Winter isn’t providing anglers in NY/NJ Bight with many opportunities to fish. The latest is in effect through Thursday afternoon. Northwest winds at 30 knots will also gust to 40.
Nick Honachefsky reports “Saltwater Underground Ep 2 – CRYSTAL COAST REDFISHING – airs on Sportsman Channel tomorrow Thursday 3PM, Sunday 1:30 PM then on DISCOVERY Channel Sundays 6:30 AM. Spectacular backwater redfishing and seatrout on the stunning North Carolina Crystal Coast! Set the DVR”….
Just before the storm arrived along the east coast, Capt. Monty Hawkins gave tuna another try with his Morning Star from Ocean City, Maryland and reported as follows: “Skippers on the radio thought there would be 8 boats off there tuna fishing today. Was at least that. Could certainly be the last hurrah – the last of our grand winter fun. But then again? Perhaps not. I hear they’re still catching in northern NJ..
We did all we could with it. Trolled, jigged with heavy spinners; boys were casting to tuna 20 ft away with lures that had worked just fine previously. Had hundreds on sounders & hundreds more visibly breaking today on the troll
..and not one bite.
Pretty sure everyone else caught.
Ouch.
Winds were making themselves known before lunch. At 11:30 I started trolling for home.
By 1:25 it was blowing N at 20.7 – just starting to get a bit nautical.
Clearly building into a gale–and quickly: just 20 minutes later at 1:50 winds were 25.2 knots.
Many a day I’ve been the last boat still fishing. With this afternoon’s gale warnings I took my whoopin & left that distinction to others. Though glad to be in before seas matured into their wind driven heights, I truly wish I’d sent my one last minute client home with dinner. Didn’t charge him for a skunk anyway. He can sure have a feast with his fare!
Pretty sure these tuna ain’t over yet. Hope Not!
There will soon be time enough for toggin.. (If I can break ice to get out! She’s gonna freeze hard.. Shaping into a long winter!)
ShareSkippers on the radio thought there would be 8 boats off there tuna fishing today. Was at least that. Could certainly be the last hurrah – the last of our grand winter fun. But then again? Perhaps not. I hear they’re still catching in northern NJ..
We did all we could with it. Trolled, jigged with heavy spinners; boys were casting to tuna 20 ft away with lures that had worked just fine previously. Had hundreds on sounders & hundreds more visibly breaking today on the troll
..and not one bite.
Pretty sure everyone else caught.
Ouch.
Winds were making themselves known before lunch. At 11:30 I started trolling for home.
By 1:25 it was blowing N at 20.7 – just starting to get a bit nautical.
Clearly building into a gale–and quickly: just 20 minutes later at 1:50 winds were 25.2 knots.
Many a day I’ve been the last boat still fishing. With this afternoon’s gale warnings I took my whoopin & left that distinction to others. Though glad to be in before seas matured into their wind driven heights, I truly wish I’d sent my one last minute client home with dinner. Didn’t charge him for a skunk anyway. He can sure have a feast with his fare!
Pretty sure these tuna ain’t over yet. Hope Not!
There will soon be time enough for toggin.. (If I can break ice to get out! She’s gonna freeze hard.. Shaping into a long winter!)
with today’s massive recreational pressure on swordfish, Marron’s giant remains the only IGFA record for this species over 1,000 pounds. “This record may well be unbeatable even with modern-day tackle, ”says former IGFA president Mike Leech.
Weight: 1,182 pounds Line Class: M-130 / All Tackle Angler: Louis Marron**** Location: Iquiqui, Chile Date: May 7, 1953 Fight Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Lure/Bait: Bonito Tackle: Cortland line; Fin-Nor 12/0 reel; Black Palm rod Courtesy IGFA / igfa,org
4444with today’s massive recreational pressure on swordfish, Marron’s giant remains the only IGFA record for this species over 1,000 pounds. “This record may well be unbeatable even with modern-day tackle, ”says former IGFA president Mike Leech.
Weight: 1,182 pounds Line Class: M-130 / All Tackle Angler: Louis Marron**** Location: Iquiqui, Chile Date: May 7, 1953 Fight Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Lure/Bait: Bonito Tackle: Cortland line; Fin-Nor 12/0 reel; Black Palm rod Courtesy IGFA / igfa,org
4444with today’s massive recreational pressure on swordfish, Marron’s giant remains the only IGFA record for this species over 1,000 pounds. “This record may well be unbeatable even with modern-day tackle, ”says former IGFA president Mike Leech.
