It appears that this “End of all time” weather is finally coming to an end. Monday is borderline for our boat, so I am going to give it one more day for the seas to come down even more by Tues. Then Tues thru Fri, Oct 3, 4, 5, and 6, we will be running Open Boat or Charter for anything we can. Nobody has been out, so it is going to be a work in progress schedule. 

The bay does not have a lot to offer as my shrimp supplier is done for the season. The good news is that there are plenty of options in the ocean.
If I had to pick a place to start, it would be Barnegat Ridge. Good chance of finding bonita and albies there. Right before all this messy weather, there were quite a few big bluefin taken there, as well. I plan on bringing every size gear from 12 lb spinning outfits to 80 class standups. I have pails of spearing and peanut bunker to get the party started. The big bluefin were taken on live bait that could be caught right on the same grounds. 

The other fishery we are all watching and hoping is at the 60 to 65 mile range where we left the yellowfin tuna biting. These fish were bruisers, all 50 to 80 plus pound fish.  On bait and jigs during daylight hours, the most fun way to catch these tuna. We will be trading info within our network and if those fish are there, we’re gone!

October is a good time of year to fish the inlet jetty for stripers and blues. We will be mostly casting lures at the jetty. There is a chance of finding migrating albacore along the beach, as well.

Here is how the Open Boat trips will play out:

Tues Oct 3, Wed Oct 4, Thurs Oct 5, and Fri Oct 6

Barnegat Ridge 6AM to 2PM $300 person or $1,200 Charter

60 to 65 Mile Yellowfin Tuna: 4AM to 4PM $450 person or $1,800 Charter

Inlet or Inshore Trips 7AM to Noon $700, or 7AM to 1PM $800 for Charter only, no Open Boat

All trips are 4 people max, all fish are shared. Call right up until “go time”! If it goes right to voicemail it means I am offshore, out of cell range, and will call you back as soon as we get back in range.

Hope to see you on board!

Thank you,

Dave

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

We will be running Open Boat Tuna on Mon/Tues/Wed, Sept 18/19/20, 5AM to 5PM, 60-70 mile range, $500 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared. Everything is provided. If you have a favorite rod or two that you want to use, bring it.

These are 50 to 80 lb yellowfins. Bait fishing and jigging. Everything is provided.Call to reserve a spot, right up until “go time”.

These dates are also available for your private charter, inshore or offshore, as well. This is an exciting time of year for fishing. Tuna offshore, albies and bonita at the Ridge, weakies and more in the bay. Today we had a bunch of weakies, a 20 inch fluke, and 11 species total on the live shrimp using 6 lb spinning rods. Weakfish, fluke, sea bass, blowfish, sand shark, bluefish, skate, pinfish, silver perch, goggle eye, and spots. All spots are immediately confiscated and are property of the Hi Flier.

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

There’s good reason for the exclamation point. The weather looks excellent for going offshore tomorrow and that is going to change very soon. Also, there is a hot bite on big yellowfin tuna within our range, 50 to 60 miles. A lot of these fish are being caught on bait during daylight hours. To me, there is nothing more exciting than having that reel go from zero to 40!

We will have the trolling gear on board in case we have to scout around, but I am hoping not to use it all. We will also have jigging rods and jigs, as it sounds like that has been producing, as well. 

OPEN BOAT TUNA: Thurs Sept 7, 4AM to 4PM, $500 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.You can call right up until “Go Time”, I am really pushing to get this trip off while the fishing is hot and the sea condition is right.

Call to reserve a spot.
See you on board!

Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
hiflier.com

The Barnegat Ridge is loaded with false albacore. Great sport but not edible. To make it interesting, though, there are bonita mixed in, which are also fun to catch and delicious to eat. Any way you prepare tuna, you can also make bonita, including sashimi. The squid boats are there dragging squid and we jigged a bunch of those yesterday and set out lines for bluefin tuna, but no takers. We did catch some small mahi mahi whenever we drifted by any floating debris. There is 72 degree blue-ish water there that is also holding flying fish. It is a lively piece of water right now. 

We will be running Open Boat trips there Wed Sept 6 and Thurs Sept 7, 7AM to 3PM. We will be hi-speed trolling as well as drifting with bait. I am supposed to be picking up pails of spearing today which means we could chum them up and use the light spinning rods. We will have everything on board from the light tackle to the 50 class tuna reels. $300 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.
We are also available for charter 7 days a week now, including these dates, for any type of fishing, inshore, the bay, or offshore.

Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
hiflier.com

This has been one of the trickiest weather windows to try and figure out on the backside of the recent storms. Tomorrow looks pretty good. There is going to be a long moderate swell with light winds that change direction all day. The big question is: Are the squid and tuna still where we left them? Inside of 20 miles from our marina. Only one way to find out. We are running an Open Boat Tuna trip tomorrow, Sat Sept 2, 6AM to 2PM, I want to be back through the inlet before that outgoing tide stacks up against the incoming swell. $350 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared. We are going regardless of how many people sign up. My son Nick is in town to work deck, so even if it’s just him and I, we are going. 

Sunday, Sept 3, it blows up a little bit, so we are available for shrimping weakfish in the bay. Monday Sept 4, Wed Sept 6, and Thurs Sept 7 we will be running Open Boat Tuna also, leaving at 6AM each day, returning 8 to 10 hours later. Any of these dates can be also be chartered to fish the bay or Barnegat Ridge for bonita, albies, and more.

Call to reserve a spot.

See you on board.

Thanks,

Dave

Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
hiflier.com

I am not liking the marine forecast for ocean fishing the next few days so we will be focusing on fishing in the bay. Available Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Aug 30 thru Sept 2 for Live Grass Shrimping trips for Weakfish. We use ultralite 6 lb spinning outfits so everything we catch provides great sport. The weakfish have been mostly 13 to 17 inch fish with a few bigger ones mixed in. Once we start chumming with the live shrimp we get a lot of fish around the boat, often it becomes visual with fish eating our chum right at the boat. Little bluefish, fluke, hickory shad, spots, croakers, blowfish, juvenille sea bass, sand sharks, sea robins, kingfish, and more are common visitors to our live shrimp slick. 

These are 5 hour trips. $700 to charter the boat for up to 4 people. Everything is included. Just bring whatever you like to eat and drink. 

I am now available 7 days a week for Charters and Open Boat trips.

Hope to see you on board!

Dave

Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
hiflier.com

The BluefinTuna and squid are still going strong within 20 miles of the inlet.

The fish are all 70 to 100+ pounds! We will be sailing Open Boat Tuna Wednesday August 23. We have one spot left. 6 AM to 4 PM $350 per person. Four people max. All fish are shared.

Our next availability for inshore or offshore are Wed Aug 30 and Thurs Aug 31. If these dates do not get booked as charters we will offer them as Open Boat trips.

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

It’s been an interesting few days of fishing. We started out with live grass shrimping trips in the bay on Fri and Sat. Friday had a mix of species including 5 weakfish for the Rick Masters charter. They had the usual assortment of species that visit our shrimp slick: weakfish, juvenile sea bass, little blues, blowfish, fluke, sand sharks, spots, and sea robins. Non stop action. On Saturday I had Mike and Karen Romance out for an Inshore Shark/Live Grass Shrimp Combo. We got bit off by a few bigger sharks that were not invited to this particular party but Karen did get the best of an Atlantic Sharpnose Shark, the targeted species before we decided to head into the bay. I anchored in the exact same spot as the day before but it was S L O W……..and then S L O W E R. Just doesn’t make sense sometimes, same spot, same tide, but my other spot was infested with silver perch, so we stayed put. We finally hook up and Mike is fighting what I tell him is going to be a big weakfish. The 6 lb ultralite rod is bent, the reel is singing, and as the fish finally gets close enough to land, we see it’s a cobia. Twenty incher. Not legal to keep, but great sport on that tackle. They then proceed to deck two keeper weakies, a 13 and 19 1/2 incher to wrap things up and put a little fillet in the Ziplock. 

Now, Sunday (yesterday), the weather is nice enough to head offshore looking for tuna with the Jim Padilla party. I knew the fleet on the inshore tuna grounds up North has grown to 100 plus boats on a weekday and with a bluebird Saturday, that would surely almost double. I stayed south and after trolling for an hour we had only managed one false albacore and heard of one bonita among the few boats that were there with us. We reeled in and started to run further offshore. After a while, we stumbled on some fresh slicks with a good amount of chick birds picking at them. The machine showed a carpet of bait readings that looked like the squid that have been so prominent on the tuna grounds this season, so we dropped in some squid jigs and started swinging jumbos over the rail. We put them out for bait and proceeded to hook up with shark after shark. Mostly 150 to 200 pound brown sharks but one 12 foot hammerhead that fooled me into thinking it was a tuna run off. He hit and ran so hard. At 1:00 PM we get another good run off on the balloon that was set at 60 feet, and no one is enthused about doing battle with another shark. So I left it in the holder, rod bent, and giving out a good amount of line. I figured, let him bite the hook off. Jim finally said, begrudgingly, “I”ll take him”. He fought him for a while and then his son Greg took over for a while before I realized this fish was deep and starting to spiral. I yelled to Dave Flood, our deckhand for this trip, to get a gaff ready and then we saw color on a good size bluefin. Decked him after a good fight. 51 inches, about 90 pounds. Everyone was ecstatic and we headed for the barn right on schedule. Here is the final five minutes of that tuna: youtu.be/6-0-EjBKoVg

