11/10/08

 

As of right now I have just a couple dates available in November. In December which lately has been the best month for STRIPED BASS, I have a few dates open then also. Over the past few years the Bass have been migrating down from the north later than they usually have. Last year we had some of our best action through the Striper season in the first half of December. We caught most of our fish on Bucktails and jigging metal. This is my personal favorite way to catch BASS. There were days that birds were working as far as you could see. It’s a beautiful thing to see working birds feeding on bait from above and the Bass feeding below. Don’t miss it.

 

 We are now sailing from CAPE MAY MARINE, 1263 Lafeyette Street, CAPE MAY NEW JERSEY. The marina is just a few blocks on your right after the bridge that takes you over the canal.

 

For those of you that are considering a trip in the up coming weeks but think it may be too cold, FORGET ABOUT IT!! The NEW FISH TALE has a fully enclosed cabin to come in out of the chill and is HEATED. There is enough seating in the warm cabin for the entire group. The cockpit is 170sq ft. so there is ample room for groups up to 6 to fish. It’s the PERFICT FALL FISHING CHARTER BOAT. Check out the 6 pictures at the top of the photo gallery of the NEW FISH TALE.

 

So give me a call or send an email to get more info on what dates are still available. A deposit of $100 is required to hold your date.

 

Capt Craig

 

11/8/08

 

OK, here we go. Since the last report the weather forecast has varied a couple times. But yesterday it looked like we had a shot to get off the dock. I was to have the Jim Bergmaier group of 5 on board today. Jim called me at 5:30 Friday evening to check on the day. I told him we were a go. Can you believe it? We are finally going fishing.

 

The forecast was calling for some patchy fog early with winds 10 to 15 out of the SW and a 50 percent chance of rain in the late morning. No problem with an enclosed heated cabin and the radar ready to go. In the early morning the wind was just at about 10 to 15 SW. WOW; did the weather man get one right? NO WAY. As it got light the wind jacked up to about 20 which with the tide going out against the wind the seas jacked up too. Heading down the Delaware Bay to our first stop we were running in to some 4’ to 5’ seas and visibility not more than about 100yrds. So much for 10 to 15 on the wind and patchy fog. The boat handled it great all stayed dry, warm and safe.

 

We got to the first stop and it was too rough to drift it so I decided to stem the tide and run the engine and sit right in front of the rip and have the boys drop their lines back into the rip. There was another boat about 30yrds to our right doing the same thing. While we were there fishing the rest of the out going tide we watched the other boat catch 3 nice Bass. Doesn’t that just suck? Same bait (SPOT) doing the same thing just 30yrds apart and we did not get touched. When the tide changed the sea conditions got a lot better. In fact the sun came out for about 5 minutes. Then it started to rain. But it only rained for a little while.

 

We made a move to another location and when we got there we got our first chance at a Bass. The fish picked up Jim’s eel and started to run with it but dropped it before Jim could get the hook set. We kept at it and on one of the next passes over the rip we got hooked up with another Bass that also hit on a spot. After a nice fight we got the net on the fish and it was 31” and was about a 12lb Bass. On the same pass we got hook up again and once again it took a spot. It was another nice Bass. SPOT seemed to be the hot bait. By then we were watching other boats around us also catching Bass. We ended the day with fish in the box and the Striped Bass biting.

 

The second part of the trip the conditions were very nice. The guys fished hard all morning in some snotty conditions and fished hard in the afternoon and were rewarded. Thanks guys for a fun day.

 

I am scheduled to fish Tuesday 11/11. I’ll keep you informed.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

 

 

 

11/6/08

 

Well, the boat has been in Cape May at Cape May Marine now for a while. Unfortunately each day we have been scheduled to fish we have gotten blown out by the weather. The wind has just been howling on those days making the seas un-fishable. So, we have had to reschedule or cancel the trips. Today is an example of this. It is the third day in a row that the wind has been blowing out of the NE and it has been 25 to 30 with gusts up to 40 the seas are 5’ to 9’ close to the beach and bigger farther off the beach.

