New Jersey Fishing Reports

Capt. Brian Rice from Jersey Devil Charters from the Highlands fished the canyons Tuesday with Frank Crescitelli on Frank’s Fin Chaser from Staten Island, Brian said. They trolled yellowfin tuna, including one keeper, skipjacks and a 150- to 200-pound blue marlin on the 100-fathom line north of Carteret Canyon. Brian will compete in the shark tournament at Bahrs Landing in two weekends. Jersey Devil is chartering for tuna and sharks.

Shark River Inlet

Between dodging thunderstorms that kept screwing up the drift, making the boat float in different directions, a 5-foot mako shark and a blue shark were pumped in during an open-boat shark trip Wednesday on the Nan Sea J from Belmar, Capt. Tom Palchanes said. The mako was released, and he wasn’t asked whether the blue was, and run-offs were also scored. Waters were 67 degrees and gorgeous, and no other life was seen in the area. Next week’s open shark trip is sold out. The annual trips, running every Wednesday through July, are a rare opportunity to fight sharks without chartering the whole boat. A shark charter was slated for today.

Manasquan Inlet

Blue sharks, some to 200 pounds, were muscled in on the Katie H from Brielle on Saturday, while the anglers competed in Mako Mania, Capt. Mike Schneider said. The trip fished toward the Texas Tower and farther offshore to 65 miles, pushing out to look for a warm area, stopping on 66-degree waters. The weather was beautiful, but more winds or seas to drift the boat could’ve been used to cover more ground, and the trip probably drifted 3 ½ miles. Life including whales and dolphins swam all over, and fish, maybe skipjacks or bluefin tuna, were seen breaking the water surface in the distance. But the anglers couldn’t leave the chum slick, of course. A boater from the docks landed small yellowfin tuna 25 or 30 pounds at Lindenkohl Canyon during the weekend. The Katie H’s first tuna charter of the season is slated for July 10. Don’t have enough anglers for a tuna charter? No problem. Call Mike, and he can probably arrange an individual spot on a make-up trip.

Capt. Jerry Postorino from Fish Monger Charters from Brielle, crew and friends, an “all star cast,” he said, competed in Mako Mania during the weekend. They ran south to a water-temp break Jerry had spotted, finding great waters that ranged 63 to 67 degrees. A 180- to 220-pound mako entered the chum slick within 20 minutes, swimming along the surface. It short-bit a bluefish bait twice, but never committed, and swam away. Then a blue shark came through along the surface, gobbled up the first bait it came to, got reeled in, and a photo was taken, and the fish was released. Next a small mako, probably a keeper, barreled into the slick, swimming up to the boat. A bait was pitched, and the shark was hooked, landed and released, after a photo. Then a shark grabbed a bait fished 30 feet down, peeled off a ton of line, put up a fight, almost got cranked close to the boat, and pulled the hook. “We got our chance,” Jerry said about the trip, “but luck wasn’t on our side.” But they had action and lots of fun, he said. Waters were loaded with life including sunfish, a sea turtle, dolphins, a whale, a few patches of bluefish and some small bluefin tuna.

Little Egg Inlet

Twenty-five yellowfin tuna, including three keepers, were dusted on the troll at Lindenkohl Canyon on Saturday on the June Bug from Beach Haven, Capt. Lindsay Fuller said. So were a half-dozen skipjacks that were kept for baits. Waters were 69 degrees, the same temp the whole way out. The boat’s mate joined a trip with friends that smoked a 170-pound bluefin at the Hambone 1 ½ weeks ago. Trips for both types of fishing are on tap.

A small mako shark and four blue sharks to 7 or 8 feet were wrenched in Monday at 28-Mile Wreck with Legal Limit Charters from Tuckerton, Capt. T.J. Schwarzwalder Jr. said. Waters were 68 degrees, and bluefin tuna were seen breaking the surface, and some boaters caught them. . Both of T.J.’s boats tuna fished at Lindenkohl Canyon on Sunday, and 11 yellowfins were reeled in on one, and five were wrestled in on the other, and a couple of the fish were keepers around 20 pounds on both boats. On a trip last week on Thursday, 11 blue sharks were fought to the boat in 20 fathoms. Three others swam the chum slick but never swiped a bait. Another shark trip was sailing today, and a combo shark/bluefin trip will run Saturday.

Great Egg Harbor Inlet

A shark trip on Sunday pounded two 4-foot makos and a thresher that was at least 350 to 400 pounds, a fish that was fought 2 ½ hour, landed and released, said Capt. Eric Jefferis from O-Beth Sportfishing from Margate. Plus a 40-pound bluefin tuna was trolled in the morning. The trip fished on the 20-fathom line in 67-degree, clean, good-looking waters, and birds worked the waters at daybreak.

Jimmy Crompton landed the 286-pound thresher after a 2-hour fight Sunday, said Rob and Joan Barrett from Dolfin Dock in Somers Point. The shark was laid on one side of Johnny Williams’ 25-foot boat, while Crompton, Shane Swenson and Mark Denny stayed on the other side for ballast on the ride home.

On Ron Kovler’s Next Case several small, keeper yellowfin tuna and some mahi mahi to 19 pounds were picked up at Spencer Canyon on a variety of lures, including spreader bars and green machines, said a fax from Brennan Marine in Somers Point. Also at the Spencer, Mario Martorel and gang on his North Cote trolled cedar plugs, going 4 for 7 on 30-pound yellowfins, grabbing four sizeable mahi too. Bill Haas and crew on the Rose Lee, fishing 2 miles north of the tip of Lindenkohl Canyon, clobbered non-stop action with small yellowfins, keeping four that weighed 30 pounds, releasing more than 20. Mark Healy on the Christy Liz II pummeled three 30-pound yellowfins and a 15-pound mahi on cedar plugs and spreader bars. Fred Kisby on the Double Bogey took a shot at sharks, putting a stop to a 490-pound thresher that ate a whole mackerel with a purple skirt 20 miles off Atlantic City.

Townsend’s Inlet

A trip trolled 10 yellowfin tuna, small fish, and three gaffer dolphin 10 to 15 pounds in 100 fathoms at South Toms Canyon on Wednesday with John Stevens, Dusty Laricks and Chuck Gehman aboard, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle in Sea Isle City. One 20-pound yellowfin was kept, and during one period a bait couldn’t be dropped in the waters without a tuna crashing it. All the fish, including the mahi mahi, hit ballyhoos on Ilanders on spreader bars. Joe was glad to see the mahi, and they were just starting to filter in, not in large concentrations to reliably cast to them at the lobster pots, but they started to become abundant. When the population becomes larger, Joe will start combo trips that troll for tuna in the mornings and cast to mahi later in the day. On this trip waters were 69.3 to 71 degrees, and porpoises, turtles and a whale were seen. On the way home the crew briefly stopped at the inshore grounds to try trolling for bluefin tuna. No bluefins showed up, but the anglers didn’t stay long. A 15-pound, gator bluefish attacked the spread and was landed. But bluefins did begin to hold in 20 to 30 fathoms, and 100-plus-pounders are expected to start consistently biting. Joe will fish for them soon. On Sunday a trip fished Spencer Canyon with Chuck Wacker, his son C.J. and Chuck’s friend Jim. Eight yellowfins, including two keepers to 20 or 25 pounds, and a dozen skipjacks were trolled. Action, but Joe had hoped for bigger tuna, he said. Joe heard that a buddy landed yellowfins to 45 pounds, but Joe saw none that big, and heard about none in the area. Another friend trolled a 150-pound bluefin tuna and a mako shark in 40 fathoms. Joe last week, after getting home late Thursday night from an annual striped bass trip to Massachusetts, turned right back around to head offshore Friday from Jersey with Jay Von Czoernig and John O’Connor. Yellowfins to 35 pounds, filled with squid, were trolled at Poorman’s Canyon. A ballyhoo on an Ilander was also the hot lure that day, but the fish bit almost anything. The trip didn’t begin fishing at the Poorman’s, but Joe wished it had. Open-boat tuna trips are sailing, including Wednesday if the weather allows. The trips will usually fish Wednesdays but sometimes on other days, depending on the weather and when anglers want to go. Call for info. The trips will fish either inshore for bluefin tuna or at the canyons for yellowfins. Joe won’t limit the options, and he just wants to catch, he said. If that means pushing out to the canyons, he’ll do it. The trips are a learning experience. Joe took his first shot at one of the unique trips he offers--inshore shark fishing for duskies and browns, both protected species that must be released--scoring his first dusky of the season, a 40-pounder, on a mackerel fillet, letting the shark go, only 3 or 4 miles from shore. The trips are unique because they do battle with sharks close to shore on light-spinning or fly rods, maxing out the fun, shortening the ride. A chum slick is set up, and baits are free-lined out to hook up, or chum flies are cast into the drink. Joe will offer mixed-bag offshore charters this summer, trolling for tuna in the mornings, then casting lures, bait or flies to mahi mahi in the afternoons. Offshore trips fish on either the 26-foot Regulator or a 42-foot Liberty, depending on the number of anglers and type of fishing.

Cape May Inlet

A charter trolled 13 yellowfins, including two keepers, at the canyons last Friday on the Fishin’ Fever from Cape May, Capt. Tom Daffin said. Probably 30 of the fish bit, and a large tuna, maybe a small bigeye, was fought quite a while before the hook pulled. Lots of juvenile yellowfins filled the waters, with bigger ones mixed in, and Tom expects larger ones to move in soon. Waters were 67 degrees. Bluefin tuna were getting active on the inshore grounds, and Tom knew about several 100- to 150-pounders taken.

Capt. George Smith from the Heavy Hitter from Cape May fished on a trip on a private boat Sunday that trolled four small yellowfin tuna to 27 ½ inches at Spencer Canyon, he said. They had planned to sail to Poorman’s Canyon, where the fish were bailed through last Friday, but that angling reportedly dropped off afterward. Another angler who fished Lindenkohl Canyon that day got skunked. George heard nothing lately about bluefin tuna on the inshore grounds, but the fish previously were picked here or there. Bluefins usually settle in within the coming week or so. No news was heard about sharking, and most anglers switchd to tuna.

Jaftica Sportfishing from Cape May ran for yellowfins to waters south of Baltimore Canyon over the weekend, and Capt. Ray Morrison wouldn’t say the fishing was on fire, with lots of smaller fish around, but a couple of 50- to 60-pounders were trolled on the boat. The fish basically swam up and down the 100-fathom line, and the Baltimore itself failed to attract them at the time. Jaftica did no fishing for bluefin tuna yet this season, and the fishing for yellowfins was more productive, so Ray went with that.

Yellowfin tuna fishing was hopping, though most of the fish, weighing up to 40 pounds, were small or throwbacks, said a fax from Jim’s Bait & Tackle. in Cape May. The area from Poorman’s Canyon to South Poorman’s was best early last week. Bites late in the week came from the Spencer and from between Poorman’s and Baltimore canyons. Mahi mahi started to be caught around the canyons, and mako sharks that attacked the tuna trolling spreads closer to shore were a big surprise. The crew on the Pipe Dream during the weekend tried for bluefin tuna at the Lobster Claw, moving in after landing yellowfins at the Spencer, hammering a 142-pound mako shark instead.