<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Yellowfin tuna to 70 pounds, including small, were trolled at Toms Canyon on an overnight trip last week on Thursday to Friday with <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b> from Leonardo, Capt. Joe said. The angling wasn’t great but put together a catch on the 73-degree, clear, blue, beautiful-looking water. Nothing bit at night, though the anglers chunked the whole night. Lots of squid schooled at night. Not a lot of life was seen during daytime, except a few whales and porpoises. Joe heard about a few tuna, not many, chunked at night so far this season. Joe hopes to fish for tuna this weekend that reportedly bit inshore. He’s watching the forecast, after the hurricane offshore this week. Storms like that began to roll up the coast for the season.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

<b>XTC Sportfishing</b> from Belmar fished for tuna throughout past days, catching a few, mostly yellowfins, except a couple of bluefins Saturday, Capt. Scott said Sunday. That was all inshore, except an overnight trip fished Toms Canyon Thursday to Friday of last week. That angling wasn’t so good but landed a couple of yellowfins. Sharks were reeled in at night on the outing. All tuna were trolled on trips, except yellowfins were popper-plugged and jigged inshore last week on Wednesday aboard, covered in the previous report here. On that trip, no tuna were hooked when the boat trolled. 

Tuna charters are booking to fish offshore canyons on the <b>Katie H</b> from Belmar, and the first is slated for Aug. 26, Capt. Mike said. Whether that trip will fish inshore for a day or offshore overnight will be seen. The offshore, overnight fishing can take off in late August, but September and October often fish great for that. Currently, bluefin and yellowfin tuna were boated mid-range, and the angling was spotty, typical for the time of year. Sometimes the tuna bit, and anglers just need to go and see. 

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing began trolling at 5:30 a.m. Sunday with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, Capt. Alan wrote in an email Monday. “We played the weather forecast right and the ocean settled in time for our start,” he wrote. The trip picked away at a variety of yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna and false albacore throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Multiple hook-ups were frequent – no shortage of action – because the fish foraged on sand eels. The fishing was wrapped up at 2 p.m., and the anglers bagged two yellowfins and two bluefins, all fat fish. The albies were fat on the trip, too. A bunch of rat yellowfins and bluefins were also tugged in. Purple and black plastics fished best, like they have. Charters and a limited number of open-boat trips are fishing. Mushin’s been focusing on tuna since June, fishing for them from Cape May until recently.

Tuna 40 to 60 pounds showed up at spots like the Resor wreck, Triple Wrecks and Chicken Canyon, after they appeared farther south at the Cole wreck previously, said Alex from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. They were yellowfins, he said, and the fishing seemed hit or miss, or one trip might land five or six, and another might hook none. The fish were trolled on daisy chains including The Reel Seat’s Flock of Birds Chain. A few white and blue marlin were landed at Hudson Canyon this past week. Sometimes bonito or false albacore were heard about from reefs.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

A day-trip trolled six yellowfin tuna, a 125-pound bigeye tuna and more last week on Wednesday with <b>Tuna-Tic Sportfishing</b> from Forked River, Capt. Mike said. The trip also raised six white marlin, catching and releasing one, and a dozen mahi mahi. The yellowfins weighed 60 pounds, except two were small. The fishing was good for Tuna-Tic, but not for everybody in the area that day. Tuna fishing was weathered out Saturday aboard, and more of the trips were set for the middle of this week until late in the week. Those might’ve been canceled because of the swell from the offshore hurricane. A couple of tuna trips are available that need more anglers, so if you don’t have enough people for a charter, jump on them.

A 25-pound bluefin tuna and six false albacore were trolled 50 miles from shore Wednesday on the <b>Super Chic</b> from Barnegat Light, Capt. Ted said. Seas were big in Barnegat Inlet when the trip departed in the morning, and the ocean held a ground swell throughout the day because of Hurricane Gert offshore. But the ocean’s seas weren’t bad on the 56-foot Super Chic. The water was green-blue, not the greatest-looking, on the fishing grounds. There was life, including lots of baitfish and some rays and the albies and some skipjacks, but in a small area. The next tuna trip is on Sunday.

From an email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Barnegat: “If you want to go on an adventure, the tuna have moved within 45 miles of the inlet, and weather for Sunday and Monday looks good. Yellowfin and bluefin mixed together. Twenty- to 60-pound fish on the troll, chunk or jig. This is the closest they’ve come to our inlet all season. We’re going to load the boat with slabs of bait, the trolling arsenal, jigging rods and come home with some tuna! … Friday and Saturday I’m going to stay close to shore because some seas are still forecast. We’ll do the (inshore) shark and fluke combo. If the inlet or ocean is too rough, we’ll stay on the fluke. Open-boat or charter, 12 noon to 6 p.m. On Sunday and Monday we’ll head to the blue water for tuna. Open-boat or charter. Leaving at 4 a.m., returning at 4 p.m. All open-boat trips, inshore or offshore, are limited to four people max, and all fish are shared. Any of these dates can be booked for your own charter as well. It's never too late to check availability. You can call right up until ‘go time.’ On inshore charters, the head count is more flexible.”

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

A tuna charter will sail Saturday on the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport, and the effects of the offshore hurricane look like they’ll be gone, Capt. Mike said. Because flounder season this year closes early beginning Sept. 6, a discount will be offered for tuna trips to the offshore canyons starting in September, until fall sea bass season opens. Anglers should telephone, because of the substantial savings for tuna. The trips will also deep-drop for tilefish, depending on the tide.

Little was heard about tuna, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. Marlin were caught at offshore canyons.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Not much was heard about tuna catches, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. Lemke’s Canyon had given up a bite, and he guessed that was mid to late last week.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Last week on Thursday might’ve been the most recent time tuna fishing was good for the local fleet, Capt. Tom from <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b> from Cape May said Sunday. A tuna trip was supposed to head out at 2 a.m. Monday aboard, he said before the trip. So the trip would see how the fishing went now, he said. Tom gave no report since, but two photos on the boat’s Facebook page showed a tuna, a good-sized swordfish and two mahi mahi from the trip.

Bluefish and Spanish mackerel hit on the troll at 5-Fathom Bank, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May. Tuna fishing became slower for the fleet recently, but maybe the angling will pick up again.

Fishing for tuna sounded spotty at inshore lumps, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. But some were picked, and bluefish and Spanish mackerel were trolled at 5-Fathom Bank.

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