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Saltwater Fishing Tackle, Fishing Reports,
Charters and Techniques
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10/29/09 |
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Well, I missed a week again, although for good reason. My
younger sister, Ginny Tasso, passed away last week
unexpectedly and I had to go to Chatham for the funeral and
such. She was far too young, only 51. I will miss her, as
will all that knew her.
Below is a synopsis of what happened on Tuesday of this
week. I honestly believe my sister paid me a visit. I will
be writing a full story on the day, but read below and you
will get the idea. |
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One Last Time... |
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This past Tuesday was supposed to be a nice day on the
water, but as is often the case, Monday was the nice day and
Tuesday was not so nice. The two to four that was forecasted
was four to six stacked up every four seconds, with six to
eight common and a few eight to tens thrown in the mix. It
was a long ride to the grounds at reduced speed, but we
jogged our way out to give it a shot.
"We" consisted of Capt. Jack Riley and the Maverick, Capt.
Randy Black and myself. I was in town to attend the funeral
of my younger sister and found myself with a day with no
obligations the day before we had to head back. I asked Jack
if we could possibly go offshore to get my mind off of
things and he readily agreed. Tuesday looked like the best
day at the time so we planned on that.
Once we completed the long ride out we set up our first
drift to the north edge of the fleet. Things were pretty
quiet and there weren't a lot of bites. Our first drift
didn't even produce a mark, so we pulled up and steamed to
the SE corner of the fleet and set up in the vicinity of
some gillnetters working their gear. We had the tail section
of a mackerel with the hook buried and sewn shut set at 140
feet, a chunk of herring presented the same way at 110 feet,
and another chunk of mackerel slowly let out to match the
sink rate of the chunk and brought in, reset, etc, etc.
Sometime around 1:00 pm the deep mackerel went off. Jack was
jigging cod, Randy was cutting bait and I was looking at the
screen. There were no marks around when we went off so it
was a surprise. I jumped on the rod and started fighting the
fish. The way that it was coming in Randy and I figured a
short or a shark. Not much fight at all. That lasted about
10 minutes. At that point the fish must have decided that it
was hooked a made the first of 10 hard runs. He dumped 75%
of the spool before we realized that this fish wasn't
fooling around. We needed to back down in a hurry to get
some line back then turned and put him off the corner.
This was the beginning of a three hour battle. I have caught
my share of big fish but never have I dealt with a fish that
was this powerful and this determined to be anywhere but
near the boat. At an hour and a half he came up fifty or
sixty feet off the stern and showed us his entire upper
back, all lit up and huge! We knew we had a big fish then
and all the "what if's" start racing through your mind.
At the end of the second hour we had him just off the stern
and straight down. he was within reach of the long harpoon
so Randy drove it deep, only to have the fish turn and avoid
the dart. I put everything I had into turning the fish so
Randy could get a second shot. This time he drove it home
and put all his weight behind it once he felt meat. This
pissed the fish off!
Now we are still hooked up, a dart in the fish, and we can't
control him. So we begin another hour of give and take with
a very big fish that refuses to give up. At the end of the
third hour we had him close enough to drive a second dart
deep into him. Now we have two darts in him, plus he is
still hooked up, and he is thrashing at the stern. It is
quite an experience trying to tail rope a big fish that is
mad as hell! I finally got two tail ropes on the fish and
tied him off. We cut the line and took a third harpoon and
raked his gills, bleeding him as we eased ahead.
Without going into too much detail here (I am writing a
story about the day that will cover all the details) I will
tell you that it took us another hour to get him in the
boat. This fish would not die and made our life miserable!
We did prevail and in the end had a 900 lb fish on the deck.
I am not into such things but I honestly believe that this
fish was a gift from my sister. Not something handed over
but offered up as a test. If we were willing to give it all
we had, and then some, plus put up with one last surge of
strength and determination from one taken too young, then
the prize could be ours, maybe.
We took the challenge and came out winners on a day that
none of us will ever forget. Thanks Ginny...Dave |
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10/15/09 |
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 I
must apologize for missing the last two weeks but I was
offshore the first week and away on business the second.
Again, I do apologize.
As most of you know there has been one heck of a giant
bluefin tuna bite going on east of Chatham the last 3 weeks
or better. The bite died down early this
week and the weather negated this weekend. So...the big
question is are the fish still around and will the bite turn
on again next week? Or, did the fish move on with another
wave to follow?
I have talked with some of the most knowledgeable tuna
fishermen there are, guys who have fished Chatham for many,
many years and made a very good
living at it and there is a common theme I am hearing.
What I am hearing is that this year is like years in the
"old" days. There are a lot of fish around, a lot of fish
being caught, and some truly huge fish being both caught and
lost. I have heard stories, true stories, that I won't
repeat because no one would believe them.
I can tell you that I lost the biggest fish I have ever had
on, plus I caught a very large Dusky shark. I have 3
witnesses that will verify that one!
I wish you all the best of luck when ever you can get back
out! Dave |
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Fall Specials!
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14" East of Chatham Black Squid - $2.50 each, any quantity. |
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09/17/09 |
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Fishing with the Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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Maverick Charters |
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The bass fishing has slowed a bit. There are some fish
around, but you need to work for them. As you read in Hap's
report, the best striper action is off P-Town. We have a few
bass charters left, then it is on to commercial bluefin
fishing. In a week and a half Dave will be out and we are
going to hit it hard for the week.
The bluefin bite is very good when you can get out. From the
BC to the BB buoy is good, with the best bite south of the
Regal Sword.
A couple of our commercial contacts report good catches of
giants in the Bay this week. One boat went 3 days with 3
fish, another went two for two. All fish were caught on live
bluefish under a kite. It is the only way to fish live bait
now with all the dogfish around. We have a friend that tried
to slow troll (2 knots) a bluefish last week and within ten
minutes the fish was destroyed by dogfish.
So...it is bluefish and kites for us the last week of
September!
The draggers have been active at Mud Hole, attracting tuna
to 900 lbs. These fish love the floaters left behind by the
draggers. This is an anchor up fishery confined to a
relatively small place. It gets interesting at times when
the bite is on and the fleet is thick!
It seems like anyone you talk to is getting ready to hunt
deer or hunt tuna. Whatever your pleasure, good luck!
Capt. Jack |
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09/17/09 |
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Capt. Hap Farrell |
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www.capecodbaycharters.com |
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stunmai@copper.net |
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Nearing the End... |
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 It’s
the middle of September already. Time really flies when you
get older and I’m starting to get there. Remember back when
you were just a whipper snapper? You never thought you’d
ever see the other side of sixty. Well, being somewhat past
that it’s going by too fast. Another season is just about
over. Don’t tell that to the stripers up in P-town, it is
not time for them to go. Just a few more weeks. The same for
the bluefish. After Columbus Day weekend, then they can all
head south knowing we will hold a place for them next year.
With the storm we had last weekend and the days of the east
to northeast wind the water in the bay cooled down a bit.
This slowed the bluefishing down some but helped the bass
fishing. We soon got back to some southwest wind which
should bring the bluefish activity back to a good level for
the rest of this season. We normally have quite a bit of
good bluefish fishing in the fall, especially in the shallow
water areas.
The striped bass fishing has been a little slow down near
our area. Usually Billingsgate Shoals is a focal point for
the bass fishing in years past. This season it is P-town.
Primarily the area in front of the Bath house and up towards
Race Point. This last Tuesday, Capt. John Shakliks aboard
the Luau, stated that the fish were there but they had not
turned on yet. When the tide changed and started in the
fishing picked up and keepers were landed. The day before we
both were fishing up there. Basically, the same thing
happened. The fishing was a little slow to start but picked
up significantly after the tide turned. Capt. Shakliks
landed a few fish in the 40 inch range where most of mine
were between 30 and 34 inches. Hopefully, these fish will
move back to the shoals before our season is over. Jigging
was the method that worked the best in the P-town area,
however, the tube and worm will work also.
This last Saturday I had the Siegel family out for a full
day trip. Alex Siegal is a retired professor and used to
come out quite a bit years ago. Last year he came with his
daughter and son. This season, his son Jeff and his wife
Karen, plus a friend of his, decided they’d like to go bass
fishing. We headed to P-town which was the only game in town
at that time. It didn’t take long to see who was the true
fisherman of the bunch. We jigged for maybe 10 minutes and
landed four keepers, all the fish they wanted. After that we
used the tubes and this is where Karen, Jeff’s wife ,
shined. Of the fifty or so keepers we landed, karen
accounted for almost half. If she went near a rod a fish
would grab it and she’d bring it in. A great end of the
season trip.
There will be a few more reports on what is going on in Cape
Cod Bay. It has been a strange season both in weather and
the actions of the bass and bluefish. I have no idea how the
rest of the season will play out. We will see though so stay
tuned.
If you want to try some early fall fishing, give me a call at:
508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211. Thanks! Hap |
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09/10/09 |
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 I should have waited a day to do my report! Friday, just
before the storm approached the bluefin tuna bite east of
Chatham went red hot. There were 30+ fish caught that day.
Below are some pictures sent to me by Capt. Bill Regan on
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Hot Reels. |
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08/27/09 |
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Another week, another storm! As of this moment, they aren't
saying if Danny is going to stay a tropical storm or get
stronger. They really don't even have a good handle on
Danny's track. The one constant when you look at all the
different models presented is that it will run over the top
of the Cape on Saturday.
Lets hope it stays a tropical storm and quickly passes
through. |
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08/27/09 |
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Around the Cape... |
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There still some decent bass off Monomoy. There are bigger
fish west of the 12 can on Handkerchief Shoals. 30" to 40"
fish stacked up as of an hour ago!
As you read in Hap's report, the Bay is the place to be for
stripers. It may be the place for tuna also! The bite has
slowed east of Chatham. I am sure the fish are there, maybe
east more. The SW corner of Stellwagon is on fire. There
were also fish on Peaked Hill early in the week. They were
there one day and gone the next. Of course this storm could
change everything again.
There won't be much of anything going on this weekend. The
storm is supposed to move quickly, so by Monday things
should have settled down some.
At that point it will be time to start looking all over
again. Someone will find the fish somewhere and it might as
well be you!
Have a safe weekend and good luck next week! Dave |
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08/27/09 |
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Capt. Hap Farrell |
www.capecodbaycharters.com
stunmai@copper.net |
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The Shoals Come Alive... |
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 Last
season at the beginning of August Billingsgate Shoals went
dead. The only fish we could find were some bluefish and a
few small stripers. It was not all that hot last season
before the 1st of August. When this season started we
checked the shoals out but still did not find any large
bunches of fish which the area has been known for. Starting
around the mid of July we found some schools of bass on the
west end of the shoals but they were there off and on. No
real pattern or time you can expect to find them there. It
seems this may be changing. A week of so before “Bill” came
on the we found many schools of legal fish on the north edge
of the shoals. They extended from the west end area right
along to the middle of the shoals and even up to the
northeast end. The fish may be back. It’s not unheard of to
hook up on a 40 plus inch fish either.
In years past the end of August and the beginning of
September has been a good time for finding big stripers and
really large bluefish. The big bluefish have shown up around
the Path from 50 feet of water into 25 feet. They might also
start showing up back in the deep water off the north edge
of the shoals. Also, the bluefish should return to the
shallow water off the Eastham shore. This can happen when we
get our first real cold front moving through. But what
really should give us good reason to work the shoals is the
bass moving up on the shoals with the cooling of the surface
temperature of the water in the Bay. One other area that
will show more activity is the Brewster Flats during the
flood tide and the deeper water off the end of the flats
when the tide drops. As far as P-town is concerned, that
place is just loaded with fish and no one knows when it will
end.
The lures of choice can be somewhat narrowed down. The
umbrella rig is always a good choice, but the hootchie and
the jigged eel are the two main lures to have ready. They
both can be used in shallow water where the umbrella rig has
to have at least 15 to 18 feet of water to be used
affectively. So, make sure your jig rods have a full 300
feet of wire and your mono lines for the hootchies are
around 250 feet in length and you’ll be ready when the big
fish move onto Billingsgate Shoals.
Last Monday I was on the north edge right where all these
big stripers have moved to. I had Eric Murphy and his father
James out for a half day of fishing. Last time they were out
with me was a few years ago and we had done very well with
some good sized bass. This season was no different. We had
one just legal fish and two more good size bass in the boat
when James hooked up on a fish that didn’t seem to want to
come in. After a good prolonged battle James watched a 35
pound 46 inch striper come over the rail. Not bad for a man
in his 70’s.
If you’d like to try for a fish like James Murphy give me a
call. I can’t promise the fish, but we’ll certainly try for
it. Cell: 508-240-8267, Home: 508-255-6211. |
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Read the story behind the pictures above
here....nice
fish and a pretty lady too! |
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08/20/09 |
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Fishing with the Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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Maverick Charters |
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The bass fishing has slowed with the water warming up. We
still consistently find keeper bass for our customers but
you have to wok for them. The biggest
bass are offshore outside the 3 mile limit. They are
actually becoming a nuisance to many of the tuna fishermen.
They will come up and hit a rig on a 50 or
80 and have to be hauled in and de-hooked!
This weekend is blown out with Bill on the way up the coast.
As it stands now the storm will be well east, but the waters
will be unfishable.
