Fishing

[nanoreefer22]

So i wanna take my girlfriend fishing and I want to make it a good experience, meaning I want to almost be sure we'll catch something. Are there any spots that gives us a better chance of catching something. We won't be keeping the fish, just doing it for fun.

If anyone knows of any places near a train station or easily accessible by train, that would be great!

-Kris

 

[Airborneguy]

There are plenty of great places right here in NYC. The 58th Street Pier in Sunset Park would definately be a great place to start for you since you live in Park Slope. Almost anyplace you can get legal access to the water on Staten Island would be great also. The pier in South Beach is always a great place, you will definately catch something... you might not eat, but she will get the feeling of fighting a decent size saltwater fish.

Here's a pic of me from South Beach last year:

 

[nanoreefer22]

Thanks Air!!! Is that a stingray??

I've tried that pier before with no luck at all. I always get my bait stolen:lol2:

 

[h20 freak]

Anywhere with blues, they're crazy.

 

[nanoreefer22]

What kind of line? Bait? Sinkers? Hooks?

 

[jackson6745]

25lb monofilament, Bunker chunk, 8/0 gamgatsu octopus hook w/wire leader, "fishfinder" clip on the sinker. Depending on the current you may need anywhere from a 2-5oz sinker. Pyramid shape sinkers hold bottom better than the traditional bank style sinkers.

There are MANY different rigs you can use. I like this best for chunking blues from the shore. Kris you can try the 69st or 58st pier. Both are pretty close to you and blues should be running around there this time of year.

 

[Airborneguy]

That's a skate. The chinese people actually eat them, but most people throw them back. They get MUCH bigger than that too! I use a 2oz wieght and try to use leaders because of the blues.

I'm surprised you haven't had success there. I've caught something everytime I've been to that pier.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Very Cool! Gonna try the pier on 68th

Either of you guys happen to know of any bait shops near the piers?

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Skates are really good eating...but they are a major pain to clean and prepare. They have painfully spiny backs, do not die when you want them to. You have to cut of the pectoral fins ("wings"), then skin them, then fillet the meat off the cartilage. My son made me keep some that we caught a year or so ago. That was it for me...I like to eat skate, do not like to clean them! Besides...I hear they are overfished...so I'll happily release them all. Blues are running well...but if they are small, then forgo the heavy tackle...use 10 lb test, and lures- like jigs or spoons. The metal acts as a leader, so you don't need the wire...and you'll get a hell of a fight. I don't like the taste of NY area bluefish...if you can go further out on the island, you'll find that they are exceptionally sweet and tasty (assuming you clean them and eat them ASAP after catching)...even 14 lb fish taste as sweet as the baby snappers.

 

[ssmtcarlo]

Take her on the speedy express out of captree state park. Go for the 7pm ocean blue fish run. I guarantee you will catch at least 5-10 nice blues (each). Also its only like $50 per person.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Thanks e.

Ss, I know $50 sounds like a little, but I can't even afford that.

Question:

I was looking at fishing line today and 4# test is more expensive that 30lb test. Why is that? Is the 4# betteR?

 

[noodleman]

so much fishing lingo i dont understand :lol2:

 

[Airborneguy]

The lighter the line, the more expensive it is to produce to keep it thin enough, but still strong enough. Light line made too thick would be hard on lighter tackle. I use 12# on my saltwater rigs, but some people may argue for more/less. I feel for anything around here, it's served me well. $50 sounds kinda high for a party boat by the way... expecially for blues. You can catch plenty of blues right off the piers and beaches in the city for free. The only place I know to get bait in Brooklyn is on 65th street and 8th ave, across from Amercana Diner. Its actually a combined fishing/LFS! You can get bunker and corals at the same time!

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Rather than go to a bait shop to buy frozen bunker, go to one of the Asian markets (they are in the Sunnyside area of Brooklyn, Elmhurst and Flushing and many other neighborhoods in Queens, and of course Chinatown). You can buy very fresh mackeral and butterfish for $1.49-1.99/lb, and in the fall I've even seen fresh peanut bunker in that price range. You can also get squid for $1.99-2.99, live green crabs (good in the fall for blackfish) for $1.79/lb, and live surf skimmer clams, also about $1-2.00/lb. There are far more Asian markets than there are bait shops, and the stuff is much higher quality. Sometimes you luck out...last fall my son went to a Korean market to buy butterfish...came home and said they looked pretty large so he only bought 2, and they didn't look like regular butterfish. Turned out that they were fresh pompano (can sell for $10/lb in fancy markets) that he bought labelled as butterfish, for $1.99/lb.....I fired up the grill on the spot and we had a very tasty lunch!

 

[nanoreefer22]

I just found some old fishing stuff. I have 20lb line will that do??

I found some hooks, attached in the pictures. I remember i used to catch smaller fish(6inches) with this hook set up and used no bait. I'm sure someone knows the kind of fish I'm talking about, could we possibly use these hooks and still be lucky?

 

[nanoreefer22]

 

[Airborneguy]

Man I'm drawing a blank on the fish everyone catches with those rigs... you can definately use it, but it won't get you a variety of fish.

20lb is a little high by my opinion, and depending on how old it is, it may have lost strength and will likely have less stretch in it.

 

[nanoreefer22]

The string is probably 2 years old

I don't mind if we dont catch a variety of fish once we catch something . I'll shell out a few bucks and get some new string. You think that rig will be effective on the piers?

 

[EvMiz]

you should be able to catch snappers (baby bluefish) on those rigs they are called sabiki rigs and used to catch bait just bounce them around at different depths with no bait. You should catch a snapper and put it on a bigger hook .....cast out and wait bluefish fluke striped bass and weakfish love live snappers.
Good luck

 

[nanoreefer22]

25lb monofilament, Bunker chunk, 8/0 gamgatsu octopus hook w/wire leader, "fishfinder" clip on the sinker. Depending on the current you may need anywhere from a 2-5oz sinker. Pyramid shape sinkers hold bottom better than the traditional bank style sinkers.

There are MANY different rigs you can use. I like this best for chunking blues from the shore. Kris you can try the 69st or 58st pier. Both are pretty close to you and blues should be running around there this time of year.

Rich,

One last thing confuses me, the rig is the 8/0 gamgatsu octopus hook w/wire leader, right? Or is it something else? I'm kinda new to the fishing lingo