2012 Fishing Reports

December 22, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Dec 22, 2012 9:52 AM Subject: More Open Boat Dates!

I’m not ending the season with a string of gale force blowouts! We are going to continue to run open boat stripers through New Years Day at least.

Sunday, looks fishable with a stiff westerly we’ll be fine along the beach. Monday looks perfect with more NW winds. I’m going to run open boat Sun, Monday (Christmas Eve), Thursday, and Friday, Dec. 23, 24, 27, and 28. We’re going to cruise the shoreline until we find the birds and readings to jig some stripers. I’ll have the trolling gear if we need it. The readings of bait and fish are still heavy off of Island Beach State Park.

Thursday, I took a charters out and it was awful. The sea condition was fine but I couldn’t buy a hit. We were dragging umbrella rigs and Mojo spoons, the same lures that produced so well just a few days earlier. The readings were heavier that day than on our good days of fishing. I even had decent bird play. My last effort was at the North Barnegat Inlet jetty with the live spot that were being taxied around all morning. A perfect 1 knot drift from North to South right across the mouth of the inlet produced nothing, drift after drift after drift… That’s how it goes. But it’s not over. My friend Steve who is the captain of the Reel Fantasea was out the very next day and he put his guy on fish. They had quantity and quality. (Check out his post below.)

The long range forecast looks like it will be bringing some mild weather and sea conditions. This would allow us to move offshore a few miles (7) and hunt for those airborn bluefin tuna, as well. I have a pair of spinning outfits that were made for the task, as well as an arsenal of lures I have been assembling for a few seasons, now I just need to catch one. There have been a few caught by guys targeting stripers already.

Sun, Mon, Thurs, and Fri, Dec 23, 24, 27, and 28. 7AM to 1PM. $150 per passenger. 3 person max. All fish are shared. Any dates offered as open boat could also be chartered.

Hope to see you on board,

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Dec 22, 2012 10:54 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing

Hello All,

Well, sad to say the boat is all winterized and shrink wrapped for its annual period of hibernation. Time now to do a few shows and also clean and lube what always seems like a never ending mountain of reels, and start looking forward to next season. It’s been quite a year, highlighted by some spectacular spring and summer fishing followed by the devastation brought to the Jersey Shore this fall by Hurricane Sandy. The highs and lows of 2012 will be remembered for a long time.

In reflecting back on the year just passed, I recognize just how fortunate I am in so many ways. It’s not very often that a person gets to do something that they love every day, surrounded by good friends both new and old. Thank you all very much for giving me that opportunity.

Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy and safe holiday season. I’m already looking forward to seeing you all next year.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

New Lamiglas Infinity Surf Rods are in stock for Christmas…
The Lamiglas Infinity Surf Series is a new series just released for 2013. Lamiglas wanted to make a rod to compete with some of the other high end rod manufacturers out there today. The Infinity Surf Series uses a 3M Powerlux resin to make a more sensitive, responsive, and higher modulus graphite rod. The rods are equipped with a reinforced carbon fiber butt section and a new grip design. The Fuji K-frame concept guide design is also used on these Infinity rods. Sweet!
We currently have three models in stock; 9’0” 1-3oz 2 piece, 10’0” 1-3 oz. 2 piece, and 11’0” 2-6 oz. 2 piece.

NEW Tri-Flex Graphite Rods are in stock for Christmas…
The Tri-Flex Graphite Saltwater Series and Inshore Series are here for 2013. These rods still use Lamiglas’ Tri-Flex technology which uses three layers of materials combining fiberglass and graphite to make an affordable high performance rod. These rods are offered in models for light tuna jigging, heavy bottom fishing, or fishing small bucktails.
Tri-Flex Saltwater Series Conventional models in-stock; 5’6” 20-40lb, 7’0” 15-30 lb. 1-6 oz, and 7’6” 20-50 lb. 4-12 oz.
Tri-Flex Inshore Series Conventional models in-stock; 7’6” 20-50 lb. 6-16 oz., 7’0” 20-40 lb. 4-10 oz., 7’0” 15-30 lb. 3-6 oz., and 7’0” 8-20 lb. 1-4 oz.

NEW Accurate FX600NX Boss Fury are in stock for Christmas…
The “RAW Look” Single-Speed Single-Drag Lever-Drag conventional reels. Made in the USA by Accurate with the same craftsmanship and quality components as the “BX Boss Extreme Double-Drag” series but in a simpler less expensive Single-Drag design. The frame is made from 6061-T6 billet aircraft aluminum for light weight and strength but in a “RAW Look” brushed aluminum finish . Features stainless steel gears, wet drag for smoothness, and an ergonomic rubber handle. Thursday the FX400X, FX500X and FX600X will be here.

NEW Penn SSV Spinfisher Spinning Reels are in stock for Christmas…
NEW Penn SSV Spinfisher spinning reels arrived; Penn SSV3500, 4500, 5500, 6500, 7500 and 8500 sizes are here. Sorry, No “Big Boy” SSV9500, SSV10500 and Live Liners Series are available right now. For those that are interested in the SSV7500 and smaller… act fast. Supply is limited and will not last long before being sold out!

NEW XtraTuf II 22275G – 15″ Full Rubber Coated, Full Neoprene Insulated Hi Boots are in stock for Christmas…
The XtraTuf II 22275G Hi Boot is the ultimate insulated, waterproof and slip resistant boot. A superb boot for commercial and recreational fishing. The full rubber outer coating of boot protects the neoprene from snags. Offers protection for the most severe fishing, farm and work conditions.

NEW Daiwa SP Minnows in original and Custom Colors are in stock for Christmas…
In stock right now 13 different colors of the Daiwa DSPM15 Minnow (6″ 1oz) lure which is the most wanted swimming plug in New Jersey. Colors: 01-Sardine, 03-Shiner, 10-Red Head, 11-Chartreuse Rainbow, 13-Green Shiner, 18-Silver Purple Back, 24-Blue Mackerel, 25-Green Mackerel, 30-Yellow Pearl, 31-Black Yellow, 32-Sand Eel, 34-Black Purple and 35-Bone. Act fast as some colors may sell out soon.

Some of the Original SevenStrand Green Machine Series lures are in stock for Christmas…
Offshore Fisherman… Yes, SevenStrand (7Strand) is no longer manufacturing lures. We have a limited amount of the real “Original 7-Strand Green Machines” in stock. Get them before they are all gone. Pass the info along to fellow anglers.

Blackfish Fishermen… A limited amount of “White Legger” crabs are currently in stock. Even if you special order “White Legger” crabs the availability may not be guaranteed! Yes, Green Crabs are in stock.

Surf Fishermen… Sorry, fresh bunker is sold out. Frozen packs are available. Yes, we do have whole clams.
December 24, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

4:00 PM

We are closing now and will reopen on Wednesday December 26th at 6 AM.

Until then the management and staff of Fisherman’s Headquarters wishes everyone to… Have a Very Merry Christmas!

December 23, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Andrew Michael reported, “We got four shorts on fish head clam Thursday. The biggest was 27 inches”.

The FHQ Sandy Extension Tournament weigh-ins ended today December 23rd, 2012 at 6 PM.

December 21, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Dec 21, 2012 8:01 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Stripers still here !!

Is it that time of year already? Seems as though with each passing year I find myself seemingly launching the season each March 1st and the next thing you know its Holiday Season . Time flies when you are having too much fun and with that being said I want to Thank one and all who have fished with me this year. I continue to find myself extremely blessed being able to experience so many friendly, interesting and passionate fishing companions on each fishing adventure! THANK YOU ALL!!

Stripers are still here and in good numbers! Yesterday we started looking NE of Barnegat Inlet and found Stripers in about 35-45ft just to our North. There were no diving birds, no crowds just solid readings of stripers that pounded the right presentation and of course live spot! Every drift found multiple hook ups of various size fish from shorts to mid/upper teens. I even got a rare chance to fish all day myself and ended the day with a sore wrist and arm from landing over 25 stripers, 3 of which were keepers!

With the continued mild weather we been having and both stripers and blackfish cooperating, I will continue to fish until the weather or fish allow us to do so rewardingly. I will be running an Open Boat next Friday Dec 28th for stripers and blackfish.

Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday Season!

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

December 19, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

4:00 PM

Joe Handley of Tabernacle, NJ fished the surf this afternoon for about an hour. He caught one 30″ keeper on clam and 6 smaller fish on plugs with teasers.

1:00 PM

Steve Smith of Morrisville, PA caught an 8-lb tagged Striped Bass off of the Harvey Cedars surf this morning. Steve said that he also caught a number of shorts.

~ Fish Head Greg
December 18, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Joe from Shamong and his boys hit the surf for an hour mid-island. They said the last hour, top of the tide was full of action. They had 11 bass, 2 keepers on rotten surf clams.

Received: Dec 18, 2012 1:22 PM Subject: Got One sign-on for Tomorrow, like to have one more to sail!

C’mon, who’s in? I have one guy signed on for tomorrow’s (Wed, Dec 19) Open Boat Striper Trip. We need one more guy to sail. Not really, I”ll probably go anyway and fish myself. It’s going to be nice conditions.

Here’s the NOAA marine weather forecast for Tomorrow Wednesday 12/19/2012…
W WINDS 20 TO 25 KT…BECOMING NW 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 35 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.

Here’s the Yahoo weather for Barnegat:
Tomorrow: Mainly sunny. High 51F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Tomorrow night: A mostly clear sky. Low near 35F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Put these reports together and you are looking at 40 to 50 degree air temperature and a flat ocean from the west and northwest winds. Forget that 3 to 5 ft seas part. That’s if you go a few miles offshore. Along the beach where we are striper fishing, the harder it blows from the west, the flatter the seas get. Add North to that West and you have the best fishing wind there is for activity and calm seas.

Open Boats Thurs, Fri and Sun, as well. I”ll be there. Hope to see you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

December 17, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

5:30 PM

Staffer Rob fished the North-end beachfront using clam and hooked up with 3 short Striped Bass.

Received: Dec 17, 2012 11:00 AM Subject: Last Chance for Our Open Boat Striper Trips!

We caught the stripers pretty good over the weekend. Trolling was the most productive as we didn’t find too many chances to jig or cast.

Saturday, we trolled them on my homemade sandeel umbrella rigs. (Made with the real McCoy Redgill Sandeels from Fisherman’s Headquarters) Phil Falato reeled in our first hookup with four short stripers hanging like grapes from the single rig with help from brother-in-law, Dan Douglas. The other rod went off at the same time with the same type of lure and Phil’s nephew Jonathan Boyle reeled in a keeper fish for the cooler. We also had two triples, a few doubles, and in the end it was 17 fish with two nice keepers. All trolling in 45 to 50 feet of water off of the Island Beach State Park Bathing Beach.

Sunday, I had Alan Goracy and his longtime fishing buddy Ed out to the same grounds. When we arrived we were the only boat on the ocean. Two hours of trolling later… Bupkus! A big zero in the same exact spot, at the same time as Saturday. Unexplainable. Luckily, on the ride home I found some birds hitting the water just 3 miles North of the inlet in 25 to 30 feet of water. A quick try of jigging didn’t produce and the birds and readings were scattered so I opted to troll the braid rods with Mojo rigs, a double bucktail/shad rig popular in the Chesapeake area. Thanks to the Professor, a boat we communicated with on the radio a day earlier. He had been doing well with good size fish on this lure. I had two in my trolling box (crate is more like it), so I gave them a try. Thanks Professor! We started banging singles and doubles right away including two nice fish for the cooler. After that slowed up we tried a drift with the live spots in the inlet and Ed nailed a 32 inch, 12 pounder to top off our catch and bring our legal fish total to three.

This is our last week of fishing…..and fishing is good! No it’s not the epic blitz conditions of 2011, but we’re catching fish every day, inside and outside. We will be sailing open boat or charter Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sun, Dec.18, 19, 20, 21, and 23. After Sunday’s Dec 23 trip I will be hauling the “Hi Flier” out for the season. Leaving at 7AM each day, returning at 1PM. $150 per person. All fish are shared. Hope to see you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 www.hiflier.com

Received: Dec 17, 2012 12:09 PM Subject: Report

Two keeper tog this morning on green crabs off the jetty. The bite was slow only 3 fish. Two at 16 one at 14.

~ Matt Sorrentino

December 16, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

3:00 PM

Tony Bowen of LEH stopped in the shop today. While here he picked up some clams and he got talking… and spilled the beans. Now we know why bushels of clams were flying out the door the past two weeks. Tony reported that the Holgate Inlet has had fish… and good quality size. Last weekend Tony had 11 bass up to 35-lbs. He said the bass are hanging in the shallow water and want clam.

2:30 PM

Brian Dalton just gave us a shout and shared a report. “I fished the prime tide again today up on the rocks, 11 AM – 1 PM.” Brian said. “Caught 9 tog, one keeper. I saw about 6 other keepers caught. The man (Fish & Game) was there again. It’s good he’s keeping everyone honest.”

1:30 PM

Chris Lagrossa of Toms River just took the lead in our Sandy Extension Tournament with an 18-lb 9-oz Striped Bass. 2nd place is currently held by Rob Vallone with his 12-lb 6-oz Striped Bass. There’s a little more than a week left and plenty of fish in our waters and plenty of fantastic tournament prizes to win.

9:30 AM

Bill Molinaro stopped in the shop early this morning to pick up clams on his way to the beach. He just stopped back for more bait and shared a report: 15 bass so far, 1 keeper, all on clams, mid-island surf.

December 15, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Brian Dalton stopped in on his way off the Island to pick up some ice for his fish. He hit the rocks with green crabs this morning and had lots of short tog, only one keeper.

Short bass continue offering fun action for surfcasters long the beach front. Small metal with a teaser is the way to get ’em. Some keeper fish are still present. The boats are catching in the bay anchored up clamming the channels as well as live bait fishing (spot and eels).

December 13, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Dec 13, 2012 7:53 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Blackfish and Stripers

Forecast for light and variable winds tonight with favorable NW winds and air temps into the 50’s for Friday! Bass are still here and so are the blackfish! 2 spots available for Friday Dec 14th for striper and blackfish combo trip. Call only to reserve 609-290-1217. Green crabs, clams, tackle, rods… and fish cleaning included! 7:30am – 2pm – $175.00pp

Who knows how long the action will last so come join in on the fun soon!

Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

December 12, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Dec 12, 2012 5:30 PM Subject: Stripers

Awesome fishing today. 20 plus stripers for my crew that included Robert Warner, Nat Bottingheimer, and Al Ristori. Casting, jigging, and trolling. Birds diving, heavy readings. All in 25 to 35 feet of water within 5 miles of Barnegat Inlet. Light spinning tackle and soft plastics or conventional rods with diamond jigs. A lot of fish just under the 28 inch mark but enough 10 to 15 pound fish to make it worthwhile. This was the best post storm bite I have seen yet. Here’s Al Ristoro and myself with a pair of stripers that made it on ice. There was even an 8 pound bluefish in the mix.

I have open boat trips sailing tomorrow (Thurs), Friday, and Sunday. 7AM to 1PM. Call me, don’t email me, I”ll be on the water. Good stuff right now! Hope to see you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

December 11, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Bill from Shamong hit the mid-island surf this afternoon from 2-4pm (when he ran out of bait). He reported action on both bunker and clams, three short bass.

December 10, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

All New Jersey Hunting and Freshwater Fishing licenses expire on December 31, regardless of when purchased. The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife has announced that Hunting and Freshwater Fishing licenses for 2013 are now available online at www.nj.wildlifelicense.com/ .

New Jersey does not require a general saltwater fishing license for recreational surf casting, deep sea or bay fishing. However, New Jersey saltwater anglers must register with the New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program see the Registry Information page www.njfishandwildlife.com/registryinfo.htm for details. Also, there is a variety of required licenses and permits for crabbing, clamming and commercial saltwater fishing issued by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Bureau of Marine Fisheries see www.njfishandwildlife.com/marfhome.htm for details.

Received: Dec 10, 2012 10:23 AM Subject: Open Boat Stripers

Sunday, we endured the rain and choppy northeast for awhile trying to troll off of IBSP. Shortly into arriving at the grounds off of the Bathing Beach, I did an “about face” turn to start trolling back to the inlet as the wind had already increased and the seas were picking up to more than I care to be out in. I did bring the live spots with us just in case, so we stopped in the rolling inlet with a small group of boats where we boated 8 fish in an hour and a half up to 32 inches. Most were in the 25 to 27 inch class. That saved the trip.

There is a nice stretch of weather coming up after Tuesday. Northwest winds, no rain, and mild air temps will make for a nice change of conditions. I will be running charter or open boat trips Wed, Thurs, and Fri, Dec. 12,13, and 14. 7AM to 1PM. $150 per man. 3 person max. All fish are shared. With the calm seas forecasted we will be running outside the inlet and looking for birds and readings to either cast or jig with the light tackle. I always have the trolling gear on board if you guys want.

Hope to see you on board,

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Dec 10, 2012 7:05 AM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

Sunday, a building North East breeze greeted the Jeff Hayes Party. Add a cold rain that was on and off through the morning and you had the makings for some undesirable conditions at best. First stop was to the togging grounds as the wind was forecast to increase as the day wore on. Once settled on the wreck the guys found it challenging to hold bottom or detect any bites both of which are critical to successful blackfish. With a building wind and sea state we made the decision to head back closer to the beach and look for some striper activity toward the inlet. Once there the guys had non stop action with schoolie striped bass right out of the gate! Singles and doubles and even a triple was the rule on every drift with the bass responding well to both artificial lures and live bait. Minor bird play was noticed just to the North so off we went to investigate, Jeff was first to come tight with yet another schoolie which was quickly released, from there Jeff managed 1 striper before heading for the barn. The stripers gave the guys sore arms to go home with, but the smiles on their faces all day long said it all.

I have this Thursday 13th and Friday 14th available for either open or private charter, Tog , striper or both!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

December 9, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Dec 9, 2012 12:47 PM Subject: Blackfish caught on “White Leggers” from Fisherman’s Headquarters

Just want to say thanks to the guys at Fisherman’s Headquarters. We stopped in yesterday morning and purchased just over 5-dozen white legger crabs. We asked for 6-dozen but only 63 were available at the time. We didn’t think the extra 9 would be an issue. We ended the day with 23 blackfish to 25 inches, 9lbs 10ozs and fell one fish short of a 4 man limit. If we only had those extra 9 crabs. ???

We tried clams and sand fleas, but couldn’t get that last fish… What a terrible situation. Just kidding guys. We’re all still smiling. Thanks for all the information during the week to allow us to schedule our trip.That’s me in the photo.

~ Charlie H.

December 7, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Dec 7, 2012 9:52 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Stripers and Blackfish Combo Trip

Frank Hettler joined by brother Joe were out today looking for a striper and blackfish combo trip. On our first drift in the inlet both brothers came tight with schoolie stripers on live bait. Wanting to catch both stripers and blackfish we quickly made our way offshore to some wrecks to find a steady blackfish bite to 5-lbs using green crabs. After getting their fill of blackfish we made our way back to the inlet where we scored more short bass. Noticing bird play just to our North we made a quick move up the beach to find solid striped bass activity. For the next hour the guys found themselves doubled up with both keeper and short stripers with even a few bluefish joining the mix. The guys ended the day leaving them still biting but not before putting a limit of stripers on top of 9 nice blackfish.

I have Dec 13 and 14th available for either open or private charter – stripers or blackfish or both!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

December 6, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

We’ll see you at the 2012 Barnegat High School 4th Annual Fisherman’s Flea Market on Saturday December 8, 2012 between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM.

Received: Dec 6, 2012 7:46 AM Subject: Open Boat Stripers

The last two days of fishing have been tough. The trolling, casting, jigging bite we had off of Island Beach State Park slowed up. The readings are still there, at times the depth recorder blacks out from top to bottom with big balls of bait in every part of the water column. Having the bait staged is the hardest part, now we just need the next body of fish to collide with it. Every day that the weather allows, we will keep revisiting this area until it pops again. There have also been some good reports off of Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach with jigging and casting stripers under birds. Although it is a good ride, it is well within my range to make the trek North if it means putting us into fish. I just need to hear from my sources that the bite is on before we take the ride.

The good news in all of this is that the Barnegat Inlet delivers fish every day. We are catching 25 to 32 inch fish daily drifting live spots. Some days 10 or 15 fish, some days just a couple, but it is the most dependable part of this Fall fishery so far. It’s also a blast to experience. The bait does all the work. We use light conventional tackle spooled with 20-pound test line. Thread on a 2 oz. egg sinker, tie to a good size two way swivel that is big enough to not get caught in the opening of the egg sinker, add 30 inches of 30-pound fluorocarbon and a 4/0 hook. Free spool the live bait down to the bottom and keep your thumb on the spool until the bass picks it up. Normally I like to give a 4 or 5 count when live bait fishing but in the colder water these fish have been dropping the bait after a few seconds so we are hitting them right away, like a 2 count, and seeing a better hookup ratio.

This Plan B fishery of drifting live spots is now becoming our Plan A. Even if the ocean is too rough for us to get out, we can still catch these fish in the inlet and well into the bay.

I will be sailing open boat or charter this Sat, Sun, and Mon, Dec. 8, 9, and 10. 7AM to 1 PM. $150 per person, 3 passengers max on the open boats. All fish are shared.

Hope to see you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

December 4, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Rob Vallone fished the North-end surf this morning using small metals. He caught Stripers and Bluefish. His biggest Striper was a 12-lbs 6-oz 34-1/4″Long 17″ Girth fish that he weighed-in for the FHQ Sandy Extension tournament.

A limited number of “White Legger” Crabs are available. But “White Legger” may need to be special pre-ordered at…$7.50 per dozen or $45 per half-bushel. (Not an in-store storage item) “White Legger” crabs are great bait for Blackfish. This will be a time sensitive availability and pick-up item. Availability will not always be guaranteed!

December 3, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

8:00 PM

Stripers weighed-in for the 2012 FHQ Sandy-Extension need to be a 34″ minimum length!
Angers must make sure that they are pre-registered at FHQ before fish is caught!

I put in some itchy hours hanging insulation in the crawl under the shop. Thankfully staffer Blake helped me out. Once we finished we hit the surf for a sunset session. I managed to release one small bass and I also dropped two other fish in the wash. I was tossing a naked 007 with a teaser.

This morning and afternoon there was some action up on the North end surf. One customer weighed in two bass that were just shy of 34″ so they didn’t qualify for our Sandy Extension Tournament. While here he reported a great bite on clam up on the North-end surf. He also released a couple shorts. All on clam. Not a touch on his bunker.

Store staff, Rob Vallone had 2 keeper Striped Bass at 28″ and 33″ and three short all on bunker this afternoon off of the North-end surf.

Dave Wark stopped in the shop this evening to share a report, “You’re not going to believe this! I caught a 17-inch fluke off the beach on clam today.” He goes on saying, “I’ve been fishing a long time but never caught a fluke in December. At first I thought it was a winter flounder, but nope it was a summer flounder.”

4:00 PM

Fresh Whole Clams are in stock.

Short Stripers being caught in the surf on clams or bunker. If using artificial lures, make then small and/or add a teaser. Main bodies of Stripers close to shore seem to be pushing and feeding on what appears to be small baits like rainfish.

Looking for a bigger Striper… try a bunker head away from or below the main action. Use a big hook or a double hook rig set-up.

December 2, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

At 6:00 PM this evening December 2nd, 2012 the FHQ Side-Bet ENDS and the 2012 FHQ Sandy-Extension BEGINS with all new weigh-ins and all new prizes. If you haven’t yet done so, sign-up now. If you already signed-up for the FHQ Side-Bet then you are already signed in for the Sandy Extension. You have three weeks to make it happen before 6 PM December 23rd.

2012 Fisherman’s Headquarters Side-Bet Winners (Side-Bet Ended 12/02/2012) – Congratulations to all!
$1,570 1st Place Winner : 28-lb 14-oz 41″x24-1/2″ Striper caught by LBISFT #129 Rob Vallone
$100 FHQ Gift Certificate 2nd Place Winner : 20-lb 8-oz 39-1/4″x20″ Striper caught by LBISFT #207 Jason Baxter
$50 FHQ Gift Certificate 3rd Place Winner : 15-lb 12-oz 35-1/2″x19″ Striper caught by LBISFT #217 Andrew Lapteff Jr.

6:00 PM

Bill Heade hit the beach this afternoon up on the north end surf and got one short bass plugging. He reported that the bait guys were doing a number on schoolie bass.

3:45 PM

Joel Crick from Rogersville Alabama weighed in this 21lb 8 oz Striped Bass that he caught at mid-island on bunker.

Received: Dec 2, 2012 5:13 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters- Striped Bass and Blackfish

It feels like it has been a long time since I have posted a fishing report. I have been struggling with the extreme challenges presented to so many since mega storm Sandy had taken away so much from so many. Lets hope that time heals all wounds, and even though New Jersey is far from healed I must say I am simply amazed with all the outpouring of help for those in need. Recovery is long from over but has been far and above nothing short of mind boggling for our local municipalities at their best in handling this titanic task. We simply are without question an amazing country!

So here is my fishing report, we have had some solid striped bass action within several days of Sandy with most trips seeing double digit catching with a mix of both keeper and short bass. Live bait in the way of spot has been the “meat and potatoes” of the catching but for the savvy anglers, bucktail jigs, shads and plastics have proved deadly to those with the “touch”.

In the wake of Sandy I wasn’t sure how much mileage our fall season had left with a trend seeing a downward spiral size of stripers seemingly signaling the end of the 2012 fall season maybe coming to a premature close. I thought that this week would be a “make or break” and the tell all if there is any legs left to the migration.

Starting the week, in the inlet scoring well with stripers on artificial lures was the Jim Ruffi party. The guys scored extremely well with plastics before we ran North up the beach to find vast bird play in the prettiest water since Sandy. From there it was “game on” as the guys came tight with fish on almost every cast with stripers to 20-lbs! The guys ended the day with arms weary and exhausted with the best action since Sandy.

Next up was Steve Fishcher party that wanted only blackfish action. At the first stop we managed a few blackfish but the next spot had the blackfish responding even before we were tight on our anchors. From there the guys had non stop action with both keeper and short blackfish all day long. Ending the day with a couple of limits for the savvy angler!

The week ended with the Dave Cammadra party being greeted by heavy dense fog all morning long keeping us pinned into the inlet. The guys started out the day with short stripers responding well to live spot. With visibility near zero or less than 100yards we decided to look for something more in the way of bigger fish under bird play. Well it didn’t take long before we found ourselves back at the inlet ending the day with more short stripers before ending the day.

Looks promising for a solid December striper fishery with water temps perfect and loads of bait still around. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and keep fishing into the New Year!

I have December 6th available for open boat or private charter for those interested in either blackfish or striped bass, better yet how about a combination of the 2 species! Call only to reserve at 609-290-1217.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Dec 2, 2012 2:32 PM Subject: Report

Early AM road trip to fish the beach for a few hours this morning paid off with 5 short Stripers on Mucho Minnows, Storm Shads and teaser. It was nice to feel something pulling on the end of the line. Saw other anglers catching also.

~ John Parzych

Received: Dec 2, 2012 10:48 AM Subject: BHCFA Fishing Report

As the 2012 fishing season comes to an end, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are wistfully putting their boats and gear away for the winter and planning already for the 2013 fishing season.

Captain Jimmy Zavacky who runs the “Reel Determined” reports his boat was undamaged from Hurricane Sandy. He temporarily moved the boat to Waretown where he experienced some good striped fishing out of Barnegat Inlet. He will be pulling the boat out of the water in Beach Haven soon for its winter’s rest. For information on the 36′ Runaway “Reel Determined” contact Capt. Jimmy Zavacky, Phone: 609.915.2498, reeldetermined@comcast.net

Captain Fran Verdi of the “Francesca Marie” out of Cedar Run truly symbolizes the spirit of the captains of the BHCFA. Capt. Fran had over 30 inches of water in his house in Cedar Run that sits about six feet off the ground. There was 2 inches of mud in the first floor. With much hard work and some gracious help he now has his house cleaned out and power restored to the house. Captain Fran put the “Francesca Marie” back in the water the night before Thanksgiving. He has already put a goodly number of striped bass in the cooler. He plans to run a few more trips for bass and even some wreck fishing for blackfish. For information on the 27′ May-Craft “Francesca Marie” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

Captain John Koegler reports he has put his boat, “Pop’s Pride”, to bed for the winter as he decided to cease operations until the spring. Captain John says the Holgate Wildlife Refuge appears to be changed with a couple of over-washes still open. In addition the north cut from the bay to the ocean looks closed with some changed offshore sand bars. He also believes the sedge banks near the Rutgers Research Station are greatly reduced.For information on the 38′ Sport Fisherman “Pop’s Pride” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. John Koegler 609.290.3349

Captain John Lewis has put his boat “Insatiable” away for the winter and has created a new web site www.insatiablesportfishing.net . Captain John has been busy doing boat deliveries in the off season going to North Carolina and Florida as well as several shorter trips. For information on the 38′ Ocean Yacht “Insatiable” contact Capt. John Lewis, Phone: 609.670.5980 Email: captjohn22@comcast.net

Captain Lindsay Fuller has just moved his boat “June Bug” down to Manteo, North Carolina, where the boat will spend the winter. Captain Lindsay usually has his maintenance work done there and gets in some bluewater fishing out of Oregon Inlet. For information on the 41′ “June Bug” contact Capt. Lindsay Fuller, 609.685.2839, email: CaptLindsay@Fish-JuneBug.com

Information on the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be viewed at… www.fishbeachhaven.com/our-boats

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

December 1, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Keith Weidenhof stopped in the shop after his evening session. He reported schoolie Stripers on metal off of the surf. Keith mentioned that it was slow when he first started fishing but it soon picked up to a good bite as the sun was going down, “right when the sun hid behind the houses it turned on!”

We had a customer in the shop getting bucktails and soft plastics (whip it eels and vision sandeel). He reported an great bite today in the boat. He said they had the Stripers in the Inlet in the morning and then up the beach about 5-7 miles.

Rick Ferrara weighed in a 15-lb bass (35″) that he caught off of the north end surf on bunker.

Kelly Lallo weighed in a 8-lb (30.5″) striper that she caught on bunker mid-island.

A group of guys who fished the Super Chic (out of Barnegat Light) stopped by the shop right about sun set to weigh-in a beautiful tog. Ed Plicta from Howell, NJ caught a 10 pound 8 ounce tog which had a length of 26 inches and a girth of 18-1/2 inches. The group reported that the boat was “spot on” the fish! They said that the bite was so good that everyone on the boat caught a lot of fish. They asked the mate for the location and he replied, “We are fishing the Garden State Reef.” Not known if was the Garden State North or the Garden State South reef sites.

~ FishHead Greg

Rick Ferrara fished the north end surf this morning and scored a 35″ 15-lb striper on a bunker head, while Kelly Lallo hooked into her first keeper striper from the Harvey Cedars surf which weighed 8-lb and was 30.5″ long.

Plenty of fish this morning being reported from anglers up and down the various beaches that were caught on both clam or bunker being the primary baits.

~ Rob V.

Received: Dec 1, 2012 7:40 PM Subject: Stripers!

The last three days were awesome for striper fishing. I had Tim Whyte and his son Tommy on board Thursday and they caught 18 bass between them. Only one was over 28 inches, 9 year old Tommy’s new personal best, a 29 incher. All on live spots drifting in Barnegat Inlet. Yesterday, (Friday) I had three guys on an open boat, we made the left and ran up to the Bathing Beach off of Island Beach State Park. After a slow start, we hammered away at stripers and blues. We had four keepers including a pair of 14 pound bass.Photo, one is Frank Hettler’s striper on a Tony Maja spoon and the other is a double header on one of my homemade umbrella rigs. We caught fish trolling, casting, and jigging. Lots of birds, readings, and the migration style fishing we have been waiting for. We caught a lot of fish casting the 10-lb class spinning outfits armed with 3/8 oz. jigheads and soft plastics in the shiner pattern. Today (Saturday), I had brothers Steve and Bobby Fischer of Waretown who combined for 10 stripers including 4 that made the cooler.

Tomorrow (Sunday), I am hosting a Fishing Flea Market at Park Ave. Elementary School, 280 Park Ave., Freehold, NJ. 9AM to 3PM. www.hiflier.com for directions. Tons of new and used fishing tackle. Over 70 tables of merchandise.

Monday, Tues, Wed, and Thurs, Dec. 3, 4, 5, and 6 will all be open boat trips or available for charter. It looks like the forecast has the wind turning for a westerly angle and the air temps going into the 50’s. Calm seas, warm weather, and stripers feeding inside and in the ocean. We will be ready to cast, jig, troll, and liveline. 6 hour trips leaving at 7AM and returning at 1PM. $150 per person, limited to three people. All fish are shared.

Call to book a spot, don’t email me… I’LL BE ON THE WATER!

See you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

November 30, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

This morning I decided to wet a line for an hour and headed up to the north end and started with working a popper. Right when I switched to a small Super Strike needle, bang! Caught 4 short Stripers and then headed in to work. Once there I spoke with a number of customer who reported short Stripers on both bait and lures. Turns out store staffer Blake was also on short Stripers to my South using small metal along with a teaser. The fish are still here!

The boats were hooking up with keeper size fish.

Andrew Michael shared a report with us on our facebook page tonight. “Fished mid-to-north Island with clam. 7 shorts and three skates. A group of guys tossing Ava’s had shorts too. Also heard about a 12-lb keeper off the beach.”

~ FishHead Greg

November 29, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

6:00 PM

Capt Steve from Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters just stopped in the shop. He reported that today was his best day on the water since the storm. He said, “We caught bass in the inlet and then slid up the beach and found more fish off of IBSP. I thought it might have been over since the fish were getting so small. Today was different we caught them up to 20lbs!”

4:00 PM

Store staffer Steve-O had consistent action off of the surf today. He reported, “I set up on a nice cut and fished the outgoing tide with clam and bunker. Had a number of schoolie bass and also missed a number of bites. Ended up staying and fishing the incoming too. Much more action on clam, only one on bunker.”

~ FishHead Greg

November 28, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

9:00 PM

Rob Vallone had some action off of the surf this afternoon into evening. He hit the beach after work with bunker and caught a few schoolie bass.

We also received word that the bite was good today in the boat. There were some bigger fish than what has been the norm for the past few days. Anglers fishing outside the inlet and to the North had bass on the jig. Also some boats had the bass good up on top with an active surface bite on poppers.

~ FishHead Greg

3:00 PM

Jim Winn came in and reported that this morning he caught 5 short Striped Bass in Harvey Cedars on clam bait and also a 32″ and 34″ Striper using cut bunker. He fished the outgoing tide and did his best just before the tide changed to incoming at which point the action ceased.

~ FishHead Greg

Received: Nov 28, 2012 6:32 PM Subject: Last minute opening for tomorrow, Thursday

Just had a last minute cancellation, so I have one spot open for tomorrow’s open boat striper trip, Thursday, Nov. 29. Leaving at 8AM and returning at 2PM. Northwest winds tomorrow and good fishing the last couple of days. We’re gonna catch ’em! Call for details.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Nov 28, 2012 10:41 PM Subject: 11/28 report

Caught 4 stripers to 21″ on a teaser and sand eel imitation off the surf city beaches this morning. Small but fun on light tackle!

~ Dave Werner

Received: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 1:38 AM Subject: stripers

There are big Stripers in the Delaware Bay. Fished the NJ side over the weekend, big fish up to 35 pounds. Nothing but shorts up north (Manasquan / Spring Lake) and action is slow on the island. The fish are definitely further South.

How’s Tog been on the Jetty? I was crushing them before the storm but haven’t been out since.

~ Matthew S.

Dear Matthew…

You might not not want to give up on LBI just yet. Still reports of cows being caught in Montauk and Sea Bright. Staff member Rob fished The North-end of the island in yesterday morning’s sloppy weather and hooked up with Bluefish up to 15-lbs on big bunker chunks. If there are slammer Bluefish around in the surf it’s a good bet that some nice size Stripers are also around.

Yes, anglers have been using green crab or clam and scoring on Tautog at the Barnegat Light South Jetty. Sunny days and times around slack tide have been the most productive. A lot of these fish have been just too short but keepers have been caught. Reports size ratio seems to be around 1:6. As the water cools these fish will be moving offshore. We did receive a report of a 7-lb Tautog caught by one of our customers that was wreck fishing.

November 27, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Nov 27, 2012 2:01 PM Subject: Good Bite Today!

Threw the ropes at 7:30 this morning for a short trip with friends Nick Honachefsky and Andy Dubman. It was drizzling but not nearly as bad as was forecasted so we ran out the inlet and went on the troll for an hour. One small bluefish later we decided to try live bait in the inlet. Wow! Wished I had started earlier. Non-stop runoffs and hookups. In an hour and a half we caught a dozen stripers including 4 fish between 28 and 31 inches in the clean green ocean water.

Sailing open boat tomorrow (Wed) with three spots to fill. Friday’s open boat has one opening left.

Check out my earlier post for details.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Nov 27, 2012 12:05 PM Subject: Sat Nov 24 Report

Tony M and friends fished with Capt Steve aboard the Reel Fantasea for our annual Thanksgiving trip this past Saturday. Despite windy and sporty conditions Capt Steve was able to locate some bass. We landed 21 bass with 4 being keepers and missed numerous others. Spot was the bait of choice. Despite the conditions, a great time was had on the boat. For those that have never fished with Steve, you will not find a better captain on the water. Works as hard as anyone to find fish and patient as they come. Glad we were able to get one last trip in for the season.

~ Tony M.

Received: Nov 27, 2012 10:23 AM Subject: Monday 26th fishing

First time out in weeks headed out Barnegat Inlet and headed North. Found and marked plenty of fish in 30-35 ft of water off the bathing beach. We limited out on 32″ average, it was a good day for us.

~ Pete Hilkene, Waretown

November 26, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Nov 26, 2012 10:09 AM Subject: Open Boat Stripers Wed and Fri

The Hi Flier went back in the water Tuesday and we fished Wed, Thurs, Fri, and Sat. The ocean was a mess so we stayed in the bay each day livelining spots for stripers. We caught fish each day except Sat, it was blowing 30 to 35 knots and our drift was 3 to 3-1/2 knots, so I suspect our baits were not being presented properly. Wed thru Fri we had some action with mostly 24 to 27-1/2 inch fish but did manage a handful of just over 28 inchers. Our best luck has been in Oyster Creek Channel where it meets up with Double Creek Channel and in the inlet. Not so much along the north jetty as I would usually fish, but more in the middle.

I cancelled tomorrow’s trip (Tues) as they are calling for rain or snow with 80 percent probability. After that we are GOLDEN! West to northwest winds for as long as the forecast goes and when you look at the long range traditional weather like Yahoo, there is no precipitation and rising temps every day into the mid 50’s next week. This is the window we have all been waiting for. We will be sailing 7 days a week through December.

Open boat this Wed, Nov 28 and Fri, Nov 30 for stripers. 6:30 AM to 12:30 PM, 3 person max, all fish are shared. $150 per man. We will be looking for birds and readings to cast or jig. I always have the trolling gear on board but will only put it out if that’s what you guys want to do. This might be the only time you will find a democracy on board my boat. Some guys don’t like to troll, and I understand that. We would all rather cast and jig fish on light tackle and that technique is always given the highest priority… but some days trolling will put either more or bigger fish in the box. I always put it up for group discussion and go with the majority rules. It doesn’t matter to me, I pride myself on making sure we are fishing the way you guys want to fish, not how I want to fish. I get plenty of chances to do that. Usually a combination of the two techniques keeps everyone happy.

Call me at 732.330.5674 to book a trip. Hope to see you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

November 25, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Nov 25, 2012 5:30 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Family commitments and a NE wind that did not give up for almost two weeks allowed me to only make it out once during the last week and that was Wednesday afternoon. I had good friend Capt. Jack Shea on board for some tough conditions and dirty water. Moving around a lot and after making many adjustments we landed three keeper bass to about 32” and one short. Saturday’s trip was cancelled due to a posted Gale Warning. The good news is the wind is cleaning up the water. The Debbie M is staying in for at least another week and I do have next Saturday and Sunday open. I also started to book prime dates for the 2013 fishing season so contact me if interested.

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

Received: Nov 25, 2012 10:50 AM Subject: Laura Sportfishing Recent reports

We had the Mitchell Party out drifiting spot on 11/21 it took a couple drifts to locate them and then it was all action 14 bass with 5 keepers before lunchtime. (Photo to follow) On Friday 11/23 action was the same where my trip had 18 bass all short but lots of action! The weather is going to dictate how long we will continue to run but I have dates available after next weekend.

~ Capt. Mark Finelli “Laura”, 23′ Parker SE 856-341-6562 www.laurasportfishing.net

November 24, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Check out the FHQ “Side-Bet” and FHQ “Sandy-Extension” prizes… and there are going to be even more prizes coming for the FHQ “Sandy-Extension”…
Click to see the Revised and Amended data to date… FHQ Hurricane Sandy LBI Fishing Tournament Addendum to 2012 LBI Surf Fishing Classic, FHQ “Side-Bet” & addition of 2012 FHQ “Sandy Extension”

November 23, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

All of the ladies must have been shopping because there was a ton of anglers in the shop today. Throughout the day we heard word of schoolie bass on the beach on both clam and bunker. Reports were from mid-island and north. Most anglers said they needed 5oz+ to hold due to the easterly groundswell. Expect this swell to linger into Saturday morning and then fade through the day due to the westerly winds.

Kenny Turner of Mystic Island took a break from Sandy cleanup and got into fish. He first stopped in the shop for bait and fresh line. He was back within an hour for more bait and he shared a quick report, “Bass on the beach not far from the shop, on clam at the top of the tide.” Brian Dalton was in the shop this morning. He reported catching some bass off of the surf on bait. Marty S. had two keeper bass on the north end surf. Ted K. had three schoolies on bunker.

~ FishHead Greg

Received: Friday, November 23, 2012 3:21 PM Subject: Nov 23rd 10th street SB

For a Ship Bottom fishing report I think we need to get in touch with the lady that walks the beach every day to send her report in. Apparently, she walks almost every day from 8th street to 30th street to tally fishermen statistics. I’m used to seeing her, she polled me first thing in the morning after I had caught all I would catch today – a couple skates and a small bass. When she was coming back a couple hours later – she said the whole beach only had one keeper bass, four short bass, and three skates. I heard that yesterday was better in this area from another fisherman. Then she told me that she actually kept records and on this date one year ago today when there were 60 keeper bass caught. In fact, it was not necessary to use bait that day – just bare hooks would work. Oh well, anyway, it was a beautiful “Black Friday” day on the beach even if it was slow – and even a bad day of fishing beats a day at the mall.

~ Frank H.

Received: Nov 23, 2012 08:11 AM Subject: Classic

Looking for some clarification: I am in the 2012 Classic but did not sign up for the FHQ side bet. What are my options? Can I sign up (plus $10) now for either the side bet or extension or both? Thanks,
~ Don Roberts – SB

FHQ reply…

Dear Don,

Any angler who has or will sign-up for the FHQ Side-Bet is automatically also entered into the Sandy Extension. $10 sign up for the FHQ Side-Bet continues until 6 PM December 2, 2012 which is when the FHQ Side-Bet ends and sign-up for the FHQ Sandy Extension continues until 6 PM December 23rd 2012 which is when the FHQ Sandy Extension ends.

Please make sure that you bring in your registration sheet at time of weigh-in. These two FHQ Promos are for Striped Bass Only!

We are trying to avoid any confusion so anyone who has any additional questions please email us at info@FishermansHeadquarters.Com . Thank you.

November 22, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

The management and staff of Fisherman’s Headquarters wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We hope everyone enjoys their time with family and friends.

If you can, please, please, please… support the Red Cross Sandy Recovery with a financial donation…. www.redcross.org … Thank you.

Rob Vallone had 4 schoolie bass and a keeper red drum on bunker chunks this morning in Barnegat Light.
Greg Occonel and 3 friends fished Barnegat Light this morning and had a 32″ bass and 12 schoolie bass on bunker chunks.
Chris Thompson had a 31″ bass on clam and a schoolie bass on bunker chunk this morning in Loveladies.

Fisherman’s Headquarters will be closing today by 4 PM.

Received: Nov 22, 2012 11:12 AM Subject: Fishing Report and link on your page

There have been some fish taken in the inlet areas and back through the sedges with drifted spot. I managed to get out and fish by land early Thanksgiving morning (4am to 6am) and ended up with 4 Striped Bass – all fish were caught on the 6″ Berkley Power Bait Swim Shad (color – watermelon pearl) worked very slow. I have been working on my website, prepping for next season, and I’m currently booking trips for 2013 season. You can book a trip through my website, email, or by phone 609.290.7709. Happy Thanksgiving to All!

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709 reelreaction@gmail.com

November 21, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

6:15 PM

Additional Super Strike with some new colors are in stock; Needlefish, Darters & Poppers

Yes, Fresh Bunker is in stock!

Received: Nov 21, 2012 8:18 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

Some of the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are planning fishing trips over the next few days.

The “Miss Beach Haven” plans to sail on Thanksgiving Day to find some striped bass. The boat will leave the dock at 6 am. and return at noon or earlier if they should limit out again. In addition Captains Frank Camarda and Brant Whittaker are planning blackfish trips on Black Friday and Saturday. Check with the boat’s website to see what the actual hours of sailing will be. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda, 609.978.9951 or Email: missbeachhaven@comcast.net

Captain Fran Verdi has the “Francesca Marie” in the water and ready to sail. He is putting together some open boat trips for Thanksgiving, Friday, and Saturday. Get in touch with him if you want to do some striper fishing. For information on the 27′ May-Craft “Francesca Marie” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

November 19, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Steve Smith of Morrisville, PA brought in a Striped Bass that he caught today off of the Harvey Cedars surf on clam. (Photo to follow)

Another customer stopped in for bait and shared a report. “Fish on bait at mid-island on the dropping tide!” He said, “Caught two today and did good over the weekend…. 5 bass on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. NE winds… it’s prime time.”

November 18, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Nov 18, 2012 10:10 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

The persistent NE winds and big seas we’ve had dogging us most of the week left us with not a lot to report since we tried to resume fishing after the storm. We did make it out on Monday and found the striper bite both inside the inlet and along the beach to be outstanding. Jay Berman and buddies Paul and Joe (Photo to follow) had easy limits on bass to 36″, landing thirty plus stripers on a mix of live spot and trolled Stretch plugs in tight to the beach. Add in a couple of dozen bluefish ranging from seven all the way up to fifteen pounds and it was mayhem on the boat most of the morning. Hopefully we’ll be able to get in a couple more trips this coming week before we wrap things up for 2012 after the holiday weekend.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

November 17, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

It sounds like the 11PM to 5AM curfew has been lifted for Long Beach Island in all areas that are North of Beach Haven.

Received: Nov 17, 2012 7:25 PM Subject: Hi Flier Going Back in the Water

It has been a long few weeks, but the Hi Flier is being splashed back in the water on Tuesday, November 20. My marina, Sun Harbor Bay Club was badly damaged from the storm, so we will be finishing up our season at Bob’s Bay Marina, just one driveway west of Sun Harbor at 459 E. Bay Ave, Barnegat NJ 08005. Thankfully, our family, home, and boat all came through unharmed.

We will be fishing every day until Christmas. I am available seven days a week for striper charters and open boat trips. Typically I offer Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sun during the season as I balance another job. That Pt. Pleasant office was demolished in the storm and while a new location is sought, I will fish every day the weather allows.

We will start with Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve) sailing 6AM to 11:00AM, this is a unique 5 hour trip, we usually only offer 6 and 8 hour trips, but I am committed to a… fishing trip! At 1 PM on the Carolyn Ann out of Barnegat Light. It is a private charter for the Barnegat High School Fishing Club that includes my son as a member. So, I can’t be late! We will have time to liveline spots in the bay and inlet as well as poke around outside for birds and readings to cast. $135 per person, 3 person max.

Next up, Thanksgiving Day Stripers. 6:30 AM to 12:30 PM. We’ll have you home in time to feast, this is another sharp return time day. Also Saturday, November 24, 6:30 AM to 12:30 PM. These trips are available for charter or open boat. Open boat is $150 per person, 3 person max, all fish are shared.

Besides stripers there is another fishery I am excited about participating in, the Fall run of bluefin tuna. These are 50 to 150 pound fish free jumping and crashing bait on the surface. Sounds exciting, right? It is, though, the next fish I catch will be my first. Casting topwater lures with heavy spinning tackle is how to catch them. I have the arsenal, now I have to hone my game. These fish are very boat shy and are skittish when you approach them. Just watching them take to the air and crash bait is worth the price of admission. On my own time, I will be pursuing these fish, as I have been waiting all year. As far as taking customers out, I am reluctant, as the odds of hooking up, never mind landing one, is not good. You would have to convince me that you are OK with not catching anything before we jump into the chase. This could be a good thing to combo with a striper trip. The good news is this fishery is usually only 5 to 7 miles offshore… in sight of land.

We have at least five weeks of good fishing ahead. I look forward to getting busy. Too much down time, my garage has never been cleaner… now I need to get back on the water.

See you aboard.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

November 16, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

7:30 PM

Fresh Bunker & Surf Clams are in stock!

3:00 PM

We received a report from John who stopped in this morning and purchased some bunker. He caught a 26″ and a 30″ bass off of the mid-island surf this morning.

November 15, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

9:00 PM

We are looking forward to the expanding Tog season. It is now 6 fish at 15 inches (November 16 to December 31st). We are expecting a delivery of live green crabs for this weekend. Anyone looking for crabs should act fast as we expect to sell out before the end of the weekend. Also anyone looking to purchase a full or half-bushel in the future should contact us with adequate time so we can order them in time. Also please note that they must be pre-paid.

Capt Stew of the Pez Machine was in the shop today. He reported being on the fish, both bass and blues! He is looking forward to an amazing mid-Fall season. Anyone looking to fish aboard the Pez Machine should contact Stew by phone at (609) 287-5136 or Stew@pezmachine.com to get available dates and to book a trip.

3:45 PM

With the persistent Northerly wind there’s a good sweep off the surf. Today we had customers reporting that 6-10oz of lead was required to hold.

~ FishHead Greg

Received: Nov 15, 2012 5:03 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

At this point the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have still been unable to get any productive fishing in. There are several reasons for this, all of which are naturally tied in with the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy. Many of the boats which had been removed from the water have still not yet been refloated. The captains are all busy getting their own homes back in order and helping others with problems. In addition, although access has very recently been established to Long Beach Island, there are still many services not yet operating. One of these is a source of fuel for the boats.

There are reports that striped bass have arrived in force in the Barnegat Inlet area and have made their way to the South. Although the beaches are still in ragged shape, some surf fishermen have been able to get on the beach and have been scoring well on bass from just legal size up to 20-pounds. There have also been reports of bass in the bay waters feeding on live eels and live spots.

Many of the local fishing tournaments have been cancelled. This including the Striped Bass Tournament sponsored by the Stafford Township Police.

Information on the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be viewed at… www.fishbeachhaven.com/our-boats

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Received: Nov 15, 2012 1:39 PM Subject: Report

Chuck Bonnick caught this schoolie bass along with a pair of blues chunking bunker off the mid-island surf this morning.

Received: Nov 15, 2012 1:32 PM Subject: Report

Ray Zirilli of Wrightstown, NJ sent in a picture of the striper his son AJ Zirilli caught on Monday, November 12th while fishing mid-island using clam. It was 28-1/8 inches long and 5.3 lbs.

Received: Nov 14, 2012 10:22 PM Subject: report

No report to give at this time. I will not be doing much (if any) fishing any time soon, BUT, the fact that you are trying to make the striper season not disappear for those of us that love it, is etremely commendable. I’m in BH Crest, ripping it all out, and won’t have time to toss a school bus or AVA to the bass, but wish all that do have the time, a great season.

Health and success (and some luck) to all.

~ Tony

Received: Nov 14, 2012 5:53 PM Subject: Efforts

I was in the store Tuesday night and saw the efforts you were making on the phone to get access on the beach for the walk on fisherman, while also
being understanding of being considerate to the situation at hand of the tragedy we have all been dealt, some more severely, with hurricane Sandy.

~ Rick Aimone

November 14, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

November 14, 2012 – Thanks to the fresh bunker I grabbed at FHQ I have been smashing striped bass and monster blues in LBI in between clean up sessions at my house. Make sure you get out and fish while there here! Bring a extra pair of gloves and work boots, lend a hand to someone on the island that needs help, and don’t forget to to stop and support your local tackle shop and then go catch a Beast! – Pete U.

4:45 PM

Beach access is making some positive changes as moments of time tick away. See status report just above daily report.

2:15 PM

Received: Nov 14, 2012 11:43 AM Subject: FR

Thanks to the fresh bunker I grabbed at FHQ I have been smashing bass and monster blues in LBI in between clean up sessions at my house. Make sure you get out and fish while there here! Bring a extra pair of gloves and work boots, lend a hand to someone on the island that needs help,and dont forget to to stop and support your local tackle shop and then go catch a Beast! – Pete U.

8:00 AM

Rob Vallone hit the surf Tuesday afternoon for the incoming tide. “Beach, Bunker, Bass, Bluefish!” He reported, “I would have liked to have caught the gorilla that bit me off.” Rob said the bite was steady with good size blues on the chunk.

We have received hundreds if not thousands of calls and emails about access to LBI. We want to inform and share what we see first hand but please note that we are not the authority…
The bridge is open but access along the length of the island can be restricted at times due to clean up and rebuilding. This restricted access can change. It sounds like all of Brant Beach is closed by the feds during beach replenishment. Please use common sense when fishing the island! Stay away from areas that have active work. You maybe asked to leave certain beach areas by the police, please heed their request. Don’t ruin it for everyone. Remember, curfew is still 11pm to 5am. So there’s no late night fishing going on.

November 12, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Monday, November 12th – 2012 LBI Surf Fishing Classic (The Derby) Suspended – Fisherman’s Headquarters Moves On

Late 11/12 afternoon, Fisherman’s Headquarters received news that the 2012 Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic (The Derby) has been suspended by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee retroactive to End of Day (EOD) October 28th. The Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce Ship Bottom Office has suffered damage and has moved their office to Manahawkin. They are overwhelmed with supporting the business community that has suffered greatly from the damage caused by Sandy. When time permits the Chamber will determine the awarding of prizes. Further details will be coming from the Chamber Office and should be posted on the www.lbift.com website. We may post more information hear if it becomes available.

Fisherman’s Headquarters prepared for the worse and worked very hard both pre and post Sandy. We picked up the pieces and managed to reopen. Fortunately for us; we have workers that want to work, we have suppliers that want to supply, and most importantly we have fishermen (and women) that want to fish. The recent days have been amazing. We have not given up on this season and are attempting to establish business as usual as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has suggested. The delivery trucks are coming on and off the island and rebuilding is going on everywhere. We want to support anglers that desire to fish, and we need their support. We have had lots of customers who shook Sandy’s sand and have recently received many great fishing reports. Because of this we have decided to continue on…

FHQ Hurricane Sandy LBI Fishing Tournament Addendum to 2012 LBI Surf Fishing Classic, FHQ “Side-Bet” & addition of 2012 FHQ “Sandy Extension”

(Click the Line Above for Full Details – Summary Below)

The 2012 LBI Surf Fishing Classic was officially suspended by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee retroactive to EOD 10/28/2012. More on this is posted at www.lbift.com/

However, the Fisherman’s Headquarters (FHQ) Striper Side-Bet (Calcutta) ($10) still continues on… plus more! Since October 29th, you may sign-up for the FHQ “Side-Bet” for a $10 fee without being registered for the actual 2012 LBI Surf Fishing Classic (Main Derby). The FHQ “Side-Bet” requirement that anglers must be registered for the actual 2012 LBI Surf Fishing Classic in order to sign-up for the FHQ “Side-Bet” has been eliminated since FHQ was notified that the main 2012 LBI SFC tournament was shut down.

FHQ 2012 “Side-Bet” – At 6:00 PM on December 2nd, 2012 the FHQ Side-Bet ends as scheduled and the largest three Striped Bass weighed in for the FHQ “Side-Bet” will be awarded their prizes (1st Place – 100% of the To Date Cash Pot, 2nd Place – $100 FHQ Gift Certificate, 3rd Place $50 FHQ Gift Certificate). But things don’t end at Fisherman’s Headquarters at this point.

FHQ 2012 “Sandy Extension” – The action continues at Fisherman’s Headquarters when the FHQ “Sandy Extension” then starts up on December 2nd at 6 PM with all new Striped Bass weigh-ins and goes on to December 23rd at 6 PM when it ends. Only Striped Bass caught and weighed-in after December 2nd at 6 PM will qualify for the FHQ “Sandy Extension”. Fisherman’s Headquarters has reached out to our suppliers and some unbelievably fantastic prizes are being provided for this 3-week FHQ “Sandy Extension”.

If an angler signed up for the 2012 FHQ “Side-Bet” then they are also automatically signed-up for the FHQ “Sandy Extension”. The $10 sign up for the FHQ “Side-Bet” continues until 6 PM December 2, 2012 which is when the FHQ “Side-Bet” ends and sign-up for the FHQ “Sandy Extension” continues until 6 PM December 23rd 2012 which is when the FHQ “Sandy Extension” ends.

The FHQ “Side-Bet” and FHQ “Sandy Extension” are tournaments for Striped Bass Only!
Please try to bring in your registration sheet at time of weigh-in.
Thank you for your continued support! — From all of us at Fisherman’s Headquarters

To the best of our knowledge the local town wants everything back to “normal” as soon as possible. We are back in the swing of things here and many anglers are fishing daily with success. Right now from what we are told, driving on the beach is prohibited; however, walking the beach with a rod is allowed. The key is keeping out of the way of any workers. As far as beaches go I would suggest staying away from the hardest hit areas and towns with limited access like North Beach and Holgate. Please remember trespassing is a major no no. To our knowledge, the 11 PM to 5 AM LBI curfew is still in effect.

Store staffer Blake was on ’em this morning. He smoked the bass and a monster blue on plugs on the mid-island surf. Blake reported, “I got up late morning and stumbled into fish blowing up on bait. It was hot, straighten hooks.”. Happy Birthday Blake, you got your bday bass and blue!

Darren Hutchinson and South Philly Fred were on the bass this morning.

November 11, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Jason Baxter stopped by with a weigh-in this afternoon. He had a number of fish this morning on the mid-island surf. His biggest was a 39.25 inch, 20-lbs 8-oz. Jason said he caught ’em on fresh bunker.

