Capt Gene Becker Tampa VII old fishing reports

For Week of November 13th-20th

Well everyone, I'll keep this short and sweet......

If you still have the urge.....
If theres still that "need".......

You should grab the phone and give me a call because water temps are still hovering near 55-59 degrees, and blues are still swimming around and attacking the very same baits that the stripers are!
If the conditions are right.....and if boat traffic is minimal, its fantastic what some jigs and some hardy guys/gals who are willing to work them can do with the stripers!

No long runs at the moment.......its more a case of finding bait, and actually finding some fish who are working those schools of bait!
A lot of slot sized fish........a few 20 pounders sprinkled in....and the still present blues to fill in the gaps are attacking jigs right off the beaches. If you put in the time, you WILL take filets home!
Our evening eel trips can be booked as well, but time is running out!
Call or email me for details!
I hope you and yours all have a great Thanksgiving, and on behalf of the crew and myself, I want to thank everyone who sailed with us this past year, and look forward to many charters, for many years to come!
Tight Lines

Capt. Gene

The fall Striped Bass fishing is at its best now jig fishing just few miles from the Inlet. .So get out and fill your freezers. Mixed in with the bass are Weakfish up to 8 lbs.

Tampa VII is still available from charters this fall and winter bottomfish, winter Flounder & springtime Mackeral

New charter rates will be post after Jan 1st 2002 to receive a free brochure please e mail me your address

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 21ST

You guys giving up on fishing yet? Had enough bent rods for one
year?????????

Wow! Its hard to believe that I'm starting to hear phrases like, "Wait till next year!", when we are at so MANY peaks right now!

You want bluefish? We got 'em. You want bottom fishing? We got 'em! Youwant stripers? We got 'em!
Maybe a tuna or two? It aint over yet guys and gals!!!!

Sea Bass and porgies are making their presence felt on every, single bottom trip we run.....mix in a few blacks and ling...and even some stray blues hitting our bottom rigs as we drift or anchor, and I cant
imagine any better fishing than we currently are seeing. Loads of 3 and 4 pound sea bass.....LOADS of porgies.......c'mon! You still have some room left in your freezers???????!!!! Grab some filets while the
gettings good, and Indian Summer is hanging around!

If we time our trips right, ya' just never know what youre gonna' find when you jig along the beach! Last year...the week of November 14th to be exact.....we ran a combined "Mudhole Tuna/ Inshore striper" trip......it went something like this: Chunked all morning at various wrecks in and along the mudhole.....lost one giant tuna on a jig....had school after school of huge bluefins breaking water all around us.....decided to stop along the beach on the way in to try our luck over working birds...ended up jigging and releasing more than a hundred striped bass( we kept only legal limits for the charter) in just a few hours.....INCREDIBLE way to end the day!

If you have a small group of guys, call me and I'll see if we can put together a group...or try a midweek trip where the price makes it worthwhile for small groups...or better yet, contact me and book one of
our open, upcoming striper trips for yourself or a friend......get in on the action now.......
God Bless America
Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

Fishing Report For The Week Ending 10/14/01

OK...here we go.....can you say, "Stripers"?????????

For those of you who had a chance to sail with us last Fall on any of our evening Striper runs, we started off the season this past Saturday with some nice fish on eels! And while its still not a "fish-a-minute",
or even a "fish-a-drift", its starting for us, and now its just a matter of watching the tides and weather, and picking and choosing the best times to sail! We caught a few fish close to 20lbs. Pictures of this trip will be posted next week

Blues and bottom fishing are still concentrated in all the usual hideouts, and we HAVE had some very warm weather to make trips comfortable, more often than not. In fact, if you time your charters right, you can have a successful trip like our group did last weekend, where not only were blues, weaks, and BIG sea bass caught, but a 20+ pound Striper as well!

Last Fall saw the striper fishery doing a very respectable business for those of us willing to put in the time to follow the schools as they went crazy on all the bait that carpeted the ocean just off our beaches!

Im also encouraged by the recent tuna action in the mudhole areas.....while we didnt bring any bluefins back to the dock this past weekend, we DID have any number of mystery runoffs, and boats in our area DID nail a few 50-60 pounders, as well as finally seeing some shark action! There is a TON of life out there right now, and I marked fish
fairly consistantly this past Sunday, but jigs and bait were ignored for the most part. At this time of year, these fish can turn on early in the day, or late in the evening, or anywhere in between...its very hard to know and tell how the fish will react to various sea conditions, but I truly expect this fishery to break open any day now, so contact me if you have a group interested in trying for these tackle-busters! We still have a few choice dates available(particularly mid week), and this fishery still has a long way to go before it closes down, so call soon!
\Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT 24th

If anyone has wondered where the bluefish all went, well, come on down and book a trip ASAP!!!!!
The bluefishing has been nothing short of FANTASTIC, both day and night, and the albacore and bonito that are blitzing the chum slicks make for some of the best light tackle fishing that anyone could ask for! This is Fall fishing at its PEAK! As soon as the stripers make their presence
felt, and the tuna show up again at the mud hole, THIS IS THE TIME TO SNEAK OUT AND FILL YOUR FREEZER!!!!!!

While false albacore are NOT the preferred choice of edible tuna steaks,bonito are
delicious, and make spectacular runs that bluefish cant touch!

Bottom fishing is also holding up nicely, with some nice Sea bass filling coolers, as well as porgies and ling.......
If you want to get in on this action, you have to act fast, or sign up for one of our "open inshore" trip dates while we still have openings. I mean, heres reality: we have, approx. 8 weeks of various types of
fishing left......the blues and weakies are gorging on bait right now as they prepare to search for warmer waters; the mullet run has started in full force, and YOU KNOW that stripers wont be far behind them! there are still LOADS of tuna being caught North of our area, and the bluefins
all have to rum right, smack dab across our inshore areas as they migrate South.......you have to get your shots in now, and act fast!!!!!!!!!!!!

Give me a shout-out for prime dates, or to check on the open trips......

Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING 9/09

What a topsy-turvy week we had!

Summer came to an "official" end, and the fishing season started heating up, PROVIDED of course the weather cooperated!
Blues were feeding both days and nights, in a variety of locations.....the Mud Buoy had some very nice size fish, and a few VERY large fluke were caught on the bottom in that area while we were on
anchor, but the usually reliable sea bass action on those hard-bottomed lumps there was hit and miss.

If size wasnt an issue, all we had to do was turn North or South outside the inlet, and look for signs of feeding birds over schools of breaking blues and bonito.....smaller fish, with a few weakies and croakers
thrown in, as well as porgies at the rocks up north...............

Fluking took a turn for the worse after some VERY promising trips.....as has been noted in newspaper columns today, the netboys...our famous draggers, didnt take very long to zero in on the lumps that were producing all those fluke last week....in a matter of a day or so, the bottom was stripped bare, and even the usually reliable wrecks that hold sea bass were stripped clean. Fortunately, the draggers are done for the season. Unfortunately, unless theres a major change in policy, the
official fluke season closes this week!

One perfect example of how topsy-turvy things can be is our daytime trip from this past Sunday......a "dry" Northeaster that wasnt supposed to pack much of ANY wallup, kept 90% of the boats inside the rivers and bays....only a few hardy souls ventured out to the offshore grounds, and keeper fluke were few and far between. It was left to make some tight decisions regarding how to fish to ride out the waves and wind(which almost always die out in the afternoons from thse quick, passing
NEsters), and anchoring at the Mud Buoy only produced a few sea bass on the bottom, and about a dozen and a half large blues, before the seas calmed down and we could go in search of bottom denizens.......the verynext day, the conditions improved, and so did the fishing.

Just a quick reminder.....we still have a few choice openings for theFall fishing that lies ahead of us...stripers...blues...weaks...and
TUNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Give me a call for details!
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 19TH - 26TH

What a week!

Before the Northeaster blew things up a bit, the Tampa VII put her charters into some of the most amazing fluking of the season......with ideal conditions, we had over a hundred keeper fluke on one trip,and few trips with over 60 keepers with almost a dozen fish in the 5 to 8 pound range! Along with few Sea Bass ,the water is still cold on the bottom and maybe this is the reason for lack of sea bass bites. I cant stress enough that conditions have to be right, but THIS is the time to get down to the boats everyone! As fluke begin to "school" up, and prepare for their migration out of our bays, and rivers, they're in the mood for FOOD! If we can find a nice patch of ground that hasnt been hammered by other boats, putting together some nice catches should be the norm, rather than the exception these next few weeks, ESPECIALLY if the Marine
Fisheries decides to extend the season a bit....of course, thats NOT a given, so all we can do is keep our fingers crossed.......

Bluefishing has held up nicely both for jigs and bait, with night fishing being a bit more productive right now...Some nights the fish will bite early other night it's a late bite. Many of the fish we are jigging during the day are in the 2-4 pound range along with few just keeper size Weakfish mixrd in.....the strong winds made for some tough conditions during the latter part of the week, but all in all the best is still yet to come! Please check out my "FALL SEASON CHARTER INFO PAGE" which will highlight some of the upcoming trips and specials for my favorite time of the year to fish......dont let Labor Day signal the end of your season....keep those rods and reels ready to rock! The best Striped Bass fishing is just around the corner

Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

Well, for the sake of not sounding redundant, let me dispense with the usual items quickly:
No drift, few fluke; good drift, bigger fish and decent catches.
luefishing was a "no-brainer" at the Mud Buoy until Thursday.....that fishery got pickier the last few days of the week, and we're seeing better fishing at night right now. Last 2 day we have been jigginng down south catching both small blues and weakfish along with few croakers

Bottom fishing for sea bass and ling is good.....

Now for the news: Weakfishing along the shore might just be about to bust WIDE open! South of the inlet, there were some strange bait "blooms".....might be shrimp spawn or who knows which baitfish....all I know is that school after school of marauding weakies(all decent sized...legal....14" to 22") are feeding like mad on the small baitfish, shrimp, and snapper-sized herring...and taylor blues(1-3 pound) are going crazy too along with these weakies.....if we time it right, all it takes is keeping eyes open for bird activity, and its jigs away.

Now I have no idea how long this will last....last year it was hectic for about a week or so, then it died down......but keep your eyes open and lets see where this action goes, and how far along the beach it spreads......

Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 5TH THROUGH 12TH

One fish, two fish, red fish, BLUEFISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The kind of bluefishing we encountered last week, both day and nights, was the kind of bluefishing I wish EVERY charter could encounter outside our inlet: anchors down....ladle over a bit of chum.....7 or 8 rods bend
at a time, and we have a mad-dog bite........couple hours later we're already in catch and release mode, and I start hearing groans of, "NOT AGAIN!" as another passenger starts the infamous "Walk around the deck",
under and over people too busy fighting their own fish to even notice! THAT'S Bluefishing! Nice size fish.......hell, I even heard one captain say he saw 5 or 6 blues following the anchor as he pulled it in to head
home.....its always nice to leave 'em biting!

