LBI NJ Fishing Report – LBI Surf Fishing, Barnegat Bay & Inlet

Today Thursday June 18th is National Go Fishing Day! It’s officially in the calendar but in our bok everyday is Go Fishing Day!!! Let’s grab a rod, hit the water and enjoy! Be sure to take some photos and send them our way!

Here’s the Fishermans Headquarters Fishing Report Update for Thursday June 18, 2020

Surf Fishing Report

Recent reports from the surf are themes around blues, fluke and kingfish. But some black drum and striped bass are around. As expected, the latter, are beginning to fade as expected at this time o the season. If looking to get after a linesider or two… don’t delay.

Our mullet man Jimmy shared a positive surf fishing report today, “Blues on bunker and black drum on clam.” It’s was great to hear about good size drum from the surf.

Still some striped bass roaming the suds. Today Trevor Jones was enjoying the beach fishing with the family today. He caught a nice keeper slot size striped bass.

Here’s a quick look at the Long Beach Island surf this morning before it cleared up and turned into a beautiful day.

Fluke Fishing

The fluke fishing around Long Beach Island is good. Reports from the surf, inlet and bay are all promising.

From the surf Steve at Night Strikes Surf casting Guide Service reported fluke fishing continues. He was out enjoying the afternoon today fishing the surf right into sunset.

Sam Forlenza stopped in the shop and picked up some bucktails. He reported back today he caught this 26″ fluke on one fishing Barnegat Bay this morning.

Grey Colston fished Barnegat Bay this afternoon and reported both fluke and blues fishing bucktails with live minnows. Another bay fluke report came from shop Ambassador Swagmattic. He reported a great afternoon in the kayak, “Lots of fluke but only one fish close to keeper size.”

The newest Fish Heads Team Member Jared Grady made the trek up and out east earlier this week. Here’s his report rom his trip. “Non-stop action aboard the Miss Montauk. Landed well over 30 fish, two came in over 5 pounds and this beauty that measured just under 29”. Bounced around between 8.6-9 pounds. My new Shogun rod paired with my 3k Shimano Stradic loaded with 15lb Cortland Master Braid handled this beast with ease. Had another dozen fish that just missed the mark between 18-19” that would have made the cut back home. This fish took a 3oz Salmon Magictail Squid Hoochie which was the key. It outproduced all other baits/rigs by a lot! It was awesome seeing all the heads turned and questioning as I pulled in fish after fish on light tackle. Everyone else was using 12oz of lead dragging bottom. If you haven’t fluke fished Montauk I highly recommend it. Almost makes me not want to fish Jersey anymore!”

Sea Bass Fishing

Sea Bass fishing continues on 10 fish at 12.5″ until June 22nd. At that time it will close until July 1st when it opens at 2 Fish 12.5″.

Jeremy Muermann went out to the sea bass grounds and found some nice fish. He caught his new personal best sea bass as well as some ling, winter flounder, cod and tog.

Tuna Fishing

Recent reports have been few and far between due to the recent weather conditions. The three day blow kept most boats tied up at the dock. Finally things have settled down and the weather looks to serve a couple days of fair seas and conditions. So far this early part of the season has been full of solid reports. Loads of bluefin tuna reports with lots of false albacore (some big ones) in the mix too.

Seems like it picked up right where things left of last year. Anglers on the troll are catching pulling natural baits (BALLYHOO!) as well as bars to create a commotion. Both the Chatter Side Tracker Bars and Chatter Floating Squid Splash Bars continue to be studs. Also on the jigging front, theres piles of sand eels on the mid-shore grounds. The same smoker is still hot… The Nomad Streaker Jigs are a best in breed slender sand eel jig that bluefin tuna can not resist.

The only report we heard today was from shop regular Joe Franckowiak. He did a quick trip after the weather cleared up today. He reported seven false albcore in the two hours session. He’s heading back out in the morning.

Captain Cody from Jersey Nuts Sportfishing stopped in the shop today to pick up some premium Baitmaster Ballyhoo. We are stocked up but there’s no telling how long these baits will be in stock for. If you need baits… NOW IS THE TIME TO GET THEM!!!

While at the shop Captain Cody gave us heads up that the Jersey Nuts has been on the fish offshore, “Fishing started out good this season. The last trip we battled the weather but got out and got the job done quick. We caught eight solid big eye tuna and five yellowfin. The coolers and boxes were packed early so the meat wagon headed in.” Any one looking to get out to the offshore tuna grounds should give Captain Cody at Jersey Nuts Sportfishing a text message at 609-354-2734

Summer is almost in full swing and we are fishing!

