trips did a job on sea bass and ling, not a bonanza, but steady, consistent. Even if anglers only have two or several to go on a trip, not six for a full charter, call Anthony anyway, because he can usually book individual spaces. Barbara Anne pays bridge tolls with a receipt.

<b>Keyport</b>

The bay held “so many fluke,” said Chris from <b>Crabby’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax, but probably 1 in 25 was a keeper. Still, the fish pounced all over tons of bait--peanut bunker and spearing--including on the Keyport Flats. “Texas Mike” limited out on the bottom-huggers to 8 pounds on the flats on FishBites E-Z Squid. Lucretia Indellicati from Outta Control Smoke Shop limited out on the flatties to 6 pounds on Sandy Hook Bay on spearing and squid combos, a great day. Damian and Carmela Reyes walloped 4-, 5- and 8-pound fluke near the TC can on killie and Gulp combos. At Sandy Hook Channel Bob Scholl bucktailed two 6- and 5-pound fluke. Near Bug Light Timothy Janas, 9, slammed a 5-pound fluke while fishing with his dad. Lenny Milia fluke fished on the ocean off Long Branch, reeling up more than 50 of the fish to two 6- and 7.8-pounders while fishing with squid, spearing and sand eels. Bluefish 2 to 6 pounds swarmed the bay, especially because of the peanut bunker flushing out of the creeks. Tommy Shawny fought them non-stop from the Keyport dock on popper lures at the top of the tide, and cut bunker will also work. Loads of sea bass could be boated, and Joe and Tony Carson limited out on the lumpheads to 5.3 pounds at the Mud Dump. Crabbing was the best in a long time, and the blueclaws were good-sized and full of meat. Allison Riely and her three kids plucked out 45 sizeable hardshells on hand lines.    

A friend pillaged fluke larger than 21 inches on the New York side a couple of days ago, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. Joe lately fluke fished in the ocean off Sandy Hook, because he felt that the cooler waters than the bay were a better bet. Open-boat trips are sailing for fluke daily when no charter is booked, and call to reserve. Charters are bottom-fishing for sea bass and porgies, and dates are available.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A 7-1/2-pound fluke was heaved in right away toward the beginning of this morning’s trip on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said in a phone call during the first drift. Jim Waas from Bethlehem, Pa., clocked the fish, about the third of several keepers that had already been boated at Reach Channel so far, during a slow drift but with catches. Otherwise the fluking was about the same in the past days as it was before. Lots of the fish were usually hung on the bay when conditions or winds and tides created the right drifts, and everybody on the trips reeled in the fish, and a few of the flatties were keepers. One angler coolered five keepers the other day, but that was the exception. Some anglers caught a keeper or more, and some landed none. Luck was really the factor, and sometimes anglers who worked a Spro jig with skill probably scored better, but no tackle or bait seemed an advantage over another. One little girl on Sunday afternoon boated three fluke, and two were keepers. Trips fished places including Reach Channel, Flynn’s Knoll, Chapel Hill Channel and near the Navy Pier. Saturday afternoon’s trip was probably one of the best for action, and conditions were perfect, and a load of fluke came up. Many were an inch or a ½-inch undersized or 17 to 17 ½ inches, beautiful fluke that had to be thrown back. But some anglers bagged two or three keepers, and others hooked none. The next morning’s trip sailed right back to the same place, and the fishing failed to happen much, and the conditions weren’t there. In the afternoon conditions failed to pan out at first at the same place, and the fishing was slow, but then the drift improved, and so did the fishing. The bottom line was that when conditions were right, plenty of fluke were usually caught, and some were keepers. The keepers were fewer than Tom would like, but some were around. Pool-winning fluke were usually 21 inches or 4 pounds, occasionally 5 pounds. The bay was 70 degrees, probably cool for the time of the year. The Atlantic Star is fluke fishing on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Best day of fluking so far this season on Friday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. The fishing began slowly without much drift, and the boat bounced around to different areas. But when the tide changed, the drift became perfect, and Tom Krako was high hook, keeping a limit of the flatties, throwing additional keepers back. Capt. Ron Sr. locked up on five keepers, and another angler smoked four. Capt. Ron had to work the throttles to stay on the right depths. No more reports were posted since then. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for bluefish 7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Fridays and 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

