LBI Fishing Report – Update July 1st

Flawless weather has everyone enjoying all of the best LBI and the Shore has to offer. Beat the heat and get on the water. Anyone looking to get in on the fishing fun but needs guidance… stop in for help. We outfit anglers and boats on a daily basis and are stoked with the positive feedback. Lots of customers are getting into great fishing fun. Join in!

Store staffer max got a big fluke on yesterday morning (Saturday). He fished with fellow worker and friend Dave. They got into some good fishing using Magic Tail Jigs and TS Floaters tipped with Gulp.

The BHMTC Inshore/Bay Tournament (Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club Vs Village Harbor Fishing Club) went down Saturday June 30th. Here’s the results… BHMTC won the showdown. Heaviest Flounder was a 4.36 pounder caught by Mark Parker aboard the ABC. Mark also caught the largest weakfish was 1.8 pounds. The second biggest fish was 3.62 pounds that was caught by Tanner Johnson aboard the Shore Thing. The third largest fluke was Sweet Marlyn’s Brendan Graham who caught a 3.1 pounder. The largest bluefish was 13.16 pounds, caught by Chris Vohden aboard the Bad Buoy.

The warm weather and warm water means it’s shark time near/onshore, inshore/midshore and offshore. The recent shark tournaments have turned up some quality catches. Local anglers are getting in the fun too. Ryan Dellane was out and reported, “Great day shark fishing today with Brett Ekelmann. We ended the trip with a 6′ hammerhead shark and two little pup makos. All safely released.” A recent surf report came in from Vinnie Pena, “Hit the south end of LBI and went two for four. One brownie and one sand tiger which was about 8′.”

There’s a variety of shark species around from browns to sand tigers, makos to blue sharks as well as hammer heads and YES white sharks. This weekend local Captain Mark Finelli was out fishing and his son Babe hooked a strong creature. Once boat side it turns out to be a baby white shark! It was promptly and safely dehooked and released. One of the best parts of fishing is enjoying the water with family and friends but also the excitement that you never know what you are going to catch.

Baby white shark

Offshore bluewater fishing continues with productive waters on the midshore and offshore grounds. The weather has allows everyone (even small boats) to get out to the grounds and the reports are off the charts.

The yellowfin and bluefin bite is on with local boats putting up great numbers. Some are finding fish on top and having a blast casting lures. Here’s some reports…

Jeremy Gers reported, “Mahi, two mako, 15 tilefish, one white marlin release, 11 yellowfin up to 65lbs, five barrelfish and a grouper!”

Zach Michot was out With Dave Bently they found tuna and a shark found one of them!

Dan (@rosettostone) reported, “It’s a record year! Today (Saturday) we limited out on bluefin. It was another epic trip aboard the Linda Lee. We even got into action on spinning gear. The last two trips were the best fishing. I’m still stoked on a killer day… It’s not easy waking up at 1am to set offshore after work all week hunting these fish. It takes a lot of work and a lot more money.”

Captain Jeff aboard the Reel Innovation reported good action Saturday morning at the edge, “Nice yellowfin and white marlin!” First mate Dan D. shared, “We got covered up in nice size yellowfin tuna which made for a quick trip. Had six fish on at one time and landed five. Also raised and hooked up with a white marlin, so I got to leader my first whitie! We are heading back in the morning (Sunday) for an overnighter.” It’s great to see the crew’s hard work pay off. Their last trip out earlier in the week, one engine went down about 100 miles out. They got things fixed and quickly are back in the game.

Here’s Ilan hooked up down with a nice fish while the cockpit is loaded with flopping yellowbirds.

Author: FishHead.Greg

A Long Beach Island native with life long experience fishing and navigating the local waters, Greg is a distinguished Master Captain (the highest qualified operator license), holding a US Coast Guard Masters 50T Near Coastal License with Towing Endorsement. Raised in and now managing his family's bait and tackle business, Fishermans Headquarters (Since 1962, The Saltwater Fishing Bait & Tackle Experts) Greg is daily immersed in fishing. He is the Chief Contributor of FishingLBI.com (Long Beach Island's best fishing report blog) as well as the Admin for the shop's social media pages (on Instagram and Facebook). Be sure to follow!

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