It’s been a tough go recently with the wind and heavy rain. The bay has been a little churned up which has reduced the bite. There are small Striped Bass around the backwaters which can be caught on soft plastics, poppers, and small plugs. We are still waiting on the Bluefish, but it shouldn’t be long. Tog fishing has been a little tough with the swell and hard South winds. I’m off for Spring Break and have been able to get out a few days.
Over the Easter weekend, my son and I raised a few Stripers on poppers around some of the marsh banks. No bluefish yet…
On Monday, I had return client Mike Pollino of Lacey, his neighbor Mike G, and coworkers Bill D’Arcy and Mark Salmensen on a backbay Striped Bass/Tog trip. We started working some of the “marshy” areas with small poppers, but unfortunately could not raise any bass or blues. We set up with some clam baits in 58 to 60F water temperatures, and gave it over an hour with no takers. With time dwindling, we ran outside to hit a few wrecks for Tog, but managed only shorts to 14.5 inches. There was a decent swell leftover from the last few days.
With the swell having died down and the fish responded. My son Luke and I headed to a few distant wrecks and we had our limit of Tog with the biggest close to 6.5 pounds. We hit 5 different pieces all without touching a rope! Minn Kota Spot Lock.
I have a few dates remaining in May and June for Striped Bass. Once the season opens at the end of May, bay Fluke fishing will be available.
If interested in booking a charter, book our site (reelreactioncharters.com) or call/text 609-290-7709. As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included: gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE! It’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.
Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709
Wednesday was a good weather day which let anglers get out. Most found good fun fishing. Here’s the Fishermans Headquarters Fishing Report Updated for Thursday April 18, 2019.
Striped Bass Fishing Report
Local fishing continues for anglers fishing the bay. Long Beach Island’s bayside offer good opportunities both day and night. The early season spots of Great Bay and Barnegat Bay continue. The size is small but keeper size fish are present and the class might increasing. Daytime baits like live bloodworm and clam (especially if looking to get a black drum) are best. At low light and night lures in the 3-5″ range will do the trick. We suggest minnow type swimmers like the Yozuri Mag Minnow or Rapala Xrap. Also the essentials…paddle tail swim baits Storm Wild Eye Shads Or Kettle Creek and of course you can’t go fishing with our a bucktail… Magictail bucktails.
Back Bay Striped Bass
Youth angler Carter Leary sent in a report on Instagram… Here’s my first striped bass of the spring. I caught it one a Sebile Stick Shad Lure fishing low light conditions (at a dock on Barnegat Bay).
While still on the back bay it’s worth a mention, we have NOT received one bluefish report. We have heard from some that went out on a search but came up empty. We expect to see some soon.
Surf Fishing Report
The spring surf fishing action is right around the corner! Starting to hear more talk… Just heard of a surf report from Brigantine to our south as well as Island Beach to our north. The only direct report we’ve received was from Ron M which was reported on April 13, 2019.
Reminder: The 18th Annual LBI Spring Surf Fishing Tournament starts April 27th. Registration will begin soon, $20 Sign Up Fee.
Ocean Report & Outlook
The ocean temp is still cold but creeping up. Soon we expect the local ares to start. Historically the magic number has been 48 for when they show. Then, it really gets going once it breaks above 50.
Tog Fishing Report Update
Matt Swag was on the water yesterday. We went out aboard the Osprey and got into good fishing. He reported, ” Lights out black fishing yesterday! Fish finally got on the feed for me. They were chewing crabs. Fishing was so good I was catch and releasing nice keepers retaining my four fish limit. I kept the boys and let the girls go as they prepare for their spring spawn.”
Wednesday morning’s red fire sky started things off and then by 6:30 am a large burning building in the distance set the scene. [The five alarm fire broke out in a sushi restaurant and medical building located in Marine Park Brooklyn at about 6:30 am. The morning breeze didn’t help but fire fighters contained the four hour blaze.]
As far as fishing, things started off slow and scattered with slack high tide but as the current started moving things came together. The great jig bite continued just like on Sunday if not better. Big rubber shads from Tsunami, bucktails and Candy Bars got hammered. At times power drifting or slow trolling helped find schools of hungry striped bass. Some boats utilized the magic of Magictail Mojos (in the small weight range, 4-8oz) but we stuck to our preferred light tackle approach.
