<b>Staten Island</b>

Many 3- to 5-pound fluke were included in a good catch of the flatties to 7.4-pounds on a trip Tuesday with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, the Captain’s Blog on the boat’s Web site said. The angler with the 7.4-pounder moved into second place in Barbara Anne’s season-long Fluke Derby. The same group sailed for fluke and sea bass on the vessel Wednesday. But on the way out the anglers agreed to abandon sea bass and concentrate on fluke, because winds blew 20 to 25 m.p.h., and the waters held a ground swell. A decent number of fluke were hung, but the size was smaller than on the previous day, and the fish weighed up to 3 pounds. 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 wrangled aboard. A custom-made Lamiglas rod is the first prize. Two free open-boat trips are the second. Anyone who fishes aboard becomes eligible, and there is no entry fee. 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.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A couple of the anglers bagged three fluke apiece on today’s trip on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, and bait worked as well as jigs did, Capt. Ron said in an e-mail. The trip began fishing on the bay on a good drift that outgoing tide flowing with the west winds created. The anglers picked away, and a handful of good-sized fluke were coolered. On the change of tide the boat was motored to the channel, and a handful of fluke and a few sea bass came up. But a strong current down deep put the kibosh on the fishing there. The trip moved to Flynn’s Knoll then the bay to finish up the day. For the boat’s night trips this weekend, Ron hopes bluefish will bite, because the fishing for them has been a “disaster,” he said! 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 this Friday and Saturday.

Quite a few keeper fluke were tied into on certain days now, and on some days they refused to bite, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Places that gave up good catches included Ambrose Channel and north of Sea Bright in a little deeper waters. Raritan Bay turned out the flatties, lots of fish, lots of shorts, on parts of the tides. Bottom fishing mopped up lots of porgies and sea bass. Deeper waters put up ling. Bluefish that could be jigged gathered around the Shrewsbury Rocks and in the back of the bay. Crabbing was excellent.

A 7-pound 2-ounce fluke was plowed on Monday afternoon’s trip, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Fishing was about the same in the past days as previously on the boat, though a few new places were fished, and Wednesday afternoon trip’s catch wasn’t as good as the rest of the week’s. A 5-pound fluke was the pool-winner that day. Previously Tom talked about catches like an angler aboard occasionally bagging five keepers, but that was the exception, and some landing two keepers or so, and some reeling up one, and some catching no keepers. But all caught at least shorts. Previously the boat fished at spots including Sandy Hook Channel, Reach Channel and off Sandy Hook Point to the Navy Pier. Those areas were still fished, but new areas off the channel -- like Flynn’s Knoll, around the TC buoy or in front of the Navy Pier off the channel -- were also fished in the past days. The location depended on conditions or whether winds and currents or tides combined to create the right drift. Sometimes a ship would travel past in the channel, and that seems to shut down the fishing because of the prop wash or something, and Tom always moves the boat then. Sometimes anglers won’t understand why the boat is being moved, but a ship always ends the bites. Skill could play a part in the angling, but luck played a part. One angler who fishes on the boat once in a while bagged three keepers this week when he usually picked up one. That was luck, and he didn’t even hook too many shorts that day. Another couple combined for 20 flounder and no keepers. That was again luck. Different baits seemed to work better at different times. Anglers used the squid and spearing supplied on the boat, and some brought their own killies, and some fished with their own Spro jigs. Sometimes the Spro’s seemed to hold somewhat of an advantage, and sometimes bait did. The angler with the 5-pound pool-winner landed the fish on a killie. Chartreuse Gulps helped quite a bit on rigs. There was no predicting the bait or tackle that would work better on a given day.  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.

<b>Highlands</b>

A couple of bluefin tuna trips were weathered out that were scheduled to fish on the inshore ocean this week at places like the Atlantic Princess wreck and the Chicken Canyon, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b>. Winds roughed up seas frequently. But the fish swam the waters, and Jersey Devil is concentrating on the fishing on both charters and open-boat trips. Call if interested in the open trips, because the more who are interested, the easier to schedule the trips. Jersey Devil is also focusing on fishing farther offshore at the canyons for tuna and big game, and again, the weather brought that fishing to a halt this week on the boat. 

