LBI Fishing Report Update – November 8, 2018

A QUALITY body of fish moved into our waters! The awesome striped bass fishing that was cranking in the state’s northern waters continues AND it has slid down into our waters. The fishing today was our best day yet!

It’s on!!!

Store staffers Max and Kelley were on the water and got into ’em good. They both cranked on some quality fish today. Max (photo below) reported, “Rough seas early  We put the bow into some rough seas early but found fish and had a good day. We released some pigs!”

Justin Marti upped his personal best… While out trolling on a solo mission he hooked into and landed a 49.56 pound striped bass.

Ryan Horton a good 35 pound bass on the troll this morning.

Dan Seagull was also in on the striped bass action.

Captain Billy on the Reel Trouble stopped in for a new Magictail Mojo. While here he shared, “Great fishing today! We limited out with overs and unders!” His schedule is almost booking up but there are a few dates available. Give Captain Billy a call ( 6097090226 ) and jump aboard.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

On the LBI surf more fish are showing and it’s only getting better. The reports of striped bass are becoming more consistent.

One customer in the shop today reported, “Last night I caught a fat 26″ bass chunking bunker.”

There was one report of a few bass at the Barnegat Light Jetty. Also there… tog. The BL tog fishing report has been on the slow side but some anglers are putting in the time and catching. While it is getting late in the prime time land based season, it is not over. The water clarity and rough weather has made unsettled. We expect good fishing if and when things clear up.

Fish Head Charters

Here’s an update… A few days ago I got a call from Chris from Madison, NJ, “Any days open next week? I would like to get out on the water with my son.” Only having a day later in the week I suggested we go Thursday because the weather looked good. It turns out we set up a double; an evening trip then a morning session. Wednesday afternoon/evening trip started off right with Chris landing a nice striped bass on one of his first 10 casts. It went for a Rapala X-Rap swimming plug.  Unfortunately that was the only fish of the two hour session.

It was our goal to put 12 year old Matt (Chris’s son) on his first striped bass. Since my Wednesday morning trip was a skunk session, I had to prepared for Thursday’s morning trip with real expectations. Knowing the father and son were staying in town for the night I suggested we got for a short night shift trip. Fortunately we did! Matt earned his first striped bass! (below) We fished for about an hour total and called it a night.

Our good morning greet from an stiff northerly wind gave us a dicey morning commute to the fishing grounds. We wanted to go back and hunt the same waters as Wednesday but the conditions had us second guessing. We ended up running to IBSP’s Bather’s Beach and starting there. With scattered bait and a few gannets roaming high over head things were looking good but it was a slow first hour or two. A friend picked a fish trolling by us and gave a call. [Thank You Ryan!] Still no luck for us. With conditions improving slightly we made the move further north to where I fished Wednesday and where I wanted to originally start the day. It turns out store staffers Max and Kelley called us in on a bite just a short ways away. They put us on the mother load. Our screen was looking good all morning but this area was the real deal. Big patches of bunker with also scattered bait reading and beautiful big bass boomerangs.

In short time we had three good shots. The first bite came on a plug/mojo combo (Custom Deep Diver Pikie by Blake at Cedar Run Lures fished above a white Magictail Mojo). 12 year old Matt took the rod and cranked in his second striped bass like a pro surfing it right into the net. This 26-28 pound (on Boga Grip) fish was perfect for the diner table and into the cooler it went.  About ten minutes later the extra heavy Tony Maja spoon goes screaming. This time Chris went to work and cranked up a bigger bass. This one was released to swim another day. About 15 minutes later the plug/mojo combo had a good hit but after a second or two it came loose.

I found all of our bites came ON THE BOTTOM. Maybe others caught else where but for us all bites were down deep. Talking to numerous customers in the shop some boats did very good and surprisingly a lot of boats got the skunk. The new moon current and rough sea surface conditions require a little extra attention. Minor adjustments to my routine trolling spread got us down and in the zone. Finding and working the mother load also was a key ingredient to the success.

LBI Surf Fishing Report Update – November 7, 2018

John Sanford from Barnegat stopped in for bait this morning. While here he asked for a suggestion and store staffer Joe pointed him in the right direction. John reported, “It was slow but I fished my bait out. One of my last chunks got the bite.” Turns out it was a 35″ 17.86 pound striped bass.

LBI Surf Fishing Report – November 6, 2018

Shop regular Tom stopped in the shop this morning. He got a nice bass off the surf this morning. He tagged a 22lb bass and released it. This would have taken the lead in the surf tournament but Tom is confident he’ll get a much bigger bass. He re-upped with fresh bunker and is heading back out on the water. He’s on the hunt!

