<b>Keyport</b>

Sixteen keeper fluke, including a 6-pounder and two 5-pounders, and throwbacks, a whole lot, were plowed with five anglers aboard the ocean Wednesday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. They fished killies, spearing and squid, and the boat drifted well, and weather was good, or conditions were excellent. Open-boat trips for fluke are available 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily when no charter is booked. Anglers just need to telephone to go.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

On the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Wednesday’s trip began fishing for fluke at a new area, because currents would run too strongly at the channels in the morning, Capt. Ron wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. The boat drifted great, and more than a dozen good-sized keepers were eased in on the first drift. Then anglers slugged away at throwbacks and keepers the rest of the morning. Three large sea bass 3 to 4 ½ pounds were in the mix. Next, the boat was moved to the channels to finish out the trip. The boat drifted well, and some great action was had. If the size limit were a half-inch smaller, “many would have been happy customers,” Ron said. “Great day on the water …” he said. Some good-sized fluke, especially the 5-pound pool-winner, were taken on Tuesday’s trip. Plenty of throwbacks bit in several areas, and bait caught better than bucktails, like recently. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips are sailing for a mix of fish, like fluke, porgies and blues, 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

More keeper fluke than before, and better-sized ones than previously, kept being tugged aboard the past couple of days on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. The fishing’s been like that recently, and wasn’t great, but catches of keepers were somewhat more frequent. One fluke almost 6 pounds and another 5 ½ pounds were the pool-winners on Wednesday’s trips. Tuesday’s fishing served up a decent pick, Tom would say. Some anglers landed two or three keepers that day, and some landed no keepers, of course. Fishing was better on some trips than others, depending on conditions, or whether winds and tides drifted the boat well for the angling. That was a main thing to emphasize: The fishing was better when conditions were. That doesn’t mean fluking can’t slow down when conditions are right. Trips fished the ocean just outside the bay, but not in deep waters. Sometimes 6 or 8 ounces of weight had to be fished, because of a fast drift, and anglers had to work with that. Sometimes 10 ounces was tied onto rental rods. Quite a few fluke a half-inched undersized, a surprising amount, bit. Spearing, supplied aboard, or Gulps that anglers brought, on a plain rig caught better than bucktails during past days, but that can change quickly. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

Fluking was good, “like off the (ocean) beaches,” said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of better-sized fluke were creamed, and anglers would catch a few keepers, but lots of throwbacks would bite.  Nothing was heard about striped bass anymore, really. Small bluefish were landed. Kingfish were around, mostly in the surf. Keeper fluke were actually beached from the surf at Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright. Croakers swam everywhere, from the ocean to the rivers. Weakfish held in the rivers. Back on the ocean, one of the charter boat captains seemed to clean up on ling in the deep every trip. About every second trip fought aboard a thresher shark. Sea bass were still pulled in closer to shore. Crabbing improved all the time, and might’ve slowed around the full moon, but usually does a moment. All baits are stocked. 

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Fisher Price Charters</b> steamed for bluefin tuna to Chicken Canyon on Wednesday, Capt. Derek said. The fishing, on the troll, was a little slow, because of boat traffic. But a 60-pounder was bagged, a short was thrown back and a big, bull mahi mahi was dropped. During the weekend, trips aboard limited out on fluke to 6 ½ pounds, bucktailing them along rough bottom in deep waters. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips for fluke are set for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, August 9. No dates are available for open trips for bluefins next week, but the next open trips for the tuna might sail the following week. Anglers can telephone to be kept informed.

Leaving port from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Steve, Dan and Dave on the Good Action pumped in fluke to 20 inches and sea bass at the Scotland buoy, Marion wrote in an e-mail. Joe Reilly and dad limited out on fluke, including two 4-and 5-pounders, on a trip that fished Flynn’s Knoll and Chapel Hill Channel with jigs with Gulps. Rich Sherer and sons Rich and Steve also fluked Flynn’s and Chapel Hill, bagging five fluke to 24 inches. Down the ocean beach, Roy Wurst and buddies boated two keeper fluke. Twin Lights, conveniently located on Shrewsbury River, with no bridges before Raritan Bay and the ocean, features boat slips, rack storage, a fuel dock, ship’s store supplies, and a complete bait and tackle shop. Baits carried include killies and frozen quarts and pints of salted clams, spearing, Peruvian smelts, the different types of squid, and scented shedder crab. Offshore baits like flats of ballyhoos are sold.

