Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – There’s just not enough time in the day!!

Bay, Inlet, inshore, mid shore and offshore remains on Fire depending on your quarry !!
The bay is providing excellent light tackle opportunities  with a variety of species such as blowfish [ excellent eating] , snappers, fluke, and weakfish just to name a few! Bay fishing is high action and is a great way to introduce young anglers into fishing.
The inlet has been providing excellent opportunities for slightly larger and sportier denizens such as stripers, bluefish, blackfish, trigger fish, and even a few surprises from Spanish mackerel and bonito from time to time.
The inshore and midshore grounds are offering even more surprises on a daily basis with a host of characters such as both spanish and king mackerel, bonito, cobia, bluefish, bluefin, mahi mahi, and a variety of sharks to test tackle and anglers skills!! 
Larger vessels capable of reaching the Offshore grounds have seen some of  the best it’s been in years [ possibly ever] . Tuna, mahi, billfish have been readily available for the big game enthusiast!! 
I have a last minute cancellation for tomorrow [8/4] morning for the light tackle enthusiast looking for some fun !!
I also a a couple of happy hour trips available this week 5pm – 8pm for those who want a day on the beach with the family and then get out for some quick light tackle action!!
Lastly – Its never to early to reserve your fall fishing date[s] as we are booking up fast!!
Wishing everyone calm seas and fair winds,Captain Steve PurulReel Fantasea Fishing Charters609-290-1217

Fishing Report Update August 2, 2019

Here we go… kicking off August with a solid line up of fishing. The water has rebounded from our last report and with it the fishing on the surf has bounced back. As of this morning the mid island surf temperature is 71 degrees.

From Shore Fishing Report

The fishing from the shores of Long Beach Island have a lot to offer. Kingfish and fluke are the go to targets on the surf. Live bloodworms, DynaBait Freeze Dried Bloods or the artificial alternative… Fish Bites are catching kingfish. For fluke… hands down Gulp is the most effective. Stop by the shop and check out some of the new Gulp colors. The fire tiger, blue fuze, and salmon are red hot colors.

Fluke, weakfish, small blues and striped bass present chances for fun. The inlet has fluke, triggerfish and tog to delight rock hoppers with fun fishing and tasty table fare.

NJ’s Tog season opened August 1 with one fish bag limit at 15″ minimum size. Today we received our first tog report. Frequent flier jetty jockey Jeff got a 19″ 4lb tog today.

The fishing musician Rick W. stopped in and reported getting into a grand slam on the LBI bayside. He caught a five pound weakfish, 17″ fluke, a small bluefish and a sea bass. That’s a epic fishing trip with feet on the ground. No boat needed for him.

Back Bay, Nearshore & Inshore

The blowfishing in Barnegat Bay continues strong. The fluke fishing is also consistence but finding keepers is a challenge.

The waters coastal inshore waters are clean and warm. The reefs and wrecks hold life and will be rocking for the next two months. Recent reports from a couple customers talked of fluke, sea bass, porgy and sharks. In the waters from the reef sites out 15 miles mahi, king mackerel, spanish mackerel, chub mackerel and bonita were caught.

One report came in from Bill Figley who fished Friday morning about 10-15 miles out of BI. He reported king mackerel were just about jumping in the boat.

NJ Artificial Reef Program

Speaking of Bill… A new “patch” reef was just named the William Kane Reef in honor of the first New Jersey Artificial Reef Coordinator, William “Bill” Kane Figley. A caisson gates (heavy steel wall like structure which was a part of an old dry dock) were sunk July 27th and rest at the following coordinates: North 40* 08.033′ x West 073* 56.431′

This deployment will serve as habitat for up to 150 various types of marine species for the next 75 years or more. This project was sponsored in its entirety by the TheSportFishingFund.org.

Mid-Shore Off-Shore Fishing Report

Bluefin! Bluefin!! Bluefin!!! The mid-shore grounds are lit up. I was out Thursday morning fishing with the boys aboard the Reel Innovation. We had Brooks from Cortland on for his first tuna hunt. Turns out we went two for four on the jig. Some boats trolled up some fish early and others chunked a few up. For the most part the jig was the way to go but it’s a lot of work. Get out there and get those jigs moving!

