July 27, 2010 - Hey Folks,

Welcome aboard the ANGLER.   We offer daily open boat fishing trips from spring through early winter.   The 75-foot, all aluminum ANGLER sails from the Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina at Atlantic Highlands, NJ.

Our specialties are bottom fishing for Ling, Blackfish, Winter Flounder, Black Sea Bass and Summer Flounder during the day, and Raritan Bay Striper fishing at night.

We look forward to seeing you at the dock.

Captains George Bachert, Danny Seich and Jeff Gutman

ANGLER FISHING REPORTS



July 27, 2010 - Lots of Fluke today with about 60 keepers.   We had good fishing in a number of different areas from Ambrose Channel to the TC.   Shorty had 5 nice Fluke and Howard Manger from West Orange, NJ took the pool with a 4½ pound flattie.   When the drift in the channels got too fast, we moved back to our Bay where we found some hungry Fluke.


July 26, 2010 - It was a nice day with plenty of fish but only 25 keepers.   Art Steiger from Whiting, NJ took the pool with a 6 pound Fluke.   We also had a 21 inch Sea Bass come over the rails.   We started in SH channel but not much of a bite and then moved to between the channels where we caught most of our fish.   The forecast is for light winds tomorrow and we should be able to fish Ambrose Channel without mega weights.


July 25, 2010 - Boy did the weatherman ever get it backwards.   Today was supposed to be the better of the weekend and it was a meltdown.   However, fishing was better today with 45 keepers.   It started out slow and reached its peak when the half-day boats went in for a fresh load.   Greg Herring from Plainfield, NJ had a Fluke close to 6 pounds that took the daily pool and he limited out too.   There were a number of other anglers with 4 or 5 keeper Fluke and of course some with none.   Tomorrow should be a pleasure after the last few days and the rain has already dropped the temperature to 71 degrees here.


July 24, 2010 - Teddy Ziegert from Hacketstown, NJ is our new leader in the Big Fluke Pool with today's 9 pound pool winner.   The big pool us now worth $1,930.   After catching 29 keepers on our first drift on Friday, we only had 4 today with a much faster drift.   We had to settle for fishing in the Bay where we caught plenty, but only got a few keepers each drift.   It was comfortable on the water today, but too much breeze for fishing the channels.   We also caught our first Cownose ray today.

IMPORTANT:   The ANGLER is chartered on FRIDAY, JULY 30 and will NOT be sailing on the morning trip.   Our 6:30 PM Striper trip will sail as scheduled.


July 23, 2010 - Today was a completely different story than yesterday. With only a slight wind against the tide we were able to fish the channels all day with good results.

Orville Henseler took the pool and his lovely wife Cindy had 5 keepers.   We ended the day with 46 keepers.   Tomorrow sounds like a good day to be on the water and not on land.








July 22, 2010 - We had good fishing today, but not much keeping.   We spent most of the day down the beach with good conditions since there was too much wind for the channels.   Although a few guys like Chuck with 4 keepers and Lewis with 3 keepers were able to catch dinner, most anglers only caught shorts.   Ken McGill took the pool and this was his third win out of four trips - a great average.


July 21, 2010 - The morning started out very slow on the ebb tide, but once the tide changed, so did the fishing.   We ended the day with very good fishing for lots of very nice fluke.   Al Molchan and Gregg Orefield from Mechanicsburg, PA shared the pool with a very nice Fluke.   We are ocean fishing so bring your larger weights and heavy poles.




July 20, 2010 - We drifted our channel for most of the day and caught 2 to 4 keepers on each drift.   Sometimes, we moved along at 1.5 to 2 knots and at other times, we crawled at 0.2 knots.   There were times when we caught mostly keepers and other times, there were mostly shorts.

We ended up the day with 33 keepers and John was High Hook with 5 keepers.   Cigar Bob did his magic to catch a 7 pound pool fish plus some additional keepers.   For the most part, it was a nice day on the Fluke grounds.


July 19, 2010 - We had a slow morning fishing the Reach; we had good drifting conditions, but only a few keepers.   We ended the day with good fishing in the ocean which should set us up for the next few days.

Chris Ivory from Lawrenceville, NJ had a nice 6 pound pool winning Fluke and we also had a keeper Striped Bass today.


July 18, 2010 - We were limited to where we could fish today, with a flood tide and a west wind during the entire trip.   Because of this, the fishing was much slower with only 25 keepers on board.   Brian 'Poppy' Gusman had the pool fish today.   We should get some better conditions tomorrow and without the weekend crowd on the water, we expect much improved fishing.   Our Big Pool is now worth $1,760.


July 17, 2010 - It was neither as hot, weather wise nor fishing wise as the last few days.   We had a good gang on board today and ended up the day with 40 keepers.   Too many boats on the water today and we know what that does to the fishing.   We tried to get by ourselves a few times, but to no avail.

