<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Large bluefin tuna were on the bite down south at the Lobster Claw, and <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> from the Highlands is on tap for the trips, Capt. Brian said. Bluefins closer to home, like at Little Italy and the Chicken Canyon, were around, but the fishing was inconsistent.
Jersey Devil is also fishing for tuna and big game at the canyons, and the tuna fishing was slow so far, but marlin were on the prowl. A day-trolling trip to the Hudson two or three weeks ago belted a big blue marlin and a bunch of mahi mahi.

Customers trolled mahi mahi, including a 28-pounder, at the lobster pots near the BA buoy, said Joe from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b> on Staten Island.  A few shark fished on the inshore grounds, shellacking plenty of makos to 140 pounds.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

With <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune Kevin Fahey and crew chunked seven yellowfin tuna, two swordfish, keeping one, and a white marlin that jumped off on a trip Monday to Tuesday, Capt. Ralph said in an e-mail. Fish hit the chunks at night until 1 a.m., when the tide became too strong. In the morning a few yellowfins were also trolled around 10:30. Three spaces are available on an open-boat canyon trip September 11, and four spots remain October 7 to 8, and six spots are up for grabs October 14 to 15. Some dates also remain for one- or two-day charters. The fishing’s been good for Last Lady and will only get better, Ralph said.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

The season’s first tuna trip on the party boat <b>Sea Devil</b> from Point Pleasant fished Hudson Canyon last Friday to Saturday, Cindy Pennington, the captain’s wife, said in an e-mail. A totally awesome first trip of the year, one of the anglers said, according to Cindy. Cindy herself limited out on three yellowfin tuna and hauled up a 45-pound swordfish. Both Tom Lucarelli and Bill Engle landed two yellowfins apiece, and half the boat caught yellowfins. The tuna were small, except one 40-pounder, and many skipjacks swam around, and a dozen or more of the skippies were reeled in. There was lots of action, with lulls between, and the first fish was caught at 12:45 a.m., and the bite lasted through 6:45 a.m. Most of the fish were taken on bait, but several were jigged. The boat anchored in 600 feet and 77-degree waters, and the weather was about as good as it gets.

Although fishing on the season’s first offshore trips on the party boat <b>Voyager</b> from Point Pleasant got off to a slow start recently,  catches on a trip Wednesday to Thursday turned around and were the best so far, and 41 yellowfin tuna were decked, an e-mail from the vessel said. The bite on the trip had begun slowly, too, and a few tuna were landed. But then the crew got a call from another vessel that was catching fish 10 miles away, so the Voyager steamed there, and patrons started battling tuna almost immediately. The crew hoped the fishing would be more consistent from now on.  The Voyager is fishing offshore on 22-hour, overnight trips with 24 passengers, “limited load,” 22-hour trips for 18 passengers, extended, 30-hour trips for 24 passengers and 40-hour tuna/tilefish combos for 24 passengers. See the vessel’s web site for the calendar, availability and reservation information.

George Cox on the Split Shot trolled seven bluefin tuna, keeping one, at Little Italy, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> from Brielle. The fish were hooked on Reel Seat Mini Rainbow Runner spreader bars. The Moon Dancer with owners Lud and Jen Bohler, Capt. Mike Petrole and guest Auggie Losso, also a captain, trolled the Chicken Canyon for a catch of 13 bluefins to 50 pounds that were released. Reel Seat blue and white, 6-inch-squid spreader bars, Zukers and blue and white Sumo Tuna Producers did the job. Farther from shore, owners Joe Natoli on the Janice with Capt. Jake Alesso and mate Mike Green made the trip to Hudson Canyon to troll and chunk small yellowfin tuna, and Joe also nailed a 262-pound swordfish. In other news, John Muly on the Charmer took 9-year-old son Connor sharking for the first time, and Connor caught and released his first-ever shark, a 49-inch mako.

