ABOUT BLOODLINE SPORTFISHING
The Captain
Capt. Joe Wenegenofsky is a United States Coast Guard licensed 200 Ton Master and has been logging serious time on the water since he could barely walk. His Montauk fishing career developed early on as an avid surfcaster wetsuiting the rock strew shoreline in pursuit of cow bass, and a spearfisherman freediving the many reefs and rips of Block Island Sound. Eventually, he applied the intimate knowledge accumulated in these areas to a floating platform and the rest has been history. His “inside and out” familiarity with the Montauk fishing grounds and the species calling them home has translated to a fresh perspective and unique set of tactics that consistently produce impressive catches for his customers. When he’s not chartered, Capt. Joe spends his time pinhooking (commercial rod and reel fishing) on the Bloodline or moonlighting aboard any number of draggers, longliners, gillnetters or sea scallopers. He’s also a former associate editor and East End field editor for The Fisherman Magazine, and not the least bit bashful about stepping up to a podium to offer seminar talks during the off season. Simply put, Capt. Joe lives to fish and thrives on taking fellow anglers under his wing.
The Boat
The Bloodline is a custom rigged 2002 25ft SeaCraft Open Fisherman powered by twin 2023 200hp Suzuki outboards and perfectly suited for fishing with groups of 1-4 anglers. Despite being one of the smallest boats in Montauk’s full time charter fleet, what she lacks in size and creature comforts is amply offset by superior speed and all around functionality. In most cases we can reach prime fishing grounds in roughly half the time of our competitors which allows us to be first on scene during a hot bite and also affords customers longer periods of active fishing thus providing a better bang for your buck. With a clear cockpit and 360 degrees of fishability Bloodline customers are able to battle tenacious gamefish all around the boat without obstruction and spread out to avoid tangles with one another. Furthermore, our small stature and outboard power gives us a stealthy edge for drifting over wary schools of trophy striped bass and provides us with the unique ability to precisely anchor up on tiny honey hole wrecks and rock piles for blackfish, sea bass and cod that are often missed or overlooked by larger charter and head boats.
Our Philosophy
Bloodline Sportfishing fills a valuable niche largely neglected by today’s popular charter operations. As a matter of
fact, much of what we do stands apart from our competitors in terms practice, principle, and price. First off, we sail
by the tide not by the clock. Why is that important? Fish are pattern oriented creatures, schooling and feeding during
specific periods that don’t always intersect with arbitrary, manmade schedules. If you’re not on the water while the
fish are active, you’ll either catch poorly or worse yet, not at all. Keeping this reality close at heart, all departure
times are set to correspond with prime periods of moving water, day or night, where the likelihood of enjoying
productive fishing is at its peak. This is especially important for groups looking to target trophy striped bass.
Speaking of striped bass, one thing you’ll never see aboard the Bloodline is wire line rods. This isn’t a slight against
those who have mastered the art of wire line trolling because it does put fish in the boat, it just simply isn’t our style.
We exclusively target stripers with live bait and, when appropriate, light tackle jigging and plugging. Bloodline
Sportfishing believes that fishing is meant to be an exciting, mentally and physically engaging experience.
Customers hold their own rods, tend their own lines and hook their own fish. The tackle we use is also substantially
lighter in hand than trolling setups which allows anglers to feel the full power of a fish and maximize enjoyment of
the fight without prematurely fatiguing. Continuing on, Bloodline Sportfishing is 100% captain owned, operated and crewed. What this means is you get a
truly individualized and intimate experience with every trip. Captain Joe is right there in the cockpit coaching,
assisting and often times fishing right alongside his customers in addition to running the boat. His level of
attentiveness and emphasis on angler education is second to none. He isn’t there to simply put you on fish and send
you home. No, he goes out of his way to up your fishing IQ, and boost your confidence and skill levels with each
successive trip. That being said, don’t be bashful about asking questions should any come to mind. Capt. Joe always
relishes the opportunity to answer them. Finally, Bloodline Sportfishing specifically caters to small charter groups ranging from 1-4 people and tailor rates
accordingly. We realize that arranging larger groups for 6-pack charters is often a difficult proposition for most
anglers. In today’s busy world, finding free time for fishing trips is challenging enough without having to align
one’s personal schedule with five other friends and/or family members. Popular charter boats don’t offer sympathy
discounts for groups falling short of their six-person capacity so why pay to cover absentees if you don’t have to?
Furthermore, Captain Joe’s hands on approach to chartering offers more than just an intimate fishing experience.
Not having to absorb the expense of a hired mate allows Bloodline Sportfishing to reduce overhead costs and pass
the savings onto customers. With such affordable rates it is not uncommon for Bloodline regulars to sail several trips
every season.