<b>Staten Island</b>

Sea bass fishing remained the same as previously, turning out no great catches, but catches, said Capt. Joe from <b>Outcast Charters</b>. But anglers, actually more of them than last year, kept coming out on the trips, seemed to know how the fishing was, and all boats seemed to fare about the same on the fish. With Outcast, 50 or 60 keepers per charter were usually bagged, and a few ling were mixed in. Kind of slow, Joe said, “but it is, what it is,” he said. This was an unusual year for the fishing. During some years, sea bassing picks up in September. Joe couldn’t know whether a new body of fish arrives then, or conditions make the fish bite more often. More sea bass trips are coming up onboard in the next week.

<b>Keyport</b>

Thirteen keeper fluke to an 8.6-pound 27-1/2-incher were hung at Reach Channel with the GPS Plumbing Supply charter Saturday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Chris Reynolds and Lance Garbar headed up the crew, who also included two other Chris’s, Al and Bass. Al hauled in the 8.6-pounder, “a wonderful fish,” Joe said, and lots of throwbacks were let go. Eight keeper fluke to 21 inches were claimed on a 6-hour open-boat trip Sunday at the Reach. Plenty of throwbacks were tossed back, and Chris and Joe Spallina, Don Smaglio and Bob Long were the anglers. Both trips fished with bucktails, strips of fluke belly and spearing. Interestingly, Joe read an online report about thresher sharks seen off Keansburg, and sure enough, he saw two threshers there Sunday. Open fluke trips, either 7 hours, fishing shallow waters, or 8 hours, fishing deep waters, are available daily, when no charter is booked. So are open fluke trips 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Lots of short fluke but a fair number of keepers were tackled in the past days on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Some trips were better than others. But nice fishing, all in all, he said. Saturday was probably the slowest for catching keepers. But the angling was better onboard Sunday. One angler on Sunday afternoon’s trip landed 25 throwbacks and no keepers. A little girl on one of the trips Saturday landed 16 or 17 fluke, including three keepers, aboard. Catching keepers seemed a matter of luck sometimes. Trips fished the channels, but when ships came through, putting down the fluke, trips fished outside the channels. Neither place seemed to hold more keepers. Overall on the trips, fluking was good, and the weather was great, and Tom hopes it holds up.  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.

On the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> fluke were caught right away on today’s trip, “with some very nice keepers,” Capt. Ron said in a report on the vessel’s Web site.  Three anglers on the trip totaled 17 “very nice fish up to 4 pounds,” Ron said. Another angler grabbed four keepers, and another beat three. The trip traveled straight to the deep to begin the day’s fishing. Currents ran as fast as 2 knots “when it got going,” Ron said, “but a nice south wind held us up enough where we could still fish.” Bring the weights and heavy rods on trips, as well as lighter tackle, to be prepared. “Very nice day on the water, with a great crew,” Ron said. On Sunday’s trip, “had to get out of the bay and all the traffic,” he said. So the trip fished the ocean, “and was glad we did,” Ron said. The high hooks, including Eric the Mortgage Man, boxed four keepers, and none of the trip’s fluke was huge, but the pool-winner weighed 5 pounds. Many anglers bagged three keepers. The trip at first waited for outgoing tide “to push us along,” Ron said. But when outgoing kicked in, the fluking turned on. “Very nice spread of fish,” he said. “I’m just a little nervous to see this much life where we found it (Sunday). Hope they don’t have their dancing shoes on.” 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 trip is chartered this Friday.

<b>Highlands</b>

An open-boat trip Friday put up 15 keeper fluke and action all day, probably totaling 80 fluke, including throwbacks, along the channels with <b>Raritan Bay Charters</b>, Capt. Dave said. The fish weighed up to a 6-½-pounder, the first keeper for the day, and the rest were 19 inches. A charter with the Ambrose Lynn group Sunday slapped 10 keeper fluke to 3 ½ pounds in the cooler, probably landing a hundred fluke, including throwbacks, along the channels. Open-boat trips are sailing when no charter is booked.