As far as the surf tournament goes… John Gallen took the lead today with a 14.88 pound bass on bunker mid-island surf.

For results on the LBI Surf Fishing Tournament www.LBIFT.com

LBI Fishing Report Update – November 4, 2018

The first few days of November offered tough conditions but some fish were caught. It’s great to see some quality fish showing up. We just now need the weather to cooperate.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

Fish are moving into our local water but are still waiting for them to hit the beach. Still only a few surf side stripers.

As far as an update from the LBI Surf Fishing Classic… A couple fish were caught off the mid island surf. Wendy Essinger got an 8 pound bass fishing bunker late morning. James Worobetz got a 10 pound bass on clam yesterday afternoon. A few days ago Chris Masino got a seven and a half pounder on a plug.

At the time of this post the Top Three Fish are all under eleven pounds but with bigger fish moving in this should change very soon.

Another ASAC Surf Fishing Tournament went down on Saturday. The anglers battled some fierce winds and rough up surf.  Greg O’Connell reported, “It was brutal!  One Striped bass 18″ and three sand sharks.”

LBI Boat Fishing Report

Some great reports flowing in from the local boats fishing up the beach! Not epic fishing but a pick of nice fish non the less.

Despite the very poor weather, the Maximilian Foundation Fishing Tournament went down this weekend and there were surprisingly good results; 15 bass weighed in with Son Of A Fish’s 43.5 pound fish taking the win.

Fish Head Charters

Finally got back out after tied up for too many days due to weather. We decided to opt against the troll and fish the waters where we had loads of fish (small but active fun) previously. Unfortunately we were greeted with water like PORTER! Things were not good. We tried a few different areas with lures and live bait but no love. To make the most of the day we called it early and rescheduled.  I’m tossing this up because I got an email two weeks ago asking, “You only post the good reports. Why not share to poor ones?” Right now I’m looking forward to redemption!

Halloween Fishing Report Update

Happy Halloween!!! Here’s the Halloween Fishing Report Update for October 31, 2018

It’s finally here… what we call the meat of the fall run, Halloween to Thanksgiving. Sure enough, right on time, the fish showed up. And some nice ones at that! We are looking forward to awesome fishing ahead. Let’s get in the game.

Both today and yesterday talk from the boats were good, “large striped bass feeding on bunker.” Anglers live lining and trolling caught fish. Most of this action was from Seaside north but soon these migrating fish will fill into the local waters of Long Beach Island.

Here’s two solid boat fishing reports today. Shop Alumni Yonnie got a 25 pound striped bass fishing off Seaside this morning. Bill Shoemaker weighed in a 35 pound striped bass he caught on snag and drop.

LBI Land Based Fishing Report

Anglers fishing crabs are catching tog. This bite has been good for well over a month and still continues to be productive. We expect tog fishing to continue on strong.

Today a new leader is on the board for the LBI Surf Fishing Classic! TJ Loughran Jr got a 10.98 pound striped bass this morning off the mid island. He caught it on bunker. John Chrzanowski’s 9.42 pound striped bass (caught on 10/26) hold second place.

Fish Head Charter Report Update

I had a fun night session with Kelley and Blake last night. We checked out some night time haunts on the boat and found a couple hungry striped bass.

My most recent trip out before last night was on Friday before the blow. I had Lee and Seth from SaltwaterHeartFishing aboard for a dawn patrol session. The trip started off hot and stayed that way all all day. Lee and Seth traded off one after the other with numerous double ups.  Lee was high hook in the early part of the trip bucktailing but later in the day Seth caught up and he dialed in on an X-Rap lure from Rapala.

It was a great day (best quality fishing on the Fish Head this fall). I look forward to having the brothers aboard a couple more times this fall!

With the new arrivals hungry I’m stoked for the run. I’ll be out fishing every chance I can get. Jump aboard Fish Head Charters and get in on the fun!

Upcoming Boat Fishing Tournament

The 4th Annual Maximilian Foundation Fishing Tournament & Fish Fry is this weekend, Saturday November 3rd. Support this great event which helps our great community with drug awareness and prevention. We have our fingers crossed for good weather. Even if it’s sour, the party will be rocking with live music, local craft beer, special drawings and an auction table.

LBI Fishing Report Update – October 25, 2018

The cold air filled in early this fall but us anglers are fine with it! There’s fat ones showing up in our waters. For over a week the northern part of the state has produced big striped and soon these cows will come home. Some better fish are already showing! If you didn’t already… now’s the time to get things in order. You best be prepared.

Wednesday was the Hunter’s Moon. It was said to have helped illuminate game for hunters but in our book it’s the Fishing Moon! On the Jersey Shores this is a time when the mullet run ends, other baits (spearing, bay anchovies, peanut bunker) make a move, adult bunker pod up and migrating striped bass begin to arrive and take hold in our waters.

