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2016 Fishing Reports

December 31, 2016 ——————————————————–

6:00 PM

From all of us here at Fisherman’s Hq, Happy New Year!!!

Looking back, what an awesome year it was. We are super excited for 2017. There’s a number of projects that have been in the works and almost ready. Stay tuned!!!

Check out our social media pages (Facebook & Instagram) to follow as our winter progresses.

We ask… What was your MVP this past year??? I had an awesome time hammering fish with the newly released 2nd generation Sebile Stick Shadd. This lure comes in at a new great price and is even better then before. It was my MVP, followed closely by the Super Strike Rattling Swimmer aka Bottle. Also at the top of my list the Super Strike Little Neck Popper, Guppy Pencil Popper and the Sportingwood Darter as wells as the Sportingwood Pencil Popper.

~FishHead.Greg

Just a reminder the black sea bass fishing season closes today.

Surf Day is right around the corner…

Save the Date!!!
Saturday Feb 18th 2017 – 8:30AM to 4:30PM
Brookdale Community College
Happy Holidays from Captain Alex at Lighthouse Sportfishing!

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season and New Year! I would to thank all those that were able to make it out on the Debbie M this year. It was an amazing fishing season. Here’s a link to some Inlet bassing, some video of me fishing the inlet in some sporty conditions. Also, I am extricated to let you know I will be on the panel for the Saltwater Sportsmen National Seminar Series in AC on February 25, 2017. I will sharing my knowledge of back bay and inshore fishing strategies. Hope to see you there.

Here’s a recent fishign report… After easily catching some minnows I went to a local pickerel pond. With skim ice recently out they were chewing. Went 4 for 7 in under an hour.

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511
Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – 2016 Season Wrap Up & Looking Forward to 2017!!

As in years past 2016 was yet another fantastic year of fishing and fun for anglers aboard Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters!!

I held out hope that our Fall migration would have continued into the New Year but unfortunately a frigid “polar vortex” came into play on the tail end of the run and sent the migration steaming South for warmer temps.

What a fun and blessed year it has been meeting so many new faces and of course welcoming back so many old friends. I always look back at each passing season with such gratitude that I am fortunate enough to do what I love to do. I am truly grateful. Thank you all that continue to fish with me!!

Although glad to have a bit of break to enjoy some much needed Holiday and Family fun I am excited to get things back up and running ASAP in 2017!!

The 2017 season is already taking shape as a full 1/3 of the Calendar is already booked [never has happened before so early] and with a few new “wrinkles” in the works I can not wait to get things started!! So it’s definitely not too early to plan your 2017 fishing adventure aboard the Reel Fantasea!!

Holiday Blessings to all and Best Wishes for Health and Happiness in 2017!!

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

December 23, 2016 ——————————————————–

6:00 PM

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Here’s our Holiday Schedule:
Today Friday December 23 – Closing at 8pm
Saturday Christmas Eve – 7am to 1pm
Sunday Christmas Day – Closed
Monday December 26th – Closed
Tuesday December 27th – Open back to normal schedule 7 am to 7pm

While the year comes to a close the fishing opportunity is plentiful. Anglers are having a blast targeting tog as well as other bottom fishing species. Recent reports are strong. Store staffer Dan D. got into the action today. Tuesday Austin Pounds got ’em. Austin said, “It was pretty cold but the bite was on fire!” No local Barnegat Light party boats are sailing, so for those that want to get in on the action head up to Belmar. Some boats are taking advantage of the porgy and sea bass that are around too. The sea bass season closes at the end of the year. So get in on it now.

The backwater bass fishing has been good. Those fishing the hotspots are catching. This too will close at the end of the year.

The inshore bluefin tuna bite continues. There were some epic days recently with pitch black hornet nest bird plays. Fish in the 70-100 plus pound range are from 6-20 miles off. Anglers fishing stick baits and Ron-Z lures are hooking up. Some anglers reported frustration and failure while others reported lots of drag screaming success. In recent days some anglers went four for four while others zero for three. Gotta gear up right to be in the game.

~FishHead.Greg

December 14, 2016 ——————————————————–

12:00 PM

With the arctic air coming most have hung it up for the year. Those that love bottom fishing in the cold have been into fun and some have found the ghosts! Here’s some info on the local fishing.

The black sea bass and tog reports are strong. Anglers fishing the wrecks have found some quality fishing. Seems the tog are closer inshore and the sea bass are further off. Those looking to get out on a party boat will have to head up to the northern ports. The local BL party boats are done for the year.

Some local anglers recently found good fishing on Sunday and Monday. Store staffer Dan was out said it was good fishing. He reported that other boats did much better. One had two double digit tog. Jigging has been out producing. Those looking to get into jiggin for tog… We have quality tog jigs from MagicTail.

A number of inshore bluefin tuna (ghosts) flooded into the shop the past week. Word has it that they have been on the feed in the early mornings and pushing on top almost all day long. They are stretched out along the coast from 8-20 miles with most being found 10-12 miles off. While in getting new wind-on leaders on his two spinning reels, we got word from Jim Perkins that the boat he was out on killed on the other day. They also had a great day sea bass fishing. Another report came from Howard Clark. He said they lost a nice one along side of the boat. A number of others were in the shop gearing up.

We got word from a customer in the shop that he saw to short bass caught off his beach (mid-island) on Sunday. “I couldn’t tell what they were fishing but it was definitely bait. Either bunker or clam.”

A local anglers was out yesterday looking for bass along the beach, notta. He said, “Ran out of BL and went all the way down to Beach Haven. It was a nice flat ride but no life. Trolled around and didn’t mark much, no bites. The water temp was 42 degrees.

December 10, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:00 PM

In recent days the weather windows have allowed some angler to get out and fish. Only a few reports bounced in but those that did were positive. One report off of Harvey Cedar and another off of Beach Haven had a similar theme. Nothing epic but good numbers of smaller stripers chewing on the troll. 9’er Umbrella rigs and deep dive plugs from Bomber CD30’s and Mann’s (Stretch 30’s) did the damage.

Few reports of the surf. Most anglers have called it off with the local surf tournament over and the cold setting in. There’s still opportunity if you want to go. One recent keeper bass caught surf side on salted clam went to the dinner table. The angler said its belly was full of fresh sandeels. Got me thinking… Are these locally on the surf or on the inshore lumps???

Keep an eye out on our social media feeds for some flash sales. We had one last week that was awesome, both for us and the customers. Because of its success we are planning some more in the near future.

~FishHead.Greg

December 6, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: Dec 6, 2016 7:25 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Hot Striper Fishing Continues! North West Is Best!!

Striped bass and bluefish continue to offer up excellent opportunities for the light tackle enthusiast on various techniques. Light spinning tackle has been our “go to” with a mix of shads, bucktails and plugs accounting for the majority of our catches. Trolling also has put fish into the cooler but is always our last resort to keep things more entertaining and sporting while employing the lighter gear.

Bass have been ranging from 24″ to 35″ range with most trips continuing to see well into double digit numbers [some anglers are scoring double digits!]. Most trips also continue to see a 2 bass bag per angler as we have had our second round of bonus tags recently issued there should be plenty of tags available to all anglers till the first of the year.

Although the weather looks to be cooling down the fishing should continue to be red hot possibly into the New Year as both water temps and bait are perfect! Bunker are continuing their southern sojourn but herring are starting to show up in abundance and are readily available while employing sabiki rigs to fill the bait well to present to both striped bass and blues. Feeding whales continue to offer excellent and exciting visual opportunities as an added back drop to our day out on the brine.

This Friday and Sunday are my first open boat trips available this Fall for anyone who would like to jump aboard the Reel Fantasea to meet and join other light tackle enthusiast before the 2016 season comes to a close. All tackle, rods, techniques and fish cleaning included!! Trips will be 730am – 130pm = $150.00 pp we need minimum 3 anglers to go.

Remember to join us on Face Book to view , like and share our latest photos and reports.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

December 5, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Reminder – Fishing Flea Market this weekend…
Barnegat High School Fishing Flea Market
Saturday December 10th from 9am to 1pm
Admission: $4 – Door prizes every 15 to 20 minutes
Don’t miss out. We’ll be there with lots of great tackle!

Tom Cavanaugh and Pat Martin, both Beach Haven locals, fished some secret back bay spots today with eels. They caught 22 bass all together, tagging 16 and keeping two. The biggest fish was caught and weighed in by Tom at the shop. It was just shy of the 20 pound mark (19.6lbs).

The Miss Barnegat Light said they had a crew of happy anglers over the weekend. “Everyone was catching and having fun. Sunday was a good day, but Saturday was better. We are fishing next Saturday and Sunday at 7am. Jump aboard!” Here’s some reports from happy anglers who fished aboard the Miss BL this past weekend. Ryan Parker reported, “Phenomenal day on the water! Nothing gets adrenaline pumping more than fish breaking on the surface. I passed a rod to a kid out with his grandfather and he caught his first striper. This is what it’s all about!” On Sunday, Alex Hungsinger caught his first striped bass. (Not sure if this is Ryan’s handoff beneficiary or another first timer) Now that he broke the ice just as winter settles in we are sure he’ll be itching all offseason to get out again in the spring.

Dylan Fisher was out over the weekend and posted this yesterday. “The Sunday morning bash was epic just smaller fish than what we had. Lots of yellow eye demons that couldn’t resist our rubber shads. This was the last trip of the season, so we went out on a good note. Words will not describe how awesome this season has been for the Reel Fishers. Huge thanks to everyone for making this season as good as it was, could not of done any of it with out you guys.”

Store staffer Dan D was out over the weekend too. He reported, “Same old silly fishing here today (Sunday). All shads and pencils. Hitting left and right for a couple hours. Usually hooked up on the first crank. Curious how much longer these herring will stick around! Bassing fishing has been fun, but it’s tog time now!

Dewey Knapp tagged us in a photo from his weekend fishing trip. The photo was a split; one of him double fisted with a striper in each hand and one a shot of his Simrad screen bricked with bass and bait under the boat. Its caption, “Found the late season meat! Hoping to get a couple more trips in before wrapping the Mako.”

Austin Pounds was out in the boat over the weekend. He reported, “Got into some good fish, up to 33 pounds. Not a great day but happy to be on the water. We got them feeding on the surface with plugs then went to the troll and caught too.”

Zach Michot reported, “Opening day of deer season was a success! Started out early this morning and had fish biting at first light. Although we had to head in to drop off a friend, Pete and I went back out to the same spot and started smoking them again. Fish up to 42” on MagicTail Mojos and spoons.

December 3, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Today was another good day on the water. Improving wind conditions have Sunday and Monday as two great days to take advantage of the local fishing. It’s great to see the abundance and variety of bait with predators on the feed, both bass and blues. There’s micro bait, herring, mullet, peanuts and adults all mixed in and stretched along LBI and IBSP. We got word on today’s lights out fishing off of northern IBSP (as well as the towns of Seaside, Ortley and Lavallette), LBI and south.

Anglers reported the same trends as previous days. Bass crushing lures on top as well as jigging/casting and retrieving rubber shads, bucktails and metals. Guys trolling umbrellas and mojos are pulling bigger fish. There were a could reports from guys who snag and dropped adult bunkers and tangled with large class bass.

The Miss Barnegat Light reported, “A great day with lots of action. (It was) the classic striper run day with birds working over stripers that were chasing all kinds of bait. Everyone that wanted a bonus fish had one and we caught a good amount of stripers over 28 inches. We added some blues and throwback bass to the mix as well. Rubber shads were hot in the morning and we caught fish on jigs throughout the day too. We don’t carry rubber shads so stop by Fisherman’s Hq in Ship Bottom.”

Yesterday surf anglers had gannets in the distance but too far off. The mayhem never slid in close enough. The morning report from boats was nil. Fortunately it turned on late morning and into the afternoon. Clouds of gannets came alive. Captain Ken Nutt aboard The striped fished and had a good day. Both bass and blues kept him and the crew busy. One customer in the shop reported lots of boat pressure. “I didn’t know there were that many boats still in the water. The bite was on but it was frustrating with all the boats. We got 6-8 fish over 28” but the rest were under. Hitting about 40 fish in the day it was consistent. Our best action was on Shimano Colt Sniper swimming lures and rubber soft baits. Issue with the soft baits is the fish tare them up so we are leaning towards the hard baits that take the abuse. Tom Lewis reported good fishing too. “We got into some good bird frenzies. Managed to kill one that went 34lbs. We got em good off the mis-island. They were eating on top and we put on a show with poppers. Mostly all small class of bass but we did get the one good one.

~FishHead.Greg

December 1, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

We closed out November with awesome fishing. I loved every minute of it. After a couple days off, I’m eager to get back on the water. Just not sure when it will happen. I was on the beach this morning mid-island and surfed for a couple hours. The water was stained dirty and I saw very few birds. No bait was present in the water. Today’s westerlies continue in the forecast through the weekend. The last stretch of this was the receipt for greatness. This weekend will be interesting. Will fishing pick up where it left off? Will more fish hit the Island’s beach? Gonna have to get out and see. Here’s to a great December!

Today we got a very small delivery of fresh bunker. It will not last long. We expect our next delivery Friday evening.

Just a remainder we are in the final days of the LBI Surf Fishing Classic. There’s some awesome prizes up for grabs.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: Dec 1, 2016 1:11 PM Subject: Striper Migration & West Winds

Just came off a few days of good striper fishing before all the rain and fog shut us down. Now we are back in a W/NW wind pattern for as long as the forecast goes. That means calm seas and hot migration fishing. On the days I was not chartered this past week, I spent a few days running offshore looking for castable bluefin tuna, but never saw one. That’s what makes it a hard trip to offer for charter. Spending a full day hunting and not even getting to cast is probably for the minority. Though it has not suppressed my desire to hunt for these elusive fish, in fact, it’s making me hungrier to find them. We finished off each day of tuna hunting with some really good surface striper action between Lavallette and Seaside Park at the three mile line. Tons of birds and swirling bass and gator blues. We threw swim shads on our 10 pound spinning outfits. We also trolled some heavier fish on full size spoons and Mojos in the same area.

The striper migration is in full swing with an interesting mix of size. We will be running Open Boat or available for charter Fri, Dec 2, 10AM to 4 PM and Mon, Dec 5, 6:30 AM to 12:30 PM. 3 people max on Open Boats, $200 person, all fish are shared. This is going to run into Christmas at least so get ready.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674
8th Annual Barnegat HS Fisherman’s Flea Market

Type of Event: Fishing Flea Market
Event Date(s): Saturday – 12/10/2016
Event Time(s): 9am to 1pm
Admission: $4 for Adults, Children 12 & under FREE
Location: Barnegat High School
Address: 180 Bengal Blvd Barnegat, NJ 08005

Additional Info:
All proceeds go towards the Barnegat High School Fishing Club which is comprised of students in Grades 9 through 12. Please come out and support the students of the fishing club. Plus, it is a great time to stock up on fishing gifts before the holidays. There will be door prizes every 1/2 hour which is included with the admission. Must be present to win.

Last year the house was packed and the club was able to give away $1000 in scholarships to students of the club, in addition to help offset the costs of the club’s fishing trips.

November 29, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

Anyone else catch a doormat while trolling for striped bass? Here’s a photo of Randy Townsend with a nice size fluke he caught recently spooning for striped bass. Recently we’ve heard a number of fluke were caught. A couple from guys trolling and a couple from livelining peanuts. Wonder how many actually made it back into the water?

Store staffer Blake enjoyed his day off yesterday fishing the beach. He reported, “Monday was fun. Some guys did good on Sunday too. There’s schoolie to keeper sized bass chasing peanut bunker along the Island’s beaches. It has been for the most part Loveladies to Brant Beach however other areas have lit up too. The best lures to fish are small pencil poppers, metal lip swimmers and rubber shads. Some anglers are snagging and livelining too. Those fishing bait aren’t doing as well. The fish want a live peanut or a plug if presented the right way. Chunking has been spotty but might turn on now that the wind is blowing and there’s some whitewater.”

Yesterday Bill Montrey of Manahawkin got a 14.84 pound bass off of the North Beach surf at about 1pm. He caught the linesider via snag and drop.

As most know the boat fishing has been awesome! While the weather kept everyone at the dock today, we have to reminisce on recent days.

Yesterday (Monday) fishing was awesome off of LBI and some did very well off IBSP. A couple boats got into epic fishing mid-island LBI. Tom Lewis and crew smoked ’em with no one around, at about 1pm, “Bait and Bass boiling and a couple whales on the feed. It was like Sea World. We smoked ’em! 30 pound class bass down to schoolies all on plugs.” Rick Bragg fished the same area late in the day and reported a stellar trip. “Left the dock at 3pm and fished off of Harvey Cedars. Non stop catching on poppers and jigging. Had whales and birds working on the schools of bait fish all around the boat. Bass in the 30-36” range rolling on top! Exciting and so much fun to see my daughter Carleigh and her boyfriend John having a blast! I fished in the morning with Kemp off of IBSP. We found the bass at the three mile line at sunrise and stayed with them for three hours. They were keyed in on small pods of micro bait that I’ll call whitebait for a lack of proper classification. I called in friend Todd and he had a blast catching too. There we small bass as well as teeners mixed in with some large gator blues that made things interesting. Things really came alive when the wind cut out and the ocean turned to oil slick calm. With the micro bait present, I know those bluefin migrating south will find it and feed. Rumor has it that some boats found them.

Sunday was also a very good day too. Joe Medica fished in the boat off of LBI mid-island with his son Tyler and his grandpop. They had an awesome time catching quality bass on top water. Here’s a photo of Tyler with a nice bass. My uncle, Renny Koseff, enjoyed his Sunday on the catching bass. He reported fishing was good off of the south end of LBI. I also had some fun on the water Sunday morning with store staffer Matt Steadman. We headed out early and pushed up the beach. Matt had a bass blow up and chase a pencil on the second cast. It was good fun fishing. Nothing epic. We worked around and picked fish all morning. Around 9-10 am some good bird plays came alive but were short lived. We both had to be back early in order to get to the shop for work at 1pm. It would have been nice to be able to stay out all day. Hindsight proves the fishing went off in the late morning and afternoon. Fortunately we got out fix.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: Nov 29, 2016 6:21 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

Wow!! What a season so far! Striped Bass have been very cooperative on artificials such as pencil poppers, Tsunami Storm shads, needlefish, and Bucktails. This past week we saw various bird plays with slot sized Bass to over 20 pounders boiling on baitfish. In fact, the bass had the bait so packed that my sonar read 7 feet of water when we were in 35 feet. It was drop and reel fishing. With some milder temperatures in the forecast, let’s hope this sustained run lasts through the better part of December. Follow Us on Instagram: @ReelReactionSportfishing

In the late morning, I had Thomas Duralek of Manahawkin, and former student and Boston Red Sox Pitching prospect Jason Groome out for a Striped Bass trip. Fishing conditions were EPIC with birds, bait, and Bass. We got our three man limit with 6 fish within the first 45 minutes and then stayed and played catch and release for the next 2 hours. The fish ranged from 26 inches to 34 inches.

Next, I had return client Guy Critelli, his son Joe, and friend Ray Cunningham on a Striped Bass charter. We started a little late for this post-Thanksgiving trip, but we got on the fish right away. Tsunami Shads and Live Bait had the most fish, but you had to be right on with the birds. Way too many boats out there “not knowing what they are doing.” The guys did a great job, and boxed 5 Striped Bass up to 20 pounds all on artificials and live bait!

Saturday I had return client Mike Galindo, his two son’s Bennet and Mason, and his family friend Tom DiNapoli on a Striped Bass charter. We started where we were the day before and there wasn’t much going on. I got a call-in from another charter captain and we were on the fish. Striped Bass were busting on the surface, and the crew boxed 6 Striped Bass up to 34 inches. In addition, Bennet landed a couple of Fluke up to 24 inches on live bait, and a nice 36 inch – 16 pound Bluefish. Awesome job!!

Sunday I had Dan Unger of Long Beach Island and his son Danny on a Striped Bass charter. The Lowrance unit was lit up with Striped Bass from close to the beach out to 3 miles and with good results from the day before, we headed into the same area. It was game on with Gannets, Herring Gulls, and Striped Bass working baitfish. The father and son team ended the day keeping their limit of Striped Bass up to 20 pounds, and released a few more Striped Bass and Bluefish. 10yr old Danny was the high hook catching a solid 20 pound Bass on a Tsunami Swim Shad, and he also released two monster Bluefish (27 inches, and 36++ inches). The Coast Guard briefly boarded us in the inlet on the return for a quick safety check. We thank them for their service as they put their lives on the line everyday!

I have the following dates open (12/4, 12/17, 12/18) and if interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call/text (link and number below). As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. We troll as last resort, as light tackle artifiicials and live bait take precedent. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

Received: Nov 27, 2016 3:29 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I did a quick Turkey Day trip with a friend. We left the dock at 6:30 and were back a little after 9 with three bass in the box and several releases. Most of the action was in shallow water off IBSP on poppers making it a lot of fun. After that I had the Campanili group out. Upon scanning the waters with my binoculars at the mouth of the inlet, I decided to make a right and go south when I saw some birds in tight to the beach. First time all fall I went south. The birds were feeding on peanut bunker that were close to shore. Every now and then the bass would bust through the schools. We did not have blitz-like conditions but we consistently hooked up with soft plastics on fish in the under 28” range. Dropping a live bait down we were able up the ante when a 19 pound bass decided to join us on board the Debbie M. After the bite slowed there we went north were we landed several more fish before calling it a day. The amount of bass spread out off our beaches is amazing and the bait is here to keep them for a while. I will be playing it week by week, meaning if the weather permits and the fishing remains consistent, which it should, I will be sailing during the weekends. If you ever wanted to catch December bass now is the time.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

November 26, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:30 PM

Hope y’all had a great Thanksgiving and Black Friday! While some were eating and shopping, the striped bass were stuffing their faces. Those anglers that went out scored!!! The amazing fishing that our area has had continues for both beach and boat anglers. There’s pods of peanuts stretch all along the Island’s north end beaches. The bait is in tight to the beach and also scattered all about out to the three mile line and beyond. Peanut bunker are mixed in with adult bunker and the striped bass are on the feed. So far, today hasn’t been all that special but yesterday was light out fishing. Some surf anglers reported getting into them really good, catching 20-30+ bass each. Rob Vallone said the bite was great, “Got ’em on top water pencil popping as well as the snagging peanuts. Yesterday it was on!” The bait and fish moved up, down, in and out throughout the day. Joe Handley Jr. reported, “A good day on the hunt! Two red drum and three striped bass. No I’m not in Hatteras. Got a 19.5″ slot and a 29″ over, both released. I know of another 24″ too. Great to see them on the home sand.”

Here’s some tournament weigh-in info from yesterday… Joe Handley Jr. of Eastampton got a 12.98 pound bass on a bucktail fishing North Beach surf at 6pm last night. Michael DeVito of Dunellen got a 13.6 pound bass on a plug in Brant Beach at 4:30pm. Michael Mitryk of Burlington got a 13.04 pound bass on a plug fishing Loveladies at 8:30am. John Bonner of Manahawkin got a 9.64 pound bass in Harvey Cedars on bunker at 7am. Pete Kelly of Cedar Run got a 23.26 pound bass in Loveladies on a plug at 7am. Rich Kindt of Manahawkin got a 17.52 pound bass fishing a live peanut bunker in Loveladies at 7am. Pam Fahy of Barnegat Light got a 19.44 pound bass on Thanksgiving fishing metal off of the Loveladies surf at 4pm. It was checked in on the morning of the 25th.

While there has not been many bluefish in the past couple of days, today one was checked in for the derby by Ken Grab of Manahawkin. He got a 9.82 pound toothy yellow eye on mullet fishing the Brant Beach surf this afternoon.

This is the LBI Surf Fishing Classic’s last week. Here’s a list of the special prizes for 11/28 to 12/4…
11/28 – $250 to the largest bass caught today donated by Jim D.
– A gift basket from Chicks in Beach Haven to someone that catches a fish today
11/29 – Gift certificate to Barrys Do Me A Flavor in Beach Haven (random pick)
– Surf rod from Folsom Corporation to someone that catches a fish today
11/30 – Gift certificate to California Grill to someone that catches a fish today
12/01 – A gift certificate to Spice It Up in Beach Haven to the largest bass today.
– A gift certificate to Barry’s in Beach Haven (random pick)
12/02 – Gift certificate to Pearl Street Market in Beach Haven (random pick)
12/03 – $100 gift certificate to Fisherman’s Headquarters to the largest bass today
12/04 – $100 gift certificate to Fisherman’s Headquarters to the largest bass today
12/03 – 12/4 $50 to the largest bluefish this weekend

I’ve had a great time fishing the boat every day for the past week (took off Thanksgiving, see previous reports below). While the recent days were bumper boats due to the Holiday, everyone is having fun catching. Friday I had Matt Rand from Washington DC out and we got into them good. We actually had to leave them biting due to obligation back on land. Matt’s goal was to beat bass on the fly and that’s what we did. The boils and follows boat side working to get the bites were awesome and caught on video. Once the snow is falling I’ll start the edit. Again today the bass were up top, rolling on bait and loving my Guppy Pencil Popper. Guppy’s Mini offers great casting ability, irresistible action and is the prefect size to match the hatch. I’m always super stoked to catch and release fish on top water lures. The tail slaps, explosions and bites on top are priceless. It’s my passion is to actively fish (cast and retrieve) and fool ’em with plugs. I sit down and relax when I’m home on the couch. But for those anglers that enjoy trolling, mojos, umbrellas and spoons are consistently picking fish working 40-60′ of water. There’s a huge mass of fish here, made up of mostly schoolies and teen bass but there’s the occasional nice fish mixed in. Capitalize now on the abundance of forage that has the striped bass going wild. For me it’s great fishing every morning; however there are some really good afternoon reports too. The fish and bait are stretched out and the hot spot can vary from day to day. Get out a search down some fish. You might find a pack all to yourself.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: Nov 24, 2016 2:40 PM Subject: Awesome Striper Migration Fishing Right Now

I had a group out for an afternoon departure yesterday (Wed), and it was terrific fishing. A mile and a half northeast of Barnegat Inlet in 30 to 40 feet of water there were birds, boats, and bass. The flocks of birds would point you to the swirling stripers that were feeding on peanut and full size bunker. Even if you were out of the birds, the readings gave up plenty of fish. Anywhere from 25″ bass to 36″ inch fish for us but I heard of fish over 43″ on other boats. Drifting and casting swim shads worked well for us, as well as wire lining bucktail and pork rind combos that you jig while we troll. It’s the most fun you can have with a wire line rod and it is a train wreck of a hit. Booked Fri and Sat, I still have this Sunday, Nov 27 and Monday, Nov 28 available for single reservations on an Open Boat or for your own group charter. Leaving at 6AM, $200 person, three people max on Open Boat trips. All fish are shared.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

November 23, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Today was another GREAT day of fishing! I headed out early with John Parzych and we had a ton of fun catching all morning long. There were a ton of bass, bait and boats. While the boat traffic was down right crazy at time (which was shocking for how few number of boats were out) the fish were snapping. Not nearly the level of the past few days but awesome fishing none the less. Before heading into the barn John pulled out his 10wt fly rod and put a final whipping on them. With obligations back on land, we had to leave them biting with. Heading in we passed some friends. Later in the day they all reported back that the action continued. It’s great to see such a large mass of fish present and feeding for days. While the majority of the fish are in the schoolie class, I got a 25 pound bass on a Sebile Stick Shadd. I got word from other anglers fishing close by there pulled up some larger fish. Two friends Todd L. and Dylan F. each caught classy bass on lures today. Looks like some bigger wave a fish joined the mix.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

~FishHead.Greg

Dan D reported, “Well over 60 fish, lost count after our 10th double up. All on Magictails, metal lips and poppers. Fishing doesn’t get any better than this. Bass rolling for acres after the morning crowd left. Chucking wood with bait casters was fun!

Received: Nov 22, 2016 4:54 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

The 2016 fishing season is far from over for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. The schools of striped bass are well within reach of Beach Haven and there is some superb wreck fishing to be had.

Capt. Lindsay Fuller had the Hancock party out of the “June Bug” looking for striped bass last weekend. Captain Lindsay decided to head south where he had heard of action. Working his way down the beach, he saw huge pods of bunker on his fish finder at the 30-foot line but none above that. He trolled Mojos and Tony Maja Bunker Spoons in various color combinations. After 45 minutes working the edge of the fleet, he hooked up. First mate Zach made sure the fish was hooked and handed the rod to Anita Hancock After a short fight, a 35-inch bass made it into the fish box. That bass ended up being the only fish of the day. They party did manage to snag several bunker with the lures.

Captain Carl Sheppard had the “Star Fish” out where he found some big stripers and large bluefish right off Beach Haven. He trolled a combination of four rigs including Mojo’s, bunker spoons, umbrella rigs, and Stretches. Color did not seem as important as where the fish congregated. Most of the bite on Saturday was in the afternoon while charters since then have been cancelled due to the wind.

Captain Jimmy Zavacky had a good day last Saturday on the “Reel Determined” when he caught 5 bass up to 41-inches along with a few very big bluefish. He too, was trolling.

Captain Gary Dugan fished the “Irish Jig” off Harvey Cedars last Thursday when he caught a pair of 42-inch bass on bunker spoons. On Friday, he fished closer to home and had “non-stop” action on bluefish and 5 bass to 42-inches. On Saturday he had problems getting away from the monster bluefish and only managed one 36-inch bass for the box with one big fish lost at the boat.

Captain Bill Kaiser had the “Tuna Sue” out Saturday fishing on wrecks some 10-miles off the beach. The blackfish action was “off the charts” until he lost an anchor on a wreck. Captain Bill went on the drift and still caught fish proving there are large numbers of wreck fish around. He has plans to do more wreck fishing along with striped bass and maybe even seeking bluefish tuna on spinners.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

November 22, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:00 PM

Yesterday’s bite continues!

I woke up early this morning and was surprised to see the flags were not whipping as hard as forecasted. With only a 15kt wind I had to go fish! I called up my good buddy Jeff, packed up the Parker and headed out. We found hot action in grey light and it continued all day. The bass were boiling and the gannets were bombing kamikaze style. We had ’em good all morning on top water and called it quits when the wind cranked up. The action was made up of all schoolie bass with the occasion gator bluefish. While we fished north of BI, we got word from friend who found fish on the feed south of BI along the beaches of LBI. We had water temps that ranged from 48-50 degrees. The Barnegat Light ocean buoy just dipped below 55 degrees today at noon time. Let’s hope this downward trend slows.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: Nov 21, 2016 7:51 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Towards the end of last week the stage was set and now the show has begun! Thursday’s trip was big blue after big blue. They were pushing adult bunker to the air as they tried to escape with their lives. Our smallest blue weighed in at 11.5 pounds and our biggest close to 16. These blues were lean, mean, fighting machines. We did manage to pull one nice sized bass out of the pandemonium. Saturday was an off day for whatever reason. The body of big fish were down off AC. Up the beach and around the inlet it was tough putting a good catch together. We worked hard to boat one 28” bass on spot. On the way back across the I came across large schools of peanut bunker looking to head to warmer ocean waters. For the Debbie M, Sunday was a blow out with gale warnings flying and as luck would have it, the peanuts pushed off the beach and I had good reports of epic action for those braving the winds. With inshore water temperatures at 56 and close to 60 deg 20 miles off, this week should be amazing. I am booked Sunday but still have Friday and Saturday open for a last minute trip to cash in on the fall run.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

November 21, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

We’ll have fresh bunker in later today. The deliveries usually show up around time of sunset.

This past week was what so many LBI surf anglers have been waiting for all season. The fish moved in and wanted to eat. The tournament weigh ins were plentiful and there were lots of other fish caught from surf anglers who aren’t part of the tournament. As we approach Thanksgiving, the opportunities are awesome for surf anglers. Expect the rest of the month to be good. It goes without saying the boat fishing has been epic. Check out this video from the other day. This is a some must see video from a recent trip aboard the Striper with Captain Ken Nutt out of Barnegat Light.

It’s prime time fishing here on LBI. Get out and enjoy before the heavy winter snow sets in.

Here’s some surf reports from yesterday…

Mike Cucinotta of Manahawkin weighed in a 22.44 pound bass at 3pm yesterday. Mike was fishing bunker in Harvey Cedars and caught the linesider at 1pm.

After working the morning shift Sunday, store staffer Rob Vallone fished the afternoon on the surf. He caught and weighed in a bass and a bluefish. The yellow eye was 12.82 pounds and the linesider was 26.16 pounds. Rob caught both of them on bunker in the Harvey Cedars surf before 2pm.

Other tournament catches from yesterday…
Gary Deanley of Hammonton caught a 11.02 pound bluefish on bunker at Harvey Cedars at 1pm. Gary also caught a 12.34 pound bass at 1:45pm on bunker. Dan Procida of the Long Beach Island Fishing Club got a 11.42 pound bluefish on bunker at 2pm in Loveladies. A fellow club member Frank D’Ambrosio of Marlton got a 10.84 pound bluefish on bunker too. Frank was fishing bunker in Harvey Cedar and got the bite at 10:15am. Wendy Essinger of Manahawkin caught a 13.84 pound bluefish at 1pm on bunker in Loveladies. Linda Donnelly of Secane, PA took the lead in the woman’s striped bass division with her 33.16 pound striper. She caught it off of the Loveladies surf on bunker at 12:15pm. Mark Gally of Mt.Laurel got a 16.06 pound bass at 1040am in Barnegat Light on bunker. Davis Welsh of Shamong got a 11.62 pound bass at 9:30am in North Beach on Bunker. Brian Dalton of Shamong caught a 16.54 pound bluefish at 10am in Harvey Cedars on bunker. David Hiller caught a 11.68 pound bluefish off of the Beach Haven surf on bunker at 8:30am. Chris Masino caught a 23.3 pound bass at 8am in Beach Haven on bunker. Johnnie Commisso of Riverside caught a 16.62 pound bass just after midnight on 11/20. HE was fishing bunker on the Surf City beach. Jason Hoch caught a 28.88 pound striped bass at 10:30pm on 11/19. He caught it off of the Ship Bottom surf on bunker.

It’s safe to say there’s fish on the beach!

Received: Nov 20, 2016 4:03 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Flat Out Crushing It!!

I’ve been on the water for 18 consecutive days straight and with only a few exceptions most trips have scored double digit numbers of stripers with today”s NW gale seeing our season’s first triple digit numbers!!

Endurance and shear will power was the only thing that kept angler’s from scoring their career’s “most striper I’ve ever caught ” even for the most saltiest of savvy anglers in today Gale!

Gi-Normously huge Slammer blues have also spiced the catches but by a significantly less number then our preferred striped targets!

Snag and drop, artificials and assorted live baits have all been scoring on a regular basis when conditions present and allow.

With tons of bait and water temps in the “ideal” range and for a moderate weather pattern into the extended forecast , fishing into the New Year looks likely!!!

Remember to check out our photos and videos on Face book and like and share us please.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanks Giving,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

Received: Nov 20, 2016 5:39 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

It’s been a busy couple of weeks and we have been on the water when it’s not blowing 30, It seems some more schools of Striped Bass have moved down and these are more of the historic fall variety ranging from 31 to 24 inches, but I’m still hearing of bigger bass 15-20 pound range well north of us. As of now, I only have one opening which would be Sunday (December 4th), but if anything pops up I will post on Fisherman’s Hq, our website, and Facebook page. A quick note: I run the Barnegat HS Fishing Club and we will be hosting our 8th Annual Fisherman’s Fleamarket on Saturday, December 10th at Barnegat High School. Admission is $4 for adults and FREE for kids 12yrs/under. It’s a great event and all proceeds benefit the Barnegat HS Fishing Club.

Here is the run down:

I had return client Bob Cipolla and his son Christopher on a Striped Bass charter. With not much going on along the beaches, we decided to stay inside and work a variety of spots with both live and fresh bait. The father and son team boxed 3 keeper Striped Bass to 29.5 inches (2 bonus tags used), and probably missed another 4 to 5 fish. They earned every bit of their 3 keepers. Nice job!! I forgot to mention, we saw a harbor seal working one of the rips.

I had return client Jason Packard of Bordentown, his son Christopher, and father Ronald of Georgia on a Striped Bass charter. We concentrated our efforts around the bay and inlet, and the trio was rewarded with some keeper Striped Bass. This trip was Chris’s birthday present and fittingly the 11yr old boated two Striped Bass (26in, 28in). We worked hard throwing artificials and live bait to box 4 Striped Bass for the cooler. Nice job to the crew, and great job by Christopher for braving the cold and fishing hard!! Note: We are able to keep Striped Bass 24 to 28 inches with charter NJSB Bonus Permits. I bring one per person until they are used up.

I had a last minute cancellation and filled an Open Boat with Ed Miller of NYC, Paul Kaufman and his son Conrad of Philadelphia, PA. We again concentrated our efforts around Barnegat Bay and the inlet. The guys worked hard to put 10 fish across the deck and kept five for the table up to 28.5 inches. Paul had a nice fish on but lost him in the current. The guys worked extremely hard, so nice job!!

I had Bill Suplee of Valley Forge, PA, his wife Mary, and family friend Dan Baer on a Striped Bass Charter. We worked a variety of areas and got them on both artificials and live bait, keeping 4 for the table. With the water temperatures relatively warm for November, we released to keeper Fluke to 22 inches. Mary caught her first NJ Striped Bass a solid 27″ fish that we took with the NJSBBP. Nice job, and not too bad considering our late morning start.

With Gale Warnings predicted for Sunday, I ran a double charter on Saturday. In the morning, I had return client Ross Alber of Medford along with buddies Ray and Edward on a Striped Bass charter. We started along the beach and had fish early, but lost them. We stayed persistent and finally Ross hooked a nice 27 inch Striped Bass on Tsunami Swim Shad. We finished trip in the back with both Ray and Edward picking up keeper Stripers. The crew boxed 3 Stripers to 29 inches for the table.

In the early afternoon, I had return client Mike Ipri of Delran with his 15yr old son John. We had some tough drifting conditions with opposing wind and tide, but the crew stayed with it. We moved from spot to spot for 4 hours, before finally finding some active fish. The crew boxed 4 Striped Bass up to 30 inches for the table. John caught the biggest one, a nice 30 incher on a Tsunami Swim Shad. Great job and way to stick it out!!

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

November 19, 2016 ——————————————————–

9:00 PM – Another Great Day Of Fishing!

Blake and I pushed off super early this morning with our sights set on finding adult bunker. There we would find quality bass! While it was not an easy decision, we headed south out of BI. The predators pushed the large forage south, but how far? We came up on an active feed off of the Surf City – Ship Bottom area in gray light. The bass were rolling on top blasting peanut bunker. Blake hooked one on a Guppy Pencil Popper but I couldn’t come tight. The area was alive for 15-20 minutes until the pack of boats racing south blew through. Some stopped to give it a look but it just never came back together. Knowing that the peanuts were behind the adults we pushed on south, with our goal still in mind… Find Big Bunker! We eventually found ’em stacked up off of Brigantine in 30-40 feet of water. Angers in the area caught on the troll and snag and drop. Blake released a really nice one that pulled the Boga Grip to 42 pounds. There were big gator blues in there as well as massive blankets of spiny dogfish. A whale was in on the action too (I’ll post a photo one of these days on our social media).

From what we encountered today it was all quality fish. We didn’t see any of the schoolie class fish that we had in the waters north yesterday. Word from friends who fish IBSP waters, “Lots of peanuts and small bass on them. Some guys on the troll got some better fish but most of the bass were on the small side. There were some big blues chewing at times.” As stated on my 17th report, there’s a new wave of fish in our area. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next week or two. Hopefully you got to enjoy the past couple of days. The weather was awesome and the fishing was even better. Unfortunately the weather has come to an end. The forecast shows lots of wind the next few days. Maybe it will stir it up for the good. Once it settles down , those interested might want to take a peak out there for some inshore bluefin tuna. I went on the search yesterday but didn’t find anything. Today there were boats on them and fish were boated.

~FishHead.Greg

Dan and his brother Patrick DiPasquale were on the water today with their day. Dan reported, “Took the gamble down south today to hunt some bigger fish and it paid off big time! We put in our time and pulled some real nice fish. I’m amazed at how fast these fish move. We chased this particular body from Asbury Park last Sunday all the way down to Atlantic City today. What an epic week of fishing for sure! I have met some great people and shared some awesome times with friends and family. I love the fall!”

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic Tournament News:

Here’s some info from today, all with the same theme… south end of the Island and bunker…

Andrea Knoerzer of Voorhees took the lead in the woman’s striped bass division with her 19.82 pound bass. Andrea caught it off of Beach Haven on bunker at 3pm. Patrick Gallin of Bensalim PA got a 14.18 pound bluefish at 9:45am on bunker in Beach Haven. Russ Andrew of Beach Haven caught a 24.7 pound bass in Beach Haven on bunker at 11am. Kurt Horansky of Beach Haven caught a 16.16 pound bass at 5:30am on bunker in Holgate.

From Yesterday…

Thomas McDowell Jr. of Shamong caught a 13.16 pound bass off of the surf at 4pm on bunker. He also got a 17.06 pound bluefish on meat too. Edgar Chew of West Deptford caught a 11.76 pound bluefish that he caught on bunker off of the Spray Beach surf at 2:30pm. Joe Jaskiewicz of Marlton got a 14.36 pound bass on bunker in Surf City at 1:30pm. Joe also caught a 13.3 pound bluefish. Bill Montrey of Manahawkin caught a 16.88 pound striped bass at 9am on bunker off of Spray Beach. Jack Heller of Marlton got a 13.62 pound bass at 9:30am on bunker in Surf City.
Ben Blair of Long Beach Township caught a 12.5 pound bass in Beach Haven Park at 10am. Albert Giannotti of Beach Haven Gardens got a 13.98 pound bass at 1pm on clam in Spray Beach.

Last night Stephen Seeberger of Ewing weighed in a 12.04 pound bass. He caught it off of the Beach Haven surf at 5:30pm on bunker. He was fishing with his buddy Glen who also caught a bass (which happens to be his first striper). Stephen reported, “In the morning there were tons of bunker and the boats were on them. Guys on the beach had fish too. We got the two bass bites while culling through the skates and spiny dogs.

LBI Surf Fishing Classic Special Prizes for the week of Monday 11/21 to Sunday 11/27

11/21 – $15 Gift Certificate to Barry’s Do Me A Flavor, random drawing from all fish caught today
11/22 – Tsunami Airwave Rod from Folsom Corp., random drawing from all fish caught today
11/23 – $40 Gift Certificate from Spice It Up in Beach Haven, goes to the largest bass caught today
11/24 – $100 Gift Certificate to Surf City Bait & Tackle for the largest bass caught today in Memory of Bruce Hoagland
11/25 – $250 to the largest bass caught today donated by Jim Dobrowolski President and CEO of U.S. Facilities Inc.
11/26 – $250 to the largest bass caught today donated by Jim Dobrowolski President and CEO of U.S. Facilities Inc.
– $100 gift certificate to Fisherman Headquarters to the largest bass today
11/27 – $250 to the largest bass caught today donated by Jim Dobrowolski President and CEO of U.S.Facilities Inc.
– $100 gift certificate to Fisherman Headquarters to the largest bass today
11/26 – 11/27 $50 cash to the largest bluefish caught this weekend

November 18, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:30 PM

Some good activity off of the LBI surf!!!

Here’s some LBI Surf Fishing Classic weigh-in information from this morning… Chris Masino caught a 23.62 pound bass off of the Beach Haven surf at about 8:45am. He caught it livelining via snag and drop. Thomas Gardiner caught a 30.78 pound bass off of the Spray Beach surf at about 9 am on a bunker chunk. Walt Ott of Cinnaminson caught a 12.6 pound bluefish on bunker at 10am in Beach Haven. Gordon Kirk caught a 11.8 pound bass at 9 am in Beach Haven on bunker. Bill Montrey of Manahawkin caught a 14.84 pound bluefish at 8:30 am on bunker in Spray Beach. Rick Ziegler of Reading PA got a 17.74 pound bluefish on bunker in Beach Haven Park at noon. Tom Law got a 11.52 bluefish on bunker in Beach Haven Terrace at 10 am. Joe Handley Jr. caught, checked and safely released a 16.42 pound gator bluefish today. Joe caught it on bunker in Beach Haven. Bob Braack of the Long Beach Island Fishing club caught a 12.92 pound bluefish on bunker in Spray Beach this afternoon. Yesterday Travis Furter of Hainesport caught a 10.96 pound bluefish at 4:45pm on a plug at Barnegat Light. He checked it into the derby this morning. Marcella Friedman of Hamilton checked in a pair of bluefish last night, the bigger one was 16.74 pounds. She caught the pair fishing the Barnegat Inlet on metal.

It’s awesome to see the surf come alive on LBI. While this season has offered some fish, it has not been too good surf the surf anglers. Today that changed. We are looking forward to an awesome weekend of fishing!

I headed out in the boat early this morning and found a great feed in grey light. Schoolie bass and gator blues were ripping apart baby bunker schools right in on the beach. The actively went on for a solid hour or more. Poppers, metal lips, bucktails and shads. They were eating just about anything that we placed in front of their nose, EXCEPT big lures. The bass and blues were keyed in on 3-6” bunker so that’s the size lures that were working the best. The good old bucktail tipped with a strip bait (Fat Cow’s Jig Strip, pork sub is awesome) and the mini Guppy Pencil Popper were out producing! The bite was on fire until the traffic shut it down. We headed offshore to about 7 miles off and looked around for life (inshore bluefin tuna will be here soon if not already) but couldn’t find much so we called it a day. When heading out, I though long and hard about making the right turn out of the Inlet. I just couldn’t pass up the possibility for a repeat. I got word that yesterday afternoon the mayhem slid south and tee’d off in and around the Inlet. They continued their move south and today they were stretched out along the LBI beach front. The epicenter was Beach Haven and the Township Beaches to the north. Lots of guys got into them on the sand (reports above). A couple friends got into them in the same waters via boat. I got the old, “Really you went north! You should of fished here. It was blitzing and we had it all to our selves.” Hind sight’s always 20/20!

~FishHead.Greg

November 17, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:00 PM

Fishing was awesome this morning. Dan D. and I pushed off the dock at 5 am and found fish quickly along IBSP. We came up on large active pods of bunker in the dark. They were getting smashed! We stayed with them for the whole morning. There seems to be a new wave of fish that slide into our area. While there are some classy bass (Dan released one that pulled the Boga Grip to 38 pounds) the majority were teen size and smaller. There was lots of big gator bluefish chewing for most of the day too. Both the bass and blues were spitting up adult bunker as well as peanut bunker. There were pods of both all over the place. We did all of our damage on poppers, metal lip swimmers and bucktails. A handful of fish were done up on the snag and drop. I’m looking forward to more of this fantastic fall fishing. ~FishHead.Greg

Received: Nov 16, 2016 8:43 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

The weather is turning cold, and the holidays are coming one after another. This is not the time, however, to forget about fishing. The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are still ready to finish up the 2016 fishing season in high gear.

The tautog, or blackfish, daily bag limit is now up to 6 fish. This new daily quota will remain in effect for the rest of the year. In addition to some of these crab eating monsters on the inshore wrecks, there are still good numbers of black sea bass itching to be caught.

The striped bass action continues to play out on the entire length of Long Beach Island. As has been the situation for the past couple of weeks, the linesiders are being caught principally by “snagging and dropping” live bunker from the bunker schools and by trolling. The most successful trolling has been with bunker spoons.

Most captains start their day working their way in close to the beach looking for the bunker pods with bass under them. If that does not produce action, then it is further east to deeper water to drag the spoons.

Captain Fran Verdi had the “Francesca Marie” out earlier this week and headed north of Barnegat Inlet. When he found the snag and drop action to be unproductive, he quickly moved to trolling. His party picked up five big bass in just an hour on the spoons.

Addition information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be obtained by going to the Association’s website at www.BHCFA.net.

Received: Nov 16, 2016 5:52 PM Subject: Open Boat Stripers

Crazy bass run so far. We had big bass on bunker for a few weeks followed by five days of “no fish anywhere” followed by lots of bunker and big bass from Manasquan Inlet and points north of there and now they’re here in our backyard off of Island Beach State Park…..and these aren’t even the migratory fish yet! These big fish on bunker are just a bonus that we have had for at least three Fall runs in a row now. Most of the fish we are catching are snagging bunker in close to the beach. They are anywhere from weighing in the high teens to 30 plus pound fish. This is not a fishery you want to miss as any minute now the migratory run is going to collide with this bunker run and we’ll be catching all size fish on varied techniques from snagging to casting lures with some trolling mixed in. From now to Christmas, this is not a time to wait for reports, it’s the time to make reports.

Running Open Boat or charter Friday, Nov 18, departing at approx. 11:00 AM, Monday, Nov 21 departing at 6 AM. Six hour trips (usually longer) $200 person, three people max on Open Boat trips, can do four on charters. All fish are shared.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

November 15, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: Nov 15, 2016 6:15 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

The recent cold nights dropped the bay to 49 but the ocean is still 54-56. It appears a new body of ocean bass has moved within striking distance. The bay channels, flats, and inlet remain solid with the bite going off when tide is right. There are even scattered schools of schoolie bass patrolling the west side of the bay. Saturday’s trip started off cold with air temps in the low 30s. We quickly warmed up with two bass falling to plugs and thought it would go off. It did not as far as the plug bite is concerned. The fishing was steady on live bait with several fish in the 28”-30” range. Even circle hooks draw blood sometimes, but for the most part they work! I have Saturday available if you want to book a trip and get in on the action when the bass fishing is about to peak.

On the nature side of things: once again there have been numerous big whales feeding on the bunker alongside of the stripers. Years ago we did not see this and now it is an every fall occurrence. I credit conservation efforts for these natural history events. In 1972 Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act which prohibited the killing of whales with in the USA’s waters. Our waters extend to 200 miles offshore. In addition, in 1986 the International Whaling Convention banned all commercial whaling worldwide. That’s good for the whales but what about their food? During the last decade or so we have been managing the stocks of Atlantic Menhaden (bunker). New Jersey does not allow bunker reduction boats within the state line (3 miles) which along with other State’s regulations has improved the bunker stocks, forage for the whales. And North Atlantic whales like bunker. Give Mother Nature a little time and there you have it, whales off NJ every fall.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

November 14, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Tog reports from the rocks are solid. A number of anglers were in gearing up with crabs and all shared positive info from their most recent outings. Two separate customers reported nice size keepers are there for the taking. One angler had a four pound class white chin.

John Parzych was struggling all week to find fish off the surf but finally managed to catch a few. On the last day of his fishing vacation he found a couple keepers at first light. He got them on bucktails fishing the Inlet.

The past couple of days has offered awesome bass fishing for the boats! Here’s some reports from anglers that got into the action…

This evening Blake S reported picking three bass on the troll. He said they couldn’t find much bait. But yesterday evening was a different story. Bass and bait all over with only a couple boats present.

Earlier today Todd Luber sent in a report and a photo of his fishing partner Joe with one of many from this morning. Todd reported, “It was a rope fest! All 20-30+ pound fish. We got one over 40 pounds. Everything was on top water lures and rubber shads. Fish were moving south fast. I’m loving those Guppy Pencil Poppers just as much as the bass do!”

Kurt Montagano of Marlton stopped by with a big bass this morning. It weighed in at 43.5 pounds and taped out at 47″ with a 27.5″ girth. Kurt said the bass were on top and feeding this morning. He put a yellow popper on and was hooked up. Kurt was fishing off of IBSP and got a 47″ and a 39″ bass.

Another weigh in came in from Vince and John from the Village Harbour Fishing Club. The duo was out out today fishing off of Seaside and boxed a 30.9 and a 38.12 pound bass.

Jordan Dechurch reported, “Caught ’em good today. Got our limit and then it was catch and release time. All nice fish, 2 miles off IBSP.”

Here’s a couple reports from yesterday. Dave Defeo caught a 30 pound 42″ bass in the boat off Lavallette, snag and drop at about 9:30 am. Ryan Dellane took the ride up way the beach yesterday and got into absolute mayhem with bass on the snag and drop. Ryan Curtiss reported, “We had lights out morning yesterday. Four man limit by 9 am. We released a few more until 11 and called it a day. Biggest was 46 pounds.”

Store alumni Yonnie fished the Stafford PBA this past weekend with his father Keith aboard his friend’s 42 Henriques. The crew managed to take third place. Keith said, “We got ’em on the troll via Mojo.”
Sunday November 13, 2016

Tonight JCAA is honoring Ed Cherry with the JCAA Lifetime Achievement Award. Ed passed away on May 26, 2015. JCAA has a long standing policy of not giving individuals who dedicate their time to JCAA the “JCAA Sportsmen of the Year Award” no matter how years they volunteered to protect the marine resource. When we lost Ed Cherry and John Koegler we knew that policy had to change.

I got to know Ed many years ago when he starting volunteering his time at JCAA with his longtime friend and fishing buddy Paul Turi. I realized how fast he learned what was happening in marine fisheries and we would have deep discussions about what needed to be done. Sometimes he and I would disagree about policy matters and we would work together to find a compromise that was often better than both of our original ideas.

Ed stepped up and took over the key positions at JCAA for the analyzing all the new proposed management changes of striped bass, menhaden and weakfish. As time passed I asked him if he would be NJ’s ASMFC recreational Advisor on menhaden and he gladly accepted the added work. I never had to do corrections to any of Ed’s articles. Instead I would send my articles to Ed for his input and suggestions. I came to rely on his insight and knowledge on many environmental and fisheries topics.

When Ed was fighting the long battle with cancer he never shied away for working on the many topics concerning the marine environment and never quit. I would be remised if I did not point out that Ed was a hell of an angler and teacher. If you ever fished with Ed you were going to get a lesson on how to improve your fish catching methods. I personally learned to harvest grass shrimp and use them to catch weakfish on a one of the fishing trips on his boat. During his retirement, he became known as one of the best weakfish fishermen in Barnegat Bay. He was a championship caliber recreational fisherman, winning or placing in numerous fishing tournaments during his retirement. Ed was a multiple honoree of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Skillful Angler Award Winners. Ed helped form the Village Harbor Fishing Club. Ed had many loyal friends and made their lives better. Nowhere is his loss felt more than with members of JCAA. The loyalty Ed’s friends showed to him during his long illness, spending time with him and making sure he could still go fishing, is a testament to Ed’s ability to make and keep valued friends.

