I
would like to thank everyone who sailed with us this season, and wish
everyone a safe and happy holiday. We will be back at it beginning of
April.
Year end recap.
It was a great year with many returning faces and a lot of new ones. The bass fishing was one of the best ever as we were able to land a total of 1,211 striped bass of which 797 were keepers and 414 were shorts. Our biggest bass was 48 lbs. The fluking was very good. We boated 3 doormat with 2 just over the ten pound mark and one tipping the scale at over 11 lbs. Bottom fishing was also good with a lot of ling, some sea bass, more cod than ever and a lot of nice blackfish to 12 lbs making there way into our boat.
We will begin taking reservations for 2012 starting January 2.
Dec. 12: Set out this morning with Bob, Kevin, Mike, Cory and Gerard on board. Ran down to where we had the bass yesterday. Started jigging and saw more bluefish than yesterday with a mix of short bass. Played around with them for about an hour and then went blackfishing. Slow bite today. Made 6 drops throughout the day and only managed a dozen keepers with our biggest of the season tipping the scale at 12 lbs. Had a bunch of shorts mixed in throughout the day but the bite was definitely off.
Dec. 11: Ran out this morning with Cory, Gerard, John. Got down to where the action was yesterday and all I can say was it was lights out fishing. First fish in the boat was a nice 20 lb bass. We jigged our limit plus bonus fish in about an hour an a half along with around 20 shorts and a ton of big blues. Once we got our limit we ran inshore to the tog grounds. Slow bite today. Only managed 12 keepers to 7 lbs along with a few shorts. All the fish came on whiteleggers today.
Dec. 10: Had Paul, Tony, Chris and his friend, Max on board. Started the morning off with lousy conditions but managed to pick shorts and keepers until Cory's rod doubled over and he managed to land his pb at 11 lbs. Once the bite slowed we made 3 more drops and managed to build life everywhere but shorts definitely outnumbered the keepers today. Hit the dock with 20 keepers including an 11 lb and 9 lb fish. Fish seemed to favor the whiteleggers over the green crabs today.
Dec. 3: Had Art, Bob, John, Paul, Joe and Sam out this morning for some bass and blackfishing. Ran to the south again looking for some striped bass, but with no life or readings we headed to the tog grounds. Got the anchors set in and had a slow pick. Made several drops today and would have a quick flurry then a slow pick. Landed 18 keepers for the day to 9 lbs. Fish ate both whiteleggers and green crabs.
Dec 2: Headed south this morning with Bart, Scott and Max from Pride Tackle looking for some striped bass to jig. Didn't see what we were looking for, so we headed to the blackfish grounds. Made a total of 4 drops throughout the day and picked away on all drops. Landed a total of 28 keepers to 8 lbs along with a bunch of shorts. Fish hit on both green crabs and whiteleggers.
Nov. 27: Had the Phong Ngyuen charter out this morning for blackfish and bass fishing. Left the dock at 6 and headed south. Arrived to birds and bass all over the place. The group managed to land 14 keepers to 18 lbs along with 27 shorts and some blues by 9 am. We then made a few drops for blackfish. Today was a tough pick again with shorts out numbering keepers. We were only able to box a handful of keepers to 4 lbs along with 20 shorts.
Nov. 26: Had Mark Kulick and the boys out form some blackfishing this morning. Tough day . Made a total of 8 drops. Fished from 105 ft to 40 ft of water with with a slow pick of tog. Landed a total of 12 keepers to 9 lbs along with 25 shorts. Fish hit both green crabs and whiteleggers equally.
Nov. 25: Had Pepe and the boys out today for some bass and blackfish. Started the morning where we had the action the day before and managed around a dozen shorts. Took a short ride to the south and was greeted with birds and bass rolling on the surface. Managed to land 5 keepers and another 10 shorts. The guys decided to do some blackfishing since they have never done it before. Made 4 drops the rest of the day with a slow bite on most drops. Landed 14 keepers to 7 lbs along with around 20 shorts.
Nov. 24: Ran our open boat this morning with Bob, Paul, Art, Andrew and Bob. Left the dock at 6am and ran into birds right away. Had a pick of keepers and shorts going and then found some of the best jig fishing that we have seen all year. Drop and reel fishing for over an hour. The guys managed their limit by 750am and played catch and release till around 1030. Total for the day was 48 keeper bass to 18 lbs along with around 35 shorts. Fish were taken on plain ava 47's and white shads.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNKsYtgqbPA
Nov 20: Had the Greg DeRosa charter out this morning for some bass fishing. Started off eeling in a very strong current. The guys managed to land 1 keeper and missed a few bites. Took a little ride and set out the wire. Had a slow pick of shorts and a few blues for the remainder of the day. Plenty of fish around, but a tough day overall.
Nov. 19: Had the Chris Ryan charter out this morning for some bass fishing and blackfishing. Started running south and was greeted to thousands of birds and bass swirling on top. The guys managed to boat 1 keeper and 12 shorts. Bass were taken on diamond jigs and guides choice striper sliders. Once the action died, we headed to the blackfish grounds. Three drops produced a pick of 28 blackfish just 2 fish shy of their limit to 7 lbs along with a ton of shorts. This was their first time blackfishing and the guys did great with a hard current running all day.
