fishing lbi Archives - Page 5 of 6 - LBI NJ Fishing Report

LBI Fishing – Reel Reaction Charters Fishing Report

In case you were wondering: Fluke still bite during eclipses!

Sorry for the delay in reports as I have been out on the water nearly everyday – in fact this past week had us on the water 7 trips in 5 days. This has been one EPIC year as we are very close to eclipsing 200 keepers for the season!! This week had some big fish hitting decks of the JENNY LYNN over 7 pounds which were all caught on the bucktail. I picked up my allotted 50 Striped Bass Bonus Tags from the state of NJ for the season and already have 4 bookings in November. With school starting, I will run weekdays afternoons through November, in addition to weekends. Reminder: Weekday afternoons and weekends through November and we are now starting to book up for our Fall Striped Bass fishery.

Our website or facebook page has all of the updated fishing reports from our charters, so please check them out. LIKE us on FACEBOOK.

Here are a few from this past week:

I had return clients Rob P and his father Bill of North Jersey out on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. We started working the inlet for Bluefish as there was a little birdplay just outside. Once the Bluefish bite died, we worked some of the same areas as I did during last Thursday’s charter (Friday’s charter was cancelled due to weather). The father and son team worked the S&S BigEye bucktails to produce close to 30 Fluke with 4 keepers (19.5, 19. 18, 18). One of the throwbacks was previously tagged by Monmouth University.

I had Village Harbor Fishing Club member Ed Valitutto and member Alan Goracy along with their grandchildren Chaytan, Nicholas, Vincent, and Jacoby for a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. The boys were siked about fishing and they also had their eclipse glasses. We had much more challenging conditions with strong tide and stronger South winds than my morning charter. But the group caught over 30 Fluke on the S&S BigEye bucktail and boxed 4 keepers (20, 19, 19, 18). We fished a variety of areas and the boys and grandfathers did a great job! 11yr old Nick Rossi was the high hook catching the most fish along with 2 keepers himself.

Tough day with the winds for return clients Jason Black, his 4yr old son Tyler, and his friend Mike Weinstein and 6yr old daughter Belle who were on a 4hr Bay&Inlet charter. This trip was more about letting the kids have some fun catching. We did manage to put a solid 19 inch Fluke in the cooler among the 20 shorts. With about a 1/2 hour left in the trip, I picked up Tyler’s younger brother Seth and Belle’s younger sister Alice for a boat ride near Viking Village’s Commercial fleet. Great job for a rather tough morning!

I had new client Mike Herman of NYC out with his 10year old daughter Dani for a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. Dani never fished for Fluke, but she was a quick learner jigging the S&S BigEye bucktail for two keeper Fluke (18, 18.5 inches). The father-daughter team caught a good number of Fluke with a throwback Sea Bass. We worked a variety of spots in the backbay and some “earlier season” areas are producing with the cooler water temperatures. Great job by both anglers who were new to bucktailing.

I had new client Nicholas Theyer of Wisconsin, his wife Debra, and their 3 boys (Luke-age 9, Ben-age 7, Matthew-age 3) on a 4hr Bay & Inlet charter. We worked areas around the inlet in depths close to 20 feet to produce a decent amount of Fluke. This was the family’s first time fishing for Fluke and learning how to jig bucktails. 9-yr old Luke caught 2 Keepers (19.5, 21 inches) while jigging the S&S BigEye bucktail. 7-yr old Ben had another nice fish on, but in his excitement brought too quickly to the surface and unfortunately lost it before it could be netted. The family did a great job for their first time Fluke fishing.

I had return clients Dan Unger of Ship Bottom, his son Danny, and Art Diebel of Jackson with his son Bruce on a 5hr Ocean charter. As we approached the inlet, it was a little a more sporty than what the marine forecast indicated so we headed to a closer wreck. The crew caught a few shorts and 2 keepers (18, 22.5). With it finally laying down, we headed to one of my favorite snags and they added 3 more keepers to cooler including Art’s 7 pounder. The team ended with 5 solid keepers (27, 22.5, 20, 19, 18). All were caught on the S&S BigEye bucktail tipped with artificial and natural baits.

