It looks like the weather window is there for Friday to run to the tuna grounds. We have been catching a mix of yellowfin and bluefin tuna from 30 to 50 pounds. The best part is we are not trolling. All of the action has been on jigs and bait. Very exciting way to connect with these amazing fish.
Running Open Boat Tuna Trips: Friday July 23 9AM to 4PM $300 per person 4 people max. All fish are shared.
Pics: Mike Sedor of Norristown PA (Blue shirt and Hi Flier hat) Steve Ondrof of Rockaway NJ (Dock shot)
The summer sun is scorching and the fishing is even hotter! There’s a smorgasbord of opportunities for anglers fishing the waters of Long Beach Island. Beat the heat and get on the water!
Right now in mid July there’s a variety of avenues for an enjoyable time on the bay, surf, near shore and mid-shore/offshore waters.
Barnegat Bay Fishing Report
Crabbing and clamming are two great ways to enjoy the Barnegat Bay and enjoy a tasty harvest. Fluke fishing is good and should be all summer however a large body has moved out. Weakfish are being caught occasionally as bycatch by flukers and those targeting them are catching. Blowfish do not seem to be as abundant as last year but there’s some around. We’ll have to wait and see if it tee’s off again. There reports of spot (in strong numbers) being caught in Delaware… will they show up here this summer? It has been a few years since we’ve seen big waves of them.
Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Report
The LBI surf is warm and with the summertime surf species; fluke, kingfish, weakfish, small blues, sharks, rays. Just this week the cow nose rays have showed in large numbers. There’s also still a couple straggler stripers (in addition to the small residence)…
Here’s a report shared by Joe Handley Jr. a LBI angler and long time friend of Fish Heads… “Fifty years of fishing, I’ve seen and been part of many crazy and almost unbelievable catches. Tonight might have taken the cake. A quick after work session before dark I was targeting large fluke from the LBI surf. Interesting enough I was consistently catching 12-13″ weakfish and also caught a herring. Not long after sunset, I hooked and landed my personal best striped bass. It taped out at 52.75″, roughly 58-lbs crushing my previous 51” 49-lber. It was caught on a Magictail bucktail. Thanks Date at Magictail for making great products. In New Jersey, mid July, 70-ish degree water… Doesn’t get any crazier! There were sand fleas washing up all over. I was thinking I should be pompano fishing or targeting Spanish mackerel since the water was so clean and warm. Low and behold there was a large striped bass, apparently very lost striped bass.
Nearshore & Inshore Fishing LBI
The same species listed above in the bay and surf report section fall under the near shore section here. The primary star of the current inshore fishing is summer flounder. Right now is the time to fish the inlets, near shore open bottoms as well as the wrecks and reef sites. Black sea bass offer fun fishing in the right areas of structure in addition to triggerfish and sheepshead.
Central NJ Midshore & Offshore Fishing Report
This past week NJ’s offshore angers had great fishing from mid shore to offshore and areas in between. We’ve hear great reports all week from the waters 20-50 miles out of Barnegat inlet with anglers catching bluefin and yellowfin tuna on the troll, jig and pop. I was fortunate enough to take advantage of the great forecast/conditions Wednesday and Thursday. I got out there and didn’t necessarily get into epic fishing but was in the mix of good fishing and caught. Further offshore at the edge, there was talk in the shop of a very good bigeye tuna bite.
The Fluke fishing got back on track this week as surf water temps jumped into the 70’s after last week’s drastic cool down that got as low as the upper 50’s. More good news is the fact that the eelgrass invasion earlier in the week has also come to a end and the fish have really been cooperating with still plenty of shorts providing fun action and keeper size fish also in the mix up to 20”.
Jerry & Son all the way from Arkansas catching some LBI Fluke Just perfect conditions today for summer fluking on LBI
So if you would like to book a trip with me I still have some great dates / tides available to wrap up the month of July offering Surfcasting lessons to beginners and also for more advance anglers looking to improve their skills targeting Fluke/Summer Flounder off the beach here on LBI N.J.