Nov. 18: Had Greg Kondak from the Don Coffey organization and the guys from Ramsey outdoors on board today. Left the dock with a hard west wind blowing. Made several drops and managed to scratch out a limit catch of blackfish plus released a few more keepers. Boxed up with 24 keepers to 6 lbs and released another 6 keepers and around 40 shorts.
Nov. 17: Had the Andy Compton charter out this morning. tried to jig some bass first thing but the strong north wind made it difficult to get the jigs down to the fish. The guys opted to go blackfishing. Made 3 drops and managed to put 21 keepers to 6 lbs in the cooler along with 20 short. Also landed a nice 11 lb. cod.
Nov. 16: Ran our open boat trip today for blackfish. On board were Dan, Bob, Drew and Max from Pride Fishing Tackle. Started the day with a slow pick of keepers and shorts. Made a little move and it was game on. Managed our 5 man limit by 10:15 and proceeded to play catch and release the rest of the day. Total for the day was around 70 keeper blackfish and around 40 shorts. Congrats to Bob on his personal best with a fish just under 11 pounds. Fish hit green crabs, whiteleggers and fiddler crabs.
Nov 13: Had the Chuck Tirrell charter out this morning. Headed to where we had all the bird life yesterday. Once on the grounds we had fish breaking all around. Fish were a little picky today with the boat traffic. Jigging ava 47's and rubber shads, the guys managed to box 3 keepers and 18 shorts for the day.
Nov. 12: Ran our open boat trip. Headed south to where the life was up yesterday. Managed 1 keeper and several shorts on jigs before the bite slowed. Ran back to the north and managed to jig 2 more keepers and 16 more shorts for the day. The guys hung in there all day despite a lot of wind and alot of current to deal with. Fish ate ava 47, shads, and ron z tails.
Nov. 9: Had the Ted Metzger charter out for a combo bass/ blackfish trip. Started off locally and could only manage 1 keeper and 2 shorts. Took a ride to the south and was able to put another 7 keepers in the box for our limit up to 15 lbs. Took the guys to a few snags and played catch and release with blackfish up to 6 lbs, only keeping our legal limit while releasing 30 blackfish.
Nov. 7: Had the Mark Kulick party out this morning for some bass fishing. Started clamming and only had one short. We changed bait and fished two different areas. Managed to land 10 keepers to 27 lbs and one short on the eels.
Nov 6: This morning's trip had Paul, Matt, John, Art and Gary out for some bass fishing. Stayed local with the clams and managed to box 5 keepers to around 33" along with 12 shorts.
This afternoon's trip we had Paul, Matt, Bob, Eric and Chris aboard. Headed down to where we had them the night before and had great readings for the whole trip. The bite never really turned on till the sun went down. We were able to jig and eel 7 keepers to 14 lbs along with 6 shorts for the evening.
Nov. 5: Ran our open boat this afternoon with Paul, Bart, Bob and Bryan on board. Started out locally with the clams and managed about 6 shorts. Got a call from a friend and off we went. Managed to eels and jig 15 keeper bass to 23 lbs along with one short.
Oct. 31: Set out this afternoon with Paul, Art and Kevin. Started off great with Paul landing a nice 23 lb bass. Picked away every drift and at some points had 3 on at a time. Total for the afternoon was 18 keepers and 4 shorts to 23 lbs. Great afternoon out there and all fish caught on eels.
Oct. 28: Ran our open boat trip this morning and decided that with how the bite has been we were going to stick with eels all day. Morning started off windy and cold but got nicer as the day went on. Began picking a mix of keepers and shorts in the shallows while still dark but moved to the deep as the day went on. The guys hung in there all day dragging 12 ounces and managed to land 10 keeper bass to 22 lbs along with 3 shorts.
Oct. 26: Set out last night with Gerard and Nick to take advantage of a beautiful night. Started locally where some nice fish have been caught but after a few drifts with nothing we went searching. Found the fish a little shallower and it was game on. For the rest of the night it was anywhere from one to three fish on at a time. Total for the night was 20 keeper bass to 18 lbs and 8 shorts.
Oct. 23: Had the Mark Kulik charter out this morning for some bass fishing. Started off where we had a few fish the day before. First dropped produced nothing but a few skates and dogs. Made a little move and had a 45 minutes flurry which resulted in 2 keepers and 9 shorts. Once it died we went looking but could not come up with anything else the rest of the day.
Oct. 22: Had out the Joe Hudak charter this morning. Started drifting eels. Read fish in several different area, but couldn't get any bites. We switched over to clams and stopped on reading on three different areas. It was a tough morning as the guys only landed on keeper around 31" and one short.
This afternoon we had Art, John, and Bob on board. We all thought that since they didn't bite this morning they would probably eat this afternoon. Well, we were wrong. Made 4 different drops throughout the afternoon, and even though we read fish everywhere we went, the guys were only able to land one keeper bass around 33", 2 shorts and a few other bites.
