2008 was a year of ups and downs. The downs started early in New York with the new regs taking their toll on the Charter Boat fleet. The late opening of the Fluke season and the tougher regulations made the end of April and the beginning of May a total loss. Luckily the Stripers made a strong showing during the second week of May and saved what could of been a very difficult spring fishery. CT anglers enjoyed steady Bass fishing in May, June & July with some of the best Trophy Bass fishing we've seen in many years. Numerous fish over 50 pounds were reported with several over 60 and 2 confirmed over 70. The largest Bass, a 75 pounder caught at night off Block Island, missed the world record by only 3 pounds. With the average size of Striped Bass increasing a few pounds every season a new world record is a definite possibility for 2009. The Bluefish showed up in force in July and provided excellent fishing well into November. The Fluke fishing was excellent but the Fluke catching was difficult due to the size restrictions. Numerous large Fluke were reported and most anglers made the best of the 20 1/2" minimum size in CT. The offshore story wasn't as exciting!! Despite the good numbers of Big Eye Tuna that were around in early August (23 weighed in during the Tri-State Shootout) and the abundance of Mako Sharks that saved the day on many occasions, the overall offshore report was hit or miss. One day a group of boats would report excellent fishing for Yellowfin Tuna and the next day the fish were nowhere to be found. Blue Marlin made a strong showing in 2008 with many boats reporting 3 or more hook ups a day with fish over 800 pounds being reported on several occasions. With the price of fuel finally coming down almost $4.00 a gallon, (amazing how that happens as soon as the season is over) and the fact that the tuna fishing showed steady improvement late in the season we are hoping that 2009 will once again be a repeat of the great offshore fishing we experienced in 2007. As the offshore season was winding down the inshore fishing was rapidly improving. The Porgy fishing was exceptional this year with large numbers of Scup at all the local hot spots. The question was not "if you would limit out" but instead "how quickly you would get your limit. Fish over 20" were not uncommon toward the end of the season. Blackfishing was also very good with action heating up around the middle of October. The best fishing occured during the last week of October and the first week of November with all of the regulars limiting out every trip in some cases after only a couple of hours of fishing. During this peak time the fish were averaging 5 pounds and over which made for some excellent trips. Unfortunately the weather, strong tides and a sudden cold snap put a quick end to the excellent Blackfishing that many anglers rated "as good as it gets". Fishing for Black Sea Bass off Montauk was also excellent this season with many boats catching their limit with fish topping the 5 pound mark.
It will be interesting to see what the new year has in store for us. Hopefully the regulations will be reasonable and the fish will be cooperative. The staff at J&B would like to wish you and your family a very "Happy New Year". We look forward to joining you for another great season of fishing in 2009!
