<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Capt. Jake from <b>Jersey Shore Fishing Charters</b> from Sea Bright shark fished at the Glory Hole Sunday and fought an 80-pound mako and two 20- or 25-pounders to the boat, he said. The water was 71 degrees and not blue but not green and just dirty. Seas were flat like a lake, and he saw no tuna, but someone on the radio said he saw a bunch of tuna jumping, and an angler from the dock trolled two bluefin tuna about 45 pounds each at the Monster Ledge the same day.

Capt. Brian Rice from <b>Jersey Devil Charters</b> from the Highlands competed as one of the guests on the Shark Byte on Monday in the Mid Atlantic $500,000 from Cape May, he said. The fishing was good on the trip, and a tuna and some mahi mahi were caught at the canyons, and the tournament’s web site showed that the boat was leading in the mahi category that day. Brian understandably declined to name the areas the boat fished, because the tournament was still taking place. Jersey Devil is running canyon charters.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

The season’s first open-boat, overnight tuna trip for <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune ran last week and loaded up on yellowfin tuna to 40 and 50 pounds at Hudson Canyon on the troll.  It was good fishing and will only get better, and that’s all Ralph was saying!

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

The <b>Katie H</b> from Brielle was setting sail on a daytime trolling charter today, Capt. Mike said. Another one of the trips had to be rescheduled because of the rough weather this week on Wednesday, and a canyon overnighter is on the books for Sunday to Monday. The season’s first canyon, overnight trips on the boat launched with a bang last weekend on a charter Friday to Saturday at Hudson Canyon and then a turnaround that headed back to Toms Canyon on Sunday, returning Monday. On the trip to the Hudson eight yellowfin tuna to 80 pounds were nailed, mostly on the night chunk, but the boat did some trolling, and Mike thought one of the fish was landed on the troll. The current was ripping most of the trip until the end, and the baits were difficult to send down with even 12 ounces to 150 feet, where the fish were holding. Sardines caught most, but Mike thought one grabbed a squid, and not much bait swam the water that could be caught for the livewell. The water was 76 degrees with a temp break, and it was clear and clean. The number of tuna hooked was probably hindered because of the current. The trip at the Toms limited out on 20-some yellowfins to 80 pounds and pulled the hook early Monday because seas were building. But other boats stayed and got into good trolling for tunas, including action with bigeyes. One boat from the dock trolled five of the bruisers, and another trolled three, and the fish were good-sized, up to 180 pounds.

On the <b>Benchmark</b> from Point Pleasant the first canyon trip of the season sailed last week from Tuesday to Wednesday and whacked 20 yellowfin tuna and a longfin and released two white marlins at the Toms Canyon, Capt. Nick said. All the yellowfins, 40- to 75-pounders, except one were boated while the anglers chunked at night, and the other one was trolled during the day, and so were the whites and the longfin. The tuna on the chunk bit non-stop most of the night, and a few hammerhead sharks swam into the slick. So it was an excellent trip, and the Benchmark’s canyon charter season is in full gear, and a few open-boat trips will also head to the canyons, and space is available. Nick knew two boaters who returned from offshore Sunday after fishing ¼-mile apart, and one boated 20 tuna, and the other scored one.

Canyon tuna fishing was good last week, including on the nighttime chunk, and Shimano Butterfly Jigs were nailing lots of the fish, and anglers were buying a load of the jigs at the shop, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> from Brielle. Much of the best chunking was taking place at Hudson Canyon at the 100 Square and the 100/050. But chunking wasn’t necessarily better than trolling, and maybe anglers were just spending more time chunking. One boat last week went 3 for 5 on bigeye tuna to 312 pounds on the troll. Bluefin tuna were also taken at the inshore grounds and seemed spread everywhere along the Mudhole and 20 fathoms, and probably not much effort was put into the fishing. One angler fought a 77-pound wahoo to gaff at the Glory Hole last Friday on a daisy chain.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Not much was heard about offshore fishing, because of the storm most of the week, but skies were clearing yesterday, and the boats should be back at it, said Christian from <b>Oceanside Bait & Tackle</b> in Brighton Beach.

Offshore boaters were weathered out, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing was weathered out Wednesday for <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton, and another tuna charter yesterday looked like it would be cancelled because of rough seas, Capt. T.J. said the previous day. More tuna charters are scheduled to start this weekend.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

The <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> from Brigantine stayed tied to the dock because of the weather this week, but trips are now mostly overnighting at the canyons, because tuna chunking was very good, Capt. Tom said. The northern canyons seemed best, and the boat fishes everywhere from Hudson Canyon to Poorman’s Canyon. Daytime trolling offshore was also producing longfin tuna and bigeye tuna. Bluefin tuna fishing at the southern lumps was pretty much finished for the year, but the Fishin’ Fever was running inshore trolling charters to the ridges toward Atlantic City for good catches of bonito, dolphin and even bluefin tuna from 60 to 80 pounds, and the bluefins were definitely there. Space is available on open-boat tuna trips that sail every weekend, and dates are also available for charters during weekdays, and the Fishin’ Fever will keep sailing through October. 

