Holliday's World Famous Fishing Thread - 2023 Version

[oldslowandugly]

Have you ever deep sea fished?

I have. On party boats. Many moons go my Uncle from Pennsylvania took 10 year old me and my Dad to Montauk for Cod. It was January, no one checked the weather, my Mom stuffed us with a big greasy breakfast, and the Viking boat stunk like hell. Needless to say, the weather was horrible cold with nasty seas, everyone got seasick, and the only thing caught was a Wolf fish that I hooked and threw back.

Since then I got smart. In Summer we would go for Bluefish at night, or in Winter Cod during the day. We start with seasick pills the night before. A non-greasy dinner, and a dry breakfast. Bring snacks that won't upset your stomach. Bring fresh water and Pepsi to drink. Take another seasick pill before boarding. Don't drink alcohol. Pick the best weather days you can. No crazy windy days. No below freezing cold. No 100° days. The best fishing near me is about 20 miles offshore at the wrecks. Water is over 100 ft deep. You need HEAVY tackle. We use big sturdy rods, Penn Senator reels, and 50 lb line. Often when anchored up, the best spot is at the stern. Be prepared to suffer from diesel fumes as the boat idles. Pray for a slight breeze. When Bluefishing at night, they toss chum to make an attractive slick. That stinks too. The payoff is that you can catch a lot of really BIG fish. Winning the pool can be several hundred dollars on a packed boat. And you never know what you might catch.

I was with my Daughter's annual work sponsored fishing trip. They fished some inshore man-made reefs for black sea bass, fluke, porgies, blues. She thought she was stuck, until it moved. She fought this thing for half an hour. It was a 42 lb Cobia. HUGE! It took three mates to get it aboard. We had delicious dinners for a long time and it won the pool too.

PS: @oldslowandugly Always wanted one of those Eagle portable fish finders w/greyline.
They were always 99$, and a little to rich for me back then.

Not a useful item for a bank and wet wading fisherman.

They make a cast-able fish finder now.

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They are still around $100. They may or may not find actual fish- but you can search and find holes, drop-offs, and other structure. Imagine taking a map of your fishing area, then casting across the water at intervals, and filling in on the map all the structure. That would be invaluable data. That is what I use my Piranha for. I look for structure the fish use for ambushing bait.

42 lb Cobia pool winner fish.

 

[Alticus]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Alticus]

He was fishing for mackerel.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Thanks for the tips!

No problemo. I should add that party boats can have some crude customers that can ruin the trip. Drunks, loudmouths, spot jumpers. You can turn away from your spot at the rail to unhook a fish, and some idiot will try to jump into your spot. Sometimes the mates will hold the best spots for regular customers. Imagine getting up at 3AM to get to the boat early and grab a good spot, only to see rods already in holders but no one is around. It should be first come first served but money talks. And be sure to tip the mates if they did a good job for you. Unhooking fish, keeping your bait fresh, cleaning your catch. If they sucked, let them know.

 

[Alticus]

No problemo. I should add that party boats can have some crude customers that can ruin the trip. Drunks, loudmouths, spot jumpers. You can turn away from your spot at the rail to unhook a fish, and some idiot will try to jump into your spot. Sometimes the mates will hold the best spots for regular customers. Imagine getting up at 3AM to get to the boat early and grab a good spot, only to see rods already in holders but no one is around. It should be first come first served but money talks. And be sure to tip the mates if they did a good job for you. Unhooking fish, keeping your bait fresh, cleaning your catch. If they sucked, let them know.

Thanks again :)

 

[Alticus]

No problemo. I should add that party boats can have some crude customers that can ruin the trip. Drunks, loudmouths, spot jumpers. You can turn away from your spot at the rail to unhook a fish, and some idiot will try to jump into your spot. Sometimes the mates will hold the best spots for regular customers. Imagine getting up at 3AM to get to the boat early and grab a good spot, only to see rods already in holders but no one is around. It should be first come first served but money talks. And be sure to tip the mates if they did a good job for you. Unhooking fish, keeping your bait fresh, cleaning your catch. If they sucked, let them know.

A guy from the club once told me that he saw a video a long time ago where it took a fisherman 7 hours to hook and reel in a Swordfish. Is that even possible?

 

[oldslowandugly]

Yes. Of course it all depends on what grade tackle he was using, the size of the fish, and the skill of the captain. Ever see a fisherman strapped into a fighting chair? That way much of the strain is absorbed by the chair. If the tackle is not adequate, the guy can't horse the fish at all. A good captain will back down the boat when the fish makes long runs. And then there is the chance that the fish is really HUGE and full of vinegar. Another thing is that if the guy is looking for an IGFA record, only he can touch the rod and reel. If anyone helps, the fish is disqualified. Even if everything is correct, the guy fights the fish all the way in, you can still lose it at the boat if the mates are not up to the task. They must grab the leader with heavy gloves to protect their hands, and stick the fish with a flying gaff. Then they can hoist it aboard. Not for the squeemish.

I fish Rockaway Beach at Debs Inlet a lot. One of the guys decided to use 10 lb line for surf casting. You can cast a mile with so light a line, almost right across the inlet. This was in early November. He hooks one of the big huge Bluefish that are around then. It took him almost two hours to get the fish beached. You can't horse the fish with too light a line. You have a big fish that is using the outgoing tide to his advantage. You almost have to bore the fish to death. After that he went back to 20 lb line, which is standard for surf casting. I always use at least 20 lb, sometimes 25 lb, when big Blues are around. Every second the fish is in the water is a chance for it to spit the hook. You have to yank his head off and get him in as fast as you can. I like using light tackle as much as anyone, but sometimes you really handicap yourself and you lose the fish.

 

[Alticus]

Source: Quora

Ouch!

Barracudas. Not only are you not going to tame one, even pulling one out of the water and trying to pose with it can be dangerous as those sharp teeth can take a chunk out of your arm, as many people find out while fishing.

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[oldslowandugly]

So do Fluke and Bluefish. I also have several fingers that don't work so good. Striped bass have sharp spines on their dorsal fin. They are like porcupine quills. No matter how careful you are, they flip around and spike you. I learned the hard way. I once caught a pretty big Bluefish. When I cleaned it, I found two pieces of a Butterfish inside. The Blue sliced it in half, ate the tail, then came back for the head. You would have sworn a surgeon with a scalpel had cut the Butterfish in half. Razorblade teeth will cut right to the bone and then some.