Ocean sea bass continues to provide consistent, immediate bent rods for us.  All trips have quickly caught their limit of nice sea bass and we will continue to target wrecks for these tasty biscuits.  After bending the rods we have been heading to the bay for fluke, working channel ledges, skinny water and deeper holes. Tides are key and outgoing bay water was pushing into the 80s this week with the heat, a bit too warm for the flatties to chew.  We had 1 keeper on the last 2 trips and over 50 shorts.  Lots of action but need the larger fish to feed.  Soon the fluke will be moving out into the ocean and we will target the sea bass and fluke around wrecks and snags.  Last year provided phenomenal ocean fluking for us and this year should be no different.  We are fishing 7 days a week.  Call, email, or text to book a trip.  All tackle, bait, rods, and ice provided. Just show up to fish, catch, and have a great time on the water.
Captain Kevin Schmidt
www.oldbarneycharters.com
267-918-1746

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable 4th of July Holiday!

The heat wave has been real! Finally we are getting a break with a cold front sweeping in tomorrow (Friday). It looks a little hairy with thunderstorms.  Onshore winds Saturday will give a nice ocean breeze and also put a building wind swell on the beach. The heat quickly sets back in with lots of sun after the weekend.

It’s great to see bait stacking up in the summer time haunts. Peanut bunker are in the lagoons and spearing are darting around the bay.

On the fishing front fluke is the main inshore species. Anglers are also working bluefish, weakfish and resident striped bass. The blues range from 1-3 pounds in the inlet and the bay is primarily filled with snappers.

Anglers are catching in the bay, inlet and ocean. We heard of good catches in Double Creek Channel on the north end as well as the Middle Grounds on the south end. Lots of customers are reporting an abundance of shorts with some finding quality.

Some areas of the bay have water temps in the mid 80’s. The ocean surf is in the mid to low 60’s. With these very warm bay temps some of the anglers are looking in the ocean. We have yet to hear stella reports. BUT!!! Any day the open bottom as well as the local reef sites should get good.

Carolyn Ann III Fishing Report

Here’s yesterday’s report from the Carolyn Ann III, “This morning was alot slower due to no drift at all. We were able to get a few nice fish.” Tuesday’s report was strong, “It was a good day on the CAIII today. A few real nice keeper fluke caught and some anglers caught a few sea bass. Everyone had a good time. There were a lot of  sea robins, skates and sharks made the trip active and very fun for the kids.”

BHMTC Fluke-A-Mania

Due to poor weather forecast this weekend, the The Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club’s Fluke-A-Mania fluke fishing tournament has been postponed. The new date is August 24-25th. These are prime dates for fire fluke fishing!!!

Offshore & Mid Shore Fishing

The bluewater fishing has been great! Both offshore and mid shore anglers are hammering tuna. So far it’s turning out to be one of the best tuna bites we’ve seen in a long time. The consistency and quality of the fish is one to remember for sure. Hearing positive report after positive report day in and day out is awesome.

While the edge is teeing off with yellowfin, the bluefin action is strong too.  Don’t overlook the mid-shore tuna grounds because there’s a lot to offer.  The waters are loaded with sandeels and tuna are feeding. Anglers are getting into top feeds as well as jig and troll and chunk.  Areas such as the Chicken Canyon and the Barcadi put out some very good fishing.

Ghetto Sharking

Local ghetto sharking is off the hook! Usually early July is just the beginnings. But this year’s very warm water temperatures (thanks to the heat wave) has the fishing primed and cranking!!!

Monday night I had Michael Nictakis and his son from Louisiana aboard Fish Head Charters for a four hour bay shark trip.  We pushed off the dock at sunset and before dark set in we were hooked up with a SCREAMER. It nearly spooled the Penn 20LD twice.  After the 20 minute tug of war the fish was boat side and turned out to be a monster 6.5′ sandbar shark.  The night turned out to be consistent, picking a couple more each hour. All smaller ones.

