<b>Perth Amboy</b>

The next open-boat trips for fluke will motor out this Saturday and Sunday and the following Sunday, September 1, on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an e-mail. Charters are also fishing, and most bigger fluke seemed to gather at the channels. Most captains talked about landing the fish to 8 and 9 pounds there. Fluke will start to school up at the channels, migrating offshore.  If anglers want large fluke, this is the best chance. The Vitamin Sea also fishes from Staten Island. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Keyport</b>

Jerry Tell’s trip with two anglers pasted 10 keeper fluke to 22 inches on the ocean Friday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Lots of throwbacks were caught and released, like usual, and the boat drifted excellent in good weather. The anglers fished with spearing, killies and squid. Open-boat trips are available 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily through Sunday when no charter is booked. Telephone to jump aboard.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Mornings fished better for fluke than afternoons in past days on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, mostly because southeast winds came up, blowing against currents, making the boat drift crummy, in afternoons, Capt. Tom said. Catches weren’t as good as he’d like. “No doubt about it,” he said. But some good-sized fluke, not huge, were tied into, and throwbacks were let go. One angler on Sunday morning’s trip came one fluke short of a limit, and a couple bagged two, and some one, and so on. Throwbacks were landed around the boat on the trip, and keepers were mixed in. Trips in past days fished mussel bottom between the channels. Depths were only 20 to 30 feet, not deep, but drifts were somewhat fast. Anglers worked with that, sometimes needing to fish heavy weight, 8 ounces, despite the shallows, because of the speed. The angler who almost limited fished killies. Spearing are provided aboard, and anglers bring their own killies, if wanted. But whether spearing or killies caught better lately was difficult to say. However, plain rigs caught better than dressed rigs. Bait on the rigs could be, for example, killies, spearing, a combo of spearing and killie on a hook, a combo of either spearing or killie with Gulp, and so on. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

Good drift of the boat, and the bite was on, at first on Sunday morning’s trip on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron wrote in an e-mail. Plus, a 12.2-pound fluke was creamed on Friday’s trip! More on that in a moment. First, on Sunday’s trip, several drifts turned up “some very nice keepers once again,” and a bunch of throwbacks, Ron said. The fishing slowed after the drift became too fast at 2 ½ knots. After the tide changed, the angling never turned back on in the afternoon. The high hook bagged four, and a 5-1/2-pound fluke was the pool-winner, and several weighed 3 to 4 pounds. Seas rolled pretty well throughout morning, because of a storm far offshore the previous night, “making it a little uncomfortable,” Ron said. That was one of the daily open-boat trips, but Friday’s trip was a charter. Nick Laterza, Wayne, slammed the 12.2-pounder. He seemed foul-hooked on a skate, because the catch felt like dead weight, with no shake. Then the huge fluke came up! A 9-pound fluke was boated aboard the previous day, covered in the previous report.  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 porgies, croakers, fluke, blues and striped bass, 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays. However, the boat is chartered this Friday and Sunday mornings, and is unavailable this Sunday afternoon, so no open trips will sail those two mornings and Sunday afternoon.

<b>Neptune</b>

An 11-pound fluke was smashed with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> on a trip Saturday with Mercer County Anglers, Capt. Ralph wrote in an e-mail. Frank Mecicharek, Bordentown, nailed the fish and also a 6-pounder on the trip. The rest of the anglers “also caught some nice fluke,” Ralph said. Other trips also scored well on fluke, and also ling. The Corner Deli’s trip Friday and Jeff East’s group Saturday walloped ling. The group started fishing for bluefish, but only 8- to 10-inchers bit, so they switched to ling. An individual-reservation trip for blues is cancelled August 29, because of the size of the fish. “Not my cup of tea,” Ralph said. If anglers want big blues, they’ll show up in fall. Individual-reservation trips are fishing for fluke every Tuesday, and kids under 12 sail free, limited to two per adult. An individual-rez trip for cod is full on September 9, but space remains on another on October 7. An individual-reservation trip for inshore wreck fishing is set for September 29, and sea bass season will be opened starting September 27. An individual-reservation trip for blackfish will sail November 16, the day the bag limit is increased to six of the tautog, from the current limit of one. Charters are available, and book fall striped bass charters early. Fishing for stripers was great well into November aboard last year, after Hurricane Sandy in late October.

