New Jersey Fishing Reports

A few keeper fluke were plucked from among a fair number of throwbacks on trips, said Capt. Anthony from Barbara Anne Fishing Charters. Charters could still sail for sea bass, fishing that the trips concentrated on previously. But the focus is more on fluke now. Barbara Anne’s fluke trips usually fish along Ambrose Channel to the Verrazano Bridge. But special Fluke Monster-a-Thons, 11-hour, open-boat trips with four anglers, fish once a week on the ocean, at rocky bottom and wrecks 15 to 20 miles from port. The first bucktail is provided, and anglers should bring the rest. A season-long fluke derby is being held on the boat, awarding first and second prizes to the two anglers who heave aboard the biggest fluke this year. The angler with the biggest will win a custom-made Lamiglas rod, built from an MB963M blank that can be used for inshore fishing for fluke, striped bass, jigging for stripers and blues, fishing for sea bass and more, valued at $475. The angler with the second biggest fluke will win two free open-boat trip passes that can be used anytime during the season, valued at $270. The fluke will be weighed in at Michael’s Bait & Tackle, across from the marina. Anyone who fishes on the boat becomes eligible for the prizes, and there is no entry fee. Each angler can only win one prize, or, in other words, one angler cannot win both first and second prizes. Coming up, Barbara Anne successfully bid on a Research Set Aside Permit, allowing trips to fish for fluke when the fluke season closes. New York’s season will close from September 7 to May 21, and the RSA bag limit is four fluke from 17 to 20 inches per person. The anglers will fluke fish when other anglers cannot.

Bayonne

Two anglers aboard fished for fluke at the Verrazano Bridge on Saturday, said Capt. Akira from True World Tackle and True World Tackle Charters. A 22-incher was bagged earlier in the morning, and two 26-inchers, about 7 pounds apiece, and a 24-incher, weighing 4 to 5 pounds, were pelted between 10 and 11 a.m. They also released maybe 20 throwbacks, including 19- and 20-inchers, during the trip. These are New York waters, where 20 inches is the size limit. So they bagged four sizeable fluke and were happy, Akira said, and large fluke swam the area. Two friends fished the same place Sunday, and the angling wasn’t so good. One fished for sea bass at the Mud Buoy in the afternoon, and the catch was slower than good sea bassing at the Mud a month ago. Customers fished for fluke at Reach Channel and Sandy Hook Channel, sometimes piling up respectable catches, releasing many throwbacks. Customers sometimes fished from the bulkheads like at Bayonne and Jersey City, fighting small blues, usually on chunks of bunker or on sandworms or bloodworms. Sometimes the heat kept many from fishing there.

Keyport

Winds howled against the tide, unfavorable drifting conditions on a fluke trip Friday on Raritan Bay, but fluke bit, including a couple of 19-inch keepers that were bagged, with Papa’s Angels Charters, Capt. Joe said. The anglers – Joe and Chris Spallina and Tim and Amy Walsh – mostly fished at Reach Channel. Mostly throwbacks chomped the squid and killies that were fished, and the boat rocked because of seas from the winds, but the anglers enjoyed themselves, Joe said. Three planned to fish again on an open-boat trip at 7 a.m. Tuesday, and space is available on the outing. Space is also available on one of the trips at 4 p.m. today that some anglers already booked. Several open trips are sailing daily when no charter is booked: 4- or 6-hour trips leaving at 7 a.m. and twilight trips from 4 to 9 p.m. Call to go. Credit card payments through PayPal are accepted for all trips. An 8-hour sea bass charter will fish at Sandy Hook Reef on Friday.

