<b>Staten Island</b>

Sea bass were socked Sunday with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. The fish, a super catch, were good-sized, up to 5 pounds. A healthy number weighed 3. Fishing for sea bass has been productive aboard. Trips for ling and fluke are available, and both are abundant. Outcast pays bridge tolls with a receipt. Charters can also be picked up from Perch Amboy, N.J.

<b>Keyport</b>

Weather was hot on a fluke trip Wednesday that boxed five keepers to 20 inches and released lots of throwbacks on Raritan Bay and the ocean with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Many miles were covered on the trip, with John McNulty, his father Patrick and John’s friend Mark. They fished with squid, spearing and live peanut bunker. The weather was stifling, and the conditions failed to drift the boat much. But the temperature is supposed to drop. Two spaces are available on an open-boat trip for fluke 6 a.m. Sunday. Open trips for fluke are available 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. daily when no charter is booked and enough anglers want to go. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Plenty of action with fluke, lots of shorts, with some keepers, was clubbed in past days on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Wednesday afternoon’s trip was terrible, one of the worst for the catches in a long time aboard, and weather probably played a part. Maybe fluke felt the barometric pressure and stopped feeding, and a storm slammed the area at the end of the trip. However, the fish bit again on this morning’s trip, Tom said at 10 a.m. in a phone call on the trip. Fluke were hooked around the boat, and some keepers were mixed in, like the bad fluking on Wednesday afternoon’s trip never happened. One angler limited out on fluke on Wednesday morning’s trip, fishing with a Spro jig with a trailer with a Gulp and a killie. He landed probably a dozen fluke, including the limit of five. Another angler landed 22, including two keepers, fishing with a bucktail. An angler who never before fished won the pool on one of the trips. Anglers had to work baits to catch best. Spros or bucktails or Gulps with killies probably caught a little better. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke twice daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m.

Good fluke fishing was plowed, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Big bluefish were bombed at the Mud Buoy. Sea bass were sluiced at the reefs, and ling were locked into at the Mudhole. Not much was heard about porgies. Quite a few triggerfish were toggled up from off Sea Bright and Deal. Spots and blowfish schooled the back waters. Crabbing was good up the rivers. The full supply of baits is stocked.

The party boat <b>Fishermen</b> drifted perfectly throughout Tuesday’s trip, and anglers picked and plucked away at throwbacks and “some very nice keepers,” Capt. Ron said in a report on the vessel’s Web site. John Froelic was high hook, landing eight keepers to 5 pounds, winning the pool, keeping no more than his limit. He bucktailed the whole trip, “working his butt off,” Ron said. Capt. Ron Sr. bagged four, including a 6-1/2-pounder. The trip “tried a couple different areas to break up the day, without much success,” Ron said. Bucktailing caught best, but anglers had to work throughout the trip to be rewarded, he said. The Fisherman is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 3:30 to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. However, charters, rescheduled from when the boat was repowered in dry dock, are slated for the mornings of Friday through Sunday. No open-boat trips will sail those mornings.

<b>Highlands</b>

From <b>Twin Lights Marina</b> John Cuozzo and two anglers on his Elsea Nora bucktailed four good-sized fluke to 5 ½ pounds and a sea bass on the ocean near buoys 5 and 6 at Sandy Hook Channel and the Scotland buoy, an e-mail from the marina said. Jay Amarosa on his Par Tee boated a 19-inch fluke at the 5. Amy Shaeffer, competing in the Sandy Hook Bay Anglers fluke tournament, beat a 4.6-pound 23-1/2-inch fluke at Flynn’s Knoll on a killie with squid. Harry Hollings on his Patty Ann clammed a 16-inch sea bass at Shrewsbury Rocks. The full-service marina features boat slips and rack storage, ship-store supplies, a full line of bait for inshore and offshore, tackle and a fuel dock, and is located on Shrewsbury River. No bridges before the bay. Convenient, fast access to fishing.

