Bits and Pieces 4/30/2014

Hi Folks,

Its been a kind of dismal week for fishing with rain and cooler temps putting a slow down on some of my fishing days. I did fish the Ramapo last Tuesday and caught two Rainbow Trout in the river and 5 fair sized Pickerel in the pond. Since then I have not been back and this weeks rain will certainly keep the people away... Last I checked the Ramapo is flowing at over 1100 CFS and is up over the banks so that should pretty well keep folks away for a bit.

I fished Connecticut's Shetucket River on Saturday and had three nice trout investigate my lures but no takers. I found a feed stream and caught a native Brown Trout about 7 inches long. Again it was rainy and cool all day.

On Sunday I fished up at Bigelow Hollow State Park with my Tracy and caught 1 Brown Trout and an 8 inch bass out of the pond their. I must say that is one of the most beautiful natural areas in Connecticut and a great place to kayak and picnic.

This Friday I hope to drop a line down in South Jersey before I start making house calls to my clients. I hope to have more to report then... Stay tuned!

Tommy

Springtime at Swartswood Lake 4/18/2014

Hello Again,

Large Mouth Bass

Today I craved a change of pace from standing in the trout streams so I headed out to Sussex County to Swartswood Lake State Park. Conditions were overcast and chilly with a fairly steady breeze throughout the day. I never fished here before so this trip was sort of a recon mission to learn the area and get a feel for just how I am going to approach this with my Kayak next time I am here.

 

I started out fishing near the boat rental shack in the park and worked my way around to the east side Launching Ramp. My first round of casts came up empty but as I approached the ramp things began to change. I was using a 2 inch West River (Sutton) spoon and watched as something huge followed my lure in and turned off at the last minute. I few casts later over the same spot and with a loud exploding splash I was into the first fish of the day. After quite an interesting fight of several strong and impressive runs I managed to land the beast... 24 inches of eastern chain pickerel! Unfortunately upon getting the hook removed from it the fish surprised me by launching itself back into the water just as I was composing a photo. Oh well, you're just going to have to take my word on that one. It was the biggest, fattest pickerel I ever seen or caught and must of weighed around 4-5 pounds I estimate.


Several casts later I switched lures to a 4 inch silver Yozuri swimmer and in two casts I was into the second fish of the day. After a pretty good underwater battle, I landed the 2 lb. Largemouth Bass pictured above.



Black Bear Swimming across Swartswood Lake

I decided after the bass to take a lunch break and drove around the western shore of the lake where I found the canoe & kayak boat launching area. Before I went to by my sandwich I decided to take a couple of casts from the dock and while standing their I heard a very large splash across other side of the cove. To my surprise here comes a black bear swimming across the lake! I snapped this shot with my phone to the best of my ability. After that I thought I best go eat that sandwich now!
 

Small Mouth Bass

After lunch, I headed back to the eastern shore boat launch area and started casting the West River spoon again. After a few casts I got one helluva bite and came up with this nice Smallmouth Bass pictured at right.

 

Not a bad day fishing from the shore of this lake! I can't wait now to get my kayak up there so I can try for some of those nice walleyes this place is supposed to harbor.

 

Stay tuned!

 

Tommy

 

 

 

 

 

Monday Afternoon on the Ramapo

Hey Folks,

Once again after work I headed up to Mahwah and stopped at my favorite trout stream.... Ok well its not my favorite, but at least its somewhat close to home. Conditions today were sunny, breezy and warm with no jacket required! I figured I would get out today before the monsoon hits tomorrow LOL!

Needless to say, sometimes its not the act of catching that makes trout fishing so enjoyable, its simply the act of standing in a mountain stream with nothing but the water rushing by and the birds singing. For me this is living! Anyhow, that being said I still caught a couple of trout today although I had to really work for them. It seems that the Ramapo is getting hit extra hard with anglers who normally fish other waters that are not being stocked this year due to the plague at the hatchery. You have to be persistent and willing to walk the river to find what fish remain.

