We are pleased to announce the launch of our custom and hard to find tackle line.  Currently we offer butterfly jigs, assist hooks and Kevlar assist cord.

I have always taken great pride in creating jigs and rigs myself that not only looked good but continually catch fish. I have been told numerous times that I should sell the tackle that I’ve been making for myself and friends.  After a few years of hearing it over and over I have decided to offer some of my creations for sale here. 

The butterfly jigs are all hand poured, individually dipped in powder paint and then baked at 3oo degrees for forty-five minutes to harden the finish.  Butter fly jigs are offered in six colors and five sizes from 2 to 9 ounces.

Assist hooks start with heavy duty, 4x strong Gamakatsu live bait hooks which are then hand tied with Tuf-Line Kevlar assist cord in 200, 300, 500 or 700 pound test (depending on the size of the hook).  We offer four sizes of hook in 5/0, 7/0, 9/0 and 11/0 with three leash lengths-short, medium and long.

We are also thrilled to announce that we are stocking Tuf-Line Kevlar Assist Cord.  Available in 200, 300, 500 and 700 pound test we offer handy packs of 10 or 25 feet or 100 and 300 foot spools.

Keep checking back as we will be adding more products that we use every season like our custom shark rigs which will feature Lindgren-Pitman circle hooks, 2′ of 49 strand cable, premium ball bearing swivels and 530 pound Momoi Extra Hard wind-on leaders.

Barnegat Fishin’ Hole Store

I fabricated my makeshift, homemade leader stretching jig so I could start making wind-on leaders and top-shots.  It didn’t come out too bad, I wasn’t really going for looks but rather functionality.  If it fits the bill I can always go back and make a nicer one from oak or other hardwood, stain and finish it nicely.

The first few serves I did came out horrible, but I am quickly getting used to the serving tool and making neater, more compact serves in no time.  This is my fourth attempt and assuming after testing that the connections hold up it I think it looks pretty good.

The jig consists of a 3/4″ plywood bas 10″ x 24″ in size, two uprights constructed of 3/4″ plywood as well that I cut slots in with the table saw to create a pocket for the Craftsman bar clamps to sit in.

Thinner diameter leaders (under 200#) seem to slip a bit in the clamp jaws, by adding small pieces of non-slip kitchen cabinet shelf liner in the jaws the line stays guitar string tight.

I received an order of new toys this week from BHP Tackle.  Basil was very helpful in getting me setup with the basics I will need but also with quality tools that will last and that I can grow into.  As many of you know I make most of my rigs, jigs and tackle.  This is something I take great pride in, especially when myself and others catch fish with my creations. 

I am now stepping up my game and going to start making my own stinger hooks and wind-on leaders.  I already started rigging some hooks.  I still have to glue the knots and cover them with shrink tubing which should be arriving today but here is a sneak peak at a couple.  The smaller one is a 7/0 heavy duty live bait hook rigged with 200# Jerry Brown hollow core and the larger is a 10/0 with 300#.

I also rigged two wind-ons last night that all they need is to be served and cut to length.  I am sure the serving will take a little getting used to but I should be up to speed on that by next weekend since the weekend weather looks horrible.  I am also going to make my own wind-on jig for doing the serving.  At least I am going to try.  If it doesn’t work out then I will buy a bench jig.  I was just trying to get in the game for as little as possible but there is no substitute for the right tool for the job.

The more I thought about how useful wind-ons would be the more uses I came up for them.  I previously hardly used them due to cost.  One big advantage for them would be trolling wire line for striped bass.  You have the end loop, or haywire twist, in the wire, it would be so much more convenient to just use a loop-to-loop connection to attach your leader than tying an Albright knot over the wire.  Especially in rough conditions which are usually present in the early spring and late fall. 

Another situation I think will be more convenient as is when bottom fishing.  While I typically only use 30 or 50 pound leaders most of the time you break off or get chafed off on structure near the jig or rig.  After re-tying a few times the leader needs to be replaced.  If you have a Bimini twist in your main line (in my case typically braid) you can just un-loop the damaged leader and loop on another.  Much quicker and easier than cutting, tying a new Bimini twist and Albright knot to attach a new leader.

You could also have wind-on leaders pre-made with your rig or jig already rigged at the tag end.  That way you just un-loop the damaged leader and loop on a new leader and rig all in one shot.  Saving valuable time when the bite is hot.

Once I hone my serving skills I will post pictures and videos in the how to section for creating both wind-on leaders and stinger hooks.

It was to be our first trip of 2009 and we were very anxious to get lines in and bends in the rods.  I rigged up four rods, iced down the boat, loaded the second anchor and rode, chum pots, picked up bait, lunch and beverages.  I also picked up a bucket of Gulp! chum to give a try.

