05/11/08 The season started with a great trip for a super nice couple from Fredricksburg, VA. Headed out for a day of "wreckin"and the bite was on! Some of the best Tog fishing I have seen (very nice average size) with some hot Sea Bass action as well. Tog limit took about two hours prefering to keep only the medium size tog and releasing the larger females, three of which were 8 to 10 lb. With two hours left in the day Brenda's arm couldn't take any more so we called it a day. This couple caught well in excess of 100 fish keeping only enough for a few meals. Back in the slip with limit of Tog and around 20 Sea Bass in the box.  They headed back to VA already trying to plan a second trip. 05/17/08 Called these guys and told them the forcast looks rather sporty, their response, "that don't bother us". The group of five from Crofton, MD were rewarded with terrific Tog action limiting out in just a few hours while releasing most of the large females. Some of the guys were impressed just how hard Tog can pull. Sea Bass bite was a little tougher due to a five degree drop in water temp since last week. Still managed to pull out a few SB's to 18". At the fish cleaners with a limit of Tog (14) and 18 SB. 05/18/08 Cancelled the night before due to a forcast for winds at 25 knots. 8:00 am, winds at 5 knots and a lost day of fishing. DON'T LISTEN TO THE WEATHERMAN! 05/20/08 Toggin in the rain (no that's not a song). Forcast called for sprinkles, instead, steady rain & wind for the first three hours. But that didn't stop these newlyweds from Chambersburg, PA from CRUSHIN the Tog! It was one of the best Tog bites this Capt. has ever seen. With very limited cooler space for the ride back to PA this happy couple must have caught close to 50 Tog, releasing all but three, one of which was a monster 13+ lb. Dave also pulled out the largest Sea Bass of the season to date 21". Congrats & best of luck to Dave & Ellen. 05/21/08 Combined two smaller groups, one from Ohio and huge Buckeye fans and the other from GA and huge LSU  Tigers fans, can you say NCAA football championship. Good thing fishing was great and the big game didn't make it into the conversation, well not too much. I lost count, but I think Ohio St. may have caught a few more Tog, but then again, they had one extra player on the field. LSU kept only three for a Tog dinner at the house they were staying in. Ohio St. released all their's. Combined I put the total somewhere in the high 30's or low 40's. 05/23/08 Took a family of three out for a day of Tog fishing. The Tog bite was great but the size was a little off from the last several trips. Largest Tog for the day was 6 lb. Pulled out one dandy 18.5 inch Sea Bass as well. Back in the slip early, Ethan, age 6, was all tuckered out. 05/24/08 Out for a day of Wreckin with a group of college age buds. Tog bite was red hot most of the day. These guys must have caught close to fourty Tog  to 7 lb. as well as a few keeper Sea Bass. Back in the slip with a limit of Tog and a handful of SB. 05/25/08 Had a father & son, both new to deep sea fishing, out for some wreck fishing. Tog bite was on! Before the bite shut down just after lunch this pair must have landed at least 30 Tog and a few nice Sea Bass as well. Conner, age 8, took his dad to school on how to catch the most and biggest Tog of the day, a 12 lb. monster. Everything was released except a few fish for our marina owner and his wife, they LOVE Sea Bass! 05/26/08 This was to be my Wednesday trip but with a nasty forcast for Wednesday they decided to move their trip up two days to try and beat the weather. Headed out with high hopes and rising winds only to find the fish didn't want to play. Back in after the 1/2 day trip with only a few Tog & Sea Bass in the box. This super nice group from central PA just can't catch a break. Last year I had to move them to another boat due to my uncle's untimely passing and all they were able to catch was Bluefish,,,yuck!! 05/30/08 Moved this trip from Wednesday to today, Wednesday was real UGLY. Ran south with this party of three to find some Tog and man did we find Tog. Limited out in no time with two over 11 lb. while releasing most of the females. After playing with the Tog we decided to move and see if the Sea Bass were active, yep! Had a ball catching Sea Bass for the last few hours even though many were ½" shy of making the box. Back in the slip with a limit of Tog and 20 nice Sea Bass, can you say "good eats". 06/01/08 Bachelor party trip with a group of super great guys from northern MD. The Tog bite was slow for the first hour but then someone turned the switch. These guys spent hours slammin the Tog, one pushing the scale to over 14 lb. Second largest of the year according to Larry Jock of the Coastal Fisherman Newspaper. Had one other to 12 lb. and two nearly 10lb. Spent the last hour playing with the Sea Bass. Came back one hour early so the guys could beat the traffic home with a limit of Tog (14) and about a dozen SB. Congrats Mike & Christina! 06/02/08 Out for a day of Sea Bassin with a very nice family of four from Ohio. The bite was great but most fish were ¼ to ½" shy of making the cooler. Tog fished for about 30 minutes and had very good success with one Tog right at 10 lb.  Back to Sea Bassin since the Tog were nearly too much for mom and the two girls. Although, mom did wrestle in the 10 pounder. Back at the fish cleaners with four or five nice Tog and about a dozen SB to 18". Seriously folks, if you want the larger Sea Bass spend the extra fifty bucks for the Premium Trip. 06/06/08 Four hour Tog trip. No current, no wind and nearly no fish. Back in with only three in the box. Lucky there were only two anglers. 06/07/08 Bachelor Party. I suggested a Wreck Trip, they suggested a Shark Trip, Shark fishing it is. Four hours, two miles drifting, one complete bucket of chum and only one 40 lb. Dusky, missed a second Dusky as well. Spent the last hour Sea Bassin and it was ON! Must have caught fifty SB in that hour. Personally, I don't like to fish for Mako's before June 10th. 06/09/08 Today was the Lancaster Christian School benefit auction trip. Ran to one of my favorite Tog wrecks only to find no current or wind. Worked hard to keep the boat over the wreck but it was tough, swinging from one side to the other. Managed to put ten Tog in the box, one to 7 lb.,  before heading out for Sea Bass. Arrived at the Sea Bass grounds to find the current rippin. Eight ounces of lead and the lines still ran toward the back. The bite was red hot but with all that lead the guys had a tough time hooking these bait theives. Pulled the anchor with twenty one SB in the box, the largest to 18". 