Blackfin Tuna

Barracuda

Cobia

Mutton

It has been said that South Florida specifically the keys is the Mecca of sport fishing. Making an annual pilgrimage to the Florida Keys is a rite of passage for many anglers.  South Florida & the Florida Keys boast what is arguably the most plentiful salt water fishing in the continental United States.  Myself and 3 coworkers spent 5 days in the middle keys (Marathon FL) fishing with charter boat captain Jack Carlson of Two Conch Charters (www.twoconch.com).

October is a perfect time to escape the oncoming winter New Jersey weather and head south for some prime fishing.  This year the best airline deals took us to Fort Lauderdale and short car ride had us in the tropical keys.  I have visited just about every key from Key Largo to Key West.  The fishing seems to be excellent regardless of where your trip takes you. This trip we stayed in the middle keys in Marathon, which is a really great town with many amenities you won’t find in the smaller keys. Most notably it is where Captain Jack Carlson hails from, and also where he has his bait and tackle (Big Time Bait & Tackle Shop).  While Key West holds an allure for many travelers to the South Florida, some of the other keys are not to be missed.

We took advantage of a 3 day full day charter & lodging package offered by Two Conch Fishing Charters.  The coolest part about the package is Captain Jack has a 2 bedroom well equipped condominium on top of his bait & tackle store. Furthermore the boat is right out back, so getting up in the morning and getting to the boat is totally painless.  The price with 4 anglers was more than reasonable.  Captain Jack and his mate Brett worked relentlessly to get us on fish and keep us on fish.  Every morning Captain Jack would lay his plan out for the day, including whether we would fish in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico for the day.  Captain Jack would let us know what fish we would be targeting that day, and I must say we pretty much caught every kind of fish he set out to catch.  In all we counted 19 different kinds of fish that we caught over the trip.  Brett was kind enough to freeze pack our fillets and we shipped back 55lbs of frozen fish to New Jersey, along with some fresh black fin tuna. 

So a quick recap of our trip:

Day 1 we fished in the Ocean and targeted Yellowtail, Mangrove and Mutton Snapper (We limited out on Snapper for the day with 60) We also caught some very large grouper, some Gag Grouper which we could keep and some Goliath Grouper which we had to put back.  Rick was able to land a very nice Yellow Jack.

Day 2 – We fished in the Gulf and targeted grouper and Cobia.  We did very well with both, in fact I caught a Goliath Grouper between 80 and 100 lbs which on light spinning rod was like bringing in a small Volkswagen.  The cobia fishing was a first for me, we caught about 5 total weighing between 25 and 40 lbs. Cobia fishing is cool because when one person on the boat hooks up with one, as he brings it to the boat others are following, so you can sight pitch out to them and have multiple hook ups at once.  Andy also had a nice battle with a very large barracuda, which put up quite a fight.  After my day 1 incident with a barracuda I was glad to see Andy land this one.  On day 1 I was bringing a yellow tail to the boat.  I lifted it up out of the air about chest high to me and was just getting ready to reach out to unhook it, when a 5 foot barracuda broke the water and leapt up to about eye level with me, grabbed my fish, hook and line and took off. It didn’t take more than a 1 minute fight before he snapped my line off.  Quite the excitement but we were glad that barracuda didn’t land in the boat.

Day 3 – Was our offshore day we went out to the Marathon humps for blackfin tuna.  The seas were somewhat rough but that didn’t stop us from fishing and doing pretty good for the day.  Tuna fishing at the humps is a lot of work as you are jigging in about 800 feet of water and approximately 400 feet down. Mike caught 3 tuna, Andy and I each caught 1.  This tuna was probably some of the best eating tuna I have ever had!  We then moved onto to try and get some wahoo. In doing so, Rick was able to hook up with a nice dolphin fish. We hooked up with 2 wahoo but were not successful in getting them to the boat.  The day was quite a success as the tuna were a huge hit and we all love mahi mahi.  Once again Jack and Brett did an unending job to ensure we had a great fishing trip.

Once again please contact me about my trip or check out www.twoconch.com for more information and pricing.  Florida Keys is a perfect winter getaway this time of year.

Pictured below is Damon Miller with a COW!  He caught his Saturday the 10-23-2010 in the Lower Bay aboard the Miller Mania!  They were using chunk bunker for bait.

The fish was 47 inches and weighed over 50 lbs!  Hopefully this is a sign of more to come! 

Nice Fish Damon!

