Beach Haven Charter Fishing Report Update Sept 6, 2018
~ Jim Hutchinson Sr.
Labor Day weekend at the New Jersey shore is pretty much the traditional end of summer, but it certainly does not mean the end of summer fishing for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Association. Rather, the captains are experiencing some of the best fluke fishing of the year as they fish out the final weeks of the fluke season.
To celebrate Labor Day weekend, the Senker Family and AVH Demolition jumped onboard the “Miss Liane” with Captain Ray Lopez for an offshore charter. By mid morning, the Senker’s son reeled in a 50 pound plus bluefin tuna. The bite didn’t as the eager anglers caught 5 mahi-mahi also. Another day the Crotty family joined Captain Ray for a day of fishing off Barnegat Light doing some bottom fishing. Throughout the day 8 year old Conor caught a keeper fluke for his family and along with numerous black sea bass.
On the boat “Starfish” with Captain Carl Sheppard and mate Marlyn Graham there has been some good fishing for bonita within 2 miles of the beach. They trolled their favorite lures at different depths to score on bonita ranging from 6-8 pounds. The fish have been swimming in with the snapper bluefish along with the mackerel. The water is warm enough for the wildcards from the south.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.bhcfa.net.
The variety of fish in and outside the inlet continues to be amazing. For example, my last inlet / inshore trip was a short one. However short, in three hours we managed to land a dozen and a half blues on Mag Darters and BKDs and then loaded the big guns, catching and releasing 2 brown sharks that were 5 foot +. You can see the action on my YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7WFzpCldtQ&t=7s Remember to subscribe to my channel so you will be alerted instantly to my new fishing video. I plan on doing many more this fall. Southern speedsters are around, but you have to alert and put some time into finding them. Here is a pic of my bud Dave Werner with a very nice Spanish Mackerel. BTW, Spanish macs are top shelf sashimi 🙂
Give me a call if you want to go chase down some speedsters or tackle the brute force of our local sharks that are just “off the beach”
Labor Day Weekend Fishing Report for Long Beach Island and Surrounding Waters
Time flies when you are having fun and this summer madness is coming to an end. We can’t believe it’s already here… Labor Day Weekend. Students are bumming for back to school but anglers are stoked for the fall fishing ahead. The past couple of days have really felt like fall with cool nights and a north east wind. Before we know it the mullet will make a move and the run will be on!
4×4 Beach Buggy Anglers Rejoice!
September means Holgate beach access is open. The Holgate Unit of Edwin B Forsythe opened as scheduled on September 1st. John Parzych said the beach is good. “Everything is good down here in Holgate. The ramp is solid and beach conditions are great.” Currently there’s some beautiful water and some of the best looking structure in recent years. As of yesterday, the entire stretch of beach isn’t open. Around about marker 10 there’s a big orange “keep out” sign, no access beyond this point. Word on the street… there’s a couple black skimmer nests. Unfortunate the local Holgate minks found them and are eating the eggs. The feds are out there checking and once clear the entire stretch will be open.
John P reported, “I put some time in and got some short fluke and snapper blues. Nothing great but finding fish. I tried for kingfish but nothing.”
Rob Vallone was down on the south end. He shared, “There was a handful of trucks out there enjoying the day. I got 14 shorts and one 20″ keeper. Also got 10 blues too.”
Bayside Fishing
Long time customer and soon to be neighbors (moving to Ship Bottom) Vince reports, “Great back bay action this week! I found good action on the mid-Island bayside via kayak. Fishing the grass banks and bayside structures with light tackle I caught blackfish and triggerfish. I also lost a really nice drum about 15+ pounds. Snappers are chewing left and right.”
The snappers and blowfish continue to rule the bay. These two offer lots of fun for anglers and the latter provides great table fare. The bay still holds fluke and a new addition… weakfish. These are showing in better numbers.
Still some keeper fluke in the bay! George Snyder stopped in today to re-up on tackle. He said, “The past couple days I went through more Gulp! that I have all summer long. The blowfish are thick. We fought through them and fortunately managed five keeper fluke.
