<b>Staten Island</b>

Sea bass fishing was super on Saturday with <b>Outcast Charters</b>, Capt. Joe said. The charter bailed triple digits 3 to 6 miles offshore, and some fluke were mixed in, and a number of out-of-season blackfish were released. Outcast is also open for fluke charters, but most customers were booking sea bass trips lately. Outcast will certainly stick with sea bassing, because it’s been good all season. If weakfish turn on, charters for weaks will also be an option. Blackfish charters will begin October 1, when New York’s blackfish season opens, and Outcast specializes in the tog.

<b>Bayonne</b>

A charter yesterday first tried weakfishing near the Verrazano Bridge, said Capt. Akira from <b>True World Tackle</b> and <b>True World Tackle Charters</b>. One 20-inch fluke was bagged, and so was a keeper porgy, and after an hour the boat sailed to Sandy Hook Reef, and porgies were boated. Then the anglers headed to the Shrewsbury Rocks, and lots of small sea bass bit, but fluking was slow, although two keepers were landed. Another spot at the Shrewsbury Rocks then gave up better fishing for sea bass and porgies, and 12 keeper sea bass were reeled in, including a huge, 6-pound, 25-inch humpback, and that made the charter happy. Nine keeper porgies were also boxed, and so was another keeper fluke. A short blackfish was released. Police were checking anglers’ catches at the rocks.

<b>Laurence Harbor</b>

<b>Evening Tide Charters</b> got into a good catch of fluke to 23 inches yesterday in the back of the bay near Staten Island, even though Capt. Kyle predicted in the last report that he’d catch the fish from mid bay on out, because of the water clarity from last week’s storm, he said. But he tried the back of the bay, started banging fluke on every drift, and never left during the trip. The clarity was beautiful, and the water was 76 degrees, and the fish were generally big, and only fluke 21 inches or larger were kept, and eight of them were bagged. The only thing that was a shame was that fluke season will close in two weeks. Light, 10-pound spinning tackle did the trick with livelined peanut bunker, and peanuts were still abundant. Kyle looked around for weakfish, but none seemed to turn on yet. When they do, Evening Tide will certainly target them, often on live peanuts, a great bait that also usually produces larger fish. Open-boat trips are sailing every Saturday and Sunday.  

<b>Keyport</b>

Keefe Vallaro’s party of four fished with <b>Papa’s Angels Charters</b> on Saturday morning and reeled in 15 fluke including three keepers from off the Keansburg Pier to the Belford Flats, Capt. Joe said. A 5-pounder was the biggest flatty, and a 4-1/2-pounder was second biggest, and the anglers dunked squid and killies on bucktails. Open-boat trips are sailing 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily when no charter is booked, and so is an open trip 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday, and call to reserve.

Fluke fishing in the bay on the <b>Lucky Carm</b> was the best in a long time this weekend, certainly the best of the season so far, and the fish bit at one spot off Keansburg that was found by chance and that nobody else was fishing, Capt. Carmine said. The crew even hit the spot between charters and loaded up. On Friday the Johnson family bagged 19 nice-sized keepers to 5 ¾ pounds. On Saturday morning Dr. Michael Ogden and daughter Erica limited out on fluke to 7 pounds in only a 4-hour trip. In the afternoon Doug Nixon’s charter that was a bachelor party for Eddie Weeden hammered 21 keeper flatties to 6 pounds, and two of the five anglers limited out. On Sunday morning with the Shering-Plough company charter, two of the anglers maxed out on fluke, and the several other anglers grabbed at least three or four keepers apiece. In the afternoon the fluking started slowing down on Mary Ann Roper’s charter in winds and tides that made conditions tougher, but nine keepers were boxed. Lots of shorts, a few blues and some sea robins were also hooked on the trips. Dates are still available for fluke charters before the season closes in two weeks, and nice, big, healthy ones were biting. Afterward charters will bottom fish for sea bass, porgies, blackfish and whatever else comes up. Special, 4-hour, evening charters are always available 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and call Carmine for info. Morning charters are also available, and charter times are flexible.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