 

I am scheduled to fish this Saturday 11/8. Right now it looks like we will be able to get out. We will see. I’ll let you know on the 8th.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

 

9/14/08

 

Brian Shea and his bud Shane came out with me today and they too wanted in on the action. When I talked to Brian the night before the trip he had said they wanted to do some wreck fishing and then do whatever after. I told him the wrecks in are area had been dead for a while and that I thought it would be a waste of fishing time to try. So he said OK just put us on some meet. I told him I thought that would not be a problem. Soooo we got off the dock at 7:30am and started fishing by 7:50am. I went to about the same area we were at yesterday and got started. We were in 52 foot of water and started catching Croakers and 3lb Bluefish. As we drifted back the fish got much bigger. It got to the point we only kept fish that were at least 15” and the best part is we got some of the biggest Croakers anyone of us had ever seen. We kept Croakers up to 20”. THAT IS A BIG CROAKER. We had a blast; the fish fight well and pull hard. The guys kept 41 fish. We put back at least that many that were easily big enough to keep plus all the small ones. The best part is that from where we started to where we ended the trip 5 hours later we took 1 drift that lasted 3.024 miles. That’s right 1 three mile drift and caught fish the entire time, no let up. YOU GOT TO LIKE THAT!!

 

Thanks guys for coming out. Maybe see you in the fall for a Striper trip.

 

Capt Craig

 

9/13/08

 

Jeff Tucker and his 12 year old daughter Danielle had signed on to do some ocean bottom fishing with me today. We left the dock at 7:30am and were fishing by 7:50am. We dropped the lines and in less than 5 minutes Danielle had a nice croaker on the hook. So we put that one in the box and she dropped down again and BAM she hooked up with a double header, a nice Croaker on each hook. Then Jeff got on the board with nice Croakers. The action went on almost none stop for the entire trip. We got a few Weakfish but they were too small to keep. We did put 4 Bluefish in the box that were around 3lb class. Jeff even got a 16” Kingfish, MMMMM good eating. At the end of the day we kept 60 fish for the box. Danielle is a real gamer, when we got to the dock she helped me clean fish and had blood and guts up to her elbows. And her new T-Shirt, well mom will need to soak that for a couple days to try to get the blood stains out. That’s OK Danielle, you got it broke in just right. HEY Danielle, if you need a summer job next year you can be the NEW FISH TALE 1st MATE. What do you say? 

 

Thanks guys for coming out.

 

Capt Craig

 

9/1/08

 

Rick Horn came out with me today all by his self. So we had a lot of room on the boat to fish from and we took advantage of it all. As we came out of the bay into the inlet the birds were working and we started the day by casting metal lures and the 3lb Bluefish responded. Rick kept 5 of them and the rest we released. We went out looking for the Croakers and found them but they were a bit smaller. We had them up to 15” and had a bunch of double headers. Rick kept 12 of them and could have kept dozens more. We moved around and found some Flounder and had OK action on them. We did not catch many but did put two in the box that were 20” and 22”. We caught Weakfish mixed in with the Croakers but all were too small to keep. Thanks for coming out Rick. See you in the fall for our STRIPER TRIP out of CAPE MAY.

 

Capt Craig

 

8/30/08

 

Rich Howe and his group of 6 came out today and had a blast. We had the rods bent all day on a 7 hour trip. We caught Croakers up to 20” and kept 60 total. We also got into some nice 3lb Bluefish and kept 6 of those. We had Flounder and also caught Weakfish. I was busier than a one armed paper hanger. It was gooood fun and the boys did well. Thanks guys, see you in the fall.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

8/28/08

 

Andy Koyle and his son and son’s friend were on board today. We went back to the same basic area as yesterday and the action on the Croakers was a bit slower but the Flounder action was good. We ended up keeping 18 Croakers up to 15” and we caught 12 Flounder total and kept 2 Fluke. One was 19” and the other was 21. That is not a bad day at all. Good job guys. Thanks for coming.

 

Capt Craig

 

8/27/08

 

Today I had Jonathan Vince and his group on board. Well, on the last report I said we were waiting on the Croakers to show up. The Croakers did show up today and in full force. We kept 40 Croakers up to 20” and thru back at least that many. We did catch Weakfish but today all of them were too small. We also caught Flounder but they too were smaller. The rods were bent all day, and a couple time the a rest was needed by one or two of the group

 

Capt Craig

 

8/15/08 thru 8/25/08

 

The action fishing in the bay for Flounder has been very good but there has not been many to keep. With the 18” minimum size requirement it has been tough to put a Fluke in the box. We have been catching up to 30 and 40 smaller ones. The bigger fish tend to leave the bay normally at this time of the year. But in the past with a smaller size limit we have always been able to put a few in the box. The 18” size limit is tough.

