SEALS!?

[flukerat]

i've read in a few post over the past weeks seals have been spotted in the surf around sea isle an oc. I've heard of wayward seals but in all my 22 years at the shore and of living for that matter have never seen one or heard first hand of any one seeing a seal. Any info, is this normal migration does this happen often? Where is my best bet of seeing one? :eek: :eek:

[Mick83]

I don't know much about seals but I saw a bunch of them in the wash while I was in Cape Cod this past October. They were a nuisance.

[CATCH-ALL]

Actually those reports are of really fat dachsunds with their ears trimmed off. :D

Harbor seals can sometimes be seen this time of year, particularly if it's cold. I believe South Jersey is the southern extremity of their range.

I once had to help the Coasties fish a dead Spotted Harbor Seal out of my dad's slip. When I walked down the ramp and spotted it, I just thought it was asleep. But when it kept washing back and forth and bumping into the floating dock I realized something wasn't right. We called the Coasties and they came over with a RIB and got it. I guess they gave it to Bob Schoelkopf at the Brigantine Marine Mammal Stranding Center to dissect it and see how it died.

Or maybe the Coasties ate it? It was right in the middle of the time when they were down to eating MRE's due to Clinton's budget cuts. :D

Catch

[BIGGESTJACK]

YES THEY ARE NOT ALL THAT RARE.ABOUT 4 OR 5 YEARS AGO THERE WAS ONE ON THE COAST GUARD SIDE OF CAPE MAY INLET,HE WAS AROUND THERE FOR A COUPLE MONTHE IN EARLY FALL . YEARS AGO SAW ONE ON JACK'S spot BUOY.ONE OF THE OCEAN CITY MD BOATS SAID HE HAS BEEN THERE OFF AND ON FOR A FEW YEARS.WHEN I FIRST HEARD IT ON THE RADIO I THOUGHT THEY WER NUTS OR PULLING PEOPLES LEGS.JUST LAST WEEK CAPT.BADFINGERS WAS TELLING ME ABOUT SOME SEALS.LAST YEAR THERE WAS A BUN REPORTED ONHERE IN THE MULLICA RIVER.OTHERS WILL REPORT ON HERE SOON.

[BLUEFINN]

HEREFORD Inlet!!! Thru out the years Gunning Hereford in front of the big sand bar I have had A lot of seals Swim thru my Decoys, They drive my retreivers crazy when the pop up in front of us and ck out the area.

My last Chesapeak Bay retreiver Gunner would jump in and swim right up to one and get within 10' only to have it dive and come up behind him to tease play etc. The rock wall accross from the sand bar and to the ocean side of Dads place would be a good bet with a good set of field glasses. Mike

[JohnnieM]

The Brigantine Animal Rescue. Seriously. I've never seen one in the wild, but they take in local seals that have been injured. I went about 3 years ago and they had a few that were "caught" locally w/ an injury, disease, etc. They were in a holding tank. They'll be able to tell you all about the local seal population.

[NJAngler Bill]

Seals are a common sight in our waters in the winter. I've seen them in the back bays, inlets, along the beaches and in the Cape May rips and Delaware Bay.

Previous comments about Hereford and Cold Spring Inlets are absolutely true. See them all the time there. December thru March, typically.

[captainbadfinger]

Last march and april I saw 3or4 in the ICWW,We also had 1 right next to us in the rips,he was much larger than the others,I don`t think he was a harbor seal.

[chunking]

Last March we were anchored in the back chunking for stripers. Two seals kept surfacing and past us about fifty feet away. They just stuck their heads up and let the tide carry them by us.

We stared at them and they stared at us. We kept watching and they headed way up into Jenkins sound between Stone Harbor and Wildwood. Didn't seem to bother the stripers.

[sunny2]

You had to mention Jacks spot .

[Red Eye Nester]

This spring(late March/early April) I was fishing @ drag @ night often.
I was harrassed by seals for a couple of consecutive nights.
They had no fear, and would hold themselves right next to the boat. Pretty wild seeing them so close for so long, but the fishing was poor.
On of'em had some sort of transmitter?? strapped to him.
Anyhow, It's not uncommon.

REN

[hipkvw]

I saw one in the middle of the summer of 99' off Cape May Point. Its head was as big as a basketball. I dont know what kind it was but it was huge. We thought it was someone swimming till it got close. Never seen any since.

[VDAWG]

I dont know the best place to go to see them,but ill tell ya what i seen one in the rips Jan.4th 2004,anyone else see it??? Vinny Pastella

[Rich A]

have seen some seals in the Great Bay area the last few years here... Hanging out at the old fish factory and surrounding islands... not uncommon at all....

[Saltshaker]

Saw one last year by the LONGPORT BRIDGE. Have seen several the last few years. I suspect that prior to the bass fishery rebounding, we all had our boats out of the water by November?

Tight Lines & Safe Returns,
Saltshaker

[Dr. Bass]

See them every Spring around Avalon. Seem to be chasing herring??