Fluke Fishing
The end of the 2018 Fluke season is quickly approaching with only 20 days left (Sept 22nd). While that’s the bad news, the good news is the bite is good! Recent reports are great with sizeable fluke coming over the rail. Larger baits reigned supreme to weeding out the shorts are getting the good ones. Gulp! baits in the 5-6.5″ range are best; Grubs, Swim Mullets and Nemesis. Magictail Bucktails Squid Hoochies tipped with Gulp are outproducing almost irresistible to fluke.
Store staffer Dave was out on the reef today. He reported, “Got about 50 fish. The bite was on. Only got three keepers, largest was a 25″ 6.5 pounds. Got it on a Tsunami Holo Teaser tipped off with Gulp! We also had super small albies on a small metal, Deadly Dick. These are great for strip baits!”
Inshore Fishing
Maybe bottom fishing does not entertain. That’s ok because there’s lots of other inshore fishing. If trolling or casting lures is more of your things… There’s TONS of bluefish up to 5 pounds are littered just off the beaches. Mixed in with the toothy critters are some tasty Bonita and multiple species of mackerel. Even mahi mahi are in the local waters. Numerous reports from the Barnegat Ridge.
These species can be targeted cast and retrieve with a 3/4oz to 2oz metal. The slender choices such as the Kastmaster XL and the Deadly Dick are best. When not schooled up, the most effective way to catch the mixed bag of pelagics is to troll. The most popular lures for trolling these guys is small spoons. We just restocked with Clark Spoons and LB Huntington Drone Spoons. Whether trolled behind a small planer board or behind a 4-8 ounce drail, the possibilities are endless to what you might hook into.
Inshore and closer to shore/rocks… tog, sheepshead, triggerfish and black drum are still here. Most are tucked up into the cracks and crevices on the Barnegat Light Jetty rocks, but there are other areas holding these fish on the south end and mid-Island bayside. Anglers targeting these species are fishing crabs rigged up on a single or double hook rig and also on specifically designed heavy hook short shank jig heads like the Magictail Tog Jigs. Rigging a crab on a Magictail Tog Jig is a sure-fire way to catch anything lurking in the jetty rocks.
Rumor has it some pompano are around too!
Also more and more reports of cobia!
Shark Fishing
The near shore and from shore shark fishing continues to be red hot off the oceanside beaches and bay side sod banks. Brown sharks and sand tigers have offered line pulling fun all summer long. Now with the surf temperatures at their warmest (78 degrees this afternoon), new characters are making their presence known. These black tips and spinners guys are getting the bunker pods frothy! Some days they were on top corralling and feeding.
We have rigs ready to rock for both anglers that are casting and paddling out. Gear up and get into the hardest fighting fish out there!
Those going up must know the law! Brown sharks and sand tigers are both species that are prohibited to be possessed. These species are not allowed to be landed and must be released. Do so in a safe and responsible manner. Be careful! We got news a surf angler needed lots of stitches after getting too close.
One customer in the shop yesterday geared up and had some fun. He stopped back in today and reported, “Seven brown sharks last night. All on the surf with live eels. Lost one good fish. Heading back tonight to try to find that one.”
Offshore Fishing
Offshore fishing continues to be good with fish on the troll, chunk, jig and pop. The main canyons (numerous reports out of the Hudson) have produced very good marlin action. Customers in the store reported both white marlin and blue marlin are here in good numbers. One boat released 18 whites on their last trip and said that other boats did better.
Sonny Shepanski shared this quick story while at the shop. “Last trip out we hooked up a small fish and handed the rod to a kid on aboard. Turns out to be a mahi. As it gets close to the boat we get ready to sling it in. Before we know it a big blue marlin explodes and the rod goes screaming! It grey hounds two times and spits the hook. It was an epic take!”
Fish Head alumni Mike Kelly had a really good recent trip with 24 white marlin releases but no luck on tuna. The action was crazy! At time there were 6-10 whites in the spread. The new Penn VI Series International reels performed flawlessly.
