<b>Staten Island</b>

A twilight striped bass trip fished Friday with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, and what a night it was, Capt. Anthony said in the Captain’s Blog on the boat’s Web site. Twenty stripers to 35 pounds were whaled. But as striper fishing winds down, fluke fishing is about to begin on the boat. Last year’s fluking was the best Anthony ever experienced, producing lots of the fish, and big ones. An 11-pounder was the largest, and many weighed 7 to 9 pounds, and the trips fished close to port. Trips this year will usually fish along Ambrose Channel to the VerrazanoBridge. But special Fluke Monster-a-Thons, 11-hour, open-boat trips with four anglers, will fish once a week on the ocean, at rocky bottom and wrecks 15 to 20 miles from port, at a very reasonable price. The first bucktail is provided, and anglers should bring the rest, 4- to 6-ouncers, and teasers should be tipped with Berkeley Gulp 6-inch grubs in chartreuse and white. What’s more, Barbara Anne successfully bid on a Research Set Aside Permit that allows trips to fish for fluke when the fluke season closes. New York’s closed season is from September 7 to May 21, and four fluke per person measuring 17 to 20 inches is the RSA bag limit. The anglers will fluke fish when other anglers cannot.

Awesome fishing for sea bass was pancaked Sunday with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, and the anglers limited out by 1:30 p.m., and returned to port, Capt. Joe said. Ling were also landed, and out-of-season blackfish and winter flounder were released. The trip fished in 40 to 60 feet, not as deep as previously, because the trip didn’t target ling. Sea bassing’s been super so far with Outcast this year, like it was last year.

<b>Bayonne</b>

Anglers aboard fished for fluke at the VerrazanoBridge at first on a trip Sunday, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. Lots of action with the flatties to 20 inches was pelted, but none was a keeper, because True World follows New York’s 21-inch size limit, because the boat must pass through New York waters to reach the marina. In the afternoon the trip fished at Sandy Hook Channel from buoys 12 to 14, and a 25-inch 6-1/4-pound fluke was bagged, and so was a 21-incher. A 20-incher was also landed and released, and so were many other shorts. Hordes of boats filled the waters. True World is also sea bass fishing, and a friend sea bassed Saturday at the Mud Buoy, reeling up 30 keepers, bagging no more than his limit, a good catch. Customers fishing from the bulkheads, like at Bayonne, hooked striped bass, mostly small but sometimes keepers, at night on chunks of bunker. The keepers came from New York Bay, not NewarkBay.

<b>Keyport</b>

One of the open-boat twilight trips sailed  Saturday with the Gus Scambias party with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. First they knuckled up a pick of fluke, mostly shorts, but a 23-inch keeper, at Flynn’s Knoll, finishing up the trip with a handful of blues that attacked the fluke rigs with killies and squid. Gus’s father Gio, cousin Gus and their friend Vinny were also on the trip. They originally wanted to fish for blues, but ended up with more fluke. A fluke trip was also sailing today. Several open-boat trips are sailing when no charter is booked: 4- or 6-hour trips leaving at 7 a.m. and twilight trips from 4 to 9 p.m. Call ahead to go. Space is available on both time slots on the Fourth of July this Sunday. A couple of anglers already want to go on the 7 a.m. trip Monday, so some space is available on that outing. Credit card payments through PayPal are accepted for all trips.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The fluke trip Sunday afternoon was probably one of the better ones of the season for catching keepers, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. The boat fished on the bay and at Reach Channel, and of course plenty of shorts bit. The drift was slow, but apparently the anglers worked the baits to nab the bites. Fishing was about the same on Saturday afternoon’s trip, and catches were better in the afternoons recently, but that was probably because of conditions or winds and tides creating the right drifts, not about time of day. When the drifts were right, the fishing picked up. Catches on Friday afternoon’s trip were a little better in better conditions than previously. But this morning’s conditions were good when Tom gave this report on the phone from the trip, and the boat had been on the same drift for the first 1 ½ hours of the trip by then, and anglers caught, including keepers, and had action with shorts. Many of the fish were 17 inches, fat fluke. If the size limit were 17 instead of 18, almost  everyone would bag keepers. Two sizes or year classes were dominant, and the other was 13 inches or so. Pool-winning fish usually weighed 4 to 5 pounds, sometimes a bit heavier. Weather forecasts for thunderstorms and heat seemed to scare off people from joining trips at times. But thunderstorms failed to develop 98 percent of the time, and when any did come through, they lasted 15 or 20 minutes and disappeared. The heat wasn’t a problem on the waters, and the breeze on the open waters was pleasant. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

