Slow afternoon fluking (Please read to end)

[Bucktailboys.com]

Cuz,

Well said
Honesty is the best policy. And honestly fluking has this year has not been great for me.

[SplitShot]

Very true Cuz.... there has been a lot of play on words in reports this summer and I wind up having to dissect them to see if it's a good report or just trying to sound like a good report.... be it good or bad, I just want to know what is really happening each day

[bulletbob]

I really don't know what to believe any more.. Same thing happened last fall..
I kept reading about the great sea bass fishing up and down the coast.. however in 3 separate trips, myself and fishing partner totalled 3-3 and 5 keepers between us in the 3 trips ,, yes some guys had more, on one trip one guy had 8 or 9, but some guys also had none or one... Yet when I posted about it, many on this board staunchly defended the captains, and either called me a liar, or told me I didn't know how to fish... I know what I saw, and do know how to fish, as I have been fishing well over 50 years. whatever...

To be fair I have seen really good fluke reports here the past few weeks, not only from head boats, but from charters, and from many private boats as well.. The charters and private boat pics don't lie.. If there were 2 guys fishing and 10-12 big fluke and a few sea bass on the dock in the picture, you know their fishing was good.. Like I said, I really don't know what or who to believe these days.. Some reports have me thinking its the best fluking in years, others have me thinking its been dismal..

I got one keeper this year in my only fluke trip on a rental skiff in the Navesink, so I guess I shouldn't complain.. or should I??... bob

[makosnax]

I fished sandy hook yesterday and did very well. There are days on my boat when a guy might catch one keeper and the other two guys are bailing keepers. It happens to everyone. If a few sharpies on a head boat get their limit and the rest of the fares dont do so well then who is at fault. The captain did his job by getting the boat over the fish(which is evident by the few guys with limits). Watch what the guys who are catching fish are doing and adjust your technique. Some days the fish want a dead slow moving spearing and some days they want a bucktail with a specific bounce. The fish are there. I would bet money that half the weekend crowd on a headboat were not even on the bottom with yesterdays current.

[nutleysigns]

You have to fish the ocean now, 1/2 day boats out of AH don't have enough time. I fished a 3/4 day boat out of Belmar on Thurs & came home with 5 nice keepers. Guy next to me had 9 keepers (released 4) & pool winner. AH boats are great in early season (Bug Light, Ammo Pier) But now it's ocean time MY OPINION

[BWhaler23]

Hey Cuz, how come you didn't say anything about the one boat you were on that everyone limited??? The Ginger??? And her highly productive captain???
Thanks for the plug. and you better get another trip in before I'm off tuna fishing!!!

Capt. Pat

[O'Connor]

Mates count the fish out here everyday, report number to captain, captain calls report into landing, landing posts online. I have never been on a boat in So-Cal where I thought the numbers were inflated. Example of yesterdays run in Oxnard, Ca. This system works well.




Channel Islands Sportfishing Center Fish Counts
as of July 21, 2013

Boat Trip Type Anglers Fish Counts

Speed Twin 1/2 Day Twilight 40 36 Barracuda

Pacific Islander Overnight 26 260 Rockfish, 2 Lingcod

Sea Jay Full Day 10 3 Yellowtail, 3 White Seabass, 8 Barracuda, 10 Rockfish, 5 Calico Bass

Aloha Spirit Full Day 21 1 Calico Bass, 15 Sheephead, 1 Whitefish, 2 Cabezon, 35 Lingcod, 3 Halfmoon, 208 Rockfish

Mirage Overnight 24 1 Calico Bass, 5 Sheephead, 7 Lingcod, 167 Whitefish, 240 Rockfish

Cobra Full Day 11 50 Rockfish, 1 Lingcod, 7 Opaleye, 4 Sheephead, 3 Calico Bass, 1 Sculpin

Speed Twin 1/2 Day AM 58 1 Sand Bass, 310 Rockfish, 1 Halfmoon, 1 Sculpin, 1 Whitefish

Island Tak Full Day 8 1 Halibut, 2 White Seabass, 18 Barracuda, 21 Calico Bass

Gentleman 3/4 Day 53 3 Sculpin, 10 Opaleye, 300 Rockfish

Erna B 3/4 Day 17 1 Lingcod, 170 Rockfish
Seabiscuit Overnight 24 52 Whitefish, 5 Lingcod, 162 Rockfish

Coral Sea 2 Day 16 225 Rockfish, 54 Lingcod, 8 White Seabass
Boats Anglers Dock Total

12 Boats 308 62 Barracuda, 1935 Rockfish, 105 Lingcod, 3 Yellowtail, 13 White Seabass, 31 Calico Bass, 24 Sheephead, 221 Whitefish, 2 Cabezon, 4 Halfmoon, 17 Opaleye, 5 Sculpin, 1 Sand Bass, 1 Halibut

[emcjim]

See Cliff's report on the wmidotorg website. Accurate report, I was there. Sea Hunter, AM trip, 7/21. Cliff: 4 keepers out of 17, yours truly: 1 keeper (pool winner) out of 8. All bucktail and teaser w/ Gulp. Best action was oceanside, down the beach w/ light N wind with the outgoing tide. When the wind switched, the next drift was not nearly as good.

It is not unusual for the AM and PM trips to have entirely different wind and tide conditions. For 7/21, AM was outgoing tide, PM basically incoming.

[Capt. Debbie]

I think he was discussing honest fishing reports- not opinions on how to catch more fish and why some dont catch fish.
.

MIsleading reports have been around forever. Few PB captains are going to publish lies, since the fars that day would know he lied. And in turn they would NEVER trust a report by him again.

When I ran charters in Belmar, ther would be a few that put reports in the Ledger with Al R, and I knwo they boat did not leave the dock that day. I asked how they did it. They said it was accurate but from another day.

The classic PB Captain line while hawking fares on the dock line was: YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE YESTERDAY.

Originally Posted by makosnax

I fished sandy hook yesterday and did very well. There are days on my boat when a guy might catch one keeper and the other two guys are bailing keepers. It happens to everyone. If a few sharpies on a head boat get their limit and the rest of the fares dont do so well then who is at fault. The captain did his job by getting the boat over the fish(which is evident by the few guys with limits). Watch what the guys who are catching fish are doing and adjust your technique. Some days the fish want a dead slow moving spearing and some days they want a bucktail with a specific bounce. The fish are there. I would bet money that half the weekend crowd on a headboat were not even on the bottom with yesterdays current.

[Harpoon]

Keep in mind that not a lot of bad reports will NOT get posted. So while I don't think capts are downright lying some will only post up positive reports...while some will post up all reports no matter what. Take it for what it is but more importantly anything can happen on any given day.

Worry less about the reports....fishing and NOAA!