Strong winds have been plaguing the Beach Haven fishing fleet for the past week, but when the boats have managed to get out, they have caught fish.
Captain John Koegler managed to take the "Pop's Pride" out last weekend for a good fishing trip on some inshore wrecks. Fishing with only three anglers, they managed 20 keeper black sea bass in addition to another 80 throwbacks. They also caught some beautiful triggerfish topped by a 6-pound triggerfish which is very large for this area. Captain John said that the wrecks have not been fished hard recently because of all the wind, and that is making for some drop and reel fishing.
Captain John said that he used the north cut of the inlet just off the tip of Holgate like he usually does, and had to slow down when he noticed shallow water where he usually travels through. He advises all boaters to use care when using this means to get from the bay out into the ocean.
The head boat "Miss Beach Haven" with Captains Brant Whittaker and Frank Camarda ran two tuna trips recently. In the first one, rough seas made fishing difficult for all hands on board. They managed to anchor up with a decent slick and promptly picked up three nice yellowfins. Then one of the anglers hooked on to a very large swordfish. After two hours of fighting the fish, the line broke before they were able to get a gaff into the fish. Unfortunately that action ended the tuna bite for the day.
On another trip last Saturday the seas were much calmer and after a fruitless bit of trolling, they anchored with their slick. The action was slow but they did manage to put four yellowfins in the box, lost a few more, and picked up a few mahi-mahi. Then just as they were ready to pull the anchor for the day, they had tuna around them. They put four in the box and lost a really big one. The tuna were in the 80-pound class. Mate Sal Rosa says they have some special 10-hour trips coming up in the near future.
Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com or by calling 877-524-2423.