<b>Belmar</b>

Lots of bluefish, a very good catch, were bombed today on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Bonito were mixed in, and fluke were cranked up. On Sunday night’s trip, all anglers limited out on blues, and the trip played catch and release with more afterward. Previously during the weekend, starting on Friday’s daytime trip, the angling was somewhat slower than the good bluefishing on previous days. On that trip, bluefishing was good, but not like on previous days, and the boat wouldn’t drift well.  On Saturday’s daytime trip, not much drift, and boat traffic, made bluefishing fair. If anglers worked at it, they could limit out and release more. The angling was similar to that on night trips Friday and Saturday: fair, but if anglers worked, they could limit and let go more. The sizes of the blues wasn’t mentioned for each trip since Friday, but 2 to 5 pounds were the sizes mentioned. 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.

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> competed in Belmar’s Shillelagh Fluke Tournament on Saturday, Capt. Pete said. The fishing was outstanding aboard, limiting out the boat, throwing back additional keepers. None as large as 6-pounds came in, but 4- and 5-pounders did. “Real healthy fish,” Pete said. Previously, fluking was hit or miss, good on some days, picky on others. But anglers left with plenty of fluke bagged. Trips fished at different depths from 40 to 65 feet, but the shallower waters fished somewhat better recently. Bucktails usually caught better than bait, especially when the boat didn’t drift much, because bucktails could be worked along bottom. But sometimes bait was necessary, like during windy weather in the middle of the week, when weight like 10 ounces was needed to hold bottom. A 70-pound drum hit a bucktail and was heaved-in toward the end of the week. In other news, bluefin tuna fishing went well on some days and was picky on others, on the inshore ocean. The fish remained in the waters, and some were larger, like 55 to 70 inches. Parker Pete’s sails for all species available. 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.

<b>Brielle</b>

On the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, fluke fishing was sluggish mid-week, because the vessel drifted slowly, but catches picked up afterward, when winds increased, Capt. Ryan wrote in an e-mail. Trips mostly fished rough bottom, or around rocks and wrecks, in 60 to 70 feet on the ocean. Bucktails were “the hot item,” he said, most of the week, especially when the boat drifted slowly. Half-ounce bucktails tipped with Gulps in Nuclear Chicken hooked many 5- to 7-pounders. “Don’t be stubborn with the old-fashioned rigs,” he said. “Get in the game.” Dave Snyder, Levittown, Pa., crushed an 8.8-pound fluke, taking the lead in the monthly pool. Anglers and their catches also included: Corey Wilson, Trenton, limit of fluke to 7 pounds; Marty Brandeis, Bristol, Pa., limit of fluke to 6 pounds; Pete LaCour, Spring Lake, limit of fluke to 6 pounds; Ray Bryant, South Orange, limit of fluke to 5 ½  pounds; and Oliver Cobb, Pennsauken, limit of fluke. The Jamaica II is fishing for fluke twice daily at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and on an all-day trip at 7:30 a.m. Mondays.

