Fishing with Dad » Point Pleasant to Seaside Heights

POINT PLEASANT TO SEASIDE HEIGHTS

Tommsu4 — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:27:59 +0000

Ronny Bala at Fisherman’s Supply, Point Beach, reports boats are catching bluefin tuna in the Chicken Canyon. “The guys fishing around the scallop boats are doing pretty good,” Bala said. The Shearwater had non-stop action and brought eight bluefin tuna boat side while fishing in the canyon. Bala said the fluke fishing has been decent on the Sea Girt Reef. The shop has new 6-inch Gulp! swimming mullet in stock that are perfect for catching fluke. Capt. Willy Egerter of the Dauntless, Point Beach, said they’re picking some sea bass inshore and ling and codfish in the deeper water. Egerter said the sea bass bite is fair. Anglers are catching two to six keeper sea bass on the inshore spots. Most of their pool fish have been 5- to 8-pound codfish. At night, they’ve been finding bluefish drifting around the banks of the Mud Hole. Anglers are landing between two and 10 fish on the half-night trips. Capt. Matt Sosnowski of the Norma K III, Point Beach, said the night bluefish bite has been decent but the fish are starting to get a little finicky. “We’re seeing them in the water but there not biting sometimes,” Sosnowski said. Sosnowski said they had a couple good nights this week with the blues in the Mud Hole catching 7- to 12-pound fish. On the day fluke trips they’re landing fish drifting around the Sea Girt Reef. Capt. Jeff Gutman of the Voyager, Point Beach, reports the bottom fishing has been good with a mixture of sea bass, cod and ling. The high hooks have been 15 to 20 fish per trip. On one trip Andre and David Huwyler combined for 31 ling and 6 sea bass.

Courtesy APP.com

Point Pleasant to Seaside Heights

Tommsu4 — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:45:23 +0000

Ronny Bala at Fisherman’s Supply said there is solid bluefin fishing in the Chicken Canyon. The area is holding a lot of life in the way of sandeels, whales and dolphins. The bluefin in the area are in the 60-pound range. Down off the Barnegat Inlet, Bala said there are triggerfish biting on the rocks and off the beaches fluke are hitting Gulp! baits. “Bass fishing is settling down but they are catching them on the Shrewsbury Rocks with bunker heads. There’s also some blues there,” Bala said. In the surf, the bass made a showing at Normady Beach and anglers are catching them at night with plugs and teasers. Capt. Bob Bogan on the Gambler reports the fluke fishing has been pretty good with anglers catching one, two or three keepers along with action from the throwback undersized fluke. They’ve had pool fish close to 6 pounds. The boat will be fishing for night stripers on Friday and Saturday and ling fishing Sunday night. Capt. Jeff Gutman of the Voyager is still making the run for codfish. The average landings on his latest trip were two to six cod per angler. Steve Stingler, Philadelphia, had 10 cod and took the pool with a 16-pound cod. On the ling and sea bass weekend trips Gutman said they are starting to see a little more presence from the sea bass. Capt. Ken Keller of the Norma K III reports the night bluefish trips have been very good. Anglers have been able to catch all the blues they can keep. Adam LaRosa of the Canyon Runner reports an excellent yellowfin bite this week. On one trip they brought boat side 30 yellowfin, keeping 13 and releasing the rest. The fish were caught on the troll and with jigs. Some of the yellowfin were in the 90 to 100 pound range. They also saw some action from white marlin, mako sharks and some mahi. Tommy Kilgannon at Pell’s Bait and Tackle reported a couple big striper weigh-ins. Bill Rodman landed a 52 pounder fishing with Dave D-Anna, who had a 37 pounder. The duo was fishing from a boat off Mantoloking. Matt Pharrell also had a 30-pound striped bass fishing from his kayak. The fluke bite is decent around the south end of the Sea Girt Reef. The fluke are also biting in the Manasquan River. It’s mostly a lot of shorts with a few keepers, but the action is steady. The blue claws are really starting to come alive. Kilgannon reported Bob Phillips had 6 to 8 dozen crabs in a few hours from Barnegat Bay. The light tackle action for small blues is good also in many places in the Barnegat Bay.

