Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

Despite the dire forecast may son and I made the long drive down to Point...
I thought it was going to be a horrid day when the pretty hispanic girl a few feet away turned green and started puking on the cabin floor before we got even halfway out to the fishing area.. Once on anchor however, it was really not bad, and conditions were better than I anticipated.. btw,The drive through the mountains in Pa around 4 am was horrible with lightening and driving sideways rain for an hour. Couldn't see 10 feet.Didn't slow the 18 wheelers down at all.. They threaded in and out of the slowed down cars at 70 mph...

Fishing for sea bass was pretty slow and the captain didn't spend much time with them, knowing they wouldn't cooperate with the south winds and swell that has been steady for days[weeks?} Some guys only got one, some none.. High hook got 5 I think, mostly bare keepers.
I got 3 nice ones including a big humpback that was a pool contender.. My son only got a few shorts... It was to be a ling day, I knew that early on... Ling fishing was pretty good , not spectacular.. My son and I got 16 -mixed sizes, mostly mediums, with 2 or 3 pretty nice ones.. No little ones for us today.. We did better than a few folks, but worse than several.. I am very observant, and noticed the guys a foot right of me, and a foot to the left were bailing the ling pretty good as we fished deeper drops as the the day wore on.. No mystical technique really.. In the shallow water I matched them fish for fish, but started to find we kept bringing up clean hooks. Both those guys were using braid, and I think they could feel the fish better.. I am certain braid makes a big difference when bottom fishing in deep water, but I don't like handling the stuff, and we kept hooking braid lines that guys had to cut when snagged because they couldn't break it... I need to find a good stiff, very low stretch mono of some kind.. Out the two guys near me that caught more fish than we did, one used Gulp along with his clam globs, and one didn't.. Not sure if the Gulp was the key, but he did catch more than most.. However other guys using Gulp caught less then most.. It is a weird looking mess. A big glowing green twister with a glob of clam snot the size of a tennis ball... Looks like nothing a Ling has ever eaten before, but they didn't seem to mind.. We used to catch them by the hundreds on a little piece of mackerel, or any other fish you had.. Ah well, times change...

So we brought home 16 Ling, and 3 nice C bass, which isn't a great tally, but it wasn't a "lock and load" day. You fished pretty hard to bring home fish ..
I brought Shop Rite Squid and whole smelts, but it was a waste of money, the fish wouldn't touch them.. I caught one small Ling on the squid/ smelt..
Other guys used bergall strips for ling and did ok.. I couldn't get a sniff with them, Probably because the guys using Bergall had Gulp on as well... All in all, we have had better days, but with the sea conditions, I can't complain. We brought home some nice fish, I had the biggest sea bass on the boat, and realize that I really need to get this cheap ultra stretchy $1.99 line off these reels, and find something that will allow for better hook sets, and better sensitivity in deep water...
Last week I fished the Navesink in a rental skiff, first fish of the day was a nice 19' keeper, and several throwbacks that were 16-17, So my first trips down to NJ this year have been OK.. Not great, but we'll get there when I get my tackle straightened out... The crew got an anchor snagged and broke the anchor line , something I have never seen before.. They had a spare, but I'll bet an anchor that can hold a packed head boat in strong wind costs a lot of money... Can't wait to get back to the NJ shore, wish I still lived there .... bob

Re: Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

bob
try switching to braid, you will get used to it and you cant beat the no stretch and sensitivity. give it a shot for bottom fishing, but give yourself a few trips to get used to it and you will never go back!

glad you didn't make the long drive for nothing, sounds like you and your son had a good time!