06/10/08 Single man charter out for a day of wreckin. Set up on a small wreck that doesn't get hit very hard due to it's size. Tog bite was on, limited out in no time with two over 12 lb, one over 10 lb  and one just over 8 lb. Must have released another dozen or so. Stayed inshore and played with small Sea Bass the remainder of the day managing to put about a dozen in the box, two of which measured 18", while releasing another 50 that were just under the limit. 06/11/08 Father's and son's out for a day of wreckin. Weatherman says its to be nice, WRONG! Blowing a steady 15 knots and tight 4 to 5 footers. First three wreck, not much, but door number four had fish. Steady bite with both Tog & Sea Bass. Pulled the lines in one hour early to watch the Air Show from the water. At the fish cleaners with a limit of Tog and a couple SB. 06/12/08 Honeymoon fishing trip for a nice couple from Warminster, PA. Tog bite was great and some very nice Sea Bass as well. The bride didn't feel very good and spent most of the day enjoying the sun from the bow. She did yank on a few Tog at the end of the day. Back at dock with limit of Tog and some dandy Sea Bass to boot. Congrats to Matt & Jackie! 06/13/08 How fishing can go from so good to so bad in less than 24 hours has always baffled me, perhaps Friday the 13th? Worked hard for one of my regulars trying several wrecks and bottoms only to decide the fish just didn't want to play today. Did find the first couple Flounder today, one to 18.5". Back at the marina with only a few fish in the box.  06/14/08 Out for a day of wreckin with the boys from Chester, PA. Ran to a deep Sea Bass wreck only to find some knot-head had set a fish trap (aka bass pot) directly on top of the wreck. Fished around it for a while but only small bass. Set up for some Flounder fishing but the drift was over 1.3 knots, way too fast even with eight ounces of lead. Ran to a Tog wreck and after about fifteen of no bites the fish turned on. With 30 minutes left in the day the Tog turned off as fast as they turned on. The guys left for PA with a limit of Tog and a handfull of SB. 06/15/08 Took "Big Shorty" and his crew out for some wreckin. The Tog bite was fantastic with "The Man" slammin the largest to 18.5". Limited out on Tog in less than one hour. Tried for some keeper Sea Bass only to find all the ¼ inch under SB's that we wanted. Ran to my favorite Spadefish hole only to find a dive boat sitting right on it. Finished the day messin with more Sea Bass and a few more Tog which were released. 06/16/08 Two brothers-in-laws, one from FL and one from Quebec out wreckin.  I had real issues with the nerve of anyone wearing a Montreal Canadian's hat on board my boat, but I took him, and brought him back, anyway. Had a super fun time catching Sea Bass, one to 18" and one to 19" as well as a couple Tog.  Back in the slip with a nice catch of Sea Bass, keeping only enough for supper for the two of them and their wives. GO FLYERS!! 06/17/08 Jack are wild, wrong, Spades are wild! Three Lebanon, PA Firemen limited out on Tog early in the day so we ran to my favorite Spadefish hole and it was game on! Spent several hours battling the hard pulling fish before finishing the day messin with some Sea Bass. Back at the fish cleaners with a limit of Spadefish & Tog. 06/18/08 Fathers, sons and fish, doesn't get any better. Started the day banging a few Tog, when the bite slowed we moved to the Spadefish hole. Action was great and our limit was reached with ease. Finished the day on some very productive Sea Bass bottom that yielded SB's to 22". Back in the slip with a nice mix of Tog, Spadefish and Sea Bass.  06/19/08 Honeymooners from Roanoke, VA wanted to have fun but not spend a fortune, I suggested Toggin. Spent the day having a ball catching Tog. Our limit was reached in no time so continued catching and releasing the rest of the day. Back in the slip one hour early at their request, remember, it's their honeymoon. Congrats Ashley & Chad!  06/20/08 Well it was bound to happen and today was the day, yes, the dreaded skunk! Sharking with a super nice father & son from Chambersburg, PA. Tried real hard but couldn't bring any Mako's into our slick. Offered to finish the day wreckin but they wanted to roll the dice and keep waiting. Needless to say our waiting was in vain. 06/22/08 Two half-day trips. Tog were snappin but the anglers, well, all but one, couldn't seem to get the hang of hooking these bait thieves. Used over two gallons on green crabs but only managed to put a few fish in the box. Although , we did feed them very well. 06/23/08 Great day on the water with this crew of five from PA, MD and Colorado, yes Colorado. Had a ball catching Sea Bass, Tog and Spadefish. Bite stayed hot most of the day but did slack off a little with about 45 minutes left in the day. Had a big Tiger Shark swim right under the boat while we were messin with the Spades. Back in the slip with a mixed cooler of Tog, Sea Bass and Spadefish.

06/24/08 The day started a little on the choppy side and to make matters worse, the current was running as hard as I have seen it this season. The fish were biting but not like the day before. Funny thing is, they were biting very timidly, unlike the previous day, when they were inhaling the bait. Even the spades didn't want to bite. They would swim right up to the bait and then turn away at the last minute. Managed to put a few in the box for the groups supper but that was it. Crazy fish.  06/25/08 First trolling trip of the season with a group from Harrisonville, PA and fishing was GREAT! Caught five Bluefin tuna ranging in size from 20 lb. to 45 lb.  We also had all the big chopper Bluefish we wanted. We could have sunk the boat with these Blues which ranged in size from 8 to15 lb. Back in the slip with a 25 lb. Bluefin and a bunch of big Blues. 06/26/08 Out for 8 hours of tuna fishing with a father & daughter from Coatesville, PA. The day started out slow with only one Bluefish and a few short bites. Sometime around 11:00 I marked the first good mess of bait. After working it for several passes, fish on! Fred's very first Bluefin. Continued to work the area hard looking for Sonya's very first tuna. As the seas built  we continued to try hard for Sonya's tuna. Finally, after several more short bites, the short rigger takes off and 15 minutes later we had Sonya's first tuna at the boat, a 35 lb. Bluefin which we released. Back in the slip after a tough ride home in big seas and high winds with Fred's 43 lb. Bluefin in the box. 06/27/08 Out for a 8 hour day of trolling with a father and two son's from near Harrisburg, PA. Started off a little slowly with only a few Bluefish but no tuna bites. Around 10:30 the tuna started snappin. Had a few that didn't come tight but managed to stick the hook in two, both under 47". Back in the slip at 3:00 with several big Bluefish and one 30 lb. Bluefin. 