<b>Brooklyn</b>

Seven anglers boated 10 times as many keeper sea bass, including a few 2- and 3-pounders, a few keeper fluke, a bunch of short fluke that were released and a few out-of-season, keeper-sized blackfish that were let go yesterday on the <b>Big M Express</b>, Capt. Steve said. New York’s fluke season is open all year, unlike Jersey’s season that closes in three weeks, and the boat will keep sailing for the flatties as long as they bite. Open-boat fluke trips are leaving the dock every morning when no charter is booked. Weakfishing trips will target Raritan Bay when the trout move in, and only a few were around so far.

<b>Staten Island</b>

Bluefish from 8 to 10 pounds put up fights non-stop at 17 Fathoms for anglers on the <b>Barbara Anne</b> on Friday, Capt. Anthony said. The fish were hooked on bait, and fluke fishing at Ambrose Channel became a little slower, and fluking seemed better in the ocean farther south. Open-boat trips leave the dock every Tuesday, guaranteed to sail with a minimum of two anglers.

<b>Kayla Rose Charters</b> was scoring well on fluke and was starting to bag a few weakfish, Capt. Darrin said. The boat’s also been doing lots of tuna fishing, and the rest of the crew was chasing bluefin tuna when Darrin gave this report from land yesterday, and he was yet to find out how they made out. He had a personal commitment and couldn’t make that trip, but Kayla Rose is running open-boat tuna trips every day when no charter is booked, and call Darrin to get on the list of anglers he notifies when trips are available.

A fluke trip with <b>Frenzy Fishing Charters</b> on Friday pulled in lots of nice keepers, a bunch of 4-pounders, until a storm started rolling in, and the anglers had to get off the water, Capt. Tommy Verderosa said. He’s been catching fluke at the channels and near the Verrazano Bridge. Another fluke trip last week with four anglers put the skids on seven keepers and released shorts. Frenzy is now running open-boat trips every Tuesday and Wednesday, and call to jump aboard. Tommy especially targets big doormats and works with different techniques he’s learned over the years, and he loves to share his experiences with anglers. Tommy’s also up for grand slam trips for fluke, weakfish, blues and schoolie stripers that are possible at this time of year, and he’s confident anglers have a good chance at the achievement. He’s also available for saltwater fly fishing trips, even if anglers are beginners and want an introduction, and he’s a fly tyer and a custom rod builder. Fluke, weaks, blues and stripers are all possible to fool with a fly rod right now. He’s also looking forward to false albacore arriving, and the speedsters usually start arriving by August 20, and that’s today. He heard about none caught yet, but he did no scouting for them toward Sandy Hook so far. <b>UPDATE:</b> A charter fished with Frenzy today, despite the storm, and scored a slam: a few schoolie stripers, several nice fluke and some bluefish, only one weakfish shy of a grand slam. Tommy thought he could’ve found weakfish, but the storm prevented him from sailing to where he knows the trout are likely to be caught. But he reiterated that if anglers want to try for a grand slam or a slam, he’s confident they’ve got a good chance, and give him a call. The fish on today’s slam were hooked on light tackle with small rubber shads that looked like peanut bunker.

<b>Bayonne</b>

Most anglers were fluke fishing at Ambrose Channel, such as at buoy 19, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. But one customer targeted the flatties from buoy 19 to 3 and only boated one keeper that was 20 inches. Another customer drilled an 8-pound doormat near the Verrazano Bridge. Yet another competed in a small tournament and claimed the first-place fluke, a 6-1/4-pounder, not too large, and won $3,400. Nothing was heard about weakfish recently, but someone last week said weaks bit at Reach Channel. Another angler said bonito were hooked off Breezy Point in the early mornings, and Akira heard about no false albacore caught yet.  Bluefish were fought at the Mud Buoy.

