Couple of Visitors from NJ

[Captain Rich]

Both the clients and the fish !!!

[Ol Pedro]

Capt., I'm confused are those Bluefish?

[Captain Rich]

Yep !! They are kind of a novelty down here, especially the big ones. See how light colored they are ? That's from swimming over white sand, they blend in. Also down here they are eating different forage fish, no bunker here, so the meat is lighter in color. They tell me the smaller ones are good to eat because of that. I haven't found any small ones. How you doing ??

[Shaaaarky]

Was pier fishing yesterday and it was a massacre. Of the 30 blues (all 10-17#) I saw hooked, I might have seen 5 landed. The rest were inhaled by big bull sharks that were fighting over them. Just crazy fishing overall!

[Ol Pedro]

How you doing ??[/QUOTE]

Good, I'm preping for Crappie, possible dockwork, and selling at the fishing flea market. Going shooting this week. Nothing like sending a few rounds down range. Hope Grandson doesn't beat me again. I have some rod repairs for the boat coming up. Retirement is great!
Funny how they say the same things that we say about Bluefish even with the different forage. You should be an expert at catching them as they were our bread and butter up here. I miss those bloodydecks and filleting for hours.They do fight hard just not what I have gone to Florida to fish for but you take what's there.
Are you going to target them and get in on a new fishery? Get your nitch going before the others catch on? The new reef donkeys!! Is there a limit on those toothy devils? You could buy a larger boat and do open party day and night like we do up here.

[cletus109]

haven't seen a chopper in quite awhile.......fun fishing but beware of teeth

[Captain Rich]

3 per person, 12 " minimum. No I'm going to stick with the normal Fl stuff, they just show up occasionally in the winter down here.

[John D.]

After Sandy, the large schools AND large blues have all but vanished from the NJ coast. Any head boats fishing for them will be during the day usually a few miles off the beach over the reefs and a huge one is 5-7#. I’m sure the stocks are solid, they are like cockroaches, but they just don’t stack up off our coast anymore especially the large ones.

[FishingSinceIWasThree]

Both the clients and the fish !!!

Wow...I miss those blues here in NJ! Doesn't help the global warming scam...they should be moving north if global warming was true

[NJ219bands]

After Sandy, the large schools AND large blues have all but vanished from the NJ coast. Any head boats fishing for them will be during the day usually a few miles off the beach over the reefs and a huge one is 5-7#. I’m sure the stocks are solid, they are like cockroaches, but they just don’t stack up off our coast anymore especially the large ones.

I caught 32” and 31” bluefish in Manasquan Inlet last year.

[Broad Bill]

Wow...I miss those blues here in NJ! Doesn't help the global warming scam...they should be moving north if global warming was true

Bingo. A friend of mine is down in Fla. and told me about the big blues showing up this year in pretty significant numbers. Doesn't happen every year but it does happen and has been happening for some time. I also remember when I was a young kid maybe 50 years ago same size blues showing up in Maine chasing schools of bunker, the locals didn't know what they were and never saw them before. I don't think that was a product of climate change back in the 70's. There's no doubt climate is an issue in this world, but to blame everything on it I think is the easy way out to support a narrative the current administration is driving for a different set of reasons.

[Captain Rich]

With all the wind and cool weather we are having down here I think these big blues are going to stick around for a while. All of a sudden diamond jigs have become a hot item !

[Gerry Zagorski]

A few months ago we caught some blues fishing a reef off the coast of Sanibel on the Gulf side. My buddy has been fishing there for several years and said it was the first one he's every caught down there.

[Captain Rich]

I know a Miami charter boat that caught them also, now I'm wondering where these fish came from ?? From the Carolinas? NJ ? How far do they migrate in the winter due to cold water ??

[dales529]

I know a Miami charter boat that caught them also, now I'm wondering where these fish came from ?? From the Carolinas? NJ ? How far do they migrate in the winter due to cold water ??

Interesting question for sure but I don't think they mind cold waters at all or we wouldn't have had years of Nov / Dec even Jan fishery here in NJ back in the good ole days.

[Ol Pedro]

Interesting question for sure but I don't think they mind cold waters at all or we wouldn't have had years of Nov / Dec even Jan fishery here in NJ back in the good ole days.

We have been catching them on the mid shore wrecks fishing for Seabass in December for a few years . I don't think our fish migrate far South but I do think they move offshore.

