<b>Keyport</b>

A half-dozen keeper flounder were bucketed, and throwbacks were released, on a trip Saturday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Weather was blustery with rough seas, not the easiest for fishing, and the trip fished the bay, moved to the ocean, met windier weather, and moved back to the bay. No trips fished since then, but more fluke fishing is slated for the weekend aboard. Two spaces are available for a fluke trip that will depart Friday morning. Open-boat trips for fluke are available 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 9 p.m. daily through the weekend, when no charter is booked and enough anglers want to go. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke, good catches, were boated, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Ling fishing was very good, the most consistent of any coastal fishing. Sea bass were scraped aboard, and blackfish “are very hungry,” Jimmy said.  Bluefish were chummed at the Mud Buoy, he thought. Weakfish swam the bay, and so did spots and a few blowfish. One customer reported beaching a few kingfish from the surf. Crabbing was good in the rivers and getting better all the time. The full supply of baits is stocked.

Plenty of action with fluke was beaten the last few days on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Just not as many keepers bit as he’d like. Tuesday morning’s trip was probably the best for keepers, gave up the best ratio. Otherwise many fluke were landed on trips, and all customers caught, but getting lucky and bagging keepers was the thing. If anglers were catching, they were fishing right. They just needed to luck into a keeper. Still, certain anglers seemed to catch best. Though lots of fluke were reeled in, every trip was different, or the angling wasn’t consistent. Seas rolled Monday and Tuesday, mostly in mornings, in easterly weather against outgoing tides. Spro jigs might’ve caught a little better than bait, but bait worked well. Bait combined with green Gulps hooked up well. One angler fished a rig with a Spro on bottom for a weight and a trailer above with a New Penny Shrimp Gulp on Monday, limiting out. More of the fluke jumped on the trailer than the Spro, and the New Penny was deadly. That was the first  time it worked that well since New Penny was a hot bait a couple of years ago. He fished the same set-up on Tuesday morning’s trip, not catching as well. A faster drift on his previous trip seemed to make a difference. No big fluke were seen on the trips, and the biggest probably pushed 5 pounds. But larger fluke were eased aboard every week so far this season, including 7-pounders a number of times each week, and three 10-pounders this season. 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>

Sailing from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b> Jim Misciangna on his My Kids Inheritance docked a 6-pound fluke bagged at the markers off Sandy Hook, Marion said in an e-mail. Lots of throwback fluke were around, she said in a phone call, but not a lot of people sailed in rains and heat during the week. Sea bass were slugged from the ocean when boaters tried for them. Offshore fishing for tuna sounded slow recently. One of the boats from the slips was supposed to steam offshore in the next day. Killies, large ones from the South, are stocked. All the frozen baits for inshore are carried, including frozen pints and quarts of clam bellies, spearing, Peruvian smelts, cut up shedder crabs, and the different squids like pre-cut, whole and more. Offshore baits are in full supply. The full-service marina features boat slips and rack storage, ship-store supplies, a full line of bait for inshore and offshore, tackle and a fuel dock, and is located on Shrewsbury River. No bridges before the bay. Convenient, fast access to fishing.

<b>Neptune</b>

Sea bass, super catches, were slung from the inshore wrecks almost every trip for them, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>. Fluke fishing on a trip Wednesday was very good, one of the best catches of them aboard this season, on the ocean. Last Lady’s last trip offshore for yellowfin tuna smoked a great catch last week at the 100 Square on the troll, covered in a previous report. Bluefin tuna fishing is excellent, if anglers are okay with the bag limit. Two can be kept per trip: a 27- to 47-incher and one larger than 47 inches. Individual-reservation trips are fishing the inshore wrecks 5 a.m. every Sunday. Individual-rez trips for fluke are booking up that are fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday. Reserve early, and kids under 12 sail free, limited to two per adult, on the fluke trips. An individual-reservation trip for tuna at the canyons became full for Monday, August 20. Another will be scheduled, and an upcoming, individual-rez trip for cod also filled, and another will be slated. Charters are on tap for all species available. 

<b>Belmar</b>

In a swell from the east, fluke fishing was tough on the ocean in the beginning of the week, though experienced anglers could catch well, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. But fluking was excellent aboard Wednesday, the first day with favorable conditions. Fluke to 6 and 7 pounds were axed from shallow waters. Tons of triggerfish filled waters, tearing up Gulps used for fluke bait. If anglers wanted sea bass, they could catch them, if fishing the right depths and areas. Bluefin tuna fishing was phenomenal on the inshore ocean if anglers fished the right places. Mahi mahi could be angled along the lobster pot buoys inshore. Parker Pete’s fishes for any species available.  Charters and open-boat trips are running. For availability on 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. Cruises are available to watch fireworks on the ocean off Asbury Park every Wednesday, and see the boat’s Web site for times.

On the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b> fluke fishing on the ocean was good, steady, Capt. Chris said. Catches weren’t <i>as</i> good in winds against tide Wednesday, but were still okay. Fluke to a 10- or 10-1/2-pounder were creamed during the weekend, and some 9- or 9-1/2-pounders were angled. Trips fished rough bottom, never open bottom. Spro or bucktail jigs with Gulps caught best. “No doubt about it,” Chris said. Crowds were light, plenty of room, and the fishing was good. So come on down. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Bluefish, good catches, were bailed on daytime and nighttime trips on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> at the reef offshore, Capt. Alan said. Blues caught had been big, then were small, and now were big again. On the party boat <b>Tropical Adventure</b>, Alan’s other vessel, good shots of fluke and sea bass were sometimes hung. Sometimes not a lot were keepers. The fishing was slow today in no drift. The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. The Tropical Adventure is fishing for fluke and sea bass 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 3:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

Rivers were full of snapper blues and crabs, said Bob from <b>Fisherman Den</b> in an e-mail. “(Was a good time) to introduce the kids to some good, late-summer fun,” he said. More experienced anglers sometimes landed good-sized fluke from the rivers. The shop’s rental boats are available to fish Shark River. In a tournament that the store and Castaway’s Bait & Tackle held, Mike Bovasso won the boat division with an 8-pound 4-ounce fluke. Mel Martin won the surf division with a 4-pound 14-ounce fluke. Mike Barron checked in a 9-pound 4-ounce fluke at Fisherman’s Den. Plenty of kingfish swam the surf.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Offshore fishing was mostly slow, an e-mail from <b>Canyon Runner Sport Fishing</b> said on Tuesday. Most trips aboard fished Hudson Canyon, and on Monday, “good water came back up on the bank … so things should come together again,” the e-mail said. But a 140- to 150-pound bigeye tuna, the thirteenth for Canyon Runner this season, was bombed aboard Monday at the Hudson. The fish smacked a Canyon Runner squid spreader bar in a new, secret color that will be introduced at the company’s fishing seminars in 2013. The fish was part of a double-header that bit, and the other bigeye pulled the hook on a ballyhoo with a Joe Schute skirt, “old reliable,” the e-mail said. Eight yellowfin tuna were waxed on another trip, but several trips were “slow, slow,” the e-mail said. Several subscribers to Canyon Runner’s offshore fishing reports won tournaments. They won first and second in the tuna category in the Beach Haven tournament, and second in the Babylon tuna tournament. “Maybe next year you’ll (sign up)!” the e-mail said. Sign up for the reports early. Canyon Runner’s 48-foot Viking will compete in next week’s White Marlin Open, fishing only for bigeyes. Only a few dates remain on both boats for charters until September with Canyon Runner. A space is available on an open-boat, overnight trip August 15 to 16 on the 60-foot Ritchie Howell. A couple of spots are available on open trips on the Viking August 27 to 28 and 28 to 29.