Today I tried roostertails and couldn't get a bite on them so I switched to worms and of course that did the trick. I find that once I happen upon an actively feeding fish, if I don't catch it after the first couple of hits, I walk away for about ten minutes then try again. Usually that helps the fish regain interest in your bait. I did this twice today after few stolen baits and each time I returned to the spot, I caught the hungry speckled buggers!

I will try some kind of fishing on Friday again for sure, I don't now if it will be for trout, stripers or some other finny monster! Till then keep a tight line!

Tommy

First Fishing Trip 4/7/2014

Hi Folks,

Calico Bass

Let me start with WOW! and yet again WOW! Today after work I was hell bent to get on the Ramapo River to begin the 2014 trout season. I got boots wet by about 2:30pm and there were maybe a dozen or so people fishing. Weather conditions were overcast with a steady drizzle. My goal was simply to enjoy getting out for a couple of hours and simply relax.

I started out at the Ramapo Reservation Park and walked downstream of the bridge. I found an older gentleman that caught a couple of trout and figured well hey I got a shot today. After traveling down stream from him I began casting a 1/16th ounce white roostertail and no sooner I had my first trout of the year on. While reeling the fish near the bank the treble hook slipped from its mouth and by some stroke of luck snagged him in the tail. That's called landing a fish bass ackwards!

I fished that stretch of river and started working my way upstream of the bridge. With nothing else doing I decided to throw the roostertail in Scarlet Oak Pond for a while and what a great decision that was! The first two casts resulted in back to back largemouth bass around 10 inches long. Following that I hooked and landed a 19 inch Pickerel and then 2 jumbo Calico Bass (Black Crappies) each about a foot long. All that occurred in like 20 minutes time. The two Calico's almost came home for dinner but I was merciful and released all fish with little harm done.

Pickerel

Not to be defeated by the trout, I left the reservation and headed north on 202 to a spot just north of Halifax Road. I will have to keep the place un-named do to local considerations. Within the first two casts I had another Rainbow Trout and was getting close to calling it a day but I decided to press on for a little more. That was another great decision because after catching another average sized trout I hooked and landed this 18 inch beauty pictured below in the net.

Rainbow Trout

Saturday's opening day brought record crowds to the Ramapo River and it showed with many people just leaving their trash along the river bank. This has got to stop folks and we all have to take action when we see it happening. Take your trash out of the woods or deposit it in the proper receptacles.

Til next time Happy Fishing
Tommy

Welcome Back!

Hi Folks,

12 days 'til trout season 2014! I am so looking forward to getting a line wet for the first time this year. Looks like the season will be somewhat different thanks to some un-wanted microbes invading our hatchery. What a shame they had to euthanize over a 115,000 trout that should've been out there biting our baits.

At any rate, I will begin the season at my usual locations up at the Ramapo River. I also look forward to the Connecticut season opener and my first experience on the mighty Shetucket River up near my Tracy's place.

Also on my agenda will be spring striper fishing as soon as I hear some bites are starting to happen. The water temps have not been cooperative to get old line sides hungry just yet. We shall see!

I promise this year I will write more and keep you all posted on my fishing adventures! Until then lets hope the weather improves and that the streams stay at a decent level all the way 'til June.

Tommy

Fall Trout Fishing 2013 on the Ramapo!!!

Hi Folks,

Rainbow Trout #1 of the day

Yeah sorry I haven't been on here in a while I stopped fishing for trout rather early this spring in order to do some bird watching at the wildlife refuges between here and Connecticut. Anyhow I did get out on Sunday for some fall trout fishing up at the Ramapo. I fished the stretch at Glen Grey Road and spied several large trout that the state stocked on Friday.

 

The water was shallow and crystal clear so these fish were easily spooked. After wading for a while I realized that most of the fish were hugging the banks finding whatever cover they could to feel safe. As with every fall season fishing is somewhat tough but if you know what colors to use you can usually coax one or two of those beauties to bite!