Fluke fishing wasnt bad last week when we caught a bit of a drift, and some nice sized fluke came over the rail.......pretty soon we'll start hearing about large schools of mullet invading our surf and moving south, and thats when the fluke begin to really turn on and chase mullet......keep your eyes and ears peeled to fishing reports and make
sure you try and buy some fresh mullet when you run a bottom trip.....it can mean the difference between a slow day, and a limit!
The crystal clear waters that invaded the inshore areas two weeks ago, bringing in schools of mahi-mahi and bluefins, have all but vanished. Where they dispersed to, is anyone's guess, but I'm hoping some more
eddies and currents bring them back our way because it would sure make for an interesting Fall season!
Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

What's that you say? You still havent booked a trip on the Tampa VII
yet, and youve heard the fishing's great??????!!!!!
WELL what the heck are you waiting for??????
Last week, bluefishing turned on day and night SO HARD AND FAST, that most charters were in "catch and release" mode just 2 hours after we anchored......the blues have turned on in PRIME fashion after the mid-summer spawn, and areas like the Mud Buoy are now producing daily.......of course, boat traffic CAN play a role in determining just how quickly they turn on, but it's been an enjoyable week for sure!
Fluke fishing is, as I've preached all summer long, a day-by-day, drift-by-drift, wind condition-by-wind condition deal.....when the conditions are right, we catch fish.....some nicer fluke are being caught in the deeper hills offshore, but if we have zero drift, we usually catch very few fish.......also, as Ive reported in the past, it pays to get to the docks early and catch some snappers or peanut bunkers or bait.....variety can take a fishless day and turn it around for you!
We DID have some excitement this past week with the Mike Wybbs charter on Saturday......drifting for sea bass on some small, seldom fished wrecks and rocky bottoms in about 60 feet of water produced some really nice sea bass, with a few nice 3 and 4 pounders topping the catch......not bite-a-minute action, but enough nice sized fish on every stop to fill some coolers to the brim! IN ADDITION, working around a lobster pot put us into some action with a pod of mahi-mahi that showed some interest in our baits. The pool winning mahi inhaled a live snapper
blue that was tossed to the school as it circled the boat.......crystal clear waters...tons of bait all over....signs of life on every acre of water out there...I have to say I was surprised to NOT see some school bluefin breaking water in the vacinity, but I wouldnt put it past some of those larger pelagics sneaking into our nearshore lumps and wrecks along with the mahi!

Call or email me if you still want to try and sneak in a midweek trip....its TIME TO WET YOUR LINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 23RD-29TH

"Anatomy of a Bottom Fishing Trip"

I think, in order to sum up the current fishing conditions we are being faced with, that I'll use my daytime charter from this past Saturday as the perfect example.....
7:15...leave the dock and head North once we get outside the inlet to try various depths and bottoms in pursuit of fluke and sea bass8:05....I pass over several schools of baitfish being chased by unseen predators, more than likely, 1-2 pound bluefish.....the amount of bait bodes well for upcoming weeks as larger blues, striped bass, and weakfish make their runs along our beaches to fill up for the Autumn migrations.....
8:15....start our first "drift", in 40 foot depths, sandy bottom......the lines on the poles are going straight up and down in the water.....we can hold bottom with 4 ounces of lead....hell, we can hold bottom with ONE ounce of lead! NO DRIFT WHATSOEVER!

8:25....reposition boat...try and move a bit to locate a bit of breeze for a drift.....first short fluke comes over the rail...it will be a while before we even get another.......

8:40....move to deeper water on the "hills" further offshore and north.......a few fluke and sea bass are caught.....nothing to get excited about.......
Now repeat the above lines for about the next 3 hours or so......as far North as Sea Girt.....wrecks....mussel beds.....one or two fluke come up....a ling....a few 1-2 pound blues....a few 1 pound weakfish......
For the record, I tried one particular patch of hard bottom that ALWAYS produces, but without a drift, it was like anchoring......I seem to recall moving about 50 feet or so in 10 minutes.....do the math: thats like a football field an hour!
Finally, I notice a soft breeze rippling across the surface......the drift starts picking up a bit....time to try a few more "choice" spots near the beach.......
First stop......5-6 keepers come over the rail....a nice 4 pound blackfish......more weaks.......some really nice sea bass......next 2 passes over the same bottom all have the same results, with quite a few poles bent at the same time.....we catch more keepers in an hour than we did all morning long!
And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is what a bottom fishing trip is like when the conditions are like that......if we had a drift all morning, we'd have plenty of fish!
BTW..bluefishing has been pretty decent both day and night, North of the inlet
Last 2 day 7/30 & 8/1 Bluefishing had been very good both day and night with plenty of limits .The 30 mph NE wind killer fluke fishing for last 2 days

Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR JULY 17th to 23rd

This past week saw some of the best fluke fishing in 40-50 ft. depths as long as there was as decent drift. As a matter of fact, pool winners all week long were in the 5 to 6 pound range, and one fisherman on Brink's charter nailed two 5LBS the same morning! Again, its all a matter of drift conditions...........
A few of my wrecks are giving up some nice sea bass......nice quality, AND quantity, but a lot of the rocky bottom areas up north seem to be getting H-E-A-V-Y fishing pressure, and Im not seeing the big numbers of fish like last year......still, I expect some nice sea bass and ling fishing to continue, especially if the southern wrecks dont get hammered.
Blue fishing is still holding up nicely on both the day and night trips...bait is now the preferred way to go.

Some tackle and bait tips for you guys out there.........You've heard the expression, "match the hatch" when it comes to fly fishing and trout, right? Well..the same DOES hold true to a degree when it comes to saltwater fishing.
When it comes to fluking, pay attention to what the guys around you are catching fish on......and dont be afraid to check the stomachs of the fish youve kept to see what they are feeding on.....quite often, and
ESPECIALLY in the late summer months and early Fall as fluke congregate and feed on their migration out of our bays and rivers, they will feed on huge quantities of baitfish like mullet and snapper blues that fill the beach areas......when a fluke is feeding on plentiful mullet, they dont often go for other baits....I always suggest stopping at a tackle shop and buying a pack of mullet...or peanut bunker..or even grass
shrimp...THAT'S right! Grass shrimp! Place 4 or 5 on your fluke hook on a day when nothing else seems to be working for you, instead of that spearing and squid......
Also..on days when there ISNT a decent drift, you can improve your chances by using a 1 0z. or better bucktail jighead tipped with squid or a killie, or even a rubber worm or FIN-S fish, and cast away from the boat.....bump it slowly along the bottom back towards the boat, and this way, you create your own movement, and cover a lot more ground.........
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

Can you believe its the half way point of the summer? I hope everyone has had a great summer so far, and Im looking forward to the best fishing of the year to head our way shortly, so grab your rods and reels and c'mon down to grab some filets!

OK.....lets see....bottom fishing is STRICTLY a "drift" scenario....on the days when we get a nice drift, the deeper waters(45' and more) are giving up a very nice keeper ratio of fluke with most pool winners in
the 5 pound range right now, and almost all are being caught on some spearing/squid/kille combo, but as more and more baitfish head into our surf, its wise to try a variety of baits......a word of advice: show up early at the docks.....bring along an ultralight rod with very small trout hooks(size 10), and bring a few small squid strips...bait the hook with very small strips of squid, and try and catch a few snapper blues....4 to 6 inchers are perfect size...dont worry about keeping them alive, just keep them cool and fresh in your cooler(snappers dont live long in a 5 gal. bucket unless its amazingly well-aireated)...use these on the bottom trips......you'd be amazed at how well you can do, and your keeper ratio may be a bit better than most...if youre concerned
with using a 6 or even 7 inch snapper for bait, relax......an 8 pound fluke can swallow it WHOLE! ONE BITE........Pool fish has been running between 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 lbs
Some nice sea bass and ling are mixed in on days when drift conditions dont suit the fluke!

Bluefishing is a bit trickier just now as the spawn seems to be about over....a much wider mix of fish sizes, and the fish are spread out over a wide area both day and night...its south of the inlet one day; north
the next, and its been driving me crazy trying to figure these fish out......hopefully they'll mass up in the late summer haunts up at the mud buoy shortly. But dont let the nature of this fishery scare you away right now....the Rich Rinaldi charter last Thursday night got into the blues 5 minutes after we anchored, and were in catch-and-release mode 2 hours later.......one of the Jersey shore's legendary fishermen, Joey
"My Rod's bigger than yours" Ingenito led the way that night with a variety of 5 to 8 pound blues!
We still have some nice dates open for the Fall months, so drop me a
line if you want to get into some great fishing!
Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 1ST.....

Well everyone, we found the bluefish again this past week for both our day trips and night trips!
Without skipping a beat, or missing a fireworks display, the Tampa VII has been sailing non-stop, pretty much day and night in search of both bluefish, as well as fluke and sea bass.
Im pretty pleased to tell you all that the fishing has been pretty darned great, conditions permitting, and even in a few situations when the conditions weren't exactly perfect!

Our daytime bluefishing trips have seen some nice catches about 24 miles southeast of the inlet.....and most of these blues are real slammers, with pool fish well above 12 pounds...figure 16 pounders have been taking the pools on each trip.....the fish have been responding to both
jigs and bait, and we've been marking them all throughout the water column....
I've also heard reports of plenty of fish even further offshore, and this bodes well as the summer wears on....it means there are several large bodies of fish still east and south of us, and the traditional northern haunts of the blues up by the Mud Buoy still haven't caught fire
consistently yet.....we could have some nice catches ahead of us.....
Nighttime trips are still heading out to various spots along the Mud Hole( not Mud Buoy)...this is a different body of fish from the daytime trips as those fish aren't responding as well at night, and we haven't had much trouble wearing out the arms of the charters as we fill the
coolers; some trips are even heading in early!
Bottom fishing is holding up nicely......larger fluke are in the deeper "hill areas"....we don't catch as many on each drift, but the keeper ratio is much better than the drifts along the beach where the keeper ratio is still pretty bad.....its pretty disheartening to see 10 fluke caught that are anywhere from a half inch to an inch and a half short before we throw one in the fish box, but at least the deeper hills throw us some nice 5 and 6 pounders on every trip.......Seabass are still plentiful when we don't over fish the snags and wrecks, and we still pull a nice variety of fish depending on the drift conditions........
I have also heard of some nice weaks being caught again in the bay, and the first solid reports of plentiful baitfish along the beaches( we only have to watch the porpoises sailing up and down the beaches again to know the baitfish is back).....so get ready for even better fishing
ahead once the middle of the summer eases on by.....

Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

Fishing Report Week on June 24th to July 1st

Hey Bluefishing fanatics! This is that time of the summer that we all wait for! The fleet has found the fish(say that 3 times reallllllll fast!).....

Daytime bluefishing, after a few dismal weeks, has finally rounded into prime form with limit catches the order of the day about 22 miles SE of the inlet on both jigs and bait. Some days it pays to be the first boat there; other days it just takes a few minutes of steady chumming to get the fish started. And these are all decent fish, with the average fish running 7-12 pounds, and some nice pool winners! Night fishing is also doing well at various locations in the mud hole.........

