<b>Sandy Hook</b>

The <b>Kayla Rose</b> from Staten Island is being prepared to start tuna fishing, and Capt. Darrin’s been watching the temp charts and expects to make a run soon, he said. The first fishing will probably be a crew trip. Charters are already sharking, and blue sharks put a strain on rods during the first shark charter of the year last week.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Shark fishing is good, and a charter on the <b>Last Lady</b> from Neptune nailed a 175-pound mako and plenty of blue sharks on Saturday, Capt. Ralph said. Tuna charters and open-boat trips usually start in mid July, but the canyon season might be starting earlier, and if so, Ralph might be up for a trip if anyone’s interested. Tuna were swimming the Baltimore Canyon earlier this week, and a buddy fished there and hooked a mess of 100-pound yellowfin tuna (Ralph did say 100 pounds!) and a blue marlin.

The weekly, open-boat shark trip was cancelled this week on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> from Belmar on Wednesday, because of storms that rolled in during the early morning, Capt. Tom said. But the trips will keep sailing every Wednesday through July, and the boat is one of the few charters running open-boat sharking trips. Shark charters are also on tap.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

The <b>Benchmark</b> from Point Pleasant’s second shark trip of the year sailed to the Fingers on Wednesday and scored a 136-pound mako and a blue dog, Capt. Nick said. The water was 65 degrees, and on the first trip the crew won the Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo with a 250-pounder on Friday. A 76-inch mako was also landed that day, and so were a half-dozen or more blue sharks to 200 pounds. Four or five other makos entered in the tournament were in the 200-pound class.  Tuna trips will start in July, but the speedsters were already being caught in Baltimore Canyon, and Nick was thinking he might run daytime trolling trips earlier than expected. The Baltimore’s a long, 115-mile run from Point, not a practical distance.

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> is now fishing from Point Pleasant instead of its former dock at Keyport, Capt. Fred said. Shark charters are beginning to sail, and one was leaving the dock today. Now that Point Pleasant is home, mid-shore, big-game trips will be offered that will sail for a mixed bag of sharks, mahi mahi and tuna from 20 to 50 miles out. Both open-boat trips and charters will chase these fish. Eventually Andrea’s Toy will head offshore on open trips and charters for mixed bags of tuna, mahi mahi, sharks and tilefish. The trips sail on a 31-foot Contender that cruises 45 m.p.h., making it to the grounds in half the time of a party boat, allowing more fishing time and the opportunity to catch a mixed bag. Mixed-bag fishing is a specialty for Andrea’s Toy for more fun and greater chances of hooking up.

Several sharks were brought in from the inshore ocean last week, but shark anglers were typically tight-lipped about exact locations, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. One tuna, a 48.6-pound bluefin, was checked in at Dave’s fishing club last week. But the angler listed a location for the catch that wasn’t where it was actually caught, so there was no use talking about location. Offshore anglers!

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> in Waretown was hanging out at the dock yesterday when a parade of boaters kept coming in and weighing 100-plus-pound mako sharks, he said. A friend battled three—including two at once!—and three blue sharks that day. So Dave’s leaving the dock tomorrow to chase some himself, and he’ll also go the next two days, and his blue-water season has begun. Dave also targets bluefin tuna at Barnegat Ridge, and no news was yet heard about those fish, but you can be sure Dave will try trolling through the area at 7 knots with eight lures in the water on his shark trips. For those who want it all, combo Barnegat Ridge/Barnegat Bay trips are offered in summer.

A customer shark fished at the Cigar this past week and scored a monster, 12-foot blue shark, a 100-pound mako and other run-offs, said Dale from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b> in Waretown. Makos were supposedly haunting the Fingers, and a few bluefin tuna were on undisclosed, inshore grounds.

Ted Hines slammed a 102-pound mako shark Saturday, and Mark Fanelli’s crew fought to the bought a 300-pound thresher shark the next day, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. Basil, the shop’s co-owner, said to keep the locations quiet until after the weekend’s shark tournaments! But at least it suggests what’s biting. Nothing was heard about tuna, but a bunch of customers were taking their debut trips of the season this weekend.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

Mako sharks to 175 pounds and blue sharks to 300 pounds were hauled to the gunwale with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton last Friday and Saturday, Capt. T.J. said. One mako was landed each day, and both trips fished in 150 feet or 35 miles from shore in 64-degree water, and bluefish sometimes showed up. Seas were 8 feet Friday, but the fishing was good regardless. A trip tonight will shark fish during the dark and then tuna fish all day tomorrow, Legal Limit’s first tuna fishing of the season.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Abundant thresher sharks swam 12 or 15 miles offshore, like at the AC Reef and the Stone Beds, and plenty of makos were farther, said Jack from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b> in Atlantic City. A 10-degree temperature break had been at Wilmington Canyon before pushing to Baltimore Canyon. The shop’s charter boat, the <b>Carly A</b>, was slated to fish for sharks today, and then sharking trips will be underway, and tuna charters will soon follow.

