Bigeye Bonanza
Bluefin Tuna
Tuna fishing is still going strong off Chatham. Dan from the Hook Up said Captain Eric Stewart is still on the fish, landing 7 or 12 on Thursday. It seems like a body of larger fish may have moved in with the 40- to 50-inchers as a number of boats tied into 200-pound tuna this week. Unfortunately, many were geared up for the smaller tuna and lost the fish. Running and gunning is producing as well for anglers getting on the water early.
Canyons
Big eye tuna and white marlin dominating the deep waters but Nick at Hands Too Bait and Tackle has had some indication that the big eyes have moved farther north of late. There have been some nice mahi weighed in and wahoo have made an appearance at both the Hot Dog and Cigar. Water temps inshore have definitely gone up in the south of the state making it imperative that you do your homework before breaking dock. The lines have been shifting almost daily according to Nick.
Captain Rich Wilkowski and the crew at the Jersey Hooker are gearing up for some long range offshore hunting and I have a hunch they won’t come home empty handed. At both the ship and the shop, it’s all hands on deck! Getting ready for their fall striper tournament, keeping up with inventory for the store and outfitting the boat for the long haul nothing seems to stop the Jersey Hooker. Big eye, according to the captain is this week’s target if the weather holds up. Reports have been good at several canyons. In the really deep water, there is also good tilefishing if the tuna bite slows down, and it has been a fantastic white marlin season.
There have been solid catches of Ling and some 8 to 10-pound cod are coming off the Mudhole, with rumors of a few tuna showing up in the area. However, most of the active offshore bite is way over on the East side of the Hudson Canyon.
The northern canyons like Hydro and Atlantis are also producing some bigeye and billfish. Both white marlin and swords found New England offshore captains this week.
Though the forecast looks a bit dodgy for the weekend, if the winds and seas lay down, the fish will be out there waiting for you.