NJ Fishing report-2018

[SkunkBoat]

got out Sunday evening troll for stripers off Sea Girt from 25 ft out to 60 ft. No luck. Bunker schools were down and scattered.

Monday went to Shark River reef for Cod & seabass. Got another nice cod like last week and 2 "just make it keepers" and some throw backs. Not a single seabass out there. Tried the Arundo wreck got a few ling and a short cod, NO seabass.

Went in to Sea Girt reef, found seabass chewing good. Managed 15 keepers and a bunch of shorts.

https://i.imgur.com/1XRwkSel.jpg

[Giorgio]

Nice and at least your getting out there. :clap:

[bgreene]

Raritan Bay striper fishing has been failry steady ....especially as I learn to to fish multi dimensionally - meaning sometimes the fish take plugs on top, other times Mo’s etc.

Didn’t see much life running he beach from Belmar to the hook - saw couple of party boats doing zip on some bunker pods.

Seems strange as the beaches so quiet ....just a few fish here and there and no large schools of blues

[SkunkBoat]

Guys were getting big fish on bunker off Deal this week.
I'm doing some in-water improvements to my Grady and haven't gotten out for stripers. I AM catching the crap out of shorts at my dock.

https://i.imgur.com/xnMvyWGl.jpg

[SkunkBoat]

fished Manasquan river in 100yd visibility fog yesterday evening.
Caught some 4 pound bluefish for shark bait. Would have been nice if they were smaller but fillets make good baits too.

[SkunkBoat]

finally found a tilefish spot in Toms Canyon.
11 fish to 32 inches

https://i.imgur.com/sc4Mt22l.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/vibxOUal.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/VhI3oTjl.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/xyJHEHrl.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/yCcHzBjl.jpg

[Giorgio]

WOW !!! Nice going and great pictures.

[SkunkBoat]

had 1000 bluefin tuna taunt us for an hour east of The Fingers. They were jumping and laughing at us...no bites, tried everything...they were eating 1 inch rain fish .

There are a lot of BFT, from schoolies to giants, all along the 30 fathom line but the bites are sporadic.

[SkunkBoat]

A buddy of mine just brought in a 150# BFT.

It is V20 weather thru Tuesday. 2 ft or less. This is your shot guys!

I'm headed out Sunday. Plan is to jump from wreck to wreck out to Bacardi trying to find some cod, mark some new spots, and hope we run across some BFT.

[SkunkBoat]

At the north end of the Chicken Canyon on Sunday
Caught three BFT on poppers with a light spinning rod. Lost one that was jigged deep. Kept a 20# and 40#.

Had to chase down the 40#er he was spooling the little spinning reel.
https://i.imgur.com/ZeRJxbJl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TdHnW5Ul.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/11NP0Lql.jpg

[SkunkBoat]

Another canyon trip - no tuna :cry:

got 2 mahi and 50+ squid.

only tuna bite was on my lite spinning rod with a 1/4 oz jig. I was jigging squid and got spooled in 10 seconds

https://i.imgur.com/hTm5VDDl.jpg

[Giorgio]

Calamari !!!! :love: Nice going even if no Tuna.

[bradford]

Great reports Skunk, always like seeing them.

Know what you mean about that V20 weather, noaa report this morning had 1 foot seas with a 13 second wave period. :sun: I don't know if it really can get any flatter than that.

[randlemanboater]

That's a lot of squid. I assume you eat them? Or is it all bait?

[SkunkBoat]

Wanted to clean some for fried calamari but I was exhausted, it was hot, mosquitoes and flies were eating me...so I bagged them in threes for the bait freezer.

Dock neighbor had 15 yellowfin near the Cole wreck on Saturday. three of us from the dock tried Sunday and we all got skunked along with 20 other boats.. Then the same guy went there Monday and got 12.

We ended up with a dozen LARGE Trigger fish off a floating plastic bin and some nice seabass, fluke and ling on the Resor wreck on the way in.

