New Jersey Fishing Reports

The bow was set on a course for bluefin tuna on the inshore grounds on a trip Thursday that Capt. Derek from Fisher Price Charters from the Highlands took with friends, he said. They went 3 for 5 on bluefins to 50 pounds 50 to 55 miles offshore in bouncy seas on sardines. Plenty of skipjacks and false albacore were landed on jigs and sardines. Waters were blue, 75 degrees, holding tremendous life, including bait, rays, whales, porpoises, everything. Fisher Price is chartering for the tuna, and get aboard while the fishing lasts. Bluefins also swam closer to shore, and Derek heard about yellowfin tuna ploughed closer, as nearby as 22 miles.

Anglers with Jersey Devil Charters from the Highlands were supposed to motor to the inshore ocean for tuna on Tuesday, if northeast winds failed to build seas, Capt. Brian said. But nothing was heard back from a call made to him afterward, so the trip probably got weathered out. The fishing was reportedly slow Sunday after the tropical storm, but before the storm was good for bluefins and yellowfins southeast of the Mudhole closer to the coast and for bluefins southeast of the Glory Hole farther from land. Jersey Devil is focusing on the tuna, one of the best fisheries this season. Both charters and open-boat trips are running for the fish, and call if interested in the open trips. The more who are interested, the easier dates can be set up.

Manasquan Inlet

The weather was tough, forcing inshore and canyon tuna charters to be cancelled from Saturday through this week on the Big Kid from Brielle, Capt. Ken said. But a trip fished Hendrickson Canyon last week from Thursday to Friday. Six keeper yellowfin tuna, including a 76-pounder, were bagged, and two were chunked at night, and the rest were trolled during the daytime. A 300-pound blue marlin was trolled and released, and a wahoo and a couple of mahi mahi were whacked on the troll.

The Sea Devil from Point Pleasant’s first canyon tuna trip of the season ran Sunday, facing big swells through most of the night, Cindy said in an e-mail. Not much action happened at the canyon at night, so the trip was moved inshore before daybreak, and lots of action took off. One couple of anglers teamed up to land a 125-pounder. Another two landed a total of three tuna. The e-mail never mentioned the species of tuna, but sounded like bluefins, considering the size and location.

The season’s first bluefin tuna trip was wild on the Jamaica from Brielle on Monday! an e-mail from the boat said. The trip sailed 50 miles to the grounds, running over a reading of tuna from 50 to 140 feet down, no sooner than the engines were slowed. The vessel was turned around and anchored, and two of the fish were hooked within minutes. The fish were lost, and the action started again after 20 minutes, and went wild! Two to five bluefin tuna were hooked at a time. A limit of two was bagged, and at least 30 were caught and released and countless more lost or missed within the first 2 hours. Little tunny also gave up action. At 9 a.m. the trip’s biggest tuna was reeled to boat-side: Ernie Barbero from Brielle’s 120-pound bluefin that took him around the boat. The fish was released, and fishing slowed down. The boat was moved ¼ mile, and 20 more bluefins, numerous false albacore and skipjacks were released, until it was time to go home. The fishing’s been as good as it gets, and more of the trips will sail as long as it lasts, in addition to canyon tuna trips. More of the bluefin trips will sail 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Labor Day and 3 a.m. to 4 p.m. September 10 and 17, and more might be added to the schedule. Bonito, false albacore and yellowfin tuna are also swimming the area. Canyon trips are about to begin.

Tuna anglers at Little Italy on the inshore ocean reported mixed success, but scored lots of good days on bluefins and yellowfins, said Dave from The Reel Seat in Brielle. False albacore and skipjacks were also abundant. Joe Reap butterfly-jigged a 40-pound cobia there. Mike Rafferty took a 34-pound wahoo in the area on a trolled Reel Seat green-and-yellow-feather bluefin spreader bar. Dave also heard about two king mackerel boated on the grounds. Canyon tuna anglers sometimes rounded up decent catches of yellowfins, not a ton, but some, mostly at the Lindenkohl last week. But if Hudson Canyon anglers wanted marlin, this was their shot, because they could plunder great catches of white marlin and “enough” blue marlin, he said.

