<b>Sandy Hook</b>

<b>Kayla Rose Charters</b> from Staten Island is now running mid-shore and offshore charters, and open-boat trips are taking place every day when no charter is booked, Capt. Darrin said. A trip last week headed to the 50-mile grounds and trolled a nice catch of football bluefin tuna about 30 pounds apiece and various-sized mahi mahi from chickens to one big bull. 

Capt. Jake from <b>Jersey Shore Fishing Charters</b> from Sea Bright ran to the Monster Ledge Sunday to search for bluefin tuna on the troll, but only bluefish bit, he said. The water was 74.8 degrees and very green, and seas were big and 8 feet. A friend overnighted at Hudson Canyon last Friday to Saturday, chunked two yellowfin tuna and trolled five. No other species were landed, and another angler said he nailed a 300-pound bigeye tuna at the Hudson on Saturday.

Capt. Kyle from <b>Evening Tide Charters</b> from Laurence Harbor was impressed with the numbers of bunker along the entire eastern seaboard this season, and he hoped that boded well for giant bluefin tuna fishing this fall, he said. Kyle runs a private, offshore boat that usually hunts the giants. 

Small bluefin tuna hit at the HA buoy on trolled ballyhoos, small plastics and feathers, said Sal from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b> on Staten Island. Sal took a trip to Hudson Canyon last week that trolled nine longfin tuna, a white marlin and some mahi mahi, and also pulled up tilefish.  

In an old but interesting report, Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> from the Highlands fished Hydrographers Canyon 1 ½ weeks ago on the 68-foot Shark Byte, he said. The crew trolled 23 yellowfin tuna to 60 or 70 pounds and three longfin tuna over two days, and they landed a swordfish on the nighttime chunk, and the round trip was 237 miles from Rumson. Jersey Devil is now available for inshore and offshore tuna charters, and Brian was hearing about bluefin tuna swimming inshore waters, such as from the Monster Ledge to the Glory Hole. Hudson Canyon’s tuna fishing was spotty, and the fish bit on some days and then would turn off for a couple of days, and so on.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Offshore boaters were at least fishing now, catching bigeye, yellowfin and longfin tuna at Hudson Canyon at the west wall, the unexploded bombs and the letters, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. The bite was nothing hot, but anglers were coming back with a catch. The largest bigeyes that Dave heard about were 150 to 180 pounds, and some of the yellowfins weighed up to 60 pounds. Most of the fish hit on the troll, but some anglers tried chunking for swords at night and landed a few tuna. Dave heard about no swordfish taken, and chunking for tuna wasn’t really ready yet. The Toms Canyon was giving up lots of white and blue marlin and a few wahoos. Fishing for bluefin tuna to 60 pounds was good in the inshore ocean at the Glory Hole and the Chicken Canyon.  Closer to shore, bonito fishing at Manasquan Ridge was inconsistent but was better at Barnegat Ridge. Barnegat Ridge sometimes gave up mahi mahi and king mackerel.

The <b>Katie H</b> from Brielle’s first overnighter of the season on the offshore grounds should take place this weekend, and then a bunch of the big-game charters will begin sailing, Capt. Mike said. Offshore fishing sounded okay, and Mike heard about one boat that fished Carteret Canyon and trolled at least a dozen yellowfin tuna. Daytime trolling was producing most catches as usual this time of year, but nighttime chunking was giving up a few. Openings remain for offshore trips, but book now before all dates are full. 

Capt. Larry from the <b>Reel-Ality</b> from Brielle heard that schoolie bluefins and a few larger ones to 47 inches were caught at the Glory Hole, and so were sharks, he said. Charters on the boat take the trip for bluefins if the tuna show up in decent numbers.

Windy weather kept canyon trips from sailing with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant this week, but canyon tuna fishing was set to break wide open, and nighttime chunking was beginning to produce the fish in recent days, Capt. Fred said. Of course, a few of the tuna had already been biting on the troll. Mid-shore fishing was slow, so Andrea’s Toy will focus on canyon charters and open-boat trips for now. A mid-shore trip took a course for the Glory Hole during the middle of last week and only landed a 25-inch, short bluefin tuna, and no mahi mahi were holding at the lobster pots. But an open-boat canyon trip took place last Friday and was decent. The anglers onboard fished the Toms Canyon, scored a double header of 50-pound longfin tuna and later trolled a 70-pound yellowfin. After trolling several more hours, the trip switched to deep-dropping for tilefish, and a 20-pounder was nailed. Then winds and seas were forecast to blow up, so the boat started back to port. The water was 78 degrees, clear and blue. Andrea’s Toy runs offshore and mid-shore on both charters and open-boat trips, fishing for a mixed bag of species. On offshore day trips anglers usually troll the canyons for tuna during the morning, switch later to deep-dropping for tilefish along the bottom, and then hit the lobster pots for mahi mahi on light tackle. On offshore overnighters the boat normally arrives at the canyons in the afternoon and begins trolling for tuna, sets up on the chunk overnight for tuna, swordfish and sharks, trolls again in the morning, and then bottom fishes for tiles, capping off the trip with mahi fishing on the way home. Mid-shore charters and open trips fish places like the Glory Hole when bluefin tuna and mahi mahi are numerous enough, and sharks are also targeted on those outings.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Bonito fishing at Barnegat Ridge sounded slower than before, said Capt. John from <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> from Waretown. The speedsters were apparently still trolled, but there were fewer numbers than previously, when boats were loading up on the fish.

