<b>Keyport</b>

Capt. “Shamrock” Eddie Coleman from <b>April Ann Charters</b> attempted to sail around Sandy Hook to fluke fish on the ocean Sunday, but seas were too rough from big swells, and he turned back, he said. He tried fluking beforehand on the bay around the Navy Pier, but there was no drift, and only shorts bit. A trip Saturday was weathered out, but more fluke charters will sail this week.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Trips sailed for fluke straight through the weekend on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, despite forecasts for rough conditions because of the hurricane, Capt. Tom said. The boat fished the bay, and seas were calm, no swell like on the ocean. The boat was fortunate to be able to fish the protected bay. Rains fell off and on, “but nothing to beat you up,” he said. No customers bought the rain ponchos sold aboard, and the cool rains seemed refreshing. The fishing was a little slower than lately, probably because the flatties felt affects of the storm. But the angling was also sort of the same as usual, with lots of shorts that bit and a few keepers bagged among them. Some customers boxed up to two or three keepers, and one scored four on Saturday afternoon’s trip. Like always, some also landed no keepers, but everyone at least caught throwbacks. Ben Santo, Keansburg, nailed a 7-pound 12-ouncer on Sunday afternoon’s trip. He creeled two keepers on that trip and two on a trip the previous day, and released shorts. The catches varied on different trips, and for example lack of drift during most of Saturday morning made for only a few keepers boated, but the fishing was better in the afternoon. Catches were better in the afternoons during the last couple of days, “but that’s day to day,” Tom said. He saw no advantage to fishing with Spro jigs over bait. The angler who copped the four keepers – and a bunch of shorts – fished a Spro, and worked at the fluking. 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.

The <b>Fishermen</b> fluked on the ocean all day today, and a swell remained, surely had the bottom churned up, but a handful of good-sized keepers were bucketed, including a 5-3/4-pounder, and so were a few sizeable sea bass, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. Still, not enough action. The weather looked clear for the next few days, and Ron is sure the bite will turn back on. Not much time was left in the flattie season. Excellent bluefishing was creamed as soon as the boat came back on anchor on Sunday night’s trip, and a striped bass was also taken.  The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. However, no open trip will sail for the flatties Saturday, because the boat is chartered in the morning. 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.

<b>Belmar</b>

Gus Kane and clients hopped on deck Thursday morning, smoking scores of porgies, a dozen blues and a keeper, 33-inch striped bass on the ocean with <b>Last One Charters</b>, Capt. Rob said. Another striper got off at the boat, and they fished in 20 feet in such clear waters that the bottom could be seen, and the porgies could be watched swimming around and grabbing bait. The blues and stripers were hooked on bunker. In the afternoon Joann and Tim Small and their three kids took a 4-1/2-hour trip, including traveling time, for their son George’s birthday, their first-ever ocean fishing. They bailed a bunch of blues on bunker and a couple of sizeable sea bass, including Joann’s 4-1/2-pounder.

<b>Brielle</b>

Plenty of fluke were angled up from all the usual spots in the ocean before the storm, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Anglers hoped the heave failed to change all of that. A mess of the fish to 8 pounds were mugged on private boats and party boats outside Manasquan Inlet, even in shallow, 25-foot waters up and down the nearby beaches. Whether the fish poured out of Manasquan River or simply found bait in the area couldn’t be known. But the flatties were also nabbed in the river. Even surf fishers beached keepers. Also in the river, snapper blues schooled, and hickory shad were fought. Striped bass were hooked on the river, like at the Route 35 Bridge on Fin-S Fish or rubber shads on leadheads. Bottom fishers loaded up on ling, and sea bassing held up, and some days seemed to produce lots of throwback sea bass, and other days seemed to turn out fair numbers of keepers. At the ocean lumps bonito, false albacore, Spanish mackerel and such fish often put tackle to the test, though bonito fishing was better the week before. Both bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna started swarming thick at the Mudhole, closer to shore than before, and the fish were definite keepers, didn’t need to be measured. Dave heard about bluefins to 80 pounds and yellowfins to 50 pounds hammered. Mahi mahi also swam there, and what’s more, a few white marlin showed up. Farther offshore at the canyons, marlin fishing was outstanding, mostly for whites but also some blues, and big mahi were on the hunt. Tuna were sometimes clocked at the canyons, but tuna fishing there was yet to become great. All the yellowfins might’ve been inshore. Dennis Muhlenforth from Delaware weighed in a 63-1/2-pound tilefish from a canyon trip Monday on the Voyager that is a pending state and world record.

