Striped bass fishing is fun! It’s great sport and with responsible harvest, good eats too. One of the most effective way to target striped bass is trolling. Trolling allows boat anglers to cover ground, methodically searching to hunt down bites. It’s also a great way to get away from the fleet of taxi cab like boats chasing surface feeds. Each season, patience on the troll is rewarded with some of the largest striped bass of the run.

Here’s the Four Best Striped Bass Trolling Lures proven over years on the water!

Bunker Spoon

A big fish lure, bunker spoons are well known for catching trophy striped bass. When slow trolled, these large keel weighted sheet metal spoons wobble with a wide swimming pattern. Their action is something big bass can’t pass up! When looking to present a large bait profile deep in the water column there’s no better striped bass trolling lure than a bunker spoon.

Available in variety of colors and sizes. The larger and heavier sizes are best for waters deeper than 50′. White and chartreuse are two popular colors that will produce on any given day’s conditions.

Bunker Spoons Imitate: Large/Medium Bait Offering: Bunker, Porgy/Scup, Flounder, Butterfish, Mackerel, Herring, Junie Weakfish

How To Fish: Traditionally fished on monel wireline using 8-9′ moderate action e-glass rods. A successful newer school movement is fishing bunker spoons on braided line with an inline drail weight to achieve desired depth. Bunker Spoons are best trolled with outrodders like the Reel Innovation Outrodders, American Custom Fabricators ACF Outrodders, E-Z Outrodder by Tony Maja. Want to learn more about the finer points of Trolling Bunker Spoons For Striped Bass & Blues? Check us out at Fishermans Headquarters.

Top Choices: Reel Innovation Bunker Spoons, Tony Maja Bunker Spoons, Reliable Bunker Spoons, Spoonfed Bunker Spoons. Bunker spoons are one of the four best striped bass trolling lures.

Mojo Lures

Mojo Lures are strong hooked heavy lead heads wrapped with synthetic hair to dress and pulse in the water. Basically they are nothing more than an oversized bucktail jig, one of the most versatile saltwater lures of all time. Mojos are commonly rigged with a large 9″ rubber “sassy” shad. Available in many different sizes/weights, a Mojo Lure can be used in just about any trolling situation. Depending on conditions and the circumstances, the 4/6/8 oz weights are great in shallow waters and the larger 16-32oz weights are best in deeper waters.

Mojo Lures Imitate: Large Bait Offering – Adult Bunker, Squid, Mackerel, Herring

How To Fish: Pick the weigh size and color you prefer and drop down to the desired depth. Kick back and wait. Occasionally pick up the rod and jig it a jig or two. But hold on it can trigger a strike from a indecisive fish that was following the lure. Mojos can be trolled on braid in a more vertical fashion than any other trolling lure. This allows the ability to add more lines (rods) into the spread. Want to learn more about the finer points of Trolling Mojos For Striped Bass & Blues? Check us out at Fishermans Headquarters.

Top Choice: Magictail Mojos. Mojos are one of the four best striped bass trolling lures.

Diving Plugs

Hardbait plugs are the most realist trolling lures an angler can find to imitate live bait. Deep diving plugs have a sassy swimming action and an undeniable attractive vibration which striped bass and other game fish hone in on. Their profile and color patterns can be perfectly matched to the local baits. Quality deep diving plugs swim true and can be trolled in just about any condition and at any speed. All of these features make them a great everyday search bait.

Diving Plugs Imitate: Bunker, Mackerel, Herring, Weakfish, Bluefish

How To Fish: Keep it simple! Rig up with 40-50# braid and a leader 3-6′ leader. We suggest tying the leader directly to the front of the lure. If using a snap swivel and the lure is not tracking straight. Remove it and see if that helps. Some lures are so touchy they are negatively affected by the use of a snap swivel.

Suggested Tackle:Depending on style (there are many) the large diving lip gets the lures deep without the need for wire line or trolling weights. This allows for a much lighter rod. We suggest fishing 40-50# braid with a 15-20 class rod with a softer tip. Use braided line with a 50-60# leader full arms length 5-6′ makes for easy leadering fish boatside. Plugs can be fished in different depths depending on model. Commonly used as a mid water column bait in a spread.

Top Choices: There’s so many deep diving hardbait lures available in today’s market leaving anglers confused. First think about how big of a bait do you want to present and how deep do you want to target? Some of our top choices include… Bomber CD30, Nomad DTX 165 & 200, Mann’s Stretch Plugs. Diving plugs are one of the four best striped bass trolling lures.

Umbrella Rig

The only way to imitate a school of small baitfish is to deploy an umbrella rig. These weighed wire frame bars rigged with numerous baits really stand out when game fish are keyed in on small baits. Certain times of the year striped bass want a small offering. If conditions are rough and fish are deep, getting a small jig in the zone could be difficult. Sometimes these same fish are in small packs but spread out and on the move. Run and gun fishing with lures has left the area frothy with boat wake. Now what? These are just a couple situations which present the perfect opportunity to troll umbrella rigs.

Umbrella Rigs Imitate: Sand Eel, Baby Bunker, Eels, Mullet, Tinker Mackerel, Smelt, Sardines, Worms

Suggested Tackle: 30-50# monofilament is doable. We suggest 50-65-80# braided line on an Avet MXL/LX Lever drag reel, Matched on a 6′-6’6″ 20-50# Class rod.

Top Choices: 9’ers

9’ersn offers a great selection of baits, sizes, and colors. The rubber shad and the sand eel are most popular. If bluefish are present the tube umbrella is a great choice as it stands up to the toothy critters. The 9ers umbrella rig is a tree like rig/frame that is nearly tangle-less. Usually fished with a drail weight or wireline achieve target depth. 9’ers umbrella rigs are one of the four best striped bass trolling lures.

