New Jersey Fishing Reports

Barbara Anne Fishing Charters began to switch to fluke fishing full time, Capt. Anthony said. But until fluking entirely picks up, combo fluke and sea bass trips will probably run. Still, good catches of fluke were already on tap, and anglers aboard were already slugging sea bass, plenty of them. A couple of anglers want to jump aboard a bluefish trip, so space is available for a couple of more anglers, if anyone wants blues. Barbara Anne’s fluke trips usually fish along Ambrose Channel to the VerrazanoBridge. But special Fluke Monster-a-Thons, 11-hour, open-boat trips with four anglers, will 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. What’s more, 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

Anglers aboard on Saturday bagged four fluke, releasing many throwbacks, at Reach Channel and Chapel Hill Channel, said Capt. Akira from True World Tackle and True World Tackle Charters. A friend nabbed an okay catch of sea bass and one keeper fluke at the Mud Buoy. A customer ran a trip that bunker-chunked eight keeper striped bass at buoy 8 at Sandy Hook Channel among lots of boaters chunking on Saturday. Seemed a good spot for the fishing. Another customer walloped a 36.6-pound 47-inch striper at one of the bridges at Jersey City during a morning. Fishing for stripers at the bulkheads slowed down at places like Bayonne and Jersey City. But the fish were sometimes chunked at night.

Keyport

Seven keeper fluke were plowed on a trip Monday in the back of Raritan Bay with Papa’s Angels Charters, Capt. Joe said. That was a great catch in these days of the increased size limit, and few shorts actually bit. The flatties bit from the get-go on the trip, and kept hitting. Squid and killies were the baits, and the anglers were Brandon, Victor, Mr. Barry Brown, Gary and another Victor. The weather was cooler in a breeze when the trip first left at 7 a.m., but heat kicked in later in the day. Space is available on an open-boat trip sailing Wednesday morning that a couple of anglers already want to fish on. Call to climb aboard. 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. Again, call to go. Credit card payments through PayPal are accepted for all trips.

Atlantic Highlands

A couple of good-sized fluke, like the 4-1/2-pound pool-winner, were belted on Monday’s trip, said Capt. Ron from the party boat Fishermen in an e-mail. “Just not enough,” he said, and the trip searched several areas looking for better action. The drift wasn’t bad, covered plenty of ground, after the tide changed. Ron reminded anglers to bring plenty of drinking water in the temperatures in the high 90s forecast for the next days. “Amazing how many people don’t,” he said. Dehydration can set in quickly. “Even if you’re 30 years old, physically fit and think it can’t happen to you, it can,” he said. “Just a heads up.” The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for striped bass 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. However, Sunday morning’s trip is chartered.

Some days produced more keepers than others on fluke trips on the party boat Atlantic Star, but all patrons at least caught throwbacks, and the shorts gave up lots of action, Capt. Tom said. Trips fished at Reach Channel or near the Navy Pier, the same places they’d been fishing, and the location depended on conditions or where winds and tides created the best drifts. Sunday afternoon’s trip served up some of the better catches of keepers, and two of the anglers limited out. Some landed no keepers, but again, everyone at least hooked shorts. Spearing and squid are provided for bait, and they worked. Anglers who fished with rigs with lighter leaders than the heavy line on store-bought rigs landed better numbers of fluke, but not necessarily more keepers. An angler who fished with a bucktail on Sunday afternoon’s trip steadily caught, but whether the bucktail or the angler made the difference was difficult to say, and the angler worked. One of the anglers who limited out on that trip used a lime-green Gulp for bait, but he worked the line, didn’t just let it drag in the drift. Those Gulps and New Penny Shrimp Gulps seemed to catch somewhat more fluke, but again, not more keepers, and whether the bait or the angler made the difference was difficult to tell. Sometimes a rig with a jig and a killie on a trailer worked well, but the anglers worked them, and the anglers might’ve made the difference, and the rig didn’t seem to catch more keepers, just more fish. 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.

