Great weekend of fishing the waters! Saturday morning was a bit more choppy than dawn patrol anglers expected. The forecasted north west winds were straight north making sloppy chop. Fortunately it laid down and made for a beautiful Saturday. Saturday night was as tranquil as it gets and the night shift crew took advantage. Sunday started off with a flawless morning but things got sour with heavy winds and rain. Here’s the Fishermans Headquarters Weekend Recap Fishing Report.

Diversified Action Inshore

From bottom fishing to trolling to jigging and casting anglers are catching a spread of species.

Inshore Bottom Fishing

The wrecks and reefs have a lot to offer. Anglers are catching tog, sea bass, triggerfish and porgies. Store staffers Kelley and Frezza were out early on Sunday morning hunting structure. They reported good fun tog fishing.

Striped Bass & Bluefish

Dan D was aboard the Morning Wood with Cole Cronin Saturday morning. They made a run north to hunt down the bass and tuna. They scored the first but couldn’t get the later to bite. Dan reported, “There were sick feeds with tuna airing out. We just couldn’t hook em.”

Inshore Sharks & Tuna

Right now there are really big fish within sight of land. The abundance of bluefin tuna is impressive but frustrating. Anglers targeting them report they are pushing water and very hard to get a bite. Some anglers have caught but it isn’t an easy feat. There’s also an abundance of thresher sharks. Most are being caught by accident while targeting striped bass on the troll, however some are specifically looking for them and hooking up.

One big catch was reported today from Jon Kelly and Max Goldman who were out fishing aboard the Outcast. They reported while out hunting mako sharks about 30 miles off, they hooked into, had an epic battle and caught this 341 thresher on a mackerel.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

This Saturday was the Merchantville Fishing Club’s ASAC Surf Fishing Tournament. We were expecting to see some striped bass since the beaches not too far north had good recent catches. But out of the 26 (six angler) teams and another 15 individual anglers no legal striped bass were caught, only some shorts (not score-able). Also not score-able, a bunch of out of seas fluke were caught. The only scoring fish caught were blues and dogfish. Ocean City Fishing Club Blue won with 70 points. American Anglers B and Creek Keepers finished 2nd and 3rd. Lynda Greaves won for biggest fish and most overall points.

Fish Head Charters

A weekend like this is what we all needed! It’s always great to have a good weather Saturday. I had return clients Konrad and Nate two young but passionate light tackle anglers with strong drive to catch fish. We started off the dawn patrol with fun fishing, catch and release stripers. In the first hour or so we released about 6 bass up to 30″, two were keeper size. Mid trip we decided to make a run around to search down albies. The guy knew it has been slow but they both really wanted to catch their first. We found very few false albacore but were patient. With time came a couple quick shots at them and they guys both managed to hook up.

The afternoon trip was a total tog trip. Very good fishing with lots of fun. Thanks to Rhodan for locking us in on top of the fish!

Saturday night was the first night shift trip of the fall and it was on! In total we released about 20 striped bass. Anyone looking to get out and target striped bass at night? These are one of a kind trips! So long as the conditions and tide align it’s game on! For those interested get in contact with me NOW to be on the call list. 1-2 angler 3 hour trips, $300 total.

Mid October is here and the fall fishery is progressing. The bay has life, bottom fishing is good, the striped bass migration is moving in and offshore anglers are finding meat. Here’s the Long Beach Island fishing report update for October 18th.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

Today is Day 14 of the LBI Surf Fishing Tournament. Two weeks in there are three striped bass on the board. The most recent and largest to day was caught by Brandon Pomykacz. He caught the 19.46 pound striped bass on swim bait.

A striped bass surf report came in from a customer who shared, “Monday morning got one bass on a Super Strike Popper.” One good size weakfish was reported off the surf on Tuesday.

Few other surf reports came in this week, BUT we expect that to change. With the Merchantville ASAC tournament this weekend there will be strong participation so the results will really give a good read of what’s running on the local beach.

Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

The backwaters of LBI offer great opportunities in October. The waters are full of fish and have very little traffic compaired to a few weeks a go.