<b>Neptune</b>

An individual-reservation trip for cod knocked the pants off the fish, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> said. Trips also Mohawked big fluke the past couple of days, the best fluking of the season. Fishing was phenomenal aboard right now. If anglers want to sail, they better book in advance. The weekly individual-reservation trip for fluke is full next week. The trips fish every Tuesday, and kids under 12 sail free, limited to two per adult host.  A few spots were left for an individual-reservation trip for cod August 12, and space was open for another just scheduled for September 9.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fluke fishing was good on the ocean on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. A youngster hauled aboard a 12-pounder, his first fluke, on a bait rig Wednesday. “So I told him, he’s done,” Chris said. Bucktails with Gulps caught most on trips, like usual. A 9-pound fluke was decked aboard Tuesday, and lots of 3-, 4- and 5-pounders were cracked on trips. Trips fished along rough bottom always, and the Big Mohawk is sailing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Fishing for small blues was excellent throughout the past days on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Anglers caught all they wanted, limiting out, releasing more. Now is the time for bluefishing, it said. On night trips, fishing for small blues was good Wednesday, the only night the report mentioned recently. But tonight’s trip was expected to be weathered out, it said. The Golden Eagle is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily.

Even if bluefish were small on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, catches, on the ocean, were very good, on both daytime and nighttime trips, Capt. Alan said. During day, the fish were jigged, and at night, they were baited. On today’s trip, big bluefish were reported swimming 5 or 6 miles to the north, and the trip ran there, the captain at the helm said in a phone call to Alan, who was on shore during the outing. A couple of the slammers were on right away, and Alan was yet to hear how the trip made out with them. On the party boat <b>Royal Miss Belmar</b>, fluke and sea bass were latched into every day on the ocean. More fluke than sea bass were scooped up, and some days were good, and some were slow. But sizeable fish were dragged aboard, and the fishing was decent overall. The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for 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 and sea bass 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

“Good week for fluke,” Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an e-mail. Several were weighed in, and a 12-pounder that a 9-year-old heaved aboard the Belmar party boat Big Mohawk was biggest. Jack Rosen from Hoboken checked in an 8-pounder. Tom Riggs from Neptune totaled three keepers to 4 pounds. Those catches apparently came from the ocean. From Shark River, Denny and Hunter Miller from Ewing iced several keeper fluke to a 4-pound 8-ouncer. In the surf, Mel Martin beached a 4-pound fluke on Gulp. So, fluke were the “headliner,” Bob said, but autumn is coming, “and (we striped bass) guys will have our chance. Have fun. Think fall,” he said.

The <b>Katie H</b> will fish inshore Saturday and for bluefin tuna Sunday, Capt. Mike said. Inshore trips are usually targeting fluke and sea bass, maybe sticking with one or the other if fishing for one is best that day. Friends in past days barreled up decent fluking in deep waters, often on bucktails, and Saturday’s trip will probably start fluking where they caught. Sea bassing’s usually been drop the line down, and catch, lately. The fish are arguably the best-tasting. Mike heard nothing about bluefins the past few days, but good catches were made during the weekend. A buddy’s trip landed quite a few. Phone calls to book tuna trips began to pick up. Overnight trips for yellowfin tuna, farther offshore, will begin later this season. The Katie H features all the amenities and speed.

