Fall fishing has arrived in the Beach Haven area with its varied weather patterns keeping the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association on their toes. At this point there is red-hot bottom fishing action in the ocean with promises of good striped bass action on the horizon.
Max Goldman, a BHCFA mate, had an exciting three-day stretch of fishing last weekend. On Friday he took his boat out with a few friends searching for stripers. He caught a few shorts along with some knockdowns on the troll, but no keepers. Then on Saturday he mated for Captain Carl Sheppard on the “Star Fish” on a trip celebrating a birthday. Fishing inshore structure, the group of anglers caught over 130 fish including sea bass, bluefish, porgies, and false albacore. At the end, 11 sea bass and 17 bluefish went home for dinner. On Sunday he fished with friends at the Lemke’s on a shark fishing trip for mako. After an hour of chumming they hooked up with a large thresher shark which weighed in at 341-pounds.
Captain Alex Majewski of “Light House Sportfishing” reports that despite the poor recent weather he has been able to catch some “schoolie” stripers. With the presence of the smaller bass, and the bait abundance, Captain Alex feels this will be a good year for stripers. He is fishing around Barnegat Inlet, catching good numbers from 20-30 inches. Artificials work for him at times as well as live bait such as spots. One morning trip produced 10 fish to 28-inches.
Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction’ fishing had Eli Sachs, Kevin DeAngelo, and Ryan Kore of Philadelphia out for some striped bass. They worked several areas to release close to 10 bass on live bait and bucktails while keeping two for the table. A third keeper was lost at the boat due to the strong current.
Speaking of striped bass, the entire Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association is gearing up for the annual Sea Shell Club’s Striped Bass Derby. In addition to food and fishing, there are some great prizes. The event features three days of fishing, fun, food, and some great prizes. There are a couple of cocktail parties and gala fish fry that go along with the event.
This year’s event has special meaning for the BHCFA. Sea Shell owner Tom Hughes and his executive committee have designated the Junior Mates of the BHCFA as the recipients of this year’s proceeds. The money will go into the fund to help restore the artificial reefs in the Beach Haven area.
The event takes place this weekend, Oct
ober 25-27. Complete information on the tournament including rules and signup information can be downloaded at the Sea Shell’s website at https://theseashellresort.com/striped-bass-derby Captains are always welcome to sign up at the captain’s meeting on Friday night at the Sea Shell.
Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org