<b>Staten Island</b>

A super catch of sea bass was slugged with <b>Outcast Charters</b> on Saturday, the anglers limiting out by 10:40 a.m., Capt. Joe said.  So the fishing was fast, and many of the sea bass were 1 ¾ pounds to 2 pounds, sizeable knuckleheads, and the biggest weighed 3 pounds. The anglers fished for ling to fill out the day, bucketing 30 before heading home. The trip fished in 40 to 95 feet.

Strong fishing for striped bass got mauled on livelined bunker with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Anthony said. Sea bass, excellent catches, like limits for four anglers aboard, were plowed, and ling spiced up the sea bassing. Porgy season, closed in New Jersey until July 1, already opened in New York, and outstanding catches, including big porgies, were iced. Fluke trips will probably begin with Barbara Anne in two weeks. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Call Anthony anyway, because he can often book individual spaces. Barbara Anne pays bridge tolls with a receipt.

<b>Bayonne</b>

A trip first tried for striped bass on New York Bay off Bayonne with bunker chunks on Saturday early in the morning, and a 30-inch bluefish was hooked, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. The boat was moved to Diamond Reef, and eels were livelined for stripers, and a 20-pound 36-inch striper, a good-sized fish, was beaten. The trip looked around for stripers at other spots, then switched to fluke fishing at buoy 6A at Reach Channel. So many boats filled the waters, and maybe more than 20 fluke, including one keeper, were snatched up. Fluking didn’t seem good at the time, and Akira watched other boaters. Stretch plugs were trolled afterward, and one blue was landed. One customer reeled in three or four stripers from New York Bay near Bayonne on bunker chunks while fishing overnight Friday to Saturday. A 20-inch fluke was also hooked on a chunk, surprising to see the fish in the area. Other customers who fished from the bulkheads like at Bayonne yanked in mostly blues, but also stripers, but small ones, mostly at night, both from New York Bay and Newark Bay. Most customers switched to fluke fishing from striper fishing.

<b>Morgan</b>

Six anglers aboard sailed for sea bass on Saturday on <b>Black Pearl Fishing</b>’s small boat, heading to the rough bottom in the ocean off Sea Girt, Capt. Alan said in an e-mail. They piled up scores of keepers, a 1-in-5 ratio of keepers to shorts, and the anglers began fishing with squid on the trip. But one of the anglers used 3-inch white Gulps, and by the end of the trip, all used the Gulps. On Sunday a large group of 46 anglers took an annual trip for Father’s Day, fishing for fluke. Thirty-seven keepers were whaled, and the fish bit “from the minute we blew the whistle,” Alan said. The trip fished at Reach Channel, and two spearing on a hook out-fished the other baits or squid with spearing or killies. James Garvin, Navesink, won the pool with a 4-pounder. Open-boat trips, sailing 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., often run when no charter is booked. Charters for 1 to 6 people, 1 to 15, or more are offered on the 53-foot vessel, licensed for up to 60 passengers. Trips are currently available for fluke, striped bass, blues and sea bass. Special trips for big fluke will sometimes sail this season.

<b>Keyport</b>

Fluke shoveled up lots of action on the bay Saturday for anglers with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. A 19-inch keeper and quite a few shorts were hooked on the trip at Bug Light, the TC buoy and Reach Channel on killies and squid. A fleet filled the waters at the Reach. Some of the throwbacks were 17- and 17-1/2-inch shorts, only an inch to a half-inch undersized, sizeable fluke. No bluefish appeared, but Joe heard about blues that popped up in the area. The anglers on this trip were Scott Rappaport, his sons Jason and Jared, his father Gene and family friend Ahmi Goldberg. Joe’s friend fished near the Verrazano Bridge, and officers boarded the friend’s boat twice to check for his New York saltwater fishing license and that his fish were legal.  Open-boat trips are sailing with Papa’s Angels daily when no charter is booked on 4- or 6-hour outings leaving at 7 a.m. and on twilight outings 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call ahead to go. Credit card payments through PayPal are accepted for all trips.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Catches of fluke somewhat improved on Friday and Saturday mornings’ trips, and the keeper ratio was better, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Fishing at Reach Channel on those trips put out the catches, and, for example, for the first hour on Friday, a dozen or so keepers were bailed with only a few anglers aboard. Then the angling slowed afterward. The afternoon trips were tough on both those days. Sunday morning’s trip wasn’t as good as the previous mornings’, and fished at the Reach, Sandy Hook Point, toward Bug Light and the channel off the Navy Pier. But the whole day turned out slow, and there was almost no drift at first in the afternoon at the Reach and other spots including off Sandy Hook Point and the TC buoy. The boat fished near the Navy Pier later in the trip, and more action was found there, and Tom wished he had gone there earlier. Pool-winning fluke probably weighed mostly 4 pounds, no exceptional sizes, and a 5- or 5-1/2-pounder was the pool winner on Saturday afternoon’s trip. Spearing and squid are provided for bait, and they worked well, but sometimes anglers brought their own killies that might’ve caught a little better at times. But whether the angler or the bait made the difference was difficult to tell. Tom tells anglers to pick up a small amount of killies on the way to the boat if they like to fish with killies. Some anglers used jigs like Spro’s or bucktails. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

