07/14/2007 - Fluking Raritan Bay with Tom and Stephan

07/14/2007 - Fluking Raritan Bay with Tom and Stephan



Sorry for the longgggggg delay in this report...been super busy and just getting around to it now.

Let's get her started!


Tom, Stephan, and I met up to fish aboard My Sanity in and around Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook.  We all met up at the Atlantic Highlands marina around 5:00AM...well, some of us *cough* Stephan *cough* weren't there quite yet.  But it was all good, we had to prep the boat and get things ready to slip in...so Stephan actually came at a good time...of course he did forget his water, but brought plenty of beer and Cheeze-its!  Hahaha SWEET!


OK, we slip in eventually, it's a tourney weekend...so the ramp is turning into a parking lot pretty quickly...but we escape just in time to catch a nice rainbow and the rising sun as we head over to fish the Reach.  We arrive at the Reach, and the tide is slow...very slow, not quite slack yet but barely a breath of wind and we are drifting at a snails pace.  Stephan starts off on fire, landing a nice keeper followed by a 4#ish fish...two in the box for him...while Tom and I are knitting sweaters...OK, well we had a couple shorts. 


The drift died even more, as did the fishing...plus boats were getting stacked in the Reach with no nets moving...so we opted to head up to Chapel Hill and give it a few slow drifts.  Once again, slacko...so I started casting out my bucktail mid channel and bringing her back in...BAM, hook up a decent keeper, net it, and get her in the boat.  Visibily a solid keeper, but I throw it back to Tom for a good measure to be sure...Tom grabs a hold of the fish, slaps it down on the cooler lid...which BTW is conveniently just above the rail of the boat and literally inches from it...and WHOOPS...the fish gives a kick, Tom loses his grip, and splish...splash...2 keepers still in the box, the 3rd one went back home!  Ahhh well, was that fluke's lucky day...plus I think it was a small price to pay to bust Tom's chops for the remainder of the day!


So Chapel Hill was sea robin city, so we headed across towards the tip of the Hook to sit inland of Sandy Hook East a little bit...where I picked up another keeper, and we all picked up some shorties.  The Sea Fox was nearby with about an 80 person vacuum working, but not pulling up much...so we opted to head back down South to where we've been doing well on previous trips.  Sure enough the fish were there, but not in the numbers or size we have previously come to know.  We boxed a few more keepers with a few shorts before the Sea Fox roamed down...and subsequent drifts were basically dead.


We've been fishing 15-30 feet of water all day with limited success, so we opted for a little change and moved back up to deeper water around the Hook in SHE.  The wind was kicking up midafternoon now, blowing around 10-15...but the drift was good with a mixture of tide against wind.  We fished alone, hardly a boat near us...and boxed some solid keepers in 45-60 feet of water...nothing big, just more consistent keeper numbers with some shorties and robins mixed in.  We rolled drifts for about 2-3 more hours before the tide changed and the wind really started gassing at a solid 25+...eventually pushing us with wind and tide into a Mach 10 drift speed...at which point we called it a day, and a long one at that.


Now, normally I'd say we had 15 keepers in the box...but I faintly remember counting only 14...and I can't seem to remember how that happened.  Tom, any ideas buddy? Hahaha  OK, so we wound up with 14 in the box and back on the table with the ball busting memory of the one that got away...Tom will never live it down!  Haha


We head back to the marina, only to come around the tip head on into solid 4+s with some 5 and 6 footers rolling through.  We're getting tossed around a little, but that's nothing compared to the lake that is forming in the stern.  I issue the request to turn the bilge on full blast before the Blackberry and camera in my pockets is under water!  Tom assures me (and apparently Tom/Tdaly was there) that this boat can FLOAT when totally submerged...I took his word for it as I started to look for a bucket to start bailing with!  Haha, but before I knew it...the bilge was pumping out the water good, and Tom started riding cross current to ease the drownage.  Took a little time, but we got her back to the boat ramp in one piece...really not an issue, I'm just being dramatic and it makes for a good story!  I was going to add a part in where Stephan got swarmed by a wave in the bow and was carried over and past Tom and I in the stern...but somehow I didn't think that would fly considering it's the Raritan Bay and all!  Heh.


Back at the dock...we arrive...tie the boat up while Tom goes to get the trailer...errrr wait, you need keys to be able to actually get into your truck to get the trailer right?  Tom was in befuddled mode...as he couldn't locate his keys.  He was sure he put them in the storage department...but after tearing it apart he couldn't find them.  Now he's thinking he locked them in the truck.  Eventually he locates them, fallen through a new crack in the storage cabinet bottom...WHEW, close one!  Tom runs and gets the trailer, and then rides the boat on...and it's good to go. Tom cleans the boat up...while I snap a few pics and start filleting the fish with the assistance of Stephan.  I get em filleted up and spend a few showing Tom how to fillet tailside first, he too picks it up quickly slicing and dicing the last fluke on the table.  We pack up and head on home...another awesome day on the water...high variable weather, a lost fish or two...OH, no wait...there was only one...right Tom? Hehe...but in the end, a great time with great friends!


Let's move on to some pics from the day, shall we?



Tom, preppin the boat early in the AM...





My Sanity..gettin ready for the water!





Gettin ready to slip her on in...when...





Stephan arrives with a smile!





The makings of a nice morning...





Another...





One more with several boats slipping in...





The man says LETS GO!





Stephan's definitely ready!





The rainbow...nice touch to the morning...





Neat darkened effect on the way out...





OK, on to some fishing...Tom with a flattie!

Smart guy with that hat...protecting from the sun...Tom is also in the French Foreign Legion reserves...so don't mess with him!





Uh oh!  Charlie might have someone give him a run for his money as the Clam Shell Hunter!

Nice diameter Tommy!





Tom, reeling another one in...





Fluke!!!





Nice!





Can't leave Stephan's, "Ohhh Ohhhhhhhh THIS is a BIG one!" fish!

I'm also the only one without a cool hat!

Stephan was thereafter known as "Panama Red" in spirit of both his hat and his sunblockless sunburn!  Nice!





Stephan, fighting another one!





Get em Panama, Get em!





Musta been a short...cuz he got SERIOUS on the next one...the hat came off!

Again, I need more "after" shots of landed fish...I suck! :|





Final catch at the dock...15...errrrr 14 keepers! Haha





Panama Red with his nice 4#ish fish!





Panama Red in full effect...nice burn buddy!






OK, so not at many pics as usual...but the ride in was snotty and the ramp was a little hectic.  In the end, had a great time out there and BIG thanks to Tom for taking Stephan and I out on his boat!  Can't wait to do it again!