Cape May Mixed Bag Bottom Fishing Action Aboard the "Down Deep" 5-30-13

[Gr8ful Fish]

I got a late invite to join a few folks aboard the "Down Deep" out of Cape May, NJ. It was an opportunity I had to take as I have been wanting to get down to check out both this charter business and the boat. Truthfully, I have always wanted to fish aboard a 42 Duffy as this particular boat holds almost legendary status in my mind and the minds of countless other New England anglers. When I think of New England cod fishing, or giant bluefin fishing, the 42 Duffy & the various Beal boats are the ones that instantly come to my mind as the iconic New England fishing boats.

I drove down with "Whaler Bob" & we picked-up his buddy, Mark, down in the Tuckerton area on our way down. Once at the dock, we met up with the rest of our crew which included another Bob, Larry, Mario, and Lenny along with Capt. Cliff and Mate Chris. We quickly went through introductions and a brief safety meeting before we stowed and gear and headed out.

I was immediately struck by the tremendous amount of cockpit fishing space that the boat offers. We were able to spread out around the back of the boat with plenty of room between us which made for great fishing as there were very few tangles. Additionally, there was plenty of space in the cabin to stow all our bags and gear. This boat is definitely set up nicely for fishing with its dual anchors and anchor pulling system; I can't wait to join them again this Fall/Winter for blackfish as I am sure the heated cabin will also be blessing on those cold raw bitter days.

When we exited the marina for our exit from Cape May inlet, we were treated to a beautiful sunrise. The big red orb jumped above the horizon into clear skies and we knew we were in for a nice day from a standpoint of weather. We even saw some porpoises playing around at the entrance/exit of the inlet.

The ride out was fast, smooth and stable without the roll and yaw that I have experienced on some other types of "downeast style" boats. We had some sloppy and confused seas, so I got to see the boat's performance in less-than-ideal conditions.

Capt. Cliff took us to at least 4 or 5 different spots throughout the day, and we found life on all of them. We were able to box-up a few nice knuckleheads from each piece while working through endless numbers of short sea bass, bergalls, ocean pout, and an assortment of other mixed bottom fish species.

I was surprised by the large number of blackfish that we caught on our clam baits that had to be released, including a few real nice-sized ones. In fact, Bob had one on that managed to get back into the wreck that was likely a double-digit fish based simply on how easily it bent his rod and stripped his drag to get back to the bottom. As I said, I can't wait to get back down there to fish with these guys for tog as it was apparent they have a lot of them down that way.

At the end of the day, we probably finished with 70 or more nice sea bass and about a dozen big ling on ice. Truthfully, I didn't count the fish as I was preoccupied with just enjoying the day. Most of our sea bass keepers were large ones with a few nice jumbos thrown in for good measure. I know I didn't have a great day as I spent too much time hooking, venting and releasing shorts all day. However, I know that Bob, Mark, and Larry were able to box up their limits along with a handful of ling as well. I probably kept 9 or 10 seas bass myself, but I know I released at least 10 times that many shorts.

It was fun time with a great group of guys. I want to thank Mario for the invitation; and I can now check the 42 Duffy off my bucket list of boats that I want to fish aboard. For those interested in booking a charter with a top notch crew and boat, I would highly recommend giving the folks from "Down Deep Sport Fishing" a call.

- Gr8ful

I Didn't Take Too Many Pics, But Here is our Morning Show:


... & Here's Lenny Showing Off The First Keeper of The Day: