<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Numerous thresher sharks, up to 486 pounds, were docked last week at <b>Twin Lights Marina</b> in Highlands. That was covered in the last report, and the weekly emailed report from Marion from the marina this week mentioned only a few fluke docked from inshore, no threshers or other big game from farther out. That seemed because of rough weather that began with Hurricane Arthur last Friday. The tough weather continued with strong winds this week until about a day ago. Anglers especially started stopping by with big game recently because of a scale with 3,000 pounds capacity installed at the docks this fishing season. 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, including for offshore. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. 

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Anglers wanted to sail for bluefin tuna on the mid-range ocean starting next week on the <b>Katie H</b> from Belmar, Capt. Mike said. But he heard about no bluefins caught locally yet. Some were boated farther south, on trips from Cape May. The tuna seemed yet to migrate north. Overnight trips for tuna aboard, at the offshore canyons, usually begin in August. Offshore seas built to 16 to 22 feet because of the hurricane off the coast last Friday.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Boaters still shark fished, at least before last week’s offshore hurricane, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. Lots of thresher sharks swam, and a few makos remained, at the time. Bluefin tuna were yet to really show up in the mid-shore ocean, before the storm and this week’s windy weather that kept trips docked, and now were running late. At Hudson Canyon before the weather, mahi mahi to 20 pounds, lots, were trolled. So were multiple white and blue marlin. Yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna were sometimes trolled farther south, like at Toms Canyon, back then.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

An open-boat tilefish trip offshore was scrubbed aboard that was going to sail last weekend, because a couple of anglers cancelled, said Capt. Ted from the <b>Super Chic</b> from Barnegat Light. Maybe that was because of the offshore hurricane Friday and the seas expected afterward. More of the tile trips will probably be scheduled, and usually are this season. The angling’s been good on every one of the trips that sailed aboard in the last year. Trips will also tuna fish this season, and sometimes the tile trips mix in tuna fishing.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

On the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport, an open-boat trip for tuna is set for 3 a.m. Saturday, July 19, limited to six passengers, Capt. Mike said. Telephone to jump aboard, and a couple of the open canyon trips were already sold out this month. Mike would like to set up an open trip for a combo of tuna and tilefishing, if anglers are interested. Call to let him know, if you are. Closer to shore, trips aboard are expected to begin to fish for tuna and wahoos along the 40-mile line next week. The offshore hurricane rolled through, but wasn’t much of a storm locally. Waters as close to shore as the artificial reefs remained clear – beautiful-looking – and in the 70 degrees, on summer flounder trips on the boat, after the storm. The ocean temperature along the beach plummeted to the 50s, because of south wind that inverted the water or pushed the cold bottom upward.

Nothing was reported about tuna or other big game from offshore because of the week’s seas, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Weather was lousy, and that was the big news, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. No offshore reports were available.  

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> from Sea Isle City, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>, was headed offshore for tuna on Thursday, he said before the trip. The weather had finally broken. He heard no news about tuna in the days before, because of wind and weather.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

A couple of tuna trips are booked aboard this weekend, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May. News was scarce, because of weather. But sometimes bluefin tuna were run into closer to shore recently. A boater would find them here or there, and one boater George spoke with landed bluefins three trips in a row, including nine on one trip, at a particular location.

Boats last fished for tuna on Sunday, Capt. Frank from <b>Melanie Anne Sport Fishing Charters</b> from Cape May said on Wednesday. The angling was slow in rough seas, and in the next days was weathered out. That forced fishing to be cancelled with Melanie Anne, but a busy slate of trips was coming up, including trips booked for today, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, including some offshore fishing.

Offshore was too rough for fishing, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. Or the news heard wasn’t good in the seas.

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