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New Jersey Inshore Saltwater Fishing Report 9-26-16


<b>Keyport</b>

Another good fluke season was wrapped up on the <b>Vitamin Sea</b>, Capt. Frank wrote in an email. The season was closed beginning today, and many anglers on the fluke trips scored personal-best fluke or bagged their first limit of the fish. Frank thanks those who fluked aboard, and looks forward to the trips next year. “Remember,” he said, “our reports are honest, accurate and always supported with pictures. When we are catching them, you know it. When we are not, you know it.” He gave away an award, a Vitamin Sea hat, to Sean O’Neil for the most improved fluke angler on the boat. Sean, who has fished on the boat many years, decked an 8.1-pounder, his personal best, and limited out or nearly limited on every fluke trip he fished this year aboard. Trips now will sail for porgies, blackfish and other bottom-fish, until targeting strictly striped bass, when stripers arrive. Last fall’s striper fishing was phenomenal aboard, and Frank expects the same this year. Raritan Bay is loaded with bait that the bass should forage on before long. Charters are fishing, and forecasts are calling for strong east wind and some rain much of the week, so no open-boat trips will fish in the next days. Open trips will bottom-fish Saturday and Sunday, and telephone to reserve.

<b>Atlantic Highlands</b>

The party boat <b>Atlantic Star</b> began porgy fishing today, and good catches were underway, he said at 10 a.m. aboard in a phone call. The first stop produced small porgies, so the boat was moved. Then good-sized, mostly 10 inches or bigger, were pummeled. Nine inches is the legal minimum size. All customers were catching porgies. The boat fluke fished until today, closing day of fluke season. That angling was no good in past days, but was better on Sunday than on the previous few days. A few anglers landed two keepers apiece that day. The Atlantic Star is fishing for porgies and blackfish 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 6 p.m. daily. <b>***Update, Wednesday, 9/28:***</b> No trips will fish Thursday and Friday because of forecasts for 25- to 30-knot wind, Tom said. He hopes the weather will calm and trips will resume Saturday, and the angling’s been very good.

Another good day of porgy fishing, a report said about Saturday on the <b>Fishermen</b> on the party boat’s website. The ocean was nasty at first on the trip, in outgoing tide against a southerly swell. The boat was moved to calmer seas, and anglers picked away at porgies, decent action. After the tide changed, the boat was moved back to the original spot, where trips had been catching, and porgies were reeled-in non-stop. Anglers filled their buckets with the fish around the boat. On Sunday’s trip, porgy fishing was also excellent, for the fifth day in a row, since the boat began porgy fishing, after fluke fishing previously. “Great to see the customers coming out to appreciate this fine fishery,” the report said. Trips are fishing for porgies 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, for striped bass 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and for porgies 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

<b>Belmar</b>

Bob from <b>Fisherman’s Den</b> would rate fluke season a 7, at best, he said, on a scale of 1 to 10, he wrote in an email. The season was closed beginning today, and the fishing seemed good for charter boats and party boats on the ocean. Private boaters seemed to have a little more difficulty limiting out. Anglers on Shark River struggled to land large numbers of keepers, because of the size limit. Fluking was good on the ocean during this last week of the season. Many sizable were brought in, including Patty Mulligan’s 9-pound 8-ouncer, Skip Reese’s 8-pound 4-ouncer and Gilbert Episteen’s 7-pound 14-ouncer, all caught on a Belmar party boat. Another party boat from the port, on the final day of the season, scored good fluking, including some limits of the fish to 7 pounds. Boats like that will now fish for porgies, blackfish and ling, until fishing for sea bass beginning October 22, opening day of sea bass season.

Fluke season was excellent with <b>Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters</b>, Capt. Pete said. The season was closed beginning today, and Pete thanks anglers who fished aboard the trips. Many personal bests were landed. The boat last sailed for fluke Wednesday, covered in the previous report here. A couple of trips fished for porgies in past days, and that angling was great. Tons of out-of-season sea bass were released. Charters will now fish for porgies, blackfish and triggerfish. Charters will also sail for blues and false albacore, if those fish are around. Those will be the trips until sea bass or striped bass trips begin. Sea bass season will be opened beginning October 22. Striped bass charters are booking up for later this year. If anglers want stripers or blackfish, book the charters sooner than later. Blackfishing will begin after striper fishing.

