<b>Perth Amboy</b>

About three weeks remain before fluke season is closed, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an e-mail. September 24 will be the final day, and fluking is very good aboard. Fifty pounds of keepers were averaged per trip, and lots of throwbacks were released. On some days, up to six fluke topped 6 pounds aboard. The fish are some of the best-eating, and charters and open-boat trips are running for them. Don’t miss out.  Reservations are being accepted for fall striped bass and blackfish charters and open trips, and weekends will book quickly. Act fast. Vitamin Sea also fishes from Staten Island. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke fishing was up and down, and on some days, keepers were caught fairly well, and on others, half as well, Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b> said. He couldn’t say they were leaving or migrating offshore, but could probably say they were getting ready, he said. “Not that waters chilled or there was a blow or anything,” he said. Plenty of porgies and croakers schooled. Bluefish were boated on some days off Sea Bright and near the Mud Buy, and weren’t on others. Ling fishing was excellent at the Mud Hole, about the only consistent fishing. “(But) there’s plenty to fish for,” Jimmy said. A few whiting were mixed in. Crabbing was very good, and all baits are stocked.

<b>***Update, Friday, 9/6:***</b> No trips will sail on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> this weekend, Capt. Tom said. The boat’s fluke fishing was on hold for a mechanical issue, and as soon as Tom knows when the trips will resume, he’ll post an update on the vessel’s Web site and record an update on its phone message. <b>***Update, Saturday, 9/7:****</b> The boat might resume fishing Sunday, Tom said, and anglers can telephone the vessel at 7:30 or 8 p.m. today, and he should have an update.

A short window could be fluke-fished at the channel in the morning on Wednesday’s trip, Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> wrote in a report on the vessel’s Web site. The boat’s drift would start to rip afterward, when outgoing tide flowed in the same direction as strong winds. Some hefty keepers were nailed on several drifts, including the 8-1/4-pound pool-winner. When the drift reached 2 ½ knots, Ron ran the boat down the ocean beach, but didn’t like the looks. So he blasted off to another place. A good pick of keepers and shorts was plucked the rest of the trip. A couple of high-hooks bagged four keepers, some bagged three and a bunch bagged two. Great day on the waters, Ron said. 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.

<b>Highlands</b>

Fishing picked away at fluke with <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> along rough bottom in deep waters with bucktails and either big strip baits or Gulps, Capt. Derek said. Some days were better than others, depending on conditions. But some sizeable fluke to 4 and 5 pounds, sometimes 8, were picked. Both chumming and jigging for bluefish was good. Bluefin tuna were cracked when boaters had the weather to reach them. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips for fluke are set for Tuesday and Wednesday. Trips will fluke though the final day of fluke season on September 24, and space is available through September 19. The rest of fluke season is booked. Telephone to climb aboard or to be kept informed about future open trips. Reservations are being accepted for striped bass trips, probably starting in October, and blackfishing afterward.

Barreling out from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Greg Hanna on the Annie-H limited out on fluke to 23 inches at Ambrose Channel and Flynn’s Knoll, Marion wrote in an e-mail. Also at Ambrose, Roy Wurst, Al Snyder and Jim and Mike Ward beaned eight keepers to 6 pounds. Leslie Wurst, fishing for the first time, with husband Ray jacked a 22-1/2-inch fluke at Ambrose. Ed and Tony on the Hammerhead smoked eight fluke to a 5-1/2-pound 26-incher on the ocean off Sandy Hook. Steve and Dan on the Good Action juked fluke to 23 inches near the range buoy. Maddy Hess out-fished husband Paul once again, Marion said, catching a 24-inch fluke at the TC buoy. These trips fished with Gulps, spearing, smelts, squid and bucktails. 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 can 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>

<b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> mostly fluke fished, and on some days, the catch was very good, and on others, was good, Capt. Ralph said. Bigger fluke were caught than before. Only three of the weekly, individual-reservation trips remain for fluke, before fluke season is closed on September 25. They’ll sail on the Tuesdays of September 10, 17 and 24. The final one, on the final day of fluke season, will sail a couple of hours longer than usual, for the same price. Kids under 12 will sail free, limited to two per adult, on the first two trips. An individual-reservation trip offshore for cod, pollock and hake is full on Monday, but space is available on another October 7. Individual-rez trips also include one for inshore wreck-fishing on September 29, after sea bass season is opened September 27, and another for blackfishing on November 16, when the bag limit will be increased to six of the tautog from the current limit of one.

