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Blues bit early

The Golden Eagle from Belmar got into jigging bluefish early this morning, but that bite didn’t last long. Some limits were caught before a switch to sea bass produced the two allowed for some fares. A few ling and fluke were added.

Bob Correll ran up to Shrewsbury Rocks from Manasquan Inlet yesterday afternoon where he and his wife Mary Agnes had good action with short fluke plus a few keeper sea bass. He followed that up this afternoon with a family trip on his Sea Vee, but there was little current and almost no action. Bob managed a 16 1/4-inch fluke while son Kevin hooked a small sea bass — but the trip turned out to be successful as the whale action captured everyone’s attention!

Tomorrow is forecast to start with northeast winds at just 5-10 knots before going east in the afternoon.

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Good flounder bite at Belmar

It’s not often that a report from a tackle shop is modest about fishing in their area, but that seems to have been the case with the Fisherman’s Den assessment of winter flounder action Sunday  from the Belmar Marina docks. Tom O’Connor sent an e–mail noting that he had a keeper flounder within 40 minutes, and ended up catching six over the 12-inch  minimum in a couple of hours — keeping his two-fish limit with 14-and-16-inchers. Furthermore, Tom said everyone he talked to that was fishing with sandworms caught least one.

That doesn’t sound like any big deal unless you consider how bad flounder fishing has been in recent years. Sunshine and warm weather is perfect for that early season fishery. That’s what we have now, though small craft advisories are up for tonight, and the forecast for the morning is southwest at 10-15 knots with gusts to 25.

Betty & Nick’s Tackle in Seaside Park reported that a customer fished from local docks Sunday and caught a legal flounder plus three “decent” stripers. They’ll have bloodworms in stock by Friday.

Pete Kearns of Point Pleasant Beach was at his local beach around 6:30 p.m. Sunday when he spotted 12-18 dolphins swimming north about a hundred yards off the beach. He noted that’s something he doesn’t usually see until July.

Zancudo Lodge in Costa Rico reports there’s been a hot bite there recently of big roosterfish and yellowfin tuna. A 150-pound marlin also showed up among the tuna and jumped on a live bait. For info e-mail Gregg@thezancudolodge.com.

roosterfish-Zancudo

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Official results of WMO in as MidAtlantic nears

Official results of last week’s White Marlin Open at Ocean City, Maryland (see below) were received, including the release winners, just as many boaters are on their way to what may be an even bigger tournament in Cape May — the MidAtlantic. That contest operates out of Cape May plus a satellite port in Ocean City, Maryland. The festivities start on Aug. 19, and boaters then fish three out of five days for what’s expected to be an over $3 million purse.  The minimum sizes are 65 pounds for white marlin; 400 pounds for blue marlin; and 50 pounds for tuna — with no minimum on dolphin and wahoo. For entry information call tournament director  Aaron Hoffman at 609 884-0177.

$2.58 MILLION DOLLAR WINNER TOPS IMPRESSIVE 2018 EVENT

August 13, 2018

In a close finish, Pascual Jimenez from Puerto Aventuras, Mexico edged out all competitors to win a world record $2,584,260* in the 45th White Marlin Open.  Fishing on the Weldor’s Ark out of Morehead City, NC,  Jimenez weighed an 83-pound white marlin on the final day of the 5-day event held in Ocean City, MD to take the top individual prize in the 382-boat field.  Gregory Giron and the Under Dog from VA Beach took 2nd place money for their 83-pound white worth $129,784 with the Lights Out from Ocean Reef, FL taking 3rd and $85,804 for the 75-pound white marlin caught by Bill Haugland of Coconut Grove, FL on Day 2.

Two world records were set during the 2018 event.  The $2.58 million-dollar payout was the most ever awarded for the catch of a billfish, and the $5.45 million-dollar purse was the most ever paid in any fishing tournament.

The Blue Marlin Category and the $924,936 purse was safely held all week by Joe Rahman from Wanaque, NJ. His 881-pound monster caught Monday aboard the Auspicious out of Palm Beach, FL was never challenged as it was the only qualifying blue marlin weighed the week.

WMO blue marlin

The Tuna Division  edged closer to anointing the first million-dollar tuna as Gary Sansburry from  Hobe Sound, FL won $904,851 while fishing off the Buckshot out of Ocean City, MD.  The 75.5-pound tuna was the biggest of a close group that split up the rest of the tuna purse of $1,300,000.  The Blinky IV out of Freeport, MA was second with a 73.5-pound tuna weighed by  angler Charles Matattal from Blackstone, Massachusetts good for $135,421.  The Brass Monkey and Jake Pilkerton all from Leonardtown, MD did well with the 71-pound tuna caught on the first fishing day.  It took the 3rd place tuna money and the top small boat tuna money good for a total of $215,916.

The Wahoo Division also saw a big winner come in the last day when Kevin Graybill of Morgantown, PA weighed a 63-pounder while fishing aboard the Over Board out of Ocean City, MD.  The wahoo took 1st place money and, parleyed with winning the Small Boat Big Fish category gave Graybill a total of $115,271.   The other wahoo money went to the Desperado from Virginia Beach, VA with $1,846, and the Canyon Hunter from Indian River, DE with $21,471.

Dolphin provided action all week with the top winners:  Fin-Nominal from Indian River, DE – $19,464,   Rigged Up from Manteo, NC  – $18,646,  the Moxie Boys from Ocean City, MD $16,646, the  Sea Note out of Oregon Inlet, NC and the local Bonnie Lynn each took $15,300.

When most think of the White Marlin Open, they think of the excitement at the scales, the million-dollar winners, and energy of the crowds at the “World’s Largest & Richest Billfishing Tournament.”  While that show plays out on the Big Stage at Harbour Island, the true test of man, machine and crew takes place out of the spotlight or the streaming lenses.  The best anglers and crew aren’t necessarily measured by the money won or by the largest fish caught but buy the skills needed  to catch and release the most fish.

