We just got in the water this past weekend. We are available for charter or Open Boat this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, April 23, 24, and 25. My plan is to try a few hours of winter flounder and a few hours of casting for schoolie stripers in the bay. We could try anchoring with clams in the channel for the bass, too.
7AM to 1PM. $165 person on the Open Boat, 4 people max, all fish are shared. $650 for the whole boat if you are chartering it.
This is earlier in the season then I usually start, but I am going to load up on worms, clams, and chum and go on the hunt with plugs and soft plastics looking for life in Barnegat Bay. Looking forward to seeing everyone on board this season. Dave DeGennaro
I would like to announce that I have opened up my 2022 dates for Fluke/Summer Flounder Guided Surf Fishing Trips on Long Beach Island N.J. >> *Daily starting 6/1/22 and running until 9/27/22. The last few seasons the fishing has been great and I expect that to continue this year and into the future now with some new regulations in place. First, we will have a much longer season this year and we will be protecting some of the larger breeding size fish which is good for the fishery plus we will be able to bring home a couple more eating size fish for the table. So its looking like it’s going to be a great summer. I’m really looking forward to hitting the beach again with everyone as last year was so much fun and looking forward to making some more memories and friends. I will once again be providing all tackle, bait and gear needed for a fun day fishing on beautiful LBI. *I would suggest if you are interested in joining me to Book as-soon-as-possible as I expect it to be another busy season with prime dates/days going fast. You can contact me for more information via email at Nightstrikes@comcast.net – Cell # 609-276-6983 or Direct Message me on my FaceBook and Instagram pages. Thank You,, Steve George / Nightstrikes Surfcasting Guide Svc. LLC
LBI FLUKE Happy Anglers Good Times 2022 NJ Fluke Regulations
Now’s the time for a great shot a tog fishing both in the boat on the wrecks and reefs as well as land based spots. We’ve got some prime baits to help you find the monster April tog you are looking for!
A few reports from the Barnegat Inlet Jetty came in late today. One was a smaller but keeper size tog weigh in from Rick R. He reported catching a few shorts and getting the one keeper. Daryl M shared, “I picked up some clam and had two keeper size tog on the rocks. Thanks for the info and the report!” David Gerard reported that yesterday was slow for him tog fishing but, “the guy next to me got two fishing the jetty with shrimp. “Another report came in from Nate K. who said the bite was non-stop on the ripping incoming tide, “I found a hole between the rocks that was loaded.” The next couple weeks should be good for tog fishing.
Tony Butch caught this pair of tog fishing an ocean snag earlier this week.
Striped Bass Fishing Report
Striped bass fishing is going strong and it’s only going to keep getting better as more fish arrive into our waters. The prime early season spots are firing on all cylinders too.
Winter Flounder & Perch Fishing
Both winter flounder and perch are two options right now. The best way to target winter flounder is fishing the mud bottom holes in the bay or channels with bloodworm baited small hooks. It’s a very similar style fishing to blowfish. Anchor up and chum! White perch are being caught right now in the lagoons as well as upper reaches of creeks and rivers. Small jigs are a fun way to target them. The best bait would be live grass shrimp.
Johnny-o was out fishing the Barnegat Bay for winter flounder and get some. Here is his nephew holding up a pair.
Bait Situation
At the time of this post we have live bloodworms (expecting more Friday), live clams (just in today), live green crab (might run our until more on Friday), live white crab (should have enough for the whole weekend unless we get slammed) and a very limited supply of live hermit crabs (a tog delicacy). We expect to get fresh bunker in hopefully in the next few days… trying for the weekend. Live eels will be later this month as well as live minnow.
This will be the only fishing report post for about a week. Sorry I’ll be out of town. But! I do have a blog or two scheduled to be released so stay tuned.
Do you love striped bass fishing? If so act now and show striped bass some respect. For all of the hours enjoyment (and heartbreak) that striped bass haven given up this is the least we can do!
The Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) wants your input and encourages the public to submit comments on Draft Amendment 7 (D-Amd7) to the Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan. The deadline is 11:59PM EST on April 15, 2022. Email: comments@asmfc.org , Subject Draft Amendment 7
This is what striped bass fishing is all about! Here’s youth angler Brayden O’Connell with a big striped bass he caught and released off the LBI surf fishing bunker chunks May 27, 2020.
