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New Jersey Inshore Saltwater Fishing Report 9-1-16


<b>Sewaren</b>

Weakfish turned up in Raritan Bay, said Rich from <b>Dockside Bait & Tackle</b>. One customer found throwbacks at the Keyport Flats. But others boated bigger, including a couple 28-inchers, near the Ammo Pier. The bay’s fluke fishing was slower than before. But good-sized were bagged at Ambrose Channel. Crabbing was great locally, and lots skittered the creek off the shop. Dockside, located on Smith Creek, a tributary of the Arthur Kill, north of Outerbridge Crossing, is accessible from land and from the water at the fuel dock. Baits stocked include killies, fresh clams and all frozen like spearing and smelts.

<b>Keyport</b>

Weakfish showed up, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. An ocean swell hampered fluke fishing, but fluking will continue to be good there afterward. So trips aboard are fishing for weaks and porgies, until resuming fluking on the ocean when the swell calms. A trip Wednesday scored excellent weakfishing aboard, limiting out and releasing many 20- to 24-inchers afterward. The porgy fishing is fantastic, serving up many 12- to 14-inchers, typically a bushel of keepers, delicious fish. Space is available for open-boat trips Friday and Monday, Labor Day, and telephone to reserve. Fall striped bass charters are being accepted.

The swell slowed fluke fishing, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>. But good-sized were boated, and open-boat trips are fishing for fluke daily at ocean rough bottom. Porgies invaded Raritan Bay, and trips will run for them, and telephone for details. Down Deep is also bottom-fishing on the ocean, including on open trips daily. Charters are available for any of this fishing, and join the <a href=" http://downdeepsportfishing.com/short-notice-list/" target="_blank">Short Notice List</a> on Down Deep’s website to be kept informed about special open trips. Book charters for fall striped bass, sea bass and blackfish.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke were mostly boated on the ocean by this time of season, and the angling wasn’t bad, said Joe from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. On some days they do it, he said, and on some, not. Anglers said weakfish were around. Only one is the bag limit, but one customer landed them each trip. Excellent porgy fishing was scooped from the ocean, and fresh clams caught them well.  Terrific crabbing was trapped in Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers. Fishing for snapper blues was good in the rivers, and the fish were growing larger than before. Somewhat better-sized blues hit well at Keyport Pier and to the right of Leonardo Marina. Not much was heard from the surf. All baits are stocked.

A handful of keeper fluke and some throwbacks were hung Tuesday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, and the swell made the angling tough, a report said on the party boat’s website. But sea bass bailed out the trip, so that “most customers went home with dinner,” it said. Sea bass season was closed beginning today. On Wednesday’s trip, seas were much better, and so was action, but the angling wasn’t easy. Only a half-acre catch was made. A 6.11-pound fluke won the pool, and the father-son team who bagged the fish also clocked a 5.9-pounder. Patrons also waxed a 6-pounder and a couple of 3- to 5-pounders that day. “Nice day on the water, but it’s not getting any easier,” the report said. The Fishermen is sailing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, for striped bass 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and for porgies 6:30 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.

The party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> was fishing for fluke on this morning’s trip when Capt. Tom gave this report in a phone call aboard, he said. Only a few anglers had jumped on the trip because of forecasts, and drizzly rain fell. The fluking’s been slow, giving up a few keepers on some trips, and on some trips throwbacks even failed to bite well. Trips were fortunate to be able to fish Raritan Bay, avoiding rough seas on the ocean. So the angling was tough, but twice daily trips tried for the fish each day. Watch weather forecasts or telephone the boat to confirm trips will run in the next days. Currently, Sunday and Monday looked like a blow out, and Friday to Saturday morning looked okay. The Atlantic Star is fluke fishing 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

