<b>Keyport</b>

Eight quality fluke were bagged Saturday on a charter with <b>Manicsportfishing</b>, Manic’s Facebook page said. Two of the anglers were new to fluking “and did an amazing job,” it said. The trip also limited out on sea bass. “Much happier with the life we saw in the ocean … and we expect it to get better from here,” it said. On a trip Sunday, conditions were tough for fluking. The anglers battled through, and the fishing was a grind, but they managed a few of the fish to an 8-pounder. They also bagged sea bass, and all the sea bass you’d want have been out there. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing.  

Porgy fishing was super, said Capt. Mario from the <b>Down Deep Fleet</b>. Lots of porgies. And sea bass and triggerfish were mixed in. Open-boat trips are fishing for porgies at 6 a.m. daily and 2 p.m. Saturdays. On Down Deep’s other boat, fluke fishing was up and down on the ocean. A swell hampered the angling, and the crew expects that to improve this week. Open trips are fluking at 6 a.m. daily on that vessel. Both boats feature roomy cockpits, full galleys and free coffee. Charters are available for up to 15 passengers. Sign up for the Short Notice List on <a href="http://downdeepsportfishing.com" target="_blank">Down Deep’s website</a> to be kept informed about special trips.

Ten keeper fluke were rustled up on a charter Sunday on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. A decent catch, he wrote. Capt. Craig ran that trip, and is the captain to sail with if you want to learn how to jig fluke. A few of the fish weighed 4 pounds, and two that Craig jigged weighed 8 and 6 pounds. He’ll run trips every Sunday aboard. On a trip Friday, fluking was a little tough, “but we still managed some nice fish,” Frank wrote. Livelined peanut bunker were key on that outing. Cownosed rays showed up, and one was landed. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing. The next open trips for fluke with room available will be on Friday and Sunday. The Sunday trip will be with Capt. Craig. Telephone to reserve.

<b>Leonardo</b>

Porgy fishing was drop-and-reel, and the five anglers limited out in two hours Sunday with <b>Sour Kraut Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Joe wrote in an email. Then the trip “picked away at some fluke,” he wrote. “The short to keeper ratio is about 10 to 1 but lots of action for everyone.” Joe just returned from fishing in Alaska and in a previous email sent photos of halibut he caught there.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The first drift connected well with short fluke and some sizable keepers Sunday on the <b>Fishermen</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. Sea bass were also clutched, and all of these catches suddenly died. The trip looked at several other areas in shallow to deep water. Then it fished a new place, and catches began slowly but kept improving. So the trip stuck with it, and fished overtime. One angler limited out on three fluke. The captain’s dad also bagged three, and several anglers bagged two. Beautiful sea bass were also boxed here sometimes. A 6-pound fluke won the pool in overtime. A charter fished Saturday aboard, landing sea bass and fluke mixed in, good fishing. Trips are fluking 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily on the ocean. However, the boat is chartered this Saturday, so no open trip will fish that day.

On the party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b>, fluke fishing was the same as before, Capt. Tom said. Some trips fished better than others. Plenty of throwbacks and a few more keepers than usual came in Sunday. Saturday fished poorly. Neither bait nor bucktails or Spros caught best. Anglers who fished rental rods caught as many as those fishing bucktails or Spros. When the fish bite, they bite. Trips are fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily.

<b>Highlands</b>

Fishing for porgies was great Saturday with <b>Fin-Taz-Tic Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Pete wrote in an email. A few blowfish and fluke were mixed in. A fluke trip Sunday fished the ocean aboard, and heavy weight had to be fished to hold bottom. The angling began well, boating three keepers to 5 pounds on the first drift. Then the fish stopped biting. The trip looked for life elsewhere, and found another keeper and a bunch of throwbacks. The trip moved again and grabbed one more keeper. So the trip ended up with seven keepers to 5 pounds. It also limited out on sea bass and bagged a few triggerfish. One spot apiece is available on open-boat trips Thursday and Friday. Give a call.

