<b>Sandy Hook</b>

A few shark catches, including a mako here and there, were heard about, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> from the Highlands. A few bluefins began to be landed in local waters 30 miles from shore, so the fishing was becoming better. Last year’s fishing for them was tremendous for Jersey Devil, and charters will once again fish for the tuna, and so will four-person open-boat trips, and those spaces are being booked. Heads up shark anglers: Brian is on the staff for the new Contender/Windansea Shark Tournament, a mako and thresher only event, to be held at the Windansea Marina in the Highlands on Saturday and Sunday, July 10 and 11. The captain’s meeting will be held that Friday.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

In a week or so <b>On a Mission Fishing Adventures</b> from Belmar will see if bluefin tuna fishing is gaining enough steam for trips in 20 fathoms off the local coast, Capt. Eric said. The boat does lots of the fishing once the action kicks in, jigging or trolling for the tuna.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

On the <b>Canyon Runner</b> from Point Pleasant the year’s first tuna trip from New Jersey ran Friday to 1,100 fathoms at Hudson Canyon to the season’s first Gulf Stream eddy to move in, a report on the boat’s Web site said. On the way, waters were 64 degrees at the canyon. But the temp jumped to 67.9 degrees at edge of the eddy at 1,000 fathoms at the mouth’s southwest corner, and the rods went off. Yellowfin tuna attacked five Canyon Runner spreader bars, and two of the 45-pounders were hooked and landed. This was at 6:30 a.m., “so we were feeling good,” the report said. “Wrong feeling – not another bite the rest of the day.” The trip was a day-trolling one with a charity charter, one of a dozen that Canyon Runner donated for this year. This one was donated to St. Bernard’s School in New York City, and was auctioned to the anglers. The crew hoped this trip would be the first of 120 expected to sail to the canyons from Jersey this season, if the weather holds through fall. For a charter Tuesday a satellite shot showed the good waters way off the Continental Edge from Hudson Canyon, but tuna were known to be caught to the south, so the crew took the trip to the southern canyons. The trip went 8 for 18 on yellowfin tuna, first fishing at Baltimore Canyon in 68-degree waters. On arrival, more bait was read than in years, and two 35- to 40-pound yellowfins were trolled among four that attacked. The boat worked south along the Continental Edge with no more luck. At night a bunch of blue sharks showed up, “but I think we overran the makos,” the report said. By morning the boat was near Poorman’s Canyon, and the charter went 3 for 6 on 35- to 40-pound yellowfins before 6 a.m. At 10 a.m. they went 3 for 6 again, on somewhat larger, 45- to 50-pound yellowfins. A couple of other shots of tuna attacked but never came tight, before the trip had to run home. At one point the trip, a “canyon tutorial trip” or a “Seminar at Sea,” the report said, reached 135 miles from port. “Let it not be said that we won’t run to where he have to put our charters on fish!” the report said.

The season’s first mid-shore, mixed-bag trip – charters 30 to 70 miles from shore, targeting bluefin tuna, sharks, cod and pollock, all in one outing – sailed last Friday with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant, the report on the boat’s Web site said. The anglers first tried for bluefins where lots swarmed last year. Great marks were read, and sand eels, whales and dolphins filled the waters, but only bluefish attacked the jigs and baited hooks. The trip moved farther offshore, and the life was absent that the crew would want to see for tuna fishing, so the anglers started sharking. More than 20 blue sharks to 10 feet were released, tons of action. The anglers even broke out the light spinning rod for fun, because several sharks kept circling the boat. One mako showed up, free-jumping a bunch of times in the slick, but never grabbed a bait.  Afterward the trip looked for tuna again, but only bluefish hit. The anglers fished a wreck to end the day, pumping in a dozen market-sized cod. In some weeks, mixed-bag trips, including charters and open-boat, will start running farther offshore to the canyons for tuna, sharks, swordfish, mahi mahi and tilefish, all in one outing. This is the schedule each year for Andrea’s Toy, and the boat specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner. Get on the list now for the open trips.

Bluefin tuna were scattered on the inshore ocean, but they were there, said Chuck from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. Not many fished for them yet. But some who did saw many bluefish. Chuck knew about a 50-pound bluefin boated Saturday. No customers mentioned shark fishing.

Capt. Ken from the <b>Big Kid</b> from Brielle heard rumors that bluefin tuna were found at the Monster Ledge, but nothing confirmed, he said. Tournaments available for charters include: the Jersey Coast Shark Anglers High Rollers Tournament, a winner-take-all event, on July 10, the Mid Atlantic Tuna Tournament on July 15 to 17, the Tuna Stakes Invitational on August 21 to 29, and the Manasquan River Marlin and Tuna Club Tournament on August 28 to September 5, open to the public for the first time. Tournaments already booked include Mako Mania, the Brett T. Bailey Memorial Mako Tournament, the Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational and the Mid Atlantic $500,000.

Capt. Rich from <b>Jersey Hooker Outfitters</b>, located in Bricktown, and <b>Jersey Hooker Charters</b>, sailing from Point Pleasant, neither saw nor heard about bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean. But he heard unconfirmed rumors some time ago about footballs seen at Barnegat Ridge. He ran a trip trying for sharks on Sunday but scored a donut. The drift was terrible on the hot, still day, only moving 2 miles in 7 hours. Waters were chilly or in the low 60s, but were as high as 68, and bluefish swam the waters. The boat will compete in a shark tournament in two weekends. Catch the shop’s <i><b>Shark Tournament Bait Special</b></i> for only $99: three 5-gallon buckets of bunker chum, one flat of mackerel and five bags of ice. 

