<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Tuna seemed boated at places like Atlantic Princess wreck, said Capt. Joe from <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b> from Leonardo early this week. That was unconfirmed, he said, and not a lot of tuna seemed found farther offshore at canyons. Later in the week he said many tuna anglers seemed tight-lipped because of the Manasquan Marlin & Tuna Club Offshore Open this weekend, but inshore tuna fishing seemed hit and miss. If a trip found the fish, it could chunk or jig catches. False albacore and Spanish mackerel supposedly began to appear close to shore in good numbers.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Tuna were scattered mid-shore, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. The fish – a mix of yellowfins 20 to 70 pounds and rat bluefins to 20- or 40-pounders – were trolled, chunked, jigged and plugged from places like the Glory and Resor wrecks to the Cole wreck and Lemke’s Canyon, mostly at lumps. The fishing was a matter of finding the tuna that day. Mahi mahi from chickens to 20-pounders held along lobster-pot buoys in that area and were mixed with the tuna at the lumps. Farther offshore at the canyons, yellowfin tuna fishing was hot and cold, and mostly caught on the troll. One day the fishing was good, and on another, it was slow. Good-sized mahi held in those waters, including along the pot buoys. Bonito moved in from like a mile off the beach to the Klondike wreck area. Small bluefish swam the same waters. So did Spanish mackerel mixed in, and a few false albacore that began to appear. Party boats chummed and jigged these fish. Sometimes private boaters trolled the fish on Clark spoons and feathers.

On the <b>Tin Knocker</b> from Point Pleasant, two 50-pound yellowfin tuna and three good-sized mahi mahi were trolled Sunday at the Resor wreck, Capt. John said. Fishing aboard this weekend might compete in Manasquan Marlin & Tuna Club’s Offshore Open or just fish inshore for tuna.

Eight yellowfin tuna and four mahi mahi were trolled at a local canyon on a trip Saturday to Sunday with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, Capt. Alan wrote in an email during the weekend. A couple of other boats jigged bluefins nearby on the trip. Another trip with Mushin was headed to the area at 12 midnight Sunday, he said before the outing. A new body of fish and water seemed to move into the area. Bait and pilot whales swam. A trip early last week trolled yellowfins, bluefin tuna, false albacore and skipjacks mid-range aboard. One of Mushin’s captains sailed to the same area the next day with family and friends and trolled yellowfins, bluefins and “other pelagics” in a couple of hours, the email said. Black and purple plastics caught best on the trips, like recently aboard. An inshore trip last week on Thursday on the boat trolled three dozen bonito and some false albacore and other pelagics. The bonito were in thick, and Clark spoons and feathers consistently hooked them throughout the trip.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Yellowfin tuna 40 to 50 pounds were trolled and chunked on an overnight trip Saturday to Sunday inshore of the canyons with <b>Tuna-Tic Sportfishing</b> from Forked River, Capt. Mike said just after the trip. Smaller were also released, because enough of the larger were already bagged. Plenty were also broken off, because light leaders had to be fished. The tuna gave up good action, and false albacore were also reeled in.

A trip tried for tuna 40 to 50 miles from the inlet Sunday on the <b>Super Chic</b> from Barnegat Inlet, but the angling was tough, Capt. Ted said. Only false albacore were landed. The tuna caught that Ted heard about were taken late that day, when the trip was already on the way back. But some tuna are out there. Some openings are available for an open-boat tuna trip to the canyons Sept. 8-9. Space is available for more of the trips that were just scheduled for Sept. 15-16, 16-17 and 23-24.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing was decent, and Jay from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b> in Absecon fished on a trip that landed some at Lemke’s Canyon on livelined spots, he said. Some were also broken off on the bait, because light leaders had to be fished on the trip. Before the trip, the anglers caught 5 gallons of peanut bunker for live bait in one throw of a castnet. Plenty of peanuts schooled back waters. Live spots from Maryland, live, local peanuts and frozen baits like flats of ballyhoos and sardines are stocked for one-stop shopping for offshore baits.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

A discount will be offered for tuna trips to the offshore canyons beginning in September on the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport, because summer flounder season is closing early, Capt. Mike said. Anglers should telephone, because of the substantial savings for tuna. The trips will also deep-drop for tilefish, depending on the tide. The discount is for open-boat trips and charters. Sept. 9 and 17 to 18 are already sold out.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

The only tuna report was about someone who docked a tuna, a mahi mahi and a 100-pound mako shark or a catch like that, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. The fish were trolled at Lemke’s Canyon.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

On a trip Monday aboard, tuna fishing gained no bites, said Capt. Tom from <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b> from Cape May. Four white marlin were raised but never committed. So the trip tilefished, cranking in 45.  

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