Bottom fishing changes from day to day depending on the drifting conditions......the trips last week saw pool winning fluke being 5 pounds or better, with a few 3-4 pounders thrown in for good measure. The throwback ratio is still high though, and that pesky increase of a half inch each of these past few years has really held catches down. Sea bass are caught on the days when the drift is slow, or when we fish rocky bottom.......

Hey...I'd like to take a quick moment to wish all of you a safe and happy Fourth of July week! Enjoy all the fireworks, and barbeques, and if you have the time and opportunity to wet a line, get on down to your
local docks and grab a boat! There will be plenty of action these next few weeks, and with the exception of the rain and thunderstorms of late, now the time to fill your cooler up with some nice filets!
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

Today June 26th we caught Blues very good on both Jigs & bait fishing 23 mile to the south . Fish ranged from 5 to 10 lbs .We also boated a 150lbs Blue shark with after taking few pictures it was released.

OK......Let me let all of you in on a little secret:

If any of you female fisherwomen want to catch a doormat fluke on the Tampa VII, let me know and I'll give you Joe Boyko Sr.'s phone number. Just invite him on the charter. He wont catch any doormats; hell, he may not even catch any fluke!.... but its almost a lock now:
SOMEONE....some lucky young lady...will almost certainly catch a monster on your trip!!!!!!!!

Some sportsmen fish for 1000 lb. marlin....or 1000 lb. tuna for years and years before they even catch a small marlin or tuna. Joe has been trying to catch a doormat fluke now for more than 40 years.......40 YEARS!!!!! And his best has only been about 4 pounds or so. Not bad, but certainly no doormat.

But twice now...on the last two fluke trips he's sailed on with me...a young woman on the charter...fishing right next to him...has landed a monster!

Last trip it was his granddaughter Kim winning the pool with a monster caught on a live snapper. Yesterday, on our daytime charter, it was Melissa (I think thats the spelling) who very quietly sneaked away with the pool money on our last drift of the day with our first doormat of the year; a gorgeous 8 pounder! So although Joe keeps getting close, its the other folks on these trips that end up with doormats. (Of course, as Joe has been known to say, the Tampa VII "never" catches any big fluke! LOL)

The pool winner topped of a "slow pick" day that saw plenty of shorts and some keeper sea bass lifted over the rail in pretty lousy conditions that only worsened as the day progressed.....15 knot SE winds were easily topping 30 kts as we began our trip back south to the inlet...and the rolling 6 ft. seas made for a pretty fast drift all day(to say the least).....the pool winner was caught on a spearing and squid combo, and if the winds shift a bit, and the water temps sneak back up, the fluking should be steadily improving.

This is in direct contrast to the bluefishing lately, which is still in a bad slump. Boats making any decent catches are very few and far between, and if a small patch of fish are found by one or two boats on one day, they almost certainly vanish the next. I've been trying my best to recommend anyone with a bluefish charter to switch to bottom fishing for better action.....

The weather lately has also been working against many charters. I've been forced to cancel and reschedule several charters because of bad seas and high winds. This past Saturday saw that streak continue as the vast majority of the charter fleet had to cancel out Saturday evening's trips....only the very large party boats were able to sail, and catches were dismal.

Earlier in the week we saw more of the same, with bottom fishing dependent upon drift and sea temp conditions, and those elusive bluefish still wrecking havoc on our charters with only a few fish being caught per trip. In the midst of these poor bluefish trips, I have been suggesting striper charters in their place, and I feel that this nighttime fishery might just tie us over until the blues group up again.

We still have a few openings for the July 3rd and 4th fireworks trips, so call or email me ASAP for info!

Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

Fishing Report for Week of June 11th to 17th

Well folks...sometimes fishing can be a game of inches...or more precisely, hours....
After shark fishing offshore last week netted nothing more than a few blues, and loads of dogfish, a temperature increase of only a few degrees resulted in the first big makos being brought back to the docks, litterally, 2 DAYS LATER!!!
Talk about being oh-so-close........
Inshore waters this week yielded some good/great bottom fishing trips....sea bass are still steady on all the usual snags both north and south of the inlet, and fluking had assuredly improved.....all it took was a switch from southerly winds, and the action has gradually improved.....the throwback to keeper ratio is still 4 to one or better, but the deeper hills are producing some bigger fish every drift......
On the other hand, bluefishing on both day and evening trips can only be described as poor at best....the exact opposite of bluefishing the week before......
Where there were vast schools of fish to the south, this week only saw longer runs, with fewer hook-ups.....the question is: How long will this last?
Is this the spawning break that blues take in mid summer? Last year it occured much later...about the second week of July which is about the norm. So...this is either good news for the rest of the summer, or Im not quite sure what to think.....we'll have to see how the trips this week turn out.

Last thought: July 3rd Redbank and 4th fireworks NYC Macy trips are booking fast! Make sure you call me soon for details. Last year was a complete sellout!
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 3RD - 10TH

Well??????? What have you folks been waiting for?????? GET OUT AND FISH!!!!!!

Bluefishing is finally approaching it's early season peak, with big catches being made day and night....we had several fine days this week, with most of the action about 18 miles southeast of the inlet....all nice gaffing size fish.....bunker chunks work well......there is action north of the inlet as well, so this fishery is shaping up real nice for June and early July......I don,t even want to venture a guess as to when the mid-summer spawning will occur....water temps have still been holding on the cool side, but the past few days have finally seen major temperature improvements.......

We had the chance to take a great group of guys and gals out this past week on a shark charter.......hearing of the first Mako activity in the vicinity of the Resor wreck, we left the inlet at first light this past Thursday with "near-perfect" conditions....light breeze....calm seas...NO boat traffic.....setting up a slick in 61.5 degree waters(still a bit cool) immediately got us action but from the wrong kind of sharks: spiny dogfish.....It didn't matter where in the water c column we fished...the packs of dogs were so intense that even blues were few and far between in our slick.....one mystery run-off, and a few bergalls later(even the resor wasn't giving up her load of ling and sea bass easily: fish marked just weren't cooperating), the reason for our slow day was finally discovered........Laurie had been sitting on the bait most of the day, and while it DID help thaw the frozen bait much quicker, it just wasn't working as a fish attractant!!!
Bottom fishing is holding up nicely.......lots of nice size sea bass are coming over the rail, and fluke fishing, which was very slow with the cooler waters, is finally showing signs of improvement.....its great to fish the hard-bottomed areas and know that fluke AND sea bass can come over the rails on any given drift.........

One last note.....ok...you KNOW the fishing is getting better as we speak...and judging by the volume of calls I'm getting for charters, there are plenty of you who have waited to hear good reports before you
decided to book us.....well, we still have a few choice dates available these next 3 months, with some great pricing on mid-week day and evening trips.....but honest-to-God...the dates are becoming few and far between.....so if you have ANY thoughts about a trip...please reach out now before they vanish.....call or email, and I'll get back to you
ASAP.......
One last note the Tampa VII will be sailing July 3rd to the Red bank firework display & July 4th Macy NYC firework display

Tight Lines,

Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK OF MAY 27TH - JUNE 4TH

The shore Fishing season has started in earnest, and this past week gave the Tampa VII customers a wide variety of results to talk about.......
Friday June 1st saw as many sea bass as anyone could ask for hopping over the rails with just a few drops on the rough bottom (50 - 70 feet deep) north of the inlet......nice size fish too! Loads of three pounders, and the pool winner turned out to be a nice 4 pound fluke!
PLEASE NOTE: Water temps last week along the shore were still a bit too cold for fluke fishing.....a few consecutive days of non-Southerly winds should bring the temps up a bit, and turn the fluking back on to the way it was a few weeks prior to that.
On Friday night, yours truly had to take the Tampa back out to the bluefish grounds, and plenty of gaffing-size blues were caught 14 miles NE of the inlet.....the ride home was a bit tougher than usual, DO TO THUNDER STORMS ,but the Tampa VII did as well or better than any boat on the bluefish grounds that night!
Saturday the 2nd, saw more Sea Bass action once again.....while the fish weren't massed together like they were the previous days, we still managed a nice pick working a wider area, and sneaking onto a few of my
secret wrecks that are loaded with fish.
Saturday evening, Sunday, and Monday's charters all saw bluefish action that can best be described as a pick, with Sunday's trip and Monday's having the more consistent action. When the schools of fish are concentrated in a rather small area, heavy boat traffic can wreck havoc on the action......but as usual, there are still plenty of schools of
fish still working their way north and inshore.....the blue shark run that normally graces our waters right after Memorial day still hasn't materialized, and that's a sure sign that water temps are still a bit cool, and keeping many fish south of our area yet......I think these next few weeks will see prime action both for bottom AND bluefishing
develop!

Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

Hey everyone! Weather aside, I hope you all had a great Memorial Day
weekend....... Due to the inclement weather last week, which just wouldn't leave our area, the Tampa VII didn't see much action for a few days, and it gave the crew and I a chance to put some finishing touches on the boat, and keep our gear in tip-top shape........When the fleet did get a chance to make its way outside the inlet and into those Easterly, and Nor'easterly winds, bluefish were still being caught in various locations ranging from just a short ride off the beach, to the tip of the Mud hole.......and these last few days, as seas have improved, and the big ocean swells that were present at this time last week subsided, the bottom fishing for Sea Bass has improved dramatically. I think its time to hit those secret wrecks and hard bottom pieces that worked so well for my charters last year.
Truly....the best fishing of the season is just around the corner..........
With that in mind, I just want to remind all my customers...that we have very few select weekday openings left for the upcoming summer months....get a group together; small or large...check our 2001 rate schedule for the week-day charter specials, and book them now.....a small deposit will hold your date, and last year saw some of the BEST fishing taking place on our midweek trips, including our "infamous" fluke limit trips where, on several occasions, everything just seemed to click: drift and sea conditions were perfect...there was little or NO fishing pressure in the places we hit.....bait variety and selection was perfect....and every single drift produced large numbers of keeper
fluke, with the average size all WELL above 17 inches, never mind the-legal 15 1/2 inch legal size!
Now this might "sound" like a sales pitch for these "mid-week" trips.....but the truth is simple, and if you ask any charter captain, they'll agree: Less fishing pressure will generally account for better catch results.
Weekend crowds around the usual suspect spots like the Mud Buoy for Blues....or the rock piles off Deal....can have adverse effects on the fishing. Boat traffic is prolly the NUMBER 1 reason why an actively feeding school of fish will sound. And if you have several dozen party and charter boats, as well as any number of small recreational craft working over the SAME piece of bottom, it doesn't take an expert to understand the concept that there are only SO MANY fish, available at any one given time, in ANY ONE location. Less crowds equal less fishing
pressure equals a higher probability that one of those "available" fish will find YOUR line! (See..I was always good at math in high school!) Another advantage to midweek trips are the fact that we can take relatively short rides a few miles offshore, to locations that the FLEET wont hit on any given day, and if we time it right, experience the kind of bottom and wreck fishing that you simply have to see and experience to believe! Its amazing to me, TO THIS DAY, to put the Tampa VII over a wreck that hasnt been touched in days or weeks, and step outside the wheelhouse, only to see every single rod bent over double at the same time, and 2 and 3 pound sea bass being lifted over the rail from every concievable location on the rail! Needless to say, it keeps the matesBUSY!
So remember: Midweek trips can out-produce weekend trips at anytime
Give me a call to find out about the few remaining days we have left!
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK OF MAY 14TH -20TH

