When other anglers with meat gear struggle, finesse anglers usually flourish.
There’s an old saying about people who take a Busman’s Holiday. You know, the bus driver who takes a bus ride, the carpenter who builds a cabinet, or the charter boat captain who goes fishing on his day off. This is a similar tale about a fishing magazine editor who, on his day off, comes fishing with the occasionally bizarre trio of Rich Lazar, Marc Lazar and myself, for blackfish. I say bizarre because all trips end up more like a night with Don Rickles. Indeed, judging by the look on Matt Broderick’s face, he was wondering what he’d signed up for.
Blackfishing had been very good, although most fish were shorts with a smattering of larger fish. Quantity always encourages my enthusiasm, so I was confident the action would be intense. We don’t mind that there are so few big fish because we always use light gear. True, my fishing companion, Rich Lazar, caught an eight-pound tautog several years ago in the extreme western Sound, and another friend wrestled a 13-pound fish near the Throggs Neck Bridge. However, those catches aren’t the norm. With our light gear 13 to 15-inch blackfish are lots of fun.
Calm Start
It was a cool calm November day and we shuffled off to the blackfish grounds around Hart Island with a crew of Matt and the three Rickles disciples. Blackfish should have been chewing on an offshore reef, but they weren’t, so we trundled inshore to a rockpile with a strong history of producing blackfish.
Here’s Rickles
Although I am not the best bottom fisherman in the world, I am adaptable to conditions and I am capable of figuring out the temperament of fish. So, when I began getting lots of hits and catching quite a few blackfish, I knew what was coming and awaited the arrival of Rickles’ barbs in my back from the Lazars. Well, either Marc or Rich didn’t notice that Matt, on the other side of the stern, was also catching fish or, they chose to ignore it.
Here’s the skinny about that. We anchored in a combination of an easy breeze and slow current that pushed against each other at about a 45-degree angle. As a result, the boat swayed back and forth slowly as the breeze increased or decreased a bit. The four of us were strung out along the stern of the boat, and the boat swayed slowly onto and off a pile of rocks. Although we all caught fish, Matt and I were getting the lion’s share. In an effort to be polite to their guest, Don Rickles A and Don Rickles B began a diatribe of ribbing aimed only at me. Matt remained silent.
“Take It On The Road!”
At this point you should know that active ribbing comes with any trip we take, and is a wonderful part of the experience. On one trip, my son, Drew, witnessing the exchanges said, “Gee, you guys should take this [act] on the road.” This day, the comments began and included, “Hey Doc’s catching all the fish at his secret corner. Move over and give us a chance.” Or, Marc put your hook in there, and catch a few fish.” I can’t, Doc’s hogging the spot.” Lest you might believe the banter was well-founded, I remind you the boat moved back and forth over the hot spot. Also, you’ll see from the photos that while my ribs were hurting from all the slings and arrows thrown at me, Matt was catching fish, too.
Matt enjoys finesse bottom fishing and did well with his jigheads, but was quiet throughout the trip. Later, I asked him if he enjoyed sticking it to fellow anglers, he said, “Sure, but it was the first time I met them.” I assured him there are no hard feelings, just hard ribbing, and we do it all the time. “Next time you come with us, feel free to join in on the fun.” I have a philosophy that if you’re not having fun, why fish, and “busting” is part of the fun. I give it as good as I get. Frankly, if we all stood at the stern silently, I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun as I did. Beware, I’ll bust your chops, too, if you fish with me.
The Light Way
Eventually, everyone got into the fish pretty good. We all used light tackle because we enjoy having the most fun possible. In the shallows where we fished, an angler has a choice of using light jigs or light sinkers and standard hooks. In this case, since the boat swung more and more as the day went on, it became easier to fish with hook and sinker. Light tackle fishing for blackfish has its advantages. For one thing, we can fish shallow, for another use light gear, and also have a much better “feel” for the bottom and bites than one does with “meat” gear. With the tackle we use, we not only can finesse prickly fish, but can also explore shallow spots up to about 30 feet as long as the current is light.
Although blackfish are tough fighters and powerful swimmers, they rarely run sideways, preferring a stubborn up and down fight. That means it is possible to successfully fight big fish to the surface once an angler moves the blackfish five or more feet off the bottom. If blackfish ran sideways, they could more easily run into structure and cut the line. The key isn’t the size of the tackle, rather what the angler does during the first ten seconds of the fight. When hooked, blackfish will move upward a little until they figure out what’s happening. Then they turn toward the bottom and pull hard as they try to reach rock crevasses where they feel safe. That’s why drags need to be as tight as possible, given the pound-test of the line. The angler should lift the fish as high off the bottom as possible, and not lower the rod when the fish surges. If you’re still attached after the first ten seconds, there’s a very good chance you’ll land a big fish.
