Tuesday, 6/29/10 Live Report

Location: Raritan Reach Channel
Tide: High 10:49am
Water Temp: 75.9 degrees
Wind: W 5 kts
Moon Phase – 91% full
Conditions: Wind against tide conditions to start. Going to be a long time before we move.

BAMMMM!!!!  First fish of the day weighs in at a whopping 11 lb 9 oz and was caught by Hank Conger!!!  Now that’s how to start a morning!!!

First Drift – Well, you can’t begin a day any better than Hank Conger just did. Hank caught the first fish on the boat weighing in at 11 lb 9 oz. . . Despite having terrible conditions with the wind against the tide, we caught a few other keepers and some shorts.

Second Drift – On the last drift we did not move much, but at least we covered some ground. Basically the length of two football fields. That was n0t the case on this one. We probably moved about 10 feet from where we stopped. We are going to head east all the way to the other side of the bay, so have some breakfast, coffee or brunch. If you at work, now is the time to hand in your T.P.S. reports because it will be a while before I put up the next update. Most likely an hour or two.

Third Drift – We had some very good fishing on this one. Caught a very good number of keepers, and slugged away at the shorts the entire drift. This was easily the best fishing that we have had over the last 5 or 6 days. We are going to run up and do it again!

Fourth Drift – We didn’t drift the same on this one. Going to run up, spin the boat around and see if we can get things going again.

Fifth Drift – We have only had a slow pick since the change of tide bite earlier in the day. We are heading near the Ammo Pier for the next one.

Sixth Drift – Made a quick one and it wasn’t any good. Going to head back into the Reach for the last drift of the day.

Seventh Drift – Check that! It was a little fast in the Reach with the wind and tide now together. Only caught a couple shorts. Going to make the last one inshore near Keansburg.

Today was a tale of two stories, the good one before the change of tide, and the not so hot one after. Of course the 11 1/2 lb fluke was the star of the show. We had the best drift in a week on the tide change this morning with close to 20 keepers coming over the rail, however we didn’t catch much after the outgoing water started to run. Overall it was a step in the right direction compared to what we were catching the past 5 days.

Hank Conger’s 11 lb 9 oz fluke is the biggest we caught so far this year. And I say “so far” not only because the season is still young, but because we have seen a very good number of big fish come over the rail. This is the second fluke we have caught this season that was better than 10 pounds. In addition to those two fish, we caught two fish over 7 pounds, and quite a few in the 6 pound range. The 2010 season is shaping up to be a memorable one, and who knows, maybe you can be next!

On a side note, with only tomorrow left, Jeff Luckowich is still the leader for the month of June pool with a 7 lb 8 oz fluke.

What they were eating – Most of the fluke that we catch inside of Sandy Hook bay are loaded with crabs in their stomachs. Today was no exception. In addition to the crabs, I found a few manta shrimp and grass shrimp. The big fish was caught on a plain hook with two spearing. Nothing fancy! And as always, the green, or chartreuse Gulp worked wonders.

Sunday, 6/28/10 Pool Winner

We went from one extreme to the next as far as drifting conditions. Began the morning in the back of the bay, but had absolutely no wind or tide to move us. So, off we went to Sandy Hook where 8 oz sinkers were the norm. Fishing wasn’t great, but we did slow pick at the shorts with an occational keeper coming aboard, one of them weighing in at 6 lb 6 oz which was caught by John Pasomain from Jo Sho Restaurant in Somerset, NJ. That was the highlight to a rather less than average day. High hook caught 3 keepers.

John Pasomain from Jo Sho Restaurant, Somerset, NJ, was today’s big winner with this 6 lb 6 oz fluke.

Michael McDonnell caught the first fish in the boat today, and later on caught this nice keeper fluke.

