<b>Staten Island</b>

A trip was cancelled Wednesday aboard because of wind, but the trip sailed today for fluke and sea bass with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Rob said in a phone call, while his brother skippered the charter. Results were yet to be heard, but the trip was supposed to fluke in the morning, because of the tide, and hit sea bass afterward. Eight sea bass per angler can currently be kept in New York, unlike three in New Jersey. Outcast charters from both Staten Island, N.Y., and Sewaren, N.J.

<b>Keyport</b>

An angler and son on Monday fought bluefish in the back of Raritan Bay  with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. On Tuesday, a trip with two anglers bagged three fluke and tossed back shorts at Reach Channel on spearing and squid. The bay was loaded with bunker schools that bluefish chased during the trip. A charter or open-boat trip is available Saturday morning. A charter is booked for Sunday, and open trips are available twice daily for fluke when no charter is booked. Telephone to reserve.

Fluke from Raritan Bay included an 11.4-pounder, a 10-pounder and a 9.6-pounder from Reach Channel toward Staten Island, said Joey from <b>Joey’s Bait Shack</b>. Fluke also came from the bay including off Mount Loretta and the church on Staten Island and toward the West Bank and Verrazano Bridge. Fluke were also decked toward Coney Island. Bluefish were sometimes heard about from the bay, but not many. Fishing for them was hit and miss. Tons of snapper blues, kind of small, swarmed the bay along shore at Keyport. Spearing on Snapper Popper rigs nailed them. No croakers and spots were heard about from the bay. A few croakers were talked about from Navesink River. The season could be early for croakers and spots, and in the past, they showed up around the third week of August, Joey thought. A couple of old timers landed striped bass along the Navy Pier on the Sandy Hook Bay side on bunker heads. Crabbing was great. All baits are stocked, including killies, fresh clams, fresh bunker that arrives daily, eels, sandworms, nightcrawlers and frozen clams, bunker, spearing, finger mullet, smelts and all the different types of squid, like tube squid and 1-pound boxes of squid. 

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

An 8.6-pound fluke jumped into the lead in the season-long pool Wednesday on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. Tom Krako plowed the fish, beating the previous leader by 3 ounces. Several other fluke 8 pounds or larger were grabbed on the trip, and a few anglers limited out, including John Froelich, a fishing machine, Ron said. Dave Bachovichin also limited out and put up good-sized sea bass. Ron Sr. also limited, and some anglers bagged four fluke. Another angler limited out and caught additional legal-sized fluke, all larger than 5 pounds, keeping no more than was legal. Was an awesome day to be a party boat captain, and Ron couldn’t wait to get back out today. A charter fluked aboard Tuesday, scoring a good bite the whole trip. A couple of anglers limited, and some bagged four or three. Ron Sr. limited out and landed more, keeping no more than his quota. The trip’s two largest fluke weighed 7.6 and 6 pounds. On Monday’s trip, three 7-pound fluke tied for the pool. The trip tried fishing where fluke were found the previous couple of days, but only a handful turned up, and too many sharks did. The trip went in search mode “for the twentieth time this season,” Ron said, and he was glad it did. When the current became right, the fishing was on. The three 7-pounders came in, and several others weighed 4 to 6, and a bunch of shorts were let go, while the bite lasted.  The Fishermen is fishing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for croakers, porgies and bottom fish 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. daily except Sundays. However, the boat is chartered this Friday morning, so no open-boat trip will sail then.

Fluke fishing went pretty well, said Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Striped bass were chunked every morning at Swash Channel. Or sometimes they were trolled on the shop’s Montauk bunker spoons. If they weren’t hooked at Swash, then they were busted at the lighthouse, but only in mornings at either place. Small blues were around that could be jigged. Ling fishing was good every day. Sea bass sometimes chomped while anglers fluke fished. Limiting out on one blackfish was easy enough. Not many croakers and spots were around. Porgies were plucked from Long Island Sound, but nothing was reported about porgies from anywhere else. All baits are stocked.