Tuesday night the Fish Head was back on it with store staffers Max and Kelley aboard. Almost the same story… minutes in a rod goes off. I pick it up, set the hook and instantly knew I was in for a ride. Ten minutes in I was down to half a spool and the fish wasn’t phased. The Penn SSVI Spinfisher Spinning reel (SSVI6500LL) did it’s job putting out 17 pounds of drag to help subdue the beast.   Turns out it was another bay monster with a bowling ball sizes mouth. This was bigger than Monday’s and possibly our biggest to date. Just short of 7′ with a thick head and shoulders. We estimate it was between 150-170 pounds… a definite a contender to John Norton’s currently retired NJ State Record 168lb 8oz sand bar shark from 1987.

We took off July 4th but are heading back out again tonight. I’m looking forward to fishing with Keith Dunton from Dunton Labs and Student Lauren from the Monmouth University. The goal is to stick some radio and spaghetti tags in fish. We are looking forward to working with his team and helping in the project this summer.

UPDATE: Check Out This Short Clip From Tagging With Dunton Labs 

Over the past 10-15 years it has been amazing to watching this once endanger species come back so strong. Some time ago we were super happy catching one or two a night with one big fish a season. The past couple of years on prime nights we are getting 6-12 bites a night.  Being a light tackle junkie, I think they are the best near shore bite. Nothing sends a hard set drag singing louder than a good size brownie.

As with any and all fishing, please know the regulations and respect the species.

Blue Claw Crabbing

Crabbing is good on the west side of the bay. Customers loading up on bunker for crab bait are having fun. Just a reminder, female terrapin turtles are active during the summers months. These critters frequently get into crab pots and drown. It’s law that any crab pots set in a body of water less than 150′ wide or any man made lagoon must be outfitted with a turtle excluder device. For those in need, this device orange (TED) is available here at Fish Heads. Due to their long history of decline, the terrapin is a very sensitive species of special concern, although not listed as an endangered species.

We are headed to the canyons to catch tuna. The bite is red hot and we have good intel on where to go. The boat is fueled, iced, and turn key ready to leave at 2AM tonight (Sunday), or technically tomorrow (Monday) morning. We have three guys signed up already and we take a maximum of four. $350 person, all fish are shared. Return around 4 or 5 PM on Monday. We have everything. Just bring whatever you want to eat and drink for the time we are out (14 to 15 hours). Wednesday’s canyon trip is sold out but we will be announcing more as we see nice weather windows coming up. As a result, these will be announced on short notice.

Flawless weather has everyone enjoying all of the best LBI and the Shore has to offer. Beat the heat and get on the water. Anyone looking to get in on the fishing fun but needs guidance… stop in for help. We outfit anglers and boats on a daily basis and are stoked with the positive feedback. Lots of customers are getting into great fishing fun. Join in!

Store staffer max got a big fluke on yesterday morning (Saturday). He fished with fellow worker and friend Dave. They got into some good fishing using Magic Tail Jigs and TS Floaters tipped with Gulp.

The BHMTC Inshore/Bay Tournament (Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club Vs Village Harbor Fishing Club) went down Saturday June 30th. Here’s the results… BHMTC won the showdown. Heaviest Flounder was a 4.36 pounder caught by Mark Parker aboard the ABC. Mark also caught the largest weakfish was 1.8 pounds.  The second biggest fish was 3.62 pounds that was caught by Tanner Johnson aboard the Shore Thing. The third largest fluke was Sweet Marlyn’s Brendan Graham who caught a 3.1 pounder. The largest bluefish was 13.16 pounds, caught by Chris Vohden aboard the Bad Buoy.

The warm weather and warm water means it’s shark time near/onshore, inshore/midshore and offshore. The recent shark tournaments have turned up some quality catches. Local anglers are getting in the fun too. Ryan Dellane was out and reported, “Great day shark fishing today with Brett Ekelmann. We ended the trip with a 6′ hammerhead shark and two little pup makos. All safely released.” A recent surf report came in from Vinnie Pena, “Hit the south end of LBI and went two for four. One brownie and one sand tiger which was about 8′.”