On the <b>Fish Monger</b> from Brielle the season’s first trip for bonito sailed open-boat Wednesday and loaded up, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. The trip ran south in a chop a bit heavier than forecast, started trolling, and banged double and triple headers of 2- to 7-pounders right away, constant action that had the anglers jumping the rest of the day. None of the fish would bite bait, and six large blues and a few chub mackerel also attacked in the crystal clear waters. Seas got better as the day went on, and give Fish Monger a call to get in on more of the light-tackle action with the hard-fighting, tasty little tuna.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Thirty bluefin tuna were fought Wednesday night on Waretown’s <b>Tuna-Tic</b> inshore of Spencer Canyon, and the anglers kept two, one in the large slot limit, and one in the small, Capt. Mike said. Back-to-back trips were sailing for them again today through Tuesday, and decent-sized, 40- to 60-pound yellowfin were at the Hot Dog, but no use traveling that far south when the bluefin fishing was on fire. The Tuna-Tic was probably the only boat fishing for them at night, and anglers onboard were crushing them on bait and jigs all hours of the dark. Most of the fish were 57 to 59 inches or 100 to 110 pounds, but up to 150-pounders were common. The fish landed on the boat that night ranged 46 to 64 inches. Tuna-Tic is running 24-hour, overnight, offshore trips, and many dates are booked in the near future, but some are open. A few spots on open-boat, make-up trips were available, and Mike can call anglers to keep them informed when more open up.

An overnight, canyon tuna trip left port last Friday for Spencer Canyon with <b>Seafood Fishing Charters</b> from Forked River, Capt. John said. A bonito was trolled the first day, and a blue shark was chunked at night. In the morning the boat trolled toward Wilmington Canyon, and a 70-pound yellowfin tuna was nailed three-quarters of the way there. The yellowfin was bigger than most that were swimming around then, and yellowfin fishing sounded pretty slow at the time. Four spots are available on an open-boat tuna trip Saturday to Sunday, September 6 to 7, and only one more open tuna trip is scheduled this season. John could add more, but that might be the final one. September is fairly booked, and October’s weather is dicey, and trips will then begin fishing the fall striped bass run.

Barnegat Ridge became void of life, said Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> in an e-mail, even though charters on the boat were trolling bonito there before. So the inshore, blue-water trips searched a little farther from shore, and that paid off last Friday, when a 20-foot, floating tree was found that gave up 13 mahi mahi from 2 to 3 pounds on light spinning rods for Steve Toeller. Dave will continue to search Barnegat Ridge, but he’ll also run to Little Italy and the Resor wreck, where 20- to 40-pound bluefin tuna where sometimes trolled, and lots of mahi mahi turn on at this time of year. This weekend through Tuesday are booked solid, but dates are available afterward.

Nothing much was doing at Barnegat Ridge, and offshore boaters tried to head out this week but turned back in stiff seas, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

On the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> from Brigantine anglers went 2 for 5 on bluefin tuna and decked three or four 20- to 25-pound yellowfins in 30 fathoms Monday, Capt. Tom said. They kept a 114-pound bluefin, and the other was released and was the same size, and all the fish were trolled in 76-degree waters that were green but clean. The area’s bluefins generally ranged 90 to 125 pounds, but some topped 200, and a 250-pounder was knocked down on the boat last week. The fish were chunked, jigged and trolled, and mahi mahi, wahoos and a few small yellowfins roamed the same waters, and both charters and shared charters are making trips to the grounds on the boat. Shared charters are especially reasonable, and anglers can afford to go. Shared charters are running both 12, 17 and 24 hours, and Tom’s overnight shared charters are more economical than most other vessel’s 12-hour trips, he said. Fishin’ Fever’s first canyon overnighter is slated for the weekend, and marlin fishing was hopping at the canyons. Closer to shore, bonito fishing was terrible, and a trip looked for them and false albacore in the inshore ocean the other day and found none, although bait was stacked up.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Bluefin tuna fishing at the Lobster Claw was about the only fishing going on, and a small area near the Elephant Trunk supposedly held small yellowfin tuna, said Dan from <b>Fin-Atics</b> from Ocean City. White marlin had been caught at Wilmington Canyon last Thursday and Friday during the Mid Atlantic $500,000, but nothing was heard about them since. Seas were rough, so maybe that was a reason.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Offshore fishing was difficult to do because of strong winds that kicked up seas, so news was scarce, and he took no trips to the waters since last week, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> from Sea Isle City. But bluefin tuna were around, and the Lobster Claw was a location that came to mind, and good numbers of wahoos and some big mahi mahi swam the area. Father off, marlin and mahi made up most catches at the canyons.

