<b>Staten Island</b>

Trips will target sea bass with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, now that New York’s fluke season ended, Capt. Anthony said. Open-boat trips will probably steam for the knotheads once a week starting in mid September to cash in on the offshore migration, hitting the wrecks at least 2 hours from port. Anglers can call for info or can keep an eye on the boat’s Web site for info that will be posted when the trips draw near. Barbara Anne pays bridge tolls with a receipt. Tog fishing will become an option when New York’s blackfish season opens October 1. But sea bass will probably remain a focus at first, until the togging begins to pick up. Then Barbara Anne always goes all out for the slipperies. Bluefish charters are currently available upon request.

<b>Keyport</b>

Fluke, lots of quality fish, kept being checked in, said Chris from <b>Crabby’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Joe Gerrian hauled up a 9.7-pounder from Sandy Hook Channel, and Tim Larson rounded up five of the fish to 6.8 pounds at the 11A can. Joe fished with a Gulp and sand eel combo, and Tim worked a spearing with squid. Pete Sapsa took a 3-pounder from the bay off Keansburg. The offshore hurricane should create a big swell on the ocean this weekend, and if the seas force anglers to fluke fish on the bay, they should try fishing off Staten Island’s Ward Point at the back of the bay. Lots of the summer flounder swam the back of the bay, and anglers just had to dig through shorts. Snapper blues schooled all around the Keyport dock and pier. Catch Keyport’s free snapper tournament 10 a.m. to 12 noon Saturday at the Keyport waterfront, and call the shop for info. Weakfish began to move up Reach Channel from the Verrazano Narrows. Chris hoped the swell would fail to make them leave the bay. Great catches of sea bass came from Sandy Hook Reef and the Mud Dump. Crabbing was the best in years, and many of the blueclaws were larger than 6 inches. The shop’s free crabbing contest was going strong. Frank Russo was in the lead with a 7-7/8-incher, and Charles Moe maintained second with a 7-5/8-incher. Crabbers have until September 30 to enter the contest.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

After a tough fluke trip on the bay Tuesday, Capt. Ron from the <b>Fishermen</b> decided to hunt big flatties on Wednesday’s trip. “Glad we did,” he said in an e-mail. “Caught the change-of-the-tide bite perfect,” he said, and eight keepers from 4 to 8 pounds were creamed on one of the trip’s drifts. The lead for the pool changed hands four times, going from 5 ½ pounds to 6 ½, 8.4 and, finally, 9.2. That pool-winner with the 9.2 had already clobbered a 7.4-pounder. The 9.2-pounder was “thick as hell!” Ron said. Scott Uribe limited out on the flatties, including three that weighed more than 5 pounds. John Forelich caught one fluke short of his limit, and they were big fish, including the 8.4-pounder, a 7-pounder and a 5-3/4-pounder. “Big babies are out there,” Ron said. You just have to find them, he said.  The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips are running 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.

Gangs of blues were chummed on the ocean, and they were jigged close to the beaches, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Quite a few keeper fluke were iced on some days, and lots of fluke bit in the ocean and along Reach Channel in Raritan Bay. Weakfish and blues swam the rivers, and people talked about weakfish in the bay, but Jimmy saw none and heard no first-hand reports, and until he does, he won’t say they’re there. Porgies were piled up along the ocean structure, and small sea bass now dominated much of the population of those fish close to shore. Jimmy hadn’t bottom-fished farther from shore and couldn’t say whether ling were abundant out there, but he was sure they must be around. Fishing in general was good, and so was crabbing.

Fluke fishing stayed about the same, but more keepers were probably boated this month on the <b>Atlantic Star</b> than at this time last month, and the better days currently outnumbered the slower ones, Capt. Tom said. Trips fished on the bay like at Reach Channel and around the Navy Pier. Although forecasts for coming days called for a huge swell and rip currents because of the hurricane, the bay is protected, won’t get a swell, and there’s no reason to think twice about jumping aboard. An angler on the trips these days could potentially bag two or three keepers, but shorts were lots more abundant, as usual. An angler could also hook a slew of shorts and no keepers, and trips always included some anglers who landed no legal ones. But some anglers might hook one, two or three for the cooler, probably depending on luck. Everybody at least caught shorts. In the past days, Monday morning’s trip was slow, but the afternoon’s trip was all right, improved, one of the better ones, lots of action, lots of shorts, but some patrons picked up three or four keepers. Tuesday morning’s trip wasn’t as good, and Tuesday afternoon’s trip was slow, although some landed three keepers. Wednesday morning’s trip got into some fish, not as many as on Monday afternoon.  But Wednesday afternoon’s trip was relatively good, and some anglers decked one, two or three keepers, and some got none. On some days Spro jigs or killies seemed to catch better than other tackle or baits, but that was never consistent. Spearing and squid are supplied on the boat. But whether the tackle or bait makes the difference is always difficult to tell, because maybe angler skill is the factor.  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.