Neptune

Extremely good catches of sea bass could be socked, said Capt. Ralph from Last Lady Fishing Charters in an e-mail. Jessie Bavaro’s party bailed loads of the fish to 3 pounds. Good fishing for fluke, with lots of the fish, but not many keepers yet, could be claimed. Ken Murphy’s party pumped up fluke to 3 ½ pounds, a good catch of sea bass and some ling, and released out-of-season blackfish. Wednesday’s weekly, individual-reservation trip for fluke and sea bass found picky fluking, only a few keepers. Bluefish to 12 pounds currently gave up tons of catches. Ross Paterson’s party walloped the speedsters to 8 pounds. Jeff Walsh’s crew battled blues to 12 pounds and bagged two striped bass weighing in the high teens. Stripers could be landed in the right conditions. Canyon tuna fishing was happening right now. Ralph took a canyon trip with friends Capt. Steve King, on Steve’s Fat Cat, and Capt. Jerry Beaver to check out the good reports, and they drilled yellowfin tuna to 40 pounds, not the small ones like in the last three years, and a 227-pound bigeye tuna. One- and two-day canyon charters are available, and the season’s first individual-reservation trip to the canyons is set for July 21 to 22. On shark trips, Last Lady had a great year so far, and anglers currently still have a shot at makos on a charter. Spots are available for the weekly, individual-reservation trip for fluke and sea bass this Wednesday. The following Wednesday, July 14, is full, so another one of the trips was added for that Thursday. Space is also available on the two Wednesdays afterward, July 21 and 28. An individual-reservation trip offshore will fish for cod, pollock and ling on July 27. The last trip filled the cooler with cod and pollock, despite difficult conditions. Fish for them in shorts instead of bundled up for winter. An inshore, individual-reservation trip will fish for sea bass, ling, blackfish and maybe cod and pollock on July 22, with clams and crabs on board for bait.

Belmar

Anglers kicked off last week’s fishing with shark trips on the Nan Sea J, wrestling in a couple of makos, including a 72-inch 140-pounder, and some blue sharks, Capt. Tom said. More shark trips were slated for today and Friday. The weekly, open-boat shark trip every Wednesday will stay docked this week because of a Coast Guard inspection, but the open trips will resume next week. Take advantage of the rare opportunity for sharking on an open trip. Charters on the boat were also doing lots of bottom fishing, and catches were going well for a mixed bag of ling, sea bass and cod, surprising to see so many cod around. Out-of-season blackfish and winter flounder were let go. A fluke trip was slow Sunday in a lack of drift on the ocean. Only two fluke charters sailed on the vessel so far this season, but more will begin to run, and bigger fluke seemed to begin biting in the ocean. A friend nailed a 7-1/2-pounder and a 4-1/2-pounder on Monday, and Tom heard about a good catch on one of the Belmar party boats this weekend.

Brielle

On the Big Kid the Hecht family belted fluke to 3 pounds at the reef on Saturday, and the Olah family socked the flatties to 5 pounds on the ocean off Asbury Park on Sunday, Capt. Ken said. Travis Olah, 7, caught the 5-pounder. Charters will keep fluke fishing and are also sea bass fishing. Sea bassing was good on boats Sunday. Waters were warming for shark fishing, so the Big Kid will next shark fish in fall. The last shark trip, two Sundays ago, burned a 200-pound mako and a bunch of duskies and blue sharks. Bluefin tuna now swam the inshore ocean, and charters are available for them. Yellowfin tuna fishing took off farther offshore at the canyons, and now was also a time to go for them on the vessel. Almost all weekends are booked on the Big Kid, but more weekday openings are available.

