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BLACKFISH

7K views 33 replies 14 participants last post by  LkyLindy 
#1 ·
Gottog, you have the same disease that I do, I count green crabs instead of sheep when I can't sleep in the fall. Unfortunately, the fall is when I am the busiest at work so I only get in a couple of trips a year nowadays. Anyway, while we are on the topic of blackfish, I want to warn all of those that pursue this great fish: BIG changes are on the table regarding regulation. There is a possibility of a 3 fish bag limit with a 16 or 18 inch size limit. We are good to go for the this year, but the future does not look so bright. While I don't mind the size limit too much, the 3 fish bag limit is ridiculous. It looks like the recreationals are going to get screwed again due to the commercial industry's uncanny ability to rape and pillage our resources. If the blackfish are in such a state of collapse, then perhaps they should just shut it down for everybody...

Gamakatsu
 
#2 ·
gamakatsu is right the commercial black-fisherman legal and not destroyed this fisherey they havea 25 fish per boat limit and fish year round for these black fish. due to very high prices the sushi industry killed yet another fishery (giant bluefin) and the sport-charter captains will probly have to suffer even more cut backs in the future. Yes fishing is better these days but no where near like it was before the huge sushi market .....and the best part about it is the artifical reefs built to restore these stocks just give the commercial fisherman a sure thing when the NY recreational season is closed (1 fish per man is a nice way of saying closed season) o well one day some one will realize that the recreational and charter-party boat industry generates more money then any commercial fishery
 
#3 ·
Those changes in regulations would majorily suck!!! Last year the places I usually fish from produced pretty good numbers, but not many quality fish. Each trip I'd catch approximately 30 to 50 fish. Granted, the majority of the fish were around 13" and was only averaging one keeper out of 15 fish. Of course these were spots fished from shore. The boat trips I made did produce some real nice sized tog and a couple limits. I figured they were making a comeback. Guess I was wrong.
Quick question, Gama, have you ever tried shedder oil on your baits? An old sharpie mentioned it to me last year and I thought it just might work. It works wonder when fishing plastic for weakies, so I don't see why it wouldn't work for my fav fish.
I also heard that a chum pot helps too when the bite is slow. More stuff to experiment with this year along with my new Loomis...heehee.


Remember, ya gotta hook 'em to cook 'em.

got tog?

Bergalls have feelings too...
 
#4 ·
Gottog, I have never tried shedder oil, but it stands to reason that it might work. Supposedly the oil has a unique scent that attracts predator fish to a shedding crab. I assume that you are fishing the Jersey shore with all those small fish. I much prefer the LI Sound for big fish as I can honestly say that in 3 trips last year I did not catch one short. I used to go through the crabs on the trip out to pick out the small ones to use whole. The past two years I have been using 3/4 of a large green crab and have found that bigger fish definitely like bigger baits.

Gamakatsu



This message was edited by Gamakatsu on 9-21-01 @ 1:31 PM
 
#5 ·
You got it...Jersey born and raised. I am planning on doing a couple trips out in LI and maybe a lil further out to hunt down some monster slob white-chins.
A few trips I did real well with fish all from 4 to 8 lbs. I just gotta learn to stay away from those real big silver eels...

Remember, ya gotta hook 'em to cook 'em.

got tog?

Bergalls have feelings too...
 
#7 ·
Gama,
Haven't used them myself but have heard of numerous reports on how well they work. Going to get some myself and try em. I know there are special rakes for them but one old sharpie told me just to use half of a killie trap to dig into the sand with and I should get a few each time. I'll update as soon as I try em.


Remember, ya gotta hook 'em to cook 'em.

got tog?

Bergalls have feelings too...
 
#8 ·
gamagatsu, do you head over towards the conn. side for blackfish, went on a fluke trip out of huntington and was talking to one of the regulars on this boat and he mentioned that i should try a blackfish trip, claims that u can limit out with 8-12lb.(all 10 being 8-10lbs)fish. and some 16lbers. here and there. tall tale?

good luck, leo
 
#9 ·
Leo,

I usually fish the James Joseph out of Huntington for blackfish as I have yet to find a better boat for them. I have tried the CT side party boats a couple of times, but I have not done as well there. Interestingly, the James Joseph mostly fishes on the CT side of the Sound. Go figure...The weights seem a little high, but not out of bounds, I have had some phenomenal trips with many, many fish over 5 pounds.

Gamakatsu



This message was edited by Gamakatsu on 9-30-01 @ 9:23 PM
 
#10 ·
gama, definately will try a trip on the james,(interested in hooking something more than 5lbs.)from your experience when is the prime time for the larger blacks at the beginning,or later in the season, up in the sound.
ever try the ocean eagle out of sheepshead bay decent boat,never went home empty handed. the only thing i dont like about that boat its always crowded,(packed like a can of sardines) no matter what day of the week. takes the joy out of fishing especially in rough water. anyway thanks for the reply. leo
p.s. when does the james start to blackfish



This message was edited by leo on 10-1-01 @ 9:42 PM
 
#11 ·
Leo, late October thru Thanksgiving seems to be the ideal time on the James Joseph and I have always done very well right around election day. I honestly don't know exactly when he starts fishing, but I would imagine shortly after season opens. You must expect a crowd on this boat too, especially if you have a real nice day weather wise. If you have the luxury, pick a day that is off the full or new moon as the tides will be lighter. Also, bring some diamond jigs as sometimes when the tide is off (fish don't bite then) he will jig for an hour or two. You should also note that this is NOT a boat for children or virgen ears. The captain is a bit of a loose cannon and you should expect some interesting antics on his part....You can email me at gamakatsu@earthlink.net if you have any more questions.