Ed is survived by his wife of 55 years, Marilyn and their four sons and wives and his grandchildren some of whom were here tonight. I was honored to listen to some of the Cherry family stories at his memorial service last year. This is what I always knew about Ed’s dedication to marine issues; it wasn’t just for him or for the recognition. It was to insure that his children, grandchildren and every generation to follow could have the same opportunity to experience the joy that comes from catching that one great fish.

Ed was one of my valued critics. At every dinner he would critique my speech, was it too long, was it to the point? So in honor of Ed, I will keep it short. He was a friend, a fishing buddy and a valued member of JCAA.

~ Tom Fote, JCAA

November 12, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: Nov 12, 2016 3:21 PM Subject: Last Minute Cancellation

I had a last minute cancellation for tomorrow morning (11/13/2016) – I can either run full charter or open boat (need 3 to run) 6AM to 11AM.
We boxed 4 Striped Bass today and I plan on fishing the same area. Open boat is $140 per person and this includes 6 spot each – we will most likely stay close fishing both artificials and live bait. I plan on leaving 6AM SHARP returning at 11AM. Call or text me at 609-290-7709.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

November 11, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Sorry for the lack of reports. I’ve been deep into papers and projects all week so no recent fishing time for me. I did scratch out and score earlier in the week with the epic swell. It was all time LBI firing on all cylinders. Surprisingly I didn’t see much bait. I checked and surf the north end, mid island and the south end. Right now I’m planning to fish as much as possible after this weekend. I got my fingers crossed it will tee off after Monday’s rare Super Moon.

It’s sad to say the surf fishing has been painfully slow the fall season. Talking with a number of anglers most have had little positive to say. There are some fish present but not in the numbers we would like to see. The only positive land based reports were from the bay and inlet. Anglers are live bait fishing as well as plugging them up. The best bet for a bite is to target tog at the rocks with crabs. Boat anglers are finding fish in the bay and inlet as well as up the beach. This week some anglers picked fish on the troll as well as on the snag and drop. Those that headed north, some going way north 15-20 miles, got into a good bite.

Let’s hope they swing down this way and hang around. I expect things will improve soon. This brisk westerly might turn it on! Traditionally mid to late November as well as in December our local area sees a great push of hungry bass. It seems that the large class of fish (present for the past month or so) has moved on. Hopefully I’m wrong! I know lots of anglers will be out fishing the wind this weekend looking for a good one to hang for the PBA Striper Tournament. Best of luck to all of the anglers fishing!

Today there were three bass checked into the LBI Surf Fishing Classic. All teen size fish caught mid-island (Surf City, Brant Beach, Spray Beach). For more details on the Classic go to www.LBIFT.com Just a reminder the Catch and Release Segment is on until December 5th. To participate you have to be in the Classic. There’s some awesome prizes up for grabs; Van Staal Reel, Lamiglas Rod, MAK Surfcasting Products, Lures from top names like Gibbs, Super Strike, Guppy and others. All you have to do is submit a fish to be in the running. All prizes are raffled of to those that enter a fish. For more details check out the webpage.

Dan D. reported he found an angler “molly whopping” tog at the inlet this afternoon on crabs.” Dan said, “The angler was solo, banging away at them in the wind.”

~FishHead.Greg

November 10, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: Nov 10, 2016 10:04 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

The most accurate comment that can be made regarding striped bass fishing off Beach Haven for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association is that it is hard to figure out the fishing tendencies.

There are pods of bunker to be found the length of Long Beach Island. It is just a matter of traveling along the beach and looking for their telltale signs. The only tough part has been the strong winds lately churning the wind surface and making spotting difficult. Once the bunker pods are found, sometimes there are bass under them, and sometimes there are not. Sometimes the fish under them are feeding, and other times they are not.

Captain Fran Verdi of the “Francesca Marie” has had a couple of productive trips recently when the winds permit. He found that the key to actually catching fish was to get there early. Once the sun was well into the sky, t he huge numbers of other boats on the scene seemed to drive the fish in every direction. Both of his recent trips have resulted in a pair of nice for the cooler.

Captain Gary Dugan had the “Irish Jig” out recently and despite some rough conditions managed one very nice striper on the snag and drop that weighed a hefty 43-pounds. The fish was measured out to a length of 48-inches.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

November 9, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

Ryan Dellane fished Election day aboard Brett Ekelmann’s boat. Ryan reported, “Boy was the forecast wrong. Nice long period swell and no wind made for a nice calm day. Caught a 29.8 pound bass on the snag and drop.

There’s still tog up at the rocks. While not as hot and heavy as it was they are up.

Received: Nov 9, 2016 9:51 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

With an 11th hour cancelation for Wednesday I jumped on the Debbie M with Derek Bonk for some pre-voting fishing. Breaking through the inlet breakers, literally, at first light we headed north. There was a good 4-6’ northeasterly swell pushing in against an outgoing tide which makes navigating the inlet challenging. We ran the beach a few miles past Seaside only finding a scattering a bait marks and no bass or blues. While we heading north countless Northern Gannets glided south on the nor ’westerlies migrating south without even looking to feed. Not a good sign. In nature, survival of the fittest if often driven by conservation of energy. These gannets were conserving their energy reserves by gliding south and not wasting any energy to stop and look around for found. Given the opportunity to get an easy meal when bait fish are pushed to the surface by predators they would make it their business to stop for an easy meal to increase their fat reserves for winter. With no signs of this I knew we would likely see no action beachfront which was the case. I often use nature’s clues to put a successful catch together. Retreating to the white water of the inlet to see if the bass there were taken advantage of the turbulence to save energy and easily pick off baitfish we found drop and reel fishing. On the first drift with live bait we were doubled up. The action continued until we ran out of bait. All of the fish were from the 26 – 30” range. I did try some BKDs to no avail. For the remainder of the week. For the remainder of the week I only have Thursday and Sunday open for private trip and one open boat slot (no more than three anglers for a more personal adventure) for Saturday AM.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

November 8, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: Nov 7, 2016 9:36 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Sportfishing

With my son’s fall baseball commitments finally over (every weekend since August) – I will be running every weekend through the first week of December. So far I only have 3 dates available 11/20, 11/27, and 12/3 for Striped Bass charters and with conditions permitting I will try to run two trips in a day. The trophy sized Stripers have been around for the last couple of weeks with schools moving down from the North, and there is still a load of fish North of us in the 10 to 20lb range which is the typical size of our fall fishery.

Early in the week I had Tom Duralek of Manahawkin to catch the tail end of the flurry with a quick trip with Tom Duralek and we got into some Striped Bass up to 42 inches. We had a few fish early and missed a few others, but we ended up releasing one of over 40 inches and kept 1 at 42 inches (due to it being gut hooked). First Striper trip of the Fall.

Later in the week I had return charter client Ross Alber, his friend Gary Hennebery and Gary’s grandson Anthony Mangiamere on a 5hr Striped Bass trip. We fished a variety of spots from Mantaloking to Barnegat Inlet, stopping at pod after pod, and finally going to the troll. We ended working the inlet with live bait, but unfortunately it wasn’t in the cards as the pile of fish that was here earlier moved way South. We did get some up and close pics/video of a couple whales working bait near Barnegat Inlet. Wildlife scenery about a 10, Fish cooperating about -10.

Over the weekend, I had return client Michael Galindo, his two son’s Bennet & Mason, and Tom DiNapoli on a Striped Bass charter. We had to move around and finally found some subtle action away from the fleets. The crew went 1 for 3 on the snag-n-drop with 14yr old Bennet boating a nice 42-in Striped Bass that weighed between 28-30 pounds on the Boga Grip. Bennet did an awesome job fighting his first ever 30-lb Striper on 15-lb test. We finished the trip around the inlet and had one hit on live-bait. Nice job by the crew.

November will be solely for Striped Bass/Bluefish, and I have only a few weekend dates left (Nov 20th, 27th and December 3rd). I may be able to squeeze a quick 4hr trip on Thanksgiving morning. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call/text. As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

November 7, 2016 ——————————————————–

9:30 AM

This past weekend didn’t match up to last weekend’s striper megalomania; however, some boats did good. This time of year we get waves of fish pushing south in their southern migration. Some times they make a pit stop for a quick refueling other times it’s an extended stay. With bait and bass stretched out along the Jersey Shore we’ve got the green light so let’s go fishing. Just keep an eye on the forecast. We currently have a strong low pressure offshore that will send some powerful long period swell our way… head high to possibly over head surf Tuesday and Wednesday!!!

The 7th Annual Stafford PBA Striped Bass Tournament is November 11 & 12. For more details

Store staffer Dan D was on the water this weekend. He reported, “Just what we needed!!! Big winds lightened the crowd and brought the fish to the surface in a frenzy with whales engulfing bunker all over. After a tough start (0-2) in the morning, we pounded through the chop and found the mother load. Fishing doesn’t get any better than this!”

Lee Lhota reported, “I put my nephew on his first bass today! Even got the old man one too. Saw lots of life out there including almost being hit by a whale.”

Sean Kenny posted a photo of a nice striped bass that was caught in the ocean along the beach front with a caption, “Nothing better than grooming the next generation of fisherman. Lots of searching paid off.”

Alex Widney reported, “I put my girlfriend Marie on her first striper. Came up for some top water loving. 42″, not a bad first for her!”

Received: Nov 6, 2016 6:06 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Was out 3 of the last 4 days and every day felt like Election Day, decisions, decision. Do I go outside and run the beach looking for bass or do I stay inside? Thursday we did a little bit of both. Running past Seaside we could not find any bass or bunker for that matter. Got some great looks at dolphins though. Coming inside we moved around a lot to find the bass. Using live bait we were able to land four schoolies.

Saturday it was returning fisherman Terry Jumper and his friend Guy. Fishing around the inlet we were constantly rocked from the parade of boats heading out. The inlet is not this crazy during the summer! For an hour and a half after sunrise there was just boat after boat heading out and making a left to run up the beach. Looks like the State will being getting a lot of money from boaters with the new gas tax. Well, based on Thursday’s results we decided to stay inside unless intel told us otherwise. Good thing we did, there was not much of a bite and most boats got skunked. And the Debbie M is not like most boats J The crew worked hard for two bass. Sunday, I had the Story crew out for a short trip to do some nature viewing and a little fishing. I started off going up some salt marsh creeks. I was hoping we would spot a Bald Eagle since they are around now, but we did not. Flushed up a bunch of buffleheads and black ducks along with a marsh hawk. With time left in the trip we switched over to fishing and Sue Story landed her first striper on the first drift. The crew landed 3 bass with little effort.

On the nature side of things: Barnegat Bay is starting to welcome its winter visitors; ducks, loons, and cormorants. At a time of year when most may think of things migrating south for the winter we are the south for many species of birds like buffleheads, mergansers, and scaup. The bay is alive 365.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

Received: Nov 6, 2016 4:30 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Bass Up to 50lbs!!

Another solid week of striped bass fishing with some trips seeing more quality than quantity with bass pulling the scales down to the 50lbs range. Most anglers aboard the Reel Fantasea continue score excellent catches of striped bass mostly ranging in the 25-38lbs range on the snag and drop. Although regular Jay Simmons managed to score a real trophy that pulled the scale deeply into it’s limits that nearly hit the 50lbs mark just shy by a few ounces.

Most trips continued to not only witness schools of ravenous striped bass chasing densely pack bunker pods clear out of the water but very active whales that provided a very exciting visual back drop while perusing our striped quarry. With water temps and bait abundance in the ideal zone and long range forecast looking fantastic , who knows how long the Fall Migration season will last!! I only have a few afternoons left in the month of November , for those looking for a 3-4 hour afternoon trip the time is now!! I will be on the water everyday until December keeping abreast of what exactly is going on each and everyday!!

Call or text only for details. Remember to view photos and latest reports on our face book page. Like and share please.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

November 5, 2016 ——————————————————–

4:00 PM

It’s Prime Time November Fall Fishing! Let’s Go Fish – Jerry Junod of Churchville, PA caught a 50.00 pound striped bass this morning #fishing with Captain Ken Nutt aboard The Striper out of Barnegat Light. The trophy was 49.5″ and had a 29″ girth. The crew reported slow but good fishing. They dropped another really nice fish. All of the action was on the bunker pods, snag and drop, late morning. Here is a photo.

2:00 PM

Chris Peszka of Riverton, NJ weighed in a 16.68 pound 36″ bass at about noon time today. He caught the striper off of the Holgate surf on bunker at about 8:15 this morning.

Dylan Fisher stopped in the shop yesterday evening with some friends. He buddy Jarrett Gibbs bought a new St.Croix Mojo Surf 9′ plugging rod and also got a new Penn Clash spooled up. A couple hours after leaving the shop they posted a photo of a Jarrett with a nice sandy striper with a caption, “Got ’em on the first cast! What a great start to the weekend.” How’s that for a christening! This morning they headed out and up the beach on the boat. While it was not an all our bonkers day (like they got into last weekend) they did find fish. One photo Dylan posted was a selfies with a hoss. Another photo was three quality bass on the deck. The “ReelFishers” are on the meat!

It’s great to see the surf picking up a bit. Jay Mann was recently in the shop purchasing some tackle. While here he shared that he caught some bass off the surf. I looked on his blog and found that he got three working the beach slews on the south end. He reported both Eddie Y. and Mark J. found fish too. To see what’s brewing out there in Jay’s mind go to Jay Mann Today to read more. Better yet check Jay’s blog daily!

Some other reports…

Kyle G posted a photo of a bass “Good to get some fish on the plug.”

Jacob Rice messaged us this report, “Went out this evening (yesterday) and found them. Got two bass; a 34″ and a 15″. Great evening enjoying some catch and release bucktailing.”

A great crabbing report from Phil Juhring, “You don’t see too many legitimate 7″ Jersey blue claw crabs caught by trap or hand line. We got one today (yesterday). One of many that made up almost two bushels.” Now’s the time to enjoy the plum meat fill late season crabbing.

November 3, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

The 2nd Annual Bass Bash & Fish Fry hosted by the Quelle to benefit the Maximilian Foundation is this weekend… November 5 & 6. For more details.

Forked River Tuna Club Fall Bass and Blues Tournament is November 5th – 12th Open to beach or boat anglers.
$40 Entry fee each division or $65 Combo Entry. Jr. Anglers fish FREE with a Adult Entry
Cash Prizes for 1st-3rd Place with Weigh Stations from the Highlands to LBI

Portions of the proceeds will be donated to the Martin Truex Jr Foundation

Captain’s Meeting – Friday, November 4th at 7:30pm at the Forked River Tuna Club Clubhouse – 18 Bay Ave, Forked River NJ
Chinese Auction, Calcutta’s, 50/50, Hot Sandwiches, Cash Bar
Awards Ceremony – Sunday, November 13th at 1pm
Register and pay with a credit card online at www.ForkedRiverTunaClub.com

You can enter both this tournament and the Stafford and fish both.

The 7th Annual Stafford PBA Striped Bass Tournament is November 11 & 12. For more details

Received: Nov 2, 2016 5:01 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

The fall bite that the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association has been waiting for has arrived. The striped bass are here in many sizes, and these fish are hungry.

The body of fish which had been massed to the north of Ocean County has begun to make its way to the south into the welcoming arms of the BHCFA captains. While the best bite is still a short ride north of Barnegat Inlet, more and more fish are showing up right off the shores of Long Beach Island.

An indication of the number of fish around is the final count from the recent Sea Shell Striped Bass Derby in Beach Haven. A total of 93 boats weighed in 94 fish with 58 of these coming on Sunday morning.

Prior to the last couple of days, the bite had been mostly restricted to boats trolling bunker spoons and Mojo’s. Now there are pods of bunker close to the beach, and there are bass under them. This has made it exciting for “snag and drop” fishing in water depths of 20-60 feet. At times the bass are right on top of the water making for fun on plugs and poppers.

Besides the bass action there are whales and dolphins around also feeding their faces on the bunker. Captain Gary Dugan of the “Irish Jig” recently ran up to just south of Barnegat Inlet and found “massive pods” of bait with some whales putting on a show. Captain Gary said he took a beautiful 44-inch striper home for dinner.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

November 2, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:00 AM

Store staffer Dan D gave us heads up that he on ’em again. “Roping them snag and drop! We headed north and found them. It’s odd no body else is catching around us. We hit a random pod that was full of bass. We had it all to ourselves.”

Rick was in the shop this morning and said the beach has been slow. “Even the small blues are gone. I’ll keep feeding the crabs until the stripers move in.”

Paul Haertel reported, “Kyren Dooley and I gave the stripers a break and went out for seabass. We limited out with fish over 4.5 pounds.”

Received: Nov 2, 2016 9:13 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

This time of year fishing can go from 0 to 60 overnight and that is what it just did. Wednesday afternoon magic hour trip had Larry Switaj trying to shake is bass curse off to no avail. Conditions were prime with incoming to high tide at dusk but it was all swing and misses. Saturday morning I had Kevin Furness and his 16 year old son Nathan out for a short trip that was anything but short on catching. It was classic fall inside light tackle action with bass to 30” on plugs at sun up and live bait after. Then duo boated over a dozen bass (see attached pic of one). Circle hooks did their job on all the live baited fish releases. It cannot be stressed enough about using them for bass especially when fishing for the large breeding aged females. If we are not harvesting them let’s give them the best chance to survive. Did not make it out today but solid intel was off an epic bite within a short run on the inlet, short when you’re doing 35 J Snag n drop bass 20-40 pounds. This is only the beginning let the games begin!

Have Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday open for magic hour trips. Then open most days Nov 6 – 13. Give me a call to get in on the hot fall bite.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic Special Prizes for the week of Monday 10/31 to Sunday 11/6

10/31 – Trick or Treat bass. The largest bass caught today wins $500 awarded by Surf City Bait and Tackle.
11/01 – Special Prize from California Grill: $25 gift certificate to someone that catches a fish today.
11/02 – Special Prize from Pearl Street Market: $25 gift certificate to someone that catches a fish today.
11/03 – Special Prize from Barrys Do Me A Flavor: $15 gift certificate to someone that catches a fish today.
11/04 – Special Prize from Farias: Assortment of items will go to someone that catches a fish today.
11/05 – $500 to the largest bass caught today.
11/05 – $100 gift certificate donated by Fisherman Headquarters to the largest bass today
11/06 – Special Prize of a Airwaves rod from Folsom Corporation to someone that catches a fish today.
11/06 – $100 gift certificate donated by Fisherman Headquarters to the largest bass today
11/05 to 11/6 – $50 cash to the largest bluefish caught this weekend.

November 1, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

I finished off October and kicked off November right! Halloween night South Philly Fred joined Blake and I for a night time fishing trip. We set out to fish for an hour or so but when us three team up it always seems to turn into iron man all nighters. We found the fish on the feed. On his first cast, Blake’s line was tight just a couple of cranks in. My first snagged a bunker when digging in a darter. A couple casts and Fred was in! We went fish for fish for hours. Before we know it, it’s 2am. All of us really wanted to get out for a sunrise session so we called it quits. Quick power hour naps and we were back on the boat at 6am. On our way out to the ocean we found the bass and bait pouring over the north jetty. There was only one boat in on the action so we joined in. It was an awesome hour or two bite on top. After the sun came up and got into a high position bucktails were very effective. Once the action subsided we cruised up the beach to find that while we were enjoying an epic rope session, we missed out on the morning bass on bunker feed. We hoped it would happen all morning but that wasn’t the case. We got word the the action popped up in the afternoon with lots of boats getting in on the fun. It’s November which spells GAME TIME! Let’s go fishing.

~FishHead.Greg

Bob Dodds stopped in today with a pair of black sea bass (two pounders) and a four pound tog. Bob was fishing on a local inshore wreck.

Word from the Inlet is the tog are still present and eating crabs. The latest intel detailed the trend is less fish but better quality.

Jimbo was in the shop this evening preparing essentials for the run in the surf. “It’s going to happen real soon!” He said, “Coming out of this new moon phase we’ll have a crack at it. Today there were birds picking scattered small bait. Mid-island and on the north end there were also peanut bunker and adults present. The south end has to have the same but I haven’t been down there. If they come within range it’s gonna fire like it did on our northern neighbors beaches yesterday.”

Received: Oct 31, 2016 4:51 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – HOLY COW!! It’s a stampede!!!

The Bass fishing has blown wide open!! Snag and dropping has been producing double digit numbers of plus size bass on every outing with only one exception on last Friday afternoon where we couldn’t even buy a bite.

Abundant schools of hapless bunker have been hammered by not only schools of bass in 25-40lbs range but also very active feeding whales that breach continuously around the boat [some times a little too close]. It’s a sight like no other when a school of large bass decides to put the hammers down on a densely packed school of bunker. At times the schools look like a solid quivering mass up until they go air born in an attempt to flee the inevitable.

With our home waters providing what looks like an endless supply of bait [bunker schools] and ideal water temps and moderate weather pattern through the extended forecast we could be in for another prolong and exceptional Fall season!!

I have this Friday [4th] morning and Monday [7th] available 6:30-11:30am. We will be targeting stripers while utilizing both artificials and live baits.

Don’t wait, it really doesn’t get any better than this!!

Remember to view our face book page for latest pics and reports and like us. Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

October 31, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

Happy Halloween! Check out our social media (Instagram and Facebook) to participate in our NorthBar lure giveaway.

It’s Halloween and the fishing is on fire. While the surf is still spotty the inlets and ocean are on! Drags are still smoking from yesterday’s fire! A quick look at social media and one can get the gist. The bite’s magnitude was off the charts. It’s great to see the mass of fish push into our area and tee off on the feed. How long will it last???

Bill Collins fished the North End surf and caught two stripers on bait. He got a 27″ and 28″ one on clam and one on bunker. He was fishing the night tide. Another customer reported getting into the bass and blues fishing the rocks at the Inlet. He said the bite was hot yesterday morning. The fish were on bait and there were lots of anglers hooked up.

Josh Sevens sent in this report on his great weekend of fishing, “We took 9th in the Sea Shell Derby with a 45.5″ 35.25 pound bass. We caught it off of the bathing beach. We hooked a big thresher shark off of Holgate and fought it for over an hour but the line parted at the boat.” Another boat report from Sean Kenny, “Fishing as good as it gets! Releasing countless 25-30 pound bass.”

Here’s a report sent in from BH, “Sunday afternoon 10/30. Super calm Surf fishing at Holgate; nothing all day. Angler near me caught a small blue.”

October 30, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

Another 24 hours of bass on the feed. They were chewing last night and again today! How long will it last???

Bill Bousant reported, “What an EPIC bass bite this morning. I went 8-9 today and my biggest of the day was released. I’ve never seen anything like it! So much bunker and a whale right next to the boat. We could have jumped on its back. We ended up with 15 fish and we’re back in by 10am Yewwww. What a weekend!”

Dan DiPasquale reported, “Absolute insanity this morning! Nothing like watching these fish in their natural habitat blowing bait clear out of the water and feeding right in front of my own eyes. Plugs were getting the job done!” Dan’s brother Patrick said, “All out blitz fishing today. The bunker and bass were exploding right up on the beach. Everyone was cashing in including the surfcasters.”

Dylan Fisher and his father Scott were in the shop yesterday gearing up. They got on the bite this morning. They reported a great morning too.

Captain Steve on the Reel Fantasea post this morning that he was on them! He posted a couple photos of happy customers with quality fish.

Ryan Curtiss post a report yesterday, “Fun morning of wreck fishing before the wind picked up. Drop and reel action on sea bass with some porgies and a trigger mixed in.

October 29, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:00 PM

The bass are on the chew! Reports filtering in to the shop all day today have one theme! Bunker on top and bass of the feed. The sang and drop school is in session!

Store staffer Dan was on the water this morning and got into an epic bite. He reported, “EPIC FISHING!!! The bass were blowing up on pods of bunker. It’s lit up! Insane fishing! There’s lots of boats and everyone is into fish.” Store staffer Kevin caught a 46.5″ linesider that bottomed out his 30 pound boga grip. He caught it trolling a #4 white Maja spoon on wire.

Reports from other anglers in the shop also confirmed the fishing was red hot. It teed off in the boat today.

One weigh in came from the Jerry B., Dan T., and Mike B.crew. They stopped by the shop with some quality bass this afternoon. They reported a spectacular day snag and drop fishing. They caught ’em up to 40.84 pounds off of Seaside.

Unfortunately the reports off of the beach are been slow. A couple customers reported today sharks and skates on meat. One customer said, “Fishing the surf on Thursday was fun. The wind was in our face and the small blues and herring were thick. They were going for the teaser. Since then we can find much luck.” One anglers that was plugging this morning reported, “The conditions were good but no love. Small trace swell providing some white water, flood tide with high at about 7am. The first couple hours of light were promising. Lots of anglers were in the game and said the I thought it was going to happen.”

October 28, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Best of luck to all of the anglers fishing the Sea Shell Derby this weekend! Over the years this tournament has been dished some really bad weather. I’m sure most of the participants recall. Fortunately this year the weekend looks very good. The quality fish around is just icing on the cake. Thanks to all the boats who geared up at Fisherman’s Headquarters. We hope everyone has safe and fun tournament! ~FishHead.Greg

Local Boat Fishing Tournaments

The 2nd Annual Bass Bash & Fish Fry hosted by the Quelle to benefit the Maximilian Foundation is November 5 & 6. For more details.

The Fall Bass & Blues Tournament hosted by the Forked River Tuna Club is November 5 – 12th. For more details

The 7th Annual Stafford PBA Striped Bass Tournament is November 11 & 12. For more details

Received: Oct 28, 2016 12:17 PM Subject: The New Hi Flier! Open Boat Stripers Sunday & Monday

I just splashed the new Hi Flier this week. She is a 25 ft World Cat center console powered by twin Honda 130 4-Strokes. This is a much more substantial boat than the 21′ Sea Cat, so we will be a lot more comfortable and drier. Although, I will miss that boat, we went around the world and back, and she always got me home safe. Good Luck to her new owner Gene Linder of Premium Flooring in Phila, PA. He’ll be keeping her in the same slip at Leaming’s Marina in Waretown, NJ.

As far as fishing goes, I got caught sleeping at the wheel as I have been telling anyone who asked about stripers the last few months not to worry, it doesn’t start until November 1. While that may have been accurate for our normal 8 to 15 pound fish in migration, the big 20 to 40 pound fish have been here for two weeks now. I thought October would have been a safe month to transition boats but apparently not. So, we are in the water, ready to roll. I am chartered tomorrow (Sat), but will be running Open Boat for stripers Sun and Mon, Oct. 30 and 31, 7AM to 1PM.

It has been almost exclusively a troll bite on these big fish, so that is what we will be doing. I will have the bunker snagging and casting rods on board in case those opportunities present themselves, but I would guess that we will be spending most, if not all of our time on the troll. I say this up front so nobody winds up on board doing something they rather wouldn’t. Some guys just want to cast lures or snag bunker and some guys want to catch big stripers by any means possible. Personally, I like doing it all, but conditions dictate the technique that gives us the best odds at hooking fish. Lots of west wind in the forecast so we should have a nice ocean.

I look forward to seeing you all on board the new Hi Flier!

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

Received: Oct 27, 2016 3:26 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are excited. The run of poor weather has finally abated, and the air temperatures have now dropped to fall-like levels. As a result, the striped bass run has begun to complement the re-opening of the black sea bass season and the continued action on tuna in the canyons.

Both the inshore wrecks and reefs along with those further out in the ocean are loaded with black sea bass. These fish have not been in season for a few months, and they are ready to be caught. Boats hitting ocean structure are finding big humpback sea bass along with some nice sized porgies.

Now that ocean conditions have finally turned favorable, boats have been making their way to the canyons and returning with some decent yellowfin tuna and good numbers of mahi-mahi. Captain Lindsay Fuller of the “June Bug” has plans to make a run out this weekend to see what he can entice to his trolling spread.

There have been good reports of striped bass in the ocean in the northern portions of New Jersey, and these fish are beginning to show their noses off Beach Haven. The first catches of fish have been big ones with a good number over 40-pounds hitting trolled lures. Right now the best action has been on trolled bunker spoons along with Mojo’s. If a captain happens to find birds working over a school of bunker, he stands a good chance of picking some bass up via snag and drop.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

October 27, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

Bait in the wash! Here is a photo from Kyle Gronostajski… “Bay anchovies literally on the beach. Only small blues and herring on them.” More news of bait on the beach came in from others. Jay Mann posted a video of a Holgate feeding frenzy, heavy bird play! Ed McAllen reported lots of birds on bait, “It went on for most of the afternoon. Rainfish and herring on them.” Ted Johnson reported, “Lots of life in the surf this morning (yesterday). Multiple dolphins, an osprey and at least two whales.” Another customer reported an active whale and bunker were in close.

Joseph Mitchell reported, “Bass in front of us all day! (But they) Wouldn’t touch anything. Teaser, plugs, poppers, you name it. They were keyed in on that small rainbait.”

New LBI Classic Tournament Leader! A nice fish was weighed in this morning by Brian Schmidt. He raised the bar to just a hair above the 37 pound mark with his 45″ 37.1 pound bass. Brian caught the fish early this morning in the dark on a plug.

Bill Tallman posted a photo of a classy bass. “What a night to be on the water. The whales put on an amazing show with a great sunset to go with it. The bass turned on. Thanks to Mike from No Limits Charters for hoping on board last minute.”

Zeno Hromin from the Surfcaster’s Journal posted, “The class of 2011 must have had a reunion tonight because they were all over the beach (NY). Eventually, left them chewing as the cold won. Who ever invented the thermos should get a nobel prize!” These fish will be heading our way soon.

Dave Werner from the MATES Fishing Club reported an amazing afternoon of fishing aboard the Carolyn Ann III yesterday. “The students fished hard and loaded up on porgy, sea bass and triggerfish.” Dave said, “It was non stop action!”

Received: Oct 27, 2016 9:09 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – BASS!! One Spot Open Friday Afternoon 2:30-5:30PM

The Big girls are back in town ! With each passing hour/tide/day the Fall migration continues to pick up momentum with not only quantity but quality with fish in the 30lbs + Range !!

I have one spot open for tomorrow [ Friday 28] , we will be targeting bass and tog from 230pm – 530pm – $100.00pp. All bait, tackle , rods and filleting included.

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

October 26, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

The chilly night have brought the bay water temperatures down. While we don’t have a reading from the mid-island bay or the west side we can report that the Barnegat Inlet on the bottom of the outgoing got down to 54 degrees. The flood tide brings in the ocean water that is much warmer but slowly dropping. It ranges from the high 50s to around the 60 degree mark depending on location and exact tide. Really missing the Barnegat Light Bay Buoy’s water temperature recording!!!

The tog fishing at the Inlet has been good. Best target the rocks are the higher tides.

While report off the surf today never got back to use we did here positive info from boat anglers.

The first came from Jim Wack. He stopped by with two big bluefish and a quality bass. Jim reported heading up the beach in the morning. He kept pushing north through IBSP and found some life off Seaside. “There were very few boats out. We worked north and found a bird play out in 50′ of water. Pulled up and dropped down some live bait, BAM!!! We got into ’em! 32 pound bass and bluefish up to 19 pounds. Another yellow eye was 16 pounds.”

Some other news from the boat came from Ryan Horton and Ryan Kelly. Both were fishing this morning in different boats.

Ryan Horton tagged us in a social media photo post today, “Work all night ! Fish All Day!” The photo was of a nice size thresher shark.

Speaking of thresher sharks… there’s more.

Ryan Kelly also found a thresher today. He shared this report, “I decided to go trolling today and well this guy (thresher shark) took the ride back with me. I headed out on a solo mission. Went up the beach and started trolling off IBSP. There were some good marks but not much going on so I focused on the three mile line. A little time went by and then a clicker went off. I looked back and saw a thresher up top! It was hooked up on a bunker spoon. The Profile Wireline Rod I got from Fisherman’s Headquarters held up great. That thing has some power! So happy I didn’t have a noodle. The half hour fight was a good one.”

After talking to our bunker boat we got word there was an upwelling of threshers today. We got word that they are on the bait (bunker) that is 3-6 miles off. They caught a number of them today while fishing for doggies and bunker. Anyone looking to get out and have fun with the fall time inshore sharking should go asap. This fisheries is awesome in the spring/summer (June July) but it looks like they are here now. Stop by and we can help you gear up for these awesome fighting sharks that are also great eats!

~FishHead.Greg

October 25, 2016 ——————————————————–

5:00 PM

Store staffer day enjoyed Sunday on the water trolling for bass out of Barnegat Light. He caught a 47″ pig pushing 48 pounds.

The surf still has small blues taring up small chunks and lures. They seem to be slowing down some which is awesome news for chunkers looking for quality bass. The bass fishing off of the surf is lullie. There are occasional bass hitting bait. Anglers fishing lures are doing much better.

Joseph Hettler of Hartsville, PA caught a 33″ 11.2 pound bass on bunker off of the Harvey Cedars surf yesterday at about 5pm.

Last night store staffer Blake got a 30 pound bass. He tried to release it but it kept rolling over and would swim away. He said only two hits but one was a good one.

This weekend is the Sea Shell Striped Bass Derby! Stop by and gear up. We’ve got the area’s largest selection of striped bass trolling gear (Tony Maja, Blue Water Candy, Magic Tail, 9ers, Mann’s and much more) and lures as well as tackle from A to Z.

October 24, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

Entering the last full week of October I’m stoked! It’s prime time. While the past week has been full of awesome trophy bass fishing via boat the surf has been on the hit or miss side. The night shift crew and local sharpies are pulling really nice bass but all are tight lipped. Put in some time and you’ll be rewarded.

You have to love the recent chill! Finally feels like fall fishing weather.

Last night Blake and I headed out in the boat and scouted around some bayside haunts. We checked out some rips but ended up pushing out into the ocean to plug along the beach front. Fortunate the wind cooperated and it was surprisingly very calm. The wind didn’t pick up till 2am. We hammered schoolies and teeners for a solid four hours. Metal lips and darters were the ticket!!! Ocean water temp was 57.99 degrees.

Fishin’ Mission Joseph Mitchell reported bass at his feet yesterday on the surf! “They wouldn’t touch anything. Finally got a nice 29″ to bite a pencil popper on my new St.Croix rod. Shaping up to be a good fall run!”

Another report came off the surf from Austin Pounds. He reported finding bait and bass off the south end surf yesterday afternoon.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: Oct 24, 2016 7:04 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – More Solid Action!!

Sundays open boat was another solid morning with striped bass , tog and albies!

Sunday mornings chilly start found fast out of the gate action with striped bass, scoring stripers on our first drift and then continuing to do so on consecutive drifts with even the first triple header scored aboard the Reel Fantasea this Fall.

Investigating some bird play just North of the inlet found schools of Albies busting on tiny bay anchovies . A combination of angler skill , persistence and patience was required to come tight with these light tackle dragsters as their keen eye sight and warp speed provided the tiniest of sight casting windows to connect. Once hooked though all you can do is hold on and watch and listen to your reel as the lines melts off the screaming spool!

Jumping over to an inshore wreck the crew scored their limit of black fish to 4lbs. These crafty, bait stealing ,hard fighting fish bring it all to the table with delicious taste and elusive bottom fishing fun!

Before ending the morning the Guys topped off the cooler with some more striped bass along with plenty of catch and release action!

I have this Friday [28th] afternoon 230pm-530pm available for open boat [ $100pp] or private charter [$350 ]. we will be targeting stripers and tog.

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

October 23, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

The whale(s) are back! This morning we heard from a couple different people who saw them off of mid-island.

Paul Seyler reported catching bluefish on poppers, Super Strike! He said the anchovies were in the surf and the blues were on them. He got ten yellow eyes.

An angler in the shop loading up on bunker last night reported his daughter caught a bass off of the mid-island surf on a chunk.

Store staffer Robbie Vallone reported some bass on the beach this morning and last night. He said while he is in a frustrating slump others have caught. This morning he said a surfcaster pulling bass fishing bucktails. Rob said that his cousin got a nice fish on a darter off the surf last night.

We got word over the weekend from two regular customers that have been crabbing hard all season. They both mentioned that the blueclaws are starting to slow down; however their size is up and they are stacked with plump meat. Both reported trapping 40-70 crabs per 12-18 hour soak.

Local Boat Fishing Tournaments

The 2nd Annual Bass Bash & Fish Fry hosted by the Quelle to benefit the Maximilian Foundation is November 5 & 6. For more details.

The 20th Annual Striped Bass Fishing Derby hosted by the Sea Shell to Benefit the David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundations is October 28, 29, 30th. For more details

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic Special Prizes for the week of Monday 10/24 to Sunday 10/30

10/24 – $25 Gift Certificate California Grill
10/25 – Gift Certificate to Pearl Street Market for Two 2 pound lobsters steamed-cracked & split
10/26 – Faria’s Package: Tee shirt, sweatshirt, game etc
10/27 – $15 Gift Certificate from Barry’s Do Me a Flavor
10/28 – Tsunami Surf rod donated by Folsom Corporation.
10/29 – $100 Gift Certificate from Fishermans Headquaters for the largest bass caught.
10/30 – $100 Gift Certificate from Fishermans Headquaters for the largest bass caught.
10/29 – 10/30 $ 50 for largest blue fish this weekend.

October 22, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM

Dave Bently stopped in yesterday evening and reported a great bite in the boat. We was out trolling up the beach and went six for seven. He said, “The one that got away was a good one. We had quite flurry at the end. Came home in the dark.”

George Penna of Get Reel Sportfishing was in the shop purchasing a new Avet lever drag for Mojo trolling. He reported good fishing his last trip out.

The inlet has tog, sea bass, triggers, bass and blues! We got a report from a spearfisherman who shot a 10-lb 7-oz sheepie yesterday. Nice size tog are there for the taking. Anglers fishing green crab are doing good.

Rob Vallone stopped in on his way off the beach. He fished the south end surf and said there is a good ground swell in the water. All he could find was small blues and albies as well as tons of bait. Rob said peanut bunker were in the wash but nothing on them.

Received: Oct 21, 2016 8:04 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Stripers, tog and albies!!

Angler’s aboard the Reel Fantasea scored a mix of stripers to 20lbs, tog to 5lbs and even some skittish and elusive false ablies on light spinning tackle!

Sunday’s weather forecast looks like hard NW winds which is our preferred and favored winds of the Fall , usually ushering in the start of the Fall season and triggering an urgency to feed!

For those unfamiliar, NW winds blow from west [ land] to east [ ocean] translating to a flat calm ocean close to the beaches out to about the 2 miles line.

Presently I have 2 spots available for this Sunday 23rd
$150 pp. We will be targeting both stripers and tog, all bait, tackle ,filleting included.

View our photos on Face book and “like us” and get latest fishing reports and latest information.

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

October 21, 2016 ——————————————————–

4:30 PM

Some great fishing this past work week! Strong reports from both the bay and the ocean. A serious body of new fish moved into our waters about four or five days ago. Since then, coming down off of the full moon, anglers are catching trophy bass! The season’s first real cold front will impact our area this weekend. Things are set to erupt! You snooze you loose, so get in on the action.

John Doe (aka Al Stella) reported roping the bass in the back waters Wednesday and Thursday! He said the bay is alive with very aggressive bass, “Health feisty fat fish are in the bay feeding. They are blasting top water poppers. When not on top swim shads were the ticket.”

Congrats to Redman “Mark Haley” on his 50″ cow yesterday! Great Catch! Great Photo! Great Release! Ken Osbourne reported catching a hefty 46″ bass yesterday too. Yesterday evening we had a nice 36 pound bass checked in from the boat. The angler was spooning up the beach. Store staffer Kevin was on the water late in the day on Wednesday and found bass. Kevin said, “Headed out at 2pm and pulled Tony Maja spoons. Nothing until just before sunset. Two bites, both thirty pound class bass. Marked very little bait.”

Howard Clark was on the water today. He picked up fish again on the troll off of Seaside. He got two bass on a Tony Maja White #4 bunker spoon and one on a Mojo. While they were nice fish, there were nothing like the recent farm animals (hogs and cows) caught. On Wednesday, Howard took store staffer Steve-o out and they smoked ’em pulling spoons. Steve said, “From 10-2pm they were on the feed and a big whale was in on the action. Bass up into the forty pound class.” When in the shop today Howard mentioned in addition to the awesome bass, he found and caught some albies on Wednesday. “We thought they were bunker but upon closer investigation we found footballs on the feed. We managed to get them to bite on metal. Today my friend found them right off of the beach in Harvey Cedars.” Let hope they stick around!

Inshore albie but what about offshore tuna? John Franzoni on the Sea Dog out of Barnegat Light returned last night from a trip out at the edge. He got two tuna on the chunk at the south west corner of the Hudson.

Rick W. fished the mid-island surf yesterday and reported feeding bunker to the small bluefish. Rick said, “The blues ate good yesterday. Another angler fishing close by got ’em on metal. They were in tight to the beach and had bait balled up in the wash mid-island. If the bass come in they are going to feast! I’m heading back to feed the blues again.”

After closing up the shop last night, Austin Pound, Store Staffer Blake and I headed out to fish the top of the tide – moon rise in the bay. We had to move around a little bit and try different things but we managed to catch and release a few bass up to low teen size. All super fat bass hanging around the sod banks. The water temperature was 64 degrees.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: Oct 20, 2016 2:42 PM Subject: Report

Greg, I loved your latest fishing report with the info from the Chesapeake YOY data. We are in trouble with the current weak recruitment years and the overfishing the ASMFC and NJ is allowing. Time to let them breed and rebound as a species. To many big fish being removed. I fear too many people don’t remember the years of NO FISH. The last few years since Sandy have been tough at best in terms of a fall migration compared to the 90 and early 2000’s. My brother and I could jig over 100 fish each with a good mix of age classes almost every day from November 1 to January 1 those days are long gone now. The time is now to act I agree. I applaud you for saying it. Can’t think too many will agree with us. ~ Lou

Received: Oct 20, 2016 4:12 PM Subject: Striper Report

So I just fished Montauk and the Cape Cod Canal last week. I caught more fish in a day then I catch in California surf fishing in a whole summer. I think people on the East Coast need to come and fish Cali in order to appreciate what you have on the east coast. I would die to have huge stripers of that size at home. I know most people are starting to get get it, but too many don’t! Try catch and release and help save what you have! ~ Paul Roberts from San Francisco Bay

October 20, 2016 ——————————————————–

9:00 AM

LBI Surf Fishing Tournament News: Congrats to Marcella Friedman of Hamilton, NJ! She weighed in the first bluefish for the 2016 Fall Classic yesterday. Marcella caught the 30.75″ 8.96 pound bluefish off of the Barnegat Light surf on an AVA Jig at about 11am on Wednesday.

Fisheries News: On Monday October 17 the Maryland’s Juvenile Striped Bass Survey aka Young-Of-The-Year Index was released. The results following the very successful 2015 spawning year were well below average. The index represents the average number of less than 1 year old fish caught in 132 samples during the survey. The 63 year average average is 11.7. 2016 came in at 2.2! Plain and simple, the 2016 spring spawn at the most important major striped bass spawning area (Chesapeake Bay) was bad, VERY BAD!. Other anadromous species (alewife herring, american shad, blueback herring, white perch) also experienced similarly low reproductions potentially indicating that adverse environmental conditions (dry weather, low river flow) during the spring season may have caused the poor results. What ever the case, it was bad! Make excuses and say the chart dating back to 1954 shows great variability from year to year. Yes it does. But the chart shows me one thing… our optimism and great striped bass fishery rides on the successful spawn of 1996 (Strongest year on record, now 20 year old fish in the 50-55″ range), 2001 (Second strongest year on record, now 15 year old fish in the 40-45″ range), 2011 (Fourth strongest year on record, now 5 year old fish in the ~25″ range) and 2015. We must manage these year classes responsibly! The alarming low numbers of 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and now 2016 must raise concern in all striped bass anglers minds. With lack of stiff management, the horrors of the 80’s will come back to bite. This fall please fish responsibly and harvest responsibly. Take what you will use and do not waste. Let’s leave the next generation of striped bass anglers with an awesome biomass so they can enjoy the fun too. All must work to maintain a sustainable fishery.

~FishHead.Greg

Local Boat Fishing Tournaments

The 2nd Annual Bass Bash & Fish Fry hosted by the Quelle to benefit the Maximilian Foundation is November 5 & 6. For more details.

The 20th Annual Striped Bass Fishing Derby hosted by the Sea Shell to Benefit the David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundations is October 28, 29, 30th. For more details

Received: Oct 20, 2016 8:02 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

Last week the weather turned cool, and it began to seem like fall in Beach Haven. As the inshore water temperatures began to drop, a surge in striped bass started to excite fishermen. Suddenly this week Indian Summer arrived, and the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association wondered whether to fish for fall or summer species. Current weather predictions call for a return to typical weather patterns this weekend.

What is happening on the fishing scene is a choice of venues to fish in. The inshore artificial reefs and wrecks have been loaded with big black sea bass, but they have been out of season. This Saturday, October 22, the sea bass season returns, and bottom fishing should be very exciting to say the least. This involves short trips from the inlet and return trips with filled coolers.

While certainly the bulk of the striped bass have not yet arrived in the Beach Haven area, enough have shown up to make fishing for them a viable choice. Some nice bass have been caught on the beaches of Long Beach Island while others have been trolled up on spoons and stretch lures. There are also a goodly number of smaller bass scattered around bay waters being picked up near sod banks on lures.

Finally, there are tuna and mahi-mahi in the canyons. BHCFA captains have plans in the works for trips in the upcoming days. Right now the weather is looking promising for trips offshore, but fall weather can be tricky, to say the least.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

October 19, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

LBI Surf Fishing Tournament News: New Tournament Leader! Congrats to Jimmy Finn of Oakland NJ who caught a 33.44 pound striped bass last night. He got it off of the Harvey Cedars surf on bunker at about 10pm last night.

Another surf report to share was posted on Jay Mann’s blog. Ed McAllens reported, “Persistence pays off! Although not a derby fish or a keeper, at least it is something. Got a 24″ bass on a popper. I could have kept it with my bonus tag but it was released.”

Speaking of bonus tags… If you haven’t submitted the application, you still have a little bit of time. Applications must be submitted before October 31, and reporting SBBP harvest within 24 hours is mandatory. For those unaware, his unique program allows for the harvest of a third “bonus” fish because the commercial harvest quota of striped bass was transferred to the recreational fishing sector. For application and regulation information visit the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife website.

Tog fishing at the Inlet rocks continues! Get greenies and go. We got a report from a customer Woody who got an 18″ today.

The reports of bass being picked on the troll continue to filter in. The common theme is northern IBSP and Seaside water inside and at the 3 mile line. Now is the time to gear up and go! We have a full selection of striper trolling gear from A to Z. Stop in. We would love to help you catch a trophy! Store staffer Kevin was out pulling spoons on Sunday. He got one bite but it never came tight. Kevin said his friend caught a good one trolling off of Seaside. It was a 48 pounder that went for a Tony Maja #4 White Bunker Spoon.

October 18, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

LBI Surf Fishing Tournament News: Yesterday Patrick Ciervo checked in a 15.32 pound striped bass. He caught it on bunker off the Surf City surf.

Michael ( @degolips ) tagged us in a social media post yesterday. “The bay is loaded with bluefish.” He reported, “Bait balls everywhere. Yesterday the birds were working and blues were all over them. They were smoking the krokodile metal.”

Store staffer Joe reported catching multiple schoolie bass on the bayside.

Reports continue from waters north “absolute insane bluefish blitz with 10-20 pound class fish.” Some customers are also talking about bass stretched out. It’s only time before they cruise down and take residence in our local waters.

Received: Oct 18, 2016 6:56 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Private & Open Boat Striped Bass & Blackfish

Both Stripers and blackfish are providing solid action from our local waters! I have Friday 10-21-16 both morning and afternoon [ 7am-12pm] and [1pm – 6pm] and Morning only on Sunday 10-23-16 [ 7am-12pm]. Both species will test the skill of both veteran and novice and are excellent to eat and lots of fun to catch !!

Open boat pp- $150.00, all bait , tackle, ice and filleting included.

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

October 17, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

Steve Rupinski stopped in at closing time yesterday with a large bass. It weighed in a 48″ and 38.78 pounds. Steve said, “I’ve been having fun catching schoolies but figured I’d switch it up. There’s hungry ones heading south, so I took a look outside and managed to find one. Went out for a quick evening session and pulled some trolling gear off of IBSP in 50′ of water. It was rough out there. No other boats. It didn’t take long. The rod with a MagicTail Mojo went off.”

Here is a photo of Paul Lindsey’s striped bass that he caught trolling over the weekend. Report posted yesterday.

“It was awesome meeting Tony Maja at Fisherman’s Headquarters this weekend. I love the new set up. We had a great day using the spoons and rod. My buddy Dave DiGangi and I were fishing off of IBSP on Sunday 10/17/16. We landed a 46″ bass at about 10:15amd and then had a double header around noon.” ~ Anthony Perna

Rob Swift is down on the Outer Banks surf fishing in Corolla. He sent in a positive report. First day was slow on cut mullet so I switched to Fishbites in hopes of catching Pompano. No luck for them but it turns out the Sheepshead and Puppies love them. Go figure. We caught lots of puppy drums and sheepshead. Got a triple header; two Sheepshead and a blowfish. All on Fishbites.

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic Special Prizes for the week of Monday 10/17 to Sunday 10/23

10/18 – $25 Gift Certificate to Pearl Street Market (random pick from fish entered today),

10/19 – $250 Ric O’Brien Memorial Prize for the largest bass caught today on his 50th birthday. Given by Margaret O’Brien. This prize rolls over if not caught.

10/20 – $15 Gift Certificate to Barry’s Do Me A Flavor (random pick from fish entered today)

10/21 – Basket of Assorted Items (games, shirts, etc) from Farias Surf & Sport. (random pick from fish entered today)

$50 cash for the largest bluefish caught on the weekend

10/22 & 23 – $100 Gift Certificate to Fisherman’s Headquarters to the heaviest bass caught on Saturday and Sunday.

Received: Oct 16, 2016 8:59 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Saturday morning started with pre-dawn smoke on the water. When you see this it actually water at the surface vaporizing. With air temps in the low 40’s and bay temps in the low to mid 60’s the water was losing heat, giving up to the air in the form of a vapor. Pretty cool. This weekend unofficially kicked off my fall bass season, and if Saturday morning’s bite is any indication of the fall run we should have some great action coming up. It’s been 7 weeks since I messed up my foot and ankle. Seven weeks of not fishing, but that is in the past. Saturday morning I hopped on (get it 😉 ) my friend Capt. Dan’s boat. Before we left he tried to net bait and on one throw he brought up about 2 dozen brown shrimp. These large shrimp, 7”-9”, including their very long antennae, can be found from Martha’s Vineyard down to the Gulf Coast States. In one part of Florida they are commercially valuable worth 100’s of millions of dollars a year. On our 2 hour inside tip we landed 8 bass, seven of which were 28”-29”. All on plugs or Bass Candy Delights. Several times we witnessed mullet getting chased trying to escape from bass. Sunday morning I was back at the helm of the Debbie M looking for bass. The bite was a little slower with only one short bass falling to an artificial. Switching over to live bait we landed for keepers and two 4-5 pound blues before the crowds got crazy. Still have a few dates open so give a call if you want to have some fun fishing light tackle.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

October 16, 2016 ——————————————————–

4:30 PM

We’ve had a great weekend of weather and lots of anglers got out an enjoyed the early season fall fishing! It’s awesome to hear reports of so many different fisheries all going down at the same time; inshore, offshore and from shore.

A couple customer were in the shop this morning getting some offshore baits. They reported chunking up a catch of longfin tuna at the 100 square recently. Other chatter from the tuna fisherman at the Hudson has been in the air. Jim Kuhl and J&B Perkins had a fun trip our to the edge recently. They scored some quality yellowfin.

Closer to home the bass are here. Both resident fish and now some migrating ones are now calling LBI’s local waters home for the near future. Over the weekend bass were caught off the surf on bait (bunker and clams) and lures (bucktails, SP’s, bottles/darters, among other lures). While most are small, some were in the 20 and 30 pound class.

Anglers fishing the inshore water in search of bass are beginning to find them on the troll. While the population is much further north, recent days have proved successful. Paul Lindsey post a photo of a beautiful striped bass on social media and tagged us in the photo. His photo caption was “lost an absolute hog, 50 feet from the boat but… they are here!” He was trolling Maja spoons. A number of customer were in the shop this weekend purchasing wireline rod and reel setups as well as respooling reels with fresh wire. A couple shared that they got first hand reports of bass being picked. One customer said he got one bass on his last trip pulling spoons, while his neighbor fishing nearby got a pair of teen size bass pulling Mann’s Stretch 30’s. We anticipate the fishing to only improve as we creep into the prime striper run timeframe. Find some time and get out and fish.

The bay is consistently producing in so many ways… striped bass, bluefish, blowfish, kingfish. These species can be targeted both via boat or from land. Joe from Shamong reported, “Lots of bass and blues in the bay! They’ve been hitting small swim shads and top water baits all weekend long. It’s old news but they are still there. Get on it.” Ken Sullivan said the resident schoolies are crushing poppers in the back waters. The blowfish is still very good. Most of the activity is around the classic heart of Barnegat Bay (42 to BI/BB) however great reports have come from anglers fishing the waters north and south of the Rt72 bridges. The blowfish are plentiful and there’s kingfish too. One recent report from the “heart” came from Marty Anderson. He reported a nice day on the water with his son and his buddy John. “Fishing wasn’t as good as the other day but we did manage a few dozen along with a few kingfish. Lots of laughts and a good time!”

Store staffer Dan DiPasquale was out fishing with Paul Haertel yesterday. Dan reported, “The fishing started off slow as we pushed north and picked through lots of seabass [Season Opens Next Saturday Oct 22nd] with quality ones in the mix. The wind picked up a bit and the crowds lightened but we decided to explore one more spot. After about 20 minutes of playing around with the anchor, BAM! The bite was on. It was all out blackfish galore, chewing left and right! Doubles on doubles with nice fish! It was one of my best fishing trips of my life. Thanks Paul!” That evening once back Dan hit the back waters and roped the bass. He said, “All schoolies but lots of fun fishing pink softbaits.”

