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Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

 

It’s been sometime, but we closed out the season towards the beginning of December.  December was a busy month with doing all of the normal end of season maintenance, in addition to organizing and running the Barnegat HS Fishing Club’s Fisherman’s Fleamarket during the second week of December.

I can’t believe it’s almost 2018, but I have already made some major upgrades for the 2018 season including: installing a new Lowrance HDS Carbon GPS & Structure scan/CHIRP sonar, adding 8 new Penn 4500 SSV Reels and 8 new G.Loomis rods to our charter arsenal.  I was asked and have joined the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association for the 2018 season (www.bhcfa.net) and will be helping out with their Junior Mate program.

This past week I dropped off our 2017 NJ Striped Bass Bonus Permit fishing logs to the Nacote Creek Research Station and was assured by NJ DEP staff that the program will run again for 2018.  This is great news as it still allows a slot fish for the 2018 charters (September thru December).

2018 Fishing Show and Seminar News:  I was asked by On The Water magazine to work the OTW booth for the Garden State Sports Show at the NJ Convention & Exposition Center in Edison, NJ on January 13th, 2018.  If you go, please stop by!

I was asked again by the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) to present at the Atlantic City Boat show and I will be doing an 45min to 1hr seminar on Bay, Inlet, and Ocean Fluke fishing on March 1st (Time TBD, 4pm?).  I will also be at the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Assoc. booth during the AC Boat show.

We have already started booking for backbay Striped Bass (March) and topwater Bluefish (April), and the charters will start in late March 2018.  If interested in booking a charter, book through the website (reelreactioncharters.com) or call/text 609-290-7709.  As always, we use the highest quality gear and is included: gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE!  It’s “no worries” fishing.  Just come aboard and FISH.

Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709

Fishing LBI Report Update 12/26/17

Here’s a belated Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays To All!

Here’s a report from Michael Baytoff, ” I fished the Beach Haven Christmas Eve in the rain with NE winds 10-20. The bite was good. Landed one nice fish and while working one rod in the wind and rain, visibility was not too good. Had a fish pull my conventional rod with a bunker head right out of the spike. Got the rod back but lost the fish and the spike in the rough surf… A Fun Night!

Another report came in from George Mohr. He was in the shop recently gearing up for a tog fishing trip. While picking out a new rod Tsunami Tog Jig Rod he shared a short report, “Got three bass off the beach this morning.”

LBI Fishing Report Update 12/22/17

As of yesterday, winter is officially here! But let’s look at it in the bright side… the days are only getting longer from here!

With the year coming to a close, I fished out 2017 getting in as much as possible. Today I pulled the boat for the year. Kinda bummed but looking back it was an awesome run. This fall was fun fishing with so many different people. It’s great to experience time on the water with people stoked on fishing.

With good mild weather recently I enjoyed my final days on the boat this year. Yesterday (Thursday) we got a couple small bass on the troll working Magic Tail Mojos off of IBSP in 35-50′ of water. Wednesday we found piles of bait but no bites. After putting in a couple hours we called it off, only later finding out it was happening elsewhere. Where? Find out in the next paragraph below. Tuesday, it took a little while to find them but we got into good but short lived fishing off mid-Island (Ship Bottom to Harvey Cedars). We worked 35-50′ for a couple hour period and could not keep the lines in the water. It was mayhem with  with doubled and triple headers all to ourselves.

Wednesday afternoon Brian Coen got into a great bite fishing off of IBSP. The birds and bass were going wild! He reported, “We probably had 50 fish on top crushing lures. The fish ranged from 20” up to 18 pounds.

Jeff Davis from Let It Fly Charters sent in a quick email report, “Another epic day!”

Here’s a happy fly anglers aboard the Let It Fly with Captain Jeff Davis.

The surf fishing along the beach of LBI are still producing. Local angler Chris Masino caught today. Below is a photo of one.

Late December striped bass cruise the beach looking for small baits and lures. Try your cast and get a tug!

Solid tog fishing continues with the Magic Tail Tog Jigs being the best way to hook a hoss. Matt Sorrentino is dialed in togging with Magictail Jigs. He recently took the pool fishing aboard the Osprey out of Atlantic City. Must have been the lucky Fish Head Hat!!! Get your own today. All joking aside, it’s awesome to see these Magic Tail Tog Jigs out fishing on a consistent basis.