Plenty of blues and fluke swam Manasquan Inlet, though the fish were small, said Chuck from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. The blues schooled from the inlet up Manasquan River to Point Pleasant Canal. Quite a few triggerfish hovered along the inlet rocks. Kingfish were claimed from the surf all the way to Seaside. On the ocean, great catches of fluke were plowed to the north, like around Deal, Monmouth Beach and Shrewsbury Rocks. But ocean fluking locally was a slow pick. On northern Barnegat Bay, blowfish were plucked at Mantoloking Bridge. Weakfish had been heard about from the bridge area until the stormy weather toward the end of the week, but not afterward. Weakfish supposedly bit in the bay farther south toward Barnegat Inlet then. Crabbing was great, had slowed during the last stormy weather, but now bounced back. <b>***THIS TACKLE SHOP IS FOR SALE! CALL: 732-899-5760.***</b>

Sea bass and ling, mostly ling, were scooped aboard the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Waters were 77 degrees, likely warm for sea bass. But fishing was good, and a few fluke, triggerfish and cod were also copped. Anglers averaged 10 to 30 fish apiece. A few porgies, good-sized, were landed Saturday, but no more showed up when the next trips looked for them. A few blackfish had been bagged when one per angler first started to be able to be kept. But only a few small ones appeared afterward, probably because of warm waters. Trips fished in 30 to 50 feet for sea bass, triggerfish and porgies, and in 120 to 220 feet for ling. Bluefishing was good on the last night trips, through the weekend. On some trips blues were small, and on others they were large. Blues 6 to 12 pounds were socked the last couple of trips, during the weekend. The boat was set to resume bluefishing Wednesday evening, when Butch gave this report over the phone. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

Fishing for fluke churned up a slow pick from the ocean the past couple of days, a report on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>’s Web site said Wednesday. Sea bass were in the mix, and lots of throwback fluke were around. Spro and bucktail jigs and Gulps and whole squid grabbed the bigger fluke. On nighttime bluefish trips, 8- to 14-pounders were whaled Tuesday, after tough fishing for them the previous evening. The Norma-K III is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

Fluke fishing was hot and cold, off and on, not consistent, on the ocean on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. Sometimes healthy-sized ones to 6 pounds were cracked, and sometimes sea bass were swung in. Trips fished along small patches of rough bottom in 50 to 60 feet. Rich Johnson, Brick, on Wednesday morning’s trip won the pool with a 5-pound fluke and also bagged sea bass. A nighttime wreck-fishing trip on Sunday barreled up quite a few ling, mixed sizes from small to 3 pounds. A good showing of squid schooled, for those who wanted to catch them. Wreck trips had been sailing every Thursday and Sunday nights, and now will run on Thursday nights. On a bluefish trip Saturday night, the fishing was a pick, not very good. Blues 2 to 12 pounds, a variety of sizes, were snatched-up on anchor 20 miles from shore. The Gambler is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. Wreck-fishing trips are steaming 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursdays. Bluefish trips are running 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

<b>Toms River</b>

A few summer flounder, not many, were bagged from Barnegat Bay, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Fluke swam the bay but were small, and Double Creek Channel gave up the catches. Some were cranked from along the BB and BI markers. Blowfish could be boated at the BB and BI. Chum heavily. A few weakfish, many of them undersized, were heard about from the bay toward Route 37 Bridge. Snapper blues were around in the bay and back waters. Crabbing was very good. In the surf small blues, kingfish, fluke, many of them small, skates, dog sharks and, at night, brown sharks were rustled up. The browns are required to be released.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

From the surf kingfish, fluke and blues were beached, said John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. A couple of cownosed rays were heard about that spooled reels in the surf. On the ocean most fluke were boated north of Manasquan Inlet. The last couple of customers who mentioned Barnegat Bay’s fluke fishing said catches were slow. Fishing from the shop’s docks hooked all kinds of small fish including blowfish, spots, juvenile sea bass and snapper blues. The fishing actually wasn’t bad, and customers rented rods from the store for kids to play the small fish, and crabbed for blueclaws at the same time, putting together an enjoyable day. Crabbing was as good as average. The shop rents different types of boats for fishing, crabbing and cruising, rents water skis, and features the full supply of bait and tackle, a free pier for fishing and crabbing, and more.

