Note: The report after this was cancelled because of Hurricane Irene.

<b>Keyport</b>

The most recent trip aboard clobbered 18 keeper fluke in waters between Raritan Bay and the ocean Sunday, Capt. Joe Romaniello from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> said. The previous trip on deck, on Friday, drummed up nine keepers from the same waters. Both trips, covered in the last report, fished with bucktails with strip baits. Open-boat trips are fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. (a deep-water trip) and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily when no charter is booked. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A weather pattern made fluke fishing tougher aboard in the past days than before, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Sometimes conditions were better, then fluking was better. Sometimes fluke were landed aboard along the ocean beaches, until conditions deteriorated, so the trip would move to the bay. Sometimes fluke, lots of shorts, some keepers, not bad, were decked at Sandy Hook Channel. Wednesday afternoon’s trip fished along the beach, until the drift ran 3 knots, too fast. Then the trip moved to the bay, and anglers couldn’t hold bottom at some places there, because of winds. Fluke were sometimes picked. On this morning’s trip, a couple of keepers, some shorts and sea robins were landed along the beach by 9:15 a.m., when Tom gave this report over the phone on the outing. If conditions deteriorated, the trip would move to the bay. Forecasts currently look like this Sunday’s fishing on the boat will be cancelled, because of the hurricane. But Friday’s weather looks fair, and Saturday’s might be okay. Anglers will see how fluking is after the storm. 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, Monday, 8/29:***</b> Tom and crew moved the boat from the dock and anchored in the bay Saturday, weathering out the hurricane onboard through the night, Tom said. Winds reached 61 knots, according to his meter, more than 70 m.p.h. As the hurricane passed Sunday morning, winds shifted, and Tom and crew moved the boat back to the dock. Waters were 3 feet above the dock, but the boat was able to be secured. Tom will try to resume the vessel’s fluke trips Tuesday. All the party boats from the dock were motored out of the harbor to different places Saturday night to weather out the storm, and none was damaged, Tom believed, and they should be up and running now. Most of Atlantic Highlands was still without electricity today, and the Atlantic Star’s phone remained down today. Tom was busy working with the fire department today, a busy day for the emergency personnel. Fluking might take a moment to settle down, but Tom hopes trips will get back into catches in these last weeks of fluke season.  <b>***Update, Tuesday, 8/30:***</b> Fluke fishing resumed on the Atlantic Star with a trip this afternoon after the storm, Tom said. The trip fished in the bay and a little on the ocean, and fluke, shorts and a couple of keepers, bit at every place. Even fishing for shorts was slow, but the angling couldn’t be expected to be like before the storm at this point. Still, signs of fluke were seen, and the fish were spread out, and the boat is back fluking on the usual two trips daily schedule. The vessel’s phone remained down, and electricity was down, but fishing was underway again aboard.

Fluke fishing mopped up good catches from the ocean, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. But the bay and rivers will give them up again when waters cool. Plenty of bluefish schooled the rivers Wednesday, and chased bunker in the bay. Lots of snapper blues filled the back waters. Bigger blues schooled the ocean, and bottom-fishers on the ocean cranked in sea bass, porgies and blackfish. But bottom dunkers could tug in ling and cod, actually the main catch for them, at the Mudhole every day. Crabbing was excellent in both the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. “The fish will hide during the storm but will be ornery as hell after!” Jimmy said.

Fishing fluke at the channels was impossible on Wednesday’s trip because of a fast, 2.3-knot drift, said Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> in a report on the vessel’s Web site. So the boat was moved to rough, rocky bottom in the ocean. “Glad we did,” Ron said. “Not much on the short action,” he said, but the keepers were sizeable. Several anglers bagged four, a couple had three, some took none, and some landed no keepers. A 5-pound fluke was the pool-winner, and several of the fish weighed 3 to 4 pounds. “Crappy conditions once again did make it tough throughout the day,” Ron said. He was still “rolling” when he posted the report on the site after the trip, he said. Ron expected today’s and Friday’s trips to sail. “Will have to see what happens on Saturday,” he said, talking about the impending storm. 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.

