<b>Keyport</b>

With <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> 12 keeper fluke, including multiple 5-pounders, were bailed Sunday, and seven keepers were sacked Saturday, Capt. Joe said. That was covered in the last report, and both trips fished on Raritan Bay, also scoring throwbacks, good action. Space is available on open-boat trips for fluke 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Open trips are fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily when no charter is booked. Deep-water, open fluke trips are sailing 8 hours once a week with a minimum of six passengers, because the boat will sail farther to reach the 70- to 90-foot waters. Call to jump aboard all trips.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

On the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> fluke on Monday morning’s trip were cranked aboard from the bay along the west side of the pier, Capt. Tom said. The catches weren’t great, but shorts and a fair number of keepers were rounded up. The afternoon’s trip fished on the other side of the pier, because of conditions, and fluking was better. Conditions were actually very good, or winds and the tide created an ideal drift. Fluking was slower aboard Tuesday, and some of the flatfish were landed. On Wednesday morning’s trip, a bunch of places were fished, each giving up fluke, and some were keepers. The afternoon’s trip was one of the better ones in the past three days. The trip fished the same area, in better conditions. Fluke fishing remained about the same lately: when conditions were better, so were catches. On a couple of trips in the past three days, one angler bagged four keepers, and a couple three, and some one or two, and some none. Fluke of no exceptional sizes were heaved in during the days. Winds 15 or 20 knots from the north blew at the beginning of this morning’s trip, when Tom gave this report over the phone onboard. So conditions were a little difficult, and the anglers had to fish with heavier weight, and the fluking was picky, but a handful of keepers were pulled in already.  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.

Good catches of fluke were boated, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Bottom fishers knuckled in ling, cod and sea bass, and not many keeper porgies. Porgies seemed to push into Long Island Sound this year. Bluefish were around. They popped up in the Shrewsbury River Wednesday morning, and some will show up in Raritan Bay every day, and anglers will have to look for them. Striped bass were located at night and in the early mornings from boats and the surf. Crabbing became better all the time in the Navesink River.

Catches of fluke were the worst of the season on Wednesday’s trip on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said in a report on the vessel’s Web site. The boat drifted great, but anglers only managed a pick of fluke. The vessel fished everywhere from the channels and Flynn’s Knoll to the flats and the back of the bay. When a bite seemed like it might begin in the channel on the change of the tide, a ship came through, putting down the fish. “We’ll give it hell (today),” Ron said. Fluking was better aboard Tuesday at the channels once the tide slowed. Then a ship came through, and action stopped. Bites began to pick back up, until another ship sailed through. But then it was time for the trip to return to port anyway. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. However, the boat was chartered this morning, and will be chartered Friday morning, so no open trip sailed this morning, and none will run Friday morning.

<b>Highlands</b>

Anglers aboard piled up fluke, good catches, while bucktailing the rough bottom in deeper waters with big strip baits with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. Sometimes the anglers will fish big strip baits on bottom-fishing or fluke rigs if they prefer. Bottom fishing was good onboard, coming in with ling, a few more sea bass each day, and couple of cod here or there. Charters will fish for fluke and bottom fish through the summer, and dates are available this month and in August. A couple of spaces are available for an open-boat fluke trip Friday. Call to jump aboard or to be kept informed about future open dates. If bluefin tuna move closer to shore, Fisher Price will sail for them this season.

Tuna were jigged, chunked and trolled on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. The fishing went well, and the Delaconte family’s charter this week pumped in tuna to 120 pounds, a great catch. Closer to shore, striped bass were sometimes trolled on the vessel. But inshore trips mostly jigged big blues and fished for fluke, knuckling in sizeable ones. 

Twenty-three keeper fluke were plowed Saturday with <b>Raritan Bay Charters</b>, and 14 keepers were cracked Sunday on the boat, Capt. Dave said. The trips were covered in the last report, and fished along a channel, away from other boats. Fluking lately was the best Dave saw in years, and the keeper ratio was 1 in 4 or 5 on the vessel. Space is available on an open-boat trip for fluke Sunday. Open trips are fluke fishing when no charter is booked.