Restrictions are easing… Guides, chartered boat services and boat rentals are now open for business. All of the beach on Long Beach Island are open and so are the boat ramps. We aren’t out of the woods yet, so let’s stay safe and Fish Through It! Here’s the Fishing LBI Report Update for May 18, 2020.

Who’s Arthur?

Tropical Storm Arthur is (as of 5pm today) off the Outer Banks of North Carolina moving NE at 16 mph with maximum sustain winds of 50mph. It looks like he will be moving in a curving fashion, clockwise towards the east and then eventually south. During this time it will create a large fetch of wind and waves. This will have the western Atlantic Ocean churned up for most of the workweek. It looks to peak on Wednesday and easy over the rest of the week.

Once things settle down we have high hopes of great fishing for boat anglers. Right now this weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, is looking good and we are looking forward to it.

Right now and into June it’s prime time striped bass fishing on Long Beach Island and the Central Jersey Coast. Here’s what’s being caught from the beach and boat.

Classy Striped Bass

This past week a nice wave of big striped bass moved into the local waters. Lots’ of 30’s, 40’s and 50 pound striped bass were caught. Did you see our last report update, Heaviest LBI Fishing Report Ever?

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Report

The Long Beach Island surf is producing the occasional striped bass and small bluefish. Blowfish, Kingfish and the pesty dogfish. So far this season we have not seen large bluefish but maybe this storm will changes things ups. Usually when the surfs churned up fish cruising the inshore waters start hunting the surf line where the white water provides prime hunting conditions.

It’s chunking season! Fishing fresh bunker on the surf gives anglers their best opportunity to get sizable striped bass on off the surf. With the new moon on May 22 now is go time!

Inshore Fishing Report

Striped Bass

Striped bass fishing in the boat is good with nice fish caught by boats fishing out of Barnegat Inlet. Most are trolling along IBSP however some are going away from the fleet and fishing the waters off of LBI. Here’s some recent catches.

Sea Bass

After the season opener on Friday, lots of good sea bass reports came in. Shop ambassador Swagmattic was kind enough to post his sea bass report.

Another great report came in from Magictail’s Zach Michot. He said, “Awesome day on the water with Paul Hartel and the boys Saturday. Five man limit of knucklehead black sea bass and a mix of ling. Couldn’t have asked for better conditions.” Then Sunday Zach reported another great day with a quick four man limit.

Tuna & Shark Fishing

This is when the the big game fishing turns on! No shark fishing reports (expect them after this blow) yet but we did receive some big time bluefin tuna reports!

For a stretch of time there we has some beautiful clean water inshore and when that and the abundance of bait coincides it’s fireworks! Here’s two great catches by local anglers and Fisherman’s Headquarter customers.

Hunter, Damien and Ryan got out and found a big one. On Sunday Hunter Gutwein reported, “A great start to the season.” We would agree!

Dan Rosetto shared a positive report, “Jumbos two days in a row within sight of land! What an insane weekend it has been. Saturday I got out with some friends and caught a 94″ jumbo Jersey Giant. It dressed out at 410 pounds. Then went back out Sunday, caught and released another mid 90″ jumbo. You can only keep one a year per boat with the trophy tag. Hard work pays off!”

Jarret Hillman reported, “The chandelier wrecks have some Jersey giants!” Mike Ninii, Matt Lopez

Frequently Asked Question

Are the blues in? – The small bluefish here but the larger ones are few and far between. The majority are large snappers to small cocktails. Anglers are catching these most consistently in the bay casting small lures and also trolling the open bay.

How’s crabbing? – Blueclaw crabbing is off to a great start. Reports are strong from the lagoons and main bay. We are stocked up with baits and crabbing supplies.

Local LBI News Update

Today Monday May 18th, all of the Island’s traffic lights are turned on. Please drive with extreme caution. Also plan accordingly. Now the trip to your favorite fishing spot is twice as long.

Mid May is here and the classy striped bass arrived in the waters of LBI. The influx was evident the past couple of days and then this morning it was full on. Great weather and sea conditions had anglers fishing like gentlemen. The abundance of trophy size fish was outstanding and this very well might be the heaviest LBI fishing report ever! With the new 2020 NJ Striped Bass Fishing Regulations most all of these fish were released to swim another day so you can bet they are still close by. If you can… get out and fish!

Prepare for possibly the Heaviest LBI Fishing Report Ever!

Long Beach Island Land Based Fishing Report

LBI Surf Fishing Report

The beaches of Long Beach Island are open and the public are allowed to use the beaches in a responsible manner. Anglers fishing the LBI surf are catching both striped bass and bluefish as well as some other species. We have stiff southerly blow on Friday so if planning to fish the beach on Saturday be sure to bring a little extra lead. Here’s some recent catches.

If you didn’t get word yet… there’s big fish here on LBI right now! This PIG was caught this evening on a PLUG by a surfcaster. The anglers is well know however requested to remain anonymous. Let’s put it this way… this catch very well would of put him on the leader board and in the running for his third LBI Spring Surf Fishing Tournament win. But this year the tournament was cancelled due to the virus.

Pat caught this striped bass (just short of 38″) chunking bunker off the mid island surf recently.

Tim Covart sent in this photo of his 36″ striped bass catch this evening fishing the sunset golden hour. He was fishing the south end of the Island and caught the fish on a bunker chunk.

