This report was posted on a Tuesday instead of the usual Monday because of Labor Day.

<b>Staten Island</b>

Sea bass, a super catch, were socked on a trip on the ocean last week with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Lots of good-sized humpheads to 4 ½ pounds, many 2- to 3-pounders, were creamed, and the charter limited out by 1:30 p.m. Outcast will fishing for sea bass and will begin blackfishing when New York’s tog season opens on October 1.

<b>Bayonne</b>

Fishing at the Mud Buoy turned up more than a dozen keeper sea bass, lots of throwbacks, triggerfish, porgies and a 21-inch fluke on a trip Wednesday, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. Another charter was headed back to the Mud for the bottom fishing on Monday. Customers fishing from the bulkheads reeled in striped bass, none big, at Bayonne and Jersey City in the mornings, evenings and at night on bunker. But the angling was slow from Friday to Sunday.

<b>Keyport</b>

John Kugal and friends from Clifton sailed on a trip with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> on the final day of fluke season Monday, Capt. Joe said. One keeper fluke, a 19-incher, and cocktail blues were bagged. Throwback fluke were released, and the trip began fishing at Sandy Hook Point, working around to different locations afterward, covering lots off ground. The blues bit the killies and squid fished for fluke on the bottom, didn’t hit up top like sometimes. The back of the bay has been mostly devoid of fluke, and the fish were apparently migrating toward the ocean. A large fleet of boats fished at Sandy Hook Channel on the calm, beautiful day with a good breeze but not bad. Charters will now bottom-fish for sea bass and porgies at Sandy Hook Reef and the Shrewsbury Rocks. So will daily, open-boat trips from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. when no charter is booked. Call to jump aboard the open trips. Charters are being booked for fall striped bass fishing. Credit card payments through PayPal are accepted for all trips.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke season closed today, but the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> received a Research Set Aside Permit that is allowing the vessel to keep fishing for the flatties on twice daily trips, Capt. Tom said. Fishing for the summer flounder was slow on the boat Thursday, and the trips were cancelled Friday because of forecasts for the offshore hurricane. The weather turned out completely fishable. Fluking on Saturday morning’s trip was better than Tom expected, and the anglers picked at shorts and a few keepers near the Navy Pier on the bay. West winds kicked up on the afternoon trip, and the bay became rolly. So the boat fished on the ocean in calmer seas, and the anglers picked at some of the fish. Sunday morning’s trip picked at shorts and only a few keepers at the Navy Pier, and Sunday afternoon’s trip began with fair fluking at Reach Channel, until a ship came through, and that always kills the angling a while. So the boat was motored to the ocean, because the bay remained rolly in west winds, and just a few keepers were bagged. But Matt Ciszek, New Providence, on that trip whaled a 9-pound fluke, the biggest on the boat so far this season. Tom hoped the fluking would bounce back this week as waters settled after the storm. 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>***Update:***</b> Catches somewhat improved on Monday morning’s trip and picked up quite a bit on the afternoon’s trip, Tom said. The afternoon’s trip began fishing at Flynn’s Knoll, and not much bit, so the boat was moved down the ocean beach. The drift was fast, and the anglers had to fish with 8-ounce weights, but they adjusted, and a fairly good catch of shorts and keepers to 6 pounds was plowed. Fluking was off to a fair start on this morning’s trip when Tom gave this update over the phone on the outing. The anglers fished down the beach at the same place, and the fishing wasn’t bad, gave up plenty of action with shorts and some keepers. Fluke also held at the channel, but Tom ran to the beach, because the drift was fast for the channel. Whether trips can fish at places like along the beach or the channel depends on winds and currents. But some fluke remained in the bay if the conditions keep a trip there. Tom hopes the better angling holds up.

