<b>Staten Island</b>

Bottom-fishing will launch with <b>Outcast Charters</b> during the weekend, Capt. Joe said. Sea bass will probably be the target, but if anglers want to shoot for porgies, trips can fish for them, and ling catches could be possible. Joe heard that sea bass fishing was okay before the storm and slower afterward. New York’s blackfish season opens October 1, and trips for them scored fairly well early in the season last year. Bites were more sporadic than later in the season, when waters cooled, but then trips could usually fill in the gap with sea bass. Bottom-fishing, including for sea bass and blackfish, is one of the main trips for Outcast.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The <b>Fishermen</b> headed out Tuesday with no rains, no swells, no 30-knot winds for a change, Capt. Ron said in an e-mail. Anglers aboard first tried clamming for striped bass at “the local spots,” he said, and he had thought the fish would be found, even if the fishing were only a pick, but one short was landed. So the boat was motored down the ocean beaches and put on a drift. Huge bluefish, a load of false albacore and a few bonito were jigged. Waters were warm, and Ron is sure that once a few solid cold fronts come through, stripers will turn on. Patience! he said. “Good things come to those who wait.”  The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

On the <b>Atlantic Star</b> trips sailed for bottom fish Monday and Tuesday in calm weather, Capt. Tom said. Wednesday’s and today’s trips stayed docked in forecasts for tough conditions, but the weather is supposed to straighten out on Friday. The fishing on the trips dropped off since all the storms rolled through. “I call it slow,” he said, and good-sized porgies, a few sizeable sea bass, lots of small sea bass and a few triggerfish and blackfish chomped. Catches were made at every drop, just fewer than before. The boat fished at the channels in strong currents because of the coming new moon. Ten-ounce weights had to be fished, and anglers had to get used to the currents, but at least waters were only 30 feet deep, and that helps. Waters were fairly riled up, and all bottom boats seemed to experience somewhat slower fishing. The Atlantic Star is bottom-fishing on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. <b>Update, Friday Morning, 9/18:</b> A good shot of porgies were decked so far on this morning’s trip, a bit of improvement over the last trips, and a few keeper sea bass, lots of shorts, and a few triggerfish were swung aboard. The fishing seemed a better sign than before. The current stayed strong but started to slow down on the trip, and Capt. Tom hoped the improved catches kept up.

Striped bass became more active, including in the surf and rivers, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Plugs, clams and bunker grabbed them in the surf, and worms, plugs or rubber shads took them in the rivers. Blues were also wrenched from the rivers and surf, and big ones were pounded at the Sea Bright Bridge. Nothing was heard about weakfishing, because few boaters fished because of the weather. Bottom-fishing was productive when the weather allowed boats to sail early in the week. Jimmy scored well on bottom-fish on Monday and could’ve took another trip Tuesday, but the forecasts were blown. He netted peanut bunker instead that day. Porgies hung in the bay. Jimmy wasn’t asked whether blues swam the bay, but they probably did. Plenty of blues were fought at 17 Fathoms and the Mud Buoy in the ocean, but on one day the angling was slow, for some reason. A bunch of sea bass and porgies gathered around such waters. False albacore were around in the ocean but were apparently yet to hit the surf. Bluefin tuna fishing was good 50 miles from shore. Crabbing gave up healthy catches.

<b>Highlands</b>

Six keeper striped bass to 13 pounds and a short were eeled and clammed on drifts on the bay on a trip Tuesday night, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. Probably another 20 mouthed the baits without getting hooked, and a strong current, causing a 3-knot drift, made hooking the fish tough. But the bass were getting active, and Fisher Price is offering night charters for the linesiders. However, with the rough weather lately and with water temps dropping quickly, the fish might be able to be landed during the day, and Derek’s going to start looking. Charters are also fishing for bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean, and great catches were nailed Sunday to Tuesday during the window of sailable weather. The weather was the only thing holding back trips. Fisher Price is also bottom-fishing for sea bass, porgies, ling and blackfish and fishing for false albacore. Albies swam the ocean from the Shrewsbury Rocks to Deal in the past three or four days. Previously some hung around Rockaway.

<b>Neptune</b>

Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> felt like he was rocking and rolling after he got home from Wednesday’s individual-reservation trip to the inshore wrecks, he said. Fishing was slow, but conditions were “extremely rough,” he said. He’ll slate more of the trips and announce the dates, or call him to be kept informed. An individual-reservation cod trip is full on Friday, and the past four of the trips shellacked cod to 40 pounds, including many 15- to 20-pounders. Forecasts called for rough weather today, but Friday looked calm. If the fishing holds up Friday, more of the cod trips will be scheduled, and charters will remain available. Two spots are open on an overnight, canyon tuna trip from Wednesday to Thursday. Space is available on the season’s first tog trip on November 16, when the bag limit gets hiked up to six of the blackfish from the current limit of one.

<b>Belmar</b>

Porgies, some decent catches, and sea bass, one day of a decent catch, were wrangled up on the <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. Anglers kind of picked away at fish, but things should improve in days, and the weather needed to straighten out. Three or four trips sailed between rough weather. Some of the porgies were among the biggest Chris ever saw, 3-1/2- or 4-pounders. Anglers should buy the boat’s rigs and hooks, because the fish were picky, willing to bite 20-pound line on rigs but not 40-pound, for example. Too many people showed up with rigs that had no chance, and what the tackle store would recommend was different from what was known to work on the boat. Other advice included casting away from the boat instead of fishing straight up and down.  The Big Mohawk is bottom-fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Shark River anglers loaded up on lots of porgies, said Mike from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. A few striped bass began to be clammed in the surf. The party boats were mostly docked in the rough weather, but when they got out, they beat blues at the Mudhole and knocked down sea bass and porgies at the wrecks. One of the head boats ran a bluefin tuna trip, putting anglers into 20 hook-ups and 10 fish landed, with the anglers keeping no more than the boat’s limit of two.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

A combo bluefin tuna/wreck fishing trip broke the inlet Tuesday with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, the report on the boat’s Web site said.  At the first attempt to rustle up bluefins, a ton of false albacore attacked. So the trip moved farther offshore, and more albies showed up, and skipjacks were mixed in. But a bluefin, a 27-incher, making the 27-inch to less than 47-inch slot limit, was finally landed. The anglers fought more albies, so the trip moved again. A bluefin in the larger slot limit, 47 inches to less than 73 inches, was hammered on a sardine, and the boat’s limit of two, an “under” and an “over,” was bagged. Next the trip fished at a wreck, and two pollock 25 and 35 pounds were butterfly jigged. Andrea’s Toy is fishing for bluefins on the inshore ocean and specializes in mixed-bag fishing, like the combo tuna and wreck trip, for more fun, greater chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner. Trips are also bottom fishing close to shore for sea bass and such.

Bottom-fishing trips on the <b>Dauntless</b> sailed every day since Sunday, after getting weathered out Saturday and sometimes last week during the storm, and porgies and sea bass were plundered, “pretty good,” Capt. Willie said. A few blues and bonito were mixed in, and most patrons picked up 15 to 20 fish. Trips targeted depths about 60 feet, and waters dipped to the high 60 degrees, cooler than before.  The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Willie wasn’t asked whether the boat was bluefishing at night, and previously bluefishing trips were running 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Those trips might’ve switched to a weekend-only schedule, and contact the boat to confirm.

Anglers on bottom-fishing trips on the <b>Norma K</b> boated sea bass, “a decent pick,” Capt. Matt said, and a few porgies. Nighttime bluefishing trips clobbered the fish, mostly 4- to 12-pounders, excellent catches. Trips are bottom-fishing twice daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eventually, sometime in October, one ¾-day trip, instead of two half-day trips, will run for the bottom dwellers daily. The trips will switch to tog fishing on November 16, when the bag limit increases to six of the blackfish from the current limit of one. Bluefishing trips are sailing 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

Blues, false albacore, bonito, Spanish mackerel and weakfish, a smorgasbord, got socked Tuesday on the <b>Cock Robin</b>, an e-mail from the boat said. An equal number of blues and albies were battled, both on jigs. With results like that, hopes were high for Wednesday’s trip, but winds and seas rolled in, earlier than forecast, causing difficult conditions for fishing. Patrons who could deal with the challenge jigged blues and albies, “(but we) just couldn’t put together a meaningful catch for all,” the  e-mail said. Today’s trip was stuck at the dock because of the weather, just like every other boat in the fleet in New Jersey, the e-mail said. But forecasts looked good for Friday through the weekend. Because albies and bonito were landed this week, a special trip for the two fish will head out on Wednesday, and call to reserve, and look for more potentially to sail. The Cock Robin is fishing for blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Stay tuned for a schedule of tuna, false albacore and bonito trips on the inshore ocean. On Thursday 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, featuring a dedicated mate for the youngsters, is under way every holiday. Some kids are off school this Friday and Monday, and the camp will be happening then.

<b>Toms River</b>

The surf was rough, but a few blues were beached, and a couple of catches of striped bass were heard about that were banked, and skates and sea robins chewed, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Nobody mentioned hooking croakers in the wash. But he’s mainly a beach angler, and he avoided the surf, and sharpies had to use 8-ounce weights to hold bottom. The seas kept any news from ocean boaters from rolling in. Quality-sized weakfish were hung from Barnegat Bay at the BI and BB markers in the early mornings on shedder crabs or Rat-L-Trap lures. But a potpourri of fish like weaks, kingfish, croakers, sea bass and blues were scored around the BI and BB. Weaks were sometimes taken on snapper blues at the clam stakes toward Berkeley Island Park. A few weaks were rounded up from the bay toward Pelican Island, and some were landed in the Toms River at Huddy Park. Pink Fin-S Fish will work there. Snapper blues ran the river, chasing down spearing or small metal like tiny Gators, Kastmasters or Phoebes. Striped bass were occasionally plugged on the river.

<b>Seaside</b>

Forecasts called for 3- to 5-foot seas in the surf, and that was an improvement over the past days, said the report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>. So few anglers fished from the beaches, but some dragged in 2- to 3-pound blues and a few short striped bass. The weather is supposed to improve, and the surf was cleaning up and settling down, and the fishing should gain steam. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Forked River</b>

Abundant blowfish filled Barnegat Bay at places like Tices Shoal and around the 40 buoy, said Dave from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Kingfish were plucked from the bay here and there, and anglers fished for both while anchored and chumming with a chum log, fishing small pieces of clam or squid right next to the chum. A few weakfish were pulled from the bay at the BI and BB markers when anglers tossed pink Fin-S Fish or dunked sandworms. Customers talked about grabbing a few striped bass along the rocks at Barnegat Inlet. They might’ve fished eels, but they didn’t say what they used. The ocean was rough, so no news came from there.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Barnegat Bay boaters took advantage of catching lots of blowfish, including good-sized ones 13 or 14 inches, that filled the waters, said the report on <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Many talked about having difficulty hooking them, and use a small, size-10 trout hook. Kingfish, good sized ones to 16 and 18 inches, were mixed in. Anglers already sometimes nabbed striped bass on live spots on the bay. News was mostly quiet from the surf, but that will change when seas settle down. The Long Beach Island surf often turns on for striped bass fishing well before the fishing peaks elsewhere. The seas surely changed up the pockets and structure in the wash. Larger blues already invaded the suds at times, a sure sign that the season was changing and that stripers were on the way. Kingfish could be plucked from along the jetties, but waters cooled 7 or 8 degrees in the weather, and the kings will depart soon. Anglers along the Barnegat Inlet jetty claimed tog,  sometimes 7- to 9-pounders, and the fish moved toward Barnegat Lighthouse, no need for anglers to work their way far out onto the jetty. Triggerfish stuck around the jetty like they did all summer, and the waters at the 6th Street Dock kept holding lots like during the whole season. Black drum were in the area along the inlet, and spearfishers bagged them.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Triggerfish, lots of them, a couple of dozen, a few keeper sea bass and some porgies, croakers and blues were angled aboard the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b> on Sunday, Capt. Frank said. Saturday’s trip was weathered out. Patrons sometimes targeted tog on the boat, and trips will switch to tog fishing on November 16, when the bag limit gets jacked up to six of the blackfish from the current limit of one. A special trip will bottom-fish 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Columbus Day, Monday, October 12. The Miss Beach Haven is bottom-fishing 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Charters are also available.

<b>Port Republic</b>

Ocean boaters sometimes banged out healthy catches of croakers, said Mary Ann from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>. A neighbor reeled up a small black drum that swam among the hardheads. A few kingfish were collected from the bay, and no catches of other fish, including weakfish, blues or striped bass, were heard about from the bay. A few dialed up sizeable white perch when they fished the Mullica River because of rough weather. Crabs still skittered around, but might’ve been a little scarcer than before, because the season was getting late. Frozen shedder crabs are stocked, and live shedders are occasionally on hand, but the live supply was drying up. Bloodworms, minnows and salmon belly are carried, and live eels and live spots will be stocked soon for striper fishing.