<b>Neptune</b>

Wreck fishing was slow on a trip offshore Monday, and the ocean was riled up after a strong storm Sunday night, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> said in an e-mail. Cod, pollock, ling and sea bass were swung aboard. Winds were clocked at 60 m.p.h. on the bluefish grounds during the storm. Fishing for big blues has been good daytime and nighttime. Inshore wreck fishing’s been excellent for knucklehead sea bass. Fluke fishing’s been good. On the Last Lady, limited to six passengers, individual-reservation trips are slated to fish the inshore wrecks 5 a.m. every Sunday and offshore for cod, pollock and ling 2 a.m. Monday, August 13. A one-day trip for tuna to the canyons, trolling or chunking, whatever it takes, is set for 12 midnight Monday, August 20, on that boat, limited to six passengers. On the Last Lady II, limited to 17 passengers, individual-reservation trips are fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday. Kids under 12 sail free, limited to two per adult, on those two trips. Reserve now.  Charters are on tap on both boats for all species available. 

<b>Belmar</b>

Fluke fishing was slow Wednesday but okay, not bad, others days on the ocean on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. Wednesday was probably the first day the fishing was bad all summer aboard. Fluke on trips weighed up to 9 or 9 ½ pounds. No bigger ones seemed around, for some reason. But some were sizeable. Gulps on Spro or other jigs caught best, and most fluke were tugged in from the rough bottom. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Big bluefish, good catches, had been creamed from the ocean on both daytime and nighttime trips on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, Capt. Alan said. Currently night trips kept catching big ones, and daytime trips landed small ones, but plenty, good catches. With weather rolling in during the next day or two, maybe that will oxygenate and cool waters, making big blues attack again on daytime trips. Waters were warm or 78 or 80 degrees. Night trips slammed the big blues at the Monster Ledge, and day trips bailed the small blues closer to shore, 5 miles off. On the party boat <b>Tropical Adventure</b>, Alan’s other vessel, fishing for fluke and sea bass had been very good, then slowed a couple of days. Now it was terrible, but the weather was rough. So the hope is that catches will bounce right back after the weather settles.  The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. The Tropical Adventure is fishing for fluke and sea bass 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 3:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

With <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Adventures</b> fluke fishing was good when conditions were right, Capt. Pete said. Sea bass on fluke trips lately hovered 15 feet off bottom, so didn’t pounce on fluke baits below. But if anglers wanted to target sea bass, they could load up at the pieces. A charter with a family Monday jigged cocktail blues. Lots of sharks were around, and a mako was seen, and small hammerheads showed up. The family, from Indiana, had never been on the ocean, so that was great. Big blues could be caught farther from shore at the Mudhole. Bluefin tuna fishing went well 50 or 60 miles from shore, sometimes 35 or 40. More fluke fishing is set to fish on the boat in the next days, though forecasts look rough for Friday. Anglers aboard will compete in Saturday’s Point Pleasant Elks fluke tournament. Parker Pete’s sails for any species available. Charters and open-boat trips are running. For availability on open trips, see <a href="http://parkerpetefishing.com/belmar-fishing-trips/open-boat-trips" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s open-boat page</a> online, and sign up for the e-mailed newsletter on the site. Dates are announced in both places. Cruises are available to watch fireworks on the ocean off Asbury Park every Wednesday, and see the boat’s Web site for times.

Researchers and students from Rutgers University jumped aboard with <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b> on Tuesday to launch two Gliders, Capt. Jared said. The Gliders or <a href=" http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/projects/oceanrobots.htm" target="_blank">Autonomous Underwater Vehicles</a> look like an aquatic airplane glider and are used to research the ocean. That was the tenth or twelfth trip that Rutgers climbed on to work with Gliders with Fin-Ominal. A full fishing schedule is set for Fin-Ominal around the weekend. Two trips will fish inshore on Saturday, and one will head offshore Sunday, and another will fish inshore Monday. Inshore trips currently include charters for fluke and sea bass, and offshore trips currently include fishing for bluefin tuna. All of that type of fishing sailed on the boat around last weekend, covered in the last report here. The 50-foot boat can sail with large to small groups, up to 23 passengers on cruises, up to 15 on fishing trips. Cruises available include trips to watch fireworks on the ocean off Asbury Park every Wednesday and Point Pleasant Beach every Thursday in July and August.

