Tight Lines

Small bluefish got off to a good start in NY/NJ Bight, but the original hot jigging bite has backed off at times. Fortunately, chub mackerel have moved in to fill bags with good eating fish — and you can keep all you want!

Both the Jamaica from Brielle and the Miss Belmar Princess reported loads of chubs the last couple of days to go along with up to a few limits of mostly 2-pound blues — with pool fish up to 6 pounds. This is a chumming fishery, and even beginners can do well with light spinning tackle. Miss Belmar also reported a blacktip shark today, as the pool went to a pollock. Some out-of-season sea bass and blackfish are also being caught.

The Big Mohawk from Belmar reported slower fluke fishing Wednesday, though some limits were taken.

Friday’s forecast is for south winds at just 5-10 knots.

Vinny D’Anton said Monmouth County surf waters warmed up again, and everyone fishing for fluke had lots of action – with even one keeper beached. A good-sized striper hooked on sand fleas broke off.

When I started shark fishing off the south shore of Long Island many decades ago, threshers were unheard of even though we knew that they were supposed to be available in NY/NJ Bight. However we also didn’t have schools of bunkers inshore at that time — and that seems to have made all the difference.

Capt. John Contello reports: “Big Whips recently!! **tomorrow is full** Friday is available for Thresher Charter. Only a few days left before we switch over to Tuna on the Just Sayin CC. DM or Text 732-670-1919 for Thresher/Tuna availability #JustSayinSportfishing#JustSayinTackle

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A small craft advisory is up, but by morning the forecast is a mere 5 knots northwest before shifting to southwest in the afternoon.

Vinny D’Anton reports Monmouth County surfcasting has been tough the last few days with only an occasional striper on sand fleas. Cold water may have caused that problem. Fluke are still biting in the surf, but most are shorts.

Antique Prize

Jigging for small blues in NY/NJ Bight continues to be a best bet. The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported their anglers had to work harder for a limit yesterday, but everyone limited and was into release mode today. Those fish range up to 6 pounds, and are being jigged.

A small craft advisory is up through Wednesday afternoon, though the morning forecast is only for southwest winds at 5-10 knots. Showers and thunderstorms are possible.

This 707-pound thresher on Tina Ann may be a New York record.

Millions of dollars have been paid out to winners in the recent Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, but the Sensation is suing the tournament over their disqualification due to shark bites on the largest marlin which they boated.. As an angler who has engaged in several Marathon battles lasting up to almost two days, I can understand the frustration with that result after a six-hour battle which they seem to have won fair and square. However, the disqualification of mutilated fish provision has been in IGFA and tournament rules for decades — and the tournament didn’t seem to have any choice in its decision.

TV personality George Poveromo has a contest going for a free trip on his boat.

Deadline for entries in the Florida Keys “Fish with George” contest is this coming Friday (June 30) at midnight. A winner will be announced soon after.

George reports “For a chance to win a trip to the Florida Keys and be my guest angler on a World of Saltwater Fishing TV episode, submit a video of 60-seconds or less on why

you’re the best person for the gig.

Entries will be judged on criteria including fishing enthusiasm, personality and creativity.

The lucky winner will spend four nights at Islamorada’s Pines and Palms Resort, receive outdoor apparel from Columbia Sportswear, Fin-Nor sunglasses and also a travel allotment for airfare and rental car expenses.”

To enter, and review video entries to date, go to – https://m.cmpgn.page/fss6lB

See photos below

Fluke fishing was surprisingly good over the weekend off northern New Jersey. At Belmar, the Big Mohawk reported many limits that included some 5-7 pounders as they drifted Sunday in calm conditions. The Ocean Explorer had a similar report, and noted they were in deep waters that they normally fish in August.

A small craft advisory is up at 6 p.m. through Tuesday afternoon. However, the morning forecast is for only south winds at 10-15 knots plus possible showers– followed by afternoon thunderstorms.

The Queen Mary from Point Pleasant had a good start to Sunday’s bluefish jigging with mostly 2-6-pounders. The high hook caught 10.

Paul Haertel said his offshore wreck trip was slow as the crew only managed 10 keepers, though Frank Zappella came up with a boat record 41.4-pounder.

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Though I always used to see small hammerheads every summer while sharking from Montauk to the Jersey coast when I was chartering for sharks decades ago, large hammerheads were rare. However, the following report from the Cape May Whale Watch indicates that something has changed

: “We observed over 150 Hammerhead sharks on our 24hr pelagic! This is the highest number of hammerheads we have ever found on a trip! Some were traveling alone while others were traveling in smaller groups of 2-3 and larger groups of 7-9. Sizes ranged from 8-12ft at least! They were EVERYWHERE! “

Today’s fluke report on fluke from Capt. Ron Santee of the Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands wasn’t that good, but still a big improvement as the high hook caught five and a 5 3/4-pounder took the pool. The Big Mohawk from Belmar was very pleased with a 21-man boat limit of fluke on Saturday, when the pool fluke was about 5 pounds.

