<b>Staten Island</b>

With <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b> fluke fishing was strong at Ambrose Channel, Capt. Anthony said. Scores of the fish were landed per trip, and the flatties to 7 pounds were hauled in during the early part of last week. Anthony expects to start fishing between Ambrose Channel and the ocean on upcoming trips. He and a crew on another boat won the Point Pleasant Elks Fluke Tournament two weekends ago with a 12.9-pound doormat. They also nailed two 8-pounders, some 5-pounders and several 3- and 4-pounders, and lost a 9-pounder at the boat. Trips on the Barbara Anne are also sea bassing between fluke angling, and the lumphead catches were okay. Charters will do more sea bassing and bluefishing as the season progresses. Only have two or three anglers for a trip, instead of six for a full charter? Call Capt. Anthony, because he can usually pair you up with other anglers. Barbara Anne pays bridge tolls with a receipt. 

<b>Keyport</b>

<b>April Ann Charters</b> left Keyport and headed to the deep, sticky bottom in the ocean on Saturday, Capt. “Shamrock” Eddie Coleman said in an e-mail. Once on the fluke grounds, he found that bottom couldn’t be held with 6- and 8-ounce jigs, so he made the decision to push farther east to fish the rocks. One keeper fluke was wrestled in. After the tide changed, the anglers moved back to the original spot, banging out seven more keepers. Gulp out-fished live bait, and Ed heard lots of good reports Saturday. Bluefish schooled from the Navy Pier on the bay to the Shrewsbury Rocks on the ocean, and party boats had a field day chasing them. A trip with April Ann was nixed Sunday, because the storm wouldn’t allow the time to run to the ocean. Lightening began at 10 a.m.

A keeper, 21-inch fluke, tons of shorts and several 5-pound blues were decked with the Mieszkalski family around the Navy Pier on Sunday morning with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. The fluke were hooked on killies and squid, and the blues were jigged when a bunch popped up under working birds. Glenn, his father Glen Sr., 12-year-old Lauren, 10-year-old Matt, and Kelly Mieszkalski were the anglers. Open-boat trips are sailing for fluke daily when no charter is booked, and call to reserve. Eight-hour charters are fishing for sea bass and porgies.

<b>Port Monmouth</b>

Five keeper fluke were iced among 30 shorts tossed back, mostly wrangled up at Terminal Channel on spearing and squid, on a trip with Billy from Philly’s crew Friday with <b>Parksea Fishing Charters</b>. That was despite lack of drift, “so the fish are out there,” he said. Another charter on the previous Saturday fought non-stop fluke, mostly shorts but four keepers to 4 pounds, at Reach Channel and at Sandy Hook Bay along the flats and the drop-offs.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A trip shoveled up some good fluking on Saturday morning, said Capt. Kevin from the <b>Dorothy B</b>.  Trips generally caught shorts with a few keepers, and some anglers went home with a meal or two, and some didn’t. Whether a trip would be more productive than another was unpredictable. A 4-pound 8-ounce flattie was the pool-winning fish on Sunday morning’s trip, and only the morning trip sailed, because of the storm. Spearing and squid, supplied on the boat, hooked the fish as well as any bait. Anglers sometimes fished Spro jigs, but the fish never honed in on one type of tackle or bait that could be said they preferred.  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.

Finally a day to talk about: Friday’s fluke trip on the <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. The first four fish were keepers, and one angler limited out by 10 a.m. on six beauties 3 ½ to 5 ½ pounds. Another couple of anglers teamed up for a dozen keepers including the 6-3/4-pound pool-winning flattie, both fishing with Spro set-ups for non-stop action all day. The Spro rigs worked best, and all the big fluke pounced on them, but bait also worked. Bigger fish were finally showing, and the Spro set-ups were tops, Ron said in the report for the next day, too. On that day, Saturday, fishing sounded tougher, and the boat had to bounce around most of the day. Waters got too crowded in the first area fished, so the boat left. A pick of fish was found at the channels on the change of the tide. The trip returned to the bay, and the pool-winning fish, just under 6 pounds, was knocked down. The high hook bagged three keepers. Rough weather on Sunday limited the places the boat could fish. The anglers picked shorts and keepers. A busman’s holiday sailed Thursday on the vessel with four good customers, because forecasts kept anglers from arriving. But Ron was glad the trip sailed. Two of the anglers limited out on fluke to 5 pounds. Ron even wet a line, “almost forgot what it was like to fish,” he said. He landed four keepers and a bunch of shorts by 11 a.m., before the weather got too hot, and he headed for the A.C.! Bluefishing finally broke back open Saturday on the boat’s evening trips, and the bite was on, after anglers paid their dues for a month. Patrons pounded 5- to 14-pounders and three keeper striped bass to boot. 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.