A 9.1-pound fluke, the biggest aboard this season, was smacked Tuesday on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. That was covered in an update to the last report, and otherwise, fluking aboard was the same as previously, except was improved a little on Wednesday morning’s trip. A few more keepers were bagged than before on the outing. Then conditions were lost, and the fishing fell apart. Plenty of fluke bit on trips, but were mostly shorts. Action with throwbacks was very good at times, but catching keepers was tough. Anglers were enjoying the action, and hoping to pick up keepers among the throwbacks. Often, when a drift produced three or four keepers, the boat was motored back to repeat, and the catches couldn’t be duplicated. When throwbacks bit, that could often be duplicated. Whether any bait or whether rigs or Spros caught better was difficult to say. But Gulps helped or worked as well as anything. That was no matter whether Gulps were fished on a Spro or a rig or a rental rod or an angler’s own rod. Sometimes Gulps were fished with other bait, like spearing, or alone. Spearing are provided aboard.  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>

After catching an exact-sized fluke exactly a week before, Frank Coolack, sailing from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, boated a 7-1/2-pound, 27-¾-inches-long, 11-inch-wide fluke again on Tuesday off Sandy Hook’s nude beach on PowerBait with squid, Marion wrote in an email. Greg Hanna on his Annie H limited out on fluke to 5 pounds at Ambrose Channel on Gulps. Angelo, Joe and John reeled up fluke to 5 pounds on Raritan Bay.  Bill Urban and Greg Borak bucktail-with-Gulp two keeper fluke at one of the channels. Twin Lights will host the annual Saltwater Anglers of Bergen County Fluke Tournament on Saturday, and the captain’s meeting is tonight. Weigh stations are also at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar and Clark’s Landing Marina in Point Pleasant Beach. Twin Lights, located conveniently on Shrewsbury River near Raritan Bay and the ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boat slips and dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined bait and tackle shop and ship’s store. The full supply of bait is stocked, for inshore and offshore, and the fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. 

<b>Neptune</b>

A few quality fluke were managed on the weekly, individual-reservation trip for them Tuesday aboard, “but never could get them going,” Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> wrote in an email. That had a lot to do with conditions, and weather was some of the best on the water this year. But no wind blew, so the boat didn’t drift. An individual-reservation trip for cod was supposed to sail today. The individual-reservation trips for fluke are sailing every Tuesday until fluke season is closed on September 28. Kids under 12 sail free, limited to two per adult host, and the trips will sail for other species when fluke season ends. A special, individual-reservation trip for inshore wreck-fishing will sail on August 24.  

<b>Belmar</b>

On the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, fluke fishing on the ocean was good, pretty consistent, Capt. Chris said. The fish were hooked at the rocks, and most were taken on Gulps on bucktails. A 10-pound fluke was heaved in on Tuesday, and an 8-1/2-pounder was on Monday. On Wednesday, a 7-pounder was. So there were some pretty-good-sized. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Super, super fishing on Wednesday on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the vessel’s website said. All the blues and mackerel were whaled that anglers could want, and bonito were mixed in. Bait or jigs with teasers could be fished, and it didn’t matter – the fish attacked anything. Plus, the angling was similar on the past several trips. Lots of blues, bonito and mackerel were pummeled. Weather was also great through the week on the water, and looks good for the next days, so come on down and enjoy great fishing, the report said. The Golden Eagle is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Also, it’s time to book tuna trips. Twenty-four-hour trips are scheduled for September 28 and October 5 and 19, and space remains, but is filling up. See the <a href=" http://goldeneaglefishing.com/tuna-reservation.html" target="_blank">Golden Eagle’s tuna trip page</a> online.

Blues latched into were small, but the angling was very good, on the party boat <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, Capt. Alan said. Bonito and mackerel were also fought among them. Blues were also small on nighttime trips aboard, but the angling was also good, and at least blues finally bit on the trips, after the fishing was slow earlier in the season. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. every Friday and Saturday.  Starting Friday, the party boat Royal Miss Belmar will fish for fluke and sea bass on two trips daily from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:30 to 6 p.m.

Fishing wasn’t all about fluke, but almost was, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. In case hearing about fluke was getting tiresome, he’d try to talk about other fishing, too, or mix it up a little, he said. John Frank from Belmar Fishing Club sandwormed a 17-pound 8-ounce striped bass at Manasquan River. Kingfish and croakers were reportedly around locally. Snapper blues in local waters were growing fast, “are now snack size,” Bob said. Gene Kolifath from Morrisville fished offshore, boating a 13-pound mahi mahi and several smaller. But fluke fishing was still the “best bet for constant action,” Bob said. Plenty of fluke carpeted Shark River, and the keeper ratio was low. But if anglers appreciate light tackle, like a 6-pound trout rod, they’ll have a ball. Ryan Juliano from Neptune bagged fluke 5 pounds 8 ounces, 5 pounds and 4 pounds on the party boat Big Mohawk from Belmar on the ocean. Andrew Meli from Wall won the pool with an 8-pound 8-ounce fluke on the trip.