By far the best jigs are the Nomad Streakers and the Mustad Moon Risers. These were proven to outfish the fleet the past month. Expect these to be the stand outs the next few weeks. Boat opting to troll are picking most of their fish on Chatter Side Tracker Spreader Bars and Joe Shute or Magictail Hoo-Magic Heads rigged with Ballyhoo.

Hi Flier Inshore and Offshore

Fishing is firing on all cylinders, inshore and offshore. Bluefin tuna, bonita, spanish mackerel, weakfish, and stripers are all on the feed. We also had a Spinner, Atlantic Sharpnose, and a big Dusky Shark just 4 miles offshore on Friday on spinning tackle. I struck out on tuna at the 30 mile spot Saturday, as did the small fleet that was there, but that’s just a day in the life of tuna fishing. On the way back we stopped at Barnegat Ridge and put out some light rods. It didn’t take long and we had bonita and spanish mackerel bending the rods. For those of you that are unsure about the edibility of these two species, they are both excellent. You can prepare bonita, technically bonito, any way you prepare tuna including as sashimi. The spanish mackerel fillets are white, sweet, and delicate. Cook them the same way you do flounder or weakfish. There’s a lot of confusion here with these two fish because south of Jersey, from the Carolinas to Florida, they call what we know as false albacore….bonito. Which are so bloody and full of red muscle inside, they are inedible. The mackerel part of Spanish mackerel has a lot of people put off because of our locally caught Boston mackerel, which are not that high on the edible scale, though people eat them. I returned to Barnegat Ridge Sunday with Chris Lang of Barnegat Light and his brother Phillip who was visiting from San Diego, as well as Chris Soukatis of Staten Island. We boated six nice bonita and a pair of two foot Spanish mackerel in some sporty conditions. We decided to head into the bay and try some light tackle action. Using shedder crab we connected with 15 to 16 inch weakfish and fluke. Monday I had Wayne Hopkins of Kutztown, PA and Jim Soch of West Milford, NJ for a bay/inlet combo. We only managed one weakfish for the cooler along with some action with fluke and sand sharks. When that slowed up we decided to try the inlet jetty and it was on fire with schoolie stripers. These two guys caught and released a dozen bass between 22 to 27 inches. A great finale. Here’s a clip of Wayne with one of his stripers: https://youtu.be/L_EyKqrrWdM Thursday August 1 and Friday August 2 has light winds forecasted, so we are running Open Boat Barnegat Ridge trips for Bonita and Spanish Mackeral. 10AM to 4PM. $150 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. Sunday we are headed to the Mid Range Tuna grounds or the Canyons in search of mahi, tilefish, and billfish. Pics: 1. Cutting table with our mix of bonita, Spanish, and weakfish on Sunday 2. Wayne Hopkins of Kutztown, PA    Dave DeGennaro Back Bay Adventures 732.330.5674 cell www.hiflier.com

Fishing Report Update July 29th

Here we are winding down the month of July with great fishing on Long Beach Island. It’s the heart of summer! Get out on the water and enjoy. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update For Monday July 29, 2019.

The past weekend was full of great weather and great fishing.

Barnegat Bay Fun Fishing

A great assortment of species await! Blowfish are plentiful in the main area of Barnegat Bay. Reports from the mid-island were ok but much slower. Fluke fishing is going strong. Small blues roam the waters and savvy anglers are playing catch and release with striped bass and weakfish.

The abundance of spikes (small weakfish) is awesome to see. One customer reported catching seven up to 17″ on an LBI west side spot.

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Report

The Long Beach Island surf has been really warm and consistently warm this year. That is until the recent southerly blow. The southerly blow has put a good chill in the water which slowed the surf bite. Both fluke and kingfishing were very good going into the weekend.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a huge upwelling events like some that can be a week long. We have onshores Thursday thru Monday so we expect things will be bounce back quick.

Mid Shore Fishing

Lake Atlantic conditions prevailed Friday and Saturday allowing boats of all sizes to get out and reach the bluewater. Some did very well. From bluefin (30-50 miles out of BI), cobia and mahi to king mackerel, bonita and spanish mackerel the inshore and midshore waters have lots of life. That’s not even accounting for the plethora of sharks.

The bluefin jig bite continues… Some state it’s the best two month run we’ve seen in years!

Rosetto Stone reported, “I couldn’t be happier! Got one of my best friends up from Florida and on to this crazy jig bite. Thanks for the jigs! This one was on the new Mustad Moon Riser Sardine Jig.”


