<b>Keyport</b>

One of the mates from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> fluke fished near Sandy Hook on Monday and pulled in 18 shorts on a trip that lasted the better part of the day, Capt. Joe said. Open boat trips are running 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily when no charter is booked, and Workingman’s Special open trips are sailing 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily when no charter is scheduled. Open trips or charters are available Friday to Sunday this Forth of July weekend.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fishing was excellent, though anglers were scarcer than usual, and everybody was working instead, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. “It was having an effect,” he said. Presumably he meant the economy or other factors, like fuel prices. But loads of fish bit, and he bailed striped bass yesterday in the ocean at the Shrewsbury Rocks on bunker chunks. Ed Scharsclmidt weighed in an 8-1/2-pound fluke that he boated at Earle Channel on a killie. Tom Flynn checked in two flatties 5.9 pounds and 6.12 pounds he took at Reach Channel on spearing. Porgies were hitting, and porgy season opened Tuesday. Small weakfish seemed to start moving in. Nineteen-hundred pounds of the trout were caught in the southernmost net at Sandy Hook. A friend was castnetting for bait and pulled up five weaks from the river. Weakfishing in the river was probably getting started. Blues swam the river, and stripers were hooked from the river at night. Jimmy, who lives near the river, heard bunker beating up the waters at night. 

Fluke fishing on the bay served up decent action, some days better than others, and trips were a matter of anglers getting lucky and catching the keepers, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Atlantic Star</b>. The better the drifting conditions, the more the bites, and a bunch of shorts kept hitting, because of the larger size limit this year. Flatties a half-inch short would come up, and the mates would net them, big, fat fish, to make sure they weren’t keepers, and then the anglers would let them go. Drifting conditions were perfect yesterday morning at Reach Channel, and patrons landed the fish a while, keeping what they could. Then a ship passed and put off the bite, and the boat moved to shallow waters at the Navy Pier, and the same kind of catch was made, mostly shorts and some keepers. In the afternoon, there was no drift at the Reach, and the vessel moved to Flynn’s Knoll, and somewhat of a drift took place, and patrons picked the fish. Most of the fluke had to be let go, but some keepers were mixed in. The fluke population was pretty much spread throughout the bay, and deeper waters seemed to produce no larger numbers of big fluke than shallower waters did. So the action was okay, and when anglers got lucky, they scored keepers. Sometimes, but not always, Spro jigs seemed to work better. One angler fished a Spro yesterday morning and landed three keepers, but he worked the jig all day. Some used Spros in the afternoon, but rigs seemed to work better then. Spearing and squid are supplied for bait, and sometimes customers brought killies, sand eels or other baits, but it was difficult to say whether the bait made a difference, or whether the angler made the difference. 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.

The <b>CRT II</b> ran no fishing trips in the past few days, Capt. Mick said. But previously charters headed out for fluke, usually landed a mess, and most were shorts, but they always came back with some keepers, at least 4-1/2-pounders or so. Charters will keep fluking, and weekday specials are now offered at a very reasonable rate for six-person trips, and call Mick for info.

<b>Highlands</b>

A charter limited out on striped bass to 25 pounds in the ocean Monday on the <b>Fisher Price</b>, Capt. Derek said. A mess of bluefish attacked at one spot, and none showed up at another. The striper fishing was a slow pick, and that was the last time Derek striper fished, but previously catches were pretty steady on some days, not fast and furious, but during the slow times, anglers just had to wait it out. But striper fishing was holding up, and Fisher Price normally keeps after the linesiders until mid July, and probably will this year. Charters swim live bunker or drop down bunker chunks. Eventually fluke and weakfish trips will be mixed in, until those species become the main target when stripers depart for the season. Dates are still available for charters in July. If you’re interested in striper fishing, Fisher Price is one of the few boats leaving port for them now, and the bass at this time of year tend to be big.