<b>Keyport</b>

Dan Persad’s group on the <b>Lucky Carm</b> caught probably 11 keeper fluke to 5 ¾ pounds and loads of shorts, going through lots of bait, Capt. Carmine said. They fished at Reach Channel and then traveled far outside along Ambrose Channel, and lots of boats fished Sandy Hook Channel. Sergio Naghovich landed the biggest, and Joseph Jadden was high hook, and Ed Jadden was also one of the anglers, and the gang wanted to mention that Michael Mirenda boated no fish. On Friday Marty Jepson’s group with Doug, Linda and Kathleen put together a good pull of fluke to 3 pounds, including five keepers, and tons of sea robins kept them very busy, and so did a whole bunch of throwback fluke just smaller than keeper size. The trip was originally a 4-hour outing that the Lucky Carmine donated to a fund for Nicole Miller, a breast cancer victim, in a fund raiser sponsored by Head and Toe Beauty Salon in Roselle, but the anglers opted to book another 4 hours on the boat for an 8-hour charter. On the same evening Steve Hartman’s group with sons Matthew and Stephen bagged four keeper fluke and a reeled in a couple of blues and had to end the trip after only a few hours because of a storm.  The fish on these trips hit peanut bunker, squid and spearing, and although spearing is very scarce at stores because of a short supply, Carmine stock piled the bait at the beginning of the season, and he’s got plenty. Some prime dates remain for charters, and get in on the fluke fishing before the season soon ends. The boat will start running more bottom-fishing trips for sea bass, porgies and blackfish when fluke season ends, and those deep-water charters are already available. Jumbo blues have also been tearing up the waters at the Mudhole and 17 Fathoms, so that action is also available. Special, 4-hour, evening charters are always available 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and call Carmine for info. Morning charters are also available, and charter times are flexible. Carmine said law enforcement was out checking coolers and giving away lots of tickets at the docks.

Mike and Donna Werdann from Metuchen were aboard with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> for a very good pull of keeper fluke to 22 inches and a small number of throwbacks in the back of the bay yesterday morning on squid and killies, and Donna was high hook, Capt. Joe said. On Thursday Carl Schultz’s party of five from Edison fished the back of the bay for a fair pick of flatties and weakfish to 18 inches on killies and squid. Space is available on open-boat trips 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Tuesday and Thursday, and open-boat trips also sail during the same hours every Wednesday and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day when no charter is booked. Call to reserve and for prices. Bookings are now being accepted for trips in September, and trips will probably target bottom fish and weakfish once fluke season ends after September 10.  

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Bill Andolfi’s charter on the <b>CRT II</b> fished the bay Saturday afternoon, tried different spots from Princes Bay to Reach Channel, found some fish at the 9 and 10 buoys, and ended up with a good number of keeper fluke, some weakfish and some blues, Capt. Mick said. So not a bad trip, he said, especially considering that the weather was still fairly rough after high winds earlier in the day. On Friday a charter picked up probably a dozen fluke to 4 pounds and a few sea bass, again not a bad day, and the fish came from Sandy Hook Reef and one of the holes near Sandy Hook. A few of the fluke bit in the hole, and so did monster sandsharks and dogfish like 4 feet long. Frank Draijer on Thursday afternoon also fished the reef and nailed fluke and sea bass. Mick heard that a pending world-record, 24-pound 4-ounce fluke was tackled in the ocean someplace south of the Shrewsbury Rocks. Holy smoke! Be sure to take advantage of the CRT II’s discounted weakfishing trips on weekdays in September. Book now before it’s too late. Dates are available for charters in the coming weeks, including some openings Labor Day weekend.

Fluke fishing was pretty nice all in all, except during strong winds Saturday, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Atlantic Star</b>. On Thursday patrons put together a good pick in the bay on both the boat’s trips, and most bagged keepers. On Friday morning the fishing was very good for fluke of mixed sizes at Sandy Hook Channel, and some patrons fared better than others, and no huge flatties were taken. In the afternoon some fish were boated, but conditions were tougher. Saturday was windy as heck, and the boat had to fish down the ocean beaches to escape the northwest blow, and that was the only option. There was a fair amount of action, but not many keepers, and more keepers are in the bay and channels, and many of the fish were only a quarter-inch or an inch short. On Sunday morning the boat starting fishing Sandy Hook Channel, and the first couple of drifts were perfect, and the fishing was as good as you could want for mixed sizes of fluke. Some patrons landed five, six or seven keepers, and some boated none. Sunday afternoon wasn’t as good at the channel, but it was pretty decent until the current became too strong. Then the boat moved to the bay, and the catch was fairly steady, even though the same spot produced slow fishing the previous day. It’s good to have the different options of places to fish according to conditions, from the bay to the channels to the ocean. Fluke were able to be caught at Sandy Hook Channel instead of Ambrose Channel these past days, and Sandy Hook Channel’s 40-foot depths are easier to fish than Ambrose’s 70-foot depths. The fluke seemed to start moving, because a batch of 10- and 12-inchers appeared that weren’t there before, though it was impossible to know where they came from. The fluke at the channel also looked clean, like fish that were on the move, while the ones in the bay were muddy like fish that had taken up residence. But the fish move gradually, and they should be around even after the season closes September 11. No weakfish were pulled aboard in the past days, and the boat’s trips will probably switch to weakfishing once fluke season ends. The Atlantic Star is sailing for fluke on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