November 10, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Liane Lopez fished this morning with her dad Captain Ray aboard their Miss Liane out of Forked River. They fished the Inlet for a couple hours and had non-stop schoolie striper action on live spot. Liane mentioned that it was a beautiful day on the water and that there were a bunch of boats catching.

11:00 AM

No kidding… We’ve received requests and may have a little fresh bunker in stock later today.

November 09, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Like salt in the week old Sandy wound, this last nor’easter gale named Athena put the season’s first snow on the ground 10 days after Sandy ripped apart and flooded our local area. The weather has finally broke and it looks to warm over the weekend.

Gov. Christie lifted the Island’s evacuation order and RUMOR has it the bridge will be open tomorrow, Saturday 11/10/12. THIS WILL ONLY BE FOR residents and contractors, expect the restrictions to ease as days go by. Soon life will be back to normal.

Just today (11/09/12) we got our phone back up and running. (The lines are little noisy so more work needs to be done there.) Thanks to all those that are calling to check up on us. Also thanks to all those who sent emails asking. The shop was very fortunate being on some of the Island’s highest ground as well as at one of the Island’s widest sections. We were very lucky almost all of our our inventory was high enough to be safe from the flood waters.

We are open for business and have been for a number of days. We are working very hard here at the shop everyday since Sandy passed. The clean up process was difficult but with lots of helping hands we got a lot done. Everyday we are doing what we can to improve operations.

As everyone knows, it’s early November. We are in the prime time striped bass season. If this year is half as good as last year we should have epic fishing right through the holidays. Currently the surf looks like chocolate milk but it should settle and clean up soon. I am sure their will be bass hung our scale soon. FYI The LBI Classic is still on! Right now it is scheduled to end December 2nd but there has been talk it MIGHT be extended a week or two, maybe into mid-December.

ATTENTION: The 3rd Annual Stafford PBA 297 Striped Bass Tournament which was scheduled for Nov 16 & 17 has been canceled.

~ FishHead Greg

October 29, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 29, 2012 11:09 AM Subject: Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association (BHCFA) Weekly Report

Like everyone else along the Atlantic seaboard, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are anxiously awaiting the official arrival of Hurricane Sandy. The preliminary winds and tides do not bode well for the next day or so.

The captains have been spending the past few days getting their boats, homes, and families safe and secure. With all predictions calling for strong winds, extremely high tides, and torrential rainfall, they await what may be the strongest storm of their lifetimes.

Some of the boats of the BHCFA’s fleet have been removed from the water and securely anchored down. Other boats remain in the water to weather the storm. These boats have been stripped of anything that might be susceptible to the winds.

The dock lines have been doubled down with sufficient length to accommodate the expected high tides. All of this work was completed before Sandy’s arrival as once the storm is in full fury any adjustments can be dangerous.

As far as the fishing goes, the striped bass bite prior to the storm was slow in the Beach Haven area. Boats had been making trips to the north in the Barnegat Inlet and Island Beach area to find bass by trolling and jigging.

It is hoped that the storm will stimulate the bite, and the striper fishing will light up once things settle down on the weather front.

Information on the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be viewed at… www.fishbeachhaven.com/our-boats

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

October 28, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Fisherman’s Headquarters is closing early today and evacuating the island. (There is a mandatory evacuation of Long Beach Island by 4 PM today) We hope to be back soon. Good Luck to all.

Received: Oct 28, 2012 9:29 AM Subject: Stripers Every Day!

We are back in Barnegat and so are the fish. Made it out Friday, the last fishable day before this crazy weather and boated five bass between 12 and 20 pounds on Tony Maja bunker spoons. Then we had fun beating up the 12 to 18 pound bluefish on 10 pound spinning tackle. The migration is on and as soon as this storm blows through we can get back to catching fish.

Looking at the long term weather, I am figuring Friday to be the first day of opportunity. We will run charter or open boat each day, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Nov 2, 3, and 4. Two trips each day. 6AM to Noon and 12:30 PM to 5:30 PM. 3 person max. All fish are shared. $150 per person for the 6 hour morning trips and $125 per person for the 5 hour afternoon trips. All fish are shared. The Saturday morning trip and Sunday afternoon trip are already chartered.

See you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Oct 28, 2012 1:58 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Well we all know about the storm so what we will be missing the next few days is classic fall fishing. During the past week schools of hungry big blues and bass surged down our coast. Prior to pulling the Debbie M Saturday I had the DeCicco crew out for some classic fall fishing. Staying in the inlet and back bay we scored over a dozen bass on BKD’s and live spot keeping two for diner. One fish has a tag in it and I will report the details of where and when it was tag once I find out. The bass are so hungry right now we caught them even during slack tide. There are still blues from snapper to 5 pound in the back bay but not as thick as they were before. With the best bass and blue fishing of the year the Debbie M will be back in once the storm passes. I still have of few dates open so why not hop on to experience the best light tackle action of the year!

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

Received: Oct 28, 2012 11:08 AM Subject: Pre-Sandy Bassin’ – Reel Reaction Sportfishing

It figures we get Sandy, just when the fishing really starts to heat up. I was out for a quick trip and bailed the bass and bluefish. All the bass were in the same size range of 36″ to 39″ and close to 20-lbs. In fact, weighed in two of the Striped Bass at Fisherman’s Headquarters and both were 19lb 5oz. Most of the bass were caught while ultra-slow trolling bunker spoons. The blues were very active, and switched to target them on the 9wt fly rod with sinking line. The fly of choice was a rainfish imitation surf candy, in which 13-15lb blues devoured and put up battles lasting longer than 10 minutes. Had to leave them biting to haul out the boat prior to Sandy’s arrival. Unfortunately, I had to cancel both of my Saturday and Sunday trips in preparation for the coastal storm. The biomass of bait, bluefish, and bass was absolutely astounding – hopefully the storm does not push them too far offshore. I still have a few November dates available – please my cell 609-290-7709 if interested.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709 reelreaction@gmail.com

October 27, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

What washed up today on Ship Bottom’s 15th street beach? …A 55″ Sturgeon! Thanks to Rob Swift for sharing the picture.

Today, Bob Haines trolled off the Bathing Beaches of Island Beach State Park using Chartreuse Mann’s Stretch 30’s and hooked up with keeper size Striped Bass and “Gator Size” Bluefish. One of those “Gator” Bluefish was a 19-lb 4-oz fish that was entered into The Fisherman Magazine Dream Boat Contest.

Still taking each moment as it comes but right now it looks like Fisherman’s Headquarters may be closing tomorrow, Sunday 10/28/2012 at 12 Noon. When the store will reopen is not currently known. It’s all up to what happens when Hurricane Sandy passes through.

As per Long Beach Township Police Dept and Fish and Wildlife… The Holgate Beach Refuge will close at 2 PM today (10-27-12). Stay tuned for reopening info. Reopening will be posted once it is deemed safe by officials.

Rumor on the street… Rt. 72 Eastbound will close at 4 PM tomorrow, Sunday 10/28/2012.

October 26, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

I geared up this morning with the plan to hit the inlet before work. Waiting at the traffic light up the street from the shop I saw birds in the air over the beach. I had to take a look. Sure enough gannets were dive bombing the surf hard. There were fish active on medium size bait, most likely mullet and/or big baby bunker. Most of the action was hard to reach but at times right in the wash. I followed them around, run and gun until the dolphin came through and put a kybosh on the party. Then some small flocks of birds started working on bait (rainfish) which had feisty small snapper blues under them. In about two hours time I caught one striped bass (~28″) and a handful of small-medium size bluefish (the biggest was about 5-lbs). All of the action was mid-island on my “go to lure” the Super Strike Bullet and small metal.

Nick Sabatino weighed in a pair of Gorilla Bluefish. One 19-lbs 11oz and another 16-lbs 9oz. He caught them from a boat using swim shads off the Island Beach State Park

FYI… The Sea Shell Striped Bass Derby is still on for this weekend. Don’t believe the rumors going around. We spoke to both Tom and Rich who run the tournament.

In anticipation of the possible effects of Hurricane Sandy, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection has issued an Administrative Order prohibiting the harvest of shellfish from all state waters effective immediately after sunrise (7:24 a.m.) on Monday, October 29, 2012.

~ FishHead Greg

October 25, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

North Jersey has consistently for some time now “been on” with big gorilla gators (big bluefish) and classy striped bass. Finally these fish have slid down into our local waters! Or maybe they are a different mass of fish because it was “on” up there again this afternoon/evening. This storm must have the predators on the feed and there’s tons of bait for them to chew on. Rainfish! Mullet! (Local netters dropped off a few fresh ones, might be the last of the season) Butterfish! Juvenile Bunker (4-6″)! Adult Bunker! Speaking of bunker… When dropping off bunker this afternoon, our bunker man said, “The ocean is alive! Big Blues and Big Bass! Boats were smoking fish on the jig and troll.” We had a number of phone calls and walk in anglers report “fish on the beach” this afternoon/evening. Right at closing time store staffer Rob Vallone weighed in a 18-lb 1-oz bass. His report, “Fished the surf with fresh bunker after work. Right off the bat, I broke off a big gator blue fish. After re-tying, my next cast, BAM! I hustled back to the shop to weigh-in before closing time.

If this evening bite carries over tomorrow it will be BONKERS! Let the fall season roll…

Sea Shell Bass Derby is this weekend! Good Luck to all those that are fishing.

Sea Bass News – Season Closure…Effective Date: November 1, 2012

~ FishHead Greg

Received: Oct 25, 2012 7:15 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – 20-40lbs stripers

Just got off the water and had some of the best striped bass action today thanks to Tony Maja for not only providing the hot tip but also for making the finest trolling tackle there is on the market. No kidding, the Maja spoons and rods produced over 20 bass between 20 to 40lbs. White and Chartreuse #4 were the hot ticket. We could hardly get the spoons out before we were tight with yet another trophy size fish.(Photo to follow)

Wishing everyone light winds and calm seas.

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters, 609-290-1217

October 24, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 24, 2012 8:43 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are anxiously keeping their eyes on approaching Hurricane Sandy. Although projections currently call for her to pass by well offshore, strong winds and large waves are expected in the area from the middle of this coming weekend until early next week.

Some of the captains have plans to fish in the Seashell Club’s annual Striped Bass Tournament. With current weather predictions calling for decent conditions on Friday and Saturday, some serious fishing is expected to take place.

Up to this point the striped bass catches in the Beach Haven area have been few and far between. Some captains are expressing the hope that the upcoming storm will produce the impetus for the arrival of the bass in force.

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Francesca Marie” had a crew of hard working anglers fishing in the Red Men’s striped bass tournament last weekend. Despite putting long hours and some hard work into his fishing, Captain Fran was unable to coax any bass into his boat. There were a total of 31 boats entered in the tournament, and only two striped bass were weighed in. For information on the 27′ May-Craft“Francesca Marie” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

Information on the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be viewed at… www.fishbeachhaven.com/our-boats

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

October 22, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Today there was some nice bird play blowing up along the beach. We heard of action mid-island and North. One customer was in the shop to get his reel fixed and reported catching some small blues and a pair of nice weakfish on mullet, mid-island. He said there were lots of bird dive bombing. Our local bunker boat reported lots of croakers along the beach. They also mentioned some nice bird play out on the water today. From what they said the majority of the fish were bass busting the bait. Somehow they know by looking at their electronics what’s what. Word is the bigger bluefish are hanging a little bit further offshore.

Now that the ocean has settled down the kingfish, small blues, weakfish and spot have showed back up on anglers hooks fishing the front beach. One angler loaded up on blood worms and when asked he said he’s bailing the spot at an undisclosed location. They are still here. Top off the pens before they are gone!

~ FishHead Greg

October 21, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Today we have not heard much from the front beach. Promising news from our bunker boat though… when they put the twine on the bunker they were tight to the beach and the Striped Bass were on bunker pods.

We continue to receive good Tautog (Blackfish) reports from the Barnegat Inlet rocks by anglers using Green Crabs.

Captain Mark Finelli of Laura Sportfishing reported a hot schoolie striped bass bite on live spot today in the Inlet. Also, angler Todd aboard caught a 7-lb tog.

~ FishHead Greg

Received: Oct 21, 2012 11:09 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

As we expected, all it took was a couple of cool nights to get the fall striped bass season off to a good start. With the shallower bay waters now in the low fifties, the back bay fishing with live bait and clams should be good for the next month or so. The ocean waters are still a little bit on the warm side, but Maja bunker spoons have started to pick up a few fish on the troll. That’s a good sign that the migrating fish have started to move into our area and we should be able to break out the jigs once the water cools another few degrees.

With the big swell coming in from offshore this week, most of our time was spent putting fresh line on reels, tuning drags, and generally getting ready for the next month. I did sneak out on Wednesday for a bit, and landed seven bass from 27″ to 32″ in a little under two hours drifting live spot. With water temps of 51 degrees, the bluefish that so often make live bait fishing difficult were nowhere to be seen and the bass seemed to be keying in on the bait almost as soon as it was dropped down. I didn’t have time to try setting up with clams, but the water was perfect and I’ve no doubt that they would have produced as well.

The fall schedule has gotten pretty full, but I still have openings on October 31 and November 19 for anyone interested in booking that last trip of the year.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

Received: Oct 21, 2012 7:17 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

The wind/weather continues to dictate the where and what anglers aboard the “Reel Fantasea” can target but considering the amount of schoolie striped bass around in the bay/inlet area the light tackle action continues to entertain both novice and veteran anglers. Keepers were hard to come by but when the optimal tidal stage was reached the action was very consistent.

The Wit Hayes party started their day “proving their salt” in a rougher than desired inlet which turned the water a turbid steel gray. Moving from spot to spot found more dirty water with a hard running current carrying heavy amounts of sea cabbage that fouled rigs almost instantly upon being deployed. The guys persevered and patience won the day and as conditions improved so did the striped bass action including multiple “doubled up” in striped bass scenarios before trips end!

New comer Robert Schuman was out to start his day in more favorable conditions and to find the bass more cooperative right out of the gate. Within seconds of “lines in” Rob was fast into his first striped bass of the day, from there Rob was “in a zone” scoring a striped bass on almost every consecutive drift before the action tapered off due tidal stage.

The dinner table is set with vast amounts of bait along our beaches ready to provide forage for Southerly migrating striped bass and blues and with water temps dropping into the ideal zone it’s only a matter time now. The lunar stages should help us by weeks end. Don’t miss out on another memorable Fall fishing season! Open or private charter for October 26th for stripers/blues/blackfish/porgies/trigger….? Whatever your desire, I can customize the day to best fit your needs.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Oct 21, 2012 8:18 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

With cooler water temperatures the bass are becoming more active. This week the bite has been consistent with keepers mixed in with numerous shorts. During my most recent outing on Sunday morning I found a solid concentration of bass willing to hit plugs at first light and then live spots for a solid two hours after sun-up. As the water temperature continues to drop we will see more and more waves of fish push into our area for what should be another amazing fall run in both the back bay and near shore waters.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

October 20, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Christian Martin weighed-in a 22-lb 1-oz Striped Bass that was caught just after midnight while plugging in Beach Haven Crest. This was a fish caught on a darter… Sweet fish on a lure!

October 19, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Joe Czapkowski took the lead in the LBI Derby with this 48-lb 10-oz Striped Bass. He caught it off of the surf on clam at 1:30 this afternoon. Joe was not in the FHQ Striper Calcutta.

Pete Utschig smoked the tog yesterday morning/afternoon on the incoming tide. He reported, “Barnegat Light Rock Togging is hot! Lots of fish hitting hard so bring extra green crabs. Released a bunch of shorts. The biggest Tautog was this 19” 3.8-lber. Lots of other anglers on the rocks getting into the action. Also a couple guys has blues on metal and the occasional schoolie Striped Bass.

~ FishHead Greg

October 18, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Sounds like Holgate has reopened.

Received: Oct 18, 2012 7:54 PM Subject: Barnegat HS Fishing Club – Coastal Cleanup

Our high school fishing club had 10 of it’s 40 members participate in the Barnegat Bay Blitz, which is a NJ Department of Environmental Protection sponsored event to have community volunteers help clean up Barnegat Bay coastal areas. With the help of two members of the DEP and DEP coordinator Lauren Kelso, we picked up lots of litter (plastic bottles, cans, plastic bags, etc.) at multiple locations adjacent to the Barnegat Bay and Edwin B. Forsythe marine refuge. “I’m very proud these students for participating in the coastal cleanup – it gives them a sense of responsibility and ownership of our coastal ecosystem.” It is very important that individuals take care of their environment, most of the litter ends up in our bays, estuaries, and oceans where we all fish, boat, and enjoy the water. We plan on doing this event year after year!! (Photos to follow)

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709 reelreaction@gmail.com

October 17, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Stew D. gave us heads up that Holgate will be closed shortly due to serious beach erosion. Right now it looks like it might open tomorrow but that is not definite. Right now we have a serious swell in the water from the distant Hurricane Rafael. Expect the swell to linger for a number of days.

As far as the current fishing report… The beach front is fishable with lots of white water. We received word from a customer earlier today who was fishing the high tide. He reported one short bass and a pair of small blues on small bunker chunks. He also said he needed 10oz of lead to hold.

No recent reports of kingfish, spot or blowfish. There might be some more action with these small species but with the recent cold weather they might have moved on. It’s blues, weakfish and bass. As the days pass more and more bass! Today we got word from an angler fishing artificial lures in a boat on the bayside channels that he’s catching good numbers of bass bucktailing. Also had some keeper size fish.

We have had a number of customers load up on green crabs on their way up the Inlet rocks. We will post any reports once received.

~ FishHead Greg

Received: Oct 17, 2012 3:07 PM Subject: Press Release – Fall Sea Bass Trip

The Barnegat High School’s fishing club was out last Thursday aboard the Carolynn Ann III fishing for their annual fall sea bass trip prior to the season closure. “We had 28 students from freshman to seniors, and 4 adult chaperones fishing for sea bass and they did a great job catching.” said club advisor Capt. Brett Taylor. Over 80 keepers were caught with some approaching 22 inches. Senior Jesse Moore won the club pool catching a nice Triggerfish. Jesse won a Daiwa rod and reel combination donated by Harvey Cedars retired resident Samual Lenox. Big thanks to the captain and crew of the Carolynn Ann III for consistently putting us over fish during all of club’s fishing trips. (Photo) The students will be gearing up for our next fall trip for Striped Bass and Bluefish, and getting ready for our 4th Annual Fisherman’s Flea Market at Barnegat High School (December 8th, 9am to 1pm).

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709 reelreaction@gmail.com

Received: Oct 17, 2012 7:48 AM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

Strong winds have been plaguing the Beach Haven fishing fleet for the past week, but when the boats have managed to get out, they have caught fish.

Captain John Koegler managed to take the “Pop’s Pride” out last weekend for a good fishing trip on some inshore wrecks. Fishing with only three anglers, they managed 20 keeper black sea bass in addition to another 80 throwbacks. They also caught some beautiful triggerfish topped by a 6-pound triggerfish which is very large for this area. Captain John said that the wrecks have not been fished hard recently because of all the wind, and that is making for some good drop and reel fishing. Captain John said that he used the North cut of the inlet just off the tip of Holgate like he usually does, and had to slow down when he noticed shallow water where he usually travels through. Captain John advises all boaters to use care when using this means to get from the bay out into the ocean. For information on the 38′ Sport Fisherman “Pop’s Pride” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. John Koegler 609.290.3349

The head boat “Miss Beach Haven” with Captains Brant Whittaker and Frank Camarda ran two tuna trips recently. In the first one, rough seas made fishing difficult for all hands on board. They managed to anchor up with a decent slick and promptly picked up three nice yellowfins. Then one of the anglers hooked on to a very large swordfish. After two hours of fighting the fish, the line broke before they were able to get a gaff into the fish. Unfortunately that action ended the tuna bite for the day. On another trip last Saturday the seas were much calmer and after a fruitless bit of trolling, they anchored with their slick. The action was slow but they did manage to put four yellowfins in the box, lost a few more, and picked up a few mahi-mahi. Then just as they were ready to pull the anchor for the day, they had tuna around them. They put four in the box and lost a really big one. The tuna were in the 80-pound class. Mate Sal Rosa says they have some special 10-hour trips coming up in the near future. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda, 609.978.9951 or Email: missbeachhaven@comcast.net

Information on the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be viewed at… www.fishbeachhaven.com/our-boats

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Received: Oct 17, 2012 8:16 AM Subject: Striped Bass Report – Capt. Brett

We were out two nights in a row – fishing the incoming tide bayside. Tom Duralek and I caught and released over 30 striped bass fishing ultra-light tackle, including 6 small aggressive fluke caught by Tom. Last night, I switched over to fly and landed 5 stripers going 3 for 3 before the tide increased too much. The school moved to slightly deeper water out of reach on fly gear – spinning gear yielded 7 more bass. The fish were biting on smaller lures – half/half clouser and small jigs/plastics. Just waiting for the bigger fish to move in.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709 reelreaction@gmail.com

October 16, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

5:30 PM

Just received a load of fresh bunker! Also we received live green crabs earlier in the day.

We had one bass weighed in today. Don Roberts of Ship Bottom weighed in a 14-lb 12-oz striped bass at 8:17 this morning. He caught the striper off of the Beach Haven surf on frozen bunker at about 5:30 am.

October 15, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

The mullet run is still in full swing. Full on for more than a month… absolutely amazing! This fall’s mullet run will go down in the books as being one that kicked off super early (due to the Blue Moon) and one that just would not let up. Now if we only had a larger class of bluefish and bass on them.

Speaking about a larger class of fish. With the new moon it seems that there have been some quality bass caught. A number of bass in the 20-lb class have been caught the last few days. Just about all of them have been on bunker. Store staffer, Rob Vallone caught a nice bass early yesterday morning, 28-lb 14-oz bass. He currently leads the Fall Derby. Rob reported, “I headed up to the beach for a couple hours before my shift. Second cast on a tail chunk. It put up a really good fight. After the bass I had a couple blues.”

A number of customers have raved about the tog bite. The Inlet is producing lots of action and some quality size keepers. Both yesterday day and today have been good. Inlet tog session with green crabs had ’em.

~ FishHead Greg

Received: Oct 15, 2012 12:13 PM Subject: Mud Hole Tuna

I am running a 28 ft. Rampage out of Pt. Pleasant this Wed, Oct 17 to the Mud Hole for albacore and bluefin tuna. Open boat, limited to 4 anglers. $200 per person. Leaving at 5:30 AM and returning around 2 PM. The plan is to troll around until we find some good water to throw the anchor. Then we will start chunking. I have flats of sardines, butterfish, spearing, and gourmet sandeels for hookbaits. So far, the NOAA weather forecast for Wed is very good with a light west wind giving us a calm ocean. All fish are shared. Call to reserve a spot.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

October 14, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 14, 2012 10:37 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – It’s Starting!

The Fall fishing continues to pick up momentum with not only solid wreck fishing but a noticeable up tick in striped bass activity on both live and artificial baits. Although the weather this week [in the way of wind ] has kept us tighter to the beach than I would have liked, anglers aboard the “Reel Fantasea” scored very well with a mix of keeper slab size porgies, big trigger fish, sea bass, tog, bluefish and keeper striped bass! Check out the pictures!

Jay Johnson was out from Ohio for fast out of the gate action having a blast nailing 6 striped bass and a number of blues on light spinning tackle while employing a variety of artificial lures within the confines of the bay and just minutes of leaving the dock! From there we headed off the beach to find a good pull on a mix of big triggerfish, sea bass, big porgies, and blues before heading back to the inlet. Back in the inlet Jay managed 1 more striped bass and a few more blues bringing his total of striped bass caught and released to 7 in just under a couple of hours!

Friday’s Open boat had regulars Jay Simmons, Shawn Hawthorne, Sean Castle, and Bill Crouch fast into action to find feeding fish working over bait on a sand flat in the inlet area. The guys didn’t waste anytime getting the reel’s drag singing that lovely tone of “zzzzzzzzzz’ with fat bluefish strumming the note! The 2-4lbs blues were gorging themselves on bait all around the boat with fish and bait swirling within feet of us . From there we moved quickly offshore to avoid conflicting with the “small craft warning” forecasted for later that day. Once on anchor the guys managed a nice mix of sea bass, trigger fish, and porgies to add to the cooler before the wind blew us back to the inlet. On our first drift we found ourselves doubled up with striped bass with Shawn H’s making the cooler while Sean C’s bass was released to fight another day. From there the guys continued to connect with stripers on almost every drift . Jay “Bass Master ” Simmons capitalized to put the last keeper in the box before calling it a day.

Sean C sent FHQ an email saying, “I fished with Capt Steve on fri 10/12 and once again was not let down. It was an 8hr open boat trip with 3 other guys and we had fishing poles bending the entire trip. thanks again to Capt Steve and Reel Fantasea Charters for a great time”

I have both time slots available for this Thursday and Friday for Open Boat or Private charter for a.m.[6-12p m] and p.m.[2:00p.m. -7:00 pm] for anyone who would like to join our early Fall fun!! Cost is $150.00 pp for open boat.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Oct 14, 2012 10:18 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Looks like things are about to break wide open for the fishing around here. As I noted last week, there’s been a tremendous amount of bait along the beachfront for weeks now and more pouring out of the bays every day. All we needed for fishing to get hot was a couple of cool nights to get the water temps down a bit, and convince the fish that it’s time to start fattening up for their annual trek south. And that seems to have happened this week.

I had David Volk from Lake Helen, FL out with me on Friday along with his best friend Tom Madjesky from Burlington County. The guys are avid fishermen and knew we might be a little early, but schedules dictated we try this week to get Tom his first striped bass and fortunately the fish cooperated with a steady stream of stripers and bluefish coming over the side throughout the morning. Just for good measure, they added in a couple of small weakfish to complete their Atlantic Inshore Slams all within a few miles of the inlet. That’s the way we like to kick off our fall season!

With all the bait we have close to the beach this year, things should only get better from here. The calendar is getting pretty full, but I do still have a couple of openings for anyone looking to get in on what should be another great fall season.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

Received: Oct 14, 2012 8:06 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

The recent cool nights sent the bay temps down to around 56-57 while the ocean is still in the 60’s. Looks like the peanut bunker have started to make their move out of the back and into the open bay. The bass have responded to the cooler water, shorter days and bait movement. The one issue is that getting away from the blues to the bass can be difficult at times but perseverance will pay off. Still some signs of summer as evident by this nice fluke my son Garrett caught on a live spot Saturday evening. A few weeks late to invite home for dinner so it was released. Still some nice male crabs around in the back and what might just have been the last shed of the year occurred this week. I pulled two nice soft shells out of my traps on Friday. Only a few prime dates remain so give me a call if you want to set up either a fall inlet / bay or ocean trip.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

October 13, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 13, 2012 5:43 PM Subject: Saturday 10/13 Sea Bass Report

Today we left a little late to let the ocean calm down and it did just that. It ended up being a beautiful October day. The 3 man/boat sea bass limit of 75 was filled in about 3 hours. Countless throwbacks. Messed around blackfishing on the way home. Caught 1 keeper and some shorts. Sea bass closes tomorrow but opens 11/1. ~ Capt. Greg of the “Kev n Ash”

October 12, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 12, 2012 3:17 PM Subject: Laura Sportfishing

I had John B out today who never caught a tog, so he wanted to check it off of his bucket list. We warmed up with 2 striped bass both at about 26-inches and then hit a structure where we hooked about 30 tog in quick order. About 5 were keeper size, we kept one the rest were around 14-inches. Back at the dock by 10AM. I still have dates in November available so feel free to call.

~ Capt. Mark Finelli “Laura”, 23′ Parker SE 856-341-6562 www.laurasportfishing.net

October 11, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Gregg Flynn caught a black drum in the Beach Haven surf this morning on Fishbites! He also reported catching spot, kingfish and blues.

October 10, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 10, 2012 7:14 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

1 spot left for this Friday the 12th . We will be targeting multiple species – the main body of migrating stripers are to our North but there are a few around that should make things interesting, add plenty of blues and the wrecks full of life with seabass, porgies, trigger fish, blackfish and hopefully some sight casting oppurtunities for false albies this should be a blast! The trip is 8hrs @ $150.00pp and everything is included rods, tackle, bait and fish cleaned! Come on and join the fun!

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Oct 10, 2012 2:17 PM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are morphing from their summer fishing habits into the wild and wooly action of fall fishing in New Jersey. Fluke season is over, and the current black sea bass season will be suspended on October 14. This all means that the prized striped bass and big bluefish will soon be arriving. There are currently schools of bunker just off the beach that are holding some 15-pound bluefish along with a few stripers. The striped bass have not yet arrived in the bay waters but will be here shortly once the water temperatures drop another couple of degrees. The bay is still filled with bait, and there are stories of stripers to the north so it should be only another week or so.

Captain George Finck had a nice charter a couple of days ago on the “Sparetime” with C J LaCosta who took along his two boys and his father. Their trip began on an ocean reef where they picked up some nice bluefish and black sea bass. When the winds got strong and made fishing a bit uncomfortable, they finished the trip in the bay where they had a good catch of blowfish along with some sand sharks. For information on the 38′ Henriques “Spare Time” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. George Finck, 609.618.3877, email: Finck104@comcast.net

The captains report the prime fishing dates in November for stripers are filling up fast, and they recommend that anglers pick their dates to fish now before they lose the chance. Information on the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be viewed at… www.fishbeachhaven.com/our-boats

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

October 9, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Last night South Philly Fred and his buddy Rob stopped into the shop at closing time. They geared up and hit the beach. Today Fred gave us heads up that they found fish.

Fred said, “I got 3 bass and a bluefish on soft plastic. Rob got a pair of weakfish. One was 24-inches and the other was 26-inches.”

~ FishHead Greg

October 8, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Now I’m back in town and in the loop. I’ve heard lot of good things on the local fishing front. Mark Simmons stopped in the shop and reported an amazing weakfish morning bite. He didn’t want to say much but he did say north-end bay. Steve-O (store staffer) said the tog bite is on! He’s been putting his time in on the rocks and it’s paying off.

What an amazing mullet run we have had and it’s not over yet! Yesterday there were mullet stacked up from Ship Bottom to Holgate. This morning there were huge pods of mullet pushing up and down the beach on the North-end surf. I hit the beach and fished a couple hours in the dark and a few more hours this morning. The small bluefish were in full force tearing up the bait. Most are tight to the beach in the wash. I caught a crazy number of blues and found a pair of bass. Lots of fun on poppers (Super Strike Little Neck Poppers are the bomb; swim them, pop them, catch on them !)

With the recent cold snap it’s going to light up. More bass moving in everyday.

~ FishHead Greg

October 7, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 7, 2012 6:27 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

I spent this week splitting my time on the water between topping off the live bait pens with live spot for both resident and migrating striped bass and wreck fishing. Presently our local wrecks are jammed packed full of some of the tastiest fish around with species such as sea bass, porgies, blackfish, trigger fish and add various other species, the rods never stopped bending! ( Photo ) Double headers of all species in different combinations have been the norm as of late with both keepers and shorts for the savvy angler. With a good percentage of keeper to throw back ration “it’s freezer filling time” for those who like both tons of action and fresh white fish fillets to stock up on for the winter.

The back bays are absolutely chocked full of bait and with this weeks predicted colder weather already a reality, it is likely to amp up the Fall action even more in the way of striped bass activity! For those looking for species with a little more torque to their tails, teen-sized bluefish and even a few stripers have been harassing the abundant schools of bunker along our beaches.

I have a few spot available for this Friday’s open boat inlet/wreck/ocean trip. We will be targeting striped bass, bluefish, albies, sea bass, blackfish, porgies, triggerfish and more depending on opportunities presented to us. The trip will be an 8hrs [ 7AM -2PM] multi-species excursion with a cost of $150.00 pp with all rods, bait [including 4 live spots per angler] and tackle and fish cleaning included. Come on and join in on the action and meet new fishing friends.

I still have a few prime dates still available for some of the best action found anywhere! Call and reserve your private charter today! Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas!

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

October 6, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

I returned from Montauk on Friday. Pete, Fred and Blake and I spent a week up there. We rented a 30′ RV from Cruise America and lived the dream in the Lower Lot. Long story short… We caught fish and lots of them. Tons of bass, a number of bluefish and even a couple albies. For the most part last Sunday night through Thursday night were bonkers. We hammered fish morning, noon and night! Most days the bass blitz action went on all day. It was an amazing trip. I would like to thank everyone who we met while camping out. You all are great people with funny stories and a wealth of information. See you next year. Now it’s time for the LBI Derby! Here on LBI we have a nice blow upon us and a temperature drop. There are bass and blues present and the amount of bait is very promising. It’s going to be prime time any day. Don’t miss out.

Today was another successful Opening Day Derby Kick Off. We hope everyone enjoyed the Surf Clinic today. Just about every seat in the firehouse was taken by anglers eager to learn. The weather held out just fine and towards the end of the second part of the clinic which was the actual beach casting some Bluefish showed up and decided to cooperate. The fish were on the move South and for about 15-minutes we had 12-20 inch Bluefish smacking AVA jigs between 18th and 19th Streets in Ship Bottom.

A BIG THANK YOU goes out for the super great job of presentations done by…
Surf City Anglers – David Bonanni, Matt Googewic, Keith Weidenhof, and John Weidenhof
Team Century Rods – Mike Kulick, Ryan White, DJ Muller, and Mark Mead
…plus all the volunteers who worked in the background at the SOC Chamber of Commerce Headquarters, Ship Bottom Firehouse, Ship Bottom Beach and gifts from sponsors. We all hope that you enjoyed spending the day in Ship Bottom. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the day. I would like to wish all a great fall fishing season, so let the derby begin and the fish gods keep your line tight.

~ FishHead Greg

Received: Oct 6, 2012 12:22 PM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

It felt strange taking almost the entire month of September off this year. But with my daughter’s wedding now behind us, things have finally returned to something like normal around here. And that means it’s time to get back to fishing!

I did get out a couple of times this past week with mixed results. Early in the week I made a solo run up the beach looking for signs of the jumbo bluefish or false albacore that should be inshore this time of year. While I did find plenty of small weakfish (hopefully a good sign for next summer), there were no signs of either the blues or albies that I was searching for. So back into the bay I ran, settling for filling the cooler with a load of tasty blowfish that I froze up for the winter. Then yesterday regular guest George Selph and I took advantage of the relatively calm ocean conditions and made the run out to Barnegat Ridge, trolling up a bunch of fat albies plus a 5# bonito that came home for dinner and stopping on the way back in to jig up a couple dozen small weakies to complete the slam. Beautiful weather, calms seas, and plenty of fish: doesn’t get any better than that.

There’s plenty of bait around so now it’s just a matter of time until the striper fishing breaks wide open in this area. If it’s anything like last year it should be phenomenal. I only have a couple of open dates left for this fall, so now’s the time to book that final trip of the year.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

TODAY – 2012 LBI Surf Fishing Classic Clinic Day

Warming up at 9 AM at the Chamber of Commerce Office across from Fisherman’s Headquarters.
Then moves to Ship Bottom Firehouse for official beginning seminars at about 9:45 AM.
Then moves to beach at 11 AM or later

This morning there may still be some room for anyone who did not register for the Surf Clinic to still show up.
However, All Registered Anglers will received preference to the limited seating and room capacity of the Fire Hall.

Along with the traditional team from the Surf City Anglers that always make a great showing this year we have Team Century Rods adding to the Surf Clinic.

These are the Team Century members that are anticipated to be here …
– Mike Kulick “KM Custom Rods of New Jersey” and Ryan White “Hatteras Jack of North Carolina” – Specialty: Advanced distance casting
– Mark Mead, Century Rods Pro Staff – Specialty: Catching Striped Bass with eels
– Chris Buchta, 2011 Angler of the Year and On The Water Striper Cup Winner – Specialty: Surfcasting with lures.
– DJ Muller, experienced surf guide and author of Striper Strategies and The Surfcaster’s Guide to the Striper Coast – Specialty: Reading the beach and other striped bass fishing strategies.

With the combined efforts of the surf City Angler and Team Century Rods this should be a full service seminar for the beginner novice to the seasoned veteran anglers. Don’t miss out! And it’s free… plus goodies.

PRESS RELEASE

58th Annual LBI Classic – Opening Day Surf Fishing Seminar – On Saturday, October 6th come out and kick off the 2012 Fall Surf Fishing Classic with Century Rods Pro Staff and Team Mullet also know as the Surf City Anglers. The 2012, 58th Annual Surf Fishing Classic will kick off this year like ever year with a surf fishing seminar. What’s going to make this year’s tournament kick off one to remember? Century Rods and some of their Pro Staff will be in attendance to fortify the Surf City Anglers (once known as Team Mullet) presentation.

For those who don’t know Century Rods is an amazing rod company with a Pro Staff that is full of down to earth friendly and most importantly experienced surfcasters. Century and the Surf City Anglers will present information on the fundamentals of surf fishing. They will discuses fishing techniques and answer questions. Topics will range from fishing equipment to rigs, bait, lures and beyond. The seminar uniquely caters to all fishing experience levels from beginner to expert. Also all of Century’s Rods will be on the beach for anyone to try out.

EVENT TIMELINE
9:00 AM – Meet & Greet at the Chamber of Commerce
– Register for the Derby, Door Prizes, Coffee and Donuts
9:45 AM – Surf Fishing Seminar Begins at the Ship Bottom Fire Hall
– Surf Fishing Fundamentals: Bait, Rigs, Knots, Equipment, Safety, Q&A
– Door Prizes and 50/50 Raffle
11:00 AM – Century Rods Casting Demo at the Ship Bottom Beach 13th-15th Street
– Hands-On! Casting any and all of Century’s Rods
– Improve your casting range! Learn How to Cast and Learn Advanced Casting Techniques
– Additional Information on Reading and Driving the Beach

Times may run longer!

*PLEASE RSVP – Call the Chamber of Commerce 609-494-7211 We must ensure that we have plenty of donuts and coffee.

Note: The Surf Fishing Seminar is for all ages and abilities. The majority of the information will help novice anglers learn the basics. Intermediate anglers can learn to build on their fundamental techniques and veteran anglers will pick up new tricks and tips that will help polish their repertoire.

October 4, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 4, 2012 10:22 AM Subject: Hi Flier sailing from Shark River Inlet in October

October is enough to make your head spin with opportunities. Bluefin tuna of any size in the Mud Hole and striped bass on the move. In order to capitalize on the best of these fisheries, I moved the Hi Flier to a marina in Neptune, NJ, using Shark River inlet as easy access to both the Mud Hole (23 miles) and the Shrewsbury Rocks (8 miles). When the weather looks perfect, we will set our sites on the tuna fishing offshore and if it blows hard from the west we will stay along the beach fishing for stripers. It is also possible to do both in the same day. These grounds are not new to me, in fact, it is where it all started for me. My dad kept our boat in Shark River from 1970 to 1980.

I will be running charter and open boat trips for both striped bass and tuna. This is not a permanent move, we will return to Barnegat on November 1 or sooner if the fishing lights up there earlier. I am available this Sat and Sun, Oct. 8 and 9 for charter or open boat.

Monday night I set out for the canyon on the party boat, Gambler, out of Pt. Pleasant with my two boys, Nicholas, 14 and Maxwell, 11. They could not have made me more proud. They both stood up to the rail and boated an 80 pound yellowfin tuna each. We weighed the fish back at the dock, and along with the one I added, they came in at 78, 80, and 82 pounds, one of which was the pool fish. We still don’t know who caught which as we just had them tag our fish collectively as “DeGennaro”, but if you ask any one of us, it was ours that won the pool. Calm seas, co-operative fish, and a coming of age for two future offshore fishermen. I could not have asked for anything better. The crew on the Gambler were awesome with the kids, coaching and inspiring all the way. Special thanks to crew Todd and James. (Nick in green, Max in blue).
( Photo )

Looking forward to a great October and hope to see you on board.

Message from Capt. David D. :
If you are on our email list and receive our frequent reports/open boat announcements, but would rather not anymore, just let me know and I will be happy to remove you from our list. The list has grown substantially over the last few years. It is no problem for me to maintain it, but I don’t want to intrude on anyone’s inbox that would prefer not to receive it. Thank you.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

October 3, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 3, 2012 8:54 AM Subject: Weekly Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Report

Summer flounder fishing has ended for the year in New Jersey, but big black sea bass are filling the void for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association.

Captain Carl Sheppard had Boy Scout Troop 65 from Haddonfield out for a bottom fishing trip last Saturday on the “Star Fish”. The boys and family members managed to catch over 250 black sea bass in just 4 hours of fishing. Despite a stiff Northwest wind, the boat rode comfortably once anchored up. Fish were caught as soon as the lines hit and water with a ratio of keepers of about three to one. In addition to the sea bass there was a good showing of triggerfish. Captain Carl advised his anglers to keep a hooked trigger in the water as often the rest of the school with swim with the hooked fish making them easier targets. An extra excitement was proved by some feisty bluefish up to 2.5 pounds which provided more thrills for the scouts. For information on the 40′ Custom “Star Fish” for 2-20 anglers contact Capt. Carl Sheppard, 609.492.2591, cfsheppard@aol.com

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Francesca Marie” had a group out for some black sea bass fishing on Friday, and they limited out on sea bass by 11am and also boated 8 triggerfish. Captain Fran had to work to find where the fish were located, but once he got set up, it was drop and reel fishing. Usually they could not get the baits to the bottom before the fish hit. Captain Fran reports he is getting anxious for the striped bass to arrive and feels the action should be starting in another week or so. Until then he plans to fish for sea bass. He has heard of stripers being caught off the sod banks late in the evening and early in the morning. For information on the 27′ May-Craft “Francesca Marie” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

Captain John Lewis took the “Insatiable” offshore last Sunday for a day of trolling trip due to the slow chunking results so far. Despite a favorable forecast by the weather man, strong winds and high waves made fishing offshore very difficult. Despite the conditions, the party managed a white marlin and a 20-pound mahi-mahi. Ironically, the talk on the radio was of a good night chunking with several boats actually limiting out on yellowfin tuna. For information on the 38′ Ocean Yacht “Insatiable” contact Capt. John Lewis, Phone: 609.670.5980 Email: captjohn22@comcast.net

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

October 1, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Oct 1, 2012 6:59 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

As the first few days of our Fall season has been ushered with waning daylight, the first hints of the fall migration have started to appear in the way of “drop and reel ” sea bass fishing and huge 15-lbs class slammer blues starting to take up residence along our beaches! The bay also continues to offer plenty of solid light tackle action with weakfish and a host of about a dozen other characters such as blowfish, perch, shad, spot, shark, sea robin.

Friday evening the open boat trip had an All Star Cast with regulars Jay Simmons, Karl Steffan sr. and jr. and Shawn “The Mighty Thorne” Hawthorne mixing it up with multiple species including weakfish to 3-lbs. From back bay we moved up to the inlet to find a full throttle bluefish bite! The guys were constantly doubled and tripled up with feisty bluefish on our light tackle spinning outfits until trips end!

The Tom Wilson Party was up next for “drop and reel” action and a full boat limit of sea bass to 3-lbs! The guys were fast into fish even before we came tight on the anchor. As your bait hit the bottom the sea bass hit instantly loading hooks with both shorts and keepers. More than a few double-header keepers were had. After having their fill of the sea bass we made our way back to the inlet finding what looked like a 1/4 mile square of bunker being harassed by 1 pound blues. From there we continued to make our way back to the inlet to find huge 15-lbs+ slammer blues blitzing bait on the surface . Our first cast were met immediately with hook ups but our light tackle rods with light leader material were no match for the teeth of these huge choppers! Moving up in gear size we managed connecting with the blues before making a bee line for the dock for previous reservations.

I have this Thursday 4th and Friday 5th for either open or private charter . Bay, inlet, ocean, wreck, inshore albies, mid shore pelagics or a combination of any of the above? Give us a call and experience some of the best action found anywhere! Remember to reserve your date today for your chance to experience some of the best striped bass action found anywhere!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

September 30, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 30, 2012 1:38 AM Subject: Early bass

Today, Jason Marti just weighed in 26.80-lb striper. He reported fishing out on the Ridge earlier in the day. On his way in the inlet he came across an active bunker pod and got this striped one.

Today, Gene Wanckel took Justin and Derek out on the water today aboard Gene’s Reel Michene. Since fluke season is closed he targeted blues. They had a spectacular day with a load of schoolie cocktail blues as well as a few gators. Biggest was 17.3-lbs Gene said they were fishing off of IBSP in the bait schools.

~ FishHead Greg

Received: Sep 30, 2012 8:02 PM Subject: Weakfish Bite Continues

Fished Meyer’s Hole today and had constant weakfish action with fish to 22-in. John and Barbara Randa (Photo to follow) had a great morning with many species of fish in the slick. We will target weakfish before switching to strictly bass. The bay is loaded with baitfish and the fall is shaping up to be a great one! Call or email to book.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt, “Bonnie Anne” 25′ Steiger Craft, up to 5 anglers, Old Barney Charters, www.oldbarneycharters.com , email oldbarneycharters@aol.com Phone 267-918-1746

September 29, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 29, 2012 1:38 AM Subject: Early bass

Caught 4 stripers up to 28.5″ this morning on a popper in the bay! Perfect bass water with the incoming tide.

~ Dave W.

September 27, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 27, 2012 9:24 PM Subject: New weather forecast!

They revamped the marine weather forecast for Sat and Sun to some lighter velocity winds from a very favorable angle. I plan to be running open boat trips Sat and Sun, Sept. 29 and 30. Saturday we will run to the Barnegat Ridge for albacore and any other bluewater species we can find, ie: bonita, skipjack, bluefin tuna, or mahi. I plan on trolling and bait fishing with light tackle. Sunday, we will set our sights for the Mud Hole where there have been good reports of school bluefin tuna and mahi along with false albacore. All good fighting fish and some good table fare with the tuna and mahi in the mix. Trolling and bait fishing on this trip, as well. Cost is $200 per person on each trip. 3 person maximum. All fish are shared. 6 AM to 2 PM each day. If the ocean is flat I might set a course for the Mud Hole on Saturday, as well. If we wind up at the Barnegat Ridge and have a good day Saturday, I will be back there Sunday, depending on what I hear from the boats who fished the Mud Hole. This will be a work in progress, dictated by sea condition, and the latest reports I can get right up until we break the inlet.

If you are interested in either day, please call me on my cell number below, don’t email, as I will not be on the computer. Look forward to seeing you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Chester and Steve-O (store staff) were on the tog today. Steve-O said, “It just turned on fire inbetween the tides. No monsters but some nice fish were caught. Two 16-inchers and a lot of 14-inchers”. Get live green crabs and hit the rocks!

~ FishHead Greg

September 26, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 26, 2012 3:30 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

Recent strong winds and high seas have made the last week of the summer flounder season a downer for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. Although it is believed there are still fluke around, it is impossible to get any type of decent drift established. When the boats are able to get the anchor over on some structure, the black sea bass bite has been more than respectable with good numbers of big sea bass.

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Francesca Marie” reports he has only been able to catch some bluefish due to the weather conditions. He plans to focus on sea bass and perhaps bluefish until the striped bass make their appearance in the upcoming weeks. For information on the 27′ May-Craft “Francesca Marie” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

Captain Lindsay Fuller on the “June Bug” took John and Jimmy Hancock out to the Lindenkohl Canyon for a tuna trip that combined a little night chunking along with some trolling. Captain Lindsay made use of a weather window that cooperated until a choppy trip home. The chunking action produced one good hookup, but the fight abruptly ended when the line was cut, probably when in contact with the tail of another fish. That proved to be the only good bite for chunking although there was a great mass of squid around the “June Bug”. The trolling action once the sun came up was equally unproductive other than one small mahi-mahi which was no longer than the ballyhoo it bit on. The winds and increasing wave size made trolling difficult as well as the trip back into port. Captain Lindsay says he feels the offshore action still has some life with the amount of squid and other bait around and looks for decent action through October. For information on the 41′ “June Bug” contact Capt. Lindsay Fuller, 609.685.2839, email:CaptLindsay@Fish-JuneBug.com

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

September 25, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 25, 2012 2:00 PM Subject: Barnegat Bay Mixed Bag

More wind and sloppy seas headed our way, so I will be keeping the Hi Flier in the bay. The weakfish slowed up quite a bit for us last week, we had 4, 7, none and 2 on the last 4 trips Fri and Sat. We did have a ton of action with all of the other species like spot, perch, blowfish, sand sharks, jacks, and a 4-lb fluke that hit a shrimp bait on a six pound spinning rod. The trips were not without action, but there was definitely a decline in the size and quantity of the weakfish. Those days were heavy with wind so I spent most of our time anchored in Meyer’s Hole where you can fish in up to 30 knots of wind because you have land protecting you on all four sides. Not only is it calm there, it’s been holding a ton of fish this year which makes for a good combination.

I am going to be buying more live grass shrimp and shedder crabs to fish this Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sun, Sept. 27, 28, 29, and 30. I’m also going to pack some chum and clams for the blowfish. That bite has been awesome. A lot of big ones are now in the mix. The goal is to target weakfish, the mixed bag, and blowfish. Leaving at 6 AM and returning at 1 PM each day. Available for charter or open boat, give me a call to set up a trip. We will fish the calm waters of Meyer’s Hole and when the wind isn’t gusting we could fish the west side of the bay for blowfish and try a few of my other weakfish haunts. This time of year it is not uncommon to find birds working over peanut bunker with weakfish and bluefish underneath. We certainly have the schools of peanut bunker this season to set the stage. It is similar to the migration style fishing we do for stripers along the coast.

When the wind finally does subside, we are rigged and ready to run east for the albacore/mahi/bluefin run that is going on in the 15 to 40 mile range from Barnegat Inlet.

Monday night, October 1st at 6 PM, I will be aboard the Gambler out of Pt. Pleasant headed to the canyons on an overnight tuna trip. It leaves at 6 PM and returns the next day at 6 PM. There is still room if you are thinking about doing a trip or have ever wanted to but didn’t know exactly what to do. I can help you prepare as well as offer some guidance while we are out. These trips are always memorable. Yellowfin tuna are the target but there is always a chance at longfin tuna, bigeye tuna, swordfish, mahi mahi, and sometimes tilefish. Please call me for more info.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

September 23, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Chris Bender and Chris Jr. had good day fishing today. Photo They had blowfish, spot, a load of sea bass and kingfish as well as snapper bluefish. Chris Jr. said, “the bay is loaded with fish”!

Received: Aug 21, 2011 8:54 AM Subject: report

Sunday, went out to 80’ depth off Ship Bottom to find 1 keeper 18 ” fluke and a few bluefish in the 2-3 pound class. No sea bass yet. Light NW turned to a snotty S in the PM and made it painful to get back to Tuckerton.

Saturday, fished in 32’ of water off LE inlet to find plenty of small croaker and weakfish.

~ Martin M

Received: Sep 23, 2012 5:49 PM Subject: LBI Charters Sunday Report -Sea Bass Opening Day

No charter today, but I think some anglers might wish that they had a charter today! It was a little sporty but laid down and got nice. Kevin and I fished for the freezer and took just a little over an hour to limit out. (Photo to follow) Nice ride home and left them biting… 3 at a time! Give a call or email us.

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash”, 25 Ft Steiger Craft, Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

September 22, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

The Long Beach Island Fishing Club held it’s 66th Annual World Series Surf Fishing Tournament today. This tournament was sanctioned by the Association of Surf Angling Clubs Inc. They had 493 Registered Anglers, 52 Fishing Teams. Of the 558 fish that were caught, 524 of them were Bluefish. See full details by visiting… www.fishingderbyonline.com/DerbyPage?derbyID=62

September 19, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 19, 2012 10:20 PM Subject: Perfect Excuse to Fish the Bay!

What do you do when the wind blows and the ocean looks like it’s going to be snotty for a few days? Fish the bay! The weakfish are hitting their peak, 2 to 4 pounders on light tackle. We are catching them on most days by chumming with live grass shrimp. After a bang up Thursday and Friday on the shrimp, that bait became suddenly unavailable as the shrimp catcher guy took ill. I got that message at 5 AM before meeting my party at 6AM… PANIC! This guy always delivers, he’s like the Lou Gehrig of bait suppliers, so I knew he was hurting. I ran out and loaded up on shedder crabs then scooped out a bunch of live peanut bunker out of my bait pen. Ok, I got some good bait, it’s not shrimp, but it was enough to keep me from pacing like Rain Man. “Definitely need some shrimp, yeah , definitely”. We put out some live peanuts and proceeded to get chopped by the resident snappers and small bluefish in Meyer’s Hole. Then, a screaming reel, finally, we are hooked up to a nice weakfish. Another and another, in the end, we put four nice three pound weakfish on ice, a 19″ fluke that hit a live spot we caught there, 11 big blowfish that hit the jig tipped with shedder crab, and two small bluefish. A nice catch considering I didn’t have my super powers… the grass shrimp. I was feeling good about myself. Photo

The live shrimp are available again and we will be in full swing this week/weekend, especially since the ocean does not look fishable for me and my small center console. Here’s a few video clips of a good stretch of live grass shrimping weakies we had from Thursday to Monday: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db8kA_RgvDk and www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-Xg33FfysU

Photo

We are still catching a mixed bag of spots, croakers, blowfish, two kinds of jacks, porgies, pinfish, hickory shad, fluke, snappers and small bluefish, sea bass, sand sharks and more besides really nice size weakfish, and all on 6-pound spinning rods.

The “Hi Flier” is available for charter or open boat this Friday, Sept. 21 Noon to 5PM, Saturday, Sept 22 6AM to 11AM, and Sunday 6AM to 11AM and then again Noon to 5PM. These 5 hour trips are $395 to charter the boat or I can take individual reservations, the same cost divided by as many people who share the open boat. Call for reservations, don’t email me as I will be on the water not near the computer. Looking forward to seeing you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Sep 19, 2012 7:57 AM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

The upcoming weekend looks good for some fishing off Beach Haven. Prior to the recent storms, some of the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association were catching fish both in the canyons and close to the beach.

After hearing of a good overnight tuna chunk bite at the northern canyons earlier last week, Captain Bob Gerkens of the “Hot Tuna” took 3 enthused anglers to the south Tom’s Canyon. Despite some runoffs, there were no solid hookups. On the trip home, Captain Bob decided to do a fast troll rigged for wahoo. Angler Quinn Christie picked up a mahi off a lobster pot. Then within 40 miles of the inlet, Matt Ruark landed a 60-pound yellowfin tuna on a center daisy chain. They switched the rigs to ballyhoo on a slow troll looking for more tuna when Bobby Pawlowski boated a 40-pound wahoo. It just goes to show that you can never know everything about a fish. For information on the 38′ Blackfin Sport Fisherman “Hot Tuna” contact Capt. Bob Gerkens, Phone: 609.384.0877, email: HotTunaBoat@yahoo.com

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Francesca Marie” reports recent trips have been resulting in keeper fluke. One trip had five keepers and tons of keeper sea bass that all were put back in the water to be landed once the season re-opens. Another trip put 11 keeper fluke in the box by mid-morning when the drift and wind changed and the bite stopped. He is looking forward to the re-opening of sea bass season. Captain Fran is taking bookings for striper season and says he intends to fish several tournaments including The Red Man’s in Tuckerton on October 18, the Sea Shell on October 26 in Beach Haven, and the Stafford PBA on November 16. For information on the 27′ May-Craft “Francesca Marie” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.com .

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Reveived: Sep 19, 2012 6:06 PM Subject: LBI Charters

Had the opportunity to fish with a friend in North Jersey on Sunday. The bite was a little sluggish at times but picked 7 nice keepers with largest fluke around 5-lbs along with a bunch of shorts. Back here on LBI we are ready for sea bass season to re-open on Sunday. I have an opening for a Saturday fluke fishing trip and also have an opening for Sunday. If are interested in going after what’s accumulated on our local wrecks over last 3 weeks please give a call.

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash”, 25 Ft Steiger Craft, Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

September 18, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Tom Sanders and Ken Kulman got in on the amazing blowfish bite yesterday. They caught over 200 fishing in the Manahawkin Bay, mid-island. They reported keeping just some of the big ones for the table.

There’s literally tons of bait present on the beach, in the bay and in both of our Inlets! The mullet have been on the beach stacked up tight, running up and down the beach. Early morning and evening have proven to be the best for action. Last night South Philly Fred hit it with his buddy Rob. They got into schoolie bass that had the mullet pinned tight to shore.

~ FishHead Greg

September 17, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 17, 2012 6:49 AM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

OK, I’m back from vacation, the kids are back to school, seminar complete for Village Harbor Fishing Club and finally getting my internet and lap top back in working order and we are 3 for 4 on consecutive Barnegat Bay Grand Slams [+ plus a few slams] ! The last couple of weeks have been busier than normal with not only fishing but with family and friends on the last waning moments of our summer season.

The light tackle action continues to offer plenty of rod bending opportunities with weakfish, bluefish, stripers, fluke, croaker, spot, kingfish, sea bass, trigger fish, blowfish, sand sharks, small amber/bar jacks… and more. (Photo) If that weren’t enough reason to wet a line we now have false albies presently inshore along the beaches for those seeking to participate and experience the blistering runs of these sporty dragsters while incorporating either fly or spinning tackle… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! These inshore albies are a sight casting enthusiast delight as these fast moving speedsters prove to be challenging to both tackle and anglers skills. The reward will not be the on the dinner table since they are not great table fare but the hook up itself as you watch your line melt off your reel faster than you have ever witnessed before, these fish can dump an entire spool in seconds!

The back bay trips have been fast into fish within minutes of leaving the dock with almost a new species or surprise with every adventure. Presently there are so many species of fish to catch you just don’t know what the next hook up will be! The bays is absolutely jammed packed with fish and bait and this looks likely to be another outstanding Fall fishing season! Wreck fishing, back bay, inshore albies, fall migration, or combine any of these trips to best suit your desire. Come on and reserve your date for some of the best action found anywhere.

I have 2 spot available for this Friday Open Boat afternoon 2-8pm where we will be mixing it up between the inshore albies and the mixed species presently on hand in the back bay, the cost is $150.00pp.

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Sep 17, 2012 9:26 PM Subject: Laura Sportfishing

The wrecks are hot! Had Jim and hid sons out Sunday for some inshore wreck action. We caught over a dozen species of fish! Photo (Photo to follow) shows the Triggers, Tog, Porgy’s and Fluke and Bluefish which were kept. Had so much fun that we stayed out for 8-hours and just kept fishing. We released tons of Bluefish, Sea Bass, Rudder Fish, Tog, and Blowfish. Sea Bass opens back up this Sunday. Give me a call.