Atlantic Highlands

A bit of an improvement in fluke fishing was seen during the last couple of days on the party boat Atlantic Star, when conditions, or winds and tides, created good drifts, Capt. Tom said. Trips fished at the Navy Pier and Reach Channel, and the angling was terrible on Sunday afternoon’s trip in no drift, and a few keepers and shorts were reeled up. But the morning’s trip turned up one of the better catches of keepers, and plenty of shorts. On the whole, when the drift was good, a few more keepers bit. On some days the morning trips were better, and on other days the afternoon’s were, and no pattern developed. One angler limited out on one trip but only landed one keeper on the other trip that day, and that seemed related to conditions. One patron limited out on Friday afternoon’s trip, a trip with better conditions, and a couple bagged two or three. A 5-year-old boy won the pool with a 5-1/2-pound fluke on that trip. A 7-pound 9-ounce fluke was walloped on Sunday morning’s trip. Limits were the exception on trips, and Tom in the past has talked about some anglers on trips catching several keepers, and some one, and some none, as usual. But patrons all at least caught shorts. A tremendous population of fluke filled the bay, and two sizes classes seemed predominant: 16- to 17-inchers and 12- to 14-inchers. Sometimes when conditions created no drift, Spro jigs with Gulps that were worked through the waters produced better. But sometimes anglers worked fluke rigs for the same effect. Sometimes killies helped in a lack of drift, imparting action. But squid and spearing, the two baits provided on trips, also hooked the fish. Heat advisories and forecasts for thunderstorms sometimes kept anglers from joining trips. But the weather was fine on the waters, not too hot, except rarely for a moment on a day or so. Forecasts called for storms on Saturday, and no rains fell at all on the day’s trips. 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.

Practically no drift was possible at first on the fluke trip Saturday on the party boat Fishermen, and outgoing tide took forever to begin, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. So the vessel was power-drifted during slack tide, and the anglers picked away, including catching some large flatties. By the end of the day, a few anglers were high hook with four keepers apiece, and one of those angles won the pool with a 6-3/4-pounder. Two anglers combined for seven keepers. “Not what I would call a great bite for the day,” Ron said, “(but) at least we had action.” On Friday’s trip, some hefty flatties were decked, and Wayne Mellon, Union, won the pool with a 4-1/5-pounder, bagging four additional fluke to boot. “Buckail John” creamed four keepers, and another angler’s daughter, a first-time fluker, tossed back shorts all day, until slugging a 4-pounder at the end of the trip. The deluge of storms predicted for Saturday never hit the area, not even a drop of rain, though Ron watched storms move to the north all day. It’s summer, and anglers are going to hear storm forecasts all season, and don’t let them keep you home, he said. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for striped bass and blues 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

Highlands

Anglers fluke fished in a tournament all weekend with Fisher Price Charters, bucktailing along the rough bottom down the ocean beach, said Capt. Derek from Fisher Price Charters. The fishing Saturday was probably one of the best days of fluking Derek ever saw, and 28 keepers to 8 ½ pounds were plowed. On Sunday 15 keepers to 5 pounds were rapped. Fisher Price is also bottom-fishing, and sea bass catches are currently good, and a few cod and ling are around, but waters are becoming warm for them. Trips on the boat last week nailed striped bass, basically limiting out on every outing, on the bay, despite the late season, covered in the last report. Derek knew a couple of anglers who fished for stripers during the weekend, drilling good catches on Saturday to the east, finding tough fishing for them on Sunday. The fish are around, and certain tides and days are better than others. Anglers on board fish for them with live or chunked bunker. Charters are running, and the next open-boat trips are slated for Friday and Sunday. Call to jump aboard or to be kept informed about the future open schedule. Derek is waiting for bluefin tuna fishing to kick in to start fishing for them. A few were caught, but abundant bluefish made the angling difficult. He’s waiting for the bluefish to move away, heading north or offshore.

