<b>Sewaren</b>

Big bluefish, lots, schooled throughout Raritan Bay, hitting chunks of bunker, said Rich from <b>Dockside Bait & Tackle</b>. Many porgies hovered throughout the bay, and fluke fishing slowed everywhere locally. A few, none huge, sometimes keepers, were caught. Some were reported from Sandy Hook Channel or nearby. Weakfish, the best population in years, showed up in the bay just before the tropical storm on Labor Day weekend. But they seemed to disappear last week, after the storm. None was reported. Crabbing slowed but some were trapped. 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 bunker, sandworms and bloodworms. Eels will be carried in a couple of weeks for fall striped bass fishing.

<b>Keyport</b>

Porgy fishing is best now, Capt. Frank from the <b>Vitamin Sea</b> wrote in an email. The fish to 14 inches served up non-stop action, and only 10-inchers and larger were kept. Nine inches is the legal minimum size. “There is a nice mix of blowfish, also,” he said, and a good number of out-of-season sea bass bit and were released. Small blues and small striped bass also bit. Fluke fishing seemed to begin bouncing back. The fish seemed to pile into creeks and rivers because of the tropical storm, and now seemed to be swimming out. Charters are fishing, and two spaces are available for an open-boat fluke trip Sunday. For open porgy trips, six spaces are available Tuesday, and three are left Wednesday. If fluking becomes good like it should be this month, more open fluke trips will be added. Telephone to reserve, and get your dose of Vitamin Sea! Also, fall striper and blackfish charters are booking. Striper charters that book get a bonus tag for each angler to keep an extra fish, while the supply lasts. So lock in the dates.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluke were boated from the flats of Raritan and Sandy Hook bays, for some reason, said Jay from <b>Julian’s Bait & Tackle</b>. They’re usually found deeper this season, and good-sized were still found in the deep, but far out on the ocean. Porgies bit rabidly, including at Sandy Hook Reef. False albacore and cocktail blues were fought from the surf at Sandy Hook, Monmouth Beach and Asbury Park. The fish chased spearing, and brown sharks were beached from the surf farther south, toward Long Beach Island. Browns are required to be released and are a warm-water fish. Nobody reported hooking striped bass. Crabs were trapped on Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. Facebook photos showed catches at Oceanic Marina. All baits are stocked.

Plenty of action was copped Wednesday, but most of the fish had to be let go on the <b>Fishermen</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. “Short fluke and sea bass like you’ve never seen!” it said. Sea bass are out-of-season, and fluking’s been tough since the storm aboard. The captain will see how the fishing goes, and if catches fail to improve, trips will switch to porgy fishing, until fishing for striped bass, when stripers show up. 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 through Wednesdays and for porgies 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Beginning September 26, the night trips will fish for stripers Mondays through Saturdays.

No matter where was fished, a few throwback fluke and occasional keepers were flung in on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Sometimes throwbacks failed to bite so much, and trips fished shallow, including at Flynn’s Knoll and Chapel Hill Channel, though Chapel Hill ended up not giving up many. Shallow seemed better than deep. Wednesday afternoon’s fluking was probably some of the better since Saturday. Conditions were perfect, and the boat’s drifts were long, and the anglers picked away at throwbacks and caught some keepers. One of the trip’s anglers bagged a fluke a little heavier than 5 pounds, getting lucky. Monday’s through Wednesday’s trips struggled to land keepers. Some of the 17-inch fluke, an inch smaller than legal-sized, were surprisingly heavy on trips. A 17-incher is a sizable fluke. Weather was great in past days, but strong wind blew from northeast this morning when Tom gave this report at 10 o’clock aboard in a phone call. A couple of keepers were cranked in so far on the trip. Conditions were different than on yesterday or Wednesday afternoon’s trip, and drifts weren’t long. Two throwback cobias, one 13 or 14 inches and the other 2 feet or 24 inches, were released the past two days aboard, surprisingly. All scheduled trips fluked in past days, and that’s the main thing, Tom said. The Atlantic Star is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily. Check out photos of some of the past days’ fluke catches and one of the cobias on the <a href=" http://www.atlanticstarfishing.com/index.php/photo-gallery/2016" target="_blank">Atlantic Star’s website</a>. Click on a photo to see the date of the catch on the pop-up.

