<b>Keyport</b>

Anglers on foot fought bluefish 2 and 3 pounds at Keyport from the pier and bulkhead on chunks of fresh bunker, said Joey from <b>Joey’s Bait Shack</b>. Boaters fluked Raritan Bay toward Verrazano Bridge. Two fluke 11.2 pounds and 9.8 pounds were weighed-in from boats. Striped bass weren’t really heard about from the bay anymore this season. On the ocean, good-sized sea bass were cranked from Sandy Hook Reef. Crabbing improved a little, began to pick up. Killies, fresh bunker, fresh clams and all baits are stocked.

Excellent sea bass fishing, lots of big ling and some cod were clobbered with <b>Down Deep Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Mario said. Fluke fishing, between Raritan Bay and the ocean, picked up dramatically on the Down Deep Bull, one of the company’s two boats, 40-footers. High hooks on the vessel, carrying up to 15 passengers, limited out on the flatfish to 6 pounds.  Charters are sailing, and join the <a href=" http://www.downdeepsportfishing.com/ddsf/76-2/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about special open-boat trips. Also see the site’s open-trips page for available dates.

Fishing for fluke was good Wednesday on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. Sixteen sizable keepers were managed, among 55 fluke landed. Wind against tide hindered the boat’s drift and the fishing somewhat. Fluking is coming along nicely, for the most part, and will become and better, he said. Anglers who know how to bucktail catch most keepers. There is a knack to scoring quality fluke. Fluking is no longer a lazy person’s game, he said, and the angling takes effort, jigging all day, but pays off. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips will fluke next Monday and Thursday. A few spots remain for each trip, and telephone to reserve a spot. “Get your dose of Vitamin Sea!”

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

This didn’t happen yesterday, Jimmy from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b> said, but striped bass were boated on the ocean off Sea Bright all week on live and chunked bunker. Some blues were mixed with them, and blues and stripers, not many stripers, but a few a day, were boated on the back of Raritan Bay. Stripers, some large, 25 or 30 pounds, were plugged in the surf in the dark, like 3 a.m. and afterward. Afterward, the fish swam deeper, he guessed. Those were the fish boated at Shrewsbury Rocks in early mornings, he guessed. Fluke fishing was a little slow around the bay. A fair number of the fish were in, and anglers did catch keepers. Fluking was good in the rivers. Jimmy saw five reeled from Navesink River when driving across the Oceanic Bridge. The fluke also bit near the 34 buoy in Shrewsbury River. Sea bass and ling fishing were good on the ocean, and many boats sea bassed. All baits are stocked.

Action with fluke was good, so long as conditions drifted the boat right, said Capt. Tom from the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>. Some trips fished better than others, and not as many keepers bit as would be liked. The angling was the same as previously, and the trips fished Raritan Bay. No big fluke, really, were hooked in past days, except a 9-pounder on Sunday afternoon’s trip, covered in the last report here. Tossing back 17- or 17-1/2-inch fluke, an inch or ½-inch short, could be frustrating. Those were heavy fluke, probably 2 pounds. All trips fished, including this morning’s. Weather was rougher this morning, and a couple of keepers were bagged so far, he said at 9:30 a.m. aboard, when he gave this report in a phone call. On some of the days with rain, only a handful of anglers joined trips. But the rain wasn’t terrible. Yesterday morning was gorgeous, and some rain fell in the afternoon. But seas weren’t rough, and weather wasn’t cold. Some customers wore rain coats, and some didn’t. Fishing in the bay was a lot better than elsewhere, when rain fell. This morning’s trip wasn’t off to a beautiful, sunny, June day, but was fishable, not bad. Some anglers on trips caught on plain spearing, provided aboard. Some caught on Gulps they brought, and so on. Some used a combo of different baits, and caught. Some fished with bucktail rigs with teasers they brought. Some stripped out sea robins to use for bait that they caught. 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.