 

So I like to use a small brown roostertail with gold blade on my spinning gear or a brown marabou muddler with gold tinsel on the fly rod. Today I had the spinning rod out and after an hour of casting I finally got one of those speckled beauties to bite!

 



Rainbow Trout #2 of the day!

After that I hiked upstream and saw several more fish and eventually convinced yet another nice rainbow to bite. Two fish  are about my expectations for fall fishing, you either get lucky and get one or two or you catch nothing. For me this a fine day of fishing!!!

Missed having my favorite fishing partner, Tracy along this fall! She's busy with school and working hard for her career goals. I am certain we will be fishing together again soon!

 

Scarlet Oak Pond Bass Fishing 5/8/2013

Hello Again!

Largemouth Bass at Ramapo Reservation

As if I don't fish enough! Today's rainy weather had me in a bass fishing mood and so be it I did indulge. I headed up to Mahwah to fish Scarlet Oak Pond on the Ramapo Reservation. I have always seen a lot of big bass in that pond but rarely do you see someone catch. I guess the serious bass anglers head out to where they can put a boat in as there are no boats allowed here.

 

Rain has a tendency to get largemouth bass real hungry and feeding on top. So instinctively I went down to Dick's sporting goods and got me some jitterbugs, a popper or two and an array of plastic worms. Needless to say...  as soon as I arrived at the park the rain stopped! Go figure!!!

 

Anyhow, after a futile attempt of fishing jitterbugs, I switched to plastic worms. In particular, I like to use a purple worm with a hot pink or blaze orange fire tail. I simply threaded it on to a weed-less hook and cast it out with no weight. After letting it settle to the bottom I would simply raise the rod up reel in about three feet and drop it back. I like to let the line just lay on the surface and watch it for movement.

 

After the first half hour of fishing my Tracy called.  I cant tell you how many times she calls and no sooner I get a bite! I think she infuses me with hillbilly karma and some how the fish know it! Nevertheless my line started moving and upon setting the hook, I landed the first of three bass. None of them were real monsters, all about a foot or so long, but they certainly were fun on my light spinning tackle.

 

After about two hours total of fishing I called it quits. No sooner then I get back on the road what happens? IT STARTS RAINING AGAIN! ....DANG! Oh well like they say that's life! All in all it still was a fun afternoon of fishing.

 

Keep'n it reel!

Tommy

Take a Kid Fishing? Well worth it!!! 5/7/2013

Hi Folks,

The future of fishing in New Jersey depends upon breaking in the anglers of tomorrow! What a better way to break in a new angler then to get him or her hooked up with a big fish! Tonight I took my friend Lynne's nine year old son Thomas down to the Saddle Brook Park to try and catch one of the many big carp that call the duck pond home.

 

Myself and Thomas with his carp

Now I grew up fishing in that park and have had many surprises on the end of my line. Everything from the biggest large mouth bass I ever caught to cat fish and even snapping turtles all have been dragged ashore on one trip or another. So if I can tell ya I know the place like the back of my hand well, I know it that well indeed!

 

So tonight I targeted carp knowing that a young boy fighting a big fish may nurture the interest. I stopped at the super market and picked up my favorite bait of choice for carp... corn! Yes just a small can of whole yellow corn kernels to be used as both bait and chum. Sure there are many that like to use white bread or dough mixes to catch carp however I found that the most consistent bait in the SB Park is by far corn.

 

So needless to say we arrived at the park and I began to throw out some corn for chum and baited up the hook. There were plenty of fish coming into the corn chum but at first none were interested in the corn on my hook. That being said it was hard to hold the attention of young Thomas, but one most demonstrate the power of persistence and continue to try until every last second of the day is exhausted. I did just that and on what was to be the second to last cast my line started move out with the surge of a big fish! I quickly rounded up the boy and put the rod in his hands and the fight was on!