Bluefin and yellowfin are on the chew. Seems like the bluefin are cruising the 20-40 fathom areas. The yellowbird are hanging a little further off. The Yo-Zuri Hydro Poppers and the new Daiwa Mebachi Poppers are crushing tuna on top. Be sure to get out there and experience some of the best tuna fishing we have had in recent years. There’s still prime time fishing approaching.
Here’s Ryan DeGraw with a beautiful tuna he recently got.
Justin Swanson got into some good mahi mahi action aboard the Just N Tyme.
Lost & Found
From Paul Haertel, “Please post to your page… Friend was fishing Barnegat Inlet today and pulled up a spear gun in good condition. If anyone lost one an can identify it he will give it back to the owner.”
It’s been quite awhile since I posted a report on FHQ as I just haven’t had much time do to fishing nearly everyday. Our Facebook page (Reel Reaction Sportfishing) does have up-to-date reports daily, if you “Like” it – you’ll get them.
Fishing has been “on-fire” in the ocean and the bay/inlet for Summer Flounder aka Fluke. In the ocean, we have been fishing a variety of structure and sometimes with few boaters around to put 5 to 10 keepers per trip in the box. Most of the action has been on bucktail and big Gulp baits. In the bay, it’s been more of a live or fresh bait kind of bite. But we are still boxing 3 to 4 keepers per bay/inlet trips. The last few trips have been averaging at least one big fish from 5 to 8 pounds.
I have started booking Striped Bass trips for October and November, and we are participating again this year in the NJ Striped Bass Bonus Permit which allows one 24-inch to 27.99in bass per person to be harvested until the tags run out.
I have minimal openings through the end of the Fluke season and if interested, I would highly recommend ocean trips for these. Since I’m back at school I can run weekdays 230 to 730pm or weekends.
If interested in booking a charter, book our site (reelreactioncharters.com) or call/text 609-290-7709. As always, we use the highest quality gear and everything is included: gear, tackle, fish-cleaning, and ICE! It’s “no worries” fishing. Just come aboard and FISH.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks. Did not have time to post any reports. Been booked every day and the weather cooperated to let us keep running. Fished Barnegat Ridge mostly for king mackerel, bonita, spanish mackerel, and mahi.
The forecasted sea conditions look good for offshore fishing. Looking to run to the tuna grounds on Monday (Labor Day) and either run back there again or fish Barnegat Ridge on Tues, Sept 4.
Monday trip leaves at 2AM and returns around 4PM (usually later). $350 person, 4 people max.
Tuesday trip leaves at either 2AM if we run back to the tuna grounds or 6AM if we run to Barnegat Ridge. The Ridge trip returns at 1PM and is $175 person, 4 people max.
All fish are shared. You can call right up until our departure time to reserve a space.
The boat is also available for your private charter on these two days.
Pic: Hi Flier Capt. Nick DeGennaro with a nice little bull mahi that he pulled off of a floating crate on Monday.
Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association Fishing Report Update August 30, 2018
by Jim Hutchinson Sr.
As summer in Beach Haven nears its end, the inshore fluke action is reaching its peak for the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. The fish are large and plentiful around almost any type of structure in the ocean. The season will continue until September 22.
Captain John Lewis on the “Insatiable” reports weather, clients and fish all came together for a busy and successful week. Every trip produced keeper fluke, many of which were 20-23 inches long, and plenty of shorts to keep everyone occupied. Additionally, there were a lot of small sharks to make it exciting.
Captain Jimmy Zavacky got in on some of the torrid fluke action recently on the “Reel Determined” with the Arnold group. He and fellow BHCFA Captain Ray Lopez helped the group fight some rough seas to boat 10 keeper fluke along with some black sea bass and a bluefish. Another day the Robertson crew also managed 10 keeper fluke for a great day on the water.
Captain Ray Lopez had the Rietmann family out on the “Miss Liane” for a day of non-stop trolling experiencing knockdowns every few minutes. The crew returned to shore with 7 nice mahi. Another day the Andrew Simon charter combined some trolling with bottom fishing. They picked up a few fish on the troll along with some fluke.
