The recent hot weather has slowed the fluke bite a little in the Beach Haven area, but the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are picking up the slack with some variety.
Captain Carl Sheppard on the "Star Fish" spent most of the past week fishing for fluke in the bay and inlet. While most of the fish caught were shorts, a few keepers were mixed in. Captain Carl also spent some time trolling up some cocktail sized bluefish on metal along with a single mahi-mahi about 3 miles off Long Beach Island at the red water tower.
The "Star Fish" took the Perrine family to some of the offshore wrecks looking for bottom fish. They managed to catch 96 fish including some big blue-backed black sea bass, lots of ling, and bluefish on the way home. On Sunday he had a half day trip with Susan Allen and family. They fished the inshore wrecks for some ling and sea bass but not in the same numbers as the deeper wrecks. Clams were the best bait.
Captain Frank Camarda on the "Miss Beach Haven" saw a dip in the action in the middle of last week when the severe storms stirred up the water. By the weekend, things cleared up, and fish were flopping in the fish boxes again. John Cheeseman won the pool on Saturday and has taken over as season pool leader.
Captain George Finck of "Sparetime Charters" had a charter out of Little Egg Inlet. The action was great with the party catching a big batch of nice bluefish.
Captain Tim Knorr on the "William Knorr" reports he has had several successful trips in the past week. His anglers caught fish on all of the trips.
Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com or by calling 1-877-LBI-BHCFA (1-877-524-2423).