<b>Neptune</b>

All trips are cancelled Saturday to Monday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, because of the storm, Capt. Ralph said, and call him if you’ve got a space on the outings. Fluke fishing was super on the weekly, individual-reservation trip aboard Wednesday, and a 9-1/2-pound fluke was the pool-winner. Hudson Canyon fishing was no good on an overnight trip Monday to Tuesday aboard. Boaters far to the south caught well, but a horrendous tide and dirty waters filled the Hudson, and no boaters there did well. Two yellowfin tuna and a mahi mahi were iced on the trip with Last Lady. Just because fishing there was slow during these days, doesn’t mean the angling will remain slow. This storm could stir up the waters and get the catches going. Call about special one- and two-day canyon trips offering a reduced price. Individual-reservation trips for fluke are sailing every Wednesdays through September 21, and kids under 12 are free with an adult, limited to two per adult. Space is full on another one of the fluke trips Sunday, September 18. Four spots are left on two more of the trips, one on each of Last Lady’s boats, Sunday, September 25, the last day of fluke season. Space is full on individual-reservation trips for sea bass September 7 and 11. But plenty of spots remain on more of the sea bass trips the Saturdays of September 17 and 24. Grab them while they last. Spots remain for individual-reservation trips for cod the Mondays of September 12 and 26. Be sure to follow <a href="http://www.facebook.com/FishingInNewJersey" target="_blank">Last Lady’s Facebook page</a>. <b>***Update, Monday, 8/29:***</b> The last several days were a challenge, Ralph said in an e-mail today. “I’m sure a lot of you also had a lot do do,” he said. But Ralph was lucky, and his boats escaped damage, and he never even lost power at his house. Both boats will fish again starting Wednesday.

<b>Belmar</b>

Trips picked away at fluke on the ocean on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, though winds were a factor, made fishing tough, the last few days, Capt. Chris said. Some good-sized fluke, fish to 9 pounds most days, were creamed aboard before the winds. Fluke to 6 and 7 pounds were clubbed on trips the last couple of days. Sea bass, not a lot, but good-sized, were mixed in. One sea bass was nearly 4 ½ pounds. Trips fished the rough bottom, and bucktails with Gulps worked best. “No doubt,” Chris said. The Big Mohawk is fluke fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Manasquan Inlet was alive with fish: triggerfish, blackfish, and, running thick, snapper blues, said Chuck from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Manasquan River was alive with fish like fluke. Striped bass fishing was a little slow everywhere. Ocean fluke fishing was good for boaters, and bigger fluke than before were around for them. The fishing seemed to depend on where the anglers fished. Surf anglers beached fluke from Bay Head to Seaside. Bluefishing became much better than previously on the ocean on nighttime trips on the party boats. 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>

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> hadn’t fished much for bluefin tuna like before, because no population of bluefins to speak of was around during the past weeks, Capt. Fred said. But open-boat trips and charters kept sailing for a mixed bag of mahi mahi fishing and wreck fishing in one outing. Tons of mahi were around, and the wrecks held life. Bluefin fishing, angling that had been a focus on the mixed-bag trips, should bounce back, and could do so because of the storm. The angling can go through ups and downs in a season. On the last trip aboard farther offshore to the canyons Saturday, fishing was slow at the Hudson, but a yellowfin tuna and some mahi mahi were managed. The previous canyon trip was good on the boat. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, more chances of hooking up, and better variety for dinner. 

