<b>Staten Island</b>

Anglers aboard crunched fluke, very good catches, along the channels, sometimes on the ocean, with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Anthony said. Have too few anglers for a charter? Call Anthony anyway, because he can usually fit individuals or small groups on a charter or open-boat trip.

<b>Angler Sportfishing Charters</b> is returning to Staten Island, home port, after trips from Montauk, Capt. Chuck said. The boat sails every year from Montauk, after trips first fish the springtime run of striped bass on the Hudson River, kicking off the vessel’s season. Now charters always sail from Staten Island until at least late November, wrapping up the boat’s season. From Montauk, charters sailed for fluke, great catches, lots of keepers; sea bass, none big; and, striped bass and blues, at the rips. The stripers were eeled or trolled on parachute rigs. Trips fished inshore for sharks – makos and threshers – and mahi mahi. No tuna showed up. From Staten Island, charters will begin after next week, targeting “the usual suspects,” Chuck said. Fluke and blues will be first up, and sea bass trips will sail. In fall, striped bass, blues and blackfish will be hunted.

<b>Keyport</b>

On the season’s first deep-water fluke trip with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, covered in the last report, seven keepers to 23 inches were bagged, among forty landed, including throwbacks, Capt. Joe said.  Another one of the trips, an open-boat outing sailing 8 hours, will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, and space is available. Open fluke trips, either 7 hours, fishing shallow waters, or 8 hours, fishing deep waters, are available daily, including this Friday and Sunday, when no charter is booked. So is an open fluke trip 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

“I must have died and went to fluke heaven,” Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> said today in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Excellent catches of good-sized fluke were pounded for the fourth day in a row today on the boat. A 5-3/4-pounder on today’s trip was the smallest pool-winner of the week. Several anglers limited out on today’s trip, “busting butt, bucktailing,” Ron said. They included Shrimpman, Johnny Tomatoes, Billy and Capt. Ron Sr. Art Berkman and several others bagged three to six keepers apiece. There was no drift in the morning, but Ron power-drifted, and the bite was hot. The fishing slowed to a pick a moment at mid morning, “as the south wind held up the drift,” Ron said. But the angling turned back on when a good drift began after the change of the tide late in the trip. 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 morning trips are chartered this Friday and Saturday.

Fluke anglers beat very good catches in Raritan Bay and the ocean, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Blues – he kept seeing them while catching bait – popped up in the bay early and late in the day. Small blues sometimes stormed the ocean surf, and Jimmy heard nothing about bluefishing on boats on the ocean, couldn’t say how the angling was. Bottom-fishing for sea bass began to pick up somewhat, and bottom anglers decked good catches of ling and cod. Tuna anglers pumped in bluefins, but began to run farther from shore for yellowfins more often, “because the canyons are starting to open up,” Jimmy said.

Plenty of action, lots of throwback fluke, and a fair number of keepers, were scored on both of Wednesday’s trips on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. The afternoon’s fluking was better, and some of the anglers caught three or four keepers, and some landed none, but everyone hooked at least throwbacks. In the past days, “it’s been nice fishing,” he said. “That’s the best way to describe it.” The keeper ratio was better on some trips than on others, but everyone was catching at least throwbacks. None of the fluke was exceptional-sized since a 9-pounder was nailed on the boat Sunday, covered in the last report. The fishing on Tuesday morning’s trip was “nice,” Tom said, and on the afternoon’s trip was very good. Monday was also a decent day for fluking aboard, and both trips smacked consistent hook ups.  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, Thursday, 7/28:***</b> Anglers continued to pick away at fluke through this morning trip, gaining plenty of action with shorts as usual, ending up with a fair number of keepers, Tom said. Was a nice morning, he said. The afternoon’s trip was about the same, and action was good, and a good catch of keepers got winged. Kurt Williams, Mantua, heaved in a 7-pound fluke on the afternoon’s trip. “All in all, nice fishing on both trips today,” Tom said.

