The fishing activity and action are picking up! More anglers are getting out and more fish are caught. Striped bass, tog, white perch and now drum are good targets. Some are looking for blues but no direct reports yet. We expect see some soon and possibly a few weakfish might show too. Here’s the Fisherman’s Headquarters Fishing Report Update for Tuesday April 16.

Black Drum Fishing Great Bay

[Previously hinted at drum] Today we got a solid report from the boyz at Magictail. Dante reported, “Mateo and I got two nice black drum this morning.” He also shared, “A couple days ago I had a good evening session. I caught a half dozen small striped bass on bloodworms the first hour. Then went one for two on black drum with clam.”

Striped Bass Fishing Report

For a couple of weeks now reports continue consistently strong. Local reports of striped bass flow into the shop from customers buying fishing tackle. Anglers fishing Long Beach Island’s local waters are finding school sized striped bass throughout the bay. While the fish range in size (some as small as an adult bunker) there are keepers around.

Brendan Hastings reported yesterday, “Dead sticking live bloodworms on the bay Saturday/Sunday produced about 10 throwbacks striped bass in the 8-16″ range and one 29″ keeper size fish. Keeping the bait fresh and in the current seemed to be the key!”

A bunch of customers are making the trek north, south and west to the early season spots for the best size and quality of fishing. The bays and river (Chesapeake, Delaware, Hudson, among many others) are full of striped bass. They moved in and feed in preparation to spawn. With April’s full moon on Friday morning the striped bass should be hunkering down and ready to do their thing.

The Raritan Bay is firing on all cylinders. Things might slow up with the moon for a short period of time but should pick up right where it left off.

Fish Head Charters In On The Fun

Sunday was a great day and I was stoked to have the Fish Head in on the action. Crazy dense fog made for a very interesting day but it was all out epic fishing. I was happy to be a part of the bumper boat session trading off blasts (fog signals) with so many. Lots of fog, lots of boats, lots of bass… what else would you expect for a spring day in New Jersey.

Fish Head Charters has a temporary slip in Keyport for a couple weeks and will be running trips on good weather days. Why not take advantage of the great fishing. It’s an hour drive from LBI but well worth it!

Four hour trips, $150 per person, maximum two anglers. Sorry these are no kill trips. As these striped bass are in the Bay to spawn therefor I can not guide anglers to fish with the sole intent to kill. At this stage of the game the striped bass need all the help they can get..

Tog Fishing Report

With ocean temperatures creeping up the tog fishing improves. April is a great time to hunt blackfish.

Shop regular Jeff is always fishing hard. He has been on the Jetty regularly and Friday he caught his first keeper of the season. It was a 17″ fish that he got on green crab. Jeff said, I saw others caught too.” He’s back out fishing today.

Here’s a recent boat catch on a Magictail 2oz White Legger Gamechanger Tog Jig… 18 pound slob!

This past weekend’s weather forecast had more bark than bite as rain and wind  didn’t live up to its expected punch. Conditions were much more favorable and so off I went scouting around with the first stop having loads of smaller striped bass waiting for anything to hit the bottom.

The next few stops found much of the same with loads of cooperative mini stripers providing non stop light tackle action and fun! Schools were actually so thick you could see your jig being hit just a few feet below the surface!!

Bigger bass and blues are surely days away if not present already!!
With the weather trending warmer the 2019 fishing season progression is looking great! I still have a few spring and early summer dates available but don’t delay book today!

I have this weekday evenings [5pm -8pm] Happy Hour specials and this Satuday and Sunday [ am – pm]

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

Captain Steve Purul – Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – 609-290-1217

Here’s a weekend fishing report update! Our first weekend with a full selection of live bait… live clams in the shell, live bloodworms and live green crabs. It’s time!

Friday was also another first for 2019… the first catch report from the Barnegat Inlet. Ron Mon from West Point PA fished the north end’s Jetty. He reported catching about a dozen school bass on white paddle tail.

As far as the LBI surf reports… nothing from the beach/surf. Soon!

I went out for a look Thursday night and had some small bass. Store staffer Kelley was fishing along side and managed one nice fish… 29″ on a Jighead with a split tail white plastic.

Swag was out tog fishing Thursday aboard the Ocean Explorer. He reported a slow day on the boat but he got two out of the three keepers of the boat.

Dan D. headed out in the rain this morning (Saturday). He reported, “Good fishing! Raritan bay last weekend was good and this weekend it’s still going down. Lots of bunker, gannets and striped bass. Big rubbers were killing it!”

Store staffer Max got out today with Swag and Captain Justin Swanson. At the time of this report they had couple mediums and a jumbo. They are having a fun day on the water.

JCAA Fluke Tournament

Save The Date… The 25th Annual JCAA Fluke Fishing Tournament is June 15, 2019

Seems like forever that I have sat down and have given any fishing reports or updates but here it goes.

The back bays have a solid amount of bass roaming around it’s safe confines with most of the activity seemingly after sunset. Bass ranging in sizes from mere inches to over the minimum 28″ keeper size are on hand.
Bluefish are likely within a week or so away if they aren’t here already as laughing gulls have arrived about 7-10 days ago.

