Offshore Report for July 1st & 2nd

Driftwood 7/2/2012, 9:01 pm

Offshore Report for July 1st & 2nd---

I got together with my northern fishing partner, Cousin Russ, for an open boat Offshore Overnighter on the "Pez Machine" out of Barnegat Light. The Pez Machine is a 56' Core Sound Custom Carolina sportfishing yacht with all the power and comforts you would expect on a boat of this caliber. We met up with Capt Stew and mates Brian and Doug along with fellow anglers Jerry and Lee for a 9 am departure on Sunday morning.

*** Let me say this about this Capt and crew--they are a young bunch of guys with the customer skills and angling expertise that are going to get them far in this business. They really want to put you on the fish and make sure you have a good time doing it !! They work hard and will make the changes necessary to put fish in the boat. They are also a good natured group and you can clearly see that they enjoy their time working together and are fun to fish with !! ***

We arrived in the Wilmington Canyon about 1 PM and went right to the Tilefish banks. As soon as the lines were down it was "fish-on" with a good mix of Grey and Golden Tilefish. A couple of drops into it a school of Skipjack surfaced nearby and they were on the feed so Capt Stew quickly got us on the troll. After a couple hours with nothing to show for it we returned to the Tilefish banks and proceeded to put some more tasty Tilefish in the box. Then we went back to trolling with the plans to troll until dark and drift for sharks through the night. While we were trolling we were also marking bait on the electronics and watching as the bait seemed to be working its way higher in the water column. Frustration was setting in due to lack of action and the crew was working hard to find the tuna ! It was almost dark, and then the Yellowfin finally came up and slammed through the spread. We had 5 on at one time and managed to land 3 with one dropping on the hook up and another coming unbuttoned boat side. We quickly got all lines back in the water but the fish had gone back down and it was now dark.

We set up on the drift for the night and proceeded to put out the shark baits, chum bags, and one bait rigged for a possible swordfish. It didn't take long and we were hooked up with a 6 foot Hammerhead that was landed and released. Through the rest of the night we had another Hammerhead, about the same size as the first, around the boat for about an hour but he just wouldn't eat, and a Tiger shark briefly come through the slick, and looked to be 200-250 lbs. according to Doug, but it also wasn't interested in eating.

At daybreak it was back on the troll for a few hours looking for more Yellowfin. With no takers for our efforts, it was back to the dock for fish cleaning and clean up. It was good to get offshore, and to have some tasty Tile and Tuna to share with my family and friends. Thanks to Capt Stew and the guys for the memories and I hope to fish with them again soon.