Jaymann's Blog – July 2011 Archive (20)

Saturday, July 30, 2011:

So, whadda ya wanna talk about? Hopefully, not the final day of the 42nd Annual WMIT.

You know, I gotta call it as it is. Despite 60 out of 68 participating boats/teams heading out for this last seemingly sure-to-please day, it was anything but pandemonium at the scales today. In fact, I kept wondering when the wildness would begin – right up to the end of the contest.

I had debated getting new software containing all the most shining adjectives,…

Thursday, July 28, 2011:

The first fishing day of the 42nd Annual White Marlin Invitational was described by various anglers as “incredible,” “gorgeous,” “beautiful,” and “perfect”

As for the day’s fishiness in the great off-shore reaches, that was adjectivally a little/lot less prestigious. The event’s most common weigh-in species, the yellowfin tuna, were mainly cookie-cutter models in the 45- to…

I know this blog doesn’t reach the entire beachgoing realm but maybe it reaches enough folks to get word out that a real headache is developing, surrounding the huge gray seal now frequenting the beachline, north end of the Island.

Sheila Dean, co director of The Brigantine Marine Mammal Stranding Center, is making a plea that LBI folks simply leave the big marine mammal alone. She is all but begging folks to steer well clear of the 300-pound-plus pinniped. 

Having seen that…

Wednesday, July 27:

Tonight’s Captains’ Meeting marked the official start of the 42nd Annual White Marlin Invitational. The 8 p.m. sign-up deadline saw a few folks doing the last-minute shuffle (of hundred dollar bills) but not nearly as hectically as in recent years. Apparently, a very welcoming weather forecast had many entrants signing up early.

With that final show of contestants, the event…

My Flow Is Just Lovin’ This Heat;

Dragonflies Dropped From Above

HOT ENOUGH: It was semi-brutal out there. Sure it coulda been worse. How about Newark at 108, actual air temp? While we live on a breeze-cooled barrier island, folks up thataway live on…

Sunday: July 24, 2011:

The fishing has surely not been torrid – or hot – or even lukewarm. I’ve talked to a goodly number of anglers-in-general and flukers-exclusively and most are talking suckedness – and heat and bugs, etc.

If you were on the flatties, consider yourself lucky. If you were on anything consistent, consider yourself freakily lucky.

Here’s a pro report:

Hello All,



Not too much to report on the back bay fluke fishing. We were…

Thursday, July 21, 2011:

Nearshore fog alert: The upwelling is in place. Brutally cold water hitting hot southerly winds have led to some serious fog from Ocean City up to Barnegat Light. On LBI, lifeguards have limited swimming areas because of the fog. Not that many folks are diving in. I’m hearing water temps as low as the mid-50s. Mariners thinking coean better beware. Also, the fog is gone by the time you hit the bay so fluking therein…

To start this column, I want to congratulate the ocean breezes on doing a stellar cooling job – so far. On a daily basis, the Island’s famed southeasterly summer winds have been kicking in early and hangin’ out late, knocking LBI air temps down as much as 15 degrees from those on the mainland. I know that ocean breeze aspect is nothing new, however, in recent years/decades our Island summers have been damn near as brutally hot as off-Island areas. We’re coolly cool so…

Sunday, July 17, 2011:

Anybody cashing in on the Barnegat Inlet “keeper bite”? There has/had been a biomass of major flatties coming aboard fluking vessel at an unheard of 25 percent keeper rate. Obviously, that action can fly the coop in a matter of hours but it had been holding as of this typing. I have to think the sweltering back bay waters become tough for larger gamefish during low tides. The predatory…

Wednesday, July 13, 2011: Winds: Light and variable, mainly west. Water clarity: Good. Water temps: All over the board: As low as 60 and as high as 70, as differing nearshore eddies mix. With NE winds on the way, watch shoreline water temps go through the ceiling, as high as 80 – which is currently being recorded in the ocean not that far offshore. There might even be some testy gusting from NE winds reaching 20 mph. I haven’t heard if SCA are flying but I wouldn’t get too…

‘Harmless’ Salps Attack;

Gear Grabbing Felonies

SALPS GET HAIRY:  No sooner do I write about the utter innocence of these tiny gelatinous marine organisms than they attack – sorta.

To date, the media has been newsily writing about the way the floes of frothy salps have been plaguing the entire shoreline of the state. Katrillions of ‘em, give o take. .

While those innocuous little tunicates -- ironically just about the size of…

Check out this super needlefish catch. Don’t go trying to rename the fish as some exotic related species up from the south. It is simply the upper-end size of our super common needlefish variety. I have seen them that big at night while spotting on the west side of the Dike. You can go check them out yourself. I’ve even written on finding…

BHCFA report: 

Hi,

            Enclosed is this week’s fishing report for the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association. I am attaching it and also pasting it. If you have any questions, my cell phone number is 609-290-5942 and my e-mail address…

Jersey Shore Gets High Rude Rating;

Greetings From Our Somali Pirates

I’m feelin’ kinda frisky with all the summerness now abounding on our beaches, ocean and bay.

As I oft note in here, I’m one of the very few locals who gets revitalized, reinvigorated, by tons of people having good beach times. And “tons” is a largely appropriate term -- after seeing the fit of some early-season bathing suits. 

All this sand…

Sunday, July 03, 2011: What an oddly off-and-on weekend it turned into – after an astounding sunny and perfect start.

The a.m. rain was a droopy start but many anglers fishing through it with no problems – short of dry bunker pods. Lots of boats chasing lots of baitfish off north LBI. The snagged bunker went to the bottom unmolested – short of that aggravating hook through their skin and meat.

Is anybody hitting any triggerfish or filefish near the beach? I got word that a load…