<b>Staten Island</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 6/12:</b> Sea bass, super catches, were slugged on two trips Saturday and Sunday with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. The anglers were picked up from Perth Amboy, and Outcast offers trips from Jersey like that, including so charters can follow Jersey’s regs. Sea bass season at the time was open in Jersey but closed in New York, but New York’s season for them will open Friday. On Saturday’s trip, the anglers caught so many sea bass that they had enough, and decided to ling fish. Ling catches were also very good. “Awesome,” Joe said. Sea bass on the trips weighed up to 3 pounds, and most keepers weighed 1 to 2 pounds. Outcast is also offering fluke fishing, including from Perth Amboy. Outcast pays bridge tolls with a receipt. Call for info about the Jersey trips.

<b>Keyport</b>

Eight keeper fluke to 21 inches, and many throwbacks, were bucktailed from Raritan Bay on Saturday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, with Jonathan Thomas, Michael Dargel and Dave Smith, Capt. Joe said. On Sunday five keepers to 21 inches were bucktailed on the bay with Nick Clemente and three other anglers. Drifting wasn’t as good that day, and the fishing was somewhat slower, including for throwbacks that were released. Papa’s Angels has started to fluke fish. Open-boat trips are available 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily when no charter is booked. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The party boat <b>Fishermen</b> began fluke fishing this weekend, Capt. Ron said in a report on the vessel’s Web site. “The hope that we would have another decent (striped bass bite just didn’t) happen for us,” he said. So the trips switched to fluke. Most stripers were caught on livelined bunker, not the type of fishing the boat does, for different reasons. A 34-pound striper was the season-long pool winner for the bass aboard. Fluking aboard kicked off with a charter Saturday. After some fishing on the trip, “found a nice line of keepers and shorts,” Ron said. The trip fished the drift several times, and the catch included the 6-pound, pool-winning fluke, and fluke 5 pounds and 3 ½ pounds. That didn’t last long, but the angling was considerably better than the recent striper fishing on trips. Open-boat trips resumed Sunday, and fluke were picked on nearly every drift on the day’s trip. When six or seven keepers would be bagged, the drift would be repeated, “and nothing!” Ron said. “Went like that all day.” John Froelich hammered the first fluke limit aboard this season on the outing. Vinnie Vintastic on the trip won the pool with a 7-pound fluke. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 3:30 to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. However, the boat is chartered this Friday morning.

After fluke fishing seemed to start picking up last week aboard, the angling during the weekend became slow, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Better catches began to be tugged aboard Thursday’s trips, and Friday morning’s trip wasn’t as good, but wasn’t bad. But the fluking became tough from Friday afternoon’s trip through the weekend’s. The weekend’s trips fished from Flynn’s Knoll to Raritan Bay. Tom hopes the improvement returns. Felicia Monforte, Matawan, heaved in a 7-pound 4-ounce fluke on Sunday afternoon’s trip, winning the pool. That was the highlight of the weekend, and sizeable fluke, including several 7-pounders, and a 10-pounder, were in the mix this season. Spearing, supplied on trips, worked fine for bait. Some anglers brought their own killies to fish. Combos of spearing with Gulps and killies with Gulps worked equally. Tire John bucktailed three keeper fluke on one of Sunday’s trips, and Donata Lombardi bucktailed two on one of the trips that day. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke twice daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m.

<b>Highlands</b>

Big bluefish attacked livelined bunker on the ocean Saturday with the Allan Fernandez group with <b>Raritan Bay Charters</b>, Capt. Dave said. The fish weighed up to the mid teens, and once the blues wore out the anglers, they fished for fluke on Raritan Bay. Six keepers were boxed. When the blues were hooked, the trip fished as far south as Long Branch on the ocean. No striped bass hit the bunker, though the trip targeted stripers. Stripers then seemed to bite farther south toward Shark River and Manasquan. Open-boat trips are available when no charter is booked. 

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 6/12:</b> Striped bass fishing aboard was up and down, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. Trips fished on the ocean, and on some days, bass bit well. Stripers to 35 or 37 pounds were clobbered, and the trips fished along bunker schools or structure with live or chunked bunker. Plenty of blues swiped hooks. Fisher Price will focus on fluke fishing full time in a week or two, sailing for the summer flounder to September. Anglers on the fluke trips fish for big ones in deep waters at rough bottom with bucktails with large strip baits. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trip will fish for stripers Saturday. Call to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open dates.

