A Long Beach Island native with life long experience fishing and navigating the local waters, Greg is a distinguished Master Captain (the highest qualified operator license), holding a US Coast Guard Masters 50T Near Coastal License with Towing Endorsement. Raised in and now managing his family's bait and tackle business, Fishermans Headquarters (Since 1962, The Saltwater Fishing Bait & Tackle Experts) Greg is daily immersed in fishing. He is the Chief Contributor of FishingLBI.com (Long Beach Island's best fishing report blog) as well as the Admin for the shop's social media pages (on Instagram and Facebook). Be sure to follow!
American’s will never forget 9/11. 17 years later we remember the victims and first responders who sacrificed their life for others.
This hard north east blow jump started the fall fishing and has things moving around. Mullet are active! We got out first delivery of fresh finger mullet yesterday (Monday September 10th). Our second came in today. One Saturday and Sunday two separate reports talked that they were schooled up and pushing around. This might be one of the earlier run we’ve seen in recent years. Let’s hope it goes all month!
The past few days were very poor weather wise. Very few reports came in but those that did were positive. Lots of bait and blowfish, bluefish, striped bass. Today one customer stopped in the shop today and purchased a new rod. He said the blues are chewing on the surf, “We did good from 9-11 around the high tide. Once the tide started dropping it took too much weight to hold and we packed it in. Gonna try again tomorrow.”
Grey Colston enjoyed his last few days of summer (before heading back to school today) fishing in the rain. Grey and his buddy battled sour conditions but caught fish. The young bucks reported an awesome blowfish bite near the Causeway Bridges. “We caught a bunch over the weekend. Got three dozen Saturday morning. The bite continued on Monday. We caught peanut bunker and fished them live for bluefish. Also caught two schoolie bass.”
While down in Holgate this morning surfing I noticed the chain was up. Holgate 4×4 access is closed due to hazardous weather conditions.
Before the weather turned, Richy was fluke fishing aboard the “Always Bent” with Chris O’Neill. They caught a good spread of fluke and this ribbonfish – cutlassfish it ate a Gulp 6″ grub.
September started off with great weather and awesome fishing. From back bay to the surf and the inshore to offshore fishing was cranking with too many species to mention! Then this weekend came around and put a clamp on things with a big shift in weather.
Today was the last nice day with things going down hill Saturday and Sunday. A strong north east blow dominates this weekend from the combination of a stalled frontal boundary to our south, with high pressure to our north and Gordon’s ghost(remnants). While on the topic of weather… We All Must Keep An Eye On All Of Flo’s Updates!
Fluke Fishing
This week ocean fluke fishing was good. The reefs and wrecks as well as open bottom produced quality catches and good number of small to medium size fish. Some boats are finding the biggins! The crew aboard the Jen Jen has been dialed in on the inshore wrecks.
Today Matt “Swagmatic” weighed in a 6.2 pound fluke. He caught it drifting live snappers in the ocean. He said fishing slowed down from his last outting, “I only got two other fish; a short sea bass and a short sea bass. I was fishing large baits looking for quality but I expected a little more action.”
A few days ago Zach Michot had a solid day of fluke fishing with five keepers and lots of shorts.
Magictail products catch quality fish!
Surf Fishing
Reports from the BL Jetty this week were strong. The triggers, sheepshead tog and blues are there. A few striped bass were caught in the golden low light hours.
As of today Friday Sept 7, 2018 4×4 beach buggy anglers are still waiting for the entire stretch of the Holgate beach to open. It’s accessible from the entrance down about 2.5 miles. This past work week has offered anglers good sessions and the reports from down that way are good. Some anglers are catching 20+ fish each sessions with one to two keepers in the mix. Light bucktails (3/8oz, 1/2oz, 3/4oz) are working best for the (previously) calm conditions.
Rob Vallone stopped in the shop twice today for live bloodworms and reported the kingfish bite is on. “I blew through bloods catching a bunch of kingfish. Kept 16 for the table and caught lots more. Other anglers were catching too. I also got two keeper fluke. I’ll be back out there in the morning.” Robbie had some good fishing on previous outings. He recently got a 23″ fluke as well as a rudderfish and some small blues.
Bayside Fishing
Rick “The Fishing Musician” gave us a great report! He stopped in and shared, “I’m starting to hook up some nice size weakfish! I’m picking at both fluke and weakfish fishing the bayside with a small lead head jig rigged with a Gulp Jerk Shad. It’s really nice and peaceful with little traffic. What a difference a week makes!”
Blowfish continue to offer good fun fishing in the bay.
Offshore Big Game Fishing
This week’s yellowfin tuna and white marlin bite was off the charts good! The white bite was of epic proportions! We got word from many different customer in the shop loading up on small ballyhoo, chin weights, circle hooks and leader. The Hudson and the Toms were lit up! “Whites in the spread all day!” One boat said they didn’t have enough release flags to fly on the way in. Most boats are releasing 10-30+ a day!
The yellowfin bite all week was on fire east of the Triple Wrecks. Boats fishing about 55-60 miles out of Barngat Light were into fish for 5-7 days straight jigging, chunking and some days popping. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all out murder scenes. Some days jigging and popping were working, other days chunking and live bait previaled!
I was fortunate enough to get the invite on Tuesday to jump on with Captain Jeff Warford. We had a great trip stacking the box with yellowbirds in the 20-50 pound range. We got them all chunking and working live baits (peanut bunker). In total we killed 8 and a nice mahi. We could have stayed all day and sunk the boat in fish. Highlight of the trip was putting store staffer Kelley on his first tuna.
Here’s Kelley with a good spread of yellowfin.
Store staffer Blake was out on the grounds Wednesday and slaughtered the yellowbirds with a boat limit by 10am. They tried high speeding for wahoo without a touch but then switched over to mahi and boxed over a dozen.
Ryan Kelley was out on the hunt Wednesday too. He got five jigging.
Juston Hess…was out recently sharking about 10 miles out.. caught this mahi on a 20/0 circle hook and wire leader and a whole bunker.
Beach Haven Charter Fishing Report Update Sept 6, 2018
~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.
Labor Day weekend at the New Jersey shore is pretty much the traditional end of summer, but it certainly does not mean the end of summer fishing for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Association. Rather, the captains are experiencing some of the best fluke fishing of the year as they fish out the final weeks of the fluke season.
To celebrate Labor Day weekend, the Senker Family and AVH Demolition jumped onboard the “Miss Liane” with Captain Ray Lopez for an offshore charter. By mid morning, the Senker’s son reeled in a 50 pound plus bluefin tuna. The bite didn’t as the eager anglers caught 5 mahi-mahi also. Another day the Crotty family joined Captain Ray for a day of fishing off Barnegat Light doing some bottom fishing. Throughout the day 8 year old Conor caught a keeper fluke for his family and along with numerous black sea bass.
On the boat “Starfish” with Captain Carl Sheppard and mate Marlyn Graham there has been some good fishing for bonita within 2 miles of the beach. They trolled their favorite lures at different depths to score on bonita ranging from 6-8 pounds. The fish have been swimming in with the snapper bluefish along with the mackerel. The water is warm enough for the wildcards from the south.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.bhcfa.net.
Labor Day Weekend Fishing Report for Long Beach Island and Surrounding Waters
Time flies when you are having fun and this summer madness is coming to an end. We can’t believe it’s already here… Labor Day Weekend. Students are bumming for back to school but anglers are stoked for the fall fishing ahead. The past couple of days have really felt like fall with cool nights and a north east wind. Before we know it the mullet will make a move and the run will be on!
4×4 Beach Buggy Anglers Rejoice!