06/28/08 Twelve hour tuna trip with another father and his two sons from Easton, MD. The forcast calls for increasing wind and seas and all I could think about was Thursdays ride home. One of the boys was ill from the get-go but did manage to reel in a 12 lb. Mahi as well as a 43 lb. Bluefin. Caught a few other Blues and one more 35  lb. Bluefin, before dad said we should head for the barn, 2½ hours early.  07/01/08 Out for a full day of wreckin with a father and his 9 yr old son. Unfortunately, due to a incorrect dose of motion sickness medication  the trip only last a little more than ½ a day. The little boy was just too sleepy to continue. He did stay awake long enough to put a few Tog and one Sea Bass in the cooler for the families dinner. As for dad, he'll have to visit Mickie D's for dinner, since he got out fished by his little boy.  07/02/08 Twelve hour tuna trip with three super great guys from St. Lenard, MD. The action started early with only four lines in the water, fish on! Over the next five hours the action was great with several Bluefin, Bluefish, Mahi, Wahoo and King bites. The guys were exhausted and shortly after noon I was told to "head for the barn". Back in the slip three hours early with two Bluefin (78 & 45 lb.) two Mahi (12 & 16 lb.) one 12 lb. King Mackerel and a few Bluefish which Rob wants to try on the grill. 07/03/08 Wreck trip with three big time hunters from about 60 mile north of Pittsburgh, PA. Conditions were just plain rough, but these guys did great. The Tog bite was surprisingly good and stayed that way most of the day. A few nice Sea Bass as well one to 3.5 lb. Largest Tog was just over 9 lb. Back at the fish cleaners with a limit of Tog and about a dozen SB's. 07/04/08 Wreckin with three very nice ladies from Miami, FL. The Tog bite was super good with several over 7 lb. Back in the slip with a limit of Tog and one 22" Flounder as a bonus. 07/05/08 Out for a day of Toggin with six guys from University of MD Eastern Shore. First three wrecks very slow action. Even tried my favorite Spadefish hole and even they didn'y want to play. Me thinks the water temp. has these fish a little screwed-up. Finally, at the fourth stop we found some hungry fish. When that bite turned off we only needed two more Tog for our limit so I moved to stop number 5 with less than 15 minutes to fish. Back in the slip with a stringer one fish shy of our limit. Many of the Tog today were under legal size and released. 07/06/08 Out for a twelve hour tuna trip with a husband and wife looking for their first Bluefin. Less than two hours into the day and after a few short bites, Bill got his first Bluefin, a 37 pounder. Now we are looking for our "over" fish. Pulled the hook one one that I am sure was over, swung through the same area again, FISH ON!!  Thirty minutes later, Bill has number two, a 75 pounder. Headed in early to beat the bad storms which were moving our way from the west with two Bluefin ( our limit) in the box. 07/07/08 Out for a day of wreck fishing with five high school grads and one father. Set up on a Tog wreck and spent the next several hours feeding the Tog, and believe you me, they ate well. Burnt two gallons of green crabs and still didn't have our limit. One quick note about Toggin. Tog fishing while trying to text message doesn't work, all you will do is loose a lot of bait. Back in the slip two fish shy of our limit. 07/08/08 Left the dock on a twelve hour tuna trip in what were to be increasing wind and seas. Knowing the forcast didn't dissuade this group from Littlestown, PA.  Unfortunately, the rocking motion combined with a rough night before had one of the five out of commission before we ever put a line in the water. Less than five minutes into the day and after a short bite that didn't come tight, the short rigger gets bit, and it's game on. Fourty-five minutes and three anglers later we put a 55 incher (100 lb.) in the box. Thirty minutes, and one more bite later,  the group makes the decision to head for the barn since the sea sick member couldn't keep even the smallest amount of water down. Remember folks, Dramamine is a good thing, especially if your not sure. 07/09/08 & 07/10/08 Two ½ day Tog trips in very big seas. Ocean temps have fallen over ten degrees and the Tog are feeding, crazy world. Had good action on Wednesday and great action on Thursday with several fish over eight pounds. 07/11/08 - 07/13/08 Ocean City Tuna Tournament. First place (ladies division) that almost was. Day one started great with several bites and a 54" Bluefin that we thought would put Kim in the running for the money. Our second day of fishing found flat calm seas and super bright sun, conditions I hate to troll for Bluefin in. Worked hard all day only to have a few bites that never came tight. Despite the lack of fish, Kim's 91 pounder was still tied for first place in the ladies division after the day two weigh-in was over. Unfortunately, day three, our required lay-day, had a 96 lb. Bluefin weighed in to knock Kim out of the running by five pounds. 07/14/08 Eight  hour Premium Inshore Trolling trip in fairly sporty conditions with four guys from upstate PA. Less than 45 minutes into the day the short rigger takes off, big fish! Suddenly I notice a second fish slashing at the line and suddenly, nothing. Turns out that a King Mackerel tried to eat the swivel, missing it, his nasty teeth cut off our Bluefin. Swung back through the same area and had two other bites that didn't come tight. The sun broke through, the wind fell out and the bite turned off. 07/15/08 Not much better than Bluefinnin' when its right, and today it was RIGHT! Less than sixty minutes into the day we had both our under & over in the box and had one that didn't come tight. Made a move to try and find something different. Unfortunately, that something different, in the form of a Wahoo cut us off. Spent the last few hours slammin the Bluefin, released four all between 80 & 95 lb. and pulled the hook on several others. Back in the slip with a 45 & 98 lb. Bluefin in the box. Congrats to Nick Brumbaugh on his first Bluefin, a 98 pounder with a real bad attitude. 