With <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, ocean fluke fishing was very good, Capt. Pete said. Consistently larger fluke seemed to move in. Five- and 7-pounders were plastered, and waters were a little dirty the past few days, so the angling wasn’t fast and furious, or was picky, in the tougher conditions. The angling was a grind, but trips aboard worked for the fish, and had anglers that limited out and caught more, keeping no more than their quotas. Deeper waters 60 and 65 feet were fished, and sea bass were mixed in. Plenty of dates are available for trips aboard in August.  Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Pete anyway, or <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">subscribe to Parker Pete’s e-mailed newsletter</a>, to be kept informed about individual-spaces available on charters. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page on the boat’s Web site. Parker Pete’s sails for any species available, including bluefin tuna. Good catches of the tuna were mugged on some days, and not on others, and the angling was good. The fish were trolled and jigged.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

One of the open-boat, mixed-bag trips to the mid-shore ocean fished Wednesday with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, a report on Andrea’s Toy’s Web site said. The trips target catches that can include bluefin tuna, mahi mahi, cod and pollock, all in one outing. With four anglers, first-timers aboard, the trip broke the inlet in the dark to reach the fishing grounds early. A half-dozen boats fished the area on arrival, and thousands of tuna chicks flew. Though the plan was to troll at first, good marks were read, so the anglers started jigging. A tuna was hooked right away. “Decided to troll to find some bigger models,” the report said. Another angler landed a tuna. The trip stopped and jigged again, and the other two anglers landed tuna. More tuna were then tagged and released. One was kept on the trip, and because all the anglers had reeled in tuna, they decided to try for mahi mahi next. A bunch of gaffers were found swimming around a lobster-pot buoy, and one was caught, and others were lost. Then the trip fished a few wrecks, and cod and ling were rustled up. “Lots of fun with a bunch of new anglers to the Toy!” the report said. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up, and more variety for dinner. Charters are also sailing, and telephone if interested in the unique trips.

Some sizeable fluke, including quite a few 3- to 5-pounders, were belted from the ocean Tuesday and Wednesday, and the fishing remained decent, on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Fluke 5 to 6 pounds won the pools both days, and the boat is fishing sticky bottom. Bring extra tackle, because some will inevitably be snagged. On night trips, 1- to 1-1/2 blues were pasted. The angling was very good Tuesday night and slower Wednesday night, for some reason. Plenty were read that night, but the boat had to be moved a lot to put a catch together. 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.

A good percentage of keeper fluke were hooked most days on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. Sixty percent might be keepers then, and none was huge, but 6-pound fluke were the pool-winners on recent trips. Good-sized sea bass were sometimes boated among the fluke , and trips fished rough bottom in deeper waters. On nighttime wreck-fishing trips, catches were mostly good. They were slow on a couple of trips, but usually plenty of ling, not many other catches, were looted. No squid showed up on the trips yet. On nighttime bluefishing trips, catches were slow. Some of the fish, small ones, were landed, but the fishing wasn’t like it should be. The Gambler is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 .m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily. Wreck-fishing trips are running 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. every Thursday, and bluefishing trips are sailing during the same hours every Friday and Saturday. Tuna trips will begin in September, and see the <a href="http://gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.html" target="_blank">Gambler’s tuna schedule</a> online.

<b>Toms River</b>

Fluke seemed to push farther south in Barnegat Bay more than before, and fishing for them picked up at Barnegat Inlet, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Maybe the heat wave a couple of weeks ago made them move, though water temperatures dropped to the high 70s or 80 degrees now, down from the 80s because of the heat wave. But the fish also gathered toward the BI marker or more toward the 5- and 6-foot flats toward Tice’s Shoal. Fluke closer to the shop, along Route 37 Bridge, were small or 12 to 16 inches. In the Toms River, snapper blues 3 and 4 inches hit spearing for bait, and spots chomped nightcrawlers and bits of clam. Croakers pretty much moved out from the river. Crabbing was awesome anyplace on the river and also along the 37 Bridge and at Good Luck Point. Snappers, spots, croakers and eels swam along the bridge. A similar mix held along Good Luck Point. A great run of blowfish continued at the BI and BB markers. A variety of fish including striped burrfish, snappers, kingfish and croakers were mixed in while boaters chummed for blowfish. In the surf, mostly fluke bit, grabbing bucktails with Gulps or Gulps on a plain hook. Bluefish 1 pound occasionally jumped on the Gulps. A striped bass was occasionally clammed from the surf. On the ocean, boaters picked a few sea bass at the Tire Reef and some fluke at the moaning buoy. Sharks kept swiping bait at the moaning buoy.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