Fishing for fluke might’ve been winding down, said Chris from <b>Fisherman’s Den North</b>. One of the shop’s rental boats was fishing for them today when he gave this report, so Chris would see how that went. Porgy fishing was great from the bay to the ocean. Schoolie striped bass and bluefish began to be hooked from the bay. Boats on the ocean found bigger blues to the south. Chris heard that boats sailed for tuna offshore, but heard no results. False albacore were reeled from the surf. A few mullet began to migrate the surf. Peanut bunker schooled the harbor and nearly everywhere. He saw them in Shrewsbury River last night in the dark. Fresh peanuts are stocked, and fresh mullet are carried occasionally. Frozen mullet are on hand, and so are killies and the full selection of frozen baits for inshore and offshore.  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 the Atlantic Highlands party, charter and private boats.

<b>Highlands</b>

Several areas and different depths 45 to 80 feet were fished for fluke Saturday on a trip with <b>Lady M Charters</b>, Lady M’s Facebook page said. But the angling was tough, landing a few keepers, some shorts, a few porgies and a good number of jumbo, out-of-season sea bass. The sea bass were released, and trips will bottom-fish this weekend. Porgy fishing is great, and a few triggerfish are mixed in. Charters and open-boat trips sail, and trips are being booked for sea bass fishing in fall and blackfishing in fall and winter.

Sailing from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b>, Ed and Tony on the Hammerhead boated five keeper fluke on the bay on killies, Gulps and peanut bunker last Thursday, Marion wrote in an email. Bob Dreyer on the Patty Girl docked three keeper fluke to 22 inches Friday at Atlantic Highlands Harbor and Sandy Hook Bay. 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>Neptune</b>

An individual-reservation trip for cod offshore was added for 2 a.m. Saturday, October 1, and a few spaces are available, Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> wrote in an email. He just returned from fishing in Canada with family, covered in the last report here.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> will next fish for fluke on the ocean tomorrow, Capt. Pete said. Much better fishing for them was reported the past couple of days, and fluke are on the move, migrating from bays to offshore. The fishing is a matter of finding them on a given trip. 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.

For surf anglers, false albacore were here, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Time to run and gun the beach, he said, and more and more striped bass showed up in the surf. The surf and rivers were loaded with a variety of bait including peanut bunker, mullet and spearing. Big bluefish were found on party boats, and the fish to 17 pounds were weighed-in. Time to fish, Bob said. Come down and pit your skill against the arriving catches, he said.

Some jumbo blues to 20 pounds and a decent pick of false albacore, sometimes three or four at once, were plowed Monday on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> “offshore,” an email from the party boat said. Tuesday’s trip only picked at monster blues to 19 pounds and albies, though fish at times were read excellent, 30 to 40 feet thick. On Wednesday’s trip, smaller blues bit at the end of the outing, at a big area of life with birds working the water, and albies were caught on the final couple of drifts, and half the boat was hooked up. Ava 27 and 47 jigs caught well. The Miss Belmar Princess is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.  Family fishing and sunset cruises are sailing 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Kids 14 and under are sailing free on morning trips Mondays through Thursdays through September when accompanied by an adult paying full fare. The back-to-school special, a $40 value, is limited to one child per adult and cannot be combined with other discounts. No reservations are required.

