<b>Keyport</b>

Two fluke trips on Saturday and Sunday sailed aboard, but waters were like chocolate after last week’s rains, and the fishing was unproductive, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. Winds and seas Saturday were calm, sometimes even creating no drift. But winds were strong Sunday, and some of the anglers on the trip returned to port early because of seas, while the rest of the anglers headed back out to finish the trip. The outings covered lots of waters, traveled all over. Open-boat trips are fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily when no charter is booked. Call to reserve. Striped bass trips will begin when waters drop to 65 degrees.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fishing for fluke resumed Friday to Sunday on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said, and the angling was tough. Trips aboard had been cancelled a moment previously because of last week’s stormy weather. Trips fished the shallows since the weather, catching nothing to get excited about, but some shorts and a few keepers. Catching them was a matter of the right conditions in the right area. Jack McMillan bagged three keepers on Sunday morning’s trip, but the catch was an exception. Quite a few shorts gave up action on the trip. Donata Lombardi iced two keepers on Sunday afternoon’s trip and none on the morning’s trip. Trips will stick with fluke fishing, and Tom is being optimistic that catches will pick up as waters settle. Waters started to clear, though not as fast as he’d like. Fluking won’t be great like earlier this season, and the main body of the fish probably departed. But fluke were still “moving out,” Tom said, or some of the fish remained on grounds where the boat fishes. 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>Highlands</b>

Bottom fishing aboard Saturday bucketed porgies on the bay, then pushed offshore, looking for sea bass, before sea bass season closed today, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. Sea bassing was slow, giving up lots of shorts, but a dozen keepers. The trip then made a couple of drops for blackfish, mostly catch-and-release in the one-blackfish bag limit, and the angling was phenomenal. Probably eighty of the tog, half of them keepers to 6 or 6 ½ pounds, were landed. Waters were dirty since the storms, and the bay was filthy, and debris floated everywhere. Waters were clearer offshore but cloudy. Charters are fishing, and anglers can call Derek for dates for the next open-boat trips. Outings aboard will keep bottom fishing, and Derek will see whether fluke fishing recovers from the storms, before deciding if trips with him will keep fluke fishing. He’ll probably know within the next days, and anglers can call him to find out.

Trips aboard were cancelled during the weekend because of dirty waters, said Capt. Dave from <b>Raritan Bay Charters</b>. He’ll still try for fluke, but if that doesn’t pan out, his trips will bottom fish for porgies and blackfish. Open-boat trips are sailing when no charter is booked.

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 9/13:***</b> Good striped bass fishing was crunched for a few days on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. The Wally Clouse party limited out on stripers, and released many shorts, on a trip aboard Saturday. On Sunday Cory Lafleur’s gang aboard tackled lots of action on stripers, managing five keepers among 40-some hooked, in snotty conditions. On Monday Dave Priester’s charter on the boat limited out on stripers to 15 pounds, “and had lots of action as well,” Pete said.

<b>Neptune</b>

“If you couldn’t get out (Sunday),” said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> in an e-mail, “you missed one of the best days of the summer for sea bass.” Anglers aboard walloped non-stop action with sea bass that day, returning to the dock early at 1:30 p.m., with the cooler full. Small blackfish and a few dinner-plate porgies were also pumped in. Waters had cleared a little Sunday compared with Saturday on the grounds where the trip sea bassed. The fishing was only a pick on a trip with Last Lady Saturday. Just as sea bass began to bite closer to shore, sea bass season was closed today. The season will reopen November 1, and when the fishing opened again last year, sea bass were far offshore. But waters are currently warm, and Last Lady will schedule sea bass trips in November, “if they are there,” Ralph said. A trip on Ralph’s other boat Sunday was cancelled because seas were too rough. The down side of the full moon is happening now, and strong currents that happened lately will slow down as the moon wanes. With slower currents and waters clearing, look for good fluke fishing until fluke season closes September 26. Individual-reservation trips are fishing for fluke on Wednesday, September 14, Sunday, September 18, Wednesday, September 21 and Saturday, September 24. One or two spaces are available for an individual-reservation trip for cod and pollock offshore Monday, September 26, and the fish remain in the waters, and Last Lady will go after them through winter. Bluefish finally started biting, and trips can chum the slammers close to shore. Fishing for porgies is good, and lots of blackfish are around, though only one can be kept per person until November 16, when the bag limit will be increased to six. Canyon boaters this weekend reported the best tuna catches in years, and call Last Lady for special rates on the fishing. Charters are available for all this angling.