For anglers with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, fluke fishing on the ocean was terrible on Wednesday, and okay on Tuesday, Capt. Pete said. No cause was apparent for the terrible fishing, but something about the conditions wasn’t right. The ocean held somewhat of a heave, and that probably played a part. The anglers that day also dragged bait, instead of bucktailing, and that’s always tougher. But when conditions are right, fluking is decent, and when conditions aren’t good, the fishing can be horrible. The keepers bagged are good-sized, though. The ocean hovered around 70 degrees on Wednesday. Parker Pete’s this season hosted On the Water Seminars to teach bucktailing for fluke. Three of the trips sailed, and because response was good, two more of the trips were added for the next two Wednesdays, August 13 and 27. An email about the seminars 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 are inexpensive, and email Pete for more info. Also, 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>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Ling, sea bass, blackfish, winter flounder, cod, fluke, a few blues, a few bonito and a handful of chub mackerel were wrangled aboard the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. A mix of fish came up, but mainly ling and sea bass were bucketed. Most anglers were able to limit out on three sea bass, two flounder and one blackfish, “and put ling on top,” he said. Trips fished shallower, in 60 to 130 feet, and tried fishing deeper, but that was no good. The surface water temperature ranged from 70 to 76 degrees, but the bottom must’ve been chilly, because ling bit shallow. On nighttime trips, blues ½ to 1 pound, sea bass and ling were scooped up. The Dauntless is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Fishing on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b> on Wednesday on the ocean met flat seas and not much of a swell, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. The fluke angling was a little tough on the morning’s trip, but good on the afternoon’s. The pool-winning fluke, an 8.1-pounder, also took the lead in the monthly pool. Quite a few 3- to 6-pound fluke and some good-sized sea bass were clubbed, and short fluke were tossed back. Anglers who fished pink bucktails with Gulps in Nuclear Chicken were locked in. Pink was the color to fish the past two days.  Fluke trips aboard fished rough bottom, so bring extra tackle for snags. Plain rigs and sinkers are carried aboard. On the trip that night, big bluefish, 8- to 10-pounders, were back! Matt wrote. The fishing wasn’t a bail, but good shots of them were beaten, and as many as six were fought at once. Four-pounders were also in the mix, and on the previous night, the sizes of the blues started to become larger, and a 10-pounder won the pool. Blues were smaller previously. 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.

<b>Toms River</b>

Crabbing was still the ticket, was especially good, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. The blueclaws were nabbed on the Toms River at Island Heights. The catches have been great at Good Luck Point on Barnegat Bay all season. Crabbing along Route 37 Bridge was similar. When south wind roughed up water, crabbers could escape to the river or Silver Bay, north of Route 37 Bridge. Crabbing was pretty good on Silver Bay. Plenty of fluke, lots of throwbacks, remained in the bay near the BI and BB markers. The keeper ratio declined somewhat, because anglers worked over the keepers through the season. Snapper blues, probably 4 to 6 inches, swam everywhere. Some were larger, and a customer reported an 8-incher. The shop’s been stocking fresh spearing, a best bait for snappers, that usually arrive on Fridays and run out by Mondays. Blowfish usually arrive in the bay by mid-August, and were yet to show. Dennis didn’t know what to make of that. On the ocean, boaters picked fluke along the beaches. Not a lot of fluke, but some, came from the Tire Reef. Customer “Pennsylvania” Al found bonito fishing on fire at Barnegat Ridge. No. 3 Clark spoons caught best, and a couple of mahi mahi and some Spanish mackerel bit. A few 2-pound blues, not many, ran the area. Murphy’s, located on Route 37, bought <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard this year, and is running both shops now.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Bigger bluefish than before hit along the dock, said Kevin from the <b>Dock Outfitters</b>. One weighed 8 pounds, though that was particularly big, and the blues bit along bottom. Previously, only snapper blues, small ones, were played along the dock. A couple of keeper fluke were landed from the dock. That was uncommon, but throwbacks fluke were hooked from the dock. Croakers and spots were yet to arrive along the dock, and were late. No blowfish swam Barnegat Bay, where the shop and dock are located, either, and they should’ve been in. Crabbing wasn’t bad from the dock. Many of the blueclaws were undersized, but keepers were mixed in. Crabbing was lots better from the rental boats. Those trips slammed crabs, sometimes including a bushel per crabber, a limit, at Good Luck Point, across the bay, and the catches might’ve started to slow, because of the coming full moon. Crabs often shed around full and new moons, and that can slow crabbing, because crabs won’t eat while shedding. That can last some days. Surf fishing was slow, or nothing was really heard about surf catches. 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>Forked River</b>