I have to thank all the guys for hanging in there all day and giving it hell but some days no matter what you do, you can't make them bite.
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Oct. 18: Had the Andy Compton charter out today for some bass fishing. Finally had some nice weather for a change. Got set up where we have been fishing the past few days to only pick away at a bunch of junk fish. Took a little ride and got set up on some nice readings. The guys managed to pick away landing 4 keepers to 33" and 15 shorts for the day.
Oct. 14: Ran our open boat trip this morning with Art, Bob, Phong, and his mother Liann on board. Set up on the grounds and started cracking clams. It didn't take long this morning as we had our first fish on within 2 minutes. It was a steady bite all morning with 13 keepers to 24 lbs making there way to the boat along with 7 shorts.
Video of today's action.
Oct. 11: Had the Tom McGlynn charter out for some bass fishing. We took a ride to where we saw them yesterday. It was a tough day as we read tons of bait and fish but only managed to land 2 keeper bass and a bunch of blue fish.
Oct. 9: Ran our open boat this morning for stripers. Once we got our bait we made our way to where we had them the day before. Had about 2.5 hours of good fishing where the guys were landed 12 out of 20 bites. Biggest fish went 25 lbs.
Oct. 8: Ran our open boat trip with Art, Bob, Gerard, and Cory. Went right to where we had them yesterday and had a few misses. Took a short ride and found them. Managed to limit out in 45 minutes and in two hours managed to land 13 keepers out of 19 bites to 18 pounds.
Short Video of Today's Trip
Oct. 7: Had the David Bargeron charter out for some bass fishing. Got set up first thing where we have been seeing some good action. Landed one bluefish right away and didn't have another bite for some time. Moved to the north where we had some fish and read them, but after an hour and only a few dogfish left that area. Went searching and got a call from a buddy that he had a few fish biting and took a ride. Managed to land 5 keepers to 18 lbs and a bluefish. Once the bite died we went back to clamming and landed another keeper and two shorts. Tough day but managed some fillets for the guys to go home with.
Oct. 6: Had the Norman Edge party out this morning for some striped bass action. Fishing today was a little slower than it has been but still steady action. The guys managed to boat 8 keeper bass up to 25 lbs along with 8 shorts on clams.
Oct. 4: Had Bob Milkovitz and friends aboard for some striped bass and bottom fishing. Started the morning off fishing clams and was rewarded with a limit of bass 8 bass by 7:30 am. The guys played catch and release till the tide died and decided to try some bottom fishing. We made a few drops on the reef for a slow pick of porgies and a limit of blackfish to 6 lbs. Total for the day was 13 keeper bass landed (only keeping our legal limit) along with 6 shorts, 6 keeper blackfish, with many short tog and way to many keeper sea bass that had to be returned.
Oct. 2: Sailed an open boat striped bass trip. Started the off trolling and landed one keeper bass and missed 2 other hits. Once the tide changed, we set up with the clams and had a pick for the rest of the day landing 6 keeper bass to 14 lbs along with 18 short bass.
Oct. 1: Sailed our open boat trip for striped bass. Fishing was tough with only 2 keeper stripers coming into the net. We were drifting eels all day. Everywhere we went we read them, but could not get them to bite.
Sept. 30: Ran our open boat striper trip this morning with John, Tony, Phong, and Nick. Started the morning drifting eels and after getting dialed in, we found the bite we were looking for. At some point, we had 3 on at a time. The crew managed to limit out by 8:30, then played catch and release. Landed a total of 12 keeper bass to 15 lbs. Once the bite slowed we switched over to some bottom fishing and landed 35 porgeys for the table with a few sea bass and small blackfish mixed in.
Sept. 25: Had Jack and crew out this morning for some bass and bottom fishing. Made 2 drops for bass early this morning and was only able to land 3 short bass and 1 keeper around 30 inches. Took a ride down to the reef for the rest of the day where the guys landed a mess of porgies and 3 keeper blackfish and a ton of small tog.
Sept. 24: Ran our open boat trip this morning with Paul, Art, and John aboard. Started this morning off throwing some topwater plugs for bass, but only managed some bluefish up to about 8 lbs. Set the anchor and started cracking clams. Picked 2 keepers a short and a nice blackfish. Made a move down the beach and found the readings we were looking for and started to drift clams. A few drifts produced another 3 keeper bass to 33" along with a dozen shorts and a 36 lb black drum. We also missed several other bass bites and broke off another 3 or 4 drum.
Sept. 17: Ran our first striped bass trip of the fall with Joe, Paul and Arto on board. With the incoming tide and NE wind, we had a good feeling that we would find some fish. Before we even came tight on the anchor, Paul was hooked up with the first fish. Fishing was non stop most most of the morning with even a few doubles hooked up. Total for the day was 16 keeper stripers to 14 lbs (only keeping our legal limit) and 20 short bass. This was definitely some of the best early fall bass fishing any of us have seen.
