<b>Sandy Hook</b>

A 145-pound bigeye tuna was weighed in yesterday that was boated at Hudson Canyon, and no other big game was seen at the shop in the past days, said Vinny from <b>Michael’s Bait & Tackle</b> on Staten Island.

<b>Kayla Rose Charters</b> from Staten Island was running a mid-shore trip for bluefin tuna at the Glory Hole yesterday, Capt. Darrin said. He was yet to report the results, but before the trip he said he heard about a few of the tuna caught but not a lot. He was netting peanut bunker for tuna bait at the time. Charters will sail on these mid-shore trips and will also head to the canyons.

A friend on a 48-foot Viking fished Block Canyon and went 2 for 3 on 80-pound yellowfin tuna and went 5 for 5 on mahi mahi at a 75- to 78-degree temperature break, said Capt. Jake from <b>Jersey Shore Fishing Charters</b> from Sea Bright.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Hudson Canyon’s tuna fishing finally opened up this past weekend, said Capt. Ralph from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune in an e-mail, and he expects good action till the end of summer. Bluefin tuna also showed up locally, and bluefins were being trolled <i>now</i>, he said. Some openings remain on individual-reservation canyon trips, and August 28 to 29 is the next trip with openings.

Tuna charters will begin in September on the <b>Nan Sea J</b> from Belmar, Capt. Tom said. But he was watching the satellite charts showing warm water move into the Hudson and Toms canyons, and that was the area’s first shot of good-looking water for tuna fishing this season. Shark charters are still available, although the Nan Sea J’s open-boat shark trips ended for the season last week.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Fishing at Hudson Canyon and Toms Canyon was finally decent last week through the weekend, and yellowfin tuna, longfin tuna, a few bigeye tuna and marlin were trolled, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. Some customers also mixed in tilefishing, and at the Hudson the yellowfins seemed to be smaller fish around 25 pounds but keepers last week, and at the Toms the yellowfins were probably 30 to 40 pounds at that time. Many anglers have known that Barnegat Ridge was giving up bonito, mahi mahi, king mackerel and even a few bluefin tuna, but Manasquan Ridge also opened up with fishing for at least bonito in the past week. Trolled ¼-ounce feathers and spoons fooled the fish at both places, and a customer said bunker schooled at Manasquan Ridge. No customers gave confirmed reports about bluefin tuna caught at places like the Mudhole, and only rumors and second-hand reports were flying around about catches.

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> from Point Pleasant ran two mid-shore, combo shark/tuna trips in the past week that trolled bonito at Manasquan Ridge and bluefin tuna at the Glory Hole, and fought thresher sharks within 10 miles from shore, Capt. Fred said. The bonito hit Clark spoons, and the bluefins jumped on mini Green Machines, and the sharks chased bunker schools and hammered livelined bunker. These mid-shore trips are now available on either charters or open-boat trips. Andrea’s Toy will now also start running open-boat trips to Hudson Canyon, because warmer, cleaner water finally turned on its fishing for yellowfin, longfin and bigeye tuna. Boaters were bagging two to five of the fish per trip. An open-boat canyon trip was potentially slated for today.

Offshore boaters were finally fighting tuna at the nearby canyons, and the fishing wasn’t red hot, but the anglers were catching, and lots were sailing because of the beautiful weather, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Katie H</b> from Brielle. The boat did no fishing since the weekend, but a canyon trip might run this weekend. But the tuna came from the Hudson and Toms canyons, and they were especially trolled at the Bombs inshore of the Toms. An angler from the dock also chunked tuna in the area, so both trolling and chunking were working. Canyon charters are now available on the Katie H, and most of the tuna charters are booked for the end of the month and September, but the fishing can be good now. A charter last Friday targeted a combo of sharks and bluefin tuna, and a small mako was released at a wreck near the Fingers. Mike wasn’t on the trip, but he believed the water was 73 or 74 degrees, a little warm for the mako fishing. Trolling for bluefins didn’t pan out, so the charter switched plans and trolled bonito at Barnegat Ridge. This trip was originally supposed to be a canyon tuna charter but was changed to a shark/bluefin combo because canyon fishing had been slow. No decent reports had been heard about bluefins inshore either, but bluefins were biting farther south and could show up locally any day, and the crew of the Katie H was on the scene to see if they had arrived.

Ray from <b>Pell’s Fish & Sport</b> in Bricktown’s son traveled to Barnegat Ridge two weeks in a row and Mohawked bonito, some king mackerel and a bunch of mahi mahi, Ray said.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Olley’s Lump was home to a full-fledged population of bluefin tuna and mahi mahi, and they should move closer to shore at Barnegat Ridge soon if they hadn’t already, said Christian from <b>Oceanside Bait & Tackle</b> in Brighton Beach.

