This is the Hook,Line and Sinker aggregate. Scroll down for videos and links to earlier reports. Catch a fish we should know about? Email Dan Radel at dradel@gannettnj.com or call 732-643-4072.
The false albacore are giving fishermen a good fight on rod and reel.
There's a good presence of the fish from Sandy Hook south to Sea Bright. These albies are up to about five pounds, according to some of the reports.
Tom Giglio at Giglio's Bait and Tackle in Sea Brightsaid boat fishermen are doing a number on them andthe fish are blitzing the surf, as recently as Monday morning.
"They're scattered through the day, in an out of the surf," said Giglio, adding that the fish are hitting Hoagie epoxy lures.
Captain Rob Semkewyc of the Sea Hunter party boat in Atlantic Highlands said he saw plenty of false albacore early Sunday morning but they were difficult to catch. He was targeting bluefish and said by the end of the day the blues were biting "very good."
"The (bluefish) were a little bigger. The average was 4 pounds but there were some bigger fish mixed in. Ryan Von Tassel took the pool with an 11-pound blue," said Semkewyc.
The false albacore werevisibly present on the surface near Barnegat Inlet on Saturday morning. Captain Alex Majewski of the Debbie M charter boat said the fish were pushing up two-inch rainfish. He said it was "run and gun" fishing to keep up with the quickly moving false albacore, which arevery good at performing their disappearing act.
Majewski also found blitzes of small blues and spike weakfish between six to 10 inches that were just outside of the surf zone and reachable by his 23-foot center console.
"There were gulls, terns and pelicans working the mayhem," said Majewski.
There was some action on striped bass in the surf, but withwater temperatures at 70 degrees Mondayaccording to NOAA's Sandy Hookgauge, it's hardly bass water.
Semkewyc said theydidn't have their first striped bass last year until Oct. 11.
Giglio said a few stripers were landed in the Monmouth Beach surf on Friday and Saturday that hit either bucktailsor clam baits.
Grumpy's Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park weighed a striped bass on Saturday that was caught bySteve Marshall. The shop report on the fish said Marshall landed it from the Island Beach State Park Surf on bunker bait. The fish was a couple ounces shy of 30 pounds.
The annual Long Beach Island Fall Surf Fishing Classic got underway Saturday and no striped bass werecaught opening weekend of the eight-week contest. There were a pair of bluefish, the biggest of which was a 12-pounder caught by Quin J. Rutan of Manahawkin, who is registered in the Junior Category for 17 and under.
The fish was caught mid-afternoon Saturday in the Barnegat Light surf.
Oct. 6 report: Winter flounder as big as snowshoes
A lot of little bluefish and false albacore were dartingover the Sea Bright rocks this week.
The fast-moving fish weren't always making themselves known to fishermen but party boat skipper Captain Willie Egerter of the Dauntless said they caught handfuls of them while porgy fishing.
"We're fishing eight to 10 feet off the bottom for the porgies and the albacore just come in and hit the hooks," said Egerter.
He said the porgy fishing is still very good on the inshore rock bottom where anglers can pull in a limit catch of 50 during an all-day fishing trip. Anglers are also picking blackfish and the warm fall water is still holding triggerfish.
Captain Rob Semkewyc of the Sea Hunter party boat in Atlantic Highlands said the falsealbacore were mixing in with bluefish on his trips around Sandy Hook. Fishermen were landed several weakfish.
The false albieswere also popping up in the Seaside area said Ray Kericho at Grumpy's Bait and Tackle.
Fishermen who sailed on the Paramount party boat to the deeper bottom wrecks 30 to 40 miles from the shore caught some monster-size winter flounder, said the boat's captain Francis Bogan.
The ling fishing was fair with catches of around 10 to 20 fish commonplace around the boat. A couple porgies and a bonito were also hauled in.
"You can jump on a head boat and go home with a bag of goodeating fish," said Bobby Matthews at Fisherman's Den.
Matthews said several nice keeper blackfish were taken by fishermen trying theShark River Inlet and the Point Pleasant Canal.
Tuna Fishing
The Miss Barnegat Light sailed to the Hudson Canyon Saturday morning and started on the troll during the daylight hours. The boat motored 20 miles "down the bank" without a lure getting touched until they were clearing the lines to get ready to anchorthe boat. Then a 60-pound yellowfin struck and was boated.