I had return clients Rob P and his buddy Matt out on a 5hr Ocean charter. We worked some of the same snags as my morning charter and got right on the fish. They did catch a lot more throwbacks, but landed 4 nice Fluke (27inch, 24, 19.5, 19). Rob landed his biggest Fluke to date at 27 inches weighing just over 7 pounds. All were caught on the S&S BigEye bucktail and they were pounding them. Thanks to Stanley Gola for producing such a quality product.

If interested in booking a charter, book through the website (www.reelreactioncharters.com) or call/text 609-290-7709. As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included: gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE! It’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709

LBI Fluke – Reel Reaction Charters Fishing Report

Fluke still remains “on-fire” with the Ocean producing much better action as compared to the bay. For example, we had a 3 man limit of 9 keeper Fluke to 25.5 inches in just 2 hours and 20 minutes!! Epic Fishing to say the least!! I understand some get sea-sick and have to stay in the bay, but I highly recommend running to the Ocean as there tends to be more quality fish and less short fish. The bay bite is still good for the young ones in terms of action with most trips producing a steady 30 to 40 fish, but only 2 to 5 keepers. Although we haven’t been targeting them, the jetties are still producing Bluefish, Striped Bass, and even some small Weakfish further off. Reminder: We continue to run 7 days a week until September and we are now starting to book our Fall Striped Bass trips.

I had return clients Eric Haase, his wife Mary, and their friends Craig Fordyce and his girlfriend Caitlyn Torres on a 4hr Bay/Inlet trip. We had very tough conditions with higher than predicted winds, and wind-against tide situations at quite a few spots. But the charter stuck with it and with repeated drifts the crew caught over 30 Fluke with 5 keepers to 22.5 inches on bucktails. Awesome job for a challenging day!

I had return client Tom Dillon Jr and his cousin Mike Kelly of North Jersey on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. Tom’s dad was supposed to go, but got caught up with work so Tommy’s cousin jumped on. We worked some of the same areas as last week’s trip and had steady activity at most of the spots. The two released over 25 Fluke with very close to 18 inches, but they were able to box 3 keepers at 18, 19, 19.5 inches. Nice Job!! I look forward to seeing them for our fall Striped Bass fishery.

I had return client Tim Murphy and his son Kevin of Jamison, PA out on a 4hr Bay/Inlet trip. With a brief discussion prior to the trip, the father-son team opted for the ocean. Great choice, as we limited out on 9 keeper Fluke to 25.5 inches in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Tim was the high hook catching the most and two biggest fish at 25.5 and 24.5 inches. All fish were caught on bucktails and were quality sized (18, 18.5, 19, 19, 20, 20.5, 23, 25.5, 24.5). Great job by the guys and look forward to seeing them in November for Striped Bass.

In the afternoon, I had return client Erik Lundbeck, his son Axel, nephew Arthur and Arthur’s girlfriend Ana Paden on a 4hr Bay/Inlet trip. We started working the inlet area, but had strong tidal current and winds which made it challenging to say the least. With success in the morning, we ran to the same Ocean area but could only muster 2 keeper Fluke (19, 21 inches) among shorts. We had much quicker drifting conditions and many more Brown sharks in the area. We did see one small, what appeared to be a 2.5-3ft Blacktip shark in the area. 10yr old Axel did end up hooking up with a 4-5 foot Brown shark that ended up hitting his short fluke on the way up. Tougher conditions, but still pretty good action for the crew!

And to close out the week, I had new client Steven Hartley, his wife Debbie Edmiston, and her son Tristan of Philadelphia, Pa on a 4hr Bay/Inlet trip. We started working some of the same bay areas as the day prior and had to weed through the shorts to find keepable fish. After some moving around, they trio found 2 keepers at 19 and 20 inches. Good job for their first time bucktailing!

Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

It has been an absolute banner year for Fluke and now the ocean is really starting to heat up. The ocean is definitely holding much better ratios of keepers to shorts and we like fishing a variety of structure to put them on the deck. The Bay is still very active, but your approaching much higher amounts of short Fluke with ratios at 15-20 to 1. I’m still waiting for the bay Blowfish bite to start as this makes for perfect trips for the little ones. But right now, it’s all about quality Fluke in the ocean. Reminder: We continue to run 7 days a week until September and we are now starting to book our Fall Striped Bass trips.