A greater number of keeper fluke were boated Friday through Sunday on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>, “pretty nice fishing,” Capt. Tom said. The crowd was light on Friday because of rough weather. Shorts gave up lots of action on the trips, but the amount of keepers improved, and the boat fished around the Navy Pier. One angler, Donata, limited out Sunday morning. “Tire” John belted a 6-pounder Sunday morning and a 4-pounder in the afternoon.  The afternoon trip did sail, and only a bit of rains fell, despite forecasts for a storm. Some anglers nabbed one or two keepers, and others hooked none, but all caught at least shorts. Landing keepers seemed a matter of luck. Conditions were right for fishing near the pier, and the ride was short. Nobody could know how long the better fishing would last. Killies were an advantage, and Tom recommended anglers pick some up at a tackle shop on the way to the boat. Spearing and squid are supplied on the vessel. A small, lime-green, round Gulp with a small tail also worked well. 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>

Fishing for fluke picked up a lot for anglers fishing the deep on the ocean in the past days, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. The flatties to 5 ½ pounds were clocked on the boat, mostly on bucktails with big strip baits, but Derek was able to net snapper blues to liveline for the summer flounder. His trips are concentrating on fishing for big fluke in the deep with bucktails and live bait. That was the first time this season Fisher Price livelined for the bottom-huggers, but live bait fishing should happen more frequently, as snappers become more abundant and as the peanut bunker population grows, and the peanuts become fishable size. Derek’s also got his eye on weakfish, if anglers want to go after them. Weaks were already caught in the rivers, and now Derek heard about a few taken on the bay, and the population seemed to be increasing. He’s also looking at running charters for bluefin tuna, because the fishing’s been so solid this season. He plans to scope them out in the next days, then begin chartering for them. Fisher Price is also squeezing in open-boat trips between charters when possible, and call to be kept informed of the schedule.

Jigging for bluefin tuna was some of the best-ever fishing for them with <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> on a trip Sunday between the Glory Hole and Chicken Canyon, Capt. Brian said. The anglers fought lots of the fish, 40- to 65-pounders, decent-sized, on Shimano Trevala rods and Trinidad high-speed reels, an outfit made for jigging, and all different jig sizes and colors worked. The trip chunked at first, but Brian got a call from a friend who said he was scoring on jigs, so the trip switched to jigging on the drift, and that produced. Brian heard about a few of the fish trolled that day, but jigging seemed best. The trip began fishing at 5 a.m., caught the tuna and started for home at 10 a.m., reaching the dock by 12 noon, before the storm. The area’s bluefin fishing has been as good as Brian’s ever seen, and the fish continued to be fought to the south, so he hoped the angling would last a while. Jersey Devil is focusing on the bluefins for now.  Although Jersey Devil runs no set schedule of open-boat trips, if anglers only have a group of two people or so to go fishing, don’t hesitate to call Brian, because he can probably pair you up with others on a shared trip.

<b>Neptune</b>

Bluefin tuna fishing was fantastic on the inshore ocean, and if anyone wants to go, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> can guarantee a catch, he said, but anglers have to abide by the regulations that allow a limited number of the fish to be kept. Trips on the boat are trolling for them. Inshore wreck-fishing was phenomenal, catching cod, lots of ling, many big sea bass and even tog. Crab was kept aboard, because the tog were snapping. Charters for that fishing were only available for a full day, because the trips sailed a distance. Bluefishing was beginning to bounce back after the spawn, and catches were yet to be full-bore, but the fish were responding. Space remains on individual-reservation fluke and sea bass trips running every Wednesday until fluke season closes. The season’s first overnight canyon trip for tuna is booked and will fish Friday to Saturday. This month’s overnighter’s are sold out, but space remains in September, and check the vessel’s Web site for the schedule.

