Posted on July 8, 2019 Contello boats a super doormat Capt Capt. John Contello’s father asked his son to take him out for fluke on July 5, and ended up netting the fluke of a lifetime for that young skipper who lured a 14–pound doormat to eat his bucktail worked from his charter boat Just Sayin’ out of Keyport. There wasn’t anything like that on the Sea Hunter out of Atlantic Highlands today, but Capt. Rob Semkewyc left short action to seek out keepers and was pleased to find a 7.1-pounder for Pat Lasson of Cranbury. There was also a 4.89-pounder boated. There wasn’t much action on surface lures in Shark River this morning, but I cast the Band of Anglers Dart Spin to release five blues of 3 and 4 pounds plus two stripers to 23 inches. Vinny D’Anton did get one bass on a Chug Bug plus two blues — and Tommy Cox plugged a bass. Frank Manzi didn’t have any luck casting, but rescued a horseshoe crab that was stranded in the rocks. A couple of years ago he found a tagged horseshoe crab in the river which turned out to have come all the way from Delaware Bay. Bob Correll reported another dead morning in the Bay Head surf, but today’s northeast wind may have stirred things up for the better in the ocean. The forecast for Monday is east winds at 5-10 knots. The Golden Eagle from Belmar had a hot bite of sea bass today for the two per man presently allowed. Bluefish didn’t show, but there are lots of them bothering tuna trollers offshore. In the photo below, Tommy Freda, son of Capt. Jim Freda and his mate on Shore Catch from Point Pleasant, bills the estimated 400-pound blue marlin recently released by young anglers from a center console while they were trolling a Chatter lure for yellowfin tuna.