Saturday, 6/27/10 Pool Winner

We had a tough day of fishing. Started the morning on the top of the tide, and we never really got the current from the outgoing water. I talk about conditions all the time, and today we had NONE! No wind or tide for us to cover any ground. With that being said, fishing was not great. We did pick at the shorts with an occational keeper coming aboard. Paul Amadio was high hook with 4 keepers, and Bill Venezia and John Hannah put 3 each in their coolers. Bob Sawyer caught a 4 lb 8 oz fluke early in the morning, and it held up all day to win the pool. The spro and Gulp combo was not too hot today. The guys who had the most success with the keepers were using natural bait.

Bob Sawyer won the pool with this 4 lb 8 oz fluke.

Friday, 6/25/10 Live Report

Location: Raritan Reach Channel
Tide: High 7:44am
Water Temp: 74.2 degrees
Wind: N 3 kts
Moon Phase – 99% full
Conditions: We are starting the morning on the change of tide. There was a slight breeze when we left the dock, but it had since diminished to almost nothing. It is going to be tough early on because we will have no wind or tide to move us.

First Drift – I said it in the beginning of this post that we are going to have a hard time with the conditions, and it was true. We probably drifted the length of a football field in an hour. Caught a few shorts, and a keeper.

Second Drift – Not too good. We are not moving at all. In times like this you have to work the bait yourself. Tossing it out, working it back, and Paul Amadio is no stranger to working it. With visions of Robert Redford in “The Natural”  in my mind, Paul went on a streak of 10 consecutive fish, however they were all undersized. It’s just a matter of time before he hits one out of the park.

Third Drift – Made a quick one, but we are just not moving at all. Going to change up the area and go where we can get some current.

Fourth Drift – Conditions improved somewhat, and we are picking at the fluke. Some are luckier than others with the legal fish, as we put a dozen and a half on the boat, one of them which is around 5 pounds.

Joe Varga caught this 4 lb 9 oz fluke to split the pool.

Fifth Drift – We couldn’t repeat the same fishing as the last drift. Changing it up again and heading east a good peg.

Mary Zeni landed this nice 3 pound fluke today.

Sixth Drift – Moved way to the east near the Ammo Pier. Fishing is not too good right now. Only a slow pick of shorts.

Seventh Drift – Another not so hot drift.

Our fourth drift of the day was the best. Other than that one, it was not too good of a day. We are on a full moon, and that does affect the fluking each month. Believe it or not, we had another tie for the pool. Charles Meier and Joe Varga each caught a 4 lb 9 oz fluke to slit the today’s pot. 

Charles Meier holding the other half of today’s pool.

Friday, 6/26/10 Pool Winner

Thursday, 6/25/10 Pool Winner

Thursday, 6/24/10 Live Report

Location: Raritan Reach Channel
Tide: Low 12:58pm
Water Temp: 77.9 degrees
Wind: WSW 12kts
Moon Phase – 96% full
Conditions: Very good conditions to start the day. We will outgoing water for the majority of the trip, and a west wind to help move us along the channel.

First Drift - Started the morning on the western end of the bay, and had some pretty good fishing. Bob Centamore started us off with the first keeper of the day, and a couple others followed. We are going to run up and make the same drift again.

Talk about having a bad morning! This fluke had a nice breakfast before being caught, and then he became a bluefish’s breakfast on the way up.

Second Drift – This drift was not as good as the first one. The wind has come on here again today. It is out of the west and probably blowing around 20 kts with some gusts that are 25. We are going to make a move east and try one there.

Third Drift – Caught some fish on this drift. Bob Centemore came here today on a mission. Bob caught 2 more keepers making his total 4 fish so far.

Bob’s 4 keepers sitting on ice, waiting to be dinner!

Fourth Drift – Not good. We are going to make one in some shallow water south of the channel.

Fifth Drift – Slow pick with a couple of keepers coming aboard. Running up to do it again.

Sixth Drift – We snapped away at the shorts, but no keeps. Going to finish the day back in the Reach.

Seventh Drift – Finished up in the channel with a pick of shorts.

Once again the first drift of the day was the best. After that first one, the wind speed increased, and the fishing was not the same for the remainder of the day. Bob Centamore took advantage of the good fishing early on and put 4 keepers in his cooler, one of them tying for the pool. Alan Abramson, Matawan, NJ, caught the fish that had the other half of pool.

