The Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association held its annual fishing tournament recently for the youngsters who participated in this year’s Junior Mates Program. Five captains and boats of the Association volunteered their time to reward the junior mates with a day of competitive fishing.
Boats
fishing this year’s event included the “Pension Plan,” “Reel Determined,”
“Starfish,” “Hot Tuna,” “M & J,” and the “Insatiable.” There were many fish
caught altogether with 16 fish kept for the weigh-in. These fish consisted of
black sea bass and summer flounder. In third place on “Reel Determined” was
first year mate Matt with a 2.68-pound fluke.
Second place
was taken with a 2.78-pound fluke caught by Sam M. aboard the “Starfish. Taking
first place was a 3.44-pound fluke caught by second year junior mate Owen
aboard “Pension Plan.” The pool winner for the day was a 6.24-pound fluke
caught by guest Vikki Graham aboard the “Insatiable.” The fish measured over
25-inches.
On
regular fishing trips Captain Ray Lopez has been catching both fluke and black
sea bass well on the “Miss Liane.” Recent successful trips featuring nonstop
action on these bottom fish have included the Gibbons and McNally families.
Another trip Captain Ray had the Holdenfied family out for a 12-hour trolling
trip with mates Kieran and Max. The group enjoyed great weather and fishing
conditions with constant action throughout the entire day catching giant false
albacore, bonito and mahi-mahi.
The next
few weeks look like good ones for fishing in the Beach Haven area. A month
remains in the summer flounder season with the best fluke fishing of the season
traditionally in September. In addition, the inshore trolling action for
mackerel, bonito, and bluefish continues to amaze all.
Additional information on the Beach Haven
Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org.
I just spent the last six days in a row on the water, five of them at Barnegat Ridge, and it was a blast. Big bonita, up to six pounds, spanish mackerel, 18 to 24 inches, and false albacore, everything from midgets to jumbos. Every once in a while we are also adding king mackerel and mahi mahi to the catch. We even had a four foot houndfish crash one of our cedar plugs yesterday. We took a few pics and released it. The mix of species on the Ridge offers great sport and delicious eats! Mostly on the high speed troll but we are mixing in some spinning tackle to keep it light and fun. Little squid chains and cedar plugs are doing well for us.
Capt Nick DeGennaro and Andrew Bergamo with a houndfish
If conditions are not right to go to the Ridge, we are catching two to four foot sharks only 4 miles offshore. This is a catch and release fishery. These fish tear line off of heavy spinning outfits. Mostly Atlantic sharpnose, spinners, blacktips, and an occasional bigger dusky shark. A few pics alongside the boat with you in the background and off he goes.
If the weather isn’t good for going out the inlet at all, we are catching a mixed bag right in the bay. Fluke, blowfish, weakfish, sand sharks, and an assortment of other species. Not a lot of weakfish, but we’re catching a few.
If it’s really nice, like 5 to 10 knots of wind and calm seas, we can go tuna hunting. Most likely in the 40 to 60 mile range. Lots of choices!
Open Boat to Barnegat Ridge Thursday August 22, 10AM to 4PM $150 person. Open Boat Tuna or Barnegat Ridge Saturday August 24 and Sunday August 25. If it’s Mid Range Tuna, we”ll sail 4AM to 4PM, $350 person. If it’s Barnegat Ridge, we”ll sail 7AM to 2PM, $175 person. It will depend on the weather and how many people want to do one or the other. All of the Open Boat trip dates are available for your own private charter, as well. All Open Boat trips are limited to four passengers and all fish are shared. You can call right up until “go time”!
Saturday 8/17 – I had Brian, his wife AnnMarie, and daughter Courtney from Columbus, NJ out for a 5hr ocean fluke trip. We worked several wrecks and pieces of structure and found a ton of life everywhere with fish feeding at every spot. The trio lost count but caught well over 30 short fluke that were all in the 17” range. We had to weave through the aggressive shorts that kept biting but were able to pick up 3 nice keepers in the 20-22” range and well as a very nice 3lb sea bass to add to the mix. They did a great job jigging, catching at least 5 shorts each drift. We also caught a first for me today which was a fluke who had its eyes and mouth on the same side as that of a winter flounder. Great job today and we look forward to having you guys back out in the fall for striped bass!