We had a tie for the pool today with an angler from each end of the boat.   Carlos Buenano from Jersey City, NJ was in the middle of the stern and had 4 keepers.   Ed Aspril from Boonton, NJ fished the bow and caught his big fish on the next to last drift on the Reach.



July 16, 2010 - Fluke fishing was a repeat performance of yesterday and once again was in Sandy Hook Bay.   Keepers numbered in the 40s again today with an uncountable amount of shorts.   If you like catching Fluke then don't miss out on the action; it's been good all week.   Every once in a while, a big fish pops up and today, it was Archie Stewarts' turn.   He got a nice 7 1/4 pound pool fish and it was our biggest in a while.


July 15, 2010 - Another good day of fluke fishing on the ANGLER.   Today, 45 to 50 keepers came over the rails along with hundreds of shorts and non-stop action.   Bait or Gulp, either way, it made no difference.   Ray Wattson from Livingston, NJ won the pool today.


July 14, 2010 - The rain kept most people at home today, but it made for good fishing since there were just a few boats out on the water.    Once we left the dock, it was rain-free and after a slow start, we ended the day with over 35 keepers.   A lot of the keepers were over 3 pounds today and many anglers had 3 or 4.   The 'Bucktail Boys' had a ball today and easily caught over 30 fish apiece.   Lance Reis from Wanaque, NJ barely beat out a number of close contenders and won the daily pool.



July 13, 2010 - We had to work all day for two dozen keepers what with the rain and tough drifting conditions.   I would bet there were not too many limit catches of Fluke today.  However, we had a good crew of die-hard anglers today.

And Cigar Bob was the man today; he caught his limit and the pool fish.   The amazing thing is he did it without using GULP.   Yes, you can still catch fish the old-fashioned way.   And you can bet it helps to be a good fisherman.   Notice the foul weather gear on Bob.







July 8, 2010 - Today was much nicer weather wise and we had good fishing to go along with it.   We were able to fish by ourselves and everyone caught fish.

Archie Stewart had another limit catch on jigs today, but it was bait and Charlie Oh taking the pool.   We ended the day with 45 keeper Fluke.









July 6, 2010 - We had good fishing conditions today and although it was hot during the middle of the day, a breeze came up and cooled us off.

We caught fish right away today with Tom Karg from Millington, NJ making another limit catch today.   (Tom and his brother Bill are on a roll.)

Richard Ford from East Berlin, PA captured a 5 pound Sea Bass.   Nate Chudy from Flemington, NJ bagged three big fish today and took the pool with a fish close to 6 pounds.


July 5, 2010 - Normally this is the slowest day, but more people fished today than during the rest of the holiday weekend.   If they came to beat the heat and catch some Fluke, we disappointed them.   It was hot on the water today and it was also country music day with Slim Pickens on board.   Where we had been catching keepers, it was 90% shorts.   We went to some new grounds, but that also was all shorts.

Marita Riesz from Old Bridge, NJ, who is a member of the Angler 10 Pound Club, showed it's not just luck and took today's pool with a 5 pound Fluke very close to where she caught her 10 pound fish.   Good job!

Tomorrow, we will check out some new grounds and we are sure fishing will bounce back in a day or two.



July 4, 2010 - Happy Fourth of July!   We had a nice day on the water and had better fishing today.

Mike Ozeransky from Plainfield, NJ made a limit catch.   Ron Rostek from Clifton, NJ caught a 6 pound pool fish.   And as a bonus, Joe Ciafo from Bridgewater, NJ caught and released a 30 pound Striped Bass.





July 3, 2010 - Not many people in Atlantic Highlands today for the start of the July 4th weekend.  The boats are never crowded this weekend as most folks have other plans.

The fishing was much slower today with a lack of drift for most of the day.   A few guys had 4 keepers and some had none.   No lack of action with short Fluke.   Chris Arthur from Franklin Park, NJ won the daily pool.

Our Big Pool is now worth $1,520 and if you catch a 10 pound Fluke, you would win half of it ($760).






July 1, 2010 - Third good day in a row.   Captain Dan ran the Fluke trip on Wednesday, June 30 and had over 50 keepers with a high hook of 7 keepers.

George Push from Westfield, NJ won the daily pool and Russ Buchinsky from Matawan, NJ made a limit catch.

On Thursday, July 1, we had another 50 keepers with some catching all shorts and others doing very well.

Bill Karg from Millington, NJ not only had a limit catch, but now leads our Big Pool with an 8 pound 4 ounce Fluke.   His brother Tom Karg fished next to him and had 5 keepers.   Fred Frable from West Milford, NJ had 4 keepers out of 5 fish on one drift and ended the day with 5 keepers.