Many fluke boated were throwbacks, but keepers were bagged, said Chris from <b>Fisherman’s Den North</b>. One customer limited out on the fish to 7 pounds, and many boaters fished the ocean for the flatfish, but miles out. The biggest body of the fish seemed to migrate there from Raritan Bay. But a trip on one of the store’s rental boats docked four keepers to 23 inches from the bay near the Ammo Pier. On party boats, half-day trips fished the bay, and three-quarter-day trips fished the ocean. But they all fished the bay the past couple of days, he thought, because of ocean seas. A customer who kayaked reeled in weakfish from the bay, and exact location was unknown, but the kayaker said off Sandy Hook. Other weaks from the bay were also heard about. Hear about porgies? Chris was asked. Porgies usually hover along structure like rock piles and can be hooked on clams, he said. Lots of snapper blues schooled. Sometimes cocktail blues did. The harbor was full of peanut bunker. Striped bass were picked at night, and anglers were quiet about location this time of year. The season was early for the best striper fishing. The shop, new this year, the sister store to Fisherman’s Den in Belmar, is located at Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina, down the dock from party boats, charter boats and private boats. The full supply of baits is stocked, including killies, fresh peanut bunker, eels for stripers and offshore baits including flats of butterfish and sardines. Nothing was heard about offshore fishing for tuna recently.

<b>Highlands</b>

Running from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Ed and Tony on the Hammerhead bagged three fluke at Chapel Hill Channel yesterday, Marion wrote in an email. On Sunday, Jay, Tracy, John and Gina on the Par Tee II boxed three fluke 21, 19 and 18 inches at the Scotland Grounds. On the same day, Johnny Cuozzo bucktailed a 19-inch fluke and three blues at Ambrose Channel. On Saturday, Cuozzo and Jill Fisher bucktailed sea bass at Scotland, and Angelo and Karen Kelly boated two 18-inch fluke at Ambrose. Twin Lights, located on Shrewsbury River near Raritan Bay and the ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boat slips, dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined bait and tackle shop and ship’s store. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. Baits stocked include all for offshore.

<b>Belmar</b>

On the party boat <b>Big Mohawk</b>, good fluke fishing was plumbed Sunday and Monday on the ocean, Capt. Chris said. The angling slowed Tuesday and Wednesday. Some good-sized were creamed the first two days, including a 12-pounder Sunday and 8- and 9-pounders Monday. A 6-pounder won the pool Wednesday, and jigs with Gulps caught best on trips. The Big Mohawk is fishing for fluke 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Bigger bluefish than before, 3- to 5-pounders, were socked yesterday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. The fishing was a little slow in the morning, but the blues were found in the afternoon, and the angling, on Runoff hammered jigs, was okay. Blues 1 to 2 pounds were jigged on trips before aboard. The Golden Eagle is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Afternoon fishing and sunset cruise trips are sailing 4:30 to 8:30 daily, reservations required.

The storm swell on the ocean made fluke fishing tougher, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. The angling was decent Monday and became tough Tuesday in the northeast blow. On Wednesday there was a leftover swell and dirty water. The day’s trip bounced around a lot, catching fluke every place fished, but the summer flounder were “stirred up.” Pete expected to fish today but expected trips to get washed out during the weekend. Forecasts today predicted Tropical Storm Hermine, potentially a hurricane in northwestern Florida tonight, to be offshore of New Jersey on Sunday morning. In other news, Pete saw party boats catch 3- to 5-pound blues, bigger blues than before, this week. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s anyway about individual spaces available on charters. Sign up for the email blast on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to be kept informed about the spaces.

<b>***Update, Sunday, 8/4:***</b> From an edited email from Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b>: “Storm watch on. Don't know if we’re going to see much of a storm, but (it’s) sure keeping people away. The last good fluke we weighed-in was Robert Kwiatkowski from Ewing’s 8-pound 10-ouncer caught off Asbury Park. We’re still seeing some keeper fluke in the river, but they seem to be moving out to the inlet area. There are plenty of snappers, peanut bunker, spots and porgies in the back waters of the Shark and Manasquan rivers. Stripers are being caught with more regularity in the surf, Point Pleasant Canal and both inlets. Well I think it’s time for all the locals to take back the shore and start fishing. Not to disparage our summer visitors, but we’ll enjoy the solitude.”