<b>Belmar</b>

Bluefishing kept improving on daytime trips on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, an e-mail from the boat said.  A report from the boat during the previous week explained that the fish had been spawning, slowing down catches. But the fishing seemed on the rebound, and the blues were beginning to return to their usual summer haunts. Daytime trips waxed big ones, good catches, on jigs and bait. Nighttime trips, “when we were able to get out,” the e-mail said, produced mixed results. Sometimes blues, big ones, bit well in the dark, but at other times they were picky. The fishing should keep getting better.  The Golden Eagle is fishing for blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. Canyon tuna trips will begin September 1, and see the boat’s Web site for info.

The <b>Nan Sea J</b> mostly sailed for blues for steady fishing on the ocean, not hammering them, but consistent, and the fish were big, up to 12 pounds, maybe larger, Capt. Tom said. The anglers fished with bait, but other boats also jigged the fish. A fluke trip ran Saturday to Sea Girt Reef for a pretty darn good catch, he said. The catch included an 8-pounder, a couple of 4- to 5-pounders and a whole slew of sea bass. Sharks were still around, if anglers wanted to take a trip. Tom was unsure whether he’d run anymore open-boat shark trips this year, because he was thinking about running open for bluefin tuna fishing that was turned on. Some anglers already called to express interest, and give a buzz if interested.

<b>Brielle</b>

On the <b>Katie H</b> a fluke trip ran north Saturday, fishing the ocean off Long Branch, Capt. Mike said. Eight keepers were boxed among a ton of shorts let go, and a fair number of sea bass were bagged. Squid and spearing were the baits, and the drift screamed at first, and 12-ounce weights had to be fished, and then there was no drift. Then south winds came in that are usually an ocean-front angler’s least favorite, cooling the waters. So the conditions were challenging. On a charter Sunday, 30 keeper sea bass, a good catch including large ones to 3 pounds, were clobbered before the storm was seen approaching, so the trip motored back to port. The anglers were ready to return anyway, having caught plenty. Shorts and also short fluke were tossed back, but the anglers went home with plenty of dinner. A tuna trip is slated for Friday, and more trips for tuna might sail Saturday and Sunday. The trips will probably go after bluefin tuna on inshore waters, because that fishing was happening. The boat’s first overnight tuna trip to the canyons is on the books for August 22. Anglers wanting to fish the canyons often wait until the night fishing takes off, usually by that time, because the cost of an overnighter is only somewhat more than a daytime trolling trip to the canyons. But overnight trips get so much more fishing time, with trolling the evening before, chunking through the night and potentially trolling the next morning. Plus other fish like swordfish and sharks can be part of the catch at night.  Don’t have enough anglers for an overnight tuna charter? No problem. Call Mike, because he can probably schedule an individual space on a make-up trip. A charter will fluke fish on the Katie H on Saturday.

An open-boat trip Saturday managed 11 keeper fluke, 12 keeper sea bass and a few blues on the ocean, a tough day, but the anglers worked hard, said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> in an e-mail. The trip met a large swell in the morning, leftover from weather the day before, but the swell was long-period, and the ocean was actually beautiful. The drift was ripping at first, and after fluking at the rough bottom while sliding 1.5 to 1.8 knots, tough to hold bottom, the anglers anchored up for sea bass until the drift slowed. Then they got back to drifting for fluke, bouncing around to different spots through the day for inconsistent fishing. The baits and the bucktail hair came up dirty. At one point blues exploded up top, so the anglers jigged a few. The weather was clear and pleasant for once, and everybody got sun burned. An open trip Sunday wound up with 11 keeper fluke and three keeper sea bass on the ocean in weather that started calm but would change after morning. Some of the fluke were big, including a 9-pounder, a 7-pounder and a 5-pounder. At one point a patch of fluke was found, and a keeper was pumped in on every drift. The drift eventually became too fast, so the boat was motored inshore to 30 feet, and a few more keepers were picked. Storms started approaching, and the trip headed in a little early, with buckets of rains pouring for 10 miles on the way home. Coming up, Fish Monger will run charters and open trips for bonito and false albacore on the ocean, tackle-busting angling. Last year’s trips whaled the fish, and anglers now already booked space.

