September 1, 2010

Due to Hurricane Earl, we are unfortunately forced to CANCEL our SEPTEMBER 2 COD TRIP.   We will reschedule the trip in a couple of weeks as our schedule permits.

Our LING and SEA BASS TRIPS are also CANCELED FOR FRIDAY and probably Saturday.  Please check the Trip Calendar page for updates.


August 26, 2010

LING and SEA BASS fishing was good last weekend.   We had better SEA BASS fishing than we had over the past couple of weeks.   Some folks had limits.  We will be bottom fishing through Labor Day weekend.   On Labor Day weekend, the VOYAGER will be fishing both Saturday and Sunday night for LING as well as Monday morning for LING and SEA BASS. The fare for the day trip is $60 and the fare for the night trip is $55.

Just a reminder, we have added a 20-40 Mile COD trip departing 6:00 AM THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 2.   This COD trip is open boat and the fare is $85.

UPCOMING TRIPS on the VOYAGER...

LING                       7:30 AM - 3:00 PM  FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY 8/27, 28 & 29

NIGHT LING           7:00 PM - 1:00 AM  SATURDAY  8/28

20-40 MILE COD   6:00 AM - 5:00 PM  THURSDAY  9/2

LING                       7:30 AM - 3:00 PM  FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY 9/3, 4, 5 & 6

NIGHT LING           7:00 PM - 1:00 AM  SATURDAY & SUNDAY 9/4 & 5


August 18, 2010

Yesterday's TILEFISH TRIP was fair.  We had decent drifting conditions for most of the day, but the bite was sporadic.  For no apparent reason, we would have a good drift followed by a poor drift.   The last fish of the day was the pool fish weighing 20 pounds and caught by Walter Fischer of Staten Island, NY.

As many of you know, TILEFISHING has been very good on most of our trips this season.  Due to some schedule changes we now have a number of spots available for our SUNDAY AUGUST 22 TILE TRIP.   If you are interested in going, please send us an e-mail. 

Because our 2-day trip was blown out this past week, we have added a SPECIAL 2-DAY WHALE TILE HUNT leaving 10:00 PM SUNDAY AUGUST 29.   We will be fishing the southern canyons trying to find some big fish.   We will be looking for quality, not quantity, on this trip, but hopefully we can find both.   We will be fishing depths from 500-900 feet, so make sure your tackle is in good shape.   The fare for this trip is $450 and we only have a limited number of spots available, so if you are interested please send us an e-mail.

Just a reminder, we are LING and SEA BASS fishing Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings at 7:30 AM and Saturday nights from 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM.  The fare for the day trip is $60, and the night trip is $55.


August 12, 2010

We had another good TILEFISH TRIP on August 8.  Trip photos are on our Photo Gallery pages.


















August 4, 2010

As many of you know TILEFISHING has been very good this season.   Due to some schedule changes, we now have five (5) spots available for our next TILFISH TRIP leaving at 10:00 PM Sunday night August 8.   If you are interested in going, please send us an email. 

Here are some thumbnails from our last Tilefish Trip on July 25.   You can see more trip photos on our Photo Gallery pages.



We made our first TUNA TRIP of the season and fishing was slow.   We tried a lot of different areas and fishing methods, but it just wasn't our day.  We want to thank all of the guys on the trip since they really fished hard during the entire trip.   Hopefully, we'll get 'em for you on the next trip.   We will be scheduling some inshore BLUEFIN TRIPS shortly.

Just a reminder, we start LING fishing this Saturday morning at 7:30 AM and fishing has been very good.  The fare for the day trip is $60.

UPCOMING TRIPS on the VOYAGER...

7:30 AM to 3:00 PM SATURDAY AUGUST 7 - LING

7:00 PM to 1:00 AM SATURDAY AUGUST 7 - NIGHT LING

7:30 AM to 3:00 PM SUNDAY AUGUST 8 - LING

10:00 PM SUNDAY AUGUST 8 - TILEFISH


August 1, 2010

LING fishing on the VOYAGER was very good again last night.  Catches ranged from half-dozen to over 30 LING per person and many of the fish were jumbos.  We also had a good amount of COD and closed season FLOUNDER mixed in.  We will continue fishing for LING every Saturday night at 7:00 PM throughout August.

And with such good fishing, we are switching back to BOTTOM FISHING for the remainder of the summer.  Starting on Saturday, August 7 we will be fishing for LING and SEA BASS every FRIDAY, SATURDAY, and SUNDAY from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM.   We are no longer running any more FLUKE trips.

The inshore BLUEFIN TUNA and offshore YELLOWFIN TUNA bite has been good so far this season.  We have left some weekdays open for both inshore and offshore TUNA trips.  We will be announcing these trips on a "short notice" basis based on how the fishing has been.   Please keep an eye out for our e-mails as this week's trip filled up very fast.   Some people have asked about COD fishing, so we may even throw a COD trip into the mix too.


July 25, 2010

Offshore tuna fishing has been very good over the past couple of weeks.  Not only have tuna been caught trolling, but the night chunking has been good too.  The Yellowfin tuna have ranged from 40 to 80 pounds.

We are putting together a 30-HOUR TROLL/CHUNK/TROLL TRIP!

The trip will be leaving at 9:00 AM MONDAY AUGUST 2 and returning by 3:00 PM Tuesday afternoon.    We will troll in the afternoon, chunk all night, and then troll again in the morning.   The trip will be limited to 22 people and the fare is $350.   If you are interested in going please send us an email.


July 19, 2010

Our TILEFISH trip on July 11 was very good.  The fish ranged in size from 3 to 35 pounds with most being in the 5 to 10 pound range.   Rick Englesbe from Lakewood, NJ won the pool with a 35 pound TILEFISH.  Mel Deak from Perth Amboy, NJ had an excellent trip catching a bunch of fish, two of which were in the low 30 pound range.

















Due to popular demand, we are ADDING another 2-DAY TILEFISH trip to the schedule for SUNDAY NIGHT AUGUST 15 at 10:00 PM and returning Tuesday evening between 7-8 PM.   Before you book, please note that if the weather forecast is poor for this trip, we reserve the right to change this into a 1-day trip and refund the difference (that means we can shorten the trip on either end).   The fare for the trip is $450 and spots can be held by e-mailing us.  We will hold the spots for 5 days while people send in their payment.   If you are already booked on a 1-day trip in August and want to change to the 2-day, we can switch you over and apply your fare to the 2-day trip.