Fluking was definitely affected by last week’s storm, and the fish were caught on the <b>Atlantic Star</b>’s trips each day since Thursday, but shorts were abundant, Capt. Tom said. The large number of shorts would seem to mean the fish were moving, and the fishing was almost like the beginning of the season, when smaller fluke arrived first. But the fish should be moving by the end of August, and they don’t all leave at once, and patrons on the boat got into catches at places like Terminal Channel toward the Ammo Pier to Sandy Hook Point. In other words, plenty still swam the bay. Fishing at the channels was slower than before, but the fish could stack up again before the last day of the season two weeks from today. Many of the fluke, probably the majority, were only a quarter-inch to a half-inch short. The action was decent when conditions created a drift that wasn’t too slow or too fast, and the only problem was the large number of throwbacks. An angler might hook seven or eight fish, and only one might be a keeper. No weakfish were hooked on trips since the storm, but fish were sometimes marked that could’ve been weaks. Weakfishing last year didn’t kick in until the very end of August, so the trout aren’t late yet. If the weaks appear, the boat will target them after fluke season ends. Otherwise trips will bottom fish after fluke season. The Atlantic Star is sailing for fluke on two trips daily from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Way too many short fluke, and not enough keepers, said the fishing report for the trip yesterday on the <b>Fishermen</b>’s web site. That was leading Capt. Ron to think that the fish “had their dancing shoes on this past week,” the report said. The channel was nearly impossible to fish once the current got going. But he expects patrons to still catch flatties coming out of the back of the bay, where there will be nice ones, “just not the fishing we enjoyed this season,” he said.   The Fishermen is fishing for fluke 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, usually in the ocean. Afternoon bluefishing trips are running 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays.

<b>Highlands</b>

The weather kept <b>Fisher Price Charters</b> from fishing much of the past week, but when trips did get out, anglers picked away at fluke at the channels and along the rough bottom in the ocean, but the action was slower than before, Capt. Derek said. Lots of blues were around and were chummed in the ocean, where they weighed 4 to 10 pounds, and were jigged in the bay, where the size depended on the school and ranged 1 pound to 5 pounds. A few weakfish still swam the rivers, and Derek looked for none in the bay, and he figured that once fluke season ends, anglers will start searching for weaks more often.

After losing three days at the beginning of last week because of the storm, fishing trips were able to bounce right back into the groove with <b>Sandy Hook Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Bob said in an e-mail. Fluke fishing started off a little slow, and smaller fish bit, but by Saturday some good-sized ones to 6 pounds were boated. The Blaine family sailed on a combo fluke/sea bass charter and managed nine keeper fluke to 5 pounds, sea bass to 4 pounds and tog to 8 pounds. Some bluefish trips also sailed, including with the Mendez family from the OMD company, who limited out. Blues to 9 pounds were plugged or jigged on the trips, and short stripers to 24 inches also hit. Charters will be hitting fluke hard until the end of the season in two weeks, and will also sail for a combo of blues and stripers. A number of prime dates remain in September, and fall striped bass and tog trips are being booked, and Bob plans on fishing until mid or late December, depending on the weather.

<b>Sea Bright</b>

<b>Two Rivers Charters</b> fished on two trips after the storm, and fluking went well for doormats to 9 pounds far out in the ocean, Capt. Fletcher Chayes said. Long strip baits did the trick, and one of the trips hooked a couple of small weakfish and a couple of small blues in the river, but the water was too dirty from last week’s weather. Fletcher would think that if weakfish are going to show up in the bay this year, they’ll appear this week or at the latest next week. He heard that lots of porgies covered the New York reefs in the ocean outside the mouth of the bay and that not as many swam the bay.