Ryan Gio has been fishing the surf a bunch recently. These tasty critters (blowfish) are and have been roaming all around the waters of Long Beach Island the past week or two.

Another blowfish report came in from Vince at Russo’s. He sent in this photo. Tell us this doesn’t make your mouth water.

Another surf side striped bass catch was reported by Michael Nguyen. He was chunking the night shift and got a healthy one.

Jack Ammermann sent us a fishing report message. “I fished the south end surf with bunker chunks and got this 31″ striped bass (photo above). Ended up going to the bayside and caught/released a keeper size striped bass off the dock.”

LBI Bayside Fishing Report

The bay had striped bass, bluefish, bloewfish and blackdrum to offer. Anglers are catching fishing both day and night.

Grey Colston fishes every chance he gets and has been dialed in with the schoolie bass all spring. Recently he says the cocktail blues have invaded. “I caught a bunch of blues last night while fishing for schoolies. Nothing big yet but they are thick. I’m starting to see some bigger fish and also there’s a good amount of bunker around.”

Mike Lombardi sent in a report, “Cocktail blues in my lagoon.”

More reports of active fluke. They are here in good numbers so opening day should kick off on a high note. Austin pounds and his buddy Giovanni reported that caught and released a bunch of fluke today.

So far the report has been solid but this is where the weight really packs on which might make it possibly the Heaviest LBI Fishing Report Ever!

Central Jersey Inshore Fishing Report

The classy striped bass are here! We first reported a larger class of striped bass on May 8th and then followed it up with a great post on the 12th. If you did not see these reports please scroll down and check ’em out. Today May 14th was a flawless morning weather wise and the fishing was awesome for a number of anglers. The great morning bite showed POSITIVELY there’s no denying the big girls are here!

The reports flooded in all with a similar theme, Barnegat Light to Manasquan has quality striped bass. Seemed like the main focus was the northern end of IBSP and the Seaside ares. These fish were eating spoons and mojos. Right now bunker spoons and mojo trolling lures are the two best options since the fish are somewhat spread out. Other approaches will become more productive once more striped bass arrive, stage up in the area and get tight on bait.

Striped Bass Reports From The Boats

The first report of the day came in from Randy Townsend at 6:30 am. “Dad (Ed) and I went out to enjoy his birthday on the water fishing. Almost right away got two knock downs. Ed caught this monster (photo below), his first 50 pound striped bass. It pulled the scale to 52 pounds. Super stoked on an awesome morning, birthday and catch!”

Josh Severs was out on the water with his fiancé Falon Wolf this morning. They were trolling the waters off of IBSP and caught a big bass, over 50 pounds, on a green bunker spoon. It was quickly photographed and released.

Dan D. was out fishing aboard the Morning Wood with Cole Cronin. They found the fish early in the morning and had a blast catching and releasing quality size striped bass on Magictail Mojos. The photo below is one of a few big bass they caught.

Alex Katsianis geared up pre-season with a solid spread of striped bass trolling tackle. He got out fishing today and let us know… “The new gear is great! Thanks again. We caught and released this striped bass off of IBSP today.”

Jersey Giants

Got word some big tuna were caught about 50 miles out of Barnegat Inlet today. They are moving through. Let’s hope they stage up and hang out for awhile. One fish was 96″ and the other was in the 80″ range.

NJ Black Sea bass Season opens tomorrow Friday May 15, 2020

10 fish at 12.5″

Why did it stack up?

Do you agree? Was this the Heaviest LBI Fishing Report Ever? Let us know in the comment section.

Things are moving in the right direction! More positive reports and fair weather on the forecast; Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday. It’s time to fish! Hope everyone can get out and enjoy some time on the water. Gotta be on it if you want to score.

LBI Fishing Report

The waters of LBI are producing bigger fish as of late. Today was the first day we hard numerous reports of bigger fish. We also had our first surf side weigh in. Expect the next three weeks to be prime time big bass fishing.

Fish Heads Team Staffer Kevin stopped in with a 19.98 pound striped bass. He caught it at about 11am chunking bunker off of the surf. Kevin reported, “This is my first decent bass off of the beach.” A couple other reports came in from the beaches of LBI today. Bayside Dave reported his friend caught a 38″ striper on the mid-island surf about noon time on bunker. Ryan Gio reported a schoolie bass on the surf on clam.

Mike Green went out fishing solo out of Barnegat Inlet this morning and shared a kick ass report with us. “I’m not making but had a couple good bites. Missed a 50 by a few ounces at 49 and change. Also released a 41# and a 38# bass. Taking photos with a self timer isn’t easy!”

The cocktail bluefish prevail. Larger ones are showing but not yet plentiful. Black drum action continues on clam in the bay. Blowfish are still showing in good numbers in both the bay and surf. Anyone fishing clams for bass and getting small taps or consistently loosing clam baits… sScale down your hook size on one rod and give it a try. You might be shocked at how many blowfish and kingfish are cruising the suds.

Did you hear?

Al McReynolds passes away. For those who don’t know, Al caught the world record striped bass back on Sept 21, 1982 from a jetty in Atlantic City 78.8 IGFA record. It still stands today as the NJ State record and the IFGA 20# class world record. What was special about this catch is that it was a hard core surf casting catch. Jetty fishing in rough weather with lures is tops! Northing against boat or live bait fishing but this catch was remarkable in so many ways. It stood for 29 years and was finally beat by Greg Myerson 81.88 pound striped bass that was caught in August 2011.

Coming down off of May’s full moon our expectations are high for a great stretch of fishing! Things are happening and will be rocking any day. All we need to do is get this (hopefully final) cold snap behind us. It’s time to FISH! Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Friday May 8, 2020.