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> competed in the Manasquan River Marlin & Tuna Club’s Offshore Open during the weekend, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. Fishing aboard seemed to find the season’s beginning of solid yellowfin tuna fishing, “like old times,” he said, with bigeye tuna mixed in. Mushin hooked tuna on the troll, but other boats chunked the fish since, even during daylight. Sizable yellowfins 50 to 70 pounds were tackled, and Alan hopes the storm fails to disrupt the angling. He looks forward to trolling and chunking yellowfins this month and in October. Mushin means a relaxed state of readiness.

Bottom-fishing’s been good on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b> on the ocean, Capt. Butch said. Catches of porgies were fair to good on the trips and were the target, because the most could be bagged among other fish, and fishing for them was best. A few good-sized sea bass were caught, but sea bass season was closed beginning today. A few blackfish, fluke and blues were tied into. Trips fished shallow in 30 to 60 feet of water, and the ocean was 73 degrees to 76 on the fishing grounds. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily and, this weekend for the final time this year, 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. every Friday and Saturday.

Fluking was a little slower the past couple of days than on Monday on the ocean on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. But during the past couple of days, a few sizable were still picked, mostly at rough bottom on bucktails with Gulps. Pool-winning fluke weighed 4 to 6 pounds, and trips are fluking 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily. Trips are bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Currently, Friday’s morning and afternoon trips were expected to sail, but trips were expected to be weathered out Friday night through Monday.

<b>Toms River</b>

Surf fishing for fluke picked up somewhat, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. Bucktails needed to be fished, and bait hooked them infrequently. Fishing for 2- to 3-pound blues was sporadic in the surf, but improved. Mullet rigs hooked them, and sharking became good from the beach again. Big sand tiger sharks were released and are required to be. For boaters, fluking was good on the ocean, and so was porgy fishing. So was ling fishing, but trips for them needed to push 1 ½ hours from shore. Lots of mahi mahi swam close to shore, and Virginia saw chicken mahi 14 inches darting past the boat within a mile from shore during fluking. Anglers on foot at Barnegat Inlet banked triggerfish, fluke and a couple of blackfish. Baby sea bass bit there. Green crabs were scarce for blackfish bait, so clams were dunked for the tautog. In Barnegat Bay, a couple of fluke were angled behind Island Beach State Park. More throwback striped bass were fought there than in a while on popper plugs or on bucktails while anglers fluke fished. Blowfishing was pretty good near the BI and BB markers in the bay while boaters dropped chum logs into the water. But the puffers could also be found near any of the channels, like outside the channels near the inlet. Shore anglers could even pluck blowfish from the inlet. Crabbing was good, and Murphy’s, located on Route 37, also owns <b>Go Fish Bait & Tackle</b> on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Anglers toggled in fluke fairly consistently from the surf and inlets, said Ray from <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>.  In the surf, mostly bucktails with Gulps grabbed the fish. No bluefish were reported from the surf. Mostly throwback fluke were tapped into from the dock, on sandworms. But a 28-incher was bagged from the dock, the biggest-ever from there. Also from the dock, snapper blues, blowfish and a few small sea bass were reeled up. Small striped bass began to bite in bays more than before, including in Barnegat Bay behind Island Beach State Park. Small swimming lures and popper plugs hooked them there. Crabbing was a little slow, recovering after the full moon. The moons can trigger crabs to shed and mate, and they won’t eat then, making them difficult to trap.  The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, a café, a dock for fishing and crabbing, boat rentals and jet-ski rentals.

