Switch Up Your Midshore Tuna Game
By Nicholas Tennaro
Staring out into the darkness with a glowing radar screen and chart plotter glaring up at you, the twinkles of lights get smaller to the west as you reach the 15-mile line. The dampness in the air hovering above the water in the early hours of the morning collects on your hoodie and skin as you catch that first sweet smell of a faint slick you pass getting closer to the fishing grounds. You debate: Should I pull them back and wait for gray light inshore for a shot at a bluefin before the crowd builds or blast off and search for a morning mammal feed to troll around or drop jigs in? Will you come across an area of shearwater gliding inches from the water making pass after pass? Will you see acres of tuna chicks looking like mosquitos on a pond picking over endless slicks? All these things pass through the mind of anglers leaving the more than 10 inlets facing east off the New Jersey coast every weekend from June through September.
Tuna fishing 15 to 75 miles offshore of New Jersey can seem intimidating sometimes. The fishery has grown wildly in the last decade or so. With the abundance of bait and fish in recent years the opportunities for anglers from novice to seasoned pro have drastically increased. The tremendous technological advancements over the years makes every year a