<b>Highlands</b>

Open-boat fishing for fluke started off well on a trip Sunday with <b>Raritan Bay Charters</b>, Capt. Dave said. The trip was covered in the last report, and when the tide began to turn, the bite slowed. The anglers waited for currents to begin again. When the tide began, winds blew against currents, hampering the drift. So the boat was power-drifted, and a few more keeper fluke were socked. One space is available for an open trip for fluke Friday, and three spots are available for another on Sunday. Open trips are sailing for fluke when no charter is booked.

Ed DeNunno and Carmine Prezioso boated eight keeper fluke 18 to 23 inches and lots of shorts on a trip on Raritan Bay on bucktails with Gulps and spearing, said Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>. Plenty of fluke were around, but anglers had to put in the time, working through shorts to bag keepers. Bluefish were around, and snapper blues began to appear in the back waters. Wayne joined a trip on the Hyper Striper, a charter that sails from the marina, that bagged a 46-inch bluefin tuna and released lots of other bluefins at the Atlantic Princess wreck Sunday. A mahi mahi was also boated. The tuna hook-ups included double headers of small bluefins. Most of the trip’s tuna were jigged along the bottom, but some, including the big one, were caught on sardines. The big bluefin grabbed a sardine that was being reeled in. The mahi also jumped on a sardine. Whales, big turtles and lots of chick birds were seen. Not a lot was heard about crabbing, but many crabs skittered around the docks, so crabbing should be good.

<b>Neptune</b>

An offshore trip steamed today with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, and fishing was slow, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. One 40-pound tuna and a large, 25-pound bull mahi mahi were bagged, and the anglers went 1 for 3 on white marlin. Individual-reservation trips for fluke sail 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday, and kids under 12 are free, limited to two per adult host. Individual-rez trips for cod will head offshore at 3 a.m. on the Mondays of August 8 and 29. Individual-reservation trips to the inshore wrecks, for fish like sea bass, ling and blackfish, are slated for 5 a.m. on the Sundays of August 14 and 28.

<b>Belmar</b>

An afternoon trip aboard the ocean Thursday with two anglers bagged eight fluke and a dozen sea bass, probably landing 50 to 60 fish, including throwbacks, said Capt. Jared from <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b>. “Just a nice afternoon,” he said. More of the trips will sail Friday to Sunday. Just relaxing trips, not far from shore, Jared said.

Anglers on deck dusted fluke, super catches, on the ocean, at places like the rocks, with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Anthony said. But fluke bit everywhere, and the ones boated were decent-sized. Bottom fish like ling were around, but Barbara Anne concentrated on fluke. Even if anglers don’t have enough people for a full charter, they can call Anthony to fish, because he can usually fit individuals or small groups on a charter or open-boat trip.

Trips, covered in the last report, sailed for fluke on the ocean through the past week with <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Kris said. A dive trip bagged a 9-pounder. An angling trip, competing in the Point Pleasant Elks Tournament, picked up fluke including two 7-pounders and two 4-pounder. Kris joined a bluefin tuna trip, also covered in the last report, that bagged a 44-incher and released a 46-incher. A charter is scheduled for Saturday, and space is available for an open-boat trip or charter Sunday. Open trips and charters are available seven days a week.

If ocean anglers got on the right spot, fluke fishing went very well, said Jessie from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. The fishing was slow Wednesday but better today, and fluking on Shark River was better than on the ocean during this time. Sizeable kingfish began to be plucked from the river, and plenty of snapper blues ran the river. The river’s crabbing was fairly good. Bluefishing picked up on the ocean, after slower catches before, but nobody bailed the fish, usually. The angling was still in the annual slow down around this time of year, but was already better than during the slowest point. Nobody checked in striped bass, but surf sharpies landed the fish, mostly throwbacks.