Excellent bluefishing was plowed today on the <b>Miss Belmar Princess</b> once again, an email from the party boat said. Fishing the ocean north of Shark River Inlet near the beach, the fishing, on jigs, began slowly, picking away. The fish, 2 to 3 pounds, bit more as the day went on, and the angling became excellent. Plenty of blues swam the water surface, and birds worked the water. Most anglers caught all the blues they wanted, and sometimes eight to 10 blues were hooked at once. Trips are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Kids 14 and under are sailing free on morning trips through Thursday when accompanied by an adult paying full fare. The back-to-school special, a $40 value, is limited to one child per adult and cannot be combined with other discounts. No reservations are required.

Bluefishing was slow at first but decent once the fish were found Saturday on the <b>Golden Eagle</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. Quite a few blues and some birds working the water were around then. The blues were on the small side, like on previous trips, but were plentiful. “There are some larger fish out there being caught, but the smaller ones are the majority of what we are catching until the monster blues settle in offshore for us,” it said. Not many false albacore were around, because of wind the previous day. They should show up like before, once things settle. Trips are fishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on most days. An overnight tuna trip was slated for Sunday afternoon until today. <a href=" https://www.goldeneaglefishing.com/tunafish" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> are fishing on certain days through October 24.

<b>Brielle</b>

Not much bit at the offshore canyons, except mahi mahi, said Eric from <b>The Reel Seat</b>. The mahi fishing could be great. But water that could hold tuna was pushing in from northeast, so hopefully the fish will show up in the next days at the canyons. Closer to shore, mahi swam from the Chicken Canyon and the Glory Hole to all the way inshore along the Mudhole. Fishing for them could be super, if trips fished the areas farther from shore there. False albacore fishing was fantastic at the Mudhole, mostly on the troll. From Shark River Reef to the Oil Wreck was a hottest spot for albies. Boaters there could run and gun, catching albies fairly well on cast Deadly Dicks and Hobie epoxy jigs. Those were mostly the two used. Ling fishing seemed to be holding up, for those who fished for them. Porgy fishing was super, and porgies swam nearly everywhere from 80 and 100 feet to close to shore. To the north or from Shrewsbury Rocks to Sandy Hook Reef was best. But porgies also came from locally at Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs. Surf anglers fought false albacore, and Sandy Hook and near Shark River and Manasquan inlets seemed best. Mullet finally migrated the surf, and bluefish were hooked from the surf all over. A few stripers were beached from the surf in mornings and evenings on swimming plugs and popper lures. Good striper fishing was played on Navesink, Shrewsbury, Shark and Manasquan rivers at bridges on jigs and lures. Bigger stripers were eeled, and outgoing tides seemed best in the past week. Outgoing tides were early in the day in the next days, so those were good tides. Stripers were also caught from Point Pleasant Canal, but more were had in the rivers. Some weakfish swam Manasquan River. A handful swam Shark River, and weakfishing was pretty decent at the Oceanic Bridge on Navesink River.

<b>Point Pleasant Beach</b>

Bottom-fishing began today on the <b>Norma-K III</b>, picking away at porgies, a report said on the party boat’s website, while the trip was underway. Nothing fast and furious, it said, but all anglers would leave with dinner. The boat fluke fished daily, until fluke season was closed beginning today. The season had its ups and downs, “but we appreciate how hard everyone fished,” it said. During the weekend’s nighttime bluefishing trips, anglers picked at big ones, slower than on the previous weekend. But the crew hopes they’ll bite better this coming weekend. Plenty of the blues were marked this weekend. The Norma-K III is fishing for porgies, ling and cod 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Trips are bluefishing 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

<b>Seaside Heights</b>

Fishing was heating up, and slammer blues and keeper striped bass were dragged from the surf last week, a report said on <b>The Dock Outfitters</b>’ website. Not a blitz, but a good sign that fall fishing was coming. More and more baitfish migrated to the surf from bays, attracting fish. Popper lures, swimming plugs, bucktails and metal will catch this time of year. Fresh mullet, fresh clams, sandworms and all frozen baits were stocked. “So whatever your pleasure, we can hook you up,” it said. Some keeper fluke 18 to 20 inches were hung from the surf, but fluke season was closed beginning today. The Dock Outfitters, located on Barnegat Bay, blocks from the ocean surf, features a bait and tackle shop, a café, a dock for fishing and crabbing and, in season, boat rentals and jet-ski rentals.

<b>Forked River</b>

Tuna fishing’s been postponed with <b>Tuna-Tic Sportfishing</b>, until more tuna show up, Capt. Mike said. So trips have been doing a combo of inshore trolling, wreck-fishing and shark fishing, and that was actually good. All the false albacore and blues anglers could want were hooked during the trolling. The bottom-fishing pumped in a bunch of cod and decent catches of fluke, before fluke season was closed today. Out-of-season sea bass were also released during that angling.  Brown sharks and hammerhead sharks were caught during the sharking. Striped bass charters are being booked for November.

