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March 11, 2010
The marine weather forecast for the upcoming weekend is absolutely terrible and all three VOYAGER Cod trips have been canceled.
  
We have been doing quite a bit of Cod fishing over the past week. Fishing has been good on both the inshore and offshore grounds. High hooks have ranged from 6 to 10 fish with pool winning fish weighing up to 30 pounds. There have also been a few Pollock and Ling mixed in. We are noticing a decent migration of fish into the area so we should see more good fishing next weekend after the ocean settles.
We have plenty of room on our Friday night offshore trips on MARCH 19 and MARCH 26.
For these last two offshore trips of the winter season, we are LOWERING THE FARE to $175.
If you are interested in booking either trip, please send us an email message.
Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...
INSHORE COD WRECK TRIP - 6:30 AM FRIDAY MARCH 19.
NORTH EAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM FRIDAY NIGHT MARCH 19.
20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 5:00 AM SUNDAY MARCH 21.
March 4, 2010
This Friday night's BLOCK ISLAND TRIP has been switched to a NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP leaving at 10:30 PM. The fare will be reduced to $200. There has been a good showing of Cod on the wrecks and the Montauk/Block Island fishing has been inconsistent at best, so it seems like a better choice for this Friday. If you are interested, please send us an email message.
   
Last Sunday's 20-40 mile Cod trip was good. After a slow start in the morning we found a wreck with some hungry fish and landed over 100 Cod with about 75 of the fish being keepers. The Cod ranged in size from shorts up to nearly 40 pounds. Bruce Harbac of Keansburg, NJ won the pool with a 37 pound Cod. Shawn Mayer, Dave Marshall, and Joe Grabowski (all of Clifton, NJ) combined for fifteen Cod up to 17 pounds. Ken Delucia of Sayreville, NJ had five Cod up to 25 pounds, Vinny "V.T.H." Faiella of Little Silver, NJ had five Cod to 10 pounds, "Shrimpman" Steve had four Cod to 12 pounds, and Archie Stewart of Nutley, NJ had five Cod to 8 pounds.
We will be sailing again this SUNDAY MORNING MARCH 7 at 6:00 AM on another 20-40 MILE COD TRIP.
The fare is $90 and the trip is open boat and the galley will be open for this trip.
Other Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...
NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM FRIDAY NIGHT MARCH 5.
20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM SUNDAY MARCH 7.
INSHORE COD WRECK TRIP - 6:30 AM FRIDAY MARCH 12.
NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM FRIDAY NIGHT MARCH 12.
20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 5:00 AM SUNDAY MARCH 14.
February 27, 2010
Last weekend's inshore COD TRIP was good. We landed over 150 Cod with about 40 fish being keepers. Bill Tevlin of Clark, NJ had 20 Cod of which he kept 5, and Archie Stewart of Nutley, NJ had 16 Cod, also keeping 5. Dennis Luczajko and Dominic DiStefano of Croydon, PA combined for 16 keeper Cod, a few Ling and a Blackfish.
We have a 20-40 MILE COD TRIP sailing this Sunday morning February 28 from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM and the forecast looks good. The fare is $90 and the trip is OPEN BOAT. Our galley will be open for this trip.
 
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February 25, 2010
Due to yet another storm forecast for this weekend, we have canceled both our Friday night and Saturday night offshore trips.
For those that still want to go fishing, the inshore weather forecast for Sunday looks okay and we will be running an INSHORE COD TRIP on SUNDAY MORNING FEBRUARY 28 from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The fare is $90 and the trip is OPEN BOAT. Our galley will be open for this trip.
Other Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...
FRIDAY MARCH 5 - BLOCK ISLAND COD TRIP - 7:30 PM, $250 Fare, Reservations Required
SUNDAY MARCH 7 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM , $90 Fare, Open Boat
FRIDAY MARCH 12 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat
FRIDAY MARCH 12 - NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM, $200 Fare, Reservations Required
SUNDAY MARCH 14 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat
FRIDAY MARCH 19 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat
FRIDAY MARCH 19 - NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM, $200 Fare, Reservations Required
SUNDAY MARCH 21 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat
FRIDAY MARCH 26 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat
FRIDAY MARCH 26 - NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - 10:30 PM, $200 Fare, Reservations Required
SUNDAY MARCH 28 - 20-40 MILE COD TRIP - 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, $90 Fare, Open Boat
February 19, 2010
Due to the poor offshore weather forecast for this weekend, we have canceled both our Friday night and Saturday night offshore trips.
