Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Fishing Report

by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Although this week has been a bit of a washout with high winds and torrential rain, the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association were catching fish well before the bad weather.

On the inshore artificial reefs the main attractions are black sea bass and summer flounder. Captain Jimmy Zavacky had the Damiano group out on the “Reel Determined” on a day featuring sunny skies and calm seas. In addition to many throwbacks, they took home fluke and sea bass fillets for fish dinners.

Captain Carl Sheppard had a crew of 14 anglers out for an afternoon of fishing last Friday. The water temperature was a warm 72-degrees and the winds were less than 10 knots. About 70 fish were caught with 10 keeper sea bass and 2 fluke being large enough to take home.

Captain Dave Kreines had the Gray family out on the “Byte Me” for some bay and inlet fishing. The inlet produced only sea robins and a short fluke. Captain Dave headed back into the bay for one of his hot spots where a keeper fluke was boated immediately followed by a good number of other fish.

Captain Ray Lopez had the Kuzcko family from Forked River out for fluke and sea bass in the bay and the ocean plus a 40-pound cow nose ray that took a bait in the bay.  The next day the McPolin group went on an inshore trolling trip and catching some skipjack and three dolphin including a 25-pound bull.

Captain John Lewis had a few good trips to the inshore reefs for fluke and sea bass. The Kaufman family landed several nice sized fluke and lots of sea robins but the highlight WAS a butterfly ray, about 4 feet wide, taking 15-minutes to get to the boat. The Whooley family from Phoenix  had a good day with 4 keeper sea bass and 3 fluke plus a steady pick of shorts and sea robins. Captain John adds that he has made believers about eating sea robin fillets. He says they can be cooked many ways and are delicious.

Captain Bob Gerkens continued his successful trips offshore last week on the “Hot Tuna” with a trip to the 30-Fathom line on a 12-hour charter. The Robertson brothers boated two yellowfin tuna to 35-pounds along with a nice “gaffer” mahi. “Gaffer” refers to the fact a gaff was necessary to boat the fish.

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

Here’s the fishing report update for Friday July 20th. The inshore, offshore and from shore summer time fishing continues.

Fishing Inshore

Fluke and sea bass is the main game inshore fishing wise. Fishing isn’t the best but anglers are catching. Some captains who know structure are putting catches together.

One of these is Captain Mark from Laura Sportfishing. He’s always on the meat. He’s get his crew’s on good bottom fishing. On a recent trip they boated a 23 lb cod.

The Carolyn Ann III reports, “A slower bite the past two days with mostly shorts and sea robins.”

Fishing Offshore

The 49th Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational is five days away! More info posted below.

The 2018 offshore fishing season has been on fire and it continues on. With poor weather coming, today was the last good weather day.  Those that got the day in really hit pay dirt! A quick look at social media and you’ll be jealous.

Captain Jeff aboard the Reel Innovation reported, “Trip of a lifetime! This one will be heard to beat… going 17 for 22 on bigeyes. We had to stop fishing due to shortage of storage. Big eye tuna were following us for two hours right under the boat as we mohawk them on jigs.” First mate Dan said, “The jig bite was unreal.”

Mike Kelly (store staff alumni and mate aboard the Canyon Runner) reports the tuna bite is on… The 60 maxed out the box with 9 big eyes and a bunch of yellowfin. The 48 caught 14 bigeyes!!! It’s the best it’s even been. Boats are knee deep in big eye tuna!

Fishing From Shore

Summertime surf fishing on LBI is mainly fluke and kingfish with the occasional small bluefish.

Taylor Mitchell from Barnegat caught this junior doormat this morning off the mid-island surf. He caught the 25.5″ 6.18 pound fluke on a bucktail with Gulp!

Steve George puts his time in on the surf and it shows. from a few days ago. : He reports, “Plenty of action on the beach. The fluke are chewing and I continue to find aggressive northern kingfish hitting GULP! baits.

The surf zone is full of big rays. Most of the cow nose variety; however others are around too. Sharks are present and pulling lots of line.

Fish Head Charters

Now back from ICAST and catching up I’ve finally got some time to get back out on the water. I fished Thursday and Friday (today).

