Sharp hearing usually isn’t considered to be an important sense in fishing, but there are times when it comes into play. That subject came to mind after I heard a local TV report in Ft. Myers, Fl. about people living in homes near canals complaining about strange noises in their homes recently.
It turned out the culprits were mating black drum! Those fish are unique in that they produce a grunting noise underwater that can frequently be heard from boats. Indeed, I’ve heard those sounds while fishing for black drum in Delaware Bay — but I never before heard of that sound penetrating homes. I wonder if it would be possible to walk along canals during the mating season and be able to cast a bait in that direction to an unseen black drum?
There are times when listening can lead you to good fishing. I’ve had nights casting small lures in calm backwaters when the plops of feeding school stripers or weakfish have produced fine action. Night tarpon fishing in Florida is greatly aided by the feeding splashes at bridges which provide a target even on the darkest nights.
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The unusual amount of whale strandings in NY/NJ Bight this winter has led many people to blame the construction of offshore wind farms for that problem. There’s been no confirmation of that so far, but Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) has introduced H.R. 1056 which calls for an investigation of the environmental approval process for offshore wind projects.
Absecon Bay Sportsman Center reports good white perch(see photo below) fishing, and just saw the first adult bunkers of the season show up in Absecon Creek. Stripers may not be far behind, but you can’t target then in N.J. internal waters until March 1.
The Ocean Explorer from Belmar had a problem with big swells Monday, though a few keeper tog were caught.
A small craft warning is up from this evening to Wednesday morning. The forecast is for northwest winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 before going south at 5 knots in the afternoon with possible rain or sleet.
The final four sea bass and scup regulations for New Jersey in 2023.
All of these options resulted in the 10% cut (or more) mandated by NOAA. These are the proposals that were submitted by our state to the ASMFC. It is highly unlikely that any other options will be considered. This is the beginning of an eco-system management approach which is why the sea bass and scup regulations are tied together. Our fisheries managers are now taking into account that these two species are often caught at the same time and locations whether the season for one or the other is open or closed.
The ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board will be meeting at 10:30 AM
on 3/2 to consider final approval of these proposals as well as those submitted by the other states/regions. On that same day the NJBMFC will meet at 5 PM to decide which option will become law. Prior to that decision, the public may give their opinions on the various options by attending in person at the Atlantic County Library, Galloway Branch located at 306 E Jimmie Leeds Rd., Galloway or by signing up for the webinar at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/976664722292017751. In the event you have trouble with the link just google NJ Marine Fisheries Council Meetings
.All Sea Bass options include a 12 ½” size limit for all seasons. All options for scup include a 10” size limit and a 30 fish bag limit.Option 1 Sea Bass 12 ½” for all seasons 5/17- 6/19 (10 fish), 7/1-8/31 (1 fish), 10/1-10/31 (10 fish) 11/1-12/31 (15 fish) Scup 10” for the entire season 8/1-12/31 (30 fish) This option would allow us to stay open for all of July and August but we would be able to keep only 1 sea bass per day. Option 2 Sea Bass 12 ½” for all seasons 5/17- 6/19 (10 fish), 7/1-8/31 (1 fish), 10/1-10/31 (10 fish) 11/1-12/31 (15 fish) Scup 10” for the entire season 1/1 -10/15 (30 fish) This option would allow us to stay open for all of July and August but we would be able to keep only 1 sea bass per day. The difference in this option would be that the Scup season would begin on 1/1 and end on 10/15 instead of 8/1-12/31Option 3 Sea Bass 12 ½” for all seasons 5/17- 6/19 (10 fish), 7/1-8/7 (2 fish), 10/1-10/31 (10 fish) 11/1-12/31 (15 fish) Scup 10” for the entire season 8/1-12/31 (30 fish) This option would allow us to keep 2 sea bass from 7/1 -8/7 (a 38 day summer season with 2 fish as opposed to a 62 day summer season with just 1 fish) One advantage of this option over option 4 is that it would allow us to be open for July 4th.Option 4 Sea Bass 12 ½” for all seasons 5/17- 6/19 (10 fish), 7/20 – 8/31 (2 fish), 10/1-10/31 (10 fish) 11/1-12/31 (15 fish) Scup 10” for the entire season 8/1-12/31 (30 fish) This option would allow us to keep 2 sea bass from 7/20 -8/31 (a 43 day summer season with 2 fish as opposed to a 62 day summer season with just 1 fish) the advantage of this option is that the summer season would be open 5 more days than in Option 3. It would also be open at a time when large sea bass are caught by those targeting fluke on the wrecks and rough spots as they migrate offshore.
Tuesday’s forecast is for east winds at 10-15 knots before gusting to 20 in the afternoon. Rain is likely in the morning.
The Ocean Explorer from Belmar had a good start to blackfishing Sunday before it got lumpy in the afternoon. A few tog, ling and cod were caught, and the seasonal pool is up to $6,080.
Though small craft warnings are up through late tonight, the morning forecast in NY/NJ Bight is for southwest winds at just 10 knots.
The Ocean Explorer from Belmar got out Saturday, but found sluggish blackfishing as even bergalls weren’t hitting. When the current increased late in the trip there were some legal tog boated plus a keeper cod. The seasonal pool is up to almost $6,000, and they’ll be concentrating on the deeper spots that are most likely to produce a big tautog.
Chuck Many is working his favorite salt pond at Hilton Head, S.C. for hard-fighting black drum on light tackle.
International Game Fish Association Announces 2023 Fishing Hall of Fame Inductees Angling exemplaries honored by historic organization’s pinnacle award
This year’s inductees include IGFA World Record consummate and tournament champion Roberta G. Arostegui; fly-fishing adventurer and trailblazer, Kay Brodney; conventional and fly-fishing master angler, captain and writer Dean Butler; distinguished Avalon Tuna Club member and conservation advocate, Gerald A. Garrett; and marine resources champion and fishing apparel pioneer Bill Shedd.
Elected unanimously by the IGFA Board of Trustees, the 2023 class will join 141 legendary anglers, scientists, conservationists, writers and fishing industry leaders whose contributions to sport fishing are forever preserved and celebrated in the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.
“From championing conservation efforts to breaking glass ceilings in angling itself, each of these individuals have simultaneously worked to make our sport more prestigious and ensure it can be enjoyed for generations to come,” said IGFA President Jason Schratwieser. “They have earned their place within the Fishing Hall of Fame, and we couldn’t be more honored to induct them.”
The 2023 IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri. The 2023 class will take their honored places alongside fishing luminaries, including Isaak Walton, Michael Lerner, Francesca LaMonte, Zane Grey, Mary Orvis Marbury, Ernest Hemingway, Ted Williams, George H.W. Bush, Bill Dance, Mark Sosin, Lee and Joan Wulff, Flip Pallot, Alfred C. Glassell Jr., Kip Farrington and Curt Gowdy, among others.
Roberta G. Arostegui
Roberta G. Arostegui began pursuing IGFA World Records in 1999 and has since amassed a total of 223 World Records on 56 different species of fish in 10 different countries. She is ranked fourth for most IGFA World Records overall and second for most IGFA World Records for women, many of which come from light tackle and fly rod. In addition to her impressive list of World Records, Roberta has also completed IGFA Salmon, Bass, and Trout Royal Slams as well as Salmon and Trout Grand Slams and a Bass Super Grand Slam. Arostegui is the three-time recipient of the McManus Overall Fly-Fishing Award; the two-time recipient of the Rybovich Overall Release Award and the recipient of the Sherwood Overall Weight Fish Award and Ann D. Crowninshield Overall Angling Award. Roberta was also very active in the prestigious Metropolitan South Florida Fishing Tournament, where she won the Women’s Master Angler Award three times. She has been a member of the International Women’s Fishing Association (IWFA) since 2005, where she has served as Parliamentarian and Conservation Director. She was also a board member of the IWFA Scholarship Trust. Roberta is also the wife of IGFA Trustee Emeritus and IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame Inductee, Marty Arostegui.
