Happy Birthday America!

While we are into a new month, not a lot has changed. We’ll keep this short and sweet… the great fishing continues on Long Beach Island. As reported in the last fishing report update, the water temperatures are warm and stable. This stability helps with the consistency of the fishing. For the most part we’ve had consistent tranquil weather for a couple weeks and it looks to stay that way. Keep an eye out for a two day southerly blow Tuesday/ Wednesday.

Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report for the 4th Of July Holiday Weekend.

Fluke Fishing Report

Fluke fishing is strong. As one would expect for this time of the year, all areas (bay, inlet, surf, ocean) are fishy. I would have to say the bayside has slowed up a little this past week but it’s got A LOT more to offer. The ocean fluke fishing this week has more than made up for the slow week in the bay.  The ocean fishing has been nothing less than stellar when you are in the right place, at the right time and using the right stuff with the right application technique. Shop Ambassador Swagmattic has been on the ocean fluke grounds all week and has good catches to show. His photos and reports hopefully get your blood pumping.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

On the surf there’s a variety to target. The summer times species have taken up resilience… kingfish, fluke, small blues, resident bass and the larger summertimes hoodlums… sharks and rays. Sand bar sharks, sand tigers, rough tail rays, butterfly rays and cow nose rays.

No matter which one you go for it could be a struggle finding some beach to fish. The island is jumping and the beaches are packed. Sunrise and sunset is the best time to fish for bass and blues with lures or bait. Night time is also an option. During the day kingfish and fluke can offer great fishing fun.

Steve George from Night Strikes Surfcasting Guide Service shares some great information…” Fluke fishing on the surf is good and spread out all along the beaches of LBI. The Inlet, north end, mid island and southern beaches are all producing nice fluke. Small resident bass were out along the surf line this past week feeding on mole crabs during their shed. Some of the mornings were good. These bass are also feeding on sand eels which are abundant in the local LBI waters right now. Cocktail and taylor size bluefish continue to cause havoc. The bunker pods which are still around and in strong numbers. Have a great weekend! Happy  4th of July everyone!”

Midshore/Offshore Fishing Report

The offshore and mid-shore fishing for yellowfin and bluefin tuna has been off the chain! It continues thanks to good sea conditions and life filled productive waters. Store staffer Jay reports, “The tuna fishing mid-shore was very good yesterday. Good size 50 class yellowfin with bluefin mixed in. All on side trackers and daisy chains. There’s a ton of life out there. Heard of some wahoo showing up too.”

Areas like Chicken Canyon, Triple Wrecks (and east of there), Lemke’s, the Claw, and the Fingers have fish. Further offshore the Spencer and Lindy have produced for a couple days.

Sharking is firing up with reports of makos, threshers and blacktips sharks.

Fish Head Charters

I’ve been out on the water just about every morning or afternoon for the past two weeks. During this time I’ve witnessed first hand the transition from spring fishing into summer. 4th of July holiday weekend is here and summer is in full swing.

The striped bass had come down in size as did the bluefish too. The fluke in the bay slowed up for me but the ocean picked up the slack. Some bonita and spanish mackerel showed up near shore. Further off I’m expecting mahi and king mackerel reports to fire up!

Here in the final stretch of June the fishing opportunities on and around Long Beach Island are plentiful. Bluefish are snapping and the fluke fishing is rocking. Also offshore tuna are on the chew. Here’s the Fishing Report Update for Sunday June 28, 2020

Two key trends to take note of right now for near shore anglers. The ocean water temperatures have been somewhat stable for the past 3-4 days, hovering in the low 70’s. There’s an abundance of small slender baits. Spearing, bay anchovies and sand eels are the primary forage for the local striped bass and bluefish. Hatch The Hatch!

LBI Bay Waters Fishing Report

In the bay summer flounder (fluke) is the main target. They can be found in the back bay (mid-Island) and in the areas closer to the inlet. Anglers are doing good fishing Gulp as well as live and natural baits. At times certain areas have grass/weed/snot which makes things difficult. In these situations pay attention. Drifting and dreaming with balls of grass isn’t productive. Simply just a waste of time. Keep your rigs clean and you’ll find fish.