Bluefish Update

Bluefish reports are more consistent by the day. The fishery is still lacking the presence of gators as cocktails and medium size yellow-eyes rule the roost.

Sloane Endick tagged us in a post at sunset, “Live action from the LBI surf. Was getting bites but not hooking up. I changed to a Deadly Dick and bang! The bluefish are here.” She also caught a small bass on the same slender metal lure. For a short clip of the fish/catch go to our Instagram page.

For those that follow us, you saw the live action catch yesterday afternoon with Night Strikes Guide Service’s Steve George. He caught a medium size bluefish off the surf on a rubber swim shad searching for a bass.

Elio Scarpa also tagged us in a bluefish photo catch picture.

Mike Hoven shared this bluefish report today, “Got a few fishing the mid-island this morning and afternoon. All around the same size on plugs and fresh Fish Heads bunker. On bait the skates and dogfish were mixed in.”

Liam Velit sent in this photo… “Got this yellow eye yesterday.”

In the Bay

The annual cinder worm hatch went down around the full moon. Some areas of the bay were loaded with them. It’s always a special time to be fishing the bay. Sometimes can be very frustrating however if approached correctly with light tackle it can be some of the best fishing Barnegat Bay has to offer with striped bass, bluefish and weakfish all slurping on the surface.

Lots of bass on the flats! With the lighter winds Wednesday and Thursday anglers got into this shallow water fishing at it’s finest. This is one of the most un tapped opportunities that the Barnegat Bay and Manahawkin Bay has to offer. Very few fish the shallows. Why? I have no idea. I think it’s because anglers look to and like fishing the comforts of deep water.

For me in the spring it couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes the sod banks have fish and can be very productive however, the shallow water rolling flats warm up first and have the best games first.

Summer Flounder Are Showing Strong – More below!

Black Drum

Mike Green aboard the Luckey Stripes went drum fishing today in the southern bay and scored! We have fresh clams right now but there’s no telling how fast they will sell out.

Blowfish

The blowfish reports continue. Today Gary Adiar went out in the rain and caught a bunch.

It’s days like today where quality rain gear is worth its weight in gold. Stay warm, stay dry and enjoy fishing in comfort. We carry the areas largest selection of boot, gloves and all weather gear from top name brands like Grundens, Guy Cotten, Stormr and Xtratuf.

Summer Flounder Fishing

May 22 can’t get here soon enough! Lots of nice fluke are reported every single day this entire week. When the date finally gets here fishing will be good right out of the gate!

Stefen Melekos got three today up to 17.5″.

It seemed that April’s first half was warmer than its second half, but May kicked off with a strong storm that changed the trend once it cleared through. Yesterday Saturday May 2nd was a flawless day. The beautiful warm sunny weather is just what we need! Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Updates for Sunday May 3, 2020. But first two common questions. (*Updates On 5/5/20 Included)

Two Frequently Ask Questions

All day long we are questioned on the phone and via messages…

Where Can I Fish On LBI?

It’s hard enough determining where the different towns in LBI start and end let along deciphering the individual closures and restrictions based on towns. As of this post (May 3rd) anglers can fish Barnegat Light and Surf City. Yes as of Saturday May 2nd the Barnegat Light Jetty is open to fishing, but the parking lot and facilities are closed.

With that said proceed at your own risk to other areas. The risk is very very low so one could claim it’s fair game. During the entire period of closures and restrictions WE HAVE NOT HEARD OF ONE incident where someone was asked to show their ID, asked to leave or ticketed. It’s ALMOST safe to say all of the beach are open (as they should be since federal funding is used to replenish and fortify). It seems that restrictions were put in place to deter but the interactions and possible altercations are prevented at all costs.

Simply put… Go Fish & Fish Responsibly!

Governor Murphy says public beaches on Jersey Shore must reopen to everyone, not just residents, “A township cannot actually legally restrict folks from outside of their township.” For more on this read this USA Today article.

Now that tog is closed what should I fish for?

There’s lots of options… Check our the report below. Any of the species listed here in the report offer opportunities.

May Is Finally Here!

This is my favorite month of the year because it’s the best month for quality all around inshore/near shore/from shore fishing the Long Beach Island area. Striped bass, bluefish, black drum, weakfish and later in the month fluke!

We anticipate fishing to continue ramping up. Usually by Mother’s Day there’s really good things happening and by mid to late May it’s popping prime time.

Out Front & On The Surf

The ocean water temps are just now getting to the 50 degree mark, a significant step in the season’s progression. Reports are beginning to be more common and we anticipate this to keep rolling for the next 6 weeks.

It is still early season for the surf but don’t let that stop you! There’s fish. It just isn’t epic blitz fishing. That will hopefully be here soon!

Recent Info From The Surf

Saturday the surf was clean with light winds and a solid groundswell. This combo put beautiful white water on the bars and sloughs. Sunday the swell lingers and was another great day. Some anglers got out and fish and a few were rewarded.

We got word from a couple reports from curbside customers. One picked up bunker yesterday and then came back for more today shared, “Caught four bass last night up to 32″ fishing the swing of high tide chunking.”

Jim Crane was on the beach today and reported, “I lost a bass on the beach fishing a chunk. I wondered away from my rod while plugging and my chunk rod went off. It picked up and pulled a little drag. Then, bye bye. Bad 24 hours (more on this below). I got more bunker from you guys and then went back to my spot on the beach. The place looks money. Big section of water with two bars on each side. But nothing. About a hundred yards south of me I saw someone beach at least two fish. I couldn’t tell exact size.”

