It has been tough Tuna fishing locally with water temps as high as 83 degree offshor

[Caveman Sportfishing]

We have struggled lately targeting tuna. It has been nothing short of a disaster and finally cancelled today’s trip that had been booked a few weeks ago to jig and chunk Bluefins. As most of us know by now there are very few if any within range of the Southern NJ boats which includes us. It started out like last year and even better with bigger BFT but died a quick death when the sea temps jumped up to 80 degrees overnight. You just do not catch tuna in 80 degree plus water at least the kind we target off Southern New Jersey. We have tried everything we know to catch tuna without any success what so ever lately. We have marked tons of bait both on the bottom and top with whales and marine life abundant but no tuna. I saw so much life at the tip of the some our local canyons which should have drawn Yellowfins in record numbers but we never had a legitimate tuna bite the last 4 days of fishing. This hold true inshore around the 30-40 fathom lines also. I do believe they just are not there and much like last fall.

Everyone one I talk to from out area are hoping to see a big blow of some kind to stir up the warm water and get the tuna fishing back on track like it was a week or so. We had high hopes of seeing some very good Yellowfin trolling action but that died very quickly with the invasion of the hot water. Seen this happen before and it reminds me of last fall when there was great White Marlin fishing inside the Poormans but this water held no tuna even though it had bait everywhere in it. I saw the similar conditions yesterday but without the thick weeds that have often plagued us in past years when trying to troll. Let the big blow happen and shake things up some offshore and possibly that is what is needed to get the tuna bite back on track in our local canyons and inshore to the 30 fathom line. I also look for the Lindy to explode with some great tuna action about this time of year and then see the tuna move south some as the fall progresses into the Spencer, Wilmington, Baltimore and Poormans. This is how I see it happening from my years of experience but unless we get some big changes offshore we better start thinking more about Mahi, Wahoo and maybe even Cobia now. I keep waiting to hear about someone reporting a Tarpon locally plus some other warm water fish that just hardly ever come this far North like certain snappers and maybe even a few Groupers. We as will most everyone will be keeping a keen eye on Bill and what it does over the next few days.

For now it will be all Mahi and Wahoo fishing on our boat plus there are lots of sharks under those busting schools of Jacks that we are seeing everywhere offshore and if anyone wants to do some catch and release sharking but I am not sure exactly what kind they are as we have never got a close enough look to identify any of them since we never actually caught and get a closer look but they are definitely out there feeding on all those vast schools of bait fish. We talked to a scallop boat captain from down in Virginia yesterday out beyond between around 40 fathoms inside the Spencer and he told us he saw some sharks that he mainly only sees down in the warmers southern waters and that does not surprise me one bit. Best of luck to everyone and hoping for those Yellowfins to make a showing real soon for all of us that look forward to the late summer fall run.

[Sea Witch]

Just something to ponder as I for one sometimes blame the hot water on the lack of a bite, how come they are still catching nice sized yellowfin out of Oregon Inlet? I know some of the guys green stick but they are still putting nice sized fish on the dock. The water down there is every bit as warm as here???? I just hope that this blow does something other than choke the edge with weeds so you can't troll.

[Sweet Caroline]

Thanks for the update John, I always look forward to your reports. I was looking a the path of Bill this morning and thought that this should shake up some offshore water, hopefully for the better. I just hope it keeps for the rest of the year.