I hope everyone had a great 4th of July Holiday with your family and friends and the weather was just perfect to top it off. Prior to the weekend I had the pleasure of meeting and fishing with just some fantastic people all with a passion for Surfcasting the beaches of LBI and we did have fun catching some fish during our trips. Today 7/6/20 AM ~ nice surf variety this morning feeding ~ Fluke,Snapper Blues and now Northern KingFish in the mix . Also still an Abundance of Bunker pods drifting South just over the sand bar close enough to where you could smell them 😉. Great Morning Tides this week – water temps into the 70’s ~~ South Breeze coming up the beach /Water. Coolest place in Jersey #LBI > Contact Me for available days/dates. Call Steve George Nightstrikes Surfcasting Guide Service LLC 609-276-6983
Is there anything better than Beach Fishing and Having Success Northern Kingfish in the Surf Fluke Fishing picking right back up after I left them last week
Sunday June 28th we fished the Triple Wrecks. It was lights out fishing with epics feeds going on. We had 6-7 whales, 2 tone dolphins, Bluefin tuna, small brown sharks, and birds all feeding on sand eels. We threw poppers and baits at them and we were hooked up instantly catching 6 on spinning gear. After the top water action subsided we set out the spread with Chatter Lure Side Trackers, daisy chains, and Joe Shutes rigged with ballyhoo. Caught 4 more. We kept are 2 unders but couldn’t find the over.
We set up for sharking after about two hours and had a 5 ft mako to the boat. We hooked up with it and it put on a show jumping twice. The clients were happy to get in on that kinda of action. We were able to remove the hook and safely release.
If you’re looking to fish the mid-shore tuna/shark grounds give me a call 609-276-8032. Trips are $450 pp up to 4 people max.
While we are into a new month, not a lot has changed. We’ll keep this short and sweet… the great fishing continues on Long Beach Island. As reported in the last fishing report update, the water temperatures are warm and stable. This stability helps with the consistency of the fishing. For the most part we’ve had consistent tranquil weather for a couple weeks and it looks to stay that way. Keep an eye out for a two day southerly blow Tuesday/ Wednesday.
Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report for the 4th Of July Holiday Weekend.
Fluke Fishing Report
Fluke fishing is strong. As one would expect for this time of the year, all areas (bay, inlet, surf, ocean) are fishy. I would have to say the bayside has slowed up a little this past week but it’s got A LOT more to offer. The ocean fluke fishing this week has more than made up for the slow week in the bay. The ocean fishing has been nothing less than stellar when you are in the right place, at the right time and using the right stuff with the right application technique. Shop Ambassador Swagmattic has been on the ocean fluke grounds all week and has good catches to show. His photos and reports hopefully get your blood pumping.
Looking for a jumbo? Fish Head Alumni got a double digit fluke fishing some structure in the ocean this past week. Now’s the time! Get out there.
LBI Surf Fishing Report
On the surf there’s a variety to target. The summer times species have taken up resilience… kingfish, fluke, small blues, resident bass and the larger summertimes hoodlums… sharks and rays. Sand bar sharks, sand tigers, rough tail rays, butterfly rays and cow nose rays.
No matter which one you go for it could be a struggle finding some beach to fish. The island is jumping and the beaches are packed. Sunrise and sunset is the best time to fish for bass and blues with lures or bait. Night time is also an option. During the day kingfish and fluke can offer great fishing fun.
Steve George from Night Strikes Surfcasting Guide Service shares some great information…” Fluke fishing on the surf is good and spread out all along the beaches of LBI. The Inlet, north end, mid island and southern beaches are all producing nice fluke. Small resident bass were out along the surf line this past week feeding on mole crabs during their shed. Some of the mornings were good. These bass are also feeding on sand eels which are abundant in the local LBI waters right now. Cocktail and taylor size bluefish continue to cause havoc. The bunker pods which are still around and in strong numbers. Have a great weekend! Happy 4th of July everyone!”
Sloane Endick is having a great year fluke fishing. So far this season she has found some quality summer flounder.
Midshore/Offshore Fishing Report
The offshore and mid-shore fishing for yellowfin and bluefin tuna has been off the chain! It continues thanks to good sea conditions and life filled productive waters. Store staffer Jay reports, “The tuna fishing mid-shore was very good yesterday. Good size 50 class yellowfin with bluefin mixed in. All on side trackers and daisy chains. There’s a ton of life out there. Heard of some wahoo showing up too.”
Here’s Nick DeGennaro from Hi Flier Sportfishing with a tuna that went for a Nomad DTX plug on the troll. These lures have been smoking hot the past three to four years. Finally the cat is out of the bag! Be on the look out as we expect a restocking order next week. They will go fast!
Areas like Chicken Canyon, Triple Wrecks (and east of there), Lemke’s, the Claw, and the Fingers have fish. Further offshore the Spencer and Lindy have produced for a couple days.