The surf gave up kingfish on clam on a kingfish rig, fluke on a rig with a bucktail and a teaser baited with Gulp, sharks at night on fresh bunker, and occasional striped bass on clam, said Mario from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Fishing for the stripers, resident or non-migrating fish, was very slow. In Barnegat Bay, crabbing was good, somewhat slowing during the molt around the full moon, but it should pick back up. Lots of snapper blues and spots swam the bay, including around the dock. Baits stocked include fresh clams and frozen spearing for snappers. The Dock Outfitters features a full supply of bait and tackle, a dock to fish and crab from and boat and jet ski rentals.

<b>Forked River</b>

Plenty of fluke were smoked from Barnegat Bay, including at Double Creek Channel, High Bar Harbor and near Viking Village, said Jana from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Fishing for them was good at Barnegat Inlet, and bluefish schooled the inlet and were trolled in the middle of the bay on Pony Tails. Blowfish were boated from the bay in 5 to 7 feet, away from boat traffic, while anglers anchored and chummed, fishing with clam or squid. Nothing was really heard about weakfish. Ocean fluke fishing picked up at places like 30- or 40-foot depths off the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park. A few were lifted from the Tires and Garden State Reef North. Killies and fresh spearing are stocked. Fresh are the same price as frozen, and stay on the hook better. Frozen baits include spearing, sand eels and nearly everything. Freshwater baits like nightcrawlers and trout worms are carried.   

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Was another good day of fluke fishing Wednesday on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The angling began slowly, because the boat drifted unfavorably, but catches improved. Tuesday’s fluking was great aboard, and a mess of keepers were swung in during the first drift. Some anglers totaled three and four keepers on the outing, and Nancy Cotter, Little Egg Harbor Township, won the pool with a 5-pounder. Monday’s trip picked away at fluke, and the fishing was a bit difficult, because of the drift, but weather was perfect. The Miss Barnegat Light is sailing for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

Barnegat Bay’s fluke were boated right around <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b> or from “this front part of the cove,” Vince Jr. said, or off the Dike. Many healthy-sized ones were jammed, and the shop is located near the inlet, so the fish might’ve been migrating toward the ocean. Mostly killies caught them, and sometimes anglers livelined spots for them. Weakfish were sometimes docked, and were hooked on killies while anglers fluked. Not as many blowfish were seen from the bay as last week, but not a lot of customers fish for them. Blackfishing was pretty good along Barnegat Inlet’s jetties. Bluefish finally started to be seen from Barnegat Inlet, after they were surprisingly scarce before. They were 14 inches, not bad sized. Crabbing began to pick up, and a bunch of customers trapped 10 or a dozen keepers the past few days. Crabbing takes off later locally than at places farther away from the inlet, because of cool ocean waters from the inlet. Customers sometimes clammed the bay, gathering them up. Live minnows, spots and green crabs are stocked. Live grass shrimp became available, and need to be ordered ahead of time. They aren’t carried every day. The store rents boats for fishing, crabbing and clamming and kayaks. Bobbie’s includes a bait and tackle store and a fuel dock, and is known for a large bait selection.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Fishing’s been awesome. The last few days gave up more keeper fluke than any stretch so far. All on the leadheads and white Gulp swimming mullet. Drifting from the top of Oyster Creek all the way to the inlet. A steady catch of 18- to 20-inch fish making it into the cooler, with a bunch of 10-inch to ‘just unders’ providing lots of action, between keepers. Every other time I anchor up and chum with live grass shrimp for weakfish, we catch them. Wednesday's visit to Meyer's Hole was a ‘full on’ bite of 1- to 2-pounders that scream line on our 6-pound spinners. Baited hooks or jigs tipped with shrimp both worked. We’re also catching a mix of hickory shad, spots, snapper blues, blowfish and short fluke. I had a charter aboard Monday morning for what was to be my first Barnegat Ridge trip, but 6-foot cresting breakers at the Monument of Barnegat Inlet kept us from passing into a nice, flat ocean. Outgoing tide collided with a southeast swell, and that's what happens. Fortunately, I always hedge my bets, and order a batch of live grass shrimp, in case we need a Plan B … and we did. After a lackluster effort at shrimping on the west side of the bay, I took a look at the tide chart, and as luck would have it, it was prime to shrimp the ocean side of the jetty. I picked up a second shot of shrimp, and made a run through the now flat-calm inlet. We set up shop, and these guys had a blast with non-stop action on 20- to 24-inch stripers and 36- to 40-inch houndfish. We also got spooled by an unknown fish that made one continuous, medium-speed run. My best guess would be a cownosed ray. I’m running an open boat 1 to 6 p.m. Friday. We’ll start out shrimping the jetty, and then finish up with either fluking or shrimping weakies. (The price is slightly higher because) I’m ordering a second shot of live grass shrimp for our weakfish effort after the jetty. I throw aggressively, and I never want to try and ration one batch of bait into two efforts. Another open boat will run offshore to Barnegat Ridge for whatever we can find – bonita, albacore, mahi – 6 a.m. to 12 noon Saturday. An open trip for weakies and fluke will run 12 noon to 5 p.m. Monday. Three people max on all open boats. All fish are shared, and I provide everything.”