On the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> striped bass fishing was coming down to a shot of fish here and there, and trips will keep sailing for the linesiders until switching to fluke on Sunday, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. But evening trips on Fridays to Sundays will keep striper fishing, and that angling seemed to be taking hold. On the daytime trip Friday drum were found swimming along the top along the ocean front, and a couple of big ones and a few stripers were boated in the area. On Saturday a charter with Jeff Merrill and crew from Conoco Phillips fished for fluke, the first fluking on the boat this year. The high hook bagged four, a couple bagged two, some reeled up one keeper, and others none, and a 5-3/4-pound flattie that a youngster caught was the pool-winner. The angling began with a slow pick, and took a couple of hours for the currents to start, and winds blew with the currents for a change. Then the trip gained long drifts, and the anglers picked away at shorts and keepers the rest off the day. “Very good action for the first day!” Ron said. A trip Sunday also fluke fished for Father’s Day, running around to look for a good drift, but finding none. The anglers started to pick fluke toward the end of the day, when currents finally began, “just not enough to bail the day out,” Ron said. The report for today sounded like the boat ran around a lot for stripers. The ocean came alive with bunker and bass busting on them at 3:30 p.m. “Half a rabbit out of the hat is certainly better than none,” Ron said. He was sure the fishing would be productive for anglers this evening.  The Fishermen is striped bass fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. But the morning trips will switch to fluke fishing on Sunday, and this Friday and Saturday mornings’ trips are chartered.

<b>Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing became tough during the weekend, but had been good in the evenings last week on the ocean, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>. If anyone wanted to striper fish, he’d recommend a trip like from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., and a charter who wanted to sail for the fish booked a trip for this Tuesday evening. Brian participated in a striper tournament on Saturday, and only 13 stripers were entered among the 40 boats, and Jersey Devil caught one striper during the event. A friend on Sunday worked hard all day at striper fishing, landing one of the fish. Shark fishing was supposedly good, including in the weekend’s Brett T. Bailey mako tournament, and Brian was going to go sharking. Plenty of sea bass also chewed. A few bluefin tuna were clocked on the ocean off the local area, and the fishing was nothing consistent yet. But more of the fish seemed to be landed to the south toward Cape May, and Brian thinks the fishing will shape up well locally this season. Sand eels filled the waters, and the first tuna were already arriving, so the signs were there. Fishing for the bluefins was terrific with Jersey Devil last year at places like the Atlantic Princess wreck. Bluefins roam considerably closer to the coast than yellowfins that gather later this season farther from shore around the canyons. Heads up shark anglers: Brian is on the staff for the new Contender/Windansea Shark Tournament, a mako and thresher only event, to be held at the Windansea Marina in the Highlands on Saturday and Sunday, July 10 and 11. The captain’s meeting will be held that Friday.