For those that still want to go fishing, the inshore weather forecast for Sunday looks decent. We have added an INSHORE COD TRIP to the schedule for SUNDAY MORNING FEBRUARY 21 from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The fare is $90 and the trip is OPEN BOAT. Our galley will be open for this trip.
Other Upcoming Trips on the VOYAGER...
BLOCK ISLAND COD TRIP - Thursday night FEBRUARY 25 and Friday night MARCH 5.
NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP - Friday night FEBRUARY 26.
20-40 MILE COD TRIP - Sunday FEBRUARY 28.
February 14, 2010
   
We made our first Block Island Cod trip Friday into Saturday. Things started off slow with no pre-dawn bite. As the day progressed, we found only a few Cod after a number of drifts and anchor drops. At around 11:00 AM, we got a call from our friends from the Viking fleet with reports of good fishing further to the east. We wasted no time picking up the anchor and steamed east. We started drifting over some broken bottom and had good fishing all afternoon. The fish were mostly from five to eight pounds but there were a few in the teens and a 21 pound pool fish. We fished late in the day despite the forecast for high winds in the evening and then headed home. All in all, it was a good trip with a great bunch of guys. We have added one more Block Island Trip for next Saturday night so if you missed the last trip you have a couple of chances to get out in the next week or so. Come catch them while they're biting!
UPCOMING TRIPS on the VOYAGER...
Northeast Cod Wreck Trips - Friday night February 19 and February 26.
Block Island Cod - Saturday night February 20, Thursday night February 25 and Friday night March 5.
20-40 mile Cod Trip - Sunday February 28.
We will also be running a President's Day Special on Monday February 15 for Ling and Cod and sailing from 7:30 AM-3:30 PM.
To view our entire February Cod schedule, see our Trip Calendar page.
February 7, 2010
We made an inshore Cod trip last Friday with decent results. We landed over 50 Cod but many were small and had to be thrown back. Most fish were caught on bait, but there were about 8-10 fish caught on jigs. Mike DeSimone and Gregory McCloud combined for 5 keeper Cod up to 10 pounds, about 10 throwback Cod, and a few Blackfish up to 6 pounds. It is a good sign to see Cod in our area again. Hopefully, we will have a good March run with some bigger fish.
As you can probably guess, we were blown out on our first MONTAUK/BLOCK ISLAND TRIP this past Friday night. Our next trip is FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 12. For those of you booked on February 12, we have made Saturday night (the 13th) the "rain date" in case of bad weather. This will give us two chances to get the trip in. Please e-mail us and let us know if you have any conflicts that would prevent you from going on Saturday night. This way, we can take a waiting list for Saturday night if there are any openings. We have also added one more MONTAUK/BLOCK ISLAND TRIP on THURSDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 25. The Cod fishing has been very good off Block Island, so if you can't make one of our trips, you may want to take a ride to Montauk and jump on one of the Viking Fleet boats. They sail every day.
For those of you that enjoy wreck fishing we have added one more NORTHEAST COD WRECK TRIP on FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 26. We have also added a 20-40 MILE COD TRIP at the end of the month. To view our entire February Cod schedule, please visit our Trip Calendar page.
We are also running a President's Day special on MONDAY FEBRUARY 15 for LING and COD sailing from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
In a show of solidarity, recreational and commercial fishermen will gather at the steps of our Nation's Capitol on FEBRUARY 24, 2010 from noon to 3:00 PM in an organized demonstration to oppose unwarranted fisheries closures. To learn more about the demonstration, visit the SSFFF web site at http://ssfff.net/marchondc.html.
The SSFFF and several other organizations have arranged for CHARTER BUSES TO TAKE ANGLERS TO WASHINGTON, DC on FEBRUARY 24, 2010. The bus tickets are $32 per person and the buses leave from several locations in New Jersey. For details and TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE, visit http://ssfff.net/marchondcticketsdirections.html.
February 2, 2010
The VOYAGER will be making a LOCAL COD TRIP this coming FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5. We will be fishing wrecks 15-30 miles out and specifically targeting Cod. The boat will sail from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The fare is $85 and it is OPEN BOAT with NO reservations required.
January 29, 2010
   
Last week's TILEFISH TRIP was good. We caught a mix of Golden and Blueline Tilefish with a few Wreckfish and Barrelfish mixed in. Bill Bolger was high hook with a combined nine fish total, and Noel Otto of Manasquan, NJ won the pool with a 35 pound Wreckfish. Over the next few weeks, we will be keeping our eyes open for a nice weather window where we may be able to squeeze in another one of these trips.
Our OFFSHORE WRECK TRIPS have been good with everyone catching their limit of jumbo Porgies as well as some Ling, Cod and Pollock. The next trips sail on Saturday night FEBRUARY 13 and FEBRUARY 20. Reservations and payment in full are required.
