Family, friends, and restaurants share in the catch
By Cecilia Levine, Ocean Daily Voice, 4/28/2024 8:45 p.m.
The 51-year-old Hillsborough attorney has caught thousands of fish of a wide array of species, having been angling since he was just a kid with his dad. And each time feels like the first.
“It’s a good feeling, it’s the best feeling,” he said, “and it doesn’t go away no matter how many fish you catch.”
But the bluefin tuna that Goldberg reeled in with his mate Mike Resetar on Saturday, April 20 was unlike anything he’s experienced on the water before.
We’re talking 718 pounds, 112 inches, and the first trophy tuna caught off the New Jersey coast this season.
“My mouth dropped and I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said Goldberg. “And I’m someone who has seen these fish many times, but not this size.”
And it’s not even bluefin season yet.
Related:
2024 New Jersey Shore fishing guide
Jersey Shore Fishing Charters
Friday, April 19 was far from a banner day for Goldberg, who’d gone out looking for striped bass and come back with only a handful. He had plans to go back out for the same the very next day with Resetar, a plumber, but in an attempt to avoid further disappointment, they made a quick change of plans.
Goldberg had heard murmurs of other fishermen in the area having spotted giant bluefins, so — despite bluefin season beginning in May or June — Goldberg and Resatar took their chances.
Saturday was foggy and it was rainy, but Goldberg and Resetar were determined to make something of it. They headed out to sea and had their lines in the water at 9 a.m., about 10 miles northeast of Manasquan. Thirty-five minutes later, they had a bite.
A big bite.
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