Kim has been dying to get out blackfishing and go to battle with a big fish on her new Kevin Bogan 'Pinky' rod. Woke up yesterday to a nice forecast and decided to head out. Beautiful conditions although fishing was not as great as the previous trips. We had action all day but mostly smaller fish. Since the fridge is full - all fish were released with the exception of 5 for the dockmaster Scott.

We were picking away at fish when all of a sudden Kim is doubled over and playing tug-0-war with a big fish. She gets it up to the surface although to deep for the net. Fish goes all the way back to the bottom. Get him up again and into the net. Another 14 pounder hits the deck!! The fish hit a 1/2 green crab #3 virginia and you should have seen the Bogan rod bend! WOW!

We took some pictures, weighed and measured the fish and tried to release but the fish would not swim. Tried to revive for about 10 minutes and then hung it in the net to hopefully revivie it. Unfortunatley, he did not make so we kept it for the table. The fish was 14 pounds on the hand scale - 25 inches in length and good girth.

Here are some pictures. Congrats to Kim on this awesome fish!

Friday - good fishing 4 man limit of quality blackfish with one 10lb large ugly one with face bashed in and no teeth - many others in the 4-7lb range See pics below.

Saturday - one of the best days of the year
5 man limit by 11:30
One 11.5lb fish
Three 10lb fish
Two 9lb fish
Two 8lb fish
Released many of the larger fish
All others quality 3-6lbs

Fished Saturday with friends - had a slow bite in the morning and just couldn't get on the small piece - 3 hrs 3 fish... tough... then the wind laid down a little, finally got on the piece right and fishin got good!! Mostly quality fish with a 3 man limit++ (released) I was finally able to tango with the right one. The fish was 14lbs on the hand scale. She measured only 25 inches in length but was all head and girth. Nice fish... good fight. She was released to grow and fight another day. We had one other beastly fish hooked up and broke off on the structure. Another great day on the water!!

Headed out with Ed, Jeff, Chris and Joe for Balckfish Trip. Ed was back with 3 friends and after a couple people bailed out last minute we sailed with 4 people. The fishing was a little tough but the boys managed 20 nice tog in the 3 to 5 lb range with a few throwbacks. The 15 to 20 knt North wind made feeling the hits difficult with the rockin and rollin of the boat and we came up a few short of a limit... What a great bunch of guys we laughed all day long, props to big Chris for putting several in the box on his 1st time Blackfishing thanks again Ed you have a great bunch of friends!

We had Ed , Kevin and Joe out for thier first Blackfish trip as well as a couple regulars Barry and Andy. It started out a little chilly with slush on the deck and the guys in the cabin with the heat blazing on the ride out.The morning stated out with a slow pick and once the guys got the hang of it we started to put a catch together.At the end of the day we had our limit with the biggest fish being around 5lbs.I think George and I created a few Blackfish Junkies and for a first time out Ed ,Kevin ,and Joe got the hang of it quick and filled the boxes on a slow day.Thanks GUYS WE HAD A GREAT DAY!

We had Barry ,Suki and George out on Thanksgiving morning for a half day fun trip and did a nice job on em...George had a couple7-9lbs and Barry and Suki were right behind em with some nice fish.A great start to Thanksgiving and to our Blackfish season we limited out by noon, and we were all late for dinner. I even caught a few and broke off a real nice fish.

Mixed report here from Sunday and Monday.
Sunday - another tough day for us. Although we managed a respectable catch of 21 keepers and many throwbacks, action was slow/steady. Not what I was expecting since the conditions were prime. 5 guys fishing and only 21 keepers. Biggest was 5lbs Many other boats did well. Finished the day jigging som bass and blues081125

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

MONDAY - ON THE CHEW!!! 2 men fishing - Dave and I had an easy 2 man limit in about 1 1/2 fishing. The picture doesn't do them justice but all quality fish. We were releasing 18 inch fish. Probably caught close to 100 between the 2 of us in 4 hours of fishing. The bite was non stop until we could not swing anymore. The ride home was not fun as the south wind was a steady 20. It was worth it - I have never had a bite like yesterday!!! All nice quality healthy - hard fighting fish. Although no slobs - pictured below = not the largest of the bunch but a good looking blackfish. A day for the history books!!

Sorry for lack of posts and pictures but my computer is down again. Fished 'Blackfish Sunday' Opening Day. Got a late start after calling the trip in the morning and then decided to brave it around 9am. The wind was HONKING but we tucked in, ran up the beach, dropped anchor and had a pretty decent bite for 2 hrs before they shut off. Back at the dock by 2:30 we had 18 keepers with a 9lb and 7lb fish (hand scale) with 4 guys fishing. Tough conditions but they were on the chew. Overall a great day!! Good to be back out bottom fishing!!!

