State Of Fishing Affairs

[Gerry Zagorski]

Not sure about all of you but seems to me we have a lot fewer people fishing these days...Gas prices, cost of bait, cost of food, the market tanking, the stuff in the news. People who work having to work more hours since you can't find other people willing to work. This is like the perfect storm and it's depressing... I see it it myself and many others I talk to as well.

Well I'm turning over a new leaf.... I don't care what it costs or how depressed I feel, I'm going fishing.... Work and all the other stuff can wait and I'm much more productive and energized after a day out on the water fishing.

How about all of you and please, let's not get political here.

[hammer4reel]

Not sure about all of you but seems to me we have a lot fewer people fishing these days...Gas prices, cost of bait, cost of food, the market tanking, the stuff in the news. People who work having to work more hours since you can't find other people willing to work. This is like the perfect storm and it's depressing... I see it it myself and many others I talk to as well.

Well I'm turning over a new leaf.... I don't care what it costs or how depressed I feel, I'm going fishing.... Work and all the other stuff can wait and I'm much more productive and energized after a day out on the water fishing.

How about all of you and please, let's not get political here.


Costs 11 grand before I even wet a line , so the extra money it takes to fish will get spent .

That being said I’m only fishing good weather window days now .
No more running out with one person and scouting a spot 20 miles from port etc .
Betting there is a lot less guys fluking Oceanside with the new bag limits .

Just a run to SR reef was 180 bucks in gas .
Only worthwhile with a few guys .
Just no reward for the $

[hammer4reel]

Also think how much guys who trailer are paying just to get to the water .
Then add ramp fees and days gas , it is ridiculous

[catsmeow]

Retired fish my 17' sea nymph ( 1985, member of John skinner fleet) launch out of rumson and sayreville, this will be the first year going to have to a ask crew member to chip for fuel, normally have them buy bait and pick up a pizza for home with a few brews. Yes if you have to give up fishing too you will be soon needing shock treatments at carrier clinic. Stay safe and get out on the water, tight lines ... Walt

[Duffman]

Fewer people fishing nowadays? Gerry, I gotta ask, what you base that on? I’ve been on Raritan Bay for the better part of 45 years. Never seen the crowds and amount fishermen……. boat, kayak, shore and pier than ever before. If nothing else I feel like there are more people out there than ever before.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Costs 11 grand before I even wet a line , so the extra money it takes to fish will get spent .

That being said I’m only fishing good weather window days now .
No more running out with one person and scouting a spot 20 miles from port etc .
Betting there is a lot less guys fluking Oceanside with the new bag limits .

Just a run to SR reef was 180 bucks in gas .
Only worthwhile with a few guys .
Just no reward for the $

You think this is partly an age/energy/wisdom thing Dan? 30 - 50s it seemed although I had less time and money, I fished every spare moment I got and a lot more often. Weather didn't stop us as much to a certain extent and we fished a lot after work and at night.. Gas was a lot cheaper then and it was also seemed a lot easier to find guys wanting to get out no matter the time or weather... You make a few calls and you had a crew.

[Keystonefisher]

I struggled to get out the past couple years and thought several times about selling the boat. Made the decision, with my wife’s help, that I was gonna use it this year regardless of the situation. I’ve only fished during the week and the crowds have been manageable to almost non-existent (definitely less than what I’ve seen in years past) if I found the right spots. Headed out for cbass the other day. With the few keepers we managed and the fuel spent I guarantee I won’t be doing that again soon. Like Dan said too, I’ll be fluking the bay a lot more often than running out. The cost of fuel just doesn’t make it worth it IMO.

[dales529]

Have 5 charters 2 seabass and 3 fluke plus the PP Elks and FSOS tourneys. All 7 trips filled and will do some PB and friend trips along with surf as well.

Not changing my plans and will kick in extra to the boat if required but do understand that not everyone can do that and I am not the one putting gas in the boat!

Being on the water is the right thing even at the wrong time and the "catching" while well accepted is secondary.


As with everything this too will soon pass!

