<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Hudson Canyon lit up with tuna, said Capt. Brian from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> in the Highlands. Bigeye tuna got slammed in the waters in the past days, and sizeable yellowfin tuna were beaten. Notably, Brian also heard that a 1,000-pound blue marlin was entered in the White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland, this week. But more importantly, bluefin tuna were pounded on the boat this week, some of the best-ever fishing for them that Brian’s seen. On the trip with Jersey Devil, fishing Sunday between the Glory Hole and the Chicken Canyon, anglers jigged lots of the fish, 40- to 65-pounders, on Shimano Trevala rods and Trinidad high-speed reels. Jigs in all different sizes and colors worked. The trip chunked at first, but Brian got a call from a friend who said he was scoring on jigs, so the group switched to jigging on the drift, and that produced. Brian heard about a few of the fish trolled that day, but jigging seemed best. The trip began fishing at 5 a.m., caught the tuna and started for home at 10 a.m., reaching the dock by 12 noon, before a storm. Jersey Devil is focusing on bluefins for now. Brian decided to offer open-boat trips for them, because anglers kept calling to go, and he can pair anglers up. Call to reserve. A trip today was supposed to look around waters inshore of the bluefin grounds, because the area seemed full of pelagics including skipjacks, Spanish mackerel, bonito, occasional mahi mahi, and maybe a few bluefins, and Brian will scope it out. Boaters kept seeing life in the area when returning from bluefin trips without stopping to fish. If the pelagics are there, charters can chase them at considerable savings compared with a bluefin charter. Boaters also read big marks under the life, potentially bluefins.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Inshore trips for bluefin tuna, including big ones, are excellent if charters get on the grounds early, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune in an e-mail. After anglers reach their bag limit of bluefins, they can either go wreck fishing or looking for mahi mahi along the lobster pots. Last Lady’s first open-boat canyon trip was set to sail today to tomorrow. “The big fish are biting,” he said, and the fishing became great. Space on the open trips is booked the rest of the month, but openings are available in September and October, and see the schedule on Last Lady’s Web site.

Open-boat shark trips are probably finished for the season on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> from Belmar, Capt. Tom said. Shark charters could potentially sail, but Tom might run the open trips for bluefin tuna. Anglers already contacted him about the outings, so the interest seemed there, and call if interested. Another captain told Tom about bigeye tuna that were trolled at Hudson Canyon in the past days. The Nan Sea J’s canyon charters, overnight trips, will launch in September,  when tuna should certainly be responding in the dark.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Bigeye tuna around 180 pounds, yellowfin tuna 50 to 60 pounds and mahi mahi were crushed on the <b>Big Kid</b> from Brielle at Hudson Canyon on Tuesday on the troll, Capt. Ken said. Charters were supposed to hunt bluefin tuna on the inshore grounds today and Saturday, and the Big Kid’s already been all over the fish on past trips. A trip Saturday trolled bluefins to 50 pounds on ballyhoos, and a charter Sunday jigged them. A buddy, Stanley Miczenski from Barnegat, trolled and jigged bluefins including a 58-incher, probably 90 pounds, on Tuesday. A few tournaments, including the Forked River Tuna Tournament, the Mid Atlantic $500,000 and Tuna Stakes are available for charters. Some of the dates are listed on <a href=" http://www.bigkidsportfishing.com/tournaments.htm
" target="_blank">the boat’s tournament Web page</a>.

Bluefin tuna were belted at places like the Glory Hole and the Chicken Canyon, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. Anglers picked at the fish, and the bluefin population was large, a productive year for the catches. The angling was very good at the Atlantic Princess wreck on Saturday. Mahi mahi could also be picked up on the troll on the bluefin grounds. A few of the bluefins also roamed closer to shore at the Mudhole, and anglers might catch one, two or three. But Dave knew about one trip that ran across a bunch. Not a lot of boats tried for the bluefins at the Mudhole, so not a lot of reports were around to pinpoint locations. Anglers just hit the waters and looked for life. The weather was rough through the weekend for boaters to make the run to Hudson Canyon for yellowfin tuna. Besides being trolled during the day, a few began to be tackled on bait at night at least through last week. Little was heard about shark fishing, but some, like browns, duskies and a few makos should be able to be fought.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