For more information please email me at Nightstrikes@comcast.net or call me at 609-276-6983.,, thank you. Steve George/ Nightstrikes Surfcasting Guide Service LLC
Here is Kyle & Ryan who had a really good trip this past week with 4 keeper size fluke for dinner
The tuna are here and it is very exciting. We have been running 25 to 30 miles for 20 to 40 lb bluefin tuna on jigs and bait. Saturday and Sunday we never had to put the trolling rods out to put tuna in the cooler. We are using 20 and 30 class outfits to keep it sporty. Slicks, chick birds, readings, lots of life. Blue-ish green 71 degree water. Getting quite a few king mackeral bite offs, too. I was tired of getting bit off so I put a few circle hooks on and wound up fighting a 5 foot hammerhead to the boat before cutting him off. If you want to catch tuna but don’t like to make the long trek of 60 to 90 plus miles, this is a unique opportunity. No telling how long it will last. Forever…..I hope!
Pics are: Dave Flood of Mantua NJ (green cargo shorts and visor) Jim Hutchinson, Editor of The Fisherman magazine, Brick NJ (Light blue shirt, blue hat, blue lenses)Fabian Colonna of Matawan NJ (dark shirt, red hat)
Another beautiful day in the neighborhood here on Long Beach Island. Anglers are getting out and catching fish on the beach and boat. From kingfish and fluke on the beaches to tuna and sharks in the mid-shore and offshore waters, there’s a lot of great fishing going down right now! Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Sunday July 11, 2021.
On the beaches today there was soft lingering surf in the 2’ range. This will be the scene through Tuesday. Finally the water has warmed up. Today the official ocean temperature on the Harvey Cedars surf as per the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol was 68°. That’s a big improvement from what we’ve seen for the past week.
Warm surf temps means kingfish, small blues, and fluke are active in the suds as well as sharks and rays. If fishing meaty baits be prepared and know the state regulations!
Over the past few days kingfish reports were scattered with catches from Loveladies to Beach Haven. There isn’t one area (that we have heard about) which that is out producing. Traditionally mid-island and south offers better kingfish action. Live bloods, Fish Bites Bag O Worms and DynaBait Freeze Dried Worms are the way to start catching.
Aside from some reports of weedy, eel grass presence in some areas, the recent surf side fluke reports were great. The past couple of days might be responsible for the biggest surf caught fluke of the season so far! Here’s some really good size ones…
Brendan McKenna-Faust from Flemington caught this 4.8 pound fluke off the LBI surf on a bunker strip.
In addition to Brendan’s catch/weigh-in we also got word of some big land based fluke from Jimmy Nacion. He caught a pair of quality ones. There is a short clip of them in the video report posted above. Mike Hovan also sent a photo of a nice keeper fluke photo from the LBI surf.
1st Annual Beat The Fleet Fluke Tournament
This weekend was the first Annual “Beat The Fleet” Fluke Fishing Tournament hosted by the NJ Fishing Club. Fishermans Headquarters was one of the central NJ weigh stations and we had about 10 teams/boats check in fish. A common theme reported was slow fishing. Maybe it was because Elsa stirred things up? Who knows? Some teams worked hard, covered ground and pounder productive areas to earn a catch. For detailed results on the tournament and to learn more about the club… https://www.njfishingclub.com/
FYI: The NJ Fishing Club has a Fish Of The Month Challenge offering a $500 purse!
Mid-July Means The Heat & Meat Of Summer
Approaching middle of July with warming waters means summertime is in full swing. With it come the summertime species… Today Dan D. from Barnegat Light caught a big hound fish working a Yo-zuri 3D Twitch Bait Lure. A clip of the catch is in the fishing report video above. There’s also sheepshead and trigger fish as well as cobia.
American Angler Craig Perucki caught this trigger fish recently fishing the north end of LBI.
Father and son, Mark and Luke Haley caught this unicorn while out on the tuna grounds hunting tuna on the jig. Yup! This monster cobia ate a Nomand Streaker Jig!
Tuna fishing has been and is on fire!!! Boat caught and are catching from as close in as 15nm (maybe closer) on out to the edge. Both bluefin and yellowfin are chewing on the troll, chunk, jig and casting poppers. Everyday is different with many different areas holding fish. It seems the jig bite bas been most consistent and best most days.
Here’s Ryan Duffy with a bluefin tuna from today. Ryan geared up with tackle from Fish Heads over the recent seasons. It’s great to see him on the meat today enjoying a great day catching tuna. He reported, “The jig bite was on in the morning!”
