« June 2009 | Main | August 2009 »
July 30, 2009
Tomorrow is the last day of the month, and Lisa Ortiz is in a commanding lead with an 8 lb 11 oz fluke that she caught a week and a half ago. This is a good sized fish that will be tough to beat, but this time of year always produces big fish. Will anyone step up and knock Lisa out of the top spot on the final day? We will see. I'm sure there will be more than a few people with their crosshair on her fish. Thursday, 7/30/09 Report (Live Reporting)
That was some weather we had yesterday afternoon/evening. We are out today with only a dozen customers, so I will be doing some play - by - play again.
Conditions - West wind around 7 - 10 knots and an outgoing tide. We will have the tide change at 9:30, and unless we get a wind shift, it's going to be a long day with the wind against the tide.
First Drift - Began on the western end of the Reach with absolute perfect conditions. Had a slow pick of shorts with 1 keeper being caught about 20 minutes into drift. One outbound ship just came through and left a trail of sand that it was kicking up from the bottom of the channel. This will kill the fishing for a while. UGH!!!
Second Drift - Not so good, but we did catch 1 keeper.
Third Drift - Not good. Looks like the thunderstorms from last night have the fluke shut down for now. Hopefully things will get better with the tide change.
Fourth Drift - Still not that good, but better than the last two drifts. Larry Gove caught a 4 1/2 pounder on this one. He is the superstar so far with two keepers in his cooler.
Fifth Drift - No good. A few shorts. Leaving the channel and trying one on the flats.
Sixth Drift - Not good again. Heading east. So far just a pick of shorts.
Seventh Drift - Made a stop on the hard bottom in the channel before passing it up, but more of the same. Our drifting speed was 0.0 knots. Only movement we had was when he kicked the boat ahead. Going to continue heading east.
Eighth Drift - Made one around the tip of the Hook. Barely moving at all. Heading into the ocean.
Ninth Drift - Best of the day so far with a steady pick of shorts and 5 keepers, with one of the keeps being a 4 pounder. Running up to make one more drift.
Tenth and Final Drift - Caught 2 more keepers on the last one.
Overall it was a poor day. The weather from yesterday had the fish that we were catching in the back of the bay not wanting to eat. We did have a decent shot of fish at the end of the day, and managed to grab 7 keepers out of it, but still the majority of the fish were short. Larry Gove who started the day on fire, ended on fire too, by being high hook with 4 keepers, and winning the pool with the 4 1/2 lb fluke. . . On a positive note for tomorrow, there was no signs of bait life in our harbor this morning. I was looking to grab some peanuts for bait, but there was nothing in sight. This afternoon it is back to normal. Just needed to go through a tide cycle to get the runoff out. Hopefully this will be the same for the fluke tomorrow. We will see.
Larry Gove, S. Bound Brook, NJ, win yet another pool.
The Calm Before The Storm
I took this shot at 2:45 in the afternoon. Surprisingly, we didn't get a drop of rain till well after 7:00.
July 29, 2009
Wednesday, 7/29/09 Report
We started off the day with slow fishing in the Reach Channel. Had to wait a little while for the flood tide before we caught anything, but once we got some movement, the bite was on. We made a couple of long drifts and had at least one on at all times. The ratio was way down as usual, but that's nothing new. High hook had 3 keepers, and Bill Umold won today's pool with a 4 pound fluke.
Bill Umold holding his pool winning fish.
Full "Action Photo Assault" Wednesday
Tuesday, 7/28/09 Report
Fishing improved slightly today, however, the keeping did not. Over the past few trips the average person catches anywhere from 7 - 15 fluke with 0 - 2 keepers. It's been a rough few days in the keeper department. Kenny Havens won today's pool with a 4 pound fluke.
Just another day in paradise for Kenny Havens as he wins today's pool.
Monday, 7/27/09 Report
Our first drift was the best of the day. We stopped just outside the sailboats and picked up four 20 - 22 inch fluke immediately, but never saw another fish after that. Made a few drifts over the same area, then moved on. Basically the same fishing that we have been seeing. A good number of shorts, but the keepers are hard to come by. Diane Martin was today's pool winner and high hook with two 4 3/4 pound fish.
Diane Martin holding her two 4 pounders for the day.
July 26, 2009
Sunday, 7/26/09 Report
Another frustrating day!! We fished the entire Reach Channel, at different depths, and worked our way out to Sandy Hook Channel to find the exact same thing. Nothing! Tried some rough bottom. More of the same. Ended up with only a few keepers on the boat . . We'll try again tomorrow.
Saturday, 7/25/09 Report
Had some good fishing very early, but unfortunately it ended quick. Pretty tough day after that. Our day began on the western most end of the bay, and we worked our way all the way into the ocean, and found the same fishing everywhere. Just not good.