Thursday I had Rhonda and Bill from Newton MA for a light tackle fly charter. We tried our best but could not do much because the weed was atrocious! Everywhere we went there was grass. Some patches looked like islands that you could run around on. The crew worked through it and managed to finish the day with one bluefish and one bass. They were stoked so it was a success.

Friday (Today) I headed out with store staffers Kelley and Mike. Made bait quick with two throws of the cast net. With a full livewell of peanut bunker we headed out to the reef. With very few reports we wanted to go take a look for ourselves. On our way out the inlet we came across bass on top slapping bait and small birds were active. First cast and Frezza was hooked up. Shortly after Kelley was on. After getting our fill we point out to the Garden State North. Turns out fishing wasn’t all that. Kelley got a 21.5″ fluke which was the only keeper (one right at 18 went back ). In all we had seven shorts, one keeper sea bass (could of filled the boat if we targeted them) a handful of sea robins. It was fun but we hoped for more. My fingers are crossed for good ocean fluking after this blow. It should be heating up by now.

THE 49TH ANNUAL BEACH HAVEN WHITE MARLIN INVITATIONAL

The oldest White Marlin Invitational fishing tournament in America kicks off on Tuesday, July 24th and runs through Saturday, July 28th. Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club’s White Marlin Invitational Tournament (WMIT) enters its 49th consecutive year building off the success of 2017’s
tournament, and represents some of the finest offshore fishing in the Northeast while playing host to hundreds of offshore enthusiasts, spectators, guests and the public enjoying the festivities at the Beach Haven
Marlin & Tuna Club. A first class tournament in a first class way!

2018’s tournament honors and respects the heritage of this storied event, while maintaining the format changes introduced in 2017 in response to prior year’s participant feedback. The two most significant changes, which are in-place again for 2018, were well received by tournament participants in 2017. First, and perhaps most importantly, the tournament added a day. The tournament for many years was fish two of three days, but that can be bruising to run offshore on back-to-back days if the seas are sporty, so the registration and captain’s dinner were moved to Tuesday and made the fishing a pick of two of four days between Wednesday and Saturday. Secondly, a second weigh station was added at Hoffman’s Marina in Brielle to encourage boats in Northern NJ to participate. Last year there was a Nor’easter during the second half of the tournament, but 6 great boats fished the WMIT from the /Brielle Manasquan area including Crisdel, The Right Place, Let it Ride, Placid C’s, Goin in Deep and Jersey Nutz, who was the overall winner in 2017.

While significant payouts ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 are very much a part of the tournament for catches of white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, and dolphin, there is also a treasure chest payout of up to
$23,000 which can be won by any participant – regardless of entering the Calcuttas. In addition to the traditional Calcuttas, there are new categories for dolphin and wahoo as well as for boats 29’ and under in size, signaling that the tournament is far from limited to the big sport-fishing boats.

The White Marlin Invitational holds a special place in the annals of offshore fishing history. Captain, sportswriter and BHMTC member Karl Anderson wrote in 2017 about the history of the WMIT: “Many early club members had also been fishing up and down the coast and invited offshore anglers to come to Beach Haven to sample the good fishing. Awaiting them was a nice clubhouse, great meals each night and good camaraderie with a group of dedicated offshore fisherman.” The WMIT is, in many ways, different than the larger White Marlin Open and The Mid-Atlantic tournaments. “I hear from a lot of White Marlin Invitational participants that they fish the WMIT year-after-year because they love the camaraderie, the fishing can be excellent in late July, and there is something special about the atmosphere at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club after coming in from a great day offshore”, added Dave Ridley, tournament director. “This is not to take away from the WMO or MidAtlantic, as those are both very successful, well run tournaments that we hold in high regard; however, they have the infrastructure to handle hundreds of boats, while we are a non-profit club with more limited funding, so we are happy to have 50-75 boats participate.” The BHMTC has hosted as many as 105 boats in the WMIT in the years before Sandy, but that was the far upper limit of what the BHMTC can handle logistically, and we don’t strive to be the biggest tournament – we just want to put on a great event year after year that offshore fisherman from up and down the east coast circle on their calendars as part of their tournament fishing circuit as a “must-fish”. “We also love that the WMIT is the last week in July (July 24th – July 28th in 2018) since many participants have told us they love fishing the WMIT, followed by the White Marlin Open two weeks later, and finally the MidAtlantic two weeks following that. “It’s the triple-crown of fishing in the Northeast, added Ridley.”