What worked: Green Gulp has been the way to go this season. Also, a few keepers were caught on long bluefish strips.

Wednesday, 6/23/10 Live Report

Location: Raritan Reach Channel
Tide: Low 12:09pm
Water Temp: 77.4 degrees
Wind: W 8kts
Moon Phase – 91% full
Conditions: PERFECT conditions to start the day with the wind and tide together!!

First Drift - Banner start to a beautiful Wednesday morning! We had fish on right away, and it continued for 2 hours. Ken Havens showed why he is nicknamed “The Legend” by putting 3 keepers in his cooler on the first drift! Carl Bertram had a good start also, throw 2 in his box. Green Gulp has been the ticket again today. . We are running up to make another drift. Conditions are the same. Should have the same results!

Second Drift – We are still picking at the fluke. The ratio is down on this one though.

Third Drift – Not as good as the first. We did pick at the shorts, but no keepers. The wind has come on here a bit, making the drift fast. Going to change it up somewhat.

Fourth Drift – Ken “The Legend” caught an immediate keeper, making his total 4 for the day. We caught a few more on this one. Making another drift here.

Fifth Drift – No good. Changing up the area.

Sixth Drift – Not good again. Things have turned off here all of a sudden. Each stop we catch some shorts with an occational keeper mixed in.

Seventh Drift – We went from being the windshield, slaying the fluke, to being the bug. The fluking has turned off all of a sudden.

We took one on the chin today, but after the stretch of good fishing that we had, it’s expected. Our first drift of the day was the best with the action as good as it has been, but as the day progressed, the fishing slowly declined. The wind did come on later in the morning making for a fast drift, but that is not solely to blame for the slow day. It could have been that they just did not want to eat. Ken Havens was today’s high hook with 4 fish, and the pool winner was a 4 pound fluke.

Tuesday, 6/22/10 Live Report

Location: Raritan Reach Channel
Tide: Low 12:00pm
Water Temp: 76.1 degrees
Wind: NE 1kts
Moon Phase – 84% full
Conditions: Outgoing water till noon, and wind out of the NE very, very light. We are starting the day in the channel, and will move out slowly with the tide.

First Drift - We are back to reality with the ratio today. Made a long one, and had pretty good fishing with a handful of keepers. We are going to have some drifting problems with the next drift. The wind has increased to around 7 kts outs of the ENE, and it will be holding us up against the tide.

Second Drift – We are moving slowly up against the tide. Still pick at the fish, however the ratio is way low today. A couple good fish came up on this one though, one landed by John Lipari that weighed over 4 pounds.

Third Drift – Made this one off the channel in shallow water and it was no good. Heading back into the channel. The wind speed has increased slightly to around 8 – 10 kts. We will have the beginning of the flood water on the next drift, and will drift nicely with the wind.

Fourth Drift – Not so good. Picked a few shorts and a keeper. The wind and tide will be chuggin us along on the next one. Going to set up a little differently.

Fifth Drift – Picked away at the shorts. Like I said earlier, we have come crashing back to reality with the ratio. . . Oh yeah, we did catch one really nice tree. Sort of resembles a pathetic Christmas Tree.

Sixth Drift – Found some keepers on this one. Al Skowronski and John Lipari both added 2 keepers to their catch.

As you can see, we only made six drifts all day, and that means a couple of things. 1. We made long drifts. 2. We caught a lot of fish.  Well, we did catch a lot of fish, and we threw a lot of fish back. The ratio was not in our favor at all today. Found fish all along the Reach Channel, but couldn’t find the motherload of big fish that we had for a week or so. Al Skowronski caught upwards of 40 fish and had 3 keepers. John Lipari also had 3 keepers and was today’s pool winner with 4 lb 1 oz fluke.

We are  more than halfway through the month of June and Jeff Lukowich remains the leader for the month with a 7 lb 8 oz fluke. The pot for the month is up to $320.00.

John Lipari won today’s pool with this 4 pound fluke.

Misty Granski was Sundays winner with this 5 lb 10 oz fluke.