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Zone 5: Seaside Park to Island Beach State Park

Geri Damato at Jersey Joes Bait and Tackle said the fluking has been hot in the surf. “The first day of the summer Scott Kaufman had a 21-inch, 2½-pound fluke and two other keepers on squid and Gulp!” Demato said. She said the crabs are really starting to come in and there is nice size to them. “There have some blue claws up to 6¾ inches in the crab traps,” Damato added. Lou Antonis at Seaside Sams Bait and Tackle reports anglers he spoke with this week were fluke fishing in the surf where they’re starting to have a pretty good run of fish. Interest in crabbing in the Barnegat Bay is picking up also. “People are stopping in for crab traps and nets,” Antonis said. Tom Hansen at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle reports they had a bass weigh-in at the shop this week over 50 pounds. Shop employee Ray Kerico caught the striper from a boat snagging bunker. It weighed 51.2 pounds. Kerico also had a 47.35-pound bass from his kayak. The shop also had some other nice weigh-ins of fluke, bluefish and triggerfish. Hansen said the triggerfish are being caught in the Barnegat Inlet on clams. Jim Baron had two triggerfish that were both around 2 pounds. Pete Hiener weighed in another at 3 pounds. The fluke are starting to make their presence felt in the surf. A number of fish were brought in by anglers fishing with smelt, Gulp! and killies. Ronnie Fecak had the big fluke of the week, at 7.15-pounds. John Picaroni had a pair of fluke at 3.9 and 3.1 pounds and Pete Hallihan had one at 3 pounds. Out of the blues angler Phil LaGrossa weighed in a 10.15-pound bluefish he caught on a bunker. Over at Betty and Nicks Bait and Tackle John Bushell also reports the triggerfish are biting in the Barnegat Inlet along with some fluke. Anglers this week spotted a big school of bunker with some bass ripping through them from Island Beach State Park just off Two Bit Road but Bushell said the fish were too far off the beach to be caught from the surf. Anglers did catch some stripers during the week and Bushell added he had an angler bring in a 16-pound striped bass.

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Zone 6: Barnegat Inlet to Brigantine

Capt. Charlie Eble of the Doris Mae IV, Barnegat Light, reports night blue fishing remains excellent with fish running 8 to 12 pounds. Some of the pool winners on the night trips this week were Anthony Kilpatrick, Allentown, with a 12-pound bluefish and Ed Bradford, Crum Lynn, Pa., with an 11-pound bluefish. On the daily fluke trips, Capt. Eble said the fishing slowed up a bit but they’re getting nice pool fish. Some pool winners were Pete Bonilla, Whiting, with a 4-pound fluke, Keith Wisner, Collingswood, with a 5-pound fluke and Nicky Mielewski, Bayville, with a 3½-pound fluke. Capt. Dave DeGennaro of the Hi Flier is on the trail of the bonito and bluefin tuna again. The captain found both species on a trip out to the Barnegat Ridge. The bonito were caught on a troll with a spread of eight rods. The bonito were little 4 pounders. The bluefin tuna was caught on a diamond jig by Bob Diener, Nanuet, N.Y. The tuna weighed 20 pounds. DeGennaro also made morning and afternoon trips for stripers putting his anglers into 30- and 40-pound bass. Angler Gene Linder had a 30 and 42 pounder fishing the pods. Capt. DeGennaro even had a 40 pounder himself taking time to drop a line in the water. Jeff Bauer of the Carolyn Ann III reports mostly 4- and 5-pound fluke won their pools this week. Pete Rudolph of Mahwah had the biggest fish of the week, a 5.5-pound fluke. Some other pool winners were Nick Perrone, Levittown, Pa., with a 5-pound fluke and Tony Boonstra, Cedar Grove, with a 4.1-pound fluke. Capt. Jack Shea of the Rambunctious is on the trail of the fluke. This week angler Rachel Synder landed a 21-inch fluke on board with Shea. Capt. John Koegler of Pop’s Pride, Beach Haven, drifted the Intercoastal Waterway and had reported three keeper fluke among many throwbacks. On a trip out front in the ocean, Koegler trolled up one 45-inch bluefin tuna. Scott Albertson of Scott’s Bait and Tackle said anglers are doing pretty good fishing for fluke in Grassy Channel.