Lots of bonito swarmed Barnegat Ridge, said Grizz from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Small blues also swam there, but more bonito did. One boater who trolled for the fish also picked up a 22-pound mahi mahi. The water was a great color. Barnegat Bay was full of fluke, lots of shorts, but some keepers. Some big were caught when anglers fished the bay, instead of the ocean, because of rough weather, on Saturday for the Jersey Coast Anglers Association fluke tournament. So some big were around. Fluke and sea bass hugged ocean reefs and wrecks. A few cobia were around at the reefs. Boaters tried for blowfish on the bay, but were yet to find them. Spots began to be hooked in the bay. Snapper blues schooled lagoons and along the bay shore, and people had a ball with them. Crabbing was very good. 

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Action with throwback fluke was steady, and a handful of keepers and sea bass were bagged each day, on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report on the vessel’s website said. Fishing was about the same on each trip, and more fluke in the keeper range were seen than before, and fluke fishing should keep becoming better. On some days, bait caught better, and on others, Spros did.  The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

Barnegat Bay shoveled up lots of fluke nearly everywhere, said Vince Sr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. No weakfish were around to speak of, and no blowfish swam the bay, really. Bluefish were “back in” at Barnegat Inlet. Blackfishing was pretty good along the inlet’s rocks. So was sea bass fishing on the ocean. Clamming was great, and crabbing improved a little, after crabbing was especially slow. Crabbing locally picks up later in the season than at some areas, because of cool water from the nearby inlet. Bobbie’s features a complete bait and tackle shop, a fuel dock and boat and kayak rentals. The boats are used for fishing, crabbing, clamming and pleasure. The store is known for bait supply, including live baits. Baits stocked currently include live spots, green crabs and minnows.

The <b>Super Chic</b> sailed for bluefin tuna to the Chicken Canyon and Resor wreck area on Wednesday, but the fishing was dead, Capt. Ted said. A couple of mahi mahi were trolled along the lobster pot buoys. So the trip pushed back inshore to Barnegat Ridge, and trolled a mess of bonito. A friend’s bluefin trip the previous day trolled 11 in the same area. Ted guessed the tuna moved on, he said. The water was clear and blue, looking great for tuna fishing, and was 73 degrees, a good temperature for the angling. But the water held no bait. At the ridge, trips aboard also hooked bluefish. But on this trip, Ted bumped up the trolling speed, because the anglers didn’t want blues. Only two blues were caught. Trips will fluke fish aboard the next two days. Ted heard nothing current about fluke, and Wednesday’s trip fished too far from shore to hear about the fluking closer to the coast on the radio.  

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Barnegat Ridge is on fire. Only 15 miles from our inlet, it has blue water, not even bluish anymore, downright blue! Seventy-three-degree water, chick birds, flying fish, butterfish, sand eels and loads of bonita! One of my favorite fish to pursue. These 2- to 5-pound torpedoes are great sport on light tackle, and delicious to eat. Any way you prepare tuna, you can also do bonita, including sashimi. We bring the soy and wasabi with us now. The key is to bleed them while they are still alive, and then slush them in sea water with lots of ice. In the mix this weekend, we bagged a 48-inch 19-pound bull mahi mahi on the North Barnegat Ridge. That's the biggest mahi the Hi Flier ever caught, and it was Chris Lang from Pennsylvania on the rod. We also added 17 bonita on the trip. Saturday and Sunday were blowouts in wacky weather, but I kicked in Plan B on Sunday, with Pete Menges and his cousin Tim from Maryland. We picked up our batch of grass shrimp that I ordered as a back-up, in case we couldn't get offshore, and instead of using it locally, where I haven’t been able to catch a weakfish, we cruised all the way to Beach Haven, where we got to 2- to 4-pound weakies and short stripers on the 6-pound rods. On Wednesday, I ran back out to the ridge for an afternoon trip, and we boated 25 bonita in just a few hours. Double and triple headers. <a href="http://youtu.be/hqiuQGvZqts
" target="_blank">Here’s some video</a>. We’re running an open-boat trip 6 a.m. to 12 noon Saturday for bonita and more at Barnegat Ridge. The weather looks great, and if it stays that way, we could push off farther for tuna and mahi, as well. These decisions are sometimes made at the dock or at our first stop, Barnegat Ridge. The longer range trip (will run at a rate somewhat higher) and will also run longer in duration, usually 8 to 9 hours, instead of the 6-hour ridge trip. Three people max. All fish are shared.  We’re booked on Sunday and Monday mornings, but both days have the afternoon trips available, for either back bay or Barnegat Ridge fishing. I have two people interested in bay/inlet fluke and blues on Monday afternoon. If someone would like to be the third, it's a go. If I get three new people who want to go beat up bonita offshore, we’ll do that. It's a work in progress.” <b>***Update, Friday, 8/8:***</b> “Tuna!” another email from Dave said. “Two people signed on for our open-boat tuna trip (on Saturday).  I have room for one more. Have great intel on where they are. Only (a) 28-mile run. It's going to be a calm ocean and great weather. We are now meeting at the dock at 4 a.m., returning by 2 p.m. sharp. … Call me on my cell to reserve that last spot: 732-330-5674.”

