V hits the water, so it begins

[RWilson2526]

Willy, I know generally what a wet slip costs in that area...how does price compare to dry stack....I would like to do that some time in the future as I dont want to bottom paint.

[willy]

I shopped this year for the best deal and Browns Point Marina is putting me on a rack, which is what I prefer for several reasons for the best price and I am right on the water with five minutes of no wake thru the Keyport Yacht Club moorings.
It is sweet there, I am in the upper part of the bay where most of the best fishing is and a fifteen minute cruise to the Hook and environs. At Browns Point there are no bridges, no low water problems and the people are nice.
The Atlantic Highlands is where I was last year and my good friend is still there. Lot more expensive, the ride was another 20something minutes down rt 36 and all those lights.
Now I get out of the water, jump in the car, no lights and right over the Driscoll bridge and 30=40 minutes I am home.
If you guys are looking Browns Point was the best deal out there and they still have some racks open I believe and they have slips too. I am paying 110 a foot for rack storage and most places were charging 115 120- for an in water slip, racks were more. In the Highlands they wanted 2800 to 3300 for the same thing.

[Blue_Runner]

110 a foot for rack storage

Yet another reason to own a 20 ft boat!!

[RWilson2526]

Great info there Willy, thanks. I was just thinking the other day I might take a crack at launching out of Keyport. I usually go to Leonardo or A.H. but you're so right what does that extra 20 mins (if you are lucky) get you? We do like to go up the rivers which would be a little further but for getting out in the bay it seems like a prime location.

[steplift20]

yep i thought that look farmiliar thats where i fish too you been fishimh yet?

[willy]

yea fished that day, one flounder keeper, went out today again and Zip, Nada. Talked with four other boats, no one catching any decent flounder yet for some reason we do not understand.
some are catching an occassional striper to 22 lbs, at night but nothing consistent yet.
The bay is loaded with baitfish, your screen will be covered with marks constantly anywhere you go. no big marks at all.
It is one of those transition periods right now for them, the thing that is rather off putting is the flounder, all the places where they should be right now, including further out and further inside rivers etc are not producing any fish. We did not have a single tap yesterday in six diffrent places and inspite of a chumming endeavor that was rather large.

[Blue_Runner]

Willy, if you don't mind me asking, what is your chumming technique?

[willy]

Blue I used to use chum pots, you know the metal ones that are cylindrical in shape with a end that opens up.
Not any more I now use onion bags that they get in the grocery stores, no more trying to get all the stuff out of the metal mesh, now we just throw it out at the end of the day. Sweet.
We vary what we use based on what is on hand but generally I have a big plastic bucket and I take mussels and a can of Mackerel from the grocery store, about a dollar and crush it all together, sometimes we also put cat food (cheap) in. Smash it all up together add one store bought clam and fish frozen log to the bunch and drop it down until it hits bottom, lift up a foot or so, so that it bobs up and down with the boat action, make another bag up and drop it in also. we double anchor (bow and stern) so we are sideways to the current and drop are lines in just out from the boat.
We have tried other things including small jigs etc but never as productive. At least when the fish are there.
The slick of oil and bits and pieces that come off the chum bags is pretty amazing and we have to redo them about every half hour depending on current.
Most flounder this time of year are up in shallow flats (dark mud preferred)
during the day to warm up and feed on all the invertrabates in the mud.

[msbhammer]

Happy that you decided to go back to a V Willy. : )
I'll get one again soon I hope....but Lefty has such a big "Honey To Do List" : )