Vinnie Pena got out early before the boat traffic and worked the structure and edges. He reported, “Did a few quick drifts and put a 25″ and an 18″ fluke in the box. Back home by 9.”

Store staffer Grey Colston was out on the bay this morning fishing some channels and reported catching a bunch of fluke but only one keeper.

With all the pressure anglers fishing live bait seem to be outproducing with classy fish. Most all of the fluke we have heard of over five pounds were caught on live bait.

In the bay, blowfish as well as other smaller “pan fish” critters are beginning to arrive. A couple kingfish and spot were recently reported by anglers fishing Fish Bites for blowfish. There’s also a few weakfish present.

James Walker had a good day today with blowfish in Barnegat Bay. He reported, “70 blowfish and 17 kingfish using squid in 6′ of water.”

LBI Surf Fishing Report

Fluke and kingfish are the two most abundant species on the beach of LBI. Both are great fun to catch and even better table fare. Get out on the beach and catch a fresh fish dinner!

Ryan Sherwood has been on the beach finding fish… he always does! Here’s his Sunday morning trip report, “Quick beach limit plus released another keepers this morning before the rain. The mid-Island surf has been good to me. I had one keeper yesterday and four today. I’m using a hi/lo rig and baiting up with white Gulp. Today was the best day I had on the beach so far.” Ryan said the bunker pods are still stacked up right off the beach, “They are thick but just out of casting range.” There’s striped bass, bluefish and sharks on them as well as the occasional show off dolphins and whales.

Kingfish on the surf chewing bloodworms and bloodworm alternatives. Rig up with a hi/lo small hook (size #2-#4) rig and bait up with Fish Bites, DynaBait or Live Bloods.

The sharks and rays have around so keep an eye on your rods. They can be pulled down, out and into the water in a split second. Our suggestion is to get a Quality Sand Spike to better protect your investment.

Offshore/Mid-Shore Big Game Fishing

The Jersey Shore big game fishing season is in full swing! At times the tuna fishing has been lights out. Offshore reports at the Lindy-Carteret have been good. The midshore bluefin action at the Triple Wrecks (a bit east) has been red hot for days/weeks. The sharking is kicking into gear.

Dan Rosetto was out on the Let ‘Em Run this weekend and reported great trip. “We went big eye hunting and had another epic trip. Going 3/4 on big eyes and four yellowfin. What a day with an amazing crew. We found them in the fog and mid day kept pounding them until they cam back up.”

Here coming off the late June new moon, the LBI waters are full of opportunity for anglers. Everything from fun fishing with toes in the sand to inshore light tackle fishing and even offshore big game fishing mid-shore and offshore. It’s a great time to be fishing Long Beach Island!

Here’s the LBI Fishing Repoirt Update for June 22, 2020

LBI Surf Fishing Report

Blues – Fluke – Kingfish – Striped Bass

Off the surf bluefish rule the roost. The reports flooding into the shop all have a similar theme. Bunker and mullet are producing bluefish from small size, through cocktails (1-4 pounds) and occasionally medium sized ones. These blues are a ton of fun on light tackle!

Kingfish and fluke are also present in good number. For kingfish you’ll want to rig up with small hooks and bait up with live bloodworms. A convenient and effective alternative is Fish Bites Bag O Worms. For fluke you can’t go wrong with a bucktail and Gulp!

There’s still striped bass cruising the LBI surf too. This one was reported on Sunday by Ryan Blemings, “I got this 24″ striped bass off of the LBI surf with Fish Heads fresh bunker.”

Barnegat Bay Fluke Fishing

Now’s a great time to target summer flounder in the Barnegat Bay and the thoroughfares. Today we got a nice photo from Rich Labor. He got a 6-lb 10-oz fluke today in the bay. Rich reported, “My buddy Sam and I caught 25 fluke with three keepers. Last fish of the day on the bucktail tipped with Gulp!“

Inshore Fishing

Black Sea Bass fishing was the name of the game at the inshore structure as well as deeper waters. It was very god fishing for the past number of weeks. However today June 22 was the last day of the “Spring” Sea Bass Season. It is now closed until July 1st when it opens, 2 fish at 12.5″.