Captain Dan had good Striped Bass fishing last night and brought in some Jumbo Porgies as well.



June 29, 2010 - We stayed close to the dock today and had our best fluking of the season.  The Fluke bit all day and we ended up with over 75 keepers.   And most were well over the 18 inch minimum and needed no measurement.

Ken McGill from Atlantic Highlands, NJ caught our largest Fluke to date, a 7 pound pool fish.   However, Ken is not in the Big Pool, which is now worth $1,390.   And Barry Goldman had his limit of six keeper Fluke by 11:00 AM.

I am sure that these are the fish we ran into on Sunday in the ocean and they moved into the Bay on the full moon.   It was a good day to be a party boat captain.


June 28, 2010 - The weatherman got us again by telling everyone to stay inside.   It was a nice day on the water today, but all the boats in the Atlantic Highlands fleet were light on anglers.   We searched two areas that have not been fished, but came up empty.   We then tried where we had good fishing on Sunday and the fish were all shorts.   We ended the day in our Bay for the best action.   Carl Nabas from Pompton Plains, NJ won the pool today and John Porzio from Morganville, NJ was high hook with 4 keepers.


June 26, 2010 - Once again, we had all the short Fluke you could possibly want, but finding fish over 18 inches was tough.   I know Jose had over 35 fluke today, but only one keeper, and last Saturday, he had 8 keepers.

Miguel Nunez from North Brunswick, NJ caught the 4 pound pool fish.   And we did manage 30 keepers for a nice group of regulars.  (I would have been happier with 100.)   Tomorrow is another day and let's hope tonight's full moon brings in more keepers.


June 25, 2010 - There was no lack of Fluke again today, but you have to work hard for the keepers.   Our best Fluke fishing has been on the inside.

Bill Chiavarini from Piscataway, NJ took today's pool with one of his two nice keepers.   Last year, Bill won the Big Pool and he is fishing hard again this year.   Our Big Pool is now worth $1,260.








June 24, 2010 - Frank Spingola from Pohatcong, NJ had a 6 pound pool winner today and George the Cook had a 6 1/2 pound keeper.   The wind hurt the fishing today, but we still managed 22 keepers.   Friday looks good with a northwest wind in the forecast.











June 23, 2010 - We picked away at Fluke all day with 28 keepers and plenty of shorts.   Rory and a lady fishing in the bow had four keepers each.  And Tom Karg from Millington, NJ had a 5¾ pound pool fish.   Two weeks ago, Tom had a big fish get away through no fault of his own and today's pool fish came from the same hole.   Our Big Pool now worth $1,230 and growing.


June 22, 2010 - We had another good day of fluke fishing.   The back of the boat came to life today.   Charlie Palecek from Butler, NJ fish a corner and took the pool.   (Happy Birthday, Charlie!)   Cigar Bob was right next to him and had his limit.   Cigar Jim was next in line at the rail and he did well too.   Conditions were not the best, but many guys had 15 to 20 shorts with one to six keepers.


June 21, 2010 - We had a fair day of Fluke fishing today.   There were plenty of shorts and if the size limit was 17 inches, we would have had a great day.

Tony Picaro from Westfield, NJ won the pool today.   We ended the day with 35 keepers and most were over 20 inches. Folks fishing in the bow had more keepers than those in the stern.   Bill got four keepers, and Archie fished a corner and had one keeper and 30 shorts.   Our Big Pool is now $1,160.






June 20, 2010 - The Fluke fishing was nothing like yesterday.   We had very little drift for most of the day and when we did drift there were fewer Fluke.   Ed Aspril from Boonton, NJ was high hook with five keepers - a good job on a slow day.   Andrew Hsiung from Bridgewater, NJ had a 5 pound pool fish plus another nice fish.

June 18, 2010 - It was a nice day on the ocean with a good catch of bottom fish.   As always, some folks only had a few fish in the cooler while others had in the twenties.   The catch was mostly Ling with some Sea Bass and Cod mixed in.   Shorty Lewis from Patterson, NJ took the pool with a Cod and also got some super-size Ling.   And Marilyn Reingold from Parlin, NJ got a nice Tog which got tossed back.   Jim HBK was out again today and caught his first keeper Cod and some jumbo Ling.


June 17, 2010 - It was windy today, but we still managed a good catch of Fluke.

Steve Vizzi from West Milford, NJ took today's pool.   In the other thumbnail, Jim shows his best-ever Fluke.   Charles Hand from Piscataway, NJ (sorry, no photo) was high hook with a limit catch of six nice Fluke.

ON FRIDAY, JUNE 18 WE WILL SAIL AT 7:00 AM TO 4:00 PM FOR LING AND SEA BASS.   THIS IS OUR LAST BOTTOM TRIP TILL THE FALL.