This year the Reel Fantasea has had an electronics upgrade with the latest and greatest technology from Lowrance! I will be running the brand new “HDS Live” which is absolutely the most high tech equipment available on the market!!

Last weekend was the first attempts out for the season and I must admit there wasn’t much to brag about other than a smattering of stripers caught to avoid a skunk but things should continue to improve on a daily basis!

I have a couple spots open for this Sunday 8am -1pm , we are still in scouting mode for this time of year but so far we haven’t been skunked [fingers crossed]. Rods, tackle, bait and fish cleaning is included, $125pp.

We will be fishing and scouting the safe confines of the bay and ducking outside for a look around the big pond if conditions allow.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

Captain Steve Purul – Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – 609-290-1217

Here’s a short fishing report update to supplement our recent posts. See Monday’s comprehensive fishing report update post. and Swag’s Tog Fishing Report Post. Guess what he’s out on the water today. We’ll post his report once he shares.

Only new news we can add is a striped bass report that a customer shared yesterday and a hint at a new species in the area.

A customer called in yesterday to reserved a couple dozen bloodworms. When he stopped in to pick up he reported, “My last trip out was good. I was into striped bass the whole time. They were small (biggest 26.5″) but a lot of fun catching about 10 of them. I blew through a dozen worms fast so I’m doubling up today.” He was fishing the bayside on LBI.

April/May Black Drum Fishing

While no direct first hand report, there’s chatter about a couple black drum showing up. Traditionally mid April and May are a time when these fish are active. If bait up with clam for your best chance at targeting them.

A Warning for Boaters

If you didn’t see our original post on Facebook or Instagram this is for you. A navigational hazard exists in the bay near the Causeway Bridge. Fortunately they were recently marked however, mariners must be aware that these hazards are elsewhere along the ICW too. Here’s a highlight from my time with Ted Greenberg of NBC10 News.

Here’s our original notice to mariners post on Facebook which caught Ted’s attention.

Shop ambassador @Swagmattic (Matt Sorrentino) is stoked… It’s April and the weather has broke. Better yet there’s fun fishing to be had. Swag is in love with blackfish and in on the action.

He was out on the water yesterday aboard the Osprey. Matt reported, “It was a slow but steady day. I managed one nice keeper along with a bunch of shorts. The little ones kept us active at the rail. Like always in the early season, the bite has been on clam. With it come a mix of ling and cod which add an interesting flare and good table fare. It’s still early so I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”

There’s three weeks of tog fishing up for grabs. Now’s the time to dust off and get out there. Black fishing will improve as the ocean water temperatures increase. As time progresses into April the bite and the short to keeper ratio will improve.

The Spring Blackfish Season will culminate towards the end of April at which time the season will also coincidentally close. Traditionally late April offers some of the year’s best fishing for blackfish.

The Ultimate Angler Experience

For this year we have teamed up with some great names to offer The Ultimate Angler Experience! This one of a kind fishing trip hosted by Swag and the Osprey Fishing Fleet is Saturday April 27th. Spots are filling up fast, so if you are interested secure your spot today. Spots are $199.99

More good news on the fishing front! Here’s the fishing report update for Monday April 8, 2019.

Early Season Hot Spots

This weekend the Raritan Bay went off! A body of fish moved in from the ocean and fishing was phenomenal. Expect fishing to be good for the next few weeks however the amplitude will fluctuate as waves of striped bass arrive and make way to and up the river.

These are pre-spawn so please use utmost responsible judgment and release all fish! These are the lifeblood of the stock!

Some of the crew from the shop was in on the action…

Store staffer Dan D reported light out action on Thursday (was reported in the last post). His luck continued all weekend. Dan reported, “Incredible fishing with fish up to 30 pounds.” Pat D. (Dan’s brother) was fishing in the fog Saturday and had fun with bass eating lures.

Store staffer Willie enjoyed his 21st birthday this weekend… Congrats! He too got out and caught some quality striped bass (photo below).

Store staffer Mike Frezza worked the late night hours and caught. Were you following our Instagram story? The old saying goes if your spring is off to a bad start the only way to turn it around fast is to eat a live bloodworm. Frezza went for it and wham-oo! Now he’ll be the high hook all spring… Watch Out!

Local Fishing

Some boats fished out of Barnegat Inlet this weekend. Everyone that we heard back from that stayed locally looking for striped bass came up empty. A couple boats that made the run north and scored! A couple more degrees and we’ll have things starting up.

Things are still slow in our area however progressing none the less. The nighttime bayside striped bass fishing is good. I got in on the fun Saturday night.

Fishing a 3/8oz jig head with a white grub I caught a couple school striped bass. Store staffer Kelly was in on it too. He also caught on Kettle Creek Paddle Tail Swimbaits and RonZ Slender Soft Baits. After the fishing session I took a quick ride up the Barnegat Inlet Jetty for a Milky Way photo session.

