<b>Keyport</b>

A mess of fluke, short fish, and a couple of blues to 3 pounds were angled aboard from the bay to the ocean surrounding Sandy Hook on Jason Neye’s trip with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> on Wednesday, Capt. Joe said. Although no keeper fluke showed up, there was action, and the day on the waters was beautiful, “a nice trip,” Joe said. Squid, smelts and killies were fished, and the blues were belted when the anglers came across a couple of pods of them. Jason’s son Jason Jr., 7,  his brother J.R. Neye and Will Peadey, 14, were also on deck. More fluke trips will sail Sunday and Monday, and Papa’s Angels is also bottom-fishing for sea bass and porgies. Open-boat trips with a minimum of five anglers are sailing 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily by reservation when no charter is booked.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

For fluke anglers, some days were good, and others were “eh,” said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. They dusted them up well on the ocean in deep waters. Plenty of porgies hugged the wrecks, and so did lots of sea bass. Striped bass could be located in the ocean in the early mornings. Lots of stripers could be wormed at night at the channels. Bluefish could be jigged on the bay, and the speedsters tore around the rivers, but were difficult to catch. “They’re on rainfish,” Jimmy said. He wasn’t asked about fluking in the rivers, but in his last report he said the flatties littered the rivers. Weakfish could sometimes be stuck in the rivers and on the bay. “You’ve just got to go fishing,” Jimmy said. “You’ll catch something. It’s summer.” Fishing was good, he added.

The twice daily trips on Sunday, covered in the last report, highlighted the week of fluking so far on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said after Wednesday’s trips. He was fairly happy with Sunday’s catches, he said, but afterward the fishing landed a bunch of shorts with some keepers taken. All the fishing through the week was done on the bay. On Monday some of the same anglers from Sunday’s trip were aboard, and they were like, what happened? Tom had hoped Sunday’s catches would continue. Tuesday’s fishing was about the same as Monday’s: shorts with some keepers. On Wednesday’s trips, the boat fished at Chapel Hill Channel, not a place where the vessel usually fished lately. Conditions or winds and currents were a little different, so Tom fished there for the best drift, and the anglers pumped in quite a few shorts but some keepers. Neither jigs nor rigs seemed to out-fish one another on the whole, but on Tuesday morning one angler who worked a Spro jig with a trailer nailed five keepers, but he was the exception and worked for the fluke. Another on the trip worked a Spro, scoring two keepers, and another fished a plain bottom rig, copping two. Other anglers on the trip scored some singles around the boat. The boat on the trips fished at usual places like around the Navy Pier and off Sandy Hook Point, depending on drifting conditions. When the drift was right, shorts and some keepers were pulled up. When the drift was off, fishing for shorts was even slow. On one trip fishing started slowly in bad conditions. Then the drift picked up, and so did the fishing. But then weather with a little rain rolled through, and winds blew like six different directions, and that sort of killed the angling. Many flatties 17 or 17 ½ inches, only an inch to 1 ½ inches short, were around on the trips, a shame to throw back the sizeable fluke. But the boat will keep at it, and the fishing was unpredictable, and Tom this season has reported better trips and slower trips with no pattern that could predict when the fishing would cooperate the most. He’s said in the past that anglers ask him what conditions like winds are best, and there's no telling, because too many variables are in play. One trip would score relatively well, and the boat would return to the same place the next day in similar conditions, and the fish would be reluctant to bite for no apparent reason. Tom didn’t think the fish moved but that they refused to feed for some reason. Mud on the fishes’ bellies suggested they hunkered on the bottom while not feeding, stayed put. 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.

Fluke fishing was generally good, and anglers still hooked big fish, and a mess of throwbacks, said Didi from the <b>Dorothy B</b>. Still lots of action, she said. The boat sailed the bay at usual places like off Sandy Hook Point and on Sandy Hook Bay. On Monday on the morning trip Kyle Boyle from Belle Meade won the pool with a 3-1/2-pounder, and on the afternoon trip Phil Chidichimo from Oakhurst won, also with a 3-1/2-pounder. On Tuesday morning A.F. Sisolak from Middletown and Michael Ferrante from Great Meadows won the morning and afternoon pools, respectively. On Wednesday, a very good day for the fishing, Didi said, husband and wife Tom and Sue Matysik from Sayreville on the morning trip combined for six keepers. Tom won the pool with a 5-pounder, and Sue bagged a 4-1/2-pounder. In the afternoon Robert Burns from Eatontown won the pool with a flattie probably a little more than 2 pounds, a fish that wasn’t weighed. Also on the afternoon trip, Bernie Dorrian and grandsons Liam and Connor Ward climbed aboard and had a great time, Didi said. The captain even let the boys jump at the helm and see what it’s like to be the skipper. Family fishing is welcomed on the vessel. The Dorothy B is a new boat at Atlantic Highlands this year, and the captain hails from a family of three generations of party boat skippers from Sheepshead Bay, New York, the oldest party boat family at the port, Didi said. He used to sail on the vessels from Sheepshead for years, and during that time captained head-boat trips on many of the same waters that the vessel is fishing now, she said. The Dorothy B is fluke fishing 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily. When fluke season ends, the boat will begin sailing for striped bass on ¾-day trips.

