<b>Perth Amboy</b>

A good pick of keeper and throwback fluke was plumbed today on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an e-mail. The fish, to just under 4 pounds, were mostly caught on the ocean in 25 feet. Bait out-fished bucktails, and chartreuse dressings worked best. Many small sharks had to be fished through. “Just a beautiful day on the water,” Frank said. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and telephone about the open trips. Vitamin Sea also fishes from Staten Island. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!” <b>***Update, Monday, July 1:***</b> After Thursday’s good fluke fishing aboard the ocean, catches were slower through the weekend, Frank said. The ocean held a small ground swell during the weekend, and maybe that was a reason only dog sharks bit there. But fluking wasn’t much better on the bay during the weekend. Fluking aboard fished hard on the bay then, searching nearly everywhere, or flats, channels, rough bottom, sand bottom, deep and shallow. But results weren’t so good. That’s fishing, and no captain likes slow catches, Frank said, but that’s how fishing goes sometimes. “Have to be honest,” he said: the fluking wasn’t good. Fishing aboard will back at it Tuesday.

<b>Keyport</b>

Plenty of throwback fluke and seven keepers were tugged in off Sandy Hook on Wednesday on Wally Murray’s trip with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. The four anglers dunked a variety of baits, but a killie-and-squid combo caught best. The day was somewhat windy at first, and winds blew against the tide then, hampering the boat’s drift. But winds calmed, and fluke began to bite. An awful lot of throwbacks chomped, actually. Weather ended up beautiful on the waters. Sunday is available for either a charter or an open-boat trip. Open trips are available 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. for fluke and 4 to 9 p.m. for fluke or blues daily, when no charter is booked. Telephone to climb aboard. 

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

New areas were fished on Wednesday’s fluke trip on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site, because of wind against tide. At first, not much life was found, except ling, sea bass and throwback fluke. Then throwbacks and keepers were hung. At the end of the trip, mussel beds were fished, serving up the best fluke action, though the boat drifted fast at 2.1 knots. Ron never had to work so hard to catch fish. Though bait usually out-fished bucktails, but not always, in past days, Vinnie “Vintastic” kept bucktailing on the trip, waiting for the right time. That came on the final drift, when he bucktailed a 6.2-pound fluke, winning the pool. Ron gave him credit for sticking to convictions.  On nighttime trips for striped bass, the fish were caught! Stripers to 18 pounds bit throughout Monday night’s trip, and stripers, though smaller ones, gave up catches throughout Tuesday’s. A load of bait swam to keep stripers around, and porgies will be able to be added to the trips’ catches when porgy season is opened Monday. The Fisherman is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips are fishing for striped bass 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

Fluke fishing was slow the past few days on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Trips mostly fished the bay, but one of the trips fished off Sandy Hook Point. Fishing was about the same there. When the boat drifted well, fluking was better. But all in all, the fishing was slower than it should be. Some anglers who had the feel landed 10 or 12 fluke easily, but none might be keepers. No big fluke were landed. Action with throwbacks varied trip to trip, and sometimes a bunch of fluke would be hooked at a spot, and again on a couple of more drifts. Then the fish would quit biting on the next drift, at the same place, for no apparent reason. Fluke bit at every place fished, but not enough. But anglers should come on down, and maybe the trip you join will be the one when the fishing becomes better again. Weather was enjoyable on the waters, even if stuffy weather was forecast for land. A breeze blew on the waters, and if forecasts are calling for 10- or 15-knot winds, that’ll be breezy on the waters. Sometimes forecasts called for a chance of storms, but none happened on trips. Bait fished just as well as Spros or bucktails on past trips. Spearing is supplied aboard for bait, and anglers bring their own killies and Gulps. But anglers said killies were scarce recently, and some found none available at tackle shops. The harbor’s tackle shop is closed. Some anglers fished a Spro or a bucktail where the sinker would go on a fluke rig, with a Gulp or a spearing on a teaser with a long, 36-inch leader. Sometimes that worked a little better than anglers working just a Spro or a bucktail. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 6/27:***</b> This morning’s fluke trip was one of the better ones in a while, Tom said. Conditions were right, and only two of the anglers, Tom thought, landed no keeper, among a small group aboard. Anglers lately seemed scared away by forecasts for thunderstorms that never happened. A couple of the anglers bagged two and three keepers, and one might’ve bagged four. On the afternoon’s trip, south winds came up, and anglers, a small group again, picked away at throwbacks and a few keepers. Trips were fortunate fluke could be fished for in the bay, escaping strong southerlies, unlike on the ocean. Again, no storms showed up, though anglers sometimes seemed scared off by forecasts. That happened lately, but trips sailed, even with only a few anglers. <b>***Update, Monday, July 1:***</b> Fishing was about the same in past days aboard, Tom said. Quite a few throwback fluke bit, and a few keepers were picked, and some trips fished better than others. Sunday morning’s trip was probably the best since Thursday morning’s, mentioned above in an update. On Sunday morning’s trip, a good shot of fluke bit, and some better-sized ones were reeled in. No really large fluke were landed on trips. All trips fished the bay in past days, escaping south winds on the ocean. The trips also fished Flynn’s Knoll a little, and if the boat ended up a little farther out, an ocean roll was met. So trips were fortunate to be able to fish the bay and Flynn’s to escape south winds.  Winds failed to affect seas at Flynn’s, as well as in the bay.

