The cold water trend continues. While my fingers are crossed it changes and gets back to “normal”, it’s most likely going to stick around some more. How long is anyone’s guess. Here’s my latest fishing report video which is mostly dominated by ocean water talk but there’s a little fishing info with some helpful tips included. I share this because it is very important to understand the dynamics we deal with as anglers on the water.
Here’s a link to a blog I wrote in the summer of 2022 about the cold ocean water and phenomenon called upwelling… Upwelling Events On LBI Explained
It’s just as relevant then as it is today. Long lasting upwelling events are not uncommon. But how long it too long? The chart below shows the number of upwelling days over a four year span. I remember that 2022 was a chilly one which is the reason why I wrote the blog. This summer (2024) definitely contends if not beats it.
The photo below is from the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol’s social media post on July 13th sharing a notice to the public that the water is COLD! 53º is really cold.
Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Report by Jim Hutchinson Sr.
Captain Raymond Lopez reports the “Miss Liane” is now sailing for billfish and tuna. Their last trip out was excellent as they hooked onto a white marlin and blue marlin. They are sailing every week offshore for tuna and billfish, weather permitting.
Captain Gary Dugan has been fishing the “Irish Jig” while spending more time fishing the nearby artificial reefs as the fluke have begun their move to the ocean. He is also avoiding the greenhead flies in the bay. His bay fishing trips resulted in keeper fluke along with a healthy number of bluefish. He is now fishing for fluke on the reefs along with other bottom fish.
Captain John Lewis reports he has just moved his new boat, “Insatiable” to its berth at the Beach Haven Yacht Club. He has a few more items to take care of and will be sailing for fish very soon.
Captain Max Goldman reports the “Starfish” has been catching some nice black sea bass fishing various structure in the ocean. Although the daily bag limit is just one fish per angler, his anglers are also catching a variety of other bottom fish.
Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” has been fighting the winds recently and maintains fishing is better when those strong south winds shift to the northwest. He had a recent four-man party fishing a 4-hour bay trips and released a grand total of 112 short fish while keeping four to 23-inches. He is taking care of some routine maintenance on his skiff while enjoying the Fourth of July weekend with his family. He will be back at it on Monday.
The Junior Mates Program for the BHCFA is now in full swing with an avid group of youngsters eager to learn the details of fishing. Captain Max passed along the current accomplishments of some former Junior Mates. Max is now a full captain along with Nick Perello and Jonathan Kelly. Marlyn Graham is working toward her nursing degree while Nick Haws is studying naval architecture at SUNY.
Another former Junior Mate, Liane Lopez, is also a captain and has graduated from the University of Miami. She has been guiding parties in the Miami area and helping her dad Captain Ray Lopez on the “Miss Liane” while in New Jersey.
Additional information on the captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org
Happy Birthday America!!! It’s the 4th of July. We want everyone to have a safe, happy and fishy holiday today and the entire week celebrating our independence.
Fishing lately has been a grind. Sharpies are putting together catches, but working hard to earn their bites. There’s no way to cut the mustard… fishing has not been great. It has not been easy. Last week’s rain flooded the roads at time, washed out areas (drop in salinity) and raise concerns with water quality in some areas (Ship Bottom Bay Beach & Long Beach Twp Bayview Park Bay Beach).
As of late we have had our water temperatures bounce back. Surf right now the Ship Bottom surf is 64 degrees. Let’s hope the southerly winds remain fair as they are the cause of the cold water upwelling.
The past 30 days we have had numerous upwelling events plague our waters. One stuck around for almost the entire second half of June. See the data in the graphic below. Sure the cool/cold waters help give LBI it’s break from the heat and humidity that scorches the inlands. But the radical water temp swings really effect the consistency of fishing. And it is for this reason I spend so much time focused on it.
With the prolonged cold stretch but also clean water (usually upwelling events put cold dirty – brown stained water on the beach) I’m beginning to feel that we have a more dominant Labrador Current this year than usual. I say this because we have cold clear waters stretched along the coast and even the broader region. I’d like to get a oceanographer’s analysis of this.
I am optimistic that things improve with tomorrow’s (Friday 7/5) new moon giving us more extreme tidal flow and a new chapter as we transition into the first full month of summer fishing.
Here’s the fishing report video update I shot earlier today.
As far as fishing opportunities and species on tap…
Surf anglers have the best shot at targeting fluke along the sandbars. Bluefish or kingfish would be another target to plan for. Also sharks and rays (more on that later). For the most part striped bass can be caught off the Island’s beaches all summer but they are few and far between unless putting in a lot of time and/or specifically set up with live sand fleas and a summertime approach. Stop in and we can share how to fish these bugs in the suds for bass.
The inlet has fluke, bluefish, striped bass, sheepshead and out of season tog.
The bay has fluke, striped bass, bluefish, weakfish as well as a few spot and blowfish.
Out front the ocean fluke fishing at the reef sites and wrecks is improving and should be good this month and rest of the fluke season. Bonita and Spanish mackerel are here. Cobia are in the neighborhood too. Further offshore we heard the good ling bite continues at the deeper water wrecks but with one fish bag limit on sea bass most aren’t making the run.