Back on the topic of tog… the Jetty bite is on! The tog fishing at the Barnegat Light House State Park was been very good and it continues. This weekend lots of anglers go in on the fun. For those that don’t know, it is an awesome fishery. These small yet hefty creatures will test your finesse and hook setting reaction time. You’ll enjoy the quick powerful strikes and quirks. John Del Sordo got a good one yesterday, proof there’s nice keeper size white chins hiding in the rocks. Get green crabs and head up to the rock to give it a go!

~FishHead.Greg

October 15, 2016 ——————————————————–

6:00 PM

Gear up and go fish!

We got the same report from three different customers today, “Quality bass chewing off of IBSP and Seaside. Guys are getting them on the troll.”

The surf is producing more bass too. One customer who was in last night was in again this afternoon heading back to the same spot. He caught a couple bass on the beach. Another NICE fish was checked in for the Surf Fishing Tournament.

Mark Milovsky of Philadelphia caught a 44.25″ 31.14-lb bass at about 7am this morning on a bucktail fishing the Harvey Cedars surf. Mark currently hold the lead in the surf tournament.

Yesterday Jeff Nuel of Bordentown weighed in a 32.5″ 11.92-lb bass that he caught off of the Harvey Cedars surf on bunker. He said there were other fish caught near him.

Load up with green crabs and hit the rocks for tog hammering fun! Lots of customers are enjoying the bite. Most are finding the action to be very good with the occasional keeper in the mix. One customer who shared a recent report came from Sue Cummings. She said the fishing at the Lighthouse is great. “I was catching and others around were all catching too. I caught a number of tog, lots of close ones and I got my one keeper.”

Received: Oct 14, 2016 2:59 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – first wave of striped bass have arrived!

The recent stretch of formidable weather has kept us prepping for our world class fall fishing , bait pens are brimming with live bait , rods are ready willing and able and the Reel Fantasea is ready for much needed action.

The first wave of striped bass have arrived in our local waters and are hungry!! Artificials and live bait have produced with a slight edge going to the live bait as of this morning’s run. The down side was that I had left the my phone in the truck on the charger so unfortunately no pictures.

If you haven’t called and reserved your date yet, wait no longer as the striped bass have appeared to have arrived right on schedule!!

Whether striped bass or blackfishing is your passion or both give us a call and reserve today!!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

October 14, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:00 AM

The surf temperature recently came down a couple degrees. Yesterday afternoon it was 62 degrees mid island. Sections of the bay have temps in the high 50’s and the inlet has been fluctuating between the two, right at 60 degrees and a couple marks above and below.

As we approach the middle of October, the local mullet run for the most part is over but all signs point to a great fall fishery. The spearing and peanut bunker present in the back waters is plentiful. With the days getting shorter it’s their turn to make a move. The schoolie bass are hungry and waiting. The migrating linesiders have started to show and any day the classy ones will move in. Over the years the fall’s best class of bass show in the three week section between October and November, usually the last week of October and the first two in November. Keep your line wet for the next few weeks to get a crack at them!

I got a call from a friend who lives bay front in Harvey Cedars. He told, “Bass rolling on bait behind my house the past two mornings. Awesome sight to see while enjoying my morning coffee!”

Yesterday Cortland Foos checked in the Fall Surf Fishing Tournament’s first striped bass. He got a 19.48 pound striped bass on bunker.

Other great news yesterday was from our bunker boat. They reports a pile of striped bass feeding on bunker offshore of our area.

Local Boat Fishing Tournaments

The 2nd Annual Bass Bash & Fish Fry hosted by the Quelle to benefit the Maximilian Foundation is November 5 & 6. For more details.

The 20th Annual Striped Bass Fishing Derby hosted by the Sea Shell to Benefit the David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundations is October 28, 29, 30th. For more details

Bass Bonus Program Deadline Approaching

The October 31 application deadline for the Striped Bass Bonus Program is quickly approaching. Apply now for your 2016 permit; allow 2-4 weeks for processing due to the high volume of applications. To apply and for more information visit the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife website.

Received: Oct 14, 2016 7:28 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

Now that the threat of Hurricane Matthew has passed and Nicole seems well east of the coast, the fishing scene in Beach Haven is returning to normal. After over two weeks of almost constant northeast winds and large swells, the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are ready for a wide range of action as the winds swing back to the southward..

Captain Carl Sheppard took a bachelor party out yesterday on the “Star Fish” that wanted to try their luck at some shark fishing. Captain Carl managed to locate one very large thresher in 1115-feet of water off Atlantic City. However the bottom fishing that the crew used to kill time waiting for the shark to bite proved to be even more fun. They group ended up with over 100 black sea bass, all released, with some 20 of the fish over 14-inches. Also showing up to provide action for the anglers was a hungry school of chum mackerel.

The New Jersey season for black sea bass will be resuming on Saturday, October 22, and the wreck and reef fishing should be back in full swing at that time. The daily limit will be up to 15 fish per angler with a 13-inch minimum size. Meanwhile there have also been some nice catches of big porgies around this structure and, as the water temperature cools, some tautog.

There are big numbers of cocktail size blues, 1-2 pounds, in all of the inshore waters. Hopes are high for the arrival soon of striped bass from the north. Once the bass arrive, fall fishing will be in full swing.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

October 12, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:00 AM

The recent chilly nights had the fall surf fishing feel in the air. Anglers are putting in time however at the time of this report the $500 cash award for the first tournament striped bass weighin is still up for grabs. It is rolling over from opening day.

There’s rumor of a very large striped bass that was recently caught off of the LBI surf by an angler not in tournament. The size was said to be a 30-40 pound class fish. We have not seen photos, only talk through the grapevine. Word was it went for a NorthBar BottleDarter in the darkness of night a couple days ago.

The back bay striper fishing has been awesome! Anglers are fishing both on the water and from land. The schoolie class fish are super fun on light tackle. Anglers fishing the flats, islands, sod banks via boat are doing best however, anglers fishing the Island’s backside are getting their fair share. Ryan Dellane reported, “I plugged the beach for a few hours last night with no luck. Then went over to the bayside and crushed the schoolies all night. Also in the mix were a few blues and a nice size fluke. All were released.”

Tog fishing the rocks is good! Get green crabs and go. Yesterday we had a number of customers purchasing crabs, lead and hooks. All positive vibes on the quantity of white chins at the rocks. Best of all most are finding their one keeper.

Store staffer Dan DiPasquale was on the water with Paul Haertel on Saturday. Dan said, “There was a big swell in the water but the winds dropped down significantly from what it was, just enough to let us get out. Togging in the subpar conditions with hard but we made the most of it. We hooked 20+ tog with most of them quality size fish between 16-20 inches. We caught them up to 7 pounds. We were releasing nice keeper size fish. It was tough picking through all of the seabaas. Got one one trigger fish too. All on green crabs.”

October 10, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

Great news in the air! More reports of bass on the beach. We got a couple reports over the weekend which were reported previously. Yesterday evening we got three more reports from local residents/customers. Only one came from our local LBI beaches, but they all provide optimism that fall migration is pushing down!

Store staffer Luke Stambaugh sent us this, “Fish are definitely around! I got five fish in an hour. All 28″ plus. A 17 pounder committed suicide when it inhaled my NorthBar BottleDarter and choked. Thanks to the recent storm the beach structure is amazing. The troughs are huge and the fish are cruising in close to the beach. Got most of the bites in tight, right at the lip of the beach!”

The other two reports came from the beaches north of here. One anglers caught and released three keeper size bass fishing a bucktail in the frothy white water off Monmouth County beaches. Another report came from James Buonanno Jr who was fishing somewhere on a sand beach north of LBI. He got into big schoolies and low teen sized bass on plugs and put the new Daiwa BG reel to work. He posted, “Testing the drag on the new Daiwa BG and it’s good! If I’m not getting wind knots with a full spool of line in this 30kt crosswind it’s safe to say the reel passed the test! I got the first ever striped bass landed on the first production run on the new 7″ Daiwa SP Minnow. Also Super Strike Bottles and NorthBar BottleDarters were doing their thing in the huge sweep!”

Today we got a solid report that the blowfish are still here and in good numbers. The report came from the mid-island bayside not far from the shop. Chum them up and bait up with clam!

Crabbing in the bay is still very good. Recent reports from J-Bones (Jeff Sprague) were positive. He has been in consistently loading up on frozen bunker and soaking them a number of afternoon in the past week. Jeff said that the numbers are size of the blue claws are great. One day it was so good he could miss the next day. He went in the rain and loaded up again.

Received: Oct 9, 2016 6:31 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Hoping everyone is great and ready for the fall bass run. I am! Sorry for the lack of report. For one the weather pattern has been horrible keeping most boats in the slip. Secondly, I am healing my wounds from an accident that occurred in Mexico the end of August. While catching……….. a ride with the family to our fishing charter @ 6 AM I miss judged ground floor when there was one step left. The resort, which I will not be going back to the rest of life, had the lights off in the open halls and stairways even though it was still dark. I broke my left 5th metatarsal (Jones Fracture), tore my calcaneal fibular ligament, hairline fracture in the fibular (2 places), and broke a piece of bone off the side of my ankle in case you wanted the details 😉 The good news is the cast is off and I now have a boot making me more mobile and ready to get back at the helm. Intel has schoolie stripers to small keepers where you would expect them this time of year; lots of small blues around as big blues to 20 pounds somewhere off our beaches. Plenty of big bunker out front and peanuts in the back so the stage is set. My arms are getting tired just thinking about it. Nothing like fall crabs to lift the sprits (see attached). Had my two pots out at my marina and pulled out 9 nice jimmies this morning. Nothing like blue crabs this time of year. Most of them have not shed in a while making them full of meet. I have already started filling in dates so you may want to touch base with me if looking for the prime dates still available. Will be running trips weekends, holidays, weekday and weekend magic hours (around four hour trips fishing daylight through sunset and into the dark). As well as select weekdays. Also have the week of November 7th off and no plans on going to Mexico, hehehehe.

On the nature side of things: Many have heard of a hawk watch but did you ever hear of a sea watch? Avalon, NJ is home to the only east coast sea bird (loons, cormorants, scooters, gannets, etc.) watch. NJ’s geography puts it right along the Atlantic Flyway a major sort of air highway migrating birds. Avalon sit out in the Atlantic Ocean about a mile further than the land north of it making it an excellent vantage point to count sea birds migrating south. From September 22nd through December 22nd dawn to dusk scientists, and citizen scientists, count birds as they fly along the beach to a few miles out. Many years they will count over 1 million birds passing by.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

October 8, 2016 ——————————————————–

6:00 PM

Today is the day… the 2016 62nd Annual Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic is on! Best of luck to all of the anglers participating. There’s a $500 prize up for grabs for the first angler to catch and weigh-in a tournament legal striped bass. The opening day seminar at the Ship Bottom Fire House was an awesome time. Thanks to everyone who came out and especially Team Mullet for putting it together as well as Crust and Crumb Bakery who offered bagels, donuts and coffee to all in attendance.

Great news! Nothing crazy but it is a start in the right direction. We’ve got reports of bass and blues on the opening day of the surf fishing tournament. No tournament fish that we are aware of but it will happen soon.

John from Cherry Hill stopped in the shop after putting some time in on the mid-island surf. He reported catching six small blues (1-3 pound range) on mullet.

We got word from a customer who got the call from a buddy who caught one bass off of the north end surf on clam. Another report came from an angler who was buying more clams for tomorrow’s session. He lost one bass in the wash today. Another angler reported plugging the north end surf without a touch.

October 7, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

Today, Blake and I returned from an extended stay out on Long Island’s East End. What started on Sunday September 25th as a quick trip to Montauk turned into an epic fishing sabbatical. We reconnected with lots of friends and met so many new great anglers. We learned lots of new things. With long sleepless days, we really got dialed in to Montauk’s complex terrain and waters. As our trip progressed the fishing only got better. It started with a persistent Nor-Easter that just keep blowing. Big water and lots of bait is the receipt for great fishing. Once the cooler nights came and the surf temperature dropped a few degrees the big fish showed up. We had quality fish for most of the trip; however, there were four consecutive nights that the big girls were on the feed. Lots of high twenties, a handful of 30/40 class fish, one 50 pounder. Congrats to Ben on his 56 pounder! I’m already looking forward to next year’s Montauk adventure!

Here’s some local info…

The mullet run is slowing down but we did get a small delivery today. The small blues are still cruising the beach and there are also weakfish present in the backwaters. Resident striped bass are around for those putting in the time and everyday more migrating linesiders show.

Word on the street is there’s lots of tog up at the Inlet rocks. Lots of small ones but guys are catching keepers. We heard of some triggerfish too.

The boats wreckfishing are doing very good. The wrecks are loaded with quality blackfish and sea bass. It is a great sign for the Sea Bass opener on October 22nd.

Today, we got word from our bunker boat captain there are big bluefish offshore of our area. He said, “There’s a mass of large gator blues, all mid to high teens. Some guys today caught some over 20 pounds.” While these yellow eye demons spend most of their time in pelagic territory, we have our fingers crossed they will hit the beach this fall just like they did in the spring. Keep an eye out for them!

~FishHead.Greg

Attention Surf Anglers: Tomorrow morning is the LBI Surf Fishing Tournament’s Opening Day Seminar. Want to learn about surf fishing 101? Have a surf fishing question you would like answered? Go to the Ship Bottom Fire Hall at 10am. It will be a great time. Don’t miss out.

The 62nd LBI Surf Fishing Classic begins tomorrow! For 2016 the eight week surf tournament is October 8th to December 4th. Register now! This year Fisherman’s Headquarters is administering both the FishHead Striper Side Bet ($10 buy in fee) as well as a free to enter LBICPR Catch and Release division. For more details go to www.LBIFT.com

Received: Oct 6, 2016 9:12 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

At the time of this report the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are heaving a sigh of relief as it appears Hurricane Matthew will spare the New Jersey coastline. At the same time, they are keeping their fingers crossed for the safety of the fishing communities and other folks along the southeastern coastline absorbing the brunt of the storm.

Although tropical storms have as yet not had any appreciable effect on the Beach Haven fishery, a steady diet of strong northeast winds have been enough to put a damper on most local fishing. Despite these less than ideal weather conditions, the BHCFA captains have plans and some very viable fishing options coming up in the very near future.

First, the water temperatures remain quite warm, and this has kept a goodly amount of fish around the inshore waters along with some large quantities of bait. The inshore bay waters continue to hold large numbers of small fish such as black sea bass, kingfish, blowfish, porgies, and the like. In addition, there have been various catches of nice sized weakfish and occasional resident striped bass beginning to show their presence.

The black sea bass season re-opens on October 22 with a daily limit of 15 fish with some decent numbers of big fish on the artificial reefs and inshore wrecks. Between these sea bass, some big porgies, and blackfish, the bottom fishing will be seeing a big upswing in the very near future. The offshore fishery is a question mark right now. When boats were able to make the trip to the canyons, there were some tuna, billfish, and mahi-mahi to be found. Since the unfriendly seas have made recent trips a no-go, captains will have to take a wait and see attitude. However, it is still early in the season, and there is no reason for there not to be fish available.

Finally, now that we are enjoying cool evenings, the striped bass and big bluefish will be arriving shortly from the north. There have been good reports on bass from the waters off Montauk, and with the goodly amount of bait to be found in our waters, this promises to be a good fall for stripers.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

October 3 , 2016 ——————————————————–

6:00 PM

With October here the local fishing is slowly progressing towards a very optimistic fall run. The mullet run continues and lots of small bass and bluefish are on the hunt! Tog are present at the inlet rocks and anglers are catching with green cabs. There is great number of shorts so you may have to work at it to get a keeper but they’re in there! The rocks also has small blue and schoolie bass. We got another round of North East blow coming so expect the surf fishing to start to pick up.

This Saturday kicks off the 62nd LBI Fishing Classic. Sign up now and don’t miss out on Saturdays opening day seminar at the Ship Bottom Fire House.

Received: Oct 1, 2016 6:38 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

I’m not sure if many boats got out this week due to the rough conditions from a “non-moving” low pressure system. We had almost 4-5 days of NE winds, rain, and higher tides. With the Fluke season officially over, it leaves options for the Bay/Inlet with Bluefish, Striped Bass, Weakfish, and Blowfish still hanging around. I just received a good sized shipment of rods from G.Loomis and Boca/Cabo reels from Quantum. They are primed and ready for use for our charter trips and I should be receiving my Spot shipment this week.

I did make it out before the weather turned sour, and we boated a variety of fish. I had Chris Lipinski and his girlfriend Ashley Palemo of Hackettstown, NJ on a 4hr Bay charter and we targeted a variety of species for the afternoon. We started off working two areas for Blowfish and boxed some along with releasing small Kingfish and Striped Burrfish. With better tidal conditions, we ended the trip in the inlet working bucktails and AVA’s for Bluefish and Striped Bass. We boxed a few Blues on each drift, and Chris got his 27th B-day wish as he landed a healthy 24-inch Striped Bass on the last drift, which was good enough for the table with the NJ Striped Bass Bonus Permit. Nice Job!

I have some dates available in October in which we will run for “Variety” aimed at Bluefish, Striped Bass, Weakfish, and possibly Blowfish. Casting is critical on these trips and if you need a refresher I will happily give you one. November will be solely for Striped Bass/Bluefish, and I have only a few weekend dates left (Nov 5th, 13th, 20th, 27th). I may have a few random weekdays available in November, but you will need to call or email for details. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

September 25 , 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

More of of the same from the surf… kingfish and small blues. This monring Alan Young was in the shop purchasing a pair of Super Strike Poppers. He reported catching one bass and a bunch of blues this morning off the surf.

Here’s a report from Steve George, “Well all good things eventually come to an end. The 2016 Fluke season does just that today. Good luck to all those that are looking for those last hour flatties. It was a good one for me personally as I learned a lot and met some mighty fine fisherman this summer and was just an overall fun experience on the beach during the mornings. If I had to rate the season I’d give it a solid 8.”

Received: Sept 23, 2016 6:23 PM Subject: Crushed the Weakfish Today!

I had three trips in the last three days. All in the bay, all targeting weakfish and blowfish. Wednesday afternoon we had zero weakfish, then we anchored up on the west side of the bay and caught a bunch of blowfish. Yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, we only had one weakfish but we caught six different species on shedder crab using the ultralite tackle so it was a pretty good trip for action. The other five species were blowfish, little blues, porgies, juvenile sea bass, and fluke, no, not keeper fluke. This afternoon (Friday), we anchored up on the east side of Barnegat Bay and for the first hour we caught nothing. Wind against tide, I re-anchored three times, ….the worst. After, a little while the tide started to roll and the jumbo snappers invaded our live grass shrimp slick….hard! You couldn’t float a hookbait through them so we switched to 3/8 oz. shad darts tipped with shrimp. Vertical jigging the bottom, the first few fish were small sea bass, they also run in epidemic numbers in this spot, but then we caught our first weakfish, a respectable 14 incher. After that, it was game on for over two hours we had 13 to 16 inch weakies almost as fast as you could get your jig to the bottom.

The wind is going to keep us in the bay through the weekend so we will be targeting weakfish and blowfish along with all the other mixed bag that comes with it. Sailing Open Boat or charter Sat, Sun, and Mon. I’m stocked with live shedder crabs and live grass shrimp for the weakies, and clams for the blowfish.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

September 23 , 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

The past couple of days have offered awesome weather for getting out an enjoying the water. We are sad to see summer go, but are stoked with optimism. Fall is here! Here’s a photo from last fall run. The bass were hammering peanut bunker for a couple weeks. If the amount of bait penned up in the bay right now is any indication of what’s to come… it’s gonna be bonkers!

Lots of small blues in the bay. Best to pack extra softbaits because the tiger like blues are ripping Fin-S, Slugg-Os and Gulp one after the other. If you can get through them you’ll find some weakfish and blowfish. John Barrett sent in this report, “Patrick Barrett along with Tristin and Tegue Farina were trolling the Beach Haven West Lagoons before dark yesterday evening. They caught 32 blues between 12 to 16 inches.”

Bunker boat stopped by yesterday and reported they are catching croakers and bonita about five miles off the beach. He said “There’s few false albies where he has been working but they will be here in better numbers soon because there’s lots of small bait stacked up.”

A customer in the store ironing out an issue with his reel yesterday reported fishing the Chicken Canyon a recently. He found some fish; mahi and small tuna without another sole in the area.

While offshore canyon fishing has been very slow, we did just get a report from Captain Stew Hitchner on the Pez Machine. “Great blue marlin release thanks to Allison Hitchner on the rod, CJ Walsh in the pit, Stew on the controls and Beverry in the cheering section! CJ said that Stew would only torture his transmission like that for his wife. True love!”

NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife News…

The state deployed a new pieces of structure as part of the Artificial Reef Program. The program continues to actively enhance fishing opportunities and ocean habitat for fish. On September 21st, the 68-foot Austin was deployed on the Axel Carlson Reef, 4.4 nautical miles southeast of Manasquan Inlet. The deployment of the 115-foot vessel Lisa Kim, to be sunk on the Wildwood Reef, 8.3 miles northeast of Cape May Inlet, has been rescheduled to September 29 or 30 depending on weather conditions. For information on the Artificial Reef Program and deployment information, including reef coordinates, visit the division’s website.

Save The Date…

The Barnegat High School Fishing Club hosts it’s 8th Annual Fisherman’s Flea Market on Saturday – December 10, 2016 from 9am to 1pm. Admission is $4 for Adults; Children 12 and under FREE
Location: Barnegat High School, 180 Bengal Blvd, Barnegat NJ 08005

Last year there were close to 500 people who attended. All proceeds benefit students of the high school fishing club. The BHS fishing club gives out scholarships, donates to the Annual Toy Drive and local food bank, and provides youth fishing opportunities for students of Barnegat High School. Student also have opportunities to fish from the surf and local head-boats. It’s a great club, and we have a great following in the school district, so come out and support.

Received: Sept 22, 2016 9:15 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

Although the inshore wreck and reef fishing slows down this weekend with the close of the summer flounder season. The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are chomping at the bit to get offshore and do some big game fishing. There appears to be an abundance of billfish in the canyons, and the tuna bite is also strong. In addition, the mahi-mahi are always around to provide more meat for the cooler. The only caveat is finding suitable weather conditions.

Captain Lindsay Fuller recently took a group offshore on the “June Bug.” He had heard there were some excellent quantities of big eye tuna near the 100-fathom line in the Toms Canyon. Reports had the fish taking lures and baits trolled very close behind the transoms, less than 30-feet in many cases. Captain Lindsay also heard of heavy concentrations of blue and white marlin along the 100-fathom line from the northeast corner of the Lindenkohl Canyon up past the Carteret and halfway up to the Toms.

The “June Bug” headed to the Carteret to start. Fishing in 400-feet of water just before daylight, they started the troll in 71-degree water. Within a quarter of a mile they had a strong blue marlin on. Right after that fish was released, another blue took bait followed by a third. After releasing those fish, they decided to circle the area and promptly had a white marlin attack. A white was released with all of the billfish hooking up in a 2-square mile area. They headed to the Toms looking for tuna but could manage only a 10-pound mahi despite some huge schools of bait showing on the electronics..

Captain Lindsay decided to return to his original trolling spot where he promptly hooked up with some huge blue marlin estimated at about 400-pounds. Despite encountered reel problems caused by the big fish, the day continued on with more blues and whites hitting the baits. Most of the fish provided exciting aerial displays.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

September 21, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:30 PM

Tog fishing at the rock is starting to get better. Tom was in the shop yesterday and said Monday he caught 6, all shorts.

Merle Van Liere was in yesterday and reported catching a pompano off the south end surf. He got it on Fishbites rigged up for kingfish.

The LBI Fishing Club’s 70th Annual World Series of Surf Fishing is this weekend! The ASAC sanctioned tournament will be on Saturday September 24th. In person registration is from 5:30 to 6:30am in the meeting reel at the Harvey Cedars Club. Fishing time 7 to 9:30am and then 10 to 12:30pm. Registration $75 per team, $15 per individual. For more details Call Frank at 856-904-3062

September 20, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

Late this morning we had one man return for more bloodworms. He said the kingfish bite in the Ship Bottom surf is good. Yesterday Chuck Noona stopped in the to pick up a couple long tail surf sinkers. While here he shared that he caught one kingfish off of the surf in the morning before the monsoon came in. Chuck caught the king on FishBites. He said another angler fishing close by had a 14″ kingfish too.

The surf also has lots of small blues and spike weakfish in the mix with the kingfish. If wanting to fish bait bloodworms (Live, FishBites &/or DynaBait Bloods) and mullet are the best choice. Small metal is working too. Keep an eye out for albies! They should be cruising through any day.

More reports of weakfish and schoolie bass around back. Anglers fishing the bayside with small jigs and plugs are catching tiderunners up to four pounds (the majority are much smaller, tons of spikes) as well as bass up to 22″. Yesterday Bobby Capri was in the shop looking at some lures. He left and headed out for a session in the rain. Turns out he found mullet piled up and schoolie bass all over them. Bobby caught four linesiders on plugs.

Ryan Sherwood shared a recent report, “Been a few years since my dad and I have went out fluking on the boat. Glad to see nothing changed. He had two keepers with the pool winning 24″ fish, almost 6 pounds. I had a few shorts and a grand slam of non target species including eel, skate, sea bass.”

Dan and Pat DiPasquale were offshore Sunday at the Wilmy. The brothers reported an awesome day offshore. “We started off trolling and raised quite a few white marlin in the spread. Only got one to commit. The tuna were down deep. Had good marks at 300 feet but they wouldn’t come up. There were some tuna caught but few few. After trolling we shifted gears to tilefish and the bite was on. Non stop drop and reel fishing with double and triple headers all afternoon.” Here’s a photo of Pat with a double headers. (photo coming soon)

September 18, 2016 ——————————————————–

12:00 PM

Montauk Report: Last Saturday we got a report from the East End that fishing was very slow but there was bait. While I would have loved to hear a more positive report, it wasn’t stopping us. Blake and I packed up the camper on Sunday (11th) and headed out to Montauk. Rather than chase a report we decided to go and make one. So here it is… There’s fish at Mecca! Obviously, there’s always fish holding year round. We had to work for them (lots of long hours, miles of hiking, rock hopping, thousands of cast) but it was all worth it. We picked fish just about everyday with some days better than others. The late afternoon into sunset consistently produced better than the sunrise/morning session. The bait seemed to come together every afternoon. The birds were helpful but not all active pods had the telltale sign. We came across a vigorous feed one afternoon. Not another angler in sight, no birds, no boats (until they saw us doubled up). Just bass smashing bait (as well as our poppers) on top. Long story short, Blake and I had a great time enjoying the East End’s bounty. It seemed like every session we fished solo or with only a handful of anglers. During our five day trip there was bass, blues and albies. The north side was the primary area; however, we hammered fish on the south side too. We found the place virtually empty; however, when pulling out of the lot on Friday it was filling up fast. The time is now. Gear Up And Go!

Long Beach Island Report: The local night shift crew has enjoyed fishing the moon light. While not very open to sharing, they gave the nod when asked, “You catching?” With all the bait staged up the Island’s bayside is where the action is. The weakfish have been feeding hard and there is resident bass gorging too. Anglers are targeting them with bucktails, soft baits and small plugs. On the downside of this Harvest moon, look for bait to move its way out. Soon other areas will get fishy.

On the surf there’s lots of small blues (snapper to cocktail size). Anglers have found these yellow eyes along the Island’s front beaches as well as the Inlets. Worming the surf is producing solid kingfish numbers. Some anglers catching kingfish are also coming across a few small puppy drum. Brown sharking is still consistent at night and the low light hours. As long as the surf temps stay on the warm side it will continue to the end of the month, maybe beyond. What strong showing they had this year! Fluke fishing the surf has slowed, but some keepers are still out there. Anglers will be catching flounder from the surf right to the season close on September 25th.

~FishHead.Greg

Dave Werner posted a photo of his girls after a recent fishing session in the bay. They got into the blowfish and had lots of fun catching dinner. Word has it that there’s lots of blowfish in the bay.

Paul Haertel reported a good day ocean fluke fishing yesterday. The guys got nine up to five pounds, Paul said that he caught his first ever lobster.

Here’s a report from Steve George….

Ahh, late night September chill was in the air under the full moon and I found multiple species in a hard feeding mode around schools of peanut bunker. Broke out my light action Loomis GL2 and Shimano Sustain that has been collecting dust all summer and rigged it up with some Gulp! and it was on. At first snapper blues were slamming the pods on the surface and peanuts were cart wheeling into the air, after messing with them and losing some tails I started jigging the bottom and quickly found weakfish holding underneath the carnage. I had a good hour of them non stop until I lost my tide and current. Slack tide produced my first striped bass since the spring. Granted very small but I tagged it quickly and sent it back on its way. Once the tide started to roll again it was another bass that decided to play and hit me on every cast. Fun night to officially start my 2016 Fall Run!

September 16, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

Sorry for the last of reports. I was out of town. On Sunday 11th I packed up the truck with store staffer Blake and we headed out to the east end. It was the earliest I’ve fished Montauk but both of us were chomping at the bit. More on our Montauk trip coming soon. ~FishHead.Greg
Store staffer Steve-o reports…

There’s tons of bait around. The bay is full of blowfish and weakfish. Lots of anglers are getting into them on the boat but land based anglers also have a good crack at ’em. Chet Bojarski is catching weakfish on a small lead head rigged with a Gulp jerk shad. The fluke and kingifhs are still on the beach. While fluke fishing the suds is slow compared to the good summertime fishing, I did get a report from one angler. He got 22″ flounder on the south end surf. This time of year some quality fluke lay in the surf. Late season fluke fishing is also a great time to find a doormat on the inshore reefs. Yesterday the Carolyn Ann III had a 9 pound fluke. It’s not red hot fishing but anglers catching. Tog are starting to bite up on the north end. This is great new. Expect this fishery to be lots of fun the next month or so. There are also plenty of small blues cruising the Inlet too.

Received: Sept 15, 2016 6:54 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

Ocean Fluke fishing had definitely regained it’s steam this past week as I received a few good reports from a few close friends who made it out. We only have a few days left in the season, so if you want your last shot at Summer Flounder/Fluke – now is the time. There are some good options for the bay with Bluefish and some schoolie Striped Bass around the inlet and Northern Puffers, Weakfish, and Kingfish in the back. My lagoons are seeing a lot of bait with Peanut Bunker continuing to stage, and there are schools of Mullet getting ready to run. It’s definitely getting closer to Bassin’! With my teaching responsibilities in full swing and my son’s after school activities dragging us all over, I can only do “Magic Hour” Thursday and Friday afternoons during the week, but have weekends available for the duration of Striped Bass season.

This past week I had return client Art Diebel of Cream Ridge and his 12 year old son Bruce on a 4hr Bay trip. With the winds cranking and the Fluke bite optimal outside, they decided to try blowfishing the bay. We moved around to 3 different spots and had mixed results with a variety of species caught with most on the smaller side: Blowfish, Fluke, Kingfish, Smooth Dogfish, and Sea Bass. They did box a few nice Blowfish (over 8 inches) and a nice 17″ Kingfish.

I’m currently booking Weekends for Striped Bass (mid-October through the 1st week of December), and weekdays for the ENTIRE week of November 7th through 11th. I may have a few random weekdays available in November, but you will need to call or email for details. Like us on Facebook (Reel Reaction Sportfishing) for the most up-to-date reports and booking availability. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

Received: Sept 15, 2016 5:48 PM Subject: Weakies and the mixed bag

I had Brian Wolfinger and Stacy Dmytryk of North Wales, PA on board this afternoon (Thurs) and they had non-stop action with small sea bass, big snappers (more like 1 pound blues), silver perch, blowfish, and three nice weakies up to 3 pounds. We caught all of the fish on shedder crab on the east side of the bay in a very stiff NE wind. We are surrounded by land on all sides where we fish, so it is typically flat calm in the harshest conditions. We use six pound spinning tackle to keep it sporty.

Sailing Open Boat or charter every day for this fishery as well as Barnegat Ridge for bonita and albacore when the forecast allows. Fishing the bay tomorrow (Fri), departing at Noon. Playing it by ear for the weekend and Monday as far as the forecasted sea conditions but no matter what, we will be fishing the bay for the weakfish and the mixed bag every day.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

Received: Sept 15, 2016 11:49 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are reporting decent fishing on a wide variety of fronts. From the inshore bay waters, to the inshore reefs and wrecks, to offshore canyons, the action has been very respectable with happy anglers on the trips. Summer flounder season will be closing on September 27, and anglers are advised to get lines in the water before that season ends.

Captain George Finck had the “Star Fish” out with the Shawn Freed party. The group began the day as a trolling trip. Captain George started fishing the Lobster Hole and area pots for mahi and albacore, but found the water dirty and difficult to fish in. He then took the anglers bottom fishing on some wrecks and reefs for a catch of fluke, weakfish, and black sea bass. Although the sea bass were quite large, they were released as being out of season. On another trip he had the Todd Fetter family out for a three-quarter day bottom fishing. It was a day of great action with fluke, sea bass, weakfish, and large sea robins attacking their baits.

Captain Gary Dugan had a great bunch of Philadelphia firefighters out on the “Irish Jig” recently. In addition to some 40 undersized fluke, they ended up with five nice flatties for the cooler. In addition the anglers boated 5 cocktail bluefish, a half dozen huge sea bass, and a brown shark that bit off close to the boat.

Captain Lindsay Fuller of the “June Bug” says he has been hearing of some good tuna fishing conditions in the canyons. He is putting together trips to pick up some of the yellowfin tuna that are being caught along with some Mahi. Captain Lindsay says there is a nice Gulf Stream eddy that is covering the area of the tip of the Lindenkohl down below the tip of the Spencer Canyons. There are some decent temperature breaks and the spin of the eddy should be causing some upwelling.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

September 9, 2016 ——————————————————–

9:00 AM

We got word that Holgate was open again to 4×4 access yesterday. Other good news in the air… the mullet are starting to move! Yesterday we were told that they are staging up. It’s that time! We’ll have freshies in one of these days. Once the mullet run gets under way expect the fluke, small blues and schoolie resident bass to be all over them in the suds. The Fall Run is right around the corner!

The 62nd LBI Surf Fishing Classic is less than one month away! For 2016 the eight week surf tournament will be from October 8th to December 4th. Registration will start soon. This year Fisherman’s Headquarters is administering both the FishHead Striper Side Bet ($10 buy in fee) as well as a free to enter LBICPR Catch and Release division. Stay tuned for more info.

Fresh bunker delivery arrived late in the day yesterday and we expect live blood today.

September 8, 2016 ——————————————————–

4:00 PM

Fran was just in the shop and shared a report from up by the lighthouse today. She reported lots of cocktail blues, “We were catching casting lures tipped with squid. The small blues were jumping all over chasing bait.”

A report came in from a regular customer who asked to remain anonymous. He said the weakfishing has been awesome!

Howard Clark was out on the water this morning. He reported the one reef he fished was slow. “We managed to catch a couple fish but only one keeper.”

Received: Sept 8, 2016 8:37 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

Like other residents of the New Jersey shore, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are getting back to normal after several days of being affected by Hermine (Disturbance, Tropical Storm, Hurricane)

The advance weather conditions promoted the storm’s arrival as one that could possibly cause large scale damage. Fortunately, most of the predictions were incorrect, and the storm passed, and stayed a while, quite a few miles offshore.

The winds and high seas did make trips into the ocean a poor proposition, and most captains stayed around the house taking care of chores that needed to be done. Now that the effects of Hermine are just a memory, it is time to get back to fishing.

Captain John Lewis hopes to have the anglers on the “Insatiable” back continuing with the “phenomenal” fluke fishing that was going on before the blow. Before the storm made things really difficult, he was catching fish in the inlet and back bay waters. Captain John noted that fluke, bluefish, black sea bass, kingfish, and some blowfish kept his charters busy and happy.

With the calendar showing mid-September already, the offshore tuna bite should be getting into high gear. In the days before the ocean kicked up, there were positive reports in the canyons of yellowfin tuna along with large numbers of mahi-mahi around. Hopefully, these fish had no trouble riding out the storm and are there for the BHCFA captains to take advantage of.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

September 6, 2016 ——————————————————–

Another summer comes to a close. Today was the first day of what some call the best part of summer, the chunk after Labor Day but before Fall (Sept 22nd). Here’s the section of time we’ve all been waiting for… warm water, beautiful temperatures and lots of room to stretch out and enjoy Long Beach Island’s beauty with out the hustle and bustle. While I’ll love every minute of it, I can’t wait for fall! It’s prime time fishing from now until the end of the year!

Once Hermine wraps up and pushes out (late week) we expect things to get back to where they were before the Armageddon scare. Inshore and from shore expect the fluke fishing to produce right to the end of the season (Sept 25th). Offshore the tuna chunk bite was on fire before the storm. Lots of boats are chomping at the bit, waiting for the seas to subside. Hopefully this weekend will allow boats to push off and get back to where they left off. In the bay there’s plenty to do too… Crabbing is going strong and there’s lots of “pan fish” around too. More on that from Captain Brett Taylor and David D…

Captain Brett Taylor of Reel Reaction Fishing Charters reported blowfish in the bay yesterday. He also caught a bunch of sea bass. Here’s his report, “We probably landed over 40 sea bass and about 24 blowfish. Kept a couple for the table. There was lots of action in the two hour session. We finished it up catching a couple blue claw crabs.”

Received: Sept 6, 2016 11:55 AM Subject: Weakfish Bite Is Red Hot!

Thankfully, Hermine was a lot more timid than was forecasted. We fished right though Saturday and blasted the weakfish Thurs, Fri, and Sat. Chumming with live grass shrimp on the east side of Barnegat Bay was the best for quantity and lures tipped with shedder crab on the west side of the bay, behind Waretown, gave up some of our biggest fish. Here I am on one of six fish between 18 and 21 inches we had along with Brian Ewan of Barnegat and Matt Pacione of Waretown on Thursday afternoon, check out the video.

Either tide is producing, as long as it’s moving. Anything from 12 to 21 inch fish, but mostly 12 to 15 inch fish. There are fluke in the mix, though it is rare to catch a keeper, most of the flatties are 14 to 17 inches. Snapper blues, sand sharks, juvenile sea bass, blowfish, hickory shad, silver perch and more species visit our shrimp slick every day. We are using six pound spinning outfits so whatever you hook is going to take you for a ride.

Fishing Open Boat or charter tomorrow (Wed), Thurs, and Fri, Sept. 7, 8, and 9 departing at Noon each day. Sunday and Monday, Sept 11 and 12 we will be running to Barnegat Ridge for albacore and bonita or shrimping for weakfish….or both! Whatever you want to do. Two trips a day on Sun and Monday. Give a call and jump aboard!

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

September 4, 2016 ——————————————————–

Hermine? Yesterday things didn’t look good. Fortunately for all of us, the models were wrong. Hermine went about 100+ miles further east than expected. Today was a beautiful day with lots of sun. It was windy but not extreme. Most would ask for this style north wind rather than a wicked upwelling south or bug filled west wind.

A number of customers enjoyed the day crabbing and fishing the bayside docks. Some anglers geared up for sharking this evening too. The bay side is the place to go. Hermine’s presence is well known at the beach. The big surf will stick around all week and fizzle out for next weekend.

Those looking to get offshore (to see if the epic tuna chunk bite is still on) will have a number of days to wait until things settle down.

Received: Sept 4, 2016 2:57 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Hermine didn’t stop the back bay action!

This week’s foreboding forecast of topical storm/hurricane Hermine had most boat and costal home owner’s on edge with references to “Super Sandy” thrown into the mix of weather analogies. Presently the storms looks more likely to have more bark than bite. {fingers crossed].

Although it did get a bit windy with a rising stacking tide due to a backing Easterly onshore flow the back bay action continued solid with mostly very ravenous weakfish. Blues/snapper, fluke, blowfish , sharks, hickory shad, seabass and even a stranger to our home waters of Barnegat Bay in the way of cutlass fish [see our Facebook page]. The long slender eel like body is paired up with a formidable set of teeth finished off by an impressive set of K-9’s at the front of the mouth/jaws.

I always look forward to the other side of these systems to see what has been blown in from the Easterly offshore waters. Albies and Bonitos are the usual cast of characters and can offer some excellent sight casting opportunities and even inshore trolling excitement with the possibly more species as well.

Late summer fishing can be a blast with tons of action and species to target so don’t wait till fall to wet a line! Book a private trip or jump on an open boat to scratch that itch!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

Received: Sept 4, 2016 8:32 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

Well, we finally end summer, but not without some “unwanted” wind and higher tides. Let’s hope this didn’t put an early end to the Fluke season, we will have see after it moves off and things calm down. The good news is there are some different species available to be targeted in the bay with Blowfish and Weakfish as an option. The storm may spark some other fisheries, but that remains to be seen.

With September officially here, I am back at school and will be available to run some weekday afternoon trips (3 to 7pm) and weekends for the remainder of the fishing season. Historically, mid-October, November, and December are prime Striped Bass months, and I do have 50 Striped Bass tags through the Bonus program this year. Lastly, have a safe and happy Labor Day!

With school starting and the wind blowing, I was only able to run one trip this week. I had Will Whitesell, his 9yr old son Thompson, and 12yr old son Will Jr on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip and we started working some areas close to the inlet. The kids worked hard and hooked a variety of species from Fluke, Sea Bass, Northern Puffer aka Blowfish, Dogfish, and Sea Robin. It was great seeing the boys try jigging bucktails for the very first time and connecting on a few Fluke. Unfortunately, we had only a few Fluke come close to the 18 inch mark.

I have openings for a few of the weekends in September for a variety of species (Bay or Ocean), and have already started booking dates in October/November for Striped Bass. Generally, mid-October and November will book up rather quickly. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call. As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

September 2, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Rob Vallone was on the south end surf today. He said, “There’s lots of kingfish on the beach! I caught a dozen and well as one keeper fluke. Other anglers were catching shorts. There’s brownies cruising through to.” A couple anglers targeting them hooked up some nice ones. Rob also said there’s lots of small blues and bait present. The baby bunker and spearing are thick but no sign of mullet. Any day!

Word on the street is with the incoming weather the Feds are closing Holgate 4×4 Access tomorrow at noon.

Here’s a report from Fred Golofaro, the Editorial Director at The Fisherman…

The arrival, and more important, the passage of Labor Day weekend, signals a fresh start to the fishing season. Gone are the summer crowds from our beaches, launch ramps and waterways, and cooling waters signal to game fish that it’s time to feed up for the fall migration. But with the fall come hurricanes and tropical storms which can create dangerous conditions at ocean facing inlets, even when the storm is hundreds of miles away. Understanding tides and currents is the first step to staying safe – the other is common sense.

Albies and bonito have entered the fray as we enter the ninth month, there is still three weeks left to fluke season, and blackfish season opens in just about a month from now. Summer is clearly in the rear view mirror.

12:00 PM

Holgate Opened yesterday and the reports from the south end were fluke fishing is very slow. But, kingfish were present and chewing. We heard lots of anglers were heading down there last night to try their luck at sharking. It should be prime.

The summer of 2017 was full of beautiful weather. Just about every weekend was flawless, until now! Tropical Hermine is coming up and will deliver a punch. How hard and how long is still up in the air. Forecasts are calling for the system to push off the Outer Banks and then slowly drift in our waters though midweek. Tropical Storm Watch is in effect. Tropical storm conditions possible Saturday – Tuesday. Everyone should keep an eye on the forecast updates.

Here’s some news from the NJ DEP F&W:

On September First the New Jersey Striped Bass Bonus Program Opened. This unique program allows for the harvest of a third “bonus” fish because the commercial harvest quota of striped bass was transferred to the recreational fishing sector. Applications must be submitted before October 31, and reporting SBBP harvest within 24 hours is mandatory. For application and regulation information visit the
visit the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife website.

September 1, 2016 ——————————————————–

It’s finally September. The month kids dread but surf fisherman welcome with high hopes for a great fall season. The boat anglers enjoy September too however, they loose out on the phenomenal inshore sea bass fishing. This is a reminder that as per the 2016 NJ Recreational Fishing Regulations, the Black Sea Bass fishery is now closed until October 22nd. At that time it will reopen with a 13″ minimum size with a 15 fish bag limit. Fluke season closes September 25th. The fishing is great so go it in while you can!

Steve George posted a photo of himself of the beach with a nice fluke yesterday. Here’s his caption, “(I am) Wrapping up the month of August on a good note this morning. With the unofficial end of summer this weekend and fluke seaon ending in 25 days, I’m not so sure I’ll hit my goal I set for myself but it’s going to be close, will see. Either way it has been a fantastic few months fishing for these flatties in the surf. But I’m now looking forward to chasing some albies and kicking off the fall run with a couple road trips north soon in search of the striped ones again.”

Want to get out and fish?

Captain Steve Purul from the Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters has an open boat tomorrow Friday September 2nd. Steve sent us this message, ”

I had a cancellation this Friday so I’ll be running an open or private charter. If the weather is cooperative we will be targeting Porgies, trigger fish, fluke and blackfish on the wrecks and reefs. If not we will be targeting weakfish, blues, schoolie’s, fluke, blowfish….. in the bay/inlet. 7am-12pm. All light tackle tactics! Rods, tackle, bait fish cleaning included $125.00pp. Angler must be open to either. Come join the fun!

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

Received: Aug 31, 2016 8:31 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

Large swells and some stiff winds have made trips into the ocean an iffy situation recently for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. Since the fluke fishing was reaching a peak before the effects of the various tropical storms began arriving, there is no reason to think that those fish will not still be there once things return to normal.

Just before the ocean started acting up, Captain Gary Dugan of the “Irish Jig” reported a steady pick of nice fish coming across the rails as he fished the nearby artificial reef sites and wrecks. Captain Gary terms the fishing “very good aboard the Irish Jig.” He adds his customers have been staying busy catching numerous fish with a fair amount of fish going into the cooler. He is finding a nice variety of fish besides the fluke which helps to make things even more interesting.

As an option to fighting the large swells in the ocean, the bay fishing for small panfish has seen a notable increase over the past week with a few surprise larger fish thrown in. The ticket for the BHCFA captains has been to anchor up in moving water and use plenty of clam chum. Once the slick is established, anglers never know what they are going to catch next. Blowfish have been making their presence known along with plenty of snapper blues. In addition, there are porgies, black sea bass, and a surprising number of weakfish around right now. These types of trips are great family outings in addition to providing some tasty fish dinners.

September has always been the top month for trips offshore for game fish such as tuna, mahi-mahi, and billfish. This is the right time to plan a trip to the canyons.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

August 31, 2016 ——————————————————–

Store staffer Blake was on the water with his buddy Chris today. They fished a local artificial reef and had a great trip. Blake said the fishing was great. The two anglers limited out, with quality fluke pushing 6 pounds. The hot bait was 6″ Gulp! Nuclear Chicken and big long strip baits.

Here’s some news from the NJ DEP F&W:

Reef Deployments Continue – The Austin, a 68′ former trawler, is slated to be the next piece of structure headed to an NJ artificial reef as part of the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Artificial Reef Program. Subject to weather and sea conditions, it is scheduled for deployment on September 13. The Austin will be sunk on the Axel Carlson Reef, located 4.4 nautical miles southeast of Manasquan Inlet. The target deployment location is: 40 02.900′ 73 59.000′ Once the vessel is sunk it will soon become a home for 150 species of fish and marine life, a fishing ground for anglers and an underwater attraction for scuba divers. The vessel will continue to serve the fishing industry for at least another 70 years. The vessel is being sunk on a portion of the reef set aside for recreational fishing only. Anglers should stay a safe distance away while the vessel is being anchored in place and scuttled.

Received: Aug 31, 2016 6:39 PM Subject: Wow! Clobbered the Weakfish Today!

The weakfish bite in Barnegat Bay is on! We had a hot bite all afternoon with mostly 12 to 15 inch fish but we also had an 18 and a 21 inch weakie. Holy smokes, did those fish burn line off of our six pound outfits. I had Brian Rakowsky of Harvey Cedars, Chris Lang and Bill Rigney, both of Barnegat Light on board for the action. We chummed with live grass shrimp on both sides of the bay and caught in both places. Chris had the big fish jigging a chartreuse 3/8 oz shad dart tipped with shrimp. We also had them free lining baited hooks and on bobbers. The hits were aggressive and they are on the feed. There are also some blowfish and quite a few fluke in the mix.

It looks like there is going to be some heavy seas in the ocean with the tropical storms pushing through these next few days so we are going to fish the bay and target these weakfish and any other species that hits our shrimp slick. Open Boat or charter Friday, Noon departure. Sat, Sun, Mon, and Tues we will be sailing twice a day. Morning and afternoon departures. It’s also possible to combo the blowfish if anyone is interested. They finally arrived in some numbers. Looking forward to this stretch of bay fishing. Join in.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

August 29, 2016 ——————————————————–

Lots of small bait on the mid island surf this morning. I found swarms of turns crashing bait balls of bait at sunrise. There were small blues all over the bait. The incoming swell from Gaston has some beautiful waves and white water on the beach. Head up to the surf with a light plugging rod and whip a small metal out there to took up. We got a report the small bait was up on the north end in the wash at sunset. I’ll assume it is up and down the entire stretch of the Island’s beaches. ~FishHead.Greg

The bay and Inlet fluke bite continues. Jacob B. sent in a photo of fluke lined up on the dock today. His comment, “Got these five flatties in the bay up to 23 inches.”

Received: Aug 29, 2016 6:26 PM Subject: Fishing Report
Another solid week of light tackle action and fun for anglers aboard the Reel Fantasea. Both action and variety kept anglers busy as most trips continued to score a mix of blues, tog, seabass, porgies, blowfish, shad, weakfish, fluke, trigger fish and two mystery fish that couldn’t be stop nearly empting our reels contents.

Additionally on two trips anglers were entertained [some frightened] by watching a big 7-8 sand tiger for about 20 minutes as it circled aggressively pursuing hapless baitfish around the boat all within 1 mile of the beach [yikes!]. The big shark showed just how powerful it was as thrashed at the waters surface!

Once again Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters will be participating in the Striped Bass Bonus Program which allows anglers aboard to keep an additional slot fish [24-27.9999 inches]. Last years participation in the program we added an additional 75 slot fish to our cooler for anglers looking to do so.

Whether striped bass or blackfish or both are your passion our Falls cooler temps will surely bring hot fishing and entertainment for the enthusiastic anglers. Come on and join us aboard the Reel Fantasea. Book your date today!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

Received: Aug 29, 2016 2:03 PM Subject: Weakfish, Fluke, Albies, Bonita

Fishing has been good in the bay these last few days. We are continuing to catch weakfish and fluke of all sizes on the live grass shrimp on the east side of Barnegat Bay. A few hickory shad, sand sharks, blues and blowfish are in the mix, too. Shad darts tipped with shrimp or baited hooks under bobbers are doing the best. We are catching as many fluke as we are weakfish at times. All on the 6 pound ultralite spinning rods with no sinkers. Also, there are now false albacore and bonita at Barnegat Ridge. We will be running Open Boat or charter Tues, Thurs, and Fri with 11:30 AM departures and Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues of the Holiday weekend, morning and afternoon trips. Your choice: shrimping weakies in the bay or Barnegat Ridge for albies and bonita….or both!

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

August 28, 2016 ——————————————————–

9:30 AM

Victor Soto sent in this fishing report, “I bought a couple packs of the DynaBait Freeze Dried Bloodworms. Used the worms yesterday and the fish loved them. Caught plenty of porgys. Great product and half the price of live bloods.”

Eight year old Nathan Dillard of Shamong caught a nice fluke off the LBI surf yesterday. His father Daniel Dillard sent in a report, “Thank you for the bait and tackle yesterday evening. Watching my son catch his first flounder was amazing. Memories like this are priceless.”

Jim Sonday had a good catch of fluke yesterday morning. Had flatties up to 25 inches bucktailing the outgoing tide. 8 keepers.

Max Lentz and his dad had red hot fishing on an inshore reef. They caught fluke up to 24 inches bucktailing.

Just a reminder Holgate is set to open on September 1st. Here’s some other beach access news from Long Beach Township. Long Beach Township recently posted the following information which is music to most fisherman and surfers. Why has it taken this long? That’s up for debate. It’s amazing what gets done during an election year. Thanks Mancini! Fishermen and surfers that enjoy the beaches of Loveladies, North Beach, Brant Beach, Peahala Park, Spray Beach, Beach Haven Crest/Gardens/Terrace/Park (all the others), Spray Beach and Holgate rejoice!

“Surfing Beaches – Since 2008, the Board of Commissioners have worked together with our Community to improve our beaches and ensure the public’s enjoyment of all the unique activities our Island offers. At that time Long Beach Township had only 7 beaches designated for surfing. As promised by Mayor Mancini, each year additional surfing beaches would be added, and upon the completion of the Army Corp of Engineers Beach Project, all beaches would be open for surfing. By 2016, 21 beaches were designated for surfing. In 2017 we will realize our goal to open all Township ocean beaches to surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking and fishing.

Surfing areas on Guarded beaches shall be designated by Blue Flags located on the northerly and southerly boundaries of the swim area (marked by Yellow Flags). For safety purposes, surfing on Guarded and Unguarded beaches shall be subject to water and weather conditions.
Mayor Mancini, Commissioner Bayard and Commissioner Lattanzi understand listening and working together with residents, visitors and all citizens towards common goals is how ideas become reality.”

August 26, 2016 ——————————————————–

12:00 PM

At the time of this report (noon) we have a flat of live bloods that just arrived. Only a few fresh bunker left so the status above is red. It will be sold out very soon. We expect a delivery later today. As far as baby bunker and clams, it’s open ended.

Received: Aug 26, 2016 9:30 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

We’ve been out on the water 46 out of 60 days the past two months, and I’m looking to continue to run strong through September before the changeover to Striped Bass. I have limited openings this upcoming week (8/29 thru 9/2). I will do my best to try to get clients in. I’m back to school starting September 1st so weekdays will be afternoons only. I have some weekends available through September. Ocean Fluke trips will give the best shot at keepers as most have started their annual migration eastward. The blowfish bite in the bay has picked up so I can run bay trips with some confidence of connecting on Northern Puffers which are great for kids (edible, not poisonous – selling in the local markets at $12-13 per pound). These generally will provide a mixed bag of Blowfish, Kingfish, Fluke, and an occasional weakfish. Bay Fluke is still available, but you have to work hard to get keepers and most efforts will need to be concentrated towards the inlet.