June 16, 2010 - We thought there would be very good Fluke fishing today and it was.   Ed Aspril from Boonton, NJ had today's first limit catch at 10:46 AM.   Fred Frabel from West Milford, NJ had our second limit catch and Frank Kocun from Woodbridge, NJ had number three.   It was only one week ago that Frank caught his first keeper Fluke of the year and won the pool with our only keeper.   Today, it was his third pool in three trips and he is on a roll.   There is a nice spread of keepers around now.

ON FRIDAY, JUNE 18 WE WILL SAIL AT 7:00 AM TO 4:00 PM FOR LING AND SEA BASS.   THIS IS OUR LAST BOTTOM TRIP TILL THE FALL.





June 14, 2010 - A slow start with a good finish today.   We had a good day of fluking with 95% of the anglers catching at least one keeper.   Killie baits worked well today.

Frank Kocun from Woodbridge, NJ won the pool with a nice 5 3/4 pound Fluke and is the first angler to win his second Fluke pool of the season.   The Big Pool is now worth $860.


June 12, 2010 - After our worst day in recent memory on Wednesday, we had our best day of the year today with hundreds of shorts and plenty of keepers.   Some people likely stayed home today because of Wednesday's report and they blew it.   We have a new body of fish moving in with the new moon.

Rabindra Karmaher from Princeton Junction, NJ won the pool with two fish over 5 pounds plus four keepers.   And Miguel Nunez from North Brunswick, NJ had five keepers.





June 11, 2010 – On Thursday, we had better Fluke fishing and we saw larger shorts than we have been seeing.   Tom Zaborowski from Emmaus, PA won the daily pool and we lost our biggest Fluke of the year at the boat.   Captain Ed from the Sea Horse said it looked like new fish moved in and he had noticed improved Fluke fishing.
















Bottom fishing today was nowhere near what we had two weeks ago.   As luck would have it, we had a full boat which made it tougher for everyone to put together decent catches.   We did manage to get some nice Ling although the fish at the Scotland grounds were small.   The sad part was the number of nice Tog and jumbo Flounder we had to throw back because of the season closures.   Kurt Burry from Hatfield, PA won today's pool with a Cod.   Jim Custer just missed the pool with a jumbo Sea Bass, and Noel made a rare double-header catch of a Flounder and a Sea Bass.   Next FRIDAY (JUNE 18) we will run a LONGER BOTTOM TRIP from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

During our trip back in today, we saw some nice Fluke caught and the weekend Fluke fishing should be okay.


June 7, 2010 - Everything looked great to go down the beach – we had a northwest wind and outgoing tide and last night's west winds made for a flat ocean.   We fished six drops from the point of Sandy Hook to the Shrewsbury Rocks, but we could not find a keeper Fluke.   We had some shorts and a few Sea Bass, but not worth the $200 in fuel nor the time spent.

We ended the day back in our Bay where we caught a few fish, but nowhere near enough.   We had a tie for the pool between Mike Ayres from West Milford, NJ (photo on left) and Michael Tufaro from Garfield, NJ (photo on right).   Tomorrow will be better.




June 6, 2010 – A strong wind kept us in Raritan Bay today and we picked and slugged away at the Fluke all day.   First a report on today's fishing and then some comments on fluking.   Rory Mooney from Carteret, NJ took the pool with a 22 inch Fluke.   Rich Doran from Toms River, NJ was high hook with four keepers.

With the use of jigs and Gulp baits, we have a whole new breed of Fluke anglers.   I am amazed at some of the rigs that I see people using.   Yes, you may have caught fish one day with them, but if they are not producing and the guy next to you is catching loads of fish, check out his rig.  As of right now, the cut bait we provide on the boat is out-producing Gulp.  Use it, it's FREE.   Ask me or the mates if you are having a problem getting a bite.





June 5, 2010 - We had good fluking for the first four drifts today with 25 keepers and a few hundred shorts.   It was good fishing until the weekend boat traffic killed the action.   George Depack from Manahawkin, NJ took the pool with a 4 pound 11 ounce Fluke.   Tomorrow's weather promises good drifting.


June 4, 2010 - We had much better drifting conditions and much better Fluke fishing today.   Great action today with over 40 keepers and 300 plus shorts; the keeper to short ratio is about 1 to 8.   Jimmy 'The Limit' Gallegos from Secaucus, NJ got the pool with a Fluke over 5 pounds.   We will be sailing open all weekend and wishing for a drift.




June 3, 2010 - Conditions, conditions, conditions.  This is always the name of the game when Fluke fishing.   We had no drift in the Bay at the start of the day, so we went down the beach, where we caught some fish until the tide got too strong.   We went back to the Bay where we had very little drift until the end of the day.   Our best drift was our last drift when the wind finally pushed us along.   Rich Freeberg from Pearl River, NY got a 5 pound pool fish.   Short action was good, but not enough keepers today.   The Fluke are here, but we need good drifting conditions to catch them.