,Sept. 14: Ran our open boat trip this morning for bottom fish. Started out locally looking for porgies. Every drop we set up on, we read them, but could never develop a bite. Switched over to green crabs and the crew began picking away at blackfish. Made several drops today between 27' and 60'. Total for the day was 14 porgies, numerous amounts of sea bass (half would of been keepers), and around 75 blackfish (only keeping our legal limit) up to 5 lbs.
Sept. 10: Ran our open boat trip this morning with a 3 man crew. Started local, trying to catch some porgies, but the roaring tide made it difficult. Bounced around a few rock piles and picked some sea bass, blackfish and porgies on every drop today. Tons of action all day with short sea bass and plenty of blackfish. Must of landed at least 35 keeper tog to 6 lbs with around the same number in shorts, only keeping our legal limit.
Sept. 4: Sunday, we hosted Bob and Paul on board. After talking to the guys we decided to change plans and leave earlier than scheduled to try to worm some bass. We had a few bites, but never came tight on any. A few drifts for fluke were unproductive, so we went to some rough bottom and bailed porgies the rest of the day with a few sea bass mixed in.
Sept. 3: Ran our open boat bottom fish trip Saturday with Paul and Greg. Felt good to be back on the water after almost a week. Started out picking a few blackfish and nice sea bass. Bounced around all day with tough conditions and tons of debris in the water. Fished anywhere from 45' to 120' with mixed results at every spot. Total for the day was 20 keeper sea bass and endless shorts, limit of tog to 6 lbs with a few more keepers being released, a few porgies, a blowfish and a keeper fluke.
Aug. 19: Had the Paul Rubbee charter out this morning. Started off in the channels and had a pick of keepers and shorts. Managed to put 6 keepers in the box with two fish hitting 9.5 and 10 lbs on the scale. Made a little move to an offshore lump and continued to pick at shorts and nice keepers the rest of the day. All fish were caught on bucktails and large strip baits. Final total for the day was 17 keepers to 10 lbs and 3 keeper sea bass.
Aug 13: Ran our open boat buck tail trip. Had a great group of guys on board and they worked hard for their catch. Even with the moon approaching, we really didn't have a great drift all day. Worked three areas with a pick of fish on each. Total for the day was 19 keepers to 8.5 lbs. Fish were caught on buck tails, gulp, large strip baits and a few on snappers.
Aug 6: We competed in the Leonardo Fluke Masters. Ran right back to where we had them the day before and had them biting immediately. Action slowed down after a few drifts, but bucktails and strip baits produced. Once the wind came up hard from the SE, we ran to some rough bottom a little closer to home and connected with a few more fish. Didn't land anything over 7 lbs. Total for the day was 31 keepers. Congrats to all the winners.
Aug 5: Ran our open boat trip Friday. Headed right out to the sticky stuff and picked away all morning till the wind came up. Tallied 28 keeper fluke to 8 lbs on large strip baits and buck tails.
Aug. 1: Had Max Berry from Pride Fishing Tackle out today for a surprise birthday trip for his employee DJ. We were joined by DJ's father and friend T. Started off in the channels and had a slow pick of shorts with not much drift due to wind against tide. Made a move to some of the offshore lumps and waited out the tide. Once we got the wind and tide, the guys started to pick away on some nice keepers. The charter managed to bucktail 20 keepers with DJ's personal best 10 lb doormat.
July 31: Didn't have a charter so with the good forecast we decided to head off and see if we could land a tuna. Left the dock at 5 am and was set up in the Glory Hole. Started off trolling and was rewarded with a 50 lb yellowfin, on and islander/bally combo. Didn't get another bite for some time, so we wanted to put some mahi in the box for dinner. Once we began pot hoping we were able to land 6 mahi on butterfish chunks. Beautiful day out there, and the ride home was great at 29 kts.
July 30: Had John Edwards and friends out this morning for some fluking. Started off in the channels with a few keepers and a lot of shorts. Once the tide started ripping, we made our way to the rough bottom. We never saw a steady bite, instead just grinded out a pick of fish here and there. Total for the day was 21 keepers to 5 lbs.
July 29: Had the Brad Davis charter out for a few hours of fluke fishing. Decided to stay local with the limited time and pounded away at the channels. The guys managed to land 10 keepers to 5 lbs. All fish were caught on bucktails and strip baits.
July 28: Had the Mike Dunn charter out this morning for some bottom fishing. Lack of wind made anchoring conditions tough. Made several drops from 80 to 140 ft. The guys picked away all day landing 61 ling, 3 keeper cod, about 35 short cod, and a few sea bass.
July 27: Sailed this morning with John , Jamie, Matt (Avid), and Steve (socks). Started the morning out in the channels with a pick of keepers and shorts. The bite died after a few drifts so we ran off to the offshoire lumps. Never developed a steady bite, but picked on every drift. Total for the day was 27 keepers with Matt's 8 lbs fluke. Half the catch was made of nice fish between 3 and 5 lbs. All fish were caught on bucktails or Gulp teasers.
July 17: Ran our open boat bottom fish trip. Started off catching some nice quality sea bass. Once that action died, we took a ride offshore and made two drops. By day's end, the 5 man crew tallied 56 ling, 16 keeper sea bass, 2 keeper blackfish, released numerous winter flounder and over 60 short cod.