The <b>Fishermen</b> began fluke fishing at the channels with little drift yesterday, but a few flatties were picked, Capt. Ron said in an e-mail. He was expecting the drift to pick up a lot and cause the inevitable tangles, but it didn’t happen. The current ran 1.2 knots at its fasted, and the boat drifted straight. The bigger fluke landed weighed 6 ½ pounds, 6 pounds and 5 pounds, and Scott Ure had the hot hand with a limit of flatties. Tom Krako took five nice ones, including the 6-1/2-pounder, and a big, 5-1/2-pound sea bass was also bagged. On a charter Saturday winds were gusting to 40 knots, and with the winds against a hard tide, it wasn’t pretty. Ron expected nothing to be caught that day, but there was a drift, and the anglers managed to pick away throughout the trip, and shorts and some keepers came up, and a few nice sea bass were mixed in. Terry Byrne nailed a 7-pounder, and Dave Saraceno topped that one with a 7-1/2-pounder. The boat is also running bluefishing trips on Friday to Sunday afternoons, and the catches were very good in the past days, and on Sunday patrons tangled with 5- to 12-pound blues and one keeper striper. Capt. Ron last evening was keeping his fingers crossed about the weather for the next days, and the forecast had changed three different times already.  The Fishermen is fishing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, usually in the ocean. Afternoon bluefishing trips are running 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

<b>Highlands</b>

On the <b>Fisher Price</b> lots of fluke to 6 pounds were lifted up from the channels, Capt. Derek said. Peanut bunker and snapper blues were the baits, and weakfish, mostly 2-pounders but some to 4 pounds, were also hooked on trips in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. Derek heard that the bay’s weakfishing was improving a little. Some dates are available for charters, and fluke trips will sail until the season ends in three weeks, and then weakfish will probably be the focus, and fishing for bottom fish and striped bass should follow.

Fluking gave up good pulls of larger flatties in deeper water from 37 to 60 feet, and killies with squid or peanut bunker with squid were the hot baits, and the week was another banner one for catches when conditions were right, said Capt. Bob from <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Adventures</b>. The Boudreaux family pinned down 14 keepers including a 9-pounder and a 7-pounder. Wow! Another 30 were probably thrown back that just missed the mark. The Simmons party put up another good catch--8 keepers to 6 pounds—and tossed back 46 shorts. Several successful bluefish trips also took place, including a charter with Charlie Kelly and the boys, who boated 18 from 3 to 9 pounds and released a bunch more in a blitz. Plugging and jigging got the bites in the non-stop action. A couple of weakfish trips also left the dock in the evenings, fishing Reach Channel for limited success. A few weaks to 23 inches were wormed, not a hot bite yet. The fish could be marked on the bottom but weren’t responding well so far. Trips will continue to target fluke until the season closes prematurely after September 10, and charters will run for sea bass, weakfish, striped bass and blackfish. Only a couple of openings are left in August, and September is beginning to fill.

<b>Sea Bright</b>

<b>Two Rivers Charters</b> fished every day recently except Saturday, because of strong winds, Capt. Fletcher Chayes said. Lots of blues to 14 pounds were battled in the ocean as the slammers stormed peanut bunker and rainfish under working birds. Jigs and metal took the fish, and top-water lures also worked, but those multi-hooked lures were a pain to remove from the fish. A few striped bass to 20 pounds were sometimes landed among the blues on live bunker, and bunker chunks would also work in the deep water. One school of fish that at first appeared to be blues turned out to be stripers between the channels. A couple of 4-foot sandsharks, big ones, also bit the bunker chunks, and a big thresher shark grabbed a hooked bluefish and took off before it bit through the line. Another school of fish that swam the slick was apparently false albacore, and a friend got into bonito farther south off Manasquan Inlet one day. Catches of fluke to 6 pounds were also pretty good in the ocean with Two Rivers, and monster sea bass to 4 pounds were mixed in. Small weakfish were hitting jigs and worms in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.

Capt. Jake from <b>Jersey Shore Fishing Charters</b> shark fished at the Glory Hole yesterday and fought an 80-pound mako and two 20- or 25-pounders to the boat, he said. The water was 71 degrees and not blue but not green and just dirty. Seas were flat like a lake, and he saw no tuna, but someone on the radio said he saw a bunch of tuna jumping, and an angler from the dock trolled two bluefin tuna about 45 pounds each at the Monster Ledge yesterday. Jersey Shore ran two bottom-fishing charters at the Shrewsbury Rocks on Thursday, and if Jake remembered correctly, the morning trip caught 14 keeper sea bass and three keeper fluke, and the afternoon’s fishing was slower, and eight keeper sea bass and one keeper fluke were boated. Jake expects to sail for weakfish soon, though storms like this week’s usually put off the finicky weakfish until several days after the rough weather.

