<b>Keyport</b>

Six keeper fluke to 21 inches, and good action with shorts, was rounded up Saturday near Reach Channel on Raritan Bay with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. The trip was covered in the last report, and another trip for fluke was sailing 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. today, and two spaces are available on an open-boat trip for fluke 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. Space is also available on open trips for fluke through the weekend. Open trips are sailing daily 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a minimum of four anglers, when no charter is booked. Call to climb aboard.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Weather forecasts seemed to scare off anglers from sailing on the marina’s  three-quarter-day party boats today, and the <b>Fishermen</b> was only one of two that sailed, but fluke fishing onboard was productive, Capt. Ron said in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Plenty of action, he said, and more of the fish were shorts than keepers, “but that’s not our fault with the size limits,” he said. Sarah Degraaf, a high-school sophomore who fished on the boat “since she couldn’t see over the rail,” Ron said, landed 15 fluke, including the 4-pound pool-winner. She learned from Ron all that time, and listened once again, Ron said, using less bait, teasing the fish, making them want it, and it worked! Several quality fluke were bucketed, just not enough. The places to fish were limited by the coming storm and east winds, and the ocean was out, and the drift was too fast at the channels, so the trip fished on Raritan Bay. The rains did come, as the boat got docked! The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. However, a charter will run during the trip this Sunday. In addition to the morning trips, afternoon, open-boat trips for fluke will begin this weekend, sailing 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., with Capt. Bob Sidorski, who’s been in the business 40 years, and worked with Ron many years.

Fishing for fluke was good, and striped bass were sometimes still caught, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Striper catches might’ve started to be better at night, but the fish were also hooked during daytime through the first days of July last year. Bluefishing was very good. Bottom anglers reeled aboard sea bass and ling along the ocean rough bottom. Cod could be copped at the Muhdole. If anglers wanted them, they could catch, and certain wrecks held them. Crabbing dished up plenty of blueclaws on the rivers.

Fluke fishing had been slower aboard the past couple of days, compared with before, but this morning’s trip showed improvement, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> at 11:30 a.m. over the phone on the outing. The fishing wasn’t great this morning, but more keepers had already been landed than on trips in the past day or so, and a good, steady pick of shorts came up. A fair number of keepers were already decked, and four anglers bagged two, and one took three, and a couple angled one. The trip fished close to port in the bay, instead of running around to all different places in the bay like Wednesday. Lots of fluke bit that were just undersized, 17 or 17 ½ inches, and lots of small ones were around, and that’s good, suggests the population is healthy. Quite a few shorts, and a few keepers, were netted on Wednesday’s trips onboard. Fluke hovered at every place the boat fished that day, but the fishing was a matter of getting lucky on keepers. Sometimes a pocket of keepers was found, and the trip made a couple of passes, then tried somewhere else. Deeper waters in the past days seemed an advantage for keepers, but the right conditions, or winds and tides that created a good drift, were necessary there. Southeast winds came up on Wednesday afternoon’s trip, so the boat fished the bay, instead of deeper waters along the channels. Sometimes Spro jigs might’ve seemed an advantage. But sometimes bait worked just as well. The crew as always encouraged anglers to fish with plain rigs, like with spearing on the plain rigs available on the boat, instead of store-bought rigs with feathers, spinners or beads. Plain rigs, with lighter leaders than store-boughts, seemed to work better lots of times. 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, Sunday, 6/26:***</b> Fluking started a bit slow on the morning trip, and the drift wasn’t the best, and a few of the fish were picked everyplace the boat fished, Tom said. As the drift improved, catches somewhat picked up. Anglers fishing with bucktails or Spro jigs definitely caught better, and as the drift improved at Flynn’s Knoll, anglers fishing with bait started to catch more than before. The fishing was a bit better on the afternoon trip, turned out more action with shorts, and drifting was somewhat better.

<b>Highlands</b>

With <b>Raritan Bay Charters</b> 13 keeper fluke, among 60 fluke total, were landed on a trip Saturday, Capt. Dave said. Covered in the last report, the trip started fishing on Raritan Bay, making its way to the ocean, and the fish bit practically non-stop. On one of the drifts fluke bit constantly for two miles on the ocean along Sandy Hook Channel. Space is available on open-boat trips Saturday and Sunday.

A bunch of fluke to 4 ½ pounds were bailed on a trip that Pat Cedola took off Sandy Hook Point, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. Waldemar Paul Auguscinski weighed in a 13-pound, whopper fluke that came from somewhere around Sandy Hook or Ambrose channels. That might’ve been the biggest fluke reported caught on this site so far this season. Striped bass were still picked, and the Hyper Striper, docked at the marina, still fished for them, but was going to begin bluefin tuna trips soon, Wayne believed. Bluefins were heard about from the Chicken Canyon and the Atlantic Princess wreck. Lots of blue sharks supposedly swam the Chicken. George Feucis docked a 16-pound bluefish from the Shrewsbury Rocks, and blues swarmed the rocks and practically everywhere. Scott Beim, the marina’s owner, and Ed Remeish chartered the Mi Jo for a benefit trip for wounded veterans this weekend, and will hold a picnic afterward. Live bunker and a few fresh clams are stocked. More clams are available if anglers order ahead. All the frozen baits are stocked including Pro Cut squid, trolling squid, sand eels, spearing and Peruvian smelts. Offshore baits including fresh bunker chum and flats of bunker, mackerel, herring and sardines are on hand.

