<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Capt. Joe Baumle from <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b> from Leonardo was hoping to sail for bluefin tuna mid-range this weekend but will watch the weather, he said. The catches were reported including on the troll and cast popper lures.

Five customers stopped in for sharking supplies, but no results rolled in, said Ron from <b>Julians’ Bait & Tackle</b> in Atlantic Highlands. Nothing was heard about tuna.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

<b>XTC Sportfishing</b> from Belmar made a run for tuna 40 to 50 miles from shore Sunday, trolling one bluefin, Capt. Scott said. The water was clear but green, and was clearer the farthest from shore, around the Chicken Canyon. The water was 70 degrees and was 73 at the warmest, and held plenty of life including birds, porpoises and bait.

The <b>Katie H</b> from Belmar competed in Mako Mania on Saturday and Sunday, Capt. Mike said. Saturday’s trip met 10- to 12-foot seas and some 15 in strong wind, and turned back after a couple of hours. Sunday’s trip fished in beautiful weather and landed blue sharks. The water was clean but green and 69 degrees, and was about the same Saturday. Anglers who fished for bluefin tuna inshore Sunday picked a couple here and there, spotty fishing. The angling seemed different day to day. Plenty of life including whales and turtles were seen during the sharking aboard, and lots of sand eels were marked. That all looked good for tuna fishing, and the Katie H, an offshore specialist, will begin sailing for tuna.

Many boats from the marina set off for hot bluefin tuna fishing, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> in Belmar wrote in an email.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

The <b>Tin Knocker</b> from Point Pleasant competed in Mako Mania and Mako Fever Sunday, releasing 10 brown sharks, one blue shark and a 300-pound hammerhead shark, Capt. John said. So, decent trip, and no trip competed Saturday aboard, because weather was rough. Tin Knocker will begin tuna fishing, and John hopes that starts this weekend. Weather might be too rough at first during the weekend, and good angling for bluefin tuna is being trolled 50 to 60 miles from shore. Decent fishing for yellowfin tuna is being trolled farther offshore at canyons. John believed that included Hudson Canyon.

Tuna fishing for yellowfins and bigeyes was good at southern canyons last week and until boat traffic stopped the fish from biting Sunday, Capt. Alan from <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach wrote in an email the next day. Beautiful weather attracted the boats Sunday, and before the traffic that day, Mushin nailed yellowfins and mahi mahi until the sun rose. The season’s first two white marlin were seen in the trolling spread on the trip. Conditions look great for good fishing to continue at the southern canyons, and Mushin is docked at Cape May through July to take advantage. Charters and a limited number of open-boat trips are fishing.

Bluefin tuna fishing was good inshore last week like at the Glory Hole and Triple Wrecks, said Alex from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. The fish were trolled on small tackle like daisy chains, Reel Seat spreader bars, Joe Shutes, Ilanders and cedar plugs. Twenty- to 40-pounders bit, and a bluefin heavier than 100 pounds might be hooked on occasion. Not a lot of sharks caught were known about recently, and not a lot of trips seemed to shark. But the Mako Mania and Mako Fever tournaments were held last weekend, causing more anglers to shark, so more was expected to be heard about the fishing from that. Farther from shore, tuna fishing was good last week for bluefins, yellowfins and bigeyes at Poorman’s and Spencer canyons on similar tackle as the inshore bluefins bit, not on the chunk yet.

<a href="http://www.gamblerfishing.net/tripinformation.php" target="_blank">Shark in the Dark Trips</a> will sail 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. July 9 and 16 on the party boat <b>Gambler</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, the boat’s website and Facebook page said. The fishing is limited to 25 anglers per trip, reservations required, and sign up soon.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

One customer sharked on the ocean last weekend, said Kyle from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>. Little was reported about sharking, but sharks including makos and threshers were around. Bluefin tuna were boated mid-range.