<b>***Update, Friday, 7/20:***</b> In Shark River, big bait caught the larger fluke, said Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> in an e-mail. The shop’s rental boaters who fluked with livelined snapper blues or spots sacked a few keepers. They caught the bait themselves in local waters. Others who fished with “regular bait,” Bob said, rounded up throwback fluke and sea robins. Plenty of snappers scurried the river, fun for kids to reel in. A good population of kingfish floated around the surf, nibbling worms and small Gulps.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

An open-boat trip with three anglers ran into the mother lode of bluefin tuna with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, a report on Andrea’s Toy’s Web site said Monday. One was trolled, and the fish finder was lit up with the fish, so the trip stopped to jig the tuna. All three anglers jigged the bluefins, the first-ever tuna they caught on jigs. The anglers originally planned to sail farther offshore to the canyons overnight. Once the dust settled with the bluefins, they decided to run to the canyons to try to mix in fishing for tilefish and mahi mahi. They tried tilefishing, but currents ran more than 2 knots, requiring 50 ounces of weight. “Was not fun,” the report said. The trip looked for mahi at the lobster pot buoys, but none showed up. Only a skipjack was trolled. A few sharks were seen, and the trip tried to bait them. “But no love,” the report said. Fishing at the canyons seemed dead, and forecasts called for possible weather in the morning. So the decision was made to head back to port, instead of overnighting. “Great day with good guys,” the report said. Andrea’s Toy is mostly fishing for bluefin tuna, mixing that up with other catches a little, Capt. Fred said in a phone call. The unique, annual, mixed-bag trips, both open-boat and charters, fish for bluefins, but also look for other catches, like mahi, sharks, cod, pollock and tilefish, all in one outing. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner. Sometimes the mixed-bag trips are currently day-trolling the canyons for yellowfin tuna and other deep-water catches. But overnight fishing for yellowfins isn’t really happening yet. That fishing typically takes off a bit later in the season. Call if interested in the trips.

On a trip Monday with two anglers with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b>, bluefin tuna were known to have mostly pushed beyond 30 fathoms, Capt. Ray said in an e-mail. That was beyond the Resor wreck, but a few were reported landed at the wreck. The anglers aboard were only interested in catching a bluefin or two, before going sharking, so the trip fished the Resor. No tuna bit on the troll. One of the anglers was terribly seasick, so they didn’t want to sail farther offshore to look for bluefins. The trip ventured southwest in 20 fathoms to the northern Fingers for sharks. Not much bait was marked, and waters were warm or 78 to 80 degrees. Still, the crew figured a brown shark or a hammerhead could be managed. After 2 hours and three buckets of chum without a touch, and no sign of sharks, the seasick angler was ready to return to land, “and we went back with our tail really low,” Ray said. In hindsight, Ray would’ve throttled offshore first thing. In a phone call after the e-mail, he said good catches of bluefins were made Sunday and Tuesday, but the fishing was bad Monday. “But we weren’t far enough east anyway,” he said.

The two boats from <b>Canyon Runner Sport Fishing</b> ran a total of six overnight trips offshore through the week, targeting Hudson Canyon to Poorman’s Canyon, “and every single canyon in between,” an e-mail from Canyon Runner said on Wednesday. “A few trips were dead – with bluefin (tuna) saving the day,” the e-mail said. A few trips scratched out five or six yellowfin tuna “and a white (marlin) here or there, so a decent catch, but not what we strive for,” the e-mail said.  But a trip Monday to Tuesday, on the 48-foot Viking, nailed solid fishing, “finally,” the e-mail said. That happened closer to port than recently, or within 85 miles from Manasquan Inlet, for the first time in 25 overnighters. Fifteen yellowfin tuna 40 to 60 pounds were bagged. The trip also went 1 for 2 on white marlin. It also landed two bluefin tuna before reaching the canyons. The trip at first stopped for bluefins closer to shore, landing the two among a few bites in an hour. Then it ran offshore, and waters looked horrible. The crew figured the trip was going to strike out again. Then some life was seen, and the trip “hung in for a while,” the e-mail said. Yellowfins began to be picked on the troll. Five were totaled, and the crew was ready to begin drifting for the night. Then yellowfins covered up the trolling spread, and the trip went 7 for 8. Up on the troll the next morning, three more yellowfins were caught. The tuna lately jumped all over Canyon Runner Rainbow Green Machine Spreader Bars and ballyhoos with Joe Schute skirts. Both, including the Joe Schutes the crew likes, are available from Canyon Runner, and so are the Canyon Runner Bigeye Runner, “the best bigeye lure of them all,” the e-mail said, and the Yellowfin Runner. Both lures are usually only sold at Canyon Runner’s seminars or over the phone, and aren’t included on Canyon Runner’s Web site, because too few can usually be obtained. So call Canyon Runner to get any of this tackle. Very few dates are left through August on both the Viking and the 60-foot Ritchie Howell, so book charters quickly. On both boats, only one open-boat spot is available next week and another the following week, both on the Viking.