Kay Brodney
Widely recognized as one of the most spirited and adventurous fly-fishing pioneers of the 20th century, Kay Brodney became captivated by the sport of fly fishing in her late twenties after happening upon a casting tournament in 1948. Quickly becoming a competent fly caster herself, in 1950 she placed third in the Western Championship only to be later disqualified for being a woman. Undeterred, she continued to compete and went on to win the National Association of Accuracy Casting competition in 1956. Brodney received a master’s degree in library science from Rutgers University and went on to work as a librarian at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where she eventually served as the head of the Life Sciences Subject Catalog Section. Known for her extended off-grid angling vacations in the remote corners of South America, Brodney was the focus of a 1981 Sports Illustrated article where she was accompanied by writer Clive Gammon. The multi-page feature cemented her reputation as a knowledgeable yet fearless fly-fishing trailblazer. She is thought to be one of the first to catch a dorado on a fly, and in 1962 landed a 137.6-pound tarpon on 12-pound tippet in the Florida Keys with baseball great Ted Williams as a witness. She also served on the American Museum of Fly-Fishing Board of Trustees from 1974 until 1983.
Dean Butler
Dean Butler’s recognition as an angler, captain and writer extends far beyond his home waters of Australia. Having fished the world over from Papua New Guinea to the Florida Keys, Butler has been involved in more than 30 IGFA fly fishing World Records both as an angler and a guide. As captain, he guided IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame Member Tom Evans to several IGFA billfish records on fly, including the largest striped marlin ever caught on fly, a 240-pound fish caught on 10-kg (20-lb) tippet. He also guided IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Enrico Capozzi to his incredible 735-pound black marlin on 3-kg (6-lb) line. He has refined and developed several successful techniques for pursuing pelagic species on fly tackle and in 1995 became the first person to catch a dogtooth tuna on IGFA-compliant fly tackle. An accomplished writer, Butler has published numerous features in prominent fishing magazines including Marlin, Sport Fishing, BlueWater and Fly Fishing in Saltwater. Butler was also a pioneer of Australia’s Fraser Island and its shallow water black marlin fishery as well as one of the early pioneers of Papua New Guinea’s black bass fishery. A master of both conventional and fly-fishing tackle for inshore and offshore species, IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Lefty Kreh was quoted as referring to Dean Butler as the best all-around fisherman in the world.
Gerald A. Garrett
Gerald A. “Jerry” Garrett has been actively involved in sport fishing since 1946. In 1959 he distinguished himself by becoming a member of the venerable Avalon Tuna Club, where he was the first Tuna Club member to earn the Silver Frame medal for catching a marlin on 6-kg (12-lb) Dacron line. He is also credited as the first Tuna Club member to catch a marlin on 4-kg (8-lb) Dacron, inaugurating the Ruby Frame Medal. Often named the Avalon Tuna Club Angler of the Year, he has earned 10 out of 12 possible buttons, making him the most decorated angler in the club’s history. Fishing has taken Garrett to Australia, Peru, Mexico, Hawaii and New Zealand, where he caught an 813-pound swordfish that earned him the IGFA 37-kg (80-lb) line class record. An IGFA member for more than 50 years, he was appointed as an IGFA Representative in 2012. His extensive conservation efforts include working with IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer John Chibnall and former IGFA President Rob Kramer to prohibit the sale of marlin in New Zealand, for which he testified before the New Zealand Ministry that the value of marlin in the sportfishing industry supersedes that of commercial sale. He also previously served as the Director of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation’s Pacific Region.
