BHCFA Fishing Report – Sept 14, 2024 – by Jim Hutchinson Sr.

The nights are cool, but the days are still pleasantly warm on Long Beach Island. This means fall is arriving at the New Jersey shore, and the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are ready to take advantage of the famed fall fishing in the Beach Haven area.

Despite the drop in air temperatures, the ocean water temperatures are at their annual peak right now. This means there is an amazing mixture of fish species around including the summer fish such as fluke and bluefish, along with the impending arrival of striped bass and slammer bluefish.

This is also the time of the year when offshore fishing is at its peak with good reports of tuna and mahi arriving daily. When weather conditions allow, boats making trips to the offshore waters are finding their targets. Even closer to shore there have been reports of these game fish along with bonito and albacore. The warm water also brings a mix of southernly fish species to the area including cobia, red drum, sheepshead, and others.

Captain Brett Taylor of Reel Reaction Sportfishing is back at his fulltime teaching job, but he is still finding time to take anglers fishing in the late afternoon and on weekends. He reports ocean trips have been producing good action with a few keepers each trip. He has also been catching various other species including mahi, ling, black sea bass, and big porgies. Once fluke season ends on September 25, he plans to start evening trips for striped bass.

Captain Max Goldman of the “Starfish” has announced he is available to take anglers out fishing in the local fishing tournaments including the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club’s LBI Cup Open Tournament. The fall months see various area fishing tournaments in the area, primarily for striped bass. In addition to Captain Max, other BHCFA captains are also available to get anglers in on the competition.

Additional information on the captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org