September means Holgate beach access is open. The Holgate Unit of Edwin B Forsythe opened as scheduled on September 1st. John Parzych said the beach is good. “Everything is good down here in Holgate. The ramp is solid and beach conditions are great.” Currently there’s some beautiful water and some of the best looking structure in recent years. As of yesterday, the entire stretch of beach isn’t open. Around about marker 10 there’s a big orange “keep out” sign, no access beyond this point. Word on the street… there’s a couple black skimmer nests. Unfortunate the local Holgate minks found them and are eating the eggs. The feds are out there checking and once clear the entire stretch will be open.
John P reported, “I put some time in and got some short fluke and snapper blues. Nothing great but finding fish. I tried for kingfish but nothing.”
Rob Vallone was down on the south end. He shared, “There was a handful of trucks out there enjoying the day. I got 14 shorts and one 20″ keeper. Also got 10 blues too.”
Bayside Fishing
Long time customer and soon to be neighbors (moving to Ship Bottom) Vince reports, “Great back bay action this week! I found good action on the mid-Island bayside via kayak. Fishing the grass banks and bayside structures with light tackle I caught blackfish and triggerfish. I also lost a really nice drum about 15+ pounds. Snappers are chewing left and right.”
The snappers and blowfish continue to rule the bay. These two offer lots of fun for anglers and the latter provides great table fare. The bay still holds fluke and a new addition… weakfish. These are showing in better numbers.
Still some keeper fluke in the bay! George Snyder stopped in today to re-up on tackle. He said, “The past couple days I went through more Gulp! that I have all summer long. The blowfish are thick. We fought through them and fortunately managed five keeper fluke.
Fluke Fishing
The end of the 2018 Fluke season is quickly approaching with only 20 days left (Sept 22nd). While that’s the bad news, the good news is the bite is good! Recent reports are great with sizeable fluke coming over the rail. Larger baits reigned supreme to weeding out the shorts are getting the good ones. Gulp! baits in the 5-6.5″ range are best; Grubs, Swim Mullets and Nemesis. Magictail Bucktails Squid Hoochies tipped with Gulp are outproducing almost irresistible to fluke.
Store staffer Dave was out on the reef today. He reported, “Got about 50 fish. The bite was on. Only got three keepers, largest was a 25″ 6.5 pounds. Got it on a Tsunami Holo Teaser tipped off with Gulp! We also had super small albies on a small metal, Deadly Dick. These are great for strip baits!”
Inshore Fishing
Maybe bottom fishing does not entertain. That’s ok because there’s lots of other inshore fishing. If trolling or casting lures is more of your things… There’s TONS of bluefish up to 5 pounds are littered just off the beaches. Mixed in with the toothy critters are some tasty Bonita and multiple species of mackerel. Even mahi mahi are in the local waters. Numerous reports from the Barnegat Ridge.
These species can be targeted cast and retrieve with a 3/4oz to 2oz metal. The slender choices such as the Kastmaster XL and the Deadly Dick are best. When not schooled up, the most effective way to catch the mixed bag of pelagics is to troll. The most popular lures for trolling these guys is small spoons. We just restocked with Clark Spoons and LB Huntington Drone Spoons. Whether trolled behind a small planer board or behind a 4-8 ounce drail, the possibilities are endless to what you might hook into.
Inshore and closer to shore/rocks… tog, sheepshead, triggerfish and black drum are still here. Most are tucked up into the cracks and crevices on the Barnegat Light Jetty rocks, but there are other areas holding these fish on the south end and mid-Island bayside. Anglers targeting these species are fishing crabs rigged up on a single or double hook rig and also on specifically designed heavy hook short shank jig heads like the Magictail Tog Jigs. Rigging a crab on a Magictail Tog Jig is a sure-fire way to catch anything lurking in the jetty rocks.
Rumor has it some pompano are around too!
Also more and more reports of cobia!
Shark Fishing
The near shore and from shore shark fishing continues to be red hot off the oceanside beaches and bay side sod banks. Brown sharks and sand tigers have offered line pulling fun all summer long. Now with the surf temperatures at their warmest (78 degrees this afternoon), new characters are making their presence known. These black tips and spinners guys are getting the bunker pods frothy! Some days they were on top corralling and feeding.