Weight: 1,182 pounds Line Class: M-130 / All Tackle Angler: Louis Marron**** Location: Iquiqui, Chile Date: May 7, 1953 Fight Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Lure/Bait: Bonito Tackle: Cortland line; Fin-Nor 12/0 reel; Black Palm rod Courtesy IGFA / igfa,org
4444with today’s massive recreational pressure on swordfish, Marron’s giant remains the only IGFA record for this species over 1,000 pounds. “This record may well be unbeatable even with modern-day tackle, ”says former IGFA president Mike Leech.
Weight: 1,182 pounds Line Class: M-130 / All Tackle Angler: Louis Marron**** Location: Iquiqui, Chile Date: May 7, 1953 Fight Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Lure/Bait: Bonito Tackle: Cortland line; Fin-Nor 12/0 reel; Black Palm rod Courtesy IGFA / igfa,org
4444with today’s massive recreational pressure on swordfish, Marron’s giant remains the only IGFA record for this species over 1,000 pounds. “This record may well be unbeatable even with modern-day tackle, ”says former IGFA president Mike Leech.
Weight: 1,182 pounds Line Class: M-130 / All Tackle Angler: Louis Marron**** Location: Iquiqui, Chile Date: May 7, 1953 Fight Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Lure/Bait: Bonito Tackle: Cortland line; Fin-Nor 12/0 reel; Black Palm rod Courtesy IGFA / igfa,org
with today’s massive recreational pressure on swordfish, Marron’s giant remains the only IGFA record for this species over 1,000 pounds. “This record may well be unbeatable even with modern-day tackle, ”says former IGFA president Mike Leech.
Weight: 1,182 pounds Line Class: M-130 / All Tackle Angler: Louis Marron**** Location: Iquiqui, Chile Date: May 7, 1953 Fight Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Lure/Bait: Bonito Tackle: Cortland line; Fin-Nor 12/0 reel; Black Palm rod Courtesy IGFA / igfa,org
with today’s massive recreational pressure on swordfish, Marron’s giant remains the only IGFA record for this species over 1,000 pounds. “This record may well be unbeatable even with modern-day tackle, ”says former IGFA president Mike Leech.
Weight: 1,182 pounds Line Class: M-130 / All Tackle Angler: Louis Marron**** Location: Iquiqui, Chile Date: May 7, 1953 Fight Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Lure/Bait: Bonito Tackle: Cortland line; Fin-Nor 12/0 reel; Black Palm rod Courtesy IGFA / igfa,org
The bad weather building up along the east coast may finally end the longest-lasting bluefin tuna season I ever remember. If so, it will still be one for the books with even party boats being able to get into large tuna on a regular basis.
Friday’s blackfishing on the Ocean Explorer from Belmar was lively, as noted in their following report, but keepers are a different story.
“Nice day today with good fishing Caught loads of blackfish,high hook had a limit of keepers plus 50 shorts..Good chew just not alot of keeper ratio..Good day out with light crowd..No fishing Saturday Wind is gusting to 40 knots so wait till Sunday See ya Sunday.”
A small craft advisory is up through Sunday evening in NY/NJ Bight. The morning forecast is for west winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 30. However, Monday is looking to be calm.
George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing starts its 25th season Sunday at 8 a.m. on Discovery Channel.
Nick Honachefsky’s Saltwater Underground starts its programing Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on Discovery and Thursday at 3 p.m. on Sportsman Channel.
It didn’t take long for Vinny D’Anton to make the transition from stripers to spotted sea trout after returning to his winter home in Sarasota, Florida. The first morning wade fishing at Indian Beach produced steady action casting lures, and a friend also released a 19-inch red drum.
That sounds a lot better than the N.J. small craft advisory through late Saturday night, and the forecast of northwest winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25.
Looking back, the IGFA notes “The largest fish ever taken within IGFA regulations. Period. With great whites now protected, this IGFA record is destined to stand for the ages.
