<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Bluefin tuna, good catches, were bombed before the hurricane, and okay catches were socked on Sunday after the weather, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> from Highlands. But the angling became tough on Monday, maybe because of crowds of boats on that Labor Day holiday, in some of the calmest weather since the storm. A big population of bluefins gathered anywhere from the Virginia wreck off Long Island to waters farther south at the usual grounds off New Jersey. Brian preferred not to name specific locations. Jersey Devil, sailing for bluefins on both charters and open-boat trips, usually drifts for the bluefins while the anglers jig for the fish. Depending on how many anglers join a trip, two or three rods are usually set up to fish sardines at various depths while the anglers jig. Trolling for bluefins was also productive, and other pelagics were in the mix on the troll. A friend on Monday went 1 for 2 on wahoos while trolling the waters. Call Brian if interested in the open trips, because the more who are interested, the easier to schedule. Fishing for yellowfin tuna was inconsistent, hit or miss, at the canyons farther offshore, and trips seemed better off fishing for bluefins.

A few bluefin tuna were boated on Sunday and Monday after the Hurricane on Friday and winds on Saturday, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> from Highlands. But crowded waters seemed to put the fish down on Monday. That was a holiday, Labor Day, and a rare break in the weather. The fish were scattered throughout waters from the Virginia wreck to the HA buoy. Derek also heard about a few closer to shore, without naming locations. Nothing was heard about bluefins since Monday, and the weather was windy. Derek was supposed to fish for bluefins Wednesday but was weathered out. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing for the tuna.

Greg Schnell, who trolled a 46-pound wahoo at the Glory Hole on Sunday, said his buddy ran a trip that fought 12 bluefin tuna at the Bacardi wreck that day, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b> in Highlands. Greg also boated chicken mahi mahi. No reports rolled in about tuna fishing farther offshore at the canyons, and the weather was windy. A new supply of offshore baits will arrive in the next days. Twin Lights carries a large supply of baits.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Chuck from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle scored a solid catch of bluefin tuna and mahi mahi at the HA buoy last week, he said. Bluefins then 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. Customers said not much bait – some, but not much –  schooled the waters.

An edited report from the <b>Canyon Runner</b> from Point Pleasant, posted on the boat’s Web site on September 1 or last week on Wednesday, the most recent report posted there: “They finished up a stretch of five overnighters (including an open-boat trip) in seven days … and had another very slow one just ahead of Hurricane Earl. They were 1 for 3 on yellowfins, caught a few mahi and stopped to add 10 tilefish. But unfortunately that was it. One thing for sure – the canyons were churned up by Earl for the last two days, so hopefully the fish moved back up on the bank from wherever they swam to. If not – we’ll be mixing in a lot of bluefin action on these trips to spice things up, as that has been great about 60 miles out of Manasquan.”

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Forecasts for winds kept trips from sailing to Barnegat Ridge on the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Barnegat, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. But word had it that the ridge was heavy with false albacore. As soon as winds calm, trips will steam there and also to the Mudhole for bluefin tuna, mahi mahi, skipjacks and bonito, trolling, jigging, chunking and live-bait fishing. For the smaller fish, trips chum with fresh spearing when available. Charters are sailing, and open trips for bonito, false albacore, bluefin tuna, mahi and skipjacks are set for 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday. Saturday is booked. On the open trips only one angler is needed to sail, and the price is not increased. The open trips are limited to three anglers, and reservations are required.

<b>Beach Haven Inlet</b>

Bonito were trolled on the <b>June Bug</b> from Beach Haven on a trip Monday that also hooked bluefish, a bunch of big croakers and some sea bass, Capt. Lindsay said. That was a good catch, and the bonito were caught beyond the 60-foot depths where some of the other fish were boated. They jumped on No. 2 Clark spoons and a bird a friend makes. A trip offshore for tuna and big game is tentatively set for Saturday, and Lindsay heard from nobody who ran offshore in the past days, and the weather was windy. He saw reports about catches at Wilmington Canyon before last week’s hurricane. Satellite charts this week showed warm waters from southern Hudson Canyon to Toms Canyon and a finger of warm waters at the Wilmington.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Offshore boaters returned to fishing at the canyons on Monday during a break in the weather, after the hurricane at the end of last week, said Curt from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b> in Atlantic City. Fishing was tough, and tiny yellowfin tuna like 12 inches were around, but bigger ones were mostly a no-show. Anglers practically stopped speculating where the fish relocated lately, like 150 miles offshore or closer to shore than where everyone fished. But if the tuna were closer to shore, somebody should’ve run across them. The fishing had started off well this year. Everyone generally hooked a white marlin, and a few wahoos were around. A friend broke off a blue marlin in the morning on an overnighter Monday to Tuesday when a commercial boat ran over the line. Lots of mahi mahi gathered around the lobster pot buoys and debris.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

An overnight trip fished at Wilmington Canyon from Sunday to Monday, an audio report on <b>Over Under Adventures</b> from Avalon’s 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. No reports were posted on Over Under’s site both after and a week prior to this report, maybe because of the weather. Reports are usually posted the day after each trip. Charters and   <a href=" http://overundercharters.com/index.php?page=opendates" target="_blank">open-boat trips</a> are fishing offshore.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

On the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May a trip on Sunday trolled a couple of yellowfin tuna, some mahi mahi including a big one 35 pounds, and a 40-pound wahoo, Capt. George said. The charter 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 at all, and only a few other boats were seen all day.

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