For fluke anglers, fishing was a little slow during the week, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Some were bagged, and more throwbacks hit, in Raritan Bay and the ocean. Lots of croakers, kingfish and spots schooled the bay. Weakfish were around in the bay. Striped bass were sometimes socked, and bluefish could be found. Bottom-fishing on the ocean scraped up good sea bass catches on some days and good ling catches every day. Killies were out of stock but should arrive Friday.

<b>Highlands</b>

Another week of excellent striped bass fishing on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, Capt. Pete wrote in an e-mail Wednesday. Every charter limited out, fishing with livelined bunker. Oustanding, he said, and anglers who want a shot at stripers should contact him now. On Sunday, Denny Moore’s family limited out on the bass to 26 pounds. On Monday, Dan Ruttle’s crew limited on the fish from 18 to 25 pounds. Anglers from the New Jersey State Police on Tuesday morning limited early on good-sized stripers, and so did a trip from Paramus Building Supply that afternoon. On Wednesday, Jeff Lang’s group limited on stripers to 24 pounds, then added quality-sized fluke to the cooler. After striper fishing ends for the season, jumbo fluke, and tuna, especially become a focus aboard.

Fishing sailed for fluke, bucktailing along deep, rough bottom, Wednesday with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, Capt. Derek said. Lack of drift made the fishing slow, but if conditions had drifted the boat, the angling would’ve been better. Fluke to 7 pounds were still cracked, and the keepers were good-sized. Trips had been catching striped bass to 30 pounds, but the fishing slowed in the last couple of days. So Fisher Price didn’t sail for them then. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips will fish next week. Anglers can telephone for dates that will be decided or to be kept informed about future open trips.

From <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Ed and Tony on the Hammerhead bagged three fluke at Flynn’s Knoll on spearing and squid, Marion wrote in an e-mail. On another trip, they grabbed another three at Flynn’s, fishing killies and Gulp, along with squid. Also at Flynn’s, Steve and Dan on Good Action boated five fluke to 20 inches, keepers, on spearing and squid. Jay Amarosa on the Par Tee put up an 18-inch fluke near the 3 buoy on Sandy Hook Bay on a killie, and a trip on The Other Guy iced three fluke to 24 inches, totaling 6 pounds, at Bug Light on the bay on killies. Also on the bay, Karen Kelly Giustino boxed two fluke 21 and 22 inches on killies while fishing with husband Angelo. Jake Rozell on the bay off Sandy Hook waxed four keeper fluke on spearing and squid. Anthony, Lee and Kevin livelined bunker for striped bass on the ocean, whaling 16, including four larger than 40 pounds apiece, off Asbury Park, keeping no more than their limits. Twin Lights includes a marina, including boat slips and rack space, a bait and tackle shop, ship supplies and a fuel dock. Baits stocked can include live bunker, bushels of fresh clams, killies and frozen baits, including quarts and pints of salted clams, spearing, Peruvian smelts, the different types of squid, scented shedder crab, and offshore baits, like bunker chum and flats of mackerel for sharks and flats of ballyhoos and butterfish for tuna.

