It Was An Awesome Finale To The 2022 Big Day Off Fishing Trips!

Man, what a day it was! Our final Big Day Off Fishing Trip of the Summer of 2022! We had an awesome morning, weather-wise, as we set out at 7:30 am from the packed Belmar Marina on Route 35 in the heart of Belmar. The vessel, the Golden Eagle,  was filled with Rat Rockers ready to get bloody, with big Bluefish on the agenda and in our hopes and dreams! Golden Eagle front man, Captain Rich bid us all a fond farewell and good luck as Captain Lenny steered us through the Shark River, into the inlet, and out into the great big beautiful Atlantic Ocean.

After about an hour or so of cruising about 5 miles east and 20 miles north we ended up just off of the Highlands near a massive school of Blues. Before you knew it, the anchor dropped, the horn sounded, the lines went in, and the first fish came out! A big fat Bluefish! Then something amazing happened... Instead of Blues, we started nailing Mackerel ! Tons and tons of crazy zipping and zapping Mackerel all over the place! One after another we started boating them! Now normally we would just toss them back, as Mackerel are oily, boney fish, and one of the main ingredients in most industrial CAT FOOD. I don't eat cat food.. Yet. However, we had to keep the big ones in our coolers because most of us were in the boat pool for the heaviest fish!

Promo Jackie and I, along with Promo Assistant J-Rod, were linked up next to our forever sponsors of the Big Day Off Fishing, and Skiing Trips, the Russo Gutter crew. Steve, Paul, Jan, and Crazy Burke are all expert fisherman, and if it's in that ocean, they more than likely have caught it. That was proven quickly as the mate's chumming attracted more than just Blues and Mackerel. Soon we saw a few six to ten-foot Sand Tiger Sharks! Large, slow, and hungry. Crazy Burke had the idea to chop a caught Mackerel in half and use it as bait for the mighty creature. Before you knew it, the shark took it! Burke and that fish then went on a 10-minute journey around half the boat and back, until the beast finally snapped his line. It was truly a sight to behold. As Steve from Russo said, "That's what we do!". I give mad props to Burke for not only thinking fast, but pulling it off and nearly boating what would have been an all-time catch in Big Day Off history. He is truly a Master Baiter! (some video of the event)

All in all, nearly everyone on the boat nabbed over a dozen fish, even Jimmy No Fish Steal, by the time the final horn blew and we headed back to port. I love my job, but ya gotta have a Big Day Off every now and then!  Hope you enjoy our gallery of photos from the day!