 

Now carp have come to bare some fairly harsh words in the past from local anglers referring to them as trash fish. Modern day anglers have acknowledged that these fish put up one hell of a fight and carp fishing competitions have sprung up around many parts of the country. They are now even referred to as freshwater bonefish by some folks. Carp can grow huge up to 50 or 60 lbs. however most average anywhere from 5 to 10 lbs.

 

When Thomas took the rod his eyes got wide and I believe he was quite astonished by the strength and size of the fish on his line! The fish made several powerful runs and even took an enthusiastic jump. Thomas looked up at me and said "I don't know if I could reel this in!" I said "Sure you can" and I assisted him in keeping the rod up high so he wouldn't lose the fish. After about 7 minutes of fighting he finally dragged the beast ashore. It probable weighed about 4 to 5 lbs. but it was the biggest fish the boy had ever caught! The smile on his face was priceless and that's what makes it all worth it!

 

Hopefully this fishing trip will leave a lasting impression and give him the interest to continue fishing! That's what its all about... passing the torch! So I say to my readers...Take a kid fishing!

 

Keep'n it reel!

Tommy

 

Connecticut's Salmon River Trout 5/5/2013

Howdy Folks!



Rainbow Trout 

I would just like to start out by saying what a beautiful day it was today! The only thing missing was my Tracy who was stuck at home doing schoolwork. :( Anyhow, I couldn't resist the urge to cast a line and all I can say was I am glad I did just that!

 

Today I decided to head out to the Salmon River this morning and upon arriving I was surprised to see a rather light crowd. I'd say I may have seen about 12 people on the whole 1/4 mile stretch that I fished today. Well it certainly wasn't for any lack of fish because there were plenty to catch!



On the first hole I fished, one of the 12 people I saw decided that he was gonna just jump right on top of me and fish the same spot. I mean really he came from upstream and got in the water maybe 8 feet away from me and started casting literally on top of me. Then the jackass had the nerve to catch a fish and lay claim that his salmon eggs were the bait of choice! We'll I took care of that real quick! After moving about 5 yards away from him I caught two in a row on worms. Who had the better bait now?




Beyond mister non-courteous, everyone else I talked to were very nice and I even pointed out where some fish were laying to a couple of youngsters in the hope that they would catch.




Atlantic Salmon Parr 

All in all I caught 8 trout total with 5 being rainbows and 3 browns. Also in the mix today were plenty of 6 to 7 inch Atlantic Salmon Parr who just couldn't resist a fat juicy worm! All participating fish were released with sore jaws and a story to tell their friends!

 

The Salmon River was teaming with life today with all kinds of minnows, river chubs and insect life. I hope next time to see some surface activity in the hope that I can drag the fly rod out for some dry fly fun!

 

Oh well, I'm back in Jersey this week and I have at least one trip to the Ramapo planned and next weekend I will be back at the Jersey shore for some more action on Great Bay.

 

Keepin it Reel

Tommy

Blues Blues Blues!!! 5/3/2013

Hi Folks,

Bluefish caught near Mystic Beach

Yesterday I had to work down in Little Egg Harbor and somehow between computer servicing I managed to pull off an hour or so of fishing!

I heard the bluefish were in thick and I figured I would give it a go.

After a brief stop at the famed Scott's Bait -n- Tackle to pick up a frozen mackerel, I headed down to the end of Radio Road to Mystic Beach. 

It was the last hour of incoming tide with a stiff 20kt wind coming out of the east. Within a few minutes of my first cast I had the first bluefish on and landed it. I got bite after bite and landed three more and lost several others. All the fish were in the 2lb range which are perfect eating size! It was a great hour of fishing!

As with all good things it had to end as work beckoned once again. I packed my gear and headed back to Scotty's to go filet some fish.

It was a nice break from the trout streams however I will be back at it I'm sure next week!

Til then stay tuned!

Tuesday Afternoon Ramapa Trip 4/30/2013

Hello Blog Readers!

Haven't been out for a little bit as my world has been busy with work, parties and other activities! Yesterday I finally got out for a couple of hours and fished the Ramapo River on the Oakland side.

