<b>Staten Island</b>

<b>Outcast Charters</b>’ Capt. Joe Skonieczny fished for giant bluefin tuna from Canada’s Prince Edward Island, and the angling was good, he said. Two bluefins 1,100 pounds and 800 pounds were landed in 4 hours. Back at home, New York’s sea bass season is open, though New Jersey’s is closed, and trips with Outcast are sailing for them. The angling wasn’t good, but the trips managed to limit out. The outings had to move around for that. When trips limited early, they switched to fluke fishing, adding a couple of keepers to the box.

<b>Perth Amboy</b>

Seventeen keeper fluke to 7 pounds, and four times as many throwbacks, were bailed so far, when Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> e-mailed this report at 12 noon Sunday on the trip. “Looking for a limit by day’s end,” he said. The fish were hooked along a deep channel on large smelts. Only a few weeks remain before fluke season is closed on September 25. Now’s the time to go, Frank said. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and telephone about the open trips. Vitamin Sea also fishes from Staten Island. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The holiday “took its toll on us with customer participation,” Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. But some good-sized fluke were cracked aboard. Conditions weren’t the best for the fishing, and trips had to work hard for those results, “but that’s what we do!” he said. On nighttime trips, fishing for porgies and croakers was excellent in the past week. The fish are great eating, and fun, including for the kids. So bring them down. Striped bass fishing will pick up as waters cool, and night trips will go after them as it does. Daytime trips will fish for stripers in fall, and Ron looks forward to a good run. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips are sailing for a mix of fish, like porgies, croakers, fluke, blues and striped bass, 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

The party boat <b>Atlantic Highlands</b> will be docked a few days, because of a mechanical issue, Capt. Tom said. He couldn’t know exactly how long, but for an update, anglers can check this site or the boat’s site or can telephone the boat. Trips sailed for fluke until the mechanical issue on Monday. The angling wasn’t so great in past days, but some of the fish were bagged, and some were better-sized, like three that weighed 5 to 6 pounds in a photo he sent. Trips fished different places, including down the ocean beach, Sandy Hook Channel, Flynn’s Knoll and near the range towers. Spearing are supplied for bait aboard, and whether one bait fished better than another, like spearing or killies that anglers brought, was difficult to say. Whether bait or Spros fished better was also difficult to say.

<b>Highlands</b>

Fluke fishing had been very good, and lots of 5- to 10-pounders had been scooped aboard, said Capt. Derek from <b>Fisher Price Charters</b>. But fluking slowed the past couple of days, for unknown reasons. Trips bucktail for fluke along rough bottom in deep waters. Charters are fishing, and space is available on open-boat trips for fluke Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Telephone to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open trips. Both jigging and chumming for bluefish were reportedly good. Bluefin tuna and sharks were reportedly landed from the mid-shore ocean. Charters are available for all of this fishing. Reservations are being booked for striped bass and blackfish trips this fall through December.

<b>Belmar</b>

The end is here, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an e-mail on Labor Day. Now that summer crowds are gone, anglers can enjoy their haunts on their own. “I, for one, hope to get back to fishing soon,” he said. The weekend’s fishing was so-so. Some good catches of fluke were reeled from the ocean. Nighttime bluefishing was good on the ocean, usually for jumbos. Snapper blues bit in Shark River, and kingfish hit well in the surf locally.

A half-day trip fished for fluke on the ocean Sunday on the <b>Katie H</b>, but south winds were terrible for the angling, Capt. Mike said. Throwbacks, probably 60, gave up lots of action, but only a couple of keepers turned up. South winds, cooling the ocean close to shore, because of upwelling, are known for slowing fishing there. The year’s first overnight tuna trip is set to fish the offshore canyons on September 21. The Katie H features speed and all the amenities.

On the ocean, <b>Fin-Ominal Sportfishing</b> bluefished Saturday and bottom-fished Sunday, Capt. Jared said. Bluefishing was spotty lately, whaling catches one day, not on another. The fish schooled 20 miles from port, farther than usual, and lately weighed 8 to 10 pounds. The bottom trip on Sunday pumped in mostly fluke but also cod. Lots of small fluke were around these days, and ling could also be lifted aboard bottom trips. Weakfish and croakers schooled close to shore along bottom. More croakers than ever were hooked on the vessel. A trip steamed for bluefin tuna last week on Monday, catching one, a load of skipjacks and some bonito. The next overnight trip for yellowfin tuna farther offshore is slated for September 21. Longfin tuna and bigeye tuna held offshore recently. The 50-foot boat can host small to large groups, up to 23 passengers on cruises, and up to 12 or 13 on fishing trips, for fishing comfort. The vessel is comfortable and fast. Spend time fishing, instead of traveling. Families are welcome, and charters don’t need to be experienced anglers. The crew will guide them. Cruises can include trips along Shark and Manasquan rivers, the ocean coast, the Manhattan skyline or whatever customers can imagine. Corporate charters can sail, and charge the trip to the business card.