Neptune

A bunch of fluke trips sailed through the weekend on the ocean, but catches were slow, said Capt. Ralph from Last Lady Fishing Charters. “Some shorts and a couple of keepers,” he said. But the anglers switched to sea bass fishing, bailing out the day with catches of them. “Saved the day,” he said. A charter is booked for this Wednesday’s weekly, individual-reservation fluke trip, so the individual-rez trip won’t sail that day, but another will sail Thursday if enough anglers are interested. Some anglers already expressed interest. The Wednesday trips will resume next week. A trip competed Saturday in the High Rollers Shark Tournament, but no winds blew, so there was no drift, and the fishing “stunk,” Ralph said. Previously shark trips were great on the boat, covered in previous reports. Spaces are full for the season’s first individual-reservation tuna trip to the canyons overnight from July 21 to 22. Call to for the dates for August to October. But space is available on an individual-reservation trip that will fish the inshore wrecks for sea bass, ling, blackfish and maybe cod and pollock on July 22. Space is also open on an individual-reservation trip that will fish the offshore wrecks for cod, pollock and ling on July 27. The last one of those trips filled the cooler.

Belmar

Dusky sharks were beaten on a shark trip Friday on the Nan Sea J, Capt. Tom said. Waters were warm or 76 degrees and fairly clear, holding life including whales, but few bluefish, and the boat drifted fine. Charters are shark fishing, and so are open-boat trips every Wednesday. Take advantage of the rare opportunity for sharking on an open trip. Trips also bottom fished, rounding up sea bass, porgies and ling but no keeper cod lately. Fluke fishing was slow on the boat on the ocean lately, and a couple of keepers were around, but even shorts seemed reluctant to bite.

Brielle

Ocean fluke fishers caught plenty, but catching keepers was tough, said Dave from The Reel Seat. Manasquan River might’ve harbored more keepers. But on the ocean Dave last week on Sunday probably landed 20, including no keepers. On that Monday he probably reeled in 25, including two keepers, including a 6-pounder. On Tuesday he brought in probably 40 and no keepers, but John who works at the shop landed about the same number including his limit on the trip. They fished light bucktails, and Dave fished them on all the trips. He spoke with someone who fluked with three anglers off Sandy Hook on Sunday, totaling five keepers among them. Plenty of fluke that were just barely throwbacks 17 or 17 ½ inches, a big fluke, carpeted the ocean, and that was a shame. Someone weighed in a 10.6-pounder last week. Bucktails or jigs seemed best for keepers, and the shop stocks probably the largest supply in the area, a great selection. Plenty of sea bass were hooked from the ocean, and cod were still around. Dave spoke with nobody who fished for ling during the daytime, but some of the party boats sailed for them at night, putting customers on catches. Nobody seemed to try for striped bass much. Bluefish, excellent catches, were clobbered at night, maybe 15 to 18 miles from shore, and a customer battled all he could want Saturday night. Nothing was heard about bonito on the ocean lately, but a few were found previously. Sharks were boated on the ocean, and some were makos, and quite a few were hammerheads. Blue sharks were leadered, and Dave heard about a couple of bull sharks fought. Tuna fishing was good for yellowfins at Hudson Canyon on the troll, and a few bigeye tuna were trolled. One customer trolled three bigeyes last week. White and blue marlin showed up at times for the canyon’s anglers. Little was heard about bluefin tuna caught in the past days, and Dave didn’t know if that meant they moved. Previously bluefins were trolled at the Triple Wrecks, the Chicken Canyon and the Bacardi wreck.

Point Pleasant

Blues, excellent catches, were wiped up on both the daytime and nighttime trips Friday on the party boat Cock Robin, an e-mail from the boat said. On Saturday – “we are not talking about this again,” the e-mail said – bluefishing was terrible on the daytime trip, and the vessel “traveled to the end of the world looking for fish,” it said. But on the night trip excellent bluefishing returned, and the anglers loaded the boat. Sunday’s trip put a beating on the fish again, and a good catch was also made on today’s outing. The Cock Robin is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Catch the weekly fireworks cruise every Thursday at 8 p.m. for only $20. Jump on the boat, make your own ice cream sundae with the ice cream and fixings provided, and enjoy the fireworks.