So here is this past week’s rundown (although we were cancelled on Monday/part of Tuesday due to high winds/unfavorable sea conditions):

I had return client Matt Windover, his uncle Tommy Barnett and his father-in-law Steve Simms on a 5hr Ocean Fluke trip. You have to love that full moon tide through the inlet as it was rough. I headed to an area where I had them a few days prior, and the crew did an excellent job jigging bucktails tipped with natural or artificial baits. They had a steady pick of short fluke with keepers in the mix, and were able to put 6 keepers in the box (18.5, 19, 20, 20, 21.5, 22.75in).

Next, I had return clients Jason Black of Short Hills, NJ with his 3yr old son Tyler and Michael Weinstein of Brooklyn, NY with his 4 1/2 yr old daughter Belle on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. This trip was about giving the kids a good experience on the water for their first time, so any keepers were a bonus. We caught about 20 short Fluke in which the kids helped their fathers reel them in. Jason smacked a solid 4 1/2 pound 22-inch Fluke on a bucktail. We ended the trip with a quick swing by the commercial boats in Barnegat Light with both their wives meeting us at Bobbies Boats to officially end the trip. The kids did an amazing job for their first trip. Looking forward to seeing both families again next year!!

Finally, I had return clients Derek Bowen of Short Hills, NJ with his wife Christina, 12yr. old daughter Megan, and 10yr old daughter Dani on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. We started off the trip with ideal conditions almost no wind and some good incoming current and picked a few fish right away including a fat 19.5 inch Fluke. But the ideal conditions didn’t last too long as the winds started to blow, the fishing became really tough between the wind and the current. When you can barely hold with 4oz in the bay/inlet, you know it’s blowing considering a 2 to 2.5 knot drift. We finished up close to the inlet looking for deflection from the steady 15-20 knot winds. The foursome released some more shorts close to the 18 inch mark and a few sea bass. Considering the conditions, the girls did an excellent job for their 3rd year, and we are looking forward to having them back!! They did get a special treat with it being “Coast Guard day at Barnegat Light and the USCG did a few mock rescues near the inlet!

We didn’t run any trips going into the weekend as we took a mini-family vacation to go see one of my former students play Single A Minor League Baseball as he pitches for the Kansas City Royals organization, but I will be back out there on Monday.

I know it’s a few months away, but I have already booked a few October/November/Dec Striped Bass trips – mostly weekends, with the exception of few random weekdays and November 7th through 11th in which I will run everyday that week. Like us on Facebook (Reel Reaction Sportfishing) for the most up-to-date reports and booking availability. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website (link below), or call 609-290-7709 . As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

August 25, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

The weakfishing in the bay is still off the hook.

The ocean reports from the reefs are positive. One customer in today said he got a 5 pounder this morning. Dylan Fisher we out recently and limited out on sea bass.

Kingfish and fluke are the mainstay table fare of the daytime surf. Steve George stopped in the shop earlier today on his way off the beach and shared this report, ” I managed a 21″ fat keeper that hit a Gulp! 4″ white swimming mullet. The conditions were clean with just a little stained tint. No weed but the south wind was building hard when I left. It was best during the mid morning incoming tide today. High low rig is the way to go.” Take his word for it! So far this year Steve released 356 total fluke from the surf. He also caught an additional 17 keepers. Here’s some more info from Steve. “The dog days of summer are still producing keeper fluke along the LBI surf. The wash is coming alive with young baitfish now scattering in and out. Spearing, peanut bunker and minnows. I’m also seeing signs of sand eels. Pay close attention to what the sea gulls, terns and ospreys are feeding on to give you a idea of the type of presentation to use when targeting the these fluke. Multiple different Gulp! baits are producing but you need to work them real slow and all the way towards the waters edge or lip of the beach. Look for some deeper pockets of water as the water temps are in the mid to upper 70’s. They are laying in these holes looking for their food source to come to them. Good Luck & Tight Lines”

Some nice shark fishing still going down in the bay and surf. We’ve had a number of photos sent in the past couple of days, brown sharks and sand tigers.

Received: Aug 24, 2016 9:39 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

The 2016 John Koegler Memorial Fishing Tournament for the Junior Mates of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association was a major success. Everyone involved caught fish on the four boats participating. The boats participating were the “Reel Determined,” the “Star Fish,” the “Insatiable,” and the “Francesca Marie.” In addition to a good number of fluke ending up in the box, a small mahi and a bonito were also caught. The boats fished south of Little Egg Inlet in 65-feet of water.

Captain Carl Sheppard reports the “Star Fish” has run trips morning and afternoon every day this week and caught fish on every trip despite some unpleasant weather mid-week. He already has plans to fish right into December.

Captain John Lewis reports the “Insatiable” found hot fishing this past week with most of his 7 trips landing double digit catches. He has found that the fish seem to be moving around, and he has been relying on other captains of the BHCFA for their tips on where the daily bites are occurring.

Captain Lindsay Fuller reports he has fished the “June Bug” inshore several times earlier this week on the Garden State South, Little Egg, and Atlantic City artificial reef sites. The action is good with a plethora of short fluke. On one trip his anglers landed a hound fish and a Spanish mackerel. He also had an offshore trip to the Wilmington Canyon. He left at midnight and began fishing at the 100 Tip about 4am. Despite lots of bait on the machine, the action was slow. He picked up a 6-inch yellowfin tuna which was released back to his mother. He heard of only one white marlin being raised by the boats in the area. He reports the water temperatures were steady at 79-80 and the water color was greenish blue.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

August 23, 2016 ——————————————————–

Here’s a report from Paul Puccini a team member of the Beach Boys Guiding Service. “It has been a summer full of great sharking from the surf. Recently is has really been good. Over 10 sharks in the last week alone. Our biggest taped out at 9′ and we have had 6 sharks over 7′. If you want to get in on the action contact us on Instagram @beach_boys_guiding. Give us a follow. Also check out ourYouTube channel for some awesome footage of the beach boys in action reeling in the monster sharks.

Received: Aug 23, 2016 8:20 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

I’ve been very busy on the water so it has been a while since my last report. I have a lot to say. But don’t I always? Early last week I saw Barnegat Bay get the warmest (89 deg) I have ever seen in the last 25 + years. I am not talking back lagoons but the bay in front of Barnegat. With the passing of Monday’s cold front it has since dropped back to the upper 70’s to the low 80’s, brrrrr. With that warmth the fluke bite in the bay has been incoming to the beginning of outgoing. Speaking of fluke they are pushing towards the inlet getting ready to migrate east for the winter. Snappers to 1 pound blues have been popping up on the lighthouse bar, around the dike and along the sod banks. Small metals are working and the smaller one make it into my livewell for fluke bait. Just off the beach spike weakfish are stacked. The kids on some of my recent trips have had a blast with catch and release. With big bunker not around much the ospreys are dinning on them as well as brown sharks. Made it out early one morning with a friend and was able to scratch out one short bass. And a few 3-4 lb. blues. The coolest thing I saw in the last few outings were rays. During one trip when we were slowly motoring over some eel grass beds to make bait (cast netting peanut bunker) we came across 5 rough tail sting rays. These bad boys were as big as the hood of your car and only in only 2’ of water! Then a short time after while fishing over some sand we saw a big spiny butterfly fly. Then towards the end of the trip a cow-nose ray rounded out the ray slam 😉

Between being extremely booked and personal obligations I do not have any open dates until the afternoon of September 2. I had an amazing summer and would like to thank all that came out on the Debbie M. With school starting soon I am now booking afternoon/magic hour trips, weekends, and holidays.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

August 22, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:30 AM

Jimmy from Barnegat got a 30” 10.32 pound doormat yesterday. He was fishing in the bay near the BL Inlet. The monster went for a live mullet.

Received: Aug 22, 2016 9:51 AM Subject: Laura Sportfishing Reports

Had a three man trip out yesterday for some day fluking. The guys had nine keepers, 3 were over 5.5 pounds. Most were in the 20 inch range. From now until the close of the season is when the big ones bite! Pink 6 inch Gulp! had the most fish. I have plenty of weekends available in September so give me a call. To stay in the loop like Laura Sportfishing on Facebook.

~ Capt. Mark Finelli Laura Sportfishing 856-341-6562

Received: Aug 21, 2016 7:54 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Variety in the spice of life!

Anglers aboard the Reel Fantasea continue to score a fun variety of species including fluke, bluefish, striped bass, sea bass, porgies , tog, trigger fish, weakfish, sharks, blowfish … with some trips seeing 8-10 different species of fish. The hot weather had our bays near record temps but as the extreme weather seems to have abated the action continues to rebound with tons of light tackle action. Most of our fishing has been very productive with action as quick as dropping a bait to the bottom and “getting ready”. The variety is the icing on the cake! Remember to view photos on our Face Book page and “like us” .

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

Received: Aug 21, 2016 9:39 AM Subject: Mahi Mahi at the AC Ridge

We got another late start on Saturday, but it didn’t seem to matter. With the absolutely flat ocean we cruised out to the AC Ridge looking for the clear water and a temperature break. On the Northeast corner of the ridge we found both and set up a pattern of daisy chains on six rods. All artificials – no fresh bait.

We barely had the last line in when the starboard long corner ran off. It was a nice female Mahi that hammered the purple and black feather chain I had setup behind a Boone Bird. After boating that fish and resetting the line we made about a mile long loop and returned to the same spot to be rewarded with a 30″ bull Mahi that attacked the blue and white feather chain I had set on the port side third wake. This one was so fired up that we had to speed up the boat to prevent it from passing us.

After filleting the fish I discovered the bull Mahi had a whole Bonita and a whole squid in its belly. Hard to believe that fish was still hungry.

The water was crystal clear out there and 80 degrees. Lots of life too. We heard that other boats in the area did well on the Mahi, and some false albies were trolled, but no yellow fin. Out at the Lindy the white marlin were still chomping the ballyhoo and a dock neighbor tagged a nice one early in the morning.

Warm Regards,

~ Captain Bernie Hyland, Mad Ludwig, Beach Haven

August 21, 2016 ——————————————————–

12:00 PM

The kingfish are in the surf. Kristi Reillo Cooper reported yesterday morning her son got two off the surf. Lots of other customers are reporting the same. Some better then others. Store staffer Rob Vallone recently caught a bunch off the mid-island surf. He said, “Got 15 kept 9 for the table. All on live bloods and FishBites.”

Todd from Panzone was in this morning gearing up for a day on the water. He reported hammering the fluke on a local reef recently. Other reports from the ocean have been good too. Ryan Schramm posted a photo of a monster fluke yesterday. He had nine keepers, one of which was his biggest to date.

The Magic Tail Rattling Bucktails have been out-producing for most of the season! MagicTails’ Dante Soriente reported, “It has been a long time since I fluke fished like this. Now that I own a bucktail business I figured I better start! Having some fun too. Got our limit for the boat today (yesterday, Saturday) up to 8-lbs all on the MagicTail Rattle Head Bucktails!” D said, “Get 2-6oz sizes from Fisherman’s Headquarters and hit a local reef. There’s lots of fish around right now.” We’ve got a solid selection right now.

Lots of small blues around the bayside docks. They are offering fun for the kids during the day. In the evening time and at night they are also snapping with weakfish in the mix too! Local grom Grey said he is smoking the weakfish and also catching a ton of snapper.

Got word from Rob Pompilio that last week Ralph Caggiano caught his personal best golden tilefish aboard his boat. Ralph said, “This 59 pounder will be hard for me to top.” Rob also caught a 50-lb golden and another angler on board Paul got a 38 pound golden. World Class Tilefishing! Location… classified.

Ced Vohden posted two photos from a recent trip offshore with this text, “It’s well into August and finally the Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club has its first Woman’s Tuna award caught by my first mate on the Bad Buoy. Not a shabby bull mahi to ice the cake either.”

Received: Aug 21, 2016 10:56 AM Subject: Weakfish In The Bay

I had two afternoon trips on Thursday and Friday that produced some weakfish. Friday was better than Thursday. Then yesterday morning (Saturday) it lit up really good! While most of the fish we are catching are 12 to 15 inches, we had fish up to 19 inches on these trips. We are using six pound spinning gear with live grass shrimp for bait on the east side of Barnegat Bay. The fish are hitting on both tides as long as the water is moving. Sometimes using a bobber is the hot rod, an hour later it’s the shad dart or just a freeline hook with shrimp. I try to keep a few different techniques going all the time until we key in on what’s working best at that moment. We are also catching quite a few fluke in the chum slick, not keepers, but 12 to 17.9999999 inch fish and they are a blast on light tackle. Too many snapper blues, some blowfish, sand sharks, and juvenile sea bass are also in the mix.

The marine forecast is not going to allow me to run to the Ridge for a stretch here so we will be hitting it hard in the bay. Tomorrow (Mon) is wide open for morning or afternoon trips and then Tues thru Fri I will be running Noon departures for the live grass shrimp weakies as well as some other combo opportunities. Charter or Open Boat.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

August 20, 2016 ——————————————————–

9:30 AM

With the weekend’s wonderful weather window, the shop was cranking yesterday. Lots of boats geared up and headed off. While the great mahi and billfish bite is still going strong, the tuna reports have been few and far between. Hopefully the abundance of boats searching the canyons will return with promising intel.

Store staffer Dan was out at the Hudson yesterday but had to cut the trip short due to engine problems. He said, “We got some big mahi casting lures as well as some jacks and a white marlin. The white ate a pink Cedrus stick bait and once tight, took to the air. Was the coolest thing ever! We also slaughtered the tilefish in 400 ft of water. Heard out of the 50+ boats in the area only 5 tuna were caught (maybe there was others). We saw juvie tuna (thought to be bigeyes) blitzing on top.” Dan mentioned that there was fish also caught further south at the Lindy.

In the bay, weakfish are all over the baby bunker. Numerous customers are effectively targeting them fishing peanut bunker off a bobber. One guy stopped in for tackle in the evening and said he could not even get a sip of his beer, “Each time I bait up it’s hooked up again. Great fishing!” It’s promising to see all the bait staging up for fall and it’s even better to see the abundance of weakfish. Great sign that the population is on its way back. Another weakfish report came in from Dylan Fisher, Max Lentz and Patrick DiPasquale. Dylan said, “The fishing was insane this morning (yesterday)! I took out the fly rod and put a whipping on ’em!” Patrick reported, “Fun weakfishing with Dylan and Max. We caught and released a bunch of weakies and also loaded up on snappers. The weakfish couldn’t get enough of Dylan’s fly. We lost a couple really nice fish boatside.”

Sharking in the bay and the surf is still going strong. Over the years August is a great month. Now’s the time to get in on the fun. Austin Pounds and the Beach Boyz reported off the hook fishing! Ryan Dellane said, “It has been a hell of a summer for us! The adrenaline was pumping on Thursday night with our biggest of the season.” Austin reported, “It was our best night yet… Three sandtiger sharks, a brown shark and a big cownose ray. The epic trifecta! Congrats to Stuart who pulled in a monster 9′ sandtiger. It was a beast of a fish! We tagged the brown shark which tapped out a 65″ fork length. The season is still going strong for those that want a shot.”

Also in the surf small blues, kingfish and fluke. Kingfish are taken on live blood, DynaBait freeze dried bloodworms and FishBite artificial bloodworms. Small blues are going for lures (metals and poppers) as well as small bunker chunks matched on 1/0-3/0 hooks. In regards to the fluke, approach via the classic tactics. Don’t re-invent the wheel.

Received: Aug 20, 2016 7:24 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Sportfishing

We had another busy week being on the water with only one day cancelled due to high winds. Although the ocean fluke bite was slightly off due to the recent full moon, it is has been more consistent then the bay. Our bay waters have a lot of short fish, so you really need to pick through them to find a biting keeper. The wind speed and direction are a major factor to successfully drifting for Fluke in the ocean or our backwaters. School is fast approaching and with that my responsibilities shift, so starting September 1st I can only run weekday afternoons (3pm start) and weekends for the month of September and early October. I have obtained a good number of Striped Bass Bonus tags which will be used on all of our Striped Bass charters for the Fall (Oct/Nov/Dec).

The week started off with Reggie Robinson of Basking Ridge and his 12yr old son Druv and 9yr old daughter Regan on a 4hr bay Fluke charter. This was the kids first time fishing on a boat and they did a great job considering the tide conditions. Regan was the high hook catching and releasing 13 Fluke, while her older brother caught the biggest of the day at 17.75 inches (just a 1/4 inch shy for the table). The father-son-daughter team caught and released over 26 Fluke, a few sea bass, and a 4ft Dogfish. It’s always nice to see the excitement on the faces of kids reeling up fish!

Next, I had Erik Lundback of Virginia, his 9yr old son Axell, and Axell’s uncle Arthur McCormick of Washington, DC on a 4hr Bay Fluke charter. Well, NOAA predicted light Northwest winds, WRONG. It was hard West (and files) for most of the trip, which led to many wind against tide scenarios. We power-drifted and the crew worked hard to catch well over 25 fish, keeping one 22 inch for the table. 9yr old Axell did an excellent job for his first ever-Fluke trip. Great job, and hope to see them again next season!

After my Monday’s charter, I took my 8yr old son Luke and my parents for a quick Ocean trip to probe some areas for Tuesday’s charter. We didn’t catch quantity, but had some nice fish off the structure. It’s a little tough for an 8yr old to fish deep water with 4oz bucktails (although he jigged a few of the drifts), so my “Mate-in-Training” did some of the crucial netting which included an 28-inch 8 pounder, and a solid 24in 5 pound fish. We ended the day keeping 3 (28in, 24in, 19.5in) for the table.

Next, I had Patrick Plunkett of Philadelphia, PA and his 70yr old father-in-law Bill N. of Kintnersville, Pa on a 5hr Ocean Fluke trip. We pounded about 5-7 structured areas and had a lot of short hits, but not a lot of fish pulled up. It was rather slow due to poor drift conditions, but we did end up putting 2 keeper Fluke (18.5, 23 inch) and 1 keeper sea bass in the cooler. We had some shorts, skates, and throwback ling. Pat had a real, nice fish on (heavy with big head shakes), but lost it halfway up. Nice job on a tough day.

Wednesday’s trips were cancelled due to winds and poor conditions. On Thursday, I had the pleasure of taking out former co-worker & Merck Pharmaceuticals employee Mike Galindo of Westfield, NJ and his two boys Bennet and Mason on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. We started working some areas close to the inlet, but the incoming water was down to 65F which slowed the bite down. We moved around to find some warmer water, and the trio boated 15 fish with 2 keepers (21, 18.5). Both of the keepers were caught by the two boys who were relatively new to bucktailing. Great job. Hope to see you in the fall for Stripers!!

I was booked for a second trip Thursday by my wife Jen and my 1st mate Luke, so we headed out and with a quick phone call thanks to a fellow Forked River Tuna Club member we got on some fish. We could only fish a few hours due to evening commitments. We had quite a few shorts, a bunch of missed fish, and kept 7 keepers for the table (18, 18, 18, 20, 21, 21, 21.5). Luke did a phenomenal job catching a few in the deep, and we also fed some live peanut bunker to a 3 foot Blacktip shark, got so close I could’ve netted him!

Ending the week, I had Ed Cooke of Basking Ridge with his son Ed of Red Bank, and son-in-law Brian Baldwin of Rhode Island on a 4hr morning Bay trip. We had some wind against tide conditions in a variety of my choice spots, which meant power-drifting for a majority of the trip. It paid off as the trio boated 4 nice keepers (18, 19, 20, 22in) and one lone blowfish. We used a variety of baits and worked a few different spots to find the keepers. For the second trip, I had Patrick O’Malley of NY with his 8yr old son Justin, and their family friend Braulio Flores and his 8yr old son Chris on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. The wind kicked up (more than predicted) which made for very challenging drift conditions, coupled with a full moon tide. The boys did a great job for their first boat-fishing trip and caught Fluke and Blowfish. Unfortunately, we could only get as close as 17.75 inches which was the closest to being keepable, caught by 8yr old Chris Flores. The boys had a great time on the water.

The next week is close to being full. But following week (8/29 through 9/2), I have some definite openings and will be willing to run two trips on 8/29, 8/30 as long as the forecast is good. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website (link below), or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

Received: Aug 18, 2016 4:12 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

August is now in full swing in Beach Haven, and while the bay action is dominated by small panfish, the fluke are out in full force around the inshore reefs. In addition, the bite offshore is starting to really pick up. The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are currently experiencing their best fluke action of the year.

Captain Gary Dugan of the “Irish Jig” has been running two trips a day and returning with full fish boxes most trips. When asked how the action is, Captain Gary noted, “Fluke Fishing has been great.” While there are still large numbers of throwback sized fish, the “Irish Jig” has been finding its share of keeper fluke with catches ranging from 4-8 keepers a trip. He has been fishing the Little Egg and Garden State South Reefs. Along with the fluke, there are black sea bass and snapper blues around. When he moves to a wreck, Captain Gary has been finding sea bass, porgies, blackfish, and occasional triggerfish.

Captain John Lewis has been taking anglers out on the “Insatiable” and returning with good amounts of fluke in the box. Captain John says he has been fishing both in the ocean and in the inlet. The fish seem to be moving around. He is itching to get offshore to get in on some of the good white marlin and mahi-mahi action he has been hearing about as well as a few big eye tuna and swordfish.

The BHCFA’s Junior Mates Program had its last official class session on Thursday, August 18. On Friday, August 19, the group will participate in the John Koegler Memorial Junior Mate Fishing Tournament. Following the fishing and weigh-in at the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club, a luncheon celebration will take place at the Club. Thanks to the generosity of the Koegler family and other sponsors of the BHCFA, there will be many great prizes awarded to the successful anglers.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

August 16, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

Austin Pounds reported the surf shark fishing has been mayhem. “Hell of a day with two sand tigers. One 7′ and one 8’4″ beast.” On recent days Austin and crew has been into brown sharks too.

We got word today from a land based angler who caught a couple keeper fluke yesterday. He was fishing the north end’s bayside.

Dean Paolella stopped by with a pair of kingfish that he caught off the mid-island surf today. His largest was 11.25 inches.

August 15, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

We expect fresh bunker on Tuesday.

Still got the same old roll… Fluke is the main game! Anglers find great summer flounder populations in the bay, surf, inlet and inshore wrecks – reef sites. Those fishing the bay are reporting a 20 to 1 short to keeper ratio. Finding a keeper on the surf is difficult but some anglers are managing the feat.
Recently David Ho fished the BL Inlet rocks and caught some fish. He got a 21″ keeper fluke, one short fluke and a bluefish. He reported the Inlet was rough and dirty thanks to the south wind.

With surf temps in the low 70’s kingfish are another edible option for surf casters. DynaBait Bloodworms as well as Fish Bites and Live Bloods are doing the trick.

The shark fishing both in the surf and the bay remain strong!

We had a monster Blue Runner weighed in by Mike Maciurzynski today. He caught the 4.62 lbs fish out at the Hudson Canyon.

Store staffer Dan D was out in the morning and got into some fish. He reported, “Epic weakfishing this morning! We also had some nice fluke. Both white, chartreuse and nuclear chicken were getting bites.”

I headed out late in the afternoon with Adam from the Uncle Josh Co (in town for business from Wisconsin ). Store staffer Blake also joined. Within 30 seconds, Adam got one on his first drop. Wish every drop was like that! Fishing wasn’t awesome be we caught. Unfortunately no keepers. Lots of small short strikes from little fish. We were trying to fish bigger baits hoping for a fatty but it never came. For the last hour of light we moved to the Inlet and tried to search down a linesider. All we could mustard was some bluefish that crushed our plugs. All in all it was a nice evening on the water. I was stoke to get the cheese head into fish while here in Jersey. ~ FishHead.Greg

August 13, 2016 ——————————————————–

5:00 PM

Store staffer Rob Vallone headed out this morning on the Ocean Explorer, back on the fluke hunt. His report, “Hot as hell! Slow fishing to start but finished with a bang! Three keepers up to my new personal best 7-lb 12-oz. It took the pool and that makes a three-peat. Won the pool today, last Saturday and the previous Saturday.” Robbie is on a roll!

Rick McDonough sent in this report, “Thanks for the good size spearing this morning. We just had a blast with cocktail blues at the bridges.”

Store staffer Dan D was out on the water early this morning. He shrimped up the weakfish on the west side of the bay and then switched over to fluke fishing. Caught 7 with about 20 shorts all on Gulp! in the bay. Dan said there were lots of small blues crashing bait (peanut bunker, spearing, rainfish), “We got them to bite casting plugs.”

Luke Robinson and friends stopped in the shop yesterday afternoon looking for intel on back bay ghetto sharking. After getting the run down, they geared up and headed out. We got word today that they had some fun. Looks like we pointed them the right way. Luke said, “None stop action with toothy ones! Every eel got a fish. It was crazy.”

Today was HOFNOD “Hooked on Fishing Not On Drugs” Kids Fishing Day hosted by the Borough of Harvey Cedars, LBI Fishing Club, ASAC, PBA #175 & #373 and DARE. One of today’s volunteers Ted Kamish was in the shop. He said, “There were well over 100 kids that participated. The main catch was kings, about two dozen caught with the largest about 12″. There were also weakfish and sharks in the mix.” Ted mentioned there was a good sweep along the beach with some grass to deal with. The water was brown and had a little chill to it. They fished up on the north end just down from the beach replenishment project.

Received: Aug 12, 2016 5:26 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Relentless! That’s what I have to say about to say about the SSW winds the last 3 days. For over 72 hours, we have not seen the wind go below 15 mph for an extended period of time (4 or more hours). It has made bay fishing difficult to say the least. There are some spots you can get a break from the wind and chum up some weakfish but only when the weakfish deicide to chew. It has been hit or miss but they are in the bay which is good. Fluking has been good on incoming water and almost nonexistent on the ebb with the bay around 84 degrees right now. The amount of 2” or so peanut bunker in the back bay is off the charts, for real. One toss of my 8’ cast net in 3’ of water resulted in a net too heavy to bring in the boat. Also every time I have been around the inlet I have seen it packed with small to medium bait. Small 1-3 pound blues have been taking advantage of the full plate of bait.

For the week coming up I have some open dates for bay / inlet fishing, chumming weakfish, off the beach sharking or inshore trolling. Should see a break from the wind in a day or two which will make fishing even better than it has been.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

August 12, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: Aug 12, 2016 7:37 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Sportfishing

The water temperatures stabilized after last week’s blow as you started to see a difference with the cooler water and the fluke responded. The only problem is the amount of shorts that are occupying our area. It’s great action for kids with some trips well over 60 fish, but if you want to bring some home for the table you have to work rather hard for them. If your looking for meat, then I would suggest Ocean Fluke trips as they generally provide more quality fish. With some predicted higher winds the past few days, I cancelled a few of the trips due to wind against tide conditions. There is nothing like trying to fish in 15-20 knot winds when the tide is moving the opposite direction.

Early in the week I had Dan Snead and his daughter Emma of Rockaway Township, NJ on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. We bucktailed a few different spots with bucktails and the crew bailed over 50 throwback Fluke with 1 keeper to 21 inches. Emma was close on a lot of her fish with at least 10 measuring between 17 to 17.5 inches. Nice job by the father/daughter team.

Next, I had return client Michelle Lambros and her 2 boys (Elias, Andreas) of Brant Beach and her nephew Ryan McKenny on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. We had similar results with close to 60 undersized Fluke with 1 keeper to 20 inches. Ryan Mckenny was the top fisherman in the group releasing 18 fluke himself and catching the lone keeper. Again, there was tons of action just not a lot in terms of keeps.

Towards the middle of the week provided some better fishing in terms of keepers as I had Eric Haase with his brother-in-law Craig Fordyce and girlfriend Caitlyn Tornes on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. With primo conditions (wind/tide) and good water temperatures, I kept the three using bucktails tipped with either fresh, live, or artificial baits and it paid off. We worked from spot to spot, and the trio ended the day with 4 keepers (18, 18, 18, 19.5). Caitlyn lost a nice fish early which would have made it 5 in total, but still a good day on the bay. Nice job!!

Last, I had return client Chris Pacione of Pittsburgh, PA with his two sons (7yr old Enzo and 10yr old Leo) and his brother Jeff of Boston, MA on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. The winds really kicked up out of the south for the late afternoon trip, so we were pinned to work only a couple of areas with the tidal conditions. The foursome did a great job in really tough conditions (wind/tide) and landed a respectable 24 fish keeping two for the table (18, 20 inches). It was a pleasure to see the boys again, and looking forward to getting them out next year.

This upcoming week (8/14 through 8/20) I do actually have some dates available, and will be willing to run two trips a day as long as the forecast is good. I will continue to run 7 days a week for charters until the September (Labor Day) and depending on my schedule and weather conditions, will run 2 trips per day when feasible. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website (link below), or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

August 11, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: Aug 11, 2016 12:36 PM Subject: BHCFA Report

There are decent numbers of fish in the inshore waters off Beach Haven, but these fish are spread out, especially the fluke. The captains who belong to the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are benefitting from that organization. The boats are fishing in different areas and sharing their results with each other. In this way, all of the captains and their anglers benefit from that information.

Captain Gary Dugan of the “Irish Jig” reports a noticeable increase in his fluke action. There are enough short fish to keep everyone busy pulling in fish, and every trip been providing at least one fluke for the cooler. His most recent trip resulted in seven nice keepers.

Captain Jimmy Zavacky and t he crew from the “Reel Determined” took Boy Scouts of American Troop #112 from Jacobstown out on the “Star Fish.” The larger boat was needed due to the 18 active anglers. With this many lines in the water there were many fish brought over the rail, and sea bass and fluke to take home.

Captain John Lewis reports that after a couple of disappointing trips last week, he is back on the fluke again. The fish had moved and he notes that with cooperation from some other captains of the BHCFA he has had some very good numbers of fish recently. The catch and release fishing is very good with a number of nice keepers providing fish dinners.

Captain Carl Sheppard reports he has been running the “Star Fish” on two 4-hour trips a day. He says they are catching a mixture of bluefish, sea bass, fluke and porgies. Some have been good sized, but for every keeper, they average four to five throwbacks. As August warms the waters, he expects to start running more full day offshore trips for pelagic species.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

August 10, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:30 PM

While creeping day by day towards autumn, it feels like flying! This past Thursday (8/4/16) was the last day with a sunrise in the five o’clock hour. Yesterday was the last day with a sunset in the eight o’clock hour. While watching tonight sunset (7:59pm) will you look back in a positive way?

We are past summer’s half way point but the glass is half full in our book! Our local fisheries are strong offering great opportunity from shore, inshore and offshore. So far this season we’ve had really warm water temperatures near shore. The surf temp has stayed comfortably warm for swimming and surfing in trunks. They bay has been warmer then it has been in a long time. Its consistency has been very helpful; however, with lots of southerly winds in the ten day forecast it might break the trend.

The Ship Bottom ocean water temp in the surf today is 77 degrees. (Thanks Rick!) These warm water temps have kept the summer flounder happy and active as well as kingfish and the occasional small bluefish cruising through. Surf casters are doing best with hi/lo rigs with small hooks tipped with DynaBait Bloodworms for kings. The fluke can not resist a bucktail tipped with Gulp!

The crabbing has been very good. We are selling tons of frozen bunker as well as crabbing supplies out the wazoo. Most have reported fun in the sun with numerous blue claws. Here’s a photo of an 8″ (point to point) that was recently caught. In the bay clamming is also great. We’ve got a great selection of quality clam rakes, bags and baskets among other clamming supplies. Lots of good reports from off of them that went. The classic hot spot in and around Clam Island is good. Obviously they named it appropriately.

We are in the meat of the fluke fishing season. Both the ocean and the bay have quality fishing. Justin Geduldick tagged us is a recent photo post of a nice fluke with a caption, “Good day fishing, limited out.” At the beginning of the week, store team member Steve-o was out with Howard and Brandon. They fished the tires and found ’em. In a one hour session they caught seven keepers up to 24″ on Spro bucktails. Steve-o said, “I got a massive hit and thought I had a doormat. Turns out it was a double header on on the bucktail and one on the teaser.”

The offshore tuna bite has been slow; however, the white marlin and mahi bite has been off the charts! Reports from many different boats are awesome. There was a large body of fish and boats in the Hudson as well as Southern Toms and Lindy to Spencer. Some customers loading up on small ballyhoo and circle hooks reported 20-30 shots a day. One boat released 6 whites Sunday. We are sure some of the boys are doubling those numbers. We got word of a couple big eye that popped up both at the 100 square and at the Wilmington Canyon. Lets hope these two big eye homes heat up soon. We expect the chunk bite to get rolling as the summer winds down.

With the very calm Lake Atlantic conditions the past few days lots of small boats got their shot to reach the outer waters. Store team member Laura Gilbert was on the water yesterday with husband George. They enjoyed the day on the water and found fish. Laura caught this high teen sized mahi on ballyhoo (photo coming soon) as well as 4 bonita and two sea bass. Laura report they also saw a couple big leatherback turtles.

August is a prime month to enjoy catch and release ghetto sharking. It is by far the best drag pulling fun our area has to offer. I’ve had fun with ’em for many years now and I’m confident saying this is the best year I’ve experienced. July was off the charts good so it will be interesting to see how August stacks up. So far it has been amazing. There’s a very health number of brown sharks present and hungry. Most are averaging a conservative 30-60 pounds with numerous much bigger ones. Those not familiar with these creatures must know they are protected by law, possession is prohibited. After year of exploitation for their large fins the commercial overfishing was shut down. Like most sharks, sandbar’s (brown sharks) are slow growing and it is said they take over 10 years to grow to sexual maturity. It has taken time but it is visible that the regulations helped bring the population back. Both common sharks to our area, the sandbar and sand tiger are typical sharks shown in aquariums. They pose a low threat to humans. However if you are too relaxed, comfortable or stupid like myself… you’ll get bit. Monday night while safely releasing the nights first fish I got bit right in the chest. It was a wake up call but also an ice breaker to an epic night. We released one after the other for next five hours until the tide switched.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: Aug 10, 2016 11:09 AM Subject: Old Barney Charters Fishing Report

It’s been a while since I have sent a report, but not for lack of fishing. We have been out with many trips and have been catching a variety of species including fluke, sea bass, ling, tog, bluefish, and mackerel to name a few. When the ocean permits, we have been fishing wrecks, reefs and inshore lumps targeting fluke and sea bass. Most ocean trips have all seen charters returning with their sea bass limits, fluke, ling and some nice tog in the cooler. If fishing the bay, one thing is for sure, you will catch fish. Keeper fluke are in the channels and inlets – you just need to fish through many shorts to be rewarded. All recent trips and pictures can be found on my website. My only remaining openings for fishing, before heading back to school, are August 13th through 19th. If you would like to get out for a bay or ocean fishing trip, contact me through email or call.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt Old Barney Charters 267-918-1746

August 8, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM

There’s fluke on the Little Egg Reef! We departed the dock at the top of high tide Sunday and ran to the Little Egg Reef. My wife and I as well as our two dogs, Ludwig and Hanz had a great time. We made two long drifts and went 2 for 3 on fat keeper fluke. Perfect weather, light breeze and 9 second swell in 1 to 2 foot seas. Water temps at the reef were 78 degrees surface temperature. I was the sole fisherman with a G Loomis light action 10-15 pound rod using 12 pound braid on a Penn Battle spinning reel. Baited up with 4″ gulp on a 3 ounce jig and a teaser with a bubble gum 4″ mullet. I can’t remember the last time I had a fluke hit a teaser, but the bigger of the two keepers really nailed that thing. ~ Captain Bernie Hyland, Mad Ludwig, Beach Haven

The Barnegat Bay Summer Flounder are staging to leave the bay. On Wednesday I found the flatties getting ready to leave the Bay. My numbers were poor but quality was great. Got one just shy of 30″ weighed 10 pounds. I caught it on a one ounce white hair jig tipped with a 3-inch peanut bunker. ~ Tom B. from Little Egg Harbor

Info from NJ DEP Division of Fish & Wildlife:

IBSP Beach has Reopened to Sport Fishing Vehicles

Access for Mobile Sport Fishing Vehicles in Island Beach State Park from A23 south to the jetty reopened at 7am on Monday, August 8. The area had been temporarily closed to MSFVs to help protect the first ocean side nest of piping plovers in more than 25 years. The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, and all others involved with the management and protection of these state endangered birds wish to express thanks and appreciation to permit holders for respecting the closure.

August 7, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

Dave Bertram was in the shop yesterday afternoon gearing up for some inshore trolling. He reported finding life Friday outside of the Barnegat Ridge. He had fish busting but could only manage to get one spanish mackerel. He’s heading back soon.

Received: Aug 7, 2016 5:55 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

I had another busy week with some mixed results in the backwaters of Barnegat Bay with trips ranging from 1 to 4 keepers. We did our 1st ocean trip and were plagued with no drift conditions. But we were able to put a few fish over the rail. The bay has been loaded with shorts and although keeper ratios have ranged from 20-10 to 1 depending on the day. If your after some meat for table, I would recommend ocean Fluke trips over the next several weeks as the ocean lumps and snags.

Early in the week I had return client Tom Dillon with his son Tommy “T” on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. We had to delay the trip for almost 2 hours waiting for a couple of T-storm cells to roll through, which of course put us on less then ideal tide conditions. It was a pick of fish from a few spots with constant movement/power drifting needed, but the father and son team managed to box two nice keepers at 19″ and 21″. This was very tough fishing with the NOAA botched forecast. Nice job by the pair.

The next day I had Joe Letizia of North Carolina, his son Joe Jr. of California, and his son in law Stephan LeBlanc of Ontario on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. Although we had to contend with steady 10-18knot NE winds and strong tides the entire trip, the trio was able to connect on close to 20 fish with two keepers (19, 21) making it home for dinner. Stephan caught his first ever NJ fluke at a solid 21 inches!! The hot lure was the bucktail tipped with either artificial or natural baits. Nice job by all in some tough conditions!!

I had Bruce Henderson, Craig Ernosito, and Mike Silleti on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. We had similar conditions as the past two days with 10-15 knot NE winds, but we found a little better action in terms of keepers. The trio caught 4 different species (Fluke, Bluefish, Dogfish, Sea Bass), released over 25 shorts, and boxed 4 keeper Fluke (18in, 19in, 20in, 21in) for the table. The bucktail boxed 3 out of 4 of the keepers. Nice job!!

Late in the week I had Andrew Ralston, Ed Seier, and Dominick P. of North Hampton, PA on a 4hr Bay Fluke charter. We hit a ton of different spots in search of keepers, but Ed was only one to strike with a nice 20-inch Fluke. The trio boated well over 50 fish with a few in the 17 to 17.5 range and most fell for the bucktail tipped with artificial bait. It was very tough fishing today in terms of keepers as they just were not biting. I think the stable water temperatures might have had something to do with it as it didn’t drop past 75F for the entire incoming tide and generally keepers will like it lower than that temperature, especially in the bay, All in all the group had a great time and hope to see the guys back in the Fall for Striped Bass.

Ending the week I had return client Bob Cipolla and his son Chris on a 5hr Ocean trip for Fluke. We literally had no wind for almost the entire trip, which made drifting pretty tough. The crew caught a variety of species (Mackerel, Skate, Dogfish, Sea Robin, Black Sea Bass, and Fluke). We moved from area to area to try to find some biting keepers, but could only manage a fat 21-inch Fluke among the shorts and a some Sea Bass with a couple taping out at 18 inches. Nice job by the father-son team!

I will continue to run 7 days a week for charters until September and depending on my schedule and weather conditions, will run 2 trips per day when feasible. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website link below or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

August 6, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

Lots of requests so here it is… surf temp yesterday was 78 degrees today it dropped to 74 degrees along the beach.

Today there was a strong showing for the JCAA Fluke Tournament weigh-ins. The top five spots are all over 5 pounds. Thanks to all of the anglers that participated! Congratulations to all anglers that caught fish! Please see the 22nd JCAA 2016 Long Beach Island Official Port Results below.

While checking fish in most were open to sharing information. A couple boats reported a slow day today compared to their recent trips; however most said fishing was very good today. The weather turned out to be ok and the warm water temperatures had the fluke charged up and wanting to eat. Fluke were caught from all of the local spots both on the north end and south end of the Island. The bay, Inlets and ocean all produced nice flounder. A couple boats said their catch came from the slow no wake area near the Lighthouse. Others reported Double Creek and Oyster Creek. The open bottom areas outside of both Inlets (north and south) also produced fish. There was talk of fish caught on all of the local reefs sites from the Axel Carlson down to the BL, Garden State North, South and Little Egg. We did not get direct reports from the Atlantic City Reef but we can only assume the fluke are there too.

August is a great month for fluke fishing and early month is a perfect time for the JCAA tournament. The information from the catches provide valuable insight on the summer flounder fishery. Thanks to everyone who provided data as well as NJ Fish & Game for hanging out at the shop all day to record additional data. We hope it all betters the fishery!

Here’s some more info that anglers shared today…

The Axel Carlson was full of fish but nothing that was big enough to take the cheese, 15 keepers up to 5 pounds.

William Hiros of Pemberton stayed in the bay and got a five pounder fishing live bait.

Ken and Kevin Cliver from Sellersville, PA reported catching twelve shorts and five keepers up to 5.94-lbs. They fished out of Barnegat Light on the tires. They caught fish that were holding on the sticky snag prone sections of the structure. “We lost the whole tackle box but managed to catch fish.” They managed two nice fat fluke over 5 pounds.

Ed Rust of Cherry Hill caught five keepers amongst the shorts today out in 60 foot of water

Joe Meckley of Marlton had lots of shorts (~ 30 total) today fishing a local artificial reef. His largest was 2.69-lbs.

Steven and Rich Pillips of Pemberton fished both the bay and outside. Their biggest was 4.205-pounds

Chris Hooven reported fishing on a local reef. He caught three keepers up to 2.715 pounds as well as 30+ shorts.

Dave Rooney of Howell was fishing with Captain Frank Crescitelli. They found some nice fluke with their largest weighing in at 5.95 pounds which he caught on a bucktail.

The Fisherman’s Headquarters JCAA LBI Port Winner Jeff Paetzold didn’t reveal exactly where he was fishing but shared that he he got 26 keepers today in the ocean.

Here’s the result…

Today was also Day 2 of the LBI PBA Fluke Tournament. We’ll share the results and any additional details once we get them from the guys running the tournament.

August 5, 2016 ——————————————————–

9:00 PM

Today was Day One of the Long Beach Island PBA175 Fluke Tournament. The weigh in was at the Ship Bottom Boat Ramp in the afternoon. Word on the street is it was a happening time. Lots of food and drinks. Unfortunately, there were only five fluke weighed in. Kevin Mahan was the high hook. He had four of them! We got word that he fished and caught both in the bay and the ocean. His biggest was from the ocean. Stay tuned for Day Two and the final results. We’ll post them her once the official results are released.

Received: Aug 5, 2016 6:10 PM Subject: Open Boat Barnegat Ridge Sunday… Maybe

Finally a break in all this wind! The NOAA forecast for Sunday is for light NW winds and no storm activity which should make it possible for us to get out to Barnegat Ridge or maybe even a little further in search of bonita, albacore, and any other bluewater fish. We are a 21 ft center console so there is always the possibility that I will not like what I see at the inlet and turn around. I only go offshore in perfect or near perfect sea conditions. I’m only looking for people that are willing to fish the bay as Plan B if I don’t feel the ocean is right for us. Our Plan B is usually pretty interesting, though. I always have a box of live grass shrimp on order as an insurance policy in case we can’t get out. I want to get out to the blue water as much as anyone. Especially after all of this east wind we’ve been experiencing. It pushes in the bluest, cleanest water and the species that go with it. 6AM to Noon (probably later), $175 person, 3 people max, all fish are shared.

The boat is also available for charter Sat afternoon and Sun afternoon. Don’t ever think it’s too late to call on any of these trips. Sometimes we have room right up until “Go time”.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

Received: Aug 5, 2016 2:39 PM Subject: Let It Fly Report from Fluke Trip on Thursday 8/4/16

We had a good to excellent day on Thursday 8/4. Sailed with a party of four, out of Lighthouse Marina, Barnegat Light. We fished the Garden State Reef from 8:30 am to 12:45. First drop a 12′ plus Thresher Shark picked up a fluke rig, must have been tangled as he surfaced and jumped a couple of times before running off & breaking the line.

We fished with hand tied rigs with long strips of squid and smelt and/or spearing. We could not bag a keeper, but caught 18-20 fluke (16-17″), 3 Mackerel, 4 Ling Cod, and released one Black Sea Bass of 5lb, amongst 8 others, all of significant size, as the season closed on 7/31/16, ’til Oct.

Seas ran 3-5′ and some 4-6′ on a NE wind, until finally laying down around noon. With the “big sea” there were only two other boats out there. The fish tended to be on the “bite” after the tide changed around 9:30 am. In my opinion, with years of experience fishing a big swell, although we caught multiple “shorts”, I’ve never had a superior day with “keepers” on a NE big swell. Very hard to jig even though we were fishing with 6-8 oz. and a sea anchor out. As a comparison, on the previous Saturday, July 30, we fished the same area, catching & releasing probably 20+ shorts, with keepers of 22″, 21″,19″, losing a “big” fish, and dropping another 1/2 dozen while jigging. Seas, in comparison, were 2′ or less, & so easy to position over given structure.

Looking to get out and fish the local reefs? Give a call.

~ Capt. J. Davis Let It Fly Charter Fishing 609.377.1299

12:30 PM

Steve George weighed in a fluke yesterday that was in the two pound range. His day’s total was 8. His season total 300! Congrats Steve on a solid summer flounder surf fishing achievement! Steve mentioned that his keeper ratio is currently 23-1, “easily half of them are just shy about one inch or so from being legal.

Reports of short fluke in the bay are plentiful. Most customers aren’t having an issue finding the flatties; however, keepers are scarce. While anglers are working the backwaters and channel, some have wrote off the bay. With the warm water temperatures they are strictly focused on the Inlet and ocean. The open bottom as well as wrecks/reefs are and have been holding fish. The latter offers more variety. Some pieces of structure are holding lots of life; fluke, sea bass, tog, porgies and more. A regular customer who requested to stay anonymous had a great trip before the recent blow. He said there was lots of drop and reel action. The icing on the cake was a good size tog for the table.

Do you know where the doormats are holding? Then why not sign up for the year’s best fluke tournament?

August 6th – 22nd Annual JCAA Fluke Tournament
Don’t miss out on NJ’s largest fluke tournament. There so much to win… $50,000 Cash for the largest fluke over 12 lbs in our doormat fluke category as well as a drawing for G-3 boat, Yamaha motor and trailer!!! $1200 Cash 1st Place Prize for the largest fluke in each of our nine ports regardless of the number of entrants. (Nine ports from Jersey City to Cape May) $50 & $100 Port Calcuttas and $50 & $100 Overall Calcuttas for the largest fluke. Last years big winner took home a check for $11,000!!!

There’s thousands of dollars worth of merchandise prizes for 2nd to 10th place in each port. Free cheeseburger sliders, hot dogs, mozzarella sticks, soda, coffee and tea at our Awards Ceremony on August 11th at the Clarion Motel in Toms River. Additionally, all early entrants who attend the awards ceremony will also have a shot at a special drawing for $500.

Just a reminder, the early entrant deadline is 7/25 to save $30 off the regular fee!

$160. per boat or $130 by 7/25. (Plus just $25 extra per boat to join the doormat fluke category)

Go to JCAA.ORG to Sign Up Online or to print a mail-in application. For those signing up online the additional tournament options including the Calcuttas are at the bottom of the page. You may also sign up or ask questions by calling the JCAA Office at 732-506-6565

August 4, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: Aug 4, 2016 10:20 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

After a month of struggling to put together decent catches of fluke, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are finding more keeper fish. Helping to improve the action is the annual migration of the fish from the bays into the ocean. As a result, the fishing around the inlets has shown some great improvement while the action on the inshore artificial reefs is also showing more big fish.

Captain Gary Dugan of the “Irish Jig” notes that while “we have been picking away at them; the fishing seems to be picking up slowly but surely.” He believes a couple of days with a good Northeast wind should do the trick. Meanwhile, wreck fishing has been providing a variety of fish for the cooler to take home.

Captain Fran Verdi of the “Francesca Marie” terms July a “hard month” and says that most trips got their sea bass but the fluke fishing was slow. Suddenly, as August arrived, and his party had lots of action, putting five nice fat fish in the box. The top fish was 24.5-inches long, providing some very nice filets. He has been working some of his productive wrecks in addition to the reef sites.

Captain John Lewis also notes the recent uptick in fluke action as his recent parties have been able to take fluke filets home for dinner. His most recent trip had fish up to 24.5-inches. It appears late summer is going to be the time for anglers to finally score well on the fluke action.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

August 3, 2016 ——————————————————–

12:30 PM

With the persistent onshore wind surf anglers have been battling a good amount of sea weed. Some spots are more weeded up than other and some beaches are clean.

Grey the local grom reported kingfish on the beach on FishBites.

AJ sent in a report of a nice shark he caught off the the south end surf on mullet at high tide yesterday morning.

Received: Aug 2, 2016 4:49 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

I know it’s been awhile since a had a chance to sit long enough at the my laptop and type out a fishing report but it has been a busy summer between family, friends, graduations, kidney stone attack [ouch!!] and fishing.

The bay/inlet trips continue to offer light tackle opportunity for the usual cast of characters of fluke, blues and schoolie stripers. The near shore wrecks and reefs are offering up solid action with a mix of sea bass, porgies, trigger fish, fluke and tog aka blackfish. The wrecks are covered in a variety of life and descending baits are almost hit before they make it to the bottom. There also seems to be an abundance of various sharks swimming about that we haven’t targeted yet but are ready, willing and able for anyone that wants to test their skill against one of these toothy denizens of the deep.

The dog days of summer are here now but anglers are enjoying the variety and the weather. If the heat of the day isn’t your idea of fun come join us for a twilight 5pm to 8pm trip. Our World Class Fall Fishing is right around the corner and the calendar is booking up fast! Don’t delay, reserve today!!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

August 2, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: Aug 2, 2016 12:49 PM Subject: Shrimping Weakies

Fishing is starting to heat up in the bay. We have had some good action with weakfish the last few trips. Most are just under or just over the legal mark but we have also had some 17 and 18 inch fish. Also in the mix are fluke, sand sharks, burrfish, hickory shad, and snapper blues. We are chumming with live grass shrimp and using six pound ultralite spinning outfits. It looks like the wind is going to blow pretty good from the east so we will be running this Wed, Thurs, and Fri afternoon trips in the bay, chumming with live grass shrimp. If you have never tried it, this technique has a lot of history in this area and is a lot of fun on light tackle. Noon to 5 PM.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

22nd Annual JCAA Fluke Tournament – $50K Prize – Saturday, 08/06/2016

$50,000 Cash for the largest fluke over 12 lbs in our doormat fluke category.

Drawing for G-3 boat, Yamaha motor and trailer

$1200 cash first place prize for the largest fluke in each of our nine ports regardless of the number of entrants. (Nine ports from Jersey City to Cape May)

$50 and $100 Port Calcutta’s and $50 and $100. Overall Calcuttas for the largest fluke.

Last year’s big winner took home a check for $11,000.

Thousands of dollars worth of merchandise prizes for 2nd to 10th place in each port

Free cheeseburger sliders, hot dogs, mozzerella sticks, soda, coffee and tea at our Awards Ceremony on Thursday, 08/11/2016 at the Clarion Motel in Toms River

$160 (Plus just $25. extra per boat to join the doormat fluke category)

Sign up online or print a mail in application at www.jcaa.org/. For those signing up online, the additional tournament options including the doormat fluke category and Calcuttas are at the bottom of the page.

You may also sign up or ask questions by calling the JCAA office at 732-506-6565

Information is also on our Facebook page and we’ll post the results there Saturday evening.
Apply Now: Striped Bass Bonus Program

Avoid delays! Apply now for the Striped Bass Bonus Program (SBBP) to receive your permit before the season reopens on September 1. Current
application processing time is less than a week. To apply visit www.njfishandwildlife.com/bonusbas.htm#apply on the NJDEP Division of
Fish and Wildlife website.

August 1, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:30 PM

Mid-island surf report: I got three fluke (throwbacks) from the surf this past week on Gulp sand eels. I also caught a 4 foot sand bar shark on the surf with fresh cut bunker. ~ David Furmato

July 31, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM

Currently the island is left with standing water on the roads after the morning’s pouring rain. Drive with caution!

One customer in the shop this morning reported catching fluke in the ocean off LBI this past week. He caught fluke up to 6-lbs on the Gulp New Penny color drifting the open sand bottom. He didn’t mention exactly which style Gulp bait.

More reports of kingfish off the surf. Anglers are catching on DynaBait Bloodworms and FishBites!

Yesterday our bunker man who cast nets the fat backs for us said he got some spot. They were mixed in with the bunker. It’s a great sign they are showing up. Last year the spot were few and far between. Let’s hope this year is much better.

Store staffer Dan D. was on the water before work yesterday. He said that his new G.Loomis Inshore rod is awesome! Here is Dan’s report… Fluking remains solid across the bay with good numbers of fish. The west side of the bay has been good and the fluke are sliding through the inlets as they are beginning their migration out. The bay water temps are in the low 80s during outgoing tide. Teaser rigs with bucktails and Gulp have been the ticket to get in on the action with some nicer sized fish in the mix. Magictail Bucktail’s 1oz Teardrop tipped with a Gulp 4″ Swimming Mullet has been a favorite for many anglers this season from both the boat and sand. Crabbing remains red hot back in the bay and the blowfish are beginning to show up! Don’t hesitate to put out a chum log and some clam/squid baits on a small hook while drifting for the flatties. The blowfish or weakfish might surprise you. Get out and enjoy the rest of summer. Tight Lines.

July 30, 2016 ———————————————————-

10:00 AM

Paulie and his father stopped in on Thursday to look at rods and reels for beach sharking. They decided on a Penn Squall 50 Leverdrag and a matching rod. We spooled it up and he headed out. Paulie managed to quickly put the reel to work that same night. With help from the Beach Boys Guide Service he hooked and battling this 8′ sand tiger shark which they safely released.