Barnegat Ridge was really holding bonito, and Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b> heard about a 15-pound king mackerel and a few bluefin tuna sightings from there, he said. But most of the tuna were still farther offshore. No specific canyon tuna reports were heard, but boats including the well-known vessel Pez Machine were fishing the grounds yesterday.

A charter with <b>Perfect Drift Sport Fishing</b> from Waretown fished Barnegat Ridge and trolled a mess of bonito and then chummed slammer blues, Capt. John said. Bonito fishing was red hot at the north ridge, and the fish bit two and three at a time on small feathers and Clark spoons. Bluefish chopped some of them in half, and the bluefishing was done on bait while anchored.

Fishing was about as good as it gets at Barnegat Ridge, said Capt. Steve from <b>Reel Fantasea Charters</b> from Barnegat Light in an e-mail. Bonito absolutely covered the ridge, and a charter slammed them with non-stop action, triples and doubles, filling the box with the delicious fish.

On the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Waretown trips were loading up on bonito at Barnegat Ridge and scoring a few mahi mahi there on the high-speed troll, Capt. Dave DeGennaro said in an e-mail. Dave was starting to chum the bonito as well, and bluefin tuna from 20 to 30 pounds were also at the ridge. Last week on Thursday and Friday Dave fished from Ocean City, Md., with friends on the Fin Chaser, landing a few yellowfin tuna and a bunch of mahi mahi.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

A bruiser, 600-pound blue marlin was battled on the <b>June Bug</b> from Beach Haven while the boat competed last week on charters in the Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational on Thursday and Saturday, Capt. Lindsay said. The boat fished at the canyons both days, because Lindsay was concerned that boat traffic would be too heavy at the inshore lumps, where everybody seemed to be headed for big bluefin tuna that had been biting. The bluefins, large ones to 180 pounds, ended up biting anyway. But the June Bug on Thursday set a course for the Toms Canyon, because Lindsay saw a satellite chart showing warm water moving into the area. The anglers scored a couple of 60-pound tuna, some mahi mahi and pulled the hook on a white marlin at the boat. The warm currents were found, but no bait was there. Lindsay also saw warm currents moving into the Lindenkohl Canyon, so the boat headed there on Saturday in the tournament, but again bait was absent, except in one area where mahi mahi were boated at the lobster pots. Another white marlin was also fought but threw the hook, and the June Bug began edging home. In 40 fathoms the anglers started picking up the rods to run to port, because the tournament only lasted 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the finish that day was approaching. One single rod was still out when the line snapped off the outrigger with a loud pop, and the fight was on. A 600-pound blue marlin, a huge one, started battling, jumping into the air more than Lindsay had ever seen. Beautiful, royal-blue and gold colors lit up as the monster put the two novice anglers on the charter to the test on only a 130-pound white marlin leader. At 6 p.m., past the tournament closing time, a hand was placed on the leader, but then the line broke, and the fish was gone. It wouldn’t have been eligible for the tournament anyway because of the time of day. June Bug’s canyon season is in full swing, and inshore charters are also fluking and trolling for fish like bluefish and bonito. Barnegat Ridge was loaded with bonito, and spots between the AC Ridge and 28-Mile Wreck also held areas of plenty of the fish.

Capt. Fran from <b>Fish the Dropoff</b> from Cedar Run competed on the Cousins, the boat he runs offshore, in the Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational last week on Thursday and Friday at Spencer Canyon and the Lobster Claw, he said in an e-mail. A tuna and three mahi mahi were boated.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Canyon fishing for yellowfin tuna was slow, and the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> from Brigantine ran a trip to the canyons Saturday with no bites, Capt. Tom said. The water was the right temp and color, and bait was there, so all the conditions were in place, but no tuna showed up. Tom couldn’t know why the canyons were slow, but he guessed the fish hadn’t found the bait yet, and he thinks the canyons will give up the fish in a couple of weeks. But inshore tuna fishing was good for very nice bluefins, such as a 169-pounder and a 165-pounder that a friend caught to place in the Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational. Trolling was producing higher quality ones, and chunking was catching more bluefins but smaller ones. An inshore trip with Fishin’ Fever went 2 for 7 on bluefin tuna to 70 pounds at the inshore grounds south of Cape May on trolled ballyhoos with Islanders last week on Wednesday. The next day the boat trolled the same rigs off AC Ridge and went 1 for 1 on bluefins, including a 60-pounder that was landed, and some blues bit on the 12-hour trip. Fishin’ Fever will continue to target bluefins until canyon fishing takes off. Charters are available, and open-boat tuna trips take place every Saturday when no charter is booked. The next open trip is slated for August 11, and space is available. Flounder charters are also available, and flounder can be found. Inshore trolling charters for blues, bonito, Spanish mackerel and such fish are also offered. Lots of blues swam 20 fathoms, and bonito swarmed the lumps 10 to 20 miles offshore near Brigantine. Spots like the AC Ridge produced.

