CTFishTalk.com: Sharking 7/14 - Connecticut Offshore Reports ( CT Offshore Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

snafu · Joined: 17 May 2007 Posts: 50 Location: Griswold & Niantic

Left the Niantic River @ 5AM with Marco, Jason and Pops. Slowed down at Montauk and boated a fresh blue as we fast trolled over a reef there.

Decided to troll a little as the water hit 65 in the Butterfish Hole. Nothing for an hour, then the port outrigger with a cedar plug chain snaps off the line. A brief battle as a massive bluefish is brought along side and then shakes the hook and disapears. That was the biggest bluefish I have ever seen, by the sivze of it I thought it was a large striper, wish I was able to boat it and take a length measurment. After loosing the bluefish we decided to start the slick up as bait was in that area.

After a very boring 3 hours Pops noticed a large swirl under the gulls eating our chum something made them leave the water quickly. Sure enough the shallow bait goes off a minute later and Marco starts the battle. As the shark comes up and runs past the boat I can see it's a mako for sure. After a couple nice jumps and tailwalking across the surface he is spent and come to the side of the boat.

Seeing as it's to close to the leagle limit to gaff without a measurement Jason leaders him to the measurment lines etched on the side of the hull. Just a inch or 2 short as best as we can tell.
Pops used our new shark dehooker and pops the hook out as the shark quickly dive out of sight non the worse for wear.
After the chum was spent we used 3 new shark trolling lures and troll back up the slick hoping to catch a shark holding back. 2 of the lures were subsurface and one on a high speed planer that runs approx 30' down. Nothing hit the lures so we switched to tuna trolling, also with no results on the way back in.

I had a perfect chance to deploy the shark lures on the way back in but my brain was to sun fried to think of it at the time.
Saw a large shark finning on the surface on the way back in while up on plane. It was approx 10' long and looked very brown in color, no blue or blacks.
Slowed down, got in front of him and threw him some chunks and a pitch bait, not interested and he passed right by it and went deeper. Kept the bait in the water for 10 minutes before we left the area.
If I had been thinking I should have ran way in front of him and dropped the trolling lure in front of his face.

Quint's Revenge · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 239 Location: West Haven

My friends that have been running offshore for shark and bft have not been doing well at all, just some mako pups and rat blue dogs. They did hook a decent thresher at Ranger but the hook pulled at the boat as they were trying to sink the gaff. From what I'm hearing its pretty tough all over.
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Ladies and gentleman take my advice.... pull down your pants and slide on the ice.

ploplopfizzfizz · Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Branford

From what i am being told.One day there is life as far s the eye can see and the next day nothing for miles.Everywhere from the mudhole to the fingers has been so inconsistent this year.

snafu · Joined: 17 May 2007 Posts: 50 Location: Griswold & Niantic

I have always put BFT's in the boat prior to July 4th, this year I can't seem to catch a one Rolling Eyes

At least now I know it's not just me.

Tashmoo 2 · Joined: 13 May 2007 Posts: 20 Location: Ridgefield, CT

SNFU

We've caught large bluefish S SW of Block in 160-180 ft of water trolling feathers. We didn have green machines or Loran bsck then.

It was good to hear the reels go off but you knew something was wrong when they didn't run

That gives idea how long ago it was.
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Ed