Took a while to get the right conditions, but then good fluke fishing was wrangled out on Tuesday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. Shorts outnumbered keepers, but the action was hopping, and Lou Ciavatti won the pool with a 5-1/2-pounder. No other news was posted on the site since the last report. 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. However, the boat is chartered this coming Monday through Wednesday, and no open fluke trips will sail then. <b>Update, Today:</b> Ron wouldn’t call today’s fluking “good by any means,” he said, but a few sizeable flatties were swung aboard. A 5-pounder was the pool winner, and Tom Krako docked three keepers. The first couple of drifts were best, and winds against the current after the tide change made the attempt futile to catch any numbers. The trip fished Ambrose Channel a while, but the area was disappointing, after better fishing there several days ago.

<b>Highlands</b>

Rough bottom in deep waters in the ocean put out fluke to 5 and 6 pounds on bucktails and big strip baits for <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, pretty good fishing, Capt. Derek said. Sea bass were mixed in, and Fisher Price this season will run special fluke charters that target the flatties in the deep with bucktails, big strip baits and live bait. The season was early for live bait, because Derek was only seeing a few snapper blues around, and no peanut bunker. Open-boat trips are sailing for the summer flounder when Derek can squeeze them in, and the next will probably run late next week. Call to get on the list or to be kept informed of the schedule. Charters are also worming for striped bass at night.

<b>Belmar</b>

Although bluefishing had slowed down for maybe three or four days, and the fish had then seemed to be spawning, when they’ll stop feeding, catches this week bounced back, quicker than expected, said Capt. Greg from the <b>Golden Eagle</b>. Both daytime and nighttime trips scored lots of 7- to 10-pounders on the vessel, with 13-pound pool winners, while fishing 13 to 20 miles to the south and offshore. The fish were mostly jigged, instead of being caught on bait, during the day, and they were baited at night as always. The Golden Eagle is fishing for blues daily 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Currents in the ocean screamed at 1.7 to 1.8 knots for whatever reasons, like the moon or runoff, so fluking was fair at best on the <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said.  Some 9- and 10-pounders were waxed, and on Wednesday a 7-pounder won the pool. But that wasn’t a great size for July. One angler limited out on Wednesday. So anglers just had to wait out the currents and hope to get back to the better fluking that happened before. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Shark River’s fluke population was big, and many were shorts, but keepers were also claimed, said Tom from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. One angler landed eight on a trip, keeping no more than his limit. Another gathered up six, and another threw down four. Flukers kept the shop’s rental boats busy. A few small blues appeared in the river, and a handful of small blackfish stuck around the jetties. One blackfish will be able to be kept per person starting next Thursday. Fluking on the party boats was good. The fishing was similar: lots of shorts. But healthy-sized ones came back from the trips. One of the boats reported catches of a 7-1/2-pounder and lots of 5- and 6-pounders. Bluefishing was super on the head boats.

<b>Brielle</b>

On an open-boat fluke trip with <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> on Tuesday, the anglers picked at the fish, but action never really got going, and currents and winds ended up pushing the drift too fast at 1.8 knots, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. The anglers scratched out 10 keeper fluke and a couple of keeper sea bass while bouncing around to different rubble and rock piles. On Saturday a charter fluke fished, had to work hard bouncing bucktails in a bit breezy weather that pushed the drift up to 1.2 knots, but they put some quality flatties and sea bass in the boat: 16 keeper fluke, including a couple larger than 5 pounds, and more than 20 sea bass. Not as many shorts were hooked, and the waters looked dirty. Charters are fishing, and space is available on upcoming open-boat trips, and give a buzz to go fishing.