The year’s first fluke trip sailed Tuesday on the party boat <b>Fishermen</b>, Capt. Ron wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. A few good-sized keepers were pitched aboard throughout the day, and way more throwbacks were landed. A couple of the anglers reeled up 15 to 20 throwbacks. The trip fished several areas, and every spot gave up life, just about. Wasn’t what Ron would call good fluking. “Maybe I’m just living in the past,” he said. The daytime trips striper fished previously, and when this fluke trip arrived at the 1 can, stripers busted on loads of bunker. “Thought I would lose it,” Ron said! Nighttime trips aboard are still striper fishing, and catching. On Monday night’s trip, striper fishing was good, with plenty of action on keepers, shorts and a couple of blues. Not bad fishing, after dues were paid too long. Wednesday’s fluke trip was a great day on the water. All the regular customers fished aboard, with some good anglers in the mix. One angler limited out, and another came one short of a limit. Quality fluke were bagged, for sure, weighing 3 to 5 pounds, and Rich Mullenbrock took the lead in the season-long fluke pool, with an 8-pounder. A 4-1/2-pounder had been in the lead from the first fluke trip. South wind came up in the afternoon that hurt Wednesday’s trip’s fishing, messing up the boat’s drift. Then it got ugly, Ron said. Capt. Ron Sr. was off his game on the trip, catching only throwbacks. Don’t worry, he’ll be back, younger Ron wrote. On today’s fluke trip, weather was dreary, and few anglers showed up at the harbor. Fluking was slower, and the boat drifted at 2.2 knots, too fast. The bite turned on later, on outgoing tide. Plenty of shorts and some keepers came in. One angler shocked Ron with a $500 donation to the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund that he gave Ron. Thank you for believing, Ron said.  The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. However, the boat is chartered this Saturday morning, so no open-boat trip will fish then. Trips are fishing for stripers and blues 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays.

<b>Highlands</b>

Fishing limited out on sea bass on every trip with <b>Fin-Taz-Tic Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Pete said. The sea bass were big, beautiful fish to 4 pounds, and on most trips, ling and cod were mixed in. Tuesday’s trip sea bassed at first. Striped bass were seen breaking the surface, so the trip went after them. Two stripers 49 pounds and 44 pounds were bagged on bunker snagged for bait and livelined. Then the anglers sea bassed again, limiting out. Only about 1 ½ weeks remain until the sea bass bag limit is dropped to two, starting July 1, from the current limit of 15. If anglers want fish in the freezer, jump on the fishing now. The angling was also great for kids, because sea bass are easy to catch. This was just a great time to fish. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing, and a couple of openings are available for Sunday, Pete believed.

Wayne O’Neil from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Paul Presti, brother John and Paul’s son Paul Michael docked a 205-pound thresher shark Wednesday on the Old Gray Mare, Marion O’Neil wrote in an email. Greg Hanna on the Annie H limited out on fluke near the Navy Pier on Gulps. Rich Barr and dad bagged two fluke off Sandy Hook Point on squid and bucktails. Twin Lights, located 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. Live bunker are stocked when available. The offshore selection, like frozen flats of baitfish, is carried. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. 

<b>Neptune</b>

Sea bass fishing has exploded, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> wrote in an email. Nearly all anglers limited out during the past two days aboard, and yesterday’s trip returned early. Fifteen is the sea bass limit this month, and two will become the limit in July. Two individual-reservation trips for sea bass were added for Thursday and Friday, June 25 and 26. Individual-reservation trips that sail every Tuesday are also fishing for sea bass throughout the month. Eleven spots remain for the trip Tuesday, June 30. Afterward, those trips will fluke, and kids under 12 sail free on the Tuesday trips, limited to two per adult host. An individual-reservation trip for cod was added for Wednesday, July 22. Another  is full on July 7.

<b>Belmar</b>

Striped bass fishing fired up on Tuesday, first thing in the morning, on the ocean for <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. The boat was the first on the fish, and the anglers aboard landed two of the bass larger than 46 pounds and a 43-pounder, and limited out on “overs,” on livelined bunker. None of the blitz’s bass was smaller or met the “under” size.  Watch a short video of the bass blitzing, on bunker. A trip aboard Wednesday bagged a 42-pound striper first thing in the morning on the ocean. Any stripers around now were monsters. A couple of more of the fish were lost, and then the bite shut down. Then the trip found blues 6 to 8 pounds that the anglers fought. Next, the trip fluked, and many throwbacks gave up action, but the trip did bag some keepers. South wind then blew up, and the fishing shut off. Fluking will become the focus aboard this summer, as the angling picks up in the ocean. Fluke trips will include On the Water Seminars that teach bucktailing for the big flatties that were popular aboard last year. Contact Parker Pete’s for info. Also, don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s anyway, about individual spaces available on charters. Jump on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to subscribe to the email blast to be kept informed about the spaces. Look for the place to sign up on the right side of the page, where it says Join Our Newsletter.