Sharking is firing up with reports of makos, threshers and blacktips sharks.
Fish Head Charters
I’ve been out on the water just about every morning or afternoon for the past two weeks. During this time I’ve witnessed first hand the transition from spring fishing into summer. 4th of July holiday weekend is here and summer is in full swing.
Literally tons of blues around all week in the small to 4 pound range. BUT there also some larger ones. Here is a 15 pound gator that we caught on a recent trip with the Neuhoff family.
The striped bass had come down in size as did the bluefish too. The fluke in the bay slowed up for me but the ocean picked up the slack. Some bonita and spanish mackerel showed up near shore. Further off I’m expecting mahi and king mackerel reports to fire up!
Here in the final stretch of June the fishing opportunities on and around Long Beach Island are plentiful. Bluefish are snapping and the fluke fishing is rocking. Also offshore tuna are on the chew. Here’s the Fishing Report Update for Sunday June 28, 2020
Two key trends to take note of right now for near shore anglers. The ocean water temperatures have been somewhat stable for the past 3-4 days, hovering in the low 70’s. There’s an abundance of small slender baits. Spearing, bay anchovies and sand eels are the primary forage for the local striped bass and bluefish. Hatch The Hatch!
LBI Bay Waters Fishing Report
In the bay summer flounder (fluke) is the main target. They can be found in the back bay (mid-Island) and in the areas closer to the inlet. Anglers are doing good fishing Gulp as well as live and natural baits. At times certain areas have grass/weed/snot which makes things difficult. In these situations pay attention. Drifting and dreaming with balls of grass isn’t productive. Simply just a waste of time. Keep your rigs clean and you’ll find fish.
Vinnie Pena got out early before the boat traffic and worked the structure and edges. He reported, “Did a few quick drifts and put a 25″ and an 18″ fluke in the box. Back home by 9.”
Store staffer Grey Colston was out on the bay this morning fishing some channels and reported catching a bunch of fluke but only one keeper.
Here’s Rick from Surf City. On Saturday he was fishing with friend Ryan Haithcock aboard Fish Head Charters with Captain Greg Cudnik. They caught three keeper fluke, this one being the biggest at 5.75#.
With all the pressure anglers fishing live bait seem to be outproducing with classy fish. Most all of the fluke we have heard of over five pounds were caught on live bait.
In the bay, blowfish as well as other smaller “pan fish” critters are beginning to arrive. A couple kingfish and spot were recently reported by anglers fishing Fish Bites for blowfish. There’s also a few weakfish present.
James Walker had a good day today with blowfish in Barnegat Bay. He reported, “70 blowfish and 17 kingfish using squid in 6′ of water.”
Jeff Warford and Kelly Ann caught a bunch of blowfish today. Here’s one of many.
LBI Surf Fishing Report
Fluke and kingfish are the two most abundant species on the beach of LBI. Both are great fun to catch and even better table fare. Get out on the beach and catch a fresh fish dinner!
Sloane Endick is on fire this season. Here’s a quality set she recently caught off of the Long Beach Island surf.
Ryan Sherwood has been on the beach finding fish… he always does! Here’s his Sunday morning trip report, “Quick beach limit plus released another keepers this morning before the rain. The mid-Island surf has been good to me. I had one keeper yesterday and four today. I’m using a hi/lo rig and baiting up with white Gulp. Today was the best day I had on the beach so far.” Ryan said the bunker pods are still stacked up right off the beach, “They are thick but just out of casting range.” There’s striped bass, bluefish and sharks on them as well as the occasional show off dolphins and whales.
Here’s Ryan with a fluke limit off the LBI surf.
Kingfish on the surf chewing bloodworms and bloodworm alternatives. Rig up with a hi/lo small hook (size #2-#4) rig and bait up with Fish Bites, DynaBait or Live Bloods.
Yes there’s still striped bass around! Here’s Jim Hutchinson Jr with a nice striped bass he caught off of the surf this weekend fishing his new Penn Conflict Spinning Reel
The sharks and rays have around so keep an eye on your rods. They can be pulled down, out and into the water in a split second. Our suggestion is to get a Quality Sand Spike to better protect your investment.
Offshore/Mid-Shore Big Game Fishing
The Jersey Shore big game fishing season is in full swing! At times the tuna fishing has been lights out. Offshore reports at the Lindy-Carteret have been good. The midshore bluefin action at the Triple Wrecks (a bit east) has been red hot for days/weeks. The sharking is kicking into gear.
Brian Williams got one on his last trip out. He was in the shop today and is heading back to the tuna grounds.
Dan Rosetto was out on the Let ‘Em Run this weekend and reported great trip. “We went big eye hunting and had another epic trip. Going 3/4 on big eyes and four yellowfin. What a day with an amazing crew. We found them in the fog and mid day kept pounding them until they cam back up.”
