Early June is a great time for inshore, offshore and land based fishing in the Long Beach Island area. There’s so much going on it’s hard to choose which species to target. The abundance of life in the local waters is great to see. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update For Sunday June 7, 2020.
This last week was a good one. In hind sight, things really got going on and after the late May moon (new moon on 5/22). The late May north east blow fired things up and it kept going right into June. The early June moon did not disappoint. Now on the downside of the moon it wanes but the fishing remains strong. If you are looking for a classy fish do not waste any time! They are here but will not stick around forever. Go Fish!
LBI Surf Fishing Report
The surf fishing on LBI really kicked into high gear after the late May blow and kept up right into now. The reports continue to flow in strong. Al of them solidify this spring season as one of the best in the last decade. And it’s not over!
Here’s a look at the mid-Island surf this afternoon at low tide.
Now let’s dive into some fishing reports from the Long Beach Island surf…
Sloane Endick puts in time and it shows with her rewards. Like always she was dialed on Saturday and got a double. First she shared a photo of a nice surf side striped bass and reported, “The bass were more hungry than the fluke today.” She then went back out and an afternoon fluke session and caught a good one. A four pounder to be exact. She stopped by the shop to get an official weight and it broke four pounds by a couple hundredths o a pound on our digital. A four pound fluke off the surf is a very impressive fish!
Andrea Morris of Lancaster PA is enjoying her time on LBI fishing with her dad. While in the shop Saturday evening gearing up for a night chunking session she shared, “Got a big bluefish on the bayside a couple days ago.”
Saturday morning John Bonner got this striped bass on the LBI surf.
Dog Fish King Rick Hyers stopped in for a bag of fresh bunker and a new bunker chunking rod Saturday evening. While in the shop he shared, “Friday night I caught a 28″ and a 32″ striped bass on the beach.”
Brandon P. reported good fishing on the mid Island surf this week with bunker, “Got three fish over 36″ and one at 41″.”
Andreas & Chris LaRosa shared a night shift bass photo from Saturday night.
Kyle Quillen tagged us in a photo post, “Bunker pods everywhere with an active whale. I caught three blues.”
All week large schools of bunker were found along the entire stretch of LBI. While they were not all actively boiling with striped bass, some were.
Bluefish action continued this weekend again off the surf, inlet and bay.
Barnegat Bay Fishing Report
The bay offers good fluke fishing, blowfish, bluefish, crabbing and clamming. The deep “back bay” is productive. Store staffer Steve reports the fishing fishing is good. He has been fishing the same area for a couple weeks and routinely pulling nice keepers. On his last trip he got a 24″ fluke. Another angler fishing in the same general area (Southern Barnegat Bay) got a 23″ on Saturday.
Good Eats Straight From Barnegat Bay – Blueclaw crabs and clam. harvest by @hovan22
Striped Bass Fishing Out Of BI
The striped bass fishing out of Barnegat Inlet is good and has been for a couple weeks. This should not be a surprise because late May and early June is the very best time for striped bass fishing in the area each and every season. Get out and get into the action now while the fishing is hot.
Here’s Fisher Coulston with a monster that he caught on Thursday.
Here a great recent catch… Fisher Coulston (12 years old) caught and released this 53 pound striped bass on Thursday. All on his own and all on gear/tackle from Fishermans Headquarters. “It was an epic day with no other boats around. Just bunker and a big bass.” ~ Frank Coulson aboard the Hard Four
Other anglers are catching live lining as well as trolling
Offshore Fishing
This month will be full of good shark fishing and tuna fishing. Gear up and get out there on the weather windows for big game fishing. Reports from the 30-40 line are good.
Recent bluefin tuna chewing on the troll and jig. Here’s one good one from the mid-shore grounds today by “Flagpole” Jim Kuhl. Inshore slobs!
A few reports of blue sharks from anglers looking for makos. A number of thresher sharks reported from right along the beach out 30 miles.