Throughout the night they had flurries of 20-pound yellowfin abouteveryhalf-hour, in and around being harassed by blue sharks invading the slick.
In the morning they pot hopped for mahi-mahi, which was very good.
Captain Howard Bogan had the 125-foot Jamaica party boat ran fishermen out tothe Hudson Canyon on a Tuesday into Wednesday tuna trip.
He said they started out fishing for mahi-mahi, which sputtered at first, but then they had several drifts where they bit their heads off. The fish were "flying over the rail," Bogan said.
A little before sundown Bogan said he set up in an area over 2,000 feet deep where there was a lot of bait, bird life, a couple of whalesand good readings. However, a tuna bite never developed and he picked up and moved across the canyon to the 100-fathom line.
At 4 a.m. two small yellowfin were boated and an angler was broken off by what Bogan assumed was a swordfish because it hit like a freight train.
The fish finally turned on at sun up when Bogan said fishermen started landing 60 to 80- pound yellowfin.A white marlin was briefly onbut was lost.
"We kept reading fish coming and going under the boat. It was a slow pick. We hooked up from 1 to 3 fish at a time," Bogan said.
On a mid-range trip Captain Dave Riback of the Queen Mary party boat said a fisherman had a tuna run-off two minutes after he put the boat on the anchor. They never got a look at the fish. They did get some nice size mahi-mahi, bonito and false albacore into the boat.
Surf Fishing
Surf fishermen can almost bank on co*cktail blues, whichhave been scattered on the beaches, being in the surf. There has been the occasionalfalse albacore showing.
After that everyone is waiting for a little more drop in temperature to get the striped bass moving.
This week there was a little uptick in stripers.Kericho said fishermen in the Seaside area were getting some keeper and short bass at night tossing SP Minnows.
Matthews saidthe stripers are also starting to make an appearance on the beaches from Manasquan south to Bay Head in the early morning and evening.
Oct. 6 Report: Manasquan River eddy is prime trout fishing spot
A couple weeks ago on oneof the last summer days, I scouted the banks of the Manasquan River in Howell for a new trout spot.
The Manasquan is not one of the friendliest of trout streams. It's shallow, muddy and overgrown in many places. But it's my local river so I like to go to it a couple times a year.
I trecked upstream from Southard Avenueand I'm fairly confident that found what I was looking for.
I saw an area where the current was swift but just around a bend in the riverbank, the water was swirlingindicating an eddy had formed. From the looks of the water, I estimate it was a few feet deep.
I'm no trout expert but eddies have worked for me in the past. They're a little deeper and provide coverage. The eddies big advantage for a predator like a trout is bait gets trapped in the swirl making a ready meal.
While I was observing the water flow I did see some small baitfish, but I could not tell exactly what they were. I'll call them minnows until I know better. They certainly were the size and shape of a minnow.
Driving my motivation to trout fish this fall is a new freshwater rod I've been working on piecemeal in my workshop. It's a 5-foot graphite with a corkhandle, colored green, gunmetaland navy blue.
It's been a long time since I built a fishing rod. I'll see soon enough if has any life in it and if my spot isa honey hole or not.
What I do know for sure, is the Manasquan River will be one of the first rivers to get stocked by the state's Division of Fish and Wildlife, which will start the statewide fall stocking on Oct. 10 here.
Manasquan will get 460 rainbow trout that measure between 14 and 22 inches and weighone and a half pounds up to eight pounds.
The Metedeconk River, both the north and south branch, will get a combined 410 rainbow trout and the Toms River will get 350. These rivers will also be stocked on Oct. 10.
All told 20,000 rainbow trout raised at the Pequest Trout Hatchery in Warren County will be stocked in 16 streams and 21 ponds across the state between Oct. 10 and 18.
So, if you haven't already,start picking your spots. I for one agree with wildlife director Larry Herrighty who said "there are few better ways to enjoy the change of seasons,” than freshwater fishing.
Sept. 29 report: Blues stacked up, shearwaters lead to skipjacks
At last word, the bluefish were stacked on the shallow inshore bottom over the hills and rock piles north of Shark River Inlet.