We have done very well on our tuna charters with more than a
few 2 and 3 fish days. We don't run 8 or 9 rod spreads like
some others, so our ratio of fish to
lines in the water is more than respectable. It has been a
long time since we haven't landed a fish on a tuna charter.
This years class of fish is between 55"
and 65", with many to 70".
There haven't been much for giants east of Chatham yet, but
there are a few being caught on Stellwagon. I know of two
this week that were caught, 600 and 700 lbs, one on a live
pogey and the other on a 13" rainbow squid rig.
There are also lots of bluefin in the Bay. From giants on
down, the fish are there.
Other than that, the only bright spot would be the bonito
bite around Martha's Vineyard. This has many anglers excited
and rightfully so. |
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08/20/09 |
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Capt. Hap Farrell |
www.capecodbaycharters.com
stunmai@copper.net |
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The Trip |
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Last Saturday, the 15th of Aug., I took a few friends
fishing for the day. Like a busman’s holiday of sorts. I run
a charter boat out of Rock Harbor so I ended up taking my
mate Pete and his sister Sarah, Meghean, the daughter of a a
regular customer, a friend of hers Nick, and Danielle.
Danielle is the girlfriend of one of the other mates who
work at the harbor. Matt had to work but Danielle came
anyway, She doesn’t get much of a chance to fish. Anyway, it
was just going to be a low pressure trip, just hit some of
the more active areas and see what mother nature would hand
us. Remember these spots because for the most part they are
good areas to check out if you’re not sure where to start
fishing.
The first area we hit was just off Henderson’s Rock outside
Great Island in Welfleet. I started in 15 feet of water and
worked out to 20 feet. It was a dropping tide so I figured
the fish would be coming out of the shallows. Soon as I hit
20 feet we started hooking up on good size bluefish. I
stayed inside the pot line and zigzagged from 15 feet out to
25 feet catching fish well past the Path. Things slowed down
just south of the Pamet but picked up as soon as I went past
the river. Everyone landed at least 10 fish each. I used
floating lures in the outriggers and hootchies on lead core
with five colors out. I use a 30 leader so it’s like have
another color out of the reel.
We cut across to Wood End to go bass fishing from there up
towards the Bath House. I put up my outriggers because it
can get tight there with all the boat traffic. I used the
tube and worm system with six colors out. Red tubes seemed
to work best this day. You have to stay in the 30 to 35 foot
depth range and this can be very difficult with all the
boats trying to do the same thing. If you have fished there
you know what I mean. If you have not experience is your
only guide. Anyway we got four nice bass in about one hour
with a few undersize bass and a few bluefish. Our biggest
bass, landed by Sarah, was a solid twenty five pounds and 42
inches in length.
After that we went back to the North Range, which is just
north of the Path. There we set out the six pound test gear
with small hootchies. After landing 5 or 6 fish we jogged
home. The three young ladies, two on the bow and one in one
of the chairs, fell asleep to the sound of the engine.
For those who want to try areas other then the ones I have
mentioned so far, go check out these areas: The shallow
water off the Eastham shore for bluefish. Out in the deep
water off the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals out to 55
feet. At times there are both bass and bluefish on the west
end of the shoals. Jigging works best in the area.
If you’d like to try one of the spots give me a call at:
508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211 |
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08/15/09 |
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Capt. Bruce Peters |
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Capeshores Charters |
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Hi Folks,
Mid August on Cape Cod ! The streets are crowded, the
humidity makes it so you need the air conditioner on at
night. At least its cool out on the water. The air is
anyway. The water temperatures east of Chatham have warmed
considerably. Although in the last week or two, we had some
nice breaks from the fog, it seems its is back again today,
the dew is on every thing this morning.
Last Friday’s Gordon Vierra charter had full limits of nice
bass. Then on Saturday the water temperatures went from 59
degrees to 66 degrees in one day just outside the Chatham
bar. The next day it stayed at 65 degrees. It has now held
pretty steady in the 64-65 degree range all this last week.
The great schools of mackerel that were scattered along the
east side of Cape Cod has disappeared for cooler waters.
Most of the commercial striped bass fleet has been operating
off P-Town. There are some schools of stripers to be had on
the bottom between the 2-A and C buoys, if you look and fish
on the small piles of fish you see on the fishfinder. There
are also still some striped bass mixed with blues and
dogfish in the rips at Bearse’s. The dogfish seem to be
quite voracious with the reduced flow tides. The bass there
are the smaller recreational sized fish, generally found in
the warmer less oxygenated waters. Generally, its been a
tough week for striper fishing. We are now in the
August/September pattern of finding cooler waters, having
good bait and using lighter tackle to get the fish to bite.
Yesterday’s charter had us seeking out the rips with cooler
water temps and eddies. Generally this will take some extra
travel time to get us out of the main areas of warm waters.
This extra travel time requires a minimum of the 7 hour trip
to be successful. If you are wanting good bass fishing I
suggest that you opt for the longer duration striper charter
to get to optimum waters. Friday’s charter was with long
time customers Gary and Ziggy from western MA. We did get
the limit of bass ranging from 32 to 38 inches, and a bonus
limit of nice fluke as well on the trip.
I have not had a tuna charter recently, I’ve been doing bass
trips every day. My next tuna fishing trip is on the 25 th
of August. The tuna fishing seems to be fairly consistent
from what I can pick up listening to the radio, yet the days
of slow fishing are still there every so often. It seems
that the more bunched up the boats are, the more spotty the
fishing is. Its as though the “followers” don’t have the
confidence to go out of the fleet. They are so busy staying
on top of the “leaders” and staying in the fleet they never
really “find” their own fish. The fish end up being driven
over and over and over, and it does eventually effect the
fishing to the negative. The boats that consistently find
bluefin tuna pay attention to location, timing and
presentation. This isn’t rocket science ! Be where the fish,
the feed, and the whales are at a time when they want to
bite, and present the baits to them in a controlled fashion.
Don’t be afraid to go find your own fish either. Colors that
seems to be working well are the naturals and the rainbow.
I have recently ordered more Shimano equipment from the
factory representative. You may or may not know that
Capeshores Charters is enrolled in the Shimano VIP program,
thanks to sponsorship from the Goose Hummock Shop in
Orleans. This program enables me to provide you with the
finest fishing equipment made for targeting the speedster
atlantic bluefin tuna. With these fish measuring 65 to 70
inches this year, its pretty hard to still describe them as
“footballs” ! Having good tackle and a safe, well prepared
cockpit is the only way to go after these fish.
Good luck and Good fishing to you all,
Bruce & “Marilyn S” |
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08/13/09 |
Congratulations to the big winners at last week's White
Marlin Open in Ocean City, MD!
Sean Healey, of Prides Crossing, MA, fishing on the Orion
out of Palm Beach, FL won the tournament with a white marlin
the weighed in at 93.5 lbs. That fish was worth $903,442.00!
Nice job Sean...
Not to be out done by any means, Robert Farris of Charlotte,
NC caught a tournament record, as well as the MD state
record, blue marlin that weighed in at 1062.0 lbs. He was
fishing aboard the No Problem out of Fenwick Island, DE.
That fish brought in $454,999.00! Congratulations Robert and
the crew of the No Problem!
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08/13/09 |
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Capt. Bill Regan |
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Hot Reels Sportfishing |
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Hey Dave,
Here is the first fish - came in at 67" and 202 pounds. Once
landed we set the gear back out and landed our second fish -
this one at 72" and 238 pounds. Unfortunately, had to let
that one go after an hour and 12 minute fight! Both fish ate
an
East of Chatham squid rig! By the way, we were fishing 6
miles SW of the B/C buoy.
Bill |
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I received the below from one of our good customers last
week. Nice fish Rich!
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Dave- |
Headed out last Tuesday for the first time since the middle
of June, had a feeling the bite was on and I was right. We
steamed through the pea soup fog to set the lines in at 5 am
about 4 miles SW of the BC marking bait but no life, there
could have been whales and fishing jumping but could not see
10 feet in front of us. Then, birds and fish appeared all
around us. Decent fish busting and jumping over the rigs,
and no hook up. Circled back and found the fish and still
nothing. Repeated this a few times and all went quiet.
Frustrated and thinking this would be the high light of the
day, port side outrigger snapped and we were on. The 130 was
screaming. Cleared the lines and after about 20 minutes we
boated a fat 61” BFT guessing weight around 160 lbs. Being
only 7 am we steamed back in and docked up at 8 and hit the
beach by 11. I wish it was always this easy.
Rich |
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08/13/09 |
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Fishing with the Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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Maverick Charters |
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The waters offshore were rough today and the tuna fleet saw
very little action today.
We fished for stripers today in the rips off Monomoy. The
water has warmed up and the bass fishing is tough. There are
some nice fish around, and we caught 3 today. You will work
for your fish though. There are some big bluefish around
also. There is a ton of big bass and bluefish out on the
tuna grounds.
Last Friday we were offshore and landed three bluefin at
62", 65", and 69". They were nice fat fish stuffed with sand
eels. We caught all of ours on
East of Chatham squid rigs in black with a green glow
stinger.
The fishing east of Chatham has been great this week. Many
boats are reporting 3 and 4 fish days.
Capt. Bill Regan of <a href="http://www.hotreelsfishing.com">Hot
Reels
Sportfishing</a> landed a 204 lb 69" fish last Saturday
on an
East of Chatham squid rig. He also landed one
72" that he let go. That also came on an east of
Chatham squid rig.
Black squid rigs with green glow or white glow stingers are
working well. Ballyhoo under an Ilander or naked has worked
well also.
Another thing that is working well is the staple of the
south, a Sea Witch over a ballyhoo. I am not quite sure why
more people in the NE don't fish this rig, but someday they
will catch on!
Another rig that has caught a few fish is the "Red
Iguana"...We have them available as well as the "Pink
Lizard"...I will post all the details and pricing in a few
days.
There are some nice fish being taken on Stellwagon, and as
usual there are fish in the Bay.
Good luck to all this weekend! Capt. Jack |
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08/06/09 |
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The First Annual Monomoy Shootout! |
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Get excited and spread the word because the most exciting
fishing tournament of the summer is right around the corner.
The Monomoy Shootout provides anglers with an exciting
weekend of fun, fishing, and a chance to show everyone who
is the top fisherman on Cape Cod. The tournament will run
August 28-30 from Chatham.
You can contact Andrew Wade at capewade@yahoo.com or call
him at 864.617.4857 for more information.
You can also visit their website
here. |
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08/06/09 |
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Fishing with the Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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Maverick Charters |
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The bass fishing has slowed just a bit. The bigger fish seem
to have moved offshore towards the tuna grounds. Lots of
bass and bluefish have been hitting squid rigs and ballyhoo,
much to the dismay of the
tuna fisherman.
One of the boats in our harbor (Allen Harbor), the Menace of
Dennis, caught 4 bluefin east of Chatham earlier in the
week, all in the mid 50's to mid 60" range.
Capt. Eddie Carreiro on the
Reel Attitude out of Allen Harbor went 2 for 3 the other
day while one of our customers, Gary Tansino, hooked up 4
times last Saturday. The bite is heating up with lots of
fish around and a ton of bait throughout the grounds.
There are big fish on the SW corner of Stellwagon, and
Peaked Hill is producing as well. We know there are giants
in the Bay but we haven't heard many landing reports.
You will read about Capt. Bill Regan and his action at the
Tri State Shootout, well one of our suppliers, Capt. Tommy
of G-Tek Spreader Bars landed a 190 lb. swordfish while
fishing the west wall of Atlantis
Canyon during the same tournament. Nice job Tommy!
The offshore action is going to improve as we move into
early fall, weather permitting. Tuna fever is definitely on
the rise!
Good luck to all this weekend! Capt. Jack |
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08/05/09 |
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Capt. Bill Regan |
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Hot Reels Sportfishing |
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 Hey
Jack and Dave,
We are back from the Tri State Canyon Shootout (can I buy an
80 footer like those guys all have?).
Attached is a pic of Brian with a nice 58 pound yellowfin
that we hooked up on at the west wall of West Atlantis
Canyon. Overall, we went 7 for 7 on yellowfins (although 5
of them were shorts that we threw back); 0 for 1 on white
marlin (hit all 3 ballyhoos and chewed through the final one
before we could get to leader) and 1 for 1 on swords
(although it was a juvenile that got thrown back).
Fishing is OK in the canyons with lots and lots of very
small fish.
Tight Lines,
Bill
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08/04/09 |
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Capt. Bruce Peters |
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Capeshores Charters |
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It's On...the tuna bite that is! |
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Hi Folks,
It's on all right ! The bluefin tuna bite that is !
Yesterday there was show of busting 150 pound tuna fish on
the surface that was unbelievable ! Many of the more
experienced boats had multiple fish hookups. My last tuna
charter was the day before and the bite was great at the
slack but tapered off into the next tide. We had a decent
fish on and fought it well up to the boat, but at the most
critical time in the battle of having the fish next to the
boat, the angler lost his footing and the fish broke off. We
were consigned to having lost our "chance" but kept fishing
the area till the boats trolling every frigging wrong way
possible made it become absurd. We then tacked out of the
fleet and to the east, to where I had heard a radio report
of a couple boats hooked up. I hate fishing in a fleet and
whenever possible I'll tack out of it. Well it paid off for
us with a nice 68 inch bluefin tuna that smacked a black rig
on the long outrigger. Our redemption fish was sweet !
