New Jersey Fishing Reports

Black drum schooled at the Shrewsbury Rocks, and a friend hauled in 10, said Capt. Akira from True World Tackle and True World Tackle Charters. But he didn’t know whether the boomers were still there. Friends also caught striped bass at the rocks. Customers caught fluke in New York Harbor but struggled to land keepers, because New York’s size limit is 20-1/2-inches. A bunch of porgies bit around City Island on Long Island Sound. Charters with True World are fluke fishing, but a trip Sunday might bottom fish, including on the sound.

Sayreville

Bluefish 3 to 4 pounds started pushing into the Sandy Hook surf, and throw jigs to hook up, said Sal from Bait Ball Tackle & Hobby. Customers who fluke fished on the bay scored bigger fish on smelts instead of spearing, and seemed to land larger ones more often now. Smelts, spearing, bloodworms, sandworms, frozen bunker, frozen clams and all the frozen baits are stocked.

Atlantic Highlands

Striped bass started to get whacked again in the ocean at the Shrewsbury Rocks and off the Highlands Bridge on bunker, said Jimmy from Julian’s Bait & Tackle. Boaters belted them yesterday, and he thought they caught them today. “Lots of fluke, lots of little ones,” he said. But flukers could weed through to bag keepers. Blues could be found in the bay and along the beaches. Bottom fishers pulled up sea bass, porgies and ling. Jimmy searched for weakfish but found none in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers yesterday.

Raritan Bay fluke fishing stayed about the same, and some days were better than others, and the better the drift, the better both the action and the number of keepers, said Capt. Tom from the Atlantic Star. A couple of larger flatties were whaled yesterday: Ryan Britton’s 5-pound 10-ouncer and Bob Hode’s 5-pound 5-ouncer. Trips were catching the flatbacks every day, and the fluke hugged bottom no matter which of the usual haunts were fished, a population that was spread out. Anglers were having fun. The flatties were all different sizes, including 11- and 12-inchers and 17 to 18 inchers. The hope was that the ones ¼-inch short would grow to be keepers by August, increasing the number of fluke bagged. Tom noticed no real difference in the rigs and baits patrons used. Some anglers the other day fished Spro jigs and did okay, but on another day they caught fewer than those who fished with rigs. So that was day to day. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Fluke anglers caught lots, sometimes good-sized, and fluking was about the only game in town, said Capt. Mick from the CRT II. His trips target the bottom dwellers from Raritan Bay to along the Sandy Hook beaches. A few weakfish were picked up, but no numbers yet. Discounts are available on 5-hour weekday trips for charters up to 15 passengers.

Fluke fishing was okay, and yesterday’s trip was difficult with winds against the tide, but more than 40 keepers were boated, said Capt. Ron from the Fishermen. The trip fished both the bay and the ocean, and Ron was happy with the fishing, but if the size limit were an inch shorter like last year, anglers would limit out every day. An 8.8-pound fluke led the season-long pool so far. The boat’s evening trips on weekends were pretty much landing bluefish now, but a couple of striped bass were taken on the trips both Saturday and Sunday. The Fishermen is fluke fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Magic Hour Trips are running for blues and stripers 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Charters are booked Friday and Saturday mornings, so no open-boat trips will sail then, but the Magic Hour trips will still fish.

Highlands

Fisher Price Charters fluke fished at Reach Channel a couple of times during the week, and when currents and winds created decent drifting, the flatties were hooked, and some doormats to 5 pounds were nailed, Capt. Derek said. Anglers onboard fished with Spro jigs with Gulps and bottom rigs with squid and smelts, and the waters were in the mid 70s. Derek heard about no weakfish hooked yet, but he hoped to search around for the trout in the coming week. Fisher Price will focus on fluke and weakfish in summer, but striped bass charters will still run a moment. Buddies fished for stripers in the ocean yesterday and said the bite was good. Derek was asked whether he heard about drum that reportedly turned on at the Shrewsbury Rocks in the past week, and he said he had and that drum were also landed off Sandy Hook. Dates remain for charters for stripers and fluke.

A trip Saturday on the Benchmark looked like it was going to be slow through late morning, but then the anglers ended up wrestling in three large striped bass to 35 pounds and a few blues on live and chunked bunker, the report on the boat’s web site said. A two-man charter, including a prince from Kuwait, sailed Thursday, and their only request was to catch something big. Although they fished mid day, not prime time, they limited out on stripers to 18 pounds and missed a half-dozen in a couple of hours of fishing.

