Nick Honachefsky: Surf Sharks, Fossil Hunting, and the Wildest Fisheries on the Jersey Coast
Nick Honachefsky | Surf Sharks, Fossil Hunting, and the Wildest Fisheries on the Jersey Coast
Why You Should Listen
Nick Honachefsky is the host of Saltwater Underground, now in its sixth season on ESPN2, Discovery Channel, Sportsman's Channel, and Waypoint TV — the only nationally distributed saltwater fishing show based out of the Northeast. He pioneered surf shark fishing on the Jersey coast in 1998 before anyone else was even trying, has fished in over 40 countries, and spends his winters wading through 32-degree freshwater streams hunting prehistoric shark teeth.
It had been three years since Nick and I sat down, and this conversation went everywhere — saltwater rivers freezing over in central Jersey, thresher sharks using their tails as weapons, species like tarpon and cobia showing up in waters they have no business being in, and a Hell Pig tooth pulled from a New Jersey stream that stunned the paleontologist at the state museum.
We also got into something I've been thinking about a lot — whether the fishing media world is finally swinging back toward expertise over entertainment, and what social media has done to spot burning, content quality, and the in-person fishing seminar experience. This one's wide open and I loved every minute of it.
Topics Covered
- Ice fishing saltwater rivers in central Jersey during the most brutal winter in 20 years
- Growing up ice fishing and playing hockey in frozen Jersey swamps
- Saltwater Underground Season 6 — ESPN2, Discovery Channel, Sportsman's Channel, Waypoint TV
- Filming five Florida Keys episodes sponsored by the Keys Tourism Council
- Sheepshead recolonizing the Northeast — nuclear-sized fish and juvenile populations returning
- Redfish, tarpon, cobia, Spanish mackerel, and pompano showing up in Jersey waters
- The New Jersey state tarpon record and a spot called Tarpon Lump
- How Nick pioneered surf shark fishing in 1998 and blew the lid off it in 2005
- Thresher sharks — how they use their tails to hunt and why that tail is the most dangerous thing on the boat
- Great whites migrating up and down the East Coast and the OCEARCH app
- Fossil hunting in New Jersey freshwater streams — gravel bars, sifting, and hitting a formation
- Finding a Hell Pig (Entelodon) tooth — 15 to 30 million years old, never found in Jersey before
- Blood worms, sand worms, and why they cost $35 a dozen now
- Co-hosting the Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar Series with George Poveromo
- Social media, spot burning, and why quality content is starting to win again
Episode Timestamps
About Nick Honachefsky
Nick Honachefsky is the host and producer of Saltwater Underground, now in its sixth season airing on ESPN2, Discovery Channel, Sportsman's Channel, Waypoint TV, and World Fishing Network. He is a longtime contributor to The Fisherman magazine, co-host of the Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar Series alongside George Poveromo, and one of the most versatile saltwater anglers in the Northeast. He pioneered surf shark fishing on the Jersey coast and has fished in over 40 countries.
Connect with Nick Honachefsky:
Instagram: @NickHonachefsky
YouTube: Saltwater Underground with Nick Honachefsky
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