To be short and sweet, I managed to catch 4 rainbow trout and one small mouth bass in two hours of fishing. The weather was nice but the water was a bit dirty with lots of brown slimy algae floating about....YUCK!

After that I was tired and hungry so I went home. I hope to get down the shore soon to try some surf fishing I will keep ya posted.

Keepin it reel
Tommy P.

Opening Day on the Natchaug River Connecticut

Brown Trout from the Natchaug River, Eastern Ct.

To start I must say what a crowd! It seemed like everyone went fishing today here in Eastern Connecticut. It was nice to see entire families making a day of it in Nautchaug State Forest. There were barbeques going everywhere and kids with that wide-eyed look of anticipation running up and down the bank of the river. Even some of the women were out trying there luck on fishing. Overall a great day just to be out in the woods along a beautiful trout stream.

For me, I need space to roam the river. I left the State Park area and drove up 198 and came upon an area being lightly fished. That is pretty much were I stayed for the afternoon. After using a roostertail for the first 45 minutes I switched to bait and immediately had bites. I caught 4 trout total, one brookie, a rainbow and 2 browns. None of the other 5 people near me had so much as a bite. Everyone else was using worms as well.

The day was cool as well as  breezy and the Natchaug River was running cold and clear with increased flows from last nights rain. I almost broke out the fly rod today but I was lazy and I just wanted to catch fish.

All fish were returned to the river and are there for the next person to enjoy.

Might try again tomorrow so stay tuned!

Lake Waywayanda 4/16/2013

Hey Everyone,

First off, I would like to begin by saying that my prayers are with the people of Boston in lieu of the horrific and senseless act of violence that has killed and maimed innocent people. I will never quite understand why some people on this planet think that killing innocent civilians is going to lead to some kind of reward. May the victims find comfort and the culprits find hell!

Anyway that aside, I took a break from the Ramapo today and headed out to Lake Waywayanda this afternoon. It was cool and breezy with partly cloudy skies. As soon as I arrived I noticed fish rising occasionally along the shore line to the right of the boat launch area. This lake is trout stocked and they like to stay along the shore by the swimming beach and the docks.

I began using a Roostertail and after a few casts I landed a 9 inch brown trout. About three casts later a very large bass pursued and lunged after my lure and I promptly jerked it away from the hungry big mouth! I did not want to fight a 3 to 4 pound bass on my ultralite as that may have rendered my line a stretched pigtailed mess.

I landed two more browns for a total of three and called it a day. It was a nice change of pace and it did not require waders or a boat.

I'm probably gonna give it a rest for the next couple of days until I get back up to Connecticut this weekend for their trout season opener.

Til then
See ya
Tommy

Good Day on the Ramapo 4/15/2013

Hi Everyone,

Rainbow Trout 4/15/2013

After my past few trips on the Ramapo with catches in the 1 and 2's I finally had a decent day. Today I fished just below the 287 bridge in Mahwah and came up with 4 brook trout and a 15 inch fat rainbow trout pictured to the right.

I will tell you what, its been a long time since I have had a fresh water fish strip line off the reel like that rainbow did. The fish took a worm and upon setting the hook, took off upstream against the current! Now I set my drag to about half the line strength and I had to still run up river to chase after it. Just when I thought it was tired, it made one more made dash this time downstream and once again there I was chasing it.

This time of trout season the state stocks more brook trout then anything else so I am not certain if this was a hold over or just surplus. I did not note any clipped fins. Nevertheless this put a little spice into the day.

All trout were released with minimal harm and are there for the next angler to enjoy. It is always my hope that the next person to catch a nice fish I release will be a little kid just taking his first trip. That helps big time to keep them interested.

Anyway I will be out again somewhere perhaps tomorrow again.

Til then
Keep it Reel!
Tommy

Denied! Trout Season yet to open in CT.