Sunday 8/18 – I had David and his 8yr old son Desi from Manhattan, NY out for a 5hr fluke trip. We started working the same areas as the day prior but could not find the same life and action which I believe was due to a decent size ground swell out there that we did not have the day before. The drift conditions were very poor so we had to work extra hard to catch some fish. This was their first time jigging for fluke and they managed to catch 25 shorts as well as 3 keepers, 19-21”, to take home for dinner. Desi really wanted to see a cutlassfish and we ended up catching one midway through the trip. He is a very smart kid and all he wanted to do was learn everything that he could while he was out there. He enjoyed measuring every single fish and helped to tie the boat up as well. He watched me tie up one cleat then was able to do the other one all by himself with no questions asked. He has a great fishing career ahead of him and we hope to be able to get you guys on some striped bass in the fall!
This coming week, I have Sunday 8/25 still available for charter. We are getting in to our peak fluke season and I only expect fishing to keep getting better until the end of the season. If you are interested in getting out please give us a call 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
TGIF! Here’s the work week recap fishing report for Friday August 16, 2019.
The windy weather and occasional storm days this past weeks had things churned up. Anglers picked and chose their trips carefully, stayed on course and productive fishing prevailed. Fish Head’s customers and store staffers have enjoyed some time on the water. Here’s some intel from how they made out this week.
The waters of Long Beach Island offer great fishing opportunities for anglers of all sorts. The variety of species is excellent; blowfish, bluefish, bonita, cobia, fluke, kingfish, mahi, sea bass, sheepshead, spanish mackerel, striped bass, tog, triggerfish, weakfish. I gotta be missing a couple!
The inlet, surf and bay have good fishing for land based anglers. We shared one great report earlier in the week from fishaholic Jeff Crabtree. As always Jeff is dialed in… Monday he checked in a 10# sheepshead and then Wednesday a 7# tog.
Another solid report came in from Mark Macmillan of Ridley, PA. Mark stopped in on Thursday after a fun session and shared, “I caught a variety of fish today. Fishing the Inlet and surf. All together some short fluke, a number of bluefish up to 20″ and two kingfish.”
Also on Thursday a customer brought in a small fish which he caught on the Ship Bottom bayside. He was curious and looking for an identification. Right away we knew it was a baby cobia and advised there is a 40″ minimum size. The fish was illegal. All anglers… know the laws! If you don’t know what you have take a photo and throw it back!
In the bay clamming and crabbing is good. We’ve got the essentials and the hard to find tools and accessories. Stop on by for clamming rakes, bushel baskets, traps, nets and much more!
Dante from Magictail Lures reported an awesome day on the water recently with his dad. He reported, “I got the sheephead itch after Captain Brian Williams showed me a few tricks. I wanted to put it to use in my local waters. Using the Magictail Back Bay Tog Jigs tipped off with crab and it was game on fishing the sod banks. We caught a nice 15# blackdrum, 8 sheephead and a couple tog.
Store staffer Jay reported lots of blowfish in the bay. He tried for triggers and got one.
Store staffer Pat reported the bluefish and striped bass are feeding on the baby bunker in the bay. “The juvenile bunker are growing in size. Most nights the game fish find them and it’s on. The resident striped bass are teeing off on them. Surprisingly the bluefish are ranging in good size from small snappers to almost 7-8 pounds.
The ocean fishing is heating up and I have 2 spots available for a 5hr ocean trip on Sunday August 18. The trip will be from 6-11 for fluke and sea bass. The fair is $120 per person. Please call or text Captain Mike to reserve your spots. 609-709-7264
Saturday 8/10 – I fished the New Level Clothing Fluke Tournament to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project with Jess and my father. We worked a countless amount of areas trying to find some nice size keepers but it was very hard. We had our chance with a very nice fish that my dad had but it broke off under the boat before we had a shot with the net. We ended the day with 2 keepers, releasing one hoping for good karma for a bigger fish. We also had well over 40 shorts. There was definitely no lack of action, but the keepers did not want to cooperate for us. We had a great time fishing for a great cause. We were also greeted with a cutlassfish on the first drop. We have been catching them every trip recently.