Some days produced a load of striped bass and bluefish at the Shrewsbury Rocks on live and chunked bunker, and early mornings or toward dusk were probably best, said Capt. Brian from Jersey Devil Charters. A run of drumfish also turned on there. Fluke fishing was sort of hit or miss, depending on drifting conditions. The boat might make the season’s first run to the canyons Friday, and the Hudson and Toms seemed to serve up plenty of tuna if anglers found the right waters. Brian’s going to take the vessel to Martha’s Vineyard to compete in the Monster Shark Tournament next week.

Neptune

“Stripers, stripers, stripers,” Capt. Ralph from Last Lady Fishing Charters said in an e-mail. A new body of striped bass moved in, and his trips whacked them. Linesiders to 32 ½ pounds were nailed Tuesday and ones to 22 ½ pounds were beaten Wednesday. Individual-reservation trips will go after stripers 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. this coming Wednesday and Tuesday, July 22, and Monday, July 28, limited to six people. Individual-reservation trips are bottom fishing every Wednesday, and fluke will be hooked in good numbers again after the south winds stop, and sea bass and ling were hitting. A bottom-fishing trip will fish offshore wrecks Tuesday. Bluefish turned off a few days, but now Last Lady was catching a bunch again close to shore. Trolling for tuna was red hot, and three spaces are available on an open-boat tuna trip July 29 to 30, leaving at 10 a.m. Shark fishing produced a mako on every trip, but the last shark trip was slow, and a small mako was released. Shark trips now either had to fish overnight or sail more than 40 miles offshore.

Belmar

Charters on the Nan Sea J mixed it up with catches of blues and striped bass in the ocean, Capt. Tom said. Lots of blues were battled, and some stripers were boated on nearly every trip, and all the fishing was done with bait. The blues were big, probably 4 to 12 pounds. The stripers weighed up to the teens, and shorts sometimes bit, though previously all the linesiders were keepers. Waters were 65 to 68 degrees, cool from all the south winds.

Ocean fluke fishing went well on the Big Mohawk, and doormats to 11 ½ pounds were banged, and 9- and 10-pounders were sometimes boated, and all patrons were catching, Capt. Chris said. “So we’re getting it down, slowly but surely,” he said. The boat mostly fished off Elberon, and Spro jigs worked better, but rigs also caught. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Bluefishing stayed about the same as before, and jigging for the slammers during daytime trips was steady, and fishing for them at night was challenging, because the blues were spawning, but nighttime trips did pick up a little, said Capt. Greg from the Golden Eagle. But the slow down from spawning happens every year, and lasts about two weeks, and then the bite turns back on, and the fish were already spawning a while. A few striped bass like 18-, 20- or 22-pounders were also grabbed on trips. The blues on daytime trips weighed 6 to 8 pounds, and 10-pounders were pool winners. The Golden Eagle is sailing daily for blues and stripers 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Customers boated large fluke 5 miles from shore, and an 8-¼-pounder, a 6-pounder and four 4-pounders were weighed in, said Johnny O. from Fisherman’s Den. Party boats were also on the fish. The fluke keeper ratio was improving on Shark River. Ocean bluefishing was decent today, no great shakes, but decent. Surf fishing was quiet, and bunker schooled, but few stripers were weighed in. The store’s Shark River Fluke Tournament takes place Friday through Sunday. Twenty percent of entrance fees will be donated to the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, and the rest goes to the anglers with the top three fluke. Entry is only $40 per boat, limited to four anglers per vessel.

Point Pleasant

The cold ocean slowed some types of fishing, but bottom fishing for sea bass and ling held up, said Ronnie from Fisherman’s Supply. One customer landed fluke from the surf, and some anglers reeled up stripers from the suds at night, and the linesiders headed up Manasquan River in past nights. The river was crammed with undersized fluke, but they offered lots of action, and a few 4- and 5-pounders were around. Daytime bluefishing was outstanding in the ocean, even if nighttime bluefishing was affected by the spawn. So the fish were there, and anglers just needed to wet a line, and they weren’t going to catch by sitting at the computer! Heads up anglers: The shop will host a FREE SEMINAR ON SURF FISHING WITH CALICO CRABS, one of the best baits, but one that few people know about, by surf master Eric Bunz on Thursday, July 31, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. or whenever it ends. The hands-on seminar will cover topics such as how to obtain the crabs, how to preserve them, the rigs to use and the knots to tie. For info call Ronnie at the shop at 732-892-2058. Afterward the store will hold weekly free seminars in August on topics like fishing Montauk, Cuttyhunk and Cape Cod. The party boat Voyager, docked at the store, is finished fishing until tuna season, when tilefish trips will also take place. The trips are already filling up, and waste no time to reserve preferred dates, because the trips certainly fill.