Duane Partusch boated a 46-pound 8-ounce striped bass, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Mike Connors boated a 39-pound 15-ouncer. In Belmar’s surf, Jim O’Donnel clammed three throwback stripers. Bill Massey fly-rodded several throwback stripers from the local surf. Shark River’s fluke fishing remained good, “with a good mix of keepers,” Bob said.

On the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, fluke fishing on the ocean became much better, wasn’t bad, was fine, Capt. Chris said. Some were big, like a 10-pounder decked during the weekend, and some 9’s on the trips. Mostly Gulps on bucktails caught, but fluke belly and squid hooked the fish, too. The boat has also been striped bass fishing on the ocean in evenings sometimes this season, like every year. A few stripers were around currently, but finding the bunker to catch and liveline for bait was difficult. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Bluefish were uncooperative on Monday’s trip on the party boat <b>Golden Eagle</b>, but fishing for them was great on Tuesday’s, a report on the vessel’s website said. The fish weighed up to 10 pounds that day, and Wednesday’s trip picked at blues, ending up with a decent catch to 12 pounds. The Golden Eagle is fishing at 7:30 a.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. A <b><i>***special striped bass trip***</i></b> will sail at 3:30 p.m. Friday, limited to 20 people, and reservations are required. Annual fishing and sunset cruises, sailing 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., will be added starting Monday. Lots of fun with family and friends, the report said.

<b>***Update, Saturday, 6/20:***</b> Bluefishing began slowly, north of Shark River Inlet, Friday on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, an email from party boat said. But the angling improved, or the fish began to bite, when the tide changed. On one good drift, the anglers picked away at blues 6 to 14 pounds, sometimes fighting five or six at once. That was on Ava 27’s and 47’s, both plain and with tails. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing for striped bass and blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. every Saturday. Family Fun Days are fishing 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Friday and Sunday for fluke, sea bass, blues or whatever bites. The trips enjoy a sunset cruise on the way home.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

The ocean was calm and clean, a great day on the water, and fluke were hungry on the morning trip Wednesday on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>, Capt. Matt wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. “Good action on shorts, with some nice-size keepers … again,” he said. A 5-pound fluke was the pool-winner. On the afternoon trip, fluking began well, and slowed starting at 4:30 p.m. Then a few were picked here and there. Plenty of fluke seemed to be moving in, so he hopes the angling keeps getting better. Green Gulps caught well lately. Too few anglers showed up for the nighttime bluefish trip to sail. The Norma-K III is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily and for blues 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

<b>Toms River</b>

Fluke were mostly concentrated from the BB and BI markers on Barnegat Bay to Barnegat Inlet, said Dennis from  <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Bluefish 2 or 2 ½ pounds schooled the bay, and many boaters trolled them, but many cast to them, mostly with poppers, while drifting. Striped bass swam the bay behind Island Beach State Park, in 3 to 5 feet of water, that boaters mostly popper-plugged, while drifting. A few blowfish hovered the bay toward the Forked River power plant. Fishing for them wasn’t great, but if anglers put in time, they caught a few. Not a lot of fish were angled from the Toms River. A few blues ½ or 1 pound, some eels and a few spots, not many, held in the river. Crabbing was pretty good in the river, both at Island Heights and across the river at Pine Beach, and a few crabbers posted photos of the blueclaw catches on the shop’s Facebook page. A couple scored good catches. Crabs, not as many, were nabbed from the bay at Route 37 Bridge. Many crabs recently shed, and that was part of the problem. Crabs refuse to feed while shedding, making them difficult to trap. Dennis found four sets of crabs mating in his pots along the bridge, and this was the best breeding season in some time. On the ocean, some striped bass, some, were boated, among bunker pods they fed on. Most stripers in the ocean seemed to swim north of Manasquan Inlet. Ocean fluke fishing was slow, because of cold water. Boaters sometimes mixed-in bottom-fishing, like for sea bass, because of that. In the surf, good catches of bluefish were had in past days. Wind shifted a little to east and north, picking up the bluefishing there and in the bay. How big were the blues in the surf? Dennis was asked. Anthony and Robert Mannato checked in two blues 9 pounds and 4.2 pounds from the angling, Dennis answered. A half-dozen customers headed to the surf for bluefishing, and almost all caught.   

