<b>Staten Island</b>

Fishing limited out on sea bass from the ocean Saturday with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. The trip, sailing from Sewaren, N.J., to take advantage of Jersey’s sea bass regs, had to fish different areas, but limited. Afterward, the trip boated ling, a terrific catch. On a trip Sunday, also running from Sewaren, fishing for sea bass and ling was decent, not great, but decent, on the ocean. Jersey’s sea bass limit will be dropped to three fish on Tuesday, from the current limit of 15. Outcast will concentrate on ling starting then, sailing from either Sewaren or Staten Island. Outcast always offers trips from either port. But trips from Sewaren then can still mix-in sea bassing. Once New York’s sea bass season is opened on July 15, trips from Staten Island can concentrate on sea bass.

<b>Keyport</b>

A fluke trip aboard the ocean whaled great fishing Saturday with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. Some of the anglers bucktailed, and some dragged bait, and both caught. Space is available for charters or open-boat trips this Fourth of July weekend. Open trips are available twice daily when no charter is booked, and telephone to jump aboard. Those trips are fishing for fluke 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and for bluefish 4 to 9 p.m.

The high hook totaled 40 fluke, including six keepers, on Sunday on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Mario said. Fluking, on the ocean, was good aboard, and bottom-fishing, on the ocean, will focus on ling and cod on the boat, because the sea bass bag limit will be dropped to three fish starting Tuesday. Ling fishing was great aboard for the fish to 5 pounds, and cod were mixed in on every trip. Charters are fishing, and sign up for the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on the Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about open-boat trips.

Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> ran no trips with anglers this weekend, because of a family function, he wrote in an email. But he took time for himself, and fished with a buddy. They bailed a mess of ling and a keeper cod, released out-of-season blackfish, and landed a 317-pound thresher shark. Charters are fishing, and open-boat trips will fluke this Friday through Sunday for the Fourth of July weekend. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!” <b>***Update, Tuesday, 7/1:***</b> A 10-pound fluke was clobbered aboard Monday, Frank wrote in an email. So was a 7-pounder, and excellent fluking continued, “with limits and big fish,” he said. Two or three spaces are available for the open trip on the Fourth of July. Room remains for Saturday’s and Sunday’s open trips. <b>***Another Update, Tuesday, 7/1:***</b> A trip today limited out on fluke to 5 pounds, and the great angling continued, Frank wrote in an email. Space remains on the open trips on the Fourth of July and Sunday, but Saturday sold out.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

On the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, fluke fishing was pretty much status quo, Capt. Tom said. Some good-sized were squashed, and fluke 4, 5 and 6 pounds won pools. Visit the boat’s <a href=" http://www.atlanticstarfishing.com/index.php/photo-gallery/2014" target="_blank">photo gallery</a> online to see some of the fluke. But not enough fluke hooked were keepers. If the size limit this year hadn’t been increased to 18 inches, a half-inch larger than last year, that would be better, no doubt, Tom said. The hope is that the fish a quarter-inch and a half-inch short grow to be keepers soon. Trips fished Raritan Bay at all different places, and fluking wouldn’t be good on the ocean aboard at all. All the places fished produced similar results on the bay aboard. Whether one bait caught better than another was difficult to say. Spearing are provided aboard, and sometimes killies that anglers brought were an advantage, and other times weren’t. A combo of a killie and a Gulp probably worked best. The weather’s been great on trips. 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>Highlands</b>

Striped bass fishing slowed at the beginning of last week, so trips on the <b>Hyper Striper</b> switched to shark fishing that week, Capt. Pete wrote in an email. Scott Okal’s party on Thursday landed a 220-pound thresher shark. On Friday, Eric Halbeck’s crew boated a 388-pounder, and on Saturday, Scott’s Eyster’s group subdued a 280-pounder. Not all of those sharks were kept. Coming up on the Hyper, trips will sail for big, doormat fluke, and for bluefin tuna. <b>***Update, Monday, 6/30:***</b> The striper fishing was sometimes excellent through the beginning of that week, Pete wrote in another email.  Jeff Sheats’ crew on that Sunday – two Sundays ago – limited out on the bass to 39 pounds. Last Monday, J.R. Bristow’s group limited out on the fish to 42 pounds on a morning trip. In the afternoon, Rick Papera’s party limited out, including on a 51-pounder weighed at Twin Lights Marina, where Hyper fishes from, and threw back many large stripers. The 51-pound striper was the largest aboard to date. Striper fishing slowed starting Tuesday, and Kurt Dilemma’s party landed a couple of keepers that morning. In the afternoon, Clarkie and crew totaled five keepers to 41 pounds. On Wednesday, anglers from Kuiken Brothers Lumber put up a couple of keepers. Thursday is when the Gibson party opted to sail on the first shark trip, mentioned above. ***Another Update, Monday, 6/30:*** Watch a ***video of one of the thresher sharks***.