A few big striped bass were boated through the week, but the dropped water temps took a toll on much fishing, said Chuck from Gates Bait & Tackle. However, winds now turned around from the previous southerlies, and waters were already warming. Stripers were beached from the surf at Spring Lake and Asbury Park, and a blitz took place at Spring Lake today, and whoever was there pinned down hefty linesiders. Sea bassing seemed to improve, and ocean fluking was off and on, one day good, one day slower. Many fluke piled up at Manasquan Inlet, but hardly any were keepers in the 18-inch size limit, and plenty were an inch or half-inch short. One angler who frequents the inlet was catching 17 flatties a day but only found two keepers all week. But plenty of action. The Gates Motel, located on the grounds, is open full time and is popular with anglers. They stay the night to avoid early or late drives before or after trips on the local boats, or they visit simply for a fishing vacation. Both the motel and tackle shop are located within walking distance of the inlet, the party and charter boat fleet and the surf.

Bottom fishing turned up pretty decent catches, and on some days more ling bit, and on other days more sea bass hit, and a few small cod were landed, said Capt. Butch from the Dauntless. Quite a few out-of-season winter flounder also showed up. On Tuesday mostly sea bass grabbed baits, though a good-number of ling were also taken, and on Wednesday mostly ling made up the catch, for example. Customers generally boated 10 to 25 fish. Jerry Collins won the pool Tuesday with an 8-pound 15-ounce ling, the biggest Butch saw in some time. A world-record ling, something like a 9-pound 7-ouncer, was once taken on the boat, but that record was since broken by a fish about a pound heavier that someone else caught. The Dauntless fished in the shallows from 70 to 120 feet, and the surface was 62 degrees, and previously it was 70 degrees, and the bottom was in the mid to low 40s, excellent temps for bottom fishing, even if fluke fishers weren’t thrilled. Bluefishing on the boat’s nighttime trips was a little slow, because the slammers were spawning. Daytime jigging for the fish on other boats was holding up, but the night fishing slows a moment during the spawn. That happens every year around the full moon in July. On some nights on the Dauntless 25 or 30 blues were fought, and that could keep patrons happy on the half-night trips. But on other trips only a few blues attacked, and no customers, nor Butch, could be happy. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. daily.

Patrons tangled with plenty of big blues that attacked jigs on Wednesday’s trip, said Cindy from the Sea Devil in an e-mail. Most of the fish weighed 8 to 10 pounds, and a 12-pounder was the pool winner. Tuesday’s trip also put up a mess of the fish that hit jigs, and this time they varied in size from 3 to 9 pounds or larger, and the pool winner again weighed 12 pounds. The boat started drifting just off the beaches north of Long Branch. At the end of the trip the vessel drifted farther from shore. At one point the blues could be seen attacking a huge ball of bait, exciting to watch. The Sea Devil is fishing for blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. every Saturday. However, the boat is chartered Saturday during the day, so no open trip will sail then, but the evening open trip will run.

Waters were chilly, and that affected ocean fluking on the Norma K, but some were landed, and sea bass, a few more than fluke, were lifted aboard, Monica said. Bluefish were still spawning. That was the report for nighttime bluefish trips!:) The Norma K is sailing for fluke twice daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Bluefish trips are running 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily.

Fluke fishing in the ocean remained off and on, pretty much the way it’s been all season, with times when a good number of keepers came up, and large sea bass were sometimes mixed in, said Capt. Bob from the Gambler. Monday morning’s trip got into a bunch of healthy sized, keeper fluke at the lumps and hills in 60 feet. Sometimes the boat’s also been fishing the rough bottom for success. Certain anglers seemed to catch better than others, and often they tossed Spro jigs, working them back to the boat, scoring maybe 3 to 1 better than others. But they did work the jigs, and that made the difference. The boat last sailed on a nighttime bluefish trip on Friday, when the fishing was slow. Reports this week sounded like the bite improved somewhat. Some had been saying the blues were spawning, and that was the reason for the slow down in the fishing at night. They could be spawning, but Bob questioned whether they were, because in the past, the slammers spawned during the last couple weeks of July, so the time was a little early for the spawn. The Gambler is fishing for fluke twice daily from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Toms River

