After enjoying quality time with family on the beaches of OBX of North Carolina [our ritual Southern family sojourn] grilling, chilling, beach games and just taking a breather.
Anxious to get back out on my home waters unfortunately this past weeks weather was not “welcome back home” as I had hoped with thunderstorm threatening each day , robust SE winds and heavy down pours leaving the inshore waters grey, weedy and uninviting and midshore waters BIG!
As this week progressed the weather improved and with a few tide changes cleaning things up we are ready to get back out there!!
Prior to vacation our anglers were scoring a heavy dose of stripers [ 15-22″] , blues – [ 2-5lbs] and fluke – [ tons of action but you’ll have to weed through a lot of shorts to put some in the cooler] all while employing light spinning tackle.This is a teaching, coaching and all hands on style of fishing.
I have one spot available for Saturday morning 7am -11am , Saturday afternoon 1230 till [?] and Sunday morning available we’ll be mixing it up between the bay, inlet and surrounding inshore waters .
Inshore sharking is also available during this time of year for those looking for a bit sportier bigger quarry!
We have been hitting a lot of bay spots to catch 20 to 50 fish per trip with clients keeping 1 to 4 keepers for the table. It’s imperative that you keep your bucktail moving through the bite prior to setting the hook. It takes a few misses to get the hang of it! This past week I had from age 7 to 75 fishing for back-bay fluke and the 7yr old learned to bucktail catching 15 by himself!! Most of the keepers have been in ultra skinny water and sometimes we have to run over a few bars to get to the “good” areas.
We had a few notable catches this week from first time keeper Fluke for anglers to anglers learning how to bucktail. 12yr old Kathryn Viccaro smacked a 27inch, 7lb Fluke caught on a bucktail in 4-5 feet . Great job!!
I’m stacked with trips this week and next week, but I’m willing to run doubles on my single-booked days and triples on my double-booked days.
We are 7 days a week (morning/afternoon). If interested in booking a charter, book our site (www.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.
Here’s the fishing report update for Friday July 20th. The inshore, offshore and from shore summer time fishing continues.
Fishing Inshore
Fluke and sea bass is the main game inshore fishing wise. Fishing isn’t the best but anglers are catching. Some captains who know structure are putting catches together.
One of these is Captain Mark from Laura Sportfishing. He’s always on the meat. He’s get his crew’s on good bottom fishing. On a recent trip they boated a 23 lb cod.
Here’s a photo of Todd who fished with Capt Mark.
The Carolyn Ann III reports, “A slower bite the past two days with mostly shorts and sea robins.”
Fishing Offshore
The 49th Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational is five days away! More info posted below.
The 2018 offshore fishing season has been on fire and it continues on. With poor weather coming, today was the last good weather day. Those that got the day in really hit pay dirt! A quick look at social media and you’ll be jealous.
Captain Jeff aboard the Reel Innovation reported, “Trip of a lifetime! This one will be heard to beat… going 17 for 22 on bigeyes. We had to stop fishing due to shortage of storage. Big eye tuna were following us for two hours right under the boat as we mohawk them on jigs.” First mate Dan said, “The jig bite was unreal.”
Mike Kelly (store staff alumni and mate aboard the Canyon Runner) reports the tuna bite is on… The 60 maxed out the box with 9 big eyes and a bunch of yellowfin. The 48 caught 14 bigeyes!!! It’s the best it’s even been. Boats are knee deep in big eye tuna!
Fishing From Shore
Summertime surf fishing on LBI is mainly fluke and kingfish with the occasional small bluefish.
Taylor Mitchell from Barnegat caught this junior doormat this morning off the mid-island surf. He caught the 25.5″ 6.18 pound fluke on a bucktail with Gulp!
Steve George puts his time in on the surf and it shows. from a few days ago. : He reports, “Plenty of action on the beach. The fluke are chewing and I continue to find aggressive northern kingfish hitting GULP! baits.
The surf zone is full of big rays. Most of the cow nose variety; however others are around too. Sharks are present and pulling lots of line.