A fluke keeper ratio of 1 in 20 was the rule of thumb from the ocean to the bay to the rivers, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. But keepers were sometimes had. Boaters from the marina talked about excellent sea bass catches mugged. Michael Modoski docked a big one, a 5-pounder, from a trip on Frank Rella’s Two F’s. Nobody mentioned fishing for striped bass anymore in the heat, and none from the marina sailed for tuna because of windy weather. Blues could be located all over from bigger ones in the ocean at places like the Mud Buoy to smaller cocktails in the rivers. Nothing was heard about weakfish so far this season. Crabbing was phenomenal, and crabbers busheled out around the Oceanic Bridge. The full supply of offshore baits is stocked, like flats of sardines and herring and chum. For inshore fishing, killies, all the different types of squid, spearing, Peruvian smelts that look like large spearing, frozen clam bellies and the entire supply of frozen baits is stocked.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fluke, an excellent catch, were plundered on the weekly individual-reservation trip for the flatties on the ocean Wednesday, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>. The keeper ratio was probably the highest this season so far. The fish weighed up to 4 to 5 pounds, and a number topped 20 inches. Some of the year’s best sea bass fishing, a catch including 3-1/2- and 4-pounders, was mixed in. Two inshore wreck-fishing trips sailed in the past days, scoring well. That angling had tapered off early last week on the down side of the moon, but now kicked back in. Individual-reservation trips for fluke are sailing every Wednesday. Space is available on individual-reservation trips to the offshore wrecks August 10 and 24, and Last Lady has been lambasting fish including big cod, large pollock and ling, on the trips, covered in previous reports. Room is available on individual-reservation tuna trips to the canyons slated for August 12 and 26, and tuna fishing’s been the best in four years.

<b>Belmar</b>

A good number of keeper fluke to 5 pounds were piled up from the ocean Wednesday on the <b>Nan Sea J</b>, Capt. Tom said. Quite a few sea bass to 3 pounds were also mauled aboard. So the trip was good, and waters were cool: 60 degrees when the boat broke the inlet, rising to 68 degrees later in the day to the north where the vessel fished. Tom had planned to sail for bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean Tuesday with friends, but the trip got nixed. But the Nan Sea J is sailing for the bluefins on charters and open-boat trips. The open trips are sailing when space is available, and call if interested in the schedule. The tuna supposedly still swam the waters.

Fluke fishing was getting better, and waters had been cold from south winds, but a couple of big ones 8 or 10 pounds were crushed on Wednesday’s trip, and some good-sizes ones were around lately, said Capt. Chris from the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>. Quite a few sea bass were mixed in on trips. Saturday’s and Sunday’s trips produced well on fluke, and Wednesday’s trip wasn’t as good. But some bagged four or five fluke aboard that day. Some also reeled up 40 of the flatties including two keepers, and that’s not the fluking Chris considers going well. He expects the catches to keep improving Friday through Sunday, and weather forecasts were better for then. Anglers on the boat fish at the rocky bottom in the ocean, often with jigs with whole squid. The jigs are sacrificed to snagging on the rocks at times, but the catches are often worth it. The Big Mohawk is fluke fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Larger bluefish began to be caught again the last three or four days on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, Capt. Alan said. Angling for big blues had been slow because of the spawn. The trips now weren’t beating them up, but decent catches were drilled. Nighttime fishing for blues was still terrible, and the fish were marked well on Wednesday night’s trip, but refused to bite. That should change any time, and the blues were overdue to come fully out of the spawn. On the party boat <b>Tropical Adventure</b>, Alan’s other boat, fluke trips gave up action, not a lot of keepers, and some days were better than others. A few sea bass were mixed in. 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. In September one or two trips per week will sail for bonito, false albacore and bluefin tuna, and the schedule will be posted on the vessel’s Web site, or anglers can call about the schedule. The Tropical Adventure is fluke fishing twice daily 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Lots of fluke skittered around, whether in Shark River for the shop’s rental boaters or in the ocean, and most were throwbacks, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. The ratio seemed hardly different whether anglers fished at either place. But some of the flatties were checked in that weighed nearly 6 pounds this week from the river. Fishing for snapper bluefish was good in the river, and porgies, mostly small, none real big, swam the river. Many customers bought worms to fish for the porgies. Surf anglers could bank striped bass, small ones, at night or in the early mornings. Fly rodders or plug casters using teasers landed them, and none was hooked on bait. The pluggers cast small plugs or small poppers with teasers. Blackfish hovered at the Point Pleasant Canal, and green crabs are stocked for bait if anglers want to try for blacks. Bluefishing was slow on the ocean Wednesday.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Bluefishing was tough today and Wednesday on the ocean, an e-mail from the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b> said, and the fish finder marked the blues, but getting them to bite was a chore.  Past reports from the vessel said the spawn caused slow bluefishing. But on Tuesday’s trip large blues were hooked, and the captain found the fish tight to the beach. Jigging for them was difficult, but the sharpies figured them out. Long-time customer Mike Boozer won the pool with a 16-pounder. “Yes pounds, not ounces!” the e-mail said. Previously small, non-spawning blues were landed  on the vessel while the big ones were turned off. “Plenty of vacationing novices had shots of fish, but a little angling skill was necessary to really put it together,” the e-mail said.  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.

