New Jersey Fishing Reports

Bluefin tuna kept running around the inshore ocean, mostly biting on the troll, said Capt. Ralph from Last Lady Fishing Charters from Neptune in an e-mail. Give him a call to go after them, and Ralph expected canyon tuna fishing to explode after the effects of last weekend’s full moon waned. Some canyon boaters scored well. Three spots are available for an open-boat, overnight canyon trip September 10 to 11, and five spots remain for trips October 7 to 8 and 14 to 15, and six spots are up for grabs October 14 to 15.

Manasquan Inlet

An overnight, offshore trip headed out on the Andrea’s Toy from Point Pleasant with John Lapchak’s charter on Monday, running to the Lobster Claw, based on reports about bluefin tuna catches there, and about slower fishing at the canyons, the report on the boat’s web site said. On the first day they had no luck while trolling, and they set up to chunk the area at night. Two 100-pound brown sharks were landed, and no tuna showed up, but things were about to change. At first light, game was on! A 130-pound bluefin tuna hammered a butterfly jig on a Shimano Trevala/Torso jigging rod and reel. Then the fish started biting sardines, and by 9 a.m., the anglers had enough, and a limit of one of the fish was already aboard. They fished for mahi mahi to end the trip, catching four that weighed up to 5 pounds. On Wednesday morning the Frank Hess charter, who heard reports about the bite and booked a trip at the last minute, ran for the Lobster Claw, breaking the inlet in the dark. Seas were sporty, but they started trolling 10 miles before the Claw, and 15 minutes later a 120-pound bluefin was nailed on a ballyhoo with an Ilander on a planer, and the fish was boated 20 minutes later. Seas were getting angrier, and a couple of the anglers felt effects, so they made their way toward home, without reaching the Claw. But they stopped at Barnegat Ridge, battling a dozen bluefish on light tackle, before returning to port. Andrea’s Toy is sailing offshore on open-boat, mixed bag trips that often currently troll for tuna in the evenings, drift for swords and sharks at night, troll for tuna again in the mornings, cast light tackle for mahi at the lobster pots next, and then deep-drop for tilefish. Mixed-bag fishing offers more fun, better chances of hooking up and more variety for dinner. Details are included on the boat’s home page.

Customers whacked schoolie bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean, said Dave from The Reel Seat in Brielle. Chris Carver, from Carver Boat Works on the Point Pleasant Canal, on the His and Hers trolled a load of bluefins on the 20-fathom line Saturday, both on The Reel Seat’s small spreader bars for bluefins and on butterfly jigs, and landed a dozen mahi mahi, too. Rob Jenkins on the Moby’s Mistress trolled bluefins on the same model of spreader bars, and stopped at a wreck to pull aboard cod and pollock. Farther from shore, a trip on Capt. Dave Bender’s Jenny Lee trolled two bigeye tuna at Hudson Canyon on Saturday on The Reel Seat’s Rainbow Runner spreader bars and also mugged a 60-pound yellowfin tuna during the day and small yellowfins at night. Anglers on the Brenda’s Three tackled three bigeyes at the Hudson during the day Saturday and scored a swordfish there at night. Many offshore anglers kept hush about locations of catches, because they were competing in the Mid Atlantic $500,000.

Barnegat Inlet

One charter this week opted not to fish offshore, because yellowfin tuna fishing was slow at the canyons, and although plenty of big bluefin tuna, 55- to 65-inchers, could be fought inshore, only one keeper could realistically be bagged, said Capt. Mike from the Tuna-Tic from Waretown. Only bluefins in the larger slot limit were around. But a charter that fished Wednesday decided to chase the bluefins and nailed them. Bluefin boaters were flocking to the Lobster Claw, but the Claw became crowded, and that ended the bite. This trip fished 8 miles south of the area, where sand eels were piled up, and the fishing turned on. A trip on the boat today was going to try fishing the canyons again. A canyon charter ran Sunday to Monday, and on the first day one of the anglers got seasick and then fell unconscious, and a medivac helicopter had to be called in. The emergency responders decided the angler was too big to lift up to the helicopter, so the boat sailed to Atlantic City to get the angler to emergency help. Then the trip sailed back offshore, and 15 big mahi mahi were fought aboard at the lobster pots at Wilmington Canyon. In the morning the anglers went after bluefin tuna at the Claw, fighting several of the big fish, keeping one and releasing a couple, and the biggest landed weighed 150 pounds. Despite the emergency, the anglers who were able to remain ended up happy and had a good trip, Mike said. Yellowfin tuna fishing had tapered off and was slow by then, but Mike expected the bite to kick in any day. The boat’s now got back-to-back offshore trips quite some time, and if yellowfin fishing is too slow, he’ll give the anglers the choice of whether they want to fish. But bluefin fishing was great, and big mahi were hitting. Tuna-Tic is running 24-hour, overnight, offshore trips, and many dates are booked in the near future, but some are open. A few spots on open-boat, make-up trips were available, including September 9 to 10, and Mike can call anglers to keep them informed when more open up.

Absecon Inlet

Offshore fishing was all about big bluefin tuna at the Lobster Claw, and yellowfin tuna fishing dropped off at the canyons, for some reason, said Joe from Offshore Enterprises Bait & Tackle in Atlantic City.

Great Egg Harbor Inlet

White marlin swam different canyons including the Spencer, Lindenkohl, Baltimore and Washington, said Bill from Fin-Atics. The area around the Lobster Claw kept doling out bluefin tuna, and Bill heard about a white caught there. Big mahi mahi were also in the waters, and Bill knew someone who boated a 42-pounder. A few wahoos were on the hunt 10 miles inshore of the Claw.

