<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Bluefin tuna sounded scattered this week on the inshore ocean, and waters were green, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> from Highlands. But that can change, and east winds were forecast to blow, and maybe that will push clear waters in. Charters and open-boat trips are sailing for bluefins.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Anglers on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> from Belmar attempted to fish for bluefin tuna on the ocean out to 35 miles on Wednesday, Capt. Tom said. None of the tuna appeared, but seven mahi mahi were mopped up, and several jumped off. Some of the mahi caught were sizeable, including a 17-pounder and a 15-pounder. The trip sailed no farther than 35 miles because boaters on the radio sounded like the fishing was slow for them farther offshore in green waters. Waters were fairly clear where the mahi were landed on the Nan Sea J. All the fish were trolled. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing for bluefins, and overnight charters to the canyons will sail for tuna beginning in September.

Inshore boaters had difficulty finding bluefin tuna, and green waters filled the area, but Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune ran across the fish on a trip. “I’m not talking,” he said. Charter the boat, and you’ll have the bluefins on the end of your line! he said. Most boaters who fished at Hudson Canyon for tuna found poor fishing. But Ralph’s friend, a good angler, ran a trip that blistered yellowfin tuna to 90 pounds during the weekend someplace else where he was off by himself. Ralph declined to name the spot, but Hudson Canyon was not the location. Space is available on an individual-reservation tuna trip to the canyons August 26. An offshore wreck-fishing trip with Last Lady on Tuesday knocked the pants off catches, including a 32-pound cod and a 28-pound pollock. A bunch of cod 16 to 20 pounds and another big pollock were also creamed. Previous trips like this also did a job on the fish. Another one of the individual-reservation trips is sailing August 24 and is full, but charters are available.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Six white marlin were released on a daytime trolling charter to Toms Canyon on Tuesday on the <b>Big Kid</b> from Brielle, Capt. Ken said. Three yellowfin tuna to 80 pounds and two dozen mahi mahi were creamed. At the Toms on Saturday, a charter trolled two yellowfins and a dozen mahi. From Thursday to Friday a charter overnighted at Hudson Canyon, bailing 13 yellowfins and six mahi, releasing a blue marlin, at the 100 Square. An overnight charter to the canyons was weathered out from Thursday to today. The boat will leave Saturday to compete in next week’s Mid Atlantic $500,000 tournament in Cape May. Tournaments available for charter include Tuna Stakes on August 21 to 29 and the Manasquan River Marlin and Tuna Club Tournament on August 28 to September 5.

Bluefin tuna could be cranked in from the ocean toward the Atlantic Princess wreck and the Chicken Canyon, said Capt. Rich from <b>Jersey Hooker Outfitters Bait & Tackle</b>, located in Bricktown, and <b>Jersey Hooker Charters</b>, sailing from the Canyon River Club in Point Pleasant. But anglers had to locate blue waters among lots of green waters to find them. Tuna fishing slowed a little at the offshore canyons.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

Eleven yellowfin tuna to 75 pounds were bombed and a 200-pound blue marlin was released at Carteret Canyon on Tuesday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton, Capt. T.J. said. The 16-hour trolling trip fished along the 100-fathom line.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Fishing for tuna slowed at the canyons compared with before, and boaters had to “run right over top of them,” said Curt from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b> in Atlantic City. No place held the tuna from day to day. If anglers heard about a catch one day, they shouldn’t have returned to the spot the next day expecting to catch. Curt heard about too many anglers doing that and failing. He wasn’t sure if too much bait swam up and down the line or what the cause was. Trips still did all right on tuna, but some got skunked. A trip on the <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, on Monday trolled two white marlin released and two large yellowfin tuna, two small yellowfins and a small mahi mahi kept, and had to earn the catch. The trip returned late in the day. Trips the past two weeks on the Carly A only found tuna among skipjacks seen breaking the surface. Apparently the skippies fed on whatever the tuna did. The northern canyons like the Lindenkohl and Carteret held the fish for boaters. Boaters who fished south like at the Wilmington and Spencer caught nothing. All the fish were trolled during the day, and Hudson Canyon was the only place Curt knew gave them up at night on bait. Wahoos could be found at usual haunts like the Cigar, and bluefin tuna were surely around on the inshore ocean, but nobody fished for them, everyone motoring past them to reach the canyons. However, green waters were abundant inshore, and as soon as boats hit the 40-fathom line on the way back from offshore, they met green. Anglers needed to find clear waters to catch.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing was good at the northern canyons like from the Lindenkohl and farther up, said Dan from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. The fish were trolled during the day but sometimes chunked at night. Some trips scored none at night, but others caught their fill, going home early. Swordfish were hauled in at night. White marlin were abundant catches during the day, and anglers frequently saw 10 or 12 in a trip.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Dustin and Don Laricks took a trip on board to the Cigar on Wednesday, live-baiting six mahi mahi, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. Fly-fishing for them was tried, but the mahi refused flies, though they attacked the live bait “with reckless abandon,” Joe said. Waters were clear, blue and in the upper 70s at the Cigar, interesting because anglers complained about lots of green waters on the ocean lately. The ocean was green 15 miles from shore, Joe said. Mike Roth jumped aboard Sunday on a trip that was going to fly fish for mahi, but an easterly swell from the tropical storm forced the plan to be cancelled, despite perfect weather. When Joe runs a trip like this, the boat will mix in trolling for tuna and marlin. No point in traveling that far without taking advantage. But Mike got to fly rod a bunch of 1- to 2-pound blues and some amberjacks close to shore. Good catches of tuna, white marlin and a few blue marlin were jabbed this week at Toms and Lindenkohl canyons, some of the northern canyons. Jersey Cape would compete in this week’s Cape May Marlin and Tuna Club’s Ladies Day Tournament and in next week’s Mid Atlantic $500,000 tournament at Cape May’s South Jersey Marina.

