THIS IS THE FINAL OFFSHORE REPORT OF 2006.

THIS OFFSHORE REPORT KICKS OFF AGAIN
IN JUNE WITH SHARK FISHING SEASON.

Sandy Hook

Offshore, open-boat trips are probably finished for the year for <b>Andrea’s Toy Charters</b>, but if reports keep being heard about bluefin tuna at the Mudhole, trips might sail for them, Capt. Freddy Gamboa said. If so, the fishing will be combined with bottom fishing, so if no bluefins show up, the anglers can at least bag ling, sea bass, cod or such fish. Bluefins are definitely 20 to 30 miles offshore, but they’re very spread out so far, and the main body of speedsters is still up north. If no more trips sail this year, Andrea’s Toy usually starts running offshore again by the last week of March, sailing at first on open trips for tilefish and wreck fishing. Andrea’s Toy specializes in mixed-bag trips and usually targets both tiles and bottom fish in the same outing. Open tuna trips start back up whenever the fish begin biting.  

Mike from <b>Emjay Bait & Tackle</b> in Rahway said that Joe, who helps out at the store, sailed for tuna on the party boat Sea Devil from Point Pleasant at the end of last week. Reportedly the boat’s patrons sometimes battled big tuna, and Joe hooked up but never landed any. But he did drop baits down to the bottom and reeled in a few tilefish and even a double header of whiting. Mike thought Joe said the tuna hit during the day.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

The party boat Golden Eagle came back with 50 tuna from an offshore trip that sailed Tuesday night, said Roger from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> in Belmar. Roger thought that outing might’ve been the boat’s final tuna trip this year, though he was unsure, and he also thought the Golden Eagle might’ve been one of the last party boats to be sailing for tuna from Belmar for the season.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle over the weekend heard two offshore reports. The Reelyn with owner Jeremy Kokes hooked three bluefin tuna from 150 to 200 pounds at Hudson Canyon Thursday. The biggest bluefin was kept and nailed a Shimano butterfly jig fished on a Trevala rod with a Torsa reel. The Intrepid sailed to the Hudson on a trip Friday to Saturday with owner Dr. Andrew Fanelli, Capt. John Krohn, Andy Fanelli Jr., Liam and Pat Boland, and Dan Burns. They boated a 206-pound bluefin and one longfin tuna, released a small swordfish and kept a 160-pound swordfish while chunking.

Reports that were heard about offshore fishing said only a few tuna were caught, so an offshore trip was scrubbed on the <b>Katie H</b> this weekend, and the boat is finished offshore fishing for the year, Capt. Mike said.

Canyon tuna fishing picked up Monday on the <b>Jamaica</b>, an e-mail from the boat said. On a trip that left port Sunday night, the boat headed south for a change, although just as many tuna were probably at Hudson Canyon. The vessel started fishing at 2 a.m., and there were only two bites and one small swordfish landed until 7 a.m., when there was a flurry of action, and a few longfins were boated. There was an occasional bite until 9:30 a.m., when the anglers started to pick. Longfins were landed that were mostly large ones 50 to 70 pounds, and two big bluefin tuna were also bagged that were fought for 1 ½ hours. A few more bluefins were hooked and lost. Scott Bisceglie nailed the biggest bluefin, a 270-pounder, and he also bagged two longfins, and Pete DeCoast landed the other bluefin, a 235-pounder.  On a trip last Friday to Saturday the first fish bit at 1:30 a.m., and it was a very large swordfish that was fought for 4 hours until it broke off, and a few tuna hit during the battle but were lost. At 6:30 a.m. longfins schooled under the boat, and anglers started to pick, and ten of the longfins were caught. By 9:30 a.m. bluefins moved in, and a 200-pounder and a 160-pounder were boated. A few more bluefins were released, and a 65-pound longfin was taken later in the morning. Plenty of tuna were read under the boat, but there was never a hot bite.  The water temps offshore were hovering between 59 ½ and 61 degrees and were the same from the Hudson to the Wilmington canyons. The boat is supposed to be out at the canyons this morning, and space is still available on canyon trips, and the trips are scheduled through this month and into December. The crew is keeping an eye on a body of 68-degree water that’s far to the east, and if that body hits the 100-fathom line in December, the boat will be out there. The fishing is usually good through November and sometimes even into December. For info on the trips call the boat or visit www.fishinnj.com. Offshore wreck trips are also sailing.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

A customer said he found bluefin tuna schooling on the surface 25 miles offshore, and he fought a good-sized one for 2 hours before it got off, said Josh from <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>. When the customer was talking about this at the store, a commercial boater also said he saw a big school of the bluefins around the same area. Josh was unsure where the fish were, but he assumed they were a little north like off Seaside.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Bluefin tuna might be found in the ocean at this time of year, but nobody reported catching any, said Dan from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

All the Cape May boats that contribute reports to this site wrapped up their tuna trips some weeks ago and switched to striped bass fishing, and the tackle shops from the area finally stopped reporting about tuna this week. Tuna can surely still be caught, but many boaters stop attempting to run trips offshore around the tricky weather at this time of year, and most charter captains would rather book inshore trips that are more likely to be able to sail in the weather.

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