I have been bass fishing since then and the report on
yesterday's tuna fishing was as I heard it in conversations
with captains I know on the radio while drifting the rips at
Bearse's Rips. We caught lots of bass there on both of the
morning and afternoon 5 hour trips I took there yesterday.
The fish are smaller than the previous week at a nice 32 to
34 inch average. Its seems the latest hot trick is to jig
some mackerel just south of the "C" buoy and fish them live
in the rips for consistent hookups every pass. I have been
using squid and cut mackerel for the same results. There was
also a report (again on the radio) of a school of about 200
big stripers on the surface just northeast of the Chatham
cut, about 3 miles out. It will be foggy so look for the
birds in your radar. Bass are being caught on the tuna rigs
about 10-12 miles out too. There is amazing amounts of bait
out there and I suspect that where the bait is is where you
are going to find any of the fish that we are targeting.
I have today off to install a new liferaft on the boat. The
last one was about 15 years old and although still
serviceable and usable it requires a $1100 repack service
every 5 years on top of the usual $500 repack annually. Ive
opted for the new one. If you know anyone in need of a 6 man
Revere raft (canister model) they can have it for short
money. ($500) You'll need the repack service done. Bookings
are brisk and there are not a lot of open dates. If you want
to go out fishing with me call ahead. For some reason folks
are waiting till the last minute this year. I currently have
August 12, 13, 15 and 16 open for limited charters. August
17, 18 and 19 would be ideal tuna trips to reserve, after
the full moon has gone by. Other good tuna dates are August
23, 24, 25, 26 29.
Considering that they are not that far from shore, makes it
a real good time to go.
Good fishing to you all,
Bruce & Marilyn S |
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07/30/09 |
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Fishing with the Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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Maverick Charters |
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We have been very busy with two a day bass charters as of
late, canceling two today because of the wind. We do on
occasion sneak in a tuna charter. More and more of our
booked charters from here on out are tuna.
This was the case yesterday when we had a group of four
lovely ladies from P-Town out in search of bluefin. We got
bit 3 miles SW of the BC bouy on a East of Chatham Spreader
Bar in black with a green glow stinger.
After a great fight on a stand-up 50, we (she) landed a 70"
150 lb. bluefin. We thought we had one for the truck but
couldn't stretch it 3 more inches! Great job on a great
fish.
Out of 25 boats between the BC and Crab Ledge there were
only 4 fish caught yesterday. From the talk on the radio
they were all between 55" and 65". All nice fish!
There was one interesting story that came off the grounds
yesterday that should serve as a valuable lesson to all. In
the area of Crab Ledge there are bass and bluefish from the
surface to 80' deep. There was a boat that had their rigs
mauled by bluefish as the trolled the area. They brought
their rigs in and cleared them, moved off the area a bit and
reset. Not long after that they hooked up on a bluefin.
Unfortunately, not long into the fight the line went slack.
The crew reeled in only to find that the mainline of their
squid rig parted where it had been nicked by the bluefish.
It is too bad that they lost the fish.
That result should pretty well hammer home the fact that you
need to check both your mainline and stinger line for nicks,
cuts and abrasion after being covered up by bass or
bluefish. It doesn't take much of an imperfection to part a
line under the strain of a big fish.
On a lighter note, and back to our crew of ladies who just
got done landing a 70" bluefin, we stopped at Point Rip off
Monomoy on the way back in. This stop produced a 43" striper
that weighed (on a scale) 40 lbs. That is a nice bass. They
also caught, and again weighed, a 15 lb. bluefish.
I would say that a 70" - 150 lb. bft, a 40 lb striper and a
15 lb. bluefish make for a pretty good day of fishing! The
crew readily agreed with me!
Good luck to all and give give me a yell if you see us out
there! Capt. Jack |
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07/30/09 |
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Elsewhere...
Although the bass fishing has slowed a bit, the opposite can
be said about the tuna fishing. There are plenty of fish
around. From east of Chatham to Peaked Hill, around the
Race, Stellwagon and the Bay are all producing good fish.
And there are some true giants in the mix. As I said last
week the Maverick broke off an 80" fish at he boat fighting
it on a 50. There are reports of giants mixed in with the
school fish (65" school fish is pretty incredible) coming
from all points.
The SW corner of Stellwagon is being very consistent, and
there are a bunch of fish in the Bay. The fish in the Bay
always seem a bit tougher to get to bite, but work at it and
you will succeed! You've already read about the bass fishing
in the bay. It has pretty well slowed down all over. There
are a few decent fish coming out of the canal. Cut bait
(mackerel) and eels at night are producing the better fish.
Again it appears that the Elizabeth's and eels are your best
bet for a big bass. |
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07/30/09 |
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Special Olympics Visit Rock Harbor |
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By: Capt. Hap Farrell |
Last Week, on the 22nd of July, The charter fleet hosted the
26th annual Special Olympics Tournament. Even though the
Massachusetts Special Olympics could not sponsor this years
event due to budget constraints, it came off with its usual
splendor and regalia. The organizers where able to raise
enough money to cover the expenses and things and services
were donated, so the anglers were treated to another great
day of fishing with the charter fleet out in Cape Cod Bay.
The day of the special event started out like any other
midsummer day. It was warm but not too hot, a light breeze
from the southeast and quiet as the early morning dew
evaporated off the boats in Rock Harbor. It didn’t take long
before a large number of excited anglers started to arrive
and unload their coolers and start to get organized on their
respective
boats. As they started to load on their boats three boats
from other harbors pulled into open slips. The Prime Rate
form Sesuit, the Jacks Mate from Welfleet, and the Annie B
from Barnstable Harbor donated their services to this event.
Needless to say all went well. The fish cooperated, the
weather was perfect, and most importantly the anglers had a
great time with some excellent fishing.
The Community of Jesus put on an excellent cookout
afterwards
and then the awards ceremony. One of the anglers on the
Watanya landed the biggest fish which was a 41 inch striper.
This fish was the take of another successful Special
Olympics at Rock Harbor.
Elsewhere in the bay the fishing is still somewhat the same
as it was last week. The one difference is that there are
not quite as many schools of bass or bluefish in the deep
water off the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals. Also, some
bass have moved on to the west end of the shoals. Most of
these fish are undersize with a few just legal fish mixed
in. Jigging is
the best way to fish in this area. There are still a large
amount of bluefish along the Eastham shore mainly up by
Sunken Meadow. Hootchies are the lure of choice.
On July 27th I had the Gill party out for a half day trip.
They come every year and last year was a really good day for
stripers. This season it was a little different. This day
the bass were a little hard to find. However, Ryan Gill, was
able to land a striper they could take home for dinner. It
was 28 and 1/2 inches. Perfect for eating. His girlfriend,
Eden Vaanderwijst, landed a big 17 lb. bluefish after a hard
fight. That is no easy ordeal. We also landed a number of
small bass and bluefish. In time the big fish will be back.
If you’d like to get in on this good fishing call me. Cell:
508-240-8267, Home: 508-255-621
www.capecodbaycharters.com
stunmai@copper.net |
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07/25/09 |
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Capt. Bruce Peters |
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Capeshores Charters |
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Stripers, Mackerel and Bluefin Tuna! |
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Hi Folks,
It has been a while (10 days) since the last report. Last
week was a slow week for the Marilyn S and I and it seems a
lot of the sportfishing charter business, with many boats
having only a couple charters. I’m not sure why, but “it is
what it is”. I went and painted a house for one of my
customers and got some of my fall work out of the way. This
upcoming week seems lots better, with a trip booked every
day, but nothing like the two per day that I usually do at
this time of year. I hope this isn’t the “change” that
President Obama was talking about !
There are still lots of bass around the tip of Monomoy, but
in the peak of our summer visitor season, the boat traffic
will have an impact upon your fishing. Try to get out early
(or late in the day too) to beat the majority of the
traffic. It seems the main horde comes at 7 am and leaves at
2 pm. It amazes me to hear folks on the radio at 7 am or
later saying they are on their way to the grounds. When you
get to Bearse’s or Stonehorse, or Handkerchief shoals, try
to fish a rip where the boats have recently moved out of or
away from. I get so frustrated to see a guy park his boat
right on top of the fish’s heads trolling into the tide with
his lines way out in the part of the rip where the fish are
not ! The fish aren’t dumb ! They are NOT going to stay in
the spot with a boat over their heads ! When that happens
they move - they slide out to either side, and that’s where
you should be too !
There is tons of bait in the area. Squid are in the rips and
small schools of tinker mackerel are to the north around the
C buoy. The latest trick is to jig up a few macks at the C
buoy and then fish them down in the rips to get the bass
really biting ! I’ve found they will just as readily bite a
fresh bloody chunk of mackerel than the whole thing. The
sand eels seem to be offshore again this year, and I am sure
that will have a negative effect upon the shore fishing.
I finally put the outriggers and squid rigs on last week and
will be tuna fishing hard starting next week. Monday,
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday are all scheduled for some
tuna charters. I have fresh ballyhoo brining as we speak ! I
have a new “secret weapon” I will be trying out this year.
Hopefully I can utilize this system as a hassle free way of
sub-surface trolling to get those tuna fish I see under the
boat to bite when they just wont come up and hit the squid
bars.
Lastly I have ordered a high tech Canon HD video camera and
mounting system to record our fishing excursions and
adventures, and some new computer gear to edit and display
the video. It should be here bid mid next week. It’s early
and I have a learning curve to get through, but stay tuned.
Hopefully by this winter there will be lots of video of bass
and tuna charters (maybe more 1082 pound giants !) for your
enjoyment.
Good Fishing to You!
Bruce & “Marilyn S”
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07/23/09
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Other Fish Enter the Bay...
Capt. Hap Farrell
 This
last Sunday I took a busman’s holiday. My Mate Pete and I
took out some tuna gear I had been given and set out to see
if Cape Cod Bay would produce a tuna for us. Not knowing
that much about this type of fishing I was going to be happy
just to see one or two of these highly prized fish. Well, I
got my wish. Out in 96 feet of water west of the area
between
the Path and the Pamet River we ran across a school of tuna
fish that were in the two the four hundred pound range. Too
big for the tackle we had out. Fortunately, or
unfortunately, depending on how you want to look at it, we
did not hook up on any of these fish. We tried and tried
hard. Pete had one of his fathers rods designed to cast for
these fish. He had no
luck. I dragged the lures I had out, a green machine, and a
green squid daisy chain with a bird, through them a number
of times. They just milled around in a pod for about a half
hour as we worked them and then disappeared. So, for those
who really want to be frustrated and
chase fish they most likely will not catch, go out into the
middle of the Bay and find those tuna fish.
The bass and bluefish remain somewhat the same. There is a
good amount of bluefish along the Eastham shore up towards
Sunken Meadow. The other more active area is from Great
Island up past the Path from 25 feet of water in towards
shore. The hootchie on mono is the system of choice.
Swimming plugs trolled on mono will also work. If you like
to jig go to the Path and get into 12 to 18 feet of water
and have at it, you will not be disappointed. There also
bluefish out in the deep water off the north edge.
Where are the stripers? Right now there are two active areas
that are the most popular. The first is the deep water off
the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals. This area has been a
good area for the last month or so and will most likely stay
this way for a while. The next area is up by P-town. From
Wood End around to past the bath House is the best spot and,
at times
Long Point. Jig and the tube and worm is your best bet.
These areas will probably stay active for a while so
figuring out where to go is not a hard one.
 This
last week I had Marco Petrini and his two sons out for a
half day trip. He had heard how good the fishing was in the
Bay so he booked a trip through the booth at Rock Harbor and
that is how he got on my boat. We headed out to the deep
water. It wasn’t long before we were tight with one of the
six good sized bass they landed that day. The two boys had a
contest to see who got the biggest fish. It was a tie with
both landing 38 inch stripers.
If you’d like to get in on this good fishing call me. Cell:
508-240-8267, Home: 508-255-621 |
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07/09/09 |
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Fishing with the Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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Maverick Charters |
Well, we had him on and lost him. Last Sunday my charter
tied into an 80" fish and fought it for 2 hours. We had it
to the boat, all 80" of it, and it broke off before we could
stick it. The fish probably went 400 lbs.
The fish hit an East of Chatham 11" squid rig with black
squid and one of our custom hand painted Japanese squid for
a stinger. We had the one on that is dark Maroon (or Brown)
on top that gradients to a light pink on the bottom. This is
the same color squid that Dave left in Hatteras after his
tournament and was used to hook and land a blue marlin.
That squid was rigged solo with floats in the body and egg
sinkers ahead of the hook. That configuration gave the squid
a swimming motion when trolled. It might be worth
experimenting with out east.
We picked up that fish SW of the BC. There are fish, whales,
dolphins and a ton of bait in a line that stretches from 3
miles SW of the BC to 3 miles NW of the BC. The bite is an
early one, so be there when the sun comes up and fish until
noon. It seems as if light conditions are more important
than slack tide right now. That fish we had on bit 2 hours
after slack.
Brian Sullivan (he mates on the Hot Reels) was right next to
us when he hooked up also. he was fishing a center console
trolling an East of Chatham 13" Squid rig in pink when he
landed a fat, fat 69" fish. Good job Brian!
