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View Full Version : Bluefin caught in NJ surf!



skinner
11-29-2011, 07:05 AM
This was on facebook yesterday. I saw it there and thought it was a hoax. Here is Ristori's report. Way to go!



Maybe they got us all fooled, or not?

Ristori reported it last night. I think the piece of info that the tuna ran into the wash helps the legitimacy of this story. Other wise I agree with the doubters, there is no way he would have been able to handle a tuna that big without getting spooled.
Congrats.



This is Ristori's report:
"The oddest catch of the year may have occured this morning at Bay Head when a 70-to-80-pound bluefin tuna was landed in the Bay Head surf. Nick Kolidy of Brick talked to an angler who was fishing clams there during mid-morning when a fisherman casting metal hooked up.

After fighting the fish for awhile, he had it in the wash, where the clam fisherman helped him land it. Apparently the tuna ran the wrong way and beached itself. Normally a tuna would run offshore and strip any normal surfcasting reel in seconds. Actually that was an illegal catch. You need a federal permit in order to land bluefin tuna, but those permits are only issued to boats. Bluefins are very rarely caught from shore, but I doubt if NMFS would prosecute under these circumstances.
Bluefins have been spotted in various areas not too far offshore. Capt. Arthur Stokes of Fintastic from Point Pleasant saw them jumping Sunday in the Mud Hole.
The clammer reported catching a short striper, but that was all Nick heard about this morning from Bay Head to Normandy Beach."

storminsteve
11-29-2011, 03:09 PM
If true, it's the catch of a lifetime for a surf guy. Congratulations for sure.

storminsteve
11-29-2011, 03:13 PM
If true, it's the catch of a lifetime for a surf guy. Congratulations for sure.

finchaser
11-29-2011, 03:50 PM
Great catch but illegal especially when he tried to sell it heard it weighed 65#

williehookem
11-30-2011, 09:04 AM
That is just unbelievable.

captnemo
12-05-2011, 12:37 AM
Great catch but illegal especially when he tried to sell it heard it weighed 65#

He should have just quietly brought it home and steaked it without the fanfare.


Some tuna were spotted today off Brick, according to Al Ristori:




Boat: C*ck robin
captain: JIm O'Grady

Report:
We started out in the search mode since yesterday had very poor fishing for all the striper PB. A lot of cruising, looking, and not finding anything. Then we headed in toward Brick Beach where a few private boats were drifting, and some birplay developed. We started getting stripers on the 1st drift near the birds. I landed a 30" fish on a 2oz Kandlefish spoon. We stayed in the area the rest of the trip, and for the most part made long drifts w/o birdplay. Birdplay would briefly develop, but the breaking fish under the birds were tuna -- too big for us.

dogfish
12-05-2011, 07:58 AM
I would have believed it more for Cape Cod than NJ. You folks must have a lot of bait there for them to be in so close.

strikezone31
12-05-2011, 12:01 PM
There are bluefins off of Jones to Breezy too. Here is a report I read from Sat nSun:





"Sat- A solo trip. Had a nice pick of schoolies with a few barely keeper sized bass under the birds at breezy, seems to be strictly a morning bite, as the birds thinned out as the day went on. Fish are all over sandeels. I headed to the reef and setup over a nice piece. Had a consistent bite of blackfish to about 5lbs. A few hours after sun up, EXPLOSIONS behind the boat. They were decent sized bluefin in the 200-300# class. They crashed a few feet behind the boat, and disappeared. I didn't get too excited as I had no rods on the boat that could handle them. So I pulled the hook and headed for the barn.



Saw them pop up again on the way home under some gannets and managed to hook up on a hammered jig under the birds. Pushed the drag lever up not too far, hoping the fish would stop, but she never did. Dumped my TLD20 loaded with 30lb mono in about 30 seconds. Tried reaching for the phone to video the run, but had no time. Heartbreaker even though I knew I had no shot. Needed someone else on the boat to chase the fish.



Sunday - The tuna showed their faces again today, twice, this time they were smaller 80# class fish. Wish I had time to chase them this week."

rockhopper
12-06-2011, 06:35 PM
They were outside FI inlet yesterday, from another site-



Believe it or not there were 100 plus lb. bluefin actually in Fire Island inlet yesterday. Guys were able to hook up and actually land some fish. They were on herring

fishinmission78
08-10-2014, 02:19 PM
One got lost at ibsp. Was swimming in circles, facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=599362836845709&set=vb.100003159935588&type=2&theater