<b>Neptune</b>

Striped bass could be knocked out during the right conditions, and weekend mornings were almost impossible, because of boat traffic, “unless you want to leave at 3 a.m.,” said Capt.  Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> in an e-mail. Three good-sized stripers in the 30-pound range were socked on a trip with Larry Gerain’s crew. Great catches of sea bass and good catches of fluke were toggled up during the past three days with Last Lady. The Sterling gang filled the cooler with large sea bass, and both the Collete and Ibrahim families dialed up good fluking on trips Sunday in great weather, and Spro’s or other jigs racked up most keepers. Fluke served up lots of action from many throwbacks lately. Individual-reservation trips for a combo of fluke and sea bass will sail every Wednesday starting this week. In other news, blues were “in,” could be chummed within 10 miles from the coast. An individual-reservation trip offshore for cod, pollock and ling is full Thursday, and Last Lady will sail for big cod and pollock through summer. Mako sharks to 400 pounds were fought in the past week, and two trips will sail for them this week with Last Lady, and now was the time to catch them. An individual-reservation mako shark trip is set for next week on Tuesday. The season’s first individual-rez canyon trip for tuna is set for Tuesday to Wednesday, July 20 to 21. Schedule those trips or charters for tuna as soon as possible, and tuna and blue marlin were pumped in from the canyons in the last week. Special combo trips for some of these different species are available, and contact Ralph for details.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fishing for striped bass was up and down on the ocean, sometimes belting fantastic catches, other times a donut, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Nan Sea J</b>. But good days were sometimes scored on the boat, including when Brian Erdman hammered a 51-inch striper around 49 pounds on a trip. That was a big fish and would’ve considerably topped 50 pounds if the female had been full of roe. Sea bass fishing was good on the ocean, and ling and cod were mixed in. Fluke fishing on the ocean was so-so, producing lots of bites, mostly shorts, but a few keepers. Bluefish swam fairly far offshore at the Mudhole or farther. That’s unlike recent years when they hugged closer to the coast. The weekly, open-boat trip for sharks on Wednesdays will sail this week, and spaces remain, though some are taken. Sharks are in, and Tom intends to catch some. Take advantage of the rare opportunity to hunt sharks on an open trip. Shark charters are also fishing, and sharking is Tom’s favorite fishing.

Trips mostly fished for striped bass in the mornings, afterward targeting fluke and sea bass, all on the ocean, said Capt. Eric from <b>On a Mission Fishing Adventures</b>. Stripers bit from first light to 8 a.m. then turned off. They also turned on from late afternoons to evenings, but anglers aboard usually fished for them during mornings. Fewer stripers bit than before, because of warmer waters and summer crowds, making the angling best early and late in the day. But some could be caught, and Eric’s trips fished for them with livelined bunker that was either snagged or castnetted. Three stripers were boxed on a trip Sunday. Fluke fishing was okay, and trips averaged five to ten keepers among 40 to 60 shorts tossed back.  Eight of the fish were bagged among about 40 let go on Sunday’s trip. Sea bass fishing became a little slower than before, because of angler pressure. If anglers could find a wreck or rock pile nobody fished, sea bass fishing was as good as it gets. One trip during the weekend ended up catching sharks. That part of the trip had planned to move deeper to escape crowds and fish for bluefish. But sharks began munching the bunker baits, and the anglers went with it. Two 3- and 5-foot brown sharks were released, and a 5-foot hammerhead shark, probably 80 pounds, was let go. Looking ahead, On a Mission will do more fluking as summer progresses, and will fish lots for bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean. A few bluefins roamed off the local coast, but too few for reliable fishing yet. Eric might take a trip to try fishing for them in a week, scoping them out. 

<b>Brielle</b>

On the <b>Big Kid</b> Michael Condon’s party competed in Saturday’s Brett T. Bailey Memorial Mako Tournament, landing a 200-pound mako and at least 12 blue sharks, Capt. Ken said. All were released, including the mako, because they were looking for a tournament-winning mako. The 71-degree waters were crammed with bluefish. On Sunday members of the Seaside Heights Fishing Club fished for fluke on the ocean, tying into the flatfish to an 8-pounder, a healthy-sized one. Striped bass trips are still sailing if anglers want, and a charter who wanted stripers was supposed to fish on the boat this afternoon. Tuna trips are being booked. Tournaments available for charters include: the Jersey Coast Shark Anglers High Rollers Tournament, a winner-take-all event, on July 10, the Mid Atlantic Tuna Tournament on July 15 to 17, the Tuna Stakes Invitational on August 21 to 29, and the Manasquan River Marlin and Tuna Club Tournament on August 28 to September 5, open to the public for the first time. Upcoming tournaments that are booked include Mako Mania and the Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational and the Mid Atlantic $500,000.