Unfortunately, boats didn't get out mid-week due to heavy fog and weather, so captains may need to spend time searching for them this weekend if they don't find them where they left them.
Captain Alan Shinn of the Miss Belmar Princess party boat was on the fish Tuesday and saidit was excellent. He said they "held blues on anywhere from two to four pounds with some up to 8 pounds mixed in all day long."
Shinn said the fish were hitting AVA jigs size 027 with or without rubber tails.
The boats that ventureda little further out to the deeper ridges in the Mud Hole found mackerel, bonito, false albacore and a few skipjack tuna. That, too, was also earlier in the week.
Captain Dave Riback of the Queen Mary party boat in Point Pleasant Beach said he found lots of bait and long-winged shearwaters in the area he set up to fish.
Before long, anglers were pulling in mackerel until they lost count.
A good sign for the fall fishing was the return of the big slammer bluefish at night. A couple party boats that sailed last Saturday night reported fish up to 14 pounds landed by fishermen.
Bottom Fishing
Porgies may not be on the top of manyfishermen's palates, but it's hard to argue against the fact that they are fun to reel in.
And, they have carried the bottom fishing for nearly a month. There seems to be enough around to last for at least another few weeks until sea bass season opens again and gives fishermen another option.
Fluke, sea bass closed:N.J.'s fishing season enters a 'regulatory dead zone'
Captain Tom Buban of the Atlantic Start party boat in Atlantic Highlands was out on the porgy grounds near the top of the Hooka few days this week and seemed pleased with the life he found.
"The past few days the weather has been great and so has the porgy fishing.The ocean has been calm and theonly current we have is tidal currents," said Buban after Tuesday's trips.
The weather reports scared some fishermen away this week said Matt Sosnowski, skipper of the Norma K III party boat in Point Pleasant Beach. The last time the boat sailed was Tuesday and he said the "porgies were coming over the rail as soon as we stopped."
He also tried some spots for blackfish and said the action was "decent."
The inshore marine forecast from NOAA is calling for seas to be a two to three feet this weekend, which shouldn't ruin fishermen's plans to fish.
Lake Topanemus:Fisherman missing in Freehold Township lake
The Paramount party boat in Brielle sailed for ling Wednesday to deep water wrecks 30 to 40 miles from the shore. Captain Francis Bogan said they had encountered some nice-sized swells on the ride out but there was no wind on top of them.
The fishing was slow but anglers reeled up a variety species. The biggest of the bunch was a purple hake landed byJoe Barlow from Philadelphia. The rest of the catch consisted of ling, a few codfish and some of the biggest winter flounder Bogan said they've ever seen.
One angler also reeled in a lobster that got a hook in its claw reaching for a clam bait.
Surf Fishing
The surf reports have been quiet but things might change in a hurry. Temperatures are supposed to drop this weekend and that could trigger some movement of fish. It's highly possible that a run of bluefish might wake things up first.
Ray Kericho at Grumpy's Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said a couple small striped bass and blues were landed by surf fishermen this week.
Bobby Matthews at the Fishermen's Den in Belmar and Atlantic Highlands said fishermen are finding the bass are getting more active in theback bays and rivers.
Sept. 29 report: Fishermen to target Hudson Canyon's large yellowfin tuna schools
Last weekend party boat captainsspotted some of thelargest schools of yellowfin tuna this season in the Hudson Canyon. The fishwere crashing on the surface but were not interested in hook baits offered by fishermen.
It remains to be seen if the yellowfin have moved on or not.
Getting in the way of tuna fishermen returning to the canyonwere swells from Tropical Storm Maria.
Captain Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle party boat in Belmar reported the boat sailed on its overnighter Monday into Tuesday. He said fishermen had a solid tuna bite for three hours and landed 20 big yellowfin up to 100 pounds. A couple longfins got caught up in the action and were boated as was a lone swordfish.
No boats sailed Thursday when nine to 17-foot waves from Tropical Storm Maria, then hundreds of miles southeast of the Hudson, were rolling into the canyon along with 20 to 30-knot winds.
"When you get the wind on top of a swell that's when it gets tough to be out," said Captain Howard Boganof the 125-foot Jamaica party boat in Brielle.
