<b>Perth Amboy</b>

Fishing for fluke was improving at Ambrose Channel, though the full moon was making currents strong, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an e-mail. He’ll be traveling a moment, but when he returns, he’ll fish the channel’s deep waters, some deeper than 100 feet. The angling offers the chance for “monster” fluke, and his biggest was just under 12 pounds from those waters. Anyone interested in fishing on the trips can telephone him. August should be a great month for fluke fishing like usual. Vitamin Sea fishes from Perth Amboy and Staten Island on charters and open-boat trips. Telephone about the open trips. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!” 

<b>Keyport</b>

Fluke, a few keepers, and plenty of throwbacks, were reeled from Ambrose Channel on Sunday on Thomas Salvo’s trip with six anglers with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Was a good trip, he said, and the keepers included a 6-1/2-pounder, a 5-1/2-pounder and a 3-1/2-pounder. The anglers fished with a mix of bucktails and bait, and the boat drifted well for the fishing. Heavy weights weren’t needed to hold bottom, surprisingly. Sometimes deep waters and strong currents require heavy weights at the channels. Weather was warm, but not oppressively, like last week. “Just a nice day,” Joe said. Open-boat trips are available 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily when no charter is booked, and telephone to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Despite last week’s heat, good catches of fluke were managed on some of the trips on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. On two trips, the fishing was so-so in strong currents. Sunday’s fluking was probably the best of the season, and an 8-1/2-pounder was the pool-winning fluke that day. Nighttime trips are sailing for a mix of fish that can include fluke, until the sun goes down, porgies, good catches of them lately, and bluefish, when blues pop up. Croakers recently showed up, and bit their heads off on Saturday night’s trip. Anglers filled their buckets with catches. Striped bass “will take a back burner,” Ron said, on night trips for a couple of weeks, because of warm waters. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips are fishing for a mix of fish that can include fluke, porgies, blues and croakers 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

The party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> drifted slowly at the beginning of this morning’s trip, but considering that, fluke catches were off to a pretty good start, Capt. Tom said in a phone call at 9:30 aboard. The trip was fishing north of Sandy Hook, out of the channels, and some of the keepers were sizeable or 18 and 19 inches, didn’t need to be measured. Others were just-keeper sized. A few keepers were already bagged on the trip, and throwbacks were let go. Saturday’s fluke fishing was tough aboard, and the boat fished down the ocean beach, because of winds. But Sunday’s fluking somewhat improved on the boat. The vessel fished north of Sandy Hook, including at one of the channels and out of the channels, and anglers picked away. The fishing wasn’t great, but a few keepers came in, and throwbacks were released. More fluke bit than on the previous day. Donata Lombardi bagged three keepers on the afternoon’s trip and one on the morning’s. Another angler bagged three that day. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

<b>Highlands</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 7/23:***</b> For Ron Koch’s crew, bluefin tuna fishing was very good Sunday on the <b>Hyper Striper</b>, Capt. Pete wrote in an e-mail. The tuna to 50 pounds were trolled. “Stripers cooperated for us on Friday and Saturday along with some nice fluke,” Pete said. On Friday morning, Ken Diglio’s party limited out on stripers to 23 pounds. On Saturday morning, Bob Centamore’s group limited on stripers then caught fluke to 5 pounds.

<b>Neptune</b>

An individual-reservation bottom-fishing trip whaled catches Sunday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Ling, sea bass, a few blackfish and even a couple of fluke were bagged, and the angling’s been super. A few spaces remain for another one of the trips August 4, and jump on them before sea bass season is closed August 9. Anglers should be able to fill freezers. An individual-reservation trip for cod is set for August 12. Charters are available.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 7/23:***</b> Whether  in the surf or on a boat, fluke fishing was the best bet, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an e-mail. “The for-hire fleet,” he said, sometimes racked up impressive catches of fluke, including good-sized. Surf and bulkhead anglers reeled in good numbers of the flatfish, but keepers were more difficult for them to land. Lots of bluefish were boated Wednesday, but were mostly small. Those were better for eating, though. “We are seeing some nice blackfish,” he said, from Shark River Inlet. One is the bag limit, and green crabs were best bait.

Bluefishing was up and down on both daytime and nighttime trips aboard, a report on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>’s Web site said. Catches were good on Thursday’s daytime and nighttime trips, and slow on Friday’s daytime and nighttime trips. The angling was a pick on Saturday’s daytime trip, and slow on the nighttime’s trip. Fishing was good on Sunday’s daytime trip, for smaller blues, but plenty. Many anglers limited out. Lots of blues were around lately, and the angling could be inconsistent until today’s full moon passes, but afterward will “settle in,” the captain thinks, the report said. The Golden Eagle is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily.

