We had Antonio and his girlfriend for an afternoon trip on the Evening Tide. They really wanted to get out and catch some bass. We began trolling shad rigs to locate fish and ultimately were going to clam the bass. Well we set up off of Keansburg and put the rigs in the water and had instant action with keepers and shorts! Fishing was really good, so good in fact that they opted to stay with the trolling. We limited out in about an hour with all nice 30-33 inch fish. We then played catch and release for another hour and headed in early with tired arms and some fat bass!

Want back out today, just my son and I, to the place we left from on Sunday, again loads of shorts but starting to see more keepers. Kyle Jr. was using killies and gulp all day and I with long strips of squid and spearing. Wind was against tide this morning but made the most out of it. We had well over 30 shorts with 5 keepers 18.5 - 22" not to bad for just a couple of hours just playing around. Sorry forgot the camera.

Had Kevin Ball and his son Dan out on Sunday and caught 40+ shorts and to 2 keepers. Started in back bay at the triangle, worked that over pretty good finding lots shorts and lost what may have been a keeper for New York boat side. We than worked our way out into the bay in the middle grounds finding a nice spot, while bringing in two nice Jersey keepers, while agian catching a lot of shorts. Using spering, gulp, squid and kilies. Had two great guys with a lot of action but not much for the table.

I had Jim and his father out on the boat in the afternoon for a fluke trip. We fished from 1:00 to 7:00PM, out by the Keyport pier. The fishing was a little slow but we managed a handful of shorts and even put two keepers in the box! Jim mentioned to us that the boat was clean and well kept and I (Capt. Kyle) treated them like we had known each other for years, and first mate Kyle was very attentive to their needs throughout the afternoon. A fun time fishing with some very nice folks!

Bob Winacop with his wife and grandson Mat out on 6/19 for fluke. Good action in the morning till the tide turned with wind against tide conditions. Using spearing, squid, killies but the gulp shrimp with killies worked the best. Started out by keyport and worked our way down the Jersey side ending by Keansburg. We picked up fish in all spots, ending the day with 18"-20"-21" with 15 shorts and two little blues.

A couple of keeper fluke to 20 inches got iced among a bunch of shorts thrown back on a short trip this morning along the channel edges and in the channel near port, said Capt. Kyle from Evening Tide Charters. Spearing, killies, squid, rigs and Spro jigs were fished, and squid and spearing on the rigs worked best. Another trip will chase fluke Thursday. Peanut bunker already started to appear at the marina, surprisingly early. They were only three-quarters of an inch long, too small for bait, but Kyle loves livelining peanuts for large fluke when the baby menhaden grow larger. The juvenile baitfish usually begin to appear in August.

Friday 4 Hours trip (5 to 9 PM) fluking with Steve VanDam conditions were poor to say the least, but despite the conditions we still managed a few keepers and a bunch of shorts. Later in the night conditions improved as the tide and wind ran together and so did the action however shorts dominated the bite.

Ran out to Roamer Shoal and started claming without a bite. Pulled the hooks, ran out between the two channels where we seen some bird activity. Made drifts in the area, in hopes of bass but found blue fish.We later ran back in to Flynns Knoll, catching more blue fish while releasing one short bass at 27".

Had Tom and Lucille from New York City, ran to great kills to pick for bunker. While coming out of great kills we spotted birds. We casted out small metals for a catch of two and three pound blues, putting some of them in the box, we ran over to old orchard light. Here we started to chunk bunker and ended up with even bigger blues. Later we picked up our lines and ran over to west bank again finding the big blues. Ending the day trolling with more blue fish.

Again with the wind blowing found bunker in the back of the bay. set up at Perth amboy and had a short bass soon after we set up and then not a touch after that. went to the triangle and got one blue there. made a bunch of moves there and at great beds light with not a touch. We finally called it a day even though fishing was frustratingly slow, all in all trip had a bunch of laughs with a great crew.

With wind blowing, and a pea soup fog, we decided to stay in the back bay. Found bunker and set up by Perth amboy, snagged short bass and a bunch of blues. Made a couple of moves over to the triangle and the great beds light, again blue fish with one bass caught. We started to troll toward the end of the day with more blue fish, with no luck finding bass.