<b>Neptune</b>

Some of the best sea bass fishing of the year was plowed today with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Unfortunately, the bag limit will be dropped to three sea bass on Tuesday, after the current limit of 15. Probably three sea bass, to 4 pounds, to every one ling was pumped in today aboard. Individual-reservation trips are fluke fishing every Tuesday and on Wednesday, July 16, and Sunday, July 20, and kids under 12 sail free, limited to two per adult host. An individual-reservation trip for cod, pollock and hake is slated for 1 a.m. Thursday, July 17.  

<b>Belmar</b>

Bluefishing was tough in past days, a report on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>’s website said on Friday. The boat’s been bluefishing until now, but when the angling seems like it’ll be difficult, the trips target other fish. Good catches of sea bass, ling, fluke and winter flounder were hung aboard Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, bluefishing was tough again, but ling, sea bass and fluke managed to be caught aboard. That was the most recent report posted at press time, and weather was beautiful that day on the ocean, it said. The Golden Eagle is fishing on two trips daily at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. 

The <b>Katie H</b> fished for fluke and sea bass on the ocean Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Mike said. But weather was almost too nice, and the boat didn’t drift much, and southerly winds had cooled the water to 67 to 68 degrees. Southerlies can sometimes hinder fluking because of that, and lots of fluke bit, but lots were throwbacks. The water was a funny color, greenish, like Florida water, he said. The ocean off Asbury Park looked more normal, he said, and the trips fished both north and south. Many dog sharks and skates bit. Just tough fishing, he said, and reports from many boats sounded the same from the docks. Sea bass seemed to swim farther offshore, because boats that scored better on them found the fish toward 100 feet. Bluefish were almost nonexistent on the fishing grounds recently, but a few blues bit the bait, and a 14- or 15-pounder was boated. Looking ahead, trips aboard are booked already to fish for bluefin tuna on the mid-range ocean. No bluefins around were heard about yet, but that could change entirely in a week. Trips afterward will fish for yellowfin tuna at the offshore canyons. Yellowfins, here and there, not many, began to be picked up. The Katie H fishes inshore but is also an offshore specialist. The 46-foot boat features speed and all the amenities. Follow the boat on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-H-Sportfishing/1427151167547528" target="_blank">Katie H’s Facebook page</a> recently started.

Fluking was very picky aboard Saturday, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. The keepers that the anglers picked away at were good-sized, and lots of shorts bit. Nothing to write home about, and south wind kicked in recently, and everybody knows what that can do to fluke fishing, he said. The wind direction can cool the ocean close to shore, because of upwelling, slowing down fluking. That happened recently, and the water dipped to 65 degrees sometimes. But the water temp fluctuated, and sometimes was 68, close to shore. When northeast wind blew, that helped a bit. On most days when conditions were right, the fishing seemed to be picking up. Definitely some good life in shallow water, he said, and fluking is on the cusp of being excellent, he hopes. Trips will focus on fluke now, and specialize in fishing for them along rough bottom. Here’s an opportunity: Parker Pete’s this season will do “on the water seminars” for bucktailing for fluke. An email about that said: “Are you tired of reading reports of people catching big (fluke)? Do you usually ‘drag’ bait and hope for the big one? Are you being out-fished when you go out fluking? Are you ready to get hooked on bucktailing in a non-threatening way?” The trips, inexpensive, will sail Tuesday and July 8, 16, 22, 29 and 30, and August dates will be announced. Contact Parker Pete’s for an email about the seminars or for more info. Striped bass were still around in the ocean, and catching them became more about luck of the draw than before. But the ones caught were big. A shark trip aboard Friday released three makos. The ocean there, farther from shore, was 70 degrees, and seas were rough. The temperature was still right for shark fishing this season. Plenty of thresher sharks currently swam closer to shore, too. Bluefin tuna could arrive in the mid-range ocean anytime, and Parker Pete’s will be available to fish for them. Some were reportedly already seen, and the tuna seemed to be migrating from the south. 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.