<b>Neptune</b>

The season’s first individual-reservation trip for fluke and sea bass, running every Tuesday on the ocean, sailed this week with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Fluking picked up, and a good number of them and sea bass, and some ling, were axed. Some of the fish were sizeable, and most bigger ones jumped on jigs or Gulp teasers. Kids 12 and younger sail free on the trips, limited to two per adult host.  An individual-reservation wreck-fishing trip is set for 6 a.m. Sunday, July 21. Two spaces remain for an individual-reservation trip for cod at 1 a.m. Wednesday, July 24, and the last one of the trips did a job on the fish, covered in a previous report. Charters are available.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Monday, July 1:***</b> Fishing ran into large striped bass 25 to 45 pounds on Friday on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, an e-mail from the vessel said. The fishing, pummeling a couple of dozen of the fish, was phenomenal. On the party boat <b>Royal Miss Belmar</b>’s morning trip that day, the ocean held a heave, so fluke fishing was slower than previously. Plenty of throwbacks and a handful of keepers were landed. But “Wild” Bill Frompton, Belmar, won the pool with a 7-3/4-pound fluke. The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for striped bass and bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. The Royal Miss Belmar is fishing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

On the <b>Katie H</b>, trips competed in the Mako Mania tournament Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Mike said. Blue sharks were fought and released, and a couple of mako sharks and a thresher shark were hooked. During Saturday’s trip, a mako was fought a while, but threw the hook, wasn’t hooked solidly. A big thresher was also hooked but got off, for an unknown reason. On Sunday, another mako was fought, this time hooked solidly on a double-hooked rig, but eventually spit the rig. But the anglers had fun, Mike said. The boat drifted a little slowly, didn’t cover much ground. Waters were 67 degrees, a good temperature, and greenish, but full of life. Whales and turtles were seen. A few bluefin tuna broke the water surface on both trips. Some customers want to sail for bluefins, and Mike hopes fishing for them picks up. Daytime trolling trips for tuna usually begin in July aboard. Overnight trips for tuna, all the way offshore, will begin in August, when the tuna begin to bite in the dark. Closer to shore, fluke fishing didn’t sound awesome, and waters were somewhat cold, but fluke were caught. Sea bass fishing was pretty good. Fishing for striped bass was about finished for the year, and bluefish were scarce. Even in the weekend’s shark tournaments, blues were hardly available for bait. But they were scarce during the tournaments last year, too. A few blues showed up toward the end of Sunday’s shark trip on the Katie H, getting hooked on the baits. Mike wished they had shown up earlier for bait. The Katie H features all the amenities, comfort and speed.  

Bluefish and two striped bass were picked on jigs by the middle of Wednesday’s trip on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The report was apparently written while the trip was fishing, and no further news was posted about the day. But bluefishing improved aboard Tuesday, after the catches were slow previously. The fish were picked aboard that day, and the high hook totaled six, and 20 keeper fluke and many shorts were also pumped in. Trips sometimes bottom-fished, including for fluke, in addition to bluefishing lately. On Monday, bluefishing was slow aboard, but more of the fish were seen than before on the boat, and the crew was encouraged about that. The Golden Eagle is sailing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily.

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> had just docked Wednesday night, when a storm had rolled in, Capt. Pete said in a phone call then. Trips aboard fluke fished on the ocean, and catches were picking up, in warming waters. Southeast winds in afternoons, and sometimes storms then, could shut down the angling. So trips dealt with that, but otherwise fluking was picking up, and a good number of dates remain for the charters in July and August. Striped bass could sometimes be popper-plugged or trolled in afternoons on the ocean, but the fishing was a matter of when the fish wanted to feed. If trips targeted stripers but they refused to bite, the outings switched to fluke and sea bass, to put fish in the cooler. Bluefish remained scarce. Shark fishing was on in the ocean, and Parker Pete’s is sailing for them. Bluefin tuna were starting to “move in,” Pete said, and the boat sails for any species available. Charters are fishing, and <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/fishing-reports" target="_blank">subscribe to Parker Pete’s e-mailed newsletter</a> to be kept informed about individual-spaces available on charters and for the latest fishing reports. Click on that link to Parker Pete’s fishing reports online, and newsletter sign up can be found on the right side of the page. Or go to the site’s Contact page, and e-mail, asking to subscribe.