FLUKE fishing picked up a bit over the weekend.   We had good short action with some nice keepers mixed in.   Bill Werking from Toms River, NJ made both trips Saturday and ended up with a limit catch of FLUKE up to 3 1/4 pounds.   Walt Steward from Toms River, NJ had three keepers and won the pool with a 4 1/2 pound Fluke.  We have been fishing the local reefs and other rough bottom spots so we have also been seeing some SEA BASS mixed in.

Just a reminder... FRIDAY JULY 23 is BERKLEY GULP DAY.   Berkley is sponsoring both half-day Fluke trips and anglers will have the opportunity to meet Berkley pro staff and a limited supply of demo equipment will be available during the trip.   Door Prizes will be awarded and all anglers will receive free goodies.  These are OPEN BOAT trips and reservations are NOT required.

We had nice weather for our Saturday night LING trip and the fishing was good.   Most anglers had from 8 to 15 fish with high hook being around 20.   Most of the LING were jumbos between 2 ½ to 3 1/2 pounds.   We also had a couple of keeper COD mixed in.  The VOYAGER sails every Saturday night for LING from 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM.


July 9, 2010

















Our last COD TRIP on July 2 was slower than the previous trip because the bottom water really warmed up.  We still managed to get some nice Cod and Pollock, but not enough.  I'm sure we could still catch some Cod on some other wrecks, but we really don't have any openings in our schedule.   If things change, we'll let you know.


















Our latest TILEFISH TRIP was very good and just about everyone caught between 5 to 8 fish, and some guys did better.   The Tilefish ranged in size from 3 to 30 pounds with most in the 4 to 10 pound range.  We fished three different areas with good results.  Frank Graziano of Wilmington, DE won the pool with a 30 pound Tilefish.  Walter Fisher of Staten Island, NY hooked the most exciting catch of the day, a 150 pound Mako shark.  Luckily, the Mako got the hook in the corner of the mouth and we got him in quickly before he knew what had happened.  We may be adding ANOTHER TILEFISH TRIP to the schedule and it may be a two-day trip.   We'll probably post the new trip in a week or so.

During the Tilefish trip, one angler decided to troll for a few minutes while we were going up for another Tilefish drift.   Within minutes we heard "fish on!"   Unfortunately, he lost that fish.   On the next move, he tried again and landed a nice 50-55 pound Yellowfin tuna.  Many charter boats were also picking away at tuna in the area we were in, as well as in other canyons.

With the nice early showing of Yellowfin, we will be making a TUNA TROLLING/JIGGING TRIP on SUNDAY NIGHT JULY 18.   The trip will be limited to 21 anglers and the fare is $300.  We will depart Sunday night July 18 at 10:00 PM and return between 8 and 9:00 PM on Monday evening.  All of the trolled fish and all Bluefin tuna we catch will be community fish and will be split among everyone.   Any jigged fish or fish caught on bait will belong to the angler who caught them.   You should bring some lighter gear so you can cast small to medium jigs as well as some heavier stuff in case we get into bigger fish.   We will supply the lures and the rods for trolling.  If you have a lucky rod or lure, you can bring it too.   If we hear some good reports, we may stop inshore to jig, troll, or chunk some Bluefin.  Please email us if you are interested.


June 24, 2010

Tomorrow, we are having our SHIMANO SPONSORED FLUKE AND SEA BASS TRIP. This special trip will be leaving at 7:30 AM and returning at 3:00 PM.  We will primarily be drifting over rough bottom for the FLUKE and SEA BASS.  Originally, the first 20 people were going to receive a Free Shimano hat and Shimano Lucanus jig.  Shimano is now offering these gifts to the first 30 people, so we still have spots with free goodies.  In case you were not aware, you will be able to learn the latest jigging techniques from the Shimano pro staff and demo the latest Shimano equipment (you should still bring your own favorite fishing outfit).  There will be prizes given out for the biggest fish caught on Shimano jigs as well as a jigging seminar on board at 7:15 AM before we leave.   Please e-mail us to let us know that you are coming.


















TILEFISH - This past Monday's Tilefish trip was good.  We picked away most of the day on fish ranging from three to ten pounds.  We did catch a few in the 10-25 pound range and almost had a three way tie for the pool with three 30 pound fish.  After carefully weighing the three fish, Teddy Valentine of Nyack, NY edged out both Brant Whittaker and Bill Bushnell for the pool honors.  High hook honors went to Mike Desimone of Long Branch, NJ with ten fish up to 20 pounds.   Due to popular demand we have added a trip leaving at 11:30 PM Sunday night July 4 and fishing on Monday the 5th.  Please e-mail us for reservations.

SEA BASS & LING - The past few trips we have been seeing more Ling than Sea Bass, but yesterday's trip had a nice mix of both with high hooks in the 20-25 fish range.  The weather looks good for the weekend.   We are sailing Saturday, but we have a private charter on Sunday.


June 22, 2010

Due to a poor weather forecast for offshore waters, we have POSTPONED our SPECIAL COD TRIP until FRIDAY JULY 2 at 4:00 AM.  We will be running our regular SEA BASS & LING Trip at 7:30 AM on Thursday, June 24.   Sorry for any inconvenience.


June 20, 2010


















Last Friday's COD TRIP was very good for some and fair for others.   We really couldn't get the front half of the boat to get the bites no matter how we positioned the boat.  It was probably a function of bottom current, but no matter what I tried, the bites were in the back.  Some guys had a dozen or more keepers and others had one to five while others had none.  The same guys with a dozen keepers also had 20 to 30 throwbacks.   Kevin Kovach of Lanoka Harbor, NJ was high hook with eleven Cod and two Pollock including the 27 pound pool winning Pollock.   Dru Kegreiss Jr. of Point Pleasant, NJ had 10 keeper COD as did Barry Goldman of Tinton Falls.  Most of the fish were caught on bait but some were jigged including the pool winner.   With such good fishing, we are adding another COD TRIP leaving Thursday morning June 24 at 4:00 AM and returning around 6:00 PM.  The fare is $100 and no reservations are needed.

This Friday, we are having our SHIMANO SPONSORED FLUKE AND SEA BASS TRIP. The trip will be leaving at 7:30 AM and returning at 3:00 PM.  We will primarily be drifting over rough bottom for FLUKE and SEA BASS.  On this trip, the first 20 people will receive a free Shimano hat and Shimano Lucanus jig.  Please call in or e-mail us to let us know that you are coming.  You will be able to learn the latest jigging techniques from the Shimano pro staff and demo the latest Shimano equipment (you should still bring your own favorite fishing outfit).   There will be prizes given out for the biggest fish caught on Shimano jigs as well as a jigging seminar on board at 7:15 AM before we leave.