July 24, 2009
Friday, 7/24/09 Report (Live Reporting)
I'll do one more day of live reporting. The weather kept a lot of customers away today, so if I have a chance between drifts, I will post an update.
Morning Conditions - Light west breeze. Incoming Tide (Ugh!!) Have a tide change coming at 10:30. Hopefully the wind won't swing.
1st Drift - No good. No movement. Sitting like a rock.
2nd Drift - Made a long one. Picked the shorts the whole way. Only a couple of keepers. Setting up now for the change of tide.
3rd Drift - Made a quick one. Only a few shorts. Resetting for the ebb.
4th Drift - Made another long one. Had some ship traffic early. Picked at shorts the whole way. Only a handful of keepers. Running back up to make another.
5th Drift - Better fishing in the beginning of drift. Dried up as we went along. Make a small move east.
6th Drift - Only a few shorts.
Keeping was not good today. We caught plenty of fish, but they all seemed to be in the 16 1/2 to 17 inch range. John Margavitz was today's pool winner.
July 23, 2009
Thursday, 7/23/09 Report (Live Reporting)
Since we only have a dozen people on board, I am going to do some live reporting in between drifts.
1st Drift - Perfect conditions with the wind and tide together. We will only have it this way for a couple of hours because of the tide change at 9:30. The fluke are biting good so far. Old school spearing is out fishing everything. Doug Kay was high hook on the first drift with 2 keepers.
2nd Drift - Another decent drift. The east wind increased to around 15 knots, but as of now that's a good thing because it is pushing us enough against the tide to where we can cover some ground. Doug Kay put 2 more keepers in his cooler, and high hook on the drift had 3 keepers. So far, so good!! On a side note, I updated the Flukemaster page during the last move. It can be seen here. http://www.captainjohnsfishing.com/Flukemaster_Classic
3rd Drift - One keeper and a few shorts. Changing up the area.
4th Drift - Not good. Wind increased to around 20 knots. Making a small move into some shallow water.
5th Drift - Moved into sheltered water to get out of the wind which is a solid 20 knots. Caught 1 keeper, 1 short, 1 Penn Long Beach Reel, and 1 old busted up rod/reel combo with some quality crab life clinging to it. . . The weather is rapidly deteriorating.
6th Drift - No good. Giving up on the calm waters and heading back to the channel.
7th Drift - No good. The best of the day is behind us as the weather continues to get worse. We haven't caught much since this morning before the east wind increased. Going to make one more drift outside of our harbor before heading in.
There you have it. A basic play-by-play call of the day. The fishing was pretty good before the tide change. We didn't see much after that. Doug Kay, Union Beach, NJ, and Tony Russell, Tampa, Fla, were high hook with 4 keepers, and Tony was today's pool winner with a 4 pound fluke.
Tony Russell came all the way from Tampa, Fla to win today's pool.
You knew Doug "The Duke" Kay was going to have a good day once the King Douglas came through the channel.
Friday's Catch Of The Day
In addition to a keeper fluke, Jimmy Hughes caught this classic Typhoon rod/South Bend reel combo delicately encrusted with barnacles and crabs.
This vintage Penn 60 Long Beach was also caught today. Look for it on sale at the local flee market.
Wednesday, 7/22/09 Report
We hit fluke gold today!! The only problem was that it wasn't "Trophy" fluke gold because the ratio was way down. However, it was one of the top days for fluking this season with easily over 500 fish coming over the rail. "Jigging" John Lipari was high hook with 3 keepers out of 30+ fish, and Don Kellerman, Clark, NJ, won the pool for the day with a 4 pound fluke.
July 21, 2009
The Missing Saturday, 7/18/09 Report
I was so frustrated by Sunday's fishing that I completely forgot about Saturday's report. Thanks to a few customers & emailer's bringing it to my attention, I will post it now. Better late than never!!
I will be 100% honest. Without going back and looking in the book, I do not remember the details of Saturday's trip. I know it was only a few day's ago, but at times it feels like the day's just roll from one into the next. I guess I need to add more brain food to my diet. . Saturday's fishing was ok, and we worked our way out the Reach into the ocean. Pedro won the pool with a 5 pound 2 ounce fluke, and Reverend Daniels came in a very close 2nd with a 5 pound fish, but the real catch of the day was a size 9 flipper. Thankfully we never caught the diver that went with it.
Monday, 7/20/09 Report
The highlight of the day was "Mrs. Assassin" Lisa Ortiz's 8 lb 11 oz fluke. Other than that, the fishing was just average.
