NJ Fishing / GAMBLER offshore Sea Bass trip

[howarda780]

Just got home:

I'll give you a full rundown in the AM but....


Jon Devin, Chad "Sea Soda" Bennett and I worked a community cooler and ended the trip with (70) knuckleheads, (15) nice ling and some bluefish.

There was one cod caught, no doggies, no pout.

Capt Bob and Capt Mike put us on the fish. If you plan on going before the season closes call first thing in the AM. The season closes Jan1st.
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Adjusted:

We left promptly at 1 AM. The ride out was great. We arrived at the grounds where Bobby wanted to look around. After about a half hour we he found the right spot and we heard the whistle. Some guys jigged for a few minutes but, the Sea Bass started and most switched right to bait. From that moment on until 830-900AM we stayed on that first spot. Bobby made a couple of wiggles after that to adjust so everyone was catching.

We picked up and ran for a half hour and were back on the fish again.

We fished alongside JD Shots, ANDREW "The grumpy trout fisherman with the ele reel", who really wasn't too bad once the sun came up. MadMan and his "SON" Put a hammering on the fish as well.

JD Shots have to have limit or close to it
Andy had 15-17 ?
MadMan and his buddy had a cooler full probably 35+
David Chuah, fishing is fun had 15 ish
Big Guy and his friend? had a load as well

Our hats off to Capt. Bob, Capt. Mike, Kevin and Ryan. Ryan just got back from school and came out to fish but it seemed like he ended up on deck working and helping people more than he fished. He still ended up with a load in the bow.

The ride home would have been nasty if we were in any boat other than the Gambler.

THANKS AGAIN!! and have a Happy Holiday

I'll post the pics that I took but, Ryan and Bobby will have to post their picks from the boat cam.

[Madman9132]

Hey Howard,
Big Guy!!!!! was'nt me.. hahaha.... Me and my buddy mike where the 2 fishing next to you guys on your left. you know, you thought my buddy was my son.... (damn i feel old now) Haaaahahahahaha...

Anyway, i wanted to say thatnks for the Lemoncello and the kielbasi. Both where delicious... Looking forward to fishing with you guys again

[howarda780]

Originally Posted by Madman9132

Hey Howard,
Big Guy!!!!! was'nt me.. hahaha.... Me and my buddy mike where the 2 fishing next to you guys on your left. you know, you thought my buddy was my son.... (damn i feel old now) Haaaahahahahaha...

Anyway, i wanted to say thatnks for the Lemoncello and the kielbasi. Both where delicious... Looking forward to fishing with you guys again

Re edited. You guys were great. I am guessing you had 35+ but you can confirm the numbers. I am glad you appreciated the sausage and the limoncello. I know someone ? (Chad) fishished the bottle.

See you next trip!

[JonDevin]

Holy cow, I thought Old Grumpy Man was joking when he said he wanted to move my bag to sleep under the bench...

Jimmy, it was great fishing with you!

Good times!

[AndyS]

Started out by working a double Friday 7am to 11pm, had Sonic burgers for dinner at work. Flew out of work at 11 and right to the boat.
Got my odd spot under the bench, odd yes, comfortable yes. Tossed and turned the whole smooth ride out, bad problems with acid reflux lately, I guess it's all the crap I eat, got a solid 10 minutes sleep.
Got on our spot in the dark, everyone dropped down at once and I think everyone got tangled, it was time for all to make adjustments, spread out a little, a little more weight etc. It wasn't long before everyone got into their groove and sea bass and bluefish of all sizes were coming over the rail. Sun starting coming up and the bluefish wandered away.
Nice sea bass bite but a real wacky wind against tide. Fishing in the stern the lines would go from strait out, to under the boat, to out and around again, this kept us on our toes. I tried 2 lbs at one point but settled in with 1 lb. weight for most of the trip losing only 2 or 3 rigs the entire trip.
The bite was steady, some had honey holes, some baited and waited.
A few wiggles on the anchor and the sea bass bite continued.
Next spot had a good sea bass bite also. Saw alot of ling come over the rail also.
No need for me to be a grumpy old man on this trip, great people and great fishing.
I stuck it out with the electric reel, for fun, never hurt anyone.
Around 3 or so we haeded to the barn in tight 6's. Capt. came off the sticks only once, good eye ! Like Howie said, any other boat would have been tough but the Gambler mashed down those 6's and got up on plane for a quick ride back.
Thanx for putting the trip together Howie, always a great time. Working alot the next couple of weeks and at one point I got to do my Christmas shopping, it's a 1 and done sea bass season for me I guess, hopefully the regs will change back and we go get the big humpback knuckleheads all winter. Fish are cleaned up and I'll be inviting people over for a fish fry tonite since I really don't like freezing fresh fish.
Maybe I'll get out Tuesday for stripers.

[Happy]

Andy and other fellow seabass'ers,
Thanks for the report!
What size of hooks did you use? 5/0? 6/0?
Were 20oz weights heavy enough not to get tangled?

[Highlands Drifter]

Thanks again Howard for putting this trip together. My buddy Ryan and I ended up with 35 SB and one ling between us. Let me know if you put together a cod trip for Jan would be interested if I can make it with work. Overall a great day!

[AndyS]

Happy, I use a 7/0 Mustad baitholder hook. No glitz, no glam, no beads. One hook 2 feet off the bottom, the other hook 2 ft. above that, big water, big rigs. I keep the hooks at least 2 feet apart, remember, these fish are better than 20" long.
20 oz. is a good number. We were fishing shallow in 64 meters of water.

[JDshots]

Great trip yesterday, thanks Howie for putting it together. I think I ended up with 15 or so Seabass and a few Ling. Never really did an official count at the end of the day.

It was nice meeting a few more guys from the board and putting faces to names. All and all, nice day out with some good fishermen and lots of laughs. Hope to get out with you guys again sometime.

[Pokerman1]

Hello fellas,

Drove down from Upstate NY and made it from home to dock in about 6 hours, just in time for a short snooze in the parking lot. Woke up to the sounds of guys pulling in and gettin ready to roll.

Had a fantastic trip, as well. Started our pre-dawn in the stern but as someone mentioned there was some strange currents and it was a tad cramped, so I slid 2/3 way up the port side, and had plenty of space.

Started slow for me but got into gear and caught some amazing seabass. I have done several all night cod/ling trips but this is the first time I went out for offshore seabass, and could not get over the size. Capt. Bobby would shift the boat around and when it went over the sticky stuff it was game on.

I used hand-tied rigs with 4/0-6/0 hooks and switched between my Kevin Bogan custom 'Henry Schaefer' special and St. Croix premier 20-40 lb. rods.

Ended the day with 18 seabass and two ling.... Most of my seabass were well over 17-18 inches and about 6 in the 4-5 pound class. Just a phenomenal experience.

The ride home was long, as expected, and I too am glad that I was on the Gambler for the entire trip and especially the ride in. Capt. is great, and the mates are knowledgeable, helpful and cordial, and could not have a better time.

Slept a few winks on the ride in so I was fresh and ready to make the drive home (not!). Made it to Gouldsboro, PA and slept for an hour in the car. Home at 3am, fish prepared and vacuum-sealed by 5am, fried up the 2 ling for breakfast, and went to bed.

Now that's my kind of weekend, Big Guys!

Joe