By: Steve George / Nightstrikes Surfcasting Guide Service
The late May into mid-June period has to be one of my favorite times to fish for Big Striped Bass. It is also the time that I do not get a lot of sleep and my days and nights get mixed up. Don’t ask me what day is because I will most likely get it wrong.
Homework
My late spring reading consist of tide charts, moon phases and wind forecast all for good reason. As these major factors go into my planning to target these post spawn migratory striped bass heading northward up the NJ coastline.
The personal log books that I have kept for as long as I can remember are my starting point. But Mother Nature has a way to make my work even harder when it comes to finding the feeding patterns that can change from year to year. I know where to be on certain dates and it always seems to fall under the full and new moons consistently but the weather can really make such a difference as to how to target these fish.
I love to make reports. They say you shouldn’t follow reports but to tell you the truth I don’t know one fishermen that doesn’t check the fishing reports on a daily basis. This is very vital information knowing what is happening and where. With today’s technology it doesn’t get any easier! For example right here at FishingLBI.com. Don’t leave home without checking it out.
The Equipment
You want to handle and turn that 30/40lb+ Big Striped Bass in the surf and heavy current? You better have a fishing rod and solid fishing reel to get the job done. Personally I use nothing under 11’ in length with a moderate/fast action and a 2-5oz lure rating. There are so many great options available today for surfcasters as today’s rods are made lighter and stronger than ever. Lamiglas, ODM, Tsunami among others offer great options in a variety of price points to fit any surfcaster’s needs.
Reels also are lighter and strong. A powerful drag is a must! They don’t necessarily have to be waterproof but it does help under some conditions. The Penn SSVI is a great reel that is affordable and durable. For those who demand the best, Van Staal!
One of my best investments made was a very good pair of pliers. Van Staal Pliers and Danco Premio Pliers are two great options. When you are talking about Big Striped Bass, trying to get hooks out of a fish in a timely manner is a must. Gotta have a quality pair of pliers on your surf belt.
The Tackle
Your hook is the first thing between you and the fish. Whether on your lures/plugs or your bait rigs. Buy the best ones available and keep them sharp! Mustad and VMC offer great treble hooks. Gamakatsu offers some of the best chunking and live bait hooks.
This brings us to your main line. Braided fishing line is the way to go for both casting distance and rock solid hook sets on the slightest hit you feel. It’s a must have when fishing lures but there are still some occasions where monofilament line comes into play. Some still use it for bait fishing.
The Lures
I am a big fan of fishing darters and bottle plugs especially Super Strike Lures. I have confidence in them for big bass which feed under the cover of darkness. Their action is irresistible when worked the right way in the right conditions. Moving water is preferred during moderate and calm seas as long as you can stay in contact with the lure. Swimming stick bait plugs also have their moments and I never head out on a trip without a Daiwa SP Minnow or Yo-Zuri Mag Darter as they flat out catch.
This night a big hungry striped bass went for a Yo-Zuri Mag Darter.
The Catch
So you made you plan of action by studying your tides. The weather is favorable and you are all set to go. Gear is ready and you made your way to the water’s edge. It’s time to make that first cast. Confidence in yourself to get the job done is the number one thing is you need. This comes from everything you did up to this point. On each and every cast stay focused on your retrieving and presentation… Then BAM!!!
Do not hesitate to set the hook hard and be sure to never let a big bass get the upper hand. Your gear will do the work – keep that rod tip high and your line tight the entire fight. Allow the fish to run if it wants to. If the fish is taking too much line tighten the reel drag a little but this should have been set before hand. Eventually the fish will tire and turn. Keep the momentum to bring it in.
Keep in mind and be ready for that one last gasp power run. Allow it but don’t let up. Stay in control. At this point, start to back up and use the waves coming into the beach as leverage to ride the fish in. Don’t ever horse it. Keep the line as tight as possible until it’s on the beach and close enough to grab the leader. From there using the leader or lip the fish to officially land it. Now’s the time to rejoice but also act fast with a photo and release.
There is no better feeling of accomplishment at this point as you put in the work and conquered. Now it’s time to do it all over again!
