We ended our regular fishing season this past weekend and once again Mother Natures wrath affected what we were able to do. Friday was pretty much a no brainer the wind blew so hard leaving the dock was not an option and with the forecast our long-range trip for Saturday was once again scrubbed.

Saturday morning we had hopes of northwest winds that were supposed to blowing around 10 to 20 inshore and moderating by midday. What we had was the typical add the two numbers together and maybe a little more and that will be the reality! Winds blew in excess of 25 knots for most of the day and finally around 2 o’clock they began to moderate. The Ocean was rough to say the least. Striper boats were fishing in the lee of the land and I ventured about ten miles down the beach in search of the Tog. Dirty water and miserable conditions with the winds and tide made for a long morning, by midday we were still fishless! I made another move to some deeper water when the tide changed in search of some cleaner water and hopefully some biting fish and ended up pulling the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. We finally had a little Tog bite going on but it was ultimately too little too late. We wound up catching about 25 keeper Tog in our last hour and a half of fishing. A bright spot would be the size of the fish nearly all of the Tog landed were keepers and our biggest fish was just shy of nine pounds. Striper boats would come back with their tails between their legs either fishless or having just landed one or two.

The forecast was much better on Sunday and we had high hopes with a friendly Ocean. Having seen some nice Tog just a few hours earlier I opted to run back out to about the same depth. The Tog did bite but it was a long slow day where patience became key. Once again we had some nice fish with several slobs that would tip the scales over five and six pounds but top hooks would only land a handful or more and most anglers would only land enough for a supper or two. Not exactly the way I had hoped it would play out, but certainly better than it could have been, we did catch some nice fish on what would end up being our last hoorah!

We were scheduled to go out again on Monday but once again the weather and the lack of willing sponsors kept us tied to the dock. Likely a good choice as the winds blew in excess of thirty knots by midday reminding me of how happy I was to not be out fishing! A fitting end to the regular 2008-fishing season.

The boats will stay tied up now until after the first of the year with just maintenance on the schedule. We were going to try a long range trip this coming weekend but with the weather pattern and only a few folks signed up for the trip Capt. H.D. decided to just try after the first of the year. Our next long-range trip will be on January 10th. As the schedule for the winter trips becomes available to me I will post the dates and times of departure on our special trip link from the home page. The offshore migration for the Jumbo Sea Bass has begun and we are looking foreword to some outstanding catches during the winter months. Remember advanced reservations are required for these special trips.

If you would like any more information about trips sailing out of the Wharf or you would like to book a charter or sign up for a special trip please give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.

Until Next Time Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Capt. Rick Yakimowicz
Thelma Dale V
catchfish@verizon.net