On the sriper front, we had a great day today with many fish
to 40". What seems to be working well is to fish the north
tide on Stonehorse Shoal, then catch the south tide on the
north end of Bearse's Shoal. As I said, many fish to 40".
Good Luck! Capt. Jack |
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07/09/09 |
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The Commercial Season Starts...
Capt. Hap Farrell
It’s that time of the fishing season. The striped bass
commercial season started last Saturday at midnight. This is
the way it goes. Basically, it’s open for Sunday for (5)
five fish. Then it’s open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday until midnight for 30 fish per commercial striped
bass permit. Without the special striped bass permit and the
state commercial licenses you can not sell these fish. The
punishment is quite severe if you are
caught.
What does this mean to the recreational fisherman? well, it
means everyone with one of these permits will be out fishing
on the open days which will put a strain on some of the more
active areas. There are a few local fisherman who do rely on
this fishery for a part of their annual income. Do them a
favor and stay out of their way. You can tell the difference
between them and those who are just out for a quick buck.
They fish alone. They will be out there before first light.
They will usually be fishing with live eels so you see two
or more rods in the rod holders as they drift through an
area. Just remember, when you are at your normal job you
don’t like someone bugging you, so don’t bother them.
The bass and the bluefish are still in the areas they have
been for the last week or better. A large body of bluefish
are still off the Eastham shore and around the #3 and # 5
can near Billingsgate Island. One of the crews on the
Watanya can attest to that when Capt. Steve Ellis found some
bluefish well over 10 pounds in that area. The pods of both
bass and bluefish are still along the north edge of
Billingsgate Shoals where you can either use a
weighted umbrella rig or jig with 450 feet of wire for these
bluefish and keeper size stripers. Capt. Steve Peters on the
Triton has had excellent luck fishing this area. He’s been
able to supply his anglers with a plethora of good size bass
and bluefish. One area that is consistently good is from
Wood End around to Race Point, particularly in front of the
bath House. Don Viprino who runs the Osprey takes his
anglers there as much as possible
and shows them how to jig up a number of big bass. Some of
these fish hit the twenty five pound range.
The area I like best is the New Ground area. This is the
area off the Brewster Flat out to 30 feet. Here you can jig,
use the umbrella rig, troll hootchies or, which I like best,
drift sea clams when you mark fish. I had the Ewen family
and friends out this last week and Emily the 15 year young
lady of the bunch landed a nice 30 pound striper. If you
want any bluefish just troll right along the flats and
you’ll do fine.
If you’d like to get in on any of the fine fishing just give
me a call. Home: 508-255-6211 or cell: 508-240-8267. |
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stunmai@copper.net |
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07/09/09 |
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I hope all of you had a great and safe holiday weekend!
With the weather forecasted to be pretty decent this
weekend, the tuna grounds all around the Cape should be
busy. There are fish in the usual haunts east of Chatham.
Everything from footballs to small giants are there to be
had. Capt. Jack will be on the hunt Saturday with a charter
so give him a call if you see him!
Cape Cod Bay is loaded with finicky bluefin to 70 inches. I
am sure there are more than a few giants in the mix also.
The same can be said for Stellwagon. There is no lack of
fish.
There are some nice stripers off P-Town and around the
corner. Lots of bait around to hold the fish. There is also
a good amount of bluefin cruising the same area. This has
been a pretty tough bite lately but the fish are there and
plenty visible. The key here is to have lots of choices in
the lure department. Keep throwing stuff until you find what
works! Good luck!
As you will read farther into this report you will hear that
the tuna fishing in the Gulf of Maine is phenomenal. The
closure of area 1A to the herring trawlers has made a huge
impact, just as they said it would. Be sure to read the
letter from Chris Weiner as it is very informative.
Everyone that was and is involved in the efforts by CHOIR to
regulate the herring fishery should be applauded for their
great work. The changes that have been seen in the short
time since the 1A closure took effect are simply amazing.
Great job guys and girls! |
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07/09/09 |
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Midwater Trawlers on Southern Jeffreys |
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I received the below letter from Chris Weiner of CHOIR
today. It is very good reading. Among other things, the
letter illustrates just how fast things can turn around when
changes are implemented and enforced. |
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Hey everyone,
I have received a handful of calls about this today and so
wanted to email the listserve because I am sure others here
are wondering what was going on...
While we all know midwater trawling is banned in Area 1A
from June through September, some of the midwater boats,
along with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI),
applied to do a research project using some of the TAC in
the Research Set Aside (RSA) program involving midwater
trawling. NMFS approved the project and gave them the
ability to harvest a set amount of fish in Area 1A using
midwater trawls despite the fact that it is supposed to be
closed to midwater trawling. This week some of big
Gloucester midwater trawlers went out trying to catch their
fish as part of this project.
While I was not there to see it, I have received a number of
calls from people saying that the boats were fishing the
last day or two on southern Jeffrey's in an area known as
The Cove. This is in area that has been holding a lot of
whales, tuna and ground fish in recent weeks and so a lot of
tuna, whale watch and other boats have been in the area.
According to a handful of reliable sources, the boats fished
the area pretty hard and loaded up two of the boats (which
hold close to a million pounds each). Now, again, this is
just from what I have been told but since they are very
reliable people who have been in the area, I think its true.
These people have been calling me and have been extremely
upset because they say that the boats did a number on the
area and that things have dies down since they were there.
While I totally understand their frustration, and am upset
that these boats would do this, I wanted to email you all
because I wanted to make sure you knew they were doing this
as part of an approved project and that's why they were
there. I am assuming that as the next few days go by, more
and more people will hear about this and will be looking for
answers and so I wanted to try and let people know ahead of
time.
The reason this is really getting people upset is because of
how good things look out there right now without the
midwater boats being allowed to fish in 1A and so seeing
these boats doing this, albeit with a set amount of research
quota, is bringing back old (bad) memories. Without them in
1A, there has been a lot more herring-not back to where we
need to be fully, but a massive, massive improvement. We
have had more tuna around so far than we have seen in a
decade. Despite the fact that we have had only 3 sunny days
since May (that's an official count, not exaggeration) and
have fished only about ten days total, we already have
caught more fish than in the last few years combined.. There
are tuna all over the Gulf of Maine, from the Cape to
Midcoast Maine. We all knew this would happen if the
midwater boats were not allowed in and so its not
surprising, but it is still great to see. And the same goes
for tuna and whales and everything else. Its like day and
night between now and 3 years ago.
But that improvement only goes to make it that much more
frustrating to see these boats fishing and so, again, wanted
to let people know that it is part of a project and so
that's why there are there. I am sure it wont do much to
quell peoples anger, but wanted to make sure you all knew.
Hopefully the reports of the area being hit hard are not
true, but based on who told me this, I think they may be.
Hopefully its the last we will see of them in 1A during the
summer months.
Chris |
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07/09/09 |
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Fishing with the Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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Maverick Charters |
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 The
Maverick wins the Allen Harbor 4th of July Fishing derby
with the Bryant family as anglers for the largest striped
bass and bluefish. |
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07/07/09 |
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Albina the Fisherman |
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By: Capt. Hap Farrell |
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 On
Tuesday the 30th of June I took a young woman from Russia
fishing. Heather Young, her summer host also came a long
plus their friend Tim. It was Albina’s birthday present.
Albina is on Cape Cod to work for the summer. She is part of
this foreign student exchange program that brings students
from other countries to work here and learn about us. This
whole fishing thing is brand new to Albina. She was in for a
surprise! I specialize in light tackle so near the end of
the trip we went in behind a sea clammer and drifted sea
clams off the bottom. We handed Albina a small spinning rod
with 6 lb. test line on it. It was not long before she
hooked up. At one point the reel was almost spooled but
Albina held on. She had picked up fishing with this light
gear quickly and handled herself very well. Within 10
minutes she had the fish next to the boat. A nice 20 pound
striper. Not bad for someone who never did this before.
My next thing is to get her out and put her on a bluefish
using my 2 lb. test gear and see how she handles that. |
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www.capecodbaycharters.com
stunmai@copper.net |
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07/02/09 |
 I
received this picture from a visitor from Georgia. The
angler was Bradley Johnson the son of Lenny Johnson from
Atlanta aboard Reel Haupt, 38 foot Jupiter Center Console.
They were pulling an
Eye Catcher Agitator lure green and silver with fresh
ballyhoo on the center line long in 325 ft of water off
Jupiter Florida. Great job Bradley! |
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07/02/09 |
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Capt. Jack Riley
Maverick Charters
Fishing with the Maverick
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 The
striper bite at Monomoy for the last two weeks has been out
of sight. Bearses, Handkerchief and Stone Horse have been
great on both tides. And Point Rip on the south tide
produced twenty keepers in forty five minutes on Monday.
Capt. Randy Black of
www.firstmatesportfishing caught 15 stripers in four
hours that measured between 33" and 49" in Cape Cod Bay. The
picture on the below is a couple of those nice fish!
The tuna bite is still good but pick your days. Try to get
out on a Southwest or Northwest wind. We have had a bunch of
snotty weather with Northeast wind, rain and blind fog. If
you can't follow the birds, bait and whales your chances
diminish. If you find those three you will mark a ton of
tuna. This life is in the area four miles southwest of the
BC Buoy. As usual a lot of boats have had luck with black
bars and a green glow stinger. |
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07/02/09 |
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Summer is upon us...
Capt Hap Farrell
The sun has actually shown itself, not every day but it has
been out and warmed the hearts of the Cape residents and
hopeful summer people. It has certainly helped the fishing
industry. A sunny day brings out the angler in all of us.The
fishing is still good. It isn’t quite as furious as it was
but is it still well worth the trip. Most of the activity is
on the north edge of Billingsgate shoals and the deep water.
There has also been some activity up around P-town but that
seems to come and go now. It is quite possible that the Bay
is going through another round of migrating fish. With the
way the cooler temperatures have been I imagine that these
patterns have been delayed or at least their time thrown off
some.
One area that has shown some promise this season which has
been somewhat quiet during the past few years is the Path.
It seems that some schools of stripers have moved into the
area just inside the last string of lobster pots and a
little into the pots out to around 30 feet of water. Years
ago this area held a large quantity of big bass. Now it
might have a new crop of small bass with some small legal
fish moving in. Maybe, in time, they will grow to be counted
as “big fish”.
The lure of choice, on the north edge, is back to the
umbrella rig. That holds true for most of the other areas.
The squid, for the most part, are concentrated up near
P-town now so the hootchie is not working as it did a week
ago. Don’t go putting them away just yet. The hootchie is a
good all around lure and should be kept handy.
If we ever get any sun and the water warms up past 62
degrees the bluefishing will improve greatly. There are some
in on Stony bar and over along the Eastham shore down just
east of where the old Target Ship used to be. The most
active areas is out in the deep water off the shoals or in
by the Path. Most of these bluefish are medium in size, 6 to
8 pounds, I have landed some bluefish, especially in on
Stony Bar, which have been well over 10 pounds so there are
some big bluefish around. All we need is a little sun. No,
that’s not correct, we need a lot of sun...
This last weekend I had a really fun trip. John Digiovanni,
from Belmount, Ma., booked a half day trip to celebrate his
13 year old son Des’s Birthday. It seems he want to go
fishing rather play a bunch of video games. Well, he got his
wish. He and two of his friends battled a number of
bluefish, a number of undersized bass and some keepers. Oh
yes, and one 13 inch black sea bass. Des landed 3 keepers
and a bluefish on his own.
He said he can’t wait ‘till his next birthday so he can
catch some bigger fish.
If you’re thinking of something to do, give me a call and
we’ll get you out on the Bay to take on some of these bass
and bluefish which are very abundant.
Home: 508-255-6211,
Cell: 508-240-8267. |
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www.capecodbaycharters.com
stunmai@copper.net |
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06/24/09 |
Good news for the offshore fleet....there was a 74" fish
landed in the area of the BC buoy today. there are fish on
Crab Ledge, Regal Sword, the BC buoy and points north and
east. There have not been allot of boats out looking because
of the weather but that has changed. it should be a good
weekend.
The boats fishing the bay didn't have it too bad. They were
able to get up against the Eastham shore and did well on
bass and bluefish.
The word earlier in the week from Tom McCombs of Sweet Slips
Jigs is that there are plenty of 30 lb. bass being taken off
Race Point! Hopefully the fish stick around or move into the
Bay. |
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06/12/09 |
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I received an important email from Chris Weiner of the CHOIR
Coalition today. It is important that we all keep up on the
great work they are doing on behalf of ALL fishermen and
those who support them directly or indirectly. Whether it is
bass or bluefin tuna you chase, herring is an important part
of both their diets. If you know about CHOIR's work, then
you know what I am talking about. If you don't, you should!
Click
here to read the correspondence from Chris and please
make your voice heard. Thanks! Dave |
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 Bev
Dodsworth caught this big dolphin on a recent trip to
Hatteras, NC. She was fishing aboard the
Sea Creature with Capt. Steve Coulter and his mate
Shane. That fish was within inches of being as tall as
she is! Nice job!
