Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association

22/06/2024

The official start to summer just arrived in Beach Haven, NJ, and the current and upcoming daytime temperatures show that it is indeed summer. The captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are ready to take anglers out on the water for a cooling day and the chance to reel in a fish dinner.

These past few hot days have warmed up the bay water temperatures several degrees already, this will have the fluke thinking about leaving the shallower waters and heading out to the ocean. As they make their way to the east, they will be pausing anywhere there is structure where they can congregate and locate food.

Other fish species making the presence known include bluefish in inshore ocean waters and tuna farther out. These bluefish weigh up to 10-pounds and are being taken while trolling or locating bird play and casting to the feeding fish.

Several of the BHCFA captains do the bulk of their ocean fishing on the inshore reefs and know them like the back of their hands. Expect anglers on these boats to be reeling in good numbers of fish, including keeper fluke.

Captain Brett Taylor of Reel Reaction Sportfishing has been facing strong winds to put his anglers on fluke. He reports he has been fishing in different areas inside Barnegat Inlet to find the action. He has been finding many shorts while putting several keepers in the fish box each trip.

On that tuna scene, Captain Dave Wittenborn reports the “Benita J” fished in the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club’s tournament and took third place with the heaviest yellowfin tuna at 90.3-pounds. He adds the tournament was well run and a great success.

The Junior Mates Program for the BHCFA will be starting this Thursday, June 27. Interested youngsters are invited to participate. Information on the Junior Mates and the BHCFA can be found at www.BHCFA.net

16/06/2024

16/06/2024

Happy Father’s Day to all of our Captains, clients and the dads of our Junior Mates. I hope all of you have a great day.

14/06/2024

It appears that summer weather has finally arrived in the Beach Haven, New Jersey, area. This means the water temperatures are on the rise, and fishing excitement will be increasing. The main target in bay waters currently is fluke. These fish are in the bay waters and inlets. In a brief time, they will be making their annual migration back to the cooler ocean waters.

Other fish to be targeted include some striped bass in the ocean, a goodly number of bluefish of varying sizes, and a good bite on tuna further offshore. There are still black drumfish around and some surprise catches of cobia.

One change coming up is a regulatory one, as the black sea bass season pauses on June 20, to be re-opened again on July 1.

Captain Max Goldman reports the “Starfish” has been fishing the inshore structure with success on a mix of summer flounder and black sea bass. He has also been on the head boat “Miss Beach Haven” which is catching fluke in Little Egg Inlet. With many of these fish on the smaller side, they are looking for the larger fish to begin their migration from the bays into the ocean. This will happen as the water temperature rises.

Captain Gary Dugan recently had a group fishing inshore structure for black sea bass which turned out to be a banner day. Between beautiful weather and good fishing, the group managed to put an impressive number of fillets in the cooler. The fish turned out to be a great dinner. One of the highlights of the day with a 5-foot tiger shark that was following fish to the boat.

The Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club is holding its “Tuna Open” which is the kickoff to the club’s offshore season. The fishing began on June 10 and will conclude on June 15. Judging by the number of tuna already weighed in, the offshore action is off to a good start. Two Beach Haven Charter Fishing Captains have weighed in fish. Captains Steve Palmer and Brian Casey brought fish to the scales during the week.

The Junior Mates Program for the BHCFA will be starting on Thursday, June 27. Information on the Junior Mates and the BHCFA can be found at www.BHCFA.net

07/06/2024

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” had return angler Tim Murphy, h son Kevin, and friend Tony on a 4-hour fluke trip. Despite a slow start, they ended releasing 30 shorts and keeping 5 fluke up to 24 inches.

Captain Ray Lopez of the “Miss Liane” reports some great recent bottom fishing trips in the ocean. He says they are catching “lots of keeper sea bass.” He is now taking reservations for tilefish, black sea bass, and tuna trips.

Captain Gary Dugan of the “Irish Jig” reports catching fish in Great Bay and in the ocean. In the bay he has been putting together good catches of fluke and in the ocean a mix of black sea bass and other species.

Captain Max Goldman has been fishing the inshore reefs on the “Starfish” and reports action on black sea bass, skates, and small sharks.