Courtesy APP.com

Fishing Report

Tommsu4 — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:03:38 +0000

I did hear of some action regarding big bluefish in Island Beach State Park. They were caught on bunker, striped bass are still a little bit of a hit and miss. Still waiting for the water to cool down a little more to hopefully spark the fishing into a fall blitz. Today might not be one of the better days to go out and fish, since it will probably be raining all day and the wind will be kicking. If you are not afraid of the wind and rain, as the fish don’t mind getting wet, you might as well give it a try. Beats a day at the office.

Point Pleasant to Seaside Heights

Tommsu4 — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:21:50 +0000

Ronny Bala at Fisherman’s Supply said fishermen were active this week catching weakfish, blues, albacore and stripers out front and blackfish in the canal. The weakies were found right outside of Manasquan Inlet where spikes up to 16-inch fish were schooled up. Ronny’s grandson Kenny Bala was on the school and landed his first albacore and a bunch of weakfish on shiny metal. The big blues were from Spring Lake north and the stripers are being trolled or jigged on the Shrewsbury Rocks. Capt. Willy Egerter of the Dauntless reports the porgies are jumping in the boat. Anglers are catching between 30 to a limit of the small panfish. Egerter is fishing north on the rocks. On their way out on a trip this week Egerter said they spotted schools of false albacore all the way up the beach from the Manasquan Inlet to the Shrewsbury Rocks. The fish were on the surface chasing bait. Jason Szabo at Pell’s Bait and Tackle reports Kevin Ketelaar trolled up a 29-pound striped bass using shad umbrella rigs. Ketelaar brought five more bass to the boat. Off Mantoloking Beach, Todd Gansereit landed a 12-pound bass fishing with salted clams. Szabo said the fall run of bass should pick up once the water temperatures drop a few more degrees. Joe Meerman got into the weakfish good, catching a 4 1/2 pounder and releasing hundreds more. Jigs with small teasers are catching them. In the Point Canal, the blackfish action is hot. Paige Stevens landed a nice 18-inch tog fishing with green crabs. Szabo added the blue claw crabs are still around. Crabbers are fairing best with overnight traps catching about six keeper blue claws.

Dan Radel

Point Pleasant to Seaside Heights

Tommsu4 — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:47:10 +0000

Ronny Bala at Fisherman’s Supply said there is a tremendous amount of bait out front in the surf. Sand eels, spearing, rainfish and peanut bunker make up the list of bait in tight. Bala said bass and blues are now starting to hit the beaches from Sandy Hook south to Barnegat. He said the Sea Girt surf has small schoolie-size bass. Zachery Feaherty, 13, fished with his dad and grandfather aboard the Bib Jamaica and had a catch of 13 blues up to 15 pounds between the three of them. Capt. Bob Bogan of the Gambler reported a fair catch of sea bass on a mid-week trip. The fish were mixed sizes with some really big offshore size sea bass landed. Bogan said a few fluke were also released. With fluke season closed the boat will continue to fish half-day for sea bass until Sept. 15. Capt. Jeff Gutman of the Voyager reports the tile fishing offshore remains very good. Their last two-day trip was quite a success, with a number of different species being caught including tilefish, white hake, rose fish and streamer bass. Dave Arbeitman from the Reel Seat won the pool with a whopper 42-pound tilefish. Dave caught the big fish first thing in the morning on day two and he was using one of the great rigs he makes. Capt. Willy Egerter of the Dauntless reports they are catching porgies and sea bass on the inshore rock piles, wrecks and reefs. Egerter said the fishing hasn’t been great but it’s been alright with average catches of 10 to 20 fish per angler. They’re has also been a few triggerfish and blackfish making their way to the hooks. A bottom fishing trip for Capt. John Cole of the Golden Touch yielded a catch of 30 keeper sea bass, a nice size triggerfish and a lone porgy.