<b>Brielle</b>

On the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, fluke, good catches, were belted on the ocean, so long as the drift wasn’t too fast, Capt. Ryan said in an e-mail. Trips mostly fished in the deep in 60 to 80 feet, when conditions allowed, or along the beaches, when the drift was fast, and bucktailing worked best. Ed Nolan, Manasquan, bagged an 8-pound 6-ounce fluke, one of his six keepers. Fernando Arrelano, Trenton, whacked a 6-pound 6-ouncer on the same trip. The Jamaica II is sailing for fluke and sea bass on two half-day trips daily 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays  A full-day trip is fishing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Monday. A bluefishing trip is running 7:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. every Saturday.  <b>***Update, Thursday, 7/28:***</b> Lots of sizeable fluke got rocked onboard  today, Capt. Joe said in an e-mail. Fluke 3, 4 and 5 pounds were common, and sea bass and a few ling were mixed in. Bucktailers caught the fluke best, “but many rental rods did well, also,” Joe said. On the morning trip, Sung Hwang, Deptford, limited out on fluke to 7 pounds, Young Park, Edison, limited out to 6 pounds and Rob Jacobs, Bristol, won pool with a 7-pound 4-ounce fluke. On the afternoon trip Lester Janczuk, Trenton, zinged six fluke to 6 pounds, and Howie Tucker, Manchester, aced six of the fish to 5 pounds.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Fluke fishing aboard in the past few days “was a little off and on,” said Capt. Bob from the party boat <b>Gambler</b>. When trips fished near the beach, plenty of shorts and a few keepers were eased in. But anglers had to work through lots of shorts to bag keepers. When trips fished farther from shore, bigger fluke were taken, but the angling was sort of slow. One would be caught, then time would pass, and another would be, and so on. I guess you’d call it fair fishing the last few days,” Bob said. “Not great, but not bad.” When trips fished in deeper waters, sea bass began to be hooked more often than before. On the boat’s last bluefish trip Saturday, good catches were angled, but bluefishing sounded somewhat sketchy lately. On the vessel’s last wreck trip, ling fishing was a little slow, but the trips probably just need to move north. The Gambler is fluke fishing 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. Bluefishing trips are sailing 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Wreck-fishing trips are running 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursdays and Sundays.

The Peterson family fished on their annual sea bass trip with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, a report on the boat’s Web site said Monday. They coolered 31 ling, three cod, tossing back about 20 short cod, and a few sea bass. The fishing was tough, “but Capt. Fred did the best to get us a good trip,” John Peterson said in a report he wrote that was posted on the site. “We rescheduled three times, because either the fish had not started biting early in the season, (or) conditions (were bad),” he said. We had hot but otherwise great conditions today, and Capt. Max and mate Greg gave it their all, as we burned a lot of gas, and covered a lot of ground, but the sea bass decided not to play. We still had full bags of fillets to take home, and had a great time fishing with good people. The Andreas Toy is a professional operation from start to end, and communicates well with the charter, trying to get them the best day possible, and we appreciated everything they did to give us a great trip.” Small blackfish, a short fluke and five of the biggest winter flounder, out of season, that Peterson ever saw, he said, were released. Another bottom-fishing charter also sailed this week, a report on the boat’s site said Tuesday. The fishing was also difficult, and the charter worked more than a dozen wrecks, “with minimal results, a dozen keeper sea bass, lots of shorts, ling, tog, and short fluke,” the report said. Andrea’s Toy is mostly sailing on open-boat, mixed bag midshore and offshore trips for tuna, mahi mahi, sharks, billfish, cod, pollock and tilefish.