<b>Neptune</b>

Anglers drilled fluke to 9 pounds in the ocean on the most recent trips with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, and fluking was very good, and the season closes after September 10, and a number of individual-reservation trips are running for fluke, and each has openings, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. The trips will sail the next three Wednesdays, and Ralph just added one of the trips on the last day of the season, Monday, September 10, and get in on the fishing while you can, especially while it’s good. Inshore tuna fishing fell apart, but Ralph found bonito to catch, and charters are available. Canyon tuna fishing broke wide open on the troll and on the chunk, and only a few spaces remain for overnight, open-boat trips Sept. 5-6, Oct. 2-3 and Oct. 16-17. Bluefishing was the best all year, both day and night, and sometimes stripers were mixed in, and sea bassing was also good and close to port, only 5 to 8 miles from the inlet. 

<b>Belmar</b>

A couple of charters on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> hunted down bluefish from 4 to 10 or 12 pounds in the past days at the Mud Buoy and the Shrewsbury Rocks, Capt. Tom said. The fishing was good, pretty steady, nothing spectacular. Most were fought on bait, but some were hooked on jigs, and the water cooled a little and was 70 to 72 degrees. Charters these days are also fluke fishing along the rough bottom off Asbury and Deal for fish to 5 pounds and lots of sea bass. Tuna charters will begin in September.

<b>Brielle</b>

Lots of big fluke were coming up, mostly from places such as Sea Girt Reef and the Axel Carlson Reef, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Ed Springsteen and grandson Justin Springsteen on Saturday weighed in an 8-1/2-pounder, two 7-pounders and four 6- to 6-1/2-pounders, if that’s any indication. Ron Mazzarella checked in an 8-3/4-pounder, and a bunch of 5- and 6-pounders came through the door. Mai Tai bucktails caught all the weigh-ins, and Berkley Gulps such as the swimming mullet and 3-inch minnows, including on teasers, often did the trick. Mai Tai’s are certainly stocked, and The Reel Seat is stocking as many Gulps as possible, but Gulps are running low everywhere, as anglers “gulp” them up faster than Berkley can supply them. The Reel Seat carries a large selection of fluke rigs and tackle. Manasquan River was holding plenty of striped bass, fluke and small blues, but Dave heard no reports about weakfish. Resident striped bass at the Shrewsbury Rocks could still be eeled at night or trolled during the day. Canyon tuna fishing was good, including on the nighttime chunk, and Shimano Butterfly Jigs were nailing lots of the fish on the chunk, and anglers were buying a load of the jigs at the shop. Much of the best chunking was taking place at Hudson Canyon at the 100 Square and the 100/050. But chunking wasn’t necessarily better than trolling, and maybe anglers were just spending more time chunking. One boat during the beginning of the week went 3 for 5 on bigeye tuna to 312 pounds on the troll. Bluefin tuna were also taken at the inshore grounds and seemed spread everywhere along the Mudhole and 20 fathoms, and probably not much effort was put into the fishing. One angler fought a 77-pound wahoo to gaff at the Glory Hole on Friday on a daisy chain.

Strong winds kept the <b>Reel-Ality</b> from fishing the ocean Saturday, and a trip that day fished Manasquan River instead, especially because two kids were aboard, Capt. Larry said. Countless small blues were landed, and a mess of short fluke were hooked and released. Larry checked out the Metedeconk River to look for weakfish, but no weaks were around, although he found weaks there a couple of weeks ago or so. Snapper blues swam the Metedeconk and everywhere. On Sunday the ocean was flat as a lake, and a trip with three anglers aboard broke the inlet and scored 10 fluke to 8 pounds and probably 15 to 20 keeper sea bass, and probably the same number of shorts were released. Almost each fluke caught was bigger than the previous one, and the fish on this trip came from one of Larry’s “secret” spots.

The season’s first canyon, overnight tuna trips on the <b>Katie H</b> launched with a bang this weekend on a charter Friday to Saturday at Hudson Canyon and then a turnaround that headed right back to Toms Canyon on Sunday and returned this morning. On the trip to the Hudson eight yellowfin tuna to 80 pounds were nailed, mostly on the night chunk, but the boat did some trolling, and Capt. Mike thought one of the fish was landed on the troll, he said. The current was ripping most of the trip until the end, and the baits were difficult to send down with even 12 ounces to 150 feet, where the fish were holding. Sardines caught most, but Mike thought one grabbed a squid, and not much bait swam the water that could be caught for the livewell. The water was 76 degrees with a temp break, clear and clean. The number of tuna hooked was probably hindered because of the current, but the trip at the Toms limited out on yellowfins, again big ones to 80 pounds, and pulled the hook early this morning because seas were building. Charters are supposed to take day trolling trips for tuna Wednesday and Friday, though the weather for Wednesday was questionable. But tuna fishing is red hot, if you’re thinking about going, and overnighters are probably the best option. Charters will also keep fluke fishing till the season ends after September 10, and a half-day charter Thursday bagged roughly a dozen keeper fluke and some beautiful sea bass to 4 ½ pounds, a pretty good catch for a half-day trip with only a couple of anglers, at the Axel Carlson Reef. So fluking was holding up.