Fluke were picked, and bluefish were around, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. Striped bass that bit were small. The Hyper Striper, sailing from the marina, returned with a 120-pound bluefin tuna from an offshore trip. One angler docked a 26-pound mahi mahi, and wouldn’t say where the fish was caught, but probably all the way offshore, because the angler ran a 35-foot Cabo. Killies and the full array of frozen baits are stocked. All the offshore baits are carried, including sardines, herring, mackerel and bunker chum.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fishing was great on an individual-reservation trip for cod Monday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. The next one of the trips will sail at 3 a.m. Monday, July 25. A couple of more will soon be slated for August. Individual-reservation trips will also include ones for: canyon tuna fishing, 12 midnight, Friday, July 29; and sea bass, 5 a.m. Sunday, July 31. Individual-reservation trips are fishing for fluke and sea bass 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday, and kids under 12 are free, limited to two per adult host.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fluke fishing was great, said Capt. Chris from the <b>Big Mohawk</b>. Some of the anglers on Wednesday’s trip limited out, and the sizes of the fish lately included a 9-1/2-pounder, and, on Wednesday’s trip, some 7-pounders, and so on. Jigging worked better than bait fishing, and trips, as usual, fished the ocean rough bottom. A few sea bass came up. The Big Mohawk is fluke fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Bluefishing was on and off on daytime trips aboard, or sometimes the fish were jigged on the trips, and other times the fishing was very slow, said Capt. Alan from the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>. But the full moon is Friday, and Alan hopes blues will finish spawning then, and blues often go wild after the spawn. So he hopes catches kick back in for the weekend. Catches on the boat’s nighttime trips for blues were slow the past three or four days. But fluke fishing was good on the party boat <b>Tropical Adventure</b>, Alan’s other vessel. Only 20 anglers hopped aboard Wednesday’s trip, and they bagged 50 keeper fluke, releasing plenty of throwbacks, lots of action. 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.

For anglers on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, Wednesday night’s trip’s bluefishing “was not too bad,” a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The trip got on big blues for an hour or so, and the fishing turned into a pick afterward. One or two were then hooked every half-hour. “When all was said and done,” the report said, “we had a nice catch of big choppers onboard.” Bluefising aboard today was “pretty fair fishing again,” the report said. Most of the fish, big ones again, were jigged, but some were baited. The Golden Eagle is bluefishing daily 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Mondays are Double Coupon Days: Bring a competitor’s coupon for up to $5, and the Golden Eagle will give double the discount, up to $10, on an adult fare.

The boat underwent maintenance this week, but trips will resume this weekend, said Capt. Kris from <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b>. Fluke and sea bass are on tap on the ocean, and triggerfish are snapping there, and so are blackfish, and one blackfish per angler will be able to be bagged per day starting Saturday. Fish Stix will fish for all of them, and open-boat trips are sailing daily when no charter is booked.

Fluke and blues were basically the catches, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Party boaters clobbered good fishing for fluke on the ocean, and a few sea bass. Plenty of fluke swam Shark River, and anglers there had to wade through lots of throwbacks, but did catch keepers. The shop’s rental boats are at the ready for fishing on the river. Bluefishing was good today on the party boats on the ocean. The fishing had been slow a few days because of the spawn, but anglers returned with solid catches of blues from the trips today. Striped bass fishing was practically finished for the season. 

<b>Brielle</b>

Fourteen keeper fluke and some bluefish mixed in were pounded Sunday with the Damian Ciecewicz charter on the <b>Big Kid</b>, Capt. Ken said. The Kevin O’Toole charter Wednesday tugged in six keeper fluke and numerous throwbacks. Charters are sailing for fluke and sea bass. Mid-week dates are available for charters for tuna and big game at the offshore canyons. 

