New Jersey Fishing Reports

Great Kills Harbor, just outside the harbor and the surf doled out fluke and blues, said Tommy from Michael’s Bait & Tackle. A few porgies were pulled from the rough bottom in the bay, and no weakfish showed up yet. Striped bass anglers ran to the Shrewsbury Rocks for catches.

Laurence Harbor

Good-size fluke were sometimes picked up Saturday on the bay with Evening Tide Charters, though throwbacks certainly had to be weeded through, Capt. Kyle said. Still, the number of keepers, usually 18- to 21-inchers, improved a little. Anglers onboard fished the channel edges with bottom rigs, Spro bucktails, killies, spearing and squid. Spros tipped with killies worked best, caught the keepers and were bounced along the bottom on the drift. Killies in general were the better bait on the trip. The bottom rigs were single-hooked with a 24- to 30-inch leader. The bay was in the mid to upper 70s, and Evening Tide will keep fluking. Weakfishing will be added when the trout arrive, and in recent years they moved in late. Evening Tide last year even got into them in late October or early November, when big weaks arrived under the Verrazano Bridge. The fish came so late that charters on the boat started striped bass fishing a week afterward.

Keyport

Big fluke started getting hooked from the bay, and shorts were abundant, but most flukers grabbed good catches in the mix, said Chris from Crabby’s Bait & Tackle in a fax. Richard Clegg, 70, lambasted two 9-pounders that topped his catch at Reach Channel. Mike Krupa hauled aboard a10.3-pounder and limited out at the Reach on peanut bunker, all on 8-pound test. Joe Fishler wrestled up a 9.8-pounder that pounced one of his homemade bucktails at the TC buoy. Sea bassing at the Mud Dump was as good as it gets, and now that one tog could be kept starting yesterday, the blacks will spice up the creels. Snapper blues now grew large enough for anglers to head to Keyport for snapper popping. Crabbing season reached full swing, and a 6-1/2-incher led Crabby’s free crabbing contest, so be sure to check in trophy hardshells. Six-and-a-half inches is the minimum size, and crabs must be alive when entered in the contest, which runs until September 24.

Atlantic Highlands

Fishing for fluke was okay and good, not offering a million keepers, but some every day, including larger ones sometimes, said Capt. Ron from the Fishermen. The bigger flatbacks weighed 4 or 5 pounds, and the better anglers or high hooks scored four or five legal fish. Trips usually fish either the bay or the ocean, but effects from the ocean swell during the hurricane put off the feed there in the past days, but that’ll turn around. Experienced anglers who worked jigs sometimes connected well, but few anglers really know how to fish a jig. Ron is Old School and prefers bait. Evening trips that sail Fridays to Sundays mostly caught bluefish, and no striped bass turned up last weekend. 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.

Waters off the TC buoy and Bug Light to Swash Channel, Ambrose Channel and the ocean front down to Sea Bright were home to lots of fluke, and anglers started to come up with quite a few bigger ones, said Jimmy from Julian’s Bait & Tackle. Blues could be found in the back of the bay and down the beaches. Jimmy looked for weakfish in the rivers but found none yesterday, but small, 1-pound blues now schooled. Striped bass were sometimes nailed both on boats and from the wash at Sea Bright. Live bunker and chunked bunker were chomped, and Jake Campbell, Ryan Taffet and Steve Champion smacked stripers 27 ½ to 33 pounds yesterday. Porgy fishing was decent at the pieces from the bay to the ocean, and one blackfish could be kept starting yesterday, and abundant blacks were around. So plenty of fish were swimming.

The Atlantic Star’s fluke trip on Raritan Bay on Tuesday afternoon was one of the better ones, and Steve Hanstein’s 6-pound 12-ouncer, Bill Monka’s 6-pounder and Steve Piricyi’s 5-pound 5-ouncer were the biggest, Capt. Tom said. Just better conditions than other days. Monday’s fluking was tough with no drift, though a drift started toward the end of the day, and some keepers were caught, and plenty of shorts grabbed baits. Wednesday’s fishing was about normal, nothing exceptional. Almost no drift took place in the morning, but flatties were sometimes reeled in. The drift was fine in the afternoon, and patrons picked away, probably totaling more keepers than in the morning. Lots of fish kept giving up action on the bay, and sometimes a keeper was taken. Luck seemed the main factor. One angler yesterday morning fished a Spro jig, working the whole time, and bagged three keepers. He kept busy, tried different baits, and earned the catch. Tom tells anglers to keep trying different options, like a plain spearing on the hook, a spearing and squid combo, and so on. They fish 4 hours on the half-day trips, so they may as well find out whether one thing works better than another, and sometimes that makes a difference. Spearing and squid are supplied, and sometimes anglers bring their own additional baits, such as killies, sand eels or smelts. Many of the fish were only a ¼-inch or ½-inch undersized, so they might make keeper size in August. 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. Update, today: Mike Lesko boated a 6-pound 2-ouncer today, Tom said. Tom gave no other details about the day’s fishing, and that probably meant catches were par for the course.

