Some big tog around roaming the inshore waters. Dante from Magic Tail Lures was on the water today with Captain Frank of Finchasers. They got into some good fishing on a local reef site. Dante reported, “Lots of nice fish inshore right now! We only caught one short, all nice fish with three over ten pounds… one going 13.68 pounds! We hammered the fish on Magic Tail Tog Jigs.”

Good schools of striped bass are hanging around our local waters. Anglers are catching in the boat on live bait and trolling. Those working the surf are picking fish but nothing to write home about. Hopefully we’ll see some linesiders take to the beaches soon and offer surfcasters some action.

Today and yesterday strong reports from IBSP up the beach to Seaside Area and further above. The pods and bird plays weren’t off the hook. Covering ground and finding fish on the troll was most effective. Pounding bunker spoons, deep diving plugs, umbrella rigs and tandem mojos will produce. Some caught in 30’ while others worked deeper and caught out in the 50-60-70’ water depths.

Store staffer Max went five for five today bass fishing.  He was pulling Magic Tail Mojos and Tony Maja Bunker Spoons off of IBSP. His largest fish was 26 pounds.

Matt K. was out and got three bass spooning and two on mojo, “White was working best for us.”

Dylan Fisher was in on the action today. He reported,” Great morning! We went three for three on nice fish. It was great to catch fish with my 95 year old grandpa and also put Jared on his first bass.”

Brian Coen and Kyle Gronostajski got out early and headed up the beac h, They found some fun top water action under a bird play. “Not the slobs of last week but some fun medium fish on top. This beats every Black Friday Deal! We didn’t have to troll!”

While most reports came in from BI north there was some chatter about fish off southern LBI and Brigintine. Last year at this time it was game on down there.

Today, I had Matt Rand and his father in law aboard. They opted to leave the trolling gear at the dock. We put in time but managed to catch two bass, both on live lining.

Sorry for the late post update…

Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

Update: November 22, 2017
by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Stripers, stripers, stripers! The magic work right now for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association is stripers. Over the past week the bass have been thick to the north of Beach Haven but within easy traveling distance. With the fish slowly working their way southward, the fishing should continue to be good for a while yet.

Captain Matt Curtis of “Get Reel” Sportfishing reports solid striped bass fishing both on live bait as well as trolling with most of the fish being caught on bunker spoons. His fish have all been in the 20-40 pound class with the larger fish topping out in the mid 40s. He has one boat docked in Barnegat for the fish as they stay to the north and another down south for when the fish show off Beach Haven. Captain Matt is also excited about the tautog season.

Captain Ray Lopez had the Joel Quirk charter out on a striper trip on the “Miss Liane.” The crew began live lining spot and almost immediately boated a nice 30-inch fish. Later they did some trolling and had steady action.

Captain Gary Dugan reports another great weekend of striper fishing on the “Irish Jig.” The crew fished hard last Friday and Saturday with the wind keeping them tied at the dock on Sunday. By the end of the weekend they had finished up with 20 nice stripers boated with limit catches each day along with the dozen big bluefish over the weekend. The “Irish Jig” took 2nd place in the MICA striped bass tournament.

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

Robbie Vallone was fishing the Barnegat Inlet Jetty this afternoon. He said small bass were on the chew, “Fishing a bucktail tipped with jig strip, slow and low they were hammering it!” Fishing around the top of the tide Robbie landed seven bass and one blackfish. Sounds like some good land based fishing!

Yesterday the boat reports weren’t spectacular but guys caught. Those on the troll picked fish off northern IBSP as well as the waters to the north. Store staffer Dave got one live lineing.

Today we heard about a great bite with quality fish in the mix. Local Barnegat Light boats found fish not far from the Inlet on the troll. It was rough but those out got into ’em.

9th Annual Fisherman’s Flea Market

The Barnegat High School Fishing Club hosts its 9th Annual Fishing Flea Market on Saturday, December 9, 2017.

Time: 9am to 1pm; Admission is $4 for Adults; Children 12 and under FREE

Location: Barnegat High School, 180 Bengal Blvd, Barnegat NJ 08005

All proceeds benefit students of the high school fishing club.  The BHS fishing club gives out scholarships, donates to the Annual Toy Drive and local food bank, and provides youth fishing opportunities for students of Barnegat High School. Student also have opportunities to fish from the surf and local head-boats. It’s a great club with a great following. Come out and support the club!

8th Annual Stafford PBA Striped Bass Fishing Tournament

Fishing Reports

Wreck Fishing

LBI Surf Reports

Today was another good day fishing the bunker pods. Those that took the ride north were again into classy fish.

