NJ fishing reports

[Finest Kind]

YFT are close at Little Italy and vicinity right now. Try trolling with wide trackers or jigging if the marks are deep. 50 pound class fish were caught yesterday by my buddies who left on another boat. I was on the way out at 4 AM yesterday (7/17) on a friend's boat and had a motor quit on us at 5 AM, had to come back in on 1 motor from 10 miles out.

 

[Finest Kind]

Guys caught yft at Bacardi today.
Word is there are really big BFT at Ambrose again.

We were at Barcardi area on Friday 7/15, left dock at 2 AM, trolled in the area from false light to 2 PM. Whales, dolphin, tuna chicks, shearwaters, lotsa life in the area...but only 2 knockdowns for us, 1 of which was lost (along with a $120 wide tracker and 100 yds of line) immediately due to a defective roller tip on the rod, and the other fish lost 2 feet from the boat after fighting it for 10 mins (due to the hook just pulling out for no reason).
A long, expensive, and frustrating day!

 

[athomp228]

Had 1 short bft Sunday at Bacardi before we got the full spread out and landed our only yft 7 hours later on the wide tracker (my first ever). On the neighbors Egg Harbor 38.

 

[SkunkBoat]

We ran out to a spot ENE of Humpty this afternoon. Lots of life, bait, whales, rays, maybe 8 or 10 boats. Tried jigging and trolling . Saw one fish caught on XTC charter boat. Not sure if he said 51 or 61 inch BFT. There may have been a few more caught. We saw other hookups but they might have been rays or false albacore (we got those too).

 

[SkunkBoat]

We got mahi on mud hole lobster pots.

There are still yft and bft at Little Italy area. Dock buddy had 70# yft...just 16 miles out...thats crazy...
Yesterday evening a mile north of Humpty the yft were caught on poppers on top of big schools of cownosed rays (not OUR poppers, but other boat's poppers ). Basically, find the rays and work it. They are brown. You can see "brown water". Often they are under chicky birds. It can be anywhere in that area. There are three humps of 90ft surrounded by 120+. it is random and does not last long. We were late and watched the last one get caught and then we threw poppers for an hour and a half.....

 

[Father's Day]

We got mahi on mud hole lobster pots.

There are still yft and bft at Little Italy area. Dock buddy had 70# yft...just 16 miles out...thats crazy...
Yesterday evening a mile north of Humpty the yft were caught on poppers on top of big schools of cownosed rays (not OUR poppers, but other boat's poppers ). Basically, find the rays and work it. They are brown. You can see "brown water". Often they are under chicky birds. It can be anywhere in that area. There are three humps of 90ft surrounded by 120+. it is random and does not last long. We were late and watched the last one get caught and then we threw poppers for an hour and a half.....

I caught 4 of those Rays this morning, they are all over the Hook

 

[SkunkBoat]

Got out yesterday for first light bite at Humpty. Lots of bait. We trolled nothing for a couple hours. Some guys were jigging & popping. Did not see anything caught. No hooting or hollering on the radio. Water was down to 68 deg at Humpty. We went 10 miles east to the Mud Hole pots and caught dolphin. Water was 76 deg. I later heard of a 61" bft on the radio but not sure where it was.

Mahi were on ballyhoo and strip baits. Got one and lost another on lite spinning gear throwing chunks at a pot that we had trolled a fish and two knockdowns.
Decent size. The cutting table is 24" for reference. Didn't catch any tiny ones.

The three biggest fish got away. One 10# was gaffed in the head then fell off and swam away, one broke off a bird teaser and ballyhoo rig and we watched that 15#er greyhounding away towing a bird, another 10# did three somersaults and waved goodbye. We suck fishing team...

Seems the wider Bacardi/Texas Tower area is the most consistant yft bite that lasts into the day. Charter guys at my dock have been all over to find a popper/jig bite.

I think I'm staying close and Fluking on Sunday. I have a party to go to. Good forecast for going long though. If I could, I'd run in the dark to Texas Tower for first light bite.

