Gander Mountain had a $20 rebate on Shimano Symetres and Penn Battles if anyone's looking for a new reel. Got a new 3000 Symetre waiting for the rebate gift card to grab it's rod though... next major fishing purchase may be a Baitrunner 6500
Thanks for the info Stinky! I'm in the market for a new sweetwater reel for wifey and was looking at the Shimanos. I've always loved the Symetres and want to get her either a 2500 or a 1500. When we go to Truman Reservoir in July, we're gonna need stronger panfish gear because of the water depth we'll be fishing in and the size of the fish in that lake. I've even hooked a gator gar in that lake but was smart enough to cut the line when he got close to the boat. I'll take a run out to Gander Mt. tomorrow and surprise her with it on the weekend!
I saw the rebate online, but they didn't advertise it in the store, only the rebate for the Penns (which the sales kid pushed heavily... "you fish saltwater?"..uhh yeaaah..... "well I wouldn't get the shimano for saltwater, they dont hold up. I'd get the Penn Battle"... I have some shimanos that are 10-15 years old that have only seen saltwater?!?!) I had to ask for the Shimano rebate form and that I saw it online..... hopefully it's still on, I bought it last week, and sent it in yesterday I was planning on getting a 2500, but when I held them both, they were about the same size..... 3000 just has a stronger drag. Now I have a 2000, 3000 & 4000 (sahara) for inshore
Finally got out in the salt! First trip of the year is always exciting and the fishing wasn't too shabby. NE winds kept our side of the boat in the low 50's (shady) but no whitecaps and virtually no swells. Mrs. C and I put on a clinic as we kept the Seabass coming over the rail. The pictures below are the fish we didn't put into the pool.We even hit a few really nice sized Tog that would have been keepers if they were in season. Alas, they had to go back.. Dammit! Blues are running wild off Shark River, NJ. Most boats limit out in the first few hours. The pool last Saturday on the Ms. Belmar was $500. A really large 20# plus Striper barely beat out a Blue by 2 ozs. Must have had one very happy fisherman going home with that kinda cheddar. Water temps are still pretty chilly. Some of the ling we brought up felt like they just left the freezer. Still too cold for swimming. If I had to guess, I'd say everything is off by almost a month so if anybody is planning a beach trip wait until the end of this month before going. As the initial Seabass season ends on June 30th and the bag limit drops to 3 until September, we'll be headed back out again this weekend. Fish On!
Almost forgot. This was my first time using my new rig. Paired a Daiwa Lexa 400 HS-P saltwater baitcaster with a heavy action Tsunami Trophy Jigging Rod rated for 50-100# test line. Used 50# test braided line with 25# test florocarbon leader and the combo was deadly. Normally, I only use spinning gear and for the Blues, I'll be going back to that setup however, for bottomfishing this is my go to rig going forward. Very easy to crank em up from deep. Easier than a spinner as it seemed to have more power in the handle and the gearing. The Daiwa Lexa series baitcasters is a reel some of you might wanna look in to. Fish On!
Those look like some stud seabass..... in the tiny photo. I always though the BIG blues were a late summer thing up there, especially they're here in the spring. Yeah, for bottom fishing, conventional reels are the way to go, and I'm a spinning rod guy. 65# powerpro, you can feel every little bite as there's no stretch. Nice when the water is 100ft deep +. I usually just use mono leader as We use 60-100# (fluro is $$ at that size) for the same reason I usually just use a 113H 4/0 senator...... whenever I rig up for sea bas or vermillions that's when a big snapper/cobia/grouper shows up. but Daiwa's are nice were you able to catch the blues on topwaters? that's fun shit
I'm surprised they're early too. Usually, like say last year, we got the snapper blues in first. Not this year though. We used to see this size fish in August/Sept. I'll be on them in July and definetly in November when my inlaws come in from Missouri. The way they're catching them right now is astounding. I haven't seen that many blues on the dock in a long, long time. Tables were bending under the load of the filets. Water still being as cold as it is certainly adds to the mystery. I love my new rig. Much easier to crank em up from deep. I loaded the rod with an 8oz sinker and it handled that and the depth without any problem. I use offset circle hooks so all I have to do is raise the rod and let the fish hook itself. Gonna be a pretty good fishing year IF the storms stay south and offshore. Too bad NOAA had to screw up the Fluke season with their unreasonable size and bag limits. BTW, we came in 3rd in the pool. You should have seen the ones we turned in for weighing!