<b>Brielle</b>

Striped bass caught from the ocean anymore? Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> was asked. “Nah,” he said, and nobody really tried for them. Lots of small stripers swam Manasquan River, and the river’s fluke fishing was pretty good. Some days and tides fished better than others, and bluefish popped around Manasquan Inlet. Hickory shad gave up action at the inlet starting at dusk. On the ocean, fluke fishing locally wasn’t so hot, but was pretty good farther north. Boaters fished for them in 30 to 35 feet with S&S bucktails with teasers and a couple of Gulps. Ling fishing was sort of up and down on the ocean. But if anglers found a wreck that hadn’t been fished in a while, they could scoop up ling well. Otherwise the angling was a pick. Winter flounder 2 to 4 pounds and a few cod were mixed in. Thresher sharks haunted the ocean, not along the beach, but not far from land. A few anglers still shark fished farther out, still running into catches including makos. That should last another two or three weeks. Nothing was heard about bluefin tuna inshore locally yet. Hudson Canyon’s yellowfin tuna fishing was red hot on Saturday, Dave said when he gave this report on Sunday. White and blue marlin were also trolled, and the canyon anglers fished the usual spreader bars and ballyhoos. One of the shop’s next free seminars that will be scheduled will feature Capt. Chris Hueth from the party boat Big Mohawk, Belmar, on bucktailing for fluke on the ocean. Dave himself will give one of the seminars on tilefishing offshore, because of popular demand. He gave one on tilefishing earlier this season. Dave, an avid tilefisher, books party boat trips for tilefish that anglers can also book to join him. But upcoming ones are sold out, and there’s a waiting list. Check out the Reel Seat’s custom tilefish rod.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

When <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> fished Hudson Canyon on Saturday, great water was found, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. But the fleet found fishing tough, and Mushin landed no tuna, but trolled mahi mahi to 20 pounds. A white marlin bit on the troll aboard. On Sunday, Mushin steamed to the canyons to the south, scratching out some yellowfin tuna to 45 pounds, “before fish went down and out,” he said. Another white bit on the troll for the boat, and the trip found outstanding water again. The water was 74 to 76 degrees, clean, blue and filled with life, like flying fish. Wouldn’t have been surprising if a blue marlin came up in the water. Alan had just gotten off the phone with Capt. Ray, who was running the boat, when Alan sent the email this afternoon. The trip was returning with a 200-pound mako shark for Hank and Jinxie Kochen aboard, regular customers. Ray had told Alan that on the trip, the shark was the third “mako he had on the line.” On the Mini-Mushin, the company’s smaller, center-console boat, fluke fishing was great on Manasquan River on bucktails with Gulps. Charters are fishing, and <a href=" http://reports.mushinsportfishing.com/
" target="_blank">individual-reservation trips for tuna</a> are posted on Mushin’s website in the reports section, and are filling up. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness. The crew pride themselves on sharing the concept on outdoor adventures.

On the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, fluke fishing on the ocean had been a little tough, until Thursday afternoon, because of cold water from southerly wind, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. Wind from that direction can chill the ocean close to shore, because of upwelling. The water was still cold, but the afternoon trip fished deeper, where the water was warmer, and fishing was decent. Keeper and short fluke came in, and sea bass and ling were landed. On Friday, fishing was tough on the morning trip, but the afternoon trip turned up good-sized fluke and big ling. Many anglers bagged two to four fluke apiece, and some bagged one, and some bagged only ling and sea bass, “which is not too bad either,” Matt said. Pat Farley from Point Pleasant won the pool with a 7-pound 10-ounce fluke. Fishing was a little slower aboard Saturday, but some decent-sized fluke were taken. Action wasn’t as busy, but most fluke bagged weighed 3 to 5 pounds, and a few sea bass and ling were mixed in. The trips have been fishing rough bottom, so bring extra tackle in case of hang-ups. Plenty of sinkers and plain rigs are carried aboard. Saturday night’s bluefish trip managed a few 1- to 2-pounders, and picked away at ling, including sizeable. Bluefishing’s been pretty slow, but friends who fished farther from shore saw and caught blues, and Matt hopes the fish shove back inshore anytime. They’ll show up eventually, he said, and nighttime trips are now carrying clams to bottom-fish, if bluefishing doesn’t pan out. The Norma-K III is fluke fishing on two trips 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. Space is available on the Fourth of July for a fireworks cruise off Long Brach, and telephone to reserve.