On the <b>Katie H</b> a trip for sea bass and fluke had to bounce around to a few spots on Saturday, but put a catch together, including good-sized sea bass, Capt. Mike said. A customer wants to sail for tuna this weekend, so a trip will probably head to Hudson Canyon. Bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna were boated there, and the trip can always deep-drop for tilefish. Tuna fishing is a main event of the year on the Katie H, and a heavy schedule of tuna trips sails on the boat in summer to fall.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, focusing on striped bass fishing since spring, sailed for the linesiders Thursday and Friday, walloping good catches, Capt. Derek said. But since last week, he’s preferred only to run striper trips on weekdays, because of boat crowds on weekends. So his trips this weekend bottom-fished and fluke fished. The bottom fishing socked solid catches of sea bass, ling and cod, releasing out-of-season blackfish. The fluke fishing was productive for flatties to 4 ½ or 5 pounds on the ocean when conditions were right: when winds and tides created the right drifts. On one day, there was no drift, and on another, the drift was too fast at times. Fluking on the boat is done with bucktails at the rough bottom and deep waters for the big fish. Fisher Price will probably continue to fish for stripers if anglers want, but again, Derek prefers fishing for the bass only on weekdays. Charters are also bottom-fishing and fluking, and so are open-boat trips. The next open trips were yet to be scheduled, but anglers can call Derek to be kept informed about the schedule.

Big striped bass to 40 pounds bit at Romer Shoal on Friday night, Jay Cosgrove said in Jay’s No Bull Fishing Report form <b>Bahrs Landing</b> in an e-mail. Tom Ferrara and Tony Florio hauled in a black drum that inhaled a live bunker at Flynn’s Knoll. Minutes before, a thresher shark ran off with one of the baits. The marina at Bahrs is stocking live bunker. Big fluke were taken from the fingers by the Shrewsbury Rocks. June is almost finished but was one of the best for fishing in recent memory, a great start to the season. Stripers to 50 pounds schooled from Romer to Belmar. Follow the <a href="http://twitter.com/livebunker" target="_blank">fishing reports from Bahrs on Twitter</a>. Receive text messages or e-mails with real-time reports and updates on the live bunker supply.

<b>Neptune</b>

A 300-pound mako shark was nailed on a trip for sharks Wednesday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. That’s a big mako, probably the first 300-pounder of the season caught in the northern half of the state. Trips with Last Lady also competed in the shark tournaments Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s trip waxed a 172-pound mako and released four more and two blue sharks. The 172-pounder was on the boards until it got knocked off. On Sunday’s trip a somewhat bigger mako, a 180-pounder, was jabbed, though that fish never got on the boards, and a 160-pounder and two blue sharks were released. Mako shark fishing is the best in a number of years, Ralph said. Charters are sailing for them, and an individual-reservation trip is running for sharks Tuesday. Time is limited to fight them, because shark season closes July 30. A fluke charter on Friday hooked lots of the flatties, including a few keepers, and some sea bass on the ocean. Individual-reservation trips for a combo of fluke and sea bass are sailing every Wednesday. During the trip last week, a few keeper fluke and some sea bass were boxed on the ocean. An individual-reservation trip offshore on Thursday filled the cooler with pollock to 26 pounds and cod to 18 pounds, in difficult conditions with tide against the winds. Another one of the trips will run July 27 to the 40- to 70-mile wrecks, and Last Lady will sail for big cod and pollock through summer. An individual-reservation trip to the inshore wrecks will fish July 22 from 20 to 30 miles from shore. The season’s first individual-reservation tuna trip at the canyons will sail July 20 to 21, and the fish already arrived.