~ Capt. Mark Finelli “Laura”, 23ft Parker SE 856-341-6562 www.laurasportfishing.net

Received: Sep 17, 2012 9:33 PM Subject: Spanish Mackerel at Beach Haven Inlet

Took a short ride outside through Beach Haven Inlet just to enjoy the flat glassy calm this morning and was rewarded with quite a sight. Among the many schools of baitfish were Spanish Mackerel taking to the air like footballs flying out of the water. They were in tight to the beach, so close that we could not get to them without risking a grounding. I can’t help wonder if any of the dozen or so surf fisherman managed a hookup.

Radio chatter confirmed the Little Tunny we caught yesterday were back at it again, and some boats were into the Albacore just a bit further off shore. With so much bait out there the fishing is about as good as it gets this time of year.

Well, it’s back to our other job for the crew of Knot Reel Farmers. Sure was tough heading home and leaving all those fish behind!

~ Bernie Hyland, Captain / Owner “Knot Reel Farmers”

September 16, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 16, 2012 11:21 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Not much has changed since my last report. Barnegat Bay still has plenty of weakfish, panfish and even more baitfish on the move. One slight change, other than the water temperature dropping, is the addition of “spike” weaks. Mixed in with the quality sized weakfish are many fish below the legal length of 13”. With lots of weakfish in the bay and baitfish in the form of mullet and peanut bunker on the move, spots, and rainfish, the stage is set for a truly amazing fall run in the back bay. Mid-week I had Bud and “Hottie” back out grass shrimping a magic hours trip boating several nice weakfish and some spikes. In the mix were some feisty 2-3 pound blues. Saturday morning I flew solo and quickly boated 10 weakfish in the 18 – 20” range on live peanut bunker. As the water temperature drops and the fish start to fatten up my methods will change to match conditions. I will no longer be chumming shrimp but make the switch to plastics, live peanut bunker, and worms which will lead to some fast pace action. My bait pens are almost maxed out with spots and I am filling in the last few open dates for the fall bass / bluefish run. I will continue chasing weakfish in the back until they leave or the Striped Bass start chewing. Even with that, I may split trips between Striped Bass and weakfish. Whether you are looking to fish the inlet / back bay or ocean run n gun jigging this fall give me a call.

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

Received: Sep 16, 2012 3:53 PM Subject: Report for Myrtle Beach, SC

Report from Myrtle Beach, SC… There is plenty of bait in the water (mullet) and being caught are plenty of bluefish, seatrout, flounder and southern whiting (kingfish). The weather is a nice 84-degree air temperature with a water temp of 82-degrees. An east wind is blowing at 8 to 10. Overall a pretty nice day.

~ Keith Weidenhof (Member: Surf City Anglers)

Received: Sep 16, 2012 5:39 PM Subject: Knot Reel Farmers – Bonita, False Albies, and a Houndfish

Knot Reel Farmers headed south east from Little Egg Inlet around 11:30 this morning. After picking our way through the testy inlet, we started the troll half-way from LE to the Wreck Buoy. About a mile past the buoy we had our first run off – a fat Little Tunny. That was followed by a feisty Bonito. Several more bent rods yielded a total of 8 False Albacore. Then, as we were tossing one back, a short flat line took off screaming like no tomorrow. Immediately after applying the breaks, the fish took to the air to reveal itself as a monster Houndfish. This one measured well over 4-ft long and had a set of teeth that looked like it could bite through a 2×4. It was a frightful moment doing the hook removal, and then the Houndfish was back in the deep blue.

Yesterday yielded a dozen 2-1/2 pound bluefish, and one very nice Spanish Mackerel just off of Barnegat Inlet.

~ Bernie Hyland, Captain / Owner “Knot Reel Farmers”

September 15, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 15, 2012 7:06 AM Subject: Reel Reaction Charters – Fishing Report

In the past weeks I had a couple of fluke trips when the ocean conditions were right. Earlier in the week – the Sicilia party was out in some tough sea conditions – we were able to pick up a couple of keeper fluke before having to end the trip early. Brian Sicilia caught the biggest of the day – a nice 23-inch fluke close to 5-lbs . Later in the week I had the Logan party from Connecticut connecting on 5 flatties to 6-lbs, and a bunch of sea bass (released). Most of these fluke were picked up in 40 to 50-ft of water. I was able to get out on a solo trip and had a dozen of weakfish (all released) trolling Rattle-Traps early morning in the bay. The bay is still producing a variety of fish depending on what you want to fish for and with all of the spot in the area it should make for an interesting fall. I have started booking fall striper/bluefish trips, and we always carry gear in case any of the tuna species show up. If interested in booking a trip, please phone.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709 reelreaction@gmail.com

September 14, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

“Fluking off of the surf has been amazing!” Exclaimed Captain Jeff David while grabbing some bait this afternoon. “It has been great. My buddy has even been catching on the fly rod and my Grandson had a double header, two 20-inch+ fish.” The reports have also been consistent from anglers in the boat in the bay, inlet and ocean. Al Stella was in the shop today and reported a hot fluke bite. He had 6 fish today, all over 23 inches on Spro Bucktails with Gulp 4″ Swimming Mullets. Kaz from Philly reported catching three short fluke off of the north end of the Island today. He also said there was lots of mullet present.

Stanley Steinberg re-upped his bloodworm supply around mid day. While here he said, “The the kingfish bite was good this morning. Caught 20 good size kingfish on live bloods. I quit at 11am. There were also others catching blues and fluke”. Stan mentioned that he was fishing on the south end of the island.

South Philly Fred stopped in and purchased a new Lamiglas plugging rod for the fall run. He headed up to the beach and broke it in with style… 5 blues and a pair of striped bass.

The 66th Annual World Series of Surf Fishing Tournament, hosted by the Long Beach Island Fishing Club, is scheduled for next Saturday (September 22, 2012). This is both a team and individual competition. Registration will be held 5:30am to 6:30am at the LBI Fishing Club in Harvey Cedars (on the ocean side of the boulevard between Cape May and Cumberland Avenue). Like every year, We donate a top of the line surf rod. This year it’s a Lamiglas Super Surf 4-8oz built in American with Fuji K- Guides. This is one sweet rod! For those looking to get in on the fun call for more details about the tournament.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Sep 14, 2012 9:06 AM Subject: Hi Flier Fishing Report 9/14/12

Had a great day of fishing yesterday. Ran an open boat trip to Barnegat Ridge in the morning and we had a hot bite on albacore, anywhere from 5 to 8 pounds. After hooking a bunch we decided to break out the 10 pound spinning rods. Alan Smith of Manahawkin landing a nice albie that crushed a fresh spearing hooked through the lips and trolled on the surface like a feather. Video clip: youtu.be/pIDgnvrUm_A . I started doing this last year and had great success with albacore and skipjacks.

I picked up my afternoon group and headed over to Meyer’s Hole with a box full of live grass shrimp. It was the best bite I have seen this year. Quantity of quality. These three girls from Vermont did non stop battle with 2 to 4 pound weakfish from the time we stopped until we pulled the anchor. At one point all three were hooked up at the same time on solid 3 pound plus fish. Here’s Ann boating one of the first fish of the trip: youtu.be/0qRL9ulKFY4

We will be running open boat or charter for weakfish Saturday, Sept 15, 6 AM to 11 AM, and Noon to 5 PM and on Sunday, Sept 16, Noon to 5 PM. Reservations required. $395 for the boat, divided by as many people who sign up.

Please call for info or to reserve a spot, as I will be on the water and not near a computer.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

September 13, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

There are fluke and tog being caught on the rocks. There are definitely schoolie bass and blues present too.

Fred left the shop at 6 PM and headed up to the jetty. He reported 7:15 PM that he, “got 5 blues on a popper.”

Rodney Vetco was fishing Oyster Creek a few days ago and caught this monster 4.6-lb buck-toothed blowfish ( PLEASE READ RED TEXT BELOW ) on a squid/minnow combo. Take a good look at that wild creature! Mike Wark has been fishing the Barnegat Bay close by. He reported catching 64 blowfish the other day as well as one monster buck-toothed blowfish just like Rodney’s.

We have been trying to identify this fish but so far no success. However because of some comments it might be better to be safe than sorry. Read on…

Received: Sep 15, 2012 7:12 AM Subject: Very large blowfish?

You need to advise anyone catching these fish to properly identify and handle them. They could be “Takifugu”, the Japanese name for a large species of blowfish. Their skin has toxins as well as their liver. Each fish contains enough toxin to kill 30 adults.

~ CARLA LUYBER

Takifugu – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The fish’s main defense is the neurotoxin contained in its internal organs, mainly the ovaries and the liver, to a lesser extent in the intestines and the skin, and only minute amounts in the muscles and blood. This makes the fugu a lethal meal for most predators, including the occasional human.

The toxin is called tetrodotoxin, or more precisely anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin and is about 1200 times deadlier than cyanide. This poison can also be found in other animals such as the Blue-Ringed Octopus, cone snails, and even some newts. The pufferfish does not create the poison itself; rather it is generated by bacteria e.g. Pseudomonas within the fish.[2] The fish obtains the bacteria by eating food containing these bacteria. Some fish are more poisonous than others. Each fish has enough poison to kill around thirty adult humans.

Received: Sep 16, 2012 12:13 PM Subject: Buck-toothed Blowfish ID

I believe the strange looking puffer Rodney Vetco caught earlier this week is a Smooth Puffer. Check out pictures and a description here:www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1239 . I’m seeing conflicting info on whether they’re poisonous, but I’d rather be safe than sorry – I’ll stick to eating our regular blowfish (Northern Puffers), which are plentiful and tasty!

~ Stuart

September 12, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Mullet are moving along the front beach. Store staffer, Blake, got in on some action the past two mornings having fun with some school size bass and bluefish on poppers.

Fluking is still great and the blues seemed to have gotten a little bigger.

Austin Pounds of Beach Haven has been catching fluke throughout the summer. Now he’s back in school but still on the hot bite. He’s catching a bunch of fluke and some kingfish. On September 9th his biggest fluke was a 5.5-lb, 25.25 incher along with a 3.5-lber. On September 10th he caught a 2.5-lb, 21″ fluke and a 20″ fluke among others. All of Austin’s flatties are from the beach. Here is a picture of two of his fluke going to the table.

Lots of boats heading offshore with the nice forecast and abundance of yellowfin and bigeyes in the northern canyons. Our freezers are stacked with butterfish for those that need flats.

~ FishHead.Greg

September 11, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Remember 9/11

Rick W of Ship Bottom stopped in the shop and reported red hot fluke fishing off of the mid-island surf. He has caught over 60 fluke this past week, a dozen keepers. He caught his biggest today, a 6.5-lber.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Sep 11, 2012 10:45 AM Subject: Weakfish and Albies

We fished Friday and Saturday with good results on weakfish. Chumming with live grass shrimp brought a bunch of 18 to 22 inch fish to the net. The hardest part remains to be fishing through all the other species that gang up in the shrimp slick, but most people embrace the variety that includes spots, croakers, fluke, snappers, blowfish, sand sharks and more.

Saturday, I took two guys out to the Barnegat Inlet jetty to attempt stripers and blackfish with the same live grass shrimp technique we had just used to catch weakfish in the bay. We didn’t catch any stripers or tog, but we set a new boat record for us on houndfish. These guys caught six in a row, all between 36 and 40 inches. If you haven’t seen one, a houndfish is an exact replica of those same needlefish you see swimming at the surface around docks when you are fishing for snapper blues. Only these fish are over a yardstick long and a few inches in girth with a set of long jaws full of teeth that never stop gnashing at you until you cut them loose. If you suspect you might have hooked one, back off the drag immediately as these fish take some scorching runs. They are like jumping greyhounds. No food value, but a lot of fun to catch. Here’s a video of our sixth houndfish: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcZgIrr-PIg

We will be running open boat to Barnegat Ridge this Thursday, Sept. 13 in search of bonita, albacore, and any other bluewater fish. The plan is to troll until we find some lively water and then put out a chunk line of peanut bunker and sandeels or spearing. I will be packing some live peanut bunker for hookbaits, as well. We will depart at 5 AM and return at 1 PM, the cost is $200 per man, three person max. Friday morning, Sept. 14 is available for live grass shrimping weakfish, 6 AM to 11 AM, the cost of the 5 hour trip is $395 divided by however many people sign up. Sat and Sun are wide open and I am available for bay or Ridge fishing. The way things look, the shrimping weakfish will run all the way to the end of September. The Ridge fishing should be prime time the whole month, as well. I guess I’ll find out for sure on Thursday!

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Sep 11, 2012 7:49 PM Subject: Fishing Report

Austin Pounds from Beach Haven, 100+ fluke, including a few kingfish
09/09/12 biggest fluke were 25-1/4 inches, 5.5 pounds plus a 3.5 pounder and 1.5 pound fish.
09/10/12 biggest fluke were 21 inches, 2.5 pounds and 20 inches, 2.1 pounds.

Received: Tuesday, September 11, 2012 9:08 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are catching fluke as the season draws to a close on September 28, while also planning for the re-opening of black sea bass on September 23.

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Francesca Marie” reports he has been experiencing some excellent ocean fishing for the past month. He has been putting together good catches of fluke, black sea bass, triggerfish, and small bluefish. Captain Fran says it has been some of his best fluke fishing in years, and the sea bass seem to be getting larger as the summer goes on. He has been fishing both the inshore reef sites and the deeper water wrecks offshore. Captain Fran has some big plans for the upcoming weeks. He is planning some marathon fishing trips weather permitting. On Friday, September 28, he plans a long day going after fluke on the last day of their 2012 season. For information on the 27′ May-Craft “Francesca Marie” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

According to First Mate Sal Rosa on the head boat “Miss Beach Haven”, the last few trips have been cancelled by the large ocean swells. Previous to the poor ocean conditions, Captain Frank Camarda had been finding an improving bite of fluke on the inshore reefs. On three recent trips, Artie from Beach Haven was the pool winner with nice fluke on three consecutive days. Captain Frank is taking reservations on a 10-hour fluke trip on September 28. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda, 609.978.9951 or Email: missbeachhaven@comcast.net

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

September 10, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Fluke are slamming mullet on the beach.

Today seemed like a nice fall-like morning; a little chill in the air, no humidity.

Ed K fished the mid-island surf this morning. He caught three fluke and one kingfish

~ FishHead.Greg

September 9, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 9, 2012 10:30 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Just a brief note this week that will probably be my last report for a couple of weeks. With my daughter’s wedding day fast approaching, fishing days are likely to be few and far between until later in the month when things get back to normal around here. I did sneak out briefly on Friday and found fluke in the bay still on the bite, putting a nice batch of filets into our freezer for the fall. But most of the action seemed to be right in the inlet itself or very close to it, so it looks like the move out of the bay may finally have started. That’s not to say we won’t have fluke in the bay right through the end of the month (we always catch some of our largest fluke of the year well into November when the season has long closed), but the bulk of the fish do seem to be starting their annual move eastward.

All the signs are pointing towards an excellent fall striper season this year. Massive bunker schools are still cruising up and down the coast, and the bay is loaded with peanut bunker and mullet that should start streaming out of the inlet once the days start getting shorter and the nights a bit cooler. We’ll be mixing it up again this year, fishing with live spot and clams when we’re in the bay and moving outside with jigs once the schools of bass get a little thicker. Now’s the time to get that fall trip booked while a few prime dates are still available.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

September 8, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Fresh finger mullet in stock. Fluke that are chasing baby bunker and finger mullet in the surf have been caught using 4″ and 6″ Gulp! Swimming Mullet or Grubs while s l o w l y being retrieved. Plenty of Kingfish are still being caught on bloodworms and fishbites.

Holgate is still closed and this persistent ground swell from Leslie isn’t helping. But it looks like Long Beach Township (LBT) is going to pay the bill for a mini geo-sand-bag access ramp rebuild project. Word on the street is that once the swell drops out LBT might begin to fortify the ramp.

With cyclone Leslie’s ground swell, the surf has been churned up all week. Expect the swell to build throughout the weekend and then ease during the work week. Due to the swell (and also the start of school) not many anglers are fishing the surf but the fluke, kingfish and blues are still here. Alan Young fished the surf this morning and caught a couple small blues on poppers. Chet B. gave us a heads up today that he caught a 22″ fluke off of the north end yesterday. Chet said, “The fluke are still hitting good but I’m going to start looking for tog soon. I am also stocking up my bait supply for the fall run. I just caught some spot and netted a bunch of peanut bunker and mullet.” The bay is still loaded with bait and fish! Last night Josh (store staff) fished the bayside with small jigs. He released a handful of weakfish and a couple of small striped bass.

Our fall mullet run has begun! I can also share first hand information that there is mullet in the surf! While surfing this past week I have encountered numerous schools with the tell tale “v-wake” running in the whitewater and down the beach. The other morning, I also spoke to an cast netter who had 9 dozen. There are also tons of spearing and small blues in the surf!

Capt Stew Hitchner fished offshore aboard a friend’s boat out of Forked River Thursday into Friday. Stew mentioned that the conditions were great, “It was glassy with a ground swell roller.” They caught a bunch of yellowfin on the chunk and a few on the troll. Also landed 2 big eye on the troll.

~ FishHead.Greg

September 4, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

The Holgate portion of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge re-opened to public access on Saturday, September 1. However, currently only pedestrian access is possible pending repairs of the Holgate vehicle access point by Long Beach Township. Please contact Long Beach Township at (609) 361-1000 or the Long Beach Township Police department at (609) 494-3322 for current conditions. Right now it sounds like mid-September before repairs are made to permit vehicle access.

Received: Sep 4, 2012 10:22 AM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

The past week has been an unusual one for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. The boats have been catching plenty of fish, just not always the variety they were expecting.

When the ocean is too rough for family fishing, it does not mean that a day’s fishing is lost. Captain George Finck of “Sparetime Charter” took Carl Groth and his family on a bottom fishing trip recently. Because of ocean roughness they ended up going back in the bay for a great fishing day. They caught many nice sea bass and blow fish along with a few sand sharks. The charter enjoyed the day fishing and went home with fish. For information on the 38′ Henriques “Spare Time” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. George Finck, 609.618.3877, email: Finck104@comcast.net

Captain John Koegler on the “Pop’s Pride” and the “Starfish” had five charters recently on what he termed “fun fishing” trips. On one half day trip the anglers caught and released more than 100 small sea bass along with many spot, bluefish, croakers, blowfish, and some sand sharks. Another trip produced a 2.5-poud triggerfish, and they lost an even bigger one at the boat. Captain John raved to his anglers about the delicious meals that come off a blowfish. For information on the 38′ Sport Fisherman “Pop’s Pride” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. John Koegler 609.290.3349

Captain John Lewis on the “Insatiable” had the Damiano family out on Sunday and found a lot of birds just outside of the inlet. They managed plenty of eating sized bluefish. Then they moved back in to the bay and anchored and chummed up blowfish and small sea bass. The kids on board had a ball and said it was the most fish they had ever seen. For information on the 38′ Ocean Yacht “Insatiable” contact Capt. John Lewis, Phone: 609.670.5980 Email: captjohn22@comcast.net

Captain Bob Gerkens on the “Hot Tuna” Saturday elected to stay inshore at 30 fathoms since the offshore troll bite recently has been limited to a strong white marlin bite and an occasional big eye tuna. The satellite shots showed bluer water inshore, and most importantly his party wanted “meat” and action. Thirteen year old Ryan Gates of Dingmans Ferry, PA caught his first Wahoo, a 40-pounder on a high speed troll. Besides the Wahoo, the group caught mahi, skipjack tuna and false albacore. Captain Bob says he heard reports the overnight chunk bite for yellowfin tuna in the northern canyons has turned on, and he plans to start trips there. For information on the 38′ Blackfin Sport Fisherman “Hot Tuna” contact Capt. Bob Gerkens, Phone: 609.384.0877, email: HotTunaBoat@yahoo.com

Captain Dave Wittenborn on the “Compass Rose” had Paul Garfinkle and his friend Jay out today for a inshore charter. They had steady action on fluke catching over 40 and putting 10 in the box up to 5-pounds. They ended the day with a surprise bonus, a 37.72lb cobia caught while it was thrashing a bunker pod about 4 miles outside the inlet. At the beginning of the 40-minute battle they thought it was a shark until the cobia surfaced. For information on the 29′ “Compass Rose” contact Capt. Dave Wittenborn, 609.492.5271

Captain Lindsay Fuller on the “June Bug” had the Rusty Johnson party from Dow Chemical offshore to the Wilmington Canyon last week under sporty but fishable seas. Early on they managed only several skipjacks and one 10-inch bluefin tuna. Around 10 am. the white marlin showed up and after quite a few hits, they managed to tag and release two marlin. Near the end of the day they hooked into a 70-pound yellowfin tuna which mate Nate Figley gaffed after a 25-minute fight. For information on the 41′ “June Bug” contact Capt. Lindsay Fuller, 609.685.2839, email: CaptLindsay@Fish-JuneBug.com

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

September 3, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Sep 3, 2012 11:51 AM Subject: Old Barney Charters Fishing Report 9/1

Limited on weakfish to 22″ using grass shrimp with brothers, nephews, and son. Great end to the summer for the kids before heading back to school. We will be targeting weakies and fluke to the end of September and then turning our focus to the striped ones come late fall. Soon to be the best time of year!

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt, “Bonnie Anne” 25′ Steiger Craft, up to 5 anglers, Old Barney Charters, www.oldbarneycharters.com , email oldbarneycharters@aol.com Phone 267-918-1746

Received: Sep 3, 2012 10:11 AM Subject: LBI Charters Report 9/2

No charter today so headed out in the afternoon for some fluke fishing with my sons. Caught plenty of fluke with only 2 keepers but was fun to get out and fish. Kev caught a nice fish just shy of 6-lbs. We will be fluke and triggerfishing until 9/23 when sea bass season re-opens. Contact me to book a fishing trip this fall.

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash”, 25 Ft Steiger Craft, Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

September 2, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Joe Marone of the Village Harbor Fishing Club weighed in this 1.65-lb weakfish on Sunday. He caugh it fishing Meyers Hole.

Received: Sep 2, 2012 10:31 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishinig Report

Hope everyone is enjoying a safe and relaxing holiday weekend. While it’s sad to see summer drawing to a close, I have to admit that every year around this time I find myself looking forward to a seeing the bay with less boat traffic, fewer jet skis, and the cooler water that brings our striper fishery back to life.

It should be interesting over the next couple of weeks to see how our back bay fishing develops. It’s been several years since we had a decent weakfish run during the summer, and many years since we had one with the quality of fish we had this year. While the Steve Rosenthal party had some quality weakfish up to 23″ on Tuesday, there were some signs it was slowing down a bit this week as Wednesday’s trip with outdoor writer and retired Fisherman editor Pete Barrett had only one brief flurry of activity all morning. We’ll have to see if the approaching full moon slowed things down and the fishing rebounds this week, or if they’ve actually started their migration out of the bay. It’s also been a long time since we’ve been able to fish for fluke in September, but in years past some of the best fluke fishing of the year took place in September and early October. Add in the bluefish, bonito and false albacore that should be making their appearance inshore in September and the next month or so could get interesting.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea “Rambunctious” Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters www.BarnegatBayFishing.com

Received: Sep 2, 2012 7:41 AM Subject: LBI Charters 9/1 Report

Terrence, Warren and Tim were out today aboard the “Kev n’ Ash”. Started off fluking and had a few nice keepers and steady short action. Added a couple large triggers to the 3 keeper fluke. The anglers wanted to try wreckfishing so we headed offshore to a non-existent bite. Only a few shorts on 3 wrecks. This fishery will pick up as water cools. Fall fishing is here. Will be targeting fluke and triggers until sea bass reopens on 9/23. Give us a call to book a charter.

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash”, 25 Ft Steiger Craft, Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

Received: Sep 2, 2012 12:02 PM Subject: Fishing Report

Fished a mid island jetty this morning and had 4 shorts in a half hour. Lost a keeper at the beach and had another big fish on. All on live minnows until the last fluke threw the hook into my finger! Ouch!

~ Jim Crane

August 30, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Yes the brown sharks are still here. The water temps are still right and should be for another couple of weeks. The bite has slowed but it’s still happening. Earlier in the summer the incoming tide was prime.

As far as the surf during the day… Fluke on bucktails with gulp and a teaser. Kingfish and spot on small hook with piece of bloodworms. Small blues on metal.

~ Fishhead.Greg

Received: Aug 30, 2012 1:57 PM Subject: LBI Charters 8/30 Report

Joe, Mike and Adam were aboard the “Kev n’ Ash” today for day of wreckfishing. At the first two wrecks it was DEAD, not even a throwback. Went on to end up with 9 keeper sea bass and a blowfish. Even the triggers didn’t want to play today.

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash”, 25 Ft Steiger Craft, Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

August 29, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Aug 29, 2012 10:29 AM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are continuing to find some big fluke and abundant black sea bass on the inshore wrecks and artificial reefs. The bigger fluke seem to be in deeper water now, and the boats are finding a higher keeper percentage by focusing their efforts there.

Because of the changing fishing regulations, captains have to keep an eye on the calendar to be sure exactly what is in season and what is out. The black sea bass season will take a break from September 4 through September 22 and reopen again on September 22 through October 14. It will close again until November 1 and remain open for the rest of the year. The fluke season will continue until September 28 and will close the next day on September 29 until next spring. As long as we do not get hit by any hurricanes or tropical storms, that bite should be good right up to the end.

The canyon fishery is still decent with some good tuna and mahi-mahi fishing at a relative shorter run from the inlet than usual. Now that the busy summer tourist season coming to a close, the captains have some open dates for fishing both inshore and offshore. In addition, many of the captains are already booking dates for the fall striped bass season. Information on the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be viewed at… www.fishbeachhaven.com/our-boats

Right now the bay waters are filled with spot, peanut bunker, and mullet. With all of this bait around, the upcoming striper season in bay waters could very well be a very good one.

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

August 27, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Aug 27, 2012 11:55 AM Subject: Hi Flier UPDATE – Away for a Stretch

Just wanted to let everyone know I will be away from Aug 29 to Sept 5 in case you are trying to reach me. I will be in the islands without email or cell service until then. If you would like to reach me before I leave, call me on my cell below.

We will resume grass shrimping for weakfish through the whole month of September. My first available day is Friday, Sept. 7, both the morning and afternoon trips are available. Sat., Sept. 8, I have a 5 AM to 10 AM trip available. Sun., Sept. 9 is booked. Beyond that I have plenty of availability, fishing Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun each week.

Hoping to be mixing in trips to Barnegat Ridge and the Mud Hole for bonita, albacore, tuna, and mahi when the weather is right. We will be trolling and chunking.

Thank you,

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Date: Aug 27, 2012 6:49 AM Subject: Report

“Jessica ” reported catching a 24″ fluke on Sunday on the inside of the south-end. Using fluke rigs tipped with Chartreuse Fishbites Xtreme Paddle Tail baits. Also caught shorts.

Also reported from the south-end were nice sized croakers along with kingfish that were caught on bloodworms and Fishbites Bag O’ Worms.

~ Fishhead.Greg

August 26, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Aug 26, 2012 10:40 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

The back bay continues to be the place to be for action in these parts. While fluke and weakfish are the prime targets, we’ve been seeing a nice mixture of small sea bass, blues, spots, croakers and blowfish joining in most days. Late in the week there were some signs that the hot fluke action we’ve had for the past few months is starting to slow down, but it’s certainly not over yet and probably should hold on through the Labor Day holiday.

Monday, I had regular George Selph out on a rare weekday trip targeting weakfish with soft plastics away from all the late summer boat traffic, landing 14 or 15 fish in the 20-24″ range before switching over to bottom fishing and adding a fat 10.07 pound fluke to the day’s catch. For anyone that thinks the large fluke have all left the bay by now, this true doormat was taken in just five feet of water way in the back.

Wednesday, was a fun trip with neighbor Charlie D and I loading up on enough blowfish to last the fall in just a couple of hours.

Friday, Dave and Kevin Kruge were back looking for some back bay fluke, and while the action was a lot slower than usual they still boxed a nice bay mixture of kingfish and fluke to 22″.

Photo

We’ll be sticking with the back bay fishery right through the holiday weekend, and then see what develops from there. In the meantime, we’re starting to fill up our fall striped bass schedule so now’s the time to get that trip booked while some prime dates are still open.

Until next week…

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

Received: Aug 26, 2012 7:09 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Weakfishing remains consistently awesome in Barnegat Bay and weaks have been my primary target. Most of the fish continue to run between 16” – 23”. My best success has been chumming grass shrimp away from the crowds. In between weakfish peeling off line from the light tackle used; small blues, sea bass, spots, along with a host of other species of fish have kept everyone busy. Here are some picture from recent trips. (Photo) The first one is Nikki P with her dad, Mike, and the second one is of Jason M with Tori.

My bait pens are getting stocked up for the fall striped bass run. I am now booking fall back bay or ocean striped bass trips and with some key dates still available give me a call soon to get hooked up this fall season.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

Received: Aug 26, 2012 10:29 AM Subject: LBI Charters 8/25 Report

The Reed family was out aboard the “Kev n’ Ash” for a day of wreckfishing. We started offshore by picking away at sea bass both shorts and keepers. As the ocean got a little more sporty we headed inshore to end the day with triggerfish. Young Trent had a double header of nice triggers and his sister added 3 big blowfish. Final tally with mom and dad included was 26 keeper sea bass, 9 triggerfish and 4 blowfish.

Still have openings 8/30, 8/31, 9/2, and 9/3 for wreckfishing or fluke fishing or both.

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash”, 25 Ft Steiger Craft, Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

August 25, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

A family from Philly that stopped in this morning were back at 8:30 AM to load back up with bloods. They caught 67 kingfish on the first round and some were very good sized fish. All on live bloods. Mid-Island surf, very close to the shop. The fantastic kingfish action continues.

Received a report of small bluefish and croakers being in the area.

Results from today’s Stafford Hook ‘n Ladder Fluke Tournament
Fluke
1st place 6.9-lb $1800
2nd place 5.25-lb $800
Bluefish
1st place 0.98-lb $400

~ Fishhead.Greg

August 24, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Ashley DeMaio fished on Capt George DeMaio’s boat with her dad Jamie DeMaio. They caught Mahi Mahi at the Cigar.

STOLEN… I’m reporting the theft of 2 rods on August 11, from the driveway of a home on West Ave in Beach Haven. (08/24/2012)
One was a 12 ft, 2 piece, blue Ocean Master with an Abu 6000.
The second was a custom 9 foot plugging rod (Scott LeBerge made it). It has red and blue wraps.
I’ll pay a reward to get them back! Yes the local police were notified when it happened.
Thank you for any help, Jamie Balbo 732.684.7335

August 23, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Stafford 20120 Hook ‘n Ladder Fluke Tournament. August 24, 25 & 26th Captains Meeting Friday, August 24th, 2012

Yesterday, Zach Russo of Cherry Hill along with 2 other anglers caught 15-keeper size fluke while fished the Surf City front beach using chrome bucktails tipped with White Gulp (Swimming Minnow/Grub).

Yesterday, Jeff Barnhart caught this 6.35 pound fluke fishing at the Barnegat Light Reef this past Sunday with friend Bob Percopo on his boat No Limits.

August 22, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Aug 22, 2012 3:01 PM Subject: Laura Sportfishing Report

The last week saw some great triggerfish action. The critters are tasty and fun to catch pictured are Nick, Colton, and Josh with the 25 triggers they kept. They released about 10 more, In addition they released about 15 bluefish, 2 blowfish, 2 tog, and a mess of short seabass and porgys and called it a day by 9:15am. I have a feeling the triggerfish will stick around until the first big hurricane so give me a call I have some Saturdays available in September.

~ Capt. Mark Finelli “Laura”, 23ft Parker SE 856-341-6562 www.laurasportfishing.net

August 21, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Aug 21, 2012 3:19 PM Subject: Open Boat Tuna/Mahi Thurs. Aug 23. Weakies Fri and Sat

This fishing is getting even more intense. We always catch weakfish, sometimes a few, sometimes a bunch, but the fish are quality size, and the diversity of species is incredible… everything eats grass shrimp. Sunday afternoon I anchored up in Meyer’s Hole and started throwing shrimp with the sun high in the sky, a bunch of boat traffic, and mild optimism. The incoming tide had just flooded in all of that clean green ocean water to this spot. Without a doubt, my favorite conditions to fish here, as the chum slick becomes alive with visual fish. Not just the hickory shad that we see rolling and flashing even in the darker water, but the whole spectrum. In all we caught 12 species of fish in the two and a half hours we anchored there: weakfish, fluke (including a keeper), spots, perch, hickory shad, sea bass, sea robin, blowfish, sand shark, snapper blues, croaker, and a jack crevalle. All on shrimp using six pound test spinning rods. Early on I started using a sabiki rig to target the spots, as it is time to start stocking up on them as live bait for the fall stripers and tuna. I did catch plenty of spots, but I also caught a 24 inch 3-1/2 pound weakfish on the sabiki (Photo). A little while later, my son Nicholas bagged a 17 incher on the same rig. We had a handful of weakfish and the best ones we caught all came on this rig. I will be sure to make this a part of our arsenal now, although when you hook two and three hickory shad on the same rig, things get a little dicey on the ultra lites.

This past Thurs, Fri, and Sat, I fished the west side of the bay as well as Meyer’s Hole and each day was different as far as how many weakfish we caught, but we did get them on every trip. The best results are flatlining a weightless, floatless, baited hook into the slick. We are also doing well livelining the spots and peanut bunker on the slightly heavier 10 pound spinning rods with a good size float keeping the live bait suspended right above the eelgrass. Either location will test your endurance with the multitude of species that pick at your bait while you are targeting these big trout, but if you persist, and just keep re-baiting your hook every two minutes, you will be rewarded. Even the live bait rods are high maintenance as the small bluefish chop these baits to pieces, leave that head chunk on for a few extra minutes, though, as we are catching a few nice fish on the remaining chunk. It seems that the weakies are scoffing up the remnants of the bluefish attack just as the stripers do out in the open ocean.

The forecast and the sea condition looks calm for this Thursday, Aug 23, so I am running an open boat trip to the bluewater. We will be targeting tuna, mahi, albacore and any tuna-ish species we can find. Leaving at 5 AM and returning at 2 PM, the cost is $235 per person, limited to three people. All fish are shared. We will run as far and wide as we have to, so pack some rations.

This Fri, and Sat, Aug. 24, and 25 I will be live grass shrimping weakfish. Friday’s trip is 6AM to 11AM and Saturday we will have two trips: 6AM to 11AM and 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The cost of the trip is $395, divided by however many people sign on. You can sign on as an individual, or, of course, you could book the boat for your own group, as well. Sunday is already double booked and then I am not available again until Thursday, Sept.6.

Hope to see you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Aug 21, 2012 8:28 PM Subject: REEL TROUBLE

The DuBois girls put a hurtin’ on the blowfish today. They caught about 4 dozen releasing most and keeping a dozen or so for the fryer. Fun day and a great dinner.

~ Capt. Bill Dubois, “Reel Trouble” , 40′ Custom, Beach Haven, 609.709.0226

Received: Aug 21, 2012 8:26 PM Subject: Old Barney Charters Weakfish 8/21

Fished the weakfish in the bay today and limited on the weakfish in less than an hour. It was nonstop action with 2 and 3 simultaneous hook-ups at a time. Continued catch and release on the weakfish before targeting others species. Grass shrimp was the bait. Outgoing. Hour before the turn. Scott, Jerry, Ryan (10), Jeremy (9), Drew (8), and Maryn (7) had a great trip. In the end, we ended the day catching weakfish, snapper blues, spot, croakers, fluke, sea bass, and hickory shad. (Photo)

We are open on Thursday and Friday for weakfish or fluke. Bay or ocean. Morning or afternoon. $100 a person for 4 hour trip on open boat. Or $350 for the boat for 4 hours. Call or email if interested.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt, “Bonnie Anne” 25′ Steiger Craft, up to 5 anglers, Old Barney Charters, www.oldbarneycharters.com , email oldbarneycharters@aol.com Phone 267-918-1746

Received: Aug 21, 2012 5:50 PM Subject: Weakfish

Had plans to fish out front today but things got fouled up and I couldn’t make it out. I did however fish a bayside dock in surf city from 3:00-4:30 this morning and caught close to 50 weakfish on FishBites Bloodworms, pink sluggos and blue/white Fin-S lures on 1/4oz jigheads. All of the fish were shorts with the exception of 3, one being well over the size limit and the others just squeaking past the mark.

~ Ryan Curtiss

Received: Aug 21, 2012 7:52 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

Captain George Finck of the boat “Spare Time” last week had a fishing week that showed best just how varied and exciting the fishing in Beach Haven can be for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. Early last week he was very busy with many bottom fishing trips where the charters caught many short fluke and short black sea bass. The anglers all had patience, and managed to return to the dock with some nice keeper fluke and sea bass. Later in the week he had a trip offshore to the canyons with Ken Lieb and some friends. The group returned to the dock with 5 fat yellowfin tuna and one monster bigeye tuna that tipped the scales at 199-pounds.For information on the 38′ Henriques “Sparetime” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. George Finck, 609.618.3877, email: Finck104@comcast.net

Captain Dave Wittenborn on the “Compass Rose” fished the Losier family from Boston for the second year in a row. Emily Losier had the doormat fluke of the day at 8.64-pounds and measuring 28.5-inches. She was high hook for the group for the second year in a row. They finished the half day trip with 8 keepers, 3 of which were over 5.5-pounds. For information on the 29′ “Compass Rose” contact Capt. Dave Wittenborn, 609.492.5271

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Francesca Marie” has been finding some hot fluke fishing by heading a little bit south of Little Egg Inlet. One day last week he had a 4-man group limit out on keeper fluke. A great day! For information on the 27′ May-Craft “Francesca Marie” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

August 20, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Dan Reardon landed a 5-lb fluke.

August 19, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Get in on the action! There’s lots of fishing fun in the sun…

Last night Jeff Warford and Blake (store staff) fish the bay side yesterday. Blake caught three weakfish and Jeff got one small blue. Blake has it polished. He’s on it every night and in the groove.

Lou H. sharked off of the surf last night. He reported catching come toothy critters! He said most of them were small but he was still happy to get his line tight and his drag screaming. Lou mentioned that his Century rod was the ticket. “Those that were getting over the bar were getting hit. The baits in close were getting chewed by crabs.”

This morning Gianna was still stoked on fishing yesterday! [See Report Below] When she woke up this morning she asked me to take her again. We grabbed her mini pink rod & reel and some bloodworms and headed down the street again. The pier was full of happy family anglers/crabbers. Everyone was having fun! Those crabbing said it was slow but they were picking a few keepers. The fishing action was hot again!

The abundance and variety in the bay is amazing. There are tons of spot (they love small piece of bloodworm), a number of baby kingfish and a couple porgys. Lots of snapper blues on small metals like the Snapper Zappers or a small hook tipped with hooked spearing and a bobber. There were also other species caught like a gar and an eel. You never know what you are going to catch when you cast a small baited hook in the bay this time of year. Here are some pictures of Mel (my girl friend) her niece Gianna and I.

Keith Wiedenhof hit the beach mid island this morning. He reported lots of life, “Schools of bunker were rounded up by dolphin. There were blues and fluke in the wash. Another angler fishing smaller hooks was picking at the kings and spot.”

Also on the beach this morning, Bill Bassant and his girl friend Megan. “Fishing was good off of the surf today.” Bill said, “The new rod is sick! We caught 38 fluke. Megan caught the only two keepers.”

“The bay is loaded with blowfish!” reported Capt Stew on the Pez Machine. He gave us heads up today that bite was on today and yesterday in the Barnegat Bay. He had the Jarowicz family out yesterday on a ½ day trip and then again today for a full day trip. They caught over a 100 blowfish, a bunch of croakers as well as some keeper sea bass. Stew also put the family on the fluke! They caught 4 keepers up to 24” with a lot of throwbacks (short). Stew mentioned that he currently has Tuesday August 21st open. Any families looking to head out on a beautiful boat and enjoy the day on the water give Stew a call. Capt. Stew Hitchner, Pez Machine Sportfishing 56′ Core Sound, 609.287.5136 Stew@pezmachine.com

Brian Rust stopped by with two beautiful fluke; one 7.85-lb and the other 5.5-lbs. He reported that he was fishing the Barnegat Light Reef with squid and spearing on a bucktail.

~ Fishhead.Greg

Received: Aug 19, 2012 4:06 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – More great light tackle action and water spout video

Another fun action packed week for the light tackle enthusiasts with even the 3-hr evening trips scoring 50+ fish including weakfish to 4-5lbs! All within the safe confines and protected waters of Barnegat Bay. This makes it an ideal time for the new comers both young and old to experience this entertaining and fast paced action.

Bites have been within minutes if not seconds of “lines in the water” and have continued throughout the trips with a dozen or so species making for great action and keeping everyone on their toes. Weakfish ranging in size from 12″ -25″ have been encountered on all trips with the larger one making their presence known buy scorching line off our light spinning rods and testing anglers skills! Other species such as blowfish, croakers, spot, hickory shad, silver perch, seabass, fluke, bluefish, sand sharks, puppy drum… etc. Adding to the excitement is the feeling of “what will I catch next”!

The diverse amounts of species could not have been any more evident for regular Joe Franke who was joined by grandsons Joe and Jake Wildman when we witnessed a 4-5ft shark fining the surface within a few hundred yards from the marina! Watching it for a few seconds while it pursued and caught it’s early morning breakfast before we lost sight of it.

Join us on Face book and check out last weeks Barnegat Light water spout video . Although it is hard to clearly see the funnel at time you can see where the water disturbance is indicated by white swirling spray and the upper section you can make out the “V” shape at the base of the clouds.

With the month of August just about on our stern we now are pointing the bow towards our fast approaching Fall season and filling up our calendar fast! Call and reserve your private charter today or join our list of open boat anglers to experience some of the best fishing opportunities found anywhere!

(Photo)

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Aug 19, 2012 11:18 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

It might be late August and the water might be getting pretty warm, but back bay fishing continues to produce consistent ultra light action on fluke and without doubt the best weakfish run we’ve had in years. Fluke fishing in the bay is still pretty much a numbers game and we’re generally picking through 20-30 shorts for each keeper that goes in the box, but the action is fast and the light tackle we’re using makes even the small ones great fun to catch. On the other hand, the quality of the weakfish we’re catching is something we haven’t seen in a long time. No, we’re not having the 130-150 fish days we had six or seven years ago, but we are getting several dozen fish per outing and all of them are quality fish that each would have been the highlight of the day back then.

Monday I had John Olsen up from Atlanta with his son Bill, daughter-in-law Karen, and granddaughter Annalisa looking to get 8 year old Annalisa her first saltwater fish. After that was accomplished in the first five minutes, Team Olsen continued to steadily bring fish over the side for the next few hours before heading off early to hit the beach. Friday I had Chip Harter and Paul Buchanan out on their annual summer trip, and we hit the back waters looking for weakfish using ultra lights and soft plastics. By the time the bite shut off mid-morning, the guys had landed almost two dozen quality sparklers up to 24 inches long, with only one fish under 20 inches all morning. A couple quick drifts on the way back to the dock added three quality keeper sized fluke to the box to add a nice fat bag of filets for dinner.

As long as this fishing holds up, we’re going to keep working the back bay and inlet areas for fluke and weakfish until at least Labor Day. I still have a couple of openings between now and then, so give me a call or shoot me an email if you want to get out before summer draws to a close.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

August 18, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Soon to be 5-years old, Gianna Marrese was bummed with the weather this morning. She wanted to do something outdoors so decided to fish the Ship Bottom bay dock. Well she did and got in on the spot bite. “G” and I headed down the street from the shop with her mini pink combo, a high low rig with small hooks, a sinker and some bloodworms. First cast, double header! She was catching good, about a dozen spot in a half hour. She called it quits when the bait ran out.

Another kid fishing right beside her, JT caught a nice weakfish live lining the spot he was catching. JT also was catching crabs.

~ FishHead.Greg

August 17, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

This morning, father and son team of Keith and Sky Krokus landed a 4.85-lb fluke in the ship Bottom surf. Three (3) fish were caught on the first three (3) casts. Their morning catch totaled seven (7) fluke all caught within an hour. Kingfish were also around.

The jetties are will almost always produce a variety of actions. From fluke, blues and stripers to tog, sea bass and bergalls there is an abundance of species presently there. There is also a very good chance at catching weakfish and blowfish too. For tomorrow (Saturday, August 18th) you will have low tide at about 3pm. With the new moon today, expect more extreme tides. Heading out on the rocks at 3-4pm might not be the best idea.

The surf has offered consistent action on kingfish, spot and small blues. The brown sharks and rays are still here, but the brownie bite is not as hot as it was. Still worth putting in the time. They will be here into September.

If hitting the beach tomorrow mid-afternoon I would suggest heading to one end of the Island or the other. There has been recent reports of fish right here by the shop mid-island but on a Saturday it will be a circus on the sand. The big beaches of Barnegat Light are a great place to get away from the mobs of beach goers. Up there you will also find other fisherman.

~ FishHead.Greg

August 16, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Woke up yesterday morning at Barnegat bayside house and saw activity right behind the house. Grabbing a rod/reel, I jumped into kayak to get in on the action. Caught a pair of weakfish and a number of snappers. Weakfish and snappers were crashing bait (peanut bunker and spearing).

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Aug 16, 2012 5:16 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Sportfishing

Currently, most of the areas in the ocean are producing nice keepers when you can get out with the weather and sea conditions. Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to fish the Make a Wish Tournament ran by South Harbor Marina in Waretown. South Harbor owner Tom Mackie and family do a superb job of running this event. My father and I ended up with 10 keepers with our two heaviest fish having a combined weight of 7.92lb – good enough for 12th place out of 120 boats. Midweek, I had the John Ways charter fishing some areas close to the inlet – they ended up with 10 keepers. Three of these fish were around 5lbs – with the biggest measuring 24″. Most of the fish were caught on my custom rigs with the “secret” scented strips. The bay is still holding some fish – but most keepable fish are being caught close to the inlet – with the bigger ones hanging around structure or depth changes.

I will be running weekday charters until Sept 3rd – after this date I’ll run weekday afternoon charters and weekends. If you want to “catch”, call 609-290-7709 or email: reelreaction@gmail.com.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709 reelreaction@gmail.com

August 15, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Aug 15, 2012 4:53 PM Subject: Mixed Bag Back Bay

Fished the bay off of Surf City this morning for a few hours. As soon as we anchored up and dropped the chum log over we started catching all the monster sized spots, baby sea bass and cocktail blues that we could have ever asked for. Once the tide picked up the blowfish started biting as well as a couple of weakfish. We kept about a dozen nice sized blowfish and a 17-inch weakfish. We had non stop action on fresh clams and squid strips. (Photo)

~ Ryan Curtiss

Received: Aug 15, 2012 3:43 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

The boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are finding some good fishing on the inshore wrecks and artificial reefs. After a couple of weeks of sub-standard results on this bottom fishing action, some larger fluke are showing up along with some numbers of good sized black sea bass. In contrast, the bite in the bay waters has turned into practically all catch and release of under sized fish. There have been reports of 1-3 pound bluefish around close to the beach in good numbers that are providing good action on trolling feathers.

The “Miss Beach Haven” with Captains Frank Camarda and Brant Whittaker has been experiencing some steady reef action including two really standout fish caught recently. A 12-year old angler boated an 8.2 pound fluke on a rental rod fishing in the stern of the boat. A 7.9 pounder was also brought aboard. Mate Sal Rosa reports that schools of triggerfish have been appearing lately with some nice catches of these on the “Miss Beach Haven”. He said that at times a half dozen triggerfish would follow the baits to the surface, and he is telling the anglers to retrieve slowly in hopes of coaxing a bite. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda, 609.978.9951 or Email: missbeachhaven@comcast.net

Captain Lindsay Fuller on the “June Bug” has had a couple of inshore reef trips recently and reports that although they had some problems with the weather, they had plenty of action on undersized fluke. Captain Lindsay passes along the word that offshore fishing is picking up again with bigeye tuna showing up in good numbers but moving from canyon to canyon following the bait. After spending time in the Washington Canyon, they have most recently been found in the Toms Canyon. For information on the 41′ “June Bug” contact Capt. Lindsay Fuller, 609.685.2839, email: CaptLindsay@Fish-JuneBug.com

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Received: Aug 15, 2012 10:09 AM Subject: LBI Charters 8/14 Fishing Report

Tuesday, Vince, Andrew and 12 year old Lewis were out for a day of wreckfishing. Sea bass fishing was a steady pick for the guys. The group wanted to try catching triggerfish before heading in, and before the storms hit! The triggers were there, saw 30-40 swimming around the boat and caught 6, including Andrews triggerfish that I would say was the largest I’ve seen caught on the Kev n’ Ash! Final tally was 40 keeper sea bass, a small bluefish, Vince’s large kingfish and 6 triggers! Got to add that we saw a whale feeding nearby which added to the day. Open dates available before Labor Day are as follows: 8/26, 8/30, 8/31, 9/2, and 9/3 so give a buzz at 631-300-6413 or check us out at www.lbicharters.com

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash”, 25 Ft Steiger Craft, Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

August 14, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Aug 14, 2012 2:25 PM Subject: TUNA

Had another good day in the canyon yesterday. Caught five 60# yellow fin tuna and pulled the hook on a few more. Have a make up canyon charter for Friday that are looking for 3 more guys. Call if interested.

~ Capt. Bill Dubois, “Reel Trouble” , 40′ Custom, Beach Haven, 609.709.0226

Received: Aug 14, 2012 10:20 AM Subject: Weakfish

Catching weakfish every day. Here’s a picture of Chuck Elmendorf with a weakfish from Sunday afternoon that gobbled up his live grass shrimp flatline on one of our 6 pound trout rods. We’ve been catching them for six weeks on the inlet side of the bay and now we’re connecting with some even bigger fish on the west side of the bay, between BI and BB Buoys. Both places offer a variety pack of species, though the east side of the Dike delivers more diversity including hickory shad, perch, spot, blowfish, and fluke. We are chumming with live grass shrimp and feeding out weightless baited hooks into the chum line. Keep the line extra slack as you let it out so the bait doesn’t rise and you will catch the weakies. They are running from 14 to 22 inches, 1 to 4 pounds. We keep the tackle light and these fish are burning drag and bending the rod all the way to the reel seat! Bobbers help when you are fishing the west side of the bay. Subtract two feet from your depth and set your hook that distance under the float. That will hover your bait right over the top of the eelgrass instead of sinking into it.

Pretty well booked up this week, but I do have three openings: Thursday, August 16, if the marine forecast stays the same, the boat is already booked for an offshore bonita/albacore/tuna trip returning at 1 or 2 PM, so I will offer a 2 PM to 7 PM weakfish trip with live grass shrimp. If the weather is not agreeable to me running offshore, the party I have scheduled will fish from 5AM to 11AM in which case the afternoon trip will be from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Whoever books this afternoon will have to be flexible until Friday evening on the departure time. I also have Sat morning, August 18, 5AM to 10AM and 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The 5 hour weakfish trip is $395. If you would like to sign on as an individual, you can share the cost with as many people who sign on for the same trip. Maximum of 4 people (flexible with kids).

Please call me, don’t email me, as I will be on the water around the clock from Thursday to Sunday. My cell number is below.

Hope to see you aboard!

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Aug 14, 2012 12:14 AM Subject: Blues again

Yesterday, Knott Reel Farmers ran through Beach Haven Inlet to the red tower again and locked horns with some more junior bluefish. The ocean was beautiful and the previous day’s 2 to 4 foot swell had subsided to a gentle 1 to 2 foot swell with a long period between them. Temps dropped to about 68 degrees just off the beach. The ocean was full of life, with significant schools of baitfish, small blues, and (presumably) small schools of either weakfish or spot hugging the bottom. I’m inclined to believe the spot were in dominant numbers, since beach anglers have been reeling them in daily, and we saw a large pod of dolphins in the same area (Spots are one of their favorite snacks).

The small blues were very aggressive, hitting our trolled blue/white and purple/black feathers like a prize fighter. They hit so hard initially that they fooled us into believing they were a much larger fish. Since they were not breaking water much, we decided to troll the feathers behind an 8 ounce trolling sinker and we set them WAY BACK to drop them down closer to the mid-water level, which was where we consistently marked the numerous schools of small blues. Our course kept us running into the southeasterly wind in 20 to 24 feet of water and between 1/4 to 1/3 mile off the beach.

So if the fluke fishing isn’t paying off, and you are tired of running to the reefs or the canyons, take a troll along the beach and enjoy some bluefish.

Tight Lines Everyone!

~ Bernie H, “Knot Reel Farmers”

August 13, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

3:00 PM

Al Stella of Manahawkin bucktailed the bay/inlet today. He caught a pair of keeper fluke among a lot of shorts. Al also caught a 34″ striper. All of his action was on Spro Bucktails with Gulp!.

Over the weekend Kenny Choi of Philadelphia caught 4 keeper fluke off of the northend’s surf. He also reported lots of blues in the 12-15″ range.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Aug 13, 2012 8:55 PM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

Last week was action packed in more ways than one!

We continue to experience solid light tackle action from a variety of species on all trips. We have had constant action within a few seconds of “lines in” from upwards of a dozen species of fish on a few outings. Presently the back bay is chock full of fish and at times it is hard to target or decide to fish for any one specific species of fish but the large weakfish population that we have on hand makes the decision a little easier. (Grissinger Family Charter Photo)

Last Fridays tenacious weather that was forecasted for later in the day arrived ahead of schedule which produced a “interesting ” couple of minutes for the Joe Franke Clan as we witnessed a water spout touch down in Barnegat Lights South pocket which proceeded to come ashore and harass beach goers’ and anglers throwing and spinning their chairs, blankets etcs into the air. The spout continued across the inlet and the Island Beach State Park’s North pocket again harassing beach goers’ and anglers alike throwing all of their belonging into the air before pulling back up into the clouds and leaving everyone scattering to retrieve their stuff. One of the guys did get video (I was a little busy trying to keep a safe distance) of it and I will post it on Facebook as soon as it becomes available.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Aug 13, 2012 11:23 AM Subject: Fished For Fun

Canceled charters for the weekend due to weather. Well of course, it was not blowing 20-25 kts when I got up on Saturday, so I decided to go fish for fun. Was greeted by a large ground swell, probably 4-6 ft, so I decided to stay local. Fished a couple spots, plenty of action, but a lot of throwback fish. The water along the beach had cooled 10 degrees since last weekend, which had the blackfish chewing a little better, but the colder/dirtier water definitely slowed down the triggerfish bite. Ended up with 6 triggerfish and 2 keeper blackfish (maybe 8-10 short fish released) in a couple hours. Given sea conditions, glad I canceled the charter as I’m looking forward to better weather and getting a group out to a couple small spots that should be holding some nice sea bass and fluke!

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash”, 25 Ft Steiger Craft, Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

August 12, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

The surf is still chilly from the recent south blow’s upwell. It seems like it turned off the brown shark bite but it hasn’t stopped the kingfish and spot. They are still thick. Expect the water temps to climb back and the night shark bite to get back on track in a day or two. The recent blow/swell even churned up the water. Friday and Saturday were both chocolate brown. Yesterday the water cleaned up nicely and should be clean tomorrow with a nice westerly wind. If heading to the beach prepare in advance for greenheads. They might be there because of the westerly breeze.

We received a report from a local old timer. He reported loading up on blowfish in the bay today. He mentioned that he caught a variety of species; blowfish, spot, kingfish and a pair of weakfish. Another customer told us about his recent catch of sheepshead by the causeway bridges.

South Philly Fred hit the road and headed North in search of stripers for the weekend. He scored! Fred gave us a heads up that he got into some good schoolie bass with a few better fish mixed in. He’s ready for the summer to be over and the fall to begin!

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Aug 12, 2012 10:48 PM Subject: Another Day With the Blues

Sunday, Knott Reel Farmers made a mid-day run out of Beach Haven Inlet for some late afternoon trolling. Cleared the inlet to find a nice and steady 2 to 4 ft ground swell and decent conditions. Lots of sea life showed on the sounder balled up in numerous locations, so we started the troll early off Holgate and immediately started picking up small blues. Birds were working an area off the Beach Haven red tower in about 24 feet of water, about 1/3 mile off the beach. We trolled past them on the upwind side and had double run offs. Again, cocktail blues, and they were really fired up. We stayed on the troll, going a bit farther off shore, but couldn’t shake the bluefish. They were just going nuts for both the blue and white, and the black and purple 3″ Williamson Flash Feathers.

Angler Brittany Hyland gets an assist from the skipper’s best friend “Ludwig” , who anxiously awaits her to land another cocktail blue off the Beach Haven Red Tower.

Despite the bad weather, and the cool off, there is a tremendous amount of sealife off the beach. We marked bait and school blues. Bunker were all over the place. Should be an amazing Fall fishing season coming our way!

Set the hook!

~ Bernie H, “Knot Reel Farmers”

Received: Aug 12, 2012 10:00 PM Subject: Fishing report 8/12/12

Lighthouse jetty action today that didn’t stop till 6:00 PM.

I was trying for fluke on the jetty with not much luck, a few shorts but the bite was on and off. Saw a bunch of birds diving at the end of the jetty right about when the tide started to come in around 1:00 PM. Didn’t pay mind to it, seen it many times like that and never any action. Was about to call it a decent day of fishing when a guy walked by and proceeded to tell me about the action down at the end and that the fish were just jumping everywhere. He was right, when I got down there I had already tied a teaser on and had an AVA on the end of my line. There were about 5 people down here already hooking up. I cast out and then realized I had to downsize my metal, the bait (I assume is spearing) were little and thats what they were looking for. There were plenty of feisty cocktail blues within the mix, and as many herring as you desire to catch and then some. Almost every cast, it slowed a bit, and then would pick back up within minutes lasted about 2 hours since I’d gotten there. I was catching on both the inlet side and the beach side, seemed to be more blues on the beach side than herring. The herring and blues were blowing up the surface (sure wish I had bought my smaller top water with me), birds were diving and smiles on everyones face. I had hooked up with a fluke as well as the guy next to me during the frenzy with the AVA, pretty sweet, 3 fish with the same lure during the same period. I did notice a guy down the way fishing with crab bait, he had caught and released at least 4 keeper size tautog that I had seen, then towards the end he was catching spot on the beach side with bloods. Definitely a good day for fishing.