Hudson Canyon anglers on Saturday whaled yellowfin tuna, said John from The Reel Seat. Nineteen of the fish and a 400-pound blue marlin were landed on the Pepper that day. Bluefin tuna fishing closer to shore at the Chicken Canyon turned out decent catches. Fighting through bluefish might’ve been the biggest problem. The party boats locked up on plenty of bluefish inshore of the Mudhole, just south of Shark River Reef. Sharks continued to be caught, and sea bass fishing racked up lots of good-sized lumpheads, and cod were claimed at the deeper wrecks, Chuck from the shop said. Fluke fishing on the ocean served up many throwbacks, but anglers came across a pocket of better-sized flatties once in a while, scoring alright on keepers, he said. Fluking was similar on the Manasquan River, hooking many of the fish, not a lot of keepers, John said. Not much was heard about striped bass fishing, he said.

Point Pleasant

Fluke fishing on the ocean was slow last Tuesday and Wednesday on the ocean on trips that fished from Deal to the Shrewsbury Rocks, said Capt. Allen from Reel Class Charters. But the angling will improve, and already did. Catches became somewhat better on a trip Friday, and something changed to make the fish respond better, and friends said the angling was definitely better, was good, on Saturday. Sizeable sea bass were mixed in during Reel Class’s trips, and so were ling and a conger eel. A half-day trip Thursday concentrated on sea bass, rounding up a catch of the fish and a fair-sized cod, releasing out-of-season blackfish to 6 pounds. The bottom-fishing’s been good. Charters will keep sailing for fluke and sea bass, and annual, open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Trips are fishing, and spaces are filling, and check the <a href="http://www.reelclassfishing.com/rates/open-boat-info" target="_blank">schedule</a> on Reel Class’s Web site for available dates. Bluefish charters are available, and trips for bonito and false albacore will run in August and September.

“Well, it was about to happen any time,” said the report on Canyon Runner’s Web site. A trip to Hudson Canyon drilled 27 yellowfin tuna from 50 to 60 pounds on Sunday, and another trip on Monday lambasted 33. The canyon season was early, but the 20 trips to the waters with Canyon Runner since June 11 had already averaged 6 to 12 fish per outing. Yellowfins were decked, and so were bigeye tuna, mako sharks, marlin and mahi mahi. Bluefin tuna were also beaten inshore. Only one canyon trip was slow. “Don’t fish the calendar; fish the water,” the report said. Fish-holding water’s been in the canyons for a month now. “(We) would have begged for (these) results last August to October,” it said. All the tuna this season were trolled so far, and with numbers like 27 caught, the fish hit everything. The trolling pattern on Sunday’s trip included four Canyon Runner spreader bars, and ballyhoos were on the rest of the rods. The ‘hoos worked best. A trip Saturday to Sunday, the Fourth of July, was an annual, free trip for military veterans. With reports about great trolling for tuna coming from Lindenkohl Canyon, the trip ran there. A couple of yellowfin tuna were hooked before nightfall, and the nighttime fishing was some of the best in a while. Four mako sharks were reeled in, three topping 200 pounds, and one was kept. The crew usually doesn’t see three in a year that weigh more than 200. In the morning a white marlin and a sizeable, 20-pound mahi mahi were trolled. On a trip Friday to Saturday six yellowfins and a mako were banged out at the Hudson. On a trip Thursday to Friday a 90-pound bluefin tuna was taken in the morning at the Chicken Canyon, and five yellowfins were trolled at the Hudson. Fishing was slow that night and the next morning on the trip. On a trip Wednesday to Thursday a satellite chart was unavailable because of cloud cover, so the boat was headed to Carteret Canyon to be in the middle of the canyons to search for the water temps that held the fish. No life was found at the Carteret, and the trip headed south, going 1 for 3 on white marlin, also landing a couple of mahi mahi, before night. The trip ended up near Lindenkohl Canyon, catching two mako sharks, both 165 pounds, keeping one, at night, trolling eight yellowfins in the morning. An opening might be available on a high-end, open-boat trip with only four anglers Wednesday to Thursday. The crew will take care of everything for the anglers, including grilling up dinner and drinks.

A split charter steamed to Hudson Canyon from Thursday to Friday with Andrea’s Toy Charters, the report on the boat’s Web site said. Forecasts turned out wrong, and seas were rough, but the anglers slugged it out and fished. They had to begin fishing 20 miles short of where the crew originally planned to begin in the deep. Nonetheless, the life was seen, and the trip pounded the area, and the anglers trolled two healthy-sized yellowfin tuna, a sizeable bull mahi mahi and a bonus: a 150-pound 70-inch mako shark, the angler’s personal best. At night the boat was put on the drift for swordfish and sharks, and three blue sharks to 8 feet were wrestled in. In the morning the boat was put back on the troll in tough, 3- to 6-foot, head seas, and skipjacks covered the spread. Then the anglers targeted mahi mahi at structure, reeling in a half-dozen chickens on light tackle. Seas were too rough to drift for tilefish. To end the trip on a great note, the crew had Master Chef Marcus Wilson from Dockside Grill “make the magic happen,” the report said. They gave him mahi mahi and mako shark, and told him to let his imagination take over. The results: mahi mahi cooked two ways, in a spicy lobster crème sauce, and in an Asian teriyaki fusion; and mako cooked three ways, in a Mediterranean style, blackened with fresh garlic clusters, and saltine-crusted in a spicy tomato sauce! A pinot blanc from Fish Hook Vineyards topped off the experience. 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. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner. An open-boat wreck-fishing trip sailed to the Mudhole on Saturday, wrangling up an okay catch of mostly ling, some sea bass and four keeper cod. The anglers first fished in 130 and 150 feet. Anchoring conditions began to fall apart, though the anglers continued to pick away. On the way home the trip fished a wreck in 70 feet with seas building. Despite rough conditions, a bunch of sea bass were mugged there, before the anglers headed for the barn.

Bricktown

Fluke, lots of them, blanketed the Manasquan River, and keepers were mixed in, said Capt. Rich from the tackle shop Jersey Hooker Outfitters. Gulp 2-inch Nuclear Chicken Shrimp was the hot bait, according to customers. Fishing the Gulp on a ¼-ounce, pink Spro jig bailed the fish best. But ¼- or 1/8-ounce, round jigheads also worked. A Gulp Swim Mullet on a shaky-head jig was the second-best bait, and killies also caught. The ocean reefs shoveled up good fishing for sea bass, though anglers really had to pick through shorts. Axel Carlson Reef sounded most productive for customers. Short and keeper fluke also hugged the reefs. Fluke were plucked from the surf here and there, and dusky and brown sharks haunted the wash in the evenings. Those sharks must be released by law. Striped bass, 8- to 10-pounders, none gigantic, were sometimes clammed in the surf, only at night. Some customers trolled bluefish toward the Mudhole. Some looked for false albacore at those waters, finding none yet, but drilling lots of blues. Shark anglers caught sharks at places like the Glory Hole and the Chicken Canyon, fighting through bluefish to nail them. Bluefin tuna were occasionally boated in the area, were yet to give up a solid fishery, and maybe 1 in 10 who tried for them found a population of the fish they could hook. No customers sailed for tuna and big game farther offshore at the canyons so far, but that fishing sounded like it was starting to pop. Rich’s Jersey Hooker Charters, sailing from Point Pleasant’s Canyon River Club, will probably sail to the canyons this weekend. Crabbers picked away at blueclaws, not setting any records for catches, but gathering two to three dozen keepers with no problem. The best reports rolled in from around the Mantoloking Bridge, Bay Avenue in Bay Head, and Windward Beach.