We expect the inshore/near shore fluke fishing to kick into high gear soon. It’s still slow with the cooler ocean water temperatures (61 degrees today). So far this season some fluke have been caught in the ocean but most all of the action is in the shallow water along the surf and in the bay.

Some big thresher sharks along the beaches and inshore waters. These whip tails are nothing new as these guys have made their precent know for a number of weeks now. They are active on the bunker pods just about daily.

Midshore/Offshore Fishing

The big game blue water fishing offshore has been on a solid run as of late! Thanks to Lake Atlantic like conditions, the mid-shore grounds 30-50 miles are producing for small boat anglers. Even areas as close in as the Barnegat Ridge and the AC Reef have had bluefin tuna. The primary areas such as the AP, Glory Hole, Chicken Canyon, Triple Wrecks, Resor as well as areas further south like the E. Cole and Lemkies all had fish in recent days. Some better than others. Gotta find the bait and the life!

Further offshore at the edge anglers are filling boxes with yellowfin and bigeye tuna. Closer to home the Spencer and Wilmy are holding a lot of fish and life! Reports from the Poorman’s was great with tons of Bigeyes and good size yellowfin. We got one report of some blue marlin, “Had 10 yellowfin hooked up and a 500lb blue ate 6 of them off!”

Mark Haley reported going 12 for 13 on bluefin.

Mike Schermerhorn reported, “First time on the tuna grounds! Thank you to Capt Jef Warford for all of the help and support!”

Sunday report from Jacob Bowles, “Absolutely lights out fishing today out east! Doubles and triple headers all morning long. Finished the day going 15/17 heading home with sore arms.”

The tuna fishing is the only thing going down out in the deep… “Just because the gyms are still closed doesn’t mean you cant curl 40’s and 50’s. Here Rob Pompilio with a pair of big golden tilefish.”

Report from Paul Haertel “Left at the crack of non and plowed through confused sea for 2.5 hours before arriving to the fishing groups. The seas eventually calmed down and we had another great mixed bag including two bluefin tuna, a false albacore, a cod, two blues, and a bunch of ling and sea bass.”

Fish Head Charters

It’s been a crazy year so far to say the least… super busy with great fishing! All spring was solid and now summer is off to a great start. Sorry I haven’t had the time to detail out specific charter trip reports. It surly wasn’t or the lack of catching.

Return client Levi Bonnice shared a report after our trip today. He’s on a 40 For 40 quest this year. Forty different species for his fortieth birthday year.

“What an awesome day on the water! Added two more species to the list and had some repeats. But not before catching my first ever saltwater fish on tje fly. Best part was watching a youngster get his first saltwater fish from the boat. Thanks Fish Heads!” Striped Bass, Bluefish and Fluke. We were just missing weakfish for the grand slam!

Save The Dates: June 26th & 27th, 2020

The 5th Annual South Jersey Fluke A Mania Fluke Fishing Tournament is this weekend! This family fun fluke fishing tournament hosted by the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Cash Prizes for Each Category – Men’s, Women’s, Intermediate & Children’s Categories.

$125 Boat Entry Fee – 6 Anglers Per Boat.

Registerer at www.FlukeAMania.com

June 26th – Registration, June 27th – Fishing Day & Weigh In

Flukeamania Final Results

56 Boats 226 Anglers

Directors: Matt Garabedian, Brendan Graham, Weigh ins: Bob Percopo

Juniors (Under 11): 1 – Riley Lynn – Riley Lynn – 4.82 ($100)2 – James Biddle – Anthracite – 2.66 ($50)3 – Matt Kopenhaver- Yahoo Fishing – 2.20 ($25)

Teens (11-19): 1 – Connor Johnson – Shore Thing – 3.54 ($200)2 – Owen Fizulich – Sales Calls – 2.68 ($100)3 – Walker Ryon- Anthracite – 2.52 ($50)