If you’re looking for a doormat, there’s no better spot than Nantucket Shoals. Bernard Mazzocchi IV sent this shot there of fluke up to 11.7 pounds

The Jamaica from Brielle had good bluefishing on its Friday night trip.

The Jamaica from Brielle reported lots of small blues were caught during their Friday night trip.

Monday’s forecast is for south winds at just 5-10 knots before increasing to 10-15 plus gusts to 20 in the afternoon. Patchy fog and showers are possible in the morning.

The NY/NJ Bight summer run of bluefish appears to be shaping up. The Golden Eagle from Belmar had plenty of readings and made long jigging drifts on 2-pounders before getting into some up to 6 pounds later in the day.

The Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands got out after three days n port and found good numbers of short fluke along with some keepers and “huge” but out of season sea bass. Big Joe caught five keepers and 20 shorts.

The weather looks fishable Sunday with south winds at 5-10 knots, though there may be some morning fog and showers.

Kil Song with a striper on eels aboard Ebb Tide at Montauk during the night trip — and then with a fluke during the morning trip

A bit further south – Bob Correll of Bay Head and Hutchinson Island, FL with a 50-pound, 52-inch cobia he jigged offshore of St. Lucie Inlet on his new 34-foot Sea Vee with triple 150 hp Mercs and a Seakeeper. My son-in-law, Luis Gonzalez, released a sailfish on a live bait while my nephew was fighting his cobia.

Jim Hutchinson Jr. reports that last week’s meeting of the N.J. Marine Fisheries Council approved a change in striped bass regulations to the 28-31-inch emergency limit by the required July 2. New Jersey had been the only jurisdiction that originally voted against the change in order to allow the state’s advisors to discuss it first.

The weather has been holding back ocean fluking, but Saturday looks good with south winds at 10-15 knots. Morning showers are possible.

Small bluefish have been building up in the ocean for party boats such as the Golden Eagle out of Belmar, and the Queen Mary from Point Pleasant. Jigs have been doing the job.

Chuck Many has been into variety fishing in Hilton Head, S.C. such as this big jack crevalle which can put a striper to shame.

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Paul Haertel provided the official results of last Saturday’s Statewide Fluke Tournament:

“

JCAA 27th ANNUAL FLUKE TOURNAMENT

PORT PRIZE WINNERS

Come to the Awards Ceremony at The Resorts Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City

Friday evening, June 23rd, 2023

Come early to register (3 PM to 7 PM)

Awards Presentation and Drawings start at 7:00 PM

The 27th Annual JCAA Fluke Tournament took place on Saturday June 17th. Last year we finally had a pretty nice day after several years of bad weather on our tournament days. During this year’s tournament, the weather started out sunny and remained that way most of the day except for an isolated storm or two. A brisk NW wind that got stronger towards the end of the tournament made drifting difficult but there were still plenty of weigh-ins.

This year we ended up with a total of 122 boats. There were at least three ladies who caught prize winning fish, Dawn Itjen placed 4th in the Shark River Region (Fisherman’s Den) with a 3.67 lb. fluke, Darlene Knott placed 2nd in the Barnegat Bay Region (South Harbor Marina) with a 4.05 lb. fluke and Barbara Hillman placed 7th in Long Beach Island Region (Fisherman’s Headquarters) with a 3.3lb. fluke.

In 2022, for the first time since having the doormat fluke category for just $25, Ted Gaydos from Spotswood, NJ caught and weighed in a 12.45 lbs. at Sandy Hook Region (Gateway Marina) which won him $50,000. Who said lightning doesn’t strike twice? Well, this year Edward W. Schaefer from Ridgefield, NJ came into the Jersey City Region (Liberty Landing Marina) on his boat Twilight with a fluke that weighed in at 12.415 lbs. Edward will be taking home over $50,000 because he too was in all the calcuttas. There will be a follow-up article with final totals in the Jersey Coast Anglers Newsletter.

The second largest fluke in the tournament weighed in at 9.40 lbs. and was caught by Mike Drumm of Fairfield, NJ who won 1st place in the Sandy Hook Region. Other regional winners included Everett Morgan of Neptune, NJ who won the Shark River Region with his 8.71 lbs. fluke, Manasquan River Region winner, Joseph Liotto of North Brunswick, NJ with a 7.44 lb. fluke, Barnegat Bay Region winner Paul Warshefski of Waretown, NJ with a 5.25 lb. fluke, Long Beach Island Region winner Ed Lippincott of Columbus, NJ with a 6.50 lb. fluke and Southern Region winner George Slobodjian of Aston, PA with a 6.14 lbs. fluke.