<b>Highlands</b>

Deep-water bucktailing with big strip baits pounded 18 keeper fluke to 5 ½ or 6 pounds on a trip on the ocean Sunday with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. The fishing was going well, and Fisher Price was concentrating on the bigger flatfish in the deep. Bucktailing with large strip baits was the way to go, but eventually live bait, namely peanut bunker or snapper blues, will be used. Derek saw peanut bunker the other day, possibly a sign that the baitfish were beginning to be abundant, but too few were around so far. A few snappers could be found. Derek is squeezing in open-boat trips for the fishing whenever possible, and he’ll try to run one this week if a break in forecast strong, east winds happens. Call to be kept informed of the open schedule.

<b>Neptune</b>

Bottom-fishing trips with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> shoveled up sea bass, ling, cod, pollock and fluke, very good catches, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. Last week’s individual-reservation fluke trip knuckled in lots of keeper fluke and sea bass, and space is available on this week’s trip, running 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, the usual schedule. A last-minute opening came up on a striped bass trip 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Tuesday, and call to get aboard. Stripers were becoming difficult to catch, but Last Lady goes after them early in the mornings to connect. An offshore wreck-fishing trip last Tuesday put the skids on a 24-pound cod, “other good-sized fish,” Ralph said, and big ling and sea bass. More cod probably could’ve been caught, but seas were rough, and winds blew against the tide, so the boat moved inshore to fish a wreck closer to the inlet for the ling and the sea bass. Last Lady is also bluefishing, and individual-reservation, canyon tuna trips are coming up, and see the boat’s Web site for the schedule. Plenty of tuna were already getting boated, mostly on the troll, and mako sharks were being decked at the canyons at night. Makos were also around that could be whacked on inshore charters.

<b>Belmar</b>

An angler who jumped aboard Friday tried bunker-chunking for striped bass at the Shrewsbury Rocks, but the bass disappeared, nowhere to be found, said Capt. Rob from <b>Last One Charters</b>. Previously anglers on the boat shellacked them. Some short sea bass and a keeper were reeled in at the Rocks during this trip. Then the angler looked for bluefish at the Mudhole, where blues had been piled up. But the blues were gone, and the slammers apparently went on the spawn. Party boats and such had slammed the fish on Thursday but had difficulty afterward. The trip then moved to the Monster Ledge to try for blues, but again, none turned up. The bluefishing on the trip was done on the chunk and on the troll, and the boat ended up sailing 57 miles that day. On Saturday morning a father and three sons, ages 4, 8 and 12, hooked a bunch of sea bass, including seven keepers or so, on a short, 3-1/2-hour trip on the ocean off Elberon. The kids had a great time, Rob said. On Saturday afternoon six anglers took a trip that bunker chunked for stripers at the Shrewsbury Rocks, landing and releasing two that were over 27 inches and less than 28, and also decking a blue. Then they pummeled sea bass, including 30 keepers or so. So some of the fishing through the weekend was slow, and anglers would apparently have to wait a moment for blues to stop spawning and begin feeding again.