Bluefish 3 to 5 pounds gave up okay fishing in the morning Wednesday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b> on the ocean to the north, a report said on the party boat’s website. Then the angling slowed, and the boat was sailed farther north to off Sandy Hook Point, and small blues were caught again. When that slowed, the boat was pulled 1 ½ miles back south, and small blues were caught again. The fishing, on Runoff hammered jigs, ended up fair for the day, and the anglers had a good time, the report said. On Tuesday’s trip, blues 3 to 5 pounds and 18 to 22 pounds were tackled, and so were quite a few false albacore. Bait and the Runoffs caught, and the season’s first tuna trip fished Sunday to Monday. The angling was no good, and only a 125-pound swordfish was landed. The trip fished far south, “and there were no reports of any amount of fish being caught – a fish here or there,” the report said. Water-temperature charts looked like tuna-holding water would arrive at Hudson Canyon by yesterday or so, and the crew hoped that got the fishing going. The Golden Eagle is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. <a href=" https://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/tunafish" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> are sailing on certain days through October 24.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Great porgy fishing was smashed on the party boat <b>Dauntless</b>, Capt. Butch said. The fish were bigger than before, too, and the small seemed to move out. Most anglers crushed 30 to a limit of 50 apiece, and a few blackfish, bluefish and occasional triggerfish were mixed in. Plenty of out-of-season sea bass bit and were released. If the angling continues, this will be a good fall, he said. Trips fished in 30 to 60 feet of water. The ocean was 72 to 74 degrees on the fishing grounds, and had been 69 a couple of days. But the water warmed back up in clear, sunny skies. The Dauntless is bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Good fluke fishing, including for a decent number of keepers, was clocked on yesterday morning’s trip on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. The afternoon’s trip also saw good life with shorts and some keepers. Pool-winning fluke were a 6-pounder in the morning and a 7-pounder in the afternoon. Whole squid caught best on the trips, like on recent trips. Gulps and bucktails only hooked a few. Forecasts for 30-knot, northeast wind looked like today’s trip wouldn’t sail, but the crew would show up and see. Weather looks good Friday through the weekend. The Norma-K III on the ocean is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily and bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Catches of bigger fluke were much better on yesterday morning’s trip on the <b>Gambler</b>, the party boat’s Facebook page said that day. Previously, lots of throwbacks, not lots of keepers, gave up action. On the trip, the high hook bagged four fluke to 5 pounds, and Bud Brown from Pennsylvania took a 7-1/2-pounder and a 5-pounder. A good catch was expected on tonight’s wreck-fishing trip, because an influx of ling showed up this week. Big bluefish arrived recently, and the crew looks forward to tangling with them on Friday and Saturday night’s bluefish trips. Trips are fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily. Trips are fishing wrecks 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. every Thursday and are bluefishing during those hours every Friday and Saturday. <a href=" http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.php" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> will be launched Monday. A bunch of offshore trips for jumbo sea bass will fish overnight in December, and book now, because they fill quickly.

<b>Toms River</b>

Surf anglers lit into false albacore on small metal, said Virginia from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b>. They sometimes banked bluefish 8 to 18 inches on chunks of mullet or bunker. A few mullet, not many, began to migrate the surf. Surf-fishing for striped bass improved a little. The stripers were 20 inches, not big, and anglers were gearing up for the impending fall migration of stripers. Surf-fishing for fluke was hit and miss. But those who tried for them, caught. Nineteen-inchers from Island Beach State Park were the biggest reported. Boating for fluke was good on the ocean, and a 6.48-pounder was weighed-in from 70 feet of water offshore of Barnegat Light Reef. No fluke were heard about from bays and rivers. Porgy fishing was terrific on the ocean. Party boats on the ocean began to run into big blues 10 and 12 pounds at reefs.  Blowfishing locally was slow. They couldn’t easily be hooked from the Toms River at Island Heights like last year now without chumming. Crabs were trapped and were small in past weeks but were yet to disappear for the season, and some were keepers.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

The surf showed signs of life, a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. Fluke, blues and false albacore were yanked from the water. They show up “when you least expect them,” it said, but are on tap. The fluking always seems to turn on from the beach in the final days of fluke season that’s open this year through September 25. The blues were small to medium-sized. A few of the albies were beaten from the surf Tuesday. Small striped bass were also reported from the surf at Island Beach State Park. Crabbing was slow, but keepers could be trapped, if crabbers put in time. 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>

Weather was beautiful, but tuna fishing was slow on an overnight trip Tuesday to Wednesday aboard, said Capt. Mike from <b>Tuna-Tic Sportfishing</b>. The crew was able to bail out the trip by pushing inshore, off the beaten path, to a temperature break, so the anglers whacked 20-some mahi mahi. But tuna fishing was slow up and down the line. The trip fished three different offshore canyons, and Mike spoke with captains from Hudson to Baltimore canyons on the radio, and no place seemed to give up good tuna fishing. A few small yellowfin tuna bit. That included legal-sized but 27 and 28 inches, and Mike wasn’t going to kill those. Twenty-seven is the legal minimum size. Warm, 77-degree water seemed the reason that no better population of tuna was in. Many boats that were going to fish overnight sailed back to port instead. With Tuna-Tic overnight on the trip, only sharks bit, including browns and tigers. A tuna trip is slated aboard this weekend that might not run. Mike thinks the water needs to cool. This should be prime time for tuna fishing, so he hopes conditions become right and the fishing takes off.

