I was talking to the live blackfish dealer the other day, and was wondering if any fish are being caught. Nothing, nada, zilch was his description. No one is fishing out in the deep and no one has caught a fish in the shallows yet.
Is this unusual? Well over the last few yeas, we have been spoiled with some pretty warm winters, which led to the early blackfish bite off of New Jersey here in the NY BIGHT. This year with water temps hovering around in the low 40s', catching a blackfish has been very, very tough.
So what should we do if we want to catch some blackfish and where should we go?
First, the first blackfish bites will occur in the shallows. Their will be no following the fish in from the offshore wintering grounds. In the NY BIGHT area, you may see a 'shot of fish in the channels, but your best bet would be in the bays and off the beaches in Jersey and Rockaway. Think shallow, warm water early in the season.
For bait, i would definitly bring lightly salted skimmers. I would set my crab traps out, and try to get some calicos. Green crabs of course will catch some fish, but bring along the baits that i have listed. Even better then a green crab in the spring, is the ol' china-back fiddler. And for those of you who have access to hermits, this is the time of the year to use them.
In another half a month we will be in May, and togging will get good. Remember, June 1st is the cut off day for recreational fishing on tog, so with this being April 14, this looks like a short 40-45 day or so season. So be prepaired for the tog bite, and get out there while the season is open.
EC NEWELL MAN*
Jpeg taken off NJ Scuba diving site:
Is this unusual? Well over the last few yeas, we have been spoiled with some pretty warm winters, which led to the early blackfish bite off of New Jersey here in the NY BIGHT. This year with water temps hovering around in the low 40s', catching a blackfish has been very, very tough.
So what should we do if we want to catch some blackfish and where should we go?
First, the first blackfish bites will occur in the shallows. Their will be no following the fish in from the offshore wintering grounds. In the NY BIGHT area, you may see a 'shot of fish in the channels, but your best bet would be in the bays and off the beaches in Jersey and Rockaway. Think shallow, warm water early in the season.
For bait, i would definitly bring lightly salted skimmers. I would set my crab traps out, and try to get some calicos. Green crabs of course will catch some fish, but bring along the baits that i have listed. Even better then a green crab in the spring, is the ol' china-back fiddler. And for those of you who have access to hermits, this is the time of the year to use them.
In another half a month we will be in May, and togging will get good. Remember, June 1st is the cut off day for recreational fishing on tog, so with this being April 14, this looks like a short 40-45 day or so season. So be prepaired for the tog bite, and get out there while the season is open.
EC NEWELL MAN*
Jpeg taken off NJ Scuba diving site:
