<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Trips were booked for inshore tuna fishing this week at the Chicken Canyon or the Atlantic Princess wreck, and the fish should still be out there, but the weather kept the boat from sailing, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> from the Highlands. The winds and storms were relentless, but plenty of tuna, mostly bluefins and sometimes yellowfins, swam the areas when anglers could last sail. Jersey Devil limited out on the bluefins on all trips so far, and the fishery was one of the best lately. Pelagics like false albacore filled the waters closer to shore, if anglers wanted to have fun tangling with the hard-fighters. Both charters and open-boat trips are sailing for the tuna, and call if interested in the open trips, because the more anglers who can go, the easier to schedule the trips. Brian took a trip that fished on another boat, the Shark Byte, from Saturday to Sunday from Hudson Canyon to Toms Canyon, then hit the bluefin grounds on the way home. Nothing much happened at the canyons, except that a blue marlin bit without getting hooked. No fish showed up at night on the chunk. At the canyons the boat fished first at the Hudson and then was set up for the night between the Hudson and the Toms. So the boat moved to the Chicken Canyon on Sunday morning, and two bluefin tuna, a yellowfin tuna and a bunch of false albacore were trolled. A buddy went 3 for 6 on tuna at the Chicken on Saturday, mostly on jigs, but a couple on the troll. The canyon waters were not good-looking on Brian’s trip and ranged 74 to 82 degrees. The Chicken Canyon was 74 degrees.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

An open-boat trip was slated to target bluefin tuna on Wednesday but got weathered out on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> from Belmar. But open trips will run for the bluefins every Wednesday this month and next, Capt. Tom said, and call to get aboard. Others boated the tuna Saturday and even Sunday morning, before the weather became rough. Tom attempted to fish Sunday but turned around because of seas.

Bill Pissarra and buddy took a trip for bluefin tuna last week on Thursday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune, limiting out on two, scoring lots of action on others, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. Last Lady is available for the charters, and two spaces remain for an individual-reservation, offshore cod trip this coming Friday. The last four cod trips shellacked the fish to 30 pounds, including lots of 15- to 20-pounders. Several open-boat, overnight canyon trips remain this month and next, and see Last Lady’s Web site for the schedule, and act fast, because only a limited number of the trips are slated.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Bluefin tuna, a bunch to 65 pounds, were clobbered on the <b>Katie H</b> from Brielle at the Chicken Canyon on Saturday, and about 15 mahi mahi to a 20-pound bull were drilled on the way home,  Capt. Mike said. A limit of two bluefins were bagged, and the rest were released, and the tuna were mostly hooked on sardines, but some were taken on butterfish, and a couple were landed on jigs. But the fish preferred sardines. A big, 300-pound mako shark grabbed one of the baits, jumping two or three times near the boat before breaking off the mono leader. A hammerhead shark also grabbed one of the lines for a moment before biting through. The mahi were claimed when the fish were spotted at a floating log on the way home, and the anglers pitched chunks of sardines, hooking up until the mahi realized something was up, disappearing. Waters were 76 degrees, beautiful and clear, and the anglers could see down far. The area was full of life including whales, porpoises and sea turtles. Seas were calm for a change, but got nasty again on Sunday. The constant northeast winds were forcing lots of the boat’s trips, including canyon tuna charters, to be cancelled. Mike heard about a few yellowfin and longfin tuna caught at the canyons, nothing great. Trips on the boat were weathered out Monday, Wednesday and Friday. An overnight canyon trip is booked for Saturday to Sunday, but the crew will give the anglers the option to hunt the bluefins instead. Maybe the weather will at least let them fish inshore. 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.

On the <b>Big Kid</b> from Brielle anglers trolled a limit of two bluefin tuna, including a 110-pounder, on Saturday on ballyhoos, Capt. Ken said. All other trips were weathered out, and winds that kicked up seas were difficult for a long stretch. Charters are also fishing the canyons.

With <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant, trips were at least able to sail for pelagics on the inshore ocean between the storms, Capt. Fred said. Two anglers on the boat took a run for the fish Friday, waffling more than three dozen false albacore and half a dozen bonito on butterfly jigs and spearing on light tackle. The ocean held a little swell in the morning, but the weather ended up calm. When trips were able to reach the grounds for bluefin tuna and mahi mahi, they beat good catches. Canyon fishing was slow but perking up, and Andrea’s Toy will try to fish out there next week if the weather allows.

Boaters fought lots of bluefin tuna, mostly at the Atlantic Princess wreck and the Chicken Canyon, when they could get out between windy weather, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. Trolling, jigging and chunking all worked, and if the yellowfin tuna were still around that had been swimming closer to shore at the Mudhole, that was difficult to know, because getting a line passed false albacore and skipjacks was difficult. Some anglers said they trolled yellowfins to 80 pounds at the Texas Tower, and they could only be taken at their word that the fish were yellowfins, not bluefins. Boaters sailed to the canyons to try for tuna on Friday and Saturday, but nothing was heard back from them before Dave gave this report.