[Broad Bill]

We have been catching them on the mid shore wrecks fishing for Seabass in December for a few years . I don't think our fish migrate far South but I do think they move offshore.

I've experienced the same. Bluefish have developed a very similar migration pattern as the big weakfish we're seeing offshore in the fall and trends for that matter in the spring / summer. Migrating further offshore could be caused by any number of things but if it's water temp related it would suggest both species are seeking warmer water in deeper depths in the fall as opposed to colder temperatures in shallower inshore waters. Fish don't have to go north in the summer to find water temps condusive to their liking as long as there's ample forage available in deeper cooler local waters.

[dales529]

I've experienced the same. Bluefish have developed a very similar migration pattern as the big weakfish we're seeing offshore in the fall and trends for that matter in the spring / summer. Migrating further offshore could be caused by any number of things but if it's water temp related it would suggest both species are seeking warmer water in deeper depths in the fall as opposed to colder temperatures in shallower inshore waters. Fish don't have to go north in the summer to find water temps condusive to their liking as long as there's ample forage available as well.

OK but I am going to need for my feeble mind a better explanation on this?
We know that offshore Seabass wreck trips are producing bluefish and sometimes weakfish. This is COLD water fishing in the lower water column for seabass , fish come up cold, bait comes up cold and sinkers come up cold.
Are you saying weakfish and bluefish hit these baits in elevated water column temps that vary by a few degrees in Nov / Dec?
How are they searching for warmer water in deeper depths off shore in this timeframe?
Again I am naive to this but would appreciate more info,
Thanks

[Ol Pedro]

Dales529, I have been catching Bluefish on the drop over the mid shore wrecks out there. Not on the bottom. Caught them jigging for Pollack on the same wrecks earlier in September/October. I think that food is their motivation. There may be some out there year round. Never really thought about them hanging on the warm side of the thermacline. Go figure, I have caught those Yellow Eyed Devils just about everywhere from brackish back bay to the deep off the Hudson Canyons Eastern Tip. Hopefully they will show up in numbers this Summer.

[Broad Bill]

OK but I am going to need for my feeble mind a better explanation on this?
We know that offshore Seabass wreck trips are producing bluefish and sometimes weakfish. This is COLD water fishing in the lower water column for seabass , fish come up cold, bait comes up cold and sinkers come up cold.
Are you saying weakfish and bluefish hit these baits in elevated water column temps that vary by a few degrees in Nov / Dec?
How are they searching for warmer water in deeper depths off shore in this timeframe?
Again I am naive to this but would appreciate more info,
Thanks

I'm not at all saying that weakfish and bluefish eat baits in the mid to higher water columns on offshore sea bass wreck trips as a majority of these fish, when encountered, are caught right on the bottom so the water temperatures must be of a level they not only can tolerate but are comfortable with. I'm saying in between seasons water temperatures inshore are affected much differently than bottom temperatures offshore.

The attached article is a good read, one of many, on the impacts winds and seasonal changes have on the ocean bottom water temperatures along our portion of the coast. Note the impacts fall currents, wind and storms have on upwelling and bottom temperatures offshore.

https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/advance-article/doi/10.1093/icesjms/fsad190/7462579

Why do blackfish move further east as water temperatures inshore drop? Why do porgies and sea bass move further east, and to a degree south, into deeper waters when water temperatures get colder inshore? For the same reason, why do fluke move east 40 to 70 miles offshore when water temperatures start cooling down in the fall and stage offshore throughout the entire winter in deeper water? Is it because the water temperature is too cold? I doubt it otherwise their migration patterns would probably change. My post was questioning whether or not the same thing is happening to bluefish and weakfish with the larger specimens of these stocks migrating further offshore in the fall which, based on articles I've read, could be due to lower bottom temperatures offshore than inshore waters which get colder faster at that time of year.

Maybe I'm wrong and it's something else but many fish which inhabit our inshore waters in the spring and summer actually migrate further offshore in the winter months to deeper waters. My post was questioning if the same is happening with bluefish and weakfish as evidenced by catches we routinely see in the fall and other summer species we don't typically associate with offshore waters which apparently have no problem acclimating to deeper water climates that time of year.