Blowfishing became the big bite, said Brian from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Loads of the puffers were boated per trip from the BI marker to farther south in 5 and 6 feet of water on Barnegat Bay. A few weakfish were located near the research buoy. Snapper blues schooled the bay, and began to be caught from the Route 9 Bridge at Oyster Creek. For fluke from the bay, at Double Creek Channel and off Sedge Islands, outgoing tides fished best. But the ocean off the Seaside Pipe was where most customers sailed for fluke. A customer this morning said someone decked a few keepers at the Tires on the ocean. Sometimes false albacore and bonito reportedly buzzed around Barnegat Ridge in the ocean. Baits stocked include killies, chum for blowfishing and all frozen baits. The shop tries to obtain fresh spearing on Thursdays and Fridays this time of year, stocking them fresh a moment, freezing them before they become old.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Fluking was pretty good on the ocean from Barnegat Light, said Capt. Ted from the <b>Super Chic</b>. A fair number of keepers were hooked, and the ratio was better on some days than others. Trips scooped the fish from 60- to 75-foot depths, sometimes at open bottom, sometimes at wrecks. Bluefish with false albacore mixed in showed up in past days in the ocean. The blues weighed 1 to 5 pounds, not giant, but bigger than snapper blues that schooled before. A couple of bluefish trips and a couple of fluke trips are slated for the next days. The season’s first tuna trip is set to fish September 24 to 25. Tuna fishing had become good just before the tropical storm and petered out currently, maybe because of the full moon and warm water, in the upper 70 degrees.

“Another day with (keeper fluke) going in the buckets with lots of action to keep everyone busy,” a report said about Wednesday on the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b> on the party boat’s website. The fishing was good Monday and Tuesday, too. A good number of keepers were decked Monday, and this traditionally is when fluking becomes better locally, and that seemed to be happening. The Miss Barnegat Light is fishing for fluke at 8 a.m. daily on the ocean. <a href="http://www.missbarnegatlight.com/TunaFishing.html" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> will sail September 29 to October 30.

Weather was windy since the storm, even today, said Vince Sr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b>. But fluke were still pitched aboard from the bay. So were weakfish from Meyer’s Hole, and anglers bought live grass shrimp from the store for the weaks. Small blues and baby sea bass ran the bay. People still crabbed, Vince guessed, though no customers did in past days.  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 currently stocked include killies and green crabs. Live grass shrimp can be ordered, and live spots will be carried in a couple of weeks for striped bass fishing.

<b>Barnegat</b>

From an edited email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> today: “Weakies and the Mixed Bag,” the email said. “I had Brian Wolfinger and Stacy Dmytryk from North Wales, Pa., on board this afternoon, and they had non-stop action with small sea bass, big snappers – they were more like 1-pound blues – silver perch, blowfish, and three nice weakies to 3 pounds. We caught all of the fish on shedder crab on the east side of the bay in a very stiff, northeast wind. We’re surrounded by land on all sides where we fish, so it’s typically flat-calm in the harshest conditions. We use 6-pound spinning tackle to keep it sporty. Sailing open-boat or charter for this fishery every day and for bonito and albacore at Barnegat Ridge when the forecast allows. Fishing the bay Friday, departing at 12 noon. Playing it by ear for the weekend and Monday. But no matter what, we’ll fish the bay for the weakfish and the mixed bag every day.”

<b>Mystic Island</b>

When boaters could fish the ocean between wind and rough seas, summer flounder bit at the reefs, definitely, said Brandon from <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Maybe 1 in 15 was a keeper, and spotty reports rolled in from the bay about boating for blowfish, kingfish, porgies and snapper blues. If boaters fished mussel beds in the bay, they seemed able to catch blowfish. White perch swam lagoons. Crabbing was fair, like all season. Crabbing would be good at one lagoon and not at another, for instance. Bloodworms, minnows and green crabs are stocked. No fresh clams are on hand.