Also if you leave the politics aside the economy and most indexes are strong. Not a time to panic but be cautious. Being in business I am not seeing a slow down and taking advantage when / where possible.
The major corps are NOT losing money!

[Dclark2]

Worked for some 30 plus years and I WILL QUIT FISHING WHEN THEY PRY MY FISHING ROD OUT OF MY DEAD HANDS....... and you can take that

OUT OF THE BANK

[Gerry Zagorski]

Fewer people fishing nowadays? Gerry, I gotta ask, what you base that on? I’ve been on Raritan Bay for the better part of 45 years. Never seen the crowds and amount fishermen……. boat, kayak, shore and pier than ever before. If nothing else I feel like there are more people out there than ever before.

I don’t fish the weekends Duff so that might be why my experience is different than yours.

[bulletbob]

Sadly my days of fishing in NJ salt water are nearing the end.. 68 years old, no one to take down there with me, and solo trips are out of the question.. It cost me $60 in gas when it was $2.25 a gallon, just for the ride down, not including boat fuel, bait, and ramp fees.. Can't justify better the $200 just to jump on a head boat, as it could be a skunk day, and I would get totally disgusted.. My grandkids take most of my time these days, I have a 9 YO grandson thats an incredible athlete, and competes all around the upstate region in 3 sports in travel leagues for athletically advanced kids his age. Its not fishing, but its become a focal point leaving less time than ever..I get out locally when I can, and even nailed a fat 20 inch Walleye in a tiny little stream in Candor that usually yields nothing.. Matter of fact, I am probably going to list all my saltwater stuff on this forum and sell for next to nothing.. Dozens of rods reels, boxes and bags of lures and tackle... I'll probably never use them again, as it doesn't seem likely I'll have the wherewithal to fish salt water any longer.. Distance, age, time restrictions, and cost of fuel have had their way, finally, after many years... bob

[Dclark2]

You can't beat the face of a grand children catching their first fish or any other child on their first fishing trip..... Moments and memories last FOREVER ....

[hammer4reel]

Have 5 charters 2 seabass and 3 fluke plus the PP Elks and FSOS tourneys. All 7 trips filled and will do some PB and friend trips along with surf as well.

Not changing my plans and will kick in extra to the boat if required but do understand that not everyone can do that and I am not the one putting gas in the boat!

Being on the water is the right thing even at the wrong time and the "catching" while well accepted is secondary.


As with everything this too will soon pass!

Also if you leave the politics aside the economy and most indexes are strong. Not a time to panic but be cautious. Being in business I am not seeing a slow down and taking advantage when / where possible.
The major corps are NOT losing money!

You must drink some strong koolaid .
Investments have lost everything they had made in the last 8 years .

Business would REALLY flourish if supply chains weren’t broke .
And the electrical supply chain needed for real infrastructure repair can’t even manage to keep up with normal maintenance, let alone new work .

Wait until fall and it costs thousands to heat a modest house .

.

.

[hammer4reel]

You think this is partly an age/energy/wisdom thing Dan? 30 - 50s it seemed although I had less time and money, I fished every spare moment I got and a lot more often. Weather didn't stop us as much to a certain extent and we fished a lot after work and at night.. Gas was a lot cheaper then and it was also seemed a lot easier to find guys wanting to get out no matter the time or weather... You make a few calls and you had a crew.

Maybe some , but I always fished when I was off unless it was really wicked out .
Now if it’s not going to be productive it’s like throwing money in the ocean .

After work trips haven’t happened down here yet because the chessy bass haven’t got here in normal style yet .
.

.

[dales529]

Not really Dan
Yes my investments are down 15% but were up 30 plus compounded over the last 8 years. Maybe someone should take a hard look at your portfolio?
Supply chain was hurting my business but now every customer is getting that and since it affects all they understand so we all agreed to a different business model. I deal with many fortune 500 companies who are doing well and not only my business but my vendors and others are having record sales. Sorry you are not.

I learned many years ago to ignore the politics and look at the major indexes.

And again this will all pass soon as we are a free market capitalist country which means GREED will prevail in the markets LOL

[Gumada]

10k before I even turned the keys. I am certainly not going to underutilize the boat and not fish for an extra 2k in fuel. Damn the torpedoes.....