Another super day of sea bassing on a trip Saturday, said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> in an e-mail. The plan was to fish for striped bass quickly at the bunker pods then head to the sea bass grounds. The anglers went 4 for 12 on 30-pound stripers on the ocean off Spring Lake among huge pods of bunker, until boat traffic became unbearable, so they left for the sea bass waters. The six anglers limited out on the humpheads, bagging five ling and a keeper cod too, releasing a few small cod and a bunch of out-of-season blackfish. On Sunday a family of four came aboard for Father’s Day, planning to fish for sea bass and try a little fluke fishing. They landed a good number of sea bass, most of the time with only two rods fished. One spot gave up some of the best average sizes of the fish in inshore waters on the boat this year. Fish 2 to 3 ½ pounds came up, and almost all the sea bass were keepers, and almost every one was 14 to 16 inches. A couple of ling and a cod were clocked, and short cod and a bunch of 4- to 6-pound blackfish were let go. The anglers tried fluking, but south winds pushed the drift too fast to fish the deep where the crew wanted to go. So the trip settled for action with shorts along the beach, so the anglers could get the feel of  fluking before going home. Jerry looked forward to them coming back next month for fluke fishing.

Boaters on the ocean jumped on a resurgence in striped bass fishing on livelined bunker among bunker schools in the past week or so, said John from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Surf anglers occasionally picked a striper on bunker, when bunker moved into the surf, and clammed a few of the fish. Blues moved in and out of the surf, and fluke also gave up bites for shore anglers. Boating for fluke on the ocean was spotty at best, and catching a keeper was an issue. John fluke fished on the ocean with his dad and step mom on Saturday, and they probably knuckled in three dozen, including only three keepers. But his step mom bucktailed a 35-pound striper at Sea Girt Reef on the trip. Sea bass fishing was very good, and quality lumpheads 2, 3 and 4 pounds were cracked. One customer smoked two yellowfin tuna, a white marlin and a mahi mahi at Toms Canyon. Another customer who had never before tilefished bought tilefish tackle, reporting back that his trip totaled 30 tiles 30 to 50 pounds. Where he fished was unknown, but he sailed from Barnegat Inlet. Bluefin tuna were seen at the Chicken Canyon, the customer with the yellowfins said, and John heard that bluefins were spotted at the Slough. The same customer said a 353-pound mako shark was the winning fish in the weekend’s Brett T. Bailey Memorial Mako Tournament. John heard about no other sharking, and few anglers seemed to fish for them yet.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Catches of bluefish on the ocean Friday on the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b> were good, “not lights out, but good enough to know you went fishing,” an e-mail from the boat said. The fish swam past quickly, and six would be caught, “wait, catch six (more), wait,” the e-mail said, and then the boat would be moved to a new spot. Bluefishing on a trip Friday night was off the hook for all anglers aboard, and the trip hit a honey hole filled with the fish. On Saturday’s daytime trip bluefishing was “just okay – good fishing,” the e-mail said. Again, “catch a few, wait, catch a few, wait, move, repeat,” it said. Blues were finicky on a trip Saturday night, and a blue shark seen feeding on the blues might’ve had something to do with that. Blues were on the move during Sunday’s trip, and the whole fleet was on the radio to find them. Anglers needed some skill to put a catch together, and some luck. On today’s trip the blues “were back in office,” the report said. The anglers, a boat load, played with the fish inshore at first. Then the trip headed offshore for the catches. Take advantage of ordering food from Jersey Mike’s that will be delivered to the boat for trips day or night.  The Cock Robin is sailing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Two trips on <b>Canyon Runner</b>’s 60-foot Ritchie Howell and 48-foot Viking ran south to waters around Poorman’s Canyon on Thursday, the report on Canyon Runner’s Web site said. Tuna were previously caught in the area with Canyon Runner. On the current trips, a couple of yellowfin tuna were picked on the troll on both boats before night set in. Both vessels were then set up for shark fishing, and various species of sharks including tigers, duskies and blues attacked on both vessels, and a 125-pound mako was lost when it spit the hook. Up on the troll in the morning, four yellowfin tuna 35 to 50 pounds were trolled on both boats, a total of eight fish. Most of the bites came in singles, spreading out the action, but limiting the quantity. Canyon Runner spreader bars caught the most, and the Mini Green Machine and 9-inch purple and black bars worked best. On Friday both boats left at 6 p.m. for Hudson Canyon. On the way, tons of life was seen around the Chicken Canyon on the 48-footer, and the crew made note of the action, but both boats kept pushing to the Hudson. The 48-footer was set up on the drift along the canyon’s west wall for shark fishing for the night. But a swordfish hit a deep rod meant for the broadbills, was fought and pulled off. The rest of the night was uneventful. On the troll the next morning, the trip went 4 for 9 on yellowfins in two shots of the fish around the west wall. A modified Canyon Runner Mini Mamba Bar, with a ballyhoo for a hook bait instead of a lure, worked best, but some of the fish were nailed on ballyhoos on Ilanders. The anglers stopped to dunk for tilefish for an hour, pumping in 12 or 15 tiles to 12 pounds. On the way back, the trip took a shot at bluefin tuna where life was seen near the Chicken Canyon the previous day. Bluefins rocketed out of the waters a few miles before the Chicken, and a 55-incher engulfed the first bait out. The anglers went 1 for 4 on 40-pound bluefins a few minutes, before calling it a day. On the 60-footer during this time, the trip was set up for sharking at the Hudson on Thursday night, and a few blue sharks were released. A professional cook was aboard, making one of the best meals ever on the boat, including ribs, steak, tuna tacos and quesadillas, on the cockpit grill. Up on the troll in the morning, the trip worked both canyon walls, picking away at 40- to 50-pound yellowfins. The bites mostly came in singles, and the anglers ended up going 4 for 8. Green Machine and squid spreader bars and single ballyhoos caught the fish.