<b>Belmar</b>

On the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b> on the ocean, fluke fishing was pretty good, Capt. Chris said. The fishing was tough on a couple of days, but was generally good. The fluke weighed up to 9 pounds, and included some 8-pounders. Some anglers limited out. Trips fished rough bottom, and bucktails caught best in the past, but now bait started to catch more than before. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Bluefish were caught on-and-off on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> on the ocean, Capt. Alan said. On some days, catches were very good, and on others, were a slow pick. Sometimes just a few bit, and other times they bit well a moment, not well afterward, well again, and so on. Tons of blues were always marked. The fish were there, and Alan couldn’t know whether they were spawning late or the reason they seemed not always to feed. Bluefishing usually lulls a moment in the middle of summer, and many anglers think that’s because of spawning. Looking ahead, Alan hopes the fall migration of striped bass arrives in the ocean, and trips will go after them. On the party boat <b>Royal Miss Belmar</b>, fluke fishing was slow on the ocean. Lots of out-of-season sea bass were landed and released on the trips, and sea bass season will be opened September 27.   The Miss Belmar Princess is sailing for bluefish 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays through Sundays. Both the daytime and nighttime trips sailed daily before Labor Day. The Royal Miss Belmar is fishing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon daily and 1:30 to 6 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Those morning and afternoon trips also sailed daily before Labor Day.

Another decent day of fishing for blues, big ones to 19 pounds, today on the ocean on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s Web site said. “The fishing readings were unbelievable,” it said, and shots of three to eight of the slammers were able to be hooked at a time. Catches were similar in previous days, and sometimes shots of the big fish were slammed, and other times the bruisers were picked, and sometimes 3- to 5-pounders were caught. Compared with the number of blues read on each trip, lots more should’ve been creamed. But the angling was decent to good.  The Golden Eagle is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Thursdays through Sundays.

For <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, fluke fishing on the ocean wasn’t the best the past couple of days, and was tough on Wednesday, Capt. Pete said. But the fluke that were bagged were sizeable, and fluke remained in the waters. Catching was a matter of fishing the right areas and getting the right conditions. On Wednesday’s trip, the boat drifted fast for fluking farther from shore. So the trip pushed somewhat closer. A bunch of bluefish popped up, and the anglers wanted them, so they jigged a bunch of the 2- to 4-pounders. Water temperatures dropped to 70 degrees, because of southerly winds. But that wasn’t a lot lower than before. Lots of out-of-season sea bass bit and were released during the fluking, and sea bass season will be opened September 27. Sea bass, porgies and blackfish will be able to be scooped up then, and trips will chase striped bass in fall when they arrive. Parker Pete’s sails 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.

Shark River lit up with fluke the last few days, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an e-mail. Many keepers were bailed, and Marty Westerfield, Wall, limited out on them to 4 pounds. Bob and Deb Smith, Nutley, totaled nine, and good numbers were reported from more boats. “I don’t pretend to be an expert on fluke behavior,” Bob said, but the fish seemed to feed up to prepare to exit to the ocean. If that was the case, he figured, surf anglers should start to latch into more keepers than before. Reports came in about small numbers of mullet that began to migrate Belmar’s surf. “This is a good sign for the (striped) bass anglers, waiting since the spring,” he said. “The kingfish and croakers are keeping the worm soakers busy. Fall is so close, you can smell it in the air.” Amen.

<b>Brielle</b>

Here’s a report posted Wednesday as an update that’s being re-posted in case readers missed it: 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.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Weather was iffy, Capt. Fred from <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> said, to sail to the mid-shore or offshore ocean. But when trips can run, charters and open-boats are fishing for a mix of catches that can include bluefin tuna, mahi mahi and cod, all in one outing, mid-shore. Bluefin fishing slowed a little, but the trip’s catches were good. Yellowfin tuna, mahi, sharks and more are some of the catches that can be made offshore. The mid-shore angling was best, and anglers hoped the offshore fishing picks up like it should, but were already telephoning about offshore. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up, and more variety for dinner. Telephone if interested. 