We still have a FEW SPOTS LEFT on the FEBRUARY 12 BLOCK ISLAND/MONTAUK COD TRIP. If you are interested, please e-mail us to hold a spot soon since the trip is filling up fast. Reservations and payment in full are required.
We have just added a new NORTHEAST WRECKS COD TRIP to the schedule for FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 19. The trip will be for Cod and Pollock and we will be fishing wrecks up to 100 miles to the east/northeast. These are not the wrecks we fish during our regular offshore trips, but more eastern ones that tend to hold more Cod and fewer Sea Bass. The trip is limited to 30 anglers and the fare is $200. Reservations and payment in full are required.
January 18, 2010
Last Saturday's offshore trip was very good with everyone catching their limit of jumbo Porgies as well as some Ling and Cod. We will be sailing on these trips every weekend for the month of January. High hook on the last trip was Ivan Smith of Brooklyn, NY with a limit catch of porgies plus 18 Ling and a Cod. The pool fish was a 15 pound Cod caught by Dave Baldwin of Brick, NJ. Dave also had a limit catch of jumbo Porgies and some Ling. Our next Offshore Wreck Trips are on JANUARY 22, 23, 29 and FEBRUARY 13.
This year, the VOYAGER will be making a few COD TRIPS to the fishing grounds off MONTAUK, NY.
The first two scheduled trips will be FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 5 and FRIDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 12.
The boat will sail at 7:30 PM and return the following night between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM. The trip is limited to 28 passengers and the fare will be $250. Reservations and payment in full are required. We will also be doing some of these trips on "SHORT NOTICE" when we have a nice weather window during the week, so keep checking your emails.
We are also taking an interest list for an OFFSHORE TILEFISH TRIP leaving at 10:00 PM this WEDNESDAY NIGHT, JANUARY 20. The trip would return between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM on Thursday. The trip is limited to 20 passengers and the fare is $300.
January 12, 2010
  We made our first overnight wreck trip this past weekend. Despite the biting cold and stronger than predicted winds, most anglers had a good day of fishing. Average catches ranged from 15 to 25 fish per person with large Porgies and Jumbo Ling making up most of the catch. We also had a number of Cod and Pollock up to 25 pounds.
Todd Hooper of Whiting, NJ had a mess of Porgies and Ling as well as two Cod and two Pollock including the 25-pound pool winner. There was plenty of life on the offshore wrecks and we expect good fishing over the coming weekend. We have trips leaving on FRIDAY and SATURDAY night at 11:30 PM.
With a beautiful weather forecast for this THURSDAY JANUARY 14, Captain John Chiavarini will be running the VOYAGER on a LING AND COD TRIP leaving at 7:30 AM and returning between 3:30 PM and 4:00 PM. This is an OPEN BOAT trip, but it would help us to know that you are coming. So if you are, please call Captain John at 732-439-4019.
The VOYAGER will be running an OPEN BOAT TRIP for LING on Martin Luther King Day, JANUARY 18 from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM. The fare is $65 per person.
This year, the VOYAGER will be making Cod Trips to the grounds off of Montauk, NY. The Cod are already starting to show and we are currently figuring out a schedule so that we get to the grounds for the best fishing times. We should have the sailing times, fares and dates set by the weekend so stay tuned. We will also be doing some of these trips on "short notice" when we have a nice weather window, so check your e-mails.
December 29, 2009
We will be sailing on our 12-hour Ling and Cod trip on Wednesday morning at 6 AM as scheduled. With light winds forecast for Thursday we will be adding a Ling and Cod trip to the schedule. The Thursday trip will be a bit shorter, fishing from 6 AM to 4 PM and the fare will be $85. If you can't make the Wednesday trip, then maybe Thursday will work for you. Remember, both trips are open boat with no reservations required. If we don't see over the next couple of days, have a safe and happy New Years holiday.
December 24, 2009
It looks like bad weather again for this weekend's Cod trips. Saturday is definitely canceled and Sunday will most likely be canceled. If you were planning on fishing on Sunday's Cod trip you can call the office at 732-295-3019 and press menu option #4 after 6:00 PM Saturday night to check if we are sailing. Hopefully, the weather will be better for the Wednesday, January 30 trip.
Just a reminder...
SPECIAL OFFSHORE WRECKS TRIPS 11:30 PM
JANUARY 1, 2, 9 15, 16, 22, 23, 28 and FEBRUARY 13
Reservations are required.
IMPORTANT NEWS!!!