Fishing for fluke was good on the ocean on the <b>Jamaica II</b>, Capt. Joe said. Alex Pilewski, Trenton, won the pool with a 6-pound 12-ouncer, one of five he bagged, on Wednesday morning’s trip. Ed Nolan, Manasquan, on the trip totaled four keepers to 6 pounds. Fluke 6 to 8 pounds were part of the catch on every trip, and a few sea bass were swung aboard. For the fluke, bucktailing worked best most of the time, and a rig with a larger Spro on the bottom with a smaller Spro for a teaser worked well for the bucktailers. But the rental rodders caught better on one of the trips Tuesday, so whether bucktails or bait would work best could never be known. But bucktails were better most of the time. The Jamaica II is fluke fishing on two-half day trips 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and a full-day trip 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays.  

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Manasquan Inlet put up fluke, fairly good catches, said Gary from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. A 5-3/4-pounder and a 6-pounder were crunched there during the weekend. The angler with the 5-3/4-pounder also bagged two 18-1/2-inchers on the trip, and landed another 18-1/2-incher today. Bucktails or livelined snappers, Sabiki-jigged or netted from the waters, worked best. Hickory shad swam the area, and cocktail blues were banked from the surf. The shop’s grounds also feature the Gates Motel, popular with anglers, within walking distance of the charter and party boat fleet, the inlet and the surf. <b>***THIS TACKLE SHOP IS FOR SALE! CALL: 732-899-5760.***</b>

Ling, cod and sea bass were wrangled aboard the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. A fair catch of sea bass was socked on a couple of trips, and some were big. But sea bass fishing “doesn’t seem to want to get going,” Butch said. Anglers averaged from a half-dozen to 20 or 25 fish apiece, a mix of the species. Fairly decent ling and cod catches were made on Wednesday’s trip, and a few sea bass were managed on the outing. A couple of anglers on the trip picked up two or three cod, six or eight ling and a few sea bass apiece. “So, a nice mess,” Butch said. It’s steady fishing, he said. Wednesday’s trip fished in 120 to 160 feet, and water temps had dropped. They were 62 degrees, and previously reached as high as 72. On the boat’s nighttime trips, bluefishing slowed a little, and most of the blues were 1 or 1 ½ pounds. Lots of small blues were around, but anglers sometimes want to fight big blues. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

Bigger bluefin tuna moved into midshore waters, and fishing for them was good, said Capt. Fred from <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>. Annual open-boat, mixed-bag, midshore trips are sailing for the bluefins, mahi mahi, sharks, cod and pollock, all in one outing. Annual open, mixed-bag trips to the offshore canyons are sailing for yellowfin tuna, mahi, sharks, billfish and tilefish, in one outing. A trip Sunday, covered in the last report, planned to fish at the canyons. But too much life was discovered on the way, and the anglers stopped there. They bagged a 58-inch bluefin and released a 57-incher after 1-1/2-hour fights. Then they mixed in mahi fishing, catching the dolphin, to finish the day. Call for info about the unique mixed-bag trips. Andrea’s Toy might be the only who does this type of fishing, and specializes in mixed-bag trips for greater fun, more chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner. Check out a <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m_ULaS7w-c&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">video of the big-game fishing</a> offshore.

<b>Toms River</b>

Oyster Creek and Double Creek channels churned up fluke, and the ratio of keepers was somewhat off, but more of the fish were around than last year, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Fluke blanketed Barnegat Bay from there to the BB marker. In the ocean, fluking seemed best in deeper waters 50 to 60 feet. Not a ton swam there, but the keeper ratio seemed a bit better. Surf anglers picked fluke on bucktails with Gulps. Fluking was the most popular fishing in the surf, and surf catches were slow for the most part, but the fluke were there, and shots of 1- to 2-pound blues sometimes hit the surf, getting caught on mackerel, mullet or sometimes metal. Snapper blues grew to 4 inches in the back waters, jumping on small Kastmasters or fresh spearing. Fresh spearing was arriving at the shop today, and should be carried most weeks. Crabbing was super this year on the Toms River and around the Route 37 bridge. The blueclaws were sizeable.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Crabs, great catches, got plucked at <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>, Scott said. Snapper blues swam abundant around the docks. Good fluke fishing was creamed at Barnegat Inlet, and on the ocean, fluke were decked in 40 to 50 feet off the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park and Mantoloking, and at the Rattlesnake. A healthy number of fluke, including a few keepers, were beached from the surf at the Seaside Heights Casino Pier Wednesday, when Scott was there. Kingfish came from the waters and could be seen along the bottom. Rainfish and snapper blues showed up there. Big cownosed rays were seen schooling past. Cocktail blues lately popped into the surf at times, chasing rainfish. Ocean boaters reeled up good catches of sea bass, and ling fishing became somewhat slower for them. 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>