<b>Forked River</b>

In Barnegat Bay weakfish were winged from the BI to BB markers and at Oyster Creek Channel in early mornings and at dusk on pink Fin-S Fish or livelined spots or killies, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Good fluke catches were pumped in from the BI to BB, Oyster Creek Channel and High Bar Harbor. A few blowfish were belted from the bay. Crabbing was good.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Bottom fishing rounded up a few fluke and sea bass from the ocean Saturday on the <b>Super Chic</b>, but fluking was yet to get rolling locally, Capt. Ted said. Bluefishing had been good for 1- to 3-pounders jigged aboard the ocean, and the angling sounded slow in the last day or so. The next trips will head out this weekend. The 56-foot boat can accommodate up to 25 passengers on inshore trips and 10 on offshore, overnight charters. The vessel sleeps 10 passengers.

Tough fishing for blues was found Tuesday and Wednesday on the ocean on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, after the catches were good Monday aboard, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The crew hoped this was just a couple of days of “bad luck,” the report said, after fantastic catches of 2- to 3-pounders this season. Limits were pumped in during most trips. The Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing 8 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Barnegat Bay’s fluke fishing was good, and most fluke carpeted the bay, and hardly any paved the ocean, said Vince Jr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. In the bay, many of the flatfish were shorts, but a fair number were keepers, and they were boated along the Dike and Oyster Creek and Double Creek channels. Weakfishing was great in the bay, and everbody grass-shrimped for them at Meyer’s Hole. The trout were decent-sized, and Vince saw a couple of 18- and 24-inchers. Small sea bass swarmed all over the bay, and kingfish were heard about from the bay. Crabbing was good and improving as summer went on. Clamming was very good. Live spots are stocked. So are grass shrimp, but the shrimp should be ordered ahead. Orders were taken every night. Green crabs, minnows and a large supply of other baits are carried. Bobbie’s rents boats and kayaks, including for fishing, crabbing and clamming, is known for bait selection, and features a tackle shop and a fuel dock.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “It's all good. Weakfish are still biting, bending rods. A huge variety swims every day in our live-grass-shrimp chum slick. Some days, these fish make it hard to get bait to the intended target: weakfish. I guess there are worse problems to have than too many fish. Some of our daily visitors include hickory shad, sand perch, spots, fluke, small blues, blowfish, sand sharks, sea bass (juvenile) and more. We are doing it all with 6- and 10-pound spinning rods, so it is a blast for any level of experience. Two trips a day, most days, unless we run offshore.  So far, the weather looks good to run offshore Friday. Tuna is the quest. Three anglers max. 4 AM to 1 PM. We will be running 40-mile-plus range, with the information I have right now. We’ll be ready to troll, jig and bait fish. All fish are shared. Friday and Saturday, I will also run open-boat or charter trips for weakfish 2 to 7 PM. Up to four passengers on these bay trips.  Call me if you would like to reserve a spot, as I am not on the computer much.”