Joe Hodapp, family and friends on the <b>Big Kid</b> dusted up 12 keeper fluke, many throwbacks, 18 keeper sea bass and a ling on Wednesday on the ocean, Capt. Ken said in an e-mail. Doug Cioni’s party on the previous weekend took an overnighter offshore, first trolling and chunking at the southwest wall of Hudson Canyon. All the 27-inch yellowfin tuna they could want were trolled on the first day, and they limited out. Chunking at night was uneventful, and they trolled again at daybreak, pummeling a 400-pound blue marlin that was released. Mahi mahi were found hanging around a piece of debris, and the anglers loaded up on them. Then on the way home birds were seen working 55 miles from shore, and a spread of ballyhoos was put out, and a limit of bluefin tuna was trolled.

On the <b>Katie H</b> anglers fished for fluke on Friday at Axel Carlson Reef, Capt. Mike said. They headed out just before the effects of the  hurricane kicked in, and the fishing started well, but the drift picked up speed, and by the time 15 ounces was needed to hold bottom, the trip was ended early, after three-quarters of a day, because the fishing became possible. But eight fluke, some good-sized, were bagged before the end, and a few sea bass were mixed in. Probably a 6-pound fluke pulled the hook. The previous trip, covered in the last report, lambasted lots of keeper flatties at Axel Carlson, and the fish should still be stacked up there, despite the swell during the storm. The boat’s first overnight, canyon trip for tuna this season was weathered out on Saturday. But the overnighters, the main event of the year on the boat, will now be under way. An offshore trip slated for Wednesday will probably fish closer to shore for bluefin tuna. Another fluke trip is on the books for Friday, and another overnight canyon trip is scheduled for Saturday to Sunday. 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.

Customers on the <b>Jamaica</b> slam-dunked bluefish on Friday, an e-mail said. Forecasts scared off anglers on Saturday, so no trip sailed, but seas were calm, except big seas at the inlet. However, a trip sailed on the Atlantis, and the catch was “pretty good,” the e-mail said. No report came in from the Jamaica on Sunday. The blues, 7- to 13-pounders, lately on both night and day trips held in two areas 17 miles to the north and offshore, and catches were good. The crew expects plenty to continue to be caught this week, and now is a good time to go bluefising, the e-mail said. The Jamaica is fishing for blues on two trips daily 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. through Labor Day. Afterward the trips will sail on weekends. Check the boat’s Web site for specials this month, including through Tuesday this week, and to be added to the e-mail list for specials. A special trip for bluefin tuna, bonito and false albacore will fish the Mud Hole and Glory Hole this coming Monday, leaving at 3 a.m. and returning about 4 p.m. Passengers will split up any bluefins landed, up to the boat’s limit, and play catch and release with any more hooked. Reservations are being booked for canyon tuna fishing that will begin toward the end of the month.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

The heave on the ocean dropped out by today, but crews on other boats said fluke fishing was terrible on the ocean since Sunday afternoon, said Capt. Allen from <b>Reel Class Charters</b> in the report on the boat’s Web site. So he told his anglers on todays’s fluke trip to bring ultra-light tackle for rod-bending action on Manasquan River. They walloped the fish, almost all shorts, but had a blast, he said. “Not meat fishing by any standard,” he said, but a great day for action. Still, three keepers 18 to 21 inches were bagged. The rest of the fish were 6 to 17 inches, most of them in the middle range, with many 15- to 16-inchers. Small sea bass, a blowfish and a few snapper blues were also reeled in. Fluke were hooked constantly, at least one on at all times, sometimes up to five fought at once. The anglers also tried fishing for schoolie striped bass at the bridges at the top of the tide with soft plastics lures, but got no takers. Charters and the open trips are fluking, and sea bass can be mixed in when rough bottom is fished on the ocean, and check the boat’s Web site for availability on the open trips.

All anglers on the <b>Sea Devil</b> belted plenty of big blues at first on Saturday’s trip to the Shrewsbury Rocks, starting to catch and release by 11 a.m., Cindy said in an e-mail. Bait, instead of jigs, did the trick, and conditions were excellent for bait fishing. One other local boat fished the area, and seas were calm “on the fishing grounds,” she said. Apparently seas were a different story closer to shore. On Friday patrons shellacked blues at the beginning of the trip at the Shrewsbury Rocks on jigs. Most of the fish were somewhat smaller than on previous trips, but Jamie Gobbett, Bellmawr, won the pool with a 12-pounder. Conditions were poor for bait fishing, only serving up a fair catch on bait. The Sea Devil is bluefishing Mondays through Fridays for the next two weeks, when no tuna trips are running. Tuna trips will get under way Friday after the bluefish trip that day, and the tuna trips departing that day and Saturday are sold out. See the tuna schedule on the boat’s Web site.