Captain John Lewis reports his new boat, the “Insatiable,” with the same name as his previous boat, is in the water. He is still finishing some final touches including carpet and minor furniture upgrades and hopes to do some serious fishing in the very near future.

Captain Dave Wittenborn reports making final preparations on the “Benita J” for his first tuna trip of the season this week. He plans to fish the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club’s “Tuna Open” which runs June 10-15. He hears of good water offshore is hopeful of finding “the right fish and cashing a check again this year.”

Additional information on the captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.bhcfa.org

30/05/2024

Captain Gary Dugan reports the crew of the “Irish Jig” had another great week fishing. The fluke and sea bass fishing has been very good along with decent bluefish action along with a bunch of hefty blackfish that were released. His charters have been having a great time on the water making awesome memories. Captain Gary attributes it so “The Luck of The Irish.”

Captain Max Goldman has been fishing on the charter boat “Starfish” and the headboat “Miss Beach Haven.” The crew of the “Starfish” has been working hard to put black sea bass, short tautog, and sea robins on the hooks. Meanwhile the “Miss Beach Haven” has been catching fluke and sea bass.

Captain Brett Taylor reports challenging strong winds with a group fishing “Reel Reaction Charters. On a 4-hour trip they reeled in close to 25 short fluke while boxing 6 keepers and 2 bluefish. Another day he had a 5-hour sea bass charter. The crew fished seven different spots to box 32 sea bass, 3 ling, and a big porgy. The largest sea bass was just over 18-inches.

Captain Dave Wittenborn ran his first offshore trip this past Saturday out to the Wilmington Canyon. He was assisting the Long Beach Island Grade School deploy their drifter project as part of the NOAA drifter program. The drifter has a satellite device which broadcasts its position in real time. The students will be able to study ocean circulation and follow their drifter as it tracks around the ocean. Information on that program can be found at https://studentdrifters.org/tracks/

The Junior Mates Program will be starting June 27 for interested teens. Additional information on that program along with details on the captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org

22/05/2024

Memorial Day weekend is almost here, and the captains and crews of the Beach Haven Charter Boat Association are looking forward to this unofficial start of summer 2024 on Long Beach Island.

At this point, the fishing action is as strong and varied as it has been in years. There are striped bass and black drumfish in the inshore ocean waters and the bays. There has been an unexpected run of big bluefish just off the beach, and the black sea bass season has entered on a high note with some great catches being recorded on ocean structure. Finally, the summer flounder action is right on schedule in the bay waters at both ends of Long Beach Island.

Captain Gary Dugan reports another great week on the “Irish Jig.” He says the fluke are hungry. He is running bay trips for fluke and for black sea bass on local wrecks. Captain Gary recently enjoyed taking some veterans out as they put fluke and bluefish in the box.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” Bob Dodds and crew on a 4-hour bay fluke charter. He tried some new areas for fluke, and the anglers released over 25 short fish and boxed 6 keepers up to 23-inches.

Meanwhile, many of the BHCFA captains are putting the finishing touches on their boats for the season. Captains Ray and George just launched the new “Miss Liane” this past Friday. They have openings in the next couple of weeks and will be targeting stripers, sea bass, and fluke.

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.bhcfa.org.

12/05/2024

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms of our Junior Mates. Without your support and hard work in driving them to the boats and classes we wouldn’t have the program.
All of our Captains wish you a great day.

10/05/2024

The summer flounder season has opened in New Jersey, but unfortunately for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association, the weather has not been any help. Cold temperatures, high winds, and high tides have made finding fish a challenge.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Real Reaction Sportfishing” was able to work one fishing group this week after his teaching duties. Working jigs, the anglers caught and released over 25 short fluke, managing one keeper for their efforts. Once the weather turns warm and more springlike, fluke fishing should become productive.

Meanwhile, one of the association’s captains has been making news. The captains and crew members are proud of the recent achievements of one of their own, Captain Max Goldman.

Max began his BHCFA career several years ago as a junior mate. He was interested enough to make the trip from his home in Barnegat all the way to Beach Haven to attend meetings and serve as a junior mate. He began on the “Miss Liane” with Captain Ray Lopez and then on the “Star Fish” with Captain Carl Sheppard.