11-5-2010

Also added is Timmy T with a striper caught in the upper bay, Timmy caught the cow on Bunker chunk out of Rusty Joe’s Marina in Money Island.  If you need bait or tackle in Money Island give Bruce a call!  They have all your needs covered with a great new boat ramp and gas a reasonable price!

Timmy T lands his first Striper of the 2010 Fall season!

Check out this 42″ 30 lb fish

If you fish in New Jersey and do not fish for striped bass you are crazy.  Whether it is along the Atlantic Coast or up in the Delaware Bay the fishing is some of, if not the best along the East Coast. 

Just remeber the best fishing is yet to come.

Catch em Up,

Timmy T

He past surrounded by a loving and caring family.

Scott battled melanoma for the past year and succumbed to it on July 15,2010.  Scott was a husband, son, brother, nephew , grandson and uncle.  He was also a great fisherman and his love for the outdoors shined through out his life.  The family showed what a tremendous man he was with a stirring tribute to him.  

To see the memorial service or to see a video put together about Scott please check out the links below.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1512657451666

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1vLI-UOx5E

I will never go fishing without thinking of you Scotty!

Timmy T

Fisherman’s Prayer

I pray that I may live to fish

that in His mercy I be judged

big enough to keep.

Our Scotty Boy,

We will remember you always for your child like wonder, your love of nature and your big, beautiful smile, but most of all, for your huge heart and for all of the love. You will always be with us.

Read more: http://www.gloucestercitynews.net/clearysnotebook/2010/07/gloucester-city-nj-scott-bevan-memorial-service-july-24-2010.html#ixzz0uz5EhBH8

As appearing in the Press of Atlantic City on 2/14/10:

 Mark Allen thought it was pretty bad luck when it rained all three days of his first Strictly Jersey boat show in Cape May last year.    Then he saw a blizzard cut the recent Atlantic City International Power Boat Show’s traffic in half. Rain is looking a lot better now.

”Boaters aren’t afraid of the water, and it meant they weren’t out at the beach,” he said.

Allen announced that South Jersey Marina, where he works, will hold its second Strictly Jersey boat show April 30 to May 2.

Strictly Jersey is small for a boat show and, as the name suggests, strictly regional. Last year’s debut featured 50 boats in the water – the number of slips at the marina – and another 20 or so on land.

But the show he manages has some advantages, Allen said.

For one, it’s mainly an in-water boat show. That makes it possible to show big boats without hoisting them from the water. Last year’s show featured a 72-foot Buddy Davis from Egg Harbor Yacht Co. – more than 20 feet bigger than anything at the Atlantic City show.

Better still, with boats already in the water, test drives are possible for serious potential buyers.

”You can’t come and go for a boat ride, but if you’re a serious buyer and the dealer ascertains that you’re a qualified buyer, that can happen,” Allen said.

The show’s limited hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in fact, are arranged to encourage such sea trials for two hours before and after the show, he said.

Another advantage is that the show targets boat buyers instead of the general public by giving them free admission. Anyone with a N.J. Safe Boating certificate or membership with marine-assistance company Sea Tow, a show sponsor, gets in free. Participating dealers also have tickets to give away, he said.

Strictly Jersey is open to the public, but the cost at the gate is $15.

Last year’s show offered boats from 23 dealers and manufacturers, including big regional builders such as Luhrs Marine Group in Millville, Viking Yacht in the New Gretna section of Bass River Township, Burlington County, and Ocean Yacht in Egg Harbor City, he said.

The “strictly” New Jersey of the title is applied loosely, so any state-based retailer can exhibit marine products from anywhere. Albemarle Boats of North Carolina, for example, were exhibited by its dealer in the area.

New Jersey is a fairly robust boating market, a coastal state with many inlets, rivers and back bays for marina locations.

In 2008, 5,394 new power boats were sold in the state, according to data gathered by the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

Total N.J. boat registrations peaked in 2000 at 243,000 and have declined slowly since to 183,000 in 2008.

Of 50 boats in the water at Strictly Jersey last year, 30 were new and 20 were what the boating industry calls brokerage boats and what the rest of us call used or previously owned boats.

Allen said the show makes money for South Jersey Marina through exhibitor fees – “a small fraction of what they’d pay for a big boat show” – and through selling boats it exhibits at the show. How much, though, he wouldn’t say.

Competing boat dealers also make money at the show, which makes it like many small trade shows organized by one participant in a specialized market for the convenience and efficiency of all in that market locally.

”We’d love to see Strictly Jersey become a fixture, but we’ll stay focused on the yacht sales business,” Allen said.