NightStrikes Surfcasting Guide Service LLC Steve George – Call: 609-276-6983
Any anglers looking to advance their fishing and learn from an experienced and accomplished saltwater guide is encouraged to contact Steve at Night Strikes Surfcasting Guide Service to set up a guided fishing trip.
I have this Saturday morning available for light tackle enthusiast looking to test their skills or learn some techniques targeting stripers, blues and fluke plying our safe , protected and very productive back waters employing various techniques with light spinning tackle zzzzzzzz!! Private or open boat is presently available , call only for details or visit us at www.reelfantaseafishing.com for customizing your preferred fishing experience .
First, I want to thank all of my return and new clients for waiting for the state to allow us to run trips and our phone has been ringing off the hook as we have been running everyday.. The fishing has been excellent as most of our charters are picking 30 to 45 Fluke with keepers numbers ranging from 2 to 6 keepers per trip. With certain tides on the skiff, we have been adding in some Striped Bass action and filling our Striped Bass bonus tags (24-27.99 inches). The new skiff has performed amazing allowing us to hit areas that do not get pressured.
On the ocean front, the Sea Bass fishing has been excellent as reported from local captains. Our Parker Sport Cabin is back up and running as we had a slight issue which was delayed our Sea Bassing – due to the slow COVID shipping of the engine part. We will continue to run everyday (2 trips per day on weekends) and starting June 15th will begin running 2 trips per day through September. With two vessels, we can target inshore to 30 miles, backwaters to 1 foot depths, and everything in between.
If interested in booking a charter, book through our site (reelreactioncharters.com) or call/text 609-290-7709. As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included: gear, bait, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE! It’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.
We have been in the water for a few weeks now. Slow start for us but things are getting interesting now. We are catching stripers from 20 inches to 20 pounds on bait and lures. Some 2 to 4 lb bluefish mixed in and we are also catching some fluke with a few keepers making it into the cooler. There are some bigger bass being trolled on bunker spoons and mojos.
We are available this Sunday, June 7 and Monday, June 8.
We are always watching the forecast for the perfect weather window to head offshore but the early look at this weekend does not look favorable for us to run to the bluewater. As soon as we get that perfect forecast, we are throwing the ropes.
Pic: Griffin Chrostowski of Moorestown, NJ with his first striper, a 44 inch, 26 lber taken right outside the inlet with Capt Nick DeGennaro at the helm. That fish was released. They also had a 30 incher and a 25 incher that were legal to keep with our bonus tags.
June is here and there’s no gloom. Fishing on all fronts is strong. From striped bass, blues and fluke to sea bass and sheepshead there’s a good offering for coastal anglers in the Long Beach Island area and surrounding waters. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for June 2, 2020.
LBI Surf Fishing Report
Hike the LBI dunes in early June for great striped bass fishing. The past couple of weeks were good to surf anglers fishing the beach of LBI. So far June is off to a great start. Would have to say it’s one of the better springs runs we have seen in a few years. Anglers chunking bunker, fishing clam and also working lures are catching fish.
Here’s the June 2, 2020 LBI Surf Fishing Beach Check
Josh Basket hit the surf early Monday morning and was rewarded. He shared, “Good quality fish to start out the morning. The bass can’t resist Fish Head Bunker”
Early bird gets the worm! Surfcaster Josh Basket fished the pre dawn hours with fresh bunker chunks and caught this striped bass off the LBI surf on June 1, 2020.
Solid report from customers Dan, Jim and Thomas. They fished the night tide on Sunday and caught. Dan reported, “A night I’ll never forget! We went three for three… Three buddies, Three rods, Three bass! They went 33, 35, 36″ all chunking bunker on the mid-island surf.”
Can’t beat a three fish night with three friends!
Another good Long Beach Island surf fishing report came in from Mike Villez. He’s getting into them the last couple of nights on plugs on the south end o LBI. Some good ones too. He also caught. 19″ fluke on an SP Minnow. More on fluke further below.
Todd Luyber fished the Sunday evening sunset session and got a nice striped bass off the surf on wood. Todd reported, “Not just on bunker. Went for the ghost mackerel pencil popper.”