With <b>Reel Class Charters</b> a fluke trip on the ocean fished all over to the north Monday, but the fishing was tough, Capt. Allen said. A total of 12 fluke, sea bass and a ling were bagged, and that’s all. The anglers fished from Spring Lake to north of the Shrewsbury Rocks. Fluking was even more difficult on a trip Wednesday at the reef and offshore from there. Hard south winds blew early in the day, and lots of shorts, lots of life, filled the waters, but not lots of keepers did. Only two keeper fluke, maybe a dozen keeper sea bass and a ling were decked. Seas were rough, so the trip moved to Manasquan River, and short fluke bit. Tons of short fluke carpeted the river. So fluke fishing was slow on the ocean, and cold waters in the low 60s from south winds was at least part of the problem. The fishing needed west or northeast winds. Lots of fluke trips are slated coming up, and the time to fish for false albacore and bonito is around the corner. A couple of open-boat trips in August for bonito, albies and bluefin tuna are already on the calendar, and  check Reel Class’s Web site for the <a href="http://www.reelclassfishing.com/rates/open-boat-info" target="_blank">open-boat schedule</a> for the dates. Also check the schedule for annual, open Fluke Till You Puke Trips.

Bluefin tuna jigging went 3 for 5 on the fish to 60 pounds on Friday with <b>High Hook Sport Fishing</b>, with Capt. Mark at the helm, Capt. Brenda said. On the way home the anglers stopped at a wreck, pumping up ling, cod and sea bass. Mark also ran the next trip on the boat Sunday that nailed a phenomenal catch of fluke to 5 pounds on the ocean, a great trip, Brenda said. On Monday Mark skippered an unusual trip that chartered the boat to spear fish while free diving. The divers bombed really big fluke and blackfish, and High Hook is open for spear fishing. For anglers, charters and open-boat trips are sailing. Anglers usually call, and the crew from High Hook will help them see whether a charter or an open trip would work out best.

Dan Bombaci jumped on a trip Tuesday for a brief weather window to try to jig or popper-plug bluefin tuna, the report on <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>’s Web site said. The trip arrived at the Atlantic Princess wreck early in the day, but waters were pea green, holding no life. The boat was motored to the Chicken Canyon, and more life appeared. The boat was drifted, and jigging and “throwing meat,” the report said, began. Schools of rays and finicky mahi mahi swam under the boat, and one of the mahi was landed. The boat worked along the edge of the canyon, and a mother lode of skipjacks popped up. Yellowfin tuna with bluefin tuna mixed in were seen, and a bluefin was bagged. The fish was an “under,” the smaller of two of the fish of certain sizes allowed per trip. Three shots at the tuna were had, and the fish swarmed all around the boat, but no more attacked the hooks. “Dan had an arsenal of Japanese poppers and jigs I have never seen,” the captain said in the report. But sardines, butterfish and swimming lures also failed to work. Still, the tuna and the mahi were boxed. The window of weather closed in, and the trip returned to port for lunch. The fish were brought to Clark’s Landing Marina’s Dockside Grill, and the chef prepared the bluefin in a tempura sushi roll with crab meat, drizzled with wasabi sauce. He served the mahi two ways: in a ginger/sesame/pineapple sauce; and Key West style in a coconut rum sauce. Andrea’s Toy is fishing on charters and open-boat trips to the mid-shore ocean for bluefin tuna and mahi mahi, and to the canyons for yellowfin tuna, mahi, billfish and tilefish. The boat specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, more chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner. 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 for big game. Inshore trips are fishing for fluke and sea bass.  