<b>Belmar</b>

Trips sailed the ocean for a combo of striped bass in the early mornings and fluke afterward with <b>On a Mission Fishing Adventures</b>, Capt. Eric said. Striper fishing slowed down, turning on only during early mornings or evenings, but trips still caught 10 to 15 per trip, fish to 30 and 40 pounds, on livelined bunker snagged from schools. Fluke fishing picked up on the ocean, and trips pounded a bunch of shorts, but also 10 or 15 keepers per outing, not a huge number, but definitely improved. Eric will probably scope out bluefin tuna fishing Tuesday on the inshore ocean for the first time this season, and On a Mission sails for them lots, once the angling kicks in. He heard about a few caught. A commercial boater said mahi mahi were gathered along the lobster pot buoys, so the waters held pelagics, could be a good sign for bluefin fishing.

<b>Brielle</b>

Not a lot was heard about ocean striped bass fishing, and plenty of bunker schooled the waters, and stripers probably chased a few of the pods, “but it’s getting to be that time of year,” said John from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Thresher sharks sometimes chased the bunker, and one customer locked into a 200-pounder at the Shrewsbury Rocks, landing the fish. Much of the talk at the shop was about sharks, because of the shark tournaments this weekend. Makos, threshers, blue sharks and browns were caught. Another customer landed a hammerhead and a bull shark. Another was fluke fishing at Sea Girt Reef, probably 4 ½ miles from shore, when a 5- or 6-foot mako swam past. The boat’s anglers switched to shark gear, landing five or six makos. Goes to show makos can be closer than one might think. Some shark anglers nailed excellent catches, and some caught none, a matter of right time, right place, apparently. Bluefin tuna fishing on the inshore ocean sounded spotty at places like the Chicken Canyon and the Triple Wrecks. All the shark anglers and shark chum probably contributed. John heard about good catches of bigeye tuna and some yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi farther offshore at the 100 Square at Hudson Canyon. That was the only canyon news he heard. Closer to shore, sea bass fishing was good, and sometimes the tide seemed to affect success. One customer fished at a piece at Axel Carlson Reef, reeling in only shorts. He left, but returned when the tide changed, bagging keepers at the same spot. Fluke fishing on the ocean turned out many shorts, and anglers had to work for keepers. A customer who fluke fished on Manasquan River this weekend whacked a healthy catch to 6 pounds on a teaser trailing 12 or 18 inches above a jig or a sinker. Hard-fighting hickory shad gave up tons of action on the river. One customer fought the Manasquan River Tarpon on every cast at the mariner’s monument.

Fishing for blues really turned on Sunday on the party boat <b>Jamaica</b>, after the fishing had slowed Saturday but rebounded Saturday night, an e-mail from the vessel said. The fish were spread over a large area on the ocean Sunday, and the outlook for the angling looked good for upcoming trips. On Sunday’s daytime trip the 6- to 13-pounders swarmed like crazy around the boat, and all patrons caught plenty. On Saturday’s night trip patrons pummeled a good catch of 6- to 14-pounders. On Saturday’s daytime trip the catching was slow in the same area, and plenty of blues swam the waters, but they never really fed a lot. Some were hooked, but not like the rest of the week. Recent pool winners were: Bill Kellers, Audubon, with a 14-1/2-pound blue; Oscar Lopez, Levittown, with a 14-pound blue; and Kevin Glynn, Toms River, with an 11-pound blue. Now is a good time to go bluefishing. Trips sail daily for blues at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The first fluke trip of the year sailed with <b>Fish Monger Charters</b>, and so did two sea bass trips, during the past three days, Capt. Jerry said in an e-mail. The fluke trip ran Saturday, barreling up 21 keepers to a 6-pounder, including a couple of 4- and 5-pounders and a limit for one of the six anglers, and five keeper sea bass, releasing shorts of both species. The trip headed for the rough bottom on the ocean, and there was zero drift at first. Then the current began to move, and bites picked up, and the boat began spinning, and the lines started drifting forward, until the drift picked up more, and more bites began. Then a keeper or two were picked on every pass, among shorts released, and one here and there continued to be picked, until the drift became fast. The anglers fished hard to put quality keepers in the box during the day. The sea bass trips fished Friday and Sunday, and some real quality ones came up – quality and quantity, Jerry said – including a 5-pounder. Friday’s trip caught somewhat less than a limit of the knuckleheads for the six anglers, but sizeable keepers including the 5-pounder and numerous 2- to 4-pounders, and eight ling. Out-of-season blackfish, including big ones, including an 11-pounder and an 8-pounder, were caught and released, fun fishing for them. Sunday’s trip limited out on good-sized sea bass with six anglers, also bagging eight ling, a 23-inch fluke and some conger eels, releasing a bunch of hefty blackfish, a short cod and some winter flounder. In July and August trips will be largely about fluke, working bucktails and big baits on the rough stuff where the big ones hang out.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Bluefishing began slowly on the daytime trip Friday on the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b>, but the angling turned nothing short of frantic, an e-mail from the boat said. Excellent catches were also bailed on the trip that night. The crew had high expectations for catches on the daytime trip Saturday, because of the previous trips, but the angling was only a steady pick all day. “For most it was considered good fishing,” the e-mail said, “(but) for us <i>steady</i> is the best description. But the fishing became excellent again on the trip that night, and some of the anglers even jigged the fish, when normally only bait catches blues in the dark. Sunday’s bluefishing was the best of the year so far on the boat. Anyone looking to limit out could, and both jigs and bait caught, and one angler went 5 for 5 on a popper lure. Some type of big fish swam the slick but was never identified, and some of the blues came up with “fresh battle scars,” the e-mail said. So fishing was good during the stretch of days, “and what a weekend we had!” the e-mail said. The Cock Robin is sailing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Order food from Jersey Mike’s to be delivered to the boat for trips day or night. 