The storm rolled through, and bluefishing failed to be affected, and catches are expected to remain great, an e-mail from the <b>Cock Robin</b> said. The trip on Sunday, when the storm had mostly passed, was supposed to sail, but no results came in so far. Bluefishing was good to excellent on the boat last week. 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.

<b>Seaside</b>

The surf calmed down and cleaned up considerably today, and a few anglers actually headed out, “and (gasp) they caught some fish!” said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site. Some had fun fighting small, 1- to 2-pound blues from the suds at Island Beach State Park on light tackle. Fluke, mostly shorts but a few keepers, were around in the wash, and four of them from 18 ½ to 19 ½ inches made up all the fish weighed in at the shop today. All were hooked on live snapper blues. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.   

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Jay Simmons, Joe Franke and Wayne Salvi set out on an open-boat trip for reel-screeching pelagics with <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> on the ocean, Capt. Steve said in an e-mail. The fishing took some searching around, but then the anglers jumped on solid action with false albacore, with skipjacks, big blues and frigate mackerel in the mix. Deep-trolling with spoons worked best at first. Then feathers dragged toward the surface, right in the prop wash, got more hits. The feathers also produced the most visual, crushing, drag-burning excitement. After the anglers had their fill of the trolling, they anchored up to try pitching live peanut bunker, hooking a couple of more bluefish, watching unidentified assailants chase the bait clear out of the waters. The trip started motoring back to port, and the anglers attempted drifting just offshore of the reef, but 14 ounces wouldn’t hold bottom in the current. They made their way back to Barnegat Inlet, casting artificials to a few 1- to 3-pound blues to end the day. Steve noted that Salvi holds the lead in the boat’s season-long tourney for biggest striper, fluke and bluefish. “Can he be beaten?” Steve asked. “Will he take the biggest weakfish as well? Time will tell,” he said. Jay Simmons and business associates climbed aboard for fast action with blues, four limits of blackfish to 5 pounds , countless short fluke, one keeper fluke, kingfish, blowfish, bergals and sea robins. One or two spots are available for an open-boat trip September 24 for a mix of bay, inlet and wreck fishing. Open-boat trips will sail October 8, 15 and 30 for a mix of inlet and wreck fishing for stripers, blues, sea bass and porgies.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> got back out today after the storm, fluke fishing on Barnegat Bay instead of the ocean, because somewhat of a ground swell lingered at Barnegat Inlet, Capt. John said. Other anglers who fished the ocean after the storm seemed to find the fish affected, slower catches. A fluke trip with Perfect Drift on Wednesday should fish the ocean again. All kinds of fluke were stacked up in the bay, migrating toward the ocean, on today’s trip. Two keepers were bagged among probably 60 shorts released, and a couple of blues were landed. Rods were bent all day, good fishing with a couple of keepers in the box. Many of the flatties were 12 to 14 inches. If anglers want action, head to the bay. Lots of boats fished the bay, and from what John heard, most anglers picked up one to three keepers per vessel, and some caught none. His trip kept drifting from the 25 buoy through the cut to the inlet, and fluke bit on every pass. All kinds of bait was used, including minnows, squid and sand eels. No weakfish bit, but the anglers lately seemed to nab one or two weaks here or there on the bay, hit or miss fishing. But don’t give up on weaks, because during some years they show up in September. Bluefishing on the boats on the ocean seemed to pick right back up after the storm. Perfect Drift will keep fluke fishing, a specialty on the vessel, until the season closes in less than two weeks. Catches were going well on the boat on the ocean before the storm.

<b>Surf City</b>

Ocean fishing got bombed by the storm, so most customers fished the bay, and the bay seemed unaffected by the weather, said Barbara from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. One couple drilled 14 keeper fluke among six times as many landed, the rest of them shorts, a dozen blues and a few sea robins at Oyster Creek Channel. Another angler and his 5-year-old son copped croakers and kingfish on the bay at Holgate while anchored and chumming with clam. A trip with other anglers at the BB marker boated two keeper fluke, four weakfish including one 19-inch keeper, lots of snapper blues and some larger, 2- to 3-pound blues. Lots of crabs were plucked from the bay, and many of the blueclaws gathered around the docks, and crabbers scooped them up. Surf fishers could beach fluke.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

A couple of charter captains said ocean flounder fishing would probably turn back on by Wednesday because of the storm, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. But two anglers rustled up five keepers at Little Egg Inlet. Triggerfish were reportedly toggled in from Great Bay, but details about the location were sketchy. In the past, triggers were found along ledges on the bottom where tog are usually located. Try the ledges near the old Coast Guard Station, dunking crabs, clams or shrimp for bait on a top-and-bottom sea bass or kingfish/porgy rig. Lots of small blues schooled Great Bay this afternoon. Break out the light tackle with mackerel strips or some shiny lure or favorite plug or popper to play them. Search the bay at creek mouths or even the mouth of the Mullica River on falling tides that dump peanut bunker into the bay that the blues feed on. Weakfish also feed on the peanuts at ledges along the bottom.