So long as trips got the weather to sail, anglers aboard filled the cooler with bottom fish, taking home fillets, said Capt. Birch from <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b>, in a report on the boat’s Web site. One trip was weathered out this week, and a few more were potentially going to be cancelled this week, because of forecasts.  But on Monday an angler and his two 16-year-old daughters hopped aboard for one of the Fishguts combo trips, fishing the ocean wrecks and Barnegat Bay in one day. The trip met forecasted winds on the ocean in the morning, but the anglers went to work, landing sea bass – shorts and keepers. Winds built until too uncomfortable to keep fishing on the ocean, though a good bite was going. Eighteen keeper sea bass to 2 pounds were boxed, before the anglers headed for the bay for light-tackle fluke fishing. The fluking was on the slow side, giving up a dozen shorts released. The ocean fishing is about putting fish in the cooler, and the bay angling is about the experience, action and fun, and if a keeper is bagged, that’s a bonus. Two anglers, regular customers, joined an ocean trip Wednesday, arriving on short notice, because of a cancellation. Conditions were great, and wreck fishing was very good. The anglers limited out on sea bass, “enjoyed a good pick of nice quality fish to 2 ½ pounds,” Birch said. “I grabbed more than enough for a few meals with a couple of hours left in the trip,” he added. Some drops produced more than others, “but mostly held decent life,” Birch said. Mixed-sized ling were also toggled in, and seven were tossed in the cooler. Because blackfish season wouldn’t open until this coming Saturday, the anglers then drifted for fluke on the ocean, scoring a fair pick, “with some nice stuff mixed in,” Birch said. Three keeper fluke 19 to 20 inches were added to the box. Check out shots of the trips on the photo pages on the Fishguts Web site. “Real reports, real fish counts, real pictures, and real happy anglers,” Birch said. Fishguts specializes in catching good numbers of quality sea bass close to shore in summer. Light-tackle fishing on Barnegat Bay, like for fluke, is also a specialty. Charters and open-boat trips are sailing for either type of fishing, or a combo of both.

<b>Forked River</b>

Abundant fluke carpeted Barnegat Bay between the BB and BI markers, and swam the Middle Grounds, said Grizz from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. At the channels in the bay toward Barnegat Inlet, the keeper fluke were caught at the top of the tides or the last two hours of incoming. Fluke were hooked there all the time, but that’s when the keepers caught were more numerous. The bay’s fluking was “coming on,” Grizz said, and the biggest fluke of the season weighed in came from the bay so far. A 7-pounder was the largest, and a 6.78-pounder, also from the bay, was second biggest. The best fluke reports from the ocean came from the Tires, and a few sea bass also bit there. Cod were hauled in from the ocean’s deep wrecks, and a 50-pound whopper was weighed in. Blowfish began to be boated on the bay. No weakfish were heard about. Snapper blues schooled the lagoons, fun to fight, including for kids. Killies are stocked, and so is fresh spearing that are “the big thing,” Grizz said. The spearing were carried the past 10 days, and Grizz couldn’t know if the supply would hold up this weekend. All the frozen baits including spearing and squid are on hand.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

They’re back! a report from the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b> said. Loads of bluefish, limits around the boat, were crushed on today’s trip onboard. The fish were a bit smaller than before, “but we were on them!” the report said. The fishing had been in a lull since Saturday night, but had been great during the daytime Saturday. “Hopefully the full moon on Friday will get them biting again,” the report said during the lull. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing at 8 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Heads up: A large group is slated to fish aboard Saturday’s daytime trip, so the crew asks anglers to try to plan to fish on the other trips.

