Bonito fishing trip yields great results

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 09/29/07
BY JOHN GEISER
CORRESPONDENT

There is some old-fashioned bonito fishing in Shore area waters, if you are in the right place at the right time.

Capt. John Brackett was there on Thursday with his Queen Mary out of Point Pleasant Beach, and 15 anglers were treated to the real thing.

"It was as good as the best of the good old days," Brackett said. "We were an hour and 15 minutes from the (Manasquan) Inlet, and it was really good fishing."

Brackett estimated the catch consisted of over 200 bonito that hit bait and bucktails.

"I made 10 casts and caught five myself," he said. "I could have caught 50, if I had wanted that many. Even the rental rods caught a dozen to 15, and there were guys with 25."

The trip was a special bonito and albacore run, and anglers could hardly have been more pleased with the results. Only one albacore was caught, but the bonito, which are far superior eating and exciting game fish in their own right, made up for it.

Brackett said he will make another bonito trip on Tuesday, and possibly schedule an additional run on Thursday.

Allen D. Riley, South Plainfield, said he was on the beach at Sandy Hook every morning through Friday, and was disappointed with the fishing.

He caught one small blue Thursday and nothing Friday morning, though the weather and conditions were beautiful, and there was plenty of bait.

"I haven't caught or seen an albacore caught yet, but there were some interesting swirls out of casting range; so you never know," he said.

John Christensen of Scott's Bait and Tackle, Bradley Beach, said blues were in and out of the surf on either side of Shark River Inlet. The fish were feeding on mullet and bunkers.

Scott Christensen of the Bradley Beach Fishing Club caught three blues in the 10-pound bracket while throwing a three-ounce Hopkins lure.

Capt. Chris Hueth, Big Mohawk, Belmar, said bottom fishing has been up and down with the response from porgies and sea bass.

"We have good days and bad days," Hueth said. "It's not bad fishing, but it's not great, either. Having that water temperature staying at 71 degrees at the end of September is not helping."

Fluke fishermen are really missing the September action this year. Last year the season ran to Oct. 9 and the year before it went to Oct. 10. Closing a month early was a real blow.

Compounding the frustration is the fact that fluke are still being caught by accident and released in the surf, and they are abundant on the artificial reefs and inshore lumps.

Also being caught by party boat anglers fishing for sea bass and ling are big winter flounders. Here, again, the fish have to be released since that season is also closed.

Capt. Willie Egerter III, Dauntless, Point Pleasant Beach, said these big winter flounders, fish that often weigh from 2 to 4 pounds, would be a real bonus for bottom fishermen, if they could be retained.

The sad part of it is that the few flounders caught on the party boats would not impact the stocks, if it were legal for them to be kept.

It is still against the law to take more than one blackfish per day, and this will remain in force through Nov. 14. The next day the limit will jump to eight fish, and this will be in effect through Dec. 31.

This will almost certainly be the last year for the eight-fish limit. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's blackfish board approved Addendum V to the interstate management plan for blackfish.

Addendum IV required a 25.6 percent reduction in exploitation, and Addendum V allows states flexibility in achieving the reduction.