If you are out of the loop… there’s a lot to read and know but here is the quick and dirty. Since 2003’s Amd6 the status and understanding of the striped bass stock and fishery has changed. Striped bass are overfished and overfishing is occurring. After recent (2021) public comment and hearings, D-Amd7 was developed to address key issues; Management Triggers, Recreational Release Mortality, Rebuilding Plan, Conservation Equivalency.
Fortunately we have one of the best conservation minded and proactive fishing clubs in the county in our back yard, the Berkeley Striper Club. They put this graphic together to quickly show and easily reference the key parts of the document and where each organization stands. By using this and the documents below (as well as the find function) a reasonably good understanding of the state and stance can be determined.
Please take the time to submit your public comment!
Below is my letter to the ASMFC. Feel free to copy and modify as you see fit. Please act now. The deadline for public comment ends on April 15.
Dear ASMFC,
A robust striped bass fishery is very important to me, my family, my businesses and my community. I am a light tackle fishing guide from Central New Jersey who primarily focuses on striped bass. While sometimes keeping a fish here and there, most of my clients want to enjoy a great experience on the water and support catch and release. I am also the general manager at Fisherman’s Headquarters, a bait and tackle shop that was established in 1962, which currently employees 22 full time year round staff. I am also the father of a two year old boy who loves the water, the beach, the boat and fish. I hope he can experience the same great striped bass fishing that I enjoyed growing up on the Jersey Coast.
Living in a fishy shore community on a barrier Island (Long Beach Island) striped bass fishing has a rich history and is the way of life here. When the bass are running the community is vibrant. Everything from hotels, restaurants, marinas, convenience stores, gas stations, tackle shops and other small businesses are busy and the local economy is strong. Anglers come from far and wide to enjoy a day/weekend/week/month on the Island fishing the beaches and boats. The trickle down spending radiates from the striped bass economic engine.
While striped bass fishing has been really very good the past few years in my local waters and elsewhere in my state, I understand there is a coast wide issue. I’m curious to learn more about the results of 2020’s 18% reduction as well as other news on the striped bass stock when the new stock assessment will be coming later this year. I support a responsible and precautionary management style with regulatory stability and reasonable access to the fishery.
4.3 Commercial Fishery Mgmt MeasuresI know this isn’t the time or place however it must be stated that striped bass are exponentially more valuable as a game fish. Now’s the time for striped bass coast wide game fish status.
So far April has offered great fishing both locally in the Ocean County, Long Beach Island area as well as else where around the state. Early season spots are firing on all cylinders and other areas are picking up. Here’s the fishing report update for Monday April 11, 2022.
The two primary species right now are striped bass and tautog. Some other to target and catch are white perch, black drum, bluefish, winter flounder and trout.
Striped bass on the feed.
After the cold winter, striped bass are on the feed. As the waters warm the action is only getting better. Anglers are and have been catching consistently for a number of weeks here in bay’s of Long Beach Island. Both day and night are offering a bite with anglers fishing both lures and bait.
Here’s the Barnegat Bay water temperature from the USGC Station Barnegat Light. This past weekend the outgoing bay water temperature hit and broke above 52º twice. Looking at the chart it’s also shown that the ocean temperature is about 45-46º.
On the bait side of things bloodworms are hands down the best spring time bait for linesiders. Clam is also an options and especially a good choice if looking to find a black drum. More on that below.
With a better class of fish arriving the Raritan Bay has been hopping. If venturing to the state’s spring striper mecca (and joining half the world’s anglers) be sure to bring some bigger presentations. Land based anglers are catching on Super Strike Darter and the 5-1/4″ Yozuri 3D Twitchbait. Boat side fishing has been great with anglers catching on Flutter Spoons, swimbaits like the Tsunami Swim Shads and No Live Bait Needed. The Nomad Vertrex has also been a standout. Remember you can’t leave home without a Doc Top Water Spook!
Store staffer Willie has been doing a number on the striped bass fishing the new Vertrex from Nomad. This lure has been good to him fishing all over this spring from the back bay of LBI before and after work, to his current area of Manasquan and his home town stomping grounds of Raritan Bay. Be sure to check these lures out this spring!
Black Drum & Bluefish?
Yup they are both here and should be making their presence more know this month. The cover photo of the latest video report below, is angler Mike Green with a big black drum he recently caught fishing the bayside. He was fishing a land based spot on the bayside with bloodworms hunting for striped bass. Needless to say it took him for a ride! The background was photoshopped to protect the land based area he was fishing. On the bluefish topic, we heard of “two very small larger than snapper” size bluefish caught down in Great Bay. Our fingers are crossed the gators show this spring and put on a show.