<b>Seaside Park</b>

Two anglers took a combo Barnegat Bay/ocean trip Saturday, a trip planned to be shorter than normal, with <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b>, Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier said in the report on the boat’s Web site. The anglers first stopped at the bay’s bluefish grounds at the shallow flats, but that was disappointing, and only two of the fish were raised, and the blues appeared to shift into their summer mode, leaving the flats to feed on baitfish elsewhere on the bay, instead of shrimp along the flats. By now, the blues still put up good catches at times, but not as reliably as earlier this year. The trip switched to fluke fishing in deeper waters in the bay, grabbing a good pick, including one of the angler’s first-ever fish he caught. After landing six fluke among a dozen more bites, it was time to move on to faster action, and the trip took a short ride to the ocean. Both anglers’ rods were bent with sea bass before the boat was anchored. Ten healthy-sized knuckleheads to a 20-incher, a big one, were coolered, and numerous shorts were tossed back. The combo trips, called a Captain’s Combo, are meant to be more about good, steady action than loading the fish box, and this trip fit the bill. The anglers also had a blast catching and releasing out-of-season blackfish to 17 inches and a couple of jumbo, out-of-season porgies 13 inches. Porgy season opens July 1, and one blackfish will be able to be kept starting July 16, and those fish will be bagged along with sea bass on such trips, once the seasons open. Birch and the anglers called it a day at 11:30 a.m., just as south winds were coming on, “and (we) headed in with smiles on our faces,” Birch said. On Friday he and another took a crew trip to explore areas in the ocean where no sea bass previously held. They found sea bass, lots of life, in those areas this time, limiting out quickly. The fish had migrated in and spread out, and they were mostly 12 ½ inches to 17 inches, a usual size for the time of year, and lots of shorts were also around, also usual. That offered both opportunity for fine catches of keepers and action. On Thursday three anglers from Philly took an all-day, ocean wreck-fishing trip. Winds built, creating less than favorable conditions, but the anglers used their skills to hammer away at plenty of sea bass, until the weather chased the trip to the bay. They fluke fished on bay, reeling in 28, all shorts 12 to 17 inches, on a few drifts. Lots of fish, and the anglers again used their skills.  “A fine day and a good time,” Birch said. Trips can also exclusively fish the bay.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> got out of dry dock after boat maintenance, hitting the ground running last week, Capt. Steve said in an e-mail. Though rising ocean temps will probably make striped bass keep migrating north, turning a page on one of the best springtimes for the fishing, some big ones were hooked on trips on the ocean. But first, a crew from Philly.com’s Web show Down the Shore taped a trip on the boat that will be included in a segment about the Barnegat area on Thursday, June 24, on the site. Steve was honored to be the featured charter boat, he said. Among the boat’s fishing trips in the past week, Wayne Pollock’s party hopped aboard, hoping to hook trophy stripers. Searching had to be done, but stripers were located on bunker schools to the north on the ocean. After a few swings and misses, Wayne connected with a freight train that began dumping 40-pound braid off the reel. He gained some line back when the hook pulled. “Ouch, that really hurt!” Steve said. But finally the trip nailed a 30-pounder that was bagged. Jay Simmons, Jay’s brother Chris and Ernie Rosenberg on another trip picked away at throwback fluke on Barnegat Bay at first. Then they played 2- to 4-pound blues that ravaged artificials on light tackle at Barnegat Inlet. Next they motored out to the ocean, searching for trophy stripers. Wide-open fishing for 30- to 40-plus-pounders broke loose on livelined bunker. Two of the anglers were doubled-up on big bass when a whale that looked more like a submarine breached among the schooling bunker. Everybody on deck stood in amazement at the shear size of the fish before turning attention back to the task at hand of fighting the two stripers. Whether on the bay or the ocean, fantastic action is to be had with fish including stripers, blues, fluke, sea bass, bonito, false albacore and mahi mahi, just to name a few, Steve said. Reel Fantasea is ready and able to provide a great experience, he said.

