<b>Staten Island</b>

Weather was rough this weekend, but a half-day trip on Sunday boated eight keeper fluke, probably 25 or 30 throwbacks and 10- or 12-pound bluefish with <b>Angler Sportfishing Charters</b>, Capt. Chuck said. So the trip scored alright, and the anglers left with a few fluke fillets. They also wanted to keep some of the blues, so they did. The trip ran into the blues busting bait. Lines were cast to them, and the boat was anchored, and the trip began chunking for the blues. All the anglers left happy, Chuck said. A trip Saturday aboard worked through lots of throwback fluke, but did bag some keepers.

<b>Keyport</b>

Fishing for ling, cod and jumbo winter flounder was great aboard, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>. Fluke fishing was up and down, and many fluke were throwbacks. The number of keepers was better on some days than others, and some days of fluking were pretty good. Keepers weighed up to 8 pounds, and most weighed 3 to 5. Fluking should become better, should break wide open, by Wednesday or Thursday, after the effects of the weather.  Charters and open-boat trips are fishing. 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 trips. Also see the site’s open-trips page for available dates. Open trips include 12-hour marathons, both for fluke or ling and cod.

Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> will be on family vacation this week, he wrote in an email. Fluke fishing aboard will resume next week, and four spaces are available for an open-boat fluke trip that week on Thursday, August 20, and the rest of the week is booked. Booking in advance is imperative, because trips fill up. The Vitamin Sea is a dedicated fluke boat all summer. “Fluke is our business,” he said. Fluke season was challenging this year, but anglers ready to meet the challenge whacked quality fluke, some of them very large. Steve Goldberg’s 10.4-pounder was biggest aboard this season. Fluke will begin to migrate soon for fall, and Frank expects even bigger fluke to be hooked. Bookings are also being taken for fall striped bass and blackfish charters. Again, book early to lock in a date.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Finally, the boat drifted an entire trip Friday, Capt. Ron from the party boat <b>Fishermen</b> wrote in a report on the vessel’s website. That was the most recent report at press time, and in the days before Friday, conditions were poor, like wind against tide, for good drifting. A few fluke to nearly 8 pounds, including some 4 to 6 pounds, were still managed on those previous trips. If anybody said the fluking was easy, that’s not so. On Friday’s trip, weather was perfect, and fluke gave up a good bite.  Ron gave a huge thank you to the Bus Boys, Robert from Loan Oak Landscaping, Skender Mallabeqiri, and Jamie from Eyes on First for more than generous contributions to the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips are fishing for fluke, porgies, croakers or whatever bites 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 3:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays.

On the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, trips had some “different” fluke fishing since Wednesday than previously, Capt. Tom said. The fishing improved a bit on some of the trips, and fewer throwbacks bit than before, but the ratio of keepers was better. Morning trips fished better than afternoons at first during the days, because wind picked up in afternoons. But that changed by Friday. Then predicting the trip that would fish best became impossible. Conditions were better for fluking on Sunday afternoon’s trip than the morning’s, but the angling wasn’t as good in the afternoon as in the morning, for instance. All anglers caught at least throwbacks in past days. Fewer throwbacks were hooked than when some anglers previously released 15, 20 or more of the shorts. But, again, the keeper ratio was better. Trips fished Raritan and Sandy Hook bays, and all trips fished, though some anglers talked about rough weather this weekend. Weather wasn’t bad at all on the bays aboard. Trips are catching fluke, not as many as Tom would like, but catching, and some trips are fishing better than others, but predicting which was impossible, recently. Forecasts are calling for weather Tuesday, and that could prevent some spots from being fished. But the boat is expected to fish throughout the day.  The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m.

<b>Neptune</b>

Seas were very rough, but an inshore wreck-fishing trip fished Sunday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph said. Three drops had to be fished, but the last pasted lots of winter flounder, cod, pollock and ling. Wind that caused the rough seas had diminished Sunday, and no trips fished in the wind in previous days. Space is available on individual-reservation trips that will fish inshore wrecks August 30 and offshore for cod September 2. Individual-reservation trips are fluke fishing every Tuesday, and kids under 12 sail free on those outings, limited to two per adult host. A few choice dates are available for charters, but dates are booking up, so don’t delay.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> fluke fished Wednesday and Thursday on the ocean, Capt. Pete said. Northeast wind blew up Friday, forcing a trip to return early. No trips fished Saturday and Sunday, and no trip will fish today, because of wind Friday and Saturday, and the churned up ocean afterward. But the angling was decent Wednesday and Thursday, and Pete hopes the fluking continues to improve. The catches included some good-sized to 7 pounds, and the trips fished grounds to the south that Parker Pete’s tried anew. Fluke trips include On the Water Seminars that teach bucktailing for big fluke in a non-threatening environment. Spaces remain for one of those on August 25. Charters can also book the seminars. Novices learn bucktailing, and the somewhat experienced hone the skill, on the seminars. Space is available on a fluke charter that needs more anglers Thursday. Anglers should contact Parker Pete’s, even if they don’t have enough anglers for a charter. That’s because individual spaces are 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.

