Fishing good in Sandy Hook Bay, kingfish biting on Long Beach Island
It was a warm weekend, and fishermen were out and about, reeling in fish from several locales. In the mix were perhaps the season's first kingfish.
Those fish were landed Sunday at the southern end of Long Beach Island at Brant Beach, according to Jingle's Bait & Tackle in Beach Haven by anglers fishing in a surf contest. The surf water temperature was in the mid-50s.
Several boat captains were on the trail of the fluke. Almost all of them stayed inside and drifted the rivers or bays where the water is a few degrees warmer than the ocean.
Capt. Tom Buban of the Atlantic Star party boat has been doing alright in Sandy Hook Bay. He's made about 10 trips so far, between his half-day morning and afternoon schedule and has a bit of a bead on the fish. There's been enough fluke around for a couple of anglers to bag the three-fish limit. Jim Pepper, from Edison, was one of them to do so, Buban said. He was on the boat Friday.
The action in the Manasquan River near the mouth of the Point Pleasant Canal and Treasure Island has been pretty good for fluke and bluefish. Zach Thomas at Brielle Bait & Tackle was out Monday morning drifting around the island and said it was pretty crowded with boats. He reeled in a bunch of one- to three-pound blues casting SP Minnows. He observed anglers on the other boats reel in some fluke here and there.
More: Fisheries board approves emergency smaller size limit to rescue striped bass
Surf fishermen continue to land striped bass on the Ocean County barrier islands. The surf fishing has been steadier on those big stretches of beach than elsewhere. Grumpy's Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park said the clam bite is still good during the day but anglers fishing at night are doing better on artificial lures. The bass bit kind of cooled a little in Barnegat Bay because big gator blues have invaded and are stealing the show.
Capt. Dave DeGennaro of the Hi Flier still found the stripers floating bait on bobber rigs at Barnegat Inlet. His party landed four keepers between 34 to 36 inches.
More: What's biting: get the latest fishing reports here
Speaking of stripers, the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council meets Thursday. The big issue it will have to deal with is the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's emergency regulation for striped bass, which changes the size limit for a keeper to 28 to 31 inches. States have until July 2 to implement the ruling,
The Big Jamaica party boat sailed offshore this weekend for tilefish. This time, Capt. Howard Bogan Jr. said they had much better luck. Many people caught their limits of golden tile and he observed a couple of blue line tile, whiting, and bluefish reeled in.
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 @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ fishing report: Fluke hit in Sandy Hook Bay, kingfish on LBI
