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New Jersey Offshore Fishing Report 9-16-16


<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

The <b>Katie H</b> from Belmar was supposed to overnight for tuna Saturday to Sunday, and that was weathered out, but the trip day-trolled for tuna Saturday at Hudson Canyon instead, Capt. Mike said. Tuna fishing was slow, and none was caught, but lots of mahi mahi were boated. They included a couple of good-sized in the 20 pounds, and some 8- to 10-pounders, and as many mahi swam as anglers could want. Practically every lobster-pot buoy was loaded with them. Tuna held at the Hudson before the tropical storm, and tuna were caught at canyons farther south during the trip. Mike wasn’t saying that if the trip had overnighted, none would be caught. But the catches were better farther south. The water at the Hudson was 76 degrees at the 100 Square and 72 at the West Wall. Any life swam at the 100 Square. Trips will now concentrate on tuna aboard.

The season’s first tuna trip fished Sunday to Monday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b> from Belmar, a report said on the party boat’s website. The angling was no good, and only a 125-pound swordfish was landed. The trip fished far south, “and there were no reports of any amount of fish being caught – a fish here or there,” the report said. Water-temperature charts looked like tuna-holding water would arrive at Hudson Canyon by last Wednesday or so, and the crew hoped that got the fishing going. <a href=" https://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/tunafish" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> are sailing through October 24.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Smaller yellowfin tuna 20 to 30 pounds seemed to be chunked at Hudson and Toms canyons during daytime and nighttime, not fantastic, not tuna fishing as good as before the storm, but some catches, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle on Monday. The fish were also trolled, and plenty of white marlin swam Toms and Lindenkohl canyons. As many as 20 per trip were landed, and mahi mahi were smaller than before, but gave up pretty darn good catches at offshore waters like these. Closer to shore, false albacore fishing picked up. They were trolled at Manasquan Ridge on Sunday, and anglers at the Mudhole could basically troll as many as they wanted. Small jets and sizes 0 and 1 Clark spoons caught best at either location. Albies were fought from the surf, too.

<a href=" http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.php" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> will begin Monday on the <b>Gambler</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, the party boat’s Facebook page said. Offshore trips for jumbo sea bass will fish overnight throughout December, and book now, because they fill.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing was slow on an overnight trip Tuesday to Wednesday with <b>Tuna-Tic Sportfishing</b> from Forked River, Capt. Mike said. The crew was able to bail out the trip by pushing inshore, off the beaten path, to a temperature break, so the anglers whacked 20-some mahi mahi. But tuna fishing was slow up and down the line. The trip fished three different offshore canyons, and Mike spoke with captains from Hudson to Baltimore canyons on the radio, and no place seemed to give up good tuna fishing. A few small yellowfin tuna bit. That included legal-sized but 27 and 28 inches, and Mike wasn’t going to kill those. Twenty-seven is the legal minimum size. Warm, 77-degree water seemed the reason that no better population of tuna was in. Many boats that were going to fish overnight sailed back to port instead. With Tuna-Tic overnight on the trip, only sharks bit, including browns and tigers. Weather was beautiful on the trip. A tuna trip is slated aboard this weekend that might not run. Mike thinks the water needs to cool. This should be prime time for tuna fishing, so he hopes conditions become right and the fishing takes off.

The season’s first tuna trip is set to fish September 24 to 25 on the <b>Super Chic</b> from Barnegat Light, Capt. Ted said. Tuna fishing had become good just before the storm and petered out currently, maybe because of the full moon and warm water, in the upper 70 degrees.

<a href="http://www.missbarnegatlight.com/TunaFishing.html" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> will sail September 29 to October 30 on the party boat <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>.

Sometimes false albacore and bonito buzzed around Barnegat Ridge in the ocean, said Brian from <b>Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle</b>.

Charters and open-boat trips are fishing for bonito and false albacore at Barnegat Ridge on the <b>Hi Flier</b> from Barnegat whenever the forecast allows, Capt. Dave DeGennaro wrote in an email. That includes this weekend through Monday, if weather is fair. The trips are fishing Barnegat Bay daily when weather is rougher.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

False albacore and bluefish were heard about from farther north in the ocean toward Long Beach Island but not locally, said John from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. A few white marlin and some wahoos were reported cranked from the 40-fathom line Tuesday by local boaters. Farther from shore, a few yellowfin tuna, not many, were pasted at Baltimore and Spencer canyons. So anglers were excited or hopeful that the tuna fishing might pick up.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

The only news about offshore was from Cape May tackle shops that reported white marlin landed, said Mike from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City. Nothing was heard about mahi mahi since the storm. Ninety-percent of commercial anglers pulled in their lobster pots, so the lack of lobster-pot buoys eliminated most of the structure mahi would gather at. False albacore were sometimes mixed with cocktail bluefish 3 to 6 miles from shore.

Trips last fished for false albacore Sunday aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> from Sea Isle City, affiliated with <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b>. The fish swam in small pockets, and trips made the most of shots at them aboard. Last week on Thursday, two anglers aboard jigged bluefish to 3 pounds and three albies. Last Friday, two other anglers jigged a bunch of the blues to 3 pounds and no albies. On Saturday, the ocean was rougher, and an angler and daughter aboard trolled there a little, catching blues and a Spanish mackerel, then retreated to the bay, hooking and releasing sea bass. On Sunday, a trip with two anglers had one real shot at albies on the ocean, and jigged one. The trip capitalized on the shot, and also jigged blues to 3 pounds. Annual traveling charters will kick off this weekend that fish from Montauk for the migration of striped bass, blues and albies. Second-hand reports said albies swam the water, and weren’t large, weighing 4 or 6 pounds, but were there. Ever want to fish the run from the legendary port? Joe goes for several weeks! See the <a href=" http://www.captainjoehughes.com/page3.html" target="_blank">traveling charters’ page</a> on Jersey Cape’s website. Keep up with Joe’s fishing on <a href="http://captainjoehughes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Blog</a>.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May spoke with boaters who tuna fished this week at southern canyons in range of Cape May, and all said the angling was dead, he said. Anglers wanted to tuna fish on the Heavy Hitter this weekend, but George told them to hang loose, because of the reports. He hopes something changes and the fishing kicks in, and if it’s going to, it will soon. The anglers who fished talked about lots of white marlin biting. Small mahi mahi and occasional wahoos hit. Fishing for good-sized yellowfin tuna had been decent at canyons farther north off New Jersey just before the storm.

Fishing whipped white marlin, good catches, wahoos and a couple of tuna at Baltimore and Wilmington canyons, said Nick from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. Mahi mahi were reeled from along lobster-pot buoys. Not much was heard about big-game fishing at inshore lumps anymore this season.

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