Jumped in the yak during the predawn hours looking to chase down some micro-linsiders. Took me a while to dial in but once I did I had decent C&R light tackle action on bass to 16″. My weapon of choice was a trimmed down white BKD. Funny having a 16″ bass actually turn your yak around when you fight it.
Screaming drags, Capt. Alex 609-548-2511
Finally got to invite a couple of fish, white perch, to diner. Hit a local tidal lagoon Saturday at dusk and went 2 for about 6. I was using a shad dart tip with a piece of bloodworm. Others around me got a few and some were skunked. Tide was starting to flood but still not a lot of water were is was. Small bass continue to bends rods in the usual super early locals but are being seeing more through the bay at place they usually hang out. Based on the ease at which Ospreys have been coming back to nesting platforms with big bunker you know there are toms of bunker schools out there. Hear of a few fluke caught already. Fluke move into the back bays a lot earlier than most think, it is just they may chew well until the waters warm. These fluke will get hungry because they just got done spawning on the shelf waters and swam several dozen of miles west to put some weight back on.
On the nature side of things: white perch’s scientific name is Morone Americana. Striped bass have the scientific name of Morone saxatilis. Both fish are placed in the family of temperate basses which is Moronidae. Remember taxonomic classification you learned in school? There are 6 known species of temperate bass worldwide. Sharing the same genius, Morone, indicates that these two fish are very closely related. They are so closely related in that when the eggs of one of them is mixed with the sperm of the other species offspring arise. These offspring is what we hybrid bass. They are a true hybrid in that as adult they cannot produce fertile off spring. The ability of an organism to produce fertile offspring with what makes is a species. Fish farmers started breeding hybrid bass in the others and they are noted for a fast rate or growth, good table fare and hard fighters.
Springs dates are filling in fast so if you are thinking about going out with me contact me soon. I don’t like leaving people at the dock.
Screaming drags, Capt. Alex 609-548-2511
Sunday I went yaking hoping to get some white perch for the table. I fished two back bay creeks with a friend. Tide was almost full but it was very bright. I had one hit on a bloodworm. I think I was not fishing the right time. My experience with perch is that they feed and heavy at dawn and dusk Bite often turns on like a switch. In fishing we often look for patterns in which you maximize your catch in minimal amount of time Well white perch definitely have a pattern. Now booking spring bass and hopefully gator blues. Will be running weekends,select weekdays and weekday magic hour trips. Contact me soon as days are filling up fast.
On the nature side of things: You may not know it, but, spring bird migration is underway. It actually has been going on for a few weeks now. During the past week the first Great Egrets have started trickling in. Shorebirds like American Oyster Catchers, Killdeer, and Wilson’s Snipe and either arrived to stay to breed or spend a little time fattening up before they keep on, keepin on. Peak migration in NJ is around the first week of May. This is when you will see the greatest diversity of breeding birds and neotropical migrants (birds that have spent the winter in Mexico, Central American and South America.Screaming drags, Capt. Alex 609-548-2511
Hello Everyone,
The Hi Flier will begin fishing on the weekend of April 29/30, as well as Monday, May 1. Really hoping those gator bluefish invade Barnegat Bay again as they did in 2015 and 2016. It’s hard to beat that action with 12 to 20 pound blues in four feet of water on surface lures. Last year we had them by the end of April and we caught them all the way to June 1. 2016 was also the first season in a long time that I had successful clamming for stripers in the bay. It also started late April, and produced through all of May. The big surprise was the size of the fish, 12 to 15 pounders with some over 20. In years past, our average fish was 8 to 10 pounds. If you take away the cold blast we just had it really was a mild winter with Jan/Feb being very timid, it has all the signs of an early or at least “on time” start.