Great day on the waters Monday to finish out the fluke season on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in the report on the boat’s Web site. Anglers aboard caught mostly keeper fluke, and only a handful of shorts that had to be released. Several bagged three keepers apiece, and a 5-1/4-pounder was the pool-winner, and some sea bass were hooked. Once currents became too fast, the fish stopped biting. The boat’s daytime trips will now take a creak until resuming on Saturday, September 18, fishing for striped bass. But nighttime bluefish trips on weekends will keep sailing, and Sunday night’s bluefishing was excellent on the boat, and has been during the past couple of weeks. The Fishermen is sailing for bluefish 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

<b>Highlands</b>

Capt. Bob from <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Adventures</b> returned from working on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico recently, he said. Charters from the Highlands will now bottom-fish for sea bass, blackfish and porgies and sail for bluefish. Evening trips will worm and eel for striped bass, and daytime trips for stripers will be added as the fall run of the fish develops. Charters started booking striper trips for October and November, and some good dates remain. Call for details and reservations.

Bottom-fishing with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> picked away at porgies, sea bass and blackfish, Capt. Derek said. The storm affected bottom-angling less than fluking, and fluke fishing was mostly a bust during the weekend. Because fluke season closed today, trips will concentrate on bottom-fishing and bluefishing until starting to sail for striped bass soon. Striper trips will probably worm and eel for catches in the evenings at first. As striper angling gets under way, trips will clam, jig, troll or do whatever it takes to catch them. Charters are currently sailing for bottom-fish and blues, and the next open-boat bottom-fishing trips are slated for Friday through Sunday. Anglers can call Derek to be kept informed about the open schedule. Derek was slated to fish for bluefin tuna on Wednesday, but forecasts looked like the trip will be weathered out. He heard about a few bluefins boated on Sunday and Monday after the storm on Friday and winds on Saturday. But crowded waters seemed to put the fish down on Monday. The fish were scattered throughout waters from the Virginia wreck to the HA buoy. Derek also heard about a few closer to shore.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fluke season, closing today, was disappointing, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> in an e-mail. Many throwbacks had to be released, and 13 keepers to 9 pounds made up the best catch on a trip, boated at the Shrewsbury Rocks. The fishing did become good on some days, but then a storm would ruin the angling. “Naturally,” Ralph said, fluking will heat up now through late October, while the season’s closed. “Maybe someday (fisheries management) will be smart and split the southern and northern part of the state to different seasons,” he said. “Up north we don’t need to fish for fluke till the beginning of July. Then we could fish for them in September (and) October when the big fish are on the move.” Individual-reservation trips that had been fluke fishing every Wednesday will begin bottom-fishing on the inshore ocean starting September 15. Three spots are available on an individual-reservation trip to the offshore wrecks on Monday, September 20, for cod, pollock and ling. Bluefishing was good, and false albacore and bonito began to pop up. Start thinking about mid October to schedule fall striped bass trips. Individual-reservation blackfish trips will begin on November 16, when the bag limit is increased to six of the fish from the current limit of one. The trips will fish on weekdays and weekends until the tog stop biting. Bluefin tuna fishing served up lots of catches before the storm at the end of the week, and Ralph expects the fish to be found again shortly. One space is available on an overnight tuna trip farther offshore at the canyons from Tuesday to Wednesday, September 14 to 15.

<b>Belmar</b>

Bottom-fishing was fair, producing porgies, sea bass, blackfish and a keeper fluke, on a trip Sunday on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> on the ocean, Capt. Tom said. The fluke was a surprise catch because the boat was anchored, not drifted, the usual way to catch fluke. Waters were dirty because of the offshore hurricane on Friday, and had cooled to 69 degrees because of the storm, but the anglers put together a catch. The Nan Sea J is also bluefishing, angling that was great the last time a trip sailed for them. Charters and open-boat trips are also bluefin tuna fishing, and Tom heard nothing about bluefins since the storm, and winds kept howling afterward, so maybe no boaters were able to sail for them. Charters are also fishing for tuna on overnight trips to the canyons farther offshore.

