<b>Staten Island</b>

Okay fishing for sea bass was pelted on the last couple of trips with <b>Barbara Anne Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Anthony said. He wouldn’t say the angling was great, but it was somewhat consistent, and a trip with three anglers could bag 20 keepers apiece. Many trips this month will sail for a combo of sea bass and fluke, and Barbara Anne received a <b><i>Fluke Research Set Aside Permit</i></b>, allowing the vessel to fish for fluke when the season closes for the fish beginning Tuesday.  New York’s RSA bag limit will be four fluke from 17 to 20 inches per person, and that should be no problem for limiting out, Anthony said. Compare that with New York’s open-season minimum size of 21 inches and New Jersey’s RSA limit of six fluke 18 inches or bigger, the same limit as during Jersey’s open season. Special, open-boat trips are bottom-fishing at the 30-mile wrecks every Monday in September starting next week, though this Monday’s trip might be weathered out. Sea bass, cod and ling are targeted, and rods, tackle, bait, ice and soft drinks for the entire group are included.

<b>Keyport</b>

Quite a few small fluke and a handful of cocktail blues were wrangled up at Reach Channel in the back of the bay on a short, 3-hour trip Tuesday, said Capt. Joe from <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>. The blues attacked the same spearing and squid fished on the bottom for fluke, weren’t hooked on the surface like sometimes. The weather was beautiful, a little warm, with calm seas. Space is available on open-boat trips for fluke from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to Monday, the final days of fluke season. Three anglers signed up for Sunday, so three spots remain that day. When fluke season closes on Tuesday, open trips will begin fishing for sea bass and porgies during the same hours daily when no charter is booked. Call to jump aboard the open trips. Charters are also available for all these species. The sea bass and porgy trips will sail to Sandy Hook Reef and the Shrewsbury Rocks. Credit card payments through PayPal are accepted for all trips.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke anglers still caught, and bottom-fishing was good for porgies and sea bass, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Striped bass began to bite in the rivers in the mornings on worms, and surely they did in the evenings. Jimmy last week marked weakfish in the rivers for certain, but they were gone this week. Bluefish were around to chum at the Mudhole, and some could be found to jig. Crabbing was excellent. Anglers will see how Hurricane Earl will affect fishing, but the summer waters could use the effects of a storm. Was a shame the storm will wipe out some of this holiday weekend’s fishing.

After one of the better catches of fluke this season was reeled in during Sunday afternoon’s trip, the fishing became tough on Monday through Wednesday’s trips, for no apparent reason, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Some trips turned up more bites from throwbacks than others, depending on conditions or whether winds and currents combined to create the right drift. But landing keepers was difficult on all the trips. The boat fished at places including the ocean, the channels, Flynn’s Knoll and near the Navy Pier. But Tom hopes the fluking will bounce back. Swells or rough seas that forecasts kept predicting because of Hurricane Danielle never materialized in the past days, and waters, including the ocean, were gorgeous.  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. The boat obtained a <b><i>Fluke Research Set Aside Permit</i></b> that will allow the vessel to continue fluke fishing when the flattie season closes Tuesday. The twice-daily trips for the fish will continue then, and the bag limit will be the same as the current one. The permit will allow 1,500 pounds of fluke to be bagged on the boat, and Tom hopes that will last two or three weeks. Afterward the boat will begin bottom fishing for sea bass and porgies on one trip daily, until the trips begin fishing for blackfish later in the year.

Despite currents and conditions that made fishing difficult on Tuesday’s trip, the anglers came away with a few sizeable fluke and sea bass on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron said, even if he wouldn’t call the fishing good at all. The boat’s been fishing at snags and wrecks. One angler, a former deck hand on the vessel, plowed a 9-1/2-pound fluke and a 5.95-pounder among his four keepers. Another nailed a 7.11-pound fluke, and a couple of other hefty fish were hung. No other reports were posted on the site since then, but if more roll in during the next day, they’ll be added here.  The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for bluefish 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. However, Friday morning’s trip is chartered, though forecasts look like Hurricane Earl will cancel that outing.

