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A Speck in the Sea

A Speck in the Sea


John Aldridge fell overboard in the middle of the night, 40 miles from shore, and the Coast Guard was looking in the wrong place. How did he survive?



John Aldridge on the deck of the Anna Mary.


Looking back, John Aldridge knew it was a stupid move. When you’re alone on the deck of a lobster boat in the middle of the night, 40 miles off the tip of Long Island, you don’t take chances. But he had work to do: He needed to start pumping water into the Anna Mary’s holding tanks to chill, so that when he and his partner, Anthony Sosinski, reached their first string of traps a few miles farther south, the water would be cold enough to keep the lobsters alive for the return trip. In order to get to the tanks, he had to open a metal hatch on the deck. And the hatch was covered by two 35-gallon Coleman coolers, giant plastic insulated ice chests that he and Sosinski filled before leaving the dock in Montauk harbor seven hours earlier. The coolers, full, weighed about 200 pounds, and the only way for Aldridge to move them alone was to snag a box hook onto the plastic handle of the bottom one, brace his legs, lean back and pull with all his might......And then the handle snapped........
Read Full Article Here..

The Need for Speed

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As the night air starts getting cooler and the kids go back to school in September, my thoughts turn to those little speedsters – bonito and false albacore. Although it was probably 25 years ago, I still remember the first bonito I ever caught.  I was fluke fishing with my father and my next door neighbor.  As I started reeling in my line to get ready to move to another spot, something hit my white bucktail like a freight train.  Instantly, what seemed like miles of 10 lb. test line began to melt off my little Berkley reel.  Eventually I worked it along the boat where my neighbor was waiting with the net.  Once aboard, I was amazed at the sight of this mini-tuna that almost spooled me.  It was probably only around 4 or 5 lbs., but from then on, I was hooked!

ABOUT THEM

Whether you call them bones, bonita, little tunny, albies, or fat alberts, these little pelagics are just a blast to catch on light tackle!

They are often spoken of or written about in the same sentence, as in, “I’m going to try to catch some bones and albies today.”  While they are often caught together as they migrate down the east coast in the late summer and early autumn, they are in fact, two distinct species.   The bonitos that frequent our area are Atlantic bonito (sarda sarda).  They are most easily recognized by the dark angled lines on their backs and their sharp little canine like teeth.  False Albacore (Euthynnus alletteratus) have squiggly lines on their backs and, while they have teeth, they are set further back in their mouths and are not very noticeable.

Another major difference is their food value.  While the bonito is sought after for its delicious meat, the false albacore is not.  A party boat mate once described an albie’s flavor to me by saying, “If you want your cat to hate you, feed it one of those!”  While that may be true, (I don't have the courage to try one) I do know people who have eaten it and liked it.

Whatever their food value, the real reason I target these two fish is for their fighting abilities on light tackle.  Once hooked, they are capable of making blistering runs up to 40 miles per hour.  Put simply, these fish make drags sing!

TACKLE & TECHNIQUES

Rods and reels will vary depending on whether you are pursuing these fish from boat or land, trolling, casting or chumming.  As a general rule, you want to keep it as light as possible.  Line test should stay under 20 lb. mono or 30 lb. braid.  Rods should be from medium light to medium action.  Avoid targeting these speedsters on overly heavy tackle.

On a private boat, I like to use a 7’ medium light to medium action rod and a 3000-4000 size reel loaded with 15 or 20 lb. braid.  I will add a 5 -10 ft. section of 12-20 lb. fluorocarbon line before attaching my lure or bait.  Most party boats do not allow braided lines.  In this case I use the same 7’ rods with a 4000-5000 size reel and 12-14 lb. mono or fluorocarbon line.  

If I have monofilament as my main line I will again add a 5 -10 ft. section of 12-20 lb. fluorocarbon.  If I am using all fluorocarbon main line, I will tie direct.

If you’re trolling for bones and albies; cedar plugs, Clark spoons and scaled down daisy chains will catch them as well as other scaled down tuna baits.  Speed is the key.  Trolling speeds of 5 to 7 knots are just about right.

From the surf, where distance is a factor, slim metals from ¾ to 3 oz. such as AVAs (with and without tails), Deadly Dicks, Gibbs Minnows, Acme Need L Eels and Kastmasters, Cripple Herrings, and Seastriker Jigfish (similar to the old Megabait Live Jigs) will all catch.  Cast ahead of the school and fish these lures fast and high, sometimes even breaking the surface of the water.

If the fish are in closer, soft plastics such as, Zoom Flukes, Fin-S Fish, Sluggos, Bass Assassins, RonZ baits and Tsunami Split Tails can be dynamite.  These are my preferred lures when fishing from a boat (with the Tsunami Split Tails being my all-time favorite).   Fish these lures in a “walk the dog” fashion.  After a long cast, count the lure down from 5 to 10 seconds (depending on the current).  Then, holding your rod tip down, begin a moderate to fast retrieve, all the while whipping the rod in a rhythmic manner.  Pause occasionally, for a second or two, to let the bait sink a little (trying to make it look injured) before continuing your retrieve.   Many times this is when you’ll get bit.