Hi Folks,

Natchaug River at Natchaug State Forrest

So I thought I would be trout fishing in Connecticut today however I was in for a rude awakening. The season is not open until next week! Yep apparently trout season opens the third Saturday in April every year. I guess I missed that the first year I fished these parts as I must've got started in May.  Oh well thats how the cookie crumbles!

 

Anyway I went on a scouting mission yesterday and came up with some really pretty areas along the Natchaug River and I am preparing my plans for next weekend.

 

Connecticut has some of the best trout streams I have fished thus far on the east coast. The Farmington River is the by far the most popular however there are many others that are just calling out to me to be fished. Two years ago I fished the Salmon River and the Eight Mile River both producing plenty of trout with many good sized fish coming out of the Salmon River.

 

This week I will be back in Jersey and of course will be hitting the Ramapo again hopefully with some better results then my previous trips.

 

Til then

Stay Tuned

Rainy Friday Morning

Hello Again,

I headed down to the Ramapo River again this morning after it was freshly stocked yesterday. I only had an hour and a half to fish so I decided to chuck some roostertails. I caught two brook trout at the reservation before the rain started in earnest. Conditions were cold, rainy, windy and just out right miserable.

I had to leave early in order to go pick up my paycheck and get on the bus to Connecticut. I'm certain today I could've  caught some more if I had the time. Oh well there is always next week.

Hope I can get a shot on the Shetucket or the Salmon River here in Connecticut this weekend I will keep ya posted if I do.

Til Then
Caio

Second Trip Ramapo 4/10/2013

Well, what can be said, I'm an addict! Today I went back to the Ramapo to give it another try and I can't say it was a whole lot better then yesterday. Today I caught two brook trout but I was there for 3 hours and that's not much of a bite. This time I fished down at Glen Gray Road and there was maybe three other guys there. The lack of people on a beautiful day tells me that things are still tough.

Anyway tomorrow is stocking day so I am hoping for better fishing. I may try again after 5pm or Friday for a short time in the morning. We shall see!!!

Might fish Connecticut this weekend if my boss pays me so I can purchase a license. Stay tuned!

First Trip Ramapo Reservation 4/9/2013

Hi Folks!

I finally got out to wet a line today and what a beautiful day it was! It was nice to be out without a jacket for once and just enjoy the warmth of the day. Fishing was slow today at least for me. I managed to catch my first trout of the season but that was about it. I hooked and lost another trout later in the day and that ended it for me.

Worthy of note was the stone fly hatch today. There were hundreds of them flying about the river. I spotted several trout rising for them as well. With that kind of insect activity its not hard to imagine why us bait dunkers didnt fare to well today. I'm gonna return to the river tomorrow and perhaps try my luck with the fly rod.

Lastly, I spotted several huge large mouth bass in the slower parts of the river on the north side of the reservation. One of those fish was easily plus 4 lbs. I suspect a crayfish or plastic frog might have gotten their attention. I didnt want to tempt them with my ultralight trout rod today as fighting a beast like that on my ultra-lite trout gear would've resulted in stretched line or a fish swimming away with a broke off lure in its mouth!

Anyway, I will post again after my next outing.

Enjoy
Tommy

Spring Fever!!!

Hi Everyone,

Yes I am still alive and kicking, sorry it has been a long winter for me! With college now behind me and the hope of a new future, I am looking forward to hitting the streams next month. I also plan on hitting the beach as well being that I missed half the fall striper run courtesy of hurricane Sandy.

Looks like the rivers are in fair shape albeit they can use a couple of shots or rain. I prefer my spring opener to be a little on the high water side rather then starting off with low water.

I'm not sure I will be out opening day yet as I have a wedding to attend in the afternoon, I will certainly be out the following day for sure!

I hope everyone is well and look forward to getting some fish pics up as soon as possible.

Thanks
Tommy

New Jersey Party Boat: The Sea Horse

New Jersey Saltwater Fishing Report 10/26/2012: Hello Folks, as you can imagine hurricane Sandy has put a damper on all of our plans. My heart goes out to all who are affected by this nightmare especially my friends and family in South Jersey. Our prayers are with you all!