Seaside Park

A ¾-day ocean-wreck-fishing trip put the brakes on large sea bass, a decent catch, but the size was the thing, on Sunday with Fishguts Inshore Charters, Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier said. The lumpheads averaged 15 inches, some of the best-quality of the season so far, a great size, especially for July. A 3-pound 19-incher was the largest, and the three anglers also hooked cod and released out-of-season blackfish. On Saturday, the report on the boat’s Web site said, a father and son joined a Captain’s Combo trip, trips that fish both Barnegat Bay and the ocean in one outing. They planned to fish the bay later in the day, because the tide would be best for fluke fishing in the waters then. But they made a quick stop on the fluke grounds on the way to fishing on the ocean for sea bass, and fluke action was slow. Knowing the angling should be better later, they wasted little time on the bay, running to the ocean. Sea bassing at the first drop, a place that produced a great catch the previous day, was disappointing. But a move a few miles away gave up the action they were looking for. They enjoyed fast action with a mix of short and keeper sea bass, “lots of smiles and laughs,” Birth said. When the time came to move to the bay, the anglers picked away at fluke on light tackle. On Friday a full-day ocean-wreck-fishing trip sailed for sea bass with three anglers. The first drop, with a few small adjustments, gave up great action, including with plenty of keepers. A short run a little deeper to another spot topped off a limit for the three anglers. Sea bass 12 ½ to 13 inches were most abundant among the keepers, but enough that measured 15 inches-plus bit “to keep everyone smiling,” Birch said. Two fat ling were also bucketed. Looking ahead, dates are being booked for unique Bounty of the Bay Trips for August. The family trips, primarily fishing trips, entertain and educate both adults and children. Explore everything from a hermit crab to an osprey nest atop a channel marker to a first-time viewing of Barnegat Lighthouse. Catch everything from bluefish to fluke, weakfish, small sea bass, kingfish, blowfish and jumbo sea robins. The trips are a great way to get the kids fishing for a great price. 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.

Barnegat

“Tuna!” an e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the Hi Flier said. Forecasts are calling for light, variable winds and calm seas the next three days, the perfect opportunity to go bluefin tuna hunting, and three open-boat trips will go after the fish 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, limited to three anglers per day. They’ll fish 30-plus miles from shore, where 40- to 60-pounders were caught, and mahi mahi were mixed in. The trips will work the waters on the high-speed troll with spreader bars, jets, cedar plugs and a way-back ballyhoo. All the fishing gear is on board, and so is a survival raft and the EPIRB for safety. Though land temps are approaching 100 degrees, the days out there will be considerably cooler, because water temps are in the high 60s. “I can think of worse ways to spend the heat wave than dragging lures for tuna at 6 knots!” Dave said. Call to reserve a spot.

Surf City

In the surf striped bass, bluefish and fluke were dragged in, and a 33-pound 4-ounce striper was weighed in from the suds Monday morning, said Joe from Surf City Bait & Tackle. Stripers were unusual in the waters this time of year, but the surf must’ve gotten chilled from the wind direction. Still, the waters will probably warm in this heat wave, and the fish will probably depart. Fluke in the wash were mostly shorts, a few keepers. An 8-pound 28-inch keeper was checked in early Monday morning. Crabbing was excellent in the bay.

Mystic Island

Better numbers of keeper summer flounder than before were drummed up on Great Bay and Tuckerton Bay and at Little Egg Reef, according to a scattering of reports, said the report on Scott’s Bait & Tackle’s Web site on the Fourth of July on Sunday. The hope at the shop was that the better ratio continued for more than a day. That was about how long the last shot of increased keeper catches lasted. Previously in the past days flounder offered the area’s best fishing, and keepers were scarce, but just enough were around to keep hopes up. The best catches came from along the Intracoastal Waterway from markers 134 to 139 and from the runnels between the bars at the clam stakes on the Mystic Island side of the Fish Factory. Sea bass anglers scored okay in 60 feet or deeper. Sometimes finding a wreck that wasn’t picked over took luck, but sea bass fishing was on. A 27.8-pound cobia, the first reported caught on this site this season, was checked in from the ocean just outside Little Egg Reef.