<b>Highlands</b>

Jose Moreira swam a livelined peanut bunker to crack an 8-1/2-pound fluke on the Shrewsbury River south of <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Wayne said. Fluke fishing stayed about the same as before in the past week. Wayne previously said plenty of the fish were around from the rivers to the bay to the ocean, and the keeper ratio was 1 in 20. Snapper blues schooled the river, and bigger blues began to be seen. Wayne saw them in the bay. Nobody from the marina bottom fished or ran offshore for tuna, and the weather was probably too dicey to fish offshore most of the time. None fished for striped bass yet this season. Crabbing was excellent, served up the blueclaws left and right, one of the best years for the catches. Twin Lights stocks all baits for fishing from inshore to offshore.

<b>Neptune</b>

Fluke fishing gave up a slow pick on keepers on a trip Wednesday, though quite a few throwbacks came up, on the ocean, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>. Hurricane Earl will probably weather out trips Friday and Saturday, but limited space remains on Sunday for an individual-reservation trip for fluke, the final one this year, because fluke season closes Tuesday. Kids under 12 sail free, limited to two kids per adult. One spot remains on an overnight, offshore trip for tuna to the canyons from Tuesday to Wednesday, September 14 to 15. Individual-reservation, inshore bottom-fishing trips will run every Wednesday starting September 15 (Ralph has two boats to accommodate the tuna trip and this trip). Again, kids under 12 sail free, limited to two per adult. An individual-reservation trip will bottom-fish for cod at the offshore wrecks on Monday, September 20.

<b>Belmar</b>

Good bluefishing – as many slammers as anglers wanted, all big fish 8 to 15 pounds – was whacked on both day and night trips on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, Capt. Allen said. Lots of skipjacks and a few false albacore also raced through the waters, even biting the bunker chunks when anglers fished the bait for blues. Trips once a week for albies, bonito, skippies and bluefin tuna will begin in a week or two. On the party boat <b>Tropical Adventure</b>, Allen’s other vessel, fair-sized fluke, more and more keepers, were landed in the past week. When fluke season closes Tuesday, the boat will undergo maintenance and inspection about a week, afterward sailing for bottom fish. The Miss Belmar Princess is bluefishing twice daily 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Full-day trips will sail for false albacore, bonito, skipjacks and bluefin tuna every Tuesday starting in a week or two. The Tropical Adventure is fluke fishing twice daily 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. until fluke season closes Tuesday. Afterward the vessel will sail for bottom fish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Boaters bailed good fishing for fluke on the ocean Wednesday, “(and) that was the day,” said Ben from <b>Fishermen’s Den</b>. Party boaters caught them, and some of the charters piled up 3- and 4-pounders. Currents were already strong that day from the coming hurricane offshore, and now ocean seas were becoming heavy from the storm’s approach. Sea bass were boated on the ocean before the seas, and bluefishing was good on the ocean then. The surf was rough, so nobody really fished there. Lots of short fluke were angled up from Shark River today. Abundant snapper blues filled the river, and a few porgies were plucked from the waters. A bunch of pilot fish hung under the bridges. Crabbing was good.

<b>Brielle</b>

On the <b>Big Kid</b> sea bass to 2 pounds and fluke to 4 pounds were dusted from the ocean on a trip Sunday with Mark Razz from Philadelphia’s country station XTU, Capt. Ken said. On Monday more than 20 fluke, including four keepers, and 83 weakfish, including one keeper, were rounded up from the ocean on Dr. Zega’s charter for son Steven’s eleventh birthday. Anglers aboard Tuesday from Princeton Van Service limited out on bluefin tuna, catching and releasing more, on jigs 60 miles from shore. The Big Kid is also fishing farther offshore at the canyons for tuna and big game. Trips this fall for blackfish, a specialty on the boat, are booking up, and space is full for the first three weekends after the bag limit increases to six from the current limit of one. The Tuna Stakes Invitational, kicking off September 20, running through that week, is available for charter.