<b>Toms River</b>

Surf fishing for striped bass slowly started to pick up, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. The waters dipped to 66 degrees, and a friend popper-plugged a throwback striper here and there at night. Surf casters fishing bait slowly banked more and more, not many. Not a lot of bait swam the waters. A few sand eels and spearing and a stray bunker did. In another week, mullet should begin to enter the surf from bays. When they migrate there, surf fishing will improve instantly. Probably in two weeks the fishing will amp up. Some fluke bit in the surf, and boating for fluke was good in the ocean in 50 to 60 feet. Closer to the shop, snapper blues, crabs, eels and spots held in Toms River at Island Heights. Crabbing slowed, apparently because of the  new moon, triggering crabs to mate. Lots of females skittered around. Farther upstream at Huddy Park, snappers and occasionally larger, 1- to 1-1/2-pound blues were hooked. The bigger blues were caught on livelined peanut bunker or killies, because so many baitfish schooled. Small stripers were occasionally played at Huddy. A similar mix of catches like snappers, crabs, eels and spots gathered in Barnegat Bay along Route 37 Bridge and Good Luck Point. Along the bridge, lots of peanut bunker schooled, and token 1- to 1-1/2-pound blues popped up, like at Huddy. Farther south on the bay, blowfish remained near the BI and BB markers, but fishing for them slowed, compared with before. Other catches like kingfish, fluke and spots hit in the mix. Bluefishing was a little better in Barnegat Inlet, on metal, bait or Snapper Zappers. An oddball blackfish was socked along the inlet rocks, and the tautog hung there, but waters were warm for them to bite.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Surf casters could ease in fluke, like usual, if they worked for them, said Mario from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. Bucktails or other jigs with teasers and Gulps on the hooks will bank them. Lots of small snapper blues, becoming larger, tumbled the surf, and brown sharks, required to be let go, were bunker-chunked from the surf at night. Anglers waited for mullet to migrate the surf. On Barnegat Bay, crabbing was great for rental boaters, “if you find a spot,” Mario said. Lots of snappers could be pasted from the dock on Snapper Zappers under bobbers. Lots of spots milled around the dock. A few cownosed rays took off with baits along the dock. “Pretty wild,” Mario said. 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. Baits stocked currently include fresh bunker, fresh clams and assorted frozen baits for every catch.

<b>Forked River</b>

Barnegat Bay’s fluke fishing kind of slowed, Jana from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b> said. But okay catches were boated at Double Creek and Oyster Creek channels toward incoming high tides. Lots of fluke were reported snatched from Barnegat Inlet. Blowfish were still zapped from the bay in 4- and 5-foot shallows, it seemed. The tide needed to be moving for catches, and boaters anchored, chummed with clam and fished with small pieces of clam or squid for the puffers. Weakfish were reported in the mix with the blows, and the bay’s kingfishing really dropped off, though lots were mixed with the blowfish previously. Weaks were lifted from Oyster Creek, the outflow or warm-water discharge from Forked River power plant, and croakers lived there. Snapper blues schooled the bay, and crabbing was very good, but more in the marshes than in the bay, and better toward Bayville than south of there. Gary or Grizz trapped 25 or 30 per day when potting killies for the store.  Baits stocked include killies and fresh spearing.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 9/6:***</b> “Okay fishing today,” a post said Thursday on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>’s Facebook page. “Need more keepers and less shorts,” it said. The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

Fluke, good catches, were boated from the ocean, but the summer flounder were still clutched from Barnegat Bay, said Vince Sr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. A fair population of weakfish got whacked from the bay, mostly on pink Fin-S Fish, because live grass shrimp stopped being stocked for the season. Some bluefish and plenty of blowfish were rounded up from the bay. Blackfish, including a couple docked today, were sometimes rustled-up from along Barnegat Inlet’s jetties. Also on the bay, crabbing was okay, not great, but clamming was very good. Bobbie’s includes a bait and tackle store, a fuel dock, boat rentals for fishing, crabbing or clamming on the bay, and kayak rentals, and is known for a large bait selection. Baits stocked include live spots, killies and green crabs. 