Boaters still rustled up a handful of striped bass, but mostly 2 miles from shore, since the waters cooled, said Dennis from Murphy’s Hook House. Surf casters also banked an occasional bass or blue, and also bucktailed fluke, but again, the temps didn’t help. Snapper blues now grew to 4 inches and were hooked in the Toms River at Island Heights on spearing and small Kastmasters. Undersized weakfish 6 to 10 inches gathered at Island Heights and Beachwood. In Barnegat Bay 1- to 2-pound blues slammed trolled lures, mostly ponytails, from the 40 marker to the BB marker. Fluke fishing was decent from the BB to the BI, and Ron Fidalgo fished there and tackled a 10-pound 6-ouncer. Plain killies on a hook were best for fluke, and plain spearing was the second choice. Crabbing was good. Females were dominant, and some crabbers avoid females to let them breed. Still, crabbers could gather up the blueclaws.

Seaside

Few surf fishers walked the beaches, and there was little feedback, said the report on Grumpy’s Tackle’s web site. Reports about decent-sized fluke in the wash kept being heard, but they must’ve been throwbacks, because nobody weighed in any. Striped bass were surely around in the suds, but anglers had to find them. The ocean was in the low 60s. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

Forked River

Waters off Barnegat Inlet were very cold, so fluke fishing couldn’t produce much along the local ocean beaches, and boaters reported seeing bunker and thresher sharks 5 miles from shore, instead of closer, said Dane from Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle. But sea bass got pulled from the Tires and Garden State Reef North. Lots of fluke in Barnegat Bay carpeted Oyster Creek and Double Creek channels and the stretch from the BB marker to the BI marker. Anglers probably reeled in 20 to claim a keeper or two, and the 18-inch size limit is a big fish, but keepers were around. Blowfish were found in traps, so Dane anchored in the bay today, chummed with clam and fished with squid to try to hook them, caught no blowfish but did catch a dozen kingfish. Small blues swam the bay, and crabbing was very good. The shop stocks just about all baits, including killies, boxed squid, whole squid, Pro Cut squid, clam bellies, salted clams, frozen clams in 10-ounce, 1-pound, 2-pound, and 5-pound sizes, clam chum, local and Canadian spearing, sand eels, frozen grass shrimp, bunker chum in 3-1/2- and 5-gallon sizes, mackerel chum in 5-gallon size and flats of baitfish like mackerel and butterfish. Shedder crabs are stocked when weakfish are in, but no weaks really arrived yet.

Waretown

Capt. John from Perfect Drift Sport Fishing took a look around for fluke today, and the ocean was 55 degrees, so no fluking was happening there, he said. Barnegat Bay gave up one keeper flattie and shorts on the trip. Gulp shrimp and spearing were the baits, and one bluefish also grabbed a hook. John’s looking forward to fluking in the ocean, where the chances of hooking larger fish are greater, but the ocean will need to warm. He’ll probably be out scouting the fluke grounds this weekend, and fluke are Perfect Drift’s specialty through summer. Weakfishing in the bay will also be on the menu when the trout move in, and fishing for blues, bonito and other speedsters at Barnegat Ridge will be part of the trip selections when that bite turns on.

Things were heating up, and fluke put out incredible action for anglers on the Hi Flier at Barnegat Inlet and Barnegat Bay, apparently because quite a few of the flatties retreated to the back waters from the cold ocean, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. Ocean temps rose to 66 degrees by the beginning of the week but were 54 degrees the previous Thursday, and the bay was 75 to 78 degrees. Dave netted fresh spearing and put his anglers on the drift for fluke. They vertically jigged shad darts tipped with the spearing, and the 18-inch size limit was tough, but the action was a blast on light rods. A trip Monday evening must’ve hooked 25 fluke including two keepers 18 and 21 inches. Before or after the fluke fishing, charters were casting poppers to 2-pound blues that took up residence in 4-foot shallows in the bay for explosive surface attacks. Three houndfish, which look like a needlefish but thicker and 3 feet long, were also hooked on three trips but always broke off or threw the hook. But they were seen because they come flying out of the waters and run across the surface even faster than blues. “I usually don’t target fluke, but when the fishing is hot, I don’t ignore it,” Dave said. “Plus the fact that I could couple it with top-water blues makes it a worthwhile (trip).” Relentless south winds were forecast to let up today through the weekend, so Dave planned to head for Barnegat Ridge to search for bluefin tuna, bonito and false albacore. Mild west, northwest and northeast winds were predicted, conditions for comfortable seas. Both single reservations for open-boat trips and charters are available Friday through Sunday. Call for the schedule beyond then.