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Crabbing improved from the dock a little, said George from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>. He fluked on Barnegat Bay on Tuesday in rough weather from the 40 marker to Meyer’s Hole, only boating one keeper. His fluking was lots better previously on the bay, and he fishes with Spros with Gulps for the flatfish. The other anglers on the trip fished killies, spearing and squid, and did nothing, he said. Blowfishing picked up at the BI and BB markers in the bay. Bluefish to 4 pounds, good eating sized, swam that southern end of the bay, and a couple of small striped bass were mixed in, in early mornings and before dark. Surf fishing was quiet, giving up a few throwback stripers early in mornings and at dusk. Bunker pods failed to swim the water, drawing in better striper catches. Kayakers heaved in a few stripers to 42 pounds near the surf a week ago, nothing steady, one on one day, none on another, and so on. A few throwback fluke hugged the surf. 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. Clamming was actually good on the bay flats behind Island Beach State Park, and the rental boats can be used for that, too. Baits stocked include killies, big ones, fresh bunker, fresh clams and all the frozen.

<b>Forked River</b>

Barnegat Bay’s fluke fishing was pretty good, said Grizz from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish bit in Oyster Creek and Double Creek channels, and now began to hit between the BB and BI markers. Small blues 2 and 3 pounds swam the bay. Blowfish showed up in crab traps, so anglers began to try for the puffers in the bay. Crabbing was pretty good. The catches were good in overnight pots, and one crabber, who dunked a pot two days, totaled 53 of the blueclaws, including 24 keepers. On the ocean, sea bass were hung from the Tires and wrecks. Sharks, lots of blues and some makos, were fought on the ocean. One trip subdued a 450-pound thresher shark. Baits stocked include killies, local spearing, Canadian spearing, sand eels that will arrive Friday, mullet, squid strips, boxed squid, trolling squid, salted clams, frozen clams, 22-pound flats of mackerel, 4 and 5 gallons of bunker chum, 4 gallons of mackerel chum and more. “You name it,” he said.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

The <b>Super Chic</b> fished the last three days for blues, jigging 3- to 6-pounders, a few bigger, at Barnegat Inlet, Capt. Ted said. Seven striped bass, including four keepers to 42 inches(!), were jigged in the mix on Tuesday’s trip. Ted was surprised, and a couple of more bluefish trips and a couple of sea bass trips are coming up in the next days. The sea bassing, on the ocean, remained okay, from what Ted gathered. Not gangbusters, but fish to be caught. That angling was good on the Super Chic in recent trips. A shark trip is slated for Sunday, and sharking’s been good, fairly steady, from what he heard. Mako sharks, thresher sharks and lots of blue sharks roamed usual places. Barnegat Bay’s fluke fishing reportedly picked up a little, continually improving, little by little this season. The bay became fairly warm in the past week.

For customers fishing Barnegat Bay, fluke catches were alright, “spotty here and there,” said Alex from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. Many of the fish were shorts, probably 10 shorts for every keeper. The summer flounder were boated from High Bar Harbor to toward the houses. A few of the fish scurried along the beginning of Double Creek Channel, “what’s left of it,” he said. An angler took a 6- or 8-pound fluke from the rocks off the condos. Another angler said he tackled bluefish off Barnegat Inlet’s north jetty on Wednesday morning. Not many blues were reported. No blowfish were seen at the shop from the bay. Nobody who crabbed was known about, and the water was probably a little cold for that. Crabbing begins later locally than some places, because of colder water from the inlet. Nobody who clammed was heard from. 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 in season. Baits currently stocked include plenty of minnows. Live spots were yet to be carried this year, and spots usually come from Maryland first each year. The supplier said spots were yet to be caught there.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “Still hammering away at the bluefish in the bay. Anything from 2- to 10-pounders on top-water lures in shallow water. Closest thing to flats fishing for us Jersey guys. Oyster Creek Channel and the inlet have been producing every day, both tides. Fluke fishing has been pretty good. Nice-size fish are in the mix. We’re jigging leadheads tipped with Gulp. White or chartreuse are both catching. We're catching some short stripers behind the sod banks, but not on every visit. I'm doing an equal number of strikeouts as I am connecting with those fish. I keep stocking the sandworms on board, though, because when we connect, it’s awesome. Twenty- to 24-inch fish on 10-pound, spinning tackle. I keep threatening to anchor up and try the blowfish, but I still haven't. Maybe this weekend. Sailing open-boat 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, because that’s Fathers’ Day. Get you guys back in time to be celebrated. Monday is an interesting day to watch, according to the forecast. Wind is supposed to become west Sunday night and stay all the way through Monday. That could be the day to go bunker hunting and looking for the big stripers. Started hearing some rumblings on that front from the boats to the north, and that’s well within our range. If the fish are there, we're going! Sailing 5:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday, or later if we wander north, and 1 to 7 p.m. that day. All fish are shared. Charters also available for any of these days and times.” <b>***Update, Thursday, 6/18:***</b> From an email from Dave: “May Day! West Wind Striper Hunt Tomorrow! New plan for tomorrow's (Fri) Open Boat trip. They revamped the marine forecast to a mild west. One last shot at the ocean tomorrow before that south wind kicks in for the weekend. Departing at Noon and returning around 6 pm (maybe later). Out the inlet, making a left and running north. They have bass on bunker up there so we're headed up for an afternoon of snagging and livelining. Targeting big stripers. I always have the trolling gear on board too.....only if we have to. Call me up to 10:30 pm tonight (Thurs) or up until "go time'' tomorrow to grab a spot on board. BTW: The forecast has the wind blowing west again for Monday so we're running morning and afternoon departures.” 

