<b>Keyport</b>

The first striped bass trip of the season is set to sail Tuesday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. The fish were around, and bookings are being accepted for fall striper charters. Previously the boat fished for fluke, and fluke season closed today. Open-boat trips for stripers will sail 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily when no charter is booked. Call to reserve. 

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

After two weeks tied to the dock, the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> was back in action Saturday, sailing on a bluefish charter, Capt. Ron said in a report on the vessel’s Web site. The boat came back on anchor, two ladles of chum were tossed in the waters, and 8- to 10-pound blues began to be hammered non-stop for two hours. A couple of good-sized striped bass and some huge porgies were in the mix. So were out-of-season sea bass that were released. The Fishermen had been on break since fluke fishing slowed, after sailing daily for the flatfish. Daily, open-boat trips for stripers were supposed to begin Sunday, and no report about striper fishing was yet posted on the site. Stripers were socked the past two weeks, some days turning out very good action. Trips will clam, jig or do whatever necessary to catch them. Bring medium-action rods, “and stay away from the noodle rods,” Ron said. Rods for 15-pound line that bend in half with a 6-ounce sinker or jig “(aren’t) going to make it on a party boat, and will certainly cut down on your catching ability,” he said. “Looking forward to fishing with everyone once again as the fall season gets under way!” Ron said.  The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

On the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> Saturday morning’s trip tried drifts for fluke, before fluke season closed today, Capt. Tom said. But only a few shorts bit, so the trip switched to porgy fishing, after the anglers were offered and decided, and the angling was good. The boat’s trips then began bottom fishing for porgies and blackfish, and porgy fishing wasn’t quite as good on Saturday afternoon’s trip, but porgy and blackfish catches overall were nice on the bottom trips through the weekend. Strong currents were battled because of the impending new moon, and anglers had to fish with 8 or 10 ounces of weight. But the catches came from only 30-foot depths, so the anglers could work with it. Fishing was the opposite on Sunday’s trips aboard: the afternoon was better than the morning. But again, catches were generally nice. The porgies that came up were mixed sizes from 8 inches to big ones. A few blackfish were grabbed on Sunday’s trips, some on crabs customers brought, some on clams provided on the boat. Anglers can pick up crabs at a tackle shop on the way to the boat if they’d like, but crabs weren’t an absolute must for the blackfish. The tog also jumped on clams. The tackle shop at the marina reportedly was closing down in the next days and relocating, but that was unconfirmed. Trips aboard fished close to port like the fluke trips did, a 30- or 40-minute ride around Sandy Hook Point. The bottom trips bounced around from spot to spot, only about a half-mile apart. Porgies chewed at some places, and blackfish did at others, and so did out-of-season sea bass, sizeable ones. Some places held few fish, but trips weren’t complacent, they kept moving. The bottom trips will fish twice daily through Columbus Day. Then one ¾-day bottom trip will fish daily aboard. Trips by then can begin to work farther from port, following the fish. The Atlantic Star is bottom fishing for porgies and blackfish on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and clams are provided for bait. <b>***Update, Monday, 9/26:***</b> The moon currents were super strong on this morning’s trip, and fishing was tough, Tom said. The afternoon was better, and fish were swung aboard before the tide started to run. Blackfish were hung, some on crabs, some on clams, and good-sized porgies were pelted, and lots of sea bass were let go. The fish are there, and Tom hopes catches will pick up as the moon passes.

<b>Highlands</b>

Decent striped bass action and good bottom fishing was creamed on the <b>Hyper Striper</b> the last few days, Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. Though Mike Prieser’s trip for stripers was tough Sunday morning, only shoveling up some, the angling rebounded that afternoon. Freddie Walter’s party then boxed nine keepers to 16 pounds, letting go lots of shorts. Dennis Taomina’s charter put the brakes on “some nice stripers this a.m. before we lost the tide,” Pete said, then iced lots of porgies while bottom fishing. A bottom trip with Anthony Monaco’s party pounded very good porgy fishing, bagging a limit of one blackfish per angler, tog to 9 pounds, to boot. Matt Battz’s trip hammered big porgies.

Scores of porgies, a boat limit of blackfish to 6 pounds and a couple of blowfish were plowed Sunday with <b>Raritan Bay Charters</b>, Capt. Dave said. Non-stop action allowed the bottom-fishing trip to stay at one drop. Several sizeable, out-of-season sea bass were let go. Open-boat trips are sailing when no charter is booked. Trips will bottom fish, and the catches seemed very good. Trips can sail for striped bass if anglers want. But Dave is holding off on stripers otherwise until the catches pick up. Anglers clamming for stripers landed some and sometimes hooked black drum as a by-catch.