For anglers on the <b>Paramount</b> porgies started to bite, and ling fishing was decent, an e-mail from the boat said. The porgies started hitting on a trip Friday, when the first couple of hours produced a slow, steady pick of porgies, and some sea bass and ling were also landed as the day progressed. The crew is now looking forward to nice mixed catches of sea bass and porgies on its shallower water trips. On one of those trips the previous day, ling and a few sea bass were picked up. On Tuesday and Wednesday the boat’s Deep Water Wreck Specials produced decent ling fishing, and on Tuesday, Finbar Manning and Dennis Fuchs landed more than 25 good-sized ones, and Salahudin Abdul Rahim won the pool with a 5-pounder. On Wednesday Ronald Cook boated 15 ling, and Andrew Greco won the pool with a 4-pounder. The Deep Water Wreck Specials are running 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 pm. every Tuesday and Wednesday, targeting ling, cod, pollock and occasional blackfish. The boat is sailing 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Thursday through Sunday on trips targeting big sea bass, porgies and the occasional ling and blackfish. Monday Marathons run 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., fishing for sea bass and the occasional blackfish and ling, and the trip is meant to give anglers a little more fishing time and to allow the boat to cover more ground, fishing everyplace from the inshore reefs  to the Mudhole wrecks. For info call the boat or visit www.wreckmasters.com.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

The first canyon trip of the season sailed on the <b>Benchmark</b> last Tuesday to Wednesday and whacked 20 yellowfin tuna and a longfin tuna and released two white marlins at the Toms Canyon, Capt. Nick said. All the yellowfins, 40- to 75-pounders, except one were boated while the anglers chunked at night, and the other one was trolled during the day, and so were the whites and the longfin. The tuna on the chunk bit non-stop most of the night, and a few hammerhead sharks swam into the slick. So it was an excellent trip, and the Benchmark’s canyon charter season is in full gear, and a few open-boat trips will also head to the canyons, and space is available. Nick knew two boaters who returned from offshore yesterday after fishing ¼-mile apart, and one boated 20 tuna, and the other scored one. Charters are also fishing inshore, and fluke trips have been very good, usually bailing 12 to 20 keepers in a few hours, with decent numbers of 5- to 7-pounders in the mix. A fluke trips yesterday wasn’t bad, and only one angler was aboard, and he landed a half-dozen keepers and a multitude of shorts.

Phil Muck and family took a Happy Hour charter on the <b>Angela Rose</b> on Thursday to fish and then watch the Point Pleasant Beach fireworks, an e-mail from the boat said. They first drifted the Manasquan River upstream of the Route 35 Bridge on outgoing tide, but the water was lifeless, so they pushed through Manasquan Inlet to the ocean at the Sea Girt Firing Range, a proven fish holder in the past. Fluke soon started popping up, and three keepers to 19 inches were boxed. Fishing slowed down toward dusk, so the anglers put away the rods, sat back and enjoyed the sunset. The boat motored to waters off Jenkinson’s Amusement Pier, and the charter took in the fireworks display. Everyone had a great time, and the group was talking about doing it again next year, the e-mail said. The family also followed the Angela tradition of setting up a friendly ice-cream wager for the group that hooked the most fish. They split into two teams, the boys against the girls, and the boys took the lead at first, but then the girls took a dominating victory with a double-digit catch and won the ice cream.

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> was concentrating on fluke fishing recently, but canyon trips will be the focus in the next couple of weeks, Capt. Fred said. Boaters who fished offshore over the weekend put together good catches of tuna. Andrea’s Toy fishes the canyons on both charters and open-boat trips, mixing up the fishing with daytime tuna trolling, nighttime chunking for tuna, sharks and swordfish, deep-dropping for tilefish, and hitting the lobster pots for mahi mahi on light tackle. The trips sail on a 31-foot Contender that cruises 45 m.p.h., making it to the canyons in half the time of a party boat, allowing more fishing time and the opportunity to mix it up with more than one species. Closer to shore, Mike Strauss’s charter sailed for fluke Sunday and loaded up on 31 keepers to 7 pounds, including lots in the 3- to 5-pound range, and four sea bass to 3 pounds. They fished the lumps at one of the reefs and a couple of wrecks in 58 and 65 feet. On Saturday Kevin Butler’s crew started bluefishing at the Shrewsbury Rocks with no takers, moved to the Mud Dump, but a slow current and horrible water clarity produced a slow pick. But they got into a steady pick of sea bass, landing more tan 30. Then they pushed south to the Sea Girt Reef and scored a good pull of fluke, landing a dozen to 20 inches to end the day on a good note.