The ocean was somewhat turbulent, but fishing was good for blues, bonito and mackerel Saturday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report on the party boat’s website said. On Sunday, the ocean was very turbulent, but fishing was decent for blues and mackerel, on the day’s trip. The Golden Eagle is fishing at 7:30 a.m. daily. Fishing and sunset cruises are sailing at 4:30 p.m. daily, and reservations are required for those outings.

Wind hampered fishing this weekend, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. The wind put a damper on party boat fishing on the ocean. Some good-sized fluke came from Shark River. Tiffiny Gaidus from Union Beach cranked in a 4-pound 10-ounce fluke, her personal best, from the river. Snapper bluefishing has kicked into high gear in the river, and the snappers gained some size. Sometimes striped bass, mostly throwbacks, were eased from the surf. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 8/11:***</b> Rain kept anglers from fishing today, but some good fluke catches were seen Monday, Bob wrote in an email. That included Dave Loichle from Allentown, N.J.’s, 8-pound 4-ouncer. Trips on the store’s rental boats averaged 20 fluke hooked, including two keepers, per outing on Shark River. 

<b>Brielle</b>

Rough seas kept fluke fishing docked Friday and Saturday on the party boat <b>Jamaica II</b>, but seas improved Sunday, and the angling bounced back, Capt. Ryan wrote in an email. The fishing had been great, pulling in lots of good-sized, fat fluke, early last week. On Sunday aboard, throwback fluke and keepers were caught, and the crew expects the fishing to become better and better this week, as the ground swell subsides. Huge, out-of-season sea bass were also released Sunday. Four- and 6-inch Gulp Swim Mullets in pink, white or chartreuse, on ½-ounce Spros on teaser rigs, hooked the fluke best. Donny Patrick from Trenton was in the lead for the monthly pool with a 7-pound 8-ounce fluke. The winner takes the money and gets a year of free fishing aboard.  Half-day trips are fishing 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and an all-day marathon is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Monday.

When conditions were good, ocean fluke fishing was good, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The angling was pretty good at small lumps off the Lavallette water tower in about 60 feet last week. Lots of throwbacks, lots of action, and keepers to 8 pounds. Fluke were still landed on Manasquan River, not as many keepers as previously. Blues 2 to 3 pounds, small striped bass, hickory shad and tinker mackerel swam the river. A 10-pound mahi mahi was reeled from the river near Treasure Island. That’s unusual, but Dave saw a photo. Nothing was heard about blackfish. Ling fishing was pretty good on the ocean. A bunch of big winter flounder bit on the trips, and cod were mixed in. A haddock was decked on a Point Pleasant Beach party boat. The only bluefin tuna heard about were boated offshore of the Texas Tower. A mix of bluefins, small yellowfin tuna and a few longfin tuna bit there. Canyon tuna fishing was sort of slow. Most customers headed to Hudson Canyon for the fishing, trolling bigeye tuna, if lucky. One customer’s trip nailed seven bigeyes and a 450-pound blue marlin. But other customers caught nothing while canyon fishing. Maybe the weekend’s blow shook up the water and will help the angling.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Rough conditions, but action was had the past two days on fluke trips on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report said Saturday on the vessel’s website. A stiff, northeast wind blew, forcing heavy weights to be fished, and that made feeling bites tougher. The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. However, the trips this Wednesday will fish 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

The <b>June Bug</b> was weathered out from fishing during the weekend, Capt. Lindsay said. A trip was expected to fish for fluke today on the ocean, and another is supposed to fluke there Tuesday, but weather might cancel that outing.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