Last Friday with Sandy looming large on the horizon, I figured I would get one last fishing trip in before all hell broke loose and so I did. In fact I was absolutely obsessed that day... I mean what would drive a man out of his nice warm bed at 4am after only a couple hours of sleep? For me it was the prospect of big fish and a lust for adventure on the high seas! With last minute planning I managed to scrounge up enough cash to pay the fare on a good ole party boat named the Sea Horse out of Atlantic Highlands, NJ.

I have a long history of fishing on the sea horse!  It was somewhere about age 5 that my dad took me on my first party boat trip abord the Sea Horse.  I remember it vividly because sometime after we rounded Sandy Hook and got on the ocean, I promptly got seasick! I was miserable beyond belief, and I threw up in the cabin to which my father had to reluctantly clean up the mess. So not only was I seasick, but it was a cold wintery day and my little hands were frozen! Somehow throughout all my discomfort I managed to get out, climb on a bucket and hold a rod. We were fishing for whiting & ling hoping also to land a codfish. After about 15 minutes or so and a whole lot of cranking I managed to catch my first fish on the ocean, a 15 inch whiting. That silly little fish changed my whole day and probably my whole life.

Since then, I have made hundreds trips on the Sea Horse peaking from 1990  to 1998 when I was a regular customer every Wednesday (and some Saturdays). I would fish spring to winter every chance I got. Those days were special as the fishing was good, the regulations not so harsh and I made a whole lot of friends at sea. I still remember the old timers like Jules Navarro, Chester (AKA "Crunch") Louie and a guy I simply know as "Fix-it". Jules was a good friend and I miss him dearly. I still have the fishing gear he left me when he passed away.

The one thing I always appreciated aboard the Sea Horse was how good the captain and crew were. Captain Ed Bunting Jr. always went the distance to put us on fish. If the bite came late he'd stay out a little extra to allow us to get fish in the box. His son Eddie III. was a top notch mate back then always helping folks trying to fill their fish boxes. Eddie III  has since taken over as Sea Horse captain and I am certain he gets the job done just as well.

So history aside, on Friday I got my ass up and headed down to the dock. It has been perhaps 14 years since my last trip aboard the Sea Horse. I was surprised that Captain Ed and son still remembered me at the dock. Today however neither of the Buntings would be on board. Captain Ed Jr doesn't run the boat anymore and Captain Ed III was still recovering from surgery. So today we had Captain Howard and out to sea we went!

Targeting striped bass, we steamed south somewhere to about Sea Brite or Monmouth Beach. Sea conditions were comfortable with about a two to three foot swell and a light breeze. We found a few birds working and started a drift. We managed a few big bluefish on those first drifts and one or two stripers. It was a pick all day with a few fish here and there mostly bluefish. On one drift the guys on either side of me both got a striper. For me however that same drift landed me about a ten pound bluefish. That would be all I had to show for the day.

Overall all, there were maybe 3 keeper stripers on board and several bluefish. I was one of the lucky ones to at least go home with a fish. Seemed like the fish knew that hurricane was coming and headed out for their lives!

Although not the best day of fishing, the memories of all my adventures aboard the Sea Horse came flooding back. I have caught hundreds of fluke, blackfish, sea bass,  and many other fish aboard the old girl. The stories shared with the old timers are priceless and the memories are lifelong.

The Sea Horse is showing her age a bit, her engines are a little tired and she needs a few dabs of paint here and there. That aside, her Captain and crew make it still one of the best party boats New Jersey has to offer. Scuttlebutt had it that Captain Ed was trying to sell the old girl and who can blame him? Recreational marine fishing regulations and the high cost of fuel have made this once flourishing business into a tough sell for fisherman.

At any rate, I will always cherish the memories of fishing aboard the Sea Horse and I will be sure to keep fishing on her until the title changes hands. Then it will be the end of an era.