Barnegat Light

North winds finally started blowing today, so reports were already heard about ocean temps rising, said Josh from Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle. The fluke population increased at Barnegat Inlet and Barnegat Bay because of the cold ocean, and anglers hooked them at Oyster Creek and Double Creek channels and from the BI marker to the BB marker. Big sea herring popped up at the inlet, and bait was starting to appear at different places, like sand eels farther out in the ocean. Large bluefish were still found at the inlet. A mess of good-sized sea bass came up from the ocean wrecks, sort of surprising. Fluke roamed the surf, and toss a 2-ounce bucktail with squid, a minnow or your bait of choice to crank one in. Striped bass that were a cookie cutter 32 inches kept getting dragged from the surf. Dunk clams to connect. No customers mentioned fishing offshore this week, probably because of rough weather and winds, but offshore anglers needed to sail far for catches. Over the weekend a few yellowfin tuna were reported boated, and a few sharks were battled at the Fingers. Live spots, minnows, eels, surf clams and all the frozen baits are stocked. The shop hopes to carry fresh bunker for the weekend.

Manahawkin

Fluke fishing turned on big time around Holgate, and the cold ocean pushed them in, said Tom from American Sportsman Bait & Tackle. Many of the fish were small, and outgoing tides were best, especially in the ocean off Holgate, because waters coming from the bays was warmer. Kingfish could be lifted from the bay, and a few blowfish, but not a lot, swam there. The bay held blues, but bluefishing was slow in the ocean at Barnegat Ridge. Wreck-fishing for sea bass was very productive. So was crabbing in the bay. Check out the shop’s web sites <a href=" http://allfishingrigs.com/catalog/index.php" target="_blank">AllFishingRigs.com</a> and <a href="http://www.allcrabstuff.com" target="_blank">AllCrabStuff.com</a>. Besides fishing bait and tackle, the store specializes in crabbing supplies and traps. It also supplies traps to many tackle shops in the tri-state area and to commercial crabbers.

Beach Haven

Fluke fishing on this morning’s trip wasn’t bad, despite no drift, said Capt. Frank from the Miss Beach Haven in an e-mail. Lots of shorts flew over the rails, but respectable keepers were mixed in. Dave Agar from Beach Haven won the pool with a 4-pounder. The Miss Beach Haven is sailing for fluke 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 12 noon Mondays and Tuesdays and 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays.

Mystic Island

The ocean was so cold that even a surfer said he couldn’t stay in the waters, said Scott from Scott’s Bait & Tackle. Boaters on Sunday headed to Little Egg Reef, found a 53-degree ocean, froze their tails off and came back home. Nobody caught anything at the reef. Anglers might make a note to bring an extra sweatshirt. Bay flounder pounders got into a healthy number of keepers on Sunday, but by Monday, plenty of fish bit, but few were keepers. Scott had been hoping that the cold ocean would push larger ones inside. Sometimes flounder anglers caught kingfish by mistake. To target kings, chum with clam, and fish with bloodworms, and anchor just off the channel at the 134 marker or at the clam stakes on the Mystic Island side of the Fish Factory, but the 134 is probably a little better. A scattering of ¾- to 1-1/2-pound blues roamed the bay, sometimes under bird play, and the schools broke up by 8 a.m., so anglers got an early morning shot. Sometimes the blues turned on at the mouths of Big Creek, Mott Creek, Oyster Creek and the Mullica River, but only during outgoing tides. No news rolled in about weakfish, and if anyone was catching them, they weren’t talking. Nobody mentioned taking advantage of the shark fishery available in Great Bay at this time of year. The time to catch them is usually now. Big brown sharks and large sandsharks enter the bay, and anglers anchor up at Grassy Channel from dusk till 10:30 p.m. to fight them. The shop’s got the tackle and supplies and can point you in the right direction. White perch should be able to be hooked, though nobody reported making the effort. Ballanger Creek and Nacote Creek are usually places to find plenty at this time of year, and they’re typically decent-sized in summer. The perch that anglers land at Collins Cove in winter tend to be smaller. The supply of live grass shrimp, the best perch bait, died, and Scott expected to catch more next week. Bloodworms and minnows are stocked. Crabbing was good, the saving grace of the season. On the offshore scene, some said they looked for bluefin tuna but found none at 28-Mile Wreck, the 750-Square and the Cigar, and apparently that fishery wasn’t happening yet, although bluefins turned on farther south. The annual Sunshine Foundation Fishing Tournament, primarily a fluke and weakfish contest, takes place Saturday. Weigh in is at Great Bay Marina, but entry forms are available at Scott’s until 4 p.m. Friday. Afterward anglers have to enter at the captain’s meeting 6 p.m. that day.