<b>Brielle</b>

Anglers on the <b>Big Kid</b> won the Manasquan River Marlin and Tuna Club’s Offshore Open during the weekend with a 68.85-pound yellowfin tuna, Capt. Ken said. He was too busy immediately after the event, when he gave this report over the phone, to be asked details about the fishing, but congratulations to him and the crew! The boat offers tournament charters, and the Tuna Stakes Invitational, kicking off September 20, running through the week, is available for charter. The Big Kid is also bottom-fishing and bluefishing, and dates are filling for fall blackfishing, a specialty on the vessel.

Fluke trips managed to sail on the ocean before and after the storm, and the fishing was like the whole season: picking, plucking, working hard to scratch out a catch, said Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> in an e-mail. Now that fluke season closed, trips will bottom-fish for sea bass, blackfish and porgies, and check <a href=" http://www.fishmongercharters.com/
" target="_blank">Fish Monger’s Web site</a> for availability. Last week on Tuesday before the storm a trip bagged 15 fluke. The fishing began slowly, but the anglers picked away at some sizeable flatties to 6 pounds. A fluke trip that Wednesday was tough, and only five keepers, fish to 5 pounds, were boated, among lots of shorts released. The storm came through on Friday, and Saturday remained windy, and a trip returned to fluking on Sunday, and the crew didn’t know what to expect from the angling. But 14 were bagged, and many fluke, lots of shorts but some quality-sized ones, bit. So did a couple of sea bass. On a trip Monday, the final day of the season, 13 fluke were bagged, including 4- to 6-pounders and a 7-pounder. Jerry thanks all who fished for the summer flounder on the boat this year. “Had some good days and some bad days,” he said. “Looking forward to doing it all over again next year!”

If the size limit hadn’t been so big, the fluke season probably would’ve been the best in 10 years, said Chuck from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Some complained about a poor fluke season, but if the size limit had been smaller like in the past, the season would’ve been great. Practically all anglers could hook 30 or 40 in a trip, and 1 in 10 or 15 was a keeper. To bag keepers, anglers had to know exactly where to find them, and they still had to get lucky. A trip with Chuck on Monday bagged six keepers at a particular spot at the Klondike wreck on the ocean, the second trip in a week that caught that many there. But sometimes angles might’ve returned to a productive spot that gave up only small ones on another trip. The fluke season was probably one of the best on Manasquan River, and the fish remained in the waters the whole season. But the size limit was again the issue. Chuck’s trips hooked a keeper or two each outing on the river. Sea bass fishing was good, and the fish held along almost all the usual spots on the ocean. Some of the bigger sea bass might’ve been culled, because anglers focused on them because of the tough fluke regs. But quite a few 3- and 4-pounders, occasional 5-pounders, were around, and the fishing should hold up through the end of sea bass season, especially when waters cool. The last that Chuck heard about bluefish was that a decent population was found at the Shrewsbury Rocks. He hadn’t heard where the head boats fished for blues. Weakfish 8 to 10 inches gathered around all the high grounds toward the reefs in the ocean. Bonito, small ones, swarmed around all the usual high areas in the ocean. Not so many false albacore did. A good influx of clean waters, conditions that such pelagics favor, moved in, probably because of last week’s offshore hurricane. Chuck could see 30 or 40 feet down while fluke fishing. A trip with Chucked scored a solid catch of bluefin tuna and mahi mahi at the HA buoy last week. Bluefins now swam at nearly every place with a sandy bottom that held sand eels, including 70 miles from shore and at the Atlantic Princess wreck. Canyon tuna fishing farther offshore picked up a little but was slow. Anglers said not much bait – some, but not much –  schooled the waters to attract the tuna.