<b>Surf City</b>

A bunch of blues tumbled around Barnegat Inlet, said Sue from <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>. They were jigged on Avas, Hopkins and Kastmasters, and lots of throwback fluke skittered around the surf, and anglers worked hard for keepers. An unconfirmed report talked about spots farther north, even if that was unusual, because spots would be expected south first. None swam locally. Surf catches also included kingfish sometimes, dogfish, skates and cownosed rays. None of these fish was around in great numbers, except the blues. Anglers hoped water continued to warm, drawing in more fish. Experienced blackfishers tugged keepers from along Barnegat Inlet’s rocks, and other anglers hooked only throwbacks.  In the bay, snapper blues schooled, and a decent population of rudderfish roamed. On the ocean, party boat fluke fishing seemed to pick up a little, not as well as captains and customers wished. The store’s annual <b><i>Free Surf Fishing Seminars</i></b>, held 6 to 7 p.m. every Sunday in the parking lot in summer, are under way. Hosted by Bob Massa, the classes are now being called Sundays with Bob. Bring a lawn chair. Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Surf-City-Bait-and-Tackle/207533229268619" target="_blank">Surf City Bait & Tackle’s Facebook page</a>.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

In Great Bay, fishing for croakers was great off Graveling Point, Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b> said. Boaters anchored and chummed for them, and summer flounder gave up decent catches around Little Egg Inlet in deeper water. If boaters could drift depths like 25 feet to shallower, like toward the Fish Factory, on incoming tides, that worked well, and jigs caught best. Bluefish, 2 pounds but fun, popped up at the inlet on some days and tides,  not on others. Ocean flounder fishing was good at places including near the Rutgers buoys and Little Egg Reef. Big baits like whole squid, smelts and Gulps seemed best. The mix of small fish including blowfish, kingfish and spots began to show up in the bay that do this time of season. Not much was heard about weakfish, but anglers in the know picked up weaks around Little Sheepshead Creek. Blackfish and small sea bass started to show up along Seven Bridges Road. Blackfish were hooked at ocean reefs and wrecks here and there. Crabbing went well, and nobody complained much.