Probably more keeper fluke were angled from Barnegat Bay this week compared with last, said Vince from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Most were clobbered along the Dike, but good catches also came from Oyster Creek Channel. Not many were seen from Double Creek Channel. Fluke also lay along the cut that’s off the shop. Sea robins were abundant, and not many skates were a bother, and no dog sharks were heard about, really. Not a lot was reported about fluking on the ocean, but most who fished for them there targeted 60-foot depths. Sea bass fishing socked plenty of the fish at the ocean wrecks. Nobody said anything about Barnegat Ridge on the ocean. Small bluefish schooled Barnegat Inlet, and blackfish were landed and released along the inlet rocks, and one of the tog will be able to be kept per angler per day starting Saturday. Snapper blues swam along the docks. Nobody mentioned weakfish. Crabbing was a little slow, but should pick up. Rental boaters who clammed loaded up on the steamers at High Bar Harbor.  Bobbie’s rents tiller motor boats, center consoles and pontoon boats for fishing and crabbing. Single and tandem kayaks are available for rent at the shop or your location. Bobbie’s, the closest marina to the inlet, also features a tackle shop. The store is known for local-caught live and fresh bait. Live spots are always on hand, and minnows, live clams, fresh bunker and the full supply of baits, including spearing and squid, is carried. Quarts of live grass shrimp are available, and call ahead to order them at least a day ahead, and the earlier the better.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “We are catching a lot of fluke in Barnegat Bay, mostly shorts, but enough 18- to 21-inch fish to keep it interesting. Most of the action has been between the BI and BB buoys in 8 to 12 feet of water. We are using 10-pound spinning tackle with 3/8-ounce jigheads tipped with 3-inch white or chartreuse Gulp swimming mullets or minnows. Drifting and vertical jigging on the days with good winds, otherwise power-drifting with all the rods out behind the boat, while I bump the vessel in and out of gear, maintaining about 1 to 1.5 m.p.h. on the GPS, just keeping the lures in on-and-off contact with the bottom. When that slows up, we’ve been picking some fish on the channel edges throughout Oyster Creek Channel, all the way to the inlet, where you get a good tide drift most of the time, regardless of the winds. I am packing the chum pot, clam logs, squid, and winter flounder rigs to target the blowfish invasion that is currently on in the backwaters of Barnegat Bay. We are even snagging some on our jigs intended for fluke. Blackfish become fair game this Saturday, though only one per man. We will do our best to light-tackle a few right from the inlet jetty on slack water, to sweeten the cooler a little. I have not been out to Barnegat Ridge in a week and a half, so I will be looking to run there in search of bonita and other blue-water fish. The forecast, so far, for Fri-Sat-Sun is for a 5- to 10-knot wind, which makes offshore fishing for us a strong possibility. If the ocean is flat and the ridge doesn’t produce, we will push farther out, as conditions dictate, possibly even in range of some bluefin tuna. So there you have it, the typical July transitional schedule. We will be running bonita-fluke-tog-blowfish combos. The boat will be running open every day Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, July 15 to 18, 5:30 AM to 1:30 PM for the offshore species, and anything else you guys want to combine. Sailing again each day from 2 PM to 7 PM for fluke and the mixed bag. We limit the boat to three passengers. All fish on all trips are shared among the passengers. The boat is also available for private charters on any of these days.”

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Lots of summer flounder remained in Great Bay, though not a lot were keepers, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. A high hook of four was claimed once in a while, and the ocean turned up a bit of action on flounder at times, like at the different lumps, like the 2BF lump, or at the Rutgers buoys. One flounder, a 7-pounder was weighed in Wednesday, and Scott was unsure where the fish was caught, but guessed the bay. The angler was heard saying he saw no reason to fish the ocean for flounder, considering the bay’s catches. One report about sea bass rolled in from the ocean. A trip boated 36 keepers sea bass “somewhat inshore,” Scott said. After fishing 9 or 10 miles from shore with no luck, the trip landed sea bass closer to the coast. Fishing for brown sharks, fish that must be released by law, was on at Grassy Channel. One customer released 14, showing photos on a cell phone. Anglers fish for the sharks during hours like dusk till 10 p.m., anchoring and setting up a chum slick. The shop sells a bay shark rig and a chum ball perfect for the angling. Few bluefish were around. A couple of 2 ¼-pound blues, hooked at Wreck Inlet, were the only ones entered in the weekend’s Sunshine Foundation tournament. Anglers had to work hard to find blues. Nobody talked about white perch fishing or weakfishing. One tog per day will be able to be kept starting Saturday, and green crabs are stocked for bait for the blackfish. Crabbing was good, dishing up “quality over quantity at the moment,” Scott said. Not a ton of the blueclaws seemed around, but some large ones were. Fresh, shucked clams, minnows and green crabs are stocked. Neither bloodworms nor live grass shrimp are currently carried.