There’s a variety of shark species around from browns to sand tigers, makos to blue sharks as well as hammer heads and YES white sharks.  This weekend local Captain Mark Finelli was out fishing and his son Babe hooked a strong creature. Once boat side it turns out to be a baby white shark! It was promptly and safely dehooked and released. One of the best parts of fishing is enjoying the water with family and friends but also the excitement that you never know what you are going to catch.

Offshore bluewater fishing continues with productive waters on the midshore and offshore grounds. The weather has allows everyone (even small boats) to get out to the grounds and the reports are off the charts.

The yellowfin and bluefin bite is on with local boats putting up great numbers. Some are finding fish on top and having a blast casting lures. Here’s some reports…

Jeremy Gers reported, “Mahi, two mako, 15 tilefish, one white marlin release, 11 yellowfin up to 65lbs, five barrelfish and a grouper!”

Dan (@rosettostone) reported, “It’s a record year! Today (Saturday) we limited out on bluefin. It was another epic trip aboard the Linda Lee. We even got into action on spinning gear. The last two trips were the best fishing. I’m still stoked on a killer day… It’s not easy waking up at 1am to set offshore after work all week hunting these fish. It takes a lot of work and a lot more money.”

Captain Jeff aboard the Reel Innovation reported good action Saturday morning at the edge, “Nice yellowfin and white marlin!” First mate Dan D. shared, “We got covered up in nice size yellowfin tuna which made for a quick trip. Had six fish on at one time and landed five. Also raised and hooked up with a white marlin, so I got to leader my first whitie! We are heading back in the morning (Sunday) for an overnighter.” It’s great to see the crew’s hard work pay off.  Their last trip out earlier in the week, one engine went down about 100 miles out. They got things fixed and quickly are back in the game.

Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Fishing Report

June 28 Report Update

by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

As the Fourth of July draws near, fluke fishing for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association is domination the action.

Captain Gary Dugan of “Irish Jig” Sportfishing reports steady fishing on fluke with catches ranging from 15-25 with averages of 2-5 keepers. He plans to start fishing more in the ocean on local reef sites and lumps as the fish begin their migration from the bay to the ocean. He has been finding good numbers of big blackfish also, but they must be released as they are not yet in season.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction” has been fishing the bay waters hard for some big catches of fluke. There are many more throwbacks than keepers, but his anglers have been going home with enough keepers for fish dinner. He recently had Bill Dodd of Beach Haven West and his son-in-law Eric on a 4-hour bay and inlet fluke trip. They worked quite a few areas with the duo releasing 40 Fluke while keeping two nice 22 inchers for the table. The pink S&S Bigeye bucktail did the trick for the keepers. Another day he had Ellington “Duke” Smith of Delaware with his grandson Marcus and girlfriend Jasmine out in difficult weather conditions. The trio caught some 15 fish with four keepers to 28-inches weighing 8-pounds. On another trip Captain Brett caught some bluefish and short striped bass in the inlet.

Thursday, June 28 marked the first class of the Junior Mates Program administered by the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. Interested teenagers who missed the first session can see about still signing up by calling Captain John Lewis at 609-670-5980.

Additional information on the boats and activities of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.bhcfa.net

Here’s the Long Beach Island fishing report update for Thursday June 28, 2018.

With fluke, bluefish, weakfish and striped bass here now’s a great time to score a Barnegat Bay Slam or better yet Grand Slam! Light tackle anglers fishing the bay and Inlet find the variety but getting to ever base is no easy feat.

Small blues dominate the surf, with fluke and kingfish also in the mix. Some brown shark and sand tigers are present on the south end.

Fluke fishing is great in the bay as well as the north end beaches but keepers are hard to find. The jetties (few of them these days) are producing too.