One of the boat’s light-tackle bonito and false albacore trips headed out last week, said Capt. Jerry from Fish Monger Charters from Brielle in an e-mail. Friends told him they found lots of albies and skipjacks while fishing for tuna on the inshore grounds, so the trip sailed there, also giving the anglers a chance at tuna. Four keeper yellowfin tuna, a 40-plus-pound bluefin tuna, lots of false albacore, including multiple hook-ups, and skipjacks were hammered. Albies darted through the chunked spearing and sardine slick. “Great light tackle action!” Jerry said. He couldn’t remember the last time yellowfins swam that close to shore. Both charters and open-boat trips, including an open trip every Wednesday, are sailing for bonito and albies, and give Jerry a shout to climb aboard.

Absecon Inlet

A dozen or so false albacore were walloped on the inshore troll Sunday on the Fishin’ Fever from Brigantine, Capt. Tom said. Probably 25 other bites missed or pulled off on the trip, fishing 10 to 18 miles from the coast, finding the albies through the entire stretch. Then the anglers moved close to shore for 45 minutes to try for sharks, nailing and releasing a brown shark, before heading home. The inshore trolling was great lately, and lots of small blues could also be hooked, and Tom heard about a couple of mahi mahi taken. Seas were 4 to 8 feet but spread out in a long swell, not bad, and the inlet was somewhat rough but not impassable. If inshore fishing for tuna holds up toward the Mudhole and the Glory Hole up north, trips can go after them, are within reach of Brigantine. Overnight, canyon tuna trips should begin soon.

Great Egg Harbor Inlet

Offshore fishing was limited because of the weather, said T.C. from Brennan Marine in a fax. But the Bill Haas group on the Rose Lee went 4 for 5 on 75-pound bigeye tuna and released a 400-pound blue marlin at Lindenkohl Canyon last week on trolled ballyhoos on Islanders.

Townsend’s Inlet

Tuna were finally bagged around the canyons on a 46-hour trip Monday to Wednesday, after none of the fish was hooked during the previous week, said the report on Over Under Adventures’ Web site. On that Monday a dozen yellowfin tuna, all 60 to 70 pounds, except one that was smaller, were creamed, mostly at the 830 to 840 lines on the troll south of Toms Canyon, except two that were chunked at night at the Toms itself. Nighttime fishing was mostly uneventful, except for hammerhead sharks that attacked. Ten white marlin and two blue marlin were seen among the tuna on the daytime troll, and a few of the billfish were landed on the heavier tackle meant for tuna. Another trip made a quick turnaround Wednesday, sailing to Spencer Canyon in rough seas. A white was missed on the troll before night fell, and the nighttime fishing nailed Over Under’s first swordfish of the season and a sizeable mahi. On the troll the next day eight mahi to 22 pounds were landed at a weed patch. Then the anglers went 3 for 5 on yellowfins to 55 pounds at a patch of bait found at the 585 line in 60 fathoms. The better-sized tuna on the trips were good to see. “It was a great week,” the report said. Anglers waited for night tuna fishing to take off at the canyons, but at least these tuna were trolled, unlike last year, “so it should just be a mater of days now,” the report said. Bait filled every canyon, and the crew hoped the storm pushed cooler waters into the area.

Cape May Inlet

An inshore-trolling charter, a short, 4-hour trip on Friday, lucking out with a window of calm weather, bailed a bunch of false albacore and blues on the Heavy Hitter from Cape May, Capt. George said. People told George about storms, winds and rains at other locations that day, but the weather wasn’t bad on the trip, leaving at noontime. Inshore trolling’s been great, and another one of the trips last week whaled albies and blues. Another fought albies, blues and a mahi mahi.

Big-game fishing went well during the middle of the week between the storms, said Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle from Cape May in a fax. White marlin held thick along the 100-fathom line north of Wilmington Canyon, and double-digit catches were not uncommon. Whites also swam the deeper waters near the 100 line. The crew on the Liquidity boated three decent-sized yellowfin tuna inside Baltimore Canyon around the 100-fathom line.