Black Fish - Seabass - Porgy fishing from Point Pleasant.
Bottom fishing on the Golden Touch can provide some of the hottest action you can handle along the Jersey Coast. Voracious and scrappy fighters like black sea bass and porgies are a blast to catch! They are also among some of the most delicious fish in the sea. Bottom fishing is also an excellent way to introduce youngsters and first time anglers to the sport, as the fishing can sometimes get fast and furious. When this happens, double and triple headers are not uncommon.
Up to a challenge? Blackfish, also called tautog or just “tog”, will challenge your reflexes (and sometimes your patience) as you try to match wits with this sneaky, bottom dweller. You’ll have to be quick on the draw to hook one, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be in for a heck of a battle! A blackfish of only a few pounds can pull like a freight train, and they can grow to over 20 pounds!
By the way, the NJ state record is over 25 pounds. Talk about good eating. Blackfish are one of the tastiest fish you will ever eat! Remember, the captain and crew are experts at what they do, and they will do whatever it takes to put you on the fish! Good luck!
Summer Flounder Fishing From Point Pleasant
Fluke (AKA summer flounder) are, without question, the most popular species to catch from late spring (around Memorial Day) through mid-September in New Jersey. Fluke are prized for their delicious, delicate flavor, which appeals to many seafood lovers. They are also fun to catch and a terrific way to introduce kids and other new anglers to the sport of fishing.
Fluke fishing doesn't require a whole lot of fancy tackle. A traditional fluke rig, consisting of a long leadered hook attached to a three-way swivel and a lead sinker will do the job. Over the past decade, “bucktailing” has become a very popular way of catching fluke. It's an extremely fun and effective method. The angler jigs (or bounces) a “bucktail jig” just off the sea floor to entice a hungry flounder into eating it. Bucktail jigs come in a variety of sizes and colors, and one color may work better than another on any given day.
A wide variety of natural baits will catch these delicious flatfish. Squid, spearing, sandeels, mackerel or bunker strips will work at various times. Bucktails are often tipped with an artificial bait called Gulp! This bait comes in many colors and sizes. And just like bucktails, sometimes a particular color or shape of Gulp! may work better tha
n another. The captain and crew of the Golden Touch are experts, and can advise you of what type of rig, bucktail or bait is working best.
Fluke generally weigh an average of 2-4 lbs. Bigger fluke, up to 6 or 7 lbs. are frequently caught. Catch a fluke of 10 lbs. or more and you've got a true trophy, and what is known among anglers as a “doormat”!
More about fluke:
The current International Game Fish Association (IGFA)world record for summer flounder is 22.7 lbs! It was caught by Captain Charles Nappi in Montauk, NY back in 1975.
More recently, local angler Monica Oswald, from Neptune City, NJ, caught an enormous fluke, right here in NJ waters, back in 2007 that weighed in at an incredible 24.3 pounds! It beat the old record by almost two lbs. Unfortumately, it was disqualified from becoming an IGFA record because Monica admitted to resting her rod on the rail while fighting the huge fish.
Hey! You never know!
Spring & Fall Striped Basss Fishing from Point Pleasant
One of the most exciting and popular gamefish to catch along the New Jersey coast, striped bass are a favorite of inshore anglers looking to tangle with a hard fighting fish that also makes excellent table fare. Striped bass (or stripers) can be caught all year round, but are mostly targeted in early spring through early summer and again from fall through early winter when they migrate in large numbers off our coast.
Stripers can be caught using a myriad of techniques. Casting, trolling, diamond jigging and livelining are just some of the methods used to catch these prized gamefish. Being on the water daily. Captain Cole and his crew will be tuned into what they're feeding on and what methods are working best at that time when you arrive for your day of fishing. The captain and crew will happily instruct you on how best to catch them.
More about striped bass:
The current International Gamefish Association (IGFA) World Record striped bass (morone saxatilis) is held by Greg Myerson. That monster weighed in at a whopping 81 pounds, 14 ounces back in August of 2011. That fish broke the previous IGFA World Record which was held by Al McReynolds and caught right here in New Jersey back in 1982. That behemoth weigh in at 78 pounds, 8 ounces!
Most stripers caught in New Jersey will average anywhere from 12 to 30 lbs., but anglers frequently catch them over 40 lbs, and fish over 50 are not that uncommon! So there's always the chance that you can catch the fish of a lifetime on your next trip aboard the Golden Touch!