Fish Head Charters
Now back from ICAST and catching up I’ve finally got some time to get back out on the water. I fished Thursday and Friday (today).
Thursday I had Rhonda and Bill from Newton MA for a light tackle fly charter. We tried our best but could not do much because the weed was atrocious! Everywhere we went there was grass. Some patches looked like islands that you could run around on. The crew worked through it and managed to finish the day with one bluefish and one bass. They were stoked so it was a success.
Friday (Today) I headed out with store staffers Kelley and Mike. Made bait quick with two throws of the cast net. With a full livewell of peanut bunker we headed out to the reef. With very few reports we wanted to go take a look for ourselves. On our way out the inlet we came across bass on top slapping bait and small birds were active. First cast and Frezza was hooked up. Shortly after Kelley was on. After getting our fill we point out to the Garden State North. Turns out fishing wasn’t all that. Kelley got a 21.5″ fluke which was the only keeper (one right at 18 went back ). In all we had seven shorts, one keeper sea bass (could of filled the boat if we targeted them) a handful of sea robins. It was fun but we hoped for more. My fingers are crossed for good ocean fluking after this blow. It should be heating up by now.
THE 49TH ANNUAL BEACH HAVEN WHITE MARLIN INVITATIONAL
The oldest White Marlin Invitational fishing tournament in America kicks off on Tuesday, July 24th and runs through Saturday, July 28th. Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club’s White Marlin Invitational Tournament (WMIT) enters its 49th consecutive year building off the success of 2017’s
tournament, and represents some of the finest offshore fishing in the Northeast while playing host to hundreds of offshore enthusiasts, spectators, guests and the public enjoying the festivities at the Beach Haven
Marlin & Tuna Club. A first class tournament in a first class way!
2018’s tournament honors and respects the heritage of this storied event, while maintaining the format changes introduced in 2017 in response to prior year’s participant feedback. The two most significant changes, which are in-place again for 2018, were well received by tournament participants in 2017. First, and perhaps most importantly, the tournament added a day. The tournament for many years was fish two of three days, but that can be bruising to run offshore on back-to-back days if the seas are sporty, so the registration and captain’s dinner were moved to Tuesday and made the fishing a pick of two of four days between Wednesday and Saturday. Secondly, a second weigh station was added at Hoffman’s Marina in Brielle to encourage boats in Northern NJ to participate. Last year there was a Nor’easter during the second half of the tournament, but 6 great boats fished the WMIT from the /Brielle Manasquan area including Crisdel, The Right Place, Let it Ride, Placid C’s, Goin in Deep and Jersey Nutz, who was the overall winner in 2017.
While significant payouts ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 are very much a part of the tournament for catches of white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, and dolphin, there is also a treasure chest payout of up to
$23,000 which can be won by any participant – regardless of entering the Calcuttas. In addition to the traditional Calcuttas, there are new categories for dolphin and wahoo as well as for boats 29’ and under in size, signaling that the tournament is far from limited to the big sport-fishing boats.
The White Marlin Invitational holds a special place in the annals of offshore fishing history. Captain, sportswriter and BHMTC member Karl Anderson wrote in 2017 about the history of the WMIT: “Many early club members had also been fishing up and down the coast and invited offshore anglers to come to Beach Haven to sample the good fishing. Awaiting them was a nice clubhouse, great meals each night and good camaraderie with a group of dedicated offshore fisherman.” The WMIT is, in many ways, different than the larger White Marlin Open and The Mid-Atlantic tournaments. “I hear from a lot of White Marlin Invitational participants that they fish the WMIT year-after-year because they love the camaraderie, the fishing can be excellent in late July, and there is something special about the atmosphere at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club after coming in from a great day offshore”, added Dave Ridley, tournament director. “This is not to take away from the WMO or MidAtlantic, as those are both very successful, well run tournaments that we hold in high regard; however, they have the infrastructure to handle hundreds of boats, while we are a non-profit club with more limited funding, so we are happy to have 50-75 boats participate.” The BHMTC has hosted as many as 105 boats in the WMIT in the years before Sandy, but that was the far upper limit of what the BHMTC can handle logistically, and we don’t strive to be the biggest tournament – we just want to put on a great event year after year that offshore fisherman from up and down the east coast circle on their calendars as part of their tournament fishing circuit as a “must-fish”. “We also love that the WMIT is the last week in July (July 24th – July 28th in 2018) since many participants have told us they love fishing the WMIT, followed by the White Marlin Open two weeks later, and finally the MidAtlantic two weeks following that. “It’s the triple-crown of fishing in the Northeast, added Ridley.”