<b>Barnegat</b>

The following was posted Wednesday as an update and is being posted again in case anyone missed it. 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. (today) 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>***Update, Saturday, 9/7:***</b> From an edited e-mail from Dave: “Clobbered the bonita (Thursday) at Barnegat Ridge. Good-sized ones, 3- to 5-pound fish. We trolled 20 bonita and two albacore. All on 20-class conventionals and 10-pound spinning rods. Cedar plugs, feathers and daisy chains were all producing, in every position: flat-lines in tight to the prop wash, as well as way backs. I had my guys hold the light spinning rods with feathers right behind the motors, and they were getting crushed. The ratio of bonita is heavily favored to just a few albacore, which makes for some nice Ziplocks of these delicious fish. You can prepare bonita the same way you eat tuna. The false albacore are not good table fare, but are great sport on light tackle. The confusion about which species is which, and what one is good to eat, comes from the South. Somewhere around the Carolinas and farther south, they call false albacore, bonito. The bay is still giving up a good amount of all different sized weakfish as well as the assorted mixed bag. I’m booked through Sunday, but I’m offering two trips on Monday. From 6 a.m. to 12 noon we’ll sail open-boat to Barnegat Ridge. Then from 1 to 6 p.m. in the bay with the live grass shrimp for weakfish and more. Three people per trip max. All fish are shared.  If the ocean is too rough for the ridge in the morning, we’ll fish the bay. Conversely, if it’s calm all day, we can run the afternoon trip out offshore, as well. It’s a flexible float plan, and we’re always ready to roll with the best option, depending on sea conditions. If you want to charter either of these slots or any other day, you can.”

<b>Mystic Island</b>

<b>***Update, Friday, 9/6:***</b> Some fantastic summer flounder fishing was boated at ocean reefs, said Scott from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Little Egg Reef and Garden State Reef South were the ones customers talked about, and 55 to 65 feet was the depth. Anglers were fortunate to get weather possible for boating there and an extension of the fluke season. A 9-pounder was the biggest weighed-in, and 5- to 7-pounders were claimed, and two-angler trips that limited out weren’t uncommon. No flounder except throwbacks swam the bay, really. No keepers were heard about in the last couple of weeks. Croakers and snapper blues swam the mouth of Mullica River. The mix of small fish like blowfish, porgies, kingfish, croakers and snappers never gave up a fishery this summer like they do sometimes. Any blowfish seemed to swim somewhat farther north, not in Great Bay. Surely blackfish hugged the banks of the bay near the Fish Factory, and a couple of customers bought green crabs for bait for blackfish, but nobody mentioned results. White perch fishing was probably super in brackish rivers like the Mullica, because it usually is this time of year, but nobody talked about them. Crabbing slowed, but maybe would give up a shot of catches after the current new moon. Fresh, shucked clams, minnows, bloodworms and green crabs are stocked. No spearing are available.   

<b>Absecon</b>

A few summer flounder surely blanketed the back bay, but trips on the ocean were heard about that cleaned up on good catches, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Still, a trip with him bagged a 3-pound flounder from the mouth of Mullica River. Lots of panfish like big spots, croakers and occasional kingfish hovered the bay. A few snapper blues were around in the waters, and nothing was heard about striped bass, but Curt assumed stripers bit mostly at night in the bay. Good weakfishing was heard about from farther south at Ocean City and Somers Point in the bay. Weaks and black drum came from the mouth of the Mullica, and a 7-pound drum was weighed in from there. Curt’s trip to the mouth, when the flounder was taken, tried for weakfish, catching none, but reeled in croakers, big spots and white perch. The fishing took work, but a good cooler was socked. Blackfish snapped in the ocean and surely in the bay along structure like rocks and bridges. Green crabs were no longer stocked for the tautog bait, because of demand in the one-fish bag limit, and because the crabs were difficult to keep alive in summer warmth. The bag limit will be increased to six on November 16. Crabbing was probably mediocre to decent, Curt said. “I wouldn’t say great,” he said. Live spots, mullet, peanut bunker, eels and shedder crabs are stocked. So are soft-shell crabs for eating. Catch the shop’s <a href="http://www.abseconbay.com/striperseasonkickoffsale.html" target="_blank">Striper Season Kick Off Sale</a>, featuring 25 percent off nearly all fishing tackle, crabbing gear and marine supplies, from Friday through Sunday, September 15.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Spots and snapper blues were yanked from the surf, and kingfishing was good in the surf Wednesday, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. A couple of customers beached eight to 10 kings apiece that day. The annual Riptide Striper Derby, a surf-fishing tournament for Brigantine, will begin on Friday, September 13. When entrants purchase a Brigantine beach-buggy permit, the tournament will provide another permit to drive onto the beach along the entire island, instead of only at the cove, south jetty and north end. That driving is allowed starting on the opening day of the tournament, but anglers can already enter the contest. 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.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Anglers on foot piled up kingfish by bucket-loads from Absecon Inlet, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. The fishing was on, and spots, croakers, summer flounder and blues were tackled from the inlet. The flounder included good-sized, but anglers had to work through small ones for them. Straggler striped bass and weakfish were tucked-in from the inlet at night. The inlet, located near the shop, is lined with fish-attracting jetties. Fresh mullet is stocked. Baits also include minnows, green crabs, fresh clams, bloodworms and frozen sand eels, herring, head-on shrimp, spearing, a large variety of squids and more. An outside vending machine was installed, so anglers can buy bait during after-hours. The baits are frozen clams, squid, head-on shrimp and filleted mackerel. Quantum 7-foot rod-and-reel outfits with line are on sale for $60 for two. Topless, stackable, galvanized, American-made crab traps are on special for $10, and are regularly $13. Pyramid-shaped crab traps are $7.99, originally $10. One Stop’s second store, located at Gardner’s Basin at 800 North New Hampshire Avenue, is also open.

