<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Fishing sharked the Mudhole yesterday on the <b>Sour Kraut</b> from Leonardo, Capt. Joe Baumle wrote in an email. One thresher shark swam into the chum slick, but refused to bite a bait. The angling seemed slow on other boats, too, because of warm water that pushed into the area. Sour Kraut will begin tuna fishing inshore, because the fish regularly began to be reported to swim the water.

A couple of customers departed for offshore fishing yesterday, one for sharks, the other for tuna, said Johnny O. from <b>Fisherman’s Den North</b> in Atlantic Highlands. All offshore baits are stocked.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

The year’s first tuna charter will sail offshore Sunday with <b>XTC Sportfishing</b> from Belmar, Capt. Scott said. Reports sounded like small yellowfin tuna began to be boated at offshore canyons, and a few bluefin tuna might’ve been biting inshore. Inshore waters were loaded with sand eels, so there seemed no reason for bluefins not to be there. Scott will find out on the trip. XTC is also sharking, and a handful of makos, lots of blue sharks and a couple of threshers are in.

Shark trips were canceled Tuesday and Wednesday aboard because of forecasts for wind, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b> from Belmar. Wednesday’s trip probably had the weather to sail, but the charter needed a couple of days’ notice, and forecasts were questionable.

The <b>Katie H</b> from Belmar will compete in Mako Mania on Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Mike said. That will kick off blue-water fishing aboard for the year, and afterward, the vessel will switch to tuna offshore. Mike heard about no tuna mid-range but will search during the weekend’s sharking.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Southern canyons are being flooded with warm, beautiful, blue water for tuna fishing, and <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach is docked in Cape May to take advantage on charters and open-boat trips. The year’s first trip for the fish overnighted last Friday to Saturday, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. The boat arrived on the fishing grounds Friday evening. A bunch of sharks including a mako were fought aboard that night. Ten gallons of calamari were also reeled in. <a href=" https://www.facebook.com/mushinsportfishing/videos/1532551350150119/" target="_blank">Watch a video of the squid</a>. In the morning, a 125-pound bigeye tuna, numerous bluefin tuna to 100 pounds and some yellowfin tuna to 40 pounds were trolled. A limit of over and under bluefins was kept, and the rest of the bluefins were released. Boats fishing inshore lumps also landed some bluefins 100 pounds and heavier, and Mushin will also take advantage of that angling. Charters and a limited number of open-boat trips are available into July. The crew expects the fishing to remain strong and expects more and more billfish to arrive in coming weeks. Telephone for availability.

The <b>Tin Knocker</b> from Point Pleasant competed Sunday in the Brett T. Bailey Mako Rodeo, Capt. John said. The fishing aboard bagged a 306-pound thresher shark and released eight blue sharks and two brown sharks. The water was 65 degrees, clear and blue where the boat fished, and Tin Knocker will mostly shark fish the next week or so, and will begin fishing for tuna at offshore canyons afterward. Bluefin and bigeye tuna are currently biting at canyons.

Shark fishing seemed a little tough but caught a few makos, blues and threshers, said Alex from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. Not much was heard about tuna fishing because of rough seas this past week.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

The forecast looks good for Sunday and Monday, Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> form Barnegat wrote in an email. So he’s running open-boat trips or charters for inshore pelagics those days. “Maybe Barnegat Ridge ... Resor ... Fingers ... Bonita … Bluefin … Mako? I'm game!” he said. Telephone him if interested.

Nothing was heard about sharks like makos and threshers yet, said Vince Sr. from <b>Bobbie’s Boat Rentals</b> in Barnegat Light. Strong wind probably prevented the fishing much of the week, though. He wasn’t asked about tuna, considering he heard nothing about sharks closer to shore. Plenty of customers run for tuna once that gets going locally. Bobbie’s features boat and kayak rentals but also a complete bait and tackle shop and a fuel dock. Baits stocked include live spots when they become available for the season.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Maureen Klause from Ocean City weighed-in a 126.4-pound mako shark yesterday that she landed on 6-pound line, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. That was a potential world record for the line class, he said, and Maureen fishes to break records. That was the only shark John heard about this week. Tuna were supposedly boated lately, but that was unconfirmed. 

Some tuna trips are slated on the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport, and news was scarce about tuna in past days because wind prevented trips, Capt. Mike said. News about sharks was scarce for the same reason. A couple of Saturdays remain in August for charters. Book before they’re gone.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing for yellowfins and bluefins became good at Poorman’s Canyon, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> from Sea Isle City, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Big boats that could take the seas lately trolled the fish.

Tuna were reported biting around Baltimore Canyon, a little far for local boaters, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. But anglers hoped the fish were headed this way. Nothing was heard about sharking on the ocean in the weather this week.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Tuna – two bigeyes, two bluefins and three yellowfins – were trolled at Poorman’s Canyon on Saturday during daytime on a trip that Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May joined on a boat from the dock, George said. One of the bigeyes weighed just over 100 pounds, and the other weighed just under. One of the bluefins weighed 87 or 88 pounds, and one of the yellowfins was undersized. Tuna are biting, and telephone George if interested in the fishing. Many boats seemed to catch that day. The warmest water was 65 to 66 degrees at the canyon on the trip, and the water was clear. The trip departed for the fishing at 1:30 a.m. in fog that began to clear once the sun came up. Tuna usually begin to show up closer to shore, like at the Hot Dog, in June’s third or fourth week. George heard about none yet, but they could show up. People who sea bass fished inshore, before sea bass season closed Monday, sometimes saw bluefin tuna. Those fish always seem unwilling to bite and on the move. One angler who sea bassed near the Cigar during the weekend kept seeing a bluefin that was eating undersized sea bass that the trip released. The tuna wouldn’t touch hooked sea bass when the anglers livelined them. South Jersey Marina in Cape May’s Canyon Club Overnight Tuna Tournament today to Sunday was looking at rough forecasts. George heard nothing about shark fishing in past days, and the fleet all seemed interested in tuna now.

Wind kept a shark trip from sailing Sunday on the <b>Prime Time II</b> from Cape May, Capt. Steve said. A number of trips were weathered out recently aboard. But this is time for sharks on the boat, and Steve knew about actually some sizable makos caught. A few thresher sharks were landed, but threshers seemed scarcer than usual so far. A boat from the docks trolled a bluefin tuna, three yellowfin tuna and two bigeye tuna at Poorman’s Canyon at night on an overnight trip. The bluefins and yellowfins weighed 60 to 80 pounds, and the bigeyes weighed 80, were small for the species.

Plenty of sharks including makos are biting, said Capt. Tom from the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> from Cape May. He heard about makos to 300 pounds this past week. Farther from shore, tuna fishing began to go well. A great run of bluefin, yellowfin and bigeye tuna was underway at the canyons. Inshore tuna fishing will pick up any moment, he believes. The inshore hills are loaded with sand eels. Sand eels are schooling everywhere from 6 miles from shore to 40 or 50 fathoms.

Nothing about sharks or tuna was heard in past days in rough weather for the angling, said Joe from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. A 310-pound mako was the heaviest shark in the South Jersey Shark Tournament in Cape May two weeks ago.

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