Mostly sea bass and ling were bucketed on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. Anglers boxed 10 to 30 fish apiece, depending on skill. A few porgies and triggerfish began to show up, so maybe porgy fishing will pick up soon. A few cod and fluke were claimed. The cod weren’t big this time of year, weighing up to 6 or 7 pounds, but won pools. On night trips, bluefishing was okay, fair, giving up large blues one trip, small ones another. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

Lots of fluke carpeted bottom from Manasquan River at Point Pleasant Canal to the  Manasquan Inlet jetties, putting up good fishing, a little slow for  keepers, said Chuck from <b>Gates Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of triggerfish were around, mostly hugging jetty rocks. Kingfish swam all along the surf. Cocktail blues were nearly everywhere. Not much was heard about hickory shad. Weakfish were supposedly around. Unconfirmed reports said weaks were hooked at the Railroad Bridge on the river at night. Weaks reportedly especially held in Barnegat Bay toward Barnegat Inlet. Fishing was good in the Manasquan River area, all in all. Fishing in the river and inlet seemed better than along the ocean on average. Surf fishing would be good one day, dead another. Not a lot of anglers fished in the heat wave in past days. Only diehards fished mid day at the inlet in the heat. Gates Bait & Tackle is located within walking distance of the inlet and surf and the charter and party boat fleet. The grounds include the Gates Motel, popular with anglers. <b>***THIS TACKLE SHOP IS FOR SALE! CALL: 732-899-5760.***</b>

<b>Toms River</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 7/20:***</b> Surf casters yanked in small blues, kingfish and a few croakers, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Walking the beach, they picked away at a few fluke. Barnegat Bay’s fluking was probably best at Double Creek Channel. A few blowfish remained at the BI and BB markers in the bay, and fishing for them slowed a lot, but should pick back up in mid August. Reports were heard about scattered weakfish catches from the bay. Snapper blues and loads of spots popped up in the bay off Berkeley Island Park to Route 37 Bridge, and in the Toms River. The spots could be easily caught on bits of worm or clam under a bobber. Crabbing was great.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

In the surf, kingfish swam plentiful, biting pieces of worm or squid, said John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Blues moved in and out along the surf. Not much was doing with Barnegat Bay’s fluke fishing. Small fish like spots and blowfish were nipped from the bay. Snapper blues sprinkled the bay, but not heavily yet. Crabbing was good. The shop rents different types of boats for fishing, crabbing and cruising, rents water skis, and features the full supply of bait and tackle, a free pier for fishing and crabbing, and more.

<b>Forked River</b>

In Barnegat Bay, fluke were plucked from places including between the BI and BB, the 40, Double Creek Channel and High Bar Harbor, said Jana from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Jigging with a Spro or bucktail with spearing or squid caught them. Blues schooled the bay, swiping cast metal or trolled Pony Tails. Weakfish hooked were occasionally heard about from Forked River and the bay off Berkeley Island Park, usually on pink Fin-S Fish. The bay’s blowfishing mostly dropped off. Some could be nabbed if boaters chummed heavily. Nothing was heard about striped bass anymore this season, except about a few taken farther north. On the ocean, nothing but junk fish, no fluke, bit close to shore. For fluke on the ocean, boaters fished spots including the Tires, Garden State Reef North and Barnegat Ridge. Sea bass were iced from areas like that. Blues were grabbed from the ocean. A couple of thresher sharks battled were heard about within a few miles from shore. Crabbing was good all season.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