The <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> is back in Brigantine after fishing in Delaware Bay during spring, Capt. Tom said. The boat will now head offshore for tuna and sharks. Tom was hearing reports about bluefin tuna caught along the 20-fathom line, and a friend nailed six or seven yellowfin tuna and missed two white marlin and a blue marlin at one of the canyons. On the shark front, big, 400- to 600-pound thresher sharks were terrorizing the inshore grounds, and makos were on the hunt.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Two mako sharks and a big, 200-pound dusky were landed with <b>O-Beth Sportfishing</b> from Margate near 28-mile wreck Tuesday, Capt. Eric said. One of the sharks, a 120-pound mako, was kept, and the other mako was released and was a little smaller. The water was 64 degrees and clean but not blue, and no bait, bluefish or any other life was seen except sharks. Whole mackerel in a mackerel chum slick took the fish. A shark trip on the boat Saturday also fished the 20-fathom line and drilled two makos, including a 110-pounder, and a blue shark. The water that day was 62 to 63 degrees or cold and clear, and bait was marked, and no bluefish showed up. Eric on Saturday was hearing a few reports on the radio about bluefin tuna boated, and it sounded like there was a good bite at Baltimore Canyon.  Shark charters are the focus on the vessel at the moment, and tuna charters should kick off soon.

Tuna fishing was already good at the middle grounds like the Elephant Trunk, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport. Places like around the 750 Square and the Lobster Claw were productive, and a few bluefins were even swimming offshore of Sea Isle Ridge recently. A warm eddy just south of Baltimore Canyon rolled in, and on Saturday bluefin and yellowfin tuna were boated there. A few friends fished there and picked up 60-pound tuna and 30-pounders.The boat is rigged and ready to charter for the fish, and open-boat tuna trips are slated for July 1, 8 and 22, sailing from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. and limited to six passengers. Book now while spots are open.

Sharking was very good at places including 28-Mile Wreck, the Cigar and spots farther offshore, such as the Elephant Trunk, said Jim from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. Plenty of makos were on the scene, and Jim heard about ones to 250 pounds caught, and thresher sharks were around. Bluefin tuna were starting to arrive in inshore waters, and Jim knew one angler who caught a bunch at the Cigar during the weekend.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City sailed offshore Saturday and loaded up on tuna and one mahi mahi at Baltimore Canyon, he said. He fished with Alan Fellheimer, leaving the dock at 2:30 a.m. to be on the tuna grounds by daybreak. Cloud cover the previous days allowed no good satellite shots of water temps, so he headed to a spot where he connected with tuna the previous weekend. He ended up fishing the west wall of the canyon toward the deep, and a bluefin tuna was caught at 7:30 a.m., and the good water had taken a while to find, and the spread was behind the boat by 6 a.m. By 8 a.m. the water, as cool as 61 degrees, was now 74 degrees, and such temps were likely to hold yellowfin tuna, and not bluefins that would be expected to favor lower temps. Sure enough, yellowfins showed up, and six of the fish to 70 pounds proceeded to be fought to the boat for the next three hours, and it was awesome. A 15-pound mahi was also boated. At one point three yellowfins apiece were hanging onto hookless daisy chain teasers on each side of the boat, and 15 of the fish must’ve been behind the vessel. A rainbow squid splash bar was the hot lure, but the fish bit a variety of lures, including Green Machines, and the mahi jumped on a weighted Green Machine. The water was some of the best in the early season that Joe’s seen, and it was clean and blue, and the yellowfins hit in the 74-degree temps. Joe saw temps as high as 75.5, and the tip of the Baltimore was 69 degrees. Of course, it was early in the year for yellowfins, and also early for such large ones. Friends of Joe’s on other boats also got into yellowfins nearby, and it was a good bite.

