Offshore Fishing Report
The bigeye tuna bite that is going on in the canyons is the talk of the offshore crowd. 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, catch a ride out to the edge.
New Jersey and New York
From Mike Shipton:
Mike Jung at Peace Token Bait and Tackle in Cape May Court House tells me that the offshore bite is strong everywhere from the Wilmington to the Hot Dog. Bigeye tuna are the top takers of bait right now but that is subject to a quick change. Look for dolphin while trolling the 20 fathom line. Some nice yellowfin are being taken in the same area on the chunk. Closer in, the Cape May Reef and the Ben Franklin have been the go to area for locals in the know.
From Team Tackle Direct in EHT, Ed tells me much of the offshore action is still centered south the Wilmington but it appears to be moving north. Bigeye tuna seems to be dominating the catch but some nice reports on yellows have been coming in. Mahi are strangely silent, or maybe it’s just the anglers. As of the time of this writing, a 76-pound white marlin is tops on the leader board of the same name. A Jersey boat, the MJ’s, currently leads in the tuna division.
From Ed Berger:
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 all over the place so stop on every pot and there were a few nice wahoo taken in the Hudson this week.
Moving a little further south, I pulled some great info out of Anthony at The Tackle Box in Hazlet. 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.
New England Offshore
From the Saltwater Edge in Newport: “The tuna bite is in full swing. Yellowfin tuna, longfin tuna and mahi mahi are being taken north of the canyons, and those who venture to the shelf have been rewarded with a solid pick of wahoo, larger yellowfin and bigeye tuna. We found bluefin in their typical spots off of RI this week. If you’re lucky to locate these elusive fish, you’ll probably find them smashing piles of halfbeaks.”
East of Chatham, bluefin tuna fishing has been up and down, but the bite on Thursday was good for Capt. Eric Stewart of The Hook-Up in Orleans, who went 1 for 5 at the Regal Sword and landed a 72-incher. Several charter captains were able to get fish this week on jigs and spinning gear. An influx of smaller tuna from the south should ignite the bite as we head toward mid-month. At least one boat on its way to the Canyons reported an incredible number of bluefin tuna on the surface at the edge of the shipping channel due east of Nantucket.
Fish Chatham Charters has been finding consistent tuna action in Chatham as well. A recent trip with CT, NY, NJ, and FL anglers produced a 62″ bluefin that they opted to keep for the table and released a 75-80″ class fish a half hour later.
Stellwagen Bank has been quiet, although there has been the occasional 500-pound-plus giant landed by a commercial rod-and-reel fishermen.
Captain Scott Sinclair of Green Harbor Bait & Tackle in Marshfield reported a sizzling hot pelagic bite offshore. About 100 miles southeast of Martha’s Vineyard between bigeye tuna up to 300 pounds have gone on a tear. And with them are 50-pound albacore (often found near bigeye) and plenty of yellowfin. Swords have been cooperating come dark. It looks like it might be time to beg, borrow or whatever you need to do if you’ve been aspiring to sample this world class fishing.