<b>Neptune</b>

Two paying customers showed up for Wednesday’s weekly, individual-reservation fluke trip, but <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> sailed on the trip, Capt. Ralph said. Last Lady sails no matter whether two or fifteen show up. Ralph brought two granddaughters and other anglers, and the fluking was poor, because water temps had dropped 8 degrees. But the fishing will pick up today, Ralph said, and he managed two keepers and four or five throwbacks, and the rest of the anglers bagged one or two keepers apiece. On a sea bass trip Monday, anglers had a “pick of quality fish,” Ralph said in an e-mail, and most ended up with a good catch of big sea bass and ling. The trip “made drops all over the place,” Ralph said, “but really never got them started good.” Small cod 18 to 21 inches hovered all over the deeper drops, “good for next year,” he said. Two spots are available Sunday on a trip to compete in the Mako Mania tournament and the Jersey Coast Shark Anglers Mako Fever tournament, sharing expenses with the charter. Individual-reservation trips for fluke and sea bass are sailing every Wednesday. Children under 12 on the trips sail free, limited to two kids per adult host.  An individual-reservation trip for cod and pollock is full June 30, but more of the trips will be scheduled in July, because the fishing was good. Room is available on an individual-rez trip for nighttime stripers, leaving at 12 midnight Wednesday, July 13. Space is available on individual-reservation trips for sea bass Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, July 31. 

<b>Belmar</b>

One of the weekly, open-boat shark trips, sailing on Wednesdays, fished this week on the <b>Nan Sea J</b>, bagging a 68-inch mako, releasing two dozen blue sharks to 150-pounds, Capt. Tom said. The mako wasn’t weighed, and the waters fished, not far from shore, were 66 to 68 degrees and clean. A few bluefish swam around once in a while, but not much other life was seen. A couple of dolphins came through. Space remained for the trips on the last Wednesday in July, and the other ones were full at the moment. So Tom might add some Tuesdays, and anglers can call if interested. The trips are a rare opportunity for sharking without chartering a boat. The trips might even mix in bluefin tuna fishing. Bluefin fishing sounded a little slow on the shark trip Wednesday, but sounded better Tuesday. Tom was unsure how the tuna fishing was in general, but bluefins were caught. Tom gave his last report Sunday evening over the phone on a striped bass trip that by that time had a little action. But the trip ended up being great, catching the pants off the bass. Trips will keep fishing for sharks and stripers, and are sailing for fluke and sea bass.

Trips mostly fluke fished with <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b>, bucktailing along the ocean rocks, tugging in fairly good-sized keepers to 10 pounds, Capt. Kris said. But trips also still livelined bunker for striped bass on the ocean. Charters and open-boat trips are sailing seven days a week.

Big blues, mostly 7- to 10-pounders, were beaten on both daytime and nighttime trips on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b> on the ocean, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Pool-winning blues usually weighed 12 pounds. “Nice fish!” the report said. No striped bass were hooked, but a few popped up “later in the day along the beach,” the report said. The Golden Eagle is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. However, the boat is chartered this Monday and Tuesday.

Bluefish, good catches, were banged out on both daytime and nighttime trips on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> on the ocean, Capt. Alan said. Most were 5 to 8 pounds, and they weighed up to 15. All blues, no stripers, were caught. On the party boat <b>Tropical Adventure</b>, Alan’s other boat, lots of fluke, not lots of keepers, but some, were hung from the ocean. Some bagged three, four or five, and some landed no keepers. Anglers probably averaged 15 to 20 fluke landed. Not many sea bass bit on the trips, but more and more sea bass showed up. Sea bass started to move 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. The Tropical Adventure is fluke fishing twice daily 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Fishing remained about the same, and big striped bass were still boated on the ocean or beached from the surf, and tons of blues were crushed on ocean boats, and fluke fishing was great on boats on the ocean, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Lots of fluke swam Shark River, and many were shorts, but enough were keepers to make anglers happy. On the striper boats, anglers snagged bunker then livelined them for bait. From the surf, many anglers snagged and livelined the menhaden, and the bigger bass were taken that way, and on pencil poppers. Some anglers clammed for stripers in the surf, and caught, and Bob saw bigger bass that were clammed, but live bunker and pencil poppers grabbed most of the big ones, like 40-pounders. Stripers to 44 pounds were weighed in from the boats Wednesday. From the surf today, a 34-pounder and a 30-pounder had already been checked in this morning, when Bob gave this report over the phone. Sharks were caught farther from shore, and shark tournaments were under way, and tuna fishing was good offshore. Lots of good fishing was happening. The shop’s rental boats are available for fluking on the river.