Bluefin tuna and fluke were the targets on charters on the <b>Big Kid</b>, Capt. Ken said. A trip Friday was weathered out, but another on Saturday trolled bluefins to 50 pounds on ballyhoos. A charter Sunday jigged bluefins. Ken was asked whether mahi mahi were hooked when trolling on the bluefin grounds. “No,” he said. “Just endless action with bluefins.” On the fluke trips, fishing on the ocean, a good catch was made Saturday at Axel Carlson Reef, and south winds made the catch slow on the boat Sunday. Another fluke trip was heading out today. Most dates are full for charters this month, and more are available in September. A few tournaments, including the Forked River Tuna Tournament, the Mid Atlantic $500,000 and Tuna Stakes are available for charters. Some of the dates are listed on <a href=" http://www.bigkidsportfishing.com/tournaments.htm
" target="_blank">the boat’s tournament Web page</a>.

Everybody aboard boated bluefish, good fishing, on Saturday on the <b>Jamaica</b>, an e-mail from the boat said. The blues began to be hooked on bait, but a strong current made bait fishing difficult. But then a big school came to the surface, and patrons were able to jig the fish. Ray Roscoe from Newark was high hook with a limit, and Steven Liss from Fairlawn won the pool with a 15.51-pounder. Two nearby areas held blues, and the crew expected plenty of catches to continue. 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 in late August.

Ocean fluking improved at Sea Girt Reef and Axel Carlson Reef for customers during the last several days, and fishing a bucktail-with-teaser rig worked best, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The shop carries a large selection of bucktails, jigs and rigs for fluke. Greg Hueth and Frank Parker coolered a healthy catch of the flatties to 4.6 pounds and sizeable sea bass to 4 pounds at Sea Girt Reef while bucktailing. Roger Glynn on his Aye Roller beat a quality catch of the summer flounder to 6 pounds at Axle Carlson Reef with a bucktail and a Gulp teaser. Lots of small bluefish schooled the reefs. Lots of bait was around, including bunker that continued to school and even tinker mackerel. For sea bassing, fishing a spot that wasn’t already pounded seemed key, but good catches were found. Hueth and Parker’s sea bass were beautiful. Manasquan River’s fluking put out lots of the fish, mostly shorts but some keepers, and small jigs did the best job. An angler might reel in 30 shorts for every keeper. Shark River’s fluking was similar: tons of the fish, mostly shorts but occasional keepers, that bit best on small jigs. Not many anglers talked about striped bass fishing, but a few small, resident bass should be able to be beached from the surf at night, and Dave would throw plugs or pinheads with rubber or rigged eels. Dave saw reports that said bluefishing began to improve on the party boats on the ocean but heard nothing first-hand, so the news was unconfirmed. Bluefin tuna fishing was on a roll at places like the Glory Hole and the Chicken Canyon. Anglers picked at the catches, and the population of the tuna was large, a productive year for the fishing. The fishing was very good at the Atlantic Princess wreck on Saturday. Mahi mahi could also be picked up on the troll on the bluefin grounds. A few of the bluefins also roamed closer to shore at the Mudhole, and anglers might catch one, two or three. But Dave knew about one trip that ran across a bunch. Not a lot of boats tried for the bluefins at the Mudhole, so not a lot of reports were around to pinpoint locations of the fish. Anglers just hit the waters and looked for life like bait and birds, then caught. The weather was rough in the past days for boaters to make the run farther offshore to Hudson Canyon for yellowfin tuna, but some of the fish, no large numbers, were caught there lately. A few began to be tackled on bait at night, not just during the day on the troll. Little was heard about shark fishing, but brown and dusky sharks, a few hammerheads and a few makos can normally be fought at this point in the season. Anglers should be able to score. The <a href=" http://www.ssfff.net/fundraiser.html" target="_blank">Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund</a>, spearheading the movement to prevent the summer flounder or fluke season from closing and from harsh bag limits that are essentially a closure, very much needs the continued support of anglers. See the fund’s Web site for details and how the fund is attempting to solve the crisis.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Big, hungry bluefish tore up the waters on Friday’s daytime trip on the <b>Cock Robin</b>, an e-mail from the boat said. The fish were jigged, and one group of four anglers limited out. Friday night’s trip stayed dock because of forecasts for rough weather. Good catches of blues, not as solid as on Friday, were pelted on Saturday’s daytime trip on jigs. The trip that night was slow, and the daytime trip on Sunday was a little slow but with decent shots of large blues caught on bait. With long-range forecasts for calm weather, the crew expects the fishing to continue to improve, “as the blues find their summer residences, unpack their bags and find the best places to eat,” the e-mail said. 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.