On the <b>Nan Sea J</b> charters mostly fished for fluke and sea bass, Capt. Tom said, and he was impressed with fluking Sunday, because the number of keepers on a trip “actually felt like fluking,” he said. Plenty of catches of both the flatties, fish to 6 ½ pounds, and the lumpheads, fish to 3 pounds,   were belted when conditions were right. The boat fished at rough bottom and some rocks. Bluefish mostly disappeared, so the spawn seemed to be on. Tom heard about blues caught 37 miles offshore, but that’s too far for bluefishing. A shark trip on Friday caught and released four makos 50 to 60 pounds, small ones, but three of the four jumped, putting on a show. Waters were 70 or 72 degrees on the shark grounds, and in addition to charters, open-boat trips are running for sharks every Wednesday this month. The next two Wednesdays are sold out, but if anglers call and express interested, more of the trips could sail into August. The trips are a rare opportunity to fight the monsters without chartering the whole boat, and Tom loves sharking. Tuna fishing will launch on the vessel with overnight trips in September.

<b>Brielle</b>

Fluke, lots of them, were found up and down the coast, and getting a keeper was the challenge, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Still, anglers sometimes drilled 5- and 6-pounders. One customer fluke fished at Sea Girt Reef, saw sharks spraying bunker, and hammered a 199-pound mako. He was headed right back to the spot on another trip this weekend to go sharking, because the waters were alive with the beasts. A load of fluke carpeted Manasquan River, and getting a keeper was also tough there. Anglers who fished with small jigs like ¾- or 1-ouncers seemed to score best on the legal flatties on the river. Sea bass fishing was good on the ocean, and lots of ling were looted at the Mudhole. Striped bass could be located at the Shrewsbury Rocks, and Chuck who works at the shop trolled 14 of the linesiders to 38 ½ pounds at the Rocks last Monday. Bluefish disappeared in the ocean in the past days, were no place to be found. Bluefin tuna anglers whacked catches at the Glory Hole, the Chicken Canyon, between the two areas and toward the Atlantic Princess wreck, mostly on the troll, but sometimes the boaters also jigged, hooking up. Some yellowfin tuna were mixed in, the first time yellowfins appeared that close to shore in a long time. Big mahi mahi also swam the waters, and Dave heard about ones docked to 28 pounds. Anglers who ventured farther offshore for yellowfins mostly headed south, because the fishing there seemed better than at the Hudson and the Toms canyons. The yellowfins were small, and many tuna anglers hit the bluefin grounds instead to tackle larger tuna. The <a href=" http://www.ssfff.net/fundraiser.html" target="_blank">Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund</a>, spearheading the movement to prevent the summer flounder or fluke season from closing and from harsh bag limits that are essentially a closure, very much needs the continued support of anglers. See the fund’s Web site for details and how the fund is attempting to solve the crisis.

With <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> Capt. Wayne took the helm on two fluke trips Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. The trip Saturday wound up with seven fluke and two dozen bottom-fish bagged, including sea bass, a blackfish, ling and a purple hake. More short fluke bit than were hitting before, but the anglers worked to pick at the keepers, and put meat in the box in the end. Sunday’s trip totaled 18 keeper fluke, five keeper sea bass and a ling. The hot hand limited out on eight flatties, and the fishing remained heavy on shorts, but enough keepers chewed to keep things interesting, and the anglers were able to pick and pluck legal fish. The weather was great, and room is available on an all-day, open-boat fluke trip Thursday. Give a buzz to go.

Roman Tera’s charter banged away at ling, a slew of them, a bunch of sea bass, nine cod and 27 fluke--27 keepers!--on the <b>Big Kid</b> on Sunday, Capt. Ken said. On a trip Saturday with anglers from the Seaside Fishing Club, loads of keeper fluke were also blasted, and Russell Shoesmith mugged a 23-inch sea bass. Joe Hodapp’s trip on Wednesday put 38 sea bass, four ling and two fluke in the box. The Big Kid is bottom-fishing and fluking on the ocean, and a canyon tuna charter is on the books for Thursday to Friday, but the crew will keep an eye on forecasts for rough weather, deciding whether the trip will get out.