A false albacore and bonito trip Monday was lock and load on the albies, just about as many as anyone could want to reel in, said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> from Brielle in an e-mail. The anglers began fishing at the lumps and bumps inshore, where the fish were found last week, but waters were dirty. So the trip moved to lumps a little farther out, and started trolling to search for the fish. Albies attacked as soon as the lines hit the waters. The boat was stopped so the anglers could try fishing with bait, and spearing were tossed in for chum. A few were hooked, and the fish darted through the slick, but the current was screaming, so the group went back on the troll. They banged away at catches, including lots of double headers, tough to keep the lures in the waters. Everyone was whooped with sore arms by 11 a.m., and they tried a drop for bottom-fishing, but no fish turned up. An open-boat false albacore and bonito trip will run next week, and check the open-boat forum on Fish Monger’s Web site or visit the site to join the e-mail list. Charters are available.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

A 300-pound blue marlin, a white marlin and a small mahi mahi were landed at Toms Canyon on Sunday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton, Capt. T.J. said. The waters were a beautiful, blue color, holding a temperature break from 75 to 83 degrees and lots of bait. Seas and the weather were calm in the morning and became rough in the afternoon, and the stretch from Saturday to Sunday morning was the only calm weather recently.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Although the weather kept many from getting out, mahi mahi and white marlin were boated at Spencer and Wilmington canyons when they did sail, said T.C. from <b>Brennan Marine</b> in Somers Point in a fax. Plus tuna were wrestled in from the Toms and Carteret canyons.

With <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b> from Margate a couple of trips during the weekend trolled false albacore and bluefish 15 miles from shore, Capt. Eric said. Probably a dozen of each were wrestled in on each trip, good fishing. O-Beth is also fishing the canyons, if the weather ever lets up to get offshore.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Jay VonCzoernig and the Hank Smith party on Saturday took a course to Wilmington Canyon on the boat, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. Hank released his first-ever white marlin, and a good-sized mahi mahi was landed. Offshore charters are available 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.

Offshore trips were barely able to get out since last week because of the northeast blow, said the report on <b>Over Under Adventures</b> from Avalon’s Web site.  One trip overnighted at the Spencer and Lindenkohl canyons, going 1 for 2 on yellowfin tuna at night and landing no fish on the troll during the day. Slow. But the tuna bite seemed to be starting during the previous week. As the moon keeps waning this month, the state of the fishing should become clearer. The bulk of the season’s overnight canyon trips are scheduled toward the month’s new moon, and Over Under was anxious to see what the fishing brings. Some dates remain for trips around the best moon phase this month, and even more are available around the best in October, and give a shout if looking to fish. Both charters and open-boat trips are sailing, and check Over Under’s Web site for the open schedule. False albacore were clobbered Monday at Sea Isle Ridge on Over Under’s new Mirage 21-footer. The boat pulled up a little inshore of the south end of the ridge at marks, and trolling kept the anglers busy with catches. The southern Ridge just inshore of the west wall gave up the most consistent fishing, and the Table Top also reportedly produced a ton of albies. The boat in the morning of the trip was met with a large easterly swell with a little chop, but rode like a 30-footer, cruising 23 to 35 knots, the report said. Seas were calmer on the way in, and the boat cruised 30 knots.

<b>Hereford Inlet</b>

When boaters could sail offshore, they dialed up excellent white marlin fishing from 40 fathoms on out, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. Lots of mahi mahi could be found as close as 5-Fathom Bank to the 30-fathom line at the Elephant Trunk. Donald Sowers and crew from the Reely Hours trolled 11 whites, and Jack Gallagher and gang on the Pelican trolled 14 mahi at the Elephant trunk on ballyhoos.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

The weather kept lots of trips docked, but inshore trolling went well on the <b>Down Deep</b> from Cape May for fish like blues, Spanish mackerel and mahi mahi, Capt. Bob said. The Superior Builders charter fished the canyons on Saturday, tackling sizeable mahi mahi. The weather and seas were gorgeous that day, and Sunday’s conditions started calm enough, but winds and seas kicked up later.

False albacore, a good catch, were trolled at 5-Fathom Bank on Sunday with the Paul Thampy charter on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May, Capt. George said. Blues were also trolled, and the trip fished until 2 p.m., when seas became stiff, so the boat was headed home. Inshore trolling’s been great for fish like albies, blues, Spanish mackerel and a few mahi mahi. The albies blast the lines right out of the outrigger and peel around a moment before getting reeled in. Few were around last year, but a bunch showed up this year. A canyon tuna charter was cancelled Saturday, so George mated on another boat that also hooked up on the inshore troll. Waters by the weekend cooled 5 or 6 degrees or more close to shore. The ocean front had been 79 or 80 degrees and was then 72 degrees. Call George if interest in inshore trolling or canyon fishing. 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.

Boats finally got out Saturday between the rough weather, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May in a fax. Some offshore boats that day nailed double-digit catches of white marlin at Wilmington and Spencer canyons, and fishing for the whites was on. Healthy-sized mahi mahi hung around the lobster pots in the same areas. Closer to the coast, false albacore moved offshore a bit and could be fought at the East, Middle and Northeast lumps and Sea Isle Ridge. Wahoos sometimes swam underneath the schools of albies.

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