<b>Toms River</b>

Snapper blues and crabs filled the Toms River at Island Heights, and crabs also crammed the waters off Good Luck Point on Barnegat  Bay, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. The snappers averaged 5 inches, and spearing caught more than lures did, and snapper rigs worked well. Crabbing was actually the best Dennis saw in years. He had a couple of overnight pots that were whaling nearly a bushel of crabs a night. Unbelievable, he said, and the blueclaws were good-sized. He and another angler on a trip Wednesday totaled 12 fluke at the BB marker on the bay. One was 17 inches, and the rest were 15, and a Gulp-and-killie combo hooked most. A couple bit spearing, but killies worked better. A Gulp with a killie worked best. The keeper ratio was lots better for fluke at Oyster Creek and Double Creek channels. Fluke fishing was good from the surf. Howie and Bobby Solomon checked in a 2-1/2-pound fluke and a 12-1/2-pound striped bass from the surf. Anglers fluking in the wash landed six or ten per trip, including two keepers. Fish with bucktails with Gulps or a combo of a Gulp and a strip of squid. On the ocean two customers totaled seven keeper fluke in 50 feet off Mantoloking on a trip. The fishing’s been pretty good, and Sea Girt Reef was fairly productive, and Axel Carson Reef was very productive. Sea bass fishing was okay on the ocean, and the warmth kept more from chewing. When the weather begins to cool, sea bassing will pick up. Nothing was heard recently about Barnegat Ridge in the ocean, but previously a few bonito and false albacore were trolled there on Clark spoons. Back in the bay, a few blowfish were around, somewhat early in the season for them. Blowfish showed up in crab traps, and Dennis saw others catch blowfish at the BB marker on his trip Wednesday, though he landed none. Anchor and fish with bits of clam, chumming with clams. A few small sea bass swam the bay.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

The shop’s rental boats each slammed crabs, two bushels, the last two days, said George from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Crabbing was great, and fishing for snapper blues picked up around the docks, was good. In the surf, mostly fluke were angled, but sharks were caught and released at night from the beach. Fish fresh bunker chunks. Scott from the shop weighed in a 75-pound stingray he landed from the Seaside Heights Casino Pier. His rod broke, but he got the ray in. Fluke gathered at Barnegat Inlet, and Fishguts Charters, sailing from the docks, lambasted sea bass, limiting out on trips, adding blackfish to the catch. 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 bite is still rolling on,” said Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier from <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b> in a report on the boat’s Web site. He was talking about bottom fishing, and anglers from the Dock Outfitters joined one of the wreck-fishing trips aboard the ocean Monday. Seas were “confused,” Birch said, but completely fishable, and the anglers went to work, landing sea bass to 3.3 pounds and cod to 26 inches. East winds really came on, so the trip was cut short, but the trip ended up “with a real nice box of fish,” Birch said. A bunch of sea bass and two legal-sized cod were bagged. On Tuesday another group of anglers joined a wreck trip on the boat. Seas were calm, but strong southeast currents created a scratchy bite, keeping the number of fish biting down, compared with recent trips. Still, the angling was good, overall. The anglers fished hard, bagging 40 sea bass to 2.4 pounds, two cod, 10 ling and a 21-inch fluke, a healthy variety. Wednesday’s trip attempted to sail, but was cancelled because of winds.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

“Not too good of a day fishing again,” said a report about Wednesday’s bluefishing on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, on the vessel’s Web site. But bonito were caught. On Tuesday’s trip small blues were swung aboard. “Had a good catch of mackerel and a good catch of bonito, too,” the report said. Monday’s bluefishing aboard was slow, “after many days of fantastic catches,” it said. But the crew is “hoping the blues come back to (their) biting and fighting ways,” the report said. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing at 8 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Lots of fluke, lots of keepers, were socked on Barnegat Bay near the shop, said Vince Sr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. The fish were hooked within eyesight as he gave this report over the phone today. At least two of the fish docked today weighed 5 ½ pounds. Rental boaters landed at least 30 keepers so far this week, mostly on minnows and spearing. Fluke were boated mostly at the Dike and Double Creek Channel. Blackfish were sometimes pulled from along the Barnegat Inlet jetties. Cownosed rays swam the bay. Crabbing became much better than before, started to kick in. Most rental boaters who crabbed nabbed a couple of dozen keepers. Clamming was very good for rental boaters all summer, and they were limiting out in a couple of hours. Lots of bluefin tuna were seen that came from the Chicken Canyon. 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>Surf City</b>

Surf anglers beached fluke, had to work to bag them, but the fish were there, a source from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b> said. His name was neglected to be gotten. Most fished for them with squid strips or spearing on fluke rigs. But he likes to fish bucktails for the flatties. No blues really entered the surf, and blues that gathered off the end of Barnegat Inlet’s south jetty were the only heard about. But kids had fun with snapper blues on the bay, like at the docks. Crabbing was good on the bay.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