If you get a chance to get down to Hatteras fishing you
will be spoiled for life! Some of the best fishing in
the world is to be had 15 miles offshore. If you want to
fish with the best, contact Capt. Steve Coulter of the
Sea Creature or Capt. Dan Rooks of the
Tuna Duck. I personally guarantee you the trip of a
lifetime!
By the way, this dolphin went after a big marlin lure
and was taken by the deadly "bait and switch" method! It
worked to perfection and was exciting for all. It tasted
good too...cooked up by the chef at Dinkie's!
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06/11/09 |
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Capt. Jack Riley
Maverick Charters
Fishing with the Maverick
 The
water temps on Crab Ledge and at the BC Buoy look good for a
school bluefin bite this weekend. Stellwagon Bank and Peaked
Hill to Wildcat Knoll continue to produce large medium and
giant bluefin tuna. The Maverick has had two bass trips in
the last three days off Sankety Light at Nantucket. The
first trip was a troll and spin cast trip with fifty
stripers landed up to 39" in 3 1/2 hours along with a brace
of bluefish. Fish everywhere. The second trip yesterday was
for three Utah flyfishing guides and a Maine lobsterman who
loves to fly fish. This group had over thirty stripers on
the fly up to 33" in 2 1/2 hours on the incoming tide. We
also caught our share of bluefish with a few inches of
chafing wire on the leader. Our group was using 7, 8 and 9
wt. rods with fast sinking lines. The fly pattern didn't
seem to make a difference. The fish were feeding on small
squid and sandeels. We are in the process of editing the
video of this trip and will have it on Offshore Pursuits
very shortly.
Capt. Jack
Good luck to all! Capt. Jack
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06/11/09 |
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Change in the bay...
By: Capt. Hap Farrell |
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Cape Cod Bay is full of fish again. It seems more and more
fish are moving into the Bay. This includes the bluefish.
There are not a lot of bluefish yet but they are being found
in all areas of Cape Cod Bay. Off the north edge of
Billingsgate's Shoals, west of the #1 can, in the New
Grounds, and up inside by Stony Bar by the #3 can south of
Welfleet Harbor all hold some bluefish. I imagine they are
around P-town but no one cares with all the stripers up
there. To say the least, the fishing is good!!!!
Fortunately, the lures that work are changing. The bass and
bluefish are starting to take hootchies equally as well as
the umbrella rig. This makes it a lot easier on the mates on
the charter boats, if they use them. A single lure with just
one hook, easier to deal with than a rig with one hook on
six arms of the rig plus the trailer. Single swimming plugs
on mono work fairly well also, especially if you put a small
teaser streamer in front of it and troll it quickly, around
4 to 4.5 knots. Now, all we need is for the weather to
change and a real summer with even having the sun out
instead of all the lovely rain, drizzle and clouds.
For those who like to use lighter action rods but still get
their lures down to fish in deeper water let me suggest
using lead core line. We all have used this type of line for
the tube & worm system but is will also work with swimming
plugs, hootchies, most any lure that you can troll. It may
not get your lure system down as much as wire but it will
get it down a lot deeper than using mono. It is also a lot
easier to adjust the length of your line by using the colors
of the line. Each color is 30 feet and if you have a 15 foot
leader you will know exactly by counting the colors you use.
Now you can use a soft action rod and have fun playing the
fish. For those who like to use light line they make lead
core line down to 12 pound test. I know, I use it quite
often for my anglers. I had an 11 year oldyoung lady land a
25 pound bass using that line.
What will the next week bring in the movement of these fish.
Actually I think there will not be much change. The bass and
bluefish seem to be in all of the well known areas. It’s
just on some day certain areas will be more active than
others. Which areas that will be is hard to tell. There is
one area that is improving every day and that is the north
edge of Billingsgate Shoals out to 45 to 55 feet of water.
Last Saturday we had Chris Hohab and his lawyers tournament.
The contest was between myself and the crew on the Watanya
operated by Steve Ellis. Last season my crew won handily,
this season it was Steve’s crew that beat the pants off my
crew. It’s funny, it seems lawyers don’t like to lose...
If you’d like to try some of the good bass fishing
or have any questions give me a call at: 508-240-8267 or
508-255-6211.
www.capecodbaycharters.com
stunmai@copper.net
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05/28/09 |
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The Stripers Continue Into The Bay...
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
You could not ask for a better start to a fishing season.
Just about on cue, the stripers enter the Cape Cod Bay from
coming through the Canal. They spread down from Barnstable
Harbor to the area west of the old Target Ship. This last
Sunday more bass entered the area coming across Billingsgate
Shoals and working to the east. There is more than enough
bait between Sesuit Harbor and the Eastham shore to keep
these fish fed for a good long while. A good amount of these
fish will continue on with their migration but enough will
stick around to give what is starting out as one of the best
seasons in a while.
There is one noticeable absence. We have yet to find the
bigger bass that show up for a while at the beginning of the
season. Most of the keepers are ranging between 29 and 33
inches with a few hitting the 36 to 38 inch range. In past
years we have found some fish well into the 40 inch range.
Maybe they are still up in the shallow water. It has been a
cool spring.
The lure of choice this spring seems to be the umbrella rig.
The main bait in the Bay are large schools of sand eels.
This is what the umbrella rig imitates. With the six bugs or
teasers in a circular pattern with a leader and trailing
lure in the center, it acts just like a small fish chasing a
small school of sand eels. It is not unusual to come up with
3 or 4 fish on one of these rigs. It is primarily used with
wire line. The length is 150 ft. to 200 ft. depending on how
deep the water is and trolled at around 3.5 to 4 knots. The
trailer, or center lure can be most anything but is usually
a swimming plug. However, some just use another bug or
teaser. This will work very well especially in the more
shallow water, but you will find that these rigs can’t be
used in water less the 14 ft. deep. You’ll find they will
start snagging the bottom and getting all covered with
weeds. That’s one other thing you have look out for. If the
water has a lot of sea weed in the area you’re fishing in
you have to clean the rig. Any weed that gets on it will
keep it from fishing right.
The bass have not really moved into the area of Stony Bar
and up towards Welfleet Harbor. A few fish have been taken
up that way but not enough to be concerned with. Hopefully
this will change in the next week or two. The main body of
stripers are still out west of the old Target Ship and I
think they will stay in this area for a while. At least for
the next week or so. Then it is anyone’s guess. Billingsgate
Shoals may be a good bet by the the end of the weekend and
into the next week.
This last Tuesday I had Jerry Kottman and crew out for a
half day trip. They all did well landing a good number of
keepers with some of them close to 35 inches. There was one
exception. Lisa Buzeuicz, an engineer from Washington DC,
landed a nice 39 inch fish. It’s always the woman who gets
the big fish. It was the umbrella rig that produced most of
these stripers.
Capt. Hap
If you’d like to try some of the good bass fishing
or have any questions give me a call at: 508-240-8267 or
508-255-6211.
www.capecodbaycharters.com
stunmai@copper.net |
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05/20/09
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Cape Cod Bay Comes Alive...
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
 It
has been a long wait but the 2009 fishing season has started
in Cape Cod Bay. This last Saturday, the 16th of May, a few
boats ventured out on to Cape Cod Bay looking for the first
run of the striped bass. They were not disappointed. A large
amount of small and legal size bass were found west of where
the old Target Ship used to be. There were small groups of
birds working these fish and by that one could see there
were numerous schools of bass in this area. Most of the fish
were under the legal limit but working through the small
fish each boat came up with the keepers they needed.
The fleet at Rock Harbor in Orleans is off to a good start. There were
a number of good signs that this may be a good season.
First, there is a good number of fish entering the Bay.
Second, there seems to be plenty of bait to keep the fish
around. The main thing we see is the fish are in good shape
and healthy looking. Let the water warm up just a little
more and this place will go nuts. There are some good size
fish around. Fish to be measured in pounds not inches.
As in years past as the next few weeks pass the movements
and habits of the striped bass will change quickly. As I
said they first showed up off the Brewster Flats and
Barnstable Harbor. A few days later we found them west of
the Target Ship Buoy. Next these fish should move to the
south edge of Billingsgate Shoals and also over by the #3
and # 5 cans. A good
number of these fish will continue on their migration route
and leave the Bay entirely, some will stay. There will be
periods of very active fishing and some periods where these
fish may be hard to find. Do not get disappointed. New
groups of bass will arrive to replace those who have
continued on up north. By early June the first bluefish will
show up, usually
off the the Eastham shore. At least that is what happens in
the early part of our season in Cape Cod Bay.
This last Saturday two young ladies from Bulgaria, Lyubomira
Yordanova (Lucy) and Elena Karakasheva (Leni), who are on
the Cape to work for the summer came fishing with me. They
got a chance to tangle with some of the newly arrived bass
and did very well. Neither one had ever been fishing like
this before. Heather Young, their host for the summer,
thought they would enjoy trying out things that we, who live
here, may take for granted. After a
little instruction they easily got dinner for that evening
and the next few days too.
If you’d like to try some of the good spring bass fishing
or have any questions give me a call at: 508-240-8267 or
508-255-6211.
www.capecodbaycharters.com
stunmai@copper.net |
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05/17/09
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Hot Reels Fishing Report |
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Capt. Bill Regan |
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 Hot
Reels completed its cod/haddock season yesterday. Warmer
waters have moved into the Bank and driven the big numbers
of cod and haddock further east. However, the fish that are
still around are the biggest of the season! Check out Adam
Plante with his 31", 17 pounder cod!. All of the cod taken
were at least 10 pounds with several shorts as well.
Hot Reels is returning to Allen Harbor this week to rig for
striped bass and bluefish season. Updates on this fishery
will be forthcoming; however, if early action is any
indication, 2009 could be a record year! Stay tuned! |
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05/05/09
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Fishing with the
Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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We are pleased to announce the annual opening of our retail
store at Allen Harbor Marine, 335 Lower County Road, Harwich
Port, MA 02646. We will be offering all of the same great
offshore lures as last season with the addition of an
expanded line of soft baits, jigs and spreader bars. The
store will be open from 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through
Saturday. We have an open house planned for Saturday June
6th. Please stay tuned for further details and information
on the discounted specials that will be available that day.
The soft baits we will be offering were deadly on both
stripers and bluefin last year. For tuna we trolled them
with an Eye Catcher Hood or added them to the stinger on a
squid bar. We will also be offering a ballyhoo bar that
works well when the half beaks are around.
The spring migration of stripers and tuna into inshore and
offshore Massachusetts waters has begun. For the last three
years school bluefin have arrived in the Crab Ledge / BC
Buoy area by the second week in June. Stripers are being
caught on both the RI and MA coastlines. The Islands should
heat up shortly. Both the inshore and offshore sea surface
temperature charts are pointing to a very good early season.
Capt.Jack |
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05/05/09
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Rock Harbor Fishing Report |
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Capt. Hap Farrell |
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Stunmai II |
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The Action Starts...
 It's
the 5th of May. It's rainy, chilly, and just plain miserable
out. We've been waiting for the summer season to start where
the weather improves by warming up and getting sunny. Where
the water warms and the bass start to come up into Pleasant
Bay, the Cove, and Cape Cod Bay. Well, you can't tell it by
the weather but the rumors of fish have started. As of
today, I've heard of almost legal bass being landed off
Crowell Rd in Eastham on the low end of a coming tide. Also,
three keepers being landed by two anglers out of Sesuit
Harbor.
Maybe Cape Cod Bay will open up early. My boat is finally
ready so I'm going out this weekend and check some of my
spots and test these rumors. I gauge the movement of the
bass in our area by the first fish taken at the River Rd.
landing in Orleans. So far I have not found any fish there.
I have not been up to South Sunken Meadow yet, but there
isn't any information from there either. There have been
small newly arrived stripers in Pleasant Bay in the Chatham
areas but nothing reported up here in Orleans. This will
soon change, I'm sure. It's time to start looking. I'm going
to be hitting the River Rd. landing everyday until this
coming weekend. The I'll concentrate on the Bay.
If you'd like to book a trip this season give me a call at
Home: 508-255-6211 or Cell: 508-240-8267. Thanks! Hap |
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04/26/09
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Fishing with the
Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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We received the below from Capt. Bill Regan and the crew of
the Hot Reels this morning. Great job guys! |
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Jack/Dave,
You may want to let your readers know that the haddock bite
going off east of Stellwagen Bank is absolutely incredible.
On Friday, Randy, Brian and I went out for a little over 2
hours of fishing and filled the box. (I think we had 26
total but don't quote me on that number - it was somewhere
around there). Yesterday we had the Plante family out on
charter and we pretty much hit the same numbers all over
again. The seas were not friendly (4-6'ers which make
drifting lots of fun) and ripping currents but great fishing
nonetheless. I have attached pics of the results.
Hope all is well.
Bill |
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04/23/09
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Fishing with the
Maverick |
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Capt. Jack Riley |
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 The
big cod bite in RI is over at this time. The RI charter
boats went everywhere last week with very little luck. We
did hear from Capt. Bill Regan fishing the Hot Reels for cod
on Stellwagon. He did ok last weekend with 11 fish caught, 3
legal. The weather has been a
big factor in the ability to get on the grounds. There are
plenty of haddock around also when you can get offshore.
The herring are running in all RI tidal streams so the
bigger bass should be right behind. Schoolie
stripers are being caught all along the RI coast.
