New Jersey and New York

From Ed Berger:

If conditions allow, and you have the resources, burn offshore to try and find out where the tuna are going to pop up next. They pulled a Houdini on Tuesday and disappeared, but they are there for sure. Almost any spot along the 30 line makes sense and the Wilmington has had a few blasts of brilliant catching in the last week or so. Offshore in the north can be a hit or miss proposition, but there is action out there, you just have to find it.

Dean from Two Chums Bait & Tackle in Sea Isle hit the southern tuna grounds late this week only to have our buddy, Jerry from Mucho Clams drop a bait on a real nice yellowfin right in front of him. Hate when that happens. The fishing down there has been hot and cold with one day’s bonanza turning in to a next day skunk. Lots of life in the area.

Skipping over to the crew at Team TackleDirect, there has been lots of offshore action for those running south to the inshore grounds at the Hot Dog and Masseys as well as a crazy on and off bite out at the Wilmington. The worst kept secret in tuna was the bite going on at the Washington, but that water seems to have moved out and taken the fish with it. The good news is that there are plenty of manageable Big Eye connecting with anglers along with mid-sized bluefin. The jury is out on where the White Marlin are going to be for the big tourneys right around the corner.

Up in Brick, Tom at Jersey Tackle is focused on the tuna, as usual. The Chicken Canyon and Glory Hole have had a pretty hot bluefin bite on smaller fish that are taking smaller lures. Cedar plugs, small jets, or the now obvious ballyhoo with either Joe Shutes or Tuna Jets in front of them have been working well. The Mudhole area has been showing great life but a surprising lack of fish, which at this time of year usually means all h*ll is about to break loose.

It’s been a long haul for Captain Rich Wilkowski and the crew at the Jersey Hooker Bait and Charter Service in Brick. Sandy knocked them for a loop but could not put them out of the game. The boat is up and running and the store is better than ever. The Captain messaged me to tell me that there has been a nice bite on the jig for Bluefin Tuna at the Chicken Canyon. The Cap is recommending Tady Lures West Coast Iron Jigs for the best action.

From Mike Shipton:

Much of the offshore activity has been to the south and that means the anglers that can are in that quadrant. So with fewer eyes on the local scene, getting clean reports can be difficult. But I have Dave Arbeitman and the crew of the Reel Seat in Brielle as a source and that pays big dividends. As most of you offshore denizens already know, The Reel Seat is one of, if not fthe, premier shops for all of your offshore equipment. The spreader bars they build there are second to none. Check out their variations on the Mini Green Machine high speed spreader bars next time you are in the shop. Way cool! Anyway, when I talked to Dave this week, he confirmed my suspicions about the northern bite. It’s there but just not as consistent yet. There has been some nice action at the Chicken with several Reel Seat customers bringing in fish up to 148 pounds. Most of the catch there has been on the troll. There have been reports of good days at the Toms as well and further east at the Jones there has been some nice yellow fin activity. Reports of white marlin at the Toms as well. Congrats to Goin In Deep and their 203 pound Big Eye Tuna and their win in the Beach Haven White Marlin Tournament.

New England

The tuna bite has improved once again with anglers having daily encounters with off Chatham and around Crab Ledge. Once again, most of the fish taken this week were large, ranging from 68 to 92 inches long. Captain Eric Stewart caught a 76-incher this week and had several other knockdowns. The 76-inch fell for a black squid spreader bar.

An influx of warm water at The Dump south of Martha’s Vineyard has brought some tuna and mahi within striking distance of Cape Cod boats. The dolphin have been 10 to 15 pounds and the yellowfin have been 30 pounds and up. There have also been some white marlin reported.