Blues got drilled during the daytime and nighttime trips on the <b>Jamaica</b> on Wednesday, an e-mail from the boat said. The slammers, big fish 7 to 13 pounds, were pummeled 15 to 17 miles to the south and offshore. The crew chummed for the fish, and most anglers clobbered the catches on jigs, but some hooked up on bait. The fishing held up every day during the week, and the outlook was good for the coming days. All the fleet was on the catches over a wide area. The Jamaica is fishing for blues on two trips 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily. A coupon is available for $5 off adult fare in July. Check the boat’s Web site for the complete schedule, including special trips, and to be added to the e-mail list for special trips. Reservations are being booked for canyon tuna fishing that will begin in late August.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Bluefishing improved, an e-mail from the <b>Cock Robin</b> said. The last report said the fishing slowed, because the blues were spawning. But that all changed. John Iannecci from Flemington made easy work of a limit of blues. Jigs out-fished bait, “but who knows?” the e-mail said. The boat carries bait, prepared for whatever works best.  The Cock Robin is fishing for blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Wednesday Marathon Trips, leaving earlier at 6 a.m. at no extra charge, are running. On Thursday’s trips, customers can help donate fish to Joan Valentine House, providing meals to people. Captain Jim’s Camp Cock Robin for kids, limited to 12 anglers, is under way for summer, featuring a dedicated mate for the youngsters.

On the <b>Sea Devil</b> excellent jigging for bluefish got pounded 15 miles offshore of Manasquan Inlet on Wednesday, Cindy said in an e-mail. Brian Cupples and son Clinton Cupples, back from the Iraq War, slammed more than 20 of the fish. Dad caught the biggest, a 15-pounder, and son bailed the most. Some anglers decked many on bait. On Tuesday very good jigging for blues got hammered on the East Bank at the Mudhole. Les Schupp won the pool with a 14-pounder, and Fred Rutz fished with bait, blasting blue after blue. The Sea Devil is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays. Groups of four or more can get a $5 discount per person. In addition, if groups are 11 or more, one person can fish free. Groups must arrive by 7 a.m. for the discounts, and are asked to please call ahead. Offshore tuna trips are on the books to begin August 18, and space is already filling. See the schedule and info on the vessel’s Web site, or call the Sea Devil.

Fishing for blues picked back up on the boat’s nighttime trips, after a brief lull, and fluke angling was a little sluggish on the vessel’s daytime trips, Capt. Matt from the <b>Norma K</b> said. The bluefishing was great for 4- to 10-pounders on the west side of the Mudhole. The fluking was a bit picky around the rocks in the ocean. Lots of shorts and some keepers got knuckled in on every trip, but good-sized sea bass were in the mix. A 7-1/2-pound fluke won the pool the other day, and a few 3- and 4-pounders were plundered lately. Trips are fishing for fluke twice daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and for blues 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

A sea bass charter Monday filled the box to the brim with the knotheads, a dozen ling and one big porgy, said the report on <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>’ Web site. The anglers fished several drops in 58 feet, 65 feet and 75 feet, and all produced. The report sounded like the deeper they tried, the more fish were angled in. However, currents were strong in 75 feet, so much so that at first, drifts were tried instead of anchoring. But then the boat was anchored on the wreck, and the fishing was drop and reel. “Awesome day!” the report said. On Wednesday the government booked the boat to repair the weather buoy at the Texas Tower. But fishing was done during a spare couple of hours afterward. Triggerfish were reeled up from around the buoy, and no mahi mahi hung around the structure. Then during a little trolling, ten bites were scored, and short yellowfin tuna and some skipjacks were landed. Next the anglers deep dropped to catch tilefish to 20 pounds. Andrea’s Toy is fishing for fluke and sea bass inshore and for tuna and all the big game offshore. Call now to get on the list, especially for offshore trips. Andrea’s Toy’s annual open-boat, mixed bag, offshore trips are about to begin, and space is available on a first-come basis. See details on <a href="http://www.andreastoycharters.com" target="_blank"> Andrea’s Toy’s home page</a>.