<b>Belmar</b>

A striped bass charter Monday bunker chunked the fish to 35 pounds on the <b>Nan Sea J</b>, a decent catch, Capt. Tom said. The 35-pounder was the biggest fish Allison Paquet ever reeled in. Some blues were in the mix, and some sea bass were picked up, and the waters were probably 68 degrees. No fluke trips ran in the last couple of days, but the boat’s been fluking in the ocean, and catches were okay. Lots of shorts grabbed baits, but a number of keepers were always decked.

Bluefishing on daytime trips held up well, but the fish were probably starting to spawn, making the bite drop off on nighttime trips, though the crew was able to find blues farther offshore at night and put together catches, said Capt. Greg from the <b>Golden Eagle</b>. Some nights produced, and some were slower. On the day trips the blues were jigged and were also hooked farther offshore than before. As always, at night, bait got the bites. Different bodies of blues will spawn at different times, but the action should rebound in a week or so. No striped bass were landed in the past days, but sometimes the linesiders show up. 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.

The number of fluke was excellent that carpeted Shark River, but the keeper ratio was probably 50 to 1, said Mike from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but you get the point. The ocean put out fewer fluke but larger ones on the party boats. Snapper blues sometimes started to appear in the river, and lots of bait filled the waters. Ocean striped bass fishing was no longer phenomenal like previous weeks, and it was more like “normal” now, but boaters were still connecting. Not everyone caught, but if boaters actually <i>fished</i>, they’d catch. Surf fishers certainly still belted the bass, and blues swam in and out of the suds. Bluefish farther from shore started to spawn, so daytime trips on the party boats got into the slammers, but nighttime trips were slower. Catch the store’s Shark River Fluke Tournament on July 11 through 13. 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.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Two fluke trips bagged eight keepers apiece on Tuesday and Wednesday, good trips, Capt. Allen from <b>Reel Class Charters</b> said. Lots of throwbacks, including many that would’ve been keepers last year, were released. Lots of action, and a shame to be forced to release big, fat fish just under 18 inches. Would be different if the population seemed in danger, but it didn’t. The charter Tuesday first hit a bunch of spots at the reef, and a handful of fluke, including one keeper, and one keeper sea bass came up. One of the anglers became seasick, so the boat moved to Manasquan River. Twenty-five fluke, including seven keepers, were bucktailed with spearing and Gulps on the river, surprisingly good action. Wednesday’s trip was the season’s first open-boat Fluke Till You Puke Marathon. The anglers broke the inlet, ran north and fished off Asbury Park to Long Branch, including the high spots, rough spots and tight to the beaches, and there was a swell at first. They fished closer to shore at first and reeled in a number of keepers and shorts. George Kitzler drilled a 7-1/2-pound 26-incher. The trip moved to deeper waters, but too many dogfish bit, so the vessel pushed close to the beaches in 18 to 25 feet. Fluke constantly hit, and more keepers were taken, and a load of shorts were hooked, probably 50 percent of them within an inch of being keepers. So the anglers ended up with eight keeper fluke, and they also scored a 4-1/2-pound sea bass and a ling. Charters will keep bottom-bouncing for fluke, and so will the open-boat marathons, and check Reel Class’s web site for availability. Ocean striped bass fishing might be finished for the season, “but we’ll see what happens,” Allen said.

