<b>Sandy Hook</b>

<b>Mary Lou Crew Sportfishing</b> took a few days off from chartering to compete in shark tournaments Friday and Saturday, an e-mail Capt. Darren said. On Friday a small mako was caught and released in the ocean south of Manasquan Inlet. On Saturday in rougher seas nothing bit until 2:30 p.m., when the short line got hit, and a shark was on. The fish was fought for 20 minutes, but then it made a turn and wrapped the line in the running gear and broke off.

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> competed in the Leonardo Shark Tournament on Saturday and reeled in a 6-foot blue shark at the Glory Hole in 3- to 5-foot seas, Capt. Fred said. There was life and fish in the slick, but overall sharking seemed slow for the fleet. Now that the shark tournament is over, Andrea’s Toy resumes its open-boat Hudson Canyon trips this week. The trips sail once a week and are targeting tuna, tilefish and sharks, all in the same outing.

Capt. Bill from <b>Outback Fishing Charters</b> heard scattered reports of bluefin tuna seen in the inshore ocean, including from anglers who competed in the shark tournaments lately. Few people seemed to be targeting the fish yet, but bluefins were definitely there, and Bill will look for them soon, including with fly rods, one of his specialties.

Customers reported catching bluefin tuna and sharks 20 mile offshore of Sandy Hook last week, said a fax from Chris from <b>Crabby’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Keyport.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Bad weather kept the <b>Nan Sea J</b> tied to the dock for its weekly, open-boat shark trip on Wednesday, Capt. Tom said. But the trip might sail today, and on last week’s trip at the Fingers a 100-pound mako was bagged, and three blue sharks were tagged and released. Interestingly, a sandshark was also hooked, and a 200-pound blue shark chased it to the boat and bit it in half.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Capt. John from the <b>Defiant</b> heard about a couple of boats that sailed for tuna at Hudson Canyon on Monday and Tuesday in the rough weather but scored zero fish, he said. Either the fish had moved, and the boaters couldn’t find them, or the fish moved out because of the weather. Ed Hubbard’s charter from Hubbard Boat Works in New Jersey competed in the Mako Mania Tournament on the Defiant on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday they fished at the Bacardi and at the Texas Tower and hauled in an 8-foot blue shark during nasty weather with 6- to 7-foot seas and lots of rain, and the water was 70 degrees. On Sunday they landed a small mako and three blue sharks south of the Fingers in nice, 69-degree water but 3- to 4-foot seas, spotty rain showers and 15- to 25 m.p.h. winds. A big mako put on an aerial show that day but did not bite.

The <b>Jenny Lee</b> competed in the Mako Mania Tournament, and on Saturday John Hanley from Massachusetts boated a 125-pound mako and released an 80-pound mako during the event, Capt. Dave said. Jamie Borienus from Emerson hauled in a 200-pound thresher during the competition.

Tuna fishing was kind of slow at the offshore canyons toward the end of last week, but some schoolie bluefin tuna were hooked at the Mudhole lately, said Dave from <b>Reel Seat Bait & Tackle</b> in Brielle. Also last week, a few mako sharks and thresher sharks were fought, and lots of blue sharks bit.

Capt. Jack from <b>The Troll Charters</b> talked with friends who competed in shark tournaments during the weekend at the Star and at the Resor Wreck, he said. Seas there were 4 to 6 feet, and 10-foot waves were not uncommon.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Nobody really fished offshore this week, because the weather was a bust, said both Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b> in Barnegat Light and Brian from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b> in Waretown.

The <b>Hi Flier</b> starts its offshore efforts this week, and from now through September will run to the inshore ocean to troll and chum for bluefin tuna, false albacore, bonito and dolphin, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. For those who want it all, he’s offering fishing offshore in the mornings followed by some afternoon grass shrimping for weakfish in Barnegat Bay.

<b>Beach Haven Inlet</b>

The <b>June Bug</b> sailed to Barnegat Ridge on Monday in 15- to 20-knot winds and 4- to 6-foot seas and hooked a few bonito and bluefish, and conditions were not pleasant, Capt. Lindsay said. Not much bait was in the water, and normally the fishing reaches an “in-between” period when the bite is slower about the beginning of June, and Lindsay thinks cold water has delayed that moment by two or three weeks and hopes summer fishing will kick in soon. The boat will begin fishing at the canyons in a couple of weeks.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

<b>Legal Limit Charters</b> shark fished last week and landed a couple of makos, and good-sized blue sharks were sometimes mixed in, Capt. T.J. said. A large thresher shark was lost on one trip 36 miles offshore, and then the boat returned on another trip and landed the beast, a 428 pounder.