 

Fishing in the ocean has had good action. The Flounder which we have been catching decent numbers of on most days and have had keepers up to 25”.  The Weakfish have finally showed up and they have been a blast to catch both on top and bottom rigs and by jigging metal lures. Most of these fish in the early going have been too small to keep but on a few trips we have been able to put a few in the box. Unfortunately the Sea Bass have been nonexistent since mid July. We are now waiting for the Croakers to show up.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

 

8/5/08 thru 8/13/08

 

In the beginning of the week the fishing was decent. We had good action on Fluke out in the ocean fishing around the different lumps and bumps and wreck sites. We kept Flounder from 18” up to our biggest in that time span of 21”. Not too bad. The action in the bay is still hanging on but the fish we are finding are out in the main bay down by the inlet and in the inlet to the ocean. They are moving out. The far majority of these fish are too small to keep. There has been days where we caught 30 plus Fluke and were not able to keep any. One day we did luck into an 18” fish. But the smaller Flounder are fun because they are feeding and growing so even though they are small in length they are meaty and bend the rod and give a nice fight.

 

From the 5th to the 13th we have caught a few Weakfish. They are just starting to show up in the ocean waters around the area. We have not been able to keep any as the first wave is too small to keep. The bigger fish will follow. There are rumors of Croakers being caught but we have not seen them as of yet.

 

The end of the week the bottom of the bucket fell right out. We had some action on the Fluke but not much and did not keep any. We saw a couple Small Weakfish but that was it. We unfortunately were flying the skunk flag on a couple days. The action in the bay was not any better. Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you. That’s why what we do is called fishing and not catching. Fishing will turn around, it usually does.

 

Capt Craig

 

8/4/08

 

Duane Dockey and the boys came out today for some ocean action. We had action on the Fluke every place we went. We did get a nice 19” Fluke for the box. but there was a lot of junk fish out there today. The guys had a good tome with all the Fluke we caught and busted each others backs over everything. It was a fun day.

 

Capt Craig

 

8/3/08

 

Well we were bay fishing again today and it is getting to be the same old story. Lots of action but not a lot of fish in the box. Today we did put one 19” Fluke in the box.  THANKS GUYS

 

Capt Craig

 

8/1/08

 

We were back in the bay today with Thad McNamara and his boys. The action was good again with the guys catching 46 Fluke but we did not put a single fish in the box. Thanks Guys those fish will be bigger next year.

 

Capt Craig

 

7/31/08

 

I had the Alsenzer group out in the ocean today and the action was not too bad. We had our fair share of small flounder but we did put some Fluke in the box. One was a 27” 7 lber. Real nice fish gang. The youngest angler of the group at 8 years old was the winner of the pot. WAY TO GO. Thanks guys se you soon

 

Capt Craig

 

7/30/08

 

We were out in the bay fishing today and the action was very good again. But we did put a 19” Flounder in the box. YIPEE. I guess there is still a couple bigger fish around in the bay

 

Capt Craig

 

7/29/08

 

Jason Laabs and his friend were on board today to Fluke fish in the bay today. Well, what can I say; the action in the bay is very good. BUT it’s a lot of smaller fish right now. The guys caught 43 Flounder toady we had a few that were close to being legal but no cigar. My thinking is that the bigger fish are heading to the ocean. This is what they do at this time of year.

 

Capt Craig

 

7/28/08

 

Matt Overlan and his family came out for some flounder fishing in the bay and the action was real good. We started catching fish from the start and caught fish till the end of the trip. Matt’s kids took him to school. In the end we caught 32 flounder but the pisser was that not one was 18”.  Matt, you got some natural born fishermen on your hands. Very Cool. Thanks for coming out.