Bill Shedd Bill Shedd’s name is synonymous with fisheries conservation in the United States and is part of a continued legacy passed down by his father and IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Milt Shedd. Bill is the Chairman and CEO of the American Fishing Tackle Co (AFTCO) and oversees AFTCO’s fishing tackle and clothing divisions. For more than 30 years he has volunteered 500 hours a year on marine resource and recreational fishing industry issues. Shedd currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Coastal Conservation Association of California and the Hubbs/SeaWorld Research Institute. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Sportfish Policy, the California Artificial Reef Enhancement program, and the California white seabass hatchery program. He previously served seven years on the Board of Directors of the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), and 30 years as Chairman of the ASA Government Affairs Committee. Bill joined the IGFA Board of Trustees in 2002 and served as the Chairman of the IGFA Conservation Committee until 2022. Shedd co-founded the United Anglers of Southern California (UASC), where he led that group’s efforts to develop the white seabass facilities to support the hatchery, and also played a key role in the UASC’s effort to eliminate set gill nets in California. He has been the recipient of many top conservation honors, including the American Sportfishing Association, Center for Sportfishing Policy, and the IGFA, among others.
Founded in 1939, The International Game Fish Association is a nonprofit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and the promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices through science, education, rule making, record keeping and recognition of outstanding accomplishments in the field of angling. The IGFA maintains world records in freshwater, saltwater, fly-fishing and junior angler categories. The IGFA has members in more than 100 countries.”
I was especially happy to see Bill Shedd’s name on that list. Bill has been a friend since I got involved in the fishing tackle business with Garcia decades ago. When I was chairman of the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association Conservation Committee, Bill was the vice-chairman and equally committed to issues such as the 200-mile limit. He and his father Milt were at the forefront of marine conservation with their Sea World operation, and donate a percentage of AFTCO Tackle profits every year to conservation. I was able to join them on the Sea World collecting boat for an expedition to harpoon a sensor into the back of a swordfish off Baja Ca., Mexico in order to gain scientific knowledge about their movements in the water column during day and night.
The NY/NJ Bight forecast starts well with southwest winds at just 5-10 knots before going south 15-20 with gusts to 25 knots in the afternoon.
This week’s shows finish up with the Philadelphia Fishing Show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks — and the N.J. Boat Sale and Expo in the N.J. Expo Center at Edison.
George Poveromo has a special TV show at 8 am. Sunday on Discovery Channel with a Bud’Mary’s Marina Experience as his crew fish in great depths for exotic species.
Steven Bender was fishing a green crab for tautog in Niantic Bay, Ct. last October when he hooked a real whopper that turned out to a fearsome-looking conger which set a Ct. record at 13 pounds, 13 ounces. Those fish are often called silver eels, and are most often caught on offshore wrecks — particularly after storm swells chase them out of their usual hiding places. I’ve also caught a very few at Shrewsbury Rocks and Romer Shoals Light. The Ct. conger was 51.75 inches long. That’s a big one on our side of the Atlantic, but they grow to over 100 pounds in Europe and are targeted by anglers using heavy tackle required to drag them out of wrecks.
Kil Song fished aboard Good Times from Hatteras, N.C. and reported a hot trolling bite of 100-pound class bluefin tuna. Some of the year’s best tuna action is available there now — and there isn’t much competition.
There’s a gale warning up in NY/NJ Bight through late tonight, but it moderates by morning to northwest 15-20 knotsbefore going west at 10-15 in the afternoon.
The Ocean Explorer from Belmar plans to fish for tautog in the morning. They had some keeper tog Wednesday along with a few cod up to 20 pounds.
The Bradenton Herald reported a bull shark of record proportions was caught by a local angler fishing from shore at Virginia Key, near Miami, on Feb. 12. The bull was 9 1/2-feet long with a 55-inch girth and estimated at 550 to 600 pounds by Michael Hengle (22) before he released it with the aid of beachgoers. The state record is 517 pounds, but that requires actual weighing on a certified scale.