July 16: Had Kevin Cichon out with his buddys. The guys were entered in their VFW fluke tournament up in Manville, so we also put the boat in the Middletown Elks tourny. Left the dock at 5:30 and headed right to the grounds where we have been seeing some bigger fish. First few drifts were great action with plenty of keepers and shorts coming over the rail. Unfortunately we dropped two big fish here. Once the wind backed off the bite slowed. Fished two more areas rest of the day and and picked away at shorts and keepers. The guys worked the bucktails hard today for 26 keepers to 5.5 lbs.
July 15: Ran our open boat trip today with Mike, Brandon, Mike and Bob. Ran down the beach to start. Hd a nice drift until the wind died. Managed to pick a few keepers and a lot of shorts on each spot. Bounced around a few different areas throughout the day and the guys worked the bucktails hard managing to box 16 keepers to 4 lbs and a ton of shorts.
July 9 & 10: Sandy Hook Bay Anglers Fluke
Day 1: Left the dock at sunrise with John, Paul, Cory, Gerard and John Jr on board. Headed down to the sticky bottom where we have been catching some nice fish lately. With a fast drift, we managed to pick away at some keepers and shorts. Around 9am decided to run to the deeper water. As soon as wek got there it was lights out fishing. First drift we managed to box 21 more keepers to 5.5 lbs. Kept pounding the area all day and was rewarded with 52 keepers, only keeping our 6 man limit of 48 fish.
Day 2: Had John, Cory, Gerard, and Sal out for day 2 of the tournament. Ran right back to where we had the fishing the day before. Only problem was that the drift was slower. Managed to pick at the fish all day. Had a few good ones on but pulled the hook on them. Ended the day with 20 keepers to 4.5 lbs and a few sea bass.
Fish pretty much ate Old Mans Tacklebox bucktails, strip baits, smelts, mullets.
Would like to congradulate all the winners especially the Jake Jacubik and the crew of the Fish Monger on their nice fish.
July 6: Had Don Baum and his friend Tom out today for some fluke fishing. Went back down to where we have been catching them. Had a decent bite with a lot of shorts and keepers mixed in until the south wind came up. Finished with 8 keeper fluke to 5 lbs and one sea bass all caught on bucktails and strip baits.
July 5: Had Paul Rubbee out and for a change of pace decided to try some bottom fishing. Hit some deeper water wrecks and was rewarded with a great catch. Final tally for the day was 77 ling, 6 keeper cod to 8 lb. About 50 short cod, 4 blackfish and a few winter flounder were released.
July 4: Ran our open boat this morning with Paul, Gerard, Jimmy T, Cory, and Cousin Jim on board. Left the dock in a thick fog and made out way to the rough bottom. We had tough conditions with barely any drift. Bouncing bucktails and dragging big strip baits, the guys managed to box 27 keeper fluke with over 150 shorts. Four of the keepers landed were over 5 lbs with the biggest tipping the scale at 11 lbs. Congrats to Cousin Jim on landing his personal best today at 11 lbs.
July 1: Had Jeff Smith and his father out for some bucktailing today. Started the day where we had fish yesterday but the drift was to fast. Bounced around a few different places and had fish on all of them. Biggest was about 3.5 lbs. Finished the day with 13 keepers all caught on bucktails.
June 30: After having this mornings charter not show, my mate John and I decided to take advantage of the day and go fluking. What a great choice as we limited out with fluke to 8 lbs. We used bucktails and strips all day.
June 26: We ran our open boat bucktail trip. Fished several different areas trying to get out of a ripping current. The guys worked hard all day landing 20 keeper fluke to 5 lbs along with a ton of shorts and a single ling.
June 25: Had the Mark Cugliarri charter out this morning for some bass fishing. With the slow fishing lately, we didn't really know what to expect. Made our bait on our way to the grounds and got set up quickly on some good readings. The guys managed to go 6 for 10 on bass bites landing fish to 28 lbs along with a bunch of bluefish.
June 19: Had Chris Ryan and friends out this morning for some bass fishing. Told the guys its been tough the past few days but they still wanted to give it a try . Ran right down the beach and set up on the rocks. It was a slow morning, but the they managed to boat 2 out of 4 bites with the bigger fish going 15 lbs. What a difference a day makes, as we didnt have one bluefish bite.
This afternoon we had Paul Rubbee on board for some fluke fishing for fathers day. It was a nice change of pace. Bouncing bucktails on the hard bottom produced a good pull of fish. Landing 15 keepers to 5 lbs along with a bunch of shorts, a few sea bass, and even a ling.
June 18: Saturday morning we had Johan Verbeeck and his buddys from Belgium out. The goal was to try and catch some stripers before his friends returned home. Set up where we had them the night before only to be covered up by bluefish and miss 2 bass bites. Everywhere we went the blues would attack our baits before a bass could get to them.
In the afternoon we had John Schiavone and his family on board. Ran down the beach and was greeted to acres of bunker. Thought it would of happened there, but after bouncing from pod to pod for a few hours without a bite we headed into the deep. Still not a touch. Ran to the north and set up on the rocks to chunk. Unfortunately the guys were not even given a chance at a bass, as the bluefish chomped away at our baits. The guys had a good time fighting bluefish after bluefish.