Max continued working on the “Star fish” as a regular mate and began striving to become a captain. Once he earned the USCG 6-pack certification, Captain Max upgraded it multiple times and is now a licensed 100-ton captain. He is licensed for 19 passengers on the “Star Fish.”

While accomplishing all the above, he graduated from college last summer with his bachelor’s in business management. This spring he achieved his master’s degree in business management. Both diplomas recognized his performance as “summa cm Laude.”

His immediate plans for this summer call for him to be on “Star Fish” for 90% of his time along with trips as captain on the “Miss Beach Haven” and its tiki boat cruises. Captain Max says his long-term plans will probably involve the fishing or boating industry.

In addition, he serves as secretary of the BHCFA and helps coordinate the current Junior Mates program for youngsters.

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org

30/04/2024

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” had two trips recently. Lou Sigillo and his friend Murph worked some ultra shallow areas to release 8 striped bass to 39 inches while keeping a 29-incher. With an hour left they hit a few rocks to release a dozen tautog and box 1 keeper. Captain Brett had Bob Dodds and his cousin Joe on a 4-hour bay skiff charter. The two cousins, 79 and 80 years old respectively, released close to a dozen striped bass in skinny water. They limited out on bass from 29-31 inches before switching over to blackfish and released a dozen shorts.

Captain Gary Dugan made his inaugural trip on Monday aboard his boat, the “Irish Jig.” It was a beautiful day with calm seas. Captain Gary reports the fishing was particularly good, but the keepers were tough to locate. There were many fish 13-14.5-inches along with some nice black sea bass which had to be released. With the beautiful conditions and some fish for the dinner table, it was a successful trip to start the new season.

Captain Ray and Captain George of “Miss Liane Sportfishing Charters” have announced that the “Miss Liane” is in the water and ready to go. The fish catching machine had extensive updates this winter and is in top shape for this year's offshore season. This spring they plan to target bluefin tuna, tilefish, and black sea bass. Captain Ray says they have openings for summer trips but advises anglers to book now for prime dates.

Additional information on the boats and captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.net

16/04/2024

It is starting to look like “spring has sprung” in the Long Beach Island area, and the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are excited as the 2024 fishing season arrives.

There have been some serious catches of striped bass in the local inshore waters, and in the past few days black drum have made their presence known. The blackfish season has already been an active one. Another season on everyone’s mind is the upcoming summer flounder season.

There have been a couple of changes in the regulations for 2024. This year the season will run from Saturday, May 4, through Wednesday, September 25. This will provide fishing days early in the season for the inshore waters while opening days late in the season for the doormats in the ocean. The daily bag limit will be three with a minimum size of 18-inches.

The BHCFA captains are in various stages of preparation. Captain Gary Dugan has the “Irish Jig” ready to go and reports he will be targeting striped bass and drumfish right away along with blackfish at some of the local wreck sites. He adds that he is “looking forward to another great season of fishing and cruising.”

Captain John Lewis of “Insatiable” sportfishing has been spending the past two months delivering boats up and down the Atlantic coast and even in the Gulf of Mexico. He is looking forward to staying in Beach Haven and putting anglers on fish.

Captain Dave Wittenborn has been working feverishly readying the “Benita J” for action and plans a launch in early May for the heart of the striper season.

All of the Association’s captains are booking dates for the season, and the prime ones are filling up fast. Consult the Association’s website at www.BHCFA.net for information on the captains and their boats.

16/03/2024

Day 1 of the in Edison NJ. Come see us in booth 542
Free lure with a 3 year subscription and you’ll be entered into a raffle for tracker bar and hoodie!! Great deal for only $30.00


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05/03/2024

The South Jersey Yacht Sales signage has gone up on the front of the new showroom! We're extremely excited for what the future has in store for SJYS. Stay tuned for an announcement for our Grand Opening.

04/03/2024

We're proud of our Team. We're boat show ready! Come on down and see us at the Discover Boating Atlantic City Boat Show.

The show runs through Sunday March 3rd at the Atlantic City Convention Center. We have seven great boats on display; an Albemarle 30 Express, INVINCIBLE 33 Open Fisherman, Jupiter 34, Sea Pro 242 and 262, a Viking 46 Billfish, and a Yellowfin 39.