With over 20 boats preregistered to date, the WMIT committee expects to have over 50 boats fish this year. While there was a year or two where we had about 100 boats, there have been two fairly significant challenges in recent years which have taken a while to climb back from. First, super storm Sandy totaled our clubhouse in Beach Haven, which is where we have hosted the tournament since the start. Even without a clubhouse, the BHMTC still hosted the event successfully the year following Sandy. Through the dedication and time of our members, a new clubhouse was built a few years ago. The second significant challenge had been navigating Little Egg Inlet’s heavy shoaling, which kept a number of larger boats away. However, this winter, the inlet was dredged so we hear many of the larger boats are returning to the WMIT. To have a mile-long, 350 foot wide, and 29 feet deep inlet freshly dredged inlet is huge, added Ridley.
Additional information is available on the tournament website (www.TheWMIT.com) In-person registration will take place at the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club on Tuesday, July 24th at 6 pm followed by the captain’s meeting and dinner. On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday (July 25-28th), the BHMTC is open to the public and free of
charge so spectators are encouraged to come down to BHMTC to watch weigh-ins between 4:30-8pm daily, enjoy an adult beverage at the cash bar, get a bite to eat at the food trucks, buy tournament merchandise, or
just bring friends and family down to watch the fish weigh-ins.
The WMIT is possible in part due to the generosity of our platinum sponsors including United Rentals, Morrison’s Marina, South Jersey Yacht Sales, Jersey Cape Yachts, Construction Risk Partners, Marine Max, Fisherman’s Headquarters and Mack Boring.
2018 WMIT – Schedule of Events
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
(Reserved for Tournament Participants and Sponsors)
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Registration in Person – Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club (BHMTC)
8:00 PM – Captain’s Meeting and Dinner – BHMTC
Live music – Garage Kept Band
Double Nickel Brewery
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Fish Day Option 1
Scales open at BHMTC & Hoffman’s Marina from 4:30 PM – 8PM
Food Truck and drinks available at BHMTC
Live music
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Fish Day Option 2
Scales open at BHMTC & Hoffman’s Marina from 4:30 PM – 8PM
Food Truck and drinks available at BHMTC
Live music
Friday, July 27, 2018
Fish Day Option 3
Scales open at BHMTC & Hoffman’s Marina from 4:30 PM – 8PM
Food Truck and drinks available at BHMTC
Live Music – Franklin Turnpike Band
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Fish Day Option 4
Scales open at BHMTC & Hoffman’s Marina from 4:30 PM – 8PM
Food and drinks available at BHMTC
Awards Ceremony – Approximately 9 PM
Live Music – Ryan Zimmerman followed by The Pickles Duo
We ran to Barnegat Ridge on Sunday. Two to three foot long swell, very fishable. Had John Post, his son-in-law Tim Smith, and grandson, 13 year old Timmy Smith all of Mountainside, NJ. Stopped about a mile and a half shy of the North Ridge as I usually do. This way the lines go out in the deep water and we troll towards the high ground. As Nick was setting out the fourth rod in the spread, a cedar plug, it went spooling off in his hand. He locked it up and Timmy boated a nice bonita. As we drew closer to the Ridge, there were slicks and chicks. This is best case scenario wherever you are fishing, but especially here. The slicks were so fresh that you could smell them 30 yards away and there were a dozen to twenty chick birds picking at them at any given time. I could here the rods going off in my head…….but it never happened. Killer fish and bait readings throughout the water column. I gave it two hours of tight turns and nothing. There were quite a few spinner sharks thrashing and crashing so this is the only thing I could suspect might have been putting off the species we were looking for. I brought a can of chum and some fresh bunker out with us so I asked our crew if they wanted to try sharking and they were game. It took about twenty minutes and the first rod went off, Timmy jumped on the rod and brought a 60 lb dusky to the boat. Then two rods went off at the same time, we lost one and Timmy finessed a 120 lb dusky to be released on the other. We were doing it all with 20 to 30 class gear so it was a lot of fun. Nick and I were watching the balloons and we both happen to see a fish jump over one of the balloons. I said “that was a mahi” and he said ‘Yeah, I know”. He had eaten a hunk of bunker on a 9/0 circle hook rigged on 200 lb mono. Once again, Timmy was on the rod and boated this 8 lb square head baby bull mahi. This kid was a true angler. Smooth on the rod. Here he his on one of those dusky sharks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06cE7EZZ-VI
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
If we had stayed on the troll, it might have been a one bonita day that was over in the first five minutes. That bucket of chum and fresh bait turned it into a decent catch with plenty of action. Thank God for Plan B!
Yesterday (Wed) I had Nick Honachefsky of the new series Saltwater Underground on board. He was hosting friends Sean Reilly and WWE pro wrestler Jake the Snake Roberts, along with Jake’s son Dustin. Jake caught a nice striper on light tackle at the Barnegat Inlet jetty. We moved back into the bay and hammered away at short fluke jigging leadheads and Gulp for a few hours.
Running Open Boat to Barnegat Ridge tomorrow, Friday July 20. Leaving at 11AM, returning at 6PM. Trolling for bonita, mahi, or any other high speed fish that are in that neighborhood. I’ll have the chum and bait on board if we want to try a few hours of light tackle sharking. $175 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. You can call for a spot right up until we leave. I’m available to call until 9PM tonight (Thurs) or as early as 5AM tomorrow (Fri). Sat is booked. Sun and Monday, July 22 and 23 are potential bay/inlet charter days as the ocean will be a little rough from Saturday afternoon on through the next few days.
Looking to run offshore for tuna next week Open Boat or Charter Sat/Sun/Mon, Trolling and chunking. Probably running 80 miles plus each way unless things heat up closer. Leaving at 2AM, returning around 4 PM, sometimes later, so if you have to be back at a certain time, you won’t make it. $400 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. Reservations required. Everything is provided. If you have a favorite rod and reel, and it’s appropriate, you can bring it. Hoping we get a nice stretch of weather, we are due.
Pics:
Timmy Smith of Mountainside, NJ with bonita and mahi.
Jake the Snake Roberts and Nick Honachefsky with striper
Saturday, Debbie M was on board the Debbie M with Shannon Behre fishing in the Forked River Tuna Clubs 25th annual Ladies Catch of the Day Fluke fishing tournament. The ladies rocked it with Shannon taking first with a 5 pounder and Debbie taking second with a 4.2-pound flattie. Debbie also took first in the fun category of trash fish with a 4.1 pound clear-nosed skate. Debbie competed for the first few years this tournament was held and took first in fluke and first in bluefish. That is three first places out of four and the year she did not win a category she placed. Not a bad recorded. Now if she would learn to clean her catch…..
Who let the dogs out, who, who? Or should I say who let the cow-nosed rays out. I have seen squadrons of up to a dozen or more were cruising the inlet for the two hours I was there. The other day I had WoJo (Andrew) on board, and we doubled up on cow nose rays. Both fish were landed and released thanks to some precision boat handling on my part. The inlet has plenty of 2-4 pound blues around and schoolie stripers when the temperature is favorable. My go-to is poppers at dawn and BKDs when the sun comes up. With the schoolie bass being somewhat dependable as far as feeding, a Barnegat Bay Slam (striper, blue, and fluke) is not out of the question. In fact, I had a slam the other day and before that Matt Rozzi’s two young boys, Matt and Andrew, both had a slam. I like it when I can teach kids how to fish plastics.
