<b>Sandy Hook</b>

A day-trolling trip fished midshore Sunday with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> from the Highlands, Capt. Derek said. A 50-pound yellowfin tuna was trolled on a ballyhoo, and six mahi mahi were bombed on butterfish, while the trip hopped around the lobster pot buoys. Waters were clear, blue and 78 to 80 degrees, holding lots of life. Birds worked the waters in the morning then disappeared. A friend went 10 for 12 on bluefin tuna Tuesday, and another went 17 for 21 on bluefins Wednesday. Most were hooked on jigs, and bluefins swam areas like the Chicken Canyon and around the Atlantic Princess wreck, wherever bait gathered. Anglers can call Derek about details on his tuna trips. He’d like to see the tuna move closer to shore, and if they stay where they are, the trips are particularly weather-dependant.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Trips competed in the Beach Haven White Marlin Open Thursday and Saturday on the <b>Big Kid</b> from Brielle, Capt. Ken said. The anglers won the wahoo division with a 35-pounder, released numerous whites, and landed small mahi mahi. A day trolling trip Wednesday with Tom Hadley’s group pumped in three small yellowfin tuna, a wahoo and two mahi. Bluefin tuna fishing is also available on trips.

Fishing for bluefin tuna, 25- to 100-pounders, was okay, and the bluefins were trolled during the weekend, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. Previously the tuna were taken on Jersey Jay’s jigs. Sometimes yellowfin tuna were mixed in with the bluefins at places like the Chicken Canyon, the Atlantic Princess wreck and the Texas Tower. Farther from shore, yellowfins, bigeye tuna and blue marlin were sometimes angled at Hudson Canyon. The fish, including bigeyes that a customer caught, were also heard about from Lindenkohl Canyon.

One of the open-boat, mixed-bag trips to the canyons fished with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Brielle, a report on the vessel’s Web site said last week on Thursday. The anglers went 3 for 5 on yellowfin tuna, hauled in one tilefish and missed a couple of bites, and went 2 for 2 on bluefin tuna. The trip left the dock a little late, arriving at the canyons a half-hour before sunrise. Good marks were found, and the trip started chunking, and two yellowfins were axed. The fishing shut off once the sun came up, and the boat was put on the troll. One yellowfin and a couple of mahi mahi were clocked. The anglers wanted to try tilefishing, landing one, getting a couple of more bites. But not much action was happening, so the trip didn’t stay long. A decision was made to look for bluefin tuna on the way home. Tons of life and good marks were located. Two bluefins, both unders, were caught quickly on Jersey Jay’s Shibi Jigs, and one was bagged, and the other let go. Andrea’s Toy is running open-boat, mixed-bag trips midshore and to the canyons, targeting several big-game species in one outing. Call for info about the unique fishing. The plan for another trip aboard was originally to bottom fish inshore, a report on the site said Sunday. “After watching the weather forecast, we decided to make a run offshore, and try for the best,” it said. Bluefin tuna fishing on the grounds was usually a morning bite, and the trip left the dock at 10 a.m. But the decision was made to try for the bluefins a moment at first on the trip, and again later in the day. No bluefins bit when the anglers attempted fishing for them an hour upon arrival at the grounds. So they switched to mahi mahi fishing, hopping around the lobster-pot buoys, and a dozen mahi were light-tackled. The trip headed back to the original bluefin spot toward the end of the day, and had an hour to try for the tuna again, before the anglers had to get back to port. No bluefins showed up, but the anglers were happy with the mahi, the report said. Fun day and beautiful conditions, it said.

<b>Beach Haven Inlet</b>

A trip Monday on the <b>June Bug</b> from Beach Haven first steamed to the Lobster Claw, where tuna were caught Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Lindsay said. But conditions had changed, or the waters now held no temperature breaks, bait or life like before. So the trip continued to Wilmington Canyon, and four sizeable mahi mahi to 35 pounds were trolled at the lobster pot buoys on ballyhoos, green machines and green and yellow Zuker feathers. The canyon’s water temperatures were also consistent – no changes. Seas were somewhat sloppy, though forecasts didn’t call for that. Interestingly, pockets of calm waters could be seen. Each time the boat was motored through them, seas kicked right back up to 3 to 5’s or 4 to 6’s.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Offshore fishing gave up plenty of white 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. Tuna fishing was sporadic, and the fish could be found in 30 fathoms, but swam everywhere, and that was the challenge: They were spread throughout waters, not really gathered anywhere. Bigeye tuna were sometimes punched farther offshore at the canyons. On Monday Jim Judd and crew tried inshore shark fishing with Joe, but the fishing was a bust, and the angling seemed to be slowing down for the season, after excellent catches this summer, mostly duskies and browns. So the trip headed to the bay, landing a good number of summer flounder.

Tons of chicken dolphin swam the inshore ocean, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. One angler landed three at the O.C. Reef, and the mahi mahi swam from places like there to the Elephant Trunk. Tuna became spread out, and nobody walloped them, but the fish were bagged everyplace. One customer talked about three successful trips on yellowfin tuna in a row in waters between the Cigar and the 750 Square. Closer to shore, inshore sharking, mostly for duskies and browns within 10 miles from the coast, seemed to fail to give up catches in a week. The fishing might bounce back, or might not.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Two yellowfin tuna were decked Tuesday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May with Tom Mackia, Ryan Mulligan and Pete Garretson, Capt. George said. Three yellowfins were lost on the light leaders, and all the fish were chunked, though the boat was trolled a little at first. The trip fished in 30 fathoms, and George mated on another boat Wednesday on an inshore trolling trip. A load of bluefish and a few bonito were busted. Inshore trolling’s been good for blues, and sometimes fish like bonito, Spanish mackerel and mahi mahi were mixed in. A 4-hour charter on the Heavy Hitter Saturday will probably sail for brown sharks, catch and release fishing, and a full-day charter on Sunday on the boat will run for tuna again. Don’t have enough people for a tuna charter? Call about make-up tuna trips running on certain days.

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