Well...its already turning into a "mixed bag" of fishing, both from a species as well as a results standpoint......this past week saw mixed bottom fishing results, with some charters scratching out a few keeper fluke when drift and sea conditions permitted, but no big scores to report.......Blue fishing has been excellent, in a variety of places, and it's simply a matter of finding the still-moving schools as they settle in along our coastline.....
This past Saturday was a perfect example of what fishing can be like at the moment.....after spending some time trying our luck at bottom fishing...and finding the fluke rather un-cooperative, it was decided to give blue fishing a try...but the huge fleet focusing on jigging 3-4 pound blues all the way up around the hook, was batting .000.....this is one of those situations that, as a captain, I simply dread....options start dwindling down, and we have to try and find some fish to fill the boxes with.....as we sailed North along the beach, I spotted some bird activity in closer to shore, and also started noticing some major bait readings on my new Is Tex fish finder....deciding to give jigging a try with literally not a boat in sight, and miles way from the fleet, we started hooking up IMMEDIATELY with those very same 3-4 pound blues plus one keeper Striped Bass , and in a matter of minutes everyone on board was into catch and release the action was so fast and furious......I called in a few of the other boats, and before you know it, the "Fleet" was centered around US!!!!!!!
Better yet....after I decided to move and try and find a new school of fish, we spotted bird activity yet again....once again, not a party or charter boat in sight, and the action resumed just as fast and furious as before.......
Night fishing has been pretty decent about 10 miles S.E. of the inlet, and out at the mud hole, with larger blues invading the lights, and charters getting their fill of action......
This past Sunday, the fleet was forced to drift the Manasquan river due to rough seas and a snotty easterly wind that kicked things up, but about a dozen keeper fluke were lifted over the rails, and if there had been less boat traffic, who knows how much better we would have done there.......
Keep posted for the weekly conditions right here......
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

Fishing Update for period of 5/7- 5/14

Well everyone...after a few trips of, shall we say, "less-than-satisfactory" results, these last few days have finally seen some MAJOR improvements in the fishing off our Southern and Northern beaches....
Charters at the end of last week still struggled through slow bottom fishing on the offshore wrecks, where we scratched out some ling, a few cod, and an occasional blackfish or sea bass. Water temps were still
prohibitive, and constant moving didn't help fill the fish boxes to any major degree as well.....
HOWEVER....THE GOOD NEWS!!!!! Inshore bottom action has FINALLY keeping my fingers crossed here) heated up, and what a difference just a few days can make!
Fishing the rocky bottoms which my regulars see me plying almost every week, nice, 2 and 3 pound sea bass started coming over consistently, and FLUKING...that's RIGHT....LEGAL SIZED fluke started coming over on a regular basis as well! YESTERDAY'S CHARTER CAUGHT 35 KEEPER FLUKE PLUS FEW COOLER OF SEA BASS Now for sure, this is just the beginning of the season, with the best fishing still ahead of us, but its so enjoyable to make a few drifts and see nice sea bass coming over the rail,
side-by-side with some nice fluke.
Just like last year... it all depends on the drift...faster drifts mean fewer fluke, more sea bass...while slower drifts allow the fluke to zero in on the passing offerings, and we catch more of a variety....
Also, there have been reports of weeks and blues moving up along the beaches, and jig-fishing should consistently open up any day as well!

If you've been waiting for an opportunity to "get your lines wet", now
the time!!!!!!!
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORTS FOR MAY 5TH TO 8TH

Hi everyone!
Well...the boat is back...and she's running better than ever! Now all we need is some cooperation from the weather Gods( keep bringing us that warm weather baby, and the action will start heating up any day
now!), and the season will BEGIN! This past weekends charters ran into some "still-cold" water temps, and it didn't matter whether we ran to Mud hole wrecks, or the near-shore variety, the catches consisted mainly of a few ling, a few keeper-size cod, a few blackfish, and the first sea bass of the season......but
certainly no great numbers or size.....high winds and fast currents also
made bottom fishing tough......
Schools of smaller blues have been making their way up the coastline, and reports of decent stripers are also being tossed around the boats and docks.....its only a matter of time folks....DAYS.. Before the action for the summer species busts WIDE-OPEN! Offshore reports indicate that this might be the best sea bass season yet, and lets not forget the better-than-average fluke fishing we experienced on quite a few trips
last year!!!!!!!!
Contact me for any dates you'd like me to check on....we're booking fast, so reserve your prime spots quickly....BEFORE the season busts wide-open!
CAPT GENE

FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEKS OF SEPT. 18TH THU Oct 2nd

Well...a few lucky charters timed it just right....the weekend of Sept.23rd saw a group headed by Colin King of SBI, and two of the most feared Fluke fishermen in the entire Northeast, Joe "Cold Beer" Boyko
Sr., and Brian "Ocean stud" Andrews, as we plied the waters north of the inlet for fluke Now some of you may remember that Joe Sr. tells all the locals that yours truly cant find any decent-sized fluke while he nails 'em consistently up on the Raritan bay boats. Well, in waters that were shallow enough to wade in; I mean smack-dab-up-against-the-sandy=beaches north of Long Branch, we had some of the best, if not THE best fluking of the year.....yes, we had to wade through school after school of sea robbins, but the 20 people on board managed at least a half dozen Fluke that topped 5 pounds, with plenty of 2-3 pounders, and two passengers catching their limits.....
AMAZINGLY ENOUGH, Joe SR. caught only 3 keepers, but his granddaughter Kim Boyko nailed her limit, as well as the pool fish that easily topped 6 pounds. Brian Andrews managed a bit better than Joe SR., but as usual, the women on board showed up the guys BIG TIME!!! Brian's "female companion", (thaets a politically correct way of saying "Hot Date!!!!!) who never dropped a sinker bfore, caught a bigger fluke than any of his!!!!!!!
Along with the fluke, there were bluefish caught most of the day, and Joe Boyko jr. managed a nice 6 pound Blackfish off a snag we drifted over. All in all, "Cold beer" Joe and "Ocean Stud" Andrews better not brag too much any more. The ladies are listening.......
Bluefishing and Fluke fishing tailed-off this past week, with better action for blues happening at night, but Fluke being more of a by-catch as the old reliable Sea bass are keeping poles bent all day long......2 plus pounders are common again!!!!!
The first striper reports started just this past week, and yesterday we sailed for Tuna out to the East side of the Mud Hole.....plenty of Bonito and Albies to be had, and we had several "mystery" run-offs.....its that time, so if you want to try for tuna, lets
go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING SEPT. 10TH

What a weird week this past one was!

The charters on the Tampa VII experienced some great bottom fishing this past week and weekend, with many guests catching 40-50 Sea Bass each! Nice-sized fish; some variety mixed in such as weakfish, croakers, and BIIIIIIIIIIG fluke! We dont catch great numbers of fluke on the deeper water sites (Deep....I haven't fished anything less than 45 feet deep all year!), but the size is always a plus......some nice 5-6 pounders this week.....
And when we fish the 70-80 ft. depths, presentation and line/lure movement are very important....simple fact is, when you are fishing 80
ft. down, you have 90 ft. or more of line out....and there will be a significant bow to the line, especially if holding bottom is
difficult. It can be tough to "feel" some fluke hitting.....larger fish ambush their meal, and simply rest on the bottom to swallow it....if you
aren't moving your line, you may miss a lot of hits....Move that bait! Bluefishing was.....in all honesty...schizo as all hell! Earlier in the week, the Mud Buoy was great...all the action a person could weekend though, in heavy boat traffic, the fishing took a dive....we marked fish all over the place...they were there....but I think with all the boats, and all the chum, they were content to just lie back in the depths and suck in some bunker juice. Hows that for a description????!!! Suck in some bunker juice. Use that one in a conversation this week, and see what reaction you get!
Remember: Striper fishing is ready to pop any day! The Fall mullet run has officially started down along the beach, and we are already getting reports of fish being caught on worms.....Man, I can't wait for this thing to bust wide-open! Book your trips NOW!!!!!!!!!!!
Tight lines, and.........Suck in some Bunker juice!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING 9/03/00
I NEED a vacation!
I really do! Its that time of the year when every week brings another shot of weird weather our way....but if you time it right, the fishing
can be simply great! Fluking finally started picking up again after a little slump these past two weeks....the best action has been on the offshore lumps and hills, in water as deep as 75 feet.....as always, the quality and quantity of the catch depends a great deal on having good drift conditions, but overall, the news I'm hearing from the rest of the fleet seems to back this up....if you want your best shot at flatties, and a good chance at a doormat, now's the time to book your trip....
Up north, Bluefish have their moments every day, and night as well, in all the local haunts such as the Mud Buoy, 17 Fathoms, and Shrews Rocks....the average fish are still in the 4-6 pound range, with most pool winners running between 10-12 pounds....in addition to the blues,bonito and false albies sneak through the slick on most days and give our passengers a shot at some hard-fighting tuna-cousins....In my opinion, its only a matter of time before somebody hooks a bluefin tuna inshore on one of these trips; or possibly at one of the wrecks as we bounce sinkers for sea bass. South of the inlet still gives us a shot at weakfish on any day, but the majority of these fish are small....the good news is the incredible biomass of weakies that seems to stretch from Raritan bay, all the way south....this gives us a good chance, provided the commercial boys don't wipe them out this winter, of having a ton of keeper size weakies around our way next year as well...
Check out the Striped bass page I have set up for info on all the striped bass trips we plan to run this year on the Tampa VII....if the
cooler weather stays around for a few weeks, its just a matter of time before the Striper action heats up again....pick your dates and book now, because we keep the crowds and prices low, when the action is high!

Tight Lines!

Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 20TH THROUGH 26TH

Well, there are two times, as September approaches, when word "School" is a welcome part of our vocabulary: 1. Its "back to SCHOOL" for all our kids! 2. "Honey, get me my rod 'cause there's a big SCHOOL bluefish and weakie's down at the inlet!"
I cant believe that we're just a few days away from the "end of summer"...Labor day traditionally signals in the end of our summer
season, and our vacations and shore houses.....but to large segment of the Tampa VII regulars, it signals the BEST time to get out and fish....
Let me repeat this one last time:
GET OUT AND FISH!
If you've been waiting to charter the Tampa VII, we still have a few midweek dates left, and evening trips as well, and the fishing is
getting better and better, ANY direction from the inlet we choose to head! Up north, the Mud Buoy area worked well for us last week..... A typical daytime trip, such as last Saturday's charter, saw a steady pick all day, when at least one pole was bent almost at anytime....there were several blasts when 4, 5, and 6 poles would bend at once, with many fish breaking off in mono leaders, and a lot of short hits on bait....I would say it was safe to assume that over 100 blues from 5 to 12 pounds were caught without much of a hassle, and plenty of young first-timers got into the action as well.....also, one regular wanted to try his luck bottom fishing, and ended up with 2 fluke and about 60 sea bass, of which 20 were keeper size.....now one note about Mud Buoy sea bass: They usually aren't the monsters we
pull off the wrecks early in the season, and the boat has to be anchored over rocky structure to take advantage of this fishery...case in point: last Saturday, if Joe cast his line on the port side of the boat, he didn't get a hit....but casts over the starboard side almost guaranteed a fish every cast.... South of the inlet still sees plenty of weakfish action, but the majority of fish are spikes or barely legal-sized fish....when the drifting conditions are good, which lately has been a rare occasion, we still pull nice size fluke up off the bottom.....I think the best of the fluke season is quickly approaching, and if you have any time off during the middle of the week, take advantage of our special 6 hour trips....
Also, those cousins of the big Bluefin and Yellowfin tuna, skipjacks and false albacore, are showing up inshore with the cleaner waters that made our way 10 days ago....ya' never know when your bait is going to get inhaled by one of these speedsters, but if you haven't caught one of these on lighter tackle, it can be the fight of a lifetime! Last year, during one of our mad-dog bite bluefish trips, I had the opportunity to join the charter and wet a line....I hooked a false albie that almost stripped the reel, and made me chase it around the entire boat twice!!!!
Good luck to all the young Tampa VII customers with the new school year!
Tight Lines
Capt. Gene

The Blues are back in town.

Yep, its official....Bluefishing earlier in the week after the lousy weather was as hot as it can get....I think the correct term is
"Slaughter".....
Concentrating on an area up near the Mud Buoy, or 17 fathoms, both day and night trips had great action, with everyone getting their limits fast, and catch-and-release the norm for trips...towards the end of the week, the action slacked off a bit, and wind and tides played havoc with lines, but the fish are all nice size right now, with pool winners in the 12-14 pound range again....
Bottom fishing also held up nicely, with trips like my charter from Allentown, Pennsylvania doing a number on mixed-sixed Seabass on Saturday....a few nice fluke were mixed in, as well as one lonely keeper Weakfish...the problem this weekend was a strong current, that made holding bottom tough even with 10oz. sinkers during the morning....Friday morning was better with nice drift conditions.... Fluking is still a challenge....when the drift is right, the rocky bottom areas up north are giving up some monsters...its a pleasure to see so many fluke right now that don't even have to be "measured" because they're in the 19-21" range....
If you are contemplating a charter on the Tampa this season, you should know the following:
September and early October are arguably the BEST months to fish....Its the time of year when the Summer species that inhabit our coastal and inshore waters begin to concentrate together and move out of our bays and inlets...Blues are feeding in preparation for their migration south....Fluke are concentrating together as they prepare to move offshore to their winter grounds...Weakfish/Striped Bass fishing traditionally gets better, and with less recreational traffic, the wrecks and rocky bottom get less fishing pressure so Sea Bass replenish their stocks even faster.....the Fall Tuna run is always a possibility as well!
I'm telling you this because if the weather holds up, there is still plenty of PRIME fishing to be had, and I've got a few excellent mid-week dates available during this period....with my mid-week specials in place, its the best opportunity you'll ever have to put a small or large group together and join in on the fun and action, and fill up your freezers with some tasty filets for the Fall.
Also, its not too early to remind you of our Fall open-boat Striper trips....If the Spring run up North is any indication, its going to be a
MONSTER Fall season, and you'll have to book your dates with us early this year, as I only take a limited number of passengers each trip...
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 7TH THROUGH AUGUST 13TH:

OK....If any of you Tampa VII customers live in Linden, New Jersey, and you see a nice old guy walking around the streets in the 5th ward, banging himself in the head with a 2'x4', RELAX! Its just Joe Boyko Sr., and he's only hitting himself in the head because he couldn't go out with us this past week on his son Joe Jr.'s charter for fluke and sea bass. Joe Sr. likes to tease me about my inability to be able to find big fluke, but we did our best to put THAT suggestion out to rest this past week!!!!
On Wednesday, August 9th, in just a bit over 5 hours, a group of 12people from the Occupational Center of Union County, headed by Joe Boyko Jr., and Dottie Jones, landed about 100 keeper Sea bass, with a bunch in the 2-3 pound range( we released a ton of legal sized fish that could have been kept, but there were so many nice-sized ones, we let them live
for next year!), a half dozen Bluefish, a half dozen mackerel (which were cut up and bellies used to catch the bigger Fluke) , and over 40 keeper fluke! Largest Fluke was in the 6-7 pound range, with at least 2 more in the 4 to 41/2 pound range, and 3 in the 3 1/2 to -4 pound range...the rest were ALL solid keepers; NO "Just barely" legal fish....Joe Jr. caught his limit, and his daughter Kim managed 4 keepers, as well as a bunch of Sea bass. I mean, the kids on the boat like Malcolm, and Nicky made it look EASY!!!!!!! This action was all on a piece of "Becker's Bottom" a few off the beach not far from the inlet and lets hope it holds up for the rest of the season!!!
Next up, it's been drifting along the beach this past week.....from as far north as the beachfront off The Trade winds, to South of the inlet near The Thunderbird and Seaside Heights, for all the 1-3 pound blues and weakfish we can jig up....at times, the surface of the water has been turning frothy-white from all the feeding frenzy's going on; other days, we have to drive a bit to find them, but the action is well worth the trip......
Larger Bluefish are finally turning on again, and the Tampa will be sailing now in a variety of compass headings as we chase after these fish as they begin feeding for their Fall migrations.....
Weather Conditions and Charter Cancellations: Well, needless to say,this past week had some terrible weather conditions, but here are some interesting facts....That "infamous" Wednesday charter was in beautiful weather...after some early morning haze, it was a gorgeous day! Back up north, it poured for three hours!!!!! Same with this past Saturday....although the sea conditions grew worse as the day went on, the morning was actually very fishable, and not a hint of rain!!!!Again, back north, tons of bad weather......
My point: Always check with the Captain the night before the trip......rain doesn't cancel a charter, but oftentimes, it may be
raining where you are, and not here at the dock..... Thats it for this past week....watch for some new, recent photos being
added to the page!!!
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 1ST THROUGH 6TH

Well, we are pretty much half way through the summer fishing season, and if I had to give grades out to the various types of fishing, it would prolly be something like this:
Blues: B+.....
Up until recently when they became "occupied", the action was fairly consistent day, or night...the only "drawback" was having to sail as many as 24 miles offshore to find the schools, which cut down on fishing time dramatically.....the good news is the arrival of the smaller sized fish in the traditionally active areas up north at the Mud Buoy and 17 fathoms......I expect we will be concentrating on these areas shortly, as the larger fish start to re-appear....this past week, we were successful inshore of the mud buoy with smaller fish(2 to 5 pounds) using jigs...the action is sporadic, but when they go on the feed, everyone hooks up in an instant....there are also schools of weakfish sitting under the blues, and we'll hook an occasional keeper on those same jigs. The key here, and I try to tell every charter this at the moment, is these are "SMALLER" fish, and certainly not the slammers that most charters are used to...and the action is not "red-hot" all day long, or at night for that matter.....we mark fish, but they feed early on, then a fleet builds and the fish shut down until later in the afternoon once the fleet begins to thin.....also, weather has played a huge role in our success rate...last night, the forcast was for light winds and 2 to 3 foot seas.....ideal for bluefishing....5 hours and 6 fish later, after being ripped by 30 mile an hour winds, and 6- 7 foot seas, .....well....thank you, oh great weathermen!
Fluke: C+....
This is a tough one to grade...not only have we landed our share of "doormats" this year, and seen a fair number of 3-5 pound flatties, the fishery is completely dependent upon drift conditions, and finding decent concentrations of fish....its up and down at best....some days, we dont get quantity, but all the fish are decent sized and the keeper ratio is great...other days, its the exact opposite...and then there are days when, ........well, lets just say fluking gets a C+, and I'm being generous....this past week, we saw a few 4-5 pound fish caught, which, by any current standard, is decent, but the numbers this past week just werent great, and sea conditions early on in the week didn't help Yesterday, the pool-winning fish was a 6 1/2 pound fluke, and we heard of a few 8-9 pounders being caught as well in the same general area....the sharp regulars are bringing fresh peanut bunker, and catching bigger fish.
Sea Bass/ Bottom: A...
What else need I say; its been a great year...consistent....quantity.....size....short runs to the areas we fish increase the amount of fishing time....I've been able, so far, to work over a large number of small areas, and by heading to different locations, we don't "over-fish" any ONE spot......allowing a piece of wreck or rough bottom to "re-group" for a week or so, helps maintain the fishery.....there have always been ling on these areas, but this year the size and number of fish caught gives me reason to be hopeful for the future of this fishery as well.....now if we can only bring the whiting fishery back from its grave! This past week saw excellent catches of sea bass, with a few porgies, and croakers mixed in to spice the catch.... the size of the fish at the moment are more towards the "medium" size range, with a few humpbacks mixed in......there are lots of smaller fish, and thats good news for
the future of this fishery. So, another busy week.....lots of fish caught....and hopefully, the best
is yet to come.....
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 24TH THROUGH JULY 31ST

If it's swimming, and it has fins, and it's NOT in a scuba suit, the charters on board the Tampa VII have been doing their best to catch 'em this past week!!!
Bluefishing bounced back after the breather to spawn (The fish, not our charters!!!), and have finally started showing at our old reliable site from last year, the Mud Buoy...size has been mixed, with many leaning towards the 3-5 pound size early on, but larger fish are starting to mix in as well! Day and night trips have been successful, and bait is the correct choice at the moment, but jigs are still producing. For full day trips, we still are running East of the inlet, around 20-22miles, in search of the larger fish.....trips are doing well now, with many 12 pound fish being hauled aboard....pool winners are in the 13-14 pound range, which is not bad at all....
Bottom fishing is holding up nicely when drifting permits.....last week, saw many 2 pound sea bass caught, and one pool winning sea bass weighed in at a hefty 4 pounds! Saturday's day trip saw many customers catching a small cooler full of these tasty critters. My advice right now is to have the mates simply scale and gut the mid-size fish....take them home and marinate them for a few hours in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, crushed garlic, soy sauce, crushed pepper,....add a touch of honey and a bit of pineapple juice to your liking.....in a sense, its a terryaki marinade....then GRILL your sea bass out side on your gas or charcoal grill....DONT OVER COOK!!!! A grilling cage, or fish cage helps!
Man, we are talking sea food perfection!!!!!!!!! Email me for other tasty recipies! If drifting permits, we have been catching fluke on the 40-50 ft. lumps and hills, north of the inlet....rocky bottom locations allow us to find larger fluke, with pool winners in the 4 plus pound range, and a nice mix of BIIIIIIIIIIG ling....I mean, BIIIIIIIIIG ling!!!!
Still plenty of short fluke, but its an interesting mix of fish!!!! Hey, whoever heard of so many chub mackerel being caught right now
inshore......they give a nice fight on light tackle, but, it's still unusual to see so many of them inshore at this time!!!!
Check us out next week....I think the best fishing of the year is just about ready to bust open on all counts.....
Have a great August, and hope to see you guys soon!
Tight Lines
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR WEEK OF JULY15TH -22ND

