Fun Fishing

In the old days of "iron men and wooden ships", captains and ship owners would kidnap unsuspecting sailors as they stumbled from the bar and force them into service in terrible conditions. Friday was such a day, as the "Legend" put on a show for all his friends and took all the pool money. Sunday was a big fish day and we picked at them despite the strong current. The fish were laying back in the current and biting very lightly. I offered my spot to the "Legend" and he politely declined. Felix took the pool with a six pound tog and went home with a nice fillet bag.

Cold and Windy Sunday

It was the first winter-like day of the season, with a steady 15 to 20 knot NW wind that gusted to over 30 knots in the afternoon. The air temperature never went above 45 degrees on the fishing grounds. On top of all this, we had a current running into the wind that cut down on our mobility. I set up on a shallow spot and the fish were very finicky. One particular angler used a ten pound test spinning outfit with twenty pound fluorocarbon leader on a Florida style rig and had constant bites all day, landing five big fish. It seemed that the fish did not want the baits anchored to the bottom and preferred a more natural presentation. That is what catching is all about these days, whether it being blackfish or fluke or tuna, how the baits (or lures) are presented to fish triggers the bites. For those not willing to adapt there's always pizza or Chinese food. The weather is forecast to moderate this week and maybe the fishing will improve.

A Slow Week

We had plenty of bites the last few trips but little to show for our efforts as the big boys did not want to play. Paul from the JCFD did well with a couple of five pounders and Randy nailed one pushing six pounds to narrowly edge out "The Legend" and end his hot streak of pool winnings.

Opening Weekend and the Green Crab Shortage

 We are dealing with a bait shortage. We were lucky enough to obtain some crabs for our first trips, but we have to hope more become available for future trips. Friday, the tog started off picky and finished strong in breezy conditions. Charlie from West Milford had the hot rod and caught fish all day. "The Legend" landed three nice ones and took the pool. Anthony "The Barker" also picked a few good ones on light tackle. Sunday was a summer day on the bay and we picked our parking spot and waited for the tide to get right. Randy "The Togaholic" and Cathy M. had the hot rods but "The Legend" waited out the big ones and once again took the pool.

Fall Blackfish Special

We will kick off the fall season this week. Blackfish charters are from 7AM to 2PM and are only $600 for six anglers. If we come across any striped bass that want to bite a jig, we will also try for them. Back at the dock early to beat the traffic and be home in time for football and baseball.

Fishing and Weather

Hurricane Joaquin is not coming here. The weather is too bad. We are topping off two weeks of NE winds, rough seas and cancelled fishing trips with a strong storm. The current buoy reports are showing NE winds gusting to 40 knots and seas running from 11 to 17 feet. These conditions are forecast to continue for the next three days, right thru Sunday. Things should improve next week, but we will not sail this weekend.