With October upon us, we must say goodbye to summer flounder for the year, but hello to the third segment of sea bass season. There are still some fish that are considered summer species around, such as Mahi, Cobia, triggerfish, and even some Redfish, so it’s not full-bore into fall fishing yet. And another positive is that we get to enjoy the best of both of those worlds for a little longer. Soon, though, those visitors will vacate, the water will cool, and fall fishing will rule. All that is good, and expected, so let’s enjoy the opportunities we’re given. Now, let’s check out what occurred before, and after, our weekend washout.
The Miss Avalon ran one of their scheduled “Exotics” trips the day before the ocean conditions went south. Their patrons were rewarded with a good day.
The Thursday trip ended with 34 Mahi being caught that weighed up to 7 pounds. The previous trip, on Tuesday, had some really bad conditions, so the success of this trip was a welcome change.
There is a chance that the captains will add another Mahi trip if a favorable weather window develops soon. Check out the Miss Avalon Facebook page, or my page, Mark’s Fishing Line, for updated details.
On Oct. 1, the Starfish started sailing daily eight-hour trips for sea bass. They will be leaving the dock at 8 a.m. each morning. You’ll need to book online or call ahead to reserve a spot.
Sea Isle Bait and Tackle reported that a young angler named Stephen recently caught his first striped bass. He was fishing with his father, in some tough conditions from the Sea Isle surf, on the Sunday morning that Tropical Storm Ophelia was visiting us. Congratulations, Stephan, on your first. You’re hooked now, so I’m sure many more catches will follow.
Others who informed the store of their catches were Carl, who caught a nice weakfish from the surf, and Joseph, who caught two keeper fluke with his “over” weighing in at 4.5 pounds.
The Miss Chris, and Capt. Mike, were fishing along the beachfront during the recent windy stretches. Croakers, kingfish, bluefish, and weakfish were their main catch, but flounder were also caught. Vinnie Borgia caught one that was 19.5 inches and won him the daily pool on that trip.
While they were moving between fishing spots, they saw some Bonito on the surface, so it was suggested that you bring your spinning set-up and some metal. Also, one angler caught, and released, a 33-inch Cobia. That was a nice surprise for those aboard and an unexpected catch for one lucky angler.
Capt. Chuck, from the Sea Star III, reported another abbreviated week as some of his anticipated trips were lost to the weather. Such is the situation when a tropical storm arrives with the accompanying wind and rain. Prior to that, there was fishing for us to check out.
Fluke, bluefish, triggerfish, and croakers were caught throughout each trip, and there were “plenty” of sea bass that are exploiting the advantage they have, for now, of needing to be thrown back since they’re out of season.
Pool winners all won with fluke and they were Frank Servocky, with a 2.75-pounder, Linda “Loo” Martin (4.5), and Anthony Bruno who cashed in with a 4.6-pound fish.
The Sailor’s Delight finished out the flounder season by putting more keeper fluke in the cooler. Some of these were feeding right before the big wind hit, proving that there were still nice fluke to be caught in the back, even late in the season.
Two fluke catches to note were those of Navy Mike, who landed his 13th keeper of the year, and the 4-pound, 22-inch keeper caught by an unidentified angler. One other catch to mention was a 14-inch kingfish that was caught on the last nice day before the windy weekend.
The Sailor’s Delight fleet, and Capts. Andrew and Stan, will now be focusing on the bluefish that have been chasing the schools of peanut bunker in the back bays. If you’ve been on the water lately you have probably seen the bunker popping out of the water as they try to escape. In addition to those outings, they are also planning on some trips to the local rock piles where tautog will be their desired opponent.
No Bones Bait and Tackle is offering clamming trips. They had one scheduled recently and I’m sure there are more to follow. You’ll need to possess a New Jersey Shellfish License that you can obtain online through the New Jersey Fish and Game website. You’ll need a boat, a rental or your own, or you can follow in a kayak to the clamming area in a local sound. You’ll get wet, so come with the proper gear to stay comfortable. Hand and foot protection is suggested as you tread around and feel for the clams, or use a clam rake. Call 609-522-3017 for additional information.
Thanks to Len Fenimore who reached out to let me know that his good stretch of fluke fishing continued during a recent mid-week trip.
Len was fishing with Capt. Tommy Daffin, aboard the Fishin’ Fever, when he landed a 28-inch, 8.5-pound fluke. He was fishing a bucktail, tipped with a Gulp Grub, and caught his big fish on the first drop of the day. Congratulations on another great catch, Len, and thanks for sharing. Now, Len will be focusing on sea bass, then like most of us, will turn his attention to blackfish. Good luck, Len, as you pursue those species.
Well, we were slowed but not stopped by the recent storm. We fished before, we fished during, and we fished after the storm. And with that, there is still a lot of fishing to do in the next few months. Good luck if you get out, take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