With over 20 boats preregistered to date, the WMIT committee expects to have over 50 boats fish this year. While there was a year or two where we had about 100 boats, there have been two fairly significant challenges in recent years which have taken a while to climb back from. First, super storm Sandy totaled our clubhouse in Beach Haven, which is where we have hosted the tournament since the start. Even without a clubhouse, the BHMTC still hosted the event successfully the year following Sandy. Through the dedication and time of our members, a new clubhouse was built a few years ago. The second significant challenge had been navigating Little Egg Inlet’s heavy shoaling, which kept a number of larger boats away. However, this winter, the inlet was dredged so we hear many of the larger boats are returning to the WMIT. To have a mile-long, 350 foot wide, and 29 feet deep inlet freshly dredged inlet is huge, added Ridley.

Additional information is available on the tournament website (www.TheWMIT.com) In-person registration will take place at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club on Tuesday, July 24th at 6 pm followed by the captain’s meeting and dinner. On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday (July 25-28th), the BHMTC is open to the public and free of
charge so spectators are encouraged to come down to BHMTC to watch weigh-ins between 4:30-8pm daily, enjoy an adult beverage at the cash bar, get a bite to eat at the food trucks, buy tournament merchandise, or
just bring friends and family down to watch the fish weigh-ins.

The WMIT is possible in part due to the generosity of our platinum sponsors including United Rentals, Morrison’s Marina, South Jersey Yacht Sales, Jersey Cape Yachts, Construction Risk Partners, Marine Max, Fisherman’s Headquarters and Mack Boring.

2018 WMIT – Schedule of Events

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

(Reserved for Tournament Participants and Sponsors)
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Registration in Person – Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club (BHMTC)
8:00 PM – Captain’s Meeting and Dinner – BHMTC
Live music – Garage Kept Band
Double Nickel Brewery

Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Fish Day Option 1
Scales open at BHMTC & Hoffman’s Marina from 4:30 PM – 8PM
Food Truck and drinks available at BHMTC
Live music

Thursday, July 26, 2018
Fish Day Option 2
Scales open at BHMTC & Hoffman’s Marina from 4:30 PM – 8PM
Food Truck and drinks available at BHMTC
Live music

Friday, July 27, 2018
Fish Day Option 3
Scales open at BHMTC & Hoffman’s Marina from 4:30 PM – 8PM
Food Truck and drinks available at BHMTC
Live Music – Franklin Turnpike Band

Saturday, July 28, 2018
Fish Day Option 4
Scales open at BHMTC & Hoffman’s Marina from 4:30 PM – 8PM
Food and drinks available at BHMTC
Awards Ceremony – Approximately 9 PM
Live Music – Ryan Zimmerman followed by The Pickles Duo

Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Sunday July 15, 2018.

With summer in full swing Long Beach Island is popping. The beaches, streets and waterways are busy so now’s the time to push offshore and away from it all and into a different kind of mayhem! This season’s offshore bite has been one for the book and it’s not even mid season yet. The yellowfin action is off the charts good and it continues for so many boats.

The boyz aboard the Reel Innovation are on the meat again. Yesterday they returned from a solid trip out at the Hudson. First mate Dan reported they got into great fishing and just about filed the boat, “Unfortunately we dropped a big yellowfin but it was a great trip.” Other boats in the area were also into fish. Word has it some big marlin were caught and some whites showed too. The boys on the Jersey Nutz had a visit from whitey visit on their last trip. Another solid offshore report came in from the guys aboard the Five Seas, “Epic day (Friday) we crushed the yellowfin and went two for three on big eyes! A customer in the shop today reported good fishing in the Lindy to Spencer, “There were lots of squid boats working in the area and we had good fishing with yellowfin and white marlin.”

Bruce DeRite was offshore yesterday today and reported, “Caught two bluefin out at Lemkes. Then on the way in we stopped on a weed line and picked up a nice mahi.” Bruce hung it at he shop and it turned out to be 16 pounds.