Highlands

A friend got into a decent catch of fluke to 8 ½ pounds off Sandy Hook, and that area seemed the better place for fluke, said Capt. Mike from the Katie H. The friend usually fishes Reach and Swash channels. A fluke charter is slated for Sunday on the Katie H. Canyon tuna trips will probably start in August, and some of the charters are on the “back burner,” waiting for the word from the crew, but Mike will see how the fishing’s going in August and decide whether to begin. The Katie H runs a busy schedule of canyon charters.

Fluke fishers picked away at the flatties, said Capt. Derek from Fisher Price Charters. Fisher Price fishes both the bay and ocean for fluke, and deeper waters along the rough bottom are the place to look for bites during this year’s larger size limit, because the bigger ones hang there. Ocean striped bass fishing was slower on Sunday, and some were still around, but lots of blues invaded lately. No weakfish really turned on yet, but Fisher Price weakfishes when the trout do.

Neptune

A special, individual-reservation striped bass trip was phenomenal with Last Lady Fishing Charters 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. yesterday, Capt. Ralph said. The anglers limited out on linesiders to 22 pounds and were back at the dock by 7:30 a.m. If you want stripers, now’s the time to go, he said, but trips will only fish during those hours during the week. Two more are slated for July 22 and July 28. An offshore wreck-fishing trip on Tuesday ended up with a mess of healthy sized ling and five cod. Another will leave port 2 a.m. August 20, and space is available. Trolling for tuna was hot at the canyons, and mako sharks and swordfish could be targeted at night, and two spots remain for an open canyon trip July 29 to 30. Waters warmed, so not many makos swam shallower waters closer to shore, but those areas offered brown sharks, duskies, threshers and hammerheads. Fall, inshore mako fishing should start toward the end of September. Schoolie bluefin tuna started to be trolled inshore. Bluefishing held up on most days, and fluke fishing and sea bassing were a little slow, because of south winds, but should kick back in any day. Individual-reservation fluke and sea bass trips are sailing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday.

Belmar

A mako shark, 68 inches and probably 130 pounds, was bagged on the Nan Sea J yesterday 30 miles offshore, and dusky sharks were also fought to the boat, Capt. Tom said. Waters were warm, 74 degrees and held all kinds of life, including whales, dolphins, turtles and bait, more life than Tom saw in a while. So the boat will probably keep chartering for sharks, an opportunity to battle the monsters one last time this season. A shark charter is slated for later this month. A trip fished for blues Monday at the Shrewsbury Rocks with bait, not jigs, but the fish were picky. Striped bass fishing slowed a lot, but some could still be caught. The Nan Sea J is also fluke fishing, and plenty of shorts were around, but keepers were also taken.

Bottom fishing for ling and sea bass was super in 120 to 140 feet on charters on the 77-foot Bandit, Capt. Scotty said. Bluefishing was slow, but a charter yesterday found blues on the east side of the Mudhole, so Scotty planned to head back there on the next trip.

Bluefish seemed to start coming off the spawn and begin biting again, said Capt. Greg from the Golden Eagle in an e-mail. Night trips for the slammers had been slow because of spawning, and the boat’s trip Monday night started slowly, but the crew made a few stops, and the bite picked up. Blues 3 to 10 pounds were fought at some of the regular summer spots, and most patrons landed multiple choppers, the best night fishing among the fleet in a few weeks. One customer hooked a 150-pound mako shark that busted the line after a 20-minute fight. Oh well, but good fight, he said. Daytime trips for blues were productive on jigs, even if sometimes catches were hot and cold. A body of blues was found yesterday that gave up excellent jigging. 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. Check the boat’s web site for the Golden Eagle Dollars Discount, updated reports and special trips. Also see its schedule of canyon tuna trips that will launch August 25. Book now, because you could miss out.

Fisherman’s Den’s Shark River Fluke Tournament was great Saturday, Mike said. Twenty-one boats were entered, and the top fish weighed 4 pounds 1 ounce. He thought the next two biggest weighed 3.14 pounds and 3.1 pounds. Fifteen contenders were entered, and participants landed lots of the fish all day. Twenty-percent of the proceeds were donated to the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, and the rest was awarded in prize money. The river was holding tons of fluke, but catching keepers wasn’t easy. Ocean fluking started to improve, and a 9-pound 4-ouncer was weighed in from one of the party boats. Sea bass and ling were mixed in on the boats. Bluefishing picked up as the slammers came off the spawn and started beating hard again. Striped bass could be eeled at different places, like along the jetties.

Brielle

Fluke fishing was slow on an open-boat trip Tuesday on the ocean with Fish Monger Charters, and a ground swell must’ve stirred up the bottom, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. Even shorts were scarce, but four keepers, a dozen sea bass and a few ling were taken from Sea Girt Reef to Shrewsbury Rocks and “everything between,” he said. He heard similar reports from others. But fluking should straighten out soon. Open-boat Monger Marathons are fishing for fluke 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday this month. Customers requested a marathon on a Sunday, so one will fish this Sunday.