<b>Neptune</b>

Thirty triggerfish were boxed on a trip Friday with <b>Last Lady Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Ralph wrote in an email. Porgies were also pulled in. Then the trip fished for sea bass, limiting out on them to 4 ½ pounds. A trip Saturday fluked, and that angling was improving. One angler bucktailed five legal-sized, keeping no more than a limit of three, and won the pool. Sea bass and red hake were also reeled in.  On a trip Sunday, porgy fishing was tough. But some were angled, and so were triggerfish, bluefish, sea bass, fluke including the 23-inch pool-winner, and silver eels. All anglers left with fillets. Individual-reservation trips will fish for: big ling, big sea bass and possibly cod and pollock at mid-range Sunday; porgies and triggerfish Aug. 11 and 19; and cod offshore at 2 a.m. Friday, Aug. 24. Individual-reservation trips are fishing for fluke and sea bass every Tuesday, and kids under 12 sail free on those outings, limited to one per adult host.

<b>Belmar</b>

<b>***Update, Tuesday, 7/31:***</b> Not a particularly exciting week, but sizable fluke were sometimes brought in, Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> wrote in an email. Those included Bob Crisci from Philadelphia’s 8-pound 9-ouncer from a Belmar party boat. Shark River’s fluking was steady but dominated by throwbacks. Livelined snapper blues sometimes whacked bigger fluke in the river, and good numbers of snappers schooled. Bob, a surf angler, had slow fishing from the beach this week. Low water and beach replenishment killed attempts to cast beyond the bars. Fly anglers seemed to catch more fish in the skinny water. Bob apparently meant small striped bass that he reported from the surf previously. One blackfish 15 inches or larger will be able to be kept per angler, per day beginning Wednesday. Green crabs are stocked for bait for the tautog. Whether fishing’s fast or slow, it beats staying home, Bob said. Come down and fish while the family enjoys the beach, he said.

The ocean’s fluke fishing improved by Saturday after rough weather kept the boat docked much of the week, said Capt. Pete from <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>. Fishing aboard resumed Thursday. Saturday morning’s trip bagged some fluke to 7 pounds. Fluke trips limited out on sea bass – that fishing was great. August, a couple of days away, will especially be the month for fluke, Pete thinks. He fished deeper water for the fish, and liked what he saw. The keepers were bigger than before. Fluke seemed to be migrating in. Lots of throwbacks bit. Many were just undersized. Anglers had to work for keepers. It is what it is, and anglers just need to fish. Summer’s rolling past. Bucktails caught better than bait. Fluking dealt with some adverse conditions in past days. Conditions were better than during last week’s stormy weather. But the moon was full in past days, and that caused some current. A swell leftover from the storms pretty much subsided by Sunday. Don’t have enough anglers for a charter? Book an individual spot with a charter who wants more anglers. Sign up for the email blast on <a href=" http://www.parkerpetefishing.com/" target="_blank">Parker Pete’s website</a> to be kept informed about the spaces.

Catching fluke was yet to seem good on the ocean, said Capt. Mike from <b>Celtic Stoirm Charters</b>. Trips that fished Saturday seemed to angle a mess of throwbacks and a few keepers. Some of the trips targeted sea bass to add to the take. Some trips targeted porgies – porgy fishing is good -- and sea bass, catching both. 

After weather kept the <b>Katie H</b> docked four or five days last week, fishing sailed this weekend aboard, Capt. Mike said. Fluke fishing was slow on the trip, on Sunday, on the ocean, or lots of throwbacks bit. So the trip got after sea bass, limiting out in a couple of hours. The sea bass included jumbos, and the keeper ratio was great. Everybody Mike spoke with who fluked that day reported not many keepers caught. The ocean had cooled since before the rough weather. The water temperature was 69 degrees at the beginning of the trip and 74 later in the day. Canyon tuna fishing sounded good for yellowfins and bigeyes. The first trip for that this season is slated for Aug. 12, but Mike is up for the fishing now. Canyon fishing is a specialty aboard. A couple of inshore trips are booked for the next days this week aboard.

Fishing resumed Friday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b> after weather kept the angling from sailing that week until then, a report said on the party boat’s website. Super fishing for sea bass was crushed, and a couple of good-sized fluke, some ling and a few bluefish were decked. On Saturday aboard, excellent sea bassing and some ling and blues were waxed. On Sunday on the vessel, spectacular sea bassing, a few small blues and “some pretty nice fluke” were smashed. Trips are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily.