Dock buddy just caught a dozen Cobia 3 miles off LBI.
Another caught limit of big fluke off the red church (Elberon/Long Branch)

Weather and timing keeps me fishless. There have been nice mornings and afternoon storms and south winds. I think we have High pressure coming thursday

[SkunkBoat]

Thursday 7 pound fluke at Red Church.
https://i.imgur.com/7RlqY2Jm.jpg

Sunday Shark River Reef smorgasbord Bonito, flounder, fluke, seabass, ling, mackerel, and top it off with a 7 pound Mahi that came from under the boat to eat a floating Bergall. Pitch him a strip of mackerel and bang!
https://i.imgur.com/goZgGGR.jpg

Monday at Axel Carlson my sister and her grandson showed us how! Biggest was 24 1/2".
https://i.imgur.com/5YaaIcDl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KcRZ8iPm.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/iXTV1qMl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/e2lBtsZl.jpg

[Giorgio]

Nothing better than fishing with family !!! Great pictures !! Nicely done.

[Destroyer]

Skunk, what are you using to bait for the Fluke? Awesome pics. :clap:

[SkunkBoat]

Skunk, what are you using to bait for the Fluke? Awesome pics. :clap:

We had lots of squid from an offshore trip and we had mackerel from the day before.Also some strips from a Mahi belly. All of my sister's fish were caught on bait on an old school fluke rig (3 way swivel- hook trailing 18" from the weight).
My brother and I were using jigs/gulp tipped with squid or mackerel. We caught some throwbacks. I had a yellow jig and out-caught skates 10 to 1 until I changed color.

Saw report the charter boat Fish Monger limited out 13 guys- 39 Fluke to 9 pounds and they were throwing back 22" fish. They caught everything in jigs with gulp...no bait at all. Wish I knew where he was...we were looking for him...I know he fishes in snaggy stuff.

[Destroyer]

We had lots of squid from an offshore trip and we had mackerel from the day before.Also some strips from a Mahi belly. All of my sister's fish were caught on bait on an old school fluke rig (3 way swivel- hook trailing 18" from the weight).
My brother and I were using jigs/gulp tipped with squid or mackerel. We caught some throwbacks. I had a yellow jig and out-caught skates 10 to 1 until I changed color.

Saw report the charter boat Fish Monger limited out 13 guys- 39 Fluke to 9 pounds and they were throwing back 22" fish. They caught everything in jigs with gulp...no bait at all. Wish I knew where he was...we were looking for him...I know he fishes in snaggy stuff.

Thank you :) WOW on the Fish Monger info. I agree on the wish I knew where he was fishing comment.

[bgreene]

Monger was at the Axle fishing near us last week - he moves around quite a bit and is known as one of the best.

[SkunkBoat]

Sept 3 Monday-

Went to Shark River reef again looking for winter flounder and ling at the edge of wrecks and some Mahi on the pot markers....Target Species! 6 fat flounder and pile of ling and a Mahi off the first pot marker!

https://i.imgur.com/qZpaDgOl.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/eEtcgL1l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/nZjeGrUl.jpg?1


Dock neighbor came in again with 3 yellowfins at the 30 fathom line. I need to to step up....

[bgreene]

Excellent fishing there …….

[SkunkBoat]

Mahi fishing is on fire. We got 35 in Chicken Canyon and GloryHole. Once again we could not find tuna.

Nice sized fish out there but there is a ton of small fish at the pots in the Mud Hole(20 miles). Crystal blue water there.

https://i.imgur.com/JtqbrZPl.jpg?1

[Blue_Runner]

Way to go man

[Giorgio]

Nice catch of the day !!! :clap:

[SkunkBoat]

more Mahi!

got out Sunday to the east side of the Glory hole, trolled the pot markers for a baker's dozen of nice mahi. Water was clean & blue & 68 degrees
https://i.imgur.com/FVOM7Col.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/NVVhfrrl.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/Qoi9RDRl.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/NkbNtgQl.jpg

[phatdaddy]

Nice , lotta tacos there.

68*! No wonder all the fish are up there, ours is 87* and just getting over red tide

Good report, skunk

[Giorgio]

Way too go!!! Beautiful fish.

[Pipe_Dream]

Oh man, that's some good eating there!

[SkunkBoat]

Monday- W winds around 5 kt, becoming SE in the afternoon. Seas around 3 ft.

Monday is re-opening day for black sea bass in NJ. Looks like decent weather for the V20s. If you can get out there, the Shark River Reef is the place to go for bigger fish and numbers. There are mahi around the pot markers and today there were reports of BFT breaking water and tormenting anglers.

