<b>Perth Amboy</b>

Improved fluke fishing was heard about from rough bottom, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an e-mail. Space is available for fluke fishing aboard this weekend, and the Vitamin Sea fishes from Perth Amboy and Staten Island. Charters and open-boat trips run, and telephone about the open trips. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Trips for fluke fished every day on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Both Tuesday morning’s and afternoon’s trips tried Ambrose Channel, but catches were sort of disappointing, so trips fished elsewhere. At Ambrose that morning, a couple of fluke were bagged, and in the afternoon at Ambrose, despite conditions that couldn’t have been better, only throwbacks bit. So on the next morning, Wednesday, the boat was steamed to Sandy Hook Channel, and some better-sized fluke were bagged, and throwbacks chomped, as always. The afternoon’s trip also fished at Sandy Hook Channel, and some keepers were tackled, and more action with throwbacks was copped than before. The keepers at Sandy Hook Channel were better-sized than fluke aboard recently. Tom suggests bringing two rods, including a heavier one to handle weights needed to fish deeper, faster waters at any of the channels. Sometimes trips fish places like Flynn’s Knoll, where shallower waters and slower currents allow fishing with lighter rods and weights. Bait usually fished better than bucktails recently. On Wednesday afternoon’s trip, bucktails caught okay. A combo of spearing and Gulp on a hook was effective lately. Spearing are supplied aboard, and killies that anglers brought seemed no advantage lately, and skill could’ve been a difference. But if anglers like to fish with killies, pick them up on the way to a trip. The harbor’s tackle shop is closed. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Thursday, 7/18:***</b> A 9-1/2-pound fluke was bombed aboard today, Tom said. Scott Smith, Freehold, bagged the fish and a 3-1/2-pounder. Fishing on the boat today was about the same as previously. Sandy Hook Channel, Chapel Hill Channel and off Sandy Hook Point were fished. One angler bagged three of the flatfish aboard this morning.

In Raritan Bay, and sometimes off the ocean beaches, good fluke fishing was had the last few days, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish swam all over, including in Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. In the rivers, they hit in early mornings, and the fishing was finished by 8 a.m. Not many striped bass were landed anywhere, because of warm waters. Bluefish were sometimes around. Lots of croakers and kingfish schooled everywhere. Shore anglers nabbed them from the ocean, bay and even the rivers. They were hooked in the river off Jimmy’s house the other day. Ling catches were very good in the ocean, and plenty of sea bass chewed in the ocean. Crabbing was becoming better. Baits are fully stocked.

<b>Highlands</b>

“We are still on the stripers,” Capt. Pete from the <b>Hyper Striper</b> wrote in an e-mail. Despite few others fishing for them by this time of season, and no matter the heat wave, “another limit,” Pete said, of striped bass was crushed Wednesday afternoon aboard. Bonus-tag stripers were also bagged, and Al Pettraco’s party nailed the fish to 24 pounds on livelined bunker. Charters are also sailing for jumbo fluke, and bluefin tuna.

For <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>, fluke fishing was very good, Capt. Derek said. Trips bucktailed the summer flounder along rough bottom in deep waters. Twenty-six keepers to 6 ½ pounds were smashed on a trip Tuesday. Charters are fishing for fluke, and Derek was unsure whether the next open-boat trips for them will sail next week. Dates were full this week, and anglers can telephone to be kept informed about the open schedule. Derek hopes to complete prepping the boat for bluefin tuna fishing in the next days, and begin sailing for them next week. Charters will run for the tuna, and open trips might sail for them, and, again, anglers can telephone to be kept informed. 

From <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Maddy Hess out-fished her husband, boating a 22-inch fluke at Flynn’s Knoll on squid, Marion wrote in an e-mail. Greg Hanna limited out on fluke at Ambrose Channel on Gulps. Twin Lights, conveniently located on Shrewsbury River, with no bridges before Raritan Bay and the ocean, features boat slips, rack storage, a fuel dock, ship’s store supplies, and a complete bait and tackle shop. Baits carried include killies and frozen quarts and pints of salted clams, spearing, Peruvian smelts, the different types of squid, and scented shedder crab. Offshore baits like flats of ballyhoos are sold. 