07/16/08 Decided to roll the dice today and run north with four teenagers looking for some of those flat fish. Found a decent bite with mostly small Sea Bass and a few flatties which would have been legal last year but not this year thanks to the two inch minimum size increase. Got very excited when I had two anglers hooked to good fish. Turned out to be a skate and a eel, talk about a "trash can slam". Back in the slip with one Tog, one Flounder and three Sea Bass.  Pretty day on the water despite the extreamly slow drift, many times less than 0.2 knots, TOO SLOW!! 07/17/08 More great Bluefin action with two guys from Lancaster, PA and one from Michigan. Less than thirty minutes into the day and we have a double. Decided to put the first fish in the box, a 95 pounder, and release the second which looked to be the same size. The guys wanted to run back inside to where we have been catching our "under" fish but we couldn't find a under. We did however find a nice school of Mahi, eighteen of which made it to our box. Released several others since the guys had all they wanted. Thought we were going to get ate by a Hammerhead Shark when it made a run at our of our short baits only to turn away two feet short of the bait.  07/18/08 Another great Bluefin trip. Less than thirty minutes into the day the way back takes off, I mean REALLY takes off. One hour and fifteen minutes later Yamamota had his first Bluefin which tipped the scales at 201 lb. Check out the picture on the 2008 Photos 2 page of our website 07/19/08 All good things must come to and end and today was that day. Arrived at the hotspot where during the past week only three of us had been fishing only to find over sixty boats working that  very small area. The work got out and I think I know who we have to thank. About two hours in to the day a boat comes down my port side and makes a abrupt left turn right across my gear cutting off both my long riggers. Despite my air horn, yells and hand motions he just plain cut us off. Ran that 42' Sportfish down and had a little chat with the Capt. explaining how he had just cost me nearly $200.00,  his response, "don't worry about it". Worked had the rest of the day but could only manage a undersize Yellowfin.  Too much boat pressure shuts down a very good bite. Did enjoy the company of some great guys and one super great guys from near Reading, PA 07/20/08 Out with three guys, two of which looked like they could play in the NFL, from southern MD for a day of Bluefin trolling. After a slow morning, the wwb (way, way, back) finally gets hit. Twenty minutes later angler number one can hold the rod no longer and calls for relief. Now angler number two is cranking on the reel with number three holding the rod. Finally, the 101 lb. Bluefin makes it to the boat and in the box. One other bite that didn't come tight. 07/21/08 Half-day wreck. Slow fishing at first but then a pack of Blacktip Sharks showed up and we spent the last hour or so messin' with them. 07/22/08 Out for an eight hour inshore trolliong trip with five very nice guys from Baltimore & DC. Tried to get a tuna bite but had no luck. Did manage to find a floating board that was holding a nice school of Mahi. Broke out the spinners and spent about 90 minutes catching some tasty Mahi. Back in the slip with twenty in the box. 07/24/08 Headed the the Bluefin grounds with a family of four in what were to be improving conditions through noon time. With-in the first hour I asked the father three different times if he wanted to continue, each time I got the thumbs-up, even though the seas and winds were increasing. Three mile short of the tuna grounds I looked back to find two of the four experiencing the dreaded reverse digestion. Trolled for about 45 minutes until the 16 year olds dry heaves were too frequent, plus he and his mom were unable to keep down any water. Pulled in lines and headed for the barn, much to the delight of the boy and his mother. 07/25/08 It ain't over till the fat lady ( or capt.) sings. Out today with four great guys from Bucks Co. PA. With-in fifteen minutes of lines in we had a nice Mahi in the box. The next several hours were very uneventful with only the complaining over the radio of other charter boats about the slow fishing to keep me company on the bridge. Sometime around 1:00 pm I decided to give, yet another, location a try. Ten minutes later I maked a large school of bait with some tuna marks right next to them on the sounder. I turned hard to get our baits down and it worked great, our way back is screaming . Five seconds later our planer rod takes off and we can't stop it, full drag, and it's still heading the other direction at 100 mph. Finally the 125 lb. leader on the planer rod gives up but we still have the fish on the way back. Fourty five minutes later we put the 179 pounder in the box. This was truely a team effort requiring all four anglers to land this fish. 07/26/08 Ran north for a day of what I thought would be very slow bottom fishing, turns out, I was wrong. The bite was fairly steady all day long. Unfortunately, most of the Flounder & Sea Bass were under the minimum size. Several of the flatties would have been legal last year, but not this year, darn minimum size increase. Back in the slip with three Flounder to 21" and a handful of Sea Bass. 07/27/08 Gave the guys a choice, either fish where we did the day before or try an area I have not fished this year. Their answer, lets try the new place. Worked the area hard with only limited success and a couple flatties in the box. Finally took a look at some numbers from two years ago and found a nice little bunch of flatties, one of which went 28" and tipped the scale at 10 lb. Back in the slip with seven Flounder ranging from 18" to 28" and a two Sea Bass. Loads of throw back Sea Bass & Flounder as well.