<b>Over Under Adventures</b>’s boat the Low Profile finished up its season of fishing in the Bahamas last week and is headed back to its summer and fall home in Avalon to fish for tuna and big game, the fishing report on the boat’s web site said. The Low Profile will also stop at Ocean City, Md., to fish before reaching Jersey, and three of Over Under’s other boats, Pretty Work, That’s Right and Justified, are already fishing there during summer and fall. They were getting into good shark fishing off O.C., connecting with fairly steady catches of makos from 100 to 200 pounds, and were landing plenty of tuna. One of the better tuna trips produced seven bluefins to 65 pounds in 50 to 100 fathoms on the troll, and a shark ate an 80-pounder. On Sunday two of the boats fished Baltimore Canyon, both getting into a half-dozen yellowfin tuna apiece from 30 to 50 pounds. Check out Over Under’s schedule of <a href="http://overundercharters.com/?page=opendates" target="_blank"> open-boat trips</a>, and more dates will be added as groups call and ask about splitting costs with other anglers. 

<b>Hereford Inlet</b>

Plenty of sharks were fought last week, and the crew of the Big Bully claimed three blue sharks and a mako, and had a brief encounter with a great white, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in Wildwood in an e-mail. Capt. Rick Herishen from the Captain Carlson and angler Etienne Jehl weighed in a 455-pound thresher shark. 

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May ran offshore on a friend’s boat Monday, going 5 for 7 on yellowfin tuna from 50 to 60 pounds at Baltimore Canyon on the troll, he said. Those fish were surprisingly big for this time of year, more like the size caught on bait in the fall. The fish also hit in surprisingly cold water that was 62 degrees, but a satellite shot showed that the boat fished near the edge of warm water that day, and the warm water pushed through and covered the whole canyon by the next day, Tuesday. George would’ve thought that bluefin tuna, not yellowfins, would bite in such cold water. The trip first scoped out the Hot Dog, where the water was a little cooler and 61 degrees, but that place was a ghost town with no bait or life. A little bit of bait was seen at Massey’s Canyon and the Hot Dog. The boat didn’t even leave the dock till 6:30 a.m. The fish were found in 400 feet at the Baltimore a little ways from the deep, and a bunch were marked, so they weren’t just scattered fish. George and his friend stopped to fish there because they saw other boats working the water. Other nearby boats were eventually seen loading up on the tuna, and one caught two and three at a time. Tuna charters are now available on the Heavy Hitter, so long as warm water sticks around.

The crew on the <b>Canyon Clipper</b> from Cape May won second place in Jim’s Bait & Tackle’s Mako Tournament on Saturday with a 202-pounder, Capt. Stan said. The big fish, 90 inches long, was only 2 pounds shy of first place, and it had been sitting on ice for six hours before it was weighed in, so it might’ve made first if it weren’t for the wait. The Canyon Clipper’s mako was nailed in the morning, and the crew immediately sailed back to port by 10 a.m., because they knew the shark was probably a contender. But weigh in wasn’t until 4 p.m. The fish was found near the Triple Wrecks, and Captain Tim from the boat fished there Sunday and tackled two dusky sharks. So sharking was on, and shark charters are sailing. A total of 15 makos were entered in the tournament, and big threshers also put up a scare, and Stan heard about a 500-pounder weighed in someplace. Stan also saw a school of bluefin tuna come under the boat during the shark trip, so tuna were definitely inshore, and he’s ready to tuna fish.

<b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle’s 25th Annual Mako Tournament</b> was held Saturday, and there was a great turnout, with 73 boats entered, and plenty of sharks were weighed in, said Matt from the Cape May shop in a fax. The crew of the Feast or Famine won 1st place with a 204-3/8-pound mako, and the gang on the Canyon Clipper took 2nd with a 202-pound mako. Anglers on the Dreamer scored 3rd with a 192-1/2-pound mako, and 15 makos were checked in during the event, and several more were caught and released. Sharking was best along the 20-fathom line, and the water was cooler farther offshore and toward the 30 line and the Elephant Trunk. The shop’s first yellowfin tuna of the season was checked in Saturday and was a 52-pounder that was boated at the 500-fathom line of Baltimore Canyon on the Raging Bull. The captain said another one was dropped at the boat, and a white marlin was raised. Reports were also heard about boaters from Ocean City, Md., landing tuna and releasing two white marlin. Trolling in the inshore ocean was producing a few schoolie bluefin tuna, and the Northeast, Middle and East lumps were decent spots to look. Chris Carbala fished the East Lump for a 32-pound bluefin that grabbed a red-and-white, 4-inch cedar plug in the prop wash.

Shark fishing was turning on at 5-Fathom Bank and along the 20-fathom line, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. Offshore baits and tackle are locked and loaded for the big-game season at the shop.

Mako sharks to 200 pounds and thresher sharks to 275 pounds were boated, and Baltimore Canyon last weekend gave up good action on yellowfin tuna and also held mahi mahi, said Capt. Fred from <b>Harbor View Marina</b> from Cape May in a fax. Bluefin tuna swam the Elephant Trunk

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