A head boat, or party boat, is century’s old shore tradition.
Access is everything. Question is, if you don’t own a boat, how do you get to access, experience and enjoy all the recreational saltwater fishing opportunities in the Garden State? Easy, simply hop on a party boat.
Rooted in nearly a century of operations, the New Jersey party boat packet has been gifting anglers the chance to fish for all saltwater species and hit the grounds throughout the year for a nominal fee usually of $50 to $100 for either half-day or full-day affairs. I absolutely love hopping on deck a party boat if I get a snap urge to fish for 4 hours then go back to work.
Point is, there’s always some captain willing to run the grounds with major ports at Atlantic Highlands, Brielle, Point Pleasant, Barnegat Light, Wildwood, Ocean City and Cape May.
Let’s take a look at how to plan your year.
Four Seasons
Charging per head, head boats, or party boats, run throughout the year out of local ports, mostly on half days of either 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. during summer months to capture tourists’ wishes targeting fluke, sea bass and bluefish. Some boats may also run three-quarter day trips in spring, fall and winter by sailing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for stripers, blackfish, sea bass, ling or bluefish. Also, night bluefishing boats – should those gators return in force – will be running three-quarter day trips at night from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., with some even running specialized night wreck trips from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. targeting ling, cod, blues and whatever else may be on the prowl.
For more adventurous anglers, the party can run offshore to the canyon grounds on 24- to 36-hour trips targeting tuna, swordfish, tilefish and mahi at an upcharge to around $300 or a little more.
Springtime – The first targets in the sights of head boats are usually striped bass migrating along the coastline or inside of Raritan Bay and Delaware Bay. Often overlooked, black drum trips are also available inside of Delaware Bay running out of New Jersey ports like Cape May and Fortescue, or across along the Delaware side out of Lewes, DE. Back in the days of old, there used to be smaller, sturdy wooden vessels searching for winter flounder.
Summer – Without a doubt, the inshore grounds are peppered by the fluke fleet, usually running half days. During tropical temp summers, boats will even switch over to target bonito, Spanish mackerel, false albacore and mahi on the inshore/midshore grounds. Historically, night bluefish sorties out to the Mud Hole were standard, dropping jigs and chunk baits for a scrap. If the offshore bite is firing, long range tuna and swordfish chunking trips are filled.
Fall – Stripers again rise to the top of the heap as the fall migration has boats chasing blitzing schools up and down the entire coastline. Most years, yellowfin and bluefin tuna fishing also lasts through October allowing for long range trips that sometimes spill over into November if longfin stick around.
Winter – A bottomfishing bonanza erupts as many targets are on the bullseye, with a major force topping out with the tautog, aka blackfish. Black sea bass, porgies, cod, pollock, ling round out the mix on the midshore and offshore 30 to 80-mile wrecks, rockpiles and glacial rocks.
Essential Gear
You can opt to bring your own rod and reel which you are comfortable with, though most boats have the option to rent out rod and reel combos if you do not have one of your own. Generally speaking, any inshore trip can be attacked with a 7 to 7-1/2 foot spinning or conventional rod rated for medium to fast action. Match it with Shimano Torium 16 or 20 class reel, or a Daiqa Saltiga 5000 class reel, all spooled with 30 to 50-pound Power Pro braided line. Outfit your tackle box detailed for your species target. Top off your braid with a rig or a 5 foot section of 40-pound mono TrikFish leader as well for some give on the braided line if you get snagged, then tie the rig or lure on.
Strategically, ask the captain where the transducer is located on the vessel, especially on bottom fishing trips as when they set lines to anchor, the generally stay right on top of where they mark the structure. Most times it’s near the stern of the boat or just behind mid-ship. Those opting to jig have better luck near the bow of the boat where you have some room to whip out a jig and work it back.
In terms of clothing, it’s all about being comfortable on a party boat trip, especially in the colder months. Start with a simple backpack to carry/transport your gear. In it, a long sleeve shirt, hoodie, windbreaker/light rain jacket are nice to have on hand to combat any weather situations. Rubber boots will prevent any spraying washdown water, fish blood or smushed bait from getting on your feet. Sunglasses for sun glare, sunscreen for the blazing sun, and a baseball cap or sock hat to keep your head warm and protected from the sun’s rays.
