<b>Staten Island</b>

An average of 25 to 35 fluke were bagged on trips the past week with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Anthony said. A trip Wednesday was the only one when fluking was off. Both the size, fluke to 3 ½ pounds, and the quantity fell under the usual. But on Tuesday 30 of the fish to 8 pounds were kept during a steady pick. On Monday 35 keepers to 7 ¾ pounds were creamed on another steady pick. Frank Robisky busted the 7-3/4-pounder, taking the lead in Barbara Anne’s season-long Fluke Derby.  Barbara Anne’s fluke trips usually fish along Ambrose Channel to the Verrazano Bridge. But Monster-Fluke-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 the anglers provide the rest. A season-long Fluke Derby is being held on the boat, awarding first and second prizes to the two anglers with the biggest fluke aboard this year. The angler with the biggest will win a custom-made Lamiglas rod, built from an MB963M blank that can be used for fluke, striped bass, jigging for striped bass and blues, fishing for sea bass and more, valued at $475. The angler with the second biggest will win two free open-boat trip passes that can be used anytime during the season, valued at $270. The fluke are 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. 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.

Capt. Chuck from <b>Angler Sportfishing Charters</b> fished from Montauk lately but will return to Staten Island to begin fishing next week, he said. In Montauk his trips pummeled  lots of sizeable striped bass. They also fluke fished, and like everywhere, he said, they reeled in many throwbacks, a keeper here or there. From Staten Island the boat’s charters will chase the usual suspects: blues, fluke and sea bass. Plus night trips will hunt stripers. A couple of trips next week will motor out at night for stripers. 

<b>Keyport</b>

Reach Channel and Old Orchard were fished on a fluke trip Tuesday that landed so many shorts that Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> lost count, he said. The fish bit the entire time on the trip with John and Joanie Knapp from Piscataway. They fished with killies and squid on top-and-bottom rigs on the hot day. Space is available on an open-boat fluke trip 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday that other anglers expressed interest in.  Open trips are sailing for fluke twice daily from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. when no charter is booked. Call to go. Credit card payments through PayPal are accepted for all trips.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Good action was creamed with keeper and short fluke on Wednesday’s trip right from the start on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in an e-mail. “Never Quit” Eddie won the pool with a 6-1/2-pounder, nearly limiting out, bagging five. Many of the trip’s keepers weighed 3 to 4 ½ pounds, and the boat began fishing on the bay, and later fished on the ocean, after the tide changed. A keeper striper was even clocked in the morning. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for bluefish 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. However, the morning trips are chartered Saturday and Sunday.

Anglers aboard scored a bit of an improvement in fluking on Monday afternoon’s trip on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> , fishing at Reach Channel and around Sunday Hook Point, Capt. Tom said. More keepers than before were bagged, and the angling was similar on both trips Tuesday: A bit of an improvement, more keepers. Some caught only shorts, but some boxed four or five keepers. None was huge, and the fish weighed up to 4 or 5 pounds, but good-sized ones were decked. Wednesday’s fishing for the flatties was somewhat tough, and the angling depends on the drift. If winds and tides push the drift too fast, or if no drift is possible, the angling is slower. Predicting the drift is difficult, and sometimes the drift changes in the middle of a trip. Wednesday afternoon’s trip found some keepers around the Navy Pier, but fewer than Tom would like, and fewer than during the better conditions Monday and Tuesday. On that trip the drift had been too slow at Reach Channel, and the boat was moved to the pier. On this morning’s trip at 9 o’clock, Tom said in a phone call from the waters that the anglers were picking away, had already bagged nine keepers, and this was on the first drift. One patron copped two, and others landed one. So trips lately saw a bit of an improvement in catches when conditions created good drifts. Sometimes fishing with bait worked best, and sometimes fishing with a Spro jig did. Tom tells anglers they can take two rods if they’d like, setting one up for bait and the other for a Spro, leaving one rod up top on the boat when not fished. 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.

Many fluke, mainly throwbacks but some keepers, filled waters from the ocean to the bay, said Dottie from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Frank Delneco, Middletown, weighed in a 4.28-pounder this week. Bottom fishers boated sea bass and began to rustle up porgies. A few striped bass could be searched out. Last week the shop reported that the bass came from spots including Romer Shoal, Reach Channel, the ocean off the Highlands Bridge and the Shrewsbury Rocks

<b>Highlands</b>

With <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> anglers banged out fluke, great catches, the last couple of days, fishing along the rough bottom in the ocean with bucktails and big strip baits, Capt. Derek said. A trip with four anglers Tuesday came one short of a limit for the group. About a 6-pounder was the biggest, and many weighed 3 to 4 pounds. A few good-sized sea bass were mixed in, and Fisher Price had been bottom fishing for sea bass previously. But lately trips were all about fluke. Charters are fluking, and the next open-boat trips are slated to fluke for 8 hours each day Friday through Sunday. Anglers can call Derek to be kept informed about the open schedule.