We had the Freidman party out on Sunday for some bass and blues jigging. We managed a couple of shorts on the jigs and had a hard time getting past the bluefish. The rods were bent all day and 10yr old Vinnie acounted for more than half of the blues, a great kid that is well on his way to becoming an excellent angler. Thanks for a great trip!!

Saturday started out a bit snotty - blowing hard west, headed offshore for some sea bass. Hit a wreck in 90 ft but it was slow with mostly small fish and very sticky. Made a slow move to deeper water and put together a nice catch of ling...some of them monsters. Had tuna baits out but no takers. As the day went on the wind crapped out however we were able to drift some wrecks where we put together a nice catch of porgies, sea bass and cod. Great day on the water!!

Saturday had a fun trip with the bottom fishing sharpies from the dock. Nicky and Shawn and George. We set out to the mud hole to bottom fish and tuna fish. By noon after hitting 2 wrecks we didn't have much in the cooler...and no sign of tuna other than 1 run off....uh-oh. Moved to another spot and found plenty of life. Baseball bat ling and some decent cod and HUGE flounder. Hooked up a bluefin on light leader and busted him off. Good to see a showing of Cod!!! Turned out to be a great day!

Sunday had Kim and Barry out for another inshore bottom fishing trip - another great day with a huge variety of bottom dwellars - sea bass, cod, blackfish, blowfish, even a small mako swimming around the boat.....threw him a porgie but he would't eat. Great weekend bottom fishing!

Saturday I had Ed Kamienski and his daughter Kim out fishing for Bluefin. Kim recently returned from serving in Iraq and her wishes were to catch a bluefin tuna. The pressure was on as the bite that was there on Friday slowed down. We went on the troll and after a couple of hours the long rod goes off. Seemed like a decent fish but did not think it was over 100lbs.....after over an 1hr battle...evryone doing the right thing, we got the fish up and stuck him with the harpoon.....high fives and cramped arms it was "mission accomplished". The fish taped out at 58" about 125lbs. Back on the troll and not many fish reported we decided to reel the lines in to head off to some pots for some mahi. Ed is reeling in the last line and whammo!! another fish on, this was a smaller one measuring 32" which gave us our over under limit. Good Karma helped us out that day!! Kim - thank you for serving our country - I am glad we were able to grant you your wish!!!

What a great Labor day weekend on the water!!!

Saturday AM - Had Joe West and famliy from Bradley Beach to take the kids fishing for the first time. Anchored up on a wreck and caught sea bass, and Blackfish. Steady fishing many shorts but activity for the kids. They kept some for the table and the rest went back so the kids could catch them again
Saturday PM - Had Glen and Odie Pritzlaff (the wrestlers) out to Little Italy on the troll for bluefin. Lines in at 3pm Fish on at 3:02 - hit a spreader bar. Small fish about 25lbs - that was it for us except for a blufish cover up but LOTS of life in the area.
Sunday - Had young Dave Pyscatty and friends out for a Bluefin troll to the same area. 2 for 4 on bluefin. Better fish this time in the 40lb class. Lost one real nice one on the wwb. Took as 50wide to the last few wraps had to lock it up and it came undone..bummer.... Congrats to Capt. Steve on the Legacy for cathcing his over under with a 51inch BFT. Good working with you that day.
Monday - Had the female fish heads out bonita fishing - lots of fun on the troll and chunk. Bonita, bluefish and a small mahi. Great day on the water!!

Had Steve, Rachael and Brian out for a magic hours trip. Thier goal was to bend the rods. The seas laid down yesterday in the evening which made for a nice night on the water.. We had consistant action with bluefish and a few sea bass. Once they got it down we boated and released about a dozen bluefish keeping a few for the table. Mission accomplished, they had a blast!

SIC fishin today! Frank Lotrario and brother 'blackfish Joe' charted the boat to catch 'and release' blackfish. Fully aware of the 1per man limits, these guys needed their bottom fishing fix....and they got it. Mad dog bite in the morning with drop and reel fishing with all quality fish to 9lbs. All fish were released except for 4 'eater size'. Larger fish and females all went back to grow. Also caught a dozen sea bass and a trigger fish. Great bunch of guys and great to feel that blackfish bite again!!!