[Detour66]

I guess I'm lucky. Boat is paid for. Cost to keep the boat in the rack for the year including winter storage is expensive but not off the hook. I have good fishing buddy that help me pay the expenses plus a few friends and family that are willing to join me. I know it will not last forever but for now I am good. But I do feel everyone's pain as far as the cost of living being ridiculous. Tight Lines!

[hammer4reel]

Not really Dan
Yes my investments are down 15% but were up 30 plus compounded over the last 8 years. Maybe someone should take a hard look at your portfolio?
Supply chain was hurting my business but now every customer is getting that and since it affects all they understand so we all agreed to a different business model. I deal with many fortune 500 companies who are doing well and not only my business but my vendors and others are having record sales. Sorry you are not.

I learned many years ago to ignore the politics and look at the major indexes.

And again this will all pass soon as we are a free market capitalist country which means GREED will prevail in the markets LOL
.

You can’t compare record sakes to what sales you could actually have if you had product .
I just finished an 11 million dollar job for a major hospital .
Because of (2) 1000 dollar relays they have ti run a temp gen set at 36000 a month .
Yet current agenda is let high gas prices push for more electric cars .
Pure fantasy because suppliers could never get the components to Make it happen in one state let alone the country .

And as far as portfolio , losing in one quarter what takes some people a lifetime to earn is a tough pill to swallow .
I should have just bought a new Freeman .

.

[Skolmann]

Fewer people fishing nowadays? Gerry, I gotta ask, what you base that on? I’ve been on Raritan Bay for the better part of 45 years. Never seen the crowds and amount fishermen……. boat, kayak, shore and pier than ever before. If nothing else I feel like there are more people out there than ever before.

Get back to us when the stripers migrate out. Last few years the bay as been empty during the summer.

[Skolmann]

I’ve been doing more & more land based fishing over the past few years and have found myself enjoying it just as much as doing party/open/charter boat trip. Since moving to the Brick area, I’ve discovered 5 or so spots that in the past few years I’ve gotten to know the ins & outs of and have caught everything from stripers, bluefish, fluke, blackfish & weakfish.

That being said, my son and I still try to get out at least once per week from now until October on our boat (which fortunately we have docked behind our house so we do not have the extra expense of paying for a slip or trailering). We made the decision to do more bay/river fishing partly because of the cost of fuel, partly because of the new fluke regulations & party because we really do enjoy the ability to catch fluke & bluefish on very light tackle. We will still will be doing ocean fluking, chasing bass in the fall, bluefishing and bottom fishing out front BUT we are going to head with a definite game plan based upon good intel and our past history. I don’t think we’ll be doing to many trips where we start out fishing the Manasquan Ridge and surrounding lumps for bonito/false albacore then streaking up to the Shrewsbury Rocks to jig bluefish (which we’ve done many times). We’ll decide on one or the other based upon the latest intel and roll the dice.

[Meat Hunter]

I'm on party boats a lot. The facts are that the crowds are WAY DOWN!!! Gas is killing it and it's only going to get worse. The boat I was on the last 2 weeks would've been packed last year. Every single rod holder just about. This weekend will really be a good indicator. For sure.

We ARE headed into a major recession.


Meat Hunter

[Tuna Tales]

Going fishing as many times as I can

Life is too short

[hammer4reel]

Gas today SRI

[Wilson]

Gas today SRI

Diesel at $6.15.9 at a QuikCkek in Union County.
My boss wishes he could pay $5.64 to fuel up his 6 diesel tow trucks.

Thought the dock price was supposed to be higher:confused:

[AndyS]

I think there are a lot less fish now compared to years ago. Last week I had the pleasure of watching 100 and 200 thousand dollar boats jockeying for position to catch a few 13 inch sea bass. When I was a kid fishing with dad on the party boats there was always plenty of fish to go home with.

[Duffman]

My boss wishes he could pay $5.64 to fuel up his 6 diesel tow trucks:

Bet ya he could care less. He’s passing that rise in fuel prices on to the customer anyway.

Gotta see what we are paying out daily on tows. It’s mind blowing!!