Plenty of bluefish were battled yesterday on the Jamaica’s daytime trip in the ocean, an e-mail from the boat said. The trip started fishing 7 miles to the northeast, and 2- to 6-pounders were mixed with large schools of bunker. A few blues were boated, and then the trip moved north, and larger slammers were found attacking schools of bait. The boat had to keep moving to follow them, but sometimes many were jigged at once. The blues would disappear but suddenly come up by the hundreds, chasing bait. After that school vanished, the vessel moved inshore, and patrons landed a few more of the speedsters. So the fishing wasn’t great but was a big improvement over the past days. The high hook bagged nine blues to 12 pounds. Nighttime trips for blues were slow, but the area fished yesterday looked promising, and the choppers should begin to chomp again in the dark. The Jamaica is sailing for blues and striped bass 7:30 a.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. daily. Bogan’s Boating School is offering the boating safety course required in New Jersey. The next one-day classes take place July 27 and August 2, 9 and 23. The next two-day course runs 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 16 and 17. Check the school’s web site for more dates and info. Private classes are available weekdays, weekends or evenings at your location or the school’s with a minimum of eight students and a discount for 10 or more. Select two 3-hour blocks of time and arrange an instructor. One-day private classes are also available when scheduling permits.

Point Pleasant

Manasquan River’s fluking somewhat improved, and a few more keepers were rustled in, though tons of shorts hit, said Chuck from Gates Bait & Tackle. One of the regulars who fishes Manasquan Inlet nabbed 17 flatties but no keepers. Ocean fluking seemed “iffy,” and Chuck plied the ocean three times with no keepers. Fluctuating water temps and the recent swell that riled up waters were tough. But some days produced, and some didn’t, and the good news was that the ocean warmed in the past days, reaching 68 degrees. Anglers will see what the weekend brings and whether the warming trend continues. Most ocean flukers headed to Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs. Surf fishing and boating for striped bass in the ocean quieted down a lot locally. All the fish moved to the Shrewsbury Rocks area and the ocean off the New York Bight. But all of this was normal for July. Plenty of bunker schooled the local ocean, and thresher sharks could be caught among them. A few weakfish reportedly appeared in Barnegat Bay, including a handful of small ones in the northern bay around the Mantoloking Bridge, and probably more of the fish, and maybe bigger, in the southern bay toward Seaside. But none of the trout moved from the bay to Manasquan River or the inlet so far. Crabbing improved a lot and was good. The Gates Motel, popular with anglers, is open full time. Anglers stay the night to avoid early or late drives before or after trips on the local boats, or they simply visit for a fishing vacation. Both the motel and tackle shop are located within walking distance of the charter and party boat fleet, the inlet and the surf.

Angling for fluke was slow from the weekend through Tuesday, but signs of improvement were at least seen Wednesday, after the swell from the hurricane subsided, said Capt. Allen from Reel Class Charters in an e-mail. A Fluke Till You Puke Marathon broke the inlet with Brian Arrabito, Jeremiah Jacobs and Tom Breeland aboard, and fished around the reef in a pond-like ocean. At first a few small sea bass, ling and fluke bit, but then a patch of fish was found right smack in the middle of a sticky wreck. Mostly good-sized fluke were nailed, but sea bass and a 5-pound ling were boated. Countless rigs were snagged and lost, but the fishing was worth it. Action slowed when the tide started running, and the trip moved farter from shore to high spots. But they gave up no life, and Reel Class moved back to a wreck with a huge debris field, also surrounded by concrete. A pick got going, mostly big sea bass 15 inches or larger. A decent bite lasted 45 minutes, and Jacobs even connected with a Shimano Lucanus jig, an orange 3-ouncer. Arrabito drilled a 5-pounder, a real jumbo. The work was hard through the long day, not a banner one, but sea bass bailed out the catch, and roughly 18 were boxed. Only 10 fluke, including two keepers, were reeled up. Reel Class offers fluke fishing, both on charters and the open marathons, through summer, and sea bass and bottom fish are mixed in. Check the boat’s web site for the marathon openings.

Bluefishing was “superb” today on the Sea Devil, Cindy said. She thought the fish schooled south of the Shrewsbury Rocks and were probably 8 to 10 pounds, and all definitely hit jigs, and there was a flurry of action in the morning, and then the fishing slowed. Fishing for the slammers had improved yesterday, and was better today. A Spanish mackerel was angled up this week. No striped bass were hooked on the vessel lately, but other boats came back with a few stripers from south of the Shrewsbury Rocks. 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. But a charter is slated Saturday morning, and no open trip will sail then, but the evening trip will run. The season’s first open tuna trip is on the books for August 22, and see the schedule on the boat’s web site.

On the Dauntless ling, good numbers, flew over the rails, Capt. Butch said, and come get them while the better fishing lasts, while waters are cool. More ling than sea bass were bagged, and sea bass were hooked, but anglers culled through the small ones for keepers. Cod were also boated, and six or seven, including two 15- and 18-pounders, were stuck yesterday. The boat fished deeper than before on the trip, hitting 170 feet, and dogfish weren’t bothersome there for the first time this season, and only six or 10 were reeled aboard. Previously trips fished 60 to 120 feet. The water surface was 72 degrees, and divers said the bottom was 47 to 49 degrees. On the boat’s evening trips bluefishing was a little slow, and the slammers weren’t bailed, but some nights produced a couple of dozen, and others gave up fewer. The blues ranged all different sizes from pee-wees to 10-pounders. 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.

