Category: Fishing Reports

Friday Dec 11, Sat Dec 12, Sun Dec 13, and Mon Dec 14. This might be the last dates we offer for 2020. It will be a wait and see for next weekend. 

Tomorrow, Friday Dec 11, we are on a 10AM to 3PM schedule fishing live bait in the inlet. This is a mix of stripers from 23 to 30 inches. We have bonus tags to keep the 24 to 28 inch slot fish. A lot of action right now. We were out Tuesday and had constant action. Multiple hookups on every drift. We could do a few hours of that and if the ocean looks nice we could sneak outside to try and troll some bigger fish for the cooler….or not!

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday we will be sailing 7AM to 3PM if we are ocean bound or inlet/ocean combo.If we are going to just fish live bait in the inlet, we can customize our trip hours around the tide and weather. 

5 hour Inlet Trip $700 for Private Charter, includes live bait.
8 hour Ocean or Inlet/Ocean Trip $900 for Private Charter or Open Boat $225 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.

Pic: Capt Nick DeGennaro with one of our livelined bass in the inlet Tuesday.

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

The surf was churned up yesterday with strong winds and powerful surf. The Barnegat Light Buoy 44091 peaked at 6′ at noon. Then the westerlies took over and then it jacked up to 11′ that the night. It has settled today with lingering 1-2′ swell on the beaches today. We are entering a good stretch of westerlies this work week. With reasonably chilly temps there’s good fishing opportunities here on Long Beach Island.

West is best! Monday is the third day of the west winds. Will it play out again like last week? Gotta go to know! We’ve got good expectations for the week ahead. If you want to get in on the action before the season is over, now is the time to get out and go fishing!

Here’s the Fishing LBI Fishing Report Update For Sunday December 6, 2020.

LBI Surf Fishing Reports

Last few days anglers caught fish off of the surf. Mornings have been best but some after finding fish in the afternoons, and evenings. At times things have come together.

Today (Sunday) Randall Swartley caught a 29″ striped bass on a AVA jig fishing the mid-island surf. Bob Dever of the American Anglers Fishing Club caught a 30″ bass on bunker mid island surf. JP from Beach Haven caught some morning stripes today too.

A number of other reports came in from anglers in the shop. Josh Rosk got a 28″ bass on a Daiwa SP Minnow fishing the mid island surf. Eli Haegele got two bass on the beach fishing an AVA metal.

Declan Wahlers caught a bass and a fluke fishing off the surf. As the photos below show, both species went for the teaser!

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic

There’s one week left in the 66th Annual LBI Surf Fishing Classic. So far December has been good with a fish entered every day this month. For more details on the leader board… Live Results

The standout is Rich Bergman’s 36″ 17.09# striped bass that he caught and weighed in on 12/3/20. Photo below…

Backside Bass

Still some nice striped bass on the bayside too. The sod banks, docks, and bridges all have produced good fishing. Some anglers took advantage of the backside’s protection and found bass.

Here’s a hungry bass that Ryan Mollicone caught fishing a popper on the bayside.

Forget what’s going on outside your window Friday and Saturday. It’s going to be very wet and windy. Southerly, then northeast. Then, Saturday afternoon, it swings to NW……..the best wind for fishing and sea conditions. And it’s staying NW forever! Ok, maybe not forever but it’s forecasted through Wednesday at least. 
Striper fishing is excellent right now. We have been connecting with 10 to 30 lb fish on the troll and most recently casting soft plastics. Sandeel imitations are doing the best. You do have to endure quite a few dogfish but there is just as many bass. Also, a few very fat, gorged bluefish in the mix.

We are going to be sailing Open Boat and Charter Sunday, December 6
through Wednesday, December 9.

6AM to 2PM each day. $225 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.

It’s also possible to run for the near shore bluefin, 15 to 20 mile range. Three man charters at $1,200 for the boat. 6AM to 4PM. It is possible to combine striper fishing with this trip, as well. If you haven’t tried this fall tuna fishing before, it’s a lot of work. A lot of casting for maybe only a few or no hook ups. I’m not trying to tell you not to try it, hooking a tuna on a surface lure is one of the coolest things you will ever see. Throw in some whales, porpoise, and 50 to 100 pound bluefin crashing bait right in front of you and that alone is worth the price of admission. I just want to be candid about your chances of hooking up. 

See you on board!

All of these pics were taken last Sat and Sun of Thanksgiving weekend and all were caught casting soft plastics with light spinning gear.
Jake and Zach Milone of Wall, NJ (Zach in orange with black knees, Jake with black/white striped hat)Dave Flood of Mantua, NJ (Grey jacket, Carhart hat)Mike Viviano of Galloway, NJ (Green jacket)Herman Diaz of Waretown, NJ (Brown pants, grey jacket)

Dave

Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674 cell
hi flier.com

This past weekend was a good one with great weather and good fishing. It was quite possibly the best weekend of the fall run for fishing in the LBI area. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for November 30, 2020.