<b>Bricktown</b>

Fluking was best in 50 to 70 feet in the ocean around Asbury Park, the Shrewsbury Rocks and Long Branch, but for those who didn’t want to make the run up north, fluking was moderately successful at the Seaside Lumps and off the Thunderbird Hotel in the ocean, said Tommy Kilgannon from <b>Pell’s Fish & Sport</b> in a fax. Fishing for larger fluke and plenty of sea bass was hot at Sea Girt Reef. Beach anglers were pulling in cocktail blues on mullet rigs and small metal, and bay anglers were having a blast catching snapper blues and weakfish. The snappers hit spearing or small metal during daytime, and the weaks usually bit during dawn or dusk on sandworms or an assortment of lures, especially Gulp but also Fin-S Fish, Rat-L-Traps, rubber shads and bucktails. Tuna fishers were beginning to score good luck at the canyons, mostly on chunked butterfish or sardines.

<b>Seaside</b>

The weather was ugly today, and most anglers retreated to the docks, where they were doing quite well with snapper blues, and believe it or not baby kingfish and small croakers were hitting squid on the bottom, and kids were having a blast catching them, said the fishing report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site. Those who fished the surf yesterday landed fluke, and about half were keepers, and the keepers were mostly 18 inches. Lots of spearing filled the suds, and surfers reported seeing mullet. Small blues were pulled from the wash here and there. The surf today was 3 to 6 feet (!), choppy and 74 degrees. A free reel cover worth $15 is being given away with any reel purchase while supplies last. <a href=" http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for the latest.

<b>Waretown</b>

A fluke charter was weathered out from strong winds and rough seas Saturday with <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. John said. He held out till the last minute, making the call at 5:30 a.m., because the forecast kept changing. No decent weather seemed to be forecast this week until at least Thursday, but fluke charters are supposed to resume on the boat Friday through Sunday. Perfect Drift’s been fluking in the ocean, usually toward the bathing beach at Island Beach State Park, but one recent trip also fished the Tires. A fluke trip two weekends ago on Saturday was forced to fish Barnegat Bay because of strong winds, and only shorts bit. Then on the next day a trip could get no drift in winds that were too light, and only five or six keepers were boated in the ocean. But previously the ocean fluking was quite good, and if the weather will cooperate, it should turn on again. Perfect Drift should keep fluking until the season ends in three weeks, and then charters will probably target weakfish in Barnegat Bay. During some years Perfect Drift would also drop lines for sea bass, but local sea bassing wasn’t happening so far this season. Croakers might also be in the mix after fluke season, and John saw no croakers showing up so far. After weakfishing, fall stripers and blues will be on the menu. John noted that with all the east winds from this week’s storm, blue water should push into places like Barnegat Ridge, and anglers might start hearing about kicked up catches of bonito, bluefin tuna and such as a result.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> said in an e-mail that from here on out he was going to refer to Barnegat Bay’s weakfish as sea trout, because the name “weak” doesn’t give them the respect they deserve. The fish’s fight is anything but “weak,” although he knows that the name comes from the thin membrane along the trout’s mouth that can tear easily, causing a hooked fish to be lost. This week’s <i>trout</i> fishing was “reel” strong while charters grass shrimped, and blues, hickory shad--aka Jersey Tarpon--sand perch, fluke , small sea bass and assorted other species were mixed in. The hook-up ratio was a little off earlier in the week, but bites were still constant, and all clients went home with trout fillets, and did manage to catch some very nice ones to 4 pounds. Jeff Pesot was aboard with daughters Georgia, 7, and Melissa, 13, a competitive set of anglers. They managed a nice mix of sea trout, blues and hickory shad. Cy Collins’s party found the sea trout fishing a little more challenging, and although the bites were there, the fish were very sensitive, and just a few were landed. Armond Shahenian and sons Eric, Tom and Jim got into a pick of trout and hickory shad, and after bagging enough trout for dinner, they released the rest. “Way to go guys!” Steve said. Then they ended up having a blast, clobbering blues on soft plastic lures in the back of the bay along the sod banks and reportedly said they never saw action like that before. John Repko’s party scored a trout slam fest, putting together a healthy box of the trout in just a few hours in the evening. A 3-1/2-pounder was the biggest, and the gang also fought a good mix of blues, shad and sand perch, and they also reportedly said they never had fishing that good before. Brent Burger’s gang also got into a slam fest on sea trout and gathered a nice mix of snappers, shad, perch and small sea bass. A big “mystery fish” was also hooked on half a hickory shad and was battled 50 minutes up and down Barnegat Inlet until the powerful fish proved too much for the 8-pound line. “Oh well, it was fun anyway,” Steve said.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Fishing along the jetties and off the sea wall was producing plenty of croakers, and kingfish finally started appearing yesterday, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. The kings grabbed bloodworms, and FishBites artificial worms weren’t working as well as they used to, oddly enough. Flounder also bit from the surf to along the sea wall on minnows, Pro Cut squid and Gulps, though mostly on bait. Snapper blues were going crazy everywhere and were attacking mullet and spearing, and tog chomped down on green crabs along the rocks. Triggerfishing at the rocks was starting to drop off. A few stripers, not many, were around, and all the baits mentioned are stocked.

