Friday, June 29, 2018

Fun Flounder Fishing

Fished with Eddie, Maude, and Chaz in the bay. Fishing continues to be good. We caught flounder all morning and had one keeper. Pro Tip: Never lift flounder out of the water. They are notorious for flipping off. Follow me on Instagram @captainjoehughes

More Stripers

Fished with Tom and Tom for stripers in the bay. Both caught their first bass in the back and Tom caught his first bass on the fly. Pro Tip: Sharp loud pops produce the best strikes in the bay.

Back Bay Bass

Fished with Rich, Troy, and Alex in the bay. We caught stripers on top water at sunset. Love those top water bites! Pro Tip: Bass move around with changing water temps. Find the cooler water and find the fish.

The Backbay is Hot

Fished yesterday morning with Kim and Maureen in the bay. We had a fun morning with consistent action with flounder. We ended up with two keeper fluke. Pro Tip: Most fluke bites happen between .5 and .8 knots.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Family Fishing

Fished with Tim, Cindy, Mack, Brady, and Grant in the bay. We caught a bunch of flounder and we had solid action most of the morning. We ended up with one keeper. We also had a few other types of fish including bluefish and a big cow nose ray. Pro Tip: When fighting flounder keep steady pressure and do not pump and wind like you would on a large gamefish. That usually ends up resulting in the fish coming unhooked. The net effect of pumping and winding is shaking the fish off.

Striper on Top

Fished with Paul last evening for a bit. We hit the flats and Paul caught his first striper on a popper. Pro Tip: Water Temperature can vary wildly in the bay. Sometimes a few hundred yards can make several degrees difference in water temperature.

Keeper Fluke

Dad, Patty, and I had it out yesterday afternoon in the bay. We had excellent action with flounder. We had about three keepers to about 4 pounds. The Back Bay flounder fishing has been good with consistent action. Pro Tip: Always net fish headfirst.

Keeper Fluke

Fished with Rich, Shane, Troy, and Alex in the bay yesterday. We caught over forty fluke and had two keepers in four hours. We had consistent action all morning. Pro Tip: When you feel a fluke bite, gently raise the rod tip. When you feel weight, that is the time for a strong hookset.

Back Bay Fluke

Fished with Chase and Katie in the bay Sunday. We caught a bunch of short fluke and had a blast. Pro Tip: Check your drag setting. Loose drags result in missed fish. You have to be able to set the hook.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Fluke!

Fished with Brian and William in the bay. We had a great day with consistent action. We ended up with two keepers. The biggest fish was around 20". Flounder Fishing has been very consistent. Pro Tip: Just because the rod is bent doesn't mean the fish is hooked. It is important to set the hook when you feel the weight of the fish or they may drop off.

Friday, June 22, 2018

The Sharks are Here!

Fished Wednesday with Jim and Dave in the ocean for sharks. We slammed them and had 10 dusky shark releases and several other bites. The fish were between 30-50 pounds. The water conditions were fabulous. Once they are here this fishing typically remains consistent throughout the summer. Pro Tip: Watch the lines and rod tips. Slack line means you either lost your bait or a fish has picked up your bait and is swimming at the boat.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Family Fluke

Fished with Jack, Andrea, Kyle, and Aiden. We hit the bay yesterday and had a blast catching fluke. We ended up with two keepers. Pro Tip: I've said it before but it's worth repeating. Dark colors, especially black, attract greenheads.

More Fluke

Fished with Fulton and Will in the bay. We caught and released a bunch of fluke and a bluefish. Great day! Pro Tip: Avoid touching plastics with anything that contains Deet. Deet melts plastic upon contact.

Father’s Day Fluke

Fished with Rick, Chase, and Mia on Father's Day. We had a great time catching fluke. We had one keeper. Chase also hooked and released a huge cow nosed ray. Pro Tip: Hook your minnows up through the bottom and through both lips.

Tuna

Went to the canyon on Saturday with John, Jay, Patty, Luc, and Aiden. We had three yellowfin tuna and a few skipjacks. It was flat calm and beautiful. Pro Tip: the fleet tends to be where they were, not where they are. Don't be afraid to get away from the crowd.

Top Water Stripers

Fished with Doug in the bay for fluke and stripers. We started off with a slow pick of fluke and transitioned into striper fishing as the sun began to set. The bite was excellent and we released over a dozen stripers up to 26" on poppers. Pro Tip: Stripers nite all summer. As the waters warm, they become more selective feeders and feed best during low light conditions.