The Low Profile from <b>Over Under Adventures</b> from Avalon competed in the Mid Atlantic $500,000 last week, an e-mail from Over Under said. Three out of five of the tournament days from Monday to Friday could be fished, and the boat sailed Monday, Thursday and Friday. On Monday the vessel ran to Wilmington Canyon to a spot where it got into good fishing on an overnighter the previous week. Nine white marlin were raised, and six ate, and two were caught and released, and neither was big enough to weigh in. On Thursday the boat went right back to the same spot, going 3 for 5 on whites, and none was a contender, so all were released. Because of the number of whites found, the crew gave the area one more try on Friday, hoping to catch the big one. A 70-pounder was brought back to the scales but wasn’t big enough for the money. Still, a total of seven whites were caught, and the anglers had a great time. Some of Over Under’s boats are also fishing from Ocean City, Maryland, and fishing from there kicked back in last week, after a lull. The vessel That’s Right got into awesome bluefin tuna fishing Saturday, and 10 of the fish 80 to 170 pounds were mugged, and the bites were scattered from Massey’s Canyon to the Hot Dog. All pounded on ballyhoos, except one that jumped on a spreader bar.

<b>Hereford Inlet</b>

Bluefin tuna fishing was best at the Lobster Claw, and chunking, jigging and trolling all caught, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> from Wildwood in an e-mail. Bob McCormick showed off a 41-pound wahoo he trolled at the Claw, and the canyons started to offer up yellowfin tuna, blue and white marlin and mahi mahi.

<b>Cape May</b>

Tuna fishing for big bluefins and 30- to 40-pound yellowfins gave up catches toward Wilmington Canyon on the <b>Down Deep</b> from Cape May on the troll, Capt. Bob said. The Pautarella party scored a bluefin and three yellowfins, and the Falmer gang walloped a 150-pound bluefin, four yellowfins and a wahoo. The Freyberger crew came back with an 80-pound bluefin and a couple of mahi mahi, and the Bulger charter found slow tuna fishing but took a 50-pound wahoo and some large mahi.

Tom McGeoy’s group on the <b>First Cast</b> from Cape May on Friday made the run for bluefin tuna, smacking down a 207-pounder, a big one, in 40 to 50 fathoms, Capt. Rob said. They also fought aboard five yellowfin tuna around 30 pounds apiece and mahi mahi in the area.

Offshore fishing in 30 to 40 fathoms was a struggle Sunday, and Dan Reader’s charter on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May got one bite, landing a 70-pound wahoo, Capt. George said. Others sounded like they also had difficulty fishing. So the charter ended up trolling from the tip of Wilmington Canyon, up the east wall and back down the west wall, and no fish touched the spread. Lots of bait got marked on the trip, but the bait was on the bottom, not likely to attract fish. When the wahoo attacked a few fish were marked. Last week a couple of charters on the boat loaded up on 100-pound bluefin tuna, small yellowfins, wahoos and mahi mahi around the same grounds inshore of the canyons. Bluefin fishing seemed to hold up this week, because George saw boats at the docks with tuna flags flying on Wednesday, and he talked to anglers who hammered the fish, and one even caught a couple of 30-pound yellowfins, bigger than lately.

Bluefin tuna, mostly 80- to 150-pounders, kept biting at the Lobster Claw, mostly at first-light, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May in a fax. Some still roamed 19-Fathom Lump and Massey’s Canyon, and first light was also the ticket there, but the fishing wasn’t hot and heavy at those spots. More and more wahoos got fought along the 30-fathom line. Grady Hammond put the kibosh on a 28-pound ‘hoo at the Elephant Trunk, and Brian Glase on the Tuna Teaser muscled up a 40-pounder, and up to 55-pounders were weighed in.

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