Tog is open all of April.
April a great month to catch good size fish on the wrecks and reef sites. There’s also opportunity for land based anglers to get in on the action too, fishing the state’s inlet jetties. Barnegat Light in particular can produce some nice fish but no where near the hot drop and reel action it’s known for in the fall.
Traditionally softer baits like clam and shrimp are very effective during the spring time, but never head out tog fishing without some crabs! As with other species cold water means fish are in a lethargic state; slow to move and slow to digest. Soft baits are easy for fish to digest.
If fishing the wrecks cod and ling are common catches right now bottom fishing with clam baited rigs.
White Perch
Heard one reports this past week from Dave Spendif. He reported catching a couple of small jigs in his lagoon.
2022 Black Sea Bass Recreational Fishing Regulations Explained
Even though the coast wide black sea bass stock is strong and abundant (2021 stock assessment states the Mid-Atlantic Black Sea Bass stock is NOT overfished and is NOT subject to overfishing) New Jersey was forced to take a hit. Why? Well that is a much bigger issue.
Our Dealt Hand
Like with all fishing regulations it boils down to the cards we are dealt. This year NJ was required to reduce harvest by 20.7%. Why?…
Recreational anglers (as per MRIP data) have exceeded the black sea bass harvest allocation three out of the last 4 years. Also the spawning stock biomass (SSB) is and has been in decline. Also a good recruitment (R) year has not stepped up to offer support.
This chart below details some key data on black sea bass, recruitment (R) and spawning stock biomass (SSB). It shows a phenomenal 2012 recruitment, then a SSB peak in 2012/2015, followed by a progressive decline. The SSB is closing in on the horizontal dotted line is the biomass target.
The Process
The NJ Black Sea Bass Advisors met on March 29th to discuss, debate and hash out the options to best work around the 20% reduction. It started off with 7 options and at one point was more than double that. Most advisors wanted the two fish summer time option. Also the late fall season is important to keep boats fishing and pressure off of just tautog. Anything less than 8 fish bag was not supported. Concern about raising the minimum size up a 1/2″ to 13″ was discuss.
Some advisors requested consideration of splitting management options between sectors where private anglers and vessels would have different measures than for-hire vessels, just like bluefish right now. The for-hire sector is responsible for only a small portion of the seasonal harvest and they provide very detailed data through eVTR (electronic vessel trip reporting).
After several hours of deliberation the committee moved forward with four options and their preferred, Option One.
The Meeting & Public Comment
At the April 7, 2022 NJ Marine Fisheries Council meeting the same topics were mentioned that the advisors debated. Many wanted the most days possible because many days aren’t fishable due to weather.
Option One was not popular because it had an 8 fish bag limits in Wave 3 & 5 and also didn’t offer days in the first half of July.
Public comment for the most part was themed around preference for Option Three because it offered the most days, included Memorial Day, Father’s Day, 10 Fish Bag in Wave 3 & 5, 15 Fish Bag in Wave 6, 2 Fish Bag all Summer (July and August) and that 13″ fish were very common and obtainable.
One comment was, “Most sea bass anglers are already self regulating and only keeping 13″ fish.” But another comment warned, “Going up in size can be dangerous. We don’t want to make the mistake NY did. They went up and paid for it. It was a four year period of pain due to high dead discards.”
Some stated the late season fishing must remain open since November and December offer good bottom fishing when historically sea bass fishing has been good. By closing this time, bottom fishing would switch over to tautog and that additional target would be a lot of pressure on this species which will soon be in the management spotlight (it’s coming).
A great public comment came in from Captain Eddy Yates from the Susan Hudson (formerly owner/operator of the Hunter), a proactive best in class saltwater captain. He respectfully supported Option Three and asked for the dates within Wave 5 to be altered in order to capitalize on the Columbus Day weekend. They accommodated the request and shifted the 20 days of WAVE 5 a handful of days earlier, 10/7 – 10/26.
The Decision
Shortly there after a motion was made to vote to replace option three as the preferred passed unanimously. And then another unanimous vote to finalize it as the 2022 regulation.
Black sea bass are slow growers and reach maturity in 1-3 years of age. Females can live up to 8 years while males live up to 12. Did you know? Black sea bass are protogynous hermaphrodites? They start life as a female and when they reach 9-13″ (2-5 years old) they change sex and become males.
This chart shows the change over.
Females can live up to 8 years and depending on their size can produce 30,000-500,000 eggs in a spawning season. Males live up to 12 years old and during spawning, the dominant males turn bright blue and have a hump on their heads.