Local reefs really started to light up with fluke angling fairly well, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The fish were smacked from Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs, and bucktails caught better than bait. Manasquan River’s fluking was okay, serving up lots of throwbacks and a handful of keepers. Quite a few striped bass were hooked from the river in early mornings and at night on soft-plastic lures. Hickory shad fishing seemed to amp up a lot in the river, and especially kicked in at Manasquan Inlet. Along the surf, anglers picked away at small stripers at night, especially to the north, at Asbury Park, Deal and Elberon. A few fluke, mostly throwbacks, occasionally a keeper, came from the surf during daytime. Back on the ocean, any bluefish heard about were small, like up to 2 pounds, but blues were boated, at Shrewsbury Rocks and at the Mud Buoy. Ling fishing was steady, consistent or fair on the ocean. Boaters could catch them. Plenty of bluefin tuna were decked, any place from the Resor and Atlantic Princess wrecks to the Triple Wrecks and the tip of Chicken Canyon, or that whole area. Anglers searched them out, and some of the bluefins were sizeable, in the 100-pound range. Mid-range shark fishing was actually good. Lots of thresher sharks swam, and other sharks like browns did. Farther offshore, bigeye tuna were trolled at Hudson Canyon’s 100 Square and Lindenkohl Canyon. A few yellowfin tuna and longfin tuna were trolled, and sometimes swordfish were cranked in at night, at offshore canyons like that. The fishing was relatively slow, but catches were made.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Fishing for fluke was tough, maybe because the ocean cooled a little, on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. Plenty of fluke swam the waters, but getting them to bite was an issue, he thought. Trips fished rocks and rubble, and also hills and lumps. A few keepers and throwbacks were pulled in, and fluke 3 to 5 pounds won pools. On nighttime trips, lots of 1- to 3-pound blues, including many limits, were beaten during weekdays last week. But the fishing became slow during the weekend, for some reason. Plenty of blues were read, “but did not want to stick around and bite for us,” he said. Bring a light rod for fun with the fish. 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.

After a week in the boat yard, <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> jumped back into good fishing, both inshore and offshore, Alan, the vessel’s owner, wrote in an e-mail. The Hinkle charter on Friday fished for blues inshore. They limited out, releasing more, and also caught bonito and fluke, all on jigs, within 10 miles from Manasquan Inlet. Another group climbed aboard that night, running to the offshore canyons to troll for tuna. They arrived at a canyon at gray light on Saturday morning. The trip began to troll where water temperature changed to 74 degrees from 72, and bait and other signs of life were seen. A longfin tuna was caught within minutes. After an hour, a 213-pound bigeye tuna was hooked, keeping the anglers fighting a while. The bigeye was boated, and the trip later moved to another location at the canyon to troll. Another half-dozen longfins were decked, and several were dropped. The trip’s tuna were some of the anglers’ first-ever. Another canyon trip was cancelled Sunday, because of winds. But forecasts are calling for several days of good weather. Inshore and offshore charters are still being booked, and open-boat trips are being set up, by reservation. Telephone the captain to fish. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness. The crew pride themselves on sharing the concept on outdoor adventures.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Catching keeper fluke had been tougher a couple of days aboard, but the angling became better today, a report on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>’s Web site said. A 6-pound fluke was the pool-winner today, and throwbacks gave up lots of action on Sunday’s trip. “However, pretty slow with keepers,” the report said. Fluking was slow aboard Saturday, because the boat failed to drift well. But fluking was good Thursday and Friday aboard. The Miss Barnegat Light is fluke fishing 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

Charters mostly fluke fished aboard the <b>Super Chic</b>, Capt. Ted said. The angling was pretty fair, catching enough keepers “to keep (anglers) happy,” he said. Trips mostly fished in 60 to 70 feet, and small bluefish were mixed in. A trip targeted blues on Sunday, trolling them at Barnegat Ridge. No bonito or other pelagics hit. The season’s first overnight tuna trip is slated to fish offshore in mid-September. Further ahead, Ted looks forward to fishing for striped bass this fall. The 56-foot boat can accommodate up to 25 anglers on inshore trips and 10 on overnight, offshore trips. The vessel sleeps 10 passengers.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Lots of boaters scooped up summer flounder, good catches, from ocean reefs, Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s Web site, even if the angling was a little slow Saturday, the day he posted the report. When boats wouldn’t drift much, the anglers worked bucktails. When the vessels drifted, anglers drifted bait on fluke rigs. Gulps sold like crazy for bait. Sea robins, skates and bluefish also bit at the reefs. An angler posted a report on the site about a trip with four anglers that tugged in 12 flounder, all of them keepers except one, at Little Egg Reef on Saturday in only an hour. Was great fishing, but the trip had to depart after an hour, because a child became seasick. The anglers fished with minnows, shiners and squid, starting at 9 a.m. Tide was low outgoing, and seas were 2 to 4 feet, in sunny skies.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Spots swam all over the surf, and brown sharks haunted the waters, Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s Web site. Browns are required to be released, and healthy catches were heard about. Anglers waited for bluefish to show up in the surf in good numbers. A 13-pound striped bass was weighed in that was banked at the south end jetty. “I know the weather has been cool, but is the fall run starting?” Andy asked. “I don’t think so, but there are some swimming around … .”

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

On the ocean, summer flounder fishing had moments of greatness, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Some very good days were had, and the angling was “back and forth,” he said. Some days were better than others. Kevin McCarty and son aboard grabbed a couple of keepers and released throwbacks on Thursday. They also let go out-of-season sea bass. But flounder remained in the back bay, and many were throwbacks, and some were keepers. Trips aboard also fished for them. Striped bass bit at night in the bay on soft-plastic lures and Clouser Minnow flies, and Jersey Cape sails for them. Shark fishing was good on the inshore ocean. A charter Friday whaled 13 brown, dusky and brown sharks to 70 pounds, and a hammerhead shark, releasing them. The Bob Mays family aboard Saturday caught and released eight duskies, browns and blacktips. Then they fished the back bay for flounder. Brown, dusky and hammerhead sharks are required to be let go. The sharking, catch and release trips with spinning or fly rods, usually within 10 miles from shore, is a chance to fight big fish, without the long run offshore. These trips spin-rodded for them, and the sharking usually lasts until Labor Day, and has been great. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

Delaware Bay was fished in the past week with <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, Capt. Jim said. Croakers, spots, kingfish and blues were angled, and most summer flounder were hooked toward the Elbow, on the northern bay, like aboard the previous week. But the most recent trips also found fish, mostly croakers, kings and blues, at 60-Foot Slough, in the southern bay. The flounder were a bunch of throwbacks, many of them just a quarter-inch undersized. Tons of brown sharks and dusky sharks swam the bay. They’re required to be released, but those species are sizeable, so they’re fun, and customers seem to like catching them. Fins and Feathers is also fishing for warm-water fish like bluefin tuna and mahi mahi on the ocean within 30 miles from shore. They can pop up at places like East Lump or the Cigar this time of season. Fins and Feathers fishes the ocean from Avalon, where the boat is docked, and trailers the boat to fish Delaware Bay from wherever’s convenient, like Cape May or Reed’s Beach. Fins and Feathers offers a variety of outdoor adventures throughout the year, including duck and goose hunting on the bay, when the seasons are opened. Anglers can even enjoy a combo of striped bass fishing and waterfowl hunting over a series of days. Trips also fish for salmon and steelheads on upstate New York’s Salmon River from Jim’s lodge, and fly fish for trout on Pennsylvania’s streams like the Yellow Breeches. Salmon should begin to migrate up the river soon, into fall. Steelheads migrate up in late fall, remaining in the river through winter. The salmon and steelhead fishing then is world-class. 

<b>Cape May</b>

Weather was rough through the weekend, and anglers had wanted to tuna fish aboard Saturday, but cancelled, having difficulty getting the group together, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Maybe that was because of weather forecasts, and weather did end up rough. Still, George mated on a friend’s boat on a summer flounder trip that day on the ocean. Seas were 4 to 5 feet, occasionally 6, in 25 m.p.h. wind, not good fishing conditions. But the anglers stuck it out, fishing the whole time, managing a few keepers, nothing great, and plenty of throwbacks. Tuna catches were heard about lately, like a few from a trip at Wilmington Canyon, or a few from another place on another trip. Cape May’s Mid-Atlantic $500,000 offshore tournament was being held this week. If anglers want to sail for tilefish at the offshore canyons, that angling can be good.  A charter on the Heavy Hitter on Tuesday will sail for either flounder or bluefish. Flounder trips need to fish a whole day to reach places like the Old Grounds, off the coast of Delaware, for the best angling. Bluefish trips can sail a half-day, if wanted, to reach plenty of small blues at 5-Fathom Bank. The Heavy Hitter is sailing for all this fishing, and telephone if interested.

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