Tight Lines

Legacy topped today’s catches n the White Marlin Invitational, but their 140-pound tuna fell short of Crisdel’s leading 194.7-pounder while other tuna entries were much smaller.

The only change in other weighed fish was the only wahoo of the contest on Hold Tight. I’ll have more about the WMIT results tomorrow.

Crisdel and many other boats moved to Cape May for Monday’s start of the MidAtlantic.

The Big Mohawk from Belmar reported a beautiful day with fine fluke fishing and several limits with fish ranging up to about 7 pounds.

The Jamaica from Brielle had another big catch of chub mackerel along with bluefish limits as that bite was best on bait, though there were some caught on poppers.

The forecast is for southeast winds at 5 knots and patchy fog before increasing to 10 knots in the afternoon.

Below is the Maryland state record blue marlin that won big money in last year’s MidAtlantic.

The Beah Haven Marlin & Tuna Club’s White Marlin Invitational is running this week. Crisdel from Brielle Yacht Club got off to a good start with a 194.3-pound bigeye tuna for IGFA officials being hosted by Michael Criscola Jr. Irish Twin also had a good start with a 111.5-pounder while several smaller yellowfins were weighed, but white marlin remained scarce. MJ’s, which boated several bigeyes in the recent White Marlin Open, only got on the leaderboard with a 67-pound tuna today. The largest dolphin so far is only a 16.7-pounder on Big Oil. Entrants only fish two days in the WMI, and many will be shifting over to the MidAtlantic which starts Sunday in Cape May.

After writing about cobia yesterday, there was more news on the internet today as a Connecticut angler caught one in the 40-pound class and is applying for a state record.

Capt. Ralph Layrer that the Hudson River Fisherman’s Association and the Saltwater Anglers of Bergen County had a fluke contest aboard his Last Lady today — the HRFA prevailed.

The Saturday forecast is fine, with south winds at just 5-10 knots.

Capt. Frank Masseria has been into hot fluking lately with his Vitamin Sea from Keyport. There was a boat limit of 125 today plus many 20-inchers released. He has two spots open tomorrow, Call 917 439-6448.

Capt. Ron Santee said his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands had another good day with fluke as “Dean” won his third pool in a row by boating a 5-pounder. There were several limits and 3-4-pounders around the boat which is chartered on Saturday.

The Jamaica from Brielle reported another day of all you want chub mackerel along with some blues, sea bass and fluke. of legal size.

Cobia used to be a are catch in NY/NJ Bight, but they seem to be building up enough to become a viable target for boaters who know what to look for. Cobia are often mistaken for sharks, and tend to hang around buoys and over wrecks. They’ll hit a wide variety of lures, with a live bait being the best option Some can be very fussy, but many are quite aggressive, During one trip to a Gulf wreck out of Key West I cast a large Sekora tube at what I thought were barracuda only to realize after casting that I was about to spook cobia. After the big splash when the lure landed, I reeled it in as fast as could in order to switch lures only to find every cobia in the school fighting for that tube. I ended up catching one after another before they wised up to the giant spinning tube!

Cobia like to follow rays and sea turtles, so always check them out during the cobia season. Those fish are among the best eating in the ocean, but big ones can make a mess of your boat if dropped on the deck. Florida anglers have learned to open the fish box and swing gaffed cobia right in there before shutting the cover.

There is a minimum size of 37 inches and a two fish limit in NY, but only one at 37 inches is allowed in NJ which also allows only one per vessel.

Eric Kerber with a colorful cobia

Capt. Ron Santee said today was his best fluke trip of the season on the Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands with non-stop action, plenty of limits and 5 1/4-pound pool winner.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported an “epic” action day with all you want chub mackerel. bluefish limits for many, and some sea bass and fluke. Friday’s forecast is for west winds at 5-10 knots

Will the MD. poor be moving to Cape May for the MidAtlantic?

Major fishing tournaments have long been providing fish brought in for weighng to Food Banks . Marlin are perfectly edible, but nothing special. However, entrants also frequently leave their tuna as well. The recent White Marlin Open was a terrible one for marlin, though bigeye tuna saved the contest. Large bigeyes are very valuable as the Japanese desire them almost as much as giant bluefins. Yet, MJ’s and some other boats donated their bigeyes to the Food Bank. As a result, “poor” people in Ocean City were dining on bigeyes that would probably sell for over $50 a pound if you could find them at a fish store.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar fished for fluke and sea bass today, but only had a pick in the big swell.