~ Scott Brockmeyer

Received: Aug 12, 2012 3:02 PM Subject: Ship Bottom 13th Street Beach Fluke

This afternoon, local angler Logan McDonough caught an 18.5″ Fluke on the Ship Bottom 13th Street beach. Logan was using a Kingfish Rig with FishBites artificial bloodworm for bait.

~ Kris

Received: Aug 12, 2012 1:04 AM Subject: Back to the “Spot”

After cruising the better part of the afternoon on Saturday through repeated downpours, the crew aboard “Knot Reel Farmers” finally settled on a repeat of Friday’s fun with the blowfish, black seabass, and spot. The fun started the second the first line hit bottom, having dunked the clam log only five minutes earlier. One after another came over the side, only to be released to fight another day.

The fun was interrupted around 7:30 PM by a courtesy inspection visit from the USCG crew out of Station Barnegate. They must have been either bored, or completely surprised to find us out there all by ourselves at dusk, since everyone else stayed dry at home. After the brief visit from our good natured Coasties, we went back to fishing for another hour at the same crazy fish after fish pace. It was a nice way to end an otherwise wet and stormy day.

As a side note, Spot are not just great for catching big fluke and stripers. They also make a terrific fish tank pet. My wife loves how busy they keep themselves, constantly scouring the sand on the bottom of our 75 gallon aquarium. Its amazing how clean they keep the tank, and they are rather friendly in captivity, often settling in the front of the tank to watch what’s going on in the dry land world. We feed them coy pellets, and the moment they hit the water, the Spots go into action cleaning up the tank. We have also successfully maintained, oyster crackers, and eels in the tank. They are just as interesting as the pricey tropical fish, and a great conversation topic when friends visit and marvel at the local critters from our bay.

Keep those lines tight!

~ Bernie H, “Knot Reel Farmers”

August 11, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

The LBI Fishing Club had their annual Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs Kids Fishing Tournament today. They had 273 kids registered. They caught 103 fish, mostly spot and kingfish. Shannon Devitt of Westfield, NJ placed first in the 13-17 age category. Her father stopped in the shop and gave us heads up that it was a great time, “Everyone was catching!”

The recent south blow has upwelled some of the colder ocean water from the deep. Expect a slight chill for a day or two. It should warm back up soon.

Received: Aug 11, 2012 8:19 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

It was another amazing week of weakfishing on Barnegat Bay this week highlighted by Wednesday’s trip. On that day Bud and “Hottie” got into a hot bite catching and releasing over 50 weakfish. Most fish where in the 16” to 23” range and they chewed on both sides of the tides. Several times the team was doubled up with nice weaks. Early Friday I took out Dave Werner for a quick shot at the fish before the t-storms moved in. After a couple adjustments we found what they wanted and landed several nice fish before heading back in by 7:30. If you do not want to miss out on the best weakfishing in a very long time give me a call. Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex, “Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

Received: Aug 10, 2012 11:55 PM Subject: Light Tackle Day

Friday, “Knot Reel Farmers” waited for the clouds to part and headed for an old favorite hole near the edge of the channel off McKinley Ave in Holgate. We anchored up on the back end of high tide with a clam log for chum and used spot rigs with Fish Bite bloodworm bait on 8 & 10-lb light action spinning tackle. Within seconds of the first line hitting bottom we had the first of several dozen blowfish come over the side. Mixed in were dozens of junior seabass, spots, sea robbins, and snapper blues. Several double headers as well. All went back into the bay to grow up for a hook up on another day. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end an otherwise rainy day.

~ Bernie H, “Knot Reel Farmers”

August 9, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

1:30 PM

A customer came in the shop a little bit ago to buy a package of FishBites (Bloodworm Alternative) on his was back out to the beach. He reported, “I caught 9 kingfish, all on FishBites and an angler next to me was catching too. The action was good from 3 – 6 PM. Around 6 PM the birds came in and that angler next to me caught small bluefish on metal. By the time I re-rigged the bluefish were gone.”

Steve-O and Jessica fished the bayside last night. They caught some weakfish and reported tons of bait! Here is a picture of Jessica with beautiful tiderunner. Steve-O mentioned that another angler lost a nice sized fluke while trying to land it without a net.

Received: Aug 9, 2012 8:09 PM Subject: Hot weakfish bite continues.

Had a great bite on weakfish over by the dike today on live grass shrimp. Baited hooks and shad darts tipped with shrimp, vertical jigging the bottom. All the weakfish were 14 to 22 inches, solid 1 to 3 pound fish. Lots of hickory shad, spots, and blowfish. Eight species in all when you count fluke, sea robin, sea bass, and snapper blues. On the ultra lite 6 pound outfits, these fish scream drag and the rods bend all the way to the reel seat. Here’s my son Max with a nice weakie from today.

Still room on Sat and Sun, 11:30 AM to 4:30PM trips. Call me, don’t email me, I’ll be on the water, two trips a day, every day. Shrimping weakfish.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Aug 9, 2012 6:16 PM Subject: HUGE Smooth Butterfly Ray caught last night (this morning) off LBI beach

I’ve been in the store a bunch recently, to gear up for sharks from the beach, and while I’ve only had success with two nice browns a couple of weeks ago, I continued my quest for that elusive Sand Tiger last night. We fished all night with nothing but a single Kingfish, caught by my brother on a gulp sandworm. Then tossed a bunker head out after midnight which was technically already today, Thursday, the 9th. Just as we were preparing to leave, and moments later, my line starts peeling out.. I set the hook and I had no idea what I was in for! I initially thought that I finally had my Sand Tiger, but about a half hour into the battle, the thing suctioned itself to the ground, rendering all of my efforts useless. There were several times when my reel was getting way too hot and I actually needed my brother to pour cold fresh water onto it. Every time I would get it closer, it would just go for another strong run, spooling all of the line I had just retrieved and then some! My 11′ surf rod was bent all the way to the reel, using every bit of muscle the thing had and it still wasn’t enough to un-suction this beast from the bottom, clearly this sea creature was no joke! I knew that it had to be bigger and MUCH heavier than I was so the only option was to tire it out, keep the tension on, and get him close enough to ride the waves into shore, which is eventually how this grueling battle ended, making it just over an hour fight! I was in dis-belief with what I saw when this thing came onto the beach… A Smooth Butterfly Ray… about an inch or two short of 7′ from one wing tip to the other. The weight is unknown, but I would estimate at EASILY over 250lbs, and I think it was well over that. After a measurement and some photos, he was released back to the ocean so he could tell
his tale, and I can tell mine. This monster was taken on a bunker head just past the 3rd set of breakers at high tide. I was equipped with a Shimano Baitrunner 4500B with 30 or 40-lb Power-Pro (one of the two, not sure which), which was rigged up with a fishfinder on 4 to 5-ft of 100-lb mono leader tied to a snap swivel, where I had one of Fisherman’s Headquarters’ very own made up shark rigs, which I can now say with experience, are top notch! (Photos of the beast!)

~ AJ Rotondella

Received: Aug 9, 2012 9:03 PM Subject: Old Barney Charters Fishing Report

Had Scott, Becca, Joey, Michael, and Rachel, on vacation from Texas, out for a trip to find some fluke and sea bass. The ocean was flat, which unfortunately led to a not so great drift. So, we found some structure, worked it, and were rewarded with 8 keeper sea bass, 2 keeper fluke, and a trigger. Joey and Micahel had the hot rods on the day. Joey had a sea bass just short of 5lbs.! Michael would not be outdone and pulled in a 22″ fluke as well as a trigger. The family had a great time and it was a fun day!

Call or email to book a date in the upcoming weeks and get in on the action for fluke, sea bass, and weakies.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt, “Bonnie Anne” 25′ Steiger Craft, up to 5 anglers, Old Barney Charters, www.oldbarneycharters.com , email oldbarneycharters@aol.com Phone 267-918-1746

Received: Aug 9, 2012 7:26 PM Subject: Small Blues Everywhere

Knot Reel Farmers headed out of Beach Haven Inlet today and trolled to Barnegat Ridge. Cocktail blues were everywhere. We had a lot of fun with them in the catch and release mode, but there was not much else to be reported, other than one major run off that ended in the loss of a nice feather and trolling sinker – probably a bigger bluefish.

Back at the dock, snapper blues are going crazy chasing peanut bunker and other bait up and down the channel between the slips. Quite a show, especially for our black lab who wanted to get in on the action.

~ Bernie H, “Knot Reel Farmers”

August 8, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Pete U. fished yesterday off of the surf on the South-end of the Island. He got into the kingfsh and spot. Later he fished at night on the bayside… No brown sharks but managed one big cow nose ray and dropped a small weakfish on a small black bomber. This morning he targeted fluke off of the south end surf. He caught two keepers, one real good size.

Received: Aug 8, 2012 4:38 PM Subject: Fwd: fishing report

On Tuesday, Capt Bill Dubois of the Reel Trouble out of Beach Haven had a charter and put his party on a nice catch. They caught 11 yellowfin tuna from 40-50#, and released a blue marlin estimated at 350-400#, plus released a white marlin. If interested in a charter, please call Capt Bill for details.

~ Capt. Bill Dubois, “Reel Trouble” , 40′ Custom, Beach Haven, 609.709.0226

Received: Aug 8, 2012 12:18 PM Subject: All Weakfish, All the Time!

I am taking a break from the offshore fishing this week as the weather seems too erratic for my small craft. Besides I did two zeros last week, one at the Monster Ledge on Friday and a short effort at Barnegat Ridge on Saturday. No life, no birds, no readings, so we came back inside and in the middle of the day with boats and jet skis running through my slick we caught weakfish.

I will be running two trips a day for weakfish and all the other species that gather in our live grass shrimp chum slick. That fishing has been excellent… still with 15 to 20 inch fish being the norm… and no sign of slowing down. As the tides are this week, the afternoon trips also have a chance to try for stripers and blackfish using the same technique out on the oceanside of the Inlet jetty.

“Hi Flier” availability is as follows: Thurs, Aug 9, 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM, and 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Fri, Aug 10, 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Sat and Sun, Aug 11 and 12 the mornings are booked so I have the 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM slots available on both of those days. Cost is $395 divided by however many people sign up, a maximum of 4 anglers. If we fish the jetty and the bay the cost is $100 more and the trip is six hours instead of five hours. We also use a whole second batch of live shrimp.

Please call, don’t email if you would like a spot. Thank you.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

August 7, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: August 7, 2012 11:42 AM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

The offshore canyon fishing for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association has been very productive as long as the weather permits them to make the trip.

Captain Bob Gerkens took his boat the “Hot Tuna” out on Saturday evening to the Toms Canyon on a last minute split charter group. He set the trip up with the weather forecast good for Saturday, but deteriorating conditions after that for a few days. The group returned to dock with the flags flying for four different canyon species. Overall they had four yellowfin tuna up to 62 pounds, a wahoo, a mahi-mahi, and a catch and release of a white marlin. Captain Bob reports that angler Bob Swenson of Burlington, NJ, did the mandatory swim after catching his first white marlin. Fishing with Bob were Scott Damiano of Parsippany and Dave Swarter of Souderton, Pa. The capable mate was Bob Lefevre. For information on the 38′ Blackfin Sport Fisherman “Hot Tuna” contact Capt. Bob Gerkens, Phone: 609.384.0877, email:HotTunaBoat@yahoo.com

Captain John Koegler had some good trips over the past week on the “Pop’s Pride.” One afternoon trip on an ocean wreck resulted in six keeper sea bass along with 25 throwbacks. There were lots of pound and half bluefish in the area, and they kept seven along with one 19-inch fluke. It was unusual fishing in that most of the sea bass were over 200 yards away from the wreck’s actual structure. Another day strong winds kept him from going into the ocean, and he fished the inlet. His party boated 6 keeper weakfish and released another 8. They also boated quite a few fluke, but only one was keeper sized. They rounded out their catch with six bluefish to 5-pounds. They also picked up several spot on the large fluke hooks. For information on the 38′ Sport Fisherman “Pop’s Pride” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. John Koegler 609.290.3349

Captain Carl Sheppard on the “Starfish” has been treating his parties to some exceptional fishing on the wrecks and drifting for fluke. Now that the summer is waning, he is catching larger fish. He had the Donny Moreno family out to the wrecks and in four hours they caught over 80 fish. The largest was a 4-foot silver eel, the heaviest a 6.5-pound fluke, while the triggerfish seemed to be the most fun. For information on the “Star Fish” for 2-20 anglers contact Capt. Carl Sheppard, 609.492.2591, cfsheppard@aol.com

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

August 6, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Received: Aug 6, 2012 10:52 PM Subject: Laura Sportfishing

The last few weeks have been all about Seabass! The keeper to short ratio continues to amaze me and as a general rule you will get tired of fishing before we run out of fish to catch. In addition it is fun if you have a bunch of anglers because everyone is participating regardless of their fishing experience. On Saturday I went fluke fishing with some good friends we had 8 keepers, one released tog, one not and as by-catch a bunch of nice seabass. I may have availability this Sunday.

~ Capt. Mark Finelli, www.laurasportfishing.net

Received: Aug 6, 2012 2:08 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Last week I was out on the water almost every day concentrating on weakfish. The action was hot and heavy with fish up to 23” early on but the action slowed a little around the full moon. Even with that the myriad of other fish in Barnegat Bay cooperated to keep fishing rods bent. Check out this picture of young Michael with a real nice weakfish. To keep young anglers happy right now just anchor up with some chum and bait small hooks with Fish Bites to catch: spot, kingfish, small croakers, porgies, sea bass, blowfish, silver perch, snappers and spike weakfish. Talk about a way to introduce a child to fishing! Crabbing slowed on the moon but has already started picking back up. I still have this Thursday and Friday open. Just contact me if interested or with any questions. Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

Received: Aug 6, 2012 9:22 AM Subject: LBI Charters Weekend Report

On August 4th, had Scott, Steve, Gene, and 8 year old Alyssa out for a bottom trip. We picked away at sea bass on a couple spots with more keepers than throwbacks. Alyssa started off quick with three keepers and ended with 7 or 8 keepers! Not bad for her first time on a boat! She was a trooper. Group decided to try some trigger-fishing before heading in, and they did not disappoint with some visual action. Also picked a few other species while trigger-fishing. Ended day with 29 keeper sea bass, 14 triggers, 2 blues, 1 keeper weakfish, and 2 big blowfish. Added bonus was a humpback whale feeding within a quarter mile of the boat. Picture at www.lbicharters.com/Seabass After returning to dock, headed back out with my kids. My son bucktailed for fluke while anchored on a snag and caught 2 nice keeper fluke, and he dropped a really good one that was pulling drag and shaking its head with authority! Ended with the 2 fluke and 17 nice big sea bass. On August 5th, took Andy out on a solo trip. Well you have to report the bad with good. With pretty nasty ocean conditions, we started off trigger-fishing, we could see them, but they just didn’t want to feed. Into the bay we went to shrimp. Caught a couple weakfish with so many other species to mention that were continually stealing our bait. Andy did box a nice fluke on this spot. Ended trip 3 triggerfish, 1 4-5 lb blackfish, 1 keeper weakfish, and 1 fluke. Picture atwww.lbicharters.com/Blackfish . Next openings are 8/25, 8/26, 8/30, 8/31 and all of Labor Day weekend. Give a call at 631-300-6413 Capt. Greg.

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash” Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

August 5, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Ryan Warford fished the mid-island surf this morning. Ryan said the water is dirty from the hard south blow but he reported the fish are still biting. He caught one weakfish and a ton of spot with live bloods. Ryan didn’t catch any of his target species (kingfish). He thinks it was due to the fast hitting spot, “If you didn’t see or feel the bite within a minute or two you missed it. Might as well reel in and rebait.”

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Aug 5, 2012 9:25 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Variety and fun!

The awesome light tackle action continues to provide almost instant and visible activity from multiple species of fish on every trip this week! The calm and protected waters of the bay have provided tons of action for both novice and expert whether employing light spinning tackle or fly rod while chumming with live grass shrimp and utilizing live or artificial presentations in various locations.

Anglers aboard the “Reel Fantasea” have encountered upwards of a dozen different species of fish to keep everyone on their toes awaiting to see what the next bite may be! Weakfish have been our main target as these sporty gamesters have been burning up our light spinning tackle drags and providing entertainment, dinners, and fun while testing anglers’ skills. Every trip has encountered an “All you can eat shrimp buffet” feeding frenzy with fish swirling within just a couple of feet from the boat with every throw of the chum! Other species such as hickory shad, blowfish [aka Jersey Tarpon], silver perch, seabass, spot, fluke, croaker, sea robins, sand sharks, bluefish, schoolie stripers… have all been regulars that are competing in the chum slick.

The ocean appears to be the best shot at larger keeper fluke and even more of a variety with seabass and a good amount of trigger fish which have taken up residence off our local wrecks and reefs systems. With a large population of brown sharks and sand tigers [catch and release only] presently in our inshore coastal waters this has provided a great opportunity for those seeking fish with a little more “horse power” to burn up the drags! These denizens of the deep are very close to shore and can provide yet another option to be included into your fishing adventure!

(Picture)

Keep in mind that the above trips can be combined and tailored to best fit your desire and needs depending on pre-trip arrangement and time factors.

Presently , I have Thursday and Friday afternoon available for private [$400.00] or open boat – [$125.00pp] opportunity for those who would like to experience the bay/inlet or ocean fishing [$575.00] that we have going on, all bait, tackle, rods and fish cleaning is included! Come join the fun! Remember to join us on Face Book and hopefully like us!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Aug 5, 2012 11:05 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report from “Rambunctious”

Fluke fishing continued to hold up in the back bay this week, although the water temperature by the end of the week was starting to show signs that the excellent fishing we’ve had for the past few weeks may not have too much longer to go. Fortunately there are enough weakfish around this year that we should have a solid back bay alternative available through August and into September.

Tuesday’s trip saw almost non-stop fluke coming over the side for vacationing Mike Hoffman, in from Reading PA along with brothers Steve and Dave. By the end of the morning the brothers Hoffman had landed some 120-130 fluke, mostly shorts but even with a 30-1 ratio there were enough keepers to provide a big bagful of tasty filets for dinner.

It was an awesome trip on Wednesday for Suzanne Lane, who brought out her dad Bob and their friend John to give back bay fluking a try. By the time we got back to the dock, close to 100 fluke had come over the side with nine fat ones in the box along with a couple of blues and Bob’s nice 21″ weakfish that decided to join the party at the end.

Things were a little slower yesterday for regular George Selph, but still saw a couple dozen fluke landed and two in the box by morning’s end.

There haven’t been too many good reports about ocean fluke fishing in this area of late, so we’ll probably be sticking to the bay and mixing it up between fluke and weakfish over the next couple of weeks. This is also the time of year when Barnegat Ridge should come to life with bonito and false albacore, so that remains a possibility for something a little different.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

August 4, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Logan (six years old) and Angela Johnson fished the Garden State North today. They caught some nice fluke, one 5.73-lbs and another 3.9-lbs. They caught the fluke on whole squid.

Donna Harris weighed in a 2.2-lb flatty (summer flounder / fluke) that she caught off of the Surf City beach. She caught it on Gulp! at about 4 PM.

Bill Bassant fished the beach this morning with his girl friend. Bill reported that he lost two fluke but did land really nice one in the wash. He mentioned that his girl friend caught her first fluke and it was her first time fishing off the beach.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Aug 4, 2012 11:43 AM Subject: Weakfish/Kingfish

Weakfish bite is on… there were more weakfish than kingfish this morning… mid-island off the surf. Both are hitting on FishBites.

~ Cal

August 2, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Al Stella stopped by after fluking this morning. Al weighed in a pair of fluke; one 5.75-lbs and one 6.4-lbs. Al reported fishing for an hour or two near the Lighthouse with Spro Bucktails and white Gulp! Swim Mullets. He caught 7 fish, three keepers.

Received: Aug 2, 2012 9:23 AM Subject: LBI Charters Openings for Weekend

Solid fishing for fluke, sea bass, blackfish and triggerfish continues. Triggerfish have really made a strong showing of late given the warm, clean water. These fish can pull drag with the best of them when fishing in shallow water. Made short trip Wed evening and boated over 30 triggerfish along with some other bottom dwellers (Picture of fish we kept).

Openings for weekend, with Saturday looking like the nicer of the 2 days. Special for this Saturday only, 4 people, 6 hours, $375, or open boat up to 4 people, $100.00 pp, and will make the trip with 1.

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash” Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

August 1, 2012 ———————————————————————————————–

Staffer John W. fished yesterday afternoon and had non-stock tasty kingfish on the beaches of Beach Haven using FishBites for bait. John was using the kingfish hi/low rigs with floated.

We have hook rigged with wire leaders for those anglers trying evening/night fishing in the hopes of a catch and release of a sand bar and sand tiger shark. Remember these are protected species so it’s catch and release.

Jimbo and Scott hammered the fluke this morning off of the surf. Jimbo was high hooked with two keepers and two dozen shorts. They are thick in the suds. Loving the Gulp!.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Aug 1, 2012 1:51 PM Subject: Weakfish and Tuna, It’s All Good.

It’s all good. The weakfish are still biting and bending rods. There is a huge variety every day in our live grass shrimp slick. Some days, various species of fish make it hard to get our baits to the intended target: weakfish. I guess there are worse problems to have on a fishing trip than too many fish. Hickory shad, sand perch, spots, fluke, small blues, blowfish, sand sharks, sea bass (juvenille), and more, are some of our other daily visitors. We are doing it all with six and ten pound spinning rods so it is a blast for any level of experience. Two trips a day, most days, unless we run offshore.

So far, the weather looks good for Friday to run offshore. Tuna is the quest. Three anglers max. Leaving at 4 AM, returning around 1 PM. $235 per person, we will be running 40 mile plus range with the information I have right now. We will be ready to troll, jig, and bait fish. All fish are shared.

Friday and Saturday, I will also run an open boat or charter trips for weakfish in the afternoon. 2 PM to 7PM, $395 for the 5 hour trip, divided by however many people sign up. Up to 4 passengers on these bay trips.

Call me if you would like to reserve a spot as I am not on the computer much.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Aug 1, 2012 12:15 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

The big news out of Beach Haven over the past week has been the very successful White Marlin Invitational Tournament put on by the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club. Captain John Lewis, a Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association captain fished the tournament on the “Insatiable”. Fishing on the “Insatiable” were the members of the Dock Box Deal Fishing Team. High winds kept them at the dock on Thursday, but Captain John spent a long day on Friday as he ended up 94 miles east of the Bell Buoy looking for a very elusive piece of Gulf Stream water. They did find some very clean water with scattered weed, but nothing productive. On Saturday they headed South looking for another piece of Gulf Stream water. They located some promising water and managed to boat some yellowfin tuna and raised several white marlin. Unfortunately, neither the billfish nor the bigeye tuna cooperated to provide some scale worthy fish. Captain John and his crew ended up with some nice tuna loins for the table and a very tired but happy crew which is already looking forward to the 2013 tournament. For information on the 38′ Ocean Yacht “Insatiable” contact Capt. John Lewis, Phone: 609.670.5980 Email: captjohn22@comcast.net

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

July 31, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jul 31, 2012 2:50 AM Subject: Brown Sharks

Fished the mid-island surf tonight on the incoming tide for brownies. Set up around midnight and had our first fish within a half hour but ended up pulling the hook, had another fish around 1:30. The fish made 4 our 5 good runs before finally getting him onto the beach. Not even 10 minutes after releasing that fish we had another run off that ripped the rod out of the spike and almost into the water. I sent the hook and the fish nearly spooled my Penn SS 750 before it straightened the snap swivel. Didn’t have anymore bait after that so we unfortunately couldn’t fish anymore.

~ Ryan Curtiss

July 30, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Joe Solon and J-Bones were brown sharking last night. Joe reported, “Had action all night on fresh bunker. Lots of run offs. Released two. one was really a good size which took us for a ride”.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 30, 2012 4:40 PM Subject: Reel Reaction Charters – Fluke are biting

Ocean and bay fluking remain hot, with my ocean trips providing more keepers. In a 4 hr recon trip for this upcoming week, my wife and I boated 7 keepers to 4lbs, one mahi-mahi, (Photo) and lost a 60+lb Cobia boatside. It was a good 20 min fight – but the leader meant for fluke couldn’t handle the Cobia. Fishing close to the beach or in deeper water have provided most of the action. Although you have to pick through the shorts, bay fluking is doing very well with the incoming tide, producing most of the fish. Unfortunately this week (7/30 through 8/3) is booked solid, but we do have a few some open dates the following week. If interested in booking for bay/inshore fluke or nearshore tuna/bonita — give me a call.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709 reelreaction@gmail.com

Received: Jul 30, 2012 8:28 AM Subject: LBI Charters

Given the flat calm forecast on Saturday, the “Kev n’ Ash” decided to take a ride, so made a 17 mile run in search of keeper fluke. Within minutes of arriving, we lost 2 nice fish boatside, biggest probably around 4 lbs. Went on to boat 6 keepers and around 15 throwbacks before being chased home by some large thunderstorms. Once the first set of storms blew over, fished close to home with my kids. To quote my daughter “this is chaos” as we anchored up on the first spot to hungry blackfish, triggerfish, and few sea bass. Drop and reel fishing at its finest. We literally had 15-20 triggerfish swimming around the boat and following hooked fish to the boat. Kept 9 of the larger triggerfish, 4 keeper blackfish (boat limit) and 1 keeper sea bass in just under an hour of fishing before the next set of thunderstorms sent us back to the dock. Largest blackfish was around 9 lbs.

Headed back out Sunday morning with intentions of making the long fluke run again, only to find the 5 to 10 kt forecasted northerly winds blowing a steady 15 kts with some higher gusts. Implemented Plan B, and easily caught 50 triggerfish, limit of blackfish with many throwbacks both shorts and keepers size. Left the triggerfish bite, to try another snag that was covered up in small weakfish (no keepers), spots, and porgies.

Have openings for this coming weekend 7/28 and 7/29, so give a call and get in on some decent fishing!

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash” Phone: 631.300.6413 www.lbicharters.com

July 29, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Lots of good kingfish catch reports off the front beach. One angler who came in and loaded up on FishBites said the mid-island bite was on today. He caught a ton of spot and kingfish with the kids. He mentioned that one of the young anglers caught 17 by himself.

Received a fluke report from the beach that came from the north-end, 5 fluke in an hour and a half near the lighthouse. The angler also mentioned, “The Inlet is stacked with small blues. Cast small metal for lots of fun!”

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 29, 2012 9:07 PM Subject: Fantasea Fishing Charters – More fantastic action!

The light tackle backbay/inlet fishing continues to be very rewarding with non stop action for both novice and expert. If the action alone wasn’t enough reason to try your hand at sampling Barnegat Bay ‘s bounty and the fresh fish dinners will seal the deal! Presently on hand we have some of the best weakfishing we have seen in many years and don’t let the “weak” moniker fool you as these fish are anything but weak on light spinning or fly tackle! Another one of the bay’s tastiest fish commonly known as blowfish are also biting with a vengeance, entertaining both young and old! These tasty little puffers are not only fun but are second to none on the dinner plate. Bluefish from 1-4lbs are also readily available and are more than willing to test angler’s tackle and skill on either fly or spinning tackle. Schoolie stripers have also been encountered and are available for those seeking to engage the “striped ones” on a variety of tactics and baits. The bay’s fluke fishing appears to be showing signs of departure as they are stacked up in the channels all along the inlet , patience and persistence is required if your are going to fish through all the throw backs to put some keepers in the box. Add blackfish , trigger fish, spot, silver perch, hickory shad aka “Jersey Tarpon”, sand sharks, seabass, croaker and the action is almost non stop! With all the species presently on hand seemingly on a feeding binge there is no better time to introduce new comers young and old to the fun of fishing! Photos

I have a couple open spots this week for open or private charter; Thursday 2 PM to 7 PM, Friday 7 AM to 12 Noon and then 2 PM to 7 PM. Open boat – $125.00pp (join other anglers) or Private Charter $400.00. Either way all bait and tackle is included and fish cleaned at the end. Remember that it’s never too early to reserve your date for our fantastic fall season and to join us and like us on Face Book. Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas.

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Jul 29, 2012 2:35 PM Subject: Kingfish

Makena and Cal caught 20 kingfish in the mid-island surf in an hour and a half this morning. They kingfish loved those FishBites fake worms.

~ Cal

Received: Jul 29, 2012 11:14 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

It’s been an interesting week on the bay, with fluke fishing still holding up and what seems to be the best back bay weakfish run we’ve had since 2008. As I mentioned in last week’s report, the back bay fluke bite right now seems to be very tide dependent and largely a numbers game with 25 or more shorts for every keeper. But we have been catching a few weakies while we were fluke fishing, something that hasn’t happened around here for several years, so we decided this week to try to target them specifically during the off tides instead of fluke.

Tuesday I had the LBI vacationing Viggiano brothers (Chris, Mike and John) out on their annual Barnegat Bay excursion, and armed with a couple gallons of live grass shrimp we gave it a shot. In just a couple hours, the guys landed close to three dozen beautiful weakfish, the vast majority of which were in the 20-24″ range. Once the tide changed we quickly switched over to fluke and landed 25-30 more fish, to finish the day with a nice mix of weakies and fluke in the box. It was a little slower on Wednesday for brothers Frank and John Chestnut, but they still saw their share of quality weakfish early before hitting the channels to land a couple dozen fluke after the tide change. On Friday, Medford’s Brian Stahre was back with sons Jake and Alex looking strictly for fluke and boxing a couple fat ones before the tide changed and a hot early bite shut down.

The amazing thing about this week is the quality of the weakfish we’ve been getting. The smallest one this week was still over 16″, and the vast majority have been in the 21-24″ range! It’s still way too early for us to say weakfishing is back to where it was a few years ago, but it certainly is encouraging. With a strict limit of one kept fish per person, this is primarily a catch and release fishery so we’ve been sticking with soft plastic baits and barbless hooks to avoid harming these hard fighting but delicate fish.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

Received: Jul 29, 2012 9:06 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

“World Class” can be defined as ranking amongst the best, outstanding. Right now the weakfishing in Barnegat Bay is nothing short of world class when it comes to light tackle action. It is outstanding to have a fish dump 50 – 75 yards of light line on the initial run. The most consistent action has been when chumming grass shrimp, however, I did fish solo one morning and landed a half dozen 20-22” weaks on live bait. This action ended right after sun up which is pretty typical of July weakfish when not chumming. Fluking the bay remains the same, constant action with shorts with a few keepers mixed in. On Thursday after doing well with quality weaks the Pete Rose charter took a gamble fluking in a hard south wind for an hour and scored two keepers on live bait. The odds were in their favor since they only landed a total of four fluke. Attached are two of the picture (Rich and Maria) from that day. Panfishing remains strong and the snappers are getting bigger, faster, stronger by the day.

Have two spots left for open boat weakfishing Tuesday 7/31. Cost is $125pp. Give me call to get in on the action. Screaming drags

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

July 28, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

8:00 PM

Lots of traffic today with a heavy Saturday change over. Many new faces but similar reports keep coming in; kingfish, fluke and small blues off the surf and weakfish, snapper blues, fluke and spot in the bay. All of the above are here in good numbers. The surf is still offering up serious line pulling with rays and sharks to those chunking bait. Cast small metals for the schoolie bluefish and bucktails tipped with Gulp! to pound the flounder off the beach.

This evening an angler’s father came in to pick up a couple dozen live bloodworms. He reported that his son Joe Farinelli has been catching off of the mid-island surf. Joe caught 6 kingfish this morning and was back out for the evening/sunset session when his father stopped in the shop.

The Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club’s White Marlin Invitational Tournament is wrapping up. We’ll keep you posted as we hear how the leader board went.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 28, 2012 11:43 AM Subject: Mayday! Mayday! Catch weakfish and stripers now!

We are still catching weakfish hot and heavy in Barnegat Bay. 1 to 3 pound fish on live grass shrimp using light tackle. There are a lot of other fish in the mix, as well, like sand sharks, hickory shad, spots, sand perch, fluke, bluefish, and blowfish. Yesterday (Friday) we had an 18-1/2″ fluke on a shad dart tipped with shrimp. That one was caught vertical jigging the bottom. You can also cast the dart out in the slick and slow retrieve it for the weakfish. If you want to “upset” a weakfish, go slow and steady on the retrieve and they will crush it. In the afternoon, we headed out to shrimp the jetty and had an awesome couple of hours catch and releasing stripers, mostly 22 to 25 inch fish, though there were quite a few we couldn’t turn with the light tackle and they just peel line over the jetty, never to return. We also had some blackfish on the shrimp, but none that measured more than 15-inches. Attached are some pics from yesterday (Fri) and Thursday.

I met my charter at the dock this morning at 4:30 AM to head offshore for tuna. After loading all the gear on board, rations, tackle, raft, rods, and more, I asked one of the guys to check their smart phone for one last look at the radar before we head out. Sure enough, two major storm cells brewing. One just south of us off of Atlantic City, but headed our way, and another one coming from the DC area and moving at a good clip. Possibly in time to connect with our return trip home. I made the decision to call it off. Hurts like mad to do it, but it’s one thing to get caught in stuff like that, it’s another to knowingly head out out into it. Just know, if you book to run offshore on my boat, I’m only going through with it if the weather and seas are forecasted perfect, and there’s nothing brewing on the radar.

With that said, I do have a bunch of live grass shrimp floating at the dock if anyone wants to book a last minute live grass shrimp trip for today (Sat) or this afternoon. There is the potential to catch the stripers, as well, this afternoon. It could be a striper/weakfish combo.

Tomorrow, I am going to attempt to run offshore for tuna, as the forecast is excellent. 5 to 10 knot wind, and so far, no storms in the forecast. I will run open boat 4AM to 1 or 2 PM. $235 per man. We are headed out for a ride, 40 to 60 mile range. There is a chance at bluefin, yellowfin, and mahi in the mix. Three person maximum. Call me, don’t email me if you want a spot, as I am not on the computer very often.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Jul 28, 2012 12:45 PM Subject: 7/28 report

I have been bucktailing the south jetty hard the last week and have found lots of fluke on the incoming with some keepers thrown in. Today I fished the outgoing and caught two identical 18.5″ keepers. Chartreuse gulp is what they wanted. About 3/4 of the fish in the last week hit the teaser with the rest going for the bucktail. I hope this action lasts through the summer. Tight lines.

~ Ryan Gross

July 27, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Local Ship Bottom angler shared a report of catching a 21″ Fluke in the surf using a Minnow/Gulp Combo on the North-end of the island.

The Weakfish bite is still strong on the bayside along with some reports on the front beach. Use floating jigheads tipped with live sandworms or Gulp.

July 26, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jul 26, 2012 1:37 PM Subject: LBI Charters

Fished last Sunday after the NE blow. Ended up with 36 keeper sea bass for 2 anglers. Plenty of action with shorts. Also caught a handful of small bluefish and a ~5′ brown shark.

Have openings this weekend Saturday or Sunday for wreck fishing or fluke fishing. 4 man charter $450 for 6 hours, or open boat $125 pp up to 4 people. Call for additional details.

~ Capt Greg Carr, “Kev n’ Ash” Phone: 631.300.6413

July 25, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Rob Vallone was out drifting today in the ocean at an undisclosed location. He called up and said it was a great day, “Caught 6 keepers and about 30 short fluke. The big Gulp! 6″ Swimming Mullet in Glow and Chartreuse were gold. Also caught 5 keeper sea bass up to 20 inches!”

Store staffer Blake fished bayside docks and caught two 17″ Weakfish and a Puppy Drum using Gulp Shrimp on a jighead. Blake also mentioned plenty of Spot on the bayside and surf. Use a tiny hook with a small piece of sea worm. One of the greatest baits going.

Store staffer Yonnie reports plenty of Brown Sharks and Sand Tigers are in the surf. Use a 10/0 hook with a shot of wire and bunker for bait. We do have Gamagatsu Octopus 10/0 J-Hooks with approx 20″ of 105-lb pre-wired tie this to a 50-lb or greater mono leader to stand-up to the tail slap.

The beach was beautiful today. Really warm and clean water with a light onshore easterly breeze. A good shore break with the inconsistent groundswell. Lots of big cow nose rays cruising the sand bars.

Kingfish and spot are still hitting hard off of the beach with some weakfish occasionally caught. The anglers targeting fluke are catching too. Like Yonnie mentioned, night time anglers are hooking up with the toothy critters (brown sharks) bunker chunking.

The bayside still offering great weakfish action. The best we have had in a number of years. Also the bay fluking has been very good but the keepers are hard to find. Like Blake mentioned, loads of spot in the bay. Catch ’em now so your stocked up for fall striper live lining. One customer reported catching over 100 in about an hours time.

Good Luck to all of the anglers fishing the Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club’s White Marlin Invitational Tournament this week. Thanks to all of those that geared up here at Fisherman’s Headquraters (Fish Heads). Best of Luck, and Tighlines!

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 25, 2012 4:06 PM Subject: Barnegat Bay 07/25 Report

Bill G, Scott G, Will G, and Mike T headed out on the “Rusty Pearl” today and fished the BI/BB area chumming with clam log and using shedder crab for hook baits. The group managed 4 weakfish to 21″, a 16″ black drum, a blowfish, and a short fluke throwback. Great day on the water with old friends.

~ Bill Groeling

Received: Jul 25, 2012 10:22 AM Subject: Weakfishing still HOT – Open boat weakfish Friday 7-27

During the last few days the weakfishing continues to be stellar. Many of the fish are topping 20” and on light tackle the drags have been smoking. Having fished Barnegat Bay for well over 30 years and can honestly say I have not seen the bite this good in July with quality fish like this in many years. I have found the fish at several of the traditional locations and as is typical this time of year chumming with grass shrimp is the ticket. When not chumming the bite had been restricted to no / low light conditions. Fluking the bay remains the same with countless throwbacks before boxing some keepers. I have two spots left for an open boat weakfish chumming trip Friday. Cost is $125 pp and trip will run from 7 – 12. Contact me if interested in get in on this world class light tackle action.

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

July 24, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jul 24, 2012 4:15 PM Subject: Weakfish!

The “Hi-Flier” had more great weakfishing this past Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Even in the awful weather. Friday was the only washout, it rained from sunup to sundown. The water stayed clean and the fish cooperated. 14 to 20 inch, 1 to 3 pound weakfish, on live grass shrimp. Both sides of the Dike are giving up fish. Plenty of hickory shad in the mix, and both species are visually eating our live grass shrimp chum right next to the boat. We have also been catching fluke, sea robins, sand sharks, spots, sand perch, blowfish and more.

Here are some pictures: Scott Shirey of PA, Mark and Jen Sciarrotta of VT, Lenny Vargas, Anthony Scalea, Jr. of Cranford NJ, and Dylan Moore all from different trips this past Thurs, Sat, and Sun. All while chumming live grass shrimp with ultralite tackle.

I will be running open boat trip for these fish in the bay: Friday July 27 6AM to 11AM and Noon to 5PM, Saturday July 28 3PM to 8PM, and Sunday July 29 6AM to11AM and Noon to 5PM. If the weather and sea condition are forecasted as perfection, ie: no mention of thunderstorms, light and variable winds, I could run open boat tuna on Friday and/or Sunday. If that happens, the afternoon weakfish trips will be bumped to 2PM to 7PM on those days. There is also a potential to do it all, we can fish offshore early and then finish up in the bay with the weakies.

The rates are as follows:
Offshore Tuna 15 to 35 miles $200 per person, 3 person max
Offshore Tuna 40 to 55 miles $235 per person, 3 person max
Offshore/Shrimping Combo $275 per person, 3 person max
5 Hour Bay Shrimping Trip $125 per person, 4 person max
6 Hour Bay/Jetty Shrimping $175 per person, 3 person max

This week coming up, the potential to shrimp the jetty for stripers and blackfish are the afternoon trips on Friday and Sunday. We do this in combination with the weakfish in the bay, a few hours of each.

Give me a call to reserve a spot. Hope to see you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Jul 24, 2012 4:31 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fshing Charters

The light tackle action continues to offer solid action with species such as weakfish, stripers, blues, fluke, hickory shad, silver perch, spot, blowfish… and now that black fishing [ limit 1 p/p ] season is back open we will be testing those waters as well.

The quality of weakfish that appears to be on hand are some real beauties as some are well over the 20″ range. These larger fish have been eating live spot and rattle traps and even the long rod for the fly enthusiast and are a handful on light spinning or fly tackle!

Where have they been ? Who knows but presently the size range indicates a healthier stock they anybody could have guessed.

I have this Friday 27th the “Reel Fantasea” is available for private or open boat charter for the light tackle enthusiast. Come join the fun!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calms seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Jul 24, 2012 1:51 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are now back to a regular schedule of fishing following several days of rugged conditions. The previous excessively high temperatures made it unpleasant even out on the water. These high temperatures brought about some thunderstorms. Then Beach Haven experienced a couple of days of strong northeast winds and teeming rain to go with some minor tidal flooding. The ocean was roiled up over the weekend, and a frothy inlet and strong swells in the ocean made fishing even the inshore wrecks a challenge.

Now that the weather appears to be back to normal, there is a nice selection of challenges for the boats. In the bay, there are still large numbers of fluke even if most of the larger fish have migrated into the ocean. There are some pockets of 16-22 inch weakfish in many holes and sloughs in the bay to make things interesting even if the daily weakfish bag limit is just one fish.

The inshore reefs have decent numbers of both fluke and sea bass on them, and boats can be expected to put together some decent catches. The sea bass on the deeper wrecks are larger fish and with tautog now back in season once again, these areas promise to put some fish in the fish boxes.

The canyon fishery is ready to hit mid-season form with an assortment of billfish, tuna, and mahi-mahi to be had. There are also quite a few sharks around including mako, brown, and thresher. It is a good time to be fishing in Beach Haven.

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Received: Jul 24, 2012 1:23 PM Subject: Open boat weakfish Friday 7-27

Two spots left for an open boat weakfish chumming trip Friday. Cost is $125 pp and trip will run from 7 – 12. Contact me if interested.

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

July 22, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Brian Rust of Beverly, NJ just weighed in 7.22-lb fluke. He was out wreck fishing with his uncle today aboard the “Flatty Express”. Brian got ’em on a bucktail with squid. They also caught seabass and more fluke. Many Fluke were shorts.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 22, 2012 10:39 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing report

The weather this past week led us to cancel all three of our planned back bay charters, first due to the excessive heat mid week and then the howling NE winds that raged Thursday night into Saturday. Hopefully that’s now behind us and we can get back into a more normal summer fishing routine.

Since the tides looked right, I went out early Wednesday for a quick recon trip before the heat and flies took over and found almost non-stop fluke action over on the east side, landing upwards of thirty fluke in about ninety minutes. Most of them were shorts, but I still ended up with three nice flatties in the box including one that stretched the tape to 26″. Since it seems there is still a pretty good body of fluke in the bay, we’re going to continue fishing for fluke when the tides are right. Small weakfish also seem to be pretty abundant right now, so we’ll probably mix in a bit of grass shrimping for weakfish when the tides aren’t right for fluke.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

Received: Jul 22, 2012 11:02 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

With the fishing we have going on right now, how can’t you love Barnegat Bay? Fluke, bluefish, weakfish and small bass. Fluking remains the same in that you can keep them coming over the rails with a few large enough to make it into the box. Weakfishing is solid. Sunday morning I found some very nice weakfish releasing five fish that were from 22 – 28”. For those into panfish, which always a treat for the kids, blowfishing is very good. Mix in a variety of other species and you are sure to stay busy on the water.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

July 21, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

A limited amount of Green Crabs are in stock.

At the recent ICAST (the New Tackle Exhibition) in Orlando-FL, Penn (Pure Fishing) won Best of Show in the saltwater reel category with their new Penn Spinfisher V aka the SSV.
The Penn SSV Spinfisher reels are replacing the Penn SSg, SSm, and Slammer. Get your parts now for these discontinued models.
Some of the Penn SSV reels are expected to be available starting this fall, October (maybe sooner, maybe later).
If you would like to check out the line of reels stop by the shop and ask ask to see them. We have them to look at and feel out, but they are not for sale yet.
Click Here for More Details – Currently taking pre-orders for the Penn SSV series of reels.

For saving on OTHER reels… Check out the “Blow Out” link… Select Quantum BOCA & CABO Spinning Reels were recently added!

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 21, 2012 10:33 PM Subject: Old Barney Charters Fishing Report

Trips this past week targeted fluke. The bay is loaded with them right now, although the throwback to keeper ratio is about 20 to 1. The good news is that it is constant action. Two of the three trips this week had children anglers onboard, and their attention was kept throughout the trips. Highlight of the week was when 8 year old Patrick brought up a 19″ fluke. After some maneuvering on the deck around his brother, Sean, the fish was landed and he made sure he let everyone know he had a keeper. Not bad for 8 and 6 year old kids. Check out the videos and pics on our facebook page.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt, “Bonnie Anne” 25′ Steiger Craft, up to 5 anglers, Old Barney Charters, www.oldbarneycharters.com , oldbarneycharters@aol.com 267-918-1746

July 20, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Steve-O (store staff member) was fishing the shadows late last night. Steve said, “They wanted the old favorite, Bubblegum Fin-S! Fishing was good until 2:30 AM and then it died. Released over a dozen weakfish.”

~ FishHead.Greg

July 19, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Steve-O (store staff member) reported having some fun catching tog today. He caught 5 shorts and one keeper on clam at the lighthouse.

~ FishHead.Greg

July 18, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jul 17, 2012 10:54 PM Subject: Weakfish….Old School!

Yes. You can only keep one weakfish at 13-inches. There hasn’t been any changes. If you need to discuss the regs, you probably don’t want to choose me to have your dialogue. My charter business was founded on that species alone. I had a 17 ft. Carolina Skiff and all I did was take people grass shrimping for weakfish. I’ve been fishing since 1970 and if there was ever a cyclical species, it is weakfish. I have watched the peaks and valleys through the years. Well, the weakfish are back! And just because the regulations haven’t caught up to reality, doesn’t make me want to fish for them any less. If you’re letting it prevent you, then you’re missing out on some great action.

We have been clobbering 13 to 20-inch, one to three pound weakfish, while chumming with live grass shrimp. We have been using six and ten pound test spinning tackle. Baited hooks, with shrimp, of course, shad darts, small bucktails, and even flies are proving deadly cast in the slick. Once the slick gets going, the more fish that show up, the better it is for using artificials. Their decision time is reduced as if they don’t eat the offering in front of them, something else will. Our biggest obstacle has been the presence of sand perch and hickory shad in such numbers, at times, it is hard to fish through them, but we always find a way. Fishing on both sides of the Hi Bar Harbor Dike as well as the west side of the bay between the 42 Buoy and the BB Buoy have all been giving up fish. Almost every trip, the fishing has turned visual with the weakfish and hickory shad eating the shrimp in plain view alongside the boat. The shad are not edible but are great sport on the light tackle usually providing a jump or two as they battle for their freedom.

If you’ve never been live grass shrimping before, it is something to see. It is great for every age and every level of experience. Kids love it because it is “action” on tackle that they can easily handle. It is a perfect arena for fly fishing as you can shoot your fly into a predictable “hot zone” of fish that react well to artificials. I have noticed that flies and artificials in general will often catch the bigger fish of the trip.

I will be sailing open boat trips for live grass shrimping weakfish: Friday July 20 Noon to 5PM, Saturday July 21, 2 PM to 7PM, and Sunday July 22 6AM to 11AM* and Noon to 5PM. The fare is $125 per person and I can take up to 4 people.

Here’s Max DeGennaro with a 2-pound weakie that crushed his shad dart tipped with shrimp. (Picture to follow)
Link to short video of this weakfish trip… www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqEN_hBnnfU

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Jul 17, 2012 8:42 PM Subject: Laura Sportfishing

Wreck fishing is off the hook! We had big seabass Tuesday on drop and reel action. My first stop was a wreck I thought would be fished out by now and to my surprise we had some of the biggest seabass of the season! For anyone that wants to try inshore action I will be sailing daily from 5 until dark or later for Stripers, Weakfish and Blues. Plenty of action 2 Striped Bass Monday night and tons of bluefish. Contact me through my website www.laurasportfishing.net

~ Mark Finelli

Received: Jul 18, 2012 11:12 AM Subject: Sunday 7/22 Chumming Weakfish Open Boat

The weakfish bite is on! I will be running an open boat grass shrimp chumming weakfish trip Sunday morning 7/22 sailing from 7 to 12. Cost is $125 pp. and I will be taking out a maximum of 3. Send me a text or give me a call if interested.

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

July 17, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Tautog aka Blackfish season is open! The Tautog NJ Regulation have been changed to…

Tautog – Current New Jersey Regulation
07/17/2012 to 11/15/2012 one fish at 15″
11/16/2012 to 12/31/2012 six fish at 15″

Click to View Entire 2012 NJ Saltwater Recreational Minimum Size, Possession Limits & Seasons

Go get ’em.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 17, 2012 3:38 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

It must be must be mid-summer in Beach Haven as the offshore fishing action is starting to heat up for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association.

Captain Bob Gerkens on the “Hot Tuna” successfully fished the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club’s first offshore tournament on Saturday as a warm-up to the White Marlin Invitational. He started a little south of the Spencer Canyon and worked a little further south but still north of the Wilmington where his crew caught the two largest yellowfin tuna in the tournament. Both fish were over 40-pounds with Val Zak of Oceanside Bait and Tackle boating the largest. Her fish put her in the lead in the woman’s division of the club for the season for yellowfin tuna. For information on the 38′ Blackfin Sport Fisherman “Hot Tuna”contact Capt. Bob Gerkens, Phone: 609.384.0877, email: HotTunaBoat@yahoo.com

Captain John Koegler went to the inshore tuna grounds on the “Starfish” looking for tuna. They picked up a fat 41-inch bluefin early in the day that fought extra hard and took 15-minutes to get to the boat. Unfortunately, that was the only fish to show up. Captain John said there was a good reading on the fish finder of both squid and eels. For information on the “Star Fish” for 2-20 anglers contact Capt. Carl Sheppard, 609.492.2591, cfsheppard@aol.com

Captain George Fink of “Sparetime Charters” made one trip offshore looking for tuna and sharks. He found no tuna but did catch and release some brown sharks and returned with some mahi-mahi. In trips closer to shore he has been finding some very good bottom action at the Garden State South Reef where the black sea bass were all nice sized with just a few shorts. He also caught fluke on the sides of the wrecks using live minnows with squid. For information on the 38′ Henriques “Sparetime” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. George Finck, 609.618.3877, email: Finck104@comcast.net

Captain Dave Wittenborn on the “Compass Rose” also has been finding some decent fluke and sea bass fishing at the Garden State South Reef. On Monday Paul Buchhoer had his three son-in-laws out. They managed 13 fluke with three making it into the fish box. Paul had the largest fluke, a 21-incher. For information on the 29′ “Compass Rose” contact Capt. Dave Wittenborn, 609.492.5271

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

July 16, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

3:00 PM

Staff member John went fishing! He twisted up some wire leaders and then tangled with some brownies on the bayside. Released two and broke off one.

I was up on the beach catching some of the small ground swell that is present. While there I chatted with Ryan Purul. He said that he caught some kingfish off of the surf on bloods yesterday.

~ FishHead.Greg
Received: Jul 16, 2012 8:20 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Open boat 19th and 20th

Open Boat Thursday 19th and Friday 20th bay/ inlet – mixed bag . weakfish, stripers, bluefish, fluke,… ? Grass shrimping , artificial,… Who’s ready to go fishin’? $110.00 pp call only 609-290-1217

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

July 15, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

8:00 PM

Captain Jeff headed out this morning aboard the “Tightlines” with his brother Ryan and a couple of friends. They set up on a wreck about 10-miles out and the fish finder screen light up. They had drop and reel fishing action on sea bass and big triggers.

2:00 PM

Blake (store staff) hit the surf after closing the shop yesterday. He released a nice size brown shark on a bunker chunk. He also missed a couple of other hits. Blake says, “Get wire and bunker and go!”

A couple was in the store around noon time looking for advise on fluke. They reported catching kingfish on live bloods but wanted to switch gears and target some flatties. Our advise for Fluke on the surf, “Use a Weighted Bucktail with a small Teaser ahead and both can be tipped with Gulp!”.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 15, 2012 4:13 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

This time are I am going to start this with a nature note. Even as the heat of summer progresses fall is in the air. For several weeks now several species of shorebirds (i.e. sandpipers and plovers) have started migrating south after leaving their young at the arctic tundra to fend for themselves. Soon the adult laughing gulls will start to lose their distinctive black hoods. In the bay, the amount of baitfish is shaping up nicely for our fall run.

Now on with fishing. Barnegat Bay’s light tackle opportunities are almost endless right now with fluke, blues, weakfish, and assorted pan fish. Add into the mix our resident stripers and prospects for a grand slam are real. Attached is a picture of a bass landed by Zach N (his first) on the “Debbie M” this week. Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex,”Debbie M”, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

July 14, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

The bite off of the surf has been good and consistent. Plenty of fluke, kingfish and small blues during the day. Scott Simpson hit the beach this morning. He caught 11 fluke up to 21.5″ on white gulp swimming mullet. Fishing down the beach, Jimbo Mac caught a pair of weakfish. Those looking for more of a pull should target the brown sharks with bunker chunks in the evening/nights. They’re here in full force! Store staffer Blake released three the other night. A number of customers who we set up are back daily with cell phone pictures and are stoked for more.

Jim and Marty went out yesterday to the Hot Dog aboard the “Parrot Dice” with Captain Harry. Jim reported, “A day late! We caught one yellowfin about 40-lbs and a small mahi on the chunk. It was a slow day.”

The mid-shore bite was hot for a couple days there but seems to be inconsistent. Nick Remer headed out with Capt. Pete aboard the “Magic Jack” yesterday. They went out and fish the general area of the Resor. With nothing happening in the fleet they decided to pushed away from the traffic. They found the bluefin stacked up on some structure and got them to bite on the chunk and the jig. Jeff Warford headed out this morning with some friends and headed to the same general area. He reported lots of bluefish tearing up gear, “It was hard to target the bluefin on the chunk and troll. We were getting them on the jig. Couldn’t keep the chopper bluefish off.”

~ FishHead.Greg

July 13, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Scott Simpson fished the mid-island surf this morning. He caught 8 fluke and two kingfish on gulp. He mentioned that yesterday the crabbing was good on the bayside.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 13, 2012 6:45 PM Subject: “Reel Fantasea” Fishing Charters

This week saw solid light tackle action with a nice variety of species such as bluefish, schoolie stripers, fluke,hound fish, hickory shad, sand perch… and possibly the best showing of weakfish in a couple of years!

The Ken Purzcki clan started off the week with Ken’s grand son almost scoring this years first Barnegat Bay Grand Slam (weakfish, striper and bluefish) he was short of only a fluke/flounder. Not bad for a young guy who never fished on the brine before! Everyone was kept busy mixing it up with light tackle action with a nice variety of species which included striper, bluefish, weakfish, hickory shad, perch… and more.

Next up was the Fred Scalera crew who found solid light tackle action with bluefish which seemed to be everywhere. After getting their fill with the bluefish the guys continued to mix it up with more variety of other species before trips end.

Friday saw my own crew Cali (daughter 14) , Stephen jr. (son 12) who were joined by good friends Nick (15) and Max (11) DeGennaro mixing it up with constant action from weakfish and sand perch. The baits were inhaled as soon as they hit the water!

The “Reel Fantasea” has this Sunday available for the back bay/inlet variety light tackle action which has been serving the kids well. The action is non stop and keeps them interested and on their toes. This kind of fishing is a great way to introduce the kids to fishing as the action is almost instant!

Pictures

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

Received: Jul 13, 2012 4:59 PM Subject: Chumming Weakfish – Open Boat

With the weakfish in the bay in good numbers I will be running an open boat grass shrimp chumming weakfish Monday morning 7/16 sailing from 7 AM to 12 Noon. Cost is $125 pp. and I will be taking out a maximum of 3. Send me a text or give me a call if interested.

~ Capt. Alex, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ Cell: 609.548.2511 email: LHSportfishing@comcast.net

July 11, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

The easterly wind pushed in some beautiful water. The wash was super warm today.

We got word from a customer today who hammered the brown sharks last night off of the mid-island surf. Caught ’em on fresh bunker and live eels. The bite is still on in the bay too.

~ FishHead.Greg

July 10, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

9:30 AM

So far this morning the shop has been slow compared to the days last week; however, reports are flowing in. One surf angler reported an amazing kingfish bite off of the mid-island surf yesterday morning on bloodworms. He loaded up with more live bloods and is back out on the beach now. Lots of reports of fluke off of the surf too. Bucktail tipped with Gulp fished with a teaser has been the ticket for a number of years. Try it out if you haven’t already. The houndfish are around in big numbers. We have posted a number of reports below and again today a customer came in the shop asking, “What the heck did I catch? Check out the pictures.” One gnarly looking critter. If you want to catch one for yourself try tossing small metal with a teaser. You’ll catch bluefish with this same rig.

Right now I feel that we have one of the best weakfish bites of the past couple years. My traditional late night shadows have produced for consecutive nights. SOFTBAITS!!! Anglers fishing the boats have been into them thick too. Get on it and try to pratice catch and release if you don’t need that one (1) weakfish.

The fluke bite in the bay seems to be slow, especially compared to past years. More than likely it’s due to the above average water temperatures in the bay. Recently we have had good reports from the artificial reefs (GS Reefs and LE Reef) and the surrounding open bottom areas. Look to target fluke in the ocean but if in the bay look the action may be on the flood tide That’s when most have been reporting success.

The mid-shore tuna bite has turned on 30-50 miles offshore. It may have been a pick with one day being good while the next day would be slow. But now it’s in full swing. Just had a mate off one of the scallop boats report that tuna were on the side of their boat while hauling the entire last trip. Also word on the street is the boyz fishing further South have been working some bigger size class fish. Let’s hope they move up closer to our local waters.

~ FishHead.Greg

Received: Jul 10, 2012 9:45 PM Subject: Hi-Flier Inshore and Offshore

This past Saturday, July 7th the “Hi-Flier” ran just a little over 30-miles East of Barnegat Inlet for some good tuna action, going 5 for 7 on 10 to 40-pound bluefin. These fish were crushing our rainbow squid bars on light 20-lb class tackle. There are bonita and small mahi in the mix now as well. Here’s Pete Menges of Moorestown, NJ with a 40-pounder that we put on ice this Saturday. (Picture to follow)

Last week/weekend was outstanding for a variety of species. We came in with fluke, striped bass, weakfish and bluefin tuna. What more can you ask for? I am planning on targeting that variety again this week.