<b>Highlands</b>

Deep-water fluking on the ocean made off with very good catches on big strip baits on bucktails, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. His trips, targeting bigger fluke, are also fishing with live peanut bunker and snapper blues, but the bait was difficult to find  to throw a castnet on the other day. Derek is squeezing in open-boat trips for fluke between charters when possible, and call to be kept informed of the schedule. A couple of unconfirmed reports were heard about weakfish found on the bay, and Fisher Price will go after the trout if the fish are around. Bluefin tuna got smoked at the Glory Hole and southeast of there to the Monster Ledge, and charters are fishing for them. Up to about 70-pounders were fought aboard with Fisher Price. Plenty of skipjacks swam the waters, and mahi mahi gathered around the lobster pots, were definitely there, but were reluctant to hit, for some reason. 

Bluefin tuna fishing was postponed this week with <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> because of unsettled seas that were forecast, Capt. Brian said. But the bluefins were abundant around places like the Glory Hole, and trips will get out for them again soon. Anglers with Jersey Devil nailed the fish on recent trips, covered in previous reports, and Brian is focusing on them, because the angling is so good. Charters are sailing for them, and so are open-boat trips, because enough anglers wanted to go on the open trips. Call Brian if interested in the open trips, and the more anglers on the list, the easier for the trips to be coordinated.

<b>Neptune</b>

Alex Cortizo smacked a 13-pound 3-ounce fluke on a bucktail on Wednesday’s individual-reservation trip for the flatties with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. All anglers on the trip belted quality fluke, including ones over 5 pounds, but none nearly as large as the 13-pounder. Fluking was great now, and the summer flounder season ends September 5, and two more of the trips will sail the next two Wednesdays, and openings are available. Ralph’s last two offshore trips for cod slammed boxes full of the fish, including 40-, 38-, 36-, 32- and 28-pounders, and lots of 15- to 20-pounders. Four spaces are left for an open-boat trip for the offshore wreck fishing on Monday, August 31, sailing at 3 a.m. Climb aboard, because no more of the trips will run, but charters are available. Charters are also fishing the inshore wrecks for sea bass and ling, and a trip Monday mugged scores of big sea bass. No space remains for open-boat, overnight, canyon tuna trips this month, but openings are available for September 9 to 10 and 23 to 24 and October 7 to 8 and 14 to 15. No more of the trips will run, and space was booking, so act fast to go. One-day and overnight canyon charters are also on the menu. Bluefin tuna tore up the inshore grounds, and the limit is two per trip, so charters can go wreck fishing  or fishing for mahi mahi after limiting.  

<b>Belmar</b>

Anglers on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> socked large blues, a mess of them, at the Shrewsbury Rocks on bait, Capt. Tom said. Plenty swarmed around the Mud Buoy, he heard, but he did no fishing there. Trips also plundered fairly crack catches of fluke and sea bass at the rocky bottom in the ocean. Call if interested in open-boat trips for bluefin tuna.

Bluefish trips on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> now put a beating on slammers 8 to 15 pounds, big ones, on both day and night trips, Capt. Alan said. All the blues you could want, he said, and today’s trip was back at the dock an hour early, because customers had caught enough, stopped fishing. Bait and jigs knocked down the blues during the day, and bait grabbed them at night. A few false albacore should soon be in the mix. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily.

A 12-pound 10-pounce fluke was pounded on the <b>Big Mohawk</b> this week, Capt. Chris said. That made three 12-pounders tackled on the vessel this season. Customers caught the flatties, including limits, in the past days, but the fishing was less consistent than Chris normally expects. Wednesday’s trip was off par compared with usual, for unknown reasons, though some patrons limited out, for example. An 8-1/2-pounder was the pool-winning fish that day, and that’s an okay size for a fluke, he said, but he expects better. So patrons caught lately, but he’s used to a steadier pace of somewhat higher quality fluking or something. Probably 10 fluke topped 10 pounds on the boat this season, though that’s not a lot, he said. Plus Chris couldn’t say how many were 9-pounders, but 30 or 40 easily were, and that’s under-exaggerating, he said. Trips fish the rocks in the ocean, and tackle will be lost in snags, sometimes quite a lot of tackle. But that’s where the fish gather. The Big Mohawk is fluke fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

On the <b>Katie H</b> anglers were on a great trip for fluke on Wednesday at the Axel Carlson Reef, Capt. Mike said in a phone call from the waters during the trip. Twenty-five keepers to 5 pounds were already shellacked, and rods were bending all the time, and the trip wasn’t finished. The drift was somewhat stiff at 1 knot, but the fish responded anyway, and waters were 77 degrees.  Overnight canyon charters for tuna, the season’s main event on the vessel, will begin Saturday. Don’t have enough anglers for a full canyon charter? Call Mike, and he can probably book an individual space on a make-up trip.

