<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

A 74-inch giant bluefin tuna was cranked in last Friday at the Chicken Canyon with <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b> from Belmar, Capt. Jared Polick said. The fish, a limit of one trophy bluefin per year, and a 350- to 400-pounder that was reeled to the back of the boat and released, were chunked. The 130 rods were put in action on the boat for the first time this year. An overnight trip to Hudson Canyon aboard last week trolled 13 small yellowfin tuna, some big mahi mahi and a 90-pound mako shark that was released.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Evan Mappe’s midshore, mixed-bag trip aboard Wednesday pumped in 40- to 45-inch bluefin tuna and some mahi mahi, hammerhead sharks and dusky sharks, said Capt Fred from <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant Beach. A nice mixed bag, he said.  Mappe found Andrea’s Toy on Fishing Reports Now, Fred said. Huge bluefins like 74-inchers swam the grounds toward the end of last week. Four anglers who climbed aboard Saturday, on one of the vessel’s midshore, open-boat, mixed-bag trips for the fish, had their shots at the tuna. Leaving port at 2 a.m., the boat, just before sunup, was the first to arrive on the grounds, a report on Andrea’s Toy’s Web site said. The trip looked around, and found the fish. A bluefin was hooked, but the angler flipped the lever drag down, and the spool backlashed, and the tuna broke off. The fish swiped a sardine on the deep rod. Another bluefin was hooked in a few minutes, this time on a jig. The angler, a different one, tightened the drag on the first run, and the fish broke off. On the next drift, two bluefins were hooked, and got off. The trip went on the troll, “pounding the area with no love,” the report said. The trip tried fishing behind scallop boats, where marks looked good, but only a few mahi mahi were caught. The trip moved to the inshore grounds, pounding the area a couple of hours, but only a bunch of bluefish hit. “Had our shots early in the day,” the report said. Andrea’s Toy, maybe no other charter, focuses on these unique trips each year around now: open-boat, mixed-bag midshore and offshore trips. The midshore trips target fish like bluefins, mahi, sharks, cod and pollock in one day, and the offshore trips hone in on fish like yellowfin tuna, mahi, sharks, swordfish and tilefish in one outing. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up, and more variety for dinner.

Bluefin tuna, good catches,  were beaten, and anglers just had to understand that the scallop boats, where bluefins gathered previously, were no longer the place to look for the fish, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. Bluefin anglers needed to search for life in the waters instead. Customers docked 125-pound bluefins, and a 74-inch giant was docked at Shark River Inlet. Many of the bigger bluefins were trolled on spreader bars or ballyhoos. But bluefins were also jigged, when anglers sailed around until fish were marked, then stopped to jig, with different lures like Butterflies,  Jersey Jay’s or some of the sand eel imitations. Fishing for yellowfin tuna was good at Hudson Canyon through the weekend. A trip that customer Al Bessemer on his Linda B took at the Hudson trolled seven yellowfin tuna to 60 pounds and a 20-pound mahi mahi, and released two blue marlin hooked on Black Bart lures that Dave rigged. Al was competing in the weekend’s Manasquan Marlin and Tuna Club’s offshore trolling tournament. Dave heard plenty of other solid reports about fishing at the Hudson, like 20 yellowfins caught on a trip.  

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Barnegat: “Had an awesome weekend at Barnegat Ridge. Terrance Archer and Bob Ward signed up for my open-boat trip Saturday, and I let them know it was exploratory, as I had not been there since the previous week. I also wanted them to be realistic in what we were looking for, as I don’t tout these as tuna trips. We target bonita and albacore, and if we find tuna, it’s a bonus. We left early, and arrived at the North Ridge before 7 a.m. Soon after we put our second bonita in the cooler, the lures were all covered up with a weed patch we trolled through, and I was working on a three-rod tangle that occurred from one of my “too sharp” turns. I gave the wheel to Terrance, and asked him to just go straight for a while. A half-hour later, I had the mess straight, the lures clean, and re-deployed, and we were 3 miles east of the ridge, when the small daisy chain in the port outrodder went off hard, and a  mahi took to the air. A nice 10-pound female for Bob’s first-ever dolphin. We broke out the camera for pics, and the starboard outrodder started screaming. Turned out to be a 32-inch 25-pound bluefin tuna, on a hot pink cedar plug for Terrance. <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=308g721jOgo" target="_blank">Check out the video</a>. Two more people onboard for Sunday. Of course, I returned to the same grounds, this time finding the life east of the South Ridge. Seventy-degree, bluish water, a few chick birds, so-so readings, and lots of flying fish. Gene Linder and Rich Hall combined to boat one bonita and five bluefin up to the 34 inch 30-pounder we put in the cooler. Pretty exotic, considering this is all within 20 miles of Barnegat Inlet. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9xmD62xdy4" target="_blank">Here’s the video</a>. I will be sailing open-boat every morning for these grounds starting today through Monday. Leaving 5 a.m., returning 1 p.m. Maximum of three passengers. Reservations are required. All fish are shared among the passengers. The boat is always available for charter, even on these dates. We are also running afternoon trips for fluke, blowfish and the Barnegat Bay mixed bag from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., after our offshore trips. These trips also require reservations.”