We have rigs ready to rock for both anglers that are casting and paddling out. Gear up and get into the hardest fighting fish out there!
Those going up must know the law! Brown sharks and sand tigers are both species that are prohibited to be possessed. These species are not allowed to be landed and must be released. Do so in a safe and responsible manner. Be careful! We got news a surf angler needed lots of stitches after getting too close.
One customer in the shop yesterday geared up and had some fun. He stopped back in today and reported, “Seven brown sharks last night. All on the surf with live eels. Lost one good fish. Heading back tonight to try to find that one.”
Offshore Fishing
Offshore fishing continues to be good with fish on the troll, chunk, jig and pop. The main canyons (numerous reports out of the Hudson) have produced very good marlin action. Customers in the store reported both white marlin and blue marlin are here in good numbers. One boat released 18 whites on their last trip and said that other boats did better.
Sonny Shepanski shared this quick story while at the shop. “Last trip out we hooked up a small fish and handed the rod to a kid on aboard. Turns out to be a mahi. As it gets close to the boat we get ready to sling it in. Before we know it a big blue marlin explodes and the rod goes screaming! It grey hounds two times and spits the hook. It was an epic take!”
Fish Head alumni Mike Kelly had a really good recent trip with 24 white marlin releases but no luck on tuna. The action was crazy! At time there were 6-10 whites in the spread. The new Penn VI Series International reels performed flawlessly.
Bluefin and yellowfin are on the chew. Seems like the bluefin are cruising the 20-40 fathom areas. The yellowbird are hanging a little further off. The Yo-Zuri Hydro Poppers and the new Daiwa Mebachi Poppers are crushing tuna on top. Be sure to get out there and experience some of the best tuna fishing we have had in recent years. There’s still prime time fishing approaching.
Here’s Ryan DeGraw with a beautiful tuna he recently got.
Justin Swanson got into some good mahi mahi action aboard the Just N Tyme.
Lost & Found
From Paul Haertel, “Please post to your page… Friend was fishing Barnegat Inlet today and pulled up a spear gun in good condition. If anyone lost one an can identify it he will give it back to the owner.”
Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Fishing Report Update August 30, 2018
by Jim Hutchinson Sr.
As summer in Beach Haven nears its end, the inshore fluke action is reaching its peak for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. The fish are large and plentiful around almost any type of structure in the ocean. The season will continue until September 22.
Captain John Lewis on the “Insatiable” reports weather, clients and fish all came together for a busy and successful week. Every trip produced keeper fluke, many of which were 20-23 inches long, and plenty of shorts to keep everyone occupied. Additionally, there were a lot of small sharks to make it exciting.
Captain Jimmy Zavacky got in on some of the torrid fluke action recently on the “Reel Determined” with the Arnold group. He and fellow BHCFA Captain Ray Lopez helped the group fight some rough seas to boat 10 keeper fluke along with some black sea bass and a bluefish. Another day the Robertson crew also managed 10 keeper fluke for a great day on the water.
Captain Ray Lopez had the Rietmann family out on the “Miss Liane” for a day of non-stop trolling experiencing knockdowns every few minutes. The crew returned to shore with 7 nice mahi. Another day the Andrew Simon charter combined some trolling with bottom fishing. They picked up a few fish on the troll along with some fluke.
The Junior Mates of the BHCFA had a large role in the recent 3rd Annual Fluke-A-Mania tournament benefitting the fight against cystic fibrosis. Several association boats were filled with junior mates fishing in the event, and the teens later assisted at the awards ceremony and even cleaning the fish. Three BHCFA mates swept the junior angler division with Tyler Spicer first, Max Goldman second and Aiden Hunsberger third. Association boats “Reel Determined,” “Miss Liane” and “Insatiable” along some mates’ family boats participated.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.com.