Striped bass love wood too!
Whether fishing here on LBI or down in the Caribbean fishing the waters of Puerto Rico Jonathan Price always gears up right at Fish Heads. Recently he stopped in and got set up for bass fishing the surf. It didn’t take long and he reported back… “Three great days out back on the beach!” Each trip out he’s catching good size fish off the surf. This evening we got a 50″ beast! “The boys at Fishermans Headquarters did the right thing once again. Give the guys a shout… they are on point.”
Jon Price is catching a quality striped bass every day. One a day for the past three days in a row! He’s dialed in!
Striped Bass
Striped bass reports from the boat anglers are not been epic but there’s fish to be caught. Most boats are getting out and finding fish. Some days they’re taken on live baits and others on the troll. Mike O’Grady released a 48″ bass on the troll Sunday. “Went for a Tony Maja green bunker spoon off Seaside late in the day. A lot of whales and dolphin in the areas.” Acers of bunker schools were stretched out along the beaches of LBI the past few days. Monday and Tuesday large schools were found off the south end and mid island beaches. There were also pods on the north end too.
Bluefish
Right now bluefish of all size ranges are here. Bluefish from 1-3 pounds can be found just about anywhere. They are common catches in locations like the Island’s surf, inlet and bayside channels and docks. Some area have an abundance of snapper and other areas have a few larger bluefish.
Here’s Jerry Zumpetta with a nice size bluefish he recently caught fishing bunker at a public Long Beach Island bayside dock.
Small bluefish make for great fishing fun… especially for kids. Now’s a great time to get outdoors and leave the crazy world behind fro a few hours while on the water fishing. Keep America Fishing by introducing new anglers to the sport. By sharing your love for fishing with a child, friend, neighbor you might gain a new fishing buddy and possibly spark a new life long passion for someone.
Kids love catching bluefish! Photo: Craig Hotter
Fluke
Fluke fishing is strong and by all accounts we anticipate it to keep cranking the whole month of June. Lukey got a nice the flukey! Luke McCann caught this 24″ fishing Barnegat Bay on Monday.
24″ summer flounder caught by Luke McCann fishing Barnegat Bay on Monday June 1, 2020Tanner Johnson caught this fluke fishing the bay on Monday.
With striped bass, bluefish and fluke all chewing now is a great time for a Barnegat Bay Slam! Better yet… Try your luck at a Barnegat Bay Grand Slam! The weakfish are here.
Sea Bass Fishing
Sea bass fishing is strong with boats catching limits on a consistent basis. Fishing 7-20+ miles offshore. Grey Colston went sea bass fishing and loaded up. Shop Ambassador Swagmattic was out on Sunday and said they hammers ’em, but due to weather conditions they couldn’t get out as far offshore as they would have like to in search of the big knuckle heads.
Offshore Fishing
This is the time where the mid-shore and offshore waters heat up. Right now there’s cold water stretched over the grounds but that should change soon. Be ready for sharks and also the tuna action should break open again.
It has been a rough ride to the start of the season with everything going on, but we have been busy and out on the water! Sorry that this is our first report, but here is a recap of what’s been going on since the governor allowed us to start chartering again.
Jess and I made it out for sea bass (the day before we were allowed to run charters) and easily boxed our limit in under an hour along with a bonus ling. Sea bass fishing has been phenomenal and still continues to be excellent. Now is the time to get out and fill the freezer with these tasty fish before the season closes on June 22.
Memorial Day Weekend
Due to storms and wind we had to reschedule 2 of our trips and were only able to make it out on Memorial Day Monday. We had Dan and his wife Alyssa along with surprise guests, our good friends, Forrest and Nicole, out for a 5hr fluke trip in the bay. The northeast wind didn’t cooperate. Conditions were less than favorable and the water was 10 degrees colder than Saturday. We put our time in and worked several areas but were only picking away at small fish. In overtime on the last drift of the trip, we were able to box a solid 21” keeper. Although fishing wasn’t the best, everyone still had a good time.
