<b>Keyport</b>

Ocean fluke fishing was good now with the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>, Capt. Mario said. A 10.1-pounder is in the lead for the custom rod that’s awarded for the biggest fluke aboard this season. Bottom-fishing was incredible aboard. Lots of porgies were landed on each of those trips. The porgies included large, and open-boat trips are fishing for fluke 6 a.m. daily and 2 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. On Down Deep’s other boat, open trips are bottom-fishing for porgies and sea bass during the same hours. Marathon, open fluke trips will also sail 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Wednesday and Sunday. Charters are available, and up to 15 passengers can be accommodated on each of the company’s boats, the Down Deep and the Down Deep Bull. Join the Short Notice List on <a href="http://downdeepsportfishing.com" target="_blank">Down Deep’s website</a> to be kept informed about the upcoming schedule. Look for the link underneath “Contact.” Now’s the time to make reservations for fall striped bass and sea bass charters and open trips.

Raritan Bay’s fluke fishing seemed to be getting good early last week on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. But the angling slowed late in the week through the weekend. The fish seemed to move, like they’ve been doing throughout the season. Rough bottom in the ocean is holding fluke, but when conditions aren’t right, the angling’s poor. Fluking was canceled today aboard because of forecast rain. Charters are fishing, and the next open-boat trips with space available are this Saturday, Monday, Aug. 14, and Wednesday, Aug. 16. Telephone to reserve.

<b>Leonardo</b>

Fluke fishing was slow the past couple of days, but a terrific catch of porgies was pasted at the Tin Can Grounds on a charter Sunday with <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Joe said. The porgies included good-sized, probably up to 2 pounds, and the trip also bagged a few sea bass at snags.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

A charter fished Friday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. The trip anchored at a piece of bottom and caught fluke, sea bass, porgies and triggerfish the whole time. Excellent action, and all anglers left with a good bag of fish. Another charter fished Saturday aboard. Conditions were fine for drifting, so the boat was drifted. The anglers slugged away at “some very nice” fluke, sea bass and triggerfish. Open-boat trips resumed Sunday aboard, with the largest gang in a while on the boat. “Once everyone got acclimated, it was game on,” the report said. Fluke were hooked on every drift, and the keepers were sizable. A 6.9-pounder won the pool. Many anglers bagged two fluke, a couple limited out on three, and some big sea bass were axed. Trips are fishing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. However, charters are booked this Friday and Saturday, so no open trips will fish then. Reminder: Bring a cooler with ice. The crew can’t throw every fish into the boat’s bait cooler and keep track.

Greater numbers of throwback fluke and a few more keepers were hooked than before during the last couple of days on the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, Capt. Tom said. Trips fished Sandy Hook Bay, and conditions were best for that. Tom couldn’t know whether the fluke migration began to move, but this is August, time for that. Maybe more fluke will begin to be caught during these final weeks of fluke season. Only a few anglers jumped aboard Saturday, because of forecasts for rain. On Sunday morning, one of the season’s largest turnouts of anglers showed up for the fleet. On the morning’s trip aboard, the most throwbacks this season might’ve bitten. Quite a few did, and a few more keepers than before were grabbed on the trip, no big numbers. On the afternoon’s trip, not as many throwbacks hit, but a few more keepers were taken. No huge fluke were bagged on the trips, but one angler clocked a 6-1/2-pounder and a 5-pounder. Bait or tackle that fished best was difficult to say. On Friday afternoon’s trip, some who fished killies they brought seemed to catch a little better. But on Sunday morning’s trip, customers who fished rental rods with spearing that are provided aboard caught just as well as those who fished other things. Forecasts called for rain today, but the crew would be at the boat, trying to go fluking. The boat is fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

<b>Neptune</b>

A family on a charter Saturday smoked good fishing for porgies, triggerfish, blowfish and sea bass with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> on the ocean, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. Throwback fluke were also let go, and one girl on the trip counted more than 60 fish she pulled in. Space is available for individual-reservation trips for fluke Tuesday and cod Wednesday. The fluke trips fish every Tuesday, and kids under 12 sail free on those outings, limited to one per adult host. One of the cod trips will also fish Aug. 30. Last Lady is one of the only boats that fishes for cod in summer in New Jersey, and the angling’s usually good. Fish for cod in shorts!

