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| Click on the images to see a short .wmv video
clip |
 Barnegat Ridge lies approximately 15 nautical miles due east
of Barnegat Inlet. “The Ridge” is a substantial
rise in the bottom – some spots are as shallow as 50 feet – surrounded
by 70 to 90 feet of water. Barnegat Ridge actually consists
of two separate rises – the North Ridge and the South
Ridge. The North Ridge is centered at 39 41.875/73 47.612 and
the South Ridge lies at 39 38.878/73 46.993. On any given day,
either or both pieces of structure may hold fish.
Barnegat Ridge is one of the most famous fishing grounds in
New Jersey, and is a staple for the central New Jersey charter
and party boat fleet. Starting in April, Boston mackerel make
a pass through these waters, followed closely by massive schools
of marauding bluefish in May. The bluefish make a very strong
spring showing, and remain all summer and well into the fall.
From late May into July, pelagic sharks such as makos, threshers,
browns and duskies are available there. During the warm water
months, schoolie bluefin tuna, false albacore, bonita, skipjack
tuna and dolphin are very common, and the occasional Spanish mackerel,
king mackerel and wahoo will find their way into anglers’ fish
boxes. Summer flounder fishing can be hot some years and cold others, but when
the fluke are present some real “doormats” can be had.
This particular show was shot in early August, and the Ridge
was alive with all matter of marine life. Giant balls of sand
eels were being harassed by bluefin tuna up to 30 pounds as well
as thousands upon thousands of chopper bluefish. Skipjack tuna
were witnessed on the surface, as was a white marlin. Dolphin
and Triggerfish hung under every piece of flotsam. The fishing
was truly unbelievable, especially for an area well inside the
20-fathom curve. And, we were happy to take you with us!
We began our day trolling in an effort to cover lots of ground
and get a bead on where the fish were holding that day. Although
trolling is made easier by a beamy sportfisherman with outriggers,
small center consoles like our Parker
23SE can get in on the act, too, provided certain
adjustments are made. When targeting inshore tuna, we always
try to deploy a 7-rod trolling spread, if conditions permit.
Throughout the summer of 2005, in particular, we found the 7-rod
spread to be an important element in drawing bluefin tuna from
the bottom, where they were intently gorging on sand eels. Commotion
was the critical element of the spread, and our lures were chosen
specifically for their fish-drawing abilities.
In choosing a trolling spread for a small boat, one must be
especially aware of the action of the lures and the depths at
which they run. In such a tight pattern, one misplaced lure
can wreak havoc on the spread, resulting in a tangled mess,
a major headache and lost fishing time. A properly deployed
trolling spread will create the illusion of a feeding frenzy
when viewed from below, but will allow for fairly tight turns
and for quite a bit of vessel maneuverability.
We usually start trolling at about 6 knots, and adjust our
speed based on sea conditions and the fish’s preferences. We’ve taken tuna while barely
making speed, and we’ve hammered ‘em at 10 knots. It all depends
on what the fish want that day.
Starting at the transom and working outward, our inshore bluefin
trolling spread consists of the following (see diagram).
Lure 1: Clark Spoon (#2 to #4)
This lure is rigged about 12 feet behind a 6-ounce trolling
drail. It is run off a flat line from a leaning-post rocket
launcher, and is rubber banded to the starboard stern cleat.
It is positioned about 10 yards from the transom, and runs
just below the prop wash. We have begun rigging a pair of
small tuna clones in-line between the trolling drail and the
spoon, and we find that this reduces line twist and results
in more strikes!
Lure 2: Cedar Plug (natural wood finish)
This “old standby” still produces today. The cedar
plug is the least fancy lure in the spread and on many days
it’s the only lure the fish want! The cedar plug is run
off a flat line from a leaning-post rocket launcher, and is
rubber banded to the port stern cleat. It runs about 12 yards
back, just next to, and slightly behind, the Clark Spoon. A
little-known secret is that a cedar plug often produces much
better if it can be made to run a little deeper. Thus, we typically
rig our cedar plug behind a trolling drail. Try it, and you’ll
see what we mean!
Lure 3: Mylure
This bullet-shaped lure trolls very well at high speeds and
has produced very well over the past two seasons. We run this
lure directly from the rod tip, from a port-side, gunnel-mounted
rod holder. The lure is positioned about 30 yards back and
runs shallow enough so that it doesn’t interfere with
the cedar plug.
Lure 4: Ballyhood Lip Ripper
This small bubbler-style lure is one of our best producers.
