<b>Staten Island</b>

Fishing for sea bass cranked in good catches, and ling mixed in, on Saturday in the morning with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. But when outgoing tide started running hard, the fish no longer hit, maybe because of freshwater from the previous rain. The trip fished the ocean in 40 to 75 feet, looking all around, once the angling dropped off. The ocean was 66 degrees, and Raritan Bay was about the same or 66 to 68. No striped bass were read when the trip traveled the bay to reach the ocean. But bluefish were marked in the bay. Another bottom-fishing trip is set for Wednesday aboard. Sea bass trips are currently sailing from Sewaren, N.J., to take advantage of Jersey’s bag limit. Outcast always offers trips from either the New Jersey port or Staten Island, N.Y.

<b>Keyport</b>

The six anglers limited out on fluke, crushed the fish to 7 pounds, on Sunday on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. “We are on the fluke,” he said.  A trip Saturday also bailed them, “all by ourselves,” he said. The fluking now is a bucktail angler’s “heaven,” he said. Charters are fishing, and open-boat trips are set for Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Telephone to jump aboard and for the open schedule. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

A bluefish trip Saturday plowed good, steady action on the fish to 10 pounds on Raritan Bay with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. A trip for blues Sunday aboard creamed a pick of the fish on the bay, and both trips fished with bunker chunks. Two spaces are available on an open-boat trip for fluke Tuesday morning. Open trips are available twice daily, for fluke from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and for blues from 4 to 9 p.m., when no charter is booked. Call to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke were grabbed aboard every day, and some were sizeable, like 4-1/2- and 5-pounders on Sunday, but just not enough fluke bit, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Trips fished Raritan Bay in past days, and didn’t find many fluke in the ocean recently, though an equal number bit in the bay and ocean before. The ocean was often rough in winds in the past week. Saturday afternoon became very windy on the bay, and the boat’s fluking was tough, apparently because of the conditions. A few of the fish were tugged in during the morning’s trip. Sometimes throwbacks gave up action on trips, but even the short action wasn’t as good lately as time would like. A keeper would be bagged here and there, and Tom would try drifting the area again. Sometimes that didn’t produce, and the boat would be moved. But trips are working at the fishing, twice daily. Whether one bait or type of tackle caught better than another couldn’t be determined. Sometimes killies that anglers brought were an advantage, and customers might want to buy some at a tackle shop to bring. Spearing are provided aboard. Sometimes customers fished a Spro alone. Sometimes they fished a Spro with a trailer above with a killie or a Gulp. Sometimes customers who fished rental rods with spearing caught. The fish bit a little of everything. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m.

<b>Neptune</b>

With <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Paul Carpinellar’s group on Friday pasted striped bass, trophies to 35 pounds, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. On Saturday, a morning trip with the Mercer County Anglers and an afternoon trip with Butch Furrow’s crew both scooped up sea bass and ling, great catches. Space is available for an individual-reservation trip for cod on Thursday.  Individual-reservation trips every Tuesday are targeting sea bass and ling this month, and will target fluke starting in July. Two spaces were available this Tuesday, and book those trips early to ensure a spot. Kids under 12 sail free on the Tuesday trips, limited to two per adult host. Charters are available.

<b>Belmar</b>

The wind cranked, but wasn’t forecast to, on a trip Sunday on the <b>Katie H</b>, Capt. Mike said. The conditions were tough for fishing, but the trip bagged a 30-pound striped bass and managed some sea bass and fluke on the ocean. First, the trip livelined bunker for stripers, and plenty of bunker schooled, but no stripers bit. Then the trip fluked to the north, reeling up a few keepers and probably 50 throwbacks. The boat was pushed farther offshore from there, and the anglers sea bassed. The boat drifted too quickly at 1 ½ knots, but some sea bass were swung in. The anglers fluked again, and results were similar to previously: a bunch of throwbacks, not as many keepers, bit. Then the anglers trolled for stripers, nailing a 30-pounder. Anglers need to put in time to catch stripers. But the bass were around, and Mike was glad to see. He knew about stripers larger than 40 inches taken. Coming up, the Katie H will compete in the Mako Mania tournament this weekend. Once trips get through shark fishing next, Mike looks forward to scoping out tuna fishing. Tuna were already slugged at Hudson Canyon, and a friend’s trip there landed six tuna among 12 knock downs last week. The tuna at the canyon were mostly yellowfins 20 to 40 pounds. Mike hopes bluefin tuna show up closer to shore soon like recent years. Some charters already booked dates for the bluefin fishing aboard.    Check the <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-H-Sportfishing/1427151167547528
" target="_blank">Katie H’s new Facebook page</a>.  The 46-foot boat features speed and all the amenities.