<b>Neptune</b>

Get out fishing now, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> wrote in an e-mail. “(The) pictures tell the story,” he said, talking about photos attached to the e-mail, showing fluke, sea bass and cod aboard. Individual-reservation trips are sailing for fluke and sea bass every Tuesday, and kids under 12 sail free, limited to two per adult. A few spaces are available for an individual-reservation, inshore wreck-fishing trip Sunday, and room is available on one of the trips August 4. One space became available on an individual-reservation trip for cod Wednesday, because of a cancellation. Spots are filling for the next one on August 12.

<b>Belmar</b>

Fluke fishing was super the past three or four days on the ocean on the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, Capt. Chris said. Sunday was “a little funny,” he said, but Wednesday was unbelievable. Fifteen anglers limited out on the day’s trip. The biggest fluke was “only 9 pounds,” he said. Trips fished the rough bottom. “We never get out of it,” he said. Bait caught a few, but jigs landed most. The Big Mohawk is fluke fishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Good catches of bluefish, all big, probably 8 to 15 pounds, were crashed aboard, especially in the last few days, 15 or 20 miles from shore, said Capt. Alan from the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>. He was yet to hear whether Wednesday night’s trip caught, but Wednesday’s daytime trip did, and so did Tuesday night’s. On the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, winds that switched to west helped, and lots of good-sized, keeper fluke, throwback fluke and some sea bass were cracked on the ocean the past three or four days.  Decent fishing. The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. The Royal Miss Belmar is fishing for fluke and sea bass 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

Once again, bluefishing was very good aboard, a report said about today’s trip on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, on the vessel’s Web site. The 8- to 14-pounders were beaten on both bait and jigs. The angling was that good on the past three of four daytime trips and the last four of five nighttime trips. Only Wednesday’s daytime and nighttime fishing for them was slow. “Bluefishing is definitely getting better and better,” the report said. The Golden Eagle is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily.

Bluefin tuna fishing was phenomenal Wednesday, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. The fish were trolled and jigged 50 or 60 miles from shore, so bluefins started to swim within range for charters. Fishing for yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna was good far south. Closer to shore, fluke catches were very good the last couple of days. Conditions were right, and waters warmed, reaching the 70s. Pete was unsure where bluefish were caught, but knew trips pounded them, 20 miles from shore or so, he thought. That’s too far for charters to run for blues, but party boats clobbered them. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Pete anyway, or <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">subscribe to Parker Pete’s e-mailed newsletter</a>, to be kept informed about individual-spaces available on charters. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page on the boat’s Web site.

Ocean fluke fishing was some of the best in years, some of the anglers who fished on Belmar’s boats said, Bob from <b>Fishermen’s Den</b> wrote in an e-mail. The angling “tops the charts,” he said. Limits were not the exception, and a 9-pound 6-ounce fluke, from the party boat Big Mohawk from Belmar, was the biggest Bob saw. Shark River also gave up “some good fish,” he said. Marty Westerfield, Wall, bagged four good-sized fluke from the river in a couple of hours. Snapper blues thrilled kids fishing from the river’s banks. Back on Belmar’s boats on the ocean, bluefishing was very good at night and fair during daytime. Surf fishing for striped bass was slow, and only nighttime fishing caught them. The stripers ranged from throwbacks to 30-plus inches, Bob was told.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Keeper fluke and throwbacks were axed from the ocean, and the fishing was decent or okay, on the party boat <b>Gambler</b>, Capt. Bob said. Pool-winning fluke weighed 5 or 6 pounds in the last few days. Anglers who knew how to work bucktails seemed to catch more than those fishing bait. One angler Wednesday totaled four keepers, and another this morning totaled three. No sea bass were decked recently. Sometimes trips fished hills in 60 feet, somewhat deep, and other trips fished in 25 to 35 feet. Kind of back and forth. Nighttime wreck-fishing trips piled up pretty good catches of ling. Not a lot of other catches, like squid or cod, were racked up, but the ling were big. Nighttime bluefishing was weathered out aboard last weekend, but bluefish “kind of made a comeback,” Bob said, after fishing for them was slow. The Gambler is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 .m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily. Wreck-fishing trips are running 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. every Thursday, and bluefishing trips are sailing during the same hours every Friday and Saturday. Tuna trips will begin in September, and see the <a href="http://gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.html" target="_blank">Gambler’s tuna schedule</a> online.