<b>Season Heights</b>

Mostly fluke were banked from the surf, John from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website. Take advantage of the regs that allow two fluke 16 inches or larger to be bagged from the surf at Island Beach State Park, compared with the 18-inch minimum size in the rest of the state. The fish must be checked in at the station about a mile south of the gate, before leaving the park. Sharks began to bite at night in the surf at the park. Sometimes bluefish were yanked from the surf. Sometimes a keeper striped bass even was. In Barnegat Bay, fluke were picked steadily around the BI and BB markers, and small blues roamed behind Island Beach. Crabbing began to improve from the cock and the rental boats. Crabbers willing to put in time trapped some keepers. 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> began fishing for fluke and sea bass on Wednesday, the vessel’s Facebook page said. A few fluke and sea bass were bagged among the small crowd of anglers, and throwbacks were let go. On Saturday, a handful of keeper sea bass, one keeper fluke and some kingfish were tugged in. Fishing was similar on Sunday’s trip. “More fluke than sea bass,” the page said. “There’s action to be had, just not the hot fluke action.” The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Cruises are running at 7 p.m. daily. Trips also include a fireworks cruise on Fourth of July and a cruise to watch Thunder Over the Boardwalk, the Atlantic City air show, on Wednesday, August 13.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Plenty of reports rolled in about fishing on Saturday, a report said on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s website that day. Summer flounder were talked about from the stakes in the bay, but most of the flounder will be small. Some sizeable were located around the 130 to 139 buoys. Fishing holes 20 feet or deeper was key to finding larger flounder. Little Egg Inlet and some of the deeper channels behind Long Beach Island were among places to look. The flatfish just started to be caught from the ocean reefs and wrecks. One catch, nothing spectacular, was reported from Little Egg Reef on Saturday. Sharks swam Grassy Channel and the inlet. Sharks were also banked at Pebble Beach. Some sharks that could show up, including browns and sand tigers, must be released by law. The sharking can be great this time of year.

<b>Brigantine</b>

News about surf catches was mostly quiet, but surf angling should pick up soon for kingfish, croakers, spots and blues, a report on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s website said. One angler nabbed croakers and kings from the beach Friday. An 8-pound summer flounder from the back bay was the catch of the day Sunday, and the bay’s flounder fishing was some of the best in many years. Join the Riptide Summer Tournament for kingfish, blues and flounder. Entry is $10 per species, and anglers can sign up for whichever species they want. The winner takes all the cash in the category, and entry is required in advance.

<b>Longport</b>

A trip aboard Friday found a wreck loaded with sea bass, crushing them, big ones, Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b> said. A 128-quart cooler was filled with the knotheads. On Saturday, anglers from the James Browning Company fished two wrecks aboard, loading up on sea bass and ling, to the 4-pound, pool-winning sea bass. “(They were) nice fish,” Mike said. On Sunday, another group pitched aboard summer flounder , a pretty good catch, to a 4-1/2-pounder. The angling was great in the morning, giving up three or four flounder on every drift, and sometimes three or four at once. Many of the trip’s flounder were 16 and 17 inches. The angling was fantastic on all three days, Mike said, and all the trips fished in 80 feet or deeper. The two wrecks fished on the Browning trip were in 100 feet. Open-boat trips are concentrating on flounder daily when no charter is booked, including today and this coming Thursday. The trips sail with even one angler. The sea bass bag limit will be dropped to three fish, from the current 15, starting Tuesday, but sea bass could be in the mix. The trips could also fish for ling. A special, open trip for ling will be slated to fish in 165 feet during the third week of July, from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Telephone to jump aboard. Not many boaters fished for tuna offshore this weekend because of rough seas. But tuna bit last week, mostly at Baltimore Canyon, and dates are still available for tuna charters. As trips fished farther north at Wilmington and Spender canyons last week, they picked tuna here and there. Tuna also bit closer to shore, 40 miles from the coast. Charters aboard sail for tuna either at the canyons or closer to shore. At the canyons, yellowfin and bigeye tuna and white and blue marlin could be caught. Other catches like mahi mahi and wahoos could also be hit. Tilefishing is an option at the canyons, and later in the season, swordfish are a possible catch at night, when the trips start to fish the canyons overnight, when tuna begin to bite at night. On the trips closer to shore, yellowfin and bluefin tuna, mahi mahi and wahoos are some of the fish that can show up.  