The season’s first fluke trip broke the inlet Saturday with <b>Reel Class Charters</b>, fishing all day on the sticky bottom to the north on the ocean with an all-star cast of anglers, Capt. Allen said in the report on the boat’s Web site. The group of six totaled 18 keepers and a dozen good-sized sea bass to 4 pounds, two of them really big, and one angler landed a limit-plus of fluke, and another limited out on them, and the rest put a few sizeable ones in the boat. They all bucktailed all day, and many of the fluke pounced on the bucktails, but a quite a few grabbed Gulp teasers. The angling began slow with no winds or currents for a drift. Still, a couple of keepers were plucked, including the first-ever keeper decked on the <a href="http://www.reelclassfishing.com/the-vessel
" target="_blank">new boat</a>, a 30-foot 7-inch Albemarle Express Fisherman. Check it out. So the trip bounced around until a patch of fluke was found, and the current began to push, and the anglers pieced together a good catch of mostly keepers with a few shorts, and some hefty sea bass. When the bite slowed, the trip moved in on the beach in 20 to 35 feet, and a load of shorts bit, but so did a few keepers, including a 5-pounder. “Overall a great day with a superior crew,”Allen said, “a fantastic way to start the summer fluke season on the new boat!” On Sunday a charter jumped aboard for fluke, but the angling was slow, though action with a few keepers, some shorts and good-sized sea bass to 3 pounds was churned up. The trip ran north off Elberon to Long Branch, and nothing hit. It moved farther north, fished near the beach, and the angling was slow, moved to the deep, and a keeper or two and big sea bass chewed. The anglers moved north between Monmouth Beach to Sea Bright, fishing inshore, and lots more action was scored with a load of shorts, a few keepers and a few sea bass. “Again, a very tough day,” Allen said. Charters are sailing, and so are annual, open-boat <a href=" http://www.reelclassfishing.com/rates/open-boat-info" target="_blank">Fluke Till You Puke Marathons</a> that are already filling. Click the link and look for the schedule. Also see that page for new season passes for open-boat trips and shared charters for anglers looking to save.

<b>Seaside Park</b>

A three-angler charter on Friday sailed for sea bass on the ocean with <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b>, said Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier in the report on the boat’s Web site. The fishing was good during the week, and on the trip was a steady pick of the fish to a 2-pound 14-ouncer, “with no real blast of keeper numbers at any one time,” he said. Numerous shorts, out-of-season blackfish and short cod were hooked and released, and action was good all day. A 16-inch blackfish was the biggest tog. The anglers came close to limiting out on sea bass, going home with large bags of fillets, planning to return soon for more of the fishing, Birch said. A few spots remain for 10-hour, open-boat trips to the ocean wrecks for sea bass. Charters are also running, and FishGuts is also fishing on Barnegat Bay trips for species like fluke and blues. Or take a combo trip, fishing on both the ocean and bay. Special, annual Bounty of the Bay Trips, trips for families, run in July and August. Though the trips mainly look to fish, they also educate and entertain about all the features of the bay, from hermit crabs to big striped bass to an osprey nesting on a marker to Barnegat Lighthouse. Fish that can be caught include fluke, blues, weakfish, small sea bass, kingfish, blowfish and jumbo sea robins.