An open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Marathon trip left the dock Wednesday with four anglers to fish the ocean with <b>Reel Class Charters</b>, Capt. Allen said in the report on the boat’s Web site. Six keeper flatties were socked, and 30 shorts were released. A few sea bass, including six keepers, were cranked in. A slow day with strong northerly currents and northerly winds, creating a 2-plus-knot drift, racing. The trip fished to the north at various places including 45 to 55 feet, rough bottom and shallows tight to the beach. Allen expects the waning full moon to get the fish going again in the next few days. A half-day charter on Tuesday at first tried striped bass fishing on the ocean, even though the angling came to a standstill for the last week, and Allen wasn’t expecting much. Needless to say, he said, no stripers inhaled the fresh bunker heads fished on structure. So the anglers moved off to fish the reef for sea bass. They scored a fair pick of the lumpheads, lots of shorts, and ling, but enough keeper sea bass to keep things interesting, and a short fluke and a small silver eel also chomped. They moved north to concrete rubble, and more variety was found. Mixed sizes of sea bass, a 2-pound, dinner-plate-sized porgy, an out-of-season, 15-inch tog that was let go, and a few ling bit. By the end, in 2 ½ hours of actual fishing time, two dozen keeper sea bass were hung, and lots of shorts were released. Also landed were five ling, the fluke, the porgy, the tog and the silver eel. A charter on Wednesday began the trip with bottom-fishing, because there was no drift for fluking. But later the anglers focused on fluke, when a drift developed, until returning to bottom-fishing at the end of the day. “Overall a good day,” Allen said. About 25 keeper sea bass were reeled up, and only ones 13 inches, a half-inch over the size limit, were kept. Two keeper fluke were toggled in among 40 shorts, and six ling and some trash fish came in. Charters and open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Marathons are sailing, and check the boat’s Web site for the open schedule.

<b>Toms River</b>

Barnegat Bay anglers picked a few flounder and some small blues at places like between the BI and BB markers, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Flounder also came from Double  Creek and Oyster Creek channels. None of the weakfish that bay anglers await in summer arrived in the bay. Jeff heard about a few spike weeks reeled in from the Toms River at Huddy Park last week, and that was about all. Blowfish and kingfish seemed yet to make an appearance in the bay. Fluke fishers in the ocean had been loading up, but then the fishing seemed to produce one day, and not on another. The flatties and sea bass were reported lifted from Barnegat Ridge at times. Fluke also came from the Shrewsbury Rocks farther north. Small striped bass and some blues were trolled around the Rocks. White perch were landed at the Toms River at night, and most anglers caught their own grass shrimp for bait, but some fished nightcrawlers. Crabbing churned up lots of catches in the back waters. In the surf a striped bass was beached here or there, and an occasional bluefish and some rays were banked. Jeff heard about three fluke dragged from the wash, all at Seaside. Killies and fresh clams are stocked, and fresh bunker is carried when available. All the frozen baits are supplied.

<b>Seaside</b>

Short fluke, an occasional keeper, scattered, cocktail blues, but not many, and once in a while a striped bass got wrenched in from the surf, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site. A 31.8-pound striper that waffled bunker and a 12.6-pound striper that Hoovered clam were weighed in from the suds. Triggerfish hovered along the Barnegat Inlet jetty. Kayak anglers could locate weakfish along the sedges on Barnegat Bay. News from boaters was scarce, but they said sea bass, lots to bag, were piled up along the wrecks and structure, and fluking was hit or miss. Be sure to sign up for the Garbage Fish Tournament. See  <a href="http://www.garbagefish.com" target="_blank"><b>GarbageFish.com</b></a>. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.   

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Water temperatures dropped to the mid 60s, so a few striped bass were beached from the surf, said Nick from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Surf casters said they sometimes saw rainfish in the wash, and small bluefish sometimes blitzed on them. Once in a while a striper from a short to a 30-incher smacked a popper lure or a swimmer that the anglers worked. More fluke, including a handful of keepers, seemed to fill the surf than Barnegat Inlet. Maybe 1 in 8 was a keeper in the surf, and there was no shortage of the summer flounder. Most anglers cast bucktails tipped with a Gulp or other bait for the flatties, but top-and-bottom rigs worked. Divers said they saw stripers holding along the Barnegat Inlet jetties, but the fish were reluctant to bite in the warm waters. The divers saw lots of blackfish along the jetties, and one of the tog can be kept starting next Thursday. Triggerfish swam thick along the inlet’s south jetty all the way back to the condos.  Not much word came in about fluke catches from the ocean, but good-sized sea bass were boated from structure like the Tires. Barnegat Bay’s fluking had started to heat up, but then the action seemed to slow, maybe because of the full moon early this week. No weakfish arrived at Meyer’s Hole so far, but Nick heard about a few found behind the Dike and along the bridge to Long Beach Island. Killies, live spots and pretty much all the baits are fully loaded at the shop.