<b>Neptune</b>

Anglers onboard reeled in all the triggerfish, sea bass and bluefish they wanted yesterday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>. A shark trip Saturday fought a 125-pound mako to the boat. Before the storm bonito were hooked, but none showed up afterward, and instead mostly blues and fluke were landed. Individual-reservation fluke trips will sail the next two Wednesdays and also Monday, September 10, the last day of the season, and openings are available. Only two spaces are available on Last Lady’s open-boat tuna trips the rest of this season, and tuna fishing’s been good.

<b>Belmar</b>

Bluefishing was holding up pretty well on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> at the Mud Buoy and the Shrewsbury Rocks, and a trip Saturday night landed blues as well as lots of stripers on bunker chunks on bluefish rigs, surprisingly enough, Capt. Tom said. Lots of the stripers were shorts, but a bunch were also keepers to 15 pounds. A trip fluke fished in the ocean Saturday morning, and flatties to 4 pounds were boated, but fluking slowed down. But there was nice sea bass fishing for humpbacks to 5 pounds this weekend while anglers onboard chummed and chunked for blues at the rocks. Tuna charters will begin next week.

On the <b>Bandit</b> fishing for blues was usually good lately at the Mud Buoy and the Shrewsbury Rocks, and almost all passengers were limiting out, and a trip was tough Sunday at the Mudhole, but the catch was super Saturday night, Capt. Scotty said. The fish usually weighed 4 to 10 pounds, and not a lot of bodies of blues were around this year. Charters have also been fluke fishing in the ocean, and last week’s northeast blow knocked out the bite, and it might be finished for the season. A few sea bass were pulled up on the trips, and if fluking is done, the boat will start bottom fishing instead. The Bandit’s first open-boat tuna trip of the season sets sail Sunday, and the trips are sold out until mid September. But spaces are available on overnight trips that depart 11 a.m.  September 18 to 19 and 24 to 25 and October 1 to 2. Space is also available on trips that leave 3 p.m. October 7 to 8, 14 to 15 and 21 to 22, and more trips will sail afterward. The trips are limited to 15 people, and call the boat for prices, further info and reservations. 

<b>Brielle</b>

Ocean fluke fishing was “trying to bounce back” since last week’s storm, but catches were nowhere near like before, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. Fluking was unbelievable before the storm last week on Sunday, when practically everybody was bailing flatties to 7 and 8 pounds. But catches could pick back up before fluke season ends. Canyon tuna fishing was very good, mostly at Toms Canyon. The Moondancer with owners Lud and Jen Bohler and Capt. Mike Petrole fished the Toms this weekend and trolled a 170-pound bigeye and five longfins on Reel Seat Green Machine spreader bars. At night they chunked 13 yellowfin tuna from 50 to 70 pounds and a 100-pound swordfish. The Jenny Lee also got into incredible fishing at the Toms on Saturday, trolling five bigeyes to 200 pounds and at night nailing 17 yellowfins, mostly on Shimano butterfly jigs. Last Monday the boat also fished the Toms and drilled bigeyes from 140 to 180 pounds on a variety of trolled lures, including 8-inch rainbow squid spreaders, mini Green Machines and Islander/ballyhoo combos. At night 18 yellowfins and three swords were tackled. Nothing was heard about bluefin tuna fishing inshore, mostly because of the weather, but plenty of mahi mahi were swarming the Oil Wreck. Fish like bonito and false albacore might also be there and along the west side of the Mudhole, and no reports came in about bonito and albies anyplace else. Lots of people will probably start fishing for them again during the Labor Day Weekend. Manasquan River was loaded with snapper blues and small stripers. The stripers would jump on Fin-S Fish or rubber shads like Storms or Tsunami’s, and Dave heard about a few weakfish caught, but he landed none himself. Dave was headed out on the last tilefish trip of the season on the party boat Voyager last night, and he took a couple of the trips previously and connected with tiles on each one.