Fluke anglers all said they caught something like 20 throwbacks for every keeper, if they were lucky to come across a keeper, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. The fishing seemed that way from the ocean to the bay to the rivers, but some keepers were around. He heard about 16-pounder reportedly walloped at Ambrose Channel. Blues swam from the ocean to the bay and rivers, and striped bass could still be hooked, but anglers at this time of year use tactics like playing the tides right and fishing early, before boat traffic. Stripers seem not to stay active long during the day in the heat. One boater from the marina, a diehard striper angler, headed out today, and Bob assumed he was striper fishing. Striper anglers seemed to do a lot of trolling with bunker spoons. One of the inshore charter boats from the marina took an offshore trip, leaving 3 a.m. Wednesday, returning that evening. A small bluefin tuna and two small yellowfin tuna were landed on the trip that began fishing at the Chicken Canyon and traveled to Hudson Canyon. The marina will now stock more offshore baits, as that fishing becomes more popular this season. A large supply of all different baits is carried. Live bunker are no longer carried at this point in the season, and demand drops off once striper fishing slows. But a few fresh clams continue to be carried, and all the frozen baits are on hand.

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> ran a tuna trip Wednesday, found the fish, and returned early, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail.  “Great trip,” he said. The fish were located short of the canyons, and a limit of two bluefin tuna – an “under” and an “over,” as anglers say, referring to the two sizes of bluefins that can be kept – was bagged, and more bluefins were released. Sixty-pound yellowfin tuna were also bagged. Anglers are already standing by to join the trips, limited to four or five, and get on the list to go. Call or e-mail Ralph. Trips are also fishing for fluke, including on individual-reservation trips every Wednesday, and are fishing at both the inshore and offshore wrecks for sea bass, ling, cod and pollock. 

<b>Belmar</b>

A shark trip put the brakes on a hammerhead, a big, 175-pound dusky and a small, 80-pound mako at the Glory Hole on Wednesday, Capt. Tom from the <b>Nan Sea J</b> said. A couple of mahi mahi jumped off that swam the chum slick, and three or four triggerfish were hooked. That was one of the weekly, open-boat shark trips, sailing on Wednesdays, and another one of the trips is expected to sail this coming week. Take advantage of the rare opportunity for sharking on an open trip before the season ends. Waters were 78 ½ degrees or warm and were beautiful, with visibility about 50 feet, and there was a good drift. The ocean held somewhat of a swell, and the ride home was a bit rough in the seas. Tom heard about bluefin tuna caught in the area on other boats, all on the troll. Charters and open trips will sail for bluefins if the angling kicks in, especially if the bite takes off well like last year. Fluke fishing picked up on a trip Tuesday that piled up a decent catch of the flatties, probably the best of the season so far, on the ocean. Fluking had seemed in a lull previously. The trip fished in 60 feet on the ocean in 77-degree waters, again, warm, and lots of sea bass were also socked. A couple of the anglers worked bucktails for the fluke, and the other anglers fished with rigs. A bottom-fishing charter on Monday pulled in porgies and sea bass. The trip tried for porgies, or they weren’t just a by-catch, and not a lot were boated, but some were.

Fishing for blues wasn’t so good the last four or five days, said Capt. Alan from the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>. He and the crew believed that the cause was that they were spawning, and the spawn should end in three or four days. After the full moon this weekend, they should bite their heads off. The daytime trip on Wednesday did beat plenty of small blues. But the angling was terrible on the night trip. On the party boat <b>Tropical Adventure</b>, Alan’s other vessel, fluke and sea bass were targeted, and fluke were caught, but not many were keepers. But good catches of sea bass were slugged.  The Miss Belmar Princess is bluefishing twice daily 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The Tropical Adventure is fluke fishing twice daily 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Fluke fishing became much better this past week on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. Only one day, Monday, was slow. But fairly good catches were socked Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. On Wednesday’s trip, the angling began slowly but picked up by the end. Some of the patrons limited out on Wednesday. The larger flatties boated in the past days included a 10-pounder on Sunday, an almost 9-pounder on Saturday, and an 8-pounder on Wednesday. None of the fish was giant, but there were some hefty ones. An 11-1/2-pounder was the biggest on the boat so far this season, and six or seven 10-pounders were claimed so far this year. Sea bass were sometimes caught on trips. Trips tried to concentrate on fluke, but some of the anglers picked up seven, eight or nine sea bass. Anglers on the boat mostly work bucktails along the rocky bottom, where the big flatties live. The anglers lose some rigs, but the catches often make that worthwhile. The Big Mohawk is fluke fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Bluefish were spawning, so fishing for them was slow, but a few were belted here and there, and trips were doing the best they could, said Capt. Greg from the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>. If trips fished an area where bottom-fishing for sea bass could be mixed in, they did. The boat fished in different areas, and some of the blues remained far from shore, like at the Lillian wreck, 26 miles from port, where a trip Tuesday night fished. But a big body of the slammers moved closer to shore, where the fleet normally fishes for them, and angling there seemed a matter of waiting for the gators to begin feeding after the spawn. But the spawn was happening for a time now, and could end any day, turning catches right back on. The Golden Eagle is fishing for blues daily 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Both canyon trips for yellowfin tuna and light-tackle bluefin tuna and bonito trips will begin in September, and check the <a href=" http://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/html/schedules___fares.html
" target="_blank">schedule</a> for dates and info.