Good fishing continued on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, Capt. Pete said in an e-mail. Charters and their catches included: Nick Frattalone’s party last Monday, five stripers to 25 pounds and blues; John Fessock’s crew on Tuesday, limit of stripers to 24 pounds; Bob Finan’s gang on Wednesday morning, six keeper stripers, lots of blues; Jeff Ambrose’s group on Wednesday afternoon, limit of stripers; Russ Schofield’s party on Thursday, limit of stripers to 28 pounds; Eric Halbeck’s crew on Friday morning, limit of stripers to 23 pounds; Ken Diglio’s gang on Friday afternoon, seven keeper stripers to 26 pounds; John Seery’s group on Saturday morning, seven stripers to 25 pounds; Ron Koch’s party on Saturday afternoon, four stripers to 30 pounds; John Gleason’s crew on Sunday morning, limit of stripers – “again,” Capt. Pete said – to 24 pounds; Jeff Sheats’ gang on Sunday afternoon, eight stripers to 25 pounds; and J.R. Bristow’s group this morning, super fishing for stripers, limiting out on the fish to 23 pounds in an hour. All the trips’ stripers were caught on livelined bunker, and all trips also fought lots of big blues. Looking ahead, charters for jumbo fluke, and tuna charters, are being booked for July and August.

<b>Neptune</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 6/12:***</b> Mako sharks were wrestled in with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, during the two trips competing in the weekend’s South Jersey Shark Tournament, Capt. Ralph said. But none was big enough to enter or win. Still, sharking’s been good, and a few dates remain for shark charters. All the shark tournaments are booked. Fluke fishing produced well on the ocean on one of Last Lady’s boats this weekend. Striped bass were decked aboard lately on the ocean, when bluefish could be gotten through. Fishing for sea bass and bottom fish was solid. This week’s individual-reservation trip for fluke and sea bass is cancelled on Wednesday, because of weather forecasts. The schedule’s been changed for the trips, originally set to fish every Wednesday. The trips will run Tuesday, June 19, and Wednesday, June 27. Afterward the trips will fish every Tuesday.

<b>Belmar</b>

Anglers on the <b>Katie H</b> went 3 for 9 on striped bass on the ocean Thursday, Capt. Mike said. The bass bagged were 30 to 40 pounds, and the bite happened in the morning, then shut down. Then the anglers fished for sea bass, clobbering a good catch. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and call for the open schedule.

Ocean striped bass fishing was great in the mornings, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. The angling was somewhat picky in afternoons in recent days. Lots of blues stormed the waters at certain areas, like Shrewsbury Rocks, on certain days. Loads of bunker schooled the ocean. Parker Pete’s competed in Saturday’s Jersey Coast Anglers Association Fluke Tournament on Saturday. No fluke were caught aboard that were entered in the tournament, but the angling was pretty impressive, Pete said. Plenty of action, including double-headers. Sea bass fishing wasn’t as great as early in the season, but was a steady pick, and included good-sized fish. Some anglers limited out. Trips aboard fish for all species available. Charters and open-boat trips are running. For availability on the open trips, see <a href="http://parkerpetefishing.com/belmar-fishing-trips/open-boat-trips" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s open-boat page</a> online, and sign up for the e-mailed newsletter on the site. Dates are announced in both places.

<b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b> fished all weekend, Capt. Jared said. Lots of blues were pounded on the ocean on a trip Sunday. On Saturday about 40 keeper sea bass and two keeper fluke were swung aboard from the ocean, and plenty of throwbacks of both were let go. On Thursday a group took a cruise around Manhattan, docking that night at Liberty Landing Marina, across Hudson River from the city. The next day, half the group, eight anglers, fished. They reeled in two stripers from the river, then bottom-fished on Raritan Bay, pulling in eight keeper fluke and a good number of keeper sea bass, tossing back shorts of both. Fin-Ominal’s new boat, a 50-footer, can accommodate large to small groups, up to 23 on cruises, and up to 15 on fishing trips. Even the anglers were enjoying relaxing on the couches in the air-conditioned salon. Cruises available include trips to watch fireworks on the ocean off Asbury Park every Wednesday and Point Pleasant Beach every Thursday in July and August.

Fishing couldn’t have been much better in the last days, “except for the surf,” Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> said in an e-mail. Shark River’s fluke fishing was as good as could be. Plenty of 5- and 6-pounders swam the waters, and some of the shop’s rental-boaters limited out on the river’s fluke and released more on Friday. In the Jersey Coast Anglers Association Fluke Tournament on Saturday, Tom Feher entered the biggest fluke from Belmar, a 9-pounder. Art Coakley entered the second biggest, an 8-pound 8-uncer, and Tobiah Nelson entered the third largest, a 7-pound 8-ouncer. Striped bass fishing was just as good for ocean boaters as fluke fishing was on the river. The bass anglers limited out and released large numbers of 30-pounders and larger. Most trips whacked one or more 40-pounders. Robert Good, Hillsborough, drilled a 45-pounder, and Sid Lentze on the trip aced a 27-pounder, his first striper. Billy Mayfield honked a 42-pound 8-ounce striper. “All in all, a great weekend of fishing,” Bob said in the e-mail. “Remember, only keep what you can use, (and) let the rest go.”