<b>Barnegat</b>

A hard southeast current, maybe because of the waning full moon, and cold, 63-degree waters, apparently because of the current, appeared to turn off fluke fishing during a trip on the ocean Wednesday, Capt. John from <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> said. Northwest winds against the current also slowed the drift too much. A couple of short fluke, a couple of short sea bass and lots of skates and sharks bit. But the fishing will pick back up, maybe around Friday, when northeast winds are supposed to blow, and a trip a week or two ago scored well on the flatfish, covered in a previous report. Barnegat Bay’s fishing didn’t sound so great either, and lots more fluke could be boated there, but more keepers swam the ocean. The bay’s bluefishing even sounded off for the moment. John heard about a few weakfish, not many, plucked from the bay. Ocean bluefishing sounded slow on the local party boats, and John heard nothing about bonito found yet at Barnegat Ridge in the ocean. But bonito could arrive any day, and he plans to take a look for them.

Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> was running some interesting bay/ocean combo trips, both open-boat and charters, he said in an e-mail. The trips start the day with chumming grass shrimp for striped bass in the ocean along the Barnegat Inlet jetties. “Depending on the cooperation of the (stripers),” he said, the trips then head to the bay for a shot at fluke. The flatties held in shallow waters lately, and in the past days, getting a keeper was tough, but some 19- and 21-inchers were bucketed. Next the anglers throw top-water lures to 1- to 3-pound blues that live in the shallows. Explosive, visual attacks. Dave is keeping a constant watch for weakfish that could arrive in the bay anytime, testing the waters frequently. So the trips might also look for them, and the lucky anglers aboard when they show will be the first on the trout. He chums them with grass shrimp. Open trips will run Friday through the weekend and on other days coming up, limited to three anglers. Give a call to get aboard. One of the trips today was fishing 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the outings will fish about a half-hour later each day in the near future, to fish the tide. Dave usually runs overtime on the trips at no extra expense to boot.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Bay trips on the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b> pelted fluke, not too many keepers, but some, Capt. Frank said. The fish weighed up to 6 pounds on Friday and up to 5 pounds on Sunday. The boat’s ocean trips snatched up sea bass to 3 ½ pounds and a few ling. Again, not too many of the sea bass were keepers, but some were. A recent high hook clocked six keeper lumpheads. The Miss Beach Haven is fishing the bay for fluke 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The boat is fishing the ocean for sea bass and fluke 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Lots of throwback flounder were nabbed on the bay, but a few keepers could definitely be found, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Four keepers made a good trip, and most averaged two, and if anglers just bounced around, didn’t work for fish, they’d only reel in shorts. Waters at the clam stakes on the Mystic Island side of the Fish Factory were most popular, but a report rolled in from an angler who fished Grassy Channel on Great Bay, bagging four keepers among 18 shorts. Little was heard about catches at Grassy until then. Other news on the fluke came in Wednesday: Anglers who fished the usual ocean spots like Garden State Reef South, Little Egg Reef and off Harvey Cedars only caught shorts. They would’ve been better off fishing the bay to grab keepers, and bay anglers did score better on legal-sized flatties that day. No bluefish and no weakfish were around. The small fish like kingfish and blowfish that appear in the bay in summer were yet to turn up. But shark fishing at Grassy Channel was on! Grassy offers fishing for big brown sharks in summer. One angler said he belted a 5-1/2-footer the other day. Sand sharks to 3 or 4 feet or 10 to 15 pounds can also put up a fun fight on light tackle in the waters. But the browns are the prize. Anglers anchor at night, mostly from dusk to 10 p.m., chum for the fish and throw out baits like a mackerel fillet or a bunker fillet. Scott’s sells a special rig and chum ball for the bay sharking, and can give advice. The angling is a rare opportunity to wrestle with sharks without sailing offshore. Nobody mentioned fishing for white perch, but the time was here to get after them at places like the mouth of the Mullica River or the tributaries Nacote Creek and Ballanger Creek. On the bait front, welcomed news: The minnow supply was in good shape, after the baitfish were scarce because of rains and weather this year. The clear, relatively warm weather had its effect. Scott was trying to catch live grass shrimp at a creek, and the shrimp were scarce, maybe because of warm waters, but minnows were stacked up like he never saw before. Although the shrimp were scarce, enough were probably stocked to keep them supplied at least for now. Shucked fresh clams, bloodworms and other baits are on hand.