Townsend’s Inlet

Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle in Sea Isle City competed in the Mid Atlantic $500,000, helping out in the cockpit on Dan Paulus’s Hulabaloo, with Capt. Chris Goldmark at the helm, Joe said. Through Wednesday they were holding second place with a 73-pound white marlin boated on Monday, the first day of the competition, and they were set to fish one more day, today, the final day of the event. On the first day they also released another white and kept a 33-pound mahi mahi, a cow no less. Joe and crew also competed Tuesday, and two good-sized mahi were landed, and a blue marlin and a couple of whites were seen but refused to bite. The trips caught no tuna, because they fished farther offshore for marlin, and tuna hung a little inshore of the canyons. Fishing for yellowfin tuna was slow this week, though small ones were around. Bluefin tuna, big ones, had been piled up at the Lobster Claw early last week, but word got out, and tons of boats crowded the area, and Joe was unsure whether that affected catches, because he did no fishing for the bluefins since then. Last Friday he and the anglers from the Hulabaloo scouted waters for the tournament, fishing Poorman’s and Baltimore canyons, but the area gave up little action, only a couple of mahi.

Low Profile and Justified, the boats fishing from Avalon for Over Under Adventures, competed in last week’s Ocean City Marlin and Tuna Club Overnight Billfish Tournament, an e-mail from the boat said. Low Profile won third place in the tuna division and second and third places in the mahi mahi division, totaling $7,300 in prize money. The tournament took place last week on Monday through Saturday, and both boats competed Friday into Saturday. Low Profile headed to the east side of Wilmington Canyon, even though reports said yellowfin tuna fishing was slow overnight at the canyons. But the boat stopped on the inshore bluefin tuna grounds on the way out, pummeling a 103-pounder that won the third-place prize. At the canyon the crew managed to get a bit of an overnight chunk bite going, and went 6 for 10 on yellowfins. They also trolled the canyon during the daylight, claiming a bunch of big mahi, including a 39-pounder and a 36-pounder that took the second- and third-place prizes. Two wahoos and a longfin tuna were also trolled, and a blue marlin was trolled and released. On the Justified the crew opted to anchor overnight on the inshore grounds where Over Under had been finding big bluefins. A triple header attacked just before dark, and a 68-incher was boated. Bluefins came through again in the early morning, “providing superb action” through 8 a.m., the e-mail said. The tournament is a great event, and Over Under looks forward to competing again next year, it said. Over Under’s boats Pretty Work and That’s Right are fishing from Ocean City, Maryland, and mostly fished just inshore of Poorman’s Canyon in 40 to 50 fathoms last week. Trips put anglers into three to five yellowfins, 30- to 60-pounders, per outing, and dolphin and a good number of white marlin. A floating bucket was found one day that attracted hundreds of 5- to 11-pound mahi, and the anglers onboard had a blast fighting them on light spinning tackle. Twelve other boats limited out on the dolphin around the bucket. “Pretty amazing stuff,” the e-mail said. The crew also fished Baltimore Canyon one day, boating several yellowfins and a couple of gaffer mahi in 54 fathoms at the west wall and in 40 fathoms inshore of the canyon. Mahi were also located at 32 fathoms, and like the offshore fishing farther north lately, more life was found in shallower waters.

Cape May Inlet

John Anderson’s charter fished 40 to 50 fathoms on Tuesday on the Heavy Hitter from Cape May, Capt. George said. Seven yellowfin tuna 27 to 34 inches were trolled, and several were missed. Two 110-pound bluefins were also trolled, and a limit of one was kept, and the other was released. False albacore were also hooked, and seas were rough, every bit of 5 to 6 feet, though forecasts called for 2 to 4. No mahi mahi or wahoos attacked, though some were landed on a charter during the weekend in the same depths. Waters were 76 to 77 degrees, and another trip is slated to return to the grounds Sunday. Travis Henning, Dave Dickey and Ken Bracket from Iowa, Kentucky and midwestern Pennsylvania, who are normally bass anglers, took the other trip, their first-ever offshore trip, last Sunday. A double header of 100-pound bluefin tuna were trolled, and a limit of one was bagged. A 32-inch yellowfin tuna, some mahi mahi and a wahoo were also trolled, a good catch, also in 40 to 50 fathoms, this time in 75- to 76-degree waters.

Copacetic Sportfishing from Cape May trolled two 40-pound yellowfin tuna and a couple of quality sized mahi mahi along the 30- and 40-fathom lines, Capt. Mike said. Yellowfins swam there instead of a little farther off at the canyons, and the fishing was great, and the shorter ride was an advantage. Big bluefin tuna also roamed the area, and the trip tried chunking for them and broke off a big fish, apparently a bluefin.

A few tuna charters sailed on the Down Deep from Cape May, including one with the Batewin party, who smoked a 171-pound bluefin and six yellowfins about 40 pounds apiece in 30 fathoms, Capt. Bob said. The Rosenweig group slammed a 150-pound bluefin, six yellowfins 30 to 40 pounds and six mahi mahi around the same depths. The Robinson Pallet Company trip with Ron Leider fished the same area for a 150-pound bluefin, a 45-pound wahoo and some big mahi mahi. So the charters were great.

Bluefin tuna fishing was outstanding, with 200-pounders drilled toward the Lobster Claw, said Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle in Cape May in a fax. Big mahi mahi were also found in the area. Yellowfin tuna hung in 40 to 50 fathoms, short of the canyons. Canyon fishing was best for white marlin.