When the ocean allows (not often lately), we are targeting sea bass with drop and reel action.  Bay fluke fishing has been very good so far this year. We are finding fish as shallow as 2 feet of water.  All fluke trips have brought back multiple keepers with consistent action. We had 5 nice keepers on Saturday and 3 keeps on Sunday, including a 28″ and 25″!  We found a couple locations out of the wind, and worked our bucktails and Gulp!.  Quality fish in the back bay!

We have weekday dates in the upcoming weeks available. We will work the bay for fluke and come July 1st, back to sea bass/fluke combo trips. All tackle, bait, rods, and ice is provided.

Like us on Facebook and come out and catch with us.

~ Captain Kevin Schmidt
www.oldbarneycharters.com
Call: 267-918-1746

Lots of action this weekend!

We ran a double on Saturday. Saturday 6/13 AM we had new clients Patrick and his wife Jen, along with their sons Patrick, Nathan, and Ben from King of Prussia, PA out for a 4hr bay fluke trip. The conditions were tough as the weatherman botched the whole forecast for the day. The crew fished hard with the tough conditions and caught close to 20 fluke with 2 keepers 19” and 21”. Nathan and Ben were new captains in training and ran the boat back to the dock for us. Great job today guys and we look forward to fishing with you in the future!

Saturday 6/13 PM we had new clients Sammy, Ash, Hesh, and Mac all originally from Egypt but now living in Lansdale, PA out for a 5hr sea bass trip. The weatherman was still wrong and the ocean never got nicer in the afternoon. It was a tough bite with very tough conditions but the guys fished hard and filled a cooler full of sea bass just a few shy of their limit! It was Mac’s first time in the ocean and with poor conditions he did great contributing to the cooler!

Sunday 6/14 The fluke were chewing today! We had Brit and Fred out with their father big Fred for a 5hr fluke trip as an early Father’s Day present. Once again the weather forecast was wrong and the wind was turned on as soon as we left the dock. We worked some areas somewhat protected by the wind and caught 50 fluke! We had to weed through a ton of shorts to find 2 keepers at 18.5” and 21” but it was non stop action the entire trip. Happy Father’s Day Fred!

We still have some dates available in July, but August is filling fast 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

www.nolimitssportfishingllc.com/

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Been keeping a low profile lately with the COVID19 thing but been getting out doing well on bass from 26″-36″ on fresh and live bunker I’m catching out front and bringing on home to the back, son!

Capt Alex
Lighthouse Sportfishing
LBI Ecotours

The story remains the same so this report update will be short and sweet. Long Beach Island has a lot to offer those who want to get outdoors and enjoy the water. Crabbing, clamming and fishing are all great. Get out there!!! Here’s the Fishing LBI Fishing Report Update for Sunday June 14, 2020.

The bluefish action continued into the weekend with an abundance of smaller sized fish. There’s some larger ones but few and far between. Nothing in the double digit range that we’ve heard about.

Kingfish, Striped bass, black drum and fluke were all caught off of the LBI surf this weekend. One customer reported 47 kingfish Saturday! Another angler reported catching more than a handful and said, “Two were bit in half.” With the warming surf temps the sharks have arrived.

Rick Zane reported, “Finally this week the LBI surf has broke and stayed above the 60 degree mark. Even after the southerly blow. It was 61 degrees on Saturday. I caught a couple short bass recently but can’t find a keeper.’

Threshers have made their presence know for a couple weeks. More recently the sand tigers with bite offs. Sandbars will show soon if not already.

Fluke fishing is strong with anglers catching in the open areas of the bays, main channels and out front. Yup! We already got an ocean fluke report. Expect this to improve over the coming weeks. Here’s Ryan DeGennaro with a pair of nice fluke he caught with his dad Chris on Saturday.

The midshore tuna fishing game is on! Get out there!!!

The offshore tuna fishing game is on! Get out there!!!