June 2, 2010 - We had good fishing today with a fair amount of keeper Fluke.   It has to be Wednesday... we had no drift in the Bay at the start of the day.   So we fished in the ocean and got loads of shorts and a pick on keepers.

Tony Puzzo from Middlesex, NJ won the daily pool with a nice 6 pound 1 ounce Fluke and also took the lead in our Big Pool.   And we did catch fish back in the Bay when the tide changed later in the day.

Thursday should be good since the weatherman is calling for plenty of southwesterly wind.





June 1, 2010 - Good Fluke fishing all day and we had a rare event today with everyone on board catching at least one keeper.   Archie Stewart from Nutley, NJ led the pack with our first limit catch of six nice Fluke.   Ed Aspril from Boonton, NJ was close behind with five keepers and most anglers had at least two or three keepers.   Jay Slomovitz from Westfield, NJ won the pool with a 5 1/2 pound Fluke.   There is a lot of action with 17 and 17 1/2 inch Fluke and many people are catching over 20 fish.


May 31, 2010 - We started in the Bay and the Knoll, but didn't find much.   We moved to the Rip area where we had some keepers on Sunday, and we had much better action with short Fluke and we had one drift that produced four keepers.   Although we did not find any Fluke at the nude beach yesterday, we had good drifting conditions today, so we gave it a whack.   We had steady fishing with mostly shorts but it was okay fishing.   Just not many keepers in the pails.

When the outgoing tide came, we lost the drift and we headed back to the Bay.   The 1/2-day boats were just leaving for the dock.   We spoke to Captain Tom on the Atlantic Star and he said they had 13 fish for the morning and fished from the pound nets northward.   We headed 1.5 miles further south to get by ourselves where we had success on May 30.   Conditions were perfect and the Fluke were waiting with open mouths!   We doubled our catch before heading for home.   Artie Stieger caught a Fluke close to 5 pounds and ended the day with three keepers.   John Porzio from Morganvillle, NJ caught a 5 pound Fluke to beat him for the pool.   Frank and Artie both had over 20 Fluke for the day.   A young lady also had three keepers and at least 20 shorts.   This was much better fishing than we saw on the first two days of the season and we can't wait for the sharpies to show up this week.   What a shame there were only 20 people on board on such a good day.


May 29, 2010 - We got to the boat at 5 AM and let the waiting regulars board for our first Fluke trip of the season.   First to board was Jim Custer from Edison.   He grabbed his favorite spot and he ended the day with high hook honors of 5 keepers and loads of shorts.   We had good action all day and Pat Moran from Pottsville, PA took the pool with a 5 pound Fluke.   It was a fun day and we are looking forward to tomorrow.


May 28, 2010 - It was as if the fish knew this was our last day of bottom fishing and they made it a banner day!   Jumbo Ling and offshore-sized Sea Bass were on the menu today.   We did not get the pool winner's name today, but he caught a nice Cod, and Charles had another jumbo Sea Bass.   Today was the best bottom fishing we have had this year and it is a case of better late than never... The fish really came inshore on Thursday's full moon.   Because of the great fishing, we are going to run two more BOTTOM FISHING TRIPS on FRIDAY JUNE 11 and FRIDAY JUNE 18.

Starting tomorrow (Saturday), we will be 3/4-day FLUKE FISHING and we hope to sail early.



May 27, 2010 - The weather forecast kept a lot of folks home today and they missed out on some good Sea Bass and Ling action.   About 60% of today's catch were Sea Bass and they were mostly keepers (and some of them were real beauties.)   Ray Williams from Cliffside Park, NJ had today's pool with a jumbo Ling.

On Monday, the pool winner was Byron Brown from Patterson, NJ with a jumbo Sea Bass that beat out a keeper Cod.   We also had a Striper on Monday that we could keep since we were inside the 3 mile line.   (But we only count bottom fish in the pool.)   The weather forecast has changed and Friday now looks good.




May 26, 2010 - We had good Ling and Sea Bass fishing today on a nearly flat ocean.   There has been an easterly swell but it did not bother the fishing.   Jack Decker from N. Haledon, NJ took today's pool with a big Ling and he also got some big Sea Bass.   Thursday's weather looks good, but Friday looks iffy.


May 25, 2010 - Overall, the catch was 70% Ling today.   Some anglers, like Bob Kirsten from Port Monmouth, NJ, had an excellent day, catching a bucket and a half of Ling and Sea Bass.   Bob's pool winning Sea Bass was an offshore jumbo and weighed close to 6 pounds.  And he was high hook with about 30 fish.   Some guys only had a few.

The weather for Wednesday and Thursday looks good, but Friday looks doubtful.