Excellent bluefishing was clocked every day on the <b>Jamaica</b> this past week, an e-mail from the boat said. The fish were holding in the same area for the last three weeks. Everybody aboard beat plenty of 7- to 13-pounders on Wednesday’s daytime trip, mostly on bait, but some on jigs, in a chum slick. Night trips were walloping about the same size blues. The outlook was good for the rest of the week, and now is a good time to go bluefishing, the e-mail said. The Jamaica is fishing for blues on two trips 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily. Check the boat’s Web site for specials this month and to be added to the e-mail list for specials. Reservations are being booked for canyon tuna fishing that will begin toward the end of the month.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

“Another super day with monster bluefish!” an e-mail from the <b>Cock Robin</b> said on Wednesday. The trip that day fished a little farther offshore than lately, checking out a new mass of fish. They were all big, and were hooked on bait, not jigs. The Cock Robin is fishing for blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 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. Join members of the minor league baseball team the Lakwood Blueclaws on Monday’s trip.

Bottom-fishers on the <b>Dauntless</b> swung away at catches, mostly porgies and ling, good fishing, Capt. Butch said. Plenty of sea bass, mostly shorts, were mixed in, and so were a few fluke, blackfish, cod and blues. Trips mostly fished for porgies at first during the day in shallower depths at 30 to 50 feet. Then when porgies stopped biting, like when the tide or something changed, trips moved deeper for ling in 130- to 150-foot waters. Customers were able to bag 10 to 25 porgies apiece and 25 or 30 ling apiece on a trip. A few were able to pick up a half-dozen keeper sea bass per person “but so many throwbacks,” Butch said. Most keeper sea bass apparently moved to deeper, cooler waters. The ocean was getting warm, with a surface temperature of 73 to 75 degrees. A diver said the bottom in 65 to 70 feet was 55 degrees, warm for the lumpheads. Nighttime bluefish trips knocked down solid catches, and an angler could put two to ten of the 6- to 12-pounders in the box on the half-night outings. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

A group from a vacation home in Ortley Beach wanted a few fish for dinner, so they bottom-fished on the ocean on Monday with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, the report on the boat’s Web site said. The fish cooperated, and three keeper fluke, including a 27-incher, 28 keeper sea bass and six ling were bucketed at one spot in 80 feet and at a wreck. Andrea’s Toy is running inshore charters for fluke and sea bass and offshore charters and open-boat trips for tuna and big game. The big-game trips were currently focusing on bluefin tuna closer to shore, mixing it up with other fish like mahi mahi and big pollock. A couple of trips pummeled the fish last week, covered in previous reports. Charters and open trips for tuna and big game will concentrate on fishing farther from shore at the canyons when that fishing becomes better, and see the boat’s home page for info on the one-of-a-kind open trips.

An open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Trip with <b>Reel Class Charters</b> on Wednesday put the anglers on 15 keepers kept among shorts released, mostly on the ocean to the north, Capt. Allen said in the report on the boat’s Web site. Two cocktail blues and five sizeable sea bass were also taken. Six of the fluke weighed 3 to 5 pounds, and two of the anglers bagged four keepers apiece. The trip fished first at a snag to the north and offshore, connecting with mixed sizes of fluke and sea bass on a good drift, .7 to .9 knots, in a light southerly breeze. When that fishing dried up, the anglers moved a little north, fishing a high spot, for a healthy pick. By 2 p.m. southerly winds blew more, and along with a southerly current, began pushing the drift too fast, even with a drift sock, at 2 knots. Ten- and 12-ounce weights wouldn’t hold bottom for more than a few seconds, so the trip moved to Manasquan River to finish out the day. A slow pick of fluke but one keeper was scored. On Monday a gang from the Saltwater Anglers of Bergen County hopped on deck for a fluke trip on the ocean. Eleven keepers to 5 pound were bagged among shorts let go, and a 3-pound sea bass was also kept, a solid day, Allen said. They first fished a snag offshore then bounced around to other spots once fishing there dropped off. Winds, coming from the south, began to puff, improving the drift, but the fishing shut off. At that point, nothing much hit, except a cownosed ray, probably 70 or 80 pounds, the biggest Allen ever saw. The monster was reeled up to the boat but snapped the leader when a photo was attempted. Then the anglers fished closer to shore along open bottom in 40 to 50 feet, and several more keepers were picked up to end the day. Friday’s Fluke Till You Puke Trip will be cancelled because of the effects of the offshore hurricane. Charters and the open trips are fluking, and sea bass can be mixed in when rough bottom is fished, and check the boat’s Web site for availability on the open trips.