The angler used a kayak to drop a 20-pound “bonito’ (little tunny) 400 yards offshore, and fought it from shore on big game tackle.
A gale warning is up from Friday morning to evening. The forecast is for southwest winds at 20-25 knots plus gusts to 35. Rain is likely in the evening and after midnight.
Nick Honachefsky has a Saltwater Underground presentation, A Tale of Two Tunas on the Sportsman Channel at 10:30 a.m. Friday. That features both daytime jigging and night chunking in the canyons.
The Mimi VI from Point Pleasant is taking reservations for a limited President’s Day blackfish trip which departs at 6:30 a.m. Friday. All baits are included in the fare. Call 732 370-8019.
A gale warning is posted from Thursday evening to Friday afternoon, but tomorrow starts well with southwest winds at just 5-10 knots before going south in the afternoon along with rain. Looking ahead to Friday there are gusts to 40 knots in the forecast.
The Philadelphia Fishing Show runs from Feb, 15-17 at the Expo Center in Oaks, and John De Bona reports that the Fisherman magazine will sponsor free seminars at that event.
The Fish Bound from Ocean City, Maryland got out on a gorgeous day this week as the charter party ended up with 25 keepers up to a trophy 13-pounder.
Paul Haertel of the JCAA ensured a happy birthday today by getting into N.J. brown trout.
Anglers and boaters can attend shows covering their favorite sports all the way from Miami to New Jersey this week.
The huge Miami Boat Show runs from Feb. 15-19, and is the only boat show which also provides everything an angler could desire.
The Philadelpha Fishing Show runs from Feb. 17-19 in the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks, and is devoted to fishing of all kinds.
The N.J. Boat Sale & Expo from Feb. 16-19 in the N.J. Expo Center in Edison also includes seminars presented by the Fisherman magazine. Adult admission is $15, but free for kids 16 or younger. Discount tickets can be obtained by visiting jerseyboatexpo.com.
Wednesday’s forecast is for south winds at 15-20 knots which increase to 20-25 knots in the afternoon.
NOAA Fisheries has closed the commercial General category for bluefin tuna as of 11:30p.m. Feb. 14 until March 31 at the same time. That action is necessary as the present allocation has been exceeded. This does not involve any changes to recreational bluefin tuna fishing regulations.
The Jamaica from Brielle hasn’t been catching many cod during far offshore wreck trips, so they are switching to cod on 20-35-mile wrecks. The first 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. trip will be on Feb. 14. Call 732 528-5014 for details.
A small craft warning is up in NY/NJ Bight through Tuesday afternoon. The forecast is for northwest winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 30. That drops to west 10-15 knots with gusts to 20 in the afternoon.
A wahoo shows its colors after being trolled on the Happy Day from Ft. Lauderdale last week.
As noted in a recent blog, the SHO-NUF from Cape Charles, Virginia recovered a big striped bass carrying a Gray tag. They then found that it had been tagged from Connecticut waters in July, 2022. However. the most notable aspect of that recapture was the angler’s note that the bass had been gut-hooked and that it was difficult to revive. After first getting it moving again, it kept popping up and they had to retrieve and work with it again before it successfully went on its way.
Many other anglers would have given up on that striper which demonstrated how hardy that species is by traveling hundreds of miles to its spawning grounds and attacking a slow-trolled live eel while getting ready to increase the stock in the spring.
A small craft advisory goes up at 9 p.m. with northeast winds up to 25 knots plus rain after midnight. Monday morning starts with north winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25. That drops to a calming 5-10 knots west in the afternoon.
Capt. Hans Kaspersetz, of Sea Bright, N.J., caught this tarpon while fishing with Capt. Luis in Puerto Rico.
Cole Riback was fun fishing with his father, Capt. Dave of the Queen Mary from Point Pleasant, when he boated this mutton snapper off Jupiter. Florida.
Roberta G. Arostegui
Kay Brodney
Dean Butler
Gerald A. Garrett
Bill Shedd
Tight Lines 