 

Capt Craig

 

7/27/08

 

Today Bob Mancuso was out with his group and we knew there was a chance for thunder and lightning but we gave it a shot. The action sucked. I guess the fish new there was a storm coming. Not too long after we made a couple moves we got some Sea Bass and then the clouds came a rumbling. So we wrapped up and headed back to the barn. We got back none too soon when the lightning let lose and the wind blew and the hail came a falling. Thanks guys we will try again soon

 

Capt Craig

 

7/26/08

 

We did some bottom fishing with Johnathan Vince and his compadres today. We fished the pipe on the south end of Ocean City and got a few small Fluke and some small Sea Bass but nothing for the box there. Next stop to the lumps for some flounder action and did have the action but again none for the box. We left there and went to the Sea Bass grounds and got some decent fish there. The action is picking up in the ocean. Thanks guys

 

Capt Craig

 

7/25/08

 

We went Tuna fishing with Ryan Grey and his group today. We went a long way before we found the kind of water temp we were looking for.  We got about 30 miles out and it was still in the upper 60’s. We got to 40 miles and we got to 75 degrees. Once there we found bait and life on some of the structure. We were able to troll one small Blue fin tuna up. He was not a legal fish but was fun to bring to the boat anyway. Unfortunately that was the only chance we had. Thanks guys for coming

 

Capt Craig

 

 

7/21/08

 

Brian Francis and his crew wanted to fish in the ocean today so that is what we did. Since the action was not good to the south yesterday I went to the north today. But when we got out in the ocean the water temp had dropped almost 10 degrees. That will shut down the fish from eating in a big hurry. But we tried and we tried our best. We went from one spot to another and to another. We caught a few small Sea Bass we got one we caught keep and no sign of Fluke. We headed in with our tails between our legs. THANKS GUYS

 

 Like a famous man once told me a long time ago when I did not catch a fish that day (my grandfather) He said “Craig, IF WE CAUGHT FISH ALL THE TIME IT WOULD NOT BE CALLED FISHING, IT WOULD BE CALLED CATCHING, AND THEN IT WOULD BE BORRING TO YOU AND YOU PROBABLY WOULD NOT WANT TO DO IT AS MUCH AS YOU DO”. He was right.  So we will keep trying.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

7/20/08

 

Craig Sisca and the boys were out for an ocean bottom trip today. We got out and started to fish and Sea Robins were all we could get YUCK!! The action was not good. We looked and we looked and we looked some more but could not find what we were looking for. We got only a few small Sea Bass and 1 short Flounder. Guys you fished hard and hung in there. THANKS for coming out.

 

Capt Craig

 

7/19/08

 

Jeff Tucker and his daughter and Jeff’s friend the exotic fish catcher Ryan Grey came out to bay fish with me today. The action was Ok it was not the greatest it was not the worst. We had action in spurts with the best action being at the top of the tide. Jeff’s daughter is now a pro. She took dad to school. Jeff called me the other night to set up another trip and told me that Danielle had been doing some practicing. Jeff you better watch, Danielle is going to put a hurtin on you again. Oh yes, I almost forgot Ryan, the guy that catches all the exotic fish. Well Ryan did it again. He hooked into a Sea Ray that had to have a wing span of about 4 to 5 feet. He played the fish for a long time but the line did brake. All the boats that were near us all came closer to see what the excitement was. I think Ryan needs to start his own TV fishing show. Or maybe write a book. How to Catch Exotic Fish by Ryan Grey. Hey Ryan, will you sign the first copy for me?? THANKS GUYS it was fun.

 

Capt Craig

 

7/18/08

 

Today was the first TUNA trip of the year and we had Carl Gilliam and his two sons on board with us for their first ever TUNA trip. The BIG BLUE FIN TUNA have been biting. There have been Tuna being caught to our south but I had a hunch and got a good report from a friend that there were Tuna up to the north about 40 miles out. So I decided to go off on my own away from the traffic and went to the north.