Weather finally cleared, and fishing kicked back off with a trip Thursday afternoon on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b>, an email said from the party boat. Plenty of sea bass and a few ling and fluke were swung in. Seas calmed by the end of the trip. On the next day, Friday, both the morning and afternoon trips sailed, and fishing was excellent for sea bass and some ling and fluke. Saturday also fished well for that mix of fish. Sunday aboard was another excellent day of fishing for sea bass and some fluke. A few small blues picked up clams meant for sea bass on the outing. If bluefishing improves, the morning trips will target them, while the afternoon trips continue bottom-fishing. Trips are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily.

<b>Brielle</b>

Anglers picked fluke at every spot fished today on the <b>Jamaica II</b>, and a 7-pound 6-ounce fluke won the pool, the party boat’s Facebook page said. Quite a few 3- to 6-pounders were iced. Lots of sea bass were also cranked up, and limits of both were common. Trips are fishing for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays.

Good catches of yellowfin tuna were chunked at night at Hudson Canyon the past couple of days, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. That is the year’s first report about successful chunking at night on this website. Livelined squid were key, so be prepared to catch them. Mostly yellowfins but quite a few bigeye tuna were trolled in mornings at the Hudson. The bigeyes weighed 90 to 150 pounds, weren’t huge, but were large enough. Closer to shore, not many bluefin tuna were reported caught. But bonito began to be trolled in the Mudhole area and at spots like the Lillian wreck and Little Italy. Some false albacore and a few mahi mahi were taken on those trips. Ling fishing was fantastic at the Mudhole. Winter flounder and many chub mackerel bit on those trips. Bring jigs to catch the mackerel. Fluke fishing improved a little on the ocean, wasn’t great, but caught, including at Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reefs. Jigs with Gulps were the tackle to fish. Plenty of sea bass hovered along ocean wrecks, and anglers could limit out on two on the ocean fluke trips. Fluking was decent on Manasquan River, and keepers could still be had. Livelined snapper blues clocked them best, and many snappers schooled the river.  Schoolie striped bass bit in the surf and in the Manasquan. In the surf, clams and small plugs or soft-plastic lures tied into them in early mornings and overnight.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Fluke are waking up, a report said on the party boat <b>Norma-K III</b>’s website. Fishing for them was decent Friday through Sunday on the ocean aboard. Plus, bluefishing improved on nighttime trips this weekend on the vessel. The fluke trips were the first to fish since weather kept the boat in port previously last week. The fluking axed some good-sized keepers to 6 pounds. Most keepers weighed 3 to 5, and a few healthy-sized sea bass were also sacked. The trips are fishing rocks and rubble, so bring plenty of tackle because of snags. Plenty of sinkers and plain rigs are carried aboard. Friday night’s trip picked away at small blues and a few chub mackerel. Saturday night’s fishing was livelier, latching into some small blues and all the macks anglers could fight. Bring light tackle and have fun. Blues 1 to 3 pounds showed up at this time last year. So did bonito. Trips are fishing for fluke 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 6:30 p.m. daily. Bluefish trips are running 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Moonlight and fireworks cruises are sailing at 8 p.m. Thursdays, returning when the fireworks end.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Surf fishing for fluke slowed a bit, and pesky rays grabbed the bait sometimes, a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. Favorable wind and a late morning tide were expected to be perfect to fish today from the beach. Barnegat Bay’s crabbing slowed because of shedding on the full moon in past days. The crabbing is expected to become hot again within days. Customers crab from the dock and the shop’s rental boats. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, a café, a dock for fishing and crabbing, and boat and jet-ski rentals.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

Fluke and sea bass were hooked on every trip, and the fishing, on the ocean, was pretty much the same throughout the month, a report said Friday on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>’s website. Keeper sea bass outnumbered keeper fluke. Bucktails and Gulps, the bigger Gulps, hung most keeper fluke, but bait had its moments. August and September are the boat’s best months for fluking. Trips are fishing for fluke and sea bass 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Sunset cruises are running every evening.

Bottom-fishing shoveled up sea bass and ling in past days on the <b>Super Chic</b> on the ocean, and chub mackerel were also wrestled-in on the outings, Capt. Ted said. During the sea bassing, you catch a lot, and get your limit, he said. In other words, you work through throwbacks. A good number of ling are around to “fill in,” he said. Some anglers like to eat the mackerel, but the chubs are fun to catch. The next couple of trips will bottom-fish and fluke fish. The fluke trip is set for Tuesday, he thought. If anglers are good, fluke fishing can bounce around to wrecks in the ocean and put together a catch of keepers. Throwbacks are abundant. The ocean in past days was 75 degrees on the trips. Or it was 74 ½ in mornings and warmed a little during the day. That temperature was actually higher than before last week’s rough weather. That temp is good for fluking. Ted is yet to schedule the next open-boat trips for tuna, but doesn’t have many free dates available until September. So if he schedules more, those will probably be in September. That’s a good time of year for the angling, anyway.  