<b>Belmar</b>

Bluefish seemed to begin cooperating again, a report on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>’s Web site said. Most of the party boat fleet sailed Saturday for the first time after the weather, and a good catch of blues 3 to 15 pounds was hammered on the Golden Eagle that day on the ocean north of Belmar. The fish were baited and jigged on anchor, and a trip aboard that night bombed a bunch of 10- to 12-pound blues on bait. “Things seem to be shaping up nicely for some really fun fall fishing,” the report said. 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 off, and the value will be doubled on the Golden Eagle, up to $10 off.

The boat is being re-powered, but trips will be back underway within two weeks, said Capt. Kris from <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b>. Anglers aboard then will sail for bottom fish, striped bass, bluefish and false albacore. Trips for all are being booked.

Some trips on deck were cancelled because of weather, but a trip on the boat bottom  fished Saturday, and the fishing was terrible, giving up a few sea bass, said Capt. Jared from <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b>. Waters were somewhat dirty after the weather, but water temps were fine, weren’t too low. A bunch of boaters loaded up on tuna at the canyons, so Fin-Ominal was set to run for the fish on an overnight trip Sunday to today. Jared hopes to give the results in the next report.

<b>Brielle</b>

Fluke, including a 4-1/2-pounder and a 2-1/2-pounder, the biggest on the trip, and lots of throwbacks, were reeled aboard Saturday on the <b>Big Kid</b>, Capt. Ken said. An overnight trip on the vessel Friday to Saturday gaffed eight yellowfin tuna and a swordfish at night. Dates remain for blackfishing aboard later this year, when the bag limit is increased, and grab them while they’re available. The crew loves blackfishing.

Fishing for fluke was tough on the ocean this past week, mostly because of the weather, an e-mail from the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> said. But the fish started to be swung aboard again after the storms, and the angling is expected to pick up again. Fernando Arrelano is leading the monthly pool for September with a 5-pound 6-ounce fluke. The winner of the pool gets a free year of fishing on the boat. “C’mon,” the e-mail said, “that’s an easily beatable fish.” Catches aboard this past week also included: Brian Christano’s four keeper fluke and nine keeper sea bass to a 4-1/2-pound sea bass; and Phil Gartner’s five keeper fluke to 4 pounds. The Jamaica II is sailing for fluke 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. Cod trips are set for 2 a.m. September 25 and October 3, and 12-hour Mudhole Monster Ling Trips are on the books for September 28, 29 and 30 and October 1, 7, 8, 10 and 12. Inshore tuna trips are slated for 2 a.m. October 17 and 24.

Ocean fluke fishing was tough, but lots of the summer flounder bit in Manasquan River, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. In the river plenty of the fish were shorts, but keepers were also around. Snapper blues swam the river, and small blues and small striped bass gathered along the Point Pleasant Canal. The stripers were plugged or were taken on leadheads, like with rubber shads or Fin-S Fish. Surf anglers began to bank more striped bass than before at Deal, Allenhurst, Spring Lake and Sea Girt at dawn and dusk on plugs. Back on the ocean, for bottom fishers, sea bass season closed today, but ling and a few cod chewed. Bluefishing picked up on the ocean. Nothing was heard about fish like false albacore and bonito, and waters were probably too dirty anyway. On the offshore grounds, canyon tuna fishing was very good during the weekend. Anglers on a trip on the party boat Sea Devil reportedly limited out the vessel on tuna and heaved in some swordfish. Both of the Canyon Runner charter boats reportedly loaded up on longfin tuna during the daytime troll and caught some yellowfin tuna at night. Nighttime tuna fishing was somewhat starting to catch on. Seas became rough Sunday, but a bunch of boats were still headed out to the canyons that day. Dave jumped aboard a party boat tilefish trip offshore last week that went well, producing tiles, some hake and a bunch of rosefish. He was headed back out on one of the trips this week. The Reel Seat will now be open until 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays instead of 6 p.m. The doors, like previously, will remain open till 8 p.m. Fridays, 6 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The shop opens at 7 a.m. daily.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

A steady pick of 8- to 12-pound bluefish was punched Sunday on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. “The blues are there, and they’re getting hungrier as the water cools down,” the report said. “Come on down for a beautiful day on the ocean.” Saturday night’s trip aboard scored a “pick on 8- to 12-pound blues,” the report said. Most anglers on the trip bagged at least one. Bluefishing should continue to improve in the cooling waters, “(as) the fish look to fatten up for their southern migration,” the report said. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing 8 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays. However, the daily trips won’t sail September 20 and 30.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

An overnight trip for tuna is scheduled for Friday on the <b>June Bug</b>, and friends limited out on yellowfin tuna at night on a trip to Carteret Canyon, Capt. Lindsay said. The fish were small, 20 to 40 pounds, but the catch was good, and even more of the yellowfins were released on the outing, after the anglers limited out. The June Bug will keep fishing for tuna offshore, and inshore waters were cold, but good-sized croakers gathered in the ocean near Little Egg Inlet.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