Fishing for fluke on the ocean was picky aboard in the past days, said Capt. Matt from the party boat <b>Norma K III</b>. Morning trips scored better, because the boat drifted slower. But some healthy-sized fluke were carped, like pool-winners that weighed 3 to 5 pounds. Trips fished rough bottom, so the fluke were better-sized, and sea bass were sometimes mixed in. For the fluke, bucktails and green Gulps worked best. On the vessel’s nighttime trips, bluefishing was somewhat inconsistent. Good catches of blues were made for three nights in a row. Then on the next night, Tuesday, anglers aboard picked at blues, 3- to 6-pounders. Forecasts sounded like the storm that was coming, predicted for Sunday Monday, would hit hard. The Norma K III is fluke fishing twice daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and is bluefishing daily 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

<b>Toms River</b>

On the Toms River at Island Heights plenty of snapper blues and crabs were around, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. A few weakfish were whacked at night on the river on peanut bunker. Plenty of snappers and crabs also held along the Route 37 Bridge on Barnegat Bay. At Berkeley Island Park and the 40 on the bay, a few weaks, mostly small or 12 to 14 inches, a few 18 inches, were hooked on pink Gulps or Fin-S Fish. Good fluke fishing was boated on the bay at the BI to Oyster Creek Channel and Barnegat Inlet on killies or Gulps with squid. A few triggerfish and some blackfish hovered along the inlet rocks. A healthy run of blowfish was under way at the BB on the bay for boaters who chummed and fished with clam. On the ocean fluke fishing finally began to dish up better catches at the Tires. Sea bassing somewhat improved there. Fluke chomped in the surf, and so did ½-pound to ¾-pound blues. Dunk mullet for the blues. After the hurricane, mullet should begin to be seen in the ocean, leaving the bays. That traditionally happens after a major storm  toward the end of August. Fluke fishing should pick up in the ocean after the storm, and that usually happens too. “If we’re still here,” Dennis said, “we’ll talk to you (next week)!”   

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Fishing for snapper blues, kingfish and blowfish was outstanding at <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>, George said. Crabbing from the shop was okay, not that great, slowed from before. Not a lot happened in the surf, but small blues popped into the waters up and down the beaches, and fluke hovered there. George pumped in two keeper fluke, but that was about all, from the Seaside Heights Casino Pier. 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>Barnegat Light</b>

Angling for fluke was fairly good around Barnegat Inlet, and shorts just had to be sorted through to cull a keeper, said Rich from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Bigger fluke seemed to come from the ocean at Barnegat Reef and the Tires. Bottom fish were piled up at the ocean wrecks. One trip returned from the wrecks with lots of sea bass and a couple of blackfish. Rich saw no blackfish that came from along the inlet rocks. One striped bass was seen that a charter captain docked, and the fish was hooked along the inlet’s north jetty, Rich believed. Plenty of medium-sized snapper blues swam all around. Blowfish swam everywhere in Barnegat Bay, even showed up in the traps. Crabbing was good, and the shop sent customers to the Dike to nab them. Crabbers usually basketed a dozen keepers. The shop’s rental boaters can go clamming, and one trip bailed 200 at Clam Island 1 ½ weeks ago. 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>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 8/30:***</b> Barnegat Bay’s weakfish were in, and trips aboard caught the 12- to 20-inchers until Hurricane Irene, said Capt. Dave DeGennaro from <b>Hi Flier</b> in an e-mail. The goal on the trips was to land as many species as possible. Weakies, snapper blues, fluke, blowfish, burrfish or porcupine puffers, sand sharks, kingfish, sea robins, sea bass, lizard fish and croakers were in the mix, and sometimes double digits of fish were nailed. Ultra-light, 6-pound spinning tackle was fished, keeping the angling fun, and the bigger weakies really tested the tackle. Trips fished with shedder crabs and live grass shrimp. “Everything in the bay eats this gourmet bait,” Dave said. Jigheads, 1/8 ounce, tipped with shedders were fished. One of the trips, an open-boat outing, will run 12 noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, and two spaces remain. One angler already signed up. A charter is booked for the same fishing that morning, “so I should be well dialed in to what is going on,” Dave said. Call to reserve or for more info. 