LBI Surf Fishing

Good vibes here on the LBI surf with action reported the past few days. Anglers are catching striped bass in all sizes (unders, slots and overs) fishing artificials and natural baits. Spiny Dogfish are still around in huge numbers and are frustrating chunkers BUT fishing through them yield bass bounty. The only way to stay away from them is larger baits or heads. Better yet switch over to lures.

Monday 11/30/20 (Today)

The week started off today windy with churned up surf. It was a rough one but some anglers got out and fish during the earlier part of the day. Lots of surf rats live for stormy surf conditions. A couple that braved the elements were rewarded.

Captain Alex Majewski from Lighthouse Sportfishing was on the surf this morning and shared this report from the beach, “I went one for two on the chunk at dawn. I’m on the move looking around but the weather is going downhill fast.

Sunday 11/29/20

The adage “Third Day Of The West Wind” held true offering awesome times for a select group of anglers who were in the right spot at the right time!

Paul Lindsey was in on the action and shared this, “EPIC! EPIC! EPIC! Sunrise session this morning on the LBI beach! The bass were steam rolling sand eels. We had doubles on teasers. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Even REDFISH joined the action.” MORE ON REDFISH BELOW

Jack Hanley was in on the action too and reported, “I slammed them! Hit a blitz with tons of birds and non stop bass action for 30-45 mins. Biggest bass was thirty one inch.”

Nate Kirby reported a good morning bite too. Last week Nate was in the shop picking up some essentials for a DIY teaser tying session. He got some hooks, thread, flash and hair. Safe to say the striped bass approve!

Saturday 11/28/20

Lou Monteagudo said he saw a report post and it motivated him to hit the beach. He caught this (above) 37.5″ striped bass on an 8″ Tsunami Sand Eel Soft Bait.

Youth anglers Hunter Chervony got a 29″ bass off the mid-Island surf chunking bunker. Kenny Lehmann’s son caught a 22″ bass on bunker fishing mid-island surf.

REDFISH On The LBI Surf

Redfish, a somewhat common catch years ago are making a return? Could this be possible? This November, more specifically the past 5-10 days we saw numerous redfish reports. While not rare or uncommon they are very infrequent.

This weekend we heard of a handful of redfish catch reports. Two were caught by one angler.

Gregory Davis’s catch is the largest we’ve seen. He caught this redfish off the LBI surf in the mix of a bass blitz Sunday. He caught the red fishing a metal with a teaser. Mike (@mwc0420) landed one last week

Where Are The Bluefish!

Behind… When’s high tide? What are your hours? This is the most common question here… Where Are The Bluefish?!?! In the past week or two few were reported. They were caught by anglers trolling for striped bass. This weekend we heard of a couple small ones showing up on the Barnegat Inlet. We shared in a previous report that some blues were reported by anglers fishing the deep water wrecks 30-60 miles out. This weekend many reports came in with a similar theme…. the Barnegat Ridge has bluefish in the 5-10 pound range. Our fingers have been crossed tight all fall. We aren’t loosening up yet. Will they show on the beaches this fall?

Inshore Fall Bluefin Tuna

Some really nice fish were caught recently in the 6-20 mile range. Anglers are catching bluefin on the troll and casting lures.

Inshore Bottom Fishing

It’s prime time tog fishing and the local wrecks and reefs are producing good umber and good size. Get crabs and get out there. We are doing our best ot have live white crabs and green crabs in stock for the rest of the year.

Sheepshead Surpries

Fish Heads Ambassador Swagmattic was out wreck fishing this past weekend participating in the Forked River Tuna Club’s tog tournament. They put together a nice catch but wasn’t enough for the win. However Swag got a big sheepie!

The fish are here and anglers are catching on the beach and boat. Get in the game!

John Bell stopped in the shop this afternoon to gear up for an afternoon fishing trip on the surf. He sent in a couple photos just a few hours later.

Happy Thanksgiving

May you and your families have a safe and health Thanksgiving filled with the warmth and happiness.

Upcoming Hours

11/25/20 Wednesday: 6am to 8pm (Normal Hours)
11/26/20 Thursday: 5am to 2pm
11/27/20 Friday: 5am to 9pm
11/28/20 Saturday: 5am to 9pm (Normal Hours)
11/29/20 Sunday: 5am to 7pm (Normal Hours)

Get Reel Bass Fishing Visits LBI

Paulie Spikes from Get Reel Bass Fishing came down and visited the LBI area last week. While here he stopped into the shop before heading out to fish. Here’s a Vlog from trip which includes a trip aboard Fish Head Charters… Check It Out!

The stripers are here and we are running Open Boat or Charters every day from Thanksgiving Thursday thru Monday, November 30.