Striped bass fishing on the ocean was weathered out Wednesday with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. Conditions weren’t the best for the fishing on a trip Thursday, but big stripers to 38 pounds were smoked on the outing. Two trips fished for the bass Saturday, and the angling was tough on the one earlier in the day. On the second trip, the wind screamed in the evening, and just a couple of stripers were decked. The boat drift made livelining bunker for bait difficult. Aboard Sunday morning, the striper fishing was tough. But some boats trolled the fish, and livelining was better in afternoons lately. Parker Pete’s is also sea bass fishing. Bluefishing is also available, and caught well on some days, not on others, among the fleet. Stripers and blues were moving quickly, in and out. Bluefish will probably spawn soon, maybe in two weeks, and fishing for them usually slows a moment then. Parker Pete’s will focus on fluke once striper fishing is finished on the boat. Fluke catches were currently picking up on the ocean when conditions were right. Plenty of dates are available for fluking aboard in July and August, and anglers should book as soon as they can, because the trips are filling up. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Jump on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to subscribe to the emailed newsletter to be kept informed about last-minute, individual spaces available to fill in charters. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page.

Three 30-pound striped bass were cracked off the bat on Sunday’s trip on jigs on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s website said. That was an exciting way to begin, and several other stripers were missed, all on jigs. But striper fishing’s been best in afternoons and evenings, and a special trip has been slated for 3:30 p.m. Thursday aboard that will liveline bunker for the fish, limited to 20 anglers. Reservations are required, and only a few spots remain. On the rest of Sunday’s trip, the fishing stuck with stripers most of the morning. Bluefish were picked, on Run Off hammered jigs, Krocodiles and popper lures, the rest of the outing.  On Saturday’s trip, after fishing was weathered out because of winds on previous days, blues were picked, but anglers really had to work for them. A couple of 30- to 35-pound stripers were also clobbered. Run Off hammered jigs and Krocs hooked all the fish. The Golden Eagle is fishing twice daily at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 6/17:***</b> Shark River’s fluke fishing was good, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Enough keepers bit to keep a lot of interest, and throwbacks gave up plenty of action. Sallie Balog from Tarentum, Pa., sacked a 4-pound 8-ouncer from one of the store’s rental boats on the river. Belmar’s party boats knocked around good catches of fluke, some of them topping 7 pounds, on the ocean during the weekend. Bill Renner from Belmar in the town’s surf clammed three striped to 33 inches. Charles Wardell from Wall’s trip boated four stripers, all larger than 30 pounds, keeping a 33-pounder, releasing the rest, on the ocean off Long Branch on Monday. Joe Tomaszewski, Darren Stiles and Joe Tilton on the Tuna Tales, Joe’s boat, pumped in 14 cod to 34 pounds and eight blue sharks.