Capt. Mike from the <b>Katie H</b> fluke fished on a trip on the friend’s boat on Sunday that nailed 16 or 18 keepers at the channels off Sandy Hook in the deep, mostly in 60 feet, he said. About 90-percent of the fish hooked were keepers, and both live peanut bunker and frozen squid and sand eels were fished. Both worked fine, but the peanuts held a slight edge.  Braided line had to be fished because of the depth and current, and up to 16 ounces of weight had to be fished in a fast drift from the outgoing tide flowing with west winds.  On the Katie H canyon tuna trips are slated to fish Friday and Saturday. Bluefin tuna swam closer to shore at places like the Glory Hole on the way to Hudson Canyon. An angler from the docks caught them there in the past days. But the trips Friday and Saturday will probably fish the southern canyons, where the bite seemed best at least a few days ago, so they probably won’t be able to stop at places like the Glory Hole on the way out. Don’t have enough anglers for a full charter on an overnight tuna trip? No problem. Call Mike, and he can probably schedule an individual spot on a make-up trip.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

A wreck-fishing charter picked away at ling, including big ones, sea bass and several cod all day Sunday with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> on the east side of the Mudhole in 115 feet, the report on the boat’s Web site said. The anglers also took a one-hour stab at fluke fishing on the way out, landing shorts, before deciding to continue to the wreck. Brief fluke fishing also hooked shorts on the way home. A trip Friday rustled in 24 ling, 18 sea bass, three cod and two blackfish at wrecks in 70, 110 and 160 feet. The anglers at first tried for bluefish, but reports on the waters turned out slow, and no blues bit, so the group moved out to the wrecks. Andrea’s Toy is also fishing offshore for tuna, mahi mahi, sharks and tilefish on charters and open-boat trips.

<b>Seaside</b>

Fluke swimming the surf was the news swirling around, and bucktails with assorted Gulps got results, “even with the less than wonderful keeper ratio,” said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site. Word was heard about short striped bass clammed in the suds.  Blackfish, a bunch, could be snatched from along the Barnegat Inlet jetty. Anglers were out-and-about for Garbagefish.com’s Talkin’ Trash Tournament, “searching for the suddenly elusive sea robin,” the site said. One angler checked in a 1.8-pound 25-inch dogfish that slurped in a Grumpy clam. Two anglers weighed in a 4.4-pound blackfish and a 2.9-pounder, and both the fish crunched crab.  <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.   

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

South winds last week cooled water temperatures, rejuvenating striped bass fishing, said Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> in an e-mail. The stage was set for inshore trolling to blow wide open any day for pelagics like bonito, false albacore and  mahi mahi, with tons of bait around, and with 72- to 74-degree waters. Wreck fishing was mostly strong for sea bass, ling and tog. Jay Simmons and Ernie Rosenberg started a trip with a run to Barnegat Ridge to search for pelagics. Bait dimpled the waters, and birds dove on them, and a whale was seen, and the fishing looked like it would be a slam dunk. But the melee turned out to be little more than the bait and the birds. So the anglers moved to a wreck, scoring steady sea bassing. They started sailing back, spotting a school of bunker, deciding to snag some of the baitfish to liveline them among the school. A 6-foot brown shark pummeled the first bunker bait that was sent out. Jay fought the fish until a snap swivel meant for striper fishing failed, and the fish got off. But the anglers caught and released four more browns from 4 to 5 feet, fantastic fishing! They returned to Barnegat Bay for a blast with striped bass and blues hooked on artificials. Jay was high hook on the linesiders, tackling four, including two 28-1/4-inch keepers. George Kitzler and mom Mary on another trip set up on a wreck, pumping up a steady pull of sea bass. Probably 3 of 10 were keepers, and they bagged 23, making up a beautiful bag of snowy white fillets. A 6-foot brown shark followed one of George’s sea bass to the boat before turning away at the last second.  A flurry of mystery fish worked schools of bait around the boat at one point, with sizeable splashes and birds diving, and “just watching the activity was totally cool!” Steve said.