<b>Surf City</b>

The surf at 9th Street in Barnegat Light was a hot spot for fluke catches, said Bruce from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. But the flatfish could practically be banked from any holes along the surf, and anglers just had to weed through shorts to bag a keeper. Fluke were reeled in from near Barnegat Lighthouse off the condos and along the walkway. Tons of baby, undersized sea bass held around Barnegat Inlet. Kingfish roamed the surf, and northeast winds from the storm will warm the waters, probably pulling in more kings. Tailor bluefish sometimes stormed the surf, and cownosed rays and smooth dogfish loitered the waters. “It’s August fishing,” Bruce said. The bay was full of snapper blues, and crabbing improved along the bay. Blowfish bobbed around in the bay. Check out the shop’s <b><i>free surf-fishing classes</i></b> at 6 to 7 p.m. Sundays in the parking lot. The classes are informal – bring a beach chair to sit – and very informative, Sue from the shop said. The classes focus on fishing that’s happening now in the surf, covering everything from bait, tackle and rods to how to cast. Keep up with the latest news in <a href="http://www.surfcitybaitandtackle.com/" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s fishing reports</a> on the shop’s Web site. Or keep in touch on <a href=" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surf-City-Bait-and-Tackle/207533229268619
" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Facebook page</a>.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Tuna fishing plowed catches along the 100-fathom line Tuesday, and five of the yellowfins to 65 pounds were bombed there that day with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. A handful of mahi mahi were lit up on the trip. On Wednesday a bottom-fishing trip aboard scored well on sea bass, including big ones 5 to 6 pounds or 22 to 23 inches. Most keepers ranged from that size down to 14 inches, sizeable. A few blackfish and cod were in the mix. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips will sail next week. The trips are posted on Legal Limit’s <a href=" http://www.legallimitcharters.com/open-boat.php" target="_blank">open-boat page</a> when dates are decided.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Though the Hurricane was the talk, 20 miles from shore seemed the place to be previously, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Deep-water wrecks there churned out catches, like one trip’s limit of blackfish for three anglers, a bunch of sea bass and a sizeable cod. But anglers won’t be able to return there for some time, including after the storm, until seas subside. The ocean reefs, including Little Egg and Garden State South, produced summer flounder. One customer bagged five keepers including a 9-1/2-pounder, at Little Egg Reef. No reports were heard from Atlantic City Reef. Flounder fishing was practically finished in the bay for the season and at Little Egg Inlet. Catches were heard about once in a while. Kingfish and blowfish gave up busy action on the bay, even if few of the fish were big enough to keep. Few of the kings were large enough, but enough sizeable blowfish were around for a dinner. Fishing for snapper blues was good at the lagoons, and lots of spearing and small hooks were sold for the angling. Spots were sometimes socked in the bay, but not many were bait-sized. Most were bigger. Nobody reported finding croakers locally, but news was heard about croakers located around Barnegat Inlet. Pockets of the fish seemed around, and croaker fishing locally usually begins during the second week of September. Nobody mentioned white perch, but the fish were around previously, and that probably didn’t change. The slabs swam Nacote and Ballanger creeks, and, depending on conditions, sometimes the Mullica River. Nothing was heard about crabbing. Fresh, shucked clams, minnows, bloodworms and green crabs are stocked.

<b>Absecon</b>

“Whatever happened in the past (with fishing), that all changes now anyway,” said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. He was busy hauling boats from the waters for the hurricane, and couldn’t give a report. In the previous report from the shop, summer flounder were probably migrating out from the back bay, Curt said, and signs of good fishing for them were seen at Absecon Inlet, off and on. Dredging at the inlet that can affect the fishing was probably still happening then. Flounder then had been boated at the ocean reefs and wrecks, though not a lot had been heard about the fishing at the time. <b>***Update, Monday, 8/29:***</b> “We’re here, we’re open, (and we) have bait,” a Facebook posting from Absecon Bay Sportsman said today. A free T-shirt from the shop is being offered for the first person to weigh in “a decent, keepable fish,” the posting said. “Legal flounder, bass, weakfish or tog – even will accept an eater kingfish or perch. It’s time to forget this fiasco and get some lines back in the water.”

