CaptainRickyWheeler

I ran offshore in search of the warm water eddy that had come in a few days ago with a mix of bluefins and yellowfins in it. We went out for the first trip of the NJ Offshore season for us on the 41’ Jupiter “Reel Work”. The fog was thick as could be all day which made finding signs of life tricky.

We ran to 1000 fathoms of the Lindenkohl Canyon and could not find any conditions to fish with cold 54 degree water. With that we ran north all the way to Toms Canton and in 800 fath found the 12 degree break. There was a little bit of life, but tough to see much of anything let alone our long riggers in the thick fog.

We ended up catching a bunch of throwback bluefins, lost a 60# bluefin next to the boat which was a bummer, and caught 1 out of a triple 30# yellowfins. That was our day. Not what we were hoping for but picked at it and made something happen.

We finally have the go ahead to be able to run charter fishing trips in the state of New Jersey. The weather seems to have other plans at the moment but it seems after another 5 days or so things are going to start getting better and hopefully the tunas will be showing up in our canyons soon.

Check out the trips we offer on the 61′ Viking “Wish You Were Here” on my website www.FishDownseaCharters.com and if you haven’t already, please LIKE and FOLLOW my new Facebook Page for Fish Downsea Charters (www.Facebook.com/FishDownseaCharters).

Contact Me if you want to get in on the offshore fishing action!

We did slip out quickly last Sunday for Black Sea Bass as the season is open now for them and there are plenty around. The wind came up hard and fast but not before we put some in the box. We are hoping to slip out a few more times when the weather allows next week. Gotta love the colors on the big ones, and I love the fillets in my frying pan even more!

Well in NJ we are still unaware when and if we will be allowed to run fishing charters as of yet, but we sure hope they will open us back up by early June which is typically when our tuna fishing is ON FIRE with bluefins, yellowfins, and bigeyes. I still plan to run my trips on the 61′ Viking, Wish You Were Here, and it is expected to be ready by early June. NC will be opening up in a few days, and they have some great tuna fishing going on now. If you need to fix the itch to fish, boo a trip with a charter boat in NC and help support charter captains and mates while having fun filling the boat full of sushi!

As for my boat, it is still stuck in Grenada as the borders continue to remain closed until further notice in nearly every Caribbean Island Nation. I have no idea when I will get back to my boat, but the way it is looking now, it will be remaining in Grenada until my season starts back up there in October.

In the meantime, I am just getting some boats ready up here in NJ for the upcoming season and hope to jump on some sea bass fishing as that opens this week and maybe even chase a line class black drum record in the DE bay with Maureen Klause. Until my next post, stay safe and stay healthy!

Just a heads up! At my tackle company, Fish Downsea, we have come out with a limited time apparel line called “Fish for Life” that directly benefits the fight against COVID-19 in the United States. The apparel will be available for purchase until May 14th. All proceeds from the ‘Fish for Life’ line go to the CDC Foundation. They are working tirelessly to do their part to battle Covid 19. For more information about the clothing line or to simply make a donation click on the two links below or see more on our website’s Home Page at http://www.FishDownsea.com.

https://www.customink.com/fundraising/fishforlife-marlin

https://www.customink.com/fundraising/fishforlife-tuna

I decided to hit the reset button for 2020 with a new Vlog Series called “CaptainVlog”. I’ll be doing my best to keep content coming. I hope you enjoy the action and following the fishing travels and much more in the CaptainsVlog. Here is the 1st one for 2020…