<b>Barnegat Light</b>

The ocean was rough in a stiff breeze, and fluke fishing ended without much of a bang Saturday and Sunday on the <b>Miss Barnegat Light</b>, a report said on the party boat’s website. A few keepers were swung in each day, and fluke season was closed beginning today.  The boat had been fishing for them daily. <a href="http://www.missbarnegatlight.com/TunaFishing.html" target="_blank">Tuna trips</a> will be kicked off Friday and will fish through October. Trips will jig for striped bass in November.

<b>Mystic Island</b>

Good summer flounder catches were boated toward the end of flounder season that closed starting today, a report said on <b>Scott’s Bait & Tackle</b>’s website. Quite a few anglers reported scoring the fish at ocean reefs, when weather allowed them to sail there. Anglers limited out on the fluke at Garden State Reef South on Sunday. Decent numbers of porgies were nabbed from the reefs and wrecks lately. Blackfish were prevalent, too. In Great Bay and Mullica River, small striped bass, weakfish, white perch, blues, blackfish, sea bass and blowfish bit. Blowfish and porgies also swam the bay at the clam stakes. Outgoing tides fished best in the river and bay, and clams, bloodworms, grass shrimp and small minnows were dunked for the catches. Clams, bloods, small minnows, eels and green crabs were stocked.

<b>Brigantine</b>

Water temperatures should drop soon, now that fall arrived, Capt. Andy from <b>Riptide Bait & Tackle</b> wrote in a report on the shop’s website. The ocean was 74 degrees last week, and he hopes for a good fall striped bass run. A huge order of Mojos and accessories arrived for trolling for the bass on the ocean, and he already put in a second order for the third week of October. The shop last fall showed a bunch of boaters how to fish them who’d never used them before, and they came back with 30- and 40-pound stripers. The stripers should sometimes storm the surf like in the past.

<b>Longport</b>

Summer flounder season, closing today, ended fantastic on the <b>Stray Cat</b>, Capt. Mike said. Trips hammered the fish, big, medium and small, in past days on the ocean. On the final trip yesterday, the boat was anchored, because of 4- to 6-foot seas in 20-knot wind, and flounder were still reeled in. Drifting the boat is the usual way to flounder fish. Trips now will fish for snapper blues, croakers and porgies or false albacore and mahi mahi. Charters are available this weekend, and the next open-boat trips might fish later this week or next week. Tuna charters will be available. Open trips will fish for sea bass offshore every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after October 22, opening day of sea bass season. October 22 is chartered, and a couple of spaces are available on Sunday, October 23, for an open sea bass trip. Trips will blackfish later in the year.

<b>Wildwood</b>

Two trips were canceled because of weather this weekend with <b>Fins & Grins Sport Fishing</b>, Capt. Jim said. But the same good mix of fish schooled that trips have been scooping up, including kingfish, weakfish, croakers, blues and even some porgies. Trips have always been able to put together a catch among those. If trips fished off Cape May Point in the right wind, fish gathered there. Blues schooled the Cape May Rips off the point since last season. Striped bass trips are booking for this fall. Reserve early, because dates fill, especially on weekends. Trips will also fish for sea bass, when sea bass season is opened beginning October 22, and for blackfish, once six becomes the blackfish bag limit beginning November 16, from the current limit of one. Fins fishes every day, and reservations aren’t required but suggested. Telephone for availability.

<b>Cape May</b>

A bunch of weakfish, some blues, a couple of kingfish, a keeper, 18-inch summer flounder and a porcupine puffer were landed from Delaware Bay on Doug Enver’s charter Sunday on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. The fishing was good, and lots of weakfish, good-sized to probably a 20-incher, schooled toward Cape May Point. Most keepers were 14 inches, and smaller weaks like 10 inches also bit. The anglers limited out on one weak apiece, releasing the rest. Seas were rough in strong northeast wind, through forecasts called for calm seas in 5- to 10-knot wind. No boats, including party boats, probably fished the ocean in seas that day. The Heavy Hitter was anchored in the seas, and the anglers caught. That was the final day of flounder season. Charters are being booked for striped bass. That angling will begin in November, George guessed, but maybe will start earlier. Stripers used to be caught in mid-October at the Cape May Rips. Charters will also fish for sea bass beginning October 22, and for blackfish after six becomes the blackfish bag limit beginning November 16, from the current limit of one. Blackfishing seemed to become good starting in mid to late December in recent years. 

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