75 with the tuna plus second in white marlin releases with one as that category was decided on time released since no boat had more than a single release. Envelopeus was placed first on time with their single white marlin release, as was My Lynn in blue marlin releases with the earlier release ahead of Hayley Nicole.

Joe Melillo, at Castaway's Tackle in Point Pleasant, said a couple of anglers working the local beaches with metal caught cocktail blues, hickory shad and a fluke. Frank Stone caught eight fluke up to 2 1 2 pounds on Gulp today, and Joe Benheim of North Plainfield landed a 5 1 4-pounder at 9th Ave. in Seaside Park on Gulp.

Dolphin are being trolled at the Mud Hole pots, and there's often a mix of bonito, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and small dolphin for trolling at inshore lumps The reefs are usually a good bet for fluke, but a customer at Castaway's Tackle in Point Pleasant said the Axel Carlsen was almost devoid of life as he and his wife only caught three fluke without even all the usual nibbling of small sea bass. SOUTH JERSEY Jim Hutchinson Sr. reports for the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association that local inshore reefs and wrecks are producing decent numbers of fluke and sea bass even though shorts dominate.

It was a good day in, and near, Raritan Bay for those seeking both fluke and striped bass. I joined Chuck Many of Annandale, along with surf pro Chris Buchta of Toms River, on Ty Man from Gateway Marina in Highlands.

8-pound fluke that Dave Lilly of Hazlet had weighed at Bahrs in Highlands on Thursday to take first in the Forked River Tuna Club Tournament which ended yesterday. Though there was none of the predicted northeast winds gusting to 20 mph (there was hardly enough wind to move the flags), the surf at Bay Head was very rough -- and I could see the lines of dried seaweed on the beach that saved me the trouble of trying to cast over the breakers.