UPCOMING TRIPS on the VOYAGER...

7:30 AM TUESDAY JUNE 22 - SEA BASS & LING

7:30 AM WEDNESDAY JUNE 23 - SEA BASS & LING

4:00 AM THURSDAY JUNE 24 - SPECIAL COD WRECK TRIP

7:30 AM FRIDAY JUNE 25 - SHIMANO SPONSORED FLUKE & SEA BASS


June 16, 2010

Our schedule for the next week is listed below.  Last weekend, we had more LING than SEA BASS, but we will be targeting both species over the next few days.

UPCOMING TRIPS on the VOYAGER...

7:30 AM THURSDAY JUNE 17 - SEA BASS & LING

4:00 AM FRIDAY JUNE 18 - SPECIAL COD WRECK TRIP

7:30 AM SATURDAY JUNE 19 - SEA BASS & LING

7:30 AM SUNDAY JUNE 20 - SEA BASS & LING

MONDAY JUNE 21 - NO open boat SEA BASS & LING trip on Monday because the VOYAGER will be TILEFISHING (weather permitting)

7:30 AM TUESDAY JUNE 22 - SEA BASS & LING

7:30 AM WEDNESDAY JUNE 23 - SEA BASS & LING


June 13, 2010

We had a good Tilefish trip last Monday and you can see some trip photos on our Photo Gallery pages.


















June 10, 2010

Sea Bass & Ling fishing was good again last weekend.   On Saturday, we had a mix of Sea Bass and Ling.   High hooks caught between 20 and 25 keeper fish (Sea Bass and Ling combined) for the day.   On Sunday, we tried a few different areas closer to home.  We found a few Ling but found mostly Sea Bass.   We picked all day despite the high winds with some anglers catching 15+ Sea Bass and up to a half-dozen Ling.  We also saw a lot of small, throwback Cod which shows that the water temperatures on the bottom are still cold.

The weather looks good for this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so if you are looking to put some tasty fillets in your freezer, now is the time.  The VOYAGER will be SEA BASS and LING fishing daily leaving at 7:30 AM and returning around 3:00 PM.   We have a few charters coming up, so please check the Trip Calendar before you come down.

Last week's 20-40 mile COD TRIP was EXCELLENT!   We had over 100 keeper COD and POLLOCK. Many anglers, including Barry Kaplan, Richie Mansfield, Phil Russomanno Sr. and Jr., and Mike Desimone had 6 to 10 keepers.  The pool was won by Bobby Bohrer of Malvern, PA with a beautiful 25 lb. COD.   Phil Russomanno Jr. caught a giant BERGALL weighing in at 2 lbs. 11 oz.   This Bergal would have been a NJ State Record, but the fish got filleted for dinner before we noticed that it was a record.  Don't worry Phil, it's still a VOYAGER RECORD.

















Next week, we want to try a few wrecks a bit further offshore where we should see some big COD and POLLOCK as well as some of the mid-range stuff that has been so abundant this season.   On FRIDAY, JUNE 18 we have a special COD wreck trip from 4:00 AM to 6:00 PM.   Please note that this trip is LEAVING 2 HOURS EARLIER than usual so we can hit the offshore spots.  The fare is $100 and it is an open boat trip, so just show up at the boat.   The Galley will be open for this trip.  At the moment (unless we slaughter them), this is our last scheduled COD trip so if you like this fishing, don't miss out.

UPCOMING TRIPS on the VOYAGER...

7:30 AM FRIDAY JUNE 11 - SEA BASS & LING

7:30 AM SATURDAY JUNE 12 - SEA BASS & LING

7:30 AM SUNDAY JUNE 13 - SEA BASS & LING

MONDAY JUNE 14 - NOT SAILING

TUESDAY JUNE 15 – NOT SAILING

7:30 AM WEDNESDAY JUNE 16 - SEA BASS & LING

7:30 AM THURSDAY JUNE 17 - SEA BASS & LING

4:00 AM FRIDAY JUNE 18 - SPECIAL COD WRECK TRIP


June 3, 2010

Fishing was good again over the last few days.   Most anglers caught between 10 and 30 keeper fish for the day (Sea Bass and Ling combined.)   On Monday, Vinny Faiella of Little Silver, NJ had 31 fish and yesterday the "bow boys" had two coolers full of fish.  On some days, we have been seeing more Sea Bass and other days more Ling.  The weather looks good for the weekend, so if you are looking to put some tasty fillets in your freezer, now is the time.  The VOYAGER is SEA BASS and LING fishing DAILY leaving at 7:30 AM returning around 3:00 PM.   We have a few charters coming up, so please check our Trip Calendar page before you come down.

Tomorrow, JUNE 4, we have a special 20-40 MILE COD TRIP from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM.   At the moment, this is our last scheduled Cod trip and the weather looks good, so if you like Cod fishing, don't miss out.

Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...

20-40 MILE COD WRECK TRIP - 6:00 AM FRIDAY JUNE 4.

SEA BASS & LING - 7:30 AM SATURDAY JUNE 5.

SEA BASS & LING - 7:30 AM SUNDAY JUNE 6.

NOT SAILING - MONDAY JUNE 7.

NOT SAILING - TUESDAY JUNE 8.

All of the above trips are OPEN BOAT, so NO reservations are required.


May 30, 2010

Today was a beautiful day on the water.  All of the spots we tried had life on them.  We ended up with a nice mix of SEA BASS and LING.  Rich Campanella of Toms River, NJ won the pool with a 7 pound Cod.

The Voyager will be SEA BASS and LING fishing DAILY at 7:30 AM returning around 3:00 PM.

Just a reminder, we have a special 20-40 MILE COD TRIP on FRIDAY JUNE 4 from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  At the moment, this is our last scheduled Cod trip so don't miss out.






May 29, 2010

Sea Bass and Ling fishing have picked up during the past week.   The VOYAGER will be SEA BASS and LING fishing DAILY leaving at 7:30 AM returning around 3:00 PM.

Just a reminder, we have a special 20-40 MILE COD TRIP on FRIDAY JUNE 4 from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. At the moment, this is our last scheduled Cod trip so don't miss out.