Blowfish are in the bay but will be gone any day. We have a feeling the 30-50 mph westerly blow (Wednesday/Thursday) might have sent them out to Europe. This season was definitely a really good one on all accounts for blowfish. There was an abundance and some good size ones. Photo

Crabbing is still very good.

Striped Bass Showing Up

A little further north some quality fish were recently caught. Finally some colder air filled in and the water temperatures continue to fall. Are you ready? Good fishing will be here any tide now.

Bottom Fishing Inshore & Midshore Wrecks & Reefs

Inshore bottom fishing is strong! Sea Bass fishing is very good with a 10 fish bag limit at the 12.5″ minimum size (until the end of the month). Then on November 1st the NJ Black Sea Bass Fishing Regulation bump up to 15 fish at 13″ until the end of the year.

Tog fishing is also very good. The current 15″ one fish bag limit increases in about a month. On November 16th five fish at 15″.

“Back Attack” was out earlier this week and reported good fishing. “We took advantage of the sea bass opening up to 10 per person. The morning started slow. We worked around and found the right piece of structure finishing the day with a four man limit to 5lbs. We were swinging double headers over the rail all afternoon.”

Dante from Magictails was on the meat earlier this week. He reported, “Fish up to 10 pounds with lots of five pound fish. The Magictail 1oz and 1.5oz crab jigs were key. Lots of life on the wrecks and reefs! Lots of species caught tog, sea bass, triggerfish, stripers, fluke and threaser shark. I got spooled in about 15 seconds by something big. Must have been a bluefin.”

Magictail Tog Jigs totally changed the blackfish game. Last year they were out producing and so far this year they are killing it! Buy some Magictail Tog Jigs today.

Inshore Ghosts

The inshore bluefin tuna popped up early this year and look to be here for Halloween. Usually a fishery focused around Thanksgiving, they showed up in good numbers. Captain Adam & Rob from Waterman Charters are on the bite! Only time will tell if this continues on. Let’s hope these ghosts stick around.

Offshore at the canyons we’ve heard about a consistent tuna chunk bite. Also a number of boats are reported good swordfishing and tons of mahi.

Fish Head Charters

It felt great to get back out on the water. It was even better to get into some great fishing. I jumped onboard with Rhodan Marine and rigged up a Precision GPS Anchor, the most powerful trolling motor out there (36v 120# Thrust).

After only two trips, I’m beyond stoked with the performance. The power, accuracy and convenience is off the charts. It has already changed my game allowing an entire new approach.

On my last trip I caught my biggest striped bass of the fall so far, a health keeper 30″ caught on a jig. There were lots of schoolies too. The main focus of the trip was tog and it was a blackfish bonanza. Three anglers caught well over 100 fish, with only a handful of shorts. Almost all of the fish were 3-6 pounds. It was a ton of fun on light tackle fishing crab jigs. Anyone looking to get out give a call to book a date!

Looking To Buy A GPS Anchor Trolling Motor?

Seeing the trend in the South East and its spread north to the Garden State, we signed up and Fishermans Headquarters is a Rhodan Dealer. We got out our first delivery and as expected it sold out right away.

If you or a fishing friend is interested in exploring the options, pricing and the Rhodan Advantage… Let Us Know. It’s a game changer and we can help make the whole process very easy.

The Rhodan Advantage:

Why buy Rhodan among the other options out there? Rhodan treats their customers like friends and family with super customer service. Big corporations just can’t come close. More than that they offer a superior product! Rhodan’s exclusive circuitry offer maximum power and efficiency (battery life) and their dual GPS and dual compass out performs with industry best accuracy. It keep position within 3′. For durability their circuitry is made for hard saltwater fishing and proven to stands up to 100’s 1000’s of hours. The Line-X lower unit head and composite shaft are also major benefit adding to the longevity.

If you are looking to invest in the most simplistic, powerful, accurate and durable GPS Anchor /Trolling Motor… Choose Rhodan!

Here’s the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Associations Fishing Report for October 16th by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

The recent spate of strong northeast winds and extremely high tides over a several day period kept the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association at the dock. Now that the weather in the Beach Haven area has begun to settle down, the boats have been out and about catching fish.