Bluefishing was good on the <b>Jamaica</b> on its nighttime trip Thursday and on its daytime trip Friday, an e-mail from the boat said Friday evening, the most recent date a report rolled in from the vessel. Blues from 5 to 12 pounds were hooked on bait and jigs, and some passengers limited out. The boat is sailing for blues 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily. The boat was slated to run its first canyon tuna trip of the season last night, and the crew was hearing good reports about tuna chunking at Hudson Canyon. Call the vessel or visit canyontuna.com for the canyon schedule. The <b>Atlantis</b> is available for charters for groups from 18 to 120 for day and night fishing for any species available inshore or offshore. <b>Bogan’s Boating School</b> is offering the boating safety course required in New Jersey, and the test-out option is also available, and so are private classes at your own location. Visit bogansboatingschool.com for info. 

<b>Point Pleasant</b>

The <b>Benchmark</b> was pointed offshore Friday for a canyon overnight charter, and trolling produced two longfin tuna and a white marlin, and the anglers also went 4 for 9 on good-sized bigeye tuna on the troll, the report on the boat’s web site said. Chunking at night was also consistent until 3 a.m., and the catch ended up great. The boat turned around Saturday, headed back to the canyons and produced all the yellowfin tuna the charter wanted by 3 a.m. on the chunk, and then the group sailed home. Today a charter tried fluke fishing in the ocean, but the bite was slow, and a dozen shorts were hooked, and only one keeper was boated, and fluking seemed to go that way for all boaters, but the charter reportedly had a great time on the water.

Fluke fishing was terrible in the ocean this weekend after last week’s storm, and the bottom was churned up, said Capt. Allen from <b>Reel Class Charters</b>. He hoped the action would pick back up, and west winds would help settle the water, but none were forecast soon. On Saturday Allen competed in the Wiggle Rig Fluke Tournament with four other anglers onboard, and the catch was slim, only five keepers of about 20 fluke total. They fished five or six pieces on a reef, and the anglers could tell that the bottom was turned up, because bucktails were coming up with particles on them, and riled up sand was read on the fish finder. A charter Sunday was even worse with Jared Okerson and buddies Dave Sr. and Jr. They fished five spots, first hitting the Klondike wreck for some shorts, dogfish, sea robins and skates. Then they fished the north end of the reef for one keeper and small sea bass. A couple of other areas on the reef were desolate. Then they fished the Axel Carlson Reef, and lots of sea bass bit, but only a handful were keepers. Everybody Allen talked with reported similar fishing from the local area to northern waters like off Long Branch. He heard from nobody yet who fished farther south, like toward Seaside. Allen heard about a few croakers showing up along the ocean front, but the churned up bottom will also keep them from hitting. Reel Class should keep targeting fluke another week, and afterward the focus might be on bonito, false albacore, blues or sea bass, depending on what’s biting, until the fall migration of stripers and blues begins.

<b>Bricktown</b>

Fluking was productive last week when anglers were able to fish the ocean, said Tommy Kilgannon from <b>Pell’s Fish & Sport</b> in a fax. Ted Hahula and gang boated 19 keepers to 4 ½ pounds on squid, smelts and sand eels, and Steve West hooked 16 flatties off Manasquan Inlet on Gulps. Bill Bonham and company nailed 21 keepers off Belmar. A plethora of fluke, small sea bass, small porgies, kingfish, blowfish and snapper blues bit in the bay, and weakfishing in the bay was slower but gave up a few of the fish, and mainly sandworms were the bait, but various things worked. Offshore fishing was red hot, and Capt. Bernie Roth on the Tenacious whacked 21 tuna on Thursday. The Andrews boys beat up on bigeye tuna, and tuna fishing was expected to give up fish through early fall. Most of the fish were landed on chunked butterfish or whole sardines. Jack Mans got into bonito among a large bunker school while throwing metal.