A big, southeast swell churned up the bottom, turning off fluke fishing on the ocean Friday on an open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Trip with Reel Class Charters, Capt. Allen said in the report on the boat’s Web site. The four anglers ran north, and a 22-inch fluke and two sea bass 2 and 3 pounds were the only keepers, and shorts were tossed back, a tough day. Fluke and an occasional sea bass were picked here and there all day. On Saturday a charter began with sea bass fishing, because of the slow fluking the previous day, and zero winds for a fluke drift at the start of this day. The lack of winds and little current actually enabled the trip to drift better over the bottom structure for sea bass. Sea bass were caught, and so were 10 small, out-of-season 12- to 15-inch tog that were let go, from a population of the tog so thick the blackfish could be caught on the drift. The trip bounced around until a good concentration of sea bass was found. That area was worked, and the first spot was lock and load. The second was lights out fishing, and the boat was able to be anchored because winds picked up a bit. By 12 noon the cooler was almost topped off, and the anglers decided to fish for fluke. But the angling was slow, and only a few shorts were picked. Nonetheless, a mess of sea bass to 3 pounds were coolered, “a nice meat trip for a great group of guys!” Allen said. On Sunday Allen did maintenance on the boat and fueled it up for the week, “so Anthony and I took care of that and then fished the river for about an hour and a half,” he said. Two keepers just legal sized or 18 inches and 20 shorts were hooked on Gulp twisters on jigheads at the top of the tide and the change. Open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Trips are running, in addition to charters, and check the online <a href="http://www.reelclassfishing.com/rates/open-boat-info" target="_blank">schedule</a> for the open trips. Trips for bonito and false albacore will run in August and September.

A day-trolling trip on the Canyon Runner arrived at Hudson Canyon at 5 a.m. Wednesday, the report on Canyon Runner’s Web site said. Five yellowfin tuna were trolled by 7 a.m., and nine more were trolled by 9 a.m. One more was released afterward, because the anglers had kept all they wanted. Then they dropped big lures in the waters to attempt to hook a blue marlin. It worked. Within minutes a fish popped one of the lines from the outrigger. Nobody saw the bite, and the line started to be reeled in. When the line came even with the long flat line, a big blue piled-on one of the other lines, and game was on! The head of the charter, Pete Guaditis, landed the fish in 1 ½ hours. The blue, measured at 126 inches, was estimated to weigh 600 pounds. This was Pete’s first-ever blue, “so he went swimming back at the dock,” the report said. “Congratulations!”

Four anglers with Andrea’s Toy Charters sailed offshore to the canyons on Thursday, the report on the boat’s Web site. They originally planned to fish for bluefin tuna inshore, but catches were inconsistent, and yellowfin tuna fishing was better at the canyons. They arrived at the waters just before sunup that day, first trolling an area with whales, birds and life, but no tuna showed up. The lines were picked up, and the vessel was steamed to a fleet working an area, but the fishing there was a slow pick at best among the boats. The crew decided to work away from the boats. Nothing bit for hours, until an 80-pound fish, either a large yellowfin or a small bigeye tuna, swiped a hook and was on. But the line brushed against the rub rail during the fight, and the fish broke off. A 55-pound yellowfin was landed next. While this was happening, anglers in the fleet of boats, now 25 miles away, began to pick a fair number of tuna. Anglers with Andrea’s Toy kept pounding the area where the two tuna were hooked, but no more bit. A white marlin entered the trolling spread but never attacked. Time was running out on the trip, so the anglers tried fishing for mahi mahi at three different lobster pots, and two chicken mahi were reeled in. Loads of mahi could be seen at the pots, but only two bit. The anglers then deep-dropped for tilefish on a good drift at good numbers where the crew usually has success on the biggest tiles. But no tiles grabbed the baits. So the fishing was frustrating on the trip, though the day was beautiful on the waters. See the write-up toward the bottom of <a href="http://www.andreastoycharters.com" target="_blank">Andrea’s Toy’s home page</a> to check out annual, open-boat, mixed-bag trips that are running offshore for tuna and other fish.