Olley’s Lump was home to bluefin tuna and mahi mahi, and so was Barnegat Ridge, said Christian from <b>Oceanside Bait & Tackle</b> in Brighton Beach. He heard a few reports about king mackerel at the ridge, and bonito also swam the ridge.

Bonito were trolled at Barnegat Ridge, and Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b> even heard about bluefin tuna boated at the ridge, he said. Tuna fishing farther offshore was very good at the Resor Wreck, Lindenkohl Canyon and the Hot Dog.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

A 16-hour tuna charter trolled inside Carteret Canyon down to Lindenkohl Canyon and scored pretty well, landing some yellowfin tuna to 70 pounds, a couple of white marlin and a couple of mahi mahi with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton, Capt. T.J. said. The boat was fishing a warm eddy at the Lindenkohl Canyon, and T.J. heard from another boater from the marina who fished that area in the past days and loaded up on the fish while chunking at night, going something like 8 for 10 on yellowfins to 50 pounds. Dates are available for chunking charters in the next few weeks, and a limited number of openings are available for inshore bluefin tuna fishing. Bluefin action was spotty locally but of course was happening far south.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Anglers on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> from Brigantine went 2 for 5 on bluefin tuna around Massey’s Canyon on Sunday, Capt. Tom said. The two that were landed measured 48 inches and 46 ½ inches and were trolled, and only one of the trip’s bites was on the chunk. The fish hit from daylight until 1:30 p.m. Some boaters in the area caught one or two fish, and lots of others complained about catching none. The water was 78 to 79 degrees and fairly clear, and reports from the canyons sounded like a few yellowfin tuna, fewer bigeyes and some marlin were trolled over the weekend, and chunking overnight at the canyons during that time seemed spotty, although some chunkers did very well. Space is available on an open-boat tuna trip tomorrow that will either target bluefins inshore or will fish for tuna and big game farther offshore at the canyons, depending on what’s biting best. The open trips are sailing every Saturday when no charter is booked. Fishin’ Fever is also running inshore trolling charters, and the bonito and mahi mahi bites were now terrific in the Brigantine and Atlantic City area, and king mackerel, Spanish mackerel and sometimes wahoo could be caught, and bluefish would hit as always.

Offshore fishing was great, both for bluefin tuna closer to shore and yellowfin tuna and other big game farther from shore at the canyons, said Jack from Offshore Enterprises Bait and Tackle in Atlantic City. The bluefins were beginning to bite on the chunk after already hitting on the troll, and customers were starting to buy butterfish for chunking. Big bull dolphin also hit at the inshore grounds inside of the 28-Mile Wreck. Besides yellowfins, the canyons gave up bigeye tuna and sometimes blue marlin, and Jack was beginning to hear reports about white marlin landed there. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, fished Carteret Canyon on Sunday and trolled a couple of 60- or 70-pound yellowfins and fought a 300-pound bigeye tuna that spit the hook. The boat did no chunking. The shop is fully supplied with offshore baits including the butterfish already mentioned, sardines, flats of mackerel, trolling squid, Spanish mackerel and bunker chum. A new shipment of BaitMaster ballyhoos, including rigged ones, is expected to arrive Tuesday.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Both tuna fishing and inshore trolling shut down in the past several days for some reason, said Capt. Mike from <b>Stray Cat Charters</b> from Longport. Maybe water that “rolled over” a number of times from conditions like easterly winds, southwesterly winds and storms was the cause. Previously tuna fishing was good for lots of yellowfins 40 miles offshore, and mahi mahi of all different sizes, from peanuts to 15 pounders, were also trolled. Stray Cat won’t start sailing to the canyons for tuna for another week, but yellowfins were taken at the canyons through the weekend, and lots of swordfish were fought there during that time. Bluefin tuna fishing was going well at the 30-fathom line both days of the weekend. Stray Cat’s inshore trolling trips had been picking up mixed bags of blues, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and bonito, averaging 25 fish on a 5-hour outing. Lots of snapper blues seemed to be abundant, and the rest of the fish were picked up here and there with no large concentrations. Four spaces remain for an open-boat tuna trolling trip this Sunday, running 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., and all other such trips are sold out for now. Overnight, open-boat trips for tuna will begin September 9, limited to six passengers on the 53-foot vessel, leaving plenty of elbow room.