Dan Radel

Fishing Report

Tommsu4 — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:40:42 +0000

So it seems that early morning fisherman are having a blast with bluefish. Throw anything out there and you are bound to catch one. Just because the birds are not working does not mean they are not there. As the day progresses try your luck with bait. Small stripers are also being caught but don’t expect to catch one, they are few and far between right now. The water is still a little too warm for striped bass. Unfortunately, fluke season has ended. If you happen to hook one make sure you throw it back. Good luck.

Fishing Report

Tommsu4 — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:21:42 +0000

Today is your last chance to get your fluke and it sure is a beautiful one. Get out there and give it a shot, there have been some monsters weighed in throughout the state in the last few days. Hurricane Earl churned up the seas and the fish are biting. Big blues are also on the menu, they are being caught on mullet, spearing, anything you can throw at them actually. Some striped bass have also been weighed in recently. You can throw out a clam or two for them but do not focus your time on them. Striped bass are still a hit or miss. Enjoy your labor day weekend.

Labor Day Weekend Fishing Report

Tommsu4 — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:48:52 +0000

Hurricane Earl, has come and gone. Looks to be a great Labor Day weekend for the beachgoers and for the surf fisherman. The seas are churned up, perfect fishing water for striped bass. The best thing you can do is get out there this weekend and give it a shot. The fluke season is almost over, try giving one of your local charter boats a shot this weekend. I would not recommend fluke fishing off the surf as the water will still be dirty and probably too rough for fluke. Try throwing out mullet for the monster blues that are finally showing up in our local waters. False albacore and kingfish have been caught recently also. There is plenty of action out there, get out and throw out some metal or some fresh bait. There probably will be some beach erosion, if you are driving onto Island Beach state park this weekend, be extra careful during high tide especially at beaches 12, 17 and 18.

Point Pleasant to Seaside Heights

Tommsu4 — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:12:14 +0000

Ronny Bala at Fisherman’s Supply reported the fluke fishing was good in the Manasquan River this week. Ashley Hawes, 9, of Brielle, had five fluke up to 17 1/2-inches fishing with Gulp! bait. Blowfish have moved into the Upper Barnegat Bay. Anglers are finding them around Dale’s Point. Big bluefish showed up a quarter-mile off the Mantoloking beaches. They were big fish up to 15 pounds. “A lot of bait moved in. We’ll have to wait and see how the fishing shapes up after the hurricane,” Bala said. Capt. Bob Bogan of the Gambler reports the fishing has been changing constantly. “Not just day to day but almost hour by hour.” On a morning trip this week, they caught fluke and sea bass but it wasn’t very good. In the afternoon, the fishing picked up and anglers caught small weakfish, big blues and keeper fluke up to 5 pounds. Tommy Kilgannon at Pell’s Bait and Tackle reports people fishing the Manasquan River are mostly catching fluke. In Barnegat Bay, the snapper blues are getting bigger. “They’re almost bluefish,” he said. People are catching them with spearing. In the bay, blowfish are also beginning to hit hook baits and the crabbing remains good. In the Point Pleasant Canal, nighttime anglers are catching a few stripers on live eels and soft plastic shads. Blackfish are also biting in the canal. Dennis Palmatier at Murphy’s Hook House said the crabbing is still excellent from Island Heights to Good Luck Point in Barnegat Bay. The snapper blues are all over and ranging between 6 to 8 inches. Over by the BB buoy, there is a decent run of blowfish going on. Anglers anchoring up and chumming heavy with clam chum have caught up to 50 of them. Mixed in with them have been small croakers and burr fish.

Dan Radel

Fishing Report

Tommsu4 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:12:38 +0000

The big bluefish are here. Had reports of monsters being weighed in at the local bait shops, the biggest one being a 14 pound behemoth blue. Nothing from the fluke fisherman as the shoreline has been quite active because of Earl. I tend to believe that fluke like somewhat calmer waters, but this is definitely good water for bass if they were around. Another gorgeous day, get out there and enjoy.