Gamakatsu

This message was edited by Gamakatsu on 10-2-01 @ 9:33 AM
 
#12 ·
You sure got that right, the Capt of the James Joseph is a real loose cannon. But he really knows his blackfish, and he has some fantastic numbers. The average Blackfish will weigh between 3-6 lbs on a good day. With some real good whitechins up to 10-12 lbs.
If you want to see some real good Blackfishing, try going on the first 1-3 nomans land trips made by the Viking Starship in Montauk. Last year we had some fantastic trips for fish up to 12-13 lbs.
 
#14 ·
Reef Man.
Last year the first 3-4 trips that the viking starship made to Nomans land, were fantastic. Almost everyone on board limited out with blackfish, most fish landed were in the 4-8 lb class, with many, many fish landed in the 7-12 lb class. I say landed because after the first trip most of us switched to 50lb test, because we were busting off 6-10 big fish each trip. On the first trip the Capt, (Steven) busted off 7-9 big fish, which caused him to switch from 40lb test, to 50 lb test. I just hope that this year is as good as last year was. I will be on their first trip which will be on friday Nov 2. My name is John.
 
#15 ·
Leo,

Sometimes the fishing is no where as good as your friend makes it sound. A few times some of the guys who fish on my boat have paid the $$ to go on some of the local party boats to see if they can do better. Every time they go they come back with reports that the fish averaged only 3-5lbs with an occasional 7 or 8lber. Pool fish over 10lbs are caught, but that is sometimes the exception and never the norm. This is consistent with the results we get on private boats fishing the same waters. Each party boat's "numbers" are not secret, and the other party boats all find the fish too because the blackfish are everywhere out there from late October on.

The Viking trip is indeed intense. You leave in the middle of the night and arrive at first light. The days are shorter so you basically bail fish until the sun goes down. Bring heavy line and try to fish the bow or the stern because the boat is so tall that its cabin throws a large shadow in the morning and late afternoon and if you are midship opposite the sun, you will catch less than the rest of the boat (a known secret about these trips). Don't expect to limit but you can expect to land decent fish with many over 8lbs.
 
#17 ·
Bluegill, I live in Jersey, so it is much easier for me to get to the Snow Goose in Greenwich than to Huntington. I have fished them a couple of times for blackfish and done okay. I like the crew alot and they fish within 15 minutes of the dock for the most part, giving a lot of fishing time. The fish run smaller than when I go on the James Joseph and he only uses one anchor so the boat can swing at times. If you are not on the Island, you should consider the boat, but there is no reason to drive there from LI. If I have the time, I make the trip to the James Joseph as he has ONE spot that he basically owns and it produces BIG fish (5 - 7 pounds on average). You may ask how he can own a spot; after you fish the boat once you will see why. When that spot does not produce, you are on an even keel with every other knowledgeable captain out there.

Regarding the James Joseph and the Noli Eileen, they are both great boats with competent crews and the Noli Eileen is more family oriented. I fish the Noli Eileen when I take my son and also for fluke on rare occasions. However, during blackfish season the James Joseph is full before the Noli Eileen has 15 passengers, so that should tell you the story.

Gamakatsu
 
#18 ·
Regarding the sand fleas for blackfish they are widely used in the Maryland/Delaware area and they catch a lot of big fish. By the way sand fleas real name are mole crabs.
I've been catching a few blackfish every trip I make on the south shore reefs for the last couple of months,so as soon as the water temp drops it should only get better!
Good Luck!!!
 
#21 ·
This certainly isn't the kind of behavior we should be rewarding. I don't think any of us would like it if that was our anchor getting snagged or our heads being smacked with broom handles or weights. Running a successful business is one thing, but it shouldn't come at the expense of acting like a human being.
 
#22 ·
Like Gama said.. The Capt on the James Joseph is out of this world.BUT I'm sure as **** that he knows his stuff when it comes to blackfish.
I myself is a regular & caught many decent fish &
pool winners many times.but I do agree that what he does to other boats when they are fishing his
"secret" spot( which is no more ) :) is really not nice.I feel bad for them really... but what can I do or say,he's been doing that for as long as I can remember..
but if it's catching good size tautog,he's the one to go see.
hookem_cookem out.
 
#25 ·
Bite in on now on the Capt. James. I got my limit up to 7 lbs on yesterday trip(11/11/01). Obviously I lost many bigger fish and a lot of sinker(exactly 18) on the sticky bottom. They tried three different wreck including Celtic wreck and all produced fish. Fishing has been good since Thursday. I fished with Freddy C. from NJ on 11/10/01 and fishing was decent on the Sandy Hook Reef. I got 7 keeper blackfish out of 20(probably I was a high hook among 30 guys). But as far as bulldog blackfish is concerned, there are not many places to match with Long Island Sound. When you go with Capt. James, try to avoid Sunday. It is a mob scene. Yesterday was no exception.

ksong
 
#26 ·
Bite in on now on the Capt. James. I got my limit up to 7 lbs on yesterday trip(11/11/01). Obviously I lost many bigger fish and a lot of sinker(exactly 18) on the sticky bottom. They tried three different wreck including Celtic wreck and all produced fish. Fishing has been good since Thursday. I fished with Freddy C. from NJ on 11/10/01 and fishing was decent on the Sandy Hook Reef. I got 7 keeper blackfish out of 20(probably I was a high hook among 30 guys). But as far as bulldog blackfish is concerned, there are not many places to match with Long Island Sound. When you go with Capt. James, try to avoid Sunday. It is a mob scene. Yesterday was no exception.

ksong
 
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