Ran to great kills for bunker it was little tough to net but we got enough to fish with. First stop old orchard west side had sum blues and a short bass, till the tide went slack. Made a move over to the east side of old orchard while waiting for the tide to turn. We started to pick up blue fish again but no bass. On the way back we trolled, noting that sum of the tails were missing from the shade rig, but no hook ups. We ended the day with couple of blues to take home, a lot of hooks bitten off and only one bass.

Had Antonio out for a 4-hour evening trip - live lining for striped bass, but again bluefish. We found bunkers in back of the bay that was balled up to net. Made a drift in the school with live bunker, but came back with bluefish. Making moves all around in different spots and then stayed in the back and blues attack again. We did have two or three bass bites because the bunker came up scaled. It's great to see bunker moving in the back of the bay and soon stripers will be back there to. We had a lot of action with blues but still a fun night and great crew!

Had Carl Fischl out for a bass trip, that turned out more like a blue fish trip. We first ran over to great kills for bunker which sure has improved since last Thursday but still spotty. Than we ran over to old orchard till slack tide with not a touch. Made a move to Keansburg flats and started to get blues right a way. They kept 12 and let the other's go which may have been 20 or 25 catched, lost count but all and all a great day with a great crew. Full moon should improve bunker and the bass run, which sure has been a good spring so far and only getting better.

Had Tom Leedom out for an 8 hr charter on 5/2/09. Started back by buoy 19 on the reach, were I've been fishing all week. Put the shade rigs in and within 10 min. had fish on. Stayed in the area, trolling with shades picking away at fish. Set up the hook to clam and it wasn't working out. Made the move to a different spot, in hopes to get the guys one on one with a fish. We did get a couple of bass and blues but nothing like trolling. Back on the troll again with rigs and again in under 5 mins, fish on. Ending the day with 20 bass 36"-20" and 4 blues, all in all a great trip with a great group of guys and the weather was perfect.

Went back out today to the same area (Keansburg flats) as where we found fish on the 4hr charter the night before. Wind against tide conditions started to troll shade rigs, waiting till the tide turned. Started to pick up fish as soon as we got the rig set up. Well at 11:35 we set up on the hook with clam, it takes a little time to get them going but it started! Ending the day at 2:30 with 12 bass (8 keepers size and 4 shorts) and all fish were released. Nothing too big 35"-19" but the charter had a fun day out fishing. One of the short bass 19" had a tag in it from New York looking at the tag it send cut here for $10.00 to $1000.00 dollar reward mail to the address. Who know i could be the big winner, I will let you all know what happens.

Had bottom bouncer and his girl friend out tonight, trolling for bass. Started out over by great kills, looking around didn't see much life. The Eveningtide ran across to keansburg flats which started to pick up fish but real spotty. While trolling with shade rigs we stayed in the area picking up 4 bass, one being short and released. Overall it was a great night as far as weather but for fishing was slow for the 4 hour trip.

Peter Sinclair and has son Paul went out with us for his sons 11th birthday. Started out at Keyport for flounder, till the tide went slack. Then started to troll for bass on the flat by 19 on the reach channel, picking away at shorts and keeper bass. Then when the tide turned we set the hook and started to clam in the same area. We ended the day with 10 striped bass, 5 keeper size and 5 shorts, releasing all but 2 fish. Paul and Peter have fished from time to time but really never caught anything big in the past till this day. The pictures with this report and the smile on their faces says it all! Happy Birthday Paul from us here at Evening Tide Charters!

Jerry Korner and family was aboard for a fluke trip for their son’s birthday yesterday. We started fishing at the back of the bay and worked our way out to Sandy Hook Channel. Then we found them, started to pick away at shorts, but swells from the ocean made the son feel seasick, so we had to moved back to the bay. Drifts at the Triangle turned up a 19-inch keeper and some small bluefish. The bay is starting to cool, with 75-degree waters, probably why the back of the bay was unproductive, and the fish seemed on the move toward the ocean. Quite a few 2- to 4-pound blues could be found on the bay. Less than two weeks of fluke season remain, and afterward Evening Tide will chase weakfish and blues! After that... fall striper fishing kicks off!

Had the John Counterman charter out this Saturday with friends. It was a slow start with looking around in the back bay but that didn't work out. Started working our way out on the reach channel picking away at shorts. Found birds working it so we made a drift by them and picked up some blues. Used live peanuts of almost candy bar size but the fluke were hanging on to the bait and not getting the hook. Switching over to squid and killies did the trick with several more hook ups! Got a few more shorts than we would like but all-and-all we had some fine action. Two fluke and three blues for the table though.

Had Joey Georgianni, wife and mother in law headed out for fluke on Raritan Bay yesterday morning. We first castnetted peanut bunker in the creek to put in the tank. Then we headed toward the channel edges near Staten Island in the back bay, an area where my log book showed fish years before at this time. A 22-inch keeper was decked rite off the bat, and then a 21-incher came up. The boat was fishing in New York waters, so the anglers had to abide by the state’s 20.5-inch size limit. Some shorts were hooked, but so was other 20 plus incher. One bluefish was boated, and several lines were bitten off, blues a pound to four pounds were apparently around. The back of the bay was 80 degrees, and Princess Bay was 78.6 to 78.8, we seem to find the best fluke fishing in warmer, shallower waters. We will keep fluke fishing, and we hoping weakfish show up this year.

Had the Anthony Stankovich Charter on Monday and boy was it windy! This group included anglers from Montreal who were only here a day, so they fished. They tried to stick to the back of the bay to escape the winds, and they jigged seven blues and trolled five short bass. Other anglers found that fishing with bunker for bass failed to pan out in the winds, so we went on the troll, dragging chartreuse shad rigs, and stripers started to get picked up right away! Bunker were a little scarce lately but we are definitely looking forward to the opening of fluke season Saturday, and heard about large ones caught by mistake on bunker that anglers dunked for stripers so we hope that is a good sign! Fluke charters will be available, and striper trips will also continue, probably through June until early July.

Had the Charlie Rahner charter today and headed out to the bay for some liveline and chunk bunker. Charlie boated a striped bass, lost several others, including about a 20-pounder that got off near the boat, and tackled 17 blues, mostly 8 or 10 pounders, and a few smaller ones. A couple of the bunker were reeled back with scales stripped off but without missing parts like tails, apparently mauled by the toothless stripers. Another charter was slated for today, though forecasts for strong winds looked questionable. Striped bass fishing lately was hit or miss on the bay, and the fish were scattered.

Had the John Counterman’s charter today and put lots of blues in the box. The trip started early in the morning and trolled 2 and 4 pounders till those fish disappeared. Then the boat headed to Reach Channel, where blues were jigged, and afterwards we drifted for peanut bunkers for bait. We picked away at more blues little by little. Toward the end of the day the speedsters started busting on the top and we nailed them on both jigs and peanuts! It was a good day! The largest blues were 6 to 8 pounds. The water was very warm and 72 to 73 degrees and was even 77 at the slip.

Weakfish finally started biting up and down the entire Reach Channel. Quite a few 14 to 22 inchers were landed. We usually like using liveline peanut bunker on light tackle for the trout which is a very effective and fun way to catch them, but the peanuts that were netted recently were too big for the weaks, so our charter instead fished with Berkeley Power Worms on jigheads. Blues from 2 to 5 pounds were also picked along with the weaks. For future charters, when smaller peanuts are found, they’ll be livelined for the fish, and sandworms will also be used, and so will squid strips soaked in shedder crab oil, another good method.

Evening Tide Charters took its last shot at fluke yesterday before the season closes tomorrow, and the fishing went fairly well, Capt. Kyle said. He found a honey hole near the 16 buoy that he kept drifting across, and 13 keepers from 18 to 24 inches were bagged, not bad, he said. No weakfish really turned on yet, except a few large ones that a friend said bit along Reach Channel. But Kyle will now take a serious look for weakfish and see for himself. If the trout do arrive, Evening Tide will probably swim livelined peanut bunker to catch them on light tackle, a great way to reel them in. Amazing amounts of peanuts were schooling at places such as the marina, and peanuts were scarcer the past two years. Otherwise trips on the boat will bottom fish, and Kyle was also hearing about striped bass that were jigged in the evenings, so that’s a possibility. He thanks everyone who fished for fluke with him this year, and it was a good season, and he hopes for an even better one next year.