The offshore and mid-shore fishing is strong. Out at the canyons the awesome yellowfin tuna bite continues. The strong bigeye bite has faded but we expect that is just due to the full moon. Hopefully they will turn back on soon.

Marty Anderson was just out aboard the Waterproof and had a great trip. He reported, “Lights out epic yellowfin bonanza! By 9am we caught out limit with 35+ yellowbirds. Night shark fishing was all hammers with no makos for us.”

Shark fishing started slow but has picked up. Anglers are catching both makos and threshers Finding a keeper with the new mako 83″ minimum size regulations is difficult.

Here’s a recent catch from our long time Penn fishing rep Jim O’Donnell. 467 pound monster thresher shark!

The 30-50 fathom midshore grounds have good size bluefin tuna. Some quality bluefin fishing went down with a few 70” plus fish caught. Anglers are trolling and getting fish on top water. The chunk and jig bite should tee off soon!

With a good stretch of weather coming this weekend we are looking forward to some great fishing.

ICAST 2018

ICAST is right around the corning! Stay tuned to our social media pages and this blog for some great fishing tackle news.

Here’s a photo of the all new Penn Spinfisher SSVI, the 6th generation Spinfisher spinning reel from Penn Reels. I’ve had the pleasure to field test this reel for the past three seasons. Nothing but great things to say.

The guys at Yo-Zuri America and factory direct from Japan have made numerous visits to Fish Heads in the past couple of years. While here they took notes and finally we see what they’ve been working on! We are stoked to see these new colors.

This year marks my 15th year as Barnegat Bay’s’ premier guide service. During my 15 years of guiding, I have been boarded by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) 3 times for safety checks. Two of the three times I have been boarded have been with the same charter, which is the Demareskis and it happened the other day. What are the odds of that? Kudos to the men and women serving in our USCG for everything they do! Off course, everything check out OK during the USCG safety check.

The Demareski’s have been coming out with me since 2007. During the first few years, Roger D came out with his three boys. Now he comes out with four. The youngest, Patrick 7 years old, was high hook today on fluke. The honking NW winds made conditions tough today and the bite was off but we caught a bunch of shorts and had lots of fun. The coolest thing we saw today was a gigantic sea robin chasing a 4-5” sundial to the surface in 10’ of water. The sundial lost that battle. We also caught a micro striper on a minnow. Some of the fluke are even eating their own kind (see picture). The inlet area is holding plenty of bass and blues but the dinner bell has been hard pin down. I have been finding small schools of the bunker just off the beach. And I mean just off the beach. They were on top of the bar just behind the breaking waves. Some of these bunker were only 10” long. Perfect sized baits for schoolie bass. I did snag and swim a few around the inlet. The blues loved them as did the small bass. With school out, I am available every day. Being a teacher and a Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs certified instructor I specialize in getting kids hooked on fishing.

Screaming drags,

Captain Alex 609-548-2511
Lighthouse Sportfishing

 

 

Just got back from Key West. Had my two boys, Nick, 19 and Max, 17 down there to catch their first permit. Found the best captain down there, Capt Jason Wells from Reel Easy Charters 305.906.2076. So impressed by this guy. Laid back, focused,….and persistent. The key to catching permit down there is to have crabs for bait. The whole island was sold out but he had a call out to a shop that was going to call us if any came in. We were already on the fishing grounds when the call came in and he had us reel in and motor back to get live crabs. Not too many guides would burn the fuel or put in the time to do this. It paid off as we caught four nice permit in the two hours after we returned to the grounds. We also had two big snook, a 17 and 18 pounder that Max and I took on live pinfish in the early morning out on a wreck in the Atlantic. I didn’t even know you could catch them there, I thought they were a backwater or near shoreline fish. We had some big mangrove snappers, yellowtails, barracuda, a black grouper, a bunch of Spanish mackerel and one good size king mackerel for the two days we spent with Capt Jason. Here’s Nick DeGennaro with his first permit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW4UyLwExXk and Max DeGennaro with his: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNrHwSdVOkY