Summertime, and the Weekend is Breezy.
Before I get started this week, I just wanted to make mention of a local Margate angler that passed. Danny Speciale Sr., the assistant manager at Maynard’s Cafe, was one of the first guys that threw me a smile and a wave on the beach when I moved down here full time 10 years ago. An avid surf fisherman, Danny was always willing to dial you in on where he was catching and what he was throwing. He was a Marine, pulled 2 tours in Vietnam, and had plenty of medals he never spoke about. I don’t know if I will recognize the local beaches here this fall without Danny’s big smile and red Jeep on it. Too young, too many fish left to catch.
Although things have quieted down a little bit on the fishing front this past week, there are still some great reports coming in. The fluke fishing in the ocean on the reef sites has been nothing short of fantastic with bigger fish hitting the deck and the frying pan. Offshore, the White Marlin Open out Ocean City, Maryland is in full swing and many of the South Jersey players are in the mix. Notable weigh-ins from locals SJ boats so far include the Canyon Runner’s 236-pound bigeye and a 70.5-pound wahoo. Both are atop their respective leader boards as of this time. The Lisa out of Cape May is sitting with a 26-pound dolphin, and the top release boats for whites right now is the Maryland boat Reel Joy with 13 in one day… busy deck!
Let’s start in the middle of the State, check the network, and see what the boys think is hot for this weekend.
Ron at Fishermens Supply in Point Pleasant is getting hot and cold reports on the offshore tuna bite. When you can find them either sardines or jigs seem to be the ticket, and of all the “usual” spots, the Hudson seems to be the most consistent. Inshore the fluke bite off the Mantoloking pipe was picking up yesterday and there are small spike weakies in the pockets. IBSP has been slow but the guys are seeing some surface activity out of range on the bait schools that they believe to be both dolphin and thresher sharks. Little bluefish are everywhere.
George at Go Fish Bait and Tackle in Tom’s River says the tasty little blowfish are doing their thing again in Barnegat Bay. The fluking, which was real good around Double Creek and behind the dike has slowed a little bit but still worth a try. The have been some nice flatties caught from the surf using Gulp, and the little blues are all around if you are looking to just bend a rod or fire up your smoker. Crabbing is pretty good too. Out in the ocean it seems the north side of the Sea Girt reef is a good target and seabassing on the wrecks is decent.
Jill was giving up the info at Reel Life Bait and Tackle in Point Pleasant (I’d much rather talk to her than Bob anyway). If dark skies and sharp teeth are your thing, try the beach for brown sharks at night. They can really put a whooping on your tackle. Fluke are being caught from the sand as well, during regular business hours, on strip baits and Gulp. Nice keepers are coming from deeper water in the flattie department and just about any good structure will produce. Some bluefin are fired up out at the Chicken Canyon with guys chunking everything they can get their hands on. Butterfish, sardines… you name it.
Tom at Jersey Coast Bait and Tackle has been out himself and is hitting the big fluke pretty good. He is working 65-80’ of water around the Sea Girt reef and has seen some action on the Seaside lumps too. Plenty of small bluefish, blowfish, kingfish and spot in the bay. The pots about 8 miles off are holding some fun mahi to hammer with light tackle and you can hook them at the Mudhole too. With the spike in inshore temps, there are some wahoo being taken pretty close in. Tom confirms the bluefin just north of the Chicken as well.
Capt Hippos in South Tom’s River had one of their guys, Serge, pick up a real nice 24-inch fluke from his kayak in the Manasquan River east of the bridge. Lenny says the snappers are growing to almost “not” snapper size and the crabbing in Tom’s River and around Berkley Island Park is still a good bet.
Scott at The Dock Outfitters is catching lots of stuff right off the back dock! There are plenty of snappers, blowfish and spot right there as well as good catches of fluke and kingfish in the surf. Brown sharking is a great way to stretch back muscles and spook your friends that surf. There are big schools of hickory shad flippin around out front too.
Tonys Bait and Tackle in Manahawkin had Kevin on the horn, just back from being out himself. He scored a few nice weakies from 17 to 22 inches while collecting a dinner’s-worth of blowfish in the bay. Nice bonus! Double creek channel is paved with shorts but the deep water reefs are turned on pretty good. All the 1 to 2 pound blues in the bay that you want.
Those hard-driving product guys from Tackle Direct, skipping a day’s work from their World Headquarters on Tilton Rd in Egg Harbor Township have taken up fluke spanking! They took a trip on Team Steelfinangling.com’s mothership, the FmTuna, and parked 8 keepers in the cooler in 3 hours, all over 4 pounds! Live spot on large profile fluke rigs were the right tools on the Ocean City Reef. They not only got dinner out of the deal, but went home with new truck decals and a couple great looking new Steelfin t-shirts to boot! That’s playing hooky the right way.
Phil and Kenny from Fin-Atics in Ocean City were ganging up on me on the phone. Phil had all the inshore info; nice fluke on big baits on the OC Reef, sea bass mixed in, and a beach-load of kingfish. Then Ken jumped on to badmouth the Hotdog, which has turned cold. Nothing worse than a long commute to a cold Hotdog. Tuna have been reported on the 19 Fathom Lump, East Lump and out near the trunk but the concentration has been spotty at best. There has been a half decent white bite going on in the southern canyons, but nothing like what was going on last August…. yet.
Joe down at Two Chums Bait & Tackle in Sea Isle had a busy week with the rental boats. Mixed bags ranging from a couple keeper fluke from the back to limits of weakfish (yes, that’s a joke, you can only keep one.) The Bolen family rustled themselves up 3 dozen nice crabs in half a day. The week’s “Big Fluke” award goes to Mary Shad. She motored out to the T.I. reef and came back with an 8.1# cooler-stuffer.
Tim at Sea Isle Bait and Tackle reports kingfishing off the beaches is better than usual. Most of the bigger fluke have moved out to deeper waters but there is still plenty of action around. There are lots of spot mixed in with the kingfish (great everything bait), and brown sharks are patrolling within casting distance. There is some spotty weakfish action in the inlet and on the beachfront too, which is encouraging.
Best Bet for this weekend, if it is not blowing too hard, is to find yourself some nearshore structure and take a run at catching some big fluke. Big baits fished deep in the rubble are the way to grab one of these mid-summer beasts. If there are live spot or live peanuts available, grab a load of them to go. When monsters prowl the deep, live bait rules!
Stay Tuna-ed!