<b>Brielle</b>

Huge turnaround in fluke fishing the last couple of days on the ocean, Capt. Ryan from the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> said in an e-mail. Swells calmed, and waters cleared, “and the fish are really biting,” he said. Loads were hooked Sunday morning on the boat. “Chaos – even for fluking!” Ryan said, despite no drift. “Straight up and down fishing,” he said. . Many were throwbacks an inch or two short, of course. Lots of big skates also bit, and Ryan hoped skates would back off with better drifting conditions in the next days. Some of the sharpies bucktailed limits of fluke on Sunday morning’s trip, and Nick Albert, Douglassville, Pa., bucktailed an 8-pound 1-ouncer, winning the trip’s pool, taking the lead in the monthly pool. Fluke fishing was also very good Saturday aboard. Dave Tootchen, Philadelphia, Donny Patrick, Trenton, Lester Corrigan, Bayville, and Brian Tassman, Lodi, limited out. Some anglers landed four or a limit of five keepers, letting go 25 throwbacks. Others bagged one or two among that many throwbacks. “Fluke are here!” Ryan said. “Let’s go get ‘em.”

Striped bass, good catches, were pummeled from the ocean to the north, around Spring Lake to Deal, on livelined bunker or trolled spoons, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Big, slammer blues chased the same bunker schools in past days. Surf fishing was tough. Those who worked caught occasional stripers from the surf on pencil poppers, swimming lures and metal. They ran into no blitzes. Fluke, pretty good catches, were reeled from the ocean rough bottom. Fluking was fair at best on Manasquan River. Catches. Not super. Sea bass fishing often gave up consistent bites, including from sizeable fish. Places including the Mudhole, Sea Girt Reef and Axel Carlson Reef turned them out. Ling fishing was good on the ocean. Lots of blue sharks and some makos were beaten from usual haunts like the Lillian wreck. Most who sharked bagged a mako. Yellowfin tuna were trolled from the Toms and Lindenkohl canyon areas. Wahoo Baitfish Bucktails and Stingo jigs are on sale at 30 percent off to celebrate the shop’s 30 years in business. The shop’s fluke tournament for Manasquan and Shark rivers is running to Labor Day. Entry is $10, and half the money goes to Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, and the other half goes to Shark River Surf Anglers Kids Trout Tournament. The store makes no money on the event, and prizes will be awarded for the first and second heaviest fluke from each river, the heaviest fluke from a lady entrant, and the heaviest from a kid age 16 or younger.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 6/12:***</b> Fishing for fluke churned up some keepers and good numbers of throwbacks, steady action, on the ocean through the weekend, on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt said in a report on the Norma-K fleet’s Web site. The fishing was better on afternoon trips because the drift was better. Squid and spearing, provided on the boat, caught well, and so did Gulps and bucktails. Nighttime trips during the weekend plowed good catches of bluefish 4 to 12 pounds on the ocean. The angling began somewhat tough on Saturday night’s trip then became good. The Norma-K III is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

Now here’s a trip. Anglers with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> sailed for a combo of striped bass, bottom fish and sharks on an outing, a report on Andrea’s Toy’s Web site said Sunday. In the morning, they pasted three stripers to 35 pounds. Then they headed farther from shore for bottom fishing. But the wrecks kept being found with divers on them, so the trip went sharking. Three blue sharks to 8 feet were released, and two bites were missed, in the first hour. All three anglers did battle. No mako shark was caught, “but lots of fun,” the site said. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up, and more variety for dinner. A previous charter last week had planned to fish for stripers. But the trip needed to leave late in the morning, because of the charter’s work schedule. The crew felt the timing was right for offshore fishing, and the anglers agreed to head out. The trip ran to the bluefin tuna grounds, finding good water temperatures and clarity. Other boaters had already landed the tuna when Andrea’s Toy arrived, and the fishing had tapered off. But the charter with Andrea’s Toy landed 10 false albacore. Then the anglers wreck-fished, tugging in a dozen ling and a good-sized cod. Next the trip shark fished, hooking a dozen to 8 feet, “with everyone fighting their fair share,” the report said. By the end, the anglers used spinning rods, and sight-fished, for the sharks. Good times, the report said. A striped bass charter on Wednesday went 5 for 9 on the fish to the mid 30 pounds. The fishing took work, weeding through lots of blues, but scored.