<b>Brielle</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Jerry from <b>Fish Monger Charters</b> on Wednesday: “Had good friend Dan aka d.o.c. aboard while back from Cali. Cigar Bob, Duranatic Al, Fred, Nate the Mate n his pops from Arkansas rounded out the gun crew. Beings Dan was a big bass fisherman when he lived in NJ, he wanted to give them a crack, even though the bite’s been a little inconsistent and hard to predict, rather than go for fluke, which are mini halibut, according to Dan. Headed south to where they had lots of bait n a good bite on Mon. Got on scene, and the bunker were getting worked hard. Snagged a few, and had some runoffs pretty quick. Put a couple in the boat. Got back on them, and got a couple more. Then the bite just completely shut off. Looked around a bunch more pods, but nothing was going on. Dan also livelined a jumbo skate. Headed off bottom fishing, and it was very slow. Cigar Bob managed to put a few in the box, and also hooked we believe a thresher, before it broke off. Just a couple of sea bass from each spot, and a couple ling. Finished the day fluking in the sand on some hills. Great action, lots of shorts, and the guys managed to put 10 nice fish in the box, before the south wind picked up. Worked hard n caught a little of everything for a nice mixed bag! By day’s end the guys boxed up four stripers to 38 lbs, 10 keeper fluke, 13 sea bass and five ling. Great to see our good friend Dan n catch up while he was in town. Rest of the crew was a blast as well. Thanks again guys! (Next report): Headed out for another day of fluking. Had Kyle Pa Monger, Birthday Boy Gary, Eric the Mortgage Man, Ryan Scubanut, Phil and Frank aboard today. Didn’t bother with the bass in the a.m., wanted to get to the fluke grounds, before any south wind came. Got setup, and it was pretty slow, couple keepers, few shorts. Got a call from a great capt and friend that they had some better life a couple miles away, so off we went. Got on scene, and it was madness from start to finish. Pretty much lock and load action – when u were on the patches of fish, they just kept coming. Lots of shorts and just misses, BUT PLENTY of nice keepers going every drift. Incredible action on both bait n jigs! Had a bunch of double headers and three and four on at a time! In the rough stuff where the keepers roam! The guys slugged away at them until the six-man limit! After Eric MM had a couple of tough ones, he def made up for it today, being high hook with 13 keepers (only taking limit) to 6 lbs. Ryan back for his 2nd Limit on his 2nd fluke trip. Sealed up the cooler, and headed towards home, keeping our eye out for bass on the way. Seen some nervous bunker stopped, and the birthday boy had a two-bass limit in the boat in a flash, including a 42 lber! Picked two more before it died, due to traffic. Was heading for home, n then it happened again! Fish were blowing up on the bunker for a 1/2 mile spread, with only a few boats. Stopped, and the mayhem began, two and three on at time. Got three cracks, getting everyone hooked up, and boxed up a limit of stripes in short order! All kinds of personal bests today, and Gary’s new name is Striper MVP, leaving the blackfish name behind in the dust. Happy birthday Gary! What a day! Thought the other day was a once in a lifetime, only for it to happen again today! Some truly phenomenal fishing we have been experiencing! By day’s end the guys caught over 200 fluke, keeping 48 (a 6-man limit) to 6 lbs, then caught 15 stripers to 42 lbs, boxing up a limit! One to remember! Philly pretzels do it again! Thanks again fellas!”

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Ocean fluke fishing was better on some days than others, and each trip on the party boat <b>Norma K III</b> shoveled up throwbacks and a handful of keepers in the past days, Capt. Matt said. A southerly swell and southerly winds seemed somewhat to hamper the fishing. The boat fished in 40 to 70 feet, and bucktailing, like with a Spro jig and a teaser, seemed to score better. A few sea bass, no big numbers, turned up when trips fished rocky bottom. Bluefishing plowed excellent catches – big blues 7 to 15 pounds – on the vessel’s nighttime trips. The Norma K III is fluke fishing twice daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and is bluefishing daily 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Bottom fishing on trips was okay, not a bail, but seemed to improve little by little, said Capt. Butch from the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>. Anglers swung aboard sea bass, ling and still some cod from the ocean. The fish felt freezing to the touch, so the bottom was chilly, but surface temps were 62 or 64 degrees. Unfortunately loads of big, out-of-season winter flounder were hooked and released, like they were this time last year. Well over 300, all big keepers, were landed and let go on a trip the other day. Bluefishing was excellent on nighttime trips last weekend. The blues were probably 6 to 12 pounds, and limiting out wasn’t difficult on the half-night trips. Bluefish trips had been running Friday and Saturday nights, but will begin fishing every night starting Friday.  The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and will begin bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily starting Friday.