<b>Ocean City</b>

Sea bass, ling, lots of mackerel and some bluefish were decked on the full-day trip Saturday on the party boat <b>Captain Robbins</b>, Capt. Victor said. A mahi mahi won the pool, and on the boat’s half-day trips, lots of throwback sea bass bit, and some keepers were mixed in. Throwback summer flounder began to chomp on those trips. The Captain Robbins is fishing for summer flounder and sea bass on two trips daily from Sundays to Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m., and on one trip from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Saturday. The company’s new party boat the <b>Miss Ocean City</b> will sail for summer flounder on the back bay starting July 3, if preparations go well. Three trips a day will run, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The Peter Rotelli family caught and released eleven dusky sharks, including five on flies, the rest on bait, on Friday morning aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. This was one of the inshore shark trips that Joe’s running. In the afternoon, Jay Von Czoernig and crew released at least 10 of the sharks to 80 pounds, mostly duskies, a few browns, including one on a fly, the rest on bait. On Saturday, Chuck Bradley’s family wrestled and released a dozen duskies, all on bait, in the morning. In the afternoon, Joe McDonald’s family reeled in a ton of summer flounder, including one 22-inch keeper, on the back bay. Jersey Cape is also flounder fishing, and the flatfish are filling the bay. The shark trips catch and release sharks like duskies, browns, spinners and blacktips, some of them required to be let go, usually within 10 miles from shore. The fishing’s a chance to fight big fish without the long trek offshore, and this was the time of year when the sharks swim within range. Mackerel fillets are the bait fished, and chum flies are the flies tossed, in a chum slick, while the boat is drifted over structure that Joe knows attracts the sharks. Jersey Cape also began popper-plug and –fly fishing for striped bass on the bay recently, covered in recent reports, and Joe and wife set out for the bass Friday evening. They released four on plugs and flies. That angling draws explosive, visual strikes along the surface, and has been good lately. Trips stalk the bass on the shallow flats of the bay, poling the boat like in a tropical destination, but right here in South Jersey. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

A trip sailed for summer flounder on Delaware Bay on Saturday with <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, Capt. Jim said. Lots of ground was covered, including southeast of Miah Maul in 25 feet, the Miah Maul rips, the stakes toward Fortescue, and Ship John farther north. Flounder, quite a few, bit, but were throwbacks. The number of fish wasn’t disappointing. Lots of sharks, mostly browns, big fish to 5 feet, chomped and were released, saving the day. Anglers have fun with the browns, required to be let go. Probably two dog sharks were mixed in, and something big was hooked and fought for a half-mile, but broke off, when the line became wrapped around another angler’s line. Maybe that was a tiger shark, also required to be released. Most of the flounder were found at the stakes. Gulps, minnows and squid were fished on bucktails, sometimes on a rig with a bucktail on bottom and a minnow on a leader tied farther up the line. The bay was clean, and the ocean was exceptionally clean on a short, 4-hour trip aboard to Avalon Shoal on the ocean Sunday. Some small flounder were landed. The quality of the ocean could bode well for inshore fishing for mahi mahi, wahoos and bluefin tuna that Fins and Feathers does soon. A couple of the trips are already booked, and if the clean water remains, that usually holds the fish. The mahi are angled at places like along lobster pot buoys. Sometimes wahoos will jump on a hook, and sometimes the bluefin tuna swim the area. During some years, lots of bonito gather in the area, and sometimes bluefish do. The bonito swipe the line when something like feathers are trolled. Fins and Feathers offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including duck and goose hunting during the waterfowl seasons. Sometimes anglers enjoy a combo of striped bass fishing and duck hunting aboard over a series of days in fall.

<b>Cape May</b>

Some boaters bagged summer flounder, and most fished at the Old Grounds and Reef 11, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. Both places are on the ocean off Delaware, and one trip might dock five or six keepers, and another might total three. George’s trips for flounder, fishing the ocean, have usually started in July, when waters warm, and that’s almost here. A couple of anglers who fished Cape May Reef for flounder said only throwbacks swam there. Another couple of anglers who fished for tuna offshore said seas were a little rough. A few bigeye tuna were reportedly trolled at the offshore canyons, but canyon fishing sounded slow. George hopes bluefin tuna show up closer to shore soon, at places like Massey’s Canyon and the Hot Dog. They usually arrive in late June or early July. George sailed the ocean close to shore during the weekend, and seas were a 2-foot roll with small white caps, but not bad. Many trips from Cape May stayed docked last week, because of rough weather.

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