Jake Kline reported, “There’s some little bass around. I got a few shorts a couple nights ago casting bucktails on the mid island surf.”

*Update 5/5/20 – Dave from Surf City commented on our Facebook post yesterday and shared, “Plugging the surf early this morning. Hooked up to a couple nice little stripers.”

Recent Info From The Boats

A couple reports from boats anglers working the inshore waters had a similar theme, no luck trolling. Maybe someone has found fish out front but nothing reported to us. Any day the trolling will kick off!

A little bit of news to share that came from our local bunker boat. He was out fishing a few miles off the other day (before Friday’s blow) and “caught some big gator blues among the piles of dogfish (target species).” So far this is the only direct reports of any medium-large bluefish. Cocktails are becoming more common in reports, see below. The past couple years we had bluefish by now. They could show any tide now.

In The Bay

Striped bass continues to offer fun fishing for anglers. A light tackle approach with bucktails and softbaits are catching both day and night.

Denny Miller reported fishing the other night and had fun catching schoolies on the skiff.

*Update 5/5/20 – Got word from a customer who was playing hooky Tuesday, “Went for an afternoon session and drifted the flats. Bass were rolling on my popper. Caught three but had a lot of boils and follows. The fish are here!”

Black Drum Fishing In The Bay

Black drum fishing carries on and should continue for the whole month of May. Craig Hotter sent in a report and a couple photos. One of a bass and one of a drum (below). He shared, “Six drum and two short bass on chowder clams fishing the boat in the bay off of Beach Haven. I’ve never seen drum so thick as this weekend!” Another recent black drum fishing report from Craig was posted on 4/25/20.

Yes Some Blues Finally

Also some blues are showing just no big ones that we’ve heard about. One report came in from Captain Adam Sherer of Waterman Charters, “I was out running a boat on a sea trail. I found some small birds playing in the bay on the west side. They were on cocktails blues.” Another bluefish report came in from John Delsordo, photo below. He reported, “Cocktails! But where are the gators?” We all hope they will show their yellow eyes soon.

More Talk Of Blowfish Among Others

Blowfish reports were shared in a previous post (4/21/20) and here’s another. Grey Colston sent in this photo (below) a couple days ago. “They’re around!” Grey also reported loosing a bluefish when landing it the other night. It was in the mix with a number striped bass that he’s catching regularly.

*Update 5/5/20 – Another blowfish report came in but this time a solid one! Joe Antiorio posted the photo below. “Got ’em on clam chumming them up. Had to work a bit but found the toads! Some of the largest heads I have ever caught.”

Winter flounder reports fell off a few weeks back. With the abundance of quality fluke here now, opening day May 22nd should be good.

A little chatter through the grapevine… a couple weakfish are around.

All reports of blue claw crabbing are good.

Boat For Sale

Anyone looking for a great bay, inlet, inshore fishing boat that is simple and economical? This clean great condition turn key boat is ready for a sea trail with you today.

2015 Parker 21SE one owner, fully rigged and ready to fish! Powered by a Yamaha F150XA 4 Stroke (currently 870 hours) and includes a Tidewater Tandem Axle Trailer with brakes and rollers. Custom Arch 4 Rod Rocket Launcher and Anchor Light with three sided ultra clear glass/canvas enclosure. This boat, motor, trailer package also includes Rhodan 84in GPS Anchor Trolling Motor (installed Sept 2019, 2 year warranty)!

Asking $44,500 Link To Listing For More Info Any questions? Contact me anytime via call or text Greg 6097139299

Here’s a review I was asked to do by On The Water & Parker *Please note some photos used in the article were supplied by Parker and were not actually my boat.

For those who are asking, yes I’ve decided to part ways an end a very fishy five year run. An opportunity came up and I couldn’t pass so I’m moving to the Parker 2520. I’m in need of bigger boat to fit my growing family.

Time are tough and the world is upside down. It’s safe to say the best thing for everyone to do is stay home and quarantine. But aren’t you going stir crazy? Can’t watch another minute of the same news roll repeat over and over again? Had enough of watching youtube and seeing one amateur after the next try to teach you how to do something they just learned from their neighbor less than a week earlier? We already know you watched every episode of Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad, Homeland, Shooter and Tiger King!

Make the most of your time at home with these Six Easy Stay At Home Fishing Projects so when things open back up you are best prepared for fishing!

Tie Some Leaders & Rigs

Are you ready for summer flounder season? NJ’s fluke season opens May 22! Get a jump start on it now by tie up some fluke fishing rigs.

Seaguar Fluorocarbon (30#) is by far our best seller among fluke anglers however some choose to tie up with classic nylon monofilament leader like Ande Monofilament Leader which is significantly less money than fluoro.

The traditional wide gape “English” hook (37160) from Mustad is a good choice when fluke fishing with live or dead bait; however, we prefer the ultimate black nickel all purpose hook… the Gamakatsu Octopus Hooks. The Gami Octopus hooks can be used in just about any saltwater fishing situation.

If planning on baiting the hook with Gulp Baits we highly recommend the Mustad 3400 Specialty Hook. This hook is based off of the classic long shank O’Shaughnessy, but it is not offset. It features bait holder barbs on the shank to keep Gulp Baits in position. The turned back eye is also great for snelling or attaching with a double looping a dropper loop. This hook is shown above on the right.

Making teaser rigs? You should because they are one of the most popular fluke fishing rigs for good reason… they outfish! A small (50# in the bay, 75# in the ocean) Tactical Angler Clip at the bottom is a fast, strong and convenience connection for changing jigs. The Tsunami Rolling T Swivel is a good option for making hi-lo drops and are a great substitute for the classic Spro Three Way Swivel

Are you into the mid-shore and offshore game?

