<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

The <b>Nan Sea J</b> from Belmar’s canyon tuna season will now launch like always in September, Capt. Tom said. The trips kick off when overnight fishing is mostly likely to take off, and canyon action might’ve sounded slow recently, and Hudson Canyon might’ve held few of the fish. But boats did find tuna on the edge recently, and maybe the coming storm this weekend will only push in productive waters.

The last canyon trip belted two swordfish, releasing one, and went 7 for 9 or so on yellowfin tuna, said Capt. Ralph  from <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b> from Neptune. Space is available on open-boat canyon trips September 11 and October 7 and 14, and some dates remain for one- and two-day charters. Although the bluefin tuna bag limit is tight, fishing for them inshore was the best Ralph saw in 20 years, and some of the fish were mediums 47 to 60 inches, and trips will sail for them, if anyone’s interested.

The <b>Golden Eagle</b> from Belmar sailed on its first open-boat, overnight tuna trip of the season Monday to Tuesday, and fishing was slow, Capt. Greg said. Tuna were scarce along the Continental Edge, and no tuna were hooked, but tilefish were reeled up. Greg knew two other boats, another head boat and a 70-foot charter boat, that came across no tuna in the past days. Maybe the storm that was coming would change the waters and move in fish. Check the Golden Eagle’s web site for the canyon schedule.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Bluefin tuna fishing was very good for customers at inshore spots like Little Italy, the Humpty Dumpty and the Slough, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. They strictly trolled for the 20- to 100-pounders, and small mahi mahi were also stuck. Canyon tuna fishing was tough, but the Heart to Heart walloped four bigeyes 120 to 150 pounds. But other boats that fished the waters had difficulty catching. Bonito swam Manasquan Ridge, and Dave heard about no false albacore that close to shore yet, but bluefin tuna anglers found albies.

<b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b> is back in Point Pleasant after sailing from Barnegat Inlet for bluefin tuna toward the Lobster Claw the last two weeks, Capt. Fred said. The trips wrapped up on a high point, with a 140-pound bluefin bagged, the biggest one of the year on the vessel, on an open-boat trip last Friday with Dan Bombaci, Sam Melendez and John Toronto. They also landed and released another, all while fishing live squid. Bluefin fishing near Point Pleasant was sporadic, producing footballs but enough to keep things interesting, and charters will fish for them. Andrea’s Toy is also sailing offshore on open-boat, mixed bag trips that often troll for tuna in the evenings, drift for swords and sharks at night, troll for tuna again in the mornings, cast light tackle for mahi at the lobster pots next, and then deep-drop for tilefish. The 31-foot Contender runs to the grounds quickly, allowing more fishing time, and the opportunity for the mixed bag. Mixed-bag fishing offers more fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner.

At the Mudhole bluefin tuna fishing was hit or miss but an option, and trolled ballyhoos seemed best, and lots of mahi mahi, none big, were boated in the area, said Ronnie from <b>Fisherman’s Supply</b> in Point Pleasant.

John Ness and crew on the <b>Benchmark</b> from Point Pleasant on Sunday tried sailing the inshore ocean for bluefin tuna and scored, trolling a 38-incher they kept and a 36-incher they released, the report on the boat’s web site said. They also wrestled in small mahi mahi and a false albacore, and the recent appearance of false albacore meant fall was approaching, and the tuna should start to respond to bait. Last week on Thursday another charter looked for inshore tuna but found none, though two mahi and a false albacore were trolled. Then a barrel was found floating, and 15 small mahi and big triggerfish were hooked. Last week on Sunday the season’s first overnight, canyon charter sailed, catching and releasing two white marlin and landing two small yellowfin tuna, some mahi and skipjacks, all on the troll, and nothing hit on the nighttime chunk. Then they deep-dropped for tilefish, clubbing a half-dozen of the fish to 20 pounds.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

A boater from the marina landed six or eight bluefin tuna, keeping a 120-pounder, at the Lobster Claw Sunday, said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b> from Tuckerton. Legal Limit fished inshore during the past days but is running offshore trips.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