Marine Layer Haze Or Smokey Skies?
Did you notice the hazy marine layer in the sky last week? Well this time of year a marine layer is very common however this time it was actually smokey skies, possibly a combination of both. Here’s some info from the National Weather Service, “Have you noticed the smokey skies the past couple of days? Or the red sun rise and sunsets? That’s not smoke from the fireworks. It’s smoke from the wildfires out west.”
Here’s a photo of the sunrise on Wednesday July 7h with a smoky sky.
Here’s some comments sent in on social media as well as a question…
Nik Mar – “I caught two keeper fluke from the surf this morning (Wednesday). Thanks for doing all of these reports.”
IFeelFishy comment on our last video report post, “I’ve been putting in about 2 hours a day on the front sand of LBI for fluke over the past week. I have NOT been disappointed. I’ve been catching fish every trip. Largest so far has been 22″ (Thank you’s are deserved for the crew at Fish Heads and Magic Tail jigs). Jig em up!!”
Question: Are there fluke in the ocean yet?
Answer: There’s always fluke in the ocean it’s just a matter of location and if they are feeding. Fluke migrate to the outer continental shelf to spawn in the winter. A large portion come into the coastal waters and bays in the spring and early summer. Right now there’s fluke in the bays and inlets as well as on the inshore and offshore wrecks and reef sites. With many areas producing, it’s time to get out and fluke your favorite spots!!!
Reports of fluke are still promising in the bay. Just a few days back there was a 28″ doormat caught in the Barnegat Bay. We’ve also heard about some fat fluke from Barnegat Inlet. The ocean waters are dialing it up too. Fluke were caught on the wrecks and reef sites in June but nothing special. It has improved since then with the warming waters. July and August is the best time for fluke fishing the wrecks and reefs. Recently we’ve received good reports from every local reef site from the Axel down to the Little Egg Reef. Get out there and catch ’em… be prepared for sea bass, triggers and possibly porgies.
Question: Michael Borum asks… Did the bluefish arrive in the back bay?
Answer: The spring bluefish run this year was not all that we hoped for. There were spurts of fun fishing but nothing like the spring runs of the previous five years. However with that said there are and have been small bluefish present this season. Most are in the 1-3# cocktail class. The past couple weeks anglers fishing the waters of LBI have caught them fishing the inlet, bay and occasionally on the surf. In recent days I caught some of the largest (not large by any means) bluefish of my year so far. Some chubby ones pushing to 4-5# range.
Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Weekly Fishing Report By Jim Hutchinson Sr.
The captains and anglers of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association breathed a deep sigh of relief this weekend when Hurricane Elsa skipped by while packing only a small portion of what might have been.
The current emphasis by the captains continues to be bottom fishing in the ocean on inshore structure and drifting for summer flounder in local bays and inlets.
Captain Carl Sheppard had multiple bottom trips out recently on the StarFish. Each trip worked hard to secure dinner, including the Kovalick family which caught their limit of sea bass up to 19-inches, a 20-inch fluke, and a ling.
Captain Gary Dugan and the “Irish Jig” have also been finding success bottom fishing. In addition to much action from just short throwbacks, one group hauled in 3 respectable fluke and a nice sea bass for dinner.
Captain Brett Taylor of Reel Reaction Sportfishing had Bob Dodds, his two grand-daughters including recent Southern Regional graduate Ashley on a 4-hour fishing charter. It started off slow, but the crew had close to 60 fluke with 7 nice keepers to 23.5-inches. All fish were caught on the S&S bigeye tipped with live bait.
Associate member Jim Hutchinson Sr., who handles publicity for the BHCFA, listened to the captains’ reports and got in on the fluke action recently at the Little Egg Reef. Fishing with pal Dave Rinear and Joe Hummel on the “Angler,” the group put three keepers to 20-inches in the fish box while releasing over a dozen short fish.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org
The tuna are here and the marine forecast looks pretty good through the weekend. We are sailing Open Boat or Charter on Sat July 10 and Mon July12.
Mostly 20 to 30 lb class bluefins, and now there are 50 to 80 lb yellowfins in the mix. Trolling, jigging, and casting are all producing. Running about 35 to 45 miles each way. We will have gear for trolling, jigging, and casting.