Ocean fluking picked up, and an angler on the Doodle Bug walloped an 8-1/2-pounder that he weighed in, and anglers on the trip bucktailed 17 keepers, including four or five 4-pounders, at Axel Carlson Reef, said Ronnie from Fisherman’s Supply. Another fluker checked in a 4-1/2-pounder. Ronnie lately was hitting the surf and beaching fluke from 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. He drilled nine in the Spring Lake suds on a 4-inch, chartreuse Gulp swim mullet on a jighead. One he landed was 16 ½ inches but tailless, the first time he saw a tailless fish in 45 years. Southern winds were the only thing that slowed the fluking. Ronnie also saw a few short stripers come from the suds.

Be sure to check out the FREE SEMINARS at the shop at 7 p.m.:

July 31: How to fish with calico crabs. 
Aug. 7: How to fish Montauk. 
Aug. 14: How to fish for striped bass in summer. 
Aug. 21: How to fish Cuttyhunk. 
Aug. 28: How to fish with eels.

Call Ronnie for info at (732)-892-2058.

The party boat Voyager, docked at Fisherman’s Supply, was weathered out from tilefish trips, normally open-boat outings, two weeks until this past weekend, when a charter finally sailed to the canyons, an e-mail from the boat said. Forecasts called for diminishing 10- to 15-knot winds but were wrong. Winds blew at least 20 knots, fast drifting conditions for tilefish, but the charter fortunately first wanted to troll for tuna, do-able in the winds. A small yellowfin tuna was boated within 20 minutes, and a triple-header of yellowfins was belted 15 minutes later. Then a few more of the fish were picked during the next few hours, and there were a few knockdowns. Ray Hickey reeled in a 50-pounder that was biggest. By mid morning winds still honked, but hardcore anglers were aboard, so the crew decided to try drifting for tiles. The charter used 4 to 5 pounds of weight, and although fish bit, hooking them was difficult. Some of the baits came up in half. The crew went back on the troll, in hopes that winds would ease later, but no more tuna bit. Winds dropped by noon, and the anglers could fish with 3-pound weights, and the bite wasn’t great, but tiles started to get picked. Some big ones were hauled in, including a 42-pound 7-ounce pool winner that Fred Eder tackled and a 33-pound 5-ouncer that Mark Kaminski claimed. About 40 tilefish came over the rails in the poor conditions. Open-boat tilefish trips are sailing 11 p.m. every Sunday, and spots remain in August. Visit the boat’s web site for availability, reservations and info. The vessel’s open-boat tuna trips will begin later this season, and a few will be 40-hour tuna/tilefish combos, leaving at 10 p.m., first trolling for tuna in the morning, tilefishing during the day and chunking for tuna all night. Warm waters already spread through the canyons, and with the way the charter fleet was already on the tuna, the season should be good. Reservations are already filling, but a few spots are left, and see the schedule and info on the boat’s web site.

Toms River

Ocean fishing, including in the surf, was slow because of cold waters, but Barnegat Bay gave up pretty decent angling for fluke, small blues and short striped bass, said Jeff from Murphy’s Hook House. The area around the BI, BB and 40 markers put out all that action, and the stripers were fooled with fresh bunker strips or plugs. Nobody said anything about striper fishing along the sod banks, like at night on eels. Double Creek Channel produced fluke, and off Berkeley Island Park was a place to find a few kingfish, and Jeff heard about no blowfish so far. Weakfish sometimes pounced on Rat-L-Traps, pink Fin-S Fish or sandworms there, and one angler connected with squid. Snapper blues schooled all around the Toms River, and a handful of white perch could be pulled from the river and along the Trilco stretch. Spearing or shiny metal attracted the snappers. Crabbing was excellent no matter where anyone went.

Seaside

Bucktails tipped with Gulps definitely drew attention from fluke in the surf, said the report on Grumpy’s Tackle’s web site. The keeper ratio was low, but plenty of fish, and a few keepers were picked, and everything else was quiet in the suds. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

Forked River

Fishing was about Barnegat Bay, and nothing was really doing in the ocean since striped bass and bunker moved off, said Jana from Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle, but the back-water action produced. Weakfish bit in the Forked River and in the deep hole off Tice’s Shoal on sandworms and grass shrimp. She and the crew hooked them in the river, and the trout seemed to turn on at all different times, because they caught them early in the morning yesterday, and went back late in the day and also hooked up. The bay from the BI marker to the BB marker offered healthy catches of fluke, including a 12.58-pounder that Bill Westervelt hammered Sunday at mid day. Jana and crew landed their fluke on squid and spearing on the Grizz Rig, and the 12-pounder also swallowed a Grizz Rig. The rig, tied at the shop, is made up of a weighted jighead on the bottom with a small shad body on a trailer, and anglers jigged them along the bottom. Nothing was heard about kingfish or blowfish taken from the bay. A large selection of baits including killies, spearing, sand eels, frozen grass shrimp, squid and clams are stocked.

