Wild Week for Weakfish

Posted on July 11, 2022July 11, 2022 by Admin

A nice weakfish and Ollie does a photobomb

The last week at Captain Mikes was a wild week for weakfish.

Many anglers who fished the Sunshine Tournament reported a good showing of weakfish. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a Calcutta for them!

There was even a 7lb bluefish weighed in! Safe to say Great Bay is still producing although, historically the bite will move out toward the ocean.

Inshore Fishing is Slow but Offshore Fishing is Heating Up

Anglers are finding their most success in inlet, especially with weakfish.

The fluke that are out in the ocean are sluggish as the bottom temp is in the mid fifties still. It seems the water quality is cleaner with more opportunities for bluefish, weakfish, and even some fluke.

If you’re going offshore for pelagic species, now’s the time. Most of the anglers going offshore are returning with coolers full of yellow fin and blue fin tuna. Make sure to check the weather before you go!

There are also tons of cow nose rays closer into Great Bay. So if your drag starts screaming it might not be that elusive Cobia but a cownose ray.

Best Bet: Head to the inlet and poke around by the stink house to target some weakfish.

Plenty of Fluke Left to Catch!

May be an image of 3 people and outdoors

Justin, Gino, and Austin had a great day

This trio still managed to bring some keepers home for supper!

While the fluke fishing is trending more towards the inlet and ocean.

There are still opportunities to target fluke in the bay. One of our slip customers Victor caught a 3lb fluke in Great Bay.

The weather looks terrific this week!

Call 609-296-4406 to book your rental.

Surprise Cobia off the Stink House!

Posted on July 8, 2022April 14, 2023 by Admin

At Captain Mikes we had excellent weather to report through the Fourth of July weekend.

Seth Katz caught a 27′ Cobia on Mike Yager’s boat off the stink house. Seth was bouncing a jig with a white mullet gulp (without a teaser). A surprise but a welcome one for sure!

Although it wasn’t a keeper, that’s a bucket list fish for many New Jersey anglers!

Shorter Fluke in The Bay

Many anglers came back with coolers full of fluke in the 17″ range. However, many shorts in the 15-16 inch slot are being thrown back.

It appears the larger doormat fluke are heading out to the ocean to the wrecks. However, a spearfish diver reported the bottom of the ocean floor is about mid 40s. He reported many of the fluke are sluggish on the bottom.

Bad for an angler but great for a spearfisherman.

Best bet: If you’re fishing out of Great Bay head to Garden State North or Garden State South for doormats.

Weakfish Bycatch and Bluefish

Many of the anglers fishing for fluke in the bay are catching weakfish bycatch.

Most of these anglers are bouncing bucktails with gulp on the bottom targeting fluke but the weakfish can’t get enough of it. Bluefish have been consistently in the area too, while striped bass are rare and should be targeted later this fall.

The weakfish are mostly shorts but some keepers have been in the mix.

Moving into July

July is typically an excellent month for offshore, ocean fluke fishing, and wreck fishing in general.

If you’re going offshore for pelagic species it seems the mid-shore grounds are starting to heat up too! Many charter captains are returning home catching yellowfin tunas on top water and jigs.

While this weekend looks dicey with high winds and the potential for scattered storms in the forecast.

With warmer water finally coming in who knows what you’ll catch. We’re sure Seth didn’t expect that cobia on the line when he went out earlier this week!

Call (609)-296-4406 to book your rental and let’s go fishing!

Third Annual Fluke Tournament Kicks Off

Posted on June 3, 2022June 3, 2022 by Admin

Third Annual Raging Raymond Fluke tournament kicks off this weekend

The Raging Raymond 3rd Annual Fluke Tournament is set to kick off this weekend in Great Bay.

Raymond was diagnosed with a rare, newly discovered genetic condition in June 2020 and also has cerebral palsy because of the genetic condition. The money raised from the tournament will be given to Nemours Children’s Health Deptford & Cherry Hill

Captains meeting is set for 7pm Friday 6/3 at American Legion 493 located in Little Egg Harbor. Fishing is set to kick off at sunrise the following morning 6/4. Anglers can weigh in their catches from 4-6pm at American Legion on Saturday. The deadline for Sunday’s weigh-in is 11AM-1pm.

After weigh-in’s are completed, the festivities can begin! Over 40 boats have entered the fluke tournament so far raising over $3,000. There will be tons of prizes up for grabs including a year’s membership of Sea Tow, gift cards from local tackle shops, a free Captain Mikes rental boat trip, and various other cool prizes!

Red Hot Fluke Fishing in Great Bay

For anglers fluking with live bait please note we will have limited stock of minnows this weekend.

Jim caught a 7.5lb doormat earlier this MDW weekend

Luckily for Jim, he was catching doormats all on Gulp! No live bait needed for those anglers. In addition to the jumbo fluke, we’ve gotten plenty reports of slot fluke in Great Bay this week.

Plenty of fluke in Great Bay for anyone seeking a day out on the boat near Tuckerton! You certainly won’t be going home with an empty cooler.

That’s for sure!

Scattered Reports of Bluefish

The bait shop has gotten a decent amount of fishing reports of blue fish scattered around Great Bay.

There hasn’t been much schooling of blue fish has been reported lately. It seems most anglers catch them here and there. For example, some blue fish were caught by accident when fishing live bait for fluke.

In other words, we’re dreaming of those blue fish blitz’s on top water too!

Striped Bass and Drumfish Continue to Linger

The excellent spring run of striped bass and drum fish continues on.

Anglers fishing off graveling point with clam have seen tremendous success on both stripers and drum fish. The grassy channels are still producing as well.

