The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are looking forward to Memorial Day Weekend with a great amount of anticipation. The lousy weather that has been plaguing the South Jersey shore looks to be out of the picture for the weekend.

Fluking in the inshore bay waters has been slow thus far in the season thanks to variable water temperatures and an unusually large amount of brown algae slime which makes drifting very difficult. Prospects for ocean fishing, however, are very positive.

Captain Fran Verdi on the "Drop Off" believes that pods of bunker will be moving up the coast accompanied by feeding stripers to spark that fishery just off the beaches of Long Beach Island. Captain Fran says he missed out on the opening days of the black sea bass season last weekend thanks to the weather, but he plans to hit them hard this week right on through the weekend. All signs point to some big schools of decent sized sea bass on the reefs and wrecks.

Chief mate and bottle washer Sal Rosa of the head boat "Miss Beach Haven" reports the boat will be sailing this Saturday and Sunday looking for some big black sea bass. Captain Frank Camarda of the "Miss Beach Haven" will always stop on the way in and out to the fishing grounds if he sees other signs of fish such as birds working in the inlet.

Captain John Koegler had a group out last weekend on the "Starfish" that had hoped to fish in the ocean. The northeast winds of 15-20 miles per hour forced a change in plans and they headed into Great Bay to see what they could catch there. Although the conditions there were not the best, the group managed some decent action catching 3 bluefish along with 2 feisty dogfish.

Captain Dave Wittenborn reports the "Compass Rose" is in the water and ready for some striper fishing. This weekend Captain Dave plans to fish the LBI Cup sponsored by the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club.

Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com or by calling 877-524-2423.

Fish Species: Fluke, black sea bass, bluefish, striped bass
Bait Used: Squid, clam, bunker
Tackle Used: Medium weight spinning outfits
Method Used: Drifting
Water Depth: Varied
Water Temperature: 59
Wind Direction: NE
Wind Speed: 15-20

Do you want to leave a comment? Login or register now to leave a comment.


No comments so far

About The Author: Jim Hutchinson Sr.

Company: Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

Area Reporting: Beach Haven-bay and ocean

Bio: I am a writer who will assemble the weekly reports for the association and submit them.

609-290-5942
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Fishing Guide Jim Hutchinson Sr.