<b>Brigantine</b>

Everyone was pulling boats from waters and preparing for the storm, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. So not much news was available about fishing. The weekend’s annual Hooked on Fishing tournament for kids was a success, and the kids, more than 300, a great turnout, banked lots of kingfish, small ones, from the surf. In the previous report last week, Andy said FishBites artificial worms had begun to work better on catching the kings, because of warm waters. He talked about 1-pound blues moving into the surf fairly thick then. Sharks could probably be fought in the surf at night, he said at the time.

<b>Margate</b>

Dirty waters in the past days from previous rains slowed summer flounder fishing on the back bay on trips aboard, said Capt. John from the party boat <b>Keeper</b>. A few were belted on the vessel, but waters looked like chocolate. Minnows, supplied on the boat, and Gulps that anglers brought caught them. Small blues 1 or 2 pounds were around in the bay, and no bigger blues showed up that John likes to see. But they might arrive after the storm. The area looks like it’s going to get walloped on Saturday night and through Sunday, according to current forecasts. 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>

Lots of small summer flounder blanketed the inlets, and snapper blues were mixed in, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. A few flounder and sea bass hugged the reefs. Small fish or kingfish, spots, small croakers and snapper blues ran the surf. In the back bay a few small striped bass were landed at night, mostly on soft-plastic lures and swimming plugs. Snappers sometimes hit them. The bay’s crabbing was excellent, putting up good numbers of fair-sized blueclaws. Back on the ocean, nothing much bit beyond the reefs, until anglers reached offshore. Offshore fishing wasn’t bad up and down the canyons. Yellowfin tuna and occasional bigeye tuna were boated, and white marlin fishing was good. Little was heard about mahi mahi offshore, maybe because waters somewhat cooled. Fishing was typical for late August, and so was the coming hurricane, though this one could be big.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Bluefish swarmed everywhere in the back bay, and some approached cocktail size, better size, said Mike Cunningham from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Striped bass fishing went well on the bay on top-water lures this week in ideal tides: high tides in the evenings. Surf fishing was hopping, seemed to dish up a mixed bag. Catches of kingfish, weakfish, spots and croakers were heard about from the surf, along both the ocean front and toward the inlets. The ocean reefs were “the story of the week,” Mike said. All the different reefs shoveled up good-sized summer flounder and a few sea bass mixed in. Joe Cunningham, Mike’s brother, with Team Piracy fished Wildwood Reef, and they pulled in six sizeable flounder and a 42-inch mahi mahi that swiped a soft-plastic B2 Squid that was being reeled in. Many reports were heard about 2- to 3-pound mahi inshore like at the reefs, and the 42-incher was the first larger one Mike heard about. Nothing was heard about fishing the inshore ocean for catches from sharks to bonito. Mike couldn’t know if that was only because few tried for them. Offshore anglers competed in Cape May’s Mid Atlantic $500,000 tournament, kept hush about fishing details. Crabbing was phenomenal, and crabbers talked about making catches like a couple of dozen large ones “in the silliest places,” Mike said. A push to discourage using chicken for crabbing bait was under way in the press, because chicken reportedly was harmful to the environment. 

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, was competing in the Mid Atlantic $500,000 big-game tournament from Cape May this week, he said. Two white marlin were released on one of his trips in the event Tuesday, and no fish were landed on another Wednesday. Watch a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2F7kGlJ_90&feature=youtube_gdata_player" target="_blank">video of one of the marlin released</a>. Waters, 77 or 78 degrees, looked great on the trips, and included weeds and temperature breaks, and looked better on the first trip, the one in the video, than on the second. Whether the trips would be able to sail the rest of the week remained to be seen, because of the storm. Joe was busy offshore, but back-bay striped bass fishing this week was probably great on popper lures and flies, because tides were ideal: high tides coincided with evenings. The fishing is a specialty for Jersey Cape. Summer flounder fishing was happening on the boat. A buddy’s trip fished a deep-water wreck, coming in with a 28-inch pollock and a bunch of sea bass. A trip with Joe recently fished a deep wreck, catching sea bass, ling, cod and pollock, covered in a previous report. Limited space remains for Jersey Cape’s annual trips to Montauk for the fall migration of striped bass, blues and false albacore. The trips fish the legendary run the last two weekends of September and first two of October.  See the <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page4.html" target="_blank">traveling charters page</a> on Jersey Cape’s Web site. Keep up on Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>. <b>***Update, Monday, 8/29:***</b> Joe decided to “get out of Dodge,” he wrote on his blog Saturday night, as Hurricane Irene was bearing down locally. The storm had appeared headed toward Sea Isle, so he had pulled all his boats from the waters, including trailering his flats skiff to Pennsylvania. “Funny this is, I think I’m getting more rain here than in Sea Isle,” he said at the time. “I hope I overacted. We will see.” <b>***Another Update, Monday, 8/29:***</b>  “I was going to post pictures of the aftermath of the hurricane,” Joe wrote on his blog today. “Luckily, there is nothing to post. Things should settle down quickly because of the beautiful post hurricane weather we will be having and fishing should quickly resume.”