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Only a light crowd jumped aboard the trip on Labor Day on Monday, “(but they scored) continued fast catching! an e-mail from the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b> said. They walloped bluefish, false albacore and skipjacks, and the blues were big. The Cock Robin is sailing for bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Rolling seas filled the ocean Saturday, and a few boaters fished the waters, but on the radio sounded like they struggled to catch, probably because of the storm Friday, said Bob Misak from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b> in the report on the shop’s Web site. But he and a friend had no problem drilling 25 blowfish on Barnegat Bay that day. Blowfishing was good, and the bay was a little choppy. Bob’s son on the bay that day landed a baby, 16- to 18-inch cobia, releasing the fish. One never knows what fish will bite in a chum slick on the bay this time of year. Huge blueclaw crabs grabbed Bob’s bait. On the ocean sea bass covered the wrecks, and party boat anglers belted big blues lately. Huge rollers kept anglers from fishing from the Barnegat Inlet jetty that day, so the tog fishing along the rocks took a back seat. Sheepshead fishing is about to peak toward the end of the jetty, so go now. Fish with green crabs or fresh clams on a high-low rig for the monsters, fish that average 10 to 15 pounds and can reach 20. Bring a big net with a fairly long handle. Triggerfish disappeared along the rocks. Speaking of disappearing, so did weakfish in the Barnegat Light area. Keeper tog were claimed from the 6th Street dock, and bring a net with a long handle to reach over the rail. A few sharpies beached striped bass from the surf at night, and that bite will be off and on during the next month, until improving. Anglers waited for bluefish to invade the suds like they should begin to do.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Croakers were found around Little Egg Reef, strange for them to gather in the deep waters, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. Hurricane Earl must’ve caused them to push offshore. One angler on the radio bragged about catching one keeper summer flounder on Monday. “No one else was attempting to show him up,” the report said. The fluke fishing also sounded slow on Sunday, “depressing considering the number of boats on the ocean (that day),” it said. Huge bluefish worked the coast, and catching them was a matter of locating bunker they attacked hard. Or anglers could look for birds working the waters. But one school of the slammers consistently worked just offshore of Little Egg Reef. In Great Bay blowfish gave up the best activity. Anglers caught them steadily just east of the clam stakes on the Mystic Island side of the Fish Factory while chumming and fishing with clams. A few kingfish held among them, and the chum attracted lots of small sea bass and snapper blues, too. Spots mostly gathered at Graveling Point on the bay. Some anglers stocked them up for striped bass bait this fall. A couple of crabbers plucked decent catches.