June 17: Had Jeff Dinger, his twin boys and brother out this afternoon. Thought we were going to have a nice afternoon, but as we rounded the corner we saw 3 to 5 ft seas and a se wind blowing. Decided to fish some local snags. Got on the piece and as soon as all four lines hit the water we had 4 fish on. All big blues to 10 lbs. The charter toughed out the conditions and blues as we managed to boat 4 keeper bass to 18 lbs with over 50 blues coming to the boat before the thunderstorms made us return early.
June 15: Had the Jim Miller charter out this afternoon for some bass. After getting all the reports of the epic bite down south this morning, we decided to make the run since it was a beautiful evening. After talking to Freddy, on the way down he set us up on the bait and the fish. Managed to land 2 for 6 out of the pods down south to 34 lbs. On the way home ran into more bunker off Asbury getting harassed. After a few drifts, the crew managed to land another 2 out of 3 bass bites with a few blues. It was a long afternoon, but was worth it with a few personal bests landed. In total, ran 74 miles round trip. Would like to thank my crew for taking the long ride and sticking it out.
June 14: Had Skip Brown and his three sons out this morning for some live lining. Took a little time to make bait and headed to where the bite was the night before. Thought we were in after our first drift, as we broke off two big fish and had a few blues. Kept pounding the area for awhile and managed to land one bass at 37 lbs along with a bunch of blues while dropping a few bass. Called it an early day as the weather was getting worse and the kids had enough.
June 13: Had the Thad Strang charter out for some bass fishing. Was able to make bait and headed down the beach in a hard NE wind. Made it to where the fish were yesterday and set it up on the drift. First few drifts produced a few bluefish bites and that was it. Set the anchor and began chunking. Managed to land 1 bass about 20 lbs and a bunch of blues. Weird bite today as the fish would pick up and run, and then just spit the bait.
June 10: Had the Kevin Cichon charter out this morning for some bass fishing. Made our bait in one throw and off we went to where the bite has been for the past few days. We were greeted by a bunch of boats and figured we would be in for a tough day. The charter managed to land 6 for 23 bites. with the biggest around 30 lbs. The bass would just come up and slap the baits around and never commit to them.
This afternoon we had the Ken Maimone charter aboard. Went to where we left them and thought we were in as the first 3 baits hit the water and got smashed. The only problem was that the fish again would not eat the bunkers only play with them. By afternoon's end the guys managed to land 2 bass to 37 lbs out of 9 bites. Tough afternoon but they hung in there.
June 9: Had the Steve Soos charter out this morning. One throw of the net and we were off to where we beat on them yesterday. Once on the grounds we soon realized it was a different day as the area was a desert. Took a long ride east to where a friend had fish the night before to see nothing. Ran back to the original spot to find it full of life. The charter managed to go 28 for 35 bites including 2 fish over 40 lbs with the biggest hitting 45 pounds. We caught them on live bunker and popping plugs.
This afternoon we had the Steve Kimble charter out. Ran right to where we left them and had them on right away. The crew landed 13 of 18 bites with the biggest reaching 41 pounds. Again fish were caught on live bunker and artificals.
June 8: Ran our open boat trip this morning. Was able to make bait with a few throws filling the livewell and took off down the beach. Got to where we have been fishing and had a slow morning missing a few fish and some bluefish bites. Took a ride away from the crowd and got a call from a friend. Arrived on the scene to acres of fish busting on the surface. Managed to go 9 for 16 on bass to 33 lbs in 45 minutes.
This afternoon we had Mark Masik and friends onboard. Was able to fill the well with livies in one throw and off we went to where we left them. Once we got there, it took abot 10 minutes for the guys to catch their 8 fish limit. We caught fish on live bunker, dead, cut bait, and plugs. Total for the night was 16 keepers landed to 37 lbs.
June 6: Had the Thad Strang charter out this morning for some livelining. Made our bait, and off we went. Got to the grounds where we have been fishing and knew it was going to be a tough day when we had no drift. Made several moves but only managed to land 1 bass around 23 lbs out of 7 bites.
This afternoon Keith Eikhorst was aboard and after talking to the guys we decided to take a long ride down the beach. Boy did it pay off. The guys went 12 for 17 with two fish over 40 pounds and many fish in the 30's.
June 5: Had Rocky Rugerrio and his friend out this morning for some livelining. Made our bait in one throw and off we went down the beach. Slugged our way throw some sloppy seas. Once we got set up, we would get a few bites on each drift. The guys had some trouble in the sloppy conditons landing 2 fish out of 7 bites before calling it a day at 9:30. Biggest fish went 28 lbs.
June 4: Had the Adam Katachurian charter out this morning for their annual striped bass trip. Made our bait and off we went to where we have been catching them. The guys had a decent pick of fish despite the heavy boat traffic, landing 8 for 17 with the top two fish going 40 and 42 lbs.