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

The <b>Carly A</b> from Atlantic City was slated to run three tuna trips in the coming days but fished on no trips since the week’s storm, said Jack from Offshore Enterprises Bait and Tackle, whose owner also owns the boat. The vessel’s most recent trips fished last week and included one catch of a white marlin and a couple of yellowfin tuna and another catch of 15 tuna that were chunked, and more details were given in last week’s report. Both overnight charters and daytime trolling trips are running.

The weather only started to clear yesterday, and the fishing even seemed to be affected last week, prior to the storm, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Atlantic City. But before the storm, bonito, small bluefin tuna and even a few wahoos were fought at the AC Ridge and Sea Isle Ridge. Bluefin fishing mostly petered out at places like the Cigar last week, and the ridges were better. The Spencer, Lindenkohl and Toms canyons before the blow gave up lots of good-sized yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna on both the chunk and the troll.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

The crew from <b>Over Under Adventures</b> had been too busy fishing to give an update lately, an e-mail from Over Under said. But Over Under’s boat from Avalon was mostly running overnight trips to the canyons, and its several vessels from Ocean City, Md., were mostly sailing on daytime trips for tuna. Yellowfin tuna were finally showing up at the canyons here and there, and nighttime fishing for them was decent. Longfin tuna fishing in the deep was beginning to heat up on the troll, and billfishing was also good. Bluefin tuna were still around. Over Under recently added audio reports about each of its trips on its web site, so check it out. 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 was competing in the Mid Atlantic $500,000 from Cape May this week, and he hardly had time to speak, but he gave a quick update. He fished in the tournament Monday and released a white marlin and hooked some mahi mahi. A 60-pound white was the top fish that day, and the weather offshore was beautiful, and the forecast was totally wrong. Boaters who competed Tuesday also said the weather was better than forecast, and Joe was competing again yesterday and today, and forecasts at mid week looked rough. The event’s web site said a total of 163 boats were competing, and all but one was fishing yesterday. On Monday 35 sailed, and on Tuesday 29 left the dock, and the number of boats that fished Wednesday wasn’t posted when this report was written.

<b>Cape May</b>

On the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May a charter fished the inshore lumps for bluefin tuna Sunday, and one was hooked after the first 5 minutes of trolling, but it popped off, Capt. George said. The boat was the second to arrive on the grounds, but then a dozen other vessels showed up and worked the same small hill where the tuna were gathered. No more bit on the Heavy Hitter until the anglers were almost ready to leave. Then a bluefin started dumping a load of line off the reel, and by the time the rod was passed to the third angler, the fish got off. Fishing was better at that spot on a charter Friday, when only four boats worked the area. On that day John Anderson, his son Jessie and his brother Steve were aboard for a catch of bluefins to 60 or 65 pounds. Seas were rough Friday and were calm Sunday morning until building to 4 feet by noon. Some boaters did a number on bluefins over the weekend. Yellowfin tuna fishing at the canyons should be turning by now, and the Heavy Hitter’s first overnighter at the canyons is slated for next Friday, and these charters are now available.

<b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> from Cape May took the trip to the canyons Sunday and trolled yellowfin tuna about 60 pounds apiece in 77-degree water with a slight temp break and a nice color, Capt. Ray said. The water farther inshore looked better. He heard about great nighttime chunking for tuna at a northern canyon this weekend, and bluefin tuna were sometimes trolled at the inshore grounds, but that fishing was becoming more sporadic. Inshore bluefin also seemed to respond to trolling more than chunking lately, but sometimes chunking produced.

Rob Ossitchak’s charter on the <b>Down Deep</b> from Cape May limited out on bluefin tuna to 60 pounds and whacked a 45-pound wahoo last week on Wednesday, Capt. Bob said. Openings are available for tuna charters, including in September.

The Free Spirit went 1 for 3 on white marlin and caught five yellowfin tuna that weighed 60 to 75 pounds last week on the 100-fathom line of Spencer Canyon, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> from Cape May. The last word heard from Matt about bluefin tuna chunking on the inshore grounds came from Massey’s Canyon and the Ham Bone last week, when good bites took place early in the day and in the late afternoons, and a pick was had throughout the rest of the day. Besides bait, jigs were also working.

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