<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Capt. Darrin LaMantia from <b>Kayla Rose Charters</b> on Staten Island is involved with the Staten Island Tuna Club, and the club is holding a shark tournament July 14 with a minimum payout of $10,000 in prizes. He’s wondering if anglers would be interested in getting teamed up with charters to compete, so individual anglers could sign up, and the club would put them together with others on a charter boat. The anglers would cover the entry fee and fuel, and the captains and mates would donate their time, and the anglers and charter crew would split the prize money. Four anglers per boat could be accommodated, because the limit is six people per boat, and the captain and mate would make up the rest of the team. If interested, contact Darrin.

Capt. Bill Hoblitzell was contemplating making a run soon for mako sharks, especially on fly rods, he said. During some years plenty of small makos invade places like the Monster Ledge, and they’re great to fight on fly rods as a catch and release fishery. He’s got a trip planned in two weeks to scope out the scene. Eventually Bill will also chase bluefin tuna on the inshore grounds with both conventional and fly rods if they show up in decent numbers this year. The only drawback is the highly restrictive bag limit that turns off many customers, unless anglers don’t mind catch-and-release. Bill was hearing reports about good fishing for 40- and 50-pound yellowfin tuna toward the continental edge farther south, and the fish were definitely making their way north.

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

Open-boat shark trips every Wednesday and shark charters are about to begin on the <b>Nan Sea J</b>, Capt. Tom said. Call to reserve the open trips, and they sail June and July, a great opportunity to fight these beasts for those who don’t have enough anglers for a charter. The boat is one of the few charters that offers open shark trips, and sharking is Tom’s favorite and one of his specialties. He usually starts sharking on runs to the south to places like the southern Fingers, because of the warmer water there during the early season. When temps even out, he’ll start heading to places like the offshore end of the Mudhole, like the Glory Hole.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

One customer tried sharking at the Glory Hole during the weekend but only found big bluefish, said Dave from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle.

Nothing was heard about offshore fishing, and the season was a little early, but customers were buying shark supplies, said Greg from <b>Brielle Bait & Tackle</b>.

<b>Barnegat Inlet</b>

Sharks have definitely arrived, and Basil, co-owner of <b>Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle</b>, knew an inshore spot that was holding loads, but he swore this web site to secrecy, because shark anglers are gearing up for tournaments, he said. Tuna were far offshore, and he thought the Pez Machine got into some three weeks ago, went a second time and landed one and tried a third time but scored zero, so the anglers instead caught tilefish on that trip.

One customer had been thinking about making the run for tuna yesterday morning, because he saw a small area of warm water at Wilmington Canyon, said Dale from <b>L&H Woods & Water</b> in Wall. But Dale guessed the warm water disappeared, because the customer bottom fished instead.

<b>Little Egg Inlet</b>

Windy weather and 8-foot seas forced the first shark trip of the season to be cancelled Tuesday for <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>, Capt. T.J. said. But another shark charter is planned for Sunday.

The <b>June Bug</b> returned to Jersey after fishing from North Carolina for big game like it does every year. Capt. Lindsay said the boat will start fishing from Beach Haven next week, first sailing inshore, and then running offshore. The offshore trips should begin in a couple of weeks, and they will head all the way to the canyons for tuna and billfish. Many boaters don’t fish the canyons until later in the season, but the June Bug has found good fishing there early in the year. Few boats are there, so lines in the water can get more attention, and the trips often produce plenty of yellowfin tuna and even blue marlin. Trips this early have fought two 450-pound blues at once and similar catches in past years on the boat. Big game is already being found, and a Beach Haven boat two weekends ago hooked a 185-pound bigeye tuna at Toms Canyon.

<b>Absecon Inlet</b>

Jack from <b>Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle</b> in Atlantic City heard about the season’s first mako shark, a 150-pounder, weighed in at Cape May, he said. The shop is fully stocked for sharking, including flats of mackerel and bunker, mackerel chum and bunker chum. Pallets of butterfish and ballyhoo are also on hand. The <b>Carly A</b>, the shop’s charter boat, should start fishing next week, beginning with sharking and eventually tuna fishing.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

A few bluefishers at 28-mile wreck ran into mako sharks among the slammers, said Jim at <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. No word was heard about tuna, but Jim might take a tuna trip next week to usual June spots for schoolie bluefins like 28-Mile Wreck or the Cigar. Often the tuna only stick around for a number of days and then push north, but sometimes they’ll bite a while, and two years ago they did. Some sand eels were around, so maybe the schoolies will stay a moment.

The <b>Stray Cat</b> is ready and rigged for shark fishing, if anyone wants to go, and Capt. Mike heard nothing about sharks yet, but they’re out there, he said. Two shark trips are available: one to the 750 Square and one to 28-Mile Wreck, and both spots are home to mako sharks and thresher sharks feeding on big bluefish.

<b>Townsend’s Inlet</b>

Capt. Joe Hughes from <b>Jersey Cape Guide Service</b> and <b>Gibson’s Tackle</b> in Sea Isle City expects to shark fish this weekend, and he heard nothing about sharks, he said. News about early season tuna fishing was also quiet, and cloudy days early in the week kept Joe from getting satellite shots showing where the warm water was. But the best water previously seemed to be at the northern canyons like the Spencer and Lindenkohl. He had been considering making his season’s first tuna trip Friday night, but the weather was less than perfect, and ideal conditions are needed at this time of year, when the fishing requires a long, 120-mile trip toward the south. Nobody wants to make the run in even somewhat rough seas.

<b>Hereford Inlet</b>

Several thresher sharks were battled in the ocean, but sharking was generally slow over the weekend, and shark anglers ran across lots of big bluefish, said Cathy from <b>Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle</b> from Wildwood in a fax.

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

A few customers searched for mako sharks last week but with no success, said Matt from <b>Jim’s Bait & Tackle</b> in a fax. At the Jacob Jones wreck the water temp was right, but water clarity was poor, and only a few bluefish bit. At the Arlene wreck a load of blue sharks prowled, but no makos or threshers did.

The <b>Down Deep’s</b> shark season will kick off this weekend, when the boat competes in the South Jersey Shark Tournament, Capt. Bob said. He’ll probably compete today and tomorrow, because a black drum charter is slated Sunday. A few thresher sharks were sighted, and not many were reported caught, but Bob knew one angler who landed a 200-pounder.

Capt. Stan from the <b>Canyon Clipper</b> heard about a few tuna found at spots like Hudson Canyon, where small areas of warm, 68-degree water sometimes held, he said. He’s ready to start shark fishing, and tuna trips should start during the end of the month.

An angler from the dock battled a thresher shark already, said Capt. George from the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>. That’s all he heard recently about sharking.

Back to Top