<b>Surf City</b>

A 42-pound 1-ounce striped bass was weighed-in from the surf that was caught at Barnegat Light today on bunker at <b>Surf City Bait & Tackle</b>, Sue said. The bass took the lead in both the store’s tournament and the Simply Bassin’ tournament, and both contests run until June 27. Anglers wished more stripers bit in the surf than did, but blues were fought from the beach, and fish were around to be caught. Sue’s son Cole, 14, beat a 15-pound 6-ounce blue from the surf at Surf City. One youngster fished the surf a lot at Surf City, and kept banking good-sized blues. Those included a 33-incher and a 21-incher the other night, and a 10-pounder the night before. Anglers who fished Brant Beach said a bunch of blues tore through the surf a couple of days. Dogfish also stalked the water. Any fluke in the surf? Sue was asked. Some, she said, and an angler talked about dragging a keeper fluke from the surf on the island’s south end this morning. Most surf casters fished bunker chunks in the surf for blues or stripers. No kingfish were reported from the surf. On the ocean, sea bass fishing was decent. A charter captain bought a bushel of clams and said fishing for sea bass went well on the bait. Another customer, fishing with sand eels from the shop, won the pool with a sea bass on a Barnegat Light party boat. Fresh bunker, fresh clams and minnows are stocked.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Weather was rough throughout the week, but some summer flounder were boated from Great Bay, said Brian from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. None too big, nothing crazy, he said. Picking through sharks, skates and large cownosed rays was difficult at Little Egg Inlet, so he wouldn’t recommend flounder fishing there, but instead at places like Grassy Channel and the clam stakes. Many of the bluefish departed the bay for the season, but 1- to 4-pound blues still popped up in the water. From the ocean, flounder catches were heard about toward Ocean City, like in 60 feet. So pockets of the flatfish probably began to hold at Garden State Reef South, Little Egg Reef and Atlantic City Reef. Fishing for sea bass was good on the ocean. Many out-of-season blackfish bit in the ocean. One blackfish will become the bag limit starting July 17. Six will become the limit from November 16 through the end of the year. Then the limit drops to four in January and February, and the tautog season closes again in March. Thresher sharks roamed close to shore. A 350-pounder was the biggest caught known about, hooked maybe 2 miles from the coast. Brown sharks, required to be released, swam along the coast. Browns and sand sharks also swam Great Bay. Mako shark fishing was good along 30 fathoms. Yellowfin tuna fishing had been good at southern canyons like Lindenkohl, Spencer and Wilmington. Minnows, grass shrimp and fresh, shucked clams are stocked. Fresh bunker will be stocked depending on weather this weekend.