Dan Rosetto was offshore and found fish on Chatter Lures. He reported, “Football season was in full effect today. We fished the Lindy and had lots of 20 pound football sized tuna.” Dan sent in this photo! Thanks for representing with the Fish Head appeal!

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing

Surf anglers on Long Beach Island fishing during the day have lots of swimmers and foot traffic to deal so the best times are morning and afternoons to avoid the midday congestion. Anglers are catching kingfish and fluke during the day time. Cow nose rays are cruising the surf. A total hindrance to those seeking table fare, but they do offer fun for those seeking catch and release fun. Beach shark fishing is strong with both sandbar sharks and sand tigers present.

As always, the Barnegat Inlet has life. Anglers can find the occasional bluefish and resident striped bass, but most are targeting fluke. Late July and August the Inlet offers some of the best fluke fishing. Every year during this time we hear about a couple doormats. Some spear fisherman are reporting triggerfish but rod and reel reports for them have been slow.

Fluke Fishing

Conner McKenzie from New Egypt got a nice 22″ fluke this weekend. Anglers are putting in time and finding fish but from all the reports we’ve heard not many are lighting it up. Most anglers in the shop report average 8-12 shorts to one keeper.

Mike at Montauk

Store staffer Mike Frezza took a recent trip out to Montauk with his Dad. They fished Thursday and Friday aboard the Hampton Lady. Mike reported, “Fishing was slow but most were quality fish. The second day was best. I won the pool with this one. It went for a Glow Spro Bucktail tipped with a Gulp Pink Shine Grub.”

Barnegat Bay Crabbing

Crabbing is good! Nick Rossi and Jacoby Cline stopped in the shop this weekend and reported good fun crabbing. They got a monster jimmy! A 7.25″ one at that. Those looking to enjoy some time on the water catching these tasty critters should stop in. We’ve got all of your supplies for catching blue claw crabs as well as advise to get you in the game. From hand line and dip net to pots, traps and bait… we’ve got you covered!

Beach Haven Charter Fishing Associations Fishing Report Update

by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

The boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been pretty much concentrating on fluke along with black sea bass on the inshore wrecks and artificial reefs. In addition, one captain made his way offshore for some good results on tuna fish.

The boat “Star Fish” has been fishing daily with good catches of sea bass and fluke. One day rods bent with over 100 fish in less than 4 hours. Keepers are mixed in with lots of short fish. One day Captain George and mate Marlyn fished with a family group of five from Harvey Cedars. The day’s highlight was when Marissa and her father Louis used teamwork for the largest sea bass of the season. They both hooked at the same time and reeled their lines in together.. When the fish was brought up, it had the hooks from both anglers in its mouth. The fish measured 18-inches.

Captain Gary Dugan on the “Irish Jig” reports fluke fishing as being very good lately in the ocean on the local lumps and reefs. In addition to the good catches of fluke and sea bass, his anglers have been enjoying looking at the sea creatures such as sea turtles, dolphins, and sharks,

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction” Sportfishing has been averaging over 25 fluke a day on his bay trips with a handful of nice keepers each day. He had return client Ryan Hathcock, his wife Eliana, and friend Archie Glover with his 9-year old son Zavion on a 4-hour trip. Despite wind vs tide conditions, they found some cooperating fish and the crew ending up catching close to 30 Fluke with two nice keepers of 22-inches. Another trip he had Dave Rowan, his daughter Ashley Coleman, and her two boys Dylan and Andrew on a bay trip for fluke. The trip was about putting the boys on fish. They worked quite a few areas, and the foursome boated over 30 fish with 2 nice keepers of 21 and 22 inches.

Captain Bob Gerkens took the “Hot Tuna” on the 90-mile run to the Baltimore Canyon. Weather conditions were excellent as the boat was able to cruise at 25-knots in both directions. The group of anglers had a good day of fishing as four yellowfin tuna were boated. Captain Bob added that he has also been getting some good reports of bluefin tuna.

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

We had a surf fishing report sent in from Tom of Beach Haven Park…

Lots of small fluke in the surf! I picked up eight yesterday (Monday) and six more this morning (Tuesday). They were all between 12-17″ so no keepers. All caught on Gulp! Had to pack it up and leave today when the rays moved in at low tide.