We began the day fishing the western most end of the Reach, but getting any movement was difficult because of an east wind and an outgoing tide. Had a few shots of fish, but only grabbed a couple of keepers out of it. Worked our way all the way east into the ocean, and found better conditions. Picked shorts with a keeper or two on each drift. Some decent sized fish came up during the day too. In addition to the big fish we caught a couple of 4 pounder's along with one just under 4. Made our last drift inshore of Sandy Hook, and probably had the best fishing of the day. It wasn't great, but it was better than Sunday.
July 20, 2009
Monthly Pool Update
Down goes Havens!! Down goes Havens!!!
"Mrs. Assassin" Lisa Ortiz took a commanding lead in the monthly and seasonal pools with an 8 pound 11 ounce fluke that she caught during today trip.
July 19, 2009
Sunday, 7/19/09 Report
Never fails!! We get a good crowd of people, and the fish don't want to eat. I'm not even gonna sugarcoat the fishing. It was not good.
Friday, 7/17/09 Report
We had some fairly good fishing today. Spent most of our day in the ocean picking away at the fluke. The ratio was low, but that's nothing new. High hook was Fred Leo with 5, and the pool winner was a 4 1/2 fish.
July 17, 2009
Dolphin Watching
On Thursday we had the opportunity to see some dolphin feeding on schools of bunker. They were around the boat for most of the day, and we caught a couple pictures of them.
Thursday, 7/16/09 Report
Headed to Sandy Hook to begin the day. We had outgoing water with a southwest breeze, making for some tangles and a little kaos, but once everyone was settled, we picked the fish good. Mostly shorts caught with an occasional keeper mixed in. Made our way to the Knoll around mid-day, but nothing doing. Finished up on the Reach with a good shot of fish. Bill Piller finished the day with the equivalent of a walk off homer by catching a 6 pound fluke to win the pool on the last drift.
Wednesday, 7/15/09 Report
Fishing was a little tough today in the Reach Channel. Not many fish caught, but the majority of what we did catch, we kept. Boston Bob was high hook with 5 keepers, and Barbara Olivacz won today's pool with a 5 pound fluke.
July 15, 2009
Tuesday, 7/14/09 Report
Fishing was pretty good today. We fished in the ocean and had a steady pick of fluke for most of the day up to 5 pounds. High hook was Ken Havens with 4 fish.
Monday, 7/13/09 Report
We began the day fishing on the Reach. Drifting conditions were horrible, so we headed east into the ocean. We made some drifts in Sandy Hook Channel and on the Knoll catching fish on all of them. The ratio was not to kind today, unless your name was Anthony "Barker" Rullo. Barker was on fire today, catching over thirty fish, and scoring his limit of keeper fluke.
July 12, 2009
Important Parking Update
Beginning Monday morning there will be a new traffic pattern in Keyport. You will no longer be able to access the boat via the western end of American Legion Drive. You will now have to enter through the eastern end (by the boat ramp).
http://www.captainjohnsfishing.com/Construction_notice.html
Sunday, 7/12/09 Report
Another day of tough fishing. We did catch more fluke today than the past few days, but the majority were shorts. The last couple drifts of the day were the best. During those drifts we didn't catch a lot of fish, but most of what we caught, we kept. Today's pool was a with Jimmy Chambers and Anthony "Barker" Rullo each catching a 4 pound fish. High hook had 3 keepers.
July 11, 2009
Saturday, 7/11/09 Report
Not a good day of fishing today. Began on the western side of the bay, and worked our way east as the day went on, and it was the same everywhere. Dave Brown won today's pool with a 4 pound fluke.
July 10, 2009
Friday, 7/10/09 Report
Today was just like yesterday. Our first drift of the day was the best, and once the tide changed, we were shot in the foot. Had horrible drifting conditions after the change with an outgoing tide and an easterly breeze. High hook had 4 keepers.
July 09, 2009
Monthly Pool Update
Another day, another leader change. This time it's Ken "The Legend" Havens, Hoboken, NJ, stepping up and taking the top spot with a 5 lb 14 oz fish. The July jackpot is now up to $440.00.
Flukemaster Results
Thursday, 7/9/09 Report
Woke up this morning to cloudy skies and an east wind that made it feel more like late September than July. . . Our first drift was the best of the day. We had perfect drifting conditions with the wind and the last of the flood tide together, and managed to throw a good number of keepers in the boat before we lost the tide. Once it changed, it was over for the day. We could only manage a slow pick of fish. Worked our way all the way east to the ammo pier, but it never got any better. Ken "The Legend" Havens, Hoboken, NJ, won the pool, and took the lead in the monthly pool with a 5 pound 14 ounce fluke.
July 08, 2009
Monthly Pool Update
John Lipari caught a 5 pound 11 ounce fluke today, putting him in the top spot for the month of July.