<b>Forked River</b>

A few fluke were bagged from Barnegat Bay near the research buoy between the BB and BI markers, said Brian from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. A couple of different customers reported sacking them. Fluke were boated from the bay at Double Creek Channel, the cut to Barnegat Inlet and toward the sedge banks. Two dozen blowfish per trip could be angled near the BI and farther south in the bay. Snapper bluefish swam the bay. On the ocean, fluke were yanked from maybe 55 feet of water off Island Beach State Park’s bathing beach. A customer’s trip bagged eight off Ortley Beach in 71 feet Saturday. Someone said tuna fishing turned on at Hudson Canyon about four days ago. Fresh spearing were hoped to be stocked today. Baits stocked include killies, all the frozen including local and Canadian spearing, chum logs and offshore baits including flats of sardines and butterfish.  

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

A small crowd fished aboard today, but all left with a keeper fluke, the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>’s Facebook page said. Yesterday’s trip fished slowly at first, but “got some action when the winds picked up a bit,” it said. The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for fluke at 8 a.m. daily.

A mess of fluke came in at <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>, Vince Sr. said. The fish were boated right off the shop in Barnegat Bay, and included a 9-1/2-pounder and a 6-1/2-pounder. The 9-1/2-pounder was hauled in not even 200 yards off the shop. Weakfish and small blues were also reeled from right off the shop. Crabbing was good, better than ever. 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 bait in season. Baits stocked currently included killies and green crabs. Live grass shrimp can be ordered. Live spots will be carried beginning late this month.

Fluke fishing slowed a little, said Rob from <b>Van’s Boat Rentals</b>. Most of the big migrated to the ocean, and mostly throwbacks remained in Barnegat Bay. Weakfish and snapper blues were tugged from the bay. Crabbing was good, and a trip would nab a dozen keepers. Boat rentals will become unavailable after Labor Day until becoming available again beginning on Memorial Day weekend. But the marina will remain open after Labor Day. Van’s rents boats from 9 h.p. to 50 h.p. for fishing, crabbing and pleasure. Kayaks are rented, and facilities include a bait and tackle shop and a marina with slips, gas and full boat servicing.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b>: “The weakfish bite is on at Barnegat Bay. We had a hot bite all afternoon (yesterday) with mostly 12- to 15-inch fish, but also two 18- and a 21-inchers. Holy smokes, did those fish burn line off of our 6-pound outfits. I had Brian Rakowsky from Harvey Cedars and Chris Lang and Bill Rigney from Barnegat Light on board for the action. We chummed with live grass shrimp on both sides of the bay, and caught at both places. Chris had the big fish, jigging a chartreuse, 3/8-ounce shad dart, tipped with shrimp. We also had them free-lining baited hooks and on bobbers. The hits were aggressive, and they’re on the feed. There are also some blowfish and quite a few fluke in the mix. It looks like there’s going to be some heavy seas in the ocean with the tropical storms pushing through these next few days. So we’re going to fish the bay and target these weakfish and any other species that hits our shrimp slick. Open-boat or charter 12 noon Friday. On Saturday through Tuesday, we’ll sail twice a day in morning and afternoon. It's also possible to combo the blowfish if anybody’s interested. They finally arrived in some numbers. Looking forward to this stretch of bay fishing.”

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Fishing was the same as before, said Chris from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Summer flounder fishing was excellent on the ocean throughout last week, he said in the last report here. The only fishing different now was that lots of weakfish and spots schooled off Seven Bridges Road. Lots of small fish schooled the bay including sea bass, croakers and porgies. Little Egg Inlet was full of small sea bass, and a hook could hardly be fished past them. Look for white perch on Mullica River at ledges and other structure on outgoing tides. Crabbing went great, and this year was probably one of the better for crabbing in the last decade. Baits stocked include minnows, fresh clams and bloodworms.

