<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

An offshore trip steamed Thursday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune, and fishing was slow, Capt. Ralph Leyrer said in an e-mail. One 40-pound tuna and a large, 25-pound bull mahi mahi were bagged, and the anglers went 1 for 3 on white marlin.

Capt. Kris from <b>Fish Stix Sportfishing</b> from Belmar sailed on a friend’s boat for bluefin tuna last week on Wednesday, Kris said. A 44-incher was kept, and a 46-incher was released, and both were jigged. When the trip arrived at the grounds at 5:45 a.m., life swam everywhere. Not many tuna were read, so the trip poked around. Another captain called, saying bluefins swam near him. The trip took a look, and bait was busting everywhere. That’s when the tuna began to be caught. When the 46-incher was hooked, bluefins ripped through the waters everywhere, an all-out blitz! Loads of tuna ended up being read that day, and a couple were big monsters. The fish were loaded out there, Kris said.

Wayne from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b> in the Highlands fished on a trip for bluefin tuna on the Hyper Striper, a charter sailing from the marina, that bagged a 46-incher Sunday, Wayne said. Lots of other bluefins were released on the trip, fishing at the Atlantic Princess wreck. A mahi mahi was also boated. The tuna hook-ups included double headers of small bluefins. Most of the trip’s bluefins were jigged along the bottom, but some, including the big one, were caught on sardines. The big bluefin grabbed a sardine that was being reeled in. The mahi also jumped on a sardine. Whales, big turtles and lots of chick birds were seen. Twin Lights stocks all the offshore baits.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

On the <b>Big Kid</b> from Brielle, a charter Sunday pumped in four yellowfin tuna to 45 pounds and released three white marlin, Capt. Ken said. Bluefin tuna charters are also available.  

Bluefin tuna fishing wasn’t so good Saturday, but was happening on a couple of days last week at the scallop boats, said Chuck from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle in a phone call Sunday. On a few days when the scallop boats were gone, the fishing was dead. So the angling was hit and miss, at places like the Chicken Canyon and the Atlantic Princess wreck, and when the bluefins were caught, early mornings and late in the days seemed the times. In between, “nothing,” Chuck said. Bluefins were beaten at Barnegat Ridge a couple of days early last week, then the fishing shut down. Fishing at the canyons farther from shore dropped off entirely in the past days, Chuck said Sunday.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Barnegat: “We fished Friday, Sunday and Monday on the Hi Flier, with mixed results. On Friday I ran to Barnegat Ridge with two people who signed up for one of our open-boat trips. We trolled a handful of bonita, mostly too small to keep, and one nice, chunky 6-pounder for the cooler, by no means a good day.  On Sunday the weather was perfect, so I decided to run offshore to the Atlantic Princess, 52 miles east out of our Barnegat Inlet.  Pretty good life out there, chick birds, fair readings, but we couldn’t jig a fish. There was not a good bite, though a few boats did catch one or two, and one guy, Gene Quigley from Shore Catch, went 9 for 10! He is very much dialed-in to the action out there, and has the confidence to go find the fish away from the fleet. By the time we found the new spot, the party was over. We trolled a 25-inch bluefin on those same grounds, and headed back with an empty cooler. Just because we make the run, doesn’t mean we’re going to catch them, but hopefully, we return to the dock a little wiser for the next trip. On Monday I had two trips booked, one angler who booked the boat for himself to go jig Barnegat Ridge, and then an afternoon inshore trip. The ride out to the ridge was a little sporty in a 2- to 3-foot, tight chop from the east. We anchored up on the North Ridge, and started chumming over some very good readings. The next three hours were constant hookups on small to big bonita, with thirteen 3- to 5-pounders being boated on spinning tackle. There were a lot of frigate mackerel in the slick, and they were also hitting the smaller jigs. They average a pound, so just to see, I rigged up a heavier conventional and livelined one out in the slick, and about twenty minutes later, I was doing battle with a 50-pound spinner shark that somehow didn’t bite me off, so we cut the leader boatside. The highlight of that trip was something that ate the angler’s jig, and completely spooled his Shimano Stella, before I could relieve the tension. I got off the ball, and had my hands on the throttle for reverse, when the line popped. I am assuming (hoping) it was one of those 10- to 30-pound-class bluefin tuna we were recently catching on these same grounds. We also added a nice-sized Spanish mackerel before throttling up for home. We will be running open-boat trips 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for bonito at Barnegat Ridge. These trips have also been producing bluefin tuna and mahi mahi, but not on every trip. I like to tell people to expect bonita, and if we catch tuna or dolphin, it’s a bonus. All fish are shared. Reservations are required. We have started chumming these fish, so there is a good chance we will be trolling and chumming, depending on what conditions dictate.”