<b>Barnegat</b>

Striped bass, blues and sea bass were among the catches with <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> in the past week from the ocean to Barnegat Inlet to Barnegat Bay, Capt. Steve said in an e-mail. Sea bassing was best on the trips. A charter from Colorado kicked off the week’s fishing, targeting waters from the inlet to the bay, landing 2- to 4-pound blues, schoolie striped bass, a 23-inch fluke and out-of-season blackfish that were released. That might now be the area’s new Grand Slam, because weakfish were almost non-existent. Joe Franke and friend Ed hit the ocean on a trip to try for big striped bass. Schools and schools of bunker were found, and some of the baitfish looked nervous, like stripers chased them, but no run-offs were scored. After giving the fishing a solid effort, the anglers moved to the bay for fluke before heading in. Jay Simmons on a trip dialed up the best action of the week, nailing drop-and-reel fishing for sea bass at the ocean wrecks, limiting out on the lumpheads to 4 pounds, with Steve joining in on the angling, for a bunch of snowy-white, delicious fillets. Thursday and Friday are open for charters or open-boat trips. If the trips run open, they’ll sail for a mix of ocean wreck fishing and bay/inlet fishing. The limit is four anglers, “so call or e-mail to reserve as soon as possible,” Steve said.

Kevin Neal and crew jumped aboard Thursday, chasing bunker schools to look for striped bass all morning on the ocean from Mantoloking to Seaside Heights, snagging lots of the menhaden for bait to liveline, said Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> in an e-mail. But no stripers showed up among the bunker, so bunker spoons were tolled off the Seaside piers on the way back, and a 36-pound striper was crushed. Dave and son Nick that afternoon left for Block Island to fish for stripers on the Bona for Tuna from Niantic, Connecticut, on Friday and Saturday, with Dave as guest captain. They scored well on 15- to 30-pound stripers while casting and trolling. Dave and Nick at night jigged squid under the marina lights in the harbor at Block Island, a dream come true for young Nick, who’s been wanting to jig squid at the canyons. They now returned to New Jersey, and open-boat trips will run on the Hi Flier on Tuesday through Thursday for stripers in bunker schools along the beaches or bonito at Barnegat Ridge or both. Forecasts called for light winds and calm seas, so far. If Dave hears about bluefin tuna holding within range, the trips will also fish for them. The boat will be fueled up, iced up and ready roll for 5 a.m. departures, returning around 1 p.m. on the 8-hour trips. A maximum of three can go, and the trips will sail with a minimum of one. Check out <a href=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IopXeswBiN8
" target="_blank">a video of a big striper trolled on the Block Island trip</a>.

<b>Surf City</b>

A couple of striped bass were hung from the surf at Loveladies this morning, when the linesiders pushed bunker up onto the beach, said Joe from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers snagged the bunker and dropped them back down, livelining them, for bait. Lots of dog sharks, skates and a few cownosed rays swam the suds. Fluke fishing was decent from the surf, put up lots of shorts for every keeper, but gave up most action, now that striper fishing was tailing off for the season. A 7-pound fluke was banked from the wash last week on a rig with a ½-ounce bucktail and a teaser. Many used that rig, found them effective, tipping the hooks with 4-inch, white or chartreuse Gulp swim mullets or New Penny Shrimp or squid, but fishing with fluke rigs also worked. No bluefish roamed the surf. Boaters mostly sailed for fluke, catching a keeper for every 20 or 30 shorts. Some boaters scored alright on bluefin tuna 20, 30 or 40 miles from the coast. 

