Note: This report was posted on a Tuesday instead of the usual Monday because of Labor Day that Monday.

Tropical Storm Hermine, the season's first big storm, arrived offshore Labor Day weekend, and wind and seas would end up preventing fishing off the coast from then through that Wednesday.

<b>Keyport</b>

The <b>Down Deep Fleet</b> last fished Friday before the storm, scooping up a super catch of porgies with weakfish mixed in on Raritan Bay, Capt. Mario said. Daily open-boat trips will resume bottom-fishing Wednesday. Daily open trips for fluke will resume Thursday, and charters are available for either fishing. 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 for fall striped bass, sea bass and blackfish.

Open-boat trips will resume Thursday on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. The fishing will target fluke on the ocean and weakfish and porgies on Raritan Bay. The bay is loaded with weaks to 24 inches and porgies to 15 inches. That’s a great opportunity to load the freezer with delicious fish and is also great for kids. Charters are available, and trips were canceled throughout the holiday weekend because of weather.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A trip fished Saturday morning for fluke on Raritan Bay on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, and none of the other twice-daily fluke trips that are slated fished in past days aboard, because of the storm, Capt. Tom said. The trips probably could’ve resumed Monday morning, but forecasts changed so much that “you don’t know what to do,” he said. He was returning the boat to the slip at Atlantic Highlands that morning when he gave this report in a phone call aboard.  The boat had been tied up at Belford with commercial boats to ride out the storm, though weather ended up calmer than predicted. Still, the ocean was riled up and not fishable. The bay was stirred up, and Tom was probably going to wait until Wednesday to resume fishing, allowing the water to settle. On Saturday morning’s trip, a couple of keeper fluke and a few throwbacks bit, a slow catch after a windy Friday. The Atlantic Star is fluke fishing 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> last fished Thursday before the weather, Capt. Pete said. The ocean held a bit of a ground swell, but most of the anglers bagged two or three fluke on the trip. The fish were good-sized and, if he remembered, up to 6 ½ or 7 pounds. The water now was stirred up, and trips will resume fluking as soon as possible on the ocean. 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.

<b>Brielle</b>

Nobody boated in four days because of the storm, said John from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Ocean fluke fishing seemed spotty last week. A swell had begun from the coming storm. He fished for fluke on a party boat that Monday on the ocean, and not many throwbacks bit on the trip, even, and the water was dirty. Somewhat of a swell had begun, but seas weren’t rough. Tuna fishing, mostly for yellowfins, a few bigeyes, had begun to be good at Hudson Canyon before the storm, both during daytime and at night. Manasquan River gave up striped bass, some of them keepers, fluke and blues. The stripers bit eels, sandworms and soft-plastic lures like shads and Fin-S Fish.  

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Thankfully, Hermine was a lot more timid than was forecast. We fished right through Saturday (Thursday through Saturday) and blasted the weakfish. Chumming with live grass shrimp on the east side of Barnegat Bay was the best for quantity. We caught some of the biggest on lures tipped with shedder crab on the west side of the bay, off Waretown. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKbpZfWi4nE&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">Here’s a video of me</a> on one of six weakfish 18 to 21 inches landed on a trip Thursday afternoon with Brian Ewan from Barnegat and Matt Pacione from Waretown. Either tide is producing, so long as the tide’s moving. Anything from 12- to 21-inch fish, mostly 12 to 15 inches. Fluke are in the mix, though catching a keeper is rare, and most of the flatties are 14 to 17 inches. Snapper blues, sand sharks, juvenile sea bass, blowfish, hickory shad, silver perch and more species visit our shrimp-slick every day. We’re using 6-pound spinning outfits, so whatever you hook is going to take you for a ride. Fishing open-boat or charter at 12 noon Wednesday through Friday. On Sunday and Monday, we’ll run two trips a day to Barnegat Ridge for albacore and bonito, or to the bay to shrimp for weakfish … or both! Whatever you want to do.”

<b>Longport</b>

An open-boat trip will fish Thursday for croakers, weakfish, blues and summer flounder on the ocean on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Forecasts looked like fishing will resume Wednesday after the weekend’s storm. Charters will flounder fish through the final day of flounder season, September 25. Mike looks forward to sea bass fishing once sea bass season is opened beginning October 22. Open-boat trips will begin to fish several times a week on September 11.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The deck will be shuffled now, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. It always is, after a storm like that, and he’ll have to see what bites. But he’d like to boat summer flounder on the ocean, and striped bass fishing might’ve improved on the back bay because of the weather. His trips fish popper-plugs and popper-flies for the bass this season, good sport. The angling can be great now, and was suddenly slow last week, after it was good previously. But the storm could’ve been like a “big flush” that ramps the catches up. The storm was a non-event, really. The ocean was rough, and wind blew, but the wind was nothing that would’ve made the news, normally. Tides were somewhat higher than usual. If the storm had passed 100 miles nearer to shore, flooding could’ve been historic. Joe had pulled his boats from the water to be safe. He ended up doing maintenance like cleaning the bottoms that he typically has no opportunity to do this time of year. Annual traveling charters to Montauk will kick off at mid-month that fish the migration of striped bass, blues and false albacore. Ever want to fish the run from the historic 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>Cape May</b>

Fishing trolled mahi mahi, not big, but large enough to bag, Thursday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> at lobster pots 30 miles from shore, Capt. George said. The anglers, Frank Burger’s charter, kept eight and threw some back. Probably just as many got off, and George had been hoping to catch a wahoo, too, but none bit. Boats will probably resume fishing later this week after the storm. Weather was windy Saturday at Cape May, when George was there. He heard weather was sunny and nice Sunday at the port.

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