[Keystonefisher]

Gas today SRI

Ooofaahhh. :mad:

Glad I filled up last week.

[Gumada]

Almost no one fishing today, ocean or river. Might have been the small craft warnings. I burned 20 gallons today. For comparison in 2020 it costs <$40, 2021 $60, 2022 $100. Just sayin....

[Wilson]

Bet ya he could care less. He’s passing that rise in fuel prices on to the customer anyway.

Gotta see what we are paying out daily on tows. It’s mind blowing!!

We do quite a few PSEG tows. Their new trucks are less than reliable it seems.
PSEG pays what we charge them but it's a fair price.

Police tows are at a contracted fee for a years length.
You cannot charge higher then the contracted price.

Private tows are mostly collector and exotic tows....those people don't care about cost.

So I guess your right about passing on the costs. but I was under the impression that marine fuel was more costly then land based Wawa etc.

[Jigman13]

Diesel is closing in on $8/gal on the east end. Looks like my spreader bars will stay on the shelf this season... I'll make up for it fluking from the Bayshore

[Meat Hunter]

It's not just the price of gas alone that's killin' the economy right now, electric rates are up over 100% where I live, they're pushing natural gas up again, and the prices on the shelves are sky high. It's not just the pump that's killin' it.

Party boats look light so far this weekend. Not good.

Meat Hunter.

[bulletbob]

It's not just the price of gas alone that's killin' the economy right now, electric rates are up over 100% where I live, they're pushing natural gas up again, and the prices on the shelves are sky high. It's not just the pump that's killin' it.

Party boats look light so far this weekend. Not good.

Meat Hunter.

Party boats are often light on MD weekend. lots of other family stuff going on.. If they are light as fluke season gets ramped up, then I would think there is a problem.. I bet the party boats will be ok. Perhaps not their best year, but hopefully enough to weather it until/if things improve... If the fishing is good , I think enough people will come down to keep them going..

[Meat Hunter]

Party boats are often light on MD weekend. lots of other family stuff going on.. If they are light as fluke season gets ramped up, then I would think there is a problem.. I bet the party boats will be ok. Perhaps not their best year, but hopefully enough to weather it until/if things improve... If the fishing is good , I think enough people will come down to keep them going..

I've never fished on a holiday weekend that the boats weren't packed. The bite is on fire right now! Check out the Voyager, Jamaica, Paramount, and Explorer.

Boats are empty except specialty trips like tilefish, ect.


Meat Hunter

[bulletbob]

I dunno, I have been hearing that party boats were failing for years, yet every time I go even during the week during the school year, there's 25 guys minimum right alongside me... Could be I'm just picking the wrong boats... bob

[Duffman]

1/2 day AHMH morning trips were nuts to butts this morning.

[bunker dunker]

wow,never thought i would ever see a thread like this here at njfishing.as things get tight you find out what are the important things in your life and what is not.you make your corrections and carry on.this in not the first bad eco times we have been in and it will not be our last{i wish it was}.i am 61 and have seen
the best and worst and still managed to fish.no matter how bad things get peeps always figure out how to get to there happy place.almost 40 years in the electrical supply business and have seen it all and i am quite sure we will live thru this.live and enjoy your life,dead is a real long time.

[Gerry Zagorski]

wow,never thought i would ever see a thread like this here at njfishing.as things get tight you find out what are the important things in your life and what is not.you make your corrections and carry on.this in not the first bad eco times we have been in and it will not be our last{i wish it was}.i am 61 and have seen
the best and worst and still managed to fish.no matter how bad things get peeps always figure out how to get to there happy place.almost 40 years in the electrical supply business and have seen it all and i am quite sure we will live thru this.live and enjoy your life,dead is a real long time.

You got that right!

[june181901]

Have lived on the Shrewsbury a little south of the confluence with the Navesink for over 40 years. Despite the soaring fuel costs it is my observation and that of a neighbor that boat traffic was down slightly, say 10%, this past weekend compared to the past decade's Memorial Day weekends.
IMO both boating and fishing will continue but perhaps at slightly reduced rate of participation.