An epic catch of marlin unfolded on a trip Tuesday just north of Carteret Canyon in 50 fathoms with <b>Over Under Adventures</b> from Avalon, the report on the boat’s Web site said. At first, a couple of rat yellowfin tuna were let go, and a white marlin was jumped. Then a monster blue marlin attacked the trolling spread and was hooked! The estimated 700- to 800-pounder was fought 3 hours and released. Then white marlin went nuts! As many as six or seven were hooked at a time in the 14-rod spread. A bunch broke off as the lines crossed, but nine were landed and released, and more than 30 were seen in the 2 ½ hours of action. While some of the fish were fought, others swam behind the boat, waiting to eat. The whites tried to eat the baits hanging from the outriggers, and the captain said he’d probably never forget the day. The next morning, Wednesday morning, a trip returned to the area, and a couple of tuna bit right away, never coming tight. They seemed to be rats. Lots of small tuna then punched the spread, and five or six were released. Then tuna, both yellowfins and longfins, kept short-striking, missing the hooks. Two good-sized yellowfins were landed. Plenty of boats worked the area, and some picked a couple of tuna. By 10 a.m. the action stopped, and the trip began making its way home. The trip had been trying for marlin, trolling small baits and ballyhoos. One white marlin was seen at 7 a.m., and not another was seen on the trip. Another trip fished north of Wilmington Canyon on Monday, because decent catches of mahi mahi, billfish and longfin tuna were made there previously. Life including whales and porpoises filled the waters, and the area looked promising. But not one tuna bit all day on the boat, and the fishing sounded slow for everyone. One mahi was caught on the trip. The trip worked north to Spencer Canyon throughout the day. On Saturday two of Over Under’s boats fished at the Carteret, at blue waters that northeast winds had pushed far inshore to 40 or 45 fathoms. One of the trips began fishing at the northern side of the canyon at the blue waters. Scattered life including porpoises and chick birds was seen in the good-looking, 81-degree waters, and tuna covered up the boat at 8:45 a.m. Eight yellowfins, good-sized fish, mostly weighing in the low 60s, one weighing in the low 70s, were bagged out of 12 bites. One would bite, then another would bite and so on. At one point a 700-pound blue marlin entered the spread while anglers fought tuna, and the blue couldn’t be hooked while the anglers dealt with the tuna. But the blue was a sight to see. After enough tuna were in the box, the anglers tried for marlin, but none showed up, while the trip worked inshore to end the day. The other trip began fishing at the blue waters at the south side of the Carteret that morning. A couple of single tuna bites swung and missed, and the crew decided to move to where tuna had just covered up the other boat on the north side. But nothing was doing by the time the boat arrived. The trip motored all the way to Lindenkohl Canyon, and a single tuna attacked toward the tip but never came tight. Fishing was slow on the trip, but two mahi were bagged at the lobster pots, and other boats seemed to get into somewhat of a tuna bite farther inshore from the Lindy that day. Somewhat of a catch seemed to be made at Toms Canyon at the time, and that seemed the place to be, but the waters were too far for this day trip. Charters and   <a href=" http://overundercharters.com/index.php?page=opendates" target="_blank">open-boat trips</a> are fishing offshore.

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