I only have tomorrow, Tuesday Aug 8 available for a Live Grass Shrimp charter in the bay and Thurs Aug 10 for the same or an Open Boat Tuna 9AM to 5PM, we are only running 16 miles from the inlet to the fishing grounds. Thursday looks like the marine forecast is good enough to get to where we need to go. If we go Open Boat Tuna on Thurs, 9AM to 5PM, $300 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.

After these dates, my next availability is not until Thurs Aug 17 and Mon Aug 21 for inshore or offshore.
 

Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
hiflier.com

We will be running an Open Boat Bluefin Tuna trip this Monday Aug 7, 6AM to 4PM. $350 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared.

The word is out. There are 75 to 200 plus pound bluefin tuna less than 20 miles from our Barnegat Inlet. There are huge schools of big squid there that we will be catching for our live bait. Drifting with bait is how we will be fishing, no trolling. Very exciting when you hook up on these big fish. 

This and any other dates are always available for your private charter, as well, for bay, inshore, or offshore fishing. We only have Tues Aug 8 and Thurs Aug 10 left as available dates left to book for any kind of fishing. After that, our next available date is Thurs Aug 17.

We are catching blues at the inlet jetty, fluke in the bay, and small Atlantic Sharpnose sharks 4 miles offshore. We are offering Live Grass Shrimp trips targeting weakfish and the assortment of species that find our shrimp slick. We scale down to the ultralite 6 pound outfits for this fishery and the goal is to catch as many different species as we can. 

Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
hiflier.com

There are 70 to 100 plus pound Bluefin Tuna within 20 miles of our Barnegat Inlet. So much fun. Most of the time we are jigging for squid while we are drifting for the tuna. As soon as we catch the squid, we put them on as live bait. It’s so much fun catching bait that sometimes we forget we are there for a higher purpose…..TUNA!!

We ran to the spot I left them at last week and fished all morning without a bite. There was a sizable fleet to our west, but I would always rather be off on our own. A friend gave me some coordinates where they caught one in the morning within that fleet and being that it was 12:30 in the afternoon and we had not had any bites, I figured let’s go see. We entered the fleet and there was some radio chatter about a boat that was hooked up, good sign. Immediately the depth recorder was lit up with massive schools of squid. On our second drift the 30 International in the bow holder was screaming and we were no doubt hooked up to a bluefin. Thirty minutes later, my son, Max decked a 49″ Bluefin. Here’s the end game: youtu.be/TSSzeYW1_F0  Dave Flood on the gaff.

Something to know about Dave Flood, even though he isn’t in many of the pics, none of this happens without Dave. He gets to the boat an hour before anyone, dries all the seats, brings all the lunch and drinks, packs the coolers, gets the boat turn key ready and then never stops contributing during the day. Catching bait, jigging for tuna, getting new hookbaits, letting the lines out, constantly cleaning, giving the angler that’s hooked up water, and then when the rod goes off, his rod mind you, he steps aside to let someone catch the fish. Then he is there to gaff it and when we hit the dock he is the butcher. Every crew needs a Dave Flood.

Sailing Open Boat Tuna tomorrow, Wed Aug 2 and Sat Aug 5. 4AM to 2PM. $350 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared. We will be within 20 miles of the inlet, so a little over an hour each way from the marina to the fishing grounds. No trolling, we will be drifting and bait fishing. There are always jigging rods ready if you want to do that. And, of course, bait rods to catch live bait. Everything is provided, just bring whatever you like to eat and drink for the time we are out.

These and any other dates are always available for your private charter, as well, for bay, inshore, or offshore fishing. We are catching blues at the inlet jetty, fluke in the bay, and small Atlantic Sharpnose sharks 4 miles offshore. We are offering Live Grass Shrimp trips targeting weakfish and the assortment of species that find our shrimp slick. We scale down to the ultralite 6 pound outfits for this fishery and the goal is to catch as many different species as we can. 

Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
hiflier.com