The <b>Super Chic</b> mostly fished for bluefish, good catches of 1- to 3-pounders, somewhat bigger than before, Capt. Ted said. The fish were jigged 12 miles from Barnegat Inlet. But the boat also bottom fished, scooping up fair catches of sea bass, not bad, a few good-sized fluke and a few ling. Maybe fluking will pick up when the next bottom fishing aboard is scheduled, toward the end of next week. Fluking’s been a little slow locally. More bluefishing trips are on the books until then. The season’s first tuna trip, a one-day trolling charter, will probably be weathered out Friday. The 56-foot boat can accommodate up to 25 passengers on inshore trips and up to 10 on overnight, offshore trips. Bunks are available for up to 10 passengers.

Trips will be docked until resuming Saturday morning on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, because of mechanical issues, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. On a trip Tuesday, the last time a report was posted on the site, lots and lots of bluefish were crushed, and all aboard limited out. The fish were a little bigger lately than before, some weighing 4 pounds. “Maybe the big blues will be in soon,” the report said. When trips resume Saturday, the Miss Barnegat Light is bluefishing 8 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

For Barnegat Bay’s fluke anglers, lots of throwbacks and occasional keepers were copped, said Al from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Mostly Double Creek Channel doled them out. The local ocean seemed barren of fluke, harboring very few. Small blues were played right off Barnegat Inlet on the ocean. Small striped bass, usually smaller than the 28-inch keeper size, were picked off along the inlet’s north jetty on plugs in early mornings. A few anglers grass-shrimped small weakfish at Meyer’s Hole. Crabbing began to pick up on the bay after a lull, and will probably get better and better. Clamming was very good on the bay. Bobbie’s rents boats and kayaks, including for fishing, crabbing and clamming, is known for bait selection, and features a tackle shop and a fuel dock. Live spots are stocked, and live grass shrimp can be ordered two days in advance.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Yes. You can only keep one at 13 inches. There haven’t been any changes. If you need to discuss the regs, you probably don't want to choose me to have your dialogue. I 'm a little sensitive about the situation. My charter business was founded on that species alone. I had a 17 ft. Carolina Skiff, and all I did was take people grass shrimping for weakfish. I've been fishing since 1970, and if there was ever a cyclical species, it is weakfish. I have watched the peaks and valleys through the years. Well, the weakfish are back! And just because the regulations haven't caught up to reality, doesn't make me want to fish for them any less. If you're letting it prevent you, then you're missing out. We have been clobbering 13- to 20-inch, 1- to 3-pound fish, while chumming with live grass shrimp. We have been using 6- and 10-pound spinning tackle. Baited hooks, with shrimp, of course, shad darts, small bucktails, and even flies are proving deadly, cast in the slick. Once the slick gets going, the more fish that show up, the better it is for using artificials. Their decision time is reduced as if they don't eat the offering in front of them, something else will. Our biggest obstacle has been the presence of sand perch and hickory shad in such numbers, at times, it is hard to fish through them, but we always find a way. Fishing on both sides of the Dike as well as the west side of the bay between the 42 buoy and the BB buoy have all been giving up fish. Almost every trip, the fishing has turned visual, with the weakfish and hickory shad eating the shrimp in plain view alongside the boat. The shad are not edible, but are great sport on the light tackle, usually providing a jump or two as they battle for their freedom. If you've never been live grass shrimping before, it is something to see. It is great for every age and every level of experience. Kids love it because it is ‘action’ on tackle that they can easily handle. It is a perfect arena for fly fishing, as you can shoot your fly into a predictable ‘hot zone’ of fish that react well to artificials. I have noticed that flies and artificials in general will often catch the bigger fish of the trip. Here’s a little <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqEN_hBnnfU" target="_blank">video from a recent trip</a>. I will be sailing open-boat trips for live grass shrimping weakfish: Friday from noon to 5PM, Saturday from 2 PM to 7PM and Sunday from 6AM to 11AM and noon to 5PM. I can take up to 4 people.”

