Offshore Advice Appreciated

[mrfritz44]

I'm new to the offshore game having only taken my 21' CC out to the Hambone off OC, MD the other week. We had the luxury to pick our day carefully and decided the 40 mile trip wasn't a problem. We didn't catch a fish, but it felt like a win just being there.

This coming Sunday looks good although it's an early forecast. If the weather holds, I'm thinking of hitting Monster Ledge off Manasquan based on some of the BFT reports I've been reading.

If any of you veterans could give me some advice on technique and general location, I'd really be greatful. A trip like this takes a lot of running coming from PA and it's be nice to have at least a fish to show for it.

Thanks very much,

Fred

[DM66]

Fred,

There have been Bluefin in the Mudhole and Glory hole as well as SkipJack and Mahi. Capt. Chris Gatley, who is a prominent member of this site, had good size Bluefin about 15 miles from Shark river inlet. Get a chart and plan a course to these and some inshore areas that maybe of interest. After about 10 miles, start to look for good water or readings on your fishfinder. This is just general info that I know of, maybe others can be more specific......good luck!

[penn50w]

I'm new to the offshore game having only taken my 21' CC out to the Hambone off OC, MD the other week. We had the luxury to pick our day carefully and decided the 40 mile trip wasn't a problem. We didn't catch a fish, but it felt like a win just being there.

This coming Sunday looks good although it's an early forecast. If the weather holds, I'm thinking of hitting Monster Ledge off Manasquan based on some of the BFT reports I've been reading.

If any of you veterans could give me some advice on technique and general location, I'd really be greatful. A trip like this takes a lot of running coming from PA and it's be nice to have at least a fish to show for it.

Thanks very much,

Fred

Fred, monster ledge is approximately 22 miles from Manasquan inlet. That's roughly 44 miles round trip. Make sure you have the range. Also, be wary of the afternoon popping up storms that have been in the area every weekend it seems as of late. Fish have been spotted in that area. Watch the fishfinder carefully as you may overrun fish if not watching. Penn

[mrfritz44]

Thanks guys. I've got a 65 gallon tank with an F150 on the back and I figure my range to be around a conservative 160 miles with hard running. After we hit the Hambone we hit Masseys and trolled around until heading back to OC - figure 85 miles without trolling and that used half a tank.

Those 15 mile reports sound awesome! My problem with looking for fish after that line is the speed. My Lowrance 520C doesn't pick anything up except bottom at anything over ten knots.

Thanks for the tips and keep them coming.

Fred

[AMR]

Fred. I bought a 22 Aquasport with a 100 gallon tank and a 200 hpdi in 2002. I caught bluefin tuna, mahi mahi, king makeral, ect. ect. over five seasons and I was never more than 30 miles offshore. Most of my better days were between 15 and 25 miles off. Having a trailer is an advantage in that you can drive to different locations based on reports. In my opinion trolling is the best way to put fish in the boat: you never know what you are going to catch, you cover alot of ground, and a screeming drag is exciting. If you troll feathers (my favorite colors are blue and white, and green and yellow), cedar plugs, and smaller spreader bars over good structure like the East Lump area off of Cape May, the Barnegat Ridges off of Barnegat Inlet, the Atlantic City Ridge and Sea Isle Ridge off of those cities you are almost guaranteed to catch fish. You don't need out riggers but they help. We always put drails in front of our feathers on the outside lines and ran the spreader bar down the middle from our hard top, and the cedar plugs in the wash on flat lines clipped off our cleats. But you can experiment and see what works for you. The other places you mentioned like Monster Ledge are part of the mudhole which can be great at times or simply dead at others and you can spend hours trolling without a hit. I would concentrate on those lumps and ridges that are really great structure, rarely without fish of some kind on them, and relatively close. Even bluefish can provide you and your crew with valuable experience in handling multiple lines, multiple hookups, and fish at boatside with long leaders. It really does take teamwork and when you get a gaffer mahi, smoker king makeral, or big bluefin tuna, you will be more prepared. Good luck, offshore is the most amazing place on earth, and even though I still have tons more to learn and I try and learn everytime I go out, feel free to email me with any questions and if I can help I will...oh yeah don't forget to bring spinning gear because if you come across any flotsam, ther could be maho around/under it and you can cast to them--loads of fun.

[Chris Gatley]

Fred,

There have been Bluefin in the Mudhole and Glory hole as well as SkipJack and Mahi. Capt. Chris Gatley, who is a prominent member of this site, had good size Bluefin about 15 miles from Shark river inlet. Get a chart and plan a course to these and some inshore areas that maybe of interest. After about 10 miles, start to look for good water or readings on your fishfinder. This is just general info that I know of, maybe others can be more specific......good luck!

Thanks for the reference DM66. i know trolling has been doing well but i can say that the trend last week was that the sand eels were in the middle of the water column early in the morning. like 50 feet down to 80 feet down. when this happened, we picked fish very slowly. once the sand eels dropped near the bottom, it was lights out. butterfly jigs by shimano worked wonders. we also did very well with Fishbelly Kick S Shads placed on RON Z jigheads. Ron Z 4x strong swivel jig head is the frigging bomb! you can see my videos if you haven't already at www.catchthebite.com to learn more. pick them apart and really pay attention. lots of details.

some days we were close and the next we had to run fa, like 60 miles. that is bluefin fishing, especially in the mudhole. My friend Rich fished last sunday to a tough wind day. he only caught a 42 incher and it was 20 miles out. I was suppose to fish with him tomorrow but a family emergency popped up and that takes precedence. My wife was telling me to go tuna fishing tomorrow as she laid in the emergency room bed. No joke. me and the Doc talked tuna fishing for 5 minutes as she was sitting their in pain. marry wisely younger fellas - that is all i can say. Besides, how many 40 year olds with two little kids do you know would have their wife allowing them to be associated with the Tuna Mobile. None that I know of. anyway, Rich is running the trip solo so you can check in tomorrow to see how he did.

[bly]

I caught one of those wives. She used to always meet the boat with the kids when I came in from a tounament or almost any fishing trip. Now at 56 and the kids grown I feel guilty finally? from all her interest in my fishing. Dont worry I still fish! I went to your link and I seem to be moving back to smaller boats and having a lot more fun getting off fishing with a crew or not?