<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Sharking slowed a little, and no tuna were really being caught yet, said Joe from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b> on Staten Island.

Friend Doug Larson sharked fished at the Glory Hole on Saturday and tackled a 5-foot 7-inch mako, said Capt. Carmine from the <b>Lucky Carm</b> from Keyport.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Shark fishing was slow Wednesday at the Glory Hole on an open-boat trip on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> from Belmar, Capt. Tom said. Some bit, and some were lost, but no sharks were landed. The water was 75 degrees and warm for makos, but hammerheads and tiger sharks should’ve at least been around.  Almost no life was in the water. One more open-boat shark trip this season will sail Wednesday, and all spots are full. A shark charter on the boat Friday bagged a 100-pound mako, fought a dusky shark to the boat and scored three healthy-sized mahi mahi upwards of 20 pounds apiece, and there were a few other bites. Two of the mahi bit shark rigs, and one was hooked on a pitched bait when the fish swam into the chum slick. The water was 71 degrees and not so clear, but there was a lot of life. Tom’s looking forward to tuna charters, and the Nan Sea J starts tuna fishing in September.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle said Arnie Colonna and son Nick on the Intensity trolled Lindenkohl Canyon and nailed a 185-pound bigeye tuna on a Reel Seat rainbow squid spreader bar last week. They also boated seven tilefish from 10 to 20 pounds.  Rob Jenkins on the Moby’s Mistress battled a bunch of sharks including a 250-pound dusky that he and his father fought and released the same week.

A couple of boaters from the dock fished for tuna but had to run 125 miles away, and one grabbed six tuna, and the other found three, so tuna fishing wasn’t really happening yet, and that’s a long way to sail for six fish, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Katie H</b> from Brielle</b>. Mako shark charters are available and a friend had a great day of mako fishing last Friday, fighting three of the sharks. Mike hadn’t seen such a good mako season in a long time.

Canyon charters are being booked for the <b>Defiant</b> from Point Pleasant, and nothing was happening at the nearby canyons so far, Capt. John said. Tuna were hooked far south or 120 miles or more from Point Pleasant, an impractical distance for charters.

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant is available for making the run to the mid-shore grounds for mixed bags of mahi mahi and sharks, Capt. Fred said. Lots of mahi were swimming the Mudhole, and sharks were still around, and Fred hoped bluefin tuna would push to local waters from farther south. Bluefins were turning on toward Cape May but were yet to arrive in substantial numbers closer to Point Pleasant. Both open-boat trips and charters sail on these mid-shore outings, and Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag or combo trips for more fun and greater chances of hooking up. Open trips and charters will also eventually sail farther offshore to Hudson Canyon for tuna, mahi, tilefish and sharks, but the canyon’s fishing was dead so far, and warm water was yet to push in.

The only news about offshore fishing was that bluefin tuna were hooked someplace 40 miles to the southeast, maybe offshore of Barnegat Ridge, said Greg from <b>Brielle Bait & Tackle</b>. though Greg was unsure and usually hears about spots closer to Manasquan Inlet. But offshore boaters were saying that bait including tinker mackerel were being seen, and that means that warm, tuna-attracting water was arriving.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

The <b>Hi Flier</b> from Waretown will be running open-boat trips for bluefin tuna, mahi mahi, bonito, false albacore and any such fish that shows up this Saturday through Tuesday, limited to three passengers per trip, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. The trips will fish Barnegat Ridge, the Mud Hole or the Cigar, and call to reserve for what looks like a great window of weather. On Tuesday Don Cameron from Blue Collar Web Designs and Steve Ondrof sailed with Dave to Barnegat Ridge and scored multiple hook-ups with bonito over several hours while trolling surface lures. They arrived at 8:30 a.m., a little late because of a delayed departure because of fog. Dave was setting out the trolling spread and only got to the third rod when the first rod screamed, and the bite was on. The anglers kept a number of these delicious fish, and last year these speedsters stayed at the ridge through September, and conditions seemed good for a repeat this year. The water was loaded with sand eels and was 71 degrees and blue. Of course, sand eels are favorite food of bluefin tuna, so Dave was looking for the bluefins to show up any time, because of the abundance of the bait. Other blue-water bruisers including mahi mahi and king mackerel could also turn up on any given day. If you’re not up to a canyon run but would like to taste blue-water action while high-speed trolling, all these fish at the ridge are a blast. Dave even offers a combo Barnegat Ridge pelagics/Barnegat Bay weakfish charter for those who want it all.

