It started off as a striper trip,but the highlight of Chuck Many's Marathon on his Ty Man from Gateway Marine in Highlands turned out to be a shark. Nellie Greer of Bethlehem, Pa. and I watched Many release a striper in thr 20-pound class on a live  bunker around bunker schools off the Rockaways -- and also lose a thresher on its first jump. After moving further east to find different schools, Many hooked up again with a fish he immediately called a thresher. After a long run and a chase with the boat, Many got the 100-pound class thresher alongside where Greer cut the leader after a few photos. In the meantime. Greer and I never had a touch on our bunkers in the ocean.  After Many moved back to the Ambrose area, I used peanut bunkers to release bass of 28 and 29 1/2 inches. We ended up in the East River for a good bite of short bass up to 27 1/2 inches on peanuts and spot that brought our release count for the day up to 23 bass and four blues -- plus a thresher!  Big bluefish cooperated again for Shore party boats. Capt. Jim O'Grady reported the bite started slowly om his Cock Robin from Point Pleasant, but ended up hot on bait. Small bluefish continue to feast on mullet in the Seaside Park area, but Nick Kolidiy of Brick said they didn't return to the Bay Head area this morning.