<b>Toms River</b>

On Barnegat Bay fluke, mostly shorts but a few keepers, were sometimes pumped in around the BI and BB markers, even if the height of the bay’s flattie season was finished, and Barnegat Inlet was chock full of the flatties, not many keepers, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Boaters on the bay began to chum with clams to catch a few croakers, kingfish, blowfish or a variety of panfish on bits of clam or bloodworms. The fishing was on track, always happening around late August. On the ocean the Harvey Cedars Lump served up good fluking. Little gets heard about the lump these days, but that was a productive spot this season. Anglers picked sea bass from the Tires on the ocean, and waters a half-mile to the east held better fluking. Fluke were also picked from Barnegat Ridge, and bonito, Spanish mackerel and such fish were trolled at the ridge on feathers and Clark spoons. In the surf small blues ½ to 1 pound were fought, and brown sharks battled at night were the bigger story from the surf. Rigs baited with bluefish chunks fished on the bottom got them to chomp. Snapper blues 5 or 6 inches swam the Toms River, and a few striped bass were actually landed on the river on fresh bunker. A 12-pounder was weighed in 1 ½ weeks ago.

<b>Seaside</b>

Sharks were wrestled from the surf at night, and fresh bunker was stocked for bait, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site. Fluking in the surf gave up mostly shorts and was spotty. Blues mostly gathered at the Barnegat Inlet pocket and in the inlet itself. Forecasts looked like tall seas on the ocean for the weekend.  <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.   

<b>Forked River</b>

Look for fluke on Barnegat Bay from the BI marker to the BB marker or at Double Creek Channel or High Bar Harbor, said Jana from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. Killies, squid or spearing were baits to dunk, and the flatties gathered in the ocean in 60 to 65 feet off the Coast Guard Station and off the Island Beach State Park bathing beach and the Seaside Heights Ferris wheel. They also collected in the ocean at the Tires, Harvey Cedars Lump and Garden State Reef North and South. Blues could be hooked at the Tires and Barnegat Ridge on metal spoons or bunker. Bluefin tuna 50 or 55 pounds schooled at the Atlantic Princess wreck, the Glory Hole and the Monster Ledge. Large blueclaw crabs were plucked from the bay between Cedar Creek and Oyster Creek.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Jay Simmons, Joe Franke and Wayne Salvi took the run to Barnegat Ridge on an open-boat trip today for pelagics with <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b>, Capt. Steve said in an e-mail. The fishing began slowly, but once the bite was found, the action was on, and false albacore, skipjacks, frigate mackerel and big blues were beaten on the troll. Screaming reels and bending rods, Steve said. The anglers ended the day with bluefishing at Barnegat Inlet. At the inlet Reel Fantasea’s trips lately were light-tackling blues and bottom-fishing for porgies, triggerfish, blackfish and short fluke.

Catches of keeper fluke amped up on the ocean and in Barnegat Inlet, said the report on <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. A mess of 4- and 5-pounders were entered in the Lacey Elks Fluke Tournament that came from Barnegat Ridge and the Tires in the ocean. Most customers talked about keepers coming from the ocean off the Seaside Heights Ferris wheel. The blues entered in the tournament were also impressive, and a 14-pound 5-ouncer was the top slammer. Triggerfish along the inlet jetty became even more abundant than before, and spearfishers cleaned up on them. One couple of spearfishers lit up 10 triggers, four sheepshead and two sizeable tog. Tog moved more toward the Barnegat Lighthouse and the condo docks along the rocks. Kids had fun with cocktail blues and herring in the area, and one angler clammed a 25-pound striper from the inlet jetty. Spike weakfish were grass-shrimped on Barnegat Bay, and kingfishing was improving on the bay. 