<b>Absecon</b>

Waters turned filthy since Monday because of winds and tides, almost shutting down fishing, said Ray from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. He took a run in the ocean, and waters there were even dirty 3 miles from shore. But before the dirty waters, Pete who works at the shop whacked two striped bass 30 inches apiece under the bridge at night, so stripers were probably around. All kinds of tog chewed along the bridges. A few small weakfish were claimed from the back waters, nothing to write home about. Croakers held in 20 to 30 feet in the ocean. But the weather this weekend might be better. Live peanut bunker and spots are stocked, and a few mullet, not many, are in the live tank. Mullet were difficult to locate, and so were spots, and the runs of both weren’t going to be like recent years, when the baitfish were abundant. Probably a half-dozen live shedder crabs are on hand, so that supply is about finished. Eels, bloodworms, fresh clams and the whole array of frozen baits are carried. Catch the shop’s Striper Season Kick Off Sale through Friday, September 25, featuring at least 25 percent off everything, with up to 75-percent discounts on certain closeout items. The dates have been set for the shop’s annual Do It All Night Striper Tournament: 12 noon Friday, November 13, to 12 noon Saturday, November 14. The competition is open to fishing from boats, bridges, the surf, jetties, the sod banks and kayaks.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Croakers, not a ton, but some, were located in the ocean, and ocean boaters also ventured as far from shore as 6 miles, finding sea bass at structure, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Boaters were only able to sail on one day, Tuesday, because of the weather, and not a lot of anglers who fished the bay, like for kingfish, were heard from. Lack of effort at kingfishing created no news about that fishing on the bay. The shop actually discouraged anglers from angling on the bay, like for kingfish, because the 5 inches of rains that fell made the bay like a big cedar-water pond. But some bought green crabs to fish for tog, and tog did hold along the bay’s sod banks. One angler who caught them is good at the fishing, though.  No spots that anglers hoped to catch to keep for bait for fall striped bass fishing were around. Two anglers looked for them and came up with none. Striped bass usually arrive by October 28 in the local area, and anglers will fish for them every which way, including drifting eels near Little Egg Inlet, fishing clams at the inlet and trolling bunker spoons in the ocean. Crabbing was good. Fresh clams are stocked, and bloodworms and green crabs ran out, but more will arrive Friday.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Bluefish 2 to 5 pounds were all over the surf, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. If anglers wanted blues, this was the time to get on the beach. A few striped bass were in the surf, and fishing for them was nothing consistent, but a few anglers were on them. A lot of plugging for the bass was going on. Finger mullet schooled the suds, and peanut bunker were everywhere. Occasional kingfish were picked from the suds, not in the numbers like they should be, but one or two here or there. Stripers were sometimes wrangled from the back bay, and Freddie from the shop swam a live spot to drill a 29-inch keeper. A couple of anglers stopped in and said they hooked small, short weakfish on the bay. Small, baby sea bass held in the bay.

Six or seven yellowfin tuna to 30 pounds, none big, were chunked in the dark on an overnight canyon trip last week on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>, Capt. Tom said. A swordfish probably 125 pounds picked up a bait on a light leader meant for tuna, though heavier lines for swordfish were in the waters, and was fought until nearly to the boat before it broke off, apparently chafing through the line with its bill. The anglers also went 1 for 6 on white marlin, four on the troll on the first afternoon, and two on the troll on the next morning. The chunking was done on the drift, and all the fish on the chunk bit on the first drift. The second drift came across waters that warmed to 83 degrees from 78, or a 5-degree increase, and that shut the fishing right down. Waters were clear, blue and beautiful, and squid, not a lot, sometimes swam through. So white marlin fishing was decent at the canyons, and scattered yellowfins were around. No mahi mahi showed up on the trip, but a fair population of mahi were around, and a buddy saw more on a trip the other day than he ever saw. The good news about the canyons was that warm eddies began moving south instead of north like before. So the fish-holding waters to the north like at the Atlantic Princess and the Chicken Canyon, where bluefin tuna roamed, should move south or closer to Brigantine. In addition to canyon overnighters, the boat is fishing on 12-hour trolling trips to 30 fathoms for a mixed bag of fish that could show up. Some bluefin tuna showed up to the south in those depths, and scattered yellowfins were around, and white marlin, wahoos and mahi might bite. Closer to shore, inshore trolling trips for fish like false albacore are running, and the boat is wreck fishing for sea bass and such. The Fishin’ Fever will make an annual move to Cape May for fall striped bass fishing that should kick off around October 24, unless the fishing starts earlier, like if the waters cool quicker. Striper trips will bunker-chunk on Delaware Bay, fish live bait at the Cape May Rips or troll or jig along the ocean front. Fishing with bucktails for stripers at the Rips starts late in the season, when waters reach the low 50 degrees or high 40s.