Anglers with <b>Angela Rose Charters</b> left port today and were met with southerly winds that gradually increased and built up seas, Capt. Anthony said.  The morning began with 10-knot winds, and the crew stopped at bunker pods to load up with the bait. The baits were livelined for striped bass under more bunker schools from Spring Lake to Sea Girt, but no stripers were underneath. One of the kids onboard got seasick, so the vessel was returned to Manasquan River. The anglers reeled in fluke left and right, lots of the fish, but no keepers, and the tide was ripping, with an average drift of 1.7 knots, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, and the conditions probably hampered the chances of tackling a few keepers. A few sea robins, not too bad, hit the hooks, and no bluefish came through. Anthony’s friends from party boats said nighttime bluefishing dropped off, so apparently blues were starting to spawn. Blues that charters with Angela Rose bailed in the ocean last week were spitting out eggs and sperm. Blues will probably spawn offshore a couple of weeks and then move back inshore. The tide was very low on the Manasquan during the trip, probably 2 feet lower than normal, scraping all the grass and weeds from the bottom, and the river was loaded with the debris. Every fluke that was caught came up with pounds of weeds on the line, and sometimes the children onboard couldn’t realize a fish was on, because of the weeds.  Angela Rose is offering both charters and shared charters, and both are also available on Happy Hour trips, shorter jaunts in the evenings, and the shared charters are especially offered at a very reasonable rate. Get on the waters after work and be back at the dock with plenty of time for rest before work the next day. Get your fishing in with no hassles and little cost, and leave the work to the crew from the Angela Rose. Happy Hour trips can also fish first and then wrap up the day with either Point Pleasant’s or Bricktown’s Thursday night fireworks watched from the waters. River cruises are also available, including on Happy Hour trips, including the fireworks. Anglers can enter the monthly pool for only $5, and the entrants with the biggest fish win prizes including free spots on trips, a bunch of tackle from Mai Tai, exclusively outfitting Angela Rose with rigs this season, and clothing like T-shirts. Check out details on the boat’s web site.

Fishing tapered off by this week, maybe because waters chilled, and big striped bass that had been feeding on bunker schools in the ocean became scarcer, but some remained, and fluke could be caught, but many were small, said Rob Sr. from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Boaters could hook stripers in the ocean right outside Manasquan Inlet, and just before or after dawn or right before dusk were best, and if slack tides coincided, that could be helpful right around the inlet, because Manasquan River produced lots of seaweed. A 32-pounder was weighed in, and some 40s and 50s were around. Bunker was the main bait, but popper lures took a toll, and Deadly Dicks worked. Lots of fluke started appearing in the surf, and anglers either threw bucktails to them or hooked them by mistake on striped bass bait like bunker. The Gates Motel, located on the grounds, and popular with anglers, is open. Anglers stay the night to avoid early or late drives before or after trips on the local boats, or they simply stay for a fishing vacation. The motel and tackle shop are located within walking distance of Manasquan Inlet, the charter and party boat fleet and the surf.

On the <b>Benchmark</b> a charter livelined bunker for striped bass in the ocean and hooked 18 of the fish to 32 pounds on Saturday, the report on the boat’s web site said. Another charter that day fished for blues, jigging them up from Deal to Belmar. By Sunday southerly winds dropped ocean temps to 62 degrees, making striped bass fishing take a dive. A charter found plenty of bunker in rough seas but no luck on stripers. The Benchmark also shark fishes and will begin a busy schedule of tuna fishing soon.

It took time to find bluefish on Tuesday’s trip, and the boat had to travel far, but once the bite was located, fishing was a steady, constant pick all day, said Cindy from the <b>Sea Devil</b> in an e-mail. Jigs hooked the 8- to 13-pounders, big ones, not frenzied fishing like the past week, but a good catch in the end, and fun. But on Wednesday bluefishing was tough, and the boat traveled a little farther to hit the slammers. Eight- to 13-pounders were again jigged a while, but then the action stopped. The Sea Devil is fishing for blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and from 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. every Saturday.

Fluke fishing was okay, not too bad, in the ocean on the <b>Gambler</b>, and was kind of hot and cold, seeming to change a lot from day to day and even drift to drift, Capt. Bob said. Water temps dropped a bit from southerly winds, and normally that shouldn’t affect the bite, but apparently it did. During the better moments some hefty keepers and sometimes big sea bass got whaled. Depths from 55 to 65 feet gave up most action, and yesterday morning’s trip was pretty productive, and sizeable keepers and fairly large sea bass were lifted aboard. The afternoon’s trip was slow, and the boat moved inshore, but nothing was doing. This morning was also slow, but the drift was quick. Jeff Hull from Point Pleasant put the skids on a 7.8-pound fluke on a recent trip. Certain anglers always seemed to nail four or five good-sized keepers each trip. Some of them fished a rig with a Spro bucktail on the bottom and a leader maybe 8 inches above that trailed another bait, flicking the rig just a little, and that seemed to work, especially during slow drifts. Bill Werkin fished the rigs like that and always seemed to take four to six keepers, including some big ones. The boat’s last bluefishing trip on Saturday was very good, but bluefishing sounded like it slowed down this week. 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.

