Memorial Day weekend has passed and the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are reporting some very good black sea bass action on the inshore ocean waters. They are also looking into some improving summer flounder fishing.
Captain Fran Verdi on the "Drop Off" reports that the sea bass bite on the inshore wrecks and reefs has been hot and heavy with lots of fish being caught and coolers being filled. He has been hearing of an improved fluke bite in the ocean and in the back bays so he plans to focus on both sea bass and fluke now.
To spice up the action on his charters, Captain Fran has started a yearlong fishing tournament. Anyone fishing on the "Drop Off" can enter for a $5 entry fee per each of the three divisions of fish-sea bass, fluke, and stripers. The winner of each category receives a free trip in 2013 along with 100% of the money in each pot. Winners will be determined by total length.
The "Miss Beach Haven" did a trip once again for Rutgers University to tag black sea bass for studies. There were about 25 anglers on board who managed to tag 225 fish from 11-21 inches long. In total, over 300 fish were caught. In last weekend's head boat fishing, Captain Frank Camarda put the "Miss Beach Haven" right on the fish, and over 136 keepers went into the coolers along with tons of shorts. Top hook was Junior with 16 keepers and Dave from Beach Haven won the pool with a 4-pound sea bass. Sunday's fishing was not as good as Saturday's with a decent amount of fish coming over the rails, but they had to work hard for every fish.
Captain George Finck had the "Sparetime" out to the reefs last weekend with the Ray Johnston family. The Johnston's found the fishing to be very enjoyable, and they came home with a nice catch of black sea bass.
Captain Carl Sheppard on the "Star Fish" reports the recent spate of fair weather and warmer water has been a boon to the fishing. Captain Carl reports good catches of sea bass over the past two weekends with his half day trips averaging around 100 fish with about 15% keepers. He says the females are about to spawn and the fish seem more active in the deeper water of at least 70-feet deep. He may do some fluking in the back bay waters and plans to look for the warmer water for the best bite.
After being delayed by a combination of bad weather and electrical problems, Captain Lindsay Fuller finally brought the "June Bug" back to Beach Haven from its winter storage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He tried some fishing on the way back as he worked temperature breaks in the water. He managed to pick up one very nice mahi along with another medium sized one.
Additional information on the association can be found at www.fishbeachhaven.com or by calling 877-524-2423.
