Author: fhqmatt
BHCFA Fishing Report 10/12/17
The fishing action off Long Beach Island for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association continues to be a wide mix of fish from the inshore structure and artificial reefs along with some good action on false albacores, bonita, and some bluefish.
Captain Carl Sheppard of the “Star Fish” is counting the days until the black sea bass season in re-opens in New Jersey on October 22. He figures the sea bass will be thick along with some Trigger Fish for some topnotch bottom fishing. Until then he plans on fishing for blues and tautog and getting out to the offshore waters for some pelagics. He terms the current fishing “good” and expects it to improve, especially when the big stripers arrive in another week or so.
Captain Lindsay Fuller of the “June Bug” has been catching a good number of false albacore on light tackle. He says these feisty fish provide all the action any angler could want on light tackle. He is also looking for bonita. He too is looking forward to striped bass season and is keeping his fingers crossed for some cooler weather to cool the water off.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.net.
LBI Fishing Report Update – 10/12/17
Little man Dane (5 years old) caught his first striped bass. He got it in the bay fishing a Yo-Zuri lure. Check out our social page (Instagram or Facebook) for the photo. Still lots of small bass in the bay along the docks, bulkheads, sod banks and channels. Bluefish are also hanging around with them.
Be sure to keep up to date on the LBI Surf Fishing Tournament… here’s the Live results page. So far there’s a some bluefish on the board.
Mr. Vanderbech stopped in Wednesday with a bucket full of crabs and shared this report, “Fishing is slow, so I’m crabbing. It has been a great year and it continues! Last year it was good into Thanksgiving. This year is set up to be the same. Maybe it will go longer. Put the traps in Tuesday and soaked over night. Pulled them and had a good haul. A bucket full of jimmies!
Come Get Your Free Hooks !!! While Supplies Last !!!
Bass, Bluefish, Fluke, Sea Bass ?!?!
Steady reports are flowing in from customers that fluking off the beach. Anglers are catching the flatties up and down the island’s beaches. The key has been finding some good structure to work gulp and bucktails off the edges into the drop-offs. Most anglers are reporting that the outgoing tide has been best out front on the beach. Multiple reports of 20+ inch fluke have been caught from the suds. There is good action for boats fluking the back bays from Great Bay to Barnegat Bay. Chad Astemborski and Dave DeFeo managed a 23” fluke fishing Great Bay. Store staffer Rob Vallone has also been finding some keeper fish in the back bay drifting the channels in Barnegat Bay. Targeting the slower current at the top of the flood as well as the bottom of the ebb tide has helped results with larger class flatties. Gulp and minnow combinations have been the ticket!
There is still consistent action of bluefish throughout LBI beaches as well. For those that like putting the yellow eyed demons on the dinner plate, now is the time to get on it. Both in the bay and on the beaches, smaller 1-8 pound blues have been on the feed willing to eat chunks of bunker and plugs. Speaking of smaller bluefish, these are the perfect size fish to live bait for those going out for makos and threshers which are around! We have plenty of frozen 4 gallon mackerel and bunker chum in stock.
For those that are still going strong on the bass fishing, both beach and boat have been producing some fish. Ted Kamish weighed in a 44lb surf bass on Thursday 6/8 after chunking some bunker at sunset.
Ted Schmutz(pictured) weighed in a 28lb bass after chunking bunker mid island off the surf this morning.
Guys on the boat are picking at bass while trolling mojos and spoons along the 3 mile line in 50-60+ feet of water. First and last light windows are the key to finding bunker pod action for bass. Unfortunately today’s Striper Shootout had few fish caught. We’ll post the result when we get them.
Sea Bassing the inshore reefs has been great. Squid, clam, and gulp have all been scoring the humpbacks. Some anglers have been dropping down diamond jigs rigged with Tsunami Sandeels to weed out some of the smaller fish hanging around.
Tsunami Holographic Eel
– Store Staffer Luke
2017 Tide Table’s!!!!!
2017 Tide Tables now available here! As of now, we do not have printed copies in hand yet. We are expecting them in the near future!
– M. Steadman