May 22, 2010


















TILEFISH - We made it out Wednesday night and the weather was perfect.   After trying a couple of spots with little success, we found a few Tilefish that wanted to bite.  We had a couple of good drifts on smaller fish up to about 15 pounds.  At times, we had 6 to 8 fish on at a time.   After everyone had a bunch, we moved to an area where we usually see some bigger ones.   On a medium length drift we caught four fish and three of them were a decent size (the biggest was 25 pounds.)   With time running out, we tried another area that has produced nice fish in the past.   We dropped the lines down and soon had multiple hookups.  Unfortunately many of them were dogfish, but a few were NICE TILES and one angler even got a double header.   At the last possible minute, Noel Otto of Manasquan, NJ hooked a big fish that later won the pool tipping the scales at 35 pounds.  It was getting late, so we headed home leaving them biting for next time.  High hook honors went to Todd Hooper of Whiting, NJ with 13 Tilefish including a 25 pound second place fish.   (Todd also lost a nice fish on that last drift).   We've kept a few Sunday nights open for some more Tilefish trips.   We'll announce them via the newsletter when we get closer to the dates.

CODFISH - On Friday's trip, we picked away at Cod on most of the spots, but we never really found the big schools like last week.  We ended up with about 50 keeper Cod and some Ling, but not enough for the nice crowd.   We expected to see more Cos this week than we did, but maybe we've been spoiled lately with all the good fishing.   The pool went to Arnold Matthews of Mount Holly, NJ with a 15 pound Cod.   We caught a number of small Cod, inshore on Saturday morning so we expect that the offshore wrecks will produce for quite a while.  We are going to take a week off from Cod fishing and let the offshore wrecks build up.  Our NEXT COD TRIP will be FRIDAY JUNE 4 at 6:00 AM.

SEA BASS - We made our first Sea Bass trip of the season today.  We tried a number of different areas in depths from 40 to 80 feet.   We saw Sea Bass on all stops, but not nearly enough.  We also caught some Cod, Ling, Fluke, Flounder, Blackfish and Bluefish (many of which are currently out of season and had to be thrown back).   All of the fish felt very cold for this time of year (the bottom temperature is only around 40 degrees.)   The cold bottom temperature has kept Cod inshore and has probably kept the Sea Bass from showing up in larger numbers.  We're sure fishing will pick up and within a week or two, we should see some limit catches.   We'll get an email out as soon as they really start biting.


May 18, 2010

We didn't make it out on our Sunday Tilefish trip this weekend as NOAA totally blew their weather forecast.  We are looking to go this WEDNESDAY NIGHT at 10:00 PM if we can get enough interest between the folks that were blown out and any new people that want to go.  There have been some good Tilefish catches made recently and the Dogfish have not been a problem.   If you are interested, please send us an email message. 


















All I can say is that the Cod fishing just keeps getting better and better.  We wouldn't have thought it possible if we hadn't seen it with our own eyes.   We made three trips this past weekend, two to the mid-range grounds and one local trip.   The Friday trip was excellent with many people catching 5 to 10 keepers plus countless fish that were 1/2" to 1" short.  There were also some big fish caught.  We had a number of fish in the 10 to 25 pound range and a 35 pound pool winner caught by Steven Sirc of Clark, NJ.   Jay Santiago and Jose Maurrero had a couple of larger fish, and the group of Richie Mansfield, Phil, and Tom combined for 30 keepers.

On Saturday, we had good Cod fishing again with more throwbacks mixed in.  After many trips over the years, Bobby Bohrer caught his first Cod... ever.   Bobby ended up with 5 keepers and numerous throwbacks.  Good job Bobby!  Jerry Lombardo of Wycoff, NJ was high hook with 7 keepers and won the pool with a 15 pound Cod.

On Sunday's trip, we fished some local stuff and found life everywhere we stopped.   At times Cod were flying over the rail faster than we could count.  Many of these were smaller specimens, but most people still took home 2 to 5 keepers, which is not too shabby for Jersey Cod fishing.  There were also a few Ling caught as well as our first Sea Bass of the year.   Vinny Faiella of Little Silver, NJ was high hook with 5 keepers.

Our NEXT COD TRIP is FRIDAY MAY 21 at 6:00 AM.   We will also be ADDING A COD TRIP on FRIDAY JUNE 4 at 6:00 AM. For Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23, we will be targeting SEA BASS and LING from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM.


May 12, 2010

As promised, we are adding a 20-40 MILE COD TRIP to the schedule for this weekend.   I know a number of guys have had trouble getting time off from work for the Friday trips, so we have added a trip on SATURDAY MAY 15.   The Saturday trip will also be leaving at 6:00 AM.  Cod fishing has been quite good, but there is no telling how long it will last so try to jump on a trip while they're biting.

On Sunday morning, we will be fishing the local wrecks for both LING and COD leaving at 7:30 AM and returning at 3:00 PM.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM FRIDAY, MAY 14

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM SATURDAY, MAY 15

LING and COD TRIP - 7:30 AM SUNDAY, APRIL 16

All of the above trips are OPEN BOAT, so NO reservations are required.


May 8, 2010

With the good weather forecast for Friday and the poor weekend forecast, we ended up with a nice crowd for yesterday's COD trip.    The fishing was pretty good with lot of action on both keepers and shorts.    Everyone on board caught a bunch of COD (not all keepers) and managed from 1 to 8 keepers.  (Even I got into the action catching 6 keepers and 9 throwbacks.)   We had some nice fish in the 8 to 20-pound range, but most keepers were in the 4 to 6-pound range.
John Peters from Newark, DE won the pool with a beautiful 20 pound COD.


















It looks like a new body of fish has moved in to the area and there was more life on the wrecks this week with fish of varying sizes.   We are going to keep sailing for COD as long as they keep biting.   It's nice to catch COD in shorts and T-shirts!

We will be COD fishing this coming Friday morning at 6:00 AM and we will probably add in a weekend trip for those that can't make it out on a weekday.  We're not sure which day it will be, but we'll make our decision based on weather and e-mail everyone.

A few people have already asked about booking OFFSHORE SEA BASS trips in November and December.  Technically, the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have to sign-off on the proposed dates.  After that happens, we will post our NOVEMBER and DECEMBER SEA BASS schedule.


May 5, 2010,

COD FISHING remains good with a decent number of keepers around and fish up to 25 pounds.   We will be fishing for Cod both Friday and Saturday this week leaving at 6:00 AM and returning around 5:00 PM.  The fare is $85 and these are open boat trips – no reservations required.   The weather forecast for Friday looks beautiful!  On Sunday, we will be jigging STRIPED BASS from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM.

For those of you who have not heard the good news about BLACK SEA BASS, it looks as though the season will be open in November and December this year.   Once it becomes final, we will start planning 12-hour and 14-hour marathon trips as well as 18-hour overnight trips.