An open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Marathon trip fished Manasquan River, northern Barnegat Bay and Glimmer Glass on Friday instead of the ocean because of rough seas, the report on <b>Reel Class Charters</b>’ Web site said. Six keepers 19 to 21 inches were landed among 40-some shorts tossed back between three anglers and the captain. The details: At first the trip landed 12- to 17-inch shorts on the river from upstream of Clark’s Landing to the Route 35 Bridge. Then the anglers fished northern Barnegat Bay, picking up three keepers. Next they returned to the same stretch of the river for two more keepers, then moved to Glimmer Glass, where nothing much was doing. They ended the day on the river upstream of the 35 Bridge, scoring another keeper. The upshot: three keepers on the river, three on the bay and none, not much happening at all, at Glimmer Glass. The anglers fished 3/8-ounce jigheads tipped with 4-inch chartreuse Gulp swimming minnows, a 1-ounce Spro with a teaser above, and killies on a rig. The exact results of each type of tackle wasn’t given, but the report sounded like the jigheads might’ve caught the most, but the Spro set-up grabbed three of the keepers. On Thursday a charter also fished the river and the northern bay for fluke, because the ocean was rough, and six keepers to 21 inches were taken among 30 throwbacks.  Most of the keepers came from the river, but one keeper and a patch of flatties was found on the bay right at the mouth of the Point Pleasant Canal. All the fish were hooked on Mai Tai bucktails tipped with killies with Gulp teasers above. Both the marathons and charters are sailing for fluke, and sea bass can be mixed in when the trips fish the ocean at the rough bottom. Check the boat’s Web site for open-boat availability.   

<b>Seaside</b>

Blackfish and triggerfish hung along the Barnegat Inlet jetty, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s Web site, and several of both were weighed in during the past few days. The blacks ranged about 2 to 3 pounds, and the triggers weighed about 2 pounds. Anglers at the jetty had fun with blues and short striped bass early Saturday morning for a while. Unconfirmed reports said blues were also fought in the surf lately, and none was weighed in, “but it is that time of year, so maybe, just maybe, they will finally make a strong showing,” the report said. Short fluke were the main catch in the surf. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.   

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Barnegat Bay’s first run of weakfish this summer began to appear, but the bite ended up meager at best, said Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> in an e-mail. Strong southerly winds that clouded the bay Thursday and Friday might’ve hampered the fishing.  But clearer waters at Barnegat Inlet gave up species including bluefish, schoolie striped bass, blackfish, fluke, triggerfish and pinfish to “fill in the gaps,” he said. Looking ahead, September is one of the coast’s most beautiful months, and a few dates for charters still remain in September. Steve will also leave available for open-boat trips the Thursdays of September 10 and 24, sailing for the “fish du jour,” whatever fishing is best.  

<b>Barnegat</b>

The ocean off the Island Beach State Park gave up four or five keeper fluke, a bunch of throwbacks, a couple of 1-1/2- to 2-pound blues and a couple of ling on a trip Saturday with <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. John said. Lots of fluke were around, and shorts had to be weeded through for keepers. The anglers fished sand eels, spearing and squid. A fluke trip Sunday was cancelled because of forecasts for rough weather, and more of the trips will head out for fluke today, Wednesday and Saturday. Today’s trip was supposed to fish Barnegat Bay, because kids would be aboard. The bay also held lots of shorts but some keepers. Only four weekends are left in the fluke season. Bonito started storming Barnegat Ridge, and Perfect Drift will go after them. John didn’t hear much about successful weakfishing on Barnegat Bay, but he saw a boat grass-shrimping for them. A friend who fishes flies and soft-plastic lures for the trout kept finding a few on the bay in the early mornings and around dusk. The area’s weakfishing usually takes off in September around Barnegat Inlet.