Waretown

Ocean temps started bumping up in the Barnegat Inlet area, so Capt. John from Perfect Drift Sport Fishing was thinking about finally fluke fishing in the ocean today, he said. If he does, an update on the trip should be added here. Fluke charters by now are usually fishing the ocean already, but local waters were cold from sustained southerly winds. Boaters farther north were already tackling respectable catches of the flatties, but the ocean was warmer there. The ocean can hold bigger fluke than the bays, and that can especially matter in this year’s larger-than-ever fluke size limit. Perfect Drift kept fluke fishing in warmer Barnegat Bay, and tons bit, but landing one that made the 18-inch limit was challenging. The boat sailed for fluke on the bay Tuesday, and 28 flatbacks were reeled up, and two were keepers 18 ½ and 19 inches. Lots of action, plenty of bites. Small blues could be fought on the bay in the early mornings or late afternoons on popper lures or on the troll. A few weakfish swam the bay, but no big concentrations yet. Eventually weaks should flood the waters like usual, and Perfect Drift will go after them while still continuing to fluke fish, one of John’s specialties. The vessel will also run to Barnegat Ridge in summer for blues and other speedsters like bonito. But the ridge was dead for bluefish lately. A mess of bonito haunted the ridge in past years.

A three-day, open-boat tuna trip returned from the canyons this evening on the Tuna-Tic, Capt. Mike said. The original plan was to sail to the Carteret, but major-name boats reported landing tuna at the Toms, so the Tuna-Tic was turned around and headed there. The yellowfins that anglers lately had been reporting as 20- and 30-pounders were probably more like 30-inch 12- or 15-pounders, because the boat proceeded to troll small ones and skipjacks and let them go. The other captains never said the yellowfins they were catching at the Toms were small. At night the anglers tried drifting the deep for swords, because longliners reported hauling in a few swords. But none showed up. Eventually the boat headed back to the Carteret, and that probably should’ve been done originally, because two white marlin were boated, and a couple were on but were lost, and other fish were hooked, until it was time to go home. A bunch of mahi mahi, including a few big ones around 30 pounds, were also part of the catch on the trip. Probably 50 of the small tuna could’ve been trolled, but the crew was looking for keepers. Five decent-sized tuna attacked the spread but were lost, and the anglers would’ve had to have reacted quicker. The temp break at the Toms that held fish was already moving northeast and was now out of range, only within reach of places like Montauk and Block Canyon, and longliners already moved. Mike wouldn’t go back to that area anyway because of the small fish. The canyon season is still early. Another three-day, open trip will break the inlet Saturday, and the vessel runs a number of the trips during the season, and availability is tight, but call for info. Other types of trips including offshore charters, a limited number of overnight, open canyon trips, and inshore fishing for blues or whatever’s biting are also on the slate.

Barnegat Light

Fluke, a mess of them, scurried around Barnegat Bay, and more started to show up in 50 feet in the ocean, said Josh from Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle. Fluke could also get beached from the surf on bucktails with the bait of your choice. Lots of striped bass actually came from the suds, and bunker moved through the waters, so use bunker for bait. One blackfish could be kept starting yesterday, and waters along the Barnegat Inlet jetties offered plenty. Blues 3 to 6 pounds punched metal like Krocodiles or Hopkins at the inlet. Weakfish began to show more frequently in the bay, and the shop will probably carry live grass shrimp for weakfish bait starting next week. In the ocean a bunch of sea bass came up, and tuna were boated at places such as the Resor wreck, the Star and the Fingers. Some customers planned to head to Barnegat Ridge to look for bluefin tuna. Josh heard about no bonito at the ridge.

Manahawkin

A bunch of fluke, though many small ones, could be dusted on Barnegat Bay, but the ocean was too chilly for the flatties, said Tommy from American Sportsman Bait & Tackle. A mess of sea bass were turned on in the ocean. Blues 2 to 3 pounds smacked popper lures at Barnegat Inlet at night. No weakfish were around yet. Lots of bonito swam Barnegat Ridge, but few blues schooled there. Friends fished offshore and nailed a healthy catch of nine big yellowfin tuna and one longfin tuna at night on the chunk. Crabbing was good. 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

The 59-degree ocean kept a fluke trip on the warmer bay behind Beach Haven on the June Bug on Monday, Capt. Lindsay said. The ocean bottom was probably in the low 40s. One keeper, a half-dozen shorts and some skates, dogfish and sea robins were hooked. The June Bug is also tuna fishing, and boats that tuna fished over the weekend seemed to find slower action. The best water might’ve been closer to shore in 20 to 30 fathoms instead of the 70 or 80 fathoms that most anglers ran to. The June Bug also fishes Barnegat Ridge for blues and other speedsters like bonito, but Lindsay heard nothing about catches at the ridge so far.