<b>Surf City</b>

Occasional striped bass, fish that didn’t migrate north with most of the population, were picked from the surf, said Joe from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. Luck and being at the right place at the right time could be factors. Otherwise trash fish or dog sharks, skates and cownosed rays grabbed baits, and a handful of blues appeared. But one angler said he bagged a keeper striper in the wash, and another said he released a 25-incher. Fluke could be found in the suds, and a few were keepers, and many were shorts. The 18-inch size limit is a big fluke. High tides and outgoing churned out the flatties. Joe surf fished in the mornings, and he saw few boats fishing the ocean anymore, and heard little about anyone boating for stripers out there. In the bay something like 25 throwback fluke might be hooked for every keeper, but the fish were back there. Fresh clams are stocked, and fresh bunker should arrive this afternoon.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Sea bass catches improved a lot, and five anglers aboard Saturday bucketed about 14 keepers apiece, not many throwbacks, a steady pick, said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>. Brown sharks began to appear off the coast, so waters were becoming warmer. A couple of shark trips are slated to sail for makos this week, and four spots are available on an open-boat sea bass trip on Thursday.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Summer flounder were the best fish to pursue, were most abundant, swimming in Great Bay, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Fish around the clam stakes, and every now and again anglers found a patch of keepers. But they’d return to the same spot the next day, finding only shorts. Bank anglers started to locate the flatties in Little Sheepshead Creek today. The ratio of keepers was no better than for boaters, and lots of shorts could be expected to be tossed back, but anglers could hope for a keeper. A minnow on nearly any type of rig will hook up. Brown sharks that must be released started to arrive in the bay. Anglers looked to sail to the ocean for sea bass once forecasts called for better weather through last weekend. They began nabbing the lumpheads including excellent catches at 60-foot wrecks on Friday. Moving around and working seemed key to sea bassing by Saturday. By Sunday sea bass began to be boated closer to shore at Little Egg Reef, but fewer of the fish were keepers than in deeper waters. In the back waters crabbing was good, and plenty of big ones were around.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Kingfish invaded the surf full force, said the report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Bloodworms caught them best, and waters were too cool to use Fishbites artificial worms, but the warm weather should make Fishbites work soon. Striped bass fishing was slow, but 10- to 12-pound blues stormed the surf Thursday night, and stripers were mixed in, if anglers could get baits to the bottom to hook them. One angler drilled a 10-pound summer flounder in the back bay behind Brigantine, checking in the fish at the shop, saying he landed seven or eight keepers among 22 or so shorts. Several anglers reported a similar ratio.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Surf anglers pilfered 15 to 20 kingfish apiece, plenty of the fish, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Bloodworms got bites, and sizeable summer flounder, lots of keepers, “believe it or not,” Noel said, were tugged from the suds. Minnows, spearing and squid were best baits, and sometimes keepers and shorts came in, and other times mostly keepers did. Small blues, cocktails, moved in and out of the surf at times. Triggerfish began appearing in the wash, and a few blowfish showed up in the waters, and so did very small croakers that hit Sabiki rigs meant for herring. Herring were jigged, and mullet were castnetted from the beaches, early in the season for them. Bunker were snagged from the beaches, and striped bass became scarce in the surf but were sometimes picked up, and a 29-pounder was weighed in Sunday. Minnows, fresh bunker, fresh clams, green crabs and a large supply of baits is stocked. Speaking of green crabs, out-of-season tog that love them remained in the surf. One tog will be able to be kept starting July 16.