Late summer is a great time to fish Long Beach Island and the Central Jersey Coast. Whether drifting the bay, walking the surf or looking deep offshore, there’s no better time to go saltwater fishing. Introduce family and friends to the sport with an experience that can’t be beat!
Currently the abundance and variety of species is mind boggling. It’s keeping ichthyologist on their toes.
Land Based Fishing
Anglers with boots on the ground, fishing the waters of Long Beach Island in the summer usually target fluke, bluefish, weakfish, striped bass and kingfish. All of these game fish are currently here, with so many more.
Anthony Smith stopped in the shop again (see Aug 15th report) with a great catch. The Jetty Jockey slammed them again… triggerfish, black drum and sheepshead! He had two black drum both about 10 pounds, an 8 pound sheepshead as well as some good size triggerfish. He also caught a couple of short tog. Anthony report, “I got a big weakfish and a couple fat kingfish of the surf last time out.”
Other land based anglers fishing the Barnegat Inlet are catching bluefish, fluke and resident striped bass.
On the surf anglers are catching fluke, kingfish and blues.
Ocean Fluke Fishing
Late summer is the best time ocean fluke fishing. When the drift is good the fishing is good too. Some reports are good while some are spotty.
Joe Medica reported a great day on the water Friday, “18.5, 21 and a 25 inch 5 pounder. We also had a ton of throwbacks.”
The crew from the Jen-Jen stopped in. They fished the Garden State North and had six keeper fluke as well as some keeper sea bass. They reported, “We had wind against tide. Power drifting made it happen!”
Talk in the shop over the weekend was buzzing about a good bite at the Garden State South and Little Egg Reef. There was talk about boat limits from both reef sites.
Here’s a photo of shop regular Bob Long with a pool winner. Bob took the trip north to the Land Of Doormat aka Nantucket and was rewarded with solid two days of fishing.
In The Bay
Blowfish action continues in the bay. Anglers reported struggling due to the weekend boat traffic but still caught. Snappers and small fluke add to the action.
Crabbing was good last week but slowed into the weekend. We expect it to pick up again as we come down off the full moon. Traditionally crabbing can be difficult near the full moon as crabs do not eat as much. The summertime moons are their shedding and mating time. Year’s biggest softies!
Shark Fishing
The shark fishing is on fire. Both in the bay and the ocean brown sharks offer anglers lots of catch and release fun. Other sharks are here in good numbers too. Sand tigers, black tip, spinners and threshers are being caught.
Mark Temme was wrestling thresher sharks on his stand up paddle board. He went 0 for 7 snag and drop fishing Sunday.
Inshore & Mid Shore Fishing
Bonita, mahi, mackerel (spanish, chum, king), cobia, pilot fish, banded rudders and almaco jacks are near. Anglers are catching trolling, chunking and casting lures to hook up.
Here’s store staffer Kelley with a bonita he caught on a Deadly Dick Lure.
Store staffer Dave was out on the water Saturday morning and got a nice cobia not far off LBI. It went for a live eel. Dave and crew also caught one small mahi about 5 pounds, some fluke and sea bass.
The bounty of bones are giving up awesome light tackle fun. This insane inshore fishery continues on. An abundance of bonita and chub mackerel are found from the beach all the way out to 15+ miles.
The mid range tuna grounds are producing. Both yellowfin and bluefin tuna are 30-50 miles off. Boats are trolling and chunking are hooking up but jig and pop techniques have outproduced. Quality mahi reports from the tuna boats too.
Brian William got this tuna on a popper fishing with Shore Catch.
Offshore Fishing
The big eye bite in the deep light up! Steve Fernandez on the Five Seas reports, “We had a biomass of bigeyes eating buffet style behind the boat for three miles. It was a fairy tale trip. We caught about forty big eyes on this trip alone, 75% were released.
The Reel Innovations was in on the bite and also smoke the big eyes.
The crew aboard the Reel Fishers went two for two on marlin and two for two on yellowfin. “Not excellent fishing but we worked hard and put together a catch.”