Ocean fluking was off, and when anglers netted some, many were shorts, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. But the fishing goes up and down during the season and will get better, and catches of keepers were better on Shark River. The shop’s rental boaters bagged keepers on the river. Porgies were knuckled in from the river, and snapper blues began to swim around the Shark. Big bluefish were apparently spawning in the ocean, because fishing for them became difficult. But that angling too will kick back in. Once the fluking and bluefishing bounce back, and they will, fishing should be in good shape. Sea bass fishing was good, and big ones were dragged in, one of the bright spots in fishing now. No striped bass were around to speak of during this height of summer.

<b>Brielle</b>

After a lay day Monday, two 4-hour sea bass trips sailed Tuesday and Wednesday with Burke Barnett’s charter on the <b>Big Kid</b>, racking up 20 keepers the first day and 31 the second,  Capt. Ken said. Two overnight tuna trips were slated to sail today and Saturday, though Saturday’s trip might not get the weather to go. The Big Kid is also fluke fishing, and trips for the flatties went well lately, he said. Offshore tournaments available for charters include 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. Coming tournaments already booked include the Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational and the Mid Atlantic $500,000.

A fluke trip headed to the never-ending swell on the ocean Tuesday with <b>Fish Monger Charters</b>, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. The fishing was a tough bite, and the six anglers fished a long, marathon day, grinding out 18 keepers. Three keepers were pumped aboard on the first drift, and the fluke looked like they were going to bite. But the trip could never repeat bites at any spots on the rest of the day’s drifts. The anglers worked farther offshore to deeper waters, and the drift dropped to nothing, and fluke were picked. Toward the end of the day they tried fishing back inshore, and lots more current flowed, and the fishing was better. The catch was heavy on shorts, but a few more keepers were picked to end the day. Every place fished seemed to give up a couple of fluke, but no place could be found that held a good chew. On Sunday the crew talked with the day’s charter, and the anglers decided to sail for sea bass, lock and load fishing lately, instead of fluke. But they were told they could switch to fluke when they wanted to change up. The six anglers limited out on sea bass. The fishing began with a bang, sea bass, good-sized ones, biting as soon as baits hit the bottom, and the catch included a fair number of double-headers. When the fishing slowed, the group decided to move to another area to top off their limit, and they did. A couple of keeper blackfish and a few ling were also caught. Then they tried fluking at the end of the day, managing two keepers among shorts and lots of skates released. On Saturday the crew also talked with the day’s charter, and the anglers decided to fish for sea bass, instead of fluke. They hit the mother lode from start to finish. “Sea bassing at its finest,” Jerry said. Catches were the best the crew saw all year, “and we have seen some pretty darn good fishing up to this point,” he said. Lots of double-headers were scored, and the charter limited out by 10 a.m. on mostly quality sized lumpheads to 3 pounds. They decided to try a drop for blackfish, and the togging was tough, because waters were full of small sea bass, but they managed three keeper tog to a 5-1/2-pounder. Shorts blackfish were let go, and a few ling were boxed. The charter ended the day drifting for fluke. Not much was doing, and a bunch of shorts hit, but two keepers were bagged.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

<b>***Update, Saturday, 7/24:***</b> Catches were good on most of the twice-daily fluke trips on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, between catches of fluke and sea bass, Capt. Bob said. Sea bass helped spice up catches, helped anglers bring fish home. Sometimes drifts that were too fast or too slow hampered angling. But drifts were right on Friday’s trips, and some sizeable fish came in. Five-pound fish, sometimes 6-pounders, won pools on most days. On Friday morning’s trip Ralph Rezura, Bricktown, landed two keeper fluke, both about 4 pounds. Plus he racked up a few sea bass. On the boat’s bluefish trips, catches of the big slammers slowed, and the fish were probably spawning, and that shouldn’t last much longer, Bob thought. But a body of smaller, 2-pound blues that weren’t spawning were around, and should be able to fill in gaps until the bigger blues come off the spawn, Bob figured. On the vessel’s trips for ling, sea bass, cod and squid, some big ling to 4 ½ pounds were looted, and most patrons grabbed 10 to 15 large ling. Plus they caught other fish. Anglers who tried for squid were able to jig a few. On the trip Sunday night, Matt Brown, Scranton, hooked 12 ling, a cod and seven squid, and J.R. Helberg, Summit, decked eight ling, three sea bass, a cod, an 8-pound blue and 10 squid. Squid on the trips were caught on 3- or 4-inch squid jigs. Fluke trips are sailing twice daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Bluefish trips are running 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Trips for ling, sea bass, cod and squid are fishing 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Sundays and Mondays. <a href=" http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.html
" target="_blank">Canyon tuna trips</a> will begin in mid September.