<b>Absecon</b>

On the back bay, summer flounder fishing finally took off well, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. Warming water was causing them to move in, he guessed. The fish were boated closer to inlets, but actually everywhere in the bay. Many were small, but some were sizable, and greater numbers of better-sized ones were showing up all the time. Rumors said fluke were reeled from the ocean, if anybody could reach the ocean in the weather. A few weakfish, not many, but beginning to show up, definitely, began to appear in the bay at usual spots. Many bunker still schooled Mullica River, like before, and blues and striped bass supposedly fed on them. Stripers were still beached from the surf at night along jetties sometimes. A good shot of drum were hauled from the surf, apparently migrating north. Sharks and rays began to be hooked in the surf. The crab shed was winding down. Shedder crabs should be stocked for the weekend for bait, and the supply of soft-shell crabs will be light. The shop raises soft-soft shells for eating, and therefore shedders for bait. Plenty of big minnows are stocked, and are available for $10 per pint, if anglers like and share the post about that on the store’s Facebook page, and ask for the special when buying. Live spots are yet to be carried, because they’re unavailable from Maryland. That’s where they come from, before showing up in New Jersey for the season.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Drum were dragged from the surf earlier in the week, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. None of the 25- to 35-pounders was the past two days. Kingfish swam the surf, and so did sharks, like Paul Lavigna’s three brown sharks caught the other night. Browns must be released, and Andy’s buddy released a 7-pound weakfish he plugged from land off Harrah’s on a yellow and clear lure. Fred from the shop boated a 7-pound summer flounder from the back bay, entering the fish in the Absecon Saltwater Sportsmen Club’s tournament. Baits stocked include abundant minnows, five types of squid, three types of mackerel and everything anglers need.  

<b>Atlantic City</b>

A load of croakers, 25 to 35 per angler, were bailed from the jetties, on bloodworms and clams, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Customers fish jetties like the T-jetty, at the ocean end of Absecon Inlet. The inlet itself is lined with jetties where fish gather. Kingfish, summer flounder and a few blues were angled from the jetties. So were a few striped bass, not a lot, but some, at night. Bloodworms are two dozen for $20 on Mondays and Tuesdays and $10.75 per dozen the rest of the week. Minnows are only $8 a pint or $15 a quart. Catch the special on bucktails at $1.79 for 1/8 ounce, $1.85 for ¼ ounce, $1.89 for 3/8 ounce, $2 for either ½ or 5/8 ounce, $2.20 for 1 ounce, $2.29 for 1 ½ ounce, $2.99 for 2 ounce and $3.49 for 3 ounce. The bucktails come in white, pink-and-white, yellow-and-white, chartreuse-and-white and red-and-white.  One Stop and Duck Tavern are sponsoring The AC Flounder Pounder Week Long Flounder Tournament that began Sunday and is running until this coming Sunday. The contest benefits The Valerie Fund Team Anthony Road to Recovery, and entry is $5 and still available. Prizes will be awarded for the three heaviest flounder from land or sea in Atlantic City waters. Anglers must be entered before catching to win, and entrants get 10 percent off from One Stop and Duck Tavern, and a flounder jighead. The leaders currently were a 4.6-pound 23-1/2-incher in first place, a 3.4-pound 21-1/2-incher in second and a 3.1-pound 20-1/2-incher in third.

<b>Egg Harbor Township</b>

Great Egg Harbor Bay’s summer flounder fishing turned on a little, said John from <b>24-7 Bait & Tackle</b>. Blues still swam the area, and striped bass pretty much migrated away for the season locally. Crabbing produced pretty heavily in Patcong Creek, running past the shop. White perch fishing was good in the creeks. On the ocean, sharks were pasted, and a mako shark was weighed-in. No tuna were seen at the shop in past days, but a few tuna were heard about, not enough to name a location for the catches or other details. Plenty of minnows and shedder crabs are stocked. All the offshore baits like flats of ballyhoos and butterfish, and chum, is carried. Rental boats are available to crab and fish. That includes on Patcong and the bay. Patcong is one of the best places to crab. <b>The company also own 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Marmora</b>.

<b>Margate</b>

The back-bay’s summer flounder fishing was a little better the last two days on the party boat <b>Keeper</b>, Capt. John said. The angling had been affected by dirty water from wind last week, and the water became dirty again Wednesday in wind, but the angling was okay, on both the morning and afternoon trips. The fish seemed to bite best around high tide, when water was clearest. The bay was clear on Tuesday, when the fishing was also alright. Some decent-sized flounder, like 4 pounds, have been in the mix. Minnows and mackerel, provided aboard, caught. So did Gulps anglers brought, and John always recommends bringing Gulps. Colors like chartreuse or white Gulps helped in the dirty water. The season’s first croaker, 1 pound, not big, was landed aboard. No other fish like bluefish were. The Keeper is fishing for summer flounder 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. daily. The trips are only $28, because the fishing is near port, and the pontoon boat is economical on fuel. Rental rods are free, too.

