Welcome to the first Offshore Report of 2013!

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Offshore trips for sharks then tuna will begin soon, Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> from Belmar said. The other captain who runs the boat competed in Jim’s Bait and Tackle in Cape May’s shark tournament two weekends ago, coming in fourth place with a mako.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

With <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, a trip steamed offshore Sunday, Capt. Ray wrote in an e-mail. He wasn’t on the trip but heard details from the boat’s owner in a satellite phone call, while the owner sailed aboard the outing. The angling was great, Ray said, and the trip departed at 3 a.m., heading for Chicken Canyon, for shark fishing, at first. On arrival, the canyon’s waters were greenish, not good-looking, and bluefish were found. So the trip continued offshore, but waters failed to look much improved. The boat was headed back to the Chicken. A blue shark was quickly landed. After a lull for two hours, a 180-pound mako shark was boated. Success! That was what the trip was after. A few reports talked about bluefin tuna in the area, but waters still didn’t look good, were green. So the trip sailed farther offshore to the 100-fathom line, maybe to prospect for yellowfin tuna. On arrival, waters were slick-calm and dead-looking. The decision was made to deep-drop for tilefish. The boat limited out on tiles in less than two hours. A few yellowfins were boated at the offshore canyons that day. Conditions now were good and becoming great to fish for makos and bluefins. Weather would probably scrub a mako charter today, Alan, the boat’s owner, wrote in an e-mail. But weather will probably straighten out overnight, allowing another charter to compete in Saturday’s Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo. The same charter aboard last weekend bagged the mako. Mako fishing looks promising, with 62- to 66-degree waters on last weekend’s trip, though waters were a little green. Plenty of forage swam for the sharks. Maybe the storm would knock cleaner waters in.  More mako trips are slated for next week. Space is available on a couple of make-up, daytime charters that will troll for tuna in coming weeks, including on Saturday, June 29. Southern canyons will probably be targeted, because great waters already held there, and tuna were already taken from them. Telephone to jump aboard. <b>***Update, Saturday, 6/15:***</b> Two mako sharks, including a 175-pounder bagged, and about a dozen blue sharks, large, were landed in only four hours of fishing on Friday’s charter, Alan wrote in an e-mail.

After a trip pounded sea bass closer to shore with <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, the charter took a ride to the Mudhole, a report on Andrea’s Toy’s Web site said last weekend. Two dozen ling were looted, and then shark fishing was tried there. But no winds drifted the boat. So the trip pushed back inshore for sea bass, picking a bunch more. Andrea’s Toy’s been fishing inshore for striped bass, blues and bottom-fish. But annual mixed-bag trips, both open-boat and charters, will soon fish the mid-shore ocean for a mix that can include sharks, bluefin tuna, cod and pollock, all in one outing. Afterward, the trips will sail all the way offshore to the canyons, fishing overnight. Catches then can include sharks, bluefins, yellowfin tuna, swordfish, mahi mahi, tilefish, cod and pollock. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag fishing for greater fun, better chances of hooking up, and more variety for dinner. Telephone to find out more about the trips.

A few reports were heard about sharks landed recently, mostly farther south and offshore, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. The fishing seemed slower to take off locally than usual, but should kick in soon. Nothing was heard about tuna recently.  But a 263-pound mako shark was boated May 18 that was the season’s first weighed in at the store, Dave from the shop said in a report on this Web site back then. The year’s first bluefin tuna was also checked in that weekend, and bluefins were decked from Lindenkohl to Baltimore canyons around then. The bluefin weighed in was trolled on a Reel Seat mini green-machine spreader bar. Afterward, the shop had little to report about sharks and tuna. But weather was challenging for trips to sail. Tilefishing’s been great for Dave on overnight party boat trips. He’s an avid tilefisher, and on one of his trips recently, he boated tiles to 32 pounds, and a 51-1/2-pounder was the trip’s biggest. Dave introduced probably the first-ever off-the-rack tilefish rod this past year. He recently hosted a tilefish trip for beginners on a party boat the he chartered. Anglers were treated to a free seminar at the store about the fishing when they paid to sail on the trip.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Not much was heard from offshore yet this season, said Justin from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. But mako sharks and blue sharks were fought at the 750 Square and the Hot Dog. A great white shark made the news, including on TV and online. The coverage said the shark circled a 28-foot boat, 30 miles southeast of Atlantic City. The anglers aboard video-taped the fish, about half the size of the vessel, or 14 feet long. The fish “scratched the boat with its teeth,” an article from ABC News said online, before disappearing back underwater. One angler said football bluefin tuna swam at the Hot Dog, Justin said. But not a lot of people seemed to fish offshore so far.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Two thresher sharks 90 inches and 73 inches were checked in during the past week at <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City, Mike said. The 73-incher bottomed-out the 220-pound scale, the store’s Facebook page said. Threshers seemed abundant, and makos caught were heard about, Mike said. So were duskies, required to be released. That was apparently closer to shore, where duskies swim. One angler reported catching under-keeper-sized bluefin tuna Wednesday. Mike thought that was at Wilmington Canyon, and other reports were heard about tuna recently. But no specifics were.

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> from Sea Isle City, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, was sure sharks roamed the inshore ocean, he said. Those are fish like browns and duskies, both required to be released, and blacktips. Though the inshore sharks are smaller than offshore species, the inshore ones are still big, and can top 100 pounds. Joe begins the inshore trips usually in late June. The first trips usually pound them, and the angling, with spinning and fly rods, is a chance to fight big fish without the long trek offshore. From offshore waters, no news was heard first-hand. But Joe knew yellowfin tuna were boated at Baltimore Canyon, though he didn’t know how good the fishing was. Joe also charters offshore sharking and tuna fishing.

<b>Hereford Inlet</b>

At the shark tournament in Cape May two weekends ago, a 260-pound mako came in first place, Fred from <b>No Bones Bait & Tackle</b> in Wildwood said. That was New Jersey’s first shark tournament of the year, and the state’s only shark tournament held so far this season. A 230-pounder came in second, and, he thought, a 178-pounder won third. A friend who competed caught so many blue sharks that he ran out of tags he was tagging them with. Lots of sharks seemed landed in the event. Speaking of sharks, a potential all-time record 1,300-pound mako was caught off California, media reported this past month.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

The shark tournament at Cape May’s South Jersey Marina was postponed to this weekend that was supposed to be held last weekend, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May. That was because of the season’s first tropical storm. But weather looked rough for offshore fishing this weekend, too. The Heavy Hitter is available for sharking and tuna fishing, if tuna are around. Anglers can telephone if interested in a tuna trip.

The season’s first open-boat tuna trip is set for Sunday, June 23, on the <b>Down Deep</b> from Cape May, Capt. Mario said. Charters are also fishing, including for sharks. Anglers can 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 trips, both inshore and offshore. Also see the site for dates for upcoming open trips.

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