<b>Brigantine</b>

<b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b> was weathered out during the weekend, but trips will sail north for bluefin tuna around the Glory Hole, Capt. Tom said. The fish tore up the waters, and the area was within range of Brigantine, and call to get in. Trips are also available this week for inshore trolling for bonito, false albacore, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel and blues and also for bottom fishing. Flounder littered the ocean bottom, and so did lots of sea bass at the wrecks. Canyon fishing is also on tap, and overnight trips to the canyons will begin soon for yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, longfin tuna, swordfish and mahi mahi.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Surf anglers started whaling lots of flounder, big ones, keepers, excellent catches, in front of the jetties, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. For every 10 that were hooked, at least five or six were keepers, and maybe the fish were migrating from the back waters to the ocean. Minnows and squid got strikes, and so did Gulps. Kingfishing was off and on in the suds, nothing major, not as productive as before. A few blues tumbled into the suds, and tog were wrangled in from along the jetties. Triggerfishing along the jetties was slower than before, gave up small ones with occasional larger fish. The surf calmed down today after the storm.

<b>Somers Point</b>

Here’s one for anglers who stayed home instead of fishing Saturday because of the storm. Craig Dertelsbck from Mays Landing ploughed a 12-3/4-pound flounder that day in the deep waters at Ships Channel on a shedder crab and chartreuse Gulp combo, a fax from Rob and Joan from <b>Dolfin Dock</b> said. The back bay was loaded with small sea bass, kingfish and blues, and crabbing was excellent. Devon Ficken, 9, from Somers Point grabbed a 5-pound tog at the Ocean City pier. Offshore fishing was a washout.

Hurricane Bill cut the week’s fishing short, but through mid week several reports rolled in about keeper flounder and whopper sea bass walloped at the reefs, said T.C. from <b>Brennan Marine</b> in a fax. Sea bassing especially got hopping at the GE Reef. Huge seas made offshore fishing a blowout, but Mike Boehler and John Hickenbothem before the storm fished the Elephant Trunk, trolling two 18-1/2- and 12-1/2-pound mahi mahi on Green Machines. Rich Skretowski also fished the Elephant Trunk, trolling a 60-pound white marlin and a 30-pound mahi while dragging feathers and spreader bars.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Fishing got weathered out since Friday with <b>Fish Tale Charters</b>, Capt. Craig said. The ocean swell made getting out of the inlet impossible from Friday through Sunday. But just before the storm on Thursday, good numbers of healthy-sized flounder were boxed on the ocean on a charter, probably one of the better trips for the fish on the boat this season. A handful of bluefish were also landed, and short weakfish were released. Craig saw no croakers yet, but his log book shows that croakers appeared along the beach front on August 27 last year, so they could pop up any day. He looks forward to bigger weakfish and the croakers that should show up.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> took a look around the ocean today after the storm, hooking a bunch of blues to 3 pounds on Clark spoons and soft-plastic lures, he said. A little swell remained, but seas were flat otherwise, and winds were calm. With the Clark spoons he was mostly scouting around for false albacore that second-hand reports said were around, but none turned up. But the bluefish would’ve been great for fly-rodding or fishing with light conventional tackle. Before the storm Ocean City Reef gave up great flounder fishing. Reef fishing in general was turning out lots of rod-bending action for flounder, blues, sea bass, sharks and other fish with Jersey Cape. Trips were also available for striped bass fishing on the back bay either during the daytime with popper lures or flies or at night with soft-plastics or Clouser flies. Joe plans to fish offshore Tuesday, probably targeting marlin and mahi mahi. He heard one report on the radio from someone who caught marlin offshore today after the storm, and that was the only news from offshore since the blow. Joe, Capt. Mike Corblies and Capt. Chris Goldmark will hold a Ladies Saltwater Fly Fishing Clinic probably on the first weekend of October, teaching everything from casting to equipment, knots and so on. They hope to include hands-on fishing experience on the waters. Stay tuned for details, or call Joe for info. Also stay tuned or call for info 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.