Brett Ekelmann sent in this report, “Awesome weekend jigging bluefin. I picked up some jigs on Friday and that new Mustad Moon Riser out fished everything else we had in the water. Thanks for the heads up!”

Fish Head Charters

It’s been awhile since my last update. Hasn’t been for a lack of fishing, just lack of time. Here’s a recap of recent days on the water.

Thursday (7/25) morning I had three time (three years in a row) return clients, father Tom and son aboard. We had a great sunrise session with bass and blues on light tackle.


Friday I ran the Pal O’ Mine out to the tuna grounds for a fun day with some friends. It was a beautiful but sort of frustrating day. There were lots of boats and much less fish feeding activity then Thursday (that was a really good day). Looking back we kinda bobbed when we should have weaved. Hind sight is always 20/20. The entire crew worked together and stayed on point all day long. Finally late in the day our bite came.  I dropped a Mustad Moon Riser Jig (very similar to the very popular Nomad Streaker Jig, same slender profile but slightly heavier in the same length) on a couple marks, some quick speed jig pumps and bang! A short 5 minute fight and it was gaffed boatside. It never felt so good to get a boat bloody. The brand new Grady White 27 Canyon loved every minute of it.

Saturday night Scott T and his wife were aboard for a bay shark fishing trip. The tide and water temp were perfect but the abundance of grass made fishing difficult. We regularly cleaned the rigs and managed to get three bites in the 3-4 hour trip. Two were released boatside, the third was a run off but it offered a great screaming fight before it spit the hook. I feel the night would have been much more productive with less grass and a lighter wind. A stiff south never helps. Only a few hours after cleaning up…

Sunday early morning I jumped aboard the Reel Innovation to go on the hunt for tuna. We fished the same areas where fishing was good but we found very little life. Just a few scattered marks. We jigged like all hell but didn’t get a bite.  Went on the troll for a little while, with no results.  Other boats reports slim pickings.

No Limits Sportfishing – Fishing Report

Fishing report

Saturday 7/27 – I had Kevin and his girlfriend Jamie from Forked River, NJ out for a 6hr ocean fluke/sea bass trip. This was their first time jigging for fluke so there were quite a few swings and misses before they started to get the hang of it. There was little to no drift so there wasn’t a ton of action, but we were able to work some pieces of structure and catch over a dozen shorts as well as 2 solid keepers that were 25” and 21.5”, weighing in at 6.0lbs and 4.0lbs.

Halfway through the trip we were also surrounded by hundreds of spinner sharks jumping out of the water and a couple of them even hit the side of the boat. We hooked up with a couple and Kevin and Jamie were able to catch and release their first sharks. It was a great day on the water and we’ll see you guys during the fall striped bass season!

Sunday 7/28 – I had Joe and his friends Joe, Mario, and Jamie from NY out for a 6hr ocean fluke/sea bass trip. We started the trip working some of the same areas as Saturday but did not have any luck due to the conditions not being in our favor. We went from no drift the day before to way too much of a drift, drifting at 1.8-2.0kts due to a hard southwest wind. We tried several areas of open bottom but could only manage to catch some shorts. We also had a ribbon fish jumping along side of the boat at one point to add some excitement. The guys fished hard and never gave up. They shared lots of laughs as they kept saying that it was much better than being at work. We will get you guys on some fish in a few weeks!

In other news, our new website is up and running thanks to our first mate Jess, so go on over and check it out! https://www.nolimitssportfishingllc.com/

We are booked up for these next 2 weeks but have an opening on August 10th if anyone is interested. If you are interested in getting out please give us a call 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. https://www.nolimitssportfishingllc.com/

Lighthouse Sportfishing Report 7/28/2019

The warmer ocean water has brought in some cool stuff. Saturday, we scored this nice Mahi (pic attached) within a few miles of the inlet. We also boxed two chicken dolphin (small Mahi). There were many more Mahi swimming below the Debbie M, but they had lockjaw or were full. The latter likely being the case because when I cleaned them, their bellies were jam-packed of 1-2’ herring. Also saw flying fishing around the ridge and tons of small bonito. Note: if you are seeing flying fish there, there may be Mahi or kingfish (king mackerel) around. Then on today’s outing in the bay, we landed a sharksucker (aka remora). See pics attached. OK, enough about the cool stuff, how about a report? Blowfishing is still strong as is fluke fishing. Tons of small fluke, just need to go big or go home empty cooler type of fluke fishery. Small blues are still present and resident bass are acting like it is summer out. Wait, it is summer. You can catch bass if you want, but need to play your cards right. Still, have not given weakfish a shot.