<b>Surf City</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 7/20:***</b> Anglers in the surf could paste good catches of fluke, kingfish and blues, said Sue from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. For the kings, dunk Fisbites or bloodworms. One blackfish per anglers could now be kept, but nothing was heard about the tog yet. Snapper blues started to bite in the bay. Good catches of fluke were dragged from the bay. Weakfish were heard about from the bay here and there. The shop’s annual, free surf-fishing classes will launch 6 to 7 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot. The classes are informal but informative, covering the beach fishing that’s happening currently. Keep up with the news in <a href="http://www.surfcitybaitandtackle.com/" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s fishing reports</a> on the shop’s Web site. Or keep in touch on <a href=" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surf-City-Bait-and-Tackle/207533229268619
" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Facebook page</a>.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

Conditions were better than forecast for fishing inshore today, but the boat could barely drift, said Capt. Lindsay from the <b>June Bug</b>. The vessel drifted from zero to two-tenths of a knot, and that’s all. A keeper fluke and a few throwbacks were landed, and so was a keeper sea bass and probably 15 throwbacks. A few boaters found pods of 150-pound bluefin tuna in 30 fathoms recently. Not many yellowfin tuna were caught anywhere.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

In the back waters, summer flounder gathered toward Little Egg Inlet, said Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Maybe 20 to 40 would be landed for every two or three keepers. In the ocean, flounder fishing was “kind of iffy,” Chris said. Reports about the catches dried up from places like Little Egg Reef and the Rutgers research buoys, though those areas would usually be places to be. A couple of reports said flounder were cracked from the ocean at Garden State Reef South and 20- to 40-foot depths off Brigantine. Small fish including kingfish, spots, porgies and sea bass began to appear in the bay that give up a fishery in summer. Look for them at places including the clam stakes and along ledges. Snapper blues schooled the creeks and back waters. Fresh, shucked clams, minnows, live grass shrimp, and bloodworms are stocked, according to the shop’s Web site. For flounder, 4-inch Gulp swimming mullets were top sellers in pink, green and white, Chris said. They could be fished on jigs or rigs.

<b>Absecon</b>

Though some said summer flounder were moving to the ocean, the back bay’s fishing for them was “hanging in,” said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Some anglers were catching them up, and high tides were the time. Use sizeable bait, because spots swam thick in the bay, and flounder were on them. Livelined spots were usually best to catch keeper flounder. Anglers could catch spots for bait on small hooks with Fishbites or worms, or could buy spots at the shop. Flounder fishing was supposedly becoming good on the ocean, but anglers had to find them, and the fish didn’t swim every place yet. Weakfishing was getting better all the time in the bay, though few fished for them in the one-weakfish bag limit. In a fishing tournament during the weekend, nearly everyone who tried for weaks took a limit of one. Another big sheepshead was checked in, and this one jumped on a live spot at the Brigantine Bridge. More sheepshead will probably be caught, and so will blackfish, now that one blackfish could be kept per angler. Dave is trying to stock green crabs for the tog. Large sharks roamed the bay, and anglers who figured out how to fish for them were doing a job on the catches. Anglers should be aware of shark regs or about the sharks prohibited that must be released. Reports were sometimes heard about stripers caught along the sod banks after dark. White perch fishing was good on the brackish rivers. More perch probably filled Absecon Creek than Dave ever saw there, even if that’s not a usual place to fish for them. They swam at the docks at the shop, and supposedly swam in good numbers upstream at Route 9. In the surf, kingfishing was good, if anglers could get past spots. Loads of spots are stocked for $10 a dozen for flounder-sized bait and $20 a dozen for tuna and striped-bass size. Shedder crabs, minnows and probably every bait needed, a large supply, is on hand.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Kingfish and spots swarmed all over the surf, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Bluefish raced the surf, and anglers cut up spots to use for bait for them. Spots now seemed to gather in the back bay, too, and anglers could catch them along docks. Al Haleova beached a 31-1/2-inch striped bass from the surf Wednesday. For boaters, summer flounder fishing was phenomenal. Lots filled Absecon Inlet, and one couple of anglers boated the fluke including a 7-pounder and seven 3- to 4-pounders on Gulps. Lauren Dickson checked in a 6-pound 13-ounce flounder and landed seven others, all from Eagle Bay on livelined spots. Lots of life filled waters all around the island. Sign up for the shop’s Summer Fishing Tournament, running till Labor Day. Entry is $5 per species for flounder, kingfish and blues, and the winner of each division takes the money.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Spots, kingfish and triggerfish were angled from along Absecon Inlet’s jetties, said Noel from <b>One  Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Blackfish hugged the rocks, and one of the tog could now be kept per angler. Summer flounder were eased in from along the inlet’s sea wall. Weakfish were wrenched from the surf along the ocean. Snapper blues ran the back bay. Lots of bait filled waters and was caught. That included spearing, peanut bunker and small mullet the size of bullhead minnows. All baits are completely stocked. Check out Noel’s new, second shop, also called One Stop Bait & Tackle, opening daily starting Saturday, at Gardner’s Basin, at 800 New Hampshire Avenue. The doors might open Friday, but definitely Saturday. The original  shop, remaining open, is at 416 Atlantic Avenue.