Ten keeper fluke to 8 pounds were pelted on a trip Monday, and eight keepers to 7 pounds were dusted on a trip Tuesday, said Capt. Allen from <b>Reel Class Charters</b>. On each trip a few sea bass were booted up, and throwback fluke were caught and released, and the anglers mostly fished with bucktails along the rocks. Monday’s trip, a charter, the trip with 10 keepers, fished at the Klondike wreck and Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reefs. The keepers included the 8-pounder, a few-3- to 5-pounders and 18- to 21-inchers, and the fishing was okay, not great. Tuesday’s trip, an open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Trip, the one that bagged eight keepers, fished to the north from Long Branch to the Shrewsbury Rocks. The keepers included the 7-pounder, a 5-1/2-pounder and 18- to 21-inchers. Something wasn’t right with fluking, Allen said. Could the southerly winds, winds that can cool waters and turn off fishing, or the ocean swell be causes? Allen was asked. They could be, he answered, but he couldn’t know the cause. Check the online <a href="http://www.reelclassfishing.com/rates/open-boat-info" target="_blank">schedule</a> for available dates for the Fluke Till You Puke Marathons. Trips will sail for bonito and false albacore in August and September.

The four anglers on a special open-boat trip for fluke today put the kibosh on 13 keepers to 5 pounds on the ocean off the Red Church with <b>High Hook Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. Brenda said. Then the trip moved deeper, and the anglers shoveled up sea bass to 5 pounds, ling and cod. They seemed tickled, according to the way Capt. Mark, who ran the trip, described, Brenda said. Trips are focusing on the flatties and bottom fishing, and the angling’s been fantastic, she said. Charters are running, but so are open-boat trips, whenever the trips can be put together. Anglers can call if interested in the open trips: 908-278-5280.

Fishing at the canyons for tuna was weathered out this week because of winds and seas with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, Capt. Fred said. An inshore trip for sea bass and ling was supposed to sail today. The canyons offered up decent catches of yellowfin tuna, marlin, mahi mahi and more. But if bluefin tuna fishing becomes better at the grounds closer to shore, they’ll become a target. Trips to the canyons, both charters and annual, open-boat outings, fish for a mixed bag, trolling for tuna, light-tackle-angling for mahi mahi at the lobster pots, deep-dropping for tilefish, and chunking at night for tuna, swordfish and sharks. Chunking for tuna at night began to turn on. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, more chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner. Inshore trips are running for a mix of sea bass, ling and light-tackle bluefishing.

Bluefishing was poor on Tuesday’s trip except for a brief shot of “huge-enormous” slammers that came through, an e-mail from the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b> said. “(But) you needed to have game to catch them,” it said. Another e-mail sometime ago explained that the fish were spawning. A handful of blues were decked on Monday’s trip, and here’s a quick rundown from the previous bluefishing trips: Thursday, okay; Friday, good, Friday night, not enough people to sail; Saturday, slow; Saturday night, okay to good; Sunday, slow. The Cock Robin is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Sea bass, ling, porgies and blackfish were rounded up on the daytime, bottom-fishing trips on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. A ground swell affected fishing, but anglers still averaged 15 to 25 fish apiece, a mix of the different species. Seas held no chop. But the big, lazy swell roiled up the bottom in shallow waters. Sea bass and porgies were targeted in 30 to 60 feet, and ling were searched out in 100 to 140 feet. Porgy fishing, angling that the boat will eventually hone in on this season, had begun to look like catches were taking off. Then the swell came. One blackfish per person could be kept starting Friday, after the season had been closed. Fewer blacks chomped than before the swell, but some were taken in the past days. A 13-pound blackfish was the pool-winner Tuesday. On the vessel’s nighttime trips, bluefishing was a little tough. A few anglers bagged one, two or three blues, and some got bites but never hooked up. The fishing wasn’t bad for a half-night trip, and customers seemed happy. But if full-night trips were running, that could be more difficult. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