Offshore mahi, tilefish, tuna and marlin are options. Tuna mid-shore hasn’t been smoking as years past but some fish are present. It seems the best bite has been out at the Hudson and further off, outta range for most small boats. But the sporties are getting after it.
Sharks are here and anglers must know the laws to be prepared when a fishing encounter occurs. Both sand tiger sharks and sand bar sharks (aka brown sharks) are federally protected shark species that can not be landed or killed. They are illegal to posses. A landed fish is considered possession. Do not remove them from the water! Always use common sense! Fishing has been shut down in other states. Don’t be the one who will ruin it here. Chunking the beach with heavy tackle during swimming hours 10am-5pm is not the right thing to do. There have already been a couple of occurrences this summer and it blew up on social media so we can only assume backlash is coming down the pike. When fishing the surf in the summer focus on the hours outside of prime time beach traffic. For example, fish the evenings after 5/6pm or better yet fish the dark!
We have announced two Open Boat Tuna trips over the last two weeks. The first one did not sail as we did not fill all the spots. This past Friday, we had a full boat and ran north to where I heard the life was, the west side of the Mud Hole. Upon arriving, we had two square miles of fresh slicks with chick birds picking at them, a good amount of finback whales, and nonstop bait ball readings on the machine. We beat that piece of water up for three hours, trolling Joe Shute/Ballyhoo’s and Chatter Side Tracker bars. Never had a sniff. I switched to the drift and we tried bait and jigs for another hour and a half but it only yielded one small shark. On the way back south we stumbled on some shearwaters, a nice size bluefin that aired out, and a pair of humpback whales that put on quite a show. We tried the poppers but no takers.
Not good, I know but we are looking to sail again Tues and Wed, July 2 and 3, 4AM to 4PM, as those days are the weather window to run offshore. We plan on running east this time in search of life and tuna. We will be ready to troll, bait fish, jig, and pop. It’s a beautiful forecast with light winds and calm seas. After that it blows up for a while. Hoping to get some intel on what happened today or we will be off to check out the usual haunts. I really would like to see what is happening at the Resor-Atlantic Princess area.
$450 person, 4 people max. All fish are shared. You don’t need anything except food and drinks, we have everything. If you have a favorite rod or two, bring it.
Fishing inshore for blues, fluke, and whatever swims in the bay and inlet whenever we are not headed offshore.
Just got some good intel on two different spots within our range to go tuna fishing. Whales, bait, chick birds, nice water and surfacing fish. It’s not my information to give, so please don’t ask. That’s how the information pipeline works. If I find them on my own, I can tell whoever I want, but when it is gifted to me, it’s sacred.
Hoping to find bluefin and maybe one other desirable species, some of you may have already heard.
Sailing Open Boat Tuna tomorrow, Friday June 28, 4AM to 2PM, $450 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. We plan on trolling, bait fishing on the drift, and jigging.
There is a chance we will do the same trip on Saturday June 29, but the forecast is on the razors edge for my liking with that South wind coming up for the last part of the trip and the ride home. If the forecast shapes up for the better, we will go.
Still fishing the bay and inlet on the days we don’t run offshore.
Public Service Announcement – Anglers Must Join The Saltwater Angler Registry Prior To Fishing!
Over the last couple of days we have learned from customers that enforcement is out and about checking for NJ Saltwater Registry compliance. It looks like they are done with warnings as we’ve heard about numerous fines for non-compliance. So here’s a helpful heads up. Please share with others!
Did you know? NJ saltwater anglers must register annually to fish the marine waters of New Jersey. It was introduced and mandated by law since May 2011.
New Jersey does not have a saltwater fishing license; however, it mandates all anglers register before fishing marine waters. The NJ Saltwater Recreational Registry Program is free and easy to do.
The registry is an important tool that policy makers utilize for recreational fishing effort data. It is meant to solve the age-old battle about bad data which is in turn used to account for the impacts of saltwater anglers on ocean ecosystems and coastal economies.
It’s hot and humid with a heat index pushing 100 and it’s sticking around. Authorities say, drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. We say… Get Down To LBI and Go Fish!!! A cold body of water upwelled and is hanging around the coastal waters. It’s making the sea breeze cool, breaking the temps down. Here’s the first fishing report of summer!
The recent upwelling event doesn’t seem to stop as today the southerlies were kicking and Sunday too. Also a note of importance, some of the largest surf (waves) in weeks is coming. It’s far from large but 3-4′ waves are expected to show and stick around Sunday and Monday. Also the recent “Strawberry Moon” full moon of June has given us extreme tides the past few days making for some extra low water at times. This made clamming awesome! On the other side of the shellfish game, crabbing is also good.
Right now we have a variety of species; fluke, bluefish, striped bass, weakfish as well as a few kingfish, sheepshead, black drum. Some info on these is shared in the video report. If you are in need of tackle for these species be sure to stop in and talk to the team at Fish Heads today. We’ll get you hooked up and having fun.
