Giant bluefin tuna closed after fishermen reach quota; fluke season opens
It was fun while it lasted but the trophy category for bluefin tuna, fish 73 inches or greater, closed Tuesday after recreational anglers gobbled up the 2.3 metric ton or 5,070 pound quota in the Southern New England Area Trophy Area.
The boundary line of the area extends from Chatham, Massachusetts to the Jersey cape. Fishermen can still fish for what NOAA defines as school, large school, or small medium bluefin tuna that measure 27 to 72 inches from the curved fork length to the snout.
Summer flounder, or fluke as most fishermen call them here, opens Saturday. At least one party boat will give the ocean a shot just to see what's around. The Gambler party boat will make an exploratory trip on Sunday. The greater majority of the ocean-going fleet will wait until the fishery starts cooking later this month or in June.
More: Giant bluefin tuna giving fishermen a fight off Jersey Shore coast
Capt. Hal Hagaman on the Sea Tiger II will start his half-day schedule on Saturday and will stick to the Sandy Hook and Raritan bays.
The smaller charter and private boat fishermen will most likely stick to the rivers and back bays for the next few weeks. Capt. Jerry Postorino on the Fish Monger out of Point Pleasant will try light tackle fluking for the next couple of weeks until sea bass season starts on May 17.
As far as drifting conditions go, fishermen will have light breezes out of the east on Saturday. The wind is then forecast to pick up slightly overnight and shift so that by Sunday fishermen are looking at 10 to 15 knots wind out of the southeast. There could also be some rain showers to go with it,
There have been fluke caught and released within the last week by fishermen trying for other species. Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park reported a surf fishermen caught one in their area while fishing for striped bass. Greg Bogan at Brielle Tackle said the fish are in the Manasquan River.
The regulations were changed during the off-season. Fishermen are allowed 3 fish at 18 inches per day. The exception is Island Beach State Park where surf anglers can catch 2 fish at 16 inches and Delaware Bay where the limit is 3 fish at 17 inches.
More: New Jersey's fishermen, marine council support long fluke season
The drum bite slowed down but Grumpy's Tackle reported a catch off a Barnegat Bay dock on Wednesday night, so perhaps there are some more moving in that area.
Most anglers on foot though are on the hunt for striped bass. The Ocean County barrier islands have been pretty consistent for fish. The tackle shops on those stretches of sand have reported catches daily of fish up to 40 inches. Most of the bass are coming in on clams.
The Raritan Bay fishery has been a mix of good and tough fishing. The small boat fishermen trolling or live lining fish are getting their opportunities. As far as keepers go, Hagaman said a lot of the fish are over the 31 inch size limit. With the size of his boat he's been mostly trying to locate the fish and jig them, which he's been mildly successful with this spring. But he's switching to fluke fishing now.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ fishing: Season's closed, fishermen hit giant bluefin tuna quota