Numerous reports of black drum in the bay. Most anglers are looking for sheepshead and triggerfish around the bayside snags are pulling drum. One customer in the shop today reported catching a 15-20 pound drum on the mid-island bayside. We recently heard about Jim Huthinson Jr’s catch… “On the hunt for Jersey sheepshead but we ambled into a nice lil backwater black drum!”
Tim Daly stopped in for new line on his surf reel today. While here he reported fluke fishing on the surf has been good. “Recently the swell has made fishing bucktails tough but I’m still finding fish using Gulp.” Once things settle down we expect surf fishing fishing to be good right into September. Fortunately this year we have some extra days to keep us fishing (hopefully into the Mullet Run).
Another customer in the shop also spooling said he got a five pound fluke today on the reef, “This fluke season has been slow for me, but recently there’s much better fishing. Finally starting to find some nice fish.”
Store staffers Kelley, Mike and Dave out yesterday and found some good fishing. Frezza won the pool with this one…
Fish Head Charters
Tuesday John and Nick jumped aboard for a four hour bayman trip (clam/crab). We started off with a slow pick of crabs but it got better as time went on. In the two hour attempt we boxes three dozen keepers, most of which were good size eaters. The clamming was also good. We filled a KB White bushell basket and called it a day. It was a fun day on the bay while the north east wind was cranking.
Wednesday return clients Tom G. and son we in for four hour early morning light tackle trip. We loaded the bases getting into striped bass, bluefish and fluke but struck out looking for a weakfish (they are around). The strongest present was made by bluefish ranging in the 1-3 pound range. Two were in the five pound class. Tom’s son finessed two striped bass; one on a bucktail tipped with a Jig Strip and one on an Daiwa SP Minnow lure.
3rd Annual Fluke-A-Mania
The 3rd Annual Fluke-A-Mania fishing tournament is this weekend. The Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club puts on a great time!
August 24th Captain’s Meeting
August 25th Fishing Day, Awards and BBQ, Bar & band
It’s on… Beat The August Heat! The sale is valid until Monday August 20 so act now and shop now online with coupon codes…
Reels 18% Off: AHEAT18 All Else 25% Off: AHEAT25
Barnegat Bay Blowfish
Blowfish popped up this past week in the bay and the action continues with good fishing this week weekend. Today (Saturday) and yesterday anglers got into very Barnegat Bay Blowfishing.
Dave Werner had his kids on the water today. They enjoyed an epic bite on the water and an awesome puffer fish fry feast for dinner.
Here’s a photo from Jeff showing some blowfish that are about to hit the fillet table.
Jeff Warford reported, “A fun day on the bay catching puffers!” He asks… how’s your day going!
Fluke Fishing Report
Right on schedule for mid-August the local ocean fluke fishing picks up. The reefs and wrecks are producing with anglers also picking fish on open bottom areas (reports from 25-70′ of water, exact locations not shared). The crew aboard the Miss Barnegat Light reported Friday was the “best day of the year so far! Lots of keeper fluke and plenty of shorts too.” There’s some nice sea bass hitting the deck too. Today (Saturday) was “slower but still good action and a great day of fishing!” The Carolyn Ann III reported Friday was “one of those you should have been there mornings. Great Fishing!”
The anglers aboard the CAIII got into some good fishing!
Mark Spranger reported, “Another limit today on Magictail Bucktails! Some great action out there.”
Tyler Leary and Brendan Jelley fished out on the Garden State reef aboard the Jen Jen on Thursday. Tyler got a 3.52 pound fluke and Brendan get a 4.46 pound fluke.
Dave Bye shared, “I fished outside Barnegat Inlet today and got two beauties; 8.01-lb and 7.02-lbs.”
Surf Fishing Report
Fluke, kingfish and small blues are on tap. The summertime surf fishing continues on Long Beach Island with more of the same. Steve George reports, “Some really nice size kingfish continue hitting Gulp! baits on the beach.” Anglers fishing small natural baits (like cut bunker and squid) are also catching fluke and small blues. These two species are effectively targeted with artificials too.
