Big cobia fish are striking, one of the first of the season to land off the New Jersey coast

The cobia are there.

I met Captain Freddy Gamboa of Andreas’ Toy Charters Saturday morning at Clarke’s Landing in Point Pleasant, and the experienced charter captain said he was specifically looking to catch a cobia. He returned later in the day with a 45-pounder in the boat, which was reeled in by Darren Guarino. Gamboa said they landed the fish in a bunker not far offshore.

Although cobia is no stranger to summer in New Jersey, it is not a commonly infested species. However, it is one of the fish that anglers are catching with increasing frequency. Most of its population lives in Virginia, but biologists there say the fish is shifting its range to New Jersey.

Local conditions update

As for the tuna, the deep sea fishing wasn’t particularly exciting. There were some yellowfin tuna in the canyons to the south, such as Toms Canyon, but reports from the Hudson were sparse.

Captain Chris Dos Santos of the Sea Owl went tile fishing this weekend, scouting for some tuna along the way in an area teeming with whales, dolphins and baitfish. They were big bluefin tuna. They caught one near the boat, but it pulled the hook after a good fight. His group did well on tilefish, fishing the canyon slopes and some very deep wrecks. He fished in depths ranging from 350 feet to 810 feet and they caught blueline and golden tilefish in weights from 24 to 30 ounces.

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With the first full weekend of fluke fishing in the books, it’s fair to say there are plenty of fish in the inshore areas, but they could use an inch or two.

Captain Ron Kish of the Capt. Cal 2 out of Belmar said they have released up to 50 small fish on some of their streams. That doesn’t mean the nets stayed dry. With sea bass closed, many of the rented boats switched to fluke boats and all returned with keeper sized fish.

Greg Bogan of Brielle Bait & Tackle said the kayakers did well on the Manasquan River. They weighed fish from the river that weighed over 5 pounds. The main area extends from the railway bridge to the bay. He said white Gulp baits and spear baits are leading the way, at least for now. In addition to the fluke fish, Manasquan Inlet fishermen catch cocktail-sized bluefish fairly regularly.

With the wind shifting to a more favorable westerly on Monday, that could help boost fluke fishing and get more keepers on the hook.

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When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel isn’t covering the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he’s a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Fishing New Jersey: The first cobia of the season arrives off the coast of New Jersey