<b>Seaside</b>

The usual reports about short striped bass beached here and there came in, and most were landed at night from Barnegat Inlet’s north and south jetties, the report on <b>Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s web site said. Today was a perfect day for the beach and boats, but not a lot of people were out there. The surf was 1 to 3 feet, 74 degrees and clean. A free reel cover valued at $15 is being given away with any reel purchase while supplies last. <a href=" http://www.bettyandnicks.com/fish.shtml" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for the latest.

 

<b>Waretown</b>

Putting together a fluke catch was tough after the storm, but weakfishing was good in Barnegat Bay on a trip Friday with <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> on Fin-S Fish and shedder crabs, Capt. John said. The bay’s been loaded with weaks and bigger ones this year, and in the past the fish were just over legal size. This trip hooked weaks to 3 or 3 ½ pounds, and sometimes 4- and 5-pounders have been mixed in with the population this season. The anglers onboard also tried fluke fishing toward the inlet near the lighthouse, but only shorts bit. On Saturday a trip tried fluke fishing in the ocean both near the shore and in deeper water, but it was tough, and only three keepers were bagged. The water was dirty from all the bad weather last week, and the bay was dirty too, for that matter. A trip Sunday produced a half-dozen keeper fluke, maybe a dozen shorts and lots of skates and sharks in the ocean. Croakers also arrived along the ocean front, and maybe 15 to 20 of the hardheads were landed on both the fluke trips, and they were good-sized. Perfect Drift probably won’t fish much during the Labor Day Weekend to avoid the crowds, but will probably continue fluking afterward until the season closes after September 10. Afterward weakfish will probably be the target on charters until fall fishing for stripers and blues begins.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Rains, northeast winds and cool temps dropped Barnegat Bay’s temp 15 degrees last week and forced some charters to be cancelled, said Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b>. The salinity also plummeted, but as the weather improved, so did the fishing. Weakfish were the last ones to shake off the cob webs, but the weather seemed to push in a new batch of even bigger trout! The first trips seemed to find blues and fluke responding “reel” well, and weakfishing was a little more tempered. But then the weakfish bite was on fire. Jim Repenkis and friend Lori Ann on one of the early trips got into non-stop action with blues, hickory shad and fluke on a combination of grass shrimp and soft plastic lures. Jared Okerson and friend Dave Green then took a 3-hour evening trip for a nice bite on fluke at Barnegat Inlet. Then they headed to Meyer’s Hole and fought hickory shad, sand perch and bluefish non-stop on shrimp. Fish were visible in the shrimp chum slick the whole time. Mike Gries Sr. and Jr. scored an all-out assault on nice weakfish to 4 and 5 pounds on soft plastics on the inland side of the bay, and the fish were chasing a variety of baitfish right out of the water, including bunker, mullet and small snapper blues, a sight caster’s dream with visible swirls. On Friday evening Capt Melanie Boytos and two friends from BarnegatFisinHole joined Steve for good action on weakfish to 6 pounds, slamming them on both plastics and shrimp. The weaks weighed up to 4 pounds, and the anglers also caught blues, fluke to 4 pounds, kingfish, sea bass and hickory shad on a variety of shrimp and plastics.

<b>Beach Haven</b>

<b>Angler Sportfishing Charters</b> got into bluefin tuna 35 miles offshore last Tuesday, landing two 55- to 60-pounders on the troll, Capt. Chuck said. That was his first opportunity to make it offshore since his boat was re-powered, and previously he was only fishing the bay until the engine work was done. The boat was dragging Green Machines behind birds and also daisy chains, and the fish probably started hitting within five minutes of arriving. The bluefins should keep swimming those waters through fall, and sometimes they venture closer, and charters are available for them. Chuck will troll for the fish at first, and if enough seem available to chunk, he’ll put the boat on a drift, throw chunks of bait in the water for chum, and fish with hooked chunks. Bonito should also be a possibility on trips, and soon so should false albacore. Anglers on the boat also picked up fluke in the ocean and bay last week, and the catches were decent, even if the number of shorts seemed to increase. Anglers onboard were often fishing with live peanut bunker, and Chuck was netting plenty of peanuts, mostly along the docks. No adult bunker were around, but Chuck expects them to arrive not too long from now. “Guaranteed,” he said. Blues were also hooked on the boat last week and seemed a little bigger than the cocktail blues that were predominant before. Big, alligator blues won’t arrive till later in fall. Not one weakfish was landed, and weakfishing’s been slow in the area this year, and at this point Chuck’s not expecting it to improve. Striped bass fishing was in the doldrums, and this area doesn’t hold stripers all year like up north or other places, but stripers will return during the fall migration.