With <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> anglers ran for sea bass through the weekend, scoring well on the final days of the sea bass season that closed today, Capt. T.J. said. Croakers, 50 or 60 per trip, porgies and triggerfish, making up a mixed bag of fish, were also swung aboard each outing. Saturday’s trip limited out on sea bass, and Sunday’s catch of the fish was very good. Some weekend dates remain available for bottom fishing, and no summer flounder catches were heard about. Keep an eye on Legal Limit’s <a href=" http://www.legallimitcharters.com/open-boat.php" target="_blank">open-boat page</a> online for dates for open bottom-fishing/flounder-fishing trips. Great catches of tuna at night Friday to Saturday were heard about from along the 100-fathom line. Dates are available for tuna fishing.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Word said summer flounder could be boated at Little Egg Reef, a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. Prior to the weekend, the weather kept boaters from fishing, but the anglers splashed vessels starting Saturday, though strong winds kept most from fishing Sunday. Boaters looking for the reef’s flounder this weekend had to fish heavy weights, 10 ounces and larger, and the fluke seemed only to bite on slack tides, but some were caught. Decent catches of sea bass were angled from the ocean in depths 70 feet or deeper, and sea bass season closed today, until reopening November 1. Blackfish were also copped on the sea bass trips. The blackfish bag limit is only one, but “an entertaining day can be had,” the report said, if anglers fish for the tog on the bay along the banks at the Fish Factory and, on the ocean, along the banks at the Rutgers buoys. Blowfish, kingfish, porgies and snapper blues turned out action, including a few keepers, on the bay, all on clams. Boaters who chummed with clam landed lots more than those who did not. Plenty of feisty snappers could be played on the lagoons, and minnows out-fished spearing by lots.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The back bay started to clear up after the storms, and a brief trip aboard Sunday morning with Dusty Laricks popper-plugged and released three good-sized striped bass 25 to 27 inches, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. So things were looking up. Waters were even clear enough for Joe to spot one of the fish, tell Dustin where to cast, and have him catch. In other words, Dustin sight-fished for one of the bass. Seven stripers total were seen, and conditions were ideal for the angling, with high tide in the morning on the flats. Jersey Cape specializes in popper fishing for stripers on the bay, with both spinning and fly rods. Trips usually popper fish for stripers on the bay until mid October. Afterward fishing aboard usually moves to the ocean to intercept the fall migration of stripers and bluefish. On Saturday aboard John Martin fished at one of the ocean reefs, and the angling was slow, and waters were dirty, but ling and sea bass were landed. Waters were lots clearer inshore than offshore this weekend. No catches of summer flounder were heard about, and Joe was sure some were around, but angling for them wasn’t good since the weather. Friends fished offshore Saturday, tackling a bunch of mahi mahi, and getting some wahoo bite-offs, at Lindenkohl Canyon. The mahi swam thick. Jersey Cape is fishing offshore.  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>Cape May</b>

Inshore trolling aboard put the brakes on good catches of bonito, Spanish mackerel and false albacore on the ocean, said Capt. Bob from the <b>Down Deep</b>. The trips targeted no bluefish, so he wasn’t sure whether blues were around. Sea bass fishing had been good, but sea bass season closed today. A few summer flounder were around, and a couple of boats steamed offshore for tuna, but Bob heard no results. The Down Deep is sailing for all these fish, and call if interested. Striped bass fishing aboard will start during the third week of October, and a few openings remain. The boat will fish until the third week of December this year.

The first overnight tuna trip of the season sailed Saturday to Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said, and tuna fishing was slow, and sounded slow for everyone in the area. But one tuna and lots of mahi mahi, 60 of the dolphin, were crushed on the Heavy Hitter. The tuna was trolled along the 100-fathom line off Spencer Canyon during the first day, and nothing hit at night, except a couple of quick break-offs that were probably sharks. In the morning the trip steamed toward Wilmington Canyon, then started working inshore, fishing lobster pot buoys for the mahi that were bailed. A 30-pounder was the biggest mahi, and the rest were chickens. Tuna catches sounded better to the north over the weekend, and George heard about a party boat that reportedly loaded up on the fish at Toms Canyon. But on the waters to the south around the Heavy Hitter, anglers on the radio talked about a tuna caught here, or there, or a short sometimes released. On the Heavy Hitter the waters at night looked dynamite, and were full of bait or squid and rudderfish. The Heavy Hitter will keep fishing for tuna, and inshore trolling trips aboard are nailing fish like blues and false albacore. Summer flounder fishing sounded slow. Call if interested in fishing for any of these species.

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