07/28/08 Not many days I head out concerned about finding fish, but after two days of listening to the other captains complain about the extreamly slow fishing and a report from one of my good friends who mates on one of the top tuna boats in OC ($2600.00 per day) tell me they had not had a bite in two days, yes , I was concerned! Thirty minutes after lines in, fish on! Thirty seconds later, fish off. The next two hours went without a pull and no fish caught by other boats working the area so I decided to run. Fourty five minutes later we arrived at the ne spot and decided to try, I hate to say this, chunking, yes I have now gone to the dark side. Two hours without a pull and seeing two boats out of the eight or ten there catch a fish I couldn't take it anymore. Now we are back to trolling, twenty minutes later the planer rod takes off, FISH ON!! Less than thirty seconds later the hook pulled. Twice in one day, now I am thinking about a nice hot bath with my hairdryer. The day ended with nothing in the box but a skunk   07/29/08 Out for a day of Flounder fishing in flat calm seas. Found good action all day long with some very nice flatties as well as a few very nice Sea Bass. Last years limit would have been easy but with this years new 17.5 inch minimum size we could only manage nine keepers most of which were around 19" but one late day flattie went 24". Back in the slip with nine Flounder and half a dozen Sea Bass to 17" 07/30/08 Out with a family of five, mom, dad and three teenage girls, for a day of Bluefin fishing. I told them the evening before that they may want to reconsider and fish for something else due to the slow (nearly not at all) Bluefin bite as well as what mould happen if we were to more than one on at a time. Conditions were terrible with fog so thick we had about 200 ft. of visibility until 11 am when it finally lifted. With that kind of visibility we couldn't run our way backs so we made the best of what we were delt. Fish hard all day and worked several different areas but no luck. Folks, I think most of our Bluefin have moved on. 07/31/08 Mahi time!! Ran to the deep with live bait for a day of Mahi fishing. Found some lobster gear that held good number of real nice Mahi to 18 lb. With thirty minutes left in the day Dave spots a pod of Porpoise about 1/2 mile way. We quickly throw out a six line trolling spread and head that way. As we reach the middle of the school four rods go down, two missed the hook but two are on. Within the first minute one of the lines goes slack, fish off, but we still have the one. A few minutes later Ryan has his first Yellowfin, a 45 pounder. Had time for one more pass through the pod. This time all we pulled out was a gaffer Mahi. Back in the slip with 28 Mahi to 18 pounds and Ryan's Yellowfin. Congrats to Ryan & Adam on a great day of fishing! 08/01/08 More Mahi! Ran out to the lobster gear as we had fished the day before only to find a lobster boat hauling the gear which in turns scatters the Mahi. Ran 7 mile to some other gear I was told about and found them. Problem was that gear was in the process of being hauled as well so we fished fast in order to stay ahead of the lobster boat. Trolled toward home for the last hour looking for a Yellowfin bite. Instead we hooked a twenty-four pound Mahi. Back in the slip with fifteen Mahi to twenty-four pounds. 08/02/08 This great group of folks from near Philadelphia decided they would like to try for some Mahi as well as perhaps a Yellowfin or Marlin. Headed toward the area that had been so good the previous two days. On our way we came across some Porpoise so we quickly threw out a trolling spread. After ½ hour is was apparent these guys were just playing and not feeding. Picked up and continued on. Within five minutes of arriving at the lobster gear the wind and rain started, thank you Mr. Weatherman for not mentioning any of this in your marine forcast. After about an hour the rain moved out but the wind and seas stayed which made in nearly impossible to see under the gear. Managed to nick out a few  Mahi before we put out the trolling spread. Nicked a few more Mahi on the troll when a Blue Marlin decided to eat our long bait. Since we were Mahi & White Marlin fishing we didn't have our big gear out and the Tiagra 50 was over matched by this 275 lb. Blue. After taking 3/4 of the spool we had to max the drag and try to stop this fish before it reached England. Unfortunately between the bill chafing the leader and the heavy drag our 100 lb. leader gave up after about three minutes. We did get a few spectatular jumps out of "the man in the blue suit" 08/04/08 - 08/08/08 White Marlin Open Week and we are fishing for the Tuna money.  Day One: Lines in at 8:30 first Bluefin on at 10:30. First Bluefin off at 10:32. Stupid manditory circle hooks, I hate em! Second fish on at 11:15, this time I let him eat a good long time before pouring on the drag. Got the fish to the boat and asked the guys, release or take it, knowing that the fish was not a money fish ( too small) and we can only take one over. Stick him, was their response. A few other Mahi bites the rest of the day but no other Tuna bites. Back in with the 85 pounder in the box. Day Two: Lines in at 8:30 at our previous spot from the day before. Lots of bait but no Tuna marks on my sounder. Moved to a second location and immediately found a few Mahi for the box. Put the spread back out and our long line goes off, FISH ON!! Ten minutes later we have a 40.5 lb. Wahoo in the box. The minimum weight for a Wahoo to qualify for the tournament money is 40 lb. As of this posting Fin Chaser is in 1st place in the Wahoo division. Day Three: We decided to do exactly what we did the last day we fished. Unfortunately, no one told the fish, since they didn't. Worked hard all day but no pulls. Even though our Wahoo got knocked out of third place overall the final day of fishing it still won the guys $14,800.00 in calcutta money! Way to go Randy, Brian, Ricky, George and Barry!! 08/06/08 WMO lay day fill-in trip. Out for a day of bottom fishing with a group from PA. Found dirty water and not the greatest drift but were managing a fish or two every drift, some keeper size, some just under. With about 90 minutes left, I smelled it, the long evil fruit. Someone had brought a banana onboard my boat. Now you all know I am not supersticious, but from that point on we did not put any more keepers in the box. Please folks, LEAVE THE BANANAS AT HOME!!! Back in the slip with six Flounder and a couple Sea Bass. 08/10/08 Out for a day of Offshore Trolling. Started on some lobster gear in 55 fathoms but no Mahi to be found. Eased out to deeped waters before increasing wind and seas forced us to head back inshore to 40 fathoms. Trolled around for about one hour when two lines get hit, one right after the other. I assume we have just been cut off by a Wahoo when a third line takes off. This time I gun the throttles and up pops a Sailfish. Ten minutes later he is next to the boat for pictures. Worked the same area and fifteen minutes later we get cut off by Mr. Hoo. Two more passes and two more hits that fall just shy of the hook taking only the back ½ of the bait. Thirty minutes later a White Marlin decides to go after two of our baits but just wants to play with them instead of eating them. On the way in we ran through a storm of epic proportion. Wind gusts to 45 knots, horrible lightning and rain so hard I could not see more than 100 ft. Congrats to Adam on his first Billfish! 