Not to be overlooked in this long list of bonito and albie lures is the plain white bucktail.  Countless numbers of bones and fat alberts have been taken on these simple lures, including (as I stated before) my very first bonito.  Fish these in the same manner you would fish the soft plastics.

PARTY BOATS

While this section refers to party boat fishing, which is how I mostly fish for bones and albies nowadays, these same techniques will work for private boaters as well.  The difference is mobility.  The bigger party boats really don’t have the speed to chase the fast moving schools, so chasing is really only an option for the private boater.

Party boats will anchor up and chum with a very thin soup of bunker and other oily fish.  Fresh or frozen spearing are added to the slick to spice it up.  The trick is to use just enough to entice the targeted species, but not so much as to attract bluefish or sharks.  Bait is the same whole spearing.  You will need to use small (size 1/0 to 2/0) live bait or octopus style hooks in order to hide the hook from the bonito or albacore’s sharp eyes.   Place the hook in the mouth, out the gill and then back into the body of the spearing.  When done correctly very little of the hook will be showing and the bait will hang straight and look natural.

Keeping your bail open, drift the spearing back into the chum line.  You want your bait to be moving through the slick at the same rate that the other spearing are moving.  Usually this will mean using no weight at all.  However, there will be times, such as when the current is very strong, when you will need to add a small weight, such as a rubber core sinker or split shot on your line in order to get your offering down where the fish are feeding.  When the line starts peeling off your reel, pause for a second or two, point the rod at the fish, close the bail, set the hook hard and hold on!

Once the slick is established, casting the aforementioned metals, soft plastics and bucktails and working them back through it can be very effective.  It’s my absolute favorite way to catch them.

LOCATIONS

Bonito and Alberts favor lumps, humps and ridges.  As they move inshore in the late summer and early fall you may find them as close in as right off the beach.  Usually the beach action occurs best in low light conditions, such as first light, dusk, or during the day with an overcast sky.  For boaters, popular spots are places like Manasquan Ridge, Barnegat Ridge, Tolten’s Lump and the Klondike.

If it’s September or early October and you’re fishing, you should always have a rod rigged up for these speedsters.  At this time of year you never know when they might pop up.  If they are on the move you may not have but a few seconds to get a cast off to them, so being ready for any opportunity is key.

Good luck!  See you out there.

NJSWF Fishing and Boating Weather Outlooks

{jcomments off}NJ Saltwater Fisherman Exclusive Fishing & Boating Weather Outlooks

sea surface tempSo, how are the Nj Saltwater Fisherman Exclusive Fishing & Boating Weather Outlooks created?  They are created by our resident weather enthusiast Matt, better known as Pfishingruven or P-Man.  Matt is a self-taught weather enthusiast who is currently pursuing a degree in meteorology and physical oceanography.  He is also a trained Skywarn Spotter for the National Weather Service Philadelphia in Mount Holly and a volunteer for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRAHS) taking daily rainfall totals.  Matt is always keeping up to the minute, with the ever changing weather through the many publicly available weather platforms and mobile solutions. 

The weather outlooks are a detailed compilation and translation of weather forecasts available from both the National Weather Service and Buoyweather; these are only outlooks, not forecasts.  Each week and then again for the weekend, Matt reviews the many forecasts, data available and models from both the National Weather Service and Buoyweather and puts together a report or outlook for the upcoming weather and water conditions.  By reviewing this information and data, the outlooks are able to be more specific covering the large area of NJ and surrounding marine waters.  By understanding the weather  language and jargon, Matt is able to convey the weather in simplest terms and graphics.  While "no science is perfect" and weather changes quickly, the National Weather Service and Buoyweather forecasts are highly accurate and always being updated.  The "NJSWF Fishing & Boating Weather Outlooks" are Your one stop for weather, fishing and boating conditions. What could take thirty minutes to look up all of this information individually, Matt has conveniently done in one artilcal.  You get the daily weather forecasts, sunrise and sunset, lunar phases, fishing forecasts from Accuweather and Weather2Hunt.com, water conditions forecasts for 5 locations, water surface temperatures and tides.  Matt also covers any daily changes, severe weather, tropical/non tropical weather and winter weather.  NJ Saltwater Fisherman has it all covered!

If you have any questions or requests, feel free to contact Matt directly by Personal Message or at his email.  Any urgent questions or concerns, look up his cell phone number in the Contact Information Directory and give him a call or text.  Matt promises that in the future, once he has the education and meteorology title to go with it, these exclusive outlooks will become exclusive forecasts, only found here at NJ Saltwater Fisherman!