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

With <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton, tuna fishing was dead on the last trip aboard Saturday, 50 miles out, Capt. T.J. said. A few mahi were landed, but no life was around. “Bare bottom,” T.J. said. Not even bait was seen, and waters were green, not blue.

A pack of tuna, probably bigeyes, hit the trolling spread at 10 a.m. Saturday at Wilmington Canyon on the <b>June Bug</b> from Beach Haven, Capt. Lindsay said. Three were hooked, and one stayed on. The angler, a novice, allowed slack in the line, and the line was cut, not broken, maybe from a fin or a tail. So the fish got off. Waters weren’t attractive-looking, and not much bait or life was seen. Tuna were found there during previous days, so that’s where the trip headed. A few porpoises and one whale appeared in the 72- to 73-degree waters, not a bad temp.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Mostly bluefin tuna, but sometimes yellowfin tuna, were punched at the Cigar and the Elephant Trunk, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. Most were chunked, instead of trolled.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Waters gave up sporadic yellowfin tuna fishing, and good fishing for marlin and mahi mahi, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, from Sea Isle City. With the tuna, some anglers were sometimes struggling, and others were sometimes running into a mess of the fish, whaling the yellowfins. Sometimes the popular areas were crowded with boats, spooking the fish.  Jersey Cape might fish offshore this weekend. Dave Peters and two sons fished inshore for sharks aboard Wednesday, releasing six duskies to 60 pounds, missing others, and breaking off several. Lots of fun, Joe said. The sharking, within 10 miles from shore, is an opportunity to pull on big fish without the usual trek offshore, on both bait and flies. The Peters trip fished with bait, and Joe usually uses mackerel fillets when bait fishing, and a chum fly when fly fishing, for the sharks.

Tuna fishing was sporadic, but turned out catches, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. Action was heard about from the Cigar, the Lobster Claw and the Hot Dog. On some days more were trolled, and on other days more were chunked. Boaters needed to be prepared to do either. Inshore shark fishing depended on water temps that fluctuated lots. When the waters were in the 70s, sharks, mostly duskies and browns, were caught and released. When the waters were cooler, the angling shut down. The fish were there, but only bit when temps were right. Temps dropped three or four days, and none bit. Then the angling kicked in again, like on Wednesday, when one angler reported a catch of four sharks.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Yellowfin tuna were crushed on a charter Wednesday with Dan Fannelli and Craig Shaefer, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May. “We could’ve sunk the boat,” he said. The trip limited out on the 30-pounders, releasing more. The outing sailed along the 30-fathom line, and a big pile of bait was seen on the fish finder, away from other boats. The vessel was anchored, and the anglers began chunking, hammering catches. All the tuna an angler could want swarmed behind the boat, so four rods, light tackle, were fished. A couple of skipjacks also bit. Good tuna fishing is happening, and cash in now, if you want them, George said. Dates are available. An inshore trolling trip was supposed to sail Thursday, and the angling was good lately, catching lots of small bluefish, sometimes bonito, and occasional Spanish mackerel and mahi mahi. Inshore brown shark fishing was happening, if anglers wanted to tug on a big fish close to shore. Charters are running for all this fishing, and dates are available, and call if interested.

Inshore trolling pounced on lots of small bluefish and sometimes fish like bonito and mahi mahi, anywhere from offshore of Cape May Reef to the East Lump, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. One angler even fought aboard a 120-pound bluefin tuna at the East Lump. Tuna fishing was hot, including reportedly at the Hot Dog.

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