<b>Toms River</b>

Excellent fluke fishing was bombed at Oyster Creek and Double Creek channels in Barnegat Bay, and the fishing was incredible at Manasquan Inlet, though the keeper ratio was 1 in 10, said Bob from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. But the ratio seemed to improve a little. Some of the more frequent keeper catches came from the surf, and bluefishing was spotty in the surf. No striped bass were checked in, including from the surf, in two weeks. Ocean boaters scarfed up good fluking off Lavallette and Ortley Beach early in the week. A few blowfish nibbled in the bay, nothing spectacular. Bob saw one weakfish, a rare catch these days. The trout, just legal-sized, came from around the 42 in the bay, and he heard about no other weakfish catches. Bluefish had been packed tight 15 to 20 miles from shore. Bob usually fishes at Barnegat Ridge but was unable to go recently, heard nothing about fishing there. In the Toms River at Island Heights, lots of snapper blues schooled, and the usual spearing for bait or Snapper Zappers or Snapper Poppers got them to strike. Plenty of snappers raced around the bay at Lavallette. Crabbing was great.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

The Manasquan River was jammed with fluke, and Scott from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b> kayaked 43 shorts, no keepers, on the river Wednesday, he said. Not many fluke swim Barnegat Bay near the shop, but plenty gather in the bay toward Barnegat Inlet. Tons of snapper blues swam all around the docks at the shop. Dave heard about no weakfish from the bay or anywhere. Sea bass put up good catches on the ocean. Fishguts Inshore Charters from the docks looted them and some porgies, ling, blackfish and cod. Crabbing on the store’s rental boats trapped lots of the blueclaws, and three-quarters of a bushel was a common catch. In the surf brown sharks, restricted to catch and release, offered fun. The 20- to 60-pounders will pounce on a chunk of bunker or a whole squid, especially during low-light hours like dusk or at night. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, killies and the full supply of baits is stocked. Catch Wacky Wednesdays every week, when clams are $2 per dozen. The rental boats are in the waters for fishing and crabbing, and the jet skis are ready to rent.

<b>Seaside Park</b>

Blackfish were finally fair game, because one per angler could be kept per day starting Friday, said Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier from <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b> in an e-mail. A short trip shot out to give the angling a try at an ocean wreck Monday, pounding great action on the tog, mostly 17-inchers. But a couple of real hogs broke off on the light tackle. “Time to bring the heavy stuff for the 10-pound-plus bulldogs that we target,” he said. On Tuesday three anglers jumped aboard for an all-day wreck-fishing trip on the ocean. A large ground swell kept the anglers from fishing some areas Birch had planned to hit, but the group put together a healthy mixed bag of sea bass to 4 pounds, five ling to 3 pounds, two keeper cod to 23 inches and four blackfish to 17 inches. One tog could be kept for Birch’s limit. He was sure the swell slowed the bite, “so it looks good for upcoming trips,” he said, and plenty of quality fish filled the area. On Wednesday another three anglers sailed on a Captain’s Combo, one of the combo trips that fish Barnegat Bay for fluke and the ocean for sea bass and bottom fish in one outing. The bay fishing is about fast action with light tackle, instead of filling the cooler, and an amazing number of fluke – fish from “postage stamps,” Birch said, to 17-inchers and a few bigger – wallop the baits, and sometimes one is a keeper. The flatties are spread over a large area. The anglers fish the ocean on the trips to put fish like sea bass on ice for dinner. The trip began fishing on the bay, and a huge number of short fluke were fought, including many double-headers, and a 5-pound 25-inch keeper was clobbered on a shad dart on a trout rod. When the anglers had their fill of flluking, they took a short stop at a snag in the ocean. They knocked out fast action on a mixed bag of fish in an hour, filling a 5-gallon bucket with porgies to 12 inches, sea bass to 16 inches, tog to 15 inches and a jumbo, 7-pound conger eel. A few openings are available for trips in the next weeks, and plenty of good fishing,  including at the wrecks, is on tap this summer. Call or e-mail Birch for details about any of the trips offered on the boat, from the bay to the near-shore ocean. See the <a href=" http://fishgutscharters.com/index.php?option=com_joomgallery&func=viewcategory&catid=3&Itemid=39" target="_blank">Fishguts photo gallery</a> for shots of the latest trips.

<b>Forked River</b>

Catches of fluke, a bunch of throwbacks but some keepers, held up on Barnegat Bay, said Dave from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Double Creek Channel especially produced, and waters around the BI, BB and 40 markers doled them out, and Barnegat Inlet was supposedly on fire with the fishing four days ago. A few of the flatties came from the ocean at the Tires and the Range Buoy, and the Tires also attracted a few sea bass. A handful of blowfish were angled up around the BI and BB. Anchor, chum and fish with bits of clam. Dave heard about no kingfish and no weakfish in the bay. Bluefish were scarcer in the bay than earlier in the season, but boaters could run across them. Great crabbing was on tap.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

