Full moon bringing increased fluke activity

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 08/28/07

Fluke fishermen expect an improvement in landings on the downside of the moon this week.

The moon blooms full tonight, and there were already signs of increased activity Monday. Conditions — mainly enough drift — will be the key.

Capt. Chris Hueth docked his Big Mohawk Monday in Belmar Marine Basin with his best catch of fluke in three days. There were no scale-straining giants, but a good spread of 2- to 4-pound fish, and seven limits on the boat.

"It was a big improvement today," he said. "Sunday we had no drift. Without the drift, it won't happen."

Hueth is convinced that a certain fraction of the summer flounder stock that remains in the shallows from June through September has already moved out.

"We'll see if some of these fish move back in to the beach after this full moon," he said. "It could happen."

He has been fishing deeper water, drifting over rocks, mussels and other rough stuff, and pulling fish over a wide area. One angler had seven keepers on a single drift Monday.

"We caught a fair amount of throwbacks today," he said. "Some guys probably caught and released 15 to 18 small fish, but there were nice ones mixed in, especially after 10 a.m."

Capt. Tom Buban, whose Atlantic Star docks in Atlantic Highlands, said he caught fluke on both trips Monday.

"We caught a fair amount of fish," he said. "The problem is that we're not keeping enough. There are an awful lot of 15 3/4-, 16- and 16 1/2-inch fish, and they're nice fat fish.

"Some guys get two or three keepers, but not as many as I'd like to see them land to take home," he said. "Our biggest one today was a 10-pounder caught by Larry Clark of Hazlet. He took it on a Spro."

Capt. Carmine Monaco, Lucky Carm, Keyport, fished the west end of Raritan Reach, and had good fishing over the weekend.

"I found a good spot, and we had 76 keepers up to 6.8 pounds," he said. "We caught them all on live peanut bunkers. I didn't try any other bait."

Mark, Arlene and Morgan Johnson, Buffalo, N.Y., had their limit up to 5 pounds as did Dr. Michael Ogden and his daughter, Erica, 15, from Ashland, Pa., on a four-hour trip. They had fluke up to 6.1 pounds.

Doug Nixon and Ed Weeden, Summit, Pa., fished with Monaco on another trip, and they limited out on fluke to 5.6 pounds, and caught a number of bluefish.

Capt. Howard Bogan Jr., Jamaica, Brielle, said fishing for bluefish continued to be good at the end of the week and over the weekend.

"Fishing started out slowly Thursday night, but, by the end of the night, fishing was very good, and the Jamaica returned with a good catch of 5- to 12-pound blues," he said.

Friday they caught blues on both bait and jigs with some passengers landing the limit, and everyone taking some 5- to 12-pound blues. The pool winner weighed 12.5 pounds.

Capt. Dale Steinert ran the 110-foot Atlantis for blues in place of the Jamaica Sunday night, and Capt. Francis Bogan ran the Atlantis Monday for blues. The Jamaica will sail for blues every day and night this week.

Capt. Greg Markert, Golden Eagle, Belmar, said the weather kept him tied to the dock last week until Thursday when the Eagle got out, and returned with a good catch of blues and a few bonito. The action was on bait and jigs.

Markert said the Golden Eagle was not out Monday as the crew performed maintenance in anticipation of the first canyon tuna trip Sept. 3. There were still four spots left Monday for that trip, and one spot remaining for the Sept. 10 trip. The Sept. 24 trip is sold out as is the "Iron Man" run.

Lud and Jen Bohler, owners of the Moondancer out of Brielle, had plenty of action in Toms Canyon, according to Dave Arbeitman of The Reel Seat, Brielle.

Capt. Mike Petrole and mate Steven Van Bergen put out a Reel Seat green bullet nob spreader bar, and Jen Bohler caught her first bigeye tuna — a 170-pounder.

Night chunking produced five longfin tuna, a 100-pound swordfish and 13 yellowfin tuna from 50 to 70 pounds. Most of the tuna were caught on Shimano Flat Side Butterfly jigs.