<b>Waretown</b>

<b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b> wrapped up striped bass trips from Waretown for the season, and will move the boat to Cape May to fish through summer, Capt. Dave said. Striper fishing from Waretown was okay on the ocean aboard last week. Nothing crazy, Dave said, but the fish caught were big. A 42-pounder was tackled Friday, and the rest of the bass boated were 30 pounds during the week. Lots of bunker schooled, and the fishing was a matter of finding the pod with the bass chasing it. Trips snagged the bunker then livelined the baitfish. From Cape May, Relentless will wreck fish and sail for sharks and tuna. Buddies shark fished from Waretown on Friday, bagging a mako and releasing a bunch of blue sharks 40 miles out.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

So many bluefish swarmed on Thursday’s trip, that the trip returned early, because all the anglers limited out, a report on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>’s Web site said. The catches were also excellent on Friday’s daytime and nighttime bluefish trips. Bluefishing was great on Saturday’s daytime trip, very good on Saturday night’s, and fantastic on Sunday’s daytime trip. “Couldn’t be better,” the report said about the outing. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing 8 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. However, no trip will fish this Tuesday.  

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Several anglers reported good catches of summer flounder on Great Bay, a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. Some found the fish between the 122 and 139 along the Inland Waterway. Others hooked up halfway between the 138 and the mouth of Big Creek. “It’s the middle of nowhere,” the report said. Yet sizeable flounder were sometimes cranked in there. Blues 1 to 2 pounds were scattered along Grassy Channel. Striped bass on Saturday at Holgate were beached from the surf and boated on the ocean. They reportedly bit Friday, too. A 30-pound drum was “in the mix,” the report said. Sea bass fishing was great on the ocean, but far from shore, in 70 feet or deeper.

<b>Brigantine</b>

A few striped bass were reported beached from the surf, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. None was weighed in during the last few days. Kingfish and blues should move into the surf, because the waters nearly reached 70 degrees. Boaters socked summer flounder, good catches, usually several keepers per trip, and some anglers limited out. No location was mentioned, but some place in the back waters, like the back bay, was likely. Gulps were “the ticket,” the report said, and some anglers fished a combo of a Gulp and a strip of mackerel. The shop’s fourth annual Team America Tackle Sale will be held Saturday. Reps from the company will be on hand, offering buy-one, get-one-free on Team America Tackle, including jigs, bucktails and rigs. A great time to load up “on all your tackle needs,” the report said.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Tuna fishing got underway for the season through the weekend with Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, he said. Two trips nailed yellowfin tuna at Spencer Canyon on Saturday on Sunday. On Saturday, with Richard Cicadian aboard, yellowfin tuna to 40 pounds were trolled, mostly on spreader bars, among different lures and bait dragged. On Sunday, with Tom Scranton and Brian Riordan aboard, the catch was even better. A bunch of yellowfins 30 to 50 pounds were trolled, and seven were kept. The fish were caught “mostly on plastics,” Joe said, and the trip was back at the docks early at 2 p.m. The tuna on the trips usually bit along the edge of the canyon. They were caught in 66-degree waters, and no temperature breaks were around. Waters were as warm as 72 degrees, and no fish bit in the warm areas. Weather was good Saturday and even better Sunday. Seas were flat calm Sunday. Jersey Cape fishes on boats from a shallow-water, flats vessel on the back bay to 26- and  55-footers on the ocean. On the bay, striped bass fishing was good on popper lures and flies, a specialty aboard, and high tides at dusk, ideal conditions, will happen this week. Bluefish were also around in the bay that could be poppered. Summer flounder fishing was fine on the bay aboard. Weakfish could be hooked on the bay, if anglers knew where to look. Take an after-work trip on the bay, fishing 4:30 p.m. to dark, a convenient, productive time. Jersey Cape soon will fish for brown and dusky sharks, catching and releasing them, close to shore. The fishing, usually in July and August, is a chance to fight large fish, 20 to 100 pounds, on a trip 7 to 12 miles from the coast. No need to head far.  Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Trips drifted the reefs on the ocean with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. Sea bass were picked, and a few flounder were bagged. More flounder were hooked that were throwbacks. Shark fishing was good until Friday. Then no good shark reports were heard through Sunday. A charter this Saturday might fish for a combo of sharks and tuna.  Charters are fishing, and when open-boat trips are scheduled, they get posted on <a href=" http://www.legallimitcharters.com/open-boat.php" target="_blank">Legal Limit’s open-boat page</a>.

Steve Gallagher’s party wreck fished this past week on the <b>Down Deep</b>, pumping in plenty of sea bass and ling and a few cod, Capt. Bob said. The cod weighed up to 8 pounds. The season’s final drum trip aboard fished Wednesday on Delaware Bay, managing one of the fish. Trips are wreck fishing and tuna fishing, and the boat’s mate fished on a tuna trip that boated yellowfins at Baltimore Canyon. Anglers on the Down Deep will compete in the Ladies Invitational Bluefish Tournament, benefiting breast cancer treatment, Saturday. Bob heard nothing about summer flounder fishing. But trips will also flounder fish this season.

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