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New Jersey Offshore Fishing Report 7-31-15


<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Wayne O’Neil from <b>Twin Lights Marina</b> in Highlands fished at the 100 Square at Hudson Canyon last Friday on the Old Gray Mare, he said. Five longfin tuna, three skipjacks and five mahi mahi were decked.  Four of the longfins were trolled during daytime on cedar plugs, and other longfins were lost on the troll, and dusk fished best during the trolling. The other longfin bagged was chunked just before dawn. More would’ve been hooked at night, Wayne thought, but the other anglers slept. Wayne saw three bigeye tuna chunked at night on the boat nearest them, the reason he thought that. Bob, Robert and Daniel Whitehead and Rich Mikutsky were the rest of the anglers on the trip.  Twin Lights, located on Shrewsbury River near Raritan Bay and the ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boat slips, dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined bait and tackle shop and ship’s store. Baits stocked include the full offshore selection. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. 

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

The year’s first tuna trip is slated for August 7 or 8 on the <b>Katie H</b> from Belmar, Capt. Mike said. That will be a day-trolling trip, not an overnighter, at the canyons. A friend fished Lindenkohl Canyon, overnighting both Friday and Saturday. But the angling was no good, and lots of boats filled the water. Only mixed reports, up and down, spotty, were heard about bluefin tuna, closer to shore.  But that could change, and that first tuna trip on the Katie H will fish for the bluefins, along with canyon tuna fishing, if the bluefins are possible to catch.

Capt. Scott from <b>XTC Sportfishing</b> from Belmar had been away, but is back now, he said. A trip aboard is supposed to sail for bluefin tuna Sunday at the Texas Tower and the Bacardi wreck.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing seemed to produce at the 100 Square at Hudson Canyon, Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle said Sunday. Yellowfin, bigeye and longfin tuna were trolled. But sometimes tuna were chunked and jigged at night at the canyon. “So that’s starting,” he said. Mahi mahi catches were pretty darn good, he said, from Chicken Canyon all the way to the offshore canyons. Definitely keep some small lures in the trolling spread, he said. Chumming for mahi at lobster pots also caught. Bluefin tuna 60 to 80 pounds were boated at the Texas Tower and the Bacardi wreck, mostly on the troll. But a couple of trips were heard about that jigged the fish when bait was found balled up. Closer to shore, bluefins were picked away at the Atlantic Princess wreck and the Chicken Canyon, not great, but some caught. Those bluefins ranged from 20 pounds to 40 or 50, and trips needed to fish for them at first light or dusk, really. Black and purple seemed hot colors. But Green Machine spreader bars and daisy chains connected.

A longbill spearfish was trolled and released at Hudson Canyon last Friday with <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, Capt. Ray wrote in an email. The infrequent catch was the angler’s first billfish. “(Now the angler) will be on the billfish slam tour, with a challenging one out of the way,” Ray said. The spearfish looked like a white marlin, when it swam into the spread. It swiped a ballyhoo with an Ilander skirt in the prop wash. The trip arrived at 4:20 a.m. at the Hudson, along the East Wall. A bigeye tuna, “the right bite,” Ray said, was hooked within 10 minutes. The fish was fought more than an hour, wreaking havoc on the crew! But then the bigeye got off, and the crew saw the hook pop out. A few mahi mahi were trolled aboard that morning. The spearfish bit at 1 p.m. That was a day-troll, and an overnight, open-boat trip arrived at the Hudson Saturday evening aboard, at the spot where the bigeye tuna bit Friday. Another bigeye was hooked, this one within 5 minutes, and the 220-pounder was landed in an hour. Chunking at night was slow, except a few mahi were caught. In the morning, trolling went 3 for 5 on longfin tuna, on a decent bite. Mahi really snapped on the troll then, and 30 of the fish to 15 pounds were subdued. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing offshore.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