<b>Tuckerton</b>

Flounder fishing took a hit from last week’s storm, and such a long northeast blow will do that, and the bottom had to be churned up, said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>. His charters were targeting them on the reefs, and he hoped things would clear up before the season closes. But a bunch of croakers showed up in 30 to 40 feet in the ocean, and charters hooked nice ones. Tuna fishing was red hot at the canyons, and dates are available for tuna charters in the next two weeks. Lots of 40- to 60-pound yellowfins were boated on the nighttime chunk, and some boats got into as many as 12 to 20 of them. Trolling was also good, and lots of longfins were mixed in on the troll.

<b>Brigantine</b>

An overnighter at Spencer Canyon on Friday produced seven yellowfin tuna from 60 to 75 pounds, a 50-pound longfin tuna, a swordfish that pulled the hook and about 15 bites on the chunk on the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b>, Capt. Tom said. In the morning trolling went 1 for 6 on yellowfin tuna and missed a white marlin. So it was a good trip, and the fish at night all hit live squid, and lots of squid were swarming past. The water was 75 to 76 degrees, and temps were pretty steady with no breaks, and the water was good-looking or high-quality. Lots of boats scored well up and down the 100-fathom line. Openings are available for charters after Labor Day Weekend, and space is also available on open-boat trips after that weekend that sail on Saturdays for tuna. Fishin’ Fever is also inshore trolling for bluefin tuna, bonito, false albacore and dolphin at the AC Ridge, 28-Mile Wreck and the Cigar.

<b>Atlantic City</b>

Lots of flounder were pulled from the surf and Absecon Inlet, including near the Flagship and Hackney’s, said Noel from <b>One Stop Bait & Tackle</b>. Minnows, Gulps and squid got the bites, and good numbers of croakers were hitting in the suds, including off the T-jetty, on clam and Pro Cut squid. Tog were running rampant along the jetty rocks. “You can bank on tog,” Noel said, and green crabs will get their attention. Bluefish were everywhere, and all the baits mentioned are stocked.

<b>Longport</b>

<b>Stray Cat Charters</b> put customers into lots of flounder Thursday and Friday off the ocean beaches, Capt. Mike said. They were nice fish, and lots of shorts bit, but there was lots of action. Croakers also showed up, and small weaks, loads but no keepers, were stacked up. An offshore trip fished the 750 Square and the Lobster Claw yesterday and trolled lots of dolphin and some yellowfin tuna, and two undersized bluefin tuna were released. The Lobster Claw held a tremendous amount of life and Gulf Stream water with Sargasso weeds, and water temps ranged 73 to 76 degrees, and a bunch of fish short-struck there, knocking down the lines but not hooking up, for some reason. Two openings are available for an open-boat, tuna-trolling trip September 2, and no other space is available on such open trips this season. The trips usually run 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., but this trip might sail a little longer, because it might head all the way to the canyons, where the fishing’s been good, and the water’s been fantastic. Mike noted that the water rolled over and looked good outside 8 miles from shore yesterday. Trips this week will probably fish for flounder 3 to 7 miles from shore.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> was focusing on competing in the Mid Atlantic $500,000 last week, he said. He fished in the event Monday, Thursday and Friday and caught and released three white marlin in the neighborhood of Baltimore Canyon. The whites were 60 to 64 inches, good-sized ones, but had to be 66 inches to be entered in the tournament. Tuna fishing was off and on all week, but Joe was concentrating on marlin fishing. A bigeye tuna was broken off along the west wall on the trip Thursday. Seas were beautiful Thursday and Friday, despite forecasts for the contrary, and conditions were also good Monday, not the stiff weather that was forecast. The water was 78 degrees, fairly warm. Water temps continued to be “even” with no major temp breaks, but canyons farther north held breaks and somewhat cooler water. Tuna were caught at Spencer, Lindenkohl and Toms canyons. More and more tuna were biting on the chunk, because the fish tend to stay below the thermocline when temps rise. On the inshore grounds the 750 Square was giving up yellowfin tuna and some bluefin tuna mixed in. Bluefin tuna were sometimes still being caught on the inshore grounds, and the season was great this year, and the bluefins bit for a long time. Joe really did no back bay fishing because of the tournament, but he should be back at it this week, especially chasing striped bass with popper lures and flies. The fishing should be fine, and the bay was still warm, but the season is on the cusp of changing toward fall conditions. The bay was holding an absurd amount of bait, lots of mullet and spearing. If that’s any indication of how fall fishing will be, the season should be a banner one. Flounder were boated at Townsend’s Inlet Reef and Wildwood Reef, and minnows and squid were working well.

