GeneralHow To Fishing Blogs

This Logbook Will Simply Amaze you

The mystery and history of the White Eagle Party Boatthat sailed out of Canarsie NY in the 1930’s
It was in the mid-1990s that I was given this logbook to make sure it was kept safe. So I safely hid somewhere so well that is was missing for over 20-years. I always found myself looking for it, and of course, it took my wonderful wife to find it yesterday. I am so relieved as I was always mesmerized by its contents.

I’m not sure when it dates back to, but it is an amazing work of art in its own right. It also gives us a peek into what it took to be a charter captain, back then. There are references to the 1930s in it. I really need to know more about this boat and its Captain. I found a photo of the White Eagle II on www.mels-place.com but that was the best I could do. Below the photo, you will see just the first 3-pages of a logbook that describes in detail what it was like to be a Party Boat owner in the good old days of Brooklyn! I’ve het to find any information on Capt: Hon William Rank. But it is simply too see he took his fishing seriously.

Just read between the lines and you will see a picture of what it was like to navigate to bottom pieces, predict weather and so much more. The book is old and fragile so I’m taking care to take a clear pic of each page so I can have my wife store it for me this time.

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If anyone has any info, on this vessel please let me know. I will follow these up with more in the coming weeks. This Brooklyn Party Boat Logbook, looks like they were using a totally different type of GPS and bottom finder than we have today.

A smallmouth bass while ice fishing.
A smallmouth bass while ice fishing.
How To Fishing Blogs

Free NY Ice Fishing 2/15-2/16, 2020

Ya gotta love those smallies. Even while ice fishing in New York. Join in as New York Anglers enjoy learning how to ice fish. He have more on ice fishing here.
You Too Can Get In On This Great Fishery!
I can’t say for sure how far north the hard water is, but many New York anglers truly enjoy this sport. The interest and participation rate of anglers getting into ice fishing is booming. There’s plenty of specialized tackle and gear and that are available to help you catch more fish. I even saw a TV commercial with Matthew McConaoughey setting up his ice fishing equipment and he sat in the Lincoln until he had a bite!

Now I’m not suggesting you take a limo ice fishing, but you may consider other comfortable options.
You Can Even Fish From Inside!
With the boom of ice fishing comes many options to fish from. From a five-gallon bucket to sit on, to a full blow vacation getaway – with holes in the floor! This sport offers a variety of equipment and huts.

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Or Maybe You Like This?

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Free Fishing Weekend – February 15-16, 2020. Learn How To Ice Fish In New York.
Obviously there’s a lot to learn to be successful at this winter sport. So it’s great to see our great upper New York State region being recognized and utilized by anglers of ages! There simply is no better way learn how to ice fish while getting results.

Ice fishing is a great way to get outdoors during the winter months. February 15-16 is a Free Fishing Weekend, where anyone can fish New York’s waters without a fishing license. If you’re an experienced angler, consider introducing a friend or family member to the sport. Or if you’ve always wanted to try ice fishing but don’t know where to start, attend a free fishing clinic near you this winter.

We encourage beginner ice anglers to download the Ice Fishing Chapter (PDF) of DEC’s I FISH NY Beginners’ Guide to Freshwater Fishing for information on how to get started ice fishing. You can find additional information, including a list of waters open to ice fishing, on DEC’s ice fishing web page.

How To Fishing Blogs

Tog !!

Took another trip on the Bluefin IV with Captain Michael Potts , awesome Joe on deck. Sporty 20-25 NW breeze made the choice to go north a no brainer. Tough slog for the first 8 or 10 miles but we ended up in the lee on the other side and conditions were great. First drop was lock and load, drop , crunch , thump , thump swing! Only a couple of keepers to around 5 lbs so we poked offshore a bit and found some better fish on each consecutive drop along with a lot of 15” fish. Ended up with a near boat limit with 17 year old Super Sam Williams taking the pool with a 10 lb 4 oz beast ,the kid has serious togging skills, barely beating Mark’s 9 lb 12 oz pig. Good times with good friends and family.
How To Fishing Blogs

New Striped Bass Regulations

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Striped Bass Board decided Wednesday to address the sharply declining numbers of striped bass along the Atlantic seaboard, including the Chesapeake Bay, by requiring an 18 percent harvest reduction relative to 2017 levels.