Flukemaster Results
Wednesday, 7/8/09 Report
We had a bounce back day today!!! After yesterday being the worst day of the season, we came out and had a pretty good day of fluking. A west wind and outgoing tide made for perfect drifting conditions along the Reach, and the fluke cooperated as well. Plenty of fish were caught, and some people fared well with the keepers. Carl Bertram, Linden, NJ, had 5 keepers up to 5 1/2 pounds, and Doug Kay, Union Beach, NJ also had 5 keepers. John Lipari threw in 4 keepers, including the pool winner that weighed 5 lb's 11 oz, and another weighing 5 lb's 6 oz.
1 Year Ago Today
One year ago today, on a very slow July afternoon, Doug Kay, from Union Beach, NJ, hooked into what would be a 10 1/2 pound fluke. Doug would soon find himself thrust into the fluker celebrity limelight. After his 15 minutes were up, Doug began dreaming of recapturing the fame that had passed him by. So today, on the anniversary of his catch, he hoped to duplicate the greatness that was a double digit fluke. Doug performed well, putting 5 fish in his cooler by mid-day, however that 6th fish would prove to be elusive. On our last drift, Doug hooked into something good. As he set the hook and began to move the fish off the bottom, something happened. Equipment failure! Doug's line broke at the swivel. Something that happened only a couple hours before. As we examined the faulty swivel, Doug's friend Jimmy asked for a net. Once the fish was in the boat, we noticed that it had Doug's hook and leader in it's mouth. It wasn't a 10 pounder, but it was a quality keeper. The one that would have given Doug his limit. So after a few minutes of trying to find a loophole in the fluking rulebook, Doug gave up on his fight for ownership of the fish, and realized that today it was not going to be. No 10 pounder, and no limit.
July 07, 2009
Tuesday, 7/7/09 Report
There is no way to sugar coat the fishing today. It was horrible!! The full moon is tonight, hopefully tomorrow we can get things back to normal.
July 06, 2009
Monthly Pool Update
Bob Centamore took the lead for the Month of June with this 5 lb 9 oz fluke.
Monthly Pool Results
7/4, 7/5, 7/6/09 Report
Fishing has not been good over the past few trips. We are coming up on the July full moon tomorrow, and that usually shuts down the fishing for a few days. Look for a rebound in the action later in the week. . . We did catch a few fish over 5 pounds today which was the ONLY highlight. Bob Centamore took the lead in the big fish pool for July with a 5 lb 9 oz fluke. The pot is up to $410.
July 03, 2009
July 4th Fishing Trip
We will be sailing 1/2 day on Saturday, July 4th. We will depart at 7:30am and arrive back at the dock at 12 noon.
Friday, 7/3/09 Report
Today we paid respect to our friend and fishing partner Harvey Weyouche. With Harvey's wife, and close friends aboard, we set out to honor him the best way we could, with a good day of fishing.
Our first drift was the best of the day. We caught the last of the outgoing water, and had the fish going until the change of tide. It was just average from there on out. We picked away at the shorts, but keeping was tough. The keepers that we did catch were pretty nice sized. A good number of 4 pound fish were caught, and the pool winner was a 6 pound fluke caught by Mary McQueen.
Thursday, 7/2/09 Report
Fishing today was a dud!! We caught a good number of fluke, but the keepers were hard to come by. Started the day fishing the western end of the Reach, and ended our day at Sandy Hook. It was the same everywhere.
Wednesday, 7/1/09 Report
Fishing was pretty slow today, however the keeper ratio was very good. Carl Bertram caught his limit of fluke up to 4 pounds, and Jerry Cohen had 5 keepers, but not everyone fared as well. We did have 2 people with the skunk, and a few with only 1 keeper.
July 01, 2009
June's Flukemaster Classic Winner
Congratulations to Danny Martin who is winner of the of the big fish pool for the month of June.
Fluke Master Classic Results
Tuesday, 6/30/09 Report
We saw a slight decline in the fishing today. Nothing really wanted to bite until we got some incoming water a few hours into the trip. Jimmy Bufis, formerly of Hoboken, NJ, now residing in Brick, NJ was high hook with 4 fish, and he was also today's pool winner with a 4 1/2 pound fluke.
Monday, 6/29/09 Report
We caught the fluke good again today. Made a couple long drifts on the Reach, and pick right along. They added up for a few people. Bob Centamore was high hook and the pool winner with 5 fish up to 4 3/4 pounds.
Sunday, 6/28/09 Report
Fishing was pretty good on Sunday. We are still fishing the western side of the bay. High hook was 4 fish, and the pool winner was a 4 1/2 pound fluke.