<b>Margate</b>

A few blues were boated on the bay, and out-of-season flounder were caught and released on the waters, but the weather was tough, made getting out on trips difficult, said Capt. John from the <b>Keeper</b>. He’ll also keep an eye out for weakfish on the bay on trips. The Keeper is fishing on two open-boat trips 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and on one open trip 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Sundays. However, the boat is chartered this Saturday afternoon.

<b>Longport</b>

Only a few lines in the trolling spread could be dropped in the waters before false albacore attacked at the beginning of Tuesday’s trip on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Instant hook-ups, then action all day, he said. So the albies were out there.  A bottom-fishing trip with a few anglers on Wednesday dusted up croakers and weakfish near the shore. The weakfish were shorts, but keepers were bagged on the boat previously. The first weaks of the season are often shorts along the beach front, before bigger ones move in. So larger ones were already making an appearance. The canyons were “filthy” with mahi mahi. “Let’s go get ‘em!” Mike said. Coming up, the annual Cast and Blast Trips, a combo of fishing and duck hunting on the ocean, will probably begin around October 12. Catch blues, stripers and tog in the front of the boat, and bag sea ducks in the back.

<b>Ocean City</b>

When boaters could fish the ocean, they mongered up croakers, weakfish and blues in 35 to 40 feet, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Small blues swam the surf, pouncing on mullet or metal, and striped bass began to be hooked up and down the beaches, especially along the jetties or structure. Z-Man paddle-tail soft-plastic lures especially did the job, but any swimming plugs or soft-plastics like Fin-S Fish connected. Lots of triggerfish were creeled at Avalon’s 8th Street jetty the other day. Tons of striped bass flooded the back bay, hanging along the bridges and sod banks, getting stuck on any of the same lures at dawn and dusk. Tog could be toggled in from along the bridges. One crew fished offshore, tackling a couple of yellowfin tuna and a blue marlin more than 1,000 pounds at Carteret Canyon, all on the troll.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Fishing in the surf was somewhat picking up, and Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> was fighting snapper or cocktail blues at the inlet in the mornings on mullet, popper lures and metal, he said. Other lures like swimmers and paddle tails would also work. A few more striped bass than before responded in the suds, sucking in clams or whole mullet or, if anglers hit the beach in the early mornings, swiping popper lures or swimming plugs along the jetties. Waters had cooled but now slightly warmed back up to 71 degrees. But the temps are unlikely to rise much anymore, unless something like south winds affects them a moment, and autumn-like fishing conditions were beginning. No mullet schooled the surf or inlets yet, but mullet and loads of other bait jammed the back bay. Peanut bunker were thick in the back. In the ocean croakers schooled around 25-foot depths, and blues busted the water surface farther out, able to be trolled or cast to. Friends who wreck-fished reeled up nine triggerfish, some sea bass and a couple of tog. Triggers were most abundant. Tog also swam along the bridges, and green crabs are stocked for bait. The bay was loaded with striped bass that attacked popper lures or plugs at dawn or dusk. Small blues could be found in the bay. A couple of customers bought ballyhoos for an offshore trip for marlin and mahi mahi, and not so many tuna were around. Live surf clams, eels, bloodworms, the green crabs, fresh mullet when Wes can catch them, fresh bunker when available, the full selection of frozen baits including herring, clams, mullet, spearing and more are stocked.