<b>Wildwood</b>

Catches were good, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. Keeper summer flounder were sometimes rental-boated from the back bay earlier in the week, good to see. Weakfish made a showing at times for customers, and snapper blues popped up for them. Crabbing improved a bit, was decent on the vessels.  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 $23 per dozen, and No. 2’s are currently $12 per dozen.

<b>Cape May</b>

Plenty of bluefish were trolled on the ocean at first on a trip Tuesday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Then the anglers bottom fished, reeling up sea bass. Next they nailed a bunch of mahi mahi 5 to 10 pounds on the troll. All the mahi around lately seemed close to shore, and these were 20 miles off. Mahi were scarcer during offshore fishing recently. Inshore trolling was good for blues, and bonito, Spanish mackerel and mahi could be mixed in. Anglers on a charter aboard Wednesday wanted to fish for summer flounder, though George told them lots of the fish were throwbacks. He told another potential charter that to catch the big ones, trips should fish 20 miles off. But this trip was booked to fish closer to the coast, and lots of throwbacks were landed, but no keepers showed up. So the anglers then trolled for blues nearby, tackling a load. Then they pulled in a bunch of bar jacks. A trip today wanted to flounder fish, but the weather looked too rough. Plenty of dates are available for inshore trolling and flounder fishing. So are dates for offshore trolling for tuna and big game. Inshore sharking for browns is on tap. Call if interested.

Summer flounder fishing was going well, giving up more keepers than before, and some sizeable ones, on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. Trips fished a few places on the ocean. “Now the deck is going to be reshuffled, unfortunately,” he said, talking about the hurricane coming this weekend. Nobody can know how the storm will affect the fishing, but Paul hopes the good angling will continue. Frank Duca from Berlin’s 9.4-pound flounder was the biggest aboard this week. Customer Sam Citron, Wildwood Crest, bagged four flounder to 7-1/2-pounds. On Wednesday’s trip John Dougherty won the pool with a 7-1/2-pound flounder, and one youngster hauled in a 6.1-pounder. Some good-sized flatties that day “were spread around the boat,” Paul said. Customers and their flounder catches this past week also included: Carl Davis, Turnersville, six keepers; Pinky Dydak, Philly, three keepers to 7 ¾ pounds; and Matt Lamelza, Ocean City, three keepers to 7 ½ pounds. The Porgy IV is sailing for summer flounder 8 a.m. daily.

Boaters beat summer flounder, good catches, off Cape May Point and in the back bay, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Croakers could be clubbed off the point and at 20-Foot Slough. Striped bass held at the Wildwood Crest toll bridge, and squid or clams were favorite baits. Lots of snapper blues to 16 inches traveled the surf, and kingfish were crunched in the surf at North Wildwood, Stone Harbor and Sea Isle City. Cape May’s surf fishing for flounder was best near the lighthouse, where waters drop off more than elsewhere. Inshore trolling was solid for catching blues, mahi mahi, bonito and Spanish mackerel. Lots of mahi gathered in the waters lately. Offshore fishing was good for tuna and marlin, but not a lot was heard about details, because the Mid Atlantic $500,000 tournament was under way from Cape May.

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