<b>Margate</b>

Fishing for summer flounder picked up a little on the back bay on the party boat <b>Keeper</b>, Capt. John said. A few keepers were caught, and afternoon trips were tougher than morning trips, because of low tides in afternoons. But tides will change as the week goes on, and that should change the fishing. The fish hit minnows and mackerel provided aboard for bait. They also bit Gulps anglers brought. Only flounder were hooked, and no bluefish were seen schooling like they were last week. But blues should come back in, chasing abundant bait in the bay. Lots of bait schooled. The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. daily. The fare is only $25 per adult, $20 for seniors and $16 for kids.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Lots of kingfish flooded the surf, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Brown sharks, fish that must be released, were fought in the surf day and night. Summer flounder fishing served up a slow pick, mostly on the ocean, a little in the back bay. Bigger flounder were definitely more abundant in the ocean. Okay catches of sea bass were slugged from the ocean. Farther from shore, yellowfin tuna fishing was hit or miss, hot or cold. When a trip found the fish, plenty could be nailed. The tuna seemed to school tightly, and keep moving. Catches were heard about from a variety of the canyons. Awesome catches of tilefish were pumped from the waters. Closer to shore, fishing for mostly bluefin tuna, a few yellowfins, was similar at places like 19-Fathom Lump or Massey’s Canyon: When a trip found bluefins, lots could be angled. Some caught them well, and others didn’t. But tuna were definitely around, both offshore and inshore.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Variety was the word for catches on the last trips, on the ocean, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Patty Gaudet and sons Ryan and Brady on Wednesday pulled in bluefish, brown sharks and dusky sharks. Sharks like browns, required to be released, are let go. Mike Roth on Tuesday fly fished, jabbing triggerfish, blues, a 28-inch cobia, chub mackerel, dusky sharks to 80 pounds and even sea robins. He threw a variety of flies, including a small triggerfish fly Joe uses, Joe’s chum fly and Clouser Minnows. The cobia snatched a Clouser, and probably 60 fish were landed. The angling was great. George Hand on Monday spin-rodded duskies to 80 pounds. Lots of options could be caught on the ocean, and trips fished for one species until having enough, then moved on to the next. A couple of days were left with ideal tides, high at dusk, for popper fishing for striped bass on the back bay, both with lures and flies. The last trip for them aboard, covered here previously, scored terrific. Summer flounder fishing was good on the bay. On offshore grounds, chunking for tuna drilled good catches of yellowfin and bluefins at the Hot Dog, but that depended on the day. Whether yellowfins or bluefins showed up also depended on the day. Jersey Cape is fishing for all these catches and more. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