On the <b>Fishin’ Fever</b> from Brigantine anglers went 1 for 3 on bluefin tuna last Friday in 30 fathoms, decking a 103-pounder, Capt. Tom said. One of the lost fish was a big one that almost spooled the reel but eventually pulled the hook. The three tuna that bit smacked a sardine, a dead squid and a jig, and the 73-degrees waters looked green and terrible, but attracted life including whales, porpoises and working birds. The bluefin fishing slowed down, although a few were still fought. Wahoos and sometimes small yellowfin tuna swam the grounds, and mahi mahi were abundant, and plenty of marlin held at the canyons. The yellowfins responded to the troll, but no overnight chunk bite really developed yet. Fishin’ Fever offers tuna fishing on both charters and shared charters, and the shared charters are especially reasonable. You can afford to go, Tom said.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

A trip on the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport looked for tuna at the Lobster Claw on Friday, but the fishing shut off, even though plenty of bluefins were hammered before, Capt. Mike said. Whales, porpoises and life were around, and squid were jigged. No fishing for yellowfins was happening at the canyons either, so the boat stayed the night. The day was beautiful on the waters. “We had a nice day,” Mike said. Yellowfin fishing at the canyons should turn around, and longfins that prefer cooler waters should appear soon.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Two white marlin were caught and released out of four that were raised and three that were hooked at Spencer Canyon on Monday on a trip with Bill Shockley and crew, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b>, affiliated with <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b>, both from Sea Isle City. The trip specifically targeted the fish, and mall mahi mahi were also landed, and all the catches pounded trolled, naked ballyhoos. A blue marlin entered the spread and was “in love with the teasers,” Joe said, and he played tug of war with the blue, but it never mouthed a hooked bait. Waters were 77 degrees, and the crew also traveled to Wilmington Canyon, found better-looking waters, a 2-degree, hard-edged temperature break and a weed edge, textbook conditions for bites. But no fish were there, and all seemed to be up on the shelf, where the food was.

Bluefin tuna and small, 30-pound yellowfins were boated at the Elephant Truck, said Wes from <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City</b>. Plenty of marlin could be trolled at the canyons, and the canyons started holding serious temperature breaks, including 70 to 77 degrees.

Low Profile, one of the boats from <b>Over Under Adventures</b> from Avalon , ran overnight tuna trips four days in a row through Sunday, and results were mixed, but Saturday night’s bluefin tuna fishing was the best Over Under’s ever had, an e-mail from the company said. Anglers on deck that night caught and released about 20 bluefins 100 to 150 pounds that aggressively fed like the crew never saw fish that size do before, and a 100-pounder was kept. Bluefin catches had dropped off in a big way by the weekend, and a trip for the fish with Over Under Friday to Saturday was very slow, and more about that in a moment. On Saturday afternoon the boat set a course to try yellowfin tuna fishing along the Continental Edge instead, because of the slow bluefin fishing. But on the way out, the crew got a call from another charter crew who were catching bluefins at a scallop boat 6 miles away. So the crew on Low Profile changed course to fish the bluefins, and two of the tuna were immediately hooked upon arrival, and one got off, and the other was kept. Several more bit, and some were caught and released. The crew decided to spend the night, and a chunk slick was set up. By 10 p.m. bluefins were stacked under the boat, and one after another attacked, fiercely competing for every bait, usually getting hooked just as the baits were set in the waters. So only one rod was fished most of the night, and by the end of the night, the rod could rarely be placed in the holder before the bait was pummeled. The anchor was pulled at 4:30 a.m., and the anglers headed for the barn, resting sore arms and backs in the salon. But Friday to Saturday’s trip was one of the worst of the season. The boat ran to Lindenkohl Canyon to a 5-degree temperature break right down the middle. Everything looked great, with bait, porpoises, whales and birds, and the spot was one of the crew’s favorites, and the time of year was certainly right. A small yellowfin tuna was trolled before dark, and a shot at a white marlin took place around then. The boat was settled in for the night, and the anglers hoped for the first quality yellowfin catch of the season on the overnight chunk. But by 1 a.m. only two bites came: one from a small sword that was landed, and another that never came tight. So the crew decided to move inshore to the bluefin grounds, because they had been battling good numbers at the Lobster Claw on the previous several trips, usually first thing in the mornings, sometimes in the late afternoons and sometimes at night. The vessel arrived at 3 a.m., and 40 boats were already parked there, not a good sign. A bite never came, and the boat left for home at 9 a.m. As many as 100 boats ended up parked in the area because of previous reports about good fishing, and only a few caught fish that day, very slow. Over Under landed seven to twelve per trip earlier in the week. Some of Over Under’s boats are also fishing offshore from Ocean City, Maryland, and one of the trips Sunday boated 10 yellowfin tuna that averaged 30 pounds, and a 60-pounder was lost at the boat. Ten more were also lost, and there were many bites. Most of the fish were hooked on trolled ballyhoos dressed with skirts. The Over Under, the namesake vessel from the company, was at Key Largo after just undergoing major renovations, turning the classic sportfisher into a “robust and modern live-aboard yacht,” the e-mail said. And the boat recently took a 12-day trip to the Abacos from Key Largo, both as a sea trial and to scout the islands for a potential travel destination for the company’s charters. Long story short, the trip was awesome, and Over Under will base an operation from the new Bakers Bay Resort and Marina. This part of the Bahamas is quaint and pristine, yet offers lots of amenities and activities for the whole family, including fishing, diving, great beaches, island hopping, golf and shopping, the e-mail said. Check out the <a href=" http://www.bakersbayclub.com/
" target="_blank"> Bakers Bay Resort web site</a>. <a href=" http://www.overundercharters.com/index.php?page=bahamaspackage#topmain
" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for info about Over Under’s charters in the Bahamas.

