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Offshore Pursuits Fishing News
and Reports
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Check out
the Offshore Reports for what's happening where offshore! |
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All of us at Offshore Pursuits hope
you have a great (and safe) holiday weekend! |
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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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Check out our first visitor submitted photo of the summer!
Joey Fortin and crew with 11 haddock and 7 cod caught on
Jeffries Ledge Saturday. |
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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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04/18/08 |
The First Fish
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
 This
last Thursday afternoon, the 17th of April, I stopped off at
River Road in Orleans on Cape Cod and cast a lure out into
The river coming from Little Pleasant Bay up into Meeting
House Pond. The first two or three casts did not produce any
action. On the next cast a hit, reeling a little further
another hit and the fish is on. There are fish at River Road
now. I’d heard that fish had been taken but had not actually
seen it. My first fish of the
season.
You know how every once in a while an old memory will flash
into your head? Well, that happened when I lifted that small
striper out of the water to release it. Years ago, when I
moved down to the Cape after getting out of the service I
got back into fishing in this area again. When I got my
first bass I’d run down to tell Old Mack, who owned Mac
Reed’s Bait Shop. Back when I came to the Cape as a kid I
would always get my bait from this kindly old gentleman who
ran a funky old tackle shop. He was a well known and liked
character in Orleans and a wealth of knowledge of where to
fish in Pleasant Bay and other areas on the Lower cape.
It came to be a tradition every year from the early 70’s on
I’d Find Mr. Reed, Mack, and tell him of the fish I had just
landed. He say he’d taken his first a few days before up in
False Channel in Pleasant Bay. Some years he just smile and
nod agreeing I’d taken the first fish. True or not it really
didn’t matter. Mack was a man of few words but everyone
listened
to what he did say.
This Thursday, while looking at that small striper I told
Mack I landed my first fish... |
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04/14/08 |
The Offshore Pursuits Team was on hand for all three days of
the New England Saltwater Fishing Show, RI Convention
Center, Providence, RI.
It was a great pleasure to meet all of you who stopped by to
say hello after following Offshore Pursuits for all these
years. We met many friends and customers face to face for
the first time, and also met many new friends and colleagues
that will help Offshore Pursuits grow even more in the
season to come.
Thanks again to all that stopped by, and the fishing reports
will start the first week in May. I will be chasing blue
marlin off Hatteras aboard the Tuna Duck with Capt. Dan
Rooks the last week of April into early May, so we should
have some exciting stories and pictures to share.
Accompanying me on this trip will be a writer and
photographer from a outdoor magazine that most of you are
familiar with. That is all I can say for now, but if all
goes as planned, this trip will be in print. I will keep you
posted! Dave
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02/28/08 |
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Bluefin Tuna Fishing Tips and Techniques |
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We have created a new website to share our tuna fishing
experiences.
http://www.bluefintunafishingtackle.com. Please visit the site to view some of our tackle, tips
and techniques for school tuna. If you would like to share
some of your tips and experiences please email Jack at
capt.Jack@offshorepursuits.com
and we will credit you with a backlink to your website. |
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02/19/08 |
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School Bluefin Tuna Seminars and Shows |
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Capt. Jack Riley of the Offshore Pursuits Pro Staff will be
presenting bluefin tuna tips and techniques at the Rhode
Island Saltwater Anglers Assoc. monthly meeting on 2/25/08
and at the Bass Pro Shops in Foxboro, MA on 3/1/08 from
12:30 to 1:30 in the afternoon. Dave and Jack will also be
exhibiting tuna tackle and techniques at the Saltwater
Fishing Expo, Garden State Exhibit Center, Somerset, NJ on
March 14-16, 2008. You will find many show tackle specials
at booth # 211.
www.sportshows.com
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01/10/08 |
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I received the below this morning from Rich Ruais. |
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Tuna Friends:
The 2007 total U.S. catch of bluefin tuna dropped again from
214 mt in 2006 to 193.6 in 2007. The average weight also
dropped from 462 lbs. in 2006 to 423 lbs. in 2007. This does
not include the estimate of recreational catch (usually
200-300 tons) of school and medium tuna which will not be
available until the summer.
The central Atlantic, East Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea
fisheries continue to kill our fishery and waste our
sacrifices since 1981 to rebuild the western fishery.
Rich
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12/04/07 |
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I received the below article from Rich Ruais on 12/04/07: |
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ICCAT Fails to Act to Stop Eastern Bluefin Tuna
Slaughter!
The International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) was blocked again by the European
Community (E.C) at its regular annual meeting in Antalya,
Turkey from November 10 through the 18th to reign in the out
of control fisheries for Atlantic bluefin tunas in the
Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.
Prior to the start of this years ICCAT meeting, Dr. Bill
Hogarth (Chairman of ICCAT and Head of the U.S. NMFS)
announced that the U.S. would demand a 3 to 5 year complete
moratorium of bluefin fishing in the eastern Atlantic and
Mediterranean Sea. The call for the ban was based on the
total non-compliance by European and North African fishing
countries and fish farms with the scientific advice
presented by ICCAT's Standing Committee on Research and
Statistics (SCRS) in 2006 that fishing catches had to be
reduced to prevent a stock collapse. In 2007 the SCRS advice
on the probability of collapse was even clearer given the
continuing illegal catches.
Read the full
article here. |
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11/12/07 |
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Herring Article from Canadian Perspective |
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Read the above article and then ask yourselves the
importance of pushing the herring issue! imagine what their
tuna season will be like next year... |
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11/11/07 |
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Below is a correspondence that I received
from Rich Ruias on the 11th. |
"Tuna Friends:
Glenn Delaney and I attended a presentation given by Dr.