What’s in store for this week…

Thursday, July 12, we will be sailing open boat targeting striped bass on light spinning tackle using live grass shrimp. After a few hours of that, we will move in to the bay to use the same bait for weakfish and the mixed bag that often finds our chum, even fluke. Departing at Noon and returning at 6 PM, $150 per person.

Friday, July 13, we will be running offshore for tuna, bonita, albacore, and mahi. We meet at the dock at 5 AM and return by 2 PM. The cost of the trip is $200 per person.

Sunday, July 14, is available for either back bay fishing or offshore tuna/bonita/mahi, I will decide as we get closer to the date. If it’s going to be a perfect weather window, we”ll point the bow east, if it’s less than perfect, we”ll fish the bay. If you want to sign on as an angler willing to do either, you are welcome to do that. All trips limited to three people, all fish are shared.

If you would like to reserve a spot on the “Hi-Flier”, it is best to call me on my cell, not email me.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Jul 10, 2012 4:09 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

A combination of extremely hot weather and severe thunderstorms has made fishing in Beach Haven a challenge for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association.

Captain John Lewis of the “Insatiable” out of Beach Haven had the Lou Torries party out to the canyons looking for tuna. Due to cloud cover, there were no current water temperature reports, and he had to explore. After looking around the Wilmington Canyon with no luck, they moved 20 miles south and found a temperature break. They managed to go 3 for 3 on yellowfin tuna in the 50-60 pound class. Captain John said the highlight of the trip was Lou’s sister Mickie catching the largest tuna to celebrate her birthday. Mickie is an avid angler who is recovering from a stroke. This was her first canyon trip, and it was a good one. According to Captain John, “Mickie is one tough lady”. For information on the 38′ Ocean Yacht “Insatiable” contact Capt. John Lewis, Phone: 609.670.5980 Email: captjohn22@comcast.net

The “Miss Beach Haven” with Captains Frank Camarda and Brant Whittaker found the fluke were not biting at the inshore reefs like they had been just a few days ago. According to Mate Sal Rosa they managed to boat some fish, but not at the pace they wanted. He feels now that the thunderstorms seem to have cleared, the full moon phase has passed, and the current is slowing down, the bite will improve drastically. Recent pool winners were Scotty from Beach Haven, John the “Cheeseman” from Manahawkin, and the “beautiful Linda”. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda, 609.978.9951 or Email: missbeachhaven@comcast.net

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

July 9, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jul 9, 2012 11:56 AM Subject: fishing report

I fished from an LBI jetty using a small diamond jig with a white tube and landed three blues 12 to 18-inches this past Saturday evening from 5:50 PM to 7:30 PM. The birds were all over the inlet.

~ Steve Kellett

Received: Jul 9, 2012 8:29 AM Subject: Wilmington Canyon report Friday/Saturday

Left BI @ 2 PM on Friday afternoon on the Happy Hooker towards the Wilmington. Trolled until sunset without 1 knock down. Setup for the chunk in 750 feet of water. Immediately had squid around the boat. About 1 hour into the chunk, had a sunfish hit a line breaking water like a torpedo. Had it on for about a minute before releasing itself. A big sword swam behind the boat eating chunks but wouldn’t take anything we had to offer… butters, sardines, and squid so away it went. Around 4 AM, lines started going off like someone turned on the light switch between 50 and 100 feet. Went a disappointing 2 for 8 on Yellowfin tuna due to 6 broken 50-LB fluoro leaders which we now contribute to old leader material. Used a new spool and landed the last 2 fish… oh well.

Sun up and back on the troll. Around 7:30 AM, had a bill fish quickly hit the starboard long rigger green skirted ballyhoo, but wouldn’t hook up. Never really got a great look at it but thought it was a white until we circled around for about 10 more minutes… then all hell broke loose. The same line again got hit and in a little more than a minute, guys on the boat saw what they describe as a cow breaking water about 300 yards off the back of the boat. I didn’t see it because I was holding the rod watching it almost completely spool a 50-lb class reel in full strike like it was in free spool. By the time all the lines were cleared behind the boat, I could see the gold on the bottom of the spool through the line. Ed put both motors in reverse and dropped the hammer. I reeled for about 30 seconds non-stop to get as much line as possible back on the reel, the first 3 seconds of which I was completely soaked from the water coming over the transom, filling the cock pit faster than the scuppers would allow it to drain. I’ve never experienced anything like this before, but the deck was vibrating so much I thought the back of the boat was going to break off.

1.5-hours later, an estimated 500-lb plus blue marlin was finally leadered and released after chasing in reverse for 2 miles. Nothing on the troll after that for 3 more hours.

~ Stan S.

July 8, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

1:00 PM

Greg O’Connell caught a Houndfish on the beachfront surf using metal this morning. He also reported catching a weakfish, some blues and a fluke. Anglers fishing nearby caught kingfish on bloodworms.

Received: Jul 8, 2012 10:56 PM Subject: Mahi-Mahi inshore!

“Knot Reel Farmers” ran up to Barnegat via the ICW from Beach Haven to try the fluke fishing. Not a bite in the bay behind the lighthouse, so we decided to try Garden State North. Passing the Carolyn Anne III, we noticed it was slow pickings there too, so we went on the troll heading south with the intent of taking a leisurely run back to Beach Haven Inlet.

Three miles south of old Barney we started picking up cocktail blues in 55-feet of water. Then one of the lines ran off like no tomorrow. Guessing it was a chopper blue, I horsed it half-way in and suddenly saw that unmistakable bright yellow and green flash as a Mahi-Mahi took to the air. Moments later it was in the boat. Two more hard run offs followed in quick succession, but we failed to bring them to the boat. This trip’s deadly weapon turned out to be a small blue & white feather running behind an 8 ounce trolling sinker.

Been fishing LBI my entire life and have heard of inshore Mahi-Mahi, but never actually caught one this close to the beach. Water temps are high, and the ocean was strikingly clean and blue today, so the conditions were just right. Radio chatter indicated lots of small bluefin action to the east of us as well.

The fish are here! Tight lines!

~ Bernie Hyland, Captain / Owner “Knot Reel Farmers”

Received: Jul 8, 2012 8:33 PM Subject: Bottom Line Fishing Report

Fluking is good right now. Today we had two great guys aboard, Brian and Patrick, a father & son trip. We headed out around 8 AM and went right out to about 68-ft of water at the tires. We didn’t even have all our lines in the water when Patrick was hooked up. We found a pretty good hole where on every drift we would pick up two or three fish. Some nice size Fluke mixed in with a lot of shorts and Skates. There where tons of Bunker around us. We then decided to turn our trip into some good old fashion Bluefishing. We got the ultra lights rigged up and ready to go after bluefish ranging from three quarter pounds up to five pounds. They seem to be all over the place right now. With tired arms and lots of smiles we headed home. Brian and Patrick are now booked for A fall Striped Bass trip. Thanks again guys.

~ Capt. Tom Cormann, “Bottom Line”, www.fishbottomline.com Forked River 201.788.3223

Received: Jul 8, 2012 12:25 PM Subject: Laura Sportfishing

The wrecks have been producing this week, and I am surprised by the availability of keepers. We had drop and reel action at every spot I tried for seabass. On July 4th we had 30 keepers on about 125 fish with some nice tog mixed in and released. Yesterday we had the same action releasing 50 or so and keeping 10 for the table in just a couple of hours. Feel free to call for availability 856-341-6562www.laurasportfishing.net .

~ Mark Finelli

Received: Jul 8, 2012 10:59 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

This week turned out to be mostly a bluefish week for us, as small blues ranging from three quarter pounds up to five pounds seem to be all over the place right now. The lack of larger versions of those yellow eyed demons leads me to believe the big ones are offshore doing their annual July spawning thing right now and we should be seeing them back inshore in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, we’ve got the ultralights rigged up and ready to go every time these smaller funsters show their faces.

Monday’s back bay fluke trip turned into a bluefish bonanza for Mike DiPasquale and sons Daniel (13) and Patrick (11). With the bay producing only a few short fluke early, a quick move to the inlet put the boys into non-stop bluefish action as Mike and I kept busy for the next few hours unhooking and releasing fish. At one point the boys counted fourteen straight casts that resulted in hookups, and landed well over 125-130 fish in a little over two hours.

Friday we made our first run of the season out to Barnegat Ridge looking for bonito with Lou & Mike Pochettino and Mike’s 10 year old son Elliot. While the bonies proved to be elusive, small blues again smacked everything we threw at them and left Elliot with a smile and sore arms. Even high speed trolling couldn’t get us past the blues, so the Ridge must be absolutely covered with them right now. Yesterday, trying to get away from that brutal heat inshore, regular George Selph and I made the run South to the Garden State North reef site looking for fluke but the slow action there eventually had us heading back to the inlet to bend some rods on more bluefish. So I guess you could say I’ve had the blues all week, but that ain’t so bad.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

Received: Jul 8, 2012 9:43 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Barnegat Bay’s light tackle opportunities abound right now with tons of small bluefish around the inlet, lots of fluke inside and more and more weakfish arriving every day. All of this week’s trips were family fishing adventures and there was no lack of catching. On one trip we also found some blues to five pounds which was nothing but a blast on light tackle. The catch of the week goes to the Nelson party who bagged a Smooth Puffer . I will continue to concentrate of flat fish and for those interested I will chum for weakfish. This extremely effective method is unique to Barnegat Bay and is a must do for those that have never experienced this type of fishing. Remember I personalize trips, especially those with children, to ensure a positive experience on the water.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ 609.548.2511

July 7, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

8:00 PM

Today, Tom Bentlif fished with Captain Harry on the “Parrot Dice” whose homeport is Beach Haven West going 3 for 3 on Bluefin tuna in the area of the Resor Wreck. They trolled spreader bars and the biggest fish went to about 35-lbs. They were done by noon.

Received: Jul 7, 2012 10:46 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Sunday open boat grand slam opportunity

It may be a Barnegat Bay Grand Slam on Sunday! Weakfish have finally showed up in Barnegat Bay in respectable numbers. What has been the “hard one” to add to the slam right now looks like we may have a possible weakfish season. As we have encountered them on the last few trips out.

For those looking to mix it up with species such as weakfish, bluefish, fluke and schoolie stripers, this is the chance of scoring a Barnegat Bay Grand Slam ! I will be running an open boat this Sunday July 8th and the opportunity for a multiple species seems very good. The “Reely Cool” thing about these trips is that you just never know what will bend the rod next!

The trip will leave at 6AM and will return at 12PM and the cost will be $150.00 at a 4 person max.

Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609-290-1217

July 6, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

2:00 PM

Jeff Warford had a good early morning bluefin bite on the 30-line. 4 for 4 on schoolie bluefin on the troll. Photo of Lukas Robinson’s catch. It was dead for the remainder of the day. However, he heard clear radio chatter of a good jig bite going on in the area.

Received a report from another angler saying 7 schoolie bluefin caught on the troll in the area between Glory Hole and Chicken Canyon. (Could this have been the 30-fathom line?)

Received: Jul 6, 2012 6:37 PM Subject: Bluefin July 6th

Trolled the 20-fathom line for about two hours before setting up for a shark drift. We went 5 for 6 icing a 50# bluefin. There was another 5 or 6 boats also working the same very small area. The bite slowed down for a bit so we set up a drift and had a thresher and a pretty big mako come into the slick but they both short bit everything we had out before swimming off. The guys trolling around us still had a steady pick of schoolie bluefin going on throughout the entire day. There was tons of life out there. Whales, porpoises, birds and bait. We had a few decent sized mahi swimming under the boat while drifting as well.

~ Ryan Curtiss

Received: Jul 6, 2012 3:46 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Sportfishing

This week was a busy week and the fluke fishing improved in the ocean spots around Barnegat Inlet. With high catch numbers and low keep numbers in the bay – I have been running out to some local wrecks to find keeper fluke. Early in the week we had to work hard to find fluke, but instead managed some nice sea bass with the Ingraham family from Denver, CO. Our Thursday trip, had the Steve Quinn charter with decent action and brining home some keepers up to 22 inches and a ling. The increasing north wind helped the bite on Friday’s trip, with the Cipolla charter boxing nine keeper fluke to 26″. A majority of the fish were in the 22″ range. The largest caught by Penn State swimmer, and Olympic qualifier Chris Cipolla, taped out at 26″ and weighed close to 7lbs on the Boga Grip. The fluke fishing in the ocean will be heating up and I will be targeting these “flatties” weekly. Good fishing, and good fun!!

Friday’s – Cipolla charter and Chris Cipolla’s 7-lb fluke

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709

Received: Jul 6, 2012 8:55 AM Subject: Weakfish – It’s On!

These past two days have produced awesome fishing. Wednesday I had Fred Baker on board for some great light tackle action with stripers and blackfish using live grass shrimp at the inlet jetty. We went three for four on 25 to 26 inch fish along with some 13 to 15 inch tog. Yesterday (Thursday) I had Nate Stein out at the same spot where he found a keeper that just made it in the cooler at 28 1/4″ Here’s the video:www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhMPoDtnj38 . These fish are here all summer. Later in the trip Nate hooked up with a 30 inch houndfish, a tropical needlefish on steroids that went for his jighead and Gulp in the new cut-through channel from the Dike to the inlet. I dropped those guys off and picked up two high school friends at the dock. We only had a two hour window to fish before land obligations took precedent. I had a bunch of leftover live grass shrimp and a rumor of weakfish… so, why not? I set the anchor in one of our old weakfish haunts and before I could throw the second handful of chum, Steve Ondrof of Garwood, NJ had a bent rod and a screaming reel. An hour and a half of non stop battle with 2 to 3 pound weakfish that were visually eating our shrimp chum alongside the boat. We went from baited hooks to artificials in a hurry. Shad darts and clouser flys were producing violent strikes. This was quantity of quality. Sure, you can only keep one per man, but we don’t do this for fillet. Sure, the regs are unfair, but I’m not going to stop fishing for these magnificent fish that fill the bill in every way; gorgeous colors, awesome fighters, and more often than not, blitz conditions.

I had a full boat to leave this morning (Fri) for bluefin tuna, but I called everyone at 9:00 PM last night to cancel. All the captains I talked to last night said the water at the tuna grounds (Atlantic Princess, Glory Hole) turned green and the bite was off. I didn’t want to take everyone for a 50 mile boat ride if there wasn’t good water. I don’t mind hearing the bite was slow, but I’m not trekking 50 miles plus to fish green water and bluefish. It hurts to lose the trip but this practice has served me well in terms of people coming back.

I will be running open boat trips Sat and Sun. 4AM to 11AM on Sat and 4:30 AM to 11:30 AM on Sunday. Also, 1 PM to 6PM on Sunday. $150 per man, limited to three people. The boat is also available to charter for these time slots and the head count is a little more flexible. I only limit to three on the open boats or when we sail offshore. It’s going to be a ShrimpFest! All live grass shrimping on 6 and 10 pound spinning tackle. The early morning we will anchor up for the weakies for the first half of the trip, then it will be time to catch the tide for the stripers at the inlet jetty. I’ll be packing heavy with gallons of live shrimp to throw. The Sunday afternoon trip will be just weakies and then we can mix in some fluke to try to put a Ziplock together for you folks. If you’ve ever done the grass shrimping with me or anyone, you know that the fluke respond to that bait very well. Some of the nicer fluke we catch are at anchor on the shrimp when the tide starts to slow and the chum drops straight down to them.

Please call me, don’t email me, if you would like to reserve a spot. I am not logged on to the computer very often when I am fishing.

Pictures is: Nate Stein of Beach Haven holding the keeper striper. Nate also holding the houndfish. Closeup of houndfish dentures. Steve Ondrof of Garwood NJ holding a 3 pound weakie.

See you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

July 5, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Today staffer Steve W. did well catching Fluke in various Mid-Island beachfront surf spots using bucktails tipped with Gulp.

Received: Jul 5, 2012 7:35 PM Subject: Garden State South

Knot Reel Farmers ran to Garden State South today to escape the flies and cool off a bit. Stopping just long enough for one drift, we picked up two monster black seabass, sporting teal highlights along their dorsal area and heads. They are fat and happy fish, as we tossed them back to be caught another day. The reef is teaming with life. Small schools of bunker, blues down deep, and lots of fish hugging the bottom.

On Tuesday, Knot Reel Farmers made a run to the 28 Mile Wreck, stopping at the AC Reef long enough to verify some old numbers for the Blue Crown wreck. Amazingly, we found her on the first pass. Same for Varanger, as we found her on the first pass as well. Hard to miss such a massive wreck with a good sounder. Lots of sea life out there, too, but not a bite as we were trolling for Mahi Mahi. Surface temps were 76 to 77 degrees, so they should start showing up soon.

~ Bernard J. Hyland

Received: Jul 5, 2012 7:24 PM Subject: Old Barney Charters Fishing Report

Had a charter of visiting Californians and Texans on July 3rd. Todd, Melanie, Kaitlyn, and Peter enjoyed fishing for sea bass, ling, and Peter’s nice looking toad fish. Melanie took the prize today with this 22″, 3.6-lb. sea bass. It was a perfect day to get on a wreck because the lack of wind would have presented a tough day on the drift for the fluke. Tell us what you want to target, and we’ll try to make it happen. Open dates in the upcoming weeks. Open boat charters will run if the interest is there. Stay cool in the upcoming days, it looks to be hot!

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt, “Bonnie Anne” 25′ Steiger Craft, up to 5 anglers, Old Barney Charters, www.oldbarneycharters.com , oldbarneycharters@aol.com 267-918-1746

Received: Jul 5, 2012 5:45 AM Subject: Ship Bottom July 4th

Grabbed some frozen bunker and squid and just hung and hit the bay in Ship Bottom with 2 buddies last night. There was a carpet of peanut bunker. Took a while for the bite to catch on but right as the lightening started to roll in, so did the weakfish. We each took one home and released a half dozen more. Also caught a short fluke, some snappers and about a dozen nice blue claws. The bite was red hot! Hope everyone enjoyed the fireworks. 😉 –Minus the 45 minutes we spent in the truck riding out the thunderstorm, it was the best time I’ve had on the bay in years!

-Matt Sorrentino

July 4, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Enjoy Independence Day!

Mr. Waldon caught a 23-lb 10-oz Striped Bass this morning on a live eel while fishing the North End of the Island.

Received: Jul 4, 2012 10:48 AM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

Although a series of intense thunderstorms has been plaguing the southern Ocean County area for the past week, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been making their way between the storm cells and finding some decent fishing.

The bay bite has slowed quite a bit mainly due to dirty water churned up from the storms and sharply increased water temperatures. When you throw in hot weather and a goodly number of greenhead flies, most captains are setting course for the cooler ocean waters.

The ocean inshore wrecks and reefs like the Little Egg and Garden State South are producing large numbers of fluke. Naturally, there are more throwbacks than keepers, but if you put the time in, the keepers will show up. The black sea bass are mainly in the deeper water wrecks, but a few are around the inshore reefs also.

Captain Fran Verdi has his new boat, the “Francesca Marie” ready to rock and roll with plenty of room for six anglers. He is completing a couple more things before making his first offshore trip to the tuna grounds, but it should be soon. His recent fluke trips have resulted in some filled fish boxes topped by a very nice 24-inch doormat. For information on the “Francesca Marie” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

The canyons are still very productive for those boats setting up trolling rigs with good numbers of tuna around in addition to some mahi-mahi and some reports of billfish.

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

July 3, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

5:00 PM

Scott Simpson just stopped in to pick up a new pair of Costa Del Mar shades for the summer sun. While here he reported catching one keeper fluke off of the mid-island surf today on Gulp!.

Just a heads up, Fisherman’s HQ is now a Fathom Offshore dealer! Stop by and check out their fish raising lures before marlin/tuna tournament time! Also don’t miss their t-shirts and hats.

Received: Jul 3, 2012 6:51 AM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

Another fun and productive week with constant action from the backbays/inlet and ocean. The hot weather and or the semi regular thunder storms appear to have tempered the bay fluke bite from time to time but other species such as bluefish have readily and eagerly filled their spot and now it appears we may have some weakfish sneaking about the bay. Fluke, bluefish, stripers and with weakfish joining the party a Barnegat Bay Grand slam can’t be far behind! Remember that we only employ light tackle tactics to ensure the most enjoyable experience.

Seabass fishing continues to offer high action and bags of fillets for those wreck devotees who love “drop and reel” style fishing. Along with the robust seasbass bite on the wrecks we have been encountering a myriad of other species such as trigger fish, blackfish, porgies, fluke… If bags of snow white seabass fillets weren’t reason enough.

I have this Friday available for either open or private charter, bay/inlet or ocean wreck or a combination of both. Hey the weather is hot and the fishing is too! Come on and join the fun.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

July 2, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jul 2, 2012 4:49 PM Subject: Fourth of July Open Boat

I am going to run an open boat trip this Wednesday, 4th of July. 5AM to Noon. $150 per man, 3 person max. We will start out using live grass shrimp for light tackle catch and release stripers and blackfish. Catch and release because the blackfish are not in season and the stripers are almost always under the 28 inch mark. Except for those that run us over the inlet jetty and either dump the spool or shred the line on the mussels. You’ve got to apply some pressure and turn them as soon as you hook up. Light spinning rods and no sinkers, just a hook! After a few hours of that we will bounce out to the reefs for some sea bass and maybe fluke. This way you get some sport and some fillet. Bottom fishing is new for me but I am getting better at positioning the boat over a piece. We should be able to put some sea bass in the cooler. I just tried it on Sunday with some folks and I have to admit, I saw the appeal. In a short time we had some keeper sea bass, a big porgy, and a big trigger. I just don’t want anyone thinking they are sailing with a seasoned bottom fisherman. I’ve got a lot to learn.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Jul 2, 2012 1:07 PM Subject: Old Barney Charters Fishing Report

Fished a couple days this past week, primarily moving throughout the bay to find a good fluke bite. Outgoing proved the best tide. There were many shorts caught, but this 4.6lb., 24″ fluke by Joan Walker was tops so far for the season. We are in full summer fishing mode, focusing primarily on fluke and running a couple more weeks in search of wrecks not picked clean yet. Several trips will be planned, weather permitting, in search of bft, mahi, and bonita.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt, “Bonnie Anne” 25′ Steiger Craft, up to 5 anglers, Old Barney Charters, www.oldbarneycharters.com , oldbarneycharters@aol.com 267-918-1746

Received: Jul 2, 2012 12:05 PM Subject: Sharking 7/1

Sunday we fished Barnegat ridge north trolling small spoons for Bonita and bluefish, after an hour we had a dozen bluefish and no Bonita. We headed to the Resor Wreck and set up a slick after 30 minutes of drifting we had our first run off but didn’t come tight. Another 45 minutes after that our deep bait started screaming off the reel and 2 Threshers started jumping close to 10 feet out of the water. After almost an hour fight we sunk 2 gaffs into the fish and adopted him up. The length and girth put this fish in the ballpark of 150#.

~ Ryan Curtiss

July 1, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

4:15 PM

Matt Brown fishing aboard the “Food Chain” said, “They did great at the area of Lemke’s Canyon on Bluefin tuna and Maha Maha while trolling Green Machines with Bird teasers around the grass lines”.

3:30 PM

Henry stopped by and reported catching two bluefish today off of the rocks.

Received: Jul 1, 2012 11:29 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

We didn’t do too much fishing this week, so there’s not a lot to report. Turns out that the nasty lightning/hail storm we got caught in last week zapped the electronics on the boat, so we’re now anxiously waiting for the factory to replace the fried parts and ship them back to me. In the meantime, we’re sticking to fluke fishing in the back bay areas and using the down days to take care of some overdue reel maintenance.

There are still plenty of fluke to be had in the bay, but the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having and the violent storms of the past two weeks have certainly slowed down the action. We had to move around quite a bit on Thursday’s trip to finally get a decent bite going, and Saturday we never really got a bite going all morning. With the bay starting to get really warm and the ocean water finally starting to heat up, it’s time to start looking at some of the inshore bumps to provide decent fluke fishing. This also should be prime time for running off to Barnegat Ridge for bonito and other tasty critters, so hopefully we’ll get our electronics back in the boat this week and get out there.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

June 30, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

The Fishermen’s Cast-A-Muck Casting Tournament
Scheduled for Saturday June 30th in Marlton NJ. This tournament is designed for the average surf fishermen to test out their skills as a distance caster using surf fishing equipment.
For details view… www.longdistancecasting.forumflash.com/index.php?showtopic=1559

Scott Kim stopped in the shop yesterday evening and picked up from fresh bunker. He hit the beach and caught some sharks and big rays. He said he got eaten alive by mosquitoes and almost struck by lightening. What a gnarly light show spectacular it was!!!

A couple reports today of fluke and small blues off of the beach.

June 29, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Russell Denton fished the Little Egg Reef for fluke today. The largest he caught weighed-in at 3.24-lbs.

Local “Grom” Tommy reported great crabbing right down the street at the Ship Bottom Fishing Dock. Today, Tommy caught a dozen Blue Claw crabs in what seemed like no time at all.

June 28, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

The brown shark bite has been on!

~ Fish Head Greg

Received: Jun 28, 2012 6:28 PM Subject: Bonita at the Ridge!

I ran the “Hi-Flier” to the Barnegat Ridge this morning with my son Max and friend Capt. Steve from “Reel Fantasea”. Right off the hop we had good readings, slicks and chicks and rods bending with 2 to 4 pound bonita. We were hi-speed trolling small daisy chains and cedar plugs. There were also small blues but we stayed throttled up over 7 mph and that helped keep them off and the bonita on. I still have room for two more tomorrow (Fri), leaving at 5 AM and returning at 11 AM, $150 per man. All fish are shared. Bonita are delicious. Anyway that you prepare tuna, you prepare bonita, including sashimi or seared ahi, my personal choices.

Also sailing six hour open boat trips for bonita, Sat and Sun, June 30 and July 1, 5AM to 11 AM, same info as above, 3 person max. Also sailing open boat bay trips for fluke and more every afternoon.

Here’s my 11 year old Max with his first ever bonita this morning.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Jun 28, 2012 5:01 AM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

Hey everyone, been busy fishing but unfortunately my reports have been slow coming due to an on going technical issue with my computer, server, router or combination of the above? Any way fishing has been very productive both in the backbay/inlet with plenty of light tackle action provided by tons of scrappy bluefish, fluke and occasional schoolie striper from time to time.We have scored mutiple “Barnegat Bay Slams” [ 3 species]in many trips but have not scored our first “Grand Slam” [ 4 species- striper, blue,fluke weakfish] as the weakfish have been hard to come by so far this season.

Mean while the ocean has provided lots of rod bending action on various wrecks with seabass, porgies,blackfish, pollock, fluke, winter flounder and trigger fish. Moving around different depths have found an abundance of many different varieties of species to keep things fun and everyone on their toes. Along with the solid fishing action the anglers aboard the Reel Fantasea have regularly encountered both whales and dolphins swimming about for some great photo ops.

Bay/inlet or ocean wreck is a great way to introduce kids to fishing as the action is almost non stop and the variety will surely keep and hold their attention! Get the remote control out of their hands and get a fishing rod in them and they too will be on their way to a life long enjoyment of the wonders of our world outside! I have a couple of spots available for this Friday Open Boat Wreck/inlet/bay trip for anyone who would like to meet and join other enthusiastic anglers.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

June 26, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jun 26, 2012 1:25 PM Subject: Hi Flier Fishing Report June 26

It was an awesome weekend of fishing. After a good trip of bluefin trolling on Thurs, I rode shotgun on my nephew Chris’ boat, the Kaley Marie, out of Manasquan on Fri, with my two sons, Nicholas, 13, and Maxwell, 11. We arrived at the Atlantic Princess early and started to catch tuna on the troll. The boys each got to do battle. After a good morning and 5 fish, we ran inshore to try sharking. After just ten minutes, a big blue shark put on a cool show of playing with our floats and swimming under the boat. The kids had seen this on NatGeo before, but never in real life. Just when they thought their day was made, the deep line I was standing next to went screaming. I set up on what I was sure was a mako but in a few moments a big thresher shark took to the air in an awesome display. Forty five minutes later we had him boatside and steamed in just before the storms. The Thresher hit the scales at 205 pounds .

Saturday was a lay day. On Sunday, I ran the Hi Flier back out to the Atlantic Princess with Pete Menges and Bill Hirst. We went three for three on 30 pound class bluefin tuna trolling mostly spreader bars for what was Pete and Bill’s first tunas. The winds were light, the seas were flat calm and the fish were biting. Here’s some video of Pete on his second tuna of the morning: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJA-7kraV9w

The bunker/bass fishing seems to be slowing up, though I wouldn’t count out one moreblast before it wraps up. I plan on early departures that have us either leaving for the offshore grounds for tuna or combing the shore for bunker and bass and then bouncing to Barnegat Ridge for bonita and albacore. It is very possible to find bluefin and mahi there, as well. The run to the Atlantic Princess is 50 miles each way and I will only consider it with the most mild of weather forecasts. Light and variable winds and no storms predicted. In addittion, we do pack a 4 man survival raft and an EPIRB on any of our offshore ventures.

Running open boat or charter every day for stripers, bonita, albacore, and tuna: Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sun, June 28 to July 1. Offshore or striper/offshore combos departing at 4AM or 5AM each morning and returning around Noon or 1PM. $200 per person. Three person maximum. We will also be sailing in the afternoons of those dates for fluke and anything else we can target. 2PM to 7PM, $100 per person, 4 person max.

(FHQ Note: The following part of the Hi-Flier report should be experienced if not often then at least once in a lifetime)…
The tide happens to be perfect for afternoon light tackle stripers. We anchor up and chum with live grass shrimp. The stripers are mostly fish under the 28 inch mark, so it is a catch and release fishery. A lot of fun on the 10 pound spinning tackle, though. We do occasionally catch a few keepers here, as well. Blackfish are almost always in the mix, but they are in a closed season, so they all have to go back. Why target two fish we can’t keep? Because it is great sport on light tackle with two species you don’t usually encounter in the warm summer months. Even the technique is worth seeing as you will be catching both stripers and tog without any sinkers or terminal tackle. Just a hook, sometimes even a bobber! The bait needs to be ordered well in advance, so if this is something you would like to try, give me as much notice as possible.

Please telephone for all reservations.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Jun 26, 2012 5:40 PM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

The port of Beach Haven is settling into the summer mode of fishing, and the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are getting their fill of the action both inshore and offshore.

Captain Carl Sheppard on the “Star Fish” had an excellent week and weekend of fishing. Captain Carl found the bay waters to be slow, but offshore the sea was calm, and the fish hungry. He found a good number of large black bass on a few wrecks, and some nice keeper fluke between the wrecks. It was necessary to try a number of stops before finding good action. His anglers also had some fun with 5-foot brown sharks which were under the bunker pods. For information on the “Star Fish” for 2-20 anglers contact Capt. Carl Sheppard, 609.492.2591, cfsheppard@aol.com

Captain George Finck on the “Sparetime” had Nicole Kelly and family out for a day reef fishing. They returned to the dock with a nice catch of fluke and black sea bass and also released many shorts. On Sunday Captain George took his 17 year old grandson Joey out to the canyons for some tuna action. The bite was slow but Joey did manage to catch the only yellowfin of the day. For information on the 38′ Henriques “Sparetime” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. George Finck, 609.618.3877, email: Finck104@comcast.net

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Drop Off” spend last week picking away at sea bass on area reefs and wrecks. Friday’s storms slowed the fishing on Saturday, but Captain Fran found some good fluke fishing on Sunday. He had a group from Pittsburgh out, and they mugged the fluke. The biggest fish of the day was a 27-incher caught on a Bucktailboys bucktail tipped with Gulp. Captain Fran will now be fishing on his new boat, a 2011 May-Craft center console that is 27-feet long. The “Francesca Marie” is powered by twin 174 HP Evinrude E-Tec outboards. The new rig is fully equipped and will hold 6 anglers. For information on the 25′ “Drop Off” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, 609.868.8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

Captain Bob Gerkens on the “Hot Tuna” took top honors in the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club’s annual tuna tournament. He had the largest individual tuna and the top weight total for 3 yellowfins, all in the 50-pound range. His crew consisted of Captain John Lewis, Pete Nork, and Matt Ruark. Because of the a sloppy ocean recently, Captain Bob had the Mike Mayer family from Pottstown, Pa., spend their half day trip in the quieter bay waters on the “Hot Tuna”. They anchored up and used a chum pot to bring in a good number of large sand sharks that produced some exciting catch and release fishing. For information on the 38′ Blackfin Sport Fisherman “Hot Tuna” contact Capt. Bob Gerkens, Phone: 609.384.0877, email: HotTunaBoat@yahoo.com

The head boat “Miss Beach Haven” with captains Frank Camarda and Brant Whittaker worked hard last Saturday with poor drift conditions to put a mixed bag of fluke and sea bass together. Mike was the pool winner with a 4-pound fluke. The drift Sunday was a bit better and it made a big difference. A steady procession of fluke, sea bass, and skates were coming over the rails. Everyone took fish home with Leon taking top honors. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda, 609.978.9951 or Email: missbeachhaven@comcast.net

Captain Lindsay Fuller and the “June Bug” fished the Wilmington Canyon recently with the John Goodbred party from Lancaster, Pa. They left the dock at midnight and started fishing at 4:40 am. They boated the first yellowfin at 6:30 and managed to boat 5 yellowfin out of 9 that struck with the largest at 40-pounds. They also picked up a nice 15-pound mahi-mahi. For information on the 41′ “June Bug” contact Capt. Lindsay Fuller, 609.685.2839, email: CaptLindsay@Fish-JuneBug.com

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

June 24, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

2012 – 11th Annual Simply Bassing Spring Surf Tournament ($20 May 5 to June 24, 2012)!
Fisherman’s Headquarters $10 Spring Striper Side Bet aka Striper Calcutta.
If you are registered for the FHQ Calcutta, the largest bass weighed in at FHQ takes that Calcutta “cash pot”!
For More Detail About The Fisherman’s Headquarters 2012 Spring Striper Side Bet Click Here.

2012 – 11th Annual Simply Bassing Spring Surf Tournament
Official Final Standings: ( ** are signed-in for FHQ Calcutta )
1) 45-lb 05-oz Mark McAuliff
2) 44-lb 03-oz, Greg O’Connell**
3) 44-lb 02oz, Dante Soriente
4) 42-lb 02-oz, Tim Stumpf
5) 41-lb 06-oz, Jason Hoch**
6) 37-lb 12-oz, Fred Strausbaugh**
7) 31-lb 01-oz, John Parzych**
8) 28-lb 05-oz, Blake Griffiths**

Bumped 28-lb 04-oz, Charlie Hass
Bumped 26-lb 09-oz, Brendan Craig
Bumped 24-lb 06oz, Marty S.
Bumped 23-lb 06oz, Ralph O.
Bumped 21-lb 11oz, Steve W.

Received: Jun 24, 2012 10:57 PM Subject: Weakfish

27-inch weakfish fell for a Bomber Long A lure in Barnegat Bay. (Photo to follow)

~ Bucky D.

Received: Jun 24, 2012 6:03 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

It was another busy week on the Barnegat Bay. Water temperatures in bay responded to the recent heat wave by settling into the upper 70’s. Adjusting my approach to fluking cooler water when possible my charters where still able to boat about 8 fluke per hour. Once again most were shorts but enough are making it home for a meal or two. Opting to fish artificial lures on light tackle the duo of Chris and John Firriolo managed to land blues, fluke and striped bass. They missed a Grand Slam by only a weakfish, demonstrating the amazing fishery we have. With the hot fluke bite and all of the small blues around there is plenty of action to keep the rods bending. So grab your kids, some snacks and a camera and go fishing!

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ 609.548.2511

Received: Jun 24, 2012 9:51 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Well that was quite a week. First, three days of near record setting heat with temperatures in the high nineties and humidity that had us begging for mercy. Then the heat wave gets broken on Friday by one of the nastiest storm systems I’ve ever been out in, with 8-10 inches of rain in a couple of hours, hail the size of golf balls, sixty mile an hour winds and more cloud to ground lightning than I ever hope to see again. We hunkered down under a bridge for an hour at the height of the storm and felt the temperature drop almost thirty degrees in a matter of minutes. But everyone made it back in safely and it did break the heat, giving us beautiful summer days for the weekend.

Fluke fishing in the back bay continued to hold up well this week, although the number of keepers was a bit lower than we might have expected. The ratio of shorts to keepers seemed to hover around fifteen to one, but we had pretty consistent action on all three trips this week whenever we could find a decent drift. Hookups were pretty evenly split between Gulp baits and our custom fluke teasers, with white or chartreuse taking turns as the hottest color. Small bluefish around the inlet and on the flats provided some added rod bending action when the drift in the back bay disappeared.

Still plenty of bunker swimming around out front, but it looks like our spring striped bass run is finally over and the fish have migrated north until fall. We’ll be concentrating on fluke for the next couple of months, mixing in occasional trips out to Barnegat Ridge when the bonito and false albies make their summer appearance. We still have some prime summer dates open, so now’s the time to book that summer outing.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
26′ Jones Brothers 609.698.3632 Email: barnegatbayfishing@att.net

June 23, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jun 23, 2012 11:16 AM Subject: Reel Reaction Sportfishing 6/22/2012 report

On Friday, I had Stuart Siberski with his son and nephew working hard on some local wrecks trying to pick through shorts for some nice sized fluke. With the drift very slow due to lack of winds, we ended up with 2 keeper fluke up to 22 inches among the many shorts, and some nice sea bass up to 21 inches. The family had a great day on the water and we made it in safely prior to the never-ending thunderstorms. I’m running weekday and weekend charters all summer long.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor, “Reel Reaction” 609.290.7709

June 21, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jun 21, 2012 10:33 PM Subject: Bluefin Tuna!!

We went three for four today on 30-pound class bluefin. I started looking at the “Lillian”, trolled through the Glory Hole….nothing. By 10 AM we were at the “Atlantic Princess” with a handful of other boats. As I was setting up the third rod in our trolling spread, the first rod was already screaming. We were using 20 pound conventional gear to keep it sporty. Cedar plugs, small daisy chains, little jet lures, it was “old school” high speed bluefin at it’s finest. You don’t need a 300 yard ballyhoo! We switched over to sharking to try for a mako, but went hitless from Noon to 2 PM and headed for home. I’m back out tomorrow for more. Still have openings for Saturday and Sunday for Tuna or Stripers or both.

Here’s a video clip from our first hookup today: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQIeJbuhxmQ&feature=youtu.be

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

June 20, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jun 20, 2012 6:32 PM Subject: Room for one tomorrow. Tuna!

I have two people for tomorrow and one spot still available. We are going to catch bluefin tuna. I have the numbers, there’s a lively piece of blue water about 35 miles NE of Barnegat Inlet. The fish are 15 to 30 pound average. We’re bringing a bucket of chum to finish up with an hour or two effort for a mako. Both species have been caught in good numbers yesterday and today. We’re going to get ours! We’re meeting at the dock at 4:30 AM and return sometime in the afternoon, no set time. The weather is mint and the forecast is for a flat ocean. Call me up until 10 PM if you want the last spot for tomorrow. More of the same fishing and weather Fri thru Sun. We could also do bunker snagging for bass if you prefer. Call for any of those spots as well.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Jun 20, 2012 8:50 AM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

After a week of strong northeast winds and large ocean swells, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are looking forward to milder breezes and more summerlike weather. As the last of the winds left the area, some of the boats managed to put together some decent catches.

Captain Carl Sheppard on the “Star Fish” fished three days last weekend and managed to find some keeper black sea bass along with a 5-foot brown shark while fishing offshore. He also picked up some bluefish on the troll along with some fluke while drifting in the back bay waters. For information on the “Star Fish” for 2-20 anglers contact Capt. Carl Sheppard, 609-492-2591, cfsheppard@aol.com

The head boat “Miss Beach Haven” did some bottom fishing over the weekend and battled the conditions to put some nice sea bass on the deck. The pool winner on Saturday was a 3.5-pound sea bass. On Sunday they looked for summer flounder and found some with sea bass mixed in. Tommy Hook took top honors with a fat fluke. On a pair of trips before the northeaster arrived, pool winners included Mike from Tabernacle with a 4-pound sea bass and John Cheeseman with a 4.5-pound fluke. Mate Sal Rosa says the “Miss Beach Haven” is already signing up anglers for their open boat tuna trips in the fall. Some of the dates are already sold out. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda via email: MissBeachHaven@aol.com

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

June 19, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

4:30 PM

Sorry, we missed all your phone calls. Our internet and phones are now back on. The power company cut the Comcast internet cable for all of LBI this morning. So all IP phones and the internet have been down until about 4 PM this afternoon. Never a dull moment.

Matt Brown fished the Barnegat Lighthouse area yesterday afternoon. He reported lots of Triggerfish in around the rocks. Matt caught a bucket full using clam and squid. Matt also reported that a lot of Bluefish were around too.

Received: Jun 19, 2012 2:59 PM Subject: Beat the Heat!….with Stripers, Tuna or Both.

There is a huge weather window coming this Thursday to Sunday with mild west, southwest, and north winds at low velocity. All of this heavy east that we had last week and through the weekend should have been an accelerator for all kinds of fishing. This opens the door to jumping back into the bunker/striper run along the beach or trolling offshore for bonita, albacore, and bluefin tuna. We can even do both in the same trip. I would be inclined to start with the offshore fishing first, as if there is going to be any storm activity, it is typically in the afternoon and I would much rather be tight along the beach than 20 or 30 miles off. As things have been the last few years, and even some of this season, there is still a late morning and afternoon bass bite on bunker if you get on the right pods. Of course, we can just pick one species or the other, as well. We can even wait until the night before or the morning of, to make a decision based on “up to the minute” fishing info and sea conditions. This time of year, I would probably load the boat with all of the gear and tackle (including the liferaft and EPIRB) to accomplish both so we can even decide during our trip to go to Plan B. I leave it up to you guys, and majority rules.

I am going to run open boat every day, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 21 to 24 for Stripers, Bonita/Albacore/Tuna, or both. The boat leaves at 5:00 AM and we can do a 6 hour trip (Bass only), an 8 hour trip (Bass or Tuna), or an extended trip, 10 hours plus, for a combo trip. The range on the boat is enormous. We can literally run, troll, and fish for two days with the fuel and range of this boat. If we had to, we could leave the offshore grounds and run as far north as we had to get into bunker and stripers. If we want to just target bass, we will make the left out of Barnegat inlet and keep going until we find the life we are looking for. Before the blow, that run was usually only 7 to 12 miles, between the Bathing Beach and Seaside Heights. if there’s no bunker there, we keep progressing to Manasquan Inlet, Shark River, Asbury Park, Shrewsbury Rocks…..we will find them!

If the bunker/bass bite is on and close to home, I will run two 6 hour trips each day, 5:00 AM to 11:00 AM, and Noon to 6 PM. Cost: $150 per person. If we go with the 8 or10 hour trip, the cost is $200 per person. All fish are shared on all trips. Three person maximum. Reservations are required. Please call me, do not email me, as I am rarely logged on to the computer on fishing days. I do however always have the cell phone on board.

Hope to see you on board. It’s going to be an interesting four days of fishing.

The heavy easterly winds kept us inside the barnegat Bay over the weekend. The fluke and bluefishing was good. On Saturday, Nate Stein and his friend Mike had 20 plus fluke including three keepers from 18″ to 19 1/2″. Our best action was in Double Creek Channel in 4 to 6 feet of water out of the channel. Jigging chartruese 4″ Gulp! mullet on 3/8 oz. jigheads. From there we moved onto the flats east of the BI Buoy where they did constant battle with 2 to 3 pound blues on poppers and light tackle. Attached is a pic. Here’s the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFS-jAFTx9s

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

June 18, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

KeepAmericaFishing – The Voice of the American Angler

Visit… www.keepamericafishing.org/ and please view “TOP NEWS” Issues on left-hand column.

Please pay strong attention to and try and reply to…
– Congress to Vote on Recreational Access at Cape Hatteras National Seashore June 18, 2012
– Vote on Monumental Sportsmen’s Legislation Expected As Soon As Today! June 13, 2012

Received: Monday, June 18, 2012 7:46 PM Subject: Weekend report – Reel Reaction Sportfishing

We fished two consecutive days and had some nice fish in the bay – always trying to increase the keeper to short ratio with 1 out of 6 being a nice fish. Ended up with 6 keepers – largest close to 5lbs and smallest 20 inches. I will be running bay/inlet fluke trips throughout the week and weekends all summer long. If you prefer to fish the afternoon – we can customize to your liking. Once the ocean fluking begins to heat up, I will be running ocean trips targeting areas that consistently produce doormat sized flatties. If your an LBI vacationer – we can make arrangements to pick up/drop off at Bobbies Boats in Barnegat Light, NJ.

Also if your interested in some nearshore action (weather permitting) – I will be running trips for pelagic species (bonita, tuna, etc) starting the last week of June.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” 609-290-7709

Received: Jun 18, 2012 6:57 PM Subject: Barnegat bay Fluke and Houndfish

Fished with Capt. Bob on the La Bella Vita in the area of the BI buoy. Two keeper Fluke and lots of small fish. Plus caught a big Houndfish (released). All on Spro jigs with squid, gulp and kellies. (Photo still needs to be posted)

Received: Jun 18, 2012 1:17 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

I have been real busy the last three days netting fluke. The tally for all three days was over 100 flatties with about 1 in 15 making it into the cooler. Action was consistent as long as tide was moving and I fished currents that worked in my favor. Here is a picture of Melia Olson with one of her many fluke. (Photo still needs to be posted) This hot fluke action should take us through the summer. With school out I am running trips throughout the week and on weekends. For those staying on LBI remember you can conveniently be picked up at Bobbies in Barnegat Light.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ 609-548-2511

June 17, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

10:30 AM

George Morre weighed in this 18-lb bass earlier today. He caught it off of the mid-island surf early this morning. George mentioned that he caught a bass yesterday morning too. Both were on bunker. Tommy M. fished the inlet yesterday with his brother, dad and cousin. He report lots of blues!!! Tommy said the action was hot. All of the blues were in the 1-5lbs range. Jim Crane got a 13-lb bluefish off of the mid-island surf yesterday morning on a bunker chunk. We got word from two customers in the shop this morning that they hammered the fluke and weakfish in the bay yesterday!

The No Limits with Bob Percopo and Jeff Barnhart headed offshore to the Spencer Canyon last Sunday and got into some yellow birds. They went 6 for 9 on yellowfin tuna… Read On (Sorry It’s Late)
The No Limits fishing duo of Bob Percopo and Jeff Barnhart headed offshore to the Spencer Canyon on Sunday looking for the two degree temperature break in the satellite shots. When the water temperature went from 68 degrees to 70 degrees the lines went in the water although there was really no sign of life. Before all trolling rods were in, we had fish on, then two fish on, then three fish on. With only the two of us on the boat we were successful in boating two of the three yellow fin up to 65 pounds. Throughout the day we trolled back and forth over the break line going six for nine on yellow fin and one for one on a blue fin that was released. Rainbow spreader bars and green machine daisy chains were the lures of choice as most of the hits were on plastic – with only two hits on rigged bally. With only the duo on board and our limit of yellow fin in the canyon bag we cleared lines for an enjoyable ride back after a memorable day on the water at the canyon passing many sea turtles on the ride in. Here is a picture of their trip!

Received: Jun 17, 2012 12:51 PM Subject: Fisheries News

Guys,

This stuff could happen to our fisheries. Please read and sign the petition if you want to help.

~ Jim T., Bridgewater, NJ

Help Required

Hi Folks.

I bring bad news. The Australian Commonwealth Marine Parks Zoning Maps have finally been released and the news is not good. The Coral Sea. One of the worlds largest pristine marine environments will be closed to recreational fishing.

If you have ever dreamt of doing a Nomad trip or visiting the wide reefs off Cairns please sign this e petition from Capt Damon Olson of Nomad Sport Fishing.

There are only 2 months to make any changes to this plan and we are up against the wall. Once implemented it will be law and will take a vote in both the upper house and lower house of federal parliament to repeal. The marine parks were developed by PEW and they got what they wanted.

To read more on the parks please read here www.fishingworld.com.au/

To sign the petition and send a letter to Mr. Tony Burke Minister for the Environment please use the link…
nomadsportfishing.com.au/wordpress/sustainable-recreational-fishing/

Be aware my Yankee friends. We were the first test. Now watch PEW close down large portions of the USA to fishing.

Please sign the letter. Over 90% of submissions supporting the marine park came from over seas. You can make a difference from another part of the world.

Thank you for listening and an even bigger thank you if you submit a petition.

Received: Jun 17, 2012 9:36 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Hello All,

An incessant northeast wind kept us pretty much tied to the dock through most of last week, but when we did make it out things were looking pretty good. Lou Noftsier was out with me on Monday along with son-in-law Matt and grandsons Kyle, Andrew and Josiah for their annual start of summer fluke trip. Facing a strong NE wind against tide situation most of the day, the crew still managed a steady pick of fish all morning and finished up with ten nice flatties to 22″ in the box. Gulp baits and our custom teasers fished in extremely shallow water produced most of the fish. With all of our mid-week trips canceled due to the wind, I snuck out for a bit myself yesterday and found the fish still there and hungry. Noftsier Charter Picture

Nothing to report on the striper front this week. It seemed like the bite was turning back on at the end of last week but who knows what this week of wind has done to things. In past years this would have been a prime week for big fish just before they moved north, so we’ll just have to wait and see what this week brings us.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632

June 14, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jun 14, 2012 3:10 PM Subject: An alternative

East winds and rough seas got you down? You can still go fishing! The forecast is for gorgeous weather but heavy wind and big seas through the weekend. Barnegat Bay is alive with fluke (flounder), bluefish, and a mixed bag of species. I ordered a flat of sandworms, some live shedder crabs, a sleeve of clams, and a bucket of Gulp! The plan is to drift the channels and jig for fluke with jigheads and Gulp. Cast poppers and topwater lures on the shallow flats for bluefish. Anchor up on the west side of the bay and chum for blowfish. While at anchor we can use the shedder crab baits for weakfish, kingfish, puppy drum, and an assortment of species that call that area home. We can also drift the channels and behind the sedge islands with the sandworms for short stripers, fluke, or weakfish. Do I have any weakfish or kingfish reports?… No, but the water temp and clarity is good. The ocean is a mess in this heavy easterly. The weather is going to be clear with a cool seabreeze providing a good drift. Why sit it out? With this five sided plan, we are likely to bend the rods with some action and usually some surprises. The gear is light spinning rods, 6 to 10-pound test. We will be sailing open boat bay trips Friday, June 15, 1 PM to 7 PM, Saturday, 2PM to 8PM, and Sunday 6AM to Noon and 1PM to 7PM. Limited to 4 people. $100 per person. Charters also available. Reservations are required. Call to reserve or for more info.

Here’s a clip of some short stripers we caught on light tackle two weeks ago: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN9pa5X1DvM

We will resume running open boat and charter for the ongoing liveline bunker and trophy striper fishery as soon as the sea condition subsides. Don’t get caught sleeping, we should have two to three solid weeks of big bass on bunker. Pick a date before it passes by. You’ll have to wait until next May for the really big fish again.

See you out there,

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Dante Soriente entered a 44-lb 2-oz Striped Bass for the Simply Bassing Tournament. The fish was caught in Holgate at about 4:45AM this morning.

June 13, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jun 13, 2012 2:27 PM Subject: FR – Pez Machine Sportfishing

It’s on and time to get back out to the canyons! We headed back out Sunday into Monday and had great yellowfin troll action right off the bat quickly putting 12 yellowfins between 30-45 pounds in the boat before we set up for the night. Spent the night on the drift in 50 fathoms and went 2 for 3 on makos. One was a 4 footer that we released and we boated a 70″ fish at 3AM. With a limit of yellowfin and our mako in the boat we decided to change the game plan and (instead of releasing yellowfins on the troll) went deep dropping. With the wind and current out of the east it took a little effort and a lot of weight but we managed to put together a great mix of grey and golden tilefish.

Upcoming Open Boat Trips… We’ve got spots on the following open boat overnighters: 6/24-25 – 12PM departure, 7/1-2 – 12PM departure. Please contact me by phone or email for more information and to book spots.

~ Capt. Stew Hitchner, Pez Machine Sportfishing 56′ Core Sound, 609-287-5136 Stew@pezmachine.com

Received: Jun 13, 2012 11:06 AM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

The boats of the Beach haven Charter Fishing Association are finding a wide assortment of fish on their trips out of Little Egg Inlet and into the ocean.

Captain Jimmy Zavacky of the “Reel Determined” recently fished the Greater Atlantic Bluefish Tournament with his family and found some nice bluefish northeast of the Barnegat Ridge. They boated 16 bluefish which was good enough to earn them a third place finish in the tournament. Captain Zavacky termed it “a fun day of fishing with family which benefitted a good cause. For information on the 36′ Runaway “Reel Determined” contact Capt. Jimmy Zavacky, Phone: (609) 915-2498, reeldetermined@comcast.net

The “Miss Beach Haven” under Captains Brant Whittaker and Frank Camarda has been finding some decent fishing for black sea bass. One recent day John Cheeseman was the pool winner with a nice 3.5 pounder. Keepers are ranging from three to the teens per angler with plenty being returned to grow larger. Another day they had Paul and the rest of the crew from Wexcon Utilities on a bluefish trip, and the fishing was hot. All hands on deck were swinging the gaffs to keep up with the hectic action. There was a crew of 15 men and one woman, and she was the pool winner. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda via email: MissBeachHaven@aol.com

Captain George Finck had the Linert family out on the “Spare Time” fishing the inshore artificial reefs. The group enjoyed a beautiful day on the water in addition to a nice catch of black sea bass and a goodly amount of undersized summer flounder. For information on the 38′ Henriques “Sparetime” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. George Finck, (609) 618-3877, email: Finck104@comcast.net

Captain John Koegler had another good shark fishing trip last weekend on his charter boat “Starfish”. He headed out some 33 miles and started a chum slick. Very quickly they had a small mako on which they released. They then released several blue sharks, one of which was estimated at over 200 pounds. As they were washing the deck and getting ready to finish for the day, they had a larger mako in the chum slick and investigating the baits, but he refused to hook up. For information on the “Star Fish” for 2-20 anglers contact Capt. Carl Sheppard, 609-492-2591, cfsheppard@aol.com

Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com .

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

KeepAmericaFishing – The Voice of the American Angler

The Vote on Monumental Sportsmen’s Legislation Expected As Soon As Today!
Ask your Senators to support this historic package of fishing legislation

As soon as today, your U.S. Senators are expected to vote on the most comprehensive package of sportsmen’s legislation in recent years. The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 has 19 bills that impact the sportfishing community, as well as recreational shooters and hunters. This historic legislation provides for increased access, habitat conservation and improved fish and wildlife management. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) introduced the Sportsmen’s Act as an amendment to the Senate’s 2012 Farm Bill on Friday, June 8. The Senate is expected to vote on its inclusion this week. With this important vote looming, it is critical that you send a message. Visit keepamericafishing.org/ and Click ACTION ALERT for more details.

June 12, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Tuesday, June 12, 2012 3:37 PM Subject: BSC Spring Tournament Final Results

Here are the final results of the 9th annual Berkeley Striper Club Spring Tournament that began on 6/1 and concluded on 6/9. The 8 day tournament was for surfcasters only. There were 96 participants and approximately 25 stripers and 30 bluefish were weighed in. Fishing was generally slow during the tournament but picked up during the last couple days of the tournament. Most of the fish were caught in Monmouth County but the top bass was caught on Long Beach Island by Greg O’Connell of Mays Landing. His trophy bass weighed 44-lbs 5-oz and was caught on a bunker head. Greg won a custom CTS rod valued at $550 and over $500 in cash. Another outstanding catch was made by Zoltan Egyed who caught a 19-lb 8-oz bluefish.

All of the profit goes to a dedicated fund and is then donated to organizations that protect or enhance our recreational fisheries.

~ Paul Haertel, BSC Tournament Director

Striped Bass Division
1.Greg O’Connell 44 lbs 5 oz.
2. Mike Hulse 24 lbs. 7 oz.
3. Dennis Burlingame 18 lbs. 14 oz.
4. Eric Green 18 lbs.
5. Zoltan Egyed 16 lbs. 8 oz.
6. John Salato 16 lbs. 1 oz.
7. Jim Puha 16 lbs. (caught first)
8. Ron Ryder 16 lbs.
9. Al Bikowski 15 lbs. 14 oz. (caught first)
10. Paul Haertel 15 lbs. 14 oz.
11. John Gillis 15 lbs.
12. Rich Schultz 14 lbs.
13. Dennis Callan 13 lbs. 9 oz.
14. Bob Schwarz 13 lbs. 8 oz.
15. Fred Bogue 13 lbs. 5 oz.
16. Craig Goodwin Sr. 12 lbs. 7 oz.
17. David Milnes 12 lbs. 4 oz.
18. George Strathern 11 lbs. 11 oz.
19. Chris Smith 11 lbs. 3 oz.
20. William Wright 11 lbs. 2 oz.

Bluefish Division
1. Zoltan Egyed 19 lbs. 8 oz.
2. Sal Padavano 16 lbs. 14 oz.
3. Robert Chin 16 lbs.
4. John Gillis 15 lbs. 8 oz.
5. Shawn DeVinzenzo 15 lbs.
6. Rich Shultz 14 lbs. 8 oz.
7. John Kravchak 13 lbs. 14 oz.
8. JM Basile 13 lbs. 13 oz.
9. John Salato 13 lbs. 11 oz.
10. Shell E. Caris 13 lbs. 9 oz.
11. Ron Ryder 12 lbs. 8 oz.
12. Al Bikowski 11 lbs. 3 oz.
13. Ryan Gurrette 10 lb. 5 oz.
14. Kevin Malone 8 lbs. 11 oz.
15. Eric Green 8 lbs.
16. Jose Estrada 3 lbs. 14 oz.
17. Chris Smith 3 lbs. 8 oz.
18. Paul Haertel 3 lbs. 2 oz.
19. Bob Schwarz 3 lbs.
20. Ryan Sherwood 2 lbs. 11 oz.

$25 Striped Bass Category
Greg O’Connell 44 lbs 5 oz.
Luke de Araujo 25 lbs. 3 oz. (not in merchandise category)
Eric Green 18 lbs.

