[617110]

I know many of you folks probably don't fish this wreck, but if I made a trip there tommorow what can I look forward to...Blues, sea bass, mahi, tuna, shark? Should I concentrate on one species or go prepared for all? Or will I be wasting my time? Any help you can provide will be appreciated.

Thanks,

somoan

 

[617110]

Wolcott

I believe this wreck is in the same area. What are your thoughts on this wreck?

Thanks again

 

[seaslug44]

Somoan,

It's a good wreck and this time of year you can find everything from small makos to sea bass and even fluke. The only problem is that you will be in competition with DIVERS. Even though it is one of the most dangerous wrecks, it is also one of the most popular wrecks for divers in our area. It's so popular that there is a dive buoy attached to the bow of the boat to make it easier for dive boats to locate and hold position over the wreck.

Remember the rules of the road... dive boats have the right of way. Even if you get their early and anchor over the wreck, they have the right of way should they decide to join you. Dive boats are often chartered for the day to dive just one specific wreck. They don't care if other boats are already fishing or diving it. They will stick with their charter plans and procede to dive. On more than one occassion I've had the bite completely turn off as bubbles from divers suround the boat.

 

[617110]

Rules of the road

Doc,

I was actually hoping you would respond! As far as the rules of the road goes they (dive boats) only have priority when they have divers in the water right? If they are under power with noone in the water I assume it is like any other vessel. Do you know anything about the wolcott? Also if I am anchored there or drifting over it do they have to yield to me (ie they are not going to anchor in the same exact spot right?

thanks,

somoan

 

[622273]

Somoan

Brian, I forgot to mention...

Stay off their bouy, stay out of their way. Its their livlyhood, and they are serious. Lots of attitude out there. Give them a lot of room. Also watch out for the occasional diver who screwed up and missed the accent line. He may be bobbing in your slick. (Hope he at least has a camera Last time I was there there was a bouy on the wreck's stern.

I'd rather fish the Wolcott.

...mocean

 

[621962]

a question how do these dive boats feel about diving in a shark slick?

 

[622273]

~~~~~

Gaffman,

The diver will have a good dive. The fisherman won't catch as much. Generally, the chumming boat will drift away from the wreck anyway, while the divers stay anchored on. I dove the Yankee with 5 boats chumming around us within a mile. Never even thought about sharks. The only thing that sometimes enters my mind is a big tiger or an oceanic white tip. I'd love to see a blue or mako. (My shorts may not like to see a mako... but I'd still like to see one...well not a BIG one)

...mocean

 

[MakoMike]

MOcean,
Oceanic white tips are not normally found in the waters around here, so that's one worry you can forget about.

 

[622273]

Whitetip

Thanks Mike. I've seen two. One in the Bahamas. The other was from the tower on a nice flat day heading to the canyon. It was about 50 - 60 miles out, late august. He was about 6 - 7 feet long. No mistaking those pecs.

...mocean

 

[MakoMike]

Mocean,
Boy if you saw one around here that was one lost shark! I can't think of any of the local sharks that you mght have confused with a white tip. Come to think of it, I do seem to remember one of the Montauk boats catching one five or mor years ago. It was so unusual that Jack Casey and his crew flew over from woods hole to examine it!

 

[sakroc]

Don't know anything about diving, so I will ask:

Why do dive boats have the right of way? And does that mean you just can't stop them from diving, or that you even have to move from your specific fishing spot if they say they want to set up and dive there?

Thanks.

 

[622273]

~~~~~

MakoMike - thanks for that. Its a priveledge to see something rare. I had no idea it was THAT rare! Like you said, its hard to mis-identify that shark. It gives me the creeps (I read too much...) Very glad to know they are very rare.