Tuna trolling, jigging and chunking will be here soon. Last year there was a good bite in mid/late May. Will you be ready if it pops up early again?

If you didn’t over the winter already… re-rig spreader bars, chains and other trolling lures. Also prepare some chunking leaders. We’ve got all of the essentials. Last season the boats that scaled down out-fished the fleet. Catching 30-80# tuna (bluefin and yellowfin) on 40-50# might sound too light but it’s not. Some days sharpies scale down even lighter to fool line shy fish. Light line also allows live baits and chunk baits to settle freely and drift naturally in the chum slick.

When tying up we like palomar knot direct to the (J-Hook For Chunking & Live Baits or Circle Hook For Chunking & Live Baits). These medium wire 4X strong hooks are best for light line tuna fishing. Some prefer a 130 or 230# Spro Power Swivel. Suggestion: When scaling down to fool line shy tuna, tie your braided line directly to your fluorocarbon leader (line to line knot like an FG or double Albright) and fish a longer leader.

Research Your Water

How good do you know the waters you fish and navigate? Now’s the time to study up! Get a chart (Home Port Charts are a great resource to have) which details the area you want to learn and do some reconnaissance. With addition to a chart, take a good look at Google earth too. Look for features that interest you. Then when the time is right get out and scout these areas and fish them. You’ll be surprised at the results!

Tip: When visually scouting new area try to focus on days with more extreme tides, when the moon phase is full or new. Going at times when the water level is lowest can be very helpful to see characteristics which can be missed at high tide. Also persistent westerly winds drive water out of the bays resulting in blow out tides. These are also prime tides to scout. Another great resource is Navionics Marine Cartography App.

Organize Your Tackle

Unless you are a neat freak and keep up with it, fishing tackle always seems in need of organization. Dealing with jumbled up lures and miscellaneous tackle bins can be frustrating and time consuming especially when looking get on fish quick.

Organization can be hard, but it doesn’t need to be. With Plano Tackle Storage Solutions fishing tackle is easy to find and store away making everyday more enjoyable. The all new Plano Edge Stowaway Utility Boxes offer lots of options for both general purpose and specialized storage. This series is a top choice for fishing tackle organization because it features Dri-Loc seals to keeps water out, Rustrictor coating to prevent rust, one-handed latch design for quick easy use and crystal clear lid to its easy to identify what’s inside.

Plano isn’t the only one offering great solutions for taming fishing tackle. One of our favorite tackle boxes and a best seller for good reason is the Gamakatsu G Box Utility Series. Availalbe in a variety of sizes they are great for terminal tackle and lures.

The G3200 is perfect for terminal tackle like swivels, clips, beads and hooks. The 3500D is slightly larger and deeper so small and medium size lures fit nicely. The 3600 comes in two versions with micro-adjustable dividers or the 3600SF with slit foam that is great for hooks, rigs, flies and jigs. The 3700 is the most popular size and great for a variety of tackle. The added depth of the 3700D is great for large bulky tackle.

Now’s the time to get things orderly.

Spring Clean Your Lures

Hunt down rusty hooks and replace them! VMC offers great quality trebles at a good price. When taking action and doing hook swaps a quality split ring plier makes the task of changing hooks much MUCH easier. Choose Texas Tackle!

While checking for rusty hooks it’s a really good idea to inspect some of your best fish catching lures. Chances are you 2019 MVP’s could show signs of damage. Tweaked hook hangers or crack in the seam are signs complete failure is next. Why risk your next trophy catch to a lure that could be replaced?

Inspect, Clean & Lube Your Fishing Gear

Now is the time to review and tighten up your tackle. Protect investments in quality fishing rods and reels with a little TLC. The best time to service reels s at the end of the season however better late than never. Get them cleaned and lubricated but don’t forget to service your other fishing tools like pliers, crimpers, dehookers and knives. A quality corrosion inhibitor lubricant like Corrosion X is a great product! WD-40 is also a great app purpose lubricant.

It’s good practice to remove reels from rods and clean reel seats. We like the a mild citrus cleaner like Penn Rod and Reel Cleaner. It cleans dried on fish slim, salt and grease and also leaves behind a light thin residue protectant. When cleaning rods, always check guides and tip for cracks/chips. An easy way to seek out the hard to find hairline cracks is with a q-tip cotton swab. It’s

It’s Time To Replace Old Fishing Line

Your fishing line is the vital link between you and your next trophy. It’s best to know this part of the equation is up to the task. It can’t be tired, compromised, sun damaged or chaffed. Re-spool in the spring so you are ready for the season ahead with confidence.

Hopefully you’ve found these Six Easy Stay At Home Fishing Projects helpful. Maybe some of these are already crossed off your list. Good Job! Best of luck fishing. From all of us at Fisherman’s Headquarters we wish everyone a safe and health 2020.

It was nice to finally have Thursday & Saturday, days without a horizontal flag all day. The winds were light and the ocean was fair. The conditions were prime and anglers took advantage, got out and found fish! There’s some positive news buzzing around… Here’s the Fishing Report Update For Saturday April 25, 2010 but first…

Belated Earth Day

A little late but better late than never. Let’s all take the Earth Day holiday as a reminder… It’s everyone’s responsible to do their part each and everyday.