Shark Tracker:Great white shark named by Jimmy Buffett visits Jersey Shore
Bogan postponed his Thursday trip and moved it to Friday morning. Other party boats like the Miss Barnegat Light have adjusted their schedules but will sail this weekend.
Maria, which was downgraded from a hurricane, was tracking due east and far out to sea Thursday morning.
Her swells will weaken by Friday, but by then captainswill be keeping an eye on a cold front that is forecast to move-in Saturday night and bring northeast winds that could make for a bumpy ride back to home port for smaller charter boats.
The plans of some of the charter boat captains were still up in the air Thursday morning on whether or not to run out to the Hudson Canyon.
"I'm supposed to go Saturday but my charter is coming up from Virginia and the guys want an answer by noon (Thursday)," said Captain Dave Bender of the 44-foot charter boat Jenny Lee, which fishes out of Manasquan Inlet.
Bender said he could use an extra day to make the call but might not have the luxury of that time.
Bogan was last out in the Hudson on an overnight trip Sept. 23-24. He said fishermen boated a few yellowfin tuna during the night and had a couple break off their lines. A mako shark and a couple of swordfish also gave a few fishermen a run for their money before slipping the hook.
Bogan said he continued to observe on the fish finder tuna swim under the boat all night but were not taking the baits. He expected the fish to find their appetites at daybreak for the butterfish and sardine hook baits or chrome jigs but the fish just moved on.
Fortunately, schools of golden-coloredmahi-mahi appeared and were in a playful mood, however, Bogan said he left those fish biting when he spotted a school of large yellowfin crashing on the surface a short distance away.
"We tried drifting for tuna but they would not bite. We crossed to the other side of the canyon where fish were also spotted on the surface but they would not bite either," Bogan said. "It is the most fish we have seen in the canyon so far this year as far as readings and fish on the surface."
Sept. 25 report: Fall brings return of big chopper-size bluefish
Friday brought the first day of fall and something else not seen for a while in party boat chum slicks: chopper bluefish.
Night fishermen who went out on the boats Saturday discovered the presence of the big fish when theirreels started screaming from the pull of bluefish in the 10-pound range, a far cry from the two pounders party boats were fishing on all summer.
The fish, which were virtually non-existent in chum slicks in June, July and August, were "around the boat" all night said Captain Tony Bogan of the Paramount party boat in Brielle.
Bogan said most of the fish were eight to 12-pound blues but there were a few bigger fish thatweighed upwards to 14 pounds.
New Fishing Record: Bowfin caught in Mantua Creek eclipses old mark
The Paramount was back out for a day trip Sunday and got into a decent mixed schoolof blues, bonito, false albacore and chub mackerel, Bogan said. A couple small chick mahi-mahiwere also landed.
The bonito and false albacore should stay in the area for a couple more weeks, or as long as the water temperatures stay warm.
Bottom Fishing
The porgy fishing was not shaken up by swells comingfrom departing Hurricane Jose. Fishermen were pulling in porgies two at a time over the weekend. Some nice blackfish along with triggerfish topped off the bottom catch.
Captain Tom Buban of the Atlantic Star party boat in Atlantic Highlands was out Monday morning in Raritan Bay and had a fair pick going after a really good weekend of porgy fishing.
He said he's fishing the bay channels where there is quite a bit of tidal current at times. Fishermen are using as much10 or 12-ounce sinkers to hold bottom when the tide starts cranking. Otherwise, he said the bay was very calm.
"There's just a lazy swell on the water," Buban said from his boat during Monday's morning trip.
Captain Hal Hagaman on the Sea Tiger II party boat in Atlantic Highlands said Saturday was a great day to porgy fish. He said fishermen brought "buckets full" to the fillet table at the end of the trip to be cleaned.
Know what's biting by reading the fishing reports at Hook,Line and Sinker
The surf was treacherous over the weekend with rip currents and strong waves. Some surf fishermen gave it shot Friday and got some blues, said Ray Kericho at Grumpy's Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park. He alsohad a report from a fisherman who landed a striped bass in the surf on Sunday fishing with bait.
The ocean is still toowarm, however, to see many striped bass out front feeding in the surf.
Fall migrations are right around the corner. Watch this 10-minute documentary above to see what you can expect from marine life at the Jersey shore
Dan Radel: 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com