<b>Absecon</b>

Anglers looked at iffy weather for ocean fishing in the next days, just when summer flounder fishing was becoming good at practically all ocean reefs, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. South wind made seas rough on some days in the past week, and conditions failed to drift boats on others, but the angling had been turning on. Lots of flounder, many small, remained in the back bay. They seemed to become picky because of so much baitfish they could forage on in the bay. But they were there, and live bait like peanut bunker and mullet was what to fish. Some quality mullet and great peanut bunker are stocked live, and Dave’s main objective this month will be to load up on live bait for striped bass fishing this coming season. Live spots from Chesapeake Bay are also stocked. Dave’s hoping for good striper fishing and has a feeling the angling will be good in the bay this fall. Striper gear is being loaded up in the store, and the shop’s annual <a href=" http://www.abseconbay.com/2016stripersale.html" target="_blank">Striper Kick-Off Sale</a>, featuring 25 percent off nearly everything, and 50 percent off some items, will be held beginning the weekend after Labor Day from Friday, September 9, through Sunday, September 18. Stripers, mostly 10- to 23-inch throwbacks, but some keepers already bit at the mouths of Mullica and Great Egg Harbor rivers. One trip got into a blitz and landed six keepers to 32 inches and a 20-pound drum, all on shedder crabs. Shedders were the bait to dunk for everything from the stripers – during daytime – to white perch in tributaries to weakfish and panfish like spots in the bay. Stripers certainly bit at night, and eels are stocked for them. The stripers seemed especially to chew at night toward Great Egg Harbor Inlet at bridges and jetties. But they also hit elsewhere, and were all different sizes. The perch fishing was picking up, definitely, and seemed best in creeks like Motts, Oyster and Nacote. Those are in the Mullica River and Great Bay area, but many of the perch were also heard about from the Great Egg Harbor River estuary. A couple of customers even ventured to Delaware River’s tributaries to wax perch, if they could avoid getting covered up by short stripers. Again, shedder crabs were the bait for the perch.  The weakfish – reminder: shedders were the bait for them, too – were scattered in the bay, but were there, at usual places like holes along the Intracoastal Waterway. Weaks also began to school the ocean near shore, along with kingfish and croakers. Many kingfish and a fairly good population of spots swam the surf and along Ventnor Pier. The spots included fairly good eating-sized but also smaller for bait. The spots seemed to school mostly along the beach and in inlets, but some pushed into the bay.

<b>Margate</b>

Back-bay summer flounder fishing was a little slow, and not a lot of the fish bit, but keepers were decked on every trip on the party boat <b>Keeper</b>, Capt. John said. Some flounder remained in the water, and sometimes wind like the blow forecast in coming days improves the angling. Minnows and mackerel are provided aboard, and minnows caught best. Gulps that anglers brought caught, but baby sea bass bit off the tails, so anglers worked through lots. Sea robins and sharks also bit, and action with fish like these kept kids happy. Sometimes John nets peanut bunker to fish live on the trips, and netted none recently but maybe would today. He’d like to net big silversides that schooled abundant to fish aboard, and maybe would. Flounder season’s winding down and will be closed beginning September 26. Trips are slated to fish for summer flounder 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. daily through Labor Day. Afterward, the morning trip will fish Tuesday, both trips will fish Wednesday and Thursday and the morning trip will fish that Friday. John will decide the schedule for afterward. The trips are only $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $20 for kids, because fishing is near port, and the pontoon boat is economical on fuel. Rental rods are free.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

From Absecon Inlet, anglers on foot wrangled up lots of kingfish and croakers, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. They snatched up blackfish, triggerfish, small blues, weakfish that were mostly 9- to 12-inch throwbacks, and good-sized summer flounder, a variety of fish, from the jetty-lined inlet. Inlet anglers might not have caught the species they wanted, but caught something. They fished bloodworms, minnows, spearing and, for the blackfish and triggers, green crabs. All those baits and more, the full supply, are stocked. Tons of baitfish schooled the inlet including spearing, peanut bunker, mullet and herring. ***Big Heads Up:*** Noel began a <a href="http://acprimetime.com/atlantic-city-fishing-petition-jetty-access/" target="_blank"><b>petition</b></a> for anglers <b>to protest the government’s planned closing of fishing the jetties along the inlet</b>. Click the link to read and sign the important petition. The inlet is historically an important location for recreational fishing in New Jersey. The previous world-record striped bass, 78.8 pounds, was even caught a short walk from the inlet, at the Vermont Avenue jetty in 1982. The inlet is one of the best striper fisheries for recreational anglers. But the government apparently doesn’t know about fishing like that, and it’s up to anglers to stop the closure. The government recently said access will be granted, after Noel began to spearhead the protest. But until the government makes that official, the protest needs to continue.