08/11/08 Flounder fishing with a family from western PA in dirty, cold water. Fair bite most of the day except for the last hour when the drift died. Had to release 9 flatties that would have seen the box last season, but not with these new regs.  Most of these released fish were over 16". Back in the slip with four Flounder to 23" and half a dozen Sea Bass to 17" 08/12/08 Out with a super nice family of three from Quarryville, PA for a day of bottom fishing. Conditiond were not the best but we did manage to find some hungry Flounder and Sea Bass. These new Flounder regs are killing me. Today we released six flatties that would have been legal last season, that would have limited this group out. It is also a good thing that mom came along for the trip, she took her husband and son to school on catching fish. Back in the slip with four Flounder to 22 inches and a few Sea Bass. 08/13/08 This was to be a Offshore Trip but due to the forcast it was changed to a Premium Bottom Trip. Conditions were great for Flounder. Clean water, reasonable dirt, good current and fair surface temps but the flatties just wouldn't bite. Set up on a wreck to mess with what we already new would be undersize Sea Bass but that is much better than not catching anyting. Dring the next few hours I would guess the group of three muct have caught nearly 75 SB's, all but six were under the 12' minimum, most measured right around 11½", very normal for this time of the year. Me thinks the cold bottom temps of the water has these fish a little screwed-up. 08/15/08 Headed out for a day of Offshore Trolling in conditions that were way rougher than the forcast called for. Within 30 minutes of lines in we hooked a White Marlin but due to the rough seas the angler had a tough time keeping the line tight and the White threw the hook. About one hour later both our long baits were attacked by a Wahoo who simply cut the rear ½ off of each bait just shy of the hook. Swung through the area again and the little bugger did the same thing to one bait. Over the course of the next two hours we were attacked by little tiny Mahi's (about the same size as our baits). These fish were way too small to take the hook but did have enough teeth to destroy any bait they hit. The seas started to lay out around noon time and the sun broke through. Unfortunately, the bite died as well. 08/16/08 Ran to the deep with five great guys from just outside of Middletown, DE who love to hunt & fish. Set out our everything spread and with-in 20 minutes we have a White Marlin all over our one bait. This fish smacked this bait several time before deciding to eat it. Ten minutes later it's picture time at the side of the boat. One hour later another White hits our long bait bvut misses the hook. About an hour after that one shows up directly under out spreader bar all "lit up". He followed that bar for at least two minutes occasionaly turning to look at the bait next to the bar but then turning right back to the bar never attempting to eat it, just looking. We also worked at least a dozen lobster balls but none of them were holding any Mahi. I guess they must had been hauled on Friday and scattered any fish that were them. Congrats to Tater on his first Billfish. Sorry your brother decided to throw you in back at the marina, but that is the custom. 08/17/08 Had to turn around after 8 miles due to a pinhole leak in the starboard transmission cooler. May have been able to get the day in but better safe than sorry. Small holes under pressure always get larger, you just don't know when. 08/18/08 Out for a day of Mahi fishing with five great guys from PA. Found very good action under some loster gear way to the south. Some of the schools held real quality fish but they were very wary of our baits. After a few hours of catching the charter had enough and asked if we could go Marlin fishing, sure! About 45 minutes later a White marlin shows up in our spread going from one bait to another before deciding on the one he wanted. He put on a little show in the air before throwing the hook. Fished the last hour with only a small Yellowfin to show. It was nice to actually catch a Tuna but the problem was the Yellowfin was the smallest I have ever seen, smaller than the squids on the spreader bar he ate. Back in the slip with 20 Mahi several over 12 lb. and one to 17 lb. 08/19/08 Another fantastic day of Mahi fishing with two very accomplished hardcore anglers from NJ. Our friends at NOAA completely missed the forcast but these two guys never gave an inch during the fifty five mile run and were rewarded with some wide-open Mahi fishing. Back in the slip with 36 Mahi (see pics). 08/21/08 Out for a day of bottom fishing with a group from Harrisburg, PA. Started off drifting for Flounder. The first six fish were all over 16½ inches which is a nice flattie, just not legal this year. After two hours and lots of throwback Flounder we decided to set up on a wreck and do some bassin knowing the chances of legal Sea Bass would be slim but the bite should be good, and it was. The group caught well over 75 SB and did manage a few keepers, one to 19".  08/22/08 More Mahi Madness! Ran south with a group of guys from Minnesota enjoying yet another super accurate forcast from NOAA.... Not! Got to the gear to find it was still holding fish, and a few dandies at that. Worked the gear the entire day with a steady pick. At one ball a 30-35 lb. bull came out of no where and slammed the bait screaming off drag until the 130 lb. power swivel split in half. Hooks pull, lines break, stuff happens! Back in the slip with 25 very nice Mahi.