<b>Absecon</b>

The good fishing was reported from Mullica River, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b>. If boaters could get the weather to fish the ocean for summer flounder, that angling was good at Little Egg Reef and reefs south of there. The fishing was a matter of getting a break in the weather. Up the river, eeling for striped bass, schoolies but sometimes bigger, was good, and some good catches of weakfish were made on shedder crabs. Weaks probably swam the Intracoastal Waterway like usual, but few fished there. White perch fishing was good in rivers including the Mullica. Small blues schooled inlets and nearly everywhere. Baitfish were really getting “moving.” Dave’s been filling the livewells with mullet, and live peanut bunker are also stocked. Some of the peanuts schooling are better-sized, and he’s concentrating on loading up on live baitfish for fall striper fishing. Live spots are stocked from Maryland. A few spots swam locally in the surf and at inlets, and none was seen farther back, toward the shop. Soft-shell crabs for eating were stocked nearly every day, and the blueclaws won’t shed much longer this year. Keep up-to-date on the supply on <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/SoftshellCrabs" target="_blank">the store’s soft-shell crabs Facebook page</a>. The shop’s annual <a href=" http://www.abseconbay.com/2016stripersale.html" target="_blank">Striped Bass Season Kick-Off Sale</a> is underway through Sunday, featuring 25 percent off nearly everything, and 50 percent off some items.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Brown sharks bit in the surf again, said Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b>. Browns are required to be released, and bluefish roamed the surf. Finger mullet schooled the surf heavily today. Strong wind from north created terrible surf-fishing conditions today, but Andy took the president and sales reps from TFO Rods fishing on the beach in the weather, and they managed a couple of bluefish and a small summer flounder, and saw a large brown shark landed. The annual Riptide Fall Striper Derby began Monday, lasting until December 23. Prizes are $500, $300 and $150 for the first, second and third heaviest stripers, respectively, and $300, $200 and $100 for the first through third heaviest bluefish, from Brigantine’s surf. Entry includes a permit that when accompanied by a Brigantine beach-buggy permit allows the angler to drive the entire front beach in the town. Not all the beach can be driven otherwise.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Blackfishing broke open at Absecon Inlet, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Many were throwbacks 12 to 14 inches, but they were abundant – “I’m talking plentiful,” he said – and some were keepers. Anglers could pick the keeper to bag. Blues and summer flounder, both good-sized, were axed at the inlet. Kingfish were swung from the water, and so were sea perch and sometimes striped bass. Baitfish schooled the water, including peanut bunker and probably 6-inch mullet. The mullet began to migrate toward the ocean. Customers fished the jetty-lined inlet on foot. They dunked baits including bloodworms, clams and crabs. All these baits and more, a large supply, are stocked. ***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>Margate</b>

The party boat <b>Keeper</b> ran for summer flounder a couple of days on the back bay, and the angling slowed a bit, but still caught, Capt. John said. Good high tides for the fishing will happen this weekend, and the boat will fish for flounder 8 a.m. to 12 noon Friday and Sunday and 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Those will be the year’s final fishing trips aboard, and John thanks anglers who fished on the boat this year. The boat’s fishing will resume when flounder season opens next year. It specializes in flounder each year, and trips are only $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $20 for kids. That’s because fishing is near port, and the pontoon boat is economical on fuel. Rental rods are free to boot.