<b>***Update, Saturday, 8/7***</b>: Fluke and sea bass were swung aboard the party boat <b>Gambler</b> on the ocean,  though in the past couple of days not as many were landed as before, and a ground swell rolled from the south, Capt. Bob said. Waters looked a little dirty. Fluke 4 to 5 pounds were usually pool-winners, and some good-sized sea bass were boxed. On Wednesday afternoon’s trip Rick Petry, Woodbridge, hauled up a 7-pound 1-ounce fluke, another keeper fluke and four or five keeper sea bass. On the boat’s last nighttime bluefish trip on Saturday, the anglers picked away at smaller blues. But bigger blues began to appear at the Shrewsbury Rocks, and Bob hoped the fishing would open up this weekend. The general belief was that big blues were spawning lately, refusing to eat then like every year. But the spawn apparently began some time ago, and fishing for them could bounce back any day, and that may have begun. The boat’s nighttime trips for ling, sea bass, cod and squid were going well this year, and the last trip this past week was the best so far this season. Double-headers of big ling were crushed 20 miles from shore in 150 feet. A few cod were claimed, and no squid were hooked, but squid were sometimes jigged on previous trips. But ling fishing was very good, Bob repeated. 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 and are beginning to be booked. Tuna fishing was already going well, and Bob thinks the fishing should be good this fall.

<b>Bricktown</b>

Manasquan River was full of fluke, lots of shorts, said Capt. Rich from the tackle shop <b>Jersey Hooker Outfitters</b>, located in Bricktown, and <b>Jersey Hooker Charters</b>, sailing from Point Pleasant’s Canyon River Club. The ocean reefs sometimes began to give up more fluke than before, and sea bass were picked up from the reefs and wrecks here and there. Canyon tuna fishing seemed hot, though no specific reports rolled in during the last days. Sharks like browns were hauled in and released from the surf at night. The shop will sponsor an all-night demo on surf sharking with the Surf Rocket, the air cannon built to blast hooked bait far out into the waters from shore, at Island Beach State Park, starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, August 14. Stop by and check it out, and anglers can call Mr. Surf Rocket for info at 732-406-6879.

<b>Toms River</b>

The ocean turned on for fishing for fluke, fair catches of keepers, off the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park in 40 feet, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>.. Peanut bunker, spearing and sand eels drew bites. Lots of party boats fluke fished at Sea Girt Reef for consistent catches. Many fluke, 20 or 30 per angler, were angled from Double Creek Channel in Barnegat Bay, and the keeper ratio was low, but two or three keepers could sometimes be bagged in an outing. Green Gulp swim mullets worked well, and spearing coaxed chomps. Lots of fluke, lots of shorts, also hugged bottom in the bay farther north at the Mantoloking Bridge and in the Manasquan River. Snapper blues schooled the Toms River, swiping Snapper Zappers. Spearing and bait flooded the river. Crabbing was fantastic including in the river and in the bay at Good Luck Point, off Cedar Creek and around the 40 marker. Bunker kicked butt for bait. In the surf mostly fluke could be hooked, and most were undersized, but occasionally one was a keeper, and the angling was something to do. Work a bucktail with a squid strip or drag a fluke rig slowly along the bottom. Many surf anglers fished for sharks at night with a hunk of bunker. Small blues showed up in the surf here and there, and an oddball striped bass was banked from the suds. Boaters at Barnegat Ridge on the ocean picked up false albacore, bonito and small blues on the troll. Fluke were sometimes lifted aboard at the ridge. 

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Snapper blues swarmed around the docks, and a few blowfish began to turn up there, said Raymond from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Crabbing was off the hook for customers, a great year for catching the blueclaws. Fluke gathered toward the inlets, including Barnegat Inlet. Most were throwbacks, and a few were keepers. But good fluking was wrenched up from the Seaside Heights Casino Pier – actually fishing from the pier. A handful of fluke, not many, mostly shorts, swam the surf. But sharks could be belted from the surf at night on baits like a chunk of bunker. Ocean bottom fishers axed lots of sea bass and a few porgies and blackfish. 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>

A windy week unfolded, forcing some changes in plans for trips expecting to sail on the ocean for sea bass, said Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier from <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b>. But when anglers aboard fished for them, catches actually improved, and smaller lumpheads gave up lots of action. The angling looked like it’ll hold up this season. Three anglers sailed on a combo trip fishing the ocean for sea bass and Barnegat Bay for fluke on Tuesday. The sea bass fishing was “very good,” Birch said, “and for me to say that …” he said. Fishguts specializes in catching good numbers of quality-sized sea bass close to shore. Action on smaller sea bass turned on, and 43 keepers were decked in a couple of hours, and three times as many shorts were tossed back. Then the anglers tried for blackfish, copping “a fair bite,” Birch said, on smaller tog, and the anglers limited out on 16-inchers. Next they moved to the bay, and fluking there was slower, only because of the tide, but the fluke are there. By then the anglers were ready to head home on the 8-hour trip. On Wednesday a family trip fished for fluke on the bay. The angling began slowly, and the anglers had to wait for the tide. Incoming tides are much better. Once the tide came in, lots of action on throwback fluke was nailed. Fluke began to be hooked on the ocean, and party boat anglers began to bag them. Fishguts will target them if numbers turn on. Trips will also begin to target fish like blowfish and kingfish in the bay later this season. Birch will probably start looking for weakfish on the bay in a week, and some anglers want to fish for them. In addition to sea bass, fluke and combo sea bass/fluke charters, 10-hour open boat trips are fishing for sea bass.