<b>Belmar</b>

Good catches of sea bass and fluke were made Saturday and Sunday with <b>Celtic Stoirm Charters</b> on the ocean a little north, Capt. Mike said. The fluke weighed up to 6 pounds, and fishing for them is really coming on. The first trip was a full-day charter Saturday for a bachelor party. Some of the anglers limited out, and the trip had plenty of action, and the anglers were ecstatic, Mike said. The other trip was a half-day charter Sunday with a family whose catch included six or seven keeper fluke with sea bass mixed in. An open-boat trip will fish Tuesday, and telephone to climb aboard.  Take advantage of a discount for ½-day trips on Tuesdays through Thursdays, including for trips with kids. This is a good time of year to take kids.

<b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> on the ocean scored really good days of fluke fishing and one tough day of the angling, Capt. Pete said. The angling was phenomenal Sunday. But the best way to put it is that the fluking’s been very good, and the season will close soon for the fish, he said. Parker Pete’s found a couple of new areas that were loaded with fluke -- and some large, at that. On Sunday’s trip, a fluke just under 10 pounds was heaved in, another was lost that weighed in the double-digits and the nine anglers limited out. Conditions needed to be good, but all anglers are limiting out on some trips, and loads of fluke are being hooked. More of the fish should keep congregating as they stage to migrate offshore. Fluke season will close beginning Sept. 6, and the fish have arrived, and are biting. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Contact Parker Pete’s about individual spaces available with charters who want more anglers. 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 future spaces. Spaces are available Tuesday and on some other weekdays.

Great angling was clubbed yesterday on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, once again, an email from the party boat said. Fishing east of the inlet on the ocean, sea bass, some fluke and ling and a scattering of chub mackerel were mugged. No fishing sailed today aboard in weather. Trips will continue bottom-fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, until bluefish show up. Trips are also fishing for fluke and other bottom-fish 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. The afternoon trips also watch whales and porpoises and catch the sunset on the ride home.

Big sea bass and some ling, fluke and blues were rustled from the ocean aboard today on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. The angling was good, though not as fast as the last few days on the boat. Saturday’s trip pounded excellent fishing for chub mackerel, sea bass, ling, fluke and blues. Sunday’s trip slammed super fishing for sea bass and some chubs, ling, fluke and blues. The boat is fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The crew began to hear reports about small bluefish that seemed headed to local waters, and if blues show up, trips will get after them. Fishing and sunset cruises are running 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily. Some spaces remain for 24- and 31-hour <a href=" https://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/tunafish" target="_blank">tuna trips</a> in September and October. Reserve them.

Several double-digit fluke were weighed-in this weekend, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. One was an 11-pound 8-ouncer smashed on the party boat Big Mohawk from Belmar. Another was a 10-pound 4-ouncer that Michael Angstadt from Douglasville, Pa., creamed. Anthony Pansini won first place for Belmar in Saturday’s Jersey Coat Anglers Association’s fluke tournament with a 9-pound 2-ouncer. Ocean fluke fishing seemed to be getting better every day. The action was attracting attention, and room ran out for boat trailers Sunday, so the boat ramp had to be closed at the marina. Fluke were also checked-in from Shark River, including a 6-pound 8-ouncer and several 4- to 5-pounders. The store’s rental boats are available to fluke the river.

<b>Brielle</b>

When fluke fishing on the ocean was good, it was good, and when it was bad, it was bad, said John from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Southerly wind that can cool the water near the coast seemed to slow the angling at moments. Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs seemed to fish most consistently for the fluke, and sea bass were mixed in there. A few big fluke were caught from the ocean, including a 14-pounder and an 11-pounder on a charter boat. Fluking was fairly good in Manasquan River and Manasquan Inlet. A youngster weighed-in a 4.95-pound fluke from the inlet. Small blues and small striped bass were hooked in the river. Plenty of snapper blues schooled the river that could be fun for kids to angle. Crabbing sounded great in the river. Bluefish including 10- and 12-pounders were occasionally picked in the surf. Brown sharks and sand tiger sharks, both required to be released, bit in the surf at night. Yellowfin tuna fishing turned on along Hudson Canyon’s west wall. The fish were trolled and jigged. Chunking for them at night should begin to catch in a couple of weeks. The Jenny Lee reportedly landed a white marlin along the wall. Tilefishing was good at offshore waters like this. 