<b>Margate</b>

Back-bay summer flounder fishing bagged a few keepers each trip on the party boat <b>Keeper</b>, Capt. John said. The angling was slower than previously, but that was typical. The fish start to scoot out to the ocean to spend winter. But they remained in the bay, just fewer than before. The flounder jumped on minnows more than other baits, including Gulps that typically worked great. John still recommends that anglers bring Gulps. Minnows and mackerel are supplied aboard. Plenty of baby sea bass bit, but not a gazillion like before. Sea robins chomped. The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder 8 a.m. to 12 noon daily and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays. That’s different than the twice-daily schedule before Labor Day. 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>

Lots of small fish like spots brimmed the back bay, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Bluefish there grew to almost snapper size, a little larger than before. A few flounder remained in the bay, and a few weakfish were heard about from the waters, mostly taken at night. A few more small striped bass than before started to nip in the bay in evenings and mornings and at night. In the surf, a similar population of small fish like spots, a few kingfish and occasional flounder were toggled in. Not much was heard about brown sharks, required to be released, from the surf, and water temperatures dropped, but fewer customers gave feedback than before Labor Day. “What a difference a week makes,” Ed said. Inlets harbored a few flounder, but reports sounded like flounder really pushed to the ocean in the past week. Atlantic City Reef was the hot spot talked about, but weather was rough until Tuesday for boaters to reach the ocean. Still, fishing for flounder, including good-sized, was good in the ocean. Great numbers of sea bass, out-of-season, carpeted reefs. The season will be opened September 27.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

More kingfish than before schooled the surf, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. But lots of spots still did, and kings were mixed in. Brown sharks, required to be released, were landed from the surf. More bluefish, a couple of pounds, swam around the island than previously, showing up in the surf, inlets, back bay and ocean. Boaters ran into them while hopping to different summer flounder spots. Flounder fishing was good in the ocean, and the fish were more spread than previously. Though they still bit on the reefs, now they were spread at usual humps, lumps and places they’re typically caught in the ocean. Striped bass were sometimes popper-plugged in the bay in evenings. Not much was heard about offshore fishing for tuna or other big game, but Mike waited to hear about one of the trips that sailed today. 

Ocean summer flounder fishing is about as good as it gets, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. On a trip today with Doug Gillespie, the angling was basically drop-and-reel for 4 hours. Awesome, Joe said. Many were throwbacks. “Guess that’s par for the course,” he said. But several were keepers to 20 inches. If the size limit were like the old days, “we would’ve sunk the boat.” Joe said. “If this were the good old days,” he said. “Well, it is the good old days.” Tons of bluefish also showed up lately, and the trip jigged a bunch of 2- and 3-pounders, before heading for flounder farther from shore. The blues were caught on every cast a while. Gillespie also jumped aboard Tuesday evening, also jigging the blues, pretty much non-stop. Then he moved to the back bay at sunset, catching and releasing a 25-inch striped bass on a Rapala Skitterpop along the flats. That was a good sign for the fishing, and Joe hopes to keep after the bass. Joe on a fun trip with his family on Wednesday evening jigged 2- to 3-pound blues non-stop on the ocean. The angling would’ve been great for fly-rodding, too. Trips aboard also fly-rod for the stripers. Joe was winding down his inshore shark trips for the season, but the fish were still around. Annual traveling charters to Montauk, fishing the migration of large striped bass, big blues, and false albacore, will sail aboard later this month and in early October. If you ever wanted to experience the run from the legendary port, Joe is going.  Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