<b>Beach Haven</b>

The season’s first offshore trip sailed Saturday on the <b>June Bug</b> to Lindenkohl Canyon, leaving at 12 midnight, arriving at 4 a.m., Capt. Lindsay said. Nothing bit on the troll before daylight, except a couple of knockdowns, probably from short yellowfin tuna. Two 35-pound yellowfins, a couple of small mahi mahi and tons of skipjacks were landed starting at 6 a.m. A bunch of knockdowns, probably short yellowfins, also hit without getting hooked. Lots of action. Then a lull set in for 1 ½ hours. The captain told the charter he was pulling out the secret weapon, going to take a nap, with a mate at the helm, because fish always begin to bite then. No sooner did he do so than a big fish attacked, and was on! A 450-pound blue marlin was fought an hour and 45 minutes and landed. The anglers, from Michigan, listened to the crew and fought the fish well. The trip fished another hour and went home. That was a good trip, not a bad start to the season, Lindsay said. He’s often told anglers that trips usually hook yellowfins and almost always a blue in the third and fourth week of June, and that happened again. So anglers, who often wait until August and September to fish offshore, might consider going in June next year. About 30 boats fished the area, and not many reported catching. One nearby boat on the radio told Lindsay the trip caught a 150-pound bigeye tuna Friday afternoon and a 175-pound mako that night. Lindsay heard about a 250-pound bigeye boated at Toms Canyon at the time.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

A couple of brown sharks, a hammerhead and a mako, a legal-sized shark but not that big, so it was released, were landed on a shark trip Saturday with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. A good day, he said, and T.J. heard about a couple of bluefin tuna caught in the area during the trip. Another trip sea bass fished on T.J.’s other boat that day for a slow pick, lots of fish, not that many keepers. All different depths were tried from 50 to 90 feet. Space remains on an open-boat trip for summer flounder on the ocean Thursday. Open trips are fishing on Tuesdays and Thursdays when no charter is booked and enough anglers want to go.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Keeper summer flounder suddenly turned on in Great Bay on Saturday, and anglers hooked as many as eight from 18 to 22 inches, said the report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. “(But) the fluke all shrank again (by today),” the report said, and anglers had to work hard, coming up with one or two keepers among shorts. When the angling had turned on, the fish came from different areas, including along the Intracoastal Waterway at the 136 marker and the deeper waters around the 126 marker between the islands at the Fish Factory. Little Egg Reef on the ocean might be the place to fish for the flatties during the holiday weekend to escape the heat, flies and boat traffic. Sea bass fishing was a bit off, and word said they were spawning, but with a little effort and moving around, anglers copped a fair catch. Crabbing was good.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Surf casters beached summer flounder, kingfish, triggerfish and a few blues, not many  blues, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>’s son. The flounder gobbled minnows and squid, and the kingfish, a fairly good number, catches that kept getting better, inhaled bloodworms. The triggers, good-sized, mouthed bloodworms and clams. Plus an occasional striped bass was still dragged in, like a 21-pound 38-incher that was weighed in Friday, the most recent one checked in. Out-of-season blackfish were caught and released in the suds, and one will be able to be kept starting July 16. All the baits mentioned and more are stocked.

<b>Ocean City</b>

A trip fished the bay Friday for summer flounder, reeling up a keeper and lots of shorts, said Capt. Craig from <b>Fish Tale Charters</b>. Action was pretty much drop and catch, and many of the fish were 15, 16 and 17 inches, fat flounder. So much bait filled the bay that the fish seemed to gorge themselves, were meaty. Maybe if they kept feeding like this they’d grow and inch or two in the next months and become keepers. A trip Saturday fished the ocean, angling up a few keeper sea bass and a half-dozen flounder, including a keeper. The keeper sea bass in the ocean were just legal-sized or a little larger. More flounder bit in the ocean than in recent years, and usually not many showed up there at this time of year. Maybe waters were warmer, making the flatties move out from the bay. Craig saw no blues in the bay or ocean in weeks. Anglers offshore at the bluefin tuna grounds had seen lots of blues but not in the past week or so. The bluefin fishing started like gangbusters several weeks ago, looked like an incredible season coming. But now the fish seemed spread out, no concentrations. A boater from t he dock landed two football-sized bluefins, releasing them. Fish Tale sails for the tuna.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Dave Miller and family fished the back bay on a trip Friday, landing probably 40 summer flounder, including one keeper, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Plus the son wanted to catch a shark, so the trip targeted sharks, reeling in two dog sharks, including a 25-pounder. Flounder fishing’s been the best in years in the bay this season. Striped bass fishing somewhat slowed down on the bay, apparently because the weather became hot too quickly. But a few were around, and the angling will probably rebound. Eventually Joe’s trips fish for stripers at night on the bay during the heat of summer, but the season seemed early for that. Bluefish were also caught on the bay on trips recently. Joe expects to try for brown sharks, catch and release angling, on the ocean close to shore this week.