On the nature side of things: for some reason, the bay is clearer this summer than in many years past. Not complaining, but why? Usually, the bay visibility decreases during the summer as the water warms and the algae population goes through the roof. This roof blowing off growth is often fueled by nutrient-laden stormwater runoff from lawn fertilizer after rain events. Lots of rain events that cause unnatural algae blooms, as it has been doing for decades. Well, we have had the rain, so why no algae blooms? Being a scientist I need data to support any claims about anything. Without data, I can only theorize, or speculate. So here are some suspects: Oyster Creek power plant shut down in September 2018 and is not discharging 110 million gallons of extra warm water into the bay daily; we are getting betting with fertilizer use and stormwater management; filter-feeding bivalves, clams, and oysters, are making a comeback which helps to naturally filter the bay; or with better fisheries management bunker, which are also feeders, are also making a big comeback. Could be any of these, or none, or a combination, but we will have to wait for Mother Nature’s right-hand man, Father Time, to shed some clarity.

Screaming drags,

Capt. Alex
609-548-2511
Lighthouse Sportfishing
YouTube Channel: Fishing Barnegat Bay

Hi Flier Open Boat Tuna, Barnegat Ridge, and Bay

We had an interesting catch in the bay yesterday (Wednesday). I had a mix of Dads and kids and the inlet was a little sporty for our crew so we opted for some back bay fishing.

I had Jeff Frazier of Toms River along with his daughter Sienna and his son Rex. Also on board were Ed Cugno of Westfield and his son Nicholas. Fortunately, as I always do, I had some gourmet bait in the cooler…..live shedder crabs. We anchored up and fished a mix of 1/8 oz jigheads and baited hooks under bobbers on six pound ultralite spinning rods.

After about five minutes Jeff was tight to our first fish a throwback fluke. After that it was non stop action with small weakfish, a lot of fluke to 16 1/2 inches, one pound blues, a sea robin, a ton of sand sharks, and a short striper. In the end nothing went into the cooler, but they had a blast with the light tackle and constant action.

Saturday and Sunday, July 27 and 28, the marine forecast looks great for getting offshore to the tuna grounds. The best action has been on jigs and bait which is the most fun way to catch a tuna. These are 30 to 150 pound bluefins and you never know what size is going to eat your bait. We will have the trolling and casting gear on board, as well. We always have the mahi spinning rods armed, too.

Leaving at 2AM, returning 12 to 14 hours later (2PM to 4PM). $350 person, 4 people max, all fish are shared. Monday we are probably looking at the bay or Barnegat Ridge, depending on the sea condition. We are also catching two to four foot spinner, blacktip, and Atlantic sharpnose sharks just 4 miles offshore. We can combo any of these Ridge/Bay/Inshore Sharking into the same trip. The Ridge has been holding a good amount of bonita and is due for some Spanish and king mackerel, as well as mahi.

~Dave DeGennaro, Back Bay Adventures
C: 17323305674 www.hiflier.com

LBI Fishing Report Weekly Update Sunday July 21, 2019

In the midst of a heat wave Long Beach Island is hot and the fishing is even hotter. With 62 more days of summer left, let’s embrace it. There’s no better way to beat the heat than on the water! Get out and fish!

Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Monday July 21st.

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Report

The three week run carries on with active kingfish on the surf. So long as the water stays warm and clean these tasty surf critters will be happy and feeding on the beaches of Long Beach Island. Local Ship Bottom resident Jim stopped in over the weekend and shared. Like many other anglers fishing the mid island surf, “I’m finding kingfish regularly.” The mornings this past weekend were good even though the tide was low. Most only fish high tide, but not Jim. “At low tide focus on the pockets and fish them as the water floods in with the tide.” Jim also noted, “You don’t need to bother with live worms.” While live bait is always best, it is always an extra project to take care of. DynaBait’s Freeze Dried Bloodworms are very convenient as well as the bloodworm alternative, Fishbites Bag O’Worms.