ICAST 2018

A local angler stopped in the shop today and checked in a 25.5″ 7.52 pound fluke that he caught fishing Barnegat Bay this morning.

Another Barnegat Bay fluke report came in from Max DeGennaro. He caught a 26″ fluke this afternoon fishing aboard Hi Flier Sportfishing with captain and dad David D.

One customer who was in and out quick shared an awesome schoolie striped bass report. During the two minutes he was here he said, “Small bass are roaming the inlet rocks. Fish the golden hour with soft baits! I had five in less than an hour.” When the wind turned onshore out of the northeast or east the inlet comes alive. Happy to hear this angler was in on it!

The surf was very warm on Sunday. The onshore winds have pushed in some beautiful water. It’s clean (a little bit of grass in Ship Bottom) and loaded with rays.They were cruising in the waves for most of the day. The beach also has fluke during the day and sharks during the low light hours.

Bad new for the bluewater boyz trying to get back out on the tuna grounds… Tropical Depression 3 has become Tropical Storm Chris and looks to intensify for the next few days. The “professionals” are saying it will hang around the Carolinas then move out to the north east. Still lots of uncertainty. Keep your eyes on the forecasts to see how it plays out.

This might be my last fishing report update for 5-7 days; however, I will try to share some breaking news from ICAST 2018. Stay tuned to our social pages all week for the latest info from the show floor. There’s some awesome products that will be released from all the big name brands.

The Jersey Coast Anglers Association’s 24th Annual Fluke Tournament is August 4, 2018. This awesome statewide tournament is actually seven mini-tournaments in one. With tens of thousands in cash & prizes this one of the summer’s best fluke fishing tournaments!

Make sure to enter the Doormat Category (additional $25 fee) to try your luck at winning $50,000… largest fluke in excess of 12 lbs (see rules & regs that apply on JCAA website)

Register Online Now!

Early Entry $130 per boat (up to 6 anglers)

Regular Entry $160 per boat (if postmarked after July 23th, 2018)

For additional info, call the JCAA Office at 732-506-6565

About Jersey Coast Anglers Association

The Jersey Coast Anglers Association is a non-profit organization formed in 1981. The original objective of the JCAA was to combine a loosely fragmented group of marine sportfishing clubs in order to form and promote a united consensus on issues relevant to saltwater anglers in New Jersey. Over the years, the mission of the JCAA has remained unchanged, but now has the added goal of joining forces with organizations having similar objectives in states along the East Coast and national organizations. While the JCAA is relatively young, it has emerged as the most effective organization of its kind on the East Coast. For more information, or for information about becoming a member of the JCAA, please call (732) 506-6565 or visit www.jcaa.org.

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable 4th of July Holiday!

The heat wave has been real! Finally we are getting a break with a cold front sweeping in tomorrow (Friday). It looks a little hairy with thunderstorms.  Onshore winds Saturday will give a nice ocean breeze and also put a building wind swell on the beach. The heat quickly sets back in with lots of sun after the weekend.

It’s great to see bait stacking up in the summer time haunts. Peanut bunker are in the lagoons and spearing are darting around the bay.

On the fishing front fluke is the main inshore species. Anglers are also working bluefish, weakfish and resident striped bass. The blues range from 1-3 pounds in the inlet and the bay is primarily filled with snappers.

Anglers are catching in the bay, inlet and ocean. We heard of good catches in Double Creek Channel on the north end as well as the Middle Grounds on the south end. Lots of customers are reporting an abundance of shorts with some finding quality.

Some areas of the bay have water temps in the mid 80’s. The ocean surf is in the mid to low 60’s. With these very warm bay temps some of the anglers are looking in the ocean. We have yet to hear stella reports. BUT!!! Any day the open bottom as well as the local reef sites should get good.

Carolyn Ann III Fishing Report

Here’s yesterday’s report from the Carolyn Ann III, “This morning was alot slower due to no drift at all. We were able to get a few nice fish.” Tuesday’s report was strong, “It was a good day on the CAIII today. A few real nice keeper fluke caught and some anglers caught a few sea bass. Everyone had a good time. There were a lot of  sea robins, skates and sharks made the trip active and very fun for the kids.”