The ocean and weather were a little rough in past days, and fluke fishing wasn’t great, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. Strong southerly winds blew on a trip aboard Friday, and no trip fished on the boat Saturday. Somewhat-strong southerlies blew Sunday on a trip, but the ocean held a big southerly swell then. The conditions made fluking tough on the trips, but anglers fished hard to bag keepers. It was a grind, though. Still, fluke, some of them good-sized, are out there. Trips are fishing for them in deeper waters. Parker Pete’s fishes for any species available. 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.

Bluefishing on the ocean today racked up 3- to 5-pounders, very good catches on some drifts, at first on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>. When the angling slowed, when the tide stopped running, the trip searched for big blues. Big mountains of them were read, and the fish wouldn’t hit jigs, like the smaller blues did. So the boat was anchored, and the crew began chumming. Shots of monster blues 12 to 17 pounds bit. Sometimes two to four were fought at a time, though anchoring conditions were difficult. A 17-pound blue won the pool. On Monday’s trip, 3- to 5-pound blues were juked, very well on some drifts. Later, the trip tried for big blues, and some 12- to 15-pounders were smashed, but compared with the number marked, lots more should have been. On nighttime trips, bluefishing was fair for a combo of 3- to 5-pounders and big ones on Sunday, and was good on Saturday. The Golden Eagle is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Previously, the night trips sailed daily, but the new schedule began on Labor Day.

<b>Brielle</b>

<b>***Update, Wednesday, 9/4:***</b> Excellent fluke fishing on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b> on Tuesday, Capt. Ryan wrote in an e-mail. Numerous limits were crushed, the best action in some time. Fred Morris, Ewing, landed five times his limit, keeping no more than his quota, and won the pool with a 5-1/4-pounder. Dave Nelson leads September’s monthly pool with a 5.7-pounder. The monthly winner not only wins the money in the pot but also an entire year of fishing trips aboard! The Jamaica II is fishing for fluke 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.

Fluke, good catches, were cranked from the ocean, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs seemed to fish equally for them. In Manasquan River, lots of throwback fluke and a handful of keepers roamed. Livelined snapper blues seemed best bait for the keepers. Small blues scooted around the river, and small striped bass held there. A few weakfish were heard about from the river. Small stripers could be plugged from the surf if anglers fished early in mornings or at night. Long Branch to Manasquan Inlet seemed best. On the ocean, bluefish were boated, and most were small, like all summer. Ling fishing was good or holding up in the ocean. Farther out, bluefin tuna fishing was fair, and fewer anglers seemed to sail for them than before, now that the fish weren’t “stacked up” as much. Fishing at the Resor wreck seemed to give up a few, mostly on the troll in early mornings, but a handful on jigs later in the day. Bigeye tuna were trolled at the canyons, and the Toms seemed a good bet. The fish also came from anywhere from Hudson Canyon’s 100 Square to the Dip. Nighttime fishing for yellowfin tuna at canyons was yet to take off, really. A few swordfish and plenty of mako sharks showed up at night there.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Anglers picked away at fluke on the ocean through Labor Day weekend on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in an e-mail. Pool-winning fluke averaged 5 to 6 pounds, and trips are fishing sticky bottom, so bring extra tackle, for inevitable snags. On nighttime trips, bluefishing was hit or miss. The angling was very good Saturday night for 8- to 12-pounders, but was “strange” on Sunday and Monday nights. A big pile of blues would be found, and the trips would stop on them. A few would be caught, like anglers were going to slam them. Then the fish would disappear. So Sunday night’s trip ended up fishing closer to shore for 3- and 4-pounders. All anglers left with good bags of blues. The Norma-K III is sailing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily and bluefish 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

With <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, anglers competed in a tournament on a trip offshore to Lindenkohl Canyon, because a satellite shot showed good water there, a report on Andrea’s Toy’s Web site said Tuesday. The trip aimed to compete in four categories: tuna, mahi mahi, swordfish and wahoos. Seas were rough on the way out, “making for a long, brutal run,” the report said. But forecasts called for seas to calm the next morning, for a calm ride back home. During trolling that evening and chunking that night, only one mahi mahi was boated. In the morning, trolling was slow, but a school of mahi was found. So the anglers broke out spinning rods to work on them. The report didn’t mention whether any were caught, but photos showed the anglers holding a number of good-sized mahi. One showed them with a sign from the tournament mentioning a 10.9-pounder, and the report said the trip missed first place, and $6,000, by 2 ounces. Though this trip fished offshore, Andrea’s Toy is usually fishing mid-range on mixed-bag trips, both open-boat and charters, for catches that can include bluefin tuna, mahi, sharks and cod, all in one outing. That fishing’s been good, and Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Another summer season in the books, John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s Web site. The fall migration of fish is coming, so now is the time to check tackle and be ready. If anglers need help with gear, stop in, and the store will help any way it can. In the surf, fluke were becoming larger, and bluefish, small to medium-sized, chased around. The night shift in the surf still looked for sharks, and sometimes banked a striped bass. In Barnegat Bay, crabbing was “a work in progress,” John said, but keepers were nabbed when crabbers were willing to work through shorts. Blowfish, snapper blues, spots and kingfish were hooked in the bay from the dock and boats, and all those fish were becoming larger. The Dock Outfitters, located on the bay, features an extensive supply of bait and tackle, a dock to fish and crab from, boat rentals for fishing and crabbing, and jet ski rentals.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