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

<b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> moved the boat back to Point Pleasant Beach, just in time to fish for yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna that began to give up good catches at canyons in range from there, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. The boat the past two months was docked at Cape May farther south, fishing for tuna. The boat was fishing from Point on Saturday evening when Alan sent the email from land. The trip at 5 p.m. had trolled a couple of “nice, fat yellowfins,” released a couple of small and fought a white marlin that got off, after only two hours of fishing. Black and purple lures seemed the “magic” ones. Mushin will now concentrate on tuna fishing from Point.

On the <b>Norma-K III</b>, fluke fishing was good during the weekend on the ocean, a report said on the party boat’s website. Some good-sized were drilled, and pool-winners weighed 5 to 7 pounds. Everything caught: bucktails, bait and Gulps. On nighttime trips, bluefishing caught well this weekend on the ocean aboard, too. So a couple of more bluefish trips have been added to the schedule. The boat had been bluefishing Friday and Saturday nights, and will now also bluefish on Thursday and Sunday nights. During this Friday’s bluefishing, anglers picked away at 1- to 3-pounders, and an 8-pounder won the pool. During this Saturday’s bluefishing, very good catches of 1- to 3-pounders and chub mackerel were whaled. Big blues should not be far behind! the report said. Ling trips had been scheduled for Sunday nights. Trips are 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. Thursdays through Sundays. 

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

Ten yellowfin tuna 40- to 60-pounds, except a couple of rats, were trolled at Hudson Canyon on Saturday on the <b>Tin Knocker</b>, Capt. John said. The 77-degree, good-looking-blue water held no temperature breaks and sometimes held whales. A swordfish was also cranked in at night on the trip. The water was pretty dead at night otherwise. Earlier in the week, a bunch of fluke and some large sea bass were reeled aboard from the ocean. Another fluke trip is set for Tuesday, and fishing’s been good aboard. 

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Storms kept passing in and out last week, but failed to affect fishing, a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. Blues pushed in and out of the surf and inlets. Fluke ambushed bait in cuts in the surf. Sometimes getting past pods of cownosed rays was an issue when targeting the blues or fluke. Sharks chomped in the surf at night. The rays could bite then, too. In Barnegat Bay, snappers schooled, and crabbing was so-so, weeding through throwbacks for keepers. 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>Barnegat Light</b>

The <b>Super Chic</b> fluke fished on the ocean Saturday, and the catch was good again, Capt. Ted said. Trips also fluked during the week aboard the ocean, scoring well. Very well, actually, he said. On Saturday evening after the fluking, a trip bluefished on the ocean, jigging small but plenty of the fish. More trips are slated to fluke this week and during the weekend on the boat. Tuna trips are set for next week. Tuna fishing sounded good both inshore and offshore.

Good fluking was cracked Wednesday and Thursday on the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b> on the ocean, a report said on the party boat’s website. Lots of action with throwbacks and good numbers of keepers. Some sea bass were also sacked. Friday’s trip also waxed good fluking. Plenty of poles were bent with keepers and throwbacks. The fishing was a little slower Sunday, because conditions failed to drift the boat. On today’s trip, some of the fish were hooked early. Then wind picked up, and bottom was difficult to hold. The fishing was also slower this day, but all anglers caught fish, and had some fun, the report said. Trips are sailing for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Sunset cruises are running at 5:30 p.m. daily. Watch the Atlantic City Air Show on August 23 on the water aboard, lunch included.

<b>Forked River</b>

Fishing for blues and bonito was picking up or becoming better at Barnegat Ridge inshore, said Capt. Mike from <b>Tuna-Tic Sportfishing</b>. Good tuna fishing was had at the offshore canyons. Tuna-Tic was yet to fish there this season, but fished inshore for tuna this past week. During chunking for the fish, plenty of tuna bit but broke off, because they wouldn’t bite heavier than 30-pound leaders. But a couple of the tuna were trolled aboard. Green-stick boats also caught because the leader doesn’t really touch the water. Tuna fishing should be good in the next week on the waning moon. The current full moon might’ve affected the angling.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

A trip on the <b>June Bug</b> boated four keeper fluke at Little Egg Inlet last week, Capt. Lindsay said. That was after the trip fished Little Egg Reef on the ocean and hooked only throwback fluke and sea bass. Two trips fished the reef during the weekend, only picking up throwback fluke and sea bass. They were half-day trips so had not enough time to push farther away to try for keepers. Those trips also fished the inlet but couldn’t come up with keepers. Many boats filled the inlet Sunday. At the reef, 55- to 60-foot depths were fished, and the water was 74 degrees. June Bug will fish offshore for tuna and other big game soon.

