<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

One of the open-boat shark trips, weekly outings that sail on Wednesdays, fished this week on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> from Belmar, bagging a 68-inch mako, releasing two dozen blue sharks to 150-pounds, Capt. Tom said. The mako wasn’t weighed, and the waters fished, not far from shore, were 66 to 68 degrees and clean. A few bluefish swam around once in a while, but not much other life was seen. A couple of dolphins came through. Space remained for the trips on the last Wednesday in July, and the other ones were full at the moment. So Tom might add some Tuesdays, and anglers can call if interested. The trips are a rare opportunity for sharking without chartering a boat. The trips might even mix in bluefin tuna fishing. Bluefin fishing sounded a little slow on the shark trip Wednesday, but sounded better Tuesday. Tom was unsure how the tuna fishing was in general, but bluefins were caught.

With <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune, anglers won first place in the thresher shark division in the weekend’s Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo, Capt. Ralph said. They battled to the boat a 575-pound thresher to win. “Makos and threshers are here <i>now</i>,” Ralph said. Last Lady is booked for all the shark tournaments, and only a few dates are left for shark charters.

<b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b> from Belmar won first place in the weekend’s Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo with a 198-pound mako! Capt. Jared said. Fin-Ominal also won the tournament several years ago. Sixty or seventy boats competed this year, Jared thought, and his trip left port at 7 p.m. Friday, headed to the Monster Ledge, and caught a couple of dozen bluefish for bait. The trip moved offshore another 5 miles, and began sharking. About 15 blue sharks were fought and released in five or six hours, and with the blue dogs overtaking the trip, the crew decided to move. The boat was moved 10 miles southeast, and the trip began sharking again. A 275-pound mako, bigger than the winner, was hooked. But the fish kept jumping, and shaking its head, and broke off. An 80-pound mako was next caught and released. Then the 198-pounder was landed, and the crew decided to head to port, because the fish was potentially a winner. The boat arrived at the dock with 45 minutes left in the tournament. The catch bounced a 180-pound mako out of first place, and Fin-Ominal won. The boat was available for charter to compete in the Mako Mania tournament and the Jersey Coast Shark Anglers Mako Fever tournament this Saturday and Sunday. The tournaments take place at the same time, so the anglers can enter both. Today was booked with a charter to fish Mako Fever. That tournament runs three days starting today, and Mako Mania runs two days Saturday and Sunday.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Open-boat bluefin tuna beat down! a report on <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant Beach’s Web site said. The year’s first open-boat, midshore trip, annual , unique outings that target bluefin tuna, sharks, cod and pollock in one day, sailed Monday. The plan was to troll for bluefins to find the fish, jig for them once found, shark fish, then hit a wreck for cod and pollock. The fishing began with good trolling, going 2 for 4 on bluefins to 45 inches on Green Machine spreader bars and daisy chains. A scallop boat was seen that “had hauled back and was shucking,” the site said. Capt. Fred from Andrea’s Toy explained in a subsequent phone call made for this report that trips get permission to fish for bluefins behind scallop boats. If the crew from a charter boat treats the scallop boat well, the scallopers usually give permission for the charter to fish for the tuna behind the scallop boat. The charter crew usually gives the scallopers a box of donuts and a newspaper or something that the scallopers, having been on the waters a while, appreciate. Then the scallopers often give the charter a bucket of scallop guts for bait. Andrea’s Toy got the bucket of guts from the scallop boat, and whaled the bluefins on them. The anglers proceeded to hook at least 40 bluefins, landing more than half, all 40- to 45-inchers. The anglers became worn out, but gave sharking and wreck fishing a brief try, before heading home. “Great day and fantastic way to start the bluefin season!” the site’s report said. The crew’s new Shimano Saragosa spinning reel and Terez rod combos were able to be fished on the trip. The outfits are made for popper-lure fishing for tuna, but worked great for casting weightless scallop snot. A light but powerful set-up.  Midshore fishing’s been on fire! Fred said in the phone call. Canyon tuna fishing was also hot, and open-boat trips will also now sail there. Andrea’s Toy is finished striped bass fishing for the season, and sea bass fishing was yet to take off, so trips will focus on midshore and the canyons. The canyon trips, also unique, target a mixed bag: tuna, sharks, swordfish, light-tackle mahi mahi, and deep-dropping for tilefish, all in one outing. Andrea’s Toy might be the only local boat that does this, instead of sticking with tuna all day, even if tuna don’t bite, for example. The boat specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, more chances of hooking up, and more variety for dinner. Anglers can telephone Andrea’s Toy for more details about the open-boat midshore and canyon trips. Tuna fishing turned on earlier this year than many seemed to expect, and Fred was glad to take advantage, he said.