Here’s Matt with his pool winner!

We got word in today from a couple anglers who were out, “Lotta small tog on the local reefs.”

Dylan Fisher was on the December 21st offshore black sea bass fishing trip aboard the Voyager. He reported, “The weather was good and the fishing was great catching jumbo sea bass and porgy. I topped off the freezer for the winter. Now I’m ready for hibernation.”

Here’s Dylan with a jumbo sea bass.

Epic End Of Year Sale!!!

Close out 2017 right with our year’s best pricing…  For a limited time we’ve got an Online Store Wide Flash Sale! Use Cart Promo Code FLASH17 at checkout.

Fishing Report Update – 12/17/17

This weekend offered good fishing to most who got out on the hunt. A couple brave souls went Friday to battle in the snow. Those that went Saturday and Sunday took advantage with light winds and a flat sea.

Blackfish love feeding heavy with calm conditions, especially with minimal swell. This weekend Lake Atlantic produced!

Dante from Magictail Lures was out fishing hard over the weekend putting his products in the mouths of classy tog. Saturday he reported awesome fishing, “Three hour limit all on 1-1/5 Magictail Tog Jigs. Epic fishing with three fish over 10 pounds!” He added, “By the way, striped bass were blowing up on top feasting on herring all day.”

He was again out on Sunday, “Today (Sunday) we ground through a tougher bite with smaller fish, BUT we managed a five man limit with one going 12.5 pounds. Once again the Magictail tog jig were hot! The green/orange was hot!!!” Man Oh Man! You know the fishing is off the charts when a five man limit with fish up to 12.5 pounds is tough fishing. Ha!

Jarrett Hillman and Taylor Corbett got some nice tog this weekend!

Earlier in the weekend Jarrett Hillman and Taylor Corbett were on the water fishing out of Beach Haven and got into the tog on the jig! “We crushed them! Didn’t even have to anchor, catching on jigs and rigs.”

Here’s Dave Iacono with 26″ tog he caught aboard the Mary M. out of Barnegat Light..

Dave Iacono of the South Jersey Saltwater Anglers checked in a nice 26″ 10.5lb tog today. He was fishing aboard the Mary M. at a local inshore reef site. Dave reported good fishing on live green crabs. Swagmattic (Matt S) was also aboard the Mary M today. He reported, “(An) Epic day on the tog grounds!” Catching 9 keepers thanking Magictail for their awesome tog jigs, “These jigs are lights out!”

Swagmattic with a nice haul fishing aboard the Mary M out of Barnegat Light.

Patrick DiPasquale was on the water today fishing some structure off of Barnegat Light out in 90′ of water. He reported fun fishing but the action was slower than what was reported off of LBI and further south. “We managed putting together a catch with a handful of keepers and a bunch of throwbacks.”

Here’s Pat with his catch of tog.

All this Talk of Tog… Stripers Too!

While tog fishing gets the spotlight it should be noted that striped bass are still around in really good numbers! Local bass fishing is FAR FROM OVER!!!

Fishing in the snow!

Chris O’neil was out fishing in the snow Friday and reported, “Good day in the snow fishing outside of Little Egg Inlet! We limited out in a half hour.”

Here’s Melanie with a classy striped bass.

Today I headed out with my wife at about noon time for a mid day peek. We made the short run to the same area I’ve been fishing for a month now and found the fish rolling on top. Striped bass from small to teen to our largest 22 pounds. I was hooking them on the fly rod while my wife roasted ’em on the white Tsunami Swim Shad.

Surf anglers are picking fish along the beaches of LBI. Both bait and lures are getting bit.

LBI Fall Classic Wrap Up

Now that the 63rd Annual LBI Surf Fishing Classic is over (ended 12/10/17) the tournament committee is wrapping things up. The tournament website was just updated and all of the winners are published. View at www.LBIFT.com

Here at Fisherman’s Headquarters we are completing the final prize distribution of our offerings, the Fisherman’s Headquarters Special Prizes and store Striped Bass Calcutta aka Side Bet. All of the Weekend Bonus Prizes ($100 Store Gift Certificate for the heaviest striped bass each Saturday & Sunday) have been mailed. Also the Junior Bonus Prizes that we offer ($200 Store Gift Certificate for the largest overall striped bass and the largest overall bluefish caught by a juvenile angler) were sent out.