Great fluke fishing on Shark River and on the ocean off Monmouth County, Bob from <b>Fishermen’s Den</b> wrote in an e-mail. Belmar’s party boats plastered good catches of fluke to larger than 8 pounds on the ocean. John Blanche, New Hope, Pa., whacked an 8-pounder on the Big Mohawk. That was one of many big fluke boated in the last week. Surf fishing for striped bass cashed in on steady catches on clams and chunks of bunker, and early and late in the day, when the sun was low, were best. Bob bunker-chunked three of the bass to 20 pounds at Belmar. Bill Massey from Wall fly-rodded stripers to 34 inches from the shore. <b>***Update, Sunday, 6/30***</b>: Large striped bass were jigged from the ocean on the party boat Miss Belmar Princess, Bob wrote in an e-mail Saturday. Stripers 45, 38 and 34 pounds were weighed in at the shop, and Shark River’s fluke fishing was good that day, serving up a healthy number of keepers to 4-plus pounds. To catch them, Gulps on jigheads were “hot (that day),” he said.

<b>Brielle</b>

Bluefish and baitfish started to be spotted along the water surface on Wednesday’s trip, an e-mail from the party boat <b>Big Jamaica</b> said. Readings were also seen, and a few bluefish were decked, but fishing for them failed to turn on. So the trip split the day between bluefishing and bottom-fishing, and all anglers left with ling and sea bass, at least. A 5-pound blue was the pool-winner. The Big Jamaica is fishing at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily.

<b>***Update, Monday, July 1:***</b> Manasquan River’s fluke fishing was very good in past days, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. A bunch in the mid-20-inches, and plenty of throwbacks, of course, Eric said, were bombed. No other fish, like striped bass, were heard about from the river. Ocean fluke fishing was good to the north, but wasn’t so good at reefs, farther from shore. Boaters ran into good-sized striped bass 30 and 40 pounds on the ocean Friday, catching them on jigs and livelined bunker. Lots of sea bass were smashed from the ocean, even if some of the more popular spots were fished out. Anglers experienced at ling fishing could total 20 to 30 or fairly good catches on the ocean. Ocean bluefishing was off, and nothing was heard about sharks from the ocean, but sharks were probably around. Lots of small yellowfin tuna and a few bigeye tuna were trolled to the south at Wilmington Canyon. Near Brielle, Hudson Canyon really just held bluefin tuna, and bluefins were caught closer to shore at Glory Hole and Triple Wrecks on trolled ballyhoos and spreader bars.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Only took three drops to give anglers all the good sea bass fishing they wanted Monday with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b>, Alan, the boat’s owner, wrote in an e-mail. The reef trip was a graduation gift to a freshwater angler who wanted to try saltwater. Sea bass fishing’s been great aboard, and several offshore trips are booked for the next week. Mushin’s already been clobbering sharks on offshore trips, covered in previous reports. The crew also hopes to fight tuna and tilefish from the waters. Space remains for both inshore and offshore charters. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness. The crew pride themselves on sharing the concept on outdoor adventures.

A handful of keeper fluke and some shorts were flung aboard Wednesday morning’s trip,  Capt. Matt from the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b> wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. A 5-pound fluke was the pool-winner, and winds blew against substantial current, hampering the boat’s drift. That didn’t help anglers to catch, and the fishing was a little slow. Too few anglers showed up for the afternoon’s trip to sail, and Matt was surprised about that. None of the nighttime bluefishing trips sailed since Saturday. “We are not giving up!” Matt said. The crew will shape up for bluefish trips daily. The Norma-K III is fishing for fluke on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. and for bluefish 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

The following report was posted as an update Tuesday and is being re-posted in case anyone missed it: Lots of action was pasted on fluke trips on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. Anglers caught 10 for every keeper, but the angling was okay. Sea bass and sea robins were also hooked. Bluefishing was tough on nighttime trips for them. But nighttime wreck-fishing trips were kicked off last week on a trip, and a decent number of very big ling, a few sea bass, a keeper cod and a keeper pollock were belted. The Gambler 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 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Wreck-fishing trips are running 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursdays.

<b>Toms River</b>

The Toms River began to harbor spots and croakers that chewed clams and bloodworms, said Jeff from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Crabbing was slow in the area, for unknown reasons, maybe because of freshwater runoff from rains. Blowfish hovered in Barnegat Bay around the BI and BB markers. Boaters anchored, fished with clam and chummed with clam for them. Fluke hung around the markers, and sometimes bit in the surf. Striped bass and bluefish occasionally came from the surf in mornings and afternoons, but not much was heard about them. Blowfish appeared in the surf, and skates and sand sharks grabbed baits in the surf. Good catches of sea bass were made at ocean wrecks. Little else was mentioned about fishing on the ocean.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Surf fishing was slow, but sometimes striped bass and bluefish were beached, when they decided to push in, said Mario from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Fluke were banked from the shore, when anglers were willing to “walk the holes,” dragging bottom slowly, with tackle like bucktails or ball jigs with teasers and Gulps. On Barnegat Bay, crabs, including good-sized keepers, began to be trapped well, especially after the weekend’s full moon. Coming days should be good for crabbing, during the waning moon. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, sandworms, eels and the full array of frozen baits are stocked. The Dock Outfitters features bait and tackle, docks to fish and crab from, once the docks are repaired since the hurricane, and boat and jet ski rentals. The docks should be completed soon, Mario hopes.