<b>Beach Haven Inlet</b>

The <b>June Bug</b> was set on course for tuna and big game Saturday to Lindenkohl Canyon, Capt. Lindsay said. The fishing was less active than previously, and not much life swam the area. The lines were dropped in the waters at 4:30 a.m., and yellowfin tuna about 25 inches covered up the trolling spread 10 minutes later. Five were hooked, and one was kept. Three yellowfins attacked the lines a couple of hours later, and a 40-pounder was landed and bagged. One billfish was raised in the afternoon, taking a slash at the spread, before disappearing. One whale was seen all day, compared with hundreds during the past two or three weeks. Very few porpoises were around, and not much bait schooled. Something changed, though the waters looked fine, were 72 to 73 degrees, clear and blue. “Water wasn’t the problem,” Lindsay said. “There was nothing to eat.” Another charter aboard Saturday will race to the canyons for tuna and big game.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Aboard a charter Saturday with <b>O-Beth Sportishing</b> from Margate, yellowfin tuna to 35 pounds were trolled, and a white marlin was raised, between 30 and 40 fathoms, Capt. Eric said. Lots of life, lots of fish, were around, and now’s the time to go, he said. The tuna spit up squid, and squid were abundant, and sea turtles bobbed around. Waters were 73 or 74 degrees.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

On one of the inshore sharking trips aboard, 28 duskies and two brown sharks to 90-pounds were caught and released last Friday with the Pahr party, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, from Sea Isle City. On another on Saturday, 25 duskies and two browns to 70 pounds were released, and a hammerhead was seen, with Dick Lackman and friends Bob and Gary aboard. On Sunday 15 duskies to 50 pounds were let go on a trip with Mike Roth. The sharking was awesome this season, Joe said, and all the trips caught the fish on mackerel on spinning rods. Jersey Cape also fly rods for the sharks, great sport. The trips, fishing within 10 miles of the coast, are an opportunity to land big fish, usually the biggest-ever for the angler, that are usually only found far offshore. Jersey Cape is also fishing offshore, and good catches of tuna, a mix of yellowfins and bluefins, got winged at the Hot Dog. Lots of yellowfins were yanked from Wilmington Canyon, and bluefin were heaved from Massey’s Canyon. Fishing for mahi mahi and white marlin was also good at the offshore canyons.

<b>Cape May</b>

Yellowfin tuna fishing went 13 for 24, all on jigs, Wednesday in 30 fathoms with <b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b> from Cape May, Capt. Dave Bart said. So the anglers crushed the 30- to 40-pounders, none big, but the fishing was an absolute blast, he said. “Just one of those days when it all came together.” A 250-pound hammerhead shark slammed a chunk bait on a 50-pound fluorocarbon leader with a circle hook. The shark was landed and released, and the anglers got lucky. Not much life was seen in the waters, except tuna. “That was the thing,” Dave said. The trip simply sailed to a spot where the crew thought tuna should be, and started chunking. Fifteen minutes later, one rod hooked up, and the tuna were then picked from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Good fishing for bluefin tuna, about 60-pounders, and mahi mahi got waxed on a trip aboard Saturday, also inshore of the canyons. When the boat arrived on the grounds in the morning, the trip began trolling, and mahi swarmed everywhere, and were caught. Then fish were marked, and the boat was stopped, and the anglers began chunking and jigging bluefins. Another tuna trip was supposed to sail on the boat today.

On the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May, eight yellowfin tuna, from just-keeper-sized to 30 or 35 pounds, and a 50-pound wahoo were trolled on a charter Saturday along the 30-fathom line, Capt. George said. So the tuna weren’t large, but the anglers were happy with the good catch, George said. Waters were green, not good-looking, and some boats caught, and lots sounded like they struggled, on the radio. But overall, tuna fishing was solid this season, and was lots better than in the past couple of years, and you never know when tuna will depart. A friend slammed tuna Wednesday. If interested in tuna, cash in while possible – go while they’re here. Bluefin tuna were also around, not a ton, but a trip could land five or six, usually. Two is the bag limit, and the others are released. Mahi mahi were also abundant, and brown sharking, catch and release, was on in inshore waters, and the Heavy Hitter already scored them on a couple of trips. The boat is sailing for all this fishing, and call if interested.

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