In the summer rhythm..

You kind of get in to a routine with your fishing, just like you do with the rest of your life. The same guys, the same boat, the same stretch of beach. Familiarity with an area has many benefits, as far as being educated on the structure, knowing the holes, or understanding the tide to spot relationships, however, plowing the same old field can be very limiting as well.

This is the perfect time of the year to challenge yourself. The right season and maybe even the right weekend to put all that is “comfortable” aside and boldly go where you have never gone before, or at least in recent history. Make a new adventure.

The bite is on throughout our region for almost every species that is indigenous to our area (and a few that aren’t as a rule) so why not now? When was the last time you pushed off the dock at 6PM instead of 6AM? I am sure there is a pair of korkers collecting dust in your garage somewhere, why not strap them on? Or how about that lake you saltwater guys drive by on your daily commute to the office? Have you actually gone crabbing since you were a little kid?

One of the true beauties of what we do is that our skills are adaptable. If you can cast, you can cast. If you can paddle a kayak in a lake, you can do the same in a backwater canal. Challenge yourself this week! Here are some great places and solid information to decide exactly where and when you should go, starting in the Northernmost section of our region.

In Bound Brook, the Braden from Efinger’s Sporting Goods in Bound Brook is also dialed in on the thresher bite. West Mudhole and 17 fathom areas with bottom structure seem to be holding them since the big bunker schools are a little scarce. The little lumps 5-8 miles out are covered in sand eels and snapper blues too, which you know is like candy to just about everything. Fluking on the wrecks has stepped up in both size and numbers with 4-6os Spros and live snappers being the ticket, especially in the Sandy Hook channel. Some of the beach guys from Sea Bright to Deal can’t keep a bait in the water because of all the snapper blues, so they are live-lining them for fluke and it is really paying off. Nice fish being dragged up right out of the wash so work that bait all the way to your feet.

Moving a little further South, I pulled some great info out of Anthony at The Tackle Box in Hazlet. The backwater is still full of spot, croakers and some kingfish for your light tackle and frying pan fun. In Long Branch and Deal the fluke fishing has really stepped up with the keeper ratio jumping considerably in the last 10 days. Off the beach on the same area, early morning anglers throwing lures from the sand are connecting with fun sized stripers in the 18-32” range. No monsters, but the action is there. Boat anglers are really whomping larger flatties out in Ambrose Channel with a Hi/Lo Gulp rig landing multiple fish in the 5-8 pound range. Offshore, there is still a tuna bite at the Princess and Chicken, but it seems to be shifting over from the troll to a jig and chunk bite. Bring sardines. For those looking for a change, how about taking a quick trip out to the BA? Guys have been hammering threshers in the area of the Buoy. One tip is to make sure you bring at least one shark guy with you, since a tail slap from one of these guys is no joke.

Ernie at Giglio’s Bait & Tackle in Sea Bright had a couple nice fluke weighed in this week. Igor Kovel weighed in 3 nice ones up to 5 pounds. He is a Monmouth Beach regular. Reports of weakfish chasing little snapper blues out front as well. Tons of eating sized croakers and spot in the bay along with some decent crabbing if you want to make a day out of it.

Dominick at the Bait Shop in Bradley Beach has had some good early morning action on stripers from the sand but all the fish are under the limit. Swimming plugs like SP Minnows and Redfins are good go to baits. The back is stacked with croakers and spot.

I could not lay my hands on a picture of this for this week’s report, but over at Joey’s Bait Shack in Belmar, 13 year old Michael Kudik was out fishing and brought a 9.8-pound flukezilla to the scales. It was the size of a garbage can cover. Have to believe he is now hooked for life! Crabbing over at the keyport bulkhead and pier has just been spectacular with guys swinging jumbos in regular. You can catch all the panfish you want while your traps soak, just bring some sand worms or Fish-bytes.

Dave from the Reel Seat in Brielle has been busy cranking out the 8” squid spreader bars that those bluefin have been hammering out near the AP. The bars and ballyhoo with either Shute or Candies in from of them. Shark fishing is still good and there have been yellowfin to 90 pounds out at the nearby canyons. Mahi are allover the place so stop on every pot and there were a few nice wahoo taken in the Hudson this week.

So there are plenty of option for you this week to try on a different kind of angling. Incidentally, if you have not heard about the Big Eye bite that is going on, you have had your head in a hole. Without getting drawn and quartered personally, you are going to have to dig specific information up this one up yourself. Let’s just say if you ever wanted to get in a fistfight with something that weighs over 200 pounds, and does not know the meaning of the word quit, I’d catch a ride out to the edge. Can you say wolf pack?

Best Bets for This Weekend

Fluke fisherman should hit those nearshore channels but load the bait well before you leave. Smaller spot, peanuts, snappers, whatever. Live bait rules the bottom this time of year. If you have the experience, I’d try for some fine tasting thresher while they are piled up and eating near easy to find structure. I don’t think Saturday is going to be an offshore option day but Sunday does not look so bad right now, so if a brawl is what you are after, it is out there waiting for you. Big Eye = Big Fight. No joke, if you hook up.

Stay Tuna-ed!