<b>Hereford Inlet</b>

Offshore boaters found slower fishing for bluefin tuna than before at the Lobster Claw, but some of the fish were still chunked, jigged or trolled, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> in Wildwood in an e-mail. Some were also trolled at the Elephant Trunk, and that’s where Scott Nave from the Big Bully II from Wildwood decked a 91-pounder that he weighed in, and a ballyhoo with a blue and white Ilander did the job.

<b>Cape May</b>

Two bluefin tuna, one that was kept and another that broke off when about to be gaffed, were hooked on the troll in 40 fathoms Wednesday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May on a charter, Capt. George said. The fish weighed more than 100 pounds apiece, and some false albacore, including a big one, 25 pounds, and skipjacks were also trolled. So the tuna were still around, even if the bite slowed during the weekend, and the waters were 78 degrees, blue and good-looking. The vessel also trolled along a weed line that at first was broken up but then came together, and also around a floating basket and other floating debris that was found, but nothing hit there. Yellowfin tuna fishing at the canyons remained unproductive, and George hoped the coming storm stirred up the waters to draw in the Allisons. On Sunday Dan and Kim Fanelli were aboard and fished the Lobster Claw, but the fishing turned slow. A mahi mahi was trolled in the first 10 minutes, and then that was the only fish the rest of the day. Still, that was probably a better catch than on 75 percent of the boats out there, George said. Previous trips to the area on the Heavy Hitter battled bluefins, small yellowfins, wahoos and mahi.

Waters in 40 fathoms put anglers on the <b>Down Deep</b> from Cape May into good catches of tuna last week, Capt. Bob said. The Bradshaw charter knocked down an 85-pound bluefin tuna, some 40-pound yellowfin tuna, a wahoo and a mahi mahi. Mike Ciarlandte’s charter muscled up a number of yellowfin tuna, wahoo and mahi, and Martin Booth’s party reeled aboard a 20-pound mahi. The waters were 80 degrees, and the canyons held marlin, if anyone wanted marlin. Plenty of white marlin swam the Wilmington.

Small bluefin tuna, Spanish mackerel, mahi mahi and wahoos were sometimes trolled at the East Lump, the lumps at the Lori Dawn wreck and the fingers around the Misty Blue wreck, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> from Cape May in a fax. The fishing wasn’t hot and heavy, but the trollers started to catch. White marlin were fought at a temperature break between Spencer and Lindenkohl canyons on Saturday, and Matt said there were “some good tuna signs” in the area and that “the yellowfin were driving them crazy.” Not sure whether that meant the fish were marked or seen but not caught or something else.

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