With an Ocean planned for this week, my wife Jennifer, Luke and I scouted out a couple of my choice areas. With our 1st drift, Luke boated the first keeper at 18.5 inches. We scored keeper Fluke on the next few drifts to 6 pounds. We finished in the bay and boated two more keepers to 5 pounds. Jen was the high hook catching 5 out of our 7 keepers (18.5, 19, 19, 20, 23, 23, 24). Awesome day on the water with the family!! I think the Ocean is ready for charters!

Next, I had Mike Edwards, Tom Heisroth, and Neil Ringel on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. We concentrated our efforts just in and just outside the inlet. Even with outgoing tide conditions, the guys released close to 30 Fluke and had 3 keepers (18.5, 20, 21.5 inches). They worked the S&S BigEye bucktails tipped with natural bait. Great job!

During midweek, I had Dan Perlman, his wife Melissa, and their 3 boys (Aaron-age 12, Brody-age 10, and Elijah-age 7) on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. We worked some of the same areas as the day prior and had the same tidal conditions (outgoing). With all three boys new to bucktailing and saltwater Fluke fishing, they did a pretty good job catching 23 Fluke with two keepers (18, 19.5). There is nothing better than seeing kids catch fish!

I had Matt Windover of Philadelphia, PA and Charles Jack of Limerick, PA on a 5hr Ocean charter. We started working an area close to home and only had one keeper after multiple drifts. With little to no drift, we headed out to some a few deeper snags and it was “Game On”! Matt and Charles boxed 9 keepers to 6.5 pounds. Charles caught his personal best at 26 inches and weighing 6.5 pounds. It’s not everyday that you play catch and release on keepers for the last hour. Great day on the water!

I had return client Tom Dillon and his son Tommy on a 4hr Bay & Inlet charter. We worked some areas close to the inlet and the father-son team caught close to 40 Fluke with two keepers at 3.5 pounds (20in) and 5 pounds (23in). New Jersey Fish & Wildlife was doing surveying at Bobbie’s Boats in Barnegat Light (charter pickup/dropoff location) and weighed each fish as part of their survey. All fish were caught on the S&S BigEye tipped with artificials.

Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

The recent rain and New Moon tides have definitely hampered the bite as of our most recent couple of trips, but we are still picking at keepers. Some days it’s pretty decent quality, but you have to work for them and move around to find biting fish. The fish are starting to move and I will start running Ocean Fluke charters very soon. Reminder: We run 7 days a week until September.

Over the weekend, I had Tom Duralek of Manahawkin, his dad Tom Sr. of Toms River, and my father Mike Taylor on a morning Fluke trip. This was a belated Father’s Day trip for both Dad’s and we got right on the fish. We ended with 7 keeper Fluke, with the biggest being a 9 pounds which was caught on the S&S BigEye bucktail tipped with minnow. The sizes were: 29.5, 24, 22, 21, 19, 18, 18. We landed well over 75 Fluke and enjoyed a great day on the water with a ton of laughs.

Later in the week, I had return clients Russ Johnson, Alan Gordon and his son Andrew on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. We started working some of the same areas as our last trip, but the bite was definitely off possibly due to the recent rains and slight change in salinity or New moon tides. We had to move around a lot to find feeding fish. The guys worked very hard to boat 30 Fluke with 2 keepers at 19 and 21 inches.

Next, I had return clients Peter AuBuchon of PA with his daughter Maria. We had tough conditions for a majority of the trip having wind against tide drifts. The tide was really ripping which made it tough for proper presentation of the jigs. But we worked hard and Pete and Maria jigged the S&S BigEyes to put 3 keepers (21, 18.5, 18) in the box. The tide was really ripping which made it tough for proper presentation of the jigs. The father-daughter team did a great job in very challenging conditions.

I had new client Nick Grimshaw of Wayne, NJ and his father Alex of Fulton, NY on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. We worked a variety of areas, before finally finding a halfway decent bite of fish for 2 hours. We worked S&S BigEye bucktails over deeper bottoms to produce over 35 fish with 2 keepers at 18 inches each. The bite has definitely cooled off slightly of how it was last week, but it should regain with the lessening tidal current of the recent New Moon. Nice job and look forward to seeing the guys next year!

Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709

Weekend LBI Fishing Report – July 22, 2017

The warm temperatures and free time of the summer months provide great opportunities for families to get outdoors and spend valuable time together on the water. In an effort to motivate parents and guardians to engage in fun fishing activities with their children and keep them away from drugs, the Partnership for a Drug-Free NJ is holding the 3rd Annual Don’t Get Hooked on Drugs Online NJ Family Fishing Tournament. This year it is from August 4-13th. For more info to participate check out their website www.drugfreenj.org/

The Ship Bottom surf temp today is 68 degrees. The warm waters are a comfy home to fluke and kingfish. They are in the suds. Both today (Saturday) and yesterday (Friday) customers purchasing live bloodworms gave the nod yes when asked if they are finding kings. The big blues that are around offer lots of fun too! The epicenter is the Inlet but some feisty yellow eyes are cruising the surf. Gary W. caught this 13 lbs. bluefish off of the Beach Haven surf a couple days ago. Gary got it on fresh Fish Head’s fresh bunker.

Gary W. caught this bluefish off of the surf on bunker.

Beach sharking continues to dominate the surf report. Both brown sharks and sand tigers give anglers a run for their money and test their tackle. Long Beach Island’s summertime beach shark fishing is the ultimate land based big game fishing experience. It’s a ton of fun but please know these species are federally protected! Due to the restrictions both brown sharks and sand tigers have made a major come back. Know the rules! Both of these shark species (among some others) are prohibited to be possessed. They can not be killed! They can not be landed! It’s grey but simply put landing equals possession even if there is intent to release. Fish must remain in the water. That means do not drag them up the beach for a photo. Dry sand photos are a major no no. This will ruin it for everyone.

Sharking is prime time right now, through July and all of August. This fishing is best during low light and dark hours, making it a great way to spend a few hours at night. Store staffer Willie D shares this report, “Sharking off the beach is hot right now. Keys to success? Rig up right. No weak links. Bait up with mackerel, bunker or anything meaty with some stink. Be ready for a good bite and a solid fight. Stop in the shop if you need assistance getting geared up!”

I personally prefer to enjoy the summertime sharking via boat. Over the years (15+) I’ve had a blast with friend enjoying the summer nights on the bay this way. Now that I’m a licensed captain I’m running 1-3 man bay sharking charters. If interested in going, call the shop 609-494-5739 and ask for me, Greg. If not available leave your name and phone number.

Earlier in the week I was out a couple times and we had toothy ones both trips. One trip we had a consistent bite that lasted couple hours, right into slack low tide. Everyone got their turn to battle a brown or two. At one point we had a double header. We blew through hook baits, rigs and the super warm bay ate the chum quick. The next night a stiff southerly wind maked for poor wind against tide conditions. We battled through the challenge, managed to release one and missed a couple opportunities. More recently store alumni Joni was out with friend. They released three brownies.

Shop alumni Kenny U reported good tog fishing at the Inlet rocks. He mentioned the tiggers are plentiful too! For a number of weeks now, the area has big blues holding. Anglers are having a blast hooking them on lures from bucktails to poppers. The inlet also offers great fluke fishing as the flounder slide out of the bay and take on the near shore lumps and reefs.

Bluefish offer lots of fun for all age groups but especially for kids.

Fluke fishing is solid! Anglers bucktailing the bay’s channel edges are still catching and some occasional nice fish at that. As the season progresses other areas are heating up! New reports from the inlets and ocean are strong. The consistent warm ocean temps mean one thing for late July fluke fishing… it’s on!

Howard Clark was out on the water yesterday. His caught five fish 21-23″ and dropped an even bigger fluke boatside. Howard reported quality size fluke were on the chew and everyone was stacked with squid. It’s a great sign!

The Carolyn Ann III recently reported, “Nice improvement with an upswing in the fishing. We are seeing a good catch of sea bass along with keeper fluke coming over the rail! Hopefully this upward trend continues!!! Here’s a report from Jacob Bowles who was recently fishing aboard the CA3. “We got out to the fluke grounds,had a good drift and started off picking. Got an 18″ and worked through some sea robins. Landed a 23″ 4 pound fluke which took the pool.” When asked Jacob said he was catching fish on both Gulp and bait, “Both keepers were on bait.” Sometimes you have to give them some meat!

Jacob Bowles with his pool winning 23″ 4 pound fluke.

We tend to get 90% of our reports from anglers fishing Barnegat Bay and the north end of the Island however recently some positive reports came from the southend waters. Store staffer Willie said, “Fluke fishing on the south end of the Island is pretty good. Been a better mix of keeper size fish for anglers fishing the Gulp 4” Shrimp. Those have been the go to baits for some sharpies.