<b>Surf City</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 8/3:***</b> A heavy population of kingfish crammed the surf, said Sue from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. Fishbites artificial worms drew more hits than bloodworms did. Lots of spots swam from the surf to the back waters, and anglers caught them to liveline for bait, like for weakfish from the surf to the bay. Or anglers fished pink soft-plastic lures for the weaks. Tailor blues raced the surf, snapping metal or mullet on mullet rigs. Fluke lounged in the surf, and most were throwbacks, and anglers had to work hard for keepers, but keepers were there. Gulps were popular baits for them, and pink seemed a favorite. A fluke or a top-and-bottom rig could be used to fish the Gulps. Fishing for brown sharks, required to be released, was hit or miss in the surf, on the southern end of Long Beach Island. Dunk a bunker chunk for bait. Lots of cownosed rays flew around the surf. They’d also pick up a bunker chunk. One blackfish per angler could now be kept, but nothing was heard about the tog. Catch the shop’s free surf-fishing classes 6 to 7 p.m. Sundays in the parking lot, rain or shine. The classes are informal but informative, covering the beach fishing that’s happening currently. Bring a lawn chair. Keep up with the news in <a href="http://www.surfcitybaitandtackle.com/" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s fishing reports</a> on the shop’s Web site. Or keep in touch on <a href=" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surf-City-Bait-and-Tackle/207533229268619
" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Facebook page</a>.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Sounded like Atlantic City Reef gave up summer flounder Wednesday, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Seventy-five feet was the magic depth, though 50 to 55 held the fluke, mostly shorts, and sea bass at Little Egg Reef. Sea bass fishing seemed to improve, maybe because the fish were finished spawning. The farther from shore, the more sea bass, and bigger, seemed to bite. Less fishing pressure might’ve contributed to that. Flounder could be picked from Little Egg Inlet, and off the Coast Guard Station in short drifts from shallow to deep. A 9-pound flounder was weighed in from the stakes of the bay during the weekend. But most flounder were lifted from Little Egg Reef and the inlet during the weekend. Kingfish and blowfish nipped in good numbers to the north in the bays. The fishing seemed yet to start in Great Bay closer to the store, but anglers hoped it will take off this season. Zillions of small sea bass schooled Great Bay. Scattered reports rolled in about weakfish caught, but nothing specific. If anglers wanted weaks, they could probably catch. Dunk shedder crabs, bloodworms or live peanut bunker. Nothing was heard about blackfish, and no green crabs are stocked for blackfish bait. White perch fishing was happening, and any of the tributaries and creeks off the mouth of Mullica River were places to look. Crabbing was okay, and not a lot of big ones skittered around. Maybe one more shed or so will need to happen for bigger ones to become more abundant. The full moon was just happening, and full and new moons usually trigger a shed. Fresh, shucked clams, bloodworms and minnows are stocked. No live grass shrimp will be carried again until fall. Waters were too warm to keep them alive.

<b>Absecon</b>

Summer flounder fishing was okay at Absecon Inlet and along the ocean reefs, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. At the reefs, anglers had to zero-in on the right spots, using GPS. Good populations of weakfish bit at Main Marsh Thorofare and, when rains didn’t churn up waters, the mouth of Mullica River. Plenty of white perch chomped in the rivers. A limit of one blackfish per angler could easily be bagged at places like Brigantine Bridge or along rocks and sod banks. Sheepshead and triggerfish could be mixed in. A 15-pound sheepshead was heaved in last week, and sheepshead could be big. Nothing was heard about striped bass fishing along the sod banks at night. Lots of spots swarmed around the back waters. Bait around also included peanut bunker and finger mullet. Crabbing seemed good, because lots of customers bought crabbing supplies, though Curt heard lots of small crabs were around. Live spots are stocked in two sizes: smaller for $10 per dozen or $1 apiece, though even the small ones were sizeable; and larger for $20 per dozen or $2 apiece. The smaller spots could be fished for flounder, and the larger could be used for stripers or tuna. But flounder, even little ones, will jump on the larger ones. A few shedder crabs are stocked, and call ahead to confirm. Plenty of minnows and lots of other baits are carried.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Spots dominated the surf, said Bill from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. But kingfish were pulled from the surf, and sometimes anglers fished the spots or kingfish heads to wrestle sharks from the beach in evenings and at night. An awful lot of brown sharks, required to be released, seemed to haunt the surf and up and down the Intracoastal Waterway. Nothing was heard about bluefish from the surf, but sometimes an angler would catch six or eight small blues in the back waters, running into a cluster. Carl Stout ran a trip that walloped 18 keeper summer flounder, good-sized, from the ocean reef. Flounder fishing seemed to slow at Absecon Inlet, but some of fluke remained there.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Blues, kingfish, summer flounder, blackfish and triggerfish, a variety, were pasted from Absecon Inlet, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers on foot loaded up on them, phenomenal catches, from the sea wall and jetties along the inlet. Waters were choked with bait, including spots and mullet, jumping everywhere. That was holding the fish there. Got the bait, got the fish. The weakfish were bloodwormed while anglers kingfished along the jetties. The blues and flounder were dragged in while anglers fished from the sea wall. The triggers and blackfish hugged the jetty rocks. The shop in the last couple of weeks reported a couple of 100-pound bull sharks caught from land near Harrah’s at night. Only smaller sharks seemed around this week. A large supply of baits is stocked. One Stop opened a second store at Gardner’s Basin at 800 North New Hampshire Avenue. The original, remaining open, is at 416 Atlantic Avenue.

