Strange Things You've Seen on the Water

[WhaleFart]

I got a few weird ones!

Maybe 10 years ago I was fishing the surf middle of the night in early fall. Perfectly clear moonless night. While fishing I was just observing the sky and noticed what looked like a star moving around in unexplainable ways. I watched for a while and this “star” was more like a perfect white orb, just moving in unspeakable ways. After a while it simply just disappeared.

I was out fluke fishing one summer afternoon, I snagged bottom but it came loose, the boat started moving and the piece of bottom was still attached to my line so this piece of rebar looking metal comes up and starts skipping across the surface. A 10’ shark easily came full out of the water attacking the debris being ragged behind the boat, cutting me off.

I live in weehawken Nj, one day taking the ferry into the city I was just zoned out looking at the water. I was facing the intrepid which is docked around 42nd street. Out of nowhere a 8’+ surgeon jumped like a torpedo right out of the water maybe 20’ infront of the bow of the air craft carrier. Pretty awesome

[dales529]

1) Was on a party boat in NJ and saw Bulletbob catch lights out all day and go home happy! just kidding bob.

2) July 23 1983 I owned a 21 foot North American center console ( NA became Trojan)
Single Mercruiser I/O and went offshore sharking approx 35 miles. My buddy noticed a flash below in crystal clean water, as we stood side by side it kept getting closer and closer. With a single engine I always kept the boat running and this "thing' appeared, head wider than both of us with dark eyes, ("like a dolls eyes"). My friend says get the shot gun, I say FU and gun the boat forward with the chum crate and lines still in. ( monty python style "run away / run away")
Next day at home watching the Yankees / Kansas City royals George Brett Pine tar incident same buddy shows me the NY Post with a picture of a 12 ft great white taking a bite out of a swim platform on a boat that was maybe 10 miles north of us and it had cuts in its head presumeably from a boat prop!!
Our Shark? Good thing I ran away.

3) Tuna fishing in da mudhole / slow day. Charter Capt says lets take a ride and go sharking. Move to spot and its a literal aquarium. In 1 hour we caught a Mako, a brown, a dusky and witnessed an approx 200 to 300 lb hammerhead eat another dusky on our line at the boat. Cool blue planet stuff.

4) Tuna fishing and catching on the old BH out of point and a mother and calf pilot whales enter the slick. Mother puts on a show circling the boat and going underneath the boat belly up to show off. Calf follows suit , 3 to 4 passes as we watched in awe. One did catch a line ( other post) and almost spooled a 50W but was cut off by Capt quickly. Every whale safe but bite died off.

[baseballman]

Originally Posted by WhaleFart

I live in weehawken Nj, one day taking the ferry into the city I was just zoned out looking at the water. I was facing the intrepid which is docked around 42nd street. Out of nowhere a 8’+ surgeon jumped like a torpedo right out of the water maybe 20’ infront of the bow of the air craft carrier. Pretty awesome

Very cool! I know they've always been around, but Fall '23 there were a ton of sturgeon sightings in the RB and up the river.

[bulletbob]

[QUOTE=dales529;581955]1) Was on a party boat in NJ and saw Bulletbob catch lights out all day and go home happy! just kidding bob.


Never happen.. I'd still bitch about the ride home, the ride down, the crowded boat, the rotten bait... something.... I'd find something...

[AndyS]

1.) Night bluefishing years ago watching the mates run up to the bow and pull the anchor very quickly only to see a huge cruise ship pass just in front of us minutes later.

2.) Night canyon watching a commercial boat retie the anchor of the Jamaica and push it off the back of their deck

3.) Waterspouts on the Great Lakes.

4.) Watching a huge Mako shark eat a hooked tuna.

5.) Seeing a huge Mako shark jump out of the water at night, almost as high as the Gamble wheelhouse.

[Duffman]

Originally Posted by AndyS

1.) Night bluefishing years ago watching the mates run up to the bow and pull the anchor very quickly only to see a huge cruise ship pass just in front of us minutes later.

2.) Night canyon watching a commercial boat retie the anchor of the Jamaica and push it off the back of their deck

3.) Waterspouts on the Great Lakes.

4.) Watching a huge Mako shark eat a hooked tuna.

5.) Seeing a huge Make shark jump out of the water at night, almost as high as the Gamble wheelhouse.

#3 - you big baby

#5 - I believe that was mine

[beachwhistle]

That mako jumped right in front of me.
Had to go change my shorts after that!

[tjd24]

Ran out of Liberty Harbor Marina at dawn a few years ago. Flat calm (before the water taxis, Circle Line boat, etc started their day). We saw birds near the center of the Harbor off the Statue of Liberty and went to investigate. We saw a white/light tan object appeared to be about 3-4' long bobbing there with the birds diving. Got closer and thought it was a body floating there. Thought, Oh Sh#t, we gotta call the Coaast Guard to make a report. As we got closer, we saw a huge dead sturgeon, belly up. It was in very bad shape. Possibly a boat strike. No need to report that so we ran out for a day of fluking.

[Broad Bill]

Many years ago, went sharking at the Glory Hole. Extremely foggy uneventful day. When the fog cleared, we headed in early as I had some family members on board. Got to the Mud Hole and there's two boats drifting, both had makos hanging off their bow. Stopped to check out the area and about three hundreds yards in front of us, I see a huge fish free jumping which I thought was another big mako. Run over to the general area, stop the boat and about 30 seconds later a giant BFT goes completely airborne five times in front of us chasing a school of what looked to be 10 - 12 lb. bluefish which were also airborne trying to not be the bluefins meal. Most incredible sight I've ever seen. The bluefin looked like a submarine surfacing, just an enormous fish. Was probably June when Giants frequented the hole in the spring and then again in the fall during their migration, I'll never forget that sight. Beauty of fishing, sometimes it's not what you catch as much as what you experience.

[bulletbob]

a few years after 9/11 I had a jackbooted thug with both hands on a pedestal mounted machine gun glaring at me because we inadvertently got into the "no go zone" near the ammo pier.. it was not on purpose as my youngest son had hooked huge cow nose, and we just drifted in closer than we were supposed to during the tug of war I guess, although we were still quite far from the pier.. No fighting the fish, no retrieving line and rig, just cut the line and get out of here now.. I thought that was a pretty strange sight- two heavily armed guys on a really big shiny super fast aluminum Jon boat pointing a mounted machine gun at a tiny 14 footer with a father and 2 kids on it, in NJ... Quite an eye opener....bob