Blackfish.. bad luck or bad numbers?

[bulletbob]

mvp, thanks for the reply.. I am basing my post on the one or 2 trips a year I have done in the past 10 or so years, not just yesterday.. you show days in the past month where you had 19 keepers.. I have been on trips where there weren't that many on the entire boat.. You also described a 4 keeper day as a very tough bite.. From my experience in the past 10 years, 4 keepers would be banner day.. That 4 keeper total was the best total I have witnessed by za single fare on a head boat in years.. Caught by a guy alongside me in the bow last dec. He had 4 I had 3, and we split the pool, and for me based on the previous decade or so, it was a banner day.. I think besides those 7 keepers only 3 others were caught on the entire boat with maybe 15 guys aboard.. Most caught none, and never had a single bite. Yesterday at least most fares had a fish or 2... Based on your totals, I am certainly just going on the wrong days.. Its been a VERY long time since I have seen blackfishing as you describe.. I hope thats what I get into next trip!... bob

[MVP]

Sorry for shitty pictures by I am doing it from my phone as my computer died on me so this is best I can do. Once I get new computer I will be posting more with better full size picture

[broken bobber]

HAD an awesome day yesterday boxed up limit in 45 min.... had to have whites or forget it...... boat 40 yds from werent doing a thing

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by broken bobber

HAD an awesome day yesterday boxed up limit in 45 min.... had to have whites or forget it...... boat 40 yds from werent doing a thing

thanks so much for that reply BB.. I feel so much better now..

[rumster]

As Broken Bobber mentioned white leggers have been the key as of late, which is surprising because usually they prefer them more when the water temp cools down more than what it presently is. Last 2 times out the boats I have been on limited out. A week and a half ago we reached a 3 man limit in 40 minutes and what would have been 60 keeper tog over the day. The full moon tides can have an effect on the bite at times.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by rumster

As Broken Bobber mentioned white leggers have been the key as of late, which is surprising because usually they prefer them more when the water temp cools down more than what it presently is. Last 2 times out the boats I have been on limited out. A week and a half ago we reached a 3 man limit in 40 minutes and what would have been 60 keeper tog over the day. The full moon tides can have an effect on the bite at times.

The white leggers never drew a hit yesterday.. There were big sacks of them on the boat.. The fish wouldn't touch them. They were ignored by the tog that were caught.

I get the fact that some days the fish want white leggers... This "White leggers rule" thing is pretty recent... Even in the 90's, they were never seen, used or needed.. It was green crabs only on all the party boats, mud crabs we dug up near the bay,hermits if you could find them, and if you were industrious, calicos, and sand bugs were deadly near the jetties where tog were used to seeing them. White leggers??.. Never heard of them until maybe 7-8 years ago...bob

[Dino]

i dont really blackfish but i think if you want to have limits and 10+ fish and hero shots and great reports etc etc, it takes more than just hopping on the local party boat these days

Bullet,

Lot of good replies to your post. Fishing pressure in the NY / NJ area is insane. We fished Tuesday and Wednesday this week, two guys Tuesday and five guys Wednesday and limited both days. As others have said, whites were the hot ticket although greens caught as well. We were fishing an area where Tuesday we were the only boat and Wednesday there were maybe throughout the morning maybe 6 or 7 boats. One other boat was catching, other boats not so much. All fish were quality 3 - 6 lb fish. Could see Sandy Hook reef from a distance and it looked like the Hudson Canyon at the height of the tuna season. Insane how many boats were anchored up both party, charter and private. Black fishing is one fishery as you know if you've been doing it for as long as you say where 5 feet can mean the difference between a mad dog bite and not getting a hit. I think the best advise you received is to consider an open boat or 6 pack charter if your fishing weekends. A railed party boat fishing a small piece with limited takers won't provide you your best odds at a good catch. Nothing against party boats or party boat captains as we have some of the best in this area but the nature of the fishery is an 80 - 100 foot boat won't be able to position everyone on board over a small piece of structure and a limited amount of fish is better divided among 6 anglers than 60. As far as your comment concerning cost, I'd rather have one successful trip than two disappointing ones. There are a lot of fish around but places are being hit hard. You need to move around and find a spot which wasn't hit hard recently. There are hundreds of spots to fish, don't only fish the ones which are popular and have 100 boats sitting on them during the weekend. Pics from our trip Wednesday....limited for 5 guys in about two hours BUT we fished maybe five drops Tuesday before finding the one which had good quantity and quality amounts of fish on it with little competition from other boats.

[TomKaye]

BullettBob,.. to quote you from above:

"I get the fact that some days the fish want white leggers... This "White leggers rule" thing is pretty recent... Even in the 90's, they were never seen, used or needed.. It was green crabs only on all the party boats, mud crabs we dug up near the bay,hermits if you could find them, and if you were industrious, calicos, and sand bugs were deadly near the jetties where tog were used to seeing them. White leggers??.. Never heard of them until maybe 7-8 years ago...bob "

I'm like you--My first blackfish adventure was in the 70's off a Sea Bright jetty
with sand bugs we dug ourselves. Over the ensuing years I've fished maybe
once a year specifically targeting tog, and have used every bait you mentioned.
Only in the last 3 years ( I'm boatless since Sandy ) as I'm retired, have I tried
white leggers and targeted blacks more often. I have been fishing more often on six-pack boats, and I would say 40% of my trips have sucked, 40% were fair, and 20% were outstanding. Not necessarily for me, but the boat as a whole. I learn something every trip. I am proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Anyway--- I'm going again Sunday the 29th,and I will get six DD tog, all of which I will release.
Hang in there Bob. Optimism never hurts.
Tight lines,
Tom K.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by TomKaye

BullettBob,.. to quote you from above:

"I get the fact that some days the fish want white leggers... This "White leggers rule" thing is pretty recent... Even in the 90's, they were never seen, used or needed.. It was green crabs only on all the party boats, mud crabs we dug up near the bay,hermits if you could find them, and if you were industrious, calicos, and sand bugs were deadly near the jetties where tog were used to seeing them. White leggers??.. Never heard of them until maybe 7-8 years ago...bob "

I'm like you--My first blackfish adventure was in the 70's off a Sea Bright jetty
with sand bugs we dug ourselves. Over the ensuing years I've fished maybe
once a year specifically targeting tog, and have used every bait you mentioned.
Only in the last 3 years ( I'm boatless since Sandy ) as I'm retired, have I tried
white leggers and targeted blacks more often. I have been fishing more often on six-pack boats, and I would say 40% of my trips have sucked, 40% were fair, and 20% were outstanding. Not necessarily for me, but the boat as a whole. I learn something every trip. I am proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Anyway--- I'm going again Sunday the 29th,and I will get six DD tog, all of which I will release.
Hang in there Bob. Optimism never hurts.
Tight lines,
Tom K.

Tom... Very well thought out reply that struck a chord in me..

It makes me feel better knowing that even on your trips out on a 6 pack boat, you had 40% stinkers .. I suppose that over the past decade or so, I could have just gone out on trips on days when the fishing was just bad for everyone.. As I stated in the post, the entire boat was dead on most of the trips I have been lamenting, not just me.. Lack of skill on my part could certainly play a part, but when no one else is catching or even getting bit, the problem is in either the lack of fish, conditions or bait.. Things out of the anglers control... I will hit the right boat on the right day for tog before long,,, bob