Fishermen dodge rain clouds, land bluefin tuna and fluke

Fishermen dodged rain clouds a few times and returned with some noteowrthy catches, including a big, inshore bluefina tuna.

It could have better but the main thorn in their side of fishermen continues to be the stubborn south wind. It's kept the water colder than captains would like, especially those that are routinely out trying to put a catch together for large parties.

The water temp in Belmar on Monday was 61 degrees according to Surfline , which monitors surfing conditions, though off the beach the surface temp is a little warmer. Fishermen should get a brief respite from the south wind by mid-week when NOAA forecasts the direction will switch to west.

The weekend though was not all doom and gloom. The Sara Beruta charter was out with with Capt. Chris Dos Santos on his Sea Owl on Sunday and landed a 180-pound bluefin tuna. Dos Santos said he headed south out of Manasquan Inlet and caught the fish while trolling a purple skirted ballyhoo on an inshore lump. He said they had other bites.

More: Bluefin tuna, golden tilefish landed in the deep offshore

Capt. Freddy Gamboa on the Andrea's Toy Charters had an open boat trip Sunday for striped bass that did not disappoint. Gamboa said anglers each caught their keeper striped bass while fishing on the bunker pods. They had multiple opportunities with the fish, as they more than once had two fish on a time that resulted in some catch and release.

The bluefish were hard to find again. Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle said they hugged the beach Sunday, following the bunker but could not raise a bluefish. He said they changed plans, went out and got people their sea bass and then reeled in some ling for the day.

More: What's biting: get the latest fishing reports here

The fluke fishing was temperamental at best. Capt. Ron Kish on the Capt. Cal 2 said the weekend morning drifts weren't too lively due to cold water. He said it took some warming up before the fluke started to bite. He was out Monday morning and already had a few keeper fluke and sea bass in the boat early fishing north of Shark River Inlet.

Jingle's Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven reported a catch of a 5.6-pound fluke on the Garden State South reef. The shop said surf anglers are also catching a lot of kingfish on Long Beach Island. There haven't been any reports of kingfish north of LBI, yet.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Fishermen dodge rain clouds, land bluefin tuna and fluke