      We were fishing by between 7:00am and 7:30. There was bait all over the place all we needed was the Tuna. At approximately 8:00am my mate Dave shouts out FISH ON!! OH BABY, OH BABY we were hooked up. The fish hit a purple and black Islander with Ballyhoo on it. The fish took a ton of line on the initial run. The boys started working the fish to the boat BUT, this was a BIG fish. After a while the first of the boys had to switch off to the next with arms and hands tired. Then after a while the boys need to switch again. This fish was a BIG fish. To make a long story short the guys needed to take 3 turns each on the rod to get the TUNA to within 20ft of the boat. We saw the bruiser and it was in the 100lb ball park, maybe more. The boys needed to switch again and I recommended they not switch at this point. This was the point of no return. But a rest was needed. Dave, my mate told the guys to keep the line tight on the fish while they were making the switch but some how in the process that did not happen and slack was put in the line and in a blink of an eye the fish was gone. All that work. OH WELL, live and learn. No sense crying over spilt milk. Let’s get the lines out and try it again. That is what we did and a short while later we had another run off. The fish ran but by the time the rod was picked up the fish was gone. Unfortunately we did not get touched again. Guys you worked hard and were a pleasure to have on board. I hope you come back out again to try to catch that Tuna that got away. I know you will be ready for that fish.  THANKS

 

Capt Craig

 

7/17/08

 

We were back out looking for some Sea Bass and Flounder again today with Joe Kline and his two boys. The fishing was beater than yesterday with more action and did put some nice Sea Bass in the box up to 17”. There was no sign of Fluke. But the boys had a good time and plan on going again. Thanks Guys

 

Capt Craig

 

7/16/08

 

AM TRIP:  Gary Beatty and his group of 5 did some Fluke fishing in the bay with me today. The action was very good again today. We had fish on every drift and kept two nice Fluke. We got an 18” and a 19”er. We had fun on the trip and are looking forward to the next trip. THANKS GUYS for coming out today.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

PM TRIP:   Mike Mulholland and his group came out today to do some Sea Bass fishing. We had fun but the fish were not cooperative. We got a lot of Sea Robins and just a few small Sea Bass. We went from spot to spot looking for the ones we could put in the box but none were to be had. THANKS for hanging in there guys. You fished hard.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

7/14/08

 

We were bay fishing today with Cathy Jackson and her family on FISH TALE. The action was very good. We caught Fluke on every drift. Most were small but we did catch a nice 18” Fluke. We had a ball with all the fish we caught and we are now looking forward to our STRIPER trip in November. If we have half as much fun it will be a blast. THANKS GUYS. See you in November.

 

Capt Craig

 

7/13/08

 

I had the Ryan Grey group on board FISH TALE today. We got off the dock at 7:00am and were fishing by about 7:30am. We started catching small Sea Bass and a few small Fluke so I made a couple changes in location and we started to get some nice size Sea Bass but the Fluke we got were still small.

      Then Ryan’s line started to go out from the boat slowly and then much faster. I asked Ryan what he had on the hook and he said “I don’t know but it’s BIG whatever it is”. Then the fish came up to the surface and we got a good look at it. It was an 8ft THREASHER SHARK, VERY COOL. It was almost as long as the stern of the boat was wide, which is 13’ 3”. The shark saw the boat and took off like a bullet for Portugal. When it took off, the line did finally break. That will wake you up in a big hurry. Then after that Ryan the exotic fish catcher that he is caught a nice size TRIGGER fish. They are good eating. So when it was all said and done we had a great and most definitely an exciting day. THANKS boys for a good time. See ya soon

 

Capt Craig

 

7/6/08

 

Zeth Wentz and company got on board for some Flukin in the bay. We fished the out going tide and the water temp had come back up to 63 degrees. With the water temp coming up so did the action. We caught Flounder on each drift. The Fluke we did keep were 18”. That will work and into the box they went. It was a good day of Flukin. THANKS GUYS for fishing with me today.