Women: 1 – Denise Hart – Nana Got a Fat Bass- 6.06 ($500)2 – Heidi Larson – Torment – 5.94 ($250)3 – Kare Matrisciano – Magic Man – 2.62 ($125)

Men: 1 – Rich Aster – QT – 5.78 ($500)2 – Sean Carey – Francesca Marie – 5.58 ($250)3 – Joe Casaletto- Francesca Marie – 5.30 ($125)

CALCUTTAS

Total Calcuttas – $6240 (10% – $624 to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)

Heaviest Bluefish:L 1 – Boobie Bouncer – 3.84 ($864)

Heaviest Fluke: 1 – Nana Got a Fat Bass – 6.06 ($1026) 2 – Torment – 5.94 ($615) 3 – QT- 5.78 ($410)

STRINGER (Heaviest 3 Fluke): 1 – Francesca Marie – 15.92 ($2700)

Big congratulations to Capt Fran Verdi and the Crew of the Francesca Marie who fished hard in the ocean and walked away with a cool $3075!
Also congrats to Denise Hart and Heidi Larson who caught the TWO HEAVIEST FLUKE of the tournament!

THANKYOU to all the Participants and volunteers that made this an outstanding event to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Even though we had many restrictions due to the pandemic, the fishing community came out in force!  We are very appreciative of everyone’s efforts to fish this tournament during these difficult times.

Can’t wait till next year! We are planning to have the biggest and best Fluke-A-Mania yet!  HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL NEXT YEAR!

Today Thursday June 18th is National Go Fishing Day! It’s officially in the calendar but in our bok everyday is Go Fishing Day!!! Let’s grab a rod, hit the water and enjoy! Be sure to take some photos and send them our way!

Here’s the Fishermans Headquarters Fishing Report Update for Thursday June 18, 2020

Surf Fishing Report

Recent reports from the surf are themes around blues, fluke and kingfish. But some black drum and striped bass are around. As expected, the latter, are beginning to fade as expected at this time o the season. If looking to get after a linesider or two… don’t delay.

Our mullet man Jimmy shared a positive surf fishing report today, “Blues on bunker and black drum on clam.” It’s was great to hear about good size drum from the surf.

Still some striped bass roaming the suds. Today Trevor Jones was enjoying the beach fishing with the family today. He caught a nice keeper slot size striped bass.

Here’s a quick look at the Long Beach Island surf this morning before it cleared up and turned into a beautiful day.

Fluke Fishing

The fluke fishing around Long Beach Island is good. Reports from the surf, inlet and bay are all promising.

From the surf Steve at Night Strikes Surf casting Guide Service reported fluke fishing continues. He was out enjoying the afternoon today fishing the surf right into sunset.

Sam Forlenza stopped in the shop and picked up some bucktails. He reported back today he caught this 26″ fluke on one fishing Barnegat Bay this morning.

Grey Colston fished Barnegat Bay this afternoon and reported both fluke and blues fishing bucktails with live minnows. Another bay fluke report came from shop Ambassador Swagmattic. He reported a great afternoon in the kayak, “Lots of fluke but only one fish close to keeper size.”

The newest Fish Heads Team Member Jared Grady made the trek up and out east earlier this week. Here’s his report rom his trip. “Non-stop action aboard the Miss Montauk. Landed well over 30 fish, two came in over 5 pounds and this beauty that measured just under 29”. Bounced around between 8.6-9 pounds. My new Shogun rod paired with my 3k Shimano Stradic loaded with 15lb Cortland Master Braid handled this beast with ease. Had another dozen fish that just missed the mark between 18-19” that would have made the cut back home. This fish took a 3oz Salmon Magictail Squid Hoochie which was the key. It outproduced all other baits/rigs by a lot! It was awesome seeing all the heads turned and questioning as I pulled in fish after fish on light tackle. Everyone else was using 12oz of lead dragging bottom. If you haven’t fluke fished Montauk I highly recommend it. Almost makes me not want to fish Jersey anymore!”