The Junior Mates of the BHCFA had a large role in the recent 3rd Annual Fluke-A-Mania tournament benefitting the fight against cystic fibrosis. Several association boats were filled with junior mates fishing in the event, and the teens later assisted at the awards ceremony and even cleaning the fish. Three BHCFA mates swept the junior angler division with Tyler Spicer first, Max Goldman second and Aiden Hunsberger third. Association boats “Reel Determined,” “Miss Liane” and “Insatiable” along some mates’ family boats participated.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.com.
Sorry for the lack of reports, I have been busy and fluke fishing has been good recently. All of our trips have been full of action with several trips producing quality keepers as well. Some trips we saw lots of shorts but the keepers did not want to cooperate and bite. Saturday we had a tough go with finding keepers due to all the boat traffic from several tournaments going on and trying to find wrecks that weren’t plugged with boats with the short time frame that we had to fish.
This past weekend I had Tom, Kevin, and John from Manahawkin out on a 4 hr Fluke trip. It was their first time jigging for fluke and they were able to catch and release over 30 shorts up to 17″. They fished hard and we had steady action the entire trip but the keepers just didn’t want to cooperate. The keepers will bite next time guys!
There are only a few more weeks left to our fluke season and as the bite keeps heating up now is the time to get in on the action before the season closes. Lots of quality fish are being caught. I still have some dates available in September. Call or text Captain Mike to get in on the action! (609)-709-7264
If variety is the spice of life, then the Debbie M was around 500,000 Scoville Heat Units (the scale used to measure the spiciness/heat of peppers) this past week! My clients got into fluke and 1-5 lb. blues early in the week, then Saturday was an “off the beach” shark trip. Sunday, I put Joe T’s group on sharks; bonito; and blues. Talk about variety, and that’s my specialty. Fluke are everywhere. Still, good numbers of them in the early season haunts, around the inlet, as well as around inshore structures. The inlet continues to be ground zero for summer bluefish with a splash of schoolie bass at times. The blues have been holding here because there is an abundance of sandeels and bay anchovies. Been like that all summer. Question: if a bay anchovy swims into the ocean isn’t it really an ocean anchovy? Know what I’m saying?
So, about that Saturday shark trip. The DeCicco clan went 2 for about 10. It was one of those days. End result was a 6 to 7 ft. Dusky and a 5 ft. + brown. We had a spinner shark on for three jumps, or should I say spins? Very cool to see a 5 ft. shark jump out of the water. And only about a mile and a half off the beach I might say. Speaking of shark’s jumping……during Sunday’s trip we witnessed sharks jumping out of the water several times as they actively worked over schools of bunker. It was a Nat Geo moment indeed seeing the sharks feeding. After landing 1 nice brown shark, we went on the troll a few miles off the beach. Trolling yielded 2 nice sushi grade bonito. We finished the trip with a couple of blues on poppers and BKDs at the inlet.
I’m now booking fall striper trips. Shoot me an e-mail or text, or call me if you want me to pencil you have a date you want.
Spanish Mackerel ,Atlantic Bonito [ [ both excellent raw/sashimi or cooked] and even Mahi have invaded our inshore waters for some exciting site casting opportunities for those looking for a short ride to the pelagics , Now is the Time!!! Cobia have also joined the ranks but unfortunately we have yet to get one to bite. How long will this action last is anyone’s guess but it is an amazing time of year to be out on the brine to see “what else can I catch”? These trips keep Captain and angler at the “ready” for a quick casting opputunity for a well placed presentation for the savvy angler or can also be be scored on the troll.
Last years inshore albie bite was nothing short of world class with our anglers skills and tackle being testing regularly. These tackle testing dragsters are a light tackle enthusiastic dream ! Will this year provide even more excitement ? Hold tight and let’s hope!!
Bluefish , striped bass and fluke continue to provide staedy action are also ready to answer the call to “what else can we catch” but do require a bit of couching to lesser experienced angler.
Blowfish and a interesting assortment of other species provide “guppy” [kids] involvement and family fun.
