The commercial General, category for bluefin tuna has received an infusion from the Reserve category. and the Oct.-Nov. fishery is being opened by NOAA Fisheries on Oct. 3 with a quota of 212.2 metric tons.

At Belmar, the Golden Eagle reported picky jigging for bluefish though some fares managed five-blue limits, with Ava 27 jigs being best. There were lots of chub mackerel added to the catch.The Big Mohawk is out of the yard and will sail at 7a.m. for blackfish and triggerfish

Mike Monte, back from Nantucket to chase stripers on his old Monmouth County beaches, releleased five schoolies this morning

Allen Riley said the small Lot A was filled when he arrived at Sandy Hook around 10 a.m. as there was gull action offshore of there. He fished out of Lot B and didn’t see any bait or anything caught. There was one offshore flurry around noon that looked like feeding little tunny, but they broke up.

Nick Honachefsky reminds that this is the last weekend to sign up for next weekend’s Barrier Island Beach Brawl with loads of prizes even for those who don’t catch a fish.

The forecast is for southwest winds at 10-15 knots with gusts to 20.

Those seeking stripers in the Hudson River today had to deal with a current of over 3 knots which required a 20-ounce sinker just to hit bottom. However, in order to drift an eel Dave Lilly had to power in reverse all morning as they picked five stripers from 32 to 36 inches.Lilly, who didn’t see any bass caught on boats not reversing, also noted the the bass were all in perfect shape, and didn’t look like typical Hudson stripers.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported another good day of jigging for bluefish from 4 to 10 pounds while also adding little tunny and porgies while releasing sea bass that aren’t legal until Oct. 8.

Sorry for the late blog, but I was on a protracted ASMFC Striped Bass Advisory Council conference call about the latest amendment that resulted in agreement only on the suggestion that it be considerably streamlined with many fewer options before being presented to the public.

There was good news from the Golden Eagle out of Belmar as 4-10-pound blues were hitting jigs and provided a boat limit. They also had a lot of porgies and released many sea bass while whales provided a show around the boat.

Tank Matraxia didn’t have such good news about striper fishing in the Hudson River on Tagged Fish from Highlands. They needed 14-ounce sinkers to drift eels, and only one small blue was caught.

The forecast is for north winds at 10-15 knots.

Chuck Many is even catching tarpon in his salt ponds at Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Anglers on the Golden Eagle from Belmar saw bluefish splashing on the surface today, but had to work hard with Ava 27 and 47 jigs, plain or tailed, in order to bag a limit.of 2-8-pounders.

Capt. Ron Santee had tough porgy fishing conditions with a strong west wind against the incoming tide on his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands. The tiny sea bass were also ferocious. It was better Sunday when scup up to a 2 1/2-pounder were boated.

A cold front is coming through, and the forecast for the morning is northwest at 15-20 knots with gusts to 25. Showers are likely..

Though the recent garage sale went very well, there’s still plenty left — and I’m seeking bids on the balance before putting my home on the market in order to downsize. There are still over 60 rods along with hundreds of lures and such accessories as outrodders, wreck anchors, a two-man seine for bait, and several coolers including an unused giant Igloo. Contact me at cristori@aol.com or at 732 757-5531 for details.

Bob Matthews, at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar Marina, says there’s loads of bait in the local surf — bunker, mullet and spearing. Unfortunately, there aren’t always game fish on them as Vinny D’Anton found this afternoon at Sea Girt as schools of small to medium bunkers remained untouched. However, Vinny did hit it right further north this morning as 6-pound blues chased bait to the beach and hit poppers.

The bluefin tuna bite off the Rockaways continues as noted by N.Y. skipper John McMurray on Facebook as follows:

“A solid 70” fish for the Oceanside Boys yesterday, in some not-so-nice conditions. Came after a heartbreaker that swam under the boat, even tho I was backing down full-bell and taking WAY too much water over the transom. Team effort by Ollie McMurray, Luke Cascarelli and Mikey Dannon, with Frank Monteforte providing instruction and muscle when needed. Props to Frank for keeping her under control while I got a measurement in the water. There were some STOKED kids on that tuna”.

West winds at 10-15 knots are predicted along with possible morning and afternoon showers.

N.Y. Capt. John McMurry posted this on Facebook.

Even the weekend crowd didn’t seem to scare off the big bluefin tuna at the Rockaways as N.Y. striper pro Joe Balzamo not only caught one on his boat but then went out on a friend’s for another.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported another day with lots of chub mackerel while some bluefish and bonito were added while blacktip sharks were swimming around the boat. Some sea bass and fluke were released. The Saturday night bluefish trip was good, but anglers had to work for their choppers..That boat will be on a canyon tuna trip tomorrow.

Mike Monte left Nantucket early this fall in order to get into the mullet run along his native Monmouth County beaches, and was rewarded this morning with 27-inch stripers on a popper.

The ocean was fine today, but the bluefish weren’t turned on. Fortunately, chub mackerel responded to chum and party boat anglers went home with dinner.

At Belmar, the Golden Eagle reported just a pick of blues on jigs early before heading off to chum successfuly for chub mackerel. Miss Belmar Princess had a similar report and noted that some blues up to 4 pounds eventually found the chum.

Capt. Jimmy Freda was coming in from tuna fishing this week with Shore Catch when he saw a surf rescue operation in progress and was able to to ensure that it was successful. That was a real great catch!

The Sea Girt surf was shallow this morning, but Frank Manzi still managed to catch a small striper on a popper — though that appeared to be it for the beach early in the morning.

Chuck Many got another surprise while casting for redfish in the Hilton Head, S.C. salt ponds. It’s hard to tell the difference between a summer flounder (fluke) and a southern flounder.

Sunday looks good with northwest winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 that should lower 3-5-foot seas.

The weather seems to be strightening out even though small craft warnings are up into tonight — and boaters should be out in force tomorrow when the forecast is for north winds at just 5 knots.

The tuna fleet will be gathering off the Rockaways and further east to troll live bunkers or bluefish that may be attacked by a large bluefin which is a very reasonable target in shallow waters — and the Golden Eagle from Belmar resumes daily bluefish jigging as well as a Satirday night bluefish trip which departs at 7 p.m.

Ken Zwirko was one of the successful inshore bluefin fishermen this week.

Vinny D’Anton tried the Monmouth County surf this afternoon and found clear waters plus a school of mullet. Unfortunately there weren’t any stripers on that bait, but Vinny switched to Gulp and started releasing small fluke just as had been the case before the season closed.. He couldn’t duplicate the stargazer he also caught at that time.

N.J. anglers could be catching these if the later season alternative had been adopted.

Please join Fred Golofaro’s family, friends and all who knew him as we share memories and celebrate the life of the man we all loved so dearly.  Saturday, October 2, 2021 from 1-4 pm, Robert Moses State Park, NY, Field 4.  Service to start at 2 p.m

Another day of southeast wind. The small craft advisory continues, but the wind shifts to west at 5-10 knots with 3-4-foot seas.

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Southeast winds are rarely good for along the Jersey Shore, and I wasn’t surprised at not receiving a single report. A small craft advisory remains up through late Thursday night.

The morning starts with SE winds at 15-20 knots with gusts to 25 plus a chance of showers. It is looking better for Friday and Saturday.

Capt. Ron Santee has switched to porgy fishing with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands, but isn’t sailing again until Sunday due to the SE blow plus moon currents.