“Open-boat bluefin beat down,” a report on <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>’ Web site said! The year’s first open-boat, midshore trip, annual , unique outings that target bluefin tuna, sharks, cod and pollock in one day, sailed Monday. The plan was to troll for bluefins to find the fish, jig for them once found, shark fish, then hit a wreck for cod and pollock. The fishing began with good trolling, going 2 for 4 on bluefins to 45 inches on Green Machine spreader bars and daisy chains. A scallop boat was seen that “had hauled back and was shucking,” the site said. Capt. Fred from Andrea’s Toy explained in a subsequent phone call made for this report that trips get permission to fish for bluefins behind scallop boats. If the crew from a charter boat treats the scallop boat well, the scallopers usually give permission for the charter to fish for the tuna behind the scallop boat. The charter crew usually gives the scallopers a box of donuts and a newspaper or something that the scallopers, having been on the waters a while, appreciate. Then the scallopers often give the charter a bucket of scallop guts for bait. Andrea’s Toy got the bucket of guts from the scallop boat, and whaled the bluefins on them. The anglers proceeded to hook at least 40 bluefins, landing more than half, all 40- to 45-inchers. The anglers became worn out, but gave sharking and wreck fishing a brief try, before heading home. “Great day and fantastic way to start the bluefin season!” the site’s report said. The crew’s new Shimano Saragosa spinning reel and Terez rod combos were able to be fished on the trip. The outfits are made for popper-lure fishing for tuna, but worked great for casting weightless scallop snot. A light but powerful set-up.  Midshore fishing’s been on fire! Fred said in the phone call. Canyon tuna fishing was also hot, and open-boat trips will also now sail there. Andrea’s Toy is finished striped bass fishing for the season, and sea bass fishing was yet to take off, so trips will focus on midshore and the canyons. The canyon trips, also unique, target a mixed bag: tuna, sharks, swordfish, light-tackle mahi mahi, and deep-dropping for tilefish, all in one outing. Andrea’s Toy might be the only local boat that does this, instead of sticking with tuna all day, even if tuna don’t bite, for example. The boat specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, more chances of hooking up, and more variety for dinner. Anglers can telephone Andrea’s Toy for more details about the open-boat midshore and canyon trips. Tuna fishing turned on earlier this year than many seemed to expect, and Fred was glad to take advantage, he said.

<b>Bricktown</b>

Striped bass bit in the ocean off the Thunderbird all day Wednesday until the storm began, believed Nick from <b>Jersey Hooker Outfitters</b>, located in Bricktown, and <b>Jersey Hooker Charters</b>, sailing from Point Pleasant Beach’s Canyon River Club Marina. The fish probably also chewed farther south, he guessed, but the location changed every day. Good catches of fluke were made at the Shrewsbury Rocks in the ocean, and fluking wasn’t so good locally yet, like at Sea Girt Reef or off Spring Lake. A few keeper fluke and lots of throwbacks carpeted Manasquan River. Nick’s dad on a trip on the river racked up a couple of keepers and a short on nearly every cast. Fluctuating water temps kept sea bass from snapping much in the ocean. Crabbing was improving, and lots of customers bought bunker and supplies for crabbing. Don’t miss the shop’s <b><i>***Shark Special.***</i></b>: Get three 5-gallon buckets of bunker chum, one flat of frozen mackerel and six blocks of ice for only $109.99. The shop offers deliveries for shark tournaments, and orders more than $500 get free delivery the night before, from South Amboy to Long Beach Island. Tournament deliveries must be placed one week prior to the tournament. The shop is offering fresh whole mackerel and bluefish by the pound at market price for sharking.

<b>Toms River</b>

Healthy catches of fluke were boated on the ocean off the Red Church, and anywhere to the north, really, said Lou from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Plenty of fluke swam Barnegat Bay, like at the BB marker, though lots were shorts. Fluke also paved the northern bay toward the Point Pleasant Canal. Striped bass fishing started to slow down some in the ocean, but the fish were there. The bass began to turn on in the afternoons starting Tuesday, anywhere from Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet. Thresher sharks chased the bunker pods that stripers also fed on. Lou caught no blues on the ocean where stripers schooled, and saw none. He thought he saw blues popping around the northern bay.   Nothing was heard about weakfish, and news about surf fishing was mostly quiet. Crabbing was alright in the lagoons, and nothing much was heard about crabs in the bay.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Striped bass were still pulled from the surf, but a little north, like at Brick Beach and Mantoloking, said Scott from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Snagging bunker and livelining the baitfish at first light caught. A mess of fluke got beached from the surf near the Seaside Heights Casino Pier. Work a bucktail with a Gulp. Fluke gathered at the inlets, and plenty of cocktail blues schooled Barnegat Bay behind Island Beach State Park. The blues were popper-plugged at dusk. Blues sometimes showed up in the bay toward the shop and the docks at dusk. Crabbing was good in the bay at the shop. Killies, fresh clams, fresh bunker, eels and the complete line of baits is stocked. Catch Wacky Wednesdays, featuring clams for $2.75 per dozen. The Dock’s rental boats and jet skis are available.