Ryan O’Connell won the $200 Junior Division Striped Bass with his 24.36 pound bass. Turns out Ryan caught this fish on Saturday, November 18th so he also got an additional $100 gift card for the weekend bonus prize.

Quinn Rutan won the $200 Junior Division Bluefish with his 12.52 pound bluefish.

These store gift card shopping sprees are a great way to bring cheer to a young angler around the Holidays! They are also a great gift for any and all anglers or those hard to shop for people. Stop by Fisherman’s Headquarters today and get a gift certificate or you can purchase online…

Buy A Fisherman’s Headquarters Gift Certificate

On November 1st at about 1:30pm John Matt hooked and landed his winning 48 pound striped bass fishing bunker in the town of the Surf City. This catch earned John the tournament Grand Prize as well as the Fisherman’s Headquarters Fall Classic Calcutta “Striper Side-Bet”. Just yesterday John stopped by and was awarded the Side-Bet Cash Pot!

Second place went to Anthony Mormile for his 35.52 pound striped bass that he caught on November 11th at about 4:30 pm off of the North Beach surf on bunker. Third place went to Jim Larson for his 23.54 pound bass that he caught on November 9th at about 9:50 pm off the Jetty at the Barnegat Inlet State Park on a Daiwa SP Minnow lure. Both Anthony’s and Jim’s prizes are in the mail.

We got the call from long time tournament angler, supporter and master rod craftsman John Parzych.  For many years John donates two prizes – “Lure Only, No Bait Special Prize”. John offers two custom rods, one to the largest bluefish and one to the largest striped bass, caught on a lure (artificial). John has a stipulation that an angler can only win it once. Since Rob Vallone previously won a rod from John, his 15.16 pound bluefish was not eligible.

The two winners of John Parzych’s custom rods to the Biggest Fish On A Lure” are Jim Larson (23.54 pound bass) and Matteo Delmonico (10.74 pound bluefish). Their contact information has been given to John and you will be contacted soon. Start thinking what you want as a new weapon n your quiver!

Congrats to all of the anglers who participated and won prizes. A special thanks to all of the sponsors. Without your support the “Classic” wouldn’t be the same.

Here’s a small taste of John’s amazing work.

Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Stripers still here!!

The 2017 Fall striped bass season continues to provide good to excellent action with a smaller grade of bass but with scaled down light spinning tackle the rod bending fun continues strong with fish up to 30″ !!

I have a couple of spots available for this Sunday 12/17/17 for those well dressed hardy anglers. All tackle, rods, fish cleaned….included- $175.00pp
Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,
Captain Steve Purul
Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters
609-290-1217

Stripers Still Here and Warmer Temps and Open Boat for Weekend….Psyquatic Apparel Discount, too!

I know it’s hard to think about fishing when we are experiencing an Arctic Blast right now, but better days are coming….and soon. High temps in the 40’s and even a few days in the 50’s once we get past tomorrow (Fri) for the next week or more in the long range forecast. Along with that we have west and northwest winds dominating the marine forecast making this the longest stretch of that desirable direction all season. Calm seas and warmer temps. The stripers are still here and we are trolling them as well as casting swim shads under birds or on heavy readings. Everything from shorts to 15 pound fish in the mix. A lot of 28 to 30 inch fish now.

Sailing Open Boat or Charter Sat, Sun, and Mon, Dec 16, 17, and 18, 6:30 AM to 1:30 PM. $175 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. We have tags to keep one slot fish per person, as well. You can call on my cell right up until the time of the trip to grab a spot. You never know.
Attached pic: Angelo Quinones of Warrington, PA with a nice pair of bass from this past Monday’s trip.
Below is a discount code for our line of apparel: Psyquatic. If you have never checked it out, you can see it at psyquatic.com
Enter code: PSYQ for 15 percent off and we ship same day to get it in time for Christmas!
Capt. Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
Happy Holidays from Psyquatic!

Enter PSYQ as a discount code to receive 15 percent off your order.
There is still time to recieve your order by Christmas!
We ship the same day you order.
Thank You for being Psyquatic!
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Help Pass The Modern Fish Act

Help Pass The Modern Fish Act To Keep America Fishing

 There’s nothing like the adventure of saltwater fishing. The adrenaline rush of hooking into a billfish, a big striper, or hard-fighting redfish is second to none. That thrill is undoubtedly what attracts over 11 million Americans to the sport.

