Tuna Tango Hits The Jersey Shore

Story by Tom Pagliaroli

Unreal. Epic. Mind blower. Ball breaker.

Such are a few of the multitude of decriptives regarding the current run of bluefin tuna in mid-range (15-50) mile range that shows no sign of abating.

The Little Italy, Resor, Cole and Triple Wrecks are but a few of the locations loaded with sashimi.

Oh, yeah: they are also being caught in the southern canyons and chances are by this weekend or sometime during the coming week, they will have invaded the northern canyons.

“The best bluefin fishing I’ve seen in over three decades,” observes Capt. Adam Larosa of the famed big money tournament winning Canyon Runner charter fleet.

Capt. Alan Lee aboard Mushin Sportfishing concurs. Exclaims the skipper, “Not only did the bluefin show early, they came in numbers and kept coming. It should stay crazy for some weeks to come.”

Local tuna maven Chuck Snyder who fishes aboard Capt. Tim Irons’ Smoking Again says simply, “It’s been great fishing.”

The bluefin are ranging from 30-pounds to 400-plus, and are being caught primarily by trolling the likes of ChatterLures Side Tracker Bars, Sputter Bars, Sterling Crazy 6 Bars, Reel Seat Custom Chains, and Joe Shutes with ballyhoo.  This is the dealio for the triple digit weight bluefin. However, for some truly spectacular, and muscle-testing experiences, it’s casting surface poppers such as the Nomad Riptide on spinning tackle. Ditto working shallow running stickbaits like the Madd Mantis and Shimano Orca. Dancing a butterfly jig and then feeling the shoulder-jarring Whump! from your subsurface partner will also exponentially elevate the appreciation for this spectacular gamefish.

Coinciding with bluefin blast is an unusual run of jumbo false albacore, aka “fat alberts”. Usually caught on light tackle, these striped balls of muscle are topping 20-pounds and taking drag on 50 size reels after smashing offerings meant for bluefin kin.

And More: As if the torrid bluefin bite wasn’t enough, bigeye to 130-pounds, and yellowfin to 60-pounds are showing and are blasting bars, chains, Shutes and ‘hoos. Expect this mayhem to run through summer into early November, but these are canyon denizens. The Baltimore, Wilmington, Toms, Spencer, Hudson, Massey’s, among others...take your pick and make the run.