We ran a couple afternoon fluke trips during the week and were rewarded with a limit one day as well as a solid 5lber the following day. We caught between 15 and 30 shorts on each of the trips as well.
Saturday 5/30, We had return client Mike Lombardi (who also joined us on one of the afternoon fluke trips), along with his friends Will and John, out for a sea bass trip. The trio wasted no time boxing double header keepers as soon as we stopped. They quickly put their limit in the box at our one and only stop of the day. Along with their limit of sea bass, Will caught a jumbo 3lb porgy to add to the box as well as Mike’s nice ling. Great job today guys we look forward to our next trip!
Sunday 5/31, We had Dj, Gabby, their almost 4 year old son Spencer, along with Ryan and Dave out for a 5hr bay fluke trip. To say that fishing was tough would be an understatement. We had a strong wind vs tide all morning. It was Spencer’s first time ever on a boat and we also managed to catch him his first fish! We only had one shot at a keeper but lost it right before it got next to the boat. Spencer also took the wheel and sailed the boat the whole way in to the marina. Happy early birthday Spencer, next time we will work on getting you a keeper!
We have some weekend dates available throughout the summer as well as weekday afternoons available. There are many options of species to fish for right now including fluke, sea bass, striped bass, bluefish, and blowfish. If you are interested in getting out please contact us to book your trip. Call or text Captain Mike to get out on the water or send us a message through our website! (609)-709-7264
The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are slowly getting back into the swing of things after their lengthy layoff thanks to the Corona Virus.
Captains Dave Kreines of the “Byte Me” and Carl Sheppard of the “Star Fish” both report they have complied with all the New Jersey state regulations regarding safe fishing practices. Captain Dave notes he is holding his parties to three passengers with “all precautions taken.” He is currently working on finding some of the first fluke of the season.
Captain Carl says the “Star Fish” is compliant with all guidelines including a recent successful Coast Guard Inspection and an insurance survey. He is looking for striped bass and black sea bass in the ocean and fluke in the bay waters.
Captain Brett Taylor has been running daily trips in the waters of lower Barnegat Bay as well as some of the inshore wrecks. Some days he guides two half-day trips. He estimates that his parties are catching 25-40 flatties per trip with 3-6 keepers per day.
The BHCFA Junior Mate Reef Project was started just one year ago, and it has already been embraced and supported by the local fishing and business community. Association president Captain John Lewis proudly stated, “Our fundraising to date has been greater than anyone would have anticipated.” To date $160,000 has been raised in cash and matching funds, some $60,000 more than the original goal.
The delivery of a 140-foot barge, a 52-foot crew boat and a 45-foot tugboat are expected to be deployed on the Little Egg Reef very shortly. This will be paid for with funds raised by the Junior Mates combined with dollar for dollar matching funds from the Ann E. Clark foundation and the Sport Fishing Fund, long time financiers of artificial reefs in New Jersey.
A second project is also close to fruition. A pair of 210-foot scows are being eyed that can have concrete rubble loaded in them giving them much more fish attracting habitat. These would greatly increase the amount of material to be used with one on the Little Egg Reef and the other on the Garden State South. At this point the $60,000 remaining from the first project will cover most of the cost with another $20,000 needing to be raised.
The reefs located off the coast of Long Beach Island are the most underdeveloped artificial reefs in the state, by far. The mates are continuing their fund-raising activities, and Captain Lewis notes the BHCFA is a registered non-profit organization and will gladly accept donations from other sources. He can be contacted at Captjohn22@comcast.net
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.bhcfa.net
Every spring, fluke make their annual migration from the continental shelf to the inshore waters and back bays. This trip to spawn and feed provides excellent fishing for amateur and avid anglers alike. This natural occurrence coincides with every fisherman’s itch to get back out and bend rods. Part of this “itch” gets me thinking about some familiar questions on Early Season Fluke Fishing.
Five W’s To Early Season Fluke Fishing
Who I am going to bring on my first trip? What baits will I use? When will the season open? Where will the flatties lie in wait? Why will I fish certain rigs, baits, tides, and areas?