In the sea bass category, we had the winner of 2022 Dean Paolella repeat by weighing in a beautiful 3.5 lb. which was slightly smaller than last year’s 4.37 lbs. Dean will be taking home both sea bass calcuttas. All the winners from each region are listed below.

This annual tournament provides funds to help the Jersey Coast Anglers Association continue its fight for sound management of our fisheries and our marine environment while seeking to protect or enhance fishing opportunities for our recreational anglers. We are currently seeking more reasonable regulations for our recreational anglers.

The Resorts Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City is the host for the 27th Annual Jersey Coast Fluke Tournament Awards Ceremony. Resorts invite tournament entrants to come and enjoy their facilities both before and after the awards ceremony. Family and friends are also invited. All who attend are asked to sign up for a Resort card and will be given a choice of $10 in slot play or $25 in match play. Let’s have a nice turnout for our sponsors and host. You can meet JCAA Executive Board members and representatives from our sponsors.

By attending the awards ceremony this is your chance to win the drawing for the $31,000 Godfrey Pontoon Boat, 25 HP Yamaha outboard motor and Load Rite trailer Grand Prize which was donated by NJ Outboards and Yamaha. In fact, most of our Grand Prize winners did not weigh in a qualifying prize fish in the tournament. Someone from your boat must be present to win the Grand Prize and any of the forty or so great door prizes.

We want to thank all tournament participants and especially our sponsors for making the tournament a success. Our nationally known sponsors include Resorts Hotel/Casino, NJ Outboards, Yamaha Motors, Load Rite Trailers, Pure Fishing, and Engel Coolers. The $1,200 First Place Region Prizes were sponsored by Fisherman’s Headquarters, in Memory of Dr. Edward Cherry (for LBI), South Harbor Marine (for Barnegat Bay), and Liberty Landing Marina (for Jersey City) and the remaining ports by the JCAA. Jersey Coast Fluke Tournament T-shirts will be on sale as long as supplies last.

The JCAA Fluke Tournament GRAND PRIZE Registration will be at the Resorts Hotel/Casino on Friday evening, June 23th. Follow the signs to find the registration site. We will be in the Ballroom. Registration is between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM. At least one person from your boat must attend at the time of the drawing in order to win a prize. We hope to have a large turnout so please come early. Please bring your identification and receipt from entering the tournament to save yourself time at the registration desk. A cash bar will be open throughout the event. All winning numbers will be announced in the ballroom. We will also be distributing the port prizes for those in attendance. The registration desk will issue one ticket which is good for both the Grand Prize and for the door prizes. Additionally, we will be holding a huge 50-50 raffle. We really appreciate both your participation and patience and are sure everyone will have a great time.

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you for your support.

JCAA is pleased to announce that we will be holding our Heavy Hitters Fluke Tournament from August 3th through August 6th. Complete details and applications will be available at the Awards Ceremony. Those who register during the night of the ceremony can enter for just $100 per boat, a savings of $50 from our regular entry fee.