Drop a sinker in December at the Shark River Reef and I'm sure it will come up ice cold as well. Maybe the deep water temperatures in the fall and winter because of upwelling and the thermocline breaking down due to currents from Nantucket Shoals and wind and weather conditions as the article points out causes offshore temperatures to actually be warmer than inshore causing some of our traditional stocks to take a more easterly track during their fall migrations. That's all I was throwing on the table. Hope that provides a better explanation of my post. Whether it's true or not who knows, just a question based on articles I've read I was throwing out.

[Broad Bill]

A few more Florida gators caught by friends of a friend. Apparently there's a fairly decent size concentration of them in Florida waters this year, hopefully someday they make a comeback in local waters and we learn our lesson from past mistakes. Many people, I'd dare say got into fishing because of night bluefish trips years ago when it was lights out fishing. Maybe the giant bluefins off North Carolina pushed them further south this year!

[Captain Rich]

This thread developed legs !

[dales529]

Ol Pedro / BB
Thanks for your responses. No arguments here I just have always seen bluefish as opportunists so if there was / is food they would be there regardless of water temp inshore freezing or warm and /or offshore in many different temps.
Caught them 1 mile off the beach in Dec and they sure ruined many a shark drift in June / July. ( the only plus there was when they left scared mr mako would take a bait).

Just never saw them as a water temp seeking fish.

There are some interesting articles around about bait fish / Bunker, sardines, herring, anchovies and smaller fish seeking different habitats that may have more to do with everything.

[Broad Bill]

Who knows what moves fish other than many factors. The big bluefish, other than a few quick appearances, seem to have left our local waters some time ago but they're somewhere. What's driving their migration routes, who knows. What I do know is their range is from Florida to Maine if not Novia Scotia and anywhere from bays to 80 miles or more offshore and they appear to be able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures. Pretty impressive fish when thought off from that point of view. The one commonality is if there's no bait in an area, you won't find bluefish. Otherwise they appear to be a pretty versatile fish which doesn't get the respect they deserve.

[Captain Rich]

These puppies keep getting bigger, today they had Spanish Mackerel mixed in ! Very Tasty !!

[Broad Bill]

These puppies keep getting bigger, today they had Spanish Mackerel mixed in ! Very Tasty !!

Looks like a picture of summer fishing in New Jersey years ago. Honestly I think climate change has driven fish so far north they're now showing back up in southern waters:).

[cletus109]

those big choppers, man that brings back some memories of years past. they were like a 24hr fish, many boats fished in the day and night for them. in jersey, they were like a the fish for a lot of pb to make money off of back in the day.......i remember when i was a young mate back in the day, i had the job of dropping them into the grinder then throwing the chum as hard as a could into the drink....the skipper used to hollar at me if i didin't sling it hard enough to break it up. certainly they way i smelled i never got lucky in a bar having some drinks after a long night at rail...........fond fond memories of blues, and cutting the cheeks out after everyone left..........

[Captain Rich]

The last charter, the guys were from Minnesota and had never eaten Bluefish. I had the marina restaurant cook up the bluefish blackened and the Spanish Mackerel breaded and fried. I think the guys preferred the Bluefish ! I gave a big bag of fillets to the restaurant for the staff and they all scarfed it down. Imagine a NJ restaurant serving Bluefish ???

[Ol Pedro]

The last charter, the guys were from Minnesota and had never eaten Bluefish. I had the marina restaurant cook up the bluefish blackened and the Spanish Mackerel breaded and fried. I think the guys preferred the Bluefish ! I gave a big bag of fillets to the restaurant for the staff and they all scarfed it down. Imagine a NJ restaurant serving Bluefish ???

Town and Country had it on it's menu a while back.

[dales529]

The last charter, the guys were from Minnesota and had never eaten Bluefish. I had the marina restaurant cook up the bluefish blackened and the Spanish Mackerel breaded and fried. I think the guys preferred the Bluefish ! I gave a big bag of fillets to the restaurant for the staff and they all scarfed it down. Imagine a NJ restaurant serving Bluefish ???

Still a menu staple at NJ Diners under seafood and advertised as Bluefish. Dont see it ordered too often except maybe at the early bird times ;)

[Pennsy Guy]

I can't imagine bluefish on a menu unless they're cocktails, but what does a patron from a land-locked state know about SW fish.....Plus, that says something about the availability of varied seafood or cost...Caught cocktails in the back bay of Key West several years ago...I was shocked to see and catch blues down there---disappointed, too...