]]> http://www.fishcrazed.com/strictly-jersey-boat-show-is-coming-again/feed 0 http://www.fishcrazed.com/new-jersey-fishermen-must-be-registered http://www.fishcrazed.com/new-jersey-fishermen-must-be-registered#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:16:06 +0000 Timmy T http://www.fishcrazed.com/?p=395  

With the annual spawning runs of popular recreational species such as striped bass, shad and river herring just weeks away, the NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is reminding anglers that under a new federal law, most New Jersey saltwater recreational fishermen are now required to register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry before they go fishing. The Saltwater Angler Registry is part of an improved data program to help protect the long-term sustainability of recreational fishing.
As of January 1, 2010, New Jersey fishermen must be registered if they:

    * Fish for or catch anadromous species in tidal and salt waters; these are fish like river herring, shad or striped bass that live in the oceans but spawn in fresh water, OR
    * Fish in the Federal waters more than three miles from the ocean shore or from the mouths of rivers or bays, OR
    * Don’t meet any of the exceptions in the law.
Those exceptions include anglers who*
    * …are under the age of 16.
    * …have a currently valid saltwater license from another state whose license meets the criteria of the Angler Registry.
    * …already registered with NOAA in 2010 to fish saltwater in another state.
    * …only fish on vessels that are holders of for-hire (or charter boat and party boat) permits issued by NOAA Fisheries.
    * …hold a Highly Migratory Species Angling permit.
    * …are fishing commercially under a valid license.
Registration is quick and easy and is free in 2010. Anglers simply need to log on to http://www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov/ and click on the Angler Registry link, or call the toll-free registration line at 1-888-MRIP411 (1-888-674-7411). Anglers will need to provide their name, date of birth, address and telephone number, and will receive a registration number that will allow them to begin fishing immediately.
After approximately 30 days, registrants will receive a registration card in the mail. Registration is valid for one year from the date of registration and anglers who do not meet any of the exceptions in the law must register annually.
The registry is an important tool that will help fishermen and policy makers work together to better account for the contributions and impacts of saltwater anglers on ocean ecosystems and coastal economies. It is part of a national overhaul of the way NOAA collects and reports recreational fishing data.
The goal of the initiative – known as the Marine Recreational Information Program, or MRIP – is to provide the most accurate information possible that can be used to determine the health of fish stocks. Reliable, universally trusted data will in turn aid anglers, fisheries managers and other stakeholders in their combined efforts to effectively and fairly set the rules that will ensure the long-term sustainability of recreational fishing.
For more information, visit http://www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov/ .

The venue is situated as soon as you arrive in Atlantic City so whether you drive or ride the train you are either parking or getting off the train and right into the show.   When getting into the show it was laid out nicely so you can browse the boats then hit the trades/vendors while you decide what boats you want to look at.  I visited several of the vendors and spoke with a great deal of interesting people.    My personal goals were to find the best school to attend for getting a captain’s license, talk to and buy some artificial lures for wahoo/dolphin/sails in the Keys and learn about and buy a personal locator beacon.  I also wanted to check out the latest and greatest boats that we could expect to see on the water, along with what the engine manufacturers are doing for the fuel war.

When I started I met up first with Dan from Scylla Lures (www.scyllalures.com).  He suggested a few lures for me to try, I bought two without hesitation and can not wait to use them.  If you check out his site you will see that you can have your name applied to the lure.  A cool idea for a gift.  The lure skirts are all vinyl and tied not glued on.  The lures heads are pours with the eyes set in, no losing eyes, and the poly is water clear.  I also bought a great pair of pliers, the pliers are all aluminum with a braid cutter on the side.  They came with a nylon sheath and a tether cord.  For a 29.99 dollar price tag it was the deal of the show.  Dan was paired up with Robert Browning of Boomerang fishing (www.boomerangfishing.com) .  Robert has a great selection of fishing poles from baitcasters to stand up rods.  They are all great poles and incredibly reasonable in pricing.

My next stop was  for a great tuna tournament.  The tuna stake invitational (www.tunastakes.com) is a charity event run out of Atlantic City.  The event is held in memory of Dr. Leonard Strobel.  The tournament is not only a great event but it also will raise awareness for heart disease, donate money to it’s research and all while fishing.  You can run out of anywhere between Shark River and Cape May.  Fishing can be done on any one day/night out of five.  The weigh ins are at various locations and the awards banquet is held in Atlantic City.   As an added bonus the Grand Champion gets an invite to the IGFA Offshore 2011 World Championships in Cabo San Lucas.

