No offshore reports rolled in during rough weather this week.

Reports lasted longer than during some years, and this autumn’s offshore weather was calmer than in some falls. But weather now seemed to be closing in.

A week or two with no offshore reports is typical this time of year, before news completely stops. A full offshore report could come in next week. One never knows.

Tuna and big game likely still swam along the Continental Edge. Charter and party boats are still attempting to reach them. That’s a matter of weather.

So, there’s hardly an offshore report this week, but this report will continue to be posted, probably through the next weeks, until practically all boats stop attempting the trip.

Note, Oct. 26: Zero. That’s the number of offshore reports that rolled in during the week. So the below offshore report, from Oct. 19, is the final for the year.

Some boats, including the party boat Gambler, Point Pleasant Beach, will still fish offshore, and if reports come in, they’ll be posted in the inshore report.

But news dried up sooner than usual. Weather was a factor, but seemed no worse than in most years. Maybe the economy kept anglers docked? Who knows. Tuna and big game probably remained offshore. The end of the report doesn’t mean the fishing ended.

The report will launch again in June with shark fishing.

Mushin Sportfishing from Point Pleasant Beach was weathered out several times in the past week, Capt. Ray said. An overnight tuna trip is scheduled to fish at the offshore canyons Saturday and Sunday, and forecasts look like the trip might be slid up to Sunday and Monday. Ray’d like to fish for tuna a couple of more times, if the weather allows. This was almost time to sail inshore for striped bass and blues. Signs were seen that the fishing in the next couple of weeks might “get interesting,” Ray said. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness. The crew pride themselves on sharing the concept on outdoor adventures.

When anglers could sail offshore between weather, they decked yellowfin tuna, mostly at Toms Canyon, mostly at night, last week, said Dave from
The Reel Seat in Brielle. But longfin tuna and a few bigeye tuna were trolled at Hudson Canyon during daytime last week. Closer to shore, one customer trolled 20 bluefin tuna at the Glory Hole on Saturday. The Reel Seat’s hours were changed to 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Thursday, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.

Trips with Point Pleasant Beach’s Mushin Sportfishing, inshore and offshore, were cancelled because of weather, Alan, the boat’s owner, said in an e-mail. Trips are available to cash in on tuna that party boats, larger vessels that could sail in recent forecasts, pounded.

All anglers or nearly all limited out on yellowfin tuna 60 to 80 pounds, good-sized, on an open-boat trip Monday to Tuesday on the party boat Gambler from Point Pleasant Beach, Capt. Bob said. Longfin tuna 60 pounds and mahi mahi to 15 pounds were also nailed. Excellent action almost the whole trip. The mahi were caught when the trip fished lobster pot buoys during somewhat of a lull in tuna fishing during daytime. On the previous trip, a tuna charter Friday to Saturday with Jersey Coast Shark Anglers, fishing was also good, not as good as on the open trip. But a good catch of big yellowfins was drilled. Spaces are available on open trips for tuna this month, but anglers shouldn’t wait long to reserve. See Gambler’s offshore tuna schedule online. The year’s final open tuna trip is slated for the first Saturday in November. Afterward daily striped bass trips will begin.

Yellowfin tuna, fairly good catches, were pasted last week, and local anglers mostly chunked them at Hudson Canyon at night, said Dave from The Reel Seat in Brielle. A healthy number of longfin tuna were in the mix at night. Swordfish were pumped in during dark. A trip on the Jenny Lee last week reportedly trolled five bigeye tuna to 240 pounds during daytime and chunked five yellowfins and a longfin at night. Nothing was heard about bluefin tuna closer to shore.

Great Egg Harbor Inlet

Nobody was heard about who boated the ocean in the week’s weather, said John from Fin-Atics in Ocean City. Anglers said a 50-foot boat was needed in seas even close to shore. Seas looked better close to shore Thursday, at least within 5 miles, according to online data. But winds were forecast again for today. A window of calmer seas offshore, 2 to 4 feet, is forecast for Saturday night, before winds are predicted to build again

Cape May Inlet

Tuna fishing sounded all right last week, said Capt. George from the Heavy Hitter from Cape May. Trips were heard about that axed four or five tuna apiece. That seemed average, but two trips were heard about that whaled 10 and 11. Charters are sailing for tuna.

Chunking for yellowfin tuna, good catches, at night was sometimes heard about from Lindenkohl Canyon, said Nick from Hands Too Bait & Tackle in Cape May. He joined a trip that trolled good fishing for yellowfins and mahi mahi at the Elephant Truck on Friday. Offshore baits including flats of butterfish and sardines are stocked.