Seas were building at an alarming rate, and I realized that the worst weather was ahead of us.....I turned to a crewman who was standing next to me in the wheelhouse, and saw the look of fear on his face, the white of his knuckles as he gripped the edge of the wheelhouse door. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a wall of tall, cresting dark water rose up at the bow, and I could only point the tip of the boat into the oncoming wave and mutter for anyone to hear, " She's coming on boys....and she's coming strong!"
NO, thats not a passage from THE PERFECT STORM; that what I was saying last Saturday as we tried heading north of the inlet to the relatively calmer waters inside Sandy Hook to turn a nasty day into a decent rip.....exactly one hour north of the inlet, we simply had to turn around as seas were building at an alarming rate, and the trip home into the wind and oncoming seas would be as uncomfortable as any I've encountered in many years.
Deciding to drift in the river, fluking could only be described as a "really slow pick" on the outgoing tide.....
Lets see, in addition to that trip, and a few others where weather was poor at best, fishing can only be described as tough at the moment.....
When drift conditions are favorable, fluking north of the inlet at various points from Deal and Elberon, to Sea Bright and points north is producing some nice keepers with pool fish in the 4 pound range, and a mix of sea bass as well. Of course, on most drifts at the moment, we're looking at 8 shorts caught to every keeper, but when the drift is poor, or almost non-existant as it has been on a few trips(Saturday, July 22 for example), its just plain tough....bait everywhere we look.....bunker, sand eels....porpoises and pelicans feeding on them up and down the beach, but nary a bluefish or striper at the moment.....
Bluefishing????? Its become tough as well. I've been sailing up to 24 miles straight east from the inlet to find the fish, and we catch them....but its no slaughter, and size is mixed at the moment.....Spawning time??????? I'm a little puzzled since blues are still coming up in "pre-spawn" condition, but it would seem that we are in the "spawn-slow-down" period....there have been a few blues at the Mud Buoy, but nothing to rave about for sure, and night fishing is in the same shape as daytime. Of course, this is usually a brief period, and when the blues have spawned out, they begin their post-spawn feeding binge which makes for limit catches around the clock.....
On another note, I have heard of some excellent Weakfishing in Barnegat Bay right now....Tampa VII regular Mark Monaco had an excellent catch this past weekend in the Holly Park area just inside the channel markers chumming for the tasty critters......it seemed just about every place they stopped to anchor and chum, all during the morning, the fish cooperated. Best time, however, was early morning before the boat traffic picked up, when several tide runners up to 25 inches and 6 pounds were caught on very light tackle.....nothing fancy for bait, just chum with grass shrimp and have some fun. Congrats Mark, and we'll look for pictures of you with the "big one!"
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT WEEK OF JULY 5TH THROUGH 12TH

The Tampa VII has been sailing almost non-stop, and the fishing has responded!!!!
This past week saw a gradual rise in water temps up into that 68 degree range; bait, pelicans, and porpoises are EVERYWHERE along the beach, and fluking has taken a turn for the better, provided there's a decent drift!Lets see.....where do we start?
Fluking, especially earlier in the week, has been better, with pool winners consistently in the 4-5 pound range.....this fishing, as everyone knows, is predicated on a good drift....when the drift presents itself, I can position the Tampa over some great areas north of the inlet....fishing has been anywhere from tight to the beach, to a half mile offshore, and depths have ranged from 25 to 50 feet.....squid and spearing has accounted for the majority of fish, but anyone bringing frozen mullet, or live killies has given the high hooks a run for the money each trip. The only downside to this fishing is the throwback-to-keeper ratio, which is now in the 8-1, 10-1, range.....of course, a ton of fish are only a half inch or so short, and this bodes well for the fall fishery, when they should all be legal!
Sea bass fishing has held up well on the wrecks all summer.....and those big ling still mix in nicely....for those of you who love bottom fishing, right now its a great mixed bag.....drop a line and you never know what will be fighting you on the other end.....but most of these fish have kept our charters happy!
Bluefishing is tough to beat at the moment.....this past weekend, before the terrible Sunday afternoon winds, and ocean swells, it was fairly easy to limit out with all the 8-10 pound blues you could ask for, and pool winners are still in the 12-13 pound range.....this action has been about 17 miles from the inlet, day or night, but the drive is well worth it at the moment! Jigs still produce, but the key last week was using whole butterfish for bait.....
If everything remains in shape, and the sand eels and bunker stocks stayin our area, I think we will have a GREAT Fall Fishing season on theTampa VII, so contact me ASAP for the few remaining slots I have available!
P.S. This is just a reminder to those of you who will fishing with us in the upcoming weeks: WE dont allow METAL tackle boxes, or coolers on board the Tampa......they wreck havoc with the deck paint, and plastic coolers are simply never a problem....so please be aware of this, and if you still own a metal cooler, dont throw it out just because youre coming on board next week.....but you might want to switch over to a plastic Coleman......
Tight Lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT FOR THE PERIOD BETWEEN JUNE 26TH AND JULY 5TH

OK.....I may have missed a few days with these reports, but the crew onthe Tampa VII has been SOOO busy these past 10 days, it's been difficult tto keep up!
Well, where do we begin???? Fluke fishing last week improved tremendously, and has been great as long as there is a decent
drift.....We have concentrated mainly in the mussel bed areas North of the inlet for some 2-3 pound fluke, and last week we had a six year old passenger who won the pool with a 6 pound mini-doormat! In addition to
that 6 pounder, there have been several 4 pounders, and most of the keepers are easily besting the minimum size limits. Again, a good drift in 50-60' of water has been doing the trick lately....in addition to the fluke, there have been enough 2-3 pound sea bass caught to fill coolers regularly. If you are looking to grab some of these tasty critters, here might not be a better time than right now, and I do have a few Friday evenings, and Sunday evenings available in the weeks ahead.....you can charter the Tampa for a "magic hours" trip from 3:15 till 9:15, and have PLENTY of prime fishing time! Dates are limited, so contact me ASAP!!!!!
Bluefishing has held up rather nicely for both day and night charters these past 10 days, and the mid-summer spawn hasnt started yet.....just a short 13-15 miles south east of the inlet has been where all the action is, and it has been hot on the drift for both jigs, and bait.....pool winners are still in the 13-14 pound range, and most fish run 10-12 pounds...this is fun fishing when conditions are as great as they have been lately, and again, you should consider those magic hour trips!!!! We are still seeing and reading huge quantities of bait along the beach, and offshore as well.....pelicans have taken up residence along our beaches, and are feeding on these schools of bait daily....dolphins are also all over the shoreline driving these schools of bait together, and that, as well as some outstanding water clarity bodes well for the upcoming months!
OpSail 2000 was a great time for all of us!!! Fireworks....Tall ships....The Tampa VII sailed for 2 days and enjoyed the time in and around New York harbor, as there were sights to see enough to last a lifetime!!!!! A special thanks to everyone who helped make this past week so memorable!!!!!
One last, quick note....... My crew and I have worked long and hard to collect some great fishing spots.....wrecks, and hard bottom that hold large numbers of fish all season long can be fished out quickly, if care isn't taken to actually "manage" the fishing on these mystery wrecks.....simply stated, you cant find them on any chart....anywhere. Lately, more and more passengers on the Tampa have been bringing hand-held GPS units on board, and noting "numbers" at some of our more productive spots.....while nobody can prohibit the use of these units on private boats, and I certainly don't want to spoil anyone's trip, I have
to ask anyone who comes out with us on these wreck trips to leave the GPS units back at the dock....
In all fairness, if our locations become public knowledge, more fishing pressure will deplete the stocks at these wrecks, and fishing will decline for everyone who sails out there.... If we see these units on board being used, its a safe bet that I wont
fish anywhere near these snags........ Bluefishing???????? Hell, you can bring all the GPS units you
want...I'll even draw you a map, or let you follow me out......
But wrecks???????????............
Tight Lines everyone!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT WEEK OF JUNE 27th.....

Well, this past week has seen some true, "up and down" fishing in our area, but I still have to give the over-all conditions a thumbs-up.....
Last week, we put together some decent catches of blues, sea bass, ling, fluke, and an occasional striper and tog to spice up the mix.....
The "Sarge" led a great bunch of guys out last Friday, and pretty much ran the gamut of species, as everyone on the boat got into some decent bottom-fishing action....the Sarge had some particularly INTERESTING "bottom" action, and a couple of inconsiderate guys in a center console, who decided to run straight through a school of big stripers feeding on bunker off Long branch, found out just what that last statement means!!!!!!! Way to go Sarge!!!!!! And, you can keep the Harley's!!!!!!!!!!!
Water temperatures fluctuated wildly at weeks-end, and we noted a drop of almost 12 degrees along the beach, as well as off-shore...this, coupled with a stiff wind on Sunday, made for some declining fishing conditions......
I should note one important fact: as I'm heading out the inlet, in ANY direction at the moment, I'm sailing over huge schools of bait,
primarily bunker, and we saw first-hand the impact this is having on the Striped Bass fishery at the moment....hopefully, this is a great indication of the fishing yet to come! Sea conditions aside, we still managed some good hauls this past
weekend....Saturday saw some really nice-sized fluke brought over the rails, along with the pre-requisite Sea Bass and other bottom denizens for the Nutley Fishing Club....pool winners are still in the 2 1/2 pound range, and I have to comment on the decent keeper-throwback ratio we're seeing with Fluke right now.....while still no bonanza, the ratio is somewhere in the 1-4 area, MUCH better than the 1-10 we often saw last year, and these keepers are almost all nice-sized fish....yardsticks arent required for a lot of these fish!!!!! Spearing, squid, and killies seem to be the baits of choice, but a few guys are bringing Fin-S and jig combos out, as well as 8 inch plastic sandworm and jig combos, and doing just as well....
Night bluefishing 12-13 miles outside the inlet was just fine this past weekend, with the majority of fish still being caught on jigs, and pool winners still up in the 12-13 pound range, but that fishery became spotty for a bit these past few days, and we are running a bit further to find any blues....this is a day to day situation, and its a bit too early for these fish to develop lock-jaw before they spawn, so stay tuned for updates.....Today's Bluefishing was very good on both jigs and bait 17 miles SE of inlet
Tight Lines, and I wish you all a great Fourth of July!!!!!!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT WEEK OF June 20th

Well, the early season here out of Manasquan inlet reminds me of the Energizer Bunny......it keeps going, and going, and going.....and each week gets a bit better!!!!
The Tampa VII has been busy this past week with a variety of fish, caught under a wide variety of circumstances and conditions.
Bluefishing remains consistent, with weekly charters limiting out on jigs, about 13 miles from the inlet. This past weekend, bait out fished jigs, and we had to shift slightly to the north to fill coolers, but there were no complaints as everyone caught fish, and pool winners still run over 14 pounds.
Bottom fishing on some of our mystery wrecks for sea bass is simply outstanding....BUT THE KEY is fishing these small pieces of bottom and little known wrecks for consistent catches. Pool winners have been tough to gauge; one trip its a 4 pound sea bass, the next trip its a 5 pound ling! The crew and I have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of ling, and their size lately, and our customers wont complain for a second. On one drift last week, at our second mystery wreck, 15 people dropped their lines at one time to the bottom, and before I could count to three, all 15 were hooked up with jumbo sea bass! It just doesn't get any better folks, and if you want to try for some of these monsters, call fast because my open dates are vanishing!!!!!!
Fluke fishing finally picked up a bit with a new batch of fish showing up on the hills and lumps in 40-50 feet off the beach. While most of these fish are shorts, the keeper ratio is about 10-1, shorts to keepers....this is one fishery that can only get better!!!!
Last but not least, the Tampa VII is booking quickly for all of the Operation Sail trips next week, but we still have some openings, and, for a limited time only, if you book two or more people for our July 4th sailing, we'll give you a free coupon for a free dinner on one of our associated Horizon Cruises sailing the Manhattan harbor....but coupons are first-come, first-serve, so act fast!!!!!!!