Tommy and I headed South to the Mantoloking Bridge.  While heading out there was a whining noise, we checked and thought at first it was just the new belt settling in.  While trying to get set on anchor in our first spot the motor started sputtering and the whining got louder.

We performed some more troubleshooting and determined the noise to be coming from the fuel pump, most likely the low pressure pump.  We decided that with a fuel delivery problem and breezy conditions it was best that we scrapped the trip and limp back to the marina.  We were able to get back safe under our own power.

I did speak to a few guys that fished catches ranged from not even a bit to about five fish per person.

After clearing the cockpit we dropped the fuel filter and water separator and there were no signs of any water in the fuel.  Put new filters on to be on the safe side and fired her up again.  The filters filled with fuel so it is not a line or tank issue.

Next I called Volvo to find out parts availability and cost.  I also inquired to see if it would be covered under extended warranty, supposedly it will be.  Which is a huge relief since on my motor it is one part for the filter mount, high and low pressure pumps and not individually serviceable with a cost of $659.

Now I am waiting for a call back from my local Volvo dealer to schedule the repair, hopefully they will be able to get to it this week or next.

This is just the kind of thing I try to avoid by going in the water the end of February or the beginning of March.  Now due to the soda blasters damage and my going in the water just days before our first trip I am now down taking away from fishing time.  Going in early gives two to four weeks to run her weekly and work out any kinks if any and get her running at peak performance for the season ahead.  In a perfect world our boats would go to bed working 100% and wake up after their winter’s naps running 100%.  But after sitting idle for several months there is always something that is not happy about being idle and being exercised during its hibernation.  In the end I am sure we will have a great season, we are just off to a slow start once again.

It is a really neat little piece of engineering.  The amount of drag and the capability of such a small reel, you really have to admire what the folks at Avet achieved with this one.  But how practical is it really?

I picked one up last season and was a little disappointed in the line capacity.  It states on the web site and the box 220 yards of 20#.  I have tried twice now to pack 65# or 50# braid on it and can barely get 200 yards on it.  Not because I don’t pack it tight, I have ruined a pair of leather work gloves both times, just about cutting through the fingers the line is packed so tight.  With either size of braid I should be able to get much more on there as the 65# is supposed to be about 16# mono.

I was really hoping to use it on a Shimano Trevala jigging rod as a workhorse, multi-tasking rod, jigging for tuna, tiles, striped bass and deep water wreck fishing (offshore sea bass, cod and pollock).  With its limited capacity I think I am going to end up putting it onto a Shimano Tescata or a Lamiglas Tri-Flex 7040 and get either a Shimano Tyrnos 16 2 speed or an Avet LX 2 speed or HX (only comes in 2 speed).

What are your thoughts?  I am curious to see what everyone else has been using the SX 2 speed for.

With the Holidays coming there have been questions flying around what rod or what reel should I use for trolling bunker spoons. Whether you may be buying these items for someone or planning on using cash or gift cards received to buy them after the Holidays I thought I would share my experiences and opinions about them.

Rods for spoons have a very specific blank that is used. Typically they are surf blanks that are cut down from 12 or 14′ to 8, 9 or 10′. Some blank manufacturers have started rolling blanks specifically for spoon rods. They have a soft tip with a parabolic bend to them. This allows them to ‘pump’ and work the spoons properly.

If I did it all again, which I might next year…I would go with two pairs of custom rods from a reputable rod builder, they are about the same cost as production rods from Seeker in 8 or 9′. I currently have the 8′ Seeker rods and would definitely go with a 9′ rod next time for spoons. I would also get a pair of shorter 6′ 6″ or 7′ strictly for umbrella rigs. This does not mean that you have to have two pairs of rods, you can get a pair that can perform double duty and troll both spoons and umbrella rigs. With the amount of trolling we do I find it more pleasurable to use a shorter rod when not pulling spoons.

There are two big advantages to getting custom rods. If you are going to only troll braid you can have lighter less expensive guides put on. And you can get removable butts which make them much easier to store on the boat. Plus you have many more options for other components-guides, swivel roller tips, grips, butt material and reel seat material, etc.

If and when I get new rods I will also opt for cork fore grips instead of foam. I like the feel better and I think they hold up much better.