As an English teacher, I stress to my students the importance of addressing the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where and Why) in their writing. What follows are my “5- W’s” to Early Season Fluke Fishing.
Summer flounder fishing is fun and flounder is good eats!
Who is going fishing?
I figured I’d start with the easiest one – whomever you want! Kids, siblings, cousins, friends. Just be sure to enjoy the trip, have fun, and be safe. What makes a fishing trip most exciting? Catching fishing… Here’s some tips to help you better your fluke fishing game.
What setups and rigs to use?
My favorite bay fluke fishing rod is a 7′ medium action spinning rod with a comfortable cork grip. While some choose to fish a Ferrari, you’ll get the job done with a number of rod choices in the $50-$100 range. For example the Tsunami Classic Series and the Shimano Talavera Inshore Series.
Here’s Tanner Johnson with a nice fluke he caught fishing light tackle in Barnegat Bay.
For leader, I tie a 3 ft. leader of 20lb. fluorocarbon via a double uni knot to the braid. Many believe the difference between mono and fluoro is minimal, but I notice increased hookups with the non-reflective fluoro as my leader. Avoid snap swivels or Tactical Angler Clips and tie a double overhand loop knot to the end of the fluoro. This eliminates all terminal tackle in the rigs and allows increased feel from subtle taps – a trademark of sluggish early season fish. Plus, the double overhand loop knot allows you to easily swap out bucktails or jigs when color and weight changes are required.
Usually, I will tie a dropper knot 18” above the hook to add a bucktail teaser with Gulp!. I thread the dropper knot through the eye of the baitholder hook and present the teaser close to my main leader.
This fluke went for a Tsunami Glass Minnow rigged up as a teaser. (Click to link to product)
Another presentation variation for the teaser is to make a larger dropper knot, still 18” above the overhand, and cut one of the two lines coming from the knot, which will leave a single strand of line coming from the main leader. Tie a hook to the tag end. This longer teaser will trail about 10-12” from the mainline, sink closer to the bucktail on the bottom, and tempt the most timid fluke to strike.
Overall, a long teaser helps with those apprehensive early season bites. Cold water can lead to lethargic fish, with short strikes or mouthing (just putting the bait in their mouth and not swallowing). It is important to use baitholder hooks on the teaser (not the common octopus, kahle, or circle hooks) because the baitholders’ barbs hold the Gulp! on the shank of the hook to give a better presentation in the water. The Mustad 3400-BN is the perfect hook for this task. Remember, if nothing else is working, the old school “plain Jane” minnow on a 3-way rig, or the squid strip/minnow combo may just do the trick. You can use the octopus, kahle, or circle hooks on the 3-way rig. I prefer 3/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hooks.
This fluke couldn’t resist a Spro Bucktail tipped with Gulp!
If you’re familiar with the “match the hatch” strategy of the freshwater angler, apply it to the early season flatties. Outgoing tides will carry juvenile baitfish which are naturally smaller. So, go small with the baits in early season. Anything from 1/2oz. to 1 1/2oz. max on bucktails or jig heads – usually a white Andrus bucktail. Both will produce early season. Perennial productive colors and sizes, especially early season, are 3” and 4” Gulp! Swimming Mullet colored pink, green, or white. When fishing with other people, rig different color combos of bucktails and teasers until you figure out what the fish are chewing on. Start with green and white and go from there. On some days fluke only want one color and other days multiple colors work. If you are going to fish multiple days in a row, be sure to note the stomach contents when cleaning the day’s catch. Note what’s in their bellies and do your best to replicate it the next day.
When to fish?
Fish whenever you get the chance, but if you can be selective, know that tides, water temperature, and moon phase matter. The first 2 hours and last 2 hours of the outgoing tide typically produce most fish in early season. Those times within the tide stage also help with speed of the drift and water temperature. Take note of speed over ground (sog) on your machine. The most productive speeds for me are between 0.8knts. – 1.3knts. Finicky fluke also feed according to the fluctuating water temperatures. The ocean is usually still cold when fluke season opens, and the incoming tide commonly produces temperature drops ranging from 10-15 degrees compared to outgoing, warmer bay water. In early season, the incoming cold water will almost always shut the bite down. So, try to focus on fishing the outgoing tide when early season fluke fishing.