<b>Absecon</b>

Many summer flounder crammed the back bay, and the keeper ratio wasn’t as good as wanted, but if bigger baits were fished, fewer bites were copped, but larger flounder were caught, said Curt from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>.  Flounder fishing was excellent on the ocean, and the fish were bigger than in the bay. He fished for them at Great Egg Reef, and fishing for them was also productive at Little Egg Reef. Weakfish could be found in the back waters, if anglers knew where to look, and fished around the tide changes. A few specific places held them. The river mouths and Intracoastal Waterway included good places. The Intracoastal is usually a place to find them this time of year. The weaks swim deep water, like 20 feet. But sometimes they swim shallower, like in the teens or 15 feet, “if that area dictates that,” he said. Catching the weaks always seems a little easier around the tide switch, like an hour before to an hour after. But the fish could bite through an entire tide sometimes. Some anglers are plugging striped bass, mostly smaller, but sometimes a keeper, in early mornings and in evenings in the back. Baitfish in the back included lots of peanut bunker. They were a little small, and when they are, they get beaten up when livelined for bait, maybe lasting a drift or two on the boat. A buddy said mullet swam farther north toward New Gretna that were 5 to 7 inches, so they grew some. Mullet were mostly absent from the local area. But Capt. Dave, the shop’s owner, thought he saw a few locally, Curt said. Blackfishing was pretty good at structure like bridges, sod banks and jetties. Triggerfish can usually be located wherever blackfish are, this time of season, but triggers swim higher up in the water column. Don’t hesitate to reel up into the column to hook triggers, because they hover over structure. The surf harbored a mix of kingfish, croakers and a few flounder. Lots of snapper blues schooled everywhere from the bay to the surf. Sea bass fishing was good on the ocean in 90 to 100 feet or at places like Garden State Reef South and Little Egg Reef. Crabbing was pretty good. The supply of soft-shell crabs, for eating, wasn’t great, but a few were on hand. Shedder crabs are stocked, and the store raises both crabs. Baits stocked also include live spots, minnows, green crabs, bloodworms, eels and fresh clams.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Spots sometimes showed up in the surf now, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Kingfish were around in the water, and croakers and triggerfish appeared along the “the jetty,” or the jetty at Absecon Inlet in Brigantine. In the back bay, boaters picked through throwback summer flounder to bag a keeper, and flounder were migrating to the ocean. The Riptide Summer Fishing Tournament runs until September 27, the final day of flounder season. Prizes are awarded for the biggest flounder, kingfish and bluefish, and anglers can enter for one of the species, two or all, and none of the fish was entered yet.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Absecon Inlet served up summer flounder, pretty good catches, good-sized, too, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Minnows, spearing, mackerel and scented squid plumbed the fish, and customers fish the inlet, lined with jetties, on foot. Kingfish and croakers were bloodwormed and clammed from the water. Blackfish were jabbed from the inlet on green crabs and clams, and some of the tautog started to be keepers, including some that were good-sized. Snapper blues schooled the inlet, jumping on spearing, minnows, mullet or mackerel on Snapper Popper rigs or high-low rigs with floats on the hooks.  All the baits mentioned and more are stocked. Green crabs are $4 per dozen or three dozen for $10. Minnows are $8.50 a pint, and bloodworms are two dozen for $20 or $10.75 per dozen. Baits carried also include fresh bunker, fresh clams, all the frozen baits, like mackerel, mullet, head-on shrimp and all the different types of squid for flounder fishing, and more, a large supply. A vending machine dispenses bait afterhours. One Stop, at 416 Atlantic Avenue, also owns a shop with the same name at Atlantic City’s Gardner’s Basin that stocks the same baits and also rents rods. Sign up for the DO/AC Beach N Boat Challenge, set for August 22 to 24, for free, by using the number 5072. Without the number, entry is $20. The tournament will award $1 million if an entrant breaks the New Jersey record for largest summer flounder, and will award exceptionally lucrative prize money for the rest of the heaviest fish caught from Atlantic City. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RSNjwOrUJk" target="_blank">Watch a video about the DO/AC Beach N Boat Challenge shot at the shop</a>, including footage of Noel in the shop and at the counter.  <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/One-stop-bait-tackle/362952943747080?rf=151870514855225" target="_blank">One Stop on Facebook</a>.

<b>Margate</b>

Practically all anglers landed summer flounder on the party boat <b>Keeper</b> on the back bay, Capt. John said. Lots of throwbacks were angled, and not a lot of keepers were. This year’s ½-inch larger size limit, 18 inches, made a difference. Considerably more keepers would be angled if the limit were 17 ½, like last year. Morning trips fished better than afternoon trips that were tough, and that happens this time of year. Lots of small sea bass nibbled. Sea robins and sand sharks were also reeled in. Lots of baitfish filled the bay, including abundant silversides and some peanut bunker. The baitfish were a little smaller this year, because water was chillier this spring. Many of the silversides were 1 to 1 ¼ inches, and the bunker were 1 or 1 ½ inches. John was able to net the bunker once to keep alive aboard for flounder bait, and does that when possible. Minnows and mackerel are provided, and Gulps that anglers bring catch well. The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder twice daily from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. The trips are only $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for kids, because the fishing is near port, and the pontoon boat is economical on fuel.

<b>Longport</b>

If anglers want to fish, they should troll the ocean for bonito and blues, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. The catches were great from 8 miles from shore to the ridges. Two or three hundred per trip were landed. He couldn’t even snap photos to post on this site, because he was too busy aboard. Only five or six rods were trolled on trips, because of the action, and a trip aboard Wednesday was throwing back the fish by 10:30 or 11 a.m. Other catches also swam the area, including 10-pound mahi mahi 8 miles from shore, cobia, little tunny or false albacore, skipjacks, bar jacks, buoy jacks and more. Bluefin tuna swam just offshore of Atlantic City Ridge. Yellowfin tuna were around on the inshore grounds. Hammerhead sharks swam around schools of blues on Wednesday’s trip. The water’s been gorgeous, cobalt blue, like 50 miles offshore.  Sargassum could be seen 12 miles from shore. Massive schools of bunker swam along the beach. Trips didn’t even bother with summer flounder fishing, because the trolling was too good. Trips previously rounded up good catches of flounder from the ocean. Charters are fishing, and the next individual-reservation trip is set for this coming Thursday. Some inshore tuna charters are available. Some Saturdays and Sundays are available for charters late this month, and weekends are available in September.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Fish the deeper holes for bigger summer flounder in the back bay, said Pat from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Lots of throwback flounder, not many keepers, swam the bay, and also try the inlets. Flounder usually start to migrate to inlets, on the way to the ocean, this time of season. Also fish bigger baits, including large Gulps, for the bigger flatfish. Ocean flounder fishing was decent, and gave up a few more flounder that were better-sized than the bay, but the bay’s fishing was somewhat more successful. None of the ocean reefs gave up consistent flounder fishing. A few sea bass hugged the reefs, but not many anglers targeted them. Blackfish were hooked along bridges, but they were small, so the fishing wasn’t the best. But not many anglers chased them, and no blackfish were heard about from the surf jetties. A few small striped bass were angled along bridges, sod banks and some of the small piers at dusk or dawn on popper plugs and soft-plastic lures. The surf was a little rough for fishing in past days. Mainly kingfish were targeted there, and the angling could be decent. No spots showed up in the surf, and they seemed overdue. The crew from the shop thinks they aren’t likely to arrive now. A few brown sharks, required to be released, were slid from the surf, but too few to target. Not much was heard about tuna this week, because of the offshore hurricane. Few trips seemed to fish for them.  

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The ocean’s summer flounder fishing was the main thing, Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> guessed, he said. The fishing was good at Townsend’s Inlet Reef, and anglers fished for the flatfish there with large Gulps. Jerk shads and grubs were most popular, and a variety of colors were used, but chartreuse, white and Electric Chicken were probably favorites. Or the anglers fished large strips of meat like bluefish or flounder, if they were willing to sacrifice flounder for bait. That could catch well. The back bay still held a good number of flounder. Quite a few boaters trolled bonito and 2- to 4-pound blues at places like Sea Isle Ridge and 5-Fathom Bank on small Clark spoons and small feathers. A customer boated a 40-pound cobia from the ocean on a minnow. Lots of mahi mahi swam everywhere from the inshore ocean to offshore.  Tuna fishing was decent, not at any one spot. Trips sailed to places like Wilmington, Spencer or Baltimore canyons, all returning with a couple of tuna. High tides in evenings were ideal for fishing for striped bass on the bay with poppers the past two days, and the catches were productive.  Crabbing was good.

Mike Flaherty and two sons toggled in summer flounder and sea bass, no keepers, but fast and furious action, from the back bay aboard today, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. On Wednesday, Tom Bemanchietti’s family also saw action with a bunch of flounder from the bay, all throwbacks. On Tuesday morning, Mike Dobbins’ family flounder fished on the ocean, rounding up a bunch, including three keepers 6, 5 and 4 pounds, and some other species. In the afternoon, Rob Miller and son joined one of the inshore shark trips aboard, catching and releasing several dusky and spinner sharks to 80 pounds. On Monday afternoon, Lou Tessa and daughter released seven or eight duskies to larger than 100 pounds. The trips, usually within 10 miles from shore, catch and release sharks like browns, duskies, spinners and blacktips, some of them required to be let go, on bait or flies. The trips are a chance to fight big fish without the long trek offshore. High tides at dusk were ideal currently for popper fishing for striped bass on the back bay with lures and flies, a specialty aboard. Joe was busy with other fishing, but friends were into the bass, and Joe was sure the fishing was good. He’s supposed to head offshore for tuna and big game tomorrow. A buddy fished offshore at Wilmington Canyon on Wednesday, going 1 for 4 on bigeye tuna, landing a 150-pounder and yellowfin tuna to 70 pounds. Several white marlin were hooked but got off. Bluefin tuna are swimming closer to shore, around 30 fathoms. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Snapper blues, small, were in, and are always fun, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. They were played in the canal and the back bay, and at any dead-end street, on the right tide. Kids had a blast with them, and mostly Snapper Poppers were fished for the juvenile bluefish. Sabiki rigs were also cast to them. Croakers were yanked from the bay, and one customer talked about his son hooking a double-header of the fish. The fishing seemed good. Summer flounder were still boated from the bay. Lots were throwbacks, and not a lot were keepers. Customers also sailed for flounder to the ocean reefs. Good days of the fishing were hit, and sometimes larger flounder were. But pound for pound, more flounder were angled from the bay. Mike wasn’t saying that because he wanted more people to fish the bay. He wasn’t sure he wanted more to fish the bay. Bait will be sold to flounder anglers whether they fish the bay or ocean. But this was just a fact: More flounder seemed landed from the bay. More disappointment about the ocean fishing was heard about than good trips, though sometimes good catches were had on the ocean. Mike in the last report talked about a trip that fished Reef 11 in the ocean, returning with all big flounder to 9 pounds. Probably half of customers fished for flounder on the bay, and half on the ocean. Some customers had boats like 25-footers that weren’t practical to fish the bay, so they fished the ocean. Some anglers seemed to just like the ride to the ocean. Back in the bay, baby sea bass began to appear like each summer. Mike saw the first one yesterday. Crabbing seemed to improve a little along the bay. Baits stocked include minnows and frozen herring in three per pack, great-looking spearing, peeler crabs, mackerel fillets, whole mackerel, mullet fillets, whole bunker, bunker fillets, salted clams in quarts and pints, bags of fresh-frozen clams, all the different types of squid, like tube squid, trolling squid, strips of unscented and scented squid, green strips, pink strips and more. Canal Side rents boats for fishing and crabbing and kayaks. <b>***<i>Get a $5 discount</i>***</b> on a rental boat if you mention Fishing Reports Now. Crabs, both live and cooked, are sold for eating, and picnic tables were set out this year to enjoy them. The crabs were currently from Maryland, like previously. Mike called his local suppliers once in a while, but crabbing remained slow for them this year. The live crabs were currently $28 to $36 per dozen, depending on size and market price. The cooked crabs were currently $4 additional per dozen. The size of the crabs was supposed to be No. 1 – that’s what the Maryland suppliers called them – but some were smaller.