This afternoon we ran our open boat trip and headed right to the same area. We quickly went 3 for 6 and then the bite died. A few wiggles here and there we finally found some fish that wanted to eat. Total for the night was 7 keepers between 20 and 28 lbs with a few misses.
June 3: Had the Jason Viccaiherllo charter out his morning for some bass fishing. Made our bait easy and headed down the beach. Found some fish busting on bunker schools right away and went 2 for 7. Pushed further south and came across more stripers spraying bunkers all over. The only problem was that boats were racing through them and running over lines. We wound up landing 5 fish to 43 lbs.
This afternoon we had John Cushman and his wife out. Made our bait in the ocean quickly and fished by ourselves. The two person charter landed their limit to 32 lbs while missing some other fish before calling it an early day.
June 2: Had Joe Hudak and friends aboard this morning for some livelining. Was able to make bait easy and headed down the beach in a hard nw wind. The guys delt with the wind and managed to land 7 bass out of 15 bites with the two biggest fish going 39 and 41 lbs.
May 31: Had the Ted Metzger charter out this morning for some livelining. Made our bait very easy and took a ride to where the action has been. The guys had a great day landing 11 out of 18 bites with 4 of the fish over 30 lbs and the biggest going 37 lbs.
May 30: Ran our open boat trip this mornign with Bob, Paul, Barry, and Marty. Made our bait in the bay and ran down the ocean. Once we got set up, it took a few little adjustments to find out where the fish were and then game on. The crew went 7 for 12 on keeper bass to 36 lbs livelining bunker. One of the problems today was that the endangered dogfish kept coming off the bottom and chewing on our baits.
May 27: Had the Lloyd Kass Charter out this morning. Ran down the beach and made bait fast. Once we got set up, the charter wound up going 9 for 17 bass to 33lbs in 3 drifts. The action died off so we took a little ride and trolled spoons. It was non stop for a half hour landing 5 more keeper bass to 38 lbs.
This afternoon, we had the Kevin Cichon party aboard and the goal was to get the kids some big bass. Ran right down the beach and quickly went 3 for 8 on live bunker with fish to 28 lbs. It was hard to make bait in the conditions, so we put the spoons back out and landed another 5 fish to 33 lbs before calling it an early day.
May 26: Ran our open boat with Mike, Jerry, Mike and Paul on board. Left in some scattered fog. Made bait pretty easy and off we went. Got to where we have been fishing locally and had good marks. It was a mix of blues and bass. The group landed 4 keeper bass to 26 lbs., along with way to many bluefish to count to about 14 lbs. I want to thank the guys for hanging in there with some tough conditions, as we sat wind against most of the day.
May 25: Had the Andy Compton charter aboard this morning for some bass fishing. It took awhile to make bait, but once we got set up on the grounds, we had some solid action. The 4 man crew fell 1 fish shy of there limit boating 7 bass to 26 lbs along with many bluefish.
This afternoon we had Greg Kondak from Shimano with friend Kurt aboard. We deceided to take a ride looking for some bigger fish. The 2 man crew managed their limit to 36 lbs while releasing another 2 fish. All fish were taken on live bunker. We had a lot of bites, but most bass would come up and just slap the bunker around.
May 24: Had Chris Varjan and friends aboard for some striper fishing. Managed to get the bait pretty easy. On the way to the grounds, we ran over some fish and sent down the livies. As soon as live and chunked bunker hit the bottom, it was constant action with blues and bass. The crew managed to land their 4 man limit to 29 lbs while releasing another 3 keeper bass and many bluefish.
May 22: Had Rocky Ruggerio charter out today for bass fishing. Took a little while to get the bait. Once we took a short ride to the grounds, it was lights out fishing. Before we could get the second rod in the water we had one on. The guys had a great time landing their limit of 6 bass to 22 lbs while releasing a few plus a bunch of blues. At 9 am they called it quits and we docked early.
May 20: Participated in the Manhattan Cup with the team from Tri-Star Construction. It was a great time and a great event. After the weeks good fishing in the bay, we deceided to stay local and put in the time fishing rather than running doen the beach. The guys toughed out the rain and managed to land 5 bass up to 37.5 inches with the largest 27 pounds, plus a bunch of blues.
May 14: Saturday morning, we has the Eric Nunely party on board and the goal was to get his kids into some bass. Started the morning chunking and managed 3 keeper bass to 18 lbs along with tons of bluefish.
Saturday afternoon, we had Scott Yandle and friends onboard for their annual trip. Fishing started off slow drifting bunker schools with just a few bites. Made a short run and found some fish that wanted to eat. Managed to land 5 bass to 26 lbs with Scott's 6 year old son taking the biggest at 26 lbs.
May 13: Friday morning, we had Beth Stavola and her husband Jack on board for some livelining. Fishing started off tough with the fish just holding the baits and not getting hooks in them. They managed to boat 3 keeper bass to 23 lbs and a ton of blues to 12 lbs.
Friday afternoon, we had the Keith Eickhorst party on board. Went back to the same area as the morning and managed to land 2 bass right away on the chunk. With wind against tide we had to go on the drift and managed to land another 3 keeper bass to 21 lbs. Again the bluefish became a nuisance and would beat the bass to the bait.
