It's been a bitter sweet week here at the Wharf over the past seven days. For what has proven to be one of the best times of the year for catching a nice variety of fish has now become shadowed over by the insanity of the National Marine Fisheries Service and their inability to comprehend the amount of fish that are landed by the recreational fishermen from their skewed data.

Due to their own admission of "a fatally flawed science" for the collection of data used to count fish, the latest blow from the fishcrats has now imposed a immediate closure on the Black Sea Bass coast wide for six months. This latest swipe of the pen to try and manage a fishery that also by their own accord is "a healthy and rebuilt stock of fish." What a shame, the implications of this closure are beyond immediate comprehension. This latest attempt to manage Sea Bass couldn't have come at a worse time for an already struggling economy, fisherman trying to make an honest living, and anglers trying to put a fresh fish on the table for supper . As a result of this decision we will no longer be able to land Black Sea Bass for the remainder of the year and the way it stands now; for the entire winter.

Word of this closure struck late last week when my all-day trips were catching primarily Sea Bass along with a nice variety of other species including Triggerfish and Flounder. Not only has the fishing been good it had actually gotten better and we were starting to see a good number of anglers daily land double digit catches of decent sized Bass along with several other species of fish that have been staging around the artificial reef structures and shipwrecks for the fall run. This ruling will certainly effect what we are able to do for the remainder of our regular fall schedule as well as the many special trips we were offering later this fall and after the first of the year.

The biggest question is what will you do now? This is an unprecedented situation for anglers as well as the party and charter boat fleets. With the multitude of regulations that are already in place, options are certainly limited. At least unlike our neighboring states we can still legally land a Flounder and we have a liberal Tog fishing season to look forward to as the water begins to cool down. There is still quite a few Croakers and Snapper Bluefish around and there should also be a few Trout migrating along the coast for several more weeks. Hopefully we will be able to take advantage and continue to bring home a few fish in the upcoming weeks. They just won't be Sea Bass.

As the shock of our new circumstance started to became a harsh reality we continued to fish for the Sea Bass over the weekend. Even though the weather was not the most favorable we continued to have good luck with the Bass catching them nearly every stop we made in some less than favorable conditions. We also landed several keeper Flounder and a bunch of Triggers. The coolers looked pretty good for most by the end of the day. As Sunday rolled around several folks wanted to get in on what would be the last chance at the Bass. While we didn't go out with limit catches for everyone or anything close to that we were treated to a beautiful day on the Ocean and plenty of biting fish. Top hooks would land well into double digits with Bass up to about three pounds, there were also several Triggers landed, and we had the best number of keeper Flounder on the boat that we have had since early September with nearly twenty keeper Fluke weighing up to five pounds around the boat. We didn't really go out with a bang but we went out in style! It was a good trip with somewhat of a melancholy ending to what was shaping up to be some fabulous Fall Wreck fishing in the weeks to come.

Now the question that everyone is waiting for; what are you going to do?? I'm going to continue doing what I do best as long as we have a few folks that want to go along with me. I'm going fishing! Wreck fishing for Blackfish or (tautog) will ultimately be number one on the menu. Unfortunately I don't expect the best Tog action until the water begins to cool down a little more. I know of several knowledgeable skippers that targeted the Tog over the weekend and didn't even see one. Warm water temperatures and full moon tides no doubt played a role in the lack of Tog. This will change and it won't be too long before we will be able to put some good numbers of Tog across the docks. I will be prepared to catch just about anything on any given day and we will have the crabs on the boat for bait daily for when the Tog are willing to bite, but I refuse to sit and wait out a fish that we are not likely to catch as long as there are other options available. I still expect to see a little variety catch with Croakers, Blues, Triggers and Flounder and possibly even some Trout. As soon as the water cools down enough it will be just the Tog. We will see how it goes with sponsorship but as of now we will continue to run seven days a week until the middle of November when we drop back to just four days a week with the wreck trips. All-Day trips will depart the docks at 7:00 a.m. and we will return around 4:00. We will also be running All-Day trips for Stripers as soon as they start to bite. Striper trips will sail seven days a week departing the docks at 8:00 a.m. Water temperatures need to cool down a few more degrees before we start seeing the Stripers also.

For those of you that would like more information on this outrageous Sea Bass closure or would like to try and do something about it, I suggest you punch Sea Bass closure into your web browsers search engine and you will find a multitude of interesting facts most of which will turn your stomach. Contact your Representatives and your Senators and express your concerns. Our only hope is that fisherman stand together and try to prevent further crippling mismanagement practices by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) so this type of closure and the way it came to be can never happen again.

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 Yakimowiczw
Thelma Dale V
catchfish@verizon.net