Tight Lines!!!!!
Capt. Gene

Fishing for blues and sea bass started out hot a week ago, and just
keeps getting better!!!.After losing a few trips early in the week due to the Nor'easter that
slipped through our area, the seas and weather cooperated with us towards the end of the week, and charters walked off the Tampa VII with coolers loaded with fish....
Blue fishing bounced around a bit, with some great fishing on both jigs and bait north and south of Manasquan inlet.....the trick is in
following the schools of blues as they continue to flood into our waters on their northern migratory route....even thought these fish are a bit leaner now then they will be towards the end of summer and beginning of Fall, the vast majority of fish are in the 6-12 pound range, with pool winners on each trip tipping the scales at 15 pounds!
Bottom fishing for Sea Bass and Ling.....YES Ling, is simply sizzling right now!!!! Rolf Buhrer flew all the way from Switzerland this past weekend, to try his luck with the charter from Sinar Bron Imaging, and caught more jumbo Sea Bass in his first hour of fishing than he has in his entire life!!! Visiting a few of my "mystery" wrecks 5 to 8 miles from the inlet was all that was required to fill coolers....in fact, Bill, Tom and the rest of my mate staff have been encouraging the charters to release legal-sized Sea Bass, because there are plenty of bigger fish to be had...pool-winners have been in the 3-4 pound range, and we all know how great tasting a three or four pound Sea bass is! In addition to the Sea Bass, an occasional Blackfish has popped over the rails, and lately, two or three dozen 2-3 pound Ling have also been mixed in with the catch. On Sunday, Bill Andrews became known at the dock as "Mr. Ling" after catching a dozen of these great-eating fish all by himself!!!
The only poor performer at this time has been fluke fishing, with ocean drifting being almost non-productive at this moment.....water
temperatures have hovered around 61 degrees, and drifting conditions have been erratic, to say the least. However, when the drift permits, the fishing improves....we just have to be patient! Remember, you only have two weeks left to reserve your July 4th cruise
with us!!!! This year promises to be simply incredible, and I only have a limited amount of space available for the cruise, so contact me
today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tight lines!
Capt. Gene

FISHING REPORT WEEK OF JUNE 5TH

Well everyone.....it looks like the first few days of June brought us our first taste of hot weather, and even hotter fishing!
Charters last week, and weekend, scored with a variety of fish, from Jumbo Sea Bass, Ling, to Fluke and Blues!
Sea bass fishing was nothing short of phenomenal just a few miles from the inlet, with charters filling several coolers with Sea Bass/Ling up to 4 pounds!!!! Being an expert was simply unnecessary, as beginners loaded up as well as the old timers Bluefishing finally broke open a bit with the first big catch of the season registered this past Sunday, about 13 miles east of the inlet. The Blues ran between 6 and 12 pounds, with the pool winner running about 15 pounds. Bait was preferred, but jigging also provided a few for those willing to try. Fluking also improved a bit further north, but still has been uneven at best due to rough seas late in the week, and fluctuating water temperatures....it seems if we can get a few days of warm weather strung together, and a cooperative drifting condition, we can definately put some nice-sized keeper fluke in the boat. Spearing and squid combos have been working well for charters.
If you've been waiting to book a charter, NOW'S THE TIME!!!! We have a few choice dates still available, and some mid-week open dates, but once the fishing picks up our phone lines get busy, so DON'T MISS OUT! Call or email me today for more specific info!!! Call for July 4th Firework cruises

Tight lines!
Capt. Gene

This past weekend saw some good Bottom fishing with a lot of Sea Bass in the 3 lbs range. On Fridays afternoon trip the Tampa fished up north in about 40 ft of water .We picked at Fluke with a 50 /50 keeper to throwback ratio but with the wind against the tide the drift was slow .So I decided to fish some rock piles and once again caught Sea Bass but this time there was a lot of small fish bait used was Squid & Spearing. Saturday night was slow with the Blues and the striped Bass fishing was also very slow but earlier in the week the Striped Bass bite was very good up north.. Once again the weatherman got the weather report wrong calling for high wind and rough seas this past Sunday . After taking my advise and canceling there trip last Saturday Night for Striped Bass because of bad fishing /weather condition. In which most other charter boats would have taken them out and caught nothing but pocketed there money .The group from The Blues Brother Fishing Club from PA decided to fishing with me today and caught a few cooler full of Sea Bass with quite a few over 2 1/2 lbs . A 3.4 lbs Blackfish won the pool missing the pool by 1 oz was a Sea Bass over 3 lbs .We where fishing in 75 ft of water a few miles from the inlet than fished a very small wreck which had some of the bigger Sea Bass on it. Bait used as clams & Squid nice day fun group of guys.

This past Saturday morning trip with rough seas and rain I decided to take the ride up north to Sandy Hook to fish in better conditions . As we arrived at the hook the bird were working and fish splashing so I had all customer rigged up with Diamond Jigs . Once the jig hit the water they caught blues in the 3 to5 lbs range plus a few keeper Striped Bass .Now with the new law passed we are going to be able to keep one fish between 24 inches to 27.99 inches & one fish over 28 inches per person. As soon as the tide started to change the fishing stopped. I than decided to go Fluke fishing in Sandy Hook Bay and to my surprise we caught 4 fish over 4 lbs and one closer to 5 lbs plus more keeper in the 16 inch range and a lot of shorts. A few other boats docking in Pt Pleasant were in early because they fished in the ocean and got all there customer's sea sick. I only had one customer sick it was a great day fishing considering the conditions. I cancelled my Striped Bass charter Saturday afternoon because of these conditions . Sorry no photos I forgot the digital camera home.

Today charter had Tom, Franco, and crew from Arlington Sewer Plant from Upstate NYC along with a great group of guys and nice weather. The Sea Bass decided to cooperate today and they caught quite a few sea bass over 3 1/2 lbs fishing in 75 ft of water along with some keeper Fluke .High hook with 3 keeper was Franco. There seems to be a lot of short fluke around in the 14" to 15"range .I was fishing in 25ft to 35 ft of water using spearing and squid combo .Pictures of this trips. Click on photos to make bigger

This passed Saturday morning trip with Capt Ray Bogan at the helm the charter did very well catching a lot of Sea Bass up to 4 lbs .Plus a few keeper blackfish along with quite a few shorts fishing with clams & squid fishing on some local wreck and reef in about 60 ft

This Past Saturday nights Striped Bass charter had a few guy aboard the Tampa that fishing with me last fall on one of my best Bass trips of the year." The one More Drift trip ". But despite very foggy condition which made the ride up north longer than normal .We did manage a few keeper Striped Bass with the biggest one going to close to 18lbs along with the bass we caught some weakfish all over 6lbs with biggest one coming in at close to 9 lbs. Mixed in where a few cocktail blues . On Friday night the fishing was a lot better but with all the lighting and T Storms all night long this definitely had an affect on the fishing this night. We were fishing in NY water's using blood& sandworms. Below are a few picture of tonight's catch .Click picture to make bigger

After a slow start bottom fishing in which we caught a few nice size Sea Bass off each rock pile or wreck that we fishing plus a few short blackfish .I decided to try Fluke fishing along the beach. To my surprise we caught the first Fluke of the season close to the beach starting the drifts in 25 to 12 ft of water. The keeper ratio was 50 /50 keeper to throwbacks with the biggest fishing going 19inches

Today We started Flounder fishing in the Manasquan River which has been slow with all the rain (fresh water) plus cold water temperatures. So I decided to see If the charter wanted to try and find some Mackerel in the ocean . Just out a few miles I read a few marks on the color scope between 4

Slow Winter Flounder fishing in Manasquan River because of drop in water temperatures caught just few nice size fish pool fish was worth $120.00 not bad day for this happy fisherman plus had flounder dinner

#1 posted 5/29/99

The last 2 weeks we have been sailing for Blues and Fluke. The Blues have been running 5 to 7lb. with the pool running between 10 to 12lb. We have been fishing 12 to 19 miles from the inlet. Someday we draft and chum other days we anchor for them. This past week we started Fluke fishing the throwback to keeper ratio is 8 to 1. But as you move farther north the keeper ratio is better.
Thursday we caught one fish of 5 lbs. and some 3 to 5lb. Blues as well.
On Saturday we fished for Blues on both the AM & PM charter and had a slow pick on both trips, but everyone onboard caught a few fish.
As for Sunday we went out for a Fluke trip just outside Sandy Hook in 35ft. to 18ft. water. On one draft we caught 5 keepers the largest being a 4 1/2lb. Plus there were Blues and birds working all over. A few passengers were jigging them to 3 to 5lb. fish.

#2 Posted 6/3/99

This past week we have been fishing for Fluke/Sea Bass and Blues. The fluke fishing is starting to see more keepers as the water temperature is warming up and the fluke are moving from the East into shallower waters along the shore. Spearing and Squid have been the bait being used.
As for the sea bass/ling you just have to fish the right wreck on Rock pile to catch sea bass up to 3 1/2 lbs. and ling. to 4lbs. clam is the bait of choice.
As for the blues late night was good on 17 fathoms plus drafting in the mud hole.
The fish range from 3 to 10 lbs. but on the 29th a lot of 12 to 14 lb. fish were caught. It seemed to get better as the sun went down and it got dark. Butterfish and smelt were choice baits.

