The Weekly Salvage
(3.13.25) Fishy News from Around the Northeast and Beyond
The maritime rule of salvage has its origin in Roman law, which dictates that one who preserves or improves upon the misplaced property of another is owed compensation, even if the service was not requested. Let’s get out the internet trawler and get to work…
🎙️| Surfcast Podcast - Water Temperature And Its Effect On Surf Fishing —> The fellas debate the merits of following water temperature as ‘the ultimate variable, and share stories of when it was absolutely crucial or a detriment in their fish-finding process.
🎥 | Back 2 Basics with Briggsy & Brooksy - FG Knots & Plug Rigging 101
Fishing Reports | OnTheWater - FishermanMag - HullTruth - SOL
***Reminder to renew your licenses here. HMS vessel permits here.***
Gear Guide by Tak Waterman | VMC Redline Tungsten Jig-head + Keitech Swing Impact FAT
Sizes | 3/8oz / 2.8”, 3.3”, 3.8”, 4.3” Colors | Smallmouth Magic (the only one you need)
Description | If your goal is to notch that first bass of the soft-water season in the next week or so, look no farther. A finesse craw presentation on a small jig-head is hard to beat for Green-headed ones around isolated wood, but the power of a 3.3” swim-bait slowly crawled off a rocky point for Smallies cannot be denied. My personal best Smallie came on that exact setup…early April, bluebird calm post-frontal conditions, slowly dragging a 3.3 off a ledge in 27ft of water…long-arms, grime-stache and white van sold separately.
New Jersey Tuna Q&A with Dan Rosetto
I awoke to a clamorous symphony, a duet of ice-machine whirring and a Fred Again ringtone blasting from a dimly-lit kitchen island. Two and a half days removed from a shower, suspiciously hungover, and without a clue of what zip-code I was in, the sight of split-ring pliers, Siren beanie and a White Monster was deeply reassuring.
Neurons slowly realigning as I fumbled open my dry-bag in a garage plastered with every brand of fishing sticker imaginable, my gregarious host Dan Rosetto shuffled in. Already locked into the brainrot jargon that so often functions as social glue on a zero-darker offshore, his greeting of “Let’s bring the BOOM!” turned out to be part ice-breaker, part prophetic last Fall.
That was my first meeting with Dan, and it was truly memorable. A fixture of the NJ jig n pop scene, he is your larger than life Italian cousin that went all in on light-tackle tuna and never looked back. The baits, the boat (29 Orion), the backyard tiki bar, the intel network and loyalty to the game, every dial turned to an eleven out of ten. Here’s how it all started…
Q - How did you get into the jig & pop game and what about the NJ fishery seems to turn out such passionate tuna fisherman?
When I first started tuna fishing in 2018, just like everyone, I started by trolling. Then I started seeing Adam Sherer and a couple other guys going to the Cape and getting bluefins on light tackle, so I decided to go buy a popping rod and give it a go. There is a lot of competition that drives us to do better down here. It’s a healthy competition between us captains and anglers, which sorta makes us a family. NJ grows savages no matter…what sport it is.
Q - Lets talk about "OBX University". What are some of your fondest memories from your trips this Winter and over the years and how does it compare to fishing in the Northeast?
My fondest memory was actually last week with Alex, Billy, James, and Jaret. It was the most insane day of bluefin fishing I have ever had down there. We hooked multiple giants, quadded up, and landed more giants than we ever have in one day. OBX university makes you learn what it takes to fight these big fish in differenttemperatures, water depths, and currents. You just get so many shots at these big fish. Some of these fish can go down to 400 feet in a blink of an eye and you can’t run your boat down. This place makes you bust your wallet on the right gear, because there is simply no half-assing down there. It doesn't even compare to fishing up north. OBX relies on finding the gulf stream and therefore, a lot of blind casting… you just wait your turn to get annihilated. The weather also makes it impossible to get a nice day, so the sea conditions are the most gnarly you've ever seen once you hit that temperature break. This is the place where you level up.
Q - If you could go back and give your 20-year old self bit of fishing-related or life advice, what would it be?
I wouldn't change too much, I like where I’m at and how I’ve grown. I appreciate everything I've learned so far, who I have learned from, and the opportunities this sport has given me.
Q - What's your funniest fish catch or road trip story?
This past year we went out with Jack, the Russian, and Drake in the afternoon when I was really hungover after Jim Kuhl’s birthday party. We were waiting for the 2pm slack tide bite, and we're all swimming in the water around the boat pretending the lines were going down. I said “I smell the bluefin!”, then we looked up & one of the lines actually did get ripped off and went tight. We ended up landing a perfect 72 inch bluefin outta nowhere.
Q - You've spent a lot of time fishing with great Captains, what traits make them so unique?
Every captain teaches you how to approach fish differently, how to run in the dark, ways to use electronics…some even taught me about the moon phases. Every captain has taught me something that I was able to take away to make myself a better captain.
Lightning Round
What's your confidence lure? White black ledge popper or NLBN straight tail.
Would you rather catch a 190lb Yellowfin or 160lb Bigeye on topwater? I'd rather catch a 160lb bigeye. I know how they fight on the troll, and I’ve lost one on the jig before. I need my revenge.
What's a bucket list destination and species for you? Panama or Venice, LA. I want a 200lb plus yellowfin on top.
Go to leader knot, size and leader brand for popping? FG knot all day, Leader size nothing lighter than 170, Varivas is the best in business.
Redbull. Mountain Dew, Celsius, or Monster? Crack me open a whole case of red bulls, blue dot on the bottom if you know you know.
March Strategies for New Jersey Stripers (OnTheWater) - “As the thoroughfares and shallow bays south of Ocean City warm under the early-spring sun, resident New Jersey stripers will begin prowling the channel edges and sod banks for grass shrimp, crabs, and small baitfish. While bait-fishing will work in some locations, this region is better suited for covering water with lures. Soft plastics rigged on jigheads are tough to beat for the first March stripers.”
Seven Deadly Snook Fishing Lures (SaltwaterSportsman) - “Soft-plastic lures that imitate finger mullet and other prime forage require no live wells, only a sharp hook. Z-Man, Berkley Powerbait, Savage Gear, D.O.A. BaitBusters, Magic Swimmers, LiveTarget Mullet provide enticing action in a variety of depths simply with a slow steady retrieve. Natural patterns are good, although many snook (nicknamed “linesiders” because their prominent horizontal black line) have come to the net on classic red head-white body combos. Suspending plugs are also effective in current with a slow twitch and pause presentation. These hard baits are ideal for working near the surface around docks, seawalls, bridge pilings and other structure. Daiwa Switch Hitter, Rapala X-Rap Twitchin’ Mullet, MirrOlure MirrOdines, Yo-Zuri 3-D Inshore Twitch, and Halco are good choices in this category.”
After NOAA Layoffs, Experts Warn of Impacts on Shipping and Fisheries (MaritimeExec) - “The U.S. Commerce Department has laid off as many as 880 employees from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency that provides weather forecasting, prepares nautical charts and administers federal fishery quotas. The cuts were primarily among probationary employees - either new hires or people who had been recently promoted to a new role - and the exact number of layoffs was not disclosed. The announcement drew protests from the scientific community, along with warnings about what cuts at NOAA will mean for maritime interests.” —> As the British proverb AND insult goes: “…may you live in interesting times”. What a timeline we have been on since 2016…sure will be interesting to see how it all plays out!
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