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

An angler and his daughter headed out Tuesday on a trip, both wanting to land their first-ever tuna and mahi mahi, the report on <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>’ Web site said. So the boat was steamed toward the bluefin tuna grounds, and first the anglers decked a half-dozen peanut mahi. Next they jigged for bluefins, boating one apiece. Having accomplished their goal, they made a bee line for the Dockside Grill back at port, “(so) Chef Marcus could work his magic,” the report said. He prepared the tuna three ways for them: in a mandarin, ginger and wasabi glaze with tempura batter; stuffed with shrimp and lobster, covered with sesame and seared in a mandarin-cucumber vinaigrette; and crusted in pistachio-wasabi over a teriyaki/sesame-oil glaze. Big-game trips like this focused on bluefin tuna on a 70-mile run lately, because the fishing was on, and tuna fishing farther offshore at the canyons was slower. But Hurricane Earl might stir up the waters, shaking canyon catches back to life. See the write-up toward the bottom of <a href="http://www.andreastoycharters.com" target="_blank">Andrea’s Toy’s home page</a> to check out annual, open-boat, mixed-bag bluefin trips. Inshore charters wiped up on plenty of big bluefish and catches of sea bass. A charter Saturday fought many hefty blues to 12 pounds, making a few stops for sea bass afterward. Plenty of short sea bass were tossed back, and a dozen big keepers were boxed, and short fluke and a small weakfish, a surprise, were let go.

All big sea bass and fluke were swung aboard at Axel Carlson Reef on Wednesday on a trip with three anglers with <b>High Hook Sport Fishing</b>, a phenomenal day, with Capt. Mark at the helm, Capt. Brenda said. The trip left at 5 a.m. and was back early at 11 a.m., with plenty of sea bass in the box. Trips will fluke fish until the season closes for the fish on Tuesday, and afterward will bottom fish. Bluefin tuna trips are sailing, and the crew looks forward to fall striped bass fishing.

Anglers were originally going to fluke fish on the ocean Tuesday with <b>Reel Class Charters</b>, Capt. Allen said. But he talked with them, and bottom-fishing “is pretty much a slam dunk,” he said, so the anglers opted to bottom fish. Porgy fishing’s been excellent, and sea bassing somewhat slowed but will become better with the changing season, and blackfish, ling and a few cod were around. The trip ran north on the ocean off the Highlands Bridge, bailing a bunch of porgies, a few sizeable sea bass and a couple of keeper cod. The anglers moved to waters off Long Branch and Elberon, pulling in blackfish to 5 pounds. Next they fished at the Mudhole, loading up on ling and one keeper cod, a 24-incher. Some fluke were also hooked on the trip. The catch was good and was a bottom grand slam: porgies, sea bas, blackfish, ling and cod. Lots of dates are already booked for fall fishing for striped bass, blackfish, porgies and sea bass. If false albacore and bonito appear close to shore, charters and open-boat trips for them will be available.

Bluefishing was “epic again” on Wednesday’s trip on the ocean on the party boat <b>Cock Robin</b>, an e-mail from the vessel said, and false albacore tore in and out of the chum click. The angling began somewhat slowly. “We only had six hooked up at a time,” it said.  But then the slammers hit bait and jigs all day long, and the trip left them biting. Waters were clear to 40 feet. The Cock Robin is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Saturday’s nighttime trip will be the final of the season. Tonight’s fireworks and ice cream cruise will be the last of the year. Trips for false albacore and bonito should begin soon.

Porgies began to chomp on trips, and this was the usual time for them to show, said Capt. Butch from the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>. Mainly sea bass and porgies were shoveled aboard, but a few blackfish and fluke were dragged in. The fishing was okay, and most anglers totaled 10 to 30 fish. Ling fishing wasn’t so good, so trips stayed in shallower waters in 40 to 60 feet, targeting sea bass and porgies, instead of ling in the deep. Anglers mostly asked about sea bass and porgies. Seas and the weather were beautiful, and all the news about rough seas and riptides failed to affect trips. The ocean was flat for five or six days. That was about to change with the arrival of Hurricane Earl off the coast. Bluefishing was very good on the boat’s night trips. The slammers were all big, 8 to 15 pounds. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