Re: Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

SS.. I have it on a jigging rod I use up here for jigging lakers... They have mouths like cast iron, and when fishing 10 pound test mono with a 1 oz jig, in 100 FOW, many hook sets fail using mono.. Braid helps a lot with bite detection and hook sets, but to me its like razor wire... If I keep getting my ass kicked however, every time we fish deeper than 80 feet or so, I may go to braid... The main reason I don't use it when bottom fishing is that if you are on a sticky wreck, and keep snagging[like yesterday], you have to cut it each time.. You just can't break the stuff.. I may try flouro, or a flouro blend.. Thats pretty stiff, and doesn't stretch much.. and yes, we had a good time, thanks!
.. My son is 27, he and his wife recently had their first son, so its not easy for him to get away these days. I hope I can drag him down one more time this year.. bob

Re: Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

Thx for the report, happy to see you fared well.

The best braid I've used for bottom-fishing is FINS Shock Absorber
FINS SHOCK ABSORBING Braid is designed to offer a little stretch for those fishing situations where a little give is helpful. SAB is well suited for trolling, bottom fishing, and when using topwater action baits. SAB is 75% spectra and 25% Dacron; this blend allows the line to stretch 8 to 10 percent when under a load. We are frequently surprised by the many applications anglers are finding for this style line.

http://www.finsfishing.com/sab.aspx

Try it, you'll like it :)

Re: Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

Gotta say, nothing really beats braid for bottom.

I usually stick to 30lb, and never have a problem, really. Rarely do I snag anything other than the sinker, and a good breakaway knot keeps me from losing my entire rig. (I usually use 30lb braid alberto knotted to my hi low rig (about three feet long) made out of 25lb mono)

One thing I learned: no jewelry. No beads. No barrel swivels. Nada. You feel the taps and catch more fish. (and attract less dogs..I think barrel swivels and snap swivels in particular create alot of noise underwater

Also, I've found big ling adore Gulp Ghost Shrimp...both chart and pink.

Tight lines.

Re: Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

bob
use a top shot of mono, ten feet will do. use a top shot with a lighter breaking strength. for example, use 40 pound braid and 30 lb mono leader. you wont be dissapointed.

Re: Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

Glad you got out. This report from you seems better than most of yours from the past year. And you got to spend the day with your son.

Try braid and your haul will definitely improve.

Re: Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

I was a regular on the party boats in NJ, in the 70's, 80's and early 90's.. Always got my share, won pools, high hooks etc.. Then as time went on, things changed.. I noticed I always lagged behind in numbers and size.. I though i was "losing my touch"... I think its because the game has changed, and I haven't kept up with technology.. I am using the same tackle and tactics that served me well 30 years ago... I used to think it was just me getting older[59], but after seeing how always do pretty well until the water gets deep, I am changing my thinking... Those guys with braid were at 3 or 4 to 1 over me a foot away.. Their bait looked no better than mine, just a big glob of stinky clams, looking nothing like anything a fish would normally eat.. It simply has to be the inability to detect bites, and the inability to set the hook as well.
In the shallower water, each and every time, my boy and i did well.. The deep water we fell way behind..

If I use a 40 pound braid, and use a slightly lighter leader, say 30 pound mono, [short,maybe 5 feet], the leader should break first, correct??.. If thats the case, why do so many guys using braid cut the line when the snag the wreck?? We were snagging the braid that guys cut and was still stuck on bottom..bob

Re: Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

I find it ridiculous to hear someone say that braid needs to be cut instead of broken out of the bottom when a rig gets stuck.

If you are bottom fishing, spool with 40lb braid with 20' of 40 or 50lb mono topshot. Tie the topshot to the swivel of whatever rig you are using.

Bring a piece of broom stick or wooden dowl and wrap the braid around it several times to pull out of the bottom when you get stuck. If you are of normal strength it is done very easily. If you are a sissy ask the mate to help.

I've never cut braid because it was stuck nor have I ever seen anyone that I fish with do so. Again, just ridiculous and anyone that does so should educate themselves on the proper use of the line.

Re: Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2
 

agreed 100% dude not to mention I aint affording to waste 100feet of it lol UlletBob go with the braid my man especially for them lings. Use a topshot of 10-1 feet the mates can show ya how to tie it or tie to a swivel the ,lead will break off or you will straighten the hooks but u get out