Some awesome top water feeds broke out and iced the cake making for a stellar day. Some good fish came on top water with the stand out producer the Doc Top Water Spook. Big wooden metal lip swimmers also raised fish. I was beyond stoked to visually feed a freshly hand tied bunker imitation to a hungry linesider. Below is a photo of two health striped bass from the trip. One I got on the fly and one Kelley got on a Doc spook. Look closely and you’ll see the fish inhaled the entire lure.
The Daiwa BG is the one piece of equipment I’m confident recommending to all inshore saltwater anglers. It’s built tough and there’s a size to handle just about any species you want to catch. Best of all the series is priced right starting at $99.99.
The Daiwa BG Reel Does It All
If you’re like me, you want to fish for everything NJ has to offer; striped bass, blackfish, bluefish, fluke and sea bass. All of these game fish fall victim to my Daiwa BG Fishing Reels.
Here’s Swagmattic with an early season striped bass he caught on March 30, 2019 fishing the late night tide on the Island’s bayside with his Daiwa BG spinning reel.
I own a couple BG Reels. Each size for different purposes. If you’re on a budget and can only pick one reel, my recommendation is to go with the 3500 size. It can handle it all. It’s small enough to match up on a 7′ M-MH rod finessing small stripers and banging fluke on bucktails. On a 7′-7’6″ H-XH it’s powerful enough to play with a larger class striper and gator bluefish. Mated with a Hanta or Tsunami Slow Pitch Jigging stick it has enough drag to winch that lunker away from it’s sticky home jigging blackfish. (more on rods below) It can even handle the fast powerful runs of red fish, snook, mahi mahi and false albacore.
This quality striped bass was caught on a Daiwa BG3500. Jigging a large rubber swim shad Matt caught this fish on his go to reel a Daiwa BG3500.
Because of its versatility, the Daiwa BG is an essential tool in my arsenal. It should be in yours too.
Want to learn more about the specific internals that make up the Daiwa BG Fishing Reels? Read on below.
The Perfect Match – Rod & Reel
Your outfit isn’t complete with out finishing off with a beautiful rod to match. An epic combo is the BG3500 on a $59.99 Tsunami 7′ Classic Series Spinning Rod. You will not find another better performing quality inshore fishing outfit than this. At $179.98 (Reel: $119.99, Rod: $59.99) it offers the ultimate value too. Once the rod is set only spool up with the best, Cortland Master Braid Spectra Fishing Line. I prefer 20#. Now you are ready for battle.
The Daiwa BG is a great value, but if it is in the budget the Daiwa Saltist offers a performance tuned saltwater fishing reel. This series from Daiwa also has a specialty Daiwa Saltist Back Bay too.
Daiwa BG VS Daiwa Saltist
Let’s dive in and quick and dirty run down of their similarities and differences the the Daiwa BG and Saltist reels.
First and foremost, both reels are great for saltwater anglers in the mid level price range. The BG Series starts out at $99.99 with ten sizes (Models:1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500, 5000, 6500, 8000) The Saltist is a jump up starting at $199.99 with seven sizes (Models: 2500, 3000, 4000, 4500, 5000, 6500, 8000).
The Saltist & BG Are Similar In The Way They Both Have…
Machined aluminum body and side cover with a solid screw in machined handle. Once installed tight it surely gives angler confidence and control with zero play.
Digigear – Oversized gearing offers increased power and durability by using larger size gears that have greater gear tooth contact surface area. More torque and cranking power!
Air Rotor – Daiwa’s design weighs almost 15% less that ordinary rotors. It’s unique shape reduces unnecessary weight while providing maximum strength.
Extra Big Fish Insurance – The 4500 sizes and larger (both BG & Saltist) have dual anti reverse systems and also manual bail.
Unique Features Belonging Only To The Daiwa Saltist Series…
Magseal – Daiwa’s proprietary “new age” nano fluid magnetic oil technology which allows for a sealed bearing with nearly zero added friction for smooth performance. The Daiwa Saltist Series has Magsealed Bearings in the line roller and mainshaft, two of the most problem some areas of all spinning reels in the saltwater market. Magsealed bearings block out water and the elements expending the durability and longevity of the reel.
Corrosion resistant bearings last 10+ times longer than standard stainless ball bearings
Upgraded bail and line roller bearing (Magsealed)
Waterproof Drag
The Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT…
The Daiwa Back Bay is a specialty series which is parts of the Saltist family, known as the Saltist Bay Bay. Available in two sizes the 3000 (9.9oz) & 4000 (10.6oz) the Daiwa Saltist Back Bay is in the LT Series, Light Tough. For inshore light tackle angles looking for maximum strength yet in a light weight package, these are some of the lightest and strongest spinning reels on the saltwater market. They feature the LT’s light and rigid aluminum construction as well as Daiwa’s Magseal technology for high performance.