<b>Avalon</b>

Overnight tuna fishing was on fire at the canyons, about as good as it gets, and <b>Over Under Adventures</b> spent the past three nights on the grounds, the report on Over Under’s web site said. Charters were landing 15 to 25 tuna per night, and many others were battled and lost, and the action was north of Spencer Canyon at the Lindenkohl, Carteret and Toms canyons, where lots of nice-sized yellowfins were holding that averaged 60 pounds, but 80-pounders were mixed in. Sometimes small, 80-pound bigeye tuna also bit. Trips were anchoring in only 500 feet, so chunking could hold the fish at the boat 1 or 2 hours many times. Trolling for Over Under was slow, so trips were going right on the chunk.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds were giving up excellent flounder fishing, and the fish were also pulled from the rubble at Cape May Reef, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. Bob McCormick and crew on the Happy Our fished Reef 11 and bailed 22 flounder to 7 pounds. Some croakers were showing up off Cape May Point and at the Anchorage in Delaware Bay. Farther from shore, bluefin tuna were still trolled at the Cigar and at the Lori Dawn wreck. Canyon fishing turned on for tuna, wahoo, dolphin and blue and white marlin. Last but not least, Crabby Jack gave crabbing four claws, and presumably that’s out of five.

<b>Cape May</b>

Bluefin tuna could still be boated on the inshore grounds, and Bob Trimble’s party on the <b>Down Deep</b> trolled two of the tuna in the 55-pound range yesterday, Capt. Bob said. Will Higgin’s crew trolled a 52-pound bluefin, a big, 77-pound wahoo and a 47-pound wahoo just outside the East Lump on Saturday. Bigger bluefins were sometimes caught on other boats. Bottom fishing was also going well at Cape May Reef, where John Lewinsky’s charter on Friday pulled up flounder, croakers and sea bass, and Mike, one of the anglers, nailed an 8-pounds-plus flattie. Mark Roney’s charter on Thursday and Steve Ridge’s family on Monday also fished the reef and caught the same mix of fish. The weather was too bad to fish Tuesday and Wednesday.

<b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> ran a couple of bottom-fishing trips after last week’s storm, Capt. Ray said. The trips bagged flounder and a few sea bass at Cape May Reef and then pushed closer to shore and picked up croakers, and lots of croakers now seemed to fill waters along the beaches. Inshore bluefin tuna fishing seemed to be slowing down a little, but some could still be caught, usually on the troll, and lots of wahoo catches were coming in from the same area. Jaftica’s first overnight canyon charter of the season is slated for next week, and yellowfin tuna fishing at the canyons seemed to be improving. Ray is gearing for striped bass season, and fall striper charters will begin the third week of October, both bunker chunking in Delaware Bay and fishing live bait and bucktails at the Cape May Rips. The charters usually begin fishing at the rips and later focus on the bay, but diehard chunkers begin hitting the bay right away.  Time is winding down for a raffle that Jaftica is holding for a striped bass charter to benefit the recovery of one of the boat’s mates who was injured in an accident. Raffle tickets are $5 apiece or $20 for five, and the drawing takes place October 1, and see the boat’s web site for info.

