Blackfish.. bad luck or bad numbers?

[Joey Dah Fish]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Thanks for this.. It somehow encourages me.. I can see a lot of my bitch fest is really just about being on the right boat at the right time.. I too have had poor luck under the conditions you describe... I will always fish for tog because I enjoy it.. I just think I need to pick my trips more carefully.. The SHR gets absolutely hammered no doubt.. Thats why I stated I may just take the little longer drive down to belmar... Some good boats there.. I typically fish out of S boats from Belmar to PP, but AH is closer and saves me close to an hour each trip total.. Maybe 45-50 minutes some days, but it is still substantial.. Actually I had a better trip than you did LOL.. I got 3 legit hits on my trip and boated all 3 so I guess I was on fire!
Might try again this week,,, we'll see.. No more weekends and no more "holiday eves".. I will go when most other guys can't.. Thats worked better for me... bob

Good for you Bob!!!! I know it's tough being so far away. Just a tad bit of advice. Try to tract the winds if you can put yourself in the middle of a westerly wind of a few days I think that will also help. But like I always say. Fish when you can!!!! Good luck and catchem up!!!!! Bring white legger out on the boat with you. We are all rooting for you!!!!

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Joey Dah Fish

Good for you Bob!!!! I know it's tough being so far away. Just a tad bit of advice. Try to tract the winds if you can put yourself in the middle of a westerly wind of a few days I think that will also help. But like I always say. Fish when you can!!!! Good luck and catchem up!!!!! Bring white legger out on the boat with you. We are all rooting for you!!!!

JDF..After June of 2016 I am retired, or close to it, maybe work a day or two a week. That will allow me to pick times and places so much better.. I have a brother in Lyndhurst that I can stay at, and being able to fish when I want to instead of when I can will make a big difference.. I have an 18 foot Starcraft boat w a 100 hp, and 6 hp kicker, nice Garmin color FF etc. When I see 2 or 3 days of west winds and 2-3 ft seas, I probably won't need to hit a head boat.. I used to find tog on my own off of Deal/Elberon. Lots of them.
Right now I can only fish in NJ when I can juggle work, time, distance, and often when I do get out its a dead slow day on the boat I sail on.. Not always, but too often. I just can't "follow up" a bad day with a good one. "Tomorrows another day" doesn't apply in my case, "Tomorrow" might be 4 months down the road...

Well stick with it.. I have a lot of FW fishing up here, but its just not what I like. Always liked SW better, but the distance has really proven a major issue.

We'll go when we can for now, hopeful that next year allows me the time to start taking my own boat out at least a few times a year. ... bob

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Rightaway III

Bob, we would have made a spot for you had I known you were in town. Bill Sasse and his brother-in-law fished with us today....It would have been a hoot if we timed it right and the three of us were in the same place at the same time. We've been blessed with luck in addition to skill and have been putting solid numbers in the box. I had a great day with green crabs today. It basically boils down to the old adage.....you want to catch more fish? Fish more often. I feel bad for you that you can't do that in your current situation, but who knows what the future might bring. Hang in there Bro, you'll always have a spot on my boat. Ed

Eddie ,can't wait to check your operation out... The members here at NJF have no idea we were rock stars together for several years during the heyday of the NJ club circuit back in the late 70's-early 80's... I hope to be fishing with you before long laughing and talking about our mis spent youth and the wild depravity of our rock star days in NJ.. Man, that was a LONG time ago, and we are both old men now..... I can still scare the young kids down at Guitar Center though.. They put down their guitars and watch the balding old man thats making them look bad,,, lol... I really look forward to fishing on the Rightaway III... bob

[rumster]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

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

Caught 66 keepers to 11lbs. in 3 hours between 3 guys on Friday. Only keeping our allowed limit. All the of the fish were caught on white leggers in 35 feet of water. As for not hearing about them before 7-8 years ago, I am really not sure how long you have been fishing, but they have been a go to bait later in the season for quite a while. Private boats or smaller charters make a big difference and it`s not because some of the larger boats don`t work their asses off. Unfortunately as previously posted it`s a numbers game and the smaller boats are able to hit smaller pieces that do not receive as much pressure.