Ted Johnson and his girlfriend got into some small ones on the bayside this past weekend. Couples that fish together stay together!

Blackfishing Open For April

It’s still early with cold ocean water temperatures but it’s tog fishing time. LBI Charter’s Captain Greg Carr was on the water this past weekend hunting for tog. He reported, “Water is still cold. Fishing was slow but managed five keepers and about a dozen shorts.”

The Carolyn Ann III took their first trip out on Saturday. They reported, “Pretty good fishing considering the swell and lack of wind which made anchoring difficult. Jake Adair took the pool with a nice 5.5 pound blackfish. (photo above) The Magictail Game Changer Tog Jig did the job! Other anglers caught too. The action with short fish kept everyone busy concentrating on the bite. No limits had but some guys had one or two fish each to take home for dinner.

On Sunday Eric Mandelblatt was aboard and took the pool! Photo above

We’ve hear about a couple (but few) bigger double digit fish caught on private boats. It’s gonna get better. Get geared up and in the game.

Offshore Fishing

Canyon fishing season is upon us! A body of water looked good so a few local boats pushed out to explore. All that we heard back from struck out. It’s gonna happen soon!

Update On Bouys

So after our March 30th Blog Post and Tuesday’s April 2nd Facebook and Instagram post things kinda started happening. We got phone calls and emails. First local boaters wanting more information. Then the NJ State Police and then the US Coast Guard. Today (Monday) I got a call from Ted Greenburg from NBC10 News. He says, “I’m in town and would like to do a story on the navigational hazards. Do you have time to show them to me?” I didn’t have time but… We went out of a short trip on the boat. I showed him the three (one north and two south) that were close the the Causeway Bridge. About a week ago only one was marked. Today all three were. Hopefully soon they will all be repaired because it’s still a major problem waiting to happen. Hopefully you saw the report on NBC10’s 4,5,6pm news.

Linda Lee Sportfishing Report

Captain Ryan of Linda Lee Sportfishing reports, “As things start to heat up I’ll be running open boat charters for stripers and blues. Starting May 4th and 5th through the middle of June. $125 pp 4 people max. All fishing gear included and fish cleaned. If your looking to get in on the action give me a call 609-276-8032.

More progress this week with the hotly anticipated arrival of more striped bass. The spring fishing is really starting to strengthen both locally and the early season out of town spots.

The back waters of Long Beach Island offer striped bass action both day and night. The day time is a primarily bait (clam or worm) thing; however at night the fish are hammering artificials. On the late night shift Thursday evening store staffer Kelly and shop ambassador Swag got on it. They were both into fish using Kettle Creek Paddletail Softbaits. Also in on the night action, Professor Fish Head (Dave W.). He had some late night striped bass bites too. While most of the bass roaming the bay are small there are some better ones in the mix. Keeper size fish were caught.

A recent daytime bait report was sent in, “Kevin Shearer got into some fun striped bass fishing with live bloodworms on the mid-island bayside.”

The out of town early season spots are kicking into gear and bound to light up. Store staffer Dan D. was out on the water Thursday fishing the Raritan Bay. He reported a great trip with lots of catch and release fun.

The ocean is slowly warming up. We don’t have an exact temperature but after a surf session on Wednesday I would guess it is about 45-46 degrees. Things will break open soon. For me the magic number to start hunting is 48 degrees.

For a solid week now reports of heavy bird activity continue daily however, no catch reports locally from the surf or boats in ocean. We do know of a few that went on the search but only found bait and birds. It’s only time. There’s no way all of these birds and all this bait and no fish. It’s impossible. I’m 100% positive we have fish swimming by us (might not be on the beach) heading up to the Raritan Bay on their way up the Hudson. I don’t have the time yet but soon Fish Head Charters will be on the hunt.

Grundens Ankle Boot – New Product Alert

Awesome new from products from Grundens arrived this week. We have the new Grundens Ankle Boot and Slip On Shoe in stock now. Stop by or buy online.

Fishing The Delaware River

Anglers on the Delaware River are enjoy both striped bass and shad fishing. Jeff Warford was recently out on the River and did a number on big shad. The striped bass fishing further down is good. Anglers are catching on bloodworms and plugs.

Winter Flounder Reports

Winter flounder reports have been few and far between due to very little participation. With the awesome weather yesterday, one recent report did some in from the northern Barnegat Bay region. Kevin Lorenz said, “They were hungry in the afternoon. My buddy buddy George Miller and I got our two man limit.

White Perch Fishing

Perch fishing is improving which traditionally is very good in April. Expect fishing to be good the next couple of weeks. Speaking of perch… The Red Men Lodge’s 12th Annual Spring Perch Derby is on Saturday, April 27. This charity event festivities begin Friday at 7pm with the Captains’ Meeting at Red Men Lodge #61 in Tuckerton – 145 West Main St. Tuckerton, NJ 08087. The fish fry and awards ceremony is on Saturday. Entry fee is $50 for a 2man team. More Info call James at 609-709-6528.