<b>Barnegat</b>

Five keeper fluke were angled up among plenty of shorts, probably 25 or 30, at a few places in the ocean off the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park with <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> on Sunday, Capt. John said. The biggest was probably 21 inches or 3 ½ or 4 pounds, and squid, spearing, sand eels and sea-robin strips were fished. The clock is ticking down on the flattie season that ends in early September, so jump aboard if you want fluke. John’s keeping a lookout for bonito that could appear in droves at Barnegat Ridge any time. He heard about one angler who fought two small bonito and some cocktail blues in the waters, but not much was happening at the Ridge yet.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Anglers on two trips on both boats from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> clubbed flounder to 7 pounds, not a ton of the fish, but large ones, on Saturday on the ocean, Capt. T.J. said. A trip that fished the same area—structure in 60 feet—on Sunday bailed lots of the fluke but only a couple of keepers, and lack of winds created no drift. Shared charters are sailing for flounder and sea bass on Tuesdays and Thursdays when no full charter is booked, and space is available this week, including four spots on Thursday. Space is available on only one of the trips next week. No sea bass turned up on the weekend’s trips. Legal Limit is also fishing for bluefin and yellowfin tuna. Anglers on other boats on Sunday wrestled in big bluefins 100 or 110 pounds at Lemke’s Canyon. A trip with Legal Limit will go for yellowfins this coming Monday.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Surf casters beached kingfish, flounder, blues, triggerfish, healthy-sized tog and some other fish, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. The kingfish were sizable but only showed up from the Ventnor Pier to near the shop, were around in considerably fewer numbers than last year, but anglers hoped more would come in. Soak bloodworms for them, and swim minnows for the flounder. The blues will hit a lot of different baits, aren’t too picky. The triggerfish will suck down clams, green crabs or grass shrimp along the jetty rocks, like where tog hang out. Tog season is now open, and one per angler can be kept per day, and green crabs will take them. A few spots swam the surf, nibbling on bloodworms. A handful of croakers, not many, began to show up, but no big migration yet. Striped bass were occasionally banked. All the baits mentioned and more are stocked.

<b>Margate</b>

Two flounder and sea bass trips broke the inlet Saturday with <b>O-Beth Sporfishing</b>, fishing around the wrecks and pieces in 60 feet about 8 miles from the coast, Capt. Eric said. The morning trip waxed a good pick of sea bass to 4 pounds, releasing 40 short flounder that were just undersized. Flounder fishing’s been hit or miss, sometimes good, sometimes tough. The afternoon trip plucked a couple of sea bass and a couple of short flounder. Minnows and squid were fished on single-hooked bottom-fishing rigs. Seas kicked up a little in the morning, calmed during mid day, and began to build again in the afternoon in winds. A bluefin tuna trip on Sunday trolled a 45-incher and two big mahi mahi to 22 pounds at the 20-fathom lumps. Bluefin fishing was getting better and should only improve, and mahi fishing’s been phenomenal so far this season, and the dolphin were large. Call to get out for any of the species.

<b>Somers Point</b>

Catches of flounder on the back bay and both flounder and sea bass at the ocean reefs highlighted the week’s fishing, said T.C. from <b>Brennan Marine</b> in a fax. Sally Gosser ploughed an 11.33-pound flounder at Ships Channel on the bay on squid on a trip with her husband on their boat Captain’s Lady, and was the angler of the week at the shop. J.R. and Ron Gentile trolled a 42-pound bluefin tuna and a mess of skipjacks at the Cigar on ballyhoos on pink and white Ilanders. John Rihl and crew on the Bacinia waffled a 37-pound bluefin at the Cigar on a bally on a blue and white Ilander. Dave Fiocca on his Poppy’s Cruiser on Sunday trolled and released a 7-foot mako shark at the 750 Square. The fish swiped a bally on an Ilander on a downrigger with 50 feet of cable out. Farther from shore, Bill Troehler and gang tied into small yellowfin tuna and large mahi mahi, including 18-pounders, at Wilmington Canyon on Wednesday.