There have been some reports of some schoolies being caught
off Martha's Vineyard, as well as a report or two of sea run
fish being landed on the Cape. Capt. Jack |
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New for the 2009 season...get
real time fishing reports, information, and any "how to"
information you want via our
Offshore Pursuits
Blog. Think of it as your own personalized free consultation service. Ask a question and it
will be answered. Having a good day, post all about it.
Having a bad day, post that too. That way we don't feel
alone :).
As bad as the year seems so far, we can make our own little
world better! Dave and Capt. Jack |
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04/15/09 |
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Below is a direct quote from
Sport Fishing magazine. We felt it was worth putting up.
It is very interesting, and could impact us all. As I said,
it is directly from
Sport Fishing Magazine. |
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"Apr 13, 2009
Law Would Intentionally Wipe Out Striped Bass
This is not a joke - but you can (and should) help stop it!
Even fishermen who live on the East Coast are likely aware
that for the second year in a row, California's salmon
fishery is moribund. One of the main and longstanding
reasons for decimation of many of the state's wild-salmon
runs - including those historically with the greatest
numbers of fish, from the mighty Sacramento River - is water
diversion.
Powerful agribusiness interests have for years persuaded
state and federal officials to allow the export of massive
quantities of fresh water to huge corporate farms. Even
after its own scientists warned the Bush Administration that
water diversion would leave great numbers of threatened
salmon runs dying in low, warm water, the Administration
disregarded the advice and gave its thirsty (and powerful)
pals in the big-farm biz the diverted water they wanted.
Later that year, guess what? Great numbers of threatened
salmon runs died in water far too low and warm for spawning
success.
Now, as if intending to prove the bounds of their greed are
truly without limit or shame, the same agricultural
interests have, via a state assemblywoman by the name of
Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield), come up with a bizarre scheme
to divert attention from diverted water.
Turns out, it's not years of depriving wild salmon stocks of
critical water for spawning and juvenile growth that are to
blame for decimation of the species. The real problem?
Striped bass that live in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
are eating all the salmon.
Accordingly, Fuller has introduced a wacky but dangerous
bill into the State Assembly that would end management of
stripers and allow unlimited harvest of one of the state's
great and valued game fish.
Ms. Fuller's sudden concern for wild salmon is laudable.
It's too bad she couldn't revise her bill to force greedy
agribusinesses and the politicians they own to share some of
the water they take from the public domain - the Sacramento
River - with the salmon she loves so much.
You don't have to be a Californian to be outraged at this
reprehensible display of avarice. And you don't have to be a
Californian to let your voice be heard. In fact, California
lawmakers should hear from all of us and realize that
Fuller's bill is so egregiously misguided that it has
opponents chiming in from around the U.S. That's the kind of
message that we should be sending.
The State Assembly's Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife
will hear this bill on April 28th. Time is of the essence;
if state lawmakers don't hear from anglers, this disastrous
bill will pass.
Fortunately, you can register your opposition to Fuller's
bill in mere seconds, by going to
www.saveourstripers.org where you can read and sign onto
a letter (separately, as an individual, business or NGO)
instantly. When you have done that, send the link to a
friend -- or a few. You may also want to visit a web site of
folks who, unlike Fuller, are genuinely concerned with
saving salmon and not veggies:
www.restorethedelta.org.
If we don't act, and Fuller has her way, California is
likely to end up with neither salmon nor striped bass - but
plenty of cotton and artichokes." |
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As I said, it is directly from
Sport Fishing Magazine. |
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04/14/09 |
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I received the below today from a CHOIR member... |
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If you haven’t seen it, today’s Federal Register notice (click
here) closed the southern New England herring management
area (area 2) to all directed fishing as of midnight
tonight.
Looks like all of those boats have been working hard off
Block Island this winter.
The Area 2 TAC was 30,000 tons.
Gib |
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04/09/09 |
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I received the below from Chris Weiner (CHOIR) this
evening. Great Job! |
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As most of you probably know, this past October, midwater
trawlers fishing in Groundfish Closed Area 1 (CA 1) were
observed having high levels of haddock bycatch. When these
boats first gained access to these areas in 1998, it was
under the (false) assumption that since they were so-called
‘midwater trawlers’ that they did not interact with
groundfish. But just incase, a rule was put in place that
said that bycatch of groundfish exceeded (or were likely to
exceed) 1% or more of their overall catch, that the access
to these areas could be rescinded.
(It should be noted that many have questioned the decision
to allow these vessels into the closed areas since the day
it happened. The decision was made based on a tiny sampling
of tows, none of which were even in the closed areas. Just
about every fisherman in the region knows that the name
‘midwater trawl’ is a misnomer, and that the gear is more
than capable of catching groundfish.)
As a result of the bycatch observations from this Fall, the
NEFMC voted in Novemeber to request that the National Marine
Fisheries Service analyze the data to determine whether this
1% threshold had been met and, if so, to determine whether
access to CA 1 should be rescinded.
04/09/09
Midwater Trawling in Closed Area 1
After months of looking over the data, a couple weeks ago
Pat Kurkul, head of the Northeast Regional Office of NMFS,
released the data and asked the NEFMC to schedule a
discussion of this issue.
At yesterday's meeting, the discussion finally happened. The
issue was debated for hours and most of the NEFMC, led by
David Pierce from MA DMF and Dave Goethel, a fisherman from
New Hampshire, made it clear that they believed action had
to be taken. While it took hours to settle on the right
motion, they eventually voted to require that midwater
trawlers must have 100% observer coverage if they want to
fish in CA 1. They also voted (in the same motion) to
require that there be no dumping of unsampled catch. This
last point is a big one, as many have worried that 100%
observer coverage is essentially meaningless as long as
dumping was allowed.
The next step is for NMFS to implement the Councils request.
The discussion at the meeting between the NEFMC and staff
from NMFS seemed to imply that the agency will probably
follow through on the NEFMC’s wishes: NMFS did make it clear
that they believed that they had the necessary funding for
observers to cover all the trips, which is important in
terms of these changes being implemented. Also, Paul Howard,
Executive Director of the NEFMC explained that the original
rule allowing these boats in the closed areas specified that
changes to the Letter of Authorization (which allows them
into the areas) could be made if the 1% threshold is
surpassed, which puts to rest the claims made by some in the
audience that the managers do not have the authority to make
the move that they made today. But for now we will just have
to wait and see how it all plays out and we will keep you
posted on any developments.
All in all, this was a major step forward today in regards
to getting better management in the herring fishery. Good
work to all those who helped in making this happen! |
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02/28/09 |
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Click here
for an open letter explaining the current ICCAT/NMFS Bluefin
Tuna dilemma. This is an important matter, and must be
responded to before March 4th, 2009. At the bottom of the
page is a letter that you can cut, paste, and modify to suit
and send before march 4th to the indicated recipients (if
you agree). |
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02/22/09 |
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Don't get caught this year scrambling for your favorite
squid to re-rig a bar or make new. From now until
June 1st,
Offshore Pursuits Premium Tackle is offering a special
consisting of 14 - 13" squid of the same color and 1 -13"
squid of a different color for a stinger. That's 15 - 13"
squid for only $37.20
That is a 25% discount over our normal low prices
on the best squid money can buy. Don't take my word for it,
ask those who fish them daily!
Available colors for this special are Jade, Shrimp,
Rainbow, Green, Black, Pink, Zucchini, Hot Tomato and Sand
Eel. The colors for the stinger are the same with the
addition of Pearl and Glow.
All other 13" squid less than the special amount will be
discounted 15% until June 1st.
Click here for the 15 Squid Special
Click here for bulk 13" squid
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01/01/09 |
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Recreational Atlantic Tunas Retention Limits |
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Effective January 1, 2009, the Angling category retention
limit will be one BFT/vessel/day/trip (measuring 27 to less
than 73 inches). These BFT retention limits are effective
for all areas, except for the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of
Mexico is designated as a spawning grounds for BFT and
therefore NMFS does not allow vessels, commercial or
recreational, to target BFT while fishing in this area.
However, HMS Angling and HMS Charter/Heaboats are eligible
to retain 1 BFT (73 inches or greater) per vessel per year
as a “trophy” fish for the boat. This fish may be retained
in the Gulf of Mexico if it is caught incidentally while
pursuing other species. The recreational yellowfin tuna
daily retention limit is 3 yellowfin/person/day/trip. The
minimum size for yellowfin and bigeye tuna is 27" curved
fork length. There are no recreational limits for bigeye,
skipjack or albacore tunas. |
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11/14/08 |
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"Blood Bath" East of Chatham... |
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The bite that was....
I apologize for the "blood bath" reference above, but it is
a direct quote. This past Friday the cod boats out of
Chatham were working their gear about 4 miles north of the
Regal Sword as they do most other days that they are on the
water. As they were gutting the catch, an event occurred
that I have only seen in the movies of PEI and Hatteras, and
that I am very sure most people have never seen.
As the fish entrails were tossed astern, huge bluefin tuna
were congregating around the stern sucking up everything
that was thrown at them.
These cod fisherman immediately relayed this info to there
partners in Chatham who headed offshore as soon as they
could gear up. That Friday afternoon there were 5 or so
boats that showed up.
Chunking with anything they could get their hands on, then
tossing a bait of any sort with a hook in it into the mix
provided almost instant results. Giant bluefin tuna....in
every sense of the word. Huge fish to be exact.
All 5 or so boats that day had 3 fish each. All big fish.
Before the weekend was over, there was a 1222 lb fish taken,
a few over a 1000 lbs, and many in the 800 to 900 lb range.
Again, all this is documented.
Saturday saw a fleet of 10 to 12 boats in the same area. All
these boats ended up with 1 to 3 fish each. Sunday saw the
fleet increase to 40 boats, and again, all boats reported 1
to 3 fish each.
It should be noted that the commercial boats that had left
the Cape and were headed points south immediately turned
around and steamed back to the Cape.
As you can imagine, by Monday there were 75 boats in the
fleet, 100 on Tuesday, and over 175 yesterday. There were
still fish being caught as of yesterday, but the fish were
deep, no doubt being put down by 150 boats overhead.
The water temperature on the grounds is 50 degrees on the
surface, the thermo cline is at 100 feet, and the bottom is
at 200 feet.
I have no proof of this, but a theory has been put forward
that there may be warmer water under the 50 degree water. i
am not sure if or how this is possible, but it was brought
up by some pretty knowledgeable people.
The bottom line is that there are, or were, huge schools of
big fish that showed up Friday in an area they were not in
just days before. It will be interesting to see that after
the weather settles if the fish are still around, or if they
moved off.
To top it off, these fish were all very fat fish, and at
first indication are bringing in very good money.
I do hope for all that are fishing that the fish will still
be there next week. As a side note, the Coast Guard cutter
was on the grounds with 2 inflatables checking boats for
compliance.
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10/19/08 |
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Herring Fleet Bycatch |
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The below was received from tom Rudolph, by way of
CHOIR - Read it and watch the video. You will come
away with a whole new outlook on things you may or may not
have known about. |
Hello All,
As yet another alarming pulse of haddock bycatch makes its
way from MWT fish-holds, through this pathetic, leaky excuse
for a monitoring system, into lobster bait bags, let’s
remember three things:
1. It isn’t just haddock. Chatham longline captains fishing
in the Closed Area I SAP reported massive striped bass
slicks two weekends ago, the same time the first haddock
bycatch came to light. They saw the MWT fleet in the
northern part of CAI. No other draggers were anywhere to be
seen. Now there is video of this striper slick taken from
pretty much the same time and place. Take a look:
http://www.sportfishermen.com/board/f186/disturbing-video-55702.html
2. MA DMF continues to lead the charge for status quo. A
year ago, David Pierce nearly convinced the Council that
everything is fine, and that his closed-door meetings with
the industry would lead to good monitoring and a responsible
fishery. Last week, despite my direct pleas and my citation
of the above mentioned striped bass bycatch, he led the
charge to craft a monitoring program that would not include
stripers as a data target.
3. Now is the time to speak up! Despite DMF working so hard
for status quo, we do have Amendment 4 in the hopper, and a
new monitoring program is being created as we speak. Please
speak up this week and let DMF and their superiors know how
you feel about this senseless slaughter of haddock and
striped bass. Let them know you expect emergency action to
address the haddock and striped bass bycatch taking place in
and near Closed Area I. Let them know you expect Dr. Pierce
to lead the charge for 100% monitoring coverage in the
fishery, and no more dumping.
As always, let us know if you need contact info. And please
spread the word, and the video, far and wide. This insanity
has to end.
Thanks,
Tom
Tom Rudolph, Herring Campaign Operations Director
Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association
4189 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 230-0547 (o)
(503) 230-0903 (f)
(508) 776-8056 (c)
tom@ccchfa.org
www.ccchfa.org
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10/17/08 |
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Tom with another nice bluefin tuna caught aboard the "Hot
Reels" with Capt. Bill Regan on 10/16/08 |
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10/10/08 |
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BB and Drew with a nice 60" bluefin tuna caught with Capt.
Bill Regan aboard the "Hot Reels" on 10/9/08 |
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10/10/08 |
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The Bluefin Tuna Bite... |
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This past weekend was the Hyannis Anglers Club Tuna
Tournament. There were 8 boats entered into the tournament,
with only one giant being landed. The winning fish was
almost 700 lbs. The official results
are below:
1st place "Kerinellie" owned by Joe Harold and captained by
J.C. Burke weighed a 697 lb. Giant Bluefin Tuna to take 1st
place.