<b>Seaside Park</b>

The season’s first limit of sea bass around the boat was cracked with <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b> Monday, Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier said in a report on the vessel’s Web site. “Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later,” he said. The three anglers “got to enjoy the thing we love to do most … filling the box with quality sea bass,” he said. Plus the trip nailed one of the best catches of ling Birch ever saw inshore. The anglers were good, and went right to work, piling up a good pick. Sea bass to 19 inches or 2 ¾ pounds, plenty of shorts to keep rods bending, 17 sizeable ling, four throwback cod, six out-of-season blackfish to 5 pounds let go, and a couple of sea ravens were totaled. Jumbo bags of fillets! On a trip Tuesday, at first, throwbacks gave up good action, but not the number of keepers Birch would want. But the trip moved, and that paid off. Very good numbers, and good-quality sea bass, were on the bite. The fishing wasn’t wide out, but the keeper ratio was great, and the anglers made the most of the bites. The average keeper was 14 inches, and a 3-pounder was the biggest. Forty-five keepers, several dozen shorts, a keeper cod, 10 short cod, and lots of blackfish were landed. Of course, only the keepers and in-season fish were kept. With winds and seas building, the trip decided to run inshore, looking for striped bass. Pods of bunker were located right away, but they only produced one run-off. No large push of bait seemed to move to the sea bass grounds yet, and the fish weren’t aggressively feeding so far. Some good to very good catches were hammered onboard, but sea bassing should really start to shape up over the next week or so, increasing the areas that can be fished. On a trip today, Birch said in a phone call afterward, the anglers began with striper fishing, hauling in five to 35 pounds close to shore. Striper fishing slowed, and the trip began to fluke fish. One keeper was iced, and shorts turned out good action. Then 20 keeper sea bass and one keeper cod were put up. So the trip totaled five stripers, 20 sea bass and one cod in the box, and action with shorts. Fishing’s been good, and fish have been plentiful, Birch said. 

<b>Forked River</b>

Boaters walloped striped bass on the ocean locally Sunday and Monday, and a neighbor said the fishing slowed since then, said Grizz from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. But the neighbor slammed them again on a trip from Manasquan Tuesday. The trip hooked 20, landing 12. Many customers fluke fished, and none scored great, but a few keepers were bucketed each trip. Blues raced around Barnegat Inlet and the inlet rocks, and blues were sometimes on the bunker schools that stripers chased along the ocean. The last weakfish weighed in was on June 11. Crabbing was good.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

“Ouch!” a report on the party <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>’s Web site said about Wednesday’s trip onboard. “We finally got bit today.” Water temps dropped on the fishing grounds, and bluefishing was slow on the boat. “We did see a school of porpoise and a couple of finback whales on the way out, so got that going for us,” it said. Tuesday’s trip at first sounded mostly slow in the morning, according to the report, except for a short bite. But the blues turned on at 1 p.m., and the trip stayed late on the waters, “so everyone had a great catch,” the report said. Five anglers limited out, and the fish bit jigs, bait or whatever anglers threw at them. Bluefishing on Monday’s trip was a steady pick, and customers bagged two to five apiece. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing 8 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

<b>Barnegat</b>

Though the following report was posted here as an update late Tuesday, it’s being re-posted, in case anyone missed it.  From an edited e-mail Tuesday from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “After a slow morning of ‘bunker dunking’ Sunday, I shot out offshore in the mild easterly wind for my first trip to Barnegat  Ridge this season. After letting out the eighth rod in the spread, the flatline clip snapped, and we had our first bonita, a respectable 4-pounder. Ten minutes later, we boated another, and then we had to go looking. We ran into a steady row of ‘tuna chicks’ picking at the surface, and the machine was reading heavy gobs all over the water column. We dropped down silver PBJ diamond jigs, and Bob Diener of Nanuet, NY, was rewarded with a 20-pound bluefin tuna. A few more drifts, and we had to get  back for my Fathers-Day-promised sharp return. Monday morning only yielded a 38-pounder for Matt Huminski, though the bite I witnessed was better than that, with constant hookups all around me, in 45 feet of water off Seaside Park. We all took it in stride, and chalked it up to ‘some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you.’ We stopped at the inlet jetty on the way in, adding a 12-pound bass on a leftover fresh bunker from our snagging. I headed back out Monday afternoon with Gene Linder, and we found some small but tight bunker pods in the same area, and the action was insane. All the fish were 30-pound-plus. I had a 40, and Gene had a 42. If the boat doesn't sell out to three people, you can expect to see me fishing next to you. As soon as we snagged a bunker it was eaten. Some of these afternoon bites have been incredible. Felt like I saved face by returning to the same pods that had defeated me earlier in the day. Here’s a <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y4MevGGsPk" target="_blank">YouTube clip of one of Gene’s 30-pounders</a> last night. I will be running open-boat trips 1PM to 7 PM Fri, 4:30AM to 12:30PM and 1PM to 7PM Sat, 4:30AM to 12:30PM and 1PM to 7PM Sun, and 5AM to 1PM and 2PM to 8PM Monday. The 6-hour PM trips will be looking for bunker and stripers. The 8-hour AM trips will start looking for bass, and depending on our success and the sea condition, we could also run offshore to Barnegat Ridge looking for bonita, albacore and tuna. Either trip sails with a maximum of three people. All fish caught are shared by the passengers. We provide everything, just bring whatever you want to eat and drink for the time we are out. If you have a favorite rod, bring it.”