Barb Block on bluefin to an audience at the World Wildlife
Fund's headquarters in Washington last night. There is no
real new information except that she is now over 1,000
tagged bluefin tunas and the data collected is enormous and
incredibly informative about the migration habits and stock
structure of bluefin.
She has been tremendous at getting the field work done and
providing some basic interpretations of the migration
patterns. She is out of her realm of expertise as she tries
to apply the data collected to the real world of management
hence, our problem with her pressure to include the west
Atlantic in the moratorium proposed by the U.S. for the east
and Mediterranean Sea.
I'm forwarding a little note I wrote to her this morning
(below). She had control over the question period and cut me
off after one or two challenges. In the past she has not
even recognized Glenn for a challenge.
Rich
Barb:
Your presentation was once again fascinating last night. One
would have to be pretty much of a dope to not see how much
you care about bluefin and how hard you are working to help
present the data that can lead to a sustainable management
regime of the complex mixed stock/fishery we have.
Your concern about fishery collapses are reasonable but I
would like a definition of "fishery collapse" and I think
there other many other factors beyond stock condition that
have to be examined and explained in each case where a
"collapse" is hypothesized.
Your suggestion of fishing them to biological extinction of
the western unit is however, preposterous in my mind and I'm
sure in many scientists minds as well. This is particularly
so the more you want to believe that there is a portion of
the west that does not mix on eastern fishing grounds. In
1992 I commissioned Doug Butterworth and Andre Punt to
analyze the probability of extinction for a highly fecund,
widely ranging high seas, rapidly migrating fish like
bluefin in anticipation Sutton's and Safina's CITES listing
attempt. At first they thought I was joking but they went
ahead and did one during an ICCAT Working group. I will have
to dig a bit to find the actual paper but I recall the
probability was practically zero.
You know your audience better than me, but I don't think it
is necessary or helpful to be talking about extinction right
now. Potential collapses are bad enough and potentially real
and measureable.
Rich" |
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Tuna Watch
Bluefin Tuna Landings Update
12/04/07
Click here for the latest landings info. |
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Offshore Pursuit
- A book by John Unkart |
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 Learn
how to rig trolling baits like the pros do, with different
methods to fit different situations. Find the most
productive offshore trolling areas. Tease marlin to the
hook. What baits each species prefers, methods of trolling,
types of spreads, how to chunk for tuna, and when and how to
use special tools such as kites, downriggers, and planers,
are all covered in detail. Easy to understand diagrams,
illustrations, and photographs take the mystery out of
specialized offshore fishing knots, rigging techniques, and
custom tackle design. Apply the tactics and techniques
detailed by blue water fishing pro John Unkart, and your
catch rate is bound to grow exponentially. Whether you're
after billfish, mahi-mahi, wahoo or tuna, you'll gain the
hard-earned insight and knowledge Unkart has accumulated
through more than 40 years of offshore experience. From
rigging techniques to tips on how to fight trophy fish, it’s
all in this book.
Click here to purchase this book (only
$19.95), as well as learn more about the
author.
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03/02/07 |
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Videos |
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If you are getting the itch for some giant bluefin tuna
action, check out our
Video Page, we
will be adding videos on a weekly basis, so check back
often. If you have your own video that you would like to
have included, please
email me with the details. |
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We are putting together a user submitted video contest where
the best video submitted by the deadline (somewhere near the
middle of September, but yet to be determined) will win a
fishing charter. We are working out all the details and will
have the official announcement, rules, etc. posted in the
near future. |
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02/19/07 |
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Read
Trolling Squid Bars and Spreader Rigs by Greg Sears of
Mass Bay
Guides. Very good reading to get you ready for the
upcoming season! |
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CHOIR Coalition |
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There is also a forum dedicated to this topic in the
Forums. |
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 For
any of you that have spent any time offshore, or inshore for
that matter, you know the role that baifish play in the
presence, or absence, of the species that you are targeting.
If you are into tuna fishing, then you know that the seasons
of late have been missing a key ingredient....giant bluefin
tuna! This scenario is not new by any means, just ask the
Canadians.
There is an organization known to some, but not to all who
should know and support it, that is actively fighting to
preserve the herring stock in the NE. Below is quoted
directly from the
CHOIR Coalition website. |
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"Commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, ecotourism
businesses, and concerned citizens from throughout New
England have united with one voice to protect Atlantic
Herring stocks. Atlantic herring form the basis of the ocean
food chain, and are therefore an essential element to the
marine ecosystem. Fishermen know that if food sources are
eliminated, there is little hope for the long term health of
other fish stocks.
Currently, large midwater single and pair trawl vessels
(herring midwater trawlers) in the Gulf of Maine are
removing more herring from the inshore than ever before,
forcing tuna, groundfish, whales and seabirds out of their
traditional feeding grounds. Midwater Trawl boats in the
Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank have caught protected
groundfish and large marine mammals in their nets as waste.
Now is the time to demand a more ORDERLY, INFORMED, and
RESPONSIBLE plan for managing the Atlantic Herring Fishery
in New England. The future health of our oceans depends on
it. Join the CHOIR Coalition in their efforts to create an
inshore buffer zone free of midwater trawl nets and to stop
wasteful bycatch by insisting on increased observer coverage
in the herring midwater trawler fleet." |
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For more information, articles, and news concerning
CHOIR Coalition's agenda, please be sure and visit their
website. As an organization, what they are doing affects us
all, and we should be supportive of that in any way we can. |
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You will be seeing, reading, and hearing a lot about this
organization on Offshore Pursuits now and in the future.
Please take the time to support them any way you can. |
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