A couple of flounder trips fished the reefs in 50 to 60 feet when the weather allowed during the past week, and “it blew pretty good,” said Capt. Mike from <b>Copacetic Sportfishing</b>. The trips produced some nice doormats, even to 10 pounds, and the action was steady, and probably half the fish were keepers, and most keepers were larger than 20 inches. So the fishing was better than it had been, and bigger flatties were carpeting the reefs. Sea bass and actually croakers were also mixed in, and the number of sea bass wasn’t as large as would be expected, but the ones that bit were healthy sized humpbacks. Tide didn’t matter, and both incoming and outgoing were good. Cut baits such as squid and mackerel along with minnows and spearing worked for the flounder. But the weather forced a couple of tuna trips to be cancelled during the week, and tuna fishing sounded good, and the offshore canyons seemed better than the inshore spots. But big bluefin tuna were still fought inshore. A tuna trip is scheduled for Friday with Copacetic.

On the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> a charter fished Delaware Bay on Saturday and caught flounder--a bunch of throwbacks but a couple of bigger ones to 5 pounds--a mess of blues, including two or three at a time, and probably 25 oyster crackers along the channel, Capt. George said. John Stonick, Mike Lindsner and Paul Brennan were the anglers. On Sunday a charter hooked a load of croakers and a bunch of blues in the ocean off the beaches, and a brown shark was also landed, and a bigger one broke off. A flounder was also reeled in that a shark bit in half. Brothers Mike and Chuck Lewindowski were on that trip with their children Mike, Matt, Christian and Leah. The water was 74 degrees in both the bay and the ocean. Bluefin tuna did come in to the docks this weekend, and boaters seemed to catch them either early in the morning for a moment or not at all, and wahoo were also fought at the same inshore spots. An angler from the dock said he found bluefins stacked up behind a scallop boat, and his father nailed a 300-pounder. The Heavy Hitter’s first overnight canyon charter for tuna is on the books for this Friday to Saturday.

Last week’s weather mostly kept all but tournament anglers docked, and flounder fishing started back up slowly after the storm, probably because of a big swell, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b>. Smaller flounder bit at first, but catches improved substantially at the Old Grounds and the Ben Franklin Bridge rubble as the weekend progressed. Capt. Lyle Rutty fished the Old Grounds on Saturday and limited out on flatties to 8 pounds. The bridge rubble produced nice fish for those who were willing to sacrifice a few rigs. Mike Sowicz fished there on the Down Deep and weighed in an 8.62-pound flounder, and Tim Harding fished at the rubble and checked in an 8.02-pounder. Inshore trolling at the lumps was producing a few more fish than before, and fishing for 20- to 40-pound bluefin tuna was spotty, but the speedsters were showing up from the East Lump to the Misty Blue wreck. More and more wahoos were appearing, and Jeff Minnichback fished on the Down Deep and nailed a 72-pound wahoo. Harry Stumple fished the East Lump and weighed in a 53-1/4-pound wahoo. Bigger bluefin tuna 100 pounds and larger started appearing around the scallop boats around the Elephant Trunk and could be caught by trolling behind the boats or with scallop guts fished behind the vessels with permission of the captain. This can be dangerous, and novices should avoid fishing this way. Massey’s Canyon and the Ham Bone were still putting out tuna on the chunk, and the canyons were giving up a few tuna, but no great numbers. White marlin fishing was good at Baltimore and Poorman’s canyons late in the week, and a few blue marlin showed up among them.

Back to Top