Hi Flier Stripers, Blues, and Fluke…..and Giant Bluefin Tuna

We will be sailing Open Boat or Charter Fri, Sat, and Sun this Memorial day weekend. Targeting stripers, blues, and fluke. All three species are very active right now in the bay and inlet. We will be using a mix of bait and lures on light spinning tackle. 

Open Boat Trips:

Fri May 26 11AM to 5PM  

Sat May 27 and Sun May 28  8AM to 2PM

$175 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.

We are gearing up for a shot at the Giant Bluefin Tuna that have been holding steady to the north of us for a few weeks now. It is a troll bite. We have rod and reel outfits that are specifically designed to fight these fish standup style. It’s a 45 mile run to the grounds for us, so about a 2 1/2 hour run each way. We only sail in very calm water. Sat, Sun, and Mon’s will be the days we will be looking at for these trips. 

Here are some of the particulars: $750 person, 3 people max, anything over 73 inches belongs to the boat. Anything under 73 inches we cut up for everyone on board to share. Obviously this is not for everyone. The chances are much greater of us not even hooking up than catching a giant. That’s not to say we are not properly geared for it or that we won’t be committed to catching one, more than anything else we will ever do. It’s just the reality of giant tuna fishing. I was the deck hand for one of the top Giant Bluefin Tuna captains in the history of the sport, Bob Pisano out of Belmar, NJ. This guy was the Babe Ruth of giant fishing. He fished for them in the 1970’s when they were not worth anything. The lobster boats would pay .25 cents a pound for them to use as bait. He continued his pursuit well into the 2000’s. I was fortunate enough to be his mate for three seasons in the late 1980’s. We chased these fish from Brielle, NJ to Cape Cod, MA and back from June to Oct. Our best season we had 7 fish. During one stretch, we fished 21 days in a row out of Point Judith, RI and the rod never went off. Then, in the next 4 days, we boated 3. I am in the million chunk club, an exclusive membership to those that have cut enough butterfish and bunker chunks to fill a baseball stadium. I have line cuts on my fingers so deep they have never healed from rigging trolling baits with waxed thread just for this fishery. I have $5,000 invested in three rod and reel outfits specifically for these fish that only get used a few times a year, along with a few thousand dollars in tackle, lures, harpoons, gaffs, darts, etc. I go out of my way to tell you this because when the day comes, when lightning finally strikes, and we deck a Giant Bluefin Tuna, any financial reward is returned to the boat and captain, not to those that were lucky enough to pick the most exciting day of fishing you can ever experience. What I can offer you is a chance to be part of a crew that could make this happen. We will need you guys to rotate on the rod, if you want to leader and harpoon the fish, keep the guy on the rod hydrated. Look for whales and birds while we are searching. It’s a team effort that lands one of these remarkable fish. 

You can call or email me if you have any interest in a trip like this. 

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

Hi Flier Open Boat Wed, Thurs, Fri. May 24, 25, 26

We are doing well with the stripers and now there are blues to target. Most of the bass are 28” to 36” fish. Great sport on light spinning tackle. Mostly we are throwing lures at the inlet jetty for the bass. Anchored up with clams has been producing a few bigger fish like the 30 lber the the two guys below are holding. That fish measured 43 inches and ate a clam bait, flatlined with no weight on the very beginning of outgoing tide in Oyster Creek Channel. The blues are on the west side of the bay. All different sizes, casting topwaters or on the troll. 

We will be sailing Open Boat or charter this Wed, Thurs, Fri, May 24, 25, 26.Wed 11AM to 5PMThurs 11:30AM to 5:30PMFri Noon to 6PM$175 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared. 
Pics: 
Al Hare of Lumberton NJ (Orange shirt) with a 33 inch bass he caught on a lure at the Barnegat Inlet jetty
Ron Pullen of Browns Mills NJ and Wayne Malinosky of Lumberton holding Ron’s 30 lb striper that ate a clam
Rob and Taylor Turrisi of State College PA with Taylor’s 29 incher he caught on a lure at the inlet.

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

Hi Flier Open Boat Stripers

We are still connecting with good size stripers on our trips to the inlet jetty. We are also catching blues on the west side of the bay. Running Open Boat or Charter Sat May 13 and Sun May 14, 5AM to 11AM. We are using lures and bait. Also running Tues, May 16 10AM to 4PM. All trips are $175 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. 

Call or text to reserve a spot.

Here is a pic and short video of Wayne Hopkins of Kutztown, PA, landing his bass that hit a surface plug yesterday (Thurs) at the inlet: youtu.be/b8RqGeRGoFY

Hi Flier Afternoon Striper Trips

We had a good couple of days striper fishing in Barnegat Inlet. The bite is dictated more by tide than the time of day. They have all been good size fish, 30 to 36 inch bass. Lures and bait have both been producing. We are going to run afternoon trips designed to fish the peak times this Wed-Thur-Fri, May 10-11-12. 