<b>Forked River</b>

On the ocean fluke anglers got into some of the better catches of keepers in about 30 feet off the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park, said Dave from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Plenty of the flatties, plenty of throwbacks, gathered in Barnegat Bay at Double Creek and Oyster Creek channels and at the BI, BB and 40 markers. Blowfish were sometimes boated at the BI and BB. Anchor and chum, fishing with clam. Scattered blues, no big concentrations, popped up around the bay. Nothing was heard about weakfish. Crabbing was good.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Barnegat Bay in the area around Meyer’s Hole and Barnegat Lighthouse was a hot spot for fluke fishing, said Bob Misak from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b> in the report on the shop’s Web site. Somewhat more shorts than before seemed around. But he bagged three keepers 19 to 22 inches on Saturday while fishing from Barnegat Light’s 6th Street dock, and he saw several real bruisers boated in Barnegat Inlet. He reeled in two kingfish from the inlet rocks, and kings and blowfish should move into Barnegat Bay as waters cool. No word was heard about large numbers of blowfish schooling the bay yet like last year. But he heard about triggerfish sometimes landed around Oyster Creek Channel in chum slicks. Big blackfish hovered toward the end of the south jetty at the inlet. Bob saw one that must’ve weighed 10 or 11 pounds that an angler carried in a bucket from the jetty. Remember to wear cleats on the jetty, and the grass is slick that’s growing on the rocks. Ocean boaters began to score better on fluke in 40 to 60 feet. Brown sharks haunted the surf around Seaside in the warm, 70-degree waters.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Anglers with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> pulled in a good pick of summer flounder to 5 pounds on the ocean Tuesday, Capt. T.J. said. A good drift in the 60- to 65-foot depths fished was the reason. The keeper ratio was 1 in 10, a better ratio than usual anywhere this year. Legal Limit now is kind of in “flounder mode,” T.J. said, though plenty of offshore trips for tuna sailed lately, cleaning up on catches, covered in past reports. The next offshore trip is on Tuesday. Open-boat trips or shared charters are sailing for flounder 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>

Plenty of anglers were happy about summer flounder fishing at Little Egg Inlet, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fishing at the inlet became best since the bay became too warm for the flatties, and the fish now gathered around the bars at the inlet, sometimes outside the inlet, other times inside, and once anglers find them, they should repeat the drift. That angling was more productive than fishing for the fluke in the ocean from off the beaches to the reefs. Anglers at the inlet might’ve had to lower their expectations compared with the past. Two keepers made a good day. The high hook landed seven, and some of the boaters bagged as many as five. Minnows with squid became the best bait, and Scott was sure some used Gulps, ever a top bait. But minnows and squid seemed best. Almost nobody talked about other fishing, including fishing for sea bass or tog. Almost all focused on the inlet flounder. Scott heard about five trips that fished for white perch up the brackish rivers, but they came up with a total of four of the perch, two on one trip, two on another. But that was a matter of finding the slabs. Fishing for them is like that: They have to be found. Perch fishing will also improve toward the beginning of September, always becomes good around then. No bluefish and weakfish were around. The small fish or sea bass, kingfish, blowfish, croakers and spots that often provide a fishery usually show up in the bay during the second week of August, and none appeared yet. Nobody tried shark fishing for browns, fish that must be released by law, that turns on at Grassy Channel in Great Bay in summer. But the sharks are probably there, and the shop carries a special shark rig for the bay angling and a chum ball that’s perfect for a trip, and can give advice. Anglers usually fish for the sharks from early in the night until 10:30 p.m. or so. The angling is a chance to fight a big fish without sailing offshore. Fresh-shucked clams, bloodworms, minnows and green crabs are stocked.