So after that I wandered down the rows and rows of booths and walked into the Saltwater Soldiers  (www.saltwatersoldiers.org) booth.  I spoke with Mike Branson who was just estactic to talk about the foundation he had started.  His foundation is putting soldiers on the water.  He runs this charity to give back to the men and women who keep us free.  What can I say, go to the site and donate!  Mike is always upgrading his boat and keeping things comfortable for the soldiers.   Mike was sharing the booth with Bahama Lures (www.bahamalure.com ), The lures are a good looking lure and there were several on display and up for raffle.

Leaving there I next walking into Alan Robinson’s booth (www.themapguy.com ).  The map guy, as he is called is a unique and interesting booth.  Alan takes a picture of your boat or whatever else you have in mind and does an original water color.  He takes that and places it on a chart of your choosing along with the fish that you choose  for an original print that you can frame and hang on the wall for years to come.

From there I stopped off at Voodoo lures (www.fishvoodoodolls.com) .  What an idea for a lure.  I bought one head from the company and the trick here is that you can unscrew the skirt and change it out while the head is still rigged.  The head is a steel threaded head and the skirt is plastic, threaded and slotted so when you unscrew it you can pop it off and put a new one on.  Essentially you can save a lot of money buying several skirts. 

Leaving there I found several schools for captain’s license.  After talking with them I decided on Mariner’s School (www.marinersschool.com) .  The newly designed Mariners Learing System is a state of the art web based learning system.  In this system you have a virtual classroom and learn through reading and video lecture.  After this you take a quiz.  If you need to read it or watch the video again you have the opportunity to.  There is also a message board where you can post questions and they have a help line that is available via an 800 number.  You learn at your own pace then take a test (USCG approved) given by them at a site they designate.  The rates are very competitive  and they give you everything you need.  If you want a captain’s license then go talk to Captain Bob Figular, he will not steer you wrong. 

My next stop was at the ACR booth.  I have been looking at personal locator beacons for some time.  I wanted piece of mind next time I venture off shore.  Fishing out of the Florida Keys at times you wander way out there and you can be incredibly vulnerable. With a PLB or an EPIRB such as the ones designed by ACR you can have a small sense of security.  I spoke with the representative from ACR and it was extremely informative.  I decided leaving that booth that I would seek out a sales booth and purchase a PLB.  Both the PLB and EPIRB work exactly the same the only difference is size.  I felt that the PLB along with a ditch bag and some essential items would suit me best.  When I purchased mine I was given a coupon to mail in and get a free ditch bag sent to me.  Buying  the PLb was one of the easiest things to purchase, I spoke with Karen from Viking Life Saving Equipment (www.viking-life.com) and she was very pleasant and explained to product to me.  Lastly to keep up with the time ACR has start an “I’m OK” feature.  For a fee you can register at www.406link.com and send a loved one a message telling them you are OK if you are out of VHF and cell range.

One of the more interesting products at the show was from Bob at Bob’s bait board (www.bobsbaitboard.com) .  Bob has designed a bait board that attaches to your igloo cooler, has a knife, sharpening ceramic sticks and a measuring tape all in one.  The board is made of an floating acrylic had a floating 7” dexter knife and is available in 3 sizes and custom size upon request.  I think in the years to come we will see these all over the place.  What an idea!

Heading down the line I stopped to talk with Dr. Joseph Tordella (www.air-land-sea.com) .  He has a practice that is dedicated to giving physicals for USCG captain’s licenses and FAA pilots license.    His office is located in the Atlantic City Airport and he does not see “sick” patients, you will not sit next to a flu virus or any other type of sickness.  He takes you on appointment so you will arrive and be seen.  There is minimal waiting with this arrangement and he is affordably priced.

I moved along to the boats and saw that this year the emphasis was on the smaller boats.  There were only a handful of boats over 35 feet.  The one that did stand out was a Buddy Davis.  What can I say, it was a Buddy Davis.

I did look at the Grady Whites.  With today’s economic times they offer you a great boat for a reasonable price.  The new Chesapeake model is a step up in size from the Gulf Stream.  It has what you need for a comfortable overnight trip and a great all around family/fishing/fun boat.  The smaller boats were also well represented with Boston Whaler and Carloina Skiff having a strong competition.

The engines have come a long way.  Mercury had a large display and was showing off the new “greener” engines.  Both Yamaha and Evinrude also had a display and the Yamaha 350 was a show stopper.  It boasts the power and the best fuel mileage in the industry.

I spoke with a lot of people and everyone was happy that we were there.  The weather was looking like the weekend was going to be a bust.  Hopefully everyone did well and got home safe.

Catch em up,

Timmy T