Bob, If ya want to do it this year, don't wait too long.....Capt Tommy and myself usually call it a season shortly after our first episode of 'Ice Capades on Deck'. Talk to you soon, Capt Ed
P.S. I'm still rockin' when Happy Hour gigs pop up. Glad to hear that you're still making sweet noise too!

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by rumster

Caught 66 keepers to 11lbs. in 3 hours between 3 guys on Friday. Only keeping our allowed limit. All the of the fish were caught on white leggers in 35 feet of water. As for not hearing about them before 7-8 years ago, I am really not sure how long you have been fishing, but they have been a go to bait later in the season for quite a while. Private boats or smaller charters make a big difference and it`s not because some of the larger boats don`t work their asses off. Unfortunately as previously posted it`s a numbers game and the smaller boats are able to hit smaller pieces that do not receive as much pressure.

I have been fishing for blackfish well over 40 years, actually closer to 45 years now,,, They were never used right up until 1991 when I moved out of NJ... Never saw one white crab on any blackfish boat anywhere... Green crabs were it on head boats with some tog caught on clams or conch which were sometimes supplied... Also Nov and Dec was ling/whiting/cod time in those years. Blackfish were never targeted all winter.. No one wanted them.
"Quite a while" can mean 2 years or 20... I stand by the fact that they were never used years ago, and the tog didn't seem to mind, but then again, most guys weren't fishing for tog in Dec years ago when the whiting and ling were 200 yards off the beach a quarter mile from the inlet.... bob

[rumster]

Bob, Really splitting hairs here. Never used, is a strong statement Lets say 15 years, it really doesn't matter. Just looking to help with what has been working very well for myself and the guys that I fish with. I am fortunate enough to be out there a couple days a week when the weather cooperates. Tight lines.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by rumster

Bob, Really splitting hairs here. Never used, is a strong statement Lets say 15 years, it really doesn't matter. Just looking to help with what has been working very well for myself and the guys that I fish with. I am fortunate enough to be out there a couple days a week when the weather cooperates. Tight lines.

Fair enough.. Lets just say that from my recollection, which sadly becomes less focused each year, I never saw anything but greens supplied, other than conch or a few clams.. I have used calicos ,sand bugs,asians, etc, but they were caught by me used on my own boat, not on head boats.

Blackfish "season" years ago was usually done by Dec, and actually started in sept.. We weren/t really aware of late season " hot baits".. At least I wasn't. Times have changed a lot... Tog weren't really targeted much during the winter months as they are today.. bob

[rumster]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Fair enough.. Lets just say that from my recollection, which sadly becomes less focused each year, I never saw anything but greens supplied, other than conch or a few clams.. I have used calicos ,sand bugs,asians, etc, but they were caught by me used on my own boat, not on head boats.

Blackfish "season" years ago was usually done by Dec, and actually started in sept.. We weren/t really aware of late season " hot baits".. At least I wasn't. Times have changed a lot... Tog weren't really targeted much during the winter months as they are today.. bob

LoL. Becoming less focused as we get older is unfortunately a part of the aging process, which at times is not graceful. Good Luck and catch em up!

[Detour66]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Thanks for this.. It somehow encourages me.. I can see a lot of my bitch fest is really just about being on the right boat at the right time.. I too have had poor luck under the conditions you describe... I will always fish for tog because I enjoy it.. I just think I need to pick my trips more carefully.. The SHR gets absolutely hammered no doubt.. Thats why I stated I may just take the little longer drive down to belmar... Some good boats there.. I typically fish out of S boats from Belmar to PP, but AH is closer and saves me close to an hour each trip total.. Maybe 45-50 minutes some days, but it is still substantial.. Actually I had a better trip than you did LOL.. I got 3 legit hits on my trip and boated all 3 so I guess I was on fire!
Might try again this week,,, we'll see.. No more weekends and no more "holiday eves".. I will go when most other guys can't.. Thats worked better for me... bob

Glad to hear my words encouraged you Bob. I have had many GREAT fishing trips over the last few years but now and then I go just for the sake of going knowing it will not be a great day of fishing because of many reasons but even now and then I catch on them "not so great days". It's fishing.... enjoy the sport...the friendships .... the fresh air, sun and ocean and even a few great days when we hammer them! Tight Lines !!