<b>Keyport</b>

Was a good week of fluking with the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>, Capt. Mario said. The trips fish ocean rough bottom, and high hooks landed seven or eight keepers toward the end of the week, keeping no more than a limit of five. Open-boat trips are fishing for fluke daily, and open trips are also bottom-fishing daily. On the bottom trips, ling fishing became better and better, and was good yesterday. Big sea bass and winter flounder were also pasted on the trip. Charters are available for either fishing, and join the <a href=" http://downdeepsportfishing.com/short-notice-list/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about special open trips. Book charters now for fall striped bass, sea bass and blackfish.

Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> had been traveling, but fluke fishing will resume Wednesday aboard, he wrote in an email. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing the ocean and rough bottom, and space is available Friday, Saturday and next Monday, Labor Day. Currents run strongly on some days, so anglers should be prepared to fish 8 ounces. Now’s the time to catch jumbos, and fluke season will be closed beginning September 26. Now’s also the time to book fall striped bass charters. Each angler will receive a bonus tag to bag an extra striper on the charters, while supplies last.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke fishing was a little tough, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Throwbacks and an occasional keeper were pulled in. But all slated trips sailed for the fish, and all anglers seemed to have a good time getting away on the water. Many of the fish were a half-inch to an inch short. Trips mostly fished Raritan Bay and toward the mouth of the bay, including Flynn’s Knoll and Chapel Hill Channel. Rough seas on the ocean failed to affect that. On some trips, fishing for the throwbacks was fairly busy, and few of the catches were keepers. On other trips, catching throwbacks wasn’t so active.  The Atlantic Star is fluke fishing 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

Fishing for fluke began with a bang, and the second drift fished okay for the fish, too, on the <b>Fishermen</b> today, a report said on the party boat’s website. Then the bite backed off, maybe because of a big swell from east by mid-day. Shorts, an odd keeper and big sea bass were picked then. The first drift produced the 8-pound, pool-winning fluke, a 6-pounder, a few other sizable and some sea bass. On the weekend’s trips, fishing for fluke and sea bass was good. Fishing bucktails seemed to have an edge for catching fluke, but bait hooked more of the beautiful sea bass. Sticky bottom was fished, but that wasn’t too bad, once the crew got anglers accustomed. Lack of current and therefore drift helped. On Sunday, a roll on the ocean made some anglers uncomfortable or seasick who didn’t boat often. Sea bass season will be closed beginning Thursday. Fluke season is open through September 25, and a 9.6-pounder is in the lead for the season-long pool. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, for striped bass 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and for porgies 6:30 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.

<b>Highlands</b>

Fifteen fluke to 7 pounds, including about six that topped 5 pounds, were bagged on an open-boat trip for the fish Saturday on the ocean with <b>Lady M Charters</b>, Capt. Steve said. Keepers and shorts gave up great action, and a marathon bottom-fishing trip bailed catches, lots, Sunday at the Mudhole aboard. The fish included sea bass, cod, pollock and even a whiting bagged.

<b>Neptune</b>

An inshore wreck-fishing trip Sunday aboard caught fantastic, every species, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>. Fluke trips were slated for today and tomorrow. Individual-reservation trips will fish for fluke Wednesday and on the Tuesdays of September 13 and 20. A special one of the trips will fish Sunday, September 25, the final day of fluke season. Charters are available daily, and no trips will fish September 1 to 9, because the boat will be readied for fall fishing.

<b>Belmar</b>

Ocean fluke fishing caught some but was no good Thursday aboard in hard southeast wind, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. On Friday’s trip, the wind direction had cooled the water, making fluking tougher, but some good-sized were bagged. During the weekend aboard, many anglers dragged bait. Those who could bucktail instead, scored well, and the trip’s fluke weighed up to 7 ½ pounds. Sizable sea bass were mixed in, but sea bass season will be closed beginning Thursday. Plenty of fluke remain, and plenty of dates are available in September for trips. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s anyway about individual spaces available on charters. Sign up for the email blast on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to be kept informed about the spaces.

Good fishing for small blues was scored again Sunday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. Boat traffic made the fish somewhat skittish, and current ran strongly, but a couple of anglers limited out on the 1- to 2-pounders, and so did a couple on Saturday. On Saturday’s trip, the angling was decent. The fish were “traveling,” not sticking around the boat. Each time the trip got on them, a few began to be caught, and the blues swam away. That had to keep being repeated. If anglers stayed at the rail and fished, they could limit. The angling was very good Thursday and pretty good Friday. The Golden Eagle is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Afternoon fishing and sunset cruise trips are sailing 4:30 to 8:30 daily, reservations required.

Good, long drifts of the boat picked away at bluefish, sometimes nailed super flurries, on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> during the weekend, an email from the party boat said. The fishing, “north of Shark River Inlet,” it said, was excellent, and was similar on today’s trip, after a short lull in the morning. Blues, sea bass and fluke were clubbed today. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.  Family fishing and sunset cruises are sailing 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Kids 14 and under are sailing free on morning trips Mondays through Thursdays through September when accompanied by an adult paying full fare. The back-to-school special, a $40 value, is limited to one child per adult and cannot be combined with other discounts. No reservations are required.

This is the last “big” weekend of summer, and fishing is good, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. So come on down. Fluke landed included Tobia Nelson from Farmingdale’s 8-pound 14-ouncer and Cole Cuttrell from Shark River Hills’s 5-pound 12-ouncer. Shark River’s fishing was great for porgies, kingfish and spots. Striped bass were reeled from back waters and the surf, mostly at night and in early mornings. Bill Massey from Wall fly-rodded and released two stripers, including a keeper, this morning.

<b>Brielle</b>

Bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna gave up a few catches, nothing great, between the Dip and the Fish Tails, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Plenty of white marlin and a few blue marlin swam Hudson Canyon. Quite a few mahi mahi held along lobster pot buoys in the area. Closer to shore, catches of bonito and false albacore were rumored but unconfirmed. Good fishing for ling, many of them medium-sized, was boated, and quite a number of winter flounder remained at the Mudhole. Fluke fishing was relatively good on the ocean, slowing somewhat in the past week. Shrewsbury Rocks and off the Red Church in 50 to 70 feet seemed places to be. A few came from Axel Carlson Reef, and a few chicken mahi roamed the reef. Tons of chub mackerel schooled 2 miles from shore. Party boats that bluefished ran into them. That could be good light-tackle angling. In Manasquan River, more and more keeper fluke were hooked. Looked like September could turn out good fluking at Manasquan Inlet. Plenty of bait schooled the water. A few snapper blues tumbled around the river. A load of 1- to 4-pound blues ran the surf at Sandy Hook. 

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Some great weather was met on fluke trips last week on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, a report said Friday on the party boat’s website. That was the most recent report at press time, and on some days during the trips, weather was so calm that the boat failed to drift. That’s never good for fluking, but plenty of action with throwbacks and some keepers was had. Pool-winning fluke weighed 4 to 6 pounds, and nighttime trips picked away at 1-pound blues, fun on light tackle. The Norma-K III is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Weather was hot, and there’s no place like the beach to help, a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. Fluke and small bluefish swam the surf for the taking, for surf-casters in the right place at the right time. Just giving it a shot was rewarding for the dyed-in-the-wool. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, a café, a dock for fishing and crabbing, boat rentals and jet-ski rentals.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Conditions failed to drift the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b> much Sunday on the ocean, so fluke fishing was slow on the trip, the party boat’s Facebook page said. On Saturday’s trip, fluke served up lots of action. Hooking a keeper among a mess of throwbacks was tough, but a few keepers were managed. The throwbacks were a quarter-of-an-inch to 2 inches short. On the previous few days’ trips, fishing was good for a mix of shorts and keepers. One drift produced five keepers, and the next, the exact same drift, produced only shorts. “Can’t figure them out,” a report on the boat’s website said. The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for fluke and sea bass at 8 a.m. daily.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Weakfish, Fluke, Albies, Bonita,” it said. “Fishing has been good in the bay these last few days. We’re continuing to catch weakfish and fluke of all sizes on the live grass shrimp on the east side of Barnegat Bay. A few hickory shad, sand sharks, blues and blowfish are in the mix. Shad darts tipped with shrimp or baited hooks under bobbers are doing best. We’re catching as many fluke as we are weakfish at times. All on the 6-pound ultra-light spinning rods with no sinkers. Also, false albacore and bonita are now at Barnegat Ridge. We’ll be running open-boat or charter at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and morning and afternoon trips Saturday through Tuesday on this holiday weekend. Your choice: shrimping weakies in the bay or Barnegat Ridge for albies and bonita … or both!”