Call (609) 884-1600 for more information.

27/02/2024

We are all set up in Atlantic City for the boat show. Doors open Wednesday 2/28 at noon. Come see us at booth 624. Let’s talk fishing. Learn about our Junior mate training program for boys and girls aged 13 and up.
See you in AC!

20/02/2024

Despite freezing weather and snowstorms, the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have been busy upgrading their boats and gear while also spreading the word on the great fishing opportunities provided by the group.

BHCFA representatives, including captains and junior mates, will be on hand at the prestigious Atlantic City Boat Show which runs from Wednesday, February 28, through Sunday, March 3. Thousands of fishing and boating enthusiasts will be in attendance and passing by the Club’s display talking fishing.
The club has also been front and center at two area fishing flea markets sponsored by local high school fishing clubs. Many anglers had the opportunity to learn about the fishing opportunities in the Beach Haven area at the affairs conducted by the Lacey Township and Southern Regional High School groups.

In addition to the hundreds of anglers passing through the show, the BHCFA representatives were able to inform teenagers about the Junior Mates Program conducted yearly by the BHCFA.

Planning for the 2024 Junior Mates Program has already begun, and BHCFA officers plan to make this summer’s version better than ever. Information on this year’s program will be posted on the BHCFA website as it is finalized.

The BHCFA continued its efforts to replenish area artificial reefs on February 12 when seventeen reef balls were deployed on the Little Egg Reef just outside Little Egg Inlet. This section of the reef is named the “Koegler Family Reef.”

Captain John Koegler was instrumental in the formation of the BHCFA. Since his death several years ago, his family members have continued to support the Association. Each concrete ball is about 3-feet in diameter and will start providing habitat for marine growth almost immediately.

Since the Junior Mates Program initiated its efforts to enhance the local reefs in 2021, four local reefs have seen deployments. In addition to Little Egg, the Barnegat Light and Garden State North and South Reefs have been enlarged.

Additional information on the captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org

20/02/2024

On Monday, Feb. 12, the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association through its Junior Mates program deployed 17 reef balls onto the Little Egg Reef off Beach Haven. John Lewis, association president, said the patch reef will be named the “Koegler Family Reef” to honor their years of support for the...

19/02/2024

Our most recent deployment last Monday, February 12, 2024.

To get involved visit: https://bhcfa.net/jr-mate-reef-project/

The Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) organization. All donations may be tax deductible.

On Monday, Feb. 12, the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association through its Junior Mates program deployed 17 reef balls onto the Little Egg Reef off Beach Haven. John Lewis, association president, said the patch reef will be named the “Koegler Family Reef” to honor their years of support for the...

13/02/2024

On Monday 2/12/2024 we had our first Artificial Reef deployment of 2024.
In partnership with the Sport Fishing Fund, 16 reef balls were deployed on Little Egg Reef this patch reef will be named “ The Koegler Family” reef . Captain John Koegler was a founding member and a strong supporter of the Junior Mate program. Captain John crossed the bar in 2015 His brother Bruce carried on the Koegler family support of our Junior Mate program until his passing in 2023. Bruce will be missed, however the tradition will continue thanks to Captain John’s widow JoeAnn and his daughter Amy
We of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are so greatful for their continued support.
In the attached picture the orange icon is the location of the tugboat/ reef named after Captain John that was part of our first deployment on 1/14/2021. The green icon is the location of yesterday’s deployment named for the Koegler family.
Thank you so very much for your support and carrying on the tradition .

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas and a happy healthy and prosperous new year from all of our Captains, Mates and Junior Mates.

18/12/2023

Here's the biggest striped bass entered into the Surf Master Award catch-and-release category. John Ipri caught this 48" fish, took a quick picture, revived, and released it back in October. John won the grand prize in this category and was awarded the Surf Master Award plaque, a Tsunami Salt X rod &reel combo, custom lures, and a $200 gift certificate to Fisherman's Headquarters. Thank you Greg Cudnik for donating these prizes from your shop. Stay tuned for more pictures of entries in the Surf Master Award category.