<b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton was on the leader board for the biggest mahi mahi in the weekend’s Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club White Marlin Invitational, Capt.T.J. said. But then anglers with another slightly larger won the prize on the final day. Legal Limit’s mahi weighed 20.9 pounds, and the winner weighed 21.3. Seas were stiff during most of the event and on other trips that Legal Limit took through last week. “What day do you want me to tell you about when we got our butts kicked?” T.J. joked. He first competed in the tournament last week on Thursday, when forecasts said seas were 5 to 7 feet, but T.J. found 7- to 11-footers with occasional 14-footers. Legal Limit’s big mahi was boated that day. The vessel also competed on Saturday, a day with beautiful weather for a change, and a couple of white marlin were raised, neither good for entering.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

South Jersey boaters tackled bluefin tuna at the Lobster Claw, some of the lumps inshore of the Claw and a little farther from shore at the 40-Fathom Fingers, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. A few yellowfin tuna also showed up at the Fingers. Big yellowfin and bigeye tuna were slammed to the north at Hudson Canyon. At the other canyons smaller yellowfins from throwbacks to 60-pounders roamed. Marlin were fought at the southern canyons including the Poorman’s, the Wilmington and the Baltimore. A grander blue marlin was entered in the week’s White Marlin Open tournament in Ocean City, Maryland. Mahi mahi schooled everywhere from the bluefin grounds to the canyons, and they were bigger the farther north anglers fished.

A trip was supposed to fish for bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean on Tuesday, but Capt. Craig from <b>Fish Tale Charters</b> from Ocean City offered to take the anglers bottom-fishing instead, because tuna were too scarce on the local grounds. The boat’s tuna trips fish out to 40 miles, and trips can also target pelagics like bonito. A few bonito were swimming around. Another tuna trip is slated for Tuesday, but Craig will see how the fishing is going to decide whether to head out.

Mario Mortarella and crew on his North Cote ran into beautiful, 78-degree waters in 100 fathoms on the east wall of Spencer Canyon during the weekend, said T.C. from <b>Brennan Marine</b> in Somers Point in a fax. They trolled two 50-pound yellowfins on a daisy chain and a Green Machine and a 60-pound white marlin on a rainbow spreader bar. Frank Kelly and Larry Stout on Frank’s Salty Tiger also fished the east wall of the canyon, hooking two 60-pound whites and two 13-pound mahi mahi on naked ballyhoos.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

An offshore trip was cancelled Monday, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City, but he hoped to get back out soon. A friend broke off two 150-pound bluefin tuna at the inshore grounds and saw anglers hooked up all around. Yellowfin tuna fishing was picking up at the canyons, and some of the fish were bigger than before. Lots of big mahi mahi swarmed inshore to offshore this season. Weekly, open-boat tuna trips are sailing, usually on Wednesdays, but sometimes on other days, depending on the weather and when anglers can go. They’re fishing for bluefins or yellowfins, whatever’s best, or both. Offshore charters are available that troll for tuna during the mornings and cast bait, lures or flies to mahi at the lobster pots during the afternoons.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Lots of bluefish, bonito and Spanish mackerel were trolled 15 miles from shore on charters Monday and Tuesday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May, Capt. George said. More bonito were showing up than last year, and sometimes they appeared, and other times they didn’t. But on some days a dozen might be dragged up. A tuna trip will sail Saturday. Bluefin tuna swam inshore, and yellowfin tuna could be found farther from shore when boaters were in the right place at the right time. Big, gaffer mahi mahi were abundant all along the tuna grounds. Not many wahoos seemed around so far, but one line got bit off on a previous trip on the Heavy Hitter that George assumed was from a wahoo.

Many big, 150- to 200-pounds bluefin tuna were smoked on the southern lumps on the troll, on the chunk and on jigs, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> from Cape May. Yellowfin tuna fishing was gaining steam, developing well, at the canyons, and bigger ones than before, 40- to 70-pounders, were coming in. A great bite on bigeye tuna took off at the northern canyons, and Tom was going to move the boat to Brigantine to reach the waters. The Fishin’ Fever can sail either from Cape May or Brigantine, offering a wide range of offshore grounds that can be targeted, wherever catches are best. Inshore trolling heated up for bluefish, bonito, a few false albacore, skipjacks and occasional mahi mahi, a fun charter with strong fights.

Plenty of bluefin tuna were trolled, jigged and chunked around 20 fathoms, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May in a fax. Live bait helped when chunking, and spots and croakers worked well. The tuna seemed to push a little farther north, swimming 19-Fathom Lump to the Lobster Claw. One crew fished in 20 fathoms north of 19-Fathom Lump, trolling a 142-pound bluefin and busting off another on the troll. They also jigged and released a 74-incher.

Back to Top