Sea Bass Fishing

Sea Bass fishing continues on 10 fish at 12.5″ until June 22nd. At that time it will close until July 1st when it opens at 2 Fish 12.5″.

Jeremy Muermann went out to the sea bass grounds and found some nice fish. He caught his new personal best sea bass as well as some ling, winter flounder, cod and tog.

Tuna Fishing

Recent reports have been few and far between due to the recent weather conditions. The three day blow kept most boats tied up at the dock. Finally things have settled down and the weather looks to serve a couple days of fair seas and conditions. So far this early part of the season has been full of solid reports. Loads of bluefin tuna reports with lots of false albacore (some big ones) in the mix too.

Seems like it picked up right where things left of last year. Anglers on the troll are catching pulling natural baits (BALLYHOO!) as well as bars to create a commotion. Both the Chatter Side Tracker Bars and Chatter Floating Squid Splash Bars continue to be studs. Also on the jigging front, theres piles of sand eels on the mid-shore grounds. The same smoker is still hot… The Nomad Streaker Jigs are a best in breed slender sand eel jig that bluefin tuna can not resist.

The only report we heard today was from shop regular Joe Franckowiak. He did a quick trip after the weather cleared up today. He reported seven false albcore in the two hours session. He’s heading back out in the morning.

Captain Cody from Jersey Nuts Sportfishing stopped in the shop today to pick up some premium Baitmaster Ballyhoo. We are stocked up but there’s no telling how long these baits will be in stock for. If you need baits… NOW IS THE TIME TO GET THEM!!!

While at the shop Captain Cody gave us heads up that the Jersey Nuts has been on the fish offshore, “Fishing started out good this season. The last trip we battled the weather but got out and got the job done quick. We caught eight solid big eye tuna and five yellowfin. The coolers and boxes were packed early so the meat wagon headed in.” Any one looking to get out to the offshore tuna grounds should give Captain Cody at Jersey Nuts Sportfishing a text message at 609-354-2734

The story remains the same so this report update will be short and sweet. Long Beach Island has a lot to offer those who want to get outdoors and enjoy the water. Crabbing, clamming and fishing are all great. Get out there!!! Here’s the Fishing LBI Fishing Report Update for Sunday June 14, 2020.

The bluefish action continued into the weekend with an abundance of smaller sized fish. There’s some larger ones but few and far between. Nothing in the double digit range that we’ve heard about.

Kingfish, Striped bass, black drum and fluke were all caught off of the LBI surf this weekend. One customer reported 47 kingfish Saturday! Another angler reported catching more than a handful and said, “Two were bit in half.” With the warming surf temps the sharks have arrived.

Rick Zane reported, “Finally this week the LBI surf has broke and stayed above the 60 degree mark. Even after the southerly blow. It was 61 degrees on Saturday. I caught a couple short bass recently but can’t find a keeper.’

Threshers have made their presence know for a couple weeks. More recently the sand tigers with bite offs. Sandbars will show soon if not already.

Fluke fishing is strong with anglers catching in the open areas of the bays, main channels and out front. Yup! We already got an ocean fluke report. Expect this to improve over the coming weeks. Here’s Ryan DeGennaro with a pair of nice fluke he caught with his dad Chris on Saturday.

The midshore tuna fishing game is on! Get out there!!!

The offshore tuna fishing game is on! Get out there!!!

Here on the downside of the early June moon approaching the last quarter, the Long Beach Island area has a lot to offer. There’s something for everyone; enjoying the beaches fishing with toes in the sand, drifting the waters of Barnegat Bay, big game fishing the midshore / offshore waters.

The recent stretch of good weather allowed everyone to get out and wet a line. Nearly all feedback had a similar good theme. Everyone stretched out their fishing lines tight with fish. At the time of this post the wind is blowing out of the south. A cold front will cross our are tonight and another on Friday. Then high pressure takes over for the weekends. We are looking forward to a great weekend of saltwater fishing the LBI region.

Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Thursday June 11, 2020.