Tricia Callow cranked in a 7-1/4-pound 28-inch flounder at the Ocean City Bridge, said a fax from Rob and Joan from <b>Dolfin Dock</b>. Triggerfish hovered around the bridge. Matt Lewadsky, 10, iced a 4-pound flounder to out-fish his crew. Tommy Wescott, 15, punched an 8-pound weakfish and a 17-pound striped bass at Jefferson Landing. On the ocean Capt. Dave Brook and crew caught and released a hammerhead shark and four hefty brown sharks at the Dog Lumps. Yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi and mako sharks were wrestled at Wilmington Canyon. Crabbing was great.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Back-bay fishing with <b>Fish Tale Charters</b> served up lots of flounder, many of them shorts, but keepers on every trip, Capt. Craig said. He saw birds working the waters at the inlet, probably on bait that bluefish fed on, and more blues will probably begin to appear this season. The boat early last week scoped out flounder fishing on the ocean, and the fishing there was just beginning, and the flatties were starting to leave the bay, a little earlier than usual. The ocean fishing will probably pick up in the next days and weeks. Minnows, strips of sand sharks and squid were mostly fished for the flatties on the bay and the ocean, and sometimes Gulps were used. A couple of tuna trips are slated to fish the ocean close to shore in August, and Fish Tale will chase tuna and fish like bonito, false albacore and mahi mahi on the ocean out to 40 miles as summer continues.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

An offshore trip trolled a bunch of yellowfin tuna, lots of action, and some mahi mahi to 15 pounds Sunday between Spencer and Wilmington canyons on ballyhoos on Ilanders, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. The yellowfins were small, and the mahi were large, and the trip fished structure, because no big temperature breaks were around to attract concentrations of fish. John Martin, Bear Smith, Jay VonCzoernig and Dustin Laricks were aboard. Joe will try to run the weekly open-boat trip for tuna this week, but weather forecasts looked questionable. The trips are usually sailing Wednesdays but also run on other days, depending on the weather and when anglers can fish. Call to be on the list or for info. The trips, sailing on a 26-foot Regulator, will fish either inshore for bluefin tuna or offshore at the canyons for yellowfins. Joe won’t limit the options, and he just wants to catch, he said. If that means pushing out to the canyons, he’ll do it. The trips are a learning experience. Fishing for big bluefins was amping up at the inshore lumps. On the back bay Mike Roth was aboard Thursday night, fly-rodding five short striped bass and two herring under the bridge lights along the Intracoastal Waterway on Clouser minnows in chartreuse with white or pink with chartreuse. Night fishing for stripers was well under way, and Jersey Cape also fishes for them with soft-plastic lures. Jersey Cape’s also been running combo trips in the middle of the day that clam for stripers and fish for flounder on the bay. Sid Miller, daughter Lauren and niece Lindsay took one of the trips Saturday, catching and releasing two stripers, close to keeper size, and about a dozen short flounder. The clamming for bass was especially rounding up larger stripers, including keepers, on the bay, and the flounder fishing put out lots of shorts, plenty of action, but a few keepers, like everywhere in the state. The fishing was great, especially because of the catches in the middle of the day in summer, and consistent. The trips were also especially good for families or like parents with kids. Ideal conditions or high tides at dusk and dawn were happening this week for striper fishing with popper lures or flies on the bay for explosive surface attacks. The angling is a specialty on the boat. Jersey Cape is offering after-work special trips on the bay from 4 p.m. to dark, a great time to fish, when nobody else is on the waters, and action can be best. Convenient, too. Shark fishing for brown and dusky sharks close to shore, another specialty on the vessel, was holding up well, and small bluefish could be fought on the ocean. Joe is also offering mixed-bag offshore charters this summer, trolling for tuna in the mornings, then casting lures, bait or flies to mahi mahi in the afternoons. The mahi fishing was gaining steam, and peanut bunker, used for chum, were becoming available. Offshore trips fish on either the Regulator or a 42-foot Liberty, depending on the number of anglers and type of fishing, like angling with conventional tackle or fly gear.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Excellent catches of flounder were socked at Cape May Reef, Reef 11, the Old Grounds and Delaware Bay north of Miah Maul, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. Mike Reed from Rockledge, Pa., weighed in an 11-pound 2-ounce doormat he pulled from Cape May Reef on his boat Kensington Princess from Wildwood. William Meyer from East Greenville, Pa., checked in a 3-pound 10-pounce porgy he bagged on a Wildwood party boat. Bluefin tuna were chunked, trolled and butterfly-jigged at 19-Fathom Lump and Massey’s Canyon. Mike Gillen, 14, from Wildwood Crest weighed in an 85-pound bluefin, one of two that were boated on a trip on his Uncle Joe’s Y Knot from Wildwood. One of the tuna was chunked on a butterfish, and the other was butterfly-jigged, and a mahi mahi was also nailed on one of the jigs. Yellowfin tuna with mahi mixed in were trolled along the 40-fathom line.