2nd place went to "Castifari" owned and captained by Damon
Sacco, with a 113 lb. Bluefin Tuna.
3rd place was captured by "Resilient" owned by Jay Cashman,
with a 103 lb Bluefin Tuna.
Everyone said there are no giants around. The next day ,
Monday, there were six giants taken at Crab Ledge on live
pogies and bluefish. Then on Tues. a couple corkers were
taken there. My partner, Capt. Jack Riley said that his
friend on the "Miss Jennifer" took a fish that topped out
the scale at 999.99. The scale can't go any higher so the
fish was over a 1000 lbs. The other fish taken was 900+.
All that was as of Tuesday night. The fleet is out there as
we speak. The weather looks good for this weekend, and the
fall is shaping up to be possibly the best in a few years.
Most comments indicate that the
fish are bigger, and everybody that has fished has marked
and seen big fish. The heavy hitters are out in force now,
so we will see what happens.
There are still a few fish being taken off Stellwagen, but
the main bite is east of Chatham. The word from the BB is
that there was a bite a while back, but the fish moved. Now
everything seems to going on inside.
We know of a few boats getting things set up to head to
Moorehead City for the winter fishery off NC after the
Chatham bite is over. The way it looks though, that might be
awhile yet.
Good luck! |
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10/01/08 |
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A Perfect Weekend Out East! |
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Story by David Dodsworth |
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 The
weekend before last I spent Saturday, Sunday, and most of
Monday SW of the BC in search of giant bluefin. I was
fishing with my partner, Capt. Jack Riley, and his mate,
Eben Bemis aboard the Maverick. We were strictly in search
of giants, so we knew going in that we could come up empty.
The weather forecast for the weekend was iffy at best.
Sunday looked like the only shot, be we decided to head out
Saturday and see what met us when we rounded the corner at
Monomoy. As we all know now, the forecast was 180 degrees
from what actually happened. It turned out to be the most
beautiful two days on the water I have seen in awhile.
Monday wasn't bad, but it started to come un early in the
afternoon.
Anyway, the plan Saturday was to slow troll bridled live
bluefish. We only had three in the live well, so we decided
to fish two rods. We missed the dawn bite, but we hoped the
slacks would be good to us.
Long before the first slack, the starboard rod went off
hard. The 130 screamed for a short burst, then settled into
a steady pull. Two long runs later I had parallel to the
stern the biggest blue shark I have ever seen, never mind
caught. This fish was an honest 10 feet long, with two
witnesses to attest to the fact. It was a good fight on a
big fish, but not what we were looking for.
The fishing was tough, even though we were in the midst of
all kind of whales, bait, and working birds over busting
fish.
It wasn't long before we went off again, this time another
shark not nearly as bi as the first. We were now down to 1
bluefish. We decided to break out the ballyhoo and fish one
blue/white Ilander over a ballyhoo, and a naked ballyhoo
behind the bait shower teaser (available at Offshore e
Pursuits Premium Tackle). We fished the Ilander 50 yards
back, and the ballyhoo and bait shower teaser about 30 yards
back. The bluefish brought up the rear. Unfortunately, not
for long. Another blue shark grabbed this bait, and once
again was brought to the boat. This fish was also much
smaller than the 10 footer.
Now we were down to ballyhoo and squid rigs. Same pattern,
only this time the squid rig was long. The second slack had
just started, and the only life around was two whales
feeding up ahead. We pointed the bow for the whales and
trolled on.
 As
soon as we passed the whales, the naked ballyhoo went off,
followed instantly by too good sized fish both heading for
the Ilander. We were doubled up!
I grabbed the nearest rod, while Eben headed for the other.
Jack came down and cleared the squid rig and settled in for
the fight.
Eben soon landed a nice fat 60" fish on the 130. This fish
had eaten well for a long time. As this was going on, my 80
was down to half a spool. We had a hunch, and pushed the 60"
fish through the tuna door to swim again.
After an hour, and numerous runs, I had my fish up to the
swivel. The problem was that every time he got by the boat,
he would be fin up and heading to the starboard side, arcing
20 yards out and getting on it's side. The big problem here
was that Eben was on the port side, and couldn't stick the
fish on my side with out me getting pinched by the harpoon
rope.
We played this game three or four times before the fish
rolled just enough below the stern to give Eben a shot. He
connected hard on the second attempt, and we wrestled him to
the stern to get a tail rope on him.
 The
fish was ours. We tried to haul the fish over the rail, but
was unsuccessful. We ended up pulling him through the tuna
door. Although not as fat as the 60" fish we let go, this
fish measured an honest 75.5". Not the giant we were looking
for, but a saleable fish none the less. plus it gave the
Maverick bragging rights at Allen harbor for bringing in the
first legal fish.
Sunday proved even more beautiful than Saturday. We saw more
life, a whole lot more boats, and scored on a 60" fish
caught on an Ilander over a ballyhoo. It couldn't have been
a more perfect weather day.
Monday we headed out early, and hit our numbers about an
hour after daylight. There was life all around, feeding
birds, whales, and breaking fish. We hooked up immediately
on an East of Chatham squid rig with a custom painted
stinger. This fish also measured out at 60". We through him
back sure that with a start like that, we would be into more
fish before the day was out.
We were into fish alright, we just couldn't hook them. We
chased school after school of feeding tuna, hooking up once
on a Tuna Train, only to loose the fish early. We also had
some boils behind the squid rigs, but no hook ups.
What we did see from both the deck and the tower was the
fact that there were schools and classes of fish
intermingling. We saw 48" to 80" fish in the same feeding
frenzies. The smaller fish were on the surface, while the
big fish were right below them.
It couldn't have been a nicer three day stretch offshore. I
have spent 9 days in years past in Chatham waiting for the
wind to lay down, only to go home having never made it
offshore. So this was definitely a great time for all.
Good luck to all of you heading offshore this fall. Who
knows, maybe I will see you in NC in December or January.
Dave |
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09/17/08 |
Eating Words Instead of Fish...
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
 For
the last few weeks I have been reporting that there has not
been much in the way of striped bass in Cape Cod Bay with
the exception of the Provincetown area. I was not telling a
fib. There was a rumor that Scorton Creek had some bass and
it turned out to be true. Most of the charter fleet out of
Rock Harbor, Welfleet and some out of Sesuit were unaware of
how
good it was. Still, Billingsgate Shoals and the deep water
off the north edge of the shoals was not producing any
decent bass fishing. So, we were concentrating on the
bluefish which there was an abundance of. This was the
assumption of most if not all of the fleet, and that is what
I reported.
As in New England, if you want a change just wait. Well, I
now have to eat my words. This last Tuesday, the 16th of
Sept., I head out with threeanglers, Ray Zenkert from
Southwick, Ma., Allen Boratko from Westford, Ma., and Daren
Hall from Canton, Ct.. I told them as we
left the harbor that the bass fishing was slow if not
nonexistent. They understood and resigned themselves to some
good blue fishing. Shortly into the trip while jigging on
top of Billingsgate Shoals they landed their first keeper.
It was about 30 inches long. Then another keeper came over
the rail. For the rest of the trip we landed a number of
undersize bass, more keepers and a good number of bluefish.
The biggest bass landed went a good 20 pounds.
That is why they are eating fish and I’m eating my words or
better put, I’m eating crow...Hap |
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Fishing the Cape and beyond... |
09/11/08
The magic hour is drawing near. Depending on your target,
the good fishing hasn't started yet.
With the school tuna fever taking hold, It is my belief that
many are ignoring the quest for giants in lieu of a sure
thing. With fuel what it is, and charters expecting to catch
fish, I guess i don't blame them.
Anyway, enough of my ranting and raving. You have read Capt.
Hap Farrell's report on the state of fishing in the Bay.
Thank god for the bluefish. Now to find enough six pounders
for live bait! usually when that is what you are looking
for, nothing but 10 to 12 lb. fish hit the rigs. It never
fails.
There are blitzes of fish moving up and down the backside.
Bluefish mostly, with the occasional school of bass showing
up. Cut bait, sand eels, and eels at night are all
producing.
There is a decent striper bight at Race Point and around
Wood End, with the ever present schools of marauding
bluefish to add to the excitement.
Peaked Hill Bar has produced some of the biggest fish of the
season, bar none. It is a tough place to fish with a crowd,
but in the right position, it can be phenomenal.
The NW corner and the SW corner are both producing fish to
200 lbs. Jeffries is your best bet for some true giant
activity. Although the word I am getting is that the bait is
starting to move into the Bay, so there may be some decent
giant fishing inside yet. As we know, every year there are
some awful big fish taken out of the Bay.
The canal is so so, with bluefish everpresent. There are a
fair number of fat alberts (false albacore) being taken from
the canal also.
The rocks and holes of the Elizabeth's have been producing
some big bas to those fishing eels at night.
If you can get there, Crab Ledge (north and SW), Regal
Sword, and east towards the BB are your best bets for some
school bluefin. Who knows, you may hook something a whole
lot bigger than you are looking for!
Good luck with whatever you are chasing. Dave |
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08/28/08 |
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Some great fishing aboard the
Stunmai II with Capt. Hap Farrell out of Rock Harbor in
Orleans, MA. |
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08/28/08 |
Fishing the South Side and beyond with the Maverick
Capt. Jack Riley
Maverick Charters
08/28/08
We caught our first green bonito today on
Handkerchief shoals. We also had our pick of bass
and bluefish.
The bass bite is somewhat slow, with it picking up after
dark for those interested.
We have a bluefin trip tomorrow. Today Capt. Jack Rogers of
the "Merlin" caught a fish in the mid 50" range that weighed
in at @ 130 lbs. Early morning bite NW of the BC. Spreader
bars and tuna trains are working well. There is also an
early morning bite going on at the Regal Sword. Haven't
heard of many people going way east yet.
The Vineyard is all about fat Alberts (false albacore as
they call them down south) and bonito. They are catching
bass on the southside early off the beach, with blues
showing up with the sun.
The Canal is slow. Nothing spectacular going on.
You have read Capt. Hap Farrells report on the Bay.
School tuna on the bank, and stripers jigged on wire off
P-Town. The surf guys are hitting some fish early, with the
bluefish showing up later. Bluefish all along the back side.
Good luck to all this weekend! Capt. Jack
|
 Hi
Dave,
Nothing has changed, 1 to 4 commercial keepers per trip.
Billingsgate is dead.
Someone put the word out, big bite at Long Point between
dusk and midnight, 50 boats there last night, no fish!
The little bight is at Herring Cove between dawn and 8 am.
I took a friend out today and he caught a decent fish, photo
is attached.
Tight Lines, Tom
The above report was submitted by Tom
McCombs, maker of the Sweet Lip Jigs. |
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08/07/08
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Congratulations to John Carlson (of the Carlson Bird fame)
on landing a 864 lb. giant bluefin this past Tuesday! John
was fishing aboard the "My Delight" with Capt. Wayne Daley
on Peaked Hill and caught the fish on a live bluefish. Great
going John! |
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08/07/08 |
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Fishing Report... |
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The bass fishing is picking up off Monomoy, the bluefin bite
is hit or miss, but an early morning slack seems to be the
best producer... Click
here for all the reports. |
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08/07/08 |
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Very important reading below! |
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RE: [Choir] Massachusetts Legislation to Create
Shore-Based Monitoring
Hello All,
Many of you may already know that CCCHFA has been working
hard to secure state legislation in Massachusetts to mandate
and fund very robust shoreside monitoring for the pelagic
fisheries. Essentially the program would require vessels
landing in Massachusetts to
a) Conduct their offload under the observation of a
certified, third-party shore based observer,and
b) Conduct their offloads such that an independently
verified actual weight is taken on all the fish. The program
would also..
C) Appropriate $750,000 to the DMF to conduct the program.
The good news is that this legislation passed the
Massachusetts legislature! On Thursday night, the program
language and the funding for it were included in the Energy
and Environmental Bond Bill (H5054) passed by both houses.
The bill now sits before the Governor and he has until about
Monday the 11th to sign it.
The bad news is that DMF seems prepared to advise the
Governor to veto the entire Bond Bill because they aren't
sure they can support the program. The tight language of the
bill which would ensure a truly meaningful and robust
landings monitoring program, as we might expect, makes them
nervous.
So we'd like to ask for your help. We need emails and phone
calls to the following:
Commissioner of the Mass Department of Fish and Game Mary
Grifiin (Diodati's boss) email: mary.griffin@state.ma.us
Phone (617) 626-1500
Secretary of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
Ian Bowles (Griffin's boss) email: env.internet@state.ma.us
Phone (617) 626-1000
Lt. Governor Tim Murray (handles many fishing issues for
Gov. Patrick) email: http://www.mass.gov/? pageID=gov3utilities&sid=Agov3&U=Agov3_contact_u
s (web-based form) Phone: 617.725.4005
Governor Patrick (Bowles' boss) email: http://www.mass.gov/?
pageID=gov3utilities&sid=Agov3&U=Agov3_contact_u s
(web-based form) Phone: 617.725.4005
The message is simple, "I am a Massachusetts fisherman and I
am very pleased that the Environmental Bond Bill contains
meaningful measures to help DMF monitor the herring and
mackerel fleets in an effective way. Up until now we have
been unable to do it, and as a result we have no idea what
this fleet is landing, though we do know they are landing an
awful lot of bycatch including river herring and haddock.