Late summer is a great time to fish Long Beach Island and the Central Jersey Coast. Whether drifting the bay, walking the surf or looking deep offshore, there’s no better time to go saltwater fishing. Introduce family and friends to the sport with an experience that can’t be beat!
Currently the abundance and variety of species is mind boggling. It’s keeping ichthyologist on their toes.
Land Based Fishing
Anglers with boots on the ground, fishing the waters of Long Beach Island in the summer usually target fluke, bluefish, weakfish, striped bass and kingfish. All of these game fish are currently here, with so many more.
Anthony Smith stopped in the shop again (see Aug 15th report) with a great catch. The Jetty Jockey slammed them again… triggerfish, black drum and sheepshead! He had two black drum both about 10 pounds, an 8 pound sheepshead as well as some good size triggerfish. He also caught a couple of short tog. Anthony report, “I got a big weakfish and a couple fat kingfish of the surf last time out.”
Other land based anglers fishing the Barnegat Inlet are catching bluefish, fluke and resident striped bass.
On the surf anglers are catching fluke, kingfish and blues.
Ocean Fluke Fishing
Late summer is the best time ocean fluke fishing. When the drift is good the fishing is good too. Some reports are good while some are spotty.
Joe Medica reported a great day on the water Friday, “18.5, 21 and a 25 inch 5 pounder. We also had a ton of throwbacks.”
The crew from the Jen-Jen stopped in. They fished the Garden State North and had six keeper fluke as well as some keeper sea bass. They reported, “We had wind against tide. Power drifting made it happen!”
Talk in the shop over the weekend was buzzing about a good bite at the Garden State South and Little Egg Reef. There was talk about boat limits from both reef sites.
Here’s a photo of shop regular Bob Long with a pool winner. Bob took the trip north to the Land Of Doormat aka Nantucket and was rewarded with solid two days of fishing.
In The Bay
Blowfish action continues in the bay. Anglers reported struggling due to the weekend boat traffic but still caught. Snappers and small fluke add to the action.
Crabbing was good last week but slowed into the weekend. We expect it to pick up again as we come down off the full moon. Traditionally crabbing can be difficult near the full moon as crabs do not eat as much. The summertime moons are their shedding and mating time. Year’s biggest softies!
Shark Fishing
The shark fishing is on fire. Both in the bay and the ocean brown sharks offer anglers lots of catch and release fun. Other sharks are here in good numbers too. Sand tigers, black tip, spinners and threshers are being caught.
Mark Temme was wrestling thresher sharks on his stand up paddle board. He went 0 for 7 snag and drop fishing Sunday.
Inshore & Mid Shore Fishing
Bonita, mahi, mackerel (spanish, chum, king), cobia, pilot fish, banded rudders and almaco jacks are near. Anglers are catching trolling, chunking and casting lures to hook up.
Here’s store staffer Kelley with a bonita he caught on a Deadly Dick Lure.
Store staffer Dave was out on the water Saturday morning and got a nice cobia not far off LBI. It went for a live eel. Dave and crew also caught one small mahi about 5 pounds, some fluke and sea bass.
The bounty of bones are giving up awesome light tackle fun. This insane inshore fishery continues on. An abundance of bonita and chub mackerel are found from the beach all the way out to 15+ miles.
The mid range tuna grounds are producing. Both yellowfin and bluefin tuna are 30-50 miles off. Boats are trolling and chunking are hooking up but jig and pop techniques have outproduced. Quality mahi reports from the tuna boats too.
Brian William got this tuna on a popper fishing with Shore Catch.
Offshore Fishing
The big eye bite in the deep light up! Steve Fernandez on the Five Seas reports, “We had a biomass of bigeyes eating buffet style behind the boat for three miles. It was a fairy tale trip. We caught about forty big eyes on this trip alone, 75% were released.
The Reel Innovations was in on the bite and also smoke the big eyes.
The crew aboard the Reel Fishers went two for two on marlin and two for two on yellowfin. “Not excellent fishing but we worked hard and put together a catch.”