Seaside Park

Sea bass fishing on a trip today raised the bar, pounded the best-ever quantity and quality of the lumpheads with Fishguts Inshore Charters, Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier said in the report on the vessel’s Web site. The angling had already been good, and limit catches had already been common, and the quality of the fish had already been outstanding on some days, with plenty of 15-inchers and larger caught. The three anglers on the trip today “boated some big stuff,” he said, and they limited out on the fish to a 23-inch 4-3/4-pound jumbo. Eight of the sea bass weighed more than 2 ½ pounds apiece. Even Birch got to fish, limiting out. Out-of-season blackfish to 6 pounds and a few 20-inch codfish, an inch undersized, were released, adding to the fast action. This was a trip Birch was sure everybody aboard would remember for years to come. On Sunday three anglers jumped aboard for a fluke trip on Barnegat Bay. They racked up fast-paced action on many of the flatties, one big load of them, including three hefty keepers: two 19-inchers and a 22-incher. On Saturday, coming rainstorms cut a sea bass trip short. With the weather coming, the anglers went to work right away, boxing a healthy number of keepers, releasing tons of shorts, until calling it a day at 10:45 a.m. “Not much on quality,” Birch said, but the numbers were good for the few hours of fishing. On Friday another all-day wreck-fishing trip for sea bass on the ocean fished in somewhat bumpy seas from a large southeast swell, but the fish bit fine. The three anglers limited out, releasing plenty of shorts and sizeable blackfish. They stopped on the bay for a short time on the way home, scoring fair action on fluke, including a 19-inch keeper. Charters and 10-hour open-boat trips are sea bass fishing. Charters are also fishing for fluke on Barnegat Bay, and combo trips, called a Captain’s Combo, are fishing for sea bass on the ocean and fluke on the bay in one outing. See the Fishguts photo gallery for shots of the latest trips.

Barnegat

“I don’t fluke,” Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the Hi Flier has said in the past. “Not that there’s anything wrong with (fluking),” he said in an e-mail today. “It’s just not my thing … usually.” He likes to jig fluke with light tackle in the channels of Barnegat Bay, “and that is the scene right now,” he said. The action is non-stop, and every size class is biting. Sure, most are throwbacks, he said, but at the end of one recent morning, three sizeable fluke, a 21-incher and two 20-inchers, were in the cooler. On the previous day, three other big ones hit the ice, and more than 50 were landed! Many of the fish lately were small, but almost as many were 15 to 17 inches “for sport,” he said, and occasional 3-plus-pounders were iced. Oyster Creek Channel where it converges with Double Creek Channel, from the tip of the Dike to the sedges at Island Beach State Park, shoveled up most. All were vertical-jigged with Gulps on 3/8-ounce jigheads. Both 3-inch, white Gulp Swimming Mullets and 3-inch Gulp New Penny Shrimp were used, and the mullets definitely got the nod on the past couple of trips. Open-boat trips are running every day either for fluke on the bay or bonito and false albacore at Barnegat Ridge. Of course, charters are also sailing. Check out <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl7XkoMXuyM
" target="_blank">this video</a> and <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa-0F6MNtOQ
" target="_blank">another video</a> of the fluking.

Tuckerton

A bluefin tuna, a yellowfin tuna and a handful of good-sized, 12- to 15-pound mahi mahi were trolled on a 12-hour trip to the inshore ocean Saturday with Legal Limit Charters, Capt. T.J. said. The fishing began 35 or 40 miles from shore, and most of the fish were angled there, but eventually reached 65 miles from port, probably 10 miles short of Lindenkohl Canyon. The yellowfin was picked up in that area closer to the canyon, and if time had remained on the trip, more yellowfins probably could’ve been caught. Another trip was headed all the way offshore last night to fish through today, probably at the Lindy or nearby. A summer flounder trip on the ocean was a little slow Saturday on T.J.’s other boat, and a few of the fish to 5 pounds were pumped in, but no big number. Open-boat or shared charters are sailing on Tuesdays and Thursdays when no charter is booked and enough anglers want to go. One of the trips will sail for fluke this Thursday, and no open trip will sail this Tuesday. See the online <a href=" http://www.legallimitcharters.com/c-11-open-boat.aspx" target="_blank">Open Boat/Shared Charter Schedule</a>.