On the party boat <b>Dauntless</b> on the ocean, sea bass fishing slowed a little, and the fish “are moving,” Capt. Butch thought, he said. But ling fishing remained good on the boat, and one blackfish 15 inches or larger could be kept per angler per day starting Wednesday. A pretty good catch of them was made aboard that day. Most anglers probably totaled 10 to 30 fish apiece per trip. The blackfish on Wednesday’s trip included 10 or 12 that weighed more than 5 and 6 pounds apiece. Hefty ones like that were hooked previously on trips, but had to be released. Was frustrating to let go the large catches. Today’s trip fished in 70 feet, when Butch gave this report in the morning, over the phone aboard. Trips lately fished in 70 to 120 feet, and the waters were 76 degrees, when Butch gave the report. The ocean on the fishing grounds was 75 degrees aboard Wednesday morning and was 77 degrees farther offshore that day. But the bottom was apparently cold, and a diver said the bottom was 42 to 49 degrees. That was perfect to keep the ling and a few sea bass around. On nighttime trips, mostly ling were booted aboard, and a couple of cod were clocked the other night, and most anglers probably totaled the same number of fish as on the daytime trips: 10 to 30 apiece. On Saturday night’s bluefish trip, catches were fair, and the boat didn’t sail far offshore like other boats. The blues aboard were fought on the same grounds as the vessel’s bottom-fishing, and that was convenient, in case trips needed to bottom-fish, if bluefishing turned out slow. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, and is bluefishing on Saturday nights during the same hours.

<b>Toms River</b>

Along the Toms River at Island Heights, spots and croakers were yanked in, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Six- and 8-inch fluke scurried the bottom, and the same mix of fish held in Barnegat Bay along Good Luck Point. The heat affected fishing all over, including slowing the bay’s fishing for fluke and blowfish. The bay became 82 to 85 degrees. But the fish were still caught, and more on that in a moment. First, crabbing was awesome, busting open during the past two weeks. That was the big news, and crabbing was better along Good Luck Point and Route 37 Bridge than at Island Heights. Dennis trapped 50 keeper crabs, including good-sized, at Good Luck Point in two pots in two days. A few fluke were bagged from the bay, mostly near the BI and BB markers, sometimes around the 40. Like fluke, blowfish were still plucked from that area, just fewer than before, in the heat. Lots of blowfish, and a few fluke, were caught previously. Not many blowfish swam the bay farther north, toward the shop. A couple showed up in pots.  Small striped bass 12 to 18 inches were played at Route 37 Bridge on small soft-plastic lures like Fin-S Fish and Mister Twisters or sometimes on small lures, when anglers cast lures. Bluefish 2 pounds popped up at the tip of Barnegat Inlet’s jetty on the tides. Sea bass were picked at the Tire Reef on the ocean nearby. One customer trolled Barnegat Ridge on the ocean, and fluke fished there, only hooking 3-pound blues on trolled Clark Spoons. No pelagics like bonito showed up. In the surf, fluke were picked on bucktails or squid strips on plain fluke rigs. 

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Big sharks were eased from the surf at night, said Mario from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Fresh bunker will hook them, and kingfish, and sometimes good-sized fluke mixed in, were swung from the surf during daytime. Use a bucktail with a teaser for the fluke. A buddy wrestled bluefish off the end of Barnegat Inlet’s jetty Wednesday. In Barnegat Bay, fluke were boated at the BI and BB markers, and a major run of blowfish, beautiful fish, continued in the area. Boaters anchored and chummed for the blows. Crabbing was very good from the dock, and rental-boaters trapped three to five dozen keepers per trip, easily. Killies, fresh clams, fresh bunker, sandworms and all the baits needed to fish the front and back, Mario said, are stocked. The Dock Outfitters features the full supply of bait and tackle, a dock to fish and crab from and boat and jet ski rentals.