We haven’t heard many striped bass catch reports on the surf the past couple days but with the water cooling off from what it was there’s a good chance at surf side stripers for another week or two. Last week soaking the trenches along the LBI surf the Jetty Jockeys found some good fishing.
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9th Annual Fluke-A-Mania Captains Meeting June 28, Fishing June 29th
Save the date for this great tournament hosted by the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club, next weekend and help raise funds fishing for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
After a slower start to the charter season, we’ve had some outstanding flounder fishing on my recent trips. Our local reefs are teeming with fluke, ranging from numerous shorts to some impressive keeper fish. Most of our catches have been on bucktails tipped with squid and mackerel, with gulp also proving effective. Availability for fluke trips is filling up quickly. I offer 4-hour and 6-hour trips for groups up to six people, departing from Holgate Marina.
Below are some fish caught on this week’s trips. I look forward to having you on board!
We are running a short notice Open Boat Tuna trip tomorrow, Wed June 19. Just received some intel on where to try. Lots of life, whales, bait. Good reports on both yellowfin and bluefin. The weather was the deciding factor to run. No storm activity and light winds. This will be mostly a trolling trip. Hunting and searching for whales and life. I will have the jigging and popping rods with us, but honestly it is not our strong suit. I am bringing bait to try and drift if the activity is intense and the rods are not going off. While we are drifting with a few bait rods out, you can jig or pop.
4AM to 4PM. $450 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared. We need all four spots filled to sail.
We hope all the rad dads and fishy fathers had a awesome weekend and an even better Father’s Day. Let’s keep the dream alive and rock all summer long!
I mentioned and showed it on the last video report and it has remained… we have beautiful CLEAN & CLEAR waters in the surf along the beaches of LBI. Father’s Day was a good one. A little breezy late morning and afternoon but it was a fresh northerly sea breeze with no flies and no humidity. It laid down later in the afternoon for the Blessing Of The Fleet.
Here’s the updated fishing report for the Long Beach Island area on Monday June 17, 2024.
LBI Surf Fishing Report
Striped bass surf reports have slowed down significantly as the month of June ticks on. We did get word from Michael Wolfschmidt who enjoyed Father’s Day on the beach. He caught a 31″ bass off the mid-island surf on salted clam.
Fluke fishing on the surf is and has been consistently good. That’s mostly due to the waters temperatures staying mildly warm and clean. There’s still some schools of blues racing through. If looking for blues in the suds, most of the time one or more feisty terns will tip you off to where the small bait is which both the terns and blues are chasing. While I was filming today’s report video there was a small but goo bird play with what looked like blues and bonita busting through.
With the warm “summer” surf be on the look out for kingfish in the suds for the next couple months. Also some whiting! They look like a kingfish but they don’t have the stripes. Whiting are also called a sea mullet by the boys down on the OBX. Here’s a photo of one caught this past weekend by Dan Schmechel.
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Also in the surf, dogfish are eating meaty boats and pulling line as well as rays and some toothy critters.
LBI Bayside Waters & Inlets
Blues and fluke are two primaries at the inlet right now as well as striped bass and weakfish at the right times. Also there’s out of season tog at the rocks. The “Bucket Guy” Dave reported catching a nice fluke fishing the south end inlet on Sunday. On a trip he had a nice weakfish.
In the bay fluke fishing which isn’t great is one of the most popular targerts. There’s a good showing of bluefish in a range of size. Also savvy anglers are catching striped bass and weakies. Some sheepshead arrived last week and should stick around all summer. We look forward to this species for the next couple months.
Bottom Fishing Report
The final days of the 2024 Spring Black Sea Bass fishing season are here with this Wednesday June 19th being the last day. Come July 1 through August 31 there is a “bycatch” one fish bag limit at 12.5″ season. For a detailed listing of the NJ Fishing Regulations check out here.
The first bonita report came in last week (Wednesday) from Tony Butch while sea bass fishing. As time as went on, we have heard a few more and some that far off the beach.
Ocean fluke fishing for some isn’t bad. The way I see it there’s a nice body of fluke along the inshore coastal waters and along the surf. Some of these fluke are moving into the bay. Fingers are crossed with have a good open bottom and fluke wreck fishing summer season. Here’s a photo of Ian Medford with a good one from a recent ocean fluke fishing trip aboard LBI Sportfishing with Captain Jon Kelly.
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Offshore Fishing Report
The Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club’s Tuna Open was this past week. The 4th Annual offshore fishing tournament has grown fast and is becoming one of the best spring offshore fishing events in the region. This year 78 boats fished and caught some good fish… 5 bluefin over 100#, 8 big eye over 100# and 11 yellowfin over 70#! It seems each year bigger fish are hitting the scales. There would have been some big bluefin however the larger class fish is closed right now. Congrats to all the anglers who scored a payday. Brendan Graham reported, “All four species of tuna were weighed in (bluefin, big eye, yellowfin, longfin) and that’s what it’s all about.”