<b>Avalon</b>

“Where are the tuna?” an e-mail from <b>Over Under Adventures</b> asked. Trips to the Continental Edge with Over Under last week remained about the same as before, mostly fighting white marlin, numerous caught on each outing. No tuna bit through the week, and the crew hoped the hurricane stirred up waters, maybe pulling cooler waters to the surface, to change fishing a bit. That has happened in the past. Squid schooled all over the waters, and fish were all that were needed. Trips were postponed because of the storm, but the latest trip fished Wilmington Canyon, knocking down three whites and a couple of mahi mahi. Four overnight trips and one 48-hour trip are slated this week, and the crew hoped the overnight fishing began in the next days. Lots of reports should become available from the fishing. Both charters and open-boat trips are fishing offshore, and see Over Under's Web site for availability on the open trips.

<b>Wildwood</b>

We’ll see what the week brings, because Hurricane Bill might’ve changed everything, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. But flounder fishing was as good as it gets at Cape May Reef, Wildwood Reef, Reef 11, the Old Grounds and along the shipping channel in Delaware Bay. Croakers began to appear along the ocean front and off Cape May Point. Snapper blues swarmed everywhere off Cape May Point and at the inlets. In the back bay anglers mostly played small striped bass along the sod banks, docks and bridges on top-water lures or clams. In offshore waters lots of mahi mahi were boated from 20 fathoms on out. White and blue marlin were fought at the canyons, and the best reports came from Wilmington Canyon. Anglers and their catches included: Robert Ferrante, Pittsgrove, on the Duct Work, 9-pound 2-ounce flounder, Cape May Reef;  Marie Bowers, West Wildwood, on the Gianna Marie, 5-pound 7-ounce flounder, Wildwood Reef;  Ray Morison, Marlton,  6-pound 1-ounce flounder, Old Grounds; and Ernie Divincenzo and crew on the Next Generation from Wildwood, seven mahi mahi to 23 pounds. Crabby Jack gave crabbing three claws.

<b>Cape May</b>

Tuna trips were weathered out during the weekend and rescheduled with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Ray said. A bunch of the trips should run in September. Charters before the weather mostly flounder fished at the ocean reefs for quality catches, including sizeable flatties, and trolled the inshore ocean for plenty of action with bonito, blues and false albacore.

Fishing got cancelled over the weekend on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> because of the weather, Capt. George said. A trip Thursday with Bill Brundreth, son-in-law Rob Brogan and his three kids trolled blues, Spanish mackerel, false albacore and a couple of houndfish on the inshore ocean. The inshore trolling was going well, usually 12 to 15 miles from shore. But a longer trip on Wednesday will probably troll a little farther from shore. One angler George knows trolled a couple of yellowfin tuna and some mahi mahi 22 to 24 miles from the coast. Someone else fought a couple of wahoos in the deeper waters. A couple of flounder charters are coming up, and anglers aboard banged out good fishing for the flatties lately on the ocean. George early last week competed in the Mid Atlantic $500,000 on another boat, and the trip released a couple of white marlin and missed a few. Call if interested in inshore trolling, flounder fishing or offshore trips. 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.

Matt Slobodjian from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> hoped the storm wouldn’t put a stop to the great flounder fishing that had been clobbered, he said in a fax. The fish before the storm were cranked in from Cape May Reef, Reef 11, the Old Grounds, 20-Minute Slough and the Tug Boat Channel 5 miles off Wildwood. Many were throwbacks, but some were doormats. Rudy Beckensail, Runnemede, hauled in a 10.22-pounder from Wildwood Reef, and Kate Lycoming, Philadelphia, waxed a 9.28-pounder, her biggest yet. Nathan Herring, 6, Philly, caught his first-ever, a 4.29-pounder, at Cape May Reef.  Lots of the flatties also filled the back waters, and Matt’s brother George Slobodjian and Charlie Danowski limited out on the fish, including a 7-pounder, at the Intracoastal Waterway at Cape May on Saturday. Boaters at 5-Fathom Bank and the inshore lumps found productive trolling for lots of false albacore, small blues, a few Spanish mackerel and mahi mahi but no tuna so far. Wahoos were also around but usually bit off the mono leaders. Some anglers fished wire or cable on deep-running lures with varied success. Art Jennings whacked a 32-pound wahoo while trolling at the Cigar on Wednesday. Farther from shore, tuna fishing was yet to really turn on, but white marlin, bigger mahi and a few larger wahoos swam the canyons. The crew on the Wave Dancer landed two whites, three gaffer mahi and a 36-pound wahoo at Lindenkohl Canyon on Wednesday. Tom McCarthy released his first-ever white at Spencer Canyon on Tuesday. Surf fishing was a little slow, but croakers were the main catch, and sharks, small blues and skates were banked.

Back to Top