<b>Longport</b>

A solid catch of sea bass, good fishing for them, was mugged on a charter today on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. A few short fluke bit in the waters 14 miles offshore that were fished, and water temps had climbed a lot to 72.3 degrees. Charters on the boat are also trolling for fish including bluefin tuna and bluefish on the inshore ocean. Tons of the tuna swam all over the area, and so did bluefish 6 to 14 pounds. The tuna fed on the blues and other things, including more sand eels than Mike saw in 10 or 15 years. Squid also swarmed all around. Though the blues swam areas like the Cigar, they also schooled closer to shore than many might think. Anglers in the Ladies Invitational Bluefish Tournament this weekend pounded all kinds of blues, but found the fish absent from waters farther north. Charters 5, 6 and 8 hours, or whatever anglers would like, are available. Put a group together and call, and the crew from Stray Cat can arrange a trip at whatever times work best for you, and can adjust trips to whatever’s affordable to you. Don’t think you’re locked into certain limits on when trips can fish. One option is a trip that leaves at 4 a.m., returning early in the day, for example.

<b>Ocean City</b>

On the back bay one keeper summer flounder and lots of shorts bit on a trip Saturday with <b>Fish Tale Charters</b>, Capt. Craig said. Action was the most consistent the flatties gave up all year, and the anglers had a blast, Craig said. They’d never landed that many fish in a trip before, though most were throwbacks. Flounder trips fished with minnows lately, and the bay reached 70 degrees on the trip for the first time this year. The waters mostly hovered at 70, and 73 was the highest Craig saw. A trip today landed all short flounder, and the angling was slow, giving up 10 of the fish, but the anglers, who were from Nebraska, had a good time, Craig said. They infrequently visited saltwater. All the fish bit on outgoing tide, and none touched the baits when the tide changed. A trip Friday fished on the ocean, and short sea bass, a fair number, and four throwback flounder, 16-½- and 17-inchers, were hooked. Keepers were more abundant on previous trips, and the angling can change quickly. Big bluefish were fought on the ocean, and bluefin tuna anglers during the weekend often got covered up with blues. The tuna grounds were crowded with boats fishing in the Ladies Invitational Bluefish Tournament. The tuna angling sounded hit or miss, after fairly good catches were made earlier last week. The fish then were small, but boaters were able to bag their limits. Though the angling was apparently less steady this weekend, that often changes quickly. Fish Tale is fishing for the tuna on charters.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Two yellowfin tuna 30 pounds or larger and a bunch of skipjacks were trolled in 800 feet between Poorman’s and South Poorman’s canyons on an exploratory trip Saturday with Capt. Bernie Walker and John O’Connor aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Plenty of mahi mahi were seen, could’ve been caught, but tuna were the focus. Waters were 68 degrees, a temp for tuna, not for billfish, and there was really no temperature break. At one point the trip was 20 miles from Washington Canyon, far from port. Closer to shore, Jersey Cape did no fishing for bluefin tuna, but the angling was sporadic at places like the Cigar and 28-Mile Wreck. Good days of the fishing were bailed, but sometimes anglers rounded up none of the tuna, only got covered up with blues. Tons of blues filled the waters, if anyone wanted blues. In the back bay, Mike Spaeder and son Mike jumped aboard Sunday morning for summer flounder fishing. They reeled up probably four keepers to 4 pounds among 30 throwbacks released. Action was fast, and three or four of the flatties were hooked per drift. Flounder fishing was excellent in the bay, one of the better years for quantities and sizes of the fish. Later that morning, Julio and Sergio Rojas climbed aboard for flounder fishing, totaling a couple of keepers to 4 pounds and probably 15 to 20 throwbacks. Joe’s flounder trips fish with a rig with a bucktail tipped with a Gulp on the bottom and a minnow on a bare hook on a trailer above. Minnows nabbed most of the fluke on the trips, but bucktails