Summer is here and so are the Bluefish. The Barnegat Ridges, both North and South have been hot fishing areas. The best action is on boats that are chumming hard and fishing Mackerel or Bunker chunk baits. A few fish have been caught by anglers trolling lures, but if you really want to heave the fish over the side, then bait and chum is the trick.  The Barnegat Light headboats have also been doing really well on their chumming trips. Going bluefishing on the headboats is a blast, so get a few guys together and make a trip. There really hasn't been any Bluefish action closer to Little Egg Inlet, but the catchin' has been so good up the beach to the Ridges that the trip has been well worth it.
     With the difficulty of catching minnows this season, and the ever rising costs of
everything, who can be surprised by a Minnow price increase? The new prices will go
into effect on July 1, 1999. A half pint will be $2.35, a whole pint will be $3.85 and a
quart will be $7.00. Our minnows are still sorted through a 1/2" wire screen to provide a quality larger minnow, allowing the smaller minnows to escape and grow up for
tomorrow.
     Mako Shark fishing has been on the minds of many anglers for months. Obligations
and bad weather really haven't allowed as many trips as most anglers would have liked to have already made. The focus of a lot of anglers this weekend is likely to be the 28 mile wreck and 750 square areas. A few nice Mako Sharks are caught out of the 25 fathom hole area each year as well.  Our largest Weigh-in of the season so far was a 280 pound mako that  was caught out by the 28 Mile Wreck.  Our walk-in freezer is packed so full with extra Mackerel Chum, Bunker Chum and whole Mackerel flats that it is a tight squeeze to move in there at all. The phone has been ringing off the hook the past few days from anglers checking on the bait status; it is going to be busy this weekend out there in the shark waters!
     Fluke fishing in the Great Bay is still likely to be slim pickins’. There were a few
successful Fluke fishing stories this week, but most of the fish that were caught were
small. Some of the reports were from back in the bay in the Clam Stakes on the North
West side of the Fish Factory, but the better ratio of keepers came from anglers reporting their catches from the 120 marker pole right on out into the Little Egg Inlet. The last of the incoming tide has been the most productive tidal period.
     Anglers fishing from the bank or the fifth bridge on Great Bay Blvd. are likely to be
discouraged, too. Action for the Weakfish in that area dropped off like everything else
has locally. One report of a few three pound+ Weakfish, being caught in the early
morning on a Rat-L-trap lure, was the most exciting report of the week from the Little
Sheepshead Creek area.
     For all of your Tuna fish information as well as Tuna permits, be sure to check out
http://www.nmfspermits.com/ on the Internet. Be aware: they mention that it could take up to but no longer then 30 days to process a permit. We have downloaded the 6 page permit application in hard copy if you do not have the means to get one off of the internet. The following information was copied directly off the internet page for your convenience:

*-"Bag limits are subject to change, and anglers are encouraged to call the
Atlantic Tunas Information Line at (978) 281-9305, or (888) USA-TUNA,
if they are unsure of the bag limits in their area."
If you are running your vessel out of Little Egg Inlet, New Jersey then you
are considered the "Northern Area (north of 38o47' N. lat. -- New Jersey
and states north)"
*-”The minimum size for yellowfin and bigeye tuna is  27 inches curved
fork length.”
*-”The Angling category fishery for bluefin tuna Northern Area (north of
38o47' N. lat. -- New Jersey and states north):One fish per vessel, which
may be from the large school or small medium size class. Beginning June
25, and through July 25, 1999 the retention limit will be 2 school bluefin
per vessel, plus 1 large school or small medium bluefin per vessel. On July
26, 1999, the retention limit will return to 1 bluefin per vessel from the
large school or small medium size class.”

I suggest that if you need more information, or are unclear about any tuna regulation or season to either call the phone number or to check the Web Site before you make a trip.