LBI Surf Fishing

Right now anglers enjoy the beaches of LBI soaking bait and casting lures with a target of bluefish, striped bass, fluke and kingfish. This past week could have been the apex of the Long Beach Island striped bass fishing for the 2020 spring run. With that said there’s still lots more action to be had however we expect a trend down. It’s safe to say at this point the spring run was one of the best if not the best spring run in the past five years, possible the past decade. If you still want a piece of the action fish bunker chunks off the surf.

The bluefish action continues in the Inlet and on the beaches. Yesterday Jim Crane fished with his nephew Miles Nippes and they caught some fish.

Fluke fishing on the surf is strong and reports of quality catches are common. Store staffer Jared got a 20″ fluke off the surf a day or two ago. He reported, “Sloane’s fish made mine look small.”

Kingfish are becoming more abundant on the surf. Live bloodworms are best for them but the artificial offering can get the job done.

Jamie Gramley reported catching from the beach. “I caught a 21″ fluke, 37” black drum and some blues as well as some sharks.

Midshore/Offshore Fishing

It’s great to all the positive reports from the inshore, midshore and offshore waters. Big game anglers gear up and prepare all year for the action to heat up. Well… it’s game time! It you are looking to get out and have yet to check off your list we are here to help.

This past week the bluefin tuna fishing exploded with an abundance of fish and a great stretch of weather. Everyone got out even the small boats and had a blast. Great reports from the Resor to the AP to the Glory Hole with anglers catching on the troll and jig. It shouldn’t be a surprise once again Nomad and Chatter are the key products putting fish on the deck. We currently have a selection in stock (there’s holes) and anticipate more arriving next week.

Further offshore fishing some good reports came in from local anglers. Shop regular Dan Latoof fished out in the deep and caught a blue marlin on a big bally. Fish was 112″ about 500 lbs.

The crew aboard the Reel Innovation went to the edge and caught some good ones. Jeff reported, “We had some bigeyes eating right off the transom.” The crew went 3-5 on eyeballs and also had a handful of bluefin tuna.

After a great day on Monday catching a bunch of bluefin tuna Jeff Thummel fished again for a second strike mission with the Kulinki bros. They ran out for a two hour tuna trip and had a great quick morning session.

Not only is the tuna fishing good… there’s big tilefish coming up. Some anglers got into big tilefish on recent trips. Here’s Ryan Schramm with a big golden tilefish. He reported a good tilefish trip aboard the Mud Duck.

Store staffer Willie caught a monster blueline (grey tilefish). This could have been a contender for Mark Milici’s 23-lb 4-oz NJ State Record which was weighed in at Fish Heads back in 2015.

Early June is a great time for inshore, offshore and land based fishing in the Long Beach Island area. There’s so much going on it’s hard to choose which species to target. The abundance of life in the local waters is great to see. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update For Sunday June 7, 2020.

This last week was a good one. In hind sight, things really got going on and after the late May moon (new moon on 5/22). The late May north east blow fired things up and it kept going right into June. The early June moon did not disappoint. Now on the downside of the moon it wanes but the fishing remains strong. If you are looking for a classy fish do not waste any time! They are here but will not stick around forever. Go Fish!

LBI Surf Fishing Report

The surf fishing on LBI really kicked into high gear after the late May blow and kept up right into now. The reports continue to flow in strong. Al of them solidify this spring season as one of the best in the last decade. And it’s not over!

Here’s a look at the mid-Island surf this afternoon at low tide.

Now let’s dive into some fishing reports from the Long Beach Island surf…

Sloane Endick puts in time and it shows with her rewards. Like always she was dialed on Saturday and got a double. First she shared a photo of a nice surf side striped bass and reported, “The bass were more hungry than the fluke today.” She then went back out and an afternoon fluke session and caught a good one. A four pounder to be exact. She stopped by the shop to get an official weight and it broke four pounds by a couple hundredths o a pound on our digital. A four pound fluke off the surf is a very impressive fish!

Andrea Morris of Lancaster PA is enjoying her time on LBI fishing with her dad. While in the shop Saturday evening gearing up for a night chunking session she shared, “Got a big bluefish on the bayside a couple days ago.”