<b>Brigantine</b>

The surf’s been clean, even today, said Claude from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Seas were somewhat up in the surf but not bad, and anglers will see how that goes this weekend. Kingfish swam the water pretty heavily. Snapper blues and spots were mixed in. Bloodworms and Fishbites artificial worms hooked the kings and spots. Pieces of mullet or other “meaty” bait hooked the blues. Sharks began to thin out in the surf, but were still landed. Summer flounder were migrating to the ocean, but still remained in back waters. Most came from Absecon Inlet that were bagged in the back.

<b>Longport</b>

Fishing beat up summer flounder yesterday on the <b>Stray Cat</b> on the ocean, Capt. Mike said. The fishing was great, “(and) we closed out sea bass,” he said. That was the final day of sea bass season, and trips are also trolling false albacore and Spanish mackerel on the ocean. Charters are available throughout the next week, and open-boat trips will become available beginning September 11.

<b>Ocean City</b>

Rip currents and huge tides slowed surf fishing, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. A few spike weakfish, kingfish here and there and occasional spots were beached. Surf casters mostly fished bloodworms for them, and also fished Corson’s Inlet, plucking a few snapper blues and small summer flounder from the water. Baby sea bass bit along piers, and lots of small flounder filled the back bay. Nothing was heard about the ocean because of the weather. That included nothing about summer flounder fishing, and no offshore fishing for tuna and other big game was reported since last week’s MidAtlantic tournament. Weather made fishing tough, and that might happen this weekend, too.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Good improvement was seen in surf fishing, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Kingfish were beached, but so were croakers, a couple of spots, some small weakfish, all kinds of stuff. So that’s been good, and small striped bass were played at night under lights in the back bay, but lots of small weaks were mixed in, too. The swell hampered boating for summer flounder fishing on the ocean, but some were cranked in. Anglers will see what happens with the angling after the storm. Fish including bonito, skipjacks, false albacore, Spanish mackerel and king mackerel were heard about from the ocean, like at Sea Isle Ridge or 10 to 15 miles from the coast, before the swell. Not much was heard about tuna. Crabbing was excellent.