Mystic Island

Warm waters by Sunday made catching anything but skates difficult in the bay, but a few anglers bagged three or four keeper summer flounder apiece at Little Egg Reef, said the report on Scott’s Bait & Tackle’s Web site. In the previous days the fluke were found in the bay at the 126 buoy, waters consistently producing an occasional keeper, and in the cuts between the islands at the Fish Factory. Some better-sized flatties were found in the stretch from the 114 to 116 buoys at the southern tip of Long Beach Island late last week. A few weakfish were located at the mouth of the Mullica River toward the end of the week. Not many were around, “but it’s comforting to know that the last weakfish has not left the planet,” the report said.

Atlantic City

Many summer flounder, sometimes including sizeable ones, scurried along the surf, said the owner Noel’s son from One Stop Bait & Tackle. Anglers nabbed them on minnows and squid, and catches of kingfish picked up again in the surf, after fishing for them had dropped off a moment. Dunk bloodworms for them. Big triggerfish were locked into along the jetties in the surf on pieces of clam, and no striped bass were really beached from the surf anymore. No bluefish really came through the wash, but blues usually show up soon. One tautog per person will be able to be kept starting Friday, and the tog, including large ones, were already hooked and released along the jetties. Green crabs, a favorite bait for the blackfish, are already stocked. All the baits mentioned and more are stocked.

Longport

Good sea bass fishing was pancaked 12 to 15 miles from shore on the Stray Cat, Capt. Mike said. Flounder also chewed in those waters, but keepers were scarce. Most trips ran for sea bass through the past week, but one outing, a 10-hour charter, trolled at the Cigar in a big heave Saturday from the tropical depression off Cape Hatteras. Unfavorable conditions, but a couple of mahi mahi were picked up. Two monster bites attacked lines but got off, and no bluefin tuna were landed. The heave continued Sunday, and currents also ripped, apparently because of the new moon. Coming up, special sea bass and croaker charters will run in September at a considerable discount. “You can’t afford not to go!” Mike said. ***Update:*** An open-boat trip will sail for sea bass 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

Ocean City

On the back bay anglers fished for summer flounder Thursday and Friday with Fish Tale Charters, and a trip Saturday was weathered out because of storms, Capt. Craig said. A trip Sunday bottom-fished at the AC Reef. On the flounder trips a keeper was bagged on Thursday, and two were taken on Friday, and lots of throwbacks, tons of action, kept the anglers busy on both trips. The bay served up tremendous action with the flatties, and 30, 40 or 50 might be landed one day without a keeper. Then all of the sudden one or two keepers will jump on the hook on another day. Bait filled the waters, and the flounder seemed to gorge on the forage, becoming thick and broad. The 17- or 17-1/2-inchers, just under the 18-inch legal size, looked large in the waters. They are a large fish, but they looked even bigger in the waters because they were so broad and thick. Whenever Craig pulled up the minnow pot from the dock, a bunch of shrimp jumped off. Shrimp filled the waters, and so did baitfish. The anglers on the flounder trips fished with minnows either on a plain hook or a hook with a couple of beads that Craig includes when he ties the rigs. The beads give a little flash and some click and work. Craig first saw the beads used in striped bass fishing at the Cape May Rips to help the fish locate the bait. On Friday’s trip one angler used squid on the hook with the minnow and no beads, and the rest of the anglers used beads. They all caught, and he caught none, and he switched to beads, and he caught. Another trip was supposed to flounder fish today on the bay. On the bottom-fishing trip Sunday at the A.C. Reef, located in the ocean 10 miles off Atlantic City, a few decent-sized sea bass and one small flounder were hooked. A bluefish bit off one of the lines, and another, a 2-pounder, was hooked and landed. Those were the only blues Craig saw or heard about in the local area. Waters at the reef were 76 degrees, surprisingly warm for the time of year. Craig didn’t notice the temperature of the bay that day, but it had to be that temperature or warmer. Craig heard nothing new about bluefin tuna fishing in the last days, after he said in the last report that the fishing sounded hit or miss. Yellowfin tuna fishing gave up the hot bites at the canyons farther offshore. Three or four boats from the marina were heading for Lindenkohl Canyon over the weekend, and the mate from Fish Tale knew about several going to the same canyon, and the waters must’ve been crowded. Fish Tale fishes for bluefins but not farther out at the canyons for yellowfins. The boat also sails for pelagics like bonito and false albacore closer to shore, and Craig heard about none showing up yet, and the season was early. They usually appear in August, but with the high ocean temps, they could pop up any time. A couple of dates are open for charters this month, and the schedule at the moment is open a lot more after the first week of August.

