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17 Fathoms and the Farms

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Spigola

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I remember many years ago we would make close to a 2 hour trip from Sheepshead Bay to 17 and the Farms during January and February on the old 45 foot PILOT II.  We'd have plenty of green crabs and fresh conch for bait.  I used to prefer a nice strip of freshly sliced and tenderized conch on the hooks.  It wasn't "fast fishing" but if you put in your time at the rail you were almost assured of a couple of good sized blackfish and 1 or two nice cod.

 

Why don't todays party boats hit these spots.  And, why don't they carry fresh conch for bait?  It always worked really well at this time of year? 

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21 mins ago, Spigola said:

I remember many years ago we would make close to a 2 hour trip from Sheepshead Bay to 17 and the Farms during January and February on the old 45 foot PILOT II.  We'd have plenty of green crabs and fresh conch for bait.  I used to prefer a nice strip of freshly sliced and tenderized conch on the hooks.  It wasn't "fast fishing" but if you put in your time at the rail you were almost assured of a couple of good sized blackfish and 1 or two nice cod.

 

Why don't todays party boats hit these spots.  And, why don't they carry fresh conch for bait?  It always worked really well at this time of year? 

I Don't have a clue as to why thy don't go there anymore, but I would speculate that they don't have conch (scungili) because it has become too expensive. I see i frozen in the markets now for over $15 a pound.

====Mako Mike====
Makomania Sportfishing
Pt. Judith, RI
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When I first moved to NJ I was able to buy conch at a Korean fish market in Cherry Hill.  Haven't seen it in years.  Great winter bait.  I used it with a friend of mine on his boat out of AC.  Got some nice blackfish on the 28 mile wreck with it.

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2 mins ago, Spigola said:

When I first moved to NJ I was able to buy conch at a Korean fish market in Cherry Hill.  Haven't seen it in years.  Great winter bait.  I used it with a friend of mine on his boat out of AC.  Got some nice blackfish on the 28 mile wreck with it.

We recently had a discussion about scungilli in the random thread. IIRC one of the New Joisy guys said he knew where to get it.

====Mako Mike====
Makomania Sportfishing
Pt. Judith, RI
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30 mins ago, Mike said:

I just saw scungili in Corrado's an hour ago. I can't recall the price exactly but it was under $10.

I inspected Corrado's years ago.  I stepped on one of their rat sized glue traps in a utility room that had a burned out light bulb.  Was a PITA peeling the thing off.  My foot stuck to the accelerator, brake pedal and on any and all walking surfaces for about the next three days.

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Dont  know but for sure but I believe some boats do and of course do not publicize their locations for obvious  reasons .  Many today fish on local  reefs and forgo the longer runs .  The fishing up north has not been strong , this may be part of the reason .

Im not out there so can only speculate , as to true reasons.  

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22 mins ago, Slacker said:

I inspected Corrado's years ago.  I stepped on one of their rat sized glue traps in a utility room that had a burned out light bulb.  Was a PITA peeling the thing off.  My foot stuck to the accelerator, brake pedal and on any and all walking surfaces for about the next three days.

WD40 prbly wulda loosen that glue.:howdy:

Your foot stuck to the pedal must been hilarious:p 

Edited by Snaps
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2 hours ago, Capt. Lou said:

Dont  know but for sure but I believe some boats do and of course do not publicize their locations for obvious  reasons .  Many today fish on local  reefs and forgo the longer runs .  The fishing up north has not been strong , this may be part of the reason .

Im not out there so can only speculate , as to true reasons.  

I would bet it's a boat ride with a few idle hours at the rail with nothing to show for your efforts. I may not have 40 yrs of experience in this fishery, but I know enough to say the fishing is not nearly as good as it was 10 years ago, let alone 20, 30 or 40. 

Banned in Florida

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  • 1 month later...
On 2/9/2019 at 5:37 PM, Spigola said:

I remember many years ago we would make close to a 2 hour trip from Sheepshead Bay to 17 and the Farms during January and February on the old 45 foot PILOT II.  We'd have plenty of green crabs and fresh conch for bait.  I used to prefer a nice strip of freshly sliced and tenderized conch on the hooks.  It wasn't "fast fishing" but if you put in your time at the rail you were almost assured of a couple of good sized blackfish and 1 or two nice cod.

 

Why don't todays party boats hit these spots.  And, why don't they carry fresh conch for bait?  It always worked really well at this time of year? 

Spigola I fished the Farms a few years back on the Dauntless for ling and did well on them. It was probably July though, so no tog as they were way shallower. The ling bite has been mediocre since, and I haven't personally fished the Farms in at least 2 years. Some of the bottom fishing boats that fish NJ in the fall/winter poke around the Mud Hole/Farms/17 Fathoms, but you're looking at a 3-5 am departure.

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