<b>Absecon</b>

Waters from the bay to Absecon Inlet to the ocean at the reefs held summer flounder, and quite a few remained in the back of the bay for this time of year, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. The bay in 20-foot depths or deeper produced, and he heard good reports about catches in the deep toward the inlet at certain tides. The ocean in 50 feet or deeper gave up the flatties. Flounder will begin to depart the bay for the season, and larger ones will become more difficult to find there by the end of the month. Fishing generally was good, especially considering the warm waters. A few snapper blues about 1 pound schooled around. Curt saw a 16-inch weakfish someone caught, and a few weaks, not many, could be found mostly along the inland waterway, in saltier waters than say the mouth of the Mullica River, where they were nabbed before. Curt, a white perch angler, located good perch fishing on the Mullica. Anglers had to hop from spot to spot to find the bigger perch, and the smaller perch pretty much are found in lots of places on the river. But the bigger ones gather in a few select areas that have to be searched out on a trip. Fishing for the bigger ones was better around slack tides that are easier to fish than when the currents move. The big slabs seem not to hit as much when the tides move. Not much was heard about striped bass fishing like around the bridges or sod banks at night. Maybe smaller ones bit, or maybe anglers didn’t talk about catching them, but not many of the shop’s large, live spots were sold, and they would normally be sold if stripers bit. The shop carries large and small spots, and customers bought more of the small ones for flounder fishing. Surf anglers beached kingfish and flounder and hooked occasional triggerfish along the jetties. In addition to large and small, live spots, the shop is stocking shedder crabs, soft shell crabs, big minnows for only $5 a pint, bloodworms and eels. No fresh clams are carried, but salted, frozen clams are on hand. So is a large variety of all the frozen baits.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Surf anglers beached kingfish and spots, said Fred from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Bloodworms and Fishbites Bag o’ Worms worked for both, and the shop carries a kingfish rig with small, size-8 hooks that will catch the spots, so the rig can land both the kings and spots. Or the spots could be taken on Sabiki rigs. How good the kingfishing went depended on the angler who gave the report. One angler would report plucking two or three per trip, and another would report bailing 20 per outing. Right place, right time seemed the factor. Summer flounder could be found in the surf, and 1 in 20 was a keeper, but at least some of the flatties were around. Small, 2-pound blues sometimes entered the surf, maybe chasing the spots. Boaters concentrated on flounder fishing at Absecon Inlet quite a bit, and a better ratio of keepers seemed there. Maybe the fluke began moving to the ocean from the back bay. 

<b>Atlantic City</b>

More summer flounder than before were rounded up from the inlets and the ocean wrecks, and more keepers were bagged than previously, said Curt from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. Striped bass could be snatched from the back bay, though anglers who caught them were hush-hush. Plugs or soft-plastic lures are usually fished for them at night along places like the sod banks. No snapper blues were really around. Curt heard about no blues trolled in the ocean since two weeks ago, when the fish were picked up from Sea Isle Ridge. But he couldn’t be sure whether just no customers tried for them lately. Kingfishing was spotty in the surf, and flounder, mostly throwbacks, hid in the suds. For offshore anglers, the weather was a blowout from winds in the past days, keeping them from boating to the grounds. But they caught plenty of tuna and other big game last week and through the weekend. Yellowfin tuna were trolled in 40 to 50 fathoms at Carteret, Lindenkohl and Spencer canyons. Whales, porpoises – all kinds of life – filled the waters stretching from Toms Canyon to at least the Spencer. Anglers would troll seven or eight yellowfins one day and none the next. Locating the bite was the issue. With bait and life filling waters along something like a 30-mile stretch, pinpointing the tuna was no guarantee. Anglers had to search. Curt heard from anglers who tried to catch the tuna at night, but none succeeded. Hudson Canyon seemed the only place that gave up a serious night chew so far this season. But the season was early. Tons of white marlin and a few blue marlin were around. One angler said two marlin were landed on a trip one day that must’ve raised or seen 100 of the fish. Bluefin tuna were no doubt around, but everyone passed them on the way to the yellowfin grounds farther from shore. Curt saw a 150-pound bluefin free jump at a place right where he typically tells anglers to fish for them. Bluefins apparently swam the traditional grounds they always swim. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, was up and running.