The fish are ranging in size from 8 to 20 plus pounds. Most are in the 24′ to 28″ slot with quite a few hitting the bigger slot between 28″ to 38″. Most of our success has been on the troll but every trip we try casting lures and we are catching a few that way. Mostly on swimming plugs and sandeel imitations. We are also catching some bass in the inlet on live spots if the ocean is too sporty to get out.
If we get a calm ocean it is also possible to hunt for the bluefin tuna that are within 5 to 10 miles of our inlet. This is mostly run and gun fishing casting poppers to 50 to 150 lb fish that are skying out of the water. They are not easy to fool, there’s a lot more watching than catching but it is something to see. It is possible to start with this and then shoot inshore to target stripers in the same trip.
Sailing Thanksgiving (Thursday), Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, November 26, 27, 28, 29 30.Open Boat or Charter. 6AM to 2PM. $225 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. Call to reserve a date.The best way to book a trip is to call me as I spend most of my time on the water.
Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving with friends and family!
Pics:
Joe DelRossi of Medford, NJ with a striper that hit a cast and retrieve sandeel imitation by Savage
Mike Fuhrman of Cherry Hill, NJ with a striper that hit an umbrella rig (wearing yellow jacket)

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

This past weekend was a GOOD ONE! Saturday was an awesome day! Great Fishing & Great Weather! It was great to see a crazy number of boats on the water and most were catching fish. There were a crazy number of surf anglers too but unfortunately the bite was not as good for them. BUT some caught fish. This weekend might have been the best three days for surf anglers all fall so far. With the ocean and surf temps in the mid to lower 50’s (52-54 degrees) it’s prime time fishing here on LBI.

If you’ve pulled out and wintered the gear for the year there’s no doubt you are missing out on a ton of great fishing opportunities. Now’s the time to get out and enjoy all the LBI and the surrounding waters have to offer. Let’s Go Fish!

LBI Surf Fishing

The Long Beach Island surf has not offered epic fishing; however, it has produced fun fishing for many anglers. Lots of mixed reports but one thing is for sure… right now is a good time to get out hunt down striped bass.

Since Halloween the invasion of dogfish has made bait fishing the suds challenging. However some of those that weed through and adapt are rewarded with quality striped bass. Some anglers have abandon bait fishing all together and they are scoring fish on lures. This weekend we heard through the grapevine of a 42″ striped bass that was released on the south end of the Islands. We also heard about scattered reports of short striped bass on metal/ teaser combo early in the mornings. Keeper striped bass were also caught. Here’s some details…

Sunday morning Tom Smith enjoyed the beautiful conditions (sunrise, north east winds, low tide) on the North End surf and caught a healthy striped bass for the dinner table. The 33″ striped bass went for a fresh Fish Heads bunker chunk.

Gavin Kowalski got two striped bass on green tube tail AVA Diamond Jigs rigged up with a teaser ahead of it. This is an old and effective trick to get the smallest presentations (little flies/teasers) way out a long distance. Diamond jigs and other metals cast like rocket ships.

Willy B – “Hey thanks for the help this week Had a great day. Lots of fish casting deadly dicks and AVA jigs. All fish were around 27″!”

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic

It’s Day 44! Today (Sunday November 22, 2020) at 6pm the Second Segment ended and we are currently in the third and final segment of the LBI surf fishing tournament. So far there are 562 anglers participating. no bluefish, 37 kingfish and 16 striped bass. There have been a number of over and under legal slot (28-<38″) fish that were caught and released.

Today Steve Roderick weighed in a really nice fish for the LBI Surf Fishing Tournament… a 22.92# 37 7/8″ striped bass just before the 6pm (5:46pm) cut off. This fish unofficially qualifies as the winner of the second segment. Steve caught the bass fishing bunker on the south end of LBI at about 5pm.

What’s special about the LBI Classic is even though there’s a large fish on the board that will be very hard to beat (due to the new NJ state striped bass fishing regulations) there’s still lots of great fishing and competition ahead.

We’ve got a whole new segment full of great prizes. Get geared up and get out there! For The Live Results Page & More Info www.LBISFC.com

Bayside Striped Bass

Usually striped bass hang around our bays all year long and this year seems so far like that will be the case. Usually we see striped bass active in the back bay waters into December (depending on weather and temperatures). So far we continue to get positive reports from the bay.

Konrad recently picked up some essential fly tying materials at the shop to tie up some flies now and over the winter. He sent in this photo…

Striped Bass Out Of Barnegat Inlet

The striped bass fishing the past couple weeks has been nothing short of phenomenal. Recent days have kept the level very high. Even with the oodles of boats on Saturday the fish chewed. Sunday was rough but some went out and they caught. This week ahead doesn’t look the best but there will be some windows to get out.

Ryan Duffy geared up Friday night at fish heads and shared this report, “Had a productive day with 15 total striped bass keeping one 30″ for the table. Lots of boats were working the 3 mile line, I found a nice stretch of bass at the 1.5 mile area closer to the bottom and they were chewing 9ers shad umbrella rigs and sand eel umbrellas. About 9am we found the birds and had top water boils catching on needle fish lures and SP minnows. For the volume of boats it was a good day. Shout out to Greg Cudnik. and Fish Heads for always putting us on the fish with intel and the right gear!”

Fish Head Charters

All recent trips have been very good! It’s light tackle striped bass fishing at its finest. I’ve been out every single good weather day I possibly can and even some sour days too. The abundance of striped bass is phenomenal. I expect we’ll have a couple weeks of great fall fishing so long as the weather allows.

So far I have not had the need to break out the trolling gear. All action has been on light tackle spinning gear or the fly. Catching striped bass on top water boat side is exhilarating to say the least.

If you want to jump aboard send a text or call as there are a couple dates still available. Reach out to Captain Greg at Fish Head Charters Today 16093899963

LBI Tog Fishing

Tog fishing is good right now and should be right into the end of the year and beyond. The local reefs and wreck sites are producing. For land based anglers the Barnegat Inlet Jetty is still holding tog and anglers are catching with live crabs.

As of November 16 there is a five fish bag limit with a minimum size of 15″ (same all year)

Saturday Store staffer Frezza went out fishing aboard the Gabagool with Fish Head Alumni Dave DeFeo. They got into a great bite and were limited out by 9am.

Zachary Ellwood reported, “I was out fishing the Lighthouse and caught a lot of small stuff and nailed two keepers! It was a beautiful dead with the sun shining and not a lot of wind. I was in my t-shirt for most of the day!”

Paul Lindsey reported, “Probably caught close to 60 fish the last couple of days. All of the fish are fat and fun fighters.”

Game on! The stripers are on the move….and the chew! 

Anywhere from Island Beach to Long Branch, we are catching 10 to 30 lb class fish. Mostly on the troll but now there are more bird piles with surfacing fish moving through so we will be doing more casting and jigging. 

Sailing Open Boat or Charter: Saturday Nov 21 and Sunday Nov 22. Saturday, the marine forecast looks great with a west wind allowing us to cruise the shoreline until we find the life. Sunday is iffy, as a stiff NE wind is forecasted. If they’re wrong or they modify the forecast, we’ll be back on the prowl up the coast. If it stays like it is, we can fish the inlet for stripers with live bait. 

Saturday, Nov 21 6AM to 2PM  $225 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.

Sunday, Nov 22 6AM to 2PM  $225 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared if we can fish the ocean or if we fish the inlet 9AM to 2PM  $175 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared.

Pics: 

Henry Moyer of Reading, PA with 41 inch bass that was released (Hat with red ball on top)

Charles Avila of PA with bluefish and striper (Blue jacket)

Dave Flood of Mantua, NJ with striper (Grey sweatshirt, orange slickers)

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

After days waiting for the start of the fall run of striped bass, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are now reaping the harvest of their arrival. The bite began first north of Barnegat Inlet and has now reached the waters off Beach Haven.

Captain Gary Dugan had “Antman” out on the “Irish Jig,” and they managed a pair of pretty bass, both over 40-inches. Although both fish had to be released, the action brought big smiles all around.

Captain Ray Lopez had Joe Nodine and family from Forked River out for a full day charter on the “Miss Liane.” Within minutes of getting to the grounds they hooked up with a 46-inch bass which was quickly released after pictures were taken. After the big fish the group was almost constantly hooked up, at times with 2 or 3 fish at once. The action consisted of many keepers along with dozens of short fish.

Captain Dave Wittenborn had a group on the “Benita J” for some “lights out” fishing. His party of five had their limit of slot fish along with bonus fish for a total of 10 fish and were back at the dock and cleaned up by 11:30. With good reports of fish to the north of the area, Captain Dave predicts there should be a solid fishery for the next few weeks.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” had the Arthur Diebel group on a 5-hour combination striper and tautog charter. After going 6 for 10 on stripers ranging from 26.5 to 33- inches, the spent the last hour catching their limit of blackfish.

Captain Carl Sheppard and mate Max Goldman have had several successful trips on the “Starfish.” One trip trolling for stripers produced a large 49-inch fish estimated to be over 50- pounds. After releasing that big fish, they picked up four more between 25-36 inches. Two more trips were ones targeting bottom fish on structure. One trip resulted in nearly 30 sea bass in
addition to countless spiny dogfish. Last Sunday Captain Carl had a local Boy Scout troop out for an action-packed day of bottom fishing. The crew caught nearly 150 fish including keeper sea bass and a 14-inch porgy.

Addition information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association and it captains can be found at www.BHCFA.net.