<b>Longport</b>

Fishing’s got a good sea bass bite going on the <b>Stray Cat</b> on the ocean, Capt. Mike said. Lots of throwback fluke are biting during the bottom-fishing. The boat is also trolling plenty of bluefish and some Spanish mackerel, bonito and little tunny. A few triggerfish are getting picked up on those trips. The water was 74 to 75 degrees and gin clear, with life everywhere. Plenty of fish. No open-boat trips are available for any of this inshore fishing until after Aug. 14. An open trip for tuna offshore will fish on Sept. 9. Contact the boat to jump aboard.

<b>Sea Isle City</b>

Three of the inshore sharking trips sailed in past days aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. Thursday’s trip released six including five that weighed 100 pounds apiece, Friday morning’s trip released four that also weighed 100 pounds each, and Friday afternoon’s trip let go seven of the fish to 50 pounds. The sharks on the trips included sandbars, duskies and browns, and those species are required to be released. These trips, usually within 10 miles from shore, are catch-and-release anyway. They’re an opportunity to see big fish without the long sail offshore. These three trips fished with bait, but Jersey Cape also fly-fishes for them. Shark trips in the next days aboard will include fly-rodding. A trip for summer flounder on Sunday tugged in one keeper and a bunch of throwbacks from the ocean. On a trip for flounder Saturday on the ocean aboard, conditions failed to drift the boat, never good for the angling, and nothing bit. Keeping it real, Joe said about reporting that. He recently said his trips would begin fishing the ocean for flounder, after fishing the back bay previously. The angling can become better on the ocean this time of year than on the bay. One theory is that the bay becomes warm, and some of the flounder, including the bigger, depart for the cooler ocean. The ocean had been rough last week because of windy, stormy weather. Seas began to calm Thursday. Coming up, annual traveling charters will fish from Montauk from mid-September through October for striped bass, false albacore and bluefish. Fish the migrations from the legendary port. See the <a href="http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">traveling charters webpage</a> on Jersey Cape’s website. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Avalon</b>

Capt. Jim from <b>Fins and Feathers Outfitters</b> had been going to run a trip for summer flounder on the ocean Sunday, he said. But the water was muddy, not clear at all, because of freshwater runoff from rivers and streams because of last week’s rain. So he postponed the angling. When he fishes for flounder now, he’ll fish the ocean, not the back bay that his trips fished for flounder previously this season. The angling seemed to become best in the ocean, and that can happens this time of year. A buddy fished Delaware Bay near Brandywine, boating kingfish and croakers on bloodworms.  

<b>Cape May</b>

Tuna fishing trolled four bluefins, a couple of yellowfins and a 20-pound mahi mahi Friday with <b>Fishin’ Fever Sportfishing</b>, Capt. Tom said. A gaffer mahi also got off, and the tuna lately swam 20 to 30 fathoms. The water was green, dirty and also held weeds that kept fouling the hooks. But the trip kept grinding and hooked fish. On Saturday, a trip for summer flounder on the ocean aboard limited out on the fluke to 24 inches and released probably 150 throwbacks. Was a great catch, though many throwbacks had to be weeded through. Lots of action. On Sunday, conditions were poor for flounder fishing on a trip. The conditions, including wind against tide and sideways to the tide, drifted the boat too slowly. Four keepers and about 50 throwbacks were landed. When conditions are good, the flounder fishing is. Charter and open-boat trips are fishing.

A charter that was going to troll inshore Saturday canceled on Friday, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. The trolling is hooking plenty of bluefish and some bonito. Not many Spanish mackerel seemed around for the angling, though a good number hit last year. The next trips are set for Tuesday, Thursday and the weekend. Tuna fishing seemed to pick decent catches of bluefins and yellowfins inshore. If anybody’s interested in tuna, sail for them before they leave. He’s seen the fishing be hot and heavy one week, and the fish depart the next. He hopes the tuna stick around. Telephone if interested in any of this fishing.

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