<b>Surf City</b>

Along Barnegat Inlet’s jetty, lots of throwback fluke but some keepers swam, said Sue from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. Blackfish catches were sometimes reported from along the jetty, not a lot. Keeper fluke were occasionally beached from the surf proper. Lots of nice-sized kingfish hovered the surf. One angler, who never fished for them before, rented a rod from the shop, banking a ton of kings, including some large. The store now rents rods for $15 a day. Cownosed rays traveled the surf, and sharks were caught and released in the waters. Tiny bluefish began to appear for shore anglers. In the bay, snapper blues schooled, after they were slow to show up. Blowfish, croakers, fluke, baby sea bass, bergals and trash fish were in the bay. Spots swam from the bay to the ocean. On party boats on the ocean, fluke fishing picked up some, and sea bass fishing was mostly slow. Baits stocked include green crabs, bloodworms, fresh clams and eels. Frozen baits include spearing, sand eels, mullet and smelts. Artificial baits like Fishbites are in full supply. The supply of fresh bunker was hit or miss, and the menhaden were currently out of stock. No killies were stocked at the moment, after the minnows died. That was after the minnow tank was recently put back in order after the autumn’s hurricane, and the water mixture wasn’t quite right for the killies. That’ll be fixed, and killies will be re-stocked.  The store’s annual <b><i>Free Surf Fishing Seminars</i></b> are under way. Held 6- to 7 p.m. every Sunday, rain or shine, in the parking lot until Labor Day, the classes cover the fishing that’s happening now, and 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>Mystic Island</b>

Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> and friend scored good fishing for summer flounder, including four sizeable, at Little Egg Inlet on outgoing tide Wednesday, he said. Flounder could also be boated from places like Grassy Channel in the bays. Ocean flounder fishing improved considerably at Little Egg Reef, compared with a couple of weeks ago. Trips started to boat two and three keepers, and some, with experienced anglers, limited out, on the ocean. Some healthy catches of flounder were made at Garden State Reef during the weekend. A.C. Reef’s flounder fishing went pretty well, too. Ocean flounder trips should bring green crabs to stop at wrecks to blackfish. The limit is one of the tautog per person, but if four or five anglers are on a trip, that’s a nice addition. Sea bass were reported caught from 90 feet in the ocean, and ling and whiting were sometimes rounded up around there. In Great Bay, lots of croakers, spots and snapper blues gathered off Graveling Point. Clams and bloodworms were fished for the croakers and spots, and chrome lures were tossed for the blues. The bay’s nighttime sharking was good at Grassy Channel, and sharks were also fought at Tuckerton Bay at night. Minnows, fresh, shucked clams and bloodworms are stocked. Weather is too warm to keep live grass shrimp on hand.