Dewey Knapp geared up at the shop a few days ago and took the trek east. He had a good trip! Here’s one that went for a Chatter Side Tracker Spreader Bar!Store staffer Pat found some big eyes on a recent trip to the edge.Reel Innovation on another good trip. Here’s a photo of the meat wagon deck.
Some Great “Sunset Tides / & Open available Dates are setting up nicely for this upcoming week. Contact Me if you want to get out and have fun fishing the beaches of LBI ~ Long Beach Island NJ for some really nice Fluke/Summer Flounder off the beach. #LBI ~ Visit >Fishermen’s Headquarters ~ Ship Bottom NJ CALL Me @ 609-276-6983 Nightstrikes Surfcasting Guide Service LLC/ Steve George
We hope everyone had a great Father’s Day last weekend! We finished up our spring sea bass season last weekend and are now switching gears to primarily be targeting fluke.
Saturday 6/20, we had a last minute cancellation so we were able to get return client Sammy, back from last week, along with new clients Hazem and Moh, out for our last sea bass trip of the spring season. We had to jump around to a bunch of spots and weave through a ton of small fish, but were able to put a solid catch together. The guys fished hard and ended the trip just 2 fish short of their limit. Also, if you’ve never tried homemade Egyptians cookies, they are a must try!
Sunday was reserved for my father since I owe everything to him. For the first time ever, he opted out of fishing and we took the boat for both a lunch and dinner cruise to local restaurants instead.
With the spring sea bass season closed, we will primarily be targeting fluke. Right now fluking has been good in the bay. Once the ocean water temps warm up in July and sea bass opens back up to 2 per person, we will also be doing combo fluke/sea bass trips.
Dates are booking quick but we still have a few available throughout July and August, so BOOK NOW before it’s too late! We also have some weekday afternoons available to get out, fish, and relax after work. If you are interested in getting out please contact us to book your trip. Call or text Captain Mike to get out on the water or send us a message through our website! (609)-709-7264
I have been off the water since Father’s Day (6/21/2020) as our newest crew-member decided to come 3 weeks early. Jakob “Jake” Sawyer Taylor was born 7pounds 1oz and 20 inches long. We are all a little tired, but doing well. I will be back on the water 6/30/2020 and will continue doing 2-3 trips a day until September.
Our fluke fishing in the backwaters has been amazing with 6 to 10 keepers per trip coming with regularity and we have been catching on both vessels. The skiff is a little more conducive/productive as we can get into less pressured areas which have been “loaded” with keepers.
If interested in booking a charter, book through our site (reelreactioncharters.com) or call/text 609-290-7709. As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included: gear, bait, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE! It’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH. Capt. Brett Taylor ~ www.reelreactioncharters.com ~ Call or Text: 609-290-7709
Here coming off the late June new moon, the LBI waters are full of opportunity for anglers. Everything from fun fishing with toes in the sand to inshore light tackle fishing and even offshore big game fishing mid-shore and offshore. It’s a great time to be fishing Long Beach Island!
Here’s the LBI Fishing Repoirt Update for June 22, 2020
LBI Surf Fishing Report
Blues – Fluke – Kingfish – Striped Bass
Off the surf bluefish rule the roost. The reports flooding into the shop all have a similar theme. Bunker and mullet are producing bluefish from small size, through cocktails (1-4 pounds) and occasionally medium sized ones. These blues are a ton of fun on light tackle!
Kingfish and fluke are also present in good number. For kingfish you’ll want to rig up with small hooks and bait up with live bloodworms. A convenient and effective alternative is Fish Bites Bag O Worms. For fluke you can’t go wrong with a bucktail and Gulp!
Here’s a recent LBI surf fishing photo sent in by Jim Crane. He reported catching this 19.5″ fluke off of LBI’s mid-Island surf on Gulp.
There’s still striped bass cruising the LBI surf too. This one was reported on Sunday by Ryan Blemings, “I got this 24″ striped bass off of the LBI surf with Fish Heads fresh bunker.”
Here’s Ryan Blemings Sunday surf catch… a 24″ striped bass!
Barnegat Bay Fluke Fishing
Now’s a great time to target summer flounder in the Barnegat Bay and the thoroughfares. Today we got a nice photo from Rich Labor. He got a 6-lb 10-oz fluke today in the bay. Rich reported, “My buddy Sam and I caught 25 fluke with three keepers. Last fish of the day on the bucktail tipped with Gulp!“
Here’s Rich with a beautiful Barnegat Bay Fluke!
Inshore Fishing
Black Sea Bass fishing was the name of the game at the inshore structure as well as deeper waters. It was very god fishing for the past number of weeks. However today June 22 was the last day of the “Spring” Sea Bass Season. It is now closed until July 1st when it opens, 2 fish at 12.5″.