Respect The Environment & The Fisheries With These Tips

• Kick Plastic! This campaign was launched by Costa a couple years ago at ICAST to help reduce the amount of plastics finding their way into our waterways. Eliminate single use plastic from your everyday life! Strive everyday to recycle and reuse.
• Carry Out What You Carry In – Always prepare by packing light and making it a point to never leave anything behind when done fishing. Pay It Forward by carrying out trash that was left behind by someone else.
  • Always keep trash secure because on the beach or boat things can blow away at any moment. Most trash isn’t left/dumped on purpose. It’s accidental. Take steps to prevent this beforehand.
• Keep The Waters Tangle Free – Recycle your fishing line properly! Here at Fish Heads we are part of (and have been for 20 years) Berkley’s Line Recycling Program. Each year, we ship them 10-12 large boxes packed full of used monofilament line. Anyone is welcome to drop off used line at the store for recycling.
• Harvest Responsibly – Only take what you need. Future generations depend on the fisheries. Practice catch and release.

Are You On Social Media?

If so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. We will not disappoint. It’s health to get a break from the constant news roll filled with virus and political talk.

All of the questions our followers and customers have are very important to us. We spend a lot of time on a daily basis replying to and helping customers. For this reason we’ve decided to set aside time a couple times a week to share the questions and answers. We also toss in some shop news, current events, trending fishing topics and occasionally have a special guest. So far we’ve shared some awesome stuff, really letting the cat out of the bag.

Get on Instagram and give us a follow to be notified when we go live next this way you can Join in on our live broadcasts. So far we’ve done about ten and are floored with all of the love. All feedback has been positive and motivating to keeping it going. We are doing our best to slowly archive as many as possible to our the Fisherman’s Headquarters YouTube Page. Unfortunately, some of the live sessions have had the same glitch on the IG platform which prevents us from saving and sharing. Due to these limitations some of these broadcasts are a one time thing. Don’t miss out!

Above is one recent video. Feel free to look at the timeline in the video comments and jump around if you don’t have a full hour to watch. Please leave a comment and let us know what you would like to hear discussed on the next one.

Now onto the fishing report update!

Final Days Of Tog

It’s the final stretch of the tog fishing season in NJ as it will close at the end of April. So far the entire month of April has been good and we expect it to finish out strong. Get in on the action now because the inshore wrecks are loaded with tog and producing big fish! Another plus… there’s cod present too!

On Thursday we got two great reports of togzillas. The first report we’ll share is from none other than Paul Haertel. Paul, a master multi species angler and bottom fishing extraordinar, hunted down this new personal best. This monster weighed in a 15.85#. There’s no one more deserving than Paul. It’s great to see all of his hard work and dedication pay off.

Paul said, “With this social distancing, I’ve been fishing by myself or just taking one person on my boat. Thursday I took a ride out deep to look for big fish.” He did not catch a bunch of tog but got the right one. He went on to say, “Thanks to Dante at Magictail for teaching me how to jig fish for tog and also for making such great products. Magictail Tog Jigs This one is getting mounted and going up on the wall.” Paul – It looks like you will need to reinforce the wall first because you already have a solid display of hefty trophies hanging!

Paul got out again on Saturday and reported, “Another great day on the tog grounds with quality fish up to almost 9# and a bonus cod just under 10#.”

The second big fish report came in from Ron Redrow, with both a photo and a video submission. The photo is posted above and the video (of the release) we published on our Instagram page. Ron was out fishing with Swagmattic and Captain Tony out of Waretown. Ron reported, “Finally joined the club! Thanks to Tony for putting me on my first double digit. It weighed in just under 16 pounds (15.15) on the boat’s digital scale. Released it to fight another day.” Big props to Ron and crew on the catch and the release!

Some other anglers shared reports recently from the inshore wrecks as well as land based anglers all are catching good number of fish. Get crabs and go fish!

Black Drum Fishing

Black drum fishing in South Central Jersey is best now and will be good for a few more weeks. In the past couple days, some nice black drum were caught. On this past Tuesday evening, Mateo and Zach from Magictails caught four. Craig Hotter send in the black drum photo below and shared he caught it in the bay behind Beach Haven.

Surf clams are the best bait for black drum. Unfortunately this spring they’ve been hard to get. To catch theirs, Mateo and Zach used hard clams (aka chowder clams or bay clams).

Just a heads up, Friday we got a delivery of live surf clams so if you want some act now! They will be gone soon.

Striped Bass Fishing

The striped bass fishing in the Long Beach Island area continues to be focused around the same early season spots that have produced for the past month plus. These area are seeing the occasional larger class of fish but still nothing classy. Shop regular Grey Colston has been on the bass all spring long and having a blast doing it. Friday night he reported having some fun. “Nothing large yet but more fish in the upper 20″ range. Most are 23-26″ but got three at 28″ tonight and recently a couple over 30″ so they are around.”

To date only one surf side striped bass, as reported on the April 10th update. With the surf temperatures flirting with breaking the 50 degree mark any day we expect striped bass to be cruising the surf however, with the beach access restrictions in place there will be few fishing so reports will be few and far between.

Fishing The Spring Transition – Soon the LBI area and surrounding waters will get rolling into prime sprint time fishing! Right now we just need some warm sunny days to push the water temps up and fire up fishing!

As far a the larger class of fish and the state’s best fishing it should not come as a surprise. It’s old news, the striped bass fishing on the Raritan Bay is very good. It has been for weeks and it continues to be good. Expect it to be strong for a couple more weeks and possible beyond.

I was happy to get out again and fish on Thursday with Max aboard the Mono-E-Mono. We had a great time catching striped bass ranging from 20-35 inches. It was a nice day. The fishing was good but not great. We knew going into it the incoming tide’s cold water wouldn’t help the bite.