A spot in the back of the bay that had been giving up great fishing for big, thick fluke dried up on our trip Sunday but we found them a little farther out in the bay. The fish weren’t quite as large as before, and lots of shorts bit, but quality keepers were coming up. Evening Tide is usually fishing for the flatfish with livelined peanut bunker, a great bait, especially for larger fish, and we were finding plenty of peanuts to cast net on. The bay was 77.6 degrees on the trip, and bluefish from 2 to 4 pounds were also around, if anyone wants to take a trip for blues. We still aren’t seeing any major population of weakfish in the bay. But if the weaks show up, we love targeting them with light tackle, also usually livelining peanut bunker for them. Less than a week is left before fluke season ends next Tuesday, and openings are available for charters for anyone who wants to take a last shot. Open-boat trips are sailing every Saturday and Sunday when no charter is booked, and call to reserve.

Traveled to the back of the bay near Staten Island, started banging fluke on every drift, and never left during the trip. The clarity was beautiful, and the water was 76 degrees, and the fish were generally big, and only the fluke 20 inches or larger were kept, and eight of them were bagged! Light, 10-pound spinning tackle did the trick with livelined peanut bunker, and peanuts were still abundant. We looked around for weakfish, but none seemed to turn on yet.

Bay fluking was good, and we were picking up lots, including decent-sized ones going 5 and 6 lbs, along the channel edges and holes. Peanut bunkers were doing the trick for larger ones, and plenty of peanuts could be found. We are still keeping a lookout for weakfish, and we know a few anglers who landed some, but there were no large concentrations. We then ran to Hudson Canyon and lots of blue water was found while the vessel trolled for tuna, but not much was going on. But one boater reported catching a blue marlin, and another said he caught three yellowfin tuna.

Had a good fluke trip today with Barry and, his grandson, Logan. We ran to the TC buoy, and shorts and flatties that were almost keepers bit, and then they sailed to Chapel Hill Channel, and 10 fluke including six keepers were boated. By the end they had reeled in 21 of the summer flounder from 16 ¼ inches to 18 ¼ inches, including six keepers, a dozen sea robins and three sandsharks, a very nice day with a good drift and light winds. The 10-year-old grandson loves to freshwater fish, and this was his first saltwater trip, and he was hooked and wants to come back for weakfish and striper bass fishing when those fish turn on.

Anglers fluke fished, and the action was pretty quiet in the ocean off Sandy Hook. So the boat started working around the point of the Hook, and a couple of sea robins. Then the vessel pushed behind Sandy Hook to a number of spots in the bay, gradually making its way home, and fluke began to be picked up, and as usual shorts had to be weed out ending the day with 16 shorts and 5 keepers. A friend got into some weakfish action not great but the start, news that I have been waiting for, because can't wait ready to target weaks along with fluke. I will let you all know when action is hot still have openings but do not wait. Running trips castnet peanut bunker and livelining them in the morning for weaks, because weaks can become finicky once boat traffic starts, and then swim the peanuts for fluke, which always produce bigger fluke.

Fluke were hitting along the ocean beaches, with fewer keepers seemed to hold the bottom than before, and the legal-sized flatties seemed to be getting better in back bay, shorts still had to be picked through. Some especially good news was that more and more weakfish were appearing, and we have been waiting for them and love targeting them with light, 10-pound tackle and jigs, one of his favorite trips besides striper fishing. charters will target the weaks as well as fluke when enough weaks turn on. Peanut bunker were starting to show up, loves using them for fluke and weakfish bait, castnetting and keeping them in live well on hand for charters when possible.

Some good-sized fluke were reeled aboard Evening Tide Charters, Monday in the bay. we found them around Chapel Hill Channel and the Terminal Channel .The catch included 5- and 6-pounders, and eight keepers were bagged, and of course lots of shorts, probably 40 shorts. Lots of blues from 4 to 8 pounds were mixed in, and 1- to 2-pound, cocktail blues swam the back of the bay. Still seeing bunker pods in the bay, and we are seeing no weakfish yet. A few spike weaks usually start showing up by the Fourth of July, and a larger push of weaks normally begins toward the end of June or beginning of August. When the trout show up, Evening Tide will go after them.