Joe Coscia with his 6 lb 3 oz pool winning fish.

We had a tie for today’s pool with Steve Kerry and Eddie Spanier both catching 6 lb 6 oz fluke.

Steve Kerry and his fish.

Eddie Spanier holding his 6 lb 6 oz fluke.

Chris Duda won today’s pool with this 6 lb fluke.

Ernie Bertha started the day right with this 7 lb pool winning fluke.

Jeff Lukowich won another pool today with this 5 1/2 pound fluke.

John Hamor won Monday’s pool with this 5 lb fluke.

The day started off with a bang and it continued for most of the day. The ratio was down a little, but the keepers did add up. Ralph Tolmeri caught his limit, and tied for the pool with a 4 lb 10 oz fluke. On a side note, we have been very busy the past few days (Good thing!!) and I have been unable to post any live updates. Tuesday morning I will be back to some play by play action. See you then!

Ralph Tolmeri had an all-star day catching his limit, and tying for the pool.

Sorry that I haven’t been able to post any reports the past couple days. This weekend is typically our busiest of the year, and it didn’t disappoint. Fishing was very good at times and no so good at times also. We had drifting issues for periods of both days, Saturday and Sunday, but when the current finally began to move us, the bite was on. Saturday’s pool winner was Joe Coscia, Union, NJ, with a 6 lb 3 oz fluke, and Sunday’s pool winner was Misty Granski with a 5 lb 10 oz fluke.

Joe Coscia with his 6 lb 3 oz pool winning fish.

Misty Granski was Sundays winner with this 5 lb 10 oz fluke.

“I only target big fish!” That was one of the first quotes I heard this morning, and man was it true!! What started as a joke, ended up being reality as we had one of those day that will be remembered for years.

The day started off slow with very little movement and action, but an hour or so into the day it all broke loose. We made a 3 hour 50 minute drift that was non-stop action. Bruce and I literally did not put down a net for close to 2 straight hours. Even John was on deck netting fish. The size of the fish that were coming up is something that I haven’t seen in a few years with many 3, 4 and 5 pound fish being caught all around the boat. Two people had their limit, and six others had 5 keepers. There was a tie for the pool with two fish weighing exactly 6 lb 6 oz. Like I said in the beginning of the post, today was a day that will be remembered by every fluker that was on the boat.

Jay Tomlinson, Steve Kerry & Gary Thompson with their catch.

 
“The Bow Guys” John Lipari, Jeff Lukowich & Paul Franek beat them up again today.

Gary Thompson was the first person to catch their limit this season.

In addition to winning the pool, Steve Kerry caught 5 keepers.

Steve Kerry split today’s pool with this 6 lb 6 oz fluke.

Eddie Spanier, Morgan, NJ was the other half of the pool with his 6 lb 6 oz fluke.

Michael holding up a 3 and a 4 pound fluke caught on the last drift.

Even Lenny got in the action catching 4 keepers.

Thursday, 6/17/10 Live Report

Location: Raritan Reach Channel
Tide: High 12:02pm
Water Temp: 71.8 degrees
Wind: W 18kts
Moon Phase – 31% full
Conditions: Hard west wind up against an incoming tide is going to make for terrible conditions.

First Drift - Gave our buoy a shot, but came up empty. Heading to the Reach.

Second Drift – TERRIBLE conditions with the wind pushing us slightly against the tide. Only a few shorts. Heading east.

Third Drift – Conditions remain bad, but we did put a few fish on the boat. A few shorts and a few keepers. It is not good by any means because of the wind against tide conditions that we have. The current should start to ease off in a hour and half or so. Might have a shot to put a catch together when that happens.

Fourth Drift – Not good, but a couple of keepers, one weighing in at 5 pound caught by Chris Duda.

Fifth Drift – We have very adverse conditions with this wind. It has increased to around 30 kts, however, even though we are not catching much, a good number of the fish we catch we keep. Jimmy Bufis put three fish in his cooler up to 5+ pounds.