Bottom fishing produced pretty good catches, and lots more small sea bass bit, typical for this time of year, and ling fishing held up, said Capt. Butch from the <b>Dauntless</b>. Water temps on the surface were 68 to 69, but the bottom was in the mid to upper 40s, a productive range for bottom fishing. Patrons yesterday boated mostly ling, and most probably bagged 25 to 30 fish. Earlier in the week some of the anglers hooked maybe seven to ten sea bass and ten or twelve ling. With the waters warming, more and more small sea bass will show up. The boat started fishing a little deeper or in 60 to 135 feet, and Butch did try fishing even deeper, but those depths seemed the limit where dogfish were no problem. Nighttime bluefishing trips are now running every night, and bluefishing started to slow down the last couple of nights, and that probably meant the fish were beginning to spawn. That will probably last about a week or until the full moon. 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.

Seas were somewhat rough on this morning’s fluke trip in the ocean, and patrons had to use 8 ounces of weight, and lots of shorts hit, and a few keepers were belted, said Karen from the <b>Norma K</b>. Fluke trips are sailing twice daily from 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.

<b>Toms River</b>

Striped bass fishing was slower in the ocean than in the past couple of weeks, said Frank from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Still, boaters just needed to search for the bunker schools and see if fish were underneath, and blues could still be found in the same waters. Surf fishers sometimes landed a blue or two and bunker chunked an occasional striper. The best bet for Barnegat Bay fluke fishing was probably the stretch from the BI to BB markers. Blues 2 to 3 pounds could be found in the bay in the Waretown area. Eeling at night along the sod banks was a way to catch a striped bass in the bay. Weakfish could be scared up at the 40 marker and around the Toms River at twilight on Fin-S Fish or Rat-L-Traps. Crabbing was excellent. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, sandworms when available and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Seaside</b>

Surf fishing turned on just before dark, and maybe that was becoming the pattern, said the fishing report on <b>Grumpy’s Tackle</b>’s web site. The late shift on the beaches today checked in four stripers 38.7 pounds, 30.7 pounds, 29.6 pounds and 15.7 pounds that were all hooked on popper lures and weighed in after 8:30 p.m. Crowds were light at this time of year, but those were nice fish. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

<b>Waretown</b>

The run of striped bass was probably about finished in the local ocean, said Capt. John from <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b>. He took a final look for the stripers off Manasquan on Tuesday, worked a few bunker pods, and found no stripers underneath, and no bluefish either. A dozen other boats fished the area, and John saw no stripers pulled aboard on them. Anglers will still land stripers through the warm months, but the fishing will turn into a nighttime deal, like eeling for the fish in Barnegat Bay at night. So ocean fluke fishing should be the next target for John’s charters. Perfect Drift does lots of fluking through summer, and the flattie  fishing traditionally begins to heat up after the Fourth of July. Last year decent catches started being made then, and improved and improved until the season closed. The bite this year seemed yet to turn on for the most part, maybe because of cooler waters, but the fishing should happen soon. After John’s striper trip, the boat pushed off to the Axel Carlson Reef, and a few small sea bass were hooked, but no fluke turned up. Perfect Drift should also start grass shrimping for weakfish in the bay soon. Bluefishing at Barnegat Ridge should also keep improving in the hot weather, and that fishing will be on the menu for Perfect Drift, and so will fishing for bonito at the ridge that should take off. The waters were loaded with bonito last year and should be this year. Bonito, a miniature member of the tuna family, pack a strong, fast fight and are good-eating when prepared like tuna.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Striped bass fishing slowed for ocean boaters, and bunker kept schooling, but no bass chased them, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. But surf anglers stuck stripers on bunker or clam at times. Fluke could be bucktailed from the wash. Josh heard about no bluefish in a week. In the bay Meyer’s Hole and Double Creek Channels gave up fluke, and small weakfish began to appear. A bunch of customers were gearing up to go sharking this weekend at places like the Glory Hole and the Mudhole. Tuna were beaten at the canyons like the Wilmington. Live spots, fresh bunker, fresh clams, minnows, eels and all the frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Manahawkin</b>

