BHCFA Report

The Junior Mates Program of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association has been garnering widespread acclaim since its founding over 20 years ago. Traditionally, the group’s learning concludes every summer with the Captain John Koegler Junior Mates Fishing Trip.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas this year as nasty weather forced cancellation of the trip on the “Miss Beach Haven.”

Back when the BHCFA was first started by a group of dedicated fishing captains from the Beach Haven area, there was a lack of well-trained mates to assist on the boats. The captains started classes for interested teenagers training them for the mate chores.

Captain John Koegler was one of the original founders of the BHCFA as well as the Junior Mates program. He taught many of the classes to the budding mates.

Unfortunately, Captain John passed away several years ago. Naming the annual fishing tournament after him was a natural way to honor his role in the group. In addition to his association with the BHCFA, Captain John was active in many fishing organizations and a well-spoken advocate for intelligent fishing practices.

Every year the Koegler family donates rods and reels to the youngsters completing the Junior Mates Program. Originally his brother Bruce began the tradition, and after his passing, John’s daughter Amy Koegler Pascali has continued this support of the Junior Mates.

In addition to receiving the fishing gear, each of the Junior Mates received a fishing pass for two anglers on the “Miss Beach Haven” courteous of Captain Steve Palmer.

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

Summer is nearing its final stretches in the Long Beach Island neighborhood, but the captains of the Beach Haven Charter fishing Association know that some of the best fishing of the year is near at hand.

The fish that made summer fishing interesting are still around, the water has warmed which means that many fish considered to be tropical species are around, and fall fishing is right around the corner.

The bulk of the fluke population has made its annual migration into the ocean which has these fish congregating around the inshore artificial reefs and structure. The bay waters still have some fluke along with decent numbers of croaker, small weakfish, and other panfish. Bluefish have been racing around the inlets, especially in the early hours of the day.

Other fish around are tuna and mahi-mahi, often closer to shore than one might thing. In addition, fish such as cobia, drumfish, triggerfish, and various sharks are around.

Captain Max Goldman of the “Starfish” laid out his plans as in September he will concentrate on fluke and sea bass, September and October for tuna chunking along with sea bass, then November for stripers and tautog.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” has been working the Barnegat Light area in the bay, ocean, and inlet. He has seen extraordinary action on undersized fluke but must work hard for keepers. One of his trips released over one hundred short fish but managed to put six keepers in the box along with one sea bass and a mahi.

Captain Jonathan Kelly has been fishing the “Bodacious” out of Barnegat Light for offshore fish and one of his anglers managed a magnificent mahi-mahi that measured out at 55-inches.

The “Miss Beach Haven,” the only headboat at the southern end of Long Beach Island, has been experiencing some great morning fishing trips. They report that the anglers on board may be strangers when they leave the dock but are friends when the boat returns.

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

Fishing is breaking out on all fronts of Long Beach Island for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association including the recently completed White Marlin Invitational Tournament put on by the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club.

Captain Dave Wittenborn and his team fishing the “Benita J” managed to land two nice longfin tuna on Friday of the contest. One of the fish was large enough to earn them a daily prize. Captain Dave was justly pleased with his crew’s performance.

Captain Max Goldman of the “Starfish” reports he had his boat in dry dock for a mid-season onceover. Starting the second half of the season in a big way, Captain Darren and First Mate Ryan took a break from bottom fishing for catch and release on sharks. Their anglers landed 5 sharks, with the largest estimated at nearly 400 pounds. Species included brown sharks and sand tiger sharks, all safely released to fight another day.

After a week of two and even three parties a day, Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” was almost relieved when Saturday’s fishing was cancelled due to weather. However, he took his son, six-year-old Lake, out for an hour. After nailing a 4.5-pound fluke they crabbed for a “baker’s” dozen crabs to over 6-inches. Good eating at the Taylor house.

Captain Gary Dugan reports he had a “great bunch” of guys from Bucks County, Pennsylvania out for another day of very good fluke fishing on the “Irish Jig.”. They had great action and returned with a nice 20-inch keeper in the fish box. Irish Jig

Captain Jonathan Kelly reports “The Bodacious” is now docked in Barnegat Light enjoying great action there already on yellowfin tuna. On the first day his anglers were 8 for 8 on yellowfin along with two white marlin. Plans call for the “Bodacious” to remain in Barnegat Light through the tuna season and into the fall striper season.

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

As the month of August rolls in, the array of fishing catches widens for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. In addition to the typical catches of fluke inshore and tuna offshore, other species are making their appearances. Among these other fish are tilefish, black sea bass, ling, bluefish, small weakfish, and even a cobia.

Captain Max Goldman of the “Starfish” has been seeing steady catches of fluke and sea bass while fishing the local artificial reefs. One of his anglers just stunned the local fishing community when a 44-inch cobia was reeled in at the Little Egg Reef.

Captain Gary Dugan of the “Irish Jig” put a group of anglers on some hot fluke fishing in the ocean recently. A total of four keepers to 23-inches made the fish box in addition to many smaller ones released.

