Fri., April 26, 2024
Moon Phase:
Waning Gibbous
More Info
Inshore Charters
Offshore Charters
Party Boats
Saltwater
Tackle Shops &
Marinas
Saltwater
Boat Rentals
Freshwater
Guides
Freshwater
Tackle Shops
Brrr ...
It's Cold:
Upstate N.Y.
Ice Fishing
Upstate N.Y.
Winter Steelhead &
Trout Fishing
Long Island, N.Y.
Winter
Cod &
Wreck Fishing

New Jersey Offshore Fishing Report 9-23-16


<b>Sandy Hook</b>

A 241-1/2-pound thresher shark was weighed from the Mudhole on Tuesday at <b>Twin Lights Marina</b> in Highlands, Marion wrote in an email. Another angler, Steven Chiulli, weighed a 223-pounder from the Mudhole on Wednesday at the shop. Rich Shehrer that day boated lots of blues and false albacore off Sandy Hook Point. 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. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. Baits stocked include all for offshore.

Thresher sharks and sometimes makos were caught, said Chris from <b>Fisherman’s Den North</b> in Atlantic Highlands. Fishing for mahi mahi at lobster-pot buoys seemed good. Offshore baits are stocked.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing was slow on a trip Wednesday to Thursday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b> from Belmar, but mahi mahi fishing was great on the trip, a report said on the party boat’s website. The mahi were decked during daytime Wednesday, into the night, and during the next day. A swordfish and no tuna were landed at night.  <a href=" https://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/tunafish" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> are fishing on certain days through October 24. Trips will run for bluefish and false albacore 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday.  Good albie fishing was axed and 15- to 18-pound blues were picked Tuesday aboard. “People had 6 to 8 albies,” the report said.  Fishing was weathered out Monday aboard.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

The season’s first tuna trip sailed Monday to Tuesday nights on the <b>Gambler</b> from Point Pleasant Beach, an email from the party boat said. Nothing bit during the night, though drifting conditions were great, and a 3-degree temperature break was fished. After daybreak, the trip “pot-hopped,” fishing lobster-pot buoys for mahi mahi. That angling went well, loading up on mahi to 20 pounds. At 11 a.m., a few tuna were seen breaking water. The boat was put on the drift there, but fishing couldn’t get the tuna to bite. The crew was grateful for the mahi, but looks forward to tuna fishing turning on. A peel of Gulf Stream water currently seemed headed to the fishing grounds, but was still out of range. “Hopefully soon,” the email said. Dates remain for <a href=" http://www.gamblerfishing.net/offshoretrips.php" target="_blank">tuna trips</a>, but book spots, because they fill. Before the tuna trip, an “exotics” trip fished inshore Monday, tying into false albacore and lots of mackerel. The trip also fished pots for mahi 30 miles out, but those held none.

Mahi mahi, a terrific catch, and a 100-pound swordfish were nailed on a trip to the canyons Saturday to Sunday aboard, during a weather window, Capt. Alan from <b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach wrote in an email. Tuna fishing was slow, and the crew is waiting for a better body of tuna-holding water to slide in from offshore. Mahi during the trip were skittish because of fishing pressure. But the anglers landed all they wanted, “which was a lot,” Alan said. The mahi included good-sized to 20 pounds and lots of 5- to 8-pounders. On the chunk at night, the sword was bagged, and another got off. In the morning, the anglers did more mahi catching. Open-boat trips to the canyons were just announced that might be the year’s final open trips for the fishing. The dates are October 3 to 4, 5 to 6 and 8 to 9. Everything is included except food and drinks. “Please don’t wait until the bite gets hot and your friends are dropping tuna steaks off at your house to book your trip!” he said. Tuna fishing was slow last week but is expected to take off. Telephone to book.

Tuna fishing seemed slow, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. A stray tuna was caught sometimes, and a few mahi mahi swam those waters. A fair number of wahoos held at Hudson Canyon. White marlin catches seemed to shift south, like to Wilmington Canyon. Fishing for them could be good to the south. In the midshore ocean including the Mudhole, most lobster-pot buoys held mahi that could be trolled on feathers and small jets. Quite a few albies schooled the Mudhole, and Eric fished for them Sunday, catching practically all he could want, including double-headers, and mahi mixed in. Albies also swam closer to shore, all the way to the surf, where they popped up here and there.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Tuna trips were postponed with <b>Tuna-Tic Sportfishing</b> from Forked River, because tuna fishing was slow, Capt. Mike said. The fish should show up any time, and the boat usually focuses on that angling this time of year. But inshore trolling was good for bonito, false albacore and mahi mahi. One of those trips sailed the other day aboard.

The season’s first tuna trip was supposed to overnight this weekend on the <b>Super Chic</b> from Barnegat Light, Capt. Ted said. But the angling was canceled, because of slow reports.

<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>.

<b>Beach Haven Inlet</b>

Three blue marlin and two white marlin were released on a trip Saturday on the <b>June Bug</b> from Beach Haven, Capt. Lindsay said. Was a great trip, and began fishing at Carteret Canyon a half-hour before sunrise. The trip didn’t troll a quarter of a mile before the first blue screamed off with a line. The fish was landed and released, and another blue was soon landed and let go. Then a white marlin was hooked, fought to boatside and released. Some of these marlin jumped in wild displays, and some of the anglers had never seen marlin before. All of this happened in 2 square miles. Nothing else bit, so the trip sailed north to Toms Canyon, and trolled for tuna at heavy concentrations of bait marked, but nothing bit except a 10-pound mahi mahi that was bagged at a lobster pot buoy. The trip worked back to where the marlin were found that morning, then three blues got off. Then another blue, then another white, were landed and let go. The number of marlin was fantastic.  The water was 70.5 degrees to 71.9, coolest when the trip began fishing before sunrise at the Carteret, warmest at the Toms. Before the trip, commercial boats caught bigeye tuna at the Toms in 100 fathoms. On Saturday evening, many boats fished Wilmington Canyon’s mouth, because satellite water-temperature services had predicted a warm-water eddy there. The water was reportedly a parking lot, but few fish were caught that evening.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Little was heard about offshore fishing during the week, because of wind and rough seas, said Bill from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. White marlin and a few wahoos were angled during the weekend.

A trip Sunday landed a few mahi mahi and false albacore on the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport, Capt. Mike said. Trips afterward fished for summer flounder closer to shore during this final week of flounder season.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

No news about offshore fishing rolled in because of rough seas, said employee Mike, not owner Mike, from <b>Sea Isle Bait & Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May waited to hear results about tuna fishing on a couple of boats that sailed Wednesday for the fish, he said that evening, the most recent time he gave a report for this website. Charters on the Heavy Hitter will sail for tuna when the fishing is good. Anglers he knew about who fished offshore Saturday boated white marlin and mahi mahi but no tuna. Plenty of whites were around.

Yellowfin tuna, some of them sizable or 65 to 75 pounds, were trolled Sunday in 40 fathoms and inshore of Wilmington Canyon, Capt. John from <b>Caveman Sportfishing</b> from Cape May said. Those were the first tuna he heard about in some time, and Caveman has been standing by to jump on tuna when they arriv.

From <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May, Nick fished Wilmington Canyon on the Common Sense on a charter, he said. A cooler full of mahi mahi and a white marlin probably 50 pounds were scored. Tons of bait schooled, and the water looked good.

Back to Top