Consistent kingfishing was crunched from the surf, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Bloodworms and Fishbites artificial worms seemed to catch equally. A few striped bass were actually banked from the surf, despite the summer season. A few anglers gave the angling a shot, something different instead of kingfishing. They clammed a couple, and plugged a couple at night along the jetties. At night the fish bit best on small black teasers above the plugs. Black or dark Bombers or similar lures were fished. The back bay’s striped bass fishing was alright while high tides coincided with dusk in past days, mostly on popper lures. A couple of reports came in about good catches. Rapala Skitterpops were popular, and Storm Chug Bugs were also bought. Lots of sharks were chunked from the surf on mackerel at night or boated on the ocean on filleted mackerel during day. On the ocean Sea Isle Lump, the Cuma Lumps and Peacock Shoal were some of the places sharks haunted. The sharks were mostly browns, blacktips and duskies. The browns and duskies must be released. Summer flounder fishing actually improved at the inlets, and the numbers of fish were excellent, even if the population of keepers was down. The ocean held not great numbers of flounder but more keepers than the back waters. Ocean  City, Wildwood and Townsend’s Inlet reefs churned out good catches. Healthy catches of triggerfish were made. Few targeted sea bass, but sea bass were mixed in when anglers flounder fished at the reefs. Little was heard about tuna, and whether few fished for them in recent days wasn’t known. When reports were heard, catches were good.  

<b>Wildwood</b>

Back-bay summer flounder fishing was pretty good, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. A couple of sizeable ones were docked Wednesday, and tides and winds created good drifting on boats for the angling. Last week, one angler returned with a 6.8-pound flounder and a 4.5-pounder. Minnows, Gulps, spearing and filleted mackerel caught the flatfish on trips, and different baits seemed to work better on different days. Lots of crabs were trapped, but not a lot were keepers yet this season. One boat landed about five dozen, including a dozen keepers. The rental boats are available, and a large supply of baits is stocked. Big minnows, from the South, are on hand, for only $5 a pint, the best price on the island, Mike said in a previous report. Baits carried include Gulps, shedder crabs, frozen, chopped shedders in brine, all the different squids, including colored and scented squid strips, tube squid and trolling squid, and frozen herring, whole mackerel, mackerel fillets and salted clams in quarts and pints. Mike hopes crabs for eating will arrive this weekend for the season. Check out <a href="http://www.canalsideboatrentals.com" target="_blank">Canal Side’s Web site</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

In hot, sticky weather, sometimes the boat wouldn’t drift much on daily summer flounder trips, Capt. Paul from the <b>Porgy IV</b> said. That sometimes hampered the fishing on the party boat, and the angling was better late last week than during the heat wave this week. Anglers who limited out on flounder included Matt Lemelza, Ocean City, and Craig Constantino, Voorhees, on Friday. Flounder fishing was good aboard that day. Not much of a drift happened on Saturday, and boats crowded waters because of a tournament, but some good-sized flounder were hung. Ken Minett, Voorhees, limited out Monday. The drift was very limited Monday and Tuesday, but the trips were able to find a couple of spots that turned out flounder. Not a lot of keepers were claimed, compared with the number of anglers, those days. Trips sometimes fished deeper waters lately. But flounder fishing can be different every day, and some days can be better than others, and the weather is supposed to break. Sea bass were sometimes mixed in, and sometimes weren’t. The Porgy IV is fishing for summer flounder 8 a.m. daily.

Summer flounder fishing picked up in the back bay, and good reports about catches came from the Intracoastal Waterway from Wildwood to Cape May, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Most big flounder were axed from the ocean at the Old Grounds and Reef 11. Cape May Reef seemed to have its days, when the drift was right, when good fishing for flounder and sea bass was boated. Little was heard about Delaware Bay, but if anglers want flounder from the bay, Nick would search the deeper waters, like along the shoals. Weakfish probably schooled shallow in Delaware Bay at the stakes and Bug Light. A couple of boaters raked up good catches of small, spike weakfish, croakers and a few kingfish from Cape May Channel. Good fishing for croakers and weakfish were bloodwormed from along the jetties in Delaware Bay’s surf, including at the Concrete Ship and the Cape May Canal or ferry jetties. In the ocean surf, kingfish and sizeable spots were bloodwormed. Sharks were fought in the surf, including a 5-foot thresher banked at Strathmere. Chunking for tuna, mostly yellowfins, sometimes bluefins, sounded good at the Hot Dog and the Sausages. Trolling sometimes grabbed yellowfins and white marlin farther offshore at the canyons including the Wilmington. Very nice butterfish for hook baits from the Gulf of Mexico are stocked for chunking for tuna. Offshore baits also include flats of ballyhoos, sardines and more. For inshore, bloodworms, minnows and all the frozen baits are on hand.

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