Ocean striped bass fishing dropped off big time, said Dave from <b>American Sportsman Bait & Tackle</b>. Fluke were boated at Barnegat Inlet and off the Fish Factory. Snapper bluefish normally show up around the Fourth of July, and anglers were expecting them, but nothing was heard about anybody fishing for them yet. Crabbing was just starting to pick up, and if crabbers put in the time, worked for catches, they’d put together a decent number. If crabbers sat back with a six pack, they wouldn’t do as well. Customers were coming in today to buy clamming licenses. They normally look for clams at places like High Bar Harbor, Clam Island or Shelter Island in the bay, but mainly because those spots are shallow enough to wade. Traffic was already stacked up on Route 72 to the shore this afternoon. Let the Fourth of July weekend begin! <i>Be sure to catch the store’s sale on ice</i> this holiday weekend from Friday through Sunday, offering 5 percent off on two bags, 10 percent on three, 15 percent on four and 20 percent on five. It’s the place to load up. 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.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Fluke fishing turned up seven or eight keepers among shorts and some sea bass on Saturday’s trip and a few keepers on Sunday’s, said Capt. Frank from the <b>Miss Beach Haven</b>. A few keepers and some sea bass were bagged on yesterday’s trip. The boat fished in 60 feet, and the season was probably a little early, and the bite should pick up. Sand eels and squid are provided for bait.  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.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Flounder were plentiful along the Intracoastal Waterway from the 132 to 134 markers, but catching a keeper was difficult, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. He heard about an inkling of keepers taken from Garden State Reef South, but that’s far to sail for a maybe. Probably two weakfish were reported hooked from the mouth of the Mullica River, so that fishing was yet to take off, and with the holiday boat traffic, Scott expected little results in the next days. The brown shark fishery in Great Bay seemed to be starting late, and one 50-pounder was known to be caught so far, but mostly sandsharks attacked at this point. Although the sandsharks are fun and big, the browns are the prize and can grow to 90 pounds, and move into the bay each summer to spawn. They usually turn on during the second week of June and stick around into August. It’s a great opportunity to fight the beasts without the hassle of sailing offshore. Anglers catch them from dusk until 10:30 p.m., anchoring up and throwing out hooked mackerel fillets on steel leaders. Scott’s sells bay shark rigs made specifically for the fishery. Some of the sharkers chum, not crucial but a bonus. Less chum is needed than on an offshore trip, because the bay currents are calmer, and the trips are shorter. Scott’s sells a 1-gallon chum ball that works well. In other news, crabbing was great in the creeks and even the lagoons behind houses. But greenhead flies were biting, so crabbing wasn’t a shorts and sandals affair.

<b>Port Republic</b>

Weakfish were rustled up from the Mullica River on full high or full low tides on shedder crabs, said Violet from <b>Chestnut Neck Boat Yard</b>.  Flounder grabbed minnow baits in the bay along the Intracoastal Waterway.  Blues, not big ones, popped up here or there. Perch hit as always in the river, and plenty of crabs could be nabbed. Shedder crabs, minnows, bloodworms and frozen squid and bunker are stocked.