Port Republic

Very few weakfish showed up at the mouth of the Mullica River so far, and maybe the cold waters prevented them from arriving, said Jerry from Chestnut Neck Boat Yard. He was at Corson’s Inlet the other day and read 58-degree water temperatures. Shedder crabs, the favorite weakfish forage, were unavailable, and the hope was that a shed on the full moon would provide the bait. Crabbing for hardshells was phenomenal. Flounder, lots of shorts, were boated along the inland waterway. Perch could always be found up the river. Minnows, squid, spearing and other frozen baits are stocked.

Absecon

Striped bass were stacked up like cordwood at Absecon Inlet and along the Brigantine Bridge, and live spots or Gulp jerk shads were the way to go, said Vance from Absecon Bay Sportsman Center. Plenty of linesiders could also be plugged at night along the sod banks of the bay. Bay flounder fishing was getting better and better, and two or three 6- to 8-pounders were weighed in every day. Blues were scattered throughout the bay, and the mouth of the Mullica River was the place to look for weakfish. Surf fishers beached a bunch of kingfish and a few striped bass. Crabbing was excellent. The shop is holding a sale on minnows for $5 a pint in July. Live spots and eels are carried, and so are shedder crabs. The store raises its own crabs, so the supply is large and also includes No. 1 and 2 hardshells for eating and even softshells. Mmm delicious! Live peanut bunker should be stocked soon, and the staff was waiting for the baitfish to grow to the right size. Just about every other kind of bait is also on hand. A large supply of all the different Gulps is on the shelves, and Gulps were the productive flounder bait. A full selection of all the different lures for plugging those stripers along the sod banks is also on tap, and the crew at the store are happy to point you in the right direction.

Brigantine

Kingfish loaded the surf up and down the beaches, said Capt. Andy from Riptide Bait & Tackle. Bloodworms, FishBites and Gulp worms all worked. Small bluefish started showing up in the suds, not heavily. Everybody was waiting for bigger slammers to come in. But Mike Jost and friend weighed in two 16- and 18-pound blues from the wash. All kinds of flounder covered the bay bottom, but probably 1 in 20 was a keeper. A few flounder, but not many, swam along the inlet rocks. Striped bass anglers banged away at the fish along the sod banks on live peanut bunker at dawn or dusk or on plugs at night. Gary Born won both the senior and junior divisions of the shop’s Put Up or Shut Up Tournament with a 36-pound, 45-inch striped bass. The difference between the divisions was that the senior entry fee was more than the junior. Peanut bunker were now prevalent in the bay, and Andy saw some kind of larger baitfish breaking the surface, maybe herring, or maybe adult bunker. But the peanuts meant that weakfish should turn up soon. Live peanut bunker, live spots, minnows, bloodworms, frozen mullet, squid and just about all baits are stocked.

Atlantic City

The keeper fluke ratio in the back bay was 900 to 1, said Dominic from Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle. Well, it was high. Blues sometimes bit at night on the bay, and peanut bunker schooled the waters, and sometimes striped bass followed them. Dominic was yet to catch a weakfish, but he saw them. Surf angling for kingfish had been good but dropped off this week. Bluefin tuna fishing was on fire down south at places like Massey’s Canyon, the Hambone and the Tea Cup on the troll, chunk and jig. Tuna and big-game fishing farther offshore seemed best at the northern canyons. The Carly A, the shop’s offshore charter boat, is in action, and a canyon trip will head out tomorrow. The vessel will run one open-boat trip per week, and call for dates. Live spots, minnows and all the usual frozen baits including clams, squid, bunker and mackerel are stocked. The store also carries a large supply of offshore baits. All the tackle, rods and reels for tuna jigging are also on hand.

Longport

The Stray Cat was in the yard for maintenance the past few days, about to switch to offshore fishing for tuna, Capt. Mike said. Previously the boat was bottom fishing at the reefs, mostly for sea bass, but flounder had also started to come up. The trips also trolled 1- and 2-pound blues on the way out and back, and that fishing had begun to turn on, too. The offshore fishing will take place on both charters and open-boat trips. Yellowfin tuna were on the hunt but way offshore in 1,000 fathoms, and the trips will probably head there. The 22-hour open trips are available for six passengers, and call for dates.