<b>Margate</b>

Back-bay fishing for summer flounder aboard improved since Thursday, was good, not too bad, said Capt. John from the party boat <b>Keeper</b>. Waters became clearer, and the numbers of keepers caught increased. The fishing was the best since flounder season opened in May. A few kingfish were currently mixed in, and snapper blues were hooked. Sea robins also bit. Flounder were nabbed on minnows or mackerel, provided on the boat, or Gulps that customers brought. John was happy with the fishing, hoping it holds up. We’ll see, he said. The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. daily. The fare is only $25 per adult, $20 for seniors and $16 for kids.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Surf angling banked kingfish, spots, a few weakfish, and brown sharks, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Brown sharks must be released, and a few flounder scampered the back bay. “Nothing hot and heavy,” Bill said. Striped bass were angled along the bridges at night on soft-plastic lures or hard lures, not bait. A few sea bass and flounder gathered in the ocean at Great Egg and Ocean City reefs. Lots of white marlin apparently turned on at Washington Canyon. A few blue marlin were fought at the canyons. Yellowfin tuna fishing was hot and cold, some days good, some days not, at the Hot Dog on the chunk and jigs.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Lots and lots of spots flooded waters from the surf to the inlets to the back bay, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Last year spots could hardly be found, but this year someone could catch a hundred. Summer flounder fishing was fairly consistent on the ocean, though weather was somewhat rough for the fishing through the week. A couple of reports were heard about flounder trips to Townsend’s Inlet Reef and Ocean City Reef, and both caught well. Some also mentioned fishing for flounder at wrecks, not reefs, a little farther out, maybe 10 miles. Tackle will be snagged in the wrecks, but the fish like the structure, and an angler might be the only to bucktail an area like that. Mostly throwback flounder swam the inlets, and almost no flounder hovered in the back bay. Waters were warm. High tides at dusk were ideal for striped bass fishing on the bay at the beginning of the week, and a couple of trips were heard about that waffled good catches, mostly on popper lures, sometimes on flies. Stripers bit at night in the bay under lights at docks and bridges, and casting something small seemed key. So flies worked well, but small soft-plastic lures like Fin-S Fish or Bass Assassins grabbed a few. Snapper and cocktail blues schooled the ocean a mile from shore. They didn’t seem to want to move into the back waters, but boaters could fight them on the ocean on small spoons or bucktails. The last couple of reports about offshore said tuna were taken at times from the Hot Dog and the Tea Cup. Lots of white and blue marlin could reportedly be located farther offshore at the canyons, but not much was heard about tuna at the canyons.

Tides were high at dusk on the back bay, ideal for popper fishing for striped bass, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Kevin McCarthy aboard Tuesday evening released five of the bass to 24 inches, pulled the hook on at least two or three, and scored a bunch of bites, fishing the flats behind Sea Isle City with popper lures on a spinning rod. The angling is great sport, drawing explosive, visual attacks along the surface. Jersey Coast specializes in the popper fishing, with lures or flies, through summer. Ideal tides come around every couple of weeks. Jersey Cape is also fishing for stripers at night on the bay. On the ocean that morning, McCarthy jumped aboard with his son and friend, and they released four or five dusky sharks, breaking off a few, also scoring a bunch of bites. The fishing took time to get going, but did. The sharking, catch and release, including for duskies, browns and blacktips, close to shore, is a chance to fight big fish without the long haul offshore. The trip fished with spinning rods and mackerel fillets, and Jersey Cape also fly rods for them with chum flies. Another trip sharked Wednesday with spinning rods and mackerel fillets, but the angling was tough. A hammerhead was seen but never bit, and no other sharks showed up. A trip ran offshore Monday with Tom Scranton and friends, but returned with no catches, not a good day. Seas were lots rougher than forecast. In other news sea bass, summer flounder, triggerfish and small blues bit at the reefs, and Jersey Cape is fishing for them. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

