Beach Haven Captains Target Fluke and Sea Bass

The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been spending most of their time fishing for summer flounder along with some forays for black sea bass and tuna. Captain Dave Wittenborn of the "Compass Rose" reports the fluke are starting to leave the bays and make their annual migration out onto the ocean lumps. He has been putting together catches of fluke in the bay, however, knowing that with the water temps reaching close to 80 degrees, the fluke are in the deeper holes and channels. He is finding the keeper ratio at about 50 to 1. When a party cancelled its charter, he fished alone in 55-feet of water and found a small pocket of large fluke. Using short drifts he limited out in two hours on fish to 4-pounds along with releasing some 15 shorts. This was a much better ration than most other locations. Captain John Koegler of the boat "Pop's Pride" fished the ICW between Markers 109-113 but managed only one keeper among over 20 fish. He had a trip offshore for bluefin tuna at over 50 miles and found bluefish and bluefin mixed together. Unfortunately he was looking for tuna, and the bluefish were a nuisance. Captain Fran Verdi of the "Drop Off" reports the sea bass are thick on some of the wrecks, but the bite is erratic as they are currently spawning. He plans to focus on ocean fluke until the sea bass bite becomes consistent. Captain Fran has gotten good reports on tuna at the inshore lumps and plans to fish there as the weather permits. Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com or by calling 1-877-LBI-BHCFA (1-877-524-2423).