The reels are very much personal preference. The Penn Senator 113HSP seems to be the defacto standard but there are more and more converts to Shimano Tekota’s and other brands with heavy duty level winds. I have fished 113HSP’s with and without the Accurate one piece frame, Accurate spools and Aftco Star Sets. I personally have the Shimano Tekota 800′s and love them. They do require a little more diligence with maintenance due to the aluminum spool. But you get a lighter reel (5.2 oz lighter), they come with a one piece frame, they have a heavy duty level wind, they have two more bearings, are capable of four pounds more drag and they crank in 7″ more line per crank than a Senator 113. 7″ may not seem like a lot but when checking rigs for weeds or if they are fouled from bouncing bottom or to pickup and run to another location they do crank in a whole lot faster.

The only thing I miss on the Tekota’s is the Aftco Star Set. It is a very nice feature to have but we work around it. But when I do go to a four rod setup (2 for spoons, 2 for umbrellas), all four will have Tekota 800′s unless something newer and better comes along, but as of right now that would be my ideal setup.

I have used several different brands over the years…Canyon, Reliable, homemade ones and custom ones. I have also seen many newer models at boating and fishing shows over the past two years. The one that really caught my eye was the Tournament Grade Tackle Rod Rigger. There are two drawbacks to these that I can think of. One they bring the rod tips in about 6-8″ on each side. On a narrow beam boat this may be an issue depending on how much your bunker spoons swing. The second is you can not put a spinning outfit into them.

I know some of you are thinking why would you wan to troll a spinning outfit…well, I don’t. But drifting for fluke I typically use the rod riggers. It lays the rod down, jigs the bait better than if in a rod holder and when a fish hits the rod tip pulls the bait away from the fish less when it is laid down. Again not a huge deal since I have very few spinning outfits anyway and almost always use a conventional when fluking.

One of the advantages is being able to use them when trolling offshore. You can put up to an 80W in these. A big advantage when trolling on a small beam boat. I can now extend my third and fifth wake baits out away from the flat lines by a few feet now, making my spread look bigger and leading to less tangles when multiple hook ups occur.

I can’t wait to test them out this weekend. I will post my opinions and some pictures after the weekend.

This seems to be a hot topic lately so I thought I would start a new thread where we can share some tips, tricks and ideas that we do when trolling with wire line. Below are some of the things we do, I know a lot is personal preference. Please post your methods and ways in comments so others can also learn and pickup new ways of doing some old things. Enjoy.

Wire Types: Basically there are two types used, monel and stainless. Monel is denser than stainless but much more forgiving, it is less springy than stainless and does not kink as much. But that comes at a cost of about three times the price for the same test line and 300′ length. Monel also stretches over time causing it to get thinner and thinner. Depending on how much you troll the wire will determine how long it takes for it to get thin enough to cause mystery break offs. I typically use a shot of wire for two to three seasons or, four to six half seasons depending on if you started using the shot in the spring or fall.

Marking Wire: I have tried the Malin pre-marked wire and it is not worth the extra money or even for the same money as non-marked. They started to slide on the wire the very first day we used them. I know a few shop owners that fought with Malin to give them refunds on the large spools they fill reels from because they had issues with them sliding as well. The best method I have come across is not easy to do and I have not mastered it yet…basically you use colored phone wire and create haywire twists and barrel wraps with the telephone wire onto the monel or stainless. When done this way they will never move for the life of the wire since they are interlocked with the haywire twist. The second best method I have used is to take a small board and pound two nails through it about a foot apart. Then cut a rubber band and tie each end around a nail stretching it a good amount in the process. Lay the wire over the stretched rubber band and then wrap tightly a colored piece of wire ten to fifteen times finishing with seven to nine barrel wraps on each end. This creates a good visual and also feeling mark if fishing in low light conditions. You can mark your wire however often as needed for your fishing habits. I personally mark it at 150′, 200′ and 250′ as this covers all our needs.

Trolling Habits: I usually troll deeper water so we usually have the hole 300′ out but if you are inshore and not deploying the whole shot of wire you should let out a few feet or crank in a few feet every ten to fifteen minutes to avoid creating a kink and also wearing a weak spot into monel especially, but should also do this with stainless.

Aluminum Spools: I have had Shimano Tekota 800 reels for three seasons now and my spools are healthy and fine. Yes they have a few pits on them but I have also seen worse on older Penn Senators with steel spools. The new anodized aluminum spools hold very well with wire line as long as you take care of them. We wash our rods and reels down after each trip, towel or chamois them off and then liberally apply CRC 656 to the whole reel and the wire, let it soak in a bit then towel off the reel and leave the wire coated well. This extends the life of the wire and the spool. Also about once a month or if I suspect damage I lay the rod on my bench, attach a hand crank spool to the other end and remove the wire from the reel looking for damage to the wire and also checking the marks are in the right location with a line counter. I also take this time to clean the exposed portion of the spool and apply some CRC directly to it. Once I am satisfied the line is OK I crank it back onto the reel pulling it through an oil soaked rag.

