Mobile Blogging

I can now blog on the fly from my phone...anytime, anywhere. Can even attach photos!

Fluke Crisis

A recent article in the APP brings to light the severe cutbacks we may face in 2009 through 2013. While summer flounder stocks are up in almost every recreational fisherman's mind NMFS says they are not. The 2007 season was one of our best in probably 10 years, with us boating over 500 keepers with about 85 to 90 percent of those over 19 inches. The recommendation was first made for 15.77 million pounds, down from 17.1 million pounds. This will most likely be cut back due to overages in the TAL for both recreational and commercial fisherman.

What NMFS fails to realize that while concentrating their management efforts on one species other species receive a lot more pressure from both recreational and commercial fisherman. This could lead to declining stocks in other species very quickly.

APP: Fishing czar sends a shot across the bow

APP: Commission urged to rethink summer flounder plan

Battle of Monmouth

Who attended? I would like to hear you comments on the rally. Below are a few links to press about the rally.

APP Article: Protesters oppose bills to change Fish and Game Council

NJ.com Article: Sportsmen to protest proposed bills

NJ Outdoor Alliance: Who is with us and who is against us

November 6 is coming and we need all hunters, fishermen and sportsmen to vote to protect our right to hunt, fish and trap in NJ. Also vote yes to option 3 to save New Jersey's preservation programs.

Clamming Trip a Bust

I joined Anthony for a morning of clamming along the sod banks of Barnegat Inlet. We knew it would be a challenging day due to weather and it was nothing short of our expectations. We got setup along the channel edge on a nice ledge quickly and started the slick. Shortly after a boat about 200' off our stern quarter was hooked up and boated what looked to be a 33 to 36" striper. We figured this is great there are fish here and continued chumming and cleaning lines. The salad was relentless. We were able to keep two to three lines in at one time while continually clearing the others. By about 9:30 the wind was really starting to kick up. All we had to show was a few bumps and a short run off.

We decided to take a short run over to Meyer's Hole to see if there was a chance at a weakfish bit but the chop and wind over there would have made for a very short uncomfortable drift.

At this point we decided to head back to the dock. Once we turned west into Oyster Creek Channel about 20 minutes later we would not believe how much the wind kicked up the swell and chop. It was a long slow ride back to Toms River...at times at only 5 knots. Thank goodness we had the enclosure up otherwise it could have been like driving through a car wash in a convertible with the top down. I have no idea how guys go out day after day in weather like this in open boats.

All in all it was a nice day on the water with good friends despite the weather and lack of fish. With our first dedicated bass trip ending with the skunk I am sure it will only get better from here. I did speak to a number of guys as well as tackle shop owners and it seemed that most of the action this weekend with keeper fish was along the beach. This makes sense and is consistent after a Nor'easter tears through and the surf is up as it provides a natural clam slick along the beach where there are clam beds.

Frustrated and Confused

This time of year usually offers the best fishing, but yet it seems to be worst right now. The water is too warm for striped bass, sea bass and blackfish to start moving into our area. With bait migrating out of the lagoons, streams, rivers and bays the weakfish are moving out. And the weather this time of usually stinks. For the past few weeks guys have been killing blue fin tuna in the mud hole but the weather just a little off shore has been a little too much for my liking. It is not that my boat can not handle it, she is amazing in sporty and snotty seas but the beating that you take in a smaller boat for only being able to keep one fish is just not worth it to me. Sure there is catch and release but still not worth the following day's aches and pains.

Hopefully we will see cooler water temps soon, this 67 degree water in October may just cause us to miss the fall run of stripers if it keeps up. They will come around Eastern Long Island and stay far offshore in deeper cooler water and pass us right by on their migration to the Carolina's.

We certainly do not have a shortage of forage for striped bass...there is plenty of spearing, rain fish, weakfish, croaker, kingfish and peanuts around. You can drive for miles and make bait and schools of smaller fish like kings, croakers and weaks along the bottom.

So far this weekend's plan is to weakfish outside and troll for bonito if they are still around. If conditions are right and it looks bassy out then we may give that a shot but with the weather the way it is and a lack of reports it is a very frustrating and confusing time.

No Particular Plan...but Still Put Fish in the Box

I had no particular plan except to spend the day on the water. I wish I could have planned on targeting stripers but when I broke the inlet and was created to 64 degree water and the sun was just coming up I figured that would be a lost cause. I marked water as warm as 67.2.

As I started running down the beach there was not a bird to be found except for migrating geese. I made a few quick stops along the way where we had fish last week but there was even a lack of bait on those structures. I continued south and started to mark bait and fish between Mantoloking and Ocean Beach.

There were a lot of boats working the area and all they were doing was working. I decided to drop down some gulp on a bottom style rig. Immediately had a double header of spike weakfish. With the small size of fish I decided to move on.

I setup again off Top of the Mast in 60' of water and began catching 18-22" weakfish. I setup on a bait rig and sent it down to see if there were any takers. I continued bail the weakfish and quickly had my limit. I had no takers on the live lined fish.

