New Jersey Fishing Reports

Bluefin tuna fishing turned back on in the inshore ocean this week after the fish had stopped biting a moment, said Capt. Brian from Jersey Devil Charters from the Highlands. He heard about catches 25 miles from the coast, closer to shore than before. His trips will keep going after them whenever they can between windy weather, and one is slated for Sunday. And the weather was windy! Both charters and open-boat trips are running for the bluefins, and call if interested in the open trips, because the more anglers who can go, the easier to schedule. Brian also heard about a few yellowfin tuna catches at Toms Canyon at night.

Shark River

Fishing for bluefin tuna flipped back on, giving up fights in a wide area around the Monster Ledge, after the fish had been reluctant to bite a moment, said Capt. Ralph from Last Lady Fishing Charters from Neptune. So Last Lady will fish for them again, and call if you want to go. Canyon tuna fishing was some of the best of the season this past week, and boaters at Toms Canyon whacked good catches of 30- to 80-pounders on the chunk at night, and many were finished by midnight. So a charter is on the books to go after canyon tuna next week, after Ralph had put the trips on hold previously because of slower catches. A couple of anglers are interested in an open-boat canyon trip, and if enough express interest, Last Lady will head out. On Tuesday Doug Stark’s crew bombed cod to 37 pounds and pollock to 29 pounds at the offshore wrecks, the best trip all year, Ralph said. Last Lady’s been doing a number on cod, the best season for them in a long time, and hardly anybody else was probably doing the fishing. Charters are running after them, and call if interested in an open-boat trip, because Ralph’s got anglers interested, and trips will sail whenever enough want to go.

The Nan Sea J from Belmar was docked in the windy weather, Capt. Tom said. But others said bluefin tuna were back on the bite at the mid-range grounds after catches turned scarce for a time. The vessel is fishing for them, including on open-boat trips, and call for the schedule. Charters are also fishing the canyons for tuna, and no news was heard about the canyons in the weather in the past days.

Manasquan Inlet

Customers sometimes talked about finding bluefin tuna closer to shore like 25 miles from the coast, said Dave from The Reel Seat in Brielle. He would think that from the Monster Ledge to the Lillian wreck would be a place to look. Bluefin catches seemed to dry up at waters farther out, like at the Atlantic Princess wreck. Loads of bluefish, some albies and a few skipjacks now roamed around the Princess. Farther from shore, Toms Canyon seemed best for tuna fishing, mostly for yellowfins that walloped jigs from Butterflies to Sting-O’s, mostly at night. On some nights, trips would get on the tuna, and on others they wouldn’t. Dawn definitely gave up a shot, and sometimes dusk did. Hudson Canyon was the only place where reports rolled in about longfin tuna caught, but not in the numbers they’d normally be. Quite a few swordfish were muscled in from the canyons.

Canyon fishing for yellowfin tuna at the Toms had been “dead-on hot,” said Capt. Ken from the Big Kid from Brielle at the beginning of the week. The fish were small but served up lots of action. He heard no more news about the canyons by mid week, probably because of windy weather. Bluefin tuna fishing supposedly came back on after a lull, and charters on the vessel will get back after them. Ken knows someone who caught bluefins at the mid-range grounds, and Ken saw none when at the Mudhole closer to shore the other day, and he looked.

Trips for canyon tuna were weathered out and rescheduled on the Katie H from Brielle, Capt. Mike said. More overnighters are slated for the weekend, and reports sounded like boaters at the Toms Canyon knuckled in 25- to 35-pound yellowfin tuna at night on the chunk. Nothing seemed to be happening during the day on the troll. The Katie H will also fish for bluefin tuna if the angling turned back on.

On the party boat Jamaica from Brielle a Special Tuna/Tilefish/Mahi Mahi Trip ran offshore on Thursday of last week, an e-mail from the boat said. At first the anglers fished at a few lobster pots, reeling up mahi. Then the boat was drifted for tilefish, and the drift was fast, so fewer tiles were pumped in than on the previous trip, but some of the fish to 10 pounds were picked. Next the boat was headed for a place to fish for tuna, but the trip ran across a wood pallet on the way, and more mahi, including a 26-pounder, were caught. Tuna fishing ended up slow, though the fish were read underneath the boat several times. But a canyon tuna trip was better on Saturday to Sunday. Two 55-pound yellowfin tuna were creamed when the boat was drifted back on anchor. Things were quiet a while, until tuna schooled under the boat again, and six more were belted in a short time. Plenty of tuna were read at different times through the night, and sometimes they bit. Jigs caught most, but bait grabbed 40 percent. A good body of waters that held yellowfins and a few longfin tuna was located from Toms Canyon to the south. The Jamaica is slated to fish for tuna through October on both Special Tuna/Tilefish/Mahi Mahi Trips and canyon tuna trips. An inshore trip for bluefin tuna is slated for Thursday, and bonito, false albacore and skipjacks were mixed in lately. The bluefins and plenty of life stuck around through October last year, and more of the trips might be added. See the Jamaica’s Web site for the full schedule and to be added to the e-mail list for special trips.

A trip to Hudson Canyon scored tuna, good fishing, on Friday in awesome weather on the party boat Sea Devil from Point Pleasant, the report on the boat’s Web site said. Yellowfin tuna were decked, but so were longfin tuna, and the longfins were the biggest. Ron Krusl and Jack Tackett landed a 60-pound longfin apiece. Most of the tuna were knuckled in on bait, but some were jigged. Some were broken off before they made it to the boat. Mike Freeman and Steve Huemick bagged two yellowfins apiece. Harry Hladun, Keith Barkey, Lloyd Donnelly and Kris Martin nailed their first yellowfins of the season. Everyone had a blast, and all went home with tuna steaks, the report said. Check the Sea Devil’s Web site for the tuna schedule.

Absecon Inlet

Yellowfin tuna 30 to 40 pounds, lots of them, were boated at night at the canyons straight offshore from Brigantine, said Capt. Tom from the Fishin’ Fever from the town. A few longfin and bigeye tuna also swam the area. An excellent population of swordfish, including big ones such as 275-pounders Tom heard about, were on the prowl in the waters. On the inshore ocean plenty of false albacore and tons of blues were trolled.

Great Egg Harbor Inlet

Offshore news was scarce, but a report rolled in about local anglers boating yellowfin tuna at Carteret Canyon, said T.C. from Brennan Marine in Somers Point. Overnight fishing at the canyons was yet to be in full force because of rough weather.

Hereford Inlet

Trollers on the inshore ocean made catches of bonito and false albacore among schools and found occasional mahi mahi in the area, said Cathy from Sterling Harbor Bait & Tackle from Wildwood. Farther from shore, yellowfin tuna were chunked and trolled at Lindenkohl Canyon and farther north. Baltimore and Wilmington canyons served up swordfish and mako sharks. Waters south of Poorman’s Canyon were white marlin territory as of the last report heard at the shop.

Cape May Inlet

An overnight tuna trip to the canyons on Saturday was cancelled because of forecasts, but the weather turned out beautiful, according to anglers who went, said Capt. George from the Heavy Hitter from Cape May. Nobody probably got out since then, because of winds, but he heard a couple of reports about yellowfin tuna clubbed at night at the northern canyons like the Lindenkohl when they last fished. A friend went 15 for 30 on one trip, returned on another and bagged 10.

Tuna fishing turned on at Toms and Lindenkohl canyons Thursday and Friday nights, and most were jigged, but some were fought on butterfish or sardines, said Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle from Cape May. He hoped the tuna, mostly 25- to 55-pounders but some up to 60 pounds, “move a little closer to home,” he said.