Thu., March 28, 2024
Moon Phase:
Waning Gibbous
More Info
Inshore Charters
Offshore Charters
Party Boats
Saltwater
Tackle Shops &
Marinas
Saltwater
Boat Rentals
Freshwater
Guides
Freshwater
Tackle Shops
Brrr ...
It's Cold:
Upstate N.Y.
Ice Fishing
Upstate N.Y.
Winter Steelhead &
Trout Fishing
Long Island, N.Y.
Winter
Cod &
Wreck Fishing
page 1 of 2

The Economical Choice
By Mark Marquez II

Capt. Dave DeGennaro,
Hi Flier, Waretown

Captain Anthony Reina

Dave’s been fishing for tuna on party boats since Jersey’s fleet started running offshore on a regular basis. That was in 1987, the “Year of the Bacardi,” he says, when tuna suddenly bit non-stop at the Bacardi wreck daily from July to October.

Jersey’s party boats also fished for tuna at least in the 1960s, when Dave's dad took the trips on one of the Belmar head boats. But those were inshore trips that fished for bluefins at the Mudhole maybe 30 to 50 miles from shore. Today's boats sail 100 miles to the continental shelf.

Dave used to be so wild about the party boat trips that he was taking the 24-hour runs three or four times a week. Colleagues at work caught him sitting at his desk, head tilted back, eyes closed, sleeping, exhausted.

He certainly takes fewer now, but he still hops aboard several trips a year.

Although Dave shared some of his experiences for this article, he merely takes the trips for fun, and he has nothing to do with the boats otherwise.

But he is a charter captain, so here’s some info.

Charters with Dave on the Hi Flier specialize in ultralight-tackle fishing for Barnegat Bay weakfish. “A delicacy but with fast and furious action,” he says.  Spring and fall charters put anglers into striped bass fishing:  The migration is on, and the bass are feeding.

Charters can mix either trip with bluefish on surface lures--see every hit! Trips also sail to Barnegat Ridge for bluefin tuna, mahi mahi, bonito and false albacore. For those who want it all, bay and ridge trips can be combined in the same day.


To book a charter on
the Hi Flier, call:

Cell: 732-330-5674

Visit Hi Flier’s web site.

Sometimes money is the reason
to sail for tuna on a party boat.
The trip costs less per angler
than a charter does.

Sometimes it’s because you’ll be fishing alone, or with a friend or two, not enough to share the costs of a charter.

Other times it’s something else.

Capt. Dave DeGennaro from the Hi Flier, Barnegat, a charter boat that fishes Barnegat Bay and the inshore ocean, targets tuna from party boats every year.

He can tuna fish on his own boat, a 23-footer, and does. He also takes trips on friends’ boats and on other charter boats that he books.

Yet he’s fished on these party-boat trips every year for two decades, since Jersey’s fleet regularly started taking the trips to the tuna grounds on the continental shelf.

“Why party boats?” I ask Dave. “I don’t know,” he says. It’s like being asked why you like ice cream.
You just do.

But why should anyone take these trips on a party boat instead of a charter?

Maybe it’s the feeling in the air when the anglers gather at the boat an hour before departure. Or your thoughts when looking into the eyes of a tuna just landed. Or maybe it’s the chance to fight one of the world’s strongest fish, and come home with tuna steaks.

But these experiences are no different than on a charter boat.

So why a party boat?

Why not? It does cost less, and you can go by yourself or with a few friends, and the experience is the same.

So that’s the reason, although charters can offer opportunities that party boats can’t, like personal services, amenities, and freedom
to make some of the decisions .

For beginners, party boats can be an economical introduction to big-game fishing.

Feature Article Photo
A longfin tuna hits the deck.

For tuna veterans like Dave, the trips are merely another means to reach the fish, one of several opportunities. Some anglers are driven enough to take advantage of each.

You arrive at the boat, set sail at dusk on the 24-hour trip, and spend the next six hours pushing farther from land.

You sleep in your berth down in the hold, the sound of waves smacking against the walls, the diesel engines vibrating your teeth together.

Maybe you awaken when seas suddenly feel larger, and your body gets bounced around more than before. The water depth just plummeted into a canyon near the continental shelf.

The engines gear down, and the boat comes to a standstill. The anchor is dropped on the canyon edge, where tuna sometimes stack up.

Party boat tuna fishing is about “chunking”: fishing at night with bait--whole, dead bait, pieces of bait or live bait--while chunks of bait such as butterfish are tossed into the water, creating a chunk slick or a steady stream of the chunks and the oil from them that attracts fish.

Tuna--mostly yellowfins, but sometimes longfins and occasionally bluefins or a bigeye--are the main fish caught. A few mahi mahi are usually hooked, and sometimes swordfish are fought, or maybe a mako shark. But tuna are the main goal.



Sometimes anglers use a single jig
to catch squid. Why not use three to catch three squid at a time?

For whatever reasons, the tuna only respond to chunking later in the season, from about the end of August through November, and earlier in the season they bite on the troll or on trolled lures.

Dave prefers September, October and November for party-boat tuna fishing. October is his favorite, because the largest concentrations of yellowfin tuna, the main quarry, often arrive. He remembers the most consistent bites during that month.

But every year is different, and, for example, the fishing this year was “on” when this article was posted in August, but it could very well be hopping  later, too.

Each month offers advantages and disadvantages. The weather’s more reliable in August and September. Many an October has been a washout from non-stop, offshore storms. Sometimes November is too cold, and other times tuna swim the canyons in December and January through winter. But the party boats will certainly end their trips after November if not sooner.

Dave brings several rods. His tuna rod is a 50-class standup outfit, and he brings a spare in case of malfunction. Similar rods can also be rented on the boat.

He also brings a 30-class rod with a conventional reel for “flat lining,” or fishing with no weight, usually during daylight in the morning.

During most of the night, the fishing is done with some amount of weight, depending on the depth of the fish, the current and the seas. But the boat will also fish during the morning, and sometimes the fish will especially feed in the early hours of day, like with all fishing.

It’s impossible to know why the tuna respond better to flat-lining during sunlight, but Dave guesses that it’s a more natural presentation than using weight, and maybe that matters when the fish can see better during the light.

The 30 rod can also serve two other purposes.

It can be used for fishing with popper lures in the chum slick during sunlight, just another option that could make a difference.

Or at night an angler can switch to this lighter rod for tuna fishing if the fish are refusing to hit the heavier line on the 50-class rod. Sometimes it matters.



A 180-pound swordfish is fought.

Dave also brings a 10-pound-class spinning rod for jigging squid for bait. Plus he carries a 15- to 20-pound-class spinning rod for mahi mahi fishing, if the dolphin show up.

The actual tuna fishing can involve some tips, tricks or techniques, but then again, it’s fairly simple.

Basically, when chunking, the bait is hooked, and the angler allows it to drop down to the desired depth and leaves it there.



The sword is landed.
The inexperienced can ask the boat’s mates for help with determining the right depth and how to reach that depth or how much weight to use. The depth of the fish can vary from night to night.

On party boats, Dave uses a 7-foot leader of 90-pound fluorocarbon line with a heavy gauge tuna hook. He attaches the leader to the main line with a quality, ball-bearing, 150-pound swivel. Egg sinkers are often used for weight.