 

Capt Craig

 

7/5/08

 

Flo Dibenedetto was on board with her crew for a bay trip for some flounder. When we first pulled into the bay the water temp was 67. That’s good. But within a half hour with the tide coming in bringing in the cold ocean water the bay temp dropped to 63. The action was slow and got slower with the water temp continuing to drop. We caught a few fish but none were big enough to keep. At the end of our trip the bay water temp had dropped to 56. That will affect any fishing an 11 degree drop in temp. The fish will not eat. But you just never know. You can’t catch fish unless you try.  THANKS GUYS

 

Capt Craig

 

7/4/08

 

 

Dave Sims and his bud were on board today to do some bottom fishing in the ocean. We got to our first stop and started to catch Sea Bass but they were small. We kept moving around and did finally pick up a few keeper size fish for the box. With about 1 hour left in the trip we made a move to a spot about 2 miles to the west, We got on the numbers and dropped the lines in and Dave S. got hooked up almost right away. The way the rod tip was bouncing I had a thought that it was a Fluke. When Dave got her to the boat it was a nice 22” Fluke. WAY TO GO DUDE! On the last drift of the day Dave W. hooked into another nice 20” Fluke for the box. When it was all said and done the guys had a good bag of filets enough for several dinners. THANKS GUYS SEE YOU SOON.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

7/1/08

 

Joe Cichocki and his sons Nick and 11 year old Brad came out to do some bottom fishing with me on the NEW FISH TALE. Things started out slow. But we kept moving around looking for fish and patience paid off. We fished over a couple snags that were holding Sea Bass. A lot of them were small and went back but we did manage to put together a decent catch of Sea Bass up to 19”. Of course the youngest Brad caught that one. After moving around a bit more we got into some Fluke. We kept 2 nice ones, an 18” and a 22” Flounder. Guess who caught the biggest Flounder; you got it, the youngest Brad. So the boys came home with a real hefty bag of filets for the dinner table. Good job guys see you soon. THANKS

 

Capt Craig

 

 

6/29/08

 

Frank Fossa and his buddy were on board today for some Fluke fishing in the bay. We got out there and made our first stop and had fish on the first drop, the action was good. I should say that the action was good for the first 3 drifts. After that it went all to hell. We looked all over the bay and would pick a fish here and pick a fish there. It got very slow. The boys caught 18 Flounder in total but we did not have a single fish for the box. The guys fished hard but no dinner tonight. Thanks guys for hanging in and fishing hard.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

6/27/08  (MORNING TRIP)

 

Today Russ Konrady and company were on board the NEW FISH TALE. Russ and his crew of 4 wanted to try their hand at catching some Sea Bass and Flounder.  So out to the Snags we went. The action was fast right from the start today with double headers of 18 and 16” Sea Bass coming over the side. YOU GOT TO LIKE THAT! The action slowed later in the morning and the smaller fish showed up. So we moved around from spot to spot and we would catch and put a fish or two in the box and then it would shut down. We caught a hand full of Flounder but all were too short to keep. With the action being as good as it was in the morning and the pick after that Russ and crew put a hurtin on the Sea Bass population. FRESH SEA BASS FOR DINNER ANYONE. Good Job Guys.

 

Capt Craig

 

6/27/08  (AFTERNOON TRIP)

 

David Arens and his 2 kids came out on FISH TALE to do some afternoon Fluke fishing in the bay. We got to the first stop and set up and caught a small Flounder which went back. We kept moving around trying to find some hungry fish but the action was hard to find.  At one point I noticed the water temp. was down to 58 degrees. BRRRR that is some cold water for in the bay at this time of year. We kept looking but only found and caught 6 Fluke. They were so small I did not even measure them. I think with the drop in water temp that had a lot to do with the lack of feeding fish. This is why they call what we do FISHING. You just never know. If we filled the bucket every day it would be called CATCHING. Thanks guys for coming out.

 

Capt Craig

 

 6/26/08

 

Wayne Deakin and his crew met me at the dock at 7:00am today to go ocean bottom fishing on THE NEW FISH TALE.  We fished the same area we did 2 days earlier and the action was as good if not better.  We had a mess of Sea Bass up to 19” and caught Fluke. Most of the Flounder were too small to keep but we did get a nice 20” Fluke. So when we got back to the dock the guys were going to take home Flounder and Sea Bass filets. There is some good eats right there boy. Thanks guys

 

Capt Craig

 

 

 

6/25/08

 

Gerry Zerella’s group of 6 wanted to fish the bay for some Fluke on THE NEW FISH TALE. So that is what we did. We got out and I was setting up the rods with bait and showed the guys how to work the reels and put one down to the bottom. It no sooner got down and WHAM! FISH ON! Boy I thought this was going to be our day. That fish when Gerry got it up was only 17.5” and had to go back. 18” is now the legal size in New Jersey. WELL, to make a long story short, we caught 28 Flounder this day and all were less than 18”. We had several that were 17.5 and that was close but won’t cut the mustard. The action was good and we did have fun. Thanks Guys