May 1, 2010

We were out Cod fishing yesterday and fishing was good again.  The relatively light crowd combined for over 50 keeper Cod with most anglers catching between 3 and 6 keepers plus some shorts.   The fish ranged in size from 19 inches (throwbacks) up to 25 pounds.  Bob Brinton of Oceanport, NJ won the pool with a 25 pounder which was his first Cod ever.

















We will be Cod fishing on our normal 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM schedule for the first three Fridays in May.   Our next COD TRIPS are FRIDAY MAY 7, FRIDAY MAY 14 and FRIDAY MAY 21.

On Sunday, we will be jigging STRIPED BASS & BLUES from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM.


April 27, 2010

Due to the poor marine weather forecast for Thursday, we have moved our COD trip to

FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 30 at 6:00 AM

We will be fishing the 20-40 mile wrecks.  Cod fishing was good last week and we expect the same this week.  The fare for this trip is $85 and no reservations are required.   Our Galley will be open for the trip.   We will be Cod fishing on this schedule for the first three Fridays in May (5/07, 5/14, 5/21).

For the weekend, we will be JIGGING STRIPED BASS and BLUES from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.   The fares for these trips are $60 adults, $55 seniors and $40 children and NO reservations are required. The Galley will be open for the trip.  If LING start to show up, we will switch over to these tasty critters on the following weekend.


April 23, 2010

Unfortunately, we will be canceling the Striper trips for this weekend.  We have been painting the boat this week and things are not fully dry yet.  Our sister ship, the ANGLER, will be sailing for Stripers both day and night this weekend out of Atlantic Highlands.  See http://www.partyboatangler.com/ for details.  We are sorry for any inconvenience.

The VOYAGER will be making a 20-40 Mile COD TRIP 6:00 AM THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 29.   The fare for the trip is $85 and NO reservations are required.  Our Galley will be open for the trip.


April 20, 2010

Striped Bass fishing off the North Jersey shore has been excellent over the past week!   Most of the Bass have been keepers with fish going up to 30 pounds.

The VOYAGER will be running two JIGGING TRIPS FOR STRIPERS this coming SATURDAY and SUNDAY from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM.   The fare for the trip is $60 and no reservations are required.  Our Galley will be open for the trips.


April 17, 2010

We have posted our SPRING/SUMMER INSHORE AND FALL TUNA SCHEDULE.   This season, we will be making two 30-hour trips per week leaving at 7:00 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.   The Tuesday trips as well as some of the Thursday trips will be Tuna and Mahi combinations.  More than half of the Thursday trips will be Tuna and Tilefish combos and most will be sponsored by major tackle companies with plenty of demos and giveaways.

Our Sunday night trip will be a limited load trip where we will be taking only 19 anglers. The fare for the limited load trips will be the same as the fare for the regular Friday and Saturday night trips only with fewer people and more room at the rail.

All of the trip information can be viewed on our TRIP CALENDAR page, our FISHING SCHEDULE page, and our SPECIAL TRIPS page.

We will be sailing Sunday morning April 18 at 6AM for COD.   The fare is $85 and the trip is open boat so just show up.  The galley will be open for this trip.   Below are a couple of photos from last Sunday.


















April 8, 2010

















We had a large swell and decent breeze for yesterday's Cod trip.   Unfortunately, fishing was slower than last week.   We ended up with about 25 keeper Cod and Pollock which was not nearly enough for the nice crowd.  Joe Savingnano of Ridgefield Park, NJ won the pool with a 24 pound Cod and Gregory Humbert of Staten Island, NY came in second with a 21 pound Cod.   Billy Dorflein of Middletown, NJ was high hook with three Cod.

The offshore weather forecast is beautiful for Sunday April 11, so we are going to cancel the Ling trip and make Sunday a 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM 20-40 MILE COD TRIP.

We are scheduled to get the boat hauled out to paint the bottom on Tuesday April 13, so we will not be fishing during the week.  We are planning to be back in the water for the weekend and we will be Cod fishing on both Saturday April 17 and Sunday April 18 from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM.   If we have any schedule changes, we will post them here.

Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...

LING and COD TRIP - 7:00 AM SATURDAY APRIL 10.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM SUNDAY APRIL 11.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM SATURDAY APRIL 17.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM SUNDAY APRIL 18.


April 5, 2010



I'm sure most of you have already heard about last week's Cod trip.  In case you didn't, the fishing was excellent!
It was some of the best New Jersey inshore Cod fishing we have seen in 20 years.   Here is a link to some of the video taken on board last Thursday.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOX-w5s8VrQ&feature=related

I'm not sure how many fish we left out there after that trip, but we are going to try again this Wednesday morning, April 7 at 6:00 AM.  The fare is $85 and the trip is OPEN BOAT, so just show up.  The galley will be open for this trip.   We will also be making our regularly scheduled Friday morning Cod trip.

Over the weekend, we fished in the deep for Ling and it was slow.  We made some stops for Cod on Saturday and picked at small fish and caught some keepers.   The Ling fishing should improve as the water warms up.

Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM WEDNESDAY APRIL 7.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM FRIDAY APRIL 9.

LING and COD TRIP - 7:00 AM SATURDAY APRIL 10.

LING and COD TRIP - 7:00 AM SUNDAY APRIL 11.


March 29, 2010

We made a couple of Cod trips this past weekend.   The fishing was spotty overall, but some anglers ended up with a couple for dinner.   On Thursday, Frank Kocun of Woodbridge, NJ was high hook with seven Cod (two were keepers) and a few big Ling.  We tried a different area on Sunday and despite a lot of current, we had some nicer Cod up to about 15 pounds.  Andre Huwyler of Randolph, NJ and Mike DeSimone of Long Branch, NJ each had a couple of keepers and some throwbacks.  Andre won the pool with a 15 pound Cod.  I took some nice pictures, but had a camera malfunction at home and they didn't come out (sorry Andre and Mike.)

The forecast for Thursday looks very nice so we have added a 20-40 mile Cod trip for 6:00 AM THURSDAY APRIL 1.
On Friday and Saturday, we will be fishing for Ling and Cod from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM.   The fare for these trips is $60.  The galley will be open on all trips.

Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM THURSDAY APRIL 1.

LING and COD TRIP - 7:00 AM FRIDAY APRIL 2.

LING and COD TRIP - 7:00 AM SATURDAY APRIL 3.

NO Trips on Easter Sunday.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM FRIDAY APRIL 9.

LING and COD TRIP - 7:00 AM SATURDAY APRIL 10.