Bluefin tuna fishing was off the charts, and was best at the Chicken Canyon and the Atlantic Princess wreck, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. The fish were trolled on a variety of ballyhoos, spreader bars and daisy chains. A customer Saturday whaled 31 bluefins, keeping a 50-pounder, releasing the rest. The fish generally weighed from that size down to 25 or 30 pounds. Farther from shore, yellowfin tuna fishing was best from the Toms Canyon to the south, like at the Toms, Carteret and Spencer canyons, and the yellowfins were good-sized. A customer boated one that weighed more than 100 pounds, and went 2 for 4 on white marlin. Mako shark fishing was good, and Dave watched boaters returning with the sharks at Hoffman’s Marina during the weekend.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Barnegat: “After a slow morning of ‘bunker dunking’ (for striped bass) Sunday, I shot out offshore in the mild easterly wind for my first trip to Barnegat  Ridge this season. After letting out the eighth rod in the spread, the flatline clip snapped, and we had our first bonito, a respectable 4-pounder. Ten minutes later, we boated another, and then we had to go looking. We ran into a steady row of ‘tuna chicks’ picking at the surface, and the machine was reading heavy gobs all over the water column. We dropped down silver PBJ diamond jigs, and Bob Diener of Nanuet, NY, was rewarded with a 20-pound bluefin tuna. A few more drifts, and we had to get  back for my Fathers-Day-promised sharp return.” Eight-hour open-boat trips are fishing daily through Monday that will first look for striped bass. Depending on success and conditions, the trips could next run to Barnegat Ridge. Call for the open schedule afterward, and charters are also sailing.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

Anglers pushed off for sharks Tuesday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton, bagging a 130-pound mako, releasing a 250-pounder, Capt. T.J. said. A small mako swam through without smacking a bait, and a large bluefish was hooked, and that was all the life seen, and no bait was spotted. The 70-degree waters were clear, visibility down to 20 feet. Yellowfin tuna fishing was fair offshore, and a bunch were gaffed Tuesday, according to radio chatter on the trip, between Wilmington and Baltimore canyons. Lots of the fish seemed small, and the big yellowfins were “off by themselves,” T.J. said. He heard about no bluefin tuna closer to shore, and saw none, though the waters where he shark fishes, especially where Tuesday’s trip fished, are usually loaded with them this time of year. The spot where this trip sharked is usually bluefin city, he said. Trips can also tuna fish.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

A shark trip Saturday wrestled in a mako and a blue shark, said Capt. Eric from <b>O-Beth Sport Fishing Charters</b> from Margate. Shark fishing was going well for O-Beth, and every trip landed at least one mako. Brown and blue sharks also bit, and the trips fished along 20 fathoms, and waters were 69 degrees, ideal. Boaters trolled healthy catches of yellowfin tuna in the deep offshore, and O-Beth is also available for those trips.

Shark fishing wasn’t as good as earlier, said Ryan from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City, but sharks still haunted places like the Cigar and 28-Mile Wreck. A few bluefin tuna remained at places like the Cigar. One angler fought 30- to 40-pound bluefins, losing a bigger one, on a trip. So a few were around. Yellowfin tuna gathered at Lindenkohl and Spencer canyons. A report came in about 40 yellowfins landed on a trip. Ryan was unsure about location, but probably the Lindy, he thought.

<b>Townsends Inlet</b>

Offshore fishing’s been great for all usual fish: yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi and blue and white marlin, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, from Sea Isle City. Solid, he said, and Joe talked with an angler from a trip Wednesday that totaled 15 yellowfins, small fish. Friend Dusty Laricks on Tuesday took a trip that released a white, landed three big mahi and a good-sized yellowfin, and deep-dropped three tilefish. “Decent day,” Joe said. Yellowfin catches seemed good at Spencer and Wilmington canyon lately. The tuna were trolled on usual offerings like spreader bars and ballyhoos. Not much was heard about bluefin tuna closer to shore, and everyone steamed the extra 20 miles for the other fish. Joe will probably begin exploratory trips for annual inshore sharking in the next couple of weeks that catch and release brown and dusky sharks on spinning and fly rods. The fishing should be beginning, and is an opportunity to fight big fish without running offshore. Charters are sailing offshore, and will begin inshore sharking soon.

Not much was heard about shark fishing on the ocean, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City, though one or two customers tried for brown sharks on the inshore ocean, releasing a few. But fishing was fantastic farther from shore at the canyons. One trip to the canyons released two white marlin and caught something like a half-dozen yellowfin tuna and a couple of gaffer mahi mahi. Then the anglers tried for tilefish, scoring two tiles to 35 pounds. Not many people targeted tiles yet this season, but those who did were catching. All the offshore tackle is stocked at the shop.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Offshore fishing was the hot news, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May. Boats bailed double-digits of yellowfin tuna at the canyons on the troll. If anglers want tuna, they should jump aboard now. A trip that a buddy ran landed more than 30 yellowfins. George heard about another trip this week that decked 11.Little was heard about bluefin tuna this year, except a few caught here and there, because everyone sailed farther offshore for yellowfins. The low bag limit kept anglers from chasing bluefins. A customer sailed for bluefins farther north at the Chicken Canyon, landing three or four bluefins, a mako shark and some bluefish. Little was heard about sharks from Cape May, again because everyone sailed for yellowfins. But a friend who sometimes mates on the boat, Mike, won the weekend’s Jim’s Bait & Tackle from Cape May’s shark tournament with a 537-pound thresher shark. No qualifying makos were entered. The Heavy Hitter is available for tuna, and call if interested.

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