[SkunkBoat]

Monday- W winds around 5 kt, becoming SE in the afternoon. Seas around 3 ft.


Well that couldn't be farther from the truth....wind ENE at 23knts seas UGLY

[SkunkBoat]

Got out to Shark River Reef this afternoon. Actually we ran across to Monster Ledge and trolled for tuna/mahi for a while. Got 3 little tunny(aka Bonita) and 2 small mahi. Then anchored on the Stolt and caught a limit of Black Sea Bass. I got a pair over 4 pounds.

https://i.imgur.com/dUja9qIl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VPlCIE8l.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/fl1OqCcl.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/IfU10Oyl.jpg

[SkunkBoat]

SR Reef again this Sunday---WOW it was a parking lot!
We passed it by to go looking for mahi and tuna in the Mud Hole. Got 3 small mahi and one nice 7 pounder on the pots headed to the Monster Ledge. Also had a half dozen little tunny (Bonita) that kept it interesting. Had a cedar plug get broken off on a hit, 3 year old wind-on leader broke in the middle.

Got to the Ledge and got nothing, headed back thru the pots on the way to SR reef. Got a nice surprise with a double of schoolie bluefins! They weren't big but they were legal and tasty!

Got to the northeast edge of SR reef and drifted the first rock mountain without a boat on it. Lots of big porgies and sea bass. A lot of throwbacks but we did OK. Bluefish biting seabass in half on the way up.

Went north to the Arundo and anchored. Got 4 seabass all bigger than anything at the reef. A few ling also.
https://i.imgur.com/VoCIfyDl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8pFtRUvl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Zy55dE6l.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/LaMd3Xsl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zaQxpbYl.jpg

[bgreene]

Great fishing and pics !! We are at the parking lot and had a great day Sunday too.

Lots of fish......excellent weather.

[Giorgio]

Well done and nice pictures !!! :clap:

[SkunkBoat]

Sunday 11/4- got out the inlet about 6:45am (late). There was already a parking lot off Sea Girt. Everyone out in 60 ft, fish finder just absolutely lit up. No bunker on the surface. Trolled mojos no luck. No big bite going on but some guys picked up some nice fish. A buddy of mine got a double with the bigger one 47". Thats all they got.
We took off for the Shark River reef to look for tuna and catch some sea bass. No tuna around. Caught a dozen nice seabass picking thru the throwbacks...they have to be 13" now....

Headed back in to catch the afternoon bite....no afternoon bite....

[SkunkBoat]

Straight out past the red can in 65-70ft on Mojos.

https://youtu.be/HeztCzPqBgs

https://i.imgur.com/ribN7S8l.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/M3pQki5l.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/k8XZmHql.jpg

[Giorgio]

I just saw your video, nice and love the stripers. :clap:

[SkunkBoat]

Got out Sunday for stripers. Trolled one nice bass on a mojo early then tried snagging bunker & live-lining. Had one bass run off almost immediately but failed to hook it. After that it was all dogfish munching our baits. This was off Spring Lake and later Mantoloking.

Monday we blew off striper fishing and went to Shark River reef in flat seas. On the way out we ran thru a dozen whales (humpbacks and minkes) and a thousand dolphin eating sand eels. National Geographic kind of sight. Tried jigging for tuna but nothing. Moved on...
My brother and I got 25 keeper sea bass. Had an owl sit on a rod tip and stare us down for 5 minutes. Headed in at 2:30.
Ran into gannets diving and fish busting...thought it was tuna... I hooked up right away on a jig...no screaming runoff....it was a 25 pound striper! 8 miles out! jigged & released 3 more in the 20 - 25# range and called it a day.

https://i.imgur.com/fQePClBl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/mnIfJCTl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/9LGPKYzl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YQpLWKql.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/83b6FzEl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Sj7BKpil.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CZGVDTFl.jpg

[Giorgio]

Another beautiful day of fishing and the picture of that Owl was the perfect shot. :clap:

[Pipe_Dream]

Wow, great day!

[SkunkBoat]

2018 season is done!
https://i.imgur.com/cUUC3G6l.jpg

[Pipe_Dream]

Looking good. She'll be wet again before you know it!