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Fishing for fluke was picking up on the ocean, and the angling was “okay” on trips on the boat this weekend, said Capt. Frank from the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b>. More than 25 keepers were boxed on the vessel on Sunday. A few sea bass, not many, were mixed in on trips, but a 5-1/2-pound sea bass was the pool winner on Saturday. Fluke also swam the bay, but the fish probably began departing for the ocean. 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 fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

A charter loaded the boat with 1- to 1-1/2-pound blues, about 20 of the fish, on the ocean today, said Capt. Lindsay from the <b>June Bug</b>. Then they left those fish biting, and took a look for croakers at a couple of places, but no croakers seemed around. Drifts were then taken for fluke at the Atomic Lump and north of the tug boat wreck, and one keeper was bagged, and shorts were released. The crew was able to fill the livewell with peanut bunker with one throw of the castnet. Tons of the peanuts swam the back waters and could be netted for livelining for fluke. A half-day charter Sunday that included young children landed a couple of small blues, a keeper fluke and plenty of shorts released on the ocean. A porgy was hooked but got off. They fished in 50 feet at Little Egg Reef, and the crew didn’t want to sail around too far because of the children. The June Bug is also fishing for tuna and big game offshore, and fishing at the canyons out there seemed slow south of the Toms. The mouth of Toms Canyon seemed to give up fish for boats in this week’s Mid Atlantic $500,000. Anglers from one of the vessels from Beach Haven who competed released seven white marlin at the mouth. The June Bug is also fishing for speedsters like bonito at grounds like Barnegat Ridge. The mate from the June Bug took a trip to search for bonito at the ridge on Tuesday, but none of the fish showed up. Lindsay knows another angler who also found none on a trip.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

A bunch of flounder, probably 18 keepers to 7 or 7 ½ pounds, with lots of throwbacks, were ploughed Monday in 60 to 65 feet at the ocean reefs with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. Fishing for the flatties produced in the past week, so long as there was a drift, and the reefs weren’t crowded, no pressure. Two trips were on the books to sail today on Legal Limit’s two boats: a shared charter for fluke, and a full charter for blues. The bluefish trip would probably run 18 to 20 miles offshore. Shared charters are fishing for fluke every Tuesday and Thursday when no full charter is booked. Today’s shared trip was full, and so is this coming Tuesday’s. But space remains on next Thursday’s.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Kingfishing started coming together, an okay population  beginning to be caught from the bay at the stakes on the Mystic Island side of the Fish Factory, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Fishing with clam and bloodworms while chumming with clams was the way to go. Not much else was mixed in with the kings, except tiny sea bass. Eventually kingfish, sea bass, blowfish and porgies make up a fishery for chummers on the bay this season. The most keeper flounder came from the ocean, and the bay’s flounder fishing was definitely dropping off. The flatties in the back now hovered closer to the inlet, but the chances of bagging a keeper there were few. Occasional keepers were culled among shorts in the ocean, and customers reported better luck on legal fish at open bottom in 50 to 60 feet than at the reefs. Look for bumps, rises or drop-offs on the open bottom. Some who tried for sea bass at the ocean wrecks came upon sizeable flounder. Looking for the doormats there might be a better option, though tackle will be lost in the snags. The sea bassing was terrible, and anglers seemed to need to head to 90 feet to begin to find cooler waters, where the keeper knotheads hung out. That’s 8 to 10 miles offshore of Little Egg Inlet. Small blues, a half-pound might be an exaggeration of the size, sometimes gathered at the mouth of the Mullica River and the creek mouths, feeding on bait that washed by in outgoing tides. But the blues were almost everywhere, and ocean flukers found them grabbing baits. Short, 10-inch weakfish, bait stealers, gathered at the mouth of the river among the blues. Great Bay’s fishing for brown sharks and large sand sharks was on. The fishery offers the opportunity to fight big fish to 4- and 5-footers without heading offshore. Anglers set up a chum slick at certain places at Grassy Channel on the bay around dusk to 10 p.m., fishing baits like mackerel fillets. Bunker chum was scarce, difficult to find, for some reason. Bunker schooled around, but suppliers seemed reluctant to grind out chum. Scott’s sells a rig perfect for the bay sharking and usually carries a chum ball just right for the angling, and can help with advice. Nobody spoke about tog fishing or perch fishing. No croakers yet showed up along the beachfront, where they should appear sometime this season. No spots seemed around. Crabbing was decent, and look for moving waters, avoiding the stagnant waters in the heat. All the usual baits are stocked except grass shrimp. The weather was too hot for catching and keeping the live shrimp.

<b>Port Republic</b>

Bigger flounder were now boated on the ocean more than on the bay, said Keith from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>. Anglers docked at the marina today with big flatties they coolered along the beach front. Lots of small blues schooled out front. A few weakfish were searched out from the mouth of the Mullica River, and shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish bait, are stocked. White perch were always around in the river, and crabbing was good. In addition to shedder crabs, the shop is stocking minnows and frozen baits, including salmon belly, a bait with a pink side and a silver side that can work for lots of different fish.