<b>Brigantine</b>

Kingfish swarmed all over the surf, a report said on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s website. Spots, sea bass, croakers and small weakfish were mixed in. Shark fishing was slow this past week in the surf, but two reports talked about catching them at night this weekend, and someone sent a photo of another banked Sunday morning. Maybe sharks were moving in, like earlier this season? The ocean was 74 ½ degrees.

<b>Longport</b>

On the <b>Stray Cat</b>, fishing will concentrate on summer flounder in 80 feet of water in the ocean, Capt. Mike said in a voicemail. Croakers were yet to show up locally, but he hopes to find them this week. Several open-boat trips will fish each week beginning September 11.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A trip Sunday with several anglers trolled two mahi mahi to 15 pounds, a bunch of false albacore and lost a wahoo that was fought 2 hours, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The ocean held a swell because of stormy weather offshore, but fish bit. Fishing for pelagics like these has been turned on for Jersey Cape in past weeks. Cool stuff, lot of fun, he said. A big push of fish-holding water shoved inshore. The number and sizes of albies became great the last three or four days. Albies heavier than 10 pounds – that’s big – were landed. A trip Thursday trolled five mahi 10 to 18 pounds aboard. Joe did no summer flounder fishing in past days, but fishing for them reportedly lit up on the ocean. Coming up, meet the fall migration early: Joe will run annual trips to Montauk beginning in mid-September that fish for striped bass, blues and albies. Ever want to fish the migration from the legendary port? Joe’s going! See the <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">traveling charters’ page</a> on Jersey Cape’s website. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

Rough seas canceled fishing for catches like mahi mahi and wahoos on the ocean during the weekend with <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, Capt. Jim said. Trips are also fishing for summer flounder. Surf anglers beached spike weakfish and throwback striped bass along Avalon’s 8th Street jetty, interestingly. Fins will keep fishing, but is about to begin waterfowling, too, with a trip for Canadian geese Thursday in Pennsylvania. The goose season opens that day, and Fins hunts geese and ducks from then until February, following the migrations south. Anglers can even enjoy a combo of striped bass fishing and duck hunting on Delaware Bay over a series of days in fall aboard. Fins offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including saltwater fishing, the waterfowling, salmon and steelhead fishing on upstate New York’s Salmon River from Jim’s lodge, and fly-fishing for trout on Pennsylvania’s streams like the Yellow Breeches.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Fishing was good for a variety of catches per trip, said Capt. Jim from <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b>. The catches could include croakers, weakfish, kingfish, blues and summer flounder on the ocean from off Cape May Point to reefs. Lots of croakers schooled. The blues held off Hereford Inlet. The flounder fishing at reefs was hit and miss. A bunch of throwback flounder and a couple of keepers could bite. A couple of trolling trips are booked that could fish for larger blues and catches like bonito, false albacore and mahi mahi 20 miles from shore. Crabbing on the back bay remained good, not like earlier in summer, but productive, and Fins even offers crabbing. Fins fishes every day, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability.

<b>Cape May</b>

<b>Caveman Sportfishing</b> fished inshore for sharks, until tuna show back up in range, Capt. John said. Yellowfin tuna catches erupted at Washington Canyon, too far to sail from Cape May, Saturday, mostly on green sticks. Boats caught double-digits, and a trip that day with Caveman looked for tuna in 20 fathoms, 30 miles from Cape May, though seas were rough. No tuna showed up, and the trip pulled closer to shore and trolled lots of false albacore. Then the trip pulled even closer, into Delaware Bay, and shark fished, though this all took time. Eight or nine big sharks were released in 3 or 4 hours. Some of the albies were used for bait. Caveman often runs trips that strictly fish for the sharks. The trips, catch-and-release, are a chance to fight big fish without the long sail offshore. The fish can weigh 150 to 400 pounds.

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> fished on a friend’s boat Sunday in a big, rolling heave on the ocean, he said. The anglers limited out on good-sized sea bass, but only landed three throwback summer flounder. Conditions including strong wind were no good for flounder fishing in past days. Anglers from the docks whom George spoke with all struggled. Plenty of bluefish could be trolled on the ocean. They were found off Cape May Inlet lately.

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