From an edited email from Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Barnegat, about the season’s first trip farther from shore aboard: “I had a full open-boat trip to Barnegat Ridge on Saturday with John Mazzone from Wayne, Lenny Araneo from Barnegat and Chris Sakoutis from Staten Island. We threw the ropes at 5 a.m., and throttled up for Barnegat Ridge North. When we arrived, the water was ugly green, so I didn't even put the lines out. We ran another 17 miles east to the Resor wreck, which also had poor-quality water, no birds, no life – so we just kept trekking east. A few miles shy of the Atlantic Princess, we saw the water turn one shade better, not great, but better. I started putting out the seven-rod spread one at a time, and in that short time, the water turned blue. Like blue-blue! That alone raised morale, and my adrenaline was through the roof. At least we were fishing now. Even if we don't catch, we're in the right water, dragging the right stuff. There were three scallop draggers working the area, chick birds hitting the water here and there, a few good readings, a sea turtle. A guy on the radio had just boated a good-sized bluefin, and in an effort to help his buddy find him, he referenced the same scallop boats we were working! Things were looking good. Except, no hits. We worked the area for a few hours, without a touch. As we circled around, Lenny caught a glimpse of some surface action off the bow. We took a swing-by to what looked like small skippies or boohoo mackerel, splashing and feeding. Just as the last lure passed the commotion, the 50W International in my T-top holder was screaming line out. I only had two rods up there, a way-back ballyhoo, and a rainbow spreader bar. From the sound of the runoff, I was sure a big bluefin had just inhaled the ballyhoo. But when I went to grab the rod out of the tree, it was the spreader bar that was on. Whatever, we’ll take it. John grabbed the rod from me, and went to work on this fish, for 25 minutes. As the fish got near, I warned him about getting the rod out of the gimbal belt, as the fish will be deep and spiraling, under the boat. But that didn't happen. Instead, I saw the rainbow spreader bar streaking from one side of the boat to the other ... on the surface! Now I'm thinking I've got to gaff this ‘green’ tuna while he streaks by the boat, except, as he gets close enough, it's not a tuna. It's a wahoo! And not just any wahoo – it's massive. Lenny leaders him, and I stick this 6-foot beast with a headshot. Lenny added gaff  No. 2, and after a briefing with my crew, about how dangerous this fish is to have onboard, a 93-pound wahoo hit the deck. One hit, one fish, turned our whole trip around.  Here’s a <a href=" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE4jl9pvXSk" target="_blank">few minutes of video</a> as we land him that Chris shot on her IPAD. Sorry about the language and lack of composure, but I really wasn't expecting a wahoo!” The wahoo was hooked on a Canyon Runner rainbow spreader bar and weighed-in at Long Key Marina in Waretown. “I like to give credit where it’s due,” he said. The trip departed from Bob’s Bay Marina in Barnegat.

<b>Beach Haven Inlet</b>

Bluefin tuna fishing is booked to fish Monday on the <b>June Bug</b> from Beach Haven, Capt. Lindsay said. Bigeye tuna were trolled at the canyons.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

One of the crew from the shop and another angler boated five bigeye tuna and two yellowfin tuna Tuesday, said Capt. Dave from <b>Absecon Bay Sportsman Center</b> in Absecon. Live spots are finally stocked from Maryland. Most are tuna-fishing sized, and a few are good-sized for summer flounder fishing.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

The bottom fell out this weekend, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport. The water turned over, and boat traffic was heavy. Previously, inshore trolling beat bluefish, bonito, false albacore and mahi mahi aboard. A mahi was hooked but got off 9 ½ miles from shore on the boat then. “You can go from hero to zero (quickly),” he said. A $500 discount is no longer available on overnight tuna trips. “They had their chance!” he said.

Collin from <b>24-7 Bait & Tackle</b> in Egg Harbor Township joined a tuna trip that fished 19-Fathom Lump and the Cigar on Tuesday, he said. But the fishing was dead, though the water looked beautiful, and everything seemed “correct.” Yellowfin tuna and bluefin tuna had been bagged at places like the 19 Lump previously this season. All offshore baits are carried. <b>The company also own 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Marmora</b>.

<b>Cape May</b>

Tuna fishing was dead last Friday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May, Capt. George said. The trip chunked until 9:30 a.m., and only bluefish, a bunch, bit. Then the trip trolled, and a couple of mahi mahi were caught, and a couple were missed. Seventeen yellowfin tuna were chunked aboard last week on Monday, covered in the previous report here. Boat traffic was heavy last Friday on the trip. Trips on the boat had been fishing for the yellowfins between 20 and 30 fathoms, and anglers now were telephoning to go. But George would wait to see if the fishing turned back on, before going again. A few boats caught the yellowfins that Friday, but most didn’t. George spoke with anglers who sailed for the tuna Saturday, and bluefish even disappeared, they said. Bigeye tuna were decked at Lindenkohl Canyon around that time, according to second-hand reports. George knew anglers who fished Baltimore and Wilmington canyons around last weekend. Any tuna caught there came from the Wilmington. Some white marlin were taken at the Baltimore then.

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