The new Hi Flier is a 25 ft World Cat with twin Honda 130 Four Strokes. I am setting my sights on the blue water a little more this year. In particular, the boat will be in Ocean City, MD from June 30 to July 10 sailing every day for yellowfin and bluefin tuna. Last year Masseys Canyon was on fire for the entire month of July with 30 to 60 pound yellowfin and 75 to 150 pound bluefin, all mixed together…….on the chunk!! Any way you can catch a tuna is exciting but day chunking is as good as it gets. I got down there twice last year on a friend’s boat and connected both times. We sailed 40 miles from Cape May and I thought that was close. When I plugged the coordinates in on a chart, we were fishing 25 miles off of Ocean city, MD. So I rented a house with a boat slip and we are going to hit it hard those first 10 days of July. If for some reason the tuna don’t show up at Massey’s Canyon again (they will), it’s only 55 to 60 miles to the nearest canyons for tuna, billfish, wahoo, mahi….C’mon!
Finally, as some of you may or may not now, I launched a brand of fishing apparel last winter: Psyquatic. We will have our full line of apparel on display at the Salt Water Fishing Expo in Somerset, NJ this weekend starting tomorrow (Fri), March 17-19. T-Shirts, long sleeve, performance (quick dry), and hooded sweatshirts in four designs: Psyquatic Logo, Striper on Darter, Yellowfin Tuna on Squid, Mako on Mahi. You could also see them at psyquatic.com We are in corner booth 312 and will have both Psyquatic and the Hi Flier on display. Stop by and say “Hey”.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on board.
Attached pics:
Dave DeGennaro with 100 pound Bluefin chunked at Masseys Canyon last season.
The new Hi Flier, 25 ft World Cat.
Psyquatic display at show.
Capt. Dave DeGennaro
Hi Flier Sportfishing
732.330.5674
www.hiflier.com
With the official opening of back bay striper fishing and the recent warm temperatures I had to get out and try even if it was not on board the Debbie M. I hit a local hot spot at dusk today, and by the amount of trucks I thought the bite was going to be on fire. It was not. I managed to land my first striper of 2017 A cute short that absolutely inhaled a BKD. Saw three other fish landed before total darkness.
On the nature side of things: American Woodcocks were out in full force at dusk. It is a somewhat common bird in the correct habitat but seldom seen because of its camouflage. During this time of year at dawn or dusk, the males show off for females by giving loud, nasal peent calls and performing dazzling aerial display. It’s pretty cool if you get a chance to see it.
I am starting to fill in dates for the April / May Bass- Bluefish run so contact me soon if you would like to secure a day on the water. If this year’s spring bluefish run is anything like the last two years you do not want to miss out on the world class action Barnegat Bay has to offer,screaming drags
Capt. Alex
www.LighthouseSportfishing.com
Barnegat Bay, NJ
609-548-2511
After rounding up some minnows, or killies for you N jerzy boys, I went west of Long Beach Island to see what I could catch. My first stop was a disappointment after 30 or so minutes I did not find any love. Second spot was different though. First cast and it was fish on! Ended landing 4 small chain pickerel to end the day.
Screaming drags, Capt. Alex Lighthouse Sportfishing 609-548-2511
It was great seeing a sold out crowd Saturday for the Saltwater Sportsmen National Seminar Series. I’m almost dead center, back row, in the below picture. Hope I shared some helpful tips. If you missed it I said “lets make sandworms great again” 😉 in talking about a go to striper bait through the seasons. Don’t know why bloods became more popular around Barnegat Bay. In the old days……….we would not go bass fishing if we only could get bloodworms. Waz up wit dat?
Tried perch fishing Sunday at dusk at a local hole. Using live shrimp I did not move a fish but I fished during blowout conditions. I know the fish will be there when I come back. Hoping for another world class spring run of monster blues in the bay. Ten pound + blues in 2 feet of water crashing poppers or flies was a blast the past two years. I will be ready if you are. just give me a call. 609-548-2511 Screaming drags, Capt. Alex Lighthouse Sportfishing
609-494-5739