<b>Longport</b>

Fishing for summer flounder became great Wednesday to Friday on the ocean on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Lots of throwbacks, many of them an inch or half-inch undersized, bit, but so did keepers. A couple of anglers limited out, and 1 in 20 of the flounder hooked was a keeper. The angling slowed Saturday and Sunday, apparently because of north wind. A few still managed to be bagged. Healthy-sized sea bass 14 to 16 inches were also bagged. Trips fished in 80 feet of water. The ocean there was 74 degrees and green. Mike looked as far as 17 miles from shore, and the water was still green. An open-boat trip will fish Thursday. Tuna still bit and seemed everywhere. Because summer flounder season this year closes early beginning Sept. 6, a discount will be offered for tuna trips to the offshore canyons in September, until the sea bass bag limit increases. Anglers should telephone, because of the substantial savings for tuna. Mike’s new, second boat, from Ocean Yachts, for up to six passengers, is expected to be ready to sail for fall striped bass. The Stray Cat accommodates up to 22.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

A couple of trips sailed for inshore sharking this weekend aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. One of them released eight of the fish – spinners, sandbars and duskies – to 60 pounds on Sunday. The other, on Saturday, let go several of the same species. The trips catch-and-release sharks on bait or flies, usually within 10 miles from shore. Some of the species are required to be let go. A charter Thursday morning pumped in four keeper summer flounder, throwbacks, a weakfish and throwback sea bass on the ocean. In the afternoon, a trip bagged a 6-pound flounder and landed throwbacks and sea bass on the ocean. Ocean flounder fishing improved a little, and the fishing is all about conditions. Joe tried for mahi mahi inshore Friday, but conditions were terrible, and none bit. But this is the time of year for the angling. Time to mention: Joe’s annual, traveling charters to Montauk begin in September that fish the migrations of striped bass, blues and false albacore. 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>Avalon</b>

A trip attempted to troll for mahi mahi at 28-Mile Wreck on Saturday but turned back with <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b>, Capt. Jim said. One of the anglers was becoming seasick. Wind only blew 15 knots then, but built to 20 or 25 on the way in. The trip ended up fishing the back bay, landing catches including 10-inch bluefish, summer flounder to a half-inch undersized and small sea bass. Action, at least, saving the day. The trip did troll the ocean for about 5 miles on the way in. But the water was dirty. Blue water was yet to be seen when the trip reached 25 miles out, when the boat was turned back. Chum and bait were also stowed aboard for sharking, if the trip had fished 28-Mile Wreck. A buddy flounder fished at Townsend’s Inlet Reef on the ocean Sunday, boating some keepers. Flounder fishing seemed to be improving at ocean reefs.  Guests are booked to stay at Jim’s <a href="http://www.sjlodge.com/" target="_blank">lodge near Salmon River</a> in upstate New York the next two weekends. A discount is offered on Airbnb, but only in summer. Guests often drive quadrunners this season at the place. They also bicycle and kayak. In late summer into fall, they fish the river for salmon. In winter, they fish the river for steelheads and they snowmobile. Jim usually fishes for the salmon toward late September and early October, usually the peak. Guests can fish on their own or hire guides for the salmon or steelheads. Jim can also show guests how to fish for them, and then guests can fish on their own.

<b>Cape May</b>

With <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b>, catches of summer flounder were pretty good on the ocean, Capt. Tom said. From a couple of keepers per angler to the boat’s limit on one day were reeled aboard. The fish included decent-sized to 6 or 7 pounds. Very good fishing, he added, and the northeast wind from the nor’easter two weekends ago amped up the angling like expected. A tuna trip was weathered out today aboard. More tuna trips are slated for this coming week, and tuna are still around, being chunked and trolled. Farther from shore at the canyons, white marlin fishing was fairly good, and some blue marlin were nailed. Mahi mahi fishing was super at the canyons. Charters and open-boat trips are fluke fishing for tuna fishing.

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