Fishing for fluke was good with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. Anglers aboard bucktailed and drifted big strip baits along the rough bottom for the fish. A trip today reeled in 20 keepers including a 10-pounder and an 8-pounder. Bottom fishing was also good on the boat, dishing up ling and a mix of cod and blackfish, and not a lot of sea bass. A day-trolling trip fished midshore Sunday, landing a 50-pound yellowfin tuna on a trolled ballyhoo and six mahi mahi while tossing butterfish while pot hopping. Waters were clear-blue and 78 to 80 degrees, great for the fishing, holding lots of life. Birds worked the waters in the morning then disappeared. Bluefin tuna bit 10 miles farther from shore. Fisher Price will now probably start charters like that this season, and Derek will see whether the tuna move closer to shore. If anglers are interested, they can call him to discuss the trips. The next open-boat trips for fluke or bottom fish will probably sail this week, and anglers can call about the schedule or to be kept informed about future open trips.

Good fluke fishing was crunched through the past week on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, and striped bass were mixed in, Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. Dennis Taormina’s party last Monday squashed lots of fluke on the bay, and the keepers weighed up to 6 pounds. Jack Schmidt’s crew on Thursday also ran up a good day on fluke, including a few limits on the fish to 4 pounds, and lots of shorts were let go. On Friday Anthony Monaco’s gang hit lots of fluke, including keepers to 5 pounds, and tons of action with shorts. On Saturday Minof Saker’s trip trolled striped bass to 32 inches and blues, then added some sizeable fluke to the box, to finish the day. Jack Wallace’s party on Sunday, fishing on the ocean, busted the best fluking aboard in a while, limiting out on the fish to 7 pounds, letting go lots of shorts.

<b>Neptune</b>

Sea bass, ling and cod – excellent catches at the inshore wrecks – were drilled on both boats from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> during the weekend, Capt. Ralph said in a phone call. The sea bass were up to 21 inches, and blackfish were in the mix, he added in an e-mail. 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. Fresh clams will be aboard for sea bass, and green crabs will be carried for blackfish. Fluke fishing in the past days was some of the better aboard this season so far. The flatfish to 27 inches were decked. 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. Bluefish seemed to come off the spawn, and Last Lady lately came across them, but didn’t catch them well every day. Ralph expects bluefishing to break wide open this week. A canyon trip with Justin Jagar’s crew, mentioned in the last report, bagged one tuna and a bull mahi mahi about 20 pounds, and went 1 for 3 on white marlin. “A great day on the water, but very slow fishing,” Ralph said. Two or three anglers are standing by for a canyon trip this month. So call if interested, and Ralph will set up the outing. Bluefin tuna kept biting inshore on bait, jigs or the troll, and Last Lady is available for trips for them. Blue waters held in lots of places up to 30 miles from the coast, and individual-reservation trips are being put together to sail to the waters for mahi, bluefins, Spanish mackerel and bonito. The trips will also bottom fish, if trolling for the other fish doesn’t pan out. One of the trips is already set for Thursday, August 18. “Fish till we get them,” Ralph said. Fishing’s been phenomenal on Last Lady’s annual summertime trips offshore for cod, pollock and ling. A few spots remain for more of the trips slated for the Mondays of August 8 and 29. “Fish in shorts and catch big cod and pollock,” Ralph said. “Haven’t had a bad trip yet.” Charters are available for all species daily, daytime or nighttime.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fluke fishing dialed up 10,000 short fluke but a somewhat halfway decent catch of keepers to 5 pounds and five keeper sea bass Saturday on the ocean with <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Kris said. A bottom-fishing trip Sunday on the ocean pulled in 10 triggerfish to 5 pounds. Fish Stix will keep sailing for fluke and bottom fish on charters and open-boat trips, available daily. Kris will steam for bluefin tuna again on a trip this week, after a trip he joined with a friend last week bagged a 44-incher and released a 46-incher.