<b>Absecon</b>

Tons of small flounder littered the bay, and bigger ones seemed to gather around the inlet and in the ocean now, said Ray from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Boaters said bunker schooled the ocean front. The ocean reefs like the A.C. and O.C. reefs could be hit for a variety of fish from flounder to ambjerjacks. Weakfish could be located on the bay if anglers fished early or late in the day. But night was probably really the time to go. Charters with Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, always pulled up a few weakfish. Plenty of striped bass could be socked at night at places like along the bridges on live eels or spots. Bluefishing was hit or miss on the bay, and on some days they schooled through, and during other stretches they disappeared. Lots of tog hung around the bridges and structure, and triggerfish were plucked from around the same types of places. Curt from the shop loaded up on white perch today, and the slabs seemed plentiful in the rivers. Ray heard about mahi mahi dialed up from the ocean close to shore. Crabbing wasn’t bad. Shedder crabs, spots, eels and just about all baits, a large selection, are stocked.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Surf fishers mostly angled up 1-1/2- or 2-pound blues, and a chunk of mullet, mackerel or bunker on a mullet rig worked well for a hook-up, said Fred from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. A bunch of the fish could be found at times, like 12 that one angler beached Wednesday. A few kingfish swam the suds, and shore anglers probably had the best luck on flounder on the south end of Brigantine at the cove or along the jetty. Sharks like browns were banked from the wash after dinner and at night, and the second report of the season came in about a sand tiger shark landed. Anglers chunked bluefish they caught in the surf to toss for shark bait. Boaters reeled aboard lots of flounder on the bay, and the number of keepers varied, though shorts were the large majority. One customer nailed seven keepers, but Fred and a couple of anglers took a trip that only pelted 30 shorts. Luck of the draw, he said. They fished Gulps but also used Fishbites shrimp and jerk baits that became available locally. The Fishbites worked well, gaining a bite whenever  they hit bottom, and the shop is carrying them. Bigger flounder were boated in the ocean, like at the AC Reef. One boater ran into a bunch of croakers in 40 feet along with flounder on Wednesday. The croakers were the first substantial population of the fish Fred heard about this season. Finger mullet began to appear in the bay, if anglers wanted to castnet them for bait. Plenty of peanut bunker could be castnetted, and the boat ramp at the cove was a place to locate lots. Crabbing was excellent.

<b>Margate</b>

With <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b> anglers slam-dunked some quality flounder to an 11.7-pounder at the ocean reefs Sunday, Capt. Eric said. A 12-year-old shellacked that fish, and the ocean fishing was picking up for keepers and some big ones. Tuna trips kept getting weathered out on the boat recently, and more marlin and mahi mahi were around than other fish on the grounds. But maybe the offshore hurricane that was coming would stir up the waters, making more tuna move in.

Lots of flounder filled the bay, and more gathered far back in the bay on recent trips, and fishing for them slowed down around the inlet compared with before, said Capt. John from the <b>Keeper</b>. So his trips fished in the back, and a mess were reeled in, and a few were keepers. Lots of action, and everybody caught at least shorts. Minnows were a great bait and are carried on board, though many boats don’t carry minnows. Gulps got lots of bites, and strips of mackerel were no longer a favored bait, because baby sea bass and such were attracted to the strips. When John can throw a net on peanut bunker, he puts them in the livewell for a highly effective bait. Small blues sometimes schooled the bay, and friends saw weakfish under the lights. 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>