The keeper ratio might’ve been 1 in 60, but fluke in Barnegat Bay gathered really anyplace with a drop-off or bottom structure to attract them, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Many were 17 or 17 ½ inches or an inch or less undersized, but a few were keepers. A few keepers were cornered at the ocean reefs and wrecks, and Josh heard about some that tumbled in from the ocean in 45 feet. Anglers could always drop a green crab along the Barnegat Inlet rocks to bag a limit of one blackfish. A few snapper blues began to show around the back waters, and herring were played there at night. Surf anglers banked decent-sized kingfish at Barnegat Light and Loveladies on bloodworms, Gulp worms and such bait. Sharks were fought from the surf at North Beach and Harvey Cedars. Fish at night for them with a chunk of bunker or mackerel or similar bait. A few anglers ran to Barnegat Ridge for bonito, cranking in a few, and none seemed to get into a big population yet. Nobody reported heading offshore for tuna because of rough seas. Live spots, eels and minnows, fresh bunker and clams, and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Barnegat</b>

Finally, forecasts called for a window of good weather on the waters for the next days, and trips will set a course for Barnegat Ridge on the <b>Hi Flier</b>, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. West winds, not much velocity and no thunderstorms were predicted. At the Ridge, the boat will troll for bonito and other blue-water fish that might swarm around, including false albacore, Spanish mackerel and mahi mahi. If nothing pops up there, and if the ocean is calm, trips will head toward the Mudhole, searching for bluefin tuna, bonito and more. These will be days of plying the waters “that make our 20-class conventionals sing,” he said. The boat is fueled up, iced up and ready to go. “Extra fuel … check,” he said. “Survival raft … check. EPIRB … check.” Three spots are available each trip, running 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Hi Flier sails with at least one. Anglers can meet at the dock or can be picked up from the waters at Barnegat Light. All fish are shared among the anglers.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Seas were rough or 5 to 6 feet, but anglers sailed offshore today with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, trolling a healthy catch of yellowfin tuna to 70 pounds and a few mahi mahi from 50 fathoms to 100 fathoms, Capt. T.J. said. More of the fish were taken toward 100 fathoms, but the catches were spread out, one here, one there, throughout all the depths, and water temps were an even 80 degrees everywhere, no breaks to hold a body of the fish. Seas subsided a bit on the ride home today. Summer flounder trips are slated for Friday through Sunday, and another tuna trip is on the books to fish overnight Tuesday to Wednesday. Open-boat or shared charters are sailing Tuesdays and Thursdays when no charter is booked and enough anglers want to go, and see the online <a href=" http://www.legallimitcharters.com/c-11-open-boat.aspx" target="_blank">Open Boat/Shared Charter Schedule</a>.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The bay’s summer flounder fishing tapered off, because of warm waters from the heat, and anglers trying for the flatties moved toward Little Egg Inlet, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Whether they caught keepers, he was unsure, and not a lot of feedback was heard. The heat seemed to keep anglers scarce. Previously they grabbed the flatties between the islands off the Fish Factory and at Marshelder Channel and from the 114 on Tuckerton Bay to the southern tip of Long Beach Island. The high hook landed three keepers, and the angling was nothing consistent. One boat picked up keepers, and another did not. Bottom fishers at the ocean reefs seemed not to gain much success on sea bass. Nobody talked about tog fishing since one of the blackfish could be kept starting Friday. No bluefish were around, not even snappers in the lagoons, though snappers usually appear by the Forth of July. Peanut bunker and herring schooled the lagoons. Nobody mentioned weakfish or white perch. No customers even said they crabbed. Minnows, fresh, shucked clams, green crabs and bloodworms are stocked.

<b>Absecon</b>

Back-bay summer flounder catches were “hanging in,” said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>, and, “if anything,” he said, a few more keepers than before were plucked. Some sizeable flatties were definitely around. But so were shorts. Ray from the shop took a trip Wednesday, drilling a 6-pound flounder on the first drop. He never caught another keeper the rest of the trip, and must have reeled in 30 that measured an inch or less undersized. A few striped bass could be scared up at the Brigantine Bridge on livelined eels and spots, and some could probably be found along the sod banks, and nighttime was certainly when to catch them at both places. Anglers on the bay could luck into a school of 1- or 2-pound blues, or could hunt them on dead-low tides if they knew where to look. A few weakfish seemed to chomp in the mouth of the Mullica River in the deep holes, for the few anglers who fished for them in the one-weakfish bag limit. Kingfishing was improving in the surf, and Dave guessed that more were around than before that were large enough to keep. Sales of bloodworms for bait for them were fairly strong during the weekend. Crabbing went well, and was a good option if people wanted something to take home for dinner. Crabbing was in the peak summertime mode and should continue like that the rest of summer. Both small and live spots are stocked, the small ones selling for $2 apiece or $20 per dozen, the big ones going for $3.50 apiece or $35 per dozen. The shop’s minnows are the biggest and cheapest around, Dave said, selling for $5 a pint. Eels, shedder crabs and other baits, a large supply, are stocked. Dave’s new <a href=" http://www.fishguatemala.com/FishGuatemala/fishguatemala.htm
" target="_blank">Guatemala guide service</a> is shaping up, and he’s finalizing packages, making sure everything is just right, including the right price.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The weekend’s Hooked on Fishing surf tournament for kids was a success, and the 150 entrants found kingfish all over the surf, and almost all caught, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Kingfishing was on, served up good catches from the wash, and both bloodworms and Fishbites Bag o’ Worms nabbed them. Fishing with the Fishbites started to work as waters warmed. Summer flounder scurried along the surf, and anglers cut up kingfish to use for flounder bait. Triggerfish were hooked along the jetties, and so were blackfish, now that one of the tog could be kept. Back-bay anglers tied into flounder but went through like 50 for every keeper. Using bigger baits was important. Andy took a trip with friends that landed 100 and no keepers.  Cory Kessler, age 5 or 6, weighed in a 5-pound flounder from the bay today. Jack on the Sailfish released a striped bass 26 inches or so on the bay while fishing for flounder with a Gulp. Bruce LeBlanc hooked a 20-inch striper in the surf on a minnow meant for flounder.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