A small food cooler filled with sandwiches, plenty of hydration drinks such as Gatorades and water, and snacks is essential. Another separate wheeled fish cooler of 56 quarts or so is fine for your catch and two 10-pound bags of ice inside the cooler to keep them iced down. Bring extra 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bags for your fillets.
Don’t forget to bring the cash money for the fare, and to tip the mates, generally at 15 to 20%. If you’re fishing structure or perhaps don’t have the ideal rigs and terminal tackle, you can also purchase some extra rigs onboard, as well as some of that delicious galley food, including a mandatory pork roll egg and cheese and coffee.
Above all, on any party boat trip, bring courtesy and common sense with you. The close quarters of party boat fishing demand that people work with each other and mates have a hard job to do, attending to dozens of people’s needs at once, so have patience. The head boat experience can make a half day excursion feel like a lifetime experience, so long as you plan the little things out ahead of time!
| MULTI-PASSENGER VESSELS |
| While a “six-pack” charter is just that, it can take a pack of six anglers fishing for the day, multi-passenger vessels offer the ability for captain and crew to take more than six anglers on a charter, often up to 30. A head boat is one of those “multi-passenger” vessels running most every day during the season, but rather than simply by charter the boats charge per head. The following are the multi-passengers boats sailing throughout the season from South Amboy to Lewes, DE – those italicized with an asterisk (*) are boats you’ll find in the Report Section of this month’s edition of The Fisherman with more details on targeted species, reports and sailing schedules throughout the season. Although many of the following are “head boats” that provide spots along the rail for walk-up customers, it’s best to call first for trip availability on any of these multi-passenger vessels.
South Amboy * Misty Morn 732-721-2892 Keyport * Keyport Princess 609-780-6362 Atlantic Highlands * Ebbtide Too 732-742-0956 * Mi-Jo II 732-872-0121 Bingo Sportfishing 908-900-8900 Fishermen 732-872-1925 Dark Horse 973-440-0335 Prowler V 732-245-6514 Sea Tiger II 732-872-9231 Tagged Fish 732-895-7830 Belmar * Belmar Princess 732-681-0030 * Big Mohawk 732-492-6936 * Golden Eagle 732-681-6144 * Ol’ Salty 732-681-6650 * Skylarker 732-309-7689 Capt. Cal II 732-977-2020 Ocean Explorer 848-565-0519 Brielle * Jamaica II 732-458-3188 * Paramount 732-528-2117 Big Jamaica 732-528-5014 Point Pleasant * Norma-K III 732-496-5383 * Gambler 732-295-7569 Dauntless 732-892-4298 Fish Monger 732-403-6056 MIMI VI 732-370-8019 Miss Michele 732-899-4984 Point Princess 732-996-2579 Queen Mary 732-899-3766 Voyager 732-691-1596 Barnegat Light / Beach Haven * Miss Barnegat Light 609-361-9536 * Miss Beach Haven 609-467-3233 * Mary M IV 609-618-1962 * Super Chic 609-709-1686 Susan Hudson 609-713-6918 Star-Fish LBI 609-384-3969 Atlantic City/Margate Captain Robin 609-822-6819 High Roller 609-348-3474 Keeper Fishing 609-576-5998 Osprey 516-449-3255 Sea Isle & Avalon Miss Avalon 609-967-7455 Starfish 609-263-3800 Wildwood/Cape May Cape May Lady 609-780-7900 Miss Chris 609-849-9453 Sailor’s Delight 609-827-8309 Sea Star III 609-884-3421 Starlight Fleet 609-729-7776 Fortescue Bonanza II 609-381-2978 Miss Fortescue 856-447-3281 Lewes, Delaware Angler 302-644-4533 Pirate King II 302-644-4533 Pappy’s Lady 302.645.TUNA Thelma Dale IV 302.645.TUNA The Great Getaway 302.645.TUNA |