<b>Longport</b>

Fishing hard and daily, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b>. Summer flounder, sea bass, snapper blues and a few ling were swung in, and trips are sold out through Sunday. A few spots are available on an open-boat trip Monday, and the next open trip won’t sail until this coming Thursday. Charters are booked on the rest of the days, but a few half-day charters are available during the stretch. Trips pushed offshore a way, finding some healthy-sized flounder in 80 to 90 feet. The ocean reached 70 degrees and looked turquoise blue. Anglers could see down 20 or 30 feet. Shark fishing was another option, and mako sharks and tiger sharks swam. Not many thresher sharks were heard about this year. “But there’s a lot of life outside the 30 line,” he said. Tuna fishing seemed to pause a moment. There was a “hiccup,” but a few 40- and 50-pound yellowfin tuna began to move into the water between the 30- and 40-fathom lines. That was good fishing, all on the troll. Mike neither saw nor heard about bluefin tuna yet that usually arrive inshore soon.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Trips aboard fished all week, and on Wednesday scooped up lots of quality sea bass, quite a few shorts and some blues, 15 miles from the coast, said Capt. Victor from the party boats <b>Miss Ocean City</b> and <b>Captain Robbins</b>. Plus, a 10-1/2-pound tilefish was bagged on the trip in 30 feet. Capt. Harry Bernstein from Haddon Heights, one of the anglers aboard, pumped in the unusual catch. Tilefish usually swim farther offshore, along the Continental Shelf. A back-bay trip aboard Tuesday tied into quite a few summer flounder, including two keepers. Friday is chartered, and an open-boat trip will sail 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday for ling and sea bass on the ocean. Fishing will work the bay Sunday aboard, Victor believed, but was unsure. The schedule will be posted on the <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/MissOceanCityNJ" target="_blank">Miss Ocean City’s Facebook page</a>. See photos of the tilefish and flounder on the page, too.

Wind blew, rain fell and the bottom was dredged off Strathmere, said Ed from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. That affected fishing, but when conditions were decent, summer flounder were bagged on the back bay in 10 to 15 feet, a little deeper than before. One in 10 flounder hooked was a keeper, but some of the keepers were sizable. Good catches of flounder were winged along the 9th Street Bridge in Rainbow Channel. Bluefish 3 pounds swam there. The dredging kind of choked Corson’s Inlet with silt. On one day, anglers would report blues and occasionally stripers tugged from the inlet. On other days, they’d report none, saying the water was so cloudy. Nobody reported boating the ocean for catches like flounder and sea bass, and customers boated the bay instead. Weather kept boats from sailing for sharks and tuna. Previously, good sharking for makos and blues was cracked at the 750 Square and 19-Fathom Lump. A customer released two makos last week on Wednesday. Also before the weather, good tuna fishing was lit into at Wilmington and Spencer canyons, mostly for yellowfins 30 to 50 pounds.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

<b>***Update, Saturday, 6/20:***</b> Probably nine or 10 yellowfin tuna, many small, but some to 41 pounds, were trolled at Wilmington Canyon aboard today, mostly on ballyhoos, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>. The fish covered up the spread two or three times, all before 7 a.m., an early bite. The 71- to 73-degree water, in flat seas, was good-looking, clear and blue, and lots of pilot whales swam around. One of Jersey Cape’s inshore shark trips fought and released dusky sharks and a 5-foot hammerhead shark 4 miles from shore Friday on mackerel fillets. The water looked beautiful and was 68 to 70 degrees, depending on location. The sharks are in, and the trips have begun, and the angling will only become better. The trips, usually within 10 miles from shore, are a chance to fight big fish without the long trek offshore, on bait or flies.  Jersey Cape is also fishing the back bay for summer flounder, striped bass on popper lures or flies, and bluefish. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Sand tiger sharks and duskie sharks swam Delaware Bay, said Capt. Jim from <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b>. Those are required to be released, and anglers fight them and let them go, an opportunity to wrestle big fish without the longer trip offshore. The bay warmed to 74 degrees, drawing in the sharks. For those who like the trip farther from shore, mako sharks and thresher sharks haunted the ocean 20 miles out. Fins & Grins is sharking on both trips, inshore and offshore.  If bluefin tuna move in, like into the range the makos and threshers are swimming, the boat will steam for them. That could happen soon. Jim hopes bluefish show up at the ocean banks and off Cape May Point for trips that troll them soon, usually. Ocean fishing for summer flounder wasn’t so impressive yet. Jim talked with people who fished for them at places like the Old Grounds. He sails for the flatfish in summer. Sea bass fishing was slow on the ocean, for unknown reasons. Jim worked on another boat that tried for sea bass this week, and only a handful were boxed. With Fins & Grins, fishing sails daily, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability.