<b>Forked River</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 7/19:***</b> Barnegat Bay’s fluke fishing was good at same areas as in the past, and fluking began to pick up in the ocean, because of warmer waters, said Jana from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Lots of blowfish still hovered in the bay at the BI, BB, 40 and 42. A few kingfish and weakfish were picked up when boaters blowfished. Plenty of sea bass were boated at the Tires in the ocean. One customer weighed in a 13-pound cod, saying fishing for them was productive 35 miles from shore. Killies and all frozen baits, including sand eels, are stocked. Many anglers like the sand eels for fluke bait. Frozen local spearing are scarce and not stocked, but Canadian spearing are carried.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

More and more fluke came in at <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>, and the fishing was excellent in both Barnegat Bay and the ocean, Vince Sr. said. Lots of big fluke, he said. In the bay, mostly fluke and blowfish were angled, but sometimes weakfish and blues were. One blackfish could be kept per angler per day starting Wednesday, and fishing for them was good, mostly along Barnegat Inlet’s jetties. Striped bass were still landed at the jetties, but waters were becoming warm. Livelined spots from the shop caught them best, and the spots were often swum for fluke now. Back on the ocean, sea bass fishing was good all season, socking quality-sized ones, lots. In the bay, crabbing was so-so, and more were probably trapped on the mainland side than near the shop. Clamming on the bay is always good. In addition to the live spots, the shop is stocking killies, green crabs and all frozen baits. The store rents boats for fishing, crabbing and clamming and kayaks. Bobbie’s includes a bait and tackle store and a fuel dock, and is known for a large bait selection. Live grass shrimp usually begin to be carried later this month.

Consistent fishing was plumbed on trips for fluke and sea bass on the ocean on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Several keeper fluke and several keeper sea bass were slung in on the outings, and throwbacks and skates were hooked. Was good action, and a 6-pound fluke won the pool today. Waters that continue to warm should make fluke bite more aggressively. The Miss Barnegat Light is sailing for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

The <b>Super Chic</b> will next fish Friday, for bluefish, Capt. Ted said. Bluefish began to show up, to the north, even if that was somewhat of a ride, in the ocean. Fluke fishing seemed to improve on the ocean, and waters warmed considerably, and so long as favorable conditions continue, catches should become better and better. Bottom-fishing aboard was fair to good for sea bass and ling on the ocean. Farther from shore, most tuna were boated far to the south. Ted hopes they move north, especially for later this summer, when trips aboard especially get after them.  An open-boat, offshore tilefish trip, the second this season on the vessel, became full that’s slated for August 4. Ted is unsure whether more will be slated, and the angling was very good on the last outing, for a mix of golden and blueline tiles. The 56-foot boat can accommodate up to 25 anglers on inshore trips and 10 on overnight, offshore trips. The vessel sleeps 10 passengers.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 7/19:***</b> From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Bay fishing is excellent right now. On every trip, we’re casting lures to 2- to 5-pound bluefish at the inlet jetty. Then we move farther inside to Oyster Creek Channel for some fluke fishing. Quality, not quantity, has been the trend here. We cover lots of ground for a few fluke, but those fish are 18 to 24 inches. Great fight on light tackle. When they get this big, they’re a handful on the 10-pound spinning rods. Then we bounce over to the west side of the bay for big blowfish in numbers, and we’ve been catching some nice kingfish while targeting the puffers. In all of these spots, we’re seeing and catching cownosed rays. We’re also hooking a few houndfish, since the water warmed. If you’ve never seen one, they’re a needlefish, a yardstick long! Great light-tackle action everywhere we go. A very diverse 5-hour trip. I’ll be running open-boat, mixed-bag trips 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 6 to 11 a.m. Sunday. Three people max. All fish are shared. Everything is provided.”

<b>Surf City</b>

Surf fishing was slow, and the waters warmed, after they were in the 50s last week, said Sue from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. That was good, at least, and dog sharks and skates were reported from the surf. But sometimes good-sized fluke were landed in the surf. Nobody reported kingfish from the surf recently. One blackfish per angler could be bagged starting Wednesday, and nobody mentioned the fish yet. At Barnegat Inlet, anglers ran into cocktail bluefish, fluke and blowfish, but no huge numbers. On the bay, blowfish and fluke were boated. A 6-pound 13-ounce fluke was weighed-in from a boat on the bay Wednesday. Spearing and sometimes spots began appearing, and Sue hoped that was a good sign. Minnows, fresh clams, green crabs, bloodworms and the full supply of frozen baits are stocked.  The store’s annual <b><i>Free Surf Fishing Seminars</i></b> are under way. Held 6- to 7 p.m. every Sunday, rain or shine, in the parking lot until Labor Day, the classes cover the fishing that’s happening now, and bring a beach chair. Visit <a href="http://www.surfcitybaitandtackle.com/" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Web site</a>. 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>Mystic Island</b>