<b>Bricktown</b>

A customer beat a good catch of fluke Wednesday at Sea Girt Reef, and quite a few limits were heard about from the reef lately, said Capt. Rich from <b>Jersey Hooker Outfitters Bait & Tackle</b>, located in Bricktown, and <b>Jersey Hooker Charters</b>, sailing from Point Pleasant’s Canyon River Club. A bunch of small fluke swam Manasquan River. Blackfishing was strong at the Point Pleasant Canal around high tides on green crabs. Good fishing for snapper blues was snatched up at Windward Beach, the Metedeconk River and Beaver Dam Creek. Steve Hersch, his nephew and his brother tackled non-stop blues 7 to 12 pounds 15 miles from shore, mostly on bait, a few on jigs. A few sharpies beached small striped bass to 5 pounds from the surf on soft-plastic lures at first light. Bluefin tuna were drilled at the Chicken Canyon. Clean waters moved into the Glory Hole and the Mudhole, and chicken mahi mahi were trolled there at the lobster pots on small feathers and lures. Not much was heard about fishing at the canyons farther offshore, and Rich heard the angling was slow. Crabbing was dynamite, customers kept saying, and crabbing supplies from traps to dip nets to bait could hardly be kept stocked.

<b>Toms River</b>

The keeper ratio improved a little for fluke anglers at Oyster and Double Creek channels on Barnegat Bay, and many of the flatfish scurried around the waters, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Ocean fluke fishing was slow, and the coming hurricane offshore might make seas too rough to fluke fish there through the holiday weekend. One boater on Tuesday came across a load of false albacore and bonito on the ocean while sailing for fluke. Not many reports about albies and bonito close to shore were heard yet this season, though the fish were overdue. A few pods of bunker began to show up in the ocean. Anglers fishing by foot sometimes picked up ½-pound to 1-pound bluefish at the pocket at Barnegat Inlet’s north jetty and in the inlet itself. Metal Hopkins and Kastmaster lures hooked them, and sometimes mullet rigs did. The anglers also reeled up a few fluke at the pocket and inlet. Blackfish could be yanked in from along the inlet rocks. In the bay friends boated 25 blowfish and didn’t hit the tide right. Incoming is better, and the fish are schooling toward the BB marker and a little south, and croakers are mixed in. Anglers needed to chum heavily with clams for the blowfish. They fished with bits of clam or squid. Snapper blues ran abundant at places including the Toms River, swiping spearing on Corky’s Snapper Zapper rigs or under a bobber, also hitting tiny Kastmasters. Crabbing was super at spots including the Toms and, on the bay, Good Luck Point and along the Route 37 Bridge.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Keeper fluke were hauled up from the ocean from the Casino Pier in Seaside Heights on a trip that Scott from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b> took Wednesday night, he said. Loads of snapper blues schooled the waters, and he caught the blues, livelining them for fluke. Plenty of snappers schooled around the docks at the shop, and crabbing was okay for customers, starting to slow down somewhat.  Fluke gathered in Barnegat Bay toward Barnegat Inlet. No customers came back with blowfish this week from places like the BI or BB markers on the bay. Nobody mentioned kingfish or weakfish. Bluefish were sometimes banked from the surf at Island Beach State Park, and small flounder hugged the surf. Scott hoped false albacore showed up in the surf after the hurricane. No striped bass were reported caught from the surf, and waters were warm. Bottom-fishing on the ocean churned out sea bass and blackfish. Fresh bunker, fresh clams, killies and the full supply of baits is stocked. Catch Wacky Wednesdays every week, when clams are $2 per dozen. The rental boats are in the waters for fishing and crabbing, and the jet skis are ready to rent.