The ocean, although 60-some-degrees, a decent temperature, was a bright-colored, neon, funky green, so no fluke bit there, and fluke trips fished the bay in the past couple of days, said Capt. Frank from the Miss Beach Haven. A bunch of shorts paved the bay, and a handful of keepers were landed. 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

Several customers played with weakfish at the mouth of the Mullica River, but all the trout seemed shorts, said Scott from Scott’s Bait & Tackle. Short weaks also appeared in the lagoons, mixed with snapper blues, fun for kids. Crabbing was also productive in the lagoons, so behind-the-house action was on. Lots of fluke, great numbers, filled the bay, but keepers were difficult to find, and anglers grew tired of catch and release fishing by now. Kingfish were sometimes nabbed as a by-catch. The summertime fishery for small fish or kingfish, porgies, blowfish and juvenile sea bass was yet to turn on, and one customer tried for them with no luck. Two different anglers looked for perch up Ballanger Creek and Roundabout Creek, two traditional waters to locate them in summer, and hooked none, but small sea bass bit. Anglers toward the end of last week walloped 50-pound brown sharks and plenty of big sandbars in Great Bay. So that fishery, usually lasting until August sometime, was apparently happening. The sharkers anchor at Grassy Channel from dusk till 10:30 p.m. and have at it. A great opportunity to battle the beasts without having to sail offshore. The ocean was cold, and the pieces were picked over hard for sea bass. One tog could be kept starting yesterday, and that’s no reason to make a concentrated effort to fish for them at the ocean structure, but if anglers are sea bassing there, they can now take a stab at a tog to add to the box. Minnows and eels are among the baits stocked. No live grass shrimp, the favored bait for perch fishing, were carried, but that was only because the truck was in the shop, so Scotty couldn’t go catch them. He’ll probably catch more afterward, though whether they’d live in the heat is questionable. No shedder crabs are available at the moment.

Port Republic

A few weaks gathered at the mouth of the Mullica River, but the fishing was “iffy,” said Jerry from Chestnut Neck Boat Yard. A handful of kingfish swam the river and bay, and a few perch ran the river. Plenty of short flounder and an occasional keeper plied the Intracoastal Waterway. Crabbing was phenomenal. The shop was trying to stock shedder crabs for bait, and minnows, bloodworms and frozen bait was carried, including frozen bunker for crabbing.

Absecon

Flounder crammed the back bay, and it was nothing to reel in 30 or 40 including one or two keepers, said Ray from Absecon Bay Sportsman Center. He and Pete, who used to work at the shop, took a trip, and 40 flatties were hooked, and Ray got no keepers. But Pete nailed an 8-1/4-pounder, the only keeper. Ray always fishes with Gulps, but Pete fished a live spot to stick the doormat, and spots or peanut bunker are the way to go to draw bigger flatties. Deeper waters seemed to hold the bigger ones. Small blues returned to the bay, and the bigger ones were also in deeper waters, and the blues were eating butterfish. Peanut bunker and a handful of spots schooled. A few spike weakfish, none to speak of, were around. But water temps were rising, and the inlet reached 10 degrees higher, so weaks should start to show up. Stripers that had been hitting along the bridges sort of turned off. But stripers should be able to be caught at night on eels or spots. Hard to go wrong with spots, even if they’re expensive. Crabbing was excellent, especially because the couple of commercial crabbers who usually target the area were working elsewhere. One usually tosses 300 or 400 pots in the local bay but was set up farther north, and the other usually keeps 150 or so pots in the local area but moved to behind Brigantine. In the surf and along the jetties plenty of kingfish, but none big, could be beached. The ocean reefs attracted flounder but no population to rave about. A few sea bass hovered along the reefs, but not like a month ago. Customers were buying spots to go tuna fishing. One the other day put the breaks on a 135-pound yellowfin that swallowed a spot. Live spots and eels are stocked, but no peanut bunker are carried yet, because the baby menhaden were only 2 inches so far. Shedder crabs are stocked, but call ahead, because the supply was off and on. The shop raises its own crabs, and hard shells for eating can be bought. No soft shells were available at the moment. Just about all other baits are carried, and the shop keeps a large supply.

Brigantine

Kingfish jumped on hooks up and down the surf, great fishing, said Jim from Riptide Bait & Tackle. But the other great news was that waters were warming, so flounder were pushing out the inlet to the ocean, and anglers had been waiting. Live spots accounted for big flatties at the inlet and along the bridges, but the usual baits or minnows, squid, mackerel and Gulps worked, especially Gulps. Fluke were legion in the back bay, too, though the keeper ratio was probably 1 to 10. Striped bass, including a bunch of keepers, were plugged on surface lures along the back-bay sod banks toward high tides.