<b>Port Republic</b>

Boaters dialed into flounder at the mouth of the Mullica River and at buoy 139 on Great Bay, said Keith from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>. Cody Meyer smoked an 8.1-pounder from the mouth. Weakfish hung around the mouth, and anglers in the know pilfered a few, but the inexperienced did not. Shedder crabs, the favorite bait for weaks, are stocked. Hardly any bluefish if any came through, but white perch could always be racked up from the river, and anglers who stopped by today said they caught them. Crabs, healthy numbers, were gathered up. In addition to the shedder crabs, the shop is stocking minnows and all the frozen baits.

<b>Absecon</b>

Some big flounder got walloped on the back bay, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. An angler Tuesday weighed in a 10-1/2-pounder, and Chris McKinley checked in a doormat over 10 pounds early in the week. The flounder angling was turning out well, was the main affair , and some big ones were out there. Anglers who were really into weakfishing were able to connect with the fish in the back waters at first light. Dave ran a charter on the bay that fought a dozen 2- to 3-pound blues on a back slough, and bait started to be thick enough to draw them in. Now the waters needed to warm a little to make weakfish come in. Don’t count out striped bass fishing. One angler checked in a 25-pounder and said the fish was the smallest of six he hauled up during a trip. He was fishing off the end of an Atlantic City pier at nighttimes on high tides, and ransacked a 40-pounder on one of the trips early in the week. So striper fishing was a night bite, Dave said. Shedder crabs, minnows, live spots and a large selection of all the baits fished in the local area are carried.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Surf casters sometimes ran into kingfish and bluefish, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Two different anglers in the past days found blues that blitzed bait under working birds, so the angling couldn’t be said to be hot and heavy, but they came across some. Bloodworms or FishBites worked for the kings, and baits like finger mullet or mackerel did the job on the blues. The island’s south jetty was loaded with triggerfish. Striped bass could be fooled with live spots drifted in the bay along the sod banks in the early mornings before boat traffic or at night. Many anglers think no bass can be found after the spring migration, but that’s untrue. Resident bass shack up along the sod or under the bridges through the summer. Plenty of big flounder hugged the bay bottom, and drifted live spots were top fare for them. John Rios checked in a 7-pounder that swiped a spot. Live spots will be resupplied at the shop Sunday, after running out. Fresh clams, FishBites, Gulps, all the frozen baits and all the offshore baits, like rigged and unrigged ballyhoos and flats of butterfish, are stocked.

<b>Margate</b>

Flounder fishing wasn’t too bad on the bay, and lots of the fish grabbed baits, and some were legal-sized to 3- and 4-pounds, said Capt. John from the <b>Keeper</b>. Minnows arrived for bait on the boat Wednesday, and they seemed finally to become more available, after they had been scarce all season because of rains and rough weather until recently. But even when no minnows were available, strip baits and Gulps were loading up on the catches on the boat. John started to see more bait in the bay than before. He saw a few schools of peanut bunker, but the baitfish were too small to use for fishing, needed to grow a little. When they grow large enough, the boat keeps them aboard in a livewell for flounder. The Keeper is fishing for flounder on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

<b>Longport</b>

Plenty of sea bass and flounder got swung aboard at the ocean reefs on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Lots and lots of the flounder were shorts, but some were keepers. A few legal ones were iced on Wednesday’s trip. The season’s first offshore charter will sail to the Continental Edge on Saturday, kicking off the boat’s fishing for yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, marlin and wahoo. Most weekends are booked for charters in July and August, and only one Saturday and four Sundays in August remained. Either grab the dates or go on the weekdays. 

<b>Ocean City</b>

Boaters fished the ocean reefs to make off with flounder and sea bass, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Flounder in the bay were small, and striped bass could be nabbed on the bay at the bridges at night on soft-plastics or other lures. Surf fishing was at a standstill, nothing doing. Sharks could be fought at the Elephant Trunk, and yellowfin tuna could be trolled at the northern canyons. No reports rolled in about bluefin tuna on the inshore grounds. Minnows and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