$50 Striped Bass Category
Greg O’Connell 44 lbs 5 oz.
Eric Green 18 lbs.
Zoltan Egyed 16 lbs. 8 oz.

$25 Bluefish Category
Al Bikowski 11 lbs. 3 oz.
Eric Green 8 lbs.
Paul Haertel 3 lbs. 2 oz.

June 11, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jun 11, 2012 3:16 PM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters –

Stop, start, stop, start repeat and that’s the way the trophy striped bass bite continues to be. When the big bass decide to dine it’s game on! Conversely when time, tide, weather, appetite, mood… well I think you know where that’s going . For consistency the light tackle backbay/inlet has been hard to beat for schoolie stripers, blues and fluke . Although the bluefish have been so aggressive in certain locations getting a lure past them and targeting another species has been challenging, Hey that’s a good problem to have when having some rod bending fun is priority #1!

As proof to the “on/off” striper bite, regular Karl Steffan aka “The Maestro” found vast amounts of bunker tightly packed to the ocean surface only to have all presentations/bait ignored. Retreating to the back bay saved the day with light tackle action with countless ravenous blues and a 1 striper that when we were able to get a lure past the blues.

The trip of the week goes to regulars Jay Simmons aka “The Bass Master” Ernie Rosenberg aka “The Ninja” and “The Big Man” Carlton Bird where the guys scored big bass to 35-lbs and then fall back to the backbay/inlet to top off their “fish box filling” adventure with blues and fluke employing light tackle tactics!

Photo

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

Received: Jun 11, 2012 10:39 AM Subject: Mid Island Surf action

Me and my buddy Ernie landed a 33 inch Striper and a nice fat kingfish on Saturday using bloodworms from the Mid-Island suds. The Striper hit a hi/lo kingfish rig with circle hooks. Amazed that the bass didn’t bust off the hook! PLEASE KEEP BLOODWORMS IN STOCK ! With the water temps hovering in the high 60’s the kingfish are here for the summer.

~ Jay Simmons

June 10, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Sonny Shepanski did some shark fishing at the Resor Wreck today using a double barreled chum slick of Glup Chum and Bunker Chum. The water temperature was 67. The catch was three (3) Mako Sharks with some being close to 200-lbs plus one (1) Blue Shark.

Received: Jun 10, 2012 10:56 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Striper fishing continued to be slow through the early part of the week, prompting many of us to begin speculating on whether it really could be coming to an early close this year. But by late Thursday the big girls had moved back in and found the bunker again, and it’s been game on for jumbo stripers out in front of Island Beach State Park for the past few days. Largest fish of the week honors went to George Selph (again) with a 45 pound bass that inhaled a live bunker on Saturday’s trip. This week also brought us our first decent showing of bluefish along the beach, ranging in size from 1-3 pound snappers up to 10-12 pound choppers. On the bay, fluke fishing has started to show signs of life now that our slime grass problem has started to diminish so we’ll be targeting the flatties more over the coming weeks. Time to go fishing!

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632
Yesterday’s High Point Striper Shootout was an awesome tournament. Flawless weather and epic striped bass fishing! Jason Marty said, “Our best tournament yet. 48 total boats.”

Final Standings:

1st Place “Team Fat Pills” 46.7-lbs
2nd Place “Lucky Stripes” 45.2-lbs
3rd Place “Laura” 41.4-lbs

June 9, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

2012 JERSEY COAST ANGLERS FLUKE LOG

Port: Long Beach Island – Weigh Station: Fisherman’s Headquarters

Place
Entry Number
Weight (lbs)
Length (in)
Time
Caught By
Hometown
Registered Angler’s Name
1
127
5.82
24.75
3:19 PM
Makitra, Gene
Barnegat, NJ
Schell, Paul L.
2
173
5.56
23.50
4:02 PM
Lutz, Steve
Columbus, NJ
Lippincott, Eric S.
3
1001
5.16
24.00
2:11 PM
Habakus, Scott
Charleston, SC
Habakus, Shawn
4
269
4.68
22.50
2:19 PM
Maffia, John
Mystic Island, NJ
Maffia, John
5
97
4.64
22.25
4:20 PM
Osborne, Robert
Columbus, NJ
Cognigni, Brian M.
6
378
4.54
22.50
1:25 PM
Burns, Jack
Clark, NJ
Burns, Jack
7
292
4.30
22.63
1:38 PM
Luker, Mark
Browns Mills, NJ
Trembula, Tom
8
99
3.68
20.25
4:29 PM
Mehalick, Russel
Morrisville, PA
Mehalick, Russel
9
356
3.60
21.50
3:34 PM
Rothermel, Lee E.
Toms River, NJ
Rothermel, Lee E.
10
4
3.58
21.00
2:16 PM
Pasko, Richard
Lanoka Harbor, NJ
Pasko, Felica
11
197
3.40
20.00
2:23 PM
Paolella, Dean
Springfield, NJ
Paolella, Dean
12
219
3.38
21.38
4:25 PM
Guenot, Steve T.
Little Edg harbor, NJ
Guenot, Steve T.
13
221
3.30
21.00
3:30 PM
Miller, Fred
Bordentown, NJ
Miller, Lou R.
14
216
3.22
19.75
3:32 PM
Scholl, Anthony V.
Toms River, NJ
Scholl, Anthony V.
15
36
3.06
20.00
3:16 PM
Gallagher, Jamie
Tuckertown, NJ
Gallagher, Jamie
16
391
3.00
19.50
3:59 PM
Bambara, Max
Forked River, NJ
Bambara, Jay
17
21
2.92
20.50
3:27 PM
Partyka, Bruce J.
East Rutherford, NJ
Partyka, Bruce M.
18
254
2.82
20.38
4:07 PM
Picatagi, Bill
Hamilton, NJ
Murdza, Mike T.
19
384
2.70
19.00
2:27 PM
Celmer, Philip
Waretown, NJ
Celmer, Philip
20
355
2.64
19.50
3:22 PM
Dubman, Andrew
Lacey, NJ
Kowitski, Thomas
21
118
2.56
19.25
4:31 PM
Rust, Bill
Beverly, NJ
Rust, Edward A.
22
158
2.44
19.25
4:09 PM
Czarnik, Brian J.
Philadelphia, PA
Czarnik, Brian J.
23
228
2.44
19.00
4:45 PM
Diggs, Donny
Brick, NJ
Williams, Dave
24
306
2.08
18.13
4:52 PM
Dzialo, Stephen L.
Maplewood, NJ
Scalera, Steve

6:00 PM

The bunker pods were hot again today and the High Point Striper Shootout went off! The fishing was epic. How long will it last? Get on it while you can. High Point Tourny results will be posted here as soon as we receive results. Stay tuned.

Today was also the JCAA Fluke Tournament. We had a lot of anglers weigh-in. They reported catching all around. Some fished the bay and some in the ocean. The best reports came from the local reefs (Barnegat Light Reef and Garden State Reef) as well as Great Bay to the south and Oyster Creek and Double Creek to the north. Most anglers were baiting up with simple single baits of squid, minnow, spearing and or Gulp! Or a combo fluke sandwich of two or more baits.

As far as bycatch goes we got word of nice sized seabass at the reefs and lots of skates on the open bottom drifts. One angler got into some bluefish too.

Jason Liedtka caught two bass (10.95-lb and a 14.75-lb) up on the north end of the Island.

Jerry Junod of Churchville, PA weighed in a 40.2-lb bass today. He caught it aboard the “Sea Eagle” with Captain Rick. They were livelining bunker off of Seaside.

12:00 Noon

We just received another fresh load of bunker!

Greg O’Connell caught this 44-lb 3-oz bass last night off of the north end surf on a bunker head. He is now in the lead of the Striped Bass Calcutta!

Looks like the pods went off again this morning, three days in a row. It’s about time we had consistent bunker pod action. Paul, Mike and Jim caught bass up to 38-lbs on the pods this morning. They fished just north of the inlet.

Charlie Hass weighed-in a 28-lb 4-oz Striped Bass for the Simply Bassing Tournament. The fish was caught in Spray Beach at around 7:00 AM using Bunker.

Received: Jun 9, 2012 5:03 AM Subject: Tuna, Albacore, and Stripers!

Ran offshore yesterday (Friday 6/8). Ran to the west side of the Monster Ledge in the Mud Hole, about a 30 to 35 mile run from Barnegat Inlet. Trolled two big false albacore and a 30 pound bluefin tuna. Saw acres of bunker off of Island Beach State Park on the ride home but had to get back to the dock. Found out later there was a really good bass bite in my own backyard. I’m headed there this morning to snag some bunker and get into some big stripers. Tomorrow, Sunday, June 10 is still available. The ocean is going to be flat in a mild west wind. I’m going to run open boat for Tuna or Stripers, whatever you guys want to do… maybe both! Call for details.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

June 8, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Shark Fisherman…
Shark fishing sharpies haven been asking… Yes, a limited amount of Berkley Gulp Variegated 5-lb buckets of Saltwater Chum is in stock. Order online or call to reserve. The supply will be limited.

6:30 PM

The bunker pods went off again today. That’s tow days in a row!!! Let’s hope tomorrow is on again for the High Point Striper Shootout. Jay Hall and Jeff Roddy weighin some classy fish today fro mthe On The Water Striper Cup. Jay caught a 41.55-lber and Jeff had a 42.6-lber. Both bass were caught out on the boat this morning.

Chester stopped in the shop this afternoon. He caught three fluke by the lighthouse. He was bucktailing with Gulp!, not in the boat.

Joe Solon and J-Bones went out last night looking for sharks down on the south end. They got dogged up and gave up quick. They’ll be back out tonight.
Finn

1:15 PM

Jimmy Finn weighed-in a 21-lb 14-oz 42″ Striped Bass for the Simply Bassing Tournament. The fish was caught today in Beach Haven using a Bunker Chunk.

Steve Rupinski weighed in this 37-lb Striped Bass today. He caught it this morning off of IBSP, snag and drop.

June 7, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

9:00 PM

Art Manion and Cliff Shannon were out on the water today with Capt Mike Greene of Lucky Stripes Charters. They caught 6 bass from 28 to 34-lbs! Here is the picture.

The Striper Shootout is this weekend!!! Weather looks great! Get in on the action.

Received: Jun 7, 2012 4:22 PM Subject: Striper and Bluefish

I caught a 33″ striper and an 11# bluefish at around 3:00 PM today off of the Spray Beach surf. Both on bunker. Lots of bait jumping and birds working.

~ Rob

1:00 PM

Bob Coby weighed in the two trophy Striped Bass, a 42 and a 49-lber. He caught them late this morning off of IBSP under bunker doing snag and drop.

11:00 AM

J. Messler landed an 18-lb 2-oz 38″ Striper for the Simply Bassing Tournament. The fish was caught last night at about 10 PM last night in Holgate using bunker.

June 6, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Shark Fisherman…
Shark fishing sharpies haven been asking… Yes, a limited amount of Berkley Gulp Variegated 5-lb buckets of Saltwater Chum is in stock. Order online or call to reserve. The supply will be limited.

Received: Jun 6, 2012 1:32 PM Subject: Hi Flier Fishing Report/Open Boat Dates

Just came off a bad weekend of fishing. We hooked and jabbed with sea conditions on Friday. Three plus hours of trolling bunker spoons and snagging bunker off of Island Beach, but no hits or runs. Finished up in the bay with one legal fluke and a sundial. Saturday the wind relented from the east, so I moved those guys to Sunday. We broke Barnegat Inlet early, found no bunker all the way to Seaside where we put out the bunker spoons for a while. Talked to some friends up north who had acres of bunker off of Asbury Park and Deal. Had a quick meeting with my guys about trekking another 20 to 25 miles north, a later return, and some additional fuel expense before we got underway. The information was good, lots of bunker to snag from the beach out to the three mile line. Mostly we just snagged bunker with no hits. Eventually we started to do battle with some 10 to 12 pound gator blues. That was alright, and at times visual, which always makes it more exciting, but still no bass. We were told that this was more of an afternoon bite, so we hung in there, slowly picking at rations that were supposed to sustain us for just the morning. Then word came over the phone, and the VHF, that a set of thunderstorms packing heavy wind, rain, and lightning were on the NJ/PA border heading east at 35 mph. We ducked into Manasquan Inlet just ahead of the storms and tied up at Clarks Landing Marina for some welcome grub and grog. The storms passed quickly and it was now too late to run north again so we took the Canal and inland waterway home.

It seems like a hard sell to go ahead and list my open boat dates after a report like that, but not to everyone. This is June, and for the last eight years in a row, June has been the best month for the trophy striper run, often creeping into early July. The forecast is for west winds, even better, northwest winds from Thursday on through the weekend. That makes for flat seas and easy bunker spotting. You can either be there yesterday or here about it tomorrow. We are going to sail every day, out the inlet, making the left and running as far as we have to and staying as late as we have to, to get into the action. I am going to keep it at one trip a day until a pattern develops of bunker and fish closer to home. We will depart each morning at 5:30 AM and return sometime between Noon and sundown depending on the action. If we get into good early morning action, we can keep it to our 6 hour trip at a cost of $150 per man as we always have. If there’s nothing good happening and we have to head way north, the cost will be $200 per man for what will be a very long day. I just need to be compensated for the extra fuel, my time is on me. If the risk of returning late or paying the extra $50 is a concern, then this is not the trip to be on. Hopefully we will have fish closer to home very soon and I will be able to run my twice daily 6AM to Noon and 1PM to 7PM trips. I don’t like taking people for boat rides, pretending to be trying for fish that I am fairly certain are not there. I will however, run anywhere within reason to get us into the action, so I need people that are flexible with the duration and expense. Pack enough rations, I have the rest.

With that said, here are the Open Boat dates: Thursday, June 7, 5:30 AM to ?, Friday, June 8 (my birthday, cake is optional) 5:30 AM to ?, Sunday, June 10, 5:30 AM to ?. Limited to 3 people. All fish are shared. $150 if we return by Noon, $200 if we run North and stay late.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 9:31 AM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

Several days of poor weather have put a damper on the Beach Haven fishing scene. As the weather begins to break, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are looking forward to the upcoming weekend with optimism.

One captain, however, managed to brave the ocean conditions on Monday on a shark trip and said it was “magical.” Captain John Koegler on the boat “Pop’s Pride” headed out before sunset to see what he could find as the full moon ignited the bay waters. With a west wind behind him, he had a smooth trip out as he traveled offshore toward the 20 fathom line. There were some thunderstorms around, but he used his radar to help avoid them. He began the day trolling hoping to pick up some bluefish for shark bait or a bluefin tuna for dinner, but found no takers. At 7 AM Captain John started a shark slick which extended downwind out of sight. The first shark hit some two and a half hours later, a tough blue shark about 8-feet long. Shortly thereafter, a tougher shark was hooked up. After some skillful angling, the shark came to the surface only 90 feet from the stern. It was a Mako. After a long fight, the shark was brought to the boat and gaffed. With the boat having reached its limit, and the weather turning bad, Captain John decided to head for the dock. The decision was a sound one as northeast winds at over 30 mph hit just as they were halfway through the inlet. The last few miles were stormy ones, but “Pop’s Pride” made it safely to the dock. The trip up the bay was much different than the trip several hours earlier on the way out. The big mako measured out to be 81-inches and weighed in at 139-pounds. For information on the 38′ Sport Fisherman “Pop’s Pride” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. John Koegler 609-290-3349

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.fishbeachhaven.com .

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

June 5, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Today, John Lyszczarz while fishing aboard the “Catch A Lot” in the Middle Grounds caught a nice Fluke for the Village Harbour Fishing Club. The fluke weighed-in at 4-lbs even.

June 4, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Jersey Coast Anglers Association (JCAA) Fluke Tournament is Saturday, June 9th. The main entry fee after June 2nd is now $150. An optional Striped Bass Cash Category $50 sign-up has been added. If you need more details, please click…www.jcaa.org/tourney/JCAATourney2012.pdf or www.jcaa.org/ .

1:15 PM

Anthony, Bob and Sterling caught these three bass off of the Ship Bottom surf on clam this morning. The smallest was 14-lbs and the biggest was 16.5-lbs.

Received: Jun 4, 2012 6:49 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

This week the back bay/inlet offered up solid light tackle action from the “big three” [stripers 6-12lbs, blues 1-4lbs and keeper fluke] and was the best game going to keep the rods bending and anglers smiling aboard the Reel Fantasea . Although trophy striped bass continue to be available at times it has been a “hit” or “no hit” kinda fishery and far from the dream fishery that was in 2011 albeit the sea bass fishery has shown a more robust fishery than the 2011 spring wreck fishing season, thankfully it’s the age old “one door closes and another one opens”.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

June 3, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jun 3, 2012 8:03 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

It was a busy week on the water as I made it out most weekday evenings and over the weekend. The snot grass has cleared somewhat which made fluke a little easier to box. My first attempt targeting fluke was a success with several keepers to 20”. The key was fishing the warmer outgoing water. I think we are going to have an excellent year fluking Barnegat Bay. Finding blues to 4 pounds at several locations was not that difficult with my weapon of choice a popper. On the ocean front Striped Bass seemed to be best in the evenings. We worked hard and burned a lot of gas Sunday trying to find bunker. Looks like the Striped Bass and big oil won that one 😉

Wishing Screaming Drags,

~ Capt. Alex, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ 609-548-2511

4:30 PM

Good crabbing news reported. This afternoon we had a customer purchase a monster bag of frozen bunker. He raved about the crabbing, “Put the traps in last night. Checked ’em this afternoon and had a dozen keepers!”

3:00 PM

Eddy (store staff) hit the mid-island surf last night. He caught one Striped Bass and lost another one using bunker.

An angler reported a good morning bluefish bite off of the surf. He caught the cocktail Bluefish on metal while fishing mid-island

~ Fish Head Greg

6:00 AM

The Greenland Block (high pressure over Greenland) has put a dip in the jet stream and it has brought us change, slightly cooler temperatures. I think it’s a blessing in disguise. We had such a warm winter and an epic early start to the striper season. The fishing has been solid ever since. This cool break will hopefully keep these trophy stripers here. We also have a good northeast blow setting up for this work week. Look for North winds on Monday going North East and a developing ENE swell Tuesday. The beach has been consistent. Expect it to light up this week!

~ Fish Head Greg

June 2, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

1:00 PM

The front pushed off in the early hours this morning and left us with a flawless day. Lots of sun and a nice warm west wind! I just got back from a nice surf session. The swell is pumping and bait is in the water! While bobbing out back, the terns were picking sandeels and spearing. There were also cocktail blues present chasing the bait too.

~ Fish Head Greg

Ed Valitutto of the Village Harbour Fishing Club weighed in this 22.35-lb striped bass. He caught the bass off of the Ship Bottom surf on bunker at about 7AM this morning.

June 1, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

6:00 PM

Jason Hoch weighted-in this 41-lb 6-oz 46″ striped bass that he caught at 5:30 PM in Ship Bottom using bunker. This fish put Jason currently into second place in the Simply Bassing Tournament and in 1st Place for the FHQ Calcutta Prize.

11:00 AM

Ralph Onofrio of Mt. Laurel weighed a 23-lb 6-oz bass in for the Simply Bassing Surf Tournament down on the south end of the Island. He caught it about 8 AM on clam.

Received: June 1, 2012 9:49 AM Subject: Press Release – High School Surf Fishing Competition

The 4th Annual Beating on the Beach high school fishing competition ended with Southern Regional HS defeating returning champs Barnegat HS, newcomer Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES), and Lacey Township HS. The event was held at 9th street Barnegat Light with teams rotating through sections of the beach every 45min. The final score was Southern 31, MATES 19, Barnegat 0, and Lacey 0. With only 3 fish caught during the entire 3 1/2 hour event and 40 students fishing the event – it was definitely tough day on the surf. Southern capitalized on two 15-1/2″ fluke, while MATES caught one 19″ fluke. Southern Regional will retain the Competition trophy (donated by Village Harbor Fishing club) until next year’s event. A big thanks to the Barnegat Heavers for officiating the event, Tony’s Bait and Tackle for supply bait for Southern, and Fisherman’s Headquarters for supply the bait for Barnegat HS and MATES academy. Southern’s advisor Bob McMaster, Barnegat’s advisor Brett Taylor, Lacey’s advisor Terry Stuart, and MATES advisor Dave Werner did a phenomenal job organizing and getting the areas youth to participate in a lifelong hobby/sport. The trophy will be presented to Southern Regional on Friday (June 8th) at Village Harbor’s Fishing Clubs monthly meeting.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor

May 31, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

South Philly Fred (Fred Strausbaugh) just took the lead in the FHQ Striper Calcutta with this 37-lb 13-oz 47″ Striped Bass that he caught at 9:30 PM last night in Barnegat Light using Bunker. This fish is in second place for the overall Simply Bassing Tournament.

Received: May 31, 2012 1:13 PM Subject: Surf Report

Hit the surf this morning in Beach Haven from 8-11 AM. 1 short about 25″ on clam.

~ Matthew S.

May 30, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: May 30, 2012 3:28 PM Subject: Fluking

Plenty of 15″ fluke around in Barnegat Inlet. Bite dies off during slack tide, and not too many keepers. Still, a bunch of flatties to bend the pole.

~ Pete McC

Received: May 30, 2012 12:33 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

Memorial Day weekend has passed and the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are reporting some very good black sea bass action on the inshore ocean waters. They are also looking into some improving summer flounder fishing.

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Drop Off” reports that the sea bass bite on the inshore wrecks and reefs has been hot and heavy with lots of fish being caught and coolers being filled. He has been hearing of an improved fluke bite in the ocean and in the back bays so he plans to focus on both sea bass and fluke now. To spice up the action on his charters, Captain Fran has started a yearlong fishing tournament. Anyone fishing on the “Drop Off” can enter for a $5 entry fee per each of the three divisions of fish-sea bass, fluke, and stripers. The winner of each category receives a free trip in 2013 along with 100% of the money in each pot. Winners will be determined by total length. For information on the 25′ “Drop Off” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, (609) 868-8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

The “Miss Beach Haven” did a trip once again for Rutgers University to tag black sea bass for studies. There were about 25 anglers on board who managed to tag 225 fish from 11-21 inches long. In total, over 300 fish were caught. In last weekend’s head boat fishing, Captain Frank Camarda put the “Miss Beach Haven” right on the fish, and over 136 keepers went into the coolers along with tons of shorts. Top hook was Junior with 16 keepers and Dave from Beach Haven won the pool with a 4-pound sea bass. Sunday’s fishing was not as good as Saturday’s with a decent amount of fish coming over the rails, but they had to work hard for every fish. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda via email: MissBeachHaven@aol.com

Captain George Finck had the “Sparetime” out to the reefs last weekend with the Ray Johnston family. The Johnston’s found the fishing to be very enjoyable, and they came home with a nice catch of black sea bass. For information on the 38′ Henriques “Sparetime” Beach Haven, NJ contact Capt. George Finck, (609) 618-3877, email: Finck104@comcast.net

Captain Carl Sheppard on the “Star Fish” reports the recent spate of fair weather and warmer water has been a boon to the fishing. Captain Carl reports good catches of sea bass over the past two weekends with his half day trips averaging around 100 fish with about 15% keepers. He says the females are about to spawn and the fish seem more active in the deeper water of at least 70-feet deep. He may do some fluking in the back bay waters and plans to look for the warmer water for the best bite. For information on the “Star Fish” for 2-20 anglers contact Capt. Carl Sheppard, 609-492-2591, cfsheppard@aol.com

Captain Lindsay Fuller brought the “June Bug” back to Beach Haven from its winter storage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He tried some fishing on the way back as he worked temperature breaks in the water. He managed to pick up one very nice mahi along with another medium sized one. For information on the 41′ “June Bug” contact Capt. Lindsay Fuller, (609) 685-2839, email: CaptLindsay@Fish-JuneBug.com

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.fishbeachhaven.com .

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

May 29, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Mark McAuliff is the new leader of the “Simply Bassing Tournament” with his 45-lb 5-oz Striped Bass caught Monday 5/28 evening at 8:30 PM using clam for bait in Holgate.

Received: May 29, 2012 3:10 PM Subject: Open Boat Stripers. Liveline Bunker!

Here we go. The liveline bunker fishing broke open the last few days. The fish bit in the morning and the afternoon. Last June the afternoon trips were stellar. We will be running open boat trips Thursday, May 31, 5:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2, 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM, both mornings are already booked. Sunday, June 3, 5:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM. 3 person max. $150 per person. All fish are shared.

This is one of the most exciting visual fishing experiences you can have. Everyone helps look for the rippling and flipping pods of bunker schools on the surface. Often you will see or even hear the “whoosh” of big stripers spraying the bunker into the air. Sometimes there are thresher sharks terrorizing the same schools, especially in June. Dolphins and whales round out the scenery. These are all 20 to 40 pound Striped Bass, the biggest of the season, when they pick up your live bait don’t panic. Give them a few “Mississippi’s” and then ” Hit ’em!” It should last all June but this is definitely a good time to react and go get one.

Also Nick Honachefsky featured the Hi Flier in his Bonito/Albacore story in this months Salt Water Sportsman, the June issue if you care to check it out. July 1 we will start running chartered and open boat to the Barnegat Ridge and beyond! Last year we had three weeks of Bluefin tuna mixed in the catch along with small Mahi Mahi. Hoping for a repeat of that, too.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: May 29, 2012 2:23 AM Subject: Bass in the surf

Hey Guys. Moose and I fished the surf last night and caught two fish over 25-lbs, and one smaller bass at around 15-lbs. There were dogfish everywhere, but we fished thru them and caught Stripers. Moose nailed his first bass over 25-lbs in the surf! They were hitting everything; clams, chunks and heads. Fished my favorite spot in the surf and it payed off again. Here is two pictures.

~Stevie G.

May 28, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

4:45 PM

Earlier today, Bob, Charles and Stenis weighed in this 40-lb 9-oz striped bass. They caught it trolling a Maja White Bunker Spoon off of Island Beach State Park in 50-ft.

Brett Taylor of Barnegat weighed in this 8.75-lb fluke for the Fisherman’s Dream Boat Fishing Challenge.

We received good word from anglers who pushed off and fished mid-shore. The schoolie bluefin and sharks are here! Some got covered up in blue sharks and some boated good sized makos. We also heard about a great bluefin tuna bite on the troll. Now for the next weather window…

Received: May 28, 2012 4:36 PM Subject: First Tuna Report for 2012 – Pez Machine Sportfishing

Just wanted to drop in with our first tuna report for the 2012 season. We fished Thursday into Friday and were back at the dock in time for breakfast at the deli. Started off deep dropping for tiles and had two hours of drop and reel action with fish up to 22 pounds. We got on the troll and quickly put a couple 30 pound yellowfins in the boat. Had a few more shots on them before the sun went down and went 4 for 4, 3 for 4, and 3 for 4 to end with our limit of 12 yellowfins. We also picked up a couple gaffer dolphin. We set up sharking when the sun went down and had action right off the bat. Blue sharks followed us for hours and then we tangled with the right one. After a short fight and a couple jumps we threw the harpoon at a 73″ mako. Didn’t stick around for the morning troll but would have loved to know what kind action we would have had. The water in the southern canyons has us set up for a great start to the season and I can’t wait to get back out there. Please contact me by phone at (609) 287-5136 or Stew@pezmachine.com for more information about a trip. Thanks.

~ Capt. Stew Hitchner, Pez Machine Sportfishing 56′ Core Sound

1:15 PM

Received: May 28, 2012 9:46 AM Subject: Surf Report

Scott G picked this Striped Bass up during the high tide on fresh bunker in Surf City last night.

~ Bill G.

Received: May 28, 2012 10:07 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

Quality Striped Bass continue to be within range and offer opportunities in our local waters but quantity has been a challenge. The Stripers appear more selective on their feeding pattern with the afternoon bite working the best on one day and then the next day, the morning seems more to their liking. The upside to this dilemma is that 1-2 of these 30lbs + cows can be more than enough fillets for anglers to take home. Fortunately when the trophy bass have taken the day off, between the ocean and the bay/inlet we have been able to get anglers involved with steady rod bending action from smaller 6-15lbs class Striped Bass and 2-8lbs Bluefish on lighter spinning tackle! We actually have came tight to larger fish that have laid open the hook bend after a 20-30 yard screaming run. Ouch!

The Jeff Hayes clan ended the week on a high note with a “NatGeo” version of Striper action. The trip started with “angler of the week” and first timer 11 year old Joe Hayes besting his biggest striper ever at 23-bs only to beat that in relatively short time with a 35-lber!. We shuffled around a bit finding a few schools of bunker under attack from rampaging stripers. Add breaching whales around us while we continued to hook up with nice Stripers and that was about as visually exciting as it gets! The guys had a great time watching whole schools of bunker erupt from the water attempting to elude the attacking Striped Bass!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

May 27, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

2:15 PM

Bass on the pods. We received a report that the bunker pod action this morning was good. It was hot around the Ortley Beach area. Greg Kopenhaver of Brant Beach weighed in this 47-lb 1-oz bass today for the Fisherman’s Dream Boat Fishing Challenge. Greg reported catching some nice fish on the pods; a 27-lber, 31-lber as well as this over 47-lb Striped Bass.

Dave Sutter of Delran, caught this 50″, 42-lb Striped Bass along with a another 37-lb Striper off of Seaside Park yesterday (Saturday) while snag & dropping aboard his boat “Kelley Lynn”. Both fish were measured and released.

Yesterday was the LBI Striper Cup hosted by the BHMTC. Congrats to the winners…
1st Place “Striper” with a combined weight of 59.1 lbs – $8,230
2nd Place “BOR” with a combined weight of 40.1 lbs – $2,638
3rd Place “Lucky Stripes” with a combined weight of 38.4 lbs – $1,592
Bluefish “Big Air” with the heaviest bluefish at 9.1 lbs – $1,060

May 26, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Jason Hoch of Ship Bottom weighed in a 27-lb 6-oz (41-1/2″) Striped Bass that he caught last night. He caught it off of the mid-island surf on bunker.

Mike Massey trolled spoons near the Seaside Heights Ferris Wheel and hooked six (6) Striped Bass and also a few Bluefish. Mike reported, “Lots of bunker were in the area”.

May 25, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Josh from Barnegat reported catching a 15-lb Striped Bass in Surf City on bunker

Received: May 25, 2012 3:06 PM Subject: Doris Mae

Tried to get a jump on the busy holiday weekend and got some fishing in aboard the Doris Mae before everything got too packed down here. Matt caught this Sea Bass and 11 more like it. Countless shorts.

~ Matt Sorrentino

Received: May 25, 2012 12:52 PM Subject: FR

Yesterday, Chester fished the Carolyn Ann and hooked 20 Sea Bass. “Everyone was catching and White Berkley Gulp Swimming Minnow was the hot bait.”

Later yesterday, Chester fished mid-island and North late night using bunker heads and caught 3 Striped Bass from sunset to 11 PM. Here’s Chester with one of those Striped Bass he caught last night.

~ Fish Head Greg

May 24, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: May 24, 2012 9:10 PM Subject: Fluke

I caught a really fat 23″ fluke by the Barnegat Inlet this afternoon on the outgoing tide. Missed 2 other solid fish as well. It had sand eels and killies in its belly.

~ Dave W.

Received: May 24, 2012 2:02 PM Subject: Just caught 33″ bass

Rob P. caught a 33″, 12-lb Striped Bass near Spray Beach on bunker. Still fishing!

~ Rob Papile

Received: May 24, 2012 1:46 PM Subject: Another nice bass

I just want to let everyone know there is fish out there! Just caught this 40″, 20#, my largest yet! Bunker with a fish finder rig…

Also an 18″ fluke on a bunker chunk

~ Rob Papile

1:00 PM

Don Roberts caught this 25-lb 2-oz bass last night off of the mid-island surf on bunker.

John Stevens of Chatsworth caught this 36-lb 3-oz bass on the troll this morning.

May 23, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

12:30 PM

This morning we had a 17-lb bass weighed in by a local angler who was fishing the Ship Bottom surf with clam.

Last night South Philly Fred caught a couple bass. Here is a picture of his first one. He didn’t share where he was fishing.

Sea Bass opened over the weekend (May 19th) and since then we have heard promising reports. First the SRHS Fishing Club headed out and caught on opening day. Then yesterday Steve-O (store staff) fished aboard the Carolyn Ann III out of Barnegat Light. Steve-O said the bite was on, “Lots of fish!” Here is a picture of another angler with a 4-lb sea bass caught aboard the Carolyn Ann yesterday.

The Cayolyn Ann III is sailing every day for sea bass, 8 AM to 2 PM! They are also doing a Memorial Day Weekend Sea Bass Special, 4-hour afternoon trip (3-7 PM) on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th. Check out their website for more details: www.carolynanniii.com/

Received: May 23, 2012 10:09 AM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are looking forward to Memorial Day Weekend with a great amount of anticipation. The lousy weather that has been plaguing the South Jersey shore looks to be out of the picture for the weekend.

Fluking in the inshore bay waters has been slow thus far in the season thanks to variable water temperatures and an unusually large amount of brown algae slime which makes drifting very difficult. Prospects for ocean fishing, however, are very positive.

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Drop Off” believes that pods of bunker will be moving up the coast accompanied by feeding stripers to spark that fishery just off the beaches of Long Beach Island. Captain Fran says he missed out on the opening days of the black sea bass season last weekend thanks to the weather, but he plans to hit them hard this week right on through the weekend. All signs point to some big schools of decent sized sea bass on the reefs and wrecks. For information on the 25′ “Drop Off” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, (609) 868-8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

Chief mate and bottle washer Sal Rosa of the head boat “Miss Beach Haven” reports the boat will be sailing this Saturday and Sunday looking for some big black sea bass. Captain Frank Camarda of the “Miss Beach Haven” will always stop on the way in and out to the fishing grounds if he sees other signs of fish such as birds working in the inlet. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda via email: MissBeachHaven@aol.com

Captain John Koegler had a group out last weekend on the “Starfish” that had hoped to fish in the ocean. The northeast winds of 15-20 miles per hour forced a change in plans and they headed into Great Bay to see what they could catch there. Although the conditions there were not the best, the group managed some decent action catching 3 bluefish along with 2 feisty dogfish. For information on the “Star Fish”for 2-20 anglers contact Capt. Carl Sheppard, 609-492-2591, cfsheppard@aol.com

Captain Dave Wittenborn reports the “Compass Rose” is in the water and ready for some striper fishing. This weekend Captain Dave plans to fish the LBI Cup sponsored by the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club. For information on the 29′ “Compass Rose” contact Capt. Dave Wittenborn, (609) 492-5271

Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

May 22, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: May 22, 2012 2:03 PM Subject: Open Boat Stripers -Thursday, May 24

I will be running an open boat striper trip this Thursday, May 24. 5:30 AM to 11:30 AM. The forecast is for 5 to 10 knot winds, so the ocean should be flat. We’ll make a left and go as far as we have to go to find some bunker to snag and liveline. They have been in the 7 to 15 mile range from the inlet. I always have the trolling gear on board as Plan B, but only if the charter desires. We usually have a meeting after a few hours of snagging first.

Limited to three anglers. $150 per person. All fish are shared. Call to reserve a spot. My next available date is not until Thursday, May 31. Hope to see you aboard.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

May 21, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

12 Noon

Dave from Manahawkin just weighed-in a 15-lb Striped Bass that he caught in Surf City using clam.

Received: May 21, 2012 8:48 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters Report

OK sorry for the late report but it was the wife’s birthday over the weekend and so hopefully better late than never. Anyway last week was first time that the trolling rods were stowed for the majority of the time and we were able to connect with moderate to good success with trophy size stripers and on the lighter tackle with live bunker when the schools of bunker were present and the weather cooperated. When we did bring out the trolling tackle it did offer more action which included big racer bluefish as well.

When the weather did not cooperate the back bay provided robust fun with light tackle top water action from blues in the 1-4 lb range which has been a blessing since the bay’s water is almost a gelatinous state [solidified] with the extremely high algae bloom presently on hand. Any attempt to jig for fluke or weakfish was met with harsh slap of denial in the form of copious amounts of the dreaded algae fouling the jigs before any presentations could be attempted. Thank God for those “almost always cooperative” scrappy little gamsters to bend the rods.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

May 20, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

1:20 PM

Vince Zoppina of Burlington, NJ weighed in a 16-lb 9-oz Striped Bass at about 10:30 AM today. Vince shared that he caught the bass off of the mid-island surf on bunker.

Rob Vallone searched around on the beach this morning. He reported lots of grass.

May 19, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

6:45 PM

The persistent Northerly winds have put a good push in the water. Also, Alberto kicked off our 2012 Atlantic Tropical Storm Season, becoming a tropical storm. The surf is up and should be for a number of days. Expect 3-4′ plus surf. Plan accordingly (bring extra lead).

No weigh-ins off the surf today. We have had a number of customers report back to us that there are small bluefish and striped bass in the surf. However, these were nothing close to the big sizes previously reported.

We did had one weigh-in from a boat angler. This was a 41-lb Striped Bass caught off the Island Beach State Park Bathing Beach area using a Tony Maja Green/Chartreuse bunker spoon while wireline trolling in 55′ of water.

~ Fish Head Greg

May 18, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Black Sea Bass Opens May 19th in Both NJ State and Federal Waters

Jersey Coast Anglers Association is updating anglers that the much anticipated opening of the Black Sea Bass season this weekend, on May 19th, will open in both NJ State waters and Federal waters.

NOAA announced yesterday in a bulletin that they have approved the final 2012 minimum size possession limits and season for black sea bass. To read the NOAA Federal bulletin which covers Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass visit… www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/nr/nrdoc/12/12SFSBSB2012RecSpecsPHL.pdf

Jersey Coast Anglers Association would also like to remind anglers that Federal minimum size, possession limit and/or season may differ from state regulations and you MUST follow the more restrictive regulation.

2012 State of New Jersey Recreational Regulations for Black Sea Bass
Minimum Size: 12.5″
Possession Limit: 25 fish
Fishing Season:
May 19-September 3;
September 23-October 14;
November 1-December 31

~ Joseph Puntasecca, President, Jersey Coast Anglers Association

May 17, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

12:00 PM

Stevie G. of Barnegat caught this 22.35-lb bass off of the mid-island surf this morning on a bunker head.

May 16, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

10:30 AM

We spoke with a few anglers who fished the surf this morning. Notta.

Received: May 16, 2012 8:20 AM Subject: Bayside Report

Fished the south side of the island bayside, last two hours of incoming. Nothing but sharks. Surf was rough, needed 8 oz to hold bottom.

~ Steve G.

Received: May 16, 2012 5:08 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

As summer gets closer, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are taking care of some last minute details to have their boats tip-top for their busy summer schedules.

Captain John Lewis of the “Insatiable” has returned from Puerto Rico to Beach Haven with the private boat which he captains. Since that boat is in the process of being sold, Captain John is now completing his spring prep on the “Insatiable” and plans to be fully ready for fishing charters in early June. The captain and crew on the head boat “Miss Beach Haven” has taken time the past two weeks to do some last minute painting. Plans call for the boat to sail for black sea bass at 8 am. on the weekend of May 19 and May 20. Captain Lindsay Fuller planned to bring the “June Bug” back from Manteo, North Carolina last weekend. He reports the boat is in great shape after having some minor items taken care of in its winter storage in the south. Captain Lindsay planned to do some fishing on the way back north. There have been reports of bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, bigeyes, sharks, and even some swordfish that he hopes to encounter on the way. Once the “June Bug” is back berthed in Beach Haven, Captain Lindsay will be ready for both inshore and offshore charters.

Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

May 15, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

11:50 AM

Mike Greene weighed in a 47-lb 1-oz bass for the OTW Striper Cup yesterday afternoon.

~ Capt. Mike Greene, Lucky Stripes Charters LBI, NJ 718-644-6087

1:30 PM

Bill Molinaro gave us heads up that he caught a pair of Striped Bass this morning while fishing mid-island using bunker.

Received: May 15, 2012 1:07 PM Subject: Big Stripers Trolling and Livelining

We had an awesome stretch of fishing Thursday through Sunday. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we caught a quantity of 28 to 38 pound stripers trolling green or white Tony Maja bunker spoons. The best bite was in 58 to 62 feet of water from the Bathing Beach of Island Beach to the Seaside Piers.

On Sunday, I ran to the “spot” where I had such great success for three days in a row to do the same thing in the same place. I even got the guys to the dock early to avoid the crowd. Two hours of trolling… nothing. I heard the chatter on the radio about a snag and drop bite, but didn’t know exactly where, and besides, I was certain our rods were going to double over any minute. They didn’t. I finally found the bunker in tight to the beach. Made two drifts and had two fish hooked, taking drag, and then… Gone?! Ahhh, it’s going to be like that today? A few more drifts and it appeared that there were a few too many boats on this one pod, so we went off searching. Did some more trolling and not catching before hitting the dock. Not bad, three great days and one awful. The good news is that the snagging bite is on.

I will be running open boat trips every day starting this Thursday, May 17 with an afternoon 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM trip. Friday, May 18, 5:30 AM to 11:30 AM (already one signed on, room for two more) and 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Saturday, May 19, 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM and Sunday, May 20, 5:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM. $150 per person. Limited to three people. Call to book a spot. This is the only availability I have until Thursday, May 31.

Here are a few pictures:
Jim Trainor with son Brady and friend.
Bill Cohen, Billy Fellows, and Robert Jones.
Here’s a video clip of Lenny Araneo catching a 35-pounder on a Tony Maja white bunker spoon: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bALENOl-_E&feature=relmfu

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

May 14, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

6:00 PM

Captain Stew Hitchner on the Pez Machine had a family of four out on the water today. Stew reported, “It started off slow but the late morning bite developed. The group ended up with their limit of trophy stripers up to 43-lbs. We caught most of them live lining bunker. Had a couple on the troll.” ~ Capt. Stew Hitchner, Pez Machine Sportfishing 56′ Core Sound, 609-287-5136

We had a customer stop back with bass to be weighed. He got it mid-island on clam. Another customer reported lots of small blues in the wash chasing small bait (spearing).

Received: May 14, 2012 5:17 PM Subject: Bass in Surf

I fished the mid-island surf this afternoon. Non stop action. Had 2 blues up to 8 lbs and a 35″ bass on a bunker head. Guys were catching to the left and right of me as well. Great day!

May 13, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

6:30 PM

John Kleban and Paul Galasso caught some bass earlier today trolling north of the Inlet. They weighed in two bass; one 35-lbs and one 27.5-lbs.

1:45 PM

Store staffers Steve-O and Joni chunked bunker last night off of the surf. They were covered up in skates and doggies.

11:30 AM

Don Roberts caught this 23-lb 4-oz bass early morning, mid-island surf, bunker head. Don also mentioned that he released another fish (33″) that went for a chunk.

Received: May 13, 2012 2:49 PM Subject: Nothing But Skates Last Night

Fished the beach in Harvey cedars from 9pm – 2am during the incoming tide last night. Only action was skates. Chunked bunker, clam and even a sand eel that washed up on the beach. ~ Matt S.

Received: May 13, 2012 2:02 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

I was last out Saturday for an evening trip. On the hook we kept busy either cleaning the lines of snot grass or the hooks of skates. The snot grass is actually a form of algae and is an indicator species meaning the presence / abundance of it can be used as a gauge of water quality. Nutrient enrichment of the bay from run off is responsible for these algae blooms. Now back to the fishing report. Moving west we then worked poppers for some hard fighting 2-4 pound blues. For those that never tried this you do not know what you are missing. It is so much fun watching the water explode as a hungry bluefish attempts to eat your popper. This action will only get better over the next week. With school still in session I am presently running weekend and late afternoon / evening trips.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ 609-548-2511

Received: May 13, 2012 10:41 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Hello All,

Strong southerly winds and an early showing of that ugly slime weed we see each spring conspired to make for some slow back bay fishing early in the week, but west winds took over late in the week flattening out the seas and it was game on again with large striped bass out front.

Winds blowing a steady 20-25 knots from the south dictated we stay in the bay for Tuesday’s trip, and it seemed like an excellent opportunity to see if clam baits would produce a few fish from the inlet channels. Unfortunately, the aforementioned slime weed made it almost impossible to keep clean baits in the water and turned the day into a total blow out. I’m not sure what slime weed actually is, but it seems to show up each spring when we have cold ocean water meeting warm bay water and lasts until we have a pretty good northeast blow to flush it out. It’s a bit early this year, but for the time being we’ll have to carefully time our clam fishing to get the cleanest water we can. Bluefish and a few weakfish have finally appeared in the bay, so topwater action should be good for the next month or so.

The good news is that the spring run of large striped bass along the beach seems to be taking hold. It’s not crazy fishing yet, but trolling the large #4 Maja spoons in deep water is starting to produce some quality fish. Jim Breslin and his buddies Jim and Jim (no, I’m not making that up) were out with me on Friday and landed fish ranging from 37 to 41 pounds, and George Selph was out again with me yesterday adding his 33 pounder to the mix. These fish are still pretty scattered and mostly out in deeper water, so wire line trolling is name of the game right now. But more of them are arriving each day, and as soon as they find the massive schools of bunker along the beach we’ll be in for some epic fishing.

There are still a few open dates left for this spring, so give me a call if you’re looking to get a trip in before the bass migrate out of our area.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632

Received: May 13, 2012 9:02 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – It is all about the troll!

This week patience and persistence on the troll is what put stripers to 50 1/2″ @ 40+lbs on ice for anglers aboard the Reel Fantasea. With bunkers schools playing hide a seek for most of the week ,the snag and drop was not an option for us but luckily the big bass did respond well to Tony Maja #4 white and green bunker spoons. I would be the first to admit that trolling is my least favorite technique for anything that swims but there is no denying how well these spoons work and they have been the difference to the “have” and “have not”. Trolling is even a hard sell for my most “hard core” crew but with my recently updated addition of Tony Maja trolling rods has made me and my anglers more receptive and committed to this technique as there is no doubt the Tony’s rod and spoon combo’s work like no other! Angler of the week goes to the bass master himself regular Jay Simmons with a massive beauty of 50-1/2 ” 45-lb striped bass, that was over 4 foot feet long! It actually looked more like a 50-lber when we all first saw her.

The backbay/inlet also continues to offer up action with schoolie bass and loads of bluefish and if the snot grass ever dissipates I’m sure there is fluke to be had as well and with rumors of weakfish circulating can a Barnegat Bay Grand Slam opportunity be far away?

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

May 12, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

7:30 PM

Captain Tim Irons, George Gilbert, Chuck Snyder and Wes Jones, fishing on the “Smokin’ Again” a little north of the Baltimore Canyon today. They caught 6 bluefin tuna, keeping one at 54 inches. Fish were caught on spreader bars and ballyhoo.

1:00 PM

The CTS Demo was great. The weather could not have been better. A number of anglers came out to check out CTS’s line of rods. The Vapor Trail Series has always been a stand out for it’s exceptional casting distance and parabolic bend, The new S7 Series had a lot of interest. It is the go to bait rod for either 3-8oz or 6-10oz. They will be in the shop soon.

Brian Rakowski from Harvey Cedars just weighed in this 32-lb 15-oz bass. He caught it this morning trolling a Mann’s Stretch Deep Diver off of IBSP in 55 feet of water.

CTS Rods are up the street from the shop now until noon! Come check them out. Cast one or all and see what you like!

8:00 AM

The bass were on the chew this morning!

John Parzych just weighed in this 31-lb 1-oz 44.75″ bass. He took the lead in the Simply Bassing and FHQ Calcutta. John caught his bass about 5:30 this morning on a bunker head. He said it was his first cast.

Both Capt Stew aboard the Pez Machine and Capt Steve aboard the Reel Fantasea trolled up fish this morning. Stew mentioned that they are all quality fish, “4 fish over 46 inches!”

Steve (store staff) and I headed out this early morning. I got one and Steve got two bass up to 18-lbs on the boga. The bite was on right at false light and then died once the sun poked out. – FishHead.Greg

May 11, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine Issue 13 May 2012 – Check it out!

8:55 PM – CTS Rod Casting Demo in the Morning!!! Come up the street from the shop and cast any and/or all of the rods in CTS’s line. Details listed below

Wayne and Jacob Hopkins were out on the water today. They trolled north of the Inlet off of IBSP. Wayne said, “The fleet seemed to form off the bathing beach but we found the most marks about a mile before that. The fish were in the 50-60 foot of water. It started late morning after the slack tide. We had all of the action on the Green Maja Bunker Spoon. You have to be careful and make sure you don’t go over the 3 mile line. We were fishing close.”

3:30 PM – Just Received a fresh load of PRIMO BUNKER!

Rudy Egberts was on the water today and had success trolling off of IBSP in 60′ of water. Rudy weighed in two bass; one 33-lber and one 35-lber. He got them trolling with Blue Water Candy!

1:30 PM

Eddy (store staff) chunked bunker last night after work. He caught one bass about 12-lbs and a horn dog. His buddy also caught a bass about 17lbs.

A boat angler stopped by the shop this afternoon and reported a slow pick in the boat. He said that he picked up a couple bass trolling spoons off of IBSP out in deeper water, just inside and along the 3 mile line. Keep an eye on your GPS and be aware of your location. A little while back a number of boats got wacked for possessing bass out past 3 miles. Please keep it in mind that you can not catch bass inside three miles and take them outside (say go wreck fishing) and you can not catch striped bass outside three miles and bring them into port.

10:00 AM

CTS Demo tomorrow Saturday May 12th at the 9th Street beach in Ship Bottom. Right up the street from the shop. The weather looks great with west winds and sun in the forecast.

Skip Marvin gave us heads up, “I caught two bass from the surf last night.”

Yesterday was a good day trolling out front. The C-Witch caught 6 bass up to 41-lbs, Maja Bunker Spoons. It’s on and only getting better.

“If any of you are out fishing today, look to the skies at 1:30 or so. The USAF Thunderbirds will be practicing for the Airshow this weekend at McGuire AFB. They will also be flying Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. There will also be a F-18 and F-4U heritage flight at 3:45 today.” ~ Ryan Guerrette

May 10, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: May 10, 2012 6:45 PM Subject: Big Stripers on Spoons!

We got into an awesome bite of big stripers on the troll today in 60 feet of water off of Island Beach State Park from the Bathing Beach to a few miles south of the Seaside Piers. My friend, Lenny Araneo of Barnegat, who has taught me more than a thing or two about fishing Barnegat Bay, joined me for a morning shot at trolling bass. We had four fish, 25, 33, 35, and 38 pounds all weighed on the Boga Grip. All on white or green #4 Tony Maja bunker spoons. Here’s a few pics: Lenny holding a beauty and here is a dock shot. I have room tomorrow, Friday, on the 1 PM to 7PM trip, Saturday there is room for two on the same slot in the afternoon, and Sunday (Mothers Day), room for one in the morning 6AM to Noon sharp! No afternoon trip…..You know the deal! Give a call to reserve one of these spots, the fish are here. Here’s the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjDx9xn6lRY

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: May 10, 2012 6:45 PM Subject: Bass In Surf!

Hey Guys – Fished with Moose and my buddy Joe this morning and caught this 34″ 14 pound bass. Mid-island surf, first two hours of the incoming, caught sharks too. Moose still has the skunk on him! He’s due. ~ Stevie G.

12:45 PM

A customer who wanted to remain anonymous gave us this report, “Picked up those fresh bunker when I stopped by the shop last night. Chunked the beach hard. 8 smooth dogs and 4 bass up to 41 inches. There was a pounding surf and hard rain. It was not pretty but there were fish. A friend of mine also caught a pair of bass.

We also got word from a surf angler this morning, “Skates so far.”

Eddy (store staff) fished last night. He caught three bluefish.

9:40 AM

We received a fresh load of primo bunker late in the day yesterday! We expect another delivery later today.

May 9, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

2:00 PM

Joni (store staff) chunked the beach for a couple hours last night. He released two bass on in the high teens and one in the low twenties. The only other thing we heard off of the front beach was from a customer who fisedh this monring in the rain and got nil. He did mentioned another angler near by him caught a keeper size bass.

7:00 AM

We got word that there were a lot of big fish caught in the boat on Monday. We had a couple weigh-ins and the anglers raved about the killer day. We didn’t realize it was a full on big bass day. Yes it is old news now but the point is the big trophy spring bass are here. Simply Bassing is on! Get out and fish.

Steve-O fished the bayside last night in search of some weakies. He caught and released a herring and a bluefish.

Received: May 8, 2012 7:54 PM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

The opening of the 2012 summer flounder season in Beach Haven was not the resounding success that the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association had hoped for. There were some stories of some keeper fluke in various areas of Great Bay, but not many were to be found in the ocean waters. Most experts place the blame for the slow start to the season on cold water. The “Miss Beach Haven” fished Saturday on opening day and found little to write home about. First Mate Sal Rosa reported that the water temperatures were just 54-degrees, a bit too cold to get a good fluke bite going. Sal says the boat will not be sailing on Mother’s Day weekend but will be sailing for black sea bass on May 19th. There have been reports of some huge schools of bunker just off the beaches of Long Beach Island, some of which have large bass feeding on the edges. Although the bite has not been red hot, 40-pound linesiders have been caught.

Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

May 8, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

1:00 PM – Beautiful Day but a Little Breezy

Rob Vallone released a nice sized sand tiger this morning. He was bunker chunking off of the beach looking for striped ones and got this spotted toothy critter. Any anglers wading the sand bars especially at night should be cautious.

Eddy (store staff) has been putting his time in late night style on the bay. He caught and released three weakfish last night. This one was his biggest. Ed mentioned that he caught them all on a Stillwater’s version of the Rattle-Trap.

7:00 AM – Got a fresh load of bunker yesterday

Joni (store staff) headed out last night and caught. Here is a picture he sent.

CTS DEMO THIS SATURDAY – MAY 12th 8 AM – 12 NOON!!! Due to weather we were forced to cancel the previously scheduled CTS Rods Casting Demo Day. We have rescheduled it for May 12th. Be sure to check out their Vapor Trail Series as well as their new line of S7 rods. We look forward to seeing everyone. LOCATION: Right Up the Street from the shop – 9th Street Beach, Ship Bottom

Received: May 8, 2012 11:38 AM Subject: Hi Flier

The truth hurts, but here it is. I fished Thursday and Friday for stripers and caught none. Thursday I didn’t hear of any fish, but Friday I heard a few guys on the radio with one or two heavyweight bass. On each of those trips, we finished up in the bay with solid action on 2 to 6 pound bluefish. Casting surface lures and trolling with light spinning tackle. Saturday I had a bay trip so we stuck with the reliable bluefish action. Sunday, I cancelled because of the predicted sea condition, and from what I heard, the striper bite was back on. Yesterday, (Monday), I had more than a few phone calls telling me about the epic troll bite on 30 to 50 pound fish on bunker spoons. Lots of boats catching lots of big stripers! That’s as specific as I can get, because it’s not my report. I can’t share location and depth unless I was there. How lame is my fishing report for the weekend that I’m giving second hand striper reports? As a rule, I usually only report what we catch, but I didn’t catch, but it wouldn’t make good business sense to keep the recent bite a secret. So that’s my excuse. The forecast for the end of the week is for a mix of northwest, north, and mild northeast winds. The best script for seas and bass fishing that you could ever write. Starting Thursday, May 10, which is forecasted to be NW winds, we will sail two open boat trips 5:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Friday and Saturday, May 11 and 12, I have the afternoon trips available 12:30 PM to 6:30 PM, so those will be open boat trips, as well. Sunday is Mother’s Day, I am already booked in the AM and I dare not book the afternoon. All trips are $150 per person, 3 person max, call for reservations, don’t email me, I will probably be on the water. See you on board. We can go make some first hand reports.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

Received: May 7, 2012 7:52 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Fluke season opened this past weekend and most I talked to had a tough time around the bay. Incoming water was too cold while outgoing had loads of snot grass. The bay is holding schoolie bass on the flats and in the channels and blues have shown up. With the cool weather we have had most days the blues are not chewing as well as they should but there is I see no problem getting a few to bend the rods. We have started to see some of the larger post spawn breeding bass (20 – 40 pounds) show up off the beach to feed on bunker. Whether or not you want to fish the bay or ocean right now there are plenty of opportunities.

Nature note: Friday parts of NJ got to witness a truly amazing sight as millions of butterflies (mostly red admirals) migrated north after be born a short time ago in the southern part of the US. Red admirals go through cycles with the peak numbers occurring every 10 years. They last peaked in 2001 and should have peaked again last year. But then again, mother nature does not keep time.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex, Lighthouse Sportfishing Barnegat, NJ 609-548-2511

May 7, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

1:30 PM

Rich Belli of the Village Harbour Fishing Club just weighed in a 38.30-lb bass. He caught it trolling north of the Inlet off of the Bather’s Beach.

12:45 PM

Mike Greene just weighed in a 51.5″ 43.65-lb bass. He caught it earlier today north of the Inlet, off of IBSP. He reported catching a number of other fish and also mentioned that there was a lot of small bait present.

9:20 AM

So far this morning it has been really nice. No fog and no wind. There was a big rush of anglers this morning getting bait and heading out. We’ll post in we hear anything.

Received: May 6, 2012 9:17 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Slow Week of Striper Fishing Ended on an Up Swing

This week the striped bass bite seemed to be suffering from a “super moon” hangover as we encountered acres and acres of bunker that seemed to swim happily along with no signs of attack from stripers. Although the backbay did continue to offer action with bluefish ranging in size from 2-9lbs on light spinning tackle . But by weeks end we started seeing the stripers shaking off any ill effects with fish ranging from 25- 32lbs on both live lined bunker and trolling Tony Maja spoons. Anglers of the week goes to new comers Tom Zeigler and Dave Potts landing there biggest stripers ever! . Actually Dave’s 32lber was his first striper ever! Nice job guys! Strangely, the full moon can be boon or bust and what I had expected to be a favorable moon phase turned out to be a total shutdown for most of the week. This season continues to be anything but typical and so it goes………………schools in! Live and always continue to learn!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

May 6, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

2:30 PM

Sabrina and Robert Wilson with their daughters Virginia and Taylor stopped by the shop to share a report. They are catching blowfish on the bayside on clam.

Steve-O (store staff) checked in a nice striper this morning, 21-lbs 11-oz, 39.5″ by 20.5″. He caught it last night on bunker off of the beach in Harvey Cedars. It is the first Simply Bassing fish that we know of.

Century Demo went off great. We had a lot of guys show up to check out the whole line of rods. There will be a number of happy anglers with their new rods. Thanks to Ryan White of Century and Hatteras Jack as well as Mike Kulick of Century and KM Custom Rods.