<b>Cape May</b>

Flounder anglers put a beating on the fish on Delaware Bay, many of them limiting out, the best fishing for them in some time, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Tons of tailor blues, 2-pounders, as many as anglers could want, good-eating size, could be trolled on the ocean. The boat is sailing for both and also for bluefin tuna on the inshore grounds, and charters on the vessel had good luck on bluefins, though others sometimes struggled. Ron Duby’s charter bagged a bluefin, a yellowfin tuna and a mahi mahi on the inshore grounds.

A half-day, 4-hour trip with Ross Restuccio’s gang from South Jersey Well Drillers fished for flounder Saturday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> on Delaware Bay, Capt. George said. The time was limited, and so were the grounds that could be fished, and seas were a little rough, but the anglers caught some flatties,  a bunch of shorts but also keepers to 21 inches or 3 pounds. George knew anglers who pelted good catches of flounder on the ocean, and productive flounder fishing was happening. Bluefin tuna fishing on the inshore grounds sounded somewhat slow Sunday. George knew two boats that trolled the fish, one picking up two bluefins, the other racking up one. Billy who mates on the Heavy Hitter jumped on another boat that landed no bluefins that day, though the crew saw marks and bait. Still, bluefins were usually caught lately, and the Heavy Hitter is fishing for bluefins and flounder. Dates remain available, and call if interested. Only have three or four anglers for a trip, not six to create a full charter? Call George, because he can probably put you together with other anglers on a make-up trip during mid week.

On Delaware Bay flounder came in from near the 9 and 10 buoys and along the Egg Island Point Flats, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Some were also boated at Bayshore Channel and the Cape May Rips, and kingfish and croakers started to appear at the rips. The population of croakers  generally increased in the bay near the shop and along the surf at Higbee’s Beach, where kingfish were sometime also banked. Surf anglers could stick flounder at Cape May Point and around the jetties when slowly dragging baits. Flounder skittered around the Tug Boat Channel just offshore of McCries Shoal and around the DA buoy at the south Old Grounds. Rich Narcisi, 10, creeled a 4.58-pound flounder on the bay. Glenn Frailey picked up a 5.18-pounder from the Old Grounds, and Zach Smith, 12, knocked down a 5.31-pounder at Cape May Reef. Chris Foschini took a 7.69-pounder on a local party boat. Bluefin tuna were scattered along the 20-fathom line. They could be trolled at the Lobster Claw on ballyhoos on Ilanders fished way back 200 to 300 yards at 4 to 5 knots. They could be jigged or chunked at 19-Fathom Lump and Massey’s Canyon, usual spots. Some bigger bluefins to 185 pounds haunted the southeast tip of the Hambone. Peter Nardone weighed in a 186-pounder that he jigged in the area, fighting the fish 2 hours to get to the boat.

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