In the back bay flounder, many of them shorts, but 1 in 6 or 7 a keeper, packed the waters, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. A rig with a bucktail on the bottom and a hook above that trails behind on a leader was probably the best choice. Bait the bucktail with a Gulp or a strip of bait like mackerel, and bait the trailer with a minnow or a Gulp. Gulps really got a lot of attention from the fish. The 3-inch shrimp or 4-inch mullet in bright colors, New Penny color for the shrimp or white were effective. Or fish with a top-and-bottom rig or a single-hooked bottom rig. Plenty of flounder congregated at Townsends Inlet Reef, and a 10-1/4-pounder was weighed in from the reef. Striped bass swam the bay, weren’t the easiest fish to catch, but if boaters hit their favorite creek, turned off the engine and floated down, they could catch while working lures like soft plastics on jigheads. Popper lures could also be used. Evenings or mornings were key, or anglers could fish at night along the lights at the bridges with soft plastics. Striper anglers could also chunk clams on the bay during the daytime, and that was actually the best bet. In other words, anchor, set up a chum slick with pieces of clam belly fed into the waters, and fish with the clams. No blues were around in the bay to speak of. Crabbing was good on the bay. In the surf a few small flounder could be played on bucktails, shad darts or a bottom rig baited with squid. Striped bass were gone from the suds, and kingfish were yet to come in to the wash. Yellowfin tuna schooled the offshore canyons, and little was heard about bluefin tuna closer to shore. Minnows and all the frozen baits are stocked. The full supply of offshore baits and tackle is carried.

A short, exploratory, fun trip on the bay with his wife fly-rodded four striped bass to 28 inches on Clouser Minnows on Wednesday afternoon on incoming tide, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. He planned to fish for the linesiders that night under the bridge lights along the Intracoastal Waterway with Clousers like chartreuse-and-white, pink-and-white or Electric Chicken pink over chartreuse, he said in the evening before the trip. The time was here to go after the nighttime bite in the summer. The fish can be fly-rodded, but they can also be fought on light spinning rods with soft-plastic lures on a jighead. Popper fishing with lures or flies for the bass during the daytime on the bay was “sporadically good,” he said, depending on the right conditions like high tides in the evenings. Bob Ververka was aboard Monday at sunset, landing a short striper on a Crease Fly popper that Joe ties. On Tuesday Dave McCullough jumped on deck for flounder fishing on the bay, putting three keepers to 4 pounds in the box, tackling more than 30 throwbacks, several almost 18-inches or keeper-size, that were released.  He dunked a rig with a buckail and a trailer, with a Gulp on the bucktail and a minnow on a gold hook on the trailer. Most of the fish hit the minnow, and several pounced on the Gulp. The bay’s flounder fishing was the best Joe saw in years, and keepers were culled from weeding through the shorts. The flatties were hooked on every drift on Tuesday. Joe also took an exploratory trip to the ocean to check out his spots like Sea Isle Ridge to see if bluefin tuna, bonito or false albacore were around, though the season was a little early. None of the fish showed up while he trolled, but he fly-rodded small bluefish among a ton of the speedsters there, and a saw a cobia. The cobia refused to chase anything Joe threw, but he found triggerfish that he landed.  Farther from shore, plenty of mahi mahi could be trolled at the inshore lumps, and bluefin tuna held at 19-Fathom Lump. Even farther from the coast, the mahi population was just beginning to build at the canyons. Yellowfin tuna gathered at the canyons up and down the Continental Shelf, mostly at the northern canyons lately. Joe’s uncle ran a trip that leadered a white marlin and small yellowfin tuna at Toms Canyon. One space is available on an open-boat tuna trip Wednesday with Jersey Cape. The open trips are sailing on Wednesdays but sometimes on other days, depending on the weather and when anglers want to go. Call 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. Joe will offer mixed-bag offshore charters this summer, trolling for tuna in the mornings, then casting lures, bait or flies to mahi mahi in the afternoons. 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. Jersey Cape is offering after-work special trips on the back 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.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Anglers on the <b>Adventurer</b> drummed up sea bass and flounder from the reefs in the ocean, Capt. Gary said. Plenty of the fish were throwbacks, but some were keepers, and there was action. Pool winners were decent-sized, 23 or 24 inches or 4 pounds. As always, flounder fishing takes the right winds and currents to create the right drift, and in the past days winds either failed to blow or honked 20 knots. Small blues were sometimes fought, and small weakfish popped up at times. Variety was starting. Gary heard about a few croakers found, but none was lifted aboard his trips. The trips were able to fish the ocean through the past week, but the boat can fish Delaware Bay when winds kick up ocean seas too much, one of the advantages of the port. Flounder also swam the bay. This past week’s Saturday night bluefish trip put patrons on small blues, and a couple of dusky sharks were hooked and released for a thrill. The Adventurer is fishing on open-boat trips 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, but call to confirm, making sure no charter is running instead. Charters are available. Open bluefishing trips are sailing 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Saturdays.