7:50 AM

Century Rod Casting Demo is going down up the street from the shop. We will be setting up shortly and kicking back up there till noon. If you want to try out any of Century’s rods stop by.

Received: May 6, 2012 10:22 AM Subject: Bluefish Sunday May 6th

Todd Elsasser caught this 35″ bluefish off of the Harvey Cedars surf about 10am today on a bunker chunk.

Received: May 6, 2012 10:58 PM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Hello All,

Well striper fishing didn’t exactly explode this week, but the good news is that fish have started to reappear after completing their annual spawning rituals and they seem to be the big ones we’ve been waiting for. Looks like the run of trophy sized fish that we look forward to each spring may be about to get started.

On Monday, Pennsylvanian’s Greg McGuigan and John Becker had bass in the low 30 pound class before conditions brought us back in early. Trolling white #4 Maja spoons produced the fish after we switched over from chasing bunker schools. Thursday I had the chance to get out by myself for a couple of hours, releasing a fat 47″ fish and dropping another similar sized fish within sight of the net. Both of those fish were found on the outskirts of a massive school of bunker that seemed to stretch non-stop from the North Jetty of IBSP all the way up to Seaside, well over ten miles! Just an unbelievable amount of bunker around right now, so the dinner table is set and we’ve just got to wait for our striped guests to show up in numbers.

I didn’t get much chance to check out the back bay action this week, but typically this is the time of year when clams start producing decent numbers of fish in back. With fluke season opening yesterday, we’ve now got some decent options for those days that the weather isn’t conducive to chasing stripers along the beachfront. Still have a couple of open dates later this month for anyone interested.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632

May 5, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

FYI: Beach Buggy 4×4 Access – Long Beach Township, Beach Haven and Harvey Cedars beaches close May 15th. Ship Bottom’s beaches close May 19th.

4:45 PM – Century Surf Demo is Tomorrow Morning Up the Street from the Shop!

We haven’t heard much today. Nothing first round flukers. We heard a couple surf anglers report very slow action off of the beach earlier today. Hopefully the incoming tide this afternoon will be a different story.

One customer stopped by the shop earlier in the day and reported a very slow morning in the boat. He did manage to troll up one nice fish.

6:00 AM – Fluke season opens today!

Simply Bassing is on!!! Sign up to get in on the LBI Spring Surf Tournament.

The recent easterly winds have put bass and a couple bluefish on the beach. Look for this to continue with today’s easterly flow.

Striper fishing in the boat recently has been inconsistent. One day it’s great, the next day it’s beat. Some have reported getting into amazing striper feeds on the bunker pods. Look around and you’ll find ’em.

May 4, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

6:45 PM – Cooler is stacked with Primo Bunks – Just Received Another Load That’s # 3

The fresh bunker is flying out the door. Our current stock is strong but it’s anyone’s guess what we will have tomorrow. We will try our best to keep it stacked high.

We are fully stocked up for the fluke season. Tons of Gulp and bucktails as well as all of the bait: live minnows, frozen squid and beautiful spearing.

Just a reminder, the Century Rods Casting Demo this Sunday (May 6th 9am) up the street from the shop. Come out and cast one or all of Century’s rods.

10:50 AM – Cooler is stacked with Primo Bunks – Just Received Another Load

Tomorrow is the day many have waited for! Opening day of fluke season. The fluke are here in good numbers. We have shared over the past couple of weeks a variety of fluke reports. Some jigging, some swimming plugs and even anglers chunking bunker. It should be a good start to a nice long season. [FLUKE: 5 fish @ 17.5″ May 5th – Sept. 28th]

Tomorrow is also the start of the spring striper surf tournament Simply Bassing. Make sure when you sign up to buy in to our Striper Side-Bet. It’s an extra $10 but well worth it. 100% pay out. Read this for more details.

Mike Toscani and Zach Foster stopped by the shop yesterday late in the day. The picked up a big bag of bunker and went out on the chunk. Mike sent us this picture and also called this morning to follow up with a report. “We headed up to the beach and caught multiple bass up to 37″. All on bunker heads on the north end surf.” It sounds like it was rocking and rolling.

May 3, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

3:00 PM – Cooler is stacked with Primo Bunks – Just Received Another Load

We have had a lot of emails asking when the beaches close for beach buggies so here it is…
Long Beach Township, Beach Haven and Harvey Cedars’s beaches close May 15th. Ship Bottom’s beaches close May 19th.

So far today we have not heard much off of the beach. If it is like the last couple days there should be some action from now until dark.

Eddy and Steve-O chunked bunker last night. They had a couple blues. Steve-o released a beautiful fluke that went for a big bunker chunk.

10:00 AM

Robby Vallone had a pair of nice sized blues yesterday on bunker.

Frankie “D” picked up some fresh bunker yesterday about 4pm. He caught this 35.5 “ bass off the surf mid-island about 7:15pm. He reported, “My only real bite except for skates on clam.”

May 2, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

10:30 AM

A nice load of fresh bunker just arrived!

9:00 AM

Eddy (store staff) headed out after work and chunked bunker. He sent a text about 10:30pm, “got a nice bass, over 20lbs.”

Century Rods Casting Demo this Sunday (May 6th 9am) up the street from the shop. Come out and cast one or all of Century’s rods. Find the one you like the best.

Received: May 2, 2012 10:17 AM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

Although the spring tautog season has ended, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are psyched over the summer flounder season opening on May 5. With a respectable showing of striped bass and some feisty bluefish, May looks like a good month for fishing around Beach Haven.

Captain Fran Verdi of the “Drop Off” reports he had several blackfish trips recently with good fishing, but he is very optimistic about the back bay fishing for fluke. He is hoping the drop in the minimum size to 17.5 inches will result in more fish for his anglers to take home. For those parties looking for larger fish, he plans to run up and down the beaches looking for trophy striped bass. For information on the 25′ “Drop Off” contact Capt. Fran Verdi, (609) 868-8970, or Email: fpvmdv@comcast.net

The “Miss Beach Haven” with Captain Frank Camarda finished up the tautog season last weekend with two trips. First mate Sal Rosa reports the action was good, but the minimum size increase to 15-inches meant quite a few fish released that would have been kept last year. Sal said the pool on Saturday was split between John Cheeseman and birthday boy, Bill. Sunday’s pool winner was unidentified, but the fish was a nice 7-pounder. The “Miss Beach Haven” will now be sailing for fluke but will stop for bird play to try for stripers or bluefish feeding under the birds. For information on the 80′ “Miss Beach Haven” contact Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, email: contact Capt. Frank Camarda via email: MissBeachHaven@aol.com

Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

May 1, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

6:00 PM

A customer who wanted to remain anonymous gave us a report just minutes ago. He caught a bass up on the north end of the island (surf) at the top of the tide on bunker. He mentioned that there were a couple other fish up there too.

12:50 PM

Steve Rupinski of Manahawkin weighed in this 43.5″ 32.9-lb bass earlier today for the On The Water Striper Cup. May 1st is here and it’s on!!!

Received: May 1, 2012 12:11 PM Subject: Trophy Stripers

Right on schedule, the big stripers are here. 20 to 40 pound fish off of Island Beach State Park. Most of the fish are being taken while trolling bunker spoons, though, there are now enough bunker on the scene to snag and liveline. I fished way north over the weekend to put my guys into the last of the school size bass migration. We broke Barnegat Inlet at 6AM, made the left, and 40 miles later we were at the Shrewsbury Rocks catching bass and blues under birds. While I was on world tour, our local boats had a good bite on the big stripers right in our own backyard. I did try and troll some readings on my long jaunt north, but perhaps I didn’t give it enough of a try. In hindsight I would have kept the spoons out and stayed with the readings closer to home.

We will be sailing twice a day for these fish. Word travels fast and we are already booked this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings, May 3, 4, and 5. We will run six hour afternoon open boat trips on Thursday and Friday. Thursday from 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM and Friday from 1PM to 7PM. Also Sunday I will run open 6AM to Noon. Trips are limited to 3 people. $150 per person. Call to reserve.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674 hiflierfishing@verizon.net

7:35 AM

Frank Muinos of the Village Harbour Fishing Club fished the Little Egg Reef yesterday aboard the Triple B. He stopped by the shop to check in a 3.6-lb Blackfish last night. He reported that the bite was hot all day.

Received: Apr 30, 2012 6:32 PM Subject: April 30 Fishing

Hey there, Fished the Scotland Grounds today. I had Thirty Ling (personal best) and my very first two Winter Flounder. My first saltwater limit. Six short Blackfish. A very good day. Had a lot of fun. ~ Jim T., Bridgewater, NJ

April 30, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

4:45 PM

Bill from Shamong stopped into the shop and asked how things were going earlier today. We gave him heads up that an angler just sent us a picture of a bass from the beach not far from the shop. Bill ended up heading up to the beach with calm and got a bass too. He said that he only fished for about an hour. 13.25-lb bass on clam, incoming tide, Ship Bottom surf.

2:30 PM

An unknown angler stopped in the shop a short while ago to get bait. He just sent us this picture: 32″ bass off of the mid-island surf on clam.

Steve-O (store staff) bunker chunked this bass last night on the sod banks.

Gene Szymkowiak stopped in the shop for some greenies yesterday. Since we were out he opted for fresh clam and he reported that it worked out. He said, “I took my mom and dad to the Lighthouse and had good action. 7 tog in 2hours. 6 shorts one 17″ Also had a bunch of skates on bunker.”

11:45 AM

It’s the last day of the month and I’m sure we will all look back on April 2012 as an amazing month full of epic early season bass fishing. The month kicked off with bass blitzes the first week and the action continued for weeks. Now at the end, there have been much bigger fish and finally (since the blow) the bunker have podded up and the bass are on them. It looks like we are in for a month of mayhem in May. – Fishhead.Greg

Received: Apr 30, 2012 6:43 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Striper, Blues and Blackfish!

With only one exception things “Reely” started to improve as the first waves of migrating trophy and schoolie striped bass and blues started to join our resident population from the bays to the ocean as vast schools of bunker are now in place to set the stage for our trophy striper run!

The week started poorly for first timer Delaware resident Doug Murray looking to engage some blues and bass on the bays shallow flats. Seemingly finding the fish with a severe case of lock jaw. We methodically worked from one location to the next looking for signs of life only to get a scant few swirls on the artificial presentation.

The next day new comer John Macavoy joined by friend Steve found a slow start with striped bass on the bays shallows so it was up to the inlet to play with some more cooperative blackfish. After getting their fill of the blackfish it was back to the shallows to find schools of striped bass swirling under birds. The guys managed some nice top water surface action with stripers on light spinning tackle before heading to the barn.

Small craft warning lead to cancellations for both a.m. and p.m. trips on Friday. I found myself unable to stay shore bound for long and could not resist the urge to see what action could be had in the stiff 20-30 NW winds. Although the bays water was blown into a brownish turbidity the bass did not seem to mind at all as I managed to play catch and release with several stripers in just over an hour of fishing.

Up Next was Chris and Jay Simmons joined by Chris’s sons K.C. and Jack scoring a mix of stripers, blues and blackfish . Chris started the day scoring a nice keeper striper on the flats right out of the gate from there the action cooled down so up to the inlet we went again to find the blackfish more cooperative. As the guys continued to be entertained by the blackfish bite I noticed multiple huge school of bunker just outside the inlet, changing gears we started to snag and drop to see if there was “anyone home”. Within minutes Chris came tight on a bass but ended just as quickly as the hook point doubled back into the bait preventing a solid hook up. Finishing up in the backbay the guys managed a few more blues on the flats with multiple fish tailgating our hooked fish right to the boat in the bays crystal clear waters before ending the day! Take a look at some of Captain Steve’s pictures from his most recent trips.

With huge amounts of baitfish in the way of vast bunker schools , it looks very likely that things are ready to explode wide open this week!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 29, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

4:45 PM

Rudy Egberts just weighed in this 42.75-lb (46″ by 27″) bass. He caught it off of IBSP today on the troll.

2:15 PM

Rudy Egberts had some success in the boat this weekend, three bass up to 32-lbs. Another customer reported good sized blues mixed in with the bunker and bass.

Vinny Rossi just caught a released a nice size fluke this afternoon on the sod banks. He just sent us the picture.

Ben Derites trolled yesterday and marked fish but no luck. When he switched over to wreck fishing he started picking away at the tog. He had them up to 20.25″ and also caught and released a lot of sea bass. FYI: Sea Bass Opens May 19th (25 fish @ 12.5″).

12:30 PM

Finally we get a break from the week of wind. What a beautiful day today is and yesterday was. Just a reminder… Tog season closes tomorrow, Monday April 30th. Sorry the green crabs flew out the door yesterday and this morning. We are sold out until Tog reopens (July 27th 1 fish @ 15″).

Next weekend we have a lot going on! The spring striper surf only tournament, Simply Bassing kicks off Saturday, May 5th. Also, Summer Flounder aka Fluke season opens Saturday(5 fish @ 17.5″).

Beach: So far today we have had a lot of anglers in and out. A couple bass have been taken off of the beach this morning that we know of. No direct reports from the tight-lined anglers but from angler fishing nearby who saw.

Boat: We have not received stellar reports but we did have a customer stop in today who reported some bass on the bunker pods. He said that there were some pods up around Casino Pier that produced from him. We expect this fishery to explode any day. We also have heard that anglers fishing the boat inshore are picking bass on the troll. The jig can be good too but you have to get on top of them.

Bay: The bay has a solid blowfish bite, with kingfish and weakfish mixed in. The bass are still cruising the channels, flats, sod banks and late night shadows. The bluefish bite seems to have picked up some.Chris Bender got into some on Friday night chunking bunker. He also caught one bass. Chris just mentioned that he was fishing the bay. Hope to see more bluefish mayhem soon.

Received: Apr 29, 2012 10:51 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Hello All,

OK, so maybe we got a little spoiled with the off-the-charts striper fishing we had in early April this year. I was tempted to say that fishing in this area was slow again this week, but the reality of the situation is that fishing is actually quite a bit better than it should be for late April and will only improve from here.

The winds early in the week kept everyone pretty close to the dock, and striper fishing out front late in the week seemed to be a continuation of the “slowdown” we saw last week. But there were some positive signs. Massive schools of adult bunker seem to be all over the beachfront right now, and it’s only a matter of time until the schools of ravenous post-spawn stripers find them. The bite has already started north of here and a few larger bass were landed by boats trolling bunker spoons yesterday, so it may be getting close. Back bay action is also starting to pick up, with early morning top water action for bass and blues as well as fishing with fresh clams starting to produce along the channels when the tides are right. And while tomorrow is the final day until July, the blackfish bite has been as good as it gets all month long. So considering that it’s still April, fishing right now is pretty good and that’s a good sign for the coming weeks.

Will this be the week that fishing explodes around here again? Hard to say but I hope so, and if it does this will be a May to remember.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632

April 28, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Any one looking for a top of the line plug bag (that will not break the bank) should take a look at the whole line of MAK Angler Surfcasting Bags. We have it all from MAK: single tube, two tube, three tube, four tube as well as all of their pouches and accessories. Stop in the shop to check out the MAK Angler Surfcasting Line of products.

Reminders:
– Simply Bassing kicks off next weekend. We have already had a ton of sign ups in our FHQ Striper Side-Bet. It only takes one fish to win the cash. Don’t miss out!
– Century Rods Demo Day – Sunday May 6th 9am-1pm: Cast one or all of Century’s (High Performance yet Affordable) Fishing Rods up the street from the shop, 9th Street Beach Ship Bottom.

Received: Apr 28, 2012 7:34 AM Subject: Surf Report

Fished the surf last night for the first two hours of the incoming tide. Had both clam and bunker out. Did not get a nibble. Very slow night. ~ Stevie G.

April 27, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Apr 27, 2012 8:57 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Last minute cancellation for this Sunday = Open or Private

Hey Folks,
Last minute cancellation for this Sunday- weather forecast is for sunny skies and a high of mid sixties. Recently we have been catching striped bass on top waters poppers and plugs on light spinning tackle. Sunday is available for either private or open boat. Call only 609-290-1217 to reserve.

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

5:00 PM – Fresh Load of Bunker Just Arrived!

A local angler stopped in the shop to re-up with bait this afternoon. He said that the blowfish were destroying his clam this morning off of the mid-island surf. He also reported that another angler set up beside him and landed a bass shortly after.

Only a couple days left to get your tog on! Get in it while it lasts.

1:30 PM

Jay Simmons reported blowfish in the bay, “As many as you can catch. They are thick, with kingfish mixed in too.”

April 26, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Rick Wieland of Ship Bottom got covered up in skates this morning off of the beach! He reported catching 15 skates but he weeded through them and was awarded one 31″ bass.

Received: Apr 24, 2012 10:37AM Subject: Hi Flier

The Hi Flier is finally in the water and ready to start fishing. It hurt to miss the early striper action, but the work needed to be done. Now, we’re in the water and ready for the next eight months of fishing.

Northwest winds are forecasted for Friday through the weekend, so we will run an open boat striper hunt on Friday, April 27, 6AM to 2PM. We will break the inlet at sunup, make a left, and start looking for signs of life. Drifting and jigging is always the proffered technique but I will be packing the trolling gear in case that is what it takes to catch some fish. Of course, we will be armed with snaggers and on the lookout for bunker pods that will start producing big fish any minute. The cost of the eight hour trip is $200 per man and I will sail with just one. Three anglers max.

Saturday we are booked. Sunday, April 29 I am going to target the bluefish in Barnegat Bay. These 2 to 5 pound fish are a lot of fun on 10 pound spinning gear. They are very receptive to poppers and surface lures which makes the hits very exciting. Sometimes we troll with light spinning tackle and plugs to find them, but most of the time we are casting surface lures. This trip will run 5:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Cost is $135 per person.

We will be running open boat and charter any day of the week from here in. Looking forward to it. Hope to see you on board.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro, Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

April 25, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

4:30 PM – Fresh Bunker & Live Surf Clams Are Here!

We don’t have much to report today there than two reports of weed. We got word the the Inlet was full of seaweed this morning and also an angler fishing the front beach reported the same. Look around to find some clean water.

6:00 AM

Finally some calm winds! It’s dead clam right now but forecasted to be westerly, swinging south west in the afternoon. We are looking forward to a fresh bait delivery possibly later today. Until then we have good sized live bay clams aka chowders as well as IQF bunker for the surf bait guys.

April 24, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

8:40 PM

We might get a small delivery of fresh bunker and possibly some live surf clams mid day tomorrow.

Zach Foster stopped in the shop earlier in the day to pick up some greenies on his way up the rocks. While here he reported catching some tog over the weekend on Saturday. He said his biggest was 18 inches.

We received a report from a customer who was fishing the Inlet rock this afternoon with lures in search of bass or blues, “Nothing at the Inlet but snot. Every cast you had some no matter what.”

Received: Apr 24, 2012 4:11 PM Subject: Weekly BHCFA Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been facing some un-springlike weather over the past few days along with a slowdown in the striped bass bite in the ocean.

Seemingly spoiled by the spate of unseasonably warm days, some strong winds and lower temperatures have made it seem like April again. One result of this has been a distinct slowdown of the hot action on the big schools of stripers just offshore the beaches of Long Beach Island. The logical explanation is that the recent fish mass has moved north, and another will be along in a week or so to replace it.

There continues to be a bite on schoolie bass in the bay waters along with some black drum and bluefish. Captain Fran Verdi of the “Dropoff” reports he has been using up some clam chum looking for these fish. Captain Fran says he is looking forward to May 5, which will be official start of the 2012 summer flounder season. Early spring is when the larger fluke are caught in the backbay waters. There have been scattered reports of some big fluke being caught over the past few weeks by anglers jigging for stripers.

Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com

9:30 AM

Get it in while it lasts. The tog season is almost over. It’s open till the end of the month (April) but then closed for all of May and June, reopening July 27th – August 31 at one fish.

April 23, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Apr 22, 2012 8:43 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Report – Slow Striped Bass Week, Good Blackfish Bite!

This week the striper catches started off slow but as the week progressed it came to a screeching halt as the resident wintering schools continued their migration into Northern waters. What has prompted this departure is any bodies guess but it certainly was not lack of forage or water temps as both are ideal and abundant.

The Trainer clan started the week with brother’s Jim and John along with Jim’s son Brady scouring along the beaches in search of some striper activity. After a bit of searching around and finding readings that appeared to be a “lock and load” school of bass it was time to get the guys fishing. The first couple of casts came up empty but surely it was only a matter of time or “recipe” to get the rods bending or so I thought. As we continued to work over the area with no result it was now time to put the trolling rods into action but as we continued to throw the tackle box at them and still no response we retreated to the bay to find a modest top water action going 5 for 7 on stripers and keeping 2 at 30″ before ending the day.

Next up was the Ryan Coleman party with much of the same results along the beaches – lots of bait , no bass! From there we went with plan “B” finding a very cooperative blackfish bite with fish from ranging 3-7lbs. The guys ended the day coming up empty on the top water striper action.

The week ended with the Eric Neilson party staying within the confines of the bay/inlet where the guys experienced another decent blackfish bite but finding just how crafty these fish can be. For most of the day the guys continued to feed rather than catch these tricky gamesters finding out just how entertaining but maddening they can be!

And so the stage is set to welcome the next school of migrating trophy stripers as water temperatures are perfect and bait is abundant in our area and with bluefish historically [ by my own logs] available by April 23rd in Barnegat bay I am looking forward to this weeks action and adventures!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 222, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

4:00 PM

Scott Simpson of Hainesport stopped by the shop last night, picked up bait and headed out. He stopped back this afternoon to say hi and give us a report. “Started fishing around 8pm. About an hour in released a 29′ bass and then another bass (35″) about an hour after that one. Lots of big skates out there too. They will keep you busy.” Scott shared that both fish on bunker mid-island.

12:00 PM

Local grom Tommy McLaughlin stopped in the shop to share his stoke, “Caught a bass last night on the bayside.” Tommy kept his location quiet.

11:30 AM

Lotta bummed out surfcaster were stoked to test cast the whole line of rods from CTS today. As reported a couple days ago, we were forced to cancel due to the rain. We are in the process of rescheduling. Century Rods and Fisherman’s Headquarters will be having a demo day on May 6th 9am-1pm.

Don’t have much to report on the fishing front so here is the low down on the weather (if you haven’t check into it already). Gale Warning is in effect this afternoon through late tonight. A cold front moved through this morning, which extends down the entire East Coast. A low pressure system is developing to our south will quickly ride up late today and into Monday as it takes an exit track to the north.

Currently we have 2-3′ surf up the street with a NE wind. The wind is forecasted to swing more easterly and kick up hard tonight. Monday morning we will see a jacked up surf into 6′ possibly 8′ plus range. The surf fades Tuesday (to around 3′ +) and into midweek. Another low pressure should pass just south of us Wednesday/Thursday and then high pressure is forecasted to build and take control of the end of the week and weekend.

REMINDER: Simply Bassin’, the LBI Spring Striper Surf Tournament, kicks off May 5th!

Received: Apr 22, 2012 10:37 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Hello All,

Just a brief update this week since there doesn’t seem to be a lot going on at the moment. The epic bass bite we’ve been enjoying around these parts for the past few weeks seemed to slow down mid week, and had completely ground to a halt by Friday. Whether the fish were just taking a bit of a breather or whether they’ve moved out of the area remains to be seen. There’s still a tremendous amount of bait along the beachfront and reports from up north are still pretty strong, so we’ll just have to wait and see what things are like after this series of storms blows through over the next couple of days. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s still only April, and that most other years we’d have a few weeks to go before things even get started.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632

April 21, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

3:30 PM

We spoke to one customer just a little bit ago who just got off the boat. He wanted to remain anonymous because he was cutting out of work. He said that he caught some bass (teen size fish) today north of the Inlet on big Krocodile Spoons.

Jessica Maser and her friend Sarah Stone stopped by the shop last night and headed out fishing. Jessica got back to us this afternoon with a short report, “Got my birthday bass last night on the bayside on bunker. We also caught a dogfish.”

2:15 PM

Tony Griebel weighed in a 11.6 lb drum about 1pm today. He was fishing mid-island, not far from the shop with clam. He also had a keeper bass. Tony reported lots of skates.

Nick Quinn of Ocean Acers was up on the rock today with greenies. He caught a bunch of short tog and one keeper. He said that there are a lot of people up there catching, a couple had there limit.

12:15 PM

We had a group of anglers stop in the shop a little bit ago who reported very slow surf action. They had a couple skates as well as lots of small hits. Must be those blowfish stealing baits. Scale down the hook size if you have the same issues.

We also heard that the bite out on the boat was very slow. It seems like a bass here and a bass there on the troll is about it unless you stubble across a pod of bait and an active feed.

10:00 AM

Right now our bait that was delivered yesterday is running low. The weather this morning and still right now is absolutely phenomenal. We will have a fresh load of bunker and clams here before noontime. Anyone looking to fish the North East blow on Sunday should get bait today because it will be all we have until mid next week.

April 20, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

9:00 PM

Despite the beautiful conditions today, clean white water and dropping pressure with the approaching front, not much was going on. We heard back from lots of anglers both in the boat and from the beach that said it was a very very slow day. We heard a couple reports of blowfish and skates from the beach on clam. Other than that it was just the toggers reporting action on green crabs up in BL. The new moon is tonight/tomorrow (April 21st) so maybe this is the lull before our spring run really kicks into high gear.

Simply Bassing Spring Bass Tournament Starts May 5th. Also be sure to sign up for out FHQ Striper Side-Bet.

7:00 PM

We received a bunker delivery earlier today. The captain reported, “Other than hundreds of horn dogs (spiny dogs) was a dead sea out there.” The angler who fished the boat had little action.

FYI: We received a nice load of Jersey Jay slab metal spoons just like the old Krocodiles that were discontinued. These lures have been producing lately. Get some before they are gone.

Tomorrow Saturday April 21, 2012 is the 5th Annual Spring Perch Derby hosted by the Red Man Lodge # 61 of Tuckerton. All proceeds are donated to charity.

11:00 AM

The CTS Rods Demo was scheduled for this Sunday April 22nd on the 9th Street Beach in Ship Bottom (up the street from the shop). Due to weather (rain forcasted) we have called it off are in the process of rescheduling.

FYI: We have now in stock both factory built ready to fish CTS Vapor Trail 11′ Rods as well as Century Sling Shot Rods (9’6″, 10’6″, 11′). Stop in and check these elite surf rods. Right now we have a Century Rod Demo scheduled for May 6th.

Tog fishing is hot up in Barnegat Light! Yesterday afternoon Capt. Adam Sherer fished the Inlet Rocks in the boat. He caught a dozen tog, with two fish being over 8-lbs. We have had a ton of customers loading up with green crabs again today. We’ll post a land based tog report if we get any feedback.

The surf was up yesterday as expected with the long period easterly groundswell. The swell continues through out the day today slowly fading out during the weekend.

April 19, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

6:00 AM

South Philly Fred hit up the Rocks yesterday. He get his line tight with a small bass on a green Super Strike Darter.

Right as we were closing up yesterday Sean of Forked River stopped in to share, “I caught two bass this afternoon off of the surf on bunker. One 30 incher and one 31incher. The water was beautiful. Nice and clear with good white water. Not a person in sight.”

After we closed up the shop last night, a couple of us headed over to the Gateway to watch the Flyer/Penguins and Ranger/Senators games. While there we spoke to one regular customer who had fishy fingers. He just had gotten off the beach and reported on keeper sized bass on bunker mid-island before dark. While there we also spoke to another local angler who reported still getting into the perch, “I read your report. Yes, the perch bite is not what it was but my son and I did well today right down from Josh’s house. We both caught a few. Each of us had nice ones over 1-lb.”

April 18, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

4:30 PM

It looks like some of the bigger spring time fish are moving in. Eric Pignataro of Barnegat just weighed this 46.7-lb monster bass. He caught it on a big rubber shad fishing outside Barnegat Light today. He said they got into ’em good today catching over two dozen fish and this monster.

The perch fishing has slowed significantly. It seem the bigger fish moved out but maybe it’s just temporary. Josh (store staff) said that most of the anglers fishing his street are all catching small ones and the quantity is way down from last week and the week before.

Steve-O (store staff) says, “TOG FISHING IS ROCK SOLID! Get up the BL with greenies. There are plenty of keepers and anglers are catching their limit.”

Received: Apr 18, 2012 2:10 PM Subject: Bass in the Bay

Stopped by the store earlier and got my new reel for my surf pole, the Penn Battle 6000. Could not be happier! The reel is smooth and drag is super smooth. Penn has done it again with this reel. Anyone looking for a new spinning reel should pick one up. Fished the south end of the island, bayside and caught two bass. 31″ and 34″ clam and bunker chunk. Tide was going out and water was clear. My buddy caught an 18 pound bass mid-island, bayside. Been nailing the fish bayside the past three days. Get out there and fish! – Stevie G.

10:30 AM

We have a nice area of low pressure spinning out in the central Atlantic. Expect the easterly groundswell traces to showing late today. Tomorrow (Thursday) the swell should be pushing 3-4 feet. We might possibly get plus size surf at certain beaches on the right tides. The swell sticks around on Friday, strongest in the early day and fades throughout the weekend. Because of this easterly flow, the surf water temp should warm and maybe we’ll get a bluefish bite. Anglers hitting the beach expect the groundswell and prepare by bringing some extra lead.

Received: Apr 18, 2012 1:58 PM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

Some of the captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have already made some successful trips while the rest of the boats are right on the verge of splashdown.

Captain Jimmy Zavacky of the “Reel Determined” recently left the dock at 4 in the afternoon for a run up the beaches of Long Beach Island. Once he found the birds working he had non-stop jigging action until 7:30. He and his crew limited out while catching some 72 bass over 30-inches.

Captain Frank Camarda took the party boat “Miss Beach Haven” out for a bottom fishing trip and worked hard for fish for his anglers. Some anglers managed to limit out with George from Manahawkin winning the pool with a 5-pound blackfish. Waretown Ray took top honors another day with a 4-pounder. Dogfish were a nuisance at times.

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Drop Off” reports he has been fishing for a couple of weeks now. He made a striper trip to the Mullica River catching both bass and a 29-inch black drum fish. Captain Fran has also done some wreck fishing in the ocean and found both blackfish and cod. His plans include clamming for bass in the bay and running the beach. Once the fluke season starts, he will be running trips for them.

Captain Carl Sheppard reports he has the “Star Fish” in the water and ready for action. This year the boat is licensed to carry up to 19 passengers. Captain Carl is looking forward to getting on some blackfish and striped bass action.

Captain Lindsay Fuller has been making some trips to the Outer Bank of North Carolina where the “June Bug” spends its winters for updates and some winter fishing. Captain Lindsay reports the “June Bug” is ready for action and will be returning to New Jersey at some point in May. Strong winds have hampered the fishing in North Carolina this spring, but Captain Lindsay is always looking for anglers to get in on that blue water fishing.

April 17, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

3:30 PM

Rick Wieland (the rocking guitarist from the local Depot Dogs) of Ship Bottom stopped in the shop today. “Got a bass on the beach this morning about 9am. There were also a lot of nice sized blowfish in the surf and on the beach. The birds up there were eating blowfish on the sand and there were a number of dead carcasses. I couldn’t keep a clam bait in the water with out it getting stolen so they are thick.” Rick said, “June 29th Check out the Depot Dogs at the Dutchman’s!!!” Rick caught the bass mid-island on bunker.

10:30 AM – Primo Fresh Bunker & Live Surf Clams!

Another nice day with a north westerly breeze. The surf is very small with just a little wind swell bump. So far today we have not had any reports but have had a lot of customers get bait on their way out. If we hear anything, we’ll post.

Received: Apr 17, 2012 8:55 AM Subject: Delaware River Study Article Posted

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife monitors populations of juvenile fish found in the Delaware River’s estuary to estimate their abundance and evaluate the success of the their populations. These assessments provide a means to predict population trends and future harvest potential of monitored species. An article about the 2011 Delaware River Seine Survey, and background on the primary species studied, has been posted on the division’s website. For more information about the survey and the fish species it looks at click over to: www.njfishandwildlife.com/artdelstudy12.htm ~ NJ Marine Fishing, NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife

April 16, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

8:00 PM

What a beautiful day it was. A nice sea breeze kept the Island cool but it was a summer like hot on the mainland. Looks like tomorrow will be another beauty!

From what we heard the boat fishing today was slow.

Robbie Vallone stopped in the shop and picked up some fresh clams in the late afternoon. As he was leaving, we asked him to let us know how does. He called us us right as we were closing and sharred this report, ” Got my first spring striper off of the surf on on the North End! Two short bass, both 25″ on clam.”

Received: Monday, April 16, 2012 5:24 PM Subject: Fishing Barnegat Light, Bayside

Great day to be fishing! The weather was right and the bass were there. We fished the backside of the bay in Barnegat Light and had a couple of 30″ bass on Storm Shads. Tide was going out and water was clear. Fished two hours, 2 bass and one other hook up. ~ Steve G.

2:00 PM

Fresh Clams & Live Bloods Are Here!

10:00 AM – Live Surf Clams are expected to be delivered by 12-1pm today.

Here is a YouTube link from Tanner Gray, Great Local Fishing Caught on Camera. All of the fish were caught jigging with diamond jigs out of Barnegat Inlet.

Lots of anglers/customer are asking about the surf bite. As always we ask customers who are heading out to give us feedback so we can share the most up to date information. Please help!

From what one customer said this morning it sounds like there was were a couple keeper sized bass caught off of the Ship Bottom surf on clam as well as another drum. The customer who provided us with the report was fishing bunker and didn’t have any luck; however, he was in the right spot to see some other anglers catching on clam.

Received: Monday, April 16, 2012 11:37 AM Subject: Atlantic Sturgeon Research in Delaware Bay

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife has deployed 7 acoustic receivers in Delaware Bay to track migration patterns of Atlantic sturgeon. With the recent endangered species listing of Atlantic sturgeon, effective April 6, 2012, research on this species has gained significance. The receivers are generally set in water depths less than 20 feet. Those fishing in inshore waters may encounter the white buoys marked “NJDEP Research” which should be avoided.

For more information on the research and buoy location, visit www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2012/sturgeon_research.htm on the division’s website.

Received: Monday, April 16, 2012 6:38 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Another solid week of bass fishing!

The shear mass of striped bass in our home waters is flat out amazing and can not be compared to anything in recent spring time history to the best of my knowledge! No, you can’t get them to feed voraciously all day long but if you adjust your tactics to where and when, you can keep the rods bending and the fish coming over the gunnel at a steady pace! Both trolling and jigging served us well depending on certain circumstances of the day, gannets were probably the best indicator of which tactic to employ. For the most part when hard diving gannets were encountered it was jigging time, conversely when scattered striped bass were marked deep on the recorder with no bird activity to point the way it was time to go up on the troll to put fish in the boat.

The Joe Princiotti crew were out to find an interesting bird play just a few hundred yards from the inlet. Scanning around found what appeared to be bait only. From there we proceeded to tour the Atlantic looking for signs of life only to come back where we were early to find the bass ready for their evening feast! Trolling put the first few bass in the boat but as we continued fishing into the evening we were fortunate enough to witness an awesome spectacle of bass in a full on bunker blitz! After securing their limit the guys continued to play catch and release with nice upper teen to lower twenty pound size fish until trips end!

The Ed Neiss party from Pa. started the later part of the week finding the bass spread out all over . A quick decision was made to go up on the troll which quickly put a nice 30″ bass in the box. From there everyone wanted to try their hand at jigging so the trolling rods were quickly stowed away and the spinners were quickly employed but found that the fast moving sparsely packed schools and finicky bass to be a bit challenging. Back up on the troll the group continued to pick away before ending the day going 5 for 7 with stripers to upper teens.

Fridays evening Open Boat had all regulars including Jay Simmons, Dave Cammarata , Dave Cammarata jr. Shawn Hawthorne and Kevin Rust rounding out the crew. Minutes after leaving the dock we made our way out the inlet to find hard diving gannets just a few hundred yards Northward. A quick sonar assessment of the area found scattered reading of bass with loads of bunker so back up on the troll we went quickly putting a bass in the cooler. The guys continued put fish into the cooler via trolling tactic with fish from 12-22lbs before trips end.

Sunday I had a rare chance to get out and fish with my lil’ bro Ryan [ he’s actually bigger than me ] . Our first stop found a school of stripers waiting for us under the boat as I pulled the throttles back to start the morning. My first cast of the day hit pay dirt as I only took a couple of cranks on the reel handle before I came tight to a nice bass. A quick look around found a massive bird play working over busting bass and bait. It was game on after that with us doubled up with bass at all times until we ended the morning weary armed.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 15, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

2:45 PM

Jesse Buss, Mike Burke, Chelsea Leister, Jeff Watson, Yesica Rangeloft stopped but the shop about 2:30pm to give us a report. “It was an insane morning. BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS and bass chasing bait! We caught them jigging as well as some on top water lures. It was awesome!” From what the groups said they were fishing near the replenishment activity/gear. Here is a picture of the group.

10:20 AM

Just got a call from Capt. Steve, “It’s going bonkers couple miles from the BL Inlet. Get out here!”

Received: Sunday, April 15, 2012 8:31 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Hello All,

Who would believe that it’s only April? Warm sunny days, beautiful evenings, and the striper fishing is completely off the charts!

This is a time of year when we’re generally anchored up in one of the channels, sitting in a cold damp boat, picking away at a few winter flounder while we’re waiting for the first influx of bluefish to start showing up in the back bay. Instead, we’re a mile or two from the inlet under sunny 70 degree skies and getting arm numbing action on 20 to 30 pound striped bass. This has to be a dream!

I had Bensalem’s George Selph out yesterday on his first trip of the new season, and the bass certainly cooperated with several dozen linesiders ranging from 15 to almost 30 pounds brought to the boat before leaving the fish biting and heading back in. The early morning action was primarily on the troll, with white #4 Tony Maja bunker spoons getting the majority of hits off of Island Beach State Park. But heading south after a couple of hours to look for more consistent action, we came across a vast school of actively feeding bass that absolutely inhaled the soft plastic lures we worked across the surface. The heavy boat traffic that arrived on the scene finally put an end to the party, but not before we had landed enough big bass on light tackle that our arms were tired and sore when we finally headed for home around noon.

This kind of early season fishing is unprecedented around these parts, so only time will tell how long it will last. But the water temperatures are just about ideal, and there is so much bait around that this could go on for a couple of months if we’re lucky. Let’s hope we’re lucky. Here is a pair of pictures, take a look.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632

Received: Saturday, April 14, 2012 9:08 AM Subject: Caught A Drum Saturday Afternoon

Hey guys, Thanks for your help in the store today (Saturday). You fixed my reel and also re-lined it with 20 lb test . I went right down to the beach with some clams and bloodworms and hooked into a 17 lb 32 ” drum on the clams. It was caught on the incoming tide around 2 pm in Ship Bottom. Here is a picture. Take Care. ~ Mike Zakutansky Yeahh Buddy! That’s the first direct report we have received of drum off of the front beach.

April 14, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

9:30 AM

INLET: The tog bite at Barnegat Light is still consistent. A lot of anglers getting green crabs and heading up there this morning! A number have reported success on their last outing (some yesterday and one angler the day before). to it turns out

BAY: We heard that there were some bass in the shallows but then got a report this morning of a skunking up on the flats. They should be there! Water temp is right and the bay water clarity is crystal clear. The drum are still around on the south end bay. Not much to speak of on the winter flounder front; BUT, we have heard more a reports of fluke by anglers jigging bucktails and metal targeting bass.

April 13, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

9:45 PM

(See Earlier Reports) So it turns out… After Jeff dropped me off at the dock (for work) he got lunch and headed back out. His second session started right were we left them. Jeff reported, “We trolled up a handful of bass right out in front of the Inlet and then started working south. Long story short, it turned on about 5:30-6pm right around the beach replenishment activity. Birds and bass BLOWING UP! Some triple hook ups were had. At one point the bass were pushing bait up on the beach. We were sitting in 17′ of water nailing them. Not a sole on the beach fishing.” There are a lot of fish in the area and the bite can be phenomenal at time. Don’t we all wish we were on the evening bite there!? -FishHead.Greg

8:30 PM

As expected we received a delivery of fresh bunker. Actually two of them, one unexpected. While here we spoke with the gill netter and he reported a handful of small bluefish as well as a handful of small weakfish in his day’s catch. He also gave us both bunker and some butterfish.

As far as the Inlet goes… We spoke with two anglers who fished the rocks today. “Two keeper tog!” One angler reported success with live green crab. Another angler said he bucktailed hard but no luck.

3:00 PM – We expect a delivery of fresh bunker some time today!

Gorgeous day on the water! I headed out late morning (had to wait for the gas dock to open) with Capt Jeff Warford and his uncle and cousin. We got into a good bird play right after we broke the inlet. Caught ’em up jigging bucktails. Birds and fish dispersed and we went on the troll. Got back into ’em (consistent pick) on spoons on wire and deep divers on braid. Here’s a one of Luke’s bass that was stacked with a belly full of bunker. After today’s catch, it looks to me like there are bigger fish showing up. -FishHead.Greg

6:30 AM

It looks like we have a beautiful weekend upon us! Lots of sun and highs in the low 70’s on Saturday and possibly hitting 80 on Sunday! Our Spring Run is in full swing. Just read the reports below (if you haven’t already). It’s go time!

April 12, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

5:30 PM

About 5pm we got the call from Capt. Jeff Warford. He is out in his new World Cat with his uncle and cousin. They headed out about 1pm and got on the troll. After searching for a little bit they picked up three bass. He mentioned that the bite is really just now opening up. He said, “There aren’t many birds but we are marking them and catching on the jig. Gotta Go!”

9:45 AM

Yesterday afternoon/evening Joni (store staff) hopped aboard the Pez Machine with Captain Stew Hitchner for an a sea trial. Stew just brought the Pez back up from its winter down in North Carolina and performed some routine maintenance. Luckily they brought some rods! “We ran out front and put some fuel through them (new filters) just to make sure there were no leaks.” Captain Stew reported. “There were birds everywhere so we decided to try our luck. Pick a dozen bass in a couple hours of fishing. Keeping 3 for the table. The boat is back and the stripers are here!” Anyone looking to fish bass or tuna this season give Captain Stew a call.

~ Capt. Stew Hitchner, Pez Machine Sportfishing 56′ Core Sound, 609-287-5136

Received: Thursday, April 12, 2012 8:14:57 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Awesome action continues!

Wow, Somebody pinch me! The striped bass action continues to be on fire with all bass well over the 28″ minimum size! New comer Ken Reed was out yesterday [ Wednesday] to experience some more outstanding striped bass fishing. Again we find ourselves fortunate enough to have another large bio- mass of stripers parked within a few miles of our home waters of Barnegat Light and again boats from up and down the coast are traveling 20-30 miles to get in on the action! Remember anglers aboard the Reel Fantasea have been tight to fish within minutes of leaving the dock!

With scattered bird activity Ken started his day with going up on the troll banging out 4 nice keeper stripers in under a 1/2 hour which enabled us to locate a very large school of bass all to ourselves. From there we scaled down to spinning tackle and it was game on with bass after bass until arm weary! If you are looking to get out for some outstanding striped bass action wait no longer! It is go time!!

Check out a couple pictures from yesterday’s trip aboard the Reel Fantasea!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 11, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

5:05 PM

Robby Vallone is near the Bathers Beach jigging bucktails right now. Gannets are on ’em again!

3:00 PM

We got a report from a boat angler who fished this morning. He said that there were tons of bird but the bass weren’t biting, “The birds were moving fast. It was hard to keep up with them.”

10:30 AM

Registration has begun for the 11th Annual Simply Bassing Spring Surf Tournament ($20 May 5 to June 24, 2012)! Stop in the shop to sign up and and also also join our $10 Spring Striper Side Bet aka Striper Calcutta. The Largest bass weighed in at FHQ take the “cash pot”! For More Detail About The Fisherman’s HQ 2012 Spring Striper Side Bet Click Here.

We a customer report catching some weakfish. He had cell phone picture proof. It looks like some tiderunners have shown up. Let’s hope this materializes in the coming days/weeks!

There has also been some nice sized bluefish caught. Check out one of Brian Burkhart’s bluefish he caught mid-island on the bayside a couple days ago.

Perch fishing in the BHW Lagoons is still very strong. There was a family in the shop who raved about the bite over the weekend. They mentioned that the Fisher’s Choice “Mini” Shrimp (which we set them up with) was the hot bait.

Received: April 11, 2012 11:43 Subject: Two New Saltwater Record Fish Certified

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife has officially certified, and is pleased to announce, the catch of two new state record marine fish.

Robert Macejka of Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey reeled in the new state record Hickory Shad on November 20, 2011. The fish weighed in at 2 pounds 13 ounces eclipsing the previous state record by 13 ounces. Robert was fishing from the surf at Mantoloking and using a St. Croix Triumph rod and Penn reel when he landed his catch.

The other state record was reeled in by Raul de la Prida of Elizabeth, New Jersey on February 10, 2012. His 3 pound ½ ounce Cunner was caught fishing from the Norma K III off Point Pleasant and measured 16 inches in length with a girth of 13 inches. Raul was using an Ugly Stick rod and Penn boat reel with clam as bait. The previous state record weighed in at 2 pounds 9 ounces.

Congratulations to our newest state record holders! For more information about the State Record Fish Program visit www.njfishandwildlife.com/recfish.htm

April 10, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Cast Your Vote for the 5th Annual New Jersey’s Top 10 Beaches Survey!

6:00 PM

Here is a picture of Ryan Fredrickson’s 14-lb Easter Morning Striped Bass! Please see report under April 8th below.

3:30 PM

Went up the street from the shop to test cast a rod with a couple customers. Gannets were working just out of reach. Much closer than other days. While up there we spoke with an angler just packing up. He said nothing but skates on bait.

Yesterday was another phenomenal day in the boat and in the wind. We got a call in the morning and then again in the late afternoon. The bite was on in northern IBSP and near the Pier. We haven’t heard about today.

11:30 AM

Clams Are Here! We just got a delivery of Live Surf Clams! The winds came down just enough for the boats to get out this morning.

Received: April 10, 2012 3:54:46 PM Subject: Striped bass bit threw Gale!

Striped bass bit threw the 40 + mph Gale! After waking to a Gale warning yesterday, I thought it was best to cancel my scheduled private charter early enough to avoid unnecessary travel for my customers. Since I had a few loose ends to tie up at the boat I found myself with wind velocity not yet at forecasted levels. So a quick decision to run up the beach was made to see what was going on before the wind picked up. A few stops here and there turned up nothing until just a few more miles to the North. I came across the “Mother” of all bird [ gannet] plays with bass and bunker covering the oceans surface! With winds now approaching 20-30mph WNW with a few gusts even higher I grabbed my quick limit of striped bass and left them biting before heading for the barn. I have a few spots open for this Friday morning – 7am – 1pm for anyone looking to jump aboard and get into this action!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 9, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

2:30 PM

Wind, Wind, Go Away! Gale Warning is in effect until this evening. Unfortunately this wind kept the surf clam boats from getting out. Not sure when our next delivery of surf clams will come. Until then we have some monster live chowder clams which will get the job done! It looks like we will have windy conditions throughout the week. It is forecasted to be westerly so the beach and near shore boat fishing should be do-able.

Eddy (store staff) headed down the the Mystic Islands area yesterday evening. He spoke with a couple of anglers as he was setting up to fish. They reported some nice sized bluefish on bunker earlier in the day. Eddy said by the time he got down there it was way too windy to do anything, “I could hardly hold bottom. There were a handful of guys fishing. There wasn’t much going on.”

The bayside has been producing night time bass. Some nights are better than others. Blake (store staff) has been lurking around in the late night shadows picking.

April 8, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

From out family to yours, Happy Easter! We wish you a sunny day with family and friends.

The perch fishing has been phenomenal. We received a report yesterday that the local lagoons have been loaded with some good size ones. Anglers have been catching on live grass shrimp (netted off of the pilings) as well as mini grubs with a hint of BioEdge Shrimp Wand. Be prepared to fish with lots of other anglers. The place is packed!

We sold a ton of green crabs this morning. It seems like everyone headed up to the Inlet Rocks to get in on the tog bite. Steve-O says, “Get up there and get your green crab bit!”

Eddy headed down to Mystic Islands last night to soak some clam. He caught a 20-lb drum. Eddy reported that the tide was super high, “over the bank.”

Ryan Fredrickson weighed in 14-lb bass this afternoon. He caught it on clam off of the Harvey Cedars surf around 2 o’clock.

Received: Apr 8, 2012 12:57 PM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Hope everyone’s enjoying this gorgeous holiday weekend! Hard to believe it’s still early April.

With the boat finally back in the water, we took the opportunity to sneak out for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon to see first hand what was going on. We’ve been getting reports for the past few weeks of striper fishing ranging from fair to epic along the beachfront, but between my off season tax work and other personal commitments I haven’t been able to actually see things for myself. Well let me tell you, the reports are accurate. Flocks of gannets over massive schools of bait and bass, so many birds pounding the water that for 3-5 minutes it would look like a waterfall coming off a cliff. And not just once, that scene seemed to reoccur about every 15 minutes or so. Even in the fall I’ve never seen anything like it. Just being out there watching it was worth the trip, and the fat 25 pounder in the box when I came back in was a bonus. To my recollection we’ve never had a striped bass season get started this early around here. I can’t believe these are migrating fish already, so I guess they’re just fish that stayed around all winter due to the warmer than normal ocean temps. But it sure looks like there were a lot more of them than anyone suspected. I can’t wait for next weekend to get out there again.

I’ll be tied up with taxes until April 17th this year, but will be resuming full time charters on April 18th. Hopefully this fishing will last through June again this year, but I’d say it’s time to get some earlier than usual trips booked.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632

April 7, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Registration for the 11th Annual 2012 Simply Bassing Surf Tournament (runs from May 5 to June 24, 2012) will begin soon! Also remember to ask to sign up for the Fisherman’s Headquarters Spring Striper Side-Bet! The two tournaments run concurrently. The Side-Bet (100% Pay Out) is offered by Fisherman’s Headquarters between competing Simply Bassing Anglers! It is Fisherman’s Headquarters goal to raise the level of competition. The Striper Side-Bet is to motivate anglers to fish hard! $10 “Side-Bet” Sign Up Fee [Possible “Cash Pot” Payout: 50 anglers = $ 500] 2012 FHQ Spring Striper Side-Bet Prizes: 1st – 100% “Cash Pot” Pay Out 2nd – $100 FHQ Store Gift Certificate 3rd – $50 FHQ Store Gift Certificate For More Detail About The Fisherman’s HQ 2012 Spring Striper Side Bet Click Here.

8:00 PM

Vallone father and son just got off the water. They hit the bass hard late this afternoon/evening. “Gannets Blowing Up & Bunker Stacked Up!” Robby reported, “We headed out about 3pm and headed up the beach. Fished about 30-40′ of water, jigging bucktails catching one after the other.” Robby also mentioned that the water out front was 47-48 degrees and on the outgoing tide the water in the bay in Barnegat Light was 53-54 dregrees.

7:00 PM

John Parzych stopped into the shop this evening. He reported catching one 30″ bass earlier today off of the mid-island beach on clam.

1:30 PM

Captain Bill Dubois just got the Reel Trouble back in the water and made a fun trip today. They hooked over 25 keeper size stripers up to 25-lbs. Birds & Bass all over!!! Call Capt. Bill at 609.709.0226 for trip availability.

~ Capt. Bill Dubois, “Reel Trouble” , 40′ Custom, Beach Haven, 609.709.0226

1:00 PM

Rob Vallone fished the beach this morning with clam. Rob reported, “Lots of Skates! Yesterday my dad fished outside on the boat. While jigging for bass he hooked, landed and released a 22″ Fluke on a diamond jig.” Word on the street is there was also a fluke caught by an angler off of the beach this morning as well. It looks like they are already making their migration into the inshore waters and eventually back bay. Opening day is less than one month away; Summer Flounder (Fluke) season is May 5th to Sept. 28th with a 5 Fish at 17.5″ bag limit.

~ Fish Head Greg

Received: Apr 7, 2012 8:21 AM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Striper action continues!

The striper action continues to bend rods and we’re filling angler’s limits which is putting smiles on anglers faces aboard the “Reel Fantasea” Fishing Charters. Where are these fish coming from ? Who knows? The only thing I can offer is that the striped bass presents is blowing up any preconceived notions that I have “ever” known!

The five person crew of the Jeff Stauffer Party made up by Dana Dukes, Dave Dukes, Vern Klopp and Wilmer Hoover were out from Lancaster PA. for a striped bass Slamboree with the biggest bass pulling the scale down to 27lbs! Dana got the day going by not only catching the first fish of the day but the biggest of the day and her biggest striper ever at 27lbs on a #2 Tony Maja Chrome spoon! Brother Dave was up next with a putting the next biggest fish of the day at a respectable 21lbs on the ice! From there the rest of the party joined in securing their limit of stripers ranging in size of 10-17lbs until trips end.

The striped bass are here folks and it’s time to FISH! I have a few spots still available for this week for both open and private charters for those who would like to get in on the action! We are mixing it up between jigging and trolling.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

April 6, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

9:00 PM – CTS “Factory Custom” Rods are Here!

Bob Paiva of Langhorn, PA just weighed in a 14.95-lb bass. He caught it just a short while ago off the surf not far from the shop. Got it on CLAM!

A number of customers stopped in the shop this afternoon/evening and report some amazing action off of the mid-island beach. The bass moved in from the deep and pushed right up on the beach!

Jeff Warford and Jodi were out on the water this afternoon. They headed out and pick up bass trolling (bunker spoon) right off the bat. Jeff said, “It was pick for a while and all of a sudden it broke wide open about 5pm! Gannets, Bunker & Bass!” Jeff and Jodi released a boat load of bass up to 20-lbs on jigs.

5:30 PM

The boats had them good again today! We received reports from boaters that stripers were caught both on the jig and on the troll.

Just minutes ago we got word that there was a bite going off on the mid-island beaches.

~ Fish Head Greg

Received: Apr 6, 2012 9:37 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Stripers are here !

Thursday open boat started off slow working the back bay so the up the beach we went looking for some drag screaming, rod bending fun and boy did we find it! Regular Shawn Hawthorne [aka The Mighty Thorne] was joined by newcomers Howard Houghes, Jim Zarazaca and Gino . The Mighty Thorne was first to come tight with a nice bass that proceeded to burn of 20-yds of line before pulling the hook. Again Shawn came tight to another bass and again the hook pulled, checking the hook point and condition revealed nothing was wrong so with that the unbridled teasing began! Gino was next up coming tight on a nice striper ending the battle with that one hitting the ice. Again, Gino came tight with another striper that revealed a bit more shoulders and provided more fight. Gino put another striper in the box making his limit in short order. We continued with a few more hits and misses. While moving location and looking around a mass of gannets circling high above the water was seen. Almost in unison the birds starting Kamikaze dive bombing deep on herring and bunker bait schools that were under attack from 20-lb stripers! From than on it was absolutely nuts with stripers chasing bait all around the boat and the guys doubled, tripled and quadrupled up with fish on! We ended the day with a full limit of stripers to 20-lbs!

The bass are here now folks so don’t delay booking your trip! I do have a few dates left in April and will continue to run open boat specials for those who would like to join other enthusiastic anglers! As always please join us on Face Book to view photos and hopefully like us!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

April 5, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

2:00 PM

What a difference a day will make. Yesterday was hot but today was not. Headed up the beach again and found the bait and birds. We trolled and jigged the best we could. Unfortunately we got the skunk today. It sounded like on the radio a couple boats might have caught some fish. Maybe it will be an afternoon/evening bite? -FishHead.Greg

The local Spring Striper Surf Run will be here soon and we just received some “factory custom” CTS Vapor Trail 11′ Surf Rods! Anyone looking to increase casting distance should take a look at these high performance surf rods from CTS. They will go fast because they’re the go to rod when snagging bunker off of the beach! Anyone who is seriously interested in feeling one out and test casting can set up a hands on demo by calling the shop and setting up an appointment. Please call and ask for Greg. We currently have a surf casting demo day in the works. It will more than likely be towards the end of the month on a Sunday. We’ll keep you posted.

The Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission has re-scheduled hearings on Atlantic Menhaden

The Atlantic coastal states from Maine through Georgia have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled State of New Jersey meeting is…

New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife
April 5, 2012; 7- 10 PM
Ocean County Administration Building
101 Hooper Avenue
Public Hearing Room # 119
Toms River, New Jersey
Contact: Peter Himchak 609.748.2020

Document (PID) for Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden for public comment and review. As the first step in the development of Amendment 2, the PID presents the current status of the fishery and resource, and solicits public input on which major issues and alternatives should be included for consideration and analysis in Draft Amendment 2.

The PID’s primary focus is to initiate discussion on the timing and implementation of achieving the new fishing mortality threshold (F = 1.32) and target (F = 0.62) reference points recently adopted through Addendum V. Since fishing mortality in 2008 (the latest year in the assessment) is estimated at 2.28, overfishing is occurring, however, the stock is not overfished. The goal of the new reference points is to increase abundance, spawning stock biomass, and menhaden availability as a forage species. The PID also seeks public input on a more timely and comprehensive catch reporting system, and scopes potential options to be used in managing Atlantic menhaden commercial bait and reduction fisheries as well as recreational fishery.

Alongside the development of Amendment 2, the peer-reviewed stock assessment will be updated with data through 2011 to provide a more recent estimate of fishing mortality. Results of the assessment update will be used to estimate the harvest reductions needed to achieve the new threshold and target fishing mortality rates. Therefore, preliminary harvest reductions are provided in the PID but will likely change based on the results of the stock assessment update.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the PID by either attending public hearings or providing written comments. Copies of the PID are available on the Commission website (wwww.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. The public comment deadline is 5:00 PM (EST) on April 20, 2012 and should be forwarded to Mike Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at mwaine@asmfc.org (Subject line: Menhaden PID).

Tina Berger, Public Affairs Specialist, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201-2196
(p) 703.842.0740 (f) 703.842.0741 tberger@asmfc.org www.asmfc.org

April 4, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Fresh clams and fresh bunker are in stock.

3:00 PM

This afternoon, Anthony Smith weighed in a pair of tog. The larger one was 7-lbs. He caught them up on the rocks in Barnegat Light on green crab.

1:00 PM

Drew Colehower of Beach Haven weighed in a 10.35-lb bass. He got on clam on the bayside last night.