A few keeper summer flounder, among legions of throwbacks, were picked from the back bay, and a few were dragged in from the inlet, said Curt from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. They might’ve been making the move to the ocean for the season. Striped bass were rapped on the bay at night mostly along the sod banks. Small blues sometimes showed up in the bay, and look for birds working the waters to find them. In the surf kingfish had been beached, but the angling really slowed, and these were the dog days of summer. Small flounder could be caught from the surf all day, from what Curt heard. Anglers fishing the bay from the banks at places like Harrah’s could also dredge up flounder. Not a lot of reports rolled in from offshore because of winds and seas in the past days. A buddy plowed 14 yellowfin tuna offshore but didn’t say where. Yellowfin fishing was good before the weather, not even at the canyons but toward 40 fathoms short of the canyons, in the past weeks. They were trolled, but chunking for them at night also began. Curt even knew about confirmed catches of yellowfins at the Lobster Claw in inshore waters. They weren’t bluefins that anglers just called yellowfins so they could bag them! A bunch of white marlin roamed offshore, and quite a few blue marlin were landed. Curt knew about three or four confirmed catches of blues and saw photos of like 600-pounders. Bluefin tuna could probably be caught in inshore waters, but boaters all passed the bluefin grounds to reach the yellowfins. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, returned to New Jersey to fish, after sailing from Oregon Inlet this season, and the vessel was on a chunking trip for tuna at the canyons today. Charters are available.

<b>Margate</b>

Loads of fluke littered the back bay, biting great, and occasionally one was a keeper, said Capt. John from the party boat <b>Keeper</b>. The fish paved the back of the bay, the inlet and everywhere. Minnows, mackerel and Gulps caught them on trips, and the minnows and mackerel are supplied. The only thing new on the bay was that John saw peanut bunker all over the waters Wednesday, and a few bluefish busted on them. Maybe bluefish were starting to move in. The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder twice daily 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

<b>Longport</b>

Inshore trolling, as it’s called, whacked small bluefish and a variety of other fish mixed in, including mahi mahi, little tunny and chub mackerel, 8 miles from shore on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. The fish roamed between the southeast corner of the O.C. Reef and Avalon Shoal. Fishing hadn’t been this good in four or five years. Big mystery bites also broke off the 50-pound line on the red and white cedar plugs. The mahi on the trip weighed 10 to 12 pounds, good-sized. One weighed 19 pounds 4 ounces on Wednesday. An incredible amount of bait flooded the waters that day, and bunker schools stretched 6 or 8 miles, and bunker boats headed home, filled up. The trolling sailed on short, 5-hour trips 7 a.m. to 12 noon or 12 noon to 5 p.m. Sea bass fishing was solid the last time trips fished for them. Charters can sail for sea bass if they’d like. But the action is with the trolling, so everybody chooses that.  Mike had just scheduled the season’s open-boat, overnight tuna trips that will leave the dock at 2 p.m. August 21, 28 and 29 for only $285 per person. The trips will also stop for sea bass in the mornings. The first trip on the 21st already sold out, and these will be the only of these trips to sail this year, unless the weather is clear in September. Then one more might be added. Rods will be available at no charge, and bait will be provided, and ice will be supplied for the tuna. Call Mike for details: 609-391-9630. 