Sometimes you hear about the epic fishing and just have to pack up and go. Montauk is well known for quality striped bass and fluke fishing. The reports out of Montauk have been stellar to say the least! Zach Michot took a road trip to the East End and it was well worth it! Zach reported, “Jigged up 13 nice fluke and five jumbo sea bass. All on MagicTail Jigs. It was a great day on the water aboard the Miss Montauk.”

Clamming and crabbing are a great way to enjoy LBI’s beauty and beat the heat. Here’s a photo of Archie Coen clamming away.

Achie Coen is enjoying LBI’s salt life clamming Barnegat Bay.

For a large group of passionate anglers, bluewater fishing is a release from the summertime land life full off hustle, bustle, traffic and noise. Those hours on the high seas are where some of life’s best memories are made. Today the crew from Jenny Lee Sportfishing weighed in a monster mako at Hoffman’s Marina. It’s possibly a pending new state record, unofficial weight at 926 pounds.

Bluewater fishing has been strong! Stop in for premium Baitmaster Ballyhoo, super popular Joe Shute Lures and top quality spreader bars! We have all the essentials and more to get you geared up and into the bite. The mid-shore and offshore action continues. Anglers fishing 30-50 miles off are into bluefin tuna on a routine basis. Some heavy weeds recently moved into a fishy area that was very productive. This makes for frustrating fishing but you never know what’s underneath. Most of the time these weedy areas have bait as well as mahi and whites. Some cobia were pulled.

Store staffer Willie Davis has a nice bluefin tuna he caught trolling the mid-shore tuna grounds

Lots of local boats are catching on the mid-shore grounds trolling bars as well as bally/shutes. It seems the larger class of bluefin that were around the past month or two might have push up out of out area. It seems a smaller class of fish are now present. Hopefully some nicer ones keep picking. Spreaderbars have been hot for these smaller class bluefin. Joe Shue trolling lures rigged up with a large or select ballyhoo is also a deadly trolling combo that tuna can not resist. Most run them on the long rigger, but some prefer them in the shotgun, way back. On the other hand there’s boats that stack the spread and run them in both positions. It seems like the bigger fish like to fall for the stealth way.

While we just got a skunk report sent in from an angler who fished the Hudson we also got an awesome report out of the same Canyon. Since it is a very large area they must have been fishing different sections. We were not told where in the Hud but we saw some solid photos of yellowfin tuna from the area.

Our current bait situation… We have fresh bunker, salted clam, live bloods, live eels and live minnow. We are low on green crab but expected on Monday. Baitmaster ballyhoo is in stock with all of the sizes from dink/peewee, small, medium, med/large, select and horse. We also have spanish mackerel, premium swordfish squid (5pk) and professionally pre-rigged ballyhoo.

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

I hate to bring attention to it, but the Barnegat Bay Fluke bite has been “flat-out amazing”. We have been consistently catching over 40 Fluke per trip with keeper numbers ranging from 3 to 8 this past week. I have been concentrating most of our efforts in shallow-water, but the fish are starting to move and I’m finding them in some of my honey holes. Yes, there are Bluefish at the inlet, but with the Fluke bite this good – it is game on in the backwaters. I will start running Ocean Fluke trips soon, but I’m not getting positive feedback and we will stay on the fish until the bite dies.

Here is this week’s rundown:

Amongst running charters almost everyday, I did a quick trip with my wife Jennifer and 9yr old son Luke we caught over 20 Fluke with two nice keepers at 24 and 23 inches. We only fished for about 2 hours, and it was non-stop action even in wind-against-tide conditions.

I had Eric Ebinger of Warrington, PA along with his son Chad and daughter Mackenzie on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. The trio wanted to concentrate their efforts on Fluke, so we opted out of the inlet Bluefish bite. We started working some shallow water areas at it was game on with the team boating over 45 Fluke with 7 keepers (24.5, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18.5, 18). Eric’s was the biggest at 24.5 inches, but a great job by all working the S&S Bigeye through the shallows.

Next, I had return clients Dan Unger of Ship Bottom, his son Danny, and Art Diebel of Jackson with his son Walter on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. With the Fluke bite pretty solid over the last few charters, we concentrated our efforts on the flatties. The crew caught and released over 40 Fluke, while keeping 5 solid ones for the table (24, 22, 21, 19, 18.5). We worked another shallow area with the white S&S BigEye bucktails – that’s what the keepers wanted!!

