Our fall wreck fishing has officially started here at the Wharf and despite several punches from Mother Nature we managed to come out on top with some pretty decent fishing every day and in some less than favorable conditions too. Sea Bass has been at the top of the list for what we have been able to catch now but we have also seen a few Snapper Blues, some Croakers and still just the occasional Flounder coming over the rail for our variety.

The weather really hasn't done us any favors of late. We continue to have frontal boundaries and highs and lows along these fronts that have relentlessly given us some unsettled weather. While for the most part we have still been able to get out to the fishing grounds without any trouble, we actually missed a couple trips so far this week due to the weather staying tied to the dock on both Monday and Tuesday due to winds and sea conditions. Throughout most of the week since my last report however we were out every day and I would have to call the fishing pretty good with the Sea Bass.

Even though we have had some rocking and rolling, each and every day we have been able to see some modest numbers with the Sea Bass. I have not seen anyone catch a limit of twenty-five yet but we have come close on several occasions. Most trips top hooks have been able to land between a dozen to the mid and upper teens with nice keeper Bass. I would prefer not to talk about low hooks however it always amazes me how two anglers standing side by side can have such a different catch at the end of the day. I have personally been on both sides of that spectrum and believe me I would prefer to be lucky over good on any given day!

All in all I would have to say it was a pretty good week of fishing up until Sunday when the Northeast winds kicked up much harder than expected making it a tough outing for everyone. The Bass have been biting on the structure bottoms, The Croakers have rebounded in fabulous numbers up in the Delaware Bay and those that have been venturing offshore have been rewarded with decent catches on the lumps and in the canyons. We are certainly seeing some of that fabulous fall fishing. If we could just get this weather to settle down for any amount of time, I think it would even be better!

As most of you are aware the Sea Bass season will be closing on October 12th along with the Flounder. The Sea Bass will reopen on November 1st however the Flatties will remain shut down until 2011. We will still have a couple good weeks to get in on the Sea Bass action before the closure and I expect some really good fishing once the season reopens in November, it will be a short break. While the Sea Bass are closed I will continue to fish over wrecks but we will be primarily fishing for Tautog for those couple of weeks. After the Sea Bass season reopens we will concentrate on the Bass whenever there is enough people to make the trip and on those days with a light rail we will likely stick with the Tog a little closer to home. We will also be running several Special Trips just for the Sea Bass. Capt. H.D. is working out the schedule and will have the dates posted. We will be running for Sea Bass until the end of the year when the season is once again shut down.

We will no doubt be seeing some great fishing in the next several weeks and the outlook for the remainder of the year is also very good. There is a lot to look foreword to this fall. I will continue running wreck trips daily with the regular Full-Day trips until the end of November. Departure time is at 7:00 a.m. and we generally get back in around 4:00. We have one more week of Half-Day then we will start trying for the Stripers as soon as the water cools down enough to give it a go. Striper fishing should turn on in a big way soon and I will keep you posted when it does. Our Striper trips will depart the dock at 8:00 a.m. and we should start running that in the next couple weeks.

If you would like any more information about trips sailing out of the Wharf or you would like to book a private charter or reserve space on a special trip, please give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.

Until Next Week Happy Fishing!

Capt. Rick Yakimowicz
Thelma Dale V
catchfish@verizon.net