Yellowfin tuna were chunked at the Misty Blue wreck, and bonito and bluefish could be hooked at Sea Isle Ridge, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b> from Ocean City.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Offshore fishing was fair at best for <b>Over Under Adventures</b>’ boats from Avalon, N.J., and Ocean City, Md., last week, the report on Over Under’s web site said. Over Under’s reports are usually posted every few days, but this report was the last word on the boats lately, so it’s assumed that this type of fishing continued, but that could be incorrect. Bluefin tuna during that week continued to hold at the 20-fathom curve, and they swam Massey’s Canyon, 19-Fathom Lump, the Ham Bone and the Chicken Bone, but the bite was much slower than a couple of weeks before. Over Under’s boats’ best days were going 6 for 8 on bluefins, and their slowest days were only scoring a couple of bites. The bluefins hit either on the chunk from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. or on the troll throughout the day. Things were worse when the vessels ventured farther offshore. The boats’ second offshore overnighter of the season took place during that week, only to be shut out on tuna fishing on the chunk. A bunch of dolphin were caught, and three or four yellowfin tuna bit on the troll. One of the boats had a decent day on yellowfins, and three managed to be put in the boat just offshore of the Hot Dog, but those fish were gone the next day. “So all we can say is that things can only get better,” the report said.  The fishing was expected to improve as the moon faded more this week. 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>

Chunking for bluefin tuna was hot at Massey’s Canyon and 19-Fathom Lump last week, and smaller bluefins were sometimes caught at the East Lump and along the 20-fathom line during that week, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in Wildwood in an e-mail. Ernie Divincenzo and crew on the The Next Generation fished the 19 Lump and went 3 for 4 on bluefins to 85 pounds on the chunk last week. Boaters who trolled farther offshore at the canyons during that time got into white marlin, blue marlin, yellowfin tuna and wahoo.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

This week’s weather was probably too windy for most offshore boaters to fish for tuna, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. But trolling for bluefin tuna should be good at places like 19-Fathom Lump, Massey’s Canyon and even closer to the coast like at the Triple Lumps when the weather clears.

Bluefin tuna fishing was very good on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May on Sunday while the anglers chunked at the inshore lumps, Capt. George said. They landed six bluefins to 70 pounds including limiting out, and they were finished by 9 a.m. Seas started becoming sloppy from northeast winds, so no trolling was done on the way home. The water was 74 degrees, a few degrees cooler than other boaters told George they found. Ross Mayan, Keith Burgos, Brian Moore, John Digiorgio and Dan Reader were the anglers on the charter. George was fishing inshore for bluefish and flounder on Wednesday when he heard talk on the radio that sounded like tuna anglers sometimes got into plenty of action that day.

The <b>Sea Fox</b> from Cape May was supposed to chunk and troll for bluefin tuna at the inshore lumps today, and the boat chunked and trolled for the fish with the Shinn Express Company charter last Friday, Capt Gary said. They went 5 for 6, limiting out on the tuna. The group chunked at first and then trolled, and both methods scored bites, and the fish were hooked from 4 a.m. to 12 noon. Seas were somewhat rough and 3 to 4 feet, and the water was probably 76 or 77 degrees.

A tuna trip with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> from Cape May on Sunday limited out on bluefins at the 20-fathom line, and other bluefins were also released, Capt. Ray said. The fish were chunked in the morning, and the anchor was pulled by 10 a.m., and the vessel went on the troll, but seas were kicking up, and the anglers spent little time trolling before heading to the barn. Yellowfin tuna and longfin tuna were caught at the canyons when boaters ended up at the right spots, but bluefin tuna fishing closer to shore was more productive. Inshore trolling with Jaftica produced bluefish, bonito, king mackerel and mahi mahi, and the blues were predominant, and the other fish hit sporadically. For example, the boat came across a pod of bonito when those fish were landed.

Bluefin tuna fishing was holding up well at the usual haunts, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May in a fax. Trolling for them was good in the mornings at the Fingers, the Misty Blue wreck and the Lori Dawn lumps. Locations for the best chunking for the bluefins varied, but the fish were chunked at Massey’s Canyon, the 19-Fathom Lump, the Ham Bone and the Hot Dog. Sardines seemed to out-fish butterfish, and jigging also scored plenty. A few yellowfin tuna started to show up at Massey’s and the Hot Dog. At the canyons white marlin fishing started to pick up, and the tips of Baltimore and Wilmington canyons were loaded with skipacks that blue marlin and a few whites were sometimes feeding on.

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