#3 Posted 6/15/99

This report is for the week of June 4th. This past week we have been fishing for Blues and Fluke.
On Wednesday's charter we fished at the farms and caught the Blues very well taking the limit on bard with fish between 7 to 12 lbs.
On Friday's charter fishing at the farms it was slow so we decided to switch over to Fluke fishing. Once again alot of short Fluke just under the new size limit of 15 1/2 inches but we did manage some keepers using squid and spearing.
Friday night Blues in the Mud Hole was great fishing taking the limit on board using Butterfish and Smelts.
Saturday saw the best Fluke fishing of the season thus far. Close to 400 fish most throwbacks but we did manage quite a few keepers and plus a 5 year old girl caught the pool fish of 22 1/2 in. and 5 1/2 lb. She also had 3 more keepers fished in 20 to 25 ft. of water off the beach.
Saturday night at Anchor in the Mud Hole Blues were very good once again.
The Sunday charter started off slow than we found some fish and jigged them in the chum slick. They would not bite any bait so jigs were the way to go catching a lot of fish between 8 and 10 lbs. in the process saw the best Fluke fishing of this season so far.

#4 Posted 6/15/99

This past week has been a tough one with the East and Northeast wind. We have been Fluke fishing inside Sandy Hook Bay. Yes Sandy Hook Bay, it took the boat just 1 1/2 hours to get there and the fluke fishing was worth the ride. When the seas along the shore are rough it turns the Fluke off along the beach, but inside the bay there is a lot of action with the shorts plus some nice Fluke too 4lbs. worth.
As for the Blues it has been great fast action on day and night trips fishing just 10 to 12 miles NE of the inlet. We still have choice weekend afternoon date open.

#5 Posted 6/21/99

This past week has seen some great blue fishing in the Mud Hole & Farms at 17 fathoms
We have been drifting and anchoring using bait or jigs. The fishing has been great, the last 5 days both day & night trip the limits were caught. The fish are running between 6-8 lbs. with the pool fish around 12-14 lbs.
As for the Fluke fishing there is still a lot of short fish but when we fish the edges of the rock piles we catch less shorts but did manage a few 4lb. fish plus one going close to 5 1/2 lbs. Mixed in were some Sea Bass as well. The only thing bad about fishing the rock piles is losing a lot of rigs. But since they are included in the charter rates I DON"T MIND LOSING RIGS IF WE CATCH BIG FISH!
We still have a few weekend afternoon trips available so call call me if you need a weekend date.

#6 Posted 7/2/99

This past week has seen some great Blue fishing at the Mud Buoy. The Scott Mack charter from Point Pleasant caught Blues between 7 and 12 lbs. and had steady fishing allay, as the week went on the fishing was good but the Blues got smaller in size between 5 and 7 lbs. using chum, bunker, butterfish and smelts.
As for the Fluke fishing on the Tuesday trip a lot of short fish but the pool fish was close to 4 lbs. with a few in the 3 to 3 1/2 lb. range in 35 to 60 ft. of water.
After the thunderstorm and wind on Tuesday night the Fluke fishing slowed but did manage a few sea bass and all short Fluke.
With this nice weather forecast this upcoming weekend the Fluke fishing will pick up again.

#7 Posted 7/26/99

This past 10 days now has been hard fishing with the bluefish its been slow during the day but better on the night trips. We have been fishing in the Mud Hole plus 17 fathom's. The blues are making babies now it happens every year so the fishing should start to pick up real soon.
The month of June was great fishing.
We have been catching fish in the 3 to 5 lb. range with few 10 lb. mixed in plus a few Bonita. Most of the charter's have been switching to fluke fishing, it's has been great but you have to go through a lot of short fish. By the time the end of the day comes we have together a nice catch. The pool fish has been between 4 to 6 lb.
When we fish the hard & rocky bottom we catch more keepers plus some days if we can fish a rock pile that hasn't been fished before we catch a lot of nice size Sea Bass up to 2 lb.
This past Sunday trip we filled 2 coolers full of sea bass plus also caught 2 Boston mackerels.

#8 Posted 7/26/99

This past week has been a hot one. The Bluefishing has improved some but you have to be one of the first boats to the fishing grounds. That is one good thing about having a fast boat.
This past Friday we were the 2nd boat there and did good with fish between 2 and 5 lbs. We also got 5 LB fluke at the Mud Buoy on Butterfish chunk.
As for the Fluke fishing we have been fishing the rough bottom off Deal, Elberon & Long Branch plus Sea Bright with alot of nice size Sea Bass plus alot more Fluke keepers between 4 & 6 lbs.
Along the beach there is more shorts but some keepers there using squid and spearing.
This past Sunday charter for Lawrence Lincoln-Mercury we caught the largest fluke of the season a 7 lb. going 25 inches long.
The Fluke will just keep getting bigger until the season is over while the Blues should start to bite again.

#9 Posted 8/3/99

This past week has seen good bluefishing at the Mud Buoy and in the Mud hole. The fish range from 3 to 10 lb. and are biting both day and night using butterfish and smelts for bait with chum.
This past Friday night trip another boat caught a state record 88 lb. cobia at the Mud buoy.
As for the Fluke fishing there has been a lot less keepers this past week but plenty of action with fish going up to 6 lb. with a mix of Sea Bass to 1 1/2 lbs. The surface water temp. is 76 (which is hot) has slowed down the fluke biting but should pickup after the full moon.

#10 Posted 8/20/99

This fishing report is for last 2 weeks. To my customers I am sorry for 2 the weeks between reports and would like to thank you for a great season so far. I look forward to seeing you all aboard this upcoming fall fishing for Striped Bass & Weakfish. I will be running Special Striped bass trips to Shrewsbury Rock & Sandy Hook. You can purchase anywhere from one ticket to 20 tickets, they will be by reservation only with a 20 passenger limit. These trips will depend on Moon and tide cycles. If you want more info E-mail me or call me.
Now on to the fishing reports. The last 2 weeks have seen a steady pick of blues between 5 & 12 lbs.
We have been fishing the Mud Buoy and 17 fathoms, both day & nights with some Mahi mixed in going up to 12 lb.
Last week we caught and released a few football size Bluefin Tunas and kept one Yellowfin to 29inches for one luckily angler. The water has been crystal clear with visibility to 50 ft. I can see the bottom.
As for the fluke fishing, YESTERDAY we went to Ambrose Channel. On the first drift we had 12 keepers to 3 lbs. Than the drift slowed down to nothing and with no drift you can't catch a lot of Fluke. So when there is no drift I will fish the rockpiles and power drift and catch some Sea Bass plus some bigger Fluke. There has also been some Weakfish mixed in with the Fluke sometimes when you hit a school of them. So when you have the right condition you will catch a lot more keepers.

#11 Posted 8/31/99

This past week has seen some great Croaker Fishing just a few miles south of the Manasquan inlet with fish between 3/4 lbs. & 1 1/2 lbs. These fish are usually farther south along the Delaware Basin. The Croaker are great to eat too. Mixed in with the catch of Croaker are some Fluke and some Sea Bass.
As for the Bluefish we have been fishing the Mud Buoy/17 fathom area with fish going up to 16 lbs. but most are between 9 & 14 lbs. Both day and night trips have been producing good action and some trips we have had non stop fishing limits for all aboard.
Hopefully with Hurricane Dennis coming up the coast we will just have to cancel just a few trip and it will keep moving out to sea. If we get heavy surf from the storm with some swell we will be able to fish with theses conditions. Heavy surf means it is just rough at the surf not out off the beach a few miles. So call me about any trips booked.

#12 Posted 9/20/99

After 2 weeks of Hurricanes Dennis & Floyd hopefully this is all we will get this season. The fishing for blues after Dennis had been OK with smaller blues between 4 & 6 lbs.
But the Sea Bass fishing has been great with a lot of fish in the 2 to 3 lb. range mixed in with a few larger fluke.
Now with Hurricane Floyd gone the boat is OK and we are ready to start fishing this upcoming week. Hopefully the Sea Bass fishing will pickup where it left off.
As for the blues it was bluefishing just before the storm hit us.
There is a lot of red tide out in the ocean and with this storm that should be gone.

#13 Posted 9/27/99

This past week Sea Bass fishing has been good with a few Triggerfish mixed in.
As for the Bluefish @ Night they are biting better that during the daytime hours.
Saturday afternoon the Bluefish were biting very good as with Saturday night. Mixed in with the blues were a few albes. Also a few Bluefin Tuna were caught in the Mud Hole over the weekend.
Check out my weekly ad Friday in the Star Ledger for my special Fall Striped Bass trips. Call for available dates.

#14 Posted 10/5/99

This past week saw some great Sea Bass action along the NJ shore with fish up to 3 1/2 lbs. mixed in with some Porgies, Triggerfish and big Fluke to 5 lbs. All the fishing was within 1 1/2 miles off the beach in 30 to 60 ft. of water, using squid and spearing.
As for the Blue fishing, some trips were good and some were a slow pick. Last Friday night we had a group from Take Good Care with Bill Flynn the blue fishing was slow that night.
But on the Saturday am & pm trips plus Sunday night trips we had great fishing with bluefish up to 10 lbs. with a lot of Alb's mixed in.
Sunday blue fishing during the day was slow, but "that's why they call it fishing not catching".
Yesterday we jigged blues off Deal beach with fish up to 5 lbs. a few boats caught keeper Striped Bass under the blues so hopefully the Fall run is on the way trips will sail between 4 and 7 PM depending on the tides/moon cycles. Call me for sailing times & info. The trips will be 8 hrs.... included eels & sandworms. Cost is $50.00 per passenger (Reservations are required, and limited to 20 passengers).
LAST YEAR WE HAD A GREAT FALL STRIPED BASS RUN THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER SO
starting October 23 a Saturday night we will be sailing open boat Fall striped Bass/Weakfish and hope to sail every Saturday night throughout November. The trip will sail at 5pm and return at 1am. Please call to make your reservation (Credit Cards Welcome).

#15 Posted 10/19/99

This past week has been a slow week for the charters. The Bluefish have had a steady pick at the Farm and Mud Buoy. Also down south there is a lot of blues on local wrecks with some big sea bass caught while we bluefish. As for the fluke season it is now closed but it did end with a good run of fish up to 5 lbs. off Long Branch, it will open back up on May 15, 2000. But for now the blackfish season is open, plus we're still catching a lot of sea bass & albs. We are now booking our Saturday night Oct. 23rd striped bass trip, there are a few tickets still available. Come aboard!

#16 Posted 10/27/99

This past weekend on my first open boat Striped Bass trip (reservation required) Oct23rd we started at Shrewbury rocks. Than we fished off the tip of Sandy Hook caught a lot of Striped Bass pool fish was 42 inches and just 25lbs Had few in high teen but all passengers caught something with few limits. Great Bass fishing best I have ever seen one drift we had 6 keepers on at one time using live eels. As for the bluefish today we caught a lot of fish between 4 to 7 lb. up north using peanut bunker and chum. Sea Bass fishing is still strong too Have some opening for Oct 30th and Nov 6th Striped bass trips.

Don't forget to E mail your address to receive special trip offer & Open boat Striped Bass dates and Sailing times

Tight Lines---Captain Gene

Captain Gene

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