Pea soup fog and blackfish greet anglers on the inshore rubble
A pea soup fog blanketed the coast Thursday morning bringing visibility to about 50 feet for few anglers out for blackfish on the inshore rocks and rubble.
Blackfish, or tog, is about the only game in town at the moment, though the striped bass are still in the area. Capt. William Egerter on the Dauntless having been seeing some bass swirls 2 ½ miles off the beach on his way out to the tog grounds. He did take a drive out to the deep to try the Offshore Reef but there really was nothing biting there other than an odd ling and a couple codfish, so he's been focused on the tog in the shallower water.
He said his fares had about 15 keeper tog in the boat by 11 a.m. on Thursday when he was reached by phone for a fishing report. The water temperature was 46 degrees. He said they pick away at the tog every day, with most of the keepers in the neighborhood of a few pounds. A few of his fares have been able to get there five fish limit. There is also a healthy population of short tog on the structures.
There haven't been too many big fish to speak of. His pool fish have been between 6 and 8 pounds. The Grumpy's Tackle crew was of Ray Kerico, Jenni Ackerman and Sean Smida were on the boat Monday. Egerter said Kerico landed the pool fish, an 8 pounder which he caught with a shrimp bait.
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A few other boats have been regularly on the tog grounds. Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer said green crabs were the key to hooking the fish on Wednesday's trip. That and moving around the boat and trying different rock pieces.
The conditions should be decent on the inshore grounds for the weekend. NOAA's marine forecast is calling for northwest winds around 10 to 15 knots for most of the weekend. There could be some gusts that top 20 knots. The seas should be small, around two feet for the most most.
The Big Jamaica party boat will begin its winter offshore schedule this weekend. Capt. Howard Bogan Jr. said they will be fishing deep-water wrecks that more than likely will be holding porgies, and possibly some weakfish, cod and pollock.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
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This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Pea soup fog and blackfish greet anglers on the inshore rubble
