The fishing off Beach Haven and the rest of LBI is off to a great start.  The striped bass fishing has picked up right where it left off in the fall...amazing.  I have never heard of so many fish being caught over 30 lbs with many in the 40 and 50 lb class.  This simply did not happen 10 or even 5 years ago.  A 50 lb fish was a fish of a lifetime (and still is) but is not so uncommon these days.  The regulations that have been adopted by the Middle Atlantic States and well as the North East on both the striped bass and their primary food source, bunker (menhaden), have really had a positive impact on the fishery.  

The LBI fluke fishing opened a couple of weeks ago and is also off to a great start.  This fishery in the early spring is primarily a back bay fishery, with many of the fish being under the legal size limit.  Thirty fluke is not uncommon for a day of fishing, however the keeper to throw back ration is about 1 to 15.  Once the water warms up and the fluke make their annual migration onto the ocean lumps and reefs off the LBI coast, we should see that keeper ratio improve.

 

I will not be running charters this summer until after the 4th of July holiday.  I have several obligations which will be keeping me off the water and away from LBI so please check the availability calender when deciding which date you would like to fish.  Once I get going, I plan on staying open until the end of fluke season which runs until the end of September.  The popular open boats being Saturday, July 14. 

The fishing season is just getting underway and I am already hearing some reports of some nice striped bass fishing off Island Beach State Park.  My charter boat operation is not scheduled to get underway for a couple of more weeks as I am having some work done to the boat in the boat yard.  I will be fishing the annual LBI Cup which is put on by my fishing club Memorial Day weekend.  Last year there were some large bass brought to the scales.  Keep checking back and I will post on the site when my boat is ready for charter fishing.  The bass have been sticking around through June the past couple of years and there is no reason why this year will be any different.