Wed 10:30AM to 3:30PM, Thur 11AM to 4PM, and Fri 11:30AM to 4:30 PM. $160 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared. 

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

Awesome Striper Fishing Today

Four for six on 34 to 36 inch stripers on the FishHead spinning rods. Such a blast floating bait on bobbers to the jetty. Back for more Mon May 8, 6AM to 1PM. Open Boat or charter. $175 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared. Call to reserve a spot. 

Here is a quick YouTube video from today: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbbPJpfgMHU

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

Hi Flier Stripers and Blues

I have a ton of bait lined up for this weekend. We will be running Open Boat or Charter for stripers and blues this Fri, Sat, Sun, and Mon. 

Friday, May 5 10AM to 4PM. Anchoring up with clams on the beginning of outgoing tide for bass and then switching to lures or drifting bait for bass and blues at the inlet jetty and possibly the west side of Barnegat Bay. $175 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared.

Sat May 6, Sun May 7, and Mon May 8 we will start at 6AM to target the stripers on the west side of the bay by trolling plugs on light spinning gear or if we have some visual life, we will switch to casting lures. Each day we will time our effort to catch that outgoing tide with the clams, so depending on our success, we will move on to bait and lures at the inlet jetty and/or the bay for bass and blues. 

6AM to 2PM each day. $175 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared.

The new striper regs that just came out today allow us to only keep fish in the 28 to 31 inch slot, so that is the target size. Once we hit May 15, we should also be able to keep our Bonus Slot fish, 24 to 28 inch fish. 

I have been hearing about bluefish coming into the bay recently, so this could help round out the action.

I am aware that the 6 hour trip and the 8 hour trip are priced the same. That is because the overhead for each trip is almost the same. The bait costs more than the fuel these days. 

Hope to see you on board.

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

Hi Flier Open Boat Stripers and Tog

We are ready to start fishing this weekend. The water temps on the west side of Barnegat Bay are in the 57 to 60 degree range and that is prime for stripers. Going to try the usual haunts on the west side looking for bird play or swirling fish to cast lures. If there are no visual signs we can troll lures on the light spinning rods until we find some life. This is an early morning bite more than a tide bite so we will be starting before sun up. The bass need to be 28″ or over to keep as the bonus program does not start until May 15. 

After a few hours of bass fishing we can try the inlet jetty for blackfish. I have a very unique and effective way to target these early season jetty fish on light tackle. Spinning rods, bobbers, and the majic bait! This technique is also very good for the stripers at the inlet. The blackfish limit is 4 per man at 15″ or over. 

Sailing Open Boat or Charter:

Saturday April 22, Monday April 24, Saturday April 29, Sunday, April 30

Also Monday May 1, but we will be targeting only stripers in the bay and inlet as blackfish season closes May 1.

All of these dates are 6 hour trips. 5:30AM to 11:30AM. $175 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. Everything is provided. 

Looking forward to seeing everyone on board again!

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

Philadelphia Fishing Show Feb 17-19

Hello Everyone,

Our 4th Annual Philadelphia Fishing Show will be held Feb 17-19, 2023 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. 

There are over 230 booths of fishing tackle, guides, lodges, apparel and more. All fishing, no junk! There are also boats, outboards, and RV’s on display. Check out the Hawg Trough, a 5,000 gallon gamefish aquarium. Catch a fish at the show in our fully stocked Trout Pond. See the 3,000 lb Great White Shark replica, get harnessed up and and go toe-to-toe against the rod and reel that caught him. Our newest attraction this year is our Virtual Fishing simulator that lets you battle a variety of species from all over the world.

There are three seminar rooms going around the clock for all three days with some of fishing’s top captains and guides sharing what they know about the sport they are most passionate about. Speakers such as Capt Tom Daffin, Nick Honachefsky, Frank Mihalic, Capt Freddy Gamboa, and Capt Alan Lee, just to name a few. The seminars are FREE and included with your admission to the show.
Meet Dave Marciano, captain of the F/V Hard Merchandise from Wicked Tuna. He will be at the Fishing Nosara booth during the entire show. He will also be giving a seminar on Giant Bluefin Tuna on Sunday at Noon. Check out our website for the entire seminar schedule and list of exhibitors.

Admission is $12 for adults, Kids 6 to 12 $6, 5 and under are FREE. FREE parking for everyone. FREE Seminars. Food and beverages available inside the show. 
For all of the info, visit: phillyfishingshow.com

Hope to see you there!
Thank you,
DaveDave DeGennaro

Back Bay Adventures

732.330.5674 cell

phillyfishingshow.com

Hi Flier Open Boat Stripers Mon Dec 5

The striper bite is relentless. Every day brings blitz style fishing to the shoreline from Belmar to Seaside. Thousands of birds, pick your own flock, surfacing stripers. We haven’t had to troll yet. Everything has been on surface plugs and soft plastics on light spinning gear. This is a migration run for the ages. 

Running Open Boat or Charter Monday, Dec 5, 7AM to 3PM. $275 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com