<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing went well at Hudson Canyon late last week for yellowfins to 75 or 80 pounds and longfins to 50 pounds, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. Hurricane José offshore might’ve kept trips from fishing since. Ninety-nine percent of the fish, good numbers, were trolled during daytime. Chunking at night was very slow. A handful of mahi mahi, not a ton, were landed, and tilefishing was good along the West Wall. Fishing for bonito and false albacore was fantastic from the Mudhole to Sea Girt Reef. Little Italy gave them up consistently. The fish were trolled on Clark spoons and feathers or were hooked on bait while trips chummed at lumps.

An overnight trip Saturday to Sunday trolled a pick of longfin tuna on the first afternoon with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. Boats that had been there at mid-morning loaded up good catches of the tuna. At night with Mushin, a couple of blue sharks were pumped in, and giant squid, lots, schooled past, and some were jigged. Up on the troll in the morning, good-sized longfins 45 to 50 pounds were consistently caught, solid action. Multiple were often hooked at once, and the two fish boxes were soon full, and the four anglers were tired from catching. Purple and black plastics caught best, like they’ve been doing for Mushin. 

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Tuna fishing improved a bit, a report said Sunday on the <b>Super Chic</b> from Barnegat Light’s Facebook page. After tuna fishing was slow the previous week, a trip Saturday to Sunday aboard trolled two yellowfin tuna 70 to 75 pounds in the morning. “There was some good trolling at other canyons,” it said. The crew hoped tuna fishing would keep improving after last weekend’s new moon. Space is available on another overnighter Saturday to Sunday for tuna aboard. Good mahi mahi catches were also bombed aboard last week on tuna trips, when angling mixed in fishing for mahi.

The year’s first tuna trip sailed Saturday to Sunday on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, reports said on the party boat’s Facebook page and website. Three good-sized yellowfin tuna, two small swordfish and some mahi mahi were landed, and two large fish, apparently swords, were lost. The crew hoped this week’s hurricane offshore would mix up the water and draw in more tuna. The trip departed Saturday morning and headed for southern canyons. First, mahi mahi were fished for at lobster pot buoys, and a few were reeled in. Some pots held mahi, and some didn’t. Then the boat was set up in 7,000-foot depths, offshore of the Continental Shelf, where water temperature looked attractive. A small sword was released, and a large fish, apparently a sword, was lost. Mahi mahi and squid were caught, including squid that the crew never saw before: large ones colored deep purple. “So cool seeing something new,” the report said. At midnight, the boat was moved to the Continental Shelf. Mahi sometimes swam around the boat, chasing baitfish and squid, and were caught. At 6 a.m. another small sword was released, and apparently another large was lost. Then four tuna bit, and the three yellowfins were landed. One was jigged, and the rest were hooked on bait. Nothing else bit, and the trip left for home at 9 a.m.  <a href="http://www.missbarnegatlight.com/TunaFishing.html" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a>, limited to 25 passengers, are fishing through October. Telephone to reserve.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

A couple of customers fished offshore for tuna before this week’s storm, and seas were still rough, but they caught the fish, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. Previously, when seas were calmer, the fishing was slow.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

The boat’s limit of golden tilefish to 20 pounds and 30 blueline tiles were racked up on a tilefish trip offshore Saturday with <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b> from Cape May, Capt. Tom said. Open-boat trips and charters are tilefishing until sea bass season opens Oct. 22. A tuna bite erupted just within range of Cape May just before this week’s storm, and Tom expected the fish to bite afterward now “in front of us,” he said. Open trips and charters will also sail for them. The bite gave up good-sized yellowfin tuna 60 to 80 pounds. Almost all the yellowfins Tom heard about were trolled, and a few were chunked.

Some tuna were caught, Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> said Sunday, before the storm. He hoped they’d stick around afterward, and a friend’s trip went 4 for 4 on good-sized, 50-inch yellowfin tuna at Lindenkohl Canyon on Saturday on the troll. George also heard tuna were boated at Hudson Canyon, out of range of Cape May.

When Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May last heard about offshore fishing, before this week’s hurricane offshore, good white marlin fishing and a few tuna and mahi mahi were tied into at local canyons, he said.

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