Received: July 29, 2016 2:11 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Did five trips in the last four days all from the inlet back. On two of the trips we fished the cooler water around the inlet and were rewarded with July schoolie bass. I did spend part of one trip chumming grass shrimp for weakfish in about a hours’ time we caught and released 6 spikes. That is a good sign. Fluking remains the same with cooler incoming water have the upper hand over outgoing on the bite. Bay temperature is in the low 80s. Some cow nose rays are poking the heads around the bay so be prepared the chase one down of you hook up with one. They are strong fighting fish. I have some days open the week of Aug 1 so if want to go after fluke, weakfish, bluefish, schoolies or inshore sharks give me a call.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

July 29, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

If you’re looking for a break from your own local summer doldrums, you might want to consider what some of the nearby party and charter boats are doing. In addition to bigeye and bluefin, the offshore grounds along the Jersey Shore offer shots this month at cod and pollock, well worth the long steam east. In the surf, lighten up for kingfish which can offer quick bag limits and fun action on light tackle outfits; jetties are also yielding more triggerfish and sheepshead as we head into August. Some jetty, bridge, sod bank and bulkhead casters have fished under cover of dark for stripers throwing lures; bucktails, topwaters and plastics. A few weakfish around regional waters too, could be worth a trip with plastics or bucktails down that old street end you used to fish for trout in years past! ~ Jim Hutchinson Jr, Managing Editor, THe Fisherman Magazine NJ/DE

To supplement Jim’s report… Bluefin tuna fishing has been great the past couple of day. Joseph Mitchell was on the water yesterday. He reported, “Went out on our own and found the bluefin. Went 5 for 5 on fish to 42″ all within 40 miles of Barnegat Inlet. We had double and triple hookups and saw then on top. They were hungry! Kept 2 nice ones for the table.” On the striped bass topic… While most stripers have been schoolies, Austin Gordon got a good one. This past week Austin speared a 30+ pound bass in the Inlet.

Received: July 29, 2016 10:13 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

We are entering August after this weekend, and the Fluke are starting to make their way close to the inlet and out to the local snags. August and September are historical great months to target big flatties on our local honey-holes. The keepers are generally biting in cooler water, so fishing incoming tides are a must. I’m starting to run Ocean trips for Fluke and we do a lot of bucktailing when conditions are right. I bring a ton of bucktails with me, but it isn’t a bad idea to bring a few of your own as my supply is not endless each trip, especially on some of my choice snags. Unfortunately, we had a little wet weather this past week in which I had to cancel two of my trips, one being Ocean Fluke. But we will be back at them next week!

Towards the beginning of the week I had return client Pete AuBuchon of Philadelphia with his daughter Maria on a 4hr Fluke trip. We started working some deeper channels and only found a few shorts and one lone 18 keeper. As the tide increased, we found better action in very shallow water (2.7 to 3.5feet) and the father-daughter team bailed over 20 shorts and boxing two more keepers (19, 19). We could literally see the fluke coming up and hitting the jigs. Maria was the high hook with over 12 fluke landed. Nice job and look forward to seeing Pete and Maria next year!

I had Bryan Meyer of Rockland, NY and his friend Nick Cheney of New Hampshire on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. We started with some 2 to 5 pound Bluefish on artificials and after about 45 minutes will converting over to Fluking chasing the clean, cool water. The duo ended up releasing over 30 Fluke and boxing 2 keepers (19, 21.5) for the table. The majority of the Fluke were landed using light bucktails tipped with fresh and live bait. Nice job and hope to see you guys again next year!

I had Bill Groeling of Hackettstown with his son Will, and family friend Dave Horincewick of Bridgewater on a 4hr Bay Fluke trip. With the morning as the only time slot available, we had to fish less than ideal tidal conditions. As the water warmed, the bite slowed so we followed the cooler water out, but it was hard to find keepers biting. The first 2.5 hours of the trip had the shorts biting at almost drop, swing, and reel fishing. After that we moved around a lot to find a pick of shorts, and the lone keeper. The crew released well over 35 fish and boxed a solid 20-inch keeper along with a lone Bluefish. Nice job!!

I will continue to run 7 days a week for charters until September and depending on my schedule and weather conditions, will run 2 trips per day when feasible. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Charters 609.290.7709

Received: July 28, 2016 5:08 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been keeping their parties happy lately with a nice selection of fish. While the fish are not always large, the action has been steady enough to please the anglers.

Captain Carl Sheppard on the “Star Fish” had a party recently which experienced some real variety. First they found some small fish in the back bay consisting of small black bass, sea robins and smooth dog fish. At the turn of the tide, some weakfish rose to the bait. They seemed to prefer Gulp or small pieces of squid. As Captain Carl moved toward the ocean with the flood tide, he found both herring and cocktail bluefish on the bars right close to the breaking water of the inlet. He managed to find some small fluke on the open bottom in the ocean and on the artificial reef where he also found some short sea bass. Another trip on the “Star Fish” with Captain Tom Masterson and Mate Marlyn Graham the Barth family picked up 20 small fluke in the inlet along with some nice kingfish. In the afternoon, Captain Carl and Mate Marlyn had the Dr. Brian Wilonski’s family of 10 from Princeton out. The youngsters had a ball catching 3 keeper porgies and a mess of throwback black sea bass.

Captain Gary Dugan of the “Irish Jig” has been exploring different wrecks with success. His anglers have been busy reeling in fish and taking fish home for the table. He expects fluke fishing to pick up soon, and he has been exploring different areas. He has some inshore night trips for shark scheduled and is optimistic about them.

Captain Fran Verdi of the “Francesca Marie” reports he has been busy fishing and finding that it has been taking work to put together some decent catches.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

July 28, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

Same theme for this report… Kingfish and fluke fishing is good. Inshore sharking is awesome!

While ABC News makes a big deal about one sand tiger that was caught, those in the know realize it wasn’t anything special. What’s special is that there’s lots of anglers catching and some monsters! The land based shark fishing this year is and has been very good. Now’s the time to gear up and get into the fun. Please know that both sand tiger sharks and brown sharks are protected species that must be released at the water’s edge.

Mickey Melchiondo (guitar front man, Dean Ween) stopped in the other night and geared up for beach chunking. Turns out he had a good session with his buddies. One of them Nick Honachefsky (from the Fisherman Magazine) reported busting off two monster sand tigers but they did manage to land a behemoth rough tail stingray.

Ryan Dellane’s recent catch was a 8′ sand tiger. He reported, “Stoked to have caught my biggest sand tiger shark ever tonight. She taped out at 8′ and easily weighed 275-lbs. Thanks to my boys for all the help.”

On Tuesday, we had some an awesome night shift so we did another last night (Wednesday). Headed out to the same spot and the sharks were hungry again. While our hook up ratio was way off we still managed to release a handful of toothy ones. If we didn’t strike out on so many we potentially could have been in the double digits.

~FishHead.Greg

July 27, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Alex Kondas gave us heads up that he caught three keeper fluke and a bunch of shorts today. He was fishing in the boat on the bay on the north end.

Jean Deery Schaum recently reported a great day on the beach with family and friends! The group caught 36 kingfish!!!

Steve George weighed in 4 pound fluke that he caught off of the LBI surf.

I had an open boat charter last night, a four hour Pokemon hunt on the bay. On our quest for the elusive critters turned into a bay sharking rodeo! We can now confirm there are more brown sharks in the bay than Pokemon. All joking aside, we had an epic trip last night.

The FishHead’s afternoon crew made up of Blake, Matt, Max and myself geared up and headed out at about 10pm last night. After setting up in a prime location, less than 20 minutes and the first line was tight. It was a consistent night with seven brown sharks released over a four hour tide period. There were some hungry brownies! Here’s a photo of one that had to come in the boat to get the hook out of the corner of the mouth. Matt and Max posed for a quick one. Gearing up now and heading out… stay tuned for tonight’s results!

~FishHead.Greg

11:00 AM

The 47th Annual White Marlin Invitational Tournament is finally here! Captain’s Meeting is tonight Wednesday July 27th at 8pm at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club dates are July 27th – 30th. The fishing grounds are limited to a 100 mile radius from Little Egg Bell Buoy. We wish everyone the best of luck fishing. Going to be interesting to see what hits the scales!

Received: July 27, 2016 7:25 AM Subject: Open Boat

I had a last minute cancellation for Thursday morning – (7/28) I will take a charter or open-boat (only if I get three – $125 per person). Charter gets preference over Open-Boat. If interested, call/text my cell: 609-290-7709. Thanks

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Charters 609.290.7709

July 26, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:00 AM

Tom, on vacation from Long Island stopped in the shop yesterday afternoon. While here looking for a new surfcasting top (he was on the fence between a Stormr and a Guy Cotten) we talked fishing. He reported finding some fish on the surf. He said, “I felt right at home on the open sand beaches here. The beaches of LBI are very similar to my local south shore LI beaches. I did my homework here and found some good looking waters. Only issue was finding a piece of beach that didn’t have swimmers. It was not easy but I was rewarded with kingfish on FishBites! There’s fish on the beach.”

Some anglers are doing well catching fluke off the surf. There’s occasionally some nice keepers hitting the sand.

Rick Zane, a local Ship Bottom lifeguard and avid angler shared this report from the mid-island surf yesterday. “The surf water temperature is slowly beginning to rebound. At 10 am on Monday it was 64 degrees. The water cleaned up in the late afternoon. Around 3-4pm large clouds of peanut bunker were in the surf, Big Time! It’s great to see all the bait around. Let’s hope it’s pointing to an awesome fall that’s right around the corner!”

Lots of sharks! There are cruising the inshore waters, the surf as well as bay. We got word there were black tips tearing up the bunker pods about 8 miles off the beach. Austin Pounds and crew have been releasing some monsters off the surf the past couple of days. Sunday Taylor released his first sand tiger. Yesterday evening before the storm, they released a pregnant female sand tiger that stretched out to 7’4″. Sunday night I headed out on the bay with Blake and Max. We released one medium size brown shark in the first hour. With the incoming tide, the water temperature quickly dropped from the low 70’s to the low 60’s. We made a move but couldn’t manage another bite.

Store staffer Dan D was on the water before work on Sunday. He reported a solid day fishing offshore with juice ball jumbo sea bass (didn’t catch one short), mackerel and bluefish. “We finally found the bonita on the troll but the bluefish wouldn’t leave our lures alone. Yesterday Dan reported the new MagicTail Rattle Bucktail is a game changer! He had multiple fluke fighting over the same jig. We are stoked that MagicTail figured out how to take the UltraMinnow bucktail jig mold and add an internal rattle, leaving the hook shank available for rigging Gulp and other baits. The MagicTail Rattle Bucktail is in stock now at the shop in a variety of sizes, in three colors; glow, white, chartreuse. Stop in and check ’em out!

~FishHead.Greg

This past Saturday Jerry Junod from Churchville, PA fished aboard The Striper with Captain Kenny Nutt. They had a mixed catch of sea bass, tog, ling and fluke. One tog was a monster! Looking for an inshore fishing charter? Call for availability.

~ Captain Ken Nutt The Striper 609-618-0658

The NJ Artificial Reel Program is back!!!

A 65′ crew boat, NY Harbor Charlie, has been slated for deployment on August 8 on the Axel Carlson Reef, located 4.4 nautical miles off Manasquan Inlet. The vessel is being sunk as part of the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Artificial Reef Program. Once the vessel is sunk it will soon become a home for 150 species of fish and marine life, a fishing ground for anglers and an underwater attraction for scuba divers. The vessel will continue to serve the fishing industry for at least another 70 years. The target deployment location is: Axel Carlson Reef Deployment: 40 03.800′ 73 59.400′ The vessel is being sunk on a portion of the reef set aside for recreational fishing only. Anglers should stay a safe distance away while the vessel is being anchored in place and scuttled. The target date for deployment of August 8 is subject to weather and sea conditions.

For those looking for details on fishing NJ’s reefs that were built thanks to the Program… Download the Third Edition of A Guide to Fishing & Diving NJ’s Reefs It’s an awesome resource!

July 24, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM

It has been very hot and humid! The forecast looks to be more of the same. What should one expect? It’s summer time. Best head to the Island and enjoy the cooler coastal air. The recent south wind took what was a stable warm water temperature (upper 60’s pushing 70 degrees) in the surf zone and flipped it up side down. The upwelling brought up the chilly bottom water from in the deep and pushed the warm surface water off of the beach. Yesterday the surf temp was down to an icy 58 degrees. Look for this to slowly rebound so long as the southerly winds don’t get up and crank again. Enough of the weather talk.

More reports of weakfish and kingfish! Yesterday afternoon an angler stopped in the shop after leaving the beach. He had four kingfish to show, all caught on FishBites. He also reported catching a couple small bluefish. John Del Sordo was in and reported kingfish too. He got some off of the surf on bloodworms.

There’s lots of bait around the lagoons and docks. The local kids in the shop have talked about having fun pulling their seine nets, throwing their cast nets as well as hooking some snappers and blowfish. The crabbing is also another topic.

We got a fresh bunker delivery today and got word from the captain of the ship. He said that in the clean water a few miles off the beach there are bonita and spanish mackerel. He also mentioned there’s lots of sharks around.

Summer flounder fishing in the ocean has been good. There’s some nice keepers but the anglers that are on them are keeping the location tight lipped. There’s too many tournaments lined up with big money on the line. All of the local artificial reefs are great bet this time of year.

Store staffer Rob Vallone was on the ocean fluking yesterday. He got his limit up to 24” as well as a nice 3-lb sea bass.

July 23, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM

We’ve got some beautiful fresh peanut bunker and baby bunker in stock. Both awesome baits for snappers and fluke. Unfortunately we are sold our of fresh adult menhaden (bunker). We are hoping to get more later today but it might not be until tomorrow.

August 6th – 22nd Annual JCAA Fluke Tournament
Don’t miss out on NJ’s largest fluke tournament. There so much to win… $50,000 Cash for the largest fluke over 12 lbs in our doormat fluke category as well as a drawing for G-3 boat, Yamaha motor and trailer!!! $1200 Cash 1st Place Prize for the largest fluke in each of our nine ports regardless of the number of entrants. (Nine ports from Jersey City to Cape May) $50 & $100 Port Calcuttas and $50 & $100 Overall Calcuttas for the largest fluke. Last years big winner took home a check for $11,000!!!

There’s thousands of dollars worth of merchandise prizes for 2nd to 10th place in each port. Free cheeseburger sliders, hot dogs, mozzarella sticks, soda, coffee and tea at our Awards Ceremony on August 11th at the Clarion Motel in Toms River. Additionally, all early entrants who attend the awards ceremony will also have a shot at a special drawing for $500.

Just a reminder, the early entrant deadline is 7/25 to save $30 off the regular fee!

$160. per boat or $130 by 7/25. (Plus just $25 extra per boat to join the doormat fluke category)

Go to JCAA.ORG to Sign Up Online or to print a mail-in application. For those signing up online the additional tournament options including the Calcuttas are at the bottom of the page. You may also sign up or ask questions by calling the JCAA Office at 732-506-6565

Received: July 23, 2016 5:38 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charterss

We had a busy week being out on the water 5 out of 7 days and the fishing varied depending on the conditions. The bay fluke scene is in full swing as we are averaging between 20 to 40 fish per trip, but our keeper ratios fluctuate trip to trip. Some days is 20 shorts to 1 keeper, while other days the ratio is excellent being 4 shorts to 1 keeper. The wind and tide make all the difference as it either makes your presentation too fast or too slow, but when it’s right, the keepers bite. The ocean fluking is starting to become more consistent, and I have some ocean trips booked among my bay trips over the next couple of weeks.

Early in the week I had return client Mike Sicilia of Barnegat, NJ and his two sons James A Sicilia and Michael Sicilia for a 4hr fluke charter. We started with the end of the tide and found a few biting fish in which Michael lost a “real nice” fish which had the rod doubled over with big head-shakes. After moving to better tidal location, the trio released close to 40 fluke and kept 3 for the table (18, 18.25, 23.5). Nice job and look forward to seeing the guys in the fall for striped bass.

Monday, I had return client Mike Geddis of Cream Ridge, NJ and his two sons – 13yr old Ethan and 8yr old Nate on a 4hr Fluke charter. We started picking bluefish near the inlet area in some rough conditions between the wind and tide. But with the conditions getting the best of one of the boys, we headed for fluke in calmer waters. We had fish right away, and the father & son team released over 25 while keeping 2 for the table (18in, 18.25in). There were a variety of fish caught (bluefish, blowfish, fluke, sea robin, etc). Nice job and looking forward to seeing the trio again!

Tuesday, I had Mike Ipri of Delran, NJ, his two 15yr old sons Michael and John, and their family friend Dave Pedracine of Wisconsin on a 4hr Fluke charter. We started working a few areas that had fish the days prior and found some heavily feeding fish. Michael ended up being the high hook of the trip boating 3 keepers himself. The crew released over 35 fish and kept 9 for the table to 5 pounds. (18, 18, 18.5, 19, 19, 19.5, 20, 22, 23.5). Bucktails tipped with fresh bait were the hot baits for the day. Great day on the water!!

Wednesday, I had return client Art Diebel of Jackson, NJ and his two boys Walter and Bruce on a 4hr Fluke charter. We worked some of the same areas as the prior days trip, but could muster two keepers (18, 24 inch) while releasing over 20. Walter was the heavy hook of the day boxing the fat 6 pounder, while his younger 11yr old brother caught the most fish with 9. I know the fish are still in the same areas, but we just had some different wind conditions today which either made the drifts too fast or against the tide. Still a great day on the water as the boys had a blast.

And to end the week, I had Jimmy Stockdale of Levittown, PA with his two boys, 15yr Jim and 12yr old Aiden, and their 12yr old cousin James. The NOAA forecasted winds came earlier than expected so we had some tough conditions with wind against tide in a variety of spots. The crew ended the day releasing over 20 fluke and keeping one solid 21 inch Fluke for the table. It was the first time the kids ever bucktailed, so it took a little while for developing the feel, but they did an outstanding job as everyone caught fish.

I will continue to run 7 days a week for charters until September and depending on my schedule and weather conditions, will run 2 trips per day when feasible. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Charters 609.290.7709

July 22, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM

Yesterday Ilan, Dylan and Scott stopped in the shop with a monster tilefish from their recent trip to the edge. The golden weighed in at 38-lbs 3-oz. They reported a solid tile bite, “We killed ’em on the Reel Time as usual! We filled the box with over 400 pounds of tilefish. Unfortunately the tuna bite was slow.”

Reports of solid beach sharking. Those fishing are having lots of drag pulling fun. There brownies cruising the surf as well as some big rays. Go soak a bait and hold on!

Vince Polchin reported fishing the Barnegat Bay looking for fluke on the 19th. He said it was very slow, “very little action” but decided to give it another try on Wednesday the 20th. It too started started slow… few fluke with one keeper. Then they made a move and found ’em! The action was hot with every drift produced fluke. Between the three anglers they got ten fish, seven keepers with a largest stretching 22 inches. Vince mentioned, “The hot set-up was a white bucktail tipped with white Gulp plus a killie/teaser/Gulp. It was the PA Fluke Guys best day so far!”

Tonya Sadura reported that Grace Sadura age 11 visiting from Minnesota got some nice fluke, 22 and a 24 incher.

Yesterday the Miss Barnegat Light party boat reported putting their customers in the action. The morning’s half day trip caught 40 fluke that were short and had to go back. The anglers managed to get three keeper fluke over the rail and into the pail. They also caught 12 keeper seabass and 24 throwbacks. The 90′ High Speed Miss Barnegat Light is currently sailing daily (departing at 8am) for fluke and sea bass. The Half Day Fluke and Sea Bass Fare: $45, Seniors $40, Kids $30, Rod Rental $5 No Reservations, As always make sure to arrive 1/2 hour to an hour early. If you want to fish the ocean on a stable platform, the Miss BL is the way to go. Head up to the 18th Street docks in Barnegat Light and jump aboard.

~ Miss Barnegat Light 609-494-2094

Received: July 21, 2016 6:36 PM Subject: Ultralite Shrimping Afternoon Trips

We caught four more weakfish yesterday (Wed) on the east side of the bay using live grass shrimp. They ranged from 13″ to 18″. Jim McHugh and his two sons, Jim and Pat, from Mendham, NJ were on board for some lively light tackle action in the slick. Also added were some fluke, snapper blues, and a bunch of big sand sharks. They did battle with our 6 pound spinning rods. Hooks baited with live shrimp and shad darts tipped with shrimp provided the hookups. This fishery is just heating up now.

Our mornings are booked for the next three days, so we are offering afternoon trips tomorrow (Fri), Sat, and Sun for live grass shrimping. Noon to 5PM. Open Boat or charter. Monday is also available, morning and afternoon.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

Received: July 21, 2016 8:20 AM Subject: Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Report

The fluke bite in the Beach Haven area has been on a bit of a down swing as the fish migrate from the bay waters into the ocean. As a result, the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been finding some alternative targets with good success.

Captain Carl Sheppard and mate Marlyn Graham had the Bonnesen out wreck fishing on the “Starfish” for the family’s first ever fishing trip. Despite some recent days of slow fishing, that day the family had some sensational fishing. They caught a total of 60 fish, managing to box 9 black sea bass, 2 bluefish, and a nice sized porgy. The largest sea bass measured 16-inches.

With fluke fishing in a bit of a lull, the “Irish Jig” with Captain Gary Dugan has been focusing on wreck fishing. A lot of sea bass have been coming over the rail, with a fair amount making the cooler. Now that black fish (tautog) are back in season, Captain Gary hopes to be able to put some of those monsters he has been throwing back into the fish box. He says he is ready to return to fluke fishing when things pick up in that area.

Captain Lindsay Fuller on the “June Bug” reports his recent trips have been half and full day inshore trips. His anglers have been putting together some decent bags of bluefish and some keeper fluke along with small sea bass and a sea robin. Captain Lindsay tried a trip to the Atlantic City Reef where he picked up a dozen or so Taylor sized bluefish, all caught on #2 Clark Spoons on 25-foot leaders with a 2-ounce trolling weight to keep the spoon just under the surface. Despite his success with the bluefish up in the water column, his bottom fishing on the wreck was slow. He blames that on the number of fish pots placed on it. Captain Lindsay hopes to make some offshore trips in the near future for tuna. He added he has been using mates from the BHCFA’s Junior Mate’s program, and he has been very pleased with their performance and work ethic.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association ~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

July 21, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

Reports of good crabbing on the west side of the bay. While most are using bunker, one customer was in yesterday and reported getting out done by kid who was using clam. Wait! What? CLAM? That’s a first. Never heard of clam being a great bait for blue claws until now. You learn something new everyday! ~FishHead.Greg

Received: July 20, 2016 7:45 AM Subject: Old Barney Charters Fishing Report

The bays and ocean beaches continue to be stacked with fluke. We are using bucktails and live bait to entice the flatties. Local wrecks are providing drop and reel sea bass and porgy fishing to keep kids and adults busy with drop and reel fishing.

Saturday, we had 4x returning Kyle Smith charter out with Mike, George, and Dave from Essington, PA. These guys always fill the cooler. After a 15 mile run to where fish were being caught, we had zero wind which gave no drift. No drift means no fluke. We then went sea bassing and the guys fished through the shorts to catch 9 keeper sea bass.

Sunday, I fished with my 2 oldest boys, brother, and nephew today for a couple hours. We left a bit later than the previous day in order to have a breeze and drift. Glad we did. 3 keeps at 24″, 20″, and 18.5″.

Monday, we had the Drollett charter. Earl, Mark, Anne (Vermont) and Brent and 10 year old Liam (Doylestown) went on a wreck/fluke trip. They started with drop and reel on sea bass and porgies. After a couple hours and about 50 fish caught, we went fluking where we got them yesterday. We could only manage shorts and got in before the wind really got going. Fun day!

Tuesday, Ed and Lon Walsh along with Bryan, Jack (9), and Molly (6) Pullar were out for a 5 hour bay fluke trip. Jack and Molly boated the first two keepers that measured 18.5″ a piece. Ed picked another nice one that measured 23″. The group caught 25 fish today and had a great time. Ed and Bryan are also former marines and we thank them for their service! Great guys!

We are booked all remaining days in July but we have openings in August. We provide all bait, tackle, rods, and ice for fish. Come out and enjoy a day fishing aboard The Bonnie Anne.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt Old Barney Charters 267-918-1746

July 20, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM

With the tog season open (one fish at 15″ July 17 to November 15) those fishing the Inlet rocks now have other species to harvest. Anglers have been catching the white chins both spearfishing and angling. The rocks are full of live this time of year. There’s other species present; fluke, sea bass, tog, striped bass, sheepshead and triggerfish among others. Sometimes in July/August weakfish and blowfish pile into the inlet. At this point we have not heard about either in plentiful amounts.

Reports of good clamming in the bay from both Bill Bousant and Shawn Hawthorne. They each posted photos of their recent haul.

Fluke fishing the surf is good. There’s also kingfish present in the surf. The shark fishing is also still on.

Austin Pounds posted a photo of a nice shark he caught yesterday. He commented, “It was a team effort tonight. I introduced my cousin Andrew into shark fishing and it was a success. Got a beautiful 78″ sand tiger, roughly 140-lbs. He released the fish he’s been dreaming about. Congrats buddy!”

Captain Greg Carr of LBI Charters reported having Jeff, Keenan, Porter and JJ out for their annual trip on Monday. Captain Carr said it was a super hot day and the fishing was good. They had lots of life on first spot. There were nice sea bass in the mix with some double header drops. It was really hot temperature wise and they caught their limit (2 sea bass per angler at 12.5″) so they made a move to cool off. The next few spots were slow however, the group combined for over a hundred fish keeping their dozen and a ling. Looking to head out bottomfishing? Give Captain Greg Carr at LBI Charters a call today at 856-264-0318.

Received: July 19, 2016 5:36 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

On Monday I had Terry Jumper from PA out starting early around the inlet. With the recent south winds pushing the ocean temperature down into the low 60 we tried for summertime bass. Throwing BKDs we were rewarded with a schoolie bass and several 3 pound blues. After that we went in search of fluke. The bite was hot at the last of incoming and beginning of outgoing tide and in a little over 2 hrs. We boated over 20 fluke with 1 making it home for dinner. Today (yesterday) I had the Tony Onello group out. Staring around the inlet fishing was slow but we did catch a Pokemon, it was an Oddish J. After that we got into a good fluke bite releasing well over 20 fish. Ali caught the only keeper which was 20”. Not sure if she was the one that also caught the keeper Pokemon. Have some open days this week. If you want to go fishing give me a call. Not sure what my rates will be to catch Pokemon, hehehe

Gotta catch em all,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

Received: July 19, 2016 5:18 PM Subject: Finally! Weakies

We caught three weakfish yesterday (Monday) morning chumming with live grass shrimp on the east side of Barnegat Bay. We also added three fluke that were “close, but no cigar”. Two sand sharks too. All on the 6 pound ultralites. I know, not the greatest catch, but a catch, nonetheless. More than I’ve been doing. And there was something about it. I don’t think it was an accident. I think they’re here. The bigger one was 17″, the other two were just over and just under the 13″ mark. I’m going to start hitting it hard with the shrimp.

I have a charter tomorrow (Wed) afternoon with the same plan, so I will post the results. Available for charter Thurs and Fri afternoons, Noon to 5 PM. Saturday, Open Boat or charter, morning and afternoon. Depending on the weather and sea condition, we could jump out to Barnegat Ridge or stay in the bay and chum with shrimp.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

July 18, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: July 17, 2016 6:16 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

During the early part of the week, it was a little tough fishing which can most likely be attributed to the tidal conditions, but who knows other factors probably affected the Fluke’s appetite.

It seems we might have had another batch of fish either move from different parts of the bay or come in from the ocean as the numbers have increased along with keepable fish. I was out 4 out of 5 weekdays this week, and will run another straight 5 in row – so it definitely helps to be out there a lot and have some inkling of what’s going on. We have seen them biting on either side of the tide. Bucktails have been boxing a majority of the keepers.

We started the week with some tough fishing conditions with Chris Blair and his father Walt Blair of Doylestown, Pa on a 4hr Bay/Inlet Fluke charter. We had some tough conditions with the tide and wind playing against each other and had to move to a variety of locations to find feeding fish. The duo could only muster a handful of fish with one lone 18-inch keeper. Generally I find good fishing around the quarter moons, but who knows they just weren’t that hungry during this trip. Bucktails still picked up most of the fish as most rigs will pick up grass and other debris – specifically in the bay.

Next up was John Kelly of NJ with his two sons 10yr Liam and 6yr Colin on a 4hr Fluke charter yesterday. We had some tough conditions with wind against tide, but managed connect on several fish in a variety of spots. 6yr old Colin ended up catching the only keeper at 18 inches. The boys did a great job and had a blast fishing on Barnegat Bay despite the less than cooperative Fluke.

Later in the week I had 5yr return client Matt Bailey of PA with his daughter Madison, son Jay, and their friend Julia Morrell (who never caught a fluke prior to today’s trip). We fished a few skinny (aka shallow) areas early before the wind cranked and released a bunch of shorts and boxed a nice 18-inch keeper. Note that Jay had a nice fish on that took a quick dive upon seeing the boat and spit the hook – it’s tail was BIG. Once the wind started to crank, we moved around and found a decent amount of fish boxing another 4 with Jay’s nice solid 24 inch 5 pounder (officially weighed in at Bobbie’s Boats). It was bucktails leading the way for all the keeps. Nice job by all with 5 total keepers (18, 18, 19, 19.5, 24) and a pleasure seeing Matt and his family year in and year out!!! Hope to see you next year!

And to round out our TGIF trip for the end of the week was Bruce Zucker of PA with his son’s Jordan of Philadelphia, and Bryce (Boston, MA) and Jordan’s law school friend Jonathon Dorman (NYC) on a 4hr Fluke charter. We started fishing some of the same areas as the prior day’s trip, and found a lot of biting fish. The predicted winds took a nose dive and made the last hour of the trip tough with almost no drift, but we were able to power drift a few fish. 3 out of 4 had never bucktailed before and they did a great job learning. We ended the day boxing 4 keepers (18, 18, 19, 22 in), and throwing a lot of fish back. Great job, and a hot, but enjoyable day on the water.

I have limited openings this week and a few openings 7/25 thru 7/29. I will continue to run 7 days a week for charters until September and depending on my schedule and weather conditions, will run 2 trips per day when feasible. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Charters 609.290.7709

July 16, 2016 ——————————————————–

4:00 PM

We got word from the Miss Barnegat Light that fishing was good today. The boat had 11 keepers and about 80 shorts released.

Received: July 16, 2016 2:22 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Was on the water most days doing something during the last week. The big news is the Debbie M broke the inlet for the first time in a while. Did an off the beach sharking trip and it was successful venture. In only 3 hours of fishing we went 2 for 3. It was awesome to see brown sharks (aka sand bar shark) come up the chum slick just a few miles off the beach. They fight hard and are load of fun to catch and release boat side as they are a protected species. You can see some of the action on our YouTube Channel.

Fluking has been the same for me at least, 5-6 fish per hr. with a few making it home for the table. If you want go face to face with these sharks give me a call, it is a lot of action.

On the nature side a things: brown sharks were once prized for their table fair. Overharvesting pushed their numbers down and that is why they are protected. IMO the their numbers are on the rise as they become increasingly evident to those fishing the surf at night. The females come into protects waters, such as Barnegat Bay, to release their pups. They have been somewhat absent from the Barnegat area of the Bay for many years. Last year was the first time I personally saw brown sharks close the mainland. We shall see the coming weeks if last year was a comeback or a fluke (not the fish).

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

1:00 PM

The world’s largest sportfishing trade show, ICAST was awesome! Thanks to the ASA (American Sportfishing Association) it was bigger than ever this year. With the addition of the NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association) as well as IFTD (International Fly Tackle Dealer Show) there was a massive amount of product on display across the spectrum. All of the leading brands under one roof. Hope some followed along as I posted some news to our social media. You can catch up here on Instagram.

I was very happy to see that the Penn Slammer III won the Best of Show in the Saltwater Reel Category. That’s saying something since there was a number of really good products that it was up against. I’m honored to have been a part of the field testing phase. This reel is the one we’ve all been waiting for. Keep an eye out in September for the first delivery. Anyone who really wants to check one out can get a hold of me at the shop and I can show you mine.

~FishHead.Greg

Mike Morgan sent in this photo last night with a message “Thanks for the rigs guys!” Mike released a really nice thick shoulder brown shark. He got it off of the surf fishing bunker on a Ghetto Shark rig.

Store staffer Nick D. stoke with customers in the shop. The general report… Kingfish, fluke and sharks on the beach, blowfish and weakfish in the bay as well as fluke in the bay, inlet and ocean. Nick said, “Steve Bittner from Richmond Virginia came in recently and told us how he made out. He caught three kingfish on FishBites as well as a 4-5′ brown shark on bunker and a few skates and dogfish. Steve was fishing the mid-island surf.

G. Carrell aboard the Five Monkeys shared this fishing report from mid week… We stopped in the shop to purchase a few shark rigs, baits and some other tackle. We headed out to the Barnegat Ridge in a 2-3 foot chop in our 22 center console. After arrival we put a bucket of chum out and within 10 minutes we had a hook up with a fairly large Mahi to our surprise. We then had another hook up and boated a smaller Mahi, about 10 lbs. We thought we were coming to shark fish !!! We had hammerheads and Browns in the slick much of the day but no hook ups. Lots of balls of bait around most of the day.

Received: July 14, 2016 6:31 PM Subject: Fishing… for something?

So, it only seems right that if I’m going to post my open boat and charter trip availability here, I should give the report… good or bad, right? It was bad. I shrimped the bay and the jetty with nothing but sand sharks to bend the rods. I ran out to Barnegat Ridge and although the water was 74 degrees and bluish-green, there was no life. No birds, no readings, and no hits. I pushed out a little further towards the Resor Wreck area but halfway into that ride the water was an ugly green color so I spun it back into the better looking water but was rewarded with only small blues terrorizing my bonita and tuna lures.

What does all of that mean for this weekend of fishing coming up? Absolutely nothing. It’s going to heat up eventually. I’m thinking about mixing it up a little this weekend. We are going to offer some inshore shark fishing. Head out 5 to 10 miles with a few cans of chum and a flat of mackerel. Put out a slick on the drift and see what we can find. Not likely that we will catch the edible species like mako or thresher but I hope that we could catch and release some brown, blacktip, or spinners. A lot of fun on light tackle. If the bay is more your thing. We could cast the 1 to 4 pound blues that are resident in the inlet these days under birds mixed in with a few hours of fluking.
I’m not giving up on the Barnegat Ridge either. A week is an eternity in fishing no matter what you are targeting. If you guys are game, so am I. In fact, we could start at the Ridge and switch to sharking. The forecast is for very light winds and calm seas. Charter or Open Boat: Sat, Sun, and Mon. Call for rates and availability.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

July 11, 2016 ——————————————————–

Got heads up from Stew on the Pez Machine that he is on the meat. He posted a photo of a recent group’s photo. The pair of bigeyes were beauties! Stew and crew also boated a great size swordfish night. Stew said, “It ate a bait down 120 feet right in the thermocline.”

With some family in from out of state, I got the invite to jump aboard the Miss Barnegat Light. The family day on the water turned out to be a lot of fun. The weather was beautiful and the boat was packed. The captain took us up the beach and put us on fish. We pounded the Bather’s Beach off of IBSP in 40-60′ of water. Because of the nice wind we had a great drift. With 8-12 oz we covered some territory and found some nice fish. I did good fishing big Spro bucktails with smelts on a teaser. While they were chewing Gulp, it seemed they really wanted the bait. Big baits like mullet and smelts worked great for me. My father in law Bert was high hook using the classic single hook on a three way with meat. All together we caught 5 keepers up the 22″. My 22″ just squeaked into the runner up position behind a beautiful 25″ doormat caught by Carol Johnson of Hatboro, PA. Her pool winner went for a fluke rig with a teaser squid/spearing combo. There were a number of nice fluke over 20″ on the deck as well as a health count of shorts. The Captain reported on the boats website, “July 11th – Fishing has steadily gotten better the last three days. Today was one of the best days so far. We had double digit keeper fluke and over 100 throwbacks. When the conditions are right they bite!” A big thanks to the captain and crew aboard the Miss Barnegat Light. Anyone looking to get out and enjoy a few hours in the water should jump aboard!

ICAST 2016 Kicks off tomorrow and will continue through Friday. I’ll be down in Florida all week so the reports posted here will be few and far between. Stay tuned to our social media (Instagram &Facebook) for hot tackle news. ~ FishHead.Greg

Received: July 10, 2016 10:06 PM Subject: Old Barney Charters Fishing Report

Fluke in the bay and on structure in the ocean. We are catching fluke, sea bass, porgies and a variety of other species at local wrecks. Now is the time to get out.

Monday, I had Frank Bell of Hamburg, PA and 5 year old Franklin out for a 4 hour charter today. After lots of throwbacks in the bay, we headed to the ocean. Franklin kept track and had 16 fish today with a couple double header sea bass. But, it was dad that stole the show with a thick 6lb. fluke that measured 24.5″. The pair added a couple sea bass for a nice bag of fillets.

Wednesday, I had Rich Hollahan, Isaac, and Eric out for fluke and sea bass. We only could manage fluke that were 17.5″ and with a slow drift we decided to wreck hop. We caught our sea bass limit and Isaac all but threw in the towel due to “arm soreness” from reeling. Fun day!

Thursday, I had Dave Capone of Collegeville, PA and sons Gabe and Bryan were out for a bay fluke trip today. After a slow start, we narrowed in on what the fish wanted to eat and caught plenty! The trio brought back 3 fluke taping out at 21″, 20″, and 18″. Great day for the guys!

Saturday, I fished a couple hours with my 2 oldest sons (6 and 4) and mother-in-law. We fished the west side of the bay and caught 15 fluke, with 2 keepers at 18.5″.

Sunday, I had the Ruth Kennedy charter from Abington, PA. The ladies enjoyed drop and reel action on local wrecks catching sea bass and porgies. After some Atlantic flu, we headed to the bay for some fluke but could only manage shorts that measured 17.5″. Ruth got a nice hump head at our first wreck that measured 19″.

The week prior I went shark fishing with a friend for fun. Unbelievable! 18 miles from the inlet we came across a swordfish sunning itself. I almost couldn’t believe it. It wouldn’t take a bait but unreal to see. I know many people won’t believe it, but I have video on my website. Just after the sword, we saw a pair of leatherback turtles that were easily 6ft. across. And, to top it off, a mako just after cruising the surface. We couldn’t get he mako to take our baits and we ended only with brown sharks but a great day.

We have openings this week and some in August for bay or ocean fishing. Fluke, sea bass, wreck – you decide. All bait, tackle, and fish cleaning is provided. Come out and enjoy this great time of year!

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt Old Barney Charters 267-918-1746

July 10, 2016 ——————————————————–

6:00 PM

Jillian (12 years old) and Pearl (9 years old) from Tabernacle fished with their father Scott yesterday at the Barnegat Light Inlet. They had a great time fishing. The group caught sea bass and fluke, both keepers and short throwbacks. Their largest fluke was 20″ and fell for a Gulp bait on a custom tied teaser rig. With the report, Scott gave a big thanks to Greg for helping him master the twisted standoff teaser rig.

Chris Bender stopped in today and shared that he’s found some weakfish recently.

A couple anglers in the shop today getting tackle reported a couple good tuna bites. Offshore at the edge one said that the Carteret had fish and very few boats. He caught yellowfin and big eye. Inshore from the edge, anglers fishing the area of the Triple Wrecks had bluefin. Some anglers got ’em good at Lemke’s. There was talk of fish on the East Ridge and the Fingers.

Received: July 10, 2016 1:09 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

I have been on the water 7 of the last eight 8 and seen the fluke fishing in Barnegat Bay slowly get better both in number of fish and number of fish in the box. Once again I am fishing many of traditional back bay haunts and finding fish in all of them. Still have not got the pattern down on when the fluke feed better. All I know is that power drifting or back throttling is needed when then current is screaming 2 mph or better and the fish are chewing. I like to present my baits with the current at about 1 mph. Still 2-3 pound blues popping up on the western side of the bay but boat traffic knocks them down real quick. Crabbing remains very good. I have had a lot of kids out this week and we’ve had a lot of fun. It is great to see their smiles when they catch a fish.

On the nature side of things: it has been hot but once again fall bird migration started on time. Small flocks of both lesser and greater yellow-legs, short billed downwithchers, least sand pipers and semipalmated sandpipers can now be seen flying south down the bay. Many of those birds will stop at local mudflats to feed before continuing on to places likes Central and South Americas. BTW: semipalmated sandpipers are named such because their feet (palm) have partial webbing.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

Received: July 9, 2016 2:39 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

I have been hearing of a somewhat good bite on the NJ Reef sites this past week, but the backwaters are still holding a decent amount of Fluke.
We have been averaging any where between 20 to 30 Fluke per trip and boxing a few for the table. This past week we had some decent conditions except for Tuesday which was a rainout. At times, power-drifting was necessary to keep the bite going due to opposing wind and tide conditions.

Early in the week I had return client Duke Ellington of Delaware with his two grandsons Jordan and Marcus for a 4hr Bay Fluke charter. We worked a variety of spots and released close to 20 short fluke and boxed 3 keepers (19, 21, 22 in). Jordan was the high hook with the most Fluke caught and the biggest at 22 inches. The 11-year old did a great job bucktailing in the back. Marcus foul hooked a keeper Blackfish, but it was promptly released due to current NJ regulations.

Next, I had Matt Halaycio of Bordertown and his friend Chris Goehrig of Columbus, NJ on a 4hr Bay Fluke charter. We had almost the same conditions as the day prior, so we worked some areas with wind against tide conditions. Both guys did a great job bucktailing and released well over 20 fish, keeping 5 keepers for the table (18, 19.5, 20, 22, 23.5). Chris had the heaviest fish honors with a solid 23.5 inch Fluke which was over 5 pounds.

And to end the week, I had return client Erika Szell of California and her nephew Alex Szell of Bensalem, PA on a 4hr Bay Fluke charter. We fished some different areas using bucktails tipped with artificial bait. Last year Alex was only able to catch a couple of Fluke, but he must have been practicing his bucktailing as he released over 13 fluke and boxed three keepers (18, 18, 19 in). With the go ahead to also impart in some fishing during the trip, I was able to box a classy 29 inch 9 pounder which Alex helped to net. It was caught on a 6ft Gloomis GL2 and Penn Battle 1000 spooled with 10 pound test. All in all we were able to catch & release over 30, keeping 4 for the table.

I have limited openings this week and a few openings 7/25 thru 7/29. I will continue to run 7 days a week for charters until September and depending on my schedule and weather conditions, will run 2 trips per day when feasible. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call. As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Charters 609.290.7709

July 8, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:00 AM

Want to go fish? There’s good choices inshore, offshore and from shore. Stop in and gear up. We’ll point you in the right direction.

With the minimal swell and wind on the light side, lots of boats have got out and found fish inshore and offshore. Tuna is top dog in waters from 20 miles out to the edge. The recent bluefin chew on the troll and jig has lots of anglers stoked. July is a great month for targeting these guys.

There’s a variety of sharks cruising the inshore waters so if Shark Week go you amped, head out with some wire and start chumming and humming. The clicker will sound soon after. Some of these shark species are also cruising the Island’s surf. Most anglers are targeting them in the evening time, sunset and at night. Reports are consistent with the kayak baiters doing the best.

The back bay channels and the inlet are still producing. Fluke fishing is good for most. The Inlet rocks are holding triggerfish, fluke, sheepshead, blues, bass as well as other species like sea bass and tog.

The surf is jammed with swimmers trying to beat. If an open beach can be found there’s fluke and kingfish to catch.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: July 8, 2016 8:53 AM Subject: Barnegat Ridge & Grass Shrimping

This weekend we will start running to Barnegat Ridge for bonita and albacore. There is a chance we could encounter bluefin tuna as there is very clean water inshore already. While I try not to report on other boats efforts, it seems the rumor mill is churning with tuna there. Running Open Boat trips to Barnegat Ridge Sun and Mon, July 10 and 11. 6AM to Noon. $175 person. 3 people max. All fish are shared.

We will also start chumming with live grass shrimp this weekend in the bay and on the inlet jetty. The bait just became available to us so I can’t wait to start targeting the mixed bag with light tackle.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

July 7, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:00 AM

Yesterday I was out trying to find some quality fluke several miles offshore. In transit from one wreck to another I found some of that green tropical water that looks like the Florida Keys. The water temperature was 76 degrees and when I was 5 or 6 miles offshore of Lavallette I started seeing some large dark patches that I assumed were pods of bunker. However, I drove over one of them and realized they were large fish. I spun around to take a closer look and at first I thought they were tuna. However, I then realized that they were sharks, hundreds of them in each pod. Most appeared to be 3-6′ long. I had my striper spinning rod with me so I decided to see if they would hit a lure. I attached a lead head with a 5″ shad to my 40″, 50 lb mono leader. I was using a medium weight rod with a Penn Live Liner 550 filled with 40 lb. power pro. That was the heaviest tackle I had on my boat. First cast I had 3 sharks follow my lure to the boat. One hung around but would not hit the jig as I tossed it to him a couple more times. I found the school again, first cast to them nothing but on the second cast I got whacked real hard. The thing took off like a freight train and no doubt it was going to spool me. I was fishing by myself but I was able to start my engines and chase it all over the place. A half hour later I finally got it to boat side several times and realized it was a blacktip shark about 5′ long and at least 75 lbs.. I would have liked to have gaffed it an brought is aboard for some pictures but I was not sure of the regulations. It was difficult to hold the rod with one hand and try to take some pictures at boat side because as it got near the boat it would go crazy and dive down. After bringing it to the boat a few times we both had enough so I broke it off. I believe all the other sharks there were blacktips although it is possible a couple spinners could have been mixed in as I did see one jump out of the water. ~ Paul Haertel

Received: July 7, 2016 8:28 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

The Junior Mates Program of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association is moving full speed ahead. This week’s session includes first aid training which will result in credentials good for two years. Completion of this session will meet the captain’s licensure requirement for first aid. In addition, the BHCFA is selling colorful new T-shirts with the proceeds helping to finance the Junior Mates Program. Upcoming classes include hands-on instruction by Canyon Reels on setting drags, a presentation by Jim Hutchinson Jr., the editor of “Fisherman” magazine, and class work and preparation for New Jersey Boater Safety certification.

Right now inshore fluke fishing has been receiving the attention of the captains of the BHCFA. An added bonus when fishing at the inshore wrecks and artificial reef sites has been the re-opening of the black sea bass season. Although the daily limit is just two fish, it helps to fill out the fish box with some tasty fillets.

Captain Carl Sheppard of the “Star Fish” has been fishing with much success for both fluke and black sea bass out to 100′ depth. With the reopening of sea bass season, all of his parties have been limiting out every trip. The “Star Fish” is one of the few area charter boats capable of taking out up to20 passengers and fishing 12 at the same time.

Captain Gary Dugan on the “Irish Jig” has experienced some good fluke fishing on the inshore artificial reefs. One trip his anglers returned with 8 nice keepers. He reports he has had to work for his fish, but the results have been worth the effort.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

Received: July 6, 2016 6:47 PM Subject: Brown Sharks / AC Ridge

What at beautiful day. Water temp about 76 degrees about 18-19 miles out of AC. Had one nice Brown Shark about 150 lbs released about 3pm this afternoon. Had two others hooked up but spit the hook after 2-3 minutes. ~ G. Carrell

July 6, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

Mark Guenther of Forked River weighed in this 49″ 54.8-lb black drum today. He got the beast spear fishing the Barnegat Inlet at about noon time. He reported lots of life up there, “Millions of triggerfish and tog. Also fluke, striped bass and sheeps head.” Here’s a photo of the fish at time of weigh in.

A Ship Bottom lifeguard said the surf temperature today ranged from 65-67 degrees. That’s the perfect temperature for fluke, kingfish and sharks.

A number of customers in the shop today talking about fishing the inshore tuna grounds. Some reports were good while others not so much. The majority of the action has been in the vicinity of the triple wrecks. Word has it both the troll and jig bite has been good. A couple anglers spoke about fishing the 30 fathom line in the area of the Resor and north inside of the Chicken. While they had lots of life there today, no tuna bites for them. Another customer reported finding the tuna a couple days ago a little bit outside of the Barnegat Ridge. He said the water was beautiful and one bluefin came tight on the troll. He sent his buddy out to the same area and he got hooked up the next day. Today John G was in the shop looking at some reels after a day on the water. While he didn’t saw where, he did report a good trip today (minus the rod that went overboard). He gave us a chunk of fresh bluefin. Thanks John we ate good tonight!

8:00 AM

Yesterday afternoon I went out to the BL Reef with a relative who’s in town from Wisconsin. On our way out we made a quick stop in the Inlet and played around with the cocktail blues that were chasing bait. Once at the reef we found a hand full of boats fishing. It was a slow pick but we managed to catch a variety of species. We picked a couple fluke (shorts bucktailing) and a couple sea bass (one humpback keeper on a hi/lo with squid) as well as some junk fish species (sea robin, sand shark, skate). After watching Shark Week, she was all about catching a shark so the entire trip we drifted a shark bait on wire but no takers. ~FishHead.Greg

Here’s a photo of Aiden Hunsberger’s fluke reported on July 4th.

Received: July 5, 2016 3:38 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Hope you enjoyed your Holiday weekend. I did by guiding 5 trips in 3 days. I concentrated most efforts on fluke and fished so many spots like: Double Creek Channel; High Bar stakes and behind the houses; Waretown flats; the inlet; Research Buoy; along with several other locales. What I found is tough fishing. While all the trips landed fish the numbers are down from what they should be this time of year. I have not found one tide better than the other as long as you work for your fish (power drift). Big fish of the weekend was a 24” fluke caught on the Szmanski trip Sunday morning. I did try for some blues around the inlet during one trip and found some in the 4-5 pound range like the one in the attached picture caught by Kelly Logan. I am all geared up to do off the beach sharking trips. During these trips I fish anywhere from outside the breakers to 5 miles off the beach targeting brown sharks in the 40-60 lb + range. Multiple hook ups are typical and on light tackle it is a lot of fun. Give me call if interested.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

Received: July 4, 2016 7:18 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

We had another busy week coming into the 4th of July weekend, and the fluke in the back were starting to bite a little better after the recent moon.
I heard of some inshore areas holding some good quantities of Fluke, so running inshore ocean Fluke trips are not out of the question.

This past week I started off with some tough tidal conditions with 4yr return client Bryan Ingraham of Colorado, his son’s (10yr old Emerson, 8yr old Rowan) and family friends 10yr old Aviva Kane, and 8yr old Talia Kane on their annual 4hr Fluke charter. We had some good conditions and you would have thought it would have been lights out on the Fluke. We had to move to a variety of spots just to get shorts, and only managed about a dozen with two approaching 17.5 inches. Very tough day, but at least the kids had a great time on the boat and all were able to catch Fluke.

Next up was Marc Terrill of Baltimore, MD with his 3 children (Maddie, Eli, and Samantha) and their family friend Greta Heck on a 4-hr Fluke charter. This was the first time for the kids to try to catch Fluke. We worked a variety of spots but the crew could only muster short fluke up to 17.75 inches. We released at least 3 to 4 that were that size, hopefully others follow the same rules. The five had a great morning, and all caught fish.

Being utterly disappointed with the bite, I did a few drifts after dropping off the Terrill group and was rewarded with two keepers 19 and 21 inches. It just amazes me how you can have perfect conditions (tide, wind, etc) and they don’t bite, yet after the trip I fished the wrong tide and keepers start biting, go figure.

Later in the week, I had Tom McGough and his wife Kristen from Harrisburg, PA on a 4hr Fluke charter. We started playing around with some Bluefish for the 1st hour and after Tom and Kristen had their fill, we headed to where they were biting yesterday. Today was much better in terms of keepers with the husband and wife team boxing 4 Fluke (18, 19, 21, 23). And we lost another one boat side which would have made it five. But a great trip and both husband and wife learned how to bucktail which payed off.

I have limited openings this week and next week and will be running 7 days a week for charters until September. Depending on my schedule and weather conditions, I will run 2 trips per day when feasible. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Charters 609.290.7709

July 4, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:30 PM

From all here at Fish Head’s, Happy Birthday America! Hope everyone has had a fun and safe weekend enjoying cold drinks, family time, fireworks, parades, bbq, picnics, concerts and fishing!

Rob Swift was in the shop this afternoon to grab some FishBites. He said there’s kingfish on the beach. Get on it!

Aiden Hunsberger caught a beauty yesterday. He got a 30″ 8 pound fattie flattie fishing near the Fish Factory on the classic fluke sandwich, squid minnow combo.

Dan D fished offshore for bluefin this morning and roped them! Both over and unders on pink Joe Shutes. Dan fished about 40 miles off and said there were lots of boats in the area which drove the fish down deep. He said all of the fish were full of sandeels.

July 3, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

The fluke fishing has been consistent.

Anglers are catching in the bay as well as the surf. Ted Kamish got a 22″ flattie off of the surf yesterday. Ted was Gulp Jerk Shad’in it up. Todd Tarnowski got some nice ones today in bay via boat. He weighed in three (18.25, 21, 26.25″) up to 6.75-lbs.

Roy from Ambler PA also enjoyed the day drifting for fluke in the bay. Roy stopped in this afternoon after his session to get more tackle for tomorrow. He reported a good day fishing. He said it started off slow. They eventually he found some shorts. By the end of the day he found ’em good and managed 20″ triplets. Roy said they wanted the spearing. He got five keepers all together.

The local reefs and wreck are producing too. There’s a pick of sea bass and fluke as well as tog (currently closed, opens July 17th). Captain Greg Carr of LBI Charters put his clients of the meat on a recent trip. They found lots of life on structure. They released a monster tog that was “easily over 15-lbs”. Captain Carr is an excellent captain who specializes in wreck fishing and has seen his fair share of big tog over the years. The party also had two hammerhead sharks. Speaking of hammerhead sharks, there’s a couple photos going around on social media of one hammerhead in tight to the beach cruising the surf line.

With lots of shark talk in the air; the recent sightings, Discovery Channel Shark Week, the 100 Year Beach Haven Shark Attack Anniversary. We have lots of anglers interested in shark fishing. This time of year is shark season. Offshore as well as inshore has been very good. The near shore and from shore sharking is also good too. July and August are the area’s best two months to tangle with the monsters from off the surf. Big toothy critters and line screaming rays are plentiful. Stop by the shop to gear up. Also please know the laws! Sandbar sharks aka brown sharks as well as sand tiger sharks are illegal to possess. When hooked you must release the fish. By law they are not allowed to be landed.