Offshore fishing was kicking butt, said Jack from Offshore Enterprises Bait and Tackle in Atlantic City. Well, actually he said it was kicking a**! Apparently it was good :). Bluefin tuna swam everywhere like the Cigar, 28-Mile Wreck, the 750 Square and the 19-Fathom Lump, and yellowfin tuna were sometimes whacked. Jack heard about decent-sized mahi mahi bagged 25 miles from shore. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s offshore charter boat, trolled Baltimore Canyon on Monday and caught a bluefin tuna and caught and released a 250-pound blue marlin. In addition to charters, the vessel is running open-boat trips, and call for availability. Offishore baits at the shop include butterfish, sardines, mackerel, ballyhoo, trolling squid, herring, rigged and unrigged flying fish, Spanish mackerel, chum and nearly everything.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing seemed a little slow by the weekend, maybe because of full moon tides and east winds, but a few big bluefins were tackled at the 750 Square, and mahi mahi were picked up here and there, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport. A few openings are available for open-boat tuna trolling trips 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. August 12 and 26 that are limited to six passengers. Stray Cat is also running inshore trolling trips for species like bonito, and anglers were picking away at bonito along Sea Isle Ridge and the Fingers, and a few mahi were among the catch.

Yellowfin tuna were boated at the Spencer and Wilmington canyons, and white marlin and sometimes blue marlin were fought at the Wilmington and Baltimore, said Dan from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. Bigeye tuna were found farther north at the Hudson, Toms and probably the Lindenkohl canyons. But all the big game was deep or in 1,000 to 1,500 fathoms. On the inshore grounds bluefin tuna put up battles at places like 19-Fathom Lump, Massey’s Canyon and the Ham Bone, and some still gathered at the Cigar.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City drilled a 34-inch, 23-pound bluefin tuna and lost a bigger one Wednesday afternoon, he said. He declined to name the place he found the fish, because that fishing will end if too many boats show up, but he scored the hits and a half-dozen bonito in only 2 hours 45 minutes of fishing on a trip from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The bluefin that was landed was reeled in on a spinning rod among a spread of trolled Japanese feathers. The bigger one that was lost was nailed on a fly rod while Joe chummed with peanut bunker. The fly line itself broke, maybe because of a nick. The bonito hit the feathers on the troll, and Joe made the trip to look for tuna, and he joked that he must’ve set some kind of record for the least amount of fuel burned to catch tuna off Jersey, probably 7 gallons per tuna hooked. It was impossible to know whether the tuna fishing would last, but he hoped it would. The tuna don’t always stick around consistently so close to shore every year, and Joe had a consistent bite a few years ago, and sometimes it happens. Joe might head farther offshore for tuna this weekend, but he’ll definitely compete several days next week in the White Marlin Open from Ocean City, Md., like he does every year. He heard that white marlin were fought along the 1,000-fathom line at Poorman’s Canyon in the past days, and friend Dusty Laricks fished the 19-Fathom Lump this week and caught a 55-pound bluefin tuna, a 38-pound, female mahi mahi, probably the biggest female Joe ever heard about, and a 15-pound mahi.  Phil Dunn was on deck last week to try for brown sharks at Sea Isle Ridge on fresh bluefish bait and mackerel bait on spinning rods in a chum slick. No browns cooperated, so Phil switched to catching a bunch of bonito and probably more than 30 blues while trolling small feathers on spinning rods, not a bad alternative at all.

Gotta give the bad news with the good, and fishing stunk Saturday, the report on <b>Over Under Adventures</b>’ web site said. Usually reports roll in more frequently, but it was unknown whether the fishing was still slow or whether nobody simply gave an update for some reason. But Over Under’s boats found poor tuna fishing that day, and generally the fishing on Saturdays, hampered by boat traffic, seemed to be getting worse and worse. The fleet’s four boats, with one fishing from Avalon, N.J., and three sailing from Ocean City, Md., probably totaled five or six bites and landed maybe three fish. Low Profile, the vessel running from Avalon, nailed a 50-inch bluefin tuna, and one of the boats from Ocean City hooked a yellowfin and a small bluefin. Another had no bites, and the results from the remaining vessel were unknown at the time. Lots of ground was covered, and the boat with the yellowfin and bluefin trolled from 40 fathoms to 300 fathoms at Poorman’s Canyon and all the way back to 20 fathoms, picking up the yellowfin at 40, missing a wahoo at 150 and landing the bluefin at Jacks Spot. 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. 