LING and COD TRIP - 7:00 AM SUNDAY APRIL 11.


March 24, 2010

The weather forecast for Thursday looks very nice, so we have added a MILE COD TRIP for
6:00 AM tomorrow, THURSDAY MARCH 25.   The galley will be open for this trip.

The forecast looks pretty poor for this Friday, so there is a good chance we will be canceling the Friday morning trip.  We'll make this decision on Thursday evening after we get in, so check the Trip Calendar page any time after 7:00 PM Thursday.


March 16, 2010

It looks like the weatherman is finally going to give us a break.  The forecast for Thursday through Sunday is absolutely beautiful, so we have ADDED a 20-40 MILE COD TRIP for THURSDAY MORNING at 6:00 AM, and EXTENDED OUR FRIDAY TRIP to go from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM.   Both trips are OPEN BOAT so just come on down to the dock.   We still have room on Friday night's offshore NORTHEAST COD AND POLLOCK TRIP.   If you are interested please send us an email message.

Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM THURSDAY MARCH 18.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM FRIDAY MARCH 19.

NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM FRIDAY NIGHT MARCH 19.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 5:00 AM SUNDAY MARCH 21.


March 11, 2010

The marine weather forecast for the upcoming weekend is absolutely terrible and all three VOYAGER Cod trips have been canceled.

















We have been doing quite a bit of Cod fishing over the past week.  Fishing has been good on both the inshore and offshore grounds.  High hooks have ranged from 6 to 10 fish with pool winning fish weighing up to 30 pounds.  There have also been a few Pollock and Ling mixed in.   We are noticing a decent migration of fish into the area so we should see more good fishing next weekend after the ocean settles.

We have plenty of room on our Friday night offshore trips on MARCH 19 and MARCH 26.
For these last two offshore trips of the winter season, we are LOWERING THE FARE to $175.
If you are interested in booking either trip, please send us an email message.

Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...

INSHORE COD WRECK TRIP - 6:30 AM FRIDAY MARCH 19.

NORTH EAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM FRIDAY NIGHT MARCH 19.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 5:00 AM SUNDAY MARCH 21.


March 4, 2010

This Friday night's BLOCK ISLAND TRIP has been switched to a NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP leaving at 10:30 PM.  The fare will be reduced to $200.  There has been a good showing of Cod on the wrecks and the Montauk/Block Island fishing has been inconsistent at best, so it seems like a better choice for this Friday.   If you are interested, please send us an email message.

















Last Sunday's 20-40 mile Cod trip was good.  After a slow start in the morning we found a wreck with some hungry fish and landed over 100 Cod with about 75 of the fish being keepers.   The Cod ranged in size from shorts up to nearly 40 pounds.  Bruce Harbac of Keansburg, NJ won the pool with a 37 pound Cod.  Shawn Mayer, Dave Marshall, and Joe Grabowski (all of Clifton, NJ) combined for fifteen Cod up to 17 pounds.   Ken Delucia of Sayreville, NJ had five Cod up to 25 pounds, Vinny "V.T.H." Faiella of Little Silver, NJ had five Cod to 10 pounds, "Shrimpman" Steve had four Cod to 12 pounds, and Archie Stewart of Nutley, NJ had five Cod to 8 pounds.

We will be sailing again this SUNDAY MORNING MARCH 7 at 6:00 AM on another 20-40 MILE COD TRIP.
The fare is $90 and the trip is open boat and the galley will be open for this trip.

Other Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...

NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM FRIDAY NIGHT MARCH 5.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM SUNDAY MARCH 7.

INSHORE COD WRECK TRIP - 6:30 AM FRIDAY MARCH 12.

NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM FRIDAY NIGHT MARCH 12.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 5:00 AM SUNDAY MARCH 14.



February 27, 2010

Last weekend's inshore COD TRIP was good.  We landed over 150 Cod with about 40 fish being keepers.   Bill Tevlin of Clark, NJ had 20 Cod of which he kept 5, and Archie Stewart of Nutley, NJ had 16 Cod, also keeping 5.   Dennis Luczajko and Dominic DiStefano of Croydon, PA combined for 16 keeper Cod, a few Ling and a Blackfish.

We have a 20-40 MILE COD TRIP sailing this Sunday morning February 28 from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM and the forecast looks good.  The fare is $90 and the trip is OPEN BOAT.   Our galley will be open for this trip.



February 25, 2010

Due to yet another storm forecast for this weekend, we have canceled both our Friday night and Saturday night offshore trips.

For those that still want to go fishing, the inshore weather forecast for Sunday looks okay and we will be running an INSHORE COD TRIP on SUNDAY MORNING FEBRUARY 28 from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  The fare is $90 and the trip is OPEN BOAT.  Our galley will be open for this trip.

Other Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...

FRIDAY MARCH 5 - BLOCK ISLAND COD TRIP - 7:30 PM, $250 Fare, Reservations Required

SUNDAY MARCH 7 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM , $90 Fare, Open Boat

FRIDAY MARCH 12 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat
FRIDAY MARCH 12 - NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM, $200 Fare, Reservations Required
SUNDAY MARCH 14 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat

FRIDAY MARCH 19 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat
FRIDAY MARCH 19 - NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM, $200 Fare, Reservations Required
SUNDAY MARCH 21 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat

FRIDAY MARCH 26 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat
FRIDAY MARCH 26 - NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM, $200 Fare, Reservations Required
SUNDAY MARCH 28 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat


February 19, 2010

Due to the poor offshore weather forecast for this weekend, we have canceled both our Friday night and Saturday night offshore trips.

For those that still want to go fishing, the inshore weather forecast for Sunday looks decent.  We have added an INSHORE COD TRIP to the schedule for SUNDAY MORNING FEBRUARY 21 from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM.   The fare is $90 and the trip is OPEN BOAT.   Our galley will be open for this trip.

Other Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...

BLOCK ISLAND COD TRIP - Thursday night FEBRUARY 25 and Friday night MARCH 5.

NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - Friday night FEBRUARY 26.

20-40 MILE COD TRIP - Sunday FEBRUARY 28.





February 14, 2010

















We made our first Block Island Cod trip Friday into Saturday.  Things started off slow with no pre-dawn bite.   As the day progressed, we found only a few Cod after a number of drifts and anchor drops.   At around 11:00 AM, we got a call from our friends from the Viking fleet with reports of good fishing further to the east.  We wasted no time picking up the anchor and steamed east.  We started drifting over some broken bottom and had good fishing all afternoon.  The fish were mostly from five to eight pounds but there were a few in the teens and a 21 pound pool fish.  We fished late in the day despite the forecast for high winds in the evening and then headed home.   All in all, it was a good trip with a great bunch of guys.  We have added one more Block Island Trip for next Saturday night so if you missed the last trip you have a couple of chances to get out in the next week or so. Come catch them while they're biting!

