The charter boat industry of New Jersey is widespread. 

 Practically every harbor from Perth Amboy to Cape May has at least 

 one operator who oaters to sports fishermen* The centers, in ap- 

 proximate order of importance and numbers of boats were: Brielle, 

 300 J Atlantic City, 85 1 Forked River, 75; and Belmar and Waretown, 

 each 15 • The number of charter boats operating out of any one of 

 these ports does not remain a fixed figure. Many of the charter 

 boat operators are not year-round residents of New Jersey, going to 

 Florida for the winter sports fishing season, and returning to New 

 Jersey for the suamier season* Also, some of these operators move 

 about following schools of fish so that the week-to^week number of 

 vessels operating from a particular sports fishing port fluctuates* 



3* Charter boat fishing methods l/ 



T*ro methods of angling are used mostly by charter boat fisher- 

 men; trolling and ohvonming* Trolling is done with feathered **sofuid«, 

 plugs, spoons, or lead and tin "squids." Feathered lures and plugs 

 are usually trolled less than 100 feet behind the boat in such a way 

 that the lure is at or only a few inches below the surface, and 

 directly in the boat's wash* Trolling speeds vary, but are usually 

 between 5 and 12 miles-per-hour. When schools of fish are seen on 

 the surface, they are headed off or "trolled through" by the boat* 

 At times, fish are caught "blind," i.e., without first being seen 

 on the surface* 



Spoons and metal "squids" are frequently "jigged." After 

 running up on a school of fish the boat is anchored and the lures 

 are paid out and allowed to sink; they are then trolled or retrieved 

 with a slow jerking motion* There are, of course, many special and 

 individual techniques which are used with these procedures* 



The second method used by charter boat patrons to catch fish 

 is by chumming* The boat is anchored in a known fishing area, and 

 spoonfuls of ground -up menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe) 

 are thrown into the water every few seconds* As this ohxan is carried 

 away by the tide or currents, it sinks gradually, and is very 

 efficient in attracting fish to the boat* Usually hooks are baited 

 with whole mackerel— most frequently the thimble-eyed variety, 

 Rieuma topho rus oolias (One lin) --pieces of mackerel, or a "gob" of 

 the ground-up chum, emd are then allowed to drift away from the 

 boat at the same rate as the chum* The lines are usually paid out 

 by hand, because a natural drift action is frequently essential* 

 Often this is done by the captain or mate, but many anglers prefer 

 to place the rod in a socket and pay out their own line* The 

 strike is sudden and severe, and after setting the hook, the fish 

 is played directly from the rod* Fish frequently oome to within a 

 few feet of the boat while feeding on the chum* and often oan be 

 observed taking the baited hook* 



j/ After Weatnan and Neville, 1942. 



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