<b>Absecon</b>

Striped bass fishing turned on throughout the bay probably better than in May, because water temps plummeted to 54 or 55 degrees at the Brigantine Bridge and Absecon Inlet, said Ray from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Waters farther south around Cape May were about 67, and so was the area farther north around Barnegat Bay, for some reason. Waters back at the dock at the shop were 88 degrees. Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, ran a charter today with the Dave Morris party, who landed seven keeper stripers, probably 20 throwbacks, a couple of decent-sized flounder and one weakfish throughout different areas of the bay. Ocean boaters seemed to score better on stripers last week than this week, and all the bunker that stripers fed on seemed to enter the bay. Ray came upon bunker as far as the eye could see along the Intracoastal Waterway this week. Adult bunker swam Absecon Creek every morning. The bay served up lots of flounder, though anglers had to weed through a ton of shorts to catch a keeper. Ray the other day reeled up 19 flounder and only one keeper. But he doesn’t measure the fish, and throws back all fish unless definitely a keeper, so he might’ve hooked more  keepers. All his keepers lately came from 20 feet or deeper, because of the cold waters. A few weakfish were around, and he pinned down one locally the other day, but the mouth of the Mullica River farther north was the place to find more weaks. Plenty of perch bit in the usual rivers. Hardly any blues were around locally, and surf fishers beached kingfish. Ray heard about no croakers hooked so far. Sea bassing was decent at the ocean reefs, and flounder began to appear there. Shedder crabs, live spots, eels, fresh bunker, fresh clams, minnows, shark chum and offshore baits like flats of butterfish are stocked. Practically any bait used in the area was stocked, and Ray said he’d be surprised if someone requested a bait that wasn’t stocked.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Tons of striped bass were hooked on live spots in the back bay, and the keeper ratio was high, said Chris from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. The store just stocked a load of the spots. Bunker moved into the bay, and a few blues chased them. A handful of flounder were lifted from Absecon Inlet, but most flounder hovered around the 170 and 173 markers along the Intracoastal Waterway. No weakfish were reported caught in the bay yet. The surf was chock full of kingfish, and a 19-pound striped bass was checked in from the surf yesterday, so the linesiders could still get beached on occasion. Small blues sometimes started to swim through the surf lately. Triggerfish and tog hit along the inlet jetties, and one tog can start to be kept starting July 16.

<b>Margate</b>

<b>Fine Line Fishing Charters</b> started fishing the ocean for flounder instead of the bay. “I’m done with the bay,” Capt. Dave said. One keeper and five throwbacks were reeled in from the ocean Saturday, so the ocean fishing was probably still on the upswing but should keep improving. The trip first fished one of Dave’s holes closer to shore, where waters were 64 degrees, and that’s where the keeper came up. Fine Line moved farther out to the Ocean City Reef, and a 3-foot brown shark was nailed, and probably 40 dolphin swam around, but no flounder bit, and none seemed to come aboard the 20 other boats there. A move was made to another of Dave’s spots about the same depth, and four or five shorts were landed, and nothing much seemed to be doing on four or five other boats there. The day actually seemed slow for everyone, and Dave talked to a friend from Tuckerton who fished Little Egg Reef that day with little success. But the hope was that warmer waters would soon heat up the flounder action like usual.

<b>Longport</b>

Flounder and sea bass got wrenched in from the ocean on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, but the fishing was now slow, Capt. Mike said. Tuna charters and open-boat trips will launch with an open trip Monday, July 21. Trolling and chunking will be done, and the open trips sail 22 hours and are limited to six anglers for the six bunks onboard. Call for availability and reservations.

<b>Somers Point</b>

Bay flounder fishing seemed to go well, and customers coming back from trips appeared optimistic about the fishing, said Wayne from <b>My Bait & Tackle</b>. That’s despite the negative reports floating around about flounder, and granted, shorts were abundant in this year’s size limit, but customers were coming back with positive attitudes, and maybe some anglers underappreciated the catches. High tides coincided with mornings and evenings in the past days, ideal conditions for fishing the bay. Herb Hayes returned from Ships Channel with a 3.92-pound, 23-inch flounder.  Guy Martin and sister Lacretia Schnurr, who was visiting from Florida, landed four keeper flounders to 22 inches from the bay. A couple of customers were surprised to pull up big striped bass. Local sharpie Jack Ingersoll nosed up the Tuckahoe River, a somewhat underfished hole that locals plied, and reeled in a 30-inch, 8.79-pound striper, a couple of small perch and a small blue, all on shedder crabs that he favors. John Pietrowitz flounder fished behind Ocean City and instead latched into a 30-inch striper on his mackerel bait. Shedder crabs, bloodworms, mackerel, herring and squid are stocked.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Surf fishers could pluck kingfish, and practically no striped bass nor blues were around, said Dan from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Brown sharks were everywhere. Sea bass were pulled from the O.C., A.C. and G.E. reefs. Farther from shore, bluefin tuna got whacked at 19-Fathom Lump and the Hambone, and yellowfin tuna were boated at Wilmington Canyon and farther north. Back in the bay, flounder were plentiful, but the keeper ratio was tough.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The <b>Starfish</b> sailed for sea bass and porgies, now that porgy season opened, and lots of small sea bass had to be culled through, and porgies, including a few big ones, were sometimes reeled in, Capt. Bob said. A couple of big, pie-plate, 14- and 15-inch porgies were wrestled aboard Tuesday. Trips will keep fishing the ocean wrecks and reefs until switching to weakfish and croakers along the ocean front in August. 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.