On the <b>Hi Flier</b> anglers clobbered bonito at Barnegat Ridge last week, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. Kevin Veal and father-in-law Gene Arico trolled the fish Tuesday on red and white Japanese feathers and 4-inch, red and white cedar plugs. Triple- and quadruple-headers were not uncommon, and a six-banger was scored once, every rod in the spread hooked up. After a good dose of the fish were fought, light-spinning rods were blended in to the mix to enjoy the fight even more. On Wednesday Tim Wanner and two sons trolled a bunch more while dodging thunderstorms and a late-afternoon breeze. The bonito, 3- to 5-pounders, were on the feed on the trips, ravenous, spitting up gobs of sand eels. Bonito are tough fighters, great sport, and excellent to eat, “a half-notch below tuna,” Dave said. Open-boat trips are running for bonito, limited to three anglers, whenever no charter is booked. Give a call to jump aboard. Weakfish began to show up in Barnegat Bay on Thursday and Friday, and the Hi Flier will be grass-shrimping for them, one of the highlights of the year on the boat. Dave is also offering tuna trips on a new boat he’s running, a 31-foot Albemarle, sailing from Point Pleasant Beach. Bluefin tuna catches were excellent 20 to 40 miles from port, both on the troll and on jigs. Healthy-sized mahi mahi were mixed in with the 20- to 80-pound bluefins. Charters on the boat, most comfortable with groups of four or less, will also run for canyon tuna when that fishing kicks in.

<b>Surf City</b>

Lots of short fluke and some keepers were rustled up from Barnegat Bay to the ocean like usual, said Barbara from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. But she did hear about one angler who tied into a bunch of spike weakfish and three 17-inchers while grass shrimping near the 24 buoy on the mainland side of the bay in the early morning. When boat traffic began, the fish turned off. Surf fishers plucked a few fluke and plenty of junk fish including rays. Fresh bunker is stocked, and fresh clams are carried on the weekends, now that demand for clams is slower. Bloodworms will be carried if kingfish show up. Plenty of other baits like squid strips plain or soaked in shedder oil are on hand.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

<b>Legal Limit Charters</b> was on the leader board for the biggest mahi mahi in the weekend’s Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club White Marlin Invitational Tournament, Capt.T.J. said. But then anglers with another slightly larger won the prize on the final day. Legal Limit’s mahi weighed 20.9 pounds, and the winner weighed 21.3. Seas were stiff during most of the event and on other trips that Legal Limit took through the past week. “What day do you want me to tell you about when we got our butts kicked?” T.J. joked. He first competed in the tournament on Thursday, when forecasts said seas were 5 to 7 feet, but T.J. found them to be 7 to 11 feet with occasional 14-footers. Legal Limit’s big mahi was boated that day. The vessel also competed on Saturday, a day with beautiful weather for a change, and a couple of white marlin were raised. Trips last week on Tuesday and Wednesday rounded up productive fishing for sea bass to 5 pounds at the ocean wrecks. Ocean flounder fishing was poor lately, but rough weather was a factor. Shared charters are bottom-fishing every Tuesday and Thursday when no full charter is booked.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Croakers, big ones, filled the surf through the past week, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers dunked clams, bloodworms or shrimp to load up on them. Flounder, blues and kingfish also popped into the suds. Only a few kings were around, but apparently were beginning to show. Triggerfish held along the jetties, but fewer were around than before. Plenty of tog hovered around the jetties, and sizeable ones could be yanked in. On boats anglers waffled lots of flounder, lots of shorts, on the back bay. One group reeled in 75 including two keepers. A few croakers could be boated along the ocean front. A buddy wreck fished for sea bass on the ocean and found no sea bass but creamed a mess of big porgies 18 or 19 inches. All the baits including clams, green crabs, and head-on, medium-sized eating shrimp are stocked.

<b>Somers Point</b>

Larger flounder seemed to move toward the ocean from the bays, and reports came in about the fish lifted from Great Egg Harbor Inlet and the ocean reefs, said T.C. from <b>Brennan Marine</b>. They were usually fooled on minnows, squid and Gulps, and sizeable sea bass were also socked at the reefs. In offshore waters bigger yellowfin tuna seemed to replace smaller ones that were previously around. Mario Mortarella and crew on his North Cote on Saturday ran into beautiful, 78-degree waters in 100 fathoms on the east wall of Spencer Canyon, trolling two 50-pound yellowfins on a daisy chain and a Green Machine and a 60-pound white marlin on a rainbow spreader bar. The fishing was best in 550 to 600 feet. Frank Kelly and Larry Stout on Frank’s Salty Tiger also fished the east wall o f the Spencer, hooking two 60-pound whites and two 13-pound mahi mahi on naked ballyhoos.