Unfortunately, the current laws that govern federal saltwater fisheries are out of date and have never taken recreational anglers into account. This has led to shortened or even cancelled seasons, reduced bag limits, and unnecessary restrictions.

The good news is – there’s a new bipartisan bill making its way through Congress that should fix those problems.

The Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act, or Modern Fish Act for short, has been introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives with broad, bipartisan support. Rather than focusing on commercial fishing, the new bill is a comprehensive package specifically aimed at addressing the needs of the nation’s 11 million saltwater recreational anglers.

The Modern Fish Act will improve access to America’s federal waters and promote conservation of our natural marine resources. Simply put, that means more and better fishing.

Please take a moment NOW to tell your representative in congress to support the Modern Fish Act! Keep America Fishing has made it easier than ever to take action. CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION NOW

It’s Cold But Fishing Continues On Fire

It’s cold but fishing continues on fire! Numerous reports flooding in from customers. There’s lots of fish on the beach all over the island and hammering baits. Barring any severe weather these bass will be hanging around for the rest of the year.

Here’s some reports we got today…

Khaled Chapl stopped in to pick up some frozen bunker. He said his last trip out he got a 30″ bass. Heading back up to look for another dinner fish.

Tony Cucinotta stopped in for a Penn Reel part and a pack of white Storm Shads. While here he said the beach is alive with fish. Find a cut and fish!

Most anglers fishing lures are using rubber shads, small bucktails and sand eel imitations like Red Gills or Tsunami Sand eels.

Classic Fish Catching Red Gill Lures – The Original Sandeel Imitation!

Store staffer Willie helped set up Peg who recently moved into Ship Bottom. Welcome To Town Peg! She stopped in today thank him, “Willie was a big help. Yesterday afternoon was my first time striper fishing from the surf. Coming from fresh water fishing… What a fun time it was! I hooked six fish and landed four. Two of them spit the hook rolling in the wash. I was fishing salted clam off the mid island surf.” Peg is heading back up there this afternoon.

Yesterday Captain Alex of Lighthouse Sportfishing stopped in to share a report. He caught a bunch of bass yesterday afternoon off the South End surf. He said the bite was very good.

I had a great day on the water yesterday aboard the Tightlines with Captain Jeff Warford. We headed out and started trolling right where we’ve been fishing for the last three weeks. In minutes the screen was on fire and we were doubled up. The activity continued all morning. Some bird plays came together and we hammered some bass on lures both jigging and top water. With 100’s if not 1000’s of bass this year I was focused on the fly. While the conditions were not prime, I worked at it and managed to get one bass to fall for a large clouser.

Schoolies love the fly!

LBI Surf Fishing Classic

The Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic is over and the final details are wrapping up. Congrats to all those who put in time and fish their butts off! While fishing was not epic there were some good catches.

All special prizes offered by Fisherman’s Headquarters have been issues and mailed. All other prize distribution is in the works and will be done directly by the LBI Fishing Tournament.

Local News

The snowy owls have made their return to LBI. After their long flight south from the Tundra there are relaxing on the dunes of LBI. I was on the hunt shooting (with the camera) this past weekend and found four different ones.

Photo by Melanie Cudnik of Melanie Cassie Photography

Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Epic Action Continues!!

The 2018 Fall Fishing continues to get even better with casting a mix of artificial shads and poppers at breaking and swirling striped bass that are in hot pursuit of evasive schools of herring!!

Clouds of birds have finally started pointing their feathery fingers to giveaway the feeding frenzy of late! Double and tripled up anglers have been the norm with angler endurance stand between the sheer numbers that are caught and released . The trolling gear has been stowed while working under the massive bird plays , spinning tackle has been our go to weapon of choice to maximize our anglers experience.

With the weather getting colder there’s no way of telling how long the season can last but for now the action is as hot as it gets!! I have this Friday and Sunday available for open or private charter. Please join us and “like and follow us” on Face Book and Instagram view  video and photos. We will continue to fish until the end of year targeting Stripers in both the ocean and bays in some our local “hotspots”

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

Captain Steve Purul

Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

609-290-1217