<b>Brielle</b>

Manasquan River’s fluke fishing wasn’t too bad, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The ocean’s fluking wasn’t too good, and seemed a lot better in northern Monmouth County. Also in the river, small striped bass were around, and nothing was heard about hickory shad from the river, but a few probably swam the waters. Not hot and heavy, Dave guessed. Striper fishing on the ocean wasn’t good, and trolling seemed best for catching them. But not many were found in the bunch of bunker that schooled. Abundant thresher sharks chased the bunker. Not many stripers were yanked from the surf at all, and not many bluefish were around anywhere locally. They seemed to disappear. Sea bass fishing wasn’t bad on the ocean. Trips didn’t always limit out, but they bagged the fish. Ling fishing was improving, after the angling slowed previously. Lots of mako sharks were fought during the weekend, many of them within 25 miles from shore. Tuna fishing was good at Hudson Canyon early last week. Dave wasn’t asked if weather was the reason the catches were heard about last then. But seas became rough in winds afterward. Mostly yellowfin tuna were boated, on the usual trolled spreader bars and ballyhoos. But a few bluefin tuna and sometimes bigeye tuna were trolled. The shop is packed with new products, and stop by to see. Capt. Jim Freda will give the store’s next free seminar, on bluefin tuna fishing, at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26. Capt. Chris Hueth from the party boat Big Mohawk, Belmar, will give one of the seminars on bucktailing for fluke, and the date will be announced.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Tuna fishing was cancelled Sunday with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b>, because of forecasts for strong wind, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. But tuna and the water that holds them are at the canyons, and the crew is trying to put together an individual-reservation trip this week for the fishing, if enough anglers are interested. The last trip for tuna aboard whaled yellowfin tuna and a 250-pound bigeye tuna, covered in a previous report. Other <a href=" http://reports.mushinsportfishing.com/
" target="_blank">individual-reservation tuna trips</a> are posted on Mushin’s website in the reports section, and are beginning to fill. Telephone or check Mushin’s website to lock in a trip. Charters are also available for both offshore and inshore fishing. An inshore trip on Friday bottom-fished. Conditions were difficult for the angling at first, and fish were marked, but wouldn’t bite. After some effort, a place was found where the fish chewed. Sea bass and ling were poured into the fish box. An inshore trip on Saturday sailed for a combo of sea bass and striped bass. At first, lots of sea bass were marked at wrecks to the south, but the fish were picky. The trip moved to “a secret, no-name wreck,” Alan said, and sea bass were stacked 18 to 20 feet off bottom. Sea bass were boated fast and furious, drop and reel, and ling were added to the catch. When enough bottom-fish filled the cooler, the trip fished for stripers. The bass to 38 pounds, the angler’s personal best, were trolled in 45- to 55-foot depths off Island Beach State Park on bunker spoons. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness. The crew pride themselves on sharing the concept on outdoor adventures. 

For anglers on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, fluke fishing was a little tough during the weekend, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. A handful of keepers and throwbacks bit on most of the trips, but the angling somewhat improved on Sunday afternoon’s. Each drift picked up one or two keepers and some shorts then. More of the fish should be slapped aboard as the ocean warms. A healthy current on Saturday might’ve slowed the angling that day. But an 8-pound fluke was zapped on the morning trip, taking the lead in the monthly pool. On nighttime trips, bluefishing was similar, and Saturday night was tougher, but Sunday night was somewhat better. Some 7- to 10-pound blues were eased in, and lots of bait schooled, so Matt hopes bluefish “school up” better in the next nights. The Norma-K III is fluke fishing twice daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. and is bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Surf anglers banked striped bass, blues and fluke, John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website. Talk said weakfish were dragged from the surf, but none was seen at the cleaning table yet. Some customers took advantage of the new regs that allow shore anglers at Island Beach State Park to bag two fluke as small as 16 inches through September 27. That’s compared with the minimum 18-inch size in the rest of the state, and the smaller fluke need to be tagged at a check-in station, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, a mile south of the gate. Ocean boaters drilled large stripers on both livelined bunker snagged for bait and trolled bunker spoons. Mixed-sized bluefish roamed Barnegat Bay. Good crabbing was trapped from the dock and the shop’s rental boats. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, boat and jet ski rentals, a café and a dock for fishing and crabbing.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

The party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b> on Saturday bluefished “off our inlet a ways,” a report on the vessel’s website said. “We saw more fish than we caught,” it said, but the blues belted aboard weighed 6 to 10 pounds, were sizeable. No report was posted since, at press time, but the vessel was also slated to bluefish on Sunday. The Miss Barnegat Light is now sailing for bluefish at 8 a.m. daily, after fishing for them on weekends previously.