Jordan from Fishermans Headquarters caught this summer flounder fishing one of the main channels that leads from the inlet to the open bay. These thoroughfares are gets places to target fluke.
Many anglers swear by fishing the full moon. However, I’ve found that a couple of days before and after a full moon are not great bites. You may take fish at this time if you work hard enough, buy my logs indicate that it’s less than ideal.
Where to fish?
Fluke are predators. They lie in wait until the tide carries baitfish into their strike zone. Then they attack. For this reason, I will primarily work the channel edges first, which hold these adaptable hunters. Try to position the start of your drifts in shallower water, and allow the outgoing tide to carry the vessel into deeper channels.
Kirsten Holloway caught these early season summer flounder fishing the shallow waters with light line working the channel drop offs.
Bites often happen as soon as the presentation drops from shallow to deeper water. As mentioned earlier, try to set up your drifts on the outgoing. Even in the bay I will always lay down a trail on my machine. After the first drift, note what, if any, setups were hit or caught fish. Pay attention to color, speed, location – whatever produced the first fish and/or bites. After the drift is done, run back to the start of the previous drift and position the boat for the same drift. Once strikes begin to happen, try your best to mimic exactly the conditions (speed, bait, color, size) to earn more hook ups. Again, take note which setups are producing and then change all rods to the producing rig. If after several drifts, nothing is producing, change locations, change colors, or change rigs.
Why target early season fluke?
I pride myself on keeping detailed logs. One recurring patter I noticed year to year, above all other factors, concerns what stage of the season I am fishing – early, middle, or end of the regulated fishery. I have found the opening 2-3 weeks of the season always has greater, quality hook ups. For the beginning of the season, the fluke have just finished a very long migration and are on the feed. Also, there are increased numbers because the fishery has not undergone much pressure early in the season. All these factors make for great early season fluke.
Early season fluke offer the opportunity for excellent sport and table fare while enjoying time on the water with family and friends. Now is the time to take inventory of your tackle, tie a variety of rigs, an do some maintenance on your gear. Visit your local tackle shops and stock up. Prepare now so when the fluke arrive, you’ll be set with a variety tactics to help load the box with quality flatties.
Fish With Old Barney Charters
Are you looking to get out fishing? Save the date now for your next fishing adventure. You will not only enjoy the day, you’ll learn a lot too. Give Captain Kevin Schmidt at Old Barney Charters a call today! 1-267-918-1746
Hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend! The wind kept most inside but today (Tuesday) offered up lighter winds with much better sea conditions. On the final stretch of May and fishing on all fronts is strong. Anglers are producing good catches inshore, offshore and from shore.
Land Based Fishing LBI
Land based anglers fishing LBI have good offerings in the surf, bay and inlet. The primary target species are fluke, striped bass and bluefish.
Striped Bass & Bluefish On The LBI Surf
Consistent reports from surf anglers catching on bait, both bunker and clam. Jamie Gramley stopped by the shop today for baits. He reported, “Every trip out this spring I’m into fish, but I can’t seem to get a good one. Every catch is under 28″ size.”
Paul Taurgrasso recently shared a couple photos from the surf. One bass and one medium/large bluefish.
There are some big bass swimming in the surf too. We have didn’t hear of any 40″ range caught in the past couple days but we are expecting to hear some SOON! Make sure it’s you making the report!!!
Store staffer Jordan caught this 37″ striped bass on Sunday evening. He was chunking fresh bunker off a churned up surf.
Jacob Rice sent in a thank you via message, “Thanks for the new Tsunami Rod. I broke it in good last night!” Below is the photo he included!
UPDATE 5/28/20 – “no 40″ range caught but we are expecting SOON! Make sure it’s you making the report!!!” It happened…
Last night (5/27) was the big fish night we’ve been waiting for! The O’Connell crew got into them chunking bunker on the LBI surf. All fish were over 38″ so they were released. Father Greg O’Connell and sons Dylan, Ryan and Brayden were all into quality striped bass.