UPCOMING TRIPS on the VOYAGER...

Northeast Cod Wreck Trips - Friday night February 19 and February 26.

Block Island Cod - Saturday night February 20, Thursday night February 25 and Friday night March 5.

20-40 mile Cod Trip - Sunday February 28.

We will also be running a President's Day Special on Monday February 15 for Ling and Cod and sailing from 7:30 AM-3:30 PM.

To view our entire February Cod schedule, see our Trip Calendar page.


February 7, 2010

We made an inshore Cod trip last Friday with decent results.   We landed over 50 Cod but many were small and had to be thrown back.   Most fish were caught on bait, but there were about 8-10 fish caught on jigs.   Mike DeSimone and Gregory McCloud combined for 5 keeper Cod up to 10 pounds, about 10 throwback Cod, and a few Blackfish up to 6 pounds.  It is a good sign to see Cod in our area again.  Hopefully, we will have a good March run with some bigger fish.

As you can probably guess, we were blown out on our first MONTAUK/BLOCK ISLAND TRIP this past Friday night.  Our next trip is FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 12.   For those of you booked on February 12, we have made Saturday night (the 13th) the "rain date" in case of bad weather.  This will give us two chances to get the trip in.  Please e-mail us and let us know if you have any conflicts that would prevent you from going on Saturday night.  This way, we can take a waiting list for Saturday night if there are any openings.  We have also added one more MONTAUK/BLOCK ISLAND TRIP on THURSDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 25.   The Cod fishing has been very good off Block Island, so if you can't make one of our trips, you may want to take a ride to Montauk and jump on one of the Viking Fleet boats.   They sail every day.

For those of you that enjoy wreck fishing we have added one more NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP on FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 26. We have also added a 20-40 MILE COD TRIP at the end of the month.   To view our entire February Cod schedule, please visit our Trip Calendar page.

We are also running a President's Day special on MONDAY FEBRUARY 15 for LING and COD sailing from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

In a show of solidarity, recreational and commercial fishermen will gather at the steps of our Nation's Capitol on FEBRUARY 24, 2010 from noon to 3:00 PM in an organized demonstration to oppose unwarranted fisheries closures.   To learn more about the demonstration, visit the SSFFF web site at http://ssfff.net/marchondc.html.

The SSFFF and several other organizations have arranged for CHARTER BUSES TO TAKE ANGLERS TO WASHINGTON, DC on FEBRUARY 24, 2010.  The bus tickets are $32 per person and the buses leave from several locations in New Jersey.  For details and TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE, visit http://ssfff.net/marchondcticketsdirections.html.


February 2, 2010

The VOYAGER will be making a LOCAL COD TRIP this coming FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5.   We will be fishing wrecks 15-30 miles out and specifically targeting Cod.  The boat will sail from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  The fare is $85 and it is OPEN BOAT with NO reservations required.


January 29, 2010


















Last week's TILEFISH TRIP was good. We caught a mix of Golden and Blueline Tilefish with a few Wreckfish and Barrelfish mixed in.   Bill Bolger was high hook with a combined nine fish total, and Noel Otto of Manasquan, NJ won the pool with a 35 pound Wreckfish.  Over the next few weeks, we will be keeping our eyes open for a nice weather window where we may be able to squeeze in another one of these trips.

Our OFFSHORE WRECK TRIPS have been good with everyone catching their limit of jumbo Porgies as well as some Ling, Cod and Pollock.   The next trips sail on Saturday night FEBRUARY 13 and FEBRUARY 20.  Reservations and payment in full are required.

We still have a FEW SPOTS LEFT on the FEBRUARY 12 BLOCK ISLAND/MONTAUK COD TRIP.   If you are interested, please e-mail us to hold a spot soon since the trip is filling up fast.  Reservations and payment in full are required.

We have just added a new NORTHEAST WRECKS COD TRIP to the schedule for FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 19.   The trip will be for Cod and Pollock and we will be fishing wrecks up to 100 miles to the east/northeast.   These are not the wrecks we fish during our regular offshore trips, but more eastern ones that tend to hold more Cod and fewer Sea Bass.  The trip is limited to 30 anglers and the fare is $200.   Reservations and payment in full are required.


January 18, 2010

Last Saturday's offshore trip was very good with everyone catching their limit of jumbo Porgies as well as some Ling and Cod.   We will be sailing on these trips every weekend for the month of January.   High hook on the last trip was Ivan Smith of Brooklyn, NY with a limit catch of porgies plus 18 Ling and a Cod.  The pool fish was a 15 pound Cod caught by Dave Baldwin of Brick, NJ.  Dave also had a limit catch of jumbo Porgies and some Ling.  Our next Offshore Wreck Trips are on JANUARY 22, 23, 29 and FEBRUARY 13.

This year, the VOYAGER will be making a few COD TRIPS to the fishing grounds off MONTAUK, NY.
The first two scheduled trips will be FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 5 and FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 12.

The boat will sail at 7:30 PM and return the following night between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM.   The trip is limited to 28 passengers and the fare will be $250.  Reservations and payment in full are required.   We will also be doing some of these trips on "SHORT NOTICE" when we have a nice weather window during the week, so keep checking your emails.

We are also taking an interest list for an OFFSHORE TILEFISH TRIP leaving at 10:00 PM this WEDNESDAY NIGHT, JANUARY 20. The trip would return between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM on Thursday.   The trip is limited to 20 passengers and the fare is $300.


January 12, 2010

We made our first overnight wreck trip this past weekend.   Despite the biting cold and stronger than predicted winds, most anglers had a good day of fishing.  Average catches ranged from 15 to 25 fish per person with large Porgies and Jumbo Ling making up most of the catch.   We also had a number of Cod and Pollock up to 25 pounds.

Todd Hooper of Whiting, NJ had a mess of Porgies and Ling as well as two Cod and two Pollock including the 25-pound pool winner.  There was plenty of life on the offshore wrecks and we expect good fishing over the coming weekend.  We have trips leaving on FRIDAY and SATURDAY night at 11:30 PM.


With a beautiful weather forecast for this THURSDAY JANUARY 14, Captain John Chiavarini will be running the VOYAGER on a LING AND COD TRIP leaving at 7:30 AM and returning between 3:30 PM and 4:00 PM.   This is an OPEN BOAT trip, but it would help us to know that you are coming.  So if you are, please call Captain John at 732-439-4019.

