The 31st annual Mako Mania Tournament, sponsored by the Greater Point Pleasant Charter Boat Association, returns to Point Pleasant this weekend with good prospects after several very large makos were boated last weekend.
Though the tournaments haven't posted official results, it appears that Tra Sea Ann won the Warriors for Warriors Shark Tournament with a huge 428-pound mako by beating out Canyon Runner's 367-pounder which was boated by ex-Navy Seal Rich Graham on the 60-foot Ritchie Howell during a donated trip at the Triple Wrecks. Tra Sea Ann added $19,400 to their weekend haul when their mako also won the Brett Bailey Mako Rodeo when it weighed 430 pounds at Hoffman's in Brielle.
The captains meeting for Mako Mania (which is projecting $225,000 in cash prizes) is at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Manasquan River Club at 217 Riverside Dr., Brick 08724. Weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday will be at Crystal Point Marina in Point Pleasant. The entry fee is $500 per boat. For information call 732 892-3666, or visit gppcba.com
Johnny Bucktails (John Contello) won last Saturday's 39-boat Hi-Mar Striper Club Spring Striped Bass Tournament with a two-fish total of 73.5 pounds. Contello was able to revive one of those bass for a dockside release. Close behind were J.R. Santos, second with Out On A Limb at 72.3 pounds -- and Gary Carr third on Fishin Addiction with 71.4 pounds, including Richie Redfern's junior angler 33-pound winner. Avery Grace was fourth at 69.9 pounds; and there was a tie for fifth at 68.8 pounds between Prime Coat and Fin-Z. Steve Machalaba took the Tag-and-release prize with a 39-inch bass, and added the Costa Release Photo award. The big bass was a 41.9-pounder by Rodney Krawczyk on Prime Coat, and the ladies award went to Aleyn Mangan on Fishin Addiction at 41.3 pounds.
Those standings would have been different if Hi-Mar original member Gene Graman of Middletown had entered the contest. He took Jerry McMenamy of Holmdel out, and anchored at Ambrose where McMenamy chunked a bass that was weighed on the contest scale at 53.7 pounds. If combined with a 25-pound striper they also chunked, That's It II from Sandy Hook Bay Marina in Highlands would have won.
About half of the 39 boats entered weighed in bass that were caught mostly on live bunkers or trolled in the ocean. That fishery has been holding up, with many big bass recorded this week. Though these are spawned-out stripers, they are all females (male bass rarely exceed 20 pounds) and the future of the coastal stock. Let your conscience be your guide in deciding whether you need a full limit in the box.
Capt. Stan Zagleski came up with the first party boat fluke reported to this column when fluke pro Dennis O'Brien of South Bound Brook boated a 10-pound, 13-ounce trophy Monday on Elaine B. II from Bahrs in Highlands. Raritan Bay fluking broke open recently on a day when Elaine B. had a three-hour drift in the Reach and Capt. Scotty Hilliard reported over 150 keepers up to an 8-pounder for Patrick Lassen of Cranford on Prowler 5 from Atlantic Highlands. The Fishermen from that port has switched to fluke, and the Sea Hunter starts half-day fluking on Saturday.
Tuna fishing is building up already. Capt. Lou Grazioso of Wall fished with Bob Chervanek on his Lady Dorado from Waretown as they ran to Hudson Canyon to troll an 80-pound bluefin on the West Wall. There were also lots of little tunny out there along with whales and bait.
Adam La Rosa reported that Capt. Deane Lambros of the Canyon Runner ran a Thursday overnighter last Thursday when they kept 14 out of 21 yellowfins trolled from the Carteret to the Lindenkohl while adding the area's first white marlin and a dolphin. At night they caught a 175-pound mako while releasing six tigers and six blue sharks. The a Friday overnighter for the John Dale charter released two tigers and lost a mako before they kept eight of 12 yellowfins trolled.
Capt. Paul Eidman of Angler's Conservation Network urges fishermen to voice support for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council amendment on unprotected forage fish, such as sand eels, chub mackerel and bay anchovies (rainfish) that could be targeted without limit at any time by commercial operations. E-mail to Julia Beaty at jbeaty@mafmc.org with the subject line Unmanaged Forage Public Hearing.
Matt Slobodjian at Jim's Tackle in Cape May reports "Fully Loaded" won last weekend's shark tournament there with a 194-pound mako, while second went to Let's Go with a 178-pound mako. Whiskey Girl weighed a 290-pound thresher. Matt notes "Black drum seemed to move out into the middle of the bay. We are getting some good reports from the Pintop, and along the inside and outside edges of Tussy's Slough. Merle Mansen of Chicago weighed in his first drum -- a 64 ½-pounder from the Pintop. There are still some stripers being caught in the shallows along the bay beaches for boat and shore fisherman, but it's slowing down with the water temp rising.
Quite a few weakfish have been caught on the rock wall along Hereford Inlet in North Wildwood. Some of those fish were in the 6-to-8-pound range, and most of the guys we talked to released the fish. There is also some trout action at Higbee's Beach and the Point. The best tactic sounded like floating bloodworms on a bobber right next to the rocks. If you plan to release the fish please try to use circle hooks as most of these fish are gut hooked. A few fluke have been caught in the ocean just out front of Cape May, but the best action is still in the backwaters a little north of us. Sea bass fishing is still holding up well especially if you have a wreck that hasn't seen a ton of pressure. The 80-120-foot range still seems to be the best."