Somers Point

Flounder fishing in general gave up good catches, and the keeper ratio seemed to improve, probably 1 in 5 now, compared with 1 in 8 before, said Wayne from My Bait & Tackle. A few weakfish were reported picked up around the Parkway Bridge, and one angler reeled in eight short stripers from the Great Egg Harbor River. Nobody mentioned landing bluefish. Crabbing sounded productive. Flounder catches included Joe Lobue from Hopatcong’s 22-incher boated at Rainbow Channel on a minnow. Matt and Rocco Acito from Somers Point grabbed two keeper flounder 18 and 21 inches on minnows. Young man Tom Wescott decked a 19-3/4-inch flounder on a minnow while fishing with a friend and the friend’s dad, Stan Columbine from Egg Harbor Township. Wayne was unsure where they fished, but guessed they probably traveled to the waters off Kennedy Park, where many fish. Bill Anderson plied the bay at buoy 10 off Kennedy Park and put the brakes on a 22-inch flattie that swallowed a minnow.

Ocean City

Bluefin tuna were chunked, jigged and trolled at inshore spots including 19-Fathom Lump, Massey’s Canyon and the Hambone, and all points between, said Dan from Fin-Atics. No customers fished the offshore canyons in the last few days, but Toms Canyon was supposedly one of the places to go. A customer on Sunday fished a canyon and fought a blue marlin 20 minutes before it got off, raised another blue, raised three white marlin and landed mahi mahi and four yellowfin tuna. Back on shore, the surf gave up kingfish and a few striped bass. Lots of small flounder filled the bay, and Dan heard about no bluefish.

Sea Isle City

On the Starfish sea bass and porgies were angled up from the ocean, Capt. Bob said. Waters were 59 degrees. “A wee bit cold,” he joked. A handful of the sea bass were keepers, and so were a handful of the porgies, and a few of the porgies were big, 14- or 15-inch pie plates. Quite a few out-of-season tog were released, but the regs will allow one to be kept starting Wednesday. The Starfish is bottom fishing twice daily 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Bottom trips are also running 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday.

Lots of flounder, and more keepers than before, were pulled from the back bay, said Wes from Gibson’s Tackle. He bagged four on a trip, and Janet Jenkins weighed in a 7-pound 12-ouncer today, and other flatties that weighed 4 and 5 pounds were checked in. Minnows were a top bait, or squid with minnows worked, or maybe try a mackerel strip. A few snapper blues swam the bay, and stripers could be clammed in the back. Crabbers nabbed a slough of blueclaws. Surf fishers hooked kingfish, sometimes maybe five or 10 a day, and both bloodworms and artificial worms will draw bites, but Wes and the crew at the shop favor the natural baits. Just about every species moves through the inlets at some point, including flounder, stripers and kings. A weakfish was weighed in last week that came from one of the inlets. On the offshore grounds, bluefin tuna roamed areas like 19-Fathom Lump. Gibson’s carries a large variety of bait, just about any bait that locals fish.

Flounder fishing considerably picked up in the bay, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service, affiliated with Gibson’s Tackle. The reasons were unknown, and maybe the cold ocean forced a number of flounder to escape to the warmer bay, but maybe not. But the keeper ratio improved. Chad Sharber, wife Kristin and sons Will and Jackson were aboard yesterday and reeled in probably 15 flounder including five keepers, a good catch, especially in this year’s larger size limit that made catching keepers anywhere difficult. They fished with minnows on a plain hook with a long leader and also cast jigheads with Bass Assassins. Joe also saw large, 12-inch bunker swimming the bay, unusual for them to be there. Waters were 59 to 60 degrees at the inlets, very cold for summer, and even the back of the bay was 63 or 64 degrees, and the jigs came up ice cold. Non-stop southwest winds kept cooling the ocean this season. The typical summertime fishing pattern was yet to really kick in this year, and some things were unusual, like blues that remained in the bay, and larger ones than normal, when typically they would push out to the ocean. But Joe wasn’t complaining, and he’d rather have colder waters than hot waters that can slow fishing in July and August, and fishing so far this year has remained great in the bay. Striped bass were now grabbing popper lures and flies on the bay on high tides, and the popper fishing is one of Joe’s specialties. Stripers weren’t always smacking the poppers on the surface, and the fishing depended on the right conditions and specific places. The charter yesterday tried no popper fishing, and the day was too windy. Joe’s anglers that popper fish throw Skitterpops, Smackits and Creek Chubs on conventional tackle and Gurglers, skipping bugs or Spiral Poppers, a popper that Joe ties that’s made from foam wrapped around a hook, on fly rods. Joe planned to head offshore for bluefin tuna in the next days, and jigging for the fish at 19-Fathom Lump and Massey’s Canyon sounded turned on. Farther offshore, canyon tuna fishing now seemed a matter of water temps that were mostly even throughout the area or an absence of temperature breaks. The tuna were certainly still there, but the lack of breaks offered no specific areas to search for the fish, and finding them becomes more a matter of chance.

