Fishermen lock in on triggerfish over the rocky bottom

The triggerfish are on the inshore, shallow rock piles, but it takes some scouting to locate the right patch of rocks. 

Captain Jerry Postorino's charter boat Fish Monger was filled to the brim with triggerfish after his party of anglers spent the day Wednesday bailing the fish. It was a fallback plan, too, as he had set out to catch fluke but while he found no shortage of short fish, there was next to nothing for keepers.

He received a tip from a friend that the triggerfish were biting and after a bit of search, he honed in on a big school. Postorino said there were some porgies mixed in with the triggerfish.

Fluke fishing has been testing the resolve of fishermen all season. A strong south current didn't help it too much this week. The party boats have been scraping together a catch. 

Captain Bob Bogan of the Gambler said the sea bass have been helping put fish in the bucket. He's been up on the reefs outside of Manasquan Inlet picking some keepers amongst the pile of short fish. 

Bobby Matthews at Fisherman's Den reported a 5 pounder landed by Jack Mclaughlin, who was fishing on one of the Belmar party boats. 

More on APP.com: Boats zero in on blues, bonito 15 miles from Manasquan Inlet

The bonito fishing is red hot. The boats have had to travel anywhere from 15 to 20 miles but the action has been worth burning the fuel. Big Jamaica's skipper Howard Bogan said he had fares land over two dozen bonito on Wednesday. There were some blues mixed in with them.    

"It was a little slow first thing in the morning, but, improved as the day went on. There were even a number of doubleheaders coming over on a jig teaser combo," Bogan said. 

He said a few were caught on bait but, jigging was by far the most productive method. The biggest bonito landed on the boat was 5 pounds. Bogan's been on the bonito for a few days and said he'll stick with it for as long as the fish are in range. 

Get to know NJ's ling: Why people travel miles for this 'ugly' fish 

Tuna fishermen continue to stay on the hunt for bluefin tuna. Dave DeGennaro of the Hi Flier returned to dock with a 70-pound bluefin on a trip Monday. He ran 60 miles northeast of Barnegat Inlet and along with the tuna, released a pair of hammerhead sharks and a dusky. 

The tuna hit a whole squid DeGennaro said they had dropped down 90-feet in the water column.

Closer to home, surf fishing has been interesting, to say the least. Schools of migrating cownose rays have been spotted in the surf at just about locale from Monmouth Beach on down to the Wildwoods. They've already taken a few anglers for a ride. 

The kingfish run lost some steam this week, but the fish are still in the area. Jingle's Bait and Tackle reported Tuesday the fish were being landed on Long Beach Island. 

Matthews said surf fishermen are catching the kings along with small blues, fluke and small striped bass on the Monmouth County beaches. 

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where is a history professor. Reach him ; 732-643-4072; dradel.com

Source: App.com

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