The Jamaica from Brielle reported anglers had all the chub mackerel they wanted plus some sea bass and fluke — while a few managed the five bluefish limit.

The Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands reported a somewhat reduced swell and a decent pick of fluke. A couple of fares managed their three keepers.

Vinny D’Anton said the Monmouth County surf was discolored this morning, but he and Sea Girt pro Frank Conover got into small stripers the previous morning by dropping down to the smaller Redfin swimmer.

The small craft warning comes down at 6p.m. The forecast is for west winds before becoming southwest with gusts to 20 knots in the afternoon.

Following are the results of the JCAA Heavy Hitters Fluke Tournament from Paul Haertel:

We had a total of 35 boats in the tournament of which two boats fished on Thursday, four on Friday, eleven on Saturday and eighteen on Sunday. Sunday was the day that participants could have won 25 k for the largest fluke caught over 12 lbs. The insurance that we paid for that prize really ate into our profit but at least we did make a small profit.

Gerard Scarano and his crew were the big winners in the tournament. They had the largest fluke in the tournament at 6.5 lbs that was caught by Marc Atlas. They swept the single fluke Calcuttas as well as the three fish Calcuttas with a total 16.3 lbs. They won a total of $7,775 which is very good for a tournament with only 35 boats. Greg Ryback came in second with a 6.3 lb fluke and Kevin Cole was third with 6.11 lb fluke. Fourth place went to Jerry Posterino with a 5.81 lb fluke caught by Dick Larson and Jay Lemelin took the fifth and final prize with a 5.54 lb fluke.

Amazingly, Jake Jakubik won both sea bass Calcutttas and took home a total of $2,363 for his 2.2 lb sea bass!

JCAA Tournament Chairman

6

That’s what Capt. Ron Santee found today while seeking fluke with his Fishermen out of Atlantic Highlands. He was able to scratch out some fluke up to the 5 9/16-pound pool winner even though it was necessary to use heavy sinkers. Some sea bass were also caught.

The small craft warning remains up into Wednesday as the north wind drops to10-15 knots by morning before diminishing to 5-10 in the afternoon.

Veteran angler Butch Pawson with a fluke at Island Beach State Park

Jeff Merrill sent along this notice for the MidAtlantic:

 “The 2022 MidAtlantic is just a few days away with Tournament Week set for August 21-26. Tournament registration continues at a steady pace for both venues and online registration at the tournament’s official web site http://www.themidatlantic.com is the quickest and easiest way to secure your spot in the line-up. The event gets underway on Sunday, August 21 with Late Registration and Calcutta Entry accepted from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May and Sunset Marina in Ocean City with a captain’s meeting immediately following. The MidAtlantic follows a “captain’s choice” format where crews will select three days to fish out of five available beginning Monday, August 22 and concluding on Friday, August 26. When registering participants must choose a port to sail from, Cape May or Ocean City, and regardless of the port selected, cannot pass their inlet’s sea buoy prior to 3 a.m. on fishing days and must fish within 125 miles of the Cape May Sea Buoy.

Fishing hours are from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day and white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, dolphin and wahoo are the target species. For any white marlin to make the leaderboard it must weigh at least 65 pounds and measure 69 inches. Blue marlin must measure 102 inches and weigh at least 400 pounds. In the tuna category, big eye, yellowfin and true albacore are the only eligible species and must weigh at least 50 pounds while wahoo and dolphin each have a 20-pound minimum weight. Any fish to be weighed must be at either Canyon Club Resort Marina or Sunset Marina by 9 p.m. to be eligible. Tournament participants and other interested parties can follow each night’s weigh-in session live on the tournament web site. Entry fee to the tournament is $3000 and covers the crew’s dockside dining and hospitality each night. Prize money is tallied from 11 calcuttas which have various fees and are separate from the tournament entry fee. One particular calcutta has a benefit to not only the winner but also all anglers. The 31st Annual Mega Marlin Calcutta, which celebrates the tournament’s 31st anniversary, has a separate fee of $31,000 to enter and a percentage of the total pot collected will be once again divided equally between the International Game Fish Association, Recreational Fishing Alliance and The Billfish Foundation. Last year’s Mega Marlin Calcutta saw just over $50 thousand split between these three organizations. Additionally, representatives of The Billfish Foundation will be in Cape May conducting a fund-raising raffle with numerous valuable prizes available.