produced more bites than usual. Lots of double-headers were scored, unusual for flounder. Tides weren’t ideal for striped bass fishing on the bay but will be later in the week. High tides fish well for stripers at this time of year, especially high tides at dusk and dawn. Lots of the fish bit on the tides recently. Bluefish swam the bay, but fewer than before, typical for the time of year, when many blues depart for the ocean, but some always remain in the bay. Keep up with Joe’s fishing and photos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Back-bay flounder fishing located lots of shorts but the bigger flatties in the bay’s deeper waters, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in an e-mail. Good catches of flounder were dredged up from the Old Grounds, Reef 11 and Cape May Reef, and the angling should improve each week. Flounder anglers on Delaware Bay nabbed the fish along the edge of the shipping channel from 14-Foot Light to north of Miah Maull. Schoolie striped bass hung around the back bay, pouncing on clams or surface lures. Occasional stripers came from the surf, but that fishing slowed down. Kingfish showed up in the surf from Avalon to Cape May. Plenty of mako sharks and thresher sharks were fought offshore. Chris Hoffman weighed in an 83-pound mako he beat at the Misty Blue wreck on Sean Gallagher’s Beagle. Bluefin tuna swam everywhere from 20 fathoms to the canyons, but they were difficult to catch, though a few were trolled. Chaz Gallagher on his Reel Classic trolled five yellowfin tuna 40 to 60 pounds at Poorman’s Canyon. A trip to Baltimore Canyon on the Captain Chaos pumped in 16 tilefish to 25 pounds, including Bernadette Daiber’s first-ever golden tile.  A 5-foot mako was trolled and released on the boat. Crabby Jack gave crabbing five claws, the highest rating, saying the blueclaws were big and abundant. The shop’s 17th annual Duke of Fluke Tournament will take place 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 10, and the captain’s meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. that Friday. Entry forms are available at the shop, and anglers can call the store for info about the event: 609-729-1425.

<b>Cape May</b>

A charter competed on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> on Saturday in Jim’s Bait and Tackle’s shark tournament, landing a 100-pound mako, a blue shark and two brown sharks, Capt. George said. The mako, too small to enter in the tournament, was 65 inches but skinny. Two other run-offs jumped off the hooks. George thought a 270-pound mako won the event, but wasn’t sure, and thought probably 60 boats competed. Lots of  small makos seemed to be hooked, and George talked with a bunch of people about the fishing.  Waters were 74 degrees, starting to become warm, where he fished. He saw no bluefin tuna, though bluefins swam the grounds previously where he sharked. An angler from the dock landed six bluefins, small footballs but four of them keeper-sized, bagging a limit of one, releasing the rest. Many bluefish schooled some of the areas where bluefins were caught previously. Boats that fished in the weekend’s Ladies Invitational Bluefish Tournament often fished areas like the Cigar and the Misty Blue wreck. Last year many traveled north to Barnegat Ridge for the best bluefishing during the event. But this year the Ridge seemed devoid of blues, and all the blues schooled areas offshore of South Jersey now. But a few bluefins were caught, and the season’s a little early for them, and the fishing should take off. A special on inshore bluefin tuna trips is offered on the Heavy Hitter, and call George for info. The fishery is the closest to shore that tuna show up all year, so the shortened traveling time, longer fishing time and more economical trip appeal to anglers. Take advantage while the opportunity is here. Yellowfin tuna farther from shore were reportedly caught around Poorman’s and South Poorman’s canyons, a distance from port. Previously they were boated farther south toward Washington Canyon, so they seemed to be moving north. The Heavy Hitter is also sailing for sea bass and summer flounder. Probably 1 in 4 or 5 sea bass was a keeper, and the flounder were around, many of them shorts, but a few keepers. The season was probably a bit early for them.

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