<b>Seaside Park</b>

Some of the best fishing conditions – light winds, light currents and clear waters on the ocean – rolled in during the past several days, said Capt. Rob “Birch” Birchmeier from <b>Fishguts Inshore Charters</b> in the report on the boat’s Web site. This was a chance to load the cooler. An angler and his son on a short trip Monday nearly limited out on a mess of sea bass to 3 pounds, coming only two fish shy of their quota, at the ocean wrecks. Three anglers jumped aboard Tuesday, running to the wrecks. The fishing began with a fair pick of sea bass, including a handful of sizeable ones. A short move was made, and more keepers, including plenty of 14- to 16-inchers, came up, and a steady bite developed. A 5-pound amberjack was swung aboard. Another short move was made, and the anglers limited out on sea bass. Birch even got to reel in a few. The anglers switched to blackfishing, and plenty of shorts chewed, and plenty of the tog were missed. Then a few larger ones, none big, but good-eating 14- to 15-inchers, showed up, topping off the day. On Wednesday Birch took a fun trip with his pop to the wrecks. They ran into tons of life, lots of hungry sea bass, limiting out on the humpheads, weeding through many shorts. When they maxed out, they switched to blackfishing. The slipperies, lots of mixed-sized ones 12 to 25 inches, gave up great action, crushing the bait. Birch’s pop scored the trip’s big blackfish: a 10.1-pounder. That trip closed the Fishguts season, and that tog was a wonderful way to end, Birch said. Fishguts specializes in catching good numbers of quality-sized sea bass in summer close to shore, but also fishes for other species including blackfish, fluke, blues, porgies and ling. “What a great summer of sea bassing,” Birch said. Many great catches were boated, and anglers went home with plenty of jumbo bags of fillets. Trips will kick off again toward the end of May, beginning with light-tackle fishing for blues. Birch thanks all the anglers who jumped aboard this year, and feel free to contact him to ask about any trips. Keep an eye out for updates that will be posted on the Fishguts Web site during the off season. 

<b>Forked River</b>

Lots of fluke, lots of throwbacks, remained in Barnegat Bay at the BI, BB and 40 markers and Oyster and Double Creek channels, said Dave from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Nothing was really heard about ocean fluke fishing, and few boaters sailed the ocean between previous weather and coming weather that roughed up seas. Good catches of blowfish were clocked on the bay at the BI, BB and 40, and a few kingfish bit among them. Dave heard about no weakfish and no croakers. He also heard about no striped bass, but stripers should begin to hit hard in some weeks. A few blues popped up at Barnegat Inlet. Crabbing was good. 

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

One customer boated a bunch of keeper fluke on the ocean just off Barnegat Inlet in 35 to 40 feet, and some hauled in 5- to 7-pounder from the ocean off the Seaside Heights Ferris wheel, said Bob Misak from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b> in the report on the shop’s Web site. Most anglers he talked with seemed satisfied with fluking. Sea bass hovered thick at the ocean wrecks. The ocean was forecast to become rough, but anglers have options to escape. Fishing at the 6th Street dock will put up tog, especially in rough weather. Seas seem to push the fish off the Barnegat Inlet jetty to the dock. Some of the tog are keepers, and some weigh 6 to 8 pounds. Fluke fishing slowed a bit at the dock compared with earlier this season. But a few keepers could be claimed. Bob fished for blowfish on the mainland side of Barnegat Bay on Saturday, hammering lots, most of them jumbos, 8- to 12-inchers. Heavy chumming was key, as always. The chum ran thin a couple of times, and the bite quickly turned off. Surf anglers sometimes wrestled in big blues and even a few 20-pound striped bass. Bunker is stocked for the fishing. Live spots and killies and “the best chum in town,” Bob said, are carried.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