The fishery is predominantly recreational harvest. Another factor that is coming into play with sea bass and many other species is the distribution shift north. We don’t have the fall sea bass fishing we once had due to environmental factors (climate change) the sea bass biomass shift northward. This trend is happening with summer flounder, winter flounder and many other species.
NJ Marine Fisheries Council April 2022 Meeting Outcome, 4/7/22
2022 NJ Summer Flounder Fishing Regulations
Season: May 2nd to September 27, 2022
Bag Limit & Sizes: 2 Fish at 17-17.99″ and 1 Fish 18″
Special regulations for Delaware Bay (3 fish at 17″) and Island Beach State Park (2 fish at 16″) were left status quo.
How did we get here? Like with all fishing regulations it boils down to the cards we are dealt and how the state can shuffle those cards to give the recreational anglers the best hand via combination of season dates, size restrictions and bag limits.
In the case of fluke those cards come from the ASMFC and they gave NJ the opportunity to liberalize fluke by 16.5%. Sounds pretty good right?
Paul Sundstrom and party from Illinois caught this as well as a few other beautiful fluke fishing the Barnegat Bay aboard Fish Head Charters last summer in the month of June. The bays of NJ’s offer great fluke fishing for just about the entire season. The smaller class of fluke are most abundant but at the right places and times and with the right technique doormats are possible even in relatively shallow water.
Before I dive into specifics so anglers know how the regulations came to fruition, I must first preface this by stating whenever there is a fisheries meeting and it ends with all parties not totally happy, it’s a sign of success because one interest group didn’t take over another. Usually that means the fish won. I believe that is the case with New Jersey’s 2022 Fluke Fishing Regulations. If anyone got the short end of the stick it is the doormat hunters. But read on and I will explain why this cut while not mandatory very well could help the fluke fishery in the years to come.
Preferred Option 1 was determined before the meeting by the Fluke Advisory Board and presented with their top five options (see below) which were cut and created out of originally 19 options. These 19 options are listed at the bottom of this post.
Here’s the Fluke Advisory Board Top 5 Options
But Preferred Option 1 did not fit what the majority of the public preferred. Through public comment there was strong support for Option 2. The extended 149 days season gave both early season and late season fishing to fill the demands of both North Jersey and South Jersey interests. In years past this was always a point of contention.
Just like in striped bass and maybe even more so with summer flounder, sound biological analysis has raised awareness for a slot limit. Let’s take a look.
The Biology Of Fluke
Summer flounder are fast growing and most are mature by the age of two. A two year old summer flounder is approximately 15-16″. As they age male fluke top out at about 20″ (~6 years old) and can get as large as 24″ in their relatively short 12-14 year life span. Female fluke grow much larger, 36″. A four year old female is about 20″ and by six years old is pushing 23-24″. A ten year old female is a 27-30″ doormat. Depending on their size females have between 450,000 and 4 million eggs.
Data Chart by Morson et al. 2017
Management’s reliance on increased minimum size limits as a strategy has resulted in approximately 90% of the recent recreational landings being large female fish. And a large portion of the stock (both male and female) is hammered through catch and release mortality all season long. See the chart above for details.
2019 data detailing recreational dead discard and harvest by length for summer flounder
Anglers can fish big hooks, big baits and use best handling practices but still it can be tough to reduce mortality on smaller fluke, < 16″. Between 2011-2020 approximately 89% of summer flounder caught recreationally were estimated to be released, with a 10% assumed discard mortality rate applied. But, there is a way to take advantage of those fluke that fall in the dead discard column (and go against us). Why not use it if we are going to loose it anyway? Rather than putting those 17″ fish in the dead discard, give the general anglers the ability to retain for the table.
And that is exactly what the overwhelming majority of public comment spoke in favor of… A Slot Limit.
Recap
Tonight’s (4/7/22) NJ Marine Fisheries Council April 2022 Meeting was a very cooperative state fisheries meeting. Starting at 5pm and ending at 9pm, it was a long one but packed with public comment and most importantly board members with open ears. Due to tech issues Chairmen Herb was lost but the meeting went on strong. I can’t recall another meeting where the public comment re-shaped the preferred options and final regulations. It was a special time and a true testament to the current board members of the NJ Marine Fisheries Council. They dedicated time and listened to each and every public comment. And more over took action. I commend the board, the advisors and the public who attended on a job well done!