Weather, including wind, was tough, and rain fell today, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. But summer flounder fishing was strong in the back bay. A couple of customers reported running into weakfish in the bay. No bluefish were seen at the shop, but a few were known to be caught from the bay. Crabbing began to pick up somewhat in the bay, and maybe there’ll be a crabbing season this year. Mike sounded cautious about that, apparently because catches of the blueclaws were difficult last year, but also sounded hopeful. Crabs for eating, trapped in New Jersey, arrived at the store for the first time this year. The blueclaws were No. 2’s, and were $15 per dozen. 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. A full supply of bait is sold at the shop. That includes minnows, plenty of them, scented and unscented squid, trolling squid, cleaned tube squid, spearing, herring in three per pack, mullet in 12 per pack, whole mackerel, beautiful mackerel fillets, salted clams in quarts and pints, 1-pound of packaged clams, 9 ounces of the clams, frozen, cut clams, whole and cut bunker and plenty of Gulps. All sorts of tackle and supplies are stocked, including bucktails, Spro jigs, Kalins jigheads, rigs from the different companies like Aqua-Clear, Gamakatsu hooks, minnow boxes, pails and buckets, minnow traps, dip nets, hand-woven nets with 6- or 7-foot aluminum handles that are more expensive, therefore less-popular sellers, but great nets, all sorts of crab baskets and more. Mike likes to carry local tackle when available. Spooling reels with line is available. Rods and reels are sold. Crabs, both live and cooked, are sold for eating, and picnic tables are set out to enjoy them. See the current crab prices above. That’s for live crabs, and the shop will probably begin cooking crabs soon for the season. Check with the store for the price for them.

<b>Cape May</b>

Some days were better than others, but summer flounder were decked from the ocean reefs and the Old Grounds on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. A good-sized crowd fished on Wednesday’s trip, and the flatfish were hooked around the boat. Some anglers bagged two or three, and some caught no keepers. The fishing looked like it was improving lately, and not all spots held catches, but this was only mid-June. A few of the fish were bagged around the boat Tuesday, and Craig Constantino from Voorhees totaled three keepers to 5 pounds, winning the pool, that day. None of the fluke was huge on trips, and maybe 5 pounds was biggest. The angling was slow maybe the day before, or one day recently. Wind blew up, making seas bumpy, on the ride home Wednesday. Weather’s been good otherwise on the water. Today might be wet and windy. The Porgy IV is fishing for summer flounder at 8 a.m. daily.

Ocean fishing for summer flounder usually picks up in July, sometimes late June, for charters, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. That’s where most trips with him flounder fish, and bluefin tuna sometimes show up in the inshore ocean as early as this weekend, Fathers’ Day weekend.  George ran into them once during that weekend, in recent years. He knew about nobody who fished for sharks or, on the offshore ocean, yellowfin tuna in past days. Trolling for bluefish at places like 5-Fathom Bank on the ocean usually begins around the Fourth of July aboard, sometimes in late June. Trips are available for all these catches, and telephone if interested.

The back bay turned up summer flounder, pretty good fishing, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. A couple of reports talked about 20- to 23-inchers landed, and a few flounder began to bite in the ocean at Cape May Reef, Reef 11 and the Old Grounds. Sea bass were mixed in at places like the Old Grounds. Not much was heard about flounder from Delaware Bay, but one angler fished near Brandywine Lighthouse on the bay with a half-dozen clams, catching a puppy drum 5 to 15 pounds on each clam. In the surf, weakfish and croakers hovered along jetties. Fish clams, shrimp or squid for the croakers, and bloodworms or soft-plastic lures for the weaks. A few brown sharks and sand tiger sharks, both required to be released, bit in the surf. Sometimes they hit mostly at night during the season, but an angler reported locking into the sharks in the middle of the day Tuesday. No stripers swam the surf anymore this season, really. Stripers were played in the back bay at night, like along bridges. Back on the ocean, this shark season seemed good, and 20 fathoms seemed the targeted waters, he thought, for mako sharks and thresher sharks. Longliners supposedly moved in on sharks, so the shark population might’ve started to thin. One boat over the weekend reportedly tied into 30 yellowfin tuna, including 18 keepers. The location wasn’t heard. Baits stocked include bloodworms, minnows, fresh clams and all the frozen baits. Fresh shrimp will arrive for the weekend.

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