May 20, 2010 - The day started out slow and the last two days of 5 to 8 foot seas had chased many of the fish off the wrecks.   And the few fish we caught were washed out looking and had little color.   We looked for better fishing and went offshore only to return inshore at the end of the day.   By the end of the afternoon flood tide you could see a difference with much better fishing and that the color was returning to the fish.   We ended the day with a fair catch of mostly large to jumbo Ling along with three Cod and a lobster.   We also had a handful of nice Sea Bass and Tog.   (The Sea Bass should help us next week since their season opens on May 22.)   Steve Berthuiaume from Lodi, NJ took the pool with a nice Cod, and Cigar Jim and Rich had some jumbo Ling.
I believe that tomorrow will be a good day to catch fish and I do not make this prediction often.


May 18, 2010 - IMPORTANT:  The ANGLER is chartered on SATURDAY, MAY 22 and will NOT be sailing on the morning trip.   The 6:30 PM Striper trip will sail as scheduled.


May 16, 2010 - Today was a case of "you should have been here yesterday".   Congo eels were everywhere and it was tough to keep your bait out of their mouths.   Of course, there were some Ling and Cod mixed in, but we kept moving to get away from the eels.

Tony McDaniel from LaFayette, Georgia won today's pool with a nice Cod.   Tomorrow's weather looks good but Tuesday is looking like a washout.
























May 15, 2010 - We headed offshore today and found some warmer water and much better fishing for Ling along with some Cod mixed in.   Mike Lee from South Bound Brook, NJ took the pool with a Cod and also had some jumbo Ling to go with it.   Mike had a 7 pound Tog plus a dozen Ling and some short Cod.   Dave had a pair of keeper Cod (his first ever.)   Christine had a couple of Cod and 15 Ling.   The fishing was much better today and we will return to the same area on Sunday.


May 14, 2010 - Today was a carbon copy of yesterday and Tim Dickerson from Wanaque, NJ won the pool with one of his big Ling.   We will be fishing deeper waters over the weekend and expect to see more Cod in the mix.


May 13, 2010 - We spent the day on the Scotland Grounds and the first drop was our best.   Shorty Lewis from Paterson, NJ won the pool with a jumbo Ling.   It was a nice day on the water and with only a few anglers on board, I spent most of the day at the rail.   On the first drop, I had 8 blackfish up to 8 pounds and four of them would have been keepers.   I also had two jumbo Ling and our first inshore Pout.   The remainder of the day, I caught a few more Ling and a keeper Cod to give me a fine bag of fillets.

I saw more bait today than I have seen all year and I believe yesterday's weather helped our cause.   No Sea Bass around yet.   Tomorrow's weather looks okay and the weekend forecast looks great.


May 12, 2010 - After a good Ling trip last Friday, the heavy winds kept us tied to the dock over the weekend.   On Monday, we revisited the areas we fished on Friday, but only got a few Ling on each drop.   Frank Kocun from Woodbridge, NJ had the pool fish.

On Tuesday, we had some avid bottom boys aboard who know how to catch 'em.   We fished ten drops from Scotland to the New Grounds, the Apple Pie and between the channels.   All are top spring Ling areas, but we only found a few Ling in each area.   Our first drop produced quite a few nice Blackfish.

Chuck caught four keeper-sized Tog and three shorts, but the Blackfish season just closed and he tossed them back.   It's a shame!   The fisheries management folks close the season for recreational anglers in order to allow the fish to breed, yet they let the commercial fishermen have their fish pots all over the Bay.  Those management bureaucrats got it all wrong!

Tony Puzzo from Middlesex, NJ had a jumbo Ling that beat out a keeper Cod.   We also found plenty of Congo Eels and one jumbo Flounder.

During the next few days and over the weekend, we plan to fish offshore since the main body of Ling has yet to move in.   In a normal year, we would also be seeing a lot of Sea Bass by now and we have seen none.









May 7, 2010 - We finally had a good day of LING fishing.   We fished inshore and ended the day with over 150 Ling which shows that they are filling in since last week.   Noel Westerlind from Middletown, NJ was high hook with 20 Ling, Loni took second place with 17 Ling, and Russell had 15.   Joe took the pool with a keeper Cod and we had a new angler aged 8, who caught his first ling.

The 40 knot winds forecast for this weekend may keep us tied to the dock on Saturday and Sunday.

WE WILL GO LING FISHING EVERY DAY STARTING MONDAY MAY 5.





May 6, 2010 - We did not make it out today but we were out on Wednesday .   Early in the day, we jigged some Stripers to the East, but it fell apart when boat traffic increased.   We headed back to the Knolll to try some clamming, but that produced mostly jumbo Bluefish and only one bass.

Dana Faison from Montclair, NJ had the biggest bass and won the pool.
On Friday, we will be LING FISHING and the reports are showing some improvement.