Trips ran for striped bass Saturday and Sunday with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. On Saturday’s trip five keeper stripers to 33 inches were bagged, and a dozen shorts were tossed back, and a 37-pound black drum was boated, and three or four drum broke off. Sunday’s trip began with striper fishing, but the fish were reluctant to bite, and one keeper and three shorts were landed. So the trip then fished for porgies and blackfish. Stripers that bit lately aboard were hooked on clams. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trip will sail Thursday for porgies and blackfish. Call to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open trips.

<b>Neptune</b>

Two bluefish trips aboard Saturday morning and afternoon took only an hour apiece to load the cooler with big slammers on the ocean, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>. The fish were hooked on bait, and bluefishing now is what anglers waited for, is phenomenal. A fluke trip sailed Sunday, the final day of fluke season, to finish out fluking. The angling was slow, but a 7-pound fluke was crushed, and the trip blackfished a couple of hours at the end. All the anglers bagged their limit of one, and the trip played catch and release with a bunch more. A cod trip was slated to sail today. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 9/27:***</b> The cod trip Monday apparently went well, because Ralph today e-mailed photos of cod caught on the trip, saying the photos spoke for themselves. “Hate to say it,” he said, “but we lost four to six giant cod and pollock … get them next time.” An individual-reservation trip for cod and pollock is slated for 3 a.m. Sunday, October 23. Canyon tuna fishing is the best in years, and now is the time to go. Individual-reservation, overnight trips to the canyons are on the books for Saturday to Sunday, October 15 to 16, and Wednesday to Thursday, October 19 to 20. Individual-rez trips for striped bass will run October 2, 9, 12, 25 and 30, and the bass started to bite. Blackfish are already on the chew, and anglers are just waiting for the bag limit to increase to six of the tog on November 16 from the current limit of one. Individual-reservation trips for blackfish are set for that day and November 18, and more will be scheduled, and blackfish charters are filling fast. Bluefishing is on, and if anglers want limit catches, bombing them on bait, join a charter now. “Fall fishing is in full swing,” Ralph said.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fishing was spotty aboard Saturday, churning up a pick of large blues and false albacore on the ocean, a report on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>’s Web site said. But the trip stayed late and moved around to put together “a nice catch of the big choppers and more albies on jigs and bait,” 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. Striperthon trips will begin to sail every Monday and Friday starting next week, and call for details and to let the crew know you’re coming: 732-681-6144. Check the <a href="http://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/tuna_schedule_res_form_2011.pdf" target="_blank">Golden Eagle’s canyon tuna schedule and reservations form</a> for info about the tuna trips.