<b>Margate</b>

<b>Fine Line Fishing Charters</b> flounder fished all week in the ocean, and the action picked up, Capt. Dave said. He usually targeted his own “secret” hole in 45 to 50 feet 3 ½ miles off Ocean City with no other boaters around. On Wednesday a trip bailed 16 keepers in a bit of a breeze. On Thursday seas were choppier, but seven keepers were still picked. On Friday the bite slowed somewhat, and five keepers were boated, and on Saturday winds howled, and the boat couldn’t even be sailed 3 miles from the coast in the kicked up seas, and one keeper, some throwbacks, a dozen small blues and two croakers were reeled aboard. Croakers were beginning to appear. On Sunday things got back to business, and 11 keeper flounder to 22 inches were walloped along with throwbacks and a couple of small blues. For fun, Dave sometimes sent out a hooked bluefish, and on one trip two brown sharks were battled and released, and on Wednesday six of the browns were fought. All the flounder on these trips bit minnows and squid, and Fine Line should keep flounder fishing until the season ends after September 10, and the best flounder fishing of the season appears to “on.”

Fishing for flounder was very good on daily, open-boat trips both in the ocean on the 65-foot <b>Jessie O’</b> and in the bay on the 45-foot <b>Fish N’ Fun</b>, Capt. Jay, owner of the vessels, said in an e-mail. Large flounder were finally showing up at the ocean reefs on the big boat’s trips, and anglers onboard were also pulling up small blues and some nice, keeper sea bass, and a big porgy was even taken the other day. On Friday 13 keeper flatties to more than 5 pounds and many that just fell short of keeper size were nailed. An 8-pound 11-ounce flounder was the whopper of a pool-winner on a bachelor party charter Saturday. On another trip Eric Tkacz, 9, from Mays Landing won the pool with a 5-pound 4-ounce doormat, and a 3-pound sea bass and 3-pound porgy were boated that day. On the bay boat keeper flounder were landed consistently after patrons weeded through lots of throwbacks that were just undersized. Small blues seemed to be showing up on every trip. Come on down and experience some great flounder fishing before the season closes after September 10. Afterward tog, sea bass and striped bass will become targets into fall and early winter. Plenty of warm weather is also left to take party cruises for any occasion, and a DJ and catering are available. The Jessie O’ sails open boat on a trip that leaves every morning, and Magic Hour open trips take place 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every weekday, and charters also take place. The Fish N’ Fun runs two 4-hour open-boat trips daily.  

<b>Longport</b>

The <b>Stray Cat</b> was bottom fishing on recent trips, and it was going pretty well in 60 feet lately at “a couple of known spots, some unknown,” Capt. Mike said. Lots of big sea bass were boated, and so were flounder including a couple of 8-pounders, some 5-pounders and some 4-pounders, and a load of triggerfish also bit. The best flounder fishing was a trip that produced 20-some keepers. All the boat’s open-boat tuna trips are sold out, and tuna fishing for offshore anglers has been “canyon or bust,” Mike said. Charters are now the only tuna trips available. People were beginning to book striped bass charters for November, and it’s not a bad idea to reserve sea bass and blackfish trips. Stray Cat had a knock-out season last year on blackfish at South Jersey’s relatively low-pressured reefs and structure, and open-boat blackfish trip will probably begin November 15, when the bag limit increases to eight from the current limit of one.