Bonito were supposedly hooked at Barnegat Ridge on Tuesday, and the bulk of tuna seemed to be off Cape May, said Dale from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b> in Waretown. Some of the local boats were traveling to those southern waters and scoring well on the fish.

A few bluefin tuna and mahi mahi were reported caught offshore of Barnegat Ridge, and nobody was really sharking anymore, said Kyle from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>.

Not a lot was heard about offshore fishing, but mahi mahi and bluefin tuna were caught, and Nick from <b>Oceanside Bait & Tackle</b> in Brighton Beach guessed that they were boated 30 miles from the coast.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

The first tuna trip of the season took place with <b>Fish the Dropoff</b> from Cedar Run on Saturday on the Cousins, Capt. Fran said in an e-mail. One small bluefin tuna was landed, and there was one knockdown, and the trip started fishing at the Cigar and worked its way to the 750 Square. Schools of tuna were seen but didn’t always bite, and the water was in the low 70s.

The first few tuna trips of the season took place with <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton last week and scored 100-pound yellowfins, Capt. T.J. said. Good-sized, 15-pound mahi mahi were mixed in, and the boat was fishing Wilmington Canyon, where a warm-water eddy had pushed in. But the eddy then moved south to Baltimore Canyon. Shark fishing slowed a lot, and some duskies were landed on the boat, but no makos were.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

<b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b> from Brigantine set up on the chunk toward Massey’s Canyon and went 2 for 8 on bluefin tuna on Saturday, Capt. Tom said. The fish landed weighed 65 pounds and 54 pounds, and one of the tuna was hooked on bait and the rest hit jigs except one that bit on the troll. The bluefins turned on between 6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m., and the water was 76 degrees. Fishin’ Fever is focusing on catching big bluefins to 150 pounds that were tearing up the inshore lumps to the south. Spots are available for an open-boat trip that will sail for the bluefins tomorrow, and open trips will run for tuna every Saturday when no charter is booked. The bluefins were being trolled, chunked and jigged. The crew was waiting for canyon tuna fishing to break wide open before targeting those fish, and yellowfins swam the canyons, and they were good-sized or 50 to 80 pounds, but they were scattered because no warm-water eddy had pushed in. But Fishin’ Fever will keep an eye open and won’t just wait for reports to say the canyons turned on, and the crew is the type that prefers to make the reports, Tom said. Some decent-sized bluefins to 80 pounds were also showing up straight off Atlantic City. Inshore trolling for bonito and mahi mahi was starting to pick up 10 to 20 miles from the coast. The boat last week on Thursday took a trip to Baltimore Canyon and went 6 for 10 on yellowfin tuna to 60 pounds on the troll. The water was 72 degrees, and there were no temperature breaks, so the boat fished along structure.

Bluefin tuna were all over the 30-mile grounds and lobster pots, and yellowfin tuna were boated at Wilmington Canyon, said Jack from Offshore Enterprises Bait and Tackle in Atlantic City. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, scored well on yellowfins and bluefins from 40 to 60 pounds on the troll last week, but Jack was unsure where. Baits are fully stocked at the shop. “You name it,” Jack said. The baits include mackerel, butterfish, sardines, medium and horse ballyhoo, medium rigged ballyhoo, bunker chum and mackerel chum.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Two spots are available for an open-boat tuna trolling trip Sunday on the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport, Capt. Mike said. Such trips will also run August 12 and September 2, and openings are available, and call to reserve. The trips sail 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are limited to six passengers. Tuna charters are also available, and so are trolling trips for blues, bonito, skipjacks, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and cobia.