Running Open Boat or Charter Sat July 10 and Mon July 12. $450 person. Depart at 4AM, returning at 4PM. 4 people max. All fish are shared.
Pics are from our trip on Monday. 3 for 3 on 25 to 35 lb bluefins for Greg Toufayan with sons Sevan, Artin, and nephew Michael Nargizian, all from Bergen County, NJ.
Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Fishing Report
Although the long awaited Fourth of July weekend arrived with dicey weather, it appears the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are now facing some decent fishing conditions in the days ahead.
The re-opening of the black sea bass season is good news as anglers now have an additional opportunity to take home a fish dinner.
The ”Miss Beach Haven,” a head boat captained by Frank Camarda, has been running a series of trips both in calm bay waters along with ocean trips to inshore artificial reefs. Fluke catches have been steady, along with some big black sea bass coming over the rails. Captain Frank runs a set daily schedule for his four-hour bay trips and longer ocean ventures.
Captains Carl Sheppard and Vic Bertotti have been running many trips on the “Star Fish.” All the trips caught fish and including Jeff Ventura whose party of four anglers caught 83 sea bass.
Captain Gary Dugan on the “Irish Jig” has been finding good numbers of summer flounder. A trip on Saturday produced steady action with three keepers to 20-inches.
Captain Brett Taylor of Reel Reaction Sportfishing has been out of action the last few days as he is in South Carolina supporting son Luke in a big baseball tournament. Recent results indicate the team is doing well. Captain Tom Duralek of “NorthEnd Charters” has taken over some of Captain Brett’s charters including Bill Dabney and his son on a fluke trip. The duo jigged a few areas hard catching close to 20 throwbacks and two keeper fluke to 21 inches.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org
We are running Open Boat or Charter SundaJuly 4 and Monday, July 5.
We can run to Barnegat Ridge and try trolling for bonita and albacore and anything else that might be there. I say “try” because we have not yet been there this season. It’s just the right time to go. We could push further off and troll the Resor Wreck area for a shot at 20 to 30 pound bluefin. From what I hear, you have to catch a lot of false albacore to put a few bluefin in the boat but I guess there’s worse problems to have than catching too many fish. It is still pretty much a troll bite, so if that’s not your thing, you might want to wait until it transitions more into a jigging and bait opportunity. If we hit the Ridge, we leave at 6AM, returning at 2PM. $300 person If we run to the Resor Wreck, we leave at 5AM, returning between 4-5PM. $450 person
Either trip is 4 people max, all fish are shared. Everything is provided. If you want to charter the boat for either day, we can fish for whatever you like, including fishing the bay and inlet for schoolie stripers, blues, and fluke. Or we can run offshore.
This awful stormy weather is on the way out and they have cleaned up the marine forecast to mostly single digit winds for each of these days and finally a break from the incessant SW winds. The wind is changing direction from all over the dial.
I’m headed to the dock to get her fueled up, iced up, and ready to roll.
First I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Independence Day / 4th of July Weekend
As the summer kicks into gear and heats up so does the fishing with plenty of fish now pretty prevalent everywhere. Oceanside, bayside by boat or from the Beach there is action to be found. Prior to a week of south winds and drastic Surf temperature drop (59°) the past few days the Fluke / Summer Flounder fishing was Hot. It did slow down but things are already improving but you just have to find them and then work it a little harder. Along with summers arrival are the Northern Kingfish which are here and hanging at your favorite Sand Bar. Summer Snapper Bluefish are also creating havoc attacking anything in their site. And it’s that time of the year were you can catch some more exotic or southern fish species as the waters warm again like Spanish Mackerel, Sheepshead maybe a Cobia – you never know what might be on the end of your line.
Right now I’m still locked in Fluke Fishing but am prepared for anything that might cross our paths. I have some prime July dates available with perfect tides to enjoy a morning surfcasting the LBI Beaches.
For more information Or to reserve your trip call me at 609-276-6983 and you can also email me at nightstrikes@Comcast.net Thank You, Have A Great Holiday
Dan from Western Pennsylvania with his biggest Fluke off the beach that he released Here is Will with his personal best size Fluke Surfcasting ( with his new rod/reel he bought at Fishermansheadquarters) and was “delicious” he said Happy Independence Day
Steve George / Nightstrikes Surfcasting Guide Service LLC