No trips fished since the weekend aboard, and a bit of a swell happened on the ocean since, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. But trips have been smashing great catches including mahi mahi and false albacore on the ocean aboard, covered in previous reports here. A buddy drilled six mahi Monday “doing what I do,” Joe said. Summer flounder fishing was good on the ocean, but the heave affected that in past days. On the back bay, high tides at dusk this week were ideal for fishing for striped bass with popper lures and popper flies, a specialty on the boat. Joe cruised the water Tuesday evening, “but didn’t see anything I liked,” he said. The fishing can be super this time of year, but the water was 78 to 80 degrees or warm. The fishing can change each time the tides happen, every other week. Annual traveling charters to Montauk will kick off at mid-month, fishing for striped bass, blues and false albacore. Meet the migration from the legendary port, before the run arrives off New Jersey later in the year. See the <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">traveling charters’ page</a> on Jersey Cape’s website. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Rain fell this morning, and Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b> was deciding whether to stay open for the day, he said when he gave this report then in a phone call. But customers continued to catch lately, and nothing changed since last week. A couple of summer flounder bagged from the bay were still brought in a couple of days ago. Business was slower the next day, yesterday. Snapper blues ran pretty well in the bay, and lots of small sea bass schooled the water. A bunch of small striped bass roamed the bay, and few weakfish and kingfish were seen recently. Surf anglers had been beaching them. Many peanut bunker schooled the canal. On the ocean, flounder fishing was strong at Cape May and Wildwood reefs this week. The fishing seemed slower at Wildwood Reef than before, but the angling “goes back and forth.” A couple of trips fished Wildwood Reef yesterday that failed to score well, only a couple of flounder. Flounder there seemed smaller than before. The bay’s crabbing wasn’t as great as preferred, but customers trapped a dozen or 1 ½ dozen in a trip. One crabber picked up four dozen per trip who had a spot that held them. The bay’s salinity was higher than preferred for crabbing, because of a dry summer. Mike in previous reports said the blueclaws gathered in deep water in the bay and in creeks, instead of the usual shallow flats in the bay, because of that. Canal Side rents boats for fishing, crabbing and pleasure and kayaks. <b>***<i>Get a $5 discount</i>***</b> on a rental boat if you mention Fishing Reports Now. A large supply of bait and tackle is carried. Crabs for eating are sold, and the price depends on the market. No. 1s were currently $32 per dozen live, $34 pre-cooked and chilled and $36 cooked to order. No. 2s were $22 per dozen live, $24 pre-cooked and chilled and $26 cooked to order.  No. 2s were also on special for $35 for 1 ½ dozen live or pre-cooked and chilled. Clams, shrimp and occasionally oysters are also sold for eating. Those were the main foods sold, and customers enjoy the food at picnic tables with tents on the water at the store. Or they take out the food and enjoy.

<b>Cape May</b>

Small bluefish were trolled off Cape May Point yesterday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. A trip today was supposed to either fish for summer flounder or troll mahi mahi, depending on what the anglers wanted. Weather looked like it would go downhill afterward. Boaters scored a couple of better days of flounder fishing on the ocean recently, and George spoke with some who sailed for them yesterday who said the angling was slow that day. George heard second-hand that yellowfin tuna, pretty good catches, were trolled and chunked during daytime at Hudson Canyon recently. That’s too far to sail from Cape May, but maybe the fish will slide south to canyons in range soon.

Summer flounder gave up a bunch of action Monday morning on the ocean on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. But a swell built as the day went on, and the angling slowed then through the next two days. Only a few keepers were banged out Tuesday, and even fewer were Wednesday. Conditions were maybe forecast to be better today, and strong wind might blow during the weekend, because of the tropical depression offshore. But forecasts were conflicting. After the blow, maybe on Monday or Tuesday, “the deck will be reshuffled,” he said. That will be like starting again, or trips will search and see. Paul hopes that when the swell calms, the fish “will bite a little,” he said. Dave Brehm from Clarksburg, Pa., nailed a 9.1-pound flounder during the weekend aboard. The Porgy IV is fishing for summer flounder at 8 a.m. daily. Telephone to confirm when trips will have the weather to sail.

“Batten down the hatches,” Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> said! Lots of spike weakfish and croakers turned up in the surf at Cape May Point. One angler landed 10 to 15 weaks in a couple of hours per trip, keeping no more than a limit of one. Snapper blues schooled the surf, and so did blues a little larger than snappers. Mullet began to appear in the surf. Small summer flounder were mixed in from the surf, but one customer brought in a 26-incher from the surf at the point. A good population of weakfish including sizable to 5 pounds and croakers schooled Delaware Bay near Brandywine and Bug Light. Little was heard about flounder from the bay. On the back bay, large weaks to 5 pounds, some numbers, were hooked at bridges at night on soft-plastic lures. When boaters last fished the ocean for flounder, mixed reports came from Cape May Reef. Some talked about only throwbacks caught. But Nick recommended a rig the shop ties to a customer headed to the reef, and the trip boated five keepers, only on the rig, with a large Gulp grub on the top hook. The rig features a bait-holder hook on top and a bucktail on bottom and seemed the ticket for better-sized flounder. Sea bass season was closed beginning today. Not much was heard about offshore fishing lately. Closer to shore, good catches of mahi mahi were trolled. 

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