By Al Ristori
Imagine catching a 12 1/4-pound fluke, possibly the largest of the season so far, and not even ending up with the weekend’s biggest at the weigh-in station. That’s what happened today to Steve Olsen of Middletown as his doormat was upstaged at The Tackle Box in Hazlet by the 14 1/2-pound rug boated by Jimmy Caltabellata of Midland Park. The two largest fluke reported to me so far were both hooked in Raritan Reach on Spro bucktails tipped with Gulp.
Phil Sciortino also weighed a 49-pound striper caught on a dead bunker off Asbury Park by Chris Hartman of Freehold; a 48 1/2-pounder on a pencil popper from his boat off Asbury Park by Earl Anderson 4th of Kearny; a 41 1/4-pound bass on a pencil popper off the beach at Deal by Shane Burke of Holmdel; and a 28 1/2-pounder on a bunker head off the beach at Sandy Hook by Martin Rooney from Pearl River, N.Y.
Dave Lilly of Hazlet went right to the scene of hot fluking on Friday. but Raritan Reach didn’t produce like yesterday. He found lots of boats, but slow action and short fluke. He eventually found better action and a few keepers up to 5 pounds on strip baits from small bluefish — and extra attraction added by ESCA lights.
Vinny Vetere of Staten Island didn’t find any more 50-pound stripers near Shrewsbury Rocks, but the three stripers up to 34 pounds caught this morning on live bunkers from Katfish Charters was an impressive score today.
Originally published on: http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing/index.ssf/2010/06/fluking_slowed_in_raritan_reac.html