<b>Hereford Inlet</b>

Bluefin tuna fishing was excellent from the Elephant Trunk, 19-Fathom Lump and Massey’s Canyon to the Hambone while boaters trolled, chunked and jigged, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in Wildwood in an e-mail. Desilu Charters from Cape May with Capt. Scott Pierce went 2 for 3 on 50- to 60-pound bluefins at Massey’s Canyon on the Shimano Butterfly Jigging System. Capt. Chris Gatley from Ardent Angler Guide Service was aboard and reportedly said the crew got to witness firsthand how the jigs combined with the proper rod and reel respectably landed the tuna in short order. Anglers on the trip also included Brian Nolte from Shimano, George Algard from Sterling Harbor, Jim Hutchinson from The Fisherman magazine, Mike Frank and Patrick Latham.  Donald Sowers hauled in a 30-pound tilefish at Baltimore Canyon on the Blue Hoagie.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

The <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May ran two bluefin tuna charters at the inshore lumps, Capt. George said. A trip Saturday went pretty well on the chunk, and five bluefins to 75 pounds were landed, and two were kept. Al Munger, Roy Souder, and Sean were the anglers. On Sunday a charter arrived a little late, and the trip left the dock two hours later than planned at 4 a.m. Two bluefin tuna were hooked but broke off while chunking. A 20-pound mahi mahi was caught on the chunk, and then the boat trolled, and another mahi was boated. The charter, Uwe Mewes and son Christian, then trolled for blues at one of George’s honey holes and loaded up. The water was 75 degrees Saturday and 76 degrees Sunday, warm temps, and the water was in the mid 70s everywhere.

Good-sized yellowfin tuna to 60 pounds, a nice catch of mahi mahi and some bonito were trolled with <b>Jaftica Sportfishing</b> from Cape May at Baltimore Canyon last week on Thursday, Capt. Ray said. The water was 79 degrees with not much of a temperature break, and a trip Saturday at the Baltimore took place in more of a temperature break with an average of 77- to 79-degree water. Still, the fishing was a little slower, but yellowfin tuna, mahi and bunch of bonito were trolled. Lots of bonito and small mahi were in those waters, and the trips were scoring multiple knockdowns. The water was warming, so the numbers of mahi were also increasing on the inshore lumps. On Friday a trip fished for bluefin tuna at the inshore lumps, and some nice ones were hooked. One big one almost spooled a 50-wide reel, and line was regained, but then the hook pulled.

Tuna fishing was good on the troll at 19-Fathom Lump and the Elephant Trunk, and chunking produced the fish at the Tea Cup, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May.

Bluefin tuna were still holding along the 19- and 20-fathom lumps, Massey’s Canyon and the Ham Bone, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. None of the fish were stacked up, so the best tactic was a run and gun technique, with anglers looking for either bait pods or tuna on the fish finder. The fish were moving, so when anglers weren’t catching or weren’t marking anything on the fish finder, they needed to try another lump.  Once bait or fish were marked, anglers dropped down a jig, but trolling also produced well. Most trollers agreed that Islanders worked best, though they had different opinions about the best colors. They fished a rig with a 2- or 3-ounce trolling weight in front of the Islander, followed by a medium or large ballyhoo behind the lure, trolled 150 to 200 yards behind the boat. It sounds excessive but worked, Matt said. Dave Cox on the Big Man caught a 56-pound bluefin that was his first. Brent Triulla weighed in a 128-pound bluefin that he found at Massey’s Canyon, and Carl Peters checked in a 154-pound bluefin that he took at the Ham Bone.

<b>Delaware Bay</b>

Offshore tuna fishing was fantastic for bluefins at 19-Fathom Lump, Massey’s Canyon and the Ham Bone on Shimano Butterfly Jigs, butterfish or sardines, said Tim from <b>Captain Tate’s Bait & Tackle</b> in Dennisville. The shop is carrying fresh butterfish and frozen sardines. Canyon fishing for yellowfins was improving, and Tom Fanelli trolled Wilmington Canyon for an 80-pound yellowfin, eight good-sized mahi mahi from 15 to 20 pounds and three white marlin. Tim himself was going to hit the canyons this week.

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