Ryan Clapp fished the surf this morning in Ship Bottom from 7:30 to 9:30am. He said the action was mild but the rays were hungry. He landed a large (2.5 feet across and very heavy) blunt nosed ray on fresh bunker. The rays continued to bite through high tide. He also hooked a small brown shark as well. Ryan mentioned that the water seemed a bit warmer compared to yesterday.

July 2, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

What a flawless day of weather. Hope you go out an enjoyed. John from South Brunswick has some fun on the surf earlier today. He got into a bunch of shorts off of the mid-island surf. John stopped in to gear up for beach sharking tonight and while here gave us the report. He said that he found a nice piece of beach structure and it was holding flatties; unfortunately no keepers. He got ’em fishing the low and flood tide using a bucktail tipped with white Gulp.

July 1, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

It’s here… The official start of summer mayhem, Fourth of July Weekend! Hope everyone enjoys the Island and all it has to offer (less the traffic). Be safe and have fun!

Please note that we are out of live surf clams and will not have them anytime soon. Clams don’t like the heat and the demand isn’t there. In the mean time we have salted pints and frozen. For those that would want a bushel please call to preorder.

June 30, 2016 ——————————————————–

12:00 PM

Surf fluke fishing was good the last couple of days. The beautiful warm and clean water has them on the chew. Steve George reported a beautiful day yesterday with keepers in the mix with no grass.

The clean water has spear fisherman working prime conditions. This morning Dave Werner shot a nice fluke and a good striped bass. While the majority of the bass reports are hailing from the northern reaches of the state (the NJ/NY bight), linesiders are here for the taking. This week a 49″ bass was caught off of the surf on Island Beach. The majority of the classy ones are north of us on their migration up the striper coast; however, we enjoy a plentiful resident class of bass all summer.

Yesterday Zach Michot reported enjoying the day with a great session fluke fishing with Pete and Captain Fran aboard the Franceca Marie.

Recently the fair sea conditions allowed lots of boats headed offshore. Dan D. fished with Paul H and Kyren Dooley yesterday. Paul said they found beautiful clear blue water around the Resor but green water to the north. Dan said, “It was not the stellar cod bite we were looking for but it was an awesome day fishing with the men.” They managed to put together a good catch.

Dylan Fisher went out in search of bluefin yesterday and got covered up in bluefish. There will be lots of re-rigging to do! They found lots of life but no bluefin. Dylan said “I have a good feeling the bluefin tuna are under the bluefish. Just can’t get through them.” With all of the bluefish the sharks are eating good and living large. There lots of them cruising the inshore sharking grounds.

Shawn Hawthorne and Kevin Rust reported beautiful weather on their latest trip out. They caught two marlin, a bigeye tuna, ten keeper yellowfin, some titlefish and six makos. “We killed them out on the Pez Machine!”

Here’s some recent news from the Water Proof Fishing Group…

On June 28-29 the Bluerunner was out fishing with the Mike Wolff group for an overnight trip. They put together a nice catch; 14 yellowfins, 1 for 2 on bigeye, 1 for 2 on white marlin, 29 golden tiles and a few mahi.

On June 26-27 the Bluerunner reported, “After the weather played havoc with our schedule for 5 days, we finally got back out and found a steady pick of yellowfin tuna with lots of small keepers in the mix (released). Just a few good quality fish mixed in. We also found a couple of Bigeye bites, losing our first bite but icing a nice 71″ / 218 lb Bigeye right before dark. The overnight saw decent shark action with Makos, Tigers and Duskys (all released). Capt Jeff Warford did an away trip with on the REEL TIME (reported below on 6/28) and also found a decent pick of Yellowfin but had a better class of fish, keeping 9 and releasing some smaller fish. The crew also found a nice Bigeye in the mix with a 200 lb class Bigeye hitting the deck. Overnight the boys had good shark action with a few Makos and a bunch of Hammerheads.” The Bluerunners report went on to congratulate the Water Proof group members that fished the Canyon Club Overnight Tournament last weekend. The tough weather kept the turnout low but the boats that fished were hardcore. Solivia Rose took top Bigeye, top Stringer and top Mahi while Back N Down took Top Yellowfin!

~FishHead.Greg

Received: June 30, 2016 8:07 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

Fluke fishing in the Beach Haven area has been proving productive for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association while offshore fishing has also been attractive.

Captain Dan Skrzat of the “Get Reel” fished a couple of days recently in 67-degree water in the ocean at the Twenty Line. He released one brown shark and kept a strong 120-pound mako shark. A third day he had the crew from Jerry’s Diesel in West Creek out fishing the Twenty Line again, this time for tuna. Captain Dan quickly located bait and tuna. He got his “three under” bluefins and released a white marlin. He is pleased to see those fish in close. Later in the day he tried a little sharking but could not raise any.

Captain Jimmy Zavacky helped a young family with four youngsters celebrate the end of the school year with a bay fishing trip. The group managed a keeper weakfish and boated some medium sized bluefish on the troll. Mate Liane Lopez reported the children were fascinated with all of the living creatures, even the live minnows which they played with all day. It was a fish and fun day for the whole family. Another day the McGee crew tried a little reef fishing and managed some huge sea bass which had to be released until they come back in season.

Captain Fran Verdi has been finding some nice fluke fishing the inshore artificial reefs and some of his wreck spots. He had a group of Junior Mates out to catch some fish and learn the basics of proper fishing.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

June 28, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:30 AM

Fluke in the bay! Cousins Jimi and Steve-o got into the flatties yesterday fishing the backwaters. Jimi reported they caught lots of shorts as well as some nice keepers in the 18-27″ range fishing the incoming tide with bucktails. Another fluke report come in from Tyler Novotny. He sent in a photo of a 27″ 9-lb fluke that he got on a bucktail. Get out and find yourself a doormat!

Tuna Time! Slower start than last year but it’s game on. The bigeye tuna are on the chew. Captain Jeff Warford fished aboard the Reel Time with some friends and had an epic trip. They got a round big eye a nice line up of yellowfin tuna as well as gaffer mahi and a mako to boot. Other boats that recently fished the edge offshore also had similar action.

NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife Bulletin:

Since the information went viral on social media most are aware, but for those that did not get the news…
The section of beach in Island Beach State Park south of the A23 entrance to the Barnegat Inlet North Jetty will be temporarily closed to vehicle traffic beginning Thursday, June 30. The closure is to protect nesting piping plovers, a state Endangered and federally Threatened Species. For detailed information see the advisory here. Foot traffic is allowed unless otherwise posted. No dogs are allowed in the closed area at any time. The closed area is clearly marked with warming signs and posts.

Applications for the Striped Bass Bonus Program (SBBP) are currently being accepted through October 31, 2016. All are encouraged to apply now in order to receive permits before the SBBP opens on September 1. Click here for application and program information.

June 27, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:30 PM

Here’s a photo of David’s weakfish that we reported yesterday.

Received: June 26, 2016 10:27 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Well school is out but class is still in session. We are always learning as I did with the last two trips. The first one was the Ed Bennet from E Norrtiton Pa. With what appeared to be perfect conditions, no wind and all current drift fluke were hard to come by. The next evening I had the Esh group from Harrisburg. The father and two teenage sons fished hard for a few fluke. Both trips I covered a lot of ground, trying several different spots to no avail. It nice to have an engine that lets you cruise 35 mph when searching from spot to spot. It means more time fishing. What I learned is right now it appears incoming water is best, clearer and cooler, mid 60’s. Crabbing is very good. I let my two pots soak overnight and was rewarded with 20 jimmies, none of which had to be measured, and all full. In the bait side, I had school of 4-5” peanut bunker in my lagoon the other evening. It is still June! This is the earliest I have seen baits this size. Not sure why but if they stay around in numbers I will be able to net some of the best live fluke baits for my trips all summer long. Nothing like this size baits for keeper fluke. With school out I am now available every day / evening for trips.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

June 26, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:00 PM

With the 4th of July next weekend we are swinging into the heart of summer. The recent onshore wind brought the surf temps back to seasonable temperatures in the mid 60’s. As a result anglers are catching the summer time species.

Yesterday evening David Darcangelo caught a 9 pound weakfish off of the surf. He got it on a Gulp Shrimp. Other anglers fishing the surf are catching fluke. This morning we got a report of cocktail blues chasing small bait in the wash. The night shift crew is tangling with good size sharks; browns and sandbar sharks. They are also still picking striped bass, mostly on live bait.

Speaking of sharks we had multiple reports of white sharks stopped by anglers fishing inshore. Keep your eyes out!

Received: June 25, 2016 4:40 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

The recent full moon has played a little havoc with the fluke bite in the backwaters. The keepers are only biting on a small narrow window of the tide, but this should increase as the moon’s pull lessens the tidal current. There is a lot of small fish in the back, but the bigger issue is getting the keepers to bite.

This past week had Mike Miller of Leesburg, VA with his son Luke and family friend Larry Jager with his daughter Brittany and son Justin for an afternoon Fluke charter. We hit a variety of spots, but had to battle ever increasing winds. The crew managed to release over 20 fluke and boated 2 keepers (21.5 inch, 19 inch) on bucktails. We would have had added a third, but Brittany’s fish unfortunately got tangled up with either a small brown shark or bluefish on the way up. It measured 16 inches without the freshly bitten off tail.

Next up was Dan Unger of Ship Bottom, his son Danny and wife Caroline for a 4hr Fluke charter. The trio had some tough fishing conditions with a stiff NE wind and a cranking tide, but they managed to catch close to 20 fluke. Dan finally put the family on the board on the 2nd to last drift with a beautiful 27 inch, 6.5 pound fluke caught on a bucktail.

Towards the end of the week I had Bill Long of Ship Bottom for a 4hr afternoon Fluke charter. We again had some tough conditions with wind against tide, but Bill managed to catch close to 30 fluke. The only problem was that most were in the 15 to 17.5 inch range and only one 19 inch keeper was boated. Bill who never caught a fluke before in Barnegat Bay was ecstatic on the numbers. We did catch about an 18 inch Smoothback Puffer that was released.

Again, now that school is officially over I will be available 7 days a week for charters and when the tide is right will be running 2 trips per day until September. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

June 24, 2016 ——————————————————–

4:00 PM

Shamong Joe has been on the water and catching. He got a 4.6-lb fluke in the bay off of Beach Haven earlier in the week. He got it bucktailing with Gulp Shrimp. Today he caught 20 shorts, one 19″ keeper and this 4.6-lb weakfish. Today Joe was fishing the bayside channels in Barnegat Light. Joe also mentioned that the crabbing is good. He got some nice ones. One was a bonus blue claw with a Rider University Tag which offered a $20 reward.

Mike P. stopped in the shop this afternoon and shared a report. He fished the mid-island surf and found lots of bait present. Mike caught 8 fluke, all short. One way almost keeper size. He said that they wanted the Gulp Mantis Shrimp on a hi/lo rig.

June 23, 2016 ——————————————————–

5:30 PM

We got a small bunker delivery in yesterday and the captain reports lots of thresher sharks are still on the pods. He said they are causing havoc on his gear but the “sporties” are having fun. Here’s a photo of a recent catch off of Seaside by John Fay and Steve Sloma.

We got a couple fluke reports in today. One angler said the fishing along a product stretch of beach slowed down with the chilly water. He picked some shorts but the action was much slower than its been. Another angler fished the Inlet rock and caught a pair of keepers this morning, a 20″ and a 22″ bucktailing.

NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife Bulletin:

Applications for the Striped Bass Bonus Program (SBBP) are currently being accepted through October 31, 2016. All are encouraged to apply now in order to receive permits before the SBBP opens on September 1. Click here for application and program information.

June 22, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:30 AM

Rich Quackenbush weighed in a 29-lb 4-oz bass yesterday. He caught it off of the Ship Bottom surf on bunker.

I might have jinxed it. On yesterday’s report I wrote “Let’s hope the upwelling stays away.” The recent southerly blow took our beautiful 62-64 degree surf temperatures and dropped it below 60 degree. The thermometer is reading 58 degrees but it sure feels much colder. Even though the water has the chill, the fluke are still present. Just like all the beach goes, the fluke are trying to get some sun too. The best way for them to warm up is hang in the sandbars tight to the beach. If heading out bucktailing the surf make sure to finish each retrieve right to the beach. The last couple of feet could provide a SWACK. Yesterday both Steve G. and Dan D. posted photos of surf fluke.

More positive reports from big game anglers. Tuna and sharks inshore and offshore. There’s bluefin tuna and threshers inshore. Further offshore at the edge the yellowfin bite has been good as well as shark fishing. Recent the year’s first run of big eye tuna have hit the decks!

Captain Stew Hitchner aboard the Pez Machine had a great recent trip. The crew caught fifteen 40-50 pound class yellowfin tuna, a 150-lb mako shark, 5 hammerhead sharks and 2 dusky sharks. They also got a handful of mahi mahi and a 70″ bigeye!

John Beard reported his recent trip aboard the Bluerunner with Captain Mark DeBlasio. “I had an awesome trip with my good buddy Rob. Nine yellowfin, the first big eye of the year, 4 makos and a few mahi.”

Captain Andres Hernandez aboard the Las Sofias sent in this photo of a beautiful bluefin tuna caught last Saturday in the waters between the Star and the Fingers. The crew made up of Eric Pollard, Pete Nork and Matt Ruark (angler on the rod) made pretty work of it. It weighed in at 228.5-lbs, a new Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club record! Congrats Andres and crew!

~FishHead.Greg

Received: June 21, 2016 2:28 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Sportfishing

Fluke in our backwaters is heating up and the usual spots are producing some decent numbers of fish. There is still some action at our inlets, but the bass scene has quieted down with the warmer water temperatures and this past Full moon. I have been pretty busy this season with my son’s sports commitments, so fishing has taken somewhat of a backseat. But now that school is out, it’s game on as I tentatively have 6 trips in the next 7 days (weather depending).

I was able to fish for a few hours over the weekend with my son Luke and father Mike Taylor for some backbay Fluke. We fished 2 different areas and ended our 2.5 hour trip with over 20 fish and 3 keepers to 4 pounds. Luke caught the first fish of the trip which ended up being the heaviest at 22.75 inches and just over 4 pounds. He was definitely proud of his catch, as he reminded us that the score was 1 to 0 to 0 at that point. (Love that an 8-yr old rubs it in our face!!)

Again, now that school is officially over I will be available 7 days a week for charters and when the tide is right will be running 2 trips in a day until September. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

June 21, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:30 AM

Austin Pounds fishing aboard CJ Jan’s boat out of Little Egg Inlet. They headed out on a mako hunt, planning to go 35 miles offshore. Austin reported, “We got out around 6:45am and trolled a mile for the first hour. No bites. As we were going to pull up on a lump we saw a boat racing to get there so we decided to go a couple miles to the southeast. About 37 miles offshore we found a big school of blues coming through and birds going crazy. There were chick birds on breaking fish. We dropped some hooks and caught some bluefish for fresh strip baits, mako candy! A making bait we dropped the chum pot and started setting out shark rigs. We get to the third bait and dropped it not even 10 feet down, 5 feet from the boat. The rod doubles over and starts peeling drag. Finally saw it and made out the distinct tuna look and knew it was a bluefin. CJ exclaimed, “Get the gaff now!” After one failed attempt on the side of the boat, she dived. Then on the second chance gaffed in the head. Turned out to be a 71 pound, 51 incher. Got it on a wire shark leader and a 16/0 circle hook rigged with a strip of mackerel. No makos, 1 bluefin, 1 brown shark release, a few blues. We also found huge schools of bunker 8-9 miles off which looked to have threshers on them. Good day out on the water overall. The bluefin tuna are here and close. Get out and find em!

Dan D. was up on the surf yesterday fluke fishing. He said it was firing! With the surf temps in the low to mid 60’s the fluke fishing should be good for the rest of the summer. Let’s hope the upwelling stays away. If it does we should see good summer time surf fishing. Reports of kingfish to the south. Maybe they’ll show up in good numbers this year. Gonna have to wait and see.

June 20, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:00 PM

Over the weekend lots of anglers got out and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Reports of fluke both north and south in the bay were plentiful. While not all were into keepers, a couple anglers a few for the table.

On Saturday Matt Polito caught five short fluke between 12-16″.

Store staffer Rob Vallone enjoyed the day in the boat with his father. The best way to celebrate Father’s Day, fishing! Rob reported they could find fluke in the ocean except for close into the beach. They caught 14 total bucktailing with white Gulp. Out of the bunch, two were keepers in the 19-20″ range.

Store staffer Steve-o targeted fluke in the deep bay this weekend. He said that he blew through Gulp because of all the blowfish beating up the tails. Steve also mentioned there’s weakfish.

Crabbing on the west side of the bay has been very good. Those hitting the prime spots are catching good numbers and some nice size too. Reports from the east side have been slow. Hopefully that will change soon.

Received: June 20, 2016 11:12 AM Subject: Laura Sportfishing Report

The last weekend of Seabass ended with a bang! Had Tony, Tommy and Sonny out Saturday morning they had there 30 fish limit by 9 am. Headed in and bent rods with some bluefish for a while. Saturday afternoon Tom and his son came out for an early Father’s Day trip we were three short of there limit with 27 keepers and finally on Sunday with nice weather and calm seas I took regular Billy Ngo out to some deep water and we caught our 50 fish limit by 10:15. Biggest was a 3.5 pound 22 inch humphead. For the next couple weeks we will try for some early morning striper’s and fluke in the bay. Would love to have you aboard. Give a call and like Laura Sportfishing on Facebook.

~ Capt. Mark Finelli Laura Sportfishing 856-341-6562

Received: June 18, 2016 4:29 PM Subject: Sea Bass & Fluke

Old Barney Charters had Brian McGee, Jim Sr., and Jim Jr. out for a pre-Father’s Day trip. We started with sea bass before the close. Once we hit 20 keepers, we decided to head in and fluke. We put a 22.5″ and 19.5″ in the box at the start of outgoing tide. School’s out and we are fishing 7 days a week. Jump aboard. All tackle, bait, ice and fish cleaning provided.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt Old Barney Charters 267-918-1746

June 17, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:00 AM

Last night Dylan Fisher caught a nice bass chunking off of the surf. Dylan and his buddy had a couple other bites from bluefish too.

Yesterday evening Ryan Dellane got a big bass that maxed out his Boga. He got it in the boat trolling a white Maja bunker spoon. He posted, “Crazy how a year ago tomorrow (today) marks the day I caught a huge striper last spring. Now I go out and catch almost the same size fish today (yesterday).”

June 16, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:00 PM

Ryan Curtis was out fishing this morning in the ocean. He weighed in a 46″ 42-lb striper that he got on the troll.

Received: June 16, 2016 8:18 AM Subject: Laura Sportfishing

I had Scott and his wife Jamie out yesterday afternoon. We hit the sea bass grounds and got 17 keepers before the winds got crazy. We headed into the inlet and scored 2 stripers and 4 gator bluefish before dinner. Check us out on Facebook for the latest updates!

~ Capt. Mark Finelli Laura Sportfishing 856-341-6562

Received: June 15, 2016 4:18 PM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

The boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been catching a variety of fish giving anglers a choice of what to go after.

Captain Gary Dugan has been fishing for a variety of fish on the “Irish Jig.” One day was a striper run, but the non-stop wind during the week had the bait scattered and dirtied the water so striper fishing did not produce. He moved inside and enjoyed some bluefish action in the bay. An afternoon trip produced a couple of blues and 2 nice flounder for the box with a few throwbacks. The wind was blowing hard and even with a drift sock, they were drifting 2.5 mph.

Captain Ray Lopez fished for striped bass for three straight days on the “Miss Liane” and found some big fish. The Clark crew from Medford fished two consecutive days despite some rough ocean conditions. Their patience paid off in a pair of large bass, one 47-inches and the other just under 50-inches. The larger fish weighed in the low 40’s. On the third day Captain Ray had a pair of experienced anglers out, one of whom was Bob Stewart who caught his first striper of the year weighing 35-pounds.

There have been reports of bluefin and yellowfin tuna offshore along with decent shark action. This opens another window of opportunity for anglers.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

June 15, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:30 PM

I headed out early this morning with Blake and Max. We headed up the beach and got on the search. We found some life off of Seaside/Ortley and went to work. I managed catching one nice bass (pushing 40-lbs) and we also had a couple other missed bites – run offs. Our friend Todd Luber was also out on the water this morning fishing nearby. He released two 30-lb class bass live lining bunker. ~FishHead.Greg

After a long winter of stocking up on tackle at Fisherman’s Hq, long hours of rigging, watching videos and getting amped up for the shark season… It’s finally here. Yesterday we went off about 30 miles and set up around some structure. Not even 10 minutes into setting out the gear out, a mako jumps full on into the air with a cartwheel to boot! One of the coolest things I’ve seen by far! After about a forty minute fight we were able to tail rope him and get it secured along side of the boat. The mako shark was about 200-lbs. This trip was a great start to our 2016 offshore season. The makos are here so get geared up and go! Happy Sharking!!! ~ Dylan Fisher

NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife Bulletin:

Applications for the Striped Bass Bonus Program (SBBP) are currently being accepted through October 31, 2016. All are encouraged to apply now in order to receive permits before the SBBP opens on September 1. Click here for application and program information.

The Sea Bass Season Closes on June 19th. Then on July 1st it opens with a two fish bag limit.

June 13, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM

I run up the beach this morning and took a beating. I was hoping for north west with lots of west in it; however, I got lots of north. Found bait but all small (spearing, sand eels and baby bunker). Both the birds and blues were chasing them. Definitely a small class of bluefish are here. ~FishHead.Greg

Yesterday Kolten Keller of Pittsburgh, PA stopped by the shop with another angler to weigh in a pair of bass they caught off of the south end surf. One was just over 8-lbs and the other was just over 10-lbs. Both were caught on clam.

The High Point Striper Shootout went off this past weekend. We heard it was an awesome time with great fishing. With 55 boats in the tournament there were 66 stripers caught. Seventeen of them were forty pound class! There were two bluefish for a total of 68 total fish weighins. First place was won by John Kline aboard the Swell Rider with a 49-lber. Mike Greene of the Lucky Stripes came in second place with a 47.8-lb bass. Third place went to Andy Isaksen aboard the Nordic Nailers with a 47.2-lb bass. The top lady angler was Angela Johnson with a 45.2-lber. The top junior anglers was Logan Johnson with a 31.8-lber. Both Angela and Logan were fishing aboard the Sea Eagle.

Received: June 13, 2016 8:00 AM Subject: Hot Canyon Fishing

We just got in from a double-overnighter and I had to send out the results. With 48 hours to work with we had a lot of options. I try not to chase reports because you usually get burned but I had to make a move early in the trip. We ended up going way south and it paid off. We caught 74 yellowfin to 50lbs, keeping 11 for the table, 7 gaffer dolphin, 3 makos, 6 hammerheads, a dusky and a blue shark!

We have the following dates available in June and July: 6/21-22, 7/2, 4-7, 11-13, 19-25

We have two spots available on an open boat overnighter June 27-28. Please contact me for more information.

We have interest in putting together the Mid-Atlantic 500K in an open boat format. This is a fish 3-out-5 day format the week of August 22-26. Please contact me for more information.

~ Capt. Stew Hitchner Pez Machine Sportfishing 609.287.5136

Received: June 12, 2016 2:19 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

It’s been pretty good Bassin’ if you can get out early and beat the crowds and the sun. We might have another 1 to 2 weeks as reports are starting to slow down from Atlantic City southward. The bay has finally cleaned up and the fluke are in as they should be this time of year. So we are ready to run 4, 5, or 6 hour tidal trips to target these backbay flatties.

Over the weekend, I had return client and fisheries biologist Doug Austen of Harrisburg, PA, his son Zack Austen, and Dan King out for a Striped Bass Charter. We started working north early, and found some feeding fish on bunker. Doug connected first for a nice 33 pound bass, followed by his son’s first-ever 30 pound Striped Bass which was released. There trio went 4 for 6 on the snag-n-drop. After slower action, we switched to the troll and Dan was able to release his first-ever Striped Bass to over 35 pounds. Overall the trio did a great job, and only kept 1 for the table releasing the other 4. Way to respect the fishery!

We are running some weekday trips 2:30pm to 7:30pm to target Striped Bass, Bluefish, or stay in the bay and jig up Fluke. We start running 7 days a week starting June 23rd as the school year is officially finished. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

Received: June 12, 2016 8:37 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Saturday I fished some of the local reefs for seabass with my friend Capt. Dan Siegel. We had to move three times until we found a pile of fish. Between the two of us we boated 40-50 sea bass keeping a dozen for the ride back home. Water was clear 3 miles outs and in the low 60s. During our trip we got a little bit of a show from a large whale that swam and feed at the reef for a little while. At one point is was close enough to hear. Good stuff. Sunday morning I was able to beat the winds and get a trip in. I had a Steven Fairlie and his son, Ryan from PA looking to get in on the bluefish action. After sun up there was a big school of small bluefish (1/2 pound to 2 lb.) crashing through schools of baby herring and small sand eels at the first set of cans for the inlet. This is the first showing of smaller bluefish that I have seen this year. After playing around with them we went looking for their bigger brothers. What I found interesting was when I cleaned some of the small bluefish we kept they were sexually mature and filled with roe and milt. Moving to the mouth of the inlet we found the small blues bigger brothers and for about two and a half hours caught and released blues from 6-14lbs. A few times the father and son team were doubled up and many of the blues put on a nice show by tail dancing. Attached is a picture of Ryan with one of the many blues he released.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

June 12, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:00 PM

The fishing on and around Long Beach Island is very good. At this time the area offers great variety for anglers.

On the striped bass fishing front… Coming off the new moon last weekend, the past week has produced classy fish. Land based anglers have caught both on the surf and the inlet. Boat anglers have also been into the action. Four year old Katelyn Stevens fished with her father over the weekend and caught her first striped bass. It was a 46.5″ 39-lb linesider that went for a bunker spoon they were trolling off of Seaside. Don, John and Dan Hall got into quality bass trolling off IBSP too with their biggest going 39-lbs also. Bill Groeling sent in a photo of a classy bass that he caught fishing on Saturday morning. We got positive reports from customers fishing the bunker pods Saturday and Sunday morning. Lots of boats were into a good snag and drop bite. The most productive area for livelining and trolling has been the Bather’s Beach up to the Pier and a little beyond Ortly/Lavallette.

The bluefish are still present and on the chew. Some are cruising the surf and they are also in the Inlet and bay. Some small cocktails were reported chasing baby bunker on the surf this morning. We got word from Kristi and Ben Cooper that there were some herring on the south end surf. They caught three as well as way too many skates and a nice tan.

Fluke fishing both in the bay and the surf has been good. Store staffer Joe C. got a 22″ fluke off the surf this morning. Steve George posted a report yesterday with photos of some nice fluke he bucktailed off of the surf with a caption “fluke action from today.” Boat anglers are catching drifting the thoroughfares, adjacent channels and rolling sandbars.

June is prime time pelagic shark fishing. With shark tournament just about every weekend there’s lots of anglers fishing. Most are catching very well out at the edge but reports are slow some closer to home. Some anglers fished inshore this past weekend. Both reports we heard said no makos. One reported fishing an area that regularly produced this time of year; however, all they could find was blue sharks in 59-60 degree water. Hopefully things will change.

Deep sea fishing offshore has been good. So I was in when I got the invite to head offshore with Captain Doug Adams aboard the No Limit. We pushed off Thursday at midnight and got on the troll at the Spencer and started working south. It wasn’t long before we got a bite from an acrobatic mako on a CD30 Pink/Glow. It’s crazy that everything eats ’em… yellowfin, bluefin, bigeye, wahoo and sharks. After boating the shark we kept pushing down the line. With a promising body of water down at the Baltimore we kept heading south in its direction. In route we found brown pods of krill with mackerel and yellowfin tuna on them. Kyle on board got a yellowbird to eat a popper. We managed to get a couple other scattered bites on the troll but all small fish. A couple hours before sunset we were in a pickle between running south to the water or staying put and working the life we were. We ended up staying. Nothing on the troll. We set up for sharking and had some fun releasing some toothy critters all night. From 1-3am we had piles of mackerel as well as squid all around the boat, but no tuna. We got on the troll for first light but it didn’t offer much. We picked a couple skippies and then once the sun was high we got into drop and reel tilefishing. In a short time we loaded up a good catch and headed in right as the wind picked up. It was a good trip with the water and sea surface much better then the forecast was calling. For the majority of the trip we were fishing in 64-66 degree water. It turns out that we should have headed further south to hit the body of water at the Baltimore. Sunday’s day troll produced a hot a heavy bite for the boats that were there. One reported school yellowfin (up to 40-lbs) jumping in the boat.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: June 11, 2016 5:20 PM Subject: Big Stripers on the Chew!

Yesterday (Friday) afternoon we started our trip out in the ocean off of Seaside looking for the big stripers. On board were Joe and Crystal Roccia of Bellmawr, NJ and Steve Pressler of Wayne, NJ. We were trolling bunker spoons and after two hours of no action we throttled up to return to Barnegat Inlet and fish the bay. We anchored up in Oyster Creek channel, put out some clam baits and went 2 for 4 on 14 pound stripers. That saved our trip.

Today (Saturday) I had Patrick Kerrigan and his son Christian along with their friend Dan Cinotti, all from Virginia . We broke Barnegat Inlet early, made a left (as always) and cruised close to the beach looking for pods of bunker. Made it all the way up to the Seaside Piers without finding any bunker so we swung out to the deep, 60 feet of water and put out the trolling rods. About an hour in, the center rod with a big Mojo lure gets hammered. Fifteen minutes later, Dan decks his 38 pounder: youtu.be/y8-ClE-07lY

Half hour later the same rod and lure goes off and Christian adds a 25 pound bass to the cooler. An hour and a half intermission with no hits or runs and the white #4 Tony Maja spoon in the starboard outrodder is screaming. A 43 pound striper for Patrickto toped off our catch: youtu.be/-EMKsu2d8jY Just then, the forecasted 20 knot southwind came up and we headed for the barn.

I have an Open Boat sailing at 4AM this Monday, June 13. Returning around 10 or 11 AM. We”ll be headed to the same area looking for bunker to snag in the early morning and then switching over to the troll for the finish. $175 per person, 3 people max, all fish are shared. Also running afternoon trips leaving at Noon or 1PM on Wed-Thurs-Fri, June 15, 16, and 17. Returning 6 hours later. All of these dates are also available for your private charter.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

June 9, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Paul Haertel took the top spot in the Simply Bassing Surf Tournament yesterday. Today he really moved ahead of the pack with a 48″ 47-pound 1-oz bass. With two quality fish in the past two days, Paul is dialed in!

Here’s a The Fisherman’s Jim Hutchinson Jr.’s weekly report,” Yet another 50-plus-pound striper is scored along the Jersey Shore this past weekend, this one taken 2 miles out on a jigged plastic shad away from the fleet! Reports of another “48” released on the Raritan early this week, and spoon-fed “50-1/2” off Island Beach State Park late Wednesday – as quickly as we can get updates together for our weekly video, more reported big stripers are being weighed in! Cape May County’s night weakfish bite is going strong with Dream Boat weigh-ins reported on an almost weekly basis, while the drum bite on Delaware Bay continues to shine with more boomers also showing along the beaches at Brigantine and Seaside. A patch of peculiar weather rolled through the region this week, with strange cloud formations to start the week in our southern region and fast-moving thunderstorms packed with 60 mph winds in the central/north by midweek. Behind those recent systems arrive offshore breezes predominantly from the W/NW which could put bunker schools tight to the beaches early morning this weekend with trophy stripers continuing to take live baits, spoons, plugs and plastic shads – it should make for a busy day on the sharking grounds this Saturday, catch ‘em up guys! ”

Received: June 9, 2016 12:38 PM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been finding good action on black sea bass on area wrecks and reefs. With that fishery closing shortly, they plan on working the inshore fluke grounds and heading offshore for tuna.

Captain Bill Kaiser had the “Tuna Sue” out recently to the Lemke’s Canyon looking for tuna. He was able to locate some bluefin tuna, but unfortunately there were giant gator bluefish also in the water. The blues tore up a lot of tackle and made it impossible to get down to the bluefin. He ran to the Claw where he found more bluefin but also big blues that made fishing nearly impossible. There were some small mako and blue sharks on top of the water, and his group was able to have some fun with them.

Captain Gary Dugan has been doing some successful wreck fishing on the “Irish Jig.” One day his group picked up some nice sea bass for the cooler along with some blackfish that had to be returned. They moved into the bay for fluke and managed one 18-inch keeper along with some throwbacks. Another day Captain Gary had steady action while wreck fishing Friday with 75-80 fish, but only a few nice fish made the box including a very nice ling. He moved inside and trolled for stripers and had 2 knock downs but nothing hooked up. He has also picked up some bluefish in the bay.

Captain Fran Verdi has been finding some nice life while fishing various wrecks on the “Francesca Marie. He had the John Hufnagle crew out on 5 wrecks in 65-80 feet of water and found action on all of them. The group had over 80 fish that day and was able to put 40 sea bass in the box. Most of the fish were the 13-15 inch range, but a few were over 17-inces. With the sea bass season closing on June 19, Captain Fran is putting his time in on them. He has heard of striper action to the north, and plans to sail for fluke and tuna when the sea bass ends.
For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

11:00 AM

Some big bass recently caught off of the surf and the boat.

In recent time two new anglers sit at the top of the Simply Bassing Leader Board. Both fish over 30-lbs. Paul Haertel is on top with a 30-lb 9-oz bass. For more details on the Simply Bassing Surf Fishing Tournament go to LBIFT.com

Yesterday Cody Eastburn caught this 51″ 50.5-lb striped bass fishing with Captain Ken Nutt aboard The Striper out of Barnegat Light. They were fishing off of IBSP. We got reports from a few others that fish the waters off IBSP too. One reported a very slow bite on the bunker pods. He managed one quality bass livelining. Another anglers pulled a 20 pound class and a 30 pound class bass on the troll.

Received: June 9, 2016 7:04 AM Subject: Thursday & Friday Afternoon Open Boat Striper Hunts

The wind is forecasted to blow hard West and Northwest. That means calm seas (close to beach) and the best conditions for finding bunker and the big bass. If that doesn’t work we’ll put out the bunker spoons. Leaving 1PM, returning around 7 PM each day. $175 per person, 3 people max, all fish are shared.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

Received: June 8, 2016 6:14 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Tuesday evening I had Sarah Kaschak and her grandfather, Carl, out for a magic hour trip. The first half of the trip we worked hard only to have one big blue hooked up. Dark skies and high winds then chased us off the water for safety. Once the storm passed we pushed backed towards the inlet and waited for the current switch. Once it did it was pure mayhem, with 6 -12 lb blues pushing bait towards the surface. Birds worked the surface hard in fall-like blitz conditions. The magic hour truly lived up to its name. Attached is a picture of Sarah with one of the blues she caught and released. I have both Saturday and Sunday open if you want to hop on the get on this or any of the other fishing action that is going on right now.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

June 7, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:00 AM

Numerous positive reports from customers fishing offshore. The Toms down to the Lindy has produced. As long as the forecast holds up, there looks to be a good weather window late week into the weekend. Gear up and go!

To get the blood pumping, here’s a report from Captain Stew Hichner aboard the Pez Machine…

The elusive yellowfin tuna is back and they’re eating everything in the spread! We did 2 trips to the canyon over the past weekend and put 35 yellowfins and a few mahis in the boat. If you’re waiting for the fish to get here before booking a trip WAIT NO LONGER!!

Here are the dates we have left in June and July:

June: 14-15(overnighter only) 21, 22, 23, 27, 28
July: 2, 4-7, 11-13, 15-16(overnighter only), 19-26

~ Capt. Stew Hitchner Pez Machine Sportfishing 609.287.5136

Thomas Siciliano sent this info over to post about the Sunshine Foundation Family Fun Day & Fishing Tournament

The Sunshine Foundation’s 19th Annual Fluke/Bluefish Family Fun Day & Fishing Tournament

July 16th , 2016 Fun at Seaport 3:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Captain’s Meeting: July 15th @ 6pm

The Tuckerton Seaport – 120 West Main St, Tuckerton

Featuring: Music, Fun for the Kids, Food (BBQ), Beer, Auctions, 50/50, Calcutta

More info call Skip at 609-709- 8038 or Tom at 732-267- 6451

Donation $15 – Children under 13 FREE

FUN FAMILY DAY! FREE GIFT FOR KIDS!

Let’s Make Dreams Come True!

June 6, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM

Joseph Cimerola shared this report, “Fished this morning at sunrise in the Inlet. It was stacked with bluefish but no bass. Ran up the
beach to the maintenance shack. Bait everywhere but no bass. Fished over bait for 2 hours not a tug.”

Dylan Svelling/Pescatore weighed in a 40.25″ 18.13-lb bluefish yesterday. He caught it on bunker off of the south end surf. Dylan mentioned that another angler had a bass.

After fishing the BL Inlet for a couple hours, Javier stopped in yesterday to check out a few reels. While here he reported, “It was a slow day compared to what it has been. But none the less it was a another bloody day on the Jetty. I saw a couple others hooked up. I got all mine on Daiwa SP Minnow lures. Got three. Biggest was about 36-38 inches.

Received: June 5, 2016 9:02 PM Subject: Lighthouse Fishing Report

The ocean temp has settled nicely in the low 60s while the bay is still hanging around 70. Was out on Saturday with the Derek Bonk party from Toms River. With flat seas at dawn, the 10 mile run up the beach at 35 mph was over in no time. While most in the area were looking for bunker and bass, I was really worried about the bunker and making bait. The snag and drop bite has not been all that so far this season but that is OK with me. Some live bunker, good tides and structure is all I needed to get my fares into some hot action. Fishing the inlet area we landed 3 bass from 30” to 24 lbs. Attached is a picture of Derek with his personal best, the 24. In between the bass blues from 8 to 14 lbs keep the drags screaming. Can’t really speak much about fluke, I know they are in, the bay just needs the slime grass to clear some more. Two and a half more weeks left to school at which time I will be guiding full time. In the mean time I am still available for the next two weekends and afternoon / evenings. If interested in a personalized charter give me a call.

On the nature side of things: Recently some of my AP Environmental Science students and I released 6 baby diamondback terrapins into to Barnegat Bay. I was raising the 8 month old turtles as part of Project Terrapin which is headed up by DR. John Wnek. Diamondback terrapins are the only brackish water turtle found in the world. Barnegat Bay is one area where they can be found living the summer in open water adjacent to the salt marsh. Since terrapins spend much of their lives in water which may have high salinity concentration from saltwater, they have adapted one unique way to get freshwater to drink. After a rain they will come to water’s surface to drink rainwater which is floating on top of the salt.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

June 5, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:30 AM

Matt Perilli of Newtown, PA stopped in this morning and picked up some fresh bunker. He was back shortly after with a 43” bass. It pulled to 27.5 pounds.

Kyle Snope sent in a report from the mid-island surf, “I had consistent action Friday night on the outgoing tide. 10 lb blues and a 20-30 lb striper. Got them on bunker!”

With the tranquil weather the past couple days a lot of boats pushed offshore for shark and tuna. One customer reported getting a pair of blue sharks and a thresher. Another all blue sharks. The locations were not provided. It’s prime sharking season and with the tournament lined up not many are willing to share. Head out, start chumming and wait for the reels to get humming.

George Gilbert reported speaking with a friend who just came back from a bluewater trip to Toms Canyon. They were catching 30-40# Yellowfin and 60# Bluefin that were hitting Ballyhoo topped with Joe Shute lures. The boat was all by itself have a great time.

Captain Stew Hitchner aboard the Pez Machine posted a photo after his recent trip to the edge. The caption “yellowfin flying in the boat!”

June 4, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:30 AM

So far today we’ve got a couple reports. One came from Bill B. who ran up the beach looking for bunker and bass. He ended up swinging back and fishing the BL Reef. He said no fluke but there’s sea bass. Dan D send in a photo of a nice fluke he caught on the bayside. Yesterday Rick Wieland got a short fluke off of the mid-island surf on a 8/0 hook with bunker. They are up there and that one was hungery!

June 3, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:30 PM

Today while filling a customers reel with monel wire he shared some intel. Today he dropped a quality bass trolling off of IBSP. He said the bite was slow but the fish that are present are good ones. He also mentioned doing good on other recent trips. ~FishHead.Greg

John Parzych entered a 40″ bass into the LBI Catch & Release Tournament. He got the striper last night. The Catch & Release Segment of the Simply Bassing Spring Tournament ends this Wednesday.

Received: June 2, 2016 6:34 PM Subject: BHCFA

Memorial Day weekend in Beach Haven produced beautiful weather, and the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association were able to take advantage of the weather and the fishing.

Before the weekend started, the Captain Carl Sheppard had the “Star Fish” out for black sea bass, and they had all the action they could want. Over 80 were boated with 14big ones going home in the cooler. Captain Carl had a birthday group out on Saturday, and the group trolled for a while before finding some diving birds and big bluefish under them. The action got so furious that it was difficult to fish all four lines at once. The crew returned to the dock with a cooler filled with 8-12 pound choppers. Another day Captain Carl and first mate Marlyn had the Allen family out for a day of wreck fishing. They had plenty of action on throwback sea bass and returned home with 7 nice sized black sea bass.

Captain Jimmy Zavacky fished the “Reel Determined” in the LBI Striper Cup sponsored by the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club. Although his crew was not able to take home any prizes, they did weigh in a pair of nice sized stripers in the 30-pound class. The caught the fish on the troll.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

June 2, 2016 ——————————————————–

9:30 AM

The fishing musician Rick Wieland stopped in the shop yesterday with a 30″ bass. He caught it off of the mid-island surf on bunker. Its belly was bricked with sand fleas (crabs). Rick said the water was gin clear and the long period white water offered awesome conditions.

Store staffer Steve-o got one short fluke fishing the bayside on the northend.

Austin Pounds released a sand tiger shark off the surf the other night. Here’s a photo.
Yesterday was the Battle on the beach. We had a couple of our crew members in on the action; Zach & Oakley from Southern and Nick from Barnegat. They all siad it was a great time on the beach but the fishing was slow. Thanks to all of the high school club advisors, Jason from Southern, Brett from Barnegat, Dave from Mates and Jeremy from Lacey for making it happen.

After the tournament Jason Hoch, the Southern Regional Fishing Club Advisor, said, “It was another successful tournament with four teams (schools) and over 40 students participating on the beach. There was lots of interests this year and everyone was having fun fishing. For the most part the conditions were good; however, the abundance of snot grass in the water had us fouling up. There were a number of doggies in the mix too but a few students managed to get a couple fish for points. The local fishing club, the Barnegat Light Heaviers were on hand to help out running the tournament. We fished the north end surf from 4pm through the high tide and finished up at 7pm.”

Barnegat’s Nick D got a 13″ fluke on a bucktail with a teaser and gulp. One student from Lacey got a 16″ bluefish on an ava jig and a Southern student got a 16″ fluke. This year’s tournament ended in a 16″.

Received: June 1, 2016 6:46 AM Subject: Summer Is Here – Available Dates

The lights are on and the speed limits are low; SUMMER IS HERE AND THE FISH ARE BITING.

We got off to a slow start striper fishing but finished up strongly. Reports of bluefins, yellowfins, makos and mahis are rolling in from the canyons. Our first trip to the edge is Friday so we’ll have first-hand reports soon.

Available dates are disappearing quickly and I don’t want anyone to miss out on the fun. Here are the only dates we have available between now and August 31st.

June : 7,8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28
July: 2, 4-7, 11-15, 19-26
August (Overnight Dates): 1-7, 14-17 & 30-31

September is wide open at the moment but that will begin filling up shortly as we start posting reports from the edge. There are a few additional dates in July and August that work only as overnighters so contact me if you have something in mind.

I’ll leave you with two of the more popular trips we offer. Keep in mind it’s not everything (Stripers, Fluking, Sharking, etc) so if you don’t see what you’re looking for give me a call or shoot over an email; if we don’t have a trip that works we’ll customize for your specific needs.

Remember June offers a shot a thresher sharks along the beach! “Near-Shore” Sharking targeting Thresher sharks has quickly become one of our most popular trips in June. These hard fighting sharks represent both a challenge for all ages and an introduction to big-game fishing for our younger anglers.

Please contact for more information.

~ Capt. Stew Hitchner Pez Machine Sportfishing 609.287.5136

June 1, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:00 PM

I pushed up the beach early this morning with fellow store staffer Max. We found a good area of bait on top but no one was home. Put about 2 hours in live lining and then switched over to try our luck on the troll. A couple nice marks but no bites. About an hour later we called it quits. El skunk-o! ~FishHead.Greg

Today is the Battle On The Beach, a surf competition between local high school students. Best of luck to all the anglers! Hope they get into some good fishing. We’ll post the results later today or tomorrow.

Received: May 31, 2016 8:30 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

The fishing has been pretty good albeit Stripers but the key has been getting out early for the snag-n-drop. Lately the bite has been around dawn and dusk, and shuts down as the sun comes up. Trolling is always an option as most guys are dragging Maja’s, Mojo’s, or Stretches which has been really good to a pick. Regarding back bay, I did have a decent afternoon last week and boated for 4 keeper fluke, but the slime grass has literally taken over some of the choice early season spots. This hopefully should subside in the coming days as the fluke are definitely holding there and are an absolute blast on light-tackle. Right now, there are plenty of options (Fluke, Striped Bass, Bluefish) and I did hear of some blowfish around.

I do have an opening for this Sunday 6/5, and I’m limited to weekends and weekday afternoons (230 to 730pm) up until June 22nd when the school comes to a close. THEN we start running 7 days a week from June 23rd to the 1st week of September. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

Received: May 31, 2016 7:00 PM Subject: Caught ’em again today. Open Boat for Tomorrow (Wed)

We had four bass between 10 and 20 pounds today on the clams in Oyster Creek channel. After that effort we got into the some 10 to 15 pound bluefish on the east side of the bay.

Tomorrow (Wed) afternoon we are sailing Open Boat. Marine forecast looks good so we will try to get out in the ocean and catch the biggest kind of stripers. Sailing open boat every day we are not chartered. Thurs and Fri also looks like mild winds so we will be sailing Open Boat trips on those days, as well. Afternoon departures leaving around Noon or 1 PM returning 6 hours later. $175 person, 3 people max, all fish are shared.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

May 31, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:00 PM

We had a really nice fished weighed in this morning by Ryan Sherwood of the Berkley Striper Club. He checked in a 46.5″ x 28″ 46-lb 3-oz bass.

Matt Polito sent in a report yesterday, “Steady bite right now in the inlet for blues. Also pods of bunker were on top near the middle of the inlet jetty”

Received: May 30, 2016 9:56 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Spent Saturday and Sunday mornings with returning clients, which is always a bonus to a morning out on the water. Saturday the Massett clan worked hard through the slime grass to box a respectable 19.5” fluke and release several others. This year’s crop of slime grass is the worst ever, more on that later. In between fluking we played around with the big blues around the inlet. Attached is a pic of one of the blues. Sunday the Galiardo gang was looking to get into the crazy bluefish action we have been having. Some early morning scouting before I picked them up resulted in me finding some large blues on the flats willing to strike poppers. As luck would have it, or bad luck, a quick ride back to the same spot only resulted in a few blow ups. We did have to put some time in before we got into them around the inlet. And once again, young Harry was in on the action. Bay has warmed up nicely and broke 70 degrees and ocean got to around 60. Blues seems to be moving out of the main bay / west side. Fluke should be chewing good but it is very hard to put a nice catch together due to the slime. Reliable sources have been landing some big 30-40 lb bass via snag n drop out front. It seems to be an very early bite, predawn.

On the nature side of things: the slime grass, snot weed or whatever you want to call it, is mostly soft sour weed. While native to this area, explosive out of control growth is not normal. This weed prefers cooler water temperatures and loves nitrogen. As a watershed, Barnegat Bay is the dumping grounds of massive amounts of nitrogen laden fertilizer runoff. From Pt Pleasant to Jackson, down to Little Egg and in between, rains washes fertilizer off of lawns, into the street, down the storm sewers where it finds its way to places like the Toms River, Metedeconk River, Cedar Creek, Mill Creek, and West Creek to name ae few. All of these waterbodies find their way to Barnegat Bay where the nitrogen is ready taken up by grasses and algae causing blooms. The first few days of May the area saw about 3” of rain. That’s is 3” of rain at a when everyone is feeding their lawns. Give that a little time to make it to the bay and a few sunny days and BAM!

Open this week for magic our trips which the tides are perfect for.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

Received: May 30, 2016 1:03 PM Subject: Reel Chaos Fishing Charters Fishing Report 5/29/16

With the Sea Bass season opening on Monday 5/23 the angling was great, few ling and cod were mixed in. It seems you can always count on them when the Striped Bass slow down. We had several trips this week and did pretty well pounding the Sea Bass. Most of our anglers this week wanted to target Striped Bass so we mixed it up every trip. We had another great group out yesterday we left the dock around 7am. When we hit Barnegat Inlet the fog was thick. With most boats turning around the REEL CHAOS equipped with Raymarine radar we ventured out. With the fog thick we put out our trolling gear and started heading north. We had our Toni Maja pole working with a white spoon and on the other side we had a Mojo Rig working. We were in about 55ft of water when we got our first fish. We were just shy of the bathing beach. We continued north with slow pickings when I got a call saying there were bunker off the beach around seaside. When we arrived things looked very promising with tons of bunker around. We snag and dropped which is my favorite way to catch bass but unfortunately we didn’t have any luck. With the guys having fun catching bunker we elected to hit some wrecks and back to the Sea Bass. After filling up on Sea Bass we decided to come into the bay to try our luck on some Fluke. We were in about 5ft of water east side of bay having a ton of fun with some small Fluke (No keepers). After all said and done we had a good day fun by all and that’s what really matters. The same guys booked us in July to try for some monster Fluke. Thanks Again Guys.

~ Capt. Tom Cormann, Reel Chaos Charters 201.788.3223

May 30, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

We got a number of great reports in today. A couple from the boat and a couple from land based anglers.

Trolling bass was good again today for Captain Stew Hitchner. He put his clients on the fish again with class bass. A couple angler picked up squid and clams for bait in prep for heading out to the local reefs for sea bass. They reported their recent trips have been great.

One customer in the shop this evening said yesterday was his best day all spring on the rocks. “It has been good but yesterday was it! The blues had bunker pinned to the jetty and were on the feed. It was on fire!” Speaking of the rocks… Dan Street from Hainesport weighed in a 40lbs 13oz bass that he speared in the Inlet today.

Rob Swift gave us a report, “38 inch bass and numerous big blues, all on bunker, south end surf.”
Received: May 30, 2016 7:29 PM Subject: Stripers Inside and Out. Gator Blues Still Terrorizing the Bay!

Holy Smokes! What a stretch of fishing we just had. Starting on Thursday afternoon I ran out with Loren Adrian, Billy Fellows, and Capt. Steve Spina who helped work deck. We made the left out of the inlet with our sights set on trolling a big striper with the bunker spoons. I started at a spot 5 miles north of the inlet in 55 feet of water as that was the last place I caught a nice pair. After beating up that spot for two hours with no hits we went on world tour: the Bathing Beach, the Pipe, Seaside Piers. We did have a short hit, a runoff, and a hooked and lost fish at the Piers so of course I stuck it out there for two more hours but nothing more happened. We throttled up for home but I left the spoons on the rods because I knew I was going to give that first spot, the 5 mile spot, one more pass on the way in. We throttled back, put out the two Maja spoons and in less than 60 seconds the starboard rod was screaming. Loren was on the rod and fifteen minutes later we boated his personal best, a 47 pounder. Talk about ninth inning with two outs. We fished another 15 minutes and headed in with our one fish. Here’s a gratuitous YouTube clip of the last few minutes of the landing: youtu.be/hBlF_EZArIU Not our best clip as it has very little of the fight and more of us just celebrating finally putting a fish in the boat.

Friday afternoon I had Joe Parente of Springfield, NJ out along with his son Joey and their friends. We started out with some big blues on poppers on the east side of the bay then they got to see a good bite on clams in Oyster Creek channel with four bass making to the net between 12 and 16 pounds.

Saturday sucked. We made it out to the ocean but I was one of the boats that didn’t catch that day. Some guys caught on the snag and drop and some trolled them on spoons and Mojos but not us. We did salvage the trip with some gator blues in the bay on the way back in.

Sunday, I had Nick Denucci of Denville, NJ, along with his two boys, Nicholas and Michael. These kids can fish! They boated 5 stripers on clams from 12 to 20 pounds in Oyster Creek. Then we bounced over to the big bluefish spot ( I know I didn’t say where) and we had them coming as fast as we could get them unhooked.

Today (Monday), I had Alan and Leslie Soukup from Wilmington, DE on board. This was the hottest bite on clams yet. No boats on the water thanks to the awful weather forecast that turned out to be wrong. The rain didn’t come until we were done fishing. We had six bass from 10 to 13 pounds. We finished up with the mad dog gator bluefish bite that has to be peaking right now. They are voracious.

I have nothing booked for tomorrow, Tues, May 31. The boat is available. I am going to sail with or without passengers at 5:30 AM. Going to head over to the striper spot and clam those fish again like an appointment. They are going to be there and they are going to feed, it’s not even a question. After that, if the ocean looks good, we could go hunt those big stripers or jam on the big gator blues in the bay. The marine forecast looks great for either plan.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

May 29, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Hope everyone is enjoying the fun in the sun on LBI! It’s “summer time” so let’s have fun on the beach, boat and barbecue and be merry but remember the men and women who have given their lives for there country. Thank you to all of the active military and veterans. God Bless America!

Captain Stew Hitchner aboard the Pez Machine out of Barnegat Light got on the bass this morning. Despite the chilly ocean water temps, he reported in a Instagram post, “On the meat this morning!” From the looks of the photo he put his charters into some great spring fishing with numerous quality bass. For those looking to get out and fish on one of the most beautiful boats in the area give Captain Stew a call. He’s fishing inshore and offshore. With a nice body of water sliding up the line in the area of the south west corner of the Hudson down to the Toms the offshore fishing is promising. The same body of water produced fish for boats when it was in the Lindy.

The recent south wind has upwelled some chill water onto the beaches; however, anglers are still pulling fish. The bass run is on and the blues are still here chewing like mad dogs. If going to the inlet your best bet is the outgoing tide for the warmest water temperature. Today we got a report from an angler who caught two fluke off of the mid-island surf fishing bucktails. We expect this to improve as the water warms going into summer.