Five trips in three days sailed for fluke and sea bass Friday to Sunday on the ocean with <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b>, just nice and relaxing fishing, a very good weekend, Capt. Jared said. On a trip 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 40 keeper fluke were bailed, an awesome catch, but the anglers were good. On a trip Saturday, 15 keeper fluke were taken, and the anglers were inexperienced, a family. Fin-Ominal prides itself in providing a great experience for everyone from expert anglers to the inexperienced. On the final trip of the weekend, on Sunday evening, a couple of friends jumped aboard, and south winds started to blow, hampering fishing. But three keeper fluke, probably 50 fluke total, including throwbacks, were landed. Still, the evening was beautiful, Jared said, and the fishing’s been good..

<b>Brielle</b>

Can’t beat the fluke fishing aboard, “especially the quality the past few days,” an e-mail from the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> said Sunday. The angling, on the ocean, was good again on the vessel that day. Lots of 3- to 7-pound fluke were whaled, and only a few throwbacks bit. “Bucktailing was hot!” the e-mail said. Catches included Young Park from Howell’s limit of fluke to 7 pounds, Brian Crane from Bristol’s limit of the fish to 6 pounds, Young Park from Edison’s five keepers to 6 pounds (“yup, two Young Parks,” the e-mail said), Chimney Pete from Manasquan’s five  keepers to 5 pounds, and Dave Tootchen’s five keepers to 5 pounds. 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.

Great fluke catches were plowed Saturday on the ocean, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Lots of big ones were clobbered, and a 10.7-pounder was weighed in. A friend called in, saying he creamed a 12-1/4-pounder.  Anglers beat lots of 5- and 6-pounders, and all the big fluke were taken on bucktails or teasers fished with bucktails. Catches were heard about from Axel Carlson Reef and Sea Girt Reef. Lots of fluke flooded Manasquan River, giving up good fishing, as anglers worked through lots of shorts to bag keepers. Ocean bluefishing was so-so, and a bunch of big blues 8 pounds and larger were hooked at the Shrewsbury Rocks when boaters trolled for striped bass. A few landed the stripers. Bottom fishing for sea bass and ling wasn’t bad on the ocean, even if fewer places held the fish than would be expected, for some reason. Cod kept being caught on bottom trips, and lots were small, but quite a few were keepers. Nothing was heard about fish like bonito from the ocean, but fish schooled off Manasquan Inlet that might’ve been Spanish mackerel. Fishing for bluefin tuna, 25- to 100-pounders, was okay, and the bluefins were trolled Saturday on squid spreader bars and ballyhoos. Previously the tuna were taken on Jersey Jay’s jigs. Sometimes yellowfin tuna were mixed in with the bluefins at places like the Chicken Canyon, the Atlantic Princess wreck and the Texas Tower. Farther from shore, yellowfins, bigeye tuna and blue marlin were sometimes angled at Hudson Canyon. The fish, including bigeyes that a customer caught, were also heard about from Lindenkohl Canyon.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

One of the open-boat, mixed-bag trips to the canyons raced to the waters with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said Thursday. The anglers went 3 for 5 on yellowfin tuna, hauled in one tilefish and missed a couple of bites, and went 2 for 2 on bluefin tuna. The trip left the dock a little late, arriving at the canyons a half-hour before sunrise. Good marks were found, and the trip started chunking, and two yellowfins were axed. The fishing shut off once the sun came up, and the boat was put on the troll. One yellowfin and a couple of mahi mahi were socked. The anglers wanted to try tilefishing, landing one, getting a couple of more bites. But not much action was happening, so the trip didn’t stay long. A decision was made to look for bluefin tuna on the way home. Tons of life and good marks were located. Two bluefins, both unders, were caught quickly on Jersey Jay’s Shibi Jigs, and one was bagged, and the other let go. Andrea’s Toy is running open-boat, mixed-bag trips midshore and to the canyons, like every year, targeting several big-game species in one outing. Call for info about the unique fishing. The plan for another trip aboard was originally to bottom fish inshore, a report on the site said Sunday. “After watching the weather forecast, we decided to make a run offshore, and try for the best,” it said. Bluefin tuna fishing on the grounds was usually a morning bite, and the trip left the dock at 10 a.m. But the decision was made to try for the bluefins a moment at first on the trip, and again later in the day. No bluefins bit when the anglers attempted fishing for them an hour upon arrival at the grounds. So they switched to mahi mahi fishing, hopping around the lobster-pot buoys, and a dozen mahi were light-tackled. The trip headed back to the original bluefin spot toward the end of the day, and had an hour to try for the tuna again, before the anglers had to get back to port. No bluefins showed up, but the anglers were happy with the mahi, the report said. Fun day and beautiful conditions, it said.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

