The captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association have kicked off the 2009 fishing season with some mixed results.
Captain Frank Camarda had some eager anglers out Saturday on the "Miss Beach Haven" for a day of bottom fishing. Camarda termed the fishing in 60-80 feet of water "a slow pick" although some nice blackfish and over 20 jumbo sea bass were brought across the rails.
The fish were biting lightly, and high hook was 3 blackfish. Al from the Rainbow Hunting Club won the pool with a 7-pound hake. Camarda said he felt the bite was slow due to the hard winds of the previous days, but the weather Saturday made for a nice day on the water.
Capt. Adam Nowalsky on the "Karen Ann II" reports blackfish have moved in to 65-feet of water. He termed the bite as not great yet with water temperature at 45-degrees on the surface and colder on the bottom. He has found some sea bass starting to show up in deeper water, from 80-100-feet.
He had the Dennis Doriety group from Keyport out for their blackfish limit. Dennis boated a 13-pound tog and was high hook. Gene picked up eight and seven pounders. On an open boat trip Bill Pisarra was high hook while his friend Mike had the biggest fish at 8-pounds.
Captain Fran Verdi on the "Cousins" has been fishing the Graveling Point area with some success. He fished last Friday in 50-degree water with little action until the end of the day. They did manage to boat one 28-incher.
On Saturday he ran an open boat with two anglers, George and Zach. He fished a steady clam chum with no success in the morning on the outgoing tide. When the tide started in, the wind was against the tide, making for a difficult setup. Despite the conditions, the group persevered until George boated a 25-inch bass.
Shortly after, George had another bite for a 20-minute fight. When the fish finally was brought aboard, it measured 37-inches and tipped the scales at 25-pounds, 2-ounces.
Additional information about the BHCFA can be obtained at the website www.fishbeachhaven.com
