This has, without question, been the worst week for black flies that I have ever seen at the Jersey Shore. In the back mixed-in with greenies (which I can handle) or as far as 60 miles off the beach, these little toe-chompin’, ankle-munchin’, bone-finding buggers have really reached me. I even went on a couple well-respected University websites to try and find a solution to share with you but even the Einsteins can’t make a better suggestion than long sleeves and pants. They will munch thru thin cotton, by the way, but it seems that some of the nylon based fabrics are woven tight enough to keep them out.
The real bite this week, beyond the flies, has been the fluke up and down the coast. Gene at Giglios in Sea Bright has had numerous 4-pound-plus flatties weighed in from the local beaches mostly on Gulp. Shorts casts into the suds with a light bucktail or standard fluke rig that is very slowly reeled back in seems to be the most productive technique.
Dave at The Reel Seat agrees on the strong fluke bite, citing a local tourney that logged an absurd number of 10- to 14-pound fish. Dave entered an 8-pounder in the contest and could not break the top 5 with it! Offshore things have cooled down a little bit at the Princess and the Chicken Canyon but have hit the boiling point between the Bacardi and the tip of the Hudson. Big tuna, both bluefin and yellowfin are being hooked up on jigs and chunks. And to add to the “Wow, what a year” we are having, the Voyager brought 4 haddock to the dock! That’s just nuts!
The Gambler out of Point Pleasant has been running half-day fluke trips during the day and night wreck fishing as well. A 14-pound fluke hit the deck last week with quite a few 5 and 6-pound‘ers to keep it company. Nighttime bottom fishing has been pretty strong as well with some great chopper bluefishing.
Chris at Harry’s Army Navy in Robbinsville can’t keep those big, new 6-inch Berkley Gulp swimming mullet on the shelves now that science has officially replaced Mother Nature for big fluke. He rigs them on a Spro bucktail or on a 6/0 Gamakatsu with a skirt and the results have been big – flat, but big! Brown shark fishing has had a few guys in the shop stocking up now that the cold upwelling that took over the region has dissipated. The cold water and the fog that came with it put a wrinkle in many plans to chase offshore species last week.
“Best of luck” say the boys at Fisherman’s Headquarters for all their friends fishing in the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna tourney this week. FHQ reports some false albies have been mixed in with bluefish under birds nearshore and some bonito have been popping up at the Barnegat Ridge. By the way, now is a great time to hit the bay to fill a basket with crabs… big jimmies are there for the taking, so take the kids and have a little fun.
If you have any problem getting excited about going fishing, try giving Ryan over at a Fin-atics in Ocean City call sometime. He was so cranked up to fill you in on what is happening that I could hardly take notes fast enough! From back to front – the bay is still holding decent catches of fluke , and they have started chewing in Barnegat since the cold water moved out. If you have a little night owl in your blood, tie on a light jig head and a pink zoom and head for the structure or some bridge shadow lines after dark. There have been blitz quality catches going on in the dark. Kingies are in the surf with a few croakers and spot showing up too. Offshore tuna have moved into the 30 line and the “usual” structure along that line is a great place to target. Much warmer water even had one angler snapping pictures of a barracuda at the Cigar!
Team Tackle Direct pointed south this week and headed out on a Southern lump excursion that kept them busy all day. After drifting for short period, they dropped the hook and started a slick of sardine chunks. It was non-stop for hours with small and medium-sized yellowfin, non-stop skippies, and a solid battle with a nice brown shark. At the end of the day the box was full and the boys were smiling. Dropping down to 30-pound test and switching to lighter circles turned the trick when the bite started out slow. When they stopped feeding whole sardines and went to chunk baits, it was literally drop and reel. Be sure to have a full range of fluorocarbon on the boat just in case.
Rusty at Off the Hook agrees on the southern lumps but wanted to remind those not wanting to make the haul that the Cape May Reef, Reef 11, and the Old Grounds are giving up nice catches of fluke. The fish are deep in the rubble, but losing rigs is part of this game you just can’t get away from.
Best bet for this week is hit the extremes… extreme north or extreme south, the tuna are just waiting for you to drop a jig or a flat of sardines. If you don’t go, you will wish you did when you read next week’s report!