<b>Absecon</b>

The back bay’s summer flounder fishing was good, and many of the fish were small, and many of the large ones become culled out this time of season, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. But anglers pick through during this time of year, working for flounder to bag, and they look for a spot with a few better-sized ones. All the little fish like croakers and spots schooled around. Some of the spots were large enough to eat, not just to use for bait. The mouth of Mullica River held a soup of fish, including lots of croakers and some white perch. Striped bass were hooked from the bay at night, and occasionally during day, but focusing on them during daytime wasn’t really recommended. Stripers were hooked during daytime by chance, especially at the mouth of the river, especially when shedder crabs were fished, like for croakers. A bunch of the stripers were throwbacks, but occasionally one was a keeper, at the mouth. But, again, targeting the bass wasn’t really practical. Weakfish swam usual haunts along the Intracoastal Waterway, and the mouth of the river probably held most. The population seemed to keep growing, and lots of bait, like spearing, seemed to attract them. Mullet began to be seen, not enough for Dave to net to sell for bait yet, but soon. Peanut bunker were sometimes around, and were small. But the bait population was coming along like expected, and Dave expects good numbers to swim later this month and in September. The minnow population grew a little, and Dave was able to catch them to stock, instead of only being able to buy them, so that was a good sign. A few small, 1- and 2-pound bluefish were around. Anglers occasionally headed out for blackfish, and the tautog were there. A few boaters began to troll the inshore ocean for catches like bonito and skipjacks, so that became an option. Crabbing was becoming better and better, and this month is usually best for crabbing. Baits stocked include live minnows, spots and green crabs.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Surf casters batted-in spots and kingfish, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Bloodworms beaned them best, but Fishbites worked “good enough,” he said, and he’d use them, because they’re easier to handle than natural worms. Brown sharks, required to be released, in the surf were “moving in heavy,” he said. Anglers caught spots, chunked them up for bait, and wrestled 4- and 5-foot sharks on the chunks. Bluefish 3 pounds began to show up in the surf, and they should in summer. They weren’t abundant but were around, and whether they’d arrive this year had almost been a question. Snapper blues schooled the back bay, and summer flounder fishing was good in the bay. More bait than before, like peanut bunker, started to be seen. More than 300 kids entered the weekend’s Hooked on Fishing Tournament in Brigantine. Bloodworms and all frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

At Absecon Inlet, anglers on foot plumbed summer flounder, good-sized, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. They bailed lots of croakers and big spots – larger spots than Noel saw before, or 9 and 10 inches, almost 12. They tied into weakfish, blackfish and triggerfish. Minnows and squid hooked the flounder, and bloodworms and clams nipped the croakers and spots. The weakfish were plugged and bloodwormed, and the blackfish and triggerfish were crabbed, clammed and head-on-shrimped. Baits stocked include minnows, green crabs, fresh clams, either in the shell or shucked, fresh bunker, bloodworms and frozen sand eels, herring, peanut bunker, head-on shrimp, spearing, a large variety of squids and more. An outside vending machine was just installed, so anglers can buy bait during after-hours. A part is coming so the machine can carry more than frozen baits. But currently its baits include frozen clams, Pro Cut squid, head-on shrimp and filleted mackerel. Catch the shop’s sale on bucktails, at almost wholesale prices. They’re going for: 1/8 ounce, $1.79; ¼ ounce, $1.85; 3/8 ounce, $1.89; ½ ounce, $1.95; 5/8 ounce, $2; ¾ ounce, $2.09; 1 ounce, $2.20; 1 ½ ounces, $2.29; 2 ounces, $2.99; and 3 ounces, $3.49.  Colors are all-white, green-and-white, chartreuse-and-white, yellow-and-white, pink-and-white, red-and-white and purple-and-white.  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>