HERE ARE THE WINNERS FOR 2023

* Denotes $50 Region Calcutta Winner

** Denotes $100 Region Calcutta Winner

** Denotes $100 Region Calcutta Winner

$ Denotes $50 Overall Tournament Calcutta Winner

$$ Denotes $100 Overall Tournament Calcutta Winner

# Denotes $50 Seabass Overall Calcutta

## Denotes $100 Seabass Overall Calcutta

1. Jersey City Region

Name Hometown Entry # Weight Length

1st Edward Schaefer * ** $ $$ Ridgefield , NJ 38 12.42 30.63

2nd Ryan Nitschke Jersey City, NJ 106 4.14 22.63

3rd Thomas Fisher Staten Island, NY 99 2.61 19.00

4th None

5th None

6th None

7th None

Totals 19.17 72.25

2. Sandy Hook Region

Name Hometown Entry # Weight Length

1st Mike Drumm * ** Fairfield, NJ 69 9.40 27.50

2nd Greg Ryback Hampton, NJ 85 3.99 22.00

3rd Marc Ahas South Amboy, NJ 82 3.98 22.50

4th Dale Swartz Pottstown, NJ 20 3.23 21.75

5th Nicholas Crosta Toms River, NJ 23 2.86 19.50

6th Ron Ninomaya Branchburg, NJ 30 2.74 20.50

7th Cliff C Hansen East Brunswick, NJ 33 2.56 18.50

Totals 28.76 152.25

3. Shark River Inlet Region

Name Hometown Entry # Weight Length

1st Everett Morgan * ** Neptune, NJ 57 8.71 27.50

2nd Scott Nadolny Hamilton, NJ 6 5.77 25.00

3rd Al Fasano Brick, NJ 4 4.40 22.75

4th Dawn Itjen Barnegat, NJ 120 3.67 21.25

5th George Misak Hamilton, NJ 54 3.12 21.50

6th Sean Lynn Jr Wall, NJ 62 2.86 19.25

7th None

Totals 28.53 137.25

4. Manasquan River Region

Name Hometown Entry # Weight Length

1st Joseph Liotto * North Brunswick, NJ 35 7.44 27.75

2nd Adam Niemiec ** Little Silver, NJ 43 5.67 23.50

3rd Nick Nowikow Millstone, NJ 70 5.65 25.00

4th James Hansen South Hampton, PA 74 4.95 23.00

5th Gary Cottrell Mt. Olive, NJ 14 4.30 22.50

6th Chris Brown Point Pleasant, NJ 103 4.10 22.000

7th Bob Angelini Hamilton, NJ 51 3.80 21.000

Totals 35.91 164.75

5. Barnegat Bay Region

Name Hometown Entry # Weight Length Time

1st Paul Warshefski * ** Waretown, NJ 24 5.25 24.50

2nd Darlene Knott New Egypt, NJ 76 4.05 21.50

3rd Joseph Berardinelli Forked River, NJ 10 3.92 20.75

4th Mark Halpin Toms River, NJ 58 3.84 22.25

5th Peter Ehrenkranz Manahawkin, NJ 81 3.73 20.88

6th Andy Dubman Forked River, NJ 42 3.23 20.75 12:55PM

7th Mike DiTomaso Burlington, NJ 97 3.23 20.75 2:25 PM

Totals 27.25 151.38

6. Long Beach Island Region

Name Hometown Entry # Weight Length

1st Ed Lippincott * ** Columbus, NJ 98 6.50 25.5

2nd John Barrett Beach Haven West, NJ 104 4.93 24.5

3rd Bob Misak Forked River, NJ 60 4.5 23

4th Troy Cook Summit, NJ 101 4.35 22

5th Tom Sheehan Manahawkin, NJ 52 3.84 21.5

6th Dean Paolella Springfield, NJ 83 3.52 21

7th Barbara Hillman Manahawkin, NJ 122 3.16 20.5

Totals 30.80 158.00

7. Southern Region)

Name Hometown Entry # Weight Length

1st George Slobodjian * ** Aston, PA 21 6.14 24.50

2nd Ray Trainor Gibbstown, NJ 108 5.91 25.00

3rd Richard Chadwick Little Egg Harbor, NJ 22 5.52 24.00

4th William Janiszewski Hammonton, NJ 105 4.53 22.50

5th Tim Nichols Pittstown, NJ 117 4.47 23.00

7th Robert Walton Northfield, NJ 34 4.16 22.50

Totals 34.91 164.00

Total Weight/Length-Ft 205.33 999.88

Seabass Category

Dean Paolella #, ## Springfield, NJ 83 3.5 19.5

A small craft warning is up his evening for northeast winds to 20 knots, but that changes to Southeast 5-10 by morning before becoming 10-15 with gusts to 20 in the afternoon. Fog and showers are possible in the morning.

Just as it should be at this time of year in NY/NJ Bight, bluefish seem to be building up for dependable summer sport.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar shifted over to blues Tuesday, and they were limited out by 10:30 with 2-6-pounders on jigs.

Golden Eagle blues

There wasn’t such good news when Capt. Ron Santee witched to fluke that day as rough weather made for tough drifting. There were some keepers among the shorts on the Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands, and Santee anticipates much better action when conditions are favorable.

The forecast is for south winds at 10-15 knots plus early showers.

The Big Mohawk had a similar fluking report when they got started running out of Belmar at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The pool winner was about 5 pounds and a few anglers had multiple keepers.

Vinny D’Anton has been picking away at stripers on cand fleas at Monmouth County beaches, but coming up with only shorts when he switches to fluke. Yet, a couple of mornings ago he finally hooked up with a fighter on his Gulp — only to end up with a 13-14-inch blackfish. Not only are tog rarely found on sandy bottoms, but that one was also snagged. It’s hard to imagine how it would be possible to snag the leathery body of a blackfish with a circle hook! Vinny also got a shot of stripers up to 24 inches on his Chug Bug and a Redfin.

A small craft warning is up in NY/NJ Bight for the morning through afternoon. Due to drops used in an eye procedure this morning, I can barely read my computer, but hope to catch up tomorrow.