 

Capt Craig

 

 

6/24/08

 

Doug Jones and his 4 other crew mates were on board THE NEW FISH TALE today for some bottom fishing fun in the ocean. Black Sea Bass and Fluke were the target. We headed to the fishing ground and made our first stop. In the beginning the action was slow but after making a couple adjustments in our drift double headers of Sea Bass started coming over the side of the boat.  We kept hopping from spot to spot. At each place we went we caught fish. We did catch 7 Fluke but none were big enough to keep. In New Jersey Flounder must be 18” to be able to keep. On this day all 7 were between 16” and 17.5”. Close but no cigar. Doug and the boys did come home with a mess of Sea Bass for dinner. Good job guys Thanks for coming out.

 

Capt Craig

 

6/20/08

 

I had Joe Canal and crew on board the NEW FISH TALE. We decided to do a combo trip. The first part of the trip in the morning we went out in the ocean looking for schools of Bunker. There have been some reports of Striped Bass being under the Bunker. Our intention was to use snag hooks and cast into the schooled up Bunker, hook one then let it drop down to the bottom. If there were Stripers down there they would pick up the injured fish and the game would be on. That was our intention. But when we got out into the ocean there were Bunker but the schools were not very thick and they would spook very easily. I stayed as far away from them with the boat and let the guys cast into the school but the Bunker were so thin in their numbers it was very difficult to hook any. After numerous chances at it we finally got a Bunker on and we dropped it down but with out any takers.

 

So Joe and the boys decided they wanted to do some Fluke fishing in the bay with the action being good. When we got into the bay it did not take long before Joe put a nice 21” Fluke in the box. Good job. The action was good for about an hour and a half at which time the bit was very slow. But with several nice Flounder in the box the guys were coming home with the dinner for that evening. THANKS GUYS

 

Capt Craig

 

6/19/08

 

Mike and Barb were back for some more Fluke action in the bay again today. The action was much the same as Monday with the best bit taking place after the turn of the tide. When the tide turned we had good action but it did not last real long today. The fish shut down so we when from spot to spot looking. We did find some action but nothing fantastic. We had a great second trip with Barb taking high hook. THANKS GUYS

 

Capt Craig

 

6/16/08

 

I had Mike and Barb on board today for a 4 hour bay trip. The action was a bit slow at first but once the tide changed we started to catch Fluke. Barb caught the first Flounder on board THE NEW FISH TALE. Mike did not waste time before he was on the board with his own Fluke. The action was pretty steady with a slow spot mixed in here and there. I even got a chance to drop a line and catch a fish or two. Mike did a heck of a job with the net when I brought my fish to the boat. THANKS GUYS

 

Capt Craig

 

6/15/08

 

THE NEW FISH TALE is here and catching fish. Today I had Geoff Hatton and his crew on board the NEW FISH TALE for a Sea Bass trip. The guys loved the boat. They kept saying they could not believe how much room there was. Geoff asked me if I could put up a back board and rim to play basketball for their next trip out. I guess the cockpit is big.

 

Anyway, we got to the fishing grounds and pulled up on a piece of structure and started catching fish. WOW, FISH TALE is big, roomy, and comfortable and can catch fish too. When the action slowed on that first stop we hopped around making stops on good structure and caught Sea Bass. There were a lot of small fish but we got some good size fish in the box. When all was said and done we had a successful first trip. The guys were happy and very impressed with the new boat. THANKS guys for coming out.

 

Capt Craig

 

 

5/20/08

 

The latest from JONESBORO CUSTOM FINISH SHOP. FISH TALE is done and ready to take the test.  SEA TRIALS, the day I have been waiting for 6 months. On Thursday May 1st we loaded FISH TALE on the trailer and took her to Jones Port Maine which is about 20 to 30 minutes from the shop. Once there we backed her down the ramp and slid her into the water. I got to tell you that I did not sleep much the night before. She looks absolutely great.

 

(Pic 1) Here she is coming out of the shop for the first time since