This closure is just the first step in an effort by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to arbitrarily regulate all of our fisheries and PREVENT YOU FROM FISHING. Today it is Sea Bass, and tomorrow it will be Fluke and Stripers.
Below is a copy of a letter from the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) which states their plan to file a court injunction to overturn the closure. Please take the time to read it carefully and hopefully make a donation. Many party boat captains including myself have already donated thousands of dollars. We'll let the RFA letter explain the rest.
Recreational Fishing Alliance Action Alert (www.joinrfa.org)
RFA & ALLIES WILL SUE TO REOPEN SEA BASS FISHERY
"Unprecedented" Federal Closure Forces Recreational Fishermen Into Legal Action
October 9, 2009 - In the midst of the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression, our federal government has chosen to shut down the recreational fishery for black sea bass for the next six months (effective Monday, October 5, 2009) based on survey data that's been described as "fatally flawed" by the National Academy of Sciences (read "Fatally Flawed" Science is Killing America's Number One Outdoor Pastime special report at www.joinrfa.org.)
The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) and our local industry allies from New York to the Carolinas are fighting back against this unprecedented and unwarranted shutdown of the black sea bass fishery by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). RFA members throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic believe this is a battle that must be fought, regardless of the outcome and have demanded that we take action. What is at stake is nothing less than our very future as recreational fishermen, and the future of our recreational fishing industry.
During the first days of the closure, a grassroots effort within the recreational fishing community resulted in a successful pledge drive of support for legal action. At the same time, a team of qualified fisheries attorneys and industry professionals was reviewing NMFS' federal ruling and poring through pages of legal documentation to develop a proper legal strategy. Tackle shop owners and party/charter captains up and down the East Coast, along with scores of individual anglers and RFA members who've had enough of these arbitrary federal decisions, have been making donations to the RFA Legal Defense Fund, established specifically for issues like this.
Our legal team is currently working on our plan of attack; now it's time that we ask individual anglers to come together and support this effort!
According to the scientists' own data, black sea bass is a healthy stock - they are not overfished, no overfishing is occurring, and the most recent stock assessment places the spawning stock biomass (SSB) at 103% of their target. In fact, the SSB has been at or above this level for the past decade. Yet, despite this scientific information, the recreational angling community is being denied access to this vitally important fishery due to "fatally flawed" information coming from the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey, or MRFSS.
What's worse is that there seems to be no end in sight to the MRFSS assault. Today it's the complete shutdown of a healthy sea bass fishery. Next, we can expect an impact on the summer flounder limits for 2010, and scup soon after that. Could striped bass be next? How about tog? If "fatally flawed" data has not impacted your favorite fishery, rest assured it will happen soon enough if we don't take a stand today. Where does it end if we allow the federal government to continue to use a broken system to deny recreational anglers access to healthy fisheries?
The RFA has assembled an experienced legal team to take on the case to overturn the federal shutdown of the recreational black sea bass fishery. The attorneys involved are fishermen themselves who have fought these battles before so they know this specialized area of the law and there's no learning curve to be climbed. They've already begun working on the case and have formulated a preliminary strategy to challenge this closure under existing federal law.
Litigation is inherently uncertain, and there's no way to guarantee a successful outcome. However, you can guarantee that if NMFS gets away with this closure, there will be more recreational closures to come. In the coming days, we will be drafting an official complaint which demands that the improper closure of sea bass be set aside.
Now it's time we unite and show the federal government that recreational anglers will not tolerate arbitrary and capricious regulatory actions that inhibit our ability to utilize a healthy resource, thus violating the very laws set forth by the Magnuson Stevens Act.
If you're a member of the recreational fishing industry who has already committed to the fight with a pledge, you can support this effort by sending a check today made payable to the "RFA Legal Defense Fund" as follows:
RFA Legal Defense Fund
PO Box 3080
New Gretna, NJ 08224
Please be sure to write "Sea Bass" in the memo of the check and make a notation on the outside of the envelope to the same effect. Your timely response is to the benefit of us all. The Recreational Fishing Alliance will be dedicating all checks made payable to the RFA Legal Defense Fund directly towards these legal efforts outlined above. All donations will be tracked individually, from all groups and individual anglers.
The RFA has also set up a special online account through PayPal in which individual anglers can also make a donation. Many of the tackle shops and captains who rely on your valued service have pledged up to $500 apiece towards the fight. As an individual angler trying to make an honest stand in a tough economy, whatever donation you can offer towards the RFA Legal Defense Fund will be much appreciated.
If you are interested in going, call our office at 732-295-3019 and leave a message, or e-mail us.
For earlier fishing reports, see our Fishing Report Archive page.
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