Sea Isle City

Al McCallis and granddaughters Lindsay, Laura, Abby and Diana fished for summer flounder today on the back bay on a trip, “fun fishing,” said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle. The objective was met, he said, and probably more than 30 were landed, and none was a keeper, but action was strong, probably some of the most action Joe could remember. Many of the fish were close to keeper-sized. Chaz Smith and sons John and Matt fished for flounder on the bay Sunday, totaling a keeper and dozens of throwbacks. Both trips fished a rig with a buckail with a Gulp on the bottom and a trailer with a minnow on a plain hook above. On Saturday Lindsay Clarkson’s party sailed to Wilmington Canyon, releasing a white marlin and bagging two yellowfin tuna over 50 pounds apiece and two mahi mahi 18 and 15 pounds. A couple of trips on Thursday took advantage of inshore shark fishing, a specialty trip that Jersey Cape runs. Chase Kneeland and daughter Stephanie on the morning trip fought and released two dusky sharks to 30 pounds and hooked a 6-foot hammerhead that got off, all on mackerel. The hammerhead returned to the chum slick and hung out, trying to eat a fly that Chase cast, but it never connected. But it almost did, and that would’ve been a cool catch and release. In the afternoon Rick Hogan’s party landed and released five duskies to 40 pounds on mackerel. The fishing, both with spinning and fly tackle, is mostly for dusky and brown sharks that regulations require to be released. Everyone who’s jumped aboard for the trips has loved them, Joe said. The trips only sail 5 to 10 miles from shore, a short trip for sharks, and the angling offers the only reliable chance to fight a 40-pound fish that close to shore. The outings also offer a rare blue-water experience close to the coast. The fish pull hard, take off on long runs and often can be seen when they attack: visual strikes. Many different types of fishing are on tap right now, including trips for the flounder, striped bass, the inshore sharks, the canyon fishing, and more. Striper fishing is turning on in the bay at night under the dock and bridge lights on soft-plastic lures or Clouser flies. Tides are ideal, high at night, this week, and Joe expects to run a couple of the striper trips. Bluefin tuna were also in the inshore ocean, and Joe knew about some caught. He’s open for bluefin trips but fished at the canyons when going offshore. The trips are only another 20 miles from shore, and more options open up, like fishing for yellowfins and white and blue marlin as well as mahi mahi. Keep up with Joe’s fishing and photos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