Popper fishing for striped bass was in prime time on the flats of the back bay, and Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, was amped up, he said. The fishing, a specialty on the boat with either lures or flies, was tougher than usual during the summer, but current catches were on. Chuck Wilson took a fly trip Wednesday on the boat, popping up two stripers that were landed, another that was hooked and got off, and several other bites. The fish were his first-ever stripers, and the trip was his first fly fishing on saltwater. A modified Crease fly that Joe ties and a Gurgler fly were used on a floating line. Joe ties the Crease to make a bigger pop than usual. The bigger the pop, the more noise the popper makes, the better. Most bites were scored an hour before sunset, and high tides at dusk, ideal conditions for the fishing, were happening lately. High tides in the mornings will also work. Jersey Cape does the popper fishing, with exciting, visual strikes, while Joe poles the shallows in his flats boat. Anglers won’t catch like 50 stripers, but no charter was ever aboard who caught and didn’t say it was great. Most of the fish are shorts from 20 to 27 inches, so the fishing is catch and release, is about the sport. The bass were generally larger than usual lately, often just under keeper sized, though the ones on Wilson’s trip were smaller than that. The size depends on the day and the pod of fish. The experience is also cool to be on the quiet bay in the evening. Bluefish to 3 pounds with an occasional bigger one also slammed poppers on the bay now, but stripers were more abundant. A few stripers started to wake up along the surf, attacking in different ways than only on bait on the bottom like in summer. Surf casters fooled them on popper lures along the jetties in the early mornings, for example. Fall fishing was approaching, and when the bait in the bays begins to pour out to the ocean, the surf and beach-front fishing will really begin to take off. Tons of bait including mullet swam the bay, and the first substantial cold spell will make the mullet and other forage move out front. Ocean fishing for like amberjacks and blues that Jersey Cape did before all the recent weather ended with the winds and seas. Blues could return, but they’ll be a different body and class. Joe saw no false albacore in the ocean except very small ones since the weather, though his trips were catching them before. Not much was heard about canyon fishing for tuna and big game during the weather, but satellite charts showed that canyon temps dropped a lot to 72 degrees from the previous 78 degrees. The season was early for such low temps. Joe will begin to travel to Montauk to fish in two weekends. He’ll offer two types of traveling charters this month and next, including weekend trips to Montauk for the blitz of stripers, blues and false albacore until late October. If you’ve wanted to fish the migration at Montauk, here’s your chance, and a few openings remain. The other traveling trip will head to Martha’s Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts for fly-rodding for stripers on Columbus Day weekend. Back in Jersey, Joe is offering after-work special trips on the back bay from 4 p.m. to dark, a great time to fish, when nobody else is on the waters, and action can be best. Offshore charters are fishing from Sea Isle that troll for tuna, marlin or other big game during the mornings and cast bait, lures or flies to mahi at the lobster pots during the afternoons.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Wreck-fishing catches were actually good when the weather allowed trips to sail, said Capt. Gary from the <b>Adventurer</b>. Sea bass, croakers, triggerfish and blues came up, and some of the fish were sizeable. A 4-1/2-pound sea bass was clocked on Sunday’s trip, but a bigger triggerfish won the pool. That was a big trigger, and some were lunkers lately. Trips had to work to catch, and a few wrecks might be fished until one is found with plenty of life, but then good catches are made. The blues were smaller fish 2 or 3 pounds but were getting bigger. If larger ones move in, trips might sometimes be scheduled on a given day to specifically target them. No weakfish turned up, but the current stormy weather will probably cool the waters, and then the weaks might move in close to shore. If they do, trips might fish there, putting patrons on croakers, weaks and blues, all in one spot. That often happens during some years. But for now, wreck-fishing produced, and the boat will stick with that.  The Adventurer is fishing on open-boat trips 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, but call to confirm, making sure no charter is running instead.

<b>Cape May</b>

A trolling trip dragged up false albacore, a bunch, and a couple of small yellowfin tuna that were released in 20 fathoms on Sunday, said Capt. Ray from <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b>. Some wahoos bit off lines, and lines with wire leaders were in the spread for the fish, but the ‘hoos attacked ballyhoos on monofilament. Spoons, feathers and jets were also trolled. Another trip will sail for this fishing Saturday, and overnight tuna trips are on the schedule. Scattered yellowfins are around, and if a trip runs across them, the fish are caught. A few bluefin tuna might be coming through again, on the migration south. Striped bass charters will probably begin toward the second half of October.

Blues were battled in the surf, and a few striped bass were beached, but anglers waited for fall striper fishing to kick in, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Mullet or metal will take the blues, and clams will cream the bass. Croakers were boated in the ocean like in 40 feet, and plenty of sea bass gathered at the reefs. 

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