<b>Longport</b>

Fishing is hammering summer flounder from the ocean on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Angling for the fluke became slower for some parts of the state after the tropical storm, including Sandy Hook. But the flatfish were hung there all summer, while flounder fishing was slow off Longport. The fish must’ve moved or something because of the storm, but they were piled up off Longport now. They held in a large area from 6 to 8 and 12 miles from shore, “like shingles on a roof!” he said. Flounder decked weren’t huge but weighed up to 5, 6 and almost 7 pounds, and customers all limited out or nearly limited. The fish were fat, not long. A 6-3/4-pounder was biggest in past days and was only 26 inches. Trips first got on the fish last weekend, after the storm, slamming the catches from then through now. Some boats canceled fishing last weekend because of wind and seas, but Stray Cat sailed, tackling the flounder with 8 and 10 ounces of weight. Trips now fished 8 ounces when windy and 4 ounces otherwise. The year’s final open-boat trips for flounder will sail Monday and Wednesday through Friday, before the final day of flounder season that Sunday, September 25. Sea bass fishing aboard will begin October 22, opening day of sea bass season. A sea bass charter is booked that day, but charters for the fish remain available. Open-boat trips will also sea bass, and all the trips will fish deep water. Check out <a href=" http://www.captmikesstraycat.com/" target="_blank">Stray Cat’s website</a>, Mike said. Also, grab new T-shirts and sweatshirts from Stray Cat when fishing aboard.

<b>Ocean City</b>

In the surf, kingfish and small bluefish sometimes began to appear, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b>. Small spots, tiny croakers and, rarely, small weakfish sometimes came from the surf. The handful of boaters who fished for summer flounder on the ocean caught at Atlantic City Reef one day, Ocean City Reef another and so on, nothing consistent, bouncing back and forth. False albacore and bluefish were heard about from farther north in the ocean toward Long Beach Island but not locally. A few white marlin and some wahoos were reported cranked from the 40-fathom line Tuesday by local boaters. Farther from shore, a few yellowfin tuna, not many, were pasted at Baltimore and Spencer canyons. So anglers were excited or hopeful that the tuna fishing might pick up. In the back bay, small blues swam, and a few schoolie striped bass were played along sod banks, often on soft-plastic lures and plugs, mostly in evenings. Lots of small sea bass and a few spots gathered along bridges.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Cocktail bluefish invaded, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. They swam everywhere from the back bay to the ocean, but most anglers targeted them at the surf and inlets. Few chased them in the bay. In the surf, frozen mullet or cast spoons hooked the blues, though mullet seemed yet to migrate to the surf from back waters. On the ocean, false albacore were sometimes mixed in with the blues 3 to 6 miles from shore. Nothing was heard about mahi mahi from the ocean since the storm. Ninety-percent of commercial anglers pulled in their lobster pots, so the lack of lobster-pot buoys eliminated most of the structure mahi usually gather at. Back-bay fishing for small striped bass was definitely on the uptick at night under lights, like at bridges. The bass fed more aggressively than before, and tiny weakfish were mixed in. A hodgepodge of soft-plastic lures hooked the stripers, but quite a few anglers reported Gotcha twister tails catching. The store doesn’t usually recommend those for the striper fishing, but that’s what caught currently. Back in the surf, a bunch of anglers targeted kingfish, scoring pretty well, including on some good-sized. Weakfish, croakers, spots and pompano were mixed in for surf casters. Few anglers fished the ocean, but a few sailed for summer flounder there, and reports were mixed. Some anglers were happy with the fishing, catching a handful of sizable to 25 inches. A couple didn’t score so well. The only news about offshore fishing was from Cape May tackle shops that reported white marlin landed. Crabs were still trapped in back waters.