<b>Ocean City</b>

Great catches of summer flounder were burned on the back bay, and the sizes of the fish was the only issue, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Many were shorts, probably 30 or 40 for every keeper, but occasionally a keeper was toggled in. Some bigger ones began to be drummed up from Ships Channel and the inlet, and John started to hear that sizeable ones were socked at the O.C. Reef, but seas kept most from fishing there. Many kingfish were plundered from the surf, good angling. Anglers could have fun with big shovelnosed rays, cownosed rays and sharks, all tackle-busting fish, at the bridges and piers at night. A few sharks were beached in the surf, but not in the numbers like farther north around Seaside. Striped bass anglers on the bay, if they put in the time, could yank in the fish, mostly schoolies but sometimes a 28-incher, all fun on light tackle, in the early mornings or at night on lures like swimming plugs, rubber shads and top-water poppers. On the ocean bonito were sometimes trolled at Sea Isle Ridge on lures like small Clark spoons, small feathers, little Gotchas and so on. Some boaters trolled spreader bars for them. Farther from shore, yellowfin tuna fishing had begun to be super in 40 to 50 fathoms, somewhat short of the canyons, but seas kept most from sailing there this week. Mahi mahi and occasionally a bluefin tuna were trolled in the waters.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Surf anglers were banging kingfish, small ones, but sometimes a better-sized one, and the angling was lots better than last year, said Laz from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. He’s a surf fisher, and the kingfish run was one of the best he’s seen in some time, and he hoped bigger kings arrive as the season goes on, into fall. Anglers fished for them mostly with bloodworms tipped with Fishbites artificial worms or something like that. He beached summer flounder recently from the surf, but all shorts. The back bay’s flounder fishing was good, though many of the fish were throwbacks. Striped bass were sometimes plugged on the bay in the early mornings and at night.

Ted Wall and family landed more than 50 summer flounder, including a 4-pound keeper, on a trip Monday on the back bay, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. In the afternoon a trip with Joe’s Dad reeled up more than 25 of the fluke, including a 3-pound keeper, from the bay. That was more than 75 of the flatties, a variety of sizes, caught in one day. That was an incredible number, and Joe was sure he had days when that many were hooked on the bay over the years, but couldn’t remember the last time. A huge population of  flounder filled the bay, and this was even late in the season for so many to be there. The fishing is especially great for families, trips like ones meant for children to catch their first fish. Joe saw the season’s first baby sea bass in the bay this week. The juvenile lumpheads enter the bay every summer. Trips are also fishing for striped bass on the bay at night with spinning and fly tackle. The bass respond best at night for a moment in the heat of summer, willing to swipe soft-plastic lures or Clouser Minnows at places like under the bridge or dock lights. Jersey Cape is running special shark trips, fighting mainly browns and duskies, catch and release angling by regulation, 5 to 10 miles from shore. That’s a unique opportunity for anglers to try blue-water angling for big fish without the long trip usually necessary for sharking. Trips with Joe are fishing offshore for tuna, billfish and mahi mahi, too. Seas were bumpy for offshore fishing this week, but Joe hopes to return soon. He traveled to Chincoteague this week and said the fishing was better at Sea Isle. Small croakers, flounder and blues bit at Chincoteague. 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>

Summer flounder and sea bass were wrangled up on the party boat <b>Adventurer</b>, Capt. Gary said. “Still doing the routine,” he said, but a few kingfish and small blues began to add variety to catches. Trips are fishing 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and are also bluefishing 6 p.m. to 12 midnight every Saturday. Bluefishing was tougher recently.

The back bay was loaded with summer flounder, lots of the fish, lots of action, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. Not many were keepers, but the population of the flatbacks was strong, remaining the same as before. When anglers who fish once a year rent one of the boats and nail the flounder, that shows the population is large. Customers grabbed the fluke on minnows, and juvenile sea bass also swam the bay. The sea bass are never keepers in the waters, but they tugged at baits, provided more action. Mike saw no bluefish from the bay in a while. Crabbing on the boats was good and improving a little, producing larger ones somewhat more than before, and crabbing should only get better as the season goes on.  Canal Side rents canopy boats and kayaks for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing. Baits stocked include minnows and frozen squid strips, whole squid, spearing, mackerel fillets, mullet, clam strips and packaged clams. Live crabs for eating are carried, and currently No. 2’s are $12 for the first dozen and $10 for each additional dozen. No. 1’s are $20 for the first dozen and $18 for each additional dozen. Crabs are sold according to market prices that can change.

<b>Cape May</b>

Blues 1 to 3 pounds, a couple of false albacore and a bonito were trolled 8 to 10 miles from shore on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> on Wednesday, Capt. George said. The inshore trolling trips were producing, and the boat is also tuna fishing offshore, but none of the fleet probably sailed to the grounds this week because of seas.

Plenty of kingfish filled the surf, including around Cape May Point, and a customer this morning mopped them up on bloodworms, said Danny Boy from <b>Hands Too Bait &  Tackle</b>. Croakers also swam the surf with the kings, and both fish could also be boated off the point. Lots of throwback flounder but a few keepers held predominantly off the point, along Bayshore Channel and in Delaware Bay at spots like Brandywine, Bug Light and Miah Maull. The flatties also collected in the back bay. A friend who fishes for them daily in the back bay sorted through shorts but was able to claim three or four keepers per trip. Word about catches, including flounder, was quiet from the Old Grounds and Reef 11 in the ocean. Fishing in general was good, Danny said.

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