Wildwood

A surprising number of flounder paved the bay, and the population usually begins to drop by this time of year, but that wasn’t happening now, said Mike from Canal Side Boat Rentals. Rental boaters nabbed lots of the flatties, including good-sized keepers. Wasn’t unusual to hear about 15 or 20 hooked on a trip, and many of the fish were 15, 16 or 17 inches. Two or three hours before high tides and two or three after produced most of the fish, and low tides didn’t cut it. Minnows were best bait, and a minnow/squid combo was second-best, and some anglers preferred a minnow with mackerel. Top-and-bottom rigs with bucktail-dressed hooks seemed the ticket. A select few who knew what they were doing reeled in striped bass from the bay. Many of the fish were 25 to 27 inches, and some were 20 inches, and not many in the bay are keepers, but they’re fun. Only a handful of blues were seen at the shop. Mike’s friend called this morning to report catching a 9-pound blue in the bay, but one that size is rare. He also caught more of the speedsters. Crabbing got much better this past week, and customers often plucked 2 or 3 dozen keepers, and low, incoming tides were definitely important. Canal Side stocks a full supply of baits, including minnows, mackerel fillets and squid. A full line of rods, reels and fishing gear is carried. All crabbing supplies, including six types of traps, are sold. Canal Side rents canopy boats and kayaks for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing.

The ocean was so cold, with temps as low as 57 degrees, that the Adventurer fished Delaware Bay instead this week, Capt. Gary said. On the bay patrons reeled up a mix of flounder, blues and a few weakfish at the Punk Grounds. One day would be productive, and another would be slower. The bay was 75 degrees, and when the ocean warms, the boat will probably return to fishing the reefs for sea bass and flounder. But the vessel always takes advantage of the option either to fish the ocean or bay, depending on where the fishing’s best, and it’s a fortunate option that many other boats don’t have. The bay fishing in summer offers up more of a mix of fish like the flounder, blues and weaks than the reefs do. Croakers should soon become part of the population in the bay. A trip will fish for bluefish Saturday night, and one of the bluefish trips already sailed last weekend, and the fishing was slow, but that should change. The Adventurer is fishing 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and bluefishing trips are running 6 p.m. to 12 midnight every Saturday.

Cape May

The Heavy Hitter did no fishing in the past couple of days, but loads of bluefin tuna were hammered at the inshore spots like Massey’s Canyon, Capt. George said. He talked with some anglers who drilled 20 of the fish on the chunk. The Heavy Hitter is sailing for the tuna and also for bluefish and bottom fish. Trollers could hook all the 1- to 2-pound blues they wanted at 5-Fathom Bank. Not much was heard about bottom fishing. Delaware Bay boaters still caught drum, and George talked with another charter captain who ran a trip that pinned down six drum by 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, well before the charter was scheduled to end. One theory was that the cold ocean this season was keeping the drum from moving offshore.

The back bay seemed to offer lots of flounder action, and the keeper ratio was probably 1 in 8, but a few larger fish were mixed in, including a 10-pounder that a customer smoked, said Nick from Hands Too Bait & Tackle. Delaware Bay also put out flounder, and Nick was telling customers to fish deeper waters, like around the shipping channel. A few drum continued to be hauled in from the bay, and a couple of bushels of live clams, the bait to dunk for drum, were stocked each weekend, but most of the clam supply was shucked clams at this time of year. Little was heard about croakers, but the hardheads should arrive within a couple of weeks. Reports did roll in about a number of weakfish taken from Delaware Bay on shedder crab. Weaks also continued to be hooked at times along the surf jetties on floated bloodworms, and back-bay anglers could find them along the bridges and such while tossing lures such as pink soft plastics. Small stripers could always be located in the back bay, and early mornings and late evenings were best. Small blues began to appear off Cape May Point. Sea bassers could put a catch together at the reefs or the Old Grounds. Offshore boaters scored bluefin tuna at spots like 19-Fathom Lump and the Tea Cup.