Atlantic City

Back-bay flounder fishing was awesome, but turned up lots of shorts, said Dominic from Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle. He bailed 40 including some keepers yesterday. Anglers sometimes talked about weakfish swimming underneath butterfish in the bay. Striped bass could be taken at night on live spots along the sod banks, bridges and back-water jetties. Kingfishing kind of tapered off in the surf. The Carly A, the shop’s offshore charter boat, will sail for bluefin tuna tomorrow. Bluefins were going off at places like 19-Fathom Lump and the Hambone but also started pushing north. A friend went 5 for 7 on bluefins today at a spot that Dominic kept under wraps, because nobody else was fishing there. Chunking worked for the bluefins, and so did trolling, but if anglers caught nothing on the troll, they needed to switch to 30-pound fluorocarbon leaders fished way back. The shop carries a large supply of offshore baits such as butterfish, ballyhoos, and Spanish mackerel. Sand eels will be stocked for bluefins. All the inshore baits including minnows, bloodworms and the full frozen selection are on hand.

Longport

Flounder fishing turned on for anglers on the Stray Cat yesterday, and the catch included a 9-pounder and a 6-pounder, Capt. Mike said. The fish started migrating toward the inlet and gave up hits from the bell buoy to the bridge. An open-boat trip today was sailing for flounder and sea bass, and open trips sail every Thursday and Sunday. Small bluefish could also be trolled in the inshore ocean. Stray Cat is also tuna fishing on charters and open-boat trips all the way out at the canyons, and the best fishing seemed north of the Wilmington. Open tuna trips will run 22 hours every Monday and Tuesday in August and also on Saturday, August 23. Call to reserve before they fill.

Somers Point

Jack Ingersoll and Dennis Fish got into weakfish and blues, mostly up the Great Egg Harbor River, on shedder crabs, said Wayne from My Bait & Tackle. The weaks averaged 21 or 23 inches, and Ingersoll and Fish also limited out on clams this week. A few flounder seemed to appear at the inlet, and with the warm weather the next few days, more will probably start to be caught in the ocean. People who crabbed looked satisfied, and usually plucked a dozen keepers. Live shedder crabs, minnows and bloodworms are stocked, and so is frozen squid and all the frozen baits.

Ocean City

Mostly shorts but some keepers made up flounder catches in the back bay, and nothing substantial was heard about flounder coming from the ocean reefs yet, said Dan from Fin-Atics. Only sea bass and tog seemed to swim the reefs. But the bigger flounder probably held in 40 feet closer to shore. No blues nor weakfish were heard about. Crabbing was slow. Toms Canyon gave up tuna and blue and white marlin in 77- to 80-degree waters, all on the troll, and none on the chunk. Wilmington Canyon pretty much only held whites. Fifty to 100 fathoms on Saturday was full of all kinds of life including whites and fish like bonito. Bluefin tuna came from waters from 19-Fathom Lump to Massey’s Canyon and all spots between, mostly on the chunk, but sometimes on the troll, and jigging really smacked them.

Sea Isle City

Plenty of flounder were reeled from the back bay, said Wes from Gibson’s Tackle. A minnow on a plain hook worked well, and a 6-pounder was weighed in today that fell to that set-up. Quite a few flounder swam the inlets, and a mix of all fish came through the inlets at some time or another. Small blues could be run across once in a while on the bay, and small striped bass could occasionally be clammed in the back. Kingfishing was fantastic in the surf, and Wes favors bloodworms, the real deal, for bait. Lifeguard buddies saw a striper beached from the surf every other day at mid island. In the ocean a few blues and brown sharks gathered at Sea Isle Ridge, and Wes heard about no bonito at such places yet. Bluefin tuna continued to give up fights at places like 19-Fathom Lump, Massey’s Canyon, the Hambone and the Hot Dog but became more spread out than before. Canyon waters were largely an even temperature without breaks, but yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi and billfish could be hooked there at eddies or schools of bait.

On the Starfish patrons bottom fished for sea bass and porgies at the ocean reefs, Capt. Bob said. But they also started bagging blackfish, because one of the tog could be kept beginning yesterday. Jim Armstrong boxed a 3-pound slippery, and Patty Bosenhoffer pulled aboard a 3-pounder. A few keeper sea bass and porgies came up, but anglers waited for more fish to cover the reefs. The ocean finally warmed to 65 degrees, better, if not chilly. In August trips usually switch to fishing for croakers and weaks along the beachfront. 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.

A trip pointed the bow offshore Monday, fished the Tea Cup, Arlene wreck and 40 to 50 fathoms at Baltimore Canyon and scored three yellowfin tuna to 50 pounds and a mahi mahi, and lost a blue marlin, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service, affiliated with Gibson’s Tackle. Jim Judd and sons David, Steve and Ben were aboard. Water temps were pretty much 77 degrees everywhere, with no real breaks to hold fish, so the fishing then is sort of a “catch everything at once” thing, when anglers have to capitalize on the action. One of the tuna was landed early, and the other two were landed later, around the same time. Spreader bars and skirted ballyhoos got the bites. On Tuesday Tim Wilsey and son Andrew were on deck in the near-shore ocean. A 100-pound sunfish was foul hooked by accident and released. An interesting catch nonetheless, including because it swam only 7 miles from land, and was caught on 10-pound test, too. The anglers also caught a 15-pound brown shark on a jig with no wire leader. A bunch of small blues were also jigged. The ocean was cool close to shore but in the low 70s two or three miles offshore. Back on the bay, flounder fishing was alright, and throwbacks outnumbered keepers by a large margin. Lure and fly fishing with poppers could trick up a few striped bass, and small blues could be found. Fishing for both slowed down, but bay angling was okay.