18/12/2023

Here's Andie Knoerzer with her winning fish in the Ladies Division of this year's Classic. She caught this 10.12lb striped bass in the mid-island surf during week 9. Growing up fishing the Classic every year with her dad, instilled in her the love for fishing the LBI surf. Andie, her husband Jeff, and their son Derek rent a home every year for the length of the Classic and come to the island every weekend to fish the surf. Their persistence paid off when they came upon a blitz and landed 15 bass throwing diamond jigs, one of them being the winning fish. Andie and her family represent the spirit of the LBI Surf Fishing Classic!

18/12/2023

The fall of 2023 has been a banner year for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association with all the hot action on striped bass. To top things off, one of the captains recently had a trip that resulted in a beautiful tuna catch.

Captain Jonathan Kelly of “LBI Sportfishing” had a charter a few days ago and was fishing just a few miles outside Barnegat Inlet. There were reports of tuna close to shore feeding on the schools of bunker.

It did not take long for Captain Jonathan’s crew to hook up with a fish, and what a fish it was. After a valiant fighting effort, a hefty 170-pound bluefin tuna was brought to the boat. At one point during the fight a 9-year-old boy did a portion of the reeling making him part of the effort.

Captain Jonathan says that considering the current action, he plans to keep his boat in the water until January 1. He can schedule trips after tautog, striped bass, and tuna depending on the angler’s choice.

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org

16/12/2023

15/12/2023

It is unusual, but here we are in the middle of December, and the striped bass action is still going strong. Although most boats have been put into storage for the winter, there are a couple of captains from the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association who are still fishing and catching big numbers of fish.

Captain Gary Dugan is fishing off the southern end of Long Beach Island on the “Irish Jig’ and experiencing great action on the water. Captain Gary’s quote on the current fish bite is to the point, “Fishing is still on fire!!” He had anglers George and Steve out this week, and the pair did an excellent job releasing many oversized fish while keeping three fish from 29-31 inches. Not to be outdone, Captain Gary and his son Brian went out on a quick trip another day looking for bass for the freezer. Brian did not disappoint as he manhandled some nice sized bass while catching the bulk of the fish.

In addition to the striped bass, Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” says he has been experiencing “superb togging” fishing out of Barnegat Inlet. He had Matt Windover, Mike W, Charles, and Paul on a 6-hour charter this week. They hit two areas and boxed their 5-man blackfish limit in under 3 hours with all action on the jig. Matt scored his personal best with a nice 11.5-pound female which was released, and Paul added a huge porgy to the box. In all they released twenty-five keepers from 3-8 pounds.

Earlier in the week Captain Brett had Aaron E and his sons Felix and Ez on an afternoon trip. The team jigged up stripers from 24 to 37 inches. They limited out with their eight fish (four slots, four bonus) and made a run to an open wreck. The tautog action produced a dozen fish, including two keepers.

Additional information on the captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org

01/12/2023

The current striped bass fishery off Long Beach Island is as good as it has been for a number of years. Some of the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are fishing into December and have some outstanding catches to show for their efforts.

Captain Dave Wittenborn of the “Benita J” sums up the action on a recent trip saying, “I’ve had many good days in the 25-plus years I’ve been running striper charters but none better than today.” He termed the action for the Steward group was “nonstop insanity’ the whole trip. After limiting out in 35-minutes they played catch and release for 4-hours, releasing over 100 fish.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” had a solid morning this past week which he said, “doesn't get much better for striped bass.” he had Herman Diaz and nephew Zack aboard. They broke the inlet and found fish everywhere. After boxing their boat limit of 6 bass to 31-inches, they caught and released quite a few more and turned to blackfish. Despite a slow bite, they worked on a few pieces of structure, managing 6 keepers to take home.

Captain Gary Dugan on the “Irish Jig” reports a couple of “great days” recently. He complimented one angler, Brooke, for reeling in three keepers along with some big throwbacks. He had a crew of Philadelphia firemen on another trip where they “kicked butt.”

Captain Ray Lopez of the “Miss Liane” has been finding all the striped bass his anglers could want. In addition to keepers to take home for dinner, his anglers are getting tired from reeling in oversized linesiders.

Additional information on the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association can be found at www.BHCFA.org