Wire to Mono Knots: To attach the wire to the backing I tie a Bimini twist in the backing first. Then I tie a long slender haywire twist in both ends of the wire line. This allows you to use a loop-to-loop connection to your backing and replace a shot of wire quickly and easily on the water should you break off, kink or have other damage to your wire causing it to be unusable. For the leader I tie a twelve to fifteen turn Albright knot and use eight to twelve feet of eighty or one hundred pound fluorocarbon leader to which I attach a two hundred pound ball bearing snap swivel.

Spoon Attachment Points: Whether the spoon comes with one or not I always attach a heavy duty, stainless split ring to it. I have had several spoons fail or severely weaken by them being attached directly to the snap swivel.

Spoon Weights: On spoons with weights I use either 3M marine silicone sealant or 5200 (whichever is handy). Most manufacturers of spoons recommend that you check the screws every fifteen minutes of use. I have found that if you bed them well with the silicone sealant or 5200 you pretty much don’t ever have to worry about them coming loose and losing a weight to the screws loosening from the pumping action.

Trolling Speed: This has a lot of personal preference but we usually don’t look at our tach or our SOG or SOW readings as much as we watch the rod tips. One thing we try to avoid at all costs though is trolling with the current. We always troll against it or across it. As for the actual speed we adjust the throttle till we have big slow pulses in the rods. You can run the spoon only a few feet behind the boat so you can see if it is wobbling back and forth or spinning. This will give you an idea of what the pulsing of the rod tip should look like.

Spare Shots of Wire: You have extra rods, reels, plugs, plastics, sinkers and everything else you use…carry an extra shot of wire. I keep at least one sometimes two spare shots with the trolling gear. You can mark them ahead of time and tie the haywire twists in the ends and even attach the flouro leader too. If you use a Bimini twist in your backing changing it out is a breeze as long as the damage to the line or where it parted is not in your backing. Even if it was once proficient with a Bimini it only takes a minute or two to whip another into your backing. Having a spare or two on board can really save the day sometimes.

There is a lot of buzz around here the past few days. I have been preparing rods, reels, jigs, rigs, sinkers, and list goes on. It is only a few short days till the opening of Winter Flounder for 2008. I have for many years fished opening day and am sad to say this year I will not be due to family obligations and the Easter Holiday.

In seasons past I have also typically caught a fish over four pounds on opening day and hope I can continue that tradition fishing the day after the official opener. if you are out on Monday the 24th give me a shout, will be glad to share real time reports.

Spent yesterday rigging baits and lures, sharpening hooks and still have a lot of prep for a local tournament this weekend. It is mainly a bragging rights tourney between a close group of guys that have for the most part met through an online fishing forum on Barnegat Fishing Hole.

For those interested you can get full details and an entry form here. As of the writing of this post there are 30 boats entered and we anticipate 50 plus by the conclusion of the captain’s meeting. With 50 boats the first place payout should be about $3,000.00!

We had originally planned on making a pretty good run and clamming or chunking bunker, it looks like that is all going to change with winds predicted in the 30 knot range and seas topping six feet.

Now we just need to decide on our plan B. I would like to fish two different areas of the bay but not sure about running across the bay for 20+ nautical miles in those winds either. It should be doable but certainly not fast or comfortable like the run last week back to home port was.

I think right now with the lack of a consistent bass fishery the best thing that could happen is that the winds increase and a gale warning is issued. This would cause the tournament committee to reschedule the tournament. With the ASA tournament the following weekend that would push this one back another week and probably into much better fishing as the weather and water starts to cool.

Either way it will be a busy week scouting, preparing and nail biting until the final decisions are made to call due to weather or leave the dock and find some fish.

This weekend looks like it id going to blow hard on Saturday as well as T-storms and then pretty much rain and T-storms all day on Sunday too. I was hoping to fish a winter flounder tournament on Saturday and possibly try out my new bunker spoon rods as well. Got them all rigged up today with 200 yards of 50# mono backing, 300 feet of 40# monel wire marked at 150′, 200′ and 250′ topped off with a 12 foot 50# fluoro leader. I guess I have to wait till next weekend unless there is a huge change in weather in the next 24 hours or so.

Usually Mondays drag on and on and seem to never go by. It is the first day of the work week, 5 days till I can go fishing again and you just think the day will never end. The doorbell rang…it was the postman…what was he holding? A huge line order I am eagerly awaiting. Suddenly Monday isn’t so bad! I now have line for my 30# class trolling outfits and will be able to troll this weekend for stripers and hopefully not too many blues!

Watching the fall classic, cold beer and rigging a couple hundred shad bodies for the fall striper run!