With <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> summer flounder fishing was okay on the ocean the past couple of days, Capt. T.J. said. The drift was slow, but decent catches of keepers were made. The angling was “nothing extravagant,” T.J. said, with probably a 1 in 15 keeper ratio at the moment. Flounder trips will fill the schedule in the next days. Tuna fishing was dead on the last offshore trip aboard, on Saturday 50 miles out. A few mahi were landed, but no life was around. “Bare bottom,” T.J. said. Not even bait was seen and waters were green, not blue. Open-boat combo trips for fluke and sea bass began this week. See Legal Limit’s <a href=" http://www.legallimitcharters.com/open-boat.php" target="_blank">open-boat page</a> online.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

If anglers didn’t want to run to the ocean for summer flounder, the fish, including occasional keepers, still gathered in numbers at Little Egg Inlet, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. In the ocean, 50-foot depths were the magic number for catching flounder, and top-and-bottom rigs with big, chrome spinners always seem to work this time of year in the ocean. Fishing for flounder at the ocean reefs “just won’t turn on like it should,” Scott said. Occasional catches were boated. Fishing for sea bass and tog on the ocean “stinks,” Scott said. Not much of anything gave up great action at the reefs, and reef angling will begin to improve in September, when waters begin to cool. The few sea bass caught came from deep waters in 80  feet, and Scott heard about one tog caught all week. Blues, 2-1/4-pounders, hovered toward the tip of Holgate. Blowfish bit, earlier in the season than usual, in Tuckerton Bay. Fish with clam, and chum with clam. A few small porgies were reported landed at the bridge near the shop, and nothing else was heard about the small fish – kingfish, blowfish, porgies, sea bass and spots – that traditionally give up a fishery in the local bays beginning the second week of August. White perch catches began to be heard about from around the mouth of the Mullica River, Ballanger Creek and Nacote Creek, a good sign, Scott said. Crabbing was okay. “Still quality over quantity,” he said. The blueclaws seemed to move into the rivers from places like along Great Bay Boulevard. Last week’s heat seemed to push them to the larger tributaries from the creeks. Fresh, shucked clams, minnows and bloodworms are stocked.

<b>Absecon</b>

Eian from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b> plowed eight summer flounder, a limit, at Absecon Inlet today on jigheads with Gulps on his 14-foot aluminum boat, he said. Big schools of bluefish moved around the bay lately. Lots of tog bit, especially at the Brigantine Bridge. Big triggerfish were also around. Tony Genovese hauled in at least a 5-pound triggerfish that got off at the net at the bridge. A few striped bass were picked here and there at the bridge at night on drifted eels or spots and along the sod banks on lures. Nothing was heard about weakfish. White perch fishing improved on the brackish rivers, apparently because of fresh waters from rains. A few kingfish and triggerfish bit around both jetties at Absecon Inlet. Crabbing was good, steady, and a few bigger ones were around. Dunk bunker or chicken for bait. Live spots and live peanut bunker are stocked, and live corn-cob mullet should be carried soon. Eels, minnows, shedder crabs, and soft-shell crabs are on hand.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Andy Smith checked in a 20-inch 3-1/2-pound summer flounder from the surf, taking the lead in the flounder division in the shop’s summertime tournament, said Bill from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Flounder, kings and blues are the divisions, and Bill wasn’t asked whether the tournament is only for surf fishing, but sounded so. Lots of kingfish and flounder were beached from the surf. Many anglers headed to the beach for kings, ending up with kings and flounder. Use bloodworms for the kings, and many customers fished chartreuse Gulps for the flounder. Flounder were boated at Absecon Inlet. Bloodworms, minnows and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Surf casters reeled in triggerfish, tog, blues and summer flounder, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. They banked occasional weakfish and kingfish. The triggers were clammed, and the tog were crabbed. The blues were bombed on mullet or mackerel, and the flounder were honked on minnows, spearing or squid. The weaks and kings were bloodwormed. Small mullet, the size of a minnow, swam plentiful in the back bay. Big pods of spearing schooled from the surf to the bay. All the baits mentioned and more, the full supply, are stocked. Catch these deals: a dozen green crabs for $4 or 10 for $3, and a dozen bloodworms for $10. Bloods are usually a dollar apiece.