BHMTC Fluke-A-Mania

Due to poor weather forecast this weekend, the The Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club’s Fluke-A-Mania fluke fishing tournament has been postponed. The new date is August 24-25th. These are prime dates for fire fluke fishing!!!

Offshore & Mid Shore Fishing

The bluewater fishing has been great! Both offshore and mid shore anglers are hammering tuna. So far it’s turning out to be one of the best tuna bites we’ve seen in a long time. The consistency and quality of the fish is one to remember for sure. Hearing positive report after positive report day in and day out is awesome.

While the edge is teeing off with yellowfin, the bluefin action is strong too.  Don’t overlook the mid-shore tuna grounds because there’s a lot to offer.  The waters are loaded with sandeels and tuna are feeding. Anglers are getting into top feeds as well as jig and troll and chunk.  Areas such as the Chicken Canyon and the Barcadi put out some very good fishing.

Ghetto Sharking

Local ghetto sharking is off the hook! Usually early July is just the beginnings. But this year’s very warm water temperatures (thanks to the heat wave) has the fishing primed and cranking!!!

Monday night I had Michael Nictakis and his son from Louisiana aboard Fish Head Charters for a four hour bay shark trip.  We pushed off the dock at sunset and before dark set in we were hooked up with a SCREAMER. It nearly spooled the Penn 20LD twice.  After the 20 minute tug of war the fish was boat side and turned out to be a monster 6.5′ sandbar shark.  The night turned out to be consistent, picking a couple more each hour. All smaller ones.

Tuesday night the Fish Head was back on it with store staffers Max and Kelley aboard. Almost the same story… minutes in a rod goes off. I pick it up, set the hook and instantly knew I was in for a ride. Ten minutes in I was down to half a spool and the fish wasn’t phased. The Penn SSVI Spinfisher Spinning reel (SSVI6500LL) did it’s job putting out 17 pounds of drag to help subdue the beast.   Turns out it was another bay monster with a bowling ball sizes mouth. This was bigger than Monday’s and possibly our biggest to date. Just short of 7′ with a thick head and shoulders. We estimate it was between 150-170 pounds… a definite a contender to John Norton’s currently retired NJ State Record 168lb 8oz sand bar shark from 1987.

We took off July 4th but are heading back out again tonight. I’m looking forward to fishing with Keith Dunton from Dunton Labs and Student Lauren from the Monmouth University. The goal is to stick some radio and spaghetti tags in fish. We are looking forward to working with his team and helping in the project this summer.

UPDATE: Check Out This Short Clip From Tagging With Dunton Labs 

Over the past 10-15 years it has been amazing to watching this once endanger species come back so strong. Some time ago we were super happy catching one or two a night with one big fish a season. The past couple of years on prime nights we are getting 6-12 bites a night.  Being a light tackle junkie, I think they are the best near shore bite. Nothing sends a hard set drag singing louder than a good size brownie.

As with any and all fishing, please know the regulations and respect the species.

Blue Claw Crabbing

Crabbing is good on the west side of the bay. Customers loading up on bunker for crab bait are having fun. Just a reminder, female terrapin turtles are active during the summers months. These critters frequently get into crab pots and drown. It’s law that any crab pots set in a body of water less than 150′ wide or any man made lagoon must be outfitted with a turtle excluder device. For those in need, this device orange (TED) is available here at Fish Heads. Due to their long history of decline, the terrapin is a very sensitive species of special concern, although not listed as an endangered species.

Flawless weather has everyone enjoying all of the best LBI and the Shore has to offer. Beat the heat and get on the water. Anyone looking to get in on the fishing fun but needs guidance… stop in for help. We outfit anglers and boats on a daily basis and are stoked with the positive feedback. Lots of customers are getting into great fishing fun. Join in!

Store staffer max got a big fluke on yesterday morning (Saturday). He fished with fellow worker and friend Dave. They got into some good fishing using Magic Tail Jigs and TS Floaters tipped with Gulp.