08/24/08 The Bluefin are back,,,, at least for today. Headed out looking for tuna and trying to stay with-in two hours of the inlet at the charters request. Slow morning but some time around noon we get our first bite on one of our wwb's (way, way, backs). Thirty minutes later we have a 97 lb. Bluefin in the box. About one hour later three rods go down at once, Yellowfin's!!!  One never comes tight, one pulls the hook after ten seconds but the other is still on. Unfortunately, after thirty seconds the spreader bar pulls from the fish. I kicked the boat back in gear and immediately the wwb takes off, and this ain't no little yellowfin. Fourty minutes later we release a 100 lb. Bluefin that had a serious attitude problem. With less that thirty minutes left in the day we put a small Mahi in the box.  08/25/08 Four hour Bottom Trip. Caught over 40 Sea Bass the largest was a 23" monster, a real suprise! 08/27/08 Out for a day of tuna fishing with three super nice guys from central PA and the Bluefin action was HOT. Within the first three hours we had a 100 pounder in the box, released a similar size fish, broke one off after a twenty minute fight and had several other bites that didn't come tight. Sometime around noon the wwb takes off but this fish isn't acting like a 100 pounder. We get the fish to the boat, it's an under! The first under 47" Bluefin we have seen since,,, well, I can't remember when, I am sure mid-July.  One other Mahi bite in the morning I forgot to mention as well as a False Albacore (aka Turkey) bite. Back in the slip with a 49 & 100 lb. Bluefin. 08/29/08 Out for a day of tuna fishing with a crew from Caldwell Construction of Lancaster County, PA. Conditions were brutal but these guys are super tough and wanted to continue. As we were setting the fourth line out one of our wwb's get hit. Thirty minutes later we put a 95 lb. Bluefin in the box. Ten minutes later we get jumped on by Turkeys, four at once. After that the guys decided to head in due to the severity of one guys motion sickness. After reeling in the other wwb it turns out it got hit as well. Back in the slip with a 95 lb. Bluefin and three Turkeys. Sorry, no pictures out of respect for our Amish friends. 08/30/08 Turkey day in August?? Out with a group of friends from MD who love their weekends but dread Mondays. Looked all day for Bluefin's but only found Turkeys, and lots of them. The day started great with a nice Mahi after only ten minutes of trolling but after that it was Turkey, Turkey, Turkey and more Turkey. In the brief time between fish I did learn all about "rat fishing". 08/31/08 Took five Jersey boys out for a day of tuna fishing in conditions that were to get real sporty by late morning. The action was great with a mix of Yellowfin and Turkey. We must have had nearly thirty bites including a Bluefin which pulled off after about thirty seconds and a very nice (35 lb.) Yellowfin which pulled off right behind the boat. The guys asked if we could leave and look for another Bluefin at which time I gave them this free advice "never leave fish to find fish". They decided they still wanted to look for another Bluefin. That was with two hours left in the day and we never had another pull. Back in the slip with two Yellowfins and a few Turkeys they kept to experiment with in the kitchen. 09/05/08 thru 09/07/08 Wahoo Tournament cancelled/re-scheduled due to tropical storm conditions. 09/08/08 Half- day of Croaker fishing with a husband and wife from Harrisburg, PA. The action was good with some very nice "Hardheads" or Croakers to 15" and a few small Sea Trout mixed in as well. 09/09/08 Out with three guys from Reading, PA for a day of Croaker fishing is fairly choppy condition. The bite was great and the self imposed limit of "just enough for a fish fry for four people" was reached without any problem. After about three hours of fishing and countless released fish the two sons told me they had caught plenty of fish, dad wasn't feeling very good so let's head for the barn. Back in the slip with twelve Croaker in the box, two over 16" 09/12/08 Out for a day of Croaker fishing in fairly sporty conditions. Looked all over but we just couldn't find any large Croaker like we had on Tuesday.  Spent all day catching small Croaker, Spike Trout (small Sea Trout) and Taylor Blues. I'll bet we caught over 150 fish but other than the Taylor Blues, none of them were over 12". 09/13/08 A day of bottom fishing with a group from PA. Marked a huge mess of fish about 10 mile out.  Had two guy guys drop down, wham, they bother get hit as soon as the bait reaches the bottom. The first guy looses what looked to be a good Croaker by the bend of the rod. The second guy pulls up a 11" Sea Trout. I asked the group if they want to anchor-up,, no, lets keep going is the reply. OK... were leaving fish to find fish, you know what I think. Anchored on a deeper wreck to find good Sea Bass action with the normal size SB's for early/mid September most being ½" under keeper size. Decided to try a Flounder drift all the while thinking that the water is too dirty and cold for good Flattie action, wrong! Had a very nice Flounder bite, but these new regs STINK!! We had to release seven which were all over 16". We did manage to put four nice Flounder in the box as well as a couple Sea Bass. Back in 1½ hours early due to what I think was one guys bad reaction to "the patch"motion sickness medication.  Oh, and as for, the Croaker spot I had mentioned. I gave a friend of mine the numbers and his charter spent all day there slammin the Croaker, some very nice ones, as he put it. 09/14/08 Out with four guys from OH & PA who told me they wanted "meat for the freezer" and meat they got. Headed south in what was to be worsening conditions to find great Mahi action. Spent the day crushing the Mahi's on spinning tackle. Tried to do a count but the box was so full it was hard so we decided to err on the side of caution and call it a day, plus the seas were getting rather sporty. Back in the slip with 55 very nice Mahi. Let's see....at fish market prices that's well over  $1500.00 of fresh Mahi, not bad! 09/15/08 Same group as yesterday out for some bottom fishing. Forecast was to be rather rough so we decided to fish accordingly. Ran to where we had the super Croaker, Trout and Bluefish action a few days back only to find nothing. These guys really wanted some Flounder but we didn't think we would be able to go that deep based on what the weatherman was saying. After eight miles and no Croaker or Trout on the sounder, I told them I think we would be fine to run off to the Flounder grounds. Good call, we had a very nice day with decent Flattie action the entire time. Nearly every drift produced one or two fish as well as several good "rod benders" which came un-glued. When the day was over we had seven Flounder in the box to 21" and released another twelve, all of which but one would have been dinner last year. 09/18/08, 09/19, 09/20, 09/21, 09/22, 09/26 & 09/27/08 All cancelled due to rough conditions, that hurts!  Look like it's "spam & beans" this winter! 