On the back bay, at Great Egg Harbor Inlet and at the reefs flounder fishing was fast and furious, and most of the fish were undersized, but a doormat could come over the side any time, said a fax from Rob and Joan from <b>Dolfin Dock</b>. Guy Martin from Somers Point dusted a 5-pounder at Rainbow Channel on a white bucktail. Robert Maurer from Egg Harbor Township stuck a 6-1/2-pounder at the inlet on a pink Gulp baitfish. Tog, small blues and small sea bass could be caught at any pier, bridge or jetty. Dave Taylor from Linwood hefted in a 15-pound striped bass that swallowed a livelined eel under the Ocean City Toll Bridge. Tuna and mahi mahi swam around the Lobster Claw.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Tides were right for popper fishing for striped bass on the back bay, and Tom Durling and buddy Joe were aboard to give the fishing a shot on Sunday, landing four, pulling the hook on two or three and missing probably a dozen bites, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. So he was glad to see the angling turn back on, and wasn’t surprised it did, because of the tides: high tides in the early morning. High tides at dusk will also produce. The anglers threw Skitter Pop lures on the flats, and Jersey Cape also fly-rods with poppers for the stripers. The popper trips are a specialty on the vessel, a flats boat that Joe poles along the shallows. After the sun came up, the anglers moved to the ocean, tangling with a half-dozen blues 3 miles from shore. Then they returned to the bay to fish clams for stripers, pulling the hook on a run-off from a good-sized one. Clamming for bass during the middle of the day usually offers a chance at a larger striper. So the day was fun and successful. Jersey Cape is also fishing Wildwood Reef for a variety of species including flounder and sea bass. Rich Duffy, his son Shane, his friend Dave and Dave’s son Luke took one of the trips Saturday, catching keeper sea bass, including sizeable ones, short flounder, blues and other fish, a mixed bag. The reef fishing offers lots of action, rods bent, a fun time, especially for family fishing, and some keeper fish on either half-day or full-day trips. On Friday Mike Spader and son fished the bay, first landing flounder, including a keeper and probably a dozen shorts. Then they clammed for striped bass, releasing a short and hooking a large, 15-pound striper before it got off. Big sharks also hit the clams for a fight. The bay held lots of flounder, and anglers had to weed through plenty of shorts to grab a keeper. Keepers were becoming harder to come by, but catching one or two per trip was realistic, and the flounder were migrating  toward the inlet, away from the back of the bay. On Thursday Glen Neman and son took one of the Wildwood Reef trips, again scoring a mixed bag, including a keeper flounder, several keeper sea bass, blues and other fish, rods bent all day. Joe planned to fish for tuna offshore today during a welcomed break in the weather. Charters are fishing for tuna, and so are open-boat trips once a week, targeting either bluefins inshore or yellowfins offshore, with mahi mahi mixed in throughout the waters. Offshore charters are available that troll for tuna during the mornings and cast bait, lures or flies to mahi mahi at the lobster pots during the afternoons. Stay tuned for details about traveling charters that Joe will offer on weekends in Montauk for the blitz of stripers and blues from mid September to late October and to Marthas Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts for fly-rodding for stripers on Columbus Day weekend. Or call him for info.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Flounder anglers drilled good catches in the ocean at Cape May Reef, Wildwood Reef, Reef 11 and the Old Grounds, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. The flatties were also bagged off Cape May Point, but anglers there picked through lots of shorts to cull keepers. Gracie Ferrante, 4, and Gabe Ferrante, 5, from Pittsgrove weighed in several of the fluke from a trip to Cape May Reef on dad’s boat Schming, docked at Wildwood. Gracie’s fish, her first-ever flounder, weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces, and Gabe’s flatties, two of them, weighed up to 2 pounds 11 ounces. The crew from the Rajun Cajun limited out on flounder on a trip that fished Reef 11 and the Old Grounds. The Sterling Harbor Kayak Fishing Team won several prizes in the Point Pleasant Elks Fluke Tournament two weekends ago. Chris Parson took first place in the kayak division with a 29-inch fluke, and Charlie Labar scored third among kayakers with a 22-incher. Justin Fesler, also competing for the shop’s kayak team, won first place in the “other fish” division with a 48-inch smooth dog fish. Sterling Harbor is a kayak fishing headquarters featuring kayak sales, rentals, accessories and expert advice. A hot croaker bite went down on the back bay at Wildwood, mainly at Sunset Lake, during the weekend. Winds hampered offshore fishing, but the Lobster Claw gave up the best bluefin tuna catches. Crabby Jack gave crabbing 4 ½ claws.  