May 2, 2010 - Started out with a blast today and ended with a dud.   We took the inshore route today and headed off to where we ended yesterday and the Stripers were up on top again.   If it were a weekday with less boat traffic, we would have gotten many more fish.
















Patrick Kostka from Boonton, NJ had four keepers and got the pool.   A nice couple from Easton, PA, Rodelle Seyler and Thomas Mammano each made limit catches.   Joey Gorskie from Middletown, NJ had his first ever keeper Bass.   Let's hope the rain doesn't keep us in the barn on Monday.


May 1, 2010 - After seeing a lot of birds south of where we bottom fished yesterday, we decided to go down the beach instead of to the east where we fished on Friday.   It turned out to be a good decision; we found loads of bass and had a good day.   The Stripers were high in the water and boiling on the surface so lighter jigs worked best.
















Frank Kocun from Woodbridge, NJ ended the day with five keepers and the pool fish.    Good Job!   There were lots of guys who hadn't bass fished in years and they had their limit.

We will fish for Striped Bass every day except Fridays when we will bottom fish for Ling and Blackfish.


April 30, 2010 - We did not have the shallow Tog bite we had yesterday.   Fishing was only fair for Ling and we wound up with a mix of Tog, Cod, Bass, Blues, Flounder and Ling.
















Lonnie Thompson had the pool Tog and beat out a few Cod.   Just a reminder, Bass and Blues are not in the pool when we are bottom fishing.   We will fish for Striped Bass every day except Fridays when we will bottom fish for Ling and Blackfish.


April 29, 2010 - We had good Tog fishing today for a light crowd.   We stopped inshore and everyone limited out in a couple of hours.   From there, we moved offshore to look for Ling.   It was very windy, but we managed a couple dozen Ling and a keeper Cod.
















Bill Gilleriea from Branchburg, NJ had a Cod and tied Howard Manger's Blackfish for the pool.   We will sail for Ling and Tog tomorrow and then every Friday we will bottom fish.  


April 24, 2010 - We had much better Striper fishing today and it was all on bait.   We had over 50 bass and about half of them were keepers.
















Brian Missigman from Wrightstown, NJ had the hot hand and boated a dozen Bass; five were keepers and one was the pool fish.   Great job!!!!   Mike Mucha from Hamilton, NJ wasn't in the pool, but he caught the largest fish, a nice 24 pounder.

Check out the photos of the two lads who caught their very first keeper bass.   Darren Linde from Red Bank, NJ (on the left) is 10 years old and Ron Benenson from East Brunswick, NJ is 11 years old.

And pretty girls can catch fish on the ANGLER too.







If the weather is good on THURSDAY, APRIL 29 and FRIDAY, APRIL 30, we will make LING AND BLACKFISH TRIPS from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

















April 23, 2010 - On Thursday, we bait fished (clams) for Stripers all day.   The fishing was very slow, but Janice Thompson came through and won the pool.

Today was much better, but still poor fishing compared to what was happening earlier this week.   Kyle Kelly from Stone Ridge, NY won the pool and caught his two fish limit.  Nine year-old Ryan O'Hara from Little Silver, NJ caught his first bass (a keeper) and he did it all by himself.


April 22, 2010 - Striper fishing was slow yesterday, but we did clam some bass.   The fish were not where they were during the last few days and seem to be moving to the east.   Frank Kocun from Woodbridge, NJ won the pool and John Annelli was high hook with five bass.

We will bass fish during the day for another week, but if the weather looks good next week, we will try a special Ling and Tog trip.

Night bass fishing has been spotty with some very good nights mixed in with slow nights.




April 20, 2010 - Ray Martinez from Manville, NJ caught this 25 pound beauty today.   We limited the boat before noon.

We had very good jigging for big bass on Monday.   Bob Floppiano of Brooklyn, NY had a 22 pound pool fish and we limited the boat.   Sunday was also good.
















April 17, 2010 - Bottom fishing turned out poor on our opening day.   The ocean was not too nice, but we figured we would catch some fish since it is time for Ling and Tog.   We started our trip at Scotland and then tried the Apple Pie and the Shrewsbury Rocks but didn't get a single bite.   We ended the day in Raritan Bay and caught a couple of keeper Blackfish along with some shorts.   Carl Nabas from Pompton Plains, NJ won the pool.

WE HAVE SWITCHED TO 3/4-DAY STRIPED BASS TRIPS UNTIL THE LING SHOW UP

CAPTAIN DAN IS SAILING EVERY NIGHT FOR STRIPED BASS


April 6, 2010 - It's time to dust off your fishing rods...

The ANGLER is starting its spring fishing season on FRIDAY APRIL 16.