This weekend’s coastal storm will produce hazardous conditions for mariners but a setup that surf rats dream about! Such a bummer for the striped bass boat anglers because this weekend is the Sea Shell Striped Bass Derby.  This tournament is well know for being held in some rough weather. Looks like this year will be another one.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

The LBI surf temperatures are just now breaking below the 60 degree mark. All week it was in the low 60’s (61-21) but today (10/25) we got a 59 degree reading. As the fall progresses it’s only going down and prime time striped bass fishing awaits. The mullet run is just about over but there are still a few late stragglers running the shoreline.

A few recent striped bass surf reports…

One customer (who would like to remain anonymous) playing hooky from work Wednesday got two short striped bass. A few days prior another angler Mike Mitryk got a couple bass plugging sunset on the surf. One was a griller, just making 28″ mark.

Better fish are filling into our waters but we’ve yet to see a quality harvest. We expect to see a good weigh in soon. So far the best catch we’ve heard about from the LBI surf came in today.

A local angler from Manahawkin, Ed Gorleski stopped in and shared a nice report, “Fishing the mid-island surf I caught and released a 32″ bass on an SP Minnow lures. It was my only fish.”

More info from the LBI Surf… Last Weekend (Saturday) was Merchantville’s ASAC Surf Tournament on the beaches of LBI. It was tough to get excited about fishing for small stuff when it’s raining and blowing, so attendance was off from last year. The catches were mostly 12-18” bluefish. There were a couple kingfish, one weakfish and a sundial. The top teams were; 1- RH Rods, 2- Surf & Land “B” Team, 3- American Angler.  The largest fish was an 18″ bluefish caught by Shane Ranier. Nick Frungillo took the most points Calcutta. For the women’s division, Margie Skelly had the most fish points and biggest with a 16” blue. Val Vischoric took most points and largest fish for youth.

Fish Head Charters

I was on the on the water Monday with store staffer Max. Right off the bat we were into a couple striped bass and bluefish on plugs. It was a quick first light bite so we took a look for albies. Found bait but no footballs feeding.  Everything seems to be scattered.  After looking around we ran way up the beach. We found some good looking bunker pods but passed them up in search of albies. Finally found some fast moving pop-up feeds where we caught bonita but no greenies.  On our way back in we took a look at some bayside spots and found small bass.

Wednesday (10/24) Brooks from Cortland Line Co was aboard for a morning fly session. We took a look up the beach and found bait stacked. No sooner it came alive with albies. The powerful westerly winds made fly casting very difficult but with proper boat positioning we made it happen. In my opinion there’s nothing better than catching false albacore on light tackle.

Today Thursday (10/25) started off active with healthy bonus tag size (24-28″) striped bass. Both Max and I had these stripers eating bucktails. It was awesome to see that two or three were keeper size fish. After catching about a dozen we switched gears and looked for albies. As far as quantity it was nothing like yesterday but greenies were present. The feeds were quick and small but Max managed to get hooked up with only a few tried. He then the wheel so I could work the long rod. Despite having a number of good opportunities I couldn’t connect.

LBI Fishing Report Update – October 19, 2018

Here’s a quick report update to supplement yesterday’s comprehensive low down on the fishing front.

The crew aboard Fish Head Charters had a great morning trip. It started off with a good dawn patrol bite. We had some small blues and schoolie bass on light tackle. Blowups on poppers and I had one bite on the fly rod but dropped it. Blake was dialed in and got four bass on a lead head tipped with a softbait. After having a solid half hour of fun we decided to make a move and look out front. A short run and found the same bait that’s been stacked up for weeks but this time… it was frothy! Albies busting!!!

Long story short, the bite was on!  Lots of fun with tight lines with screaming drags.  Things got frustrating once the run and gun crowd showed up zig-zagging in every which direction with no patience or respect.  Luckily we already had enough fun and called it a day. I could care less if someone idles by and bumps the boat. But snow plowing through with motors screaming and wake swamping is just inconsiderate.

Got a report from a friend who was fishing close by to us and he jigged up two striped bass. With a couple big piles of bunker, an active whale and brown clouds of anchovies it’s on!

Gotta match the hatch!!! Top: Live Anchovies – Bottom: Hand Tied Anchovies Imitation by me.

Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Captain John Lewis of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association, who runs the charter boat “Insatiable” out of Morrison’s Marina, is walking around with a smile on his face. Captain John says to all who hear him, “The ocean temperatures are finally dropping so the bass cannot be far behind.