Heading back out on Sunday for SeaBass. One last week before season ends June 30th until Sept. We'll be on The Paramount out of Brielle, NJ just to try a different boat. Hopefully, we'll get a good skipper and have a productive trip. Weather looks OK but it might get wet later in the day so we'll bring our gear. 2-3ft swells are great for Mrs. C which of course, makes my life simpler. After this weekend, its Blues and Stripers. Perhaps ONE Fluke trip this summer as they raised the size limit to "18. Fish On!
It was truly one of the best days of 2014 on the water on Sunday. Temps in the low 70s, light breeze, seas table flat. You couldn't ask for a better day for inshore fishing. The Sea Bass and LingCod were hungry all day. Our group caught most of the fish on the boat. One of the guys brought his wife along for her first offshore trip ever and she caught 4 really nice Sea Bass! I think we might have our newest member of the Harrisburg PA Saltwater Fishing Club. As for me, take a look at this beauty! Pool Winner! Nice to have the Capt. walk your fish around the boat. She came in at 6lbs and put up a pretty decent battle. I actually had to plant myself and brace the rod against my thigh to get this doormat to the net. The mate to his credit was right there with the net so I didn't lose this one. Nice cash too. Paid for the entire trip! As a bonus, after all these years of fishing, I finally won my first pool ever! High Fives all around the boat! One really nice fish fry this weekend coming! Fish On!
That's awesome! post a real size shot of that thing....... how big were the cod (never caught one)? hadn't posted in here in awile, as my last fishing "adventure" wasn' t very exciting, unless you count getting beat up in chop and no fish Just picked up a new St. Croix rod for that symetre......the nicest inshore combo I've ever purchased (hopefully I dont phuc it up in the kayak, soaked in seawater and marsh mud) hopin to use it on the high tide flats friday morning, work schedule pending
Sadly Stinky, I had her filet'd on the boat so I don't have any other pics. However I do have pics of the filets..
That is a nice looking fluke! Now I'm jealous. I would have totally kept that fluke and ate it! I was out with some friends this past Sunday hitting mostly spots in Raritan bay. Weather was beautiful but we only got one keeper and it was just 18".
Welcome to the thread Barcs! Didn't know you were a Salty too! That's great. I think its 50/50 between Gulp Baits and Clams from what I'm reading on the reports. Most of the biggies are being caught in the rocks instead of the flats. That 18" limit is a bitch to overcome and I'm only planning perhaps 1 pure Fluke trip this year. I go out on the headboats and paying $65 for the chance to bring home 5 fish just doesn't float my boat. Most keeper counts seem to be between 2-4 with only the sharpest of the sharp limiting out so your crew didn't do too bad. I would suggest also looking at LingCod as a alternative. They're in season and cook up really nice! Fish On!
Yeah definitely. This has been a slow year for me, just because I haven't had much time to go out. Sadly, last Sunday was the first trip of the year for me. I originally had a Striper charter scheduled for Late May, but the date was changed and I couldn't go. I did get to eat some of the catches, so that was nice. It's funny that you mention Gulp + Clams, that's exactly what we had (plus squid). We were jigging rather than dead sticking, for the most part. I have been wanting to go for Ling for a while now. I hear it's delicious. I'm still sad that I missed my striper trip, and hope we can do one again in the fall. That's still my favorite fish to go for.
If you read thru the thread, you'll see I'm a Sea Bass Man. They are fun and plentiful to catch and cook up quite well. That Fluke that won the pool for me was a nice surprise. We were out for Sea Bass and Ling Cod. Far be it from me to discriminate especially with a $200 fish in the net. Monday was the last day of the 15 fish limit for Sea Bass and going into September, its 3 fish now at 12.5". My next trip will be August 2nd or 3rd for LingCod. The boat still makes several drops for Sea Bass so I'm pretty sure I can get my 3 and then load up on Ling and a few lucky Cod. Fishing on Sunday seems to be a nicer experience. Light crowds, not so many Yahoos. For July, I'll be in Missouri next week fishing Truman Reservoir for Crappie. I fish both Fresh and Salt Water but since PA DNR only stocks trout, the other fisheries suffer and there's really not much reason to freshwater fish out here in Central PA. Too bad too as they have several really nice lakes that the only thing missing is fish.
Red Snapper a 3 weekend "mini season" for Red Snapper opened last friday and we got a jump on 'em. 5 of us kept our 5 fish limit (1 per) 16-20+lbs I got some other fish stories but I hadnt posted in awhile, been busy....1 involves sharks and my kayak
No Fair!!! You're using one of my bucket list fish!! You just cemented my 2015 vacation choice. I'm headed your way and I'm finally gonna go after some Red Snapper! Great Job Stink! I'm coming for ya man in '15. Already told Wifey we're Florida bound !!!