The VOYAGER will be running an OPEN BOAT TRIP for LING on Martin Luther King Day, JANUARY 18 from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM.   The fare is $65 per person.

This year, the VOYAGER will be making Cod Trips to the grounds off of Montauk, NY.   The Cod are already starting to show and we are currently figuring out a schedule so that we get to the grounds for the best fishing times.   We should have the sailing times, fares and dates set by the weekend so stay tuned.   We will also be doing some of these trips on "short notice" when we have a nice weather window, so check your e-mails.


December 29, 2009

We will be sailing on our 12-hour Ling and Cod trip on Wednesday morning at 6 AM as scheduled.   With light winds forecast for Thursday we will be adding a Ling and Cod trip to the schedule.  The Thursday trip will be a bit shorter, fishing from 6 AM to 4 PM and the fare will be $85.  If you can't make the Wednesday trip, then maybe Thursday will work for you.   Remember, both trips are open boat with no reservations required.  If we don't see over the next couple of days, have a safe and happy New Years holiday.


December 24, 2009

It looks like bad weather again for this weekend's Cod trips.  Saturday is definitely canceled and Sunday will most likely be canceled.  If you were planning on fishing on Sunday's Cod trip you can call the office at 732-295-3019 and press menu option #4 after 6:00 PM Saturday night to check if we are sailing.   Hopefully, the weather will be better for the Wednesday, January 30 trip.

Just a reminder...

SPECIAL OFFSHORE WRECKS TRIPS 11:30 PM

JANUARY 1, 2, 9 15, 16, 22, 23, 28 and FEBRUARY 13

Reservations are required.


IMPORTANT  NEWS!!!



This closure is just the first step in an effort by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to arbitrarily regulate all of our fisheries and PREVENT YOU FROM FISHING.   Today it is Sea Bass, and tomorrow it will be Fluke and Stripers.

Below is a copy of a letter from the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) which states their plan to file a court injunction to overturn the closure.  Please take the time to read it carefully and hopefully make a donation.   Many party boat captains including myself have already donated thousands of dollars.  We'll let the RFA letter explain the rest.


Recreational Fishing Alliance Action Alert (www.joinrfa.org)
 
RFA & ALLIES WILL SUE TO REOPEN SEA BASS FISHERY

"Unprecedented" Federal Closure Forces Recreational Fishermen Into Legal Action
 
October 9, 2009 - In the midst of the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression, our federal government has chosen to shut down the recreational fishery for black sea bass for the next six months (effective Monday, October 5, 2009) based on survey data that's been described as "fatally flawed" by the National Academy of Sciences (read "Fatally Flawed" Science is Killing America's Number One Outdoor Pastime special report at www.joinrfa.org.)
 
The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) and our local industry allies from New York to the Carolinas are fighting back against this unprecedented and unwarranted shutdown of the black sea bass fishery by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).   RFA members throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic believe this is a battle that must be fought, regardless of the outcome and have demanded that we take action.   What is at stake is nothing less than our very future as recreational fishermen, and the future of our recreational fishing industry.
 
During the first days of the closure, a grassroots effort within the recreational fishing community resulted in a successful pledge drive of support for legal action.  At the same time, a team of qualified fisheries attorneys and industry professionals was reviewing NMFS' federal ruling and poring through pages of legal documentation to develop a proper legal strategy.   Tackle shop owners and party/charter captains up and down the East Coast, along with scores of individual anglers and RFA members who've had enough of these arbitrary federal decisions, have been making donations to the RFA Legal Defense Fund, established specifically for issues like this.
 
Our legal team is currently working on our plan of attack; now it's time that we ask individual anglers to come together and support this effort!
 
According to the scientists' own data, black sea bass is a healthy stock - they are not overfished, no overfishing is occurring, and the most recent stock assessment places the spawning stock biomass (SSB) at 103% of their target.  In fact, the SSB has been at or above this level for the past decade.   Yet, despite this scientific information, the recreational angling community is being denied access to this vitally important fishery due to "fatally flawed" information coming from the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey, or MRFSS.
 
What's worse is that there seems to be no end in sight to the MRFSS assault.   Today it's the complete shutdown of a healthy sea bass fishery.  Next, we can expect an impact on the summer flounder limits for 2010, and scup soon after that.  Could striped bass be next?  How about tog?   If "fatally flawed" data has not impacted your favorite fishery, rest assured it will happen soon enough if we don't take a stand today.   Where does it end if we allow the federal government to continue to use a broken system to deny recreational anglers access to healthy fisheries?
 
The RFA has assembled an experienced legal team to take on the case to overturn the federal shutdown of the recreational black sea bass fishery.  The attorneys involved are fishermen themselves who have fought these battles before so they know this specialized area of the law and there's no learning curve to be climbed.   They've already begun working on the case and have formulated a preliminary strategy to challenge this closure under existing federal law.
 
Litigation is inherently uncertain, and there's no way to guarantee a successful outcome. However, you can guarantee that if NMFS gets away with this closure, there will be more recreational closures to come. In the coming days, we will be drafting an official complaint which demands that the improper closure of sea bass be set aside.
 
Now it's time we unite and show the federal government that recreational anglers will not tolerate arbitrary and capricious regulatory actions that inhibit our ability to utilize a healthy resource, thus violating the very laws set forth by the Magnuson Stevens Act.
 
If you're a member of the recreational fishing industry who has already committed to the fight with a pledge, you can support this effort by sending a check today made payable to the "RFA Legal Defense Fund" as follows:
 
RFA Legal Defense Fund
PO Box 3080
New Gretna, NJ 08224
 
Please be sure to write "Sea Bass" in the memo of the check and make a notation on the outside of the envelope to the same effect.   Your timely response is to the benefit of us all.   The Recreational Fishing Alliance will be dedicating all checks made payable to the RFA Legal Defense Fund directly towards these legal efforts outlined above.  All donations will be tracked individually, from all groups and individual anglers. 
 
The RFA has also set up a special online account through PayPal in which individual anglers can also make a donation.  Many of the tackle shops and captains who rely on your valued service have pledged up to $500 apiece towards the fight.  As an individual angler trying to make an honest stand in a tough economy, whatever donation you can offer towards the RFA Legal Defense Fund will be much appreciated.


If you are interested in going, call our office at 732-295-3019 and leave a message, or e-mail us.

For earlier fishing reports, see our Fishing Report Archive page.