Kingfish swam up and down the surf, grabbing bloodoworm baits, and striped bass to 36 inches could be beached from the suds in the early mornings, and dunk clams for a hook-up, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Small fluke could be jigged in the surf, and use light tackle to work the lure with finesse, and use no hardware like swivels, and tie on a fluorocarbon leader, and low tides are best. Small fluke also filled the bay, but a buddy landed four keepers, and some 20-inch-class flatbacks were around. A 9-pound weakfish was weighed in that was claimed at Townsend’s Inlet today.  A customer showed off a 40-inch striper he muscled from the bay while fishing from his dock, and said he was consistently hooking stripers there all week, while soaking clams or squidheads. Apparently a deep hole dropped near the dock. Otherwise a few anglers who put in the effort wrangled in stripers from the bay. No stripers were really boated in the ocean, and striper fishing was either land-based or in the bay. The bait in the ocean held no fish. Small blues sometimes appeared in the bay. On the offshore grounds bluefin tuna were trolled and chunked at 19-Fathom Lump, the Hot Dog and the Hambone, and thresher sharks roamed. At the canyons yellowfin tuna and a few mahi mahi and marlins could be found. Crabbing was starting to become good. The store is loaded with every conceivable bait, including minnows, fresh bunker, fresh clams, frozen spearing, mackerel and mullet, flats of butterfish and sardines, ballyhoos and more.

Anglers with Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, returned to a back-bay focus this week, after Joe had run offshore trips a while, he said. High tides during dusk and dawn were ideal. Phil DeMola and sons Phil and Anthony were on deck Monday, nabbing a striped bass on a popper plug and a dozen blues to 4 pounds on soft plastic lures. Dustin Laricks was aboard Wednesday, throwing popper plugs to land stripers and blues. Joe’s wife took a trip with him Wednesday night, and they grabbed a half-dozen blues to 3 pounds on popper plugs. The stripers caught now were shorts but good-sized ones to 27 inches. The fishery is mostly catch and release, but a blast, especially with surface smashes with poppers. Skitter Pops, Creek Chubs and Smack-Its were cast. The blues were a bit larger than before, and the population of the speedsters increased a little in the bay, unusual, because blues would normally be moving out of the bay to the ocean during this time. The blues were also mixed sizes, depending on the school, also unusual, because the size is normally fairly uniform. The fishing with poppers was good news, because popper fishing with both lures and flies is one of Joe’s specialties in summer. He poles the shallows in his flats boat while customers toss the poppers for surface-explosive strikes. Popper fishing for stripers should keep improving, and the blues should largely depart. Popper fishing was a little slow to get started this year, maybe because of a cool ocean. Big spring tides from the new moon this week were especially pushing in cold waters to the bay. Joe read temps as low as 60 to 62 degrees far back in the bay, and that’s chilly. The bay looked healthy, not too clear, but not too murky, and held lots of bait, and the fish were scrappy, active,  happy. The fishing seemed to be coming together.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Sea bass were mostly the target on the <b>Adventurer</b>, but drifts were also made for flounder when winds and currents were right, Capt. Garry said. Patrons reeled up a mix of sea bass, porgies, small blues and small flounder from the ocean, not great fishing, but a catch. Trips are bottom fishing 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Gary didn’t mention bluefishing trips, but the boat is slated to run for bluefish 6 p.m. to 12 midnight on Saturdays.