I stopped on a couple of inshore wrecks on the way in and had more weakfish and hoards of 11.5" sea bass. I did have quite a few real strong hits that stripped the gulp bait right off a bait holder hook. Didn't feel like blackfish...there was no tap, tap, wham! Just a single strong hit. Will probably make quick stops on those spots again this weekend to try and figure out what was down there.

Spoke to RTK and John on the radio (From Barnegat Fishin' Hole)...sounded like they both had small bonito throughout the day. I trolled back to MI with only bluefish on the clark spoons. I would have though 6 kts was fast enough to avoid them, even increased to 6.8 and still picked up blues.

All in all it was a nice relaxing day on the water and fish in the box. Hopefully we will see a drop to normal temps, this 10+ degrees above normal is going to really kill the fall run. I hope the fish when they come south around LI don't stay out far and pass us by

Looking Sporty This Weekend

Spent yesterday rigging baits and lures, sharpening hooks and still have a lot of prep for a local tournament this weekend. It is mainly a bragging rights tourney between a close group of guys that have for the most part met through an online fishing forum on Barnegat Fishing Hole.

For those interested you can get full details and an entry form here. As of the writing of this post there are 30 boats entered and we anticipate 50 plus by the conclusion of the captain's meeting. With 50 boats the first place payout should be about $3,000.00!

We had originally planned on making a pretty good run and clamming or chunking bunker, it looks like that is all going to change with winds predicted in the 30 knot range and seas topping six feet.

Now we just need to decide on our plan B. I would like to fish two different areas of the bay but not sure about running across the bay for 20+ nautical miles in those winds either. It should be doable but certainly not fast or comfortable like the run last week back to home port was.

I think right now with the lack of a consistent bass fishery the best thing that could happen is that the winds increase and a gale warning is issued. This would cause the tournament committee to reschedule the tournament. With the ASA tournament the following weekend that would push this one back another week and probably into much better fishing as the weather and water starts to cool.

Either way it will be a busy week scouting, preparing and nail biting until the final decisions are made to call due to weather or leave the dock and find some fish.

First Striper Trip a Bust

We decided to do a little scouting for a tournament we are in next week. Anthony and I headed out of Squan in the soup.

A blind man could have located bait. Although with very low visibility pretty much everyone was blind. Our first stop we could hear birds working and splashes but could not locate them in the fog (I had decided not go any shallower than 20-25' when not able to see the shoreline). The bait was everywhere, I think in the 45+ nm we covered there were only about 3 nm that had no bait. It was on top with birds working it, blanketing the bottom suspended you name it we found. Unfortunately there were no bass working the schools.

We made several stops that had more promising marks on the sonar and jigged. Anthony had two hookups that soon dropped off. Once the fog started to lift a little more we gave up jigging and made the run to our intended destination. With flat seas we made good time at 28kts to our nest stop.

Once there we jigged a little with only a few hits decided to go on the troll. Trolled up the rocks, across, up to the cedars, along the west side of the reef and back down to the rocks. Had one nice knockdown and boated two bluefish with Anthony dropping one boat side. He called it a graceful release or something like that but I wasn't buying it.

On the way in we made a quick stop on some mussel beds but there were only short sea bass and blackfish. There were a lot of boats drifting and anchored bottom fishing the mussel beds and rocky bottom areas. There were also tons of pots and traps there which was suprising. I have never seen that many there but I guess with the pressure from Reef Rescue we will win the reefs back but lose some other productive bottom in the process.

It was a nice day on the water once the fog lifted. The fog definitely made for an uneasy run out but all in all it was good to be back in my home waters.

Home Sweet Home

Ran the boat back to our home port in Point Pleasant from Barnegat. Had a great stay at Sun Harbor Bay Club for the fall weakfish run. Joe has a top notch facility there. I did not get to use the pool, it was a little chilly out my taste. Speaking of taste...we did have a few meals at Osaka after getting the boat and fish cleaned, it was a real treat to come back and have a good place to eat a short walk from the boat.

After returning home I hauled out to inspect the hull, bottom paint and zincs. Everything was in perfect condition, well the zincs were worn a little but still in fine shape. Had the bottom and drive power washed and also scrapped off any barnacles. With no evidence of water intrusion we let her dry out for a few ours and to see if there would be any water weeping from the outside in...there was none. All good but the mystery of a few pints to a few quarts of water per week in the bilge still remains.

I called the dealer and the manufacturer as well as consulting with the mechanics and fabricators in the marina and everyone is stumped on this one. The only thing we can come up with is that a through hull, seacock, or transom shield is leaking between the hull and the inner liner or tub. But according to the manufacturer if that were happening there would be a lot of water in the boat and it would be sitting very low in the water which I am not.

We will see what happens over the next few weeks and may decide to haul out again and re-bed the seacock to be on the save side and see if that fixes the problem.

Weakfish/Sea Trout Bag Limit Change

Just a reminder that as of October 1 the weakfish or sea trout bag limit changes to 6 fish at 13 inches.