With <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> on Wednesday a healthy pick of summer flounder to 3 pounds and sea bass mixed in were bombed on the ocean, Capt. T.J. said. He heard about better numbers of sea bass at the ocean wrecks lately, so that fishing might pick up when trips can fish again after Hurricane Earl. The ocean began to hold somewhat of a roll on the trip, apparently because of the approaching storm. Boaters might’ve been able to sail today, but afterward sailing should be washed out. Legal Limit’s next offshore trips for tuna are slated to run in two weekends. Open-boat trips or shared charters, sailing when no charters are booked, will fish for flounder until the fluke season closes Tuesday. Then they’ll bottom fish. See the <a href=" http://www.legallimitcharters.com/c-11-open-boat.aspx" target="_blank">Open Boat/Shared Charter Schedule</a> on Legal Limit’s Web site.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Fishing for summer flounder on the ocean at Little Egg Reef and Garden State Reef South and North turned “pokey at best,” said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The reason couldn’t be known, but the fishing was good through the weekend. But good catches of sea bass and tog were busted in a little deeper waters, maybe 70 feet or deeper. Croakers moved back close to shore in around 40 feet, after they had showed up in deep waters after last week’s winds. Anglers had to look around to find them currently. One angler surprisingly ran into a school of big blues, a solid population, at the Rutgers Buoys, 2 miles from shore, unusual to see the slammers there this time of year. The catch included a 14.6-pounder and a 13.3-pounder. Whether that was a chance and will fail to repeat or will become a fishery remained to be seen. In the bay kingfish disappeared, but snapper blues, mostly 6-inchers, schooled by the zillions, and small fish like porgies, sea bass and every kind of junk fish bit. The fish mostly swam near the Fish Factory. Fish for tog along the banks opposite the Fish Factory on slack tides. Not a “squeak,” Scott said, was heard about weakfish. Nobody mentioned fishing for the brown sharks, catch and release by law, that gather in the bay in summer. White perch fishing seemed to be gaining steam at usual places like Ballanger and Roundabout creeks and even open waters at the mouth of the Mullica River. Crabbing was fair, like it’s been. Anglers waited for Hurricane Earl to barrel up the coast in the next day or so, not the best timing for Labor Day weekend.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The surf was loaded with spots and kingfish, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Anglers could have difficulty fishing through the spots to hook kings. But striped bass anglers loved catching the spots to keep for live bait for the fall run of the bass. Bloodworms drew more bites than Fishbites artificial worms did. A few snapper blues entered the surf. Summer flounder, many shorts, a few keepers, roamed from the surf to the ocean to the back bay. If ocean boaters found the right wreck or part of a reef, they scored well on the flatfish. Other pieces held no flounder. Drew Hemrich and buddy bagged six keepers to 22 inches at some of the bottom structure in the ocean. The 5th annual Riptide Striped Bass Derby will launch September 22, lasting until the end of the year. Entrants will win cash awards for the biggest stripers caught from the surf along Brigantine’s front beach. First place will win $750, and 2nd will cop $400, and 3rd will earn $150. The entrant with the biggest bass each month will win $25. The rest of the proceeds will be donated to charity, and the event donated more than $13,000 to charity since the tournament began, Andy said. The entry fee will be $20 or $25, and entry must be accompanied by a Brigantine beach buggy permit. That way all entrants will get to drive the beach to fish.

<b>Absecon</b>

Catching spots for striped bass bait was the biggest focus, said Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Curt from the shop said spots swam the bay along with a variety of kingfish, small sea bass, small blues, maybe weakfish and small drum that anglers played with. A few weaks held in the Intracoastal Waterway and the Mullica River, but Curt heard about no fishing for them that was on fire, unless angles weren’t talking. A flounder skittered along the bay bottom here and there, and maybe a few held at Absecon Inlet, but seas were rough on the ocean most of the time for boaters to try the flattie fishing there. But a few big, 25-pound striped bass were boated on the ocean off Atlantic City’s Steel Pier in the last week. A few stripers were hooked along the sod banks of the bay on live bait. Tog were picked up at the jetties and bridges. White perch fishing was good on the rivers, and Curt, a perch angler, found lots of small perch but that the big perch were scattered, not so schooled up. Dave heard about croakers in the ocean to the south including off Margate’s Lucy the Elephant in the past week. The boat has been fully prepared for Dave’s new <a href=" http://www.fishguatemala.com/FishGuatemala/fishguatemala.htm
" target="_blank">Guatemala charter service</a>, and serious fishing is set to begin. Visit the Web site and read Dave’s report for an update. He’s working on full vacation packages for visitors to enjoy the full wonders of the fishing and the country.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

No summer flounder really bit in the back bay, and maybe the fish could be grabbed at Absecon Inlet and the ocean, but no customers really fished, because of rough weather last week, and the coming weather this week, said Curt from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b>. Spots swam everywhere from the surf to the bay, and small blues roamed the bay. Experienced anglers probably caught striped bass in the bay at night, like along the bridges. The surf was riled up currently, so that fishing came to a standstill. Croakers reportedly schooled the ocean to the south off Ocean City. But customers who reported them returned later, failing to locate them. In offshore waters yellowfin tuna were few and far between, and trips scored maybe one, and many boats were skunked. A few fared all right on the fish, almost always during the daytime. Anglers who tried for the tuna at night mostly got shut out. White marlin fishing was probably the best if anglers fished around the canyons, and they had to travel to the southern canyons. A friend ran a trip landing 20-some whites at Washington Canyon. A customer scored two whites, a mahi and a wahoo on a trip.