At the stakes toward Graveling Point, croakers, spots and sometimes drum were boated, said Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Graveling is at the confluence of Great Bay and Mullica River, and he wasn’t asked the size of the drum, but a report some weeks ago talked about 20-inchers, good eating size, on the store’s Web site. Closer to Little Egg Inlet, summer flounder could be pulled in along the Intracoastal Waterway, from buoys 126 to 136, if anglers found 10- to 12-foot holes. Holes like that along channels near the Fish Factory held the fish, too. Lots of sharks and skates gathered at the inlet. Flounder were picked from the ocean at Little Egg Reef and areas closer to shore. But most flounder, including better-sized to 6 and 7 pounds, from the ocean came from 60 to 90 feet. Sea bass were also slipped aboard from those depths, but more from the deeper side. In the bay, nighttime shark fishing was fully on. Large sand sharks and, required to be released, brown sharks are fought each summer there. Crabbing was very good. Minnows, fresh, shucked clams and bloodworms are stocked. Weather became hot for stocking live grass shrimp. They die in the heat, and though the shrimp are favorite bait for white perch fishing in brackish rivers like the Mullica earlier in the season, bloodworms stay alive better in the warmth on trips.

<b>Absecon</b>

The back bay’s summer flounder fishing started to rebound in the hot weather and water temperatures that became more stable, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Southwest winds are supposed to blow again, and that might cool waters again. That seems to affect flounder fishing, like making the catches become more a matter of tide than at other times or something. Lots of panfish or croakers, spots and kingfish schooled the bay. One of Capt. Dave’s, the shop’s owner’s, trips boated a striped bass on a livelined spot. A couple of stripers could be managed in the back waters, if anglers worked for them. Weakfishing in the back seemed better the farther north anglers fished, and the Great Bay area, to the north, typically holds more than farther south. Nothing was really heard about bluefish. Curt, a white perch angler, did no fishing for the slabs during the weekend’s heat. But perch were around, like in the brackish Mullica River. Crabbing was very good. Baits stocked include live spots, shedder crabs and fresh clams. The only baits not really carried are fresh bunker and live baits like mullet and peanut bunker that are on hand later in the season. 

<b>Brigantine</b>

Surf anglers banked kingfish and spots on bloodworms and Fishbites artificial worms, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Fishbites started to catch a little better than before, because waters warmed, probably into the 70s. Bluefish showed up in the surf for the first time this season. Summer flounder fishing was good for boaters on the back bay. The annual Hooked On Fishing, Not on Drugs tournament will be held Saturday, July 27, at Brigantine. Registration is at 8 a.m. at the 16th Street beach access, and that Sunday is the rain date. The first 100 kids get a free fishing rod.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

A 7-foot 136-pound bull shark was checked in that a customer hauled in on foot from the back bay near Harrah’s, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Fresh bunker caught the fish, and the angler lost a bigger shark, and the beasts were landed this time last year. This was the season for them, and from Absecon Inlet on foot, anglers rounded up kingfish, spots, croakers, triggerfish and blackfish, now that one of the blackfish per angler could be kept starting Wednesday. Good-sized summer flounder were nipped from the inlet at Vermont Avenue and the T-jetty, and were boated from the bay. The inlet, near the store, is lined with fish-attracting jetties. Fishing was definitely on, Noel said. “If you don’t do anything now, you may as well hang your gloves up,” he said!  Baits stocked include minnows, green crabs, fresh clams in the shell or shucked, fresh bunker, bloodworms and frozen sand eels, herring, peanut bunker, head-on shrimp, spearing, a large variety of squids and more. Catch the sale on bucktails, at almost wholesale prices. They’re going for: 1/8 ounce, $1.79; ¼ ounce, $1.85; 3/8 ounce, $1.89; ½ ounce, $1.95; 5/8 ounce, $2; ¾ ounce, $2.09; 1 ounce, $2.20; 1 ½ ounces, $2.29; 2 ounces, $2.99; and 3 ounces, $3.49.  Colors are all-white, green-and-white, chartreuse-and-white, yellow-and-white, pink-and-white, red-and-white and purple-and-white.  One Stop’s second store, located at Gardner’s Basin at 800 North New Hampshire Avenue, is also open. The original, remaining open, is at 416 Atlantic Avenue.