Margate

A couple of trips fished for sea bass and summer flounder this past week with O-Beth Sportfishing Charters, and the angling began to pick up, Capt. Eric said. Sea bass to 15 and 16 inches were knuckled aboard, and keeper fluke to 20 inches were sometimes tugged up. The sea bass came from the ocean reefs, and sometimes so did the flounder. Waters were 67 degrees and beginning to produce. But sometimes the flounder also came from the bay, and the population of the flatties, the mix of shorts and keepers, was about the same in the bay as in the ocean. So trips could fish for them at either place. Eventually warm waters will push the better flounder fishing to the cooler ocean. But the ocean was starting to be warm for shark fishing, and the angling might be best at night by now. Shark anglers might get a shot at a tiger shark in the warmth, and hammerheads were around in the heat. Brown sharks that like warmth also arrived in the ocean close to shore. The crew from O-Beth loves shark fishing, and Eric also heard about good catches of bluefin tuna 30 miles from shore. Now was the time to jump aboard for the inshore tuna fishing. Farther from shore, angling was starting to pick up for yellowfin tuna, white marlin and such big game.

Longport

On the Stray Cat sea bass, lots of them, and a few good-sized summer flounder were creamed 11 miles from shore, Capt. Mike said. The ocean angling was going well, and an inlet and bay trip on Saturday bagged four keeper flounder, hooking and releasing undersized sea bass. A bluefin tuna trip on the inshore ocean was weathered out Thursday because of winds. But boaters afterward clocked the tuna 6 to 8 miles east of the Cigar, a little farther out than the fish sometimes swim, but they were there. Boaters farther from shore at the northern canyons crushed yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi during the weekend. Temperature breaks looked good there, and a trip on the boat is supposed to sail for the fish this weekend. The boat is available for charter for Ocean City’s annual <a href=" http://services.ocnj.us/Recreation/NightInVenice2010/tabid/1205/Default.aspx
" target="_blank">Nights in Venice</a>. Looking ahead, special charters are available at a super discount in September for sea bass and croakers on the ocean. “We will negotiate,” Mike said.

Sea Isle City

Yellowfin tuna to 50 pounds and mahi mahi were trolled at Lindenkohl Canyon on a trip Saturday with Jay VonCzoernig and John Martin, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle. Anglers had to “ride over them,” Joe said, and the fish bit all at once when anglers did. Other boats also trolled white marlin and blue marlin. Water temperature breaks were in the area, and Joe’s trip fished in waters 73.4 to 75 degrees. Bluefin tuna were caught in inshore waters, and Jersey Cape did no fishing for them, but does sail for the fish. Dusky and brown sharks roamed waters 5 to 10 miles from shore, and a trip last week with Jersey Cape went 9 for 13 on duskies caught and released. The shark fishing, catch and release by law, is an opportunity to battle fish that fight hard and run long on light-spinning tackle or fly rods close to shore. A trip Friday with Joe fished at Cape May Reef with Dustin Laricks, Steve Smith and John Martin, rounding up a mixed bag of sea bass and summer flounder. Lots of flounder paved the back bay, and Jersey Cape’s anglers are taking advantage. Striped bass in the bay bit at night under the dock and bridge lights, and Joe’s anglers toss soft-plastic lures or Clouser flies to them. Stripers could be clammed sporadically during the day on the bay. Keep up with Joe’s fishing and photos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