 

[paydaze77]

I’m gonna try to get out for a few hours tomorrow. Gonna stay in shore have to be back early. Didn’t know whether to head to the ridge or little Italy. Guess I’ll see which has better sat shots in the am.

 

[SkunkBoat]

3 seabass out at manasquan ridge and 4 nice fluke and some ling at Axel Reef. Easy day. nice...

 

[SkunkBoat]

Ran to the pots for the afternoon mahi bite. Got 13 in the boat and lost more than a few. Trolled and on chunks

 

[paydaze77]

We’re heading out tomorrow. Mudhole pots? Might be our trip saver lol

 

[SkunkBoat]

We’re heading out tomorrow. Mudhole pots? Might be our trip saver lol

West side 180 line and 240 line. east of Humpty/little italy. I would imagine the Glory hole has them too. Hit them coming home.

You going to TX Tower/Bacardi?

I think I'm staying inshore and saving long trip for next weekend. Got friends from Florida coming up.

 

[paydaze77]

Thanks capt. I don’t have the heart to run to Bacardi. I had two friends in the past 10 days go there. Chicken and one even ran to Hudson and didn’t make a thing.

I was thinking the ridge work our way to little Italy then mudhole pots.

or maybe north our past sandy hook. Some nice chloro breaks see hopefully holding some bait and then work south.
I live in brick so easy for me to go out or MI and come in thru BI

I’ll be on my in reach if your going out and we can connect

 

[SkunkBoat]

I stayed close. Went "boating" with my wife but managed to catch an 18" fluke by the tail.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Had friends up from Florida. Weather not good for the canyon run we had hoped for.

Got to Humpty at first light. Trolled a bit for tuna. There was zero life. Ran to Mud Hole pots. Trolled 3 nice dolphin before 8 am., Then everyone else showed up on the pots and they shut down. Fished the Lilian for a limit of seabass and then trolled the pots all the way north to SR reef. Ran to Arundo and got a surprise 23" fluke in 150 ft. Ling were not biting. Ran toward home but stopped for some short fluke and a just keeper.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Sunday we took the Florida Boys to the Hudson Canyon.
We got a late start, left at 5 am. Glassy, very little swell.
Ran thru the AP there were ZERO boats there

hit the Chicken Canyon pots on the way out, no life
Hit the NOAA 44066 weather bouy for a pair of dolphin and some lost fish. Got a bit of east wind and swell but still running 30mph
Ran to our tilefish spot on the west wall. got two immediately but very fast drift in 500 ft. could only use one rod. gave up on that and trolled the pot line towards the west.
Had on a decent tuna, maybe 40 or 50# but pulled the hook close to the boat. Then we got into some just keeper yellowfins. Had 4 on at one point, boated two. caught some more dolphin and a few more yft
We FINALLY broke the tuna skunk!

Its not a gaff hole. Looked like a marlin got a hold of the big dolphin a while ago.
The smallest yft was 27.25" CFL. Tastes just like a big one.....

 

[SkunkBoat]

East wind was forecast 5-10Knts...more like 15-20 gusting 25... Overcast.
We stayed in the river (Manasquan) with everyone else and to our surprise it was a very pleasant morning. In the main stretch caught 7 keeper fluke in 3 hours. The boat crowd was pleasant. Much of the fleet was IN the channel. Everyone going slow between drifts, almost no boats running on plane thru the fleet. I think maybe we accidentally crossed into a different universe. And I burned 2 gallons!!!!

 

[SkunkBoat]

long day offshore.

 

[RobboNJ]

Skunk,

Looks like a nice day of fishing! Good pic and video. How far offshore were you? I fish out of Barnegat Inlet and curious how long it would take to motor into your area.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Skunk,

Looks like a nice day of fishing! Good pic and video. How far offshore were you? I fish out of Barnegat Inlet and curious how long it would take to motor into your area.

We went as far as tip of Hudson Canyon. Photo was in CHicken Canyon. Tuna was caught near Texas Tower. The smaller dolphin were caught at Glory Hole pots early.