The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been fighting strong winds recently that have made fishing somewhat of a challenge. As the winds subside, and the water continues its upward rise in temperature, fishing will be productive.
Fluke continue to be the main inshore target with good numbers of smallish fish around. Locating those keeper sized fish will become easier as the summer progresses. Another positive note is the fact that the black sea bass season re-opens on Monday, July 1 in New Jersey waters. The daily bag limit will only be one for a time, but it will be nice to be able to take some sea bass filets home in the cooler.
There are already signs that the fluke have started to leave the bays and head east into the ocean. Often the early fish leaving the bay are larger fish.
Other action on the Long Beach Island fishing front includes the presence of bluefish. They seem to pop up at various times. Smaller blues are being located by feeding birds especially around the inlets. Others have been found feeding on bunker schools just off the beach.
The tuna action has been good both offshore and at times closer to shore. This fishery will only continue to improve as the summer unfolds. Look for days with mild winds to be the ones when fish are caught.
Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” has been putting in the time getting anglers on fish at the north end of Long Beach Island. Captain Brett finished the week up with 5 charters in 2 days. He noted the rain and winds made for continual tough fluking as his anglers averaged about 35 shorts per trip with 2 to 3 keepers up to 21 inches. He plans to “work the bay for at least another week or so before changing over to ocean fluke fishing.”
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org