The inshore troll was “where it’s at” in the past couple of days, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. Trolling was phenomenal 8 miles offshore in crystal-clear, warm waters that looked like the canyons. One catch from a trip included a 29-inch Spanish mackerel, a 5-1/2- or 6-pounder, one of the biggest Mike ever saw. A cobia and two king mackerel were also trolled, and peanut mahi mahi were so thick that an angler could hardly get away from them. Mike hoped the waters stayed the same to keep the fishing going, but the coming hurricane could change it all. Some tries were made at bottom-fishing through the week, finding lots of short flounder on the ocean, but the inshore trolling turned out to be so good that trips switched to that. The number of keeper flounder seemed to keep changing these days, according to Mike’s reports, so don’t count them out at all. Keepers were nailed during some stretches. Small blues were hooked along with the flounder on the bottom lately, and the blues refused to swim above 40-foot depths, because of the hot waters. The surface was 80 degrees, attracting the pelagics on the trolling trips. Coming up, although Stray Cat focuses on charters at this time of the year, open-boat trips will sail for flounder Wednesday and Thursday, August 26 and 27, and maybe on Wednesday, September 2, a last hurrah for the fluke before the flattie season closes on September 5. Call to reserve. That should be the last flounder trip of the season on the boat, and only come down for the trips if you know how to flounder fish, because the fishing will be serious, hardcore. After flounder season, daily, open-boat trips will start to bottom-fish on Friday, September 11, though Saturdays will likely be reserved for charters. Croakers and weakfish might be able to be caught along the beach front by then, and croakers were already caught on the vessel a couple of days ago. Overnight charters for tuna at the canyons are being booked for September and October. In the fall, lots of striped bass charters will sail on the weekends. When the blackfish bag limit increases to six from one on November 16, Stray Cat will become a blackfish boat like usual, sailing on open trips daily for the tog. Stray Cat bills Longport as the Blackfish Capitol of the World. The fishing can be great in the relatively non-pressured waters off South Jersey.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Ocean reef anglers honed in on healthy flounder fishing, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. They’ll see whether the effects of the offshore hurricane change the angling. Surf anglers could land flounder on usual baits like squid or mackerel. A few kingfish were scattered in the surf up and down the beaches, nibbling bloodworms or Fishbites artificial worms. Striped bass were plugged at night along the bridges on top-water or shallow-swimmer lures in dark colors. One or two bluefin tuna were run across here or there at spots close to shore like 28-Mile Wreck, and a few yellowfin tuna might’ve been lucked into at places farther out like the Lobster Claw. But the waters including the canyons farther offshore were too warm for tuna fishing. Marlin and mahi mahi were a lot more common out there. Bill also heard about plenty of wahoos caught.

Blues and flounder were boated on the ocean with <b>Fish Tale Charters</b>, Capt. Craig said. Charters came back with blues in the box and usually a couple of keeper flounder culled from a majority of short flatties that bit like usual this season. The flatties seemed bigger lately, many of them 17 or 17 ½ inches, and the later August gets, the bigger the flounder, usually. September 4 is the last day of flounder season, so the clock was ticking down. The bay became too warm for flounder, and Craig saw 79.6-degree waters there. Short weakfish showed up on the ocean trips during the last couple of days, and bigger ones should move in. No croakers appeared on the trips, but they should soon. Craig’s looking forward to mixing in catches of weakfish and croakers that usually push through near the shore by late summer. Brown sharks swarmed the ocean near the coast, and Fish Tale runs charters for them, but flounder trips also had fun with them when the beasts were seen. One trip fought them 1 ¾ miles or 2 miles from the coast. The browns put up a great fight, running around the boat, and have a mouth full of teeth. The sharks, up to 4 ½ or 5 feet, are protected and are caught and released. Charters can go after them exclusively, like a scaled-down version of mako fishing. When anglers on board set out mainly for the sharks, they usually take a moment at the end of the day to land blues or flounder to put in the cooler.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Bluefish, small but occasional 4- and 5-pounders, began roaming in and out of the surf and inlets, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. They weren’t around all the time, but they might come in for an hour, then anglers might wait an hour until they pop up again, and so on. A chunk of mullet on a float rig drew them in. Small blues and baby sea bass and such swam the bay. Flounder could be picked up from Townsend’s Inlet near the bridge and jetties. Everything from spearing to minnows, squid and small bucktails or lures fooled them. But big flounder 7 to 10 pounds kept getting weighed in from the Townsends Inlet, Ocean City and Wildwood reefs. Large strip baits like 7-inch Gulp Alive Belly Strips or 7-inch jerk baits got strikes, and one customer who weighed in the 10-pounder fished a big strip of mahi mahi. Boaters could drift places like the reefs or the Sea Isle Lump to reel in a variety of fish like flounder and sea bass from the bottom and small blues and amberjacks from the top.  Croakers showed up in 35 to 40 feet in the ocean. In the offshore ocean tuna were very scattered but marlin were abundant.