We will be fishing EVERY DAY for Blackfish and Ling from 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM and EVERY EVENING for Striped Bass from 6:30 PM to 11:30 PM.

We look forward to seeing you at the dock.


The SAVE THE SUMMER FLOUNDER FISHERY FUND (SSFFF) is holding their THIRD ANNUAL FUND-RAISING DINNER on APRIL 16 and  proceeds will go towards improving the science behind the Summer Flounder fishery.  The proceeds will sponsor continued biological research studies, support legislation that will allow fisheries managers a reasonable level of regulatory flexibility, and support continued improvement of the scientific stock review (assessment) as well as generating the new data needed to make that assessment the best it can possibly be.   All of these items are needed to ensure the SSFFF can proceed with their agenda and we can continue to recreationally fish for Summer Flounder.

The fund-raiser will be held at the beautiful Crystal Point Yacht Club.   Tickets can be purchased through the mail or on-line.   Included are a cocktail hour, a full dinner, and lots of prizes, raffles and gifts.

Date: 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2010
Location: Crystal Point Yacht Club, 3900 River Road, Point Pleasant, NJ  http://www.thecrystalpoint.com/
Donation: $75 per person.   Reservations are required.
For more information, visit the SSFFF web site at http://www.ssfff.net/fundraiser.html.


January 26, 2010 - We have decided to quit fishing one week earlier than originally planned.

THE ANGLER'S LAST TRIP OF THE WINTER WILL BE SUNDAY, JANUARY 31.

We will resume fishing in the beginning of April.




Summer Flounder (Fluke) stocks are in good shape and the biomass is at the highest levels ever recorded.   However, we cannot say the same thing for the fishery.   In spite of great progress in building Summer Flounder stocks, the National Marine Fisheries Service continues their overly restrictive regulations and quotas are lower than they should be.
If you are concerned about the future of the Summer Flounder Fishery and the continuing viability of the businesses and fishermen that rely on this resource, then you need to help both the fishery and yourself by supporting the SAVE THE SUMMER FLOUNDER FISHERY FUND.

The SSFFF is a non-profit organization made up of party and charter boat owners, tackle and bait shop owners, tackle distributors, bait wholesalers and others whose livelihoods are dependent on a healthy and vibrant recreational fishing industry.   They seek to safeguard and improve fishing access to Summer Flounder through scientific and legislative means.   For additional information, visit the organization's web site at www.SSFFF.net.

The ANGLER is a sponsor of the SAVE THE SUMMER FLOUNDER FISHERY FUND and we urge you to make a donation.


January 21, 2010 - A nice flat ocean today and we had a pick on Ling and Pout.   Eric Jensen from Basking Ridge, NJ caught a big slob of a Ling to win the pool.   Cold water has all but shut down the Tog bite, but maybe easterly weather will bring in some warmer water.   We will keep sailing on the nice days and our last trip of the winter will be Sunday, February 7.

January 20, 2010 - Fishing has slowed, but we are catching some Ling, and Cod are winning most of the daily pools.

Art Steiger from Whiting, NJ won the pool on Wednesday with a Cod.













January 13, 2010 - Good fishing for LARGE TOG on Wednesday.   You had to wait for the bite without moving your bait and although most guys had a good day, a few did not catch a fish.   Basil Chalet (photo above left) from Belleville, NJ had a 9.9 pound pool fish and seven keepers.

John and Archie each had 9-pound Togs, and Artie Steiger from Whiting, NJ had an 8-pound fish plus 5 keepers.   The weather looks good for the next few days.


January 11, 2009 - We were out fishing on Sunday and landed Jumbo Tog, some Ling and one Cod.   Mike Ayres from West Milford, NJ had the hot rod with six keepers and a 12 pound pool winner Tog.   The weather for this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday looks good.


Archie Stewart from Nutley, NJ and Alvin Falk from Somerville, NJ had this pair of identical JUMBO TOG on January 6.   Both were almost 13 pounds.   Archie nosed out Alvin on the pool.









January 1, 2010 - Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year from the captains and crew of the ANGLER.

Just as a reminder, the ANGLER is an open party fishing boat and you don't need to make reservations.   This applies to all of our regularly scheduled morning and evening fishing trips.   Like other party boats, we work on a first come, first serve basis, so all you need to do is arrive at the boat anywhere from one to one-half hour before sailing time.   Please call our office at 732-872-0744 for the latest fishing reports.

Our sister vessel, the VOYAGER is an 85-foot all aluminum supercruiser powered by two NEW turbo charged diesel engines making her fast, spacious and very comfortable for deep sea fishing.   The VOYAGER sails from the dock at Fishermen's Supply Co. located at 69 Channel Drive in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.

Click here to see the 2010 VOYAGER FISHING SCHEDULE.

Visit the VOYAGER web site at www.VoyagerFishing.com for more information.