Chic and Mark Hattman, owners of <b>Sheltered Cove Marina</b> in Tuckerton, shark fished off Long Beach Island last week and battled blue sharks to 250 pounds among big bluefish, Vinny from the store said in an e-mail. They found cold, 62-degree water.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Capt. Tom from the Fishing Fever, who gave this report for <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b> in Atlantic City, fished on Sunday at Spencer Canyon out to the 750-fathom line and caught one yellowfin tuna, he said. During the same day the Carly A, which is the store owner’s boat, and the Jamie Louise also fished at the canyons. On the Carly A, a big, 500-pound blue marlin was hooked and fought at Toms Canyon, but it was a wild fish and jumped around a lot and eventually chafed the leader and broke off. A white marlin was also jumped but got off. On the Jamie Louise at Lindenkohl Canyon a couple of yellowfin tuna were boated, and the tuna fishing was very slow for all three boats, and the crews on the boats saw no other boats while fishing, because of rough weather. Seas were a 3- to 4-foot swell, and the warm water that had previously held fish seemed to move out. Tom heard of only one yellowfin tuna caught at Wilmington Canyon that day. The previous day, Saturday, also seemed slow, and seas were a little rougher. Tom heard of no bluefin tuna caught inshore, but he heard about a few mako sharks battled inshore.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Fishing for mako sharks was very good for <b>Stray Cat Charters</b> 30 miles offshore, and big blue sharks and a few brown sharks also bit, Capt. Mike said. The water was 69 degrees and a gorgeous, cobalt-blue color. This week’s blow was the best thing that could’ve happened, because it circulated the 60-some-degree water out and will turn on the bite. Waters were warming, and the ocean was 72 degrees at the Lightship. A trip was scheduled to sail yesterday for tuna, king mackerel and Spanish mackerel, and the boat was supposed to start fishing 20 to 30 miles offshore and then go from there. A report about the trip hadn’t been heard yet.

Windy weather made fishing slow, but reports continued to roll in last week about tuna boated in warmer water at the Baltimore and Washington canyons, said a fax from T.C. from <b>Brennan Marine</b> in Somers Point.

Little was heard about tuna fishing this week, probably because the weather’s been so up and down that nobody found consistent fishing, said Jim from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. Shark fishing seemed steady in the ocean, and a 250-pound mako reportedly was the top fish in the Ocean City Marlin and Tuna Club’s shark tournament over the weekend. He heard about lots of makos around 100 pounds boated, and a good number of blue sharks and thresher sharks seemed to tear up baits.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

The weather’s been terrible with strong south and southeast winds, and the ocean’s been an angry mess, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. So he heard about nobody who sailed offshore for tuna this week, and two of his offshore trips were cancelled, but he hoped to sail to the canyons this weekend. Most tuna at the canyons seemed either far north or far south. They bit at the Toms and Hudson canyons to the north and at the South Poorman’s and Washington canyons to the south. It was difficult to tell how inshore bluefin tuna fishing was shaping up, because not a lot of people were trying for them, because this year’s small bag limit was cutting down on participation.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

<b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> competed Friday to Sunday in the first-ever Cape May Shark Tournament at Off the Hook Bait & Tackle, Capt. Ray said. Chris Wiegand was aboard and fought an 8-1/2-foot thresher shark that was probably 500 pounds that got off at the boat. A small thresher and some small dusky sharks were also caught. The boat fished 30 miles offshore, and seas were sometimes 3 to 5 feet, and it rained Friday, but conditions were beautiful Sunday once the boat got away from the beaches.

The weather was terrible, and the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> sailed on no trips during the week, Capt. George said. He saw warm, 70-degree water on a satellite chart at certain inshore spots he declined to name, and the water should hold bluefin tuna. South Jersey’s bag limit increases this Saturday to allow one schoolie bluefin tuna to be kept in addition to two larger bluefins. Shark fishing’s been so-so in the inshore ocean.

Mako sharks and thresher sharks bit last week, and Capt. Al D’Ascenzo’s boat the All Geared Up was on a roll with shark fishing, said a fax from Capt. Fred from <b>Harbor View Marina</b> in Cape May. The boat fell just short of qualifying for this weekend’s Cape May Shark Tournament with a 146-pound mako, and it won first place for blue sharks in the South Jersey Shark Tournament with a 211 pounder and 2nd place for makos in Jim’s Bait & Tackle’s Shark Tournament with a 182 pounder. Bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna were caught around Baltimore Canyon last week, and the first white marlin of the season was hooked at the Poorman’s Canyon the same week.

Fishing for mako sharks was a little slow, and the best catches came from the Jacob Jones, the Northern Pacific and the 20-fathom line, said a fax from Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. Quite a few thresher sharks were around, and the tuna bite was good last week at Washington Canyon, where some nice yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna tested rods. Tuna were also boated last week in the inshore ocean around Massey’s Canyon, and a good number of small, undersized bluefin tuna swam inshore waters last week.

Tuna were found at Wilmington and Baltimore canyons, but not many locals were sailing that far, said Gary from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May.

<b>Delaware Bay</b>

Johnny Thompson and Mike Biddick on the Rock and Robin sailed to the Elephant Trunk and trolled bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi, said Tim from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Dennisville. Some mako sharks continued to be fought at the Hot Dog and at the Tea Cup.

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