This week we got a bluefish report but didn’t share it until now. On April 21st, BPM Fishing sent us a report, “The gator blues are back! I just caught my biggest blue ever.” Any one who wants picture and video proof… go to Instagram and give @bpmfishing_nj a look. For the record it was caught in the Raritan Bay. Unfortunately nothing materialized after that. This was a one and done thing. Maybe a forunner and more will show soon? We have our fingers crossed.

Another area that offers good fishing in the spring is the Delaware River. This year it has been good. One outstanding recent catch was made by Scott Paikin when he caught a monster from the bank, “OMG This just happened!! Landed my personal best 50# striper from land.” Scott shared, “So stoke beyond belief. Had that fishy feeling with heavy steady winds in my face and fresh bait. This river monster took the bait and fought. Landed her, took a fast photo and quickly released the beauty to continue on her journey to spawn.”

Can you Believe It?

NJ Fluke season is less than one month away? We just stocked up on a huge delivery of bucktail jigs and are expecting more to arrive in the next week or two. If you are looking to gear up for the summer flounder fishing season give us a call or shop online. We appreciate the support.

Ship Bottom Beach Access

Hopefully everyone is making the most out of the quarantine and staying busy around the house. Just wanted to share that there’s a small light showing at the end of the long tunnel ahead.

We got the call from our Mayor (who is an avid anglers) and he told us he was making a push to open the beaches to fishing however with strict rules. Residents can fish in the town of Ship Bottom from 6pm to 10am daily. Fishing is prohibited from 10am to 6pm daily! Turns out later in the day an official press release was made. Thanks Ship Bottom for keeping everyone safe and their minds sound.

Can you believe it? 34 Days to Memorial Day and 60 Days to Summer! Time flies even when life is on lock down. The spring is rushing by but anglers are finding safe places to fish to take advantage of the good fishing at stake. Here is the Fishing LBI Report Update For April 21, 2020.

Two Common Fishing Questions

Right now the two most common questions of calls and emails are…

1) Is the Island Closed?

• Most of the beaches on LBI (and the entire state of NJ) are closed but not all. There are areas to safely access the water and fish on LBI. In fear of publicly broadcasting specific spots we must refrain to hopefully prevent further shut downs.

2) Are The Bluefish Running!

• Quick easy answer is no, not yet. But, anyday! Usually Mother’s Day is a time when blues are chewing good. We expect them sooner especially if some warm sunny days some along.

Tog Fishing Report Update

Some open seasons for some species feel like they opened and close in a blink of an eye. This case and point is no more evident than with April’s spring tautog season. Not only is 30 days short. April is well known to be a month full of weather. As the saying goes April showers bring May flowers. This April so far is no different, full of many weather events. However those anglers that are fishing the seams between weather are getting out and catching quality fish. There’s limited days left so go!

Fish Head Ambassador Swagmattic is out on the sticky bottom every chance he gets. Most trips he’s fishing with his good buddy Captain Tony who runs a Parker out of Waretown. The two have had a great April so far

He shared this recent report, “After some rough weather and a few days of rough fishing the blackfish started to chew again today. We picked at keepers from our first drop until the south wind blew up. Live white crabs were the ticket! Had fresh clams and greens, but the whites were what they wanted outfishing all other baits.

Johnny-O knows all about April “Double Digit Time” tog fishing. He recently picked up some live white leggers and got out fishing. He hung a 12.46# fatty on our scales a couple days ago.

Eric Murry got in the first tog trip with his new Rhodan GPS Anchor. It was sporty but the Rhodan is a beast! There was a time that it was too rough and had to drop anchor for awhile but oh man is the Rhodan GPS Anchor amazing… Total Gamechanger!

Barnegat Bay Blueclaw Crabbing

The bay water temps are still cold but creeping up. The crabs are out of the mud and active. Numerous reports of good action on the west side of the bay. Now’s the time to fix up your crabbing gear and go soak some traps.

Report From Anthony On The Dirty Hooker

On Sunday morning, I went out on the boat. Bay is still cold, 48.8. Looked around at my usual spots for schoolies but no luck. Found some bait and saw gulls flying with bunker. Looked around the Inlet and the ocean. Temp was 47.9 degrees (outgoing tide) and there was a good 3-4′ sea. On the way I spotted some things floating with a few seagulls following. Upon closer look it was blowfish and the gulls were catching them. I saw atleast 6 blowfish float on by. I scooped up one with my net. It was really big and fat. Looks like this might be a hint that it could be another good blowfish season this year.

Another blowfish report came in from Rob Crossley. “This past weekend there were lots of blowfish floating around.” He said, “It looked like balloons from a distance.”

LBI Striped Bass & Black Drum Fishing

The most productive fishing locally on LBI is the bayside striped bass fishing. The bay is loaded with resident striped bass and as the spring progresses the size will increase. We’ve already begun to hear reports of keeper size stripers that were caught. Store staffer Steve has caught and released a few “keeper” size bass fishing the bay with light tackle.

Striped bass in the back bays will continue on and also the drum as well. Yes black drum are around. The next few weeks will be the season’s best shot at them. We are doing our best to get clam but the struggle is real. At times we have hard clams as a holdover substitute. While on the bait topic, bunker is in and out of the shop; however sales are slow. We are opting to hold off and will not get another deliver for a few days. Then we will pick back up.  

Raritan Bay

The solid striped bass action countries at the Raritan Bay. Store staffer Max is into solid fishing up there with fish ranging from small to medium to large. Last week we shipped a tackle order to Ryan Warford to gear him up for the spring action. He reported back, “I had a great day fishing! We were it bass the whole morning.”