After some unrelenting weather and staying tied fast to the dock for way too many days straight we finally were able to put a few days together with a break from Mother Nature last week and get back to some serious fishing. I did manage to get away from the dock five out of the last seven days and we were finally able to put some nice fish up on the cleaning table.

I had already reported on my first couple days back on the water last week and the Tog fishing after those first two trips just seemed to get a little better with each day we were able to get out. As the water cleared up and the strong currents from all the bad weather subsided, the Tog indeed began to feed more aggressive and a little more normal given the time of year. Not only did the fish bite better but with the lack of the strong running tides we had experienced earlier in the week, we were able to fish in a little deeper water for longer periods of the tide during the day and finally start to see a few quality fish come over the rail. We not only saw several fish in the four to six pound class but we also saw our first few limit and near limit catches and our biggest Tog landed last week was weighed in at nine pounds and some change. It was almost like we were fishing again!

While I missed the trip on Saturday with a rotten forecast, both Friday and Sunday with similarly forecasted breezy weather, ended up being the best Tog trips that I have seen so far this fall . With light crowds onboard every day we have been able to relax and roam around the boat at will looking for that magic hole to pull some fish out of. Judging by the amount of bait that we have gone through daily with so few folks, I'd say these fish have been biting pretty well. I also know this first hand because I managed to fatten up several fish myself continually feeding them whenever I had the chance to put my line in the water! It's easy to see why these crafty biters have the ability to frustrate anglers in such a pleasing way. It never ceases to amaze me how they can get all the meat out of your crab shell or leave you with just an empty hook and all you felt was a little tap-tap or just a little bump, if you even felt that. In spite of the light and finicky bite we did manage to put up some good numbers with these fish each day and we also surprisingly saw several more Triggerfish landed and even caught a bonus pool winning Puppy Drum on Sundays trip. Fishing continues to be way better than the business.

Despite the shorter days and the cooler nights our water temperatures have not really plummeted like you would expect this time of the year. The Triggerfish we caught over the weekend are a perfect example, while Bay temperatures have dipped down to the mid fifties Ocean temperatures have still been hovering just under the sixty degree mark on the surface. My guess is that we have had so much east wind that the surface temperatures just can't cool down as rapidly as the temperatures closer to bottom seem to be.

Massive schools of baitfish are being chased by large schools of medium to jumbo sized Bluefish as well as some trophy Stripers, and are now actively moving along our beachfront. Both the Blues and the Stripers have been hitting the docks daily by those targeting them for about a solid week. In my travels near the Mouth of the Delaware Bay and along the coastline the fish finders have been alive with big schools of migrating fish. We will be sailing daily targeting these Stripers on the 31st of October. Striper trips will depart the dock at 8:00 a.m. Several of the Stripers that have been caught so far have been well in excess of twenty pounds and I anticipate more of this size fish, it seems like the first ones to exit the Bay or to migrate along the coast are usually some of the bigger ones caught during this fall run. As the water temperatures cool down Striper fishing will only get better in these upcoming weeks.

I will continue for the rest of this week running daily for the Tautog. After the second of November we will drop back to just Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Mondays with our regular all-day wreck fishing trips. With the Sea Bass closure in place we will be targeting just the Tautog every trip. I fully anticipate the Tog fishing to continue to be good and perhaps even better as the water temperatures continue to drop. The last several years some of our best Tog fishing has been into December and January. Depending on the weather it is entirely possible that we will continue trying to Tog fish a few days a week even after the first of the New Year. I will keep any schedule changes posted on the report as well as the special trip link from the home page. If the weather is good we will make some trips.

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