<b>Margate</b>

Only a few legal-sized summer flounder were mopped up on the party boat <b>Keeper</b> on the back bay, Capt. John said, and waters were dirty. Maybe that was the cause, and the fishing should become better, he thinks. Even the throwbacks were reluctant to chew, but many more of the fluke were hauled in previously. Though the flattie season closes on Tuesday, the boat obtained a <b><i>Summer Flounder Research Set Aside Permit</i></b>, allowing the vessel to continue fishing for flounder when the season closes. So the trips will continue daily, and the bag limit then will be the same as the current limit. The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder twice daily 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

<b>Longport</b>

Big, humpbacked sea bass, large porgies, 3-pound blues and, surprisingly, croakers were were creamed on a trip 20 to 25 miles offshore Wednesday on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Surprising to see croakers that far from the coast. The remnants of the coming hurricane will keep trips from sailing a day or two but ought to kick the summer waters around, livening up fishing afterward. Looking ahead, space is booking for blackfish, a specialty on the boat, and striped bass this fall. Don’t call for Black Friday and realize you should’ve booked ahead, he said. A crew trip took a look at waters toward the canyons, hooking a white marlin that got off and a mystery tuna bite that threw the hook. Lots of whites reportedly swam at Poorman’s and Baltimore canyons and somewhat at Wilmington Canyon.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Rods were bent from first drop of a line to last, and anglers on a trip on the ocean Tuesday reeled up croakers, a great catch of good-sized ones, a few sea bass, a couple of blues and released throwback summer flounder with <b>Fish Tale Charters</b>, Capt. Craig said. The anglers were happy, he said, and the trip was successful. The weather was gorgeous, and seas were calm to boot. A few weakfish, but small ones like 10 inches, no keepers, were around in the ocean. His trips hooked a few.

Little happened with fishing because of the swell on the ocean more days than not during the past week, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Seas began to calm a moment but now built back up ahead of the hurricane coming offshore. Numerous summer flounder, many of them throwbacks, held from the back bay to the inlets to the ocean wrecks and reefs. Catches of them seemed the same at all those places, or none of the spots seemed better. A few sea bass were rustled up from the ocean wrecks and reefs. A few croakers, a handful of small blues mixed with them, were found in the ocean in 30 to 40 feet when boaters could sail. Spots and a few kingfish had been pulled from the surf, and the surf had begun to settle down, but now was rough again, tough to fish. Ed heard about decent catches of yellowfin tuna boated inshore of the canyons to the south, like at Wilmington and Baltimore canyons, and to the north at Hudson Canyon. Most were fought during the daytime, and not a lot was heard about catches at night. White marlin swam thick between Poorman’s and Baltimore canyons.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Seas from the weather in the past week and now from coming Hurricane Earl mostly screeched fishing to a halt, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Waters like in the surf were churning, and anglers waited to get back to fishing this weekend after the hurricane passes offshore Friday. No fish were weighed in. Previously croakers and spots and a few kingfish schooled the surf. Striped bass hit in the evenings and at night in the back bay, and anglers might run across occasional blues while fishing for the stripers. Summer flounder, mostly small, scurried around the bay, and bigger flounder were heard about from the ocean at places like Townsend’s Inlet Reef. Brown and dusky sharks, limited to catch and release by regulation, haunted the ocean 8 to 10 miles from shore. Crabbing was great.