Joe Medica reported, “Ty’s first bluefish! We fished for five hours on the boat yesterday and came up empty… 5th cast off the beach today and he gets one!!!”

Dan D reported, “Went out on my buddies boat this morning to help get their first fish on the new sled. We had an incredible time fishing to say the least. Landed my personal best bass over 50 inches.”

Yesterday morning we lost a great fellow fisherman. Ed Varga of Tuckerton passed away at his home have battling kidney issue. The US Marine Veteran was an awesome guy who fished LBI for many years. He was one hell of a fisherman that put in his time and caught lots of fish. The tall nice guy with a white Jeep who always caught all the fish will be missed. That’s how I always knew of Ed.

~FishHead.Greg

I fished on the Hi Flier with Captain David D. Recently, it’s my weekly fishing trip. We didn’t get any stripers on the outside so we came in to the bay for the slammer blues and caught them well before trips end. ~ Matt Polito

May 28, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

Yesterday Daniel DiPasquale of New Egypt weighed in a 45.5″ 30-lb 3-oz bass. He reported, “Started off trolling on the three mile line along Seaside. Had our first fish on a Stretch at about 6:30am. We had good marks all morning but after the tide change a couple hours later it broke open. Mojo’s and spoons were the ticket with fish ranging 43-45 inches.”

Steve G. stopped in last night to pick up some tackle. While here he sharred some intel. He’s been fishing with his and his cousin Jimmy and the pair have put their fair share of time in on the beach. It has paid off. In recent days they have found fish chunking bunker. Steve said the other night they had blues one after the other. One night he released a mid-30″ bass and also they caught a sand tiger. That’s right it’s that time. Beach Sharking!!!

Stephen Fanelli from Marlton sent in this report… Fished the Lighthouse on May 26. Got there around 6/6:30 about mid way down. Caught two on metal right away and then it stopped. I changed to poppers and plugs and could not stop catching them. All 8-12lb range.

May 27, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:30 PM

We just had a beast weighed in! Johnny Tilton III caught a 52-lb 15-oz striped bass this morning off of the Bathing Beach. Johnny was fishing with Captain Ken Nutt aboard the Striper out of Barnegat Light. They were working a fishy area pulling spoons in 60′ of water.

I jumped in the boat early this morning and found some life off of Seaside. I was happy I got on it early because they were up on top crushing bunker in the grey light. I had it all to myself for almost an hour. I released a 44-lb and pair in the low 30’s. Dropped a couple with pulled hooks and missed a number of run offs. All live lining. As the morning progressed, it was a great sight to see all of the boats in the area were working together. With the south breeze the drift was quick and all of the boats got in a rotation… drifting the pods, then motoring up and around those fishing staying clear and giving room. Something that isn’t common in recent years. I was stoked to see a number of other boats catch some quality fish. It’s prime time. Get out an enjoy the Holiday Weekend! ~FishHead.Greg

Received: May 27, 2016 11:42 AM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Sportfishing

May is providing lots of options for Barnegat Bay and the surrounding ocean waters – Bluefish, Striped Bass, and Fluke. The back bay temperatures are reaching lower seventies in a few locations which have the fluke biting, but the snot weed has been a big problem which is normal for this time of year. This past week I was able to get out a few times – there are definitely fish biting when the conditions are right.

On Sunday’s charter we had very tough fishing conditions with 6 to 8 foot waves out front, 15 to 20 knot winds, and rain. The guys opted for plan B, which would be backbay Fluke, as they had their fill of Bluefish the prior weekend. Although the group worked the rods the entire trip, they could only muster short Fluke and a 22-inch Striped Bass which fell for a BigEye bucktail tipped with Gulp.

Later in the week, I had the opportunity to fish with a friend and co-worker, Tom Duralek, for some backbay fluke. We scouted a few different areas with a better tide cycle, and had better results as the fish were biting in the warmer water (outgoing). We ended the trip with quite a few shorts and 4 keepers ranging from 18 inches to 20.5 inches. S&S Bucktails tipped with fresh bait were the ticket to the keepers.

We are running some weekday trips 2:30pm to 7:30pm to target Striped Bass, Bluefish, or stay in the bay and jig up Fluke. Regarding weekend trips, I still have some weekends left in June. We start running 7 days a week starting June 23rd as the school year is officially finished. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website (www.reelreactioncharters.com), or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

May 26, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:30 PM

John Mury of Waretown sent in the report a short while ago… ” Here’s one for Joe at the shop, we broke his report of “345 people reporting no bass on the beach” John Jr caught one and we had multiple big blues mid island on bucktails and bunker today, 1 hour before high tide.”

Received: May 26, 2016 4:59 PM Subject: BHCFA Weekly Report

The decision facing the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association this Memorial Day Weekend is just what fish to go after. There are still big bluefish around, a goodly amount of striped bass, a decent bite of summer flounder, and recent black sea bass results have been off the chart.

Captain Fran Verdi on the “Francesca Marie” had a very pleased party when they managed to boat 32 nice sized keeper black sea bass while fishing inshore structure. Comments were heard on board concerning “fish tacos” for dinner.

Captain Carl Sheppard had the Lavagna party from Mt. Laurel out on the “Star Fish”, and they wanted to catch some big bluefish. Fishing at the entrance to Great Bay the group caught fish steadily ranging from 8-14 pounds for four straight hours. They jigged with diamond jigs and trolled. Another day Captain Carl had a group out and they headed for the reefs looking for black sea bass. The group of 5 anglers managed to boat over 80 sea bass and brought 14 nice fish home in the cooler.

Captain Ray Lopez has been catching big striped bass just north of Barnegat Inlet on the “Miss Liane.” Joel and Mike were celebrating Joel’s birthday and the fish did not disappoint. Joel managed to put a 30-pound bass in the box and before the end of the day caught another even larger fish. Earlier in the week Andy and Max Goldman were out looking for bass and 13 year old Max caught his first ever striped bass, a 27-pounder. In all, the group ended up with 3 stripers and 6 big bluefish to 12-pounds.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Received: May 26, 2016 8:45 AM Subject: Open Boat – 8hrs Marathon Stripers, Blues, Sea Bass & Fluke

I have only 2 spots left for tomorrow open boat – 530am – 130pm. We will be targeting all the above , bait , tackle, rods , filleting….. included. $200.00pp, come get in on the action! Call only to reserve.

~ Captain Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

May 25, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:30 PM

The LBI Catch Photo Release is ON! For more details…. CLICK HERE

We got a beautiful delivery of fresh bunker today. We also have live eels and minnow in stock. Clams are expected to arrive tomorrow around noon time. The weather is flawless and the fish are here. It’s time to go fish!

A customer Jesse stopped into the shop today on his way up to the rocks on the north end. He told us that he would share a report and he followed through. He sent a photo of a gator bluefish that he caught on metal.

The fishing musician Rick Wieland gave us a report today. “Barbra Bueller’s day off turned into a beautiful day on the beach! We had a number of bite offs from blues and got one 34″ bass. Yesterday I got one 31” bass. The bites are coming on all different stages of the tide. Catching all on bunker.

More reports in the shop today from anglers who caught fish on the troll today. Nothing spectacular but picking none the less. Reports were on Mojos, Bunker spoons and Umbrellas. One customer reported having a bass spit up peanut bunker on the deck so he put down a 9-er shad rig and got bit right away.

3:00 PM

I headed out early and pushed up the beach. I started working some scattered bunker, no love. I saw one good swirl from a classy bass on top in grey light but that was it. I fished about an hour or two and headed in. Once in the Inlet, I had to stop and throw a pencil popper to the bluefish blitzing top.

Got word of a couple boats picking fish on the troll just inside the 3 mile line.

~FishHead.Greg

Steve-O got a nice bass off the surf last night off the mid-island surf. He chunked up a 29 pounder at top of the tide. Steve said, “Right when the moon peaked out it got the bite. Two other anglers had bass close by too.” Here’s a photo

May 24, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

One angler who stopped into get re-spooled today said he put a couple hours in trolling off of IBSP. He managed one bass on a Mojo. A couple other anglers that were out today reported getting the skunk.

While here delivering a load of fresh bait, our bunker boat captain said for the most part the bunker were scattered and hanging down deep today. The left over swell and clean water made it hard for him to net. He ended up finding good piles right at the three mile line off of Ship Bottom. He mentioned there were bass on them too.

Received: May 24, 2016 7:41 PM Subject: Stripers and Gator Blues…Inside and Out!

Finally…finally… made it outside the inlet Friday afternoon for our first ocean fishing this season. We didn’t throw the ropes until 2PM. Made it up to almost the Bathing Beach by 3PM when we put the Maja bunker spoons out in 55 feet of water. Ocean was flat, light breeze, crystal clear water. Set out two of the big #4 Tony Maja spoons, one chartreuse and one white. Thirty minutes into our troll north the white one gets freight trained. Ten minutes later Gary Paulino of Absecon, NJ had his personal best striper, a 38 pounder: youtu.be/vRiL3LDu1L0
We put the rods back out and fifteen minutes in, the white spoon goes off again. A thirty pounder hits the deck. This was like robbing a bank, so rather than hang out in the getaway car with the radio on, we trolled for another twenty minutes and headed into the bay for some blues on poppers.

Saturday, I returned to the same place and beat up that same area for two hours without a hit. I chalked it up to the impending massive storm system that we fished just hours and minutes before. Sometimes the front will make them eat their heads off and sometimes it gives them lockjaw.

Sunday was too rough for my boat to go outside so we fished the bay. In the morning I had Tom and Jenn Kopsie of Plymouth Meeting, PA along with Matt Polito of Phila, PA. They caught a bunch of big bluefish early in the trip so we headed over to Oyster Creek Channel to soak the fresh clams I had on board in hopes of a striper. Nada. We did catch a few more big blues on the clam baits but no bass. They jumped off the boat and Gene Linder and his son Aiden jumped on along with their friend Shawn Zacconi, all from Phila, PA for the afternoon trip. These guys have their own 35 foot catamaran sportfishing boat out of Cape May and all they wanted was to put 11 year old Aiden into some gator blues and go home with a bunch of mako shark bait for the tournaments coming up. “No problem” I assured them, “Sit back and enjoy the ride”. Two hours into our trip and I can’t find a fish. Sweating big bullets, I start trying some different places. Nothing doing at the inlet. We set up a drift in Oyster Creek and we had our first few hookups, (thank God), but nothing came to the net. We finally found them on the east side of the bay and we had blitz fishing for over two hours. We wore that kid out! We weighed one of Aiden’s fish on the Boga grip at 16 pounds.

On Monday I had Bob Danyluk and Roberto Calderon of Branchburg NJ. We started out with red hot bluefishing on the east side and then it was time to catch the tide over at Oyster Creek with the clams again. We anchored up and about an hour in Bob hooks up on the weightless flatline he was working with a whole fresh clam bait. A little while later we netted his 20 pound striper. That was that. No more hits. One hit, one fish, but a worthwhile addition to the cooler and a good size striper for the bay. That has been the saving grace for all this clamming effort we are doing, is the size of the fish. They are all between 15 and 25 pounds, averaging 17 or 18 pounds. That is a healthy size run for May in the bay. We’re not catching big quantities but I’ll keep fishing for that size fish.

I have room on our Open Boat Thursday afternoon for one more person. Depart at Noon. The early look at the marine forecast looks like a very good chance of getting out into the ocean to troll for the big stripers. If they change it or they are wrong, we will stay in the bay and target the big blues and stripers on clams. We will be sailing twice a day every day, from Sat, May 28 through Tues, May 31. Departure times and decisions about ocean or bay fishing will be dictated by both weather and the tide. $150 person for our 5 hour bay trips, $175 person for our 6 hour ocean or ocean/bay combo trips. Three people max (flexible on charters), all fish are shared. Call to reserve a spot.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

11:00 AM

Yesterday Andrew Peszka weighed in a 38.5″15-lb 10oz bluefish as well as a 18.75″ 2-lb 6-oz sea bass. Andrew was fishing via boat out of Barnegat Light. He checked both fish into the Beach and Boat Tournament.

Store staffer Steve-o put some time in yesterday and caught two fluke, both 17″ on live minnows. Steve was fishing the bayside up on the north end.

May 23, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

A couple anglers spoke about success targeting fluke today. Both reports were from the bay;however, the exact locations were not shared. One was fishing the north end and the other down on the south end. Both anglers found a pair of quality fat flatties bucktailing. Early season the areas near and around Oyster Creek and Double Creek Channel on the north end and the waters behind and around the Fish Factory produce beautiful fish.

Received: May 23, 2016 10:38 AM Subject: Lucky Stripes Charters – Livelining Bass
Good bass bite continues. Had between 4-10 good sized fish and missed/lost a bunch more the last 4 trips live lining baits. Most of the fish have been in the 30-40 lb range with a few going into mid 40 s. I have Tuesday and Wednesday still open and the weather looks good this week if anyone is looking to go.

~ Captain Mike Greene Lucky Stripes Charters 718-644-6087

Received: May 22, 2016 9:41 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

I spent Saturday’s fluke season opener with Jim Farrell and his son Liam from PA. Finding the warmest water possible at an early season spot we had steady action with shorts. Released about a dozen and a half with none of them worth taping. Mixed in Jim landed a small bass on a minnow. After that we switched over to blues having fun with some of the big variety that have been ever so present this season. Behind the inlet the birds showed where to fish. The bluefish rounded off a Barnegat Bay Slam (bass, blue, and fluke). Nice! All in all it was a great morning on the water. Picture attached of Liam with one of the blues. This weather pattern has really kept the ocean, and bay for that matter, from warming up. With bunker schools present and a nice showing of bass around the 3 mile line I think a few degree rise in the ocean temp and snag and drop should really get going and more consistent. Fluking will only get better from here on.

On the nature side of things: the past week marked the tail end of the neotropical (Caribbean, southern Mexico, Central and South America) songbird migration. These birds, which include such species as those in the wood warbler family, have arrived to their northern summering ground to breed. While here they must set up and defend territories, attract a mate, build a nest, raise young, only to fly back south starting mid-August. The struggles are real. Also attached is a picture of Baltimore oriole and rose-breasted grosbeak getting a meal at one of the feeders in my yard about a week ago.

Next opening is Friday for a magic hour trip and Saturday. Targets are fluke, bluefish or bass. Either one or all three, the spring run continues.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

Received: May 22, 2016 9:10 PM Subject: Blues & Fluke!

Had 2 trips this weekend. First up, the Brian Devlin charter live lined bunker for stripers early, but didn’t manage any takers. So, we headed in the bay for some of the fantastic bluefish action. The group was doubled and tripled up on the racer blues till they had sore arms. They kept only a few for fillets and released all the others. These fish were hungry and were attacking lures right up to the boat. On the way to the dock, we tried for fluke but only managed a couple shorts.

Sunday presented hard northeast winds so the Ed Kranple charter decided to fluke the morning. We had incoming and cold 58 degree water. Less than ideal conditions. We found a nice area to work and the group bucktailed hard. Mark managed our 2 keepers at 19.5″ and 19″. The fish were lethargic and bites we tough to entice. We had over 20 shorts on the morning. Fish were all spitting up grass shrimp.

As soon as school is out, I will be running 7 days a week. For now, I am limited to weekends. Call or email to reserve a date. Stripers will be here several more weeks, the fluke fishing will only improve and sea bass opens tomorrow. Lots of options.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt Old Barney Charters 267-918-1746

May 22, 2016 ——————————————————–

6:00 PM

Matthew Polito reported, “Fished the Hi Flier today and caught bluefish. It has been pretty normal the past few months. All big fish from 9lbs up!”

Anthony Perna reported, “Fished outside Little Egg Inlet today. Got a 50″ bass at about 10am on a bunker spoon.”

Tim Corbett reported, “Fished off the beach front in Barnegat Light on Saturday afternoon. On the incoming tide, got a 38″ striper on a bunker chunk. Also had a couple blues too.”

Received: May 22, 2016 5:32 PM Subject: It’s Go Time!!!

Finally got all of the boat work completed after a great winter tuna fishing down south. I had Dan D. out for the first trip of the season. The morning started off slow with so we switched things up and had some fun bucktailing 10-15lb bluefish. I decided to get on the troll away from the fleet and we were rewarded with nonstop action all to ourselves. In just under an hour we had ten bass with the smallest being 42″ at 28lbs. The fish were caught on Tony Maja Bunker Spoons and Mann’s Stretch Plugs. The Stretch plugs out fished the spoons 3-1. We have spots available this week so call if you want to jump aboard. Call now while the big fish are here. Full day charter is $800 and half day is $600. We have three spots available for a open boat as well.

~ Captain Jeff Warford No Limit Sportfishing 609-377-9136

Received: May 22, 2016 3:06 PM Subject: Striped Bass, Huge Slammers, Fluke & Seabass Open!!

This past week anglers aboard the Reel Fantasea continued to score a mix of striped bass to 42″ and huge drag burning, rod bending, arm abusing, slammer blues. With the bulk of the action coming in the way of those burly toothy bruisers .

Trolling Tony Maja #4 white bunker spoons has been our best “go to” Striped Bass method while top water poppers has been the most entertaining way of scoring the slammers.

With Fluke and Seabass now opening we will be mixing both of those species upon angler request. Both species are untested but I’m a sucker for “what else can we catch” so let’s mix it up!

With that in mind I will be running an 8hr Marathon Open boat this Friday [ weather permitting] targeting striped bass, bluefish, seabass, and fluke from 530am- 130pm , all bait, tackle, rods, fish cleaning,……included – $200.00pp. Come join the fun and meet new fishing friends.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Captain Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

1:00 PMM

Austin Pounds shared this report, “Fished the incoming tide from 3pm until I had work at 6pm. It was a slow start but picked up. All bluefish. Had to leave them biting. Biggest was 41″, close to 20 pounds.”

Mike Wells reported catching late yesterday morning off the mid-island surf.

Received: May 21, 2016 5:38 PM Subject: BHCFA Junior Mates Program

The Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association will be conducting its annual Junior Mates Program once again this summer, and interested youngsters are invited to participate.

The Junior Mates Program is administered in memory of the late Captain John Koegler who was an outstanding charter boat captain and one of the founding fathers of the BHCFA. The organizational Meeting for this year’s program will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, June 23, 2016, at the New Jersey Maritime Museum on Dock Road in Beach Haven.

The Junior Mates Program meets every Thursday evening from late June into August. Interested applicants should reach their 13th birthday by August 1. The classes present a variety of fishing topics taught by the Association’s captains in addition to other professionals in the field.

Most of the classes consist of hands-on activities such as rigging, knots, boat maintenance, and fish cleaning. Included in the curriculum are first aid instruction, boater safety certification, and a trip to the Banregat Light Coast Guard Station. In addition to learning how to become better anglers, those successfully taking the course become eligible to obtain a paid mate’s position.

The course will culminate with the second annual Captain John Koegler Junior Mate Fishing Tournament. An award ceremony and pizza party will held at the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club late in the summer.

Information about the Junior Mates Program can be obtained at www.BHCFA.net or by calling either Captain John Lewis at 609-670-5980 or Captain Jimmy Zavacky at 609-915-2498.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

May 21, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:30 PM

Just a heads up… as of 1:30pm we are sold out of fresh bunker; however, we expect a delivery to show later today. Hopefully by 5-6pm. This will be the last report for today, possibly until sometime late Sunday. If looking for current bait stock status call the shop. The fish are here so if looking to go fish… go!

Bill B from Manahawkin weighed in a 40″ bluefish that weighed 18-13 and an a striped bass that was 34″ 12-lbs. Fishing the mid-island surf bunker.

Jeremy Lane reported chunking up some fish off the surf last night. He got a 13-13 bluefish.

Got a report from an angler re-spooling his reel with fresh line for the spring…. Hit the surf this morning for a couple hours. Had a pack of bluefish come in that kept us tight for awhile.

9:30 AM

A quick browse through any social media feed will show the level of fishing opportunities. Currently we have a world class bluefish bite that continues to please anglers from all around. Recently we had anglers in from as far as South Carolina and Iowa who came to LBI for the bite. Now in the trophy striped bass run is taking the spotlight. We are at a time that I call the prime spring weeks; last two weeks of May and first two weeks of June. The past week has been phenomenal but it could be short lived. Get out and enjoy the run! Anglers are getting into the classy linesiders both trolling (bunker spoons and mojos) and livelining along the beaches of LBI and IBSP. ~FishHead.Greg

May 20, 2016 ——————————————————–

12:00 PM

Fluke season opens tomorrow! Those looking to gear up and go… we have a batch of live minnows in stock. We’ve also got the essentials and specialty fluke slaying items.

This is the time of year that anglers have the best shot at the Jersey Slam and the Grand Slam. There’s bass, blues, fluke and weakfish in our waters.

Joe Lallo of Cinnaminson caught and weighed in a 17-lb striped bass today. He caught it off of the mid-island surf around 8 am on bunker.

We got this report sent in… One 8am in Cedars off bunker, 26, blues breaking water 2-300 yards off, nothing steady ~ Garret

May 19, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

Two excited ladies just stopped in with a great fish. They weighed in a 49″ 45-lb 13-oz bass that was caught in the boat this morning on the snag and drop.

A couple anglers in the shop this morning purchasing bait stopped back and reported catching one 30″ bass and one good size bluefish on bait.

9:00 AM

Gator blues up to 15 pounds hit the surf at Brant Beach around the top of the tide. My neighbor fishing bunker got bit off a number of times. The
surface poppers I was throwing were getting crushed. Several fish at a time chasing the plugs right into the wash. Great conditions! ~Paul B.

May 18, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

We got a beautiful selection of bunker in for the early birds. We expect a live clam delivery by mid day tomorrow.

Check Out The Three “B” Rodeo!!! BASS, BLUES & BUNKER (Warning Turn Down Your Speaker Volume)

Received: May 18, 2016 7:11 PM Subject: Open Boat Fri/Sat/Sun Stripers & Blues

The marine forecast is tough to figure out for this stretch coming up so we are going to have everything on board to fish the bay and/or the ocean. There has been a good bite on the big coastal stripers on both the troll and snagging bunker but I’m not so sure my boat will break the inlet this weekend given the early look at the marine forecast.

The good news is that the bay continues to give up solid action on the big gator blues on topwater lures as well as respectable bass on clams, 14 to 20 pound stripers . Not bang up quantities of the stripers, but 1, 2, or 3 fish an effort. Enough size and quality action to commit a few hours of our trip, as well as filling up a few Ziplocks to take home. Then it’s on to some great action with the big blues. It makes for a great combo trip.

Sailing Open Boat this Fri May 20 11AM to 4PM, Sat May 21 9AM to 2PM, and Sun May 22 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Trip times are determined by the tide, I like to fish outgoing for the bass. $150 person. 3 people max. All fish are shared. If the weather shapes up to have calmer seas, and you guys want to fish the ocean, we will modify our departure to 6AM, return at Noon, and the cost per person goes up $25. If everyone is happy with staying in the bay, that’s fine, too, just let me know your preference when you call. These dates and any dates are also available for your private charter.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

3:00 PM

A customer was just in the shop picking up some clam. He reported catching a 40″ bass yesterday off the surf. He didn’t want to share a name or general location.

This morning I headed out with Oakley. In grey light, we found the bunker with lots of activity. Released a nice fish on the snag and drop and missed a couple run offs. As the light crept up we found another active area and just as things got aligned we had a boat run straight up through it and shut it down. No clue in the world. It took about an hour to find more activity. Most of what we came across was scattered or the schools didn’t have predators. Finally we stumbled upon a three “B” rodeo with bass, blues and bunker.. Check Out The Meyham!!! (Warning Turn Down Your Speaker Volume)

~FishHead.Greg

May 17, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:00 PM

Max and I headed out early this morning. We found bunker quick in grey light and started working. Unfortunately we stuck out. I had one run off that didn’t come tight, swung and missed. Throughout out the morning we saw a handful of pods jammed tight with surface frenzies but they were short lived. We saw one bass caught on the snag and drop. By about 9am we decided to head back to the Inlet where we creamed the blues on lures. Fun morning. The water temp all along IBSP was 49.8 degrees on my unit. I think once the chill goes away the bass fishing action will come back alive. ~ FishHead.Greg

Received: May 16, 2016 11:05 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Blues, blues, blues, did I say blues? I found BIG bluefish this weekend from 2’ of water close to the dock to the flats, in Oyster Creek, on the inlet bar, the inlet, the north jetty, the south jetty, a mile out, a mile up the beach. You get the point. This is truly an epic spring run of big bluefish. Being a scientist I just have to ask the question, why? Years ago, hope I am not dating myself, the typical spring pattern was a mackerel run starting at Cape May sometime in March moving up the cost to Sunday Hook in April. On the tail end of this run, literally, where bluefish. When you started catching macks with their tails bit off you knew the blues were coming. Fast forward to today and there are no mackerel in the spring for the racer blues to start fattening up on. The migration pattern has been disrupted and nature is trying to sort things out to bring back some sort of balance. That’s my theory but what do I know. Saturday I did manage to pull a nice 35” bass out from in between all the bluefish. A live lined bunker was the ticket. Sunday’s charter saw fall like conditions with howling NW winds and cool air temperatures. The cool down did not slow down the bluefish. We got them while clamming for bass before targeting them on light tackle in 2-3’ of water with poppers. It never gets old seeing big blues in shallow water clamming surface lures. I am booked this Saturday but have Sunday open and available for magic hour trips.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

May 16, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

More awesome reports today from the boat, the beach and the inlet!

One report came from Dan DiPasquale. He posted, “Got the license today and locked into some epic topwater blues in the gale force winds. Feeling good to be 17!”

We had a 47.25″ 44-lb 9-oz bass weighed in by Mark Polakovic. Mark was fishing abaord the Lucky Stripes with Captain Mike Greene out of Barnegat Light. Here’s a report from Captain Mike…

Received: May 16, 2016 6:08 PM Subject: Lucky Stripes Report

We have had a good bite the last 3 days on bass from 35-45 lbs. All the fish have been on bunker. Not a lights out bite but have had a shot at at
least 8-20 fish each of the 3 days and have landed between 4 and 10 fish. Ocean is alive with bunker bass blues and some big tuna sightings. I had a cancellation tomorrow and available. If anyone wants to get out give me a call or send a text.

~ Capt. Mike Greene Lucky Stripes Charters 718.644.6087

Received: May 16, 2016 5:07 PM Subject: Fishing Report – Reel Reaction Charters

The bass are definitely here… as they have made their presence known over the past week among the ever-biting bluefish. Looking forward, the back bay should have some fluke as the season is set to open in less than a week. So we are set for another season and it will be great to have more options: Bluefish, Stripers, and Fluke. We just need a little cooperation from Mother Nature in the weather department.

Recently, I had a charter for a 6hr Striped Bass trip and we hit the inlet area early for some Bluefish under birds. After getting our fill, we headed off the beach to find some bunker schools in the search for Striped Bass. After probing a few schools, we had one runoff and we’re able to connect on a nice 38 inch Striped Bass which was kept for the table. With one of the party being green, we headed back to the inlet and played with the Blues for the remainder of the trip. The guys did a great job as we had multiple hookups on Blues for a bunch of drifts – it was “organized chaos” in the cockpit.

Regarding weekend trips, I still have some weekends left in June. We start running 7 days a week starting June 23rd. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709
8:00 AM

Despite the stiff west wind Sunday offer great fishing. Lots of anglers were out and the fish were on the chew. Today’s forecast looks similar with breezy west winds and lots of sun. A great day to get out and fish!

Here’s another report from Matthew Polito reported yesterday… I fished the beach from 4pm on and slaughtered the blues on sp minnows and
pencil poppers. The biggest was 35 inches long but skinny.

Received: May 15, 2016 7:06 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Big Bass & Blues!!

The weather pattern finally settled down enough to present an opportunity to head east and leave the confines of the bay to find quality striped bass to 39lbs!

Thick schools of bunker have been taken an absolute beating by huge bluefish that seem to be everywhere but trolling Tony Maja Spoons and Mojos have been scoring the bass well away from the unfortunate bunker schools. These schools are beating the ocean into a white froth while under attack by these yellow eyed demons!

The back bay and inlet have also continued to offer tons of light tackle opportunity for both blues and striped bass with most of the action coming from the bluefish possibly due to their overly aggressive disposition.

I have this Sunday May 22 available for either private or open boat chartering 6hr ocean or bay/inlet .

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Captain Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217
May 15, 2016 ——————————————————–

6:00 PM

Lots of blues and some bass also in the mix! The Inlet has been the epicenter for some time and it continues to be. The areas inside, outside, to the north and to the south have their days. It’s a great fishery we have going right now so jump in and joint the fun. Whether fishing from the sand, the rocks or a boat you’ll get ’em.

Matt Polito gave us this report Saturday, “Started the day fishing the surf in Surf City. Not a bite. Then headed over to the Inlet where it was a full on slaughter on top water lures. I lost about 7 plugs on them. So I had to stop by the shop and Blake set me up to get them again tomorrow.” Matt then followed up toda letting us know he smoked them again today. This time off of the surf on the north end of the Island.

Roman Fanelli from Williamstown weighed in a 37″ 17.2-lb striper. It was his first! Cheers to many more!

We got a couple other reports of bass off of the surf. One came from Robbie Vallone. He caught a mid to high teen size bass this morning chunking bunker off the surf. He said this morning the bunker were in tight to the beach but nothing exploding on them.

It’s only a little more time and we’ll have bunker pod mayhem!

Sorry for the late report.

~FishHead.Greg
May 14, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:00 PM

Just got a call in from an anglers at the Inlet. “It’s on fire! The rocks are packed with lots of people but also lots of fish. Almost everyone is hooked up!”
Here’s a report from a customer who just came in the shop gearing up for an afternoon session… “Bluefish bite was heavy yesterday! After high tide it flipped on. The late afternoon on the mid-island surf, all they wanted was bunker. I tossed a metal but couldn’t get a bite.”

Two On The Water Striper Cup weigh ins came in today from the boat… both almost identical fish. Mark Polakovic from Manahawkin weighed in a 30-lb 6oz 42.5″ and Mike Greene from Manahawkin weighted in a 30lb 6oz 42.75″
1:00 PM

We got heads up with two different reports… Bluefin tuna not far off the beach! We also heard of some classy striped bass. Dan D. sent in a photo of a juicy one. He said just got a beast off the bathing beach and doubled back up now! Another photo we saw was from Ryan Schramm.

It’s a beautiful day here on LBI! Hopefully are are in on the action and not stuck inside.

May 13, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:30 PM

John Parzych stopped in this evening and picked up three Guppy Pencil Poppers. He said, “I just got ’em good! 26 blues, all on a Guppy on the north end surf.

Chris Norris stopped in shortly after and sharred a similar report. “I just off the beach. Hammer the blues on the north end surf!”

The Bunker man said lots of bluefish in the twine today.

1:00 PM

It’s that time! Mid-May and we’ve officially entered prime time striper run for our local area. While anglers have enjoyed great fishing for weeks and months it’s only getting better from here. Recently there were some quality fish caught both in the boat and off the surf. Yesterday we got word from our bunker boat captain when he was making a late day delivery. He said, “The bait (bunker) is starting to come together. There was a big pile of them up north of IBSP in the Seaside area and boat anglers were on them. I also found bait outside the Inlet and the northern section of LBI. There’s bass in with ’em. I have a couple come up chasing the bait while boating the bunker.”

Here is a photo of a recent local catch (44″ 35.8 pounder) from The Striper out of Barnegat Light with Captain Ken Nutt and angler Adam Eastburn.

May 12, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:00 PM

The fishing musician whaling Rick Wieland stopped in the shop today with a report. He said, “I got a 35 incher this morning. Only one bite, about 10:30am incoming tide, mid-island surf. Fourth bass in two weeks. For me, the bluefish bite on the surf died but the bass are showing up!”

Received: May 12, 2016 9:25 AM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Well the bluefishing just keeps going strong. Tuesday evening’s magic hour trip had Ryan Cunnane and his 15 year old son into some of the best fishing Barnegat Bay has to offer. Ten to 14 pound blues in skinny three feet of water on poppers. Surface strikes were amazing and the fish fought hard. When you hook a big fish in 3 feet of water there is nowhere to go by out or jump out. And they jumped plenty of times. We tried bass with clams but for some strange reason kept losing fishing, the bass are there. I have this weekend open if you want to experience some of the best fishing Barnegat Bay has to offer. Just give me a call. Also available for open boat special: 5 hr trip $125 per person.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

9:00 AM

Customer was just in, he reported gator blues chewing bunker on the surf close to the shop!

8:30 AM

Store staffer Max fished the bay yesterday morning and roped the blues. He said the top water action was on. He blasted about 20 gators, all on poppers in a couple hour session.

More reports of quality fish on the beach. Joe Handley posted a number of photos last night while getting into quality bass off the beach he posted, “I’m plugging a mess of bass on the beach front and not another sole in sight. Number five is the biggest one so far pushing 30 pounds on a Bodega Bay metal lip swimming plug.” Ryan Haines sent in a photo of a good one with a note, “Thank you for leaving the bunker our for us last night. It wasn’t hot and heavy but they are here!” James Mcfetridge sent a photo in of a nice bluefish he caught off of the mid-island surf on bunker recently. Here’s some photos of Joe, Ryan and James.

Yesterday Captain Ken Nutt aboard the Striper out of Barnegat Light put Adam Eastburn on the boat’s first striper of the season, a good looking 44″ 35.8 pounder.

Another report from the boat came from Paul Haertel. He posted, “Bill B, Kyren D, Thomas S and I put together a nice catch of cod and pollock today.” Joking we continued, “Kyren also led the way with pout while Bill took care of the spiny dogs!”

Received: May 11, 2016 8:56 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Open boat Friday afternoon 3pm-7pm

We have been mixing it up between light tackle top water bluefish and working the deeper depth for a mix of bass and more bass with plastics and bucktails. The top water action has been pretty solid this week with doubles, triples and quads being the norm as of late. The visually explosive strikes are mind blowing as multiple 7-10lbs slammers pursue and crush the poppers clear out of the water. These respectable class bluefish give even the most veteran anglers a fun time on the water.

Ocean wise larger bass have finally taken up along our beaches and have been scored on the troll and snag and drop. This should continue to improve as long as the weather cooperates.

I have this Friday afternoon [3pm-7pm] available for4hr back bay – inlet top water bluefish and bass. $110.00pp and Sunday 6am -12pm 6hr ocean troll and snag and drop $150.00pp. Call only to reserve 609-290-1217

Come on and join the fun!

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

May 11, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:00 AM

More anglers putting time in off the beach and it’s showing. So far there’s two nice striped bass on the leader board for the Simply Bassing Spring Surf Fishing Tournament. The lead is held by Tim Stumpf with a 22-lb 8-oz bass. For more details go to… www.LBIFT.com

This spring we are having a Simply Bassing Catch & Release Segment between the dates of May 25 to June 8th, 2016.

We’ve got some awesome sponsors and great prizes: Van Staal VM150 Fishing Reel, ODM Fishing Rod NXF1102-5 1-5oz Surf Rod, Fisherman’s Headquarters $100 Gift Certificate and lots of lures from great names like… Gibbs, Guppy, Magic Tail Bucktails, Super Strike & North Bar

HOW TO PARTICIPATE & COMPETE: Enter the LBI Simply Bassing Surf Fishing Tournament ($20)… then on the evening of May 24th log onto www.LBIFT.com to download and print the Tournament Photo Tag. Read the rules and go fish! The largest (longest) bass will win a trophy. All qualifying fish submissions will be entered into a drawling and the prizes will be won via raffle. One prize per angler, but the trophy winner will also have a chance to win a piece of the raffle too!

May 10, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:30 AM

Lots of anglers in the shop this morning. All raving on how good the Inlet bluefish bite has been. One guy said he got two good ones yesterday both in the mid teens.

Simply Bassing kicked off on April 30th. Yesterday Marty Supsie checked in the first bass, a 21-lb 14-oz. He caught it on bunker off at about 8 am off the Barnegat Light surf. The spring fishing on LBI is preparing to jump into high gear. Are you in the game?

Received: May 9, 2016 3:05 PM Subject: Tues & Wed Open Boat or Charter Stripers & Blues

The big gator blues are getting more aggressive as the water temp climbs just a little in the back bay. We’re up to 53 and 54 degrees which is a point or two increase in just a few days. We still have to work for them every trip, but we always manage to find them. They just don’t seem to ever be where you left them biting the day before. We’ve had them as far south as the 42 Buoy and as far north as the Oyster Creek nuclear plant outflow. Anywhere from 3 to 9 feet of water. Poppers, swimming plugs, and bait are all producing fish. They are all huge, 10 to 16 pounds and today I had Jim Soch of West Windsor, NJ aboard and he caught his personal best and the Hi Flier’s biggest bluefish, a 19.75 pounder. Here’s the last few minutes of the fight and landing: youtu.be/QjhaeNHAgkU

We are still catching stripers on clams over at Oyster Creek Channel on the outgoing tide. Our last visit there on Saturday kept us jumping with the big blues who invaded our clam slick for two hours but Matt Polito of Phila, PA managed a 14 pound striper in the middle of the bluefish barrage. The size of the stripers on the clams is impressive, all 14 to 20 plus pound fish, they’ve been averaging 17 or 18 pounds.

Going to sail two more Open Boat trips starting tomorrow, Tues, May 10 and Wed, May 11, 1 PM to 6 PM, these trips are timed perfectly to catch the tide for the stripers and we will also mix in a few hours of casting the big blues. $150 person, 3 people max, all fish are shared. Weather looks great, light winds, air temps in the 50 and 60’s and the fishing is excellent right in the bay. These are the last available dates I have until Wed, May 18, so if you were thinking about getting in on this bite with us, Tues and Wed are the days. Either day is also available for your own charter.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

May 9, 2016 ——————————————————–

9:00 AM

The trophy bass are here! Over the weekend we had a really nice fish weighed in by Dan DiPasquale of New Egypt. HE caught the 42″ 30-lb linesider trolling off of the beach. Dan said the Inlet was sketchy but the ocean wasn’t bad. We were the only boat out. My brother lost two and I got the one.

The bluefishing continues to be very strong. Reports from the Inlet and bay are consistent.

Received: May 8, 2016 9:09 AM Subject: Lacey Fishing Derby

Come join us for the Inaugural Lacey Fishing Derby on June 11th at Lacey Township’s Mill Pond. The tournament will run from 8 AM to Noon and all are welcome! Prizes will be awarded in three age categories ranging from children to adults and no fishing license is required since June 11th is free fishing day in New Jersey! Thanks to donations from local businesses there will be no charge for entry into the tournament and bait will be provided. Registration will be on the morning of the Fishing Derby at the Parker Avenue Basketball Court. Parking can be found at the Applebees on Route 9 in Forked River. Bring your fishing poles!

~ Jeremy L. Muermann, WLTS TV-21 Advisor, LTHS Fishing Club Advisor

Received: May 7, 2016 10:40 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

Happy Mother’s Day! Today was the best bluefishing since the invasion started. It really cannot get any better, is world class, bottom line. Had Dan Siegel out for some arm tiring action. Fishing shallow (2-4’) water we had hits or hook-ups almost every cast. Swimming plugs worked best for us and we doubled up about a dozen times. Even with cool water, bay temp 52 and stained from the recent rain, the bite was red hot. Attached is a picture of one of the fish. Here is a link to showing some of the action: Barnegat Bay Blues On top of the bluefish action the bass fishing is getting more consistent a when you fish the right tides. This is May fishing at its best so give me a call to get in on the action.

On the nature side of things: Bald Eagle chicks in NJ are about 6-8 weeks old and getting big. Last year there were close to 200 nests in NJ, up from about 1 in 1982. Even with DDT banned in 1972 is has taken this long for the nation’s symbol to rebound from being endangered.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

Received: May 7, 2016 8:18 PM Subject: Blues Blue Blues

Barnegat Jetty slamming with Big Blues. Almost no one left empty handed. Fish ranged from 8-12 pounds. Metal was the key with a slow retrieve. The fish are mainly on the bottom. By what I could see walking the Jetty at least 150 fish were taken today. Fish where caught all day even at slack tide. Saw 1 bass to short to keep. It was fished out with bunker. Rest up your arms if you intend on going out Mothers Day. You will need your strength. ~ Jeff T.

Received: May 7, 2016 6:06 PM Subject: Crushed the Blues Today!

Just got off the water and we had a great afternoon of fishing. Threw the ropes at 11AM. Caught a few big blues on poppers behind Waretown in shallow water. Then it was time to get on the anchor and start clamming in Oyster Creek. We were targeting stripers but the blues didn’t care so we had non stop action for two hours battling big blues on our clam rods. In the mix, we scored a 13 pound bass. We bounced back over to the west side of the bay and after a slow start it picked up to a red hot bite with 10 to 16 pound gators on our light spinning rods.

A report sent in on May 8th: We’ve been crushing the blues in the bay this morning between BI Buoy and 42 Buoy. Casting poppers and swimming plugs on the surface produced violent attacks from the 10 to 16 pound fish. Looks like we are getting out the inlet tomorrow (Mon) morning to pursue the big stripers on bunker spoons. Open Boat sailing 6AM to Noon. We will finish up in the bay with an hour or more of casting the big bluefish.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

May 7, 2016 ——————————————————–

5:30 PM

I fished the mid-island bay this morning in the dark. Nothing going on. Checked out the north end and found some bluefish on lures. Got a 15″ fluke a Yozuri Mag Darter. Switched up to top water and smoked a bunch of blues pencil popping. For a good section of time it was almost every cast. They were snapping!

~Store Staffer Blake

The bayside clamming for bass has been very good. We just got word from Matt Polito that today was a great day in the boat. He fished aboard the Hi Flier with Captain David D. Matt said, “Another epic day on the Hi Flier. Got a 14-lb keeper striper and a ton of gator blues. They were biting everything we put in the water.”

Received: May 7, 2016 11:53 AM Subject: BHCFA Report

As the summer fishing season draws near, the bay and ocean waters around Long Beach Island have been providing some outstanding action on huge bluefish, schoolie striped bass, and a decent amount of black drumfish. The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are geared up and ready to get in on some of this action. Actually, some of the captains have already been catching fish.

Captain Carl Sheppard reports the “Star Fish” is in the water and has already been fishing. He is excited to have Marlyn Graham back again this year as his first mate. The last two weekends have been stormy ones, forcing Captain Carl to fish in the bay waters.

Captain Lindsay Fuller reports the “June Bug” is in Wanchese, North Carolina, getting the last touches down on its new teak decks.

Captain Ray Lopez is excited to have his new “Miss Liane” ready for the season. He is set to go on his new 28-foot Carolina Classic with twin diesels. With heat and air conditioning, its anglers will be comfortable in all weather conditions.

Captain George Finck reports that the “Sparetime” is in the water and ready to fish. He has some open dates for the striper action.

Captain Dave Kreines expects to have his boat, “Byte Me” in the water by early May and ready for the start of fluke season.

Captain Gary Dugan has had anglers out on the “Irish Jig” in the area of Graveling Point at the mouth of the Mullica River. He reports sporadic luck with stripers to 28-inches and large bluefish. He made a trip to the wrecks where he had a nice catch of cod. His party also caught and released quite a few large black sea bass. All conditions are pointing to a decent fishing season.

Captain Lindsay Fuller opines that he has been tracking the dissolution of the latest El Nino and feels it closely matches the data for the downturn of the last major El Nino that started in 1982 and ended in 1983. He adds that 1983 was the year of the best fishing he has ever had.

For more information on the BHCFA and their boats go to Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

11:00 AM

Few reports have come in. One customer in the shop buying bunker was fresh off of the beach. He reported one small bluefish off the mid-island surf. He mentioned holding with 8-10oz. Another customer reported lots of sea weed making fishing difficult.

May 6, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM – Premium Fresh Bunker Just In!

I was honored today meeting of Muneyuki (Product Development) and Asobu (Marketing Strategy Manger) as well as the Vice President of Sales & Marketing Buddy at Yo-Zuri. This group of guys are in the top echelon of lure craftsman worldwide. They came all the way from Japan to make a few key visits in America and I was stoked to be on the list! We had an awesome time. They were very interested in our business and our style of fishing. It was great to talk about the fine details of different lures. The conversation was enlightening. I was very happy to look through their plug box and extremely gracious when offered a couple gifts. The selection was out of this world!

The prototype lures in the Yo-Zuri new product pipeline are very very promising. The new large Mag Darter looks and feels like a killer. It is a big bait that is built extra strong and rigged with serious hooks and hardware. It has already caught numerous trophy fish in testing. I was told today that they are planning to show it at ICAST this July; however, it will not be released until 2017. There was talk about a month ago they it would be released for the 2016 fall but they mentioned that there isn’t enough time. It’s a slim chance. There are a number of other protypes that I got to see like a slim lip-less lure for shallow water applications. Those new product additions will come later. Be on the lookout!

~FishHead.Greg

Received: May 6, 2016 5:41 PM Subject: Open Boat Gator Blues Tomorrow, Stripers and Blues Sun and Mon

Had to cancel today’s trip in the bay due to high winds and really rough water where we needed to fish.

Last minute opening for throwing top water lures at the biggest kind of bluefish in the bay tomorrow (Sat, May 7). The weather clears up, no rain, light winds, and moderate air temps which should ignite the surface bite. 5:30 AM to 10:30 AM.

Sun and Monday, May 8&9, we will be targeting bass and blues in the bay with a good chance on Monday of seeing the Atlantic Ocean for our first time this year since we went in the water two and a half weeks ago. The wind finally goes west on Sunday and after a day of that direction, the ocean could be flat enough to go feed bunker spoons to the big stripers that are waiting off IBSP for their daily dose of aluminum. No bunker to snag yet, so be ready to troll. The biggest bass of the season, though, 25 to 40 plus pound fish.

Sunday has two sailing potentials: 5:30 AM to 10:30 AM for the Topwater Gator Blues only and again at 11 AM to 4PM for the bass and blues combo as that is the better tide for clamming the bass. Monday would be 6 AM to 11 AM for the Topwater Gator Blues or 6AM to Noon for the ocean stripers if the ocean looks good. I plan on having everything on board to be ready for both kinds of fishing. The afternoon trip would sail 12:30 PM to 5:30 PM for the bass/blue combo in the bay or afternoon ocean stripers returning at 6:30 PM instead of 5:30 PM.

5 hour bay trips are $150 person, 6 hour ocean trips are $175 person. 3 people max. All fish are shared. All dates and times are also available for charter.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

10:00 AM

The bluefish continue to pop up and offer line screaming fun. Some days the deep bay are best and other days the Inlet. With the persistent wind the surf hasn’t offered the easiest conditions. Recent reports from the beach talked about lots of lead and weed.

Al Stella stopped in the shop yesterday to regroup. He said even in the wind and chop on the bay the bluefish were chewing hard!

May 4, 2016 ——————————————————–

2:00 PM

For those who knew Morris DeGennaro… On Friday May 6th at 11AM, there will be a mass for Morris at the St Francis church in Brant Beach.

Here’s a write up we posted on Monday

May 3, 2016 ——————————————————–

6:00 PM

While the weather hasn’t been, great anglers are finding sections to get out and most have got into fish.

Austin Pounds recently posted a photo of a nice bass on the sand with a bunker head near its mouth. Looks like someone is catching chunking off the surf!

Store staffer Blake took advantage of his day off yesterday. With a break in the weather late afternoon he found some bass snapping plugs in the bay.

Joe Maccia checked in a 17-lb 14-oz bluefish this morning. He caught it on a 007 (diamond jig) metal in the bay. Another bay report came from Ken Sullivan. He reported, ” Big slammer blues in the bay mid-island!”

Received: May 3, 2016 12:30 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters

Last week’s fishing was a bit of a roller coaster with highs and lows that seemed to be a result of the relentless cold weather and winds that have kept us limited in what, where and how we had fished. Bass and blues have been the target of choice with both species being readily available on most trips with the exception of Sundays outing where we found ourselves struggling in punishing conditions with cold temps and moderately heavy rain which appeared to take its toll on the action. Huge blues up to 20lbs on top water saved the day before succumbing to the nasty elements and heading for the barn.

This spring’s weather has been a bit tenacious at times and hopes are high for a moderating pattern with temps looking like they may stabilize at weeks end. On the upside of things the fish presently on hand have been quality with blues running close to 20lbs, add light tackle top water action and you can’t help but to have fun!

I will be running 2 trips this Friday 6am – 11am and 1pm – 6pm for either private or open boat [ $125pp ]

Wishing everyone fair winds calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

May 2, 2016 ——————————————————–

8:00 PM

The fishing community lost a legend last night when the “Black Cloud”, Morris DeGennaro passed away. He was known for many years in North Jersey as the “Black Cloud” because if you were up against him in a fishing tournament, your chances of winning were slim.
Morris retired and moved to Surf City back in the 80’s and became a close friend of the entire Fisherman’s Headquarters family. We are proud to say we knew him, fished with him and learned from him.

Morris was a lifelong angler who targeting all of the local New Jersey species inshore and offshore. Morris put in his time on the water and was an expert in many styles of fishing. Morris really shined along Jersey Coast beaches with his classical wireline approach to targeting striped bass both trolling and jigging.

He had many other angling specialties that few knew. For example… How to catch and fish calico crabs. How to prepare and rig a softshell crab for use in surf fishing. How to tune a bunker spoon for a unique action. How to rig an eel and also how to skin an eel.

Moe’s fishing knowledge and skill showed! He won numerous tournament and caught plenty of trophy fish. One of those trophies, a 48-lb skin mount striped bass hangs in the shop today.

Two things that really stood out about Morris was his ability to befriend a random angler and willingness to share valuable information. Morris would often hang at the shop and help out. He loved to provide on the spot rigging seminars and share valuable information to anyone who asked. Those that listened and followed often returned praising Morris for his guidance.

Morris lived in a time much different from today. There wasn’t YouTube and web articles pointing out the latest and greatest techniques. His knowledge and skill came from years of long hours on the water as well as trial and error with no shortcuts. Long before it was trendy, tackle crafting was his secret. Modifying, tinkering and adjusting. Making tackle specific to his demands; bucktails, umbrella rigs, bunker spoons, rigs, bait pens and many other things that he needed. His custom bunker spoons and specialty fluke rigs were deadly. Moe was fishing a bucktail with a teaser above it 20 years before it became mainstream. Morris had special tricks and secret rigs for just about every species from fluke to giant tuna.

Morris caught all of his own live bait from minnows to eels to bunker and herring. When out fishing one could expect Moe had the best bait in a crowd. I’m talking minnows the size of mullet. Morris knew the bait and game fish migration like the back of his hand. The signs of spring and the tell tale water temperatures. He was always dialed in!

Morris was truly one of those anglers who you could say forgot more than most anglers would ever know. Many will miss those fishing days with Morris but mostly we will miss a dear friend.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: May 2, 2016 6:40 PM Subject: Catching Stripers & Blues Every Day in the Bay

Today (Mon) was our third successful trip in a row of catching stripers and blues in the bay. Yesterday (Sun) I had Gene Linder and Chuck Bababooey of Phila, PA, and Johnny O’Kinsky of Toms River, NJ and we boated a pair of 17 pound stripers while anchored up clamming in Oyster Creek Channel. Outgoing tide is working well. After that we bounced around a few places looking for the gator blues and we finally found them on the west side of the bay behind Waretown in 5 feet of water. It took a half hour of casting to draw the first strike on a popper but then it just got better and better with each drift until multiple hookups were the norm. All 10 to 16 pound fish on 10 pound spinning gear and topwater lures. Today I had one angler on board, Jim Soch of West Windsor, NJ. We gave it a short try on the clam as our priority was topwater blues and we got an 18 pound bass on the clam in Oyster Creek. Here’s a short YouTube clip of the last few minutes.

Again we retreated to the west side of the bay and after a good hour of searching and not catching we came across a small aluminum boat with two guys who had them blowing up on their lures in real shallow water. We gave them a respectable distance, went on the drift, and started to get in on the action ourselves. I don’t know if I would have looked that shallow…….so thanks to those guys for putting us on them.

Starting Wed, May 4 we will be sailing Open Boat or Charter every day thru Monday, May 9. An early look at the marine weather forecast has me thinking that we will be fishing the bay at least until Saturday unless the wind finally decides to blow west or northwest to flatten out the ocean. Fine by me, the inside fishing is awesome! We will be timing each trip to catch the outgoing tide for a few hours of clamming stripers mixed in with a few hours of casting lures at big bluefish, all in the bay.

– Wed and Thurs, May 4 and 5, 6AM to 11 AM
– Friday, May 6: One spot available, 12:30 PM to 5:30 PM
– Sat, May 7: One spot available, 7AM to Noon (blues only)

Sun and Mon, May 7 and 8, times to be determined based on forecast. We could be getting out in the ocean by then to start hunting those big early season stripers. If the ocean is still too rough, we’ll continue with the bay fishery. Afternoon trips available on all of these days that have morning departures.

$150 per person, 3 people max on Open Boat (flexible on charters), all fish are shared. Everything provided. Just bring whatever you want to eat and drink. if you have your own rod that you like to use…..bring it. Call to reserve a spot.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

9:30 AM

Attention Anglers! The 2016 NJ Recreational Size, Limit, Season Fishing Regulations are in. We hope to have our tide charts with regs printed by this weekend.

Received: May 2, 2016 6:30 PM Subject: Reel Reaction Charters

Over the past few weeks there has been some big blues move into the bay – somedays the bite has been good on the west side of the bay and others it has been good close to the inlet. I did have the chance to sneak out and nail a couple on poppers in shallow water. There is nothing like a big blue fighting for it’s life in 4 feet of water. Although the trophy Striped Bass are still making their way, there is some bass action in the bay and inlet. But fishing the right tide is crucial. On the fluke side of things, the countdown is on: only 19 days left until the start of the season.

I do have some May Friday afternoons (start time 3pm) available for open boat ($125 per person – need 3 to run). These would be bay/inlet and look to target Stripers and Blues.

Regarding weekend trips, I still have some weekends left in June. We start running 7 days a week starting June 23rd. If interested in booking a charter, book through the website or call 609-290-7709 . As always we use the highest quality gear and everything is included all gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE – it’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.