One guy in the shop said, “I’ve been hearing all the reports. I couldn’t wait for the weekend, so I took off work today. Happy I did because fishing was great. We got 6 bass between 25-35 pounds.”

The snag and drop is producing. For those into trolling, the method is also working very effectively. It’s been good. Bunker spoons and mojos are absolutely mohawking the bass. Reports spoke about limiting out in an hour, “Fish are piling on before we can set out the spread!”

Austin Pounds jumped aboard this morning. We got an early start and went back to where we’ve been fishing the past week. The area looked good but no bites for us early.  We made some moves, bobbing when we should of weaved but eventually got into some activity. Wish we could have stayed out all day but obligations back on land had us packing up at noon. We finished the day with only two bass, but they were both nice ones. Our numbers would have been better but we had some mouthings and run offs. I also dropped a fish that wasn’t hooked good.

Yesterday Hunter Gutwein caught a classy one!

Stafford PBA 297 Annual Striped Bass Fishing Tournament

Captain’s meeting beings at 7pm (Location: St. Mary’s Parish 100 Bishop Lane, Manahawkin, NJ 08050) with FREE BEER and Hors d’oeuvres for all registered anglers. This location is also where weigh-ins take place.

Fishing begins at 9 am and continues until 3pm (11/18). On Saturday Weigh-ins start at 1pm and end at 5pm.

Although the weather was not the best, today was a great day of fishing. I headed out early with Chris Colasante of Surf City and we started off with tight lines quick. Live spot had stripers piling on every drift. Thanks to Captain Mark from Laura Sportfishing for offing some live baits at the dock in the morning. It paid off big time because the little striped ones did not want to touch our lures. After boat pressure took over we headed up the beach into dicey seas. With the forecast calling for easing winds we figured a trek north to the promise land was a good bet. The ride was long and bumpy but it paid off big time. We got into the same body of classy fish in the 20-30  class live lining bunker.

On our way back we crossed paths with Captain Cody aboard the Heavy Metals heading out to the grounds. Turns out they got into the fish too and some bigger ones!!! This evening the crew weighed in a 48.4 pound monster bass they got live linging bunker.

Now is the time to get out fishing! Both the beach and boat offer great opportunities to catch migrating striped bass.

Anglers fishing the surf are catching bass fishing cut bunker. The entire stretch of beach is worth a shot. Recently reports came in from the north, mid and south end. Tuesday morning we got a call from the town of Holgate on the south end that spoke of a whale breaking on bait. Monday morning there were two whales on a big mass of bunker right at the mouth of Barnegat Inlet. These whales are also up the beach along IBSP and further north.

The he LBI Surf Fishing Class surf fishing tournament is active. For updated results go to the tournament website at www.LBIFT.com.

Today Wednesday November 15 is the last day of tog at the one fish bag limit. Starting Tomorrow November 16th the bag limit goes up to 6 fish until the end of the year. Sea Bass is 15 fish bag limit at 12.5″ this is until the end of the year when it closes.

Wreck fishing reports are strong. Mike D was out fishing a piece of structure not far off and said the tog fishing was very good. Anglers fishing the Barnegat Inlet Jetty are still into tog on a daily basis.

One for the record book! Today’s fishing was the real deal. Definitely in the top ten best bass on bunker bites I’ve experiences on the New Jersey Coast. The cold snap really turned it on.

I got out on the water earlier this morning. Ran up the beach in the dark and found massive piles of bass blasting bunker out of the water. The first two hours were great with classy bass blasting top water lures.  With only one or two boats in the area with what seemed like every boat in the world flying north like a flock of geese in summer. Fortunately they were just a bit too far off the beach to see the unfolding  mayhem frothing on top. By about 8-9 the masses came in and everyone was in on it. By that time it turned into a snag and drop bite which was very consistent for a good length of time.

For me the Doc Top Water Spook was the MVP. Big hungry bass just can’t resist the Doc’s slow top water walk the dog action. In my opinion, nothing beats a top water explosion especially from a trophy striped bass.

By all accounts, fishing was great. I lost count with the biggest 42 pounds on the boga grip, three in the 30 class and numerous twenties and teens. Here’s to many more bunker breakfast sessions like this right into the Holiday Season.

Store staffer Dave was on the water with his buddy Chad. Dave reported, “We smoked the beast! Legendary snag and drop session today. We had a dozen fish up to 45 inches on the snag and drop. Epic-ness!!”

The Smith clan was into them today! “We got a late start but found them chewing on bunker, catching six on the snag and drop. Biggest was 46″ 31 pounds. Young gun Justin Smith got a 28 pound 41″ bass.”

Store staffer Max was in on the action today too. He reported, “We headed up the beach early and found good fishing.  Good fish on the snag and drop in the morning. Then later in the day we switched over to the troll and caught some more. Tony Maja spoons were getting bites!”