The back bay held summer flounder, and a trip today with three anglers landed more than 25, including two keepers, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>. Sea robins, sea bass and one bluefish also bit. Trips are also fishing the bay for striped bass at night on high tides with soft-plastic lures and Clouser flies at places like under the lights at bridges and docks, and at dusk on high tides with popper lures and flies on the shallow flats. Popper fishing will become better and better this month. Trips for brown and dusky sharks, catch and release fishing by regulation, produced great action 8 to 10 miles from shore, a chance to fight big fish in the blue waters without sailing a long distance like usual for sharks. Jersey Cape is also fishing offshore for tuna, marlin and mahi mahi. After-work special charters on the bay will resume next week from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, a great time to fish. Coming up, Joe will offer annual charters to Montauk to fish the fall migration, and will guide annual trips to the Florida Keys, weekend packages, during winter. See <a href="http://www.gibsonstackle.com/page6.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Traveling Fisherman Web Page</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

Fly anglers aboard a day trip offshore Monday wanted to try for white marlin and mahi mahi, an audio report on <b>Over Under Adventures</b>’ Web site said. They left at 3:30 a.m., sailing to Baltimore Canyon, seeing three, maybe four whites, getting a shot at one, but not connecting. There was never an opportunity to tease in the fish to fly rod for them, and fewer whites were around than the good population of the fish there the previous day. But plenty of mahi mahi were around, and the anglers fly-rodded several, and that was pretty cool, the report said. An overnight trip on another one of Over Under’s boats fished offshore from Sunday to Monday, fishing closer to shore at the Elephant Trunk at first, trying something different than usual. The anglers went 1 for 2 on yellowfin tuna there. Maybe the trip should’ve stayed at the Trunk, the report said, but the crew was told about a white marlin bite at 50 fathoms at Baltimore Canyon, and the trip motored there. They went 1 for 5 on whites, saw four more whites later, afterward scoring a triple-header of wahoos, landing one, and the other two bit through the lines. Not much happened at night, except a run-off from a yellowfin or longfin tuna. A few mahi were trolled around the Baltimore the next morning. The anglers stopped at the Elephant Trunk an hour on the way home, but no fish were seen. Charters and   <a href=" http://overundercharters.com/index.php?page=opendates" target="_blank">open-boat trips</a> are fishing offshore.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Ocean reef fishing turned a little slow, and sizeable summer flounder 6 to 6 ½ pounds won pools, but the number of keepers dropped, said Capt. Gary from the party boat <b>Adventurer</b>. But croakers and sea bass were hooked, and small blues were landed the other day, and trips will probably do more sea bassing when flounder season closes Tuesday. Sea bass fishing’s been good on the boat this summer anyway. If trips target sea bass, the other fish like croakers will be mixed in. No weakfish showed up at the reefs on trips. Trips are also bluefishing on Saturday nights on the ocean, and last week’s bluefish trip was weathered out, but the crew plans to sail for blues this Saturday if the weather allows. The Adventurer is fishing 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and 6 p.m. to 12 midnight on Saturdays.

Nothing changed about catches for customers, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. So they boated plenty of summer flounder, mostly shorts, on the back bay, and played and released baby sea bass, no keepers, but fun. A few blues, none to speak of, appeared in the bay, and a few striped bass were hooked in the waters, but the season was early for stripers. Customers who crabbed nabbed good catches, and September is traditionally the best month to trap the blueclaws. Canal Side rents canopy boats and kayaks for fishing, crabbing and sightseeing. Baits stocked include minnows and frozen squid strips, whole squid, spearing, mackerel fillets, mullet, clam strips and packaged clams. Live crabs for eating are carried, and currently No. 2’s are $12 for the first dozen and $10 for each additional dozen. No. 1’s are $20 for the first dozen and $18 for each additional dozen. Crabs are sold according to market prices that can change.

<b>Cape May</b>

Surf anglers beached kingfish, croakers, blues and summer flounder along the ocean front and around the jetties at Cape May Point, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. A fair population of flounder were around, but catching a keeper was the challenge. Boating for flounder was all right on the ocean when seas and the weather allowed trips to sail. Cape May Reef served up some notable catches, including 29-inchers that were sometimes checked in. Flounder were also hooked at the inlets and in the back bay. Any weakfish around? Nick was asked. He landed a small weak at one of the creeks, he answered. Not much was heard from Delaware Bay, and fishing there seemed slow. Offshore anglers belted tuna, marlin, mahi mahi and occasional wahoos.

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