Sunday 8/11- I ran an open boat trip due to a cancellation. I had Walt from Doylsetown, PA as well as Paul and his two daughters Alyson and Holly from PA out for a 5hr ocean trip. We started working the same areas as the day before and immediately put a keeper on the boat on the first drift. We picked at a few shorts but the action was not as steady as the previous day. At the end of the trip we made some very short drifts and found some new life. I stayed out later to make a few more drifts and it paid off with a nice 3.5lb fish. We ended the trip catching close to 20 shorts as well as 2 keepers, which were caught by both of the girls. They did a great job and we look forward to seeing you in the fall for striped bass!
This coming weekend I still have Sunday 8/18 available for charter. If it does not fill up I will be running another open boat trip. If you are interested in getting out please give us a call 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
The dog days of summer fishing can be tough but recent reports are good. The Barnegat Bay and Inlet as well as the Long Beach Island Surf are good places to look for fun summer fishing. The inshore, mid-shore and offshore game is strong. Here’s the Fishing LBI fishing report update for Sunday August 11, 2019.
The Long Beach Island Bayside Fishing Report
Blowfishing is still good in Barnegat Bay. Some nice size fish that are prefect for the table. Very few reports from the Manahawkin Bay and Great Bay but we can only assume there are some present.
The local groms fishing the Island’s bayside reported snappers and weakfish this weekend. One of the high hookers, Grey is consistently into weakfish. Just about every night he is catching a bunch in the lights. There’s small striped bass showing too. Fishing small plastics and bucktails is the ticket.
At the Barnegat Inlet rocks anglers reported slow fluke fishing this weekend but other species were present to “take up the slack”. Josh and Anthony from Staten Island reported, “With fluking slow for us and only a couple small blues at the Inlet and we targeted tog with crabs.” They both caught nice size keeper fish. The duo mentioned there’s a lot of small bait around. Expect the tog action to contiue right into fall when better size fish show up and dominate.
Steve from Monroe, NY stopped in this Saturday evening and reported catching two triggerfish at the Inlet rocks. There should also be sheepshead there too.
Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Report
The kingfish action along the surf has been good. Thursday and Friday were slow due to a slight chill to the water. A minor upwell occurred from the southerly blow Wednesday night. However, the light winds and long period groundswell helped let the sun warm things up Saturday and Sunday. Today (Sunday) we heard from one customer there were Spanish Mackerel on the mid-Island surf chasing bait. He caught on small metal. Another customer reported small blues, spike weakfish and two fluke on the North End surf.
Inshore/Mid-Shore Fishing Report
The inshore and mid-shore waters off of Long Beach Island are very productive. From fluke to sea bass to bonita and mackerel.
August is the right time to look towards bottom fishing the reefs and wrecks targeting fluke, sea bass and tog. Anglers putting in time on the reefs (Axel to Garden State South) are getting fluke and sea bass. The open bottom areas in close proximity to the reef sites are also holding fluke.
Captain Jeff Davis aboard Let It Fly Charter (25′ Parker Sport Cabin P: 6093771299) reported the fluke fishing was good today outside of Barnegat Inlet. He said it was a beautiful day on the water fill with with good weather and great fishing. Give him a call to go fish!
Eli Haegele fished today aboard the Doughknot and did good fluke fishing. He said, “Lots of shorts mixed with a ton of sea bass and sea robins. You have to pick your way through to find the keeper fluke.”
The mid-shore game around the Barnegat Ridge has been good all summer. Fun filled fishing with small pelagic species including Kingfish, Bonito, False Albacore and Mahi Mahi. Guys trolling with feathers and spoons are catching.
Nick DeGennaro stopped in this weekend and geared up with some things. He went out and reported lots of life outside of BI. “We trolled around and had a bunch of readings…ended up banging on the fish… mahi, spanish mackerel, false albacore, bonita and king mackerel. Cedar plugs, daisy chains, and live peanuts. It was a good day!”