An angler aboard last evening popper-plugged two small bluefish on the back bay on a Rapala Skitter Pop, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. That’s Joe’s preferred lure for popper fishing on the bay for blues and striped bass. Another angler on the bay Monday aboard wanted to fish for summer flounder, hooking several throwbacks, some of them almost keeper-sized. Afterward, the angler tossed a Skitter Pop on the bay, but nothing bit. Joe’s trips last fished for and fought false albacore and 3-pound blues on the ocean Sunday, but he’d imagine the fish are still there. The albies showed up in small pockets, and trips capitalized on them when seen. The anglers fought blues in between. Both fish were mostly jigged, except one trip trolled them when seas were especially rough. Annual traveling charters will kick off this weekend that fish from Montauk for the migration of striped bass, blues and false albacore. Second-hand reports said albies swam the water, and weren’t large, weighing 4 or 6 pounds, but were there. Ever want to fish the run from the legendary port? Joe goes for several weeks! See the <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">traveling charters’ page</a> on Jersey Cape’s website. <b>Speaking of traveling</b>, annual charters will fish the Florida Keys this winter, and also see info about that on the page. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Crabbing improved a bit, and nothing but wind blew the past four or five days, so nothing was heard about summer flounder fishing on the back bay, said Mike from <b>Canal Side Boat Rentals</b>. The fishing might’ve been off, but any who tried the fishing said a good drift of the boat was impossible for angling in the wind. Business is mostly on weekends this time of year, though the shop remains open daily, and wind was tough on the weekend, too. Kids hooked snapper blues from the canal on spearing or minnows under bobbers. Occasional small striped bass bit in the canal. Crabs mostly remained in shallows in the bay and up creeks, where they gathered previously, escaping high salinity in deeper water because of lack of rain. A friend checked the friend’s overnight crab pots this morning and found three-quarters of a bushel of large crabs, No. 1s, though his crabbing was slower in previous days. That was a surprising catch, a lot of the blueclaws. The friend is an experienced crabber, is catching more than others and is placing the pots at a particular creek where Mike wouldn’t send customers, because inexperienced could become lost. 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. Prices currently included $30 per dozen for live No. 1s and $15 per dozen for live No. 2s. Live No. 2s were also $10 for every additional dozen, and other prices are also in effect, including for cooked-to-order and pre-cooked, chilled crabs, and check with the shop for rates. Customers enjoy the crabs and other food, including shrimp, clams and oysters when available, at picnic tables with tents on the water at the store. Or they take out the food and enjoy.

<b>Cape May</b>

Daily summer flounder trips fished 55- and 60-foot depths on the ocean on the party boat <b>Porgy IV</b>, Capt. Paul said. That’s relatively shallow, so the fish were yet to migrate offshore. A few were around, and Wednesday’s trip bagged a few and scored somewhat more action with flounder than Tuesday’s, though not a lot were keepers Wednesday. Keith Danis from Rochelle Park bagged four and released 12 throwbacks on the trip. He had the most action, and Andy Byrd from Wyndmoor, Pa., tied for the pool with a 4-pounder. Weather was good on Tuesday’s trip, but wind blew against tide, hindering the boat’s drift most of the outing. That’s never good for flounder fishing, and only a handful of keepers were decked. They began to bite in the afternoon. Wind was forecast to blow strongly for today’s trip. The trips, sailing at 8 a.m. daily, will keep after the flatfish through the final day of flounder season, September 25.

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> spoke with boaters who tuna fished this week at southern canyons in range of Cape May, and all said the angling was dead, he said. Anglers wanted to tuna fish on the Heavy Hitter this weekend, but George told them to hang loose, because of the reports. He hopes something changes and the fishing kicks in, and if it’s going to, it will soon. The anglers who fished talked about lots of white marlin biting. Small mahi mahi and occasional wahoos hit. Fishing for good-sized yellowfin tuna had been decent at canyons farther north off New Jersey just before the tropical storm.

Bluefish seemed to tumble all over the surf, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b>. Snapper blues schooled the surf at Cape May Point. Kingfish were sometimes mixed in along the ocean surf, and croakers were sometimes in the mix in Delaware Bay’s surf. Cape May is at the confluence of the ocean and bay. Cut mullet on mullet rigs banked the blues, and bloodworms nabbed the kings. Mullet schooled the back bay, and if a cool snap happens, they should begin to migrate the surf, maybe this weekend. Surf anglers each year look forward to the mullet migration in late summer and early fall, because that can ramp up catches, attracting fish like blues and stripers that forage on the baitfish. A couple of boaters sailed for summer flounder at the Old Grounds on the ocean, catching pretty well. Cape May Reef on the ocean gave up a slow pick of flounder, and deeper water like at the Old Grounds seemed to hold them better. Not many flounder were heard about from the back bay. Good populations of croakers and kingfish could be found on Delaware Bay at the northern tip of 60-Foot Slough. Offshore fishing whipped white marlin, good catches, wahoos, mahi mahi at lobster-pot buoys and a couple of tuna at Baltimore and Wilmington canyons. Not much was heard about big-game fishing at inshore lumps anymore this season. Crabbing was good, and should be for another month, Nick would think.

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