Side Note

While stoked out of my skull, part of me felt serious pain with the mass slaughter. I saw a lot of fish caught but I didn’t see many go back over. I don’t want to be the catch and release broken record so I will not preach. I would like to remind all to harvest responsibility. Don’t get caught up in the excitement. These classy migrating fish are the life blood of the striped bass fishery.

Surf Fishing

The surf produced some fish but nothing close to what the boats did. This past weekend was a big improvement and we look forward to better fishing soon as the migration fills into our local water.  Check out www.LBIFT.com for live results from the LBI Surf Fishing Classic.

Tog Fishing

Charles Young from Warminster PA checked in a 10.66 pound tog today for the Fisherman’s Magazine Dream Boat Challenge. He reported good fishing out on the Garden State North with live green crabs.

The weather gets cold and the fishing heats up! Today and yesterday were full of great fishing on both the beach and boat.  New arrivals pushing in have the table is set for an awesome weekend and beyond. Most are in the “young” teen size range but classy fish and trophies are present and more are moving in. Now’s the time to get out and FISH!

The local waters have come down from their early fall holdings and currently range in the 50’s. Areas of the bay range from 52 to 58 degrees and after tonight’s cold temps it will be lower. The LBI surf temperature is currently 58 degrees. These numbers are prime for striped bass!!!

The weather is looking great! Saturday is sunny with moderate northerly winds easing over the second half of the day. Sunday is just about flawless with light winds!

Surf Fishing

This week things significantly improved for the surfcasters working the beaches of Long Beach Island. The LBI Surf Fishing Classic had a lot of activity the past couple of days! Today and yesterday were the busiest tournament days of the year. So far today six fish were checked in. Yesterday had five fish entered. It’s great to see anglers putting in the time and getting the reward.

At the time of this report update… Top Three Striped Bass: John Matt 48#, Anthony Mormile 35.52#, John Baxter 29.76#. Top Three Bluefish: Rob Vallone 15.16#, Gary Grippaldi 14.12#, Chet Bojarski 13.16#. Senior Division Striped Bass: John Baxter 29.76#, Merle Van Liere 22.74#, Steve Warren 18.96#. Senior Division Bluefish: Chet Bojarski 13.16#, Bill Montrey 12.98#, Dan Procida 9.74#. Youth Division: Striped Bass is held by Logan Johnson hold the striped bass and Quinn Rutan has the bluefish. Cathy Thiel holds the lead for the largest striped bass in the Women’s Division.

For updated tournament information check out the Live Results Page found on the tournament website www.LBIFT.com

Here’s some recent weigh in reports…

Tonight Anthony Mormile of Egg Harbouir Township NJ  weighed in a 35.52 pound 46.6″ striped bass. He caught it off the North Beach surf on bunker at about 4:30 pm. This catch by Anthony is currently the second largest in the LBI Surf Fishing Classic.

Early this morning Jim Larson of West Berlin weighed in a 23.54 pound 41″ bass. He caught it at about 10pm last night fishing a Daiwa SP Minnow lures on the Barnegat Light Inlet jetty.

Joe and Cathy Theil stopped by yesterday afternoon to check in a nice  striped bass from the surf. They were fishing the mid island surf in the town of Surf City.  Cathy caught a 15.9 lb 38″ bass on a bunker chunk at about 1:45pm. This catch puts Cathy in the lead of the woman’s division in the LBI Surf Fishing Classic.

Here’s a surf report from Steve George, “Well that was a rush today! Started slow but man did it deliver in the end. Blowing and cold, but once I found them and figured out how they were feeding, I warmed up quick with steady striped bass action. Numbers not size but I’ll take it with over two dozen fish up to 25″. It’s a start and better days are coming. Have a great weekend!”

Boat Fishing

Anglers hunting bass are having great results. Some boats are trolling while others are fishing live baits. Both are working. Those that prefer to fool game fish with lures are also doing a number on the fish too.

I’ve been fortunate enough to fish before and after work the past couple of days. The sessions were great. Picking off bass on bucktails is always lots of fun.  Last night we got into a good late night bite. The photo below is one of many striped bass caught. (Check out the moon rise. Really wish I had my good camera on board.)

Some of the boats working the near shore grounds are catching really nice fish. Yesterday Trevor Jones weighed in a 46″35.8 pound bass that he caught trolling off of Island Beach State Park. The fish went for a chartreuse bunker spoon.

Here a stomach contains photo that I found interesting. One fat teen size had this pile of food packed in its belly.

In the boat anglers are catching in the bay, inlet and ocean. Yesterday and today trolling pulled quality fish. Fishing live bait as well as lures will also effectively hook bass too.