Bluefin tuna, including bigger ones to 200 pounds, were chunked at inshore spots such as Massey’s Canyon and 19-Fathom Lump, said Jim from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. Canyon tuna fishing turned quiet, and canyon boaters were returning disappointed.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

<b>Over Under Adventures</b>’ boat Low Profile made its first run of the season from Avalon on Wednesday, heading to the Hambone for bluefin tuna, the fishing report on Over Under’s web site said. The vessel was anchored with a chunk slick by 4 a.m., and the bluefins got going shortly afterward, and the anglers limited out on three of the fish, one in the slot limit smaller than 47 inches and two in the slot over 47. Several others were battled, and a few were missed, and the action was very good but ended by 6:30 a.m. Later the boat moved offshore for a chance to add yellowfin tuna to the box, and no yellowfins were found, but four mahi mahi were picked. The Justified, one of Over Under’s several boats that are fishing from Ocean City, Md., also fished in the morning near the Low Profile, arriving at daybreak. The boat scored a run-off deep down, but then nothing else bit, though the anglers toughed it out on the chunk till 11 a.m. Then the vessel went on the troll, still searching for bluefins, pushed a little inshore, and connected, going 3 for 3, keeping one and also bagging a mahi. Another of Over Under’s boats from OC, Pretty Work, ran that day for yellowfins a bit farther offshore to the 30-fathom line near Baltimore Canyon, and yet another, That’s Right, worked 40 to 50 fathoms inside the Baltimore. The Pretty Work never really came across a bite, but the boat in the canyon nailed nine yellowfins, and by 12:30 a.m. seas had built, and the crew opted to run back to port. Fishing sounded generally slow yesterday. Check out Over Under’s schedule of <a href="http://overundercharters.com/?page=opendates" target="_blank"> open-boat trips</a>, and more dates will be added as groups call and ask about splitting costs with other anglers.

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City pointed the bow offshore Friday night and tuna fished all day Saturday, but the bite was slow, and one yellowfin was dropped when it spit the hook, he said. Joe spent a lot of time fishing Baltimore Canyon on the trip, and some anglers found fish, but catches seemed sporadic. Joe this week is competing in the Mid Atlantic Tuna Tournament.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing was good both inshore and offshore, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> from Cape May in a fax. Bluefins swam 19-Fathom Lump, Massey’s Canyon, the Hambone and the Tea Cup and could be fought on the troll or while chunking or jigging, and jigging was by far the best. Trolled lures were best when fished way behind the boat, and the fish were also hanging far back on the chunk. Farther offshore, Wilmington and Baltimore canyons were very productive for yellowfin tuna and nice mahi mahi along the 50-fathom line, and a few white marlin were starting to show in the area. Nick Gugliano jigged his first-ever bluefin, a 150-pounder, at the Hambone.

Tuna fishing was pretty decent on the <b>Canyon Clipper</b> from Cape May at 19-Fathom Lump, where charters landed one or two bluefins per trip, and the fish ranged from small ones to 60 pounders and sometimes included larger ones around 150 pounders, Capt. Stan said. Mahi mahi from 5 to 10 pounds were mixed in, and other inshore spots such as the Cigar were also producing, and chunking was now effective. Boaters farther offshore were slamming yellowfin tuna at Massey’s Canyon and Baltimore Canyon.

<b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> from Cape May was doing a lot of tuna fishing and trolling 50- to 100-pound bluefins at the inshore lumps last week, Capt. Ray said. The troll bite was early in the morning, but other anglers were also chunking the fish at night. Chunking and jigging were also working in the mornings. Saturday’s action was tough because of boat traffic, and 100 boats probably fished the area that Jaftica targeted.

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May competed in the Ocean/Viking Showdown last week on Thursday on his friend Norm Morris’s boat the Erika Sue, and they trolled yellowfin tuna at the Elephant Trunk and bluefin tuna at Massey’s Canyon, George said. The first yellowfin bit soon after the first line was in the water, and an incredible amount of bait filled the water. Seas were very rough, probably 7 to 10 feet at the Trunk. Seas calmed down to 4 or 5 feet later at Massey’s and eventually laid down a lot more. Tune fishing was “on,” George said, though not every day seemed to produce.

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