Trips, sometimes twice daily, bottom-fished on the ocean every day with <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b> in the last week, Capt. Jared said. Mostly fluke and sea bass were shoveled up, fishing that was better on some days than on others. Some of the fluke were healthy sized or 23 to 25 inches. Sometimes ling and other fish were landed. A few small weakfish showed up, and bluefish were jigged the other day. The 50-foot boat can accommodate small to large groups, up to 23 passengers on cruises and 12 or 13 on fishing trips, for fishing comfort. A charter Sunday morning hosted 16, and another in the afternoon hosted nine. Corporate charters sail, and charge the trip to the business card. Pleasure cruises can include trips along Shark and Manasquan rivers, the ocean coast, the Manhattan skyline or whatever customers can imagine. Cruises can enjoy fireworks from the ocean off Point Pleasant Beach every Thursday in summer.

Sometimes weather forecasts were inaccurate, and a trip Saturday was cancelled, because of forecasts for 4- to 6-foot seas, though apparently seas turned out fine, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. But fluke fishing picked up on the ocean in past days, and catches included good-sized ones. Bluefin tuna fishing produced well on some days, not on others, 50 or 60 miles from shore. Sometimes the fish popped up at Chicken Canyon, and other days turned on at Atlantic Princess wreck, and so on. The tuna were trolled, and waters were pretty much 80 degrees everywhere offshore. Parker Pete’s is mostly focusing on fluke, and is trying to steam for bluefins. But trips sailing for sea bass picked away on the ocean, when places not pressured were fished. Pete hadn’t spoken with anyone about bluefish on the ocean in a couple of days. But bluefishing sounded off and on or good on some outings. Parker Pete’s sails for any species in season. 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.

<b>Brielle</b>

On the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, fluke fishing was good most of the past week, especially when the boat drifted favorably, an e-mail from the vessel said. Some of the anglers limited out on the fish to 7 pounds. Bucktailing was “hot,” the e-mail said, on most trips. On Sunday morning’s trip, “dead stickers caught some,” the e-mail said, “but guys that worked hard were rewarded.” Some of the sharpies limited out, and the fishing, in 60 to 70 feet, was good, turning up a healthy number of 3- to 5-pounders. Pool-winners during the week included Fernando Arrelano, East Bergen, with a 7-pound fluke, Carter James, Bristol, with a 7-pounder, and Pete Talevi, Trenton, with a 6-pounder. The Jamaica II is fishing for fluke and sea bass twice daily at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and on an all-day trip at 7:30 a.m. Mondays.

Ocean fluke fishing was good and picking up, mostly to the north, off the Red Church, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The fish bit in 40 to 50 feet, and Manasquan River’s fluking was good. Lots of trips on the river decked multiple keepers, often on small jigheads with Gulps like swimming mullet or shrimp. Striped bass were played on the river at night at Route 35 Bridge on small soft-plastic or hard lures. A few stripers were beached from the surf at Deal along jetties on Daiwa SP Minnows or Bombers with teasers. Sea bass fishing on the ocean was tough, unless boaters fished places that weren’t worked over yet. Ling fishing was holding up or was good on the ocean. Ocean bluefishing was fair and improved. Blues were around to catch. A few boaters still shark fished on the ocean, but nothing specific was heard about catches. Bluefin tuna fishing really amped up, became great, at Chicken Canyon and Atlantic Princess wreck. The fish were trolled and jigged, and trolled cedar plugs especially smoked them. But other tackle including spreader bars trolled them. Farther from shore, a few yellowfin tuna, mostly small, were caught at Hudson and Toms canyons. No bigeye tuna were heard about from there. Fishing for lots of yellowfins and some bigeyes was good far south at Washington Canyon. 

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Two brothers jumped aboard to get in on the hot bluefin tuna fishing, a report on <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>’ Web site said Saturday. Weather forecasts were questionable, but the trip made the run, and forecasts were wrong. Conditions were great, and the trip first fished where bluefins were caught the day before. But bluefish filled waters. The boat was moved, and the anglers went 6 for 6 on bluefins to 40 inches, keeping one. The trip was ended on a double-header, leaving the tuna biting. Forty knots was made all the way home.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

The heat wave lasted through Saturday, and summer fishing remained the same, John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b> wrote in an e-mail. Kingfish, fluke and sometimes croakers were dragged from the surf during daytime. At night from the beach, brown sharks, required to be released, were fought, and sometimes a striped bass was bagged. In Barnegat Bay, crabbing was good from the dock and rental boats. Fishing for snapper blues improved daily from the dock. 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>Barnegat Light</b>