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Anglers pushed off for sharks Tuesday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, bagging a 130-pound mako, releasing a 250-pounder, Capt. T.J. said. A small mako swam through without smacking a bait, and a large bluefish was hooked, and that was all the life seen, and no bait was spotted. The 70-degree waters were clear, visibility down to 20 feet. Yellowfin tuna fishing was fair offshore, and a bunch were gaffed Tuesday, according to radio chatter on the trip, between Wilmington and Baltimore canyons. Lots of the fish seemed small, and the big yellowfins were “off by themselves,” T.J. said. He heard about no bluefin tuna closer to shore, and saw none, though the waters where he shark fishes, especially where Tuesday’s trip fished, are usually loaded with them this time of year. The spot where this trip sharked is usually bluefin city, he said. Legal Limit is also bottom fishing, and that seemed to be picking up, and T.J. will find out Saturday, when his next bottom trip for sea bass is slated. The trip might even try fluking.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Customers fiddled with summer flounder on the bay, and one landed 26 before catching the first keeper, said Scott from  <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Entertaining, but not a lot of fish for the cooler. Customers caught the fluke along the Intracoastal Waterway from the 134 to the 139, and off the Coast Guard Station, drifting from the shallower bars to deeper waters. Catch-and-release shark fishing began at Grassy Channel, right on time, around the middle of June. Anglers fish for big sandsharks, and hook large brown sharks that must be released by law, at night, like from dusk to 10:30 p.m. The fishery offers a chance to fight a big shark without sailing offshore. The shop sells a bay sharking rig and a chum ball perfect for the angling, and can give advice. Striped bass were long gone from the ocean for the season, and nothing was even heard about them farther north. Nothing was heard about bluefish, weakfish or sea bass. Nobody mentioned white perch fishing on the brackish rivers. Crabbing was okay and had been good a while, before last week’s full moon. Catches somewhat backed off since then.

<b>Absecon</b>

This was pretty much summer flounder season locally, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. The fishing on the back bay kept getting a little better, and this was the best run of keepers in a couple of years, though anglers still had to fish for them. The bay flats started to hold lots of small flounder, so anglers had to start fishing a bit deeper, and 10 to 20 feet was what Dave was hearing. The new Gulp 6-inch swim baits arrived at the shop, and Dave was a little surprised at the size, but anglers could use them to try for the big lunker. The baits should be great for striped bass fishing when the migration returns in fall. Striper fishing currently mostly turned into a nighttime bite, along the bridges and other good structure, and nothing much was heard about stripers in the ocean in a while. At the bridges and structure, eels caught stripers at night, and livelined spots caught them at first light and dusk. Bait was moving into the bay, and 1- to 2-pound blues began to follow them. The blues are fun to fight on popper lures, if anglers could sneak up on them, and high tides seemed best. The blues schooled Mankiller Bay and behind the Brigantine Bridge, and Dave today began hearing about them at Little Bay. So the blues must’ve been entering their summertime grounds. Kingfishing was good in the surf, and the fish weren’t big, but were good to eat, and the population might’ve been better this year than before. Plenty of white perch swam the brackish rivers, and crabbing was good, not great, but Dave expects crabbing to pick up this season. Live spots, shedder crabs, minnows, eels and the full supply of baits is in solid shape.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Kingfish swam all over the surf, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. “If you want kings, come to Brigantine,” he said. Catches depended on finding the right hole. One angler landed two in an hour, and another totaled a half-dozen, and another put up 15. One customer got on a drumfish bite in the surf at night, beaching one five nights in a row on frozen, salted clams. He wanted to fish with clams, and fresh clams aren’t so available this time of year, and salted clams worked. Sharks moved into the surf at night, and fishing for them wasn’t hot and heavy, but sharks were there. Surf casters started catching a fish that was apparently a silver perch, looked similar to a spot, but wasn’t. Looked like a good fish for bait. Minnows, fresh bunker, bloodworms and all the baits except fresh clams are stocked. 

<b>Atlantic City</b>

A few kingfish, large triggerfish, sometimes summer flounder and a few blues were beached from the surf, said Jeremy from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Striped bass sometimes were still banked from the surf. The kings nibbled bloodworms, and the triggers mouthed clams. The flounder pounced on minnows, but even bloodworms could be used for them. The stripers were clammed. All those baits and more, the entire supply, are stocked. Porgies, okay-sized, not big, were plucked from the back bay, and so were flounder.

<b>Margate</b>

At the reefs summer flounder fishing was fairly good and getting better and better, said Capt. Eric from <b>O-Beth Sporfishing Charters</b>. His trips clocked the fluke to 21 inches, catching keepers every outing. Some sizeable sea bass were also socked. Shark fishing was going well with O-Beth, and every trip landed at least one mako. Brown and blue sharks also bit, and the trips fished along 20 fathoms, and waters were 69 degrees, ideal. Boaters put the brakes on healthy catches of yellowfin tuna in the deep offshore, and O-Beth is also available for those trips.