I had return client Mike Geddis and his two boys, Ethan and Nate, of Cream Ridge on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. We worked the same area, with the only difference being wind against tide conditions for the first hour or so. It didn’t matter in terms of numbers, as the trio still managed over 40 Fluke with 3 nice keepers (21.5, 19.5, 18). Great job by the boys!!

I had Juliann Jakeman of Waretown, her father Don Jakeman of Waretown, and her sister Dr. Allison Jakeman of Florida on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. Juliann and her sister booked the trip as a Father’s Day present, and Allison flew up specifically for the charter. We worked multiple areas in the bay and the trio had a ton of action catching and releasing over 50 Fluke, while keeping 8 for the table (23, 22.5, 22, 21, 19.5, 19, 18.5, 18). They did a great job and look forward to seeing them in November for Striped Bass!!

Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709

LBI Fishing Report July 17, 2017

July is a great month for fishing on Long Beach Island because there opportunity inshore, offshore and from shore.

Fish Finder Frank Folley was on the water today fishing the bay and Inlet. Frank said, “There’s still lots of bluefish around. Some good size ones too! They were crushing poppers which made for some fun fishing. We got some tog fishing crabs but no keepers. We got a couple keeper fluke bucktailing. Hooked into a monster cow nose which took us for a ride. There’s lots around so watch out!”

Jacob Bowles reported a good catch of fluke and sea bass, “Ocean water is up to 73 degrees. Fishing was great for me. Managed to get a 5 pound sea bass and a 24″ fluke.”

Dave Werner recently fished the Forked River Tuna Club’s Ladies Fishing Tournament. His girls on the boat caught 5 keepers and over 20 shorts.

Tog opened today (July 17th, one fishing at fifteen inches) and Dylan Fisher took the run to search some mid shore wrecks. He reported, “I had a blast with my uncle today wreck fishing about ten miles off. Light tackle black fishing with green crabs. We released 19 fish and kept one along with a nice sea bass. Heading out tomorrow to get back on the tuna!”

Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club’s War of the Shore was this past weekend. The tournament’s inaugural year had a strong turn out with 70 boats. Over $3000 was raised for charity, the Childhood Leukemia Foundation in name of Parker Nork! Here is a photo of Intermediate angler Luke Wittenborn with a solid yellowfin tuna weigh-in caught aboard the Compass Rose in the tournament. Sorry we don’t have the final results.

One of the local party boats fishing out of Barnegat Light, the Carolyn Ann III reports, “Fishing has been slow all week but recently we put together some better catches. Seems like it is picking up a bit. We are keeping our fingers crossed and plugging away. Jump aboard and lets go fishing!

Numerous cobia reports floating around! We saw Nick Honachefsky’s “Jersey Cobia” post on Instagram as well as a couple others. Store staffer Kelley Lutzgave us this photo of his dad, Brett. Mr. Lutz caught the beast 76 pound cobia.

Good reports of yellowfin and bluefin tuna continue! Solid reports from anglers fishing the mid-shore grounds as well as the edge. With the somewhat calm sea conditions now’s the time to get out on the bluewater!

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

The Full moon and strong winds definitely affected the fishing in the beginning of the week as the bites were not like the typical ones you get. As the moon-tidal effect eased, the fish were on the bite and we did better each trip. I used a variety of methods to get the groups on fish, including fishing in as little as 2 feet. We had multiple trips where 5 to 6 pound fish inhaled bucktails in skinny water – you literally see them explode on the lure. I will start running some Ocean Fluke charters very soon but the bay bite is still pretty hot. Reminder: We have started running 7 days a week until September.

On a personal fishing note, I was able to do some kayak fishing around dinner time with my wife, Jennifer, and 9yr old son Luke. We fished a sheltered area and Luke had the hot hand jigging a solid 18.5 inch Fluke with a 3/4oz Bucktail for his first ever kayak-landed Fluke.

In the beginning of the week, I had return client Tom Clark and his daughter Alexis on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. With warmer bay temperatures, we opted to start at working the inlet-ocean for Bluefish. With both father and daughter throwing artificials, they quickly hooked up on 2 to 5 pound Bluefish and we worked the area for a good hour. With better conditions in the areas we have been fishing, we headed back with bucktails in hand to jig up some Fluke. We worked a very shallow area to 3 feet and had close to 20 Fluke with 1 solid keeper to show. The Full Moon definitely affected the bite as the Fluke were a little off. Nice job by Tom and his daughter Alexis!