It’s getting real and if you’ve already made your plans to be part of sportfishing’s “Main Event” welcome aboard. If not, time is running short and you don’t want to be left at the dock! Act now and join the roster of the best sportfishing boats and crews who travel from as far as Florida and New England to battle for braggin’ rights and earn the right to be called a MidAtlantic tournament champion. Bring your family and friends as part of your crew for what will be another exciting week of competition, opportunity and camaraderie!

For further information contact Tournament Director Aaron Hoffman at 609-884-0177 or visit the tournament’s web site at http://www.themidatlantic.com where you’ll find all the facts, figures and information about this year’s event including a complete rundown of calcutta payouts, rules, points, and an event schedule. On social media follow the MidAtlantic on Facebook at The MidAtlantic Tournament; on Twitter @midatl and on Instagram @themidatlantictournament.”

As previously noted, the 53rd annual White Marlin Invitational of the Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club is being contested from Aug, 17-20. Entrants fish just two of four days. For details visit http://www.thewmit.com.

Capt. Ron Santee said he was back on the meat today with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands as several fares had limits. The pool fluke weighed 5 7/16 pounds — and there was also a 3 1/2-pound, 20 1/2-inch sea bass. That boat is chartered on Saturday.

Miss Belmar Princess reported a shot of blues right away before they turned off and a switch was made to chub mackerel.

The Mimi VI from Point Pleasant has an opening on the limited Aug. 18 fluke trip departing Point Pleasant at 6:30. The fare is $110. Call 732 370-8019 for the required reservation.

A small craft warning is up from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning. Northeast winds of 10-15 knots will gust to 25 tomorrow.

                      

The official wrap-up of the White Marlin Open follows:

• DAY 5World Record Payout for Single FishThe 2022 White Marlin Open concluded at 9:15 on Friday with a flourish with $6,000,000 changing hands in the final few hours.  Though the fishing was slow for most of the 408 registered boats, a few of the teams prospered.  The bigeye tuna were the tournament rock stars until Thursday when the marlin finally posted.  On day four, “C- Student” out of Southside Place, TX, weighed a 71.5-pound white marlin good for first place and a temporary grasp of $2,800,000 for angler Keeley Megarity from Houston, TX.  Just before Megarity’s fish was weighed, the “Cabana,” out of Fenwick Island, DE, arrive at the scales with a 511-pound blue marlin.  The blue was taken by Bill Britt from Sandy Spring, MD, to take first place as the only qualifier in that division and Britt claimed a temporary hold on $960,000 for his efforts.However, on Friday at 6:20 PM, the “Billfisher” out of Ocean City, MD pulled up at the scale flying a white marlin-boated flag.  Jeremy Duffie from Bethesda, MD turned the leaderboard upside down by weighing a 77.5-pound white marlin and moving into first place.  The “Billfisher” was across the board with all the added entry skill levels and will be the recipient of a world record award for catching a fish: a staggering $4,400,000.   When the dust settles and the final tallies are made Duffie’s fish will be worth closer to $4,500,000 as the fish will also pick up some money from unwon categories.We will have a summary with the final figures for all category winners on our website tomorrow.  We want to thank all our anglers and staff for running a very smooth event.  We also want to give special thanks to our diehard fans who help make this the most unique tournament in the world. 

Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Headquarters in Belmar Marina is pumped about the 13-pound fluke he weighed last week from the Big Mohawk for Dan Mancini. He further notes “This has been a good Fluke season in the Shark River and lately in the Surf.The Snappers are showing as are kingfish,triggerfish,porgys and blackfish.The Bass are feeding at night in the backwaters on mullet, spearing and peanut bunker.The small blues and spanish mackerel are in the inlet at times if your there you can have some fast action.This has been a good year for sharks in the surf, ocean county to Cape May  has been particularly good. The offshore Tuna fishing has been hot along with the Mahi Mahi action and some large cobia.We are looking forward to a good Fall run of Bass and Blues, can’t wait .   BOB    ”                        

Vinny D’Anton has been picking at school stripers in the Monmouth County surf. though he’s had to switch lures to keep them interested. When his usual Chug Bug wasn’t working early this morning, he dug out a Redfin swimmer not used in years — and ended up releasing 9 schoolies.

The weather holds tomorrow, with northeast winds at 5-10 knots — but there will be gusts to 25 on Tuesday.

Miss Belmar Princess and the Jamaica fron Brielle reported great chub mackerel fishing on Saturday,

The Golden Eagle from Belmar had a similar report and did the same today along with a bonito, some sea bass, fluke and blues as anglers watched sharks cruising in the chum line. The Inshore Exotics trip scheduled to sail Monday night has been cancelled, so they will be fishing for blues again on Tuesday.

