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New Jersey Offshore Fishing Report 7-17-15


<b>Sandy Hook</b>

Roy Wurst and crew weighed a 517-pound thresher shark Sunday at <b>Twin Lights Marina</b> in Highlands, Marion O’Neil from the marina wrote in an email. The anglers boated the fish at the BA buoy on Wurst’s 23-foot Contender. Twin Lights, located on Shrewsbury River near Raritan Bay and the ocean, with no bridges before them, includes a marina with boat slips, dry storage, a fuel dock, and a combined bait and tackle shop and ship’s store. Baits stocked include the full offshore selection. The fuel dock is available 24 hours a day with a credit card. 

<b>Shark River Inlet</b>

The <b>Katie H</b> from Belmar competed in the Mako Mania tournament Sunday, Capt. Mike said.  The tournament, held Friday to Sunday, had been rescheduled from two weeks previously, because of weather. The trip landed a blue shark and a brown shark and, at the end of the outing, lost a sizable mako that would’ve been a “money fish.” That was disappointing, and no other makos bit. The water was clear and good-looking and held tons of bait, but was a little warm for makos. Anglers in the tournament often said they thought most makos migrated away by now. But the one mako, good-sized, was hooked on the Katie H. Another shark trip is slated for Monday aboard, and the anglers are interested in fighting any sharks, not just makos.  The Katie H will begin fishing for tuna often, starting in August. Mike prefers to overnight on tuna trips to the canyons, when a trip that far is made. Currently, bigeye tuna catches were the talk, from Lindenkohl Canyon. Mike knows a couple of boats that got into them. Yellowfin tuna were sometimes taken in early mornings at canyons. But the bigeyes were the news. Mike did hear about a few bluefin tuna caught, “sort of inshore,” he said.

<b>Manasquan Inlet</b>

<b>Mushin Sportfishing</b> from Point Pleasant Beach had found a good patch of longfin tuna at the 100 Square in Hudson Canyon, when Capt. Ray emailed this report Sunday afternoon, he wrote. He wasn’t on the trip, but had just spoken on the phone with Capts. Alan and Chad, who were. The trip had gone 8 for 8 on the longfins, so far, and was still fishing. The season’s first appearance of longfins was a great bonus for trips. Most anglers also believe that fishing around the longfins offers a chance at bigeye tuna. The trip earlier hooked a bigeye that got off. The trip had also hooked a white marlin and two blue marlins that got off, and had gone 1 for 3 on yellowfin tuna, earlier. The trip throughout the day picked at mahi mahi consistently. “They are putting together a nice catch,” Ray wrote, just after he spoke with the trip on the phone. Charters and open-boat trips are fishing offshore.

A handful of bluefin tuna were fought at Atlantic Princess wreck, no great shakes, but some, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b> in Brielle. The fish were trolled on cedar plugs and blue-and-purple spreader bars or blue-and-purple skirts on ballyhoos. Farther from shore, canyon tuna fishing sounded fair. The trips picked away at bigeyes, especially toward Lindenkohl and Spencer canyons. One or two per trip to five or six were trolled, just before dark. That was on blue-and-purple spreader bars or Green Machine spreaders, or ballyhoos with pink-and-white Joe Shute skirts, or skirts that color from other companies. In mornings, scattered yellowfin tuna were found.

<b>Beach Haven Inlet</b>

Bonito raced into the chum slick at Barnegat Ridge on a bluefish trip Saturday on the <b>June Bug</b> from Beach Haven, Capt. Lindsay said. The anglers never set a hook on the bonito, yanking the rods quickly. No blues showed up, and not much bait schooled. A brown shark, required to be released, was hooked. Bigeye tuna were caught at the canyons. A friend went 5 for 7 on the fish, among a pack. The tuna landed weighed 180 to 260 pounds. Nothing was heard about yellowfin tuna recently. Little Egg Inlet had been difficult for boats to navigate, because of sand bars since Hurricane Sandy in 2011, and reportedly no state funding to dredge. But an area somewhat opened up naturally, recently.

<b>Great Egg Harbor Inlet</b>

Tuna fishing was reportedly slow Sunday for local boats, and weather seemed too calm, said Capt. Mike from the <b>Stray Cat</b> from Longport.

Anglers seemed not to sail for sharks like makos anymore this season, said John from <b>24-& Bait & Tackle</b> in Egg Harbor Township. Bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna were boated at Wilmington Canyon during the weekend. All offshore baits are stocked. <b>The company also own 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Marmora</b>.

Plenty of bigeye tuna and some yellowfin tuna swam the canyons, said Will from <b>Fin-Atics</b> in Ocean City. Mahi mahi were pasted. On the inshore ocean, a few bluefin tuna, not many, were reported caught. 

<b>Cape May Inlet</b>

A trip is slated to fish for tuna Monday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b> from Cape May, Capt. George said. The boat’s been sailing for bluefin tuna in 20 to 30 fathoms. George heard nothing about the angling in the weather in past days, but will surely hear this weekend about the fishing. A trip Saturday that fished for the tuna found the fishing no good aboard. The whole fleet complained the fishing was slow, and two small, 10-pound mako sharks and a bluefish were trolled on the Heavy Hitter. A mahi mahi was also trolled but got off. A few boats caught bluefins that day, like a couple caught them at 19-Fathom Lump, or a couple at Massey’s Canyon, or a couple at the Tea Cup. The Heavy Hitter had good fishing for the bluefins on trips the previous weekend. George spoke with anglers who fished farther offshore at the canyons this weekend. The trips caught one or two mahi mahi, or got into good bigeye tuna fishing.

Bigeye tuna were trolled at Wilmington Canyon in early mornings and before dark, said Joe from <b>Hands Too Bait & Tackle</b> in Cape May. Lots of white marlin were in. 

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