No Excuses…
I know that the weekend warriors are going to be drooling on Friday. The forecast for offshore is almost perfect. Two-foot seas at and winds estimated at 5 to 10 knots (yes, I know variable is better, but I did say “almost” perfect!) makes Friday the “go” day for my crew. Time to tune the gear for tuna and go get some. The whole NW thing always makes me a little edgy, but it is supposed to be turning around so the mental red light is not flashing. Don’t get all bent out of shape if you can’t get off – Sunday does not look too bad either.
Last week’s reports of limits of yellowfin in the southern canyons and bluefin at some of their usual northern zone haunts can be almost narcotic news to tuna junkies. Bluefin is the prize, for sure, but anything that is going to rip down a reel at the rate that either of these cousins are capable of gives me a major rush.
Sure, we are going to cover the striper bite, where the fluke aren’t, how many little bluefish you can catch, how much fun it is to scratch the belly of a blowfish with a cigar in its mouth, all the wonderful things you have come to expect from our weekly update. However, if that hollow cracking sound a tuna spine makes when you collar it gives you a little chill like it does for me, it is going to be a little difficult to focus until we shove off.
So before I get the call to get my aft over to the garage to start checking drags, let’s go round the horn and see what all the inshore guys will be eating for dinner next week.
46 Bait & Tackle up in Palisades Park report a decent week even in light of the nasty weather that we all had to deal with. The bass bite seems to have slowed up a little but it is still a long way from shut down. A 24-pound beauty was weighed in from near Newburgh and reports of shorts up and down the Hudson are pretty regular, There are cocktail blues everywhere, those running off to the wrecks are rocking the sea bass and ling, and those that dunk the bunk are filling their trunks with baskets of real nice blue claws. Thanks Eric!
Greg at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City was working the dock when I called but ran in so all of you could get the real tuna dope. His crew was dropping 8-ounce jigs for bluefin and it was the right choice. It was nothing short of “great” at both ends of the Chicken Canyon and the Mudhole. Greg backs up the slowdown in the bass bite, although there are still plenty of bunker in the zone. Fluking is picking up a little and there were a couple of nice 50-pound-class drum taken in the Raritan Bay – think they were lost? Maybe they turned left at Trenton instead of heading to the Delaware Bay.
Ron from Effinger’s in Bound Brook has a crew that does not throw in the towel when it gets a little tough, they get dialed in. Lots of the guys complaining about the short bass bite must have spun the wheel early as the sundown bite seems to be the ticket. From Manasquan to Shark River, start later, stay longer. Sea bass and ling are chomping clam and even 4-inch chartreuse Gulp. Flattie fishing is a little better with the Raritan Bay boys using Gulp and spearing. Word from the sweetwater is that the largemouth seem to be coming off the spawn and stepping up their game. Last week’s rain and storms really screwed up everything, but things are back in the groove as of this morning.
From Brielle, The Reel Seat reports that even though the bass bite seems to be holding up, boat anglers trolling seem to be back in the mix. If bottom fishing is near the top of your list you should be at the top of your game right now with Sea bass just going nuts and ling filling in the gap. Here is a little ditty from the “Wow” Department, the Voyager put 20 haddock and 10 cod on the deck on a bottom trip earlier this week! Offshore, it is totally bluefin time at the Lillian, Glory Hole, both ends of the Chicken and the Bacardi. Fish are running up to 65 inches but there are quite a few 30-pounders as well. Let the little ones go boys, there are not enough of them out there.
Tom P. is now up at The Sportsman’s Center in Bordentown, and is always a great source of real time info on where to go and what to drop. You might know Tom from his radio show, Rack and Fin on ESPN Radio, or just from being out and about, but there is no question that when it comes to the outdoors and what is going on, Tom has the scoop. Freshwater trout fishing has just been crazy hot after 30,000 nice size browns were re-stocked in the last two weeks. Caddis flys,, skippy fish, if they are there, they are eating so grease up the pan and get to work. Catfishing also off the hook right now with big flatheads chomping on the pre-spawn. In the salt, fluking in the Shrewsbury and Navesink is on the upswing with GULP and Squid & spearing combos working. With the water warmed up, the big greasy strip bait seems to have taken a back seat.
Kevin at Long Branch B&T had a long list of weigh-ins from the last week with his teams doing well from both the beach and the boats. Hi points include Mike McCanns 23.5-pound striper from the surf in Sandy Hook taken on a whole bait, Kevin Bolls 12.5-pound from Monmouth Beach and Rich Schultz’s 14-pounder. In the flattie dept. a few nice 4- and 5-pound fish hit the scales from Chris Stickler, Big Willie, Squishy, and Jack Kinsey.
I am convinced that nobody loves their job more than Chris at Harry’s Bait & Tackle in Robbinsville. He is always so “up’ when you call for info and so ready to give up the goods. Eric from the shop hit the suds this week and brought back a 37-pound bass from Deal beach. While we were on the phone Chris was boiling over a blitz that his guys were on, with all anglers grabbing nice bass on plugs. “Harry… I’m going out for coffee… be back in a limit!” Sea-bassing also reported as nothing short of “nuts.” By the way, do you own a giant crawfish crank bait for largemouth? Maybe you should pick one up since a very, very small local spot had a 9-pound bass slurp one! Oooooh Son!
Ernie at Giglio’s also had lots of entries in the weigh in book from the beach this week. Igor Autry with a nice 10.5-pound pencil poppin bass, Monique Morales from Red Bank with an 11-pounder, and Dana Russell from Middletown with a 25-pounder taken on clams. The crabbing is still red hot and Ernie had a double, an 18-pound bass and a 10-pound blue, walk in the door just before I dialed him up.
Steve at Red Bank Marina reports bunker everywhere, with the fluking improving and bass bite pretty steady. The jellyfish have shown up, by the way, and if you own a crab trap, or two, now is the time to dust them off.
Up at Dows Boat Rentals on Lake Hoptacong, Laurie has not had much going on over the last week with the storms, cooler weather & full moon. Paul Grie of Garfield did land areal nice 9-pound, 11-ounce walleye on a Bomber and the yellow perch seems to be a good target as well. She also wanted to remind everyone that June 16 and 17 is Take a friend fishing weekend. No license required.
OK, I got the freshwater thing covered, the striper thing, the flatties and the wreckers. But there is this nagging, ghostlike voice in my head that sounds like John Belushi and his Animal House brothers chanting. Tooona, tooona, tooona…
Best Bet for this weekend?
You must be kidding! GO CATCH A TUNA! There are about 16 weekends a season you can do this and at least half of them are going to get blown out. If you don’t go, you are going to regret it. Striper fishing is still plenty strong on the bunker, fluking seems to be taking a turn for the better, and the bluefish are just everywhere. Great time to grab some kids, attached them to a 10-pound bluefish, and start snapping pictures. Oh, don’t forget the crab traps.
Stay Tuna-ed!
Comments and questions to Capt. Ed at FmTuna@aol.com