<b>Longport</b>

Summer flounder started hitting in the ocean during the middle of last week for trips on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, covered in the last report. So this weekend’s trips concentrated on the flatties, but also sea bass fished, Capt. Mike said. Good catches of both came up, and an open-boat trip will sail for a combo of both Saturday, and space remains. Call to get in. Otherwise charters are running. The flounder chomped in 66 to 72 feet, and snapper blues were mixed in during the trips. Lots of bites from the different species. A trolling trip will sail the inshore ocean for bluefin tuna around 20 fathoms on Wednesday. A couple of more of those trips are coming up soon.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Plenty of short summer flounder carpeted the back bay, but the keeper ratio seemed somewhat to improve, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b>. Flatties checked in from the bay included Dianne Curran’s 3-pound 14-ouncer, 9-year-old Stephen Hanscom’s 3-pound 13-ouncer, and 8-year-old Maxwell Stow’s first-ever: a 4-pounder. Delaware Bay anglers boated flounder at the edge of the shipping channel from 14-Foot Light to Miah Maull. The flatfish were also wrangled up from Reef 11 and the Old Grounds, and anglers at those places worked hard to limit out. Flounder fishing was slow at Cape May Reef. Farther from shore, mako sharks were battled, and bluefin tuna were still sometimes caught from 30 fathoms to farther out. Even farther from shore at the canyons, yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi and several white marlin were trolled. Yellowfin fishing had been excellent at Baltimore Canyon before the weekend. Crabby Jack gave crabbing four claws out of five, saying good to excellent catches were made. Sterling Harbor’s 17th annual Duke of Fluke Tournament will take place Saturday, July 10, and the catpain’s meeting is that Friday. Entry forms are available at the shop or on the store’s Web site, and anglers can call Sterling for info.

<b>Cape May</b>

The <b>Down Deep</b> is bottom-fishing for sea bass and summer flounder, and bluefin tuna were around, Capt. Bob said. With the sea bass and summer flounder fishing, plenty of the fish swam the ocean, and catching keepers was the challenge. Bluefins could be found on the inshore ocean around 20 fathoms, a short distance from shore compared with tuna fishing at the canyons that becomes the only option later in the season. But the trips are suited for anglers who appreciate the fishing itself, realizing only two bluefins of certain sizes can be kept. Bluefish had been thick at the tuna grounds but disappeared. Bob took a long, 32-mile trip from shore to troll for blues during the weekend, and the fish were gone. Previously he cleaned up on blues there in the Ladies Invitational Bluefish Tournament two weekends ago. That’s too far for the average charter to spend on blues, and anglers waited for blues to appear closer to shore like they usually do in summer.

Trolling for blues at the Cigar was a bust on a trip during the weekend, and the fish disappeared, and only a small, 3-foot mako shark attacked the spread, and got off, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Previously blues schooled the area, and waters now were 76 degrees there, and were cooler or 72 degrees farther from shore. George knew about a couple of anglers who landed bluefin tuna in waters toward that far from shore or near 20 fathoms. One ran a trip that landed three or four. They were small but gave up action, and the season is early for bluefins. Someone saw a load schooling, but when the fish are schooling, they’re traveling and won’t bite. George won’t even mess with them then, and the fish have to settle down. But a few were caught at different places in the past days. The Heavy Hitter is offering a special on bluefin trips, and call George for info. A summer flounder trip is scheduled for Tuesday on the boat, and will fish at the Old Grounds, in the ocean off Delaware.  Flounder anglers at such areas seemed to bag five or six keepers among shorts in a trip. The Heavy Hitter is also sea bass fishing, and call if interested in any of these types of trips.

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