Recap & Closing
The Daiwa BG is a great choice for entry level anglers looking for a quality reel. A huge step above entry level reels, the BG is also a great choice for anglers who do not get out on the water that much. These no need to invest an arm and a leg for a good saltwater fishing reel.
For anglers that want to upgrade, fish hard and demand the most rugged reel to withstand the elements, the Daiwa Saltist Series is for you. Plain and simple, the Saltist Series is a performance tuned BG offering the best corrosion resistance for the best durability.
If lightweight and compact size best fits your light tackle approach go for the Daiwa Saltsit Back Bay. It’s the perfect spinning reel for a light tackle approach to the bay and backwaters!
The fishing activity and action are picking up! More anglers are getting out and more fish are caught. Striped bass, tog, white perch and now drum are good targets. Some are looking for blues but no direct reports yet. We expect see some soon and possibly a few weakfish might show too. Here’s the Fisherman’s Headquarters Fishing Report Update for Tuesday April 16.
Black Drum Fishing Great Bay
[Previously hinted at drum] Today we got a solid report from the boyz at Magictail. Dante reported, “Mateo and I got two nice black drum this morning.” He also shared, “A couple days ago I had a good evening session. I caught a half dozen small striped bass on bloodworms the first hour. Then went one for two on black drum with clam.”
Here’s Matteo Delmonico with a Tuesday morning golden hour black drum.
Striped Bass Fishing Report
For a couple of weeks now reports continue consistently strong. Local reports of striped bass flow into the shop from customers buying fishing tackle. Anglers fishing Long Beach Island’s local waters are finding school sized striped bass throughout the bay. While the fish range in size (some as small as an adult bunker) there are keepers around.
Brendan Hastings reported yesterday, “Dead sticking live bloodworms on the bay Saturday/Sunday produced about 10 throwbacks striped bass in the 8-16″ range and one 29″ keeper size fish. Keeping the bait fresh and in the current seemed to be the key!”
A bunch of customers are making the trek north, south and west to the early season spots for the best size and quality of fishing. The bays and river (Chesapeake, Delaware, Hudson, among many others) are full of striped bass. They moved in and feed in preparation to spawn. With April’s full moon on Friday morning the striped bass should be hunkering down and ready to do their thing.
The Raritan Bay is firing on all cylinders. Things might slow up with the moon for a short period of time but should pick up right where it left off.
Fish Head Charters In On The Fun
Sunday was a great day and I was stoked to have the Fish Head in on the action. Crazy dense fog made for a very interesting day but it was all out epic fishing. I was happy to be a part of the bumper boat session trading off blasts (fog signals) with so many. Lots of fog, lots of boats, lots of bass… what else would you expect for a spring day in New Jersey.
Here’s Max down and tight on one of many striped bass aboard Fish Head Charters.
Fish Head Charters has a temporary slip in Keyport for a couple weeks and will be running trips on good weather days. Why not take advantage of the great fishing. It’s an hour drive from LBI but well worth it!
Four hour trips, $150 per person, maximum two anglers. Sorry these are no kill trips. As these striped bass are in the Bay to spawn therefor I can not guide anglers to fish with the sole intent to kill. At this stage of the game the striped bass need all the help they can get..
Tog Fishing Report
With ocean temperatures creeping up the tog fishing improves. April is a great time to hunt blackfish.
Shop regular Jeff is always fishing hard. He has been on the Jetty regularly and Friday he caught his first keeper of the season. It was a 17″ fish that he got on green crab. Jeff said, I saw others caught too.” He’s back out fishing today.
This past weekend’s weather forecast had more bark than bite as rain and wind didn’t live up to its expected punch. Conditions were much more favorable and so off I went scouting around with the first stop having loads of smaller striped bass waiting for anything to hit the bottom.
The next few stops found much of the same with loads of cooperative mini stripers providing non stop light tackle action and fun! Schools were actually so thick you could see your jig being hit just a few feet below the surface!!
Bigger bass and blues are surely days away if not present already!! With the weather trending warmer the 2019 fishing season progression is looking great! I still have a few spring and early summer dates available but don’t delay book today!