The lure is run directly from the rod tip, from a starboard-side
gunnel-mounted rod holder. It is positioned about 50 yards
back, and about 2 yards in front of the bird daisy chain (Lure
6). Many times, fish come up to investigate the commotion
made by the daisy chain of birds, and decide to pick off the
little Lip Ripper instead.
Lure 5: Ballyhood Top-Gun Feather
This medium-sized feather is a great tuna producer. Trolled
at the right speed, it runs just subsurface and skips occasionally.
It also exhibits a slight wobbling action, much like a cedar
plug. We run this lure about 40 yards back, from a port-side
outrodder.
Lure 6: Moldcraft bird daisy chain/mini-green machine
The small green machine run about 10 feet behind a daisy chain
of small Moldcraft birds is a great tool for pulling fish
up from the depths. Run about 60 yards behind the boat from
a starboard-side outrodder, this offering creates the illusion
of a school of baitfish that has become separated from the
main school.
Lure 7: Boone bird/green machine
This deadly combination is run “shotgun” or about
100 yards behind the boat, and down the middle of the spread.
It is run directly from a leaning post rocket launcher. On days
when fish are picky, this classic presentation usually shines!
It is a “must have” in any tuna trolling spread.
 Just prior to heading offshore to film this show, we grabbed
a few bags of spearing “just in case”. What a great
decision that turned out to be! After nabbing a few bluefin
tuna on the troll early in the day, the tremendous quantity
of bluefish made it difficult to keep our lines in the water.
After spotting some bluefin activity on the surface, we decided
to put some spearing in the water to see if we couldn’t
attract some attention. Immediately, we had bluefin tuna swarming
around the boat. Once these fish associated the boat with a
food supply, they weren’t going anywhere!
On most days, getting tuna in the slick is easier than actually
hooking them, and this day was no exception. The keen eyesight
of the bluefin tuna makes them tough to fool under these conditions,
and we tried unsuccessfully for quite a while to actually entice
a strike. Finally, after dropping down to light spinning outfits,
long fluorocarbon leaders, and dangerously small hooks, and
eliminating all hardware, we hit paydirt.
To entice strikes from wary tuna in a spearing chunk slick,
it is absolutely critical to embed the hook in the bait so that
it is completely invisible. To do this, insert the point of
the hook into the mouth of the spearing and come out through
the gills. Pull the hook all the way through and reinsert the
point further down the bait near the tail. The eye of the hook
should reside inside the spearing’s mouth and the shank should lie alongside the spearing’s
body and blend well with the silvery color of the baitfish.
The offering is then deployed with a handful of fresh spearing,
and the hooked bait must drift naturally with the others. If
anything appears unnatural, the fish will simply turn away.
But when everything comes together, the result is quite possibly
the best light tackle experience an angler can have. A 30-pound
bluefin on a light spinning tackle will bring an angler to his
knees!
During the summer months, the lumps along the Jersey coast
provide small boaters with some of the best light tackle action
found anywhere. Having quality tackle is an important element
in a successful light tackle equation.
For most inshore trolling applications, we use 7-foot Penn
Pro Guide Kingfish Series rods matched with a Penn 975LD International
baitcasting reel. This outfit is beefy enough to handle most
any fish we are likely to encounter, yet is plenty sporty when
battling fish between 10 and 40 pounds. The length of these
rods allows us to steer fish around other lines and reduce tangles,
and lets us keep a deep-diving fish away from the outboard. The reel has
a silky-smooth drag and very strong gears…two key aspects of any reel
being used in such conditions.
We spool these outfits up with 40-pound Power Pro braided
line. This line is extremely strong, but is also very thin.
The low diameter lets us fit an additional 60-80 yards of line
on the spool, and we very often need every inch of that line!
In the opening episode of this show, Bill had a 20-pound bluefin
take him down to within a few yards of the knot in just seconds.
Without the low-diameter Power Pro, that fish would have been history.
We also deploy Penn International 30 outfits for pulling birds
and daisy chains. Lures such as these require some beefier tackle,
and the International 30’s
fit the bill nicely. Besides, it’s always nice to have some insurance
on board in case Mr. Mako or a stray billfish makes an appearance!
Our spinning outfits consist of Penn Slammer 460’s with matching International
spinning rods. When spooled with 20-pound Power Pro, this outfit is lightweight,
sensitive and very, very strong. In the third segment of the show, these outfits
were pushed to their limits by 30-pound tuna, and they prove to be up to the
challenge!
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