After slower bluefishing last week through Friday, bluefishing was good aboard Friday night’s trip on the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>. The 1- to 3-pounders gave up a slow pick at first, but the angling became good. “Caught them really, really good today,” the report said about Saturday’s daytime trip. The blues were big, weighing 8 to 14 pounds. On Saturday night’s trip, bluefishing began slowly, “but the third stop was the charm,” the report said. Then the night was super, shoveling up as many 6- to 14-pound blues as anglers could want. Bluefishing was also excellent aboard Sunday’s trip, and customers claimed five to 10 of the 7- to 12-pounders apiece. “The big blues are back,” the report said.  The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing at 8 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “The weather window is there, so we will be running open-boat to the 50-mile grounds for bluefin tuna on Tuesday and Thursday. These fish are anywhere from 40 to 100-plus pounds. We'll be fishing bait and jigs primarily. We might mix in a few hours of trolling, if it seems like the thing to do, either after the morning bite, or moving from one spot to another. Lots of life in this area we are headed to: the Atlantic Princess. Whales, sea turtles, rays, and a decent amount of mahi, all on the same grounds. We have all the fishing gear as well as the safety equipment; i.e. survival raft, EPIRB. Limited to three passengers. Meet at the dock at 4 a.m., and return around 2 or 3 p.m. All fish are shared. We have a permit that allows us to take two of these fish, one between 27 and 47 inches, and one over 47 inches. Best case scenario is catching one in each slot. Reservations are required. If you have never sailed with us before, prepay via PayPal or credit card is required. We have never done this in our 15 years in business, but now a few individuals have made this change in policy a necessity. Sorry for any inconvenience.”

<b>Seaside Park</b>

Some great fishing was turned up from the ocean and Manasquan River for <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b>, Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier said in a report on the boat’s Web site. On Thursday three anglers jumped aboard one of the ocean wreck-fishing trips with Fishguts. Conditions were great, with flat-calm seas. Lots of sea bass snapped during the morning, but catching keepers was more difficult than recently. “Still okay numbers,” Birch said, but anglers had to work to fill the cooler. Birch was starting to think the summer’s easy fishing for sea bass was going to be finished until a nor’easter “stirs things up,” he said. Throwback sea bass seemed to fill the grounds. But the boat was  moved to a piece Birch hadn’t fished in a few weeks, and that made the difference. Tons of keeper sea bass bit. “The anglers enjoyed one of the best bites of keeper fish we have seen all season,” Birch said. The anglers limited out on sea bass to 2.3 pounds, and left them biting. In addition to the limit of sea bass, two keeper cod, three short cod, three ling, three short pollock and one keeper blackfish were landed. Jumbo bags of tasty fillets, Birch said. “It really makes for a memorable day for the anglers, when they can get limits of sea bass, and catch cod and pollock, while wearing shorts in the middle of a hot, summer day,” he said. A trip Friday had planned to fish the wrecks, but with forecasts for strong southerly winds, the decision was made to fish for fluke on Manasquan River instead. A report from another captain let Birch know fluke fishing churned out good catches of keeper fluke on the river. The trip made its way to the river, “and it was on,” Birch said. “Amazing amount of life, with just about non-stop action, until the tide ran out, and the grass got bad.” The anglers had a blast with sizeable shorts 15 to 17 ½ inches – drags screaming on light tackle – and a few 19-inch keepers “to keep them hollering,” Birch said. With the anglers all smiling, he said, “we called it a short day,” and headed in before lunch. On Sunday, Birch said in a phone call, a trip bucketed somewhat bigger sea bass than before: fish to 3 ½ pounds. “Better quality,” he said. The three anglers totaled 49 keeper sea bass, two ling and one 25-inch, keeper cod. “Another good day,” Birch said.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