<b>Margate</b>

Waters cleared, and summer flounder fishing wasn’t bad on the back bay aboard, said Capt. John from the party boat <b>Keeper</b>. Keepers were grabbed on every trip, and the angling was alright, a lot better than earlier, when weather seemed to affect the fishing, namely winds that dirtied waters. A good number of better-sized keepers bit than before, including a 6-1/2-pounder this week. John was pretty happy with the fishing. Spots and sometimes a kingfish bit. A 2-1/2-pound weakfish was reeled in. Baby sea bass began to arrive for the season, and a bunch were hooked. They were yet to fully arrive, but were coming. Minnows and mackerel supplied aboard caught the flounder. Gulps that anglers bring always work especially well. The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. daily. Prices are great, because the pontoon boat is economical on fuel, and the fishing on the bay is close to port. Trips are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for kids.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Along 9th Street Causeway, summer flounder fishing was good, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Good floundering was boated at Rainbow Channel on the back bay, and eight flounder 4 to 6 pounds were weighed in during the weekend, a lot for the shop. Lots of kingfish and spots skittered around the surf, biting bloodworms and Fishbites artificial worms. If spots were caught, livelining them back into the surf was a good idea, because the baitfish could nail a striped bass that might’ve floated around, despite the summer season. A few boaters sailed the ocean reefs to catch flounder, and picked up sea bass there at times. One blackfish per angler could be bagged starting Wednesday. Tuna were boated at Massey’s Canyon, but the “main bite,” John said, came from Washington Canyon. Big bluefin tuna were the catches John heard about from both places, and he heard about lots from the Washington. Minnows, bloodworms, green crabs, eels and all frozen baits are stocked.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Any time this much heat settles in, fishing is affected somewhat, but catches were decent, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. In the surf, kingfish were beached, and spots and croakers were mixed in. Even small weakfish were hooked, and one angler landed six or seven 10-inchers. Summer flounder were even banked from the surf at times, while anglers kingfished, with Fishbites artificial worms or real bloodworms. Weakfish and striped bass were sometimes winged at night under lights, like at docks and piers, from the back bay, mostly on small swimming plugs like Rapalas or MirrOlures, or on small soft-plastic lures like Bass Assassins. The bay’s summer flounder fishing was best at first light. A few were taken during daytime, but before days warmed, and before the sun rose too high, was best. Minnows and Gulps cranked them in best. More flounder caught from the ocean were heard about than before, at places like Townsend’s Inlet Reef, Ocean City Reef and, farther south, Reef 11 and the Old Grounds. The fishing was tough, but if boaters put in the time, they boxed a few keepers. If boaters were willing to push farther offshore to 150-foot depths, and find a place that wasn’t fished out by anglers or pots, bottom-fishing could be good. Mike joined a trip Wednesday for the fishing that boated a four-person limit of sea bass, a couple of flounder, a couple of blackfish, including a 9-pounder, now that one per angler could be kept starting that day, and a bucket of ling, great fishing, because of location. Mike pumped in the blackfish on a light rod meant for the smaller sea bass he was catching. At places like Avalon Shoal, tons of brown sharks, exceptionally large dusky sharks, both required to be released, and blacktip sharks were plastered. Multiple customers today talked about fighting multiple duskies 100 pounds and larger, much larger numbers of unusually big ones than typical. Farther from the coast, tuna were sporadically boated at Baltimore and Wilmington canyons. But if anglers really wanted to catch tuna, Washington Canyon, farther south, was loaded with yellowfin tuna and some bigeye tuna. Trips landed 30 and 40 yellowfins apiece there. But if anglers wanted to fish closer to port, bluefin tuna were hooked at areas like Massey’s Canyon and 19-Fathom Lump. Catching them on the troll, chunk and jigs, all the different ways, was heard about. The fishing took figuring out where and when to catch them and what they preferred to bite. 