Early reports from boats bottom fishing inshore wrecks and reefs have been positive. The long period of closure for black sea bass have gotten them hungry and feisty. As a result, that action has been strong with limit catches reported in addition to some large “humpback” fish being
taken. In addition, there are big tautog, or blackfish, around the same structures as the sea bass.

Those recent northeast winds have gotten the striped bass moving southward on their annual migration. Although the big fish have not yet arrived off Long Beach Island, they are reported to be just to the north of the area. This means it should only be a few days until these fish arrive, and this would be just in time for the annual Sea Shell Club’s Striped Bass Derby.

The Derby is the fishing highlight for boat-oriented anglers in Beach Haven every fall. The event features three days of fishing, fun, food, and great prizes. This year’s event has special meaning for the captains of the BHCFA. The Junior Mates of the BHCFA have embarked on an effort to restore the artificial fishing reefs just off the coast of Beach Haven. This effort requires hard work and a substantial amount of money to get into action.

The 2019 version of the Sea Shell Tournament has named the Junior Mates reef efforts as the charitable recipient this year. These funds will be a real shot in the arm to get the program underway. The proceeds will be used to replenish the reef sites.

The Derby will take place from Friday, October 25, through Sunday, October 27.The captains of the BHCFA are urging all local anglers to participate in the tournament this year. Complete information on the tournament including rules and signup information can be downloaded at the Sea Shell’s website at theseashellresort.com/striped-bass-derby
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org

Here’s the weekend report update for Sunday October 13th. Did you notice the title doesn’t say fishing report? That’s because this past week was a blowout and few reports came in!

The Nor’ Easter – Melissa

The strong low pressure, dubbed subtropical storm Melissa, finally weakened and lifted out. But she left her mark!

The lineup of weather recently was cranking NorthEast winds for what seemed like a week or two. Then Melissa cranked up Thursday – Friday serving a beastly blow which stacking up the coastal water. She wouldn’t allow the full moon “king tides” out.  Water in the streets seem like the norm now but this event was deep! By all accounts, the worst flooding since Sandy.

Worried boat owners late to action found boat ramps unusable with water in the parking lots and streets. We heard of a few boats that sunk and some that were just narrowly rescued.

The crazy winds damaged some building. The sign and overhang at Ravioli’s & More was ripped.

Melissa made an angry sea and due to the duration of the event, the beaches were battered. Erosion chewed out beaches and dunes exposing parts of jetties that haven’t seen light in year.  The beaches and bars are “reset” so it’s time to start scouting out your fall fishing spots!

LBI Fall Classic

The Long Beach Island Fall Derby aka Fall Classic kicked off last weekend. As of the end of tournament day Sunday October 13 one fish is on the board. On October 7th Matteo Delmonico weighed in the tournament’s first fish, a 9.72 pound striped bass. For more information on the tournament www.LBISFT.com

LBI Surf Fishing Report

While scoring some surf on Saturday I spoke with anglers on the beach. The general consensus… slow fishing. The only fish I heard caught were a couple cocktail blues, a kingfish and an out of season fluke. All of this was on the south end of the Island.

The surf temp has a cool feel to it. Will take a guess and claim it’s 63, max 66. The water was surprisingly clean.

Mid October Fishing Outlook For LBI

Heading into the middle of October chilly temps are right around the corner. The days are getting shorter and water temps slowly drop. The mullet run will soon be in the rear view mirror and the migration will arrive. They will be here soon! (see Pat’s short report below) How long they stick around for… only time will tell.

Today our friend Capt Pat aboard Forever Two Worlds from Rockaway Beach NY went out to shake the dust off things. He reported, “After the long blow, I needed to get out. Did a quick look and found quality bass that were on the chew. They wanted Magictail Mojos!“

While Pat’s report is from water about 50 miles away, it goes to show the fish are on the move. Last year classy fish showed in our local waters towards the end of October. The year before (2017) we had big ones arrive October 20 and 21st. Are you ready?

Today’s Tog Fishing Report

We got one report today from Fish Head Alumni Bill Bassant. He stopped in, got some green crabs and hit the water. He looked around at some areas and tried to hunt some fish in the backwater on the flats and sod banks. Notta! He switched over to tog fishing and caught two; a three pounder and a five pounder.

There’s a lot to report since my last fishing report post almost one month ago. Sorry for the lack of posts. Here’s the Fisherman’s Headquarters Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for October 5th.

It’s time to get your gear ready because it’s Fall and that mean fishing! The waters are still warm but on their slow decline. There plenty of good fishing happening now and we expect it to only get better on the coming weeks. The wind machine has been on for what seems like weeks. It is both bitter and sweet. The rough conditions whipped up from persistent north east winds cut off access for the boats looking to get out and hunt. This same wind really helps out land based anglers.

Mullet – Bass & Blues

The Mullet Run continues on strong. Another couple solid weeks and this year might stack up close to last year’s epic run.

The NE winds have resident striped bass and bluefish fired up chasing mullet in the inlet and surf. Most days these feeds are close in and are loving poppers and swimmers. Anglers on the surf fishing fresh mullet reports lots of small bluefish on mullet. Many of these anglers are releasing out of season fluke. Kingfish are still around too.

Grey Colston and friend got into some good fun action this afternoon. With his light tackle approach he shared, the stripers were chewing along the sod banks.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

Cocktail blues are the main target for surf anglers with kingfish taking the passenger seat. Soon larger blues and striped bass will arrive. Last weekends 73rd World Series OF Surf Fishing had 303 anglers (48 teams) with 806 total fish caught. 721 were blues! This goes to show they dominate the suds right now.

65th LBI Surf Fishing Classic

Let the games begin! The 65th LBI Surf Fishing Classic kicked off today. For the next 9 weeks, it’s time to fish till you drop! For more information on the event… www.LBISFC.com

False Albacore Fishing

Be sure to stock up now on Deadly Dick Lures and Hogy Epoxy Jigs because these are top producing lures that always sell out fast when the action is hot. The last few years were great and we expect this year to be the same. Reports from the waters in North Jersey are strong. Any day the greenies will show up near BI.

Barnegat Bay Fishing

The backwaters of Long Beach Island hold an abundance of life all summer and fall. Currently weakfish, bluefish, striped bass, blowfish, croakers and kingfish are present. Crabbing and clamming are also great past time to take advantage of while the wind is blowing!

Tog & Sea Bass Fishing

With only one a one fish bag limit catch and release tog fishing is good with some anglers getting some large fish when the conditions allow. Reports from both boat and land based anglers are promising. If your looking for a little blackfish action, the rocks at the inlet and shallow wrecks and reefs have been the ticket for most guys. These same areas are still holding triggerfish too.

Black Sea Bass opens for Jersey anglers on October 8. The minimum size of 12.5″ with a 10 fish bag limit will be open all month. Come November it bumps up to 13″ with 15 fish until the end of the year. Right now fishing should be good but the weather and sea conditions will dictate.

Here’s the Fisherman’s Headquarters fishing report update from September 10, 2019.

The Long Beach Island surf offers fluke, kingfish and blues. We heard of a couple resident striped bass too. Two separate pompano reports off the surf this past week.  Recently Rob Vallone reported catching both kingfish and fluke on the surf.

It’s time to Sign Up for the Fall Derby! The 65th Annual LBI Surf Fishing Classic kick off is only 25 days away. Be sure to sign up soon while the early sign up goodies are still available. Also be sure to pre register (free) for the Opening Day Seminar.

Reports from the north end bayside and inlet all talk of fish. Lots of out of season sea bass eating baits. Jetty Jockey Jeff got an 11# sheephead and a 3.6# trigger on Sunday. We got a report from an angler in the shop who got one bass bucktailing the jetty. Expect more linesider action in the coming days and weeks.

Speaking of striped bass… they need everyone’s help! There is a meeting this Thursday September 12, 2019 from 6 to 8:30 PM at the Bay Avenue Community Center. It is located at 775 East Bay Avenue Manahawkin, New Jersey.

The short hand is there are three options on the table. Option 1 is Status Quo. This will not rebuild the stocks. Option 2 calls for an 18% reduction for the recreational sector and an 18% reduction by the commercial sector. This is the option I choose because it calls for a fair and equal reduction. Option 3 would require a 20% reduction for the recreational sector and only a 1.8% reduction for the commercial sector. Under Options 2 and 3 there are various sub-options. From what we hear, it is likely that the ASMFC will approve all or most of them.

Weakfish and blowfish continue to bite good in the bay. Yesterday store staffer Sam was fluke fishing the Barnegat Bay. He reported, “Lots of fluke still in the bay. Got 25 flounder up to 22″ fishing the outgoing tide. Water was 71 degrees. Live minnow and Gulp being bait of the day.”

Offshore Captain Jeff Warford had two good trips out at the edge. He said, “The fall bite is here!” One trip he got two allisons and a swordfish. He shared, “Two sickles came steaming across the spread all light up and crushed the baits. It was one of the best feeds I’ve witnessed.” The next trip out they caught seven large yellowfins (not allisons). He said, “Extra large yellowfin tuna blowing small mackerels out of the water right off the transom. There’s nothing better than hand feeding these hammers!”

Time flies when you are having fun! It’s shocking that the (unofficial) summer has come to an end. BUT! We are stoked for the weeks ahead.

Sept 1 = Holgate is open!

As of September 1 the Holgate Beach Buggy access is open. Beach conditions are good however with a solid north east blow coming it will be interesting to see how the area fares. The “new” Terminal Groin has really changed things. Only a few weeks back the ramp area was looking very bad at a time when it usually fills in with sand. It changed the way the current flows long shore and threatens the area south of it, beach and access ramp.

“All of the sand that was there last year is gone. The ramp was rebuilt back up against the dunes.” John P. reported on opening day (Sunday), “It’s good for now but might not last long. The sand is good, a little on the sugary side. As always, watch the tides! There’s a few sections that are impassible.” John went on and shared a fishing report from the south end. “I put in about two hours fishing and caught plenty of short fluke on bait and Gulp. Other anglers were catching too.” We got word that store staffer Joe C. got a keeper fluke in the mix.

On the fishing front these species are up for grabs… Bay: Blowfish, Blues, Weakfish, Fluke, resident bass, sheepshead… Inlet: Blues, Bass, Triggerfish, Tog, Fluke Surf: Kingfish, Fluke, Blues & Pompano… Inshore: Fluke, Sea Bass, Spanish Mackerel, Bonita. Offshore: Yellowfin Tuna (Some Allisons), Big Eye Tuna, Swordfish, White Marlin

The final days of August are here and the stage is set for a great September. The cool nights, recent North East blow (during the work week) and the ground swell on Thursday had strong FALL vibes shake things up. Here’s the Fisherman’s Headquarters Fishing LBI Fishing Report Update For Labor Day Weekend, Friday August 30th.

Get your fluke fix!

With only a couple weeks left now’s a great time to get some quality fluke fishing in. Reminder: The NJ recreational summer flounder season closes on September 21st.

This is the time of year when the fluke stage up in the ocean and fishing can be awesome. Recent reports were mixed with some saying great things but others saying poop. It seems that certain areas are holding fish while other areas are barren or loaded with sea robins. We expect it to be good right to the end.

Today local angler Chris stopped in and reported, “Got 11 keepers today fishing an ocean spot working 40′ of water.” Chris is a great angler and clearly dialed in!

Another good report came from Ryan Mollicone. He fished aboard the Jen Jen with Tyler Leary and his brothers. He said fishing at one of the local Long Beach Island reef sites was good but shorts ruled the roost, “We had a great fishing with over 40 fish. The hat color was salmon red. At times they are inhaling jigs.” Also at the reef and wrecks… some decent sea bass fishing.

Great Time For A Barnegat Bay Slam

Late August & September is one of the best times to seek out a Barnegat Bay Slam or better yet a Grand Slam! We reported on the fluke above.

Striped Bass Fishing On LBI

On the striped bass front there’s an abundance of resident striped bass in the local water. Very few off the surf, but the bay (especially at night) offers great opportunities. These linesiders have been around all summer long so we expect these same fish to stick around right into fall.

LBI Bluefish Report

Snappers and cocktails can be found at just about any area of water around LBI. From the street ends and docks on the bayside to the inlets and surf small bluefish are cruising and feeding. They are a ton of on light tackle.

LBI Weakfish Report

The weakfish are still going strong with reports from the north, mid and south end of the Island. The Fishing Musician Rick stopped in today and caught up with us. He’s been into a lot of fun fishing this summer and said the past week has been great on the bayside. He caught 15+ weakfish up to 21″, four this morning up to 20″ and most are eating very good as they are stuffed fat bellied fish. Rick’s go to secret is a 1/2oz lead head with a 5″ Jerk Shad.

Other Points of Interest

Kingfishing slowed due to the recent blow but we expect it will pick right back up. Blowfish is steady at the classic main bay areas. A teen size black drum was reported by a customer fishing the Ship Bottom Bayside. He also mentioned that the kids were having a blast catching snappers and one got a ribbon fish.

The Inlet still has sheepshead, triggerfish and tog. Andrew (photo below) stopped by to check in a 4.5# tog and a 5# triggerfish.

by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

The Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association held its annual fishing tournament recently for the youngsters who participated in this year’s Junior Mates Program. Five captains and boats of the Association volunteered their time to reward the junior mates with a day of competitive fishing.

Boats fishing this year’s event included the “Pension Plan,” “Reel Determined,” “Starfish,” “Hot Tuna,” “M & J,” and the “Insatiable.” There were many fish caught altogether with 16 fish kept for the weigh-in. These fish consisted of black sea bass and summer flounder. In third place on “Reel Determined” was first year mate Matt with a 2.68-pound fluke.

Second place was taken with a 2.78-pound fluke caught by Sam M. aboard the “Starfish. Taking first place was a 3.44-pound fluke caught by second year junior mate Owen aboard “Pension Plan.” The pool winner for the day was a 6.24-pound fluke caught by guest Vikki Graham aboard the “Insatiable.” The fish measured over 25-inches.

On regular fishing trips Captain Ray Lopez has been catching both fluke and black sea bass well on the “Miss Liane.” Recent successful trips featuring nonstop action on these bottom fish have included the Gibbons and McNally families. Another trip Captain Ray had the Holdenfied family out for a 12-hour trolling trip with mates Kieran and Max. The group enjoyed great weather and fishing conditions with constant action throughout the entire day catching giant false albacore, bonito and mahi-mahi.

The next few weeks look like good ones for fishing in the Beach Haven area. A month remains in the summer flounder season with the best fluke fishing of the season traditionally in September. In addition, the inshore trolling action for mackerel, bonito, and bluefish continues to amaze all.Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org.

I just spent the last six days in a row on the water, five of them at Barnegat Ridge, and it was a blast. Big bonita, up to six pounds, spanish mackerel, 18 to 24 inches, and false albacore, everything from midgets to jumbos. Every once in a while we are also adding king mackerel and mahi mahi to the catch. We even had a four foot houndfish crash one of our cedar plugs yesterday. We took a few pics and released it. The mix of species on the Ridge offers great sport and delicious eats! Mostly on the high speed troll but we are mixing in some spinning tackle to keep it light and fun. Little squid chains and cedar plugs are doing well for us.

If conditions are not right to go to the Ridge, we are catching two to four foot sharks only 4 miles offshore. This is a catch and release fishery. These fish tear line off of heavy spinning outfits. Mostly Atlantic sharpnose, spinners, blacktips, and an occasional bigger dusky shark. A few pics alongside the boat with you in the background and off he goes.

If the weather isn’t good for going out the inlet at all, we are catching a mixed bag right in the bay. Fluke, blowfish, weakfish, sand sharks, and an assortment of other species. Not a lot of weakfish, but we’re catching a few.

If it’s really nice, like 5 to 10 knots of wind and calm seas, we can go tuna hunting. Most likely in the 40 to 60 mile range. Lots of choices!

Open Boat to Barnegat Ridge Thursday August 22, 10AM to 4PM $150 person. Open Boat Tuna or Barnegat Ridge Saturday August 24 and Sunday August 25. If it’s Mid Range Tuna, we”ll sail 4AM to 4PM, $350 person. If it’s Barnegat Ridge, we”ll sail 7AM to 2PM, $175 person. It will depend on the weather and how many people want to do one or the other. All of the Open Boat trip dates are available for your own private charter, as well. All Open Boat trips are limited to four passengers and all fish are shared.  You can call right up until “go time”!