<b>Legal Limit Charters</b> fished for summer flounder on trips on the ocean, barreling up some good-sized ones, none huge, but some sizeable, at a steady pace, with a few sea bass mixed in, Capt. T.J. said. A sea bass trip socked a good catch in the end. The outing had to pick at the fish at each spot, keeping on the move, but ended up with a healthy catch of 40 keepers or so. The next open-boat trips for flounder and sea bass will probably run next week. Charters for the fish fill the schedule this week.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

“There have been a few more reports of blowfish and kingfish,” said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a report on the shop’s Web site said. The fish were found at the Middle Grounds in Tuckerton Bay, and none was reported located in Great Bay so far, “but I am confident that there will be a few folks trying their luck this week,” Scott said. Fishing for blowfish, kings, porgies, spots and sea bass is a fishery that usually kicks in by the second week of August in the area. Radio chatter reported decent catches of summer flounder at Little Egg Inlet on Saturday.  A 7-pound flounder, heaved in from Garden State Reef South, was the catch of the day at the shop Sunday. The angler also had a sea bass larger than 2 pounds in the cooler from the trip. Blackfish, and a mix of small sea bass and triggerfish, were plucked from along the ledges at Little Sheepshead Creek. Snapper blues became more and more abundant in the back waters, and peanut bunker started appearing in the lagoons. “Crabbing is coming back a bit,” Scott said.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

John Martin aboard Friday evening popper-plugged and released eight striped bass to 27 inches and had several other striper bites on the flats of the back bay, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The striper fishing with poppers, both lures and flies, is a specialty on the boat, and ideal tides, high tides in the evenings, were happening, coming around every two weeks. John Speader and son Mike on a trip Saturday popper-plugged one striper, missing a couple of others, on the bay, then flounder fished on the bay, landing the fish including one keeper. Walt and Dennis Williams climbed aboard a flounder trip Friday morning on the bay, landing a bunch, including one keeper. A keeper flounder or two were fairly consistently bagged on bay trips lately, and the number of keepers seemed to improve on the waters. Ocean flounder fishing so far seemed hit or miss: good on some days. None of Jersey Cape’s inshore sharking trips ran lately, but one was scheduled for today. The fishing lately wasn’t epic, like earlier in the season, but still produced. When there was no drift, like from lack of winds, that shut down the angling. The trips, fishing within 10 miles from shore, are a chance to fight big fish, mostly dusky and brown sharks, catch and release angling, without the long trip offshore. Jersey Cape is also fishing offshore, and yellowfin tuna were biting along the 30-fathom curve. “Sporadically excellent,” Joe said. The bite was on during some days, and was slower on others. A bunch of white marlin swam Wilmington and Baltimore canyons and other waters. Keep up on Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Trips aboard concentrated on inshore trolling, pounding lots of small bluefish and bonito on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Bob said. Bonito were plentiful this past week. No trips aboard fished offshore for tuna in the past days, but friends reported scoring decent catches to the south at places like the Hot Dog. Nothing was heard about summer flounder, but the Down Deep is available for all these species, and call if interested.

An inshore trolling trip boated a load of bluefish and some bonito with Tonya Huck’s family on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Inshore trolling was good, and a tuna trip is set for Tuesday aboard. Yellowfin tuna swam anywhere from Massey’s Canyon to 19-Fathom Lump to the Elephant Trunk. Reports were heard from a couple of trips that sailed to the canyons farther offshore, catching yellowfins and white marlin. Don’t have enough people for a tuna charter? Call about make-up tuna trips running on certain days. Summer flounder fishing, like usual, was hit or miss at the Old Grounds, in the ocean off Delaware. Anglers might catch flounder there a couple of days in a row, then the fishing might turn slow a moment, like when winds and currents fail to create a good drift. Some boaters then know how to power drift, and catch. The Heavy Hitter is sailing for all this fishing, and call if interested.

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