Sakroc - While underway, dive boats have the same rules of the road as you. As soon as they anchor, and have a dive flag up, you must stay away. ( so you dont dent your prop on someone's head.) If you are on the San Diego bouy first, you ***may*** find yourself in a situation where a much bigger commercial boat is very pissed off at you. (Kind of like he has the right of way, because he is the bully.) I don't think its the law. If you are in a spot first, legally I think its your spot. I wouldn't move for a private boat. But I couldn't stop them from diving either. The main thing is you cannot encroach on them, once they have a dive flag up, until they are done and underway. If they had sense, they would not encroach on you.

I just got used to diving with the shark fishermen because they are far enough away when we are anchored to a wreck and they drift away anyway. The sharks will follow the slick, they don't stay near the wreck. Obviously if a guy is chumming directly over the wreck, we will wait for him to drift a ways so we don't interfere. We also tend to dive wrecks people don't know about that are low lying and hard to find. More bugs. If a fisherman is anchored to our destination wreck, we will wait, or try another wreck. Its just courtesy. There are a ton off wrecks out there. But the charters won't show that courtesy always.

...mocean

 

[seaslug44]

The USCG leaves the "rules of the road" up to the individual states when it comes to the right of way of divers.

Here in New York, the rule reads...

"No vessel other than the tending vessel shall be operated within
one hundred feet of a red flag with a diagonal white bar which, when
displayed on the water or from a boat, indicates underwater diving".

Your question about whether or not a dive boat can pull up next to you and chase you away by putting up his dive flag is a good one. Read this restriction...

"but no such flag shall be placed so
as to deny access or use of any boathouse, wharf, harbor, bay, channel
or navigable waterway".

Notice, it doesn't say anything about denying access to a good fishing spot like a wreck.

I researched this once after a commercial dive charter announced on his loudspeaker that we had to pull anchor and leave because they were about to put their dive flag up. A week later I was out there again and the same boat did the same thing. Using the loran to measure my distance, I cruised about 150 feet away and dropped the wreck anchor (the San Diego is large enough that you can do this). When the captain continued to yell on his loudspeaker, I just ignored him because I knew that I was legally allowed to be there. It didn't matter anyway, because once the divers went in the water, the fishing sucked (divers look like giant hungry seals. They tend to turn off the bite real quick).

 

[Hunt n' Fish]

DoctorFish,

As you said, those are the rules for state waters. The San Diego is will beyond the state water boundaries, so do you have any idea what the "rules of the road" are for divers vs. fisherman in federal waters?

 

[617110]

Good point Doughboy! I will assume the rules in federal waters are about the same. What do ya say Doc?

 

[buckley]

Quick release!

If you use treble hooks and hook into a 150-lb. wet-suited bubble blower, make sure you do a quick release.

 

[622273]

~~~~~

Aw, come on Buckly. Geared up, I must go a good 240#. You mean you don't want to hang me at the town dock in the sun? Put me on ice, but pack me in with some beer. (I'll need some 98.6 degree liquid in my wetsuit.) I'll taste like blue shark. So don't eat me!

Hey you'll never get me off the bottom anyway!

...mocean

 

[seaslug44]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. The USCG follows the internationally accepted rule of a 100' radius. They leave it up to the individual States whether or not they want to make the rule stricter, like 200' etc... NY chooses to go with the standard 100' rule.

You are right, the San Diego is about four or five miles outside the State's 3 mile limit. But the Wolcott is much closer to the beach, about the same distance from shore as the Fire Island reef.

 

[Capt.XXX]

Scuba Duba Do...

I caught one of those scuba fish one time. They actually fight pretty well -- almost like a big fall blue shark. Once they get tired you
can reel them right to the boat, just use a straight gaff to the shoulder area -- you should be able to get a tail rope on them pretty easy.

The only down side is that you can't sell them, since the meat spoils so quickly. Also, you go thru so many knives trying to cut that
heavy black skin off and you think your done -- there's another layer of white skin underneath!!!

Too much work -- I'll never try to catch one of those again.

 

[619706]

if adive boat?if i was

if i was fishing the san deiago first and a dive boat told me to move there will be gun fire first come first serve your in international waters ....lock n load