Wow... Well, there was one good takeaway besides all the fish we caught. I learned how to "play possum" with fish that take you into the wreck after hitting your bait. Basically, I just let some slack out, wait about a minute or two, then SLOWLY lift the rod. Sometimes the fish swims out of the wreck and then I strike. Worked several times for Wifey and I. Giving real consideration to going single hook this fall instead of hi/lo too.
Yep. Told you it works...... That trick is key for grouper, as they like to dive for their "holes". but I'm FAR from a grouper expert Single vs hi/lo depends on the target fish. with some of those 10lb + cod, yeah single would probably be best. Sea Bass on the other hand...... The one pisser is in deep water if the little bait stealers get to your bait first and you have to crank up and re-bait..... sucks. Also, sometimes the bigger fish will cruise up to the commotion caused by the smaller ones. I may try and night fish from the yak for the 1st time tonight under some bridge / dock lights for trout on topwater lures..... we'll see No Mets tonight..... although after last night.....
OE is a good boat, Bobby's a really good captain, he'll put you on the fish every time or die trying. I'm also looking forward to seabass, got 2 more trips booked for this year. Hard to get out there this year, but considering all the fishing I did last year when I wasn't working, I can't bitch too much I love deep drop fishing, I don't find it too bad bringing it up with the Jigmaster, takes about a minute or so. When I was using a Penn levelwind back in the day it was pretty bad. I always tip at least one hook with a Gulp, so if I lose the clam I still have something going on down there. Most of the seabass came on the top hook with the Gulp on Sunday. This trick has saved me many rigs and many fish during blackfish season. Every boat is different, this is the boat my club books. I'm a first year member, but these guys have been booking him forever. Kenny is an awesome Captain, Chris is great too ,and Brandon is a freaking Rock Star Mate. If you can book during the week, he should have openings. Weekends are probably full up til next year, but who knows? Maybe he had cancellations or something. http://mimivi.com/rates.php
The OE is "home field" for us. We've been fishing that boat now for almost 3 years. During the summer this year, we switched over the the Dauntless out of Pt. Pleasant mainly because of the dumbassed Fluke rules they put in. 5 fish at 18" is a tall order. Heard they were gonna change again for 2016 with stricter limits. Not sure how the OE and the other fluke boats made out but the bottom fishing boats like the Dauntless and the Paramount were usually packed every weekend. I don't know why they just don't close the season for Fluke for a year or two and then come back with sensible limits. Well, now that its almost SB season again, we'll be on the OE until the Dauntless switches over from Porgy to SB. Not that I mind Porgy but after the first 30-40, it gets boring and the Dauntless spends too much time on them for it to be a good combo trip. Good to have choices. I like Sunday boats mainly because of the smaller crowds. Usually, I watch the weather and the reports and make the call on which boat the day before.
Yeah, fluking is absolutely ridiculous, I didn't even go this year. The OE did as good as anyone could do this season from the reports, but it was nothing compared to last year. I hear you on the crowds...I got spoiled last year by fishing during the week, so this year was a little odd at first. The Dauntless was pretty much home field for me last year haha. I took a pool with a cod in Sept. First drop, first fish of the day. One trip, we found a sea turtle stuck in a high flyer line for a lobster pot, so they managed to free it and send it on it's way. It was awesome. Are Steve and Nino still the mates? Steve is a Jets fan.
What an idiot! all he had to do was bring the fish to the boat and net him there or just swing the fish into the boat.
The sea was angry today, my friends. Ouch. Goddamn 11 footer hit us and ripped the life raft off the top deck. Real nice pick of seabass all day out there though.
Thanks for the headsup! I'm off this week and got 3 trips planned. One tomorrow and one perhaps Wednesday. Will go on Saturday too. I've been watching the weather underground reports and seas look to be around 2-3ft so I'm in business. I read the report from the OE and they confirmed you guys were getting rocked out there. So far though, looking like a great seabass season so I'm gonna get mine too! Tomorrow, its the OE. next trip will be the Dauntless and this weekend with the wife, perhaps the OE again.
Nice, gotta love a week full of trips! Catch em up bro. On Sunday, white or chartreuse Gulp mullets on the high hook was the ticket. To give you an idea of how bad it was, the OE got rocked like you said. OE is 100 feet. The Mimi is 62 feet. I would have loved that extra 38 of boat to soak up some of that swell. Not even gonna lie, I was sick as hell, and I've only been seasick 3 times in 30 years.
Rough day. Seas were flat calm but SeaBass were reluctant. Dogfish were on a Rampage today like I've never seen before. They were attacking SeaBass, they were trailing each other up to the boat. Everywhere we dropped, we had Dogfish. OE moved every 15-20mins. Was going to go tomorrow but I think I'll wait until either Thursday or the Weekend. Hopefully the Dogfish will have moved on by then but tomorrow probably would have been more of the same. Came home with only 4. Really low numbers today all around the boat.
That sucks, but not that suprising. I find the days immediately following a full moon, and the mid moon tend to be worse. Before shelling out the $$ to head offshore, check the solunar tables. It is by no means a lock, but usually when it says it'll suck, it usually does (on the converse often when they say high activity on full moon days, I dont do so got) http://www.tides4fishing.com/us/new-jersey http://www.tides4fishing.com/us but heading offshore, I like the day before the fullmoon, and the days around the new moon
Stinky, at times there were so many sandsharks around the boat that you could simply look down and see schools of them. We'd get a decent bite going and then the first dogfish would come up. It was almost like he was the scout cause after that, nothing but dogfish. A few Seabass came up head only. Rest of the fish was gone man. Looked like a piranha got to it on the way up. Didn't help when the mate washed out the clam bucket overboard inadvertently setting up a clam chum slick which of course, brought in more sandsharks. All things considered, I'm glad I didn't go today. We were fishing in 125-150' and by the time I got home, I was dog tired anyway. Maybe tomorrow I go but that will depend on the reports I see today. Definitely this weekend depending on the weather.
Dogfish tired? well, we're supposed to get hard NE winds here on sunday..... usually hits you guys first
That sucks dude. I think maybe 2 dogfish came up all day on Sunday. I really wish they'd let the comm guys fish for them again and clear them out, the stock has very clearly rebounded.
Kerley, the guy next to me actually tried to make a case for eating the damn things. Since I'm not Andrew Zimmer, I'll just have to take his word for it. Sunday, I'll be going out again on the OE. Next Saturday, I'm supposed to be meeting some buds on the Dauntless. Blackfish season starts 11/16. Just got my conventional reel spooled with 50lb PP. This will be my first season actually targeting Tog so I'm looking forward to it. Heard they're really good eatin fish too. Bonus!