Approved sub-options included allowing, within established seasons, 1 fish per angler per day between 28 and 35 inches in ocean waters. Public comment on this sub-option had supported, by a more than 4-1 ratio, setting a 1 fish limit with a minimum size of 35 inches. In the Chesapeake Bay, the approved sub-option was limiting anglers to 1 fish per day with a minimum size limit of 18 inches. It passed with by a 12-3 vote.

There was also a question about whether circle hooks should be mandatory when fishing with bait. Max Appelman, striper fishery management plan coordinator for ASMFC, told commissioners there was “little doubt that circle hooks save fish.” Circle hooks reduce fish mortality from “deep hooking” as the fish swallows the bait. Of the 5,003 comments received by the public related to circle hooks, 4,930 were in favor of their mandatory use.

The board approved unanimously the option requiring states to implement regulations requiring use of circle hooks with the intent of reducing striped bass release mortality in recreational fisheries.

The ASMFC board set Nov. 30, 2019 as the due date for draft implementation plans. The board will act on those plans in February 2020 with final regulations in place by April 1, 2020. The circle hook requirements must be in place by January 2021, ostensibly to allow charter outfits and bait and tackle shops to swap out gear and stock assortments.

How To Fishing Blogs

Fresh Bluefin Tuna Poke

A good friend of mine Andrew gave me this recipe. Came out amazing! IMG_3636.jpg

Ingredients:

As much fresh tuna as you plan to eat (sushi grade is this will be consumed raw)
Soy Sauce
Oyster Sauce
Sesame Oil
Green Onion
Sesame Seeds

Directions:

Start out by cubing the tuna into whatever size pieces you like. I did about 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces. Place your cubes in a bowl. Coat tuna cubes with just enough soy sauce to coat all of them. Don’t over do it. Add a few drizzles of sesame oil (this stuff is strong) to taste. Mix up everything. Next up add a dab of the oyster sauce – this is to add a bit of sweetness and thicken up the soy sauce mix again. Cover the tuna and put in the fridge to marinade for about an hour.

Prepare some white rice. Top the rice with the tuna mixture and add green onions for color and flavor. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

How To Fishing Blogs

Thank Poseidon I Didn’t Have My Tuna Gear Aboard This AM

Because of the moon tide, I couldn’t get out this AM until 7:15, so I got my act together and left then, destined for my hot cod spot. Of course since my trip out of the harbor passed my favorite early incoming bass spot I took a drift where I dropped one, but time was wasting and there were cod to be had. Out in the bay I was concerned about the breeze which was more than the light ones the forecasters had predicted, but the 6-8 ft swells coming in the other direction were of a sufficiently long wavelength to keep thing fishable. As I drove out into the open ocean I saw huge splashes popping up here and there which I assumed to be tuna, but couldn’t positively ID because of the swells and chop, and because I saw some swarms of harbor porpoises also feeding on the surface.

When I got to my range and dropped I started catching cod immediately and had a 20 min drift good for 10+ fish, all tossed back because they were too small. Unfortunately during that 20 minutes the wind rose to a good steady 15 kts. When a gust over 20 kts hit the boat I said, screw this I’m out of here.

However during the drift the splashes moved closer and yes I could finally confirm them as tuna when a 6ish ft fish came a good 8 ft out of the water to let me know Charlie was in the building. Thank Poseidon that I took the tuna rod off the boat earlier in the week. Had it been there, I would have probably made a poor decision and thrown the spreader bar over in swells of 8 ft, a chop of 3 ft, 15 kt winds and by myself trolling in an area full of lobster gear.

It would have ended badly for sure had I hooked up, but it would have been on hell of an epic fail tale…

I got to lick my wounds upon returning to the harbor where I hit my favorite mid-tide incoming water spot for a pair of 24" bass. All in all better than sitting around watching the Sunday AM Talk Shows…