Ocean temperatures that dropped, and somewhat of a ground swell, didn’t help fishing for fluke and sea bass through the weekend on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. The angling slowed a bit, but a few keeper fluke and sizeable sea bass were pumped in. Throwbacks and plenty of skates and sea robins bit. The Miss Barnegat Light is sailing for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 7/27:***</b> From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Finally! I was able to buy my first batches of live grass shrimp Friday and Saturday. Friday's batch yielded only some short fluke, spots and croakers in Meyer's Hole. On Saturday morning, I headed over to the west side of the bay, behind mainland Barnegat, with a fresh batch of shrimp, and hammered the weakfish. Everything from 10-inch to 22-inch fish. Baited hooks under bobbers were the ticket. Each day, we’ve been mixing in fluke fishing, and that’s still producing keepers to 24 inches on the jig and Gulp. White swimming mullet on 3/8-ounce leadheads have been working well for us. The channels closer to the inlet on incoming water has been best. Still getting as many blowfish as we want, with a few kingfish mixed in, over by the BI buoy.  On Thursday and Friday, we’ll be running open-boat trips from 1 to 6 p.m. Chumming with live grass shrimp, if available, and it appears that they will be for the season. We’ll target weakfish and the variety of species that usually invade the shrimp slick. Our arsenal is 6-pound spinning tackle, so every fish is a battle. Depending on popular opinion, we could also catch some blowfish or drift for fluke. On Saturday, we’ll be running our first open-boat trip to Barnegat Ridge for bonita and albacore, from 6 a.m. to 12 noon. Are they there? No idea – it's our first run. I know that the water cleaned up to a nice color and temp, so it’s time to put out the trolling spread. Three people max, on both trips. All fish are shared. Any of these dates are available for your private charter, as well. Grass shrimping weakies and trolling the ridge … finally, all is right with the world!”

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Croakers, spots, sometimes weakfish, and kingfish seemed to gather in Great Bay, Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s Web site. The bay’s summer flounder fishing wasn’t bad. “There is still some signs of activity,” he said, and the fluke were picked along the Intracoastal Waterway from buoys 126 to 136 and Grassy Channel. A 7.4-pound flounder was weighed in from Little Egg Inlet. A small-craft advisory was in effect on the ocean during the weekend. But flounder began to pile up there. Good-sized ones were picked at Garden State Reef South and A.C. Reef in 65 to 90 feet of water. One blackfish per angler could be kept per day starting Wednesday, and the tautog snapped along wrecks in 50 to 60 feet. Sea bass catches were amazing in 80 to 90 feet. The shop is holding a small sale, featuring bins with 50 percent off on different freshwater lures, fishing line, soft-plastic lures and tuna skirts and clones.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The surf dished up kingfish and spots, and Fishbites artificial worms really started to catch them, now that waters warmed, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site said. Great reports rolled in about summer flounder fishing from the back bay. One boater headed out Sunday on the bay, returning after the morning with three keeper flounder. He had action with the flatfish the whole trip.  Catch the annual Hooked On Fishing, Not on Drugs tournament on Saturday at Brigantine. Registration is at 8 a.m. at the 16th Street beach access, and Sunday is the rain date. The first 100 kids get a free fishing rod.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Sharks, big ones, flooded the inshore ocean, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Fishing for them, within 10 miles of the coast, was phenomenal aboard. Darrel Cooper’s crew on Saturday probably landed 15 to 18 sharks –
blacktips, duskies and browns – to 80 pounds, fishing with bait on spinning rods. Browns and duskies must be released, and the trips are catch-and-release anyway. They’re an opportunity to fight big fish without the long trip offshore. One of the trips Sunday, with Jim and Dave Stewart, fly-rodded nine duskies, including two larger than 100 pounds apiece. A half-dozen were seen that topped 100 pounds. Fly fishing for the sharks, with chum flies, is more challenging than fishing with bait, usually mackerel fillets. If the trip had fished with bait, probably 20 sharks would’ve been landed. Another trip with Jim Stewart on Thursday, with another angler, fly-rodded two sharks, a 60-pound dusky and a 50-pound blacktip, losing plenty more. <a href="http://youtu.be/B1kOqra0o2M" target="_blank"><b><i>Watch a video of the shark fishing</i></b></a>. On the back bay, a trip with three anglers on Friday tugged up a bunch of summer flounder, including two keepers 4 and 3 ½ pounds. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fishing for bluefin tuna was good, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep</b>. Limits were nailed, and summer flounder fishing improved every day. The flatfish were reeled from the ocean, and sea bass fishing was strong on the ocean. Charters are fishing, and sign up for the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s Web site for dates for open-boat trips for bluefins, flounder and sea bass.