I switched gear from NC bluefin tuna to local NJ spring time stripers. I’ve been hearing too many great reports from anglers fishing out front in the boats. We gathered some troops (store staffers; Ed and Steve-O with his ANDRUS Jetty Caster HD Bucktail tipped with a HOGY as well as South Philly Fred) and took the boat out this morning. We found bait down deep shortly after breaking Barnegat Inlet but we didn’t have action while jigging. Went on the troll and still no luck. As 10 AM swings around and it broke wide open. The gannets were blowing the water up like machine guns! We all were bailed 10-20-lb stripers. Bucktail, metal, wood, plastic, and rubber. They were going for it all. What a great trip.

~ Fish Head Greg

April 3, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

This afternoon, Forbes Darby and crew from NOAA stopped by the shop to chat. They showed a short presentation and talked about their new recreational data collecting program. From the sound of it they are going to switch from the traditional MRFSS (Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey) to a new and hopefully more accurate MRIP (Marine Recreational Information Program). Now that the NJ Saltwater Registry is in full swing NOAA can acquire data from angler more effectively. From what they said, “We plan to have a mail survey. Email and phone surveys have very poor results. We also what to encourage angler to help provide information with a NJ Angler Survey Info online. More on this to follow.

Today, when Steve-O (store staff) got off work at 1 PM he headed up to the rocks on the North-end of the island. He was fishing live green crab looking for tog. He said that he had one good hit but other than that it was dead.

Austin Pounds of Beach Haven stopped by the shop to pick up some bait this afternoon. He reported, “Yesterday, a 22″ bass on blood worm on the bayside”.

~ Fish Head Greg

April 2, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Date: Apr 2, 2012 12:38 PM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

With few exceptions the back bay fishing this week seemed to spit and sputter and stall but mostly stall. The only saving grace was the top water striper bight showing signs of life with striped bass swirling on our presentations. Those striped bass caught were in the 24-27″ range. I look for this action to heat up any day as there seems to be a nice body of northerly migrating bass and blues just to our South.

I will be running afternoon open and private Thursday 12-5pm [2] spots left and Friday 1-6pm [presently open to private or open boat ] advantage of both warming of the sun and tidal stages. We will be employing both bait and top water tactics on light tackle. The cost is $100.00 pp for a max of 4 anglers. Call or email for those interested.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

April 1, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

I went for a surf late this morning and zip-tied my mini thermometer to my leash. The surf temp up the street from the shop in Ship Bottom was 49.5 degrees. No birds or any signs of bait.

~ Fish Head Greg

March 31, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

5:00 PM

Chris Bender of Manahawkin and and his friend stopped by the shop late in the day yesterday and picked up a bunch of live surf clams and live bloodworms. They headed back over to the mainland and then south to an early season hot spot. Chris called us this morning and said, “We fished all night. As the tide came in the bite turned on and it continued right through the slack and into the outgoing! We caught a dozen bass and a nice sized drum. Will be by the shop to weigh in the drum later this afternoon”. Chris came in and here is a picture of Chris Bender’s 37.4 lbs black drum that he weighed in.

Yesterday we received a call from the captain of the bunker boat (local gill netter). He said that the water temperature hit 50 so he was going on the search for bluefish. It turns out he got covered up in spiny dogfish. He also reported lots of bass and bunker just off of the north end of the Island’s beach. We also spoke to three anglers that fished the Inlet rock yesterday. All three said there was lots of bait and birds present off in the distance but no hookups.

Drew Colehower of Beach Haven has been in the shop almost everyday. He’s been putting in some serious time looking for bass, winter flounder and perch. It’s paying off. Yesterday as well as the day before he got into a great white perch bite in the Beach Haven West lagoons. Drew reported that he’s been hooking up a dozen or more white perch each day. He also said, “Lots of other anglers are catching. Grass shrimp is the bait of choice!”

A couple guys from the shop headed down south last night to do some fishing. They reported that the place was packed even though it was raining but there were fish! Bass, Blues and Drum! Steve-O released an 8-lb bluefish that he caught on bunker. Eddy caught a 24.25-lb black drum on clam. There were a number of bass and drum caught through out the night.

~ Fish Head Greg

March 30, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

6:30 PM

This year’s first batch of LOCAL FRESH BUNKER arrived today. Supply is limited.

Received: Friday, March 30, 2012 6:12 PM Subject: Fishing Report

Two boats that I know of did well on Striped Bass off Island Beach State Park on Bunker Spoons yesterday. Birds were all over the place.

Thursday 03/29/2012 – Our first trip of the 2012 season with Brent was filled with bass, birds and bunker spoons. Got a late start breaking the inlet around 10 AM and dropped in the new Maja chrome spoon on one rod and a chartreuse on the other. Starting getting knockdowns in 50′ off the Bathing beach mostly on the chrome spoon, put 4 in the box all in the 30″ to 36″ range and then played catch and release for an hour before headed in early. Weather and seas were sunny and calm. Ended the day with around 15 fish caught all keeper size and a great way to start the spring season.

~ Sam

Received: Mar 30, 2012 4:17 PM Subject: Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Regulation Changes

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is informing anglers of the recent changes for summer flounder and black sea bass regulations for 2012 fishing season.

The recreational summer flounder regulations for 2012 are as follows:

* minimum size limit of 17.5-inches
* bag limit of 5-fish per person per day
* open season from May 5 through September 28.

The recreational black sea bass regulations for 2012 are:

* minimum size limit of 12.5-inches
* bag limit of 25-fish per person per day
* open season from May 19 through October 14 and November 1 through December 31.

Please note that the black sea bass season regulations will likely change again. Anglers should check the division’s website for future changes . The division will also notify subscribers to the NJ Marine Fishing E-mail List about changes pertaining to these or other marine species – see www.njfishandwildlife.com/lstsub.htm for information on the list and how to subscribe.

The Division would also like to remind all saltwater anglers ages 16 and older to register with the free NJ Saltwater Recreational Registry Program (NJSRRP) annually. The NJSRRP was established in 2011 to exempt NJ anglers from having to register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry and having to pay the $15.00 federal registration fee. In order to register, go to www.saltwaterregistry.nj.gov/ .

The Division of Fish and Wildlife is seeking the assistance of NJ’s saltwater anglers. Since 2009, the Division has conducted an online volunteer angler survey to collect information on recreationally important marine finfish species. Information collected through this voluntary survey will provide data which may support alternative management strategies that increase fishing opportunities for the public. The focus of this voluntary survey is to collect catch and effort information from fishing trips in marine and estuarine waters of the state and surrounding areas. In order to participate, go .

March 28, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

The early season Striped Bass spots are still producing and it looks like the surf has slowly been joining the mix! A local angler stopped in the shop yesterday to re-up his bait supply. He reported catching two bass off of the surf. There has been lots of bird activity, gannets dive bombing on bait. We have also received reports that some bluefish have moved in. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we get a better bay bluefish bite than last year. The flats should turn on soon if they aren’t hot already with bass and blues.

Perch are still in the lagoons, so get in on the fun.

From the reports that we have received, the Winter Flounder fishing has been slow. A customer that fished Myers Hole said it was dead. We look forward to having this bite improve soon. Expect the Barnegat Bay’s waters off of Waretown to produce and eventually areas near the Causeway bridges as well as the ICW along the back side of Ship Bottom, Surf City and Harvey Cedars to turn on. Bloodworms and chum!

~ Fish Head Greg

We know it’s not a fishing report but the following is being posted to help Jeff. Pass it on…
Received: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 12:24 PM Subject: For Sale – Boston Whaler Dauntless

1996 Boston Whaler Dauntless with 60 HP Mercury
— very good condition
— Boat is on trailer and ready to go for Spring fishing
— $12,500
Includes:
Trailer
Fisher heavy canvas winter cover
Console and helm seat cover
Front cushion
Front Cooler seat and cushion
Depth finder
Compass
Contact Jeff at: Email JBarnhart@cmasolutions.com or call 609.297.2222

Received: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 7:11 PM Subject: Sea Bass and Blackfish

Captain Adam Nowalsky from RFA NJ wrote the following on another site. He listened in to the Sea Bass and Blackfish conference call.

~ Jim T., Bridgewater NJ

Capt. Adam Nowalsky from the 35′ “Karen Ann II” wrote:

We learned today that only a 39% reduction from 2011 harvest instead of 53% will be needed. The NJ Marine Fisheries Council will now need to meet to come up with revised regs for 2012. The reason for the lesser reduction stemmed from the discovery in an error in calculation of the current fishing mortality rate on Tautog based on the ASMFC’s most recent stock assessment update. The most recently calculated (2009) fishing mortality rate on Tautog had been thought to be 0.45, but the updated calculations resulted in the much lower value of 0.23. Questions had been raised previously regarding the validity of a coastwide mortality that greatly exceeded what individual states were seeing. Tautog are badly in need of a benchmark stock assessment. We will hopefully see one in the next 3 years. The repercussions of foregoing that process in favor of the recent “turn of the crank update” are now in plain view. We were supposed to be addressing the illegal tog market during this last addendum process, got a 53% reduction, only to find we only needed 39%. Thankfully this error was identified and prompt action was taken on behalf of the coast’s anglers.

We also learned today that the NJ Marine Fisheries Council approved season for black sea bass of May 19 – Oct. 14, Nov. 1 – Dec. 31 with a 25 fish bag limit and 12.5” minimum size will not be approved by the ASMFC. Citing MRFSS data from Wave 6 (November/December) of 2011 has having been significantly underestimated, Commission staff presented the need to significantly reduce coastwide liberalizations for 2012 than what had previously been considered. While NJ will have the opportunity to liberalize from the 2011 168 day fishing season, it will not be the 200+ days for which we had hoped. It will again be up to the NJ Marine Fisheries Council working with state Bureau of Marine Fisheries staff to come up with the best option for NJ anglers. I am confident that consideration will be given to the need to maintain the October open days to give anglers something for which to fish after the closure of the Summer Flounder season. In reviewing the 2011 MRFSS data, which remains classified as “preliminary”, a significant reason for the underestimation of the 2011 Wave 6 harvest came in the reported increase for a single state from 1,300 fish caught in 2010 to in excess of 52,000 fish in 2011. Hard to believe NY caught 1,300 sea bass in 2010 and 52,000 the next year during the same time period. This highlights the problems with MRFSS (it’s only an estimation tool and is a poor tool used on a single year basis) we’ve been saying for years, reinforces the sea bass lawsuit against the use of MRFSS, and the need to continue to lobby for Magnuson reform. We’re now 2 full years behind on its mandate to address MRFSS.

Next Council meeting here in NJ will be in May, that’s when the tog and sea bass 2012 regs should be “finalized” (again).

For everyone that is complaining about “more bad news, more bad news”, for 2012, we will have a fluke and sea bass liberalization. Not as much as we would have hoped for (fluke quota revised lower, sea bass liberalization revised lower), but THEY ARE MORE LIBERAL THAN 2011. Let’s not lose sight of that. And now the tautog reduction will be lesser than thought. Stay involved, keep supporting those of us that are fighting for our fishing opportunities.

March 27, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Mar 27, 2012 8:27 AM Subject: Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

Well it’s that time of year again: Barnegat Bay is coming back to life after one of the mildest winters I can recall. It’s just about time to start fishing again, and I’m hoping you’re all looking forward to this season as much as I am. We’ll be dropping the boat back in the water over this coming weekend, and I should have things ready to go by early next week.

This is going to be an interesting year for our springtime striper fishing. Normally we’re waiting for the first signs that the migrating bass are showing up in our area, but this year they never really left! I’ve also gotten a couple of reliable reports of bunker and herring schools along the beachfront, so you can be sure there are some trophy fish not too far behind. The water’s still a little on the cool side, but everything points to a season that’s several weeks ahead of schedule this year. I’m going to be tied to a desk for the next few weeks, but weather permitting I’m going to try to fish weekends until I can resume my full time charter schedule late in the month.

Plenty of good dates are still available for the spring, but they tend to go pretty quickly once the catching starts. So it’s time to book now if you’re considering getting out this year.

Until next week.

~ Capt. Jack Shea, “Rambunctious”, Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters 609.698.3632

March 26, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Mar 26, 2012 8:54 PM Subject: Carolyn Ann III + Sea Bass Conference Call

The Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light, NJ will resume their sailing schedule on Friday, April 6. They will fish Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm (Not Easter Sunday) during the month of April for Blackfish and Cod.

Below is the information on the Black Sea Bass conference call on Wednesday, March 28. This will be the final regulations for 2012.

~ Jim T., Bridgewater, NJ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MARCH 23, 2012
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER, 703.842.0740

ASMFC Black Sea Bass Board to Set 2012 Recreational Measures
Conference Call Scheduled for March 28, 2012

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board will meet to review the latest black sea bass recreational data and approve state proposals for the 2012 recreational fishery. The conference call will be held on March 28 and will immediately follow the end of the Tautog Management Board conference call, which is scheduled to begin at 10 AM and last for 30 – 45 minutes. Interested parties should anticipate joining the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board call at 10:30 AM. Please be mindful that the Tautog Board may still be conducting its business, therefore, please mute your phones until the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board call begins.

To join the conference call, dial 888.394.8197 and enter the Passcode 499811. A draft agenda and meeting materials will be posted to the Commission website at www.asmfc.org/meetings.htm on Monday, March 26.

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator for Management, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

March 25, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Mar 25, 2012 6:30 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

The weather this week was about as good as it gets for late April, given the fact that we are still in the month of March it made the condition that much sweeter ! Light winds and warm upper 70+ degree temperatures were present for most of the week .Unfortunately other than 2 quick boat rides to keep from going crazy I wasn’t able to mount any real fishing effort due to prior family commitments this week.

On the upside things are starting to develop rather quickly with my first sighting of a few laughing gulls and the first few schools of bunker showing up along the beaches [Gee, big stripers like bunker]. If that was not enough, a rock solid source informed me that a few weakfish were “riding shotgun” along with these schools of bunker. Surely this season is on the brink of “Going Off” earlier than anyone could have expected.

Historically we have scored well with stripers starting in the first week of April and with our 56 stripers scored in March, things should continue to improve as resident fish are joined by newly arriving migrating fish!

I have updated my website contact email information as it has come to my attention that some, if not all emails have been lost. I apologize for not being more in tune on this matter but look forward to better days ahead.

I have this Thursday AM and PM available for those who would like to jump aboard for either an open boat or private charter. We will be targeting stripers and winter flounder and any “early arrivals” on a variety of techniques employing light spinning tackle.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217 captsteve@reelfantaseafishing.com

March 24, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Fish Head Greg reporting from the Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX). The John Hyland Charter was on the “Pez Machine” today and we had great action on the jig right from the start. First drop, HOOKED UP! By 10:30 the guys were tired from battling bluefin. We went on the troll to give them a break. Picked up our first wahoo of the season and released a beastly bluefin pushing 500 pounds! That bluefin blew up like a bomb on a ballyhoo out the back. Thank godness it was on a 130-lb class outfit. We brought back to the dock a 69″ bluefin (the first fish of the day which was caught on a jig) and a limit of tilefish.

~ Capt. Stew Hitchner with a helping hand from “Substitute Mate” Fish Head Greg aboard the Pez Machine Sportfishing 609-287-5136

March 23, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Opening Day of Winter Flounder… Vince and his friend had over 8 fish and each had a keeper. One fish at 1.5-lbs and the other at 1.8-lbs.

Employee Steve says he had one short Winter Flounder near the Causeway Bridge and heard of Winter Flounder & Stripers around Meyers Hole which is a spot near the Barnegat Lighthouse.

Employee Blake had Bass out of Oyster Creek and knows of Bass, North of LBI in the Island Beach State Park area. Short Stripers are also being caught on Southern LBI in the back bays of Holgate.

Perch in the back lagoons of Beach Haven West are being caught on basic hook & bobber rigs with Grass Shrimp and/or Blood Worms. I (Josh) caught on small Rapala lipped swimmers and white haired spinner baits with a quick rub of Bio-Edge Shrimp.

Fish Head Greg is making a quick trip to the Chesapeake Bay to check out the Striper action there and then heading further South for return bouts to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX) for more tuna action aboard the “Pez Machine” with Capt Stu Hitchner. Pez Machine Sportfishing 56′ Core Sound, Capt. Stew Hitchner 609-287-5136

~ Report by Fish Head Josh

March 21, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

We received word that there are small bass biting on the Delaware River. Young Michael Donaghy landed his first striped bass of the season. He caught it on live bloodworm.

Store staffer Josh and friends have been getting into the perch in the local lagoons. Josh said the hot action has been on mini grubs with a hint of BioEdge Shrimp Wand. Also try out one of our new offerings: canned mini shrimp just like grass shrimp, better than frozen, almost as good as live.

~ Fish Head Greg

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_________________________
WALK ON
WASHINGTON

4 busses departing from NJ. Free Bus Transportation Provided by SSFFF.
Sign up at the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund Website.

Keep Fishermen Fishing! – U.S. Coastal Fishermen to Rally in Washington, D.C. – March 21, 2012!

Saltwater Anglers, Charter & Party Boat Captains, Marine Business Owners, Commercial Fishermen and Related Industry Workers Let Your Voice Be Heard!

More details will be up on these web sites www.fishunited.com/ and www.keepfishermenfishing.com/ as they become available!!!! Keep checking back often!

Supported by:
Keep Fishermen Fishing 2012 organizers thus far include the Recreational Fishing Alliance, Southeastern Fisheries Association, Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Association, Viking Village, Long Island Commercial Fishermen’s Association, Hull Seafood, Westport Charterboat Association, United Boatmen, Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association, Garden State Seafood Association, National Association of Charterboat Operators, New York Fishing Tackle Trades Association, Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund, Monkfish Defense Fund, Lund’s Seafood, Atlantic Capes Seafood, Panama City Boatmen’s Association, and North Carolina Watermen United

“Keep Fishermen Fishing” Organizers Unite to Fix Federal Fisheries Law In another historic show of solidarity, U.S. recreational and commercial fishermen will gather beside the U.S. Capitol on March 21, 2012 in an organized demonstration supporting the amendment of the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson Act). Signed into law in 1976, in recent years the Act has been transformed from its original intent, to conserve our nation’s fish and support our nation’s fishermen, into a weapon employed by a handful of megafoundations and the anti-fishing ENGOs they support to drive fishermen off the water.

A rally on February 24, 2010, under a United We Fish™ banner, brought some 5,000 recreational, commercial and party/charter vessel owners and folks in associated businesses from all over the country to Washington. More than two dozen members of the Senate and the House of Representatives took time out from their busy schedules to address the crowd.

The March 21 rally is being billed as Keep Fishermen Fishing, and once again will unite the commercial, and recreational sectors under one common message: fair access to the seas.

The initial Washington rally was a monumental success that helped put the plight of America’s coastal fisherman and those in related businesses in the public eye. However, a continuous stream of regulatory requirements are leading to unnecessary and unacceptable restrictions in demonstrably sustainable fisheries.

As a consequence, the American public is being denied access to the food and fun of this tremendous natural resource. Most U.S. fisheries are in better shape biologically than they’ve been for a generation or more. In fact, last year NOAA Fisheries scientists announced that 84% of U.S. fish stocks studied for fishing activity were not experiencing overfishing as of 2010. However, despite the heavy sacrifices on the part of coastal fishermen, the same federal agency in charge of managing the resource has been using a broken law to mete out broken promises upon these constituents to ratchet down regulations as fisheries continue to rebuild.

In December 2011, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing in which several pieces of legislation to reform Magnuson were heard and debated, providing ample evidence that coastal communities are suffering from the weight of over burdensome regulation due to the rigid statutory definitions written into the federal fisheries law.

As was the case in 2010, we are anticipating foundation-funded ENGO lobbying disguised as a grass-roots fishermen’s effort aimed at marginalizing our Keep Fishermen Fishing rally. The message that they will be relaying to Congress is that truly conservation-minded recreational, commercial and party/charter fishermen fully support the Magnuson Act as it is today and oppose any efforts to amendment it. The truly conservationminded fishermen won’t be those walking the halls of Congress trying to sell their anti-fishing message because of foundation/ENGO funding, they’ll be the people who are there on their own dime and who are committed to returning to a federal fisheries management system that recognizes that they and the fishing communities they support are as important as the fish are.

Final details of the 2012 Keep Fishermen Fishing rally are being put in place, including transportation from coastal communities across the country.

For information on how you can get involved in the national rally to help Keep Fishermen Fishing, call 888-564-6732. For more information on the rally as it becomes available, including bus sign-up information and details visit www.keepfishermenfishing.com .

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March 20, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Mar 20, 2012 12:26 PM Subject: Holgate Cleanup

A group of us from the store [Ed (store staffer), Sam (store alumni), Mike, Jeff and Micky (friends)] got together and booked Captain Stew on the “Pez Machine” again. We headed down Sunday and fished Monday. We woke up to pea soup fog but still pushed off the dock on time. Capt Stew navigated the ICW out to the Inlet like a local pro.

We got out to the grounds where Stew hammered them the day before but Monday was a different day. We jigged on marks and cast on some boils under birds. I snagged a porpoise by accident and went for a ride. Broke it off after a couple minutes to eliminate wasting time in search of tuna. We went on the troll and picked up a couple yellowfin, mahi and a skippy. Jigged and casted a lot more but no bites. Captain Stew did his best but it just wasn’t the day. He stayed out extra long for us and also hit a tilefish hot spot on the way in. We limited out, drop and reel tilefishing in a bout a half hour.

Even though we didn’t lock up with bluefin, we all had great trip! Anyone looking to fish contact Stew to get in on the action. Today the bite is on again. Should have stayed.

~ Fish Head Greg

Two monster trash bins were overflowing Saturday, March 17, after New Jersey Beach Buggy Association members and volunteers scoured the Holgate section of the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge before it is closed to all entry April 1. Timbers and planks of all sizes, dock sections — even boat remains — were hauled back by NJBBA members and their vehicles during the four-hour cleanup.

Volunteer Amy Emmanuel of Wayne, Pa., added to the collection with a duck decoy head, SCUBA tank and bag of plastics plucked from the beach.

~ Terry Brady, NJBBA

March 18, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Mar 18, 2012 7:33 PM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Report

The weather and fishing didn’t meet my expectations as both suffered from the reality of cold, foggy, and breezy conditions. By Thursday the sunny mid sixty degree forecast turned to a bone chilling damp fog created by a cold easterly onshore wind. Anglers aboard still managed to pick away at a few fish before trips. The fish activity was way down when compared to previous previous weeks. Anglers continued to elicit hits through out the trip but the stripers seemed to be lethargically short biting everything we threw at them.

The Luke Tarvin Party started the week in breezy 47 degree fog, managing only 1 small striper while missing a few hits before ending the day. We dreamed of a long hot shower and hot bowl of soup to regain body core temperature.

Next up was Herman Diaz joined by newcomers, son Mike and Nick Huminski to again face the same damp conditions to score only 2 small bass and winter flounder. The guys again found reluctant short strikes from both stripers and winter flounder.

New comers, Jim and Nolan Walls from Connecticut found similar action and condition to prior days. Releasing only a few winter flounder before ending their morning outing. Again experiencing hits but unable to come tight with many of the strikes.

Looking forward to and hoping for better weather and action this week!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,
~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

Saltwater Registry Page Unavailable Sunday, March 18

The NJDEP is advising saltwater anglers that due to critical maintenance operations the Saltwater Registry Program website will be unavailable from 12:00 AM – 9:00 PM on Sunday, March 18. During this time period, anglers will not be able to register or access an existing registration. For information about the program, or to register now, visit www.nj.gov/dep/saltwaterregistry/ on the DEP website.

March 16, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Striper fishing is heating up down at Graveling Point. Most are shorts but it should continue to improve as time goes on especially with the consistent unseasonably warm temps. Bloodworms are the ticket and extra distance it the key. There is also action still at the other early “warm water” hot spot on both artificial lures and bait.

Reminder: Holgate Beach Clean Up is tomorrow March 17th! Message from NJBBA…Help Holgate…
The Forsythe Refuge has reached out for fishermen’s’ help and NJBBA is rising to the cause. While we fisherman have clashed with the refuge over access in the past it’s in our best interest to put forth a good effort now. The refuge has asked that a beach cleanup be done prior to the April 1 closing. And NJBBA is organizing the effort and is seeking volunteers to assist. The more help the better. The March 17th start time is 8 AM. Meeting place is the parking lot just before entering the beach. More details and contact info available on the NJBBA web site www.njbba.org/ . Club leaders please forward onto to membership. And for those on the island please try to drum up as much local help as possible.
Thank you, NJBBA

Beach Closures…
Holgate a complete beach closure starts April 1st with a closure to all access be it 4×4 or walk-on.
Long Beach Township and Beach Haven beaches close to 4×4 access on May 15th
Ship Bottom beach closes to 4×4 access on May 27th
Harvey Cedars beach closes to 4×4 access on May 31st

March 15, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

More reporting on my trip aboard the “Pez Machine” at the Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX)…. We get out to the same area we left ’em the day before and hooked up within seconds on the first drop of the day. Once again the Accurate 600 wide matched up with a Spinal 500 gram jigging rod was the one that stood up to the test. After a long battle a 70″ bluefin tuna was landed. While moved 12 miles during the fight but once we got back to the original hookup point it was game on again. I whooped this one in a quick 20-minutes solo using a new prototype Spinal spinning rod and a Stella 20,000. It was a good fish that hit much shallower in the water column. Released along side of the boat, the fish was in the low 80″ range, about 300lb.

Once again, Capt. Stew put us back in the action and this time the fish were even bigger. First, two jigs came tight but each broke. Then seconds later two more fish came tight and it was FISH ON! To make a long story short we released a very lively, 400+ pound bluefin.

For the Long Story: Hooked two big fish down deep jigging about 250-300’+ down… locked up both reels at full and smoked one reel’s drag and it was completely spooled within seconds. The other reel was hammered at full (Shimano Torsa 30) with about 35lbs of drag. Couldn’t stop this fish either and saw the spool’s nipple pin (basically spooled) minutes after the other reel was spooled. Drag was super high by this point and with the help of a gloved hand and thumb as well as lots of cold bottles of water I managed to turn of the fishes head into the current and gain lots of line back. About an hour later it was a game of inches, a vertical tug of war. That went on for too long. About another hour later the rod snapped right above one of the guides after the spool was thumbed but the game wasn’t over. Captain Stew made the decision to make some quick moves because we were at a serious disadvantage and wasting time late in the day. He opted to “jerry rig” the line from the broken rod and reel to a 130 class outfit. It wasn’t easy but we managed: with gloved hands we wrapped the braid around a metal outrodder a number of times then cut the braid 20′ back and tied it via a quick uni-knot to a swivel that was crimped onto a 130 bent butt. Amazingly it worked and now we were tight again but with the serious tackle we needed. A short fight later it was up on the side of the boat. Crazy as it sounds we never saw color. The fish never turn on it’s side and it came up with lots of life still in it. Rather than kill it the crew decided to release the fish because we already had plenty of fish in the boat from the first fish of the day. Plus the fish didn’t want to give up so we released it with a tip of the hat watching it swim away. That fish was every bit of 400+ pound beast. Beautiful sight to see.

To conclude the report, we went 3 for 10 jigging bluefin and 1 for 1 on troll with a yellowfin.

To view some of the action on the “Pez Machine” using the Accurate 600 and Spinal 500 gram jigging rod please click… www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PiehDJ30fE&sns=em

Thanks Captain Stew! The “Pez Machine” is a great boat with a great crew! Always a great time! If anyone is looking to fish, Stew has some open dates early next week (Monday and Tuesday). Contact Captain Stew Hitchner to book your trip: Pez Machine Sportfishing 609-287-5136

March 14, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Mar 14, 2012 7:09 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

The accumulating warm weather has continue to heat the bays already above normal temperature, this should only help the action. 3 of 4 trips have scored double digit catches of schoolie stripers with a season total of 53 in 4 trips. Stripers, Winter flounder [catch and release], bluefish and speckled trout have spiced the catch to keep things interesting and fun on light spinning tackle!

One (1) spot remains open for this Thursday 15th 3-7pm. Two (2) spots open for Friday 16th 3-7 PM. $75.00pp including all bait and tackle and rods are included. You step on to enjoy your afternoon and step off as the sun settles. No extra charge for enjoying the beauty of the sunset over Barnegat Bay. Meet new friends and join the fun!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,
~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

March 12, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Heading out for another day offshore fishing the Stream off the Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX). Both yesterday and the day before (Sunday) were phenomenal.

Sunday we limited out on Yellowfin tuna (20-lbers) on topwater and troll. Monday we found some Bluefin early on the jig and whooped a 63″ Bluefin and released one about the same size. Also had one hooked up for a while but the hook pulled loose. One Yellowfin on the troll as well.

Had a blast with friends and always great service with Capt. Stew on the Pez Machine. Anyone looking to get in on the OBX Tuna action call Capt. Stew of the “Pez Machine” at 609-287-5136.

~ Fish Head Greg

March 12, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Mar 12, 2012 8:29 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters report

Saturday into Sunday morning temps dipped into the teens and greeted new comer’s Derek Kadlubowski, Anthony Chinini and Mike King with a frigid start to the day. These frigid temps appeared to impact the action as we were only able to score a total of six stripers but not before we found all anglers [including myself] tight with schoolies, scoring this year’s first “quadruple hook up”. After that we continued to work hard to catch and relase an additional 2 stripers.

The extended forecast is for warm temperatures and hot fishing! I have Thursday 3-7 PM available for either open or private charter and 2 spots available for Friday afternoon’s open boat for those who have been waiting for both warmer temps. Come join the fun!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,
~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

March 11, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Headed down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX) to fish with Captain Stew Hitchner on the 56′ “Pez Machine” out of Oregon Inlet. We limited out on yellowfin tuna. A lot of life out there but no bluefin for us. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. Stew put the boat over serious marks just about the whole day but no bites. The whole boat jigged and casted lures hard. Word on the dock is that there were a couple bluefin boated but not many.

Stew will be fishing the rest of the month. Anyone looking to get in on the OBX Tuna action call Capt. Stew of the “Pez Machine” at 609-287-5136.

~ Fish Head Greg

Received: Mar 11, 2012 2:58 PM Subject: Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association – Jim Hutchinson Sr.

This is not an actual fishing report from the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association, but more of a current status report. I thought you might find it interesting and useful. My actual reports will start in another month.

With a mild winter behind them, and spring like conditions already here, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been working and planning for the 2012 fishing season.

Two more captains have joined the ranks of the BHCFA to bring the total number of boats in the fleet to 14. TJ Schwarzwalder, who captains the “Legal Limits”, and Jimmy Zavacky of “Reel Determined” are both experienced skilled captains.

Captain Bob Gerkens reports he will be bringing his boat “Hot Tuna” back to Beach Haven very shortly from Morehead City, NC, where it spent the winter. He reports that he was able to get in on the January run of Bluefin tuna.

Captain Fran Verdi reports he is pleased with the new summer flounder regulations and feels the arrangement of the seasons will provide fishing options for most of the year. He has “The Drop Off” close to splash time and after hearing of a few stripers already being caught, he is anxious to get in on the action. Captain Fran is already planning for the upcoming fishing tournaments and is accepting charters for these competitions.

Captain George Finck of the boat “Spare Time” is looking forward to an early striped bass season and is already anticipating the opening of black sea bass season on May 19 for some good reef and wreck action.

The party boat “Miss Beach Haven” is planning to start running trips in April with tentative fishing dates of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Captain Frank Camarda says he will be posting his sailing schedule in a week or so. Meanwhile he is spending his time sprucing the boat up for the season.

Captain John Lewis of the “Insatiable” reports he is wrapping up the winter with some wahoo fishing in Puerto Rico. He plans to be sailing out of the Beach Haven yacht Club this season and is looking forward to an early start for striped bass, Bluefin tuna, and mako fishing.

Captain John Koegler says he has been energized by the spring-like weather to get the “Pop’s Pride” in tip-top shape for the season. From engine work to new windows to some new electronics he has the boat looking and functioning like new.

Captain Dave Wittenborn has also taken advantage of the nice weather to do some cosmetic work to the “Compass Rose”. Along with a full work up on the engines and adjustment to the fish finder, Captain Dave is ready for some early striped bass fishing this spring. He opines the fish seem to be a bit fatter in the spring than the fall.

Captain Carl Sheppard reports he plans to have the “Star Fish” in service in early April for stripers and anything else that bites then. He has the boat ready and will be getting its annual safety inspection by the Coast Guard on March 23.

Captain Lindsay Fuller has the “June Bug” at its winter home in Wanchese, NC, getting her annual winter maintenance completed. He reports the fishing off the Outer Banks at Oregon Inlet has been nothing short of fantastic this winter with a wide variety of fish from a few big stripers to billfish, and various types of tuna. Captain Lindsay plans to run some parties there to take advantage of this hot fishing until May when he brings the “June Bug” to Beach Haven for the season.

(If you contact any of these fine captains for a charter, please mention that you read their report on the Fisherman’s Headquarters Fishing Report. Thank you)

“Compass Rose”, Up to 6 Passengers, 29′ Regulator, Capt. Dave Wittenborn, (609) 492-5271 or (609) 577-2797, CaptainDave@CaptainDavesCharters.com
“Hot Tuna”, Up to 6 Passengers, 38′ Blackfin, Capt. Bob Gerkens, (609) 384-0877, HotTunaBoat@yahoo.com
“Insatiable”, Up to 6 Passengers, 38′ Ocean Yacht, Capt. John Lewis, (609) 670-5980, captjohn22@comcast.net
“June Bug”, Up to 6 Passengers, 41′ Ricky Scarborough Express Sportfisherman, Capt. Lindsay Fuller, (609) 685-2839, CaptLindsay@Fish-JuneBug.com
“Karen Ann II”, Up to 6 Passengers, 35′ Down East Sportfisherman, Capt. Adam Nowalsky, (609) 618-0366 (day), (609) 652-1633 (even), captadam@karenannii.com
“Legal Limits”, Up to 6 Passengers, 35′ Duffy Down East, Capt. TJ Schwarzwalder, (609) 405-4591, legallimitcapttj@aol.com
“Miss Beach Haven”, 1 to 90 Passenger, 80′ Custom, Capt. Frank Camarda, phone: (609) 978-9951, MissBeachHaven@aol.com
“Pop’s Pride”, Up to 6 Passengers, 38′ Convertible, Capt. John Koegler (609) 290-3349
“Reel Determined”, Capt. Jimmy Zavacky, (609) 915.2498
“Spare Time”, Up to 6 Passengers, 38′ Henriques Sportfisherman, Capt. George Finck, (609) 494-5967, (609) 618-3877, Finck104@comcast.net
“Star Fish”, 2 to 20 Passenger, Capt. Carl Sheppard, (609) 661-3080, (609) 492-2591, cfsheppard@aol.com
“Sweet Baby”, Up to 6 Passengers, 29′ Luhrs Tournament, Capt. Dave Kreines, (205) 860-1576, (215) 813-8050, dkreines@usa.net
“The Drop Off”, Up to 4 Passenger, 25′ Hydra Sport, Capt. Fran Verdi, (609) 868-8970, fpvmdv@comcast.net
“William Knorr”, Up to 6 Passenger, 34′ Downeast Style, Capt. Tim Knoor, (908) 963-1190, tim@twknorr.com

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association (BHCFA) vessels can be found at www.fishbeachhaven.com/our-boats .

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

March 9, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

The surf hasn’t started up but we hope to see the fishery kick off early due to the unseasonable warm winter. Today we had a customer report that he has some recent action off of the beach. He caught a pair of small bass on live bloodworm worms.
~ Fish Head Greg

Received: Mar 9, 2012 4:14 PM Subject: Fwd: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – stripers, bluefish, speckled trout? Oh my!

Another solid week of playing catch and release with scrappy stripers for anglers aboard the “Reel Fantasea” this week! Parties continued to find themselves doubled and tripled up at times up with not only catch and release size stripers and bait stealing winter flounder but as unbelievably as it may sound, anglers encountered the first bluefish and even a wayward speckled sea trout!

The week started off with an Open boat trip which found Jay Simmons, Kevin Rust, and first timers Jason O’Cone, Tory Wright and Tom Borkowski employing light tackle tactics to score 20 catch and release stripers and our seasons first bluefish [Um, it is still March right?].

Friday’s trip found regulars Joe Franke and Jay Simmons teamed up to score 14 striped bass and a speckled sea trout! That’s right , not a weakfish but a speckled trout before ending their morning session.

That brings our 2012 season total to 46 stripers in just 3 trips! I have a few spots available for this Sunday’s open boat trip, the cost is $75.00 per person and the use of rod/reel, bait and tackle are included. I will also be sailing open boat or private trips next Thursday and Friday afternoons from 2-6 Pm for those who would like to join the fun. Remember to keep in mind these are small but scrappy stripers on light tackle to maximize the fun! As always please join us on Face Book to view additional photos and hopefully “like us”.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,
~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

March 6, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Monday South Philly Fred and Fishing Phanatic Frank stopped by the shop on their way to an early season hot spot. The duo reported back that they got their line tight with some small stripers. Both Frank and Fred mentioned that lead-head jigs tipped with a slender plastic did the trick. The Whip-It Eel (new and in stock), Sluggo/Fin-S and Skinny Hogy are the plastics of choice.

We have heard through the grapevine from a customer that the perch fishing in the local lagoons is slow but there are some anglers picking a couple fish.

Earlier today we received our third delivery of Live Blood Worms for the 2012 Season. They have consistently been great size “juicy bassing blood worms” that we have had a reputation for offering. These aren’t the mini squirts. We also have Live Chowder Clams as well as Salted Pints of Surf Clams and all of the frozen goodies.

It is forecasted to be nice the next couple of days. A little windy on Thursday and then possible showers on Friday. Get out and wet a line while the beautiful weather is here.

March 5, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Date: Mar 5, 2012 7:33 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – 1 spot available for Thursday 2 PM – 6 PM back bay striper

Cabin fever ?

The cure -Thursday’s forecast is for temperatures near 70 degrees, I have 1 spot left for a total of 4 anglers on an open boat back bay striper trip 2 PM – 6 PM the cost is $75.00 all bait and tackle is included . Keep in mind these bass range in the smaller 12-24″ size but larger are always possible. A blast on our brand new light tackle Penn Battle reels and Penn Legion rods. Like Penn Reels says, “Let the Battle Begin”

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas…

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

March 3, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Mar 3, 2012 7:53 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – 1st trip a success!

Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters is back at it and catching stripers! Within hours of launching the Reel Fantasea for the season, anglers on board were already enjoying light tackle action from striped bass and even a good showing of catch and release until March 23rd when the season open for winter flounder as well. Although the stripers were all schoolie size we had a blast from start to finish employing light tackle tactics.

The first trip of the year stared seasoned veterans Jay Simmons, Ernie Rosenberg and Shawn [ he “Thorn “] Hawthorn and myself looking to rid ourselves of a severe case of cabin fever and get back out on the brine. I was first to come tight to a striper but quickly ended after a quick run as the hook pulled soon afterwards. Shawn was up next officially catching and releasing the first striped bass of the 2012 season. Ernie was not to out done landed the next 2 in a row. “Bass Master” Jay was up next to land yet another schoolie . The next fish I came tight with had some brawn as it made a surprisingly long couple of runs before it had opened the hook gap releasing itself before any of us saw it. The action continued throughout the afternoon with both schoolie stripers and a surprisingly robust winter flounder bite until we headed for the barn but not before landing and releasing a total of 12 stripers and missing about the same!

With the Reel Fantasea already catching and releasing striped bass and winter flounder it looks like we are off to a great start for the 2012 fishing season ! Remember we will be offering both open boat and private charters “March Madness” special pricing throughout the month for both striper and or winter flounder combo trips. Call or email to reserve your date today!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas…

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

February 23, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Feb 23, 2012 6:49 AM Subject: February 22nd Fishing Report

Wednesday, I only had to work a half day, so I decided to take advantage of the 60 degree weather and take a ride down to Deal to give afternoon striper fishing a try. Let me start off by saying that conditions were far from ideal. I arrived around 4:30 PM and the wind was from the South at 15-20 knots and the water was brown. The stripers however did not care. About 300 yards off the beach there was a 1/4 square mile HUGE MASS of birds working. My best guess was the stripers were feeding on sandeels. I joined about 15 other guys on the L-Jetty, where the strong south wind gave us great distance on our casting. In the 90 minutes I fished, I caught 5 Striped Bass between 12 and 22 inches. I saw about 25 other fish caught as well. Everything from metal to plugs to soft plastic worked. I used a medium sized yellow bomber that worked very well. For those of you bored out of your mind, get out there and fish! The guys I talked to basically said that the stripers are biting every afternoon between 4-6 PM… while other times of the day are slow. I decided to fish Deal due to previous fishing reports I read, but local fishing spots from Lavallette to Long Beach Island (LBI) are probably holding fish! 2012 will go down as the “Year without Winter” where the Striped Bass NEVER left our local waters!

~ Jason

February 19, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Feb 19, 2012 10:13 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – March Madness

Now this has been my kind of winter! Little to no snow and temperatures that have reassembled late Fall or early Spring with very few exceptions all winter long have kept ocean temps in a very palatable range for stripers. Unbelievably there continues to be reports of striped bass bites off of the North-Jersey beaches all through this winter.

I enjoyed all the great opportunities to talk fishing with all my old and new friends at the various seminars, boat shows and flea markets. Now it is time to get down to business and with much of the “Off season to do list” completed, I look forward to pointing the bow of the “Reel Fantasea” toward the opening of the 2012 back bay striper season. March 1st the bays will reopen for striper fishing and it seems very likely to be one of the best season openers with striped bass who have likely wintered in our area. These early season fish usually range from 14″ – 32″ and can be a great cure for those suffering from cabin fever. Remember that these early season runs are not “meat runs” but a chance to fill your senses with the sights, sounds and smells of the “brine” and leave to winter blues behind. This is all light spinning tackle fishing to maximize the sport and fun of these gamesters.

Anglers who desire to book a private charter or jump on an open boat for these reduced rate early season “March Madness Pricing” trips should call soon. I have upgraded all of our tackle this year to the new Penn Battle spinning reels and Penn Legion rods for what should be an even more smooth and pleasurable fight with all species of fish. My calender continues to fill up. There are still some awesome top water striper action dates in March and April are still available. I also have a few dates remaining in the months of May and June for the trophy striper run. Don’t delay, please book soon! Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas.

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

February 17, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Tomorrow, see you at the Southern Regional Fishing Club Fishing Flea Market with great deals on tackle
Saturday, February 18, 2012 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
$4 Donation at the door to benefit the Southern Regional Fishing Club
Location: Southern Regional Middle School Cedar Bridge Rd, Manahawkin NJ
GSP to exit 63, Rt. 72 East to Rt. 9 N. approx 1 mile to Cedar Bridge Rd. left onto Cedar Bridge Rd. Middle School on left.

February 5, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Mike Grimes and George Moore stopped by the shop this afternoon after they plugged the beach mid-island. They mentioned that there were some birds picking but no Stripers were found under them. Mike said that it seems like they are beginning to set up for the Brant Beach Beach Replenishment so soon access may be restricted in those areas.

Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday!

~ Fish Head Greg

Received: Feb 5, 2012 8:54 AM Subject: Super Bowl Weekend Fishing Report

Lets start this report by wishing our New York Giants good luck today with hopes of them bringing home a 4th NFL championship!

February is typically a slow month in the state of New Jersey for fishing and I like to call it the “dead of winter!” Luckily there are still two decent fisheries currently going on for us. Yesterday morning (Saturday) I decided to give the jetties of Deal and Asbury Park I try since I still heard reports of striped bass being caught on plugs and soft plastics. I fished from 6:30 am to 9:30 am. The bad news is that myself along with 6 other surf fisherman I saw didn’t get a bite. The good news is that I spoke with some of guys fishing and they told me that fish are STILL being caught. The last fish one of them caught was last Wednesday (Feb 1st) and it was an 18-lb bass with multiple shorts on plugs. Needless to say the fishing is TOTALLY hit or miss. There is no exact pattern but what I found is late afternoon/dusk is the best time, high tide is the best tide, and white is the best color for the artificial lures being used.

On the party boat scene right now we are having a very strong inshore winter fishery for mackerel and ling with small numbers of cod, hake, and blackfish mixed in. The last reports I read is that the mackerel are within 10-12 miles to shore and the party boats targeting them are doing great! The same holds true for the ling. Multiple party boats are fishing different areas of the Mud Hole (10-15 miles from North Jersey’s shore generally) and fisherman are scoring catches of 20-60 per trip. If you decide to try any of these fisheries, checking the weather is the single most important factor. Pick a day when seas are calm, winds are predicted at 5-10 knots, and temps are mild… otherwise you may be miserable out there!

That’s it for now, I hope I helped out of couple of you who may be experiencing any winter doldrums!

~ Jason W.

January 17, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jan 17, 2012 6:02 PM Subject: Saltwater Anglers: Register Now With Saltwater Recreational Registry Program

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife reminds all saltwater anglers they must register with the New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program (NJSRRP) prior to fishing in 2012. Anglers who registered in 2011 are reminded that registrations expire at the end of each calendar year and must be renewed annually.

The NJSRRP was established in 2011 to exempt New Jersey anglers from both having to register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry and having to pay the $15.00 federal registration fee imposed in 2011.

Anglers with a valid license/registration from another exempted state, or a New Jersey freshwater license, are still required to register (for free) with the NJSRRP.

Individual saltwater anglers ages 16 and older MUST register if ANY of the following criteria are met:
– Recreationally fish with a hand line or rod and line, spearfish or fish by hand in the marine and fresh tidal waters of the State of New Jersey
– Recreationally fish in marine waters outside the State of New Jersey but land the catch in New Jersey

Individual saltwater anglers are EXEMPT from registering if either of the following applies:
– Under the age of 16
– Solely fish on for-hire (party and charter) vessels that are registered with the New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program

For-hire vessel owners/operators MUST register if they:
– Carry individuals who engage in recreational fishing in the marine and fresh tidal waters of the State of New Jersey
OR
– Carry individuals who engage in recreational fishing in the marine waters outside the State of New Jersey but land their catch in New Jersey

The only means to register is online at www.saltwaterregistry.nj.gov. To renew a 2011 registration select “RENEW ANY REGISTRATION”. Anglers or for-hire vessel owners/operators who have not registered with the NJSRRP previously should select “NEW INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATION” or “NEW FOR-HIRE REGISTRATION” respectively.

January 16, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jan 16, 2012 12:28 PM Subject: MLK Day Fishing Report

Even thou it was 13 degrees this morning I decided to give surf fishing a chance. I fished the jetties by Deal beach from 6:30am – 8:30am with a white bomber teaser combo. Didn’t get a bite. I then went by belmar inlet and fished with plugs, clam strips and gulp bloodworms and didn’t get a bite. I didn’t see much bird action.

On the way home I stopped by Asbury Park and spoke to a couple guys fishing. Their last action was four or five nights ago. They had 13 bass, including 3 keepers on plugs an Avas. They told me the action was mainly at night and with the high tide.

~ Jason

January 13, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jan 13, 2012 11:32 AM Subject: 2011 Dream Boat

On Saturday at 1:00PM at the New York Boat show they had the drawing for The Fisherman magazine “Dream Boat Fishing Challenge Contest”. Paul Galasso was the grand prizewinner with a Bluefish.The fished weighted exactly 18 pounds. There were two other Bluefish at exactly 18 pounds, but Paul’s was the second weighted in so he was in second place in the Bluefish division. Paul was out hunting when notified of his winning the Grand Prize. Last year the first and second prize went to Bluefish caught in NJ.

~ JK … Thank you John for the great news. We know that Paul is a local angler who for years has enjoyed and shared his fishing experiences in the Barnegat Bay area with many others. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Paul! It couldn’t happen to a better person.

January 12, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Late Tuesday night, the local fishing community lost a great seaman, Captain James Mears, when the 44-foot Mandy Ness capsized out in the open waters off LBI. Our deepest sympathy for the family and friends at this time of grieving.

Yesterday afternoon Lawrence Webre weighed in this 9lb 11oz tog. He reported to us that he caught it out on a local reef. He didn’t report exactly where.

January 10, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jan 10, 2012 11:44 AM Subject: Surf fishing

My gal and I surf fished Spring Lake late Saturday afternoon and Sunday. We didn’t catch anything, but did see one keeper caught and a short by someone else. Action was on Ava (Diamond Jig) with green tube. Some birds sitting on the water and a couple diving out of reach.

~ Surf and Turf

January 9, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jan 9, 2012 5:40 PM Subject: 1/8/2012 Report

Fished the Surf on IBSP and Manasquan inlet in the afternoon on Sunday throwing an Ava 27 with a teaser. No bass caught, but a beautiful day. For January, I saw quite a few guys throwing metal and plugs in the surf. I saw no fish caught. Some guys were targeting herring in the inlet with sabiki rigs. With this great weather there are surely some fish around for those willing to put in the time.

~ Jim Gardner

January 8, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jan 8, 2012 8:54 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

Friday’s Open Boat trip had regulars Jay Simmons and Jeff Hayes joined by new comer Andy Niznik in hopes of scoring our first stripers of the 2012 fishing season. The weather could not have been nicer but the bass were no where to be found for us and so after about 1-1/2 hours of stopping on meager readings with no results and a forecasted building South West wind it was time for plan “B” (Blackfish). After coming tight on both anchors it wasn’t long before the blackfish started responding to our crab offerings. New comer Andy was first putting the first keeper in the box, from there both Jeff and Jay joined in and picked away at blackfish with both shorts and keepers to 6-lbs and even loosing a few nice one’s. It wasn’t a hot bite but it was great bending the rods on some blackfish and having some fun in a month that we are normally ashore and winterized. The blackfish would respond in multiple hook ups and than slow to a pick and than repeat itself through out the rest of the trip before heading for the barn .

I need to prepare for seminars and articles for the AC International Boat Show, George Poveromo’s National SaltWater Seminar Series, “On The Water” magazine. The must also get the “Reel Fantasea”ready to greet everyone for this season. Therefore, reluctantly I am closing up shop until March to ensure another top quality fishing season for all who board “Reel Fantasea” for a 2012 adventure.

Remember it’s never too early for those looking to book prime dates for the 2012 fishing season!

What to expect month by month – Regulations can and do change.
March – backbay – striper , ocean- blackfish ,cod
April – Light tackle poppers on the flats for stripers [ a “Reel” Blast!!!] inshore – blackfish heats up.
May- backbay blues and stripers – poppers, bait. trophy bass season heats up!
June – backbay – stripers , blues, fluke, ocean – trophy stripers ! seabass .
July- backbay blues, fluke, ocean – seabass , offshore- tuna, mahi
August – backbay – mixed bag variety- critter gettin’ “kids month”,, offshore – tuna, mahi
Septemeber – stripers start heating back up. inshore pelagics , seabass .
October- stripers seabass , blackfish
November – fall migration – stripers , blues, blackfish
December – stripers , blues and blackfish .

With 2011 indicating Striped Bass stocks healthier than ever I can’t hardly wait for 2012! Call or email and reserve your prime date ASAP! Remember to join us on Face Book. Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas.

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

Received: Jan 8, 2012 8:06 AM Subject: Fishing Report

Today I went fishing out of Point Pleasant on the party boat Dauntless. I couldn’t ask for a better day. The winds were light, the ocean calm, and it felt like spring out there! We fished different drops on the mud hole in 180 to 200 ft of water, which is currently full of medium sized ling. The boat was a crowded but everyone wound up with 10 to 30 ling. I brought 17 ling home. Other catches I saw were: a couple of small to medium sized out of season seabass, 1 big out of season winter flounder, 2 keeper blackfish, 2 keeper cod (including the 9lb pool winner), 5 short cod, a hake, a couple congar eels, and a bunch of dogfish. Clams were the main bait being used. Ocean surface temps were 45 to 46 degrees. For the January I can’t complain… great day on the water!!!

The striped bass are still here! This Saturday I heard of a half dozen keeper bass (Up to 17lbs) and multiple shorts being caught in the surf in Lavallette and IBSP. There is also a strong striped bass fishery (up to 20-lbs+) being caught on the jetties from Sea Bright to Deal to Point Pleasant. These fish are being caught at night on Ava’s with teasers and plugs with White Bombers really producing! Since I was fishing up north today, I didn’t really hear any LBI reports, but if the fish are being caught up north, obviously the LBI beaches are still producing since the fish have to eventually move south at some time.

With mild January temps and no snow or cold snaps in the near future, get out there and fish… the fish don’t realize it says January on our calendars!

~Jason Wilk

January 6, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

The Southern Regional Fishing Flea Market will be on Saturday, February 18th this year. Come out and support Southern’s Fishing Club and score some great deals on fishing tackle. We will see you there.

We had a Striper weighed in this afternoon, 31″ 10-lbs 4-oz. Angler caught it off of the mid-island surf using metal.

~ Fish Head Greg

Received: Jan 6, 2012 5:57 PM Subject: 2012 Blackfish Seasons

Here are the 2012 Blackfish Seasons.

Blackfish Regulations to Tighten in N.J. – Minimum sizes, open seasons affected

By Daniel Nee
Anglers targeting tautog, commonly known as “tog” or blackfish, will face more stringent regulations on the species following a decision made Thursday by the state Marine Fisheries Council. Federal regulators ordered New Jersey officials to reduce the recreational harvest of the popular food and sport fish by 53 percent, and council members complied by reducing the length of the open season on the species, as well as upping the minimum size limit. “There’s no good option,” said council member Dr. Patrick F. Donnelly, of Brick. The council met in Galloway Township Thursday to vote on a plan to reduce the annual harvest. “We cut out of every season, a little bit here, a little bit there,” he said. In the end, council members approved a relatively complicated slate of regulations for blackfish, which opens and closes the seasons multiple times per year. The size limit will remain at 15 inches all year long, up from the current minimum size of 14 inches. Anglers will also be able to take fewer fish home.

The regulations approved are:

Date/Season Size Limit Bag (Possession) Limit

Jan. 1 – Feb. 28 15 inches 4 fish (Feb. 29th? I guess somebody forgot 2012 is a leap year)

March CLOSED

April 15 inches 4 fish

May 1 – July 26 CLOSED

July 27 – Aug. 30 15 inches 1 fish

Sept. 1 – Oct. 17 CLOSED

Oct. 18 – Nov. 15 15 inches 1 fish

Nov. 16 – Dec. 31 15 inches 4 fish

The new regulations did not sit well with local party and charter boat captains, who said the reduction in season length, as well as the possession limit, could cost business in already troubled economic times. “The customers are so used to having two more fish, and now we’re going down to four,” said Captain Ken Namowitz of the Mimi VI party boat, which sails from Point Pleasant Beach. “For us to get that one extra fish is a livelihood.” Other skippers decried the fact that boats from New York routinely fish in New Jersey’s waters, including commercial vessels, affecting the local blackfish populations. “We’re getting a lot of hell from the New York sector. There’s zero enforcement going on,” said Capt. Chris Hueth of the Big Mohawk party boat, which sails from Belmar. “Their season is closed right now, and they’re still fishing. What’s taking place in the ocean, and I’m there everyday, is nuts. Guys are commercially fishing this stuff, and bringing it back to New York.”
“We’re getting penalized for somebody else’s greed,” Hueth added. For now, there’s no going back. The council has approved the regulations, which were required to be in place Jan. 1, according to Gilbert H. Ewing, the council president. Donnelly said the state council had few options after the edict issued by federal regulators to cut the harvest. “We tried to maintain that fourth fish,” Donnelly said.

MORE… Fishermen need to give their comments on the 2012 Black Sea Bass fishing season…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JANUARY 6, 2012 – PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER, 703.842.0740

ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board Approves Draft Addendum XXII for Public Comment
Addendum Considers 2012 Black Sea Bass Recreational Measures

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) has approved Draft Addendum XXII for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes a program wherein the Board divides the recreational black sea bass coastwide allocations into state-by-state management for 2012 only.

The management plan for black sea bass does not provide an opportunity to craft recreational measures by regions or state, it only allows for a coastwide measure. Due to the wide geographic range of this species, the application of coastwide minimum size, possession limit, and season restrictions may not affect every area involved in the fishery the same way. States were concerned that the coastwide regulations disproportionately impacted states within the management unit; therefore, they approved Addendum XXI which allowed for state-by-state measures in 2011 for state waters only. Because Addendum XXI expired at the end of 2011 and the Board continues to have the same concerns for the 2012 fishing season, the Board initiated Draft Addendum XXII. The Draft Addendum is intended to provide the necessary management flexibility to mitigate potential disproportionate impacts on states that can result from coastwide measures for 2012.

Only one state (New York) has scheduled a public hearing on the Draft Addendum, which will be held as part of New York’s Marine Resources Advisory Council Meeting, scheduled for January 17, 2012 at 7:00PM at New York State Department of Environmental Protection’s Marine Bureau Headquarters, 205 N. Belle Mead Road, East Setauket, New York. Any additional hearings will be posted to the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org/meetings.htm.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum, either by attending public hearings or providing written comments. The Draft Addendum can be obtained at…www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/sfScupBSB/bsb/fmps/bsb_DraftAddendumXXII_PublicComment.pdf
or by contacting the Commission at 703. 842.0740. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on February 5, 2012 and should be forwarded to Toni Kerns, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at tkerns@asmfc.org (Subject line: Black Sea Bass). For more information, please contact Toni Kerns at 703.842.0740 or tkerns@asmfc.org.

PR12-02
Tina Berger, Public Affairs Specialist, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201-2196
(p) 703.842.0740 (f) 703.842.0741 tberger@asmfc.org www.asmfc.org

~ James T., Bridgewater, NJ

January 4, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jan 4, 2012 1:33 PM Subject: Spot available for Striper open boat

Just one (1) spot available for a 6-hr open boat striper from 9-3pm on Friday, Jan 6th. Weather window looks nice and bass are still here!

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

January 1, 2012 ————————————————————————————————-

Received: Jan 1, 2012 8:01 PM Subject: Happy New Year – Join us in greeting the 2012 fishing season

I hope everyone enjoyed their Holiday Season with family and friends. With reports of stripers and even a few blues still to the North and only a quick visit from an Arctic blast mid week and than our local weather quickly moderating, we will be ready to greet the 2012 fishing season as early as Jan. 5th with an open boat with only 2 spots left. We will be targeting stripers and or blackfish. I look forward to starting our 2012 and beat the after holidays blues! With temperatures continuing a modest mid to upper forties temperature range the stripers may remain in our home waters for a while!

Dress warm and come join us in welcoming the 2012 Reel Faantasea Fishing season! Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul, Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217