Ryan Warford was out in the ocean trolling and working the bottom. He reported, “Two bonita, two kingfish, and four man limit of sea bass and ling.”
Bluewater Fishing Off Of The Jersey Shore
Small boats rejoice! The mid-shore bluefin tuna bite continues on. This summer the action has been outstanding and doesn’t seem to be stopping. Mustad Moonriser and Nomad Streaker jigs are the ticket. While we are just about sold out right now we expect more soon. Gotta love when a company decides to move their warehouse, not only in the middle of the season but during a red hot bite! Early this morning the bite was good at the Princess but the boat traffic slowed things up by 8am. We heard of a smoking all out jig bite on Thursday and Friday. Saturday it was slow. Once customer shared he put a Ronz down and it did the trick! You’ll be surprised what a softbait can do!
Store staffer Pat was out today and got into a good bite on yellowfin tuna out at the canyons. They went five for five on yellowfin and reported lots of life at the Hudson. Pat said, “The bite was not stellar, most people said they didn’t catch. We found a nice stretch of water with tons of life and worked it.”
Upcoming Fluke Tournament
The JCAA Fluke Tournament (second one of the summer) is August 16, 17 and 18th. The new format fluke tournament from JCAA is a unique one. You may fish only one of the dates so you can pick the day you prefer. It’s a three fish tournament but a prize will be offered for the largest fish too. Click here for more details.
Due to a last minute cancellation I am running an open boat trip on Sunday 8/11. The trip will be from 6am-11am, targeting fluke and sea bass in the ocean. The price is $120 per person which includes all tackle, bait, and ice. Please call or text Captain Mike to reserve your spot. (609)-709-7264
Saturday 8/3 – I had Ed and his son and son in laws Bruce, Brian, and Henry out for a 6hr ocean fluke/sea bass trip. This was their first time jigging for fluke and they caught on very quick. The group was able to catch 25 short fluke which were all mainly 16-17.5”. We tried working several different areas but the keepers did not want to cooperate for us, but a great time was still had by all!
Sunday 8/4- I had Jay and Melissa out with their 7 year old son Justin for a 5hr ocean fluke/sea bass trip. Justin wasted no time putting a nice keeper sea bass in the box on his first drop followed by another keeper sea bass right after that. They also caught a dozen short fluke and sea bass as well. We had to end the trip a few hours early due to an unforeseen circumstance, but for only making a couple drifts, they were able to put a keeper fluke and 2 keeper sea bass in the box in quick time. We definitely left the fish biting. Great job today Justin! We look forward to seeing you guys out in the fall for a striped bass trip!
Saturday 8/10, we are fishing two fluke tournaments, the New Level Fluke Tournament to benefit the Wounded Warrior Foundation as well as the Holiday Beach Club Fluke Tournament. We have August 11th and 18th available if anyone is interested in getting out on the water. We are starting to get into the peak of our fluke season so now is the time to get out there and catch a doormat!
If you are interested in getting out please give us a call 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
Fish Head Greg is out of town but the fish are definitely not. Fishing on all fronts is pretty hot right now.
I’ve been hitting the fluke pretty hard and I’ve been able to find a limit every time. This week I fished down south and caught a limit to 20″ in Little Egg Inlet. Out front with some friends yesterday we boated a limit+ (ORL) to 5 pounds. Gulp and bucktails are the ticket for me, however the boat that won the tournament was dragging bait and had some bigger fish up to 7 pounds. Fluke are being caught daily from the jetty and beaches as well.
Customers have been dropping in and reporting king mackeral up to 30″ north and south of the inlet 15-20 miles. There are Mahi in the area as well.
Store Staffer Michael Frezza went offshore with Captain Dan Rossetto this week on the Sushi Grade. They had both an over and an under bluefin. Both fish were caught on a Moonriser 150.
There have been reports of both keeper and short blackfish at the jetty, with the occasional trigger fish mixed in. The shop will have green crabs in stock tomorrow.