Jay Allen’s charter bagged a bluefin tuna, released another, lost one or two and also boxed a wahoo and some mahi mahi at the Hot Dog on Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Seas were rough, and the bluefin was 63 inches, probably 140 pounds, that was kept. The fish were trolled, and Chris, Dan and Bill were the other anglers on the trip. George’s buddy caught bluefins that day 20 miles away.  The tuna fishing, relatively close to shore, is good, and sail for them quickly. The fish might stick around, but could also depart. Ask about special rates for the inshore trips. In other news, summer flounder could be boated from the ocean at places like the Old Grounds. Rough seas kept news about them scarce in past days, but the fish are biting, when trips sail. Like always, the fishing depends on conditions. When winds and tides drift the boat well, the fish are hooked. Sea bass were picked on the ocean, and Heavy Hitter is sailing for all these fish, and telephone if interested.

Offshore report 7/19

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

News about bluefin tuna had been quiet, Capt. Mike from the <b>Katie H</b> from Belmar said during the weekend. But a couple of boats from the docks sailed for them during the weekend, but were yet to return by the time Mike left.

Bluefin tuna fishing was phenomenal Wednesday, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> from Belmar. The fish were trolled and jigged 50 or 60 miles from shore, so bluefins started to swim within range for charters. Previously, during the weekend, Pete said bluefins had begun to be found again at Chicken Canyon, and the angling sounded hit or miss then.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

An angler on an annual “fill the freezer trip” sailed aboard, a report on <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant Beach’s Web site said Saturday. He first reeled in a half-dozen cod at a wreck. Then the trip tried for bluefin tuna. The 72-degree waters were clean but green, and when no tuna showed up after a couple of hours, the trip fished another couple of wrecks. Sea bass and ling were boxed, and the trip sailed back to port. Andrea’s Toy is fishing on annual mixed-bag trips, open-boat and charters, that can target catches including tuna, mahi mahi, tilefish, cod, pollock and more, all in one outing. The crew specializes in mixed-bag fishing.

A few boaters still shark fished, sometimes catching a mako, “depending on how far they went,” said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle during the weekend. Thresher sharks were landed, and hammerhead sharks started to show up. Bluefin tuna were boated early last week, but 60 miles offshore, he said at the time. Yellowfin tuna, a few bigeye tuna and some mahi mahi were cranked from the 100 Square at Hudson Canyon. But the best tuna fishing remained farther south.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

An open-boat, offshore tilefish trip, the second this season on the <b>Super Chic</b> from Barnegat Light, became full that’s slated for August 4, Capt. Ted said. He’s unsure whether more will be scheduled, and the angling was very good on the last outing, for a mix of goldens and bluelines, covered in a previous report. Most tuna were boated far to the south, and Ted hopes they move north, especially for later this summer, when trips aboard especially get after them. 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>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Tuna were sporadically boated at Baltimore and Wilmington canyons, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. But if anglers really wanted to catch tuna, Washington Canyon was loaded with yellowfins and some bigeyes. Trips landed 30 and 40 yellowfins apiece there. 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, the chunk and jigs, all ways, was heard about.

Tuna fishing, for a mix of bluefins and yellowfins, was hot at the Hot Dog, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish were trolled, chunked and jigged, or caught all ways. Tuna catches were heard about from the southern canyons, and Washington Canyon turned out lots, anglers said.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May 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 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 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.  Two charters limited out on the bluefins, 45- to 51-inchers, and also cashed in on yellowfin tuna Saturday and Sunday on the Heavy Hitter, while trolling the southern lumps. The fish could stick around, but could also depart. Take advantage of special rates on these trips, while the tuna are swimming inshore. Bill Szwajkoski’s charter took the trip Saturday, limiting out on over and under bluefins, icing a 50-pound yellowfin and also trolling a 10-pound mahi mahi. Tom Ebbecke from Newfield’s Accresce Nursery’s charter took Sunday’s trip, limiting out on over and unders and axing a 40-pound yellowfin. One fish was missed that hit on the troll on the outing. Saturday’s trip limited by 10 a.m., and Sunday’s limited by 9:30 a.m. Both trips afterward trolled about an hour on the way home, in case wahoos or mahi bit. The tuna began biting a little after 7 a.m. on both charters. Then the trips were in the fish. But tuna were caught throughout the day on other boats, George believed. Lots of bait filled waters. The ocean on the bluefin grounds was 76 to 77 degrees, and was 65 degrees along shore. Waters near shore probably warmed since then in the heat and change of wind direction.

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