There are reports of big bass to the north of Long Beach Island feeding on schools of bunker, and these bass should be off Beach Haven any day now. Between the cool weather dropping water temperatures, and northwest winds driving baitfish from the bay waters into the ocean, a perfect recipe seems to be forming for striped bass action.

There are currently good numbers of bass in the bay waters, but they seem to be mostly schoolie size fish. The bigger bass are in the ocean and will be caught in two primary ways. Many captains will look for schools of bunker and work their magic with the “snag and drop” technique whereby live bunker are snagged and used immediately as bass candy. The other method is trolling lures such as bunker spoons or Mojos to attract action. Either way, the fish will be in the 25-40 pound category right now.

In other BHCFA action, Captain Ray Lopez had the “Miss Liane” out recently looking for tuna and mahi. They left the boat at 3am and once they set up on the troll, they had two fish on immediately. Throughout the day the crew landed over 15 fish for an action packed day.

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

Land Based Tog Fishing On LBI

The backwaters of Long Beach Island offer productive fishing opportunities all fall.  Right now there’s good fishing (no quality size that we’ve heard about yet) along the sod banks, flats and thoroughfares.

Land based anglers are catching on the Island’s westside. The various nighttime haunts (docks, bulkheads, lights) are all a good bet. Be sure to check out these areas with the right ammunition… Storm Swim Shads, Kettle Creek Paddle Tails, small bucktails like the Magic Tail Teardrops alway do the trick.

With a light tackle approach fishing plugs these fish are a  be tons of fun! These school size striped bass will soon increase in size when the migrating fish show up.

The blowfish continue but fill the cooler reports have slowed. There’s still time to get out and enjoy the awesome showing of puffer we had this season. Land based anglers are picking too, photo above.

Inshore Fishing Report

Better fish are starting to show! Two Fish Head’s alumni caught some quality this week. Both were fishing the waters of Monmouth County. Very soon some of these will be close to LBI.

First Mike Kelly was fishing on Monday and trolled up this pig!

Then Tuesday Dan was out on the water and had an awesome evening session. He reported, “We trolled and picked up two fish then on the way home we came across bunker pods and it came alive. The top water bite was really good on the Big Bone Doc!!!” Photo below

Inshore fishing is currently made up of good bottom fishing at wrecks and reef sites. Sea bass, tog, porgies and triggerfish are on the snags.

Ryan Warford was out recently and hit a few wrecks. He reported, “Lots of fish at all three wrecks we fished! We caught about 200 sea bass, only 10 keepers, five porgies and albies out the wazoo.”

We got word from a few different anglers the Hogy Epoxy jigs are dynamite on both the sea bass jigging and casting to the false albacore. We just got a restocking delivery in today. Stop in if you need some. Sorry we don’t have enough for online sales.

Albies are around in the local waters.

Jersey’s Big Game Fishing Report

It’s that time of year when the bluefin tuna come in close as they migrate south. But it’s also the time that weather windows get short. Traditionally speaking Halloween to Thanksgiving and a week or two after is the best time to look for them. The Jersey Coast’s waters from 3 to 30 miles can be productive. Popping as well as jig, chunk and trolling will catch these powerful creatures. By far popping is the most challenging but also rewarding. For those who have not caught a tuna on a popper you have to seek out this exhilarating experience.

This year it looks like they are ahead of schedule. Tuna showed up strong on the inshore grounds and a number of boats got into the action! Before this blow, strong bluefin tuna reports came in from all over. Good new from the Mudhole – Glory Hole, Chicken Canyon and also Lemkies. We heard one report of tuna outside of the Barnegat Ridge.

LBI Fishing Report Update – October 10, 2018

We got the call late morning… “Tons of albies out front!”All along the beach albies, mackerel, blues and weakfish. Lots of bird plays with active fish underneath. Looks like things are coming together. Bummer we have some poor weather tomorrow.

Bunker delivery came in and with it came a solid report of cobia. They are still around and in good numbers!

Tog fishing at the Barnegat Inlet continues strong! Chet Kosarek sent in this report, “Tog at inlet! You have to pick through a lot of shorts but they are everywhere. I fished Sunday and Monday and both days caught a bunch.”

Jack “Skiff” was in the shop today and shared the same report, “Fishing is good with lots of tog at the rocks.”

In the bay, blowfish are still thick! Customers in the store today raved on really good “fill the cooler” type fishing.

Fish Head Charters Fishing Video

Late September was really good to the anglers on Fish Head Charters. Here’s a link to a short video from one trip. This day we had light winds with a residual ground swell and mullet pouring out of the Barnegat Inlet. It was a hot bite for about an hour around the top of the tide.

Fresh Lures In!!!

Yesterday a new spread of Super Strike Lures arrived. We got them up on the wall today and they are ready for the fall run. Are you?