<b>Margate</b>

On the party boat <b>Keeper</b> tons of summer flounder, mostly throwbacks, were swung aboard on the back bay, Capt. John said. A few keepers were around, and the flatties on trips were hooked including far back in the bay. That seemed to mean the fish were yet to migrate to the ocean, though some reports will say they are migrating out. Some reports will also say bigger flounder are arriving in the ocean from the bays. But how could bigger ones appear in the ocean from the bays when the big fish never showed up in the bays? he asked. Seems to make sense. No bluefish were seen on the bay on trips, though a few blues were seen some time ago in the waters. Even the bait in the bay was seen less often than a short time ago. But blues could come into the bay any time, and bait that attracts them usually builds up as the season goes on. 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>

On the <b>Stray Cat</b> a trip today bottom fished then trolled for blues then bottom fished again on the ocean, Capt. Mike said. The anglers first bottom fished at the Swanaka wreck, rounding up two keeper summer flounder. Sea bass were small but thick there, but quality sea bass and a 4-1/2-pound tog were bagged at the Mud Wreck fished later. In between the fishing at the two wrecks, plenty of small blues were trolled. Only blues hit, though at times this summer other fish including little tunny, chub mackerel, Spanish mackerel and mahi mahi were mixed in. Weather forecasts were wrong on the waters lately, and the weather and seas today were beautiful on the trip. A charter Friday will troll the mid-shore ocean at the Cigar.  Six spaces are available on an open-boat trip for sea bass and flounder 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on the ocean. Two spaces are left on one of the season’s open-boat, overnight tuna trips that will leave at 2 p.m. Saturday, August 28. The two others are sold out on August 21 and 29. All the trips will also stop for sea bass in the mornings. These will be the only of these trips 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. Catch a special, low, discounted rate for charters for croakers and sea bass September 13 through 30 only.

<b>Ocean City</b>

After trips previously concentrated on summer flounder fishing on the back bay, <b>Fish Tale Charters</b> began pulling the flatties from the ocean, Capt. Craig said. They included keepers, too. “Finally,” he said. The bay once in a while turned out a keeper on previous charters, but somewhat more now came from the ocean on current charters, picking 18- to 20-inchers. No sea bass really came up on the ocean trips, but 2-pound blues schooled through on a couple of the outings. Craig had the anglers cast metal to clock them. The flounder fishing lately was best on long, 6- to 8-inch strips of shark belly. Minnows were also used, but the shark strips pounded the bigger flounder on the last several trips. Craig at first would have half the anglers use minnows on a trip and half use shark, and if shark produced better, for example, he’d get all the anglers to fish with shark. Ocean flounder fishing will probably be a focus for now, and the wait was on for croakers and weakfish to tumble up the coast to the local area. If croakers and weaks appear, bluefish will probably become more abundant too. Craig ran no trips for bluefin tuna or other pelagics like bonito or false albacore on the inshore ocean, and he concentrated on flounder. But trips for the tuna and pelagics are one of a number of additional options on the boat. Inshore sharking is another.

Waters at the inlets held better summer flounder fishing than in the back bay now, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Charles Killian banked a 10.98-pound flounder from the surf at Corson’s Inlet. Good catches of kingfish were yanked from the surf, and sand sharks were mixed in. Snapper blues sometimes ran the surf and inlets. Better flounder fishing than before was heard about from the ocean at O.C. and G.E. reefs. A few striped bass were searched out from the back bay at night on plugs, popper lures or soft-plastic baits. Phil who works at the shop creamed a 38-inch striper from the bay Tuesday night on a plug. Little was heard about offshore fishing because of windy weather but also because most offshore customers early this week prepared to compete in this week’s White Marlin Open tournament in Ocean City, Maryland, instead of fishing. But Greg Smith weighed in a whopper, 53.8-pound mahi mahi he boated at Lindenkohl Canyon. Jerry Coombs tackled an 81.2-pound wahoo at the Lobster Claw. Some big fish were weighed in this week.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Small sea bass filled the back bay like normal around this time in summer, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Anglers bought bloodworms, minnows and squid strips for them. Snapper blues schooled the bay, chasing peanut bunker and mullet. Small summer flounder hugged the inlets for surf anglers, and blues popped in and out of the waters. Surf angling for kingfish was good from Corson’s Inlet to Townsend’s Inlet, especially at Corson’s, and dunk bloodworms for a nibble. But if anglers fish for kings, they’ll catch small sharks, too. A customer this morning beached three kings on bloods and didn’t what the fish were. In the ocean tog and triggerfish snapped along the wrecks. Lots of sharks, mostly browns and duskies, fought hard for anglers on the inshore ocean. Sometimes a hammerhead or a blue shark appeared. Fishing for tuna went well at the canyons on the troll, and trolled ballyhoos did a job on them. Mahi mahi and wahoos attacked aggressively for tuna anglers, too. Crabbing was great, and crabbers would do well to find their own spot on a creek or channel far in the back waters to clobber a catch.