Sixth Drift – Couple more keepers, but not many fish at all. It is what it is today. We are not catching a lot of fish, but the ones we do catch are quality.

Seventh & Eighth Drifts – Made two drifts in some shallow water, and caught next to nothing. Going to change it up and head back to our end of the Reach.

Ninth Drift – Wow!! We finished strong!! The last drift was the best of the day with some big fish coming over the rail. Chris Duda caught another baby beast weighing in at 6 pounds, and there were a few 4 pound fish caught on this one as well. Heck of a way to end the day!! 

We all have a little wind burn after today. The hard wind made for terrible conditions, but we did catch some nice fish. Chris Duda put a 5 lb and 6 lb fish in his cooler, with the 6 pounder winning the pool, and Jimmy Bufis was high hook with four keepers up to 5 1/2 pounds. A good number of 4 pound fish were caught as well.

What worked – GULP!! Green Gulp was magical today.

Wednesday, 6/16/10 Live Report

Location: Raritan Reach Channel
Tide: High 11:56am
Water Temp: 71.3 degrees
Wind: E 6kts
Moon Phase – 21% full
Conditions: East wind and an incoming tide will make for great conditions on the Reach. Going to make a stop around the midway point and see how it goes. 

First Drift – BAM!! First fish of the day was a 7 pound fluke caught by Ernie Berth, Edison, NJ. Now that’s how you start a day!!! . . . The fish are moving into the back of the bay, and we had some good fishing on this one. The ratio is much better than it has been, and we put some keepers in the buckets. High hook on the first drift had 2.

Second Drift – The wind has increased to around 12 kts, and with the flood tide is making for a fast drift. Carl Bertram put 2 keepers in his cooler.

Third Drift – Not so good on this one. The wind is coming SSE now and still around 8 kts. Not many fish caught. We are still in the Reach. Heading east slightly.

Fourth Drift – It is not the same fishing that we have been seeing. We slow pick a fish with an occational keeper coming over the rail. We did catch another big one. Somwhere between 6 1/2 and 7 pounds. Still have to put it on the scale. Carl Bertram put another keeper in his cooler and took the lead back for high hook so far with 3 fish.

Fifth Drift – No good. We now have wind against the tide in the Reach. Going to move way inshore and see if we can let the wind push us around.

Sixth Drift – Made this one way inshore where we had some pretty good fishing yesterday, but only a couple shorts.

Seventh Drift – 1 fish, 1 keeper. That was it. We haven’t seen much since the tide change. Going to make one more in the Reach to finish out the day.

Eighth Drift – We did not finish strong. SE wind against outgoing water shot the rest of the day for us.

I will say one thing. We are catching some good sized fluke this year. Even though most days the keepers are tough to get, there have been some beasts caught. Today was no exception. We had one just 2 ounces short of 7 pounds, a 6 pounder, and a 4 1/2 pound fish. That makes one 10 pounder, three 7 pounders, and a couple of 6 pound fish for the young 2010 season. I hope the trend continues!
   Fishing today started off great. We found the fish in the Reach fairly close to the dock. We did not have the crazy fishing we were seeing with all those 10 – 15 inch fish, but we did slow pick them and the ratio was much better. Lost the bite with the tide change at noon, but the keepers did add up for some. Three people tied for high hook with 3 fish. Ernie Bertha was today’s pool winner with a 7 pound fluke.

We are halfway through the month of June and Jeff Lukowich remains the leader for the month of June with a 7 lb 8 oz fluke. The pot for the month is up to $310.00.

Tuesday, 6/15/10 Live Report

Location: Raritan Bay
Tide: High 10:59am
Water Temp: 70.1 degrees
Wind: NNE 10kts
Moon Phase – 12% full
Conditions: There is a 10 kt NE wind to start the day. We will have a shot at both tides today beginning with the flood this morning.  Drifting conditions will be good to start off.

Tom Woychio caught the first keeper of the day.

First Drift – Made a stop outside of our harbor based on the fact that we found some fish to the west of the pier yesterday. We did see a half dozen shorts, but it wasn’t enough to keep up there. Heading east a good peg.

