Your Best Day Of Fishing

[Gerry Zagorski]

We’ve all had that one day of fishing we’ll never forget. What was yours? I’ll start it off…

Was a fall mid day in early October and we were drifting eels for Stripers on Romer Shoal picking a fish here and there. It was a little on the slow side and we saw a huge flock of birds working some bait close by. First thought was bluefish so we were in no hurry but then boredom set in so we switched over to AVAs and headed over to the birds to take a few casts at the Bluefish.

Turns out it was all Stripers and the bite got better and better as the afternoon wore on and there was not another boat in sight. These schoolie Stripers were so hungry and thick if you didn’t catch a fish on every cast you were wondering what you did wrong.

After an hour of non stop fishing I called my buddy Russ and told him YOU NEED TO GET TO THE DOCK so we can pick you up, the fishing is insane! Went back to the dock to pick him up, got back to the scene of the crime and they were still there and as hungry as we left them.

I stopped counting at 40 or so Stripers and bite continued through the afternoon until the sun went down…We each must have had over 80 fish each and have never seen or experienced a day of fishing like that since.

[John D.]

Sea Devil with Capt Pennington approx 17 yrs ago for tuna. Soon as the lines came tight a 50# wahoo was caught and landed on the chunk. For the next 6 hrs non stop tuna on bait and jigs for all. Yft ran 50-70# class. Beautifully cobalt blue water. People passed out from fatigue. We had game for who could cast a jig and reel it in without getting bit. Capt bob, who had fished for a loooong time, said it was one of the top 5 tuna bites he had ever seen. Tuna were free jumping constantly during the savage bite.

[Gumada]

1990’s surf blitz started in Belmar followed the blitz almost to Manasquan inlet. Bluefish, big choppers with stripers following the carnage right behind them. Every cast a fish on Hopkins with a big single hook. People were coming to the beach to watch. Only fish I kept I gave to bystanders if they wanted them....it lasted a good 4 hours, exhausted I got a cab back to Belmar to my truck....

[NJ219bands]

My friend Roger and I caught more than 300 lbs of jumbo fluke including a 12.5 lber on the Manasquan Inlet north jetty in the early seventies in early September one day before they moved offshore with the nor’easter the next day.

[Needlefish]

June 6, 2011 – Three friends and I fished with Capt Allen aboard the Reel Class (afternoon trip). The bass were on the bunker from Mantoloking to Spring Lake. Caught about 30 bass on live/dead bunker, and large swimming plugs and all were 25-35#. At times the bass were knocking bunking clear out of the water.

[spc06]

Love this topic! Love the responses!

I've had some great haddock and striper trips, but my fav day of fishing was when I was 10. My 3 brothers and my Dad and the family dog, got into a 3 man aluminum row boat, and hit a small pond. We caught perch on a lure, and we had never used lures before. We each caught a dozen perch or so, and the waterline came right up to the lip of the boat. We all magically survived, and laugh about that day 40 years later.

[dales529]

Oct 18 2012 on the infamous Jenny Lee with Capt Dave Bender, your handsome brother Joey Da Fish and others. Left at 630 am. 2nd Captain Kevin (RIP) says I am going up top, see you all back on the deck in 88 miles! Great boat and crew on the grounds by 11am

Started off trolling, landed some yellowfins, longfins and mahi. Right before sunset 2 rods go down and we are in a different battle on both. Capt Kevin says you know what we got here? Yup wolfpack Bigeyes. After we passed the rods around for what seemed like forever 2 beauties are on the deck at 175lbs and 145 lbs NICE. Actually got me and Joey on the cover of fisherman magazine.

Night fell and chunked some more yellowfins, then a lull. Around 230am with whales blowing out smelly stuff right next to the boat 2 rods go down and the swordys are on! Double header twins around a buck and a half land on the deck after running around the bow, anchor line etc. Capts Dave and Kevin did a great job making sure all were safe, even us as they ran around the boat to get the fight back to the cockpit.

As a beautiful sunrise came we went back on the troll and picked at more tuna in an aquarium of porpoise and whales. Was my first trip of many more to come on the Jenny Lee so now 30 hours in and a great box of fish on ice slurry I ask Capt Dave "Is there an end to this trip"? His response: 'Its Fing October and 73 degrees out with flat seas, you got somewhere better you would rather be"?
Simple answer was NO Capt , carry on!

[Hookmanski]

Think mine has to be the day Luke and I went surf fishing together. I got there 5 minutes before him and started cracking shad immediately. 10 minutes after Luke showed up, I saw a cloud of bait and cast my deadly dick over to it, thought I got snagged on something on the bottom until the drag started ripping. After a 20 minute fight, landed my PB striper in the ballpark of 40-44 inches with a bellowing "WOOOOOOOOOOO!"



Luke also got his first surf striper ever that night, a night I'll definitely never forget!

[Pennsy Guy]

Mine is totally different...first tuna trip ever--on the old Gambler. Didn't really have a clue about tuna fishing; my buddy told me expect a bigger fight than your 'gator blues. It was raining, windy...10-15 mph... and an honest 8' swell. Got hooked up fishing off the stern with rental gear. Reeling in, saw it looking up on the face of a swell, then down in the trough. Boated, t'was a football 29-30" but my first and legal. Buffett fanatics are Parrot heads, guess I'm a Tuna head...and I love it.

[Ol Pedro]

Mine was with the old Gambler Rat Pack drifting into the deep on the east wall of the Hudson. Todd Burger and I started by catching twin Bluefish. I caught a Bluefin around 80lbs. We had a steady pick throughout the dark and into the morning. Chuck, John, Dennis, and Todd had multiple fish. I caught five Yellowfin and handed off another four or five. I topped the day off with a 15lb Skipjack! Watching Todd winch up those tuna was amazing.