01/07/2007 - Round 2 Blackfishing on The North Star
OK, Round 2 on the North Star yesterday was a much better experience, despite the slow fishing.
For those that read the last report, it was a disappointing first trip on the NS, rotten crabs in the cabin and out on the bow made for an inescapeable smell. The mate was less than friendly and made some unnecessary comments throughout the day that also made the trip a lesser experience, but in the second trip I think I learned that he just has a dry sense of humor and likes to bust chops, even though you are unsure if he is serious half the time.
So this trip was highlighted by a respectably clean boat, the crabs were still a little funky, but they were kept in the bow...which made the cabin rides and cleaner air far more enjoyable. The mate was actually quiet cool this trip, I swear he might have read my previous report. He was actually quite helpful, cutting crabs for us and other customers, etc...that or he was just in a better mood...who knows, but yesterday was definitely more aligned with the way you'd expect a mate to be.
The boat wasn't packed by any means, I'm assuming from one of two things.
1) The Eagles were playing the Giants and diehard football fans refused to leave the couch or bar.
2) The weather was pretty snotty the day before, and the resulting stir in the ocean may have kept the sharpies at home.
Half those that did come out seemed like knowledgeable toggers. They seemed to know what they were doing, and at least one of them was a year round mate...who again, seemed to talk to the talk...but I don't think anyone could really walk the walk yesterday given the bite...or lackthereof.
The captain moved around a TON...really too much. We rode 1.5 hours out to the first spot, anchored up, and my very first drop I found a beauty of a ledge with a nice 10-15 foot drop into it. BAM, keeper on the first drop into that hole. I was like, OH BABY, today is gonna be GOOD! Second drop, pick up a short just shy of 14". Then the captain hits the horn to move...we are fishing for like 10 minutes on the spot. WTF? Bite is decent, fish coming up...why the move? We move, ride another 15 minutes back the way we cam...second spot also has a decent bite...some fish coming up, I had a few shorts but no keepers. Again, decent life...but we move in about 10-15 minutes. Eh? Then we move 20 minuets inshore...another 10 minutes to get anchored...and we hit up the third spot and it's dead...dead, dead, dead. Don't think I saw a fish come over the rail on the third or fourth spot...the fifth had a couple keepers around the boat and one foul hooked (Hole-E-O) pool winner at 7lbs.
Generally, we were driving 10-15 minutes, dropping anchor for 5-10 minutes, fishing for 10-15 minutes, picking up the anchor for 5-10 minutes and repeating. The first two stops were the most productive, and most life...the rest of the day was very slow...maybe one of two shorts per stop for me and dad each. The 2nd to last stop was a decent one...good life, dad picked up a nice 5 lber, I had another near keeper and several shorts.
The more experienced toggers were complaining about this being the worst trip of the year for them. One group of 4 guys (one was the mate mentioned earlier) said they only had 2 keepers between 4 guys with about 3/4 of the trip over. I think they picked up a couple more, but nothing major...altho one of those guys did win the pool with the aforementioned Hole-E-O snagged 7 lber.
Overall, the fishing was slow...but I have yet to have a truly slammer day (whether it's me or the boat) where guys are bailing slobs over the rail all day...so it seemed maybe slower than my average. The boat and mate being in better condition today really made it more enjoyable. Also due to the fewer anglers, we were able to move around the boat and search for hard/sticky bottom more than we would be able to if it were stacked...so that would have been good if we had some good fish around.
Oh well, I'll probably be hitting up the North Star, the Big Mohawk, or the Ocean Explorer this upcoming weekend...will be keeping my eye on the reports and weather to guide the decision.
Here's a couple pics from the day...
Shot of the ride out...
AC in the distance...
Some double hooks, ready to roll...
Dad with his a nice tog...I think it was third best for the boat that day. I seriously think this fish was choking on water and accidently sucked his bait in...my dad will say otherwise, I call BS, I don't believe a word of it! :P
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