Though I watched the White Marlin Open Marlin Cam virtually from beginning to end on Friday, I missed the only big money catch of that generally disappointing final day when I switched to get my blog out. There were no tournament leaders listed all night, and I never heard a mention of the 77.5-pound white marlin which took over first for Billfisher and won a record 4.4 million payoff.

C-Student, which had been first with a 71 1/2-pounder, dropped to a “mere” $120.000. The big fish of the contest also did well as Cabana’s 511-pound blue marlin was all alone in that division and was worth $960,000.

The hotly contested tuna division was topped by Southern C’s with a 247.5-pound bigeye which moved them ahead of Big Stick by just one pound. That resulted in $940,000 while Big Stick received just $100,000. The payouts depend on how many Calcuttas are entered — and Billfisher was in all of them. Komotose was third in tuna for $320,000.

I’ll have more about the WMO winners tomorrow.

At Belmar, The Golden Eagle’s canyon trip produced “some” yellowfin tuna and many others were lost as they were 60-80-pounders. There were also some dolphin, including one that was about 20 pounds. There’s room on Monday night’s inshore exotics trip by reservation.

The Jamaica from Brielle reported customers on Friday caught all the chub mackerel they wanted plus a few sea bass.

At Point Pleasant, the Queen Mary had shots of larger blues on Friday, though the fishing wasn’t up to Tuesday’s hot bite on poppers.

The Mimi VI has an opening on a Aug. 17 canyon trip limited to 10 at a cost of $320. Call 732 370-8019 for reservations. Sunday’s forecast is for west winds at 5 knots before going south in the afternoon.

Oliver McMurry with his first yellowfin tuna caught on a popper after his father had a cancellation and took his son out instead. Oliver had a broken foot, but fought the tuna unaided.

Big changes seemed like almost a sure thing with most of the 408-boat fleet at sea. Yet, the results were very poor unless I missed something on the Marlin cam. There were some 50-60-pound yellowfins, but the only catches of note were bigeye tuna weighing 194.5 pounds for Komotose and 241 pounds by Sushi. I haven’t been able to access the leaderboard since early in the week, and can’t swear by the results I’ve posted, but will check everything out and do another blog in the morning.

Every boat with a fishing day left is trying to boat a marlin or tuna worth over a million dollars during the conclusion of the 49th White Marlin Open at Ocean City, Md. and Cape May, N.J. as 408 entrants have been competing for a purse of $8.6 million. As noted in yesterday’s late blog, there was finally an entry of the highest value species — a white marlin. The 71 1/2-pounder taken on C-Student was well over the minimum length at 72 inches, but hadn’t been listed as a tournament leader by the end of weigh-ins, and I thought there might be a protest involved. However, that fish could be wort $2.8 million if no other whites are entered. There was no question in the case of blue marlin when Cabana weighed a 511-pounder to start the parade to the scales which consisted mostly of yellowfin tuna.

There was also a new third place bigeye tuna entered that didn’t make last night’s list. Komotose from Manteo, N.C. weighed a 242.5-pound bigeye. The dolphin category got a lot tougher when Irene from Stuart, Florida weighed 58 1/2-pounder – -as did wahoo when Water Marlin came in with a 54-pounder. I’ll have results on the late blog after the scales close

There should be a new leader in the Fisherman magazine’s Dream Boat fluke category after Akira at True World Tackle weighed a 33 1/2-inch, 15.8-pounder for Marc Blazek, who caught it on Aug. 7 from Jeff Onzepowski’s Verao just south of Ambrose Channel.

Saturday’s forecast is for north winds at 10-15 knots with gusts to 20 before dropping to northeast 5-10 in the afternoon.

The Miss Belmar Princess reported very good chub mackerel fishing today. Some fares also fought sand tiger sharks.

Capt. Ron Santee had very tough conditions for fluking from his Fishermen out of Atlantic Highlands due to a screaming current and nasty roll. A couple of guys had three keepers, and the pool fluke was over 6 pounds.

Active

Nick Honachefsky reports:

2h  · 

THE 2022 BARRIER ISLAND BEACH BRAWL IS HERE!
Registration is now OPEN. October 7th and 8th, Columbus Day Weekend.

Last year we gave out over $25,000 in FREE fishing gear and cash prizes and donated 60 pounds of fresh fish fillets to charity!

Everybody goes home with something.

Do not miss out on the finest and most fun surf fishing tournament on planet earth!

Sign up Now at www.saltwaterunderground.com