The weather allowed us to get out again this past weekend for another long-range trip and despite the weathermanÂ’s missed calculations of wind speed it actually turned into a pretty good adventure.

Winds were forecast to be about ten to fifteen out of the north, they did get the direction right this time but the speed forecast of ten to fifteen, in typical fashion, needed to be added together and was in actuality closer to twenty five for most of the morning. It was a little “fresh” out on deck to say the least early in the morning but fortunately it got much nicer as the day progressed.

Fishing for the most part out of the gate was somewhat of a struggle. It took a while for some of the anglers to get into the rhythm of the ocean and be able to stand at the rail, feel the bites and catch the fish at the same time. Four to six foot waves kept everyone on their toes and a good hand on the rail, but as you looked around, the fish were coming in. The catch was mostly Sea Bass in the two to three pound category with a few up around five or more pounds along with some nice Tilefish in the mix. Much unlike both of last weekÂ’s excursions the Spiny Dog Sharks were absent from this trip and were not a problem for us this past weekend. We never saw one of them landed this week, not even one!

As the day progressed the fish started to add up for quite a few of the hearty anglers and by days end the coolers were looking pretty healthy for the most part. Top hooks would land limit or near limit catches with Sea Bass and a few Tiles. Most anglers were in the double-digit category to the high teens with nice fish while there were a few unlucky anglers that just never got the fish to add up for themselves, but I am pretty sure everyone ended up with fresh fish for supper.

Fishing in the depths that we have been working lately can be tough at times especially when conditions are working against you. The currents did not seem to be too much of a problem like they were last week fishing around the full moon but you still needed about a pound of lead to keep a tight line in touch with the bottom. I have been watching closely these last few trips at the guys fishing with the electric reels and I have made a surprising observation, the old school manual crankers are consistently catching more fish and nicer fish and I think I have it figured it out. Now bare in mind I have never personally used one of these high tech. electric reels but I think this is what is happening. Once the rig gets to the bottom and the fish hits the bait, the reel is engaged and in just a couple of seconds the rig and the fish are zipping up off the bottom faster than you could ever wind manually, and could be as much as forty or fifty feet up. If the fish lets go he goes right back down to the structure to continue feeding and now your rig is fifty feet off the bottom. The odds of that fish biting your bait again are not too good. It is entirely possible that if those fishing with this equipment would slow it down until you know that the fish is hooked well, you may have a better chance of re-hooking that same fish if he were to let go shortly after he was initially hooked.

Another observation I have made is some folks are way under gunned when it comes to fishing in these depths of water. I personally suggest a fairly stiff rod with a soft tip capable of a pound or more of weight. Seven-foot rods or even a little longer seem to fish the best. I am also a firm believer in the braided line, forty to fifty pound test is enough and you will need more than 100 yards on your reel! Spinning reels, while ok for some are best suited for the shallower water. Conventional reels with about a four to one gear ratio seem to be about the easiest to wind unless of course you want to get one of those fancy reels that all you have to do is push a button and up it comes!

We are adding more of these long-range trips to the schedule for March and it wonÂ’t be too long before we resume or daily schedule with the regular Full-Day trips. It is likely that we will try to sail just four days a week at the start of the Full-Day trips just to try and bunch up the anglers and stand a better chance of getting out on those days. I will post the dates here as well as on our special trip link from the home page. Look for Full-Day trips to resume around the second or third week of March depending on the weather and water temperature. I would like to say that we will see some Mackerel to start things off this spring but that could very well be just a fantasy. If the MackÂ’s do migrate inshore we will certainly try them otherwise we will start out fishing for Tog until the Sea Bass move inshore.

Our long-range trips will sail on weekends through out March and into April. With the water temperatures we have been seeing the migration of these offshore Bass should continue for several more weeks. If you would like any more information about trips sailing out of the Wharf or you would like to reserve a space on one of the special trips please give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.

Until Next Time Happy Fishing!

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