I had new client James Saskel of Morris County, his nephew Micheal Ferraro of Brooklyn, and his grandson Ryan Raugh of Georgia on a 4hr Bay/inlet charter. We started in the same area as the morning trip, but had the start of the outgoing. Our first drift produced 3 quick fish up to 17.5 inches, and then the South winds started cranking making it nearly impossible to drift the “fishy” stretch of water. We moved around and Ryan found a solid keeper at 19 inches. By this time we had to find a different area with strong 15-18 knot South winds and a dirty outgoing tide. We worked a stretch closer to the inlet for the remainder of the trip, and Michael boxed a fat, solid 22 inch Fluke followed by a few shorts close to 18-inches. Nice job by James, Michael, and Ryan for working the bucktails the entire trip in very challenging conditions.

Towards the end of the week, I had new client John Imbrogno with his 9yr old son Nicholas and father Sonny Imbrogno on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. Sonny never fished before and this was Nick’s second time, but they did a pretty good job at bucktailing Fluke. We worked some shallow areas as keepers have been found as low as 2.5 feet on our last few trips. It was the same on this trip as most of the keepers were boxed in the same depths. Nick had the high hook with 10 fish and 2 keepers (18.5, 22 inch) followed by Sonny’s (21 inch) and John’s (19 inch). The 3-generational crew did a great job boxing 4 keepers, while releasing close to 25 fish. It has been pretty neat to see keeper fish hitting the lures in the shallow water.

I had return client Matt Bailey with his son Jay, daughter Maddison, their friend Damionon a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. We worked a newer area today and had solid results with multiple quality fish caught on a bucktail tipped with straight minnow. The trio boxed 11 keepers with the two biggest at close to 6 pounds (18, 18.5, 19, 19, 20, 21, 21.5, 22, 22, 23, 23.5). We really hit a pile of fish and they were all in another shallow water spot as low as 2 feet. Again, we saw fish hit the bucktails and a few times we had multiple keeper hookups. An amazing job by the group and look forward to next year’s trip.

Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709

Soak a Line, Tread Some Clams or Try Your Luck Crabbing.

Summer is in full swing on LBI. Here is the weekend recap fishing report.

The surf temps are back to normal. The surf report from Rick with the Ship Bottom Beach Patrol we’ve got a small 2′ southerly wind swell on the bars. The light onshore winds (easterly) pushed in some beautiful super clean water. Yesterday the afternoon water temp was 67 degrees at 4pm and earlier today 68 degrees. Rick said jokingly, “The Ship Bottom surf is warm and clean. No rips now. There’s dolphins cruising by. No sign of Mary Lee.”

The Long Beach Island surf fishing is offered a good variety of both quality eating fish and hard fighting drag pulling fun. If looking for good table fare gear up for kingfish and/or fluke. Small hook tipped with live bloodworm, DynaBait Freeze Dried Bloodworm or bloodworm alternative like FishBites or Gulp. Those looking for fluke should rig up with Gulp and a bucktail jig. Add a teaser for better productivity. Those in search of more exhilarating fun should turn towards chunking. You never know what you might catch. There’s still some lingering bass and bluefish that have not exited our area from the spring run. Both sharks and rays are here too. Recently some big sandbar sharks and sand tigers have been caught and released. Please note these are federally protected species and must be released and not removed from the water!

Fluke fishing the bay continues to offer fun from many. Today Kyle Brewer was out with some friends. He started fishing the waters around the BI and BB. No action there so he took a cruise over to Double Creek Channel. There we found some action with fish on the chew. The crew’s largest went 22 inches. Kyle reported other boats in the area were also catching. For fluke fisherman the pulling of the buoys was a blessing. By eliminating all large vessel transiting the area is much better off for drift fishing. It used to be a dangers area, as is any narrow channel with anglers drift fishing. Please know! Most anglers think that drift fishing boats have priority; however, they DO NOT! Both vessels are considered underway, so long as not anchored. The drift fishing vessel must keep out of the way to allow the transiting vessel safe navigation. More on that maybe in another separate blog post.