The back bay’s summer flounder fishing was good, said Brian from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. One rental boater today bagged a keeper and threw back a couple of shorts. Brian only worked at the shop part of the day three times a week, and saw at least a keeper docked each time. Spots and baby sea bass filled the bay. Several dozen crabs were seen docked today. Two rental-boat trips previously returned with a couple of dozen keeper blueclaws apiece. Crabbing seemed to improve since previous weeks, because those were better catches than the shop reported before. The rental boats are available, and a large supply of baits is stocked. Big minnows, from the South, are on hand, for only $5 a pint, the best price on the island, Mike from the shop said in a previous report. Baits carried include Gulps, shedder crabs, frozen, chopped shedders in brine, all the different squids, including colored and scented squid strips, tube squid and trolling squid, and frozen herring, whole mackerel, mackerel fillets and salted clams in quarts and pints. Crabs for eating arrived for the season at the shop, and were currently No. 1’s for $22 per dozen. The price can change, depending on the market. Check out <a href="http://www.canalsideboatrentals.com" target="_blank">Canal Side’s Web site</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Tuna fishing slowed during the weekend, though was good previously, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Prior to the weekend, a couple of trips aboard ran into plenty of yellowfin tuna in 30 fathoms. During the weekend, the angling was slow aboard, both inshore and offshore, at Baltimore Canyon. All that fishing was covered in previous reports here. Nothing was heard about fishing since the weekend, and weather was often rough, including thunderstorms popping in and out. Summer flounder fishing was good on the ocean when conditions or winds and tides drifted the boat right. Plenty of sea bass and small blues swam around. Inshore trips for sharks are an option. Charters are available for all this fishing, and call if interested.

Weather wasn’t great, and sometimes fishing for summer flounder was tough, but sometimes the fish were caught, said Capt. Paul from the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>. Some customers scored well, and trips fished on the ocean. On Wednesday’s trip, Rudy Barbolini Sr., Egg Harbor City, John Robinson, Bridgeton, and Andy Sigaruk, Williamstown, limited out. Aiden Lapp, Bridgewater, Va., nailed the week’s biggest flounder aboard, a 7-1/4-pounder, on the trip. He won the pool with the catch, boated another keeper and released throwbacks, fishing with a rental rod. Al Bednarik, Philly, limited out on a trip the other day. A big crowd jumped aboard Monday’s trip, and Carl Keehfus, Villas, limited out on the fluke to 6 ½ pounds that day. There were a few fish around, even if the fishing was tough and weather rough sometimes. A few sea bass were mixed in. Flounder fishing aboard is usually a little better in August than in July, so Capt. Paul hopes trips continue to catch.  The Porgy IV is fishing for summer flounder 8 a.m. daily.

Though summer flounder fishing slowed in most back waters, good catches were tugged from Cape May Harbor, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. They were also toggled in from the inlet and near the yellow buoy off the inlet. Very good catches of flounder were yanked from the ocean reefs, and the Old Grounds was probably best. Flounder were boated from Cape May Channel, and other fish including weakfish, kingfish and small croakers might’ve scurried around there. Small blues bit for boaters off Cape May Point nearly every day. Flounder, good catches, were beached from the surf at the point. Spots and kingfish were banked from the ocean surf on bloodworms or artificial worms. In Delaware Bay flounder roamed the deeper channels. Weakfish probably schooled the flats closer to shore in Delaware Bay. Small croakers, occasional larger ones, were around in the bay. Lots of baitfish including spots and peanut bunker swam the bay. Nick motored offshore Sunday, and tuna, yellowfins, Nick believed, were caught at the “knots” at the Hot Dog.  One trip talked about hooking none until dropping down to light fluorocarbon leaders. Then the trip went 2 for 6, breaking off some because of the leaders. Be prepared with a variety of leaders down to 30-pound fluoro. Nick’s trip trolled two wahoos in the same area. Bloodworms, fresh clams, minnows and nightcrawlers are among baits stocked. Offshore baits carried include flats of butterfish and sardines. Ballyhoos and squid for trolling are in the mix. 

Back to Top