From <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>, crabbing improved a little on the back bay, Mike, not the owner Mike, but an employee, said. One rental-boat trip trapped four-dozen keepers and landed small summer flounder, small striped bass and some weakfish. All those fish seemed in the bay, and many of the big flounder seemed to move to the ocean, but flounder swam the bay. Snapper blues, small, were around, including a bunch in the canal. Canal Side rents boats for fishing and crabbing on the bay. <b>***<i>GET $5 OFF A RENTAL</i>***</b> by mentioning Fishing Reports Now when renting. 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, when available, are sold at market prices. Mike the employee wasn’t asked the prices this week, but Mike the owner for last week’s report said prices were $26 per dozen for No. 1’s and $14 per dozen for No. 2’s. The crabs can be steamed to order, fresh as can be, and prices that week were $30 for No. 1’s and $18 for No. 2’s. The crabs might not be carried much longer, because commercial crabbers weren’t trapping them well, the owner said last week. They might pull the pots for the season before long, he thought.

Lots of small fish like croakers, spots, baby sea bass and small sharks flooded the back bay, said Fred from <b>No Bones Bait & Tackle</b>. Summer flounder swam the bay, but getting a hook past those small fish was difficult. A rental-boat trip Sunday landed one keeper flounder and about eight throwbacks. Bluefish 8 inches swam the bay, and they’d normally be a foot by this time of year. Fishing seemed to run late this year. But flounder fishing was good in the ocean at all the reefs and at deep-water wrecks for about 2 ½ weeks. Usually, that angling would kick in five or six weeks ago. Someone from a party boat crew said more flounder were decked in the past week aboard the ocean than all season. A buddy tried for kingfish at Hereford Inlet, but couldn’t fish through the small fish, like croakers and spots, like in the bay. The surf held the same mix of fish. In about a month, peanut bunker and mullet will fill the surf, coming from the bay. That will begin to trigger surf fishing for catches like bigger striped bass and larger blues. Peanuts schooled the bay, and so did mullet, but only pods of like 12 or 14 mullet. That population should build, and would usually be larger by now.  Lots of small stripers schooled the bay. Large bags of clam bellies will begin to be stocked probably toward the end of the month for striper fishing in the bay. Fishing for larger stripers can turn on in the bay in fall, and that’s one of the fisheries that locals await. Live spots and minnows and frozen baits are stocked. Rental boats are available to fish and crab on the bay. But crabbing became even slower than before.

<b>Cape May</b>

Summer flounder fishing on the ocean gave up limits for some anglers, and somewhat bigger fish than before, and the angling was good the past several days, on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. The fish should stick around a while, unless severe weather rolls in. Areas fished, like Cape May Reef that the boat fished in past days, might get “cleaned out,” Paul said, or the fishing might slow at a location like that, because of fishing pressure. But then trips should be able to search elsewhere for more of the fish. “South Philly” Joe Laino bagged three flounder to 8 ½ pounds on Wednesday’s trip. Al Bednarik from Philly bagged four to 7 ½ pounds on Tuesday’s. Anglers with limits in past days included Charlie Durkin from Ridley Park, Pa., Al Pavlichko from Seaville and Terry Sullivan from Meadowbrook, Pa. His fish weighed up to a 5-pounder that tied him for the pool with Mike Wolfe from Philly, who bagged four, including a 5-pounder. The Porgy IV is sailing for summer flounder at 8 a.m. daily.

An open-boat trip for summer flounder was sailing today and another will run Friday on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Mario said. The fishing’s been good on the ocean, and so was angling for bluefish off Cape May Point and sharks on Delaware Bay. 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.

The ocean’s summer flounder fishing was good, if anglers want them before flounder season is closed soon, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. The season will be closed September 25, and bluefish could be axed off Cape May Point aboard. The fall migration of striped bass usually arrives in late October, and anglers started telephoning for the trips. They’re being booked.

The surf shoveled up good fishing for spots, kingfish and croakers, and a few weakfish, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Sounded like a few small striped bass started to bite in the surf. More and more bluefish began to school at Cape May Point and off inlets. Summer flounder were plumbed from the back bay, and fishing for them was excellent at ocean reefs. But an angler this morning bagged four flounder to 20 inches in the bay along the Intracoastal Waterway. Sharks were the only catches heard about from Delaware Bay. Plenty of bait including peanut bunker, mullet and spearing schooled back waters.  Nick joined a daytime trolling trip to Wilmington Canyon offshore this past week that boxed a few mahi mahi, raised a couple of white marlin and saw a couple of tuna. White marlin seemed abundant, and bait filled waters. Good trip, he said. Fresh clams, minnows, bloodworms and all frozen baits are stocked.  

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