Second Drift – Found some keepers on this one. We put a half dozen on the boat. It isn’t the same fireball fishing that we have had, but the ratio is much better. Tom Woychio started us off with the first keeper, and Jeff Dressler caught a 5 pound fish that is currently the biggest on the boat.

Jeff Dressler and his 5 pound fluke.

Third Drift – Five more keepers on this one. Like I said about the last drift, it is not the fishing that we had the past five days or so, but we are catching them, and we are putting some keepers on the boat. 3 people are tied for high hook with 2.

Fourth Drift – Lost the current and the wind is not pushing us enough to cover any ground. Changing up the area.

Fifth Drift - This was by far the best drift of the season as far with the keepers. We put a 9 in the boat, and Jeff Lukowich caught a nice fish that weighs close to 6 pounds. I’ll give an official weight soon.

Jeff Lukwich won the pool with this 5 1/2 lb fluke.

Sixth Drift – The drift became too fast for us to fish. Changing area.

Seventh Drift – Moved into Sandy Hook Bay and only had a slow pick of shorts. Going to head into the Reach and see if we can find some more keepers there.

Eighth Drift – A pretty good Southerly wind came up this afternoon, and it is pushing us slowly against the tide. A few shorts a keeper on this one. Going to make one more drift on the Reach.

Ninth Drift – A few shorts to end the day.

We did not have the same “one after the other” fishing with the shorts that we have had over the past 5 days, however, we did have more quality fish. By quality, I mean keepers. The ratio was better then it has been all season. Did we put 50 keepers on the boat? No, but it was a step in the right direction. It looks like the fluke are beginning to make there move into the bay. We picked a few shorts off our buoy, and found some nice fish west of Sandy Hook. Our best drift of the day was in the deeper water off Sandy Hook on the tide change. Jeff Lukowich and Tom Woychio were high hook with 3 keepers, and Jeff won today’s pool with a 5 1/2 pound fluke. Jeff is also the leader in the Flukemaster June pool with a 7 lb 8 oz fish. 

The Bow Crew holding up their combined 7 keepers.

Monday, 6/14/10 Live Report

Location: Sandy Hook
Tide: High 10:05am
Water Temp: 69.4 degrees
Wind: SSW 1kts
Moon Phase – 6% full
Conditions: There is no wind right now to affect our first drift. We will start the day with the flood tide, and have a change in an hour or so. Our first drift will be in the deep where we caught the 10 pounder yesterday.

First Drift – It wasn’t the magical start that we have had the past few day, but it wasn’t bad either. Picked the shorts, and Kenny “The Legend” Havens put the first keeper on the boat measuring in at 20 inches.

Second Drift – Made a long one, and slow picked at the fluke. Jimmy Chambers put a nice keeper in his cooler. Jigs and bucktails are hot today!

Third Drift – Made one way inside Sandy Hook Bay and slow picked at the fluke. John Hamor put 2 keepers in his bucket including a 5 pounder.

Fourth drift – Slowed picked at the small fluke. No keepers on this one. Changing the area up, and going to try and find some bigger fish.

Fifth Drift – Slowed down after the tide change. We are hardly moving at all. Slow picked at the shorts with a couple more keepers coming aboard. Jimmy Chambers is high hook so far with 3.

Sixth drift – No good. Going to make our last one to the west of where we have been fishing. There hasn’t been much caught back there, but it is that time of year, and today could be the day.

Seventh Drift – Pretty good fishing to end the day. We did catch one more keeper out of it.

We have had some very good fishing over the past 5 days, and it continued today, however, finding keepers is still a problem. A good sign of things is that we found fish slightly to the west of where we have been fishing. That means the fluke are starting to move into the bay. Jimmy Chambers was today’s high hook with 3 keepers, and John Hamor won the pool with a 5 pound fluke.

What worked – GREEN!!!  Green jigs, green gulp. Just about all the keepers were caught on green today.

John “Smitty” Smith won today’s pool with this 4 pound fluke.

Nick Lindia was Saturday’s pool winner with this 5 pound fluke.