Fishing for flounder was pretty decent for customers at <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>, Mike said. Lots of shorts, including many only an inch or two short, were released, but good-sized flatties were also dusted. A few blues were angled up, and a big weakfish was checked in the other day. But few other weakfish were seen, and Mike didn’t expect many to show up. A friend caught and released six or seven short striped bass to 26 or 27 inches over the weekend in the bay, and another angler the next day bagged two keeper stripers in the waters. Not many people tried for stripers, but apparently some could be found, and dunk clams for them.  Crabbing improved and was decent, getting better each week. Canal Side carries a full supply of baits, including a fresh batch of healthy, attractive, bull minnows that just arrived. Mackerel fillets are on hand, and strips of the mackerel worked well on the flounder, and so did minnows. Pro Cut squid is stocked, and so are salted and frozen clams. 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 for fishing and crabbing and also kayaks.

<b>Cape May</b>

Flounder trips ran on Delaware Bay on the <b>Sea Star III</b>, and the fishing was mostly slow, and on some days a number of shorts were reeled aboard, and on other days fewer were, and keepers were occasionally taken, Capt. Bob said. Pool winners included John Lewis with an 8-pounder, Maryann Ebby with a 5-1/2-pounder, Fred Smith with a 4-pounder and Ed Chester with a 3-1/2-pounder. Kingfish were part of the catch Tuesday, and small blues occasionally showed up. The boat fished the Punk Grounds lately and previously fished the Anchorage and along the Shipping Channel. The Punk Grounds were better in the past days. The Sea Star III is fishing for flounder on Delaware Bay from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> fished on a couple of tuna trolling trips 40 miles offshore with friends on their boats, he said. On Tuesday one 75-pound bluefin was boated, and the crew stopped at a wreck far offshore and bagged sea bass on the way home. The piece was farther than a sea bass charter would normally fish. On Wednesday a 32-inch, keeper bluefin was taken, and another bluefin was fought but got hung up in the prop and cut off. Waters were 75 degrees, and both trips fished the same area, and few other boats fished there the first day, but the spot was packed with boats the second. The Heavy Hitter usually kicks off tuna fishing after the Fourth of July. Inshore trolling trips are running for bluefish, and plenty of blues could be hooked, and apparently no fish like bonito showed up yet that are often eventually part of the catch. The Heavy Hitter is also bottom fishing for sea bass and flounder. Flounder fishing sounded slow so far.

Delaware Bay boaters still hauled in drum, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Deeper waters along the shipping channel like near the Pin Top gave them up. Live clams for bait were scarce at many shops by this time of year, but Hands is carrying them, and ordering ahead is suggested to ensure a supply. The bay’s flounder anglers probably reeled in six shorts for every keeper, but plenty of action. The stretch from Miah Maul to the Pin Top was popular, and so was Bug Light. Fewer flatties probably bit in the back bay, but some did, and sometimes good-sized keepers were taken. Flounder could also be found in the ocean at the reefs and the Old Grounds, and so could sea bass. Beaching a striped bass from the surf remained possible on live or fresh bunker, and weakfish could be dragged from the waters around the surf jetties on floated bloodworms or shedder crabs. Weakfish anglers could also bend a rod in the back bay, where shedder crabs or soft plastic lures got the nod. Weakfishing was probably best during early mornings or at dusk. Crabbing was pretty decent and picked up, and the blueclaws had now gone through the second shed of the season, so some better-sized ones were around. On the offshore grounds, one customer fished 19-Fathom Lump, marked lots of tuna, got four knockdowns and boated one 60-pound bluefin tuna. A neighbor hit 19-Fathom for a catch of two bluefins 50 or 60 pounds. Bluefish also swam around 19-Fathom and such areas, and tuna filled waters from there to the canyons. A few sharks got scared up, and makos were scarce from warm waters, but big threshers could be hunted, and brown sharks were on the prowl. Live clams, fresh bunker, minnows, shedder crabs, bloodworms and frozen sand eels, spearing, mackerel and mullet are stocked. So are flats of sardines, ballyhoos and other offshore baits, and so is shark-fishing chum, including mackerel and bunker chum.

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