<b>Longport</b>

Five-hour charters, running twice a day in summer, wrapped up for the year, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. Full-day charters will take their place, and fishing on the boat’s been good for sea bass, excellent catches, a few big porgies, some good-sized croakers, small weakfish and lots of blues, and false albacore showed up. All the fish were hooked 12 miles from shore or farther, and the croakers bit in 90 feet. A couple of 4- to 6-pound blackfish were pulled in during a trip Monday, and a healthy catch was made that day. A bunch of keeper sea bass and a few big porgies were also looted on the outing. The offshore hurricane on Friday was less severe than predicted, hardly affecting fishing. Dirty waters remained close to shore, but the arrival of false albacore was a plus that the storm brought. The albies put up a good tug when trolling for blues. A few weekdays and a couple of Sundays are available for charters this month. Don’t forget to book striped bass trips for October. Blackfishing will launch on the boat on November 16, when the tog bag limit is hiked to six fish from the current limit of one. <b>***Update:***</b> Open-boat trips will fish Wednesday, September 15, and Friday, September 17, for sea bass and whatever bites, like croakers or weakfish.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Fishing for striped bass on the back bay will become the focus for charters now, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Summer flounder season closed today, and angling was in transition. Days were becoming slightly cooler. He was scoping out the striper angling when he gave this report over the phone on the boat Sunday evening, and had already hooked and released a 25-inch striper on a popper lure 5 minutes into the fishing. He saw the fish before casting to the linesider, so that was cool. Tons of bait filled the bay, and all conditions seemed set for the fishing to be great this month. Stripers could also be hooked at night on soft-plastic lures or Clouser flies at places like under the lights at bridges and docks. But the popper fishing in the evenings on high tides, ideal conditions, with lures and flies on the flats of the bay is a specialty for Jersey Cape. Mornings can also produce, but most of his trips for the stripers fish in the evenings. The trips are also ideal for special, after-work charters offered from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., perfect hours for the fishing. Anglers interested in a trip can call Joe to find out days with the best tides.  He poles his flats boat in the skinny waters while charters cast, like fishing in a tropical destination. Joe Jimbowski on a trip Sunday morning on the boat released 20 flounder, including a bunch 17 ½ and 17 ¾ inches, just under the 18-inch legal size. Tom, John and Frank Durling on a trip Thursday on the vessel landed 25 flounder including two keepers. Fishing for sharks, mostly browns and duskies, catch and release by regulation, will also produce on the ocean close to shore. Charters aboard wiped up lots of the catches lately. But, again, Joe’s focus will transition to the bay for stripers. Still, he’ll also run trips offshore for tuna, mahi mahi and marlin. Croakers might’ve schooled along the ocean front, but Joe did no fishing there because of the offshore hurricane on Friday and severe winds on Saturday. The surf was also riled up, unfishable, in the storm. Sunday’s weather was better on the ocean, and he knew a few who sailed there that day. Joe might do a little bottom fishing on the ocean for croakers, sea bass and such in the near future. Eventually ocean fishing for stripers and blues will bust open on his trips this fall. Coming up, Joe will offer annual charters to Montauk to fish the fall migration of stripers, blues and false albacore, and will guide annual trips to the Florida Keys, weekend packages, during winter. See <a href="http://www.gibsonstackle.com/page6.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Traveling Fisherman Web Page</a>. Keep up with Joe’s fishing, photos and videos on <a href=" http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

An overnight trip fished at Wilmington Canyon from Sunday to Monday, an audio report on <b>Over Under Adventures</b>’ Web site said. In the afternoon mahi mahi were picked at the lobster pots here and there, and no tuna or billfish were seen. The boat was worked to the east side of the canyon, and a big school of large mahi was found. The anglers bailed them, around 25 of the fish, including 15- to 25-pounders, all on spinning tackle. At night the trip fished in 150 to 200 fathoms along the edge, some hills and the deep. Nothing bit, but lots of bait and squid filled  the waters, and boaters on the flats saw mackerel. A couple of pots were fished, producing mahi. The vessel was moved to the west wall and put on one more drift. A fish, probably a shark or a swordfish, bit at daybreak but broke off. Up on the troll in the morning a white marlin was missed, and no mahi swam around the pots, and apparently the lobster boaters pulled the pots at night, making the mahi depart. The trip returned with a mess of mahi, and if anglers want mahi, now’s the time. Charters and   <a href=" http://overundercharters.com/index.php?page=opendates" target="_blank">open-boat trips</a> are fishing offshore.

<b>Cape May</b>

On the <b>Down Deep</b> mostly family trips sailed, trolling for blues on the ocean, Capt. Bob said. Plenty of blues were fought, and lots of Spanish mackerel and sometimes mahi mahi were mixed in. Charters are also fishing for tuna offshore. Fall striped bass charters are being booked.

A trip with a family – Terry, Dolores, Josh, Tony and Bob – on Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> trolled a couple of yellowfin tuna, some mahi mahi including a big one 35 pounds, and a 40-pound wahoo, Capt. George said. They fished in 30 to 50 fathoms inshore of the canyons, in seas like a lake, with a little roll. Waters were 75 to 77 degrees, holding no weeds, and only a few other boats were seen throughout the ocean. Tuna, ,mahi and wahoos  are around, if anglers are interested in a trip. Charters closer to shore can troll bluefish. Other catches like Spanish mackerel can be mixed in, but mostly blues fill the waters. Sea bass can be plucked from the ocean wrecks on charters, and croakers are probably schooling, if charters want the hardheads. Anglers are starting to book fall striped bass trips. Lock in the dates while they’re available.

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