As reported previously the Barnegat Inlet has lots of fishing opportunities. There’s still bass holding over from the spring or the residents that call our local waters home year round. These bass are also offering great fun at night at some docks and bulkheads. There’s lots of bluefish feasting on mini bait that’s around. A couple days ago I had a really fun morning fishing catching the yellow eyes from 3-10 pounds on plugs. Also hanging around in the Inlet are sheepshead and triggerfish.

Offshore fishing continues to shine. We’ve heard more and more reports from both inshore and offshore. Quality yellowfin tuna fishing as well as bluefin. Some boats are getting into a really god size class of bluefin. More on that later.

Get out and enjoy the beaches of LBI as well as the beauty of Barnegat Bay. Soak a line, tread some clams or try your luck crabbing. Harvest the bounty and enjoy your own seafood medley. That’s the classic way to live the Long Beach Island waterman lifestyle also known as the Salt Life! Both crabbing and clamming has been awesome.

Are you looking forward to seeing some of the latest and greatest in 2018 fishing tackle? ICAST is upcoming week! Stay tuned to our social media pages for new posts. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

More quality fish – The action continues to be good to excellent with most trips catching 20 to 35 fish when the conditions are optimal. We are still getting short to keeper ratios averaging about 10 to 1. Some days there are alot more short Fluke biting, but that is most likely do to water temperatures. We will start targeting Fluke outside in the coming weeks, but the bay remains the place to be. Reminder: We have started running 7 days a week until September. I was out almost everyday this past week, except when the wind has been blowing hard, so here’s our rundown:

I had Anthony Marino of Beach Haven West and his 13yr old son Anthony along with his daughter Briana on a 4hr Bay/Inlet trip. Anthony’s wife purchased the charter for his 45th birthday present, so we had some pressure to get keepers. We worked quite a few skinny-water areas to 3.5 feet in the backbay to boat some nice fish to 4.5 pounds. Young Anthony had the hot hand boating all three keepers with 2 being close to 23 inches and the third keeper at 19 inches. All three caught fish and worked the S&S Bucktails jig hard. They caught a bunch of fish just 1/2 inch shy of the keeper mark. With about an 45 minutes left in the trip, we checked some areas closer to the inlet with not much luck and the trio opted for a photo with the Barnegat Light commercial boats in the background. Nice job by the team and Happy Bday Anthony Sr!

Next, I had return client Doug Wainwright of Columbus, his son Doug, and younger son John on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. We worked alot of the same areas that we have been working with S&S Bigeye bucktails and Tsunami Flat Jigs. The fish were a little finicky in terms of keepers, but the crew worked very hard for two keepers one at 21 inches and the other at 18.5. Both fish were caught in very shallow water. The wind kicked up towards the end of the trip and made for some tough wind against tide conditions. The father-son team had a great time and kicked off their 4th of July with a couple Fluke in the box

I had new client Steve O’Neil of Morris Plains along with his wife Katie and their two boys, Aidan and Keiran, on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. We had some lighter winds in the 1st hour of the trip, but then it kicked up out of the NE and made for some difficult drifts. This was the family’s first Fluke fishing outing and I had the family bucktailing for Fluke. They caught a respectable 30 fluke, with the boys catching 12 a piece. Aidan caught a beautiful 5.5 pound Fluke that taped out at 23.5 inches. Unfortunately, they could only muster 1 quality keeper amongst the 30 Fluke.

Finally I had new client Steve Balon and his wife Natalie on a 4hr Bay/Inlet charter. Steve has fished many offshore and inshore charters from Montauk to the Caribbean, but he wanted to try light tackle jigging. We had light winds, sporadic drizzle, and good tide for a good portion of the trip. The husband and wife team jigged S&S Bigeye bucktails to catch over 24 Fluke including 4 quality keepers that taped out at: 19, 19, 23.5, 24 inches. Steve caught the biggest weighing over 6 pounds on the jig. Natalie worked very hard for her first time bucktailing, but could only muster several at 17.5 inches. Awesome job!

Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709

Fisherman's Headquarters

Category: fishing lbi

LBI Fishing – Reel Reaction Charters Fishing Report

LBI Fluke – Reel Reaction Charters Fishing Report

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

Weekend LBI Fishing Report – July 22, 2017

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

LBI Fishing Report July 17, 2017

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

Soak a Line, Tread Some Clams or Try Your Luck Crabbing.

Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report