Avalon

With Over Under Adventures a 22-hour trip arrived at Lindenkohl Canyon at 5 a.m. Friday, bumpy seas making the cruise slower, the audio reports on the boat’s Web site said. Trips now fished the canyons through daytime, not overnight, because no tuna bit at night yet. Twelve yellowfin tuna 50 to 70 pounds were trolled, among 12 or 15 that were missed or got off. The fish bit anything, including spreader bars and ballyhoos, so long as the boat trolled over the tuna. The fish, mackerel filling their stomachs, were on the move, and repeating a bite was tough. On Sunday a 15-hour trip fished at Wilmington Canyon, trolling five yellowfins, 50- to 55-pounders and one 75-pounder, and a 30-pound mahi mahi bagged, and an 80-pound mako shark and a white marlin that were released. Many boats fished the Wilmington that day, and many white marlin were fought there early and later in the day. A trip on one of Over Under’s other boats also fished that day 7 or 8 miles north of the Wilmington, going 7 for 12 on yellowfins from 50 to 65 pounds, full of squid and tinker mackerel. A triple header bit right away when the trip began trolling at 7:30 a.m. The rest began to be hooked at 3 p.m., when two or three bit every couple of hours. White marlin were seen every time the trip motored past the 100-fathom line. A trip today was slow at Lindenkohl Canyon, the first slow fishing for Over Under in a while. A white marlin, a couple of mahi mahi and no tuna were landed. Tuna fishing sounded slow for everyone at the canyons during the trip for unknown reasons, maybe because of a weather front or southwest winds. The crew saw one boat run across tuna, catching a couple. Both charters and open-boat trips are fishing the canyons, and see the online <a href=" http://overundercharters.com/index.php?page=opendates
" target="_blank">open-boat schedule</a>.

Wildwood

A total of 115 boats and 22 kayaks competed in Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle’s 17th annual Duke of Fluke Tournament this weekend, Cathy Algard from the shop said in an e-mail. She thanks everyone who entered, and here are the results:

Single Heaviest Fluke:
 
1st Place, Adam Bomb III, Capt. Adam Crouthamel, 5.48 pounds 
2nd Place, The Other Woman, Capt. Jim Duccilli, 4.81 pounds 
3rd Place, Miss Tammy, Capt. Paul Brosman, 4.68 pounds
 
Five Heaviest Fluke:
 
1st Place, Duct Work, Capt. Scott Pierce, 21.24 pounds 
2nd Place, VetCraft, Capt. Harv Yenkinson, 18.77 pounds 
3rd Place, Gone Fishin, Capt. Mark Elliott, 18.09 pounds
 
Heaviest Sea Bass:
 
Accipiter, Capt. Dan Zolna, 3.3 pounds
 
Heaviest Bluefish:
 
Hot Line, Capt. Andrew Bakely, 1.25 pounds
 
Duchess Award:
 
Tracy Crouthamel, Adam Bomb III, 4.53 pounds
 
Kayak Division Single Heaviest Fluke:
 
1st Place, Frank Scirrotto, Hobie Outback, 2.99 pounds 
2nd Place, Chris Shoplock, Hobie Revolution, 2.88 pounds

Cape May

The Down Deep mostly sailed on 4-hour family-type charters that trolled plenty of bluefish and some false albacore and bonito 12 miles from shore, good fishing, Capt. Bob said. Bluefish, bigger ones, had swum those waters earlier in the season then disappeared. But now blues, smaller ones, were back, and Bob discovered them last Monday, and albies and bonito were mixed in. A summer flounder trip was slated for today, and some bluefin tuna trips are scheduled for this week. Yellowfin tuna are also biting at the canyons, if anyone wants to go.

Summer flounder to 22 inches, an okay catch, were scored Saturday off Cape May Point on the Heavy Hitter, Capt. George said. The bite only lasted 2 hours. Birds worked the waters, and whether bluefish or just bait swam underneath was unknown, and the anglers concentrated on flounder, not checking out the birds. Blues 1 to 3 pounds and a few false albacore could be trolled 10 or 12 miles from shore. George heard about no bonito in the area. The Heavy Hitter is also fishing for bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean and yellowfin tuna at the offshore canyons. Ask George about a special on the bluefin trips.