Wind forced a shark trip to be canceled Saturday on the <b>Super Chic</b> from Barnegat Light, Capt. Ted said. Bluefin tuna were caught pretty well 40 to 50 miles from shore, not as close to the coast as bluefins can be, not all the way to the canyons along the Continental Shelf. Yellowfin tuna fishing seemed decent at the canyons.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Jay and Joe from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b> in Absecon fished for tuna offshore on a couple of trips, Jay said. Last week on Thursday’s trip trolled a bunch of 40- to 65-pound yellowfin tuna at Spencer Canyon. In the morning they’d find a clump and catch, find another and catch and so on. On the other trip, they overnighted Sunday to Monday at Baltimore Canyon. Tuna fishing wasn’t so great on the outing. They trolled three yellowfins at dusk and hooked none at night, though they chunked all night for the fish. Every mackerel on the East Coast seemed to show up then! There was lots of life at the Baltimore, also including squid and thousands of pilot whales. They began trolling at 4:30 a.m. to try to catch bigeye tuna, but none showed up. They also deep-dropped and cranked in golden tilefish and a few blueline tiles at the canyon. They trolled home, and landed mahi mahi near the Elephant Trunk. The water at both canyons was 68 to 70 degrees. Very good bluefin tuna fishing was jigged at the Lobster Claw for 80- to 120-pounders recently, Jay knew. That’s inshore like the Elephant Trunk is, of course.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Tuna trips are supposed to fish this weekend on the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport, Capt. Mike said. The fishing was good last week and fell apart Sunday, after Saturday’s blow. Tuna were decked at Poorman’s and Baltimore canyons last week. Some gangbuster catches were made from Hudson Canyon to there and beyond lately. Weekends are beginning to fill up with charters.

Decent sharking was clubbed at spots like 28-Mile Wreck and will probably slow soon, said Pat from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City.  Big brown sharks 8 feet were released, and anglers who put in time usually pulled in mako sharks. Farther from shore, tuna were trolled at canyons including Spencer and Baltimore.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

A buddy’s trip Monday trolled eight yellowfin tuna and a mahi mahi 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>. Joe wanted to fish offshore for tuna Wednesday but wind was terrible offshore, though not bad close to shore. He heard nothing confirmed about tuna inshore yet.

Reports sounded like tuna weren’t caught so much locally but that plenty – yellowfin and bigeye tuna – were found at Wilmington and Baltimore canyons, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Two yellowfin tuna 40 or 45 pounds and a mahi mahi were trolled at an offshore canyon Sunday on a trip that Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>from Cape May joined on somebody else’s boat, he said. The angling was slow, and many boats caught no tuna that fished for them in the area. This was after George joined another trip that smoked a couple of bigeye tuna and some bluefin and yellowfin tuna previously at a canyon, covered in a previous report here. George told his charters for now to hold off on tuna fishing until a better bite develops. That could happen any time. The water on Sunday’s trip was green and not good-looking. The boat’s machine read 72-degree water, but George didn’t know if that was accurate. He couldn’t know whether the strong wind Saturday caused the discolored water Sunday. No tuna seemed to bite inshore during the trip. Anglers on the radio who fished inshore spots like the Hot Dog and Hambone that day were heard saying the fishing was dead, no baitfish were marked and they were headed offshore to Baltimore Canyon to fish instead. Since then, George heard about tuna catches here and there. The angling seemed in a little lull within range of Cape May, and good catches dried up that had been made at Poorman’s and Baltimore canyons. Tuna were now heard about from Spencer and Washington canyons, but the Spencer is 82 miles from Cape May, and the Washington is 90 miles. That’s too far for charters. George knew an angler whose trip this week clocked eight at the Spencer. But the location of the fish can change, and anglers are also waiting for tuna fishing to light up at inshore spots like Massey’s Canyon. George last year lit into tuna at Massey’s on July 3, and during the previous couple of years did in the first few days of July. The angling could begin this weekend. The Heavy Hitter will fish for tuna this weekend, if weather holds, but forecasts look windy. Currently, straggler yellowfin and bluefin tuna showed up inshore, nothing stable, too few to charter for them. Anglers stumbled into them and found none at the same location the next day. When that happens, the fish seem on the move, and the wait was on for them to settle in.

Tuna were angled at offshore canyons and inshore at usual spots like the Elephant Trunk, said Joe from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. Offshore baits including butterfish, sardines and mackerel are stocked.

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