The tog season opened up on Friday and much to my surprise there wasn’t a soul out on the jetty rocks trying to get their one keeper. I fished out there on Saturday and the togs were thick, but it seemed that they would only eat on the incoming tide. This is really out of the normal scheme of things as we always fish on the outgoing, and my guess is that the incredibly warm bay temps were shutting them down. As soon as the tide switched and cooler water started to roll in, the fishing was on, and I took a 17 inch white chin home. An...

The fourth of July weekend was a decent one out on the water with the head boats loading guys up and taking them out to capitalize on the giant blues. Most big boats were traveling out about 20 miles to chum up some 15 to 18 lb. yellow eyes at night, and this was the thing to do and will continue to be the popular fishing, as it is a bit cooler out there as opposed to hitting the beach or melting yourself in the bay. This week was one of the hottest in quite a few years, and there really wasn’t too much participation out on the sands. My old friends Frank Marascia and Bob Massa fished the beach mid-week and started out with plans to find a left over bass or some blue fish schools, but ended up tossing bucktails around the sail boat mast on 10^th st. The fluke are still littering the bottom of the surf, and there are very few keepers, but nobod...

This past week was hit or miss again for the fluke fishing outside and there was signs of more keeper fluke for those who hit it hard. The guys that are using small spots or other lively baits were getting the attention of the bigger flatties, and this is out in 65 to 70 ft. of water. The head boats are not only picking up some good sized pool winners, but more 18 to 20 inch fish are coming on board. This is not to say that the keeper rate in still a bit unacceptable in most folks eyes, but it is what it is, and we dealt with this very same scenario last season, but everyone worked through it. The bluefish are thick and huge outside with the bluefish guys just catching limits of fish up to and over 15 lbs. These are the yellow eyes that make blue fishing a blast, as long as you’re not fishing in bare feet. Most head boats are offering these half day gat...

This week was a sort of o.k. week with some more keeper fluke coming in but yet a very high ratio with a ton of throwbacks. I fished the pocket from 8^th st. up to 14^th in Barnegat Light on Friday and the bottom was just crazy with fluke. There was a lot of participation as well with one dude pulling in about a 5 lb. fish, and another with a stringer of three keeps. Guys were seemingly catching fish on just about every cast, with some using Gulp baits, some using killies and some just buck tailing with a curly tail on. So if you’re looking for a keeper or two the surf is a good way to save on boat gas and get some exercise. The surf is still giving up some bass during the night hours when everything calms down, and fresh bunker or clam globs will do it for you, but there is a lot of bait thieving fish out there, so load up. I did ho...

The past few days were hit or miss out there on the beach, and although there were some bass caught, nobody brought in any 50 lb. fish or anything like that. The fluke are literally carpeting the bottom of the surf on the north end, but the keeper ratio is like “0 for all the fish you can catch”. Seriously, anglers are hard pressed to find keeper fluke again, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. The JCAA held its yearly fluke tournament last weekend, and the biggest fish was 10 lbs. There were also a good number of 6 to 9 lb. fish come to the scales, and ...

As of last report there were a bunch of bamboozled fluke chasers around, looking for anything over 18 and one eighth of an inch. It seems as though things are looking up, with some fluke starting to come from around the sailboat wreck in Double creek as well as some decent fish in Oyster Creek as well. The water temps are up enough for these elusive flatties to start showing up, and I saw some guys cleaning some fluke on the table at the shop on Sunday. My buddy Brian Lodge, who has the website garbagefish.com, just sent me an E-mail that had me in stitches. He...

This week was a fair one all around as anglers reported decent catches inside and out. On the beach the bass are still numero uno on everyone’s agenda, and Jason Delpalazzo’s 42 lb. 14 oz. bruiser still leads the “Simply Bassin” tournament. Guys are catching decent fish in Loveladies as well as on the south end in Brant Beach. The bunker schools aren’t there like they were two Fridays ago, but there are small schools running up and down the beach and in the inlet for guys to pick from. The fluke fishing is great in the surf right now, and I hit the beach on Thursday...

We predicted that there would be a 40 lb. fish or two hit the sands up here in Barnegat Light in the report on Friday, and it was to be. Jason Delpalazzo emerged from the shadows of the night to smack a 42 lb. 14 oz. bass, and yes, he took the lead in the “Simply Bassin’ tournament. I smell a thousand dollars! Congrats to Jason on that gorgeous fish, and he is one of those sharpies who keeps a log and catches those big cows in June year after year! Plus, its guys like that who keep me looking good when I stick my neck out like that. I fished the weekend at night and...

So the start of fluke season is tomorrow, May 22nd and I believe we get an extra week, with it going out on Sept. 6^th this season. The limit will be 6 fish at 18 inches or over, and there are some spots where guys are catching fluke. The middle grounds are producing some fish as expected, and I heard a rumor that guys are doing fairly well up in Double Creek channel. But the bigger fish, of course, are out at the ridge. The shop is fully sto...