The Weekly Salvage
(6.21.23) Fishy News from Around the Northeast and Beyond
The maritime law of salvage has its origins in Roman law, which dictated that one who preserved or improved upon the misplaced property of another was owed compensation, even if the service was not requested. Let’s get out the inter-webs seiner and get to work.
Podcasts of the Week: Mouths of the Merrimack Podcast - Just for the Halibut w/ Capt Mike Fallon and Capt. Danny Lee —> Great example of the thought process and execution of a plan when targeting a species you’ve never gone after before. The blueprint for success: 1) gathering species-specific knowledge 2) catch logging and networking 3) gear prep 4) transference of knowledge from a different fishery 5) timing the weather and seasonal windows and 6) executing the plan on the water without distraction. Hats off to the guys for catching some monster ‘Butts, but it was even more impressive to listen to their thought-process and decision-making when it came to putting their plan into action.
Videos of the Week: World Record Geets in Southern Oman - Fish Raiders
How to Utilize ‘Bird Mode’ Sonar w/ Sport Fish Panama —> Really dialing in ‘bird mode’ is more art than science in the Northeast given the propensity of shoals, rips, fog banks, etc. But when done properly, usually in need of constant tweaking, the results can be a game-changer in terms of efficiency. Less time looking and more time lining up drifts and putting casts on active water.
Reports: OnTheWater / Fisherman Mag / SaltyCape / HullTruth / StripersOnline
Local Knowledge: There’s a saying in Maine that there's no point in speaking unless you can improve on silence. Since I’m pressed for time this week thanks to my not-so-benevolent corporate overlords, I figured I’d skip out on the usual ramblings and head straight for the good stuff.
The June New Moon —> Has come and gone, marking not just the proverbial last tail-kick in the Striped Bass migration, but has gifted us the beginning of rec tuna season. While commercial BFT landings have seen a respectable jump to 14.7MT in the latest week, there’s a social media firestorm plenty of evidence to suggest the light-tackle game is starting to turn up as well. As shown above, SST charts show a number of pockets of tuna-ready water from Jefferies to the BB. As the great Michael Scott once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. PSA: For all NJ anglers heading this way, don’t forget to apply for your tunnel permit to beat the traffic.
Maine Attraction —> I had the distinct pleasure of fishing a soggy ebb tide on the Pine State’s Kennebec River this past weekend, and I have to say, it was probably the most memorable Striper outing of the year. While the confluence of the New Moon and strong tides made for some great catches, the sights of (Golden and Bald) Eagles lining rocky outcroppings and the sounds of a thousand dipping Terns really sealed the deal. The sloppy conditions also made for some voracious eats, and I almost felt embarrassed for some of the Stripers we caught (and released). Imagine migrating 800-miles from the Chesapeake just to eat to a White Sluggo, what idiots. Like flying to Paris to eat chicken fingers, ya hate to see it.
Tuna Time Beer Review: Boothbay Brewery —> Like a thunderbolt on Mt. Olympus, I’ve received a sign from the Pelagic Gods…it’s Tuna Time…conveniently available in a 5% ABV 16oz can. While I’ll always be a macro-brewthiast in my heart of hearts, I am human, and I am not unsusceptible to novelty marketing. Like the flashy detailing and packaging accouterments of a Japanese stick-bait, I was powerless to deprive myself of this $14 four-pack of craft brew. What it lacks in affordability, it makes up in versatility however, as the infusion of orange zest and electrolytes suggests its designed to be primarily a breakfast beer. Upon first sip, preferably not while operating heavy machinery, the Summery wheat taste is actually quite refreshing, the sweetness and spice accents quite reserved, nothing like the ‘drinking bread through a straw’ sensation of most craft offerings. A bit too thicc for all-day hoochin’, but not a face-melter that has you singing The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by the second tide, its a solid summer party soup for an afternoon boat hang or a celebratory pairing with tuna heart.
Fishing crew denied $3.5M in prize money after 600-pound marlin DQ’d in tournament (NYPost) - “The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina ended in controversy after the crew of Sensation boasted a whopping 619-pound marlin Saturday that would have clinched the team members more than $3 million in prize money, but was disallowed because it appeared to be bitten by sharks. “It was determined that Sensation’s 619.4 lb. Blue Marlin is disqualified due to mutilation caused by a shark or other marine animal,” the tourney officials wrote in a statement Sunday. “It was deemed that the fish was mutilated before it was landed or boated and therefore it was disqualified.”” —> Besides the obvious tragedy that this was a last day, last hour, walk-off 600lb Marlin that the crew fought for 6-hours, the fact that these guys missed out on a $3mln prize on a technicality that DECREASED the weight of their catch is as brutal as it gets. The tournament / IGFA's rule in question states that a situation that would disqualify a catch includes "mutilation to the fish, prior to landing or boating the catch, caused by sharks, other fish, mammals, or propellers that remove or penetrate the flesh."
Florida Kite Tricks for Summertime Dolphin (SportFishing) - “Capt. Raymond uses a single kite to deploy two skirted ballyhoo along weedlines and across weed patches. The lure-ballyhoo bait combos resemble flying fish — one of a dolphin’s favorite prey species — and they aggressively chase Raymond’s kite baits as he trolls south into the north-flowing Gulf Stream current…Placing the hook in the head instead of the belly, as in a trolling bait, makes the ballyhoo virtually weed-proof, especially positioned directly behind a skirt.”
How Long Does Fishing Line Last? (FishWire) - “UV rays can have a big impact on line and affects nylon the most. The diagram (above) shows nylon and fluorocarbon that have been exposed to 500 hours of UV light. While 500 hours sounds like a lot it would only be approximately six weeks of daylight. These images show the exposed lines viewed under an electron microscope…” —> “When in doubt, swap it out” is my rule of thumb when it comes to leader replacement. Any nick, abrasion, curling or sun stress could mean the difference between a fish of a lifetime and a whole lotta finger-pointing in the cockpit. For this reason, swapping out light-tackle leaders should probably be a once every two to three trip sorta thing, more if you’ve really abused your gear (which is usually a good sign). For commercial grade setups, I’ll typically swap out leaders every trip, recycling the used flouro for shark pitch baits or other rigging needs.
New Connecticut Record Fluke (SaltWaterSportsman) - “Everyone can fish for fluke,” is how Bill Proulx explains the social media fervor stirred up by his 15.3-pound pending Connecticut State Record summer flounder. Proulx, a retired police officer from Ashford, Connecticut, was fishing with friend Ed Pyle in the Atlantic Ocean out of Four Mile River Marina in Lyme. Proulx is an accomplished angler and diver who targets a wide variety of fish, but flounder fishing is one of his favorite pursuits. Proulx and Pyle were drifting rocky structure and patches of sand in 80 feet of water one mile offshore. “The current was slow, so I was using a 100-gram Daiwa Rock Rover with a strip of squid and a fresh spearing.” Proulx works the jig by lifting the rod tip in five to six quick jerks and then letting the lure fall. He varies the speed of the jigging adding in longer pauses. “A lot of times the fish hits on the pause.””
Bait Monkey - What Caught my Eye This Week (ICAST Previews)
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