Northern New Jersey Fishing Report 11-29-12

A Dose of Logic

I got skunked when I finally got out for a day this week and decided to blame it, like everything else that has been screwed up in my life for the last month, on Hurricane Sandy.

In the wake of everything we have dealt with recently, I thought it might be interesting to look into what research I could find about how major storms effect fishing.  There is no question it put a major choke hold on the fishing industry and trashed about $250,000,000 worth of boats, but what about our finny friends themselves?

I took a run at searching the internet for studies and was not a bit surprised to find almost nothing.  Impact of hurricanes on baitfish, nothing.  Impact of flooding on saltwater fishing, nothing.  Regrettably, we have to fall back on logic.

First, the most obvious.  Your shed in the backyard suddenly became great structure for baitfish to hide in.  I know my garage turned into a silverside farm as I got to scrape their nasty little carcasses off of the floor.  A buddy that lives in Ventnor, had a knock on his door from a neighbor, about an hour after the waters receded, holding a 9-pound summer flounder that he picked up from the lawn in front of his house.  He was, of course, immediately told that the season had closed and that he should quickly throw it back onto my buddy’s lawn before he got caught by a C.O.   All kidding aside, just for a second, there is major impact when any major change in environment occurs and this can be no exception.

Then there is the impact of oil, gas, and other land-based contaminants.  There were literally thousand of cars and trucks flooded out, and probably an equal number of boats swamped, all of which are full of gasoline, oil, and other toxic fluids.  Let’s not forget all those gas powered tools in sheds and garages, toxic chemicals from flooded businesses, and pallets of lawn and construction chemicals. You seriously could go on for an hour thinking of all the things that got washed over by the rising waters.  It has not made the 6:00 news yet, but we are talking about some serious junk suddenly dumped in the sea.  Oh, speaking of dumping, let’s not forget all those sewage plants that got washed out, where everything in them got…washed out.  You cannot apply logic to this while focused on fish and not think that it makes a difference.

Then there is the sand.  Millions of tons of sand dumped up on the land, then scraped up by huge machines along with anything else the bucket scoops, and dumped back on the beach and in the ocean.  The ocean met the bay pretty early down where I live and part of the aftermath was 3 to 4 feet of sand covering every street, driveway, and yard for miles.  It’s gone now.  Dumped in the surf by monster earth movers.  Can anybody really dispute that this didn’t have a huge impact on the ecosystem?

Sure, there are fish being caught, and we are going to reach out to our remaining tackle shops and charter captains as we do every week to try and laser beam you directly to results for this weekend.  However, as you walk, drive the beach, troll or jig, try to keep in mind that the fishery that we are “used to” is not the fishery we are “getting” right now.  One more little bit of logic.   If you are going inshore or back bay, practicing a little catch and release rather than catch and fillet might be a healthier suggestion for you and yours.

Got layers?  Now is the time to break them out as the temps this weekend are going to stay chilly.  The whole concept of boats with heat are usually foreign for me being a center console pilot, but in cases like this hitching a ride is not such a bad idea.  Capt. Chris on the all new Big Mohawk out of Belmar is running and catching.  In fact, yesterday was one of the best wreck days he has had in recent memory with all hands hammering nice blackfish and sea bass.  Call ahead to make sure there is room for you.  732-974-9606.

Smiling Jack at Surf Side Bait and Tackle in Long Branch has coolers full of clams waiting for surf anglers to pick up this weekend.  The bite from the beach seems to be coming back although most of the fish seem to be running on the smaller side.

On the “Damn the torpedos, we are on our way back,” front is a message from my friends at Giglios in Sea Bright.  They are swinging hammers and ripping wallboard but expect to light up the “open” sign inside of a couple weeks.  Tom and his dad Ernie may be a couple of the nicest guys you will talk to and I am sure they would like to hear from you.  The phones are still out but you can reach them for special order on gear or just to voice a little support through email.  info@gigliosbaitandtackle.com.

In Bradley Beach, Dominick is running fall hours, so you are out of luck on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but he is open and loaded for bear bait-wise the rest of the week.  He has clam, bunker and green crabs.

Waiting, like many, for the herring run is Dave at The Reel Seat in Brielle.  There are loads of small bass on the beach for the few that can either find the time to get out or find an open beach to get out on.  Anglers in Sea Girt and Spring Lake are doing well throwing plugs with teasers.  Good catch numbers, bad size numbers.  Blackfishing has been condition driven, but with a decent forecast for this weekend all are hopeful.  Dave did have one customer come in talking about a bluefin he heard be taken, which is a word I have not heard in weeks.

Chris over at Harrys Army Navy in Robbinsville is dialed into the surf and he supports the “lots of numbers, not much on size” theme that we have been hearing.  Reports of some herring showing up off of Barnegat on Tuesday has many hoping that the big girls will find them.  I actually have a crew that is fishing up there as I am writing this and if there is good news to report, I will post it in the “comments” section below this week’s report.

Our Belmar & Brielle charter crews were pretty much tied up this past week either trying to bounce back from the hammering they took or confined to slip by the sea conditions.  Many are sailing this weekend, so if you are interested give one of our guys a call and see if you can jump on:

Ol’ Salty – Capt. Chris – 732-681-6650

Teri Jean II – Capt. George – 732-280-8133

Last One Charters – Capt. Rob – 732-556-7156

Katie H – Capt. Mike – 908-600-6413

XTC Sportfishing – Capt. Scott – 732-267-7922

Big Kid Sportfishing – Capt. Ken – 732-261-0606

Skylarker – Capt. Steve – 732-309-7689

Best Bet for this weekend is to take advantage of what finally looks to be a great seas forecast and get out on the water.  2- to 3-foot seas in long period swells and lots of layers or high tech clothing should open up all sorts of opportunities.  For nearshore crews hitting the local wrecks for blackfish as a start will certainly put some meat in the cooler.  I’d be sure to be prepared to switch gears for stripers if the herring rumors turn out to be on the money as well.  For offshore crews, it might just be the last time for a while to take that long, bundled up run to the tilefish grounds and see what else might be happening out there.  If my offshore crew is together, that might just be where we will be headed.

One final note.  Please remember all of your brothers out there that are still buried in the aftermath of Sandy.  Plenty are still struggling with the basics of getting through the day displaced from home or without basics that we all take for granted.  If you are in a position to offer relief of any kind, please make the effort.

Stay Tuna-ed!