Also on the surf, fluke continue with reports strong from the north, mid and south end. Who would of guessed? White 4″ Gulp swimming mullet has been the hot color! Rays and various species of sharks cruise the beaches and are taking meaty baits.

The inlet and rocks are holding bluefish, fluke and triggerfish. The triggers made a strong showing a couple weeks ago and continue to offer great fishing opportunities for both boat and land based anglers. They also offer great table fare. Also in the area (Inlet/Beach/Nearshore) bonita and spanish mackerel.

Here’s Anthony Frederickson with a pair of triggerfish he caught recently fishing Barnegat Inlet.

Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Summertime on Barnegat Bay is a very special time with so much to do. Both clamming and crabbing are good this year. Both of these activities can be done without a boat. In order to access less pressured areas a boat is suggested. Don’t have a boat but want to enjoy a day on the bay? Rent a boat or hire a captain to take you out and show you a great time.

Fishing Barnegat Bay in mid July can sometimes feel like the Daytona 500 however, there are ways to fish and most importantly catch! Get out early and seek out areas less traveled. You’ll be rewarded!

The blowfishing in the bay rolls on. A couple good weekend reports came in. Anglers setting up with clam/squid and chum are catching. Hoven22 reported a great three hour session recently, “Clam was by far the best bait out producing squid.” Another solid report came in from Eli Haegele who had a fun time catching a cooler full.

Here’s a solid catch of Barnegat Bay Blowfish. Photo from Tony Arcabascio aka Tony Maja the maker of Tony Maja Bunker Spoons.

An abundance of very small weakfish seemed to have showed out of nowhere. In the past couple of days numerous reports were shared. These spikes were reported in the bay and the surf. Austin pounds, Jack Keating, Grey Colstan and Ray Goeke all reported catching weakfish. One angler did report catching a 20″ one off the north end surf. Ray is catching and releasing in the bay using small jigs, softbaits rigged on Magictail lead heads. Jack and Grey got them on the bayside too. Austin on the surf.

Here’s Jack Keating with a spike weakfish he caught hunting the night haunts.

Midshore Tuna Fishing

So many saltwater anglers look forward to summer for Jersey’s midshore bluefin fishery. This season has not disappointed, so far putting out quite the firework show. The inshore bluefin tuna fishing is awesome!

I got the invite to join the boys aboard Waterman Charters on Sunday and was stoked to get in on the action. The plan was to get out early for a quick dawn strike mission and get back to the dock as early as possible. That’s exactly what we did. We were on the grounds early and got two fish at day break. One on a Ronz Softbait, One on a Shimano Butterfly Jig. We headed in at 8:30 and I was to work at the shop by 1pm. Friends Dan & Jeff from the Reel Innovation showed up later in the morning missing the early bite however they stayed later and it paid off. They got into some great action all on the jig. Jeff reported we had quads on a couple time and all the boats around us were hooked up.

If heading our be prepared as some days the gator bluefish are there and these toothy demons reek havoc on tackle. Guys trolling have had one hell of a time with them.

Offshore Big Game Fishing

The offshore canyons have simmered from their peak action earlier in the month. We heard through the grape vine the more northern canyons (out of local boat’s range) are lit up.. One customer said the bigeyes are jumping in the boat. No joke! Here’s photo of the Canyon Runner Captain Dean with a monstrous haul.

The timing will make this year’s Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club’s White Marlin Invitational Tournament interesting. Will the majority of the boats focus on the marlin side of the game or will they be hunting tuna. Will the tuna guys try to seek out a big eye or take the easy road and try to cull a bluefin out of the heard? Only time will tell. Stay tuned to their website,
http://thewmit.com/ for updates, weigh ins and a live weigh to see the boats pull in and hit the dock and scale.

Awesome Catches

Kyle Brodwater stopped in the shop over the wekedn and loaded up on Mgictail lures… bucktails and hoochie jigs. He told us he has been catching all of his fish on them. We asked, “On your next trip snap a photo for us.” Today he sent this in… monster knot head sea bass!

Local angler and regular customer Steve-o stopped in and showed us his awesome catch. “I was fluke fishing with light tackle and hooked into a big fish. At first I thought it was a big striped bass then maybe a small cow nose ray. Turns out it was a 72 pound black drum.”