On inshore sharks trips, catches were on fire, and on back-bay trips, summer flounder fishing was good, and for the middle of July, things were great, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Waters cleared and were beautiful, and as long as they were, fish bit, no matter the heat. One trip, for sharks Tuesday, was slow, but that was because the boat failed to drift, because of no winds. The fish were there. One of the shark trips today fly fished, with Jim Stewart. Fly-rodding them takes finesse, and two were landed and released: a 60-pound dusky and a 50-pound blacktip. Lots of sharks were broken off, and nearly 10 were on, and if the trip had fished with bait, probably 30 would’ve been hooked. The population was that good, and the fish were big. Probably a dozen were seen that were 100 pounds. Blacktips showed up for the first time this season, because waters warmed considerably, and that was great. A trip with Barry Stats and crew on Monday fly-rodded five duskies to 80 pounds and broke off others. The fish on the trips were caught on orange chum flies that Joe ties, cast on pliable wire leader, in a chum slick. The fly-rodding is sight-fishing, and though sharks are big monsters, they’re surprisingly wary about the flies. The flies must be presented carefully to look like a piece of chum sinking naturally in the waters. On bait trips for the sharks aboard, a fillet of mackerel is fished on a spinning rod in the slick. The sharking is a chance to fight big fish, usually within 10 miles from shore, without the long trek offshore. On the bay Tuesday afternoon, Joe and son landed two keeper flounder to 21 inches at the top of the tide. The bay “finally settled down,” Joe said, and the flounder fishing picked up at the top of tides, and was good. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Angling for the back bay’s summer flounder slowed a little in the heat, and water temps rose to 78 degrees from 58 practically overnight, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. Still, the fishing was pretty good, and a couple of sizeable ones were docked, and the catches were quality in a couple of tournaments. In one of the tournaments, a 13-pound flounder, caught from the bay, won. That’s a big flounder. A few weakfish, not a lot, were lifted from the bay. Plenty of spots were castnetted from the waters. Mike saw none of the baby sea bass yet that show up in the bay soon, but heard about a few caught. A buddy beached a healthy-sized striped bass from the surf Tuesday. So, fishing was good.  Canal Side rents boats for fishing and crabbing on the bay. Baits stocked include minnows, scented and unscented squid strips, scented pink and green strips, trolling squid, tube squid, pints and quarts of salted clams, non-salted clams in both 1 pound and 9 ounces, whole mackerel, filleted mackerel, mullet, spearing, herring, frozen shrimp and a good selection of Gulp artificial baits. Crabs for eating are sold at market prices, currently $24 per dozen for No. 1’s and $12 per dozen for No. 2’s. The crabs can be cooked to order, fresh as can be, and prices are currently $28 for No. 1’s and $16 for No. 2’s.

Lots of throwback summer flounder, sometimes a keeper, were mostly heard about from the back bay, said Fred from <b>No Bones Bait & Tackle</b>. Whether that was because of angler experience couldn’t be known, but mostly tourists fished from the shop this time of year. A trip on a private boat landed one keeper and four throwbacks on high tide in the afternoon. But experienced anglers, boating the bay along the island’s north end, caught their share of keepers. No limits were heard about, but two and three keepers in a trip were. Weakfish bit in Hereford Inlet, definitely on bait, not on bucktails like before. Bloodworms on 4- or 5-foot leaders on float rigs fished along the rocks snatched them up. Weakfishing will probably improve, because peanut bunker began to appear, and the trout will probably jump all over them, when the peanut population peaks. Anglers with know-how drilled big sheepshead at bridges. One heaved in a 15-pounder Wednesday. Lots of striped bass, small ones 15 to 22 inches, rarely a keeper, bit in the bay, when anglers targeted them. Catches weren’t necessarily at night, though stripers are sensitive to sun this time of year, but came from deep waters along sod banks. Boaters chummed and fished with bunker or clam for them. An angler who won a local fluke tournament, with a 13-pounder from the bay, fished with livelined spots, mostly hooking the stripers. Small bluefish schooled the bay, and a 0.7-pounder was the winner in the tournament’s bluefish category. A charter boat from the docks returned with a couple of 5-gallon buckets full of blues from a trip with a family of four on the bay. The blues were trolled, and 60 fit in a bucket, if that’s an indication of size. Minnows, shedder crabs and frozen baits, the gauntlet, Fred said, are stocked, like squid and clam. Rental boats are available to fish the bay.