If you’re an angler targeting striped bass or drum, your best bet is to anchor up at graveling point or in the grassy channel with a chum pot and clam on a hi-lo rig.

In short, weather looks great this weekend for fishing. Call (609)-296-4406 to book your rental!

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Posted on May 31, 2022May 31, 2022 by Admin

Jim caught a 7.5lb doormat

We got quite lucky with weather this Memorial Day Weekend at Captain Mikes. Anglers were able to enjoy Great Bay without worrying about any storm cells rolling through.

Jim (pictured above) caught a 26″ fluke on his trip out on his rental boat Sunday afternoon. Surprisingly enough Jim was fishing right out front of Captain Mikes Marina using gulp!

Plenty of fluke fisherman went home happy after fishing the Great Bay this weekend.

Beware of Terrapins Crossing Great Bay Boulevard

Slow down! The Terrapins are nesting again

You might want to slow down during your next trip down Seven Bridges Road. Several volunteers of The Great Bay Terrapin Project reported terrapin turtles crossing the boulevard over the weekend.

During May and June, many pregnant females search for safe places to lay their eggs. These females lay their eggs in a sand/gravel mixture where it is easy for them to dig and cover their eggs, like sandy dunes and in scrub-shrub habitat along road edges.

Unfortunately, many females are accidentally killed motorists each year. The Great Bay Terrapin Project has helped raise awareness and protected countless Terrapin turtles by placing signs and raising fences along the road to prevent them from crossing.

If you ever happen to see a Terrapin crossing the road, please move them to the other side of the road that they were walking towards.

Captain Mike’s is a proud partner of The Great Bay Terrapin Project. The project is entirely funded by donations, if you wish to volunteer or donate to help the cause you can sign up here.

Jim’s Seem To Catch More Fish

Jimmy Allen caught a 24″

If your name is Jim and you were fishing in Great Bay over Memorial Day Weekend, there’s a good chance you caught a doormat fluke! If not, sorry but you are the weakest Jim!

Jimmy Allen managed to catch this beautiful fluke right off the Fish Factory, sorry if you were trying to keep that a secret Jim!

Plenty of fish were caught by rental boats this weekend. Scroll down to check out more photos from the long weekend. It’s great that summer is finally here. Get after it, get geared up, and let’s go fishing!

Call (609)-296-4406 or email us at info@captainmikes.com

Quick Weekend Report: Nice Fluke

Posted on May 24, 2022May 3, 2023 by Admin

Ken Counts caught a nice 5.3 lb Fluke

This weekend’s report kicks off with Ken and his jumbo 5.3 lb fluke.

Many rental customers reported back limiting out on fluke, mainly fishing in close within great bay. Although some customers are unhappy throwing back the extra 18″ overs “for someone else’s dinner” as Ken Counts put it on our Facebook page.

Just in case you needed a refresher on regulations for 2022, we got you covered.

No photo description available.

New Fluke Regulations Facing Crisitism

Moreover, many critics of the new fluke regulations believe once summer gets in the swing of things more anglers will begin to report smaller fish outside the slot range. It will be interesting to see fluke catch size throughout the summer.

However, at Captain Mike’s were a glass half full kind of a bunch especially with Great Bay’s quick tide turnover, giving anglers plenty of opportunities.

Speaking of the bay, Bluefish were caught caught in Great Bay this weekend. It was reported cocktail size blue fish were wandering into the bay from the inlet over the weekend.

For more reports, scroll down below to see our Facebook feed. Plenty of fish being caught in Great Bay. Call (609) 296-4406 to book your rental or to inquire about bait and tackle in-stock.

Finally, lets get after it and let’s go fishing!

Terrific Fishing Continues in Great Bay

Posted on May 18, 2022May 20, 2022 by Admin

Victor braved the elements and got rewarded with a 22.5″ over and a nice 17″ slot fish.

The Nor’easter came and went, we’re back with excellent weather and fishing all this week at Captain Mikes.

Victor (pictured above) decided to brave the elements towards the tail end of the storm and managed to catch a beautiful 22.5 inch over and a 17″ nice slot fish as well.

A quick note: We have limited minnows in stock. Please arrive early tomorrow or prepare accordingly with artificials if you plan on targeting fluke.

Back Bay Fishing Reports

The Great bay has been pretty good fishing wise this week considering the blow last week. Hugh Brown had a nice day fishing, he caught a 24″ fluke this week.

It appears the NE winds from the Nor’easter brought in some warm water. We heard some reports of bluefish being caught in Little egg inlet. However, they disappeared as soon as they arrived.

Our rental boat customers did some damage today!

Everybody who ventured out this week caught plenty of fish, no matter what they were targeting. George, of R&R Marine, was out catching minnows and he reported some bird action diving all around him. Unfortunately for him, he left his rod and reel at the bait shop. Tough luck for George.

We got some reports of anglers catching drum fish in the grassy channel anchored up while chumming with clam. A couple striped bass were also caught in the grassy channel using the same technique.

The LBI surf has been very productive this week as well. Our friends at Fisherman’s Headquarters have reported plenty of 40-50lb striped bass caught on the surf. Most anglers have reported success with fresh clam, opposed to bunker. If you’re a surf angler, your best bet is to chunk some clam, find a nice rip current to set up camp.

If you’re on the boat this weekend, it may be worth a try trolling up and down the beach with some stretch 22’s and mojos. We haven’t heard any reports but you never know!

Get Out There!

The bay has all the bluefish, drum fish, striped bass, and fluke you could want (within regulations). Strike while the iron is hot! Don’t waste another weekend sitting on the couch drinking stale beer.

We have rental boats available for tomorrow. Give us a call at 609-296-4406 to book your reservation.

Get outside and let’s go fishing!