Finding lots of fluke in the bay inside Sandy Hook this past week, and alot were shorts, but keepers were mixed in. Trips picked up flatties to 4 and 5 pounds, no humongous ones, but a decent size. Squid and spearing were the baits, and chartreuse squid worked well, and so did chartreuse Mister Twister tails. Blues from 4 to 12 pounds were also hooked, and bunker were schooling. We have been looking for weakfish at Chapel Hill Channel and Reach Channel but was finding none so far. But when they show up, Evening Tide will go after them. And we started finding a few weaks last year by July 4, so the trout are due. But charters will also keep sailing for fluke until the season ends.

Evening Tide Charters was boating fluke, plenty of shorts with keepers mixed in, on trips in the ocean along Sandy Hook, A mess of 10 to 15 lbs bluefish were also hitting. In the bay was 75.5 degrees, and Ambrose Channel was 70 degrees, so the ocean was probably around the low 70s. Squid, spearing, sand eels and killies were hooking the fluke, and no weakfish seemed to be around yet, but when the trout show up, Evening Tide will go right after them. Once the weakies show up, they should stick around into September. Evening Tide is probably finished striper fishing for the season, and the bay is certainly too warm for striper fishing to pick up again this season, but the ocean could still see surges of the fish. A load of stripers appeared off the southern Jersey Coast last week, and maybe those fish will migrate up to northern waters close to Sandy Hook.

Evening Tide Charters found fluke along sandy hook ocean beaches and anglers onboard had to wade through shorts to pick up keepers, but the fish were there, Then the boat moved to the back of the bay, and waves and waves of bunker were schooling, and the baitfish were caught and livelined, for huge bluefish were nailed. The water was 73 degrees in the back of the bay, and Evening Tide is now focusing on fluke and blues, and charters will chase weakfish when the trout arrive.

Fluke were hooked from mid-bay to the ocean, and quite a few bluefish turned on around the mouth of the bay, and striper fishing was poor because the water was warming. Bunker sometimes schooled the bay, and the Great Kills area seemed to hold them, but only blues and no stripers chased the menhaden. This trip was targeting fluke and blues but we are eagerly waiting for weakfish to arrive. Weaks should show up any time and should stick around until September or October. We usually land the weaks on white bucktails with a Berkeley Power worm.

A charter telephoned and wanted to catch his first-ever striped bass, so on Sunday we left the dock at 5 a.m. and hit a few spots to try to castnet bunker for live bait in the bay (an experience itself), and livelining bunker (one of our specialties). But no menhaden were balled up enough to catch, so the boat went on the troll at Chapel Hill Channel and the West Bank area, toward the back of the bay, where there was cool, 63-degree water, relatively good conditions for stripers. We found a honey hole and five stripers including two keepers were nailed. Mission accomplished! Seeing the smile on the angler’s face after catching his first stripers was worth a million bucks! A few blues were also boated, and a 20-inch fluke also hit a trolled shad rig, the first time Kyle ever saw a fluke that hit on the troll. Afterward the boat ran to the ocean off the Highlands Bridge, and clam baits were set out, but only skates and sharks bit. This trip ended up with stripers, blues and a fluke in the cooler, the first stripers that the angler ever caught, and it was a success!

The spring striper run seemed on the upswing for Evening Tide Charters, and stripers and blues were hooked on livelined bunker on a trip Sunday in the back of the bay, Capt. Kyle said. That area was loaded with bunker, and on slack tide the anglers switched to trolling and hooked stripers on shad rigs. A fluke rod was also put out while livelining for stripers, and a few nice-sized flatties were boated. Kyle thought the striper run was late, and good fishing was still ahead. Fluke charters are now available, because the season opened. The back of the bay was 66.4 degrees, and some spots were dirty, for some reason.

At least three fishing tournaments took place over the weekend, and boat traffic was heavy on the bay. Anthony Stankovich from Stankovich Auto Body in New Brunswick, his son Scott and friend Bruce Yeager were aboard and trolled the bay and then switched to clamming, but no stripers bit. They moved around to several different spots and then trolled shad rigs and landed stripers and blues. On the way back to port they ran across bluefish and had ball catching them on light rods and metal. But the fishing was generally slow, and the best bite took place along Reach Channel, and the back of the bay was dirty. The back of the bay was 65 degrees, and farther out in the bay along the Reach was 60, so I think striper fishing is running a little behind this year, and I was seeing no good bodies of bunker in the back of the bay yet, although there was a shot of bunker for a moment this season. This charter was a great bunch of guys!