Fishing is lit up right now. 
Saturday and Sunday we had 30 to 40 pound stripers on the snag and drop in tight to the beach….really tight. Most are bigger than the slot but we are also catching 8 to 20 lb bass close to home for the cooler. Some 2 to 5 lb blues in the mix on light spinning tackle, as well. 
On Monday we ran Mid Range Tuna and we went 9 for 9 on 20 to 35 pound bluefins plus a big false albacore. We had them all on the troll but we scaled down to 20 class outfits to enjoy the ride.
On Tuesday Capt Nick DeGennaro ran the boat to the tuna grounds and after a hitless morning from 7AM to 11AM, they bagged a pair of 44 inch 50 pounders. His first time running the boat solo for tuna and he stayed in the same area we had them the day before, resisting the urge to jump around to greener pastures and it paid off. 
The tuna are just 20 to 30 miles from our inlet right now. It’s so awesome when that happens. They are feeding on sandeels and squid. The Chatter Side Tracker Bars are dominating the spread but we also caught on cedar plugs, small feathers, and traditional spreader bars.
We will be sailing Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, June 13, 14, and 15 for Tuna and Stripers. 
Call for details.

Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

Here on the downside of the early June moon approaching the last quarter, the Long Beach Island area has a lot to offer. There’s something for everyone; enjoying the beaches fishing with toes in the sand, drifting the waters of Barnegat Bay, big game fishing the midshore / offshore waters.

The recent stretch of good weather allowed everyone to get out and wet a line. Nearly all feedback had a similar good theme. Everyone stretched out their fishing lines tight with fish. At the time of this post the wind is blowing out of the south. A cold front will cross our are tonight and another on Friday. Then high pressure takes over for the weekends. We are looking forward to a great weekend of saltwater fishing the LBI region.

Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Thursday June 11, 2020.

LBI Surf Fishing

Right now anglers enjoy the beaches of LBI soaking bait and casting lures with a target of bluefish, striped bass, fluke and kingfish. This past week could have been the apex of the Long Beach Island striped bass fishing for the 2020 spring run. With that said there’s still lots more action to be had however we expect a trend down. It’s safe to say at this point the spring run was one of the best if not the best spring run in the past five years, possible the past decade. If you still want a piece of the action fish bunker chunks off the surf.

The bluefish action continues in the Inlet and on the beaches. Yesterday Jim Crane fished with his nephew Miles Nippes and they caught some fish.

Fluke fishing on the surf is strong and reports of quality catches are common. Store staffer Jared got a 20″ fluke off the surf a day or two ago. He reported, “Sloane’s fish made mine look small.”

Kingfish are becoming more abundant on the surf. Live bloodworms are best for them but the artificial offering can get the job done.

Jamie Gramley reported catching from the beach. “I caught a 21″ fluke, 37” black drum and some blues as well as some sharks.

Midshore/Offshore Fishing

It’s great to all the positive reports from the inshore, midshore and offshore waters. Big game anglers gear up and prepare all year for the action to heat up. Well… it’s game time! It you are looking to get out and have yet to check off your list we are here to help.

This past week the bluefin tuna fishing exploded with an abundance of fish and a great stretch of weather. Everyone got out even the small boats and had a blast. Great reports from the Resor to the AP to the Glory Hole with anglers catching on the troll and jig. It shouldn’t be a surprise once again Nomad and Chatter are the key products putting fish on the deck. We currently have a selection in stock (there’s holes) and anticipate more arriving next week.

Further offshore fishing some good reports came in from local anglers. Shop regular Dan Latoof fished out in the deep and caught a blue marlin on a big bally. Fish was 112″ about 500 lbs.

The crew aboard the Reel Innovation went to the edge and caught some good ones. Jeff reported, “We had some bigeyes eating right off the transom.” The crew went 3-5 on eyeballs and also had a handful of bluefin tuna.

After a great day on Monday catching a bunch of bluefin tuna Jeff Thummel fished again for a second strike mission with the Kulinki bros. They ran out for a two hour tuna trip and had a great quick morning session.

Not only is the tuna fishing good… there’s big tilefish coming up. Some anglers got into big tilefish on recent trips. Here’s Ryan Schramm with a big golden tilefish. He reported a good tilefish trip aboard the Mud Duck.

Store staffer Willie caught a monster blueline (grey tilefish). This could have been a contender for Mark Milici’s 23-lb 4-oz NJ State Record which was weighed in at Fish Heads back in 2015.

Limits of sea bass and bluefin this past weekend!

Saturday 6/6 we had new clients Matt, Joe, and Sean from Pemberton, who are also fellow firefighters, out for a 6hr sea bass trip. Our first spot started out great but died fast. The fish were very finicky due to the full moon. They were all full of eggs and spawning. We jumped around a little bit and got them feeding good. They easily boxed their limit along with a nice ling as a bonus. Great job fishing hard today guys and we look forward to striped bass fishing with you in the fall!