I have this weekday evenings [5pm -8pm] Happy Hour specials and this Satuday and Sunday [ am – pm]
Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,
Captain Steve Purul – Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – 609-290-1217
Here’s a weekend fishing report update! Our first weekend with a full selection of live bait… live clams in the shell, live bloodworms and live green crabs. It’s time!
Friday was also another first for 2019… the first catch report from the Barnegat Inlet. Ron Mon from West Point PA fished the north end’s Jetty. He reported catching about a dozen school bass on white paddle tail.
As far as the LBI surf reports… nothing from the beach/surf. Soon!
I went out for a look Thursday night and had some small bass. Store staffer Kelley was fishing along side and managed one nice fish… 29″ on a Jighead with a split tail white plastic.
Swag was out tog fishing Thursday aboard the Ocean Explorer. He reported a slow day on the boat but he got two out of the three keepers of the boat.
Dan D. headed out in the rain this morning (Saturday). He reported, “Good fishing! Raritan bay last weekend was good and this weekend it’s still going down. Lots of bunker, gannets and striped bass. Big rubbers were killing it!”
Store staffer Max got out today with Swag and Captain Justin Swanson. At the time of this report they had couple mediums and a jumbo. They are having a fun day on the water.
JCAA Fluke Tournament
Save The Date… The 25th Annual JCAA Fluke Fishing Tournament is June 15, 2019
Seems like forever that I have sat down and have given any fishing reports or updates but here it goes.
The back bays have a solid amount of bass roaming around it’s safe confines with most of the activity seemingly after sunset. Bass ranging in sizes from mere inches to over the minimum 28″ keeper size are on hand. Bluefish are likely within a week or so away if they aren’t here already as laughing gulls have arrived about 7-10 days ago.
This year the Reel Fantasea has had an electronics upgrade with the latest and greatest technology from Lowrance! I will be running the brand new “HDS Live” which is absolutely the most high tech equipment available on the market!!
Last weekend was the first attempts out for the season and I must admit there wasn’t much to brag about other than a smattering of stripers caught to avoid a skunk but things should continue to improve on a daily basis!
I have a couple spots open for this Sunday 8am -1pm , we are still in scouting mode for this time of year but so far we haven’t been skunked [fingers crossed]. Rods, tackle, bait and fish cleaning is included, $125pp.
We will be fishing and scouting the safe confines of the bay and ducking outside for a look around the big pond if conditions allow.
Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,
Captain Steve Purul – Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – 609-290-1217
Here’s a short fishing report update to supplement our recent posts. See Monday’s comprehensive fishing report update post. and Swag’s Tog Fishing Report Post. Guess what he’s out on the water today. We’ll post his report once he shares.
Only new news we can add is a striped bass report that a customer shared yesterday and a hint at a new species in the area.
A customer called in yesterday to reserved a couple dozen bloodworms. When he stopped in to pick up he reported, “My last trip out was good. I was into striped bass the whole time. They were small (biggest 26.5″) but a lot of fun catching about 10 of them. I blew through a dozen worms fast so I’m doubling up today.” He was fishing the bayside on LBI.
April/May Black Drum Fishing
While no direct first hand report, there’s chatter about a couple black drum showing up. Traditionally mid April and May are a time when these fish are active. If bait up with clam for your best chance at targeting them.
A Warning for Boaters
If you didn’t see our original post on Facebook or Instagram this is for you. A navigational hazard exists in the bay near the Causeway Bridge. Fortunately they were recently marked however, mariners must be aware that these hazards are elsewhere along the ICW too. Here’s a highlight from my time with Ted Greenberg of NBC10 News.
Here’s our original notice to mariners post on Facebook which caught Ted’s attention.
Shop ambassador @Swagmattic (Matt Sorrentino) is stoked… It’s April and the weather has broke. Better yet there’s fun fishing to be had. Swag is in love with blackfish and in on the action.
He was out on the water yesterday aboard the Osprey. Matt reported, “It was a slow but steady day. I managed one nice keeper along with a bunch of shorts. The little ones kept us active at the rail. Like always in the early season, the bite has been on clam. With it come a mix of ling and cod which add an interesting flare and good table fare. It’s still early so I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”
There’s three weeks of tog fishing up for grabs. Now’s the time to dust off and get out there. Black fishing will improve as the ocean water temperatures increase. As time progresses into April the bite and the short to keeper ratio will improve.