<b>Absecon</b>

The back bay’s summer flounder fishing was actually fairly good, said Joe from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Like the previous week, lots of keepers swam the bay, but so did lots of throwbacks. Anglers had to work for keepers. A couple of customers talked about catching only throwbacks, but kept repeating the same drift for the fish. Anglers can’t do that to catch keepers, but need to search and move instead. A good number of fluke hovered along the ridge between the AB pole and Absecon Inlet. Many anglers fished for flounder with Gulps or minnows, but some dead-sticked live spots. A healthy population of bluefish moved in, and the 1- to 3-pounders were reported caught at Mankiller Bay. A few anglers ran into them at Josh’s Slough. Some talked about big blues found in the surf. A few customers said weakfish were landed at Blood Point and the mouth of the Mullica River. Fishing for brown sharks, limited to catch and release by law, was strong at Grassy Channel on Great Bay, like at the 138. Sharks and sting rays were in the bays. An angler this morning checked in a striped bass he hooked around the inlet. Stripers might’ve chased sea herring there. Stripers were plugged along the sod banks in the early mornings or at sunset at Mankiller Bay and Little Panama. White perch swam thick in the Mullica River, but were spread out, not balled up, at this time of year. Anglers had to locate them. Good catches were heard about around the Parkway Bridge. A few anglers scored well on the perching at the cuts. A couple of customers talked about being excited about one tog being able to be kept per day starting Saturday. Anglers will look for the blackfish along structure like the Brigantine Bridge or pilings. Triggerfish were reported caught along the bridge. Live spots, peanut bunker, minnows, eels, green crabs and bloodworms are stocked. Shedder crabs ran out, and the supply became thin. But shedders are carried when available.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Beach anglers sometimes landed summer flounder, said Jimmy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Frank Berkowski bagged two 19-inchers from the surf on Gulps. Kingfishing remained strong in the surf, and anglers bucketed five or six in 1 or 2 hours of fishing. Bloodworms and FishBites artificial worms drew gobbles, but anglers said natural bloods worked better. A few anglers fished the wash with kingfish heads, and one hooked two blues on them, and another walloped a 6-1/2-foot thresher shark on the bait. In the back bay, flounder, flounder, flounder bit, Jimmy said. Probably 1 in 8 was a keeper, but if anglers want action, go there, he said. Fish with Gulps or minnows. Bloodworms, minnows, Gulps and baits for all the fish biting are stocked.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Weakfish, summer flounder, triggerfish, kingfish and croakers all came from the surf along the T-jetty and Absecon Inlet off the Flagship, said Jeremy from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. A mix of the fish, no one species more than another, was basically caught. Anglers fished for them with bloodworms, minnows and clams. Sometimes snapper blues showed up in the waters. In the back bay, summer flounder and small blues were nabbed. All the baits mentioned and more, the full supply, are stocked.