A few more keeper summer flounder than before were netted from the back bay on the party boat <b>Keeper</b>, Capt. John said. Lots of throwbacks tugged lines, and a few sizeable keepers did. The fishing wasn’t real bad, he said, and the fluke bit all the time on both the morning and afternoon trips. No bluefish or other fish showed up, except sharks and skates were sometimes angled. Gulps and mackerel worked well to catch the flounder, and minnows did a good job when available to provide on the boat.  The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder twice daily 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The fare is only $24 per adult for the 4-hour trips.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Summer flounder were headed out from the back bay, moving to the ocean for the season, so anglers should fish for them toward the inlets, said Ryan from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Deeper waters were best, and some of the big flatties held around the bridges. The waters around Strathmere attracted a better population of keepers. Ryan and friends fished there, landing five keepers to 4 ½ pounds in 1 ½ hours. The keeper ratio was definitely better than before, but lots of flounder were throwbacks. Big cownosed rays ran the bay, and Ryan pulled in 40- or 45-pounders while flounder fishing. Popper lure fishing for striped bass was going strong in the back bay, and sometimes 30-inchers were mixed in. Stripers were taken at night at the bridges on eels or lures like Fin-S Fish, and reports were heard about larger ones to 38-inchers. In the surf kingfishing kept getting better, and one customer beached seven medium-sized kings on FishBites artificial worms on a trip. Bloodworms or FishBites will work. On the ocean sea bass fishing started to fizzle inshore, but lots of sizeable sea bass were boated at the offshore reefs. Fluke hovered the reefs in decent numbers now. Shark fishing wasn’t as good as earlier, but sharks still haunted places like the Cigar and 28-Mile Wreck. A few bluefin tuna remained at places like the Cigar. One angler fought 30- to 40-pound bluefins, losing a bigger one, on a trip. So a few were around. Yellowfin tuna gathered at Lindenkohl and Spencer canyons. A report came in about 40 yellowfins landed on a trip. Ryan was unsure about location, but probably the Lindy, he guessed.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, scoped out the back bay a little Wednesday in the middle of the day, popper-plugging a striped bass, landing some summer flounder, he said. The flounder were hooked on a rig with a Gulp on a bucktail and a minnow on a plain hook on a trailer. Both the bucktail and minnow caught, but the bucktail might’ve grabbed the bigger fish. Tides will be awesome for the popper fishing this week or through the next 10 days or so, or will be high in the evenings. The popper fishing’s been good and is a specialty on the boat. Offshore fishing’s been great for all usual fish: yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi and blue and white marlin. Solid, Joe said, and he talked with an angler from a trip Wednesday that totaled 15 yellowfins, small fish. Friend Dusty Laricks on Tuesday took a trip that released a white, landed three big mahi and a good-sized yellowfin, and deep-dropped three tilefish. “Decent day,” Joe said. Yellowfin catches seemed good at Spencer and Wilmington canyon lately. The tuna were trolled on usual offerings like spreader bars and ballyhoos. Not much was heard about bluefin tuna closer to shore, and everyone steamed the extra 20 miles for the other fish. Joe will probably begin exploratory trips for annual inshore sharking trips in the next couple of weeks that catch and release brown and dusky sharks on spinning and fly rods. The fishing should be beginning, and is an opportunity to fight big fish without running offshore. Charters are sailing for all these fish. Keep up on Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

A few reports came in about good fishing along the inshore ocean reefs and lumps, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. One talked  about summer flounder found at Townsends Inlet Reef. The anglers had been trying for sea bass, picking through shorts, but nabbing a few sizeable ones. Then they began catching flounder. To fish for flounder at areas like that, anglers could use a bigger bucktail, tipped with a large strip of mullet, squid or Gulp. Another trip fished at Sea Isle Lump, marking lots of fish, ending up hooking a slew of  big triggerfish, small weakfish but some keepers, and large kingfish. Seemed that if anglers fished similar areas like the Cuma Lumps or Peacock Shoal, they’d find fish like that. In the back bay, mostly flounder bit, and the fishing was probably the best of the season, and anglers landed lots of shorts, but could end up with three or four keepers. Striped bass were popper plugged on the bay, and high tides during dusk and dawn are traditionally best. But high tides happened at 2 p.m. this week, and some anglers headed out in the middle of the day to catch the tide, poppering up the bass at very quiet areas of the bay. Striper fishing at night under the lights like at the docks or bridges slowed somewhat. One couple of customers hooked lots of small weakfish at the Townsends Inlet Bridge late at night when waters became quiet. None was a keeper, but they were thrilled to locate weaks. Kingfishing was good in the surf, and most fished for them with bloodworms, but quite a few FishBites artificial worms were sold for the angling. If kingfishing becomes slow on a trip, anglers might bounce a jighead with a paddle tail or swimming mullet or something with action for flounder along the jetties. As the flounder moved to the ocean from the bay, they seemed to hug the jetties on the way. Not much was heard about shark fishing on the ocean, though one or two customers tried for brown sharks on the inshore ocean, releasing a few. But fishing was fantastic farther from shore at the canyons. One trip to the canyons released two white marlin and caught something like a half-dozen yellowfin tuna and a  couple of gaffer mahi mahi. Then the anglers tried for tilefish, scoring two tiles to 35 pounds. Not many people targeted tiles yet this season, but those who did were catching.