Levi Bonnice and son with a pair of ice fluke caught fishing aboard Fish Head Charters in the summer of 2021.
The 19 Original Options…
These were the 19 original options that were given to the NJ Summer Flounder Advisory Committee. With lots of discussion and debate they whittled it down, modified and settled on five which were shown above.
Spring has arrived in Beach Haven although low temperatures and gusty winds might suggest otherwise. The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are putting the finishing touches on their boats and fishing gear for the upcoming fishing season.
Captain Dave Wittenborn has already splashed the “Benita J,” and additional BHCFA captains have their boats mere days away from the water.
There is much to be done for a charter captain in preparation for a busy season on the water. Besides readying the vessel, fishing gear must be examined and upgraded where needed. Licenses and inspections are always front and center chores. Safety equipment and accommodations for angler comfort are regular concerns.
Lining up mates for the year can be a daunting task at times, but the development of the BHCFA Junior Mates Program has been a tremendous help in producing competent mates.
Bookings have already been made although final regulations for species such as summer flounder and black sea bass are not set. The rules concerning season dates, minimum sizes, and daily bag limits will be finalized soon.
The early fishing story has been a positive one as the first month of the inshore striped bass fishery has been a good one. More fish have been taken already than in previous recent years including a surprising number of keeper fish. As water temperatures continue to rise, this fishery will only get better.
April and May have been good months in recent years to fish for stripers and black drum in the bay waters near Long Beach Island. As summer nears, many of these fish will move into the ocean to join up with migrating striped bass for some strong late spring action.
Anglers looking to get in on some of this early action as well as preferred fishing dates later in the season are advised to reserve slots now. Many of the prime fishing opportunities fill up quickly as warm weather arrives.
Complete information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association and its member boats and captains can be found on the internet at www.BHCFA.org
Attention Saltwater Anglers! Now’s the time to join the Village Harbour Fishing Club. This month’s meeting is Friday April 8th at the Bay Ave Community Center (775 E Bay Ave, Stafford Township, NJ 08050). Doors open at 7:30pm.
Prospective new members should attend.
Captain Steve Purul of Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters is the guest speaker.
If that wasn’t enough it’s Pizza Night! Hope to see you there.
Captain Steve Purul of Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters is already into productive spring fishing in the first days of April. Attend the VHFC’s Meeting April 8th to learn from this great Barnegat Bay based captain.
About The VHFC
The Village Harbour Fishing Club, Inc. (VHFC) was started in 1989 as a non-profit organization to bring together those anglers wishing to further their knowledge of sportfishing in our area of the New Jersey shore. Whether it is bay or ocean fishing that boils your blood, the VHFC has members that will share your enthusiasm!
The VHFC supports the conservation of our precious fishing resources and the NJ Artificial Reef Program. VHFS strives to promote the best interests of recreational angling, and to establish sportsmanship and fellowship.
For more information about the VHFC attend the meeting and check out their website… vhfishingclub.com/
The recent cold snap really put the breaks on what was a great early spring start. Things already started to bounce back temperature wise and we expect the fishing to rebound too. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report for March 30, 2022.
Tautog opens on Friday April 1st for NJ’s saltwater anglers.
The bayside striped bass fishing has been nothing short of phenomenal. Great feedback has poured in just about all month long. The past week or two was the best of it with schoolie striped bass hungry and feeding on both bait (bloodworms) and lures (3-4″).
The crew from the shop has been getting out and finding fish both day and night. Frezza reports, “Numerous nights, the bass were piling on the pink Yozuri Mag Darter.” This should be a surprise as the Mag Darter is a proven fish catcher year in and year out.
Another great lure (which is new to the scene) that the bass are loving right now is the Nomad Vertex. I fell in love with this new lure when first fished a sample last fall. It’s hard not to love a lure that hooks up on the first cast with. Long story short is a Vertex aka Vibe is a rattle trap and rubber swim shad morphed together. They can be fished many different ways; burn it, straight crank, snap jig, stop and go, yo-yo, even slow and steady. A straight crank with an intermittent sweep is my most effective. This lure has sold like wild fire since its release and was a hit at the recent Saltwater Expo. We have a limited selection with more expected soon. Check one out today and keep an eye out for the next deliver.
Early season spots (backbay, creeks, rivers, sod bank points) are where you want to focus time but any day things will break on the surf. If you’ve looked at the surf maybe you say the bird activity. Some days it looked like armageddon. The recent stiff west winds had the gannets fired up and diving. Both bunker and herring are in the waters.
609-494-5739 