The backwaters are still cock full of bass. Most are schoolleis but there are nice fish in the mix. Fish the docks, bridges, sod bank marshes and especially the tidal creeks.

BL Inlet Tog Fishing

Tog fishing is awesome. The inlet continues to fire on all cylinders. Joe O stopped in yesterday and report fishing was great, “Everyone is out having fun catching fish. If you know what you are doing, finding good size keepers is an everyday thing.” Joe had one pushing five pounds.

Dave Hershberger reported, “Nice day to go fishing with the boyz.”

Tackle Talk

The Yozuri Hydo LC Minnow are in stock now! It’s been a long wait but it’s finally over. A big thanks to the guys at Yo-zuri for not only making another amazing fishing lure but more importantly releasing it before the expected availability date. They knew the North East bite would be on so they air shipped the lures in rather than having everyone wait for the lures to float over on a slow boat.

Yo-zuri is well known for making some of the finest, best catching fishing lures on the planet. Crystal Minnow, Mag Minnow, Mag Darter, Surface Cruiser, Hydro Pencil just a few. Their lure designers are always one step ahead of the market place and therefor responsible for some of the best new lure designs.

The Yo-Zuri Hydro Minnow LC Minnow is a brand new slender minnow style bait which floats and swims 2-3′ with a tight wiggle action. Featuring a new weight transfer system for long casting, the Hydro Minnow LC is a lure designed for the ultimate long cast. Even with a stiff headwind, the Yo-Zuri Hydro LC Minnow will cast like a bullet allowing the zone to be within your reach.

Available in two sizes in a great assortment of awesome time tested proven fish catching color patterns. The Hydro Minnow LC covers any and all fishing situations. Casting striped bass on the surf to hunting down inshore species like redfish, snook and tarpon. The ultimate coastal fishing lure.

Best of all Yo-zuri makes these lures to be the strongest possible utilizing extra tough and durable proprietary polycarbonate material as well as rigging the lures 3X strong treble hooks and heavy duty split rings. These lures are ready to fish right out of the box and will catch saltwater trophy gamefish.

Here’s the link to the Yo-zuri Hydro Minnow LC 6″ size and the larger 6-3/4″ size. Both sizes have a spot in my surf bag and will be in my every day rotation. I’m already looking forward to the productivity and versitility these lures will offer especially when fishing rough conditions and casting is the utmost concern. These lures are surf bag staples!

Beach Haven Charter Fishing Report Update

Update:  Thu, Nov 9, 2017 by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Raging northeast winds and high waves have made fishing difficult recently for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. There is hope this nasty weather will bring about some positive changes to stimulate some striped bass action.

Captain Fran Verdi of the “Francesca Marie” has experienced several good years in a row putting his anglers on striped bass. He notes the current water temperatures are still in the 60’s, which is really too warm for consistent bass action. The current weather has him hopeful those water temperatures will drop and the fish will head south.

“I have heard of a big mass of fish to the north of, us, we just have to be patient,” notes Captain Fran. Despite some very thick fog one day recently, he jumped in his boat and headed for the inlet. The normally quick trip took exceptionally long thanks to the fog, but he preserved and finally made the ocean where he headed north.

Captain Fran dropped a green bunker spoon over the stern and spent some time trolling off Seaside. His patience was finally rewarded and he was able to hook and boat a fat 34-pound bass. Now it is a matter of waiting for the current weather to break, and more fish to arrive. When they do arrive there will be no time to waste.

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association website.

The black sea bass action is still good on the wrecks and reefs off the port of Beach Haven, the mahi and tuna are still offshore when conditions permits trips out there, but the annual striped bass migration has the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing anxiously awaiting their arrival.

Spiny dogfish have arrived on the wrecks and reefs close to shore making it difficult at times to get some consistent actions going on the sea bass. Those pieces of structure a little farther offshore still seem to be free of the pesky dogfish and are still producing a steady bite.

The canyons are still holding a very high number of mahi-mahi with fish being caught by working lobster pots and other items such as week lines and pieces of debris. This is a cast type fishery on light gear.  Other mahi, often larger, are also being caught on the troll. The overnight chunking action has been spotty at times although the chum slicks have been attracting some swordfish and sharks to spice up the action. Daytime trolling has been producing its share of tuna.

At last report a large mass of striped bass were just off the mouth of Raritan Bay. With some continued cool weather these fish should be showing up off Beach Haven in anywhere from a couple of days to a week or so. These are big fish, and it is important to take advantage of them when they show up. The BHCFA captains are ready to troll, jig, or fish live bait when they get here. There have been reports of a good number of 40-pounders caught up to the north.

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