<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

A 168-pound mako shark was bagged with <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b> from Belmar on a trip that competed overnight Friday to Saturday in the Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo, Capt. Jared said. The fish didn’t win, but Fin-Ominal won the tourn last year and a previous year. The sharking was good aboard the trip. About 20 sharks, a variety, were landed during the two days. That included six smaller makos and some blues, browns and duskies. “Ton of fun,” Jared said. Waters were 68 or 69 degrees, and seas were 8 to 10 feet. Yow.

Sharks began swimming around on a bottom-fishing trip Saturday with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> from Belmar, so the anglers went after them, Capt. Pete said. Blue sharks to 9 feet were fought and released, only a few miles from shore. Waters were in the mid to high 60s, clear, blue and beautiful. Parker Pete’s is fishing for sharks, and another trip looked for them at wrecks this week. None showed up, but cod were pumped in. Trips are also bluefin tuna fishing.

Mako sharks and bluefin tuna “are in close,” Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune said in an e-mail. Book a charter now, because they won’t be there long, he said.  Ralph hadn’t “seen this type of fishing,” he said, in more than 20 years. Also, the next individual-reservation trip for cod is set for Monday, July 9.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing at Wilmington Canyon, 110 miles from port, went 9 for 12 on yellowfins on Tuesday with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, Capt. Ray said. The tuna, 40 to 45 pounds, were trolled mostly in cooler waters in a 67- to 70-degree temperature break. Waters were full of life including bait, and some of the tuna were full of krill. A free-jumping blue marlin and a large, free-jumping mako shark were seen. Closer to port, a trip to Chicken Canyon on Wednesday trolled a bluefin tuna for each of the anglers, keeping a 44-incher, releasing the rest, smaller fish. No larger ones seemed around that could be bagged, so the trip began drifting for sharks. No mako sharks bit, but blue sharks chomped non-stop. Waters were a good-looking blue/green, especially attractive for mako fishing. Lots of bait swam, but deep. Lots of dolphins swam, and shearwaters were everywhere, almost a nuisance when sharking. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness. The crew prides themselves on the concept of professionalism and sharing the experience in outdoor adventures.

After fishing was docked a week because of winds, an open-boat, overnight trip steamed offshore Sunday on the <b>Canyon Runner</b>, a report on Canyon Runner’s Web site said. “No water in (Lindenkohl Canyon),” the report said, so the trip ran to Spencer Canyon, and began trolling south toward Wilmington Canyon. A couple of yellowfin tuna were decked. A few more were trolled at the Wilmington. At night the trip ran inshore to the Fingers, because weather was better there, and shark fished. But no sharks bit. “The conditions and signs were not great (for tuna fishing on the trip),” the report said, but the trip scratched out a catch of “seven nice yellowfin,” the report said. Canyon Runner squid spreader bars, Green Machine spreaders and ballyhoos caught them.  

A crew trip fished for tuna on Sunday, Fathers’ Day, with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, a report on the boat’s Web site said. They had intended to sail all the way to the Continental Edge, but stopped on the bluefin tuna grounds closer to shore instead, going 4 for 4 on the fish. Then they went sharking, landing a few blue sharks. Open-boat, mixed-bag trips for bluefin tuna, sharks, cod and pollock are about to begin. Afterward open trips will run all the way offshore for a mixed bag of fish like yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, sharks, swordfish and tilefish. Call for info about the annual, unique trips.

Shark fishing produced plenty of catches last week, including in the weekend’s Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. The fish were often axed toward the Resor Wreck and the Fingers. Yellowfin tuna were trolled toward the end of last week from Carteret Canyon to the south. A few trips last week fought bluefin tuna around the Atlantic Princess wreck, the Glory Hole and the Chicken Canyon. 

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

A few bonito were mixed in on bluefish trips on the <b>Super Chic</b> from Barnegat Light, an e-mail from the boat said. Groups who fished aboard included those with Tim Riley, Philadelphia, Al Hoolahan, Franklinville, Pa., and Dave Dry, Reading. Each trip scored “great catches of … tasty blues, with a few nice bonito … to keep things interesting,” the e-mail said. The 56-foot Super Chic can accommodate large groups to 25 passengers on charters, fishing inshore to offshore. Overnight trips offshore can accommodate 10, and the boat sleeps 10 passengers.

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Barnegat: “Bluefin tuna! We went 3 for 4 (on Thursday) on 30-pound class bluefin. I started looking at the Lillian, trolled through the Glory Hole … nothing. By 10 a.m., we were at the Atlantic Princess with a handful of other boats. As I was setting up the third rod in our trolling spread, the first rod was already screaming. We were using 20-pound conventional gear to keep it sporty. Cedar plugs, small daisy chains, little jet lures – it was ‘old-school’ high-speed bluefin, at its finest. You don't need a 300-yard ballyhoo! We switched over to sharking to try for a mako, but went hitless, from noon to 2 p.m., and headed for home. I'm back out (today) for some more. Still have openings on Saturday and Sunday for tuna or stripers or both.  Here’s a video clip from our first hookup (on Thursday).” Open-boat trips are available for striped bass or bluefin tuna/false albacore/bonito, or a combo of both.

<b>Beach Haven Inlet</b>

A charter went 5 for 9 on yellowfin tuna to 45 pounds at Wilmington Canyon on Monday on the <b>June Bug</b> from Beach Haven, Capt. Lindsay said. The trip left the dock early, and started trolling at 4:30 a.m., 3 miles inshore of the tip of the canyon. Waters were cool, but patches of changing water temps from 62 to 67 degrees were found when fishing. If a line were drawn down the center of the canyon, all the fish bit on the west side. The boat kept making passes at the notch at the corner of the canyon, and tuna kept hitting there. A 15-pound mahi mahi was also gaffed. Sixty-eight-degree waters, 10 miles inshore of the tip, were the warmest seen. Waters warmed to that temp quickly on the way to the canyon, and cooled quickly as the trip motored ahead. East/northeast winds blew 12 to 14 knots at first. But winds shifted to southeast, and conditions calmed. Seas were flat as a lake on the ride home. Thousands of shearwaters were seen when fishing. “Amazing,” Lindsay said. Patches of probably 100 rested on the waters. Pods of small, 6- or 8-inch skipjacks, lots, were seen. “Like candy to tuna and billfish,” Lindsay said. No billfish were seen on the trip.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Sharks including makos were fought at spots like 28-mile wreck, Phil from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City said.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Many boaters will probably sail for yellowfin tuna in the weather this weekend, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. Good waters for the fishing seemed to hold south of Spencer Canyon into Wilmington Canyon. No news rolled in about sharks like makos. Mike didn’t know if just few fished for them during the weekdays. But a few catches of brown sharks, fish that must be released, were known about from places closer to shore like Avalon Shoal. The shop just loaded up with offshore baits like ballyhoos.

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, from Sea Isle City, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, was delivering a boat to New Jersey from Florida, he said. When he reaches New Jersey, fishing for brown and dusky sharks, catch and release, will probably kick off for the season with him. The fish, 20 to 100 pounds, swim close to shore, 7 to 12 miles off. The trips are a chance to fight big fish, on either spinning or fly rods, without the long trip offshore. Jersey Cape is also fishing for tuna, and whaled the fish at the canyons on the last trips, covered in the last report. Joe might stop on the yellowfins when delivering the boat.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Jigging for yellowfin tuna turned on, and <b>Relentless Sport Fishing</b> from Cape May will probably get after them on trips Friday and Sunday, Capt. Dave said. The fish swam close to shore.

A temperature break attractive to tuna reportedly formed along the 30-fathom line, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May.

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