<b>Brielle</b>

Fluke fishing never really produced from the ocean, before fluke season closed today, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The angling never recovered since Hurricane Irene during the final weekend of August. Fluke were angled at Manasquan River, but not many keepers were heard about, and the fish seemed mostly 14 to 16 inches. Plenty of blackfish were hooked at Manasquan Inlet, Shark River Inlet and the Point Pleasant Canal. Many of the fish were small – for example, lots were shorts at the canal, but the fish were abundant there – but keepers were bagged. Catches from Shark River Inlet sounded especially productive, and blackfish to 8 pounds were heard about from there. Also in the canal, striped bass and bluefish were beaten, and Dave saw stripers on Manasquan River. Surf fishers picked stripers from Manasquan Inlet to Shark River Inlet for sure. Stripers and blues were picked from the beach from Point Pleasant Beach to the south. Not many locals bottom fished on the ocean, because of the one-blackfish bag limit. But bottom anglers boated porgies at the Shrewsbury Rocks, and a few came from Sea Girt Reef. No bottom fishers talked about cod fishing, but surely cod remained in the waters. Quite a few boaters steamed offshore, and the anglers could troll all the longfin tuna they wanted at Hudson Canyon. The best nighttime fishing for tuna, yellowfins, went down at Carteret Canyon and to the south. Often dusk and dawn gave up good shots of the fish, and anglers picked away at the yellowfins through the night. Many of the yellowfins were jigged – including on hammered jigs, Jersey Jay’s, Stingo’s and Shimano butterfly jigs – because so many shearwaters kept stealing baits. Quite a few swordfish and even white marlin were taken at night. Shimano Waxwing jigs worked well to clock mahi mahi offshore. Not much was heard about bluefin tuna, though anglers on the Bounty Hunter reportedly looked for bluefins this past week, catching them, though the location wasn’t reported. Scattered reports were heard about bigger bluefins chasing bunker schools from close to shore to 3 miles out. One customer searched for giant bluefin tuna at the Mudhole on three trips, marked a few, but caught none yet.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 9/27:***</b> With hard northeast winds blowing, Capt. Allen from <b>Reel Class Charters</b> on Saturday asked the anglers slated for a trip Sunday if they wanted to fish Barnegat Bay for blowfish and other bottom fish, he said in a report on the boat’s Web site. Conditions were rough, like 5- to 7-footers at Manasquan Inlet. Four of the six anglers decided to go, and off they went on Sunday to the bay near Barnegat Inlet. The boat was anchored, and the chumming got going, and small blowfish, snapper blues, 8- to 10-inch sea bass and one small sheepshead bit. The trip moved deeper to 9-foot waters, and the angling was lots more productive. Blowfish that were mostly large to jumbos chewed, and so did tailor blues and a couple of kingfish. The trip stayed there the rest of the time, and by the end, about 50 blowfish, the bigger ones, were kept, and 50 smaller ones were thrown back. But a few small ones hooked deep were also bagged. So the day’s tally also included a dozen blues, mostly tailors, the two kingfish, healthy-sized, the sheepshead and a load of small sea bass. The out-of-season, undersized sea bass were let go, of course. The day was productive, despite the winds, and the anglers went home “with nice bags of blowfish ‘drumsticks’ for the fryer!” Allen said. On Saturday anglers jumped aboard to fish for a mixed bag of catches on the ocean. That included fluke that they wanted to try for before fluke season would end Monday. They decided to shoot for fluke first on the trip, switching to blackfish and porgies afterward. The trip met a heave from the southeast on the ocean, and a few short fluke to 17 ½ inches were released, on a very slow pick off Long Branch and Elberon. The anglers switched to fishing for blackfish and porgies, and after a few shifts, got into a slow but steady pick of jumbo porgies and occasional blackfish. A few sea bass, including a couple from 2 to 3 pounds, were released. “<i>It hurt</i> throwing those back!” Allen said. One more drop served up a few more porgies and blackfish, and the anglers fluke fished to end the day. A few short fluke bit, but so did a 20-inch keeper. The angler who reeled in the keeper also cranked aboard the season’s first keeper fluke with Reel Class. For the day, the anglers “had a real nice mixed bag,” Allen said. A bushel basket of porgies, mostly 1- to 3-pounders, four keeper blackfish to 4 pounds, three jumbo blowfish, a 4-foot silver eel and the 20-inch fluke were coolered. A hundred sea bass, at least 20 of them keeper-sized, were thrown back. The swell hampered the fishing, but the catch good, and the anglers went home with healthy bags of fillets. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing. Open trips coming soon include ones for porgies and blackfish or tog, and see <a href=" http://www.reelclassfishing.com/rates/open-boat-info" target="_blank">Reel Class’s open-boat page</a> online for availability and info. Coming up, Reel Class in fall sails for speedsters like false albacore and bonito if the fish come in, and will hunt the fall migration of striped bass and blues like always for sure. Blackfish will become a focus when the bag limit is increased to six on November 16 from the current limit of one.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Great bluefishing around the boat! a report said about Sunday’s trip on the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b> on the vessel’s Web site. Some of the party boat’s anglers limited out on the 8- to 12-pounders that smacked both bait and jigs. Seemed like the fish wanted to bite in the daytime for the moment, and bluefishing was just a pick throughout Saturday night’s trip aboard. But on Saturday’s daytime trip on the vessel, bluefishing was great, “steady picking,” the report said. Both bait and jigs again hooked the 8- to 12-pounders. On Friday’s daytime trip, a few blues and a false albacore were caught, a tough day. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing 8 a.m. Fridays through Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays. The <a href="http://www.missbarnegatlight.com/TunaFishing.html" target="_blank">Miss Barnegat Light’s tuna trips</a> are fishing overnight Sundays.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

An offshore trip Sunday on the <b>June Bug</b> “fell apart,” Capt. Lindsay said. But boaters that day scored very well on 30-pound longfin tuna trolled along 100 fathoms at Toms Canyon, loading up. Nothing was heard about anglers who fished for tuna overnight in the last days. An overnight trip will hunt tuna on the June Bug this weekend, and Lindsay likes to leave four days open for an overnight trip when possible. That helps ensure the outing gets the weather to go. Nothing was heard about inshore fishing in the past days, but the June Bug sails inshore when catches like bottom fish, blues or false albacore are available.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