<b>Margate</b>

A ton of summer flounder bit on the back bay for anglers on the party boat <b>Keeper</b>, Capt. John said. Lots of the fish were throwbacks, and a few were keepers on each trip. No other fish like blues showed up, but blues could show up soon. Small, throwback sea bass were around, so anglers fished for flounder with minnows and Gulps that worked well. Mackerel was carried aboard, but the sea bass tended to jump on the bait. 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>

On the back bay water temperatures rose again, so summer flounder fishing picked back up, after slower fishing for them when waters cooled previously, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Many flounder were hooked, and the number of keepers wasn’t large. More flounder than before began to be boated, and more began to be keepers, at Great Egg and Ocean City reefs on the ocean. Brown sharks were caught and released at the GE. Striped bass, resident, juvenile fish yet to migrate, not many keepers, mostly fish to 24 inches, but fun to catch, bit in the early mornings and at night along the sod banks, bridges and structure, on top-water plugs and swimming lures. A healthy population of kingfish swam the surf. Sometimes the surf was grassy, and when it was, anglers often moved three to five blocks, finding clear waters.  Mostly bluefin tuna, but sometimes yellowfin tuna, were punched at the Cigar and the Elephant Trunk, mostly on the chunk, instead of the troll. Crabbing was good.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Water temperatures fluctuated lots, sort of making fishing different every day, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Inshore shark fishing, for example, depended on the temps. When the ocean was in the 70s, sharks, mostly duskies and browns, were caught and released. When the waters were cooler, the angling shut down. The fish were there, but only bit when temps were right. Temps dropped three or four days, and none bit. Then the angling kicked in again, like on Wednesday, when one angler reported a catch of four sharks. Summer flounder fishing was good at the inlets and the surrounding areas, and the tops of tides, through the couple of hours on either side, were best. Minnows and Gulps seemed best baits. Striped bass fishing sounded busy on the back bay in the evenings on top-water lures. No keepers were heard about, but the fishing was fun, giving up multiple fish in a trip. Not a lot was heard about striper fishing at night in the bay recently. Kingfish bit in the surf, but in schools. Once anglers found the schools, they scored well. Many anglers took three or four casts, and if no  kings were hooked, they walked to a new spot. The kings were around, and anglers just had to find them on a trip. On the ocean fishing for flounder and sea bass somewhat picked up, especially at Townsend’s Inlet Reef, and Mike didn’t know whether that was only because that was the closest reef. Some sizeable flounder were there, and a 7-1/2-pounder was weighed in from the reef. The number of sea bass seemed to become larger. Farther from shore, tuna fishing was sporadic, but turned out catches. Action was heard about from the Cigar, the Lobster Claw and the Hot Dog. On some days more were trolled, and on other days more were chunked. Boaters needed to be prepared to do either for tuna. Crabbing was excellent, a great year for the blueclaws.

Marcus Quenzer climbed aboard, wanting to fly-rod his first-ever striped bass, on the back bay Wednesday evening, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Mission accomplished. He landed two and lost a third on Clouser Minnows, and had lots of follows. “It was a really beautiful evening,” Joe said. High tides in the evenings were currently ideal for fishing for the bay’s stripers with popper lures and flies, a specialty for Jersey Cape. If Joe had fished for Wednesday evening’s stripers with poppers, probably a dozen would’ve been landed, he said. The tides last about a week, and come around every other week, and the fishing’s been hopping during recent times the tides were right. On Wednesday morning Dave Peters and two sons fished inshore for sharks aboard, releasing six duskies to 60 pounds, missing others, and breaking off several. Lots of fun, Joe said. The sharking, within 10 miles from shore, is an opportunity to pull on big fish without the usual trek offshore, on both bait and flies. The Peters trip fished with bait, and Joe usually uses mackerel fillets when bait fishing, and a chum fly when fly fishing, for the sharks. On Tuesday morning a charter with the Frank Robbins family began the sharking, but the fish refused to cooperate. So they switched to summer flounder fishing on the ocean, landing a bunch, no keepers, but fun. Later Tuesday, Mark and Dominic Leskev caught a mixed bag of small mahi mahi, sea bass, flounder and amberjacks aboard on the ocean. On Tuesday evening a grandfather, father and grandson reeled aboard a bunch of flounder, including the father’s 4-1/2-pounder, releasing the rest, on the back bay. Jersey Cape is also fishing offshore, and the waters gave up sporadic yellowfin tuna fishing, and good fishing for marlin and mahi mahi. With the tuna, some anglers were sometimes struggling, and others were sometimes running into a mess of the fish, whaling the yellowfins. Sometimes the popular areas were crowded with boats, spooking the fish.  Keep up on his fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

