As we move into the summertime fishery along the Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey coasts, recreational anglers can anticipate more fine fishing for four of their five favorite game fish species -- tuna, bluefish, weakfish and striped bass.

It’s reasonable to assume they’ll provide many memorable days this season, with great potential for both boat anglers and surf-casters.

The only depressing sight on the horizon concerns the summer flounder, popularly called fluke throughout much of its range. Ironically, this situation is not a lack of summer flounder, but drastically reduced allocations for the recreational fishery in 2008 -- thanks to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

This problem has grown exponentially over the past 14 years, as size limits have increased. Recreational anglers must catch more undersized flounder in their efforts to obtain legal-sized fish. The reality is that at minimum, there’s an 8 percent mortality of released fish.

The last two seasons, my wife June and I gave up fishing in many of our favorite bay and river waters since it was virtually impossible to land keeper-sized fluke.

In 70 years of fishing, I’ve also caught literally thousands of summer flounder from the surf. My biggest measured 21 inches and weighed 3 1/2 pounds.

Fortunately, recreational anglers have four popular species that will provide good fishing as we move into the peak season in 2008. Let’s start with the biggest of the lot.

TUNA
Many veteran anglers felt that 2007 provided the finest fishing in years for yellowfin tuna and long-finned albacore. This fishing occurs primarily in the canyons, along the edge of the Continental Shelf.

Most of the boats from Jersey ports scored in the Hudson, Toms, Carteret and Lindenkohl canyons.

The Delaware and Maryland based fleets concentrated their efforts at the Wilmington and Baltimore canyons, while some boats headed as far south as Washington Canyon.

Some boaters ventured to canyon country as early as late May. There they found the temperature breaks where forage congregated, and in turn, there were large quantities of both albacore and yellowfin tuna, the latter often topping the hundred-pound mark.

Also providing excitement were occasional bigeye tuna, often in the 150- to 200-pound class.

At night, a bonus species for the tuna seekers are broadbill swordfish, nominal numbers of which will inhale deep-drifted baits intended for tuna. For the most part, these swordfish will range from 75 to 150 pounds.

During daylight hours, dolphin will often invade the chum-lines as well, providing another bonus catch.

The bulk of the fleets fishing the various canyons will chum during the day and at night with ground menhaden and chunks of butterfish. The chum regularly attracts fish feeding near the surface.

Skippers frequently note schools of tuna and albacore anywhere from 50 to 150 feet deep. Often these fish won’t respond to chum. It’s then necessary to use 8- to 16-ounce sinkers to take the baits down to where the tuna are feeding on squid.

Boaters who troll also account for many tuna, although these days, the high fuel costs will deter many anglers from using this technique.

The bonus when trolling, however, is always the chance of a shot at white marlin.

The most disappointing tuna fishing was the inshore fishery that once provided exciting action with school bluefin tuna. Boats sailing from Indian River and Ocean City inlets scored early last summer along the 30 Fathom Curve.