We had the guys from Breakaway Electric ouy on their annual fishing trip,this year it was to Hudson Canyon.We were up on the troll in the dark like usual and got a bite that never came tigh on the edge. After moving off into the deep we came tight on a White marlin that ended up coming unglued. Heading back to the edge the skppies came up and after working em we finally raised the wolf pack with atleast 10 bites five came tight. After the dust settled the boys put 2 in the boat,150lbs and 90lbs.We worked back into the deep and got visited by a couple Marlin that never ate... On the way in on the flats up came the skippies again and we put 2 Yellow Fins in the boat, 20lbs and 60lbs. The fishing is not that good but if you work you can still put a catch together. I have to thank the electricians and the owners of Breakaway Electric for a very exciting and a great day!See you guys next year. Total 0 for 1 on Whites 2 for 5 on Big Eye and 2for 2 on Yellow Fin.

With the bluefin bite so hot down south I could not resist the temptation to make the trip. We headed out Saturday morning and made the 90 mile run south to the Lobster Claw. Started on the troll around 1pm. Shortly after the long rigger goes and the 50 starts SCREAMING....spool was about to get dumped....locked it up and bink 1 down. Lines back out now fishing 80's way way back....fish on again....bigger fish this time had the straight 80 to a few wraps left....had to lock that up...bink 2 down. We went 3 for 11 on big bluefin.(not thrilled with the ration but we had the bites) In order to get bites we had to scale down the tackle but fighting these beasts on lighter leader with to much pressure and you lose quite a few. No problem for all of us we were aware of the stiff limits and we were having a blast just fighting the fish. In the evening we set up on the chunk with only 4 boats around..1 Tiger shark at night (released) no tuna bites. Overall great trip..tons of laughs, lots of fish. Can't wait to go back!!

Great picture of Dave re-catching our fish after it went in the water when it slid off the dock.

We Had the Casey party out on Sunday 8/17 for a daytroll in Hudson Canyon .We were up on the troll in the dark looking for a Bigeye and at 700 AM WE CAME TIGHT ON A 20LB YELLOW FIN.A couple hrs later we found a nicer class fish and put a 60lb Yellow Fin in the boat. After a long quiet afternon we hooked up a double header of 60lb Yellow Fins and put one in the boat and lost the other at the transom... All in all a good daytroll for the way this season has been.The guys all Union Tin Knockers had a great time we also busted 3 tuna cherries! Total 3 for 4 on Yellow Fins to 60ibs+

I have had the bluefin bug lately and been sniffing around the inshore/offshore waters out to 40 miles. 5 trips produced 5 bluefin. We are getting our 1 every trip but can't seem to get covered up. (realizing you can only keep 1) Only one stray in the 25lb range each trip but it sure beats the skunk!! We have spiced things up with some small mahi, pollack, mackeral, albacore and some bottom dwellars on some wrecks etc. Bluefin fishing in the NY bight is difficult and they are hard to come by unlike it is down south. Anyway, I will continue to burn the fuel and sniff around until the right one comes. In the pictures you will see a leather back turtle that was wrapped up in some lobster gear. Unfotunatley, the turtle did not recover. She had the line tightly wrapped around her neck. Her mate stood by and watched as we freed her. After untangling the turtle, we made a drive by as she floated away and she thanked us with 2 mahi mahi that came from underneath her to eat. Very sad to see. Anyway here are some pictures from recent trips.

We had our 1st open boat trip of the year out to the Toms for a daytroll.We were up on the troll in the dark a the tip and worked the edge and out into the deep in less than favorable conditions 20kt S wind and a tight 3-5 chop that plagued us all day.The water was purple blue with a ton of flying fish and a temp of 79-80 degs.and all we had to show for a tough day of fishing was a nice 40 lb Mahi that crashed a spreader bar.

Well we tried again Saturday hoping to find the right ones for our 1 under 1 over limit of Blufin. Ran to the chicken - water was green, 74-76, lifeless and not much the whole way out. We managed 1 Bluefin - 30lbs (bigger than last week) and that was it on the troll. The day saver was a few drifts over an offshore wreck. We caught a few nice pollack. The largest was 38lbs on my hand scale...close to the state record of 46. It was a beast.

I spoke with a few other boats that fished from the Virginia to the Tower to the Glory and Reasor and did not hear of any bluefin caught. Save the fuel instead of hunting for Bluefin in this area. (now)

We had the Burde charter out on Saturday to catch some Fluke, this was their first time fishing. The morning started out well we caught a dozen or so 17' fish and missed afew... a couple moves and a few drifts we managed to put a few 4-5 pounders in the boat. These guys and girls provided us with non stop laughs and we had a great time! Thank you!