~ Capt. Brett Taylor Reel Reaction Sportfishing 609.290.7709

May 1, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: May 1, 2016 1:48 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

The BIG blues are still around which is great news. These yellow-eyed demons are cruising the west side of the bay but sometimes it takes time to find them. When you do hold on! In addition, a nice body of bass of decent sized bass (10-20lbs) has moved into the bay. I was out this morning for a short solo trip looking to catch some fresh fish for diner. I succeeded and boated a 28” bass then went for a fresh clam. It is game on, so if you want to play give me a call to get in on the action. Also looking to do some evening Magic Hour open boat trips. If interested it is $125 per/person.

On the nature side of things: I saw something today that I have not seen in over 30 years on the bay, a wild oyster. It was growing in a derelict eel pot that was pulled from the bay. Oysters are an important natural resource in Barnegat Bay with historic significance. During pre-colonial times they were harvested for food. Sometime after that baymen started selling them and the industry grew until the early 1900’s. The fishery then collapsed in the 50s for reasons such as overharvesting, changes in the bay flow when Point Pleasant Canal was built. Now companies such as 40 North Oyster Farms (1 of only 2) are actually farming oysters in the bay and trying to bring back what was once a great natural resource from Barnegat Bay. Forty North farms them and sells them directly to local restaurants so you can now get true Barnegat Bay Oysters. If we were to get more oyster farms in the bay I am sure that when the farm raised oysters reproduce we will see the benefits of wild oysters coming back to Barnegat Bay. Attached is a picture of the lone oyster.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511

11:30 AM

Robbie Vallone stopped by a short while ago. He said he was going to head out and fish the beach in the rain. We’ll report.

We got word of a 30″ bass off of the mid-island surf yesterday. We’ll see more of these and bigger fish on the beach soon.

The mid-island bayside has been the hot area for blues the past couple of days.

April 30, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: April 30, 2016 3:57 PM Subject: Caught Em! Stripers & Gators on the inside

Wow. So much better than I expected our first clamming the bay effort would be. Got to the top of Oyster Creek this morning early and caught the beginning of the outgoing tide. Started chumming with fresh clam. Forty minutes of nothing and then our first hook up… a big blue that bit us off. A little while later we boated a 10 pound blue on the clam. Then a huge runoff and initial run on the 20 class conventional put a 23 pound striped bass in the boat. Then a 15 and a 17 pound striped bass. 3 for 3 on those and another big blue that stayed on the hook. Really surprised by the size class fish that are in there right now.

Going back again tomorrow for more. Two things are certain for tomorrow morning, we’re going to get rained on and we’re going to catch striped bass. Just got loaded up with bushel and a half of fresh clam to fish the next two days, Sun and Mon, May 1 and 2.

Open Boat, leaving at 5AM, returning at 10AM. $150 person. 3 people max, all fish are shared. We will cast topwaters for the blues after our clamming effort.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

10:00 AM

We got heads up minutes ago from Keith Kensey that the blues are hitting hard in the mid-island bay. He’s been out fishing with his buddy Joey Bag and needed to take a break to get new line. He reported, “Mid 30″ range blues chewing not far from the Bridge!”

We also go a report from a customer on his way off the island. He said the morning bite up at the Inlet was fun. Not sure which was better the line screaming bluefish or the show put on by the crowd. It’s meyham.

April 29, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:30 PM

We are currently out of fresh bunker however expect a delivery before closing.

I woke up early this morning and took a ride up to the north end. I put in a solid hour in the dark looking for a striped one but no takers. Sunrise was lack luster but I stuck around. About an hour later towards the bottom of the outgoing a couple small schools of blues cruised through. I only managed to get one bite/hookup, released. Saw about 6-8 other blues caught before I walked off. ~ FishHead.Greg

Received: April 29, 2016 12:35 PM Subject: Fishing Barnegat Bay Sat-Sun-Mon

We are already booked tomorrow morning (Sat, April 30) so I am adding an afternoon trip to exploit the nicer weather day of the weekend. My morning trip will be returning at 11AM so we will be sailing Noon to 5PM Sat afternoon. Also Sunday, May 1, yes, even in the rain, ….put your “big boy” pants on, and slickers. By the looks of all this easterly wind, we are planning to fish in the bay for the next couple of days. The ocean forecast looks a little too rough, so I have a bushel of clams and a flat of sandworms on board to target Barnegat Bay stripers. The snotty weather could produce good inside action on the bass. We will also go on the hunt for the big blues with the topwater lures. Also sailing Monday, May 2 with the same game plan. $150 person, 3 people max, all fish are shared. As soon as the ocean lays down we will start targeting the ocean run of big stripers, as well.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

April 28, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:00 PM

Fresh Bunker Just Arrived!

9:30 AM

While the bluefish and tog have stole the spot light (for good reason). There’s plenty of other spring fishing to get into. There’s schoolie bass, a solid population of black drum and also quality tide runners (weakfish) present. Here’s some reports from yesterday.

Shop regular Pete stopped by in the evening after work. He loaded up with fresh clam and shared a report. “Two nights in a row, I’m into the drum. Some nice classy ones too. I’m fishing my honey hole on the mid-island bayside not far from the bridges.” While Pete is fishing via boat, land based anglers can also target drum. Over the years there’s been two very productive areas that offer easy public access. One spot is the bayside pier at the Ship Bottom boat ramp down the street from the shop. Annother great area is the Ship Bottom bay beach (13th-16th Street). There, it’s a sandy beach and a short cast to reach the channel.

Lenny stopped in and said he got one 14″ tog. The water water dirty and it was a slow bite.

Bill Dabrey was fishing the bay yesterday afternoon and got into the blues. He reported lots of fish on top water plugs.

The 15th Annual Simply Bassing Striped Bass Surf Fishing Tournament is two days away! April 30th to June 25th. Sign Up Now. Please note that Fishermans Hq is not having a Spring Side Bet Calcutta. With an eye towards the future, Fisherman’s Hq has organized a Striped Bass Catch and Release Segment inside of the Simply Bassing Tournament. It is open to anglers who sign up for Simply Bassing. Please note that there is not an additional fee. For more information on Simply Bassing and the Catch and Release Segment go to www.LBIFT.com

April 27, 2016 ——————————————————–

10:30 AM

Wow that was a crazy storm that blew through yesterday evening. Justin Marty captured this clip at the Harvey Cedars bayside yesterday. The nasty little storm came in fast and whipping up the bay with a wild water spout.

Ryan Dellane was out fishing the bay and got caught up in the mess. He reported, “Epic bluefish blitz in the bay this evening. 3′ chop and 35 mph winds with lightening all around. Probably was a really bad decision to go out but it was well worth it.”

Dave Spendiff of Village Harbour Fishing Club fished the bay earlier in the day. He reported, “Phenomenal fishing! The surface explosions were great. Fished till my arms fell off.” Dave’s biggest was a 17-lb 10-oz monster gator bluefish.

Robbie Vallone stopped in the shop last night and picked up some fresh bait on his way to hit the surf. While here he showed us a photo of a monster 21-lb tog that his buddy Joe Zagorski just caught. Robbie mentioned that it had a 24″ girth. Please note this report is second hand info. We look forward to hearing more news on the official weigh in. Congrats Joe of an epic catch!

Those looking to get in on the tog bite should do so soon. The season closes at the end of this month. Boat anglers and land based anglers are and have been doing very well. This morning an anglers stopped in and grabbed two dozen live green crabs. When asked how he’s making out he shared, “Got my limit on the last outing. There’s lots of fish hanging around the rocks by the Lighthouse.”

April 26, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

We just spoke to a customer who came off the rocks. He said the bite was on. Lots of anglers and lots of fish.

The bait delivery we referenced on the mornings report showed up. We currently have live surf clams as well as live green crabs. We are running low on fresh bunker but expect more later today.

8:45 AM

Bait situation… We expect a delivery of live surf clams this afternoon as well as salted. We are hopefull that green crabs will come in the delivery. We’ll have to wait and see what shows up.

Yesterday was another epic bluefish blitz! Reports came flooding in from anglers calling in as well as those who had to take a break and regroup. The tackle busting bruisers have been chewing best on the afternoon outgoing tide; however, many have got ’em other times and tides too. Best bet is to just get out there!

Ron Strubberg and his wife stopped into the shop and reported catching a bunch of good size bluefish. They reported that lots of other fish were being caught all around. Also in the melee, store staffer Nick and Blake reported an unreal session. Blake said, “Serious rope sesh with gators crushing pencils on top! I blew up my anti-reverse on my reel.”

More bass show up everyday… Fred Soper posted a photo of a bass yesterday, “First legal bass from the beach last night.”

Here’s a couple report from this past weekend…
Fished Friday and slammed the blues on yellow Stillwater Smack-It poppers. Today (Sunday) was even better. Blasted them from the morning to 2:30 pm. Didn’t like the poppers today but got them on Bomber Long A’s. Any color worked. Unreal fishing all in the back bay. Catch them up! ~ Al Stella
Multiple alligator blues off the mid-island surf on bunker. Biggest 34″ ~ Rob Swift

April 25, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:30 PM

So far today the wind has been blowing stiff out of the south. Most anglers are seeking protection and fishing up at the Inlet where the wind is at their back. Despite the wind some fished the front beach. The reports from both areas keep coming with a similar theme… bruiser blues and schoolie bass. Three separate reports come in from the mid-island surf (Surf City to Brant Beach area). The blues are chewing on bunker, mullet and lures. The bass want clam or a small plug. Find a spot with a nice bowl of water or a cut and put in a little time. If nothing happens hit the next section of water. You’ll get ’em!

The Inlet has been on for well over a week. Some days are better than others. A number of days have been all out epic fishing. While there’s lots of room to fish most every inch is full of anglers getting in on the mayhem. Please if you are joining in on the action fish with respect and also don’t lift fish! The number of broken rods entering the shop on a daily basis is in the double digits. Please know that there’s nothing we can do for you. Overloading a rod by lifting a fish is not covered under warranty. It’s best to leader a fish or if going for the kill use a gaff.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: April 25, 2016 12:03 PM Subject: West Side Gator Blues

First trip of the season Sunday. The wind kept us inside. Trolled up 3 gator blues to 14lbs. using ponytails on the west side of Barnegat Bay. Working away from the fleet in 8-10ft. of water produced for us. We fished the beginning of outgoing tide using clam but didn’t manage any takers.

~ Capt. Kevin Schmidt Old Barney Charters 267-918-1746

Received: April 25, 2016 6:51 AM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – Fishing Report

With the weather cooperating and feeling more seasonal the fishing seems to have continued to evolve. Big Gator blues have been most cooperative with a smattering of bass to add to the mix to keep anglers on their toes in the bay and inlet area.

Bigger bass have started to show up along the beaches for those anglers willing to troll a variety of spoons , plugs and Mojo’s but wind velocity and direction dictates participation.

I’ll be running an open boat trip this Friday April 29th targeting all the above including blackfish if the weather allows . This will be a 6hr combo trip and cost will be $150pp 7am- 1pm. Call to reserve 609-290-1217.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 24, 2016 ——————————————————–

3:25 PM

Lots of reports in flowed into the shop today. Reports from anglers catching all around the local area. Plenty of small bass chewing clam on the front beach. Also a mix of skates there too. The bluefishing is the main story! Those looking to get in on the action should get in the game now while the bite is good. Yes it might last some time (we are all hopping for a repeat of last year) however it could be short lived. The Inlet is the epicenter however there’s lots of anglers in that area. If looking to stretch out an relax the front beach and bayside has blues cruising through too.

Two separate reports from surf anglers reported good sized bluefish hitting bunker in the mid-island surf this morning. One angler reported missing one and catching on. Another angler got one and saw a couple others caught.

~FishHead.Greg

Matt Polito sent in this report, ” Started the day in the Inlet only one blue was caught from 8-12. Then did a trip on the HI flier with Captain Dave and the blues were instantly attacking our top water lures they just failed to hang on, we did end up bringing a couple moves ones to the boat. Thanks for setting me up with my gear.”

Received: April 24, 2016 1:16 PM Subject: Lighthouse Sportfishing Report

After a shakedown cruise Friday evening with Debbie M on board the Debbie M, the Debbie M was ready for the first charter of the season Saturday morning. On board was the Michael Lenihan party from Westfield, NJ. The morning was flat calm and overcast followed by some rain with an approaching cold front. Whether or not that made a difference on the bluefish bite is beyond me. We worked real hard to land a couple 8-10 blues. The action was steady for my friends that were out, with blues to 17 lb + on the scale. These are monster blues like we had last year and are a blast to catch on light tackle in shallow bay water. Quite honestly, if you want a fun time fishing, now is the time to book a trip. Ten pound plus blues on topwater and plugs in shallow water is world class fishing and a saltwater fly fishermen’s dream! There are some bass around as well as some big weakfish. Bassing will only get better in the days to come. Here are two pictures of Mike Lenihan from yesterday. I am available for weekend trips as well as week day “Magic Hour” trips.

On the nature side of things: Ospreys have returned in full force and are starting to nest. Did you know that the female ospreys stays with the young in the nest until they are about 6 weeks old? The male is dedicated to fishing and providing for the family during that time.

Screaming drags,

~ Capt. Alex Majewski Lighthouse Sportfishing 609.548.2511
11:00 AM

Fresh Bunker just arrived!

9:30 AM

With the great weather and spring fishery teeing off, the shop’s been crazy busy! We got wiped out yesterday. Bunker, clams and greenies are gone. We’ve had ’em all on order but there’s no telling when more will arrive.

Fred Sage stopped by the shop yesterday and reported finding a nice 15 pound bass off of the surf. He caught it on a bucktail.

Another customer in the shop was who spoke about having some fun bottom fishing aboard the Carolyn Ann III. He said everyone on the boat was catching. Speaking of catching… Dan DiPasquale posted some great photos of his first trip of the year fishing with Paul Haertel. Dan reported, “Easy boat limit all thanks to Capt. Paul. Words can’t describe the fight these blackfish put up, love them!”

April 23, 2016 ——————————————————–

Had a 5 year old Austin Nevins out in the bay yesterday. I casted for him and he hooked up on a popper. With a little help holding the pole he landed a 18 lb bluefish. I couldn’t believe it. Use multiple scales to verify. Many 14 pounders. ~ Bill Huelsenbeck

1:30PM

The daily bluefish massacre has been on! The inlet rocks look like a murder scene on most afternoons. Anglers fishing the bay and surf are also putting a hurt on them. Lots of fun!

Robbie Vallone just stopped by the shop after leaving the beach. He reported, “The water is clean and green with a stiff NW wind. There’s small bass on clam and blues on bunker!”

Yesterday evening Austin Pounds stopped by the shop with a couple friends. They reported blues up to 18 pounds. Non stop action on the outgoing tide. All on bucktails and SP Minnow lures.

Ryan Dellane was also in the mix “crushing gator bluefish”. He said they were eating everything you threw at them. “Awesome time this evening.”

April 22, 2016 ——————————————————–

Bluefish bonanza bay inlet and surf! Here is some recent photos. Now’s go time to get in on the action.
Word on the street is a couple bass got trolled up by anglers in the boats working the shoreline. Our bunker boat captain said there was lots of bunker stacked up today with plenty of monster blues pestering them. He said the ocean temp was 52 degrees. With the south wind today it might upwell and chill down.

Received: April 21, 2016 3:37 PM Subject: Hi Flier Just Launched and Fishing This Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon

I just tied her up in the slip and it feels great. My phone has been blowing up that the gator blues are in town and we are going to start running bay trips for them immediately starting tomorrow (Fri, April 22) afternoon, 1PM to 6 PM.

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, April 23, 24, and 25, we will be running morning and afternoon trips, 6:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 1PM to 6 PM. The fish are huge, 8 to 12 pounds plus. We will be throwing top water lures on 10 pound spinning rods. This happened last year and it lasted into the first week of June, but there’s no telling how long it will last this year. In all my time on the bay, I have never seen this size class in the back bay. I thought for sure last year was a freak occurrence and I couldn’t be happier to be wrong.

Love ’em or hate ’em, there’s no denying the sport these fish offer on light tackle….on any tackle! When you factor in the surface attacks on topwaters, this fishery is hard to beat. $150 per person, 3 people max on the Open Boat trips. Head count and departure times are more flexible if you charter the boat. So happy to be in the water!

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

April 21, 2016 ——————————————————–

While at the bank this morning I had a talk with a friend. He report the perch fishing has been good in the local lagoons. While there are lots of people, it is fun fishing with plenty of fish. Anglers are fishing small baits like live blood and grass shrimp. Those looking for live shrimp should scrape a mini mesh net along any docks, bulkhead or pilings. There easy to catch and lots are around. We’ve got the right nets with a long handle in stock.

~FishHead.Greg

Received: April 20, 2016 1:21 PM Subject: Bluefish Invasion!

In just a few days of arriving warmer weather big slammer blues have been raging through our back bays and inlets making for some excellent sight casting and light tackle action! Things are starting to finally solidify when you add bass, weakfish and blackfish into the mix.

Be it novice or expert angler, one can only smile and watch while your line melts off your screaming drag and severely bent rod! Visual surface strikes while employing poppers brings a new level of entertainment to this spring fishery.

I have 2 spots available for this Friday 230-730pm , we will be targeting all the above, all bait, tackle, rods, lures and cleaning are included $120pp

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 20, 2016 ——————————————————–

The bluefish came on hard and surprisingly the broken rod count is only at two. The sunny days brought the water temp is up. The BL Bay Buoy has stayed above 52 degrees for a couple days and actually almost hit the 60 degree mark yesterday afternoon. Things are looking great!

Dustin Scheuerman stopped in the shop yesterday and reported getting into the blues casting lures up at the inlet. He said other guys were catching too. No Bass.

Store staffer Max sent in this report, “Epic rope session this morning! Every cast, all gator bluefish. Get on it!” The spring bluefish bonanza is on!

There’s more good word on the fishing front… Shop regular Lenny reported there’s tog chewing up at the Inlet. We recently got two reports from anglers tog fishing via boat. Both did very well. Paul H posted a photo with a caption, “Nice blackfish limit aboard the Drop of a Hat Thanks Capt Dooley!” Captain Ken Nutt aboard the Striper out of Barnegat Light also posted a photo with a group of smiles with a caption “Some of the black fish catch from this afternoon.” Now is the time to go. The tog season is only open until April 30 (4 fish at 15″). It then reopens on July 17th (1 fish at 15″).

Received: April 19, 2016 8:58 PM Subject: Warmer weather has already ignited the bite!

Big Slammers have invaded the bays and inlet with only about 48hrs of warmer weather arriving to our area. These aren’t the “run of the mill size” either as these bruisers are running into the teens!

These big slammers offer both visual and drag screaming excitement for both novice and veteran anglers especially while employing our topwater poppers on light spinning tackle !!

I have 2 spots available for this Friday Afternoon 230-730 – $120pp. We will be targeting blues and striped bass.

Come and join us and meet new fishing enthusiasts! Call to reserve

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 19, 2016 ——————————————————–

Some big gator bluefish moved through the Inlet. A customer was in the shop today after a busted rod up at the Inlet. He’s back in the game with a new weapon.

Store staffer Blake fished the bayside last night without a touch. This morning he raised and hooked a good size bluefish on a Stillwater Smack-It popper.

More reports of bluefish, weakfish, drum and bass. Take advantage of the beautiful weather and go fish!

April 18, 2016 ——————————————————–

Received: April 17, 2016 5:29 PM Subject: First Big Slammer Scored

The sighting of the first laughing gull April 4 this year continues to hold value as we scored our first big slammer of the year as of today [ predicted 10-14 days after first sighting] . Not sure where [ and if] the connection lies but it has yet to let me down.

Although the season continues to progress it seemed to grind to an almost halt as this week’s day and night time temps provided little to no radiant heating of the bay. We actually did a back slide in the way of 7 degrees up in my neck of the brine.

With that being said we did manage to find some big trophy weakfish that unfortunately bent and broke our lighter gauge hooks we were using. Bluefish you ask? Nope because on both accounts those beautiful purplish and gold hues made it to within eyesight of the boat before breaking off. Honestly I’m ok with that as these bigger fish are hear to keep the stock healthy.

Catch counts were way down [ cold weather?] but quality was on the up swing with today being one our slowest days this season I’m looking to this weeks forecasted warmer weather which should get things starting to solidify in short order.

I have a few remaining choice dates in May and June for those looking to encounter some of the season most exciting snag and drop striped bass action so don’t delay and book today!!

Here’s a photo of the bluefish.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 17, 2016 ——————————————————–

Rumors of bluefish in the area!

April 16, 2016 ——————————————————–

Another report of small “dink” linesiders along the surf… This weekend, Dante Soriente of Magic Tail Bucktails spent some time on the beach “hanging with his two favorite lady’s”. He posted a couple pictures of the fishing. Just a side note, in a couple weeks we’ll have some Magic Tails in the shop.

April 15, 2016 ——————————————————–

The spring season’s first fresh bunker delivery arrived yesterday. Most of it went fast so we got more today.

We’ve had lots of anglers in getting clams (we got wiped out) as well as worms, bunker, and green crabs. Sorry no positive reports today. Store staffer Steve-o fished the Island’s bayside this afternoon. He said, “Not a touch.”

Great news the early season spots are producing strong. Stop in the spot. We can point you in the right direction.

With high pressure in control we’ve got awesome weather prefect for getting out and doing some fishing. The 10 day has lots of sun with nice temperatures so the water temps should stay on the rise. The Barnegat Bay Buoy is beginning to trend more around that 50 degree mark a sign that the season is progressing in the right direction. The ocean striped bass will get going soon. The other day, Robbie Vallone was out bottom fishing and reported a nice size striped followed his tog up to the surface. They are out there. Unfortunately persistent onshore winds will keep the ocean and Inlet mixed up and snotty. Got a report today from a boater who just dunked the boat for the year. He said it was ugly this morning.

April 12, 2016 ——————————————————–

After recent record lows slowed things down, we are finally saying goodbye to winter. Here comes a nice shift in our weather pattern! Thanks to a high pressure which will plant near the Great Lakes, we’ll have lots of sun for days. This should warm up our shallow bay water and get things rolling again.

Some great reports of fish in the air. The Delaware River is firing and so is the Raritan Bay. If you aren’t in on the action, any short time on social media and you’ll see what you missing.

April 11, 2016 ——————————————————–

Some nice fish around! Mike stopped by this weekend and purchased a new surf rod. While here he shared this photo.

We got some sweet flies and teaser in a couple days ago from our local fly tyer. We posted a photo of his tan fleye foil surf candy and the private messages started right away, “How do I buy them?” Stop in the shop or call and we can ship. We sold a bunch but still have some left and more expected in the coming weeks. Check out this photo of the Fleye Foil Surf Candy.

Here is a photo of Jack’s tog.

We expect live surf clams, live bloodworms and more live green crabs tomorrow afternoon. There’s also a possibility of some fresh bunker too!

April 10, 2016 ——————————————————–

Jack Wolfberg stopped by this afternoon with a pair of black fish he caught wreck fishing off of Beach Haven. He said, “It wasn’t phenomenal but it wasn’t bad. Just happy we got out and found some fish. The water was very dirty but we got some bites” Jack’s two biggest were 7-lb 15oz and 6-lb 1oz.

A customer in the shop today reported dropping his boat into the water at the ramp behind Ship Bottom. He said the water temp dropped back below 40. Hopefully we’ll get some more warm sun to get it back up.

Received: April 10, 2016 5:25 PM Subject: More Striped Bass & 1st weakfish!

The weather this week was anything but cooperative but fortunately the fish didn’t seem to mind although sizes were down but quantity counts continue into the double digits. With even our youngest [8yrs] of anglers scoring up to 7 stripers per trip.

Daytime and nighttime temps were basically in the basement and precipitation varying in both amount and state [ liquid and frozen] , relentless winds rarely coming down below 20mph and also varying in different directions this week’s action was surprisingly cooperative despite of the adverse conditions.

Anglers aboard this week scored 15 -21 stripers per trip with the later adding a sweet catch and release 1st of the year weakfish! With temps looking to moderate this week and continue to warm into the extended forecast I think things should start to really start to solidify.

I have this April 15 [ Friday] and 17 [ Sunday] available for open or private charter for those looking to get out on the brine for some early season light tackle action.

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 8, 2016 ——————————————————–

The meteorologist community has classified the 2015-2016 winter as a strong El Niño event. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the great fall run which kept most fishing to the end of the year. The winter was mild and quick. Looking back, the winter of 2009-2010 was a moderate El Niño winter too. That 2010 spring was awesome! Mid to late April it came alive and we were surrounded by bass and blues. The bay, surf and ocean were firing on all cylinders. Take a look back on the Archives.

In the local lagoons white Perch fishing has been good. While it’s best to get on it at the beginning of April to beat crowds, better late than never. Live grass shrimp is always the best bait and can be easily caught along docks and pilings with a small mesh net. Some anglers catch on canned grass shrimp, small pieces of bloodworm and mini Gulp Grubs. All of which we have.

Yesterday Brian B of Tuckerton stopped in to address an issue he was having with his fishing reel. After ironing out the problem he shared a report from earlier in the day, “I’ve spent some time fishing the local banks by me. There’s fish here but the majority are small. I caught one dink this morning and saw two others caught. There’s keepers but not the majority yet. It’s not hot fishing but better than sitting home.” The area also had the season’s first black drum. As time goes on expect both bass and drum fishing to improve. April and May are traditionally great months for targeting black drum. The weakfish usually arrive around the same time frame as them too. The state’s first weakfish report was confirmed; however, the local rumor floating around has not. Even if not true, it’ll happen any day. We are also expecting the yellow demons (bluefish) to show any day.

Promising news from Captain Jeff Warford! He recently brought the boat back up from fishing the Outter Banks this winter. He reported, “The ocean temp was 50.8 degrees and the amount of bait along the beaches of LBI was amazing. The sounder was painted almost the entire stretch to the Inlet.”

~FishHead.Greg

April 4, 2016 ——————————————————–

Rob Swift stopped in the shop at closing time on Saturday and picked up a fresh Yo-Zuri Mag Minnow. While in the shop he reported, ” Mid-Island surf, nothing on clam. First cast on a plug got a schoolie. One other guy on the beach and he said he got one too.”

We got word from Joe Schaedel with some details about Bob Bott’s bass which we reported on April 1st…” Just to give you a heads up. Bob Bott’s fish was 45″ long with a 35″ girth. The formula came out 68.9 pounds. The fish bottomed out a 60 pound Boga!” For those not aware of the formula it’s length times girth squared divided by 800. It is a widely used catch and release weight calculation formula which is surprisingly accurate.

Received: April 03, 2016 5:05 PM Subject: First laughing gulls and trip scores over 20 bass!!

Things continue to develop almost on a daily basis as confirmed by the first newly arriving laughing gulls of the year and what appears to be more arriving striped bass.

Every new season’s beginning I look with great anticipation to welcoming our warmer weather gulls back to our area as they are a great prognosticator of our seasons progression. Their arrival usually heralds both blues and bass within 10-14 days of initial sightings. Albeit this year they are about 2 weeks early so we shall see if my predictions have some value or not.

This week we also had our season high catch of over 20 bass in one trip but the sizes were down from the week prior with no stripers over the 20″ range. Although on the light spinning tackle they tons of fun till bigger fish join the party.

Join and like us on Face Book to view photos and video . The spring calendar is starting to book up fast so call today to reserve your Trophy Striped Bass trip aboard the Reel Fantasea !

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

April 1, 2016 ——————————————————–

April is a transition month that can offer great fishing opportunities both locally and abroad the state. As previously reported there’s fish around and biting. Some are sitting back and waiting while others are getting in on the action.

Early/Midweek, Joseph Mitchell got out and found some schoolie bass off of the surf. Tuesday he reported seven total. Then Wednesday Hunter Gutwein joined and they really got into them. They reported catching over 60 fish. While all were every small dinks, “It was definitely a blast!” Look for the surf fishing to improve as the surf temps slowly creep up.

Store staffer Blake reports there are plenty of local linesiders keeping his line tight. While most are small, he released a 30″ bass the other evening.

On Easter’s report we mentioned word from the west side was good. The proof is in the pudding! Just a couple days ago Bob Bott tagged and released a trophy 40, possibly 50+ pound bass. Don’t go chase the report, 1000+ others are already on that train. Just goes to show the fish are here in Jersey. You just have to put the time in and find them.

Best of luck to all fishing this spring run!

~FishHead.Greg
March 27, 2016 ——————————————————–

Happy Easter! More reports of anglers fishing and catching everyday. While we have not heard a report of a bass off of the surf there are guys trying. The early season bay side spots are busy but producing. Word from the west side of the state is the river has good fishing. Before we know it, the the surf will be popping.

Received: March 26, 2016 6:40 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – First Trip to Score Double Digits!

The last couple of weeks we have been scouting around for signs of the season progressing but for the most part we could only manage a few catches . Last week we found the mother load of life just North of the inlet [99.99% sure it was bass] that humbled us and wouldn’t respond to anything we sent down but the strong readings gave me hope for this week.

Well as I’d hoped things have finally started to solidify in the way of freshly arriving striped bass. These newly arriving bass are still on the smaller side but they truly give a great account for themselves while ripping drag on the light spinning tackle!!

With the weather continuing on a modest trend and the lengthening of the days and the local waters choked with strong herring readings things are truly heating up!

I will be running 3hr happy hour trips evenings by reservation only, 5 – 8pm Monday thru Friday [ $75.00pp need a minimum of 4 anglers] and 5hrs mornings Friday and Sundays for either open or private charters. Remember to call and book today to reserve your preferred date for our snag and drop spring trophy striper fishery!!

Wishing everyone fair winds calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

March 24, 2016 ——————————————————–

The NJBBA LBI Holgate Beach Clean Up is this Saturday March 26th at 8am. Currently the weather is expected to be sunny with a high of 48 degrees. Should be a great day.

On the bait front… We have plenty of shucked and salted fresh clam. We do not have clam in the shell however we are expecting a small delivery tomorrow late morning/afternoon. At that time we also will have live bloodworms and more live green crabs. We are currently low on crabs. There’s a couple dozen left for any one looking to hit the rocks. We had one customers in today that is heading up to give it a try.

Weather Channel reported that 2016 is off to a very warm start. Records back to 1880 show this past January and February as the warmest on record. This is 372 consecutive months at or warmer than average. Wonder how this March will stack up?

March 22, 2016 ——————————————————–

It’s spring, time to fish! Austin Pounds tagged us in this recent fish photo, a nice 34″ linesider! Spring has sprung.

March 20, 2016 ——————————————————–

Winter Storm Regis rapidly whipping up the seas. Early this morning it was near flat and currently at 6pm the Barnegat Light Ocean Bouy 44091 is reading 9′. The change in our weather pattern brought in some chilly air. Hopefully will be our last winter storm for the year. It was nice getting that early taste of spring. Fortunately it looks like we’ll be back to the mild temps in the middle of the week. The long range models are trending towards above average pressure trough March and into April.

Captain Jeff Warford has been on the meat down in the OBX. A couple days ago he hung this 111″ monster!

Simply Bassing Spring Surf Fishing Tournament kicks off April 30th!

March 17, 2016 ——————————————————–

Happy St. Patricks Day! Check it out… someone dyed the Barnegat Bay green!!!
Received: March 16, 2016 10:40 AM Subject: BHCFA Winter Report

With temperatures rising and spring only a few days away, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are preparing for the 2016 fishing season.

Captain Fran Verdi of the “Francesca Marie” plans to be on the water shortly to get in on the early season striped bass action. He has been doing the little chores on the boat to prepare it for a splash in another week or so.

Captain Frank Camarda of the “Miss Beach Haven” spent the winter in Florida running his pirate excursion boat, the “Black Pearl,” out of Naples. Captain Frank says the “Miss Beach Haven” will be running out of Beach Haven once again in another couple of months.

Captain John Lewis has kept busy this winter delivering boats up and down the east coast. He has been outfitting the “Insatiable” with new gear including electric reels for tile fishing and equipment for pulling dredges as well as new down riggers for trolling striped bass.

Captain Jimmy Zavacky installed new heating and air conditioning on the “Reel Determined.” In addition, he added some new electronics and updated offshore fishing gear. Captain Jimmy also spent a great deal of time at various fishing and boating shows spreading word of the BHCFA.

Captain Lindsay Fuller took the “June Bug” to its winter home in North Carolina to install new teak decks along with other maintenance. With the project nearly completed, Captain Lindsay hopes to get fishing out of Oregon Inlet on some of the excellent bluefish tuna action. He will bring the “June Bug” back to Beach Haven sometime in May.

Captain Carl Lewis is preparing the “Star Fish” at Morrison’s Marina in Beach Haven for the season. He had the bottom soda blasted and added three coats of sealer before putting on two coats of bottom paint to add some speed to the boat. He overhauled the fuel system and plans a launch for the first week in April. He hopes to be in on the early spring striper run.

Captain Ray Lopez has a new boat this year. The new “Miss Liane” is a 28-foot Carolina Classic with twin Volvo diesels, a full tuna tower, and generator. Captain Ray and his first mate Liane have been active attending various fishing flea markets this past winter. They have plans to launch the new boat in the middle of April.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.net.

~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Received: March 16, 2016 11:25 AM Subject: Psyquatic Apparel at the Saltwater Expo in Somerset, NJ this Fri-Sat-Sun

Our new brand of fishing apparel: Psyquatic, will be on display at the Saltwater Fishing Expo in Somerset, NJ this Fri, Sat, and Sun, March 18-20: www.sportshows.com/somerset/index.html We are in Booth 512. Renowned artist Daniel Jean-Baptiste who created our designs and hails from St. Lucia will be at the Psyquatic booth for the entire show. He will be painting original art of gamefish and offer them for sale. Daniel paints on silk and is the innovator of the ” Shimmering Light Water Technique”. If you visit his site, www.jean-baptiste.com/ you can see his incredible gallery as well as the notable celebrities who own his artwork that include golf champion Arnold Palmer, heavy weight boxing champ George Foreman, singer/song writer Paul Simon, US President Bill Clinton, US President George W. Bush, and South African President Nelson Mandela.

Check out www.psyquatic.com to see his amazing art come to life on shirts, hoodies, performance wear, and vinyl decals.
The Hi Flier is in the boat yard getting some work done and should be in the water by mid April. That would be our earliest start ever. We are usually a May 1 start, but all signs are pointing to an early season. I will blast out an email as soon as I know the boat is ready.
Hope to see you at the show!

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

Received: March 14, 2016 8:12 PM Subject: Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters – 2016 Fishing Season… Slow Start But Underway

With last weeks air temps ranging in the 70-80 degree mark the back bay water temps took a very favorable climb into the low fifties. My hopes were high for the fish to respond accordingly but unfortunately they weren’t on the same page as me. Although we scored the first stripers, winter flounders and even the first emerging blue claw crab the catches were meager at best.

That being said it still felt great being back out on the water and doing what I love to do! With each passing day and water temps being a full 14 degrees warmer than last year things should continue to develop on a daily basis.

I will be running an open boat this Sunday targeting both stripers and winter flounder with all bait , tackle ,light tackle spinning rods and fish cleaning included.

View photos on Face Book and like us! Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

March 13, 2016 ——————————————————–

Last week and this weekend we had high pressure take a hold of the Mid Atlantic. It brought up some awesome weather! Hopefully everyone got out and enjoyed it. We heard from lots of anglers who got out. The key points are winter flounder in the bay and schoolie bass at the early season spots. Greg O’Connell posted a photo of his son Dylan who caught the season’s first keeper striped bass down at Graveling Point. Way to go young gun! We’ve had a number of anglers get bait and hit the surf but no positive reports off of the surf yet. With the surf water temperature in the mid to upper 40’s we expect there will be bass any day. Daylight savings time is here and there’s only six days to the official start of Spring.

With plenty of bait in the back waters we expect the season to get off to a great start. We had two separate reports of bay bunker in the lagoons. Dylan’s fish had both baby bunker and grass shrimp in its belly. We also heard there were some jumbo spearing around. Did the bait just show up or did it hold over the unusually warm and short winter???

We concluded our tackle show rounds last weekend at the Berkeley Fishing Club’s Fishing Flea Market. Right after it was over I packed up and headed south to get in on the OBX March Madness. It’s always something I look forward to every year. I went down and met up with Captain Jeff Warford and Doug Adam’s on the No Limit. We spent Monday doing boat and gear work and then we fished on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both days the ocean was beautiful, something that is hard to get down there. On day one we had a double header. One broke off seconds in to the fight. The other a mid 70″ range tuna put up a good fight. It dressed at 212-lbs. We also had a medium size hammerhead shark hooked up that made things interesting releasing it along side the boat. Day two, started with a small blackfin tuna bite on a bally in the dark. Then we released a couple shorts, in the low 70″ range. We caught one squeaker right at 73.5″ then the day turned slow. We decided to stay till dark. Right when the sun set Jeff said, “I’m making a cup of coffee and then we’ll roll. Start cleaning up the deck.” No sooner Doug and I started cleaning up, one rod went tight and the clicker started screaming! I got on the rod and knew right away it was a good one. I’ve been trying to break the 100″ mark for years and this felt like the one I’ve been searching for. After about half hour we had color and Jeff got the harpoon. A minute later the fish was sideways on top and Jeff stuck it perfectly. Getting it into the boat was difficult but we managed with help of the block and tackle. It measured out at 98″ and dressed it weight in at the dock at 389-lbs. The fish buyer was stoked to see the fish as it was much larger than what he had recently, very round, the meat had great color and fat and the core sample showed it wasn’t burned out. Check out our Facebook or Instagram page to see the photo at the dock.

February 29, 2016 ——————————————————–

Tomorrow’s opening day here in NJ for winter flounder and striped bass (bay, river, tributaries). Hope all the eager and anxious anglers get out an enjoy the day tomorrow. It should be a beautiful day. The local forecast is calling for a 47 degree sunny day with light winds.

Those impatient Eskimo anglers anglers like store staffer Blake have been into bass practically all winter. The resident hold-overs are here and waiting. With the unseasonable warm winter expect this spring to get cranking much earlier than other years.

Store staffers Kevin and Steve-o have plans to chum up the winter flounder. We’ll post how they make out.

REMINDER: This Sunday March 6th from 9AM to 2PM is the 21st Annual Berkeley Striper Club Fisherman’s Flea Market. It is held at the Toms River Intermediate School North which is located at 150 Intermediate North Way, Toms River, NJ 08753.

February 19, 2016 ——————————————————–

Countdown to SurfDay2016!!!

Who: All Surf Anglers
What: A day dedicated to the surfcaster!
When: This Saturday Feb 20th 2016, 8:30am-4:30pm
Where: Brookdale Community College – Lincroft, NJ
Why: To help you through the winter doldrums, we’ll have a huge selection of surfcasting gear. Come out to shop, talk fishing and learn from the seminars and workshops.

More Info On Surf Day

February 10, 2016 ——————————————————–

@FishermansHeadquarters George Poveromo fishing our local waters with Captain Steve Purul of Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters!!! Hope you didn’t miss it today at 2pm. If you did there’s a couple more chances… Tomorrow (Thursday Feb. 11th) at 1pm and Friday Feb 12th at 12:30pm on Comcast Channel 848 or Direct TV Channel 220

Received: Feb 9, 2016 7:45 PM Subject: 20 days until back bay opens, TV episode, Seminars and 2016 Bookings!!

Hi Folks,

We are only 20 days away from the season opener for targeting resident wintering striped bass with light tackle. Keeper striped bass are usually hard to come by with most fish ranging in the 18-25″ range but are a blast on the light spinning tackle that we employ.

I am honored to be a returning faculty member for the 3rd time to “Mr. Salt Water Fishing ” himself George Poveromo’s National Seminar Series that will be held Feb 20 in AC. There will be a solid line up of experts [Captains] on hand for lots of information as well as tons of giveaways! www.georgepoveromo.com

Tomorrow set your DVR to NBC sports to watch Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters to be featured on George Poveromo’s World of Salt Water Fishing. I haven’t seen it myself yet but am very excited to see how it came out!! Comcast 848, Direct TV 220. @ 2:00pm

If the winter has got you singing the blues and feeling a little cabin feverish this is also the best time to schedule your first choice dates for the up coming 2016 Reel Fantasea fishing season.

Approximately 40 days until spring!!! Join us on Face Book to view photos and videos and “like us”!

Wishing everyone fair winds and calm seas,

~ Capt. Steve Purul Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters 609.290.1217

February 9, 2016 ——————————————————–

The Southern Regional Fishing Flea Market is this Saturday Feb 13th. As always it is held at the Southern Regional Middle School Cafeteria located at at 75 Cedar Bridge Rd. Manahawkin, NJ 08050. Admission is $4, 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult. The doors open at 8am. Don’t be late because the shows best deals go first. We’ll have a large selection of fishing tackle with some great items at closeout prices.

This is the school’s 15th annual show! It’s one of the largest and oldest around. This year the Southern Regional Fishing Club has added more to the show. They are offering three informational seminars (9am, 10am, 11am) hosted by local experts who will talk about talking about boat, surf and trout fishing techniques in the local water. Who are the speakers? Jim Hutchinson Jr. from the Fisherman Magazine, Captain Steve Purul from Reel Fantasy Fishing Charters and a representative from Trout Unlimited.

All proceeds benefit the Southern Regional High School Fishing Club. This event helps offset the cost of the club’s inshore and offshore fishing trips which offer the students unique fishing experiences.

NJBBA NEWS: March 26th is the date for this year’s New Jersey Beach Buggy Associations (NJBBA) Holgate Beach Clean-Up. Saturday March 26th at 8am meet at the Holgate parking lot at the southern end of Long Beach Island. All are invited to join in. Please let friends and family know. Fishing clubs welcome. Ken at the NJBBA is spear-heading this event. To contact Ken call him at 848-333-4707.

January 27, 2016 ——————————————————–

The Sunshine Foundation Fishing Flea Market is this weekend.

Fishing Flea Market Sponsored by The Southern Ocean County Chapter of the Sunshine Foundation

January 30, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Little Egg Harbor Community Center

319 W. Calabreeze Drive, Little Egg Harbor, NJ 08087

Admission $3 children 12 and under Free

For information please call: Tom Siciliano – 732-267-6451

January 21, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AM – Batten down the hatches!

Nothing to report on the fishing front; however, there’s something to mention on the local weather front. As most should know by now, we have some serious weather coming. The storm (names Jonas) is forecast to pack a fierce punch. It is setting up to be a historic nor’east blizzard. Models are calling for a powerful (986mb!) low pressure to develop.

The large powerful system that produced the most recent XXL swell in the Pacific will slide across the Rockies and reorganize. This is where things get interesting. The developing surface low pulls lots of moisture from the Gulf and brings it up the coast where it will meet cold air. All the while strengthening, then deeply intensifying and lingering off the NJ coast.

This one will have lots of energy! There will be heavy and persistent onshore winds with large swell. The risk of major beach erosion and flooding is real. Saturday’s full moon will only exacerbate the problem. The storm will potentially pound our beaches over three high tides.

I think our “new” beaches will be chewed very hard. Will the streets flood? Absolutely! Will we see Sandy-ish destruction? That’s a little extreme. Will the wash-over in Holgate break? More than likely. But we’ll have to wait and see. There’s lots of variables but I’m prepared for the worst. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Keep eye on the authorities for updates as new data is available and the specifics are ironed out and nailed down.

~FishHead.Greg
January 14, 2016 ——————————————————–

11:00 AMM

Yesterday January 13, 2016 the US Coast Guard put out the following news release. It’s a reminder how quick things can turn bad on the ocean and how important it is to have the proper safety equipment, especially in the cold. Always a big thanks to the men and women at the Coast Guard for being there when things turn ugly.

The Coast Guard assisted the crew of a fishing boat taking on water Wednesday 80 miles east of Cape May, New Jersey. Watchstanders from the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay command center received notification Wednesday at 5:35 a.m. by a good Samaritan that the 77-foot fishing vessel Golden Nugget, homeported in Cape May, was taking on water. The Golden Nugget used an electronic position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) to report their distress.

The Coast Guard launched multiple assets in an effort to aid the vessel in distress, including: MH-65 dolphin helicopter crews from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, A C-130 Hercules crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, The crew of the Cape May-based Coast Guard Cutter Mako.

Coast Guard helicopter crews transferred a dewatering pump to crew members aboard the fishing vessel, and flooding was contained.
The crew of the Mako assisted while Coast Guard aircrews remained on scene to monitor the situation. No injuries or pollution have been reported.

January 8, 2016 ——————————————————–

12:00 PM

There’re still here and some quality fish at that! Here’s one from yesterday.

Live green crab arrived this morning as well as salted pints of shucked clams. For the winter month there will be no fresh bunker or live clam. Expect the next fresh/live bait to be in the spring. In the mean time we have an assortment of frozen baits; IQF (individually quick frozen) Bunker, herring, squid, clam, chum quarts and ballyhoo.

ALEX!!! Is that you? It’s slim, but there is a chance the storm in the Central Atlantic (near the Bahamas) could be the first tropic system of 2016. This weird weather just keeps coming. This rare, out of season storm shows its face more than a month past the official end of Hurricane season.

The area of low pressure has a large gale force wind fetch of with some sections of 60+ mph winds. It has churned up some swell and it’s already showing on our beaches today. The waves will continue through the weekend. Forecasts are calling for the low to potentially strengthen further. Except for the winter cold fronts that can pack a serious punch, the Atlantic is usually dormant. Free forming storm not associated with a front don’t commonly pop up this time of year. While not a threat to land, it’s going to be interesting to watch this play out even if it doesn’t get named.
According to NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division, “Only two purely tropical storms have formed in the month of January in the north Atlantic since 1851. This does not include subtropical storms, although it appears that only two such storms have developed over the same time-frame in January. Also, a small handful of tropical systems have formed in December before dissipating in January, most recently including Tropical Storm Zeta in 2005-2006.

January 6, 2016 ——————————————————–

1:00 PM

While chilly in this arctic air mass, it seems like only yesterday we all enjoyed the unseasonable warm late fall and epic fishing. The holidays have come and gone so what can we expect? It’s winter.

The National Weather Service released this must read a few days back about the warmest December on record, “Warmest December on Record! The monthly average at the Philadelphia International Airport was 51.2 degrees for December 2015, the next warmest was December 1923 which averaged 44.5 degrees. Additionally, the December 2015 Monthly Average High Temperature was 58.2 degrees in Philadelphia. This also breaks the previous record of 51.0 degrees, which occurred back in 1889. Finally, the month of December showed 13 days of temperatures which reached 60 degrees or higher. This exceeds the most number of 60 degree days in December prior to this year which was 8 in 1951 and 1998.”

Wow! We all knew December was much warmer than normal, but these statements really put it into a class of its own.

Just a reminder, all anglers need to (re)register for the FREE 2016 NJ Recreational Fishing Registry Program by visiting the NJDEP’s website..

January 4, 2016 ——————————————————–

12:00 PM

Ken at Shore Promotions reported, “Bass fishing was epic the past two days! My buddy and I went out Little Egg Inlet and found them blitzing on herring all day long off Spray Beach and Beach Haven. Good size fish too, up to 26 pounds. Casting swim shads, rubber sand eels, poppers, ava’s, bucktails. Unbelievable stuff. We got close to 200 fish over the two days between us. Left ’em biting too.”

Received: Jan 2, 2016 6:28 PM Subject: Striper Bite Continues

The striper migration is in full swing. For the second day in a row we clobbered the stripers right outside Barnegat Inlet. Casting Tsunami Shads was the best bet today. The fish are chasing 6 to 8 inch herring on the surface. You can watch them isolate one from the safety of the school and gun him down on the surface, sometimes right at the hull. What’s interesting about this run is the size of the fish, 26 to 36 inch fish today with quite a few 30 inch fish. Usually the end of the season wraps up with the smallest fish, 20 to 24 inch common. So, I guess this isn’t even the end yet. We had 50 degree water and a bunch of 8 to 12 pound bluefish in the mix, though the ratio was heavily slanted in favor of the stripers. Here’s some video of a few minutes of today’s action: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJywsAfV85I&feature=youtu.be We did find ourselves with a break in the action around mid trip so we broke out our short trolling rods with only 150 feet of wire and we bucktailed bass and blues with the ‘old school” technique of jigging the rods while we trolled a bucktail tipped with pork rind. A lot of work but the rewards were heavy and the hit is a train wreck!

Our next available day is Monday, which is also forecasted as the last west wind day before it blows up heavy out of the north for a few days. Open Boat or charter on Monday, Jan 4. Thursday and Friday, Jan 7 and 8, are forecasted for light and variable west winds again. If that forecast stays, we will be running again for stripers and maybe looking a little further offshore for those castable bluefin. This is a hard trip for me to book ahead of time as I am looking for such a perfect weather window that my rate of cancel would be very high. It seems practical for both myself and passengers that only people willing to fish for stripers and maybe a shot at running offshore for tuna would be a good fit for these trips.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

January 1, 2016 ——————————————————–

7:00 PM

Store staffer Kevin closed out 2015 with a great fishing trip. He took a boat ride in the afternoon on New Years Eve and found amazing bird action off of Island Beach State Park. He caught bass up to 30 pounds jigging, catching 25 fish. He said, “Great end to 2015! Kept a 33 incher and took advantage of my bonus tag before it expired keeping a 26 incher too. The two fish both had bellies full of SQUID!”

Ryan Kelly and Randy Townsend started the year off right today. They went out and enjoyed a great day of fishing. Ryan reported, “Double digit catches jigging with fish up to 20-lbs!” Here is a photo of Randy with a linesider.

Happy New Year!!!!

Looking back on 2015 it is safe to say it was a great year of fishing! It started like all other years, anglers catching resident bass in March in the early season spots. By mid-April reports were trickling in about bass off the beach on worms. As time went on the bass fishing accelerated.

Late April the bluefish invaded, surrounded the Island and things got crazy! April 23rd was the first solid day with a two hour blitz. By early May it was wide open with lots of anglers and lots of fish! Almost everyone reported epic fishing on a daily basis. The historic bite went on for well over a month. The six plus week bluefish bonanza was one of the best bluefish showings Long Beach Island has even seen. Longtime anglers said it was best its been in 10 years, possibly 20 years. The yellow eyed demons blitzed (what seemed like) everyday either in the Inlet, bay or the surf. Some monster gators were in the storm leaving a path of destruction; stripped out reels, broken rods and lots of chewed off lures.

Offshore fishing started early and was good all season thanks to a very good stretch of summer weather. The early birds in late April found ’em on the chew. There was a great section of time in mid-May were acres of active bluefin tuna had angler tight jigging, popping, chunking and trolling. Captains who frequented the edge all got into historic big eye tuna fishing. The June through December (still catching now) bite proved to be for the record books. One local boat bled 82 big eye tuna this year! On days when tuna had lock jaw the bottom fishing for tiles made up for it. The best catch was Mark Milici’s 23-lb 4-oz blueline tilefish which shattered the NJ State Record as well as the IGFA All Tackle Record.

The classy migrating population of bass showed up on time mid-to-late May and hung around all of June. Both boat and surf anglers had fun but nothing compared to what the blues offered in terms of consistency. Around the same time some quality fluke arrived the bay, inlet, ocean and surf provided special moments all season at one time or another. While the fluke fishing was not phenomenal it did provide great fun in the sun. The summer was full of beautiful weather. A better showing of the summer’s “panfish” (no spot) would have been great. But the blowfish and strong push of weakfish was good enough. Mid to late August the back bay waters were full of puffers and weakies. It was awesome to see the return of the light tackle champs.

Over the summer months some serious sea creatures were caught. Land based shark fishing has exploded in popularity and this summer some of the areas biggest catches were caught (and released). The biggest were rays and sand tiger sharks. One angler caught a sand tiger over 9′ long, pushing 200-lbs. Speaking of sharks… Mary Lee gave us a number of close encounters/showings/scares. Thanks to the Ocearch organization for tagging and tracking the toothy critters. It brings a lot of public awareness to sharks presence and conservation.

September came and turned on the land based tog fishing. All month the Barnegat Lighthouse rocks were full of tog. It was good fishing right through October. At this same time anglers targeted fluke, resident bass and small blues, all of which were focused on a strong Mullet run..

October came but the Fall striped bass fishing was still slow. Some anglers got in on fun fishing but with all of the bait staged up everyone expected fireworks. The bass fishing didn’t really fire up until late October. It really kicked into high gear mid-November and into December. The weeks before and after Thanksgiving were off the charts. The November to Remember turned into the December to Remember. The bite kept rolling and the bait only seemed to pile up more and more. Massive schools of peanut bunker, adult bunker, mullet, anchovies, spearing, herring, sardines, squid, juvie weakfish among others slid around our local waters. The bluefish and bass persisted in their gluttony and the charts were re-written, up a number of notches. The voracious feed went right into the holidays and years end. Long time captains spoke about the best fall season of bass fishing in many years! We’ll have to chalk it up to two things; lots of bait and thanks to El Nino’s above normal air temperatures and ocean water temperatures. Fortunately for those who still haven’t packed away their fishing gear the fish are still feeding now!

I hope everyone had a great 2015 and I wish everyone all the best in 2016!!

~FishHead.Greg

Received: Jan 1, 2016 4:39 PM Subject: Got Em! New Year’s Stripers

Sailed today with a full Open Boat and the fishing was awesome! We made the left out of Barnegat Inlet and headed north as we do 95 percent of the time. Found some high circling birds off of Seaside Park, throttled back, and the machine lit up with good readings. We put out a few trolling rods and the umbrella rig went off right away. Double header striper, both under 28″. I called the only other boat we saw all morning to give him the update. Andy Wurst on the Blue Juice heard our radio conversation and told me I should consider doubling back south of the inlet to get into birds and heavy striper activity. We left the readings we had even though we just that minute boated two fish, and left fish to go find fish. Usually, a bad move, but not today. Thanks to Andy’s call we had fish all day long. One bird pile after another, blackout readings that spanned top to bottom on the machine. We caught them casting shads and trolling umbrella rigs. 26″ to 33″ fish, we managed 4 nice fish for the cooler, a blast on the 10 pound spinners. When we trolled, two and three fish on one umbrella was the norm. Very few boats. 50 degree water temp still holding strong. These are the first January stripers we ever had. I usually haul out sometime in December. I’m staying in the water to ride this out.

We are sailing Open Boat tomorrow (Sat), Jan 2 and Monday, Jan 4, for stripers. 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM. $170 per person. 3 people max. All fish are shared. Sunday is sold out. Call right up until “go time” for a spot.

~ Capt. Dave DeGennaro Hi Flier Sportfishing 732.330.5674

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