<b>Forked River</b>

Boaters on Barnegat Bay rustled up blowfish, lots, near the 40 and 42 buoys, anchored, fishing with clams or squid, and chumming with clam, said Jana from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Good fluke fishing was had on the bay at Double Creek Channel, places around the 40, High Bar Harbor, the BI and BB markers, and the research buoy between the two. Weakfish were around in the bay, and nobody mentioned targeting them, but they were caught while boaters blowfished. Small bluefish, not big schools with birds working the waters above them, swam the bay, and were trolled on Pony Tails. On the ocean, sea bass and fluke were angled at the Tire Reef. A few blues, not many, were jigged on the ocean, and striped bass were mostly gone from the ocean for the season. In back waters, crabbing was okay, better in commercial pots than for those who drop-lined for the blueclaws. Killies, big ones, are stocked, because Grizz was able to keep netting them, though the baitfish were scarce in much of the state. The whole supply of frozen baits is carried. Fresh clams are no longer carried this season, because striper fishing was mostly finished.  

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

After the crew waited and waited for bluefish to show up, trips will switch to fishing for fluke and sea bass daily today on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The vessel usually fishes for bluefish daily, and now will sail for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “What do you do when the wind is forecasted to blow hard south, with threats of storms? You play it safe, and fish the bay. If the sky starts rumbling, you’re always 10 minutes from somewhere safe. We’re on the blowfish. Big ones, and lots. Here's a few minutes of our trip Monday afternoon, in a hard south wind, right before a severe storm chased us back to the dock: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrm-teBmiSg" target="_blank">Watch a video</a>. We’re also catching 14- to 16-inch kingfish in the mix, using 6-pound ultra-light outfits. Before or afterward, we’re drifting for fluke, catching a decent amount of 18- to over 20-inch fish, in anywhere from 4 to 10 feet of water. We catch them every trip, but never in the same place twice. We make the rounds, try a bunch of places, and get on some patches of fish. Jigging with 3/8-ounce leadheads tipped with Gulp has been very effective. On the incoming tides, we’re casting the inlet jetty with soft plastics and poppers, for 2- to 4-pound bluefish, and mostly short stripers, with a few 28- to 30-inchers mixed in. You got to love our bay. Stripers, blues, fluke, blowfish, kingfish … and this is Plan B?! Sailing open 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, 6 to 11 a.m. Saturday and 6 to 11 a.m. and 12 noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Limited to three people. Everything is included. All fish are shared.”

<b>Surf City</b>

Sometimes a striped bass, a throwback, but sometimes a keeper, was beaten from the surf, mostly on bunker, said Sue from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. But one was known about that was taken on mullet, and another that was clammed. More and more kingfish seemed to ply the surf, because of warmer waters, and they were hooked on Fishbites, almost always. Lifting a fluke from the surf was no guarantee, or angling for them wasn’t hot, but some very nice-sized ones were drilled. Bucktails and teasers with bait like squid hooked them. Bluefishing was slower in the surf, but blues were sometimes banged out from the waters on mullet on a mullet rig. Dog sharks and skates scurried the surf. Dominant fish were really the dogs and, in the bay, blowfish. Abundant blowfish dominated the bay. Spots and peanut bunker schooled the bay. Fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms, chum and all frozen baits like spearing and mullet are stocked.  The store’s annual <b><i>Free Surf Fishing Seminars</i></b> will be kicked off this weekend. Held 6- to 7 p.m. every Sunday in the parking lot until Labor Day, the classes will feature instructor Jim Massa once again. He covers the fishing that’s happening now, so will probably feature surf casting for kingfish and fluke this weekend, Sue figures. Bring a beach chair. Visit <a href="http://www.surfcitybaitandtackle.com/" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Web site</a>. 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>Absecon</b>

Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>’s charters scored a few keeper striped bass, on livelined spots, and on a couple of days some good summer flounder catches, Curt from the shop said. Seven or eight sizeable flounder were bagged on one of the trips. So the fishing, on the back waters, was going well. Dave was headed back on a charter today, and another charter was potentially interested in fishing Friday. That seemed to show the fishing was happening. The back bay’s flounder fishing had started off super this season, somewhat lulled, and now seemed to be picking up. Curt landed a couple of 5-pound weakfish at the mouth of Mullica River. Small croakers and lots of spots swam there, and began to push up creeks. Curt, a white perch angler, fished for the slabs Saturday, and the angling wasn’t spectacular. But he heard that perch moved closer to saltwater, and a friend put together a pretty good catch of large ones toward the bay. Not much was heard about bluefish from anywhere. A small one might’ve been hooked on occasion. Surf anglers banked kingfish, croakers, occasional flounder, and maybe sometimes a striper in mornings and evenings. Livelined spots will always catch a striper, but otherwise, fresh bunker is a must for stripers in the surf during daylight, at least. Fresh bunker was a little tough to stock, but all other baits, including live spots and plenty of minnows, are pretty much on hand. Crabbing was fairly good, and the blueclaws just got finished shedding, so large ones were around. But they weren’t as filled with meat as they will be when they grow into the new shells.

<b>Brigantine</b>

In the surf, kingfish and spots were dragged in, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. A kingfish head could be tossed for bait in the surf to tackle brown sharks, required to be released, that roamed plentiful. Or a spot could be livelined for weakfish from the beach. One customer kayaked a 23-inch summer flounder on the back bay. Plenty of minnows were just stocked. Fresh clams, bloodworms and all frozen baits are carried. Catch the fifth annual Team America Tackle sale at the shop 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday. All the company’s rigs and terminal tackle will be buy one, get one free, and all its jigs will be buy two, get two free. This is a time to load up for the season, and T-shirts and hats will be on a similar sale.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

A 5-1/2-pound summer flounder was just weighed in from the T-jetty, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b> today. That’s at the end of nearby Absecon Inlet, lined with fish-attracting jetties. Customers fishing the inlet on foot put the brakes on flounder, lots of weakfish, spots and kingfish. The flounder pounced on minnows and squid – “peanut butter and jelly,” Noel said – sand eels, filleted mackerel and 3-inch Gulp mantis shrimp. The weaks swiped bloodworms or pink Zooms, both day and night. The spots and kings nibbled bloodworms and clams.  Baits stocked include plenty of minnows, fresh clams in the shell or shucked, fresh bunker, bloodworms and frozen sand eels, herring, peanut bunker, spearing, a large variety of squids and more.  One Stop’s second store, located at Gardner’s Basin at 800 North New Hampshire Avenue, is also open. The original, remaining open, is at 416 Atlantic Avenue.

<b>Margate</b>

The back bay’s summer flounder fishing wasn’t too bad, Capt. John said, on the party boat <b>Keeper</b>. Waters cleared, after rains previously dirtied them, and catches picked up. A few other fish sometimes bit, like a few small croakers, a striped bass the other day, and sometimes a bluefish, like a 4-pounder on one trip. A few minnows were available aboard for flounder bait, though minnows were scarce. Mackerel was provided, and caught. Sometimes a few Gulps were passed out for bait, and Gulps always work well, if anglers want to bring their own. Keeper is fishing for summer flounder 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. daily. Prices are great, because the pontoon boat is economical on fuel, and the fishing on the bay is close to port. Trips are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for kids.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Croakers and spots filled Great Bay off Graveling Point and at the clam stakes, said Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Many sand sharks and skates were moving into the bay. Summer flounder remained in the bay, and many were small. Fishing for them was probably best toward the 126 marker or in deeper, clearer water toward Little Egg Inlet, because too many of the other fish held shallower, like at the clam stakes. Brown sharks, required to be released, were in the bay. Schoolie striped bass were released from the surf at Long Beach Island in past days. On the ocean, sea bass fishing was good at wrecks and reefs. Ling and sometimes flounder were bagged among them. Crabbing was phenomenal, apparently because fewer people crabbed than usual, since the hurricane, busy rebuilding homes. Fewer fished than usual, for that matter. Fresh, shucked clams are stocked. Bloodworms are usually on hand, and minnows are carried. Not a huge supply of minnows was around, but minnows were yet to run out in recent weeks. Anglers can telephone to confirm whether they’ll be available. The live grass shrimp supply is similar.

<b>Ocean City</b>

For back-bay boaters, summer flounder, including many keepers, good-sized, bit, said Jake from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. A few weakfish swam around, like at Corson’s Inlet and in the bay off Wildwood. Soft-plastic lures like Gulps on jigheads hooked them. Not many bluefish were around. Some popped up here or there, but not like in past years. In the surf, kingfishing was good, and brown sharks, required to be released, started prowling. Chunks of bunker or kingfish landed them, mostly in evenings or at night, because the sharks foraged on them. Bunker started to appear, like a little off the beach. Lots of sea bass, some of them good-sized, littered the ocean reefs. Boaters were yet to flounder fish on the ocean, but maybe will in a few weeks, when waters are warmer. Shark fishing was good at places like 28-Mile Wreck, 750-Square and the Cigar. Plenty of makos and big threshers stalked, and a 600-pound 18-foot thresher was boated Tuesday at 28-Mile Wreck. Not many bluefin tuna swam areas like that. A few were in, if anglers could find them. Many yellowfin tuna, but small, schooled canyons to the south, like the Baltimore and the Wilmington. Most of the yellowfins were 30 to 40 inches during the weekend. Plenty of minnows are stocked. Fresh clams are on hand, but no fresh bunker are. Bloodworms, jumbos, are carried.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Weakfish seemed to swim everywhere, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers nabbed them steadily at Townsend’s Inlet on Bass Assassins in Electric Chicken and pink Zooms. But some fished shedder crab under a bobber for weaks along jetties. Weaks were mostly winged during daytime, but some were plucked at night. Striped bass were beaned sometimes at night along bridges and docks under lights. Summer flounder fishing was tough in the back bay, unless anglers worked to find a patch of the fish. Then catches could be good. The surf tossed up plenty of kingfish, spots and croakers. Brown and dusky sharks haunted the surf and filled the ocean out to 6 miles or so. Nothing was heard about mako sharks and thresher sharks from farther offshore, though the catches were often reported previously. Yellowfin tuna fishing sounded good at Wilmington Canyon. Sometimes bigeye tuna were busted in the area. Plenty of minnows are currently stocked, though the baitfish have been scarce.

Inshore shark fishing was on, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Jason and Brooke Berner released 15 dusky sharks, including three larger than 100 pounds, and a brown shark aboard Tuesday. Both species are required to be released, and the anglers fished with mackerel fillets on spinning rods. They began to catch within 15 minutes of fishing. Jersey Cape also fly fishes for the sharks, species that can include browns, duskies, blacktips and more. The trips, usually within 10 miles from shore, are a chance to pull on large fish without the long trek offshore. Two other anglers aboard Wednesday reeled in summer flounder, including a 23-incher and a 21-incher, from the back bay. A family on deck Monday landed a bunch of throwback flounder and a small dusky shark from the bay, releasing all. The shark, grabbing a flounder rig, was unusual in the bay. Jersey Cape is also fishing offshore, and plenty of yellowfin tuna and sporadic bigeye tuna were cranked from Baltimore Canyon and other waters. Big blue marlin sometimes began to be heard about, and white marlin started to show up. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 6/28:***</b> Back-bay fishing for summer flounder and weakfish became pretty good in the past week, said Fred from <b>No Bones Bait & Tackle</b>. Minnows hooked both, when the shop could stock minnows that were scarce, but frozen spearing also caught both. More weakfish, than in the bay, swam Hereford Inlet, hitting any pink soft-plastic lures, like Fin-S Fish, on lead jigheads. Hear about bluefish? Fred was asked. Not really, he said, except about small blues, like 12 inches, that boaters sometimes chased on the ocean. Nobody really surf fished, except tourists, catching sand sharks. Hardcore surf casters were finished fishing the beach for the season. One trip from the docks crabbed, releasing the blueclaws. But the customers said 150 were landed, including good-sized. Some of those were likely caught more than once, but the catch still sounded promising, and now that the full moon passed, the moon phase should be good for crabbing. The shop’s rental boats are available to fish and crab on the back bay. A limited supply of minnows, like two gallons, usually only enough for rental boaters and people known at the shop, are carried, though the supplier showed up with three gallons today. Baits stocked also include frozen peeler crabs in brine, good for weakfishing, spearing, mullet, herring, mackerel, different amounts of frozen clams and all the usual.

Summer flounder and weakfish both ran strong in the back bay, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. White bucktails, maybe dressed with chartreuse, tipped with chartreuse or pink Gulps were popular to catch both. The bay’s crabbing began to pick up, though the season was early. Crabbers were happy with catches, and a catch like three or four dozen keepers on a rental boat was surprising to see, but happened sometimes. Though the season was becoming late for striped bass fishing in the surf, a buddy tried for them, banking a 29- or 30-incher the other night. They seemed possible to catch. No kingfish were heard about from the surf. Ten gallons of minnows are supposed to be stocked Friday from Virginia. That was half the amount Mike wanted, but at least the baitfish, scarce in New Jersey, should arrive. Bait also includes scented and unscented squid strips, scented pink and green strips, trolling squid, tube squid, pints and quarts of salted clams, non-salted clams in both 1 pound and 9 ounces, whole mackerel, filleted mackerel, mullet, spearing and herring. No. 2 crabs for eating are for sale for $12 per dozen live or $16 per dozen cooked. The blueclaws are cooked to order, as fresh as can be.

<b>Cape May</b>

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> mated on a trip on a friend’s boat that scooped up lots of good-sized sea bass and a load of ling from the ocean, he said. Plenty of both swam around lately, and George didn’t hear much about summer flounder fishing, and heard nothing about sharks. But yellowfin tuna fishing sounded okay at Baltimore and Wilmington canyons. A few friends fished at both places, but some loaded up on the tuna, and others boated none. The fishing seemed like that, and one friend found no tuna, but pumped in a bunch of tilefish. Others returned with 15 or seven yellowfins, or numbers like that. Telephone if interested in any of this fishing.

Sea bass fishing was super on marathon, open-boat trips for them on the ocean on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Mario said. The next one of the trips is set for Tuesday, and sign up for the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s Web site to be kept informed about dates for open trips. An open tuna trip, the boat’s first this season, is slated for Sunday. Charters are also fishing. Trips did no summer flounder fishing, because sea bass catches were so good. But the vessel will flounder fish.

Summer flounder fishing was hit or miss on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. Trips fished the ocean, like at the Old Grounds, and on some days, the fishing was decent. On others, the boat wouldn’t drift well, or fishing conditions were bad. Some anglers bagged a few of the fluke, and some did not. But that’s fluking. A few better-sized flounder were nailed, and Carl Davis, Turnersville, on Tuesday’s trip heaved in a 9-pounder, the boat’s biggest of the season. Al Stromback, Cherry Hill, limited out on the fish to 5 ½ pounds on Wednesday’s trip. But limits were far and few between. Ken Minett, Voorhees, bagged three flounder to 6 ½ pounds on Monday’s trip. Stan “Ski”” Fialkowski, Swainton, only bagged one on Sunday’s trip, but the fish weighed 5 ½ pounds. Years ago, the boat wasn’t even flounder fishing yet, and was sea bass fishing instead. Flounder trips used to begin in July. So Paul hopes the fishing keeps becoming better as summer goes on. The Porgy IV is fishing for summer flounder at 8 a.m. daily. 

Boaters today latched into good summer flounder catches, including a couple of limits, on the back bay or along the Intracoastal Waterway, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Many of the fish were 20 and 21 inches. Nothing was heard about flounder from Delaware Bay, but flounder began to be heard about from the ocean at Cape May Reef. A couple of good days of the angling were reported. Deeper waters probably doled out better sea bass fishing. Weakfish schooled Delaware Bay at places like the stakes near Bug Light. Spots schooled Delaware Bay, and one boater telephoned for clams to fish for drum on the bay, saying drum still swam there. Nick would imagine drum were departing the bay, like they usually do by June’s full moon, last weekend. Weakfish kept showing up at different waters, actually, including Cape May Canal at the end of the shop’s street. A couple of kids pulled 20-inchers from there. A few sizeable flounder were bagged at the end of the street. Nick slugged a 5-pound weakfish at the canal at the bridge on a livelined spot. Weaks could be landed along jetties at Cape May’s surf. Kingfishing was pretty good in the surf, and sharks like browns, required to be released, hunted the surf. A few striped bass, non-migrating fish, will remain in the surf through summer. One angler released a 19-incher. Yellowfin tuna and a few bigeye tuna were trolled at Baltimore Canyon. Baits stocked include minnows, fresh clams, bloodworms and shedder crabs.   

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