We had the Wilson party out on a night trip for a Bluefish trip which proved to be a little more difficult than usual. It seems they were still on the spawn and dispite some moves and screens full of Bluefish they wouldnt chew. We ended up with a mixed bag.and bent afew rods... The end result was a Bluefish, Striped Bass, several Sea Bass, Fluke and some Ling. All in all everyone had a good time and shared several laughs. Thanks guys!

We had the Lowrider out for the Mako Mania and Mako Fever tournaments. Saturday -Fished 68 degree clean water in the "taint". 3 Makos for the day but none for the wiegh in. Kept one 68 inch fish at the end of the day, released 2 others. One about 140lbs, the other a little over 100. Good action fighting the fish with many leaps clear out of the water. Great time in the tournament, and at the meetings. Overall a solid year so far for mako fishing - hope it hangs on.

Had the Steele party out on Saturday afternoon for a striper trip .The condition were tough with a strong South wind , 3ft chop and water temps that had dropped 6 degrees.They had their father on board to catch a bass which had been easy the day before but was almost impossible today. With very few bunker schools and bass with lockjaw we tried several spots and tactics we finally managed to put a 22 lbs Striper in the boat for Bert... Happy Fathers Day Bert and thanks for your patients on such a tough day of fishing. ~ Capt Tony

I had the Steckly party out on a afternoon striper trip and after breaking the inlet and snagging afew bunker we had our 1st of 5 Stripers in the boat. After several fish fish in the boat and a few misses... We finished up with 5 in the 20-25 lbs range. Once again we had a great time and a lot of laughs. Thanks guys!

Had Mike Schoonveld out for a striper trip. Mike is a freelance fishing writer who contributes to many Outdoor sports publications. He came bass fishing to do an article to promote tourism and fishing in NJ. His goal was to learn about fishing off the Jersey Shore and write an article about the Spring Striper fishing.

With Mike on the boat we went 4 for 6 on bass to 25lbs. After dropping him back at the dock the turnaround trip gave us 9 more. Our total catch for the day was 13 bass releasing most of them. They were all in the 20-25lb range except one that was 35lbs on the hand scale. Overall a great day livelining off Belmar and Asbury. Mike could not believe some of the explosions we witnessed on the live bait. For a first time live liner he did a fantasic job. I look forward to the article and some good press for NJ fishing and tourism.

Had "miss" Fish Head out to liveline some stripers. Fish were being caught outside SRI but on the troll and there was no bait around. Ran South to Spring Lake to catch some bait and never left. Once we loaded up with fresh baits, the fishing busted wide open. About 1 hour before high tide in the evening. Temp - 56, Hard South wind. Caught 5 and released all but one for the table. Fish were 20 - 30 lbs Fun evening, and she's got the livelining thing down now.

Had Tony Busa, Mike Gammino, John Kukulya, and Chris Alegria back for their 3rd annual Memorial Weekend Kickoff fishing trip. Bass fishing was tough Friday. We trolled the rocks - overall slow day for us. Boated 3 Bass 32-34inches. Hit a wreck on the way home for some sea bass for the table. Also caught a released a nice blackfish. Fun day for all!

Fish Head hit some local snags for sea bass with Fast Freddie, Big Game James, Split Shot, and the Rattler. 70+ fish in the box with quite a few knuckleheads. If any had to be measured they went back to grow. Drop and reel fishing with many double headers. Blackfish mixed in (but they also went back). Another great day bottom fishing.

Just got the boat in last week and took the weekend for some fun fishing and a shakedown cruise.Saturday - Fished the afternoon. Trolled spoons/shads at the rocks and the Bridge. Nothin but bluefish but a great time and the boat is running great.

Sunday - bottom fishing with the "wahoo crew". It was a smorgasbord of bottom fish - sea bass, cod, blackfish, ling, pollack, porgies, bergals, and of course the snoop dog. Great to see all the life - only kept what we needed to eat and what was "in season". Fished wrecks and rough bottom on the edge of the hole in less than nice conditions. Another great day on the water.....it's good to be back in action!!

Banner day today, best quality fish day of the season. 5 on the crew of regulars - Barry, Tim, George and Glen. We had our limit plus+++. We had 4 fish over 10 pounds Wieghed at Fishermens Den - 10.2, 10.4, 11.4, 12.5 plus I released my biggest fish which may have topped them all. It was a large female and I felt she had to go back. All other fish were quality 3-7 lbs fish. Fishing was not fast paced but if you waited it out... you got RAILED.

Click here to view our archived 2009 Fishing Reports
Click here to view our archived 2008 Fishing Reports
Click here to view our archived 2007 Fishing Reports