Fifteen brown and dusky sharks, mostly duskies, to 40 pounds were caught and released on a trip Monday afternoon on the ocean with Bill Bartera and son Alec, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Steven Zigorsky and family released nine browns and duskies to 35 pounds on a trip that morning. The trips fished with mackerel and bluefish on spinning rods, and the sharks surely would’ve grabbed a fly on the afternoon trip, because they were “hot and happy,” Joe said. His trips do fly rod for the sharks. The trips are special charters Jersey Cape runs for sharks on the ocean 5 to 10 miles from shore in summer, mostly landing browns and duskies, regulated to catch and release. They’re an opportunity to fight big fish on the blue waters without the usual long run for sharking. On Tuesday morning Mike Flattery and sons Zach and Kyle landed 25 summer flounder including a 20-inch keeper on the back bay. In the afternoon Bob McConnolly and friends reeled in nearly 60 throwback flounder on the bay in only 4 hours. Assorted other fish including small sea bass, sea robins and sharks also bit, but mostly flounder did. On Wednesday Kevin McCarty, son Zach, friend Rob and son Robbie released 30 short fluke, including some quite close to keeper size, on the bay. Flounder began to be boated on the ocean, but tons of the flatties remained in the bay and were yet to leave. The trips are especially a great opportunity for families and kids to grab tons of action, and sometimes keepers are bagged. Good tides are coming up for striped bass fishing on the back bay, and Joe looks forward to catching them on popper lures and flies. He knew about some that were popped up. He’ll also fish for stripers on the bay at night this coming week. The night trips work soft-plastic lures or Clouser flies like under the lights at bridges and docks. Good catches of tuna were clocked at Lindenkohl, Spencer and Toms canyons, and Joe was waiting for a break in windy weather to go. 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>

The party boat <b>Adventurer</b> fished for summer flounder on Delaware Bay at 60-Foot Slough all week, Capt. Gary said. Mostly throwbacks but a few keepers were hooked. The boat this season had fished in the ocean for the flatties and sea bass, but the better fishing was at 60-Foot Slough for the moment. When the vessel fishes on the ocean, the trips target flounder unless winds and tides fail to create the right drift. Then the trips anchor for sea bass at a wreck at the reefs. No croakers were reeled aboard this week, but other boaters hooked a croaker here and there, and the hardheads might come in next week. The vessel is fishing for blues on Saturday nights, but that trip was docked this weekend. Gary wasn’t asked the reason, but rough weather could’ve been the cause. The Adventurer is fishing 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and 6 p.m. to 12 midnight on Saturdays.

A big population of summer flounder jammed the back bay, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. Not many were keepers, but the rental boaters caught. Baby sea bass kept slowly entering the bay, and they move in each year. No bluefish or other fish like kingfish were around. Crabbing was good, and healthy sized ones skittered about. 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>

Summer flounder were scattered everywhere from Delaware Bay to off Cape May Point  to the ocean reefs to the back bay, but tons were shorts, and a few were keepers, said Danny Boy from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. They really were everywhere at usual places, and sometimes they bit at one place one day and not the next. One customer found them at Tussy’s Slough in the Delaware Bay one day, and none chomped there the next for him. Flounder, croakers and a few kingfish hugged the shoreline at Cape May Point and Higbee’s Beach. No weakfish were heard about. Lots of blues schooled the ocean some miles from the coast.

A charter mixed it up with bluefishing part of the day and summer flounder fishing afterward Tuesday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Lots of blues were trolled 8 to 10 miles from shore on the trip for a couple of hours in the morning. Only blues bit on this trip, but others talked about hooking occasional false albacore, bonito or mahi mahi among the blues recently. Then the charter landed loads of flounder off Cape May Point including one keeper. Every drift shoveled up 15 to 20 flounder. A fleet was seen working farther up Delaware Bay like toward 60-Foot Slough, and they surely had similar results. An abundance of short flounder were around, and occasional keepers were. Two charters were sailing today, and the morning trip was with a family, and they would troll for blues for lots of action. The afternoon charter wanted to sail for flounder. Two trips are slated for Friday, and both will run for blues. Tuna fishing was good toward the canyons when boaters had the weather to sail. Winds blew a lot. Charters for all of this fishing are available on weekdays, and some are open on weekends, and call if interested.  

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