For you one stop weather information, head over to our Weather Forum.  There you will find weekly and weekend updated weather outlooks

Over $650 Million in Estimated Losses to Boats

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Over $650 Million in Estimated Losses to Boats
Makes Storm, Single Largest Disaster for Recreational Boats on Record

STATEN ISLAND, NY, November 14, 2012 — The nation’s largest group of boaters, Boat Owner’s Association of The United States (BoatUS), estimates that over 65,000 recreational boats were damaged or lost as a result of Hurricane Sandy. BoatUS also estimates that dollar damage to all recreational boats (only) is $650 million, making the late October storm the single-largest industry loss since the Association began keeping track in 1966.
“We are all reeling from the huge impact this storm has had on communities and people’s lives,” said BoatUS AVP Public Affairs Scott Croft. “We’ve never seen anything like it. The scope of the damage to boats is unprecedented, affecting large areas from the Atlantic seaboard as far inland as the Great Lakes, with the majority of damage in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. The combination of boats stored ashore at low elevations and record high surge levels caused hundreds, if not thousands, of boats to float away into neighborhoods, parks and marshes. The tri-state coastline left no place for the surge to go, but up. While some boats that stayed in the slips did fine, other boats tied to floating docks simply lifted off too-short pilings and floated away — still tied to the dock. Some vessels never made it out of their slip and rest on the bottom.”
The BoatUS Catastrophe Response Team reports that the marine community has rallied to gain the upper hand on the recovery process. “If there is a story to tell, it’s about how the boating industry got together immediately after the storm to help each other out and get boats back in their place,” said BoatUS Catastrophe Team Member Jack Hornor. While some New Jersey barrier islands continue to restrict access delaying boat recovery efforts, some marinas, boat clubs and yards have recovered their customers’ boats and put them back on blocks to undergo damage assessments. Many boating facilities, especially those on New Jersey’s coast, Staten Island and western Long Island, sustained significant damage to infrastructure such as docks, workshops, clubhouses and equipment, which will likely have an impact on the 2013 boating season.
BoatUS estimates over 32,000 boats were damaged in NY, followed by New Jersey’s 25,000, Connecticut’s 2,500 and 6,000 remaining in various states. Dollar damage to recreational boats (only) in New York is estimated at $324 million, followed by $242 million in New Jersey and $23 million in Connecticut. Previously, in the 2005 storm season, Hurricane Wilma and Katrina damage was estimated at over $700 million combined.
As with any storm, the BoatUS Marine Insurance Program will be investigating hurricane damage prevention measures taken by boaters and possible new solutions, but one early indication is that boats tied-up to protected floating docks with tall pilings had the best chance of survival with Sandy. “However, you can’t base a hurricane preparation plan on one storm. While storm surge was the biggest factor here, wind and rain can be major factors in the next one. Hindsight is only good if you look at the bigger picture,” said BoatUS Director of Technical Services Bob Adriance.
One new factor that is affecting post-hurricane boat recovery efforts? Snow. BoatUS reports there is some concern in the industry that storm damaged vessels may not be winterized in time with the arrival of colder weather.
Video of the BoatUS Catastrophe response team on the ground in New York and New Jersey.
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Boaters After Sandy: Tips on Getting Salvage and Repairs Done Right

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Boaters After Sandy: Tips on Getting Salvage and Repairs Done Right

"This isn't the time to hire someone cruising the beach in a tow truck"

ALEXANDRIA, Va., November 2, 2012 – For many recreational boaters, getting the right salvage and repair help for a damaged boat after a hurricane is difficult. Some insurance programs like BoatUS will arrange and pay to have their insured’s boats salvaged and other insurers will at least provide some assistance, but those without insurance don’t have anyone to lean on. For those going it alone, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has some tips to find the right salvor and to help get the repairs done right.

Stay away from the inexperienced: “The decision to hire a salvage contractor or repairer should be based on skill and experience and not on a low-ball price,” said BoatUS Director of Damage Avoidance Bob Adriance. “Too often after a hurricane, fly-by-night operators come in and do more harm than good – this isn’t the time to hire someone cruising the beach in a tow truck. Ask them how long they have been doing business and for references – and call them.”

Check out the BoatUS complaint database: The free online BoatUS Consumer Protection Database at www.BoatUS.com/consumerdatabase is the only source of consumer complaints and safety information reported by boat owners, the US Coast Guard, manufacturers, marine surveyors and marine technicians. Before you hire someone, check to see if they made list.

It’s the “association”: There are some telltale indicators that show a business is in it for the long haul – which could ultimately be good for the consumer. One indicator is a company having professional membership in a trade association, acknowledging codes of ethics and embracing standards. Boat owners setting out for salvage and repairs can check out these websites to help find service providers in their area:

• American Boat & Yacht Council (www.abycinc.org): ABYC develops safety standards for the repair and maintenance of boats. Boat owners seeking hurricane repairs are strongly encouraged to take their business to shops that follow ABYC standards.
• C-PORT, The Conference of Professional Operators for Response Towing (www.cport.us): C-PORT, whose members include salvage and on-the-water towing companies, establishes standards for professionalism, training and good business practices.
• American Boat Builders & Repairers Association (www.abbra.org): ABBRA is the association for small boat building and repair shops dedicated to professional development, training and education.
• Local Marine Trades organizations: Many regions have marine trade associations that have members - local businesses - offering a range of services.