May 12: Ran our open trip with Jerry, Ralph, Sal and Grahm. We were able to make bait fairly easy and ran to where we had them the past few days. First few drifts started slow with only one keeper being boated and a few misses. Made a short run and got action right away. The crew managed to land 13 keeper bass to 18 lbs. Fish hit both live bunker and chunked heads.
May 11: Had the Andy Compton charter out this morning. Made bait and off we went. Fish were in the same spot we left them two days ago. Managed to land 11 keepers to 20 lbs. Fish preferred drifted heads on the bottom over live baits.
May 9: Had Drew McCoy out this morning for his birthday with fiance' Jill, Evan, Ryan, and Sal. It was a little tough getting bait, but once we got what we needed and on the grounds it was a great day. Drifting live and chunked bunker produced 23 keeper bass to 23 lbs.
May 8: Had Rocky Ruggerio with friends Mark and Ms. Kim on board today. Made bait quickly and went to where we had them yesterday. Drifting live and chunked bunker, the crew managed to limit out quickly with fish to 25 lbs, releasing one additional fish by 9am. The party called it a day early to go home and spend time with their families.
May 7: Ran our open boat trip today with Paul, Kevin, Mark, Bob, and Ralph onboard today. Made bait real easy this morning. Headed to where the bite has been, and once we found what we were looking for it was on. Limited out by 8:45 on live and chunked bunker with fish to 22 lbs. Total for the crew today was 18 fish, only keeping our legal limit with the rest released to fight another day.
May 6: Had the Ed Kachinski charter out this morning for some live-lining and bunker chunking. Early morning started off slow with a few bites and a few fish boated till Ed landed a beautiful 36 lb fish. Made a little move and managed to land a total of 13 keeper bass to 36 lbs for the day (only keeping our legal limit) and releasing half a dozen bluefish.
This afternoon we had the Mike Gaurino charter on board. Went to where we had the fish in the monring only to land 3 keeper bass and a few blues. Tough afternoon with the wind against the tide, but the guys stuck it out and gave it their all.
May 2: Ran a last minute crew trip today with Sal to do some looking around. Once we made bait, it didnt take long to find them. Started off drifting live bait on the surface and had immediate results boating 12 bass to 20 lbs. Made a little move and anchored on some readings and started chunking. It was drop and real with fish to 29 lbs. Total for the day was 37 keeper bass to 29 lbs for the two of us.
May 1: Ran our open boat trip today with Bob Milkovitz Sr & Jr, sons Allan (age 8), Thomas (age 5) and Paul on board today. Was able to make bait pretty easy and set off to the grounds. The guys managed to boat 11 keeper bass to 25 lbs, with Thomas landing 3 keepers himself on live bunker.
April 30: Ran our open boat today with Paul, Bob, Patrick, Ernie and Sal on board. It took a few spots to get them going, but the guys hung in there to wind up with a limit of 10 keeper bass to 14 lbs and 6 shorts.
April 27: Had the Don Baum charter, with friend Tom, out today for some bass fishing. Once on the grounds, it didn't take long to limit out with fish to 14 lbs. The two men boated 18 keeper bass, only keeping their legal limit, and released another 7 shorts.
April 25: The Paul Ruby charter was out today for some bass fishing. With the heavy fog we stayed local. Trolling stretch plugs we managed to limit out, boating 16 keeper bass to 20 lbs along with 5 shorts.
April 22: Had Steve (socks), Paul, Dennis, Mark and Bob aboard today for our open boat bass trip. Took a little looking around, but once we found them it was on. Had the 5 man limit by 8:30 this morning with many double and triple hookups. Total for the day was 21 keepers to 35" along with another 32 fish released. All fish were caught on clams.
April 20: Jeff, Paul and Drew were aboard our open boat trip today. Leaving the dock in heavy fog and a hard east wind, we didn't really know what to expect. Got to where we had them yesterday and set up. It took a little while to get them going, but by days end the 3 man crew managed to boat 12 keeper bass to 17 lbs, only keeping our limit, while releasing an additional 28 shorts and one flounder.
April 19: Ran our open boat striper trip today with 4 anglers on board. Once we found what we were looking for, it didn't take long for the action to start. The 4 man crew managed to boat 19 keeper bass up to 14 lbs, only keeping our legal limit and also released another 39 shorts. Majority of fish were fresh ocean fish loaded with sea lice.
April 15: Had out Eric (Fishing Mortgage Man), Art (clamman), Jeff (Jlavine), Ken and Antonio out today on our striper trip. Fishing was tough with the wind against tide and lines running to the bow all morning. The guys were great and stuck out the tough conditions putting 8 keepers to around 13 lbs in the box while releasing another 18 shorts.
April 14: With the nice weather, we decided to run a crew trip. Ran into the bay and marked fish and within 10 minutes had our first fish of the season in the net. By the end of the tide, the four man crew had 8 keeper fish with the two biggest at 15 and 16 pounds. We also released 12 shorts. All fish caught on clams.