<b>Cape May</b>

Trips with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> waffled flounder, plenty of the fish, probably 1 in 10 a keeper, but including hefty ones to 24 or 25 inches, at the ocean reefs, Capt. Ray said. Fishing for the flatties seemed to hold up on Delaware Bay, but the boat concentrated on the ocean. Trolling trips will chase bluefish on the inshore ocean this week, and the blues were out there, and few Spanish mackerel and bonito could be mixed in. Ray heard about a few of both picked up. A bunch of tuna trips are coming up on the vessel, and bluefin tuna fishing seemed to become a little more consistent, and the fish were big, up to 60 inches and larger.   

Fishing for flounder held up from Delaware Bay to the ocean, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Anglers at the Old Grounds in the ocean off Delaware especially looted big ones, when tides and winds combined to create the right drifts, always important in the deep waters. A few weakfish were landed around the bay, and some said croakers swam the southern bay on the Delaware side. Lots of blues were trolled on the boat on the inshore ocean, and a few Spanish mackerel were in the mix. Bluefin tuna were hammered at the southern, inshore lumps, and Bob knew about few yellowfin tuna taken farther offshore yet. Openings are available, and some of the season’s best fishing is coming up.

A load of blues and a few bonito and Spanish mackerel were trolled on the inshore ocean today on a charter on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. The trip made a push farther offshore to the East Lump, and bait filled the waters, but no fish hit, so the boat was motored back to a few lumps closer to shore, where the trolling hooked up. The blues were 3-pounders, a little bigger than before. The trip was originally going to fish for flounder, but the anglers said they wanted lots of action, so George recommended the inshore trolling, and they connected. Another one of the trips will sail on the boat Tuesday. One of the crew will run the vessel that day, and George will mate on an offshore overnight trip on another boat. That trip will probably try for bluefin tuna on the inshore grounds at first, before heading out to the canyons for yellowfin tuna and whatever else turns up. Bluefin fishing was decent, and lots of mahi mahi swam the same grounds. Not many wahoos seemed around yet, but one line got bit off on a previous trip on the Heavy Hitter that George assumed was from a wahoo. George heard reports about 40- to 50-pound yellowfins sporadically appearing, giving up decent catches at times. The Heavy Hitter is running trips for inshore trolling for blues and other fish, bluefin tuna fishing and flounder angling. 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.

Boaters at the DA buoy at the south Old Grounds put a beating on flounder, and they had to move around to find the large ones, because some places held small flatties, but they could find areas with bigger ones, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Catches checked in from the Old Grounds included John Deering’s 7.39-pound flounder, Tim McSweeney’s 7.29-pounder and Lyle Rutty from the Got Em On’s 8.8-pounder that was snagged in the tail. Delaware Bay was loaded with flounder spread along the shipping channel from Miah Maul to the 9 and 10 buoys, but anglers there really had to hunt for keepers. Keepers could also be plucked from Cape May Reef along the drift area at the tire units. Duck Menz weighed in a 43-pound cobia, the year’s first cobia seen at the shop, tackling the fish when it cruised in a bunker school off Cape May. Plenty of bluefin tuna were trolled, jigged and chunked around 20 fathoms. Live bait helped when chunking, and spots and croakers worked well. The tuna seemed to push a little farther north, swimming 19-Fathom Lump to the Lobster Claw. One crew fished in 20 fathoms north of 19-Fathom Lump, trolling a 142-pound bluefin and busting off another on the troll. They also jigged and released a 74-incher. Surf fishing improved a little, and lots of short flounder and a few stripers swam along Sunset Beach and Cape May Point. A spotty population of kingfish and croakers were around the area, and a few spike weakfish were even beached at Cape May Point.

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