Dog Fish King Rick Hyers stopped in for a bag of fresh bunker and a new bunker chunking rod Saturday evening. While in the shop he shared, “Friday night I caught a 28″ and a 32″ striped bass on the beach.”

Brandon P. reported good fishing on the mid Island surf this week with bunker, “Got three fish over 36″ and one at 41″.”

Kyle Quillen tagged us in a photo post, “Bunker pods everywhere with an active whale. I caught three blues.”

All week large schools of bunker were found along the entire stretch of LBI. While they were not all actively boiling with striped bass, some were.

Bluefish action continued this weekend again off the surf, inlet and bay.

Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

The bay offers good fluke fishing, blowfish, bluefish, crabbing and clamming. The deep “back bay” is productive. Store staffer Steve reports the fishing fishing is good. He has been fishing the same area for a couple weeks and routinely pulling nice keepers. On his last trip he got a 24″ fluke. Another angler fishing in the same general area (Southern Barnegat Bay) got a 23″ on Saturday.

Striped Bass Fishing Out Of BI

The striped bass fishing out of Barnegat Inlet is good and has been for a couple weeks. This should not be a surprise because late May and early June is the very best time for striped bass fishing in the area each and every season. Get out and get into the action now while the fishing is hot.

Here a great recent catch… Fisher Coulston (12 years old) caught and released this 53 pound striped bass on Thursday. All on his own and all on gear/tackle from Fishermans Headquarters. “It was an epic day with no other boats around. Just bunker and a big bass.” ~ Frank Coulson aboard the Hard Four

Other anglers are catching live lining as well as trolling

Offshore Fishing

This month will be full of good shark fishing and tuna fishing. Gear up and get out there on the weather windows for big game fishing. Reports from the 30-40 line are good.

Recent bluefin tuna chewing on the troll and jig. Here’s one good one from the mid-shore grounds today by “Flagpole” Jim Kuhl. Inshore slobs!

A few reports of blue sharks from anglers looking for makos. A number of thresher sharks reported from right along the beach out 30 miles.

June is here and there’s no gloom. Fishing on all fronts is strong. From striped bass, blues and fluke to sea bass and sheepshead there’s a good offering for coastal anglers in the Long Beach Island area and surrounding waters. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for June 2, 2020.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

Hike the LBI dunes in early June for great striped bass fishing. The past couple of weeks were good to surf anglers fishing the beach of LBI. So far June is off to a great start. Would have to say it’s one of the better springs runs we have seen in a few years. Anglers chunking bunker, fishing clam and also working lures are catching fish.

Josh Basket hit the surf early Monday morning and was rewarded. He shared, “Good quality fish to start out the morning. The bass can’t resist Fish Head Bunker”

Solid report from customers Dan, Jim and Thomas. They fished the night tide on Sunday and caught. Dan reported, “A night I’ll never forget! We went three for three… Three buddies, Three rods, Three bass! They went 33, 35, 36″ all chunking bunker on the mid-island surf.”

Another good Long Beach Island surf fishing report came in from Mike Villez. He’s getting into them the last couple of nights on plugs on the south end o LBI. Some good ones too. He also caught. 19″ fluke on an SP Minnow. More on fluke further below.

Todd Luyber fished the Sunday evening sunset session and got a nice striped bass off the surf on wood. Todd reported, “Not just on bunker. Went for the ghost mackerel pencil popper.”

Whether fishing here on LBI or down in the Caribbean fishing the waters of Puerto Rico Jonathan Price always gears up right at Fish Heads. Recently he stopped in and got set up for bass fishing the surf. It didn’t take long and he reported back… “Three great days out back on the beach!” Each trip out he’s catching good size fish off the surf. This evening we got a 50″ beast! “The boys at Fishermans Headquarters did the right thing once again. Give the guys a shout… they are on point.”