Weight: 2,664 pounds Line Class: M-130 / All Tackle Angler: Alfred Dean Location: Ceduna, South Australia Date: April 21, 1959 Fight Time: 1 hour Lure/Bait: Porpoise Tackle: Ashaway line; Penn 14/0 reel; Fiberglass rod Courtesy IGFA / igfa,org “
Capt. Mony Hawkins of Morning Star from Ocean City, Maryland reported his Dec. 31 trip started “on a glassy sea with a clear sky revealing pre-dawn constellations in their glory. Cygnus the swan; or, as is also understandably known, the northern cross, lead a long string of boats east.
A hint of wind began to ruffle the sea’s surface just before dawn causing mirror-like conditions to be lost.
We paused briefly at Kathy’s Reef where Tyler & Jeff deployed a twenty block reef unit.
From there I pressed on — in the wrong direction. (again!)
Birds are dependent on predators forcing bait to the surface. We found hundreds of bonaparte gulls – the right kind for locating tuna – but they were mostly siting with a few sentinels on winged march; all waiting for a signal the show was about to begin.
For us? That signal, in that area at least, was not to be seen.
I pressed offshore.
With blank screens for hours I decided to interrupt our fishing with some catching – to put some sea bass in the box should the unthinkable occur.
While the cbass bite was not what we’d had just a few days ago, it dern-sure wasn’t bad either. With plenty of fish in the box after just an hour, and today’s summer-like southerly breeze picking up in a big way, we hauled anchor and got back to bluefin fishing.
And fishing..
Well? Then what happened?
Some dern fine tuna catching is what happened.. Our best day yet, in fact. Went 6 for 9. Two were caught on spinning gear. Two were lost also. The shelly caught one on the troll. There were four others – including Greg’s – which bit at one minute after sundown.
I’d heard the chatter on the radio. Fleet must have knotted up tight. Lots of ungentlemanly language owing cut off fish and gear!
Last day of sea bass. It’s closed until approximately May 15th.
Last day of generous bluefin limits too. We drop to just one between 27 and 73 inches January 1st. Hothrough latewever, we’re also allowed one over 73 inches a year.
Believe I’ll begin hunting that one before too long.
Happy New Year Everyone!”
A gale watch is up through late tonight in NY/NJ Bight. The Friday forecast is for west winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25.
It appears that bluefin tuna can no longer read calendars as they remain within range in northern waters. Andreas Toy proved that on Dec. 17 when they filled a request for fresh tuna on New Years Day. After the first hook-up was lost, they were able to quickly come up with another off northern New Jersey.
A gale warning is up for NY/NJ Bight with west winds by Thursday afternoon gusting to 45 knots.
Here is the six-man tautog limit referenced yesterday on Capt. Joe Massa’s My Three Sons.
Party boat blackfishing has been generally picky, but Capt. Joe Massa had no such problem when he ran his My Three Sons up from Southside Marina in Point Pleasant to his spring slip in Morgan Marina. Fishing his small spots that aren’t practical for party boats resulted in a six-man limit up to a 9-pounder.
This is an earlier shot of Massa from a Rhode Island trip.I seem to have misplaced the shot of this trip I
A gale warning is up to Thursday afternoon for west winds gusting to 30 knots,
This Facebook entry details the famed “million-dollar tuna.
“Guy Yocom set out with the express purpose of catching an all-tackle world record yellowfin — he was registered in Mustad Hooks’ “Hook A Million” world-record contest, which promised $1 million to anyone who caught an IGFA all-tackle world-record fish with a Mustad hook. Amazingly, Yocom and his team pulled off the impossible.
Weight: 427 pounds Line Class: M-130 / All Tackle Angler: Guy Yocom Location: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Date: Sept. 18, 2012 Fight Time: 50 minutes Lure/Bait: Chunk bait Tackle: Jerry Brown line; Shimano Tiagra reel; Melton rod Captain: Greg DiStefano Courtesy IGFA / igfa,org”
A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight through Tuesday afternoon. The forecast is for west winds at just 5-10 knots before increasing to southeast 10-15 with gusts to 20 in the afternoon.
The S.S. Miss Belmar got in its one-day tog tournament yesterday with a good crowd aboard on a beautiful day. The start in northern areas was slow, but boats fishing to the south were catching more blackfish — so that’s where the boat ended up. The only detail available was that an 8.5-pounder became the new seasonal leader. Another such tournament day may be set for Jan. 12.
Tight Lines 