This division is won by skill and teamwork and the sheer love of the sport.  The exceptional white marlin fishing found off Ocean City, Md provides a great venue to compete against some of the best saltwater sports fisherman in the world.

The great fishing during the 2018 event created intense competition for the release divisions and the abundance of blue marlin tilted the advantage for those lucky enough to add blue marlin release points to their totals.

The Top Boats in the Release division were also the Top Release Boats for 2018 WMO.

The Viking 72 out of New Gretna, NJ topped all comers with 10 white marlin and 1 blue marlin released good for 875 points.  The Billfisher was second with 12 released white marlin for 840 points.  The Fin Planner from Oregon Inlet, NC had 11 white marlin releases good for 770 points.  Uno Mas from Ft Lauderdale, Fl and Special Station from Palm Beach, FL each had 8 white marlin and 1 blue marlin release for 735 points.

The individual Top Angler awards are based on billfish points accumulated over the 5-day event.  The Top Individual Anglers in the 2018 White Marlin Open are:

Ron Kawaja on the Fin Planner with 8 white marlin releases for 560 points.  2nd was Joe Rahman from Wanaque, NJ, 3 white marlin release and a 881-pound blue marlin boated for a total of 503 points while fishing aboard Auspicious out of Palm Beach, FL.  Greg Lentz aboard the Trust Me Too had 3 whites, a blue marlin and a spearfish release for 455 points and Lawrence Julio fishing aboard Ocean City’s Rhonda’s Osprey also earned 455 points with 3 whites, a blue and a spearfish release.

*How does the prize money awarded in the White Marlin Open stack up against top individual awards paid in other major sporting events?  The comparisons show that the White Marlin Open payouts do very well as they top almost every other professional  sport in the world.

The individual award of $2.58 million dollars paid to Pascual Jimenez for his winning 83-pound white marlin was more money than was paid the winner of the 2018 Master’s Golf Championship, ($1.98 million), the 2018 U.S. Open Golf Championship, ($2.16 million) or any other major golf championship in history.*

The 2018 Kentucky Derby paid future Triple Crown Winner “Justify” $1.24 million for winning this year’s Derby.  2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods presented 2018 winner Jordan Lee the top of $300,000 for winning their top event.  The few events that do pay more than the WMO top prize are Wimbledon and U.S. Open Tennis that are paying $2.96 million to the single’s men’s and women’s champion.

Capt. Vinnie Vetere hooked another huge striper Sunday afternoon with his Katfish from Great Kills as he once again turned to trolling his Ho-Jo’s after bunker were hard to come by. A 52-pounder is pictured below Vetere is open for a last minute charter tomorrow.

Katfish 52

At Atlantic Highlands, the Angler had a memorable Sunday trip as Alex Turco of Midatlantic, Fl. boated a 10 1/4-pound doormat fluke — only to be edged for the pool by a 12 1/8-pounder hooked by Bruno Da Silva of Oakhurst. Yet, those doormats weren’t in the monthly pool which is led by a 6 7/8-pounder.  The Sea Hunter fished Monday in all that wind and rain, but still had lots of short action even though keepers were scarce.

Bob Matthews reports from Fisherman’s Den in Belmar Marina that the party boats are doing well with fluke up to 9 pounds, but the rain and dire forecasts are killing business. There are some stripers in the surf, and Bob fought two cownose rays in one morning.

Vinny D’Anton fished north of Manasquan Inlet and used his Chug Bug to release stripers of 24 and 20 inches. I went the other way and did nothing casting metal into fishable seas at Bay Head — though at low tide.

 

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Ty Man catches first “20” in Raritan Bay

Chuck Many of Annandale, N.J. isn’t easily discouraged, even by a forecast of gale force winds, so he and Bob Bowden went down to his Ty Man in Gateway Marina, Highlands at dawn and found the only problem was fog covering a flat calm Raritan Bay. They had been catching lots of small stripers while clamming off Keyport, but this trip was completely different before the front blew them off the water. There were only a few hits, but Bowden caught the first 20-pound bass reported from the bay so far this spring. They also released a 30-incher and a bass only about 18 inches.  Many said the water temperature was in the narrow range of 44 to 45 degrees from the river to the bay. No bunkers were spotted in the bay, but gannets were diving in the ocean.

first 20

Capt. Chris De Stefano of Wall said he got a report of a big bluefish being caught in the Navesink River.

Bob Matthews, at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar Marina, said the weather has made for tough fishing, but he finally saw six winter flounder caught from the docks on Sunday.  The Atlantic Highlands store isn’t open yet, but anglers fishing from shore in Raritan Bay have been catching school stripers.

Fly rod pro, Joe Blaze of Brielle, holder of IGFA fly rod world records for bigeye trevally, turned his attention to bonefish from March 13-18, 2018. He reports “Fished Grand Bahama Island East End Lodge and Little Abaco for bonefish and mutton snapper as a guest of Joe Jefferson Club members including Henry Matri, Peter Marron, Sean Davis, Bob LaViano, Bob Hekemian and Rich Pellizzi.  Weather and water was cool [65-75F], but significantly improving after the prior week of rain and overcast.  Fishing and catching was excellent with each member landing many bonefish each day.  A few permit spotted and one landed.  Several mutton snapper landed too.  Flies were the usual types including Crazy Charlie, Gotcha, Clouser minnows. ” 

I’ll be holding a fishing tackle garage sale with loads of new and used gear at 1552 Osprey Ct., Manasquan Park, NJ 08736 on April 14-15. More information will follow as the event gets closer.