[eelfisher]

saw one a couple years ago halfway up the tuckahoe river, just before cedar swamp creek. was in november i think.

[BUCKTAIL WILLIE]

we had 2 seals in Whale Creek in Strathmere last spring,stayed around until first of May.I feed them a few herring a few times,fun to watch

[Sugar3]

Saw a momma and a baby seal sunning themselves on the sod banks near Jarvis Sound early last April. Have also seen a few others in CM Harbor. Cool to watch and don't seem to bother anyone.

Unlike the river otters, although their even cooler to watch, they make a damn mess on the docks and floats. Haven't seem them in a couple years though.

[Sea Isle Al]

Several years ago, a large brown Seal was on the rock pile in the Avolon side of the TI bridge in November. Drew a crowd, as It was easily seen as you drove over the bridge, or passed by on the boat under the bridge. If I recall, it stayed for little over a week, and then left.

Very cool to watch it go into the water, feed, and then climb back out.

[Fishin]

There's been a number of sightings this winter down at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Since they get a manatee there every so often I guess that's the real line between north and south.

[CATCH-ALL]

Manatees taste like a cross between pork and chicken, or so I'm told. ;)

Catch

[Billy Diller]

Manatee fishing is very similar to tuna chunking just substitue lettuce for butters, Use a 15/0 curcke hook and 8' of 400lbs braided cable for leader, they are not leader shy, ball bearing 200lbs swivel and 200lb jinkiai on a bent butt 130. Other Items neccesay are a bang stick a tail rope and a chainsaw. It is best to cut cut their heads off before putting them in the boat, no Gin Pole, must have a large transom door. Guys used to do very well withthem at night in the florida ICW. The chainsaw is less time consuming and less messy than your wife's electric carving knife for cutting of their heads, and they whine more with the ginzu, and the sound of the chainsaw drowns out their cries. Cleaning them is similar to a large fur seal, and you can use a cokkie cutter to make scallops out of them. If any of this is difficult to picture I will be haooy toi post diagrams and pictures of this traditional practice.

[Bgsdad]

Originally posted by hipkvw:
I saw one in the middle of the summer of 99' off Cape May Point. Its head was as big as a basketball. I dont know what kind it was but it was huge. We thought it was someone swimming till it got close. Never seen any since. Wow! I saw one balancing a basketball on it's head!

[Stalker Charters]

We had one next to the boat in the rips last spring.

[pj_jumper]

Did REN say he was dressed in drag ?? PJ

[finaddict5]

Recently saw an article in the Boat U.S. magazine showing the damage that those sea lions do to people's moored boats on the west coast. There are so many of them fighting for a spot to sun themselves that they take over docks and even get up on the boats and sink them because of their weight. They have closed marinas down out there due to this problem. Imagine walking down the dock to your boat and having to chase them off...bet they leave some nasty mess! LOL Not to worry they don't like our warm summertime water. :D

[fshlot]

Wanna hear a joke???

A baby seal walks into a club..... :D

[ 01-21-2004, 06:12 PM: Message edited by: fshlot ]

[Keeper Seeker]

Was it a Harbor Seal or a Grey Seal?

[eelfisher]

you're a sick bassturd fsh

[fshlot]

:D :D :D

[pj_jumper]

I love that joke...

[StevenKoz]

Was fishing the sod banks by the coast guard station last spring, a couple seals where feeding there, the guy I was fishing with says if seals are feeding we wont catch fish, due to the fright factor. We stayed anyway but didnt catch. Anyone else hear of this?

[flukerat]

steve, iwould imagine the seals spooked the fish the same thing happens when dolphins are around out front or in the inlet they put the fish down for quite a distance

[med]

when dolphins or seals are around the other fish are more concerned with becoming a meal than in finding one for themselves....their focus kinda changes if you know what I mean...this change usually kills the fishing in the area...after I get my fill watching, I'll move to another spot where the fish have less to worry about...

[Backwash]

Was sitting in my boat looking over towards
Cold Spring Dock watching those black skinny birds diving for fish.Wondering what they were eating this time of year.When I spotted this huge
black object,looked more like a Manatee than a seal.It was HUGE.Second glance I relized it was a diver,diving on the comm. boats in a wet suit.Scared the hell out of me.Wet suit rubber must really stretch these days.
Backwash

[birdwatcherus]

Cm'n Skip! Tell them about the "SEAL" and your secret spot! If you don't...I will! lol :D :D :D

[ReadyJettyGo]

What is the name of the condition when a sea lion has a hernia?


A Loose seal ball!!

[WHO FAA]

fhslot you dont belong on this web site,i didnt no graterford prison supplied computers, ya loser

[fshlot]

Whats the matter whofaa...can't take a Joke????If thats the case,maybe you should find another site that is more your standard...Oh yeah,I'm not a loser..I'm a winner..nananana phoo phoo!!!

[FINZ UP 1289]

any dead seals with shark bites washing up on shore?