<b>Cape May</b>

On the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> a charter fished the inshore lumps for bluefin tuna Sunday, and one was hooked after the first 5 minutes of trolling, but it popped off, Capt. George said. The boat was the second to arrive on the grounds, but then a dozen other vessels showed up and worked the same small hill where the tuna were gathered. That’ll spook the fish, and no more bit on the Heavy Hitter until the anglers were almost ready to leave. Then a bluefin started dumping a load of line off the reel, and by the time the rod was passed to the third angler, the fish got off. Fishing was better at that spot on a charter Friday, when only four boats worked the area. On that day John Anderson, his son Jessie and his brother Steve were aboard for a catch of bluefins to 60 or 65 pounds. Seas were rough Friday and were calm Sunday morning until building to 4 feet by noon. Some boaters did a number on bluefins over the weekend. Yellowfin tuna fishing farther offshore at the canyons should be turning by now, and the Heavy Hitter’s first overnighter at the canyons is slated for two Fridays from now, and these charters are now available. A charter on the boat Saturday was cancelled because of strong winds, and practically all trips were cancelled because of the weather that day. Besides tuna fishing, the Heavy Hitter is also bottom fishing and inshore trolling. George heard that about a few boaters who bottom fished at Cape May Reef and found a good bite on flounder and sea bass, and that’s a good sign, George said. Inshore trolling for bluefish was slow since the blow the weekend before last, and it’s been an unusual year for inshore trolling. Bluefish were sometimes caught in good numbers, but bonito were scarce near Cape May, even though tons swam the area last year.

<b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> took the trip to the canyons Sunday and trolled yellowfin tuna about 60 pounds apiece in 77-degree water with a slight temp break and a nice color, Capt. Ray said. The water farther inshore looked better. He heard about great nighttime chunking for tuna at a northern canyon this weekend, and bluefin tuna were sometimes trolled at the inshore grounds, but that fishing was becoming more sporadic. Inshore bluefin also seemed to respond to trolling more than chunking lately, but sometimes chunking produced. Jaftica also left port on an inshore trolling trip Friday, and the fishing was a little slow, and some bluefish from 2 to 5 pounds were hooked, and no other speedsters like bonito showed up. Previously Ray had said that inshore trolling had dropped off but that he would see how it went on this trip. Jafica is also offering flounder charters until flounder season ends after September 10, and flounder fishing was great at the reefs including Cape May Reef and Wildlife Reef and also at the Old Grounds. Jaftica is raffling off a striped bass charter through summer to benefit the recovery of one of the boat’s mates who was injured in an accident. Raffle tickets are $5 apiece or $20 for five, and see the boat’s web site for info.

Al Federoff’s charter on the <b>Down Deep</b> bagged 15 nice flounder and some good-sized sea bass yesterday at Cape May Reef, Capt. Bob said. Flounder fishing was picking up, and it was a shame that the season is coming to close in three weeks. Steve Perla’s party this past week picked up flounder, croakers and blues off Cape May Point, and Nick Carter’s gang on Thursday filled up with blues and a couple of bonito while trolling the inshore ocean. Rob Ossitchak’s crew limited out on bluefin tuna to 60 pounds and whacked a 45-pound wahoo on Wednesday. Openings are available for charters, including tuna charters in September.

Flounder fishing was good, and time is running out before the season closes, said Capt. Gary from the <b>Sea Fox</b>. September 10 is the final day of the season, and Gary heard about a pending world-record, 24.3-pound flounder that a woman drilled in the ocean this weekend up north toward Neptune on a Spro jig. Tuna were hitting both inshore and offshore, and the Sea Fox is available for all of this fishing plus inshore trolling for bluefish and other speedsters like Spanish mackerel.

Flounder fishing became incredible through the week, and all the reefs were producing good numbers of nice flatties, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Reports were heard about hot flounder fishing as far north as Ocean City Reef. Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds were also on fire. Stu McGill and crew on the Miss Bean fished Cape May Reef and limited out on flatbacks to 5 pounds. The gang with Charlie Coulter from C&C Plumbing limited out on doormats to 6 ¾ pounds. On the Porgy IV Richard Spotts hit up an 8.39-pounder, and Scott Cope put the brakes on a 7.7-pounder. In Delaware Bay a few keeper flounder held bottom near the 9 and 10 buoys, but the news there was about big croakers that moved into the area and along the edges of the shipping channel. Surf fishing remained a little slow, and mostly croakers and sometimes nice fluke were beached, often on a light bucktail with a minnow or squid strip worked close to the Cape May Point jetties. A few weakfish were picked up from the suds but inconsistently.  The last offshore reports were heard on Wednesday, when the Free Spirit went 1 for 3 on white marlin and caught five yellowfin tuna that weighed 60 to 75 pounds on the 100-fathom line of Spencer Canyon. The last word heard about bluefin tuna chunking on the inshore grounds came from Massey’s Canyon and the Ham Bone, where good bites took place early in the day and in the late afternoons, and a pick was had throughout the rest of the day. Besides bait, jigs were also working.

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