Something has to change and the tight guidelines in this
bill, along with the money to help fund the program, are
long overdue. DMF should be pleased and excited about this
development and they, along with the DFG and the EOEA,
should urge the Governor to sign the bill so we can all sit
down ASAP and hammer out the details so we can start
actually counting and weighing what in landed by these
vessels."
If anyone would like to read the legislation, follow this
link and see section 2300-7018 and also section 24
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/185/ht05pdf/ht0
5054.pdf
I also have additional talking points if anyone would like
more information or more selling points.
This is very important so please take 15 minutes and help
out. This has the potential to generate very high- quality
information on a great percentage of the catch in this
fishery very quickly. It may also set the bar for other
efforts by the Federal government and states and change the
whole culture of the fishery in which we basically know
nothing!
Thanks!
Tom Rudolph
tom@ccchfa.org |
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08/07/08
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Tournament to help bluefin research
The below was forwarded to my by:
><((((*> ><((((*>
Chris Weiner
CHOIR Coalition
Portland, Maine
207-761-1947 978-886-0204 (cell)
www.choircoalition.org
Dr. Molly Lutcavage and her large pelagic tagging program
have been in the forefront of research programs devoted to
scientific inquiry into the life cycle of Giant Bluefin
Tuna. For almost twenty years she has devoted her time and
effort to solving the riddles of their migration patterns,
spawning areas and daily life activities.
Unfortunately, the funding by her usual sources has been
reduced considerably, and it has become necessary for her
and her many friends to raise the funds necessary to
continue her work. It is imperative that Dr. Lutcavage s
work continue. Richard Burgess, of RockOn Products,
suggested to me that we have a tournament in the hopes of
revitalizing the declining interest in tuna fishing.
I suggested combining the two issues.
To this end, The North Shore Community Tuna Association
along with RockOn Products have proposed a "Tag-a-Tiny" Tuna
Tournament. This would help raise funds for Dr. Lutcavage,
and assist her in her current efforts in researching
movements of the juvenile Bluefin Tuna now frequenting our
coast.
Tournament Information 1. A three day tagging tournament,
the last full weekend of August (21st -24th)
* Thursday 8.21.08: Captain s meeting that evening * Friday
8.22.08: Sunday 8.24.08: Fishing Tournament takes place *
Friday 8.22.08: Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament that evening
* Sunday 8.24.08: Buffet and wrap-up from 4-7 pm
2. A "no-kill" tournament that includes: * Prizes to be
awarded in three boat categories with encouragement for tag
and release * Number of qualified tag and releases will
determine the three winners in each category * Digital
date/time photo for verification must be available to the
judges in the event of a dispute * Decision of the judges is
final and irrefutable * Anglers may kill fish (IAW NMFS
regulations), but only giants killed and entered with a
dealers authenticated Net Weight slip will be considered for
the "Largest Fish" Category
3. Boats will receive a "Tournament kit" with t-shirts,
tagging kit, merchandise rebate certificates, meal tickets,
and other giveaways by sponsors.
Event Sponsors
We are looking for sponsors who will not only provide funds,
but any other support deemed useful to accomplish our
objectives. Preferably one sponsor for each venue event
(prices to be determined), and many others with donated
merchandise or funds.
If you are interested please contact Mark Godfried: (e)
tagatiny@gmail.com (p) (978) 317-1797 |
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07/03/08 |
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Below is a link to a copy of the Maine Lobstermen's
Association letter supporting the Midcoast Fishermen's
Association lawsuit to remove midwater trawlers from
groundfish closed areas. Chris Weiner of the CHOIR Coalition
sent this to me. It is very important reading for all.
Click here to read the letter. |
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07/03/08 |
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First., I would like to wish all of you a safe and happy 4th
of July weekend. Secondly, we had a call today from one of
our crew who was fishing east of Chatham (BC) with Capt.
Eddie aboard the Reel Attitude. They had a 500 lb bluefin
boatside and couldn't get a dart in him before he got the
line wrapped up in the props. That was the only fish, and it
made for a great, if not frustrating day of fishing! That
will make you want to get out there this weekend!
Read all the
reports here... |
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06/19/08 |
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Fishing the Cape... |
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The canal bite is steady, with some decent fish still being
caught. It appears that the really big fish have moved
through, but there are some decent fish being taken on a
regular basis.
As you read in the Rock Harbor report, the bass are changing
their habits. You have to work a little harder to find that
big bas right now.
There is decent striper fishing off Race Point, and there
are tuna being caught also. The big fish are still up in the
NW corner of the Bank, but there should be some giants
moving into the Bay before too long.
The backside beaches are slow, with not much to report from
anywhere.
Good luck to all this weekend!
Don't forget to stock up on premium high quality "East
of Chatham" brand tuna gear at
Offshore Pursuits Premium Tackle. For those who demand
the very best, East of Chatham brand tuna
gear. Available exclusively from Offshore Pursuits.
East of Chatham brand tuna gear as well as the complete line
of Offshore Pursuits lures and rigs are now available at our
Allen Harbor store.
By mid July, our second online store, Bluefin Tuna Tackle
will be open for business. Here you will find only the best
tackle and gear specifically targeting bluefin tuna, both
giants and sbft.
Watch for the official opening date to be set early next
month.
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Fishing the South Side with the Maverick |
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06/19/08 |
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Bluefin and big stripers!
As you just read, one of our partner boats, the Hot Reels
with Capt. Bill Regan again did well of Chatham. The fish
moved down from the north to the BC proper on the moon tide
a few days ago. There are
a lot of fish there now, with everybody hooking up today.
The weather may be tricky this weekend, but we will
see.
The bass fishing off Sankety is out of sight. Every charter
is limiting out on keepers, with many more thrown back. Rigs
fished properly in the rips are
working the best.
There is decent bass fishing all around the Vineyard, with
the Elizabeths still the place to be for true trophies.
Monomoy has not started to heat up yet, but that should
change fairly soon.
Good luck to all. Capt. Jack
Capt. Jack Riley
Maverick Charters |
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06/16/08 |
First Bluefin Tuna from East of Chatham
Capt. Bill Regan
Hot Reels on the Board!
06/15/08
Hot Reels left Allen Harbor at 4:15 to the trek out East of
Chatham during driving rain and periodic lightning. On board
were Capt. Bill Regan, Capt. Derek Barber and Mate Brian
Sullivan.
Lines were in at 5:30 as the rain continued. Life was all
around - whales broaching; birds diving; large schools of
dolphins and more importantly pods of SBFT pushing all
through the water.
Within 10 minutes the port long rigger went off. After a 20
minute fight, Capt. Derek had boated a nice 52", 86 lb. fish
- Hot Reels was on the board! After resetting the baits and
teasers, it wasn't long before Brian was tight - a 58", 111
lb. fish.
The bite slowed considerably as well as the life around the
boat. After a slow troll further north, Capt. Bill turned
Hot Reels south again to where the fish were earlier. Sure
enough, life reappeared and within 15 minutes the starboard
long rigger went tight. 15 minutes later the third fish of
the day - a 77 lb. 47" fish was in the boat.
Still surrounded by lots of life the crew decided to cast
into the fast moving pods to no avail. At this point the
downpours were considerable so at 10:45 the crew headed back
in.
The fish are very finicky and are lying deep. The
Offshore Pursuits Maxi-Splash Tuna Train ( a
Tormenter bird followed by an 84" teaser made up of (4)
MoldCraft Little Birds or (3) East of Chatham 5" hard birds)
or the
Offshore Pursuits Red Eye Tuna Train (same but in pink),
less the stingers and pulled long are a must to get the fish
into the spread. These fish were caught on
East of Chatham Spreader Bars. |
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06/05/08 |
I had a customer contact me today to say that there are BIG
bluefin in the Gulf of Maine. The large amount of bait
present seems to be holding the fish, and this weekend will
find more than a few boats trolling big squid rigs in search
of a keeper.
As you saw in Capt. Jack's report, there are tuna east of
Chatham. How far east at this point is the question. I am
sure we will know the answer to that by Monday!
About the only spot that hasn't been mentioned in the above
reports is the Canal. By all reports, that is the hot spot
of the week. Big stripers to 40 pounds, as well as a ton of
big bluefish have been keeping anglers busy (and happy)
around the clock. Look for this action to continue for a
little while anyway.
Read the rest of
this weeks reports here...
Don't forget to stock up on premium high quality "East of
Chatham" brand tuna gear at
Offshore Pursuits Premium Tackle. For those who
demand the very best, East of Chatham brand tuna
gear. Available exclusively from Offshore Pursuits. |
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05/25/08 |
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The below was received from Capt. Hap Farrell on 05/24/08. |
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"Changes in the Wind
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
05/24/2008
This Memorial Day Weekend the larger bass in the Sunken
Meadow area started to move out into the deeper water. What
came along with these fish was a little unusual. On Friday,
the 24th of May, not only did we land four nice stripers but
we hooked up on two big bluefish. This is about two weeks
early. The boats on the south side of the Cape are seeing
bass on their fish finders but land big bluefish . When this
water warms up some more the whole Cape will swing into
action.
Most of the bait around is sand eels with some squid and
mackerel. A few more degrees in the water and look out. The
North Edge of Billingsgate Shoals also came alive with bass,
some up to 38 inches. Mackerel was the bait of choice
there." |
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05/25/08 |
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Cape Cod Fishing
Reports... |
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05/13/08 |
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I received the below from
Chris Weiner of CHOIR this evening. As you can tell from
the email, it is very important that we all sign on. The
sign-on letter is
here in it's entirety .
All you have to do
is email Chris that you want you, your business or group's name
included at the bottom of the letter.
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Dave,
The time has come for another CHOIR sign on letter. Right
now, the Council is going through the scoping process for
the new herring amendment and this is a very important part
of the process. We need to make sure the amendment address
the major problems in the herring fishery and so we have put
together a sign-on letter to show them how we feel.
Attached is the sign-on letter, all I need you to do is read
it over and let me know if you can sign on. All I need from
you is an 'OK' and I will add you to the list of
signatories.
Like I said, this is a very important part of the amendment
process and if we cannot get what we want in this amendment,
it will be years before we get another chance to comment.
Please look over the letter and let me know.
Thanks,
Chris
--
><((((*> ><((((*>
Chris Weiner
CHOIR Coalition
Portland, Maine
207-761-1947
978-886-0204 (cell)
www.choircoalition.org |
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05/19/08 |
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The Bay Comes Alive
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
05/19/2008
 It’s
about time... The stripers have really moved into Cape Cod
Bay. This last Sunday, the 18th of May, 4 boats ventured out
of Rock Harbor to see if any fish had moved to the area and
if so, where they were. Well, we found them. Some keepers
were even caught, the biggest being around 34 inches. Most
of the schools of bass were west of where the Target Ship
used to be and about 3/4 to 1 mile off the Brewster shore.
Most of these stripers were just under the legal size of 28
inches and they hit most everything we threw at them,
umbrella rigs, swimming plugs, hootchies, and the always
reliable jigged eel. It was the jig that landed most of the
keepers. As I see it things will do nothing but improve. The
fish have definitely arrived.
I had Cherry Reid, owner of the Booksmith in Skaket Shopping
Center, and her two daughters, Natalie 10 and Lucy 7, out to
help find these newly arrived bass. The two young ladies
certainly earned their stripes by landing a number of the
fish. It was not their fault that none of them were big
enough. They were both tired enough to fall asleep on the
way home. It
was a good day to fish. |
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05/15/08 |
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Fishing Reports from around the Cape
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There isn't a whole lot to report just yet. The bright spot
is the canal which is reported to be loaded with fish to
25 lbs, along with a ton of bait.
There are verified reports of a 42" fish taken from
Sunken Meadow in the Bay. As you read in Capt. Hap
Farrell's report above, the water is still a little cold in
the Bay.
My partner Capt. Jack Riley and Capt. Steve aboard the
Maverick will be fishing hard the next 3 days on the
south side looking for stripers. I will have full reports at
each days end.
The cod fishing around Stellwagon has been reported
to be excellent, with some huge fish being reported. |
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05/07/08 |
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The hunt for a Hatteras blue marlin! |
 This
past week I spent four days chasing blue marlin off Hatteras,
NC. I fished with two of the top Captains in the fleet,
Capt. Dan Rooks on the Tuna Duck, and Captain Steve Coulter
on the Sea Creature. The plan was a simple one, it would be
all or nothing. Big baits targeting blue marlin in places
that were favorable for marlin. I had no interest in
catching anything but a blue marlin, and that was my
mission. Good or bad!
The first day I fished was on Monday. The Tuna Duck left the
inlet under favorable
conditions, yet we knew that there was a chance of weather
blowing in later in the day. We
headed "straight out" because the weather would not permit
us to go to the south like we
wanted. We headed out across the "Rock Pile" and set out
along the edge of the continental
shelf, specifically Hatteras Canyon, known locally as the
"Old Hole". Read the
whole story here... |
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© Offshore Pursuits LLC 2009 |
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