This wasn’t the only report. We heard of a few other fish too. Store staffer Steve released a big bass that went for a bunker chunk last night on 5/28.
Fluke On The LBI Surf
The Long Beach Island surf is producing good number of fluke. An LBI surf rat (requested to remain anonymous) reported a solid morning surf fluke fishing this morning (Tuesday). “I got a 23″ fish for the dinner table.” Another surf report came from Mike Ninii and Jared Grady. They are catching too.
Inshore Fishing
Coming out of the late May new moon and transitioning into June. Striped bass fishing prime time here on the Central Jersey Shore. Anglers are trolling and live bait fishing to catch classy striped bass. We expect fishing to be good into June.
Big fish magnet Captain Mike Green got another 50 today! Here’s angler JP Eitner with his 51 pound striped bass.
In The Bay
The bays of Long Beach Island have a lot to offer in late May. The star is by far fluke, but bluefish, striped bass, blowfish, weakfish and black drum are on offer. For fluke the outgoing tides warmer temperature is the best for consistent action. Bluefish seem to be showing in a hit and run fashion but more consistent bites with larger fish are turning on later in the later day in the shallows. For black drum look to the southern bay with clam.
Recently some larger blues are showing. James Kuhl got some bigger ones recently.
Store staffer Jordan fished the bay on Tuesday afternoon and reported, “The weakfish are around! Got a couple. Also had good action with bluefish and fluke. Boxed up some nice fluke today (below).”
Jim Baily from Ship Bottom caught this fluke in Double Creek over the weekend fishing the mid day tide. Photo below.
Store staffer Steve-o reported the mid-island bay is producing good numbers of fluke. “I’m catching on both the morning and afternoon tide. Fluke (mostly shorts but there’s keepers), bluefish up to three pounds and blowfish. As always for me the chartreuse and white bucktail with a live minnow was the best for me today.”
Tanman_Johnson, “Thanks for the spool up yesterday”
Offshore Fishing Report
This is when tuna and shark fishing kicks into high gear. Are you ready?
Chuck Snyder posted a recent report, “Great day on the water with our first trip offshore. Fishing about 77 miles off we caught 7 bluefin, 3 yellowfin, lost a white marlin at the side of the boat and two skipjack.
With the good weather we expect to hear some more fishy reports from the deep.
UPDATE 5/28/20 – Captain Jeff Warford aboard the Reel Innovation out of Harvey Cedars reported, “Fun getting back to bending the rods. Limit of sea bass, 40-50 bluefin tuna and a couple of yellowfin tuna. There’s lots of life out there. We even got to jig some of these small bluefin tuna. Side tracker spreader bars caught most of the bluefin and Magictail Hoo Magic caught all of the yellowfin tuna.
Linda Lee Sportfishing Report
From May 23rd
We set sail at 4:00 am took a slow ride out threw the dense fog Saturday morning straight east out of Barnegat Inlet. Ran 60 miles before we saw some life 2 tones, tuna chicks, and shear waters. We set out the lines and kept heading east marking a lot of bait and from what the screen looked like some nice size tunas. We pounded that area hard for 2-3 hrs before making the call to run another 25 offshore after getting a heads up on some school size Bluefin being caught. Once we got to the edge we hit a 15-17 degree temperature break and the fog lifted. There was a lot of life out there humpback whales breaching, shark finning, tuna chicks, shear waters, and it smelled fishy. After trolling for 15-20 minutes working the breaks we hooked up on a Chatter Lures purple side tracker it was a 20-25lb school bluefin. Then went off a purple Joe Shute rigged ballyhoo. Purple was the color from there on landing 10 school bluefin and releasing 8 to swim another day.
If you’re looking to get in on some tuna fishing this summer give me a call 609-276-8032 to book a trip. Most of June is booked but I have July dates available through the rest of summer. All trips are weather permitting. Cost is $400 pp + tip for mate.
