New Season Opens Sept. 27th

[Billfish715]

Are you wondering what you can fish for once the fluke season closes? If you like inshore bottom fishing, your choices are very limited unless you break out your pirate flags. If your outboard can't make it out to the tuna grounds? What do you do? What do the party boats do? Here's an idea. Fish for skates. There are tons of them and they put up a good fight on light tackle.

https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...skate%20fillet


http://www.ehow.com/how_8293391_cook-skate-fish.html

[Blackfish Doug]

There's plenty still to fish for porgies, blackfish even though it's 1 fish a nice 5lb fish is a nice diner for 2. There are trigger fish around offshore ling & Cod & winter founder. I'm not sure if there are any croakers around plus weakfish so it's not so gloomy.

[Billfish715]

There will be a few PB's which will target porgies and triggers but the appeal to fish for them is limited. Consequently, they won't generate too many patrons who won't generate too many $$$'s to the captains and mates. No half day boats will target ling or cod, so that limits the choice of boats for those who want to fish for them. Weakfish? Not! Bluefish? There are snapper-sized fish along the beach, but the bigger ones are farther out. Bonito? False Albacore? Not along the beaches and it's the middle of September.

The average weekend boat-owner fishermen are getting ready to pull their boats out for the season. Do you blame them? The majority of private captains don't know how to anchor on a reef, or want to go to the Mud Hole for larger fish. This all puts a crimp in the $$$'s they would generate to the industry.

If you want to fish, you'll go......no matter what. But, the closed seasons for fluke and sea bass ( both great table fare ) will keep more fishermen home than on the water. The absence of inshore bluefish doesn't help either. Cod? The cat is out of the bag on where to fish for them ( See a post about a recent cod trip on this board.) How many boats will be on that limited piece soon?

I really feel for the party boat industry but even more so for the small boat captains who are effectively tied to the dock until or if the stripers return.

Fish for, catch and learn to eat skates and dogfish before they are regulated too.
Our sport and those whose lives depend on it are really suffering and no one will help.

[Blackfish Doug]

The problem here in NJ is that other neighboring states has open seasons earlier. I fish out of state during Oct & early Nov because of this & a lot of the hard core fisherman who fish every week do the same as me. It's big reason why the jersey boats suffer but when our blackfish season opens we get the NY patrons. Don't underestimate the Blackfisherman a lot of money is made on lost tackle broken rods, reels, bait those white leggers are not cheap. A lot of the boats carry larger crowds but most are top notch fisherman. It su*ks about the Sea Bass but when it opens it will be great.