Bottom-fishing was decent, okay, able to put a catch together, said Capt. Ted from the <b>Super Chic</b>. Ling and sea bass to 3 pounds were iced, and a trip aboard bottom-fished Saturday, and Ted also knew about the angling on other boats. Bluefishing was a little challenging. No blues bit on a trip Saturday night on the boat. But some blues were beaten on a trip Sunday during the day aboard. More bluefish trips are slated for Friday during the day and Friday night, and Ted hopes the ocean temperature climbs back up. The temp dropped 3 degrees, a lot, from the blow Saturday night. It dipped to 63 ½ to 65 degrees, after it was previously 67. Space is available on an open-boat, overnight tilefish trip offshore Saturday to Sunday, July 5 to 6. Not many striped bass were caught locally during the weekend. Results didn’t sound good in a striper shootout Saturday. No substantial fluke catches were heard about from the ocean yet this season. But fluke were picked from the bay, and slime grass might’ve started to disappear. A friend put together a decent catch of fluke in the bay near Tuckerton.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Lots of summer flounder were weighed-in Saturday, a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s website said. A 9.7-pounder was biggest, and an angler posted a report on the site about a trip that tugged aboard a 5-pound 11-ounce flounder and lots of throwbacks near the Intracoastal Waterway that day. Another angler posted a report about a trip Sunday that bonked a 24-inch flounder off the Fish Factory. Something big was also fought on that trip that broke off 30-pound line.

<b>Brigantine</b>

One angler bought the store’s fresh bunker on Saturday morning, headed to the surf, and returned a half-hour later with a 17-pound striped bass, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s website said. Another angler checked-in a 15-pound striper hooked from the surf that day on the store’s fresh clams, and saw an angler next to him beach a striper. Jumbo minnows and fresh bunker and clams were stocked.

<b>Longport</b>

On the <b>Stray Cat</b> during the weekend, a trip to Wilmington Canyon couldn’t tilefish that planned to fish for tuna and tiles, because of wind too strong for the deep-dropping while drifting, Capt. Mike said. But fishing for yellowfin tuna was good just south of the Alligator Bite, between the Wilmington and Baltimore Canyon. The tuna were trolled aboard in 70.2- to 70.5-degree water on Sea Witches, and big mahi mahi to 16 and 20 pounds were also trolled. The offshore waters ranged 69 to 71 degrees on the trip. Seas were rough, but the ocean looked gorgeous, and was full of life. The life, including bait, was all at the east wall. No life was seen at the west wall. The tuna were full of 6- and 8-inch bonito.  Tuna fishing seems to be shaping up well, and Mike will try to put together open-boat trips for tuna that will depart at 12 a.m. on the Sundays of July 20 and 27 for six anglers per trip. Telephone to reserve. A shark trip aboard a few days ago landed nine blue and brown sharks, a lot of action, at the Cigar. The water teemed with life just offshore of the Cigar. The ocean’s been full of life from 35 miles from shore to farther out. Birds have worked bait along the surface, and whales and porpoises have swum.  Sharking aboard includes special night trips this year from 6:30 to 11:30, a 5-hour outing, if anglers want to shark after work.  Closer to shore, sea bass fishing remains good aboard, and open-boat trips are sailing daily for sea bass when no charter is booked. Call to jump on, and open trips sail with even one angler. At some wrecks, sea bassing is a struggle, and other wrecks are loaded with the fish. Ling are also getting boxed on the trips. Trips are fishing four to six places for sea bass, and one or two are loaded and make the day. Sea robins are thick in the ocean, and that means summer flounder fishing should take off soon. No flounder bit yet on trips aboard, but plenty should by the Fourth of July. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 6/17:***</b> Summer flounder began to bite at Ocean City Reef on Monday’s trip, Mike wrote in an email. “Nice fish,” he said, and the open trips for sea bass will begin drifting for flounder, too. “Summer is here(!),” he wrote.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Catches of sea bass and ling were a little slow Saturday on the party boat <b>Captain Robbins</b>, Capt. Victor said. Not really good, he added, but the bottom-fishing was much better on a trip aboard Sunday. Lots of ling, sea bass and conger eels were among the catch, and a 21-inch sea bass won the pool. The Captain Robbins is now switching to fishing on two trips daily from Sundays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. for sea bass and summer flounder, and one trip for the fish 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Saturday. One trip sailed daily for sea bass previously. The <b>Miss Ocean City</b>, the company’s other party boat, will start fishing for summer flounder daily on the back bay around June 24.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The year’s first inshore shark trip sailed this weekend aboard, and pounded the catches, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Phenomenal, he said, and Jim Kerr and son and daughter were the anglers. They fought and released 20 dusky and blacktip sharks 60 to 100 pounds. One, a 70-pounder, was fly-rodded and released, on an orange chum fly, and the rest were spin-rodded on mackerel fillets. Joe was surprised to see the blacktips, because the water was cool for them or 66 degrees. The blacktips were big, too. In fact, the trip was earlier in the year than the sharking usually picks up. But the sharks were in, and even more could’ve been fought. Spectacular, Joe said. The trips, usually within 10 miles from shore, are a chance to fight big fish without the long trek offshore. Joe and family who visited fished the back bay a short time on Saturday, reeling in the fluke to 4 pounds. The full moon’s spring tides and strong, westerly winds were good for the bay’s angling, flushing and cleaning out waters. Bays can become stagnant without events like that periodically. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

In the westerly wind, Capt. Jim from <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b> opted to fish the ocean close to shore during the weekend, instead of testing Delaware Bay for summer flounder, he said. Strong wind from that direction roughs up the bay on the New Jersey side, but land protects the ocean close to shore in westerlies. The fishing plucked bluefish and kingfish from the shallows on bloodworms. That’s always something to fish for when the wind is an issue. A couple of small summer flounder were also caught and released. The ocean clarity was gorgeous, and Jim just booked two trips to fish the mid-shore ocean for catches like mahi mahi and wahoos in mid-July. He hopes the ocean stays clear, like two years ago, when catches of both were good. The ocean in that range was dirty last summer. Bluefin tuna pop into the waters during some years, too. When the ocean becomes warmer, Fins and Feathers will also fish there for flounder. Trips aboard also sail for the flatfish on Delaware Bay when the fluke show up there. Fins and Feathers offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including duck and goose hunting, during the waterfowl seasons. Anglers in the fall aboard can fish for striped bass and hunt ducks over a series of days on Delaware Bay.  

<b>Cape May</b>

Catches on a shark trip aboard included a 200-pound mako, Capt. Frank from <b>Melanie Anne Sport Fishing Charters</b> said in a voicemail. He emailed photos of sharks from the trip that were posted on this website’s photo pages. The shots included the 200-pounder and another mako that looked good-sized. Plenty of sharks, including makos, remain around. “Sharks galore,” he said. Tuna fishing also remained good at the canyons, and Melanie Anne is doing lots of offshore fishing, Frank said in a previous report. The boat sailed on a dive trip today. “Got some lobsters,” he said. The boat is also fishing inshore for catches like summer flounder and sea bass. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 6/17:***</b> The shark trip sailed Saturday, and four blue sharks were nailed and released right away, Frank said in a phone call. Then the 200-pound mako was bagged. The trip fished 35 miles from shore, along the 20-fathom line, where the ocean temperature changed from 57 to 65 degrees. Another charter boat fished a little farther out, in warmer water, landing a hammerhead shark and, Frank thought, a small mako. Lots of makos have been around. Tuna are schooling along the 100-fathom line. On the way back from the dive trip, Frank talked with a couple of boaters on the radio who flounder fished that day. One of the trips fished at Reef 11, catching only three keepers. The other trip fished Cape May Reef, catching six keepers. “It’s all about water temperature,” Frank said. The dive trip was in 174 feet of water at a paddle-wheel boat that sank in the 1860s. Sea bass were all small that swam there, and the water was 47 degrees on bottom and 67 on the surface.

A trip was supposed to tuna fish aboard Sunday but was cancelled because of forecasts for rough seas in windy weather, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. A friend fished for tuna on Saturday, saying seas were rough as could be, but the trip caught. Tuna bit at the offshore canyons lately. George mated on a friend’s boat on a trip for drum Saturday on Delaware Bay. But seas were nasty, so the trip returned early, after four hours, and none of the fish was landed. The friend ran a trip last week that totaled 12 drum. On the Heavy Hitter, trips are available for tuna, sharks, sea bass and summer flounder. Nothing was heard about sharks since the South Jersey Shark Tournament two weekends ago. Seas were rough last week. Sea bass trips will run through the month, while the bag limit is 15, before the limit is dropped to three afterward. Anglers who flounder fished caught on the ocean, and seemed to score better on some trips and find slower fishing on others.

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