<b>Wildwood</b>

The party boat <b>Adventurer</b> steamed for sea bass, and sometimes drifted for summer flounder, when conditions were right, Capt. Gary said. The number of sea bass dropped, but some big ones were clubbed. Waters temps jumped up and down strangely. The surface was 70 degrees Wednesday, but a diver said the bottom was in the 40s. Flounder fishing will be hindered until the temps rise. As flounder fishing picks up, trips will eventually switch to them completely. No bluefish really swam inshore, but when they arrive, trips for blues will sail every Saturday night, like every year. Open-boat trips run daily when no charter is booked, and call ahead to confirm.

In the back bay summer flounder started to get active again, after slower fishing for them because of the full moon last week, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. A few good-sized keepers 19 or 22 inches were brought in this week. Wednesday was one of the rare days that no keepers were docked from the rental boats. One group of three on one of the vessels, for example, landed eight or nine flounder around 15 inches apiece, scored no keepers, but had action. That’s what they were interested in: catching something. They brought none of their own rods or tackle, and rented the shop’s rods. Many of the bay’s flounder were throwbacks, like everywhere. If anglers fished the way the shop suggested, including using the right tackle, they’d catch. Mike did know a couple of locals who kept bagging good catches of keepers. A few striped bass were hooked by chance on the bay, while anglers fluke fished. But everyone concentrated on flounder, while the fluke remained in the bay. A few bluefish were heard about that were caught, though Mike saw none. No weakfish were heard about. Crabbing began to pick up a bit on the bay. Canal Side rents canopy boats and kayaks for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing. Baits stocked include minnows, and the price was currently great: $5 per pint including tax, compared with $8 before tax at many stores. Frozen squid strips, whole squid, spearing, mackerel fillets, mullet, clam strips and packaged clams are on hand. Live crabs for eating became available for the season, and No. 2’s are currently stocked for $12 per dozen.

<b>Cape May</b>

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> mated for a trip on another boat that reeled up sea bass, cod and ling Wednesday, he said. He’s running bottom-fishing trips for catches like that. But tuna fishing was the hot news. Boats bailed double-digits of yellowfin tuna at the canyons on the troll. If anglers want tuna, they should jump onboard now. A trip that a buddy ran landed more than 30 yellowfins. George heard about another trip this week that decked 11.Little was heard about bluefin tuna this year, except a few caught here and there, because everyone sailed farther offshore for yellowfins. The low bag limit kept anglers from chasing bluefins. A customer sailed for bluefins farther north at the Chicken Canyon, landing three or four bluefins, a mako shark and some bluefish. Little was heard about sharks from Cape May, again because everyone sailed for yellowfins. Closer to shore, a few summer flounder were boated at the Old Grounds on the ocean and Delaware Bay, but nothing good was heard about the fishing. Inshore trolling for small bluefish, and other fish like mahi mahi that can be mixed in, should begin soon. The Heavy Hitter is available for all these fish, and call if interested.

On the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, a few summer flounder were bagged every day, but the fishing was inconsistent, and on a few days was very slow for catching keepers, though lots of shorts bit, Capt. Paul said. Some days were better than others, and trips fished on the ocean at the reefs and the Old Grounds. The boat can fish on Delaware Bay but didn’t. The fishing should become more consistent as the season goes on, and Graham Neville on Wednesday’s trip boxed three keepers to 5 ½ pounds. South Philly Joe on Tuesday’s trip won the pool with a 5-pounder, bagging two keepers. An occasional sea bass, none to speak about, was mixed in. The Porgy IV is fishing on a full-day trip at 8 a.m. daily.

Boaters did a job on summer flounder in the harbor at high tide Wednesday, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Two anglers on one boat put seven keepers in the box, and none was huge, but the fish were good sized, and the anglers fished with 4-inch green chartreuse Gulp swimming mullets. Flounder fishing went well in the ocean at Reef 11 and the Old Grounds. Pretty good catches of the flatties came from the southern end of Delaware Bay around the deeper shoals. Croakers were banked from the surf at Cape May Point on bloodworms or clams. A couple of customers hooked a couple of weakfish at the end of the street at the bulkhead on small crabs. Sea bass, cod and ling were pumped in from the deeper ocean wrecks, say deeper than 90 feet. One angler sailed on a trip that totaled 50 keeper sea bass 10 miles from shore. Sharks were around, and yellowfin tuna fishing was great at the canyons. Minnows, bloodworms, fresh clams and all the frozen baits including salted clams, mackerel and squid are stocked. Butterfish, ballyhoos and trolling squid are carried for offshore.

Back to Top