<b>Cape May</b>

Fourteen keeper summer flounder were pitched aboard from the Old Grounds on a trip with five anglers Wednesday with <b>Melanie Anne Sport Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Frank said. On the way in, the trip stopped at a wreck, adding six triggerfish to the catch. Triggers fight well and are good-eating. A trip will fish offshore Sunday, and another offshore trip was cancelled for Friday. Offshore fishing was dead in past days, and reportedly was even terrible in this week’s White Marlin Open from Ocean City, Md. Tuna offshore swam 20 miles south of Norfolk Canyon, the last Frank heard. Some of the catches were reported from Toms Canyon, but that was also too far from Cape May. Still, the big-game fishing changes constantly, and this week’s offshore hurricane could’ve stirred up waters, drawing the fish to local haunts. Inshore tuna fishing was still decent. Anglers had a decent shot at tuna there, and wahoos and mahi mahi also swam the area.

Lot of wind during the weekend, and wind blew against the tide the past couple of days, said Capt. Paul from the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>. Wind against the tide can hamper the boat from drifting, affecting the summer flounder fishing on the vessel. That made the angling tough, but Paul hopes the conditions straighten out by the weekend. There wasn’t great action with the fish, but there were flounder around to be caught, sometimes sizable. Bill Laxton from Audubon on Saturday’s trip, despite rough weather, decked a 6.68-pound flounder, winning the port prize for Cape May in the Jersey Coast Anglers Association’s fluke tournament. The contest awards prizes for the largest fluke at a number of ports around the state. Chuck Black from New York won Sunday’s pool with a 7-1/2-pound flounder. On Tuesday, Craig Constantino from Voorhees bagged four flounder to 6 pounds. On Wednesday’s trip, no great numbers of flounder were landed, and a few keepers were scattered around the boat. In the morning, the angling was slow. When the trip reached an area with fish later, Paul realized the boat had no drift. The Porgy IV is fishing for summer flounder at 8 a.m. daily. 

Cape May Channel, the Intracoastal Waterway and the jetties along Delaware Bay in town attracted a good population of croakers, and some started to be healthy-sized, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Summer flounder fishing was good, mostly on the ocean, like at Cape May Reef, Reef 11 and the Old Grounds. The structure that held the fish had to be found at those spots, like Nick sent anglers to the north end of Cape May Reef. On Delaware Bay, good flounder fishing was boated near Miah Maul and toward Fortescue. Blackfish and triggerfish gathered along the jetties at Cape May Inlet and along ocean wrecks. A few good catches of wahoos and mahi mahi came from the lumps along the mid-shore ocean. Bluefin and yellowfin tuna were sometimes wrestled from places like the Hot Dog and Massey’s Canyon to farther offshore.

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