A good-size fleet of fluke boats was positioned on the Sea Girt Reef Tuesday, jockeying for drifting lanes over the reef substrate on a day with little breeze or current to move the boats.I boarded the Gambler party boat along with my two sons Emil, 12, and Teddy, 9, and our friends Mike Baiata and his eldest son Bodie, 11. Right off the bat a bonito was landed on the boat by a fisherman on the starboard side. Deckhand Dom Longo brought it around for people to check out. We didn't see another bonito on the day but we did observe a lon...
A good-size fleet of fluke boats was positioned on the Sea Girt Reef Tuesday, jockeying for drifting lanes over the reef substrate on a day with little breeze or current to move the boats.
I boarded the Gambler party boat along with my two sons Emil, 12, and Teddy, 9, and our friends Mike Baiata and his eldest son Bodie, 11. Right off the bat a bonito was landed on the boat by a fisherman on the starboard side. Deckhand Dom Longo brought it around for people to check out. We didn't see another bonito on the day but we did observe a lone chicken mahi-mahi come to the boat and check with some curiosity a fluke bait another angler was reeling in.
For us, white, curly tailed Gulps and a single squid strip was all we needed to keep the fluke interested. Six-ounce sinkers kept us away from the other lines and on the bottom. We netted four keepers, the biggest being around 4 or 5 pounds. In between, the short fluke kept us busy, as we seldom had to wait longer than five minutes for a bite.
It's been a banner week for bluefish. The boats that are fishing a few miles off the Atlantic Highlands have had them cornered for a few days now. It's been about the best bluefishing so far this season. The fish are ranging in sizes from 3 to 12 pounds and there are bonito running with them. Capt. Dave Riback on the Queen Mary said he had some arm weary anglers after tangling with these fish for a few hours.
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Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park had a report of pretty big bluefish that was around 8 to 10 pounds and landed in the Seaside surf last Friday night. The angler was Chris Chwedczuk, who the shop said was fishing with bunker. The surf right now is chock-full of small bait that's been percolating all summer. There's a lot spearing but also a lot of young-of-the year, or fry, in the shallows.
That bait is certainly going to draw the attention of larger gamefish, particulary fluke, but by mid-August that could also mean the sudden appearance of bonito or false albacore, which are about due.
The Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna club is hosting their classic White Marlin Invitational this week. Thirty-seven boats are competing for $575,000 in prize money. So far, the contest is living up to its name. The boat Shark Byte is in the tournament lead after setting a new WMI record with 30 white marlin releases in two days of fishing. The tournament started Tuesday and concludes Friday.
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The big game fishers will be back at it next week when the MidAtlantic tournament kicks off on Monday and lasts unti Friday. The event is staged out of two world renowned ports; Cape May where the Canyon Club Resort Marina is the home base of the tournament and Ocean City, Maryland, with Sunset Marina serving as the second port’s headquarters
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him at [email protected].