“How many tuna do you want?” Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> asked, tongue in cheek. A day trip aboard offshore Sunday trolled seven longfin tuna, two yellowfin tuna, some mahi mahi and a white marlin. Tuna fishing was good that day for boaters along the 100-fathom line, no particular place, pretty much up and down. Two would be hooked there, one there, and so on. Plus tuna fishing at night whaled the catches lately. Boats that left Saturday evening were returning with limits Sunday morning while the day boats were on their way out. Nothing happened with fishing inshore that T.J. heard about. Legal Limit’s striped bass fishing will kick off in mid October from Tuckerton and Cape May, sailing on both T.J.’s boats.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Quite a few anglers ran the ocean Sunday for a shot at summer flounder before flounder season closed today, a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. Despite misgivings about the weather, conditions turned out fantastic for boating. Calm seas, easy running. Not much was heard about catches, but surely the boaters enjoyed the day on the waters. On the bay, a big crowd of boaters picked blowfish from the trough at the clam stakes on the Mystic Island side of the Fish Factory. Out-of-season, sub-legal but sizeable, 9-inch sea bass put up plenty of tugs, fun catch-and-release action. Snapper bluefishing was good along the back creeks and from the docks. Blackfish were crunched along the sod banks of the bay. Nothing was heard about striped bass, but striper fishing should begin any day. Overcast skies and rains cut down on angler participation in the previous days.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Blues and kingfish swarmed all over the surf, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. Finger mullet and bloodworms grabbed most, and the blues refused metal, for some reason. Surf casters waited for the start of the striped bass migration that could begin any day. But the crew at the shop thought maybe a week or two. Linda Davoli on Saturday won the $150 prize for the first kingfish 14 inches or larger entered in the Riptide Summer Fishing Tournament, after the prize remained up for grabs after summer passed. Kings seemed bigger in the past days, and were plentiful. Her king was 14 ¼ inches, weighing 1 pound 1.4 ounces. She also entered the catch in the Atlantic County Surf Fishing Derby. The annual Riptide Striper Derby is under way, lasting to December 23. Anglers who enter the first, second and third biggest stripers from the Brigantine front beach will win $500, $300 and $150, respectively. Plus a $25 weekly prize, a $50 monthly prize and a $100 woman’s prize will be awarded. Entry in the tournament provides beach-buggy access to the island’s front beach for those who have a Brigantine beach-buggy permit. Again, the Atlantic County Surf Fishing Derby is also happening.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Annual trips aboard to Montauk will launch this weekend, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The trips fish the legendary fall migration of striped bass, blues and false albacore, and limited space remains on the outings. Check out a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR6p7oqf1rk&feature=youtube_gdata_player" target="_blank">video of the Montauk fishing</a> last year. Back in Sea Isle, Jersey Cape is catching striped bass on the back bay on popper-plugs and -flies. The fishing, a specialty on the boat, is going well, and usually lasts until mid October. Then Jersey Cape begins fishing the ocean from Sea Isle for large, migrating stripers and blues. Lots of those trips are already booked for November and December, and if anglers intend to jump aboard for the angling, they should reserve now. Thanksgiving is traditionally the peak. Friends fished offshore to the south at Poorman’s, Wilmington and Norfolk canyons. More wahoos than usual swam, biting off lines meant for marlin. Chunking for tuna at night was surely good at places like Lindenkohl Canyon, and Jersey Cape is also fishing offshore. See Jersey Cape’s <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page4.html" target="_blank">traveling charters page</a> for more info about the Montauk trips Also see the page for Jersey Cape’s annual trips to the Florida Keys this winter from Christmas to Easter. Reserve now, taking advantage of the best rates, like on airfare. Anglers can arrive at the Keys on a Friday evening, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, return Sunday evening, and be back to work Monday. The trips can be a mini, fish-filled vacation, for a large variety of catches from redfish to sailfish. Keep up on Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

No trips fished on the <b>Down Deep</b> in the past week, but a few boaters took a stab at summer flounder on Delaware Bay before flounder season closed today, Capt. Bob said. They landed a few, and kingfish and croakers could be found on the bay. Inshore trolling was good for fish including blues and false albacore. Offshore fishing was decent for tuna, and nighttime sounded better for the catches than daytime did. Mahi mahi bit at all times on the offshore grounds. Striped bass fishing will begin probably during the last week of October on the Down Deep, and a few dates remain for the charters. Call if interested in any of this fishing aboard.

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> took a fun trip with a few friends to fish for summer flounder Sunday at the East Lump on the ocean, before flounder season closed today, he said. Not many, only a dozen, including a couple of keepers, bit. Lots of skates and a few croakers chomped, and a bunch of small blues were hooked on chunk baits. One of the anglers brought finger mullet that lots of blues engulfed. George mated on another boat on an inshore trolling trip Saturday that reeled in bluefish, a couple of false albacore and a small mahi mahi. Skies were overcast both days, and seas were a roll and swell Saturday but lots calmer Sunday. Tuna fishing was going well at the canyons. A customer told George about a trip the customer joined on a Long Beach Island party boat that reportedly got into non-stop catches of 30- to 70-pound tuna when the sun went down, limiting out, sailing for home early at 3 a.m. A couple of swordfish were reportedly in the mix. The Heavy Hitter is sailing for inshore trolling, offshore trolling on day trips and overnight fishing offshore, and call if interested. Striped bass charters aboard will begin in the third or fourth week of October, and call to reserve dates.

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