Crabbing is stella. I do not think I have seen so many mummies before (adult females) which is a great sign. Snappers are starting to make a showing and are as ravenous as snappers can get. With snappers making a showing I wonder if any big fluke would be interested, hehehe
Still, have times available and will customize trips to target whatever species you want to go after. Don’t forget about my off the beach shark trips where we catch hard fighting 40 pound + sharks on light tackle. These trips are a blast and I usually have multiple hookups without sliding to the right LOL.
Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Sunday July 15, 2018.
With summer in full swing Long Beach Island is popping. The beaches, streets and waterways are busy so now’s the time to push offshore and away from it all and into a different kind of mayhem! This season’s offshore bite has been one for the book and it’s not even mid season yet. The yellowfin action is off the charts good and it continues for so many boats.
The boyz aboard the Reel Innovation are on the meat again. Yesterday they returned from a solid trip out at the Hudson. First mate Dan reported they got into great fishing and just about filed the boat, “Unfortunately we dropped a big yellowfin but it was a great trip.” Other boats in the area were also into fish. Word has it some big marlin were caught and some whites showed too. The boys on the Jersey Nutz had a visit from whitey visit on their last trip. Another solid offshore report came in from the guys aboard the Five Seas, “Epic day (Friday) we crushed the yellowfin and went two for three on big eyes! A customer in the shop today reported good fishing in the Lindy to Spencer, “There were lots of squid boats working in the area and we had good fishing with yellowfin and white marlin.”
Bruce DeRite was offshore yesterday today and reported, “Caught two bluefin out at Lemkes. Then on the way in we stopped on a weed line and picked up a nice mahi.” Bruce hung it at he shop and it turned out to be 16 pounds.
Bruce got a nice mahi!
Dan Rosetto was offshore and found fish on Chatter Lures. He reported, “Football season was in full effect today. We fished the Lindy and had lots of 20 pound football sized tuna.” Dan sent in this photo! Thanks for representing with the Fish Head appeal!
Dan was into footballs like these at the Lindy.
Long Beach Island Surf Fishing
Surf anglers on Long Beach Island fishing during the day have lots of swimmers and foot traffic to deal so the best times are morning and afternoons to avoid the midday congestion. Anglers are catching kingfish and fluke during the day time. Cow nose rays are cruising the surf. A total hindrance to those seeking table fare, but they do offer fun for those seeking catch and release fun. Beach shark fishing is strong with both sandbar sharks and sand tigers present.
As always, the Barnegat Inlet has life. Anglers can find the occasional bluefish and resident striped bass, but most are targeting fluke. Late July and August the Inlet offers some of the best fluke fishing. Every year during this time we hear about a couple doormats. Some spear fisherman are reporting triggerfish but rod and reel reports for them have been slow.
Fluke Fishing
Conner McKenzie from New Egypt got a nice 22″ fluke this weekend. Anglers are putting in time and finding fish but from all the reports we’ve heard not many are lighting it up. Most anglers in the shop report average 8-12 shorts to one keeper.
Conner caught this 22″ fluke in the bay, but not far from the Inlet.
Mike at Montauk
Store staffer Mike Frezza took a recent trip out to Montauk with his Dad. They fished Thursday and Friday aboard the Hampton Lady. Mike reported, “Fishing was slow but most were quality fish. The second day was best. I won the pool with this one. It went for a Glow Spro Bucktail tipped with a Gulp Pink Shine Grub.”
Here’s Mike with a pair of solid fluke!
Barnegat Bay Crabbing
Crabbing is good! Nick Rossi and Jacoby Cline stopped in the shop this weekend and reported good fun crabbing. They got a monster jimmy! A 7.25″ one at that. Those looking to enjoy some time on the water catching these tasty critters should stop in. We’ve got all of your supplies for catching blue claw crabs as well as advise to get you in the game. From hand line and dip net to pots, traps and bait… we’ve got you covered!
Nick and Jacoby showing off their big blue claw crab.
Saturday 7/14 – I was out for a 6hr ocean fluke charter. We worked several wrecks in 70-80’ of water. Since we were drifting over 1.0kts most of the day, we had to grind it out by making very short drifts. The group managed to pick up 40 fluke, 5 being keepers, as well as 3 nice sea bass for the table. It was a nice day on the water and we were back at dock by time the wind started to blow up.