The ultra warm (75-77 degree) and very clean bluewater that’s currently along the central Jersey coast is holding species that hardly ever appear in a surf fishing report. This has land based multi-species anglers fired up and scrambling to add these rare catches to their inventory; bonita, chub mackerel, banded rudderfish, among others in the jack/mackerel/tuna families. Yes, some of these are on the beaches and jetties.
Inshore / Mid-Shore Fishing
John Larue reports, “I had a few solid days in the blue water. Tuna on top and solid bottom fishing!”Most recent reports had similar themes… the jig and top water bites were better than the troll.
Captain Mark of Laura Sportfishing was out in the ocean today. He caught a couple of bonita and a king mackerel.
Jon Kelly was out in the boat looking along the Island’s beaches. He found some bonita.
Jon Kelly had the bonita lined up.
Mike Fitzgerald fished aboard the Reel Trouble with Captain Billy today. They got into some great fishing. Mike shared this report, “We caught fish all day. Never went 15 minutes with out hooking up. We caught a bunch and released a bunch. Good fun consistent fishing.”
Nice catch aboard the Reel Trouble.
Fish Head Charters Report
Tuesday and Wednesday night were both very good bayside brown sharking nights. Tuesday Mike and Jay from Connecticut enjoyed a fun filled night releasing about a dozen sandbar sharks. Nearly the entire night was full of consecutive bites, even during a short rain storm. Wednesday night freelance content creator Jon Coen (The Sandpaper’s Liquid Lines) and crew aboard for filming of an upcoming Just Beneath The Surface episode. Stay tuned because this episode is gonna be the best one yet! Like most fish, they were camera shy. Not nearly as many bites the the previous nights but we made the most out of what we were served. We did manage two. One of which was a good size.
Friday’s early morning light tackle trip started out with cocktail blues crushing small lures. We looked around for some bonita and mackerel but didn’t find much (other than bait with small blues) within the first 1/2 hour. We decided to head off east and see what we could find. The whole ride looked fishy. About 10 miles off we stopped in some 78 degree beautiful bluewater where flying fish were dancing and there were a few slicks on the surface. It didn’t take long to see saw mahi on top. We blew one or two quick shots at them. Then had to spend some time to find them again. Fortunately we did.
A large school with at least ten mahi were spotted and cruising down sea towards us. I picked up and casted a popper into the breeze, landing perfectly in front of the school. One pop, two pop, three pop. One came up, nudged and away while another looked from along side. Pop, pop… another mahi came in from out of nowhere and fright trained it with an explosion. A strong strip set and I was into my first mahi on a fly rod. The fish took off, cleared my line and had me into backing within seconds. I catch up a bunch of line and the next thing I know it’s tail walking. This took the excitement to another level. It makes not only the first move but then two more acrobatic dance flips. I got through the first and second but on the third the violent head shakes shook the hook. I was bummed in defeat yet stoked for the 1 minute mahi rodeo experience on the fly. While I’ve caught plenty of mahi while big game fishing this little 15 pound mahi had me amped for more bluewater fly fishing adventures.
Saturday Ron Rett was aboard with 11 year old his daughter and her friend for a half and half trip (fishing and clamming). We started off right with a cocktail blue on the initial cast. The first hour was fun catch and release light tackle fishing. After having fun with blues we switched gears to fluke and picked at some short fluke then went clamming. Turns out clamming was really good and for size quality it was the best trip of the summer. The girls found a good section of small to medium size clams and we all put in a great effort. In about 2 hours we scored a two person limit 300; 1/4 smalls, 1/2 mediums and 1/4 large. We are all having a clam feast!
Upcoming Events
3rd Annual Fluke-A-Mania was rescheduled and the tournament date is quickly approaching. … August 24th Captain’s Meeting…. August 25th Fishing Day, Awards and BBQ, Bar & band
Long Beach Island Fall Classic – The LBI Fall Surf Fishing Tournament Classic is right around the corner… 49 days away. Save The Dates: October 6th to December 9th. For news and updates be sure to check the Tournament website at www.LBIFT.com as well as the Tournament Facebook Page.
Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Fishing Report
Update: Aug 16, 2018
by Jim Hutchinson Sr.
Beach Haven has long been a retreat for visitors seeking relief from hot summer temperatures as they head east looking for cool ocean breezes. Late summer weather also brings with it an amazing assortment of different varieties of fish that normally inhabit warm waters. The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association especially look forward to these fishing opportunities.
When you think of tropical type fish, the thought is you must travel far offshore to the canyon waters where the Gulf Stream influences are felt. What makes the arrival of these different fish exciting is that some of them are being caught not that far off the beaches of Long Beach Island.
Naturally, most of these fish are being caught on the troll, but a goodly number are being caught by boats anchored up or drifting either casting metal lures or using fresh bait. Catches of mahi-mahi up to 20 pounds are being reported as close as 15 miles off with smaller mahi being caught around the artificial reef sites just a few miles from shore.
Other pelagic fish such as bonita, Spanish mackerel, and albacore are similarly close by. There are reports of big triggerfish and sheepshead on the bottom around structure both at the reefs and jetties and even in some of the deeper holes of the bay waters. Chum slicks along with large fresh baits are magnets for a variety of sharks.
This is not to say that the native species are still not around in good numbers. Captain John Lewis of the “Insatiable” reports a busy week of trips with lots of fish coming over the rail. Most days had double digit counts with several days with more than 30 fish on 4-hour trips. The best news is that the fluke numbers are increasing and so is the size. Captain John notes that he picked up his first kingfish and blowfish of the season to add to the variety of fish being caught.
Complete information on the boats and captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.net
Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update – August 15, 2018
Fun summer fishing on LBI continues. Anglers enjoy their time on the water fishing inshore, offshore and from shore with a variety of species available to target.
Anthony Smith recently stopped in with a Jetty Slam!!! Fishing crabs he caught one keeper tog (2.5lb, 16″), a trigger (4.5lb, 19.5″) and a sheepshead (4.2lb, 17″). He dropped another solid sheepshead too.
Anothony Smith knows how to fish the Jetty!
On the surf most target bluefish, fluke, kingfish and sharks. Snapper blues offer entertainment for all ages with an abundance of these quick hitting critters. Here’s a photo of Patrick Henry’s first catch. Target these small yellow eyes with small metal or small hooks tipped with meat (bunker). Evening surf anglers are catching and releasing sharks regularly. Also on the surf… BONITA! It’s rare but they are cruising the beaches.
Pat and Dad Jay Henry had fun while visiting their home town of Ship Bottom.
This past weekend was the Hooked On Fishing Not On Drugs (HOFNOD) kids fishing tournament. It was another successful year with 170 kids participating. About 50 scored with fish included bluefish, kingfish, sharks and skates.
In the bay some new faces are showing up. Recently a few blowfish reports popped up! Dave Werk stopped in and got a new light tackle Penn spinning reel for fishing the back bay. He reported, “The south end bay is producing some great eating fish! Both blowfish and trigger fish! I had about a dozen blowfish last trip out. Also lost a sheepshead.” We’ve heard a couple other blowfish reports from Barnegat Bay too.
Offshore fishing seemed to be hit or miss this past week. Some customers reports a whole lotta nothing however a few boats got out and found some life. Chris DeGennaro reported, “Wahoo, Marlin, Mahi and water spout. What else can I ask for… Maybe a tuna? Not my day!” Dan and Jeff aboard the Reel Innovation did good their past couple of trips. It seems like they are always on the meat! Captain Jeff reported, “We found some life away from the fleet. Everyone on board was welcomes into blue water fishing right catching a tuna on their first trip. They held up their end of the bargain and jumped into the water to celebrate!”
Here’s store staffer Pat D. with a nice tuna he caught aboard the Reel Innovation!
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