On the back bay, summer flounder fishing slowed compared with last week on the party boat <b>Keeper</b>, but keepers were boxed on every trip, and the fishing wasn’t bad, Capt. John said. Lots of fish including flounder flooded the bay. Lots of throwback flounder bit every place fished. On Wednesday morning’s trip, the first four fish caught were keeper flounder larger than 20 inches. A few keepers were cranked in during each outing, and some trips caught more than others. Small croakers and lots of baby sea bass bit. A bluefish or two popped up, and a 3-1/2-pound weakfish was bagged. Sea robins swam all over, and sharks chewed. Tons of bait schooled, and the bay was full of life. Mackerel and minnows supplied aboard nabbed the flounder. Gulps that anglers brought caught them well, and anglers should bring Gulps. The 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>Ocean City</b>

Summer flounder seemed to start migrating toward the ocean from the back bay, Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b> said. They began to be picked around inlet bridges and ocean reefs. The fluke were also banked from the surf at Corson’s and Great Egg Harbor inlets. A few weakfish and striped bass were snatched at night from along bridges or other structure in the bay. Lots of spots, big, and a few croakers swam the bay. From the ocean surf, lots of spots and some kingfish were beached. The kings were caught if spots didn’t grab the bait. Nothing was heard about bluefish from anywhere locally. For boaters on the ocean, a few sea bass could be hung along with flounder. Farther from shore, the only tuna heard about were catches far south in the Baltimore and Washington canyon areas. Nothing was heard about bluefin tuna like a couple of weeks ago from Massey’s Canyon and the Hot Dog. Minnows, bloodworms, eels and all frozen baits are stocked. Fresh clams and fresh bunker aren’t stocked this time of year, because of demand.   

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

With Dan Rath and Dustin Laricks aboard, a trip ran to Massey’s Canyon on Wednesday, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. A bunch of mahi mahi and a big bluefin tuna were trolled, but the bluefin pulled the hook. Waters were 77 and 78 degrees, clear and beautiful. Joe heard nothing specific about tuna from canyons farther offshore recently. One of Jersey Cape’s inshore shark trips sailed Tuesday with Peter Rotelli’s family, battling and releasing four or five dusky sharks, required to be let go, to 50 pounds on mackerel fillets on spinning rods. The trips, also available for fly-rodders, usually fish within 10 miles from shore, a chance to fight a big catch without the long haul offshore. The Ted Wahl family aboard Monday bombed a couple of keeper summer flounder and more than 40 throwbacks on the back bay. Joe and wife that afternoon headed back on the bay, drilling a couple of keeper flounder to 5 pounds and a bunch of throwbacks. A combo of a minnow and a Gulp on a single-hooked rig worked best for flounder recently. Lots of flounder have crammed the waters, and the fishing’s been great, Joe said.  Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

For back-bay boaters, summer flounder fishing was very good, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The number of keepers dropped off a little, but plenty of the flatfish jammed the bay. Anglers talked about landing 20 and 30 in a trip. The keeper ratio wasn’t great, but the anglers bagged some. More reports about flounder catches rolled in from the ocean than before. The fish weren’t abundant, were picked, but more will probably hover the ocean in a week or two. Blackfish were caught, and triggerfish started to be around. The trigger population wasn’t peaked yet. The bay’s fishing for striped bass, mostly schoolies, picked up in evenings. Bigger ones were sometimes clubbed at night at deeper holes or bridges on livelined spots. At inlets cocktail blues began to pop up at times. So anglers fly-rodded or cast jigs for them. Lots of spots, croakers and kingfish came from the surf. Sometimes weakfish bit in the surf, not a lot, but enough were around that most surf anglers tried for them.  Bluefin tuna were still sometimes caught from the inshore ocean. A couple of trips were heard about that sailed for them at Massey’s Canyon on Wednesday. Some of the tuna were broken off, and stories were heard about the big one missed. Quite a few mahi mahi were boated in the area.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Summer flounder fishing became slower than before on the back bay, for no apparent reason, said Fred from <b>No Bones Bait & Tackle</b>. Water conditions seemed good, and plenty of bait filled waters like it should. Anglers fished all over the area, and practically all throwbacks carpeted the bay. No weakfish were heard about that were caught at Hereford Inlet previously. Snapper bluefish 3 inches schooled the bay. Baby sea bass ran the waters like usual this time of season. Crabbing was good, and customers who worked at crabbing trapped four to five dozen keepers. Those who crabbed less seriously plucked 1 to 1 ½ dozen. Live minnows and spots and all the baits needed to fish local waters are stocked. Rental boats are available to fish and crab the bay.

<b>Cape May</b>

Bluefin and yellowfin tuna were boated Wednesday at the inshore, southern lumps on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Mario said. Open-boat marathon sea bass trips kept piling up good catches, and summer flounder fishing showed signs of improving. Inshore shark trips fought plenty of the fish. Charters are sailing, 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-boat trips.

A trip sailed for bluefin tuna Tuesday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, but none bit, Capt. George said. The anglers wanted to chunk and jig for the fish, and the trip first anchored at the Hot Dog. The fishing had been good through Monday, and bait and tuna were marked on the trip, but none touched a hook. Not even a tuna ran off with a line, and the anglers fished hard the whole time, like one of them who jigged at the bow the entire time the boat was anchored. After no tuna bit at the Dog, the trip got up on the troll, working to Massey’s Canyon. Still no tuna bit. But a mahi mahi was caught on the outing, and a big tiger shark was hooked and broke the line with its tail at the boat, swimming away.  Previously, mostly bluefins but occasional yellowfin tuna were caught in the area. On the trip, George heard about a couple of tuna caught on other boats, but not many. Waters were bluish-green, not so good-looking. But George has caught bluefins when waters looked dirty, and bluefins don’t seem affected by water clarity as much as yellowfins. Yellowfins seem tolerant of clear waters, only. George has wondered whether waters are sometimes clear below dirty waters along the surface. Another trip is supposed to tuna fish aboard Saturday. Farther from shore, yellowfins seemed to hold at Washington and Norfolk canyons. Back near Cape May, George fished for small bluefish at 5-Fathom Bank on Wednesday on a friend’s boat. The blues are there, and the Heavy Hitter is fishing for them. The trip also landed triggerfish. Trips on the Heavy Hitter are also running for summer flounder, sea bass and inshore sharks. Anglers were seen at the docks with flounder from the Old Grounds in the ocean. Like usual, flounder were bagged there when conditions or winds and tides drifted the boat well for the angling. Plenty of dates are available for trips, and telephone if interested in any of this fishing.

The part boat <b>Porgy IV</b> was down for maintenance since last week, Capt. Paul said. A piston was blown, and the mechanic was waiting for parts, but now parts came in, and the mechanic said the boat should be fixed today, so trips can resume Friday. But telephone the boat to confirm. When trips start, they’ll resume sailing for summer flounder at 8 a.m. daily. Other boats caught flounder, Paul heard, but he hadn’t been out, so he couldn’t say how many of the fish bit.

Lots of spots and some croakers and kingfish skittered the surf, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. He and a friend in the surf clammed about 50 spots, a couple of kingfish and a 3-pound weakfish. Weakfish were still sometimes flung in from along the jetties and the back bay. Summer flounder fishing was pretty good from the surf at Cape May Lighthouse and Sunset Beach. A few flounder were boated from the back bay, and fairly good catches of them began to be heard about from Delaware Bay at the 9 and 10 buoys and 60-Foot Slough. Cape May Reef in the ocean seemed to produce a few flounder. Flounder were boated from the ocean at the Old Grounds and Reef 11 when conditions drifted the boat right. A few sea bass hit at Cape May Reef, but deeper wrecks probably held lots more. If flounder fishing on the reef, anglers should bring clams to dunk for a variety of fish including sea bass, croakers and blackfish. Minnows, green crabs, bloodworms and all frozen baits are stocked. Fresh mullet is trying to be stocked for the weekend, because a few redfish seemed to start arriving in the surf. Seven caught were known about, and the southern species was surprisingly abundant last summer for a time.

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