Fluke fishing in the ocean is picking back up now that the ground swell from the storm is laying down. I only expect the fishing to keep getting better from now on as we get deeper into the season.
To book a charter and get in on the action Call or Text Capt. Mike Villanova (609)-709-7264
Beach Haven Charter Fishing Associations Fishing Report Update
by Jim Hutchinson Sr.
The boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been pretty much concentrating on fluke along with black sea bass on the inshore wrecks and artificial reefs. In addition, one captain made his way offshore for some good results on tuna fish.
The boat “Star Fish” has been fishing daily with good catches of sea bass and fluke. One day rods bent with over 100 fish in less than 4 hours. Keepers are mixed in with lots of short fish. One day Captain George and mate Marlyn fished with a family group of five from Harvey Cedars. The day’s highlight was when Marissa and her father Louis used teamwork for the largest sea bass of the season. They both hooked at the same time and reeled their lines in together.. When the fish was brought up, it had the hooks from both anglers in its mouth. The fish measured 18-inches.
Captain Gary Dugan on the “Irish Jig” reports fluke fishing as being very good lately in the ocean on the local lumps and reefs. In addition to the good catches of fluke and sea bass, his anglers have been enjoying looking at the sea creatures such as sea turtles, dolphins, and sharks,
Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction” Sportfishing has been averaging over 25 fluke a day on his bay trips with a handful of nice keepers each day. He had return client Ryan Hathcock, his wife Eliana, and friend Archie Glover with his 9-year old son Zavion on a 4-hour trip. Despite wind vs tide conditions, they found some cooperating fish and the crew ending up catching close to 30 Fluke with two nice keepers of 22-inches. Another trip he had Dave Rowan, his daughter Ashley Coleman, and her two boys Dylan and Andrew on a bay trip for fluke. The trip was about putting the boys on fish. They worked quite a few areas, and the foursome boated over 30 fish with 2 nice keepers of 21 and 22 inches.
Captain Bob Gerkens took the “Hot Tuna” on the 90-mile run to the Baltimore Canyon. Weather conditions were excellent as the boat was able to cruise at 25-knots in both directions. The group of anglers had a good day of fishing as four yellowfin tuna were boated. Captain Bob added that he has also been getting some good reports of bluefin tuna.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.bhcfa.net
I have been running 7 days a week with quite a few double-charter days, so I haven’t been able to keep up with the Fish HQ reports. We have been concentrating our efforts in the bay, but I will start running ocean trips in the next week or two. The bay fishing has been averaging anywhere between 20 to 35 fish per trip and keeper numbers ranging from 1 to 5 per trip. We have scored some 5, 6, and 8 pound fish. The key has been finding biting fish, which at times is a little challenging. But you just have to grind it out! Check out all of our detailed fishing reports: http://www.reelreactioncharters.com/blog/
We are 7 days a week (morning/afternoon). If interested in booking a charter, book our site (www.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.
We had a surf fishing report sent in from Tom of Beach Haven Park…
Lots of small fluke in the surf! I picked up eight yesterday (Monday) and six more this morning (Tuesday). They were all between 12-17″ so no keepers. All caught on Gulp! Had to pack it up and leave today when the rays moved in at low tide.
ICAST 2018
It’s time for ICAST 2018, where all of the best in the fishing tackle industry is under one roof.
Fish Heads has boots on the ground in Orlando and we are on the hunt seeking out the best new products for YOU OUR CUSTOMERS. Most specifically we are looking for saltwater needs in the north east market. Fifteen to twenty years ago who would have believed you if you told them that a scented biodegradable soft bait would take over the summer flounder fishing bait? Now Gulp! is mainstream. From lures to line, rod to reels, etc… It’s crazy to look back and see the innovation in the fishing industry.
We are looking forward to another awesome show this year and can’t wait to see the stamp that the 2018 year class leaves on the face of the industry. Stay tuned to our social media pages for breaking news on products find.