<b>Cape May</b>

Four bluefin tuna and four gaffer mahi mahi were landed on a fun trip that Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> took with friends on a private boat Wednesday, he said. Two of the bluefins were kept--one about 42 inches and the other about 50 inches, both full of sand eels--and the others were around 42 inches and were released. The mahi landed were 10 to 15 pounds, females full of roe. But a big, 25-pound, bull mahi was reeled in but got off at the boat. All the fish were trolled, and the trip began fishing at the 19-Fathom Lump at 6 a.m. Boats crammed the waters there, so the trip moved off to a couple of nearby lumps and hooked up. Two of the bluefins were trolled before 9 a.m., and anglers on the radio said most of the tuna bit by 9 a.m. the previous day. But George’s trip trolled two more bluefins throughout the day, leaving for home at 1 p.m. Between the bluefins and the mahi, there was action all day. The tuna were marked from 50 feet down to right on the bottom. Two bluefins were banged out on another boat that George heard from, and a friend went 3 for 5, and most vessels in the area seemed to land at least one. The time of year was right for the fish to settle in, and the fishing seemed to be under way. George heard little about yellowfin tuna farther offshore, and the last he knew, the fish, small ones, were mostly caught toward the Carteret and Spencer canyons. Some were also supposedly boated at the Baltimore, and the yellowfins generally swam anywhere from the Wilmington on up to the northern canyons.

Anglers went 3 for 3 on bluefin tuna on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> on Wednesday at the southern lumps between 20 and 30 fathoms, Capt. Tom said. They kept a 57-inch 111-pounder and a 42-inch 49-pounder, releasing a 45-incher. They also boxed a 12-pound mahi mahi, and all the fish were trolled on ballyhoos. A mako shark 100 to 150 pounds also slammed a bally before it bit through the mono. That was the fifth mako that Tom heard was trolled in those depths. Sand eels flooded the 70- to 71-degree, green but clear waters. The fish that were fought could be seen 30 feet down. The trip arrived on the grounds at 4:30 a.m. and the first tuna attacked at 7:30 a.m. The last was landed at 10:30 a.m., and the anglers said they had enough, and headed home early. Tom heard about a small white marlin caught in the area, the second white he heard was angled in the waters this season. Lots of mahi, sizeable ones, seemed to swim up and down the 20-fathom line already, and the waters were cool for them. Could be a sign of good mahi fishing coming this year. At the canyons lots of small yellowfin tuna schooled, and occasional 40-, 50- or 60-pounders were mixed in, but not a lot. Some quality bigeyes were beaten at the canyons. The fishing was better at the northern canyons lately. Fishin’ Fever can cover a large range of the canyons, because if the northern waters are best, the boat can sail from its port in Brigantine. If southern waters are better, the vessel can run from Cape May. Mako sharks were still around, if anglers wanted to hunt them on the boat. Fishin’ Fever is also flounder fishing in either the ocean or on Delaware Bay, and both places produced. The deep waters in the ocean were especially full of the fluke, but if anglers wanted to fish the bay, or if they wanted to take a shorter trip, charters will fish the bay. The boat’s last flounder trips made off well on the fish.

<b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> will sail for bluefin tuna this weekend and for flounder at the beginning of the week, Capt. Ray said. Until now, not a ton of boaters had sailed for the bluefins, though the fish seemed to be around. The tuna to 100 and 180 pounds were boated here and there, and sand eels that they forage on filled the waters, and the fishing was a matter of anglers not being able to catch unless they left the dock. If more had gone, more about catches probably would’ve been heard. Yellowfin tuna fishing farther from shore was beginning and improved, and many small yellowfins  had come in at first, but somewhat larger ones started to be on the scene. For flounder fishing almost all the reefs within reach of Cape May gave up the fish, and the deeper areas seemed most productive for the larger flatties. Jaftica is mostly fishing the reefs for the fluke, and the location depends on the weather. If the weather is clear, trips fish the farther reefs.

Croakers nibbled small bits of clam or squid around the Cape May jetties, said Danny from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Flounder also bit along the surf at Cape May Point and Higbee’s Beach, and boaters could also pick them up nearby. Flounder were taken from the ocean reefs, Delaware Bay and the back bay. Weakfish were few and far between, and Nick heard about maybe five caught. Minnows and all the frozen baits including mackerel, squid and clams are stocked.

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