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, competed in the Mid Atlantic $500,000 during the last three days, he said. The trips trolled a bunch of mahi mahi, a white marlin and a wahoo. One white was seen, and one was landed, and the fish was released, because bigger whites were already on the board. But Joe and crew entered a wahoo that was on the board the first day before getting knocked off by a bigger one. The offshore fishing was a matter of looking for water color and life, because water temperatures were mostly even, no sudden changes that can attract fish. But a large population of mahi mahi swam offshore, and fishing for them with light tackle or fly rods should be great, and Jersey Cape offers that fishing. Jim Hartenstein and his father Jim fished an ocean reef today with Joe, piling up a mixed bag of flounder, including one keeper, sea bass, blues, amberjacks, sharks and other fish, a little of everything, lots of action. A big croaker, the first Joe saw this season, also showed up. Reef trips are great for keeping rods bent, seeing lots of variety, fun trips, great for families but also for anglers. Anglers won’t fill a cooler, but they’ll see action. Joe did no striped bass fishing on the back bay because he fished in the tournament, but ideal tides, or high tides at dusk, will continue another day or two for popper fishing for the linesiders with lures or flies, a specialty on the boat. But high tides will soon happen at 9 and 10 p.m., ideal for striper fishing at night on the bay, like under the bridge lights, and that’s the bigger news. The fishing was “on” when high tides happened last in the middle of the night or about 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., and Joe will probably do more of that angling in the next days, especially because of the forecasts for big ocean swells because of the hurricane, and trips are available. Open-boat tuna trips are sailing weekly, usually on Wednesdays, but sometimes on other days, depending on the weather and when anglers can go, and the trips are a learning experience. Offshore charters are available that troll for tuna during the mornings and cast bait, lures or flies to mahi at the lobster pots during the afternoons.  Stay tuned for details about traveling charters that Joe will offer. One will be on weekends in Montauk for the blitz of stripers and blues in mid September to late October, and the other will be to Martha’s Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts for fly-rodding for stripers on Columbus Day weekend. Or call him for info.

<b>Wildwood</b>

On the <b>Adventurer</b>, mostly fishing around McCrie’s Shoal and the FA buoy on the ocean, trips turned out fairly good catches of flounder, Capt. Gary said. Wednesday’s trip served up a quality catch, and croakers were also found on the last couple of trips. When the crew runs across croakers, they’ll stop on them. Small blues were also mixed in on trips. Saturday night’s trip racked up blues and croakers. The Adventurer is fishing on open-boat trips 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Saturdays, but call to confirm, making sure no charter is running instead.

Customers cranked in lots of flounder, not a lot of keepers, from the bay, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish were around, and a handful of croakers came in from the bay. So did a few blues here and there, and undersized sea bass were in. Striped bass also swam the bay. “No one’s been gunning for them,” he said, but 22- to 24-inchers were reeled up. Peanut bunker flooded the waters, and that meant “stripers aren’t far behind,” Mike said. Occasional weakfish, not many but more than a month ago, were docked. But the ones that were found were keepers 14 or 15 inches. No kingfish were seen, and they were late. Crabbing turned off, maybe because they were mating or shedding, and small ones kept getting trapped. Catches had been good some time ago. Minnows, shedder crabs, whole and filleted mackerel, various types of frozen squid, fresh-frozen clams, salted clams, frozen mullet and bunker, including for crabbing, and more baits are stocked. Live blueclaw crabs are carried for eating, and they were currently number 2’s, available for $12 a dozen. Number 1’s were available on the market, but the price was too high, and customers seemed happy with the 2’s. Crabs will be carried though September. Canal Side rents canopy boats and kayaks for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing. The shop is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

<b>Cape May</b>

Trolling the ocean 15 miles from shore today put a charter on lots of blues, a bunch of false albacore, two houndfish and Spanish mackerel on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, non-stop action, Capt. George said. So a healthy mix was hooked, and the inshore trolling was going well this season. The blues were 3 or 4 pounds, and anglers a little farther offshore today boated 7- or 8-pound blues. The anglers on the Heavy Hitter were met with a swell this morning, and seas around a lump they fished were a little snotty. But the waters calmed later. Trips on the boat are also flounder fishing on the ocean, and catches were good for the most part. Anglers will see whether the coming swell from the hurricane will affect the fishing. Sometimes a swell and the dirtied waters will slow down the catches a couple of days. The boat is also fishing offshore for tuna and big game. Only have three or four anglers for a trip instead of 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.

The Old Grounds and the reefs in the ocean were the places reports about flounder fishing kept rolling in from, said Danny from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Those were the hot spots where customers wrangled in decent catches, sometimes large flatties 23 or 34 inches. But flounder anglers also talked about catching on Delaware Bay up north toward Fortescue. Nothing much was heard about flounder fishing on the southern bay. Back-bay anglers also nabbed flounder. Croakers and small blues were boated on the bay off Higbee’s Beach and near the ferry. Sometimes the fish tumbled into the surf in the area and got hooked. One surf fisher talked about beaching triggerfish at Wildwood. Weakfish were few and far between but were sometimes boated on Delaware Bay.

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