Long Beach Island (LBI) Charter Fishing (Tuna, Shark, Blues, Fluke)
Posted on July 27, 2008 by Jonathan Carr |
Long Beach Island (LBI), located in Southern New Jersey on the Atlantic Ocean offers some of the best inshore/offshore fishing on the entire east coast. The most common types of charter fishing are for Tuna, Shark, Bluefish (Blues), Striped Bass, Sea Bass, and Flounder (Fluke). There are many other types of fish in the Long Beach Island (LBI) area, but these are the most sought out game-fish.
Charter fishing is the concept of hiring a local/professional captain and possibly crew to take you fishing. They will provide you with everything you need along with a fully rigged boat. There is a great level of customization in charter fishing depending on what you want to do. In most cases, you can make special requests for food and drink and the captain will make sure it is cold and fresh when you step aboard. You can choose to fish in the back-bay/inlets, inshore (1-20 miles), or offshore (20+ miles). Here is a better explanation of the types of Long Beach Island (LBI) charter fishing:
OFFSHORE CHARTER FISHING
Offshore charter fishing is the most serious and intense form of Long Beach Island (LBI) charter fishing. Some trips only go for a few hours and some can be as long as 48 hours depending on what package you choose. These trips usually take you out to the Hudson Canyon, however, they are also known to fish other canyons as well. Either way, you are going out to where the water depth drops from 80 feet to hundreds of feet (which is about 60-80 miles from the coast of New Jersey). This drop-off is home to many Tuna, Mahi-mahi, Wahoo, Mako Shark, Marlin, and other billfish. This type of fishing is the most expensive form of charter fishing from Long Beach Island (LBI), but it can be the most rewarding.
INSHORE CHARTER FISHING
Inshore charter fishing is still in the ocean like offshore fishing, except it is closer to the shore. Inshore is considered anything within 20 miles from the coast. This type of charter fishing will be less expensive than offshore because it uses less gas and the tackle/gear is not as large and expensive. In these waters you will find Bluefish, Striped Bass, Sea Bass, and Fluke. Bluefish like to circle the north and south ridge (pictured above). The ridges are two flat-top mini-mountains about 14 miles off the coast of Long Beach Island. The water is about 80 feet deep all around them and the top of each ridge is about 40-50 feet from the water surface. The two ridges provides a safe haven for Bluefish, Bonito, Albacore, and small football-sized baby tuna. Sea Bass and Fluke can be found on the many wrecks that are scattered in the inshore waters. There are also artificial reefs which are a part of the Garden State Artificial Reef Program. Striped Bass can be found closer to the shore. They like to pin local bait-fish in the shallow water. This type of fishing is the kind I do most and it will never get old.
On Long Beach Island, there are several party boats that go inshore fishing. These boats are as large as 100 feet and can take as many as 100 people at a time. Here are a few of them:
BACK-BAY/INLET CHARTER FISHING
If your stomach cannot handle being out in the ocean, you might want to stick to the back-bays or the inlets when you go charter fishing. You can still catch all the fish listed in inshore charter fishing, however, they might be a little smaller. You don’t get the Atlantic Ocean experience, however, this type of trip might be exactly what the doctor ordered for you. In addition to the game-fish you may find here, there is also excellent crabbing and clamming. The Blue crab (aka Blueclaw) is famous in the Long Beach Island area for having very sweet meat. The Little Neck Clam is also adored for its sweet tasting qualities. I would suggest trying a few of these trips before you try anything inshore or offshore.
LONG BEACH ISLAND (LBI) CHARTER FISHING
No matter what your dream-fishing trip is, a charter fishing organization on Long Beach Island (LBI) will be able to fulfill it. Remember that you should always give a 20% gratuity on top of the listed rate. Tips make up the primary income for crew members and mates of charter fishing boats. They will bust their butt to make sure you have a great trip, therefore you should return to favor. Here are a few charter fishing organizations in the Long Beach Island Area:
BEACH HAVEN CHARTER FISHING ASSOCIATION
Image (top) courtesy of Jeff’s Weather Blog
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3 Responses to “Long Beach Island (LBI) Charter Fishing (Tuna, Shark, Blues, Fluke)”
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Finally all the info I need about charter fishing on one page. No crap, just straight answers. Thanks my man!
Cool pic from Jeff’s Weather Blog. I am assuming that the red is the Gulf Stream warm waters dippin in. I’ve always wanted to go out there where the monser Marlin are.
Yep, thats 80F degree water out there in the red. It has always been a dream for me too. Going 30 miles out for Mako this weekend.