Avalon

If anglers are looking to catch yellowfin tuna at the canyons, go now, don’t wait! an e-mail from Over Under Adventures said. Good-sized yellowfins 40 to 60 pounds are biting well on the troll during the daytime, and a 22-hour trip leaving at 1 a.m. is best. That allows fishing from first light to evening, about 14 or 15 hours of trolling, returning to the dock by 11 p.m. See a report about Over Under’s latest trip to the canyons below. First, Over Under is also fishing for bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean, and the last couple of bluefin trips were productive for 40- to 55-inchers. The fish seemed on the move, not holding anyplace long. The last trip stumbled into them at four different places around the Hambone, never repeating a bite. So the bluefin fishing wasn’t red hot lately, but turned up decent catches. Back to the yellowfins: A long, two-day trip headed to the canyons on Friday, and the crew originally planned to fish at Lindenkohl Canyon, because of recent reports about good fishing. But they received calls from two boats on the way out, saying the anglers were scoring well at Spencer Canyon. So Over Under ran to the Spencer, arriving at the fleet at 2 p.m. Only a small yellowfin was missed, and the crew decided to move away from the other boats. Then the trolling spread got jumped, “and I mean jumped,” the report said. All 10 lines were attacked, and nine came tight. The crew organized the chaos, working to keep the lines clear and avoid crossing them, and in the end, seven yellowfins, 40- to 50-pounders, were boated, and the two others pulled the hooks. Two more singles were boated later that day. On the drift at night in the same area, not much action happened, but a small mako was released on a swordfish rod, and a blue shark was let go, and some mahi mahi were landed. The boat was back up on the troll at 4:30 a.m. The fishing was slow at first, and too many boats jammed the waters. One boat trolled directly passed, hooking a 250-pound bigeye tuna. Other vessels ran into yellowfin tuna here and there, but the angling was hit or miss at best. A white marlin was jumped with Over Under. At noon the crew decided to leave the fleet and find waters to themselves. The boat was trolled toward Lindenkohl Canyon, and two whites were raised but never committed. On arrival at the Lindy, a few boats fished the area, and loads of bait was marked. Six more yellowfins were trolled, as the vessel circled around the same area, for a total of 15 for the trip. A couple of more whites were also raised. The trip headed for the barn at 9 p.m. Several openings are available on trips later this week through the weekend and early next week. An open-boat trip is being organized for the weekend for anyone who wants to go. Call Over Under ASAP, letting the crew know your availability: 866-682-8862. Overnight charters are also available.

Wildwood

Surf anglers toggled in kingfish around Wildwood, mostly from Wildwood Crest to Hereford Inlet, said Cathy from Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle in an e-mail. They occasionally beached a striped bass. The back bay harbored plenty of summer flounder, lots of shorts, but some sizeable keepers. Steve Dyl weighed in a 5-pound 15-ounce flounder he boated near Grassy Sound on his On the Roc’s. Adrienne Miskiewicz checked in her first-ever flounder, a 3-pound 6-ouncer, she reeled up from the back bay at Wildwood on mom’s Anger Management. Good flounder catches were made on Delaware Bay near Miah Maull along the shipping channel. The fishing for the flatties was sketchy at the ocean reefs as anglers searched for their hot spots for the shop’s Duke of Fluke Tournament this weekend. But some of the fish, quite a few throwbacks, but keepers to 7 pounds, were lifted aboard from Reef 11 and the Old Grounds, both in the ocean off Delaware. Turk Mihalek weighed in a 6-pound 6-ounce flounder he angled aboard at Reef 11 on the Mad Money. Mark Tallarida checked in a 5-pound 2-ounce sea bass from Cape May Reef. Canyon fishing “kicked into gear,” Cathy said, giving up yellowfin tuna, white and blue marlin and mahi mahi. Fish-holding waters moved into Spencer Canyon and were heading south. Crabby Jack gave crabbing 3 ½ claws out of 5, and good catches of keepers were nabbed. The shop’s 17th annual Duke of Fluke Tournament will be held Saturday, and the captain’s meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The event will include a kayak division for kayakers looking to get in on the action. For details, anglers can call the shop at 609-729-1425 or can visit <a href=" http://www.sterlingharbor.com" target="_blank">Sterling Harbor’s Web site</a>.

Cape May

More keeper summer flounder than before bit in the ocean, said Capt. Bob from the Down Deep. So a few of the flatties could be kept now, and trips on the boat fish for the fluke there. Tons of sea bass littered the bottom, but keepers were tough to come by. Bluefish schooled the ocean, and false albacore were around in the waters. Farther from the coast, bluefin tuna were in, and occasional yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi were mixed in. The Down Deep is sailing for all these species, except sea bass, and openings are available.