On fluke trips on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, fishing was good Friday through Monday or Labor Day weekend, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. Anglers who worked at the fishing seemed to score well. Lots of throwbacks, including just-under-sized, bit, like usual. The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

<b>Barnegat</b>

<b>***Update, Wednesday, 9/4:***</b> From an edited e-mail from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Finally! Blue water, bonita and albacore have invaded Barnegat Ridge in numbers. Running open-boat trips 12 noon to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday to Barnegat Ridge. From 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, we’ll run an open live grass shrimp trip for weakfish and a bunch of other species on ultra-light tackle. Open trips are three-person max. Monday is available for charter or open boat. We’ll see what the weather looks like as we get closer, and decide what kind of fishing seems best.”

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Three false albacore, the first reported on this site this season, and three bonito were trolled on a trip Saturday on the ocean, an angler from the outing posted in a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s Web site. The albies were surprising, he said, and all the trip’s fish were boated 4 miles southeast of Little Egg Inlet. The trip was originally going to troll for fish like bonito at Barnegat Ridge. But the anglers decided to fish closer to port, because of choppy seas. When the trip reached the grounds, two knock-downs were scored in the first hour. One was lost immediately, but the other bent over the rod, pulled drag then broke off the whole spoon, leader and sinker. Baitfish were finally marked, and the albies and bonito were caught. “Small blue and white lures did the trick,” the report said. Another trip released a thresher shark, two throwback summer flounder and an out-of-season sea bass at Little Egg Reef while flounder fishing Tuesday. The thresher was at least 8 feet long, and apparently grabbed a flounder rig. It must’ve been hooked in the corner of the mouth, the report said, or away from teeth, because it never bit off the line. The shark was fought a half-hour. “Got it next to the boat, and the captain said, no way,” the report said!  Nothing else was mentioned about fishing for flounder or anything else on the site in the past week. Previously, the site said flounder fishing was “holding steady” at Little Egg Reef, Garden State Reef South and Atlantic City Reef in 80 to 90 feet, and some flounder remained in the bay.

<b>Brigantine</b>

In the surf, catches of spots were steady, Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s Web site. Anglers waited for the fall run of striped bass in the waters. “I’m optimistically thinking they will be here by the middle of September, and we can only wait and see,” he said. Plenty of summer flounder chewed in the ocean in deeper waters. The annual Riptide Striper Derby will begin on September 13. When entrants purchase a Brigantine beach-buggy permit, the tournament will provide them another permit to drive onto the beach along the entire island, instead of only at the cove, south jetty and north end. Prizes will be $500, $300 and $150 for first, second and third prizes, respectively. Plus, a monthly $100 prize and a weekly $25 prize will be awarded. Fresh mullet began to be stocked daily.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Ocean fishing for summer flounder was good, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Trips aboard fished deeper waters for them, and the ratio of keepers was improving. The right weather, as always, was needed. Though inshore shark fishing usually drops off in early September, the angling was still great. Dusky and brown sharks, both required to be released, to 80 pounds were tackled aboard. The trips, usually within 10 miles from shore, with spinning or fly rods, are a chance to fight big fish without the long trek offshore. In offshore waters, good fishing for bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna and white marlin was had. Back near shore, croakers and weakfish, small but plentiful, schooled in 40 to 50 feet. Joe hopes the back bay’s striped bass fishing picks up, and plans to try for them tonight. Annual traveling charters will fish Montauk, New York’s, migration of large stripers, big bluefish and false albacore in mid-September to late October. If you’ve ever wanted to fish the epic run from the legendary port, Joe is going again. The migration arrives off Sea Isle City afterward. The first cold front, a harbinger of fall fishing like that, usually happens in late September. 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 was good for summer flounder on the ocean, bluefish off Cape May Point and sharks in Delaware Bay, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep</b>. 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 to be kept informed about open-boat trips.

A family trip aboard trolled a bunch of bluefish off Cape May Point then hooked fish like small croakers while bottom-fishing, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Blues 2 or 3 pounds schooled off the point and at 5-Fathom Bank. George joined a trip on a friend’s boat with a family who wanted to fish Delaware Bay. They landed small croakers and a few weakfish and kingfish near the E.P. Tower. Weather was often rough or windy in past days. No boats except maybe party boats, large vessels, seemed to fish Sunday, because of winds. But when trips could reach the ocean, plenty of summer flounder swam there, and only a few weeks are left before flounder season is closed on September 25. Farther from shore, bigeye tuna held at the canyons. George is waiting for yellowfin tuna fishing to turn on at night at the canyons like it should soon. The Heavy Hitter is sailing for all these fish, and telephone if interested.

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