Sunday 6/7 we had our friends and return clients Mike and Jay along with Suzy and Troy out for what was supposed to be a sea bass trip. We had a late start and didn’t leave the dock until after 10 to let the wind calm down a bit. Thanks to a phone call from our good friend, we made a last minute decision to change it up and look for bluefin that were within a couple miles of where we have been wreck fishing. We were the furthest thing from being prepared, but we set out a few rods and had a knockdown within 15 minutes. We circled back around and were able to catch 3 nice bluefin as fast as the guys could reel them in and set the rods back out. We boxed our limit of unders and went on the hunt for an over but the bite shut down quick. It was a very exciting day as everyone was able to get their first tuna, and very close to home as well!

We are booked through the closing of sea bass season (June 22), but could fit some afternoon trips in if anyone is looking to fill their freezers with these tasty fish. We have some weekend dates available throughout the summer as well as weekday afternoons available. There are many options of species to fish for right now including fluke, sea bass, bluefish, and blowfish. Also if the bluefin stay close we will try and make some trips out there if the weather and availability allows us to. 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

www.nolimitssportfishingllc.com/

Early June is a great time for inshore, offshore and land based fishing in the Long Beach Island area. There’s so much going on it’s hard to choose which species to target. The abundance of life in the local waters is great to see. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update For Sunday June 7, 2020.

This last week was a good one. In hind sight, things really got going on and after the late May moon (new moon on 5/22). The late May north east blow fired things up and it kept going right into June. The early June moon did not disappoint. Now on the downside of the moon it wanes but the fishing remains strong. If you are looking for a classy fish do not waste any time! They are here but will not stick around forever. Go Fish!

LBI Surf Fishing Report

The surf fishing on LBI really kicked into high gear after the late May blow and kept up right into now. The reports continue to flow in strong. Al of them solidify this spring season as one of the best in the last decade. And it’s not over!

Here’s a look at the mid-Island surf this afternoon at low tide.

Now let’s dive into some fishing reports from the Long Beach Island surf…

Sloane Endick puts in time and it shows with her rewards. Like always she was dialed on Saturday and got a double. First she shared a photo of a nice surf side striped bass and reported, “The bass were more hungry than the fluke today.” She then went back out and an afternoon fluke session and caught a good one. A four pounder to be exact. She stopped by the shop to get an official weight and it broke four pounds by a couple hundredths o a pound on our digital. A four pound fluke off the surf is a very impressive fish!

Andrea Morris of Lancaster PA is enjoying her time on LBI fishing with her dad. While in the shop Saturday evening gearing up for a night chunking session she shared, “Got a big bluefish on the bayside a couple days ago.”

Dog Fish King Rick Hyers stopped in for a bag of fresh bunker and a new bunker chunking rod Saturday evening. While in the shop he shared, “Friday night I caught a 28″ and a 32″ striped bass on the beach.”

Brandon P. reported good fishing on the mid Island surf this week with bunker, “Got three fish over 36″ and one at 41″.”

Kyle Quillen tagged us in a photo post, “Bunker pods everywhere with an active whale. I caught three blues.”

All week large schools of bunker were found along the entire stretch of LBI. While they were not all actively boiling with striped bass, some were.

Bluefish action continued this weekend again off the surf, inlet and bay.

Barnegat Bay Fishing Report

The bay offers good fluke fishing, blowfish, bluefish, crabbing and clamming. The deep “back bay” is productive. Store staffer Steve reports the fishing fishing is good. He has been fishing the same area for a couple weeks and routinely pulling nice keepers. On his last trip he got a 24″ fluke. Another angler fishing in the same general area (Southern Barnegat Bay) got a 23″ on Saturday.

Striped Bass Fishing Out Of BI

The striped bass fishing out of Barnegat Inlet is good and has been for a couple weeks. This should not be a surprise because late May and early June is the very best time for striped bass fishing in the area each and every season. Get out and get into the action now while the fishing is hot.

Here a great recent catch… Fisher Coulston (12 years old) caught and released this 53 pound striped bass on Thursday. All on his own and all on gear/tackle from Fishermans Headquarters. “It was an epic day with no other boats around. Just bunker and a big bass.” ~ Frank Coulson aboard the Hard Four

Other anglers are catching live lining as well as trolling

Offshore Fishing

This month will be full of good shark fishing and tuna fishing. Gear up and get out there on the weather windows for big game fishing. Reports from the 30-40 line are good.

Recent bluefin tuna chewing on the troll and jig. Here’s one good one from the mid-shore grounds today by “Flagpole” Jim Kuhl. Inshore slobs!

A few reports of blue sharks from anglers looking for makos. A number of thresher sharks reported from right along the beach out 30 miles.