Rashawn Williams has a big lead in the Fisherman magazine Dream Boat contest, but could be quickly overcome in as waters cool. Williams took a big step ahead when he entered a 13.06-pound fluke. but the blackfish and sea bass leaders are invariably caught in the fall — and that will probably be the same with bluefish this fall. That contest is limited to subscribers, and also offers many other valuable prizes.

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The marine forecast in the NY/NJ Bight area is for east winds at 5 knots before going southeast in the afternoon.

Tuna turn off some days, but all the offshore reports ‘ve been getting indicate that the dolphin bite has been consistent.

Capt. Mark DeBlasio of Blue Runner out of Point Pleasant reported”BLUE RUNNER Sept 18-19

Did some schedule juggling around weather and got John and crew out .. Hans filled in since his trip was getting blown out tomorrow .. and off we went.

Focused on the chunk bite and it was picky . Good marks at times but fish didn’t chew as well as they should. We got some shots, lost some and put together a nice catch. Mahi fishing was once again lights out and we kept as many as we wanted to keep. Back at it when weather cooperates

Capt. Ron Santee reported a beautiful day but a continuation of very slow fluke fishing — and will probably be switching to bottom fishing with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands later this week.

The marine forecast for NY/NJ Bight is for east winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20.

Bass pro Chuck Many reports he’s still releasing big bass off the northern N.J. Shore on his Tyman from Highlands.

Offshore pro Dante Doriente doesn’t get much time to fish the surf, but filed the following about the current mullet run”

“Well every September I get excited to fish the hard North east blow when the mullet start pushing out the inlet! It’s like clockwork these fish are so predictable it’s amazing we still have them around! It’s also amazing how every single year there’s not a soul on site on the most fishy days! The 9 foot 1 piece 2-4 is so perfect for Jetty fishing and can handle anything you throw with it! Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be getting in huge stock of all our new surf rods! Super excited to bring 2 new ones to the market! My favorite plugs during the mullet run have always been @luna_custom_lures small peanut and @jeffbajek swimmer! This year we added a new one to the line up and it actually produced the most fish today I don’t know if it was the bone color or the action @goldenticketfishing probally had over 40 bites in less than 2 hours! Mostly slot sized fish 24-30 inches but had a few around 35 inches! Love to see them fired up on the mullets!’ Will keep everyone posted.

After just a taste of northwest winds, it’s right back to northeast Saturday with 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20.

Capt. Ron Santee of the Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands has been fluking every day when fishing is possible though conditions have rarely been favorable as the days run out. East winds and big swells have reduced catches to a pick and most fluke seem to have already started their long run to offshore spawning grounds.

There may be some hope for Friday as northwest winds at 5-10 knots are in the forecast before switching to southwest in the afternoon.

NYYC Capt. John McMurry reported another great yellowfin tuna bite to the east with most being very large and hitting jigs.

Jim Hutchinson Jr. reports only about 10 0 anglers showed up yesterday evening at the Stafford Township Striped Bass public hearing which was the first in N.J. Not only are big reductions possible, but there’s even a no targeting proposal that would eliminate catch and release fishing.

The northeast winds continue, with 5-10 knots predicted.

Vinny D’Anton reports small blues have been saving the day for northern N.J. surfcasters as east winds blow day after day and the surf remains rough. No striped bass have been hooked even as the mullet run started and now there are also schools of peanut bunkers.

Though some boaters have been into little tunny, Vinny hasn’t seen them in the Monmouth County surf so far. Fishing for fluke in the surf had been good, but has become tougher in the rough surf.

Water temperatures remain high, and the fall striper migration is far in the future.

The forecast is for more of the same — small craft warnings for northeast winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25. Showers are likely.

Capt. Mark DeBlasio of Blue Runner from Point Pleasant reported sharks were brutal during his last trip offshore, but they managed to work around them for a good catch, while adding lots of dolphin.

Capt. Ron Santee didn’t see any improvement in Sunday’s fluking from his Fishermen out of Atlantic Highlands. Check with him before coming down the next two days since the weather forecast is marginal due to east winds at 10-15 knots pplus gusts to 20.

A Rhode Island state record tautog of 22 pounds, 5.28 ounces was boated recently by Vinny Simms Jr. while fishing with Capt. Robert Kerry Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters.

Capt. Mark DeBlasio of Blue Runner from Point Pleasant got offshore again and eventually found the bigeye tuna he was looking for as his party managed to get each one in the box.

Capt. Ron Santee didn’t like yesterday’s swell as he fished for fluke with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands, but he was impressed with the “tropical” looking waters as some fluke were picked up to a pool winner at 5.8 pounds. Fluking remained poor today though a 7-pounder made one angler very happy.

The offshore tournament season in NY/NJ Bight has concluded except for one being planned by the Beborah Hospital Foundation . Call lenny at 732 351-8363 for details.

The Manasquan River Marlin & Tuna Club’s Offshore Open was the last contest on the Jersey Shore, and it ended with exciting bigeye tuna catches. Great Escape II weighed a 206.6-pounder to edge out a206.1 on Blue Runner and a 200.2 on The Right Place. Override had a 71.8-pound albacore to win the longfin division. White marlin fishing remained excellent for those who concentrated on them as Big Deal won with 14 releases.

The final report from the MidAtlantic was 761 white marlin released plus 7 weighed. There were 24 blue marlin releases plus 2 weighed. Other species over minimum sizes were 21 tuna, 11 wahoo and 18 dolphin.

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The marine forecast is for south winds at 5-10 knots.