On the party boat <b>Adventurer</b> sea bass and summer flounder, alright catches, were lifted aboard from the ocean, Capt. Gary said. When the drift was good, trips stuck with flounder fishing. When the drift was off, trips picked around the rough bottom for sea bass. Not a lot of fish, but some good-sized ones, were pelted. Bluefish were caught on the weekly nighttime trip on Saturday for the first time this season. This week’s nighttime trip will try for them again. Open-boat trips are running for sea bass and summer flounder daily and for blues every Saturday night, unless a charter is booked. Call to confirm.

The back bay’s summer flounder fishing was about the same as previously: giving up lots of fish, not a whole lot of keepers, said Paul from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. Crabbing seemed to be  picking up in the bay, giving up more catches than before. Not a ton were keepers, but bigger females seemed to start dropping eggs. Crabbers usually throw back crabs with eggs. So when the females drop all their eggs, that should mean the number of larger, catchable crabs should increase. 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 $23 per dozen, and No. 2’s are currently carried for $12 per dozen.

<b>Cape May</b>

A few sizeable summer flounder were cracked on trips Friday to Sunday on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. Chris Connor, Ridley Park, Pa., waxed a 9.6-pounder. But conditions, or winds and currents, created no drift the past three days, and hardly any flounder bit. All trips fished the ocean, and the Porgy IV is sailing for summer flounder 8 a.m. daily.

Yellowfin tuna were crushed on a charter Wednesday with Dan Fannelli and Craig Shaefer, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. “We could’ve sank the boat,” he said. The trip limited out on the 30-pounders, releasing more. The outing sailed along the 30-fathom line, and a big pile of bait was seen on the fish finder. The vessel was anchored, and the anglers began chunking, hammering the catches. All the tuna an angler could want swarmed behind the boat, so four rods, light tackle, were fished. A couple of skipjacks also bit. Good tuna fishing is happening, and cash in now, if you want them, George said. Dates are available. Summer flounder fishing was hit or miss at the Old Grounds, in the ocean off Delaware. One day they bit, and another day the fishing was slow. An inshore trolling trip was supposed to sail today, and the angling was good now, catching lots of small blues, sometimes bonito, and occasional Spanish mackerel and mahi mahi. Inshore brown shark fishing was happening, if anglers wanted to tug on a big fish close to shore. Charters are running for all this fishing, and dates are available, and call if interested.

Fairly good catches of summer flounder were yanked from Cape May Reef, as the fish began somewhat to migrate “off,” said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. A couple of quality catches of flounder were heard about from boats off Cape May Point. When boaters drifted for flounder off the point, they sometimes ran into kingfish, weakfish and croakers mixed in. Surf casters at times came up with all those fish at the point. Plenty of croakers were boated on Delaware Bay off the Cape May Canal jetties, and the Higbee’s Beach side served up a bit better catches. Surf anglers at the ferry jetties sometimes copped croakers. Inshore trolling was productive for lots of small bluefish and sometimes other fish like bonito and mahi mahi, anywhere from offshore of Cape May Reef to the East Lump. One angler even fought aboard a 120-pound bluefin tuna at the East Lump. Tuna fishing was hot, including reportedly at the Hot Dog.

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