I sometimes use freshwater baitcasting tackle with heavier jigs because of the ability to control the fall of the jig with thumb pressure, but lately I’ve used mostly spinning gear simply because it actually increases the feel of the bottom as well as any tiny nibbles. By the way, it’s amazing how fussy blackfish can be; nibbling away, never getting the hook in their mouth, and leaving the angler with an empty crab leg.
We fish with the lightest jigs whenever possible; another big part of the finesse fishing concept. However, fall weather is usually a lot breezier than the summer. Winds move the boat and the angler loses contact with the bottom quite easily with super light heads. So, although we work the shallows for fluke and porgies in summer with one-eighth and one-quarter ounce heads, we upgrade in autumn. Typically, we start with one-quarter ounce heads, but frequently move up to one-half and three-quarter ounce jigs. Jigs specifically made for blackfishing are excellent, but sometimes difficult to find in very small sizes, although lately they’ve popped up in more shops. So, we usually use the same Gotcha heads we use for porgies and fluke. Frankly, any jig with short strong hooks will work well, so don’t fuss about the manufacturer or design.
All About Feel
“Feel” is crucial to successful black fishing, so light gear and braided lines helps to feel even the lightest nibbles. However, custom tackle isn’t necessary. Now, I don’t recommend a $59.99 fresh water combo outfit, but $500 outfits aren’t necessary either. I use a St. Croix Triumph rod (~$100) that’s 6-feet 6-inches long, medium power, and with a fast action. To this I add an Okuma Stratus 35 (about $40-50) reel spooled with 15-pound test Sufix performance braid. A 30-pound leader completes the package. The leader has a 50-pound test Spro Power Swivel connected to the running line, and I tie direct to the jig.
Fussy Angler
Age is catching up to me. There was a time was when I’d be super eager to go fishing regardless of the weather, and often take a beating because of my decision. Truth is, it’s difficult to fish successfully in high winds. So, as my fishing buddies and I grow older, we seek kinder and gentler days to ply our skills. Wisdom dictates that it isn’t worth the beating because catching can get down-right impossible. On the other hand, a little rain and a chop doesn’t keep us home.
An exception does wangle its way into my life now and again. Last fall, for example. My friend John took me on a blackfish trip in Smithtown Bay. The forecast was southwest winds at 5 to 10 mph. In fact, it was calm when he picked me up. We launched and made our way into the Sound and as we did the wind freshened and freshened and freshened.
We got about half-way to Crane’s Neck before we realized the wind was now about 20 mph with gusts. Our choices were, give up, or go shallow and let the land block some of the wind. We selected the later. We cruised around looking for a little bottom structure. It took a while, but we found an elevated patch of uneven bottom. We anchored and, as hoped for, it was quite comfortable. We immediately began getting hits, but as we caught blackfish the wind continued to increase. In order to minimize the boat’s swing, we moved the anchor rope from the bow to mid ships. Good move, and we went back to fishing. The wind continued to increase until it blew about 25 mph with gusts over 40. Even with the shoreline blocking some of the wind, the waves grew and grew until they began washing over the gunwale. We moved the anchor line to the front, and resumed swinging. Of course, we were out of the fish and we quit. At this point the winds were so strong there were even 3-foot waves and white caps in the harbor.
Great Opportunity
Actually, there was a lot of blackfish on that structure piece. However, between the swing, the up and down bounding of the boat in the waves, and a stiff wind that made it difficult to know when the jig was on bottom and when the bait was hit, finesse black fishing was out of the question. John switched to stouter conventional tackle and standard hook and sinker. He did a little better for a while, but the wind and waves eventually overwhelmed his ability to stay in contact with the bottom, and the baited hook came up empty lots of times without him feeling the slightest nibble. We had over 200 bites, but landed only a few dozen. That’s why my older and wiser self stays home when such conditions are afoot. In this case, the tempest was cast upon us by surprise. Thanks Mr. Weatherman!
Finesse
What is finesse fishing all about? Finesse bottom fishing is about having the most fun, enjoying maximum feel of the bottom and nibbles, and being able to cajole fussy cautious fish into biting. In fact, that’s one of the best things about it. When other anglers with meat gear struggle, finesse anglers usually flourish. It’s about the fun, so go have some!