<b>Margate</b>

Summer flounder, a few keepers, and lots of throwbacks, were tugged aboard every trip on the party boat <b>Keeper</b> on the back bay, Capt. John said. Minnows and mackerel, provided on the boat, caught the fish, and so did Gulps that customers brought. No bluefish or other fish showed up, and only flounder were landed. Lots of bait filled the bay, and silversides were abundant. Peanut bunker were yet to appear locally, but surely schooled at other places, like at Ventnor, where the baitfish turn up every year by now. When the peanuts appear along the Margate docks, the crew will net them to provide for flounder bait 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>

The inlets held summer flounder, as the fish moved to the ocean from the back bay, and fishing for them was good, said Nick from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Flounder fishing was yet to turn on at the ocean reefs, but the flatfish were beached from the surf. Work a bucktail with Gulp that works especially well or with squid or mackerel. Lots of kingfish in the surf were bloodwormed or artificical FishBites wormed. Lots of striped bass in the bay smacked lures like pink Fin-S Fish or jumped on eels, mostly at sunset. One blackfish will be able to be kept per angler per day starting Saturday, and the tog fishers will search for them at any structure like jetties or rocks. Sea bass were boated at the ocean reefs. Nothing was heard about fish like bonito on the ocean. Yellowfin tuna and white marlin were leadered at Wilmington and Spencer canyons.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Surf anglers banked kingfish on bloodworms, and one customer plucked two porgies from the suds while kingfishing, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Would be nice if porgies kept biting. Fishing for summer flounder picked up at the inlets, and warm waters seemed to begin pushing them to the ocean. But flounder continued to be angled from the back bay, and the catches actually seemed to improve, maybe because the fish were on the move. A couple of customers reported trips that bagged two or three keepers apiece on the bay. Excellent striped bass catches were whacked on the bay, on top-water plugs or sub-surface lures, like Fin-S Fish or Yozuris, during high tides in the evenings or at night. On the ocean a few sea bass and flounder were picked at the reefs. Seemed like when anglers tried for sea bass, they caught flounder, and vice versa. Inshore sharking on the ocean was phenomenal for browns, duskies, blacktips and occasional hammerheads. A couple of rumors circulated about fish like bonito on the ocean close to shore, but nothing substantial was heard. Quite a few mahi mahi were boated at 28-Mile Wreck and the Cigar. A few bluefin tuna were heard about that were landed at the Hot Dog and the Hambone. Farther from shore, canyon tuna fishing seemed slower than before. But anglers kept saying billfishing was good at the canyons.

About 30 summer flounder, including three keepers to 4 pounds, were belted on the back bay on a trip this morning with Cindy and Dave Wordsworth and crew, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Many of the flounder in the bay were throwbacks, and keepers weren’t always caught, but anglers enjoyed fishing for them for action. Four anglers on a trip on deck Wednesday morning landed 36 throwbacks. Two anglers onboard Monday released a  bunch of shorts, lots of fun. High tides in the evenings began to happen this week, ideal conditions for popper fishing for striped bass on the flats of the bay, a specialty for Jersey Cape. Tino Ricci took one of the trips Monday evening, popper-plugging six stripers. Pete Lee climbed aboard one of the outings Wednesday evening, popper-plugging four stripers. Stripers this week “were really relating to sunset,” Joe said. Anglers on the trips cast to stripers while Joe push-poles his flats boat. The trips also fly fish with poppers for the bass. With a cold front arriving this week, water temps dropped and were great for fishing. “Everything’s happening,” Joe said. Inshore sharking for duskies and browns, catch and release angling on the ocean close to shore, should still be terrific, and was on during recent trips aboard, covered in previous reports. The trips are a chance to fight big fish, both on conventional tackle and fly rods,  without the usual long trek offshore.  Tuna bit offshore, and the fishing slowed a bit, and trips had to be more selective about location, but catches were made. Marlin fishing went well on the offshore grounds. Jersey Cape is fishing offshore. Keep up on Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Fishing at the ocean reefs racked up summer flounder and sea bass onboard, and catches remained about the same as before, but better-sized flounder, more keepers, were around than previously, said Capt. Gary from the party boat <b>Adventurer</b>. The sea bassing was okay, not great. Mahi mahi had showed up in the area the prior week, covered in a report last week, in exceptionally clear, blue waters, like at the offshore canyons. But west winds seemed to break up the blue waters this past week, though a few patches remained, and the waters remained warm, 74 degrees. The vessel’s weekly, open-boat nighttime trip every Saturday also bottom fished at the reefs this past week, and will again this week. But the night trips each summer sail for bluefish as soon as blues move in, and the crew is thinking about trying for blues in two weekends. Signs, like bait, were seen that suggested blues could arrive. Open-boat trips are sailing during the daytime daily and at nighttime every Saturday when no charter is booked, and call to confirm.  