09/28/08 Half-Day bottom trip found good action on Sea Bass & Taylor Blues as well as a few Tog. The Sea Bass size is starting to improve and should provide plenty of "keepers" by mid-October. I was surprised at the Tog bite this early in the fall. This bite should  also get much better as the month progresses. I still have one or two Fridays as well as Sundays open for October Wreck Fishing so don't wait to lock in your date. 10/02/08 Turned around after ten mile due to high winds and rough seas. Thanks NOAA for blowing yet another forecast! 10/03/08 Out with a family of five from State College, PA for a day of Sea Bassin. Fantastic bite all day with a few very nice fish mixed with all the shorts. Back in the slip with fourty tasty Sea Bass which is not bad since the kids slept most of the trip which put all the pressure on Mom & Dad to fill the box. 10/04/08 Out for a twelve hour "meat  trip". Ran south toward the loster gear only to find most had been pulled and moved somewhere else. The few balls that were left had been fished hard the day before and the few Mahi that were left had lockjaw. Found a piece of lumber floating and managed to pull almost a dozen Mahi's from it before they too shut down. Put out the Wahoo spread and after two hour of looking we found a weed line that was holding them. The first fish was with-in ten feet of the boat when he finally cut through the mono leader, the only mono leader out there and that was the one he ate. The next fish eats the short rigger and jumps over the long rigger breaking the outrigger line. Fortunately, the fish stays hooked and makes it in the box, a 35 pound Hoo. The next four fish all hit behind the hook, which is a very normal for Wahoo to do. 10/05/08 Same kind of trip as the day before with five guys from Leesport, PA. Within fifteen minutes of the spread hitting the water we get attacked by at least two and maybe three White Malin. These guys went from bait to bait grabing the baits, running for a second, and then letting go. All total they hit every bait but one but never took the hook, wire Wahoo rigs with 9/0 long shank hooks didn't help. Trolled out to 60 fathoms to have a look at some gear but it wasn't holding any fish. Decided to pick-up and run back inside to 35 fathoms where the water looked better. Found a floating skid and on the first pass a Wahoo explodes on our long line. Ten minutes later we have a 45 lb. Hoo in the box. A few passes later we hook another unfortunately the fish throws the hook a few feet from the boat. Another pass or two two and we have a third fish on. This time the angler is able to keep up with the fish and Hoo number two goes in the box. The next few passes had a few explosions but all hit the baits behind the hook. Worked the area hard for the last hour without any more bites. 10/09/08 Headed south in what was to be fairly calm seas, WRONG!! Asked the crew of three if they wanted to turn tail and head back, their response, "nope, we came to fish"! Good call, these three super tough guys were rewarded with some teriffic fishing. The wind did lay out real nice for about three hours but then suddenly came up strong from the south and after the ride out we decided to head back before things got too bad. Besides, we already had a box full of Mahi to 20 lb. and one nice Wahoo. Back in the slip a little early with 39 Mahi and one Wahoo. Man that's some gooood  eats! 10/11/08 Out for a day of Sea Bassin on some of the southern wrecks. Found a teriffic bite with some dandy fish mixed in with all the shorts. One guy had the hot rod for the big bass. He put five in the box all over 18" and one to 22", nice fish! Back in the slip with about fourty tasty Sea Bass. Not bad since one of the three anglers got hit by a killer migraine on the ride out and spent most of the day crashed-out in the cabin leaving only two guys to fill the box. 10/12/08 Out with a father and son from Grand Haven, MI for a day of wreckin. Hit a few patched of natural bottom and found good number of fish but many more "shorts" than the day before. Did manage to scratch up enough (fifteen) for a fish fry for some of the boys close friends back in DC where he now works for some top secret govt. deal. Back in the slip two hours early to allow Jr. to beat the traffic back to DC. 10/13/08 Headed south for a day of offshore action with four guys who make the best pizza around northwestern Philly, Tonelli's Pizza. Set the spread out and with-in five minutes we have a small Mahi in the box. About 45 minutes later a White Marlin shows up in the spread and after smacking one or two of the baits swims away. Twenty minutes later another White shows and this one is hungry.  Fifteen minutes later he is next to the boat for pics and released. About fourty five minutes later we have a White messing with our Wahoo rig on the long rigger,  finally he knocks it out of the clip and takes the bait. Twenty minutes later we have release number two of the day. We troll for the next ½ hour with only a tuna boil on a spreader bar when a huge Wahoo explodes on our long rigger. Even though this bait is rigged on wire this nasty fish must have run up the leader and hit the main line immediately cutting us off. That was the last encounter of the day. Back at the marina the long standing tradition of getting thrown in the water after catching your first Marlin was played out and two guys got to go back to Philly rather damp. 10/18, 10/19 and 10/25/08 all cancelled due to rough conditions 10/27/08 Out for a day of Wreck fishing with a father & daughter from WV. Started out with a very slow bite. Made several moves until I finally came upon some hungry fish. Spent several hours messin with the SB's until the building winds and seas forced us to head in one hour early. Back in the slip with a very nice catch of Sea Bass, with a couple in the 19" range. 10/28/08 Cancelled due to Gale conditions. 11/01/08 Out with five super guys from DC for some Bassin'. Found a very good bite but a lot of shorts. Moved around and finally found some bottom that held slightly better size fish. I bet these guys caught well over 150 fish, but at a 5 to 1 ratio we only had 30 in the box at the days end. We did manage a nice flattie that needed to be released due to the season closure as well as a few Bluefish and some Dogfish. The suprise of the day was a nice 10 lb. Rockfish. With all the undersize male Sea Bass we have encountered this year I suspect we may some very good fishing in the next few years, just as long as the commercial netters/traps don't devastate them like they seem to with every other species they target.