The bay had been warmer than 80 degrees two weeks, a report on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s website said. But now a few nights were cooler, “at least,” it said. Two summer flounder to 4.8 pounds were weighed-in from Little Egg Inlet on Saturday. Three other keepers about 18 inches, the legal minimum size, were known bagged from the inlet that day. Flounder were picked, nothing crazy, from the ocean recently. Jigging caught better than “aimlessly drifting all over the place,” the report said. A 6-ounce jig with a big Gulp on a teaser rig “is what you want,” it said. Good-sized blackfish bit in the ocean. So did lots of out-of-season sea bass that had to be released, but were fun. Lagoons held lots of snapper blues and white perch that kids could have fun hooking.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The surf was a little rough, tough for holding bottom, and the water temperature dipped below 70 degrees, a report said Sunday on <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>’s website. Not many good reports rolled in about fishing in those conditions. Not many came from the back bay either. But plenty of bait was stocked for when fish “do decide they are hungry again,” the report said. <b>***Update, Tuesday, 8/11:***</b> A couple of anglers banked kingfish from the surf Monday, the shop’s Facebook page said. The water temperature rose to 73 degrees, and the warmth should make the fish bite again. Fred from the shop jigged 10 spots on bloodworms on Sabiki rigs from the bay that day. He also landed a 15-inch weakfish on a Sabiki on the trip, and six different types of Sabiki rigs are stocked. Everything needed to load bait pens with spots is carried.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Action with summer flounder was pretty good, and keepers were bagged here and there, on the back bay aboard, said Capt. Victor from the party boats <b>Miss Ocean City</b> and <b>Captain Robbins</b>. Croakers also began to be hooked, and small sea bass and sharks bit, on the trips. Trips are fishing 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A family aboard Saturday morning pumped in small summer flounder from the back bay, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Trips were weathered out the rest of the weekend. Jersey Cape is flounder fishing on the bay and ocean. Trips are also inshore shark fishing, usually within 10 miles from shore, catch-and-release angling, with bait or flies, for species like spinners, duskies and browns, some of them required to be let go. That angling lasts until Labor Day. High tides at dusk, coming around every two weeks, are ideal this week for popper fishing for striped bass on the bay with lures and flies, a specialty aboard in summer. That fishing’s been good, drawing explosive, visual hits along the water surface. Looking ahead, annual traveling charters will fish from Montauk, N.Y., in September and October for the migration of stripers, blues and false albacore. Annual traveling charters to the Florida Keys will fish from Christmas to Easter. See <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Traveling Charters Web Page</a>. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

No trips fished in the weekend’s weather, said Capt. Jim from <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>. Seas were even rough on a trip last Monday that reeled in small summer flounder at Avalon Shoals. Wind began at 12 to 15 knots from the south on the outing, switching to north, reaching probably 20 or 25 knots, by 2 p.m. The water temperature had dropped. Water 71 degrees was seen on the trip, considerably cooler than previously. Bluefish 12 or 18 inches were seen schooling both the ocean farther out and close to shore on the trip. Above the blues close to shore, birds worked the water, and blues in either location could be an option to fight on trips. The anglers on the trip had been considering fishing on a party boat, but decided on a more personal experience. In other news, sheepshead began to be caught at bridges and the 8th Street jetty, Jim heard. Salmon fishing on upstate New York’s Salmon River can begin by Labor Day from Jim’s lodge near the river. The fish usually enter the river’s mouth by then, and will migrate upriver in the following weeks. Jim usually fishes for them by early October. Fins and Feathers offers a variety of outdoor adventures, including saltwater fishing from the back bay at Avalon to the ocean off the port, and Delaware Bay. Guided duck and goose hunting is available on Delaware Bay and in nearby states. Anglers can even enjoy a combo of striped bass fishing and duck hunting on the bay in fall over a series of days. Salmon and steelhead fishing, and snowmobiling, are offered from the lodge in upstate New York. Fly-fishing for trout is available on Pennsylvania’s streams like the Yellow Breeches.

<b>Wildwood</b>

<b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b> fished on two trips Saturday and two Sunday, despite  some weather and seas, Capt. Jim said. Wasn’t pleasant, he said, but the trips caught. They focused on bluefish, about the only fishing possible in the conditions. Blues schooled off the inlet. Blues will also sometimes gathered off Cape May Point. Kingfish bit off the point. Throwback weakfish swam off the point. Plenty of blues can be found, and they keep rods bending. Inshore sharking was tried aboard Sunday that Fins has been doing. But a 6- to 8-foot heave turned out too much, and no sharks were hooked. Rods bounced all around. The sharking, mostly for sand tigers, required to be released, began to slow down somewhat. But the ocean and Delaware Bay, where the sharks are fought, remained warm enough, and the sharks should stick around. Fins tags the fish for NOAA, and the angling is a chance to fight big catches. Jim’s looking forward to a “big” September for summer flounder fishing. Fins fishes for any species available. Trips fish every day, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability.

<b>Cape May</b>

No trips fished because of the wind this weekend on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. The wind prevented sailing Friday. Wind probably blew a steady 30 knots Saturday. Sunday might’ve been possible to fish. But George knew about no charter boats that fished during the weekend from Cape May. Some of the local party boats might’ve sailed. Trips lately rustled up bluefish and triggerfish on the Heavy Hitter. Anglers complained about summer flounder fishing, and the Heavy Hitter did no flounder fishing. George heard anglers keep complaining about throwback flounder biting. A trip wants to tuna fish aboard in a couple of weeks. Currently, bigeye tuna might be trolled in evenings at the offshore canyons. No yellowfin tuna were around, really. Fishing on the Heavy Hitter caught yellowfins some weeks ago, when the tuna held in 20 to 30 fathoms a time, covered in reports here then.

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