We expect the inshore/near shore fluke fishing to kick into high gear soon. It’s still slow with the cooler ocean water temperatures (61 degrees today). So far this season some fluke have been caught in the ocean but most all of the action is in the shallow water along the surf and in the bay.
Some big thresher sharks along the beaches and inshore waters. These whip tails are nothing new as these guys have made their precent know for a number of weeks now. They are active on the bunker pods just about daily.
Midshore/Offshore Fishing
The big game blue water fishing offshore has been on a solid run as of late! Thanks to Lake Atlantic like conditions, the mid-shore grounds 30-50 miles are producing for small boat anglers. Even areas as close in as the Barnegat Ridge and the AC Reef have had bluefin tuna. The primary areas such as the AP, Glory Hole, Chicken Canyon, Triple Wrecks, Resor as well as areas further south like the E. Cole and Lemkies all had fish in recent days. Some better than others. Gotta find the bait and the life!
Further offshore at the edge anglers are filling boxes with yellowfin and bigeye tuna. Closer to home the Spencer and Wilmy are holding a lot of fish and life! Reports from the Poorman’s was great with tons of Bigeyes and good size yellowfin. We got one report of some blue marlin, “Had 10 yellowfin hooked up and a 500lb blue ate 6 of them off!”
Mark Haley reported going 12 for 13 on bluefin.
Mike Schermerhorn reported, “First time on the tuna grounds! Thank you to Capt Jef Warford for all of the help and support!”
Sunday report from Jacob Bowles, “Absolutely lights out fishing today out east! Doubles and triple headers all morning long. Finished the day going 15/17 heading home with sore arms.”
The tuna fishing is the only thing going down out in the deep… “Just because the gyms are still closed doesn’t mean you cant curl 40’s and 50’s. Here Rob Pompilio with a pair of big golden tilefish.”
Rob Pompili caught these monsters golden tilefish bottom fishing the deep.
Report from Paul Haertel “Left at the crack of non and plowed through confused sea for 2.5 hours before arriving to the fishing groups. The seas eventually calmed down and we had another great mixed bag including two bluefin tuna, a false albacore, a cod, two blues, and a bunch of ling and sea bass.”
Fish Head Charters
It’s been a crazy year so far to say the least… super busy with great fishing! All spring was solid and now summer is off to a great start. Sorry I haven’t had the time to detail out specific charter trip reports. It surly wasn’t or the lack of catching.
Here’s one of many quality striped bass that were caught and released aboard Fish Head Charters this spring. This one checked in over 40 pounds on the boga grip (40-42# range).
Return client Levi Bonnice shared a report after our trip today. He’s on a 40 For 40 quest this year. Forty different species for his fortieth birthday year.
“What an awesome day on the water! Added two more species to the list and had some repeats. But not before catching my first ever saltwater fish on tje fly. Best part was watching a youngster get his first saltwater fish from the boat. Thanks Fish Heads!” Striped Bass, Bluefish and Fluke. We were just missing weakfish for the grand slam!
The 5th Annual South Jersey Fluke A Mania Fluke Fishing Tournament is this weekend! This family fun fluke fishing tournament hosted by the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Cash Prizes for Each Category – Men’s, Women’s, Intermediate & Children’s Categories.
Here’s Fish Heads Ambassador Swagmattic with a solid catch from earlier this week.
$125 Boat Entry Fee – 6 Anglers Per Boat.
Registerer at www.FlukeAMania.com
June 26th – Registration, June 27th – Fishing Day & Weigh In
Flukeamania Final Results
56 Boats 226 Anglers
Directors: Matt Garabedian, Brendan Graham, Weigh ins: Bob Percopo
Big congratulations to Capt Fran Verdi and the Crew of the Francesca Marie who fished hard in the ocean and walked away with a cool $3075! Also congrats to Denise Hart and Heidi Larson who caught the TWO HEAVIEST FLUKE of the tournament!
THANKYOU to all the Participants and volunteers that made this an outstanding event to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Even though we had many restrictions due to the pandemic, the fishing community came out in force! We are very appreciative of everyone’s efforts to fish this tournament during these difficult times.
Can’t wait till next year! We are planning to have the biggest and best Fluke-A-Mania yet! HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL NEXT YEAR!
It’s Prime Time to hook up with keeper size fluke (aka summer flounder) fishing the beaches of LBI. There’s an abundance of fish along the beaches and some days we are limiting out. Now’s the time to get your toes in the sand and catch this great summer time species.
*Open Surf Fluke Trip Dates Are Available Now Thru July 4th Weekend.*
Contact me for the best dates/tides. Call Steve George at 609-276-6983
Nightstrikes Surfcasting Guide Service LLC
Here’s Steve George with a recent limit catch of fluke of the LBI surf. Call Steve today to get in on the action.