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Today through Saturday is the weather window for sailing for bonito and bluefin tuna at Barnegat Ridge and surrounding area, said Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Barnegat in an e-mail. Westerly winds were predicted to blow 5 to 10 knots, and open-boat trips will run for this fishing 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days, limited to three anglers. Another trip will sail for the angling Sunday if the weather holds, and dads could use their Father’s Day leverage to tell the family they’re going fishing, and be back at the dock by 1 p.m., “and be spoiled for the rest of the day,” he said. The trips will high-speed-troll but will also jig if the fish are read.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

The boat’s mate burned a 72-pound bluefin tuna 20 miles from shore, said Capt. Lindsay from the <b>June Bug</b> from Beach Haven on Sunday. He was on a bluefish trip but ran across the tuna eating sand eels, socking one. Otherwise Lindsay at the time heard about the occasional trip coming up with bluefins that foraged on sand eels 20 to 25 miles from shore, but nothing consistent. The June Bug will begin fishing offshore soon, and was currently fishing from the bays to the reefs.

Bluefish were the intended target on a trip Thursday, but bluefin tuna showed up instead, said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton. One of the cookie-cutter-sized, 30- to 35-pounders, footballs, was kept, and five were released. The fish were trolled somewhat south of 28-Mile Wreck on ballyhoos. Charters are fishing for bluefins, and shark trips are slated for next week. Sharking on the boat last weekend produced a couple of blue sharks, and the season was a little early. The better sharking, with more makos, typically starts toward the end of the month. Waters were 66 to 68 degrees on the trip, held lots of bait and were perfect for sharking. The abundant bait could’ve been a factor, difficult to attract a shark to a hooked bait, when plenty of other bait is around.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Bluefish, all anyone could want, crammed the waters on a shark trip 35 miles offshore on Saturday, but no sharks showed up, said Capt. Eric from <b>O-Beth Sportfishing Charters</b> from Margate. Waters were 65 degrees, a potentially shark-holding temp, and were good looking, but more sharks seemed to swim a little to the south, and the season was a little early. Open-boat shark trips will sail this season, and a few spaces are open, a rare opportunity to beat the monsters without chartering the whole boat. Anglers on a few boats tackled bluefin tuna, 20- to 30-pound footballs, sometimes multiple fish in a trip, along the 20-fathom line. O-Beth trolled a 60-pound bluefin last week, covered in the last report.

Some of the anglers from the marina drilled bluefin tuna on the ocean close to shore, and that fishing was under way, said Capt. Craig from <b>Fish Tale Charters</b> from Ocean City. This was early for the tuna, and the fish were closer to shore than usual. Fish Tale usually begins the tuna fishing in July, and then usually sails 40 miles offshore for them. But anglers at the marina caught them at 28-Mile Wreck, located 28 miles from shore, and even at the A.C. Ridge, only 20 miles from shore. One trip with an angler from the marina clobbered 10 of the tuna landed at 28-Mile Wreck, releasing all but a limit. If anglers want tuna close to shore, jump aboard while the fish are here.

Small bluefin tuna were stacked up at places like the A.C. Ridge, 28-Mile Wreck and the Cigar, said Curt at <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b> in Atlantic City. One trip a customer ran smoked 15, and others pillaged 18 or 13, and some only landed two or three. They released all but their limit of one on private boats and two on charters at the legal sizes. Most of the fish were 30 inches, but some were larger, and anglers had to hunt for the bigger ones. An 80-pounder was weighed in. The smaller bluefins will attack on the troll in the prop wash. But anglers looked for the bigger fish by trolling ballyhoos way back, on skirts like Ilanders or Sea Witches, on leaders like 30-pound fluoro. Curt and crew use wind-on leaders like that, even if that was overkill, he said. Plenty of mako sharks were fought in 30 fathoms, a little out from shore. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, remained at Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, for big-game trips, but will return to New Jersey for trips when offshore fishing at the canyons heats up from Atlantic City this summer.
 
<b>Hereford Inlet</b>

Two bluefin tuna were trolled on a trip that Mike Sorgentoni on the C-Jam took to the Cigar, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in Wildwood in an e-mail. Other bluefins were reported trolled, jigged and chunked there and at 19-Fathom Lump and Massey’s Canyon.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Boaters during the weekend banged up 20- to 40-pound bluefin tuna, good catches, in 20 fathoms, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May. Shark anglers during the weekend saw the bluefins, jumping and chasing bait, settled down in the waters to feed, no longer schooling while traveling and not eating. Anglers who then trolled for them hooked up immediately. The tuna on the grounds now were trolled, not chunked. George is anxious to sail for the bluefins, and is running a special on the trips, and call for info. A charter on the boat will compete in Jim’s Bait & Tackle’s shark tournament this weekend. George heard about lots of mako sharks entered in last weekend’s South Jersey Marina shark tournament, but most were no larger than 175 pounds, a good-sized shark, but not big enough to enter in the tournament.

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