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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
Catching a doormat fluke is usually the ticket to winning a tournament for that species, but a 10-pounder boated by Wayne Hurley of New Egypt was only good for third place in Saturday’s 16th annual Point Pleasant Elks Fluke Tournament. Peter Fanizzi of Union Beach won with an 11.9-pounder, and William Zebrowski of Wall took second at 11.3 pounds while...
Catching a doormat fluke is usually the ticket to winning a tournament for that species, but a 10-pounder boated by Wayne Hurley of New Egypt was only good for third place in Saturday’s 16th annual Point Pleasant Elks Fluke Tournament. Peter Fanizzi of Union Beach won with an 11.9-pounder, and William Zebrowski of Wall took second at 11.3 pounds while adding some cash with the largest fluke by an active Elks member in the contest that drew 190 boats.
Lou DeRosa of Toms River was fourth at 9 pounds, followed by Bob Madej of Iselin at 8.9 pounds — and Reel Seat owner Dave Arbeitman was just behind at 8.8 pounds. Ed Braunsdorf of Brick finished seventh at 8.1 pounds, and the youth prize went to Ryan Marut (11) of Toms River. A Calcutta for longest fluke was won by captain John Kravchuk with a 27-incher, and another for longest three fish went to Larry Newman and Gary Ward for 61.5 inches.
The Kayak Division drew 30 entries, and was contested on a length and photo basis. Bill Kiluk won with a 22-inch fluke, followed by Chris Shoplock at 20 inches and Frank Healy with a 19.5-inch entry.
The National Marine Fisheries Service closes the trophy bluefin tuna northern area allowance in the Angling category at 11:30 tonight. A single large medium or giant bluefin from 73 inches up could be retained by a permitted boat each year, but couldn’t be sold. The newly closed area is north of Great Egg Inlet. The southern area was closed at the beginning of the season. However, the commercial General category has a daily allowance of three large medium to giant bluefins per boat — the very sizes now prohibited to recreational fishermen as even a once a year catch.
The Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club’s White Marlin Invitational started today with 68 boats entered. Check my blog for standings as they become available.
Captain Pete Wagner, of Hyper Striper at Twin Lights Marina in Highlands, fished offshore for bluefins Sunday, when the Joe Chirachella party from Highlands chunked and jigged eight bluefins that were all under 47 inches. The one bluefin of 27 to under 47 inches allowed, a 50-pounder, was boated. Charter boats are also allowed another bluefin over 47 inches, but none that size was hooked. Private boats with NMFS Highly Migratory Species permits can take just one bluefin from 27 to less than 59 inches. The small-medium size from 59 to 73 inches is off limits this year.
Wagner has also been in on the good fluking. The Dennis Taormina party from Teaneck had fluke to 6 pounds in Sandy Hook Bay on Monday, and the Jack Schmidt group from Ridgefield Park fished the channels for 21 keepers up to 5 pounds on Wednesday.
Captain Ed Bunting said the Raritan Reach fluke bite continued Thursday morning on his Sea Horse from Atlantic Highlands as over 100 keepers were boated. Captain Stan Zagleski had a similar report of fine fluking all week from his Elaine B. out of Highlands.
The first drift Thursday morning was very good, before wind against tide then slowed the catching.
The winter flounder caught from Capt. Arthur Stokes’ Fintastic out of Point Pleasant during a Monday late-morning crew trip to a wreck in 130 feet were as big as legal fluke, but much thicker — yet had to be returned as they’re out of season. The largest of the three I released was 20 inches, and weighed 4 pounds on the boat scale. Since large bergalls hit clam baits as soon as they hit bottom, and seas up to seven feet didn’t help, there had to be lots of flounder on that wreck for eight to get through to baits offered by mates (and skilled anglers) Joe Marshall and Mike Cary plus Stokes and I. We did box four cod, three sea bass up to 14 1/2 inches, two blackfish and a ling. Stokes stopped in Manasquan River, off Clarks Landing, on the way home for plenty of action hooking short fluke on one-handed spinning tackle with a small bucktail jig tipped with a 4-inch Gulp Swimming Mullet.
Betty & Nick’s Tackle in Seaside Park got a good surf report Thursday morning from Steve Forbes who called in to report catching fluke of 14 and 18 inches on 4-inch white Gulp plus a 22-incher on 6-inch green Gulp.
Short fluke weren’t hooking up on a 4-inch white sand eel Gulp on a light jig head when I was surfcasting at Sea Girt on Thursday morning before I finally got a solid hook-up that turned out to be a 20-inch fluke that hit a Joe Blaze fly teaser rigged above the jig — and earned his release for getting the “skunk” off me.
Capt. Bud McArthur of Brick joined Capt. Niff Ambrosino on Audrey Sue to fish for sharks last weekend in the Glory Hole. John Messina of East Hanover, Gerry DeLuisi of Verona, and Ray Lundgren from Pa. were aboard as two makos were caught along with small dolphin. The largest mako was kept, and weighed 139 pounds. McArthur ran his Splinter north into an unexpectedly strong north wind Wednesday, only to find 8-to-10-ounce sinkers weren’t enough in rough seas at the Rattlesnake. It was like a different ocean when he ran back to the south and put together a decent fluke catch with 4-ounce sinkers off the Spring Lake Hotel. It’s not the size of the fish that count as much as the quantity that pleases kids. Capt. Hans Kaspersetz and I weren’t happy with the size of the fluke being caught off the Navy Pier Wednesday afternoon from Sheri Berri out of Baker’s Marina on the Bay in Highlands, after the first fluke was a keeper in an area where Kaspersetz has been catching keepers regularly. Yet, eight-year-old Douglas Brister III of Piedmont, S.C. was happy because he’d never caught so many fish. In addition to Douglas’ father, Henrietta Parker of Montclair was joined by Louis Norton of Woodbridge.
This Fishing Report was submitted on 7/29/2011 5:07:43 AM by Seamus and last updated on 7/29/2011 5:07:43 AM.
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