The Spring Blackfish Season will culminate towards the end of April at which time the season will also coincidentally close. Traditionally late April offers some of the year’s best fishing for blackfish.
The Ultimate Angler Experience
For this year we have teamed up with some great names to offer The Ultimate Angler Experience! This one of a kind fishing trip hosted by Swag and the Osprey Fishing Fleet is Saturday April 27th. Spots are filling up fast, so if you are interested secure your spot today. Spots are $199.99
More good news on the fishing front! Here’s the fishing report update for Monday April 8, 2019.
Early Season Hot Spots
This weekend the Raritan Bay went off! A body of fish moved in from the ocean and fishing was phenomenal. Expect fishing to be good for the next few weeks however the amplitude will fluctuate as waves of striped bass arrive and make way to and up the river.
These are pre-spawn so please use utmost responsible judgment and release all fish! These are the lifeblood of the stock!
Some of the crew from the shop was in on the action…
Store staffer Dan D reported light out action on Thursday (was reported in the last post). His luck continued all weekend. Dan reported, “Incredible fishing with fish up to 30 pounds.” Pat D. (Dan’s brother) was fishing in the fog Saturday and had fun with bass eating lures.
Store staffer Willie enjoyed his 21st birthday this weekend… Congrats! He too got out and caught some quality striped bass (photo below).
Store staffer Mike Frezza worked the late night hours and caught. Were you following our Instagram story? The old saying goes if your spring is off to a bad start the only way to turn it around fast is to eat a live bloodworm. Frezza went for it and wham-oo! Now he’ll be the high hook all spring… Watch Out!
Local Fishing
Some boats fished out of Barnegat Inlet this weekend. Everyone that we heard back from that stayed locally looking for striped bass came up empty. A couple boats that made the run north and scored! A couple more degrees and we’ll have things starting up.
Things are still slow in our area however progressing none the less. The nighttime bayside striped bass fishing is good. I got in on the fun Saturday night.
Fishing a 3/8oz jig head with a white grub I caught a couple school striped bass. Store staffer Kelly was in on it too. He also caught on Kettle Creek Paddle Tail Swimbaits and RonZ Slender Soft Baits. After the fishing session I took a quick ride up the Barnegat Inlet Jetty for a Milky Way photo session.
Ted Johnson and his girlfriend got into some small ones on the bayside this past weekend. Couples that fish together stay together!
Blackfishing Open For April
It’s still early with cold ocean water temperatures but it’s tog fishing time. LBI Charter’s Captain Greg Carr was on the water this past weekend hunting for tog. He reported, “Water is still cold. Fishing was slow but managed five keepers and about a dozen shorts.”
The Carolyn Ann III took their first trip out on Saturday. They reported, “Pretty good fishing considering the swell and lack of wind which made anchoring difficult. Jake Adair took the pool with a nice 5.5 pound blackfish. (photo above) The Magictail Game Changer Tog Jig did the job! Other anglers caught too. The action with short fish kept everyone busy concentrating on the bite. No limits had but some guys had one or two fish each to take home for dinner.
On Sunday Eric Mandelblatt was aboard and took the pool! Photo above
We’ve hear about a couple (but few) bigger double digit fish caught on private boats. It’s gonna get better. Get geared up and in the game.
Offshore Fishing
Canyon fishing season is upon us! A body of water looked good so a few local boats pushed out to explore. All that we heard back from struck out. It’s gonna happen soon!
Update On Bouys
So after our March 30th Blog Post and Tuesday’s April 2nd Facebook and Instagram post things kinda started happening. We got phone calls and emails. First local boaters wanting more information. Then the NJ State Police and then the US Coast Guard. Today (Monday) I got a call from Ted Greenburg from NBC10 News. He says, “I’m in town and would like to do a story on the navigational hazards. Do you have time to show them to me?” I didn’t have time but… We went out of a short trip on the boat. I showed him the three (one north and two south) that were close the the Causeway Bridge. About a week ago only one was marked. Today all three were. Hopefully soon they will all be repaired because it’s still a major problem waiting to happen. Hopefully you saw the report on NBC10’s 4,5,6pm news.
Linda Lee Sportfishing Report
Captain Ryan of Linda Lee Sportfishing reports, “As things start to heat up I’ll be running open boat charters for stripers and blues. Starting May 4th and 5th through the middle of June. $125 pp 4 people max. All fishing gear included and fish cleaned. If your looking to get in on the action give me a call 609-276-8032.
