Canyon Runner Sportfishing

Capt. Adam of Canyon Runner Sportfishing said yellowfin tuna have finally started to appear offshore — sort of. The fish are currently holding far to the south and mostly within range of Virginia-based boats, leaving most local crews still waiting for a true shot at them. There are also bluefin tuna showing up in the southern canyons, but overall, there’s still very little consistent tuna action within comfortable range for the New Jersey fleet. Closer to home, striped bass are flooding into the ocean waters from Montauk down to Manasquan, giving anglers plenty of opportunities along the coast. Even with the widespread bite, Raritan Bay continues to stand out as the top producer for consistent striped bass action right now.

Adam at Canyon Runner Sportfishing reports that the big bass have finally made a strong showing off Oceanside, with Canyon Runner members putting together quality catches while trolling eels around the Highlands Bridge. A few fish have also been picked off the Shrewsbury Rocks, adding to the expanding bite. Still, the bulk of the action remains deeper inside Raritan Bay and its surrounding estuaries, where striped bass are actively pushing upstream to spawn and feeding aggressively along the way. On the tuna front, there are bluefin holding in the canyons, but most of the recent inshore effort—from Rockaway Reef down through the Shipping Lanes and even as far as the Delaware/Maryland line—has been largely unproductive and fuel-draining. That said, with fish already staged offshore, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before those bluefins make a push inshore and ignite the bite.