<b>Cape May</b>

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> jumped on a friend’s boat on a trip Tuesday to Wednesday to see what tuna fishing was like farther south at Washington Canyon, he said. Bluefin tuna are biting closer to Cape May, at the southern lumps like the Hot Dog, and the Heavy Hitter is catching them. But on the trip to the Washington, four yellowfin tuna were decked, and four got off, early in the morning, before sunup, on the chunk. The fishing seemed best on the chunk – or on bait while trips chummed with chunks of bait in the dark – for the fleet. George was sure that if the trip had arrived at the Washington earlier in the night, like at midnight, lots more would’ve been caught. Some anglers arrived late for the trip, and so on, and the boat was launched later Tuesday night than George expected. Once the sun was up, the bite stopped on the chunk on the trip. The boat trolled afterward, and no fish bit, but a few catches on the troll were heard about. Still, lots more was heard about catches chunked. George knew about some boats that fished all night, landing 30 of the yellowfins. The fish were smaller, but there was action. The trip to the Washington is long from Cape May, and a fast boat is really needed. Waters were 82 degrees, and lots of whales, big groups, swam. On the way back to port, the trip stopped at the southern lumps to try trolling for bluefins. A buddy boated them there the day before, on Tuesday. None showed up on this trip, but bluefins are still hitting in the area. The Heavy Hitter trolled good catches of them on trips this weekend, covered in the last report, and the fishing is a matter of right place, right time. Sometimes catches are made at one place, like Massey’s Canyon, 19-Fathom Lump, the Hambone or the Hot Dog, and not at another. Most of the bluefins were trolled, but sometimes catches on the chunk were known about. The ones on the Heavy Hitter were 45 to 51 inches during the weekend, and the two trips trolled a yellowfin tuna apiece. A few yellowfins were in the mix at the southern lumps. A 10-pound mahi mahi was trolled on one of the weekend trips aboard. The Heavy Hitter is supposed to sail for bluefins again this weekend. In other news, summer flounder were now bagged on the ocean at places like the Old Grounds. Like usual, the fishing depended on the right conditions, or the fluke bit when the boat drifted well. Sea bass fishing turned up lots of catches, but many small ones, on the ocean. The fishing went well this time last year. Telephone if interested in fishing for tuna, flounder or sea bass.   

Summer flounder were tied into Monday and Tuesday on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, but the angling was dead aboard Wednesday, Capt. Paul said. The ocean was beautiful, but no winds blew, and no tides flowed, so the boat sat still, failed to drift that day. A few of the fluke were landed on the outing, but the fishing was no great shakes. Not many of the anglers bucktailed, and most dragged bait. When bait fishing, few flounder will bite without a drift. In flounder fishing, some days are good, and some aren’t, and the boat had both. Trips fished the ocean, but Delaware Bay’s flounder catches seemed to become better, maybe substantially. Paul would like to fish the bay, and that’s a shorter trip. Plus, if winds prevent ocean fishing, the bay sometimes offers the option to fish. On Monday’s trip, “South Philly”Joe Laino, from the city, and Sollie Walker, from Pine Hill, limited out, and Pete Martino, from Vineland, landed two keepers, winning the pool with a 6-pounder. The Porgy IV is fishing for summer flounder at 8 a.m. daily.

Sounded like back-bay fishing started to slow for summer flounder, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. But a few anglers still boated a few, and mostly Cape May Inlet and the channel seemed to give them up, and fishing for the fluke seemed good at other places. On the ocean, flounder fishing seemed alright at Cape May Reef, and somewhat better at the Old Grounds and Reef 11. A few were plucked from McCrae’s Shoal. One angler reported boating good flounder fishing at Miah Maull on Delaware Bay. Weakfish should swim the bay at the lighthouses and stakes. Kingfish and croakers were boated at Cape May Channel. In the surf along jetties, weakfishing became a little tougher than before, but some large ones were still caught. A buddy showed a photo of one that was definitely 25 inches, at least. Tuna fishing was surely great, though little was heard about it. One angler mentioned good bluefin tuna fishing, and Nick would say places like 19-Fathom Lump will produce them. Yellowfin tuna apparently huddled around Washington Canyon. Minnows, bloodworms, frozen shedder crabs and the full supply of frozen baits are stocked. Crabs were between sheds, Nick thought. The blueclaws usually shed on full and new moons.

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