The BHMTC Inshore/Bay Tournament (Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club Vs Village Harbor Fishing Club) went down Saturday June 30th. Here’s the results… BHMTC won the showdown. Heaviest Flounder was a 4.36 pounder caught by Mark Parker aboard the ABC. Mark also caught the largest weakfish was 1.8 pounds.  The second biggest fish was 3.62 pounds that was caught by Tanner Johnson aboard the Shore Thing. The third largest fluke was Sweet Marlyn’s Brendan Graham who caught a 3.1 pounder. The largest bluefish was 13.16 pounds, caught by Chris Vohden aboard the Bad Buoy.

The warm weather and warm water means it’s shark time near/onshore, inshore/midshore and offshore. The recent shark tournaments have turned up some quality catches. Local anglers are getting in the fun too. Ryan Dellane was out and reported, “Great day shark fishing today with Brett Ekelmann. We ended the trip with a 6′ hammerhead shark and two little pup makos. All safely released.” A recent surf report came in from Vinnie Pena, “Hit the south end of LBI and went two for four. One brownie and one sand tiger which was about 8′.”

There’s a variety of shark species around from browns to sand tigers, makos to blue sharks as well as hammer heads and YES white sharks.  This weekend local Captain Mark Finelli was out fishing and his son Babe hooked a strong creature. Once boat side it turns out to be a baby white shark! It was promptly and safely dehooked and released. One of the best parts of fishing is enjoying the water with family and friends but also the excitement that you never know what you are going to catch.

Offshore bluewater fishing continues with productive waters on the midshore and offshore grounds. The weather has allows everyone (even small boats) to get out to the grounds and the reports are off the charts.

The yellowfin and bluefin bite is on with local boats putting up great numbers. Some are finding fish on top and having a blast casting lures. Here’s some reports…

Jeremy Gers reported, “Mahi, two mako, 15 tilefish, one white marlin release, 11 yellowfin up to 65lbs, five barrelfish and a grouper!”

Dan (@rosettostone) reported, “It’s a record year! Today (Saturday) we limited out on bluefin. It was another epic trip aboard the Linda Lee. We even got into action on spinning gear. The last two trips were the best fishing. I’m still stoked on a killer day… It’s not easy waking up at 1am to set offshore after work all week hunting these fish. It takes a lot of work and a lot more money.”

Captain Jeff aboard the Reel Innovation reported good action Saturday morning at the edge, “Nice yellowfin and white marlin!” First mate Dan D. shared, “We got covered up in nice size yellowfin tuna which made for a quick trip. Had six fish on at one time and landed five. Also raised and hooked up with a white marlin, so I got to leader my first whitie! We are heading back in the morning (Sunday) for an overnighter.” It’s great to see the crew’s hard work pay off.  Their last trip out earlier in the week, one engine went down about 100 miles out. They got things fixed and quickly are back in the game.

Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Fishing Report

June 28 Report Update

by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

As the Fourth of July draws near, fluke fishing for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association is domination the action.

Captain Gary Dugan of “Irish Jig” Sportfishing reports steady fishing on fluke with catches ranging from 15-25 with averages of 2-5 keepers. He plans to start fishing more in the ocean on local reef sites and lumps as the fish begin their migration from the bay to the ocean. He has been finding good numbers of big blackfish also, but they must be released as they are not yet in season.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction” has been fishing the bay waters hard for some big catches of fluke. There are many more throwbacks than keepers, but his anglers have been going home with enough keepers for fish dinner. He recently had Bill Dodd of Beach Haven West and his son-in-law Eric on a 4-hour bay and inlet fluke trip. They worked quite a few areas with the duo releasing 40 Fluke while keeping two nice 22 inchers for the table. The pink S&S Bigeye bucktail did the trick for the keepers. Another day he had Ellington “Duke” Smith of Delaware with his grandson Marcus and girlfriend Jasmine out in difficult weather conditions. The trio caught some 15 fish with four keepers to 28-inches weighing 8-pounds. On another trip Captain Brett caught some bluefish and short striped bass in the inlet.

Thursday, June 28 marked the first class of the Junior Mates Program administered by the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. Interested teenagers who missed the first session can see about still signing up by calling Captain John Lewis at 609-670-5980.

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