Strong northeast winds appear to be putting an end to the summer flounder season in Beach Haven. Although the season does not officially close until Sunday, September 26, it will be virtually impossible to get out and fish the inshore reefs where the fish are right now. Further from shore, the offshore tuna bite, especially for large bigeyes, is especially hot when the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can get out there.
Captain Lindsay Fuller took the John Barry party along with regular Ralph Hibbs to the Hudson on Friday for an overnighter on the "June Bug." They left the dock about 9:45 a.m. and encountered fantastic sea conditions. The weather was sunny and warm with just a little roll in the ocean. They started chunking about 2:30 p.m. very near the 100 Squared in the Hudson. Less than 15 minutes after starting, a fish took a bait close to the boat and took off like a freight train. The fish went through four anglers but after a long fight a 190 bigeye tuna was gaffed and brought into the boat. Later before dark they picked up a pair of longfin tuna in the 35-pound range. Just before dark another large fish screamed line and a 180-pound bigeye went into the fish box. There were bites throughout the night but no more fish were solidly hooked. Captain Lindsay reported he marked a solid mass of bait between 20 and 60 feet down, it seemed unusual not to have more predation of that bait mass. There were easily 100 boats within view. The drift was about 0.7 knots and the water temps were 74.8 for most of the trip. The water was nice and clear.
Before the northeast winds arrived, Captain Ray Lopez brought out the Altieri family from Annandale, NJ on the "Miss Liane" to celebrate young Aiden Altieri's eighth birthday. Fishing several local wrecks, they caught a wide variety of species including non-stop action on fluke and sea bass. Papa Altieri iced a nice sized porgy. It was a fun filled trip for everyone aboard.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.net