Wildwood

Customers bailed all kinds of flounder in the bay, steady action, and keepers were challenging to find, but the bites kept the anglers busy, said Mike from Canal Side Boat Rentals. The population was yet to diminish in the bay, though the numbers usually decline by now. But water temps started to rise this week, so anglers will see whether there’s any effect. Many of the flatbacks were 15 or 16 inches, keepers a couple of years ago. Minnows and squid were the popular baits, and top-and-bottom and spreader rigs worked well. Minnows were beautiful, healthy and good-sized, unlike a month ago. A friend last week clammed one keeper striper and six or eight throwbacks in the 27-inch range in the bay. Not many blues were around, but a few 1- and 2-pounders were seen. Few weakfish were around, and anglers who targeted them failed to do well, though they got into the trout three or four weeks ago in the evenings. Kingfish were reportedly picked up sometimes at the jetty, and the shop carries no bloodworms for kingfish bait but does stock FishBites worms that work. Kingfishing was too inconsistent to keep bloods on hand. Minnows, pre-cut squid, whole squid, mackerel fillets, spearing, mullet, frozen shedder crabs and salted clams are stocked. A full line of rods, reels and fishing gear is carried. Crabbing kept improving as the season progressed and was good. Customers gathered two or three dozen per boat. All crabbing supplies, including six types of traps, are sold. Canal Side rents canopy boats and kayaks for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing.

The Adventurer kept fishing Delaware Bay for flounder, and yesterday’s trip produced 15 keepers and 15 throwbacks, Capt. Gary said. Patrons did pick up a number of keepers among the shorts lately, and a couple of big ones, including a 6-pound 26-incher, were whaled. Small blues and small weakfish were mixed in. The boat will probably stick with the flounder fishing until it dries up, and croakers should move into the Cape May Rips and be targeted by the end of the month. The ocean was cold, something like 64 degrees, and held junk fish like sharks. The boat’s got the option to fish both the ocean and Delaware Bay, an advantage. The bay was 77 degrees yesterday and was generally in the mid to high 70s. Trips are bluefishing on Saturday evenings, and on the trip last weekend, blues were in a funk like can happen during part of July, maybe because of the spawn, but bluefishing should turn around soon. A friend last night asked Gary to take a short trip for tog on the friend’s boat, because one tog could be kept starting that day. They sailed to Cold Spring Inlet and bagged one apiece. 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

Flounder were reeled in on Delaware Bay on the Sea Star III, and the fishing picked up a little, lots more action, and some more keepers, in the last couple of days, Capt. Bob said. The bite had been slower. The Punk Grounds were mainly the focus in the past weeks, but trips also looked around at other places lately. Maryann Ebby from Villas decked a 6-pound flattie, and Maryann Rambo from Philly stuck a 5-pounder, and Larry Fallon from Philly bagged a 3-pounder. A few kingfish, blues and weakfish also bit. The weaks were mostly shorts, but sometimes a weak that just made the size limit was landed. Trips will keep flounder fishing a while, but if croakers show up, the boat will switch to croakers. A small handful of croakers were around, and the cold ocean might’ve prevented them from migrating to the bay. Boaters in Virginia Beach hooked a few small croakers. The Sea Star III is sailing for flounder on Delaware Bay 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Capt. George from the Heavy Hitter mated on a trip on another boat Tuesday that leadered eight bluefin tuna and a 15-pound mahi mahi in the inshore ocean, he said. One bluefin was kept, and all were about 55 inches or 80 to 90 pounds and were chunked. Three bit right after sunup, and then none showed up until 11 a.m., when the anglers got into a steady pick. So bluefin fishing was holding up, and the Heavy Hitter is chartering for them. Charters on Saturday and Sunday will troll for bluefish in the inshore ocean, and plenty of small blues swam the waters. The boat also bottom fishes at this time of year, and bottom fishing for flounder was difficult so far, because of the large size limit. Bottom dunking for sea bass could produce keepers, but 30 or 40 might get boxed for every 200 or 300 throwbacks that nab baits. Bluefin tuna fishing was the best bet. George heard little about yellowfin tuna offshore, and the waters were 77 degrees everywhere there, with no fish-holding temperature breaks, and the breaks were farther north, like at Toms Canyon.

Flounder, mostly shorts, covered the back-bay bottom, said Frank from Hands Too Bait & Tackle. He heard about no flounder catches from Delaware Bay, fished there himself and boated none. But weakfish hit shedder crabs along the flats of Delaware Bay, like off Fortescue. Sharks and skates filled the Cape May surf. A few small bluefish schooled the waters off Cape May Point so far. The inshore ocean offered up loads of bluefin tuna, and Frank watched boats returning from the grounds, and just about every one flew at least one bluefin flag.