The “Miss Beach Haven,” one of only two head boats remaining on Long Beach Island, has been experiencing true family friendly trips. With plenty of room to fish and friendly mates, bottom fishing is ideal for families even with young children.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” had to cancel a couple of trips because of the weather, but when he made it out, his anglers caught fish. Bay fishing trips are averaging over 50 throwback fluke with 2-3 keepers. Mixed in have been cocktail blues and spike weakfish. Ocean trips are producing more keepers in addition to ling and sea bass.

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

It is the Fourth of July weekend on Long Beach Island, and the area is thronged with folks enjoying all the shore has to offer. Many of these visitors are enjoying time on the boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association.

The fascinating aspect of these BHCFA captains is the variety of experiences offered for adventures on the water. Hardcore anglers can travel to offshore waters for tuna and other big game fish or do some serious fishing the inshore waters for fluke.

Some boats are set up for cruising local waters whether it be on a pirate themed vessel, a tiki hut that leisurely cruises inshore waters, or more luxurious craft providing sightseeing opportunities in comfort.

Then there are the boats and captains that offer a more relaxed type of fishing, providing action for families including young children. They provide a fun atmosphere as they instruct everyone on fishing basics while instilling an appreciation for the marine environment. A source of information on finding details on the BHCFA can be found below at the link to their website.

Captain Gary Dugan reports that fishing the inshore reefs for fluke has ramped up as his anglers have enjoyed successful trips recently. He is finding fish both in the bay and ocean. His tiki boat has also been busy with sightseeing cruises and crabbing trips.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” has seen an upswing in fluke catches recently. Undersized fish have been keeping the rods bent while enough keepers for fish dinners provide eating action. His trip with the Bob Dodds crew landed 45 short fluke along with 5 keepers to 21-inches. He has been fishing in the bay, inlet, and inshore ocean waters.

Captain Dave Wittenborn brought in his first yellowfin tuna of the season with the four Ridley brothers. The trip resulted in over 20 fish bites with 10 ending up in the fish box. On the trip back to port, the group feasted on fresh tuna steaks and key lime pie.

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

The summer of 2026 has now officially arrived, and the captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are full speed ahead. Right now, fluke fishing is happening in both the bay waters and the local artificial reefs a short distance offshore.

Another hot fishery right now is the tuna bite. The positive aspect of this tuna fishing is that much of the action is closer to shore than the lengthy trips to the canyons. The weigh-ins from the recently completed Tuna Open sponsored by the Beach Haven Marlin and tuna Club showed those fish are around.

Bob Gerkens and crew fished the Tuna Open on the “Hot Tuna” catching a pair of bluefin tuna that weighed in at 50 and 62-pounds, earning the crew a 6th place finish along some Calcutta funds from the contest. In addition, they boated another three bluefin which were swiftly released.

Captain Steve Palmer of Jingles Bait and Tackle reports the initial trip on the “Miss Beach Haven,” an 82-foot headboat was a successful one. The action on board kept the anglers with bent rods reeling in an assortment of black sea bass and fluke. The boat is now moored at Beach Haven Watersports.

Captain Brett Taylor of “Reel Reaction Sportfishing” reports a busy week of fishing as he worked hard in the Barnegat Bay waters to find keeper fluke for his clients. Most trips are having to work through 20 to 30 fish to find keepers. Last Friday he had a family of five working their way through dogfish and over twenty-five short fish to land one keeper. But what a fish it was. The last drift of the day resulted in a 30.5-inch fluke that tipped the scales at over ten pounds.

In addition to catching fish, the captains will be instructing a fresh class of Junior Mates starting Thursday, June 25 at the Beach Haven Maritime Museum.

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

Memorial Day weekend is finally upon us after a long winter, and the captains and boats of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association are ready to put anglers on the fish.

There are several options available for anglers to bend rods and put fish dinners on the table. The waters are still on the cold side, so the striped bass bite has continued strong. While the fluke bite will pick up when those waters turn warmer, there are some nice concentrations of fluke in the bay waters where the water is warmer.

The opening of the black sea bass season has started off with a bang with both wreck and artificial reef fishing has been strong.

Captain Max Goldman of the “Starfish” had members of the Southern Regional Fishing Club out fishing a couple of deep-water reefs. Despite the chilly water the group had an action-packed day with over 150 black sea bass caught including 54 keeper bass and 9 ling.

Captain Jonathan Kelly of LBI Sportfishing had a group out this past week for non-stop action on a mix of black sea bass and ling including many doubleheaders. Captain Jonathan remarked the fishing seemed better closer to shore than outside.

The “Miss Beach Haven” will now be fishing out of Liberty Landing at the Mordecai Boat Basin this year. One of only two head boats on LBI, this will place the boat closer to the inlet.

Captain Gary Dugan had a group out doing some bay fishing for fluke this week. Captain Gary reported decent action but had trouble finding keeper fish due to the cold water.

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