For customers, lots of summer flounder hit on the back bay, and not many were keepers, but there was action, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. Some of the fish were 17 or 17 ½ inches, an inch or half-inch undersized. Flounder fishing hadn’t really changed, stayed on “an even keel,” Mike said. A few striped bass were boated, and nobody really targeted them, but they were around. A few weakfish caught were heard about, including a couple of 17-inchers one angler managed. A few anglers in the know target the weaks, but the numbers of the fish weren’t large enough for the average angler to hone in on. Baby sea bass, none of them keepers, began to appear that show up each year in the bay, and no bluefish were heard about. Crabbing improved a bit for rental boaters, wasn’t great, but was getting better. Mike had customers say that if they could’ve kept all the throwback crabs they trapped, they could’ve filled a bushel. That tells Mike crabbing should be good as the season continues, and the crabs grow. 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 are available for eating, and No. 1’s are currently stocked for $20 per dozen, and No. 2’s are currently carried for $12 per dozen.

<b>Cape May</b>

Four yellowfin tuna were trolled on a day trip to the canyons with <b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. Dave Bart said. A wreck-fishing trip aboard Monday socked some good-sized, keeper sea bass and healthy-sized, keeper summer flounder. Not bad, a good trip.

At least 60 bonito were bombed on one of the inshore trolling trips Tuesday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Three and four were fought at a time, and George heard about other boats trolling bonito lately, but not nearly as many. Probably 40 small bluefish, a mainstay on the trips – outings that can also catch fish like mahi mahi and Spanish mackerel mixed in – were trolled on the charter, with the Kevin Daley family. On Wednesday aboard, probably 15 bonito and a load of the blues, more than on the previous day, were trolled on the Beverly Hozarik family charter. Inshore trolling was good on the trips, and the Hozariks also reeled in lots of triggerfish. The family had stopped at a spot to catch and release brown sharks, and landed a couple. But triggers swarmed all over, so the anglers took advantage. The Heavy Hitter is also sailing on the shark trips close to shore, like at 5-Fathom Bank, an opportunity to fight big fish without sailing offshore. A tuna charter is supposed sail offshore Saturday on the boat. Yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna and mahi mahi were caught offshore.

A better catch of summer flounder was rustled up Wednesday on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. Some keepers were bagged, and John DiNubile, Somerdale, won the pool with a 5-1/2-pounder. Ed McGovern, Delran, boxed four keepers to nearly 5 ½ pounds. Flounder fishing was tougher aboard Tuesday in a big swell, and hardly any keepers bit. The fishing depended on conditions, or factors like seas, or whether winds and tides created a good drift. Trips fished on the ocean at the Old Grounds or the reefs. But now was the time when the boat will often begin fishing on Delaware Bay or off Cape May Point. Hardly any sea bass, “not enough to mention,” Paul said, were landed on trips, and no sea bass were targeted. But sea bass came up once in a while. The Porgy IV is fishing for summer flounder on a full-day trip at 8 a.m. daily.

Croakers and kingfish, plenty of the fish, were beached from the surf at Cape May Point, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Weakfish were landed from the point and Higbee’s Beach. Croakers were also taken at Higbee’s. Summer flounder fishing was productive, mostly on the ocean at the reefs and the Old Grounds. Delaware Bay was dirty for flounder fishing. Good flounder catches were punched on the back bay. One woman landed 10 near the Rio Grande Bridge on Gulps. Not much was heard about sea bass fishing on the ocean, but one angler yanked aboard a 3-1/2-pound sea bass. Inshore fishing was solid for species like small blues, bonito and mahi mahi on the ocean. Bonito were beaten at 5-Fathom Bank, and mahi were mugged anywhere from 12 to 40 miles off. Plenty of yellowfin tuna were boated offshore. Minnows and bloodworms are stocked, and fresh, shucked clams will arrive for the weekend. All the frozen baits like mackerel and squid are carried, and offshore baits like ballyhoos are in supply.

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