Striped Bass

Striped bass reports from the boat anglers are not been epic but there’s fish to be caught. Most boats are getting out and finding fish. Some days they’re taken on live baits and others on the troll. Mike O’Grady released a 48″ bass on the troll Sunday. “Went for a Tony Maja green bunker spoon off Seaside late in the day. A lot of whales and dolphin in the areas.” Acers of bunker schools were stretched out along the beaches of LBI the past few days. Monday and Tuesday large schools were found off the south end and mid island beaches. There were also pods on the north end too.

Bluefish

Right now bluefish of all size ranges are here. Bluefish from 1-3 pounds can be found just about anywhere. They are common catches in locations like the Island’s surf, inlet and bayside channels and docks. Some area have an abundance of snapper and other areas have a few larger bluefish.

Small bluefish make for great fishing fun… especially for kids. Now’s a great time to get outdoors and leave the crazy world behind fro a few hours while on the water fishing. Keep America Fishing by introducing new anglers to the sport. By sharing your love for fishing with a child, friend, neighbor you might gain a new fishing buddy and possibly spark a new life long passion for someone.

Fluke

Fluke fishing is strong and by all accounts we anticipate it to keep cranking the whole month of June. Lukey got a nice the flukey! Luke McCann caught this 24″ fishing Barnegat Bay on Monday.

With striped bass, bluefish and fluke all chewing now is a great time for a Barnegat Bay Slam! Better yet… Try your luck at a Barnegat Bay Grand Slam! The weakfish are here.

Sea Bass Fishing

Sea bass fishing is strong with boats catching limits on a consistent basis. Fishing 7-20+ miles offshore. Grey Colston went sea bass fishing and loaded up. Shop Ambassador Swagmattic was out on Sunday and said they hammers ’em, but due to weather conditions they couldn’t get out as far offshore as they would have like to in search of the big knuckle heads.

Offshore Fishing

This is the time where the mid-shore and offshore waters heat up. Right now there’s cold water stretched over the grounds but that should change soon. Be ready for sharks and also the tuna action should break open again.

by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are slowly getting back into the swing of things after their lengthy layoff thanks to the Corona Virus.

Captains Dave Kreines of the “Byte Me” and Carl Sheppard of the “Star Fish” both report they have complied with all the New Jersey state regulations regarding safe fishing practices. Captain Dave notes he is holding his parties to three passengers with “all precautions taken.” He is currently working on finding some of the first fluke of the season.

Captain Carl says the “Star Fish” is compliant with all guidelines including a recent successful Coast Guard Inspection and an insurance survey. He is looking for striped bass and black sea bass in the ocean and fluke in the bay waters.

Captain Brett Taylor has been running daily trips in the waters of lower Barnegat Bay as well as some of the inshore wrecks. Some days he guides two half-day trips. He estimates that his parties are catching 25-40 flatties per trip with 3-6 keepers per day.

The BHCFA Junior Mate Reef Project was started just one year ago, and it has already been embraced and supported by the local fishing and business community. Association president Captain John Lewis proudly stated, “Our fundraising to date has been greater than anyone would have anticipated.” To date $160,000 has been raised in cash and matching funds, some
$60,000 more than the original goal.

The delivery of a 140-foot barge, a 52-foot crew boat and a 45-foot tugboat are expected to be deployed on the Little Egg Reef very shortly. This will be paid for with funds raised by the Junior Mates combined with dollar for dollar matching funds from the Ann E. Clark foundation and the Sport Fishing Fund, long time financiers of artificial reefs in New Jersey.

A second project is also close to fruition. A pair of 210-foot scows are being eyed that can have concrete rubble loaded in them giving them much more fish attracting habitat. These would greatly increase the amount of material to be used with one on the Little Egg Reef and the other on